She Vs. I

Episode Twenty Six

2011-10-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ep26 by She Vs. I

Set 1

Minus-Miscellaneous Outtake #1 (Bonus Track)
MRR-ADM - 9ine
Jean Jacques Dexter-Be Quiet
Munoz-Space
Flako - Blurry
Stevo - Get Twisted
Samiyam - Already
Flako - Poten
Mello Music Group - New Keys
D33J -Drowning Pools
D33J - Park
Scientist - 2012 Dub

Set 2

Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Soledad Y Silencio
Clarence Carter - Devil Women
Broadcast - Interlude 2
The Midnight EEz - New Yorks Devils
Anatol Atonal - Harakiri
All These Fingers - The Crab
$.99 Dreams - Thai Tony
Dotmatic - Foggy London Town
Elos - DunDeals
Free The Robots - Sci-Fidelity
Astronote - The Big Fight

Episode Twenty Five

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ep25 by She Vs. I

"Studio One Lovers", one of Soul Jazz/Studio One's many releases, is a very satisfying and well balanced collection of tunes that deal with matters of the heart. The album is compiled and features some of the finest lovers tunes from Jamaica’s best loved label. Sweet harmonies, soulful reggae, love songs – the key ingredients of Lovers Rock - were all based on the revival of many of the classic Rocksteady harmony groups of the late 60s and early 70s. As might be expected from the Soul Jazz label, the selection and sequencing here are superb. To put it simply, this is nothing but sweet soul music from Jamaica.

Shawn Lee began his story in a Los Angeles recording studio in 1988. Since then, he has carved a prolific recording career as a collaboration artist, which makes quantifying his back catalog a bit of mine field. He began releasing his own material in 1996, and World of Funk is the tenth studio album to be released under the umbrella of Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra. A phenomenal range of exotic instrumentation is utilized. World of Funk plays host to a revolving door of international guest vocalists and multi instrumentalists, fusing the spices of the east with the snake hips of the south. World of Funk is an album meant to be shared with good company on a carefree summer evening; according to the calendar, its time is rapidly approaching.

Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! provides a fine overview of the influence of western funk and “out” rock over the music of India. Featuring 20 Indian psych-funk masterpieces and accompanied by a 52-page, in-depth color booklet, this is about the most comprehensive, and knowledgeable document of this topic you'll find, compiled by the very trustworthy heads behind the 'Psych Funk 101' session and the awesome 'Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas'. Much of the music on this compilation springs from the Bollywood film industry. The songs are indeed funky, and most are tinged with an undeniably Indian flavor. Think Bollywood with lots of horn stabs and a wah pedal!

Set 1

Undying Love - Ernest Wilson
Good Girl - Ed Nangle
My Voice Is Insured For Half A Million Dollars - Dennis Alcapone
Hello Stranger - Brown Sugar
I Love You - The Heptones
Never Give Your Heart Away - Carlton And His Shoes
Love Land - Sound Dimension
Roy Richards - Another Thing
Sound Dimension - Love Jah

Set 3

Dokunma Keyfine Yalan Dunyanin - Gulden Karabocek
The Music Of Today - Embryo
Swamp Fever - John Cameron
Tera Jasia Pyara Koi Nahin - Usha Khanna
No Matter What You Do - Leslie Gore
La Eterna Felicidad (feat. Bardo Martinez) - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
The Mod Trade - The Black Beats
Chicken Scratch - Count Suckle

Astral Navigations is really a recording of two different bands in each side of the original mono LP, Lightyears Away and Thundermother. Originally released in 1971, Lightyears Away is folk/psychedelic more toward the folk end while Thundermother is more straight-ahead rock with heavy fuzz guitars (a studio amalgam assembled by the label). A very difficult record to find now for only 250 copies where press.

Originally recorded in the Burundi Region of Central Africa. There are 25 Ingoma Drums involved in this sacred ceremony. The Ingoma Drums is a special instrument symbolizing power, and has been used solely in the past at the court of the King or in the big chiefdoms. The privilege of playing these drums is handed from father to son and the sound of the drummers is considered by the inhabitants of Burundi to be one of the most representative elements of the musical traditions of the country.

Super underground Brasilian group formed by Mauro Assumpção (voice), Rubinho (violão and keyboards), and friends in Rio De Janeiro in the early 1970's. At one level, the record's got an earthy feel that matches the cover image of the pair climbing out of a tree without their shirts on – but at another level, there's often echoes of some of the funkier modes coming into Brazilian music at the time – a slight Samba Soul influence that mixes well with the earthy, sometimes personal vocals of the duo.

Set 2

Clive Hicks - Cooler
DeRobert & The Half-Truths - Cops, Cars, and Taxis
Astral Navigations - Someday (Thundermother)
Ross - Madness In Memories
Ruben Rada - Malisimo
J Rocc - Track 24
Burundi Steiphenson Black - Burundi Black (Part 1)
Show & AG - Never Less than Ill
Boogiemonster - Warning

Set 4

Boobie Knights & the Soulciety - King Of The Real Good guys
Soul Creations - Funky Jive Part 1
Bruno Nicolai - Whiskey
Van Mccoy - Soul Improvisation
La Barra De Chocolate - Elm
Flash & The Dynamics - Guajira Sicodelica
Rubinho E Mauro Assumpзгo - Qualй a Sua
Paul Humphery - Me & My Drums
Eiko Shuri - Vehicle (Cover Song)
Lunice -Hitmanes Anthem
Mexican With Guns - Deities

Episode Twenty Four

2011-04-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Cassette Edition. Episode 24 is a collection of some of our favorite mixes over the last two years with a couple of surprises.

SVI OO1
CS, total cassette runtime 90min
Limited to 100

Side A: Pattysaurus

1. TeV95 - Crime Loops - Mind Waves
2. Inside Her - Jansport J
3. Fama87 - Moon
4. Munoz - Uno
5. Chanes - Instill
6. Jaylib - Raw Addict
7. Neon Indian - 1am
8. Neon Indian - 7000 Reprise
9. Animal Collective - Daily Routine
10. Flying Lotus - Aunties Harp
11.Portishead - Elysium
12. Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill - I Love You Maryjane
13. Joe Beats - Sleep or Bust
14. Rollerskaters - sleep tight (star slinger remix)
15. Workin On It - JDilla
16. Borrowed Time - Madvillian
17. Wouldn’t It Be Nice - Buillon
18. Onra - One Day
19. Ackryte - Sumtime
20. Letherette - In July Focus
21. 3L - Time Travel
22. Flako - Crying On The Inside
23. RJD2 - The Gentle Rain (remix)
24. Madvillain - Savage Beast (Instrumental)
25. Mos Def - Revelations
26. Chronicle Grime - Career Cats Get Tiger Suits - (According to the Anagram Jam Compilation)
27. Dorothy Ashby - Soul Vibrations
28. Ultimate Spinach - Mind Flowers
29. Fifty Foot Hose - Fantasy
30. Tex Mex - Gaslamp Killer
31. Heliocentrics - Vibration Of The Fallen Angels
32. Pram - The Last Astronaught (Andy Votel mix)

Side B: 8-bits

1. The Screamers live in San Francisco - 122 Hours of Fear
2. Broadcast - Locust
3. The Simonsound - Bad Love
4. Dwilt Sharpp -
5. Men's Recovery Project - How long have you lived in this house
6. Men's Recovery Project - Bleeding Gash
7. Dwilt Sharpp - Providence
8. Bit1 - Drizzle
9. Devonwho - braketime (shlohmo's reiteration)
10. Munoz - NotTheBestBeatEver
11. Alpine - Lcypoles (Star Slinger Remix)
12. Bahwee - Lovers
13. Munoz - See U
14. ?bstract-ONE - Dreamfeeder/Satellite(remix)
15. Chopstix Murphy - Ringtone
16. Ta-ku aka Flip - Call
17. ?bstract-ONE - Legacy/Detached(remix)
18. Jansport J - Regrets (Be Ourselves)
19. Oddisee - Anticipation Instr.
20. Samiyam - Carnival Food
21. Madlib - 18 Episode XVIII
22. Wax Tailor - Que Sera
23. Onra - Gotta have it
24. DJ Esu - Unwanted Love
25. Ta-ku aka Flip - Walkin'
26. Madlib Beat Konducta Vol.6 - Lifetime (Lifeline)
27. Onra - Super Genesis ft. Haez
28. Architeq - Spinning Plates
29. Meaty Ogre - Kept (instrumental)
30. The Roots - Hot SH*t
31. Obscure Disorder - Obscure Disorder the grill inst.
32. Kelpe - Chocolate Money
33. La Fine équipe Présente - Ganache Feat. Creestal
34. Maw - Tomorrow Pt.2
35. DJ Babu - Takeova

Episode Twenty Three

2010-11-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

She Vs. I features two guest DJ's and co-founders of a monthly Dub-Step event called Smash!. 80 Dub and King from 119 Sound.

80 DUB Mix

1. Feel It - Original Mix - V.I.V.E.K.
2. Breath So Near feat. Ryan Slack - Phychostep Remix (Fine Cut Bodies Remix) - Two Dollar Hooker
3. 7th Curse - Original Mix - Headhunter
4. Greybird - Original Mix - Subjazz
5. We Go Deep - Original Mix - Trolley Snatcha
6. Melancolie - Vyvyan Dubstep Rework - Niala'kil
7. Modern Day Slavery - Wonder Dubstep Mix - Spectral Band Replication
8. Itch - Original Mix - Kutz
9. Lazarus - Original Mix - Pinch
10.Vansan - Original Mix - Appleblim
11. Someone Like U - Original Mix - Deadly Habit
12. Rec Loose - Original Mix - NGUZUNGUZU
13. Until Next Time - Original Mix - Arkist

KING Mix

1. Om Unit - Ether
2. SDP vs DJ Lengua - Mi Camino
3. Coki n Benga - Night (SDP Dub)
4. Pop Dat Dyck Up - Sissy Nobby
5. Spank Rock - What It Look Like (Tod Edwards Mix)
6. Flinch - Register
7. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Evelyn
8. Mj Cole & Wiley - From The Drop (L-Vis 1990 RMX)
9. Mj Cole & Wiley - From The Drop
10. LV Feat Okmalumkoolkat - Boomslang
11. Acre - Ghat
12. Shy FX - Raver (MJ Cole Remix)
13. Bad Dudes - Blackout (Straight Percs)
14. Distal - Boss of The South
15. DJ Nate - We Can Work This Out - (Bad Dudes Remix)
16. DJ Rashad - It’z Not Rite
17. Bombaman - Harem Scream
18. Mensah - Stapelton Road VIP
19. Ghost Mutt - Thoroughbred
20. Flinch - No Alarm
21. ?? - French Fries Remix
22. King - Read You
23. Ghost Mutt - Platinum Skull
24. LV Feat Okmalumkoolkat - Zharp
25. Freddie Gibbs - Oil Money (Feat. Chuch Inglish, Chip Tha Ripper, Bun B Dan Auerbach)

Episode Twenty Two

2010-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

Set 1

Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave - Jody at Morningside / Just a Dream?
Koji Kondo - Sub Castle BGM
Konami Kukeiha Club - Message of Darknes
Ritmo Sportivo - Dance in the Darkness
Daedelus - An Armada Approaches
Ayako Mori - Cavern of Fear
Amen Ra Double Helix- Broken Glass
Skream - Tortured Soul
Forensics - Revisited
Carlton Livingston's - Are You Afraid

Set 2

The Avalanches - Thank you Caroline (Andy Votel Remix)
Dj Egadz - Space Ghost (Egadz Remix)
The Simonsound - Nautilus
Andy Votel & Cherrystones - November (mix2)
Souls Unlimited - Raving Vampire
The Budos Band - Nature's Wrath
The Simonsound - Between the Wake and the Sl

Set 3

Nobuo Uematsu - Devil's Lab
Kim Sun - The Man Who Must Leave
Jeru Da Damja - Ain't The Devil Happy
The Gaslamp Killer - Shattering Inner Journeys feat. Computer J
Koji Kondo - Hunted House BGM
Jansport J - Guard Ya Guns
Nightjar - A Ko Tu Nori
MonoPoly - The System Crumbles
The Vampires of Dartmoore - Dr. Caligari's Gruselkabinett
Jimi Hendrix & Curtis Knight - Strange Things
Woo Woo's - Spooky Grinder

Episode Twenty One

2010-09-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Simply put, when an artist claims that his or her music is how music should sound, he or she better make sure that the music is something special – worthy of such a claim. Risking an aura of arrogance, producer Damu The Fudgemunk does just that for his latest album, How It Should Sound, Volumes 1 & 2. Preceded by a teaser-EP of the same name, How It Should Sound is another instrumental album comprised of beats made between 2003 – 2008, featuring some of Damu’s finest work to date.

check this video of him live on the MPC on the New York streets, jamming with some emcees, or then bounce to the blog he’s involved in.

For those who haven't heard about Stevo, he is an excellent beat maker from Germany.
Stevo experiments his way through sound. Imagine a mixture of beats based with a chilled futuristic sound, hip hop slash soul. 15 track's long 'Antother Space Odyssey' & 'Muffins' are a great pieces of work that prove Stevo's skills & it paints a clear picture of how a great beat maker should sound.

Lone, is a producer that has been around for a minute. His music paints a dreamy landscape of with hip-hop beats and enticing synths in a disjointed fantasy world within each and every track. The best electronica dream beat you've ever encountered.

Minneapolis native Project Prospect laced each of the 10 cuts that can be found “As Of Late” with some very familiar samples. Described as “10 tracks that convey the feelings that I’m havin’ this summer”, “As Of Late” is just that, a perfect album for those summer evenings.

The British had those mop tops and rolling pebbles, but the States had Sky Saxon and the Seeds. These guys just hammered out their music until they dropped. So they dropped pretty quickly, except Sky kept himself on the road until he died. Best-known for their rock & roll standard "Pushin' Too Hard," the Seeds combined the raw appeal of garage rock with a fondness for ragged, trashy psychedelia. Supremely heavy organic psych-rock with snotty lyrics with none of the fruity flower power stuff they would later fall into, this album represents The Seeds finest moment.

