DISTANCE My Demons (Planet Mu) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Night Vision"
MPEG Stream: "My Demons"
MPEG Stream: "Weigh Down"

DISTANCE Traffic (Planet Mu) 12" 8.98
We've long been complaining about the dearth of "grime" in the States, so we were psyched to discover that the folks at Planet Mu decided to do something about it. They've been re-issuing UK grime releases for the states, but this latest batch of 12"s offers up some grime / jungle hybrids as well as their own twisted take on dubstep and grime. And it kills!
Distance is a big name in the dubstep/grime scene finally seeing some action stateside. This is weird and abstract, definitely dubstep but with heavy metal riffs, distorted beats spaced waaaaay out, ravey synth melodies, but mostly relentless and almost rocking. Sounds a bit like a grime Circle if you can imagine that. The flipside is even more minimal and stripped down, into a late night slow motion groove, so just begging for Virus Syndicate or Lady Sovereign to drop in and start flowing madly over the top.

DISTANCE Victim Support (Chestplate) 12" 13.98

DISTANCE, DJ VS. SKREAM Political Warfare / Radical (Chestplate) 12" 12.98

DISTILLERS, THE Coral Fang (Warner) cd 14.98

DITTY BOPS, THE Moon Over The Freeway (Warner) cd 13.98
Wheeeeeeeee! It's a totally sunny blue sky day, and we're kicking up our heels to the sweet sweet sounds of the new Ditty Bops album. Musically the two gals have captured a super old tymey swing feel with some brisk ragtime piano courtesy of Mitchell Froom and some furiously strummed guitar, but their lyrics give the songs' contemporariness away. Above all, Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald seem very influenced by the sugary vocal stylings of '40s/'50s female vocal trio the Andrews Sisters, but they're far more rough'n'tumble than those highly coiffed ladies. The album's baker's dozen is packed with dizzyingly jaw-breaking cheeriness that conjures toothsome nuggets like 'let a smile be your umbrella' and 'laugh your cares away' and 'you'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent'. Well, maybe not that last one! Give this a spin when you're in need a sparkling tonic. You will be 'right as rain' and 'fit as a fiddle' in no time.
MPEG Stream: "Moon Over The Freeway"
MPEG Stream: "Nosy Neighbor"

DITTY BOPS, THE s/t (Warner Bros.) cd 14.98
Oh my goodness, please excuse us, but have to admit that whenever this cd starts playing the first thing that pops to mind is that old TV commercial for Turtles chocolates (remember?). Don't know why we really needed to tell y'all that, but we'll add that both chocolate and the Ditty Bops make us plenty happy. Backed by a jubilant assembly of among other things acoustic guitar, banjo, ukelele, mandolin and piano, these charming ladies sweetly croon their songs which seem plucked from a bygone era -- definitely drawing on ragtime, bluegrass and swing influences. Also recommended for fans of Cat Power, White Magic and other deleriously dolorous indie folk! Delightful!
MPEG Stream: "Short Stacks"
MPEG Stream: "Walk Or Ride"

DIVA (OST) (Koch) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The special 20th anniversary edition of the soundtrack for this Jean-Jacques Beineix film. If you're unfamiliar with "Diva", it is an ultra stylish, darkly witty French thriller of theft, opera and murder (not to oversimplify things, mind you). Highly recommended, as is this beautiful soundtrack. Includes 8 previously unreleased tracks.

DIVANITY Leaden (Total Rust) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This one's pretty much a no brainer for you doomlords and drone freeks out there. From the same label that brought us the horror funereal doom of Wraith Of The Ropes, the epic majestic blackened doom of Mourning Dawn, and the mega multiple o'd ultra doom of Funeralium, comes this, the debut demo from Israeli doom merchants Divanity. Sloooooooow, sick, plodding, crushing, miserable, abject, harsh, hateful, brutal, hellish, slow motion ultra mega funeral ambient doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom. And if that wasn't enough to get you doom-ed ones salivating, Divanity also just so happens to feature members of Israeli noisemakers Grave In The Sky, Lietterschpich and Poochlatz, so you know there's some twisted, demented, fucked up, noisy weirdness lurking in there as well.
Leaden is one track, one long slow musical death march. A thick low-end drenched crawl, a trudge through thick black tar, the vocals an anguished howl, a crushing, pummeling chunk of supreme sludge, heavy and nearly static. Not sure why they stopped at 15 minutes, this is the kind of sound that could have continued on for hours, forever, oozing forever onward, swallowing up everything in its path. The weird thing is that the main riff is surprisingly catchy, not always noticeable, but every once in a while, you realize there's a nifty little hook buried in there somewhere, but if you're not looking you'll miss it, being way too busy having your skull caved in by the bands relentless plod. Gloriously and fantastically slow and heavy, just how we like it. If you need bands, think Moss, Khanate, Planet Aids, Bunkur, Catacombs, Otesanek, Monarch, Monument Of Urns, Nihill, Whitehorse, Stumm and that sort of dire musical decay.
MPEG Stream: "Leaden"

DIVERSE One A.M. (Chocolate Industries) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Big Game"
MPEG Stream: "Under The Hammer"

DIVINE STYLER WordPowerz: Directrix (MoWax) cd 14.98

DIXIE CHICKS Taking The Long Way (Columbia) cd 16.98
Okay, it might seem weird us having this, the newest Dixie Chicks record. But don't be afraid, this is actually pretty dang good. Lush modern country, great instrumentation, gorgeous harmony vocals. Fans of the Be Good Tanyas, Jolie Holland, and other ladies of the country might really dig this. Plus by now, unless you're living under a rock you know their politics are right on! And it's produced by Rick Rubin!

