CINNAMON - HOPELESS CASE EP (1995)

Thinking back to when it all started
wearing a tie and awful shoes
you said "I am yours", I answered "Don't bother"
but then I was caught even though I knew

Asking myself to think a bit harder
whatever you said made me see
that we would end up beating each other
and things that I want are in my dreams

You say how endlessly and helplessly
love me endlessly and hopelessly

I am alone and you look smarter
driving around in your fancy car
haven't been sad since we parted
'cause now I can do all I want to do

You say how endlessly and helplessly
love me endlessly and hopelessly

[from the lyrics of "Hopeless Case" by Cinnamon]

   

"Hopeless Case EP", Japanese Edition CD single, Booklet front and rear

The Swedish group Cinnamon was formed in Stockholm by Jiri Adamik-Novak and Frida Diesen sometimes during 1993, as one of the many local Indie Dance / Twee Pop bands in the wake of The Cardigans and Saint Etienne.

Guitarist Jiri Adamik-Novak (...now a successful designer...) was born and raised in Prague and lived in Sierra Leone for a while. He and Frida met for the first time in 1992 when she joined Jiri's band of that time (Love on Ice, named after a song by Momus).

In 1993, after having dissolved the band, they started co-writing and recording songs that eventually found their way to Lars Tengroth, Soap Records' A&R man, who simply loved what he heard and signed the band.

The duo became a trio in the spring of 1994 when guitarist Björn Öqvist became a permanent member of the group. At this time Magnus Karnock (bass) and Krister Svensson (drums) also participated in the project as added members.

During summer of 1994 Cinnamon moved to Longville-sur-Mer, France, just in front of the Atlantic Sea, to gather ideas and write songs for their debut album. That summer was one of the hottest in decades, but the rain helped the band to control the situation and they returned home with a bunch of cool songs.

"Hopeless Case EP", Japanese Edition CD single, Booklet inside

The "Vox EP" (...the subject of a previous post...) was released in March 1995 and "Backwards", possibly the most commercially appealing number, soon turned into a minor radio hit in Sweden:

«Our debut EP - We started the recording shortly after signing to Soap Records with ambition to show the world (and hopefully release a vinyl single). The lack of budget forced us to record most of it at home on a four track. Who would have thought that some of the songs could end up on a major release in 1997?! But maybe that's the charm of it.» [1]

The album "Summer Meditation" (...which we have already discussed here...) was released in Sweden a few months later, aptly during... summer. Partly co-produced by Graham Lewis of Wire fame, it received a fair amount of critical acclaim and was also released in Europe and Japan.

The Japanese edition includes four extra tracks taken from the "Vox EP", while the European edition on Form Records comes with a different cover and also has a different tracklist / running order:

«Bigger budget, but we were still recording most of it on an eight track at home. This debut met the sometimes unreasonable high expectations with ease. Later regarded as one of the influential albums for many Swedish (and foreign) bands.» [1]

   

"Hopeless Case EP", Japanese Edition CD single, Inlay Card and Obi Strip

The "Hopeless Case EP", the subject of this post, was published shortly after the album in August 1995 in the form of a CD single. According to the band, the single was «released mainly for radios; it includes a different mix of "The Promenade" and the previously unreleased "For My Own Sake".» [1]

In 1996 Soap Records signed a worldwide licence deal with Island Records and Cinnamon began to be exposed to a larger audience. In March the "Hopeless Case EP" was also released in Japan, a Country where the band immediately conquered a large fan base, while April saw the release of a U.S. promotional 10" vinyl whose gatefold cover was - strangely enough - identical to the one of the "Vox EP"...

With this release, which also includes an exclusive live rendition of "The Playwright", «Cinnamon finally hit American radiowaves for real.» [1]

"Hopeless Case EP", U.S. promotional 10" single, Outer gatefold

In the meantime, Karnock, Svensson and Öqvist had left the group immediately after the release of "Summer Meditation" to form their own band named Planet of the Poodles (...and later Wan Light, without Björn Öqvist).

Since then, Cinnamon has been centered around Jiri (...guitars, keyboards, programming and other instruments...) and Frida (...vocals, keyboards and extra bits...) who were helped in the studio by various guest musicians, most notably Per Linden on further guitars and keyboards, Samuel Laxberg on bass and Christian Ekwall on drums.

