Monday, February 28, 2011

What have you done my brother?



This great little story popped up in the latest newsletter from Daptone Records. Gabe Roth had planned to "tweak the lyrics to amputate all of the religion out of them ... It wasn't out of disrespect. Just like Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles and all the rest of the great R&B singers, we figured Naomi had to change "Jesus" to "baby" in order to sell some records ..."

Didn't quite work out that way tho...



Daptone Records Co-owner/Producer, Bosco Mann, on Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens and the recording of this album:

Recording this record was a challenge. When Cliff and I first conceived of it, we wanted to do an album of all message songs - meaning, we wanted to do all uplifting songs, songs about righteousness, but no literal gospel. Songs about "Love", but not calling Jesus' name. Kind of like the songs the Staples Singers and Curtis Mayfield did when they crossed over. We started rolling tape in 2006.

On Cliff's recommendation, I had gone through a lot of gospel songs that we were already doing on church gigs and tweaked the lyrics to amputate all of the religion out of them. I changed "Hem of His Garment" to "If All My Money Were Love", and "Pray On My Child" to "Walk On My Child". It wasn't out of disrespect. Just like Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles and all the rest of the great R&B singers, we figured Naomi had to change "Jesus" to "baby" in order to sell some records. There was a lot of precedent for this approach to recording a "gospel-tinged" soul record. I also wrote a handful of new tunes for these first sessions like "By My Side," "Am I Asking Too Much", "Rise Up,"and "Movin'" (the latter two never made the final cut for the record.) We were still recording on the old 16 track tape machine then.

The results were mixed. That first take of "I'll Take the Long Road" (a song I'd originally intended for a reggae group) came out beautiful. It was just one of those natural studio moments that just worked, and in the end it was one of the only things from this first session to make the wax. However, most of the rest of the session was not as fruitful, we shelved it and got into some other things for a few months.

We reconvened in 2007. We had some different back up singers, another drummer, and some new songs. I believe we kept "By My Side" from that session. Not because the backing was flawless, but because Naomi slaughtered it to the point where we couldn't ask her to cut it again. Other than that, the outcome was little better than the first sessions.

Again, we shelved the project. It was better than the first sessions, but we knew that Naomi deserved a great record. It was painful for me personally, because I knew how much she and Cliff wanted to get a record out. Cliff had seemed content to release the first sessions. I didn't want to hold them back, but Neal and I agreed that the sessions hadn't yet reached their potential.

I took a lot of time after those sessions, listening to tapes and comparing the performances to Naomi and the Queens' live show. At some point I had to acknowledge that they were just putting a little more into the songs about Jesus. These were women who were sincerely in love with Jesus and you could hear it in their songs. Not that they didn't dig in to some of the other songs that I'd written - Naomi had taken some of them to heart and was really breathing life into them - but the gospel songs would have to be just that: gospel songs. Neal and I shrugged and made peace with our place as two more Jews putting out records about Jesus.

In 2008 we brought them back into the studio with a fresh approach. Some things had changed. I called in friend and local jazz drummer Brian Floody for most of the sessions and Homer Steinweiss for the rest. The Queens' line up had changed as well, bringing Cynthia Langston in to sing the top parts, leaving Edna Johnson on the bottom, and solidifying Bobbie Gant in the middle. The studio had undergone some changes as well. By that time, we had abandoned the 16 track for an 8 track Ampex machine. This meant we didn't have enough tracks for each of the musicians and singers to have their own tracks.

My first instinct was to let the background singers just gather around one mic, which would open up a couple tracks, but just before the session, I changed my mind. We gave each singer their own mic and their own track. Some of these songs were new to them and they didn't have all of the parts and blends completely worked out. I needed them on separate tracks in order to make sure we could sit them right in the mix. Because of that, we had to economize the tracks for the rhythm section.

We put the bass amp and guitar amp facing eachother and stuck one microphone in between. It actually wasn't hard to get a balance and I could control the bass pretty well with the low end of an eq. Similarly, the piano and organ were mixed together on a single track. (There were a few tunes where I screwed up the balance between the keys. "Where'd the piano go?," Cliff would ask me. I had to group mix the backgrounds, fly them to another track, and overdub an additional piano on a handful of songs. You can hear the ghostly original piano poking through on some of the tunes.)

The other major change was giving Naomi and the Queens back the original gospel lyrics. Suddenly, tunes like "What More Can I Do" and "What Is This?" started coming to life. I think we recorded on a Thursday and Friday evening and took the weekend off. That Sunday I listened to the roughs and was much happier with what we had. It just felt that the record needed one more tune, something heavy and dark to balance all of the transcendent optimism of the record. I grabbed my guitar, strummed a couple minor chords and scribbled out "What Have You Done, My Brother".

