Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Betty Wright - Secretary

21 December 1953, Miami, Florida, USA. A former member of her family gospel group, the Echoes Of Joy, Wright’s first recordings were as a backing singer. She later embarked on a solo career and scored a minor hit with ‘Girls Can’t Do What The Guys Do’ in 1968. ‘Clean Up Woman’ (1972), a US R&B number 2/pop number 6 hit, established a punchier, less passive style which later releases, ‘Baby Sitter’ (1972) and ‘Let Me Be Your Lovemaker’ (1973), consolidated. Although ‘Shoorah Shoorah’ and ‘Where Is The Love?’ reached the UK Top 30 in 1975, the singer was unable to sustain a wider success. Wright nonetheless continued recording into the 90s and also forged a career as a US television talk show hostess.


Saturday, October 30, 2010

Bonobo : Animals

Bonobo's first release was in October 1999 with the song "Terrapin" on the Tru Thoughts compilation "When Shapes Join Together". He released his debut album "Animal Magic" on Tru Thoughts in 2000. With this album, completely self-produced and mainly self-instrumented, he became one of the "new downtempo pioneers" and his chilled, beat-driven music captivated press as well as many major labels.
In 2001, Bonobo was signed to Ninja Tune and in 2003, after one album of remixes on Tru Thoughts in 2002, he released "Dial 'M' For Monkey". In 2005, Bonobo contributed to the Solid Steel series, with his Bonobo Presents Solid Steel: "It Came From The Sea", the release date was scheduled for October 10, 2005, but was released a week early[5], the mix features several exclusive tracks as well as remixes and re-edits.
His third album, entitled "Days to Come", was released on October 2, 2006, the first single from the album was "Nightlite", featuring vocals by Bajka. Following the success of "Days to Come" his tracks have appeared in a number of media-related items. "Days To Come" was voted Best Album of 2006 by Gilles Peterson's listeners.
The song "The Keeper" was released in September 2009 as the lead single from his fourth album "Black Sands", released in March 2010. "Animals" is one of my personal favourites.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Kay-Gees : Hustle Wit' Every Muscle

Released in 1975 as Kay-Gee's debut album which is titled differently on the US pressing which is called "Keep On Bumpin' & Master Plan". This pressing has one extra track "Hustle Wit' Every Muscle".
The album is produced by Ronald Bell, founding member of Kool & the Gang. It's obvious that the Kool & The Gang sound dominates this album. You know the drill : chunky basslines, funky guitars, tight bomb horns, catchy vocals etc.
Sampled by Kraak & Smaak on their debut "Boogie Angst".

Saturday, October 23, 2010

All Nations Quartet : He Spoke

Appears as first track on Jazzman Gerald presents Let's Boogaloo vol.5.
The winning formula has remained unchanged, once again you'll find a lot of rare gems along with a bunch of the best contemporary funk and soul productions. The result is an incandescent selection of deep funk, rare soul, modish-R&B, titty-shakers and jazzy 45s that go across the boards.
Amongst the new productions are "His Spoke", a raw, lo-fi gospel funk 45 from 2009 by All Nation Quartet aka Ozzy guitarist & funk/soul addict Kris Holmes.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

David McCallum : The Edge

In the 1960s, McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records with producer David Axelrod: "A Part of Me" (1966), "A Bit More of Me" (1966), "It's Happening Now!" (1967), and "McCallum" (1968). The most well known of his pieces today is "The Edge," which was sampled by Dr. Dre as the intro and riff to the track "The Next Episode."
McCallum did not sing on these records, as many television stars of the 60s did when offered recording contracts, but used the opportunity to make a different statement. As a classically trained musician, he conceived a blend of oboe, french horn, and strings with guitar and drums, and presented instrumental interpretations of hits of the day. The official arranger on the albums was H. B. Barnum, but McCallum conducted and contributed a few original compositions over the course of four LPs.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Fred Wesley : Four Play

"Four Play" appears on the 1977 album "A Blow for Me, a Toot to You".
"Four Play" is an excellent track that really features some great bass playing from Bootsy. The rhythm is hypnotic and moving, with the horns coming in to work against the tension of the guitars & bass.
Despite the fact that this album is mostly a bunch of old tracks that were redone with new horn tracks, it's still excellent. The greatness of the musicians and their amazing output at the time meant that these were no mere outtakes, but rather excellent tracks that didn't quite fit in elsewhere. Fittingly, most of the music and vocals are handled by Bootsy's Rubber Band, for whom the Horny Horns played for on all their records. In fact, the Horny Horns were named right around the time that the Rubber Band was born. In addition, frequent Rubber Band contributors Garry Shider, Michael Hampton and Bernie Worrell can be heard all over the album. The album stays lightly funky the whole way through, with horns dominant throughout. The vocals are mostly chants if they're there at all.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tito Puente : Wata Wasuri (Gilles Peterson Re-edit)

Tito Puente, Sr., (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was a Latin Jazz and Mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" (the King) of the timbales and "The King of Latin Music". He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that helped keep his career going for 50 years. He and his music appear in many films such as The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54. He guest starred on several television shows including The Cosby Show and The Simpsons.
Gilles Peterson, born 28 September 1964 in Caen, France, born to a mother from Paris and a father from Zürich, is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu and Roni Size plus Jamiroquai. He is also well known as a radio DJ.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Gecko Turner : You Can't Own Me

Taken from the new album Gone Down South. Gecko Turner (real name Fernando Gabriel Echave Pelaez) is a Spanish musician and singer-songwiter. Based near the border between Spain and Portugal, he has fronted several bands in his native Spain.
Turner has thrown a huge number of styles and genres into the mix, from the salsa of Cuanta Suerte to the trippy acoustic pop stylings of So Sweet, a song that takes influence from The Velvet Underground. The way Gecko Turner effortlessly plays with genre is a real pleasure to listen to.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Black Machine : How Gee

This legendary clubtrack was released for the first time in 1991 on a 12 inch in Spain and soon conquered Europe and the rest of the world.
The track is build around a sample of "Soul Power 74" performed by Maceo & The Macks.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Transatlantics : Couldn't Be Him

The Transatlantics came together in 2007 born of a shared love for gritty old vinyl, cheap guitars and quality barbequed meats. Described by NME as “a young, white Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings,” The Transatlantic’s sound invokes the grainy warmth of southern American Soul and the rhythmic grunt of classic James Brown-era funk.
Following a huge 2009 which saw performances at Falls Festival, Big Day Out and Playground Weekender Festival, 2010 sees The Transatlantic's first offering of sweet retro soul released through Freestyle Records.

http://www.myspace.com/transatlantics

Friday, October 8, 2010

Funkadelic : (Not Just) Knee Deep

"(Not Just) Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.
An edited version of the song, appearing as Side A on the single release, reached number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart. The song was written by George Clinton and Walter "Junie" Morrison but the songwriting credit is listed as "George Clinton, Jr." on the album pressing as a gift to Clinton's son. The songwriting credit on the single, however, is listed as George Clinton.
The song is about a girl who is the, "freak of the week" and dances "never missing a beat." It is widely seen as a funk classic, peaking at number seventy-seven on the Hot 100, and topping the US R&B charts. in 1979 in heavily edited form. The lyrics deal with a man meeting a woman, presumably at a party; she dances for him. He is unimpressed by the Jerk, the Monkey, the Moose and the Chicken, but is blown away by the Freak. ((Wiki)


Monday, October 4, 2010

Sister Sledge : Lost In Music (The Revenge Rework)

The Revenge reworks are quite a fuss on the dancefloor the last few years. They all come from the hands of Graeme Clark. Graeme began producing in his early teenage years, making a blend of electronic music using a couple of his dad's old drum machines and a sampler. Influenced by his parents collection of rock, soul and funk he began the process of dissecting and re-imagining and re-editing the music. (Mr Jog)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

United 8 : Getting Uptown (to Get Down)

Released in 1972 on Atlantic Records written by Desmond Wray. Studio engineer and producer was Jimmy Douglass, who learned from watching the work of Tom Dowd. Well-known for his work with hip-hop producer Timbaland in the recent years, but the work of "Senator Jimmy D" stretches back to the 1970s, when he worked with Otis Redding, Bette Midler, Hall & Oates, The Rolling Stones and more. (Mr Jog)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Tony Allen : When One Road Close

Tony Allen is the Nigerian-born drummer, composer and songwriter who, along with Fela Kuti, pioneered afrobeat music, a new blend of jazz and traditional African juju and highlife, in the mid-1960s. Tony learnt to play drums when he was a radio technician at about the age of 18. He has his own unique style, using his 4 limbs, not his whole body! He started to play jazz together with Fela in 1964. Fela and Tony continued to develop the afrobeat sound in 1969 when they went to USA and met many top black American musicians. Tony was not only Fela's lead drummer but also had the very important role of musical director of the band Fela Kuti & Africa 70. Many of their original vinyl recordings from the 1970s, such as Jealousy and Progress, No Accomodation for Lagos and No Discrimination, have been reissued on CD. Tony decided to leave Fela in the late 1970s. Later he moved to Europe where he collaborated with many top musicians like Manu Dibango, Ray Lema and Roy Ayers and spear-headed the successful NEPA (Never Expect Power Always) project. Indeed Tony features on Manu Dibango's Wakafrika CD. The amazing album Black Voices was released in 1999 and once again Tony records with many other top musicians. He wants to fuse afrobeat with modern music like funk, rock and hip-hop, hence he has been working with people like Doctor L for the recording Black Voices and they also both appear on Psycho On Da Bus. He believes that, despite its complexity, afrobeat is gaining popularity. At present Tony often performs with his own band but also can still be found alongside Manu Dibango, for example, at The Barbican in London in April 2001. He is, without doubt, extraordinary, full of funky, groovy rhythms as well as outstanding, hard-hitting lyrics. (jahs)