"A Northwest Passage", Cinnamon's second album (...or long EP if you prefer...), was released in August 1996 both in Sweden and Japan, with the Japanese edition offering a couple of extra tracks as usual:

«Ah! The Brenner passage, the Alps and Bergamo, St. Moritz and Sudett heights, Donau delta, industries of Turnow, Kafka's birthplace. All the places I know so well... Listening to Don Ray and The Mad Lads on a car stereo, watching my old school while pupils sell drugs in the schoolyard. The summer of 1996 we decided to take a long well deserved holiday. This EP summarise the feeling of the Old world's futuristic transformation, the war, the discovering of the forgotten... Recorded in one week at Decibel studio in Stockholm.» [1]

"Hopeless Case EP", U.S. promotional 10" single, Inner gatefold

"The Courier", a.k.a. the band's long-awaited debut on Island Records, finally hit the stores in May 1997. Aimed at a worldwide market, this CD is mostly a compilation of tracks culled from Cinnamon's previous full-lenght CDs ans EPs, but it also contains new and/or remixed versions of already perfect songs like "Me As Helen of Troy", "Backwards" and "I Wanted It, But Now I'm Not So Sure Anymore", along with the previously unreleased "And Suddenly Clarity". Unsurprisingly the album received enthusiastic reviews in the press, here's an example:

«Pair excellence! Produced mostly by Jiri Novak, "The Courier" is contemporary music perfumed with nostalgia. That's apparent both in the warm and intentionally somewhat muddy analog sound and in the cryptic lyrics of songs like "Missing Persons File" which plays on the twosome's fondness for '60s spy movies. Diesen's breathy voice lends itself to such sauntering tunes as "Me As Helen of Troy" and "And Suddenly Clarity", but songs like "Hopeless Case" get up to speed without mussing the group's vibes-tinkling cool..» [2]

Cinnamon, circa 1994-95

During the year the band extensively toured Europe and the U.S. to promote the album. A special single containing two versions of "Me As Helen of Troy" was also released as a promotional item for radios:

«Now this is a hardcore collectors item! First mix was done by Ted Nicely (Girls Against Boys, etc...) Ted is a hardcore New Yorker. The second mix was done by Chris Blackwell. Yes, the legendary founder of Island Records! And he is a Cinnamon fan! There's some phaser on it!» [1]

At the same time, the "Clarity EP" was released for the Japanese market; it contains a few of the U.S. versions/mixes that were released on "The Courier".

Before ceasing their activities in 2000 - for reasons that I wasn't able to discover - Cinnamon recorded "Vertigo", an album whose perfect and rare beauty leaves the bitter taste of farewell. This work was co-produced by Bernard Burgalat, with string and horns arrangements by Louis Philippe: how couldn't it be a masterpiece?

Cinnamon, circa 1994-95

Sources:

[1] all Frida Diesen quotes are taken from the now defunct Cinnamon website available here courtesy of the Wayback Machine;

[2] from The Washington Post, July 20, 1997.

"Hopeless Case EP", Japanese Edition CD

The "Hopeless Case EP" was Cinnamon's second CD single and was first released by Soap Records / MNW in Sweden in August 1995. It includes the following four songs:

01. Hopeless Case (2:46)
02. The Promenade (Original Cinnamon Version) (4:22)
03. For My Own Sake (4:25)
04. Theme From 'The Death of a Casino Dancer' (0:49)

The following bonus tracks are taken from the U.S. promotional 10" single released in April 1996:

05. The Playwright (Live) (2:57)
06. Backwards (Acoustic) (3:04)

All tracks are available in FLAC lossless format, along with scans of the complete original artworks.

Please have a look at the comments section for the download link.

"Hopeless Case EP", U.S. promotional 10" vinyl, Side A

The Swedish edition of the "Hopeless Case EP" was released in a cardboard gatefold sleeve similar to the "Vox EP". The one featured on this page is the Japanese edition which offers the same tracks but comes in a jewel box and is completed by an additional black and white booklet with a biography (in Japanese) and lyrics (both in Japanese and English), plus an obi strip.

In my opinion, the original Cinnamon version of "Promenade" included on this release is the best. Some of the differences are the following: the piano is more reverberated, no real drums are used - just a sampled loop, different instrumentation is used - more effectively - during the chorus.

"Hopeless Case EP", U.S. promotional 10" vinyl, Side B

Here's the complete credits and personnel list of the "Hopeless Case EP":

Written, produced and played by Cinnamon.

"Hopeless Case" was recorded and mixed at Decibel Studios, Stockholm, by Adam Kviman and is taken from the album "Summer Meditation".

