Volume 13 – October 31, 2004

Abdel Kader – Rachid Taha, Khaled, and Faudel [5:13]
Cairo – Paul Harlyn [7:19]
Viitostie – Aavikko [4:53]
Inevitable Fast Acces – Add N to (X) [6:16]
Sexy Boy – Air [4:59]
Hands of Time – Groove Armada [4:20]
The Wrong Tuesday – Cardboard [4:29]
Wataridori – Cornelius [7:02]
Cornered! – binärpilot [4:11]

Liner Notes:

My friend Basel (seen on the cover of Volume 9) gave me a copy of “Abdel Kader” and I haven’t been able to get that song out of my head for twenty years. Khaled, Rachid Taha, and Faudel are the three shining lights of raï music, an Algerian folk genre that has done very well in the face of contemporary styles, and they are utterly magnificent together on this track. I don’t have much to say about Paul Harlyn other than that I thought this would make an effective transition track, and that it had been given to me as part of a mixed CD and mislabeled as being by Gotan Project (also, I couldn’t find a link to the original cut that I have a copy of, so I’ve linked to the extended mix, which is why there’s such a big difference between my stated track length and the video). Aavikko, who might be the only Finns I played on the show, put together some catchy, borderline minimalist tunes and I think “Viitostie” really stands out in this set list. I think I’ve mentioned before that for years I thought Add N to (X) were Dutch for some reason, and “Inevitable Fast Access” moves really smoothly into “Sexy Boy,” despite being more deliberately abrasive. Air are one of my favourite bands from the late ’90s/early ’00s. They’re both France’s best contribution to trip-hop and the best successor to Serge Gainsbourg. “Hands of Time” is another track that’s mostly about the way it allows for the transition to the more experimental sounds that round out the set.

The photo I used for the cover of this volume is of the same melted snow on a wool coat that I used for the cover of Volume 11, except this photo was taken with a flash.