Saturday, September 25, 2010

6th Borough Project : Stratus Quo

6th Borough Project brings popular club releases these days.
This one is a modern disco clubtrack, a cheeky disco trip from the love boat. “Stratus Quo”, an edit of another personal favourite, Donald Bank's "Status Quo" - as relevant today as it was back in the day of Reaganomics. The 6th Borough Project give us some tracky beatdown Rhodes action on the intro and sends us a message with the wholy crap deep 'n tight bassline.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The New Mastersounds : Idle Time (Lack of Afro Remix)

The crazy idea super-cool Milan indie label Record Kicks had was to ask to a bunch of talented contemporary funk, nu jazz and broken soul remixers to work on the "raw" deep funk NMS sound. The result is an absolutely essential compilation full of irresistible nu funk, soul, broken, headz future classics.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ingrid Lucia & the Flying Neutrinos : Mr. Zoot Suit

From The New York Post:
"Ingrid Lucia ... is singing in an appealingly ripe voice with a style that owes a good bit to Billie Holiday ... The Neutrinos would also be a natural for any talk show, not just for their musical talent but for their unusual life style having been street performers for a dozen years."
- Chip Deffaa - Jazz Critic - New York Post

From The New York Press:
"Ingrid's magnetic stage presence is a combination of torchy voluptuousness and down-home amicability; it just doesn't seem right that she's slinking onstage in that form-fitting, gold lame dress when she starts talking long yarns about growing up carny. ... The effortless, traveling-roadshow spirit of every Flying Neutrinos performance has made us Sunday-evening regs."
- New York Press - Best of Manhattan '95

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Quantic Soul Orchestra : Panama City (Soul Descarga)

Irresistibly funky ! Will Holland has been on his travels and Tropidelico has some of the Worlds finest musicians on it's books. Heavily influenced by Will's current residence, Colombia, this album is best described as tropical funk, Arabian jazz and psychedelic soul. Guests include J Live, Noelle Scaggs, Afredo Linares, Kabir, Javier Rivera & Hector Sotomayer and the UK's funkiest drummer Malcolm Catto. Sublime!

Sharon Jones : I Learned the Hard Way

Produced by Bosco Mann and recorded on an Ampex eight-track tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records’ House of Soul studios, this record drips with a warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon’s raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulness, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music. From the lushPhilly-Soul fanfare that ushers in “The Game Gets Old” at the top of the record, to the stripped down Sam Cooke-style“Mama Don’t Like My Man” at the tail, the Dap-Kings dance seamlessly through both the most crafted and simple arrangements with subtlety and discipline. I Learned the Hard Way is the “Daptone Sound” at its finest.
I Learned the Hard Way is the fourth studio album by American soul and funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released April 6, 2010 on Daptone Records. Production for the album took place at the label's House of Soul Studios during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth, credited for the album as "Bosco Mann". The album debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, I Learned the Hard Way received generally positive reviews from most music critics.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Southern Culture on the Skids : Camel Walk

Another massive party track ! The band appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1995, performing "Camel Walk" from their album Dirt Track Date. Dirt Track Date is the fifth full-length album by Southern Culture on the Skids. The band attracted a modicum of national attention in 1995 with the release of the song "Camel Walk" from this album.
"Camel Walk" is played during the end credits of the 1996 movie "Flirting with Disaster".

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Communicators & Black Experience Band : The Road

Super Rare funk 45 of the Communicators and The Black Experience Band "The Road" released on Tri Oak records 1974.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

7 Miles Per Hour Band : Latin Freak

re-Released in 2006 on Kay-Dee Records produced by Jerry Hodges and Terry Taylor.
Kenny Dope and Keb Barge have unearthed another funk gem in the shape of this 12" by 7 Mile Per Hour Band of Buffalo. New York. Lead track, 'At The Disco' is a raucous floor-filler with some wailing James Brown-style vocals. The horn riff on second cut 'Latin Freak' is a particular treat, while 'Playing Your Game' is a bit more subdued and less relentlessly upbeat, favouring instead a more soulful edge.
The drum work and horn arrangement makes latin freak a must have for funk & soul advocates.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Clarence Reid : Masterpiece (Kenny Dope Edit)

Reid started off writing songs for artists including Betty Wright, Sam & Dave, Gwen McCrae, and KC & the Sunshine Band. He also recorded a few hits of his own in the '60s.
Reid would write sexually explicit versions of hit songs for fun but only performed them for his friends at parties or in the studio. In 1971 he along with a band of studio musicians recorded a whole album of "dirty" songs under the name "Blowfly". Back then, no record label would release profane material so he distributed the records himself on his own independent record label, Weird World.
The album, The Weird World of Blowfly, features Reid dressed as a low-rent supervillain on its cover. Reid created this alter ego to protect his career as a songwriter. Reid continued to perform in increasingly bizarre costumes as his Blowfly character. The albums were widely popular as "party records" in the '70s.
Many of Blowfly's songs featured his style of talking in rhyme which can be considered a primitive form of rapping. After rap music hit the mainstream with Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", Reid recorded a profane version of "Rapp Dirty" titled "Blowfly's Rapp [sic]". The song was a hit and helped the album, Blowfly's Party, reach #26 on Billboard magazine's Black Albums chart and #82 on the Billboard Top 200 in 1980."Rapp Dirty" was sampled by The Avalanches on the song "Electricity" from their 2000 album Since I Left You, and is among Blowfly's songs to have been sampled in numerous hip hop and electronic songs.
Blowfly's profane style earned Reid legal trouble. He was sued by songwriter Stanley Adams, who was ASCAP president at the time, for spoofing "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" as "What a Difference a Lay Makes". (wiki)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

African Music Machine : Tropical

Here we go again !

The African Music Machine was an eight-piece funk outfit from New Orleans led by bassist/songwriter Louis Villery. They got their start as a house band for the Jewel/Paula label axis, playing on records by the likes of Fontella Bass, Little Johnny Taylor, Roscoe Robinson, Ted Taylor, Tommie Young, and singer/producer Bobby Patterson, among others. From 1972-1974, they cut several of their own singles for the Patterson-owned Soul Power subsidiary. Most of their work was done in a heavy, James Brown vein, sometimes with a bit of Creole influence mixed in. Their original 45s -- including "Black Water Gold," "Tropical," and "The Dapp" -- later became highly prized items among funk collectors, fetching outlandish prices; a compilation of singles, also titled Black Water Gold, was reissued in 2000. In 2001, Villery assembled a new version of the African Music Machine and released an eponymous album on Singular. (Amg)


Monday, August 16, 2010

Aeroplane : We Can't Fly (Extended)

One of the best tracks we've heard this summer.
Looking forward to that Aeroplane album !

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Breakout : Planet Rock Pt 1.

The first official single release by Breakout came out in September 2006:
The famous Melting Pot Music label from Cologne, Germany released a dirty funk version of "Planet Rock" on 7" produced by Breakout.
3500 vinyl copies got sold within a few weeks, lots of people all around the world showed some love for the release and it went straight into the crates of some of the worlds most renowned djs.
The single got played on the radio by Pete Tong (BBC Radio 1), Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1), Kev Beadle (Basic Soul/ Solar Radio), DJ Day (Eastvillage Radio/ USA), Andrew Jervis (Ubiquity – 90.3 KUSF/ USA), B-Side & Suzi Wong (Coke DJ-Culture On Air/ JamFM; BigFM; 89.0 RTL) and by Michael Rütten (Soulsearching/ Compost Radioshow/ FM4) among others.
Afrika Bambaataa was asking for copies so that he "CAN JAM THIS MUTHA FUNKER OUT ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THEN THE UNIVERSE!". And he let Breakout know that "BREAKOUT ROCKS TO THE PLANET ROCK DON'T STOP!"
In November 2006 a 12” featuring the 9 min. funk version of “Planet Rock” known from the 7” plus the Planet Rock Bonus Beats, a Jazz version with strings & flute and a brand new track written and produced by Breakout called “Planet Funk” came out on Melting Pot Music! Up to now it sold around 3000 vinyl copies!
In December 2006 the members of Breakout decided to go seperate ways so in June 2007 the last 7" of Breakout called "Lyve Wire" was released on Melting Pot Music!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Lack Of Afro : Roderigo