"The Promenade", "For My Own Sake", "Theme From 'The Death of a Casino Dancer'" and "Backwards (Acoustic)" were recorded and mixed by Cinnamon at home.

"The Promenade" is the original Cinnamon version, "For My Own Sake" and "Theme From 'The Death of a Casino Dancer'" are previously unreleased.

"The Playwright" was recorded live for Radio P3 by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation and is exclusive to the U.S. promotional 10" single.

"Backwards (Acoustic)" was previously released on the "Vox EP".

Design by Lars Sundh at Dynamo.

Photo by Irmelie Krekin.

Cinnamon, circa 1994-95

The following clips offer a preview of the "Hopeless Case EP", please enjoy "Hopeless Case", "The Promenade (Original Cinnamon Version)" and "For My Own Sake"!







...and here's an acoustic live rendition of "Backwards" performed in 1995 for the Swedish television channel TV4.

A few more information about Cinnamon is available here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_%28Swedish_band%29

https://www.discogs.com/artist/31835-Cinnamon

https://www.youtube.com/user/fridaryden/videos

http://www.jiriadamiknovak.com/

https://popviminns.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/cinnamon/

https://popviminns.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/album-cinnamon-summer-meditation/

http://www.pauseandplay.com/cinnamon-an-e-mail-qa/

http://www.salon.com/2000/04/12/cinnamon/

http://www.allmusic.com/album/vertigo-mw0000699174

If you have any other useful information about this post or if you spot any dead links, please get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

TRICATEL 25CM CLUB #4: BERTRAND BURGALAT "PROTOTYPES" (2000)

Borrowing its name from Jacques Tricatel, a character portrayed by Louis de Funès in the 1976 movie "L'aile ou la cuisse" (The Wing and the Thigh) - this, in turn, ispired by Jacques Borel, father of the "Restoroute" restaurant chain - French label Tricatel was founded in 1996 by musician and producer Bertrand Burgalat.

Since its creation, the label has been focused on releasing music of a futuristic lounge, refined pop, downtempo easy-listening and retro-chic nature. Proudly independent, Tricatel payed homage to labels like The Compact Organisation and él Records, that have been a source of inspiration for Burgalat.

During the years the label has released music by April March, Eggstone, Count Indigo, The High Llamas, Etienne Charry and many other artists, including veteran composer André Popp, actress Valérie Lemercier, writers Michel Houellebecq and Jonathan Coe, and - of course - its founder and gran maestro Betrand Burgalat.

The label had an high profile in France and many of its releases received huge critical acclaims both there and abroad, sadly this was not matched by commercial success and sales. Coupled with distribution problems, Tricatel was forced to slow down its release schedule after a few years of frenetic activity.

Tricatel has turned fifteen in april 2011, the following is an excerpt taken from a feature/interview by David McKenna taken from The Quietus website, the complete version is available here.

Bertrand Burgalat in the late 90s / early 00s

What does it mean to have kept Tricatel going for 15 years?

"Not much really - I am not good with numbers. I'm starting to realize that I may spend the rest of my life doing the same things: struggling to finance projects and to release them, getting discouraged then trying again."

How have you responded to changes in the music industry over the past 15 years?

"The situation for Tricatel is much better now than 15 years ago. The crisis in music industry has been an excellent thing for people in the margins like us. Now that record sales are disappointing for everyone and not only for us it's more useless than ever to be calculating. You have to do the music you'd like to listen to - even if your music is super opportunistic it may fail too. A lot of people are not used to making records with low budgets while paying musicians and technicians decently, whereas it has always been our main concern.

In fact, the only thing that I don't like here in France is that most records that sell are not catchy, they are more fake quality for bobos [bohemians], and I have always preferred a good song from Britney Spears to a boring album from Björk."

Modelled more on él Records (which in the 80s was a home to Momus, regular Burgalat collaborator Louis Philippe, Shock Headed Peters and Marden Hill amongst others) than Factory, Tricatel was set up, in Burgalat's own words, as a "fantasy" label with its cast of backroom boys, muses (American singer April March, French comedy actress Valérie Lemercier) and even a proper house band in the shape of AS Dragon. Undoubtedly a post-modern project, it seemed as though it was trying to establish an alternative variété: an idea of what modern mainstream French pop could be if it was Boris Vian, Yé-Yé, Pierre Henry, Gainsbourg, Michel Polnareff, cool 60s film music, uncool 70s MOR, Marc Cerrone, the soundtrack to La Boum and French Touch all mixed up.

