“About to get my end away but first some cognac and an olive..”

Some musical aliases and album concepts are so perfectly conceived and executed they compel the listener to just count to ten and play make-believe within the world of the author’s own creation. And so it is with Patrice & Friends.

I am willfully ignoring that the diminutive ‘yacht-juke’ artist and all round stone cold player ‘Patrice’ (supposedly featured here to our left) has anything to do with the London-based, Liverpudlian production talent Slackk. Instead, you’ll find me eyes closed and headphone-deep in the freaky, patron-drenched sex-narnia of ‘Cashmere Sheets’, the debut LP from Patrice & Friends.

Sounding very much like the playlist to a party round at Morris Day’s house sponsored by Four Loko, ‘Cashmere Sheets’ is a sexual boogie assault on the ears, delivered at one hundred and sixty low-dipping beats per minute. The palette will be familiar to anyone with an ear for early eighties boogie and electro funk (think Rah Band, O’Bryan etc) but it’s been chopped and thrillingly re-imagined with equal parts love, respect and disregard. A perfect formula for dancefloor chaos.

Currently available on pre-order for an ambitious £1000 (since confirmed by Patrice as ‘just a placeholder like’), you can pick up a copy from mid October time here.

In the meantime you could do a lot worse than check out Patrice’s hilarous, live-from-the-yacht updates on his twitter page.You’ll find some stand out quotes from said live feed to your right, as well as the excellent video to ‘Obvious’.

Patrice & Friends – Words of Wisdom

‘If I don’t get arrested by the time dusk rolls around then I will be very disappointed’.

‘Feel free to pass that onto anyone who likes really fast songs about sex. Also the release date is wrong i should fix that’

‘It’s actually more romantic than I’m letting on. Some tracks are on some singing in white shirts in a fountain surrounded by doves shit.’

‘Today I invented a bong that is also a USB stick and also a new sandwich that women will love’

‘Going to try and ring for a pizza later through the talkbox and play the riff from Sexy Dancer by Prince with my voice like a fucking boss’

Extended hiatus complete, on with the music. 

To begin, a slab of Chicago house from ‘Da Rebels’ a.k.a. Curtis Alan Jones & Liddell Townsell, recorded in 1989 and released on the Clubhouse label.

Tough love.

Here’s an excellent cover of Emerald Sapphire & Gold’s ‘Moody (Spaced Out)’ by Glasgow’s J-Jems via the ever-interesting Optimo label. The track bumps along nicely until the vocals reveal that the performers in this case, J-Jems, are two 10 year old twins.

Optimo grand fromage JD Twitch has assembled a thoroughly endearing comp of classic punk, funk and rock cover versions performed by the community at Glasgow’s Green Door Studios, entitled Musical Yooth. As part of a series of musical workshops at the studio, local kids on the Youth Music Summer School course worked with a bunch of older, more experienced musicians from groups such as Mothers & The Attics and Michael Dracula, and got involved with mixing, engineering and producing this release. All a far cry from recorder recitals of London’s burning and the theme from Eastenders.

Équipe Ulysses in the mix on NTS Radio, fourth time lucky. Two hours of inane chat and petty squabbling, soundtracked by a probably-peerless selection of great music, new & old, heavily skewed toward all things Detroit Techno and early-80′s boogie with some disco, house and hip hop thrown in for good measure. Discussion points: 

- Paging Mr Flügel
- Accents of the World and conversational German
- Jimmy Edgar presents: A Beginner’s Guide to P0rn0graphic Morse Code
- West Side Story vs East Side Detroit – Everyone Wins

Track Listing –

1. High Hopes – The S.O.S. Band (Tabu)
2. L.O.V.E. – Onra (Demo)
3. Body Wörk – Black Viking (Bootysounds)
4. Jam Sess1 – AD Bourke (Demo)
5. Samolero – Sunclef (Sunclef)
6. Brasil (reprise) – Roman Flügel (Dial)
7. Wires (Theo Parrish Remix) – Owiny Sigoma Band (Pias)
8. Blame it on the Boogie – Rick Wilhite (StillMusic)
9. Moonwalk – Blaze (Nuphonic/Funky People)
10. Wrap You Up –L.A. Boppers (MCA)
11. Whistle Bump – Deodato (Warner)
12. Love You Down (Jimmy Edgar Lip Kiss) – INOJ (Demo)
13. Cleo’s Apartment – Marvin Gaye (Motown)
14. Ghosts (Part 2) – Quaid (Firemusic)
15. If I Could – Chicago Damn (Wolf Music)
16. Multi-Purpose Girls (Équipe Ulysses re-jig) – Klymaxx (Solar)
17. You Want Me (Never) – Marcellus Pittman (Seventh Sign)
18. Late Drive – A Made Up Sound (Philpot)
19. Cosmic – Black Cock (Black Cock)
20. Never Fade – Chow Daddy (Moxie)

Whilst killing some time last week I found myself sleep walking into Phonica on Poland St, I’d been meaning to pick up the latest release from Detroit noodler Marcellus Pittman after hearing it played on Kyle Hall’s excellent mix for NTS Radio. On a limited run 10″ on Lifetime Groove, Pittman offers up two sides of languid techno, best enjoyed when it’s 80 degrees in the shade and a perfect soundtrack to London’s early summer.

