This is the archive of gabba.cc, one of the first mp3 blogs.
New york 1: Polite house, a distilled new york disco sound, complete with lasers.

New york 2: GGRRR, sub bass airplane noises and metal on metal percussion from the new bunker compilation.

Slippery funk from Holland - somedays he's Prince, somedays he's Tom Waits, and today he's Gil Scott Heron. One of the gems on his debut album, Jibberish, a 40 track sketchbook of textured electronics and clanky blues.

Kanye West. There was a time last year when this was battlin it out with 'Thru the Wire' at the top of my playlist, it doesn't have quite the same narrative hook, blessed instead with a stealthy bass, whistle chorus and Jay-Z standing 8ft tall.

First release on Vulture for four years, and this particular track's long overdue. Measured yet thrilling, it builds and churns before the scorched Miami Vice guitars take over, and this is just a taste of the full version.

Ragga from last year, ward 21 out do the bug with a bagpipe(?) driven chorus and some serious gruffness from bounty killer..

The ultimate Jeff Mills moment, clocking in at a mere 4.50 this does everything techno is supposed to do.

A drunken digital sea shanty, sound designer goodiepal spazzes out, posted to celebrate v/vm's generosity in posting his back catalog here.

Jorg Burger, recording as the Modernist, manages to mix a pouncing disco melody with strafing techno. The results is simple - you can't sit down to appreciate this song.

Hailing from Newport, the jewel of Wales' industrial heartland, these studio scallies have penned paean to Soap Bar - the very worst form of resin. It's an honest voice, appealingly unsophisticated, and consequently catches a vivid snapshot of life a hundred miles from London. [note: everyone at gabba spent a fair amount of their 20s living in Newport while studying, this music has a personal resonance, You knows it, Bra!]

The electonic(a) underground seems to be playing catch up with pop music at the moment, heres one of the more unique covers of the ubiquitous milkshake, from the source of virtual 7inch action - racewillbegin , (apologys the 3rd milkshake post, at least its not a milkshake vs /darkness/strokes/etc.. bootleg)

West / Timbaland / Neptunes, watch yer back... DM's just getting warmed up,

Dub heartbreak, another stand out track from the dub legend's most recent album. Beginning as a gauzy drift, seeking out the surface, inching it's way into the light as if something will be revealed. But just as it reaches the muted climax it comes to it's senses and fades away. Gorgeously understated.

Delirious Hip-Hop. The man with the sleaziest moniker in rap (Making-Easy-Money-Pimpin-Hoes-In-Style) hitches a lift on the another high-speed Just Blaze production. Freeway's done this before but sounds suitably on-the-edge, Bleek does more than hang on and there's some serious string action but this is all background to the groove.

Field Recording. Just had a quick debate with [jk] about this track - he said "b-b-but it just sounds like someone going through the dial on a radio, like 10 years ago." I said, "yes, great isn't it." A fascinating document, a cross-section of London underground in the 90s.

Synthpop. Yes, we've all heard this before, but perhaps not recently. Over-write the memory you have, it's so much more than the chorus.

Spooked Pop, One time member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yukihiro's solo material isn't as well known as Sakamoto's, a shame. Not exactly J-pop, just as bright and fun but more real, his voice has an awkwardness I find it hard not to love.

8-bit frenzy, Alter Ego discover the hidden level, forthcoming on klang elektronik..

No apology for this. I was going to qualify the post with a heavy-weight quote or a choice haiku, but there's no need. Memorably superficial, it's pesky and insistent like spam, a celebration of shallowness. Life in Plastic... it's fantastic - couldn't have put it better myself.

Compare and Contrast. Would this DSP fluff be any good if the original wasn't such an important part of my childhood. It has that heard-through-the-wall effect that makes me play the original in my head whenever it's on, for that reason alone it ought to be heard.

Woozy neptunes rip off, this is basically just grindin' with added kick drum and acid squelch, but it fills the gap left by the disapointment that's "she likes to move" s3xy!

Suicides Greatest hit from 1979, and their only "ballad", taken from the 100% excellent D-i-r-t-y Diamonds compilation.

Restless RnB. Mya trills and Chingy chews over this three pronged rhythmic attack. Densely layered, it twists and pivots like an impatient dj splicing accapellas together over the best breaks in their box - a tangle of thundering kick drums, brass, flamenco, with echoed sonar tweaks and another shattering handclap break. Stunning, even after the 10th play. [ Jess on point ]

Sizzla executes gruff vocal gymnastics in contrast with this subtle tabla and guitar riddim.

Spelling it out. A ridiculous grime track that reminds me of sitting on the back of the bus listening to other peoples fancy mobile phones, its almost equally annoying, so you've been warned.

Is this the original? listening to non-english versions have a strange thrill, like not recognising somewhere you know you grew up; familiar, only different. This feels like an eerie glitch, hearing it reminds me of seeing one of claes oldenburg's outsized objects.

Just a remind-ah. Pop music's great, but it wouldn't have half the appeal in a world without Mark.E.Smith-ah.

