Blue Box • Captured Dance Floor

Captured Dance Floor is an odd one I picked up on my electric Jazz travels in the late eighties. The cover artwork is not to my liking but I'm guessing it is meant to be satirical.
A stripped down Toshinori Kondo's IMA spring to mind on re-listening, an intriguing mixture of funk, techno, experimental jazz.

• Stylo •

Blue Box is a cult. The name itself is a programme. For twenty years this band has succeeded in over layering each period with its music, much like the blue box technique used in film making. The jazz trio does not go along with the prevailing musical trends but cultivates styles that go against the drift and charts a new course. In the early eighties when DJ club jazz was still in its infancy, the new-age music produced by Blue Box upset the jazz purists. Some called it ‘techno jazz’, others ‘no wave funk’, and some ‘industrial dance’.

Their third album "Captured Dancefloor" reflected the rise of dancefloor jazz in the late 80s. Charismatic trumpet lines communicate with complex rhythms and driving bass grooves: The sound of Blue Box was way ahead of its time and soon turned this trio into a cult band.

nubox.com

01. Perpetuum Mobile
02. Dreamless Nights
03. Little Prince
04. Network
05. Going
06. Dance Floor
07. Criss Cross
08. Cheers
09. Thumbs Up
10. Samba
11. Cartoon


Reiner Winterschladen • Trumpet, Vocals
A member of the NDR Big Band since 1995, participated in numerous recordings for jazz labels, radio and TV. Over the years he played some very distinguished solos on albums of the Nighthawks, the Klaus König Orchestra and Ensemble Indigo

Alois Kott • Acoustic & Electric Bass
bass professor and founder of several ensembles, has been a professional musician for 30 years. He made recordings for ECM, Enja, Intuition and other labels and composed works of chamber music for the WDR.

Peter E. Eisold • Drums, Percussion & programming
is best known for his work on the experimental and alternative concert scene. He played with groups like the AOS Ensemble and Modern Percussion Quintet and was the drummer in Helge Schneider's Big Band.

Produced by  Blue Box


Purchase

Label: Tiptoe – CD 888 801
Format: 320
Country: Germany
Released: 1989
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Future Jazz

Love Of Life Orchestra • Casino

Found this rare vinyl gem on a torrent site.

Love of Life Orchestra was created by Peter Gordon (sax, keyboards, composition) and David Van Tieghem, a talented, smart-aleck avant-garde percussionist with ties to new music composer Steve Reich. Both have gone on to greater fame as elder statesmen of the downtown music scene in New York, but these early works stand as an important developmental chapter.

trouserpress  

1. Siberia

2. Casino

3. Jocks On Ice - O

4. Roses On Bond Street

5. Condo

6. Jocks On Ice - OO

Peter Gordon • Saxophone, Synthesizer, Organ, Piano, Voice
David Van Tieghem • Drums, Percussion, Marimba, Synthesizer, Voice
Randy Gun • Guitar, Voice
Rebecca Armstrong • Voice
"Blue" Gene Tyranny • Piano
Bill Laswell • Bass
Al Scotti • Bass
Larry Saltzman • Guitar
Ned Sublette • Guitar
Fred Maher • Guitar, Congas
Whisper Chorus
Jill Kroesen, Rebecca Armstrong
Tim Schellenbaum, Ned Sublette
Randy Gun, David Van Tieghem

Recorded and mixed at Aquarius Studios, Geneva, Switzerland and Right Track Studios, New York City.
Engineered by David Stone, Jean Ristori and Josh Harris

Produced by Peter Gordon and David Van Tieghem 

Label: Expanded Music
Catalog#: EX 08
Format: Vinyl Rip 320 kbps (Flac 1/2/3)
Country: Italy
Released: 1982
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: New Wave

Macro Dub Infection • Volume One

Macro Dub Infection, a two-disc set promisingly subtitled "Volume 1," is a good example of the variety of music being produced under the "dub" rubric. Not every track is reggae, but each is informed by the spacy, mystical ambience of dub, and most feature reggae's trademark deep, snaky basslines -- not to mention the vocals appearing out of nowhere before spinning off into space and the drums sneaking up and pounding you about the head and shoulders before disappearing again. These artists are mostly British, though Americans will recognize names like Tricky and the Golden Palominos. The weird skull artwork on the cover is a tipoff to the dark, eerie mood that permeates this album -- note in particular Two Badcard's creepy spoken-word track and the lovely "Operation Mind Control" by the charmingly named Skull vs. Ice. Lighter moments include the jungle-flavored "Double Edge Dub" and a lighthearted Mad Professor track called "Ragga Doll." This set rewards repeated listening and is highly recommended.