Like the other's I'd written for Naomi, it wasn't a brilliant song by any stretch of the imagination, but it had a rhythm and a message that she could really get into. She took to it right away and we cut it in couple of takes. We decided to cut A Change Is Gonna Come on that last day two. Cliff put together the backgrounds and we overdubbed them afterwards. A combination of finally having the right line-up and the right songs (with the original lyrics) made this third session a success. After a few days of voting, fighting, and a lot of splicing, through which many songs and verses met there painful end on the cutting room floor, we chopped the tapes down to what the truly essential moments. Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens finally had a Daptone record.

What Have You Done, My Brother? is the only record that I've ever recorded that I could sit and listen to from the moment it was finished. Most records I can't enjoy for years. Like lots of great records, It didn't sell so well. Perhaps the irony is that after all that people actually couldn't get their heads around buying a gospel record. I have no regrets about going back to the Jesus lyrics, though.

We made a deep, natural, soulful record. I think we captured what makes Naomi the most beautiful and powerful singer around. I have yet to record another record that made me as proud."

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Milking it

I went down to BaseFM's annual Shake N Bake gig today in Western Park. The folk from Cut Collective were doing some live art, and this was what they came up with...




Vinyl revival #250

Yet another variation on a classic theme....

Vinyl Records Turn Up the Volume (NBC DFW)

Music store owners say vinyl albums are gaining popularity. "All of the sudden, a few years ago, it started coming back. It kind of amazed me, so we started buying more vinyl," Don Foster, the owner of Recycled Books, Records and CDs, in Denton said ...

... "With a CD, it is so flimsy and just kind of there," said Steven Rodriguez, a 25-year-old record collector. "With a vinyl, you can hold it and flip it over. The whole ritual of playing a record is satisfying."

Friday, February 25, 2011

Buju Banton found guilty

Via Miami Herald. - Singer Buju Banton found guilty in cocaine case


Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to set up a cocaine deal in 2009, a verdict that elicited anguish and disbelief among supporters in a crowded courtroom and from other artists in his native Jamaica.

A federal jury deliberated for 11 hours over two days on the fate of Banton, who won a Grammy last week for best reggae album for his work entitled "Before the Dawn." He was found guilty of three of four charges, and his attorney said he's facing at least 15 years in prison.

The 37-year-old Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, remains wildly popular in Jamaica, and the trial - his second over the drug accusations - was packed with supporters that included other well-known reggae artists. The first trial ended in a mistrial last year after the jury deadlocked....

... Banton was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. He was acquitted of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine....

.... Prosecutors acknowledge that Banton did not put any money into the drug deal, nor did he ever profit from it. Markus said his client is "a big talker" who admitted to trying to impress the confidential informant but wasn't involved in any drug deal.

The verdict marks "the saddest day for reggae and dancehall," rapper Michael "Power Man" Davy said, adding he was "sad as a Rastaman and a Jamaican."

Singer Junior Reid called it a conspiracy against reggae artists. "With Buju gone, a big piece of reggae get chop off," he said.

Chch benefit gig in AK on Sunday

"In the wake of Christchurch’s most recent and devastating earthquake, Heaps of People present the “Kotahitangata (One People)” concert for the “New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal”, happening this Sunday 27 February, 5pm at Sale St.

100% of all proceeds will go to Red Cross New Zealand to aid their ongoing efforts to support those affected by the quake.
The stellar line-up includes: Sola Rosa (live), King Kapisi, Homebrew, LA Mitchell, Anna Coddington, Coast, The Midnights, LatinAotearoa (Bobby Brazuka, Jennifer Zea & Isaac Aesili), Recloose, The Turnaround (Manuel Bundy, Cian, Submariner) & special guests.

No cost was incurred in the creation of the event with the complete line-up performing free of charge.

Doors open at 5pm and there will be a variety of auctions running during the day to also raise money for the cause. Tickets are $25 from Eventfinder and gig-goers are also required to give a donation of their choice on arrival – anything from $1 to $1000 - it is all greatly appreciated.

Fania!


Fania Records has linked up with Strut to drop a wicked 2 CD set retrospective of the Fania label, covering such legends of latin music as Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Joe Bataan, Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria and many more. If you've never checked out the Fania label, this looks like a great place to start.


"Fania was originally the brainchild of musician and bandleader Johnny Pacheco who, when disillusioned with the label releasing his music, teamed up with lawyer Jerry Masucci to form a new imprint, named after a Reinaldo Bolanos composition. 
 
