Playlist notes

This is probably my last post for a week, off to Kansas City for a business trip. Being from Oklahoma, I insist on informing everyone that the Wilbur Harrison song about that city was originally written as Ponca City. But since Ponca City still only has a population of 25,000, I can't blame him for changing the song and going after a bigger market. Besides, Ponca City never really was that exciting.

Instead of just dry listings of what I play on my radio show for the benefit of search engines, sometimes I ought to talk a little bit about the music. Monday mornings 2-5am is in my mind the quietest time of the whole week. When I started I played more of a rock'n'roll show but have received a much greater listener response since I switched to a chill out format. If you see me play the same record for several weeks running, that means it's new, or at least new to us at the station.

My current fave is Radio Massacre International. It is straight up mid-70s Tangerine Dream, and not any pale imitation either but the full on art rock effect. There's an art rock revival going on and I couldn't be happier.

My favorite record of the year to date is The June Book by Magic City. It's a tribute to Sun Ra Arkestra vocalist June Tyson, the one who sang all those wacky space songs. I can't get enough of that Space is the Place vibe. They recorded in a Vermont farmhouse, giving the acoustics a pleasantly warm and airy feel. "We're Living in the Space Age" is far and away my favorite track, I could play it every show, as it has a loopy Dale Evans take on the song. I can almost hear the Trigger clopping along in the background.

Mama Kangaroos is a Captain Beefheart tribute album by 20 different all female Philadelphia acts. I was never much into Beefheart, something about his delivery rubs me the wrong way, but this record reveals that the songs themselves are brilliant. I keep playing the Nancy Falkow track because she best brings out the wistful melody that is the essence of these songs, and thankfully unlike most tribute albums this one has far more hits than misses.

It really doesn't fit in with my show, but I cannot resist the awesome funk power Congotronics by Konono No. 1. They wire up a bunch of thumb pianos called likembes while people bang on pots, pans and even car parts in the background. You can tell it's all firmly rooted in traditional deep Congo tribal music, but the energy and makeshift electronics turn it into a total freak out jam, the most original sound I have heard in quite some time.

One of my chestnuts has become "Rhodes Theme" by Alexandroid off the Datcha Studio 2 compilation. Not only is it a wonderfully beautiful downtempo melody, it closes with one of the funniest samples ever, the disjointed prerecorded female voice mail voice incanting in her infectious monotone, "You have nine hund-red and thir-ty seven messages, all of them marked Urgent." That just slays me every time. Unfortunately, no link since Uploud Records has gone belly up. I hope somebody else keeps bringing these nifty Russian electronic bands to us.

No show this week, I'll be back on the air August 15th.