It was after midnight had come, That the new year had begun / It was time man to drink some rum, Celebrate all the new things to come / Man say you want to live a brand new life, Sing a new song old habits must die / I know you want to try and try, But when you say that it can’t be no lie / Man you must try and change your ways, Cause if you don’t it might be too late / Bring the new year and happy days, Stop this fussing and fighting today
One of my highly-anticipated platters for 2011 made its way to my crates before the calendar flipped. A nice little post-Christmas treat for the ears! When it comes to Soul-drenched vibes, I’m not sure any records in the coming year are gonna top the sounds of Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band.
Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming; Dunham, 2011
Laya Project’s musicians are the people of coastal and surrounding communities in the 2004 tsunami-affected regions of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India.
The production is based on regional folk music traditions, recorded and brought back to the studio to create a composition that mixes and enhances the original recordings, and embarks on a visual and musical journey crossing borders, while preserving the music of the people. Laya Project represents a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and is dedicated to the survivors of the 2004 Asian tsunami.
Various Artists – Laya Project; Earthsync, 2006
Four years after the completion of the Laya Project journey, loved and respected musicians and remixers from cities across the USA, UK, Germany, Israel, India and New Zealand came together in collaboration with the recordings from far-away, remote lands, for a union of electronic and traditional music. Bridging the distance, urban music embraces diverse traditions and cultures in Laya Project’s musical celebration of life.
Various Artists – A New Day: Laya Project Remixed; Earthsync, 2010
Jamaica Recording And Publishing Studio Ltd. aka The Motown of Jamaica aka Studio One. Located at 13 Brentford Road, Kingston 5, Jamaica, West Indies. Owned and operated by Clement Seymour “Coxsone” Dodd – the Master of the Royal Society of Jazz, the King of Sound Systems and the Founder of Studio One. Simply timeless vibes.
Just came across the Critical Past website that was launched earlier this year. It’s a treasure trove of archived footage including videos and photographs. The presentation of the site is key and searching through the database is incredibly easy. Head over there and expect to spend hour upon hour browsing the goods. Quality stuff!
Talk about confused as a mutha when I flipped on the tube and the sport of Kabbadi from the 2010 Asian Games was on. Never had seen it before in my life and couldn’t figure out the object of the game in the least bit. Click here and see if you can tell me what is going on?
Taken aback a bit when I saw the headline in the news that said “Thai Police Find 2,000 Illegally Aborted Fetuses at Buddhist Temple“. Crazy shit from here in the “Land of Smiles”.
The 3J’s, which features Jesse and Josh of the Aggrolites and Josh from ¡Aparato!, serve up a Brazilian-Jazz version of “Free Time” by the Aggrolites off their Reggae Hit L.A. album.
Flying Lotus x Adult Swim dropped the video for “Zodiac Shit” recently. An absolutely killer, tripped-out journey through the celestial sphere and its various representations of the zodiac.
Watching the above reminds me of the work of Vince Collins, creator of some crazy hallucinogenic visuals. Holy insanity!
Ubiquity just put out these super-sick slipmats for your wheels of steel as a part of their commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Groove Merchant record store. Pick up the slipmats here and the choice selections on the compilation here. Fresh!
A wealth of amazing photos are to be found in the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest collections. Haven’t browsed through all of the galleries to pick a favorite, so featured below is the winning photograph from Aaron Lim Boon Teck. Stunning. Click the picture to view the other entries.
Haven’t had the opportunity to watch any NBA games this year (and it is gonna remain that way all season…again!), but I try to peep the highlights when I can. One thing I do know, Blake Griffin is a fuggin’ beast. Never had a chance to see him in his college days, so seeing his aggressive inside play and how he attacks the rim is a first for me. Nasty!
Watch the highlight reel below (and this more-than-half-court oop which happened this past week before the reel was made) which represents only the first month or so of the season! Here’s the snapshot from the #1 dunk which is completely filthy. If you don’t like this, you don’t like NBA basketball!
Not a supporter of the newly-assembled Miami Heat squad, however the photograph below is sick. Yes, D-Wade’s right pinky looks cut off (looks like some foreshortening going on), and, yes, the perspective makes BronBron look a bit like a mini-BronBron, but the swagger of D-Wade celebrating before the flush is straight boss in my book. Killer snap.
