CV Names the Best of 2006

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With 2007 here, now is the time to refelect on some of the trends and releases that rocked my world and made considerable airplay / promotion here on Controlled Voltage. Some of the things I liked (still do) reflect trends in the mainstream media. Other things I’ve discovered through my own resources. Take a moment and read this, perhaps you might find yourself on this countdown or you may agree/disagree with my decisions. Please write or comment and let me know what you think…

Steve
Controlled Voltage, WCNI – New London

Honorable Mention: Local music. This last year, the ‘New London Scene’ has produced some great releases. Of course we can’t forget the Towers of New London vol. 4 that was released the end of this year (November). The CD is truly worthy of your ownership,with its tri-fold two disc digi-pak, this looks just as good on your CD rack as well as it sounds on your system. There are 30 tracks and plenty of suprises (collaborations, etc). You have to listen to the whole thing to really appreciate it.

http://www.myspace.com/cosmodemonictelegraph

Incognito Sofa Love – “Hot Pink” This release came out around the middle of this year and has received regular play on the show ever since.

http://www.myspace.com/isl

Can Kickers w/ Mista Mayday – This year The ‘Kickers teamed up with Mista Mayday to add some ‘turntable magic’ to a couple of tracks. Check out the re-do of ‘Greasy Coat’ (from their release We’re Dying…) as well as the new version of ‘Johnny Walker’ that appears on Towers 4.

http://www.myspace.com/cankickers
http://www.myspace.com/mistamayday

10 . Myspace is for Music. In the spirit where Time Magazine has named their ‘Person Of The Year’ – “YOU”. Because of how personal blogging; and sites like You Tube, and Myspace have helped shaped various events (I heard on a radio news show how a certain senator’s ‘Macacca’ speech (was originally posted on You Tube – soon made national media – and in his opinion), was the catalyst of how this year’s senate election turned out (which mostly Democrats won).

Anyway, I am making Myspace #10 for its contribution to music this year. Unfortunately, there was too much bad press about Myspace. There were many people being abducted and killed from predatory encounters between users this year. And its unfortunate. Anyway… Myspace has done wonderful things for music. First of all, its free; a new unsigned band can setup a page easily and be amongst more established musicians and easily ‘network’. Because of this, more bookings and recording deals were made through Myspace this year. Some notable examples of this include:

Tim Lefevre (aka Skip Herbertson). I first heard of Skip through his Boomish project last year. But I quickly found out that ALL the musicians involved in Boomish are ‘World Class’. Through Skip’s page, friends could listen to unreleased tracks like ‘Esoteric Stimuli’ and ‘FYS’ as well as catch up who he is touring with (around the world with Chris Botti, etc.); when he was sitting in with the SNL band; or when he was doing the music for the season finale for ‘The Apprentice’ TV show. And of course I received word when Boomish got together in November! http://www.myspace.com/skipherbertson

Caroline’s album ‘Murmurs’ was released earlier this year on Temporary Residence. However, when I received the album at the station back in March, the bio mentioned that her ‘record deal’ was the result of her Myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/caroline

Lastly, I can’t forget Alison Binge. I stumbled upon her page when I was looking for CT artists. Basically, Alison is a college student based out of East Hampton, CT who writes and records for fun. I thought her ‘Harry Potter’ song was pretty hilarious… Listeners of my show Controlled Voltage should know this one by now…. and the song has taken a life of its own. She just recently posted a song announcing her distaste for Paris Hilton, you should also give this one a listen.

http://www.myspace.com/alisonblair

9. Hip Hop, for the rest of us. Being the RPM director for WCNI, I receive some Hip Hop releases every so often… A lot of times, the labels / promoters know I am a ‘warm contact’ and I will listen to it. Sometimes, certain promoters really believe in a release and feel it should be cross promoted. There were a few artists this year that I felt were different enough that I really embraced and gave them chart and airplay action.

