Backseat Leanin

Bass Shaka Screwstep Mix

Now Dubstep is even more undanceable. Great for crawling around on the floor. Probably not a great idea to drive and listen to it, this might happen.

Via, Via Cold Tropics.

Weird Recognize Weird

I recently was put up on some great music from the label/collective known as Bucko Records that I really enjoyed a lot on the plane today. Basically a group of people who like each others vibes, some in Scandinavia, some in the Middle East, and not limited to any specific area aside from sound. They provide a handful of free tracks over at their site, including a really bent version of Sister Nancy, and techno with dogs barking. It's great, Sweden seems like a weird fucking place.

Have to check out the Kingdom remix of the Marcus Price and Carli track, where they add food into the pussy, weed, and alcohol trinity.

I don't think anything I just typed made any sense, just listen to the mp3s.

Lazerdazed and Confused

Tim Turbo and Danny Scrilla - California and Texas Tour Mix 2009

These two gentlemen were kind enough to send along this great promo mix for their US Lazerdaze tour. Pretty much exclusively productions and remixes from them and their German friends like Schlachthofbronx. I'm not gonna name any names, but Euro Lazer Bass> US Lazer Bass to me.

Oh did I mention it's hosted by Hippo expert Prince Zimboo?

Juking in Japan

D'Kawa - Kurokin (DJ Deeon Remix) (From Kurokin 12" 2005)

I have a large interest in the impact that both Detroit and Chicago have made on the world outside of the states, especially looking at whether Techno or House music took the lead. Obviously plenty of producers in Europe have been buying imports and even putting out their own Midwest singles for years, but I guess my knowledge outside of a few countries on the mainland and the UK is pretty limited. D'Kawa is a very Detroit influenced producer from Japan who in this case has another add in a layer of Chicago sound to the mix. While comparisons to the Percolator are kind of tired and/or obvious when talking about Ghetto House, this remix sounds like the "Keep Movin'" mix of Kurokin. It came from the slums of Middle America, went to Japan and came back again. Like the blues, the British Invasion, the 1970s.

Been on vacation in Portland but I'm about to start things up big again very soon.

Chance Operations

RIP Mang

Like the Sea, BASED

There are very few rappers I support that wear girl pants, but I find myself pretty perplexed by Lil B and his weird internet shenanigans. His 150+ Myspace pages with music about being both God and the Devil, and a blog about Nikola Tesla, slap beats and animal cruelty, this kid is out there. Sometimes he throws up some classic Bay Area joints, and he is quite fascinated by the instant thought powers of Twitter. He has received more pictures of girls in their underwear sporting his name in marker on their asses than any other rapper, but he'd rather get with Oprah. A strong interest in politics, aliens, and ecstasy is what drives this basket case to produce cosmic rant tracks distant from the teenage Hyphy school of Rap music.

The kids aren't alright

Dear God

Untold - Anaconda (from 12" 2009)

Been a while since I posted any sort of Dubstep or Funky business up here, and what better way to end that streak with this apocalyptic son of a bitch. Is there a genre called Doomstep yet? How in the FUCK do you dance to this?! I'd probably run away if I heard this at a club. The bass is almost on a Ghetto House tip at times, but crawling on the floor rather than four on the floor. This track scares the fuck out of me, but it's also one of the best things I've heard all year.

Zion Zouk

Kamee - Zayan (from L'anee Du Zouk 2009)

Trying to find more good Zouk these days, but I keep stumbling on all of the lovey dovey stuff. I want some more stuff like Kassav, where is it?! This track here is more of a roots reggae duppy conqueror type joint than actual Zouk, but I'm digging it.

BTW I have joined the great crew over at Generation Bass where I will be doing a few posts a week. Still going to be doing this blog regularly for sure, but I'm going to be saving a lot of my global bangers for over there. Still gonna be plenty of that on this site, but I'm trying to get this place weirder, or something. Also, more actual "writing", and of course more mixes. Expect some new found Funana joints over there this week!

Stanky Go Go

Thanks Twankle and Glisten.

And I Had Unquestionably Turned Duppy

That is the strange thing about turning duppy: at first you don't know it. Your duppy floats out of your dead body and you look around and think, "Boy, dis is funny! I slip and drop on de ground, but I feel better now!"

I Admit It

So I decided to get Twitter like two weeks ago and what I once thought was about the most ridiculous thing ever turned out to be great. Here is why:

PrinceZimboo Hippo is good till you get bite

diplo @mileycyrus do u like dubstep?

