15 May 2013
Death Waltz Recording Co. Live DJ Set at RENDEZVOUS!
Transfered direct from cassette tape, here is a 48 minute DJ set by Spencer Hickman of Death Waltz Recording Company (UK), recorded live at RENDEZVOUS! on 10 May 2013. What makes this set unique is Mr. Hickman arrived in Los Angeles only a few days prior with absolutely no records. This mix is composed of selections he purchased in the few short days leading up to our event. All vinyl, naturally.
08 May 2013
RENDEZVOUS! with Dr. Who & Death Waltz Recordings (May 10)
Join us for our third session at the Hyperion Tavern in Silverlake on Friday, May 10th as we welcome Dr. Who DJ's Dina Juntila and Carey Yost! Dr. Who is, in our opinion, an LA staple specializing in obscure and psychedelic 60s & 70s soundtracks, fuzz, funk, and other sonic weirdness...just the kind of stuff we love! True vinyl hounds, we cannot wait to hear what gems they will no doubt bring along. We will also be screening Sergio Martino's 'All the Colors of the Dark' and Dario Argento's 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' on the huge projection screen!
***JUST ADDED***
Direct from the UK, Spencer Hickman from Death Waltz Recording Company will be joining us as well!
About Death Waltz Recording Company:
Founded by Spencer Hickman manager of Rough Trade East in London Death Waltz Recording Company concentrates on delivering high end collectors vinyl that includes extensive liner notes from composers and directors as well as brand new and exclusive artwork from a variety of fine artists. All releases are on limited coloured vinyl and contain bonus screen prints and posters.
Death Waltz Recording Company are set to become the premier vinyl soundtrack label for cult film enthusiasts!
$5 Beers. Free entry.
Special guests DJ's:
and resident's:
HYPERION TAVERN
1941 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
29 April 2013
Heru Avenger RENDEZVOUS! DJ Set, Part 1
Ubiquity Records' Heru Avenger returned to RENDEZVOUS! on 12 April 2013 to drop an incredible set of cosmic jazz! As per usual, this recording was recorded onto analog tape and was sourced from all original vinyl. This is part 1 of the set.
Thank you John for the detailed tracklist!
1. DELIRED CAMELEON FAMILY - RAGANESH - O.S.T. VISA DE CENSURE N X - EMI - FRANCE
2. TRITONUS - MARS DETECTION - BETWEEN THE UNIVERSES - BASF - GERMANY
3. CLEM ALFORD - MIRROR IMAGE - MIRROR IMAGE - EMI - U.K.
4. TERJE RYPDAL - KEEP IT LIKE THAT,TIGHT - S/T - ECM - GERMANY
5. ET CETERA - RAGA - S/T - GLOBAL - GERMANY
6. TERRY RILEY - CELESTIAL VALLEY - SHRI CAMEL - CBS - U.S.A
7. ZED - BASHAR - VISIONS OF DUNE - SONOPRESSE - FRANCE
8. HORACEE ARNOLD - BENZELE WINDOWS - TALES OF THE EXONERATED FLEA - CBS - U.S.A
RENDEZVOUS! Visits The Heru Avenger Archives, Part 3
On the 24th of February 2013, AM (A.K.A. George Ben Sun) and I returned to sunny Orange County, CA to pay a visit to our dear friend, and fellow obsessive, John Basil. It was a fun filled day of record and VHS tape browsing, electronics discussing, concert footage viewing, Mexican food eating, and all-out general awing! We always enjoy our time at the "archives" and look forward to our next visit. Click on the photos to enlarge.
15 March 2013
Kleksploitation at the Barbican London!
This Sunday at the Barbican Theatre in London...Andy Votel Presents Kleksploitation, Commissioned by Unsound and produced by the Barbican in association with the Polish Cultural Institute in London. If I were in London this weekend, you would find me in the front row. If you, however, are lucky enough to be in Londontown this weekend, get your tickets here.
11 February 2013
Roma Khleb's Interview with Graham Mushnik
It is with great pleasure to present my good friend Roma Khleb's wonderful and insightful interview with multi-instrumentalist Graham Mushnik. If you are not yet familiar with monsieur Mushnik's music, you're in for a real treat!
It seems now that we hear midi-controllers and computers more than actual musical instruments, so it is a real pleasure for me to talk about real instruments. And even more, when we talk about multi-instrumentalist Graham Mushnik. Mr. Mushnik plays several instruments (one of them being my favourite instrument – the electro organ), and is a member of several bands, as well as one of the founders of the label Catapulte Records.
It seems now that we hear midi-controllers and computers more than actual musical instruments, so it is a real pleasure for me to talk about real instruments. And even more, when we talk about multi-instrumentalist Graham Mushnik. Mr. Mushnik plays several instruments (one of them being my favourite instrument – the electro organ), and is a member of several bands, as well as one of the founders of the label Catapulte Records.
