Remix Challenge #1

Here's another blatantly self-promotional entry.

I'm a solo musician and also a member of a group called 'The Big Band' (find the myspace here). The rest of the members of the Big Band also have solo projects they work on (you can find them through the Big Band myspace).

A short while ago, Steev expressed an interest in remixing one of my tracks, and I thought maybe I should open the track up to the public at large and let anyone who was interested remix it, like I did with The Dead Trilogy.

So here's 'Dead Bodies on the Dancefloor'.



The individual components (sorry about the vocals, I really should re-record them) (.rar format).

The original track (vocal demo).

Oh, and there's no time limit, and I'll post the remixes here as they come in.

Cheers!

EDIT: the song is 165bpm, according to Fruity Loops.

- Ringo Stalin

Dedication of kinda random songs

One of my good-time buddies is leaving Adelaide to live in the UK for an indefinite time. The chap in question is Seb, and you can find some of his brilliant artwork here.

I now dedicate some songs to Seb. Whether he likes it or not.

Firstly, this is one of the saddest songs ever, especially when you consider it was the last song, on Warren Zevon's last album, 'The Wind'. Warren died in 2003, of mesothelioma, which also killed Steve McQueen. Warren said, on his last Letterman appearance, "I may have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." More about Warren here.

Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart

Next comes 'This Is England', which shares the name with a recent film that Seb tells me I'd really like. I dunno if that's true, but this song is great. And it's about England! That's where Seb's going!

The Clash - This Is England

And now a remix/mash thing by Instamatic, of the previous track. I found this one on 'This One's for Joe', which contains "reinterpretations, remixes and mashups of great Strummer tracks", in dedication of Joe, on the 5th anniversary of his death, and is available here. (I plan on doing a post about Joe soon, so stay tuned for that one)

Instamatic - English Ghost

...which lead me to think of probably my favourite mashup at the moment. From what I can tell, you can put Ennio Morricone's 'Ecstasy of Gold' with anything and it'll sound amazing. Jay-Z also uses it on 'Blueprint 2', on Blueprint 2: The Curse. But this one's Nas' 'One Mic', and doesn't include Jay's awful Austin Powers impersonation (honestly, what the fuck was Hov thinking??).

DJ Erb - Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone vs. Nas)

And from there, I decided to include this Morricone track from 'Una Pistola Per Ringo', a perfect example of Spaghetti Western music, with its awkward Italo-English vocals by Maurizio Graf and equally as awkward lyrics ("Rivers, you know how is the story..."???). And hopefully when Seb hears it, he thinks of me ;)

Ennio Morricone (ftg. Maurizio Graf) - Angel Face

Lastly, I decided to include a very very very rare track, by a pairing that may not have even existed in the first place. I like to keep a little mystery to it, but I will say: two members of Sound of Mercy Killing are responsible.

The Problem with Growing Boys - Licks on the Bowl

Bye, Seb!!!


Keep licking that metaphorical Glenn McGrath Hickory Sauce Bottle!!!

- Ringo Stalin

Echoes Nobody Hears

A quick note to the faithful...

You might be aware that since 2000, Pearl Jam have released "official bootlegs" of (most) of their live concerts.

Well, I make compilations of 'em for those that don't feel like wading through all 246 of them (and counting).

You might like them... or you might very likely wonder why anyone would bother (I know I do).

You might even think "omg pearl jam, wtf?! those guys are still around?!"

Whichever, feel free to drop in if you want.

Echoes Nobody Hears

Spencer.

The Dead Trilogy

Okay, I'm kind of cheating here and what's worse, I'm self-promoting in the same post. I'm not going to apologise because I'm pretty certain I'll do it again at a later date.

This is an compilation/remix/mashup album I released via myspace.

And here's what I wrote on that page.

