In celebration of the news that The Avalanches' second album will see release in early 2012, here is a large collection of Avalanches rarities in lossless FLAC and V0 MP3 formats. Here you will the the proper, ORIGINAL version of Since I Left You with ALL THE SAMPLES INTACT! You'll also find the Gimix tape, the Beasties-influenced El Producto EP, the Rarities & Remixes collection I posted previously and a live set released only on a Cornerstone sampler. Big thanks to Josh for providing the live set, I owe you man!
01 Since I Left You 02 Stay Another Season 03 Radio 04 Two Hearts In 3/4 Time 05 Avalanche Rock 06 Flight Tonight 07 Close To You 08 Diners Only 09 A Different Feeling 10 Electricity 11 Tonight 12 Pablo's Cruise 13 Frontier Psychiatrist 14 Etoh 15 Summer Crane 16 Little Journey 17 Live At Dominoes 18 Extra Kings
01 Since I Left You 02 Stay Another Season 03 Two Hearts In 3/4 Time 04 Close To You / Electricity 05 Little Journey 06 Diners Only 07 A Different Feeling / Pablo's Cruise 08 Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life
01 A Different Feeling (Paperclip People Remix, Avalanches Re-Edit) 02 Everyday 03 With My Baby 04 Thank You Caroline 05 Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining (The Avalanches Good Word For The Weekend Remix) 06 Gerling - Enter Spacecapsule (Enter The Spaceship Mix) 07 Do You Know The Way To San Jose? 08 Manic Street Preachers - So Why So Sad (Sean Penn Mix) 09 Belle and Sebastian - I'm A Cuckoo (Avalanches Remix) 10 Wolfmother - Woman (Avalanches Millstream Mix) 11 Electricity (Original 7" Version) 12 Thank You Caroline (Original 7" Version) 13 Slow Walking 14 Undersea Community 15 Yamaha Superstar 16 The Concretes - Chico (Avalanches' Wernham Hogg Remix) 17 Franz Ferdinand - Fade Together (Avalanches Remix)
Steve Stein, better known as Steinski, is a gentleman and a scholar! He was kind enough to answer some questions I e-mailed him and gave me permission to share the tracks you'll find below. Make sure you drop by his personal website and check him out. He's always posting new stuff and when he goes on tour that'll be the place to get the scoop. What more can I say? HE'S F*&KING STEINSKI!
Me: Can you share some information about your other collaborators like DJ ET, Alan Friedman and such? A lot of people aren't terribly familiar with those individuals, and to be honest only Friedman's name immediately jumped out at me because of his work with C+C Music Factory and other nineties dance music producers.
Steve:DJ ET was a really talented producer/rapper (state name Earl Kerlew) who I met at the Roxy right after Douglas and I did The Payoff Mix. We stayed in touch, and when I started doing my own records, he was in the studio as scratch DJ and support. In the late 80's or early 90's, he was driving a taxi and was killed in a holdup, may he rest in peace.
Alan Friedman is a studio whiz and multi-talented musician I met before he blew up with C + C; we've worked together on many projects. We're still in touch. He's great.
Me: Regarding Reckless Spenders, are there tapes of those parties live sets in your archives? Is there a chance of any of them eventually seeing release?
Steve: None of the Reckless Spenders parties were recorded, I don't think. Those were hot events.
Me: During the Solid Steel interview you mentioned your working on a Steinski album, presumably of new material. Did anything come of this? Is the track you were working on with Prince Paul the one that appeared on his Itstrumental album?
Steve: The Prince Paul track was independent of anything else I was doing; I was flattered to be asked. The idea of working on new stuff has been floating around in my procrastinating brain for years, and I'm finally getting down to it.
Me: There were a lot of tracks that were left off the What Does It All Mean? compilation. Is there a chance of recordings like the Sinatra tribute, the Tony Touch remix, the Dimitri From Paris remix and others eventually seeing a reissue, physically or digitally? Could there be a What Does It All Mean? Volume 2?
Steve: Doubtful. Everything left off was left off because of possible major label entanglements.
