Dub onna mission

Dubmission Records in the UK are celebrating their 15th brithday with a wee treat. A bunch of laidback, dubwise tunes, including some locals like Pitch Black (remixed by Tom Cosm), and Bluey. Have a listen below then hit download.

Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque Mix

DJ Hugo Mendez of Sofrito cooked up a  short mix made up of tracks from their compilation which due next year on Strut (note; the compilation itself features full versions of these songs & others, unmixed).  Enjoy!

Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque Mini-Mix From DJ Hugo Mendez (Download: mediafire) 

 

Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque mini-mix by DJ Hugo Mendez by Strut

1. "Sabroso Bacalao" - Adolfo Echeverria
2. "Je ne bois pas Beaucoup" - Les Ya Toupas du Zaire
3. "Popilation Basse-Terrienne au abois" - Ti Celeste
4. "Pitchito" - Frente Cumbiero
5. "Ohue" (Frankie Francis & SImbad Edit) - Victor Uwaifo
6. "Arrete Mal Parlé" - Fair Nick Stars
7. "Carnival long ago" - Roaring Lion

Raggamuffin rumblings

The Raggamuffin Festival in Rotorua has been hit by the departures of a few key staff in past weeks. Leesa Tilley, General Manager for the Australian promoters Andrew McManus Presents, has resigned, "saying that her position with the Australian promoter has become untenable, and she has resigned effective immediately"(source: NZ Musician). She has been in that role for four years.

"I've been lucky enough to have been behind Raggamuffin from the first show and in my almost four years with the company, have worked with the most extraordinary people - all of whom I hope to have the opportunity to thank personally for their contribution," Ms Tilley said' (source).

Rotorua's Daily Post also reports that "Public relations company Publicity Plus will also no longer be working on the Raggamuffin Music Festival.

[This]  follows the resignation late last month of Rotorua's Stu Lyall, who has managed the stalls at Raggamuffin for the past three years."

The Australian promoters have appointed replacements. "Andrew McManus Presents has appointed Jackie Sanders as its new general manager for New Zealand and Sandra Roberts will head publicity for the promoter's Raggamuffin festival." Sanders has worked on Rhythm and Vines for the past two years. See "Raggamuffin: key apppointments made", Daily Post.

But wait, there's more!

Free stuff, that is.


Some Christmas chur: Fat Freddys Drop have a couple of brand new remixes of The Big BW (from DJ Vadim and Christiaan Ercolano) up for FREE on Amplifier.co.nz, you'll need to log in to get em. Check em out here. Also...

"Little Monster Studios will release a compilation of Christmas themed songs next month. Featuring a who’s who of local indie artists, the album was recorded and produced by home recording entrepreneur Dave Parker in and around his West Auckland abode. From December 6, the 17-track release of original yuletide hits, titled ‘A Very Little Christmas’, will be available as a FREE download.

‘A Very Little Christmas’ includes tracks from Timothy Blackman, Great North, Tono and the Finance Company, Bearcat, Canadia, Glass Owls, Josie Tuck, Luckless, Hold Dear, Chelsea Jade & James Duncan, The Gladeyes, Alaska, Bannerman, Dear Times Waste, The Bayonets, Cool Rainbows and The Crawley Christmas Singers."

Round Trip Mars freebies!

The good folk at local label Round Trip Mars have a  special treat for you...

"Allow us to introduce Invaderism.... it’s shaping up to be the finest compilation on Round Trip Mars yet, and a well needed antidote to a predominantly slaverage music year all round. What’s more it’s free, digital and features all new, all exclusive tracks from the entire RTM fam.

"From December 5th you can download a free track from Invaderism every 2nd day right here. On the alternate days there will be a lesser known gem from each year of RTM’s history '99-'09. Each download will only be up for 2 days, and on December 25th the entire fundle bundle will drop on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

"Call it a Xmas present or a thank you for the support over the years - its’ bigger than Santa’s creepy finger on Queen Street and the tracklist alone is going to fry some synapses, we take no responsibility for blown minds, head nod related RSI or floor related jaw drop dramas as a result of the musical magnificence about to be bestowed upon you… it’s really that good.

"Amongst the regal rabble on Invaderism is a somewhat new face to our space race, in the form of Scratch 22. Well known as a refreshingly un-formularised and preposterously popular DJ, and co-founder of the ARC crew, his own productions are a whole other fettle of kish. While his remixes of the Mint Chicks, 1995 and others were swiftly taken up by the b-Nets and whatnot, and his work with Tourettes has been justifiably acclaimed, Scratch 22’s debut album (due early 2011) goes wayyyy deeper.

Nightmares On Wax’s George Evelyn has already tapped him for his Wax On compilation series, his remix of Electric Wire Hustle’s ‘Again’ on BBE is stirring up the firmament on wax overseas and he’s just about to head off to Paris to represent New Zealand against the world in the Red Bull Thre3Style championships, having taken out the Auckland and New Zealand finals last week. It's positively breathless, plenty more to come on him and look out for his cut on Invaderism appearing here soon."

