Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hypnotic Part II
One tune that's getting caned in these parts is the great brass band version of Sexual Healing, by the Hot 8 Brass Band. Here's the tale of how a New Orleans brass band ended up on a label based in Brighton, England; spotted at Turntable Lab...

"So I got a phone call from Will [Quantic] Holland. He was in Spain, raving about an mp3 I'd given him the last time he was here in NYC. It was this brass band version of "Sexual Healing," and he'd just thrown it on a packed Barcelona dancehall the night before. "At first they didn't know what to do," he says. "Then, the handclaps came in, and they started to move. When the vocals dropped the place exploded."

After we hung up I had to call my man DJ Concerned, who'd hit me with the thing in the first place. He didn't know who Quantic was, but he clearly understood the power of the killer cut. This CD is a selection of a few of his pure fire brass band joints, a collection honed by frequent trips to New Orleans as the DJ for Brian J and the Pimps of Joytime, one of the finest N.O.-affiliated up and comer conjuntos.

Understand, these aren't some old-timey Preservation Hall Jazz Band chestnuts, these are real deal street level Crescent City bangers from new school rulers the Rebirth Brass Band, the Hot 8 Brass Band and the Soul Rebels. These dudes have insanely hype live shows where they rip through everything from Herbie Hancock to Lil' Jon covers, kinda similar to DC's go-go scene. Concerned is the first guy I've heard to pull the sheet back on this stuff, and it's done here in a crispy thirteen song mix that is seamless without any teeth-gritting blends or awkward transitions.

In addition to the previously mentioned "Sexual Healing" (worth the price for that alone) and a wicked run through "Atomic Dog" ("Rock With the Hot 8"), the mix is chock full of sure shot party music ("(Don't Touch That) Stereo", "Skeet Skeet"). I've had this thing on constant rotation, recommended." - Monk One, review of DJ Concerned: Talkin' Loud But Sayin' Something! (New Orleans) CD. Link.
[ADDED This mix is on DJ Concerned's Myspace page here, if you want to listen.]

Holland passed the tune to his label boss, Robert Luis, who signed the Hot 8. More here.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007



Hypnotic!
"Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a eight man brass ensemble from Chicago, of which 7 are the sons of Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Kelan Phil Cohran, the 8th member of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble might not be connected by blood but is definitely part of the family. The creation of Hypnotic in 1999 represented the sons return to their instruments after a time of quitting music in their teenage rebellion years." LINK (also check the MP3s for download, including live with Mos Def at the Apollo).

"... the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Check out our previous post on these guys. Their last two 10″ records killed it. They also got a blog that journals their music and travels. I just stopped by today to see what’s new. I came across a cool video of them performing some new material in New York (NYC what is wrong with you? All that great live music, and majority of New Yorkers just completely ignored it. NYC where is your soul? There were some exceptions.) Anyway, check out the video and they also mention a real cool blog called DJouls.com from France, that wrote a good discography on the group." LINK

Check out their tunes over here and here, and on their blog.






Mr Untouchable
"Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes once ruled the drug trade in Harlem. They came out of retirement to talk business."

"Mark Jacobson moderates a historic (of sorts, I guess) conversation between the real-life Frank Lucas, portrayed by Denzel in the upcoming American Gangster movie, and legendary uptown drug lord-turned-snitch Nicky Barnes (aka Mr. Untouchable: see movie trailer here) for New York magazine. Check it out here." (Hat tip: Different Kitchen)

snip... (via Miss.Info) "Turns out, when [hiphop MC] Cam’ron talked to 60 Minutes about snitching…guess who was watching? Nicky Barnes!!

Nicky says:

“I testified against the guys who were in the Council along with me… Guy Fisher, Frank James, Wally, Coco, Kenny… When I went into the joint, I gave Guy Fisher a woman of mine and told him to look out for her, take care of her. I didn’t expect him to start f*cking her.”

But Nicky then says:

“When I realized they left me on the battlefield to die, I said, “F*ck it!” … I said, “I’ll pull those motherf*ckers in, let them see what it’s like.”… I don’t regret it. I saw this show on CNN, with Anderson Cooper. Cats were talking about “Don’t snitch, no matter what happens.”

Well, I can’t see how a guy can be considered strong if he lets a bunch of assholes walk all over him and he doesn’t respond, just because of some code that a bunch of idiots have cooked up. Anderson Cooper asked this rapper, “Suppose a child was molested and you knew who this molester was. Would you tell the police?” He said, “No.” So that’s what I’m sayin’—the street guidelines are just moron bullsh*t."