This band started out as Bobby Jenkins and the Jades with a 45 from January 1964, by 1965 they had changed their name to Robb London and the Rogues, releasing three 45s. They played shows around San Antonio on the east side of the city and had a reputation as both a soul cover group and for British Invasion sounds. In 1967 the name of his backing band changed to Soul Unlimited, with one release, "Funny Situation" / "Gloria" on the Suzuki label. On the flip side of the record is a slow version of "Gloria" with Robb's best vocal performance, the band encouraging him with shouts. Most remarkable is the arrangement that dispenses with the repetitive chords and syncopated build-up of Them's version in favor of a relaxed pace that suits the lyrics. The opening guitar riff works well with the horns; it could of been one of there favorite song to play live.

Set 1

Q65 - Get Out My Life Woman
The Animals - I'm Mad Again
Robb London - Gloria
The Tempters - Boom Boom
The Seeds - Just Let Go
The Small Faces - You Need Lovin'

Set 3

Damu the Fudgemunk - Rock Climbing [Byte 1]
Onra and Quetzal - 476 Pourcent
Stevo - Foreign Love
Jay Dee - So Far To Go (Featuring Common & D'Angelo)
Flako - Milky Way
Jel - Oh Dear
Dreas - Lavender Rain
Teebs and Jackhigh - Splash
S.Maharba - M-L-M-H
Lone - Karen Loves Kate
Feashbeats - With Love
Project Prospect - Loser

This legendary progressive rock band, which was responsible for the UK's most expensive album was formed in 1668. They performed at a few local gigs, and as their playing got tighter, they decided to go into the studio and record an album. The six tracks, written and arranged by the band were recorded over a weekend in 1972 and consist of melodic progressive rock laced with lots of fuzzy guitar riffs. Only a handful of copies were pressed, and the first twelve copies were made into full-color gatefold sleeves, complete with booklets of photographs stapled together, augmented with handwritten notes. In 1994 the members got back together and decided to see if they could still play. Previously unrecorded tracks were dusted off, more material written, and in 1996 "Anonymous Days" was completed. They decided to do just one farewell gig, which turned out to be the Northampton Beer Festival, on May 31st, 1997.

The internet and streets have been buzzing about this young female Emcee from Brooklyn. Nikki NTU paints such vivid pictures through words. Her lyrics incorporate so much knowledge wisdom and understanding. She also has a Fierce competitive side that shows when she delivers her more harder music.
Here is what she had too say,

“For the past few months I’ve been working to the sounds of some of Brainfeeder’s greatest masterminds. Nikki NTU vs. Brainfeeder “Medulla Dinner” is a seven track EP featuring production from Ras G, Samiyam, Teebs, and Flying Lotus. It was definitely a challenge to take on such amazing music so I wanted to go where I haven’t gone both lyrically and conceptually.”

Alex B takes electronica, trip-hop, hip-hop, and electro-hop and throws all these sounds into a lo-fi mixing pot, pouring out the portions in small two-minute chunks over the course of his 45-minute debut. The tracks on "Moments" are intricately crafted with painstaking care and attention to detail. A careful mix of analog and digital sounds elevated by imaginative samples and the insight of a classically trained musician. The result is a blend of timeless warmth and future beats that is as easily adaptable to introspective time with one's headphones as it is to group mania on a mobbed dance floor.

Fresh off the London Red Bull Music Academy Moscow-based beat elevator DZA makes himself known in 2010. DZA is central to the How2make crew which ties the loose ends of bass music in Moscow and pushes Russian talents. Quick, dirty and raw. His 16-track beat tape "Five-Finger Discount" hijacks you into his kinderzimmer wherein sticker-laden efx pedals render homage to the MPC. This tape has detailed textures and beats full of precise details.

Patience is a virtue, and few know that better than understated electronic beat-maker Daisuke Tanabe. After carefully honing his craft from the age of 16, it was his first EP release in 2006 named "Gas" that really brought him to the attention of Gilles Peterson and Pete Adarkwah. Since then he has remixed and and released music on labels like Ninja Tune, BBE, and Brownswood Recordings. Taking inspiration from jazz, folk, and reggae as well as the whole canon of electronic music, this member of Tony Nwachukwu's CD-R community knows that notes and melodies are just the guidelines for the feelings that lie beneath.

The subject is jazz! Dexter is taking an new look at the long going love affair between hip-hop and jazz. From Stetsasonic to Gang Starr to Madlib, it is not an easy path to follow, but the 26 year old producer is adding a new and fresh style to it. The sound design of Dexter's "Jazz Files" is dusty but with an unmistakable 2010 twist. By implanting quotes an samples from interviews and tv shows such as the classic NBC program "The Subject Is Jazz", Dexter is telling his own little story of jazz.

Set 2

Dark - Live For Today
Parva - Mosem E Gol
P.Monnehay - Tittle Tatle
Terry Cox - Strange Dream
Madlib - Episode XIV
Plawz - Gram 8 Into Gram 14
Nikki NTU Vs. Brainfeeder - Time Lords
Alex B - At Channel One
DZA - Shifty

Set 4

Janelle Monae - Sir Greendown
Quantic - Long Road Ahead
Daisuke Tanabe - My Fish
Prefuse 73 - Ampexian Tribe of a Lesser Time
Actress - The Kettle Man
Oddisee - South Central
Skylab - Evil
Exile - Your Summer Song
Dexter - Practice Noir
Jeremiah Jae - Mash Potatoes Spinach
G.Sklair/G.Galbraith - Killer Whale

Episode Twenty

2010-05-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dear listeners, we are back from our spring break and we have some wonderful noise to share with you. With the recent change in weather we bring you some cumbia, some psych, and some library joints that will hopefully make you sweat.

The Vertigo Records label emerged at a time when rock was shaking off the "Sgt. Pepper" mindtrip of psychedelia to concentrate on heavy metal, progressive rock and fusion jazz. From 1969 to 1974, Vertigo's varied and truly experimental roster included Black Sabbath, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Vangelis (and Aphrodite's Child, the group Vangelis was in prior to going it as a solo artist), Gentle Giant and Status Quo. Those were the big names. But the label was also home to genuinely obscure acts who only ever recorded 1 or 2 albums for the label: Freedom, Tudor Lodge, Affinity, Atlantis, Cressida, Ramases. TIME MACHINE is a veritable capsule of the era. A three CD set which boasts crisp, clear and clean remastered sound, a lovingly crafted and highly detailed 48 page booklet and a veritable bounty of music from a wide variety of instant appeal to seventies rock fans. The beauty of it is its depth of coverage, with many different bands bringing out great examples of how "prog" back in the early mists of time (let's say 1972 or so) could mean many different definition.

If you dig that, I recommend Vertigo Mixed. Another brilliant, seamless mix by DJ Andy Votel. This time around he's rummaging through his own collection of Vertigo Records tracks from the 70's, and stitching them all together in a non-stop groove, complete with trippy/dippy sound-bites. Dope!

In a career spanning well over forty years, Alan Hawkshaw has always been at the top of his profession as one of the most in-demand studio musicians, owing to his virtuosic and sensitive technique on a variety of keyboard instruments, but most notably on the piano and Hammond organ. During the 1960s and ’70s - the golden era of the British session musician - Alan’s keyboard artistry featured on a staggering amount of recordings. His chameleon-like ability covers a diverse range of musical styles taking in jazz, guitar-pop, funk, easy listening and disco. "Next Stop L.A" from the de Wolfe Black Pearl album, shows his beautiful approach to orchestration and harmony.

Composer, arranger, and conductor Nick Ingman's vast body of work bridges the gap between classical, pop, and film music, and he has worked with virtually everyone on the contemporary commercial music scene. Born in London, Ingman attended several schools in the city, including Westminster. In 1966 Ingman began attending the Berklee School of Music in Boston, studying there for three years before returning to the U.K. in 1969. Ingman went freelance in the early '70s and began a long association with the BBC, working as a staff arranger and conductor with the BBC Radio Orchestra. In 1973 he released “Big Beat” on De Wolfe.

Roger Roger (better known under the name Cecil Leuter) started his career in classical music, composing symphonic poems and different soundtracks for the french "authors cinema". The Cecil Leuter project gave to him the possibility to explore new musical territories, notably the opportunity to manipulate the new coming (Moog) analog synth technologies. "Pop electronique" is completely "naive" and "spontaneous", using molecular effects and electronic loops to cover some sixties beat-psych-pop classics. He is backed by a small combo with organ, guitar, bass, and a very nifty drummer whose efforts make for plenty of great grooves and heavy breaks on the record.

Named after the biggest drug dealer of the city, Mashmakhan was a Montreal quartet that rose to national attention. By 1965 they were calling themselves The Triangle, and backing up local R&B singer Trevor Payne. They backed up Payne for four years until being discovered by record producer Bob Hahn, who helped them get signed with Columbia Records in Toronto. They changed their named and in 1970 they released their self title album Mashmakhan.

Just before the release of "Seahorse & The Storyteller", Michael Leonhart & Avramina 7's first full-length, Truth & Soul is putting out there second 45 taken from the upcoming record. Jaipur, is a dark and moody instrumental that sounds like a lost track from an Indian horror movie soundtrack. With strings and a full brass section leading the way, Jaipur is an instrumental gem that will surely please and appease beat diggers, hip hop fans, and all music lovers.

Set 1

The World Column - Lantern Gospel
Piero Piccioni - Psychedelic Mood
Can - I'm so Green
Manfred Mann Chapter Three - Travelling Lady
Heliocentrics - Vibration Of The Fallen Angels
Pram - The Last Astronaught (Andy Votel mix)

Set 2

Embrujo - Canto Sin Nombre
Spencer Mac – Ka-Ka Kabya Mow-Mow
Meaty Ogre - Kept (instrumental)
The Roots - Hot Sh*t (I'm Back!)
Michael Leonhart & Avramina 7 - Jaipur
Skeletons - 50 Degrees
Chakachas - Stories
Jerzy Millian Orklestra - Gacek
Nick Ingman - Trip Wire
Sixtoo - Incidental 6

Set 3

Leonor Gonzalez Mina - Navidad Negra
Albela - Quantic And His Combo Barbaro
Los Hijos Del Sol - Linda Muñequita
Los Guacharacos - Esperma y Ron
Andres Landero - Lolita
La Verdolaga - Totó la momposina
La Verdolaga - Totó La Momposina Y Sus Tambores
Pedro Miguel Y Sus Maracaibos - Gaita Y Sorongo
Voy A Miramar - Grupo Miramar
Arroz Con Coco - Pedro Miguel Y Sus Maracaibos

Set 4

Mashmakhan - Gladwin
Alan Hawkshaw - Next Stop L.A.
Antônio Carlos & Jocafi - Hipnose
Marconi Notaro - Desmantelado
Tullio De Piscopo - Coagulation
Cecil Leuter - Pop Electronique 01
Koushik - Cold Beats Outro
Mr. Chop - Intermezzo 4
Mia Doi Todd - Muscle, Bone, & Blood (Ammoncontact Remix)
Dj Egadz! - White Flag

Episode Nineteen

2010-03-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

UK producer 2Tall has successfully made the transition from battle dj (as a UK team champ) to downtempo producer, working with Dudley Perkins & Georgia Anne Muldrow on 2007's Beautiful Mindz album. 2Tall takes a solemn, serious approach to beatmaking squeezing emotion out of his music.

Sea Inside Body is the debut album from Kelpe and was recorded using little more than a PC, a mini disc recorder and a range of house hold implements. This album is full of beautifully crisp glitched-up beats, edits, midtempo flows, headnod burners and beatless soundtracks to public library narratives. These sound bites run like a thread throughout the album, giving it a sense of inertia but never detracting from the oceanic beauty of the compositions.

Debut EP from the Parisian beatmaker, Débruit. Punchy and loud....just how they like it in Paris! This is the follow up to last years excellent ep by Fugelence and it's a great listen from start to finish with stuttering glitchy hip-hop beats, snippets of 80's electro and a whole truckload of cheeky samples. Débruit delivers an LP in the league of Dabrye, Modeselektor or Flying Lotus but with a strong individual personality. Check it!

After years of slaving in the studio, local producer NAIK (Nature And Its Killers) unleash his debut album 'In The Shadow Of Thunder Mountain'. An exotic blend of psychedelic guitars, twisted samples, booming synths and crunchy beats. The album was intricately compiled over a number of years at NAIK's personal studio and then mixed by Heliocentrics producer Mike Burnham, making sure every bit of analogue crunchiness was preserved.

Set 1

Inch Time - Suspended
Boom Bip - Soft & Open
2Tall - For Simon Cowell
Kelpe - Sea Inside Body
Debruit - Pointy
Ad Bourke - SP
AFTA-1 - Honey Dip
Qwel & Maker - No Joke
Saafir - The Instructor
Naik - Zootrip

Initially, I was drawn into Teebs’ world when I discovered his artwork. A gifted artist, Brainfeeder-signed Teebs has an approach to beat-making that's highly synesthetic, splashing electric colors against a backdrop of dusky, blurry beats. He just released the second part to his record sleeve series. Music wise, he’s nearly completed his debut LP for Brainfeeder and will be releasing a collaboritive record with UK producer, Jackhigh later this month on Svetlana Industries. Soo good!

Natural Yogurt Band - I almost forgot about this one but came across it on a rainy Sunday and remembered why it's sooo good. It's one of the hippest non-reissue records from the Jazzman Records empire. A massive set of grooves with a really odd sort of feel! Natural Yogurt Band work in spare, funky territory with a mix of heavy drums. Makes me think of a vintage Guy Richie soundtrack.

This sounds like someone's cassette mix tape from 1978 that has been sitting on the dashboard of a Pinto for the last 30 years baking in the sun. Neon indian's sound is immediately striking for how far it pushes the lo-fi angle. The album combines lo-fi recording techniques with electronic beats and samples to create a sound that flows like the score to a 1970’s exploitation film. Most of the tracks are pretty chill, and the kind of stuff you bob your head to. Eventhough I used two of the shortest tracks on the record the rest sounds like the future according to the '80s. Check it!

