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yes, yes, yes. erykah badu is getting ready to return with New Amerykah Part 2: Return Of The Ankh.
New Amerykah was for sure one of my favourite albums of 2008 with honey and soldier topping the charts. check out this seiji remix of honey that will bowl you over as well as two remixes featured in last week's soundcloud special.
one of the most innovative and exciting hip-hop artists around so expect an album that will stretch your imagination and keep you wanting more.
back in July we featured greymmatter on our 'under the influence with...' series. we're back with him again as he prepares to release his album, mind over matter, with the album launched mid- Feb and the launch party on Feb 19th in London. You know I'd deffo be there if in London that weekend to support this launch. The line up is Greymatter (Unique Uncut), Alex Nut (Rinse FM / Eglo), Illum Sphere (Hoya:Hoya / Fat City) w/ Kev Luckhurst and Simon See.
This all happens at Life, 2-4 Old St, London EC1V 9AA / 9-2am / £3 concs / £5 door / £10 inc album.
We've already heard We Are One/ Watch This both produced with another past guest Domu who has since retired from music. Today I bring you Eu Fumo w/ Deize Tigrona. This is baile funk with a London twist. Massive tune to blow up the dancefloors.
Check the tune, find the album and be sure you don't forget the 9 exclusively digital remixes from the likes all-star line including Illum Sphere, Klic, TRG, and Karizma, and early supporters include Simbad, Jus Wan, Mr Lager, and Sinden.
Nice one Greymatter. Great to see 2010 kicking off so well and we look forward to continuing the support while enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Eu Fumo ft. Deize Tigrona by greymatter
much thanks to the wonderful mint collective for turning me onto this EP by The Shelltoes. Coming from Australia The Shelltoes are Glen Coates (now based in San Diego) and Kyla Sexton. This tune, Requiem, is off their latest EP, I Was Told There Would Be Refreshments. Requiem reminds me of some of the old Nightmares On Wax sounds from Carboot Soul with luscious vocals and warmth from the organ playing. Elsewhere on the EP is a great take on 'I Love You Porgy' and three other tunes.
buy the EP on iTunes
What better way to introduce our latest guest for the 'under the influence with...' series than to have the man himself talk about his musical journey so far before singling out the tunes that are key influences over the sounds we hear from his edits, productions and dj sets. much thanks to Blackjoy for taking time out to share these stories.
enjoying listening and reading into the sounds of Blackjoy.
Born in a small town, raised in a just a lil bigger one, I had no clue of what "growing with the commercial radios" was. I was trained under the influence of Bernard Lenoir on France Inter (french John Peel), and I got the feeling music is my favorite part of life. Later I went into Jazz, Soul, House, Techno, Rare Grooves and so on. I got my first radio show on Radio Campus Dijon for which I was playin' the early french touch bands as Alex Gopher, La Funk Mob, Daft Punk and Mighty Bop. My studies and connections made a job possible at Yellow Productions in 1998 and I started djing around Europe and Canada... I took the decision of touring less and went deep into making music. A mpc2000, 2 turntables and a zip disk...and here we are: I met the incredible keyboard player François Faure, I knew Thomas Naïm from Tom & Joyce from the Yellow years and this outstanding guitarist became one of my closest friend... And last but not least Guillaume Farley, « the » bassman.
Is Blackjoy a band? Yes and no. I'm the brain and I handle the science. I do drums, some keys, arrangements, editing, producing but the instrumentalist parts of the music couldn't exist without the team...
The first EP, Untitled was released in 2002 and got heavy plays from specialists and legends such as Kenny Dope, Phil Asher, Lil' Louis, Kerri Chandler, Benji B, Dj Deep... Then I started to work on remixes but the next big job came with the production of Moustache for Yellow in 2005. Still doing remixes I was going deep into producing the first album which I started to work on in 2001. The album was released in France since October 1st 2007. First single was a song from General Elektriks', who’s signed on Quannum. Then the second single Metalbossa included the remixes from Phil Asher's Restless Soul. The album is called TIME and contains 2 songs from Shawn Lee, a Weather Report's cover and diverse blues and soul atmospheres.
Now back behind the desks, I spin the Blackjoy disco sounds and vibes around the globe with more pleasure than ever. Several Edits and Remixes have been released (Blackjoy Edits Vol.1&2, Blackjoy Versions) and a new Blackjoy record project is in process, with featurings from Sandra Nkaké, De Tropix and Aqeel.
My name’s Jérôme Caron, hope you’ll like the sound of Blackjoy.
