Archive for the 1986 tag

C Cat Trance: Shake The Mind

Though boasting a fairly large rotating cast of members, C Cat Trance was primarily the project of John Rees Lewis, previously of the band Medium Medium. Combining British post punk (hey, they're from Nottingham) with more traditional Middle Eastern and African influences and an artistic, vaguely experimental sound seems like it might be a recipe for disaster, but it certainly wasn't. C Cat Trance pulled it off with an aesthetic that is at once worldly and intelligent while still being infectiously danceable. Often referred to as "ahead of their time", it's debatable whether that time has or ever will come.

C Cat Trance released five albums on Red Flame and subsidary Ink Records in a fairly short span of the late '80s, followed by a retrospective collection released in 2005. "Shake The Mind" is one of their better known singles.

C Cat Trance MySpace
Available from Amazon.com on their 2005 retrospective Karadara.

Panic! 4 year anniversary / Aztec Camera: Good Morning Britain + The Smiths: Panic

Tonight, Panic! celebrates their fourth anniversary at Darkroom. I don't even remember how Kamar and I met Pogo and Arturo, but it's no surprise that the new wave djs with the Blondie-named night and the Britpop djs with the Smiths-named night were fast friends. I don't think Debbie Harry and Morrissey ever hooked up, but if Atomic was a girl, Panic would be our quirky British boyfriend. We're there almost every month -sometimes in the booth- and Arturo is one of our favorite regulars and guest djs at Neo. In either case, it's always a good time, and we're glad to help them celebrate their fourth anniversary.
In honor of Panic, I've chosen the oft-overlooked Aztec Camera single "Good Morning Britain", featuring vocals from Mick Jones of The Clash, from their 1990 release Stray. And of course this post wouldn't be complete without "Panic" by The Smiths. See you tonight!

Arturo, Kamar, Qbot, & Pogo

Buy Stray on Amazon
Aztec Camera on MySpace

Buy The Smiths on Amazon