Wax Tailor really knocked me out this year. This artist, based in France, took Hip Hop to a higher level. Using various movie dialogs, Tailor strung together musical conversations that transcend time and space. His knowledge of film is pretty vast to even think about what would fit together. Aside from the dialog clips, the music is pretty special. Strings and female vocals were also in the mix to create arrangements reminiscent of Portishead and other Trip Hop artists.

http://www.myspace.com/waxtailor

PH10. I fell in love with their BK United ep that was released this year. Tracks like ‘Needless to Say’ and ‘So Sensitive’ had become CV staples this year.

http://www.myspace.com/ph10

7L & Esoteric. This Boston based duo release was also a CV staple. Their song “Play Dumb” from the album “A New Dope” was a perennial favorite, with witty lyrics and choice sampling (quotes from the movie Space Balls over a beat from Culture Club was decidedly different) I still crack up when they say ‘Nickelback should’ve won the Grammy’ in this song.

Or, how about “WMD” (12” version) by Jel, the anti-Bush song with the Black Sabbath Sample (War Pigs). ‘Evil minds that plot destruction / Sorcerer of death’s construction’ fits oh so well in this track.

http://www.myspace.com/jelanticon

And, I can’t forget Spank Rock! This is like P-Funk for the next century. 8-Bit blips, crappy drum machines, out of genre mixing, and street level raps make dancing not an option when this stuff drops.

http://www.myspace.com/spankrock

8. Welcome Back WARP! This year, I was able to resume service with Warp records. So, this year at the station we received a lot of their releases (Aphex Twin, Squarepusher,etc.) But, one of the most unique and I feel ‘culturally important’ releases that came out was “Warp Works” by the London Sinfonietta. On this release (Warp 144) ; the Sinfonia, an ensemble that specializes in avant garde and 20th century works; also tackled compositions by Aphex Twin and Squarepusher in addition to Stockhausen and Varese. With its lovely bookbinding and liner notes, this double CD is a MUST HAVE for any collection.

http://www.myspace.com/warprecords

7. Gunther and the Sunshine Girls. Oh, you touch my Tra La La…. These are the words that should be heard on dancefloors throughout the world. And well, they have… This artist, based out of Sweden, is trying to make his splash here in America. However it seems to be in selected ripples… Going as just ‘Gunther’,his release ‘Pleasureman’ was released on Rhino Records in the fall of this year. Personally, I’ve never known of Rhino to be the right label to break new music – they’ve got the reissue and anthology thing down pat. So, that means for club play, there is no decent 12” or remixes. And when you do find the vinyl, it is an overpriced import from 2004 (check out Juno Records UK or Gemm). But, with Gunther’s philosophy of Peace Love Champagne, and Sex how can you not enjoy this stuff. If you are into Right Said Fred or Real McCoy, you will enjoy Gunther. In addition to the Ding Dong Song, check out his duet with Samantha Fox covering ‘Touch Me’. And you can’t forget his Christmas single (Ding Dong) Christmas Song – if you can find it…

http://www.myspace.com/gunthermusic

6. Tiesto “He’s A Pirate”. This year when the Johnny Depp movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 2’ hit theaters this summer, pirate fever was everywhere! Locally, events like Sailfest and downtown Halloween events took on a pirate theme. Also, the wining float of the Niantic Light Parade this year was a pirate ship (with working cannons). Tiesto’s single “He’s A Pirate” uses parts of the movie score along with dialog to create a trance opus that has worked the dancefloors this summer. Along being a CV favorite, this track is still a staple on Malcolm’s Danze Zone.

5. Bob Sinclar “Love Generation”. In addition to Tiesto, this track was another essential ‘song of summer’ around these parts. With its acoustic guitar strum, whistling, and vocals by Gary Pine, this track has summer written all over it! This track is still tearing up dancefloors and can still be regularly heard on Malcom’s Danze Zone as well.

4. Mark Vidler / Go Home Productions. This year, Blondie came out with a greatest hits package called Sound and Vision. In addition to the music CD, there was also a DVD that featured their videos. However, the real treat on this release was the last track called “Rapture Riders”. This track was actually released back in 2004; now its out there for everyone to enjoy. This is the track that features Jim Morrison singing ‘Riders On The Storm’ over Blondie’s “Rapture”. Sure, the medley works. The chords and melody fit over each other well. But, they work on much more deeper levels. And this I found, is a trademark of a Mark Vidler / GHP mix. When you put these two together, the result is pure sex! Also, a little known fact is that, in 1977, Ray Manzarek (Doors) and Nigel Harrison (Blondie) were briefly in a band together called Nite City (an ironic side note perhaps). To hear how Vidler crafts what he does, you should check out his website and listen to other tracks while you can (he will make them available by subscription in 2007). He has also made some Christmas mixes available, check out “Christmas In Boston”. Everyone that has heard this has gone nuts! The Beatles’ “Christmas Time Is Here Again” over Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” – with a visit from Greg Lake fit together and harmonize so well, they act like they should’ve been together all along.