Neon Indian - Mind, Drips on Vimeo.

Set 2

Take - Make Believe
DJ Bootsie - Mosquito Dance
King Midas Sounds (Dabrye remix) - One Ting
Teebs - Golden Brown
Jaylib - Raw Addict
Neon Indian - 1am
Neon Indian - 7000 Reprise
Animal Collective - Daily Routine
Flying Lotus - Aunties Harp
Portishead - Elysium
Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill - I Love You Maryjane
Joe Beats - Sleep or Bust
Hubert Daviz - War Games
Natural Yogurt Band - Lament For Piano
Pantyraid - Enter The Machine
Emalkay - When I Look At You
Bar9 - Murda Sound
Bit Turner - The Ritual Noir
Jim Brown - Seen Him
Big Youth - Screaming Target
Jah Jesco - Warning
Little Joe - Gun Court

Set 3

Chico Magnetic Band - Pop Pull Hair
Desire - Oxygene
Blue States - Your Girl
Glasser - Learn (Yacht Remix)
Glass Candy - Beatific
Chromatics - Hands in the Dark
JD & The Evil Dynamite Band - Just some more Haaa Sheesh
Koushik - Dreams (Pt. 1)

Episode Eighteen

2010-02-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

Set 1

Bobby Moore - Wanna Be Ur Man
Little Beaver - Do Right Man
Little Ann - Deep Shadows
The Monticellos - Plaid Stamps
Letta Mbulu - What's Wrong With Groovin'
Kenny Wells - Isn't It Just A Shame
Buddy Ace - True Love Money Can't Buy
Highlights - Go Down

Set 2

Ruth brown - I Don't Know
Lew conetta - You've Got Me Crazy
Johnny wells - Lonely Moon
Carol fran - I'm Gonna Try
Bobby Hamilton - How Come

Set 3

Thomas East - Slippin' Around
Black Velvet - Is It Me You Really Love
The Exprerssions - These Moments
Sly, Slick, & Wicked - Love's Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out)
Rudy Andrews - Casanova
Joe Bataan - Ordinary Guy (Afrofilipino)
The Soul Fantastics - Ain't No Sunshine
Willie Tee - Concentrate

Set 4

Alton Ellis - You've Made Me So Very Happy
Hemsley Morris - You Think I'm A Fool
Johnny Clarke - Left With A Broken Heart
Pat Kelly - I'm Coming Home
Cornell Campbell - Girl Of My Dreams
Clancey Eccles - Auntie Lulu
Cecile Campbell - Whisper To Me
Mighty Vikings - Love Me Forever

Episode Seventeen

2009-12-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

Anagram Jam
Tandy Love and Mad Smooth

There’s a bit of a mystery behind just what the hell is going on with this record. Released on Fat City by two suspects who may or may not have something to do with Finders Keepers or B-Music. The comp is a collection of 15 fuzzy and smashed edits ranging from Japanese surf rock to what sounds like Israeli funk. The kicker: the original titles and artist names are scrambled into, yes, anagrams. So have fun figuring out what you’re listening to. The album truly is an international affair combining elements from England, Korea, Turkey, Russia, France, Israel, India, America & Spain. Fun!

Mr. Chop
For Pete's Sake

After jack-of-all-trades engineer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Mr. Chop delivered a host of co-written and co-produced tracks on recent album Born Like This, DOOM touted his collaborator as "the illest to grace the boards." The praise hit the streets and landed Mr. Chop an offer to create a record of remixes and covers paying tribute to legendary NY DJ/producer/MC Pete Rock. In Mr. Chop’s compilation of Pete Rock’s greatest hits, the parts are replayed and filtered through the psych, funk, jazz and rock imprint that has become the staple of Now-Again Records. With previous releases on Jazzman’s Stark Reality label, Ape Records and his debut release for Now Again called Lightworlds, Mr. Chop is heading in the right direction.

Fama
Futurerus

Fama is a producer out of St.-Petersburg, Russian Federation. One word = Sick!

Raleigh Moncrief
Combed Over Chrome EP

This is a next level beat-based record, collapsing genres and rhythms while expanding the borders of previously established stylings. Moncrief likes his drums crunchy with a hint of glitch. Combed Over Chrome" is massive. Spliffed-out and dirty. Fresh and experimental, yet catchy and compatible with any Hip Hop and Dubstep dancefloor. This is a beat-based record that's so tangled up it seems to be perpetually collapsing, but it somehow manages to be expansive; growing more and more ambiguous with each successive track. The glitch-hop / future beat front. I like!

Raleigh Moncrief - Quiet Please from obstructive vibrations on Vimeo.

Set 1

Fama87 - Dream
Flako - Crying On The Inside
RJD2 - The Gentle Rain (remix)
Madvillain - Savage Beast (Instrumental)
Mos Def - Revelations
Chronicle Grime - Career Cats Get Tiger Suits - (According to the Anagram Jam Compilation)
Dorothy Ashby - Soul Vibrations
Petalouda -What You Can Do In Your Life - (According to the Anagram Jam Compilation)
Mr Chop - T.R.O.Y
Raleigh Moncrief - Goldrush
Dorian Concept - Her Marshmallow Secret

Set 3

Fulgeance - Birds Of Prey Remix
Glass Candy - Geto Boys
Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No (Bluntspeakers Remix)
Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears)
Circle Research - After The Laughter
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda
Shawn Lee and Clutchy Hopkins - Chapter 2
Fama87 - Say Me...Love
Prefuse 73 - Gratis (Pedro Vs. Prefuse)

Young, London based Scotsman Architeq (AKA Sam Annand) has made a lot of noise without actually releasing a lot of material since his debut 'Birds Of Prey' EP on Tirk early last year. The odd well chosen remix aside, he's been burying himself in the studio making his debut album. Gold & Green includes 14 tracks of originality, innovation and musicality that confidently occupy a bright new corner of the electronic canon, and a deeply impressive first instalment of organic instrumentation with crunchy off-beat drums, lush soulful strings and burbling soundscapes.

Lit is the second album on Merck Records from Austin, Texas based producer Malcom Kipe, better known to some as Nautilis (of Planet-Mu). Lit is a get down and dirty piece focused on the aesthetics of raw sample based hip hop and the nasty sampling habits of Malcom Kipe. This is a collection of 52 minutes of beats and instrumentals composed of twenty tracks made and polished in 2004 & 2005. This album is strongly influenced early 90's hip hop production and excessive crate digging. Including lots of material that fans of his previous full length album, Breakspiracy Theories, should fall in love with.

10 years ago, in December 1997 Atom™ and Burnt Friedman teamed up in Santiago de Chile to compose "Templates". Atom™, also known as Señor Coconut, had moved life and studio to Chile in 1997 and B.Friedman flew in as part of his annual travel to New Zealand and Australia. Equipped with few electronic production devices: sampler, sequencer and keyboard the duo managed to produce the entire first Flanger record "Templates" within one week only. Nuclear Jazz is itself a reconstitution of the Flanger catalog that started on Ntone and Ninja Tune, compiling and editing 1999's Templates and 2000's Midnight Sound into a mesmerizing hybrid of the organic and the synthetic that simultaneously connects to and pushes away from jazz and the flora where it forms the root (funk, acid jazz, jungle, trip-hop).

TRS-80 are a Chicago-based duo who mix up live drums, samples, and an array of vintage analog circuitry to create pulsing hypnotic sound collages while delivering head-bobbing grooves that keep the listener entranced. Their fourth album, Mr. Kickass, draws from an eclectic pool of influences that put the pieces back together to create a unique, unpredictable, and highly listenable soundscape. One of the band's strongest features is its live show. Using a live drummer and almost anything they can plug in to create the mood with their patented analog hodgepodge of loops and sounds.

Set 2

Jonny Greenwood - Moon Mall
Mike Gao - Melamine Breast Milk
Oh No - Madness
Madlib Beat Konducta Vol.6 - Lifetime (Lifeline)
Onra - Super Genesis ft. Haez
Architeq - Spinning Plates
TRS-80 - American Smooth Division
Dalt Wisney - R2fux
James Pants - I Promise I Lied
Dans Le Eprom - Dials Mix

Set 4

Broadcast - Creation Day the Travel Flute Way
Samon Kawamura - Interlude
E Vax - The Process of Leaving
Flanger - Full On Scientist
Architeq - Sleeping Bear Lamet (Take Remix)
Danny Breaks - Windscreen Wiper
Dabrye - Special
Malcom Kipe - Off the Joint
DJ Lengua - Tope Kinky

Episode Sixteen

2009-10-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Set 1

Clouddead - Bonus Track
The Group - The Feed-back
Delia Derbyshire - Freeze Frame
Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet - Serene
Koushik - Beep Tape 15
Otis Jackson Jr. Trio - Bitches Brew
The Fabulous Wailers - High Wall
The Pawn Shop - My Shade
Elephants Memory - R.I.P

Set 2

The Connoisseurs - Count Macabre
Armando Sciascia - Catalizzatore
Jason Crest - Black Mass
Nosaj Thing - Voices
Poppy Family - Shadows On The Wall
Dimlite and Ill Dubio - Searching
White Noise - Love Without Sound
Poppy Family - No Blood In Bone
New Dawn - Dark Thoughts
Los Sleepers - Zombie

Set 3

Henry Tree - Electric Holy Man
Chubby Checker - He Died
Pinch & Moving Ninja - False Flag
Michel Colombier & Pierre Henry - Messe pour le temps présent_ I. Prologue
Daniel Johnston - Devil Town
Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair - It's Spooky
Mount Kimbie - Maybes
Pisces - The Music Box
Delia Derbyshire - Blue Veils and Golden Sands
Black Dice & Wolf Eyes - Chimes in Black Water
Armando Sciascia - Circuito Chiuso

Set 4

Neon Blonde - Princess Skullface Sings
Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps
Bruce Haack - Mean Old Devil
Venetian Snares - Szerencsetlen
Neurosis - End of the Harvest
Burial Hex - Will To The Chapel
Suicide - Ghost Rider
Artie Shaw - The Skeleton In The Closet

Episode Fifteen

2009-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Alias (born Brendon Whitney) is originally from Portland, Maine. In 1993, upon meeting sole, who was already recording and doing shows, Alias began rapping in ciphers at parties. He moved his "studio" from his bedroom to a friend's basement where he taught himself to use an MPC 3000 and an ADAT machine. In '96 he started doing shows with The Live Poets (sole's group) around New England. It wasn't until 1998, after finishing the seminal Deep Puddle Dynamics project he moved to the West Coast in to work on building the Anticon label, as well as to focus on his music. Shotly after In 2001, Alias released his ep Final Act on Anticon that contains "Three Phase Irony",that has a western expermental hip-hop feel to it.

Usha Khanna (born 1942 in Gwalior) is an Indian music director. Regarded as the only established female music director in the Indian film industry, she remained active for more than 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. Hotel was released in 1981 and was directed by the Ramsay Brothers and Usha Khanna arranged the music. The premise of this movie is an entrepreneur asks his assistant to go to a hillside area and acquire some land for building a hotel. The assistant is led astray by the corrupt contractor- builder, who convinces him that they can make a huge profit if they build the hotel over an old Christian cemetery. They dupe the priest in charge of the cemetery, telling him they need the land for building an orphanage. They also implicate some government officials, by bribing them. In all this manipulation, the contractor-builder guy is helped by his foxy secretary, whose sex appeal is often used to their benefit. When the construction starts, they dig up all the corpses (some very bizarre faces there) and skeletons, and dump them all into a mass grave, marked only by some stones. However, the spirits of the dead are apparently outraged at this desecration, and seek revenge.

This Bulgarian duo, Casio Blaster and 99 Mistakes are names you will know soon if not by now. They continue their assault on auditory canals and speaker stacks worldwide, with 6 digi sound collages filled with beautifully crafted broken soul; further pushing the boundaries of their now trademark eklekto-hip-hop grooves.

Two/Three, is a futuristic perfection from the beat maker Dabrye. Dabrye combines rattling drum patterns reminiscent of nineties hip-hop, with grimey bass lines and spine-tingling synths, creating lush instrumental tracks that sound like outtakes from an 80's sci-fi flick. Two/Three, the second offering in a trilogy of albums, bridges the gap between One/Three's minimalist hip-hop, and shows a promising glimpse of what lay ahead. Highly recommended for any beatheads or hip-hop fans in general.

For those that don't know, the first installment of the Beat Dimensions series introduced much of the world to beats from Hudson Mohawke and FLYamSAM. This is the second plate from the followup installment to the series and includes heavyweight killers compiled by Cinnaman & Jay Scarlett including cuts from Samiyam, Dorian Concept, Fulgeance, Dimlite and Dizz1. Killer!

Sifunk & Garmunkle are a duo from NY introduce their debut beat tape for all to enjoy. The 'bloopers' concept is strung throughout with a grip of samples. CRAZY GOOD! This is East Coast future hop.

The Mighty Hannibal was a soul singer from the sock-boogaloo late 60s years! At his prime, Hannibal recorded some excellent singles that have a finger-popping funky feel. Very tight combo instrumentation mixed with raspy vocals that have more than a bit of a southern touch at the bottom. This record brings together much of his best work, complete with excellent self-penned liner notes about his rocky career, with great details that get at the heart of the life of an indie soul singer back in the day. A shameless name-dropper, a former junkie and pimp – or “MASTER ADVISOR AND MAINTAINER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS” as he put it – the Mighty Hannibal is nothing if not memorable. He even came up with a shtick in the sixties to stand out from the afro-wearing crowd: rock a turban, man! And he is still dynamite.

