Lost in the Crates #17
June 15, 2010
Tenorio Jr. – Embalo
June 13, 2010
Tenorio Jr. was one of the greatest pianists of his generation. As a composer, he surprised many with the sophistication of his innovative harmonic compositions. As a musician, he moved slowly from accompaniment to being a leader and the driving force behind the vibrant performances of his band. As an arranger, he united the best team of samba-jazz musicians in Rio de Janeiro in the sixties. At the age of 23, he recorded Embalo, an absolutely essential LP in the Bossa Nova genre, whose vital energy has never diminished…as you can clearly hear.
Tenorio Jr. - Embalo; Dubas, 1964
Ernest Ranglin
June 11, 2010
A selection of albums featuring the amazing guitar artistry of Ernest Ranglin.
The Latest in the Rotation
June 8, 2010
Serving up some of the latest additions to the crates which have been in constant rotation since their arrival. A few complete albums and a few preview tracks. Killer vibes throughout.
Quantic – Addis to Axum
June 6, 2010
The Timeless Concert Series wasn’t just a series of stunning performances. All the shows were framed by our favorite DJs. From Madlib to J.Rocc to DJ Nuts and more. Cut Chemist even raised the bar with a one turntable romp! For the Mulatu show, Quantic brought along something very special .
In 2004 Quantic, Miles Cleret and B+ went to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia to find records and meet with Mulatu Astatke. It was there and then the first thoughts of bringing Mulatu to LA were hatched. So it was fitting that Quantic came to LA to DJ for Mulatu and brought with him records almost all found on that first unique trip.
Ethiopia has many musical traditions indeed not all of them have made it to vinyl. But those chunks of plastic contain some secrets that you really have to go to Addis to find. Trawling eBay is never the same as a trip to East Africa. Quantic made that trip. At the Luckman Theater on February 1st, 2009 he buckled everyone in, and took us on a one hour flight back. Here is his DJ set in its entirety. Don’t be alarmed by the crackle, that’s what 30 plus year old records sound like.
Quantic – Addis to Axum: Music, Words and Arrangements of Ethiopia, 2009
Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings
June 4, 2010
Every record collection should contain this album. Essential masterpieces.
Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings; Columbia, 1990 Pt.1, Pt.2
Gerardo Frisina – Introducing Emily Jones
June 1, 2010
Emily Jones is a vocalist and DJ from Canada and now based in Milan, Italy. Her DJ sets feature upbeat grooves ranging from Jazz to Latin to Bossa Nova to Jazzy Hip-Hop to Organic House. A nice selection is available on her site under “Charts & Mixes“.
“If Dreams Come True” b/w “Espontaneo” is her first single and features her lovely vocals alongside the always hypnotizing vibes of Gerardo Frisina. Certainly anticipating more from this collaboration in the future. The sooner, the better.
Gerardo Frisina – Introducing Emily Jones; Schema, 2009
Automato
May 30, 2010
Automato, hailing from New York City, consisted of Alex Frankel, Ben Fries, Jesse Levine, Nick Millhiser, Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley. This is their debut album that was produced by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy of the DFA label. Unfortunately, it was their last too. Would have loved to see what else these guys would have dropped, but it wasn’t meant to be. So it goes. I’ll just keep clutching on to the brilliance they dropped on this one starting from the first note all the way down to the last.
Automato – Automato; Coup de Grace, 2004
Har-You Percussion Group
May 28, 2010
In the late ’60s, race riots plagued major cities; in Harlem, these events forced educators to think of new and exciting ways to keep kids off the streets and interested in their education. Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (the Har-You Act) was a series of educational programs designed for that purpose.
The Harlem Youth Percussion Group grew out of that zeitgeist. Jamaican-born percussionist Montegro Joe was asked by Julien Euell (executive director of the arts and culture division of Har-You Act) to teach Afro and Jazz percussion. After four years of training, these 11 young men, age 16-19, created this self-titled album whose royalties went into a scholarship fund for the students.
Har-You Percussion Group – Har-You Percussion Group; CuBop, 1993
Lost in the Crates #16
May 27, 2010
Rocker T – If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv
May 25, 2010
It’s the one and only Rocker T delivering his concious vibes, in a style that is uniquely his own, on the classic LP, If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv. Crucial addition to your crates.
Rocker T – If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv; Positive Sound Massive, 1999
Tango Chill Sessions
May 23, 2010
Buenos Aires is the beautiful, intense and seductive capital of Argentina with Tango, as we already know, as its most distinctive sound, the sound realization of the ‘porteño’ spirit. Tango Chill Sessions celebrates this tradition by combining wandering pianos, melancholic bandoneons and guitars with slow electronic percussion, producing an original, sensual, landscape effect. Tango Chill Sessions uses Tango vocabulary without losing the essence of the sound that expresses the taste of Buenos Aires like no other.
Tango Chill Sessions Volumes 1&2; Music Brokers Arg, 2005
G.A.M.M. Enterprises Inc.
May 19, 2010
G.A.M.M. Enterprises Inc. is operated out of Stockholm, Sweden and drops ill fuckin’ beat after ill fuckin’ beat. Check it for yourself.
Prince Jammy – Strictly Dub
May 17, 2010
Strictly Dub is an obscure dub album that briefly surfaced in the early 1980s on the US imprint, Jammys Records, and is rightly regarded as a minor masterpiece of Jammy’s mixing style.
Prince Jammy – Strictly Dub; Pressure Sounds, 2010
Wavin’ Flag
May 15, 2010
Lovin’ the fact that K’Naan wrote the anthem for the World Cup 2010. I suppose you have heard the hella catchy tune, “Wavin’ Flag”, already from his latest effort, Troubadour, or the rewritten version that has recently come out. If not, you can check it here.
I was walking down the street recently here in Thailand and was totally confused when I heard the vibes comin’ out of a stereo except the song was more of a Thai rock version with Thai vocals and K’Naan singing also. After some research, I found out that the song has been remixed with popular artists in various countries throughout the world using a mix of the original and the native language of each artist. Clever idea indeed. Here is the Thai-version of “Wavin’ Flag” titled “Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh” and performed by Tattoo Colour.
K’Naan feat. Tattoo Colour – “Wavin’ Flag” aka ”Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh”