DIXIE WITCH Into The Sun (Brainticket) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's too easy to call this band a blend of Black Sabbath and the Allman Bros. but they do share elements of both. '70s lovin' stoner rock from three long-haired Southern boys in power trio formation. The star of the show is Trinidad Leal, their singing drummer (singing drummers, you gotta love 'em) and Allan knows this from seeing 'em play, as they visited SF recently on tour with fellow Southern stoners Alabama Thunderpussy. Yeah, while the bassist was solid and the guitarist reeled off plenty o' hot licks, the swarthy, sweaty, man-mountain (mountain-man?) drummer had the most stage presence. Looking like a guy who became a drummer just 'cause he already liked hitting things with sticks, he attacked his kit and his vocals with equal fervor. Their debut album captures a lot of that energy, featuring over forty minutes of heavy riff-rock with psychedelic metal guitar leads and rough but melodic vocals. Suitably, the disc ends with their cover of "The Bomber" by the James Gang. Expect to hear more about these guys.
RealAudio clip: "Thunderfoot"

DIZA STAR & THE PINK LADIES BLUES Featuring Mani Neumeier (Fractal) cd 23.00
As if it wasn't confusing enough that a band from France went around calling themselves Acid Mothers Temple & The Pink Ladies Blues, now they've gone and changed their name to Diza Star & The Pink Ladies Blues. We guess in the long run it will be less confusing. It's still guitarist Magic Aum Gigi (who runs the Fractal label), and Japanese expats Tsuchy and Mai Mai. But on this disc the trio are joined by a very special guest -- Mani Neumeier, master percussionist from krautrock legends Guru Guru!! He's totally in his element here (or they in his), on these ten spaced-out tracks of psychedelic jamming, a few of which make overt Guru Guru references titlewise ("Mani-festly Immer Lustig", "Ooga Booga Rock"). Sprawled about the place, there's chanting vocals and droning Jew's harp, percussive freakouts, and of course extended distorto-guitar grinds -- though overall this disc seems a bit cleaner and mellower than earlier whomever & The Pink Ladies Blues offerings. Regardless of the name change, definitely still one for AMT fans! Minus Mani, these guys and gal also have another new album, the vinyl only 3, which we also have in stock but haven't had a chance to hear just yet...
MPEG Stream: "Bali Bali"
MPEG Stream: "Acid Blueberry"

DIZZEE RASCAL Boy In Da Corner (Matador) cd 14.98
So by now, you've probably at least heard of Dizzee Rascal. He has been the talk of hip-hop / underground music circles for the last year, having won the 'prestigious' Mercury Prize, made every critic's best of list, all before he turned 20. And as with most things like that we had steeled ourselves to be bitterly and utterly disappointed. Look at that Streets record from a year or two back. We were fully ready to have our socks knocked off, but sadly, the socks stayed on. Way on. So we're happy to report, that Dizzee totally lives up to the hype, and then some! Taking the root of his sound from UK garage (pronounced GAIR-ij, we're not talking White Stripes here, ya know), a bastardized (and super simplified) varient of drum 'n bass, with pounding two step rhythms, fat distorted synths, and huge rolling bass lines, but all super spare and stripped down. Very similar (to our ears at least) to ragga/dancehall. Super repetitive and ultra danceable (in a robotic head banging hip shaking sort of way) each song is basically one or two parts, drilled maniacally into your skull, pounding and bouncing, hiccupping and stuttering, while Dizzee flows crazily, in his high pitched Jamaican / Cockney drawl. So crazy and so wickedly addictive. Fairly sample free except for the amazing "Fix Up Look Sharp", which is built entirely from a Billy Squier song, complete with the vocals! We know we don't tell you this often, so please believe us when we say, believe the hype.
MPEG Stream: "Sittin' Here"
MPEG Stream: "I Luv U"
MPEG Stream: "Fix Up, Look Sharp"

DIZZEE RASCAL Boy In Da Corner (Matador) lp 19.98
So by now, you've probably at least heard of Dizzee Rascal. He has been the talk of hip-hop / underground music circles for the last year, having won the 'prestigious' Mercury Prize, made every critic's best of list, all before he turned 20. And as with most things like that we had steeled ourselves to be bitterly and utterly disappointed. Look at that Streets record from a year or two back. We were fully ready to have our socks knocked off, but sadly, the socks stayed on. Way on. So we're happy to report, that Dizzee totally lives up to the hype, and then some! Taking the root of his sound from UK garage (pronounced GAIR-ij, we're not talking White Stripes here, ya know), a bastardized (and super simplified) varient of drum 'n bass, with pounding two step rhythms, fat distorted synths, and huge rolling bass lines, but all super spare and stripped down. Very similar (to our ears at least) to ragga/dancehall. Super repetitive and ultra danceable (in a robotic head banging hip shaking sort of way) each song is basically one or two parts, drilled maniacally into your skull, pounding and bouncing, hiccupping and stuttering, while Dizzee flows crazily, in his high pitched Jamaican / Cockney drawl. So crazy and so wickedly addictive. Fairly sample free except for the amazing "Fix Up Look Sharp", which is built entirely from a Billy Squier song, complete with the vocals! We know we don't tell you this often, so please believe us when we say, believe the hype.
MPEG Stream: "Sittin' Here"
MPEG Stream: "I Luv U"
MPEG Stream: "Fix Up, Look Sharp"

