So these are the songs that were played as Hungry Beat! turned two years old, and as we said goodbye to La Cita. It's been a great place to be, and we thank you for coming out time and time again to dance to selections from our record collections. We'll be back soon with even more tunes to delight your ears, and move your feet..
Eux Autres - You're Alight
Soft Healer - Movie Light
Marie Et Les Garcons - Rebop Attitudes
The Concretes - Seems Fine
The Siddeleys - What Went Wrong This Time
Close Lobsters - Loopholes
Sea Lions - Let's Groove
Love - You'll be Following
The Four Seasons - Beggin'
Dum Dum Girls - Pay for Me
The Shop Assistants - Home Again
Buzzcocks - Boredom
Orange Juice - Felicity
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
Myron & E with the Soul Investigators - Cold Game
Les Surfs - Shoop Shoop... Va L'Embrasser
Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill
The Tremeloes - Here She Comes Now
BMX Bandits - Top Shop Girl
The Smiths - Ask
The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
Otis Redding - Satisfaction
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Express Yourself
Dauphine Williams - I'm Your Man
A Certain Ratio - Shack Up
Girls at Our Best - Fast Boyfriends
Comet Gain - Hideaway
Conflict - It's Not Enough
Chin Chin - Revolution
Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout
Talulah Gosh - My Best Friend
The Revolving Paint Dream - (Burn This House) Down to the Ground
The Modettes - White Mouse Disco
France Gall - Laissez Tomber Les Filles
Martha & the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run
The Shirelles - Last Minute Miracle
The Intruders - Check Yourself
Chris Clark - Love's Gone Bad
Jesse Boon & the Astros - I Got the Rings
Frances Nero - Keep On Lovin' Me
Belle & Sebastian - Dirty Dream # 2
The Zombies - She Does Everything For Me
The Go-Betweens - The Life at Hand
Morrisey - Suedehead
Chantal Kelly - Notre Prof D'Anglais
Shirley Ellis - Soul Time
The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
The Charlatans - The Only One I Know
Primal Scream - Rocks
Inspiral Carpets - Joe
The Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People
The Clean - Tally Ho
Love is All - Wishing Well
The Breeders - Head to Toe
New Order - Age of Consent
The Strokes - Hard to Explain
Orange Juice - Poor Old Soul Part 2
Pandoras - Anyone But You
The Specials - Concrete Jungle
The Waitresses - It's My Car
Parliaments - Don't be Sore at Me
The Marvelettes- All the Love I've Got
Los Canarios - Get on Your Knees
Jacques Dutronc - On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien
Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi
The Primitives - Way Behind Me
The Vaselines - You Think You're a Man
New Order - Temptation
Pulp - Disco 2000
The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Pastels - I Wonder Why
Altered Images - I Could be Happy
The Field Mice - Sensitive
The Creation - Makin' Time
Shangri-Las - Give Him a Great Big Kiss
The Beach Boys - I Get Around
The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Our Second Anniversary!
Saturday night's Hungry Beat will be our two-year anniversary and the last Hungry Beat until we find a new venue. Looking back, it's been really fun hanging out and playing music we love for you.
Hungry Beat began with the notion that kids would dance to indie pop mixed with soul, girl groups, 60s pop, mutant disco, and post-punk influences. We keep things up-tempo and accessible. You'll hear the rare or under-appreciated next to your favorite anthems.
(Fun, fun, fun! during the Pehrspace days)
We had our first few nights at the co-op Pehrspace in Echo Park. Things were very much DIY. In addition to promoting and spinning we were also the bouncers. We did well enough that the neighbors started noticing. Michael was already packing them in at Punky Reggae at La Cita, so they decided to give us a Saturday.
Sometimes you land right on top of the zeitgeist by not chasing it. There was a renewed interest in indie pop thanks to a string of strong releases from Slumberland and Yay. Groups like the Dum Dum Girls were building a new, noisier Wall of Sound. Downtown L.A. had finally become a viable destination for night life and we were right in the middle of it, across from Angels Flight and right next to the old City of Paris department store.
(They were dancing like crazy to the Jasmine Minks when this was taken!)
The b-sides and flexidiscs began getting as good a response as the hits. The requests started getting less random and people started asking for stuff we actually had in our 45 boxes. We brought in Cats on Fire, one of our favorite new bands, all the way from Finland to make their West Coast debut.
(Cats on Fire!)
La Cita has been good to us through the slower siesta months and during a recession. With fall approaching they decided to shake up their Saturdays, so as of tonight we are looking for a new home. Thanks for your support and stay tuned, we'll be back!
