WICKED AWSUM

Take that beantown.


Happy birthday Lebron.

Bust a Botch and Hit the Throttle

Motherfuck a Dark Knight or the Watchman, wheres the Save-A-Hoe aka Lieutenant-Roast-A-Bootch flick?

Soul Glo Calypso

Bunji Garlin - "Put in the Thing" (from Global 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago's answer to Jamaican Dancehall, the word Soca is literally just the combination of the words soul and calypso, The difference between the lifespan of the two genres is that the early Soca (1980s) that I have is on a roots revolution Marley type tip, where as even in the 80s Dancehall was stricly for the dancehall. Fortunately for us deviants, this track by Soca superstar Bunji Garlin is an absurdly blatant anthem of sexual penetration. This track differs from most Soca I have, being a lot slower and more thumpy, yet not dubby enough for a dancehall riddim. I almost have a feeling this track might have ended up like this to appeal to the other islands in the Carribean, as there have been beefs between Soca and Dancehall/Reggae artists on the music, including Bunji and Jamaican artist I Wayne. Soca is now made all around the Caribbean but doesn't really compete with Jamaica being one of the largest music industries in the world. The "Soca Bhangra" meeting between Bunji and Punjabi Soca artist Shammi is worth hearing too, though it barely makes any sense.

He's Never Straight

Rocket from the Tombs - "Ain't It Fun" (from The Day The Earth Met Rocket from the Tombs 2002/1974)


"Reminds me of a conversation I had with a 15-year-old on a bus in 1968. She had just gotten out of the psycho ward after kicking a meth habit. "All I could listen to was the Doors. It was like Jim Morrison could see inside my head better than any shrink...now I can't stand their records." She later picked up a mild junk habit, and once when presented with the opportunity to ball her my own meth use negated my abilities. I digress, although somewhere in the larger digression lies some justification for the kind of people who can scrawl "I love my life!" on their shirts and get written up in The New Yorker.

Okay, the Modern Lovers album is good stuff. It's the album Transformer could have been (how important it is that we recall the dates). In a year that has brought us such dross as Station to Station, Coney Island Baby and The Eagles' Greatest Hits, you owe it to yourself to buy this record."

-Peter Laughner (Modern Lovers review in Creem Aug 1976)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Punk Magazine: Are you a rock star?

PL: YES! Can play maniac guitar better than Richard Lloyd or Ron Ashton, sing like Dylan with a cattle prod up his ass, make “Metal Machine Music” with only ONE amp, and look like nobody else so I’m original – Buncha other reasons but who wants to be verbose?

PM: Your favorite stars?

PL: One, Tom Verlaine. Two, John Cale – Drunk as a skunk! And Welsh, too! Three, Patti Smith – Despite the hype – She can sit on my face any time she wants.

PM: Good meal out?

PL: One, PATTI SMITH. Two, Katz’s Deli on Sunday AM withy hangover & Tina Weymouth.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This album made me so morose and depressed when I got the advance copy that I stayed drunk for three days. I didn't go to work. I had a horrible physical fight with my wife over a stupid bottle of 10 mg. Valiums. (She threw an ashtray, a brick, and a five foot candelabra at me, but I got her down and sat on her chest and beat her head on the wooden floor.) I called up the editor of this magazine (on my bill) and did virtually nothing but cough up phlegm in an alcoholic stupor for three hours, wishing somewhere in the back of my deadened brain that he could give me a clue as to why I should like this record.

-Peter Laughner (Review of Lou Reed Coney Island Baby Creem Aug 1976


More Laughner writings here.

African Pearl Necklace

Ensemble Instrumental de Mopti - Ambodejo (from African Pearls Vol. 3 One Day on Radio Mali 2006)

I have fallen off with the African joints, so here is a real monster from Mali. The word radio in the title of this release kind of lowered my expectations as it made me think about the Sublime Frequencies radio discs, which generally are the weaker ones. Luckily Syllart founder Ibrahima Sylla wasn't just turning a dial on this one, which is two cds full of great selections of 50s, 60s, and 70s Malian music. Sylla was born in Mali and is obviously no stranger to the music. Some of the selections are a bit more rock or pop sounding, this track has really strange flutes that give the rest of the instruments air to breathe. There is a vocal ranting similar to the Yaala Yaala Pekos and Yoro Diallos disc and not unlike a more holy version of toasting, The highlight of the collection but such a wide variety is covered here its definitely worth tracking down.


