Same Old Song

Los Decadas - Polvo Y El Viento (from Sonido Fantasma C.J. Collection De Oro vol 19 2009)

One strategy for making your way through genres like Jazz is to cross reference the list of musicians to other records. I thought the Sax was dope on Journey Into Satchidananda, therefore I started checking out Pharoah Sanders. A simple plan that is replaced by pictures when digging through Sonidero CDs. What I'm getting at is that I totally look for the DJs with the coolest looking logos and start from there. Obviously looking at the list of bands is helpful too, but this recent release from Mexico's Fantasma (César Juárez) worked out fine. I picked this up in my backyard at Puebla Records & Gift Shop on Cermak which is small but very up-to-date with their New York City Sonidera releases. That section is even bigger than the local Duranguense one, but from what I understand Duranguense is most popular on the North Side, Cumbia on the South Side. This shop also operates at the "Maxwell Street" Market and they might apologize to you for not being unpacked yet if you come early in the week. They are also very helpful and fairly priced, cheaper than Jalisco on Chicago Ave which although expensive has a wider selection and pretty big Merengue shelf.

Oh yeah, this is not one of the best tracks on the CD, which has some pretty great synths overall, but an awesome cover of one of the lamest songs ever written. If I could think of a good name for it, this would be in the same series as that screwed Rush track I put up before. Sorry.

People People Still Wanna Cuss Cuss

Cuss Fix Riddim (2009)

Cuss Cuss was first preformed by Lloyd Robinson in 1969 and since has been one of the most versioned riddims in Jamaican history. The 80s Roots Radics version was actually the first early Dancehall song I remember making an impression on me, and I've collected a good deal of performances and alternative mutations since. A lot of my recent Bubbling listening has led me to pay closer attention to current riddims that aren't "Mickey Moused". I'm particularly impressed by this 2009 version, with a new set of claps and some backwards loops that breathe a new life into the 40 year old tune. Almost sounds like the original getting sucked into itself. It's hard to hide the association with old-school roots business, but this brand new fix is face-lift to the original dark theme. I'm honestly not all that impressed with most of the vocal versions, so I just put up the instrumental. Not really sure who I would want to hear over this.

Give It To Me Plenty

DJ Moortje - Money

This is my shit right now. So is this. And this. Moortjewatch 2.5.

You Big Dummy

Dat Nigah Tha Schit - I Want My Daddy's Records (from Pussy Pop 12" 1997)

Baltimore DJs weren't the only ones goofy enough to do it, Chicago fucked with Sanford and Son too. Not a theme song remix, but a sample from the episode where Fred demanded his fathers record collection from storage. It was totally recorded off a TV with a microphone. This is Paul Johnson under an alias he only used for this one record. I guess as far as playing this out, it's pretty outdated now that Technics don't even make turntables anymore.

New Weird Suriname

The Sukru Masters - Ai Sa Si (DJ Fasta R'Dam to Paramaribo Kawina/Bubbling remix) 2009

Combine the rabid patterns of West Africa in the form of Caribbean Drumz via The Netherlands with Afro-Surinamese folk music blah blah blah blah blah. Kawina is a song and dance formed after the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863 which has been kept alive by both the descendants of slaves and DJs within the diaspora of the Antilles. It is related to the Winti religion, in which "Wintis" or demigods are summoned by special rhythms. These Wintis can possess performers during ceremonies, but are a healing force, not an evil one like a Duppy. I'm curious what spirits the Bubbling remixes arouse? These aren't part of the goofy Moortje school, but usually mash-ups of Caribbean drum along tracks with popular male vocal groups. I don't imagine you would hear this kind of stuff at a party in The Netherlands, it's not ravey enough and doesn't mix as well with uppers. Probably a lot more likely to hear this in the actual Antilles, and at national pride festivals within the diaspora. There are some super bizarre Chutney versions of this stuff too, but that and Kaseko are a different story. If you have any remixes I don't have, your gonna email them to me right away.

For more listening, I've been compiling a collection of Suriname related music and videos in the form of a Youtube playlist. It's mostly stuff closely related to Suriname, not so much Bubbling via The Hague. Kawina dance ceremonies, Kaseko old and new, Chutney, Antillean Rap, Autotuned Ragga, Suriname Zouk, ect.

