#78/100 – Sasha – Involver

This is a weird one, for a few reasons. First, it’s a 2xLP but only has 8 of the tracks that Sasha used for the normal Involver release. They’re all 33 RPM tracks, but the cutting is so wide for club play that they take up a full side each. It’s also from a collection that I was able to cherry pick from many years ago, of which I should have just purchased everything.

This time around I’m listening to the first of the two discs, which includes The Youngsters track Smile, and Spooky’s Belong. Because it’s only one track per side, I’m picking a focus track from both sides. This is a super difficult one, as both of these tracks are very, very good, but I’m going with Belong from Spooky for this listen.

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#77/100 – Thavius Beck – Thru

Another one of those albums I got in the early years of Nerd Show but somehow found on vinyl later, probably at Randy’s Records in SLC. Nothing special about the pressing, but it’s a solid single LP. I picked Side B on this listen, and it reminded me of how experimental a hip-hop album it was in the early 2000s. Lots of synthesizers and drum machines, but that’s usually what happens when you can’t sample much and it’s instrumental.

Down is my favorite on this side because of it’s big, cinematic vibe with the piano, 808 kick, and guest vocals from Mia Doi Todd. Notable mention to Paranoia and Yet and Still…

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#76/100 – Nat “King” Cole – Where Did Everyone Go?

I must admit to owning this one for years, but as it happens with many of these cheap/free records, I’ve never listened to it. I’m sure this was another album from a media sale at a library, and it’s in pretty good condition, but there was a second record inside also, a collaboration between Nat and another artist.

The title track of the album, Side A, track 1, really tells an interesting tale. The point of view is of one patron overhearing another, older, long-time visitor of the drinking establishment telling tales of nights gone by, how times used to be so grand, but in the closing moments of the track he asks simply “Where did everyone go?”. Quite the tale.

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#75/100 – Beth Orton – Anywhere 12″

This is an old find, probably 15 years or so ago, and has some of my favorite tracks I know of her work. I chose Side B because it has the excellent Adrian Sherwood dub of Anywhere and the marvelous Four Tet remix edit of Carmela, which is a neat little gem. I’m going to pick that dub, however, on this listen, as it just grooves and flows so nicely. What a great version of that track.

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#74/100 – Cannibal Ox – The F-Word 12″

I still don’t own the LP for CanOx’s album The Cold Vein, and I probably won’t until they repress it. However, I did pick this up years ago and it does have one of my favorite tracks on Side B, Life’s Ill.

While the really great podcast on Stony Island Audio called Dad Bod Rap Pod spoke with Vast Aire recently around the 20th anniversary of the album, and Metal Gear came up as a true B-side as it never appeared on an album, it’s still too much a prototype track for me to enjoy. Life’s Ill, however, ticks all of the boxes. It’s flowing, natural, with a groove. It’s followed immediately by the instrumental version, which is entertaining in and of itself because you can more easily hear El-P’s production subtleties. Wonderful.

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#73/100 – Tomas Barfod – Salton Sea

This is another one of those important albums, through Friends of Friends, that came out of the blue in the early 2010s and made a big impression. November Skies, my pick on Side C, was an early single. This album got a lot of play on Nerd Show and DEF CON Radio alike. It’s no surprise, when listening to the album intently, that you hear how Tomas’ drumming influence is present throughout. Most tracks are innately percussive, and I love it.

Oh, and I did get to meet Tomas at SXSW years ago after a performance of his. He was kind enough to do a radio drop and I still use it from time to time.

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#72/100 – Depeche Mode – Everything Counts +

This is a neat time in the career of Depeche Mode. 101 was a very important live performance release because it showed the real chops that the band had for a live set and sound. This little “maxi” single has a few live tracks on Side B, and while Everything Counts is a neat track to remix, the live version of Sacred really showcases their honed skill very, very well. It’s been over three decades since, but I bet they could still pull it off.

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#71/100 – The Faint – Danse Macabre

This was a staple in early Nerd Show, as it came out right before the show started. This album, Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm, some Paul Oakenfold, DJ Shadow, and a few others were staples for the first year or so while we tried to figure out what the show was.

I really enjoyed listening to Side A and found it a true throwback many, many years, as I haven’t listened to it in a decade or more. Lots of memories seeing them at House of Blues in Las Vegas and at In the Venue in SLC with friends. Lights, synths, silly dancing. Violent, however, was the standout on this listen because of the story it tells and how it really takes on a life after the vocals end, with a neat, expressive breakdown that puts a nail in the side.

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#70/100 – Sepalcure – Make You EP

This one just showed up today, used from a very eclectic seller on Discogs. I’d gone searching for, and finding, El-P’s I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and ended up with this and more. I really loved the EP when it came out in 2013 and it got a LOT of spins on Nerd Show and some tracks are on DEF CON Radio. Side A is only two tracks, but of those He Said No really shows this duo’s combined powers. Machinedrum’s muted drum flurry and dubby baseline and Braile’s melodic sensibilities combine for a lush, thick, dense, and filling track that’s a treat.

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#69/100 – dZihan & Kamien – Fakes

There was a period of a few years in the 2000s that d&K could do no wrong. Then it did. They were well known for being the less known Viennese duo for downtempo, deep house, and that vibe. Remixes were also a big part of their work, and this culminated in Fakes, a full LP with some of their best works in one place. I’m really glad I found this one many, many years ago, and tonight I listened to Side D. It includes their remix of Nitin Sawhney’s Homelands, a seminal track in their work. It’s got everything that d&K represent in one track. House kicks, dub bass, lush vocal samples, and percussion for days. It’s a delight every time I hear it.

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