Entries from February 2011
Lost in the Crates #29
February 28, 2011
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Counting Numbers Version #2
February 26, 2011
In the followup to Counting Numbers Version #1, this set once again ascends from 1 to 19 while serving up cuts from various sections of the crates. Never thought I’d throw together a mixtape with the likes of The Ducky Boys, Public Enemy, The Mercenaries, RA Scion, Choking Victim, Shel Silverstein, Big Rube, Rancid, and Prince Heron among others on the same reel. Here it is though, so dig the diverse vibes.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Counting Numbers Version #2, 2011
- The Ducky Boys – All for One & One for All
- The Bruisers – These Two Boots of Mine
- The Greenhornes – Three Faint Calls
- The Clash – Four Horsemen
- Choking Victim – Five Finger Discount
- Black Flag – Six Pack
- Rancid – 7 Years Down
- The Mercenaries – Eight Against Rove Version
- Ticklah – Nine Years
- Prince Heron – Ten Commandments
- Public Enemy – More News at 11
- RA Scion – The Twelve
- Outkast feat. Big Rube – 13th Floor
- The Ducky Boys – Fourteen
- Swingin’ Utters – Fifteenth and T
- Decendents – M16
- Transplants – One Seventeen
- Shel Silverstein – Eighteen Flavors
- Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Ode to Northside Tavern (Jukebox Favorite of Ol’)
Quantic and his Combo Barbáro – Caliventura Remixes EP
February 25, 2011
Coming on 15th March is latest release from Quantic and his Combo Barbáro. The 12″ EP features cuts from the incredible Tradition in Transition album which have been remixed by the likes of Daedelus, Computer Jay, Cut Chemist, DJ Day, and J-Boogie. Most definitely gonna be on the lookout for this platter along with the additional five cuts that will be available with the download version of the album. Tru Thoughts was kind enough to serve up the tracks for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
For the homies in the ATL, be sure to check out Quantic when he blesses our fair city with his choice selecting skills on 12th March at The Sound Table!
Nuff Styles Boomin’ Out the Headphones
February 24, 2011
Here are some tunes I was bumpin’ last weekend while ridin’ on the Seatran ferry from Nathon, Koh Samui to Don Sak, Surat Thani, and on the Panthip bus from Don Sak to Don Sai, Phang Nga. You can find me makin’ this round on the regular and it provides ample time for listening sessions. Too much time to be honest, but that’s life as I have no control over it. Anyways, while gazin’ out at the sea or the limestone mountains and jungle, all kinds of vibes make it to the headphones. Depends on the day. Depends on the mood.
Check the scenery below which is the pier in Don Sak, Surat Thani neighbored by Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat. Click the picture to see it big!
Collapse
February 22, 2011
Americans generally like to hear good news. They like to believe that a new president will right old wrongs, that clean energy will replace dirty oil and that fresh thinking will set the economy straight. American pundits tend to restrain their pessimism and hope for the best. But is anyone prepared for the worst?
Meet Michael Ruppert, a different kind of American. A former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter, he predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness, at a time when most Wall Street and Washington analysts were still in denial. Director Chris Smith has shown an affinity for outsiders in films like American Movie and The Yes Men. In Collapse, he departs stylistically from his past documentaries by interviewing Ruppert in a format that recalls the work of Errol Morris and Spalding Gray.
Sitting in a room that looks like a bunker, Ruppert recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out the crises he sees ahead. He draws upon the same news reports and data available to any Internet user, but he applies a unique interpretation. He is especially passionate about the issue of peak oil, the concern raised by scientists since the seventies that the world will eventually run out of fossil fuel. While other experts debate this issue in measured tones, Ruppert doesn’t hold back at sounding an alarm, portraying an apocalyptic future. Listening to his rapid flow of opinions, the viewer is likely to question some of the rhetoric as paranoid or deluded, and to sway back and forth on what to make of the extremism. Smith lets viewers form their own judgments.
Collapse also serves as a portrait of a loner. Over the years, Ruppert has stood up for what he believes in despite fierce opposition. He candidly describes the sacrifices and motivators in his life. While other observers analyze details of the economic crisis, Ruppert views it as symptomatic of nothing less than the collapse of industrial civilization itself.
