April 25, 2010
The followup to volume one, Dta Wan Awk Jer Dta Wan Dtok: Cha Bap Sawng showcases more lost 45s, dating from the 60s and 70s, that have been unearthed here in the Land of Smiles. Delving into crates of a different genre this time with the output ranging from garage rock and surf vibes to groovy, mod-beat, a-go-go numbers to psychedelic-exotica guitar explosions. Electric organs, fuzzy guitar riffs, and more intriguing vocals. Once again, the tunes are originals, covers, and adapted covers that resulted from the influence of the sounds of the East meeting those of the West.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Dta Wan Awk Jer Dta Wan Dtok: Cha Bap Sawng, 2010
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February 25, 2010
Man…or Astroman?, one of my favorite bands ever and the band I’ve seen perform live the most in my life (The Woggles and The Robustos following closely behind), is reuniting for a select amount of shows in Atlanta, Birmingham and Austin next month. Read Chunklet magazine’s reunion interview here.
Getting in the mode of thought that I was actually going to be able to attend the shows, I started diggin’ in my limited surf crates and came out with the tunes I’d use to get psyched about it.
Regretfully, I was still in the phase of exchanging records when I was heavily into surf music and many vanished from the crates. I did hang on to my favorites though and was able to recover some via blogs. Hadn’t listened to these tunes in a long time, and, upon revisiting them, it took me back to the days of high school and remembering some of those amazing surf and garage shows at the Wreck Room, Cotton Club (original location on P’tree and 11th), The Point, The Star Bar, Echo Lounge, Somber Reptile, Masquerade, The Bottletree, inside WREK 91.1 FM studios, and the 40 Watt.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Static Impulses of Collapsing Vortices; 2010
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February 9, 2010
The first of a two-part series, Dta Wan Awk Jer Dta Wan Dtok: Cha Bap Nueng showcases lost 45s, dating from the 60s and 70s, that have been unearthed here in The Land of Smiles. This session features sounds ranging from Luk-Thueng, roots-funk grooves from Isaan to Morlam-influenced arrangements played on the phin, khaen and sor to offbeat-disco dance scorchers to who knows what is coming out of my speaker. Thick horn lines, traditional percussion and string elements, deep bass lines, and intriguing vocals. The tunes are originals, covers, and adapted covers that were formed by the hybrid of Western-influenced sounds and instrumentation, and the native, traditional sounds of Thailand.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Dta Wan Awk Jer Dta Wan Dtok: Cha Bap Nueng, 2010
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January 20, 2010
December 17, 2009
December 2, 2009
Vibes from last Saturday nite while sippin’ Two Oceans Shiraz from 7-11 and gettin’ loose with some hip-hop beats that were added to the stacks recently.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Gettin’ Loose; 2009
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November 16, 2009
Choice cuts inna punk-ska fashion picked up along the way from here and there throughout The Land of Smiles. I’ve been rockin’ out to this one for a while now, hope you dig it too. Rudeboys and rudegirls…Luak Man Kun!
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Luak Man Kun; 2009
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August 7, 2009
My crew from Esperanza, back in my hometown of Atlanta, GA, recently hit me up to ask for a taste of the sounds of Thailand. I happily obliged and decided to focus the first offering on the hip hop cuts I’ve come across in my time here. Artwork by Esperanza. Flavas by Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi - Naa Chang Mai Jop Sin Jang Wah; 2009
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October 26, 2008
The Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi soundsystem has been burning hot with these deep-riddim cuts in recent months. They’re bound to keep your auditory senses delighted with each listen. Just plain nasty in the groove department.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Jivamukti Overtones, 2008; Playlist
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October 14, 2008
These are the vibes that were flowin’ through the headphones while I was cruisin’ the open roads of Southern Thailand recently. Slick hip-hop grooves to nasty funk breaks to sultry Latin instrumentation to dubplates to reggae riddims. Well-rounded, well-suited, well worth it.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Travelin’ This Path; 2008; Playlist
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September 13, 2008
It dawned on me a few months ago that it was ten years ago when I graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School. As music is what kept me sane during those years, and continues to do so; I decided to compile a playlist for each year of high school. It started as something simple and rapidly developed into myself wanting to dig more and more into those old crates of mine.
What struck me immediately was the fact that, despite not listening to some of these tunes in years upon years, I still knew the words, the breaks, the 1.2.3.4.s, the toasts, the solos, where I got the records, and the memories associated with listening to them. In addition to the music, there were all the shenanigans associated with being a rebellious teenager.
A few months back, I sat down to jot some down and was pleasantly surprised at what my mind spilled out. The following is a list of tidbits associated with those days of old. They’ll make sense to some and make zero sense to most. Enjoy a glimpse back into the Pi-Hi days and grab the tunes if you care to do so.
