Malagasy Madness

Tso Drano - Samonina (from Tsapika Crazy unknown year)

Crazy little track from the coast of Madagascar. Totally has that Soca/Kuduro shuffle beat going on. Everything I hear from this island is the strangest.

Smokin That Peace Pipe, Smokin it Right!

The Wild Magnolias - Golden Crown (from The Wild Magnolias 1974)

Fat Tuesday is on its way and it's time for some carnival music, starting with my favorite Mardi Gras Indian tribe, The Wild Magnolias!

Every year the Big Chiefs in New Orleans strut the streets in heavy homemade costumes competing with other tribes that dress to impress, an event that has taken place since the 19th century. Elaborately sewn Native American beaded dresses, a whole flocks worth of feathers, and thosands of dollars and hours spent preparing the costumes for Mardi Gras. While shit talking gets flung around, Indian Masking used to be a rather violent event, as Mardi Gras was a day to settle scores between the tribes. James "Sugar Boy" Crawford's infamous Jock a Mo (aka Iko Iko) was based on the taunting chants rivals would throw at each other as they paraded through the city. The ruckus has calmed down and inner city black communities continue to meet up in Shakespere Park next to the C.J. Peete Projects and parade the city on Mardi Gras and St Joseph's Day in 150lbs costumes.

The Wild Magnolias tribe has existed since the 1950s and are one of the few tribes that have recorded material. Led by chief Bo Dollis since 1964, the group's music is a mix of streetwise New Orleans soul, Calypso, and Creole influence that have taken the group from the ghetto to Carnige Hall and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. I was happy to find out they have one of those weird 90s looking websites with some insane pictures of their costumes, one of them looking to have spinners on it.

Chico Buarque

Hello there folks. I'm Grisha, and I'm from Tel-Aviv, which is in Israel. Dave invited me to contribute, so here we go. I'm doing a show for an Israeli web radio called Halas, and it's called "Tropical Truth", just like Caetano Veloso's book, which I unfortunately never had a chance to check out. Naturally, the show's focused on Brazilian music, so that's what I'm gonna write about.

Well. As probably most people know, end of the sixties / beginning of the seventies weren't the easiest of times in Brazil. Dictatorship / censorship, all that shit. Caetano and Gilberto Gil were forced to leave their country and moved to London, Joao Gilberto and Carlos Lyra moved to Mexico. Chico Buarque went to Italy, because he used to live there as a kid. There he recorded two albums in Italian. First one of these is "Chico Buarque Na Italia", which is just standard Chico singing in Italian. The second one is, of course, "Per Un Pugno Di Samba", his collaboration with Ennio Morricone. The record company didn't think much of this LP's commercial potential, so it came out only in Italy, and later became a much sought-after item. The version in Portuguese, that Buarque also recorded vocals for, didn't come out until fucking 2000, when it was released on CD as "Sonho de um carnaval", in France only. WTF.

Anyway, the album is all versions of his songs from his first four albums, and Morricone's touches range from good to stunning. My favourite song on the album is the version of "Funeral de um lavrador", from "Vol. 3". To make it more interesting, I'm also posting the original, which of course is not half bad also, but the Morricone version is guaranteed to blow your brains out. Both are in Portuguese.

Chico Buarque - Funeral de um lavrador
Chico Buarque / Ennio Morricone - Funeral de um lavrador

Lower Forms of Music

Semool - Essai 3 (from Essais 1971)

I'm no Mutant Sounds and I haven't looked at the Nurse With Wound List in years, but sometimes gross shit like this fills the holes in my brain rap music has caused. I had a lot of fun in high school tracking down acid casualties such as these, and with my recent listening to The Breadwinner and Shadow Ring records I was reminded of Semool, one of the dirtiest records I know. Recorded back in the late 60s by a Pink Floyd cover band who were too fucked up to realize it. Along with Mahogany Brain, Red Noise, and Horrific Child, Semool joined the ranks of Futura's red imprint of French "rock" records not totally removed from their free jazz releases. I don't think I know of an album cover that better suits the music as this does, for it's best listened to in the fetal position. The band puts music in its coffin and play Black Sabbath riffs on their guitars with the shovels they used to bury it. The tape loops in their delays must have been from the same studios Sly recorded There's a Riot Goin On. Recommended for fans of The Shadow Ring, Jason Lescalleet, Danny and the Dressmakers, and people that like feeling uncomfortable.

