Sunday, March 31, 2013

Vinyl makes a comeback #263

Records make comeback, gain popularity with students, BG News...

"... Simone counts Records and Tapes in Park Slope as one of her favorites. “It's been there for about 40 years, and was almost closed a few years ago," she said.

"It's a true representation of what the neighborhood used to be like. They always have great music playing in the shop. I've learned so much just from being in there and digging through crates," added Simone, echoing the words of Nick Hornby, author of the literary ode to music and stores "High Fidelity" who once wrote: “Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one."

Back in Black: Vinyl a bright spot in music landscape Washington Times, Dallas...
“Vinyl records exemplify authenticity in the digital age of the music industry. Culturally, we’ve lost value for the tangible — and vinyls are a burgeoning platform for artists to get their creations into hands of listeners,” said Daniel McCarthy of TheMusicBed.com

Record Store Day is right round the corner, happening Saturday April 20. Lots happening in Auckland, visit Conch Records and Rhythm Records in Ponsonby, Southbound in Mt Eden, and Real Groovy in Queen St. Wellington's Slowboat Records has some special events planned , including a live instore performance from David Kilgour.

Special local record store day releases from Shihad (Churn on vinyl for the first time), Waves, Beastwars, and more, plus live performances from Waves, and Beastwars at Real Groovy. See press release below ...

ADDED Flying Nun and Captured Tracks are reissuing two classic Flying Nun Eps on vinyl... "With Record Store Day less than a month away, the labels have now confirmed their next two releases — long out-of-print EPs from Snapper (a self-titled effort from 1998) and The Bats (1984′s By Night)." Source.

REAL GROOVY TO CELEBRATE RECORD STORE DAY 2013 on Saturday 20th April

Real Groovy – New Zealand ’s foremost record store for over thirty years – again celebrates Record Store Day with in-store performances, exclusive local and international vinyl releases, guest DJs and other activities.

Doors open at 9am and customers will be queuing for:

UNIQUE LOCAL RELEASES:

WAVES – their 1975 masterpiece Waves is being reissued on vinyl and – ON RECORD STORE DAY ONLY – it comes with the double CD package of two Waves albums – the reissue of the original album, plus the never-been-released follow-up album Misfit from 1977. This is only available from Real Groovy. The CD set will also be available separately.

BEASTWARS - will celebrate the release of their much anticipated 2nd album Blood Becomes Fire, with Real Groovy exclusively offering a limited number of 100 on Blood Red Vinyl.

Both acts will play short sets in-store on Record Store Day – Waves at 2pm; Beastwars at 4pm

SHIHAD’s debut album Churn finally makes it to 12inch vinyl. Their 1993 Jaz Coleman produced album is a firm favourite with fans and Real Groovy will be selling copies of the limited edition run. Shihad will be opening for Black Sabbath that night.

INTERNATIONAL VINYL RELEASES. As usual Real Groovy will be obtaining as many of the plethora of Record Store Day releases as we can get our hands on. All will be in strictly limited quantities to INSTORE CUSTOMERS ONLY. No presales, no web sales, no mail order, no holds. Fans need to be there!

GUEST DJs: a strong line up of local record hounds will spin records from indie sounds, to murky metal to yacht rock – a line up of guests that include Labour’s Jacinda Ardern; Northern Soul DJ extraordinaire Nettie Page; Angela from Under The Radar; Pennie Black from bFM; Tova O’Brien from TV3; Liam Dann from the NZ Herald; Helene Ravlich from Ms Helene.com; Laura Barton from Madman; and local identity and record expert Simon Grigg will be among a number of DJs spinning the platters that matter.

FACE PAINTING – bring all those budding Gene Simmons and Alice Coopers for FREE Face Painting – from 9am.

RECORD STORE DAY is in its fifth year and again thousands of record stores worldwide will be celebrating their unique culture on Saturday April 20th . 9am-9pm.

Fulll list of Record Store Day releases here: http://download.recordstoreday.com/free/RSD_2013_RELEASES_WEBSITE.pdf

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, March 30

Cookin on 4 burners - Cars
Jonzun crew - Space is the place
T La Rock - It's yours
Art of noise - Beatbox
Marica Griffiths - Electric boogie - Dub 1
Zilverzurf - The moments is gone - Kieser Velten remix
Early wrm - Bin bass riddim

Suizen - Cartesian space - 4d mix
Architeq - Birds of dub - Architeq version
Liquid crystal project - Tribute to Dilla
Lightning head - Bokoor sound special
Sun Ra - Where pathways meet
Memphis sounds - Run, Fay, run
El Chicano - Viva tirado
Henry Mancini - Shot in the dark
Sandy Nelson - Let there be drums
Farjardo Y Su Charanga - Batman boogaloo
Nite blues steel band -Mongoose
Combinations - Freddy Fender
Lalo Schfrin - Bullitt - Black Dog mini driver jam remix
Comfort fit - Nitro
Fat freddys drop - Flashback - Jazzanova's mashed bag remix
Salmonella dub - Johnny - Dubmariner (aka Submariner) remix
Sabres of paradise - Wilmot
Tosca - Heatwave
Owiny sigoma band - Magret aloor

Friday, March 29, 2013

360 book out now


I wrote a piece for a book put together by Andrew Dubber which came out recently, take a look... called The 360 Deal: genuinely helpful advice for people starting out in the music industry. 

"New Music Strategies has brought together some of the most forward-thinking musicians and industry people to each contribute 360 words outlining the best advice they can give to young musicians and new music industry workers. The advice they themselves would want to hear if they were just getting started in music now.

Rock star or professor, DJ or classical violinist, record label exec or community music worker - here's a group of people who have been where you’re at in one way or another, they know a bit about what lies ahead, and they have useful knowledge to share.

All proceeds from The 360 Deal go to Music Basti - a youth-led charity in India which brings music workshops to homes for children affected by extreme poverty."

