A short half hour this week consisting of cover versions or mash ups. Opening with two versions of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by The Bad Plus and Tori Amos – superimposed over each other with a splash of the original at the end. The Evolution Control Committee take a brief walk on the moon with a cluster of pitch-shifted Beach Boys’ harmonies before we get another Nirvana take, this time from Dani Siciliano in a jazz style, it seems the Seattle trio’s music lends itself to the genre nicely. I’ve always thought Pendulum’s ‘Another Planet’ could be done in a firey jazz style with a Coltrane sax blast replacing the synths but that’s one for another time.
Vicki Bennet aka People Like Us stretches and splices The Carpenters into oblivion on ‘When I Was Young’ while the Roy Merriweather Trio take on the tune which most Brits will know as the theme to Film (insert year here) with Barry Norman. It’s actually ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’ from the Jesus Christ Superstar Goes Jazz album which annoyingly doesn’t have a version of ‘Heaven On Their Minds’ but does include ‘McArthur Park’ (!?). The Quantic Soul Orchestra’s ‘Hold It Down’ (featuring an early vocal from Alice Russell) is an original and then we’re into the home stretch with Max Tundra’s take on Wings’ ‘Coming Up’ and Frenchbloke & Son’s mash up of the same with Destiny’s Child’s ‘Say My Name’ which both up the electro quota and bounce to the finish line. The final skit comes from one of Si Begg’s Noodles comps where a phone prankster plays Arnold Schwarzenegger samples down the line to a hapless employee. A short and slightly silly half an hour that I enjoyed revisiting even if it’s not a classic.
My first monthly Electrik Collage radio show drops today April 12th on ROVR radio at 2-4pm wherever you are in the world. Tune in live here https://rovr.live/#/ or download the phone app to get archive access.
Track list:
The Bad Plus – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Tori Amos – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Evolution Control Committee – Walk on the Moon
Dani Siciliano – Come As You Are
People Like Us – When I Was Young
Roy Meriwether Trio – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
The Quantic Soul Orchestra – Hold It Down
Max Tundra – Coming Up
Frenchbloke & Son – My Name Keeps On Coming Up