"At the time, the era of the ‘mambo kings’  that reigned supreme in New York from the late 1940s through the 1950s had begun to lose momentum. New York’s new generation of young Latinos were more interested in doo-wop during the late 1950s, then the ‘twist’ and the R&B of Motown. Younger Nu Yorican musicians began experimenting with new, energetic fusions of Latin music like boogaloo and what ultimately became known as salsa and Fania arrived at the perfect time to bring the new sounds to the huge Latin communities in Spanish Harlem and across New York."
 
Various Artists: Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Sound Of Latin New York
(Out March 29th)


Track listing below...
CD 1
1. Johnny Pacheco - Dakar, Punto Final
2. Orchestra Harlow - La Juventud
3. Joe Bataan - Subway Joe
4. Ray Barretto - Mercy Mercy Baby
5. Bobby Valentin - Use It Before You Lose It
6. Willie Colon - The Hustler
7. Joe Bataan - Mambo De Bataan
8. Roberto Roena - Consolacion
9. Ismael Miranda con Orchestra Harlow - Abran Paso
10. Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - Sonido Bestial
11. Willie Colon - Che Che Cole
12. Cheo Feliciano - Anacaona
13. The Fania All Stars - Quitate Tu (Live At The Cheetah)
14. Justo Betancourt – Pa’ Bravo Yo
15. Ismael Miranda - Asi Se Compone Un Son

CD 2
1. Ray Barretto – Indestructible
2. Willie Colon - Calle Luna, Calle Sol
3. Roberto Roena - Que Se Sepa
4. Bobby Valentin - Coco Seco
5. Celiz Cruz & Johnny Pacheco - Quimbara
6. Tommy Olivencia - Pa’Lante Otra Vez
7. Hector Lavoe - Mi Gente
8. Mongo Santamaria - O Mi Shango
9. Sonora Poncena - Bomba Carambomba
10. Ruben Blades & Willie Colon - Pablo Pueblo
11.Hector Lavoe - El Cantante
12. Ruben Blades & Willie Colon – Pedro Navaja
13. Celia Cruz Y Sonora Poncena - Sonaremos El Tambo
14. Fania All Stars & Celia Cruz - Cuando Despiertes

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Webstock

This is a statement of fact.
Webstock has grown from a small gathering back in 2006 to around 750 people this year. It's an incredible event; their attention to detail in every aspect of what they do is just jaw-droppingly good. And I'm not just saying that cos they got me back to be the official Webstock DJ for the second year running.

The speakers this year ranged in subject matter from comics to typography to content to music to infographics to all different aspects of the web... it really was quite mindblowing. What really gets me about Webstock is everyone who goes to it is totally engaged with what they're hearing. It's buzzing with energy from the very first speaker. It's buzzing even before the doors open - if the audience has managed to beat the queues at the coffee machine that is.

One very cool idea that popped up on the first day was making use of Google Docs to create an open document for each speaker that anyone could contribute notes to.  Go here to read the full list of notes on the speaker's talks. It worked brilliantly.

There's so many highlights it's hard to pull out a few. Some of my favorite speakers included Merlin Mann who gave a great talk using slides that were low-fi photos of index cards he'd scribbled on (unlike other presenters, who even had credits for the typeface in their sumptuously designed slides), and Amanda Palmer, who made her entrance to Webstock by busking outside the Town Hall, playing on the screen inside via video link from an iPhone. She walked inside the town hall, belting out Radiohead’s Creep while playing ukulele. The video link cut out half way through. Don’t know if the phone was connected to Vodafone or XT.

Whenever one of the Webstock speakers swear, all eyes shoot to the sign language interpreter to see how they sign it. The best example was Webstock’s Mike Brown introducing Palmer, as her full performing name, Amanda F**king Palmer, and turning to the sign guy and saying I want to see how you do this, and sign guy looks at Mike and says “is that a noun or a verb?”. Cue laughter.

Palmer talked about her experiences of being signed to a major label, how that worked really well for a while, then stopped working. She said that the major labels were like the Titanic, and they were already sinking and yet they were still in denial they were going down.

Palmer mentioned using Bandcamp as a great model for distributing music, and also using Twitter as a way of organising her tours - finding places to stay, and staging spontaneous 'ninja gigs' as she calls them.She talked about staging a ninja gig in Byron Bay in Australia, which was great, but all the people who came were from outside Byron Bay, not locals as there's no internet coverage there.

