Sunday, November 30, 2008

Willie wonky.
Just spied this on the Juno new releases list... country legend Willie Nelson with UK reggae giant Mad Professor. Just nutty. Listen to a sample over here. Lyrics all about 'we gotta take back america..." yeah, I know Willie did a reggae album a few years back, but still...

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Trailer: The Universe of Keith Haring



Keith Haring is one of my favourite artists of all-time. This screened at the Film Festival this year, and I couldn't make it - have to wait for the DVD now... "New documentary about the iconic artist, Keith Haring directed by Christina Clausen featuring interviews and archival footage of Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Kim Hastreiter, Grace Jones, Madonna, Yoko Ono, David LaChapelle, Kenny Scharf, Carlo McCormick, Andy Warhol, Ann Magnuson, Tony Shafrazi, and Junior Vasquez among many others" Hat tip to Diiff Kitchen.

The Keith Haring Foundation | Arthouse Films

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

UPDATED: Kraftwerk cancel Melbourne show after band member's suspected heart attack
More info at Herald Sun, "Moments before the German electro pioneers were due to appear at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, band member Fritz Hilpert was rushed to The Alfred Hospital, suffering a suspected heart attack.Hilpert was kept in overnight.He was given a clean bill of health at noon on Sunday and then headed to Perth for the next leg of the roadshow."

See here. "Kraftwerk were forced to cancel their show in Melbourne for the Global Gathering Festival on the [Saturday] 22nd of November 2008, when Fritz Hilpert suffered from a heart attack and had to be hospitalized. Ralf Hutter, as well as another performer of the show walked up on stage 20 minutes after they were due to start, to announce the news."

Monday, November 24, 2008

Mayer Hawthorne & The County - "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"
Sublime soul for your Monday. Go get it now.
"... Few expect such heartfelt sentiment to come from a 29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor, but he has caught the ear of his family at Stones Throw, as well as BBC Radio 1 host Gilles Peterson and producer/DJ Mark Ronson. Expectations are high for the admitted vinyl junkie who never planned on taking his crooning public. Hawthorne’s hanging-by-a-string falsetto and breakbeat production on his first recorded effort, the tender “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” are simultaneously Smokey and J Dilla – equal parts “The Tracks of My Tears” and “Fall in Love.” “It’s soul,” he explains, “But it’s new.”

Red vinyl, and it's heart-shaped. Dopeness. (link to mp3 download)



also spotted at Stonesthrow - Joaquin Phoenix (dressed like The Dude) debuts rap career at Dam-Funk's Funkmosphere. Nuts.
Menahan St
Some live-in-studio recordings for you from Menahan St Band... over here.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, Nov 22
Ernest Ranglin - 54 46 was my number
Little John - Fade away
Roland Alphonso -Guns of Navarone
General Levy - The wig
Kissey Asplund - With you
Sly n Robbie - Softcore surge
Dexter Wansel - Life on mars
Ray Barretto - El elephante (Shh remix)
Sly and Family Stone - Thankful and thoughtful
Kenny Dope - Can you handle it? Pt 1
Kraftwerk - The model
Funkmaster Flex and ghetto celebs - Safe sex, no freaks (Deep in Brooklyn mix)
Mr Vegas - Must come a road
Zap mama - Bandy bandy (Carl Craig remix)
Mr scruff -Fix that speaker!
John Gibbs and US steel orchestra - Street cries
Patti Jo - Make me believe in you (Ashley Beedle re-edit)
Marc Mac and Visioneers - Funk box
Orgone -Hambone
BT Express -If it don't turn you on...
Eru Dangerspiel - The hold up
Sola Rosa - Del ray

Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday Freshness
Some tunes for the weekend...
Illa J - Strugglin (at The Fader) JDilla's younger bro drops an album rhyming over Dilla's beats.
Lulu Rouge feat. Mikael Simpson - Bless You (link) tasty minimalist downtempo from Denmark (more of them here)
Nina Simone - Sinnnerman original 10 min version - you need this in your life, trust me.
Hot 8 Brass Band - Get up Diesler remix (link) fruity, brassy goodness

Haven't checked this, but it sounds kinda interesting... Jimi Hendrix mixtape from DJ Concept (link)

All for research purposes only. Later.