In 1999 Tricatel launched a succulent initiative in the form a vinyl-only series aptly named "Tricatel 25cm Club". Initially, these 10" releases were only available by post and had to be ordered directly from the label, but sometimes later they also received a wider distribution through independent music stores.

Most of these records were pressed on clear vinyl; probably published in a limited edition, it is unclear how many copies of each release exist... The fourth number in this serie was "Prototypes" by Bertrand Burgalat, which is the subject of this post.



The following biography is taken From Wikipedia, with a few edits and corrections:

Bertrand Burgalat was born in the Corsican town of Bastia in 1963. His father, a high-ranking civil servant, was the sub-prefect of the island at the time, but as often happens in this profession, the family moved several times in the course of Burgalat senior's career so young Bertrand grew up in several different towns in France.

Obsessed with Classical Music from an early age, Burgalat apparently became fascinated with the possibilities of Pop Music after seeing Pink Floyd in concert when he was 10 years old.

Burgalat is well known for his cool, breezy '60s-style pop sound, something he has lent to his production work with Air, April March, A.S Dragon, Dalcan, Jad Wio, Mick Harvey, Louis Philippe and the French writer Michel Houellebecq.

His musical influences include the Yé-Yé sound of French pop made famous by France Gall, Françoise Hardy and Brigitte Fontaine, as well as the singers Jacques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg, as well as the 'Folk-music of the Ruhr' created by Kraftwerk.

Reputed to possess one of the most acute ears in the business, BB (a nickname he shares with Brigitte Bardot) also draws inspiration from 20th century French classical composers such as Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc and Olivier Messiaen, and was greatly influenced by the writings of cult French journalist-cum-pop visionary Yves Adrien.

At the age of 25, he produced the Laibach's album "Let It Be", which is an entire cover of The Beatles' album of the same name. In 1995, he remixed and rearranged the Renegade Soundwave song "Positive ID" (as "Positive BB"). In 2001 he also had the chance to remix Depeche Mode ("Freelove") and to create a completely new version of "Easy Tiger", an instrumental song from the album "Exciter", which were well received by all the devoted Depeche Mode fans.

His own albums, "The Ssssound of Mmmusic" (2000), "Portrait-Robot" (2005), "Chéri B.B." (2007) and "Toutes Directions" (2012), fuse subtle Electronica, Psychedelia, soaring backing choruses and string sections with wry lyrics (some of them written by Philippe Katerine, April March and Alfreda Benge, Robert Wyatt's longtime companion), and finely crafted melodies.

Burgalat is also expert at using discords and dissonances in his harmonies, some of which bear more relation to Avant-garde Classical music than to Pop. On his album "Bertrand Burgalat Meets A.S. Dragon" (2001), Burgalat places his crooning style directly in contrast with A.S Dragon's hard-groove rock/jam-band sensibility.

A more recent picture of Bertrand Burgalat, circa 2012

"Prototypes" contains the following tracks:

01. Biscarosse (4:24)
02. Haute volupté (1:53)
03. Albo (3:59)
04. Les amplis de Mayence (3:27)
05. Doctor Timsit laser (1:44)
06. Arc en ciel rue d'Ulm (3:47)

All tracks were remastered from the original 10" vinyl in January 2014 and are available in FLAC lossless format, along with scans of the original item.


Please have a look at the comments for the download link.





"Prototypes" offers six tracks recorded between 1995 and 1997; these are mostly instrumental with a few exceptions where we hear Bertrand vocalizing some melodies. Here's the complete credits and personnel list of the EP:

Performed and produced by Bertrand Burgalat.

Artwork: Manel

Mastering: Hervé Dutournier (Translab)

"Biscarosse" and "Haute volupté" recorded at Tricatel Studio, Summer 1997.

"Les Amplis de Mayence" and "Docteur Timsit laser" recorded at Tricatel Studio, Autumn 1997.

"Albo" recorded at Studios de la Seine, Summer 1995, with assistance by Gaël Robin.

"Arc en ciel rue d'Ulm" recorded at Mute / Studios de la Seine, Summer 1995, with assistance by Gaël Robin.

Drums on "Albo": Richie Thomas

Viola on "Docteur Timsit Laser": Typhaine Pautrel

Violins on "Docteur Timsit Laser": Cyril Garac, Nathalie Marc and Romain Sennac

Strings on "Arc en cielrue d'Ulm": Covent Garden String Quartet

The following videos offer a preview of the remastered EP; for this purpose I chose my favourite tracks: "Biscarosse", and "Les amplis de Mayence", enjoy!