Me: Can you discuss any of the reasons the Lessons and Motorcade were able to be given an official, physical release after all these years? I had heard stories for years regarding the impossibility of their clearance for any sort of release beyond that of a promotional issue.
Steve: The situation hasn't changed. Illegal Art decided to run with it, luckily for me.
Me: Regarding your recorded invitations for parties and Ralphie's Bop City recordings, will more of those eventually get posted? I really enjoy the Bop City tapes.
Steve: Glad you like them. I doubt the invitation will ever be "released" as such. They're interesting little artifacts, that's all. As far as the Bop City tapes are concerned, I'm still mulling over a possible release, or at least a public presentation of some sort.
NOTE: Several compilations of Bop City recordings are available to be listened to on Steinski's music page.
Me: How did your work on The Simpsons remixes come together?
Steve:The Simpsons remixes came to me from Rhino, which was doing something - I don't recall what - with the Songs In The Key Of Springfield CD. I think the only one of my mixes that came out (promo) was the Theme Park mix.
Me: Regarding the This Jazz Is Hot compilation you curated, you didn't add any production to the recordings, correct? I've seen a lot of people looking for it though I've never seen nor heard it myself and don't know anyone that has.
Steve: It's an import from Switzerland, done by Vibrations, an excellent French-language music magazine published in Switzerland.
Me: It was brought to my attention that a record named The Invitation, credited to yourself and Sugar Kane, is listed on Discogs. No one seems to have heard this before or has a copy, so can you clarify whether this is a track you two composed or an invitation track like the ones you recorded for Reckless Spenders?
Steve: This was a short piece serving as an audio invitation for the opening a club in Vienna called Kennedy's. I don't have a copy of it myself. I'm not sure how they distributed it. If anyone has a copy, I'd love to hear it.
Me: There are a bunch of other rare tracks that I've been asked to ask you about, like your work on the Akabu 12", your contributions to Coldcut'sMy Telephone, the edited version you and Douglas mentioned of the Tony Touch remix, the DJ Spooky remix, etc. Any thoughts on these or other assorted rarities? Will a finished version of Lesson 4 ever be heard?
Steve: Most of these pieces have fallen into obscurity for a good reason - they're not all fabulous.
Lesson 4 will likely remain as the partially finished collection of loops it's always been; both Douglas and I are on to other things at this point.
Me: Are you going to continue doing live sets or speaking to musicians and students?
Steve: Playing live is on temporary hiatus while I work out a different method (I hope) of playing dance music in clubs. As far as speaking goes, it's hard to shut me up, so I'll speak to anyone as long as they ask nicely. The talks and classes I did for the Red Bull Music Academy were among the most satisfying experiences I've had.
Me: Can you give information about the works you did for your Mass Media company? In the Solid Steel interview you mentioned industrial films, video only works, audio only works and other assorted media productions. Are there any of those works that could be seen with relative ease? Any that stand out? Award winners?
Steve: I won a few awards for radio commercials I produced in the 90's, but ad industry awards are highly subjective; they exist mainly to give clients reassurance that they don't have to trust their own judgement. I still work on soundtracks for industrial films and commercials. I think the only commercial I've worked on that's relatively easy to find is a UK tv advert for Pretty Polly Bras that I wrote and produced, based on I'm Wild About That Thing. I believe it's on YouTube, featuring a number of scantily clad women.
Here are the rare cuts mentioned above. I haven't bothered putting these in any particular order so go have some fun with them. Big thanks to Irish Craig and DJ Pigg for hooking me up with the Sinatra tribute and Dimitri remix! As a bonus, you'll find a non-Steinski track in the download that you may find interesting. It's File 13 which is Douglas, aka Double Dee, and his only officially released track without Steve (as far as I know), the extremely dirty Taste So Good! You'll also find another link below for a download of the Solid Steel show dedicated to DD+S, Now We Come To The Payoff. I'm happy to acknowledge that I got it from BosBos as it's not on the Solid Steel site, but it's split into two files there that you have to get from a certain file sharing service that makes you wait between downloads, so I thought it might be easier for some people to grab here as a single file. Props to the awesome BosBos which you should visit it IMMEDIATELY to get the scoop on the Now We Come To The Payoff program as there is a lot of information there you may not be aware of. And most of all, a gargantuan thank you to Steve Stein for being such a cool guy and making incredible music! Keep doing what you're doing and we'll keep listening!
