Entries from September 2010
Lost in the Crates #23
September 30, 2010
Lee Perry & Friends – Sipple Out Deh: The Black Ark Years
September 27, 2010
Trojan is alive! With this release, they serve up a collection of Black Ark seven inches from the mighty Lee “Scratch” Perry. While other releases have covered the same ground, i.e. Arkology from Island as well as the Upsetter Box Set and the Lee Perry Jukebox releases from Trojan also; the set compiled here includes a number of his songs which, prior to now, had been scattered over a number of different releases as well as some exclusive Jamaican mixes of his recordings.
Simply crucial vibes in every way and certain to please your ears from start to finish. Don’t hesitate to pick up this newest offering from Trojan even if you feel your crates are loaded with all the Scratch you can handle. Let’s hope we get to see more in the near future from this legendary label.
Lee Perry & Friends – Sipple Out Deh: The Black Ark Years; Trojan, 2010 Pt.1, Pt.2
The Bahama Soul Club
September 24, 2010
Following the smashing success of The JuJu Orchestra’s Bossa Nova is Not a Crime , the creative team around Oliver Belz has come up with the next step…The Bahama Soul Club. A collective who serves up a delicious clash of Soul, Jazz and Latin vibes. Impressive vibes throughout each of these platters. Dig it.
The Bahama Soul Club – Rhythm is What Makes Jazz Jazz; Buyú Records, 2008
The Bahama Soul Club – Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky; Buyú Records, 2010
Gappy Ranks – Put the Stereo On
September 21, 2010
The debut full-length pressing from Gappy Ranks which features riddims from the Studio One, Treasure Isle, Upsetter, Leslie Kong, and Bunny Lee stables as well as production from the Peckings crew out of London, England. Check these two videos (Pt.1, Pt.2) for some more information on the man and his crew.
Gappy Ranks – Put the Stereo On; Greensleeves, 2010
Sly and The Revolutionaries – Black Ash Dub
September 20, 2010
Killer dub session recorded at Channel One and mixed down by Prince Jammy and Scientist at King Tubby’s. Essential dub vibes with one of my favorite deejays, Jah Thomas, serving up the intros to each cut. “Pass mi da rizla, pass mi da herb.”
Sly and The Revolutionaries – Black Ash Dub; Trojan, 1980
Sawan Baan Na – Agrarian Utopia
September 18, 2010
Can’t wait to get the chance to view Sawan Baan Na (Agrarian Utopia), directed by Uruphong Raksasad. Unfortunately, there are no plans to screen it down here in the South of Thailand, so I guess I’ll just have to be on the lookout for the DVD release. The UNESCO-award winning film takes a glimpse into the lives of Thai rice farmers and the hardships they face. Looks to contain a riveting storyline and incredible cinematography. Definitely a must see. The synopsis of the film is as follows:
Facing seizure of their own lands, two families found themselves farming together on the same field, hoping to get through just another rice-farming season like every year. But no matter how much the world is evolving, how much the country is going through economic, political and social changes, they still cannot grasp that ideology of happiness.
How can we dream of utopia while our stomach is still grumbling?
Sawan Baan Na (Agrarian Utopia); Extra Virgin, 2010
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – Rise & Shine
September 17, 2010
They say every cloud has a silver lining, and if any good came out of the appalling civil war that devastated their country between 1991 and 2002, it must be Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. It’s thought that around a third of the population fled as a result of the conflict, with many settling for years in refugee camps in neighboring Guinea, which is where this band had its genesis.
Arriving six years after their debut album, Living Like a Refugee; Rise & Shine finds the group moving from describing what life is like for a refugee to getting on with rebuilding their lives, and directing their gaze towards more general concerns, judging by their lyrics. Thus, “Global Threat” addresses climate change, disarmament and food shortages, while “Goat Smoke Pipe” is a sly allegory about post-war corruption and inequality in Sierra Leone. And there are love songs, such as “Muloma” and the lovely, skanking “Bend Down the Corner”.