ADDED Santo Gold - Shove It (Switch remix) heard this dubby lil gem a while back, has just popped up again over here.
Attention vinyl junkies
The Auckland Vinyl Record Collectors Fair returns this Saturday Nov 22 at Polish House Hall, Morningside. Stalls include New Zealand vinyl and music posters and foreign, 60s, rare, dance, reggae etc vinyl. Legendary soul DJ/collector Murray Cammick will be selling more funk, soul vinyl, vintage music magazines etc. The event also has stalls selling turntables & accessories.

The venue is the Polish House Hall, 1 McDonald St, on the corner of Ethel Road, off Sandringham Road, opposite Eden Park. The fair runs from 10am to 3pm. There is a $3 entry fee.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

New Sola Rosa tune going free!
Just spied this from Mr Spragga... "We're giving away our new single 'Del Ray' free as a download from our Bandcamp page - enjoy http://tinyurl.com/6pwzo2
Keeping it stinky
Top-notch selector and record label honcho Stinky Jim has taken the plunge and launched an audio blog called StinkInc, which is stonkingly good, which will be no surprise to anyone familiar with his excellent radio show Stinky Grooves.

There's tales of record shopping in NYC during his recent expedition with Naked and Famous for the CMJ Fest, the absolutely killer tune Up To Eleven from a revitalised Unitone Hifi (you gotta listen to it), some Ramey Lewis 'fruity business, and a backgrounder on Onra, playing here this friday for Tiger Translate...

"The Vietnamese-French producer and DJ caught my eye with his 'Chinoiseries' album, earlier this year. For starters it looked the part, and the briefest of spins on the decks confirmed it was something a little special. Comprised of 32 beat vignettes, most barely troubling the two minute mark, it's a response to a visit back to the land of his grandparents where he picked up a bundle of comfortingly scratchy Vietnamese/Oriental vinyl.

check out http://stinkinc.blogspot.com/ and add em to ya RSS styles.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ba Ba Boom is CD Of The Week in Sunday Star Times!
In case you missed it, let me draw this to your attention... check this out... "A punchy mix of skanking reggae, tongue-in-cheek techno and retro hiphop, this five-track EP from Auckland's Pete McLennan arrives just in time for summer. The horn-heavy title track is a soulful speaker-shaker of rare brilliance, while Smash Thru with MC Kyla brings a bulging trunk of funk to the party. Shake that hotel room indeed!" - Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times, Nov 16, 2008

Listen to it at reverbnation.com/dubasylum or myspace.com/dubasylum
Buy tracks from Amplifier.co.nz or itunes.com/dubasylum
Yakety yak
"I’m a strange dude. My life is very unusual. I mean, I think if you were to walk down the street in Denver and take a poll of the first hundred people you saw, I would be surprised if more than two had any idea who I was. But at the same time, I was recently portrayed by Sir Ben Kingsley in a video. That’s fucking weird." Ian MacKaye’s current solo tour isn’t musical, and true to form, it breaks with convention. He’s dropping by various bookstores, high schools and colleges for Q&A sessions, or, as he calls them, “public interviews.” Link

He's not promoting a book or a new album , he's just going out and having unfiltered conversations with his audience. Genius.
Did you ever find anything unusual in a used record you bought?
Spotted at WFMU's blog, very entertaining.

"... Inside my (used) copy of the first Celibate Rifles LP, I found a hand written note from their guitar player, which he'd clearly left for the first owner of the album after crashing with her on an early U.S. tour. It thanks her ("Judy", I think) for her hospitality, graciousness, and for introducing them to The Long Ryders and the Dream Syndicate. (I'm guessing Judy lived in L.A. and unloaded her LP collection on a trip to San Francisco, as I purchased the record at Amoeba Records some years ago.)