Shortland St loves Recloose?

Shortland St, our long-running soap, played a bit of Recloose, forgot who he was, and then they end up advocating piracy. Don't show this to RIANZ boss Campbell Smith, ok?

Ring The Alarm playlist, BaseFM, Sat Dec 4

Patato and Totico - Mas que nada
The Dynamites - Do the right thing
Sharon Jones and the Dapkings - Something's changed (Live in Auckland December 17, unmissable!)
Menahan st band - Esma
Mayer Hawthorne - The ills
New mastersounds - Nervous - Kenny Dope bonus beat
Quantic - I just fell in love again
Chico Mann - Anima
Andreya Triana - Lost where I belong
Born Jamericans - Boom shak-a-tak
Coldcut - Man in a garage - King Jammy vocal
General Echo - Arleen
Yamie Bolo - When a man is in love
Freestylers - Ruffneck
Oogun - Version for version War017
Hugh Masekela - Languta
Woima collective - Woima
Luiz Bonfa - Jacaranda
Onra - The anthem
Hot 8 brass band - Sexual healing
Colman bros - El nino - GRC remix
Funk machine  -Soul santa pt 1
Grand wizard Theodore and Fantastic Romantic Five  - Can I get a soul clapp
Gwen Guthrie - Seventh heaven
Cesaria Evora - Angola - Pepe Bradock get down dub
Oddisee - Chocolate city dreaming
Naomi Shelton and the gospel queens - Trouble in my way
Cookin on 3 burners - Cars
Kashmere stage band - Superstrut - Kenny Dope remix
Universal robot band - Dance and shake your tambourine

Ghost - Orion from musicbyghost on Vimeo.

Orion is the latest single from Ghost off his third album., Postcards from the edge (hear it at Bandcamp) He hit me up via Twitter with his new video, and it's a pretty nifty tune - starts out with some wonky bleeps and fried visuals, then the rhythm kicks in around a minute and a half in and it settles into a very cool electronic groove.

Ghost made his musical debut back in 2003, and has been steadily releasing tunes since then. His bio says that "Ghost was runner up in the Glastonbury Unsigned Talent contest in 2007 and had a track featured on the Glastonbury compilation CD for that year. Since 2007 Ghost has been touring and DJ’ing all over the UK and Europe (including stints at Glastonbury, Hip Hop Kemp, The Big Chill, Bestival and The Jazz Cafe). He’s also found time to work on a number of different projects including Lingua Franca and Invisible Inc (Synth/Electronic Hip Hop with Kashmere and Verb T)."

He moved to New Zealand in 2009, and is currently based in Christchurch, where he's Programme Director for Radio RDU, and does the Friday Drive show on that fine station.  For more of his music, check out his Bandcamp page.

He's also got a collection of his remixes for free download here, including mixes he's done of P-Money, The Heavy, Bonobo, Foreign Beggars and more.

CBGBs

Punking Out is a film by Maggi Carson and Ric Shore, saw these clips over at Dangerous Minds, who say "these clips of The Ramones and The Dead Boys at CBGB in 1977 capture the birth of punk in all of its raw glory.Punking Out is a terrific time capsule of a time and place and really should be more widely seen. You can order a DVD copy at the film’s website.  The site hasn’t been updated in a few years, but the ‘shopping cart’ appears to still be functioning. Dee Dee’s glue rant is hilarious."

Catch Lydia Lunch being interviewed at 3.54 into the Dead Boys clip - she's standing with James Chance. She's a charmer. The crowd shots in the first clip are a fascinating insight into what that scene must've  looked like. There are some very cool looking folk in there....

Spree Wilson

Photo credit: Greedmont Park

I first heard about producer/rapper/songwriter Spree Wilson in an article in a recent issue of Wax Poetics. Story goes, last June, he moved to New York city from Atlanta, where he'd been an intern at Dallas Austin's studio. He says he felt like he'd played every music venue in Atlanta twice, so he got up one morning, sold his car and bought a one-way train ticket to NYC.

He lived in the train station for a week when he got to New York, then moved in with a friend. From Wax Poetics: "A few weeks later he was on the phone with Q-Tip - the legendary rapper was a fan of Spree's music. Now the Tribe MC is exec producing Spree's debut album The Neverending Now," due out early 2011.

He's got a fascinating mix of musical influences from hiphop to classic rock to Beat Generation cats like Kerouac and Ginsberg.  Some tunes for you to check below, and his debut EP is over here. Where do we go tonight is off his new album and is produced by No ID, and the other tune is older.

Wilson has just signed to Jive Records  - watch the video of him signing his life away here.

Where Do We Go Tonight by spreewilson

1.Pick You Apart Ref 4 by spreewilson