various artists - After Dark 2

Let us harken back to the halcyon days of 2012. 'Twas a glorious time, after the punks fully embraced dancing to go along with fucking and party drugs, and Ryan Gosling was soundtracked by outstanding Italo-disco whilst speeding thru the streets of Los Angeles.

All the usual supects are here on this second of four volumes in the "After Dark" series. Chromatics and Glass Candy contribute multiple tracks, and label co-founder Mike Simonetti also kicks in an atmospheric banger. The lesser-known names, whether it's Chromatics side-project Symmetry, or label mates Farah, Appaloosa, Mirage, Desire, and Twisted Wires, are all equally on par with the brighter lights. I like that this feels nostalgic and fresh, all at the same time. I need nighttime ambience a lot of the time, and this has it in spades.

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James White & The Blacks – Off White

I digress from the current formatting to share this, the second of two James Chance records from 1979. Originally released by ZE Records as a no wave reaction to disco, this is far funkier than anything the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote, and a lot cooler.

This is the 1995 Infinite Zero reissue, the first time "Off White" had been available since its original release.and the first time it was available on CD. Apparently, there's an 8-track available, and if you want to hook up your boy as a holiday gift, I certainly wouldn't decline. It also appends the James Chance contribution to 1982's "A Christmas Record" on ZE, "Christmas With Satan", a track my mom would probably hate but one that fits on every holiday mixtape worth a damn.

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various artists - Mojo Presents: Purple Soul

I think I snagged this mainly because it has Arabian Prince and Arthur Russell tracks I hadn't heard before. Well, that, and it was a buck. It's a lot of Prince-inspired and Prince-adjacent R&B; everything from Toro Y Moi to Poliça to a sampling of the Stones Throw catalog. And if it seems like I'm reaching for commentary or trenchant insight, well, it's because this is a world of music I always enjoy, but am not particularly educated in...certainly not to same degree I am on punk or hardcore or free jazz. I sound dumb enough writing about music I know a lot about; no need to sound below stupid.

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various artists - Scion CD Sampler V. 24: Discobelle

I found this in a "Friends Of The Library" 25cent bin, so I decided to cop a 13-year-old electronic/dance sampler promoting a defunct car brand.

I continue to stand impressed at the marketing team that managed to talk Toyota into funding a record label for a decade plus.

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James White And The Blacks - Sax Maniac

The older I get, the closer I get drawn to mutant disco.

There's something delightfully weird and, dare I say, special about that scene, so well documented by the likes of ZE Records back in the early 80s. This one didn't come out on ZE; it came out on Chris Stein' Animal Records, alongside Iggy's "Zombie Birdhouse" and the Gun Club's "Miami". A hell of a trio, if you ask me.

So, anyway, it's after midnight, and I have "God Told Me To" streaming on the TV, and Mr. Chance's version of "That Old Black Magic" stuck in my head, and maybe, just maybe, I'm longing for a New York City I only got to see the very tail end of. Fuck it; it's either this, or contort myself.

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Chromatics - Rat Life Vol. 2

I wrote about "Rat Life Vol. 1" last week, so I felt like it was fair to go ahead and post up "Vol. 2". I really prefer these tracks. They're so stripped down and cold, especially compared to the versions of "Surrogate" and "Three Hearts" that would show up later in the year on "Plaster Hounds". The standout here is the live performance of "Witness". It remains one of my favorite songs by Chromatics. This version predates the "Healer b/w Witness" 12", and has a much icier feel.

Anyway, it's Friday, in case you haven't been looking at a calendar. Play this after dark, fool around with a switchblade, wear fingerless gloves. Stay off the medium drugs. Go check out Vinegar Syndrome's "Halfway to Black Friday" sale, maybe buy yourself a skin flick or some grindhouse. That's the Ape's advice for yr weekend plans.

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Chromatics - Rat Life Vol. 1

203 E. Davis St. is Baltimore's version of 315 the Bowery. A decrepit three story house, surrounds by city court buildings and other concrete edifices, it housed three of Charm City's famed performance spaces. In the 80s and early 90s, it was home to Chambers. In 1997, the Ottobar opened, and quickly became the go-to indie/punk space in the city. The Ottobar moved uptown in 2001, and in 2003, the Talking Head moved across town from Mount Vernon to takeover the space. Our story begins there.

I'd started booking shows at the Talking Head (in addition to Charm City Art Space) after it moved in. I was starting to get some bands that played better in a bar than they did in a basement, and I loved the room, so it was a good fit. 20 patrons looked like a good crowd, 50 seemed packed. I saw that Glass Candy was coming through on one of my nights off; I was a fan of their first 7" "Love on a Plate", and they'd played CCAS the year before. I made plans to roll up, have a few drinks, and check out their show. The remaining lineup is lost to memory, but Chromatics were the opener. Their first LP, "Chrome Rats Vs. Basement Ruts", had come out on GSL a few months before, and the split with Die Monitor Bats from the previous year was straight fire. Chromatics did not disappoint. They ripped it for 30 minutes with a mix of the expected noisy punk and a newer dancy sound that would begin appearing on the following year's "Plaster Hounds" release. I remember their merch was non-existent; just a pair of CD-Rs. So I bought them both.

That's how I laid hands on "Rat Life Vol. 1". Collecting demos recorded by Johnny Jewel and Adam Miller ahead of that tour, this, along with "Rat Life Vol. 2", was a harbinger of the icy Italo-disco that Chromatics would echo in the coming years. Some of these tracks sound like they were recorded on a boom box; they pulse like the soundtrack to an uncertain doom. Most of the songs on "Rat Life Vol. 1" would appear in better fidelity on their first two LPs, as well as a few 7"s. I couldn't begin to tell you why half the songs on this CD-R aren't listed (this would be changed on the following "As Ratz In The Basement" CD-R). The unreleased gem here is a cover of Syd Barrett's "Love You", which never got re-recorded. It's more than a curiosity; "Rat Life Vol. 1" sets the foundation for musicians who'd revive a scene and score some amazing films in the coming years.

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