You ever found anything like that?

Monday, November 17, 2008

Ex-Beatle says "Look! We made weird crap too!"
"For Beatles fans around the world, it has gained near-mythical status. The 14-minute improvised track was recorded in 1967 and played once in public. It was never released on record because three of the Fab Four thought it too adventurous.

Paul McCartney: "I said to the guys, this is a bit indulgent but would you mind giving me 10 minutes, I've been asked to do this thing. All I want you to do is just wander round all of the stuff and bang it, shout, play it. It doesn't need to make any sense. Hit a drum, wander to the piano, hit a few notes ... and then we put a bit of echo on it. It's very free." Yes, they did inhale. Way more on some days than others, apparently... Link
Funk, it's monday again
Cheer yourself up with these splendid tunes...
WAR - Spill The Wine / Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady / The Meters - Ease Back / The Blackbyrds - Rock Creek Park over here, and this gem from Rare Earth, the only successful white band on Motown... "This version of the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” has it all — driving wah-wah guitar, trippy slide guitar, echoed vocals, extended high-hat drum breaks, killer conga lines and some cookin’ Hammond organ.ot surprisingly, it was produced by the great Norman Whitfield. The single edit reached No. 7 in the pop charts in the summer of 1970 … one spot higher than the Tempts’ version at this time of year in 1966."Get it here.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, Nov 15
Cutty Ranks -The stopper (Richard Dorfmeister remix)
Dennis Brown/Big Youth - Money in my pocket
Jackie Mittoo - James Bond
Sly n Robbie - Freedom and liberation version
Dub colossus - Azmari dub
James Brown - The bose (Geisha boys remix)
Slide five - KC Doppler (Thievery corp remix)
Sono rhizmo - My house
Sun Ra - Twin stars of thence
Scratch 22 - He keeps you
Eru Dangerspiel - Sun again
P-money and Rodney P - Untitled
3 generations walking - Midnight bustling (Francois K version)
Bunny general - Pon mi border
In crowd - Mango walk
Q-tip feat Norah Jones - Life is better
The hitch hikers - Mr fortune
Menahan st band - Esma
20th century steel band - Shaft
Bill Withers - Harlem
Rhythm and sound feat Cornell Campbell - King in my empire
Joe Tex and U Black - Standardisation
Me and you - last night (Bass nectar remix)
Collie budz - Hustle
Mr Vegas - Must come around
Mungos hifi - Mexican bean riddim
The Lions- Cumbia del leon (Toddy Ts mix)

shout out to my New York listeners, esp CanelaNYC!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Ring the alarm playlist, BaseFM, November 8
Herbie Hancock – Wiggle waggle (Mr Scruff club mix)
Dusty – Voodoo

Big ups Barack Obama...
The Pointer sisters – Yes we can can
Skullsnaps – It's a new day

Jackie Mittoo – Totally together
Brother culture and Mungos Hifi – Ing
Lester Sterling -Afrikaan beat
Beats International -Invasion of the estate agents
Sharon Jones and Dapkings -How long do I have to wait for you? (Ticklah remix)
Ladi 6 – Dark brown
Eru Dangerspiel -The hold up
OJays - Backstabbers
Lee Oskar - Haunted house
Ballistic Brothers -Peckings
Dub colossus – Azmari dub
Lee Perry – Special dub
Metrophonics – Latin racer
Fred Leslies Missing Links -Got so much trouble on my mind
Roy Ayers – Running away
Miles Davis – A different blues (Applejuice kid remix)
Roxanne Shante – Have a nice day
John Gibbs and US Steel orchestra – Spanish hustle
Paul St Hilaire – Office
Mike Fabulous - Wang east
Jimi Hendrix -Foxy dub (Rob Tex edit)
Dub colossus – Shem city steppers
Al Green – Love and happiness (Shoes edit)

Monday, November 10, 2008

Say it loud
James Brown -I got the feelin' DVD out now. Soulsides has a clip from it here.