Includes pieces by a range of names, like Andrew Dubber, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Derek Sivers, Chris Anderton, and some locals like Mark Roach, Brendan Smyth, Tom Atkinson, Gareth Farry, Mike Chunn, Simon Grigg, Trevor Reekie, yours truly, and more... You can download a sample PDF here.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ikebe Shakedown 7"



Ikebe Shakedown are back with a brand new bag of hard-hitting tunes recorded at Dunham Studios. This limited single is a precursor to their sophomore full-length album. Single out May 11 on Ubiquity Records.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Don't let it get you

Dont Let It Get You LP cover. Set behind Sir Howard is designed by Pat Hanly, check the mural project planned by Hamish Keith and Askew One around Hanly.

Don't let it get you is one of only three feature films made in New Zealand between the end of WWII and the mid 1970s. All three of those feature  films were directed and produced by Kiwi film pioneer John O'Shea. He made Broken Barrier in 1952, then Runaway in 1964, followed by this great pop musical starring Howard Morrison, in 1966.

It's a delightfully absurd and funny romp thru our pop culture of the day, with a ton of music from Eddie Lowe, Herma and Eliza Keil, Rim D Paul, Lew Pryme, to Gerry Merito and Kiri Te Kanawa, set at a pop music festival in Rotorua.

I recently scored the soundtrack LP, with the great title track from Sir Howard. Here's a track off the film by singer Lew Pryme  - watch out for the still where a large black fly has landed in Pryme's perfectly quiffed hair. You can watch the full song on the first clip of the film at NZonScreen, about 9.50 minutes in.



Pryme left his hometown of Waitara in Taranaki where he'd played in bands and headed for the big smoke in 1964, to make his name in rock n roll. Two years after this film came out, Pryme released 'Gracious Lady Alice Dee' which got banned from radio for supposedly being about LSD.

He later made his name as a music promoter in the 70s, and eventually ended up working for the Auckland Rugby Union in the 80s, as executive director, revving up the games with cheerleaders and rock n roll bands.

His bio at NZonScreen notes that "Pryme kept his private life private, telling few of the sporting people he worked with that he was gay. In the late eighties both he and his long time partner, were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. His partner died on April 16 1990 and Pryme passed away a week later - still essentially ‘in the closet'. During the last few months of his life, he had agreed to allow filmmakers Amanda Millar and Max Adams to make a documentary about his life, on the proviso that it be screened after his death. The resulting film is Lew Pryme - Welcome to My World."

Watch: Don't let it get you at NZonScreen
Watch: Breaking Barriers, a 1993 documentary on John O'Shea
Watch: Broken Barrier (1952)
John O'Shea filmography at NZonScreen, with clips


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Flash is fast

L-R: Debbie Harry (Blondie), Fab 5 Freddy, Grandmaster Flash, unidentifed, Chris Stein (Blondie)

This piece was first published in Selector magazine, back in 2000. I wrote a series of articles for the mag  backgrounding some famous acts. I'm posting it as Grandmaster Flash is DJing in Auckland this Thursday night. Enjoy.


GRANDMASTER FLASH

'Flash is fast, Flash is cool...' Rapture, by Blondie (1980).


One of the things I've long admired about hip hop music is the ability of hip hop artists to constantly push the boundaries of the genre in new directions, while paying homage to the originators that have gone before them. One of the key originators is Joseph Saddler, better known to the world as DJ Grandmaster Flash.

His major contribution to hip hop is developing 'the break', a technique which uses two turntables and two copies of the same record to repeat the part of a song where it breaks down to just the sound of the drums, pioneering a form of sampling way before samplers became popular or widely available. He called this technique the 'Quick Mix Theory' , and it is still very much at the centre of many a modern DJ's hip hop vocabulary of styles.

Flash was born in Barbados, West Indies, but raised in the Bronx, New York. He could trace his involvement with music to the early 1960's, when he constantly raided his father's prized record collection. "My father was big on jazz, he had a lot of jazz 78's and the big LP's," said Flash in an interview. 

"When he came home from work, he would say, 'Son, do not go in that closet over there, because that's where my records are. If you do, I'm gonna give you a beating.'But it wasn't just his father's jazz records that captured Saddler's attention. "He had this stereo in the living room, and what was most intriguing was when you turned it on, it had this little red light in the bottom centre of it, a power light. That light used to fascinate me - that's how I got involved in electronics. When I got older, I used to go in my sister's room and take apart her hair dryer and whatever I could get my hands on. I would try to put it back together, and when they came home, they said, 'Joseph was in my room, and this don't work and that don't work now.'"

But rather than give Saddler another beating, his parents enrolled him at Samuel Gompers Technical School, where he put his energies towards an electronics degree. Using his electronics skills, Saddler converted a microphone mixer to modulate sound from his turntables. He even created a cue system - allowing him to listen to one record in his headphones rather than over the loudspeakers while another one was playing, which is a standard function in all DJ mixers today, but was unheard of back then. Flash developed his Quick Mix Theory while spending many, many hours in his room, playing records. Flash practised his techniques at home for a year.

Armed with the nickname Grandmaster Flash (in homage to "Grand Master" Bruce Lee), he began mixing his records at neighborhood block parties. Unfortunately, Flash's incredible technique as a DJ generally made the crowd stop dancing and watch him, which was not the desired effect! "I thought to myself, now that I've created this Quick Mix technique, when I go in the parks, I thought the crowd would go crazy. It was the opposite. It was like a seminar, everybody just stood there and watched me. I needed somebody to take what I was doing and compliment it."

He started bringing a microphone along to block parties, encouraging local kids to pick it up and rap. The first to take the microphone was Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins, whose deep, commanding voice reputedly drove the ladies crazy. "He was a ringleader, he had this voice that worked real well. I'd tell him what park I would be in the following week, and he would be there, and we'd just light the park up until it was time to go." Within six months, four other rappers joined Flash's party crew - Melvin "Melle Mel" Glover, Guy Todd "Rahiem" Williams, Nathaniel "Kid Creole" Glover, and Eddie "Mr. Ness" Morris. They officially debuted in late 1976, growing in popularity over the next few years.