Collapse - Directed by Chris Smith, 2009
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7
Quantic – Tropical Funk Experience
February 22, 2011
This piece of wax has been hella elusive since its release last year. While nearly all the other “Funk Experience” albums from Nascente have come across my path, this one never did, and, of course, it was the one I wanted the most. Finally, here it is! Enjoy the Cumbia, Salsa, Palenque and other funky tropical sounds from 1970s Columbia and Panama.
Quantic – Tropical Funk Experience; Nascente, 2010
Cacique’97
February 19, 2011
Incredibly groovy and well-crafted Afro-beat tunes from this nine-piece outfit that hails from Lisbon, Portugal. Afro-beat music may come from Nigeria, but its infectious riddims surely have traveled the globe and found a home among this crew from The Gentle Land.
Cacique’97 – Cacique’97; Footmovin’ Records, 2009
The Blue Greens – Introducing…
February 17, 2011
The Blue Greens is Dave Hillyard’s, tenor saxophonist extraordinaire from The Slackers, side project that focuses on Jazz meets Blues vibes. Not of the smoothed out variety, but more rockin’ and swingin’. The group consists of Rolf Langsjoen on trumpet, Simon Chardiet on guitar and vocals, Arturo Baguer on bass, Danny Fisher on drums and, of course, Dave Hillyard on tenor saxophone, and the album was fine tuned with the assistance of Agent Jay, Lord Sluggo and Victor Rice.
The Blue Greens – Introducing…;Big Demon Music, 2009
Courtney John – Love Is
February 14, 2011
Cool crooner Courtney John sets the mood for this day with his 45 from last year titled “Love Is”, a killer version of The Melodians “You Don’t Need Me” riddim. Love is the one thing that is never out of season!
Inna Ruminations Stylee
February 12, 2011
Following their release to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Groove Merchant Record Store in San Francisco, Ubiquity has just put out this limited-edition record case along with a set of 10 seven inches. Read about the details here and watch below how The Key Printing and Binding in Oakland made them.
Adrian Quesada, member of Grupo Fantasma, Ocote Soul Sounds and Brownout, is set to launch his latest project under the moniker The Echocentrics. Sample a selection of two cuts to be featured on the upcoming full length titled Sunshadows, to be released by Ubiquity in early April.
This piece of killer animation demonstrates that no matter how many times you try, you simply cannot walk in a straight line if you are blindfolded. Without a point of reference like the Sun, a star, a mountain, etc., you’ll end up just going in circles. Interesting stuff.
Have you ever seen the Chinese artist Liu Bolin’s work? Dubbed “The Invisible Man”, he camouflages himself in various settings and the results are nothing less than brilliant. I’d bet that if I didn’t tip you off to what was going on in these pictures that you’d probably gloss right over a few of them without knowing there was a person standing there. Check the following galleries of his work. Gallery #1, #2, #3.
Here’s some various shit about the man like DJ Nu-Mark. He recently served up his latest mixtape, Take Me With You. Check out the 20-minute snippet mix of the same name here and pick up the LP here. His next full length, titled Broken Sunlight, is set to be released in the coming months. He also recently dropped a remix of Nas & Damian Marley’s “Nah Mean” cut off their Distant Relatives record from last year. Gotta say I love the original banger way more, but certainly happy to toss this in the crates as well. Listen online here or download a copy here. Lastly, Mochilla paid him a visit and checked out his mad collection of musical toys to be found at his crib. Dude is one of the most creative beat makers out there and this video pretty much reaffirms that. Wanted to embed it below, but it’s having issues. So…peep it here.
Big ups to LWR MGMT, for the heads up on the NBA Slam Dunk Contest Video Visualization from Hoopism. It is a timeline that compiles nearly every dunk from the years 1984-2010, and sorts each dunk by year and score. Only gripe, and not sure if it is just on my side, is that the playback controls for the videos are missing. Other than that, this thing is pure fucking brilliance for dunk enthusiasts like myself.
The Edge of the Earth is a documentary filmed solely using solar power. It was shot over the course of two weeks in the complete wilderness that is the Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska and takes you on a journey down the Alatna River. The results are exceptionally stunning!
