Ring The Alarm playlist, Jan 31

Ring The Alarm with Peter Mac, BaseFM, Jan 31 2015 by Peter Mclennan on Mixcloud

Futura 2000 and The Clash - Escapades rap
J Dilla - Won't do
Tausani - Tear drop
Ronny Jordan - Season for change - DJ Krush remix
Amerigo Gazaway & Fela Brown - Funky black president
Marc Rapson - The kalimba
African head charge - Somebody touch I
Jackie Mittoo - Chicken and booze
The Rebels - Rhodesia
Barry Brown - Far east
Brigader Jerry - Ram dance master
Fat Freddys Drop - Hope (1998 version)
Lord Echo - Thinking of you
Mad Lion - Girlzz
Bonobo - Stay the same
Mr Scruff - He don't
Rebel MC feat Tenor Fly - Wickedest sound - soundclash mix
Rebel MC - Jahovia
Ragga twins - Tan so back
PD Syndicate - Ruff like me - Shy FX and T-Power remix
Solomonic sound - Children of Israel
Shaboom - Woman cry - Blakdoktor dub
Fourtet - Serious as your life
Baby Charles - I bet you look good on the dancefloor
Junkyard band - The word
Mr Chop - Shut em down
Jackie Shane - Stand up straight and tall
Terry Timmons - Got nobody to love
Bob Kayli - Tie me tight
Freez - IOU

New Kingston: Kingston City album out Jan 27

Off the album Kingston City, out on January 27th, 2015 on Easy Star Records. Guests include Sugar Minott, Wailing Souls, and Sister Carol.Pretty sweet reggae.

Laneway Akld 2015 review: Or I instagrammed the crap outta Laneway

Princess Chelsea, Cigarette duet.... with Jonathan Bree. She closed with two news songs off her 2nd album, out April,  sounded great

Heavenly cold treat from Lucky Taco. So nice, I had it twice.

Leather pants and fur. Rock dude is rocking.

Vic Mensa, in a Never mind the bollocks tee, hyped the crowd something crazy mid arvo, he even stage dived/crowd surfed.

Thunderdome stage. Boxy stage is boxy

Two dudes really getting into Future Islands, who were very groovy

Little Dragon, big highlight of the day for me

Little Dragon, at sunset. Lost my mind when they played Klapp Klapp, and their closing number even had a sneaky musical reference to the moog jam Popcorn. So great!

Silos lit up. Pretty concrete

Ring The Alarm playlist, Jan 24

Ring The Alarm with Peter Mac, BaseFM, Jan 24, 2015 by Peter Mclennan on Mixcloud

Gonzalez - Just let it lay
Social lovers - Cosmic love
The Trammps - The night the lights went out
D'Angelo - Devils pie -45King remix
Nas - It still aint hard to tell - DJ Day remix
Cut chemist - Bunky's pick
Paul Humphrey and his cool-aid chemists - Funky LA
Shirley Bassey - Light my fire - Kenny Dope remix
Hawk - Don't judge a book by its cover
Rose Mitchell - Baby please don't go
Hopetoun Lewis - Everybody rocking
Carl Meeks - Without your love
Sons of silence - Silence go boom
Big Youth - Jim Screechy - Smith and Mighty remix
Dub funk association - Enter the chzzler
Bobby Marin - Cisco kid
Montefiori cocktail - Sofisticata - Nicola Conte remix
Celia Cruz - Sonaremos el tambo
Herbie Mann - Todos locos
Bronx River Parkway - La valla
ESG - Moody
David Byrne and Brian Eno - Regiment
Pointer sisters - Yes we can can - Bobby Buschnach edit
Hall and Oates - I can go for this - Daz's deep dub
Keni Burke - Rising to the top - Aliooft edit

Dub Store: free DL

Dub Store Records is a Tokyo shop and label doing some amazing reggae reissues, stumbled across their Bandcamp page and discovered this sampler, name your price.Check it!

Rhythm roulette with DJ Nu-Mark

This is a cool little idea pulled together by the folk at Mass Appeal - get a DJ/producer, take them to a record shop, blindfold them, and make them pick out 4 records, and then make a beat sampling those records. This one is from late last year with DJ Nu-Mark.

He's out here soon with his old crew Jurassic 5 for two shows, April 10 and 11 at the Powerstation.

Dele Sosimi gets remixed, free DL

Nice slice of afrobeat/house, from Dele Sosimi, out on WahWah45s. Free DL, plus instrumental in there too.

Bio: 'Hackney born, Dele was raised in Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s shadow at the height of early 70s afrobeat. He became Musical Director for both Fela’s Egypt 80 and later Femi Kuti’s Positive Force. Dele's music and shows are charged with his passion, labours and unrelenting spirit. Dele now begins work on his 3rd studio album.'

