Friday, February 21, 2014

SHREM'S INSTITUTE OF LOST CLASSICS: "You Could Be More As You Are" - Saâda Bonaire


This bizarre slice of delicately Oriental piece of German new wave from 1984 has found a very special place in my heart recently. Club Bizarre meets Lost Classics. I was trying to desperately find out more about this unclassifiable one-off single and I stumbled upon this truly fascinating story behind on Pitchfork:

"Enter that none-hit wonder, “You Could Be More As You Are”, which remains a curious beast: rubbery reggae bass, growling gong hits, synth stabs and jerky rhythms from hand drum and drum machine, featuring an assortment of whistles, saxophones, Turkish saz, and ney flute, all of it topped by the icy monotones of Lange and Hossfeld, who recall their memories of a German friend who sold her body for money at a young age, hit every club every night, and died too soon. It was idiosyncratic in their native Germany in the age of Neu Deautsche Welle groups, yet somehow became a club hit in Greece, and soon after became a holy grail for Balearic DJs around the world, where it fetches upwards of $170 a copy online."

Read more about it on Captured Tracks HERE. A real treasure!