Pussy Weed and Adderall

I've shown love to the mysterious footworkin' beast DJ Nate, but I've left out his partner in crime. DJ Elmoe is a bit more Juke in a K-Hole, less flaming crosses than Nate, but ether way your still gonna have a bad fucking time. This video has some pretty great moves from Elmoe and friends, but they cut out the part when mom came home and said "THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS". There will be more talk on the Footworking crowd to follow, that is if I can ever find these cats.

Titi

Titi - Music (from Facon 2008)

Matt over at Benn Loxo du Taccu started blogging again, which means good things will come to us all. The first good thing is the chunk of amazing Senegalese music he threw up, including Dakaroise superstar Titi. What a strange, disorienting rhythm going on here. Why do I think of Juke and its wiggiling pitch when I listen to this? Hard for me to talk about this one, so better to read the source than what I have to say about it.

The Rap Game's Trader of Exotic Goods

Gucci Mane, Busta Rhymes, and Shawty Lo - Hood Up (from ? 2009)

...Gucci Mane cool but his jewelry game arrogant

black stones African
red stones Indian
my pinky rings Jewish and it cost a lot of Benjamins

Probably my new favorite Guccetry as of late. I first though he said his "jewelry isn't Aryan" which might be better. The beat for this one reminds me of the Jeezy track I put up the other day, on some grave robbing in the hood thermin creep. Nevermind Busta though.

And man this picture weirds me out.

Where All Good People Go to Pray

The Orioles - Crying in the Chapel (from From Where I Stand recorded 1953)

Some dudes from Baltimore who are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a silo singing a country gospel song. Really, I'm pretty sure they just brought a shitty guitar and some mics into a church and used some bells they found. About 90% just vocals with the reverb turned up to 11. Sometimes I think I hear a frog in the background, it's great.

This is probably one of my favorite songs ever.

Grape Tapes

Big Moe, Bird, Demo, Key-C, Yungstar, Pokey, Haircut Joe, and K-Luv - Da Streets Ain't Right Freestyle (from DJ Screw - June 27th 1996)

The infamous 37 minute screw track that made the world turn slow to go along with one of the best Rap ads I've ever seen. Many thank yous go out to Kid Slizzard over at the great Twankle and Glisten for these scans for those of us who are too cheap to risk the janky subscription to Murder Dog.

Contemporary Masters of Mixtape Art

Young Jeezy - Trap Flies (from Trappin' Ain't Dead 2009)

OK, so Gucci the Glacier has a rather grim contender for best mixtape cover of 2009. There is definitely some scary shit going on on this track, like Jeezy seeing ghosts in the pyrex smoke. Re-up on the 1st and again on 15th, and again on the 31st when it's October.

The Pack Samples Frank Ski

Sorta late to the table on this one but still kind of exciting that the Hyphy crowd has a retro Ghetto House appreciation

Life, Love, and the Pursuit

Parliament - My Automobile (from Osmium 1970)

The Cadillac car company gets it's name from Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the French explorer responsible for giving Motor City it's name of Detroit. The Rolex is the Cadillac of wristwatches. This Parliament song is the Cadillac of Country Western Funk tunes.

What Do You Consider Screw?

Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love Screwed and Chopped (from DJ Screw - Dead End Representative 1998)

Of course I love my slowed down music, and I've explained before I'm interested in all aspects of pitch retardation. Cumbia Rebajada is the recent favorite, but I stay banging my screw on a pretty regular basis. I love Ron C's Fuck Action series like any other romantic, but not many of the post-Robert Davis DJs really do it for me. You could think of DJ Screw as the Lee Perry of Southern Hip Hop, and the mud of those old Screw tapes is an essential element not unlike the dirt on the reel to reels from the old Black Ark Studio. Those recordings of the Upsetters might have sounded better if Perry wasn't busy drinking the cleaning alcohol, but luckily atleast half his time was spent expelling duppies from them. I'm no lo-fi purist and I don't even own that many cassettes, but I'm a sucker for the sizzurp-caked goodness. When I find some weird not-so-Houston joint Screwed and Chopped, it's usually just some kind of Youtube Novelty (not to talk down on the Screwed Up Oldies mixtape, among others). When I find something as eyecatching as this Talking Heads spin-off classic on an actual Screw tape, I'm reminded of how much DJ Screw actually enjoyed music. He gives such a fucked up life to the non-rap tracks thoughout his discography, from the Reggae joints to the R&B so slow rendered nearly impossible to fuck to. Tom Tom Club's flirtations with Hip-Hop make it's context in this case very believeable, and proof of the south's alliance to the same roots of its northern neighbors.