(How lucky we are to have such a dapper clientele)
(Bye for now...)
Hungry Beat began with the notion that kids would dance to indie pop mixed with soul, girl groups, 60s pop, mutant disco, and post-punk influences. We keep things up-tempo and accessible. You'll hear the rare or under-appreciated next to your favorite anthems.
(Fun, fun, fun! during the Pehrspace days)
We had our first few nights at the co-op Pehrspace in Echo Park. Things were very much DIY. In addition to promoting and spinning we were also the bouncers. We did well enough that the neighbors started noticing. Michael was already packing them in at Punky Reggae at La Cita, so they decided to give us a Saturday.
Sometimes you land right on top of the zeitgeist by not chasing it. There was a renewed interest in indie pop thanks to a string of strong releases from Slumberland and Yay. Groups like the Dum Dum Girls were building a new, noisier Wall of Sound. Downtown L.A. had finally become a viable destination for night life and we were right in the middle of it, across from Angels Flight and right next to the old City of Paris department store.
(They were dancing like crazy to the Jasmine Minks when this was taken!)
The b-sides and flexidiscs began getting as good a response as the hits. The requests started getting less random and people started asking for stuff we actually had in our 45 boxes. We brought in Cats on Fire, one of our favorite new bands, all the way from Finland to make their West Coast debut.
(Cats on Fire!)
La Cita has been good to us through the slower siesta months and during a recession. With fall approaching they decided to shake up their Saturdays, so as of tonight we are looking for a new home. Thanks for your support and stay tuned, we'll be back!
(How lucky we are to have such a dapper clientele)
(Bye for now...)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Hungry Beat!'s Favorite Tracks - Lizzy Mercier Descloux - "Fire"
We figured it was about time over here at Hungry Beat! HQ to put our Youtube search obsession to good use by finding videos made for some of our absolute favorite songs to play at Hungry Beat!, and telling you a little bit about why we enjoy playing them so much.
Lizzy Mercier Descloux is the Kevin Bacon of Hungry Beat. Just one peek at her biography and you can see how much she overlaps with our whole playlist.
The story starts like so many music stories from the mid 1970s. Descloux was a Paris art school refugee energized by the DIY punk ethos. She founded a record store and a magazine with her boyfriend Michel Esteban. They published some Patti Smith poetry and moved to New York, where Smith introduced Esteban to "Horses" producer John Cale, who in turn introduced Esteban to Village Voice writer Michael Zilkha.
Zilkha and Esteban combined their last names and formed ZE Records. ZE's diverse lineup released some of the most exciting music of that era, some of it experimental, much of it danceable: Descloux , Contortions, Suicide, Material, Paradise Garage mainstays Was (Not Was) and Kid Creole, and the Cale-produced Marie et Les Garcons. The ZE roster also included the Waitresses, whose debut album contains their big hit "I Know What Boys Like" as well as the Hungry Beat staple "It's My Car."
ZE counted among its distributors Buddah Records, which had in its stable countless bubblegum guilty pleasures, many Northern Soul stalwarts such as Curtis Mayfield, the Five Stairsteps, Barbara Mason, and Melba Moore, and the disco group Chic, who are lovingly referenced by Hungry Beat heroes Orange Juice on "Rip It Up."
"Fire" was the lead single from Lizzy Mercier Descloux's 1979 debut LP on ZE Records, "Press Color." She's a gifted interpreter, turning Arthur Brown's sinister psychedelic hit into an uptempo stomper. "Press Color" also contains the equally danceable "Wawa" (shades of ESG) and nods to composer Lalo Schifrin, many years before his name came up in rare-groove circles again thanks to a Portishead sample.
The version of "Fire" you hear at Hungry Beat is a shorter 45 edit.
Lizzy Mercier Descloux is the Kevin Bacon of Hungry Beat. Just one peek at her biography and you can see how much she overlaps with our whole playlist.
The story starts like so many music stories from the mid 1970s. Descloux was a Paris art school refugee energized by the DIY punk ethos. She founded a record store and a magazine with her boyfriend Michel Esteban. They published some Patti Smith poetry and moved to New York, where Smith introduced Esteban to "Horses" producer John Cale, who in turn introduced Esteban to Village Voice writer Michael Zilkha.
Zilkha and Esteban combined their last names and formed ZE Records. ZE's diverse lineup released some of the most exciting music of that era, some of it experimental, much of it danceable: Descloux , Contortions, Suicide, Material, Paradise Garage mainstays Was (Not Was) and Kid Creole, and the Cale-produced Marie et Les Garcons. The ZE roster also included the Waitresses, whose debut album contains their big hit "I Know What Boys Like" as well as the Hungry Beat staple "It's My Car."
ZE counted among its distributors Buddah Records, which had in its stable countless bubblegum guilty pleasures, many Northern Soul stalwarts such as Curtis Mayfield, the Five Stairsteps, Barbara Mason, and Melba Moore, and the disco group Chic, who are lovingly referenced by Hungry Beat heroes Orange Juice on "Rip It Up."
"Fire" was the lead single from Lizzy Mercier Descloux's 1979 debut LP on ZE Records, "Press Color." She's a gifted interpreter, turning Arthur Brown's sinister psychedelic hit into an uptempo stomper. "Press Color" also contains the equally danceable "Wawa" (shades of ESG) and nods to composer Lalo Schifrin, many years before his name came up in rare-groove circles again thanks to a Portishead sample.
The version of "Fire" you hear at Hungry Beat is a shorter 45 edit.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Hungry Beat Playlist 8/21...
... remains mostly a mystery even to us. One thing worth noting, we watched a whole bunch of you dance to this one:
It was awesome.
See you on September 18th for our great big two year anniversary party! Not only will we have a special Slumberland Records give away, but we'll also be unveiling and giving away copies of our very first Hungry Beat! mix CD!
Pictures from last Satrday's madness are on the way...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Hungry Beat Playlist 8/10!
The Smiths - What She Said
My Favorite - The Black Cassette
Love Is All - Less Than Thrilled
New Order - Weirdo
The Pastels - Zoooom
Crystal Stilts - My Sugar Baby
Madness - Embarassment
Bodysnatchers - Easy Life
The Mo-Dettes - Two Can Play
The Chesterfields - Best of Friends
The Chills - Oncoming Day
Action Now - Try
Edwin Starr - 25 Miles
The Emotions - Stealing Love
The Spinners - It's A Shame
Dolly Mixture - Been Teen
Soft Healer - Movie Light
Stereolab - Fried Monkey Eggs
Brilliant Corners - Delilah Sands
Magic Bullets - Thoughts of You
St. Christopher - And I Wonder
Biff Bang Pow! - 7 Seconds
Cause Co-Motion - I Lie Awake
Veronica Falls - Beachy Head
Tarzan 5 - Boys' Game
Family Fodder - Debbie Harry
France Gall - Der Computer No. 3
Mae Young - No Ifs, Ands or Buts
Martha & the Vandellas - I'm Ready For Love
Black Tambourine - Drown
Shop Assistants - Safety Net
Martina & Part Time Punx - Mehr Von Dir
The Ropers - Blue Sunday
Wild Nothing - Summer Holiday
Another Sunny Day - You Should All Be Murdered
Best Coast - Happy
Marvin Gaye - You're a Wonderful One
Betty Everett - Too Hot to Hold
The Parliaments - Don't Be Sore At Me
The Mavelettes - All the Love I've Got
Lou Courtney - Hey Joyce
JJ Barnes - Say It
The Pandoras - Anyone But You
The Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker
Donovan - Epistle to Dippy
Mary Wells - One Block from Heaven
Joyce Jones - Help Me Make Up My Mind
Isley Brothers - Why When Love Is Gone
The Exciters - Blowin' Up My Mind
Two Fellows (Fred & Skeets) - Stop (Don't Give Up Your Loving)
Panic Buttons - O Wow
Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
Archie Bell & the Drells - Tighten Up
The Invincibles - It's That Love of Mine
Towanda Barnes - You Don't Mean It
Major Lance - The Beat
Sunny & the Sunliners - If I Could See You Now
The Ethics - Look at Me Now
Hector Rivera - At the Party
Sylvia Vartan - Ne T'en Va Pas
Brother Jack McDuff - Can't Get Satisfied
Five Stairsteps - Change of Pace
Derek Martin - Sly Girl
The Chiffons - Keep the Boy Happy
Martha & the Vandellas - Honey Love
Freda Payne - Band of Gold
The Jam - Start!
Supergrass - Alright
The Strokes - Last Nite
Blur - There's No Other Way
Northside - Shall We Take a Trip?
Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People
Elastica - Connection
The Smiths - What Difference Does it Make?