P.U.T.S. reminded me recently of two things I miss from back home in the States. House parties and beer! Would’ve be sweet to check out one (or more) of those Secret House Party shows they did recently and to get wasted on something other than fuckin’ lager beer which is about all you can find here in Thailand. Ugh!
DJ Day drops some mad flavor on his cut “Fuss and Fight” featuring Blame One and Aloe Blacc. This joint has been featured in a few mixes out there, but here it is in its own glory. Hella nice vibes. Run di reel below for a listen and grab the track here.
Give a listen to “Bina”, the first cut to be served up off of Shawn Lee’s World of Funk set to be issued on Feb. 8th of next year. Been a fan of his for years and his output never fails to amaze me. Truly impressive how much he releases and that all the beats rank as top-notch. If you haven’t already, pick up his interpretations of well-known classical arrangements titled Hooked Up Classics which dropped recently, and, if you don’t have any of his material at all, it’s time to get diggin’!
DJ Nu-Mark dropped this 20-minute mix of Samba, Cumbia, Calypso, Rumba, Afro-beat and Balkan beats as a sampler to his upcoming mixtape of the same name, Take Me With You, which is intended to be a platter you can take with you in your travels wherever you may go. Be on the lookout for his full length, Broken Sunlight, to drop early next year.
DJ Nu-Mark – Take Me With You; Mochilla, 2010 (Right Click to Download)
Recycling some Christmas vibes from a post last year. Wishing everyone who stops by this site a happy holiday season and all the best to each of you in the year to come. Get into the spirit and enjoy these holiday vibes that I’ll be spinnin’ this time of year. Two classic albums that have been present on the hi-fi since childhood, a bit of comedy from the Adult Swim crew, another record that perfectly regrooves the traditional Christmas songbook, choice selections from Bob Dylan’s ‘Theme Time Radio Hour’, and a final platter (…with ridiculously-boss cover art) filled with stone-cold Funk & Soul rarities in the Yuletide tradition.
Kabanjak, one half of the block-rockin’ German hip-hop production and DJ duo Ancient Astronauts, presents his own musical vision with his debut solo album Tree of Mystery. Kabanjak not only tackles much of Tree of Mystery’s live instrumentation, including guitars, bass, keys, kalimba, flute, and melodica, but also teams up with various other vocal and instrumental talents: Ulf Stricker provides snapping live drum rhythms, DJ Brace provides cuts and scratches, poet Azeem drops conscious rhymes, and Sitali and Rykarda Parasol provide soulful incantations. With its broad spectrum of haunting melodies, rough riddims, and solid arrangements,spanning from Downbeat to Hip-Hop to Dub to Reggae, Kabanjak lets Tree of Mystery dig its roots deep into the musical underground and grow its branches right up into the sky!
Kabanjak – Tree of Mystery; ESL, 2010
The history of hardcore punk – the tougher, faster, and more politically-minded stepchild of the ’70s punk movement that arose in the ’80s – is examined in exuberant detail in Paul Rachman’s documentary American Hardcore.
Rachman’s cameras careen across the landscape of the U.S. to trace the movement’s beginnings in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, and cherrypicks interviews with the musicians that helped shape its sound and impact including Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of Black Flag, H.R. of Bad Brains, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, and many others.
Hardcore’s violent reaction against the Reagan administration and the complacent mindset of middle-class America is also detailed in countless performance footage clips and poster-art reproductions, which do much to dismiss the popular opinion of hardcore as nothing more than mindless hooliganism. Some fans may find the omission of certain bands a considerable oversight (San Francisco’s lethally satirical Dead Kennedys (!) are mentioned only in passing), but for most punk devotees, American Hardcore will be vital and essential viewing.
American Hardcore – Directed by Paul Rachman, 2006
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7
Eugene Harrington comes from Hawthorne, California where his father owned a keyboard repair shop. At a young age, Eugene would deliver parts and do repairs for studios in and around the area. Eugene loved going to the studios and watching the musicians and engineers work on there projects. He became very familiar with electric keyboards and started experimenting with sounds and recording techniques. He soon moved into the back of his father’s shop and recorded the album The Life of Eugene Harrington. It is a collection of recordings influenced by psychedelic breaks and grooves.