D i s c O n e
1 The Disciples • The Struggle Of Life
2 Spring Heel Jack • Double Edge Dub
3 Two Badcard • Sergio Mendez Part 1
4 Automaton • Astral Altar Dub
5 Bedouin Ascent • Broadway Boogie Woogie
6 The Rootsman • The Wadada (Sema Mix)
7 Coil • The Hills Are Alive
8 Omni Trio • The Half Cut
9 Laika • If You Miss (Laika Virgin Mix)
10 New Kingdom • Crush Your Enemies (Panama Connection Dub Mix)
11 Tortoise • Goriri

D i s c T w o
1 Skull vs. Ice • Operation Mind Control
2 Bud Alzir • Morocco
3 Extremadura • Beta, Seekers Of Smooth Things
4 4 Hero • The Paranormal In 4 Form
5 Golden Palominos • This Is How It Feels (Dub)
6 Mad Professor • Ragga Doll
7 Wagon Christ • Phora Ride
8 Scorn • The End (Remix)
9 Tricky • Ambient Pumpkin
10 Bandulu • Come Forward
11 Earthling • Nothingness

Scientist Meets the Ghost Captain

 

Label: Virgin 7243 8 40475 2 8
Series: Ambient Series - AMBT 7
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 1995
Genre: Electronic
Style: Leftfield, Dub, Drum n Bass, Trip Hop

Jill Kroesen • Stop Vicious Cycles

The subjects of Kroesen's songs range from the old Wayne Hayes sex scandal [?] to Alexander the Great, to tunes of personal and political exploitation. On the first side she rocks, rolls, wails, and whines her way through songs with spunky, sometimes bizarre arrangements by Peter Gordon and Kroesen. The mood is now romantic, now introspective, now rollicking, with titles like Honey, You're So Mean and I Am Not Seeing That You Are Here as featured on Soul Jazz Records New York Noise Volume 2, not to mention the thought provoking I'm Sorry I'm Such A Weenie. The second side is contemplative, including I'm Just A Human Being.

1. Wayne Hayes Blues
Rebecca Armstrong: vocal
Peter Gordon: vocal
Jill Kroesen: vocal, Hammond organ
Bill Laswell: bass
George Lewis: trombone
Tony Machine: Tama Drums
David Van Tieghem: percussion

2. I Am Not Seeing That You Are Here
Peter Gordon: sax
Jill Kroesen: vocal, congas
Bill Laswell: bass
George Lewis: trombone
Tony Machine: Tama Drums

3. Ride Your Pony
Don Christensen: drums
Peter Gordon: Prophet 5, organ, sax, vocal
Jody Harris: guitar
Jill Kroesen: vocal, percussion
Bill Laswell: bass
Larry Saltzman: guitar

4. Honey, You’re So Mean
Jill Kroesen: vocal, piano

5. I’m Sorry I’m Such a Weenie
Peter Gordon: sax mouthpiece
Jill Kroesen: vocal, clavinet
Bill Laswell: bass
George Lewis: trombone
Tony Machine: Tama Drums
David Van Tieghem: percussion

6. I Am Not Seeing That You Are Here
Jill Kroesen: vocal, congas
Bill Laswell: bass
Fred Maher: drums

7. Alexander the Great
Jill Kroesen: vocal, piano

8. Fay Shism Blues
Peter Gordon: string ensemble, clavinet, sax, Hammond organ
Jill Kroesen: vocal, piano
Bill Laswell: sax
Tony Machine: Tama Drums
Fred Maher: Guitar
Arthur Russell: cello
Fred Smith: bass
“Blue” Gene Tyranny: piano

9. “I’m Just a Human Being”
Jill Kroesen: vocal, piano

Produced by Peter Gordon and Jill Kroesen.
All songs by Jill Kroesen, except “Ride Your Pony” by Naomi Neville.

Recorded December 1979-February 1982.

Found on a now defunct blog