Screwed Odditties mix vol 2 is on it's way, gimme about a week.

Gun Shot Music Part 1

Dan Bau Vietnam - Rider in the Sky (From Hó! - Roady Music from Vietnam 1998)

We all like gun shots, and my recent reach for this great collection of Hanoi street cowboys reminded me of that. These ones out-ghetto the stock rap glock noises and sound like firecrackers hitting sheet metal. For fans of easterners playing it like westerners a la Sublime Frequencies releases. We over here at It's After the End of the World don't support violence, but we do support the subtleties of Music Concret planting its seeds in pop music.

Oh My!

Combo Sampuesano - La Soberana (from VA - Cumbias Para Bailar ?)

In my new neighborhood of West Pilsen/Almost Little Village/mini Little Italy/Whatthefucksville, they play Cumbia inside the Dunkin Doughnuts all day everyday. It's open 24 hours too. It's always Mexican Sonidero stuff, though I have heard lots of Damas Gratis blasting out of cars. No complaints here. Don't even wear headphones when I'm walking anymore. I pulled this track from a big messy folder of mp3s and was reminded of the lack of Colombian stuff in the soundtrack to my daily wanderings. Mas acordeóns, menos teclados.

Can't claim to know much about this one, but I've seen Combo Sampuesano come up in some mixes by Rupture and Sonido Martines. The Disco Fuentes site turned up this awesome cover too, though I'm not sure it has anything to do with this band. It works I guess, the girl on the cover is rocking a Pollera dress at least. There is some weird little murmering going on in the background that seeps through the accordion takeover. Did the German ships filled with these funny looking boxes crash on the Colombian coast because of Duppies?! I'm looking into it right away.

Yellowmans

Major Lazer - Hold the Line (From Hold the Line 12" 2009)

Just a few quick words on the song that you have already heard and probably blogged about...

Been thinking and listening to Diplo and Switch's Jamaican project for a few weeks now and so far I'm pretty impressed, at least with this track. Everything else I've heard including the remixes have been dodgy, but they don't keep me from returning to the original. Hold the Line touches so much territory, and the other versions take that essential factor away (the Soca one is good though). It's a surf rock band lead by La Monte Young and some asshole in the audience forgot to turn off his cell phone. Forget the wubbly bass of dubstep for some Nokia vibrations, hey I think I just heard a horse say Nehhh. Oh hey Santigold, you can actually rap? Cool, I didn't forget about you, just forgot about your album. I saw Diplo, Mad Decent main man and label drunkard in Portland about 6 years ago when the Hollertronix mix came out, so I'd be wrong to claim his influence hasn't impacted me. I'd be so happy if dude spent more time doing this, less time listening to stupid bands (really dude?). Seriously, if I hear another Devandra Banhart or Animal Collective Cumbia remix I'm going to stop listening to music. That is really NOT COOL. I'm looking for weird Cumbia, not "New Weird Cumbia". Anyways, I'm excited to hear the rest of the Major Lazer album that I hope turns out like this heater, and not all silly like Zumbi (though "I'd rather eat your brains than your pussy" was pretty funny).

I'm on a Megabus heading from Milwaukee to Chicago right now, these things have wireless!

Someone is Friendless

New York Community Choir - I'll Keep a Light in My Window (from Soul Gospel vol 2 rec 1978)

A gospel group from Harlem probably not down with doing blow off silver spoons and riding white horses through Studio 54, but their music back in the 70s definitely had some cocaine sheen to it. I mean I'm not wanting to break out the dollar bill in the pews but damn, talk about Sunday morning fever. This is the Soul Glo of Christ, shed for you.

City of Chocolate

Backyard Band - Lemme See It (from 2-11-02 Bootleg 2002)

Funky-ass UGK Go Go cover. I told you I wasn't done talking about my favorite Washington D.C. band. This one is actually recorded pretty well too, which isn't usually stressed much with the ghetto jam band bootlegs. It's also really not something that I imagine translates well to record (though Creeping Through Da Hoodz sounds pretty correct). Still, I try to pretend like I love Go Go.

Check out Download Go Go for a bunch of 99 cent mp3s and whole albums for sale. So far I have only grabbed After Hours Band's cover of Thriller, which had all these zombies knocking on my door asking directions to Ben's Chili Bowl. It was crazy.