Althought "Prototypes" is sold-out since long time, there are many other Bertrand Burgalat releases available for sale on the Tricatel website, including his latest CD album "Toutes directiones" that also comes as a limited edition double-vinyl, yum!

New Tricatel releases have also been published during the recent years, including cool and stunning albums by Jef Barbara and Chassol; I strongly encourage you to have a look and discover - or re-discover - one of the coolest french labels of all times.

More information about Tricatel and Bertrand Burgalat is available here:

http://www.tricatel.com

http://www.bertrandburgalat.com/

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Burgalat

http://www.tricatel.com/bb-bio-eng.htm

http://www.tricatel.com/bb-disco.htm

http://www.discogs.com/artist/2276-Bertrand-Burgalat

http://thequietus.com/articles/06299-rockfort-tricatel-interview

http://www.ukulele.fr/dc/index.php/2011/10/07/1005-bertand-burgalat-et-les-anti-ukulele

If you have any other useful information about Bertrand Burgalat and "Prototypes" - especially corrections and improvements to this post - or if you spot any dead links, please get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

TRICATEL 25CM CLUB #3: SYMPHONY "M. PARVULESCO" (2000)

Borrowing its name from Jacques Tricatel, a character portrayed by Louis de Funès in the 1976 movie "L'aile ou la cuisse" (The Wing and the Thigh) - this, in turn, ispired by Jacques Borel, father of the "Restoroute" restaurant chain - French label Tricatel was founded in 1996 by musician and producer Bertrand Burgalat.

Since its creation, the label has been focused on releasing music of a futuristic lounge, refined pop, downtempo easy-listening and retro-chic nature. Proudly independent, Tricatel payed homage to labels like The Compact Organisation and él Records, that have been a source of inspiration for Burgalat.



During the years the label has released music by April March, Eggstone, Count Indigo, The High Llamas, Etienne Charry and many other artists, including veteran composer André Popp, actress Valérie Lemercier, writers Michel Houellebecq and Jonathan Coe, and - of course - its founder and gran maestro Betrand Burgalat.

The label had an high profile in France and many of its releases received huge critical acclaims both there and abroad, sadly this was not matched by commercial success and sales. Coupled with distribution problems, Tricatel was forced to slow down its release schedule after a few years of frenetic activity.

Symphony, Alain Berbier and Patrice Casali "Lego-people" style

In 1999 Tricatel launched a succulent initiative in the form a vinyl-only series aptly named "Tricatel 25cm Club". Initially, these 10" releases were only available by post and had to be ordered directly from the label, but sometimes later they also received a wider distribution through independent music stores.

Most of these records were pressed on clear vinyl; probably published in a limited edition, it is unclear how many copies of each release exist... The third issue in this series was "M. Parvulesco" by Symphony.

Well, there's not much I can write about Symphony, the Internet offers only the most basic information about them: they are (...or were...) a duo from Toulouse, France, formed by Alain Berbier and Patrice Casali.

In addition to the "M. Parvulesco" 10" vinyl published in 2000, they released a CD album entitled "Do Not Kiss" and a CD-single, "Un Tapez Deux", in 2002. All of their output was released by Tricatel.

No picture of the band is available - if we exclude the poor rendering you can see above - and biographic details are nowhere to be found except this short statement: "Everyone of us can remember of what he was doing on 9/11. Alain and Patrice from Symphony do not. Fortunately the C.I.A. didn't find us yet, please keep in touch."

The last update on their MySpace page dates back to 2009: maybe the Agency found them at last...

The "M. Parvulesco" vinyl EP contains the following tracks:

01. M. Parvulesco (3:04)
02. Un Tapez Deux (3:37)
03. Boat On the River (7:07)

All tracks were remastered from the original 10" vinyl in June 2013 and are available in FLAC lossless format, along with scans of the original item.

Please have a look at the comments for the download links.





Here's a short review of "M. Parvulesco", the original page is available here.

«Whilst both the title track and "Un Tapez Deux" are both pleasant down tempo ditties, it's "Boat On the River" that stands out from the three on this vinyl. This is probably one of the finest pieces of chillout music that I have in my collection. It features wonderful strings, deep male spoken lyrics in French and, towards the end of the track, some really weird squiggle fx sounds that only make sense at 6 a.m. in the morning - a masterpiece!»