They best example she had of using Twitter was when she was flying from the US to UK to do some advance press before starting a tour there. The stopover was in Iceland, and she landed just after the volcano blew up. It quickly became apparent that she wasn't flying anywhere when the airline started talking about offering her a hotel to stay. So she got on Twitter and asked "Anyone here?"

She knew no one in Iceland, but a friend in NZ who was originally from Iceland, called her old schoolfriend back in Iceland, and they came and picked Palmer up at the airport and gave her a place to stay. Within 7 hours of being stranded, Palmer had sorted accommodation and a gig for that night, and borrowed a keyboard for the show.

Palmer said “Free content breeds success which might not be immediately visible or measurable”.
She said that giving your music away for free, if it's good, will make people pay for more. If it's shitty, they won't give you a cent.

DJing at Webstock is an entertaining gig - you're basically playing background music for folk while they have a break for morning/afternoon tea, or lunch. The people attending Webstock are so friendly - they would ask if I needed any food, or drink, and complimented me on the music. Thank you! You are lovely people.

I got to hang out with some awesome people at Webstock. Hope to see you again soon! Thank you for inviting me, Webstock.


And when I wasn't DJing, I was probably on Twitter. Photographic evidence

Webstock also provide attendees with free grapefruit and lemon Frujus. Classy

Amanda Palmer entered the stage playing Creep by Radiohead

Apparently I missed the geek memo about wearing checked shirts to Webstock. Not these guys

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Christchurch

About 1pm this afternoon, Christchurch was hit by a serious earthquake, of 6.3 (following September's quake of 7.1). There's been terrible scenes of collapsed buildings, shocked people and calamity all over the tv for hours. It's pretty horrific to watch. Sixty five people are reported dead so far, and there's still hundreds of people trapped inside collapsed buildings, as darkness falls. I hope they're going to be okay. Much love to the people of Christchurch.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Five bar loops



From a recent article in The Guardian on J-Dilla... no standard four bar loops for this cat...

"...Dilla was, perhaps, the only hip-hop producer to have studied the cello ("Not the instrument of choice in the ghetto," as his mother puts it in the sleevenotes) as a child, and his work is full of the sort of subtle but powerful differences that a composition-based education might provide, as Miguel Atwood-Ferguson noticed when he broke down the pieces ahead of arranging them for the orchestra.

"Dilla loves five-bar loops," he says. "He loves sevens and elevens as well, but within the phrases of five, he will have different parts of the beat looped in threes, fives and sevens a lot as well. Two of my other favorite musicians, Billie Holliday and Elvin Jones, very naturally phrase in three, five, and seven as well, without even seemingly being consciously of it."

Wave goodbye



I heard a whisper late last year that The Opensouls were splitting up, and this weekend just gone the band played their final show in Tauranga. Lead singer Tyra Hammond has recently had a kid, and drummer Julien Dyne has got a budding solo career cooking away, not to forget the other musical activities of other band members, so I guess it's a good time to wrap things up. The Opensouls produced some splendidly funky grooves. I'll miss em. Love this video too, you bunch of sick puppies! Laters, Opensouls....

Thursday, February 17, 2011

More Fishbone

Got sent these clips from the fine folk at Turnstyle News... thanks!

"Actors and musicians including Gwen Stefani, Laurence Fishburne (narrator), Flea, Damon Wayans, Ice-T and Perry Farrell appear in two exclusive clips - obtained by Turnstyle News - of EVERYDAY SUNSHINE, a documentary about unique black rock band Fishbone. It is the untold story of fiercely individual artists in their quest to reclaim their musical legacy while debunking the myths of young black men from urban America."

Official site for Everyday Sunshine.


Everyday Sunshine: Fishbone Is Punk Rock from Turnstyle Video on Vimeo.


Everyday Sunshine: Fishbone In The Hood from Turnstyle Video on Vimeo.

Read more - Fishbone in the hood at Turnstyle News

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Straight to hell



Got sent this link, which reminded me to post it, cos I saw it a while back, I think.

NY77: The coolest year in hell, a documentary made in 2007 by VH1. This clip is 1 hour 25 mins.

"A two-hour VH1 Rock Doc that documents one of the most tumultuous years in New York Citys history. The Emmy nominated documentary examines everything from the birth of hip-hop, the burgeoning disco movement, the famed New York blackout, the Son of Sam murders, the sexual revolution and the citys ongoing financial and political problems. The list of people interviewed by Corra includes Mayor Ed Koch, Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein, porn actress Annie Sprinkle, hip-hop pioneers KRS One, Afrika Bambaataa and D.J. Kool Herc, punks Richard Hell, Blondies Christ Stein, Studio 54 co-owner Ian Schrager and disco diva Gloria Gaynor."

