Chai Me Up, May 2, '12

And this it the most recent (more on that later) set to be uploaded as a podcast. With this, we are all up to date.

Here's a link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Magnetic by Tabla Beat Science
3. Nowhere Man by Auscultate
4. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
5. Postales by Federico Aubele
6. Mas Que Nada by The Black Eyed Peas
7. Kalan Nege by Issa Bagayogo
8. The Secret Life of Doctor Calgori by Abney Park
9. Sagal Ko [Honor Her] + Tu Dois La Proteger by Youssou N'dour
10. Hit 'Em Up Style by Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii
11. Hang Me Up to Dry by Cold War Kids
12. Turbo Tabla 4 by Turbo Tabla
13. Simplicity by Uzma
14. Remember Tomorrow by Mo' Horizons
15. I Don't Believe You by The Magnetic Fields
16. Batalti Eli by Zaman
17. My Clock Explodes (When I'm Alone) Pt. 2 by Aeon Now
18. Sawura Wako by Stella Chiweshe & the Earthquake
19. Lonlon (Ravel's Bolero) by Angelique Lonlon
20. Ever Falls the Twilight by The Gothic Archies
21. Neopolitan Dreams by Lisa Mitchell
22. Badlands by The Beauty of Gemina
23. Seduces Me by Celine Dion *
24. Following the Sun (Radio edit) by Enigma
25. Pour by Lori McKenna
26. Jai Ho by Sukhwinder Singh
27. One Fine Wire by Colbie Caillat *
28. Dancing With The Moon by Balkan Beat Box
29. Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina
30. Desert Banjo by Amsterdam Klezmer Band

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Geared-Up Jazz, Apr. 28, '12

It's time to finish catching up on these sets. Only two to post today and we'll be done. I must apologize for how some of these most recent sets have been sounding. We seem to have a problem with our ISP not transmitting data to and from stream providers, even when just listening to music on an internet radio station, as a result, we've been having problems with the stream we send out our music on dropping the connections on us. This results in my having to piece together some of these set from as many as four different files and, sometimes, the edits aren't as seamless as I'd like. We are working on this and hope to have this all resolved before the end of the year. :-/

Anyway, here's the link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Knockin' On My Coffin by Bat Country
3. The Plank by The Devil Makes Three
4. SteamCrunk Oral Literotica by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys
5. Look Them Act by Balkan Beat Box
6. Take Five by Miles Davis *
7. Iridescent by Linkin Park *
8. Every Day I Have the Blues by Count Basie Orchestra
9. Hobo Wicked Fix by Fable Cry
10. Can't Get Out of This Mood by George Treadwell and His All Stars
11. Air-Ballooning by Flying Chivaus
12. Makin' Whoopee by Frank Sinatra
13. Killer Queen by Auscultate
14. The Death Of The Hero by Abney Park
15. Irish Drinking song (Drink and Fight) by Buck-O-Nine (misidentified as Flogging Molly) *
16. The Heart Of Saturday Night by Diana Krall
17. Gangster Filly by Dave Davesworth III
18. Piston Brown by Paul Shapera
19. Backstabber Lady by Miss Li
20. Monkey Man by Cheat You Fair
21. Europa by Globus
22. Fire & Ice by Rasputina
23. Shroud (Exordium) by Fields of the Nephilim
24. Oh! Lady be Good by Bob Haggart and His Orchestra
25. Gaslight (The Ballad of Dorian Gray) by Corset
26. Gogol Mogol by Amsterdam Klezmer Band
27. Lakes of Pontchartrain by The Be Good Tanyas
28. Getting Closer (The Trance Mix) by Nitzer Ebb
29. Diva Ex Machina (Short Edit) by Cyan Roddington
30. Vainlarn's Airship by Joseph Foster
31. Telephone Call from Istanbul by Tom Waits
32. Come On-a My House by Rosemary Clooney
33. Unentitled States of Hysteria by Humanwine

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Where this music comes from

From time to time, I get asked where I find the music I play and where I find out about it in the first place.