Set 1

Ananda Shankar- Sa Re-Ga Macha
Gaslamp Killer - A little of this
Arc - Let your love run through
A-Austr - Thumbquake & Earthscrew
Alias - Three Phase Irony
Vast Aire - Why'sdaskyblue?
Think - More Drops (edit)
Usha Khanna - Tere Jaisa Pyara Koi Nahin
Quantic and his Combo Barbaro - Un Canto A Mi Tierra

Set 2

Robot Koch vs Cerebral Vortex - Vortex Cookies (fLako Rmx)
Casual, Rock Marciano, Vordul Mega & Tragedy Khadafi - Think Differently
The Roots (Featuring Dice Raw, Pee) - Get Busy
Dabrye - Encoded Flow
Mighty King Hannibal - The Truth Shall Make You Free
Stark Reality - Say Brother
Nancy Sinatra - Friday's Child

Set 3

Mathhead - FM Dial
The Broken Keys - An Introduction
Guem & Zaka - Le Serpent
Mandrake - Berimbau (bongo re-edit)
Pamoja - Oooh Baby
Communication & Black Experience - The Road
1000 Names - Beauty Surrounds You
Fulgeance - Lonely Night

Set 4

Hubert Daviz - Falling
Daedelus - Just Briefly
Koushik - Ew
Mr Scruff (Featuring Seaming) - Beyond
Bjork - Possibly Maybe
Eliot Lipp - Tic Tac
Sifunk and Garmunkle - Chicago '95
Lukid - Veto
Dizz1 - Konotakosuke Yaro

Episode Fourteen

2009-08-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

What more can I say about Dungen, I love this band and I can’t wait to finally see these guys play live later this month in LA. Tio Bitar's three minute instrumental Intro is a beautiful concoction of their sound into one concise piece of music. Devoid of anything outrageous, it's a smooth, polished, and dope entrance for the band and a good indication of where the rest of the record is heading.

This album is absolutely fantastic. It really is great music to lose your self into. the music is full of influences, from fuzz guitar to jazz interludes. It's all over the place in subtle style shifts, but still retains a psychedelic feel to it. "take a trip to the center of your mind"

This San Francisco band fearlessly combined early electronic experiments with an acid rock sound somewhere between Jefferson Airplane and United States of America and they were definitely ahead of their time. At times incredibly dark with a sharp attention to detail, their Cauldron LP is an essential psych masterpiece.

Somewhere between psychedelic rock, delta blues and old-timey folk lies the Entrance Band. The liner notes say it was recorded 16 track onto one inch tape and it sounds tremendous, close attention reveals real depth and richness with cool instrumentation and arrangements.

Its Baris motherfucking Manco. Nuff said! Totally riveting stuff that blends some traditional Turkish influences with the psychedelic sounds of the late 60s & early 70s. Including all that fuzzed out rocking funk, and an also fantastic melody. What’s also fascinating about the music is that it incorporates sounds from the East and the West, and still sounds dope. The vocals are effectively melodic and the songs tuneful, with Turkish and other parts Eastern string and wind accents, with both hand percussion and drums, and guitars that mix rock, funk and psychedelic.

Mustafa Ozkent's Orkestrasi is a Turkish funk machine. Genclikle ile Elele is their strongest offering and has recently been reissued for those of us who weren't around when it was originally released in 1973. Wait, did you say "Turkish funk? Oh yes, that's right. Hints of Anatolian folk themes mix with in-the-pocket rhythms and spikes. Great great stuff, really. The recording quality isn't the best, but that almost makes it seem even more authentic.

This is an awesome collection put together by the same people who gave us Welsh Rare Beat and Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word! The world of 70s European rock has given us some key funky kernels over the years, but we'll be the first to admit that the long-haired, rock-based, album-only, non-English, import-only genre has been pretty tough to dip into from our side of the Atlantic. The tracks here are lean, mean, funky, and often have a distinct jazz undercurrent in some part of the instrumentation.

This collection of tracks comes from the bungalow of legendary Indian masala film director Anandji V. Shah. The director, along with his brother Kalyanji, not only wrote and directed dozens, perhaps several hundreds of films (no one knows for sure, not even them), and scored them as well throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s. These were not just any Bollywood movies - these were masala "mixed spice" films, the Bollywood version of cheap action and blaxploitation movies, B-movies, or James Bond-type thrillers. Producer Dan the Automator had DJ Josh Davis and Nana Simopoulos add some nu-groove beats and a few extra sitars to the already drenched in groove and rhythm tracks. It wasn't so much to update them as to celebrate what was already happening in the music. Here is surf music, blues, go-go, discothèque, psychedelia, cheesy R&B, and exotica all wound together with spoken bits from the films that accent the wildness of these pieces.

Sixtoo is the main project of a Canadian hip hop DJ, MC and producer Vaughn Robert Squire. He was born on January 29, 1974 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He rose to prominence in the mid-90's underground hip-hop scene initially as a member of Sebutones, along with Richard Terfry (Buck 65). During that time he worked with Sage Francis, Stigg of the Dump, Moka Only, Mr. Dibbs and other members of Anticon Records. The Psyche Intangible CD was released in 1998 on Metaforensics. Quoted by Sixtoo, "The Psyche Intangible was the first record that I really considered to be a Sixtoo record. It’s the first record that has very signature writing in it, and it’s the first record that really starts to show off the production type that I think I’ve grown into. Dark sparse beats, hard drums, and all those things that I tend to gravitate towards."

One of the greatest albums ever by studio genius David Axelrod! The album's one of Axelrod's first on his own - cut for Capitol Records at a time when he was working with some of the label's biggest selling soul acts - like Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls - turning their already-successful sounds into super-hit material by adding some nice funky touches, and excellent baroque production. This album lets Axelrod fully explore his talents for larger studio arrangements, and complex yet soulful instrumentation. The record is subtitled "an anthology of awareness after birth, based on the 18th century poems of William Blake" -- and it features incredible arrangements conducted by Don Randi, played by a host of excellent LA jazz and studio players. The overall sound is spacey and dark, with nice touches of funk, and plenty of cool instrumental passages that have been sampled over the years by hip hoppers and other producers.

Set 1

Dungen - Intro
Ultimate Spinach - Mind Flowers
Fifty Foot Hose - Fantasy
Gaslamp Killer - Robots
Entrance - Grim Reaper Blues
Shocking Blue - Love Buzz

Set 2

Timothy McNealy - Sagittarius Black
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Song For David
Bombay The Hard Way - The Good, The Bad, and the Chutney
Joseph Koo & Wang Fu Ling - The Killing Fight
Baris Manco - Iste Hendek, Iste Deve
Meconium - Limp Love
Bullion - Long Promised
Sixtoo - Marching

Set 3

Fikret Kizilok - Haberin Var Mi
Baris Manco - Derule
Okay Temiz - Denizalti Ruzgarlan
Mazhar Ve Faut - Turkuz Turku Cagir
Mogallar - Anadolu Pop - Halicte Gu
Mustafa Ozkent Ve Orkestrasi - Dolana Dolana
Cem Karaca - Suya Giden Alli Gelin
Okay Temiz - Penguin
3 Urel - Omur Biter Yol Bimez

Set 4

Salah Ragab - Dawn Intro
David Axelrod - The Sick Rose
Peter Schirmann- Lagerfeuer
Nobody - Leading
Lorez Alexandria - Baltimore Oriole
RSD - Pretty Bright Light
Cedric I'm Brooks - The Light of Saba

Episode Thirteen

2009-07-01T02:45:00.000-07:00

Mayer Hawthorne is at it again with a new single “I wish it would Rain”. The track has a sound along the lines of his debut single “Just Aint Gonna Workout”, Detroit Flavor with a modern-retro twist. Hawthorne has a nice touch, and has developed a bit of a niche that stands apart from today’s pop and contemporary crowd. Another Goodie from Mayer Hawthorne.

Ant Trip Ceremony - Outskirts is the first song on their album 24 Hours that was released in 1968. The band was formed in Utah and named after a suggestion from a local English professor who had seen the term in a novel. The phrase was a description of modern human society. Their album was recorded in two sessions, the first in February 1968 and the second some months later.
Technical faults affected the recording: the KLH deck used for playback had a faulty right speaker and the mixdown was affected as a result with vocals sounding further back in the mix than originally intended. Originally only 300 copies of the album were pressed and sold. Now the reissued version is pressed on Resurrection.

With this release, Soul Jazz Records are reissuing a long lost album by The Art Ensemble Of Chicago, one of the most important and radical Jazz groups to come out of the USA. 'Les Stances A Sophie' was recorded in Paris in 1970 and features the regular Art Ensemble members (Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Flavors) alongside the newly recruited drummer Don Moye and Fontella Bass on vocals and piano. Fontella Bass (who was married to Lester Bowie) had a successful career as a soul singer ('Rescue Me' was her biggest hit in the sixties). The addition of these two performers maybe in some way explains the uniqueness of this recording, especially 'Theme De Yoyo' . Vocals (and lyrics) alongside a constant drum and bass beat were new elements to the recorded music of the Art Ensemble at this time. This recording would appear to contradict the AEC's desire for music to be heard and played simply as Sound with the freedom from accepted forms (ie Blues, Jazz etc) that were used to describe music. Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler were the forerunners of Free Jazz (The New Jazz).

Whirlwind Heat was first signed to Jack White's label, Third Man Records. Their sound is a bit like White's band (garage rock favorites the White Stripes), but with a Moog synthesizer taking the place of guitar. Featuring members David Swanson (vocals/synthesizer), Steve Damstra (bass), and Brad Holland (drums), the trio first got together to play music in 1996. Originating from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA area, the band took their name from infamous punk rock illustrator Raymond Pettibon (the phrase "Whirlwind Heats" can be found on Sonic Youth's 1990 alt rock classic Goo), and started out as a conventional guitar/bass/drum rock outfit. Eventually, the guitar was replaced by a Moog as the trio befriended indie rockers Arab On Radar, with whom they toured. In 2004 Flamingo Honey was released on Dim Mak/XL Recordings and Ice Nine is track eight on that album.

The Brain Police were an early psychedelic garage band who, in the late sixties, opened for many national acts, including the Who, the Byrds, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Steppenwolf, and Buffalo Springfield. After recording the unreleased album and failing to land a major-label contract, the frustrated band broke up at a local gig in which they opened for Steppenwolf. This unreleased LP was reissued on CD by Normal/Shadoks, as were songs cut for a 1969 single and poppier 1964-1966 cuts from singles by the Man-Dells and the Other Four (bands that Brain Police songwriters Norman Lombardo and Rick Randle played in prior to 1967).

1984 hails originally from Philadelphia, PA. Unfortunately, this record has never seen well distribution. Even in collectors circles this 45 is quite unknown. "There's a wrinkle in our time" side A is a fantastic funk tune with a groove that never stops! You must shake your hips while listening to it! No chance to keep still! It's amazing! The B-side, which has never seen the light of the day until this Tramp reissue, is an uptempo funk instrumental with a drum / percussion breakdown half through the song! Solid!

Set 1

J Dilla Beat Tapes vol. 1 - You're the One For Me Bobby
Mayer Hawthorne - I Wish it Would Rain
Art - Love is Real
Ant Trip Ceremony - Outskirts
Girolamo Ugolini - Ritmo D'Industria
Gagle - Kuro Fessional MC (instrumental)
Glue - Catch As...(Instrumental)
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme de Yoyo

Set 3

Rogers Sisters - Stop what you're doing in case of emergency
Whirlwind Heat - Ice Nine
Brain Police - I'd rather see you dead
The Broken Keys - Burnt Popcorn
Quantic Soul Orchestra - End of the road (feat. Alice Russell)
The Sweet Vandals - Wake Up!
1984 - Theme
Banda Los Hijos De La Nina Luz - El Sapo/Crees Que Soy Sexy

The amazing full length debut of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a cool combo from the Chicago scene who have been making some big waves around the world over the past few years! The approach to their music mixes spiritual jazz, deep funk, and elements of New Orleans music too - a really unique style that has earned the group's rare singles some tremendous praise. The set features guest appearances from Malcolm Catto, Tony Allen, Flea, and Damon Albarn -but the real strength of the record lies in the group's amazing horns and rhythms. More importantly I found the Marcus Garvey song this special Record Store Day LP. This LP Crashes Hard Drives is the! It’s a joint effort by some of the best retro-soul and reissue labels on this great spinning globe, including Numero Group, Daptone, Jazzman, Finders Keepers, Now Again, Light in the Attic and Vampi Soul, with songs ranging from middle-eastern psych to gospel on the other. if you're a follower of any of the labels involved, or you just live the thrill of discovering new (and sometimes old) music, you must go out and find it. This is the kind of record that reminds music lovers why we should keep searching and buying, and most importantly, keep listening - there's always something waiting to be found.

For anyone who stumbled across the 'Cherrystone' series and can't get enough Finders Keepers this is for you. it does get weird but trust, you won't be locked into a 15 minute prog, kraut epic. Give it a go and get a life change. This is Mr. Votel's first compilation for fat city recordings. On the album he features some of his favorite tracks which takes in productions from France, U.S , U.K, Germany, Turkey and Hungary and includes countless rare breaks & beats."Find it , buy it, play it !" It's fun.

P.E. Hewitt’s Winter Winds is one of the rarest damn-good 70s jazz albums you could ever hope to come across. There are many rare jazz albums in every imaginable subgenre – funk, free, fusion... But Hewitt, a composer, arranger, vibraphonist, pianist and pilot, helmed a crack group of musicians and recorded a damn-good album ... Without ever taking the time out to name his record company. His three albums – pressed in a maximum run of one hundred pieces per album – recently surfaced after Bay Area collector Chris Veltri re-discovered an old find and sent music detectives on the hunt. You see, Hewitt’s “Winter Winds” album so damn-good that neither a micro press nor forty years of silence could suppress its reemergence. Winter Winds, his third album, is the most “accessible” of the three Hewitt records. This is not to say that his previous albums are obscure, just to say that this album appeals to those who might want to dance while having their consciousness expanded. “Bada Que Bash” will appear on Now-Again’s forthcoming partnership-release with Jazzman Records – the expanded version of the label’s Spiritual Jazz anthology.

Maravilha! Domingas is a samba soul classic from Jorge Ben on quite possibly his greatest album ever, and a true treasure through and through! The tunes explode with an amazing sense of energy driven by Jorge’s great guitar and vocals, plus key percussive efforts that sound simply amazing, and create a unique undercurrent of funk. This is the album that set a whole generation on fire, and it’s probably still one of the most-copied moments of Ben’s long career. In contrast to the cerebral output of the Tropicalia camp in 1969, this album’s much more organic and personal yet no less revolutionary!