(Oh yeah, I am not positive this is actually a picture of the same group, but there is a good chance it is)

A Sleepy Fucking D Sleepover

Sleepy D - "Sleepy Fucking D" (from The Best of The Bay 2008 Mixtape 2008)


While Hurricane Chris talks about going to clubs hes not even old enough to get into, 17 year old east Oaklander Sleepy D aspires to turn 18 so he can soon drop hammers at the juice bars. The beat on this one is Yay Area minimalism, but not so dependent on the bass bombs. Pretty strange bucket sounding drums with some scattered sinewaves. Been pretty impressed by bay production recently, especially by The Click in a spaceship sounding "I can Sell That" on 40 Waters new one. The Messy Marv tracks on this Best of The Bay mixtape are not to be slept on, and I would have put them up but couldn't resist posting this picture I stole from Sleepy's myspace page.

Insect Circus Cumbia

Dick el Demasiado - Mosquito de Cumbia (from ? 200?)

This is a case where Byron Coley's over the top similes would actually be useful rather than just weird music dork ramblings. "A swarm of mosquitos bombarding you on a merry-go-round full of Colombian accordion players after your tripping partners thought you'd be more comfortable at a circus when the acid went bad" or something like that. Truly one of the more wacked out cumbia songs in existence, not to outshine the fireworks cumbia or Demasiado's other track where he samples pigs. Still on the search for where this is from, as this is the result of downloading random files with cumbia in the title on soulseek.

Locked up Behind Xanex Bars

Lil Wayne - I Feel Like Dying (from anything that wasn't The Carter III)

Alright, this isn't new, but I'll take any chance I can get to point out great Wayne vs The Carter III Wayne. I understand that Weezy at his most blatantly drug-addled wasn't really in the record companies plan for going platinum, but if his latest effort consisted of him playing guitar with his feet it would still sell millions. Ether way, this is a slice of the next great psychedelic rapper along with the Divine Styler, New Kingdom, and Fabo. "I Feel Like Dying" takes Wayne swimming around a bottle of Louis the XIII, playing football on marijuana streets, and diving off a mountain into sea of codiene, all revolving around a haunting sample reminding his listeners that just because Bun B did it, he's got no interest in putting down the cough syrup. Most likely, the song was pulled for the same reasons Led Zeppelin were called satan worshipers, the track has secret verses when you play it backwards. I dunno how true that actually is, but it's surprising how clear words come up from the alleged backmasking. Be on the lookout for Mr. Carters greatest psych rap hits, including this track as well as "Me and My Drank", which sounds like Wayne was sucking down Dust Off cans the studio keeps to clean their mixing boards.

Brain Is Gone OH NO

Bathroom Renovations - Apathetic Hell (from VA - The Potent Human EP 1980)
Bathroom Renovations - Intensly Henna'd (from VA - Unzipping The Abstract LP 1980)

In an attempt to steer away from rap music for a bit, here is a band from the pre-Smiths Manchester scene with one of the best band names ever. These tracks are their entire discography, sharing spots on these two comps with The Mekons and a bunch of other bands that only released two songs. There is pretty much no info on any of these bands because of this, and the only thing I have heard about these guys is that they were more hippies than punks. Makes sense, for this is some twee ass music. Once upon a time I was really into this kind of stuff along with the Weird Noise bands, The Homosexuals, ect and I still hold a certain fondness for all it's shit-fi glory.

Music of Micronesia

The Musicians of Micronesian - The Spirit of Micronesia (1995)


I was reading a bit on the group of islands known as Micronesia a few months back and the search for music from this crazy place begun. I am interested in music from every part of the world, and luckily these tiny islands were easier to crack down than I expected. After going through several weird websites that haven't been updated since the 90s I found this fucking amazing disc. Micronesia consists of a grouping of islands in the pacific; the Republic of Kiribati, the republic of the Marshal Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia which are Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, the Republic of Palau, Saipan and Guam. I really have never heard anything like the music on this disc, which consists of recordings from most of the islands. Sticks, conch shells, little kids laughing, terrifying sounding moans, hymns, and the sound of the tide are the main contributors, a box making a guest appearance. Heavy on the vocals and most of the time obvious what they are about, one native islander on Amazon.com even got pretty pissed that they included one of the funeral recordings. Some of the most powerful music I have ever heard that unfortunately seems to be out of print. Recorded on Smithsonians off-week sometime in the 90s, grab this wonderful stuff.

For The Xians

John Fahey - "Silent Night" (from Christmas Guitar 1982)


...and the nons.


A track from the only Christmas album I like.



Happy Holidays yalls

Go Go Gadget Club Mix

Junkard Band - Sardines (Tittsworth Remix) (from Balmer Loosies 2006)


Baltimore house twerking of the classic Junkyard Band cut done in good taste.