Carolyn Dezurik Interview

The Dezurik Sisters - The Arizona Yodeler (from The Cackle Sisters compilation 2002)

I wish.

I had been trying to get a hold of one of the remaining Cackle Sisters to try and get a few words for interview number 2 but I was unfortunately informed of her recent passing yesterday. Carolyn had lived with her husband Rusty in the Chicago suburbs since I'm guessing the 1960s and passed away this March at the age of 90. For those of you who don't know the music of the Dezurik sisters, they were yodelers who preformed on Chicago's National Barn Dance as well as the Grand Ole Opry and lots of TV shows. Their favorite music was the sounds of animals, which they would imitate (especially chickens) in their songs. Together they recorded some of my very favorite music, and probably some of the weirdest. I only wish I could have reached out sooner for meeting Carolyn would have been an honor. RIP, you surely will be missed.

Just discovered this motherload of radio show recordings thanks to WFMU that I was not aware of too, the more Cackle the better!

If you haven't don't forget to check out the DJ Slugo interview from a few weeks ago too!

Living the Life that We Sing in Our Song

Unesco Baka Pygmies Recordings 1990

The music of the Baka Pygmies is almost exclusively footed in vocal polyphonics with a technique called Jodel, strangely enough quite similar to European yodeling. The sounds themselves don't come out like Germans at all, but the overall method is very parrallel. The sounds are rapidly shot from the chest to the head based on sylables and sounds without meaning. Much of the use of instruments is due to influence and exchanges the Baka people had with the Bantu, a neighboring tribe in Cameroon. These recordings are from the French label Unesco, which I'm having trouble finding much information on. The music is absolutely gorgeous, Hut Song being one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Lots of children on here, which is a plus (no chimo). This is some powerful shit.

Pygmies really isn't so PC anymore so blame the French for my use of the word.

More info on the Bakas here.

Drug Abuse Loot

E 40 - On Oil Turned Up 2009

Droop E brings everyone up to speed with another rap meets rave on planet Pluto spaceship slap beat. Father E 40 seems busy ("Man I ain't had time to eat a sunflower seed") but came through with some pretty seasoned raps too. He also name drops my hometown Portland at the end, I guess Cool Nutz is in the new issue of the Source afterall. That subtle electric cello sounding thing is all out of tune and off key like it's from Droop's middle school band days prior to taking up the MPC and collecting Star Trek toys. Left field Hyphy at it's finest.

Thanks to the great Nation of Thizzlam for putting me up on this one. That is totally one of the best blog names in existence.

I Fear no Pestilence

Buju Banton - Murderer (from Wake Up Show Freestyles vol 1 2001)

Man, before the other day I hadn't heard this great Buju joint since like 8th grade. It wasn't till a few years later that I really got into Jamaican music but I heard this track in some skate video back then and loved it. I never actually had it in any form except on that VHS tape, and was reminded of it now almost 9 years later by a great mix by El Canyonazo of Gnawledge fame in which he dropped this sucker. Thanks a lot, I just finished college today and needed some middle school nostalgia or something. Really though, this version of the Banton classic is great and the lyrics are a favorite. The duppies have really been leaving me alone lately, that's good I think.

Damn look at Buju's shady ass in the Ferrari!

"Your Grandparents Suck"

DJ Assault - I Say Uuuah (from Everybody Fuck 12" 2003)

Craig Diamonds at his finest in my opinion. Probably my favorite use of a sample in the ghetto club world, though I might go with something from Chicago depending on the day of the week. This one came on out Assault's own Jefferson Ave records. The flash videos on the website have to be seen, especially the one for Yo Relatives.

I'm long overdue for a trip up to Detroit, but nobody in Chicago ever wants to go there with me.

Tink Tinks

Bowly - Mamiña 2009

Great little Funky House banger by Montreal's Bowly, complete with Chilean Carnivel band. I'm really into the hi-ends on this one, and that metallic Soca jingle had been ringing in my head all day. This kind of dying marching band sample makes me think of Big Tuck's Playing No Games and the batteries low trumpet sound. Much love to the man behind this track for sending me this my way. Canada, I always got your back.

Follow suit and send tracks my way people!

Wu-Note

Old Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers Instrumentals 1995

Other People have already thrown these up but fuck it, I love them. A lot more productive than me in 7th grade with a stolen copy of Photoshop changing logos to make my friends giggle. More Wu-Tang meets Blue Note covers over at creator Logan Walters' own site. In celebration of these wonderful things I am throwing up all the instrumentals from my favorite clan record that I recently found a zip file of. The instrumental to Snakes is in there, a song so dear to my heart and the first track I ever threw up on this page. Already been working on a remix, if only more Freeloadin' Rusty a capellas existed.