As a multi instrumentalist, in-demand producer and re-mixer, a DJ with his finger on the cutting edge of contemporary sounds, and an ear tastefully cocked to the hippest soul, jazz and funk music from the 60´s and 70´s, Adam Gibbons, the young man at the centre of the Lack Of Afro phenomenon, has already established an unrivalled reputation as one of the most crucial names at work in funk and dance music today.
The Lack Of Afro story began back in 2006 after excited word spread to the Freestyle Records offices about the sounds Adam was creating, Freestyles´ head honcho DJ Adrian Gibson instantly signed him and released the stunning debut single “Wait A Minute”. One of the labels fastest selling 12”s ever, it has gone onto sell massive numbers worldwide and appeared on countless compilations. The subsequent 2007 album “Press On” fulfilled his early promise, with Adam playing nearly all the instruments himself. Hailed by iDJ magazine as “one of the greatest albums of the modern funk era” the release passed into contemporary music folklore.
In 2009 “My Groove, Your Move” was released, Lack Of Afro dispels the´difficult second album’ syndrome without even breaking a sweat. Featuring vocal contributions from the amazing Roxie Ray (Dojo Cuts) on the suitably sultry numbers “Closer To Me” and “Tell Me What Happens Now”. In addition You Tube MC prodigies Wax & Herbal T bust out all over the slamming club killer “International” and the superb “Suspicious Glow”

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Black Machine : How Gee

Released in 1992 on the German label BCM Records and samples "Soul Power 74" by Maceo Parker.
Brown performs "Soul Power" on the live albums Revolution of the Mind: Recorded Live at the Apollo, Vol. III (1971) and Love Power Peace (1992; recorded 1971).
An instrumental version of "Soul Power" was created in 1974 by adding new overdubbed horn parts by Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley to the rhythm track of the original recording. Sound engineer Bob Both added random sound effects at several points to conceal where the horn track from the original recording had bled through into the rhythm parts. Titled "Soul Power '74" and credited to "Maceo & the Macks", the new version was released as a single on People Records and reached #20 on the R&B charts. It also appeared on the album Us!.
A re-edit of "Soul Power" was included on the 1986 compilation album In the Jungle Groove.
Both the original recording of "Soul Power" and "Soul Power '74" have been extensively sampled by hip hop producers. "Soul Power '74" was also sampled on Jennifer Lopez's 2005 song "Get Right".
"Soul Power" was covered by the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins on their 2000 album Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Nuyorican Soul : Nautilus

Original is from Bob James, the man who played a major role in turning fusion jazz more mainstream. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date. He is also well-known for the fusion classics "Nautilus" and "Westchester Lady", the latter from the album Bob James Three.
Nuyorican Soul is the project of Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzales, also known as Masters at Work. With Nuyorican Soul they worked extensively with top musicians like Roy Ayers, Vincent Montana Jr, George Benson, Tito Puente and Jocelyn Brown in a variety of styles including latin, jazz and disco.
This unique combination of musicians resulted in a masterpiece, a self-titled album under the name Nuyorican Soul, including original tracks as cover versions of the performers the duo were working with. A must have !

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings : Tell Me

Jones and the boys have grown quite well into their spot at the forefront of the old-school soul revival, ahead of fellow travelers like the Poets of Rhythm, Lefties Soul Connection, Nicole Willis, the Budos Band, and Amy Winehouse, who's become the movement's commercial and tabloid face. They follow their muse across the soul map, cutting a sublime Motown groove on "Tell Me", jumping on a nasty funk vamp on "Nobody's Baby", slowing things down for a burning southern soul ballad on "Humble Me", and going back to Jones' gospel roots on the jaw-dropping closer "Answer Me".
From the first notes of 100 Days, 100 Nights, it's apparent that Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are in a different mood than the one they were in when they made their first two albums.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Mary Love : Born To Live With Heartache

There were many soul singers like Mary Love in the 1960's & very talented, competent performers who were nonetheless pushed to the back of the pack because they lacked exceptional material, or enough personality to truly distinguish them from a crowded field.
After doing some session work as a teenager in Los Angeles, she got her chance to cut half a dozen singles for the Modern label in the mid 60's.
These included 'You Turn My Bitter Into Sweet', I've Got To Get You Back', Let Me Know', Lay This Burden Down', 'Baby I'll Come', Talking About My Man' and Is That you?'.
These were decent, commercial soul records, nothing more, nothing less, somewhat less pop-oriented than Motown, but not much.
She managed to get hold of some material by noted writers Frank Wilson and Ashford & Simpson, but only managed one minor R & B hit for Modern, 'Move a Little Closer,' which made number 48 in 1966.
Love revisited the lower reaches of the R & B Top 50 with 'The Hurt Is Just Beginning' for Josie in 1968, mysteriously, she only issued one more 45 for the Elco label, 'Born To Live With A Heartache', and that didn't come out until 1971.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Spinners : It's A Shame

Written by Stevie Wonder, this is about a breakup he had with his girlfriend at the time, Syreeta Wright. Wonder wrote the song with Lee Garrett, a songwriter who also co-wrote Wonder's hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."
G.C. Cameron had joined the band as lead singer at the time of this song's initial release. In 1972, The Spinners switched record labels and moved from Motown to Atlantic. Cameron stayed with Motown as a solo artist, and was replaced in The Spinners by Philippé Wynne, who sang lead on most of the group's hits in the '70s.
Jazz guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. made a smooth Jazz version of this song for his album Still Small Voice. Paul's version was also featured on the compilation album Blue Note Plays Stevie Wonder, a series of covers that was a tribute to Wonder.
In 1990, British-born singer and rapper Simone Wilson, the artist better known as Monie Love, sampled this as part of her song "My Sister," a song that also talks about the emotions of a breakup after the accusations of an alleged love affair. (thanks, Annabelle - Eugene, OR, for all above)
Lethal Bizzle, a former member of More Fire Crew, sampled this on his 2005 song "Fire."
The Jamaican Rock Steady singer Alton Ellis recorded a version of this song that appears on his album Darker than Blue: Soul from Jamdown.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Beatconductor : Crazy in kingston

Released in february 2004 on G.A.M.M. the label has released various bootleg and original releases covering a great number of genres such as nu-jazz, broken beat and soul.
Crazy in Love contains samples from "Are You My Woman", Written by Eugene Record and Published by Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI). Performed by The Chi-Lites courtesy of Brunswick Records.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Alice Russel : I Don't Need This Trouble (feat. Natural Self)

Natural Self’s 2006 debut album ‘Let Peace Be The Ruler’ for Breakin’ Bread records saw the introduction of live recording into the Natural Self sound as well as a first full vocal production with Alice Russell on “I Don’t Need This Trouble”.
Blessed with a lavishly soulful voice, Alice manages to sound both timeless and up to the minute modern. Her live performances have a unique quality; the ability to captivate an audience and to hold their attention throughout, expertly tugging at the heartstrings. Alice has used her talent to great effect, gaining renown for her performances with the mighty Quantic Soul Orchestra and more recently her own band. She has also supported Lonnie Liston Smith, Femi Kuti, De La Soul and appeared on the bill with Amy Winehouse for the British showcase at the Midem Music Conference in Cannes 2007.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Metropolitan Jazz Affair : Dont Try This at Home

Metropolitan Jazz Affair is a Lyon France based jazz band created in 2002 with :
Eric “Mr Day” Duperray : vocals, guitar, Stéphane Ronget : flugehorn, trumpet, trombone and back vocals, Benjamin Devigne : grand piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart : bass, doublebass, programmings
“MJA” tends to make the connnection between jazz and soul music, with various influences, from the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas or more actual sounds like the Roots, Roy Ayers…

The Juju Orchestra : The Hip Shake

The Juju Orchestra was founded 2004 by DJ Sammy and producer and sound engineer Oliver Belz. They are based in Germany, right in the middle of nowhere between Hamburg, Berlin and Hannover. Some of their musical idols are Caetano Veloso, Charlie Parker, Miles Davies, Steely Dan, Stan Getz. Of course they are influenced by all of them, but the Juju's created their own language. In some words : contemporary soul, jazz and latin music with a vintage sound.
In 2005 the first single release "Kind Of Latin Rhythm / Funky Nassau" entered the peak position of the German Club Charts. Great reactions from around the world followed, by famos dj's as well as by the audience. the next 12" "Take Four / Hip Shake" did it the same way.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Dj Angola : East River Drive

Released in Februari 2005 on Pulver records as a B-side of the "Rock This EP".
Whether rockin' House clubs in London and Chicago, Funk parties in Hollywood or Austin, New Years Eve galas in Las Vegas, fashion events in Italy, Jazzy breaks in Switzerland, Tribal House in Miami, San Juan, & Sao Paulo, or Hip Hop sets in Oslo or Brixton, he quickly adapts to the musical environment he's in. He's performed in Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, Turks & Caicos, Helsinki, Dublin, Mexico City, and countless other destinations around the World.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Jamie Lidell : I Turn It Around

Yes o yes ! There it is ! The "Compass", Jamie Lidells fourth studio album ! This time with collaboration of Beck, Feist, Chris Taylor, Gonzales, James Gadson... !
It's rough and raw, it's gentle and soulfull sweet. It has the most advanced production skills combined with funkiest musician and vocal skills. It's Marvin Gaye versus James Brown and the additional studio wizard knowlegde of Jamie Lidell. "It's all in there." Just get it !
"I Turn It Around" opens the bonus cd of the album.