DIZZEE RASCAL I Luv U (XL) 12" 5.98

DIZZEE RASCAL Jus' A Rascal (XL) 12" 5.98

DIZZEE RASCAL Maths + English (Definitive Jux) cd 14.98
One gets the sense that grime needs a serious shot in the arm. The genre's inception was so vastly novel, it seems it's almost fated to an awkward or even boring adolescence. What is surprising about Maths + English, is that while it's great, it's still oddly significant of this transformation, by virtue of the fact that it excels, but also relies, on the grime formulas without really pushing the boundaries consistently. It having been over half a year since any of the grime elders made a contribution to our racks, things have been pretty sleepy, and no young upstarts have capitalized on the vacant spotlight. However, for a time, Dizzee will be America's grime darling again, because despite the groaning above, the record is pretty irresistible. At its worst its totally riveting pump-up music, with Dizzee's foul mouth regaling us with sexual escapades, and dissing imitators amusingly. At its best it wonders into some genre-bending, borrowing more heavily from dub-step, punk, and even no wave. The record's opening has gorgeously icy and murky synths evocative of recent favorites M83 and Brenda Ray's intoxicating Walatta, juxtaposed with some very Skull Disco beats that we assume are the sounds of knives being sharpened. The records best track "Wanna Be," features female backing vocals immediately evocative of X-Ray Spex or the Slits, while the instrumentation is a totally buoyant and throbbing synth line that would have been found on a mid-nineties grime video game, had we been that lucky. At least there's Wu Tang. There's also plenty of crunchy, gritty, and totally rabid tracks to satisfy the grime classicist, and most retain their urgency, with only a few misses. The record is a qualified classic, given the short history of the style, though we think someone needs to come along soon to turn grime upside down, otherwise the conventions may begin to pall.
MPEG Stream: "World Outside"
MPEG Stream: "Wanna Be"
MPEG Stream: "U Can't Tell Me Nuffin'"

DIZZEE RASCAL Off 2 Work (ep 1) (XL) 12" 4.98

DIZZEE RASCAL Off 2 Work (ep 1) (XL) cd single 4.98

DIZZEE RASCAL Off 2 Work (ep 2) (XL) cd single 4.98

DIZZEE RASCAL Showtime (XL Recordings) cd 14.98
So here we are, round two. And it may actually be official that the UK "Grime" scene is dead. What Grime scene you ask? Exactly. And needless to say, said Grime scene didn't really explode in America either, although by all rights it should have. If you heard the last Dizzee Rascal record or the recent Wiley album you know why we dig this stuff so much. Here's how we described Grime in a past review:
"UK garage (pronounced GAIR-ij, we're not talking White Stripes here, ya know), a bastardized (and super simplified) varient of drum 'n bass, with pounding two step rhythms, fat distorted synths, and huge rolling bass lines, but all super spare and stripped down. Very similar (to our ears at least) to ragga/dancehall. Super repetitive and ultra danceable (in a robotic head banging hip shaking sort of way) each song is basically one or two parts, drilled maniacally into your skull, pounding and bouncing, hiccupping and stuttering."
But then there are the vocals which totally kick ass. Dizzee spits rhymes in a rapid fire, high pitched flow, sounding like a weird mix of smooth Slick Rick style rapping and boisterous Dancehall toasting. While this record isn't immediately as catchy as the debut, and there don't seem to be any obvious hits like the first time around, the more we listen to it, the more it sinks in and grows and grows. And the world would be a way better place if dance clubs spun nothing but Dizzee and Wiley. Might ever get Andee the wallflower out on the floor. But probably not.
MPEG Stream: "Showtime"
MPEG Stream: "Stand Up Tall"

DIZZEE RASCAL Showtime (XL Recordings) 2lp 10.98
So here we are, round two. And it may actually be official that the UK "Grime" scene is dead. What Grime scene you ask? Exactly. And needless to say, said Grime scene didn't really explode in America either, although by all rights it should have. If you heard the last Dizzee Rascal record or the recent Wiley album you know why we dig this stuff so much. Here's how we described Grime in a past review:
"UK garage (pronounced GAIR-ij, we're not talking White Stripes here, ya know), a bastardized (and super simplified) varient of drum 'n bass, with pounding two step rhythms, fat distorted synths, and huge rolling bass lines, but all super spare and stripped down. Very similar (to our ears at least) to ragga/dancehall. Super repetitive and ultra danceable (in a robotic head banging hip shaking sort of way) each song is basically one or two parts, drilled maniacally into your skull, pounding and bouncing, hiccupping and stuttering."
But then there are the vocals which totally kick ass. Dizzee spits rhymes in a rapid fire, high pitched flow, sounding like a weird mix of smooth Slick Rick style rapping and boisterous Dancehall toasting. While this record isn't immediately as catchy as the debut, and there don't seem to be any obvious hits like the first time around, the more we listen to it, the more it sinks in and grows and grows. And the world would be a way better place if dance clubs spun nothing but Dizzee and Wiley. Might ever get Andee the wallflower out on the floor. But probably not.
MPEG Stream: "Showtime"
MPEG Stream: "Stand Up Tall"

DJ / RUPTURE Uproot (The Agriculture Records) cd 16.98
We've been meaning to list this for a while now, but we kept selling out of it, over and over, we could barely keep it in stock, and for good reason, as far as modern mixers and DJ's go, DJ /Rupture is one of our faves, so when he offers up a mix heavy on the dubstep, you know it's gonna rule, and rule it does. Bunch of new names, some old ones too, some surprises as well, here's who we know: Scuba, Timeblind, Shackleton, Ghislain Poirier, We, Lloop, Ekkehard Ehlers, and here's who we don't: Baby Kites And Nokea, Clouds, Istari Lasterfahrer, Maga Bo, ATK12, Ekstrak, Frescoe, Iron Shirt, Jenny Jones, Stalker, Filastine, Brent Arnold, Quest, Moving Ninja, Dead Leaf and Prefessor Shehab.
But heck, it hardly matters what songs and which artists, if Rupture picks 'em you know they're good (this man must have a mindblowing record collection), and then all mixed up they're transformed into a constantly shifting dubbed out bass heavy groove that goes on and on and on. Lots of thick fuzzed out synth bass, various permutations of THAT dubstep beat, some toasting here and there, Ehlers offers up some swoonsome strings, there's some Eastern skitter, some chopped up and stuttery techno, a little ragga, some murky mumbly doom-step, a bit of dreamy downtempo drift, some slow motion old school jungle, but it's all held together by a dubstep framework, so no matter what tripped out tangent the mix takes, it always finds its way back to the dub. Killer mix as always, and as with most Rupture stuff, WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Bang Soundboy"
MPEG Stream: "Too Much"
MPEG Stream: "Plays John Cassavettes Pt. 2"
MPEG Stream: "Strategy Decay: "