The group began attracting the attention of record companies, after the success of the Sugarhill Gangs single Rappers Delight. They released several party rap singles during 1979 and 1980, but their major impact arrived in the form of 1981's The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel. One of the defining moments of hip hop, showcased Flash's cutting, scratching and mixing. It still stands up today as a truly awesome tune, deftly mixing Blondie's Rapture, Chic's Good Times, and Queen's Another one bites the dust.

Then came their breakthrough hit, The Message. Way back in 1982, it sounded like music from another planet. It was just so new, it was incredible. It catapulted Grandmaster Flash and his group of mc's to fame, but behind the scenes, all was not well.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had almost no involvement in the song itself. And it wasn't for lack of trying, either. Most of the raps were actually done by Duke Bootee (Sugarhill percussionist Ed Fletcher), with Melle Mel adding his "A Child is Born" stanza from their earlier Superappin' single.

"I hated the fact that it was advertised as 'Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,'" said Flash, "because the only people on the record were Mel and Duke Bootee. I did not want to allow any one particular member to be on the record alone, because I just felt that with the history of a lot of black groups who did that, the group falls apart. I was looking out for the whole entire group. Irregardless of who had the best writing or who had the finest voice, we all made each other shine. That's what it came down to. So we had to finish The Message in the form it was left in, as Melle Mel and Duke Bootee."

Flash saw that this was a bad sign, and he was right: Sugarhill continued to tell the group in what direction they should be heading, and Flash eventually left, taking Kid Creole and Rahiem with him, signing to Elektra Records. Others, headed by Melle Mel, would continue as Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five, landing another hit with White Lines (Don't Do It), about the evils of cocaine. It was somewhat ironic that Melle Mel had now become addicted to cocaine.

Flash did several albums for Elektra, none of which set the charts alight. Meanwhile, Melle Mel eventually realised he was being exploited by Sugarhill, and left the label. Flash and Melle Mel hooked up in 1987, ironed out their differences, and reformed the group for the album On The Strength.

However, at the photo shoot for the cover, Cowboy was missing. "We had a place in Lower Manhattan where they had vintage cars, and we were renting this place by the hour, and Cowboy didn't show up. We had to do something, there had to be six people on the cover. At the last minute, we told one of our valets to put this hat on, turn your head, cover your face and pretend to be Cowboy. 

A few months later, Flash received a phone call. Someone passed him the message that Cowboy was extremely sick. A few days later, on September 8, 1989, Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins died of complications from the AIDS virus. He was only two weeks shy of his 39th birthday 

Flash was devastated at the loss of his bandmate and friend. "That was probably the last time we were all together - was at his funeral. That was rough, it was way rough on me, he was my first baby, my first MC. I still miss him today. When Cowboy died, some of my fire just wasn't there any more. Although he wasn't a primary writer in the group, he had the best voice, he had such commanding stage presence. We couldn't even think of replacing him."

Today, Grandmaster Flash hosts a twice-weekly radio show on New York's urban radio station WBLS, doing what he does best - spinning and scratching and cutting. "After a few years away from the recording business, I said to myself, I watched the parade go by long enough, I wanted to get back out on the streets again. So I took a job in radio - first with Hot 97 (WQHT, New York), and then with WBLS." Flash is still involved in the turntablist/DJ scene, most recently remixing Coldcut's More Beats and Pieces with DJ Food on the Ninja Tune label. Thank you Mister Saddler, wherever you are.
________________________________________________

Interview quotes from web article by Chuck Miller from 1995
Here's a cool piece from 2009 on how Chuck got that interview. Flash made him pay him $300 for the pleasure, but then talked for hours, and even signed his copy of Super Rappin. Chuck says "when it comes to my writing career… that was the most beneficial $300 I ever spent."

Andrew and Theo



Tasty re-edit of a great track from Mr Theo Parrish and Andrew Ashong, on Mr Parrish's Sound Signature label. Original released in August last year, wax still floating round (recently got a repress so get in there, or get it on JunodownloadiTunes), here's the original...

Monday, March 25, 2013

Owiny Sigoma Band: free DL


Some info on this: "Owiny Sigoma Band are offering a free download of their track Magret Aloor (see below) taken from the forthcoming album Power Punch. Released on Brownswood Recordings on 8th April, Power Punch will be preceded by the single Owiny Techno on 1st April. The Quietus premiered the single calling it a "brilliant cut from an album that will most certainly be essential listening."

Made up of four London musicians, Jesse Hackett (vox / keys) Louis Hackett (bass), Sam Lewis (guitar) and Tom Skinner (drums) and two Kenyan musicians, Joseph Nyamungu, a Nyatiti master musician, and Charles Owoko, a Luo drummer, Owiny Sigoma Band recorded Power Punch in London. Exploring new influences from techno to electronica, the Nairobi / London based band continue to also embrace the sounds of East Africa."

KPM library funk


Cool collection of funky library tunes.. back in circulation early April... blurb from Strut below...

"Early on in Strut's existence, we created the Music for Dancefloors series in order to mine the fertile territory of production library music for under appreciated (and often extremely hard to find) gems. Originally recorded as a source of go-to material for use in film, television and radio, library music wasn't intended to be enjoyed in a home listening context, and often wasn't available for commercial release at all. However, due to the quality of the musicianship and the stripped-down arrangements, music from the best libraries has become extremely sought-after by DJs and producers.

The UK's KPM library (especially its green "1000 series" of the 60s and 70s) is easily one of the most legendary sources of library funk. KPM music has been sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, DOOM, Madlib and Guilty Simpson, Dangermouse, Action Bronson, and even turns up in the opening of Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill (via the Grindhouse promo spot which uses Keith Mansfield’s “Funky Fanfare”).

Out of print for years, our Music For Dancefloors release collects some of the best of KPM's catalog, with an ear not just for loops and breaks, but quality compositions and performances that stand the test of time. We've included key cuts like Alan Parker’s ”That’s What Friends Are For” featuring Blue Mink’s Madeline Bell on vocals, Alan Hawkshaw’s “Senior Thump” (a precursor to his work as The Mohawks), and Keith Mansfield’s “Crash Course,” each one a classic in its own right.