St Germain : Rose Rouge

"Rose Rouge" kicks off the 'Tourist' album, an album that ruled the summer of 2000 and sounds fresh until today ! What a thrill it was hearing this at the time ! The jazz piano and overheads, the voice of Marlena Shaw, snippets of a live show in Montreux, the trumpet kicking in, the kick drum fading in... the horns... everything so perfect but still with a lot of feeling of human musicians timing.
Definetely a classic !
Yes it's been ten years since Ludovic Navarre send this gift out to the world. The album sold 4 million copies world wide !
Hope to hear some new St Germain work some time...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Tito Puente : Hit the Bongo

Tito Puente is probably the most beloved symbol of Latin jazz. But more than that, Puente managed to keep his music remarkably fresh over the decades. A trained musician, he was a fine, lyrical vibraphonist, a gifted arranger, and played piano, congas, bongos, and saxophone. Among the major-league congueros who played with the Puente band in the '50s were Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Johnny Pacheco, and Ray Barretto, which resulted in some explosive percussion shootouts.
Hit the Bongo appears on the "Pa' Lante ! Straight" album, released in 1970.


Saturday, May 15, 2010

Los Hermanos Latinos : Cumbia Skank

The fourth release of a series of mysterious latin re-edits, brought out in december 2006.
These latin edits are rumored to be by Mr. Will Holland (Quantic) teaming up with Soundway honcho Miles Cleret or possibly Tru Thoughts label head Rob Luis.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Ray Barretto : Soul Drummers

Ray Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican latin musician, widely credited as the godfather of Latin jazz.
By the time 1968 rolled around, Ray Barretto was a celebrated studio session player whose hard-driving conga rhythms could be heard all over the records of Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderley, and countless others. Once he dropped Acid onto the music world, Barretto firmly established a reputation for himself as an innovator in his own right.
Like the drug itself, Acid had a mind-expanding influence on everyone, allowing for a far more adventurous and eclectic edge to slip into New York's Latin music scene. A lot less psychedelic than its title and cover might lead you to believe, Acid remains one of the most far-out fusions of Latin and soul music ever conceived.
Catchy as hell, the records four original Latin/soul numbers ("Mercy, Mercy Baby", "The Soul Drummers", "A Deeper Shade of Soul" and "Teacher of Love") are obscure classics loaded with plenty of vintage '60s soul references—punchy James Brown and Stax Records sounding horns, thickly grooving bass lines, fat-back drums, and soul catch-phrases such as "What I say," "Lord have mercy," "Come on, come on baby" and "Sock it to me!"

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Quincy Jones : Soul Bossa Nova

During five decades in the music industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. He is best known as the producer of the album Thriller, by pop icon Michael Jackson, which has sold over 110 million copies worldwide, and as the producer and conductor of the charity song “We Are the World”.
He is well known for his 1962 song "Soul Bossa Nova", which originated on the Big Band Bossa Nova album. "Soul Bossa Nova" was a theme for the 1998 World Cup, the Canadian game show Definition, the Woody Allen film Take the Money and Run and the Mike Myers movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and was sampled by Canadian hip hop group Dream Warriors for their song, "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style".

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Al Escobar : Tighten Up

Al Escobar moved from Barranquilla, Columbia to New York City at a young age. After working with Tito Puente, Miguelito Valdes, and Vicentico Valdes, he led his own band in California, became musical director for Eartha Kitt, and played at the Stardust in Las Vegas. El Sonido Moderno de Al Escobar was recorded in New York City and is part of that city's boogaloo latin soul craze of the late 1960s. The album also includes the cover "Tighten Up" originally by Archie Bell & The Drells.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Jorge Ben : Take It Easy Me Brother Charles

While many of the Brazilian performers opted for a more radical attitude in their challenge to Brazil's political and cultural authorities, artists like Jorge Ben took a more understated approach. Rather than use overly theatrical performance to shock the audience or write songs loaded with political content, Ben became known as one of the country's great musical alchemists, a furiously eclectic songwriter who combined elements of indigenous Brazilian music with a groove from the west coast of Africa. Never a controversial figure in the manner of the tropicalistas like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Ben became one of the most respected and resilient figures in Brazilian pop.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Daniele Baldelli : Safari Vibes

Cosmic disco is a style of dance music named after the "Cosmic" nightclub in northern Italy, which the cosmic disco scene was centered around. The Cosmic scene's most notable DJ was Daniele Baldelli, who was hired as Cosmic's DJ in 1979; Stylus Magazine has described Baldelli and Beppe Loda as Cosmic Disco's pioneers. The Cosmic Sound included a very diverse range of musical styles, from electro and funk to jazz fusion and Brazilian music. Peter Shapiro described Baldelli's music as a "combination of spaced-out rock and tribal percussion." One genre that was usually not part of this mix was Italo disco, which Baldelli believes was generally too mainstream and commercial. The music's speed has been characterized by different sources as slow and mid-tempo; Baldelli himself states that he usually played at 90-105 bpm. Baldelli would also play 45 RPM records at 33 and vice versa. Cosmic music has been cited as a "touchstone" for contemporary "space disco" artists like Lindstrøm collaborator Prins Thomas and Andy Meecham of Chicken Lips. It has also been cited as an influence on some later Italian house songs, such as Sueño Latino.
The Cosmic club itself was located in Lazise, a small town on Lake Garda. The club had a capacity of 1000 and decor inspired by American clubs like Odyssey 2001 (where Saturday Night Fever was filmed) and Studio 54.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Temptations : Power

Formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960 as The Elgins, the Temptations have always featured at least five male vocalists/dancers. The group, known for its recognizable choreography, distinct harmonies, and flashy onstage suits, has been said to be as influential to soul as The Beatles are to pop and rock. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history and were the definitive male vocal group of the 1960s. In addition, they have the second-longest tenure on Motown behind Stevie Wonder, as they were with the label for a total of 40 years: 16 years from 1961 to 1977, and 24 more from 1980 to 2004 (from 1977 to 1980, they were signed to Atlantic Records). As of 2009, the Temptations continue to perform and record for Universal Records with the one living original member, co-founder Otis Williams, still in its lineup.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Brothers Johnson : Strawberry Letter

Guitarist/vocalist George and bassist/vocalist Louis formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy, and their cousin Alex Weir, while attending school in Los Angeles, California. When they became professionals, the band backed such touring R&B acts as Bobby Womack and the Supremes. George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston's band, and wrote "Music in My Life" and "The Kids and Me" for him before leaving his group in 1973.
Quincy Jones hired them to play on his LP Mellow Madness, and recorded four of their songs, including "Is It Love That We're Missing?" and "Just a Taste of Me".
After touring with various artists like Bobby Womack and Billy Preston, Quincy Jones hired them for a tour in Japan and produced their debut album "Look Out For", released in March 1976. Their "Right On Time" album was released in May 1977 and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 200. Blam!! came out in August 1978 and reached number 7 on the Billboard 200.
Two of the duo's songs were featured on the soundtrack of the 1976 film Mother, Jugs & Speed. The instrumental track Thunder Thumbs and Lightnin' Licks refers to the brothers' nicknames. "Get the Funk Out Ma Face" was cowritten with Quincy Jones.
Among their most popular songs are I'll Be Good to You (Billboard Hot 100 #3 in 1976), Strawberry Letter 23 (Hot 100 #5 in 1977), Ain't We Funkin' Now (1978), and Stomp! (Hot 100 #7 and Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1 in 1980). Their styles include funk, disco, and R&B ballads.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Freda Payne : Mother Misery's Favorite Child

Payne was born in Detroit, Michigan and grew up listening to different jazz singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. As a teenager, she attended the Institute of Musical Arts; she soon began singing radio commercial jingles, and took part in (and won many of) local TV and radio talent shows.
In 1963, she moved to New York and worked with many different entertainers, including Quincy Jones, Pearl Bailey, and Bill Cosby. The next year, her debut album, a jazz recording entitled "After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More !!!", was released on the Impulse! label. (This album was re-issued on CD in Japan in early 2002, and again in the United States in 2005.) Three years later, she released her second album (another jazz effort) "How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore", for MGM Records. She also made occasional guest appearances on different television shows including The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Steve Miller Band : Fly Like an Eagle

In 1965, Steve Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg founded the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band along with bassist Shawn Yoder, rhythm guitarist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Lance Haas after moving to Chicago to play the blues. The band was contracted to Epic Records after playing many Chicago clubs. They also appeared on Hullabaloo with the Four Tops and the Supremes, and gigged at a Manhattan club.
Miller's audience expanded with each album: Brave New World (1969), which featured the successful song "Space Cowboy" and the track "My Dark Hour" that was co-written by and featured Paul McCartney.
The Steve Miller Band released the album Fly Like An Eagle in 1976, which charted to the top of the Billboard and landed at position 3. Three singles were released from the album: "Take The Money and Run", "Fly Like an Eagle" and their second Number One success, "Rock 'N Me".

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Millie Jackson : Hypocrisy

Part of the album "It Hurts So Good", an excellent early album from Millie Jackson, recorded in a southern soul style in New York and Muscle Shoals, but a lot hipper than most of the rest of the female soul that was coming out of the south at the time. For one thing, Millie was a bad mamma singer, rapping hard and frankly about the way things are (or were). For another, Millie's not necessarily as great in the sweet department as some of her contemporaries, so she sticks to the harder material, except for a few tear jerking ballads, and adds in a lot of humor and touches of the fierce sarcasm that would soon become her calling card in the soul business. Gary Byrd penned the leadoff cut "I Cry", and the other tracks include "Two Faced World", "Hypocrisy", "Good To The Very Last Drop", "Help Yourself", and "Now That You Got It".