Verocai's 1972 album on Continental is a straight up Brazilian holy grail LP and personally, if you listen to how intricate his arrangements are, how brilliant his fusions of Brazilian and American styles come together here, you can understand why people jones for this album so badly.
I was lucky enough to see the album come to life when Verocai preformed in Los Angles early this year. The original album is phenomenal and was perfectly suited for the grandiose performance with a string section, horn section, percussionists, two keyboard players, two guitarists and alternating stand-up and electric bass . . . and most importantly the ensemble pulled it off perfectly. The performance sounded great. Secondly, it was staggering to think that this was the first time that these songs had ever been performed live and the second time they have been performed at all (the first time being in the studio and most likely that wasn't all 36 pieces playing live at the same time). Lastly, it was a great concept to take this relatively obscure document from 1972 performed in 2009 and restoring it to its deserved place in history. Bottom line is that this recording may be extremely obscure and therefore considered obscure, but the music is so good it deserves to be heard and in its original form, or better than that its original form performed LIVE!

Blues Creation formed in 1969 by vocalist and guitarist Kazuo Takeda and they debuted with an album containing covers of American blues, songs written by E. Clapton, J. Mayall among others. Carmen Maki and the Blues Creation is a rare as hell 1970 heavy rock guitar monster from Japan with the beautiful Carmen Maki. "Demon and Eleven Children" is not the only heavy album from these guys! This is every bit just as essential. It has some brutal non-stop wailing guitar! It also has some sweet mellow bluesy psychedelic rock numbers too. I am convinced that if the Blues Creation were in some other place of origin, such as England or the U.S., surely the album (DEMON & ELEVEN CHILDREN) would appear in any of those categories of "Best Hard Rock Albums... "

Set 2

Carmen Maki & Blues Creation - I Can't Live For Today
Demon Fuzz - Another Country
The Rapture - Confrontation
Faust - Party 2
Orient Express - Azaar
Bokaj Retsiem - I’m So Afraid
Unfolding - I Got a Zebra
Franz Auffray - Son Of Popcorn
Christine 23 Onna - Wild private

Set 4

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Marcus Garvey
Jack Hendrix' Tchick-Bams - Turnround
P.E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble - Bada Que Bash
Orlann Divo - Beleza Nao Vai Embora
Jorge Ben - Domingas
Arthur Verocai - Na Boca do Sol
Jose Mauro - Apocalipse

Episode Twelve

2009-06-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know who Clutchy is. I’m sure I’m not alone. Some theories on who this man might be range from Cut Chemist to Danger Mouse. No doubt that his music is simply timeless and his new album titled Music is My Medicine is proof of that. The album is filled with dusty jazz-influenced beats, with some Jamaican dub mixed in. What’s also interest me is the story surrounding the release of this album. To find out more about the misled children, Joshua Tree, Lord Kenjamin, and poisonous Lionfish read the press story on Ubiquity Records.

Onandon is an astonishing debut album that will slay you if you're a lover of the blunted beat constructions. This album proves just how creative the years between 12 and 20 can be when given the right channel to bloom. Onandon is filled with hip-hop electronics that uses sick loops, lazer-tag beats and dope rhythms. It’s an album that is mature, complex and (most importantly) a damn good listen.

DJ Nobody presents Blank Blue with their album titled Western Water Music Vol. II
is a concept album that either deals with an Armageddon-type earthquake that sank the state of California or upon a series of nightmares that haunted Estela's (Nobody's) sleep. The music is innovative and atmospheric. These soulful beat productions are embellished with pop, psychedelic instrumentation, vintage samples, and above all, great drums.

If you like dark, ambient, prog-fusion beats you will be happy to know that Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, is a nice example of that, but a rather tricky one. At first, it feels like a Prefusemixtape. That said, the songs do all blend together rather seamlessly. While the first third is a more fuzzy, mellow affair, the second third sees Prefuse starting to stretch the beats into something more noteworthy. The last third is where things start to space out a bit, with Prefuse mixing vocal looping with a more computer, minimalist driven element. Anyone who likes dark, downtempo-ish electronica should check it out.

interjections make this a consistently engaging reconstruction of the 1970s Ethiopian grooves. The Spiky guitar riffs, restrained bursts of brass, and glitchyHeliocentrics are a somewhat musicians collective, and composer Astatke is one of the genre's original stars, so it's an unlikely pairing. On Inspiration Information 3, Mulatu Astatke and The Heliocentrics go back and forth from songs most strongly defined by Astatke's unique Ethio-jazz style to more modern funk breaks that sound more like remixes. But the result is as vital a tribute to Astatke’s haunting sound. The Heliocentrics provide a badass complement to Astatke's more hypnotic sounds. Astatke and The Heliocentrics already sounded great individually, but together they create something new and wonderful, a fine addition to both artists' catalogs.

Set 1

Clutchy Hopkins - Tune Traveler
Lukid - The Now
Hudson Mohawke - Polkadot Blues
JDilla Beat Tapes - Track12
Flying Lotus - GNG BNG
Nobody and Blank Blue - All the Shallow
Prefuse 73 - Regato
Mulatu and the Heliocentric - Addis Black Widow

Set 3

Augustus Pablo - Lovers Mood
Horace Andy - Problems
Cornell Campbell - My Conversation
King Tubby - King Tubby’s Conversation
Prince Francis - Rock Fort Shock
Jackie Mittoo- Hang em High
Skatalities - Herb Man Dub
Lee Arab - Now
Dave Barker - Funky Funky Reggae
Pyramids - Geronimo
Cedric Im Brooks - The Light of Saba - Sabayindah

The duo’s first album, due to release in 2009, offers an intriguing variety of sounds, including what the duo describe as ’50s and ’60s-inspired space music, mood music for film and TV, haunting vocal tracks inspired by the windswept beauty of their home town, and switched-on cover versions of ’70s funk classics realised on the Moog synthesiser.

There is not a lot of information about the band or the film from which this soundtrack was taken. A special pressing soundtrack to the Barry R. Kerr film of the same name, The Flasher soundtrack was performed by Pool-pah with assistance from the group Ralph and their ARP synthesiser. The music is a strange brew of solo ARP synth, 1960s style beat / psychedelic vocal numbers and a killer slowburn funk instrumental, Sour Soul, favourite of such esteemed DJs.

Dwilt Sharpp double 7'' Ep is a hypnotic and sensual genius which evolves within dreams and reality. Gathering influences from electronic music, prog rock, and deep soul. Providence is a re-edit from Baris Manco - Gonul Dagi taken off is 1976 album Ben Bilirim.

Riffing guitar and funky drums get this one going from the start, a cooking little number topped with raspy female vocals a really bad-sister funk number that should get Dojo Cuts plenty of notice! The vocals really help the track loosen up a bit relaxing into a groove that's a nice change from some of the too-tight funk bits out there and the flipside features a very similar vibe, which is perfect for its cool cover of the older classic "See & Don't See".

Jazz Chronicles is a project by Futuristica Music Simon which is heavily influenced by his love of classic era of hip-hop and spiritual jazz. This first release is a limited 7'' series. Don't sleep on it !!!!!

Set 2

Broadcast - Locust
The Simonsound - Bad Love
Pool Pah - Sour Soul
Men's Recovery Project - How long have you lived in this house
Men's Recovery Project - Bleeding Gash
Dwilt Sharpp - Providence
Autolux - Here Comes Everybody
Unwound - October All Over

Set 4

Round Trip Ticket - Captain Purple Rides Again
Marvin Gaye - Betsy Collins Re-Edit
Betty Barney - Momma Momma
Dojo Cuts - See and Don't See
Jazz Chronicles - One of Joe
Chico Buarque - Cotidiano
Ana Mazzotti - Feel Like Making Love

Episode Eleven

2009-04-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

So set 2 is my tribute to instrumental hip hop. That head bobbin rhythm. i wanna start things off with Dilla. Ahhh Jay Dilla. Not much to say that hasn’t been said when it comes to his abilities in beat crafting and moving hip hop towards the future. Donuts is an impressive creative thirty-one track instrumental album. "Workinonit," the first proper track, showcases Dilla's ability to seamlessly blend together styles, this time psychedelia, rock n roll and hip hop, to head boppin effect. The tracks are blended together with numerous jazz and soul samples, and makes all the tracks 1-2 minutes long each. Quite a ride musically all over the map. Dig it. RIP Dilla.

What makes this one special is probably the fact that it’s also a great tribute project, since it’s not only Beach Boys and Dilla mixed together but also Bullion’s style as a producer who’s apt at following Dilla’s steps, clearly shows.

Oh No displays a creative intuition in looping the source material and choosing good parts to sample. People who are familiar with Ersen or Selda will recognize he researched raw and rare psych from Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and Italy to formulate his antidote to wack samples and played-out loops.

After visiting his grandparent's homeland in Saigon Onra returned with a crateful of old Chinese and Vietnamese vinyl. He cut and mixed them up with beats that make this the
perfect soundtrack to any Hip-Hop head going or dreaming of going to South East Asia. It reflects all the different sides of those countries: Raw, sad, culturally rich, amusing, kitsch and romantic.

Madlib dropped a truly amazing double album of his tripped out beats. The smoke is in the air, the samples are wild, and the bass is bumpin.

Somewhere along the line I decided to end with Joe Pass Guitar Interludes. This track is a little more dramatic and orchestral of course but the guitar and bass lines are dope, and it really sweeps you away.

Set 4 is a collection of some of my favorite post punk songs the introverted, complex and experimental. Pylon is definitely one of those great bands of the new wave genre who were sadly overlooked by many listeners. If you're looking for really good, straight-ahead new wave, Pylon is made for you. The sound is rythym section heavy, with the bass mixed high, almost like a more melodic Gang of Four. The riffs are repetitive and always dance-able.

Lora Logic squalled her way into punk as the saxophonist on the feminist anthem, "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" Who knows what other damage she could have done with Poly Styrene and X Ray Spex, but disagreements between the two led Lora to leave the band and form Essential Logic in 1978 and thank goodness for that.

Such an underrated album. Juggling spacious guitars sounds, dark, abstract, yet dancey. It's from the post punk hey day, and nothing will ever sound like any of these bands again. An amazing, short lived era, unfortunately

Set 2
Workin On It - JDilla
Borrowed Time - Madvillian
Wouldn’t It Be Nice - Buillon
Onra - One Day
Oh No - Higher
Madlib the Beat Konducta - Third Ear
J Zone - Calamine Lotion
Flying Lotus - Bad Actors
Omega One - Interlude Two
Glue - Vessel
Joe Pass - Guitar Interlude

Set 4
Pylon - Feast On My Heart
PIL - Memories
Lora Logic - Brute Fury
Delta 5 - Try
Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods
A Certain Ratio - Do The Du
Palais Schaumburg - Telephon
Joy Division - Digital

My whole intention with this first mix was to do a northern soul mix but it turned out incorporating a little bit of funk and then little bit of whatever I felt fell in good together which made it what it is. Starting off with Barbara Lynn’s I’m a good woman you can‘t really go wrong and how could you not get your groove on to this song.
Ouch! I been hurt, but I refuse to cry! Speaking of screaming vocals, another James Brown related vocalist, Ms. Yvonne Fair, practically shreds her vocal chords on this guaranteed floor-filler "Say Yeah Yeah"... painfully funky up tempo mid-60's soul, with superb backing track: groovin' organ, crisp drums, punchy horns, and male r&b style chorus.

Next is The Atlantics with their soul smoker called “Beaver Shot” (complete with porn-snapping camera noises that likely went right over the head of 99% of the listening audience). The rest of the compilation ranges from pretty neat to mediocre. Don’t give up the ghost too early because the real good ones are scattered all over the 30 tracks here.

This is Carolina Funk! Jazzman records continues its quest to uncover the best and rarest Funk ever with the success of ‘Florida Funk’, they moved up the Atlantic coast to look at the vibrant and original scene in the two rural states of North and South Carolina – collectively known as the Carolinas.
Bordering the Bible belt, the Carolinas share the reputation of neighboring Tennessee – and without any large urban centers, much of the musical output of the Carolinas has been limited to single towns, with bands and their records seldom venturing further than the state line. From inspired percussive instrumentals to heartfelt slabs of soul; from rediscovered tapes in the garages of retired musicians. Carolina Funk presents 22 of the best, rarest and most sought-after heavy funk songs ever recorded, with breakbeats to spare.
Legendarily rare slab of insane heavy funk from South Carolina! Hailing frin the miniscule town of Harleyville South Carolina, The Soul Drifters cut this super heavy self-penned stormer in 1974. Known from a small handful of original copies, ‘Funky Soul Brother’ has been in big demand for many years. Highly recommended!
Worrrrd

Set 1
Barbara Lynn - I'm a Good Women
Yvonne Fair - Say Yea Yea
Bronx River Pkwy - Lima Blues
The Atlantics - Beaver Shot
Sheila Wilkerson - Baby your a Jive Cat
Frankie Valli - Beggin' (Edit)
The Soul Drifters - Funky Soul Brother

Set3
John Cameron - Underlying Expectancy
Aggregation - Change
Edwin Starr - Twenty-Five Miles
Tickled Pink - Reach Out
Little Denise - Check Me Out
Frankie 'Loveman' Crocker - Ton of Dynamite
The Young Disciples Co. - Crumbs From the Table
L. Daniels - Nitecap

Episode Ten

2009-03-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

Are You Psych’d…? …If you’re not, prepare to be. I’ve got some crazy shit for you. Psychedelic soul funk rock or something like that. Starting things off is a beautiful rock track by Ersen. Reissue on Finders Keepers Records. This record is a compilation of numerous 45's and Ep's issued in the 70's by Ersen, a singer and violinist that was at the heart of some of the influential Turkish rock music of the era, having collaborated with some of Turkey's best known rockers-notably Mogollar, who back him up on several of the tracks. The tracks are all great examples of what make Turkish rock from the 70's great: interesting instrumentation including electric saz and violin alongside the fuzz guitars, rocking bass playing, funky beats, expressive vocals that one need not know the Turkish language to enjoy.