Wunmi, new single, free DL

Ring The Alarm playlist, Jan 17

Primal Scream - Higher than the sun
The Orb and Lee Scratch Perry - Hold me upsetter
Steel n skin - Afro punk reggae dub
The Ogyatanaa show band - You monopolise me
Antibalas - Che che cole makossa
Willie Colon - Willie whopper
Ray Barretto - A deeper shade of soul
Bergendy - Tramp-Reszlet - Peter Mac edit
Dexter Wansel - Life on Mars
Slim - It's in the mix
Chuck Brown and the soul searchers - I need money
Ardijah - That's the way
Jackie Mittoo - Totally together
Joseph Cotton - No touch the style
Anthony Red Rose - Tempo
Sidney, George and Jackie - Papa was a rolling stone
Brownout - Flaximus - Renegades of Jazz b-boy edit
Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde - Doing to do
Brassroots - Good life
El Michels affair - Musings to myself
Jean Knight - Do me
James Booker  - Gonzo
Allen Toussaint - Tequila
Wild Magnolias - Battlefield - Joe Claussell parkside lounge version
Jesse Boykins III - Created beauty
Jose James  -Blackmagic - Joy Orbison's recreation
Ebonee Webb - Something about you
Redds and the boys - Put your right hand in the air....

Best Music Journalism: 2014

Red Bull Music Academy has posted up a great roundup called Best Music Journalism: 2014. It covers some of the issues facing music writers, and suggest some ways forward for music journalism... particularly like this one...

“Now Software’s driving the journalism”
So says Financial Times editor Lionel Barber, and he’s right. Instead of fighting it, it’s much smarter to embrace tech and keep up with it. Tech mags themselves are doing such a good job already parsing music industry issues like streaming royalties, which Gigaom and Pando covered so well. Get writers up to speed about tech and maybe hire some tech writers to cover the music beat, too.
... and highlights some stories, here's a sample...

Michael Dunaway, “James Brown: An Oral History From His Bandmates” (Paste)
After the underrated biopic of the Godfather, Get On Up, and the HBO documentary Mr. Dynamite, here’s the inside story of what it was like to play behind the Godfather, deal with his massive ego and participate in his history-making music. Sections are devoted to “MEETING MR. BROWN,” “THE PERFECTIONIST” and “THE PERFORMER,” and all for good reason. He transformed their lives, and transformed all of our lives, too.

“Sample the Funk- 10 Legendary Samples and the Stories Behind Them” (FACT)
Speaking of funk origins, here’s a great lesson of where the beats of our favorite songs from the last few decades came from, along with a list of many of the places they wound up.

Phil Hebblethwaite, “Is Record Store Day In Crisis?” (The Quietus)
Music fans want to feel good and support something that seems as righteous as Record Store Day. But is it really such a commendable enterprise? Kudos to Hebbelthwaite for asking this tough question and finding out that, with vinyl production problems, majors honing in and some shops not getting the goods, maybe it’s not as righteous as we’d like to think it is.

Read the full list here

BFM station manager Manu Taylor departs

Manu Taylor. Photo: CMJ 2012

Earlier today, NZ On Air posted a message on Twitter hinting that change was afoot at Auckland radio station 95BFM ...

A huge kia ora & thank you to @ManuTaylor - you've done an outstanding job managing the great @95bFM the past 6 years! All the best Manu!
— NZ On Air Music (@nzonairmusic) January 14, 2015

The change was confirmed late afternoon, with the news that station manager Manu Taylor had announced yesterday that he was leaving BFM after seven years (he started there in 2008) - prior to that, he was programme director at MaiFM for a decade, and had also worked at Marbecks and Polygram Records.

The news report in the NZ Herald makes no mention of a replacement or where Taylor is off to, but does note that longtime BFM board member Chris Hocquard left the board last year.

From NZHerald: "BFM is also making a greater push into digital. The new focus is linked to a "rejuventation" [sic] of the bFM board that began last year and coincided with the departure longtime chairman Chris Hocquard last year.

"Hocquard was replaced by by Simon Telfer, who said bFM would continue to encourage new music and being adventurous...

".... Taylor said bFM had performed an important and specialised role for listeners at a time when there was increased activity from commercial stations and during the shift to digital content."

UPDATED Jan 16 2015: BFM has posted a job description for the General Manager position, applications close Feb 5. 

Lord Echo live in Tokyo, + free download

Lord Echo sets off for his second tour of Japan later this month (there's even a special tour release of some of Lord Echo's tunes on cassette), here's a great clip of his previous visit, in April last year.