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Michael Jackson - Thriller
This is my first time being scared by music images on TV. I was a kid when the main shows broadcast the Thriller video. That's my most honest memory about it. I didn't know anything about funky music, I was way too young and my parents didn't have a big music background. My father used to play some piano and guitar, he still does actually, but no big record collection. A nice taste to music but... Back to Michael, I maybe didn't know about the groove or the funkyness, I've been listening to this album till he broke. For a long time Beat it was my favorite, but now I'd say The lady in my life is maybe my diamond in there. The ad lib is just insane.
Motorbass - Pansoul
Best house / techno / whatever album. When this came out, I chased it because these guys were involved in the Mc Solaar sound I loved so much. When I finally got it, oh my god. Zdar is maybe one of my favorite sound engineer. Plus this urban sound disappeared a little bit in the newer stuff people are trying to produce now, especially for albums. There was no single in there but who cares? This hasn't been played on the radio but who cares? Best dance music album.
I could have had Here 'my dear' from Marvin Gaye on that selection but somehow Voodoo is even bigger because it's more new. D'Angelo has lost himself, sad, very sad. What I know is Voodoo influence but way of doing music, of thinking groove, and once again this album has one single but this was a tv single because of the video more than a radio single. But who cares? Fuck radios. I love album, this is one great album.
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Download 08 baby erik (blackjoy rmx) 1
check out more Blackjoy sounds here.
cross-post from spaceinvader radio
this week's show has a little bit of a twist. i've been spending a bit of time lately wandering the virtual corridors and rooms of soundcloud, taking in a massive amount of music. it really is an amazing way to find new music, artists, producers, labels and like-minded fans. with a half a million users (and growing) its an exciting way to discover and be discovered. fair dues to the team behind it.
so, onto the show. track-listing and links to each of the tracks on soundcloud for you to download most of them. enjoy.
as ever, feedback welcome. cheers
p.s. this show, and the opinions expressed in it are in no way endorsed by the management of soundcloud.
Al_PD n P X.Liminal
Rekoner (ascott's deep sofa mix) Radiohead
tommy james + shondells-candymaker (ettiem's taffypull edit) ATM
Will She Ever Know? Amede & The Soundsmith
Gettin' Up (Colm K Remix) Q-Tip
MJ vs QTip vs MNPHC Monophonic
Nono JtotheC
Eleven Hours VI (MIX) Mark evan
Sunset Light Hubert Daviz
lovefunk duex devonwho
Blue Night Mizz Beats
when she looked at me (I saw her wondering) niwa
Soupy (Cutso Re-Heat) Maggie Thrett
loverain pointerstyles take 2 LP Bootleg
Soldier (Mark Wayward remix) Erykah Badu
Summertime (Ishfaq remix) Mos Def
Abre Que Voi Dance Edits 2 svendex
Quiet Dog Bite Hard(er) (Jonny Miller re-edit) Mos Def
.38 Special f. Cee-Lo Jack Splash
Too hot to witness (Make It Funky edit) Roots Manuva vs The Barkeys
tout va bien edit (72Soul) pierre citron
South African Man (Alkalino Re-work) Hamilton Bohannon
street sound (chris luck edit) pimps of joytime
BJ STOMP Brother j
Let Me Love You (DJ Anonymous Edit) Clausel
honey (souled remix) erykah badu
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Extended St. Etienne
Download Songs of praise_january 24th_2010_soundcloud special w_ cubikmusik
picked this up today from spine magazine
Gorillaz f/Bobby Womack & Mos Def off the upcoming album, Plastic Beach. Loving this tune. great sounds that will definitely get people curious about where the album direction will take us with plenty of collaborations to keep it fresh.
(Update: just read that this was a leak so I've removed the track. apologies).
one of my favourite albums last year was 'My World' by Lee Fields and the Expressions (Truth & Soul Records) and they're about to hit Europe with their tour. They'll be joined by Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band. Check out the clip below and tour dates under that. Classic stuff.
dates:
2/04 Paris (Fr) "New Morning"
2/05 London (Uk) "Bloomsbury Ballrom"
2/07 Koln (Ger) "Bogen 2"
2/08 Frankfurt (Ger) "Mousonturm"
2/09 Belfort (Fr) "La Poudrière"
2/10 Ris Orangis (Fr) "Le Plan"
2/11 Nijmegen (Hol) "Doornoosje"
2/12 Amsterdam(Hol) "Paradiso"
2/13 Louvain (Bel) "Kulturama festival"
2/14 Sannois (Fr) "E.M.B"
Please support great music. Go to the show. Buy the album.
buy 'my world: iTunes, Truth & Soul
the new release from Souleance is out today on First Word Records and features a remix by labelmate, kiddanevil who had a top album launch in London last week for his latest release, Basho Basho.
