Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, February 17
Blue Mitchell – Dorado
Earl Zinger – Song 2
Lester Sterling – Afrikaan beat
Joint force – Static (Mario Bros remix)
Eddy Mitchell – Hard to handle
Bronx River Prkway – La valla
Kraftwerk – Computer love
The WBC – The vibe
Brooklyn funk essentials – Creator has a master plan
Ray Baretto – El nuevo Baretto
Reggie Stepper – Cuh ohnoh
Feelstyle – Su’amalie inst
The Midnights – Outside looking in (Dub Asylum remix)
Dead prez – Hiphop (for the folk who texted into the stuio saying “Bro, had
a massive night, still going., please play dead prez – hiphop”)
OJays – 992 arguments
Maceo and the Macks – Soul power 74
Scientist – Dub #16
King Tubby and Roots Radics – Love and understanding
Raw deal – Blues for brother George Jackson
Bob James – Angela (theme from Taxi)
Yahoos – Mabala
Jackie Mittoo – In cold blood
Salt n Pepa – Push it
Shy FX and Top Cat – Champion DJ

Bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrring!
A killer clip of Tenor Saw performing 'Ring the Alarm' live with a hot band back in 86 - slips into Fever on the same riddim. Hat tip to Russell, who has a few more reggae gems here.

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, February 10
Cane and Able - Mass of confusion
Tyra and the tornadoes - Hui hui
Mere Mortalz - Dis a boom Inst
Michael Prophet - Been talking
Black moon - The walk
Bill Withers - Kissin my love
Family of percussion feat Archie Shepp - Here comes the family
Lightning head - Stilla move
Scientist - Sunshine version
Cookie monster - C is for cookie (Roy Thode disco mix)
Chaka Khan - I feel for you
Connie Price and the Keystones - Sucker punch
Chosen few - Tears of a clown
International Observer - Dirty Harry
Tahuna Breaks - Voodoo
3 generations walking - Midnight bustling
Rebel MC - Jahovia
El da sensei -Summertime bluez
Funkmaster Flex and the ghetto celebs - Safe sex, no freaks
Osibisa - Y sharp
The JBs -You can have your Watergate...
Alan Moorhouse - Soul skimmer
Jah Stitch - Raggamuffin style (Smith and Mighty remix)
TRex - Telegram Sam
Stephen Marley - Traffic jam

Top five tunes I've learnt to play on my ukelele (that I got for christmas from my lovely wife)
1 The Ramones - Blitzkreig bop
2 Nancy Sinatra - Sugartown
3 OMC - How bizarre
4 The Clash - London calling
5 Johnny Thunders and the heartbreakers - Chinese rocks

Now, I'm on the hunt for some more tunes to learn, so, any suggestions? keep in mind, its a uke, so no multi-chord epics (prog rock must die).

Blogging is the new black.
Hats off to Simon Grigg for getting picked as Blog Of The Week by the Herald on Sunday. Hey kids, blogging is the new black! (Corrected)


Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, January 27, 2007
Bruce Ruffin - Ooh child
Tokyo ska paradise orchestra – ABC remix
Prince Fari - Hello, love brother
Flirtations – Nothing but a heartache
Sly and the family stone – Loose booty
Count Basie – Mercy, mercy, mercy
Phase 5 – Bag juice
Adrian Sherwood – Hari up hari
Boca 45 – That’s all
Stephen Marley - Traffic jam
Boozoo bajou -Night over manaus
Antibalas – Talkatif
Tahuna breaks – Voodoo
Black nasty – We’re doin our thing
Ballistic brothers – Pophecy reveal
Clara Hill feat Joe Dukie – Flawless pt2
Taxi gang – Mambo mambo
Iggy and Peggy - Passenger fever
DJ Farrapo & Yanez – Baiano vem baiano vai
Tony Alvion and the belairs – Sexy coffee pot
Kashmere stage band – Super strut (Kenny Dope remix)
Grover Washington Jr – Knucklehead
B52’s – Planet Claire
Quartertones – Caffiene (DJ Format mix)
African head charge – Heading to glory
Robert Mitchum – From a logical point of view
Loop guru – Single orphan first year camel

Stars are blind - so is Warners.
"One of Warner Music’s biggest mistakes last year was an album released by socialite Paris Hilton. It sold just 13,000 copies, a disaster made worse by the money spent on the heiress and her entourage.

One source claims that she brought 14 people with her to the UK including three security guards, two tour managers (despite there being no tour) and three American publicists. A week’s accommodation at the exclusive Metropolitan hotel on London’s Park Lane came to around £160,000. The entourage was flown to Britain in either first or business class." Via Coolfer. Wow, didn't see that coming!

Simon Grigg runs some numbers too, looking at the current state of CD sales.

"The number one single in the US sold 1,700 physical copies last week, based on Soundscan figures [remember when the Black Seeds hit number one in NZ with their album last year, after selling only 1,500 copies in a week? Doesn't seem so bad now]...