UPDATE: The links are now working. It must have been an error on my part. Sorry guys.
Akabu - Watch Yourself (edited by Double Dee & Steinski) Amon Tobin & Steinski - Ten Piece Metric Wrench Set Coldcut - My Telephone (feat. Ralphie's Bop City) Dimitri From Paris - Une Very Stylish Fille (Double Dee & Steinski's Memphis Mann Remix) DJ Spooky - Invasion (Bifocal Remix) Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson 4 (Solid Steel Edit) Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (Steinski & Ill Chemist Relax) Steinski - The Xen To One Ratio Steinski - What Was Raymond Doing With His Hands? Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You (The War Mix) Steinski & Mass Media - Let's Play It Cool (Club Edit) Steinski & Mass Media - The Motorcade Sped On (Alternate Version) Steinski & Mass Media - We'll Be Right Back (Club Edit) The Simpsons (Steinski's Overture Remix) The Simpsons (Steinski's Rap Remix) The Simpsons (Steinski's Theme Park Remix)
Sometime in the late nineties, at least if I'm remembering correctly, somehow I managed to find Steinski's e-mail address and wrote telling him how much I loved his records. I don't know if it was because I was actually collecting his other releases, the ones that aren'tThe History Lessons, but he was extremely polite and mailed me two CD-Rs with the request I don't go blabbing all over the internet where I got them from because he simply couldn't mail out free discs to everyone that asked nicely. I was thoroughly enthralled and discussed the contents with him in some detail, especially Tommy Boy apparently having used alternative masters of The History Lessons on a promotional reissue that coincided with their Greatest Beats compilations. That's buried in my collection but I'll post it eventually because someone out there might find it interesting to hear an extra two seconds of crowds cheering at the end of Lesson 3.
Anyway, as I was saying, Steinski mailed me two CD-Rs, the first being a homemade retrospective named Beg, Borrow & Steal that contained all three Lessons, three then-difficult to find Double Dee & Steinski tracks (one of which I can't find another copy of regardless) and six Steinski & Mass Media recordings. Almost everything on that disc was reissued on the What Does It All Mean? comp a few years ago but at the time they were pretty damn near impossible to find so I was elated. I abided by Steinski's request and didn't tell anyone about where I got the discs or makes copies, but he must have given copies out to other people because I saw people trading versions with the same track list and artwork as well as revised versions with a then unavailable remix of a Coldcut and Chuck D track. Still, no matter who had what, I had a CD from the man himself and I was in heaven!
The second CD was just as interesting as the first but for completely different reasons. At the time, Steinski, under his given name of Steve Stein, was working with an advertising company named Sonic Boom and that second disc was a collection of commercials, radio ID's, excerpts from his own show, a binaural audio demonstration and a few more remixes. The humor and creativity shines through those recordings, reminding me of a time when advertising didn't suck, when commercials could be entertaining too instead of obnoxious. It's the sound of a guy who loves sound, be it musical or found anywhere else, finding a way to make a living doing what he loves in different mediums.
I've never shared this disc previously and I haven't seen anyone else trade this online so I thought it would be a nice post. With the times having changed some and most of Steve's discography being easier to find I figured he wouldn't mind, especially for mostly decade old advertisements. It's a hell of a listen and a lot of fun, but not just for the commercials. There are remixes I'd read that Steinski had done for The Simpsons which never saw release, so I figured I'd never have the opportunity to hear them. There is also a lovely remix for DJ Spooky, a guy I don't have many good things to say about, but Steinski's remix of Invasion is basically an ambient version of his other remixes, still covered in voices carrying on a theme and it's gorgeous.