I'm loving this tune Le Plaisir with its funky electronic soul. simple, tight and ripe for some light dance-floor action.
Le Plaisir by Soulenace by cubikmusikYou can buy it here; Bandcamp / FIRST WORD / Kudos
Part I:
As we move into a new year it is always the way that we look back on
our past and look forward to see where we may be going. I sincerely
believe that our past strongly influences our future and as such this
year I've been looking long and hard at myself personally and as a
result have looked at cubikmusik, it's role in my life, the life of
readers and of the artists, DJs, producers, labels, etc. that I've supported
over the years.
I want cubikmusik to be a platform for me to do more in music, or
really, for music to be a larger part of my life and for me to give more back to music. I want to be more of
a participant rather than a listener that dips his toes in every now
again when I find music or purveyors of music that move me.
One of the biggest things for me in 2010 (and indeed in life I
think) will be the arrival of my first child, a baby girl due in May.
Needless to say I am chuffed with this and am excited about having
someone to pass my love of music onto. I've started compiling various
play-lists for her: lullabies, waking up, driving to the sound of soul,
etc. It's an interesting experience to try and capture beautiful music
for ears that have not experienced musical beauty before....except
perhaps from the muffled confines of the womb. :)
This will of course impact the frequency of posts, amount of content that I can 'create' so I ask that my regular readers stick around and hopefully when I do get to post it will be worth waiting for.
Part II:
"Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten imparting grace." Plato.
Earlier this week I sent out an email to about 30 artists, labels, producers that have supported cubikmusik over the past 5 years (and vice-versa) asking for support for a project that I have for this year (and beyond). We will release a compilation of music with all proceeds going to a charity (or charities) that have two elements in their agenda: music and kids. I have received a great response so far with 6 artists agreeing to either create or donate a piece that will meet the criteria. Still waiting for a few more also. Check out the blog (500 or so posts) and try and guess who the artists are.
Each track chosen will have one common element and that is for it to be suitable for babies/ kids. This isn't looking to replace traditional lullabies or kids music but will appeal to us
as music lovers that are passionate about new sounds ,etc. and wish to
share that passion with children. So really the idea is that the people
who buy this release would (a) love music and (b) either have kids,
plan to have kids or know someone with kids and/or (c) want more music!
:)
The compilation would be sold, most likely as just a digital release but possibly also as a physical release. Our aim is to have the release available around the end of Summer (maybe August 19th as that will be cubikmusik's 5th birthday as a music blog).
So, announcements over. Back to work for me! :) I look forward to getting your feedback and hopefully support for the charity release so please feel free to leave comments, catch me on twitter or email me: [email protected] . If you are aware of worthy charities please let me know and I'll review each one. I'll give updates as the project progresses.
Cheers,
C
first show of 2010 has been and gone already. hope everyone had a great new year. big shouts to the space invader crew! speaking of which, check out the additional shows starting up. the schedule is getting busier with lots of quality tueage coming out. well looking forward to the bi-weekly 'junk in the trunk' show on tuesdays 10pm-12am, starting tomorrow (Jan. 12th). expect big things. i also heard a rumour that confused eclectic will be joining the roster. check out his blog and over at mixcloud for his musical choices. good things.
so.....much thanks to everyone who checked out the show live and chatted with me throughout the show. always great to get feedback during the show. one of these days i might even talk! ;)
p.s. what ya think of the new logo? much tks to Adam over at iyrie for taking a church image and making it our own. ;)
track-listing:
Iron Man (Black Sabbath Cover) Four Tet
Diamonds On A Boat (8Bitch Remix) Samuel And The Dragon
roo (a dedication) dimlite
lovefunk duex devonwho
Make Me Stronger (Floating Points Remix) [feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow] Bei Bei & Shawn Lee
Mood Swing Asheru Feat. Talib Kweli
The Same Thing It Took The Inspirational Gospel Singers
Just The 3 of Us Dr. Oop
Player's Ball Outkast
Now That I'm Free feat. RZA Outlines
Exhibit C Jay Electronica
Ms. Fat Booty Mos Def
Aretha Franklin - One Step Ahead(Featurecast Re-Edit Feat Marvin Gaye) Aretha Franklin
We People Nicky Thomas
Dancing Skulls Colm K & The Freestyle Mellowship
Let Me Blow Your Mind Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
Playhouse edit
Maurice n Mac lunatic edit
Leave It In The Hands Of Love Fontella Bass
Cross My Heart Billy Stewart
I'll Never Grow Old The Charmels
Do me Nanou Micelli
05 A time for us 05 Joe Pass
Moses Nino Ferrer
Fine yU
You Gotta Let Me Show You Esther Williams
I 'll do anything for you (Instru Dub version (Previously Unreleased )) Lee Mc Donald
Leave It All Behind Instra:Mental
listen to the music neon heights
Paleto Think Of One
Download Songs_Of_Praise_January_10th_2010_cubikmusik
last year when I headed over to London for various musical happenings and meet ups with twitter and other virtual friends I had the chance to , albeit briefly, meet 8Bitch at Plastic People for the Beat Dimensions party. When one hears a name such as hers its hard not to have some kind of picture in your mind of a hard as nails lady who you wouldn't f**k with. Now, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't f**k with 8Bitch but I can also safely say that she is an absolute sweetheart who is loved and much respected by many peeps out there. Truly passionate about her music, fella and friends I am honored to have her here today to talk about the influences on her music.
