I’m starting with the man in the mirror I’m asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey Na na na, na na na, na na na na oh ho
i recently found a bunch of old CD compilations i made in the Nineties & uploaded some of the funner ones this week. i was such a jungle head back then, so it kicks off with a trippy drum'n bass classic but there's tons of warmer grooves in here:
i spent the Nineties mainly between Belgium, Ecuador, Venezuela & the States, listening to these tunes with my discman on planes, trains, trams, subways & just walking around everywhere. remember the discman?!!! shooo-weeeee...
the only post Y2K track in here is a cover of a Björk song from the Nineties: "Possibly Maybe" (track #4). not only is it one of my favorite songs from the Nineties but it's gotta be my favorite cover of a song from the previous decade... here in LA, some of my friends kick started a return to the 90s a while back, and it's always fun to go back.
my life in the Nineties was all about Björk, PJ Harvey, and also Drum'n Bass' LTJ Bukem, Roni Size, Goldie, Metalheadz, DJ Spooky, etc... with some jazzy trip-hop by the likes of Massive Attack, Portishead, A Forest Mightly Black, Blue Boy & more. some beats tend to be more house-driven, courtesy of Everything But The Girl, Matthew Herbert, St. Germain & "If I Ever Feel Better," my favorite Phoenix track to date... i still listened to Chemical Brothers back then, so i threw in "Alive Alone" which introduced us to come-down queen Beth Orton... after so many years of dark & trippy Jungle, i indulged in some much needed feel good soul & R&B infused 2-step garage with MJ Cole & broken beats by 4 Hero who brought Minnie Riperton back into my life. as for the 80s vibe, Les Rythmes Digitales brought it back before it became tragically hip again. i also had to throw in "1979," my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song. i didn't listen to that much hip-hop back then but i had in there some Notorious B.I.G., Bahamadia & MC Solaar... furthermore, no Nineties mix would be proper without Nine Inch Nails' "I Want To Fuck You Like An Animal," right?!
enjoy & share the wealth!!!
The Directors Bureauco-founder Mike Mills did the monkey picture i am using above, as part of a cool visual sampler he did for Mo'Wax around the mid-nineties. he also did the vids for 2 of the songs posted on this playlist:
Everything But The Girl: TEMPERAMENTAL Les Rythmes Digitales: SOMETIMES Sometimes is sooo sad!!!
i like this picture of a past show at the Academy:
back here in Hollywood, here's a mobile shot i just took: i love the streets!!! speaking of which, here's a cool stop motion animation piece from last year - shot along the sidewalks of Baden & Buenos Aires:
walking down Robertson Blvd on Saturday, this odd tapestry caught my eye:
alright, to celebrate the northern hemisphere's first official day of summer, here's a new mix with music of today, except for the opening track, to make up for Black Box not making the top 40 cut. this will make you dance:
i love this pic i took of Cat inMiami10 years ago. i owe her a visit on Saint Martinin the Caribbean! like Belgium, it's bilingual: French & Dutch.
so this playlist starts out with a true diva: Maria Callas. i recently posted another MP3 of hers onJune Gloom. i included The xx again, but this time as remixers. even their remixes make others sound more like themselves than anything else. i love it! the rest of the playlist is infused with disco, african beats & the usual blend of oldies & newbies.
rememberthis clipfor Make The Girl Dance? well here's the much gayer cheaper remake:
i really wish the track was better cuz if i heard this shit in a club i'd run for the exit... anyhew, if you're in LA, have a safe gay pride this week-end!!! aiiight, i just have to redeem myself with this wonderful symphony i'd like to address to all those who will not & cannot allow equal rights for all:
luv the song, luv the video byJosh Logue: click HERE for more videos & here's a FREE MP3 of the song!
just in case you need a dose of "realism" after this, here's the one & only Peaches whom i LOVE; seeing her live is a trip:
her song isMP3 #27on this playlist i posted last month.
and here's some trippy shit byJess Holzworthto cap it off:
i'm not too crazy about the song but the clip is cool... i remember how much i used to love basement jaxx back in the day. red alert!!!
you gotta check this out:
Julia Dales is 17 year-old Canadian girl who won the wildcard slot for Beatbox Battle World Championship. The World Championship got underway in Berlin, Germany on May 28th.
more from The xx, a few cool covers, some newbies & a few classics. i first posted about The xx's cover of Womack & Womack when i came out of hibernation last february, and i'm happy to first squeeze them into my previous playlist with an epic cover of Aaliyah's "Hot Like Fire." i also posted "Cuore" by Rita Pavone but check out the crazy set at one of her tv performances for another song:
i threw this playlist together while enjoying California's June Gloom. it gets cloudy & grey in LA every June; it's so rare around here i'm loving every minute of it. it's almost like being back in Belgium. the playlist has a little Belgian touch, with Nicoletta's cover ofJacques Brel,and a sweet song by Belgians Das Pop. i really dig Marina & The Diamonds & i will always love Yo La Tengo, so i included some of their tunes as well. fitting to June gloom, Cinematic Orchestra & Radiohead do the trick, and i had to shake it up with the Pixies. i can't tell you how great it was to see them open for The Cure at Coachella several years ago, where i proceeded to cry like a river when they performed "Boys Don't Cry," or was i just rolling my ass off & dripping sweat?!?! what a blissful blur that was!!! as for The Horrors, they rock! i bring it back to LA with "Lazy Eye" by the Silversun Pickups, my old roommates. Brian, Nikki and myself -duh!- used to often go down the street fromour houseto the Silversun liquor store on Sunset Boulevard in Silverlake... they ended up on MTV; i ended up in rehab... to each his own!!! anyhew, here are some low-fi mobile phone pix i took on my way to work this morning...
the hollywood sign is barely visible here: another hollywood street:
this is the view from my office on sunset boulevard: this is the view from where i sit at my desk: this is my office as seen from the street: and this is the church across the street: by the afternoon, as usual, the sun was out again:
check out these 6 pix taken on a rare sunny day in Brussels: these were taken during an exhibit celebrating the newRené Magrittemuseum in Brussels: Brussels has plenty more cool museums, like The MIM:
ok, here's the first song on the playlist:
just cuz i can't leave you on such a mellow note, here's a great pick me up:
& the video to my favourite FYC song posted on this playlist:
i posted the video & songherebut check them out live:
i can't wait till they make it to LA! enjoy & share the wealth!