Marc Campbell over at Dangerous Minds remembers the 77 blackout...

"I was living in the decaying Hotel Earle in the West Village when NYC went black. The power failure of July 13, 1977 knocked the city to its knees. I was sitting on the window sill of my room keeping cool or as cool as one could keep during a sweltering summer night in the city. I was drinking a nice cold beer and listening to the music of the streets when at around 9:30 p.m. everything suddenly went completely dark…and I mean dark, dark as Aleister Crowley’s asshole.

"It was the strangest fucking thing you could imagine. One moment the city was there, then next it was gone. The only illumination came from automobile headlights lacerating the night like ghostly Ginsu knives. My girlfriend and I clutched hands and felt our way down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk. We walked to Bleecker street in spooky darkness. We weren’t alone. The avenues were teeming with the dazed and confused. Not that unusual for the Village, but the confusion was different. Was the world coming to an end?..."

" NY77: The Coolest Year In Hell is a terrific documentary that captures a pivotal moment in the history of a city and its pop culture. Here’s the whole beautiful mess."

Net labels: Jahtari



Great profile on net labels, including reggae crew Jahtari, over at Dangerous Minds.  What is a net label? Read their handy intro here.

"It was after being shown the Jahtari.org website back in 2006 by my friends in Mungo’s Hi-Fi that the penny dropped - I really could do everything needed to get music out there without the aid of another label.  All I needed was someone who could build me a website where I could host music for people to download. The concept of net labels had been floating around before, but nobody had done it as well as Jahtari, with such a coherent outlook and music policy. They took it to another level."

"As the name would suggest, Jahtari is a combination of old school computing and dub/reggae. In particular, the classic King Jammy/Wayne Smith-style digital reggae sounds of the mid-80s (records like “Sleng Teng” and “Walk Like Granny”), largely made on Casio keyboards, but here compressed even lower into 8-bit jams .... Most importantly for me was the format - “Net 7s”, a free download which comes packaged like a physical 7 inch record, with an A side and a B side (often a dub version), and corresponding inlay sticker art."

There's a vague local connection too - one of Jahtari's artists is a young fella who goes under the name Tapes, he's the son of former Kiwi resident and dub fiend (International Observer) Tom Bailey.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Free stuff

Love free stuff, especially good free stuff. Strut Records has a mean sampler going for free here. Mulatu, Fatback Band re-edited by Danny Krivit, Lloyd Miller and the Heliocentrics, all sorts a goodies. Get in there.

Transformer

Jazzy Jeff explains the Transform scratch, hat tip to Crate Kings


Jazzy Jeff "The Magnificent" from The Cut on Vimeo.

More Coffey

There's a series of podcasts over at Bandcamp with Dennis Coffey talking about his musical career... first episode below

"Dennis Coffey Premium Blend Vol 1. In this episode, Dennis takes us on a musical trip through his career, starting with a track from his first solo record "Hair And Thangs" and ending with "I Bet You" off the first Funkadelic album. Along the way, we move with Dennis through the volcanic environment that was Detroit music in the 1960s and 1970s, including hot tracks from the likes of Honey Cone, The Temptations, 100 Proof Aged In Soul, and The Spinners.

"This is the first of a series of podcasts celebrating the career of Dennis Coffey, with a new funk inspired record coming from the guitar legend later this year. Future editions will include more hits from Motown, labels such as Hot Wax, Invictus and Westbound, as well as Dennis' hugely influential solo career."





RIP George Shearing



From Washington Post obit

"Mr. Shearing, who was blind from birth, forged an early career as England's leading jazz pianist before settling in the United States in 1947. Within two years, he was considered a jazz sensation for his fresh-sounding harmonies and the bold originality of his quintet.

He and his group had a huge hit with their 1949 recording of "September in the Rain," which sold almost 1 million copies. Three years later, Mr. Shearing composed the catchy tune "Lullaby of Birdland," which has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Sarah Vaughan and Tito Puente.
Mr. Shearing's career took him from sweaty jazz clubs to concert halls to Buckingham Palace, where he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2007.

He was the focus of an extended passage in Jack Kerouac's 1957 Beat-generation novel "On the Road," in which he was called "Old God Shearing."

"Shearing began to play his chords," Kerouac wrote. "They rolled out of the piano in great rich showers, you'd think the man wouldn't have time to line them up. They rolled and rolled like the sea."