Regarding the CD-R of Beg, Borrow, & Steal, it stopped working a LONG time ago for reasons I never understood. If anyone has advice regarding the salvaging of a CD-R's contents please lay it on me. There is a Double Dee & Steinski remix of Tony Touch's(I Wonder Why) He's The Greatest DJ on it, and while it did see release on vinyl I've never been able to find anyone with a copy. It's not the greatest DD+S remix but it's good and along with their remix for Dimitri From Paris'sUne Very Stylish Fille they're two tracks I would trade something seriously kick-ass for copies of! That offer is standing and can be discussed in detail if you'd like, but for the time being please enjoy this fascinating look at Steinski's career outside of hip-hop cut-ups! Scans of the track list, disc and cover are included in the archive.
PS - Steve doesn't work with Sonic Boom any longer apparently. I called there and was told no one has been in their employ with that name within the last four years. With that said, I deleted Sonic Boom's contact info from the packaging info for their privacy. Also, I found this post while Googling a pic of Steve for this post. It has some VERY INTERESTING images of early DD+S releases. Check it! Oh, one more thing, Steve, if you don't want this shared, let me know and it'll be gone in a flash.
UPDATE:I spoke withSteveand he is totally cool with the reel being online. He is the consummate gentleman and pointed out an important detail regardingSonic Boom. It's actually his own corporation although it appears theSonic BoomI contacted is actually in Chicago. I don't know why Google would connect a Chicago phone number with a New York address but strange things happen I suppose. Regardless,Steveis a wonderful guy and I'm going to send him some questions for an e-mail interview. Thank you againSteve!
I had something else planned for today but I thought it appropriate to post this after yesterday. This is Steinski's breakdown of the Gulf War and was released on vinyl via Ninja Tune and CD via Death Of Vinyl (DOVe). The Television Mix is available on What Does It All Mean? but the other versions are all out of print, so here is a rip from the CD version for your listening pleasure. The Ninja Tune artwork appears at the top while the DOVe art is at the bottom. And remember to go get What Does It All Mean? at illegal art's website!
If you're like me and have been waiting on pins and needles for a new Avalanches album, this won't fulfill that need but will tide you over for a while more. For your listening enjoyment are The Avalanches' first EP, El Producto, which is more in the vein of the Beastie Boys'Check Your Head than their better known releases, and a collection of rarities and remixes from their various singles and productions they contributed for other artists. There are a lot of live mixes and web-exclusive mash-ups they've done that have been available via their website at times, but none of those are included here. Maybe at a later date I'll post a few of those tracks (there is a wonderful track from February 2004 that sounds like an in-progress preview of their long in the works second album that I'll have to post sometime soon, I just want to find a better copy than the version I have before sharing it) but for now this should cover most of their official non-album tracks and remixes for other artists, almost all of which are long out of print. Enjoy!
01 A Different Feeling (Paperclip People Remix, Avalanches Re-Edit) 02 Everyday 03 With My Baby 04 Thank You Caroline 05 Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining (The Avalanches Good Word For The Weekend Remix) 06 Gerling - Enter Spacecapsule (Enter The Spaceship Mix) 07 Do You Know The Way To San Jose? 08 Manic Street Preachers - So Why So Sad (Sean Penn Mix) 09 Belle and Sebastian - I'm A Cuckoo (Avalanches Remix) 10 Wolfmother - Woman (Avalanches Millstream Mix) 11 Electricity (Original 7" Version) 12 Thank You Caroline (Original 7" Version) 13 Slow Walking 14 Undersea Community 15 Yamaha Superstar 16 The Concretes - Chico (Avalanches' Wernham Hogg Remix) 17 Franz Ferdinand - Fade Together (Avalanches Remix)
PS - Two quick notes... For anyone wondering, all of the tracks in this post are ripped from original CDs or lossless copies, so no transcodes here! Also, I was listening to a live DJ set from DJ Dexter, one of The Avalanches' DJs, and was surprised to hear the revised samples in Frontier Psychiatrist used on the track rather than the original samples, despite this performance being before the album was released. Makes me wonder if the original version of the album snuck out in limited quantities accidentally.