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Aloe Blacc : I Need a Dollar (How to Make It In America)

Born to Panamanian parents in Los Angeles in 1979, E. Nathaniel Dawkins (aka Aloe Blacc) first began playing trumpet in elementary school, an instrument he continued throughout high school. There he also independently released Imaginary Friends, produced by DJ Exile, with whom he would go on to form the hip-hop group Emanon. While at college at USC, though his artistic endeavors were placed behind his scholastic goals, Aloe still managed to learn how to play the guitar and the piano, and after graduating and spending some time in the corporate world, he decided to return to his first love, music. In 2005 Emanon's full-length debut, The Waiting Room, came out on Shaman Works, and the next year his first solo album, Shine Through, a combination of neo-soul and Latin music, was released on Stones Throw.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Kenny Dope Gonzales : Dance With Me

The parts featured in this song sampled the disco song "Dance With U", originally performed by Carrie Lucas. In 1979 Lucas released "Carrie Lucas in Danceland". The album was released on the record producer Dick Griffey's Solar Records label. Griffey brought in Jody Watley (Shalamar) for background vocals, Lakeside (co-producers and backgrounds) and Walter and Wallace Scott (The Whispers) for backgrounds. Organist Kossi Gardner wrote and played on the hit "Dance With You", which propelled the album to 37 in the U.S Dance Album chart.
Three-time Grammy nominated Kenny Dope, one of the most prolific artists of the modern music age, has been entertaining and astounding the masses alike with his fusion of house, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, soul, and broken beats. Known as a living encyclopedia of beats, Kenny Dope is a purveyor of sonic masterpieces.


Monday, April 26, 2010

LTJ Bukem : Sunrain

Viewed as an innovator in the drum and bass style, LTJ Bukem is known for developing an accessible alternative to that hardcore genre's speedy, assaultive energies. His style pays homage to the Detroit-based sound of early techno, but Bukem also incorporates still earlier influences, particularly the mellow, melodic sonorities of 1970s-era jazz fusion as exemplified by Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers. Early in his career, Bukem was identified for his response to the "almost paranoid hyperkinesis" of breakbeat-based house music, and specifically for his reservations regarding the overbearing force of the hardcore mentality. Bukem's music from the early 1990s onward represents his efforts to map out an alternative future for breakbeat house music by incorporating softer-edged influences culled from London's 1980s rare groove and acid jazz scenes. Music on Logical Progression reveals these influences, as does his approach on 1993's Music Enchanted, which features string arrangements and sounds from nature. His use of keyboards, live vocals and slow- motion breaks on these and future releases earned Bukem's music the tag intelligent drum and bass. While this designation caused controversy within the drum and bass community, it also influenced the popularization of hardcore music in the UK during the mid 1990s.

Stan Kenton & His Orchestra : The Peanut Vendor

Calling his music "progressive jazz," Kenton sought to lead a concert orchestra as opposed to a dance band at a time when most big bands were starting to break up. By 1947 Kai Winding was greatly influencing the sound of Kenton's trombonists, the trumpet section included such screamers as Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, and Al Porcino, Jack Costanzo's bongos were bringing Latin rhythms into Kenton's sound, and a riotous version of "The Peanut Vendor" contrasted with the somber "Elegy for Alto". Kenton had succeeded in forming a radical and very original band that gained its own audience.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Timo Lassy : African Rumble

Timo Lassy : "The first two tracks released (African Rumble/High At Noon 12”, Ricky-Tick 2006) were important as a starting point. I remember considering other kind of compositions at the early demo stage of the first studio sessions, but I always felt most at home with those two. Of course the album reflects other shades and colours as well, it’s not just what you might call “dancefloor jazz”. I think it’s also pretty obvious that the kind of robust post-modernism you hear on the record is most definitely my thing."
"I think jazz going through a wonderful period of renaissance at the moment, and indeed, the mixing of different crowds is one of the present era’s most intriguing feats. There are, for example, critics here in Finland who don’t see the value in new jazz music that stems from the aesthetics of jazz’s “golden age”, but personally I am of the opinion that jazz should not be concerned solely with pushing the envelope. Sure, you could please a lot of critics doing that, but I aim to make good music both for myself and for the people."

Friday, April 23, 2010

Build An Ark : You've Gotta Have Freedom

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground. The brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others. All coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely. Working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. This EP features 5 tracks in all including a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom".


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Eliane Elias : The Time Is Now

Pianist / singer / songwriter, Eliane Elias is known for her distinctive and immediately recognizable musical style which blends her Brazilian roots, her sensuous, alluring voice with her impressive instrumental jazz, classical and compositional skills. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Eliane Elias’ musical talents began to show at an early age. She started studying piano at age seven and at age twelve was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By the time she was fifteen she was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil’ s most prestigious schools of music. Her performing career began in Brazil at age seventeen, working with Brazilian singer/songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes who was also Antonio Carlos Jobim’s co-writer/lyricist. In 1981 she headed for New York and in 1982 landed a spot in the acclaimed group Steps Ahead.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Herbaliser : Gadget Funk

It is truely a real joy to see these guys in a live set-up ! What a performance, time and time again ! More than 15 years into their musical journey, The Herbaliser just keep getting bigger, stronger and better.
The studio became their first instrument. Both avid vinyl collectors, Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba began using the freshest sampling techniques, coupled with Jake's musical knowhow from playing guitar and bass. Later they added quest rappers and vocalists. Later still, a full live line-up of brass, strings and cinematic textures. DJ Malachi plus Easy Access Orchestra players Ralph Lamb and Andy Ross became regular Herbaliser collaborators.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

4 hero : Hold It Down (Bugs In the Attic remix)

This massive dancfloor anthem appears on "The Remix Album", a compilation album featuring tracks produced and remixed by 4hero. The CD version was released as two discs: the first concentrated on remixes by 4hero of work by other artists; the second featured remixes of music originally produced by 4hero but remixed by other producers.
Bugz in the Attic is a collective of DJs and producers based in West London who are prominent in the broken beat music scene. The collective includes Orin Walters (Afronaught), Paul Dolby (Seiji), Kaidi Tatham, Daz-I-Kue, Alex Phountzi (Neon Fusion), Cliff Scott, Mark Force, Matt Lord, and Mikey Stirton. The group also has a label, BitaSweet Records, and a studio, The BitaSuite. The group also runs its own Co-Op club night at Plastic People in Shoreditch, London. They have released numerous singles as well as remixes and compilations. Their debut studio album Back in the Doghouse was released July 24, 2006, on V2 Records.


Sunday, April 18, 2010

Koop : Come To Me

Koop is Oscar Simonsson & Magnus Zingmark.
When listening to Koops music it's somehow easy to believe that it's played by a small orchestra, but in fact the music is based on samples. Thousands of small clips from records puzzled together into new songs. All the drums, strings, horn sections and choires are actually sampled! This is a very time consuming way to make music (it's one of the reasons it takes such long time to make a koop album), but it's the only way to create the surreal Koop sound. One thing though, that for sure aren't sampled, is the vocals. Many singers has blessed the Koop albums with their talent, and on Koop Islands the singers are : Ane Brun, Yukimi Nagano, Hilde Louise Asbjornsen, Rob Gallagher and Mikael Sundin. Some fine musicians has also participated on the album playing solos, percussion and bass. Those are : Mattias Ståhl, Magnus Lindgren, Karl Frid, Nils Berg, Martin Höper, Ola Bothzén, Dan Berglund and Mats Lindfors. When playing live Koop transforms into a 7-9 piece swing orchestra including one or two singers, and the main mission is to make people move their feet. The line-up may vary from time to time so if you are looking for the personel on a specific concert please dont hesitate to drop a message. Koop themselves play piano/accordion (Oscar), sampler (Magnus), and wear dresses.

Trüby Trio : A Go Go

Another massive dancefloor filler has arrived !
Rainer Trüby, Christian Prommer, and Roland Appel are Trüby Trio, a group of German producers that doubles as diverse fusionists of all things worldly and jazzy. It didn't take long for their name to catch fire in the dance community; aside from receiving a bevy of remixing work on the strength of their initial reworkings, the threesome has released a number of their own productions on Compost, including the Carajillo/A Go-Go 12", which featured a remix by labelmates and jazz-house heavies Jazzanova.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

The Five Corners Quintet : Trading Eights

The very first single and Ricky-Tick Records release out of 2003. Already a modern dancefloor jazz classic. Both tracks on the 10 inch vinyl feature a Finnish tenor sax heavyweight, Mr. Eero Koivistoinen. The Five Corners Quintet from Helsinki took the international dancefloor jazz scene by a storm. “Chasin’ the Jazz Gone By”, their debut for Ricky-Tick Records, a label that was initially conceived of as a vehicle for releasing the very first TFCQ vinyl single, proved out to be both an artistic and a commercial success story. For once and for all, the album proved that it is possible to look back while moving forward.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Alice Russell : High Up On The Hook

Alice Russell's second solo album has been highly anticipated. Having slowly but surely built up her reputation as one of the UK's finest soul singers, through her recordings with a number of artists and live appearances, she is now concentrating on her solo career 'My Favourite Letters' has been produced and co-written by TM Juke who has added his magic musical touch to Alice's gifted vocals. The album could be described as a kaleidoscope of soul music history with influences from Gospel, Hip Hop, Jazz, Northern Soul, Broken Beat, Electronica and Funk but a sound that connects the whole album. Alice has featured as guest vocalist on music for The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Max Sedgeley, Nostalgia 77 and Bah Samba amongst others and has also performed live alongside Roy Ayres and supported Lonnie Liston Smith, Femi Kuti and De La Soul.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Nina Simone : Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter

Of all the major singers of the late 20th century, Nina Simone was one of the hardest to classify. She recorded extensively in the soul, jazz, and pop idioms, often over the course of the same album; she was also comfortable with blues, gospel, and Broadway. It's perhaps most accurate to label her as a "soul" singer in terms of emotion, rather than form. Like, say, Aretha Franklin, or Dusty Springfield, Simone was an eclectic who brought soulful qualities to whatever material she interpreted. These qualities were among her strongest virtues; paradoxically, they also may have kept her from attaining a truly mass audience. The same could be said of her stage persona; admired for her forthright honesty and individualism, she was also known for feisty feuding with audiences and promoters alike.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Erik Sumo Band : Show Me The Light

Allround musician Erik Sumo, who in real life is called Ambrus Tövisházi, successfully introduced himself with his debut album "My Rocky Mountain" five years ago. Back then Pop, Dub, Jazz and Hungarian Folk-elements were crossed with extremely catchy melodies. By now, the Erik Sumo Band is a seven-strong project and the new album "The Trouble Soup" is a bubbling cauldron of great Pop-anthems. Explosive synthesizers, Eastern Bloc-ado, Indie and Progressive in three-minute operas, that could have been penned by the Flaming Lips or the B 52's. It's crystal clear, the Hungarian Pop saga has to be rewritten.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Curtis Mayfield : Freddie's Dead

"Freddie's Dead" was the first single from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film "Super Fly". The single was released before the Super Fly album, and in fact before the film itself was in theaters. The song peaked at 4 on the U.S. pop chart and 2 on the R&B chart.
The song laments the death of Fat Freddie, a character in the film who is run over by a car.
Like most of the music from the Super Fly album, "Freddie's Dead" appears in the film only in an instrumental arrangement, without any lyrics. The song's music is featured prominently in the film's opening sequence and also recurs at several other points. Because of this usage the song was subtitled "Theme from Superfly" on its single release (but not on the album).


Saturday, April 10, 2010

Lady Linn And Her Magnificent Seven : That's Allright

Lady Linn and Her Magnificent Seven are a jazz-pop ensemble from Ghent, Belgium. They experienced top ten success with their first album of original songs, Here We Go Again (2008), after several years of performing classic jazz covers.
After a couple self-titled underground releases in 2003 and 2005, Lady Linn and Her Magnificent Seven released the Shopping (2006) single on Zephyrus Records, the title track of which was the group's first original song, arranged, composed, and written by Lady Linn herself. The group then proceeded to record an entire album of originals, Here We Go Again (2008), produced by Jeroen de Pessemier, a colleague of Lady Linn's in Bolchi. Released by V2 Records, the album became a top ten hit in Belgium.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Young-Holt Unlimited : Soulful Strut

Formed in Chicago in 1965 as the Young-Holt Trio with Eldee Young on bass, Red Holt on drums and Hysear Don Walker on piano. Young and Holt both studied at Chicago’s American Conservatory Of Music. They later joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio and were featured on two of the group’s best-known singles, ‘The In Crowd’ and ‘Hang On Sloopy’ both in 1965. The bass player and drummer then broke away to pursue their own direction. In 1968 pianist Walker was replaced by Ken Chaney. Soon Chaney was out and the act was reconstituted as the Young-Holt Unlimited. Under that name, the act hit in 1968 with the million-selling ‘Soulful Strut’, a US pop Top 5 hit. This instrumental was, in fact, the backing track to a Barbara Acklin single, ‘Am I The Same Girl?’, but with Floyd Morris’ piano part replacing the vocal line. Ironically, neither Young, nor Holt, was on the record as the instrumental was by the Brunswick studio band. Despite that, Young-Holt Unlimited continued to make technically precise, but rather sterile records before the group’s two mainstays decided to rejoin Ramsey Lewis in 1983. Young-Holt Unlimited’s recordings have been extensively sampled by R&B and hip-hop artists.


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band : Spreadin' Honey

The name, Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band was originally coined by Los Angeles producer and Keymen Records owner Fred Smith in 1967. However, between 1967 and 1968, the Watts 103rd name applied to three, arguably four different personnel configurations before settling into the final band who played on every Watts 103rd album from 1968 forward.
Smith produced a theme song for KGFJ radio personality, DJ Magnificent Montague. The song became so popular that Smith released it as a single in 1967 and created the name, Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band for the studio group who had recorded it. Purportedly, the players on the single included Wright, James Carmichael, Leon Haywood, Bobby Womack.
There is some confusion because, after "Spreadin' Honey" became a success, Montague re-released the single on the MoSoul label (a Keyman subsidiary) and credited to a different group altogether, the Soul Runners. It has been long assumed that the Soul Runners were simply an earlier line-up of the Watts Band however, according to Wright, the two groups had nothing to do with one another whatsoever.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The O´Jays : Back Stabbers

This record came by mail this morning and it was a special feeling when the needle hit the vinyl. Back Stabbers is a studio album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released in August of 1972 on Philadelphia International Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972. Back Stabbers was a breakthrough album for the group, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Pop Albums chart and selling over 500,000 copies within a year of release. It also featured two of their most successful singles, "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train", which hit number one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. On September 1, 1972, the title track was certified as a gold single by the Recording Industry Association of America. The following year, on May 8, Back Stabbers was also certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. It has gained the reputation as a landmark album of early 1970s soul and has been cited by critics as "the pinnacle of Philly soul." In 2003, the album was ranked number 318 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...

Ramsey Lewis : Party Time

Ramsey Lewis has long explored the boundary between bop-oriented jazz and pop music. Most of his recordings (particularly by the mid-'60s) were very accessible and attracted a large non-jazz audience. In 1956, he formed a trio with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt. From the start (1958), their records for Argo/Cadet were popular, although in the early days, they had a strong jazz content. In 1958, Lewis also recorded with Max Roach and Lem Winchester. On the 1965 albums The In Crowd and Hang On, Ramsey made the pianist into a major attraction and from that point, on his records became much more predictable and pop-oriented. In 1966, his trio's personnel changed with bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Maurice White (later the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire) joining Lewis. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and hiring an additional keyboardist. He can still play melodic jazz when he wants to, but Ramsey Lewis has mostly stuck to easy listening pop music during the past 30 years. In 2004 he released Time Flies, a look back at some of his most popular songs through new recordings.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Junior Mance : Don't Cha Hear me Callin' to Ya

Junior Mance is well-known for his soulful bluesy style, but he is also expert at playing bop standards. He started playing professionally when he was ten. Mance worked with Gene Ammons in Chicago during 1947-1949, played with Lester Young (1950), and was with the Ammons-Sonny Stitt group until he was drafted. He worked as Dinah Washington's accompanist (1954-1955), was in the first Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1956-1957), and then spent two years touring with Dizzy Gillespie (1958-1960). After a few months with the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Johnny Griffin group, Mance formed his own trio and has mostly been a leader ever since. He has led sessions for Verve, Jazzland, Riverside, Capitol, Atlantic, Milestone, Polydor, Inner City, JSP, Nilva, Sackville, and Bee Hive, among other labels.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Kutiman : No Groove Where I Come From

Our respect for the things Kutiman sends out to the world is deep ! What a talent !
Ophir “Kutiman” Kutiel is a 27 year old musician, composer and producer from Tel Aviv. He plays drums, keyboards, guitar and bass.
He blew everyone away with his Thru You project last year, a compilation of songs created with unrelated youtube video samples. If you haven't seen this you should definetely go here : http://thru-you.com/ you'll be amazed !
The response on “No Groove Where I Come From” was simply phenomenal. Dj's like Gilles Peterson, Diplo and Roskow (Jazzanova) were instantly hooked, the Parisien afrobeat community welcomed Kutiman with open arms and and “Straight No Chaser” magazine dubbed him “Psychedelic space funk architect”.
Kutiman is probably working on his second album right now, we are looking forward to that !!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Gary Bartz Ntu Troop : Celestial Blues

Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz attended the Juilliard Conservatory of Music and became a member of Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop from 1962-1964 where he worked with Eric Dolphy and encountered McCoy Tyner for the first time. He also began gigging as a sideman in the mid-'60s with Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, and later as a member of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.
His recording debut was on Blakey's Soul Finger album. Tyner formed his famed Expansions band in 1968 with Bartz on alto. In addition, Bartz also formed his own bands at this time and recorded a trio of albums for Milestone, and continued to tour with Max Roach's band. In 1970, Miles Davis hired Bartz and featured him as a soloist on the Live-Evil recording.
Bartz formed the Ntu Troop that year as well, an ensemble that fused soul and funk, African folk music, hard bop, and vanguard jazz into a vibrant whole. Among the group's four recordings from 1970-1973, Harlem Bush Music: Taifa and Juju Street Songs have proved influential with soul jazzers, and in hip-hop and DJ circles as well.