MistahFab LETS SAY IM N A ROOM WITH A BITCH AN THE HOE DONT WANA FUCK LIKE A MAN IMA BEAT MY MEAT AN GET MY FUCKIN NUT FASHO. POP IN A PORN GAME BABY

Expert of Tilapia

Cloak and Daggering

The Jamaica Star paper ran an article about the crazy diving into spread legs craze known as Daggering. An islanders point of view that takes on the opinions of those abroad viewing it as "barbaric". While it's pretty crazy, the opinions I have read from Americans have been a little more than uninformed. A few sites claims Daggering is just a violent form of sex that is breaking Jamaican men's penises, a few a week! I could definitely see how diving off a stage to hump someone could result in an injury, but it's a dance, and it's been around for a while even. "Dem fi know seh a we job a do. Is jus' our way fi mek money but some a it a stunt. Nuff a wah gwaan nuh real. We rehearse it so we know how fi land and how fi hold the woman dem so dem don't get hurt. Sometimes the move will go wrong, like when Marvin knock out the girl," to quote Garth Sample from the article. Interesting thoughts on women in Dancehall as well.

Half a Millennia Underground

Another reason why Cape Verde rules. Way ahead of the game over 500 years ago as far as ass shaking goes!

My Swag Got an Amp

Gucci Mane - Weird (from The Gooch 2009)

As the title suggests, this is probably the farthest the Gooch has gone into the left field as of yet. He somehow manages to make a christmas song in July (diamond same color as Santa Clause beard B/W Jingle Bells-Bubble Kush Smells) and adds another one onto the list of adjective raps. The beat is some completely bent worms crawling through synths production probably done by Zaytoven. For lack of a better word, psychedelic. Trapstep? Weezys are from Mars, Gucci Manes are from Jupiter.

This Motherfucker Again?

Man, three incredible mixes in three weeks. The kids got work ethic.

Taliesin - Definitely Maybe (PDX in Dub)

Taliesin - Batture (It's After the End of the World Mix Series vol 1)

Taliesin - Heavy Sick (Ghetto Bazaar)

Toshiya Tsunoda on Field Recording

Over at Erstwhile Records founder and good friend Jon Abbey's Erstwords, the focus to form a collection of great writings on experimental and more notably improvised music is really coming together. Recently Japanese field recording artist Toshiya Tsunoda contributed a great write-up on why he does what he does, and it's connections to experimental music. If you don't know his wonderful Scenery of Decalcomania from a few years back it's best you hear it. Beautiful compositions with tiny mics that basically play themselves. Imagine listening to one of those "pure moods" enviromental sounds records if you had the hearing range of an ant.

Thanks to Jon for putting this one up and his wife Yuko for translating, and the two of them for taking me to the best Thai restaurant I've ever been to out in Queens.

I, Myself Are Smiling

The Gaylads - Simple Way of Living (from Soul Beat 1967)

Been rocking the fuck out of this song lately. So good for summer. Rudeboy Rocksteady for your BBQ where no shoes, no shirt gets you service. Duppies on the other hand gets you nothing.

Southside Still Holding

Charlie Glitch - Merengue Mix 2009

I admit I was kind of hoping for some Dominican version of Juke, but I will settle for a short but sweet little mix by Ghetto Division member Charlie Glitch. They DJ every Saturday night over at Juniors on Cermak, 2 blocks from my house and I somehow haven't got off my ass to go.

In other news, I have heard "Bang Bang Bang, Skeet Skeet Skeet" playing out of every house party down here on the Southside. I guess Chicagoans still like it's musical "stepchild" afterall.

Real Recognizing Real

An entire blog dedicated to "Devil shit and more". All your favorite Three Six joints are up there, like the one with the Doom gun sounds for hi-hats.

Oh and Juicy J is on youtube, where you can watch him making an omlette.

Good Press Lately

Few articles I've enjoyed in the past week...

XLR8R ran an article in the latest issue on ZZK records in which they are taken on a journey by everyones favorite Avant-Cumbia hooligans to the crews favorite haunts in Buenos Aires. Really makes me ask myself, what the fuck am I doing in this frozen shithole known as Chicago?


Said Magazine also ran an article I missed back in April on everyone's favorite Midwestern goth kids "Yes We Really Do Smoke Crack" Salem. Highlights from the article/interview:

*John: In a lot of white trash towns where we’re from kids are into that for some reason. They like to torture animals and cut themselves and bleed into cups and worship the devil. That’s everywhere. In small meth towns that’s really big. The Midwest has that on lock.

