Happy All the Time

Joseph Spence - There Will be a Happy Meeting in Glory (from Complete Folkway Recordings 1958)

"Can you read music, Spence?" He replied, "No, I cannot read music." "How did you learn this song?" Indicating the book, he said, "From this book, mon. There's a lot of funny songs in this book. Lot of funny songs." "But if you can't read notes, how did you learn the melody to this song?" The response which typified Spence's personality, "I's talented."

-The Nassau Guardian March 19th, 2004

Caught between the great Bahamian sponge blight and the microphones of Alan Lomax sat a man who never heard recordings of himself, never had a drivers license, and quite possibly never met another guitarist. The finger styles of Joseph Spence are one of the most extraordinary examples of self-learned musicianship these ears know, making most "outsider" artist sound like guitar instructors in comparison. The backing to Spence's playing could be attributed to a number of things, including his years as a sponge hooker as a teenager and later on a stonemason, giving him great strength in his hands. His thumbs wrapping on his guitar were the key, as was his strange tuning style and complