New from On-U

SHERWOOD AT THE CONTROLS VOLUME 2 1985 - 1990

From On U Sound: "Sequel to the acclaimed first anthology we released last year, the At The Controls series documents the production skills of Adrian Sherwood, taking in both On-U Sound material and commissions for other labels. As Test Pressing put it so eloquently in their recent review, you can expect “crushing machine beats, multiplied by delay, melodies that teleport in and out, vocals treated stretched and disembodied from song”!

Beautiful double vinyl edition with printed inners, or CD with 20 page booklet. Both versions come with extensive sleevenotes and photos, and have been mastered by o.g. On-U Sound final touch magician Kevin Metcalfe. Buy it here

Adrian welcomed Boiler Room into his studio last week to give a rundown of the records that informed his signature sound. It was filmed for their 'Collections' video series and you can watch it back here.

Tracklisting:
01. Mark Stewart - Hypnotized (12" Mix) (1985)
02. Tackhead - Mind At The End Of The Tether (1987)
03. Doug Wimbish & Fats Comet - Don't Forget That Beat (Alternate Dub) (1985)**
04. Flux - The Value Of Nothing (1986)
05. The Unknown Cases - Masimbabele 89 (Adrian Sherwood Remix) (1989)**
06. Keith LeBlanc - These Sounds (1989)
07. The Beatnigs - Television (Dance Mix) (1988)**
08. Pankow - Girls & Boys (1987)
09. Ministry - All Day Remix (1986)
10. Rinf - Big Bondage (Kinky Sex Wet Mix) (1987)**
11. KMFDM - Don't Blow Your Top (Adrian Sherwood Remix) (1988)
12. Dub Syndicate - Snatch A Style (1985)*
13. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry - Music & Science Madness (1987)*
14. Bim Sherman - Haunting Ground Dub (1986)*
15. African Head Charge - Hold Some Version (1990)*
16. Dub Syndicate - Early Mafia (1989)*

* = Previously unreleased
** = First time on CD

Pacific Underground tribute at VPMAs

At the recent Pacific Music Awards, the Christchurch crew Pacific Underground (Pos Mavaega and Tanya Muagututi’a) were honoured with the Lifetime achievement award. The musical tribute to them featured a splendid cast.

Pacific Underground fostered emerging talents in the early 1990s such as Scribe, Dallas (Fat Freddys Drop) and Ladi6. It was a fruitful environment for these young cats to make their first moves. They came together to honor Pacific Underground, and the performances are now online, thanks to Tagata Pasifika...

Ring The Alarm playlist, June 25

Pete Shelley  - Homosapien (elongated dancepartydubmix)
Tom Tom Club - Genius of love
Yellow magic orchestra - Computer games
Jurassic 5 - Quality control
Ike and Tina Turner - Baby (what you want me to do)
Watts 103rd st rhythm band - 65 bars and a taste of soul
The Markeys - Honey pot
Little Johnnie - Johnnie's swinging organ
The Notables - Funky frog
Kay Dennis - Feeling good
Joe Wilson - Sam Sam the money man
Nicole Willis and the soul investigators - One in a million
Sharon Jones and the Dapkings - This land is your land
Omar - Destiny
Electric wire hustle - Chaser
Parliament - P funk (wants to get funked up) RIP Bernie Worrell
Prince - Lemon crush
Angela Bofill - People make the world go round
Staple singers - Something aint right
Sir Joe Quarterman and free soul - So much trouble in my mind
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 - The good leaf
Singers and players - World dispensation
Prince Fari - Jah will provide
Herbs - French letter dub
Anthony Johnson - Neckbone
The Tibbs - Next time
Anne Peebles - Beware

Record store closes...

Photo: Pitchfork

Came across this fascinating piece from the New Yorker on the closure of NYC record store Other Music... raises some interesting points.

"... Critics can and have read Other Music’s bow-out as representative, in an allegorical way, of any number of bigger Ends: the End of music as a physical medium to be collected and doted over, the End of curated off-line retail, the End of curation, the End of the East Village, the End of New York.

'Most of those Ends—whether real or imagined—have already been eulogized so aggressively that to revisit them now seems plainly indulgent. In our accelerated culture, collective nostalgia, in which we mourn the freshly antiquated for reasons that are unclear but still enormously potent, is its own cottage industry (especially for culture reporters)..."