Factory Style

Jammin Gerald - Move It (from Factory Trax 12" 1994)
Jammin Gerald - Erk N Jerk (remix) (from Factory Thing 12" 1999)

Hmm, no love for Gerald on here, let's fix that! A series of records on Dance Mania were dedicated to the now defunct Factory club on Chicago's Westside, an important landmark in the history of House music. Jammin Gerald grew up at the right time, and on the right side of town, hence the existence of these tracks. His early records are a great example of the sound of the mid 90s when the bass started getting heavier, made very clear by 1994's Factory Trax. Erk N Jerk is from one of the later releases on DM, though it's mostly updated versions of his older singles. Like he kept the sounds on his MPC all this time, you can actually hear a bunch of samples he used 5 years prior as well as that same cold bass sound Deeon used for Headhunters. Guy was also up on Bmore before anyone else in Chicago, hell probably a lot of people in Baltimore too.

Don't Create

The Slits - Typical Girls (Brink Style) (from Cut 2009 Delux Edition)

The double CD edition of this classic Punk record came out about a week ago, and it's full of alternative takes and even a cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine. I don't generally buy these kind of reissues but Dennis Bovell was at the controls, which means the studio was kinda cloudy. This version of my favorite Slits track is not far off from sounding like a track on Tago Mago. The magnetic tape was eaten by a Duppy and the holes it left behind created a beautiful piece of feminist Music Concret Dub. A really bent attempt at making an instrumental track.

Somebody should remix the video to this version. Some killer dance moves on that joint.

Dubstairsteps

Baobinga & I.D. - Man Down 2009

An exclusive promo track to go along with Tongue Riddim, the first release on Baobinga's new Build label. I am very happy with the way this leans towards Kuduro, something I wish Dubstep would do more often. I will take these kind of drums over Drum and Bass sounding hats any day. Kuduro is scary, Dubstep sometimes just sounds dorky (thanks Taliesin).

Speaking of Dubstep...

I Know It's Ugly...

This site is way overdue for a face lift, I'm just pretty clueless when it comes to web design. Sorry about all the yellow that's gone on around here. Above new banner is only temporary, I just thought the Rudeboy blowin' bubbles was appropriate for the time being. Made me laugh at least.

Untitled

DJ Dsign & DJ Exota - Underground 2 2009

A while back I posted a youtube video of a really weird Bubblaeton track from this mix and I finally realized that you can download the whole thing for free. DJ Exota's half is a must hear, for it's Dem Bow as if done on a Commodore 64, and Busta Rhymes sounds crazy sped up. There's unsurprisingly an Axel F Bubbling remix on the Dsign side. The Beverly Hills Cop theme has a pretty long history of being huge in Europe, and don't worry it's still on a Rave tip even with "Soca" drums over it. Speaking of Globalization , Dsign is an Iraqi ex-pat in Holland, both of them are around 17 years old (?!), and they are associated with Kashd Up Recordz out of the Internet/New Zealand(??!) which is run by another 17 year old (???!) whose roster is half Samoan, and includes a Rwandan Hip-Hop group. What the fuck.

More Nateisms and Jittin Jesuses

Dollah Jones - Bang It! 2009

Been lending my ears to more Detroit sounds lately, a place which always confused me musically. This is the result of reading this article which roots Jittin to the Jitterbug in a century-long time line leaning towards the notion that it didn't start in Chicago. You don't think anyone already tried that with Juke? Ether way a good read, and there is some very interesting history to the way people dance in Detroit. I've always been curious how Ghettotech got so much more notice than Ghetto House, yet DJ Nate probably has a lot more Youtube views than Jittin Jesus. I mean Ass N Titties is a household name, but even DJ Funk has probably only been to Europe once. However, is there like a Kid Sister of Jit? This Dollah Jones song is a Rap track you can Jit to. I can't help but give a nod to Tha Pope's Bob That Back Down also from this year. Not that it's also a Merengue infused Jukerap, but as far as blurring the lines between rhymes and sines, it does the job right and we don't end up with anything like Hip-House. In both instances, the Non-Rap hook permits one to dance rather than just nod your head. The abundance of Rap related Ghetto House/Juke and Ghettotech/Jit tracks out there can be blamed on the radio that has ignored the source material for so long. Here in Chicago, the majority of Juke tracks you will usually hear on the radio are Hip-Hop remixes, and the ones that aren't are played at weird hours of the night when most people are drunk. Hell I've heard DJ Spinn play sets that were over half Baltimore House. The love triangle between the "Ghetto" club genres is a filthy relationship.

DJ Nate Acting Debut

We Got a Horse?

Hilarious video made for Lil Wyte's Acid. I only like this guy when he's making drug songs.

Call Me Mr. Damn He Ain't Copin That Is He

DJ Oreo - This My Circle

Another real dreamy one from Westsider DJ Oreo of Geto DJz fame. Melodramatic Footwork with a structure even more awkward than most. The other few tracks I've heard have a similar vibe, but much more in the vein of later Dance Mania singles. I think that means more sequenced, but I'm not really sure. Despite the title, this is more of an after party soundtrack with tension than it is parking lot music.

