Tag: Thursday Throwback

Thursday Throwback – July 21, 2011

Another retro game throwback this week and, in my opinion, one of the most classic video game themes of all times.

I was introduced to Mario at the ripe young age of 8. I got my first video game console (the NES, of course) along with Super Mario Brothers 2. I know, it wasn’t actually a “real” Mario game but it was good nonetheless and definitely raised the bar on platform games (and video games in general).

A couple years later the Super Nintendo was released, along with Super Mario World, and the bar was raised again. By a lot.

Completely random side-story: I remember me and my friend had rented a SNES and were playing in his parent’s bedroom for whatever reason. On the night table is what appeared to be a… dildo. Apparently he was told it was a back scratcher. To this day I’m completely confident it was a dildo.

Why the hell would you keep that in plain sight and tell your kid it was a back scratcher? Would it not be completely awkward if said kid then started to use it for its “intended” purpose?

But I digress.

Apart from that awkwardness the game itself was awesome. An instant classic. What I think is so great about the music is the motif that’s carried all the away through. That same riff is used in all of the background music, often switching to a minor key, a different time signature, etc. To this day I’m totally in love with that idea and feel and am disappointed we don’t hear more of this. I suppose this must be fairly challenging to pull off without becoming repetitive, but it was definitely pulled off masterfully by Koji Kondo.

So here’s the background music from the first level in SMW, c. 1990:

Oh yeah, and if you enjoy this at all or it brings back fond memories, do check out XOC’s one-man-band reinterpretation using dozens of instruments.

Thursday Throwback – July 14, 2011

So I’m headed into the studio next week for a week-long recording session with The WAX. I can’t help but think back to my first recording experience with my little high-school rock band.

It must have been 1995. I was just starting to find out about real electronic music at the time so I would have been listening primarily to the grungey rock sound of that era: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins and of course Canada’s own Treble Charger.

We recorded at this dank little studio in the basement of a strip mall in Orleans, Ontario (suburb of Ottawa) over the course of a couple nights. I remember that the owner was in a Doors tribute band and had the biggest drum kit I’d ever seen.

We recorded everything live off the floor to ADAT and overdubbed vox. No click tracks or computers involved. A far cry from the way things are generally done today.

As I recall I don’t think we ever actually released the album, although I’m sure there are still a few copies floating around on tape. If you happen to have one please either destroy it or send it to me, hehe.

Anyway, I was ultimately kicked out of the band because my songs were too “easy listening”. Not all that much different than today, I guess 😉 I can listen to and enjoy the heavy stuff but when it comes to writing I naturally gravitate towards music with depth and emotion.

I chose today’s throwback because I specifically remember writing a song with the same rhythm as the verse… though with different chords, I think (/hope). They say imitation is the best form of flattery, anyway.

From Treble Charger’s “Self-Title” c. 1995:

Thursday Throwback – July 7, 2011

This week’s throwback is an absolute drum & bass classic, without a doubt. I heard this for the first (or maybe second) time on LTJ Bukem’s Promised Land Vol. 1 mix, along with several other Adam F tracks, and instantly became hooked.

I remember hearing somewhere that the initial release of this track didn’t do so well, and it was re-released with a few tweaks (faster tempo, extra vocal sample). Can’t find anything on the net to corroborate this though so if you know for sure please leave a comment 🙂

This is one of those tracks that you need to give a good listen to at least once a year. Preferably more. I’m posting a shorter version simply because there’s a video to go along with it. The full version is actually 8:30.

Adam F’s “Circles”, c. 1995:

Thursday Throwback – June 30, 2011

For better or for worse the Chemical Brothers played an integral role in bringing electronic music to the masses in the mid 90s. Being backed by a major label certainly didn’t hurt, as it funded their music videos and got their music out there via widespread distribution.

Today’s throwback – a collaboration with Noel Gallagher – really sealed the deal. The music video saw regular rotation here in Canada on Much Music (back when they actually played music videos) and the single debuted at number one in UK. No doubt this, along with Gallagher’s vocals, brought “electronic” (I use the term somewhat loosely) to a whole new demographic.

Coincidentally this was actually the first MP3 I ever downloaded. I have no idea where I found it – MP3s were fairly new at the time and it wasn’t till a few years later that file sharing become more prominent.

Personally I wouldn’t say this is the best track by the Chemical Brothers, nor does it stand the test of time as much of some of the other throwbacks I’ve posted, but it definitely represents a key turning point in electronic music in my humble opinion.

Chemical Brother’s “Setting Sun” feat. Noel Gallagher c. 1996:

For those of you in Canada: have a great Canada Day. For those of you not: you should visit some time, it’s nice here.

P.S. sorry for the lateness in posting this – vacation followed by work followed by intense writing/jam session in preparation for The WAX recording in a couple weeks!

Thursday Throwback – June 23, 2011

Sorry for the lateness of this throwback but I had a corp event today that went well into the evening.I think today’s throwback is actually the first house track I’ve posted. This was my favourite house track when I was like 16 (are 16 year old boys supposed to have favourite house tracks… ?)I had it on a mix I recorded from the Planet Rave radio show – one of the shows that introduced me to techno and house music. I remember my electronics teacher used to let us play music in class and I played this mix, much to the confusion of the class. Oh well. (I still miss the smell of electronics class though – burnt plastics and solder… mmm.)I listened to a fair bit of house via the radio at the time but was drawn to the loopier stuff so this track was right up my alley (Madame B “It’s Not Enough” also comes to mind). Although the track is fairly simple the part A and B thing keeps it from dragging on too much. And all the layering keeps the ears occupied anyways.
So here we go… the Todd Edwards dub mix of St. Germain “Alabama Blues” c. 1996:

P.S. Dr. Beardsley remix in the works – we’ll see how that pans out 🙂

Thursday Throwback – June 16, 2011

I’ve been helping with several indie game projects lately so it seemed only fitting to post another retro video game track for today’s Throwback.

