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CD Selections
by Neil Atherton
Catskills Records
After signing a record deal with a nerdy Finnish pop group for some Star Wars figures and a jigsaw puzzle, the three founders behind this UK imprint — Jonny Reggae, Amr and Khalid — unforeseeingly pulled off the scoop of the decade. The ’60s-obsessed Finns turned out to be Pepé Deluxe, responsible for soundtracking the trendy Twisted Levi’s ad. thus lining the pockets of the Catskills founders. But, instead of cashing in on the notoriety that followed, they re-invested in the label — “We spent a long time building up a bigger audience,” notes Amr. “It’s been an organic process — Pepé Deluxe helped, because it drew attention to us and we got all the rights! But we follow the socialist principle of a label, so... when an artist blows up, they take the rest of the acts with them!”
After five years of hard work, what started as a hobby is finally turning into a worthwhile business. The development of their acts is also paying off, says Jonny: “Up until now we’ve been predominantly a singles label, but most of our artists are ready to drop albums.”
2002 will see the release of debuts from Bushy, Hardkandy, Zero Theory and a second LP from Pepé Deluxe and a Paris-based duo, Capsule. With the potential to be big in France, their Gainsbourg-esque songwriting and Jane Birkin vocals have led to success in the UK, where French language songs usually fail because they’re rarely understood. “We worked out that ‘Le Salon’ is about dancing in the living room and exchanging glances,” explains Khalid, “but it’s more about the sound and the vibe, not the lyrics.”
And that’s the ethos behind Catskills. “We want to be a music label, where we can represent an underground hip hop act, release a folk singer and a French pop group,” concludes Jonny. “We’re covering all genres and it’s stuff we’re really into."
Their compilation “Straight Out the Cat Litter: Gourmet” (Catskills/Le Maquis) is out now.
Headman
“It Rough”
(Gomma/M10)
Having taken the Paris club scene by the scruff of its neck, dragged it twice around the dancefloor and blown out the clot of dusty cobwebs that was house music, electro is officially the new filtered disco. And just so the scene doesn’t forge too far ahead into the future (check the Detroit Grand Pubahs’ LP for that), Swiss Dj, producer and painter Robi Insinna has made an album of ’80s electro that nods a wink in the direction of the old-school beat masters like Fantasy Three and Captain Rock.
As Headman — so called because of his fetish for painting heads — Insinna, along with technician Ralph Peter, makes straight-up music which, like his paintings, are direct and immediate. “I don’t over intellectualize my work,” says the 29-year-old. “I want it to be accessible, even if it isn’t commercial. Painting is a visual explanation of my music — there’s a parallel, but I’m not going to make a tune, then do a painting to match it.”
Inspired by the early ’80s and “the whole street thing — the music, the graffitti, its style and expression,” Robi remains unconvinced that the resurgence of ’80s cculture is a well-timed one for Headman. “It’s dangerous to talk about the 1980s because there were so many different styles of music. The pop thing is really big in Europe, but that’s not the ’80s we’re looking at. We’re more underground.”
Whatever, it’s sure you’ll be cutting rug to edgy electro tuneage come Saturday night. Out now
Chemical Brothers
“Come With Us”
(Freestyle Dust/Labels)
This record is massive. There’s no other way to describe it. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simmons (they’re not really brothers) have gone well out of their way to produce sounds like this — and all on a simple piece of 5" plastic. You could say they’ve done a Daft Punk — rock guitars put through more pedals and effects than you could shake a Primal Scream album at. But where the Punk just sounded self-indulgent, this sounds sublime. Current single “Star Guitar” is typical of the whirring, swirling maelstrom of beats, blips, bleeps, snares, rolls and sirens that subsume the climatic highs of a Chemical Brothers song. “The Test,” featuring the vocals of a possessed Richard Ashcroft and “Pioneer Skies” are two other sweeping, psychedelic epics that stand out on this, their fourth studio album. Out now
Revolucion
“The Chicano’s Spirit”
(Follow Me)
Dedicated to the Latino struggle for the recognition of their cultural existence in the US, this 12-track compilation of Latin-rock grooves from the early ’70s is as inspiring as it is political. Before Woodstock in ’69 (where Latin-rock group Santana performed), the “Chicanos” — a term used by the Latinos to identify them as equals — were an unheard voice, especially with the spotlight trained on the Afro-American cause. Despite the success of Santana, the genre seemingly disappeared by 1979, leaving Mexican and Latin artists from Coke Escovedo to Flash and the Dinamics with a repertoire of forgotten classics. The best of which can be found here. Out Feb 12
Haven, “Between the Senses”
(Radiate/Delabel)
How many of today’s guitar-oriented bands can claim to blow you away on the first listen of their new album? Not many. And Haven’s debut isn’t promising any storms, but the Manchester-based quartet, originally from Cornwall, come wielding a bag of tunes, unheard of since the heady days of The Smiths. And no wonder, because ex-Smiths manager Joe Moss is their mentor and guitarist Johnny Marr their producer. Anthemic songs with sparkling guitars and breathy vocals from frontman Gary Briggs, make for ethereal listening. Add that to their modestly-acquired confidence and rock’n’roll haircuts and you get The Verve and The Strokes in one Haven-ly sounding album.
FOG
(Ninja Tune/Pias)
Minneapolis resident Andrew Broder, couples post-rock, folk and blues with hip hop on his excellent first long-player for Ninja. Featuring Dose One, a lot of jaunty breaks and a Beck-like vocal fluidity. Out Feb 18
Alif Tree
“Spaced”
(Universal Jazz)
Alif, a French producer with a fondness for science fiction and zero gravity, crafts dark, jazzy pieces of embryonic electronica. Out now
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