This version keeps “The Journey…” a full-on Prog-Rock freak-out — which, in addition to three hyphenated words in a row, means lotsa just-behind-the-beat drum fills and some spacey 70s keyb modules. The helicopter blade + cosmic swirl opening make for a sandstorm-on-Mars kinda feel, before going into a Sci-Fi, ascending synth over a stomping rhythm, which winds in and out of dubby interludes (wish they were longer) and tight, stop-start keyb punctuation…all of which instantly reminded me of a treasured disc from the 90s — “Gong: You Remixed”, that I wish I had on vinyl, specifically the track “A Sprinkling of Clouds” (full-length edit). The mighty Steve Hillage should have a go at this number.
URB Exclusive: Phenomenal Handclap Band’s “The Journey To Serra Da Estrella” Remixed by Fujiya + Miyagi
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I always liked this band — I actually made the case for them to be on the cover of URB; They can rival Cee-Lo for vintage soul sounds (”Baby”) they hip-up Lawerence Welk’s ensemble ditties (”You’ll Disappear”) and they can also go all Proggy like the aforementioned Gong. They also have these gorgeous lady singers — one of whom is a living Modigliani (see images of male and female portraits below). Plus, they give each other backrubs and they probably have a great time on their tourbus.
PHB’s upcoming remix album will be released on Friendly Fire on November 16th. PHB’s page on iTunes
Band Photo by (C) FotonovaNYC/AlexSolmssen; Portrait of Chaim Soutine, 1916; Gypsy Woman with Baby, 1919 by Amedeo Clemente Modigliani.
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