This new edition features an exclusive bonus disc, which makes available for the first time the debut gig by the KPM All-Stars, bringing together many of KPM’s greatest composers for a unique night at London’s Jazz Cafe on 27th April 2000.

Music For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library (Deluxe version) is released on April 2nd in three formats: 2CD (original studio recordings and live concert), 2LP featuring the original studio recordings and 2CD insert of the full CD content, and digital (original studio recordings and live concert). The album features the original sleeve notes by Charles Waring (Mojo magazine) alongside extra photos and memorabilia.

Full tracklisting: see Strut: Music For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library (Deluxe version)

Sunday, March 24, 2013

earlyW~Rrm freebie



"earlyW~Rrm has emerged from the underground with a payload of new cuts. Pull up a Hifi and tuck in to his pre release free download. Driven by technology yet lead by the masters, this Dub force won't stop 'til he's mulch. With an abundance of tracks and the release of his "Dub Device" album quickly approaching this offering is just a sample of what's to come. Big style 'n' vibes best describe this modern Dub hustler, with a heavy foot planted on the foundation of classic Dub and Reggae this production dares to push up through the roots and offer something crucial."

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, March 23

MAW - MAW expensive - Tribute to Fela
Miles Davis - Black satin
Andrew Ashong and Theo Parrish - Flowers - Prince Klassen edit
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Riot in Lagos
Bonobo - Heaven for the sinner feat Erykah Badu
Che Fu - Misty frequencies - Submariner remix feat Danny D
Grandmaster Flash - Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the wheels of steel
DJ Day - What planet what station inst
Blurum13 - Futuristic b-boys isnt
Professor funk - Love is such a good thing pt 1 & 2
Skull snaps - It's a new day - Shoes edit
Edwin Starr - I just wanna do my thing
Leroy Sibbles -Express yourself
The Yoots - Turtira mai
Derrick Morgan - I'm the ruler
Nitin Sawney - Dead man - Fink dub
Paul McCartney - Check my machine
The Impellers - Do what I wanna do
Lady - Money
Zap mama - Bandy bandy - Carl Craig remix inst
Stinky Jim - Get ready to talk

Arken - Step off

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Nathan Haines 97



Nathan Haines - Beda, off the Soundlkilla Sessions Vol 1 album, from 1996. This video was directed by Carla Rotondo, in 1997. Watch out for a few future Shortland St stars, Oliver Driver, and Paolo Rotondo. Bass - Darren Karaitiana, Drums - Mickey Ututaonga, Guitar - Joel Haines, Percussion - Miguel Fuentes, Trumpet - Kim Patterson, Turntables - Manuel Bundy, Saxophone, Flute - Nathan Haines.

Bobby Womack, live Akld in May



Just announced, Mr Bobby Womack and a 15 piece band, playing at the mighty Civic Theatre, May 18. Presale tickets from muchmoremusic.co.nz available from Tue 26 March. General tickets from the-edge.co.nz from Wed 27 March.

That clip above is Bobby Womack live in Tokyo from last year. I was lucky enough to see him singing with Damon Albarn's live extravaganza for The Gorillaz tour, here in Ak a few years back. What a voice. 

Crate diggers: J Dilla's wax



Essential viewing. Via Egotripland. "Includes interviews with the late producer’s mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, as well as friends and colleagues Frank Nitt, J. Rocc, DJ Spinna, House Shoes, Grap Luva, Talib Kweli and more. Most intriguingly, Fuse’s cameras visit to the storage facility where a portion of Dilla’s record collection – the subject of much speculation over the past year – is still housed. It’s the first time this vinyl cache has been viewed by the public."

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

KDope vs Dapkings


The Dapkings featuring Ricky Calloway, produced by Kenny Dope, Sweet combo.




Aaradhna - Great man video



Brand new video for the third single off Aaradhna's latest album Treble and Reverb. Great combo of Radz with world champion dancer Parris Goebel, who used a song off this album for a great dance video (below), but Radz, don't be teasing me with that vinyl of your album, sis - I need that FOR REAL, please!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

CCS: Breakdown



Some mid-1980s Kiwi electronica for you, see Car Crash Set's discography here... But wait, there's more...
and here's a Youtube playlist of tunes from CCS and Body Electric, a few 80s kiwi electronica outfits...

Kev Beadle Presents Private Collection


From Kev Beadle: "Here is a little taster of my new compilation Kev Beadle Presents Private Collection coming out on BBE Records. A collection of some hard to find independent jazz dance rarities from the 70's and 80's Released on 18th March on BBE Records on double vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Full CD tracklisting:

01. Peter Giger's Family Of Percussion & Archie Shepp - Here Comes The Family
02. Kamal Abdul Alim - Brotherhood **
03. Johnny Walker – Dipping
04. Irakere – Chekere Son **
05. The Pharaohs - Freedom Road **
06. Southern Energy Ensemble - Open Your Mind **
07. Roy Porter - Jessica (Instrumental)
08. Byron Morris & Unity - Sun Shower
09. Seeds of Fulfillment - Namaste
10. Reverie - In Every Way **
11. Olli Ahvenlahti - Grandma's Rocking Chair **
12. James Williams - Flying Colors

Digital Bonus:
13. Frank Walton – Safari **
14. Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters - I See Chano Pozo **
15. Chuck Flores – Padali **
16. Roy Porter Sound Machine - Jessica (Vocal)
** Vinyl tracks

Monday, March 18, 2013

Lady bring the soul


Lady is a great new female duo, comprised of Nicole Wray and Terri Walker - their debut album out now on NYC label Truth & Soul. This sound is deep.

They are currently out on tour in the US, opening for Lee Fields And The Expressions, thru to mid Apirl, dates here.

