What we listened to last night (May 2024 edition)
A full report on the fifth meeting of the Really Strange Record Club. PLUS details on the Dreamhouse Records third anniversary bash!
Last night the Really Strange Record Club met at Dreamhouse Records to make a beautiful May evening on Francis Road a little bit weirder. And as the drinks flowed from the newly-inaugurated Dreamhouse bar, we enjoyed some truly amazing sounds.
First up was Gareth, who took us back to the new wave of British heavy metal with the 1980 compilation Metal For Muthas - notable for the inclusion of two early mixes of Iron Maiden’s songs Sanctuary and Wrathchild, their first appearance on EMI ahead of their debut album later that year. A fascinating look at the origins of one of Leyton’s most iconic bands.
Josh picked up the local history baton with a 7” inch from Leyton Buzzards, an early incarnation of Modern Romance, and their paean to life in North East London Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees. He followed with The Nerves original 1979 recording of Hanging on the Telephone, featuring a performance remarkably similar to Blondie’s subsequent cover. Crusher by The Novas came next, a teenage homage to wrestling that basically lists a series of moves in a charmingly gruff voice. Warrior Kids’ Forces de L’ordre introduced us to the less-problematic end of French Oi via a sadly still-relevant invective against police brutality, before Josh closed his set with Misty’s Resurrection Shuffle, a psyche-y synth-y glam oddity.
Jeremy brought us one of the undisputed highlights of the night - Phases In Exile, a solo recording from the late Akron/Family member Miles Cooper Seaton. Jeremy actually arranged the strings on this deeply poetic slice of psychedelic ambience, and he movingly told us about his personal and professional encounters with Miles ahead of his untimely death in 2021. This overlooked jewel of a record cast a spell over the room and deserves to find a much bigger audience.
Paul was up next, with a trio of records showcasing rhythmic traditions from around the world - from devotional to protest music. First we heard a cut from Sublime Frequencies’ Moroccan compilation Eat The Dream: Gnawa Music From Essaouira, and the lurching, swung groove drew comparisons to J Dilla. Next, we heard an exhilarating percussion workout from Soul Jazz Records’ Brazilian compilation Batucada Capoeira, before finishing with a jaw-dropping, super-long track from 1978’s Rara In Haiti: Gaga In The Dominican Republic - a deep hypnotic banger to file under “Folkways Records you could plausibly drop at Fabric.”
Ben switched things up with Divine’s sensational hi-NRG banger You Think You’re A Man, a 1984 12” where Pete Waterman got to unleash his rarely-heard industrial side. This was followed by The Second Aspect of the Same Thing, from a Martin Hannett flexidisc included with a Durutti Column release - the only release the legendary producer put out under his own name. Then, as a salute to the recently departed Steve Albini, we heard The Greenhouse from the album Gub by Pigface from 1990 - a track where the legendary producer is credited on synthesisers, and Pigface founder Martin Atkins is credited on “Doritos bag”.
Erin invited us to imagine a world where DMX Krew was a pop icon via the delightful electropop anthem Street Boys from 1997’s We Are DMX, before changing tack entirely with the proto-chillout of Sweet People’s Et Les Oiseaux Chantaient - a light and dreamy Rhodes and birdsong oddity.
Tom opened his set with Echo Minnott’s On My Way, a killer 7” on Prince Jammy’s Dub, before taking us to deeper places via Golden Teacher’s Like A Hawk, a terrific piece of dubbed out mutant disco from Glasgow’s legendary Optimo label. He finished with SW’s descriptively titled Extended Mix 33, a pulsing psychedelic groove from 2017 that might well have been 5 or 50 minutes long - its time-bending properties were in full effect.
Phil kept us in a similar hypnotic state thanks to Stereolab and Nurse With Wound’s collab Simple Headphone Mind - a blissful ten-minute motorik jam that goes everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Elise supplied us with a bedtime story courtesy of The Story of the Little Red Hen - a turn-the-page-when-you-hear-the-chimes Disneyland 7” with accompanying illustrated story book, and narrated in brisk fashion by one “Lois Lane”. And I closed the night with some cues from Yasuaki Shimizu’s peerless Music For Commercials, a compilation of Japanese ad jingles that appeared on Crammed Discs’ Made To Measure series.
All in all, it was another terrific night full of amazing discoveries! Thanks to everyone who came down, and particular thanks as always to Jon and Jack from Dreamhouse for hosting this madness and looking after us all so well. See you at the next one…
Matt
PS Dreamhouse Records are having a 3rd anniversary party on Friday 31st May from 6:30pm til late, featuring DJ sets from Really Strange Record Club alum Gus of the brilliant Kero Kero Bonito, along with Lewis from the crucial Mais Um label and a live set from Vanity Fairy. There’s Libertalia beers on tap along with wines and cocktails, and it’s free entry. See you there!