Sunday, August 30, 2009

Smokey Robinson/Smoke and Then Rob Some Men


K'naan, J Period, Kardinal Offishall, General Steele, and Baja - Belly Full (from The Messengers EP 2009)

Strangely, pretty much every song by Somalian ex-pat now Toronto resident K'naan that I've heard I really like, yet I've heard maybe five of them. I need to cut some of the country rap tunes out of my diet to make room for some of that um, political stuff (just kidding!). This Bob Marley tribute (stay with me here...) track from the free EP The Messengers is executed the right way, as in far removed from some shit Lollapalloza band of white dudes with dreads. K'naan's rapping is great, and they do good with one of my favorite Marley joints. Probably time for me to hear Troubadour, I've been sleeping.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sugarhill Gang for Head of State


Nigerian Rap: The First Decade 1981-1991 Mix

Absolutely do not sleep on this amazing mix. I'm kind of amazed how fast Hip-Hop traveled (back?) across the Black Atlantic, 1980 is usually the earliest I've seen it show up outside of NYC in places like Washington D.C., Baltimore, ect. It didn't even get going on the West Coast until 1982 with Too Short! I have to warn you all, there is some funky-ass shit within this hour and a half. What the source has to say:

The first hip-hop record to achieve widespread popularity in Nigeria was
“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang, in 1979. Thirty years later, hip-hop is the premier pop music of Nigeria, dominating radio play as well as the sales charts, feted in megabudget videos, glossy magazines and glitzy award shows. When the average Nigerian kid decides to get into the music biz, the first impulse is not to grab a guitar or a talking drum, but to pick up a microphone.

It was a long way from there to here, though. For years, the earliest attempts at homegrown rap were ridiculed, resisted or downright reviled by the mainstream. And in some cases, perhaps, rightfully so: they were often awkward, overly imitative, fatuous. But they also laid the foundation for the 2Faces, the 9ices, the D’Banjes, Ruggedmans, Modenines and the rest of today’s Naija hip-hop superstars. So here’s our salute to some of the groundbreakers in the first decade of Nigerian hip-hop.


I'm about to get buckwild on their other radio shows.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Mix Series Vol 3: KOFFI GNATO


DOWNLOAD

Summer is almost over and we are all sad. Won't be long before Lake Michigan is frozen and the elote man's hustle is put on hold. I will start listening to nothing but mopey music and slip on the ice and drop my 40. Koffi Gnato out of Lyons, France isn't too excited about the change in seasons ether, and was nice enough to set Fall off for us with some Congolese Rhumba and Spanish African joints. A different situation than the past volumes, nothing but two turntables and a stack of *gasp* records spun together in a web of squealing guitars, tied off at the end with some of that bass stuff. Let this one seep out of your house to the back porch or stoop and enjoy some palm wine.

Tracklist:

2-une nuit au jandeer_cabral
3-orchestre baoba_mi son
4-babadjan_senin manin
5-kouyate sory kandia_minawa
6-bembeya jazz national_dagna
7-Ètoile de dakar_hombre mysteriosoy
8-les ambassadeurs internationaux_wassolon-fÙli
9-dr. nico et l'african fiesta_runeme mama
10-orchestre baobab_jin ma, jin ma
11-super mama djombo_alma beafada
12-balla et ses balladins_paulette
13-myriam makeba_tonados de media noche
14-ras g_soul pulsating
15-high tone_dreadfull bass
16-jackie-o_living it up
17-zimbabwe legit_rhymin' wit the african symphony
18-diplomats of solid sound feat the diplomettes_hurt me so (lack of afro rmx)
19-burial_southern comfort
20-ben sharpa_off the rails
21-flore feat shunda k_the test
22-buraka som sistema_general
23-afrozen orchestra_future afrobeat
24-wiley_eskiboy
25-rossi b and luca_nobody move

Unholy Shit

More, and more.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mama Tried



Kid Slizzard over at one of the best blogs in existence has made a slight shift in content and is now dedicated to hillbilly heat. He brings up the fact that both Country Music and Bounce music have more in common than one might think, and I agree. I like slide guitars and Triggermans equally, but I put George Jones above most music.

