the Glimmers
various artists
label:: Eskimo Recordings
format:: CD
The Glimmer Twins are Mo Becha and David (who calls himself Benoelie) Fouquaert. Along with a fellow named Dirk (whom I can't find a last name for) they run the Belgian label Eskimo Recordings.
Eskimo Recordings is a label I urge you to explore. Finding stuff from Eskimo can be a challenge. Here in the US I have found Eskimo discs at (of all places) Virgin Megastore. On the web I have had luck with tunes.co.uk and Gemm. Eskimo puts out some incredible compilations such as
- Eskimo - Volume1
- Rive Eskimo - Volume Two
- Eskimo - Volume III
- Eskimo - Volume IIII
- Summermadness Aftersun
- Serie Noire
- Serie Noire 2
- Paradisco3000 presents Chicago Boogie
- Headman presents Dance Modern
and on the News label
- Club Culture Club Compilation
- Cuture Club Vol. 2
The Glimmers is the first disc that The Glimmer Twins have done where their name has been out front instead of on fine print on the CD cover (they put together all of the comps above except for the last two of the eskimo comps). The Glimmer Twins also selected and mixed CDs on tboth Culture Club discs.. The Glimmers will be further in the spotlight when their DJ Kicks CD comes out in April. I thought they had shortened their name because of hassles from Mick & Kieth, but now I think it is because there is a Stones cover band in the Netherlands called Glimmer Twins.
When I first heard this CD I was a little disappointed. The Glimmer Twins have been credited as teaching the Dewale brothers (2 many djs) much of what they knew, and they had turned me onto a lot of disco and obscure dance music. This CD is very rock oriented, with most of the songs being guitar based.
But upon repeated listening the disc opened up. I'm not crazy for the Jungle Brothers or Alan Vega tracks, but everything else is pretty fine. And even the Alan Vega rockabilly styled track isn't bad, I just don't like listening to it.
Later period Queen always seemed like a bad proposition, but Body Language is very good. And wait till you hear the Glimmer Twin mixes of Billy Idol, Pete Shelly, !!!, Sylvester, Roxy Music and Jah Wobble - you won't even know you are listening to a track you already know by heart, and you will like what you hear.
There are also well chosen tracks that are pretty much allowed to play as they are. The Shocking Blue track had me looking at the sleeve - all I had ever heard was the Kurt Cobain version of this song . The Whitey track rules - I have got to find more by this artist!
Even though each track can be played alone, there are three clusters of tracks that I think work particularly well together (for instance, on a radio show). They are
- tracks 3,4,5
- tracks 7,8,9,10,11
- tracks 16,17,18
I love the version of the Benny Bennasi song Satisfaction by Whomadewho (who remind me of the 90s band Wat Tyler), but you had better not play it on the air because of curses.
A pretty fine disc.
---Carl
- Queen - Body Language
- De Falla - Popuzuda Rock’n’Roll
- Billy Idol - Hot In The City
- Pete Shelley - Witness The Change
- The Sexmachines - Okay (Mondo Dub)
- Alan Vega - Jukebox Babe
- !!! - Hello? Is This Thing On?
- Dirty Minds - Life Of Brian
- Sylvester - Band Of Gold
- Sheila E - Too Sexy
- Roxy Music - Angel Eyes
- Whomadewho - Satisfaction
- Liquid Liquid - Optimo
- Jungle Brothers - I’ll House You
- Severed Heads - We Have Come To Bless The House
- Jah Wobble - How Much Are They?
- The Residents - Diskomo
- Whitey - Leave Them All Behind
- Shocking Blue – Love-Buzz