DJ CRAZE Crazee Musick (Bomb Hip-Hop) cd 12.98

DJ ELEPHANT POWER No Si, Ni So (Sonig) cd 14.98
Nicolas Baudoux, aka DJ Elephant Power, dices up soniggly elephants and glitchy blippy percussion that's abstract and cusioned by a jazzy Rhodes-piano and filtered Moog-sequences. Pretty laid-back and meandering, musical themes are introduced and put aside to be hinted at unexpectedly later on. Slightly krauty and somewhat funky, DJ EP's No Si, Ni So is super fun - imagine a little kid riding the rollercoaster of his dreams with a neverending ice cream cone. Weeeeeeeeee!
MPEG Stream: "Une Minute Une"
MPEG Stream: "Torrenostra Field Recordings"

DJ ELEPHANT POWER No Si, Ni So (Sonig) lp 14.98
Nicolas Baudoux, aka DJ Elephant Power, dices up soniggly elephants and glitchy blippy percussion that's abstract and cusioned by a jazzy Rhodes-piano and filtered Moog-sequences. Pretty laid-back and meandering, musical themes are introduced and put aside to be hinted at unexpectedly later on. Slightly krauty and somewhat funky, DJ EP's No Si, Ni So is super fun - imagine a little kid riding the rollercoaster of his dreams with a neverending ice cream cone. Weeeeeeeeee!
MPEG Stream: "Une Minute Une"
MPEG Stream: "Torrenostra Field Recordings"

DJ FAUST Inward Journeys (Bomb Hip-Hop) cd 12.98

DJ FRENCHBLOKE AND SON The Unbelievable Haggis Trax (Krank) lp 14.98
You know DJ Frenchbloke from that "Best Bootlegs" comp -- he spliced together Destiny's Child "Jumping Jumping" with the Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles" to amazing perfection. Well, here's a whole lp's worth, though nothing here matches the catchiness and shock value of combining those polar opposite cultural icons, save for maybe Kraftwerk and Tag Team's "Whoop De France" (!) So in an attempt to decipher all originating sources of the rest of the tracks, here goes: Miss Jane's "It's A Fine Day" takes an acid trip (via Opus 3?). Perry & Kingsley get sticky with Sisqo's "Thong Song". Destiny's Child goes gabba courtesy of Chicks On Speed's "Turn Of The Century". Britney, Spongebob Squarepants, Anthony Roter's Little Computer People, "Ring Of Fire", and many others get worked as well. Fun for a few listens and laughs, surely an important novelty item, DJs should spin it for a minute, but ultimately not living up to all the hype.

DJ KOZE All People Is My Friends (Kompakt) cd 16.98

DJ KOZE AKA ADOLF NOISE Wo Die Rammelwolle Fliegl (Kompakt) cd 17.98

DJ MILO The Wild Bunch: Story of A Sound System (Strut) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Wild Bunch was Bristol, England's legendary sound system some of who's members went on to form the now both legendary and hugely successful Massive Attack. While Mushroom and Daddy G. both went on to become the core members of Massive attack, it was Milo and Nellee who started and were the bedrock of The Wild Bunch. The group moved quickly from packing house parties with their primitive DJ setup, to becoming one of the most popular sound systems in the country. The crew took cues from Jamaican sound systems and insured their competitive edge by hunting down and spinning the rarest of the rarest tracks for their exclusive use -- one of their earliest conquests was an ultra rare copy of "Wild Style Breaks", an instrumental collection from the hip hop movie Wild Style. Their efforts were greatly enhanced by Daddy G. who, while working in a record store, would hide the hottest new 12"s behind the counter and not sell them to anyone else he thought might be a DJ. This disc is, in a sense, an attempt to recreate a Wild Bunch set. The tracks -- Thelma Houston's "You Used To Hold Me So Tight", Spoonie Gee's "Love Rap", Knights of the Turntables' "Techno Scratch", Cameo's "It's Serious" for starters -- were all picked and mixed by Milo who, despite the fact that his name has faded into obscurity, is generally considered to have been not only the heart and soul of The Wild Bunch, but a catalyst for the eventual formation of Massive Attack. The nicest thing about the collection is that, as segues between many tracks, Milo has included live snippets of between song ambience (lots of whistles and air horns!) from actual Wild Bunch performances, so the set almost sounds like the real deal.
RealAudio clip: SPOONIE GEE "Love Rap"
RealAudio clip: NEWCLEUS "Jam On Revenge"
RealAudio clip: WILD BUNCH "Look of Love, the"

