It’s Poptimism #3 this time next week, Downstairs @ The Polar Bear in SoHo, from 7 till 1. What can you expect? Guest DJ this month is Kate, former Lolly and current Shimura Curve, who will be playing bubblegum and seeking pop at the heart of the drone. The rest of us will be playing the usual – which is? Can’t speak for Steve or Alan but here’s what I’m thinking.
Bubblegum’s pretty high up my list too after spending an afternoon looting the archives of Bubblegum Machine. Particular picks are The Shocking Blue’s “Venus”, Vitamin C’s “Vacation” (first Pokemon soundtrack, major blueprint for the Girls Aloud sound) and Luv’s stupendous footwear anthem “Shoes Off (Boots On)”. And, of course, the Pipkins.
In the rock canon corner I was staggered not to see The Slits’ “Heard It Through The Grapevine” in ILM’s 70s poll, and remember dancing hard to it at Club Seal, so that might get a go. I downloaded a Led Zeppelin track – and liked it – so who knows what will come of that? And my intuition tells me that “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)” by The Arcade Fire is both good pop and highly danceable, not sure it will fit at Poptimism though.
Current tracks? “So Good” will get a spin to see if it works better in a club, I will totally be playing “Deja Vu” by TOK and Shaggy because it’s the best song of the Summer, and if I get a copy of “Prove Me Wrong” by Kute from their promoter – fingers crossed – that too. Still love “718” by Fannypack, more since the sun’s out.
Also, Cowboy Troy’s “I Played Chicken With The Train” is going to be played at every Poptimism until you all like it, so give in now.
And a few things from pop’s vast cupboard: playing Erasure was my high point last time and I want to do it again. I decided when doing the politics CDs last month that “The Lebanon” by the Human League is in fact a wonderful song and not – or as well as – a laughing stock, and then didn’t play it. The passage of a year has revealed “Hip To Hip” by V as the best boyband single for two decades. And doing a tape for my mother-in-law reminded me how much I like early Beach Boys.
Of course I may not play any of this stuff, but there you have a snapshot of where my summer head is at. Hope you come to Poptimism, and hope you enjoy it.