The flipside of that cottage industry is the vinyl revival story, which culture reporters churn regularly - somewhere in the world every week, a journo writes a story on how records are making a comeback, interviews a record store owner, quotes some sales % rise (with no $ value attached), and a young punter who has starting buying the vinyls. It's a simple formula (read it here, I broke it down into a handy list).

I also liked this discussion round the idea of genres and how youths used to associate themselves with one particular one....  

"...As I’ve learned teaching music criticism to New York University students, subsequent generations have since adopted a lovely “Do you!” magnanimity when it comes to musical taste. Part of this might have to do with their instinctively inclusive temperaments—they have come of age in an era in which intolerance is forcefully policed—and part of it might have to do with the breakdown of genre, at least as it once existed in the record bins. There are no record bins anymore—no little plastic signposts signifying content, broadcasting a set of principles, musical and otherwise.

"Genre itself—or, more specifically, genre affiliation as a means of self-identification—feels like another End hovering in the atmosphere this week. No one is asked to choose one affiliation at the expense of another. Instead, it is perfectly normal, even expected, that a person might have a little bit of everything stacked up in her digital library. The idea of “Other Music” as it was conceived in 1995 is unknowable now..."

Why Record Stores Mattered by Amanda Petrusich.

New EP from Omar

Freestyle say: "Following on from 2013's album “The Man”, 2016 will see his new long player “Love In Beats” further cement his undeniable reputation - and as a teaser for that, Freestyle Records are proud to present this brand new 4 track EP, “I Want It To Be”. Out 8 July.

Omar is playing Jazz Café, London on Friday 1 July and Saturday 2 July and is supporting Stevie Wonder at British Summer Time, Hyde Park (London), Sunday 10 July.

Ring The Alarm playlist, June 18

The Jets - Crush on you (extended version)
Jonzun crew - Space is the place
Shara Nelson - Can't get over you
Jean Knight - Don't talk about Jody
Sister Love - Give me your love
Laura Lee - Crumbs off the table
Barbara Lynn - You're losing me
Darlene Love - Too late to say you're sorry
Joanie Sommers - Don't pity me
Shirley Ellis - Soul time
Betty LaVette - Doin the best I can (Walter Gibbons edit)
Bugz in the attic - Once twice

Tribute mix to DJ Big Matt, 9 years gone this week, RIP:
Desmond Dekker - The Israelites
Jackie Mittoo - Wall street
Sound dimension - Heavy rock
Dawn Penn - You don't love me (no no no)
Johnny Osbourne  - Truth and rights
Brentford allstars - Greedy G
Aim - Just passing thru
Ballistic Bros -Prophecy reveal
Nightmares on wax - Flip your lid
Dandy Livingstone and Rico - Rudy a message to you
Lightning head - Second line stomp

Treva Whateva - Singalong
Bill Withers - You
GC Cameron - You are that special one
Sylvia and the Moments - Sho nuff boogie
Amnesty - Trouble will remain (Truth and Soul remix)
Opensouls - Falling in

Anthony Joseph new album - Caribbean Roots

I copped a single off this album a few months back, it's a great Caribbean tune called Neckbone. It's one of two tracks streaming on Bandcamp ahead of the album dropping later this month...

"Strut team up for the first time with acclaimed French label Heavenly Sweetness for the brand new album by the celebrated poet, novelist and musician, Anthony Joseph.

Caribbean Roots represents an uncompromising return to his roots for Joseph, who has always remained true to a powerful, deep-seated sense of his own Caribbean identity. Starting out as a joint project with the outstanding percussionist Roger Raspail (Cesaria Evora, Papa Wemba), the album swiftly grew into a major work incorporating the rhythms, sounds and vibes that rock the Caribbean from San Fernando, Kingston and Les Abymes to Port-au-Prince and Havana.

Backed by a band made up of a blend of musicians with Caribbean origins or connections, the album attempts to unite the different islands into a single entity without diluting any individual strand. "The idea, heard so often," says Joseph, "is that the Caribbean is a fragmented region, socially, politically, historically. In my view, it's a unified space, with more relations than disparities. The album is asking Caribbean people to consider that their roots are in the Caribbean, that their generations run deep and that now, we can claim it as ancestral space."

'Caribbean Roots' is released on Heavenly Sweetness / Strut on CD, LP and digital on June 24th. Pre-orders are available now.

Digital vs physical

Via Stoppress, looking into the PwC report on media across the spectrum... Interesting to see that in less than 5 years time, digital downloads will pretty much be toast...