A name that may not have heard yet but will surely experience in 2010 be it through her music and for sure if you play DJ Hero as her body and moves were used for 3 of the characters! Recently joining the Svetlana Industries label (big shout to @Andrea3k ) expect to see and hear great things in 2010.
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This is probably the hardest thing I had to do in a while…How on Earth do you put together a list like this-where do you start and how do you compress hundreds of melodies, beats and artists into a readable format? Damn.
xx Maya
KRAFTWERK – NEON LIGHTS: This tune is my earliest memory of electronic music. My Dad’s a jazz musician and his record collection was absolutely mind blowing (until some bastards broke in this year and stole them all!). I grew up in communist Yugoslavia and getting any vinyl apart from ‘Yugoton’ was a real treat so the whole ‘Man-Machine’ album was very special to him. Apparently I absolutely loved this tune and used to do a ‘special dance’ when he put it on. Sadly, I’ve now forgotten the moves-I was far too young…However I have no doubt that my Dad’s obsession with early electronica rubbed off on me straight from day one and I have a lot to thank him for!
ROCKIT – HERBIE HANCOCK: Another one from my Dad’s crates. In my books, Herbie is an absolute genius and definitely one of the greatest artists ever. A jazz and funk maestro and electronic pioneer, he moved timelessly through music history always staying on top of his game and he’s still looking ultra fly in his shades these days despite getting on a bit. ‘Rockit’ is a bonafide electro-funk fusion and also the first tune to sample scratching and I remember being really intrigued by it…I once broke my Dad’s needle on his turntable trying to do it myself (failed obviously).
BILLIE HOLIDAY – STRANGE FRUIT: I am a massive jazz fan and when I trained in jazz solo training (as well as theory and flute) I listened endlessly to Billie, Ella and Nina. Billie Holiday’s voice still gives me goose bumps and her rendition of ‘Strange Fruit’ is immensely powerful and charged with incredible spirit of the time. Later covered by numerous black artists, Billie’s version is still the most haunting in my opinion and an important musical monument in the history of humanity.
ROOTS ft ERYKAH BADU – YOU GOT ME: I lovelovelove hip hop…I need another extra page to just write on that alone but we don’t have time. Namely Dilla, Stone’s Throw, Sa-Ra, all early hip hop, G Funk, Hyphy, crunk, new electronic hip hop, yadayada…I won’t even begin. I chose ‘You got me’ because it’s a tune that still warms my heart and I was obsessed with it when it came out. It’s got the lovely Erykah and that dnb break (from when dnb was still good) and it’s got Roots-I saw them live in NY a few years ago and they are absolutely incredible musicians, which is quite rare these days. They also fuse a lot of jazz in their production which is a big selling point for me.
THOMAS BANGALTER – TRAX ON DA ROCKS : Jumping a bit in time now, to a year when I discovered
clubs…This is one of my all time favourite records-I still play it and
shout like a madman when anyone else drops it. The production on this is
amazing and I could go on for ages analysing it but more importantly-this is a
record that reminds me of a fantastic and careless time of my life, when dance
music was fucking awesome and absolutely packed with genius producers that inspired
me immensely. I started producing at the age of 14 on Cakewalk and a crappy
Alesis drum machine my Dad gave me-it took many years for it to start sounding
half decent but still-this record has a lot to do with it!
AZTEC MYSTIC – KNIGHTS OF THE JAGUAR: ‘O no she didn’t’ I hear you say…yes, I’m afraid so. And you all love it! Everyone’s guilty pleasure tune that still brings a smile to my face…when this came out I couldn’t get enough of it-the emo strings, the arpeggio synth, the little bells in the back…I always used to finish my set with it and people went nuts! The tune later became too big for words and went all MTV but in 1998, this was MY tune.