As a whole this all goes out to my friends of old; those that remain in touch and those who have carried on to wherever they might be. You know who you are.
sunday specials on wras…bowling alley on savoy…waffle house…10-eye gripfast…original clothing warehouses…fifi mahoneys…inspecter 7 & the skoidats at little five points pub…throb…kim and evan’s lunchboxes…dine and dash era…not liking jon spencer…going to boston…newbury comics…starlight drive-in…smoking weed in cemeteries…levi’s debutante ball…fast-forwarding totino’s mixtapes…storm watches at soul kiss…sunglasses crew…nyc ska mob tour…skatalites…dropkick’s first atl show…haunted houses…late night swimming pool parties…karlo’s fake id when they still used the temporary paper ones…$1.75 cigarettes at wa-ho pull machine…drinking honey brown in the winn dixie bathroom…blastoff video…chuck taylors…shark sandwich…stealing beers from my grandparents basement…the loaf on wednesdays at the shroom…54-46…one step beyond…the go-steadys…mr. brisbane…the skats…the strand…under the couch…somber reptile…blt’s…wreck room…citizen fish playing the last show at the somber and subsequent riot…frapwell…local shows…pine lake snowcone shop…carmike…mellow for a day…everybody’s for a week…stone mountain park lasershows on the daily…stinkbombs in the wrong hallway…st. mtn. pizza café…f64…the reruns…quadilicacha…tone deaf pig dogs…smedley…round ear spock…oswalds…hinckleys…obnoxious kids…hangin out at u-haul lofts on howell mill…vandalism…sneaking out…spare change pool hall at green’s corner…alcohol hookup from tino’s friend at subway…the sticker mobile…bj at the wa-ho…homecoming with rubino…going to three proms senior year…work study with beaner…mark binford…jiha kim giving me brownies…karlo’s red truck…listening to ‘and out come the wolves’ on the back of his truck during the football game…green day and riverdales at intl ballroom…free subway stamps…mrs. dalton…excursions to book nook…maximum rock and roll…punk planet…absolutely zippo…cometbus…mailordering records…writing to bands and getting responses with stickers…writing to opiv six years late…spiking my hair…being a hair model at vidal sasoon…jt and dan’s announcements…steve’s 4-piece solo band…sneaking into squirrel nut zippers at the star bar…brooke lyle…strictly rude boy on out of uniform days…donald t. saying ‘tino and ryan in their suits’…lammer’s special screens…green club…science club… corduroy pants…mst3k…saved by the bell…indie outing…headbangers ball…friends’ houses…new year’s eve at gambel’s…ramones at masquerade music park…disc go round at northlake…oink skinzine…wuxtry…wax n’ facts… criminal records…crash and burn in buckhead and inman park…calling shops about records…army-navy store near market square…six flags season pass…swimming at elena’s pool…r.vington…the high speed getaway on reservoir dogs nite…tino’s dad making me eat his pastries…totino’s mom making me eat her pasta…hotboxing the car at taco bell on 29 with martin colina…pirate costumes at pirate golf…toasters at georgia theater…warped tour…meeting kendall at wendy’s…shows at the knights of columus hall…stories from bart, eric, and andy’s shenanigans…parties at jacob cranes…never fitting in…dressing up as a robot…jaramillo’s bell…staying after graduation to finish work details…almost not being able to walk at graduation because of my shoes which was bullshit…hating screech and the other white trash upperclassmen…hendrika makilya…movies at kim’s house…cosmic bowling…valerie caron and beth rose…dunwoody kids…trading movie passes for food…high speed chase ending in front of the movie theater…reselling stubs…late night previews…the top gun gang from carmike…bart lying about breaking his wrist…skipping monthly mass…fake notes in the glove box…gullible parents…smoking cigarettes on the roof…evan’s house…man…or astroman shows…space ghost coast to coast…shallow – what does that mean? i hate big deal people…pacific sunwear…vanilla insence…hearts of space on sundays…little five points being a big deal…colin from the snowcone shop introducing me to the covington library…mrs. klister…fall music festival…pius plays…peter ferrari…sally foster…freak lot near the old tennis courts…wanting to get wasted at the forbidden bar near school…ice cream truck warehouse aka crack house of chamblee…walking to amoco…zach gorgeson’s hair…driver’s ed school with levi…talking to levi during the summer…bondage barbie…space ghost gang…hating sailor moon…skipping class and getting caught…mr. grod…cheating on summer reading lists with cliff notes and movies…flowers for algernon controversy…the bulls still winning rings…wanting to shoot coach cropper…homeroom hijinks…david baldwin…free nerone…ms. aaron…going to the planetarium and observatory…imax trips…old fellini’s on ponce…lefont movie nites…swingers is the best movie ever…icehouse 40s and shitty movies nites with steve…tino’s soundsystems…getting drunk on corona before the lock in…winning everything off of high low at the casino…field day activities…steve being in love with mackenzie white and all of us making fun of him for his vulgar actions…sitting with steve at church and acting