The number one album in the US last week was the lowest selling number one, by quite a margin, since the current chart system was inaugurated, eclipsing the new low set the week before... the current NZ number one [album], yet another hits collection by ABBA has, despite television advertising sold less than 2,000 copies. That’s less than $40k in gross return, before the marketing cost, royalties and the like." More here.

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, January 20
James Brown -Mind power
Specials Message to you rudy - Bombs re-edit
Prince Fari - Give love
Ozomatli - superbowl sundae (Peanut butter wolf remix)
Pete Rock - Appreciate
Charles Wright - you gotta know whatcha doin
Eddie Warner - Poppy fields
Big Bud - Bubblin dub
Suns of arqa - Ananta snake dance
George Benson - On broadway
Jimmy Jones - Live and let live
Quantic - Politick society
George McCrae - I got lifted (Mischief brew edit)
International observer - Vale bengali
Mo Horizons - Foto viva (Nicola Conte remix)
The explosions - Hip drop
Dr John - Mama roux
Donald Fagen - IGY
Rip, rig and panic - Storm the reality asylum (extended mix)
Freddie and Linn - Live 4 love
Makossa and megablast feat Farda P - Find it
Stephanie Mckay -M.o.n.e.y
Stephen Marley - Traffic jam
Jungle Bros - I got it like that (Freestylers remix)
Dynamics - Seven nation army

Ring The Alarm playlist, Base FM January 13
Ray Barretto - Acid
Jackie Mittoo - Honeypot
Roots combination - Wicked a go dub it
Breakestra - The gettin' to it
Nightmares on wax - What I'm feeling (Rae and Christian remix)
Shantel - Bucovina
Zilverzurf feat Desmond Foster - Moment is gone (Kieser Velten remix)
John Holt - Fat she fat
Beginning of the end - Funky nassau (Friction re-edit)
Rare earth - Big John is my name
RJD2 - Let the good times roll Pt 1
Lion rock - Rude boy rock
Damian Marley - Move!
Black grass - Oh Jah (inst mix)
Ultramagnetic MCs - Poppa large (West Coast remix)
Pilchard - You got soul and rock'n'roll - (Eric B and Rakim vs Ian Dury)
Herbie Mann - Push push
Cymande - Bra
Barrington Levy - Collie weed
Pioneers - Papa was a rolling stone
Salmonella dub - Wytaliba (Dreadzone remix)
Earth wind and fire - Cmon children
Definition of sound - Wear your love like heaven
Leon Haywood - I want to do something freaky to you
DJ Krush - Alpheuo

Keeping it Sly
From La Times site, more here. "... Sly's intimates, few in number, report that he rarely leaves his isolated property, except for the occasional shopping trip. Although he is said to be taking good care of his health, he hasn't much availed himself of the equipment in his exercise room, instead working late into the night on his Korg Oasys keyboard synthesizer, in his studio.

Some of those labors may be showcased at the House of Blues on Saturday, and more completely on an album due this summer on Sly's own PhattaDatta record label. (In the meantime, Sony BMG plans to begin reissuing the original Sly & the Family Stone catalog on CD in March.)

Years of reclusiveness were part of his response to negative media attention three decades ago. His reputation for missing performances also damaged his standing with fans and concert presenters, as did his cocaine-related convictions in the 1980s. Stone opted to retreat within the walls of his Hollywood Hills mansion, work on his music and let the world go by.

Sister Vet had in mind Stone's unstoppable and prolific love affair with music when she helped him move north last year, after the Grammy salute to Sly. She positioned him not far from her own place in Vallejo, the small city where she was raised in the 1950s as Vaetta Stewart, along with Sylvester (Sly) and their three music-making siblings, Loretta, Rose and Freddie..."


AND what's up with Van Halen getting into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, ahead of Iggy and the Stooges or Joe Tex?

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, January 6
Tye Tribbet and GA – Mighty long way
Hortense Ellis – Woman of the ghetto
Horace Andy – Jah provides
Oneself -Temptation
Jose Feliciano - She’s a woman
Bombs edit - Under mi sensi
Bic Runga – Something good (Submariner remix)
Ohio Players – Speakeasy
Seeed feat Felix Banton – Dancehall credential
JB’s – 40th anniversary mix
Cubalooba – Cubalooba
Chuck Womack – Ham hock and beans (Quantic remix)
Jackie Mittoo – Champion of the arena
International observer – Vale Bengali
Romanowski - Strudel strut
Guy Pedersen – Les copains de la basse
Prince – Housequake
Daktaris – In the middle
Schoolly D and Joe Delia – The player (Ganja Kru remix)
Brian Eno – Backwater
Skatalites – Coconut rock
Nightmares on wax – Pudpot
Turbulence – Notorious
Connie Price and the keystones – Sucker punch
Idris Mohammed – Express yourself
Ananda Shankar – Dancing drums
Katchafire – Rude girl (Baitercell and Schumacher remix)