"Modern Dance"

An old Bubbling battle dance video. The kids got footwork! Fucking cartoon chase music, but the Lee Perry part kills.

Footwork as Contemporary Classical

DJ Trouble - Bangs and Wurks

I have no information on this guy except that he seems to travel in the same circles of the Heat Squad (DJ Nate's old crew) and Bang City. A dreamy slower track with a Disney sounding loop, which is what most of his music sounds like though sometimes with a substituted obvious classical sample (not that I would know it). There's something creepy about his music, which is ultimately overshadowed by Trak Genious hype. Not that I escape it, but there are other talented kids making Footwork that I'll eventually elaborate more on. At least there was, a lot of them including Nate have been pursuing Rap careers lately.

And a video with a Trouble mix overdubbed of the Heat Squad vs Bang City in a weird looking TV studio.

Best Heard As Shitty Vinyl Rip

Tim Harper - Toxic Waste (Original Mix) from Toxic Waste 12" 1992

There was a lot of experimentation going on in this era of Dance Mania singles. In the middle of the spectrum of House and Juke, right before the word "ghetto" was added, things were brewing. Toxic Waste has the eerie tinny feel similar to a lot of club music at the time, but with a bass line that still exists today, if not a bit slower. Hi-end tambourine and peaking claps cut through a backwards tape loop like a knife while the lows are frozen in time. Many older Ghetto House records assume the role of repetition, but this one borders on minimalism. I'd like to hear Genesis P-Orridge over this.

While we're at it, I can't resist throwing up Ozone from the same 12". Super cheesy epic bedroom synths.

Gyal Dem

Lady Saw - Get Over (Rainforest Riddim 2009)

I'll be the first to admit it, there is a ton of very misogynistic music on this site. I don't know if I'm just too desensitized or what, but the serious lack of female-oriented music on this site makes me look kind of like a dick. Really though, the words "I beat that bitch with a bat" aren't running through my head all day, and I probably listen to Ce'cile as much as I do DJ Deeon. My reaction isn't as thoughtful as some peoples, but Lady Saw's brazenness on this track should help a little. Definitely a different tone than her grim classic Sycamore Tree, she's got more a bad gyal Trina attitude if anything here. Always known for being "controversial" if controversy involves talking about safe sex and being a woman Dancehall musician, this one goes straight for the jugular (or maybe groin area). The eeriness of the Rainforest Riddim doesn't help us poor males ether, combined with her shit talking I'm at least feeling pretty emasculated. It's a man's, man's, man's world, but I don't think Lady Saw is willing to be the woman to care.

Dude, I'm Bubbling My Fucking Ass Off

The Moon - Blow the Speakers (Naffie & DJ Chuckie Remix) (from Bubbling top 100 2007)

Digging through newer Bubbling can be like cutting through the crowd at a rave filled with landmines. Occasionally someones glow stick hits one, causing the DJ to accidentally play a record at the wrong speed. Current music from the Antilles has been harder for me to find, but in the case of the Netherlands your going to hear a lot of Trance and corny Diva House. This is a fortunate case when the two meet and the results are good. Chuckie turns this Belgian single into a staggering Caribbean lazer anthem. He added Soca drums and kind of turned this one into something not unlike Funky House. A little more abrasive with less of a groove than what people in the UK are doing though. I'm not entirely sure what year this was recorded but by the sounds of it somewhere between 2003-2006. With the notion that Moortje style Bubbling kind of died out in the early 2000s as far as hearing it in clubs goes, I'm interested in what might happen with people more closely examining it's corpse in recent years. Maybe zombie is the right word for it. I don't imagine it making a comeback with guys like Chuckie and Hardwell since they are like, superstars, but I can definitely hear the sound making rounds through the weirdo outsider club crowds of the US and Europe right now.

Don't listen to me though, sift through it yourself.

No Argument, No Conversation

Busy Signal - Whine Up Whine Up (Round of Applause Riddim) 2009

This riddim has an interesting drum palette and is perfect for Busy. Synths are replaced by little falsetto outbursts. On a Jamaican snap music tip.

If you haven't yet, you need to watch Busy's six track video medley Hottt ed.

Bubbling Roots

Pretty cool old school DJ Moortje interview with footage of him driving through tunnels. The footage of General Levy sounds like Eephing. The second part contains some more talk about the speeding up factor that seems to bother a lot of Dancehall artists when applied to their own music.