The Life Of Eugene Harrington is an incredible music journey through the living daylights of Eugene Harrington. It will take you to the enigmatic world full of psychedelic vibes and surround you by mystique. Just turn off the light, sit comfortably and listen to the sound coming from your speakers. This world will amaze you.
So, what’s the word? Is Eugene Harrington really Clutchy Hopkins? And who really is Clutchy Hopkins? Hmm… Would love to know the answer to that question.
Eugene Harrington - The Life of Eugene Harrington; NOECHO, 2010
Check this short mix of snippets from the album.
Nico Gomez is actually Josef Van Het Groenewoud, a Belgian writer/composer who recorded Latin-American sounds. Ritual, containing a choice blend of Latin-Funk grooves, dirty breaks, fuzzy guitars, heavy organ and deep Afro-Soul, fires on all cylinders. Don’t hesitate to grab this beyond-dope platter.
Nico Gomez and His Afro Procussion Inc. – Ritual; Omega International, 1971
Easily one of the most popular and enduring vocal harmony groups of the Rocksteady era were the Uniques. Slim Smith was the catalyst for the formation of the group as well as the lead vocalist. Keith ‘Slim’ Smith had grown up in the West Street area of Kingston. He had formed the ‘Techniques’ with Winston Riley before leaving to set up the Uniques. He had often been in direct competion with Bob Marley for the mantle of being the best lead vocalist of the Rocksteady period.
“Before The Wailers hit, the most popular group was The Techniques with Slim Smith…” – Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd
“At The Carib Theatre, The State Theatre, The Regal Theatre and the Music Union, we stole the show from any other group performing and, on one memorable occasion, from The Wailers where Bob Marley threatened Slim Smith…” - Jimmy Riley
Slim would go on to have an outstanding solo career that took him on tours throughout the world. Tragically, music fans everywhere lost one of the greatest vocalists to ever come out of Jamaica when he passed away in 1973 at the young age of 25. Sad circumstances, but the music carries on…and oh how sweet that music is.
However, it should be noted that the focus of this set is more on the group’s less-known cuts; thus, to truly round out your collection of Slim Smith tunes, I’d recommend, at the very least, for you to pick up Trojan’s set Keep That Lovelight Shining which is stellar from start to finish.
“Slim is an incomparable singer even though he’s been dead thirty odd, coming on for forty years. Slim was the nearest thing to Curtis Mayfield and he could also play instruments…look how long Slim Smith has been dead and you hear his music still. Do you know of another singer who’s come up like Slim Smith? You’ve never had another singer who’s made that impact on Jamaican music like Slim Smith.” - Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee
The Uniques – Absolutely Rocksteady; Pressure Sounds, 2010
Hailing from Greenwich Town, Kingston, JA; The Melodians, consisting of Tony Brevett, Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton, cut some of the best rocksteady tunes ever made throughout the late 60s and early 70s, and solidified themselves as one of Jamaica’s most talented vocal groups with their goosebump-inducing harmonies. Timeless. Timeless. Timeless.
The Melodians – Swing and Dine; Heartbeat, 1993
A mysterious rogue hailing from Washington DC, Frank Mitchell Jr. has a voice like honey and the sensibilities of a man that’d make Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield blush. This debut 45 features the no-nonsense roller-skating disco jam “Booty Lock”. Rubbery bass, wah-wah guitars, and silky horns don’t even begin to describe the naughtiness within. On the B-side, in this case “B” for “bad ass,” is “Body and Mind” another future Soul classic. Just get a little closer and let the rhythm grab you by the hips and draw you in!
Frank Mitchell Jr. – “Booty Lock” b/w “Body and Mind”; ESL, 2010
Killer production from the dynamic duo of JR and PH7 who hail from Cologne, Germany. Grab the latest platter, The Update, which dropped this week and pick up the previous releases if you haven’t added ‘em to your crates already.
JR and PH7 – The Update; Soulspazm, 2010
JR and PH7 - The EP; Soulspazm, 2010
JR and PH7 – The Standard; Supercity, 2009
