R.I.P 120 Minutes

A year ago today the highly influential music program 120 Minutes shut its doors seemingly for the last time. Having ran on and off since 1990, the show had build up a reputation of not only playing the latest and most cutting edge artists, but also the most innovative artists in the rock, electronic and leftfield genres. To the delight of music lovers in Europe, the program featured no commercial or MTV promotional breaks. The reason it was able to get away with pushing the boundaries so far out was because of the time slot: 1am - 3am. It was quite literally two hours of non-stop alternative music which could range from hip-hop to avantgarde and anything in-between. There were no conventional limitations in what was played and although some of it tended to be hit and miss, the good frequently outweighed the bad. As clichéd as it might sound, there was something for everyone and many new discoveries were made through this program alone.

Out of nowhere then came the announcement that 120 Minutes was to shut up shop. The move prompted much criticism of MTV and though there was a petition made to save it, ultimately there was little anyone could do. Given the unusual time slot and the overall popularity of the show, its cancellation shocked and appalled many regular watchers who deemed the move as 'the death of unconventional music television'. Although due to university commitments, the majority of developments regarding the situation passed me by and I was unable to watch the final episode, coming back to the realization that it is not here anymore has left me feeling disillusioned with the state of music channels on the whole. It is no secret that its absence has left a void within music television that may never heal properly. It is only when it is gone do you realise just how little there is to watch on the music channels at night. R.I.P. 120 Minutes, it was good while it lasted and we may see eachother somewhere down the line.

As I'm dedicating this post to the program, I've decided to go with some of the most influential and innovative artists or tracks I discovered through the show. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

65daysofstatic - Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here
Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow
Cornelius - Drop
DJ Mehdi - I Am Somebody
Elektrons - Get Up
Kavinsky - Testarossa Autodrive
RJD2 - Work It Out
UNKLE - Burn My Shadow

Easy Like Sunday Morning #1

As JUNKER has discussed in his previous posts, we plan to have many themed days on the blog. This Sunday post will probably end up being a regular thing. It will be composed of tracks that should and can be listened to on a Sunday morning. These will be tracks that are generally a lot more laid back than the usual tracks, or what we perceive laid back to be laid back; that could be anything from Hip-hop to Post Rock. I am also aware that it is no longer Sunday morning. 

David Bowie - Wild is the Wind 

This is without a doubt one of my favorite bowie tracks, off one of my favorite albums by the man. The song is a cover of the Nina Simone song of the same name, which itself is a cover of a song from the late 50's. This contorted soul ballad comes to us from Bowie's estranged "Thin White Duke" period, that presents us with a more vulnerable bowie, which most listeners aren’t used to hearing. Don't think any less of yourself for getting emotional during this track, it's extremely moving and one to listen to one a Sunday morning. Bowie is an artist who time and time again will release albums which are almost instantly deemed classics, so it's surprising that he has not released an album since 2003's Reality, which is disappointing as I personally would kill a man to see Bowie live. 

Daft Punk - Something About Us 

Taken from the unforgettable "Discovery" and naturally "Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem", this track is about as laid back as you can get. It's bass seems to hit all the right areas in your ears, coupled with the excellent use of the wah-wah effect, the song comes together perfectly for the mood the duo are trying to achieve. The vocals on this track (performed by punk) remind me of winter nights for some odd reason, but I suppose the things this song will remind us individually of are all subjective. Look out for Daft Punks upcoming 2010/2011 tour, we'll be sure to tell you as soon as we have news of it, also look out for Tron Legacy, which the duo are scoring. 

Jurassic 5 - Gotta Understand. 

In 1995, at the Red October Chemical Storage Facility, a collaboration was recorded between the Rebels of Rhythm and the Unity Committee. This collaboration started in 1993 at a cafe in LA known as "The Good Life". 11 years, 3 albums and 2 collections later and their final album "Feedback" is released in summer of 2006. Personally I feel that Feedback was a return to form after what I think was a disappointment with "Power In Numbers". The track "Gotta Understand" was a testament to what the contemporary Jurassic 5 were capable of. The track contains elements of Curtis Mayfield's "Mr. Welfare Man" (vocals from Gladys Knight & the Pips) and has a lot of Jurassic 5's legendary harmonizing and timing contained within, definitely a nice upbeat song for Sunday mornings.

RJD2 - Ghostwriter 

This standout track comes from RJD2's debut album,"Deadringer". This track is probably in my top 5 RJD2 songs. The many samples used within this song have been constructed together in a unique harmonious way that rjd2 has become famous for, such as the looping guitar sample which compliments some of the catchiest brass melody's I've ever heard, second only to Bond's, whistle it once and you'll have it stuck in your head all week.

RJD2 Upcoming Dates:
14th October 2009 @ Vessel  in  San Fransisco, US
30th October 2009 @ The Warehouse  in  Bozeman, MT, US
31st October 2009 @ Filmore Auditorium  in  Denver, US

65daysofstatic - Radio Protector 

People believe that they derived their name from psychological experiments from the 60's, an unmade Carpenter movie starring Kurt, proposed techniques by the C.I.A to overthrow a country in the 50's and even Hitler's last words. I decided to end with this song, mainly because it's not as laid back as the rest of the songs and because it's one of my favorite songs in the post-rock genre. The video delivers an interesting message about global warming by using stats, facts and figures of the bands travels and how much carbon emissions were made during their Radio Protector tour in 2006. The song starts and ends with a piano keying a melody that will no doubt call back nostalgia of bittersweet moments that you have experienced in your life, and is riffled with emotion the whole way through. 65dos haven't played Belfast in a while now but when they do we'll no doubt be at the front giving it reps, as they always give an energy driven show, unlike many bands I have seen. 

65daysofstatic Upcoming Dates: 
17th November 2009 @ 20:00 @ Academy 2 in Manchester, UK 
18th November 2009 @ 20:00 @ Heaven in London, UK