Oliver Wang reviewed it for NPR, writing "R&B singers Nicole Wray and Terri Walker both had promising starts to their careers more than ten years ago. Wray came up on the Virginia coast under the wing of mentor Missy Elliott. Walker, a Londoner, was classically trained yet released her debut on a Def Jam subsidiary. Both enjoyed early critical success but by decade's end struggled to find a wide audience. Instead, they found each other.

"Longtime fans of Wray or Walker may not instantly recognise them: In their new work as Lady they've traded in slick, hip-hop influenced R&B styles for a decidedly throwback feel. Working with the house band from New York's Truth & Soul Records, Lady nails that magic formula of sweet vocal stylings anchored by the heavy thump and growl of a crack rhythm section. It's an update on the classic sound of early 1970s Memphis soul: part Sunday-morning glory, part Saturday-night slow grind.

"Lady's break from the past lies in the duo's tag-team vocals. Walker's more robust and throaty power contrasts with the subtle, raspy edge of Wray's voice. Together, they create a beguiling blend of overlapping harmonies and attitudes.

"We've become so conditioned to hearing solitary pop and soul divas that the idea of two women sharing a mic feels more surprising than it probably should. Still, the partnership between Nicole Wray and Terri Walker provides a real joy, the way their voices weave under and atop one another. As a team, the ladies of Lady have added up to something singular."



Bonobo feat Erykah B



Off the new album from Bonobo, out April 1. Very cool video below for Cirrus, tune available as a free download from bonobomusic.com.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, March 16



Fred Wesley and the JBs - You can have Watergate but give me some bucks and I'll be straight
James Brown - Funk bomb, Stone to the bone
The JBs - 40th anniversary mix
Fred Wesley - House party
Nile Rodgers - Land of the good groove
Chaka Khan - Fate - Todd Terje edit
Eddy Grant - Gimme hope Joanna - Freedom mix
Manu Dibango - Weya - Bobby Busnach remix (DL)
Hugh Masekela - Don't go lose it baby - dub
Cooly G - Love dub
Western roots -Bogus buddy
Improvisators dub meets Iration steppas -Youthman dub - 12 inch mix
Butch Cassidy sound system - Echo tone defeat
Foxy Brown - Fast car
Eternals -Queen of the minstrels
Rodriguiez - Only good for conversation
JBs - Pass the peas
Fred Wesley and the JBs - Blow your head - undubbed
JBs - The grunt
James Brown - Funky drummer - Muro remix
James Brown - Blind man can see it
Fred Wesley - Watermelon man

Friday, March 15, 2013

Remembering Darcy Clay


Today marks 15 years since Darcy Clay died. I was lucky enough to meet him a handful of times - firstly to talk about directing a music video for him. Trevor Reekie (Antenna Recordings  his label) put me onto him, as Darcy had got an NZ On Air music video grant. He had some great ideas - doing a big song and dance number down Queen st - but eventually decided he'd rather work on some recording instead and ditched the music video. Later I got to interview him for Pavement magazine, see below. The following interview will be included in my book I Believe You Are A Star, out May.


Darcy Clay: He’s evil?!

Published in Pavement, August/September 1997


Having already conquered the pop charts, twisted Auckland musician Darcy Clay now has his sights set further afield.

"I wouldn't mind going to Africa and spending some time with the lions," he intones. "I'd like to travel. Music is not the greatest thing in the world. It's one of them but it's not the only one, as far as I'm concerned. I want to get into Pavement magazine and I want to be on the cover of Time." Well, he's halfway there then.

Darcy Clay has taken the airwaves by storm. His infectious pop ditty Jesus I Was Evil has been all over student radio for a while and now, with the release of his six song CD of the same name, he's set to become a household name. Maybe that sounds a tad optimistic for a song recorded at home on a four-track but the CD is already cutting through the NZ top 20, debuting at number 18 and rising to number 5.

The Clean hold the title as the last New Zealand band to make the charts with a DIY four-track recording back in the early-'80s. But what's behind the enigmatic man who came up with the great auto-racing couplet: "I used to crash parties and Maseratis. Jesus I was evil!" I ventured out to deepest Grey Lynn, the cutting edge of home recording (Chris Knox, come on down!) to find out.

When I arrive, Darcy is standing in front of his piano pounding away, playing along intently to a tune on his Walkman. We adjourn to his front porch for a quick chat in the face of a damn crisp early evening.

Why avoid the traditional recording studio route and record at home? "It's good. You can record at any time of the day. It's cheap. There's no pressure. And you're alone. I like that. You don't have to talk to anybody, just suit yourself."

What's it like being famous now?

"I don't know. I'm not famous. John Lennon's famous. I guess being known, it makes it easier. People are more willing to lend you gear."

Clay is planning to record some new songs soon too. "I'm going to do about five or six songs at home and release them, then do an album in a proper studio. I don't care where, as long as it's with a good engineer."

And then there's that trip to Africa...

Darcy Clay: Discography
Darcy Clay, ten years on (23/4/2008)






David Gunson shot and directed the video for Jesus I Was Evil, here's his notes on the making of it, from The Film Archive: "The song was a bfm radio hit and Daniel (Darcy) needed a music video fast! I shot footage of his concert at the BFM summer series, and then he and I spent an afternoon hooning round for extra angles.The cameras were what was available at short notice and no money. A hand cranked 16mm camera, VHS camera deck, Hi-8 video. 

"The idea was to make it loose and random. Daniel sweet talked to MAX TV so after hours Ian Bennett cut the clip together for us. We were short on shots thou, so keeping with the random concept we used some shots from my short films The Fall and Post Apocolyptic Blues. The music clip suited the music brilliantly, because they were both low-fi and full of odd ball energy. The shot of Darcy snorting the mountain range of illicit cocaine is actually custard powder! Later, I believe the record company re-edited the clip adding additional concert footage."


Watch: Dylan Taite interviewing Darcy, 1997. Taite: "It's like nothing you've heard before, but in fact, it's like everything you've heard."

