A glimpse of life during the last few months. Taken throughout home here in the southern region of Thailand including the provinces of Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Ranong, Phuket and Krabi.
Throughout the South
November 4, 2010
Wat Sapam Tammaram
October 25, 2010
Inside Wat Sapam Tammaram, a small temple located on the east coast of Phuket that receives very few visitors, but features a great view of Ao Sapam, Koh Yao Yai and other islands in Ao Phang Nga. The walls of the ‘bot’, the ordination hall, are decorated with some incredibly-beautiful paintings. Mesmerized every time I go in there.
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
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!
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.
Ninja Crepes Internet
September 1, 2010
A case of confusion in Lamai, Koh Samui, Surat Thani
This shop next to my house is called ‘Ninja Crepes Internet’ and I have no idea why. They do have Internet services available, but, unfortunately, I haven’t seen any ninjas or any crepes or, better yet, any ninjas making crepes. Hopefully it’ll happen though ’cause that’d be beyond awesome.
Snapshot Collection
August 10, 2010
A collection of snapshots taken within the last couple of months.
Inna Ruminations Stylee
August 3, 2010
Big ups to Rapidshare for the recent adjustment to their product and pricing model which ended up giving me an additional 28 months of premium service for absolutely nothing extra. Yes, 28 months! For nothing! Holy sweetness.
Seen on the back of someone’s shirt while in line at the store: “Shit Happens…at The SPA Resort”. Intrigued by how a company could not do their homework concerning the meaning of that phrase before putting it on their company shirt, I decided to investigate a bit. Turns out, it is one of the best slogans I’ve come across in a while as The SPA Resort specializes in detox programs. Therefore, shit really does happen. Well executed.
While flippin’ the channels recently I came across the following: Segment on the straight-edge movement on FOX News of all places (the “myFOX Boston logo wasn’t featured on my feed. Had it been I would have been slightly less puzzled, but still very much so). Throwback block of videos on the V channel with Neneh Cherry – “Buffalo Stance“, Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” and Soul II Soul – “Back to Life“. I was hopin’ so much that next up would be Another Bad Creation’s “Playground“, but it wasn’t. Would’ve been choice though. That was my jam in ’91.
TomTom x Stars Wars = Hilarious. Check the following: Darth Vader and Yoda.
Not sure how I came across this, but for some reason I ended up viewing this video from 50 Tyson. Upon doing so, I almost fell off my chair from laughing. I really don’t know what the fuck to say about this, but just had to call the dude out for being beyond lame. “Right now I’m 16 and then next year I’ll be…..what? Yep. Yeah. Yeah. and then I will be…..what? Remix.” Ha. Ha. Ha. Love the comment that says ‘the only way he’ll be dropping any album is if it falls out of his hands’. Curious as a mother to hear what some wax from this joker would sound like.
Lebron James’ Q&A forum to announce his free agency choice titled “The Decision” was whack to the nth degree. The King has been solid in my book both on the hardwood and off, but, minus the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of America, I can barely think of a positive reason for being the only person in The Association to do such a thing. Ego check BronBron, ego check.
It’s mangosteen and rambutan season in Thailand (and the tropics)! Roi maak maak!
The man called Djouls from Paris DJs and Colored-Inc. featured me in his news section and added me to his recommended blogs. ‘Preciate dat. Big ups and and keep killin’ the masses with music you don’t hear on the radio!
Speaking of Djouls…Definitely do yourself a favor and check out the latest Paris DJs podcast, 21st Century Afro Extravaganza, selected and mixed by him alongside Grant Phabao and featuring a wealth of boss tunes (nearly 4 hours worth!) dug out of their Afrojazz, Afrobeat, Ethio-Jazz, Afro-Funk and Afro-Latin crates. Ridiculously on point…as usual.
Hadn’t served up some bluegrass tunes on the hi-fi in quite some time. Satisfied my fix with some live sounds from one of my favorite groups, the Packway Handle Band from good ol’ Athens, Georgia. The boys have been penning stellar compositions complete with perfect harmonies for years. Pick up this set for a fine example.