If you haven't heard The Avalanches, they're best described as a group of record collecting collage artists who make beautiful music to party to. Their earliest recordings are more in the vein of Check Your Head era Beastie Boys, but their best known recordings are more like Paul's Boutique or Double Dee & Steinski'sLessons records due to their heavy use of sampling. Like Paul's Boutique, Since I Left You is one huge collage, but unlike Paul's Boutique there are practically no vocals and the samples don't seem to go together nearly as seamlessly. It almost feels like The Avalanches were trying to combine any records they could find rather than finding grooves that went together, giving the album a really funky feeling. None of this is to say that the album sounds rough or uneasy though, rather it sounds like a wonderfully loose disco party spanning the ages, perfect for a summer party or get together.
When the album was initially released in 2000 on Australia's Modular Records, it was quickly noted that there were a lot of samples that had clearance issues. Because of this, when the album was released internationally, parts were re-recorded or substituted from other sources. Most of the changes weren't terribly noticeable to the average listener, but many fans were disappointed to find their new favorite record altered. With that said, people have been hunting original versions of the album since with mixed results. The Avalanches' mixtape, Gimix, gives a more party-centric spin on the album with lots of songs and samples that could never have been cleared for any version of the album, at least as they're presented there, but some careless bootleggers also created an edit of the Gimix mixtape called When I Met You, altering the flow of the original mixtape with extended portions of some of the songs featured therein. That bootleg should be ignored, while Gimix is thoroughly essential, but original versions of the album are essential too, so it is with great pleasure that I present to you a version of Since I Left You with all of the original samples intact!
This version of the album is sourced from an original Australian vinyl pressing of the album and therefore features a few gaps between tracks where they previously flowed together, though those gaps aren't really a big deal. I don't own the original vinyl, rather I received this a long time ago from a collector who had a 24 Bit, 96 khz vinyl rip with each side as it's own unsplit track. I decided to separate the tracks in accordance with the CD version so you'll find this version in the same order as any standard CD release.
I want to make clear that this post should not be a substitute for purchasing this album. Yes, the standard version has many altered samples but it is still a great release and if you like it you should support the group. If you can find a physical copy of the album, it's worth a purchase simply for the ridiculously thorough sample clearance list in the credits, and the CDs all sound good and have been mastered rather well so you won't find yourself cursing them due to compression or other mastering issues. Also, the US Elektra Records pressing of the CD include incredible video for Frontier Psychiatrist, and you really shouldn't miss out on that!
The Avalanches are still together and have supposedly completed their long-in-the-works follow up to Since I Left You. Their fanbase is chomping at the bit that it is released this year, although rumors of severe sample clearance issues holding up it's release are quite believable. Hopefully we will hear it soon as it will be well worth the wait! If you want to check up on them, you can always visit their official site where they have several free mixtapes available for download, all of which are immensely entertaining.
UPDATE:An excellent message with some great links was left by an anonymous visitor to this post. They bring up the point that the samples in Frontier Psychiatristin the version of the album featured here are probably the re-recorded versions, used initially because they were unable to clear all the samples at the time of the album's first release. That would make this version of the album slightly butchered or re-edited, but still the same great album for the most part. Check their message in the comments for this post, it's very informative and contains lots of links to back-up their statements, and a big thanks to that anonymous poster for their details, it's truly appreciated! Sharing details like these is really important for fans of The Avalanches, hip-hop and music in general. Again, thank you very much!