 I also bought a new Dial 12″ that was playing on the shop stereo by German übermensch and sometime Robert Johnson resident Roman Flügel . Titled ‘Brasil’, it’s a wonked-out four tracker of what I’ll hesitantly call  ’electro jazz’. My favourite is the reprise, listen below and buy it here.

 

I can very happily waste huge amounts of time with these guys.

Giant amounts of love to Inie & Karen, La’Donna Forbes, Joel, Chonsak and Johan.

House tip: lean into a chorizo quesadilla. Yessir.

Équipe Ulysses in the mix on NTS Radio, three for three. Two hours of inane chat and petty squabbling, soundtracked by a probably-peerless selection of great music, new & old, heavily skewed toward all things Detroit Techno and early-80′s boogie with some disco, house and hip hop thrown in for good measure.

Discussion points:

Beer and cake, the ultimate antidote.
Where is Friend?
Googling ‘Prince Climax’.
Production Advice for Flying Lotus

Track Listing –

1. 5/8 – J Dilla (Stones Throw)
2. Koko And Leeroe – Gene Harris (Blue Note)
3. The Rink – Theo Parrish (Sound Signature)
4. The Blast – Talib Kweli (Rawkus)
5. Everybody – Roy Ayers (Uno Melodic)
6. Baby Come On (ULYSSES82 dub) – James Otis White Jr (Musix)
7. Been With You All Day (Jaz Edit) – Libre Ambiance (Libre Ambiance)
8. Haven’t Been Funked Enough – Extra & J. Griffin (Tashamba / Konduko)
9. This Groove Is On The Loose (edit) – Greyship Daviz (Rokk Steady)
10. Dreams – Friend (Demo)
11. Bonafide – Amalia (Tokyo Dawn)
12. Feel Up (12” Mix) – Grace Jones (Island)
13. Climax – Prince (Kicks)
14. Valley Style (edit) – T. Ski Valley (Capo/BMC)
15. R U Hot Enough – Virgo (TRAX)
16. Alone (Paradise) – Don Carlos (Calypso Records)
17. Mystery Man – ARP.101 (Eglo)
18. Tealeaf Dancers (Deep Range Jackin’ Mix) – Flying Lotus (Warp)
19. S&M Sexy Music (edit) – De De (Clockwork/Nunk)
20. All Over Your Face (JM After-Session M&M Mix) – Ronnie Dyson (Cotillion)
21. The Stick (ULYSSES82 Warp Mix) – The Time (Warner)
22. Wake Up – Bohannon (Compleat)

Wolf EP 008 includes ‘If I Could’ by Chicago Damn who marks his label debut with this release.
There’s little I can say about this mysterious producer, primarily because there’s not much info I can find on him or indeed, her. What’s for certain is the steady but sure assent of Wolf Music releases over the last twelve months from ‘one to watch’ to ‘buy on sight’.

UPDATE: Buy it here.

Équipe Ulysses are back with their second show for online upstart NTS Radio.
As I make up almost 50% of the talent pool for this digital broadcast, I’ll dispense with the usual hyperbolic platitudes and simply inform you that this is the best thing you’ll ever listen to.

Discussion points:

Branded glassware and forthcoming product placement opportunities.

Competitive Dance – Bad Korea Move.

The slim difference between 2000 and 20,000.

Positive feedback welcome.

UPTOWN EXPRESS – EPISODE 2: Bobby Popping Champions by Ulysses82

Track listing after the bump.

Track Listing -

1. Space Phreek – Quaid (Fire Music)
2. By My Side – Checker Kabb (Bevnik / People’s Potential)
3. I’m Gonna Put A Spell On You – Leon Bryant (De-Lite Records)
4. If I Love You – G.C. Cameron (Flamingo)
5. The Dreamer – Gifted & Blessed (Gifted & Blessed)
6. SPG Theme – Silver, Platinum & Gold (Neptune Records)
7. Rockin U – Slugabed (Nihon Kizuna)
8. Witness One Hope (Slugabed remix) – Roots Manuva (Test)
9. Games People Play – Superpowers (Test)
10. Salty Tears – Ben Sun (Voyeurhythm)
11. It’s What We Do (KiNK & Neville Watson rework) – Donnacha Costello (Poker Flat)
12. Multiply – Drive Me Home (Citinite)
13. These Games – Levon Vincent (Novel Sound)
14. Uptown – Prince (Warner)
15. Helium (Leatherette Remix) – Jed And Lucia (Ho tep)
16. Mirandolina – Burnier & Cartier (RCA Victor)
17. You! – FunkinEven (Eglo)
18. The FAX – ULYSSES82 (Test)
19. I Can Love You Better – Cliff Dawson (Boardwalk Records)
20. Redit 124 – Actress (Prime Numbers)

21. Ol’ Dirty Vinyl (U Used To Know) – Moodymann (KDJ)
22. Partyup – Prince (Warner)
23. Computer Boogie – Valentine Brothers (A&M)
24. Grand Central, Pt I (Deep Into the Bowel of House) (MCDE Raw Mix) – DJ Sprinkles (Mule)