Another Harsh Reality in the Form of Rap Video

That dude tripping out on sherm really freaks me out.

1979-2001


DJ Technics - Rock the Boat (Doo Doo Remix) 1997?

8 years ago today Aaliyah's plane crashed after filming the video to Rock the Boat in the Bahamas. While it might be more appropriate to throw up one of her originals, I don't like the RIAA. Not sure if she was a Baltimore House fan but since this is one of my favorites it can't hurt to throw it up. Rest in peace.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Played This Game Once Before


Terry Riley - Your No Good (from Your No Good/Poppy No Good 1967/2004)

An important and rather slept on piece of music thats essential for fans of edits. A crate digger classic Latin Soul record, or rather two of them slowly distancing themselves from one another creating primitive tape echo that eventually falls in on itself. The drifting away Harvey Avern Dozen bands are born Siamese twins in the belly of a Moog and are killed off in the end in a storm of white noise. I guess a lot of people still get off to In C and Music for 18 Musicians but No Good confuses me more than all that minimal synth jargon and therefore is better to these ears.

Baby Your the Worst


Elephant Man - Worst I ever Had 2009

Man, if John Merrick had said such things to Anne Bancroft my favorite David Lynch film would make me even sadder. From the Kingston Elephant Man's mouth however they are pretty entertaining. Unfortunately he didn't toast over the whole thing, so his vocals are spliced between the original semi-grating Drake verses. I listen to a fair amount of R&B joints but man the dudes lollipopness makes my teeth hurt. Plus he was on Degrassi.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Ass Big Enough...


Schlachthofbronx - Belly Full of Pills Promo Mix 2009

Bavarian Bounce meets Soweto swagger. A deadly combination of Oktoberfest rave music and South African kids that sound like bees, this is a nice little preview to the EP out at the end of the month and the LP hopefully not long after that.

Also in related news, Spoek Mathambo's newest mix is well, bent. I mean that as a compliment of course.

Monday, August 17, 2009

It's After the End of the World Mix Series Vol 2: LAMIN FOFANA - FATMATA WAS HERE


DOWNLOAD

Back with another mix to add to the seemingly sluggish collection! I know, things have been a bit slow but that Taliesin mix did a lot of damage. The recovery process has been a long, drawn out one and this episode is just going to screw things up again. I guess the idea to start my own series came about after a few beers and about a million podcasts that I realized took up a great deal of my listening, especially when out and about. Sure, I'm a fan of walks sans headphones especially when you live in a neighborhood where Cumbia is played everywhere, but the EL train's metal-on-metal screech isn't usually so enjoyable. Influenced by wonderful volumes such as Blogariddims, Mad Decent Radio, and Mudd Up!, I felt the need to start my own and provide an outlet for DJs out there to "release" their concoctions in a free online form.

For vol 2 we have Lamin Fofana out of Brooklyn with a very sinister transmission for us all. A very intimate selection of tracks that float down a river of broken bass and eerie late night interference. As much at home in a damp basement party as your house at 3am. This is important to me, as it can be hard to cut up a rug in your bedroom even in Chicago where we have a little more space in our apartments. Big shout outs to Lamin for passing this my way, and be sure to check him out at NEW YORK TROPICAL 9 this Friday if your lucky enough to be in NYC.

Soku Na Rosto Video

Just stumbled on this great Funana video via Europe. Wall murals backdrop some weird chase story with some great MCing from Ize. Dude has a pretty impressive collection of sunglasses as well. I believe the song title means "Punch in Your Face" in English, but I wouldn't bet money on it. Definitely one of the best modern Cape Verde appearances on Youtube that I know, both visually and audibly.

Movin On Out...