Thursday, March 14, 2013

P2P drops, music revenues climb

Snip: "“New Zealand is only given a brief mention – the report notes the entry of Spotify and YouTube channel VEVO to the territory and records a 16 percent drop in use of peer-to-peer services in New Zealand following the introduction of a notice system and fine sanctions in the Copyright (File Sharing) Amendment Act.”
Source: 'Music industry revenues climb again' (Computerworld)

Celluloid tales



In which Bill Laswell, DXT (formerly Grand Mixer DST)  & Jean Karakos tell the story of Celluloid. First in a two-part series on this influential label.

"Celluloid Records is one of the most revered, open-minded and influential labels of the 1980s, with foundational releases spanning the genres of hip-hop, disco, post-punk, electro, world music and more. Filmed in Paris and New York City, this two part series features key players in the history of the label including producers and musicians Bill Laswell and DXT and founder / owner Jean Karakos."

Change the Beat Out Now. Megamix from the compilation below...

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Soldier labelled copyright pirate

NZ soldier is off dealing with the Taliban, comes home, and gets labelled a pirate. Better work story?

From Stuff.co.nz: "A member of the armed forces has been pinged $255.97 by the Copyright Tribunal after his internet account was used by flatmates to illegally download and share Rihanna and Hot Chelle Rae tracks while he was on tour in Afghanistan.

The award is the fifth and smallest so far handed down under the three-strikes "Skynet" regime which was introduced in 2011 to provide "fast track" justice for rights holders trying to prevent music and movies being pirated through file-sharing services such as BitTorrent...

...The fifth culprit wrote to the tribunal in November after he received his third and final "enforcement notice", saying he had just returned from Afghanistan and was not aware of the infringing.

He said it had been impossible to find out which of eight flatmates had downloaded the music as they were then "deployed around New Zealand". However, he said he took full responsibility.

Rianz decided not to ask the tribunal to impose a deterrent, but still requested an award to reimburse it for the fees it had incurred issuing the three strikes and the $200 cost of bringing a case to the tribunal, plus direct compensation of $5.97 for the downloaded music."

The tribunal's finding records that the soldier said "I am currently going through transitioning from military life in Afghanistan to life back home and I'm not fit to tackle the allegations against me."

ADDED: The Copyright tribunal's decision (pdf) raw data

PREVIOUS POSTS: 3rd copyright ruling out (Feb 21 2013) / Illegal downloader fined (Jan 30 2013)

ADDED: A recent IFI report  "...records a 16 percent drop in use of peer-to-peer services in New Zealand following the introduction of a notice system and fine sanctions in the Copyright (File Sharing) Amendment Act." Source: Computerworld

Rodney Hazard x Raisin Brand



Tune in to the first single off of HZRDS RSNS, a project co-created by Rodney Hazard x Raisin Brand. "Gimme This" features heavy bass lines, ambient percussion, and more subtly the vocals in the shadows. The full HZRDS RSNS project out March 20.

How is the air up there?



Here's Ted Brown and the Italians - How is the air up there? (released on Pagan Records single, 1994). Directed by Jax (Craig Jackson), digitised from TV3's music show Frenzy. Made famous locally by 60s Kiwi outfit the La De Das. Brown now lives in LA, and works frequently with fellow expat Greg Johnson. More info at http://tedbrownsongs.com/bio.cfm

Frenzy's director/producer Ross Cunningham got DLT to do a tasty remix of this tune for the 1995 season of Frenzy, DLT did it up at Incubator studio, listen to that funky rework below... awesome version...

Danse Macabre/Penknife Glides live

Andrew Tidball of Cheese On Toast mentions on COT that he got a phone call during his radio show on BFM last night from Nigel Russell wanting "to share his fond memories of the Box and Cause Celebre – the building of which was torn down (they were having his wedding reception there and also seeing Ice-T play live there).He then mentioned that DANSE MACABRE were playing a reunion show on May 11th at Kings Arms with PENKNIFE GLIDES"

Danse Macabre played a fantastic reunion show in 2005 at the Kings Arms to coincide with the cd reissue of their recordings.That was the first time they've played together since the band spilt in 1982, as far as I know. Watch video of that show here.

Danse Macabre and Penknife Glides toured together back in the day - on the video below for Web, Cliff Skeats of Penknife Glides recalls this in the comments... "Ah yes, NZ in 1981....The Positive Reaction tour with Penknife Glides, (quickly renamed The Positive Fiasco Tour by the two bands). Confronted by numerous empty venues and surviving on World War 2 food rations while Dave Dobbyn was probably topping the charts!"





Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Ladi 6: Detroit styles



New video from Ladi 6, first single off her third album, out June.

"Written by Ladi6 and Parks, "Ikarus" was recorded at Studio A in Detroit, Michigan which was the recording home of legendary hip hop producer JDilla. The new music video for 'Ikarus' is directed by Askew One and the single was mastered by Tom Coyne, who has earned acclaim for his previous work with Beyonce, Adele and D'Angelo. Ladi6's upcoming third album is co-produced by Parks and Detroit native producer Waajeed..."

Rodion G.A.



Coming soon, on Strut, looks intriguing... "Romania, late '70s, early '80s. Ceausescu is in power, the "July Thesis" has been passed and, because of the increasing censorship of arts, music has become dominated by polished domestic pop-rock and nationalistic festivals.

There is only one label in operation, the State-owned Electrecord. Cut to Cluj, Romania's second city. A home-made studio, a bank of Tesla reel to reels, an East German Vermona drum machine, a toy Casio VL Tone and a small Soviet-made Faemi organ, adapted with fuzz and flanger pedals. There's visceral, other-worldly music being made here and it will remain hidden for 34 years..."

Monday, March 11, 2013

LeaLea soon come



From the fine folk at WahWah45: "March 25th sees the debut release on Wah Wah 45s from our very own mistress of dark electronic soul, the magnificent Lea Lea. The single "Black or White" comes correct with a trio of stunning remixes from Goth-Trad, Other Echoes and DJ iZem and can be pre-ordered right here."

