2025 Mix 29: Obligatory KPOP DEMON HUNTERS thoughts before enjoying the sounds of scene outsiders rapping, rocking, and ama-popping to strange and beautiful places.
The rhythm on "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and "Mühür Gözlüm" is the clave with the last note delayed a half beat. When "Bela Lugosi" showed up in People's Pop Polls' "World Cup Of Death And The Afterlife" I commented that it was as if Bauhaus took the first two songs on the first Stooges album – the clave rhythm of "1969"* and the downward riff of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" – and combined them but at suspended speed. Anyway, "BS" has the "Dog" riff and suspended speed of "Bela Lugosi" but not the rhythm; as you say, the track might have been better had Modem used the clave beat or something like it.
*The "1969" riff is the full clave rhythm but adds an extra half beat to it, whereas Bauhaus replace the last clave beat with the delayed beat (hope what I said is clear). In my Disco Tex essay I point out that "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)" breaks into that 1969 riff** (at about 1:30 or 1:47 in, depending on which edit you're listening to), though I also point out that the Byrds (!) had done the identical Stooges riff (in the break in "Tribal Gathering") a year *before* the Stooges – though for all I know the riff shows up earlier than that in something by the Four Seasons or in some other part of the Crewe-Randell-Linzer-Nolan crew's oeuvre. [Relevant dates: "Tribal Gathering" 1968, "1969" 1969, "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)" 1974, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" 1979.]
**But drop the final delayed beat! [For someone else reading this: yes I know there are scads of rock songs that use a clave rhythm – Bo Diddley bases many of his rhythms on the clave rhythm – an early punk-rock usage is the Electric Prunes' "Get Me To The World On Time" in 1967. The cited songs by Byrds-Stooges-Disco Tex use a *specific* riff that ties itself to the clave rhythm; Bauhaus and Modem don't use that riff; they have a percussion instrument playing the clave-like beat. But those Bauhaus and Modem tracks do use a Stooges riff, a different one. While using their clave-like beat.]
"This is what all music is supposed to sound like now!" Sounds like an advert for the NOW! series.
Should see if I have enough for a NOW ama-pop compilation yet…
The rhythm on "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and "Mühür Gözlüm" is the clave with the last note delayed a half beat. When "Bela Lugosi" showed up in People's Pop Polls' "World Cup Of Death And The Afterlife" I commented that it was as if Bauhaus took the first two songs on the first Stooges album – the clave rhythm of "1969"* and the downward riff of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" – and combined them but at suspended speed. Anyway, "BS" has the "Dog" riff and suspended speed of "Bela Lugosi" but not the rhythm; as you say, the track might have been better had Modem used the clave beat or something like it.
*The "1969" riff is the full clave rhythm but adds an extra half beat to it, whereas Bauhaus replace the last clave beat with the delayed beat (hope what I said is clear). In my Disco Tex essay I point out that "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)" breaks into that 1969 riff** (at about 1:30 or 1:47 in, depending on which edit you're listening to), though I also point out that the Byrds (!) had done the identical Stooges riff (in the break in "Tribal Gathering") a year *before* the Stooges – though for all I know the riff shows up earlier than that in something by the Four Seasons or in some other part of the Crewe-Randell-Linzer-Nolan crew's oeuvre. [Relevant dates: "Tribal Gathering" 1968, "1969" 1969, "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)" 1974, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" 1979.]
**But drop the final delayed beat! [For someone else reading this: yes I know there are scads of rock songs that use a clave rhythm – Bo Diddley bases many of his rhythms on the clave rhythm – an early punk-rock usage is the Electric Prunes' "Get Me To The World On Time" in 1967. The cited songs by Byrds-Stooges-Disco Tex use a *specific* riff that ties itself to the clave rhythm; Bauhaus and Modem don't use that riff; they have a percussion instrument playing the clave-like beat. But those Bauhaus and Modem tracks do use a Stooges riff, a different one. While using their clave-like beat.]