Nearing the end of summer I thought it would be nice to revisit a mix I shared with brilliant Lithuanian free-form online station Hao Dao Radio, but held off on sharing here. To bookend a feeling, it makes more sense to hear it now. Loosely based on the little known and (sadly) as heralded work of the late, sometime, Camel keyboardist Peter Bardens it hooks on a feeling. A native of Notting Hill, England, it was Peter that helped steer the direction of a few wayward Prog and Pop artists into the realms of disco, funk and tropical musical styles. In doing so, Pete, created a distinct niche of Balearic ideas that should be ripe for others to mine.
It’s always the small niche of music that I tend to really be fascinated with. For me, it’s imagining an alternate world where these ideas give way to broader movements. Where Pete wasn’t entirely alone in this.
Imagine a world where Colin Blunstone’s “Touch” gave way to a whole album of such tropical post-disco. Imagine a world, where Belgian RiO (Rock In Opposition) band Cos actually dominates the charts with their wiggy interpretation of funk music. One where Billy McKenzie of post-punk futurists The Associates graces us with another gorgeous soul album.
In some alternate reality this is a summer jam playlist where Prog grew progressively more out there and inviting — touching on different genres in a subtle way. In some alternate reality this is where the fun begins. As a new seasonal cycle begins, let’s go to a different world. Here’s where we get that summer feeling once again…
Heart To Heart
- Peter Bardens – Julia
- Camel – Summer Lightning
- Colin Blunstone – Touch
- Willy Finlayson – After The Fall
- Keats – Hollywood Heart
- America – And Forever
- Caravan – Silver Strings
- COS – Frau y Mann
- Mother Gong – Machine Song
- Jan Akkerman – Blue In The Shadow
- Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin – I’m In A Different World
- Claire Hamill – Two Fools In A Storm
- Sandie Shaw – Moontalk
- Billy MacKenzie – Free
/DOWNLOAD/