up…the crappy freshman ties that remained for three years…fellini’s in l5p before the wall was closed in…carpe diem on highland ave…going to lakewood flea market…mormon dances as the top gun crew…meeting gwinnett friends through steve…last chance thrift store…goodwill on 29 and memorial drive…acne…garrett morgan dealing herb…watching mission impossible stoned out of my mind in the front row at northlake festival…stealing the magnetic sign off the car at wa-ho and getting caught two months later…shortcuts on the way to school…upstairs, downstairs, and next door wa-ho…late-start wednesdays…carpool with owens, haggerty, and jordan…noah wildman and the people’s ska annual…the robustos…james freeman’s house…fantasyland records…pogs at parkside…drinking jeff’s dad’s alcohol…cinnamon toast crunch in the mornings…hotboxing a greenhouse…dropping acid…black light posters…getting my braces off junior year…the breezeway…eating otis spunkmeyer cookies…no electives…sicko show in athens…shows at the 40 watt…majesic and ihop on north ave…going down to georgia state to hangout at the village…charleston trip…cutting grass to make money…rockin’ my walkman…taping shows off the left hand side of the dial…chain wallets and dog chains at the pet store…skinhead jeans…two old ladies playing at field day…punk rock matinee on sundays at the point…and lastly, my parents sacrificing so I wouldn’t have to attend stone mountain high…who knows what would’ve become.
As for the records, if pop-punk, punk-ska, streetpunk, rocksteady, first-, second-, and third-wave ska don’t lie within your musical tastes, then you’ll likely wish to pass on all of the following since those were the sounds that dominated my soundsystem back in the day. Since they proved to be somewhat misdirected within the playlists, look for retrospectives on garage, surf and swing sometime in the future.
I Was a High School Psychopath: The Pi-Hi Years 1994-95
Playlist; The Record Bin
Teenage Depression: The Pi-Hi Years 1995-96
Playlist Pt.1, Pt.2; The Record Bin Pt.1, Pt.2
Stay Rude Stay Rebel: The Pi-Hi Years 1996-97
Playlist Pt.1, Pt.2; The Record Bin Pt.1, Pt.2
Youth on the Street: The Pi-Hi Years 1996-97
Playlist; The Record Bin
Rude Boy Dreams: The Pi-Hi Years 1997-98
Playlist Pt.1, Pt.2; The Record Bin Pt.1, Pt.2
When I Got the Music: The Pi-Hi Years 1997-98
Playlist; The Record Bin
Take a glimpse into the scrapbook for some photos of those days of adolescence.
Evan Pihera, rockin’ a suit and Docs, and myself, rockin St. Mtn. Lasershow 3-D glasses and Simples, with Brooke Lyle reversing roles with Coach Cobis.
Reservoir Dogs: (left to right) James, Tino, Steve, Charlie, Ryan
Chillin’ at Spare Change Pool Hall, Green’s Corner, Norcross, GA
Sasso and Nerone: First Day at 039A Glenn Residence Hall, Georgia Tech, ATL
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August 31, 2008
The ridiculously-overextended hiatus has now been suspended and the Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi is officially back behind the controls to provide reels upon reels of vibrations to keep what’s coming out of your speakers sounding proper. I’ve abandoned the chore of splicing everything together for gapless playback purposes, and have, instead, opted for the easy route of simple playlist exports. Besides the streamlined style resulted in one continuous track which is highly frustrating when you wish to listen to a track here and a track there. Gone also is the prize-winning voice of yours truly, The One Nero. Perhaps I’ll drop some commentary here and there, but it’s all about the vibes to be honest. So the whole feel of a radio show is somewhat lacking, but, honestly, who cares. Just download the episodes, crank that volume dial to the far right, appreciate the fact that my commentary doesn’t disrupt the flow, and kick back and enjoy the records. Guidance.
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August 31, 2008
A mix of sounds from all over Thailand as we travel to the Isaan region on the last train from the station.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – Last Train to Isaan; 2008
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December 23, 2007
The Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi has intentions to head back into the studio in the near future to crank out some more episodes. Unforeseen circumstances contributed to the lack of episodes throughout this past year, but the vaults have since returned and will produce more enjoyment for your ears soon enough. Assuming, of course, that the original two did that in the first place. Upcoming journeys include lounging on the sands of Brasil, sleeping on the streets of Brooklyn, rollin’ dice in the alleys of Detroit, a late night train ride through Isaan, and stargazing in the Kalahari.
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May 16, 2007
Dig this episode that’s loaded with nuthin’ but bangers as a tribute to the dopeness that’ll take place in the ATL soon at the A3C Festival.
Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi – The A3C Festival Tribute; 2007
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