About The Dead Trilogy:

In 2001-2002, I had completed three songs that I wanted to release. Not wanting to release an EP, I thought I'd ask various friends if they could remix the originals, by providing them with the individual bits n' pieces that I used to make the originals. The remixers never heard the originals and were allowed to do whatever they wanted to do. The only thing I told them about the songs was that they were very loosely based around the concept of 'Night' (Force of Fear), 'Dawn' (Sunrise) and 'Day' (Wake Up!), and obviously referencing the original George A Romero 'Dead' films.

Eventually I received all of the submissions and compiled them onto two discs. Then numerous factors conspired to delay the release (poverty, third-rate computer equipment, laziness) and the compilation was essentially lost. After discovering it again recently, and re-listening to it, I think it still sounds great and people deserve to hear it.

Thanks to the artists that contributed:

Barbarian Rep., Belittle League, Blanche Devereaux & the Miserable Whores, Groverling, Home for the Def, Horrahedd, Matt's Little Brother, Matte Black, No Through Road, Onaka, Spencer Webb and Toit.

And especially those that don't even know they did. These unknowing participants include:

Siouxsie & The Banshees, Danny Elfman, Einsturzende Neubauten, Front 242, New Order, Faith No More, Buzzcocks, The Easybeats, Public Enemy, Pop Will Eat Itself, Aaliyah & Timbaland, and the composers of the following TV themes: Gimme A Break, The Muppets, Unsolved Mysteries. There are probably more.

Extra special thanks to Vincent Price and George A Romero.


The Dead Trilogy Disc One

Enjoy!

-Ringo Stalin

Electric Mud...

...by Muddy Waters is the most AWESOME album ever.
This is something I have just discovered yesterday and
feel it is my civic duty to keep you informed of new
developments in awesomeness.

It's the record where Chess Records had the "whacky"
idea to save Muddy's declining record sales by throwing him
in the studio with a bunch of young psychedelic-blues rock
upstarts and getting him to recut new versions of his old
blues standards. He later basically called the record a
piece of shit and a sell out...but it's GENIUS!

I've uploaded the whole album to Megaupload here.

Totally sample-worthy drum breaks on there too,
apparently Public Enemy have been nicking stuff off
of it for years.

Spenno.

Cats, cats, cats addendum

Here's the picture of our new kitties, as promised.

I introduce to you: (from left) Butter Pecan Caramel Swirl and Fantoma.

Blame my phone's camera for the sub-par quality and size.

-Ringo

Cats, cats, cats

Well, this is actually quite sad. The CfMRF... family has been stricken with the loss of one of its own; Spencer's cat, Pepper, passed away a few days ago.

What a gorgeous cat.
RIP Pepper, 2001-2007.

The rest of the CfMRF... family sends its love and condolences to Spencer, Dina and Harry.

In other feline-related news, Corinna and I welcomed two kittens to our house: Butter Pecan Caramel Swirl and Fantoma. I would post a photo, but my phone is a piece of crap and we don't have a digital camera.

So here's a clowder of cat-related songs, in memory of Pepper, and in dedication to Harry, Butter Pecan Caramel Swirl, Fantoma, Hunter, Hazmangs and all the other pets in the CfMRF... pantheon:

Wild Cats of Kilkenny - The Pogues, from 'Rum, Sodomy & The Lash'.
Clyde - The Twilight Singers, from the album 'twilight'. 'Clyde' is Greg Dulli's cat, a photo of whom can be found on the inside sleeve of the album 'Blackberry Belle', which I recommend highly.
Wildcattin' - Belittle League, from 'Oh, I Fell Down'. This track uses a sample of Owen Wilson in 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. Belittle League's Myspace: here.
Cat Man - Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps, this version taken from 'Original Seeds, Vol. 1', which is a collection of tracks that influenced Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds over the years. It's well worth having a listen.
Catwoman - Shakespear's Sister, from 'Hormonally Yours'. If there's a Cat Man, there has to be a Cat Woman, right?
High School Hellcats - James Intveld, from the soundtrack to 'Cry-Baby'.


Oh yeah, and Merry Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, End Of Year or whatever takes your fancy. And I guess I should tie that in with a Lolcat, huh?

moar funny pictures

- Ringo Stalin