DREXCIYA: There is only one Drexciya! I am, always have and always will be obsessed with it. It’s probably my biggest influence …I can’t even explain how Drexciya production affects me-it’s something metaphysical. I know this sounds lame but honestly, if you listen to the whole ‘Quest’ album and not drool at the end you have failed at life. Fact.
WARP RECORDS: I have to put this separately as I honestly worship this
label…I’m so grateful to Warp for all the Aphex Twin, Autechre,
Boards of Canada, Squarepusher and all the other amazing artists that have infected
my ears and tought me to look outside the box. Steve Beckett is a fuckin
badaman!
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So those are some of the key influences on the 8Bitch sound you're about to hear. Enjoy.
Also check out the Samuel And The Dragon remix over at rcrd lbl
as one of the comments from countchocula on soundcloud says "booooooooooooooooooom". from his gig at Plastic People on December 11th. I didn't realize he has a residence there?must try and check it sometime.
kicking off with the immense joy orbison remix of 'love cry' this mix goes in deep and heavy and pretty much doesn't come back. beautifully done. can't locate a tracklisting for all you diggers but I'm sure one will surface.
The new album, There Is Love In You , will be available from Domino on January 26th.
After the excellent 'Mix Up' album last year (previous post), and their Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew project, the South Rakkas Crew from Florida are back on Mad Decent and this time round you can get a high quality download of their new album, The Stimulus Package, for free. Got to say it doesn't strike me as strong as 'Mix Up' but nonetheless well worth checking out for some of the tunes at least, 'specailly if you are into bass.
Its along the same lines of the previous release with heavy basslines, guest MCs such as Capleton and Serocee along with some riddims based takes that you'd expect from most dancehall based crews. Digital dancehall has come along way with these sounds. I've picked what I think is the storngest tunes from the album that would certainly compliment 'Hotter Than Them' from 'mix up'.
Get it now for some hot and heavy action for these cold nights.
(By the way, trialing a rating system for tracks that I post so would appreciate it if you could listen and give a thumbs up/ down. Check it below the track. Cheers.)
everyone
has a musical journey. whether music played a major role in your life
as you grew up, listening to records, going to gigs, dancing and
singing with your family or whether it was always in the background,
never really considered important or necessary, you have a musical
journey. and no matter what, each person's musical journey is different
from everyone else. that is pretty amazing when you think about it. as
i continue my musical journey and continue to search out new sounds and
feelings from music new and old, local and from far off lands i
continue to meet others on a similar journey. we are all seeking more!
its amazing how you can cross someone's path and realize that while
your journey can never be the same it will always lead you to the same
destination which will be filled with great sounds that make you feel.
feel love, pain, joy, hurt, passion, melancholy, fear, hope, pleasure,
wonder, etc. each sunday night myself and many others from around the
world spend 3 hours listening to Benji B over at radio 1 xtra. on twitter we have the deviation crew (named after benji's club night in
london) that gathers from around the world to hear the show, check new
tunes, have a chat and travel on our journey. its become a regular
thing now and part of our weekly routine. one of the 'fam' is paula
from grooveparlortv out of chicago. a beautiful person who truly loves
her music and the people that go with it. it's been a pleasure to share
part of my journey with her and so i've asked Paula to share an insight
into the musical journey she has taken so far by talking about the
musical influences in her life.
much thanks for Paula for taking
time out for this and I hope you enjoy reading about, and checking out
the sounds shared below. cheers c *****************************************************************************************************************
When my turntable brother
cubikmusik asked me to write an article for "Under the Influence" I was
truly honored to share the music & city that shaped me. I didn't
inherit the gift of music from my paternal grandfather, John R. "Kid"
Harris, who headed a small jazz orchestra in 1920s New Orleans but
instead got my parents gift of photography. In fact, our logo is a
photograph I took in the 90s of the 1949 Grundig Majestic hi-fi that
was at my childhood home and was given to me when I moved out (yes i
still own it lol). The music that moves me takes me places when i close
my eyes, makes me laugh & dance, shapes the images I make be it in
still photography, documentary or the artists I interview on my show
Groove Parlor Tv. Music shaped my style of image editing, pacing and
composition. What inspires me to paint on my 'canvas' is the music
that my parents loved and what I discovered within that and beyond.