"I Got the Feelin': James Brown In the '60s, a 3-DVD set comprised of two concerts (Boston Gardens, 4/5/68 & the Apollo Theater, 3/68), plus a documentary, The Night James Brown Saved Boston.

The latter is in reference to one of the astounding cultural moments of the turbulent late '60s: the day after MLK's assassination, Brown came to Boston and it was decided that not only would the show go on, but WGBH would broadcast the show throughout the city as a way to "keep the peace." To that degree, it was successful as Boston did not suffer the same levels of rioting or arrests as other major American cities."

Friday, November 07, 2008

Friday Freshness
listen to these...
Bass Nectar (straight outta SF -thunderous dubstep biz)
Dub Colossus (London dub meets Ethiopia)
Elvis Presley - Crawfish (Pilooski edit) - fave Elvis tune ever.
and Herbie Hancock - Wiggle waggle (Mr Scruff club mix). Funky dopeness.

And all you Kiwis - get out and vote tomorrow! If you don't vote, no one gives a crap what you think. Put up or shut up.

That is all.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Patrick Moberg:  Today is a big day.

Obama-lama-a-wop-bam-boom
Today's picture (hat tip to Matt B)

and the soundtrack....
Parliament - Chocolate City (link or link)


This via twitter from Jay Smooth in New York... "Uma Thurman is hanging out of the side of her escalade, riding down 125 screaming and high fiving everybody"
Cadillac Records trailer.
Film based on Chess Records story, I wrote about it a while back - heres the trailer.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Free stuff!
And just to shift away from writing about dead people, K7 Records is giving away a free sampler for download, you just have to register your email with them. Some top tunes from this year and sneak previews of upcoming releases...
track listing...

Hot Chip- My Piano (dub)
Carl Craig- Brainfreeze (edit)
Quiet Village- Circus of Horror
The Herbaliser- You're Not All That (edit)
Milosh- Awful Game
Bomb The Bass- So Special
Matthew Herbert Big Band- The Story (edit)
Circlesquare- Dancers (edit)
Boozoo Bajou- Flickers (edit)

RIP Yma Sumac
Famous Peruvian singer with an incredible vocal range passes, aged 86. Link.
Listen.. Yma Sumac - Bo mambo...



and Yma Sumac live (from 1987, on the David Letterman Show, click to watch)...

Monday, November 03, 2008

RIP Studs Terkel
"The author, activist and oral historian who provided a voice for the voiceless has passed away at his home in Chicago at 96. “It is hard to imagine a fuller life” (Chicago Tribune); view Terkel’s bibliography (”His bookshelf spans a century”); profiles and remembrances from In These Times, The Atlantic, the New York Times and The Nation; reactions from the campaign trail by Barack Obama; reflections from his longtime editor and friend Andre Schiffrin; a letter from Roger Ebert; and click here to read Terkel’s conversation with STOP SMILING, published in 2005 in our Chicago Issue. “Was he the greatest Chicagoan?” Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times. “I cannot think of another. For me, he represented the joyous, scrappy, liberal, generous, wise-cracking heart of this city.” From Stop Smiling.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Ninja Tuna
Mr Scruff has just dropped a new album Ninja Tuna, and he's giving a way a free mixtape, download info here. Everything from A Tribe called Quest to Roots Manuva to Herbie Hancock.

And for guitar nerds... A Half-Century of McCabe's Guitar Shop "Hanging from the walls are a saz, a charango, a bouzouki and dozens of djembes, didgeridoos and kalimbas, along with hundreds of ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and guitars variously stringed, shaped, amplified and not. A couple of harp guitars (the baroque axe Robbie Robertson played in The Last Waltz), a 19th-century varietal, and electric guitars with Hello Kitty stickers, oddly popular with young boys."