The Pioneers - Ghetto (from Pusher Man 1978)

"And we're checkin', checkin' out...of the ghetto"

Summer is almost over but it's hooks like this that keep Reggae in my headphones until about October, and then again when I want to forget about Chicago snow in November.

Wine Wine Wine


Krys - Sexy Wine (from ? 2008)

Cheif Boima pointed me in the direction of French MC Krys while in search of less lovey Zouk related music. While a lot of my favorite recent Jamaican Dancehall production has been on a Southern Hip-Hop thing, this track has that Ravey sound that has found itself protruding from all that Slow Motion Soundz and Atlanta related Rap as of the last two years. Also been enjoying Admiral T (see Gwadada) and Mali (see Pa Pale Twop) as of late. If anyone wants to hook me up with better quality MP3s of this stuff that would be great, or a good place to buy CDs online?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

I Don't Drive But I Got Gas Money



Well look who it is.

We Invented the Refix


DJ Master D - Mad Drumz (NGUZUNGUZU Refix 2009)

A killer take on one of the best Bubbling House tracks by LA's Finest. Vocals and tons of strange sounds are added here, providing flesh to the skeleton all percussion track. DJ Master D knew what he was doing with the drums, and NGUZUNGUZU got the sample game on lock. Together it's on some chopped up diva Kuduro tip that makes me smile.

Also, I was told that listening to these guys on hallucinogens is scary as fuck, but in a good way. I figure this track is no exception.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Jocelyne Guilbault



Someone wanna let me borrow this book?

Hell Naw Hoe You Know They Polo


Young Dro - Do Wit You (from Lo Life 2009)

To call this a Nintendo beat would be a stretch, as the synth line in this isn't even up to speed with an Atari. Strange thing is the rest of it's contents is anything but Minimalism. Not the best raps on the mixtape (see Yes Sir) but Dro does rhyme horny with flamboyant. This whole black boy swag, white boy tags business is really strange. The Swagtard commeth.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Awesome Tapes from Morocco


Unknown Moroccan Cassette

Someone over at I Hate Music was nice enough to rip a handful of Moroccan cassettes for us, most of which don't have tons of information. This one in particular is very good, track 12 being my favorite. The "HIGH QUALITY" label on the tape is referring to the music, not the recording but we are fans of shit-fi over here sometimes.

The Others: (Rapidshare Links)

Sawt el Manara

Nass el Ghiwane - Vol 3 and Untitled (2 tapes)
Unknown (Brown Tape)
Nassiriphone ?
Unknown (Pink Tape)

I definitely prefer to have information on these, so if anyone could translate some of the information on these I would owe them for life (the cover pictures are tagged with the mp3s). It's nice to know who I'm listening to, but these are really nice.

More Morocco on Youtube

Really hectic Amazign video that takes place in a snow covered forest. This is no joke.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

One More Chicago Rap Video

I have a weird relationship with Chicago Hip-Hop. On the one hand, it's had a pretty big impact on me (Twista, Traxster, Crucial Conflict), on the other hand I could definitely do without it (two of the kids in this video). That said, one of those two kids isn't so annoying rapping in this song, and the other kid didn't make the beat. Good to see Skooda Chose get some more attention too.

Best parts of the video:

The fat white guy with gold chains, Skooda having the snow shoveled beneath his feet and his Impala door opened for him, the slide guitars, and the production value is pretty good.

I don't think I would really listen to this much without the visuals, but it's good to know some people still care about making rap videos. There have been some good ones you know.


PS I'm pro-internet but the fact that every rapper seems to be including the word BLOG in their raps lately bothers me.

Lookin Ass


DJ Nate - Forgive Me Remix (from ?)

I just noticed XLR8R is the first so far magazine to post anything about DJ Nate. Unfortunately I don't think they know anything we don't already know, but it's good there is some press out there on the kid. My guess if anybody out there owns some of his mixes they aren't sharing them with anyone and listen to them alone in their room with a healthy supply of Amphetamines, which is really rude.