*“There is this song called ‘Haffa’ that I made when I was really, really high on OxyContin,” says 20-year-old Jack Donoghue, the main beat-maker of the triad. “I don’t think I would have been able to make it sound like that if I wasn’t.”

*Donoghue tells me straight-up that the last band fight was about member John Holland smoking crack in the bedroom (he’s supposed to hit the pipe and blow out the bathroom window), and all agree that the only drug they don’t really like is weed.

The New Fader is also full of some good stuff, Including Rupture's article on Dominican Mambo star Omega and Cheif Boima's article on "proto-Jerk" youngin's D-Lo and Sleepy D.

It's After the End of the World Mix Series Vol 1: TALIESIN - BATTURE MIX

DOWNLOAD

I am proud to present the first in a series of mixes featured on this site created by some of my favorite DJs and musicians working today. This will be an ongoing collection and when I figure it out, a podcast too. There is no real focus or theme to the overall outlook, aside from taking a look at the format of the mix and it's purpose.

For the first episode, we have Taliesin of the NYC Dutty Artz crew doing it real weird. A slow moving collage of tracks on a comedown tip. The youngin has always been a favorite around these parts and he was nice enough to set things off for us all. Much love to the man for his contribution.

The Batture Mix....
the batture is the space between the levee and Mississippi in New Orleans- or at least, that's what it means to me. I used to go down there when I was little and my mom was still in school. She'd bring me down for these great big bonfire parties- on that side of the levee you could just do whatever you want.

As far as I know, if you lived there, you didnt have to pay any property taxes- of course, if the river rose up- which is does often, your pretty fucked. People have all sorts of solutions- and some of the houses down there have an architecture that explicitly addresses the potential of water rising. I've always been in love with that space- it felt forbidden and full of the type of freedom I associate with New Orleans and growing up for a bit there. I used to be pretty embarassed about my family being from the south- white people in the North sure like to point fingers when it comes to making themselves feel liberal and good. As Ive gotten older I've become more proud and aware about my heritage.

This mix- Batture Mix- is a step back from alot of the things I've been releasing the last few years- it's a bit of an after party thing- or a kicking it at home thing- I think it's goofy that some many people just put out banger mixes- as though they arnt just alone in their bedrooms while they do it. So rough and tumble here it is... rest be assured you come see me at a gig and I'll work you out- but until then- enjoy something a bit less agresive- put on some head phones and enjoy. Art direction from the infinitely talented Elvia at EadersDigest.com

-Taliesin

Tracklist

Bryce Isbell - Four Pills
Lil B - Time
Salem - Sweat
Lil Wayne - The Block is Hot (Haaaawwttt Mix)
El Hijo de La Cumbia - A Través Del Tiempo
77 Klash - Call Me
Colleen - Mining in the Rain
A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Rage
Clouds - Protecting Hands pt. 1
Kid 606 - Monster (Cardopusher RMX)
Jahdan Blakkamoore- Nice Green (acapella)
Culturally Relevant Outro

Late Ass Hippy Makeout Crud

Ya Ho Wa 13 - I Can Read Your Mind (from All Or Nothing at All 1974)

Long before the Rap magazine existed, there was a commune in Los Angeles who ran a restaurant in the Hollywood Hills and went by the Source Family. Led by a man with 14 "spiritual wives" who died from a hang-gliding accident in 1975, the group put out a handful of fully improvised albums of "extreme psychedelic music" that get dorky record collectors wet when an original pops up. I've lost a large portion of interest in all this hippie shit that I used to spend my money on in high school, but I bring these cats up because I saw an Empty Bottle flyer for their show next thursday here in Chicago. It will probably be awful, but I'm sort of tempted to show up. Speaking of awful, this track is from an albums that's just that. However, I'm into scary shit, and this song of praise for the late leader of the pack by some of his "spiritual wives" tops the Manson Family in terms of creepiness for me. Here's a better review of the album:

"Late ass hippy makeout crud...Father Yod only blows the horn on the cover but does not participate on this lame album. The only noteworthy track is the bonus track "The Great Woe". "It wiggles with enough lopside mania to sound like a coed version of The Godz' "Quack (I am a quack). Around this time Father Yod changed his name into Yahoweh or Yahowah, depending on who's spelling the story, and decreed that his family could wear coloured clothes."
-Byron Coley

Wildness

NGUZUNGUZU and Total Freedom - Club Vortex Mix July 2009

Welp, I know its only halfway through the year but hands down this is the best mix to come out of 2009. If you haven't been paying attention to Ghetto House sound artists NGUZUNGUZU you are a damn fool. Here they pair up with Total Freedom for another super weird electro-acoustic party mix that could have as easily been created in a studio with Pierre Schaffer assisting as it could have with laptops and turntables. They kind of out DJ Nate the man himself, and take the Chicago sound across the globe, making up genres as they go along. Live drum machines over vocals over Abelton over CDs over Vinyl over time machine. Even more unrecognizable then their other mixes, where the only sounds you can make out are the Percolator and the Lyn Collins break. One of the most exciting things happening in modern music, in any area.

