kaw-liga..
I remember dropping this track at the last ever WICKED party we did in L.A in 2004. It was probably the peak of the night for me, and a good way to punctuate the end of a crazy era for us - 13 years of wicked musical mischief..
The track is Kaw-liga, and it was the Bay Area’s own experimental mischief makers - The Residents - who in 1986 came up with the idea of matching this ol’ Hank Williams song with a loop from Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. I’m not sure how it went down over here in the States, but in Europe the strange musical fusion became a minor dancefloor hit, and found it’s place in history as a bonefide Balearic classic..
Along with the Residents version, I’ve also included the original, and a funky rework by Hank Williams son - Hank Jr - that sounds suspiciously like it may have been partly inspired by “Sex & Drugs & Rock’n'Roll” by Ian Dury & The Blockheads..
Enjoy them all..