CASSY
Panorama Bar 01
OSTGUT
CD //
£10.99
OUT OF STOCK
CASSY
Cassy 1
CASSY
12" //
£6.99
OUT OF STOCK
CASSY
My Auntie
Perlon
12" //
£6.49
OUT OF STOCK
For those of you slouched at the back who haven't been paying attention this last few weeks (we know who you are and where you live...), here's your condensed revision - so sit up and listen sharp! The Nine Lives of Boomkat is an exploration of various artists' influences and defining musical moments, giving us the listener a further facet with which to approach their aural output. Or, to put it more succinctly, an opportunity to get well nosy at someone's record collection without recourse to breaking and entering. Having already fingered Johann Johannsson's stack and pursued the delights of music box botherer Colleen's aural vault, our attention has been snagged by the wild haired minimal queen Cassy.
Despite having only a wafer-thin serving of releases to her name, Cassy (real name Catherine Britton) is nonetheless a central spoke in the minimal-techno arsenal - lending her lithe production and writing style to the likes of Luciano's 'Blind Behaviour' and Villalobos' 'The Au Harem'. With a heritage that takes in England, Austria, Vienna and now Berlin, Cassy brings a rainbow of cultures to bare on her output - a stance which saw her recent mix album 'Panorama Bar 01' felling speakers the world over. Finding the time to scribble down a list of her nine most significant records in the midst of moving house, Cassy gets chatty about 1980's London, Ella Fitzgerald's enunciation and knowing all the words to 'Power Of Love' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood... Cassy says Relax!
They were originally my parents records and I stole them
Cassy:
I've chosen to discuss the nine records, albums, CDs or artists that I couldn't live without. Maybe they're life altering - I couldn't really say - but up until today their music stays in my head and heart. Memories of (and associated with) this music will never pass...
1. Madness - 'One Step Beyond'
The first album or record I ever bought was Madness 'One Step Beyond'. My mother's best-friend's son was listening to Madness and he was five or six years older (I must have been about six) and I was quite impressed by him, so of course I had to listen to the same music. I can't remember if I bought the record in Vienna or London on holiday; but I do remember listening to it proudly on my ladybird record player. I loved it from the very start. The music seemed very vibrant and fun to me as a child. I still like listening to their music and I miss London how it was in the early 1980s. Full of creative people and exciting bands...
A lot of different music followed - tapes recorded from the radio or different favourite songs... but the next two artists I have to mention, because I more or less met them and had their records. Well, they were originally my parents and I stole them...
2. Urszula Dudziak - 'Future Talk'
My parents used to have a hotel in the Austrian countryside not far from Vienna. There was this jazz festival on a few years in a row called the 'Jazz Podium Thürntal'. They invited artists from Europe and the States. Urszula Dudziak was this jazz singer from Poland and before she rushed of to the concert (she seemed delayed already...) she wanted to say hi to me. She was wearing this great hat and had a lovely smile and a huge heart for children. This was the first time it occurred to me I should probably do the same, because these people seemed more interesting and friendly and more 'relaxed' than other grown ups I was confronted with... Her singing on this record is not to be believed. Very advanced! I listen to it now and I'm still amazed every single time at how she turned her voice into an instrument. This is a record definitely worth listening to. Great singer!
It's music I will never forget or really understand
3. Sun Ra - 'The Solar Myth Approach Vol.2'
Sun Ra was another artist I kind of met even if he was far away metaphorically speaking... He was this interesting man (or really strange guy...) but I was very impressed by the madness. So I listened to the music but of course I didn't get it. Subsequently over the years I was listening to it again and again and it's music I will never forget or never really understand. But I am impressed at how strong and free it is and how unconfined and beautiful! Not much can be said about this extraordinary personality other than he will always be one of the most interesting artists ever...
I cry every time I hear these songs
4. Sade - 'Diamond Life' and 'Sweetest Taboo'
I love love love Sade. I could never imagine a life without her or their music. Her voice is just so distinct and full of ambiance - ignoring trends and sticking to her thing no matter what. She was never pressured into releasing music if she didn't feel or like it... She is strong and emancipated in a very classy and sophisticated manner, maintaining a mainstream attitude that is still very special. One of my favourite songs is actually on another album - 'Cherish the Day', but this is great.
