S.o.t.D. - Shambhalla – Taho

Shambhalla – Taho

Didn’t know Taho got this beaty, but I like it.

S.o.t.D. - Kemistry (Doc Scott Mix) – Goldie

Kemistry (Doc Scott Mix) – Goldie

Named after the late Kemistry.

S.o.t.D. - Stonekiller – Source Direct

Stonekiller – Source Direct

How has this Source Direct track eluded me? Stellar example from the genre. Complex and atmospheric, the brooding beat just hangs on that edge. Operating at a whole other level. I think part of what makes stuff like this sound so incredible is it was recorded from hardware through a desk onto DAT tape and mastered and cut to vinyl by people who knew what they were doing.

Scumbags get scummier with time

Clicked on this link in the local paper, and had a laugh out loud moment of recognition.

In the short time I worked as a bouncer, I once had a run in with this shithead. Aggressive and belligerent, he appeared to be on cocaine. (I always trusted my instincts - if someone gave me the heebies at the door, I just didn’t let them in. Several hours of drinking wouldn’t improve their demeanour.)

He asked me: “Do you know who I am?” 
“Yes. You’re a guy who isn’t getting in here.”
“I’m a former Hamilton Tiger-Cat.”
“That’s nice. You’re still not getting in here.”
I guess he thought having been a Ti-Cat was some magical “I can do whatever I want, whenever I want” talisman. It meant nothing to me.
He tried to barge past me. It went badly for him from there. One of my co-workers came over, he got lippy with him, tried to barge past him, and before he knew it he was down on the ground, arm twisted behind him, and a foot on his back. And he wasn’t a small guy either. He was tossed, and then tried to go to another bar a ways away. We had already warned them via radio, so they knew not to let him in. 

He was a turd then, and it appears his turdosity only increased in the intervening years.

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4640167-former-ticat-fiscal-predator-heading-to-jail/

S.o.t.D. - That Orbital Man (The Outerworld Remix) – Aural Imbalance

That Orbital Man (The Outerworld Remix) – Aural Imbalance

Neat panning and scoping effects in the video. Play identify the cities.

S.o.t.D. - Into The Vortex – Bass’Flo

Into The Vortex – Bass’Flo

Epic tune.

S.o.t.D. - Sansula (Max Cooper's Lost in Sound Remix) – Dominik Eulberg

Sansula (Max Cooper’s Lost in Sound Remix) – Dominik Eulberg

S.o.t.D. - Yukon (Tom Middleton Remix) – Universal Solution

Yukon (Tom Middleton Remix) – Universal Solution

S.o.t.D. - We Might As Well Be Strangers – Keane

We Might As Well Be Strangers – Keane

Neighbour had this playing. Never heard it before, but thought it was all right. Looked it up via lyrics.

S.o.t.D. - Floating Towards Nothing – Bass’Flo & Acoustiks

Floating Towards Nothing – Bass’Flo & Acoustiks

Don’t like the buildup and breakdown at the 4:30 mark so much, but the point before that is superb. Nice video too.

S.o.t.D. - Touch – DJ Abstract

Touch – DJ Abstract

A whole lot of good stuff on this compilation. This is another arrow in the quiver.

S.o.t.D. - Friday Fish Fry (Maribou State & Pedestrian Remix) – Kelis

Friday Fish Fry (Maribou State & Pedestrian Remix) – Kelis

S.o.t.D. - Imagine (feat. Amy G.) – Deep Spelle

Imagine (feat. Amy G.) – Deep Spelle 

Smooth and funky.

S.o.t.D. - Rodent – Skinny Puppy

Rodent – Skinny Puppy

This album rocked my world like everything else they did. The production, the rich complexity of their sound, that chugging, never really kicking over drum beat, that little dat da da horn sound just before the vocals kick in at the 1:30 mark, the stream of consciousness lyrics, and then the fact that for being an abrasive band / sound, it was a really hooky song.

Cringe inducing videos of women shooting guns

I came across a YT video showing women shooting, and it was packaged as one of those schadenfreude-ish “fail” compilations.

They make me cringe not even so much for the awful handling (chickenwinging, teacupping, limpwristing, leaning back, feet not placed right, scopes right against the eye) – but mainly for the off screen males behind those videos. Why the hell are the lunkheads who’ve taken them shooting, not giving them proper coaching and giving them firearms they simply can’t handle? Giving some 100 lb. slip of a girl a 12 gauge shotgun or a .44 revolver is asking for an uncomfortable / painful / dangerous experience. She’ll hate it, be resentful of being made to look like a fool, the video the asshole shot of it and post on the web, will further humiliate the girl, and make responsible firearms owners look really bad.

I particularly despise these videos because I suspect the asswipes taking their girlfriends / sisters / wives, etc. to the range are sadistic jerks at best.

I’m all for responsible firearms ownership and use. But those videos demonstrate the opposite of that. Firearms owners are their own worst enemies sometimes.

S.o.t.D. - Show Me Your Spine – Programming The Psychodrill

Show Me Your Spine – Programming The Psychodrill

This was the music featured in the night club scene in Robocop, and was Al Jourgenson of Ministry and Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy on vocals. Don’t know that it was ever that great or that it has held up so well, but I was pretty stoked about it at the time because of who was involved.

S.o.t.D. - Pure – Lightning Seeds

Pure – Lightning Seeds

Bit twee, but a lovely song.

S.o.t.D. - Naked Eye – Luscious Jackson

Naked Eye – Luscious Jackson

Not hugely into L.J., but this is an undeniably infectious track.