DJ MILO The Wild Bunch: Story of A Sound System (Strut) 2lp 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Wild Bunch was Bristol, England's legendary sound system some of who's members went on to form the now both legendary and hugely successful Massive Attack. While Mushroom and Daddy G. both went on to become the core members of Massive attack, it was Milo and Nellee who started and were the bedrock of The Wild Bunch. The group moved quickly from packing house parties with their primitive DJ setup, to becoming one of the most popular sound systems in the country. The crew took cues from Jamaican sound systems and insured their competitive edge by hunting down and spinning the rarest of the rarest tracks for their exclusive use -- one of their earliest conquests was an ultra rare copy of "Wild Style Breaks", an instrumental collection from the hip hop movie Wild Style. Their efforts were greatly enhanced by Daddy G. who, while working in a record store, would hide the hottest new 12"s behind the counter and not sell them to anyone else he thought might be a DJ. This disc is, in a sense, an attempt to recreate a Wild Bunch set. The tracks -- Thelma Houston's "You Used To Hold Me So Tight", Spoonie Gee's "Love Rap", Knights of the Turntables' "Techno Scratch", Cameo's "It's Serious" for starters -- were all picked and mixed by Milo who, despite the fact that his name has faded into obscurity, is generally considered to have been not only the heart and soul of The Wild Bunch, but a catalyst for the eventual formation of Massive Attack. The nicest thing about the collection is that, as segues between many tracks, Milo has included live snippets of between song ambience (lots of whistles and air horns!) from actual Wild Bunch performances, so the set almost sounds like the real deal.

DJ SCOTCH EGG / SHITMAT (SCOTCHY AND SHITTY) Rave like a Headless Chicken (Wrong Music) 12" 11.98

DJ SCUD Ambush! (Rephlex) cd 14.98
Oh man, have we been waiting for this!! Scud is the master of dirty, noisy, fuck-shit-up, big beat hardcore dancehall/digital hardcore/gabber. And his label Ambush has been the place to look for forward thinking, speaker shredding, ass kicking electronic mayhem. Grungy and lo-fi and totally addictive. Funky enough to make you want to dance your ass off, but hard enough to make you want to beat the crap out of EVERYBODY! From the old school, two-step drum-and-bass-recorded-on-a-four-track of V.I.P Pressure Pt. 1 to the pounding, super distorted dancehall jungle of Kill Or Be Killed to the ghetto blaster dance party drum and bass of Jungle Warrior to the freaked out Lesser meets Panacea noise clash of New World. This is the only shit that matters anymore. Vibrant and exciting, fucked up and totally pummelling. Puts Alec Empire's by-the-numbers digital hardcore to shame.
Major complaint: Nine tracks?!?!? C'mon. There's at least five or six 12"s and three or four 7"s that are just begging to be collected all in one place. Why choose nine songs from random comps when there could've been a wicked double or triple complete Ambush collection?!?! Bitching aside, this is THE SHIT!
MPEG Stream: "Kill Or Be Killed"
MPEG Stream: "New World"

DJ SCUD Ambush! (Rephlex) 2lp 15.98
Oh man, have we been waiting for this!! Scud is the master of dirty, noisy, fuck-shit-up, big beat hardcore dancehall/digital hardcore/gabber. And his label Ambush has been the place to look for forward thinking, speaker shredding, ass kicking electronic mayhem. Grungy and lo-fi and totally addictive. Funky enough to make you want to dance your ass off, but hard enough to make you want to beat the crap out of EVERYBODY! From the old school, two-step drum-and-bass-recorded-on-a-four-track of V.I.P Pressure Pt. 1 to the pounding, super distorted dancehall jungle of Kill Or Be Killed to the ghetto blaster dance party drum and bass of Jungle Warrior to the freaked out Lesser meets Panacea noise clash of New World. This is the only shit that matters anymore. Vibrant and exciting, fucked up and totally pummelling. Puts Alec Empire's by-the-numbers digital hardcore to shame.
Major complaint: Nine tracks?!?!? C'mon. There's at least five or six 12"s and three or four 7"s that are just begging to be collected all in one place. Why choose nine songs from random comps when there could've been a wicked double or triple complete Ambush collection?!?! Bitching aside, this is THE SHIT!

DJ SCUD / RICH KID Put Up Your Lighters / Rude Bimmer (Ambush) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Newest Ambush jungle/dancehall assault. This one's a split between Ambush head honcho Scud and Rich Kid (AKA Panacea). It's less ragga / dancehall and more noise and mayhem and insane drill and bass. Really cool and heavy and crazy, but left us yearning for the crazy digital hardcore dance hall we've sort of come to rely completely on Ambush for.

DJ SCUD / RICH KID (PANACEA) Murder Sound (Ambush) cd 14.98
The incredible DJ Scud (aka Toby Reynolds, Bloodclaat Gangsta Youth, head honcho of Ambush Records) steps into the ring to take on the Rich Kid (aka Kate Mosh, M2, Bad Street Boy, best known as German dancefloor militiamensch PANACEA). Murder Sound sees these two renegade digipunks pump out the wonderfully addictive injection of hardcore dancehall ragga into blistering DHR style noise breaks. Ten tracks total, this split cd is an expansion of their 12" released earlier this year. Also includes both sides of Scud's long gone collaborative 7" with Shizuo (originally released in 1999 as part of Wabana's Guncourt series) as well as Panacea's full on rave remix of Bloodclaat Gangsta Youth's "Kill Or Be Killed". Brutal, driving and crucial.
RealAudio clip: RICH KID "Rude Bimmer"
RealAudio clip: DJ SCUD "Jungle Warrior"
RealAudio clip: DJ SCUD "Sick In The Head"

DJ SHADOW Six Days (MCA) cd ep 7.98
"Six Days" is that really cool song from DJ Shadow's Private Press album, the song with the Shirley-Bassey-voiced woman singing "Tomorrow never comes until it's too late..." Here's the single. We got four tracks: an excellent remix featuring Mos Def, an instrumental version, a non-album track "100 Metre Dash", and a radio edit. Also featured is the "Six Days" video which you can play on your computer, and which was directed by WONG KAR WAI and stars Chang Chen the wild young guy from Crouching Tiger. Pretty average video, the only thing pushing it over the top being cinematographer Chris Doyle's stunning photography that fans of Wong Kar Wai's films swoon over.
RealAudio clip: "Six Days (Remix) featuring Mos Def"