Even better than the old "Ruff Mix" and I still listen to that almost daily when I'm looking for a ghettostepia fix.

The Broke Ass Mayfield?

Swamp Dogg - God Ain't Blessing America (from Have You Heard this Story? 1974)

Post Independence Day buzzkill by the poor man's Curtis. One of the most brazen men in soul, see him on his new album nailed to the cross wearing an American flag for underwear. Was last seen riding a rat through the streets of Atlanta telling everyone to "get their shit on right".

Ghetto House Yearbook

DJ Milton - Dop the "P" (from Trax 4 Daze 12" 1995)

Above is a photo of the now incarcerated Dance Mania favorite DJ Milton. I've spoken before of my love and obsession with anything the man standing to Slugo's right ever touched, so no need for any more rants. Pictures are completely absent anywhere on the web, aside from this one. To go along with the evidence, one of Milton's best tracks and well probably the weirdest blow job song I have ever heard. If I was to try to describe this with words, a Music Concret version of "Put Cha D in Her Mouth". I think Milton single handedly invented Ghetto Industrial right here too.

The 12 days of Juke

DJ Deeon - The Season to Be (from P.I.M.P. 12" 1997)

Another edition of Ghetto House tracks about holidays. Here we find Deeon aka Debo aka Debo Bang aka Playground Productionz aka the dude behind the Sox Park Mob mixtapes decking the halls of the Robert Taylor Homes with some X-Mas synth cheer. An off-key, off-kilter, off-brand example of a DJ off his goddamn rocker due to heavy Chicago snowfall. Along with John Fahey's guitars of gay apparel one of the only acceptable holiday songs. When the fuck you would listen to this I have no idea, maybe another thing to throw on during one of your awesome closet parties were your friends can of Dust-Off and bottle of paint thinner were invited. Might want to try alone on Christmas with a stack of House records too.

Nomad Rock

Groupe Oyiwane - Tagot (from VA - Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara 2005)

I dig the new Group Doueh record, and it reminded me of my favorite (by far) of the Rough Guide series, the Sahara edition. It contains a handful of other southern Moroccan guitar groups like the Sublime Frequency superstars, as well as some great stuff from neighboring Mauritania and the rest of the Sahrawi territory region. These compilations are certainly very rough places to start, but that's all you can really ask for when they are titled as such.

I just realized that my copy of Fata Morgana is missing, which makes me sad.

Dial Tone House

I started this Chicago Ghetto House primer back in February but never got around to finishing it. It's like a 20 records you should hear sort of thing, all Chicago except for Whores in this House. It's possible that I might finish it, but I'm gonna go ahead and throw a few entrees on it up, starting with the first House record I know of that used the word BITCH.

Terry "Housemaster" Baldwin - The Bitch is Naggin Me(nag mix) (from 12" 1991)

The last thing anybody wants when your in the studio is some asshole's cell phone going off when your recording. In this case, Terry Baldwin just went with the flow, releasing a barrage of back stabbing raps while his ex-girlfriends kept leaving angry voice mails. An 8 minute long sound collage that's pretty much only for your own misogynistic pleasure, not for the dance floor. The alternative "Sap" mix on the 12" is definitely footwork friendly however, which almost has a Baltimore break going on. I'm all for this one personally, I fucking hate answering my phone. Don't call Terry, he'll call you.

Sorry that the rip is sorta screwed up at the end, wasn't my fault!

I've Been Muted!

I was fucking around with Final Cut Pro last night and decided to try and make a little promo for Youtube. Said promo was just the little Keith Hudson at the corner of the page zooming out, with some music. Said music was the old Colombian Cumbia joint "La Verdolaga" cutting into Brian Kidd's motherfucker of a beat for Rich Boy's "Get to Poppin". This video was muted in about an hour by WMG, and I think the funniest part about it is that they don't own the rights to "La Verdolaga", which was 85% of the video. Oh well I guess?

I support all those out there in the streets selling bootleg CD-Rs.