Let's take where I find out about them first. Obviously, some of the songs I play are occasionally played on the radio. But many of the songs are not what you would call 'popular' enough to appear there. In fact, if you don't have a contract with a record label, it's almost impossible to get on anything other than a local station, as there's no way they can get in with the distributors that feed 99% of the radios stations out there.

So I find them through recommendations of people who come to my sets ("Hey, could you play X song by Y band" or "Have you heard of Z band? They sound a lot like what you're playing now."). Or I'll be listening to another DJ and think that that track sounds cool and ask them for the info on it. Or I'll check out other Steampunk sites & podcasts (like The Clockwork Cabaret) to see what they've played or liked. The same goes with the few online 'radio' stations that play Steampunk music (like Radio Riel).

And then, once I find out about the bands, I find ways to get ahold of their music. Some are easy (iTunes music store, downloads from the band's website or from Bandcamp) and some aren't so easy (the band broke up, no one has their music anymore, etc.). For those, you start to need to find music stores with connections. I don't ask about those connections, but I'm glad they exist. I'm sure you all have heard about the various illegal means of acquiring music, but I'm hardly going to promote that.

Anyway, I hope that helps and I really do recommend checking out places like Bandcamp. You might find things there that you like, but would never have heard of before. I know I have.

Chai Me Up, Apr. 25, '12

Here's the link to the set for today's second release, and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Hyperballad - (Brodsky Quartet version) by Björk
3. Iieee by Tori Amos
4. Ask (Love) by Turkish Delight
5. Untamed Dancer by Mosavo
6. Dear Prudence by Siouxsie & The Banshees
7. Oriental Distortion by Shiva In Exile
8. Djabo by X-Tribe
9. The Dark-haired Girl by Méav
10. Hanging High by Lykke Li
11. Singapore by Tom Waits
12. Copper Calloway by Joseph Foster
13. Blue Angel by Squirrel Nut Zippers *
14. Carolyn's Fingers by Cocteau Twins
15. Barra Barra by Rachid Taha
16. Witness To Marriage by Trilok Gurtu
17. What's a Girl to Do? by Bat for Lashes
18. In the Rowans by Balmorhea
19. Desert Gypsy by Mohamed El-Bakkar
20. Heroine by Blonde Redhead
21. Further In Time by Afro Celt Sound System
22. Egyptian Belly Dance Routine by Salatin Al Tarab Orchestra
23. Sea of Love by Cat Power
24. Absinthe by Beth Orton
25. 'Cept You & Me Babe by Greg Brown
26. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) by The Decemberists
27. Barry the Steampunk Monster by A Halo Called Fred
28. Kashira by Kodo
29. We Walk The Same Line by Everything But The Girl
30. Beni Beni by Niyaz
31. Bad Moon Rising by The Bastard Fairies

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Geared Up Jazz, Apr. 21, '12

Only two updates today. I'm about a week b behind in stitching the pieces of my sets together from having my stream cut out on me. But I'll get them sorted out soon.

In the meantime, here's the link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Leaving Ground by Etherine
3. Thick As Thieves by Natalie Merchant
4. War by Poets of the Fall
5. Too Young To Die by Jamiroquai
6. You Leave Me Cold by Jill Tracy
7. Sometimes, Sunshine by Revue Noir
8. Conveniently Confused by Evestus
9. Prenzlauerberg by Beirut
10. The Fox And The Leopard by Penguin Cafe
11. Just An Old-Fashioned Girl by Eartha Kitt
12. Shout by Unwoman
13. I Got Rhythm (Take the Lead Remix) by Lena Horne, Q-Tip
14. Peek-A-Boo by Siouxsie & The Banshees
15. Whatever Lola Wants by Sarah Vaughan
16. Shoo-shoo baby by The Andrews Sisters
17. Reggae Mortis by Voltaire
18. When a Man Loves a Woman by Gregorian
19. I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by The Ink Spots *
20. Once Eliot Turned Ugly In His Lover's Bed by Katzenjammer Kabarett
21. Dark Eyes by Beat Circus
22. A song for Douglas (after He's Dead) by Cawatana
23. This Little Piggy by Rasputina
24. Upside Down by Max Raabe
25. I'm Beautiful by Bette Midler
26. Another Bag Of Bricks (Acoustic) by Flogging Molly
27. Naie Kashe by Amsterdam Klezmer Band
28. Bully Boys by The Tiger Lillies
29. Take The A Train by Duke Ellington
30. Always True To You In My Fashion by Blossom Dearie
31. Raymond Dog Boy by The Scarring Party
32. Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days by Louis Prima, Sam Butera, Keely Smith
33. Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Chai Me Up, April 18, '12