Dark Italo. Been waiting months to post this [ many thanks to Rephlex for permission ] but there was no hurry: it's timeless and the re-release has yet to hit the shops. Recorded without computers somewhere in the Paris suburbs back in 78, it's murky goth disco sounds unlike anything else - unsettling with a poignancy that sets it apart from the rest of disco, a muted vocal drifting over a melancholic moroder pulse, it's not what you expect on the dancefloor. Could it be that the best music is already out there waiting to be re-discovered?

A excerpt from the mix I've listened to far too much, Diplo and Low Budget are the DJs behind this block party squeeze: 80s hip-pop bumping alongside dirty south, rock, electro and freestyle classics.

Gospel Glitch. A slickly layered swamp of skittery percussion and glistening funk, it squawks, twangs and clicks like a badly scratched world music cd. Releasing this rhythmic knot are the bluesy vocals and elastic chorus, loosening the tension and complexity, they just seem to breath it out, and combined it takes on a sturdy groove. The samples, the syncopation and the rest, it all amounts to an impressive debut.

Trip - Pop, did Neneh ever hit these heights again?

In which Ghostface drawls over some George Harrison..

Another unlikely collaboration from LEX, this matches Organized Konfusion's Prince Po with Richard X. Recorded inside a pinball machine, it's fidgety electro and 8bit squiggles don't faze the emcees, both dead set on chasing down Rich's runaway melody.

Easter upload!, Todd (the god) Edwards shows his true colours, theres not much worthy christian music out there, but i cant get enough of this,
"he died on the cross... " (appologys for corrupt file earlier (uploading on a dial up is tricky) , the full version is online now.. )

Stutter funk, analog worm electro from bpitch, thanks to basy_bast for the tip.

Look out blazin squad!, Skepta produced grime with a 12yr old emcee, "back in the day when i was 6" yo!

Syrup. More childish music, a unreleased track from the college dropout album, kanye sings about his mammas home made chicken soup, krg better post some grown up music soon, or i'll put up a 'ardcore remix of the Sesame Street theme..

The new Streets album is great, but it probably won't make any sense to any non UK people. I'm particularly loving the chorus on this track, album's out on may 10th, and click the strean icon below for the video of Fit But You Know It.

Tim Wright's music has bl0wn more of my speakers than anyone else's. Dotted with tweets and lo-freq growls this scuzzy 2step hasn't tempted me to into the red yet. A steady bounce with emcees isn't enough but this is sweetened by Toastie's whispery sing-song. Is that the chorus from Grease? Whatever he's on, I want some.

Computer game music. Rob Hubbard teased the technology beyond it's limits, although how and when something was made isn't a good enough reason to love it. The thrill of hearing it today is that the parts don't sound remotely like the instruments they're intended to: the lo-res violins become jagged sugar zigzags (their mild dissonance so endearing) and the rest rushes past as jittery treble. Unstable, exhilarating and oddly life-affirming - an 8bit classic.

Treacle electro from ACEN (recording as spacepimp), such an odd track for him, full of squelchy distortion, it sounds as if the lacquers were accidentally dropped it in the bath or left it to melt in the sun before it was pressed - deep slo-mo acid with a lumbering bassline, and if it weren't for the perky synth trying to trip em up you'd think it was on the wrong speed.

Wolfgang Voigt operating under his Wassermann moniker. This smooth grind house sounds like the inside of an engine, full of warm reverb and mechanical purpose, slipping in and out of reverse gears, and if there wasn't the ghost-in-the-machine vocal you could convince yourself you're drifting into sleep on the back seat of a car.

Sublime techno from multi-disciplinary artist Neil Ollivierra, famous as label manager for Transmat and for his unpublished book Reality Slap, sketches the Motor City skyline with the simplest strokes.

From the excellent Homeland album, I caught this on some german music channel whilst on my holidays, being performed infront of loads of dorky looking kids, quite surreal and apparently voted one of Vh1's worst videos ever.. anyway, it sounds a bit like political - prog(!) - rock , in a good way, i'll try and find a link to the video, if you know one post it to the comments.

Acid Folk from acoustic collective. This, the last track on the album, is somewhat uncharacteristic: uncluttered with a loping gait, positive and focused, it's a uplifting send off and has me thinking more electronic musicians should jam together.

Classic Italo from 1979. The morodor/electro noises make this more than just a comedy record..

A Pavement cover, this was picked up and covered by David Gedge over a year before Slanted and Enchanted came out. It carries the intense emotional pitch he's synonymous with, but for all it's growling and gnashing there's no regret here. So potent and succinct, it's almost perfect.

Another oddment rescued from the reject bin. It's the contrast of the daft rave presets and helium hardcore sounds matched up with a regret tinged synth and the desperation of the sample that mark it out, makes me think of lonely robots short-circuiting and happy hardcore raves in a bleak sci-fi setting. [thx Gareth]

Punk Funk circa 82. Defiantly an act to see live, but looks like we missed them by twenty years. Luckily for us these guys translate that spontaneity onto vinyl, its clatter bag percussion, handclap frenzy and horns focussed with a stomp. And let's not forget the proto-house piano riffs. [thx stirmonster]

Love Song. Hefty has consistently produced sweet organic electronica, now founder, John Hughes III recording as Slicker, indulges a tender RnB moment, so heavily layered it almost drowns in it's own gloss. Shameless slick, it makes no apologies for its excesses. Can't fault that.