Rockin' you Cosmically!

The Glimmers’ Eskimo Recordings imprint has put DJ Daniele Baldelli to work compiling and mixing a kick ass cd containing some of his favorite rock tracks, blended, remixed and re-edited for your dancing and listening pleasure. Baldelli, renowned for his multi-generic “Afro Cosmic” sound, has been playing records since 1969, so when he puts a mix together you know it’s gonna be a damned good one.

Eskimo Recordings Present Cosmic Disco?! Nah...Cosmic Rock!!! is a damned good one, and there are no two ways about it. Any dj mix that places Ray Parker Jnr., William Orbit, Martha and the Muffins and Spirit together in a logical way has to be lauded, as does the mind and ears of the person who crafts it. But that’s only part of the story, as Baldelli brought in his friend Marco Dionigi to help him add remix and re-edit touches in order to render the mix compatible with modern tastes without sacrificing its overall musicality. That in itself is a feat — of subtlety seasoned by experience — especially in a music industry that is plagued by generic marketing, linear djing and a minimalism which is presented as a high brow intellectual pursuit, proffering sparse and repetitive music as a logical end to countless centuries of sonic experimentation, and fun, when in fact most of it actually reflects just under two decades of musical lethargy, myopia and inability.

Baldelli’s colorful dj mixes stand in marked contrast to the easy fix, “same beat all night,” cul de sac of most modern dance music, and celebrate the real role of the dj: that is, to find the best tunes from any number of sources and blend them together to create a physically and emotionally compelling dialog with his or her audience.Eskimo Recordings Present Cosmic Disco?! Nah...Cosmic Rock!!! achieves this admirably with its divergent and involving playlist. This includes the tunes listed above plus tracks by La Bionda, Thomspson Twins, Spider (with a tune that Tina Turner later covered) and my personal fave, — being the Plastic Paddy or Mick that I am — “Ulster Defense,” by Bronx Irish Catholics, an electro/industrial track by a New York band that details some of the misery suffered in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

We not only have to thank Daniele Baldelli’s catholic tastes for the inclusion of an item that exotic, but also the Glimmers’ sense of musical adventure for putting this baby out, as well as dropping two, three track vinyl samplers to accompany the CD and digital releases. They’ve all been out since May (excuse my tardiness) so keep an eye — or two — peeled for them. It’s refreshing stuff, a peek into the past and a blueprint for a musically richer future — I hope.

Orr

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