2303 - Blauer Montag - (A Genealogy of Blue Monday by New Order)

40 years ago, in March 1983, New Order released "Blue Monday", a piece of music that was remarkable in many ways. Not only was it one of the best-selling 12inches of all time or that it was one of the longest tracks ever to enter the UK TOP 10, with a playing time of over 7 minutes, it was also a bit of a musical shock for many fans of British post-punk music. When I first heard the track, I could hardly believe it was released on Factory Records, as it sounded more like the High-NRG music played in the mainstream discos. The influence of disco music was obvious, but as the years went by, more and more sources of inspiration were learned: Whether it was Peter Hook mentioning that his bass playing was inspired by a Morricone soundtrack, or that the chorus sounds were sampled from a Kraftwerk track. And then there's Gerry And The Holograms, who supposedly provided the blueprint. But listen for yourself: I've collected some of these sources and combined them in a mix. Enjoy!