I’ve come to know him lately and am impressed not only by
his music, but by his parties as well. Currently, we rarely hear such good
and honest music with the pure atmosphere of the 60’s and 70’s, when outer
space was so close to us. Sometimes it seems that Graham can scamper with the
blaster on the organ keys and shoot all hint of sadness from our minds. It
may sound romantic or even pathetic, but it is so. Just have a listen.
Axel Oliveres (Graham Mushkin’s real name) is nonpublic and
shy man. He shuns social media, but nevertheless I was able to get acquainted
with him and begin a musical collaboration. I would like to share with you some
his music, as well as a little interview that I got few days ago.
Roma: Hi, Axel. Tell us something about yourself. When and
where were you born, and where do you currently live?
Axel: I was born in 1985 in a small French town. I left home
at the age of 18 to study in Lyon, after which I moved to Amsterdam, then to
London where I live now.
R: When did you start writing music? Are your parents
musicians too?
A: I grew up in a very musical environment. My father was a
record collector and singer/songwriter. My mother also played music. She had a
great all-girl rock and roll band called The Godzillas in the 90’s. I never
went to music school nor had any music teachers. I am completely self-taught,
although my parents always encouraged me and helped me with my music. I started
fiddling with piano and drums when I was 4 or 5 years old, but I really didn’t
get into it until I was about 11.
In the beginning I wanted to become a filmmaker, so I collected
film soundtracks (the first CD I ever bought was a John Barry compilation from
the local supermarket!). I made short video films with my little sister, to
which I would compose music on the piano. My grandparents had a cool electric
piano/synthesizer where you could record 3 different tracks and that is how I
started working on my own stuff.
R: what instruments do you play? What is your favourite and
what is your dream instrument?
A: I play piano (and other keyboards), drums and guitar. I
am also learning to play accordion. I don’t know which one I prefer, probably
the drums or the piano…or the guitar! I really can’t choose. Actually my dream
instrument is the human voice. I’ve been singing backing vocals in various
projects and it’s the best sensation ever. I would love to improve and sing
more (which might sound ironic since most of my music is instrumental). Another
dream instrument I would love to own is the Hungarian Cimbalom. It is
beautiful! One day I’ll have one.
R: How much time do you allot for music? Do you earn money
with your music?
A: I spend more and more time on my music. On average I must
spend 6 to 8 hours a day working on my projects (this includes my 5 bands, my
solo project as Graham Mushnik, and my label Catapulte Records). I don’t earn a
lot of money, although since 2012 a small income has started to appear thanks
to gigs. I also give piano
lessons, and sometimes DJ or record stuff for other people. I still have to
work from time to time at the market in London to make a bit of cash.
R: What/Who is your inspiration? Who are your favourite
musicians?
A: I was a lot inspired by films and soundtracks, at first
John Barry and Lalo Schifrin were my heroes, then I discovered all the Italian
soundtracks; Piccioni, Morricone, Umiliani, etc. I’m also a big reggae and soul
fan. At the moment I particularly like Curtis Mayfield, Syl Johnson, Ken
Boothe, and since I moved to London, I’ve also been discovering a lot of
amazing stuff from all over the world. For example, I love pop music from
Lebanon, Ethiopia, and Algeria. I also love Brazilian forro and became a big
fan of Luiz GonzagaÃs. There’s definitely a lot more!
R: Tell us a few words about your label Catapulte?
A: Catapulte is my main project. It’s a label I run with my
friends Luke Warmcop, Juste Voyant and Andrea Piro. With them I also formed the
bands Guess What, Pissinboy and L’Orchestre du MontPlaisant. It’s a great
freedom to run your own label because you basically release the music you like,
when you want, and how you want! You can also release music you like from
friends’ bands, etc. Of course, we only make 500 copies of each release, but
for us this is a good thing because if we made more, it would be so much work
that we wouldn’t have time to play music!
R: This spring your new album will be released, can you tell
us about it? What instruments did you use? Any new experiences for you?
A: Yes, it’s a silly title: ‘On the Phone with Graham
Mushnik’, I wanted it to be more funny and playful, and also more diverse
musically than the first LP, ‘A Distant Wildlife’. I don’t want to say too
much; there’s some Iranian Dulcimer on it and some Roland Juno parts as well.
There are guitars, pianos, organs, and a bit of accordion on a
Brazilian-sounding song. New experiences? Yes! I always explore new sounds and
new rhythms, which is the point when you work on your own!
R: Well thank you Axel for taking the time to answer some
questions.
Here is a collaborative track between Mushnik and myself,
which I am posting exclusively for Alfonso’s blog:
Be sure to check out the accompanying video as well!
