20090422

20090420

Kraftwerk - Kakteen, Wüste, Sonne (1971)

Old, unseen, and with a title that translates to "Cacti, Desert, Sun", "Kakteen, Wüste, Sonne" was originally recorded for the german tv show Beat Club in 1971, but as it appears it didn't make it on the air until April 19th 2009. I.e. yesterday.

20090414

Trouble Funk Express



I received an e-mail from Per, tipping me off about a song Henry Rollins had played on his LA radio show yesterday.

The song was "Trouble Funk Express" as performed by Trouble Funk - one of the bigger acts in the funk subgenre go-go (with Rare Essence, The Junk Yard Band) and it is basically a funk cover of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express".

While "researching" this, I read somewhere that Rare Essence (the wickedest band alive) also used to play a version of the song, "RE Express", but I haven't been able to find it online or on any records. Any leads?

20090407

Africa Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" - the making of



Click to read the story behind the creation of Africa Bambaataa's classic "Planet Rock", as told by Richard Buskin @ Sound on Sound.

It's an interesting story, and it sheds some new light (for me, at least) on the parts borrowed from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" and "Numbers" - still often mistaken for samples but in reality recreations executed by some pay-by-the-hour drum machine owner named Joe.

Florian turns 62 today



Congratulations again, Florian!

See Florian visiting the recent Musikmesse in Frankfurt, here and here.

Illustration above courtesy of Erik Blad

Related:
Florian, 61!
Congratulations, Florian