inner nerd » UK

Robot Rock du Jour: Freeez – I.O.U. (1983)

beaker — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:24:24 +0000

This video somehow manages to aggregate nearly everything that was so boss about the early 1980s: 7″ records; boomboxes/ghettoblasters; BMX bikes; popping and locking; synthesizers; fashion; and even a healthy dose of naïve sexuality. If this song sounds like a cross between Afrika Bambaataa and New Order, that is because legend Arthur Baker produced it! Thanks to fellow nerdbot Tom in the UK for the heads up on this one.

SCHEMATIC: Acapella & Dub Versions…

These versions are included primarily for posterity rather than actual musical interest.

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Robot Rock du Jour: Thomas Dolby – Windpower (1982)

beaker — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:32:09 +0000

The future was indeed 1982. Nerd of nerds Thomas Dolby laid out “Windpower” on his seminal LP The Golden Age of Wireless, which featured the über hit She Blinded Me With Science. This song is an intellectual call to arms; a utopian nerd manifesto. If anyone wants to build a new city (or take over a cool one like Denver) I’m IN!

SCHEMATIC: Two more versions and inspiring lyrics…

Windpower (Top of the Pops Live Version) (c.1982)

Crappy sound and video quality, but a great version nonetheless!

Windpower (High Powered Extended Play) (1982)

This particular cut is off the eponymous 12″ single. Readily available on vinyl and cheap.

Windpower Lyrics

Switch off the mind and let the heart decide
who you were meant to be
Flick to remote and let the body glide
There is no enemy !
Etch out a future of your own design
Well tailored to your needs
Then fan the flame and keep the dream alive
Of a continent
A continent a continent a continent a -
There is no enemy !
Switch of the mind and let the heart decide
We’re a continent
A continent a continent a continent a -
Shatter the lens and grind it into sand
One measured exposure
Scatter the seed and furrow in our land
The future is roses! Roses!
Switch off the mind and let the heart decide
There is no enemy!
Lift up the hearts of this your only tribe
We’re a continent
A continent a continent a continent a

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Robot Rock du Jour: Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science (1982)

beaker — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:03:12 +0000

This video was an integral part of my nerdlinghood. Visually rich to the nth degree: Besides the sweet sidecar motorcycle and lunatic scientists, you have the superhot lab assistant, Ms. Sakamoto, who doubles as a cello. Classic nerd track. BTW, Dolby has been the Musical Director of the TED conferences since 2001.

SCHEMATICS: Album artwork and other gems from Dolby…

Hyperactive! (12″ Version) (1984)

The beginning of this track always makes me think of The Bestie Boys. Great video.

Hyperactive! (Album Version) (1984)

Taken from Beta tapes, which is really cool. This version is much more in the vein of The Talking Heads.

One of Our Submarines (Live) (1982)

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Party Time: Saturday Robot Party @ The Idle Hour (Baltimore, MD)

beaker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:52:53 +0000

VIGR is in the house. 4+ hour rare vinyl set. Need I say more? Hope to see you there! I’ll try to keep track of the setlist…

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Vintage Vocoders Youtube Playlist is Live!!

beaker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:18:07 +0000

Warm up the robot! Any one of these vintage machines presented in our youtube playlist will transform you (or a loved one) into a Cylon. To start it off, let Giorgio Moroder magically transport you to the wonderful world of vocoders in this Casablanca Records promo video…

SCHEMATIC: Want more? Check out the entire playlist…

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Robot Rock du Jour: Ron Grainer & Delia Derbyshire – Dr. Who (1963)

beaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:23:24 +0000

While working with a group of nutters at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 1960s, Derbyshire pioneered loop-based composition by manually recording and piecing together magnetic tape loops and rocking multiple reel-to-reel machines (see below). This brief clip of Derbyshire reel-to-reel beat matching is taken from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop documentary Alchemists of Sound, which can be viewed in its entirety on our Equipment + Theory playlist.

To give you an idea of just how progressive this dame was, this audio clip from the BBC archives reveals the makings of a dense, tasty electro track that predates Kraftwerk’s Autobahn by at least four or five years.

Lastly, to demonstrate how all this theory and avant garde technical ability combine to create legendary music, I’ve included the original Dr. Who TV intro which, although composed by Ron Grainer, sounds so amazing because Derbyshire “realised” it.

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Robot Rock du Jour: White Noise (Delia Derbyshire) – Love Without Sound (1969)

beaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:19:39 +0000

This song was composed and performed by Delia Derbyshire, THE goddess of electro. Although it might sound like Gorillaz to contemporary listeners, you’ll find a texture in this music that you just don’t hear today. The sexual undertones are distinctly 1960s and add an wickedly psychedelic component to the song. For more info on Derbyshire, check the post related to the Dr. Who theme song.

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