And lastly for Rapture Rider hipster cred… Billy Crystal was wearing a Rapture Riders tee shirt during his Thanksgiving Comic Relief special this year (the show with Robin Williams and Whoopie Goldberg).
http://www.myspace.com/markvidlerGHP
http://www.markvidler-gohomeproductions.co.uk

3. Ellee Ven – Project 11. I first heard of Ellee Ven back in 2004 with the release of the Rolling Stone ep. I immediately fell in love with the DJ Swamp production. But of course it was Ellee’s writing / performance that has made these tracks stand up. This year, Ellee Ven’s most recent success came with the release of her CD/Vinyl series titled PROJECT 11. This series is squarely for the DJs. Some older tracks (Time And Trial) and many new tracks(Vascilation, You Can Buy Me) were released with various remixes to satisfy all types of programming formats. In addition to just filling a mix, listeners also connected with the lyrics and melody. And quoting Malcom from The Danze Zone, “They Work”! From this series, prominent remixers to check out include Solange, Chris Brophy, and Dezrock (who just came out with a release this month).

http://www.elleeven.com
http://www.myspace.com/elleeven

2. Alias And Tarsier “Brookland / Oaklyn”. This beautiful collection of songs came out on Anticon during the summer. However, when the remix companion ‘Plane That Draws A White Line’ was released during the fall, I revisited the initial release and fell in love with it. Alias (Brendon Whitney ), a staple on Anticon decided to team up with Tarsier (Rona Rapadas ) who has worked with Burgess Tomlinson (Healamonster) after exchanging emails mentioning their mutual admiration for each other’s music. However, during writing and recording “Brookland / Oaklyn” both parties lived on opposite sides of the country (hence the album name) and never physically met. From the Myspace text: “ That two people who didn’t even know how one another took their coffee (and probably still don’t) have realized that rarified thing – a beautiful album, goes to the core of the Anticon ethos: honest music is without borders.” To me, this is more than honest music, it has a certain satisfaction. I had the pleasure of seeing A& T live in October. They augmented the ensemble with Burgess Tomlinson and Matthew Mccullough, to see how everything came together from such a start was really a beautiful experience. After you buy your own copy of the album, check out the track “Vista” on Healamonster & Tarsier’s ep ‘Heart of a Blue Whale… ‘

http://www.myspace.com/aliasandtarsier

1. Girl Talk “Night Ripper” (Illegal Art). I have been a fan of this label since 2002-ish when they released the “Corporal Blossom Christmas Album”. This summer, when I received a new release from this label, I was excited (apparently the rest of the world was too…) Rebecca Raber, associate editor for CMJ says this “This not-a-mash-up mash-up record, by this not-a-DJ DJ, made your CD collection obsolete. Gregg Gillis’ ADD-addled edits rubbed Ciara’s heavy breathing against Boston’s noodling and Biggie’s tough flow against chirping Elton John for the best party album of the millennium so far. Lost amongst the din of praise for his cheeky samples was acknowledgement for the synth lines and beats that Gillis wrote himself; in such celebrated company, they sounded ripped from hit albums too.” I couldn’t say it better myself. This album is tight… using over 150 uncleared samples to create a super mega – mix that will rock any party.

The thing that made this really special here in 2006, was Gregg’s inclusion to the I Am festival. This music fest was held on New London’s waterfront in September. One of the coolest things that happened was that WCNI and the various promoters for this event were actually in-sync! We as a station played the artists featured gave it substantial on-air promotion, and had a physical presence at the event. To top it all off, I was able to have a phone interview with Gregg the night before the show. This is an awesome start for a facet of the station that has long been dormant. Sure, many individual DJs do a lot of local promotion, but when everyone gets together, the unified result is so much greater.

http://www.myspace.com/iamfestival
http://www.myspace.com/girltalkmusic

This is what my 2006 was musically. I hope you enjoyed many of these as well. I can’t wait for what 2007 brings.

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