Free DL: go grab the remix of Black Or White by Goth Trad: http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2013/03/black-or-white-goth-trad-remix

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Do what I wanna do



Mocambo and Legere Recordings proudly present new double-sider vinyl 45 "Do What I Wanna Do" / "Signs of Hope and Happiness", extracted from the latest album by THE IMPELLERS "This Is Not A Drill" (which includes funk covers of the Kaiser Chiefs and Ting Tings). Tasty biznizz.

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, March 9

Charles Wright  - All that matters, baby
Jackie Stoudemire - Invisible wind - Shoes edit
Hugh Masekela - Inner crisis - See him live in Akld March 14, and at Womad
Deodato - Superstrut
Rose Royce - Do your dance
Colman bros - Sem amor - Rhythm and brass remix
Family of percussion and Archie Shepp - Here comes the family
Christoph el Truento - Liquid sunshine (great local release, name your price at Bandcamp)
Romanowski - Why
Buju Banton - Champion
Dark angel - Free da mind
Oneself - Paranoid - JStar remix
Luciano - Police and thieves - State of Bengal remix
Overproof sound system - Kingstep - Unitone hifi remix

Moodymann - Misled
New order - Blue monday (30 years this week since this came out)
Hugh Masekela - Dont go lose it baby - Stretch mix
Larry Gold  -Aint no stopping us now
Fred Wesley and the JBs - Blow your head (undubbed)
 Jimmy Spicer - Super rhymes



Friday, March 08, 2013

Wierd Together pop-up

Weird Together (Nick D and Dick Johnson) are doing a handful of free pop-up gigs this Saturday - 11am in Darby St, 1pm at QEII Square by Britomart, and 3pm in Freyberg Square in High St. Check em out below...



Some background via Redbull Studio... "'Weird Together' is the new studio and live project from Dick Johnson and Nick Dwyer, spurred on by Nick's love of exotic musics and crazy sounds from all far corners of the globe, and Dick's love of taking said sounds and moulding them and sculpting them into solid grooves that make people wanna dance lots.

After years of mainly late night/early morning "yeah, let's make some music together, sounds like fun" - the boys finally did it, and after a particularly inspirational session with some old Ethiopian Jazz records 'Weird Together' was born.

A couple of years passed - Dick became a cycling champ, and in-between the ADD and off gallivanting round the globe Nick got a bit sidetracked but toward the end of the of 2011 a pact was made, and they decided to go at it proper with the aim of launching a full live show. Teaming up with a wide range of different musical folk who come from all over the world the boys have been busy in the Red Bull Studio's recording Caribbean Steel Pan Orchestras, Burundian Drum Ensembles, Sudanese Vocalists and Ghanian Master Percussionists and that's just the beginning."

Crate Diggers: Adrian Younge

Change the beat: Celluloid


CHANGE THE BEAT: THECELLULOID RECORDS STORY 1979-1987
"Mind-bogglingly diverse and unremittingly excellent music... Superbly anthologised"
Mojo *****

STRUT WEBSTORE EXCLUSIVE: 180g 2LP edition now in stock and available to order. 100 copies only!

Stock is fresh in on the definitive new retrospective of Jean Karakos' seminal label,CELLULOID. Spanning the '80s, the album explores the full spectrum of the label's vast catalogue from rare French new wave (Ferdinand, Mathematiques Modernes), funk and bass-heavy reggae to early DIY hip hop (Timezone, Futura 2000, D.ST) and the full range of Bill Laswell's productions for the label (Massacre, Last Exit, Deadline and more). 

Along the way, the album also explores Laswell's groundbreaking fusions of world music with electro (Manu Dibango, Mandingo), Ginger Baker's '80s comeback recorded after his sessions for PiL's 'Album' and Sapho's balearic favourite 'Carmel'. It's a varied, scattergun listening experience and a unique snapshot of the musical melting pot of '80s New York from a thoroughly French perspective. And, if that wasn't enough, the CD and LP feature great sleeve notes by legendary journo Vivien Goldman who was part of the Celluloid inner circle during the label's heyday.

2CD, limited 180g 2LP and digital versions of the album are now all on sale at the Strut webstore. 2LP version features the full CD version of the album inserted into the gatefold. Out March 5.

Previous post: Celluloid Record revisited (more audio, tracklisting)

Thursday, March 07, 2013

BAMBAATAA live in NZ



DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA: 30th Anniversary of Planet Rock

Auckland – Thursday May 9, Studio / Wellington - 10 May, Bodega. TICKETS ON SALE: Monday 11 March www.iticket.co.nz and Real Groovy Records for Auckland show.

Bonus: AFRIKA BAMBAATAA INTERVIEWED by Graham Reid (1988): The shape of things hip-hop and political to come?

Press release: "Named by LIFE Magazine as one of the most important Americans of the 20th Century, DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA is a musical visionary, DJ extraordinaire, living legend and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation – a collective of socially and politically aware emcees, DJs, graffiti artists and break dancers. With over 35 years trailblazin’ around the world, Bam, as he's affectionately known, can almost single-handedly be credited for the urban music revolution - redefining music and culture as we know it today. In fact, Bam is the person responsible for coining the term "Hip Hop" in reference to this global movement.

The man behind Hip Hop/Electro Funk classic 'Planet Rock' over the years has co-produced and performed with the likes of James Brown, George Clinton, UB40, Fort Knox Five, Leftfield, Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest among many others.

Bam's futuristic soundscapes became a major influence in the development of not only hip-hop, but have also been instrumental in laying the foundation for Breaks, Electro, Freestyle, Techno and House music. “Planet Rock” has become arguably the most sampled song in music history, having been remixed and sampled by the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Westbam, George Acosta, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey and countless others. Rap/Metal band Rage Against The Machine also famously covered Bam’s track ‘Renegades of Funk’.

Still extremely active, Bam continues to record, tour and educate, maintaining his status as a living legend and forefather of the art. In 2006, Bam was honored for his incredible achievements by American music channel VH1 at the annual 'Hip Hip Honors' show and in 2007; he was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. More recently, Bam accepted an appointment as visiting scholar at Cornell University where he speaks to classes, meets with students, community groups and performs the music he helped create and expand.

