Kutiman tunes in

Kutiman  is Israeli musician Ophir Kutiel, who popped up in Nick D's TV show Making Tracks in the episode on Tel Aviv and that city's thriving music scene. Hes most well known for some amazing video mashups he did lifting musicians from youtube clips and chopping them together.

" What really makes Kutiman unique is his abhorrence of commercial recording; his samples hail from virtual unknowns and his work is distributed for free on the web. That's not to say that Thru-You is just some exercise in artistic egalitarian humanism. Kutiman's stubborn devotion to amateur YouTube artists would only amount to so much branded gimmickry if he were not remarkably adept at making exhilarating crazy-quilts from his dozens of moving parts."

Download some of Kutiman's tunes here, and read this great post from Tofu Hut via BV, lotsa good background info on Kutiman. And check his  Thru-You site for more music.

MTC responds to Dirty Sesh reports

MTC Records boss Kirk Harding has posted a response to much of the media frenzy on Dirty Sesh and his controversial video, here.  As Kirk says, "that if one publication gets their facts wrong, so do the rest.". He repeats his earlier apology over the video. Lesson learned, moving on. But no...

Late last week NZPA put out a story with quotes from Scribe, reacting to the video, and the NZPA story was picked up by TV3 and NZHerald. The story was called "Video controversy 'taking a toll' on Derty Sesh". (I wonder who wrote that story?)

Kirk is quoted in the article as allegedly having said Sesh was "exhausted from the whole ordeal, [and it was] affecting his music and his writing", but there's one tiny problem - Kirk says "I would be very interested to know where those quotes came from, because they are not mine" (see comments on TV3 story, where Kirk also says Dirty Sesh has just delivered 28 new songs for his next album, which contradicts the entire story). Making up quotes... really?

Scribe responded via Twitter, saying he was misquoted. "I will say it was correct the Im not a fan thing coz that's my personal opinion..The whole repurcussions thing was not what they said. The Q was "Would I be scared if Dirty Sesh came to my house?" Being a father with small children at my house I would knock anyone out... It wasn't a personal attack I meant in general... Anyone with bad intentions."

Binky Griptite (Dapkings) interview

With and intro from  Ms Sharon Jones, talking about when she first met Binky. "I first met Binky at a session for Lee Fields, it was on 42nd Street in Manhattan. He still had on big dreads he’d wear under a beanie that looked liked a turban. I think he was still playing with Antibalas at the time..."

Binky, on his role as show MC for Sharon Jones and the Dapkings... "There are a lot of great bands that seem to deny that they are in showbiz. I take my showbiz very seriously."

On recording on 8 track reel to reel tape rather than Protools:  "Having only 8 tracks forces you to get to the point. It also forces you to make decisions on the spot. People have been overproducing records for years; the computer just makes that a little bit easier..."

Read it here, at Nerdtorious, the excellent blog of writer David Ma (Wax Poetics XLR8R, Pitchfork).  There's a ton of great stuff over there to read. Photo: Nerdtorious

The Feelers recorded RWC ad song for free.

I heard a rumour to the effect last week that the Feelers had recorded the Jesus Jones cover for free (which seems absurd, unless they got really good free seats for the RWC in exchange) , and it was confirmed in the Sunday News by Hamish Gee of the Feelers. Gee says that "If there was a New Zealand song, no matter how good that song was, then for people in Argentina who don't know that song it won't have as much impact. I am not a marketing genius, but I think it is smart to use a song that everyone will recognise."

A song that people will recognise on the global (read - rugby-playing) stage is a top idea, but it's arguable whether Right Here Right Now is a song everyone will recognise, given it was a hit in a small number of countries, mainly English-speaking ones, like the US, UK, and NZ. I think that a one hit wonder from 1991is probably not going to be that widely recognised. This is basically a lost chance to push some NZ songwriter out to the world.

There's no reason for the NZ RWC organisers to be patriotic just to please a bunch of whiners, but there is an opportunity to showcase what makes special, but that doesn't appear in teh ads either - maybe they will showcase NZ in subsequent ads  - this is just the start of the campaign, after all. And it can only improve from here.

Arch Hill's Ben Howe wrote an interesting post on it, have a look... "latest blog on various music biznez, Taite prize, Jesus Jones etc " @archhillmystery via Twitter

ADDED From NZ Herald: "Former NZ Idol judge and music industry professional Paul Ellis said the choice of song was "lazy" and the job should have been given to a local band. The well-informed Ellis said the initial contract to use the song for the ad would be worth about $200,000 and the artist would also receive royalties."