01 Since I Left You 02 Stay Another Season 03 Radio 04 Two Hearts In 3/4 Time 05 Avalanche Rock 06 Flight Tonight 07 Close To You 08 Diners Only 09 A Different Feeling 10 Electricity 11 Tonight 12 Pablo's Cruise 13 Frontier Psychiatrist 14 Etoh 15 Summer Crane 16 Little Journey 17 Live At Dominoes 18 Extra Kings
The Avalanches and their guests on the album are: Dexter: Animals and Westerns Gordon McQuilten: Pianos and Percussion The Villain Tony D: Halos and Heartstrings Darren: Stand-Up Comedy and Brass Bands Bobby: Choirs and Guitars
guests: James De La Cruz: Turntables on Electricity Antoinette Halloran & Sally Russell: Vocals on Electricity Saian Supa Crew: Vocals on Flight Tonight
In case you didn't want to do a youtube search yourself, here are the videos for Frontier Psychiatrist and Since I Left You. You owe it to yourself to watch these!
Frontier Psychiatrist
Since I Left You
And just in case you haven't heard Gimix, check it out here. It's just as essential as Since I Left You.
On Monday I'll be posting my January mixtape and, in my humble opinion, it's probably the best one I've made to date. Some of the material on it has been featured here in other posts, but there is a theme running through it for which those tracks are essential. In a way, it's my amateur take on anthologizing its content, making it a Volume One of sorts as I'd like to make a follow-up collection at some point, but it's also the soundtrack to a project I really want to do that may be a few years off. All in all, I'm REALLY proud of it and hope you find it enjoyable, but before I unleash it I was given some advice from my roommate. I was told the title might be confusing to some and that I'd get a lot of bugged-out looks for it, so I've decided to first post this excellent compilation which, while dated and a bit limited in scope, should give you an idea where Monday's post will be going.
As to where this comp, No Rights Given Or Implied: The Original Samplers, originated from, I've never been able to get a clear answer, but it seems that Coldcut is most likely responsible for it's creation. Half of it is dedicated to Steinski's works with and without Double Dee, but the other half features two classics from Coldcut doing their best to emulate the DD+S sound and three rare tracks from sources for which little is known or the data is questionable at best. It was sold via the Ninja Tune website for quite a while but that may no longer be accurate, primarily since the Steinski-related tracks have all been given a pseudo-official release on his wonderful illegal art compilation, What Does It All Mean?: 1983-2006 Retrospective.
Despite the availability of some of these tracks elsewhere and in better quality, No Rights Given Or Implied is still an essential compilation that one should definitely explore. The Steinski-related tracks are his best known works and essential for anyone interested in the evolution of cut-up hip-hop and modern producers like DJ Shadow or Girl Talk but the Coldcut tracks are also fantastic and everything else, if not quite as incredible, is still worth hearing. If this entices you for more, you should go to illegal art's site immediately and purchase Steinski'sWhat Does It All Mean?, although it's also available there as a free download. Steinski could always use a little cash for his classic works though so, if you're really feeling his stuff, I implore to you to purchase a copy which comes in a nice package with cool liner notes from the man himself. As for the Coldcut tracks, they've both been reissued on a compilation of their own named Cold-Cut-Outs featuring rare tracks, mixes and instrumentals from early in their career, although I don't know about that release's availability.
01 Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson One: The Payoff Mix 02 Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson Two: The James Brown Mix 03 Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson Three: The History Of Hip-Hop 04 Steinski & Mass Media - The Motorcade Sped On 05 Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You (Television Mix) 06 Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam & Jazzy Jay - Fusion Beats 07 Big Apple Productions - Genius At Work 08 TD - Feelin' James 09 Coldcut - Say Kids (What Time Is It?) 10 Coldcut - Beats & Pieces
A FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS COMPILATION: I've seen this listed as having been released in 1986 at several sources, but that's utterly ridiculous. Double Dee & Steinski's tracks date roughly back to 1985, but the latest released track here is probably It's Up To You which was issued in 1992 on DOVe (Death Of Vinyl Entertainment) as well as Ninja Tune. The comp was most likely initially released in 1993. As for the rest of the tracks, their producers have been confirmed for certain (TD is apparently an alias for Danny Krivit) apart from Fusion Beats which is uncredited on all releases. While I've listed it as having been credited to Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam & Jazzy Jay, this doesn't seem to be in stone. If anyone wants to shed some light on the accuracy of that credit I'm sure many would love to hear about it.