The following credits appear on the back cover of "M. Parvulesco":

Symphony: instruments and machines

Bertrand Burgalat: bass on "Un Tapez Deux" and "Boat On the River"

Peter von Poehl: additional guitar on "Un Tapez Deux" and "Boat On the River"

Produced by Symphony, "Un Tapez Deux" produced by Symphony and Bertrand Burgalat.

"M. Parvulesco" and "Boat On the River" recorded and mixed by Patrice Casati and Alain Barbier at Symphony Studio (Toulouse).

"Un Tapez Deux" recorded and mixed by Patrice Casati and Alain Barbier at Tricatel Studio (Paris).

Artwork: Manel

Mastering: Translab

These two videos offer a preview of the remastered EP, enjoy "M. Parvulesco" and "Boat On the River"!

More information about Tricatel and Symphony is available here:

http://www.tricatel.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Burgalat

http://thequietus.com/articles/06299-rockfort-tricatel-interview

http://www.ukulele.fr/dc/index.php/2011/10/07/1005-bertand-burgalat-et-les-anti-ukulele

https://myspace.com/alanpersonproject/

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Symphony+%282%29

http://www.global-trance.co.uk/fr_index.html?/Symphony.html

http://www.magicrpm.com/a-lire/chronique/symphony/do-not-kiss

If you have any other useful information about Tricatel and Symphony - especially corrections and improvements to this post - or if you spot any dead links, please get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

MONEY MARK "PERFORMING CHICKEN" (1994)

I've always loved you, I never told no-one
I think about you, everyday till the set of sun
And at night, when I'm alone again
I cry, I cry

I can't get next to you, I don't really try
That's way I wrote this song, that's why I cry
I'll send it to you, you could play it in your box
I cry, I cry

I don't really feel like a man, I'm feelin' low
Man on the keyboard, I'm gonna play my organ solo

[from the lyrics of "Cry"]



As the story goes, Mark Ramos-Nishita first came into the fold when some girl ran her car into the entrance gate of the G-Spot, an incredible '70s-type pad that the Beastie Boys rented in 1989 during the recording of "Paul's Boutique". The Dust Brothers were working on the album and asked Mark to fix the front gate. Mark was given an address and he went there.

He fixed the gate and after the job was done, he didn't see anybody around and wondered how he was going to get paid. Adam Horowitz (one of the Beasties, a.k.a. Ad-Rock) drove into the scene and paid Mark for his carpentry. Then Adam invited Mark to a party the Beastie Boys held that night.

The Beastie Boys were planning to build a studio, they needed a carpenter for that job and Mark helped building their G-Son Studios in Los Angeles. Mark also played keyboards, so he was a dual purpose member of the group.

Nishita's Fender Rhodes funkiness redefined the Beasties' sound into more Jazz-Funk-influenced grooves on "Check Your Head" and "Ill Communication", along with the new percussionist Eric Bobo. Completed by the original Beastie Boys, Michael Diamond on drums, Adam Yauch on bass and Adam Horowitz on guitar, they were a true groove machine.

After the success of the Beastie Boys albums, Mark decided to release the old tracks he had been playng long before he met them. The tunes on his debut EP "Performing Chicken" released in 1994, which are the subject of this post and were also included in his first full-lenght release entitled "Mark's Keyboard Repair" the next year, are just what he's been doing for a long time.



Money Mark has created a style and a sound of his own; his music may sound a bit weird or amateurish at first, but after a couple of listenings one gets sucked into his funky grooves and simple hooks.

The secret of Mark Ramos-Nishita's unique sound lies behind the warm heart of his analog synthesizers and keyboards. Among his organ grooves Mark also includes guitars, bass, flutes, even kazoo and other unusual stuff. The basic drumlines in his music seem to come out straight from a cheap Casio keyboard, but definitely with more feeling and life in it. Mark's lyrics aren't complicated or tricky, just plain and direct.