Here's the final update for today. This is another set of Mediterranean-flavored Steampunk music, recorded at the Chai Me Up party barge and chai shop in Second Life.

Here's the recording for the set, and here's the setlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Victoria by Abney Park
3. Loneliness by Annie Lennox
4. Mad World by Gary Jules
5. Fafa by Vieux Farka Touré
6. Penny Farthing by Dave Davesworth III
7. Tabla Makes You Dance by Khaled Al Arabi
8. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Emilie Autumn *
9. Drum Solo Wassan Pharaoun by Issam Houshan
10. White Rabbit by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
11. Unreliable Narrator by Shakespeare Wallah
12. Kembe feat. Alladin by Secretly Famous
13. Tales Of The Sahara by Ihsan Al-Mounzer
14. Gardener by The Dresden Dolls
15. Dil Naiyo Lagda by Rajinder Kaur Raina
16. Trinkit by Beats Antique
17. Entrance of the Stars by Paul Dinletir
18. Cantus by Faith & The Muse
19. Eshtaktillak Remixed by Roger Abboud
20. Youm Al Hazz (Modern Egyptian) by Al-Ahram Orchestra
21. Living in the Dark (Urban Flow Remix by The Dark Clan) by Patricia Wake
22. Listen My Son by The Unseen Guest
23. Vino Iubirea Mea (!DelaDap Remix) by Eastenders
24. More Milk by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
25. No More Room by The Scarring Party
26. Stage 5 by Delhi 2 Dublin
27. Walking On Air by Kerli
28. Here It Is by Leonard Cohen
29. Self Made Man by Tom Slatter
30. Taalet by Natacha Atlas

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Geared-Up Jazz, April 14, '12

And here's the second of today's updates. This one is my signature mix of Jazz and Steampunk music.

Here's the link to this recording, and here's the setlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. 30 minutes by t.A.T.u.
3. Singapore by Tom Waits *
4. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans by Billie Holiday/Louis Armstrong
5. The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (Remastered) by Dead Can Dance
6. Kingdom Of Not by Forgotten Fish Memory Orchestra
7. Intro- The Washing Machine Song by Jordan Reyne aka Dr. Kevorkian & the Suicide Machine
8. Dream on [Dave Clarke Acoustic Version] by Depeche Mode
9. Losing My Mind by Liza Minnelli
10. I can't believe that you're in love with me by Billie Holiday *
11. More by The Sisters of Mercy
12. Mala Vida by Gogol Bordello
13. Wish You Were Here by Rasputina
14. My Heart Belongs To Daddy by Julie London
15. Gallows by Cocorosie
16. Put A Lid On It by Squirrel Nut Zippers
17. Looking Glass by The Birthday Massacre
18. Imitosis by Andrew Bird
19. Another Bag Of Bricks (Acoustic) by Flogging Molly
20. Halloween by Jason Webley
21. I Want to Be Evil by Eartha Kitt
22. Klezmerde by Circus Contraption
23. Mrs. O by The Dresden Dolls
24. Took The Night (Alvaro Remix) by Chelley *
25. Wheels by Jamie Cullum
26. In The Mood by The Puppini Sisters
27. Still Alive by Jonathan Coulton
28. Fever by Peggy Lee
29. In The Cool, Cool. Cool Of The Evening by Bing Crosby
30. Shine On by R.I.O. *
31. The Bare Necessities by Louis Armstrong
32. Straighten Up And Fly Right ft. Natalie Cole (Produced by will.i.am) by Nat King Cole
33. God Is Busy, May I Help You by Kultur Shock
34. Jump Jive An' Wail by The Brian Setzer Orchestra