Lil Lil Wayne

B.G. - Fuck Big Boy feat Lil Wayne, UNLV, and Tec (from True Story 1995)


Here's Lil Wayne at 12 years old dissing a then 25 year old Mystikal to a Mannie Fresh beat with fake dog barks, barely audible triggermans, and a synth playing the hootchy cootchy dance song. Not much else to say, aside from this first B.G. album being pretty great and this track might be one of the weirdest things I've ever heard.

Chancha via Circuito - Rodante

Chancha via Circuito - "Cumbia Murguera" (from Rodante 2008)

If there was one person responsible for my buying into the cumbia hype this year, I would hold Pedro down in Buenos Aires responsible. Right as my obsession with the slow stomp was really taking off, the ZZK guys came to Portland and played a show to pretty much just me and anyone I dragged to Berbati's Pan. Even with nobody out on the dancefloor when I arrived, mr Chancha via Circuito was out there cutting up a rug by himself. When his own song (and probably the track I listened to the most in 2008) "Cumbia Murguera" came on, the venue didn't seem as empty. There were only about ten people moving their feet, one of them being me and the other was the man himself. We were both equally psyched on it, and while my rusty spanish didn't help out our conversation, he was cool enough to give me some CDs. His name has something to do with a train, and the music is a steam engine fueled by peoyte. While this album would be considered a cumbia record, the range of sounds and influences go much farther than South America. This only makes sense as the origins of cumbia themselves are rooted in three different continents. While still retaining the slow clave rhythms, some tracks act as a dancehall riddim while others remind of the Muslim rule of the Iberian Peninsula. The album reads naratively without sacrificing any elements of ass shaking commonly found in villera band Damas Gratis but without the long mullets. The weed leaf painted synths are definitely still here however, and this album along with The Fauna and El Remolon records continues the ZZK tradition of being sequenced to play like a psychedelic experience. One of my very favorite records of the year that makes me excited to hear what comes out of Buenos Aires next. The album can be grabbed here along with a bunch of awesome free mixtapes.

"I Brought The Flutes This Time"

All $tar Cashville's Prince - Mo Problems (from Starlito's Way: I Am Not Your Friend Mixtape 2007)


Yeah, the Nashville native is a favorite around here.

The hardest rapper to google seems to forever be a mixtape artist, but with the rap industry being in the state it is everyone seems stuck to the slimcase kinkos cd-rs and 3 year album delays. Maybe hip- hop will go the way of noise music and do one sided cassettes and candy paint pyrex lathe cuts. This first Starlito's Way mixtape has a lot of flutes, working well with All $tars' Rosé addled flow. Sounds like he recorded this while sitting on a Gucci pillow with a hookah in the middle of the booth. "Grey Goose" was fun, but he made a good decision to hold back on the alcohol anthems and if he decides to stick with the trippy vibes I am all for it. With most rappers using movie beats nowadays its nice to know one is using porn beats.

Hood Dudes Jamming Synths

Another dope Junkyard Band video.

Planet Junkyard

Strange footage of the Junkyard Band back in the day in a car commercial and random shots of D.C. while doing Planet Rock.

ZZK Mixtape Vol. 5 - Tremor

Once again another cool mix from Buenos Aires' ZZK Records. This one is a good mix of remixes and mashups from the ZZK camp, much of which consists South American folk joints. Only problem with this one is it starts off with that lame new M.I.A. song "Boyz". Almost turned it off but luckily it gets good quick and the Q-Tip mashup later on makes up for it. Like the others you can download this one for free here. Much love to you all down in Argentina and props on the artwork for these.

All Blurred Out

Salem - Trapdoor (unreleased)

Meth teeth rather than gold teeth, leather pants instead of Evisu jeans, I really don't know the deal behind these weird goth kids aside from being one of the only examples of screwing and chopping working outside the realm of hip hop and soul music. Maybe from Chicago, maybe from Michigan, maybe the love child of Kevin Sheilds and Michael Watts. Hoodgaze on the one hand, Loveless as the world turns slow on the other. This stuff can be found at both Turntable Lab and Rough Trade, which adds more to the headscratching that is Salem. I believe this track is going to, or already is out on their new 7" but I can't find details yet. One of the most enjoyable things to come out of 2008, and the creepiest. Brings Hope for next years David Banner/power electronics band collaboration.

A Festival With No Name

To all you New Yorkers, go check out Phil Niblocks 19th annual loft festival at Experimental Intermedia tonight to hear Erstwhile Records CEO spin 8 hours of music today from 3pm to 11pm including one of me and my friend Grahams tracks from our cdr we put out in 2007 (the one with the duct tape). Some great improv music will be spun, and the festival continues until the 21st. Go check it out!