Mark has a special relationship with his keyboards. The following quotes are excerpted from an interview by Miguel D'Souza published in The Sidney Morning Herald, January 5th 1996:

«It's some thing I can fix on my own, that's what I feel most comfortable about. I have little relationships with my keyboards; these digital keyboards, I can't have any relationship with them. I look at them and, if they could look at me, they'd stare and go, "ha ha ha, there's nothing you can do, you can't alter me at all." I just recently bought a new car; it was the first new car I'd bought and when I opened up the hood and looked at the engine I thought I could never fix this! I can't even get to the spark plugs, I'd need special tools, oscilloscopes, all these other things to tune it up. I have this old '63 Chevy. When I look in there, I just... I get happy. I can fix it, I can see all the parts, I can see how this motor works and I can really see what's wrong when I open it up. It's the same with my analogue synths, if it is malfunctioning, there really isn't much that can go wrong, there's only a few parts that can go wrong. If you're talking about an IC or a chip you're at the mercy of some manufacturer, who you have to buy the chip from and then there's really no satisfaction in fixing it, all you've done is change a chip. It's hard for me to deal with this new-world, this new technology. Well, when I learn about a keyboard and I learn how it's made I have an idea of what it's going to sound like. I know, for example, that a Hammond organ is going to sound great, because of what's going on in there: there's a motor turning, the metal wheels are spinning and these electrons are flying and these pickups are picking them up... I take an idea like that and I... I get my motor drill and plug it in and stick it next to the pickups and it makes a sound. It has to do with having a little knowledge. I'm not going to buy a keyboard because it looks nice or it's the thing to buy, the trend. Some of these things look like little monsters, but if I know how it's made, I can look at it and say, "hey, this thing is going to be great." I have the idea that a musician should be a technician. It helps to know what's going on with the instruments, it helps the musician create new things, to know what's really going on in there and then you mix that in with some emotions and then when you make things they are really full because they have the best of both worlds, you know - left brain, right brain. A little bit of technical knowledge could lead to something where you can say, "Hey, if I cluster these kinds of notes together because I know that if I do these frequencies will bump into one another and create this other thing." Science is not usually connected with emotion, except maybe Einstein connected it. I just love to study keyboards and I do try to get some technique, I try to keep a balance between the technical thing and the musical thing as well. A person who is just strictly a musician may not have the same kind of sensitivity towards the keyboards they're playing, maybe they see the notes as just notes, the sounds are a secondary thing. They're rather more interested in the harmonic structure than how the tones are happening; but I try to consider the whole thing.»

"Performing Chicken" contains the following tracks:

01. Sunday, Gardena Blvd. (2:31)
02. Insects Are All Around Us (2:21)
03. Three Movements For the Wind: Theme For the Innocent Hostage (1:08)
04. Three Movements For the Wind: Poets Walk (1:00)
05. Three Movements For the Wind: Spooky (1:08)
06. Cry (2:21)
07. Pretty Pain (3:11)
08. No Fighting (1:28)
09. Ba Ba Ba Boom (1:35)
10. Have Clav Will Travel (1:23)
11. Don't Miss the Boat (2:31)

01.07.2013 Update: sorry guys, the big bosses of the Music Industry have knocked on my door and kindly asked to remove the audio files related to this post, download links are not available anymore...



Money Mark's music conveys a profound optimism and a sense of joy. This time instead of babbling about the eleven short pieces of "Performing Chicken", I prefer to offer you a short writing by Mark himself that I found on the Internet and saved to my computer some fifteen years ago. I can't remember the original source, I googled for it but it seems that it is not available online anymore, so I'm particularly proud to bring you...

"My year as a ball boy for the 1971-72 world champion Los Angeles Lakers" by Mark Ramos-Nishita

«My dad used to take me to basketball games because I wanted to be a basketball star. But who didn't? I mean, everybody did. I know Bob Mack did. I know Ricky Powell did. I know Adam Horowitz did. So when I was 12 years old, I wrote the Lakers a letter on my college-ruled paper - I was supposed to be doing my math homework - and I said: "To whom it may concern, I want to be a ball boy. How do I do that?" I really didn't think they'd respond me at all. But about a month later I got this card from Laker GM Pete Newell's secretary. So I bought some new Adidas Superstars and went to what was then called "The Fabulous Forum", or "The House That Jack Built" (as in former Laker owner / current Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke). I walked right through The Forum Club into Pete Newell's office, and Sam Winston was there! You know, the famous tire guy? He was good buddies with Jerry West. Then they gave me a ball boy uniform, which was like Lakers' own warm-ups. Next came the long walk down a hallway that led right into the locker room. I don't know how I'm gonna write this - sorry Mom - but what I saw next was Laker forward Jim MacMillan taping his penis to his thigh with some white adhesive tape. Seriously! I don't think he did this all the time, I think he just had a groin injury. And other players were taping other shits. Like Gail Goodrich was taping up his weak knees. That was my first impression of the locker room, but basically they were just getting ready to play the Phoenix Suns. I watched while the pros soaped their socks so they didn't get blisters; take two pair of socks, put one on, get a fresh bar of ivory soap, rub it all over the bottom of the first sock, then put the other sock over it and the soap will act like oil between the two socks asd thus prevent blisters. They had a way to tie their shoes, too, called "Russian Bow Tie", which never came loose. At this point I was acting really nonchalant because like any big fan I felt really close to the team already. So there I was, hangin' in the locker room, trying to act cool, watching all the guys crack jokes and talk shit. Incidentally, even then I noticed that one of the only players who was not dicking around but acting more serious was Pat Riley. Things didn't seem as glamorous back in the locker as they did out on the court, either...



