Jimmy McGriff, Electric Funk, 1970.

[ https://www.mixcloud.com/DJM_REXIM/djm-freestyle-rockin-mc-less/ ] ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆ WANNA HEAR THIS LIVE VINYL DJ 80S MIX I DID? BE SURE TO CLICK THAT LINK RIGHT ABOVE THEN!

Now, you might remember me posting up a YouTube video with my full performance a few months back. Well, it’s still on YouTube, but it got a copyright strike, so the entire set is now muted. THANKS YOUTUBE~

Meaning, the only way you can hear it now, is through the URL provided above. Please, give it a listen, and if you enjoyed what you heard, please hit that like button, and if you’re feeling generous, please reblog. I would greatly appreciate it.

The poster for Freestyle Rockin’ was done by the always talented blazinpineapple! Be sure to check out their Tumblr page and look at their snazzy art!

Gary Numan

Berserker

@ 1984  Germany Pressing

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Numan's contract with his previous record label Beggars Banquet had ended with the release of Warriors, and disillusioned with record companies, Numan decided to create his own record label, Numa Records, in order to give himself full control over his recordings, production work and marketing.

Freed from demands of an outside record company, Numan could take the music on his new album into a new and harder direction. The album was named after a series of science-fiction novels by Fred Saberhagen, which Numan had read at school. For the album itself, Numan was concerned with creating a distinct atmosphere: “The Berserker album doesn't have a central character or a story as such. I was writing about being something, or part of something, fictional. Something that was dreadful, powerful, unstoppable. Something almost alien from what you're used to which is coming your way. I was trying to create a feeling of only half-guessed-at menace. The songs had bits which were specific to me but they were mostly weird fictional stuff about being cold, playing games with people, using people in very unpleasant ways, without ever saying what they were, exactly.

”Berserker was far removed from the electro-funk stylings of Warriors (and, indeed, the fluid, fretless bass stylings of Numan's previous three albums), instead presenting a more hard rock-like sound, combined with an abundant use of sampling. Heavy-metal-like riffs and guitar sounds were a lot more aggressive than on the preceding albums, and the electric bass contrasted with the heavy guitar sound. Numan also decided to use sound as a percussion, in lieu of conventional percussive instruments. The distinctive sound of the PPG Wave synthesiser was introduced on this album, developing memorable synth riffs; the dream-like female backing vocals were still fully embraced from Warriors. Saxophones were infrequently used on the album, along with the viola that had last been featured on Telekon. Lyrically, the album has a haunting, oppressive theme with several references to God throughout. The poignant track "A Child with the Ghost" was Numan's tribute to his friend and former bassist Paul Gardiner, who died in February 1984 from a deliberate heroin overdose. The track was also covered by the duo Tik and Tok on their Intolerance album (which featured Numan) the same year. The Industrial undertones of the Berserker album would be more fully explored on Numan's next album, The Fury (1985).

For the visual look of the new album, Numan wanted something completely different from the black jumpsuits, grey coats, and black leather that had formed his visual look up until that point. Instead he appeared on the cover of the new album (and throughout the subsequent tour) as a white-skinned, white-clad "Iceman" with blue makeup and hair.

Here’s the full video of my DJ performance with Phorone! Be sure to check it out!

If you wanna just hear the music, go to my MixCloud page where I have the entire set uploaded.

https://www.mixcloud.com/DJM_REXIM/djm-freestyle-rockin-mc-less/