The Definition of Ugly

Danny and the Dressmakers - 39 Golden Grates cassette box set 1979

Is this off topic? Is this supposed to be a "world music blog"? Is England part of that "world"? Whatever, if your a fan of weird shit you will dig this. Danny and the Dressmakers were the most fucked up band ever, and unfortunately there isn't much out there. And the little that's out there is rarer than hens teeth. If the L.A.F.M.S. hadn't already taken the title I'd say this is the lowest form of music. Graham Massey of 808 State fame and his goons made the music of their generation, that generation being broke as fuck glue sniffing London punks making sounds with cardboard. Kind of like the now generation of pill popping swagtards with pirated software, except instead of NME we have blogs to tell us what to listen to. "We swapped instruments. We picked up the ones we could play the least and ended up making about 20 albums, all on cassette." More primitive than children banging on cinder blocks, so dirty you'll want to bathe after listening. This particular cassette(s) is the only thing I've ever found digitalized that isn't a compilation with other DIY bands, and it was released on a label called Fuck Off ran by a guy named Kif Kif. If anyone out there has any other tapes from these guys, email me ASAP.

A Nightmare on State Street

The French love Ghetto House, and I have been enjoying the music of the Nightmare Juke Squad even after Halloween. I was familiar with a small amount of the Chicago Violator DJ European spin-off, but Kaptain Kadillac's recent Mad Decent mix made me dig a little deeper. The dark vibes from guys like Leatherface and DJ Hilti sustain the grime of the windy city, and the horror themes aren't even so over the top; I've probably got 20 versions of scary movie Juke and Footwork. They have tracks on Midwest labels like Electrobounce and Juke Trax, and they have a ton of free mixes on their Myspace pages. I haven't heard their Bmore stuff, but maybe they will actually make me care about the Lyn Collins break in 2009.

And while we're at it, Footwork slasher flick.

i-i-i-i-i

Throwback video from artist Claire Chanel that I stumbled onto again yesterday. You can still get her super screwed versions of Ciara on her site, but I don't see much recent activity in her resume. This is pretty much the same thing I was doing in 2005, and it being the Robitussin version isn't the only thing reminding me of high school. Maybe a gallery in Germany will want to screen my Sippin on Some Syrup edit too?

Chopped Up and Slopped Up

DJ Dave Quam 6,000,000 Watts - Baby It's Screw

Just having a little fun being currently unemployed.

Planet Zouk

Kassav - Soleil (from Vini Pou 1987)

A bee buzzing and phone ringing synth jam from the masters of Zouk. Totally 80s and weird, and one of my favorite Kassav joints. I heard they had Afrika Bambaataa posters all over the studio back in the day.

Lil Jon's Oktoberfest Backup Band

DJ Turk Disco - Balagan 2009

The folks over at Bucko Records have put up another batch of free music, and I can't stop listening to this one in particular. It touches a lot of areas I'm into right now, such as snare drums and Crunk Polka bands. There is a super goofy video that goes along with it too.

The Devil and Youtube

Although watching these high school kid dance videos makes me feel both old and like a pervert, these aren't just weird teenyboppers doing the Stanky Leg. They are weird teenyboppers dancing to really weird music like it's nothing. Even the crumbling public school system and the high murder rate among the youth doesn't compare to the impact that DJ Nate and friends have had on corruption of teens in this city. Thy Lord walketh, not footworketh across the water. THE KIDS AIN'T LIVIN' RIGHT!!!

Mix Series Vol 4: DJ Jean Shorts - It's In Your Blood

DOWNLOAD

Halloween was crazy. I'm still recovering in fact. Lots of Disco, not lots of space on the dance floor. Said party was put together by my good buddy Ben Marcus, aka DJ Jean Shorts. He's known for providing patrons with heat suitable for doing rails in the Delorean. Inspired by this picture we found of Snow White doin' Snow White, It's In Your Blood is about the reaction to rhythm. Dance music is human nature as he says, and this one isn't so much for the bedroom. It's for ass shaking, riding into the club on a white horse, and well if your into that kind of thing, cocaine. Whatever might be in your blood.

Tracklist:

John Carpenter//<> The Bank Robbery

Cage & Aviary//Television Train

Only Fools & Horses//Spectacle Wins (Holy Ghost Remix)

The Popular Peoples Front////Church Love

Del Shannon//Gemini (Pilooski Edit)

Mock & Toof//Underwater (Alternative Dub Version)

Holy Ghost!///-//I Will Come Back (Classixx Acapulco Nights Version)

Social Disco Club((The Way You Move (DiskJokke Remix)

RUNAWAY//Brooklyn Club Jam

Munk///// BackDown (Cut Copy Remix)

Jackpot//<>/// Ragazza (In Flangranti Remix)

Force Of Nature// To the Brain

Stealers Wheel//Stuck in the Middle With You (Terje Edit)