Photographer Luke Duggleby and reporter Ron Gluckman were granted access into the Dhammakaya movement at their main temple in Pathum Thani province. Check the pictures of this rather strange and controversial sect of Buddhism here.
Learn more about Scoutmob via the Esperanza Transmission. They’re an ATL-based company that provides insight into local shops and eateries, and, more importantly, hard-to-resist deals, on your mobile phone, to get you out to visit such places. Enjoyed listening to the philosophy behind the company and the guidelines they have used to attain their success. Had to laugh when they were ripping on clamshell phones and I glanced over at the hella-advanced piece of technology laying on my desk. Suits my needs, so I got no worries on being light-years behind. To both of these crews, keep up the great work. Peace out from the Land of No 3G Networks.
Lost in the Crates #28
February 11, 2011
Ancient Astronauts – Into Bass and Time
February 10, 2011
Ancient Astronauts are certified ill in my book and their latest platter only reinforces that thought. My goodness, they destroyed the beats on this one and laced beautiful rhymes and vocals on top to complete an amazing album. Only two listens in and can’t wait to digest this more as it’ll certainly be in the heavy rotation bin for quite some time. Kabanjak and Dogu are on some next level shit. Get on it by picking up a copy via ESL!
Ancient Astronauts – Into Bass and Time; ESL, 2011
Ancient Astronauts takin’ over the ATL back in April 2010
Dance Craze
February 9, 2011
It was the July 28th, 1979 when The Specials first appeared on the U.K. singles chart. The record was “Gangsters” and it spent 12 weeks on the charts, eventually reaching #6. At the end of August that year, “The Prince” by Madness was released, it spent 11 weeks on the charts and reached #16. The scene was set and over the next twelve months, Two-Tone and British Ska exploded.
Records by The Selecter, The Beat, The Specials, The Bodysnatchers, Bad Manners and Madness were all over the singles and album charts. After extensive touring and live performances, the Two-Tone sound emerged as a mighty force in British music.
The Dance Craze DVD captures some of the best performances from the Two-Tone era and hopes to recreate the atmosphere and pure energy that existed at these shows. Judge for yourself!
Dance Craze – Directed by Joe Massot, 1981
Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats
February 7, 2011
Geraldo Pino (aka Gerald Pine) is one of the hidden heroes of African popular music. A singer, guitarist and bandleader from Sierra Leone, he had a major influence on the burgeoning Soul/Funk/Afro-beat scene in West Africa during the 1960s and 70s. He made a huge impression on the young Fela Kuti who praised him effusively, but his music has remained largely unheard for the past 30 years.
In Afro-beat circles, the real cognoscenti have long regarded both of his albums as classics of their time. These releases, Let’s Have a Party & Afro Soco Soul Live, have been out of circulation for so long that most people won’t have even heard of their creator. Pino had been fronting his band in Freetown, Sierra Leone, since the very beginning of the 1960s and he’d run the gamut of musical styles from Pop to Pachanga, Rock to Rumba with a large measure of hometown success.
He eventually hit on his most winning formula – a version of US Funk & R&B of the mid-60s, taking the sound and injecting a powerful African ingredient – namely a potent percussive base. His lyrics reflected the militant stance of African Americans of the period and immediately his music began to cross national boundaries. The move led to what many perceive as the birth of Afro-beat, influencing in no small way a young, music-mad Fela Ransome Kuti who was to go on, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, to make Afro-beat a household word in areas far removed from West Africa.
The instant appeal of Pino’s sound comes from that most funky of instruments, the Hammond B3, an organ made popular in the US by the likes of Jimmy Smith and Booker T & the MGs. Geraldo’s rasping, driven vocal style also packs a punch and the relentless, rumbling drum & bass, coupled with some sweet, sweet funky guitar, completes the picture. Here, then, are 12 ultra-danceable, floor-filling gems of an audio quality you’d not think possible from the period (hats off again to Pino, he had, after all, studied and worked as a radio engineer), from the thundering opener “Heavy Heavy Heavy”, on the debut set to the sweat-soaked closer of his sophomore effort “Afro Soco Soul Live” – be prepared to move and groove to Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats!
Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats – Let’s Have a Party; Soundway, 2005
Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats – Afro Soco Soul Live; Soundway, 2005
The Latest in the Rotation
February 5, 2011