Trimothy Leary

Trim - Where I'm Ere(Screwed and Chopped) (from Soulfood vol 1 2007)

A bit behind on this one but I don't give a fuck it rules.

Trim aka Trimothy aka Trimbal aka Taliban aka hard rapper to google gets the codeine treatment from Radioclit. Not the standard screw tape phaser sound, but Trim sounding equally scary over the crazy accordion and ghost sounds concoction that Roll Deep cooked up. Dude is brazen and probably has more beef in London than anybody.

Inspired by this song I have been putting together a mix of all my favorite slowed down oddities in my collection. Lots of screwed up oldies, classic Houston joints and some total oddballs.



In other Grime news that I'm late on, that Gang Gang Dance and Tichny Stryder song is fucking terrible.

Jackie Opel - Push Wood (from The Best of Jackie Opel 2002, recorded 1965)

As obscene as any Dancehall or Soca made nowadays, I'm not sure if Jackie calling his junk "Mango Wood" or refering to his girl's as fire is better. Jackie worked with Sir Coxsone back in the day, travelling to Kingston from his home in Bridgetown. He is credited as the father of "Spouge", a hybrid of styles developing in the Caribbean at the time. To me, he's a dirtier Alton Ellis rudeboy, and rules pretty hard.

So Close to Weed

Ce'cile - Rude Bwoy Thug Life (Cure Riddim 200?)

My knowledge of ladies in Jamaican music doesn't really go further than Hortense Ellis so I'm happy to have finally paid a little attention. Ce'cile kills the Cure Riddim dead here. If you've seen me in Chicago within the last week with headphones on, there is a good chance I was listening to Waiting and pretending it wasn't below freezing.

Shoulder Leans

Diamond and D Roc - The Bankhead Bounce (bass mix) (from 12" 1995)

Forget that footwork, what can your shoulders do? The track that started the snap and all the geeking out on the westside, brought to you by Diamond and the dude who would become one half of the Ying Yang Twins. It's hard to believe a hip hop record this minimal came out between Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt. The Atlanta Heritiage of whisper songs is a lot clearer due to this fucking weird shoulder percolator of a dance that Michael Jackson did on TV once.

The Video.

Stop All This Boogaloo Rudeboy!

Safi Abdullah - Afrika is Burning (from Rebel Soca 1989)

An anti-rudeboy, anti-disco, anti-freaking, anti-boogaloo earlier Soca track from this weird CD I found at the Harold Washington Library. It's not very soca and not very interesting production wise, but the hook is "Africa is burning, and the black man here is doing the freak" and provides some contrast to all the fuckin songs pouring out of the Caribbean.

I'm definitely not anti-rudeboy though.

Steppin in Caracas

Pacheko - Bi Polar Bear (from Lo Dubs Analog Crash Mix 2008)

Venezuelan Dubstep that sounds like a flooded raquetball court if it were hotboxed. A little bit of the atmospheric side of things, and a lot of the wobbly "makes me feel like a gangster" sound too. The dubbier remix by Starkey is also nice.

Still Searchin

Junior Delahaye - Traveling Man (from Showcase 12" 1982 reissue 2001)

Some dreamy shit brought to you by Ray Barnes aka Bullwackie. A cover of an old rocksteady joint that's as Curtis as it is Basic Channel. Decaying Falsettos that sound underwater, best listened to in the bathtub while your taking a break from expelling duppies

Hit Em with the Mule

Lil Goldie - Act a Donkey on a (from Act a Donkey on a 1997)

A Drag Rap sample triggerman classic with some of the weirdest album art I have ever laid eyes on. Looks like a Pen and Pixel meets Michael Hurley design. Why do all the girls have tails? Shit is twisted.

Be sure to check out Kid Slizzard's new Bounce Breaks Archive for a great collection of sample IDs from all the top dogs in Crescent City.

The Ski Mask Way

Disco D - Keys to The Whip (from Booty Bar Anthem 12")

It is rumored that Disco D was making people fuck on the dancefloor before he had even had his own cherry popped. The frontman for Ghetto Tech, he put out dozens of 12"s on his own as well as producing and remixing 50 Cent, Pharrell, Dj Slugo, and 8ball & MJG. In any format, "If the music makes the girls want to take off their panties at the end of the night, then you know that the music was good" was the D standard. Strange pitched up Metroplex sounding techno dragged through the Brewster-Douglass homes by some skinny jewish kid. A pioneering force in the corruption of house music and a grammy nominated producer working with rappers, Brazilians and TV jingles, Disco's mental health caught up with him late in his career. Detroit lost a good one in 2007 when D was found in his NYC apartment with a belt around his neck at only 26 years old, who had suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder all his life. It would be rude of me not to mention Disco with all of the Ghetto House I have been enjoying lately, so here's 2002s gold digger anthem.