As before, a loose-limbed, semi-acoustic take on roots reggae is their default setting, but the core eight-member group (not counting ‘band mother’ Sister Grace) has several talented songwriters aside from spokesman Reuben M Koroma, which makes for a pleasing array of other styles. “Gbrr Mani” toys with ragga and features a rap by the youthful Black Nature, while “Tamagbondorsu” is a Congolese-style soukous. “Dununya” has a distinctly Guinean feel, and local indigenous roots styles are showcased on “Bute Vange” and “Oruwiebie/Magazine Bobo”, the latter “a blend of ‘secret society’ meeting song and spiritual incantations”, powered by the rustic plunking of a kongoma (giant thumb piano).
Three tracks feature the welcome addition of The Bonerama Horns, and there are contrasting harmonica cameos by guest Chris Velan (Bend Down the Corner) and Mohammed Bangura (Oruwiebe/Magazine Bobo), who plays with one hand, having been ‘amputated’ by thugs during the war.
Despite all the hellish things the group’s members have been through, their music emanates a life-affirming positivity. Producer Steve Berlin deftly mixes rough-and-ready studio and field recordings, punctuating the songs with atmospheric snippets of insect and frog calls, and there’s good sequencing and a variety of voices. It all adds up to a solidly engaging listen. ~ Jon Lusk
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars - Rise & Shine; Cumbancha, 2010
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – Living Like a Refugee; Anti, 2006
Lost in the Crates #22
September 15, 2010
Hooligans Over the ATL
September 14, 2010
If I lived in the ATL, I’d most definitely be drinkin’ brews with the fellas at the Devil’s Brigade and Street Dogs show at the Masquerade tonight. Killer records from the Hellcat crew. Sing it loud, sing it proud!
In the Span of an Hour at Laem Panwa
September 13, 2010
Chillin’ out around Laem Panwa and atop Khao Khad in Phuket, one of my favorite areas of the island. A quiet and relaxing escape from the continual activity along the west coast with natural surroundings and scenic views. On this day, in the span of an hour, a menacing storm came over the hills and then moved out to sea. As I sat up there taking in the scenery, the native eagles circled about the hilltop and, as the storm pushed out to sea, a double rainbow (in fact, a faint triple) appeared and stretched from bay to bay. So intense!
From Nigeria to Colombia
September 12, 2010
Soundway continues to add to their impressive catalog with these two releases that dropped last month.
The World Ends showcases a wave of guitar-driven and psychedelic groups that sprung up in Nigeria during the early 1970s and represents the sound of a generation attempting to pick up the pieces after the devastation of the Nigerian civil war.
Palenque Palenque! reveals a unique and fascinating story of how Afro-Colombian music developed from the 1970s onwards and how the local sound-systems in Cartagena and Barranquilla played such an important role in shaping the sound of the Colombian champeta.
The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria; Soundway, 2010
Palenque Palenque!: Champeta Criolla & Afro Roots in Colombia 1975-91; Soundway, 2010
Chikaramanga
September 10, 2010
Chikaramanga is one-third of Giant Panda and the co-founder of Tres Records, along with Thes One from P.U.T.S. The man holds down one of my favorite hip-hop labels, crafts killer beats, occasionally spits hella nice rhymes in Japanese and English, and produces quality tracks as well. Dope as always!
These are the first three releases in his seven-inch series which showcases his beats with rhymes from Tres’ recording artists. From left to right below are “Cool” featuring Big Tone, “A Life Like This” featuring Droop-Capone and “Trill” featuring Co$$. Look for upcoming cuts to feature Shawn Jackson, Paten Locke and Dillon. Can’t wait to hear ‘em!
Be sure to check the Recession Free mixtape from DJ Lowkey which is a warmup for ESQ + Chikaramanga’s debut album, The Succession, set to be released on September 14th. It features two unreleased joints from the LP as well as ESQ rhyming over instrumental tracks from other Tres releases produced by Big Tone, Johnson & Jonson, Paten Locke, Lightheaded, Fonetik Simbol, Ta’raach, and Chikara.