Coffey

Out April 25, a brand new album from legendary Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey. I've heard a preview of it, wicked sounds, check the guest list...
"As a solo artist, Coffey is perhaps best known for a series of rare groove classics during the early ‘70s including the million-selling breakbeat staple ‘Scorpio’ and soundtrack to cult action flick ’Black Belt Jones.’ Alongside producer Mike Theodore, his ‘70s ‘Theo-Coff’ productions and his prolific guitar work ranged from raw funk to classic disco, including CJ & Co’s Devil’s Gun and The Sylvers’ Boogie Fever." 
Coffey and Theodore also produced the fantastic album Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
 
Check out Dennis Coffey's site for more info.
1. 7th Galaxy
2. Don't Knock My Love feat. Fanny Franklin

3. All Your Goodies Are Gone feat. Mayer Hawthorne

4. I Bet You feat. Mick Collins of Dirtbombs and Rachel Nagy

5. Miss Millie feat. Kings Go Forth

6. Somebody's Been Sleeping feat. Lisa Kekaula

7. Plutonius

8. Knockabout

9. Only Good For Conversation feat. Paolo Nutini

10. Space Traveller
11. Don't Knock My Love (Part 2)

Everyday Sunshine — Fishbone doco NZ screenings

I've been hanging out to see this doco of US punk/ska band Fishbone since I first heard about it. Love these guys. It's screening in Auckland and Wellington as part of the Documentary Edge Festival. Trailer below. Screens in Auckland - Feb 19, March 2 and 5. Screens in Wellington- March 12 and 23.

"Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone is about Fishbone, musical pioneers that have been rocking on the margins of pop culture for the past 25 years. From the streets of South Central-Los Angeles and the competitive Hollywood music scene of the 1980’s, the band rose to prominence only to fall apart when on the verge of "making it."

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, Sat Feb 12

Ernest Ranglin - 54 46 was my number
Keith Hudson - Ire irie
Footsie - Cuss cuss dub
Kabanjak - Dub to go - Ancient astronauts remix
Manasseh feat Dark angel - People come to
Smith and Mighty - B line fi blow

Tubbs - Five day night - Fat Freddys remix
Alton Ellis - You're the one to blame
Dandy Livingston and Rico  -Rudy a message to you
Austin Faithful - I'm in a rockin mood
Colm K and the freestyle mellowship - Dancing skulls main mix
Cooking on three burners - Cars
George Clinton - Atomic dog
War - Me and baby brother

Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe so, maybe no
Four tet - Serious as your life
Belleruche - Gold rush
Caribou - Odesa

Mayer Hawthorne, Four Tet, Belleruche and Caribou all playing at Slore City, Auckland Town Hall tonight, door sales $85. It's gonna be sweet.

Colman bros - She who dares - Lounge mix
Souleance - La romance
Project tempo - Tomtom dub
Shannon - Let the music play
Thievery corporation - 38-45
Western roots - Bogus buddy
Luciano - Life - Da lata remix
Nicola Conte - Jet sounds
Dennis Coffey feat Kings go forth - Miss Millie
El Michels affair - Detroit twice
Liquid crystal project - Tribute to Dilla

Friday, February 11, 2011

We like living off the government

1978 NZ punk scene, profiled by Neil Roberts - watch out for shot of him with dodgy moustache in the Idle Idols interview. A bus full of Auckland punks heading to Wellington to play the Town Hall... first band profiled is Rooter (later the Terrorways).

Roberts -They've been playing together for a month. "How do you rate yourself - are you any good after a month's playing?" Kerry Buchanan: "We're better".



The Scavengers



The Idle Idols, interviewed in bed.



The Stimulators, who later became Sheerlux.



"we like living off the government..." The Normals, Assassins, Doomed and Suburban Reptiles

Carl Craig

From Factmag... "Carl Craig is marking the 20th anniversary of his Planet E label with a compilation album, live tour and monthly remixes of classic archive tracks throughout the year. "

I understand you’re also launching a competition around the vinyl edition of the compilation, or a kind of listener’s poll: can you explain more?

“Well, because there’s so many tracks I feel it’s better to let the fans A&R what they’d like to see on the vinyl in comparison to us just telling you what we’re going to give you on the vinyl, you can actually select. So, from the tracks that we have on digital the people can select what they feel that they are missing on vinyl, what they’ve missed or just what they’d really like to see on the compilation.”

The music industry has changed a lot in the last 20 years, especially in the last five years or so. How do you see the business side developing in the future? 
 
“I really hope that it can develop quite nicely, but now we are in a very tough situation. I don’t know if we’ve reached the bottom yet for the whole industry, but there’s only one future I can see that’s prosperous for the industry, for any industries, any new technologies – and that’s via the Internet...."