Before They Were Trapstars Part 2

Lil Flip ft C Note - Diamonds in Yo Face (from DJ Screw - Southside Most Wanted 1999)

18 year old Flip pre-debut in his first Screw tape appearance that I know of. Possibly his first single? Your boy was eating Lucky Charms rather than wearing them back then. I recently watched Leprechaun 6: Back 2 the Hood so I found it totally appropriate to throw this up. It's FILLED WITH CLOVERS NINJA.

Amazigh Grace

Lounes Matoub - Tavrats I L'hekam (from Lettre Ouverte Aux... 1998)

Jace reminded me again of how important this man was to the Berber world and free speech within music. Not afraid to speak his mind unlike most in North Africa, Lounes sang of secularism in his music and cut his Arabic classes in school as protest. A brazenly irreligious, pro-Berber rights activist was about as unpopular as you could get during the civil war of 91-02, and as a result Matoub was assassinated in 1998, just a few days before this CD was released. This was a decade after he had been shot five times during a riot by a police man, resulting in him being hospitalized for two years. Both sides of the struggle blame someone different for his death, but he remains a hero to the Kabyle with the music he left behind. This is the longer 20 minute track on the album, a sort of collage of instrumentation and speeches that I wish I could understand.

RIP 1956-1998


P.S., hard to fuck with that cover.


P.P.S., I finally realized my lack of Northern African posts and will remedy that with some Rai soon I promise.

Killing Yourself to Cumbia

There is room for everyone in the Cumbia game, including metalheads and lesbians.

One, Two, Cumbitwee

Los Wendys - Amor Internacional (from Cumbia Vaquera 2009?)

An adorable bit of Distrito Federal pop that dude over at King of the Surf was kind enough to put up amoung tons of other super Cumbia futurista bands. What a silly cover. The girlies with love this stuff more than they will you. Nintey-five percent of the time I'm way more into the gutter stuff, but this is just too damn cute. Hard dudes beware, this shit is twee as fuck!

Robbin Hood, Robbin in Another Hood

Gucci Mane ft Project Pat - Time to Eat (from Gucci the Glacier 2009)

Finishing up my last week of my useless BFA degree and I have to see this. What have I been doing with my time at school? This definitely raised the bar as far as mixtape cover art goes. Watch out Antarctica, Wilt Chamberlain is about to stash white girl in some igloo traphouses.

Man those polar bears RULE.

Thanks to somanyshrimp, your everyday source for Gucci Mane for pointing this out.

Commie Trot and How I Got Blacklisted While on My Way to School

Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble - Reunification Rainbow (from No Motherland Without You 1993)

Ever wonder what the hell everyone walking by you with ipods lodged in their ears is listening to? Sometimes if I'm in the Chicago loop where every other person is paying no attention to anything other than the song on their playlist, I try and guess just what might be playing in those tiny white headphones. Is the suit jamming some Animal Collective? Why the hell is this woman jogging downtown, and is she getting her sweat on to some Ayler? My guess is boy with girl pants is onto something I've never heard of. Anyways, today I got a bit paranoid that others were playing the same game as me while I was blasting this new found bit of Communist Pop from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Really, a strange kid walking around digging some North Korean's praise their Eternal President of the Republic seems almost flag worthy. Maybe even more so that the next song on the CD was Gucci Mane, followed by the Knight Rider theme. The Pochonbo Ensemble is one of the few state-sactioned musical groups in the north side, and one of the most popular. This is only due to the fact that un-sactioned MUSIC IS ILLEGAL. Somehow, these guys even toured Japan a few years back, which is about as ridiculous as a Dancehall festival in Boystown. Definitely Got to hand it to them for one of the best track titles I've ever heard. I really don't mean to shed light on one of the most terrible situations on the planet, but it really did kind of make me paranoid when I thought the fed on the sidewalk could hear what I was enjoying today. One of the scariest pieces of music I've ever heard.

Also, the above is a picture of an Arirang performance, the celebration of Kim Il Sung's birthday which must be seen. Not really so down with the tone of Vice Magazine, but still, watch it.

Also also, Eric Lafforgue's photos of the DPRK have to be seen. Thanks to fellow photography buff Antoine for these!