The first Castlevania game was released when I was only 6 (!), so I was a bit too young for it then, but by the time Super Castlevania 4 came out I was all over it.
I remember my Grandmother buying it for me as a gift, along with my Super Nintendo. It was definitely an exciting time in my childhood, and I was one of the first of my friends to have a SNES so I had that to lord over my little snot-nose bratty friends 🙂

I actually chose the game based on the back of the box (similarly, this was also my strategy for video game rental). We didn’t have Metacritic or ShopSavvy in those days. All we had was Nintendo Power, and unfortunately I didn’t always have a subscription.

Like Mega Man, Castlevania is one of those series that’s renowned for its soundtracks. This particular track, while short, definitely sticks out to me as one of the catchier tunes. Along with random Christmas songs – and Krust’s “Warhead” – it pops into my head at least once every few weeks for as far back as I can remember.

So here ya go – “Bloody Tears” from Super Castlevania for SNES c. 1991:

Thursday Throwback – June 9, 2011

In honour of a remix/mash-up I’m working on, this week’s Throwback is going to be a 2 for 1!

I was first introduced to the Saafi Brothers in the mid to late 90s. I wasn’t much into them at the time, although I was impressed by the blue coloured vinyl on which I was hearing them 🙂

Many years later, for whatever reason, I decided to check them out again. It was then that I truly came to appreciate the real depth of their material. The archetype of their sound is a combination of psytrance, dub and downtempo. Although this has since become a fairly common sound it would have been pretty unique at the time. You might say they were pioneers in this regard.

Occasionally they produce more dance-floor-oriented tracks, but in my opinion, their strength lies in the more cerebral stuff. These are really tracks for reflection and introspection, which is probably a big part of the reason I’m drawn to them.

“Together in Silence” from Mystic Cigarettes c. 1997:

“Wellness Farm” from Midnight’s Children c. 2000:

If you enjoy these tracks I’d suggest you also check out Summerhills (from Liquid Beach c. 20303) – it’s a shining example of their subtle approach to building up tracks. Oh and stay tuned for more details on my remix/mash-up of these two songs 🙂

Thursday Throwback – June 2, 2011

Happy June everyone. Even if I didn’t have a calendar I would know it’s June because I saw a June Bug the other night (coincidentally in May, but whatever). It was flying into our front door as if it wanted to be let in. We didn’t let it in.

…

I’m going to go in a much different direction this week. I don’t listen to a lot of rock these days but Doves are definitely on the top of my list in terms of rock bands that I can appreciate. I first found out about them around the time “Some Cities” was released. I was drawn to it because of all the little things that set it apart – very well produced, great guitar work, interesting instrumentation, neat little hooks, lots of detail in the mixing.

The song ideas themselves are relatively simple but all these things combined really take them to a whole new level – “greater than the sum of its parts”. Overall I would say this album has had a profound impact on my rock/pop writing for The WAX, more so than anything else as of late.

I wouldn’t say this is necessarily my favourite Doves song – the little breaks are a little bit too fromage for me – but I chose this because of the ending (@2:52), which is quite possibly one of my favourite moments in a “rock” song (I use the term loosely – is this even really rock?). It’s infectious, it’s deep, and it doesn’t try to be anything. To me that’s the epitome of good music.

From Some Cities c. 2005, “Someday Soon” by Doves:

Thursday Throwback – May 26, 2011

Quick throwback this week – I’m in Ottawa on a work trip/mini-vacation with the wife.

I told myself I wasn’t going to post this track but I’d really be doing the throwback series a disservice if I didn’t. So here’s the track which made Bad Company (UK) a house-hold name in the drum & bass scene, circa 1998:

That is all.

Thursday Throwback – May 19, 2011

This week’s throwback isn’t about a single track, but a collection of tracks. Approximately 728 hours worth of tracks to be exact. To be even more exact and way less ambiguous it’s about an Ottawa-based radio show called Futurhythm.

Futurhythm has been on the airwaves every week since 1997. Until last night, that is. For last night the needle was lifted from the record for the last time. Okay I’m being a bit melodramatic but seriously it is like the end of an era in the Ottawa drum & bass scene.

The show was only in its infancy as I was getting seriously into drum & bass but I credit both the show, and host Karl Haze, in solidifying my interest in the genre. I remember a specific mix-tape ripped from the show with tracks from John B’s Visions LP (1997), Renegade Hardware’s Quantum Mechanics LP (1998) and other tracks from the era. Of course I immediately rushed out and bought them all 😉

In time I found my own sound, but Futurhythm definitely played a role in shaping that sound. My hat goes off to Haze for his 14 years of dedication. Dude is like a Godfather of the Ottawa drum & bass scene.

I remember him playing Krust’s “Warhead” at a warehouse rave. Playing alongside him at a jungle party in the weird little venue on Besserer Street. And of course listening to the show on Wednesday nights while driving downtown to go to Urban Pressure @ Atomic!

So here we go. A retrospective mix from Haze…

http://postmobills.com/khaze/Karl_Haze-Urban_Pressure_Flashback_Session(Dec_2009).mp3

Track-listing and more info available here: http://turnawayskull.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-mix-karl-haze-urban-pressure.html

As he himself might say, big ups to the one they call Haze! EZ.