Inna Ruminations Stylee
September 8, 2010
Y Society (Insight + Damu the Fudgemunk) recently dropped the single and video for “Don’t Do It” which will be featured on Damu’s Supply for Demand EP due out late this year. The followup to their incredible debut album, Travel at Your Own Pace, remains one of my highly-anticipated platters to come. Titled Cold Crush Can’t Be Touched, it’s set to be released in early 2011. Counting the days already. Check this post for more insane beats from Damu the Fudgemunk.
Two cuts from the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble as part of Grand Performances at California Plaza in Los Angeles on July 23rd. Looked incredible and I can only hope that this comes out as a CD/DVD set in the future.
Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free” featuring Bilal
J Dilla’s “Drips/Take Notice” featuring Flying Lotus
Would absolutely love to thumb through the Rancid photo book that accompanied their collector’s edition of Let the Dominoes Fall album released last year. The photography by Rob Naples and Rachel Tejada looks amazing. Simply don’t have a spare US$150 to drop for the set. Check some previews here.
Came across this track while watching some P.U.T.S. videos on YouTube. It’s “Give It Up” featuring J-Live on the mic and Thes One on the beats. Off the Impeach the Precedent compilation that came out back in 2005. Can’t find it anywhere though, so if ya got it, send it over. Would love to hear some of the exclusive cuts it contains. Update: Got it! Check it here.
Surprised to see my old stomping grounds of Home Park, Atlanta, GA included in the Generation Jihad program I watched a few weeks ago. Syed Haris Ahmed, one of the men featured in the series was a Georgia Tech student who lived on Ethel Street and the host, Peter Taylor, was in the area filming an interview with his father. Never knew about his arrest in 2006 (and conviction in 2009) and did a double take when they cut to that segment. Crazy.
Been watching the USA basketball team at the FIBA World Championship the past week or so. Damn I miss watching hoops (and playing hoops for that matter). The tournament has seen some quality action from competitive teams throughout the globe. Our squad is lacking some of the bigger names from The Association, but I won’t get on my soapbox about that. Just supporting the guys who did participate. Let’s get ‘em and take home the championship on Sunday.
Speaking of the FIBA games, here’s a message to Malaysia’s Astro Sports channel. First, you can take the 2010 World Cup logo off your live feed. It’s been over for a couple months now. Get with it. Second, whichever American broadcaster you choose to do the games was a choice decision. I gotta figure out who that guy is ’cause his enthusiasm is unmatched. Even in such mediocre games as Jordan vs. Tunisia. Voice Immodulation Syndrome in effect! Cheers to you mystery announcer man!
On the hoops note, big ups to Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone and the USA Basketball team from 1992 aka The Dream Team for their induction into the NBA Hall of Fame. Both players and all involved with the greatest team ever assembled were players I avidly followed as a kid and their game was always a pleasure to watch. Emulated their style on the blacktop week in and week out. Click the links for some highlights. Still wish I never got rid of this shirt from the Olympics in Barcelona. Killer threads.
Hollywood comes to the sleepy little town that I used to live in for a couple of years in Phang Nga. The movie The Impossible staring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts will start shooting in Bang Sak and surrounding areas in October of this year. Interested to check the film out and to see how they portray the events of the tsunami that struck there in 2004 which is the subject of the film.
Came across this image while browsing the Web recently. Well executed. Love the idea. Come to think of it, Jimi hasn’t been in the rotation for far too long. Gotta remedy that soon.
Thoroughly enjoyed the interview conducted by Music Like Dirt with Laurence Cane-Honeysett, from Trojan Records, who has been rooting through the vaults, unpicking the scrambled or unlabeled 1/4-inch masters in search of undiscovered gems ripe for reissue throughout the past two decades. Sounds like one of the best jobs in the world to me.
After being taken over by Universal in 2007, from Sanctuary, and the subsequent lack of material since then and lack of updates to their once thriving website; I, naturally, got the feeling that the label had basically ceased operations. Pleased to hear that their vaults remain deep, the material hasn’t dried up as many thought and that he says there is a wealth of unreleased tunes remaining. Even more importantly, they are in the works of revamping their site as well as putting together more compilations and individual artist releases in the coming years. Nice! Long live Trojan! Your vibes have been well missed for too many years now. The following passage from the interview had me grinning from ear to ear. Shockingly amazing to be honest.