Monday, October 29, 2007

Freeeee!
From DFA: recordings of Shocking Pinks playing live, LCD Sound System live vid, and more. The free download is available from now until November 30th. Click on this...
DFA Records Exclusive

Full tracklisting:
1. LCD Soundsystem - "Us Vs Them" (Live In Manchester)
2. Prinzhorn Dance School - "Live Horn" (radio session)
3. Shocking Pinks - "Emily" (Live On RDU)

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, October 20
Spanky Wilson - Sunshine of your love (Bombs edit)
Butch Cassidy Sound System - Brothers and sisters
Truth - Excellence is thy name
Manu Chao - La vida tombola
Tenor fly - Mind weh yu say
Jr Reid - Bubblers
Dub syndicate - Pounding systems
B52s - Planet claire
Aaron Neville - Hercules
Tyra and tornadoes - Hui hui
Mary Jane Hooper - I've got reasons
Guilty Simpson - Mans world
Gussie P - Melchezedek step
Border crossing - City of love
International observer - London dub
Marvin Gaye - Sexual healing
Binky Griptite's Ghetto Funk Power Hour excerpt (wicked radio-show-style mixtape of 100% Daptone Records tunes - its the bonus disc with the new Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings CD, well worth checking, or download it here in MP3 format from the Daptone site.)

Mint chicks - Crazy? yes! dumb? no!
Fat Freddys - Flashback (Jazzanova mashed bag remix)
Freestylers - Warning
Schoolly D and Joe Delia - The player (Ganja Kru remix)
Boca 45 - Fonky feet
Kora - Culture (congrats on the number one album in the country!)

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, October 27
Guts - And the living is easy (Dynamics remix)
Dry and Heavy - Night flight pt 2
Henry and Louis - Love and understanding
Joy Denalane - Soweto 76-06
Marva Whitney -I am what I am
Gilberto Gil - Quermos guerra
DJ Fingaz - Fundamentals
Sharon Jones and Dap Kings - Something's changed
Sharon Jones and Dap Kings - What have you done for me lately?
Jackie Mittoo - Earthquake
Scientist - No dub island
Angie Stone - My man (Upstate remix)
Bob Marley -Sun is shining (DJ Dolores remix)
45 King - Fourth joint
Oscar Brown Jr - The Joneses
Lee Perry - Upsetting dub
Doujah Raze - Irish cream (Shuko remix)
Nas - Get down
Budos Band - Chicago falcon
Joy Denalane - Change
Manu Chao - Politik kills
Ann Sexton - You're losing me
Earth wind and fire - C'mon children
Hortense Ellis - Woman of the ghetto
One Blood - Be thankful for what you've got

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Dap-tastic
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings confirmed for Womad 2008 in New Plymouth - damn! Plus Mavis Staples, Cesaria Evora, Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra and more.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Indie rock is the new black
Need something entertaining to get you thru Tuesday? Try this on for size....

The trouble with indie rock. (via Slate)

"New Yorker pop critic Sasha Frere-Jones has often indicated boredom and annoyance with a lot of the critically acclaimed, music-blog, and/or NPR-approved "indie rock" of this decade. This week, in an article, a couple of blog entries, and a podcast, he tries to articulate why. His answer? It's not black enough; it lacks "swing, some empty space and palpable bass frequencies"; it doesn't participate lustily in the grand (and problematic) tradition of musical "miscegenation" that's given American music, especially rock 'n' roll, its kick.

To give bite to the accusation, Frere-Jones names a few names, beginning with the Arcade Fire and adding Wilco, the Fiery Furnaces, the Decemberists, the Shins, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, and Devendra Banhart, plus indie-heroes past, Pavement. He contrasts them with the likes of the Clash, Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Public Image Ltd., Bob Dylan, the Minutemen, Nirvana, and even Grand Funk Railroad as examples of willful, gleeful, racial-sound-barrier-breaching white rockers of yore..."

read the rest here.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Crazy? Yes!
Watched the NZ Music Awards on the tele last night, after walking home via Aotea Square, to check out the red carpet action. Checked the Turnaround boys DJing in this big white inflatable tent set up in the square, and saw Otis Frizzell and Dan Tippett painting up a storm, doing an awesome graff piece of a Tui made up of musical notes, very cool. Slave was there, bemoaning the general lack of rock n roll behaviour, then Otis recalled the first time he ever went to the music awards, and had to be carried out by Murray Cammick. Fuckin' rock! Also saw Brooke Fraser, damn, she's got as big nose. Not being rude or anything, but if you watch her videos, she is never shown in profile, always face-front. There's a reason for that.