DJ SHITBIRD / REVENGE Welcome To The Party (Narnack) cd 11.98
Er...let's see, the press for this says: "A typically retarded new EP split between two of underground San Francisco's favorite treats". Favorite treats we suppose if you're into the most annoying Load-label stuff too, but we won't argue with retarded. But that doesn't mean we're saying you won't like this -- the market for primitive beats, synth abuse, and noisy silly punk-dance chaos is a burgeoning one after all. And there's some local celebs involved in these two acts as well: DJ Shitbird consists of members of Comets On Fire, the Lowdown, Crack W.A.R., Big Techno Werewolves, and Lil Pocketknife, while Revenge consists of the infamous John Dwyer (Coachwhips, Pink & Brown, Zeigenbock Koph, OCS...) and a dude from the Numbers. It seems that Narnack ain't signing up anything, even for a split, without scenester cred galore. Both bands are equally goofy, with Revenge being noisier and DJ Shitbird cuter (but more cringe-inducing), I suppose. Check out the sound clips to see if they get your booty moving or just make you gag...
MPEG Stream: REVENGE "Bird On A Wire"
MPEG Stream: DJ SHITBIRD "Pocketsfull of Party"

DMBQ Esoteric Black Hair (Fake Chapter) cd ep 5.98
All right! Esoteric Black Hair was originally cd-r sampler release put together for this great Japanese band's US West Coast tour this past summer. We were stoked to carry it, but a bit bummed it was just a cd-r. Now, it's being properly pressed on cd, and the label is being super awesome and has arranged for anyone who got the cd-r version to get a free cd replacement. Cool, eh? More details on that are to be found at the end of this review, but first let's recap what we said about the original release, for all of you who didn't get it yet ('cause you should!):
From Japan...DMBQ!! (Formerly known as the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet.) Damn, did you see these guys (and gal) play last year?? If not, don't miss 'em this time... If you DID see 'em last time, of course you'll be at their shows again this time too. One of the ultimate over-the-top rock experiences... a spectacle of backbends, stagedives, sweat, awesome polyester outfits, and let's not forget heavy psych-rock chops!! An AWESOME live band -- they had rock moves I've never seen before. Are DMBQ tongue in cheek fantasy? Or totally sincere love of rock n' roll overload? Probably both. It's a blend of Hendrix and Blue Cheer played with the attitude of Guitar Wolf or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. What The Darkness would be if they were Japanese and inspired by '70s acid riff-rock instead of '80s hair metal, perhaps. I've been a BIG fan of this band for a long time, and was always super frustrated not to be able to get any of their recent cd output to sell here at Aquarius. They're on a major label in Japan, and it's just impossible to get their discs for any reasonable price. But now, we've got this, their first and only domestic US release, a thirty minute selection of choice cuts from some of their Japanese albums. There's seven songs here, each crazier and heavier and more rockin' than the last. If you liked Boris' Heavy Rocks or Akuma No Uta albums, you'll like this!! (And Acid Mothers Temple, you'd better get out of the way.) It's too bad we can't get their 'actual' albums, but for now this will have to do, and it makes for a nice, budget priced sampler/intro to the band's brand of bellbottomed insanity. I bet some smart label will pick 'em up and we'll have more domestically released DMBQ to look forward to soon [recent news flash: expect an album in March 2005 on Estrus!]. So get this, and don't miss their shows, if you've got a rock bone in your body. They have a new drummer (China-Mana from Shonen Knife) and tell us in an email about playing with her: "It is VERY fun! We can show you more crazy show surely. I feel we could get more EVIL musical power through her...! We are very excited." So are we!
If you missed 'em, they will be back...and yes they DID get more EVIL musical power by the way. So keep an eye out for them to return. Ok, now here's more about what do if you already purchased the previous cd-r of Esoteric Black Hair and want to upgrade to the cd. Fake Chapter sez: "Earlier this year, Japan's DBMQ toured the West Coast bringing with them a tour souvenir EP Esoteric Black Hair. Now due to their enormous success, Fake Chapter Records (who partnered with them for the tour) has commercially released the EP. For those of you bought the original CD-R, don't feel ripped off! Fake Chapter and Aquarius Records have made a special arrangement for you. Simply leave your information with Aquarius or email your mailing address directly to dmbq@fakechapter.com and we'll send you a copy of the new version for FREE. That's right, no sending the old EP back, no paying for postage, no being forced to buy the same thing twice, just let us know who you are and it will be in your mailbox! Please note: Both versions include the SAME track listing and artwork. The only difference is CD-R vs. CD duplication quality. Please email dmbq@fakechapter.com for any questions."
MPEG Stream: "Smoker"
MPEG Stream: "Fellows"
MPEG Stream: "Are You Satisfied?"