Next is Sarolta Zalatnay. Her powerful voice accompanied by electric guitar, organ and all, Prog, Hard Rock, Funk, you did not imagine music from Communist Eastern Europe like that, did you? So it is appropriate that the label, 'Finders Keepers', has compiled and released this compilation as well . The album has some quite excellent breaks & beats and Sarolta Zalatnay sings like no one else. Her vocals, all sung in Hungarian are at times ferocious.

Following is a truly wonderful example of late 60's UK Blues rock with Martha Velez’s swamp man.

I'm a fan of Stones Throw Records. Their offshoot record company, Now-Again records is responsible for this one. "Out There" is a great name for it. "Out There" combines everything I love about jazz, hip-hop and funk: heavy grooves, backed by breakbeat-style jazz drums and laced with dissonant abstract-jazz touches.
The opener, "Distant Star" is a perfect example. Strings fly skyward, and then the beat drops in and you just can't help smashing your head back and forth.

One of the coolest African collections I’ve seen-- a beautiful assortment of untapped grooves from the 70s, African Scream Contest easily joins the ranks of the most essential African funk compilations, partly by covering ground no one else has walked on, but mostly just for relentlessly kicking ass for over an hour. This is some of the best funk ever recorded anywhere, definitely more in the raw and psychedelic territory promised by the title, and filled with hard-edged vocals that surely know how to scream!

"Sitar Blues" an instrumental garage soul monster with psychedelic sitar and eastern vibes that conjures up the groovy summer of love action – in fact it’s an exotic and genuine real deal titty shaker! Performed by the Punjabs - a cool bunch of cats from southern California, they cut this instrumental sitar garage soul workout in 1968 for a pimp known as ‘Prince’ - boss of their sleazy hangout/brothel/go-go club where they used to perform in front of gyrating strippers, go-go girls and their johns! Open your mind and expand your mind – or get down to some nitty gritty, the choice is yours! - jazzman records

Set three is a collection of songs for lovers of that 60's Beat Sound. This set includes a cover of the famous Van Morrisson's song GLORIA by The Hound Dogs who give it a way more raw garage sound then the original. The cover of The Rolling Stones, 'Paint it Black' is done by French pop singer Marie Laforêt. Then there is the underrated and much appreciated Manchester band from the sixties St. Union Station doing East Side Story.

Always hoping to expand some ears and create new listeners! Dig it!

Psychedelic Soul Funk Rock

Set 1
Ersen - Metelik
Sarolta Zalatnay - Hadd Mondjam El
Martha Velez - Swamp Man
Heliocentrics - Distant Star
Roger Damawuzan - Wait for Me
The Punjabs - Sitar Blues

Set 3
John Hammond - I Wish You Would
Bonnie St. Clair - Tame Me Tiger
The Hound Dogs - Gloria
St. Louis Union - East Side Story
Peggy Paxton - It Ain't What I Do
Marie Laforet - Marie Douceur, Marie Colere (Paint it Black)

The artist known simply as Rodriguez was born Sixto (pronounced "Seez-toe") Diaz Rodriguez in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1942. He was the sixth child (the Sixth Prince) of immigrant Mexican parents. He recorded the classic album Cold Fact in Detroit in 1969 and it was released in the USA on the Sussex Label in March 1970. This album was filled with tales of love, poverty, rebellion, and of course "jumpers, coke, sweet mary jane" songs about life in the late 60s inner-city America. Sadly the album sank without a trace. Until a year later the album was released in South Africa by A&M Records, who were now the owners of the Sussex Label. The introduction of this album was such impact to the people of South Africa that it is considered as a beacon of revolution.

Omega One's debut album The Lo-Fi chronicles was released on November of 2005. This albums showcases electric samples with gritty drums and seamless sequencing. After three widely distributed mix CDs, DJ gigs with Method Man and Masta Killa and productions for people like Aesop Rock, The Lo-Fi chronicles proves that Omega One is more than cable of carrying an album by himself. In 2008 Omega One released his second album Postcard From The Third Rock on Johnny 23 Records.

Proud Flesh is a German rock band from the early Krautrock era. The band was formed in 1969 in the former diplomat's city of Bonn-Bad-Godesberg (Germany) and split up in 1972 due to the drummers ruptured lung . The group had been made up of musicians of the local bands Cool Stove, Desperados, Hangmen and Rats. Proud Flesh toured all over Germany, did gigs in Luxembourg and were the supporting act for famous bands such as The Lords, The Rattles, Golden Earring and Brian Auger and The Trinity ("Streetnoise" album). After some pieces of Softrock at the start and melodical Progressive rock songs later on the music of the band became more and more hard rock like. Hence Devil Fight.

Quiet Dawn was first released in 2007 on the label Tru Thoughts. This was Nostalgia 77 third album Everything Under The Sun. In 2008 Bonobo did a exclusive remix of Quiet Dawn, clocking in at an epic 7 minutes. On the album version, the vocal from Beth Rowley is languorous yet pure, sultry yet inviting, bringing every nuance out of Lamdin’s beguiling lyrics. It is complimented by purely liquid keys and tenor sax and the finest mist of percussion, capturing a hazy, ethereal atmosphere.

Set 2
Rodriguez - Sugar Man
Maker - Streetstrut (extended)
Omega One - 20 Million Miles
Maker - Live it (pt. 1 & 2)
Sixtoo - Broken Monitor
Shawn Lee's Pinp Pong Orchestra - Montery Jack
Natural Yogurt Band - Voodoo
Hi-Society Bros - Don't Spill the Wine
Bronx River Parkway - La Vala

Set 4
Aloe Blacc - Blind Man (instrumental)
Thanes - Beginning Word
Proud Flesh - Devil Fight
Ersen - Gonese Don Cicegim
Guy Pedersen et son Grand Orchestre - We Love You
Dungen - Mina Damer Och Fasaner
Rosinha De Valencia - Summertime
Nostalgia 77 - Quiet Dawn

Episode Nine

2009-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Set 1

James and Bobby Purify - I Don’t Have To Wait
Soul Explosion – Love Is The Answer
The Ordells – Sipping On A Cup Of Coffee
Soul Sounds Unlimited – Lost In A Dream
Ruben and the Cassanovas – It’s Not That Easy
Darling Dears – And I Love You

Set 2

Onra and Quetzel – You Don’t Have to Go
The Originals – Baby I’m For Real
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters – The Town That I Live In
Patti Drew – Tell Him
Lee Bonds - I’ll Find A True Love
The Sweet and Inocent and The Memphis Mustangs - Cry Love
The Downbeats -Why Do You Love Another
Lee Fields and The Expressions – Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)

Set 3

The Moments – Love On A Two Way Street
Nazz – Hello It’s Me
Carla Thompson – I’m Falling In Love (With You)
Ultimate Ovation – Girl, You’re All I Want
Timothy – Easy Easy Easy
Marvell Hampton – I Know How It Feel
The Just Brothers – She Broke His Heart
Mike and The Censations – There Is Nothing I Can Do About It

Set 4

The Complexions & The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
Ruby Andrews – You Made a Beliver Outta Me
Mantrap – Suevecito
Marilyn Barbarin – Reborn
The Metros - Since I Found My Baby
Majestic Arrows - The Magic Of Your Love
Hemsley Morris and Phil Pratt – Little Things

Episode Eight

2009-01-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

Salsa Set

1. Sonora Poncena - Fuego En El 23
2. Austin Arce Orquesta - Sangrando por La Herida
3. Henry Fiol - Picoteando Por Ahy
4. The Latin Dimension - Eleanor Rigby
5. Sexteto La Playa - Tilingoni Titingo
6. Carlos Hayre - Me Gusta Boogaloo

Here is a live performance by Sonora Poncena

What's Wrong Mix

Tracklist:

1. Francois De Roubaix - Les Dunes D'ostende
2. Sam Taylor - Heaven On Their Minds
3. El Michels Affair - Behind the Blue Curtains
4. Sound Studio Orchestra - Southbound
5. Five Day Rain - Marie's a Woman
6. Pat Stalworth (edit) - Questions (pt. 1 2)
7. Catharsis - Styx
8. Nino Nardini - Tropicola
9. Assaigai - Cocoa
10. Eddie Fisher - East St. Louis Blues
11. Darondo - Legs
12. Bran - Y Gwylwyr
13. Ferdi Ozbegen - kopruden gecti gelin
14. Gianni Ferrio - la gabbia
15. Bruno Spoerri - les electroniciens
16. Hunger - colors
17. The Poppy Family - Where Evil Grows
18. Ultimate Spinach - Hip Death Goddess
19. The Lyman Woodard Organization - creative musicians
20. The Martins Brothers Dance Band - ochonma

Episode Seven

2008-12-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Some picks of 2008

Radiohead - In Rainbows - Radiohead is a band who's releases continue to remain solid throughout over a decade of songwriting. While other bands dwindle in their creativity, they keep it up with every album. In Rainbows has uptempo guitar songs and moody acoustic ballads, full of headphone-tweaking sound effects.

Vivian Girls - (st) - The recording quality on their debut album is admirably scuzzy; the drums sound like somebody's banging a cereal box on the floor, which is part of the immediate charm.

Shawn Lee and Clutchy Hopkins - Clutch of the Tiger - It's dusty and mysterious junkyard jazz that's powered by sly beats and other-worldly funk.

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles - Flying Lotus has an amazing ability to create thick, rolling beats that pop and crack over smoked out basslines that evoke the 8-bit classics, but they're drenched in swirling synth lines and chopped apart beyond recognition. Highly recommended.

Black Mountain - In the future - An album filled with experimentation, hard rock and psychedelic blues.

Dungen - 4 - I don't understand how this band continues to make the most genuinely great psychedelic revivalist music and still seems relatively unnoticed.

Dead Meadow - Old Growth - vintage hard rock, tinged with some bluesy psychedelica, metal and stoner riffs, with the occasional ballad, and striking lyrics with a sense of fantasy.

The Organ - Thieves - 80s-influenced melancholy pop tones. Sadly their last and final release.

King Khan and his Shrines - The Supreme Genius of King Khan and his Shrines - a 60's garage record steeped in 70's R&B and Soul.

Jay Reatard - The Matador Singles - The simplicity is evident throughout this collection, if you added any more to any of these songs it would almost certainly ruin them. All that is really needed is a reliable verse and a chorus that practically screams "genius". Each of these songs is a perfectly crafted chunk of pop perfection, and in this case, it would not be a mistake to go the full Reatard.

Favorites of 2008
Set 1
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling into Place
Vivian Girls - Tell the World
Shawn Lee and Clutchy Hopkins - Bill Blows it
Flying Lotus - Beginners Falafel
Black Mountain - Wucan

Set 3
Favorites of 2008
Dungen - Samtigidt 2
Dead Meadow - I'm Gone
The Organ - Let the Bells Ring
King Khan and his Shrines - I Wanna be a Girl
Jay Reatard - See Saw

Set 2

Beats Broke's second release, also marks the first record ever available from Arts The Beatdoctor from the Netherlands in North America. Progressions is a double seven-inch (2x7") vinyl EP, limited to 500 numbered copies.

Tobacco - Truck Sweat recorded Fucked Up Friends using analog synths and tape machines, which gives his work a timeless distance from digital pop music at large. His tracks evoke sonar, mellotrons and deteriorating cassette tapes.

G.E.D. Soul Records has been recording deep fried southern funk and soul since late 2007. This Tennessee label is debuting there second release with DeRoberts & The Half-Truths that gives you a straight up and step by step instructions to "Stay on Point" on the flip side.

Funky drums and flute with a quirky flawless execution come together on "Voodoo", almost a mix of deep funk and soundtrack styles from the 60s. Natural Yogurt Band are one of the few contemporary acts to record for Jazzman but they've got a great style that certainly fits the older vibe of the label

A very interesting 12" from Finland's Clouds on the consistently excellent Ramp recordings. With Ras G of Ninja Tune and Plug Research fame providing a killer wonky instro-hiphop mix with rude soundsystem vibes plugged in.

This 10-inch EP by MRR-ADM featuring Malcolm Catto is full of hard hitting funky drums, percussion and fuzzy analog synth grooves. There's no track list and no words just raw sounds.

Chimpo steps out for MRK1's Contagious crew again with "Children Of Israel". The flip side track that is a dancehall stromer. Far outshadowing it's more popular counterpart with proper subbass drops and a far more wholesome vibe.

Set 4

Madvillainy 2 - Pow! (intro) This album is a complete remix of their highly-acclaimed debut album Madvillainy. According to Stone Throw Records, Madlib could not wait for the official sequel of Madvillainy to be released, so he choose to remix their debut album completely

After the release of their full length in march 2008 this Brighton-based combo is back firing on all cylinders with their second single from their critically acclaimed debut album. The flip "Jackson Fingers" has more of a crime flick feel to it with wordless vocals and some soild drumwork.

The Grits are as gritty as ever, "Mwwauu" a cut that begins with a massive drum break for afew bars, then opens up with a wicked moogy keyboard mixed with organ and guitar.

The Fantasy Funk Band 45 is an excellent release brought about after listeners to BBC radio's Funk and Soul Show voted for their all time favorite artists. Smoove and Dr. Rubberfunk provide the crucial edits on this super limited special edition 7" vinyl, serving up a heavy JB's backing with Nina Simone vocals layered on top.

Truth & Soul, in conjunction with Candela Records present the first full-length from New York’s premier latin-soul band, Bronx River Parkway. With their first LP, “San Sebastian 152”. Bronx River Parkway delivers an exceptional and completely fresh take on music inspired by groups like The Lebron Brothers, Apollo Sound, and Ocho.

It's those Brooklyn boys, Monk One and E's E, back with another sweaty Latin slumper for the dancefloors. "Salsa Verde" starts nice enough, all crisp percussion and steady horns and electric piano, but when Antibalas' Victor Axelrod (aka Ticklah) comes in with the Eddie Palmieri-style retardo organ solo, it's a wrap.

