Aug. 11, 2011
Next week Alex Gimeno, known for our purposes here as Ursula 1000, releases his fifth album of bouncy and dance floor friendly sampledelic tunes. Most of the tracks on Mondo Beyondo are brightly colored jams that will have you bopping and grinning, though a couple are a little darker but still geared for fun. So, business as usual from the talented Mr. Gimeno, who also is known for crafting excellent mixes too. One of the most interesting things about the record are the collabos with the B-52s' Fred Schneider, Isabelle Antena (of 80's new wave bossa nova combo Antena), rapper Ms. G, Theivery Corporation singer Natalie Clavier, and modern-day crooner Big Mike Geier. We asked Gimeno to run down a few of his favorite collaborations for the Poplist this week....
Fripp and Eno - No Pussyfooting
King Crimson's debut album is a big time fave of mine and I started to follow Robert Fripp's work after that, be it with David Bowie, Blondie or the Talking Heads. I got into Roxy Music after and of course gravitated towards Brian Eno as so many have for his otherworldly allure. The No Pussyfooting album was such a flipped out meeting of the minds. Fripp's Frippertronics guitar effects were in full effect and Eno kept this hypnotic drone that really puts this collaboration on my top list. And that album cover with them playing cards in that glass/mirror room...amazing.
Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder - "I Feel Love"
No one could escape "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder. I have an older sister who was into disco and this and all those early Summer/Moroder albums were played to death. This is one of those songs that defies time...like it could have been produced last week! The sequencing is so super tight that I'm in awe how they were able to achieve it in a pre-midi world. There's this great quote from Eno when he and Bowie were recording in Berlin and he said after hearing it for the first time..."I have heard the sound of the future...This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next 15 years". I still mix this in from a modern club track and it holds it's own.
Brigitte Bardot et Serge Gainsbourg - "Comic Strip" from Bonnie And Clyde
I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of Serge Gainsbourg. Of course his work with Jane Birkin is amazing but for this list I'm leaning towards his collaboration with Brigitte Bardot. They had some short intense love affair and worked on some pretty out there pop songs like "Harley Davidson", "Contact" and "Bonnie & Clyde" but my fave would be "Comic Strip". It's beyond zany. The lyrics are a play on wacky sound effects sounds and Serge has this cabaret saloon song riding on top of it.
This song inspired my song "Kaboom" with the cartoon-y word play. The video for this song is pretty groovy too. Bardot as a superhero!
Lene Lovich and Thomas Dolby - "New Toy"
A guilty pleasure of mine is Thomas Dolby and his first two albums, The Golden Age Of Wireless and The Flat Earth. For me they are total synth-pop masterpieces. He's super prolific and has worked with people as varied as George Clinton, Foreigner and Whodini. But it's his work with Lene Lovich that I love most, especially on "New Toy", one of my fave new wave songs. Her multi-range vocals and Dolby's quirky pop smart hooks are a perfect match. If this song doesn't get you pogo-ing then I would have a doctor check your pulse immediately.
De La Soul- "Buddy" from 3 Feet High And Rising
This list was tricky...so many to chose from..."Under Pressure" by Queen and Bowie, Sylvester and Patrick Cowley's "Do You Wanna Funk", E.L.O. and Olivia Newton John's "Xanadu" (yeah, I said it!)...but I have to add "Buddy" from De La Soul's debut album. This jam features De La plus their Native Tongues pals A Tribe Called Quest, The Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and Monie Love. I absolutely love how the different voices come in and out showcasing everyone's unique rhymes. It's a true jam session. And the 3 Feet High And Rising album, wow, where do I begin...! This album turned me onto to so many breaks, from the likes of The Turtles to Jimmy Smith! Total desert island disc.