Slide to the Left


DJ Beleza - Cha Cha Slide Kuduro Remix (from VA - New Beat of Angola unknown year)

Haha, whoa.

Beleza out in Lisbon got wind of DJ Casper's workout song via a Bally Total Fitness commercial and the Kuduro version was born. Why? I have no idea. While the original is as silly as the other Midwest line dances, this remix is kind of hot and the production is kind of banging. I was going to put this up on Generation Bass, but they are way to serious a crew to fuss with this silliness.

You Know How I Feel About Uncleanly Reels


Yabby U - Peace (from Beware 1978)

While my favorite Vivian Jackson track is probably Run Come Rally (from the great Jesus Dread collection), this is more summer friendly, less Sodom and Gomorrah talk. It's good for walking around the yard and pulling weeds while your broke ass is trying to earn some money because you can't find a real job. I speak from experience, I played this album non-stop when I used to do yard work for neighbors. While the echo on the sax makes me pretty happy, nearly all Yabby tracks I've heard (and I've got a sizable amount) have a stoned by a lake of fire vibe. Meaning your eyes are heavy, and Duppies appear even more terrifying and evil. The smoke never fully erased the demons in the magnetic tape while this man was in the studio. Make note he often had some of the sickest muddy low ends this side of Zion/The Heart of the Congos.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Ghetto Facsimiles



Not the greatest photo, but a view of Jim Jones' Harlem Bodega recreation "art installation" in the building of his studio in NYC. It also includes blown up photos of his block, and soon to include real concrete sidewalks.

Thanks Lil B (a few more blurry camera phone pics over at Basedworld).

Chicago Grime in 2009

Some throwback Traxster shit in 2009. I've seen tons of south side Hip-Hop videos on Youtube that are pretty identical to this, except this one has a good beat and better cars.

P.S. how is the new Twista album? Still haven't heard it, but I loved Walking on Ice.

Flautist, Composer, Sometimes Rapper


Dede Saint-Prix - Chélché (from Chouval Bwa Sans Frontières 1995)
Dede Saint-Prix - Chélché Instrumental (from Chouval Bwa Sans Frontières 1995)

Been on the prowl for more music from Martinique, this man being my entry into the world of Zouk, Biguine, Chouval Bwa, and some weird combinations of such. Dede is one of the pioneers of old school Chouval Bwa, as well as the genre's fusion with electronics called Zouk Chouv. He is a singer and flute player who's put in over 30 years in the game, who is known for bringing other Carribean sounds into his music, as well as occasionally rapping. So far I've only got around to hearing Chouval Bwa Sans Frontieres from the mid 90s, but I imagine I'll be spending the rest of the summer tracking all of his music down. This track is my favorite on the album, and I included the instrumental for DJs who feel like throwing down some magic on top of it.

Did you know they have blue spiders down there?

Some More Accordion Tweeness


Duda - Paque Lamenta (from Butuka and Funana vol 1 2009)

I had posted the video for Duda's Dja Txiga Nha Bes a few weeks back and I was happy to find another Funana Pop joint of her's that I don't have to listen to in shitty Youtube quality. More of the same quirky Synth and digital accordion business for those of us obsessed with Cape Verde right now. I'm guessing this is produced by the same folks who did the former track, which Vamanos was kind enough to point out is Normal Nada.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Lets!

Making a Young Mess


Messy Marv - Ask Yourself (from Prices on My Head, Thug Money on your Family vol 2 2009)

Some awesome Welsh dude took the time to create an archive of important events throughout history in which Messy Marv was present. The "Any Picture Can Be Improved by Adding Messy Marv to it" project depicts Young Mess at high school dances, in a tsunami, and destroying the Death Star with his eyes. He has witnessed the fall of Saddam, Bobby Kennedy's assassination, and the Hindenburg incident. Who would have thought?

Thanks to the great Nation of Thizzlam.