Lord Echo is playing in Auckland at Ponsonby Social Club on Jan 17 Feb 11 (postponed due to ongoing renovations at PSC), it's free.He finished up last year by collaborating in the studio with Chet Faker, check his Instagram for more on that.

Ring The Alarm playlist, Jan 10

George Benson - World is a ghetto
The JBs - These are the JBs
Erma Franklin - I get the sweetest feeling
Len Barry - Bullseye
Barbara Lynn - Take your love and run
James Booker - Gonzo
Lionel Hampton - AT&T
Etta James - Seven day fool
Hank Marvin - Sunday for seven days
Booker T and the MGs - It's your thing
Chi-lites - We are neighbours
Sheila E - Love bizarre
Social lovers - Cosmic love
KLF - Justified and ancient
Stephen Encinas - Lypso illusion
MAW - Zoe

Scotty - Draw your brakes

Prince Fari - Hello love brother

Conroy Smith - Original sound

Top cat - Request the style

Dennis Alcapone - Home version

Pablove Black - Sidewalk doctor

Sound dimension - Heavy rock

Keith LeBlanc - Taxcider

IQU - Witchcraft

Submariner - Tha natural
DJ Vee feat Mighty Asterix - Neva mind
Video Kid - Dawn skate
Mark de Clive Lowe - Sketch for Miguel

Steinski - We'll be right back

Bill Rosby drops debut

Bill Rosby (govt. name Ross McCafferty) is a DJ/producer/drummer, hailing from Carmel, California. He's been drumming for over 20 years and producing for 14. This name your price album is very cool, thoughtfully constructed, laidback instrumental vibes and grooves. Give it a listen.

"On January 1, 2015, Bill Rosby released his debut album entitled “In Rare Form.” With an extensive background in jazz performance, Rosby fused elements of jazz and hip hop, with driving rhythms, creating a progressive downtempo feel.

The album blends live instrumentation, such as live bass and live drumming and percussion (drumming/percussion by Bill Rosby). Another live aspect utilized in the production of the album was live field recordings.

The Lions - Soul Riot, soon come

New album from LA reggae outfit The Lions coming on Stonesthrow, out Feb 10, LP shipping now....

"This new batch of tunes came straight from the heart on all fronts. With everything that's going on today we wanted to make an album that speaks to peoples emotions and frustrations while also giving them a chance to dance and release some stress.” – Dan Ubick (producer)

Inspired by reggae, sound system culture and the myriad of musical styles influenced by Jamaican music old and new, The Lions’ sound is firmly placed in soul music.

The band draws together a dozen or so of Los Angeles reggae and soul forerunners who loosely coalesced as The Lions in 2007. Members of the legendary ska band Hepcat, Deston Berry and Alex Désert, form half of the vocal team, and the latter also has a successful career on screen, including roles in the films Swingers and High Fidelity. The other half is the sweet falsetto of Malik Moore and DJ stylings of Black Shakespeare, the charismatic cousin of Robbie Shakespeare (of Sly & Robbie fame) and co-runner of the i&i Sound System, a customized ice cream van bringing bass to the streets of the west coast.

Other members include guitarist Dan Ubick, formerly of Breakestra, Macy Gray co-writer and collaborator Dave Wilder on bass, plus musicians who have played with the likes of De La Soul, Barrington Levy, Beck, Raphael Saadiq, Big Daddy Kane and Black Eyed Peas.

Ring The Alarm playlist, Jan 3

Salmonella Dub - Problems - Sonsine remix
Overproof sound system - Kingstep - Unitone Hifi dub
Rhythm and Sound feat Paul St Hilaire - What a mistry
Beat Pharmacy - Wata (deep dub)
James Bong - I don't feel well - Dr Scruff remix
Nightmares on wax - What I'm feelin - Rae & Christian remix
Larry Young's fuel - Turn off the lights
Angela Blofill - People make the world go round
Chuck Higgins & the wild bunch - Funkyfied
Howard Morrison - Keep on running
Lou Pride - I'm com'un home in the morn'un
Impressions - Talking about my baby
Saxie Russell - Psychedelic soul pt 1
Linda Clifford - Can't get enough
Lord Echo - The creator has a master plan
Adrian Sherwood - Stepping crowd
The Congos - Bring the Mackaback
Skatalites - Fugitive dub
Jamaican Allstars - 007 (shanty town)
Twennynine - Just right for me
Zapp - More bounce to the ounce
Heaven 17 - We don't need this fascist groove thang
New Order - Confusion
Ty Tribbett & GA - Mighty
Che Fu -Misty frequencies - Submariner remix
Bob Brown - Who is Mr Brown? - Amerigo Gazaway mix
Born Jamericans - Boom shak a tack
Sound foundation - Ram dancehall
Katchafire - Collie herb man - Sola Rosa remix