S.o.t.D. - Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Remix) – Omni Trio

Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Remix) – Omni Trio

From 93 I think and among the first jungle I heard. “Oh....I think I’m gonna like this.”

S.o.t.D. - Drumz ’95 (Nasty Habits remix) – Doc Scott

Drumz ’95 (Nasty Habits remix) – Doc Scott

This track is insanely fun to dance to! Yet another example of some of the superb stuff that was being produced in the 90’s under the label “jungle” or “drum and bass”.

S.o.t.D. - Manyme – Plaid

Manyme – Plaid

Plaid are so good.

S.o.t.D. - Warm Leatherette – The Normal

Warm Leatherette – The Normal

While I’m on a late 70’s synth pop that influenced 80’s techno kick, I can’t believe I haven’t posted this classic. Inspired by the great J. G. Ballard.

S.o.t.D. - Frequency 7 – Visage

Frequency 7 – Visage

I went to hear Kenny Larkin spin and had to laugh when I heard this ten year old Visage song tossed into the mix. And yet, it fit perfectly with the hard edged sounds the early techno guys in Detroit were coming up with.

S.o.t.D. - We Came to Dance (Extended Version) – Ultravox

We Came to Dance (Extended Version) – Ultravox

I had this on cassette and pretty much wore it out.

S.o.t.D. - The Hidden Camera – Photek

The Hidden Camera – Photek

Eerie, bit of a driving around at night vibe to this.

S.o.t.D. - The Sun and the Rainfall – Depeche Mode

The Sun and the Rainfall – Depeche Mode

A Broken Frame is still one of my favourite Depeche Mode albums. Surprisingly strong for an album with someone else stepping into the main songwriter role for the first time. 

Bibliophilia: Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story – Robyn Doolittle

Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story – Robyn Doolittle  
In case you haven’t heard, the mayor of Toronto has a substance abuse issue. Okay, many issues.

I’m an avid CBC radio listener and was transfixed by all the revelations as they unfolded. But reading them all again in one place brought into stark relief what an abysmal mayor the Ford brothers are. 

The verbal gaffes, the inarticulate buffoonery, the frat boy antics, the uncultured stupidity, the cringe inducing oafishness - those were a mere pre-amble to the train wreck to come. 

I get that if a city is ¾ of a billion in the hole, and public service unions keep blithely demanding more in the midst of a recession, many taxpayers will be very resentful that they are regarded as a bottomless money pit. But weren’t there any better options for a fiscally conservative candidate? I was crestfallen that John Tory didn’t run. Not that I necessarily agree with his every stance, but he is at least an articulate statesman. He inspires some confidence. 

In all this, the largest source of contention for many was the block headed brother of the mayor. Speaking for him, showing up at functions in his place, and then enabling his actions.

“Robbie just likes to have a couple of pops in the basement.” Uhhh...no Dougie. Robbie takes an Oxycontin, then proceeds to get completely blottoed drunk, snorts rails of coke, drives in that state, goes and hangs out at a place where gang members involved in public gun battles hang out, and then smokes crack with them. And/or goes out in public in that state. No, you entitled enabler, Robbie doesn’t have a “couple of ‘pops’.” Robbie is the mayor of the sixth largest government in the country, and acts in a way that would get you fired from every job if you behaved that way. He knew he was lying when he said that.

And to then malign the police and their chief, calling into question their integrity - when the chief revealed they had the video - just beggars belief.

They seem to be the perfect storm of hubris, arrogance and entitlement.

I think the Ford brothers already have, or are very near to that realm of the unforgiveable, on par with Lance Armstrong. People make mistakes. With contrition for an honest mistake, atonement is possible. The addiction could be forgiven. But to lie about it at length, endlessly deny, and then worst of all impugn the character of your critics and attack them legally - that enters into territory one shouldn’t come back from.

A good book about a bad mayor. I found it an engrossing read, despite knowing a lot of the details already. I got a lot out of the glimpse at modern newspaper publishing and the spirited defence the author gives of the profession and the efforts to tell this important story.

S.o.t.D. - Swimmer – Metamatics

Swimmer – Metamatics

Ambientish intro for the first 2½ minutes, and then segues into a D&B track that would fit nicely into a Bukem set.

Ride The Sky

To quote producer and director Lance Page’s blurb on Vimeo: 
I had the idea of a new astro time-lapse technique in which the camera is pointed right at the north star and mounted to a motorized pivot point directly lined up with the sensor so the camera is able to spin with the stars through the night. 

The result is truly magical.

S.o.t.D. - Woven Ancestry (Lusine Remix) – Max Cooper

Woven Ancestry (Lusine Remix) – Max Cooper

Max Cooper is good, and then you throw in a Lusine remix, and it’ll be even gooder.

S.o.t.D. - Supine – Max Cooper

Supine – Max Cooper

Thanks to the always great Ben Rayner for turning me on to this.

S.o.t.D. - Blue Water – Metamatics

Blue Water – Metamatics

Discovered this, yet another totally fantastic track by Metamatics, on The Grandfather Paradox: “A Journey Through 50 years of Minimalistic Music”. This percolating number was the best thing on there.

S.o.t.D. - Quite Unusual – Front 242

Quite Unusual – Front 242

Loved this video back in the day and it is still fun.

S.o.t.D. - Strings of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel) – Derrick May

Strings of Life (Tom Middleton Remodel) – Derrick May

Two legends.

S.o.t.D. - Smothered Hope – Skinny Puppy

Smothered Hope – Skinny Puppy

Seems only appropriate to feature this greatest Canadian band ever on Canada Day.