To understand what influenced me, you have to understand where I come
from - my parents & Chicago -- my hometown, the birthplace of house
& crossroads of America. Be it my faves, Ron Trent, Ron Carroll,
Frankie Knuckles, Peven Everett, Common or Kanye, the sound of modern
black music from Chicago had parents. The jazz piano of Ahmad Jamal,
the spirituality of Thomas Dorsey's gospel sound, artists that played
the Chicago jazz temples like London House, the Pershing and the
Sutherland, the blues dives Theresa's and Checkerboard Lounge, soul
music presented by a pre-Soul Train Don Cornelius on WVON-AM & the
Dusties show with DJ Herb Kent (dusties = slang for old records) all
help give birth to the 'chicago sound'. Hearing my parents speak
passionately of these clubs, innovators, artists & presenters (some
of whom i've seen/ heard for myself) influence me to this day.
My
music education began early with trips to music festivals, the opera
& symphony all before my 6th birthday. My first concert I remember
was the Staples singers at St. Sabina,
a predominantly African-American Catholic parish where I was christened
& played in the handbell choir (don't laugh, i can't sing lol). My
parents, both Louisiana natives, had music of all styles playing in the
house constantly. My mom favored classical, disco, zydeco, Motown, 60s
pop/soul, blues & jazz -- Louis Jordan, Billie Holiday,
pre-electric Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane & Ahmad
Jamal. My dad loved fusion, rock, disco, jazz & soul classics but
dug 'electric' Miles and also loved black music from the diaspora --
Fela Kuti, Hugh Masakela, Miriam Makeba & Bob Marley. When they
divorced, they didn't fight over property or us kids, but the record
collection. I would often act as the go-between to trade/replace
records -- really funny in retrospect. a sample of music time w/the parents playlist:
-Louis Jordan --
Ain't Noboby Here But Us Chickens (my mom used to sing this & it
would always make me laugh -- she grew up on a farm)
-Ahmad Jamal -- Poinciana & anything off At The Pershing: But Not For Me Album
-Miles Davis -- So What & anything off Kind of Blue
-Marvin Gaye -- Give it Up Download 11 Got To Give It Up (Pt 1)
-Shalamar -- 2nd Time Around
-Hugh Masakela -- Grazing in the Grass
-Bohannon -- Insides Out album
-Billie Holiday -- Strange Fruit / God Bless the Child
-James Brown - Say It Loud
-Staples Singers -- I'll Take You There
-Chicago -- Saturday in the Park / Street Player
-The Jackson 5 -- Maybe Tomorrow
-Stevie Wonder -- Isn't She Lovely (I was the first born girl of my mom's chicago sisters who all had boys)
-Bob Marley -- I Shot the Sheriff Bob
Marley -- Buffalo Soldier (1 of my dad's fave tracks. I credit him with
exposing me to Marley. His army division in Korea was the last of the
namesake All-Black regiment originally started after the Civil War)
I
started collecting wax at age 3 1/2 when my cousin Edwin gave me a
Jacksons album for Christmas -- my parents tried in vain to keep me
away from the stereo, their vinyl & the old Grundig which tuned BBC
World Service & Voice of America. They finally bought me a blue
& white mini suitcase kiddie turntable for my 7th birthday. Instead
of buying candy, I took my allowance & went digging with my dad
buying my own 45s on weekends and later LPs. As a youth, I jammed to
the Hot Mix 5 on WBMX-FM, an absolute must for anyone that loved
Chicago house & disco, Chic, War, Change, Stevie Wonder, the sounds
Motown & Stax records, The Sound of Philadelphia, Parliament
Funkadelic, midwest maverick Prince and a disco & rare groove gumbo
of Grace Jones, GQ, Manu Dibango, The Beginning of the End and Betty
Wright. I consider this one of the happiest times of my life.