Harold Melvin - Get Out
Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
The Creation - Makin' Time
The Beatles - She Loves You
The Flirts - Jukebox
ESG - Dance
Blur - Girls & Boys
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Orange Juice - Satellite City
Camera Obscura - French Navy
The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back
Mighty Marvelows - Talkin' Bout Ya Baby
Gene Chandler & Barbara Acklin - Love Won't Start
Beach Boys - I Get Around
Shangri-Las - Give Him a Great Kiss
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Wake
Many months back I was asked by a fellow blogger friend to complete a five question survey that circulating to various Los Angeles based musicians, writers, djs... music nerds, essentially. Several times I sat down with this survey, and struggled with answering the questions to the inevitable point when I would put them aside and vow to return another day. Eventually, I stopped returning to the survey, and resigned myself to the fact that my take on these questions would remain absent from the series. The questions were so good that I couldn't form sufficient answers to any of them except for one: "Name one album you feel is critically under-rated and one album that is critically over-rated. Defend your case." I never settled on my pick for overrated album (though there were several knocking around my head for awhile). My pick for underrated album, however, was clear as day.
Here Comes Everybody was the second album from Scottish post-punk auteurs/indiepop forecasters the Wake. It's also, in my opinion, perfectly crafted start to finish. The opener is the almost impossibly lush and beautiful "O Pamela." The closer (and title track) is a long dark alleyway composed entirely of dub space and tension. Every song in between seems to have been designed to take the listener from that particular point A, to that particular point B. More importantly perhaps, you hear a band that is in line to some degree with certain Factory Records labelmates as well as other musical contemporaries, but clearly crafting a sound scape all their own.
There are plenty of bands whose under the radar status makes perfect sense to me; they make music for a specific type of person, and the more people who hear those songs and identify with them the better, but it's still pretty much implied that those people to be few and far between. The Wake on the other hand, deserve ten million more listeners, a constant barrage on the good people at LTM Records to keep churning out copies of their represses, and stadium shows... or at the very least a world tour.
Purchase the re-issue of Here Comes Everybody, Here Comes Everybody + Singles, here.
One of the singles that makes up the + Singles portion of the re-issue is the Hungry Beat! favorite "Talk About the Past." It could arguably be considered their best single. "Pale Spectre" (which also appears on Here Comes Everybody + Singles) and "Crush the Flowers" (from the Sarah years!) would be top contenders as well. But for right now, we should all give out wholehearted attention to "Talk About the Past," cause it's so pretty...
~ Marion
Here Comes Everybody was the second album from Scottish post-punk auteurs/indiepop forecasters the Wake. It's also, in my opinion, perfectly crafted start to finish. The opener is the almost impossibly lush and beautiful "O Pamela." The closer (and title track) is a long dark alleyway composed entirely of dub space and tension. Every song in between seems to have been designed to take the listener from that particular point A, to that particular point B. More importantly perhaps, you hear a band that is in line to some degree with certain Factory Records labelmates as well as other musical contemporaries, but clearly crafting a sound scape all their own.
There are plenty of bands whose under the radar status makes perfect sense to me; they make music for a specific type of person, and the more people who hear those songs and identify with them the better, but it's still pretty much implied that those people to be few and far between. The Wake on the other hand, deserve ten million more listeners, a constant barrage on the good people at LTM Records to keep churning out copies of their represses, and stadium shows... or at the very least a world tour.
Purchase the re-issue of Here Comes Everybody, Here Comes Everybody + Singles, here.
One of the singles that makes up the + Singles portion of the re-issue is the Hungry Beat! favorite "Talk About the Past." It could arguably be considered their best single. "Pale Spectre" (which also appears on Here Comes Everybody + Singles) and "Crush the Flowers" (from the Sarah years!) would be top contenders as well. But for right now, we should all give out wholehearted attention to "Talk About the Past," cause it's so pretty...
~ Marion
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Air France
Why is that no one has thought to spotlight the endlessly gorgeous Air France on this space? Could it have anything to do with the fact that releases from Air France are few and far between, and that (to our collective knowledge) none of them seem to be on vinyl? Well never mind all of that now, the time has come!
There just aren't enough DJs/Producers these days who are making dance music sound this dreamy and lush. Sure there's plenty of it out there, Air France have just seemingly cornered the market on making electronic pop songs that sound both heartfelt, and hip beyond your wildest dreams.
They also remixed Saint Etienne's "Spring" with subtle, but deliciously satisfactory results. I think most of us have the original of that one on a record somewhere, which must count for something, right?
There just aren't enough DJs/Producers these days who are making dance music sound this dreamy and lush. Sure there's plenty of it out there, Air France have just seemingly cornered the market on making electronic pop songs that sound both heartfelt, and hip beyond your wildest dreams.
They also remixed Saint Etienne's "Spring" with subtle, but deliciously satisfactory results. I think most of us have the original of that one on a record somewhere, which must count for something, right?
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