A long overdue episode.
The deciding factor was the first vinyl release of One Step Ahead Of The Spider by the Texan rapper with the funny and super unwieldy name MC 900 Feet Jesus. I listened to the CD over and over again from an early age and it (along with Arlo Guthrie‘s Talking Blues Alice’s Restaurant (which is unfortunately missing from this episode)) introduced me to Spoken Word.
That part of art where the spoken text is given more space than the music, which often only serves as accompaniment.
MC 900‘s album opener, the 10-minute descriptive song about a car ride in the moonlight, left a lasting impression. So did the band Saccharine Trust, which came from the hardcore punk scene of the SST label and was also my introduction to freer jazz. My fascination with lyrics and jazz or hip hop was to remain. Looking back, Christian Rottler also fell into this pattern, whose concerts I eagerly attended as a teenager, not least because I was amazed by the strongly spoken songs at the time.
The selection of songs, and they almost always remain songs despite the heavy spoken word content, spans my entire collection and genres, but always remains coherent, at least for me. What was exciting was that the content of the lyrics seemed less important to me than the mood conveyed by the style of speech or the accompanying music. This is something that often underlies this show, but I have never noticed it as clearly as I did here.
Most of the songs are, not least because the extensive lyrics do not invite easy listening, literally “not heard in a while”.
An episode, then, that is perfect for this format and has been too long in coming. Please enjoy.
Sendedatum: 06/08/2025 19:00 - 06/08/2025 20:00
Ort: Leipzig
Sendung: lange nicht gehört.
Tracklist:MC 900 ft. Jesus - New Moon
Saccharine Trust - Drugstore
MC 900 ft. Jesus - But If You Go
Mike Ladd - Blade Runner
The Watts Prophets - [excerpt from Rappin' Black In A White World]
Kae Tempest - [excerpt from Brand New Ancients]
Discoteca Flaming Star - [excerpt from Hate Verses]
Rotte - Autosuggestion
Judith Engel & Annekathrin Müller - [excerpt from Jeden Tag], NORCO MIX (feat. Gewgawly I - Here Comes The Scum)
Heiner Müller & Heiner Goebbels - [excerpt from Der Mann Im Fahrstuhl]
Wir - Jugend Und Heimat Und Exil
Rotte - Butterbrot Und Peitsche
L - Taj Mahal / Me
MC 900 ft. Jesus - Tip Toe Through The Inferno