Disco & soul music would always lift my spirits, even later as my parents marriage was ending, it was this love of music that still connected all of us. I also loved English pop groups who's sound was influenced by my disco/soul faves -- early Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Thomas Dolby & Culture Club. I realized my 'obsession' cost money and started working at 14. a glimpse of my childhood wax stacks 45s, 12" and LPs that i bought w/my allowance/1st gigs Jaime Principle -- Waiting on My Angel Chic -- Dance, Dance Dance (purple Buddah label), Le Freak (45s) Anything by them...i remember being mesmerized by the purple buddah records logo spinning around on my kiddie turntable.*The Hues Corporation -- Rock the Boat *Gwen McCrae -- Rockin' Chair *A Taste of Honey -- Boogie Oogie Oogie
-David Bowie -- Fashion, Fame
-Duran Duran -- all 80s LPs & 12s". fave trax -- New Religion, Friends of Mine, Tel-Aviv, Skin Trade, Serious
-Gwen Guthrie -- it should have been you
-Peter Brown -- Dance with me f/Betty Wright on background vocals
-Heatwave -- Boogie Nights
-Bill Withers -- Lovely Day
-Prince -- Sign of the Times (45 - i bought it for my brother then took it back -- bad paula)
-INXS -- The Swing
-Depeche Mode -- People are People
-Grace Jones -- Nightclubbing (album) and Love is the Drug (45)
-Siouxsie and the Banshees -- Cities in Dust
-Level 42 -- their first 5 albums all on cassette (lol -- yes i still have them)
-Imagination -- Just an Illusion / Body Talk *my very first records i bought w/my allowance
Re: Hot Mix 5 -- please dig for mixes for inspiration -- deephousepage.com is a good place to start, a few faves i didn't own at the time that I'd bug other folks to play
-GQ -- Disco Nights
-Change -- Lover's Holiday
-Manu Dibango -- Soul Makossa (i hear the roots of house in this record & in other Cameroonian music)
-The Beginning of the End -- Funky Nassau
-Micheal Jackson -- Off the Wall (the entire album twice -- i own it now, thanks)
-Michael Jackson -- Thriller (my cousins would play this album always when I'd visit)
-Imagination -- Music & Lights
-Brainstorm -- Loving is really my Game
-Spandau Ballet -- Chant number 1
-Thomas Dolby -- Hyperactive
-Grace Jones -- Private Life
The 90s til now While
classic Chicago house & disco ruled in the 80's & 90s for me on
radio, quality hip-hop and soul was relegated to college radio as
'mainstream' stations favored new jack swing & 'safe' R& B. Yes
I remind myself that Chicago, while progressive in many ways on the
surface, is in reality a very conservative city. It took til the late
'90s for hip-hop to get proper rotation on commercial radio -- even
native son Common only got commercial radio spins after he moved to
Brooklyn. The story of Russell Simmons starting Def Jam inspired me and
it's during this time that I left college to work at WPWR-TV 50 while
simultaneously starting Groove Parlor TV on CAN-TV cable channel 19. My
mission was to play a variety of urban music videos & interview my
heroes (Al Jarreau, Stephen Marley, Bluey & Mary J Blige are a few
interview milestones that come to mind). Radio influences include the
short lived 106Jamz to fill my hip-hop fix and also WCRX (Columbia
College - my alma mater), WKKC (Kennedy King College) WLUW (Loyola
University) and WHPK (University of Chicago). These college stations
also fueled my love of dancehall & culture, progressive R&B,
acid jazz, nu soul, garage & 90s house. Too many tracks to name so I'll give you artists and labels Def
Jam....one of our show's earliest supporters that saw the value in the
urban TV underground.. check our Method Man / Redman interview.
The Roots Erik B & Rakim Public Enemy Arrested Development (my dad dug them too) ATCQ and their solo projects De La Soul Slum Village Dilla DJ Quick Dr. Dre Dilated Peoples Gangstarr / DJ Premiere track production and Guru solo projects Lupe Fiasco Common -- Reminding me (of 'Sef) -- love the single & video shot in Hyde Park Kanye West Black Star Clipse The Neptunes Ten City Roy Davis, Jr. Eric Roberson Raphael Saddiq Maxwell D'Angelo Angie Stone Anthony Hamilton Me'shell N'degeocello Rahsaan Patterson 112 Dru Hill Carleen Anderson Liz Wright they got no love on Chicago 'commercial' radio but were my 90s soundtrack Brand New Heavies Tricky Jamiroquai Incognito -- met Bluey twice & interviewed him! a mentor for certain.
Reggae & dancehall. Unlike
the east coast NYC & Miami, Chicago didn't get a 'commercial'
station to play this genre regularly til a few years ago. We have no
pirate radio like what exists in Brooklyn -- shame -- and had to rely
on mix CDs, College radio, summer festivals and parties for our fix.
Truly thankful for internet radio. Sly & Robbie (thank u Ms. Grace Jones & Betty Wright for the exposure) Ziggy, Stephen & Damien Marley Barrington Levy Third World Tanto Metro and Devonte Jah Cure Beenie Man Fantan Mojah Lady Saw Thank
goodness for high speed internet. I can now listen to radio online from
around the world & hear radio as i think it shout be presented.
Indie US & overseas radio has expanded my tastes even more and
helped me discover classics in retrospect.