Last track in this mix

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Bob James : Nautilus

Bob James' recordings have practically defined pop/jazz and crossover during the past few decades. Very influenced by pop and movie music, James has often featured R&B-ish soloists, most notably Grover Washington, Jr., who add a jazz touch to what is essentially an instrumental pop set. He actually started out in music going with a much different direction. In 1962, James recorded a bop trio set for Mercury, and three years later his album for ESP was quite avant-garde, with electronic tapes used for effects. After a period with Sarah Vaughan (1965-1968), he became a studio musician, and by 1973 was arranging and working as a producer for CTI. In 1974, James recorded his first purely commercial effort as a leader with the album "One", where "Nautilus" is the ending track. He later made big-selling albums for his own Tappan Zee label, Columbia, and Warner Bros., including collaborations with Earl Klugh and David Sanborn. James remains relatively busy in the studio and since 2000 has released several albums including Dancing on the Water in 2001, That Steamin' Feelin' in 2002, Hi-Fi in 2003, and Urban Flamingo in 2006, among others.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Bah Samba : Let The Drums Speak

The latin, jazz and funk grooves crew, Bah Samba team up with the legendary US soul outfit The Fatback Band, with a revisited version of the Fatback 1975 classic, ‘Let The Drums Speak’. Having been thrown together by their manager, Bah Samba’s Julian & Mark got together with Fatbacks’ Jonny Flippen (Bass) and Bill Curtis (Drums) for a jam session. The result is this superb faithful interpretation of a soulful classic with that Fatback feel-good party vibe to keep the floors well oiled.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Collie Buddz : Come Around

Collie Buddz is a reggae and dancehall artist from Bermuda, best known for his single "Come Around". Although born in New Orleans, he moved to his mothers' home of Bermuda at the age of five, after the death of his father. He performed on Shaggy's 2007 album Intoxication on the track "Mad Mad World". In 2008, his song "SOS" was released on WWE The Music, Vol. 8 as the entrance theme for wrestler Kofi Kingston. He also appeared in a 2009 remix of Kid Cudi's single "Day 'n' Nite". His name is based on slang for cannabis. He launched his own record label 'Harper Digital'.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Pleasure Web : Music man (pts 1 and 2)

More funky breaks with a serious obscure 45 that was brought under the attention because it was sampled by Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark with their "Jayou" release in 1998 and produced at the "Red October Chemical Storage Facility" under the name "Jurassic 5"

Track 8 & 9 in this mix.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Syl Johnson : Is It Because I'm Black

Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song Different Strokes, also from 1967, featured recently on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.
Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including "Is It Because I'm Black", which reached Number 11 in the R&B charts in 1969.
In 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, the two recording three albums which spawned a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded music of power and enduring value, including the hits We Did It, Back for a Taste of Your Love and Take Me to the River, his biggest success, reaching Number 7 on the R&B charts in 1975. However, at Hi Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green's shadow commercially, if not artistically. Mitchell also chose to use mainly in-house material rather than Johnson originals.
After the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records and produced Johnson's last hit record, the title cut.
Around the mid-1980s, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.
In 1992, Johnson found out that his classic song "Different Strokes" had been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Kool G Rap, Hammer, and the Geto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a come back in the music business. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.


Sunday, March 21, 2010

Kraak & Smaak : C'mon People

Although Kraak & Smaak originally started out as a studio project for the founder members Oscar De Jong, Mark Kneppers & Wim Plug it quickly became one of the hottest live and DJ properties in dance music. The live band has the addition of Rose – vocalist, Seb – MC and vocalist, Andre – drums and Marc on the bass guitar. Coupled with the keyboards, FX and percussion played by the band themselves it’s a formidable slice of funk on the floor with the epic moments provided by K&S’s more leftfield output. For DJ sets band member DJ Sargon, Mark and Wim are the main spinners capable of laying down an eclectic sound that makes them as happy spinning in the tiny basement of a deep funk night as it does dropping huge riffs to festival crowds.

When it came out, their debut album Boogie Angst stood out because it sounded like nothing else around. The K&S brand of future funk led to their singles being supported by the cream of Radio 1. Annie Nightingale was the first to support the band and invited K&S to record a guestmix for her show. Annie Mac, Pete Tong and Rob Da Bank also came to the party with Rob even licensing their first single Money in the Bag for his Blue Room compilation CD. Their breaking sound led to a whole host of requests for remixes with Jamiroquai at the front of the queue as well as Mark Rae (a particular beauty of a mix that’s big with the jazz heads) Max Sedgley (who Rob da Bank asked the band to do a mix of), Richard Dorfmeister (whose Kruder&Dorfmeister Sessions album has been an inspiration to the band) and friends and family like Fort Knox Five, Soul of Man and Skeewiff. These remixes were collected onto a double album (they’d been busy) called The Remix Sessions which was released last year and since then Junkie Xl and Sam Sparro have also been added to their impressive re-rub list.


Friday, March 19, 2010

Quantic : Not So Blue

This is definitely one of my favourite tracks of all time ! Unbelievable how much feeling and depth you can find in an instrumental track like this.
Will Holland is one of the most talented and prolific artists in the world of alternative dance music today.
He has enjoyed consistent success with Quantic, releasing his first album, The 5th Exotic in the summer of 2001. It was picked up on by some of the most respected names in underground music. Richard Dorfmiester, Mr Scruff and LTJ Bukem all rated it very highly, not surprising when tunes like “Common Knowledge” and the near classic “Life in the Rain” had blazed across dance floors all over Europe.
He built on this acclaim with the release of Apricot Morning less than a year later, dispelling any talk of “the difficult second album”. His sound seemed to expand in every direction on ‘Apricot Morning’ and he became the first Tru Thoughts artist to collaborate with Alice Russell; Gilles Peterson ranked it amongst his albums of the year. The track Not so Blue comes from this album..

Before last track in this mix...

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Latin Blues Band : I'll Be A Happy Man

From the album "Take A Trip Pussycat". The group, like a rare few others of their generation, are an insane mix of Latin jamming, psychedelic soul, and stoner funk riffing -- all sifted together in a blender, with a sound that brings out the best aspects in all elements involved! The album's got some wonderful bouncy cuts with a Latin soul groove and weird English lyrics -- like "Lay An Oz On Me Baby", "I'll Be A Happy Man", and "Pussycat" -- the kind of raw, wild, and very groovy tracks that you'd buy an album like this for. And there's also a totally great, totally tight descarga cut called "The Cow", that runs for 8 minutes with a very firey groove and lots of amazing playing! And if that wasn't enough, the cover's got a wild psychedelic image of a nude body with lots of colored lights projected over it, and a feeling that's about as trippy as the band must have been when they recorded this one!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Nora Morales Quintet : Saona

Noro Morales was born in Puerto Rico in 1911 and came to New York in 1935, where he played briefly with the bands of Alberto Socarras and Augusto Coen before establishing the Brothers Morales (Noro-Humberto-Esy) orchestra in 1939. The 1942 Decca 78 "Serenata R¡tmica" gave Morales instant recognition. During the decade of the '40s, his and Machito's band was the most popular in NYC.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Sweet Talks : Eyi Su Ngaangaa

The Sweet Talks were one of the most popular highlife bands to operate in the 1970s. The band started out as the official group of a Ghanaian glass factory, but later received sponsorship from, and a home at, the Talk of the Town club. Their first album, Adam and Eve, made enough of a splash in World Music waters to lead to a tour of America in 1975 and a follow-up album recorded Stateside in 1978. The group broke up a short while after. Crentsil went on to form the Super Sweet Talks, which in turn became known as the Ahento Band.
The beat of this track is relentless, anchoring the rhythm section and the shimmering layers of funk guitar. Once the horn riff hits and Crentsil's voice kicks in, you're hooked. It's simply gorgeous music that grabs you by the collar and transports you back in time to the heyday of Ghana's music scene, the Talk of the Town club.

Friday, March 12, 2010

The 3rd Generation : Because Of Money

Appears on the Ghana Soundz compilation. Ghana Soundz was the first ever Soundway compilation and became recognised worldwide due to the licensing of the Oscar Sulley track, ‘Bukom Mashie’ to the soundtrack of Hollywood blockbuster, ‘Last King of Scotland’.
Pounding rhythms, blaring horns and pumping vocals – the music is a document of a time forgotten when flares and Cuban heels strutted the streets and night-spots of Accra, the sizzlingly hot and humid capital of Ghana. Influenced as much by traditional rhythms and local highlife as by the music of Fela Kuti, James Brown and Santana, these tunes had almost become extinct, until now!
Ghana Soundz was the first of three collections of rare afro-beat, afro-funk and afro-fusion that Miles Cleret painstakingly travelled the length and breadth of Ghana to assemble.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Quantic : Cuidad del Swing

Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno is the latest in the ever-growing series of outings from the unstoppable Will “Quantic” Holland, and “Cuidad Del Swing” is the first taster.
Unmistakably Quantic, but with an emphasis on dub/reggae sounds, the “Cuidad Del Swing” 7” opens with an infectious, summery piano hook, and the dub flavour will whisk you away to tropical summery sonic bliss.
The concept and style of the Flowering Inferno project simply rests on pleasurable, easy-to-listen reggae-inspired music made in a tropical climate, and the tracks were laid down in Quantic’s freshly-built studio at his Columbia home. Featuring Holland on various instruments, it trips along with a dub lilt and is mostly built on hip hop orientated beats. As with the last Quantic Soul Orchestra album ‘Tropidelico’, the Latin American location in which this music was conceived and recorded has infused it with an irresistible and authentic exotic air.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mulatu Astatke : Yegelle Tezeta

Mulatu Astatke is an Ethiopian musician and arranger. He is known as the father of Ethio-jazz. Born in 1943 in the western Ethiopian city of Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston, where he was the first African student at Berklee College of Music. He would later combine his jazz and Latin music influences with traditional Ethiopian music.
He has worked with many influential jazz artists such as Duke Ellington during the 1970s. After meeting the Massachusetts-based Either/Orchestra in Addis Ababa in 2004, Mulatu began a collaboration with the band which continues today, with the most recent performances in Scandinavia in summer 2006 & London, New York, Germany, Holland, Glastonbury, Dublin and Toronto in summer 2008. In the autumn of 2008, he collaborated with London-based Psyche-Jazz collective, The Heliocentrics on an album 'Inspiration Information Vol. 3' which included re-workings of his earlier Ethio-Jazz classics with new material by The Heliocentrics and himself. Mulatu's signature instrument is the vibraphone.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Lafayette Afro-Rock Band : Darkest Light

Lafayette Afro Rock Band toiled in obscurity during their years of activity, but have now become of interest to Western critics and music historians due to their ubiquitous break beats. Due to their unpopularity when compared to contemporary acts such as Funkadelic, few copies of their studio LPs have survived; this has led to, with the exceptions of "Hihache" and "Darkest Light", the attention of critics and historians being drawn to the band's three greatest hits albums: Afon: Ten Unreleased Afro Funk Recordings, Darkest Light: The Best of and The Ultimate Collection. Music historian Dave Thompson unfavorably reviewed Afon, but praised Darkest Light, singling out "Soul Frankenstein," "The Gap," "Conga," "Malik," "Soul Makossa," "Scorpion Flower," "Nicky" and "Darkest Light" as the "high points" of the "ultimate point of entry" for the band. British music newspaper Melody Maker and Allmusic critic Jason Ankeny have also both favorably reviewed Darkest Light, with Ankeny stating that it is "one of the great documents of classic funk." The Ultimate Collection received particular acclaim from Allmusic writer Jason Birchmeier, who asserted that it was "a gem" that "you can't go wrong with."

Sunday, March 7, 2010

El Sexteto Miramar : Cumbiamba

Discos Fuentes (Fuentes Records) has been the largest label in the vast country of Colombia since 1934, a place where music is impossible to escape. This track appears on "Colombia!", a collection that concentrates on the golden years of 1960-1976 of the label and is hand-picked by Soundway Records team from a huge catalogue of hot, tropical music styles. Cumbia, Gaita, Fandago, Salsa and Champeta all feature in our selection from one of the world's best Latin music archives.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Charlie Palmieri : Either You Have It or You Don't

Put the needle on the spot, let it go, sit down, relax and watch the women fill the dancefloor... Always a pleasure indeed !
Charlie Palmieri, also known as "The Giant of the Keyboards" was a renowned salsa master.
In October 1947, Tito Puente, the musical director of the Fernando Alvarez Band, was impressed with Palmieri and hired him to play for his band at the Copacabana Club; here he played with Tito until 1953 and during the 1950s he played with various bands.
In 1967 he scored a hit with "Either You Have It or You Don't"

Thursday, March 4, 2010

C. Palomares Y Su Yuboney : Push Push Push

This one appears on the album "Gozalo, Bugalu Tropical". A killer batch of boogaloo material, but not from the usual sources! Although boogaloo is a genre normally associated with the New York scene at the end of the 60s, the music here all hails from Peru and represents a great new sound, music inspired by the Nuyorican originals, but which often take things into whole new directions! The Peruvian approach to boogaloo is a bit looser than the New York one, a bit more open and free, and often heavily touched by jazz music as well, resulting in a sound that's also got plenty of hard-jamming descarga elements too ! Given the racial makeup of the Peruvian scene, there's a bit less soul influence going on too, lyrics are more often in Spanish, and less inspired by the Harlem sound, but the overall rhythms still share plenty with the Latin soul styles of New York, and provide a great foil for some of the jazzy instrumentation. This package is a massive discovery in music, one that goes way beyond some of the few Peruvian Latin titles from the time that have been reissued, and it's overflowing with amazing work that's totally new to our ears!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Bossa Tres : Imprevisto

The far-reaching tendencies of "Imprevisto" never fails to impress, and nearly overwhelms.
The song closes the album "Bossa Tres Em Forma!" recorded in 1965.
The Bossa Três was the first instrumental group of the bossa nova. In 1961, Luís Carlos Vinhas (piano), Tião Neto (bass), and Edison Machado (drums) teamed up to form the trio. They went to the U.S. to accompany the dancers Lennie Dale, Martha Botelho, and Joe Benett on The Ed Sullivan Show. They remained in the U.S. and recorded three albums in New York, which were released by Audio Fidelity in 1962 (one of them accompanying Jo Basile). The group continued to perform in jazz nightclubs until its dissolution. Returning alone to Brazil, Vinhas regrouped the trio with other musicians and continued to work, recording and performing throughout Latin America. The Bossa Três recorded with Pery Ribeiro in 1966 and, in 2000, with Wanda Sá.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Erik Sumo : This Is Where It Began

The Budapest based producer Ambrus Tövisházi and singer/songwriter plays in different bands and releases under different pseudonyms. The internationally most famous of Ambrus’ pseudonyms is “Erik Sumo”, under which he released 12’’ on “Pulver Records”. His 2002 release “Just a Woman” was a laid back house-tune that entered many playlists and charts of people like Giles Peterson and of course the souls and bodies of the fans.
‘This Is Where It Began’: a genre defying and surreal collection of songs that are sure to turn so-called ‘dance’ music on its head. An album inspired as much by Ennio Morricone and Clint Eastwood as it is by post-punk, Portishead and the cosmic sounds of seminal outfits like the RTB Big Band. Strings, harmonicas and infectious hand clapping conspire to mess with your mind, as traditional and future influences provide an unforgettable soundclash.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Guem : Riacho

Hard hitting percussive track inspired by the traditional Brazilian Batucada, but this one builds up very slowly.
This track appears on Brazilian Beats, Vol. 3 a survey of what was popular in Brazil around the turn of the century, at least in clubs. Primarily put together for the dancefloor, there are a few tracks that look back to more traditional Brazilian sounds, but most often the emphasis is on dance rather than Brazil.
Couldn't find anything on the track in particular so all info is welcome.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Kool & The Gang : N.t. Pts. 1 & 2

We all know them from their massive disco hits, but hey, the band recorded some of their best music long before that. "Live at PJ's" is the third full album released in 1971 and recorded at a local club. The groove here is far more freewheeling and complex than some of their singles from the later 70s, loads of wicked horn bits from Ronnie Bell and Dennis Thomas that complicate things up nicely, while still staying soulfully in the groove.
The Song "N.T." is the opening of the album and has frequently been sampled by hip hop producers like De La Soul, Kriss Kross, Kool G Rap's "Truly Yours", Nas's "It Ain't Hard To Tell, A Tribe Called Quest's "Mind Power", and a lot more.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Beginning Of The End : Monkey Tamarind

The Beginning of the End was a funk group from Nassau, Bahamas. The group consisted of three brothers and a fourth member on bass. They released an album entitled Funky Nassau in 1971 on Alston Records (a subdevision of Atlantic Records), and the track "Funky Nassau - Part I" became a hit single in the U.S., peaking at 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The track was picked up again by modern funk bands like the JuJu Orchestra and Orgone, producers and dj's played the reworks all over the world and yes it fueled up the dancefloors big time.
"Monkey Tamarind" is another track from the one and only "Funky Nassau" album, not a winner in the charts, nevertheless as funky as the Part 1 & 2 of their big hit single.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Jimmy Bo Horne : Let Me Be Your Lover

Jimmy Bo Horne's "Let me (Let Me Be Your Lover)" scored a massive hit in its second lifetime where it was sampled by the Stereo Mc's in their 1992 song "Connected".
Horne was a Florida based artist who had been recording since the mid-60s for Henry Stone’s Alston label (where he recorded the “answer” to Betty Wright’s ‘Clean Up Woman’, entitled – not surprisingly – ‘Clean Up Man’ in 1972). He laid down ‘Let Me Be Your Lover’ in 1978 during the heart of the disco era. Fortunately for us, the tune was written and produced by Harry Casey and Richard Finch, two gentlemen who wrote and recorded some of the funkiest disco records with KC & the Sunshine Band (Casey being “KC”), as well as tunes for George McRae (‘Rock Your Baby’) and Betty Wright among others.
Another relative success of "Bo" Horne was "You Get Me Hot" in 1979. Although it was released as the B side of the cult-hit "Spank", the song reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Black and was played in many clubs of the time.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Fatback Band : Wicky Wacky

The Fatback Band made many great singles through the '70s and early '80s, ranging from humorous novelty tunes to energetic dance vehicles and even occasional political tracks. The original lineup featured drummer Bill Curtis, trumpeter George Williams, guitarist Johnny King, bassist Johnny Flippin, saxophonist Earl Shelton, and flutist George Adam. Synthesizer player Gerry Thomas, saxophonist Fred Demerey, and guitarist George Victory were integral parts of the group during their peak years. They began recording in the early '70s, and had moderate luck with "Street Dance" in 1973. While funk audiences loved songs as "Wicki-Wacky" and "(Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop," they didn't generate much sales action. Their first sizable hit was "Spanish Hustle" in 1976, which reached number 12 on the R&B charts.