“The golden age of Trojan, the mid-60s through to the late-70s, the amount of music produced during that time is nothing short of incredible. Even though we’ve released thousands of recordings over the last twenty years, it is just incredible for how much they could release which is much much more than has been. So, really only, I’d say, from what they’ve released is only about a quarter at most of what they have, so it’s about three-quarters of the catalog that has not been out on CD or in digital format.”
Boom-shacka-lacka! It’s best to both read and listen to the interview as the audio version only serves up some of the highlights from the extended Q&A. Stream the interview below and check the transcription here. Pick up this collection of rare, crackly dubs and versions from the flipside of Trojan 7″s on offer as well.
To celebrate six years of throwing incredibly dope parties, The Do-Over, normally held in L.A., made its way to Portland for the second of three monthly events. Renamed The Do-Oregon, the day featured a guest appearance from Ohmega Watts who was there to spit fire and chop beats. Grab his set below and read more about the event or pick up the other sets here.
Ohmega Watts – Live at The Do-Oregon; August 22nd, 2010
While chillin’ at Rock Bar (named for its construction among massive granite boulders and not the genre of music), a reggae pub near Hinta Hinyai in Lamai, a song came on the soundsystem that took me by surprise. The lyrics were “In my house, there’s a picture on the wall. Rastafari sit upon his throne!” Very curious to get digging to identify the group as I always associated those lines with Slightly Stoopid’s “Cool Down“. Now I know their inspiration. It’s Natural Ites and the Realistics “Picture on the Wall”. Boss vibes.
Peep this fresh video for “Deaky” off Julien Dyne’s Pins & Digits. New Dimensions in Sound.
Congratulations to the FOX 97 team for their upcoming induction into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. Certainly well deserved as their programming was always top notch. So many fond memories of listening to Randy and Spiff in the mornings and all the other host spinning oldies throughout the day. Very sad day when that station changed formats and Atlanta lost its only oldies station. Glad to see they are back on the airwaves at WYAY 106.7. Looks like I’ll have to tune in sometime from afar. All the best guys!
J.Period + Spike Lee + Micheal Jackson – Man or the Music (40 Acres Edition) was given away exclusively at the 2nd annual “Brooklyn Loves MJ” celebration in Prospect Park’s Nethermead Field back on August 29th. You probably weren’t there, so pick up the vibes here.
Check the live set of Quantic & Nickodemus spinning at the Days Like This festival in Sydney, Australia. Wicked nice vibes from these boss deejays. Impeccable taste as always.
Tat Kuang Si, Luang Prabang, Laos
September 8, 2010
Quick view of Tat Kuang Si on the outskirts of Luang Prabang, Laos.
Mishka
September 6, 2010
Mishka spent his childhood on the Caribbean and European high seas. He has since grown up to craft some beautifully laid-back vibes which combine his stellar vocals, superb songwriting ability and deft guitar skills. I first started listening to him circa ‘99 and, at the time, didn’t know more than five people who had ever heard of him. Since then, he has gone on to produce three more studio albums along with a dub session of his works in collaboration with Mad Professor and became the first artist (and sadly only at this point) signed to Matthew McConaughey’s j.k. livin label which has taken him to higher places.
I’ll never forget going to see him at the Tabernacle in Atlanta back in June of 2005. He opened for The Roots and Floetry and I am positive that my friend, Abbey, and I were the only people who were aware of who he was. To my shock, my friend left after he finished his set saying she didn’t care about seeing The Roots play live. Obviously, I stayed. It’s the f’n Roots! I took advantage of the free drink tickets being given away by the KOOL-cigarettes girls and got hammered on Long Island Iced Tea while hangin’ out with strangers. Fantastic evening and one that I never imagined would happen. Mishka opening for The Roots. Amazing.
Anyways, if you’ve never heard of Mishka, I recommend starting from the self-titled debut album (1999) and progressing chronologically from One Tree (2005) onto In Dub (2007) then Above the Bones (2009) and, lastly, Talk About (2010). It’ll show you how his sound has developed over the years and I doubt you’ll be disappointed with what you hear.