Read the interview here.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Maverick


Oddisee is a very cool US producer who has dropped some great EPs via Bandcamp based aroudn the seasons (Odd Summer, Odd Autumn etc) and he's spreading the word about another talented colleague of his... it's a free collection of short beats that are funky as...

Oddisee: "When it comes to digging for samples I must admit, I'm not the best at. When you have friends like mine you don't have to be. I'd like to introduce you all to Maverick, a producer from Washington, DC by way of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Maverick & I have been friends for some time now, His knowledge on Hip Hop and records never ceases to amaze me. 
"The last time we hooked up, he played me some new beats he was working on. He's a busy guy who has his hands in tons of things. The one thing he has yet to dabble in was a release. I convinced him to let me share his beats with you all. Consider these tracks "The First Step" in my homie making a name for himself."

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Dilla

There's new documentary that has popped up online recently, celebrating the life and music of J Dilla. This month marks five years since he passed away.

"Created in 2006, this remembrance piece is created as a tribute to the memory and legacy of James "J.Dilla" Yancey. This is a piece designed for his fans and supporters who knew of his accomplishments before February 2006 and those that have grown to appreciate his genius. Here, we gain a greater insight and understanding about our musical icon."

There's a bunch of great stuf on Dilla over at Stonesthrow too...

J DILLA: BEHIND THE BEAT
We've joined with the J Dilla Estate to produce this poster of the 2005 photo of Dilla at work, photographed by Raph Rashid. http://sthrow.com/jdilla

BEHIND THE SMILE: J DILLA'S DONUTS
A clip from the video that turned into the cover of Donuts, with a back-story from the director.
http://sthrow.com/donuts

THANK YOU JAY DEE
Streaming audio from the definitive J Dilla mixtape by J. Rocc  http://sthrow.com/thankyou


"J.Dilla: Still Shining" from B.Kyle on Vimeo.

Splore tickets on special

Splore City hits Auckland Town Hall on Friday and Saturday night, and they've got a mean special on tickets...

"It's a last minute 24 hour deal for $75 + BF/night special starting midday Wed 9 Feb through to midday Thurs 10 Feb especially for all our friends of Splore. Simply add the word PARTY TIME into the promo box when purchasing online or quote the word PARTY TIME if purchasing by phone from the Edge here"











Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Onelung




Onelung (aka Kevin Tutt) is a local electronica artist who has been putting out cool, sample-based  jazzy funk/funky jazz electronica releases for a number of years. Last year, he quietly slipped out album number 6, called Dark Carousel, and it's available for free download over at his label, Punchy wah.

See Onelung full discography here. That link also includes some audio downloads for Tutts' previous musical outfits Cicada (also featuring one Andrew Spraggon, now of Sola Rosa) and Pink Frocks. To grab some of the earlier Onelung albums, scroll down here.
Punchy Wah Records site.

Earlier video from Onelung, featuring a cool puppet grooving around the place.

Monday, February 07, 2011

mahna mahna superbowl

Troy Polamalu is one of the star players for the Steelers, playing the Greenbay Packers in today's Superbowl. I first heard of him in 2007, when someone sent me an email about him, after they found my website about Piero Umiliani, an Italin film composer most famous for his song Mahna Mahna (from the mondo film "Sweden: Heaven or Hell"), later covered by Sesame St/The Muppets...

M Shirra wrote "Surely you've heard from many Pittsburgh Steeler's fans (Yeah, SuperBowl Champs!) about the parody heard in these parts regarding our probowl safety Troy Polamalu. Any chance of adding a link on your site? It's quite a tribute.Really enjoyed reading your site about a song that's been stuck in my head for weeks. It is truly amazing sometimes what you can find on the internet!" The song was reworked to help Steelers fans figure out how to pronounce Polamau's surname. He is of Samoan descent.

Oh, and his hair is insured for $1 million. Read about that here.

Piero Umiliani passed away in Feb 2001. In 2003, his daughter Elisabetta contacted me after a friend showed her my site. I was lucky enough to do an interview with her via email. She told me her father named his boat Mahna Mahna. Read the interview here.




Digi Bam Bam

Digi Bam Bam riddim, classic Bam Bam reworked by Seed Organisation, and they've got Sister Nancy on it too! WICKED! Free download too.