You’ll be able to hear more of our collaboration on
Mushnik’s upcoming album. Enjoy!
Check Catapulte Records’ site here.
Graham Mushnik's page can be found here.
Graham Mushnik's blog.
Lastly folks, be sure to check out these fine albums:
Graham Mushnik’s ‘A Distant Wildlife’
23 January 2013
New Kramford Look 10" Out Now!
The Kramford Look are back! Their first release for 2013 is a soundtrack to an imaginary dimestore paperback novel. If you enjoyed 1970, you will NOT be disappointed with this one. Like their first offering, this record maintains a 70's library feel, is impeccably produced, features incredible musicianship (all live instruments - no sampling here), and first-rate songcraft. Press play on the SoundCloud player and have a listen for yourself. As a bonus, this record is pressed on 10" limited vinyl! Order yourself copy through Wonderfulsound and don't miss this opportunity!
15 January 2013
Mix Archive Re-Ups!
1. Hum Hum – Doubts and Convictions – Troublemakers – Guidance
2. Besame Mas – The Exotic Sounds of Love – 101 Strings – A/S Records
3. Venice and Love – The Anonymous Venetian OST – Stelvio Cipriani – United Artists
4. Amofen – Overground – Sandro Brugnolini – Cinedelic/S.E.M.
5. Pussy Cola – Deep Throat OST – Unknown Artist – D.T. Music Productions
6. Le Grand Marc – Apres Ski OST – Illustration – Les Disques Pluton
7. Tears In Brazil – Camille 2000 OST – Piero Piccioni – Easy Tempo
8. Centrales Thermiques – Courts Metrages – Francois De Roubaix – Weme Records
9. Corallo Nero – Pericolo Negli Abissi OST – Stefano Liberati – CAM Italy
10. Psychovision – An Italian Story – Daniele Luppi – Rhino
11. Karma Sitar – The Exotic Sounds of Love – 101 Strings – A/S Records
12. Capricorno – Amadeo Tomassi
13. Incidental Blackcloth No. 3 – KPM 1035: Underscore – Keith Mansfield – KPM
14. Vespucci – Fourth Dimension – BBC Radiophonic Workshop – BBC
15. Sex Radio Suite – Sex Shop OST – Serge Gainsbourg – Fontana
16. Nadine – Il Serpente OST – Ennio Morricone – General Music
17. Xylo Spleen – Eddie Warner
18. Bass In Love – Guy Pedersen – Tele Music
19. Suite One (Main Theme) – Sitting Target OST – Stanley Myers – Finders Keepers
**PLEASE NOTE**
As many of you fellow music fans (and DJ's) may have noticed, SoundCloud has been becoming increasingly difficult for DJ's to work with. They have really stepped up their copyright policing and as a result, made it quite tricky for DJ's to work with. While I can totally understand their position from a business perspective, I have nevertheless decided to start uploading both my archived AND future DJ mix files onto Mixcloud. I think SoundCloud is great for music artists and labels to share and promote their original work, but Mixcloud is geared more for the purpose of DJ mixes (I guess that's why it's called MIXcloud). And just for clarification, I will NOT be closing my SoundCloud account, rather just re-uploading some files that I had to remove from there for some reason or another (mainly because I have run out of storage space :)).
Thanks for reading. And now on to the music!
28 December 2012
12 December 2012
RENDEZVOUS! on Viva Radio!
On Friday, 23 November, RENDEZVOUS! DJs Alfonso and George Ben Sun broadcasted an hour-long mix of French and Italian library and soundtrack selections on Brooklyn-based Viva Radio. In case you didn't hear it at your local American Apparel store while shopping on Black Friday, the fine folks at Viva have since archived our episode and is available for streaming on their blog here.
Pursuit (Katadioksh) – George Hatzinasios
That’s Nice – Alan Moorehouse
Martinica Feeling – Stelvio Cipriani
Tropical – Nino Nardini
La Prima Iscita – Piero Umiliani
Dance On – Ennio Morricone
Pubblica Informazione – Alessandro Alessandroni
Albert e L’Uomo Nero – Franco Micalizzi
Rhythm & Rock – Johnny Hawksworth
Sun Goddess – Keith Mansfield
Escape – Paolo Vasile
Wildspot – The Advisory Circle
Tenebre – Simonetti, Morante, & Pignatelli
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – Dialogue from the film ‘Slogan’
Electronic Dimensions – Generation Match
Sixth Dimension – Stefano Torossi
Funky Express – Duncan Lamont
Underworld – Franco Bixio
Astaroth – Stelvio Cipriani
Una Corsa Verso La Verita – Franco Micalizzi
Mister Cool – R. Morcombe
Two Partners – Jean Pierre Pouret
Sex Radio – Serge Gainsbourg
10 November 2012
07 November 2012
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