Archive for June, 2006

This Sunday at the age of 74, the legendary producer Arif Mardin has died. We all know Arif was responsible for producing several Scritti songs, for example the still stunningly slick and sexy sounding Wood Beez.

Arif has produced many records for Chaka Khan and I think most listeners will recognize the influences he had on Scritti’s music. For example his style of drum-programming and his use of modern MIDI-sequencing. But let’s not forget that his skills go way back. He worked with some of the old bebop cats, like for example the innovators Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie (left person on photo). We also should never forget the work he has done for Aretha Franklin.

Arif’s place in history should be put in line with people like Duke Ellington, Gil Evans and Quincy Jones. Arif has always changed his style and adopted it to modern times. An orchestra, a drum-machine or a synth; a set of tools he used for creating his own art.

Further reading: Music producer Mardin dies at 74

A celebrity playlist in the UK iTunes Musicstore gives Green’s 15 favourite songs with a small explanation added. It was possible for me to switch from the Dutch to the UK one, not sure though that’s possible for everyone. The list goes from the classic Beach Boys through 70’s Bowie and punk to hip-hop and beyond. May i join in praising Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise! Got to know this album through an interview with Green, and it became one of my favourite albums this year.

read more »

On last night’s show the Weekender on BBC Radio 2 Green was interviewed by Matthew Right. You can listen again, but as these streams tend to dispappear into thin air, you’d better listen right here at bibbly-o-tek. It’s basically the same story rehashed, but it’s sure is nice to listen to Green’s voice. Which makes me think, in the old days, i used to wonder if his speaking voice would sound the same as his singing voice. Quite happy to say it doesn’t. :)

BBC 2 Weekender interview

“Last time I looked, I was a handsome young man”

Happy birthday Green!

and cheers!

Ellen, Ernst, John and Marco

I have always been a huge fan of Chaka Khan. She sings high and very loud, a combination which is a serious killer for most singers.

Years ago when I was working on an album with Dave Green (yes, I know!), a former band-member of the UK-band Icicle Works, we had a discussion about Chaka. Dave asked me if I had ever heard Chaka’s ‘Naughty’ album. And no, I did not. I think it was only officially released in Japan or something like that. But anyway: ‘Naughty‘ (buy at Amazon.com) is the best Chaka has ever done. Gives me chills all over!

But okay back to the Chaka-Green connection…

The song Green wrote for Chaka, ‘Love Of A Lifetime’, also has an interesting story:

He is also finishing writing a song for Chaka Khan, called ‘Love Of A Lifetime’. It is the first he’s written for somebody else, and he will sing on it with Chaka and co-produce it. Chaka had contacted Green and asked him to do it. They have met previously and Chaka likes the Scritti stuff very much.

(source)

Sound-wise Perfect Way has that typical 80’s sound. And sure, Scritti is responsible for that :)

The thing that still does it for me is the way the song modulates from the intro into the verse and then finally into the refrain. My head is still popping off when I hear it and I am sure the same thing happened to Miles Davis. Miles did a cover of Perfect Way on his album Tutu.

This might be the most complete Scritti Politti collection i’ve ever seen, ranging from the very first singles to special editions of Anomie & Bonhomie. Multiple versions of each single, album, cd limited editions, posters… even a gold record for Cupid & Psyche. John got all these photo’s from Mitsuo from Japan.

read more »

Tim Chipping pointed us to this very amusing interview he did with Green Gartside for the Channel 4 website. This proves ; if you ask the man interesting questions you get interesting answers !

Also, for the Dutchies, this interview on the VPRO 3voor12 website. There is an audio stream of the interview also, which is of course in English (just press the little speaker button, you’ll figure it out). The stream will be in our archives, soon, as well. Thanks to VPRO’s Erwin Blom for pointing this interview out to us.

We’re very happy we can publish the director’s cut of the interview with Green by Simon Reynolds, published in a shorter version in the Guardian.

GREEN
by Simon Reynolds

“We went to Marylebone Registry Office, because that’s where McCartney got married,” recalls Green Gartside of his wedding a couple of months ago. “We chose the shortest service, just a couple of sentences, and we didn’t really tell anyone, so we had one witness each. But this pudding of a teenager, with two different speech impediments, officiated, and he read the standard script that goes ‘thank you all for coming, it means so much to Alice and Green that all their friends and family are here’. We couldn’t really stop him as he lisped his way through it! But, no, it was a very lovely thing. I think I might even have had a tear in my eye.”

read more »

Relieved to see we were right with the dates we announced last tuesday! Today www.doublegandthetraitorous3.com announced all dates this summer in the UK and Japan. Ifyou’re not already on the mailinglist, you should subscribe, then you get handy information like this delivered to you. Even though you read it here on bibbly first. I already booked my ticket for the Scala gig today!