Digi Bam Bam Riddim by The Seed Organization

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, Sat Feb 5

Beverly Rd allstars - Murder she wrote
Dubblestandart - Trerrorists and inhalers - Keith Le Blanc remix
King Everand - Kill old pan
The Congos - Bring the mackaback
Jackie Mittoo - Darker shade of black
Jojo Bennett - Canteloupe rock
Augustus Pablo - Song of the east
Lee Scratch Perry - Used to driver a tractor in Negrille
Dub Asylum - Ba ba boom!
20th Century Steel Band - Shaft
Ariya astrobeat arkestra - African kings
Acusmatic group - The fixer - Solo moderna remix
Lee Oskar - Haunted house
45nm - Biscuits
Black uhuru - African love
Yellowman - Them a mad over me
Dokkebi Q - Hardcore cherry bonbon
Definition of sound - Wear your love like heaven
Steinksi and the mass media -We'll be right back after this word
Nu Shooz - I can't wait (vocal/long Dutch mix)
The Jets - Crush on you - Extended version
Okyerema Asante - Sabi (get down)
Candido - Soul limbo
Shogun orchestra - Jacmel
Moody Boyz - Destination Africa - Spirit of freedom mix
Pharaoh Sanders - Africa

Friday, February 04, 2011

Futura x 12ozProphet Trailer

Futura x 12ozProphet Trailer from ALSO KNOWN AS on Vimeo.


Futura x 12ozProphet Feature from ALSO KNOWN AS on Vimeo.


Bonus - Futura 2000 and The Clash.

RIP Ike Metekingi (Maori Hi Five)

From Amplifier.co.nz:

"Sad news today as Ike Metekingi, founder/leader of the Maori Hi Five (widely regarded as the first Maori Showband) passed away this morning at Whanganui Hospital.

As the lead guitarist in the Wellington based group - who came to prominence all the way back in 1955 - Ike helped pave the way for a generation of Maori rock'n'roll "showbands", crafting an act that incorporated comedy, country music, traditional Maori songs, and dance music of the era.

The tangi will be held at Putiki Marae, Whanganui on Friday 4th February."



Mafia


Niceness from Pavlov and Mishkin, remixing reggae classic Mafia from Lloyd Parks. Free download too. Also from Soundcloud, some mean business from J Rocc and some local flavour from BaseFM's own Solly. Free DL's also. Go!


Lloyd Parks - Mafia (Palov & Mishkin remix) by Blend Mishkin


Tribute To Malcom McLaren by jrocc

Joyful Exaltation (J. Rocc Edit) Take 2 by jrocc


A Good high.(free download) by One funky soul.

Good things



"When I was a business consultant back in 2002, I attended a big quarterly meeting with the company where the new hires had to participate in talent show. I decided to sing "Mama Hold My Hand" to pay tribute to my managing executive who was absent from the event to attend his mother's funeral. The song really touched my colleagues and brought some of them to tears. A senior manager approached me and said, "Hey kid, you really should do something with that song. You might be in the wrong business." The next year, I was laid off, and I decided to try to make music my career."

Source: Aloe Blacc talks about his album Good Things track by track.

Aloe Blacc is back in NZ for some more shows following his recent sellout AKLD show which was a sensational night - Feb 16 in AKLD (note date change from earlier announcement) and Feb 17 in WGTN. Tickets available from Under The Radar. I know I've posted that clip before, but damn, it's just incredible. And who doesn't love their momma?

Thursday, February 03, 2011

New Dam Native video

Dam Native - Only you, video hit the Youtubes in mid December....

West coast dub

I've just finished a remix for local electronic artist NSU, who is putting together a remix collection of tunes off his Escape EP. Have a listen to a sneak preview... coming out in a few months or sooner...

West Coast Dub feat. Squeezer (Dub Asylum Remix) - snippet by nsu

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Hey Bo Diddley

Awesome clip, awesome song. Legend! And check out the way his ladies move and groove.

First time I saw this clip was on a VHS release in the 90s, called the TNT/TAMI Show. Some of  that got reissued on DVD last year, sadly without this track.

Suzanne said



Spotted this over at the splendid Mysterex blog, (hat tip to Russell B for the link), Suzanne Said by The Shallows, feat Roy Montgomery, Mary Heney and M.S Agro.

From Mysterex: "A follow-up EP was mentioned in the insert (which also outlined the costs of making the single) but never appeared. Fans would have to wait until Dadamah and the solo singles of the 1990s to get their fill of Montgomery's reverbed guitar and doomy vocal. Trial By Separation, the flipside, is well worth a listen."

Also found a cool video of a tv news item labelled as"Flying Nun Records 10th Anniversary 1991" but I can't post it cos it comes with a crappy little message attached to it -"This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds."

Hey Warners, you don't own Flying Nun any more, remember? Please tell Youtube about that, aye? THANKS.