Ana Matronic's kiki is over

In the latest round of "why the fuck?" reshuffling at BBC Radio 2, another of our all-time favourite shows (presented by one of our all-time favourite Divas) has been axed - Ana Matronic's Dance Devotion!

Aside from her stint with the campest band of the past few decades, Scissor Sisters, Ms Matronic's musical influence and knowledge is far-reaching, and I have picked up many, many choons and/or remixes that I have never heard anywhere else except on her show - and, inevitably shared them here with you, dear reader... Back in August last year, I highlighted loads of such faboo tracks for which I owe the lady a great debt.

I am utterly pissed-off at this decision by Auntie Beeb, so, before she disappears to pastures new - let's have proper send-off party with another selection of highlights - tracks first heard, or on heavy rotation, on her brilliant show, for your delectation:

Tim Deluxe feat. Sam Obernik - It Just Won't Do

Camelphat and Elderbrook - Cola

Boris Dlugosch Presents Booom (feat Inaya Day) - Keep Pushin'

Magnifique - Magnifique

Kariya - Let Me Love You For Tonight

The Shamanic Feat Andrea Love - Fire

Sub Sub - Ain't No Love, Ain't No Use

Crystal Waters & Musique Boutique - Gypsy Woman (Gianni Coletti vs Keejay Freak Remix)

Janelle Monáe - Dance Apocalyptic (Chocolate Puma Remix)

Oceanic - Insanity

Now that's what I call a "leaving do"!

Ana Matronic's last-ever Dance Devotion show will be on Radio 2 on Saturday 18th June 2022 - miss it if you dare!

One last thing...

Scissor Sisters - Let's Have A Kiki (instructional video)

Ha-ha-honey!

We salute you.

Of new plants and new music

Salvia "Rockin' Fuchsia" [click to embiggen]

The British weather continues to confound us all - yesterday and my birthday were mainly sunny (contrary to all forecasts by the Met Office), and today it has stayed warm yet grey and grizzly; all of which has meant I have been busy getting a few late-season pottering jobs done in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers including rearranging pots, shifting ones that are "over" and moving those yet to flower into their place. Our lovely local garden centre sent me a birthday voucher, which I put towards another beautiful new salvia [as above] yesterday (and I potted that up), and I also lugged home a sizeable new terracotta pot from Homebase today and repotted the Scilla peruviana into it (in the vain hope it might actually flower next year). Now I'm pooped.

Time, methinks, for a selection of some of the "newer" music that has caught my ear of late...

First up, a bit of class (with a capital "k"):

VOCES8 - Straighten Up and Fly Right [Nat King Cole cover]

Something perhaps less classy, and quite bewildering - it came highly recommended from the "Cabinet of Curiosities" that is Dangerous Minds blog:

Wet Leg - Chaise Longue

A very welcome return for "prime totty" Jake Shears with this one - apparently a "leftover" from an old Scissor Sisters session. It reminds me of something else, but I can't put my finger on it...

Jake Shears - Do The Television

Next up, something that (again) is not new at all - it's from 2017, in fact - but I had never heard it until Jake's former bandmate Ana Matronic played it on her Radio 2 Dance Devotion show, so it counts as "new" as far as I'm concerned:

Camelphat and Elderbrook - Cola

Speaking of "club bangers", M'Lud - this one definitely is a recent release, and it's faboo! [...and features just about everybody who is anybody in Noo Yawk's clubland in its video, to boot.]

Ariana and the Rose - Every Body

Leaving the best to last, however - Miss Chachki's getting kinky again, with a song that bears more than a passing resemblance to Miss Kittin and the Hacker, or indeed several choons from the 1980s. Which is no bad thing, in my book!

Violet Chachki and Allie X - Mistress Violet

Phew.

As ever, dear reader, enjoy - and let me know what you think!