This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to sample what a New York City Block Party is all about, live and direct from the Boogie Down Bronx! Be immersed in the knowledge of a master, icon and living treasure that is DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA."

Native Bass, 92



Dam Native: early version called Native Bass, formed by DLT with Danny D, H-One, Fred Harrison and Kuru. Taken from Planet, issue 9, Summer 92/93.

Mark de Clive-Lowe live in Ak


Mark de Clive-Lowe is playing live in Auckland this Sunday at the Conch Sunday Grill up at Ponsonby Social Club, free, from 8pm.

He's down this way after playing some shows and recording as part of  Ross McHenry Future Ensemble over in Australia - Myele Manzanza (Electric Wire Hustle) is also part of that band.Listen: RadioNational live to air from last Saturday.


Quartetto Fantastico feat Mark de Clive-Lowe - Another Shade of Jade from alfa smog on Vimeo.


He's recently dropped a very cool new album Take The Space Trane on Tru Thoughts, a collection of his back catalog reworked with the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, well worth checking out.



Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Homegrown groan

Blogger/music writer Simon Sweetman posted a blog earlier today called "Homegrown and social responsiblity."

excerpt: "... There's some okay music on display - stretched thinly across too many stages for far too long. But, for the most part, this money-maker encourages antisocial behaviour; it provides bad role models.

Many of the artists were smoking onstage - and drinking. Jim Beam is one of the big sponsors. And our largely inarticulate, thoughtless musicians were cussing and ranting, using the f-word as multi-purpose adjective.

The issue I have with this is that Homegrown makes its money by appealing to teens. And to young student-types in this university town; people in their early 20s, so sure of themselves but still, ultimately, young kids.

When DJ Sir-Vere started his party-set that had him pressing play on a bunch of American hip-hop records (a stunning display of the home-grown talent - how did he do that? So very Kiwi to just press play on an American hip-hop tune. That's New Zealand music right there!) he was saying f**k this and f**k that and then Che Fu told the audience that they were playing a bunch of songs they loved to listen to when they were "wasted".

My problem with this - apart from the laziness of boasting and toasting over someone else's record at an event that is nominally trying to promote Kiwi music, if not Kiwi musical innovation - is that it's an event pushed at kids and teens. If you are prepared to take the money, to make loads of money pushing merchandise and overpriced food and drink and tickets then you have a social responsibility to pitch (correctly) to that audience..."

One of the targets of that blog, DJ Sir-vere, reacted to Sweetman on Twitter, saying "Honestly @BlogOnTheTracks just fuck up. You shouldn't go to festivals cos people drink there and take drugs - all those old rockers you love lived in a drug daze their whole careers. We do what we do - period. I'm not a role model - so it fucking is what it is.

"Apparently I have a social responsibility? I am who I am - I've never mixed words ever. And I'm a good person, with a good job, and a father."

Sir-vere also had some more comments about this on his Facebook page,as did Che Fu, who wrote "Hey "The Dominion Post", I never ever said I was [a role model]. To put it in context, the venue we played in was R18, and they were selling alcohol. So what are you on about? Leave my name out of your "I'm sick of drunks at Homegrown" rant. Role models should be your Mum, Dad, uncle, aunty, close family, friends etc.. Not Entertainers! I've always said this, and its what I tell my kids."

Monday, March 04, 2013

Nu Riki



New tunes from Mr Riki Gooch, aka Eru Dangerspiel.

Depression era web

Bruce Sterling, at Webstock. Photo: Webstock Flickr

I was in Wellington recently , DJing at a fantastic conference called Webstock. One of the speakers, author Bruce Sterling, touched on a theme that is not that distant from a rather interesting post at Digital Music News, quoting Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

Sterling talked about the current age of the internet as being one of dark euphoria, and that we are in the depression era web. The railways have come, the fences are up, it is no longer the wild west. The internet has been messing up the foundations of business corporations for decades, and now the internet’s foundations are messed up too. Stacks (like Amazon, Google, etc) have livestock. They know all about you. They are monetising you. You are their product. It was a pretty grim talk.

On a similar theme, Thom Yorke said to the Guardian, on Google and Apple, that "We were so into the net around the time of Kid A. We really thought it might be an amazing way of connecting and communicating. And then very quickly we started having meetings where people started talking about what we did as 'content'. They would show us letters from big media companies offering us millions in some mobile phone deal or whatever it was, and they would say all they need is some content.

"I was like, what is this 'content' which you describe? Just a filling of time and space with stuff, emotion, so you can sell it?"

And then there's In Rainbows, regarded as an earth-shattering, daring experiment that would change the face of music pricing and access forever. But that was way back in 2007, when digital utopia was still under construction.

Radiohead never did it again."

MORE: A report from Webstock 2013: Jasmina Tesanovic (Sterling's partner)

Saturday, March 02, 2013

Man and his Mac


The late Ian Morris, from Planet magazine, #14, Spring 1994. Man and his Mac. Among the list of things on his Macbook include Letters to the editor re Cuba St buckets; data base of his 7"collection; family tree, standard record producers contract; and dissertation on 'Popular music and the tyranny of the age'.

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, March 2

Gary Byrd - The crown
Linda Lyndell - What a man
Prince Charles and the city beat band - Jungle stomp
Vibes alive - Mantra
Maniphest - Scratch samba
Junk - 99c strut
Apple juice kid - Freddie boi
Cannonball Adderley Quintet, intro by Rev Jesse Jackson - Walk tall
Naomi Shelton - Trouble in my way
The Dramatics - Stand up clap your hands
Staple singers  -Something aint right
War - The world is a ghetto
Daru Jones feat Kissey Asplund - Rat race up and down
Brass roots - Good life
IQU - Witchcraft
League unlimited orchestra - Love action
The Jets - Crush on you - extended version
Herbie Hancock - Palm grease
Charles Wright - Can't get no satisfaction
Martin Brew - Sandsteppin
Geraldo Pino - Heavy heavy heavy
Skull snaps - It's a new day - Shoes edit
James Brown - Don't tell it