DMBQ The Essential Sounds From the Far East (Estrus) cd 14.98
These guys and gal from Japan should need no introduction, eh? I mean, I think we've done our best to already familiarize AQ customers with the rock n' roll awesomeness of the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, right? We've certainly sold a ton of their Esoteric Black Hair ep, that's for sure! Plus, they've been on a stateside touring assault recently that is clearly pulling more and more fans into their orbit. In our review of EBH, we predicted that sooner rather than later some clever American label would pick this band up...and lo, Estrus has done the deed. They're a label perhaps known for a retro sound more garagey than these guys, but it's definitely a good fit with DMBQ's brand of wild rock n' roll abandon.
On The Essential Sounds From the Far East (terrible title, although no falsehood), DMBQ's Boredoms-playing-Blue Cheer attack continues unabated. Tons and tons of guitar with tons and tons of effects. Swooshing sizzling wah-wah mayhem. Howling, raucous vox. Groovy drumming. Exuberant energetic explosions of sound. Sonic starbursts and brightly coloured visuals absolutely must accompany rock that's kicking out the jams this hard. Imagine the most in-your-face elements of Hendrix and Led Zep I taken to absurd extremes by some extroverted Japanese freaks, right now, today, in your town if you're lucky. Anyone who likes Acid Mothers Temple when they pay a visit to "electric heavyland", or digs the psychedelic, '70s rawk side of Boris, will love cranking this up.
As mentioned, they've been touring more in the US. DO NOT MISS SEEING THEM. Their showmanship has to be seen to be believed. They're always upping the ante. They were just here last month, and the crowd at the Hemlock got to witness frontman Shinji pass the drum kit into the audience, piece by piece, assemble it there, then grab DMBQ's new drummer China (ex-Shonen Knife) and hand *her* into the crowd, from where she picked up the beat and finished the song, drumming in the midst of the sweaty multitude. Wow. But as good live as they are, they don't slack in the studio either.
You can tell they mean to impress with this, their first-ever US album release (EBH being both an ep and a collection of previously released tunage). This does include a version of "Are You Satisfied?", a song that's also on EBH... but everything else is new. It's one loud pounding, swirling, throbbing psych-out after another, with only the spaced out six and a half minute "Dm" providing a bit of relaxation. Damn we love this band. Now if only all their other, also-excellent previous Japanese releases would get reissued over here...
MPEG Stream: "She Walks"
MPEG Stream: "Mo-Ya Mo-Ya"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) Esoteric Black Hair ( Fake Chapter) cd-r ep 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From Japan...DMBQ!! (Formerly known as the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet.) Damn, did you see these guys (and gal) play last year?? If not, don't miss 'em this time, they're gonna be touring the West Coast this month (June '04). If you DID see 'em last time, of course you'll be at their shows again this time too. One of the ultimate over-the-top rock experiences... a spectacle of backbends, stagedives, sweat, awesome polyester outfits, and let's not forget heavy psych-rock chops!! An AWESOME live band -- they had rock moves I've never seen before. Are DMBQ tongue in cheek fantasy? Or totally sincere love of rock n' roll overload? Probably both. It's a blend of Hendrix and Blue Cheer played with the attitude of Guitar Wolf or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. What The Darkness would be if they were Japanese and inspired by '70s acid riff-rock instead of '80s hair metal, perhaps. I've been a BIG fan of this band for a long time, and was always super frustrated not to be able to get any of their recent cd output to sell here at Aquarius. They're on a major label in Japan, and it's just impossible to get their discs for any reasonable price. But now, we've got this, their first and only domestic US release, a thirty minute cd-r compiling a selection of choice cuts from some of their Japanese albums. There's seven songs here, each crazier and heavier and more rockin' than the last. If you liked Boris' Heavy Rocks or Akuma No Uta albums, you'll like this!! (And Acid Mothers Temple, you'd better get out of the way.) It's too bad we can't get their 'actual' albums, but for now this will have to do, and it makes for a nice, budget priced sampler/intro to the band's brand of bellbottomed insanity. I bet some smart label will pick 'em up and we'll have more domestically released DMBQ to look forward to soon. So get this, and don't miss their shows, if you've got a rock bone in your body. They'll be debuting a new drummer on this tour (China-Mana from Shonen Knife) and tell us in an email about playing with her: "It is VERY fun! We can show you more crazy show surely. I feel we could get more EVIL musical power through her...! We are very excited." So are we!
NB. if you got the cd-r 'bootleg' that DMBQ was selling at their shows last year, be aware that Esoteric Black Hair is an *entirely* different disc.
MPEG Stream: "Smoker"
MPEG Stream: "Fellows"
MPEG Stream: "Are You Satisfied?"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) EXP (Less Than TV) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here is, quite literally, a "warehouse find"... the first two cds by Japanese mega-psych-mongers DMBQ aka Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, the only two actual DMBQ albums that were ever really available in the USA before, and barely, on the seemingly-now-defunct Japanese indie label Less Than TV. Allan was visiting one of our suppliers and dug these up, they happened to have about a dozen copies each of these cds stuck in a dark and dusty corner of their warehouse. So we grabbed 'em all, knowing that a bunch of you out there would be stoked to get yr hands on these, seeing as how we sold so frickin' many of the DMBQ's Esoteric Black Hair EP. That cd-r compiled some of their more recent material, and if you liked those cuts we imagine you'll dig this earlier material too. It's rawer and maybe even wilder. The usual "act fast since we've only got a few" warning applies of course!
EXP is their second album, from 1996. Every track on EXP has the words "EXP" in the title, from "A House EXPosed To Every Wind" to "Everybody Got Something To Hide EXPect Me And My Monkey" (yes, that's what it says, and yes it is a rather demented rave-up cover version of the Beatles tune with the not-quite-the-same title). And you can EXPect that DMBQ are at their distorto-blues-psych best here, total rock n' roll mayhem and big-riff heaviness bustin' out all over this disc. Definitely for fans of both Blue Cheer and Boris. A lot of the tracks sound like "Dazed And Confused" bathed in sludge, while the last track "EXPlosion" brings in some free-blowin' horns for a Funhouse effect. And it comes with a sticker.
MPEG Stream: "The EXPanse Of The Skirt"
MPEG Stream: "Make An EXPeriment On Oneself With A New Drug"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) s/t (Less Than TV) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here is, quite literally, a "warehouse find"... the first two cds by Japanese mega-psych-mongers DMBQ aka Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, the only two actual DMBQ albums that were ever really available in the USA before, and barely, on the seemingly-now-defunct Japanese indie label Less Than TV. Allan was visiting one of our suppliers and dug these up, they happened to have about a dozen copies each of these cds stuck in a dark and dusty corner of their warehouse. So we grabbed 'em all, knowing that a bunch of you out there would be stoked to get yr hands on these, seeing as how we sold so frickin' many of the DMBQ's Esoteric Black Hair EP. That cd-r compiled some of their more recent material, and if you liked those cuts we imagine you'll dig this earlier material too. It's rawer and maybe even wilder. The usual "act fast since we've only got a few" warning applies of course!
Their self-titled 1995 debut cd really throws down the dirty distorted heavy-psych garage rock gauntlet. It's just a massive blow-out of raucous, stomping, fuzz and feedback-filled punk blooze rockin' freakiness that'd give Hendrix a headache. Basically imagine the Boredoms playing Blue Cheer and you've got the idea. They get into some cool '60s surf stuff on here too. Hopefully some day we'll be able to stock their newer albums but in the meantime fans of DMBQ and/or their brand of mayhem ought to be happy to score one of these while they last...which won't be long we're pretty sure.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