• New Zealand's music market was worth $205 million in 2015, down from $225.9 million in 2011. Total music revenue is forecast to reach $223 million in 2020, rising at a 1.7 percent CAGR.
• In the space of five years, during which time Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and many others have opened in New Zealand, digital music streaming revenue has grown from less than $1.5 million in 2011 to $34 million in 2015 and the figure should grow to $89 million in 2020.
• The business for digital downloads, however, is declining and by 2020 digital music downloading revenue will account for only 11 percent of total digital recorded music revenue.
• Physical recorded music revenue accounted for $66 million in 2011, a figure that fell to $28 million in 2015 and should recede further to just $10.6 million in 2020.
• Total recorded music revenue was measured at $91 million in 2015. By 2020 that sum is predicted to grow to $111 million, which is $15 million greater than the total from ten years earlier.

Data dump: a snapshot of PwC’s entertainment and media outlook insights report

Katchafire singer says their US popularity is being ignored by our media

Young Katchafire fans at their show on Vail, Colorado, 11 June 2016.
Photo: Katchafire FB page

Late last week Maori TV talked with Logan Bell of Kiwi reggae outfit Katchafire, following his comments on Facebook about his band's growing popularity in the USA was being ignored by local media - "If Dave Dobbyn was doing this he'd be all over the news (love ya Dave)..."

The band have been touring twice a year in the US since 2006, when they played a halftime show at an NFL (American Football) game in Hawaii to 50,000 people.

Via MaoriTV:

Bell says, “We had no idea we were big in Hawaii, or the mainland (United States), and we have been going back twice a year since,”

Bell has noted the resonance of the band’s music with ethnic minorities during the tour.
“A lot of our following are indigenous peoples, which we are all plugged into...Hawaiian, American Samoan, Tongan... a lot of Indonesians, Filipinos etc.  We’re always proud to show off our culture and share the good vibes.”

....Bell is frustrated that the band’s US success has had little recognition from Aotearoa’s mainstream media outlets.  

“I think mainstream media is somewhat aligned with our government and their agenda so it’s not on their priority list to show Māori people working hard and doing positive things, not only in their communities but abroad.”

Bell acknowledges racism plays a role in such attitudes but frames the issue as one of inequality and power.

“I believe racism exists in New Zealand and have had first-hand experience (of it) but I have never lowered myself to reacting to ignorance.  It’s the higher stuff that gets me.  It’s old guys sitting in their cigar rooms pulling strings... positive Māori role models never get heard or don’t make it to their full potential- that ticks me off the most.”

The band return to NZ soon for a run of shows in July, before heading off to tour Europe. 


Katchafire singer claims US success ignored by NZ mainstream media

New single from Aaradhna

Aaradhna's new album Brown Girl has been coming for a while - she headed off to New York to record at Truth and Soul studio in Brooklyn with Jeff Dynamite (Aloe Blacc, Lee Fields, Adele) back in July 2014, and the album was originally scheduled for release by Dawn Raid last year.

The first single Welcome to the Jungle dropped recently, check it above. Out now on iTunes, Spotify. The album drops in July. Sne's been touring Aust and NZ performing new songs, catch her tonight (June 11) at Neck of the Woods in Auckland, and June 17 at Bodega in Wellington.

She told Ayebro blog recently about how the sessions came about:

"I had a performance in New York at the W Hotel and P-Money actually suggested that we should go and meet Jeff Dynamite from the Truth & Soul label… he had done amazing work with Aloe Blacc.

"From there my manager Andy invited the Truth & Soul guys to attend my performance. It was an industry event and there was bunch of top producers and singers attending. They watched me perform and they agreed to work with me that very night! It was pretty surreal.

"We started recording in Brooklyn the following month. Dan Parry mixed the Adele 19 & 25 record’s and was a friend of Jeff ‘s who had also produced on Adele 19. So that’s how we hooked up. Tom Coyne, well he mastered my favorite album by D’Angelo – Voodoo as well as Amy Winehouse’s Back 2 Black. Jeff suggested he would be perfect for me, it’s pretty crazy to be honest! I am super excited how the music sounds."