For this album, Karl Hector is teamed up with Jay Whitefield (producer and guitarist for the Poets of Rhythm and the Whitefield Brothers, and founder of the now defunct Hotpie & Candy Records) and Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curlija, founders of The Malcouns. Together they make Sahara Swing a percussive excursions into the astral realms of psychedelia with an album of Afro-tinged funk music.

Analog Africa does it again with African Sceam Contest - Raw & Psychedelic Afro sound from Benin & Togo 70s. Napo De Mi Amor & The Black Devils - Leki Santchi was first recorded in early 1975. For this track Napo De Mi Amor used a rhythm called Crougnima, which is commonly played during rituals in the central regoin of Bassar. Only 200 copies were pressed and distributed in Lome.

An unexpectedly upful, shuffling, percussive rug-cutter, with the Light Of Saba veteran bringing a little go-go to the groundation, and a deft, lovely dub mixed by Moritz von Oswald.

Most Listen To 2008
Set 2
Arts The Beatdoctor - Progressions
Tabacco - Truck Sweat
DeRoberts & The Half-Truths - Stay on Point
Natural Yoghurt Band - Voodoo
Ras G - Timekeeper (remix)
MRR-ADM - Track 3
Chimpo - Children of Isreal

Set 4
Madvillany 2 - Pow! (intro)
Baby Charles - Jackson Fingers
Grits - MMWAUU
Dr Rubberfunk - Dr Rubberfunk's Fantasy Soul Band
Bronx River Parkway - Song for Ray
Green Rhythm Coalition - Salsa Verde
Karl Hector & The Malcouns - Followed Path
Napo De Mi Amor Et Ses Black Devil - Leki Santchi
Wareika Hill Sound - Proverbs Dub

Episode Six

2008-11-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

The Passing of a Reggae Legend - Alton Ellis Dies at 70

This is a special tribute episode for one of my all time favorite singers and Reggae legend Alton Ellis. Sadly he passed away October 11, 2008, inside London’s Hammersmith Hospital, after a year-long battle with lymphatic cancer. He collapsed during a club performance in London in August and never recovered his health.
My introduction to Alton Ellis came a few years back when a friend made me a mix tape with "Dance Crasher." I didn't know anything about Ellis at the time, except that he was know as the "Godfather of Rocksteady" but as I began to dig more into his catalog, the more enamored I became with it.
He was one of the most popular singers of the Rocksteady era before moving to England where he continued his career. Alton is best-known for the music he sang from 1966-1968. “Alton was a bigger artist in Jamaica than Bob Marley,” said Dennis Alcapone, another Jamaican recording artist working in Britain who often performed with Alton. “Everybody, even Bob, would love if he could sing like Alton Ellis. All of them would sit back and listen to Alton because Alton was the king.”
He continued to record and perform right into August of this year. The great Alton Ellis, a man who brought great joy through both is music and his presence, Rest In Peace.

The Dawning of a New Era

My second set is dedicated to the two tone music genre straight out of England. The genre that made me a reggae lover. The two tone is a music genre created in England in the late 1970s by fusing elements of Ska, Punk Rock, Rocksteady, Reggae and Pop.
The 2 Tone sound was developed by English musicians (mostly based in the West Midlands area) who grew up hearing 1960s Jamaican music and decided to play a similar style of music. They combined that style with influences from contemporary punk and pop music. The new music genre became known as 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to the record label 2 Tone Records at some point.
So here's a collection of my favorite songs by MY favorite two tone artist.

Godfather of Rocksteady - Alton Ellis
Set 2
Why Did You Leave Me To Cry
Sunday Version
Remember That Sunday
Bad Boy Version
How Can I
The Picture Was You
Soul Groover
Mouth A Massy
And I Love Her So
Whipping The Prince
I'll Be Waiting

Two Tone
Set 4
The English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom
The Selecter - Too Much Pressure
The Specials - Ghost Town
The Selecter - On My Radio
The Bodysnatchers - Easy Life

This set was inspired by these three 45's that i came across when i was trying to organize my records. The first one is Rehash - Number 4, starts with a inviting guitar loop and bass line that leads into a female vocal and one of the nicest piano samples. Second is Meaty Ogre - Bell of the Beast that was released in 2002 on Heardrums Records. This was a limited release where 500 copy's were pressed as well as the Rehash 45. The songs starts off with a gloomy piano riff that is accommodated with a steady drum and bass loop that leads into a flute sample that carries the song. Lastly is Sixtoo & Matt - Watchedusslowlydie released on Bully Records bassed out of Montreal. Another stellar instrumental project from Sixtoo, this time teamed up with Cali based producer Matt. Originally released in 2003 in a silver and black silkscreened sleeve and numbered. Only a 1000 were pressed untill 2004 when it was repressed in blue and black.

For my second set I gathered traditional Cumbia songs from Colombia, Panama, and Peru. Colombian and Panamanian Cumbia is just originally folk dance music. As Cumbia's popularity spread to the urban areas of Colombia, musicians began to adapt a more modern type of instrumentation and also simplified the rhythm, by reducing the number of drums. With the popularity of Cuban and other Latin American music being played on the radio, orchestras with horns, piano, bass and drums developed the Cumbia into a much simpler, more consistent version, catering to middle class tastes. By the 1950s and '60s, Cumbias were widely recorded not only in South America but in Central America and Mexico as well, giving the style a new adopted home; in countries such as El Salvador and Nicaragua, Cumbia is as prominent as the local music, and sometimes even more so.

You know, psychedelic Cumbias from Peru…The Roots of Chicha has been popular in Peru for many years but new to most, this compilation touches the surface of Chicha, a variation of Cumbia that is guitar heavy and uses vox organs rather than the accordion that is used in traditional Cumbia. The music has its western influences yet retains its Afro-Peruivan roots. The off beat post-modern combination of western psychedelia, Cuban and Colombian rhythms, Andean melodies and distinctive experimentation is close in spirit to the pop sound that Brazilian Tropicalia bands such as Os Mutantes imitate.
Chica also refers to a particular brand of Peruvian pop music that educated Peruvians usually looked down upon. The music is often labeled tropical, which means that it relies on a standard Afro-Cuban percussion section (mostly bongos, congas, bells, and timbales). Cumbia is so fresh and exciting that it is strange that it never managed to find an international audience.

Down Tempo/Hip Hop
Set 1
DJ Cam - Dieu Reconnatra Les Siens
Rehash - Number Four
Meaty Ogre - Bell of the Beast
Sixtoo & Matt - Watchedusslowlydie
N20 - Ohmz
Special Herbs Vol. 2 - Mullein
Wax Tailor - Que Sera
Onra - Gotta have it
DJ Esu - Unwanted Love

Cumbia
Set 3
Papi Brandao y Sus Ejecutivos - Viva Panama
Los Destellos - Elisa
Lucho Bermudez - Colombia Querida
Los Falcons - Cumbia de Sal
Henry Castro - Cumbia de Colombia
Alex Acosta - La Millionora
Cumbias y Gaitas Famosas de Colombia - Soledad
Edmundo Arias - Cumbia Sobre el Mar

Episode Five

2008-10-18T01:14:00.000-07:00

Set 1
Spooky Reggae

Rupie Edwards - Doctor Satan Echo Chamber
Augustus Pablo and Derrick Harriott - Bells of Death
King Horror - Loch Ness Monster
Derrick and the Crystalites - Dr. Who
Lee Scratch Perry - Disco Devil

Set 2
Eerie

The Screamers live in San Francisco - 122 Hours of Fear
King Horror - Dracula Prince of Darkness
Amon Tobin - These three tracks are over lapping each other:
Foundation
Osirion
and Darkside Returns
Mazzy Star - Mary of Silent
Aphex Twin - These two tracks are over lapping each other:
White Blur and Gwely Mernans
GAA - Autobhn

Set 3
Garage-Punk Scare

Antsy Pants - I am a Vampire
The Rapture - Infinite Clock
The Lost Sounds - Dark Shadows
Larry and the Blue Notes - Night of the Phantom
Screaming Lord Sutch - She's Fallen in Love with a Monsterman
Ralph Nielsen and the Chancellors - Scream

Set 4
Hardcore Pain

Kings of Noise - If Jesus was the Devil
DJ Radium - Violent Orchestra
Joshua - Pourquos
Hammerdamage - No More w/The Tyrant & Nevermind
Fist of Fury - Huuiirr
Vikta Molotov & Ordeal - Vice
Memetic - Sweat Rohypnot

Episode Four

2008-09-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Asha Bhosle - Tum Kitne Din Baad featured in the movie The Great Gambler

The Great Gambler is a fast paced action thriller. The movie starts with Jai (Amitabh) a small time gambler getting engaged in a brawl. As the movie progresses we come to know that he is a great gambler and he always wins the game of cards. Enter bad guy Ratan Das (Madan Puri) who hires Jai to play in is casino so that he can rob some influetial people and later use their services to his own benefit. One such person person is Nath (Jagdish Raj) who works for the government. After losing large amounts of money, Jai doesn't know that Ratan Das is engineering a scheme to steal the plans for the government's powerful new defense military weapon which is actualy wanted by Saxena (Utpal Dutt as a humming villain). When the Indian police come to know of this, they assign the case to Inspector Vijay (also Amitabh Bachchan), who is asked to apprehend Jai at any cost. The only problem is that Inspector Vijay is Jai's look-alike, and is not a good gambler. After a series of action sequence and great locations viewing we come to know that Jai and Vijay are twins who got separated in thier childhood. They Join hands to destroy the evil men and eventually get their respected ladies and their sister (who appears only for 2 and a half scenes).

Here is a movie clip:

GAA - Uranus

Named after the Greek Earth goddess, GAA was an obscure band from Sarrland, Germany where they formed in 1973. While gigging in mid-1973 they were asked to record an album by Alfred Kerston, owner of Kerston Records. The recording session was quite hurried due to the lack of funds, which becomes evident in the mix which sounds rather tinny. The ablum recived an extremely limited release of only 300 copies in 1974. The opener Uranus gradually commences with acoustic guitar and organ that contains a middle section with celestial vocals like a interplanetary public service announcement or some kind of religious sermon. As well as a powerful chorus with haunting lyrics:

"Hate is the power that rules the world and it is fear that will bring it to death; violence which threatens all life, in the end there's always destruction and death"

Paternoster - Realization

Amongst the most legendary of Austrian underground bands, aside from Eela Craig and Kyrie Eleison, but with a virtually undocumneted history, Paternoster originated from Vienna, and existed for only two years in the early 70's disbanding after the release of just one album on CBS in 1972. Most of the tracks here are rather slow and heavy, fronted by a most unusual vocalist/organist Franz Wippel, with an equally bizarre use of songs. What comes to mind is a depressed vampire starting a Kraut/Prog rock band but that is just my opinion.

Bollywood
Set 1
Bollywood Breaks - In The Garden
Asha Bhosle - Tum Kitne Din Baad featured in the movie The Great Gambler
Kishore Kumar - Tere Chehre Mein Woh Jaadu Hai featured in the movie Dharmatma
Dharmatma - Theme Song
?
Manhar & Anand - Hum Tuhme Chahte Hain featured in the movie Garam Masala

Kraut/Psych
Set 3
GAA - Uranus
Aguaturbia - Heartbreaker
Blue Phantom - Distillation
Aggregation - The Lady At The Gate (intro)
Paternoster - Realization
Jam - Friends

'Un Poco Soul y Latino Lounge'

Latin Jazz is the order of the day here. With that said, no recording artist has more impeccable street cred than Joe Bataan. He's an undersung but pivotal innovator in music since the mid-1960s. He was part of a wave of Latin bugaloo artists. In this set I included his hit 'Gypsy Woman'-one that's even more heartbreaking than the Curtis Mayfield original. A lot of the music I find are on different complilations. I found the song 'Pata Pata' on El Soul es un Droga compliation. If you're interested, I'd recommend picking up Volume 3, and scaling your expectations back from there. There are a few gloriously wild performances, full of wailing, fuzzed-out, wah-wah pedal action. As is often the case with foreign rockers, several cover tunes are disappointing simply because they are sung in English. (when it would have been so much more fun in proper Spanish). But whatever. Finishing this set off is 'Tighten Up' by Al Escobar & His Orchestra and Mongo Santamaria serves up some "Green Onions" from his album "Soul Bag".

Set 4 is a collection of songs for lovers of that 60's British mod rock. This set includes renditions of Spencer Davis Group's song "Gimmie Some Lovin" and Otis Blackwell's hit "Daddy Rolling Stone. Shocking Blue's, "Send me a Postcard" is a song I never get sick because it's just a pulsating, psychedelic-ish, scorcher of a song. "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" was the debut single released by the English R&B, mod group Small Faces. The last song "High Heel Sneakers" was a party favorite in the movie Quadrophenia preformed by Cross Section.

check it out!

Latin Lounge
Set 2
Timebox - Soul Sauce
Los Stop - Pata Pata
Joe Bataan - Gypsy Woman
Al Escobar and his Orchestra - Tighten Up
Mongo Santamaria - Green Onions

Mod Rock
Set 4
The Who - Daddy Rolling Stone
Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man
Los Bohemios - Dame Tu Carino
Small Faces - Whatcha Gonna Do About It
Shocking Blue - Send Me a Postcard
Cross Section - High Heel Sneakers

Episode Three

2008-08-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

The Rezillos are pretty much the greatest new wave outer space Scottish monster combo of all time. you can tell that the band shared a love of sixties Garage Rock and the picturesque Girl Group glam of the Ronettes and the Shangri Las, The Rezillos found themselves inadvertently caught up in the Punk or New Wave movement. Their debut single, I Can't Stand My Baby, shot them to underground fame initially via airings on John Peel's radio show. It also makes me want to learn to play the bass.
The vicious is a band compiled of members from other bands including international noises conspiracy and the regulators. Their songs are the kind you can't get out of your head. They are from Sweden too. Who would of thought. It seems that there are a lot of awesome bands coming from Sweden in all genres. The Vicious are totally catchy and enjoyable melodic punk rock. The song "The Walking Dead" is a perfect example of that. Speaking of enjoyable I added a catchy number by Oi! pioneers Cock Sparrer off their album Shock Troops. Which when you listen to sounds so much more rock and roll than Oi! Anyway it's an awesome song.