Happy birthday, Marvin Gaye

Special Marvin Gaye mix from DJ Spinna, grab it here. Also,  Spinna's Sade mix from a while back over here.

EMI faces tough times with bank

"EMI faces being taken over by its bankers after breaching its debt covenants following its failure to clinch a deal with rival Universal to sell its distribution rights in North America for around £200m.[EMI has also been rumoured to be in talks with other major labels trying to license its catalogue for some immediate cash].

An agreement was viewed as critical if the British-based music company, owned by private equity firm Terra Firma, was to avoid breaching the terms of its debts following a £4.2bn buyout in 2007. Terra Firma, headed by British financier Guy Hands, owes £3bn to Citigroup linked to the transaction, which was clinched on the eve of the credit crunch.

Now Terra Firma must go to its investors in a bid to raise £120m by 12 June or face the prospect of Citigroup seizing control of the business. In normal circumstances, Citigroup could take over EMI now, but under the terms of its so-called "covenant lite" lending agreement, the bank agreed to allow the music company breathing space to make good any breach." From the Guardian

EMI's owners, Terra Firma, face debt that "now stands at more than £3 billion, compared to the £2.4 billion purchase price." From Hits Daily Double.

Erykah Badu gets fined over video

From Gawker: "Erykah Badu's naked video shoot earned her a disorderly conduct charge after some prude Texas lady filed an indecency complaint. Now Erykah owes the Dallas Police Department a $500 fine. If you didn't see it, here are the naked Erykah Badu pictures. She crawled around naked on the sidewalk in the plaza where JFK was assassinated." [TMZ, TMZ]

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, 3 April
Some killer new releases from Ms Sharon Jones, Erykah Badu, and Shawn Lee and Bei Bei to drop today, plus a bunch of rocksteady jams in honour of catching the excellent documentary Rocksteady: Roots of Reggae earlier this week. It's out on DVD soon too, highly reccomended for reggae fans.

Sharon Jones and the Dapkings - Better things
Barkin soul  - Babybababebe
The simonsound - Tour de mars
Hopeton Lewis -Take it easy
Brother Culture -Warning dub
Derrick Morgan - I'm the ruler
Alton Ellis - Rocksteady
Austin Faithful - I'm in a rocking mood
Paragons - Tide is high
Viceroys  -Give it to him
Dawn Penn - No no no
Lloyd and Devon - Red bumb ball
Albarosie - Sound killa
Shawn Lee and Bei Bei - East
Musinah feat OOGenesis - Always
Mr Chop - The world is yours
Sharon Jones and the Dapkings - Money
3 Titans - College
Jean Knight - Do me
The Skatalites - Beardsman ska
The wailers -Put it on
Alton Ellis and the flames - Dance crasher
Tommy McCook - Beirut
RSD - Jah way
Nicolette - Waking up remix
New order - Confusion
Erykah Badu - Turn me away (get munny)
Willie Bobo - Roots
Jean Jacques Perry and Luke Vibert  -Ye olde beatbox
EIl Paperboy Reed - Ace of spades
Dr John - Right place wrong time

Visit Roger Steffens reggae archive
Author Roger Steffens visited NZ a few years back promoting his fantastic book Reggae Scrapbook. This clip is fascinating. Check out his signed seven inch singles.

Quote: "People are always asking me what my records are worth and I don’t know. How do you put a value on these things. They’re irreplaceable. They’re not priceless, but they’re irreplaceable." Hat tip to Crate Kings.



Roger Steffens' Reggae Archives from Babylon Falling on Vimeo.

Rugby World Cup song palaver.
There's been a lot of chatter in the last few days over the choice of song for the 2011 Rugby World Cup  - The Feelers covering Right Here Right Now by Jesus Jones, a hit back in 1990. The general reaction is it's not the most inspired choice. ADDED NZ Herald's Russell Baillie weighs in "Wrong song for rugby singalong".

Right Here Right Now was chosen for the  ads as it's "about selling tickets", and is not the tournament's official song, Rugby World Cup chief executive Martin Snedden says (in NZ Herald). That song is World In Union.

The best alternative I've seen anyone come up with was a suggestion on Twitter that they (RWC) use Poi-e with a modern twist, say Che Fu. Then P-Money joined in the conversation, pointing to this wicked video Patea Maori Club with Four Corners and P-Money... Now imagine this under those rugby ads...