Brand new Ladi6

Taster off a new upcoming ep from Ladi6, this single is out June 17th 2016 available on Spotify and iTunes worldwide

Ring The Alarm playlist, June 11

Leon Haywood - If you're looking for a night of fun...
King Errison - Disco congo
Visions of tomorrow - Galaxy
Universal robot band - Dancer and shake your tambourine
Gwen Guthrie - Peanut butter (12" version)
Joyce Sims - Take caution with my heart
Fred Wesley and the JBs - If you don't get it the first time, back up and try again, party

Nine tunes off the Brunswick Soul Box 7 inch collection, man it's good:
Barbara Acklin - Am I the same girl
Sidney Joe Qualls - How can you say goodbye
Chi-lites - Are you my woman
Boobie Knight and the Universal Lady - Lovemaniacs
Johnny Jones and the King Casuals - Purple haze
Young Holt Unlimited - Wick wack
Vaughan Mason - Bounce, rock, skate, roll pt1
Exit 9 - I love you! I love you completely
The Lost Generation - Talking the teenage language

Chairmen of the board - Life and death (Mr K re-edit)
Quincy conserve - Same old feeling
Dr Tree - Eugino D
Ota - Nuinui
Mike Fabulous - There's something about Africa
Beverly rd allstars - Murder she wrote
Nas - Get down (QSO remix)
Adrian Sherwood and Lee Scratch Perry - His masters voice
Cookin on 3 burners - Cars
Wreck Allstars - Hit em like this
Funkmaster Flex and the ghetto celebs - Safe sex no freaks
Maestro Fresh Wes - Another fresh break (from my Pap's crates)
Outlines - Waiting in line inst

Resonators drop new single

Via Wahwah 45s: "After a four year hiatus - mostly spent tirelessly performing at headline shows and festivals across the UK and Europe, as well as recording a plethora of new music - this almost peerless Brighton-based collective are ready to showcase their new material to an eager public.

Healer is out now digitally, and on very limited hand-stamped 7" vinyl (signed by the whole band).. The new album, Imaginary People, is due to drop in September."

Secondskin collective: panel discussion on the local music scene

Important event happening at Audio Foundation (Poynton Terrace, off Pitt St) next Wednesday at 5pm:

"Secondskin’s second event is a discussion led by women, queer and trans people, and people of colour regarding their participation within the Auckland/NZ music scene. We will be addressing the ways in which we can encourage more equal participation and advocate for safer and more comfortable spaces for these marginalised groups.

Each person will give a short talk on their personal experiences, and what changes they have seen or would like to see within our community. We would then like to open the discussion for audience participation - attendees of the event are invited and encouraged to ask questions, raise concerns, or offer suggestions for future secondskin events."

Find out more on the event page

Ring The Alarm playlist, June 4

Massive attack - Spying glass
dZhian and Kamien - Smile remix by Aromabar
Reggie Steppa - Drum pan sound
King Everand - Kill ole pan
Conroy Smith - Original sound
Butch Cassidy sound system - Cissy strut
Bacao rhythm and steel band - Tender trap
Gwen Guthrie - Seventh heaven
Prince Charles and the city beat band - Cash (cash money)
Double Dee and Steinski - Lesson two (pt1)
Billy Preston - Advice
The Originals - Goodnight Irene
The Supremes - Your wonderful sweet sweet love
Myron and E - It's a shame
Marha Reeves and the Vandellas - We got honey love
Chii-lites - Stoned out of my mind
Willis Jackson - Nuther'n like thuther'n
Margie Joseph - Margie moves mountains edit
Screaming Jay Hawkins - I put a spell on you (Jeremy Sole edit)
Bo Diddley - Who do you love
Big Mama Thornton - Hound dog
Howard Morrison - Keep on running
Keil isles - Monkey stomp
Harvey - Any way you wanta
Jackie Mittoo - Moon walk
Lord Echo - Digital haircut
League unlimited orchestra - Love action
Kid Creole and the coconuts - Annie I'm not your daddy (Soul mechanik edit)
Was Not Was - Tell me that I'm dreaming
Hawk - Don't judge a book by its cover
Lyn Collins - Mama feelgood

Real Groovy's birthday sidewalk sale

"It’s Real Groovy’s Birthday again! Out the front of our new store at 369 Queen St this Saturday there will be over 5000 good quality LPs marked down to under $10 – thousands under $5! PLUS lots of $5 CDs, $5, $10 and $20 Off DVDs, books, and lots of cool stuff!

Starts 9.00am Saturday morning and continues all weekend if the sun keeps shining…

And in the store we’ve slapped $5, $10 and $20 off almost half of our stock"