224 Centre Street at Grand, Third Floor, N Y 10013
212.431.5127 | 431.6430
fax 212.431.4486

You can listen to it streamed live here

for more information on the fest, go here.

That Type of Son Of a Bitch

Snatch and The Poontangs - "Two Time Slim" (from Snatch and The Poontangs 1969)


Johnny Otis a.k.a. "the type of cocksucker to start an uprisin in a motherfuckers ass" put together this album somewhere between "Hey, Shine" and his son's psychedelic pop masterpiece "Strawberry Letter 23". Infact, Shuggie is on this as a teenager playing guitar. A fine album of sexually charged blues that must not be looked at in a novelty way, but as a brilliant work of filthy interpretations of African American folklore brought to you in part by the land where player hater came from.

PS, it seems as though my slowed down metallica post "mysteriously disappeared" which is a shame because I was pretty happy with that cover. Oh well, Lars is probably watching everyone on the internet who utters his band name, so ill refrain from posting any such thing on here.

Bruce Davidson

I said there was going to be more photography on here.


Before NYC got all pretty, Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson was key in documenting Harlem during the civil rights and beyond. "East 100th Street" remains one of the finest photobooks I have ever seen and "Subway" is a beautiful look at the MTA before the buff and the broken window policy. You can flip through a good portion of his books here.

Meet Mahjay

New photo series of mine of mine. Mahjay is a local high school kid who boxes at a little gym across the street from my house on Chicago ave. He dragged me into his gym a few months ago after he saw me with my clunky ass view camera in the park and we have been buddies ever since. My neighborhood has about 5 schools in a 10 block radius and this gym is packed with kids after school everyday. My first series on people so far, though I didn't really do anything aside from take light meter readings and click the shutter. Little dude was directing my ass.

Rest of the series can be seen here.


This blog needs more photography, music related or not.

Baltimore Throwback

Frank Ski - Live on V103 Early 1992


A real early radio set from family man and Obama friend Frank Ski (as pictured above with a Sloth?). Lots of old proto Bmore tracks as well as some percolating from the man you brough you Pull Ya Gunz Out and Whores In This House

Since Were All About Vocoders and All...

Mr Flagio - Take a Chance (Vocal Version) from Take a Chance 12" (1983)


The 8 minute mystery that defines Italo for me. I have never found any information on this guy and I think this is all he ever put out. Fair enough I guess? I would have thrown up the whole 12" but one of the tracks is corrupt for some reason. I felt this site needed a bit of a hip hop break, yet with all the talkin through synths going on these days this track is still relevant.

The Seventeen-Five-a-Keyan

All Star Cashville's Prince - Busy Freestyle


Nashville's finest over my favorite Jeezyesque beat of 2008 from part two of his "We were going to call it seventeen five a keyan but it didn't fit on the cover" series. All Star is one of the younger guys, but he comes off as mature for his age. Hopefully he isn't serious about putting down the goose and only drinking cough syrup though. Would be a shame for him to go the route of Big Moe before he actually gets an album out.



Also, I really love this picture and that record store looks amazing

1973-2007

UGK - "One Day"

Rest In peace buddy.

Some of my favorite Chad Butler moments:

Out on parole
"My skin is prettier than all your hoes skin"
"Feelins is like bootyholes"
This hook
This picture
Cocaineblunts interview
His part on this song
This jacket
UGK - Pink Ring
When he got a job shoveling snow

Wood Wheels Keep on Turnin'

Slim Thug - B.H.Oz (Excerpt)


Mr Boss Hogg does Creedence.

The Silver Tongued Devil and Earl

What I would do to hear a hip hop cover of "The Pilgrim - Chapter 33"

Shaking The Rafters and Geeking to The Pulpit

"He is rumored to have seen unidentified flying objects in the area of west Atlanta known as Bankhead"

Just Wanted to Make Love In This Club

Free Plaxico?

Trap House Mantra

G Side - Speed of Sound

What happened to the days when sampling meant Led Zepplin and Willie Hutch? Over the course of a year, I have aquired a Mudvane based club track, an Indiana Jones Baile Funk riddm and now some Alabama boys dabbling in yoga and meditating to Goodie Mob. I would have been a lot more relaxed if my hippie elementary teacher played this and passed around a bottle of cough syrup than burning sage and playing Enya. "Starshipz and Rocketz" has been getting tons of play around here, and these Huntsville guys are getting weirder by the mixtape.