Mittwoch, 27. April 2011

BleepGeeks AT the SOJU BAR BERLIN : Shoot !

So great we are visiting soju bar again. This time with the whole crew (if nobody gets sick :-). Anyway we`re really looking forward to meet all our friends, lovers and soulmates. Sometimes it`s sad when you see people leaving into the big cities, but it`s great as well to finally meet up again and share music, drinks and memories.

We`ve seen the future and it will be ... awesome!

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Sonntag, 24. April 2011

Motion

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Mittwoch, 20. April 2011

Fredrick Wells - A Crush On You

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Montag, 18. April 2011

Point of View - Don't give up (Special Dance Mix)

Nice electro beats with pitched-down vocals, some talkboxing and fine chorus. Rocks down the floor at the right moment! From 1984 on Pointsouth Records.

Point of View - Don't give up (Special Dance Mix)

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Mittwoch, 13. April 2011

Sa. 16.04.2011: bleepgeeks @ Eden, Ulm


The bleepgeeks do the disco-rambling!
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Emly Starr Explosion - Santiago Lover (Instrumental)

Great instrumental version of this belgian flamenco-disco-tune. Merges somehow into a cowboy soundtrack with cosmic-synths. Played out at the infamous venue "Abendlokal La Cave" in Ulm in the 70ies. Authentic copy here!
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Dienstag, 12. April 2011

Black History #4: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Motown


Protestantism is a leading force since the days of its appearance. It’s vigor in shaping the self and thereby shaping our modern western world or culture can’t overestimated. The way we think of ourselves, the way we behave towards ourselves, others and the world is deeply influenced by protestant ethics. The crucial point is, that this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with faith in god or Jesus or any other form of transcendental believe. Virtually to the contrary protestantism has an inherent tendency towards the mundane, toward worldliness. Its impact is safeguarded even in firm states of godlessness. Its ethics of self-control, rationality and individual responsibility are beneficial all over the place, they are hotbeds for constitutionality and capitalism, and last but not least they are reshaping aesthetics towards an appreciation of frugality and purity, of transparency and integrity. Renaissance music was a harbinger for what was happening a few years later, even before the discovery of the new world.



Fundamentally music doesn't match protestant aesthetics. Especially its physical features are divisive. Its effects on the body and on our sexual urges, its temptations are opaque and dangerous, unpredictable and therefore potentially unaesthetic. Early protestantism was not only iconoclastic but was also highly dubious concerning music and musical praise. Music was never stamped out but nevertheless its relation towards the modern world kept being strained and ambivalent: Is there pure and authentic music, music that is not undermining reason, that is not tempting you to do wrong, making you stupid? These questions are still vivid all over the place although it’s religious origins are spilled. No music critic – bourgeois or Marxist – would ever praise a piece of music only by referring to immediate sensations, because by that he would either be condemned as philistine or pretentious. Attempts to integrate music into western protestant culture lead to the most bizarre monstrosities:



Even though 4’33 seems to be an extreme example it kind of is an ideal-typical piece of western music if you think of music in terms of physical sensation.


I’d claim that Motown – planted 1959 in Detroit – managed the first major comprising integration of music and protestant culture. Whereas Europe always had and probably still has the tendency to over and over again associate bodily music with some kind of transient teenage deviation, subversion, utopia or madness (just think of Madchester) and by that to sideline it, the American culture and social structure somehow provided the catalytic soil for an immediate elevation and extensive integration of music into western culture. And I do not first of all think of the sort of industrial, assembly line mass production of chart hits in the early Motown headquarter Hitsville, but of the expressive accomplishment to incorporated protestant ideals of clarity, purity and rationalized self control into some kind of physical and fleshly sophistication, making Rock’n’Roll look blunt and Jazz and earlier R’n’B appear like some kind of failed attempt to escape minstrelsy.



The first number one hit single of the Supremes in 1964 ‘Where did our love go’ is kind of a blueprint: hi-end production, clear and tidy sound quality, an economically reduced instrumental and rhythmical arrangement and precise polyphonic vocal tracks, propelling but tempered syncopation, conveying on the one hand sort of some emotionality and sensuality, but on the other even more a sense of self control, discipline and rationalized frugality. This is protestant ethics warped in and thereby most effectively boosted by a rather soulful and rhythmical sonic outfit, this is high modernism in its most encompassing formula, approaching not only reason but also its carnal fleshly foundations.

These qualities are typical for lots of Motown releases. Another example would be ‘The Miracles’ ‘Shop Around’ from 1960:



Motown was and is music for black people and white people alike. Its pleading for rationality and reasonability responded to both races aspirations to lead a better, more prosperous and happier live, to cast of the chains of traditions and social divison and segregations. Nevertheless it kind of represents a loss of some maybe not too bad black qualities in black music and to a big extend an adjustment to mainstream culture and mediocrity. There are no easy answers.

To be continued!
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Montag, 11. April 2011

R.I.P. Kurt Hauenstein - African Blood Picture Disc 45

Found this at the local flea market. I have never seen this before. It's a really nice picture (disc single) with Kurt and the girls looking very peaceful and friendly. Certainly makes sad now.
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Dave Dupree and Life - Tell me what you need


Killing mid-80ies boogie with 909-beats. Unique sound with pushing (background) vocals and great arrangement. Mr. Dave Dupree, you tell us what we need!


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Samstag, 9. April 2011

Sound Factory 1993



This is a repost of a post on testpressing.org.

The Sound Factory was a 'legendary' club in Manhattan opening its gates in 1989. Junior Vasquez was resident DJ in its early days. Watch this footage, it's really impressive. It kind of displays an upheaval in the history of dance music and club culture, the transition of the 70ies/80ies gay disco club into some kind of rave movement, from garage house to progressive house and techno.

For further information you can read Death of the Sound Factory, an I-d magazine article from 1995, bemoaning the demise of the underground qualities of the club.

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Freitag, 8. April 2011

Bollywood Disco Dancer Madness

Crazy leftfield-disco-hindi-baseline from Bappi Lahiri for the killing indian
bollywood movie "Disco Dancer".

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Donnerstag, 7. April 2011

The Antilles - Let's Shake

Ohyeah, weekend's coming closer, the weather is fine... so let's shake! This one came with original "Quelle"-sticker... What a nice offer from Germany's top (model) catalogue company in, i guess, 1982. Meow!

The Antilles - Let's Shake
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Montag, 4. April 2011

Lipstique - Anyone's baby


Dear editeurs, i know you would to... but this track is not intended to get cut, pasted, relooped, redubbed, cosmic mystified and whatsoever. Stop the madness!It's just music to listen to... or in other words a "Nedit" (no edit). Produced by Mr. Korduletsch in 1979. Ha!

Lipstique - Anyone's baby
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Sonntag, 3. April 2011

Christiane F. - Wunderbar

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Freitag, 1. April 2011

Sa. 02.04.2011: bleepgeeks radio show on radio free FM


We're shooting the bleepgeeks radio show on Saturday night from ten till midnight! Lots of new music in the bags, waiting to be played. It's about records, records and more records!

radio free FM
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