...Eventually I was introduced to the head ball boy, who debriefed me on my duties. We went out on the court with the players for warm ups, and the first thing I noticed was that even though the baskets looked kind of big, the players were fucking huge! Anyway, I was supposed to hand out towels, and my mop was my best friend because I always had to be ready to wipe the sweat up off the court. Of all the players, probably Wilt Chamberlain sweated the most, but it was always sweaty under the hoop. If someone fell, then that was like a big mess. So during that first game against the Suns, I was wiping up some sweat near the free throw line while all the players were down at the other end of the court. I thought I had enough time, but suddenly the Suns' hairy-backed big man, Neil Walk, stole the ball from somebody like Mel Counts and came barreling down the court. By the time I looked up he was right on my ass and I had to make a head-first dive for the baseline to get out of his way. Then I heard the whistle. I was interfering with the game or something. Of course I had always dreamed of someday seeing some NBA action, but this was definitely not what I had in mind. I was pretty embarassed and turned red. You would too if 17,505 people were looking at you. I was afraid to even look up because I thought the ref called a foul on me or something. Even so, I actually did make it into the NBA - which is more than Bob Mack, Ricky Powell or Adam Horowitz can say! In the end, I only worked six or seven home games that year, probably because of that interference call. Who knows? Maybe Pete Newell got wind of it. Nevertheless, despite some embarassing moments, it's still one of my fondest memories...

Money Mark as pictured by Phil Knott, promotional shot for the album "Push the Button" (1998)

...By far the biggest highlight of my experience was witnessing the classic rivalry between Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who played for Milwaukee then. Just being able to see those two go at it inside was something else. It was the first time I ever saw anyone block Kareem's hook shot, and I was right there, watching Chamberlain do it! He was the first and only guy to challenge the shot that would later be known as the allegedly unblockable "Sky Hook". Of course, I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't admit that it got kind of boring after a while, just sitting there under the basket, wiping up sweat. But the plusses definitely outweighed the minuses. It was the Lakers' greatest season (in fact the best season of any team in NBA history), and I was part of it. I also got to eat before the games at the M&M cafe near The Forum, where players like Harold "Happy" Hairston ate soul food (and where, to this day, Magic often munches). I got to meet Laker announcer Chick Hearn, definitely, who by the way still looks exactly the same. I also became buddies with one player, the great Connie Hawkins, though he never knew my name. Plus, it was just cool being on the court during the game. This was before all the frills. No cheerleaders, no band, no TV timeouts, no Cable TV. Finally, the players were cooler then, and security wasn't as tight around them. There was a lot of partyin' going on after each game, especially in The Forum Club bar. You could see movie stars in there like Billy Barty. You could see Wilt smoking cigarettes. But you never saw Jerry West. In other words, it was dope, both then and now. Back then, it gave me a sense of identity which was cool to have at school and stuff. Something that other kids couldn't front on and that I could prove. And nowadays, it's just cool to go to the games, look at the new ball boys and remember how it was. Something that I can take with me.»

Here's a few videos courtesy of YouTube, including a 1995 audio interview, a recent live rendition of "Insects Are All Around Us", a 2004 Moog-based improvisation with Woody Jackson and a complete Beastie Boys MTV special / live performance broadcasted in 1992, enjoy!

A few more information about Money Mark is available here:

http://www.moneymark.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_Mark

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Money+Mark

http://www.beastiemania.com/whois/nishita_mark/

http://solesides.com/winblad/beastie%20boys/moneysmh010596.html

http://adamconnors.net/network/revue/revmusin_monmark.shtml

http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/money-talks/Content?oid=2164171

If you have any other useful information about Money Mark and "Performing Chicken" - especially corrections and improvements to this post - or if you spot any dead links, please get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!