Home to watch the tv show; overall it was amusing (helps when you get a comedian to host it). Highlights include Tim Finn winning best male vocalist (um, what?) and thanking his record label boss, lawyer and accountant, then his band and family. And Opshop won something and their accountant made their acceptance speech. What, he's their guitarist? Dude needs a make-over.But props to one of the other Opshop dudes who got cornered on the red carpet and quizzed about his outfit, proudly admitting he got his grey suit that morning from the Waiuku opshop, best suit you can get for $20. Thats' called repping your brand.

And do musicians like to swear or fuckin' what? There's pretty Ms Hollie Smith, who looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth (oh hang on, that's Brooke Fraser), and she wins another award, gets up to accept it, and looks thoroughly bemused and exclaims "bullshit!!!"

And then there's the Mint Chicks winning their third award for the night, thanking their parents, and then exiting the stage, before Ruban runs back to the mic and leans in and says "rigged', and then Kody runs back and says "rigged". Fuckin' rock.



Meanwhile, Auckland band Cut Off Your Hands dropped in at the CMJ Music Festival in New York yesterday - here's the lead singer in action, concluding their set in style (via LAist). Fuckin' rock. They played three times in one day. Andrew Dubber is there too, read about his adventures over here.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, October 13
Cutty Ranks - Who say me done
Scientist - Sunshine dub
Big Bud - Bubblin dub
Mark Duval Big Band - Race machine (Bobby Hughes remix)
Gilberto sextet - Good lovin
Hot 8 brass band - Get up
Jonathan Richman & Modern Lovers - Egyptian reggae
Recloose feat Hollie Smith - The game goes on
Bob Marley - Soul shakedown party (Afrodisiac remix)
Hallelujah Picassos - Sister Stacy
Chuck Carbo - Can I be your squeeze
Joy Denalane - Change
Funkmaster Flex - Safe sex, no freaks
LCD sound system - North American scum
Scrappy - Off the lead
Midnights - Outside looking in (Dub Asylum remix)
Ugly duckling - Shoot your shot inst.
Trip to the moon - Hamba humito
Lonnie Smith - Afrodesia
Manu Chao - Politik kills
New swing sextet - Monkey see, monkey do
Jackie Mittoo - Black organ
Echo candy -Captain Salassie
Delroy Wilson - Get ready
Original tropicana steel band - Calypso rock
Ensemble roger roger - Afro syn (Bobby Hughes remix)
Styles of Beyond - Mr Brown
Michael Palmer - Been talkin
Barringotn Levy - Many changes in life

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Ring the Alarm playlist, BaseFM, October 6
TLC vs Specials - Pretty Rudy
Aboriginals - The essence inst.
Bobby Byrd - Never get enough
Guts - And the living is easy
KRS One - Sound of the police
Gussie P - Ever loved somebody version
Skatalites - Coconut rock
Lloyd Charmers - Look-a-py-py
Nomo - Divisions
Osibisa - Dance the body music
Sharon Cash - Fever
DJ Babu - Do for self inst.
Kultur shock - Hashishi
Rodriquez - Sugar man
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 1oo days, 100 nights
Hot 8 Brass band - Fly away
Youngun - Nice suave
LCD sound system - North American scum
Roberta Flack - Go up Moses
Cane and Able - Be free
Monguito Santamaria - Groovetime
Dubblestandart vs Ari Up - Island girl (JStar remix)
Pioneers - Sweet inspiration (Justin Robertson remix)
Bob Marley - Sun is shining (DJ Dolores remix)
Damian Marley -Move
Magnum - The music makes us do it
DJ Serious - Unknown misery inst.
King Jammy - Slow motion dub
Jackie Mittoo - chicken and booze, darker shade of black.


Ring the Alarm playlist, BaseFM, September 22

Moodorama -Sweet toffee
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Walk tall
Wayne McGhie and the sounds of joy - Cool it
Prince Jammy - Champion version
Turbulence - Notorious
Bomb the bass - Bug powder dust (K&D remix)
Latin Watchamacallits - The fuzz
Balanco - Theme from cocktail nova (Nicola Conte remix)
Bob Marley - Soul shakedown party (Afrodisiac Sound System remix)
Lonnie Smith - Straight to the point
New order - Confusion
Guts - And the living is easy (Dynamics remix)
Dubblestandart - When I fall in love dub
Donald Fagen - Ruby
Creators - Make an impact inst.
Bran van 3000 feat Curtis Mayfield - Astounded (MJ Cole remix)
Da lata - Pra manha (percapella remix)
Last poets - White man's got a god complex
Digidub - Zinzo
East of the underground - Poppin popcorn/Santana
Edwin Starr - I just wanna do my thing
Guilty Simpson - Man's world
Ramsey Lewis - Do what ya want (Mr Scruff remix)
Krafty kuts & Freddy Fresh - Snatchit

Skipped a week in there somewhere, but you get that.