Xihong for the Holidays!

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Yup.

Big thanks to my contributors, especially MY newest one. You guys know who you are.

Re-up - Big Fire Orchestral

Big Fire Orchestral: The Best of Giant Robo

It's back and repackaged with a new cover. These are my digital illustrations. I intended to make the whole Big Fire, but never got around to it. Just like the original mix, these were lost in a computer crash. When I redid them they came out much better than the originals. Mind you this is from a couple of years ago. I can do even much better than these now.

Also, I'm glad to see there are still some GR fans out there.

Enjoy.

Re-ups...

Here are a few re-ups. I know there are still a few things missing. I'll have to see if I can still get a hold of them. I know for sure that "Intrigue, Betrayal, and Espionage" is gone. Lost in a computer crash.

These are my first 4 mixes and one of my few lounge comps. Enjoy.

For Mackish Affairs Only
59th and Easy Street
Get Spiffy
Splendid Agenda
The Best of Erotic Lounge

Ambiente Ostile_

What a surprise...? I know.

No track list this time. That's why it's called a surprise. If you're new to the blog, then this is a good example of everything else on here. To the people who've been with me in the past, I know it's been a while. You know what I like and you know I don't post just anything.

Ambiente Ostile_

(Hostile Environment)

Now, venture out...

Klau Chu's Back!

Leader! Chik Ming Klaus is back! Klau Chu!

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What can I say? The Black Eagle is always putting work in. He leaves me no choice, but to step my game up. So again, most of the credit goes to Klau Chu. He has been on a roll for months! I just started finding stuff within the past few weeks. A while ago, I was fortunate to have a chat with a vinyl dealer and he was kind enough to include audio samples of his LP "Speciale TG" by Giacomo Dell'Orso. My main question for him was whether my cue... the same one I'd been looking for since day 1 was on there. And of course, he said no. Why do the Shaw Bros taunt me so!? But still, another one of my most wanted cues is one of the samples he provided. It really eased my mind to find it. I'll get a hold of the vinyl eventually as I plan to re-enter the vinyl game some time. Hopefully this new job works out.

As always, I've unearthed some secrets. I've been saying in almost every post how the Italians have fooled me. I'm starting to think maybe it's not Italian! In this new batch of Xihong Library I've found a pattern that didn't make sense before. I'm gonna break it down in my expert opinion. There are 3 ways I go about connecting the dots.

1. What style is it? I figure out from where and when a sound comes from and to the best of my know-how what instruments are used. (ie. Italian mid-70's concrete drama... dark synth, drums, electro chords, and sharp strings)

2. What family is it from? It's good to find the family, but finding the correct member of the family doesn't usually solve the mystery. (Morricone? Nicolai? Peguri? De Luca? Chimenti? Fidenco? etc.) They cross labels many times.

3. What else has that member of the family composed? (ie. how many children do they have?) This is usually where I get caught up. No matter how much I "find" there's always something I don't know about.

So let me explain my latest revelation...

I keep finding good stuff from the Italian family (RCA). The members sound very much alike for the span of 15+ years, but at some point during the end I find people from the Japanese and Australian families that pull off the same sound. I've turned my brain to mush many times trying to figure this out. And THEN I skimmed Clan Feuds and for the first time I found a child to go along with the parent. For years, I've been guessing and I've been WRONG. So... LISTEN HERE and I will connect the dots. Compare the 1st 2 clips with the 2nd 2 (Clan Feuds then Heroes Shed No Tears). It's all there! Yasushi Akutagawa did Village of the 8 Gravestones. Brian May did Mad Max and Pino Donaggio did Tourist Trap all around the same time and on the same label (all Shaw Bros music). The new child is in Akutagawa's style for 8 Graves. Without a doubt. Without hearing the 2 together I was in the dark. The closest thing is Morricone's Fraulein Doktor (@1:03). In my years of listening that is the only 1 that comes close. Still not close enough. The problem is that whatever LP/OST Akutagawa did is still unknown. The cue debuted in 78 at the earliest (I used to think it was 76). I actually got caught up for an hour while typing this post just... connecting dots. I've ended up here. Nichiren! It's Akutagawa. It's 1978. It's unheard of. Any word on that? It's possibly from 1979 too and that would ruin everything.

So what else? Bosworth Library is Shaw Bros Music. Imagine that. Anything you could find casually on the net or SLSK... I have it. If anyone has any under the radar Bosworth drama LPs feel free to contact me. I'm particularly interested in Wilfred Burns.

And a special thanks to my main man Killa. Many cats have come and gone, but he still has my back after all this time.

A Re-turn for the Worst

A Re-turn for the Worst

This is actually a re-up of the 2008 original. It was a great time of discovery for Shaw Bros music... it's actually when I first starting posting it. This was the first compilation that I really had Shaw Bros music weaved into. I didn't even know all of the original track names. That's why it's "Eric Towren" heavy near the beginning. It was originally formatted to fit on a CD, but no longer. I've replaced a number of the tracks with better quality rips. My "5 faves" that I used to highlight back in the day are quite different now even though this is the same mix.

It's one of my absolute favorites because much of this is music that I grew up with rather than the stuff that I've come to love over the past 4 or 5 years. And towards the end of last year I was actually thinking of doing a new volume. Just as moody... just as sinister... just as uneasy. I want to do uneasy listening JUSTICE! If you trust my ear, maybe I can make it happen.

I won't tell you who he is if you don't know already, but the guy on the cover is the perfect example of your worst nightmare coming back on you. Kudos to you if you know who it is, but there's no music from that film on this comp.

Otherwise... enjoy.