Putting up the third installment of the ACID TEST mix focusing in on psychedelia from around the world in the 60’s and 70’s. Hungary, Turkey, India, France, Thailand, Holland, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria among others represented here. Sit back, put on some tea, and let your mind unwind.
Remember…..Stretch out before you freak out, and have some curry, when you eat out!
Everyone knows the acid test djs love, in fact lurve, ZZ Top. just got a book for my bday from Udagawa about Billy Gibbons hot rods and guitars collection. what a frickin bad ass! all those cars in the videos are his, and you may remember some of the crazy guitars from the videos too, like furry ones.
This will probably be the first of many ZZ posts, as i have a re-edit from Tim Love Lee, and i am working on one too.
Here is a later 12″ single version from the early 90’s with all the requisite Top stuff, drum machines, arpeggiated basslines, crunchy guitars, and suggestive lyrics.
Joe Strummer, Mescaleros era. This is one of Udagawa’s current faves. It is a rough and tumble, punky-gospel reggae, with Strummer doing some of his finest post-Clash work.Here is a Youtube clip of a live version of the song, and a studio mp3 link below.
An old Cali-Rave, or actually post Cali-Rave, ambient/chill out room era classic! with a little bit more pep and funk than the original, this should bring heads back! just sit back in your bean bag, bob your head and pop off on a smart drink too 😉
Mike Kandel was legendary in the mid 90’s, he became a recluse after this successful single, and took a few years off. what he came back with, sounded like he took a few years “on”, as in turned on, rather off. he was definitely a central figure in the whole electronic hippie movement that happened in the mid 90’s. acid jazz, downtempo, trip hop, and hippie hop, transitioned in the later part of the 90’s partly into turntablism, partly into elevator music…this still evokes an era of full moon parties, the gardening club, and chill-out rooms all over. we should bring back the chill-out room.
Tranquility Bass (N.O.W Remix)
This is an old Bruce Force edit of the Yello tune, Downtown Samba off of the Bostich EP. Probably a year and a half old, i never ended up doing anything with it, but its not half-bad. one of my favorite Yello tunes, i was always so sad it was so short it was hard to mix in with a set. its only a little bit easier now…
One of the best Swiss groups of all time, besides Brainticket! Here’s to Dieter and Boris!
as you can tell, the acid test dj’s can explore territory deep and wide, and mix it together to keep the booty shakin’. speaking of booty shakin’, it brings us to another limited era, but big impact trend happening in late 60’s and early 70’s. Boogaloo!Primarily a NYC Spanish Harlem phenomenom, it combined 60’s dance music, and english vocals with latin music, and helped a lot of salsa stars finally break through into the charts.although we have many favorites here, this is a pretty good example.Tito Ramos, who was part of the famous TnT Band with Tony Rojas, slap some trendy dances together ala the Tighten Up and a James Brown-style Give the Drummer Some, and voila, instant hit. The Meditation on Cotique, a legendary label..
TNT BAND – The Meditation
Fast forward a few years to 1972, Tito Ramos, still an incredible vocalist, after 3 albums with the TNT Band, he records Where My Head is At? and it reflects the changing times. Much more a topical gangster boogie tune, Big T, is tough latin soul.
The Sandals, not the Endless Summer band, but the 90’s UK acid jazz, and trip-hoppers. A long monster remixed by DSS clocking in at 12:10, it just keeps going and going, but it gets better and better. The bigger single is Feet, which got some reworking by the pre-Chemical, Dust Brothers, and the Hardkiss boys, both slutty acid bangers with a live organic edge, but this one you don’t hear too often.
The Sandals – We Wanna Live (DSS Remix)
Mickey Finn and the Blue Men, or sometimes just Mickey Finn. This 45 flip side is a burner, A side is great too Gardens of My Mind
a young Jimmy Page also played with the Mickey Finn. It was a band, not a guy, and thusly unrelated to T Rex.
Monstrous.
Mickey Finn
This is one of Udagawa’s old faves, a 1969 charter from Elephant’s Memory, a band best known for backing up John and Yoko Ono on tour and a few records. My favorite, of the LenOno bunch that they played on, being Approximately Infinite Universe.They also had two stomper tracks on the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack, which i like a lot too.Mongoose has killer open drums, sampled by Brand Nubian?? i think among others. It is also heavy duty rock and roll. Enjoy!
Elephant’s Memory – Mongoose
Acid Test DJ's - SpiritBear and Udagawa 