ALL WIRED UP - a playlist
assimilate this! (exquisite technological mix)
WELL WELL WELL. I haven’t put together a playlist for a month or so, and it’s time. Also haven’t shared many of them here, I don’t think. We will be welcoming Virgo season in with a focus on robot rock, Borg perfection, wired up to the max, a playlist for all you machines and machine-lovers out there.
I was fortunate enough to see Kraftwerk twice in 2014; it was a religious experience. I saw them perform this album, 1978’s The Man Machine in its full entirety. Despite being a huge fan, I wasn’t expecting much. “How cool could it possibly be?” I, a fool, asked myself as I walked into Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. I knew they were going to be standing in front of their trademark podiums pressing buttons. What I didn’t know was how that was going to make me feel. I love the crowd coming in at 0:26 when the beat starts, and again at 0:59, which is when I must assume that the curtain fell to reveal The Robots. If you don’t know this entire album, you haven’t yet lived. Please listen to all of it.
“You got my head all wired up”
This was the start of this mix; it was the root my working Data/Geordi fan mix for forever, aka the “DaForge” mix to those of us with excellent taste. You may recognize Midnight Star from “No Parking On The Dance Floor,” their entire catalog is full of funky computer hits.
“Accentuate my structure”
A quite hard synth and light drums anchor this track, which came across as a lovely surprise in some of my explorations for this playlist.
Yes, this song has been on a few of my past mixes, including last month’s. To that I say, mind your business and get your ass on the dance floor. Patrick Cowley may be most known for his production work with San Francisco dance legend Sylvester (You Make Me Feel, etc.), but his solo work stands on its own as manual/physical synth excellence. Cowley died of AIDS in 1982, another bright light stolen from us.
Faster Than The Speed Of Love
No synth-heavy mix is complete without the Italian stallion of synth, the techno-grandfather himself. Sorry about the poor transition but this entire album is a flow worth experiencing in full.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a 1980’s track suit dripped out cartoon-looking white guy from the Netherlands playing about $70,000 worth of synthesizers, look this video up on YouTube. Big thanks to the Pop Overbite TikTok account for helping me discover this duo.
10 Out Of 10 (feat. Kylie Minogue)
Oliver Heldens, Kylie Minogue
Continuum music lovers and long time Kylie fans rejoice; we have less than a month before we get an entire new record. Biting my hands waiting for TENSION, which is out on September 22nd. Love the timeless-yet-90’s feel of this soon to be classic.
Get On Up And Do It Again
No clue the story of this band (I believe they’re Canadian?) but this one’s been on my “get it going” playlist for a while
Always been a fan of Phoenix, especially when they get back to their synth roots. I don’t think this album (Ti Amo) had a major hit off it, certainly nothing like 2009’s ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,’ which is unfortunate as there are some fantastic sounds on here.
This was sampled by Queen Latifah’s 2003 ‘Better Than The Rest.’ The titular line made me think of Seven’s eidetic memory, and it was time for a slow jam.
She Blinded Me With Science
No relation to Dolby sound systems, but there may as well be with this 1982 classic that remains unlike anything else. Check out the video if you’re not familiar.
I’m not terribly familiar with this artist, who’s based in the Netherlands, but the way he handles a synth works for me.
The Robots - 2009 Remaster
Again, I will point out that this album was released in 1978. The live version of this song also hits hard, if you’re so inclined to check out any of Kraftwerk’s live work.
Smooth techno robot funk, just the way I like it. No recollection of how I came across this hit other than the algorithm recognizing my exquisite taste.
If Daft Punk is the robot rock dressed up on the dance floor, Justice is what you get at 3am after everyone is either wasted or high out of their mind, finding a way (any way!) to keep the party going. Never before or since have I encountered a record that scratched this particular sonic itch for dirtied up, fuzzed out synths continuing to deliver danceable, on the beat hits. If Daft Punk’s “Discovery” plugged us in, 2007’s “Justice” stripped our wires and started sparking them together. Ugh. I could go on about how much I love this record for a very long time.
I don’t have much to say about this Norwegian/Icelandic duo, other than keep party rocking, y’all.
What do you say about a legend whose work spans multiple genres, executed flawlessly? Not much, but 1980’s Herbie Hancock showcases his ability to seamlessly fit in with any and all new trends. You know more of his work than you think you do through samples and film, but you can always get to know him better.
It’s not very often that I hear a song that takes me back to the ebullient joy I felt in 2001 upon hearing Daft Punk’s ‘Discovery’ in full for the first time, but this song touches the vocoder-loving places within me.
Baskcomb hails from the UK and I look forward to digging more into her work. Always a fan when a pop song chooses to anchor itself around an uncommon word.
There seem to be a few different Deodatos but I’m assuming this is the Brazilian musical artist, as I hear those influences present here. Unsurprisingly, a great tune to jam around in your car at night, pretending you’re in a cyberpunk movie.
This album is an instant classic, funky in all the right ways, with a touch of technological that anchors it firmly in time and place.
Don’t have much information about this 1999 album, but I would believe if you told me it was either from much earlier or much later. Always been a fan of music that is both faithful enough and innovative enough to be placed in any time period.
One More Time / Aerodynamic (live)
My robot boys. If they ever return from retirement, bet that I will be spending my life savings and then some to see Daft Punk live. I have been a Daft Punk fan since 2001, and I am so grateful to exist at the same time as this duo. Listening to Discovery when it came out is an experience in time that I will never forget. I had tried to listen to this album when it came out, but I wasn’t yet advanced enough in my music appreciation to enjoy them live. The first time I heard the transition between songs, every hair on my body stood on end. I want few things more than a Daft Punk reunion tour, but this and bootlegs will have to suffice for now.
Messages From The Stars - Sped Up
First encountered this song in a twitter exchange about DaForge; it’s not often that a song sounds just as good sped up as it does in the original speed.
The first time I heard this song, I was working at Nordstrom, where you could call the operator (even as an employee) and ask for them to tell you the song. The swooping ‘you’s’ at the end are what spurred me into action. I wrote down the name of this song on a pastry bag, and this album has not left me since. It is a warm hug from outer space.
Eagerly awaiting a new album from Breakbot like any day now. The instrumentals remain undefeated.
Chaos - Laura van Dam Remix
Andrew Bayer, Run Rivers, Laura van Dam
I’m not terribly familiar with anyone here, but this song is a great way to draw me in to a lovely, sonically spacious and danceable remix.
Heartbroken that there isn’t an extended mix of this yet (the DISCO extended mixes are still worth checking out), as it remains one of my favorite tracks from 2020’s incredible DISCO. Only the queen of pop could record an album like this in quarantine. Legends only!!!!
You Put A Charge In My Life
Whoever makes me a fan vid of Geordi and Data being ‘very close friends’ to this is gonna eventually get a giant hug and possibly (okay, definitely) dinner. No clue what’s happening on the cover, but who doesn’t want to love an alien? Please be for real.
One Hot Love - 2018 Remaster
I knew nothing of Japanese City Pop until my Spotify started feeding it to me, and I’ve become obsessed with these oh-so-smooth tracks that remain danceable and sharp. A true mood, a vibe, a way to turn around any bad day.
And to close out the mix, enjoy the song in all its 1980s synthed out, original speed glory, still grooving and moving, a hit in either tempo.
That’s the mix, enjoy! Keep robot rocking and technological trancing🤖
romaincrisis
snowghoul
stormborns
annaxmalina
theartofmadeline
pixelskylines