'Ere we go 2-3-4! It's not often that an album makes you feel both happy and sad at the same time. But True Love Stories does exactly that, with its often hilariously told, but straight-up tear jerking tales of the unlucky John being dumped by a long line of girls. All of this is set to frenetically played punk-pop, and some of the most simple, yet funniest lyrics I've ever heard.

Jilted John never achieved the same success here in America as in his native England. We Americans tend to take our rock and roll far too seriously for this sort of nonsense. I'm not even sure he even made another record after this one. But as novelty records go, True Love stories has a great little punk rock kick to it. The lyrics, though often pretty hilarious, actually tug at your heart strings a bit too. Best of all, the pop hooks are the sort that you can't get out of your head once you hear them. I can't get enough of this song.

The Stranglers are one of those bands that are hard to describe, they have a sound that is distinctly their own. Part of the punk movement of the seventies, they were more advanced musically and lyrically than most of the Britain's punk bands. There is no denying the fact that they had more in common with the musical dexterity and overall sound of the Doors. But the Stranglers had something that the Doors did not and it was the grinding melodic bass lines of Jean Jacques Burnel which added an earthiness and an in-you-face immediacy nor did they have that gritter keyboard sound and touch of Dave Greenfield. Also, their lyrics were less unashamedly poetic and more streetwise. I've always wondered how an amazingly talented band could be so overlooked.

I present all my evidence in the set. Listen and get hyped!!

Northern Soul/Soul
Set 1
Connie Austin - Ball of Fire
The Butlers - She Tried to Kiss Me
Tommy Dark - Wobble Legs
John Bowie - You're Gonna Miss a Good Thing
The Channels - I've Got My Eyes On You
The Majestics - I Love Her So Much (It Hurts Me)
All of My Life - Detroit Soul

Punk
Set 3
The Rezillos - Can't Stand My Baby
The Vicious - The Walking Dead
Jilted John - Jilted John
Cock Sparrer - Teenage Heart
Subhumans - Love is...
The Stranglers - Hanging Around

The Universals - New Generation
One of the finest pieces of soulful funk ever to come out of Florida! 'New Generation' has been on of the most sought after 45's on the funk scene for a long time - hardly surprising given it's super heavy groove and amazing vocals, plus the fact that it never saw any distribution, making it rather hard to track down. This song appears on Jazzman compilation 'Florida Funk' and is available on 45 as well.

Marvin Holmes - Find yourself pt.1.
This is Marvin Holmes with his 70's band the Funk Company. Listening to the song, it's as relevant today as it was over 30 years ago. It's on an LA label called Kimberly Records but the band was originally out of Oakland. This song appears on this first volume of Bay Area Funk compilation that was released on Luv. N' Haight.

Black Cat - Kingston Cardova.
A very limited press 45 on Peripheral Enterprises Records from a new funk act from NYC called Black Cat. Two covers on here in their own unique raw funk fashion of Johnny Guitar Watson's "lovin' You" and on the flip side a funky cover of The Meters "Cardova" tune called "Kingston Cardova."

Sly and The Revolutionaries - Cocaine
Sly Dunbar released his fifth album of dub instrumentals under the name Sly and the Revolutionaries. Black Ash Dub boasts a great lineup, including Dunbar himself on drums and his mate, Robbie Shakespeare, on bass, plus Ansel Collins on organ, Bingy Bunny on guitar, producer Jah Thomas, and mixing by Prince Jammy and Scientist. Though Dunbar made a much better producer than he did an instrumentalist, the sheer accumulation of talent on this session assures great results. Each track on this album is a tribute to a drug paraphernalia. This song also appears on Madlibs Blunted in the Bomb Shelter compilation as well as King Tubby - Cool Down Version and King Tubby - A Better version (that appears on the EP).

Barry Brown - Peace Dub
This song could be found on Midnight Rock at Channel One: Barry Brown/Showcase. This album is a definite treat for all Barry Brown fans. It features adaptations and dub versions of some classic Barry Brown material from 1979 to 1981. In the 1990's, Brown's health deteriorated, suffering with asthma and substance abuse problems, and he died in May 29, 2004 in Sound Waves Recording Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, after falling and hitting his head.

Funk
Set 2
The Universals - New Generation
Dayton Sidewinders - Funky In Here
The Detroit Sex Machine - Rap It
Together/Funky Crawl (J Rocc's edit)
Marvin Holmes - Find Yourself pt.1
Dorando and the Ice Picks of Soul - Why Can't We All Just Get Along (Re-Edit)
Black Cat - Kingston Cardova
Calypso King and The Soul Investigators - Baby! It's Delicious!
Amral's Trinidad Cavaliers - 90% of Me is You

Dub Reggae
Set 4
Sly & The Revolutionaries - Cocaine
King Tubby - Cool Down Version
King Tubby - A Better Version
Augustus Pablo - Up Warika Hill
King Tubby - Say So
Lennie Hibbert - Real Hot
Barry Brown - Peace Dub

Episode Two

2008-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

For Episode two my focus structure was to concentrate on jazz and international jazz but it took its own shape incorporating Down-Tempo, Soul, and Anatolian Rock music that kept the jazz element with each indiviual songs. Ozdemir Erdogan, who i could not find a lot of information on, is a well-known jazz guitarist, vocalist, and arranger. His track Uzun Ince Bir Yoldayim was originally a well-known türkü by Asik Veysel, one of the most revered Turkish folk poets who was blind for the most of his lifetime.

Erkin Koray - Yagmur
came out in 1973 on Istanbul Records when he released his self titled album Erkin Koray. Up to this point, all of Koray's work had been issued only on 45 rpm records, although he had been recording for the past 10 years and was a very popular artist in Turkey. The album consists of a collection of singles from 1967 to 1973. Koray left Istanbul Records after the release of the album. Both artist appear on the ninth volume in the impressive Love, Peace, & Poerty compilation series - Turkish Psychedelic Muisc.

Guido & Murizio De Angelis - The Other Face seg. 3 appears on one of the greatest Italian crime soundtracks of all time Roma Violenta. A totally groovy little record that's done in a style that is quite different from American crime scores of the time, but still completely wonderful! Most of the instrumentation here is relatively spare -- almost a small combo funk approach to scoring for a cop film, but done with the penchant for isolsated focus on a key instrument that makes Italian soundtracks so dope. Originally released in 1975.
Maurice Vander - Grand Roque appears on two comps Sexopolis - the 70's French Funky Pop Scene and a tiny but excellent catalog of Montparnasse 2000. A super- hip French sound library label. Most of these tracks were never issued formally to the public only recorded to serve as backings in radio, TV, and commercial use.

Down-Tempo/Jazz/Soul
Set 1
Bonobo - If you stayed over (feat. Fink)
Ozdemir Erdogan ve Orkestrasi - Uzun Ince Bir Yoldayim
Silhouettes - Lunar Invasion
Guido & Murizio De Angelis - The other face seg. 3
The Quantrells - Can't let you break my heart
Marvelle Hampton - I know how it feels
JD & The Evil's Dynamite - Sunday kind of love

Set 3
Erkin Koray - Yagmur
Francis Coppieters - Funky Chimes
Maurice Vander - Grand Roque
Luis Enriques Bacalov - Nago
Malcom Catto - Raydio
Broken Keys - The Invisible
The Heliocentrics - Before I Die
Clutchy Hopkins - 3:11

Ska, the Jamaican music recorded around the early sixties which emerged from Jamaican R&B and wing jazz with a wilder more jerky sound, was fueled bu the sound systems in Jamaica. The music, was reputedly named after the characteristic ska sound made by the guitar while playing the after beat. To represent this genre I tried to find the most amazing songs and artists. Ska by Theo Beckford and Safari by Ray and Raymond Harper were two songs on an awesome compilation put out by Trojan of rare ska tracks compiled by Gaz Mayall titled Top Ska Tunes! Rare because, many of them were no issued in their 1960's heyday which was sometimes due to lack of promotion and other times due to exploitation. Enthusiastic and at times out of tune, the album is a must for any Ska collector. I also included a classic ska track by the Ska legends The Skatalites. After Ska and just before reggae, Jamaica's music scape became thick with the sweet sounds of rocksteady. Rocksteady is, among the most elegant and rhythmically pleasing of all pop music forms (I'm biased because it's the music I love) grew out of Ska.

Ska's furious high - tempo beat had driven dancers into frenzies in Jamaica for years, and at that point a new breed of more confident singers were coming up on the scene, with the likes of the Ethiopians, The Maytals, Ken Boothe, the possibilities for a singer of stamping one's own personality on a song. The bass parts took a distinctive character, leaving a space in the rhythm that came to characterize all of Jamaican music from this point on. Alton Ellis, Jamaica's most soulful singer, came to undisputed prominence with the rise of Rocksteady. Besides his songwriting abilities and voice, Ellis' Particular gift was his ability to take R&B or soul songs and give them that Jamaican sound, and so make them reggae songs rather than mere 'cover' versions. The song What Does it Take originally written by Jr. Walker and the All Stars is a prime example of that and that is why I included it in the Rocksteady set.

The Rocksteady bubble burst somewhere around 1968, when the new, faster, and manic style of reggae began to emerge. The modern DJ era made famous bu legendary reggae producer Duke Reid, which started when Reid simply dropped the chatter over his old Rocksteady hits to start a while new genre of music. In the late 1960's amd early 1970's a strain of Jamaican music called DJ toasting was developed. These "toasts" consisted of rhythmic chants, squeals, screams, and rhymed storytelling. Inspired bu the big sound systems that he had visited in his youth such as those run bu Duke Reid, which featured the DJ U-Roy, Dennis Alcapone caught the public's attention with his unique singsong style. Mosquito One which is a classic reggae hit by Nora Dean and originally titled "Barbwire" was a hit among Alcapone fans. Alcapone, a spontaneous artist, who definitely compels you to dance, makes great reggae music and is worth looking into.

Ska
Set 2
The Skatalities featuring Marguerita - Woman A Come
Theo Beckford and Ray - Ska
Raymond Harper - Safari
Prince Buster and the All Stars - One Step Beyond
The Skatalites - Ball of Fire

Rocksteady
Set 4
Laurel Aitken - Pussy Price
Tony Scott - Darling if you Love me
Llyod Charmers - In the Spirit
The Mad Lads - Ten to One
Dennis Alcapone - Mosquito One
Alton Ellis - What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)

Episode One

2008-06-18T20:00:00.002-07:00

Featured Bands

The Mops and UT

The Mops Rule Ok! The Mops are the undisputed "kings" of the late 60's/early 70's Japanese rock scene who were included in the Psych/Garage set. Japan's premier psychedelicians. These pioneers in their home country, were one of the originators of the Japanese GS Group Sound scene. (what are the Group Sounds? So, when the Beatles visited Japan and performed in Tokyo. Japanese teenagers got so excited that there was an almost dramatic shift in the way young musicians formed groups, played their instruments and thought about fashion and style. This new wave 1960s Japanese rock groupwas called Group Sounds-or GS for short.) Anyway, The Mops were among the first in Japan to experiment with psychedelic studio effects - trying as best they could to make up for the scarcity of hallucinogentic drugs like LSD in Japan! Huge lighting rigs began to appear at Mops shows, and flangeing, wah-wah pedals and fuzz boxes saturated their live sounds, while the band themselves grew their hair even longer, adopted granny glasses, and played blind-folded in order to disorientate themselves and stimulate natural psychedelic effects. How rad is that? The Mops have covered some big British and American bands like the Animals, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors -- but they also wrote originals, such as their Monkees-like theme song, the wonderful "I'm just a Mops" Which is just charming stuff. Check these guys out. They are cool. It's that simple.

Rare Live

Footage (1968) performing "Asa Made Matenai"

Set 1
Garage
Mary Mary - The Shandels
Come See Me - Sandy Edmonds
No Comin' Back - The Palace Guards
Go on Leave - Red Beard & The Pirates
Flash and Crash - Rocky & The Riddlers
Cry in the Night - Q65
Can't Pretend - The Pleazers

Set 3
Psych Garage
The Si-Dells - Watch Out Mother
The Mops - Atsuku Narenai
The Hippy's - Perigiali
Bills and The Psychedelic Band
Adams Boys - Get Away Grom Me Now
Appolonians - Vassilikos

Sprung from the downtown No Wave scene, UT (Nina Canal, Jacqui Ham and Sally Young) originated in New York City in December 1978. The inheritors of the fertile collision between rock, free jazz, and the avant garde the first manifested itself in the velvet underground, UT soon became a serious force within the New York music scene. The band were joined briefly by film-maker Karen Achenbach in 1979 before resuming as a three-piece and migrating to London in 1981. UT toured the UK with bands such as The Fall and The Birthday Party. Originally releasing albums on their own label Out Records, the band became a favorite of John Peel's and recorded several sessions for his show before joining forces with Blast First in 1987. In the broadest sense, UT was a democracy. Three women trading off on instruments and vocals-the set-up represented "internal democracy in a non-hierarchical structure," to quote critic Dan Graham. They weren't interested in having a single focal point, a star in the spotlight, center stage. Their goals were slyer, and deeply radical: to find the beauty in chaos, the calm at the center of the strom. To wrest the purest expression out of potential anarchy. Their name may have been deceptively simple and declarative, but the music was hardly easily reduced. But then, with UT the journey was more important than the destination.

Set 2
Indie/No-Wave/Post Punk
The Vanishing - Love Sick
The Chinese Stars - (Love) and the Electric Chair
The Sick Lip Stick - Get Up Catch Up
Cut City - Postcard
Anavan - Waiting List
The Rakes - Binary Love

Set 4
APB - Talk to Me
The Unicorns - I was Born
Tracy and the Plastics - Best of 70's 80's and 90's
Clap your Hands and Say Yeah - Satan said Dance!
Errase Errata - CA Viewing
Adult - Contagious
UT - Sham Shack