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Chai Me Up, April 11, '12

OK, time for the next batch of three updates to the podcast blog. Slowly, but surely, we're catching up!

The first of today's updates is from just a couple weeks ago. Here's the link to the recording of the session, and here's the playlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Coin Operated Goi by Voltaire *
3. Underglow - Two by eO
4. Balance by Sara Tavares
5. Wind Sailer by The Wimshurst's Machine
6. Jack Of Ash by Paul Shapera
7. Aik Kahani by The Cassettes
8. To Die For by The Birthday Massacre
9. Era of the Airship by Steamgunk
10. Dragon by Crimson Muddle
11. Powder Burns by The Black Wreck Music Project
12. The Propellers Meet The Clouds by The Wet-Glass RO
13. Abiani by Dobet Gnahore
14. Running Up That Hill by Placebo
15. Hypnogogia by Beat Circus
16. When Breath Becomes Visible (Mission 13 Remix) by Sci-Fi Romance & Mission 13
17. End of Me by Apocalyptica *
18. Don't ask me for help for I am helpless. by Wunderbar!
19. (Man With a) Clockwork Heart by The Dark Clan
20. Harem In Tuscany (Taranta) by Gogol Bordello
21. Fire In My Blood by Corset
22. Irna by Cirque Du Soleil
23. Teapottery by Flying Chivaus
24. Soldiers Came by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys
25. My Girlfriend is a Robot (40s ver) by Rex Embers and his Castanets
26. Music Box by Nox Arcana
27. Ghost Town by Shayfer James
28. Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
29. No One Lives Forever by Oingo Boingo
30. Azara Alhai by Rasha
31. Horses by The Be Good Tanyas

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Chai Me Up, April 4, '12

No, I didn't miss a recording there. Due to a variety of circumstance, there weren't Geared-Up Jazz events at Faversham for a couple of weeks. But we will get back to them eventually, don't you worry. For now, here's the third stop in today's update.

Here's the link to this recording and here's the setlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Re Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton
3. Pillar of Salt by Unwoman *
4. All Tomorrow's Parties by The Velvet Underground
5. Layali Al Sharq by Al Ahram Orchestra
6. Enae Volare by Era
7. Dis-Moi Pourquoi (Tunisia) by Amina
8. Segunda Twichia Istihlal - Insiraf Btayhi Istihlal: Gaybatuk by Al Andaluz Project
9. Iridescent by Linkin Park
10. New Baladi by Mario Kirlis
11. Santiago by Loreena McKennitt
12. Agolo by Angelique Kidjo
13. Todo tiende by Ojos de Brujo
14. Vai Vedrai by Cirque Du Soleil
15. The Olde Headboard by Rasputina
16. Gun Street Girl by Tom Waits
17. Arabiant by Radar
18. Dementish Waltz by Hallblinki Sextet *
19. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby
20. This Place Is Haunted by DeVotchKa
21. The Abandoned Hospital Ship by The Flaming Lips
22. Telling Stories by Tracy Chapman
23. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants
24. Bugu Jazz by Burhan Ocal
25. Gypsy Caravan by Nox Arcana
26. Karachi by Fat Chance Belly Dance & Helm
27. Venus as a Boy by Björk
28. The Last Song by The Barons of Tang
29. Elama (United Arab Emirates) by Yasser Habeeb
30. Zaffa by Cairo Orchestra

* = Request
And here's the link to as much of this setlist as I could pull together at the iTunes store.