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Let the transmission commence! A few weeks ago I promised to touch on a couple key links in the proto-punk funk story, both of whom seemed to possess wholly self-contained visions of new wave disco years before the fact. As was the case with Suicide's debut, the cockney disco of Ian Dury And The Blockheads … Continue reading Terminal Vibration: Back To Get Ya!
Japan Adolescent Sex Ariola Hansa 1978 You must've known this one was coming! I can think of no album that more perfectly encapsulates the entire slow-dissolving red light sleazy glamour of gutter funk disco than Japan's debut album. Lumped in at the time with the tail end of glam rock — which was by then well past … Continue reading Japan – Adolescent Sex
ARP Solina String Ensemble A sound as indelible as the 303 or the electric guitar. While we're on the topic of gutbucket dancefloor funk, time well spent down at the red light disco, it's as good a time as any to sing the praises of that little magic box: the ARP Solina String Ensemble. Oftentimes … Continue reading Sun-Glazed Solina
Ian Dury And The BlockheadsTop row: Chas Jankel, Mickey Gallagher, Davey Payne, Norman Watt-RoyBottom row: John Turnbull, Ian Dury and Charley Charles If there was one figure that had a vision of punk-inflected disco before anyone else, it was Ian Dury and his Blockheads. Emerging from Essex in the U.K. (where The Prodigy would later … Continue reading Ian Dury And The Blockheads
Motion 003: It's The Terminal Junction The latest Motion playlist is actually an adaptation of the original Motion mix from a few years ago. I'd forgotten all about the O.G. outing before stumbling upon it about a week ago, and the general mood has fit the current drift of the Heights perfectly. All I did … Continue reading Motion 003
Funkadelic The Electric Spanking Of War Babies Warner Bros. 1981 Funk. The term has been rinsed thoroughly through the years — applied and mis-applied all over the shop on a seemingly loop — but at the end of the day, what is it really? The groove, hitting on the one, interlocking parts of a rhythm, all of them cycling … Continue reading Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking Of War Babies
Island Disco Picking up where we left off with the last chapter (Imperial Slates) and in light of the recent Parkway Bowl Disco Mix, it's as good a time as any to touch on a key element in the Terminal Vibration blueprint that doesn't fit anywhere else in the schema. Consider this a cool breeze … Continue reading Terminal Vibration: Bonus Round (Island Disco)
With Spring beginning to take flight, it was high time for the crew to get involved in some horticultural escapades at the Parallax Gardens. Consequently, here is the third edition of Garden Grooves (aka the music we played). Spanning a casual week of afternoon work, here's the selection as it played out: Toyan How The … Continue reading Garden Grooves 003
Jah Wobble/The Edge/Holger Czukay Snake Charmer Island 1983 I alluded to this record earlier, but seeing as it's turned into Jah Wobble week I figured it was worth delving into it in greater detail. As I was saying, the Snake Charmer mini-LP is a great little record that straddles the nexus between post-Eno/Byrne My Life … Continue reading Jah Wobble/The Edge/Holger Czukay – Snake Charmer
In the beginning there was rhythm As the hours keep turning and the moon hangs deep in the sky, we move toward the back of the crate toward the voodoo records. Here's where we get into the heaviest, most atmospheric music that could loosely be termed punk funk without shimmying into krautrock territory. Word of … Continue reading Terminal Vibration V (What Time Is It?)