DMT (DRUM MACHINE TECHNICIANS) Terminal Illness (Stray) cd 13.98
DJ Eddie Def (Space Travellers, El Stew, Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, etc.) cuts it up on the turntables (and drum machines). The first in a series, the next to feature DJ Cue.

DMX The Great Depression (Def Jam) cd 17.98
I used to think Ice Cube had the most evil voice in hip hop. The voice I picture the devil having or some evil beast that returns to reign terror on the earth. But DMX may have finally outdone Cube. I mean his voice was always gravelly and deep and completely menacing, but too much of DMX's music was of the 'whooooah, put your hands in the air, wave em like you just don't care, whooooah, party, woooah...' variety. Slowly but surely, the music has begun to catch up with the voice and all that bloody/desolate imagery in all his videos and on all his album covers. Don't get me wrong, it's still super catchy, and you'll no doubt find your room vibrating at 2 in the morning, from some dude's boomin' system on the street outside, pumping 'The Great Depression', but this time around it's harder and colder and meaner. Still like a party, but like the party at the end of the world, on the edge of the abyss, smiling and mingling, trying to hide the fact that this shit is scaaaary!
RealAudio clip: "School Street"
RealAudio clip: "Who We Be"

DMZ s/t (Sepia Tone) cd 12.98
Those of you familiar with Boston's garage-scuzz legends The Lyres will immediately recognize -that- sound, as DMZ were essentially a Lyres prototype, equal parts blasting garge-y punk rock, fuzzed out organs, crunchy guitar, and Jeff "Monoman" Connolly's howled vocals. Think the Seeds, the MC5, the Kinks and the 13th Floor Elevators, but filtered through a sludgy stew of Stooges, Rocket From The Tombs, Electric Eels and the Ramones. Awesome cover art with the band hugging what appear to be either beer kegs or Daleks (or maybe they're supposed to be in a pinball machine) and some really funny, rambling, paranoid sort-of-incoherent liner notes from Monoman himself.
MPEG Stream: "Mighty Idy"
MPEG Stream: "Bad Attitude"
MPEG Stream: "Watch For Me Girl"

DNA DNA on DNA (No More) cd 15.98
It's been a quarter century overdue. But finally, all of the good DNA material has finally been gathered in a single collection. There may have been Japanese bootlegs floating around, and there was that terrible live record that came out on Avant about a decade ago. But DNA on DNA is the definitive collection; and its release will probably squeeze more than a few of those seminal No New York compilations LPs onto the eBay market.
DNA, of course, was the No Wave band that Arto Lindsay assembled with the help of percussionist Iuke Mori and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield, both of whom were self-professed non-musicians at the time. A mere 9 months after the birth of DNA, Crutchfield left and was replaced by former Pere Ubu bassist Tim Wright. The two line-ups of DNA manifested vastly different sounds. For the first line-up, Lindsay coupled his autistic guitar cacophony with aggressive barks and snarls of thoroughly fragmented lyrics which in turn were propelled by Crutchfield's double fisted pummel on his keyboards and More's equally Frankenstenian percussive lurches. The early DNA sort of sounded like an unholy coupling of Damo Suzuki, Sonny Sharrock, and Captain Beefheart attempting to compress all of their ideas into a two minute punk context. Recent bands like the Numbers have attempted to replicate the DNA ethos, but have devolved into ironists sneering at the audience instead of capturing DNA's frightening abstract expressionism and psychic alienation.
The second DNA line-up with Tim Wright on bass embraced a far more painterly approach. Rather than replicating the antifunk cubic sounds of Crutchfield's Moog, Wright produced calligraphic bass lines with a sinewy pelvic grind that infused a bizarre sensuality to the tortured sounds of Lindsay's guitar 'n' vocal shrieks. No net loss/gain there.
While Mars clearly had their highlights, they quietly imploded, Lydia Lunch dropped the shock treatment of Teenage Jesus in lieu of the cartoonish noir of Queen of Siam and Eight Eyed Spy and James Chance went onto parody himself as James White, DNA were consistently the best of the No Wave bands; and it's about damn time that this document came out. Clearly there are a lot of contemporary bands who should be shamed into calling it quits with the release of DNA on DNA, and there should be many more people who should be blown away by just how good DNA were.
MPEG Stream: "You & You"
MPEG Stream: "Size"
MPEG Stream: "Taking Kid To School"
MPEG Stream: "Action"