The Packway Handle Band - Live at the Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO: Feb. 1st, 2007
Nothing extraordinary, but worth checking out is the latest remix of Mayer Hawthorne’s “Maybe So, Maybe No” done inna reggae stylee. Nice tune, shoulda let Grant Phabao get his hands on it though. Vibe on it.
Trying to hunt down The Root Source’s Fire Walker. Anyone got the goods?
Refreshing to hear new vibes from Lauryn Hill. Hope it means an album will be delivered in the coming months. Check the latest single titled “Repercussions“.
The Alchemist + Oh No = Gangrene. Upcoming Gutter Water LP is gonna be ill. Check the preview track “Chain Swinging“. Check the platter details here.
Check Oh No’s Dr. No’s Infected Gadget mix done for VTech. Listen below. Download here.
Nice little present arrived in my inbox this morning. It’s the J Dilla x Serato collaboration titled Donut Shop. Pick it up here and also be sure to sign up for the Stones Throw’s newsletter to keep yourself in the loop and to get the goodies they frequently distribute.
“Jazzcats Crossing the Hudson” is the artwork for the August edition of the Madlib Medicine Show series. Dope take on “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze. As usual, anticipating the sounds on this mix.
Cheers to Squat for the heads up on the Les Soirees des Poche featuring Fool’s Gold. Absolutely love the refreshing sounds from this outfit hailing from the City of Angels. L.A. not Bangkok that is. Check it out.
Revisited some boss dancehall vibes that were in heavy rotation back in the day. Wicked vibes that gave me chills when I heard ‘em first and gave me chills all over again. On the hi-fi: Sizzla – “Dem A Try A Ting”, Warrior King – “It’s Been A While”, Junior Kelly – “Rasta Should Be Deeper”, and Glen Washington – “One of These Days”. Run di riddim!
Kai-Jo Brothers are one of my favorite reggae/ska bands in the Land of Smiles. Learn a little bit about them in this interview they did with Trace Magazine.
I’ve been waiting a year or more to post their video for “Mhorlum Rock”. Love the Rockers-inspired story, but it looks like the second part, featuring the song itself, will never arrive. Yo P’ Jo, serve it up! Enjoy the video, take note of the subtle sounds of Delroy Wilson’s “Dancing Mood” in the background and check the last video to hear the song being played live in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Been diggin’ the mento sounds of the Jolly Boys recently. Check their site for some great videos of their songs, but first check the short documentary below to get to know them better. Their latest album, Great Expectations, is due out later this month.
Big ups to Pressure Sounds for continuing to reissue reggae vibes while nearly all others in the business have vanished (Blood & Fire, Hot Pot, Auralux) or have remained disappointingly stagnant (Heartbeat and Trojan). In the golden days, there were too many releases to keep up with. Now, I just hope to see a half-dozen per year. Therefore, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on their release which will feature 19 dub plate mixes recorded by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry at the Black Ark from 1973-79. Check the preview track “Dub Plate Special“. Niceness guaranteed.
The Superglasses Ska Ensemble – Dancing Mood
August 2, 2010
Just picked up the debut album by The Superglasses Ska Ensemble outta Krung Thep, Thailand. I’ve only had some rough live recordings of theirs and have been anticipating hearing their sound polished up. Fantastic vibes on this platter. Well done! To all the fellas, I hope you can make a trip down to the islands to share these vibes in the setting they deserve. Sun, sea, sand and ska! Keep up the great work and hope to meet you some day. Choke dee!
The Superglasses Ska Ensemble – Dancing Mood; Self-Released, 2010
A Storm’s A Brewin’
July 20, 2010
Checkin’ out the intimidating weather system that moved in at sunset while on the way back from Mu Koh Hong, Krabi. We were bookin’ it across the choppy water on that longtail to get back to Tubkaak safely. Areas seen are Koh Yao Yai, Koh Phi Phi (in the distance), Koh Poda, Koh Kai, Railay, Ao Nang, Nopparathara, Khlong Muang, Tubkaak and back north towards Mu Koh Hong (an archipelago).
