Beautiful Swimmers

Here's more yearning for the summer. 'Big Coast' got released on a chunky twelve inch by the Future Times label in 2010. A contender for my tune of the year, this is some glorious dubbed out '80s Baywatch action. Whoever does the videos for these folks deserves a massive high five (check the video for 'Oh Yea' too)

Full Noon

A mix of tunes recently put together whilst dreaming of long hot summer days. Introduction courtesy of Rod McKuen and San Sebastian Strings. For more information on tracks etc. contact danceflawed@gmail.com

You can stream the mix using the player above, or download it here in high quality 320kb MP3

Heartworn Highways

Anyone with a passing interest in Southern rock, country and bluegrass of the mid-seventies should watch Heartworn Highways if they haven't done so already. Amongst disarmingly intimate footage of reknowned artists like Townes Van Zandt and Steve Young, the real hero that emerges for me is one Larry Jon Wilson. He appears in the second scene working on a song called 'Ohoopee River Bottomland' and his soulful barritone, laidback style and all-round geniality really shine above the rest of the film. See below for that scene:

Electric Eden

Just finished this enthralling read by Rob Young called Electric Eden - Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music, which charts the meandering development of the folk music canon in Britain over the last hundred years or so. The book has enjoyed almost unanimous critical acclaim and you can pick up a copy in all good bookshops. Young's painstakingly well-researched tome will have you seeking out the music and musicians considered within on a page-by-page basis.

Young manages to successfully weave the development of Blighty's indigenous folk narrative into the prevailing social, cultural and political climates of the time. Although his own overtly socialist political stance threatens to take over at times, his knack for vivid descriptions of the sonic palette and enthusiasm for the folk continuum, more than make up for it.

For a taste of the artists covered within, pay a visit to the Seek Music website, where music writer Ian Preece has compiled a mix inspired by the book, that takes in the likes of Davey Graham, Shirley Collins, Fairport Convention and Ewen Macoll.