Thursday July 6th – Brighton Concorde 2
Saturday July 8th – Oxford Zodiac
Monday July 10th – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Tuesday July 11th – London Scala
Monday July 17th – Norwich UEA

Saturday August 5th – Big Chill Festival, Eastnor Castle
Monday August 7th – Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
Thursday August 10th – Tokyo, Club Quattro
Saturday August 12th – Tokyo, Summersonic Festival
Sunday August 13th – Osaka, Summersonic Festival
Monday August 14th – Osaka, Club Quattro

Tickets:
July tour, Big Chill, Edinburgh, Summersonic:

A couple of review printed in magazines. There is a very positive on in Uncut, July 2006.

One in Q Magazine.

Kay send us a scan of a review posted in Intro in Germany, it’s a review of the 5th February gig in The Luminaire.

And finally a review in the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.


read more »

Taken from the Norwegian paper Dagsavisen, a very cool picture of Green Gartside, and an interview (by Geir Rakvaag), from which these are apparently the highlights:

read more »

Some dates of the Scritti Politti tour through the UK are seeping through. As yet unconfirmed! Some other venues might be added.

6th July – Brighton – BC2
8th July – Oxford – ZODIAC
10th July – Portsmouth – WEDGEWOOD
11th July – London – SCALA
17th July – Norwich – UEA

Tickets are 16.50 (LONDON SCALA: 17.50)

The Dutch VPRO (broadcasting for TV,radio and Internet) has recorded a video of Green performing 3 songs in the elevator of Hotel Vondel in Amsterdam on May 11th 2006. Very cool.

Here’s the Real Audio stream. And a bit of info in Dutch at the VPRO website.

Update: The Real Audio stream contained some bad characters. I have corrected the link.

This sunday 11th June on BBC Radio Wales an interview with Green will be broadcasted on the Adam Walton programme at 10pm. It’s possible to listen live through the internet or through the Listen Again option. We at bibbly-o-tek will of course capture the stream and post it here after the show!

BBC Wales interview – part 1

BBC Wales interview – part 2

Finally, at long last, i’ve got the official cd of White Bread Black Beer! It’s the digipack version, with extra nice images. So for you to enjoy, the booklet with all the lyrics, in Green’s handwriting. Looking at the back, the tracklist looks to me like embroidered text, probably done with a sewing machine.

Remembering my initial disappointed response when i saw the little thumbnail of the packaging, i’ve completely changed my mind. The front works good in a shop, and the images on the digipack and background images in the booklet are very delicate with lots of texture. Perfectly fits the album.

read more »

Franck Slakmon from Paris has send us the above photo, taken by Julien Bourgeois during the Planet Claire session.

Scritti Politti will perform at the Summer Sonic Festival 2006 in Japan. Two times in Tokyo and Osaka on the 12th and 13th of August 2006.

More info at Summersonic.com.

We’re still trying to find out whether or not Scritti will perform in Holland again someday soon. We hope so of course. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are our favorite places to see Scritti perform. If so, we will wear our wooden shoes, holding a windmill in our right hand, an Absolute vodka in our left and wearing a green shirt…

Update: We have just recieved an email from the Dutch Rough Trade department, De Konkurrent. Scritti Politti will perform in Holland and Belgium in September!

Some more video’s added to the video section. Boom There She Was and a japanese video of Umm, which is mostly a re-edit of the Making of Anomie & Bonhomie. More japanese footage, an interview, another interview and a talk about Scritti Politti, with no subtitles, so your japanese has got to be quite good!

Some journalists have all the luck. You get to sit in the sunshine opposite Green Gartside talking at length about White Bread Black Beer, playing live, favourite music, the Double G website, the past and future plans.

Some interesting points pass along, like an idea of recording a disco album with David Gamson and playing with Massive Attack in Hyde Park – would that be on the Wireless Festival in June perhaps? There is nothing on the Wireless website, so it seems unlikely.

The recording sometimes has some funny noises in it, but overall it’s a good listen. I like all the background rumour and the soft tickling on the guitar Green had with him.

Full interview (29 minutes, 27 mb)