Uncle Tom Gin
July 15, 2010
A case of confusion at Tesco Lotus in Lamai, Koh Samui.
Came across these bottles of gin while shopping at Tesco Lotus recently. The bottle reads “Uncle Tom Gin. White Spirit: The Spirit of Thailand.” It also says “Product of Thailand” yet the background graphic is a picture of Big Ben in London. Huh? Totally dumbfounded when I saw this one. Hope they do their research before trying to branch out to the U.S. market. Especially the Dirty South.
Inna Ruminations Stylee
June 30, 2010
Cheers to Esperanza for the heads up on Lint’s lo-fi performance at Blast Surf and Skate in Playa del Ray, CA. Check “The 11th Hour” (video/mp3) and “Olympia, WA” (video/mp3).
Madlib serves up a rare interview in the latest edition of LA Weekly. Check Jeff Weiss’ three-page article here.
Psyched about the newest installment of the Madlib Medicine Show series. High Jazz serves up more vibes from the Yesterdays Universe with the addition of a few new projects to the collective. Sick.
Aloe Blacc showcases a few tunes, off his upcoming album Good Things, at La Favela Chic in Paris. Counting the days until this record drops.
Need to catch up on the quality releases from Colored-Inc. Especially the Hard 2 Find series! Give their jukebox a listen for a superb mix of tunes from their catalog including an exclusive Grant Phabao ‘Jazz Rework’ version of “Could Be Bitter” from Carlton Livingston’s Bridge of Life LP. Couple freebies are on offer over there as well. Grab Franck Biyong & Massak’s Afro-Beat tune “U.P.C.” off the Visions of Kamerun LP and Doctor L’s Spiritual Jazz x Slam Poetry tune “Vocal Kid-Napping” off his Land-Escape LP.
Hadn’t been over to Voodoo Funk in quite some time. Frank’s photos from a trip to Ghana and Nigeria earlier this year are on another level! Check ’em out. (Pic.1, Pic.2, Pic.3) Holy shit!
Check the sounds from the collaboration between Dr. Lloyd Miller and the Heliocentrics on their self-titled Strut release. Dig the vibes here.
Detailing the events that led up to the ‘Red Shirt’ protests, that took place from March until May in the Ratchaprasong district of Bangkok, would take way too long. To reference the issue, visit the Bangkok Post’s timeline titled ‘A Decade of Thai Politics’. Glad the conflict is over and some normalcy has been restored to the capital. Interesting to follow the daily events and see how it escalated. Had to wait for it all to calm down before heading there since the U.S. Embassy is located where the heart of the conflict took place and I was not afforded the time to just go and wait it out. Probably best for me as I would have undoubtedly put myself in a dangerous position by being overly curious to check out the situation. Ended up there a few weeks after and, aside from CentralWorld including Zen and other surrounding buildings being torched beyond repair, there was little to no evidence of any two-month standoff on the very streets where it all took place. The Big Clean-Up Day definitely accomplished its task. However, the damage had already been done in ways beyond physical evidence. Now, it is just waiting to see what event will take place next, when it will be and where. Check the Big Picture for some astounding photographs of it all. Set #1 and Set #2.
Followed the NBA Playoffs via the choice selection of videos available at NBA.com. Would love to check the hardwood action via a live feed, but I ain’t got it. However, I tuned in to NBA Radio for Game 7 of the Finals recently. Nice to hear the voices of some of my favorite announcers in The Association; Jim Durham, Hubie Brown and Dr. Jack Ramsay. Legendary crew. Respect to the Lakers for grabbin’ the rings for 2010. Champions hold down home court for the last two games of a series and they did just that. Tip of the hat to the purple and gold.