David Byrne is a true genius
5. Ella Fitzgerald - 'The Cole Porter Songbook'
Ella Fitzgerald is another singer I absolutely adore. If you want to listen to Jazz classics you have to be very picky; who you want to listen to singing or interpreting them. She had a very strict and tough teacher in Duke Ellington. He wouldn't let her perform for a very long time and her singing technique is not audible. It sounds like she doesn't have to put any effort into it whatsoever, combining the qualities of a little girl and a strong woman simultaneously. The way she pronounces syllables and extracts whatever's the most important word marks her as a classic singer and I have to say I prefer her to all the other jazz singers from those days. Because she sounds like no fuss... She was just amazing. My favourite song from this album is 'Get out of town'. It's so amazingly sung. There especially you can hear the shimmer in her voice. The voice shines in such a strong and sexy manner which I absolutely adore.
6. Talking Heads - 'Stop Making Sense'
I actually have a variety of favourite albums and songs from this band, but I discovered them all through this album. I was about thirteen and my best friend's brother was listening to them and I had to immediately run and buy the record. They're a truly amazing band; melting a myriad of influences into an utterly distinctive sound. David Byrne is a true genius...
Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a Gesamtkunstwerk to me
7. Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 'Welcome to the Pleasure Dome'
Well of course I knew the words to 'Power of Love' by heart and of course I loved all the songs... What a masterpiece of pop music. I had no idea why when I was a child, but I loved the way they looked, appeared and performed. They seemed to be calling their own shots and appeared to be very cultivated and stylish. Holly Johnson wow! Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a Gesamtkunstwerk to me. Something or a group of people you could take seriously. Maybe I'm over romanticizing them, but to me they seemed so very exciting and not so tangible. You couldn't really box them; call them a certain blah blah blah band. They were cool.
8. Dimitri Hvorostovsky & Georgi Sviridov - 'Russia cast Adrift'
This is most definitely a CD I couldn't survive without. While I was living in London I was lucky enough to rent a room in the house of a genius and wonderfully inspiring composer and musician called John White. He would show and play me the most interesting classical music and this CD of composer Sviridov was one of them. Hvorostovsky is a very famous Russian Baritone and the perfect interpreter for these songs. You will never find anything more heart wrenching than this music. The piano accompaniment, his voice and the melodies are so incredibly intense. I cry every time I hear these songs, but not because it's sad or out of any sentimental reason. The build up to the climax is unbelievable. These are patriotic songs for Russia and it's simply overwhelming how much this composer feels for his homeland. One of my most intense music experiences ever. I repeat: intense!
These are patriotic songs for Russia and it's simply overwhelming how much this composer feels for his homeland
9. Joseph Haydn 'Sonatas and Variations'
This is a very recent purchase of mine. Another CD I couldn't live without. It's a collection of all his piano works. Haydn was an absolute genius. As a child I used to steal my mother's Haydn symphonies and I still have them... I loved listening to his music from the very first second. It's fetching music from the classical period with such incredibly sophisticated simplicity. Wow! And his piano works are always one of the most soothing and entrancing musical experiences for me. I put it on and I'll be sailing through my home. This man was an incredible composer and master!
Cassy's Nine Lives in brief:
Madness - 'One Step Beyond'
Urszula Dudziak - 'Future Talk'
Sun Ra - 'The Solar Myth Approach Vol.2'
Sade - 'Diamond Life and Sweetest Taboo'
Ella Fitzgerald - 'The Cole Porter Songbook'
Talking Heads - 'Stop Making Sense'
Frankie goes to Hollywood - 'Welcome to the Pleasure Dome'
Dimitri Hvorostovsky & Georgi Sviridov - 'Russia cast Adrift'
Joseph Haydn 'Sonatas and Variations'
Links
www.cassybritton.com - Cassy's official site
www.perlon.net - Perlon Records
www.ostgut.de/ton/ - Ostgut Records