RIP my friend (1980-2007)

One That Don't Give a Fuck

Backyard Band - Project Bitch Freestyles (from ?)

Mannie Fresh congo funk.

Hiding in Shadows We Don't Belong

VA - They're Gonna Find Us: The Sounds of Adultery (2009)

In 1967 while taking a break from cheating in poker, songwriter Dan Penn(penner of The Letter) along with Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Morman wrote At The Dark End of The Street, the tale of illicit love first made famous by James Carr. In under half an hour the two somehow created one of the finest songs of adultery in existence. Rather than a Trapped in The Closet kill the bitch situation, it's told through the eyes of the cheater with the shame of living in the shadows that is burden to both parties.

Inspired by Swamp Dogg, Luther Ingram, OV Wright, and my 15+ versions of said song, I made a short little mix of cheatin' songs to help ease the consciences of those guilty of breaking the 7th commandment. Scattered throughout the mix are versions of Dark End and other lies.

Tracklist:

1. James Carr - At The Dark End of The Street
2. O.V. Wright - He's My Son (Just The Same)
3. Ann Sexton - I'm His Wife, Your Just a Friend
4. Dicky Williams - In The Same Motel
5. Percy Sledge - It's All Wrong, But It's Alright
6. The Flying Burrito Brothers - At The Dark End of The Street
7. Luther Ingram - If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right
8. Swamp Dogg - The Baby is Mine
9. Doris Duke - If She's Your Wife Who am I?
10. Percy Sledge - At The Dark End of The Street
11. O.V. Wright - Eight Men, Four Women
12. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham - At The Dark End of The Street(Live)

(I think the tracklist might shift because my itunes is weird...but thats the order to listen)

Go Ahead Shuffle It

71 North Boyz - Cleveland Shuffle (from Hustle 101 year unknown)

The Cleveland Shuffle is some kind of odd dance in which you spin around in a circle to this weird looped version of Billy Jean. I have not found anything else on record by these cats, but there is a CDS of this track with some other joints on it. I'm too confused to tell if it's actually cool. See also the St Louis Pepper Step and the Mississippi Cha Cha Slide for more retarded spinning around. What the fuck.

Jukin for the Kids

DJ Deeon - Perc (from House Work!) 1995 Dancemania

"My grandmother is like...make some music without all the profanity in it for the little kids, but shit...it's hard as hell!"
-DJ Funk

A little girl singing the Percolator from Deeon's classic House Work! double LP thats great for DJing children's birthday parties. Juke ain't always about booty!

Also, a cool little early short with some commentary from DJ Funk, Jammin Gerald, Raymond Barney, ect on Ghetto House and Dance Mania Records.

Codeine Country

Just dug up this great article from the Houston Press during the Screwston boom of 2005 on Codeine music history in the city of syrup. The fishing for codeine story is pretty amazing. Been trying to re-find it for a while but it turns out it wasn't in the Chron.

Love Potion 69

The Clovers - Rotten Cocksuckers Ball (from If it ain't a Hit i'll Eat my Shit)

As Legend has it, the very same smelling like turpentine and looking like India ink dudes recorded this parody of Darktown Strutters Ball as an acetate for a record exec's personal collection which ended up on this comp along with other fabulous collections of ranch and roll for our pleasure. Really worth hearing the whole comp for such monster hits as Someone Else was Sucking my Dick Last Night, Fuck Off and two Johnny Otis/Snatch and The Poontangs joints that always cheer me up (one of which I previously posted and on somedays is my favorite song of all time). Sounds like it was a pretty great party that didn't require no goddamn taxi cab.

Ola Amazonica

Juaneco Y Su Combo - Ya Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo (from Chicha Masters vol 1 2008)

A heater from Pucallapa a dead grandpa. Juaneco was formed by a Chinese accordion player in the early 60s who's music has been featured on the Barbes' Roots of Chicha. A Chicha group who dressed like natives of Peru and played psych rock the Cumbia way and first in the Masters of Chicha series. I walked into a Boarders looking for a book they didn't have and felt obligated to buy a CD to avoid looking like a shoplifer and this was pretty much the only good one they had. Best experienced while looking at girls asses shaking.