Music snobs hate when a song by one of their obscure favourites appears on television in commercials or theme songs because it deprives them of one more way to feel superior. (They should try what I’m doing, and look down on other music snobs — it never gets old!) But everyone can pretty much agree that the Doctor Who theme, written by Ron Grainer and brought to frigid, swooping, electronic life by BBC Radiophonic Workshop pioneer Delia Derbyshire (pictured) in 1963, was a watershed moment for electronic music, as well as feminism and, on an unrelated note, creeping out my five-year-old self.
Now a rediscovered recording suggests that Derbyshire, who died in 2001, pretty much invented techno avant la lettre. The track, which Derbyshire introduces saying “Forget about this, it’s for interest only,” is similar to innumerable minimal 12-inches, featuring a fast four-on-the-floor bass drum and clattering hi-hats. It follows on the heels of a video posted on YouTube last year, showing her synchronizing several tapes at once into the same pulse — or beat-matching, as DJs refer to making two tracks line up together. No word on whether or not she discovered glow sticks, but stay tuned. (http://tinyurl.com/5m3d6y, http://tinyurl.com/6b4vwu)
PAIN SHARED AND SQUARED
Say what you will about Def Jux honcho and hip-hop posterboy for paranoid depression El-P, he’s a generous guy. He’s giving away the first disc of his previously tour-only Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixx2 mix for free on his entertaining OkayPlayer blog. It’s actually above-average Jukie-fodder, and now you don’t have to pay $150 on eBay (the going rate, El claims) to find that out for yourself. (http://tinyurl.com/5rw37x)
MP3 OF THE WEEK
D-Nice, The Wackness mixtape: Wild out to some true-school jams from Nas (“One Love”), BDP (“My Philosophy”) and the Wu-Tang Clan (“Tearz”). Then start working on your time machine to go back to 1994. No sleep till Brooklyn. (http://blog.d-nice.com/)