Well executed shirt on someone’s behalf for this sweet Phil Jackson shirt. 11 rings for the Zen Master!
The Golden State Warriors unveiled their new logo for the upcoming 2010-11 season and it is surely the best jersey The Association has seen in years. Inspired by “The City” jersey from 1966-71 (aka the most boss hoops jersey of all time) and others from that era. Killer! That Secondary Logo B would make a boss lid for sure.
It’s World Cup time! Reason enough to finally purchase a television. First time I’ve had one of those in two and a half years and after flippin’ through the channels available on local cable, I was missing out on nothing exciting at all. Nice to have these games at the click of a button though. My selections to view the matches are either the Thai feed on Channels 3 or 7 with a clear picture and Thai commentary or the Astro Sports feed from Malaysia with a fuzzy picture and English commentary. I’ve opted for the Thai feed with a low volume and Dancehall/Dub vibes on the hi-fi (reminds of the State Street Soundsystem days back in 2002), then switching to the other feed at an eventful moment for some proper insight. Enjoyable thus far except for the horrendous sound of the vuvuzelas and the absolutely pathetic officiating.
Speaking of that Astro Sports feed. Malaysia, time to check yourself in the commercials department. At the half, they feature some of the dumbest fucking commercials I’ve ever seen. Amazing these things get funded by companies. Example #1: MYEG.com. (shown immediately after the first half of every single match). Example #2: Cap Tangan’s Ngan Yin peanuts. (shown immediately after the MYEG.com commercial every single damn time).
While flipping the channels, I’ve seen very little awesome programming and a whole heap of garbage. Among the awesomeness were these: Speargun Hunter, Bob Munden using a revolver to open a safety pin by grazing the side of it from 15 yards away (no video, but downright amazing!), Michael Yon interview on MCOT, BBC World News, Buddha Bless’ video for “Fire“, Monster Fish, Boomerang (hilarious to watch classic cartoons overdubbed in Thai).
Among the garbage were these: FOX News, Goldfrapp’s video for “Alive” (huh?), Star Channel from India (no video but some of the weirdest programming ever, like an acid trip gone wrong), Barney and so many other things that left me scratching my head.
This one is for Khun Ree. Captured among the insanity of Khao San Road in Bangkok. Remember this song (the first one in the video) from Phuket Town niteclub days.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/khaosanvibes.flv
Overheard on Khao San Road: “Yo brotha, can you spare a dollar?” – Guy from the States. Took me by surprise since asking for money is not a normal practice in Thailand and hilarious in the sense that if you are going to beg in a different country at least ask for the proper currency and find a place to do it that is not flooded with low-budget backpackers. Dumbass.
I’ve passed by this shop, in Phuket Town, a million times and have been wanting to post a picture of it for years. Its name is Goo!.net. 555.
Collection of photographs taken in the last couple months.
Haad Bo Le, Koh Yao Yai
Ao Lo Pha Lai, Koh Yao Yai
Ao Pileh, Koh Phi Phi Le
Rasada Pier, Phuket Town
High Above Samut Prakan
Vespas and World Cup Fever on Khao San Road
Don Sak, Surat Thani on the way to Koh Samui
My Backyard in Lamai, Koh Samui, Surat Thani
Phuket Vegetarian Festival Finale
June 18, 2010
Taken in Phuket during the final night of the nine-day Vegetarian Festival that takes place throughout Southern Thailand. An insanely awesome event with more fireworks than you could possibly imagine.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale01.flv
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale02.flv
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale03.flv
Only Jesus at Wat Doi Suthep
June 16, 2010
A case of confusion at Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai.
Daily uniform attire for one woman who takes photographs of visitors each day at this temple on top of Doi Suthep. I asked about her vest and she told me she couldn’t read anything on it and didn’t know the meaning of a cross or ‘Only Jesus’. She laughed and was amused after I offered her my explanation and the irony of the situation.