To the future and beyond...people that inspire & move me: artists/producers, DJs, presenters
-Dam-Funk -- Toeachizown entire album
-Floating Points -- Love Me Like This & Peoples Potential
-Zed Bias -- Neighbourhood '09
-Mark de Clive-Lowe
-Osunlade
-Georgia Anne Muldrow
-Sa-Ra Creative Partners
-Benga -- (ft. Eve) Me & My ******
-King Britt
-Vikter Duplaix
-DJ Spinna
-DJ Ge-ology
-DJ Benji B (how i met cubikmusik)
-DJ Garth
-Trinidad Silver Star Soundsystem
-Mr. Scorpio
-Onda Sonora Soundsystem
-Afternoon Groove Radio
-Black Athena
-DJ Paulette
-DJ Miss Kai
-DJ Kwak -- Back to Niceness Fathom
-DJ Swank Society Radio
Artists you need to watch -- Chicago
-Cherisse
-- Judgemental is my anthem! Absolutely love her! She's shared the
stage with Donnie, Eric Roberson, Peven Everett & India Arie. She's
a local artist getting love on European radio
-Yaw
-- Excellent solo vocalist. He has a project w/Ron Trent called JMB.
Check our channel for a performance at a barbershop around the corner
from my flat.
-Peven
Everett -- From our southern suburb of Harvey, IL, he never fails to
give his all at a performance. A Chicago phenom in my opinion
roy davis jr. f/peven everett -- gabriel (previous post here)
Ugochi -- catch this sister now! also slept on.
BSTC -- Music for a Saturday Evening & BSTC -- Mixed & Remixed by DJ Sean Alvarez
DJ Steve Miggedy Maestro--
Sugar Daddy Scat. 90s house radio DJ (formerly of WGCI-FM &
Soul106.3) now syndicated on 30 stations, he also produces tracks &
sings on them. Now playing also on European radio. http://soundcloud.com/miggedybless
Other artists u need to watch... Tamara Wellons -- (DC) remade Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit -- souled it up -- genius Teodross
Avery -- (Brooklyn) current fave single: Love with Respect ft. Shannone
Holt. Teodross is a sax player who's played with Betty Carter, Leela
James, Amy Winehouse, Brand New Heavies, The Roots & Lauryn Hill.
His solo production/tracks are slept on...majorly. Check him on
www.teodrossavery.com, iTunes + our youtube (coming soon!) Iman Williams -- (ATL) The Long Journey Back to Reality -- check our youtube favorites for her video Dezaray Dawn -- (ATL) Chameleon -- the first 5 seconds I heard...I was hooked Well,
that's just a peek at my past, present and what i think is the future
of what has and will influence me. Check out & subscribe to our youtube channel as we post interview and performance footage from our archives as well as what influenced me musically & visually.
Paula Harris Groove Parlor TV / Chicago
http://www.fbook.me/grooveparlor / http://www.grooveparlortv.com
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an upcoming new release that I'm well excited about is José James' new release 'blackmagic'. you've likely heard the joy orbison remix of the same titled tune doing the rounds (it is pretty amazing in all honesty. a big tune). if not, check it here. well, the full album comes out on brownswood on Feb 1st and anticipation is building in many circles. i chose a different tune from the album as one of my top tunes from 2009 for the 'songs of praise' best of '09 show. Promise In Love is a collaboration with DJ Mitsu and is in the vein of the classic jazz standard sound.
Oh, and just 5 days after the album release José James and the Black Magic Band play at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards in London (which I cannot wait to attend). Check the lineup!
Download Promise in love (128)
buy Blackmagic remixes EP: iTunes, Brownswood
for sure a name to watch in 2010 is KrystalKlear from Belize. his sounds have been very well received by the deviation crew checking Benji B's show every Sunday night. electro-boogie sounds with warm synths that wrap themselves around your ears while the slow beats and bass get you into a proper 'electro' feel with some ace squelchy 303 action to keep you acid heads happy. now this is electro from the 80's that i'm talking about, kinda miami / 808 style and not what is commonly referred to as 'electro' these days (which offends me somewhat to be honest). not much known about KrystalKlear for now but hopefully we'll have an 'under the influence with...'post in the next few weeks to shed some light. so for now njoy the tune.
Anteater by KrystalKlear
picked up a hint of thise tonight from gilles peterson's tweets covering picks from the past year. "single of the year out of nowhere - trilogy - brother don't cry".
needless to say that one pays just a bit of heed to these kind of statements and so i had to go find this, as yet, unheard of tune. upon a bit of digging it seems that the tune may be by a band from australia, called youthman,and features a singer called luce. definitely links between trilogy and youthman but no matter as the tune is sublime. love finding these gems out of nowhere.
Download Brother don't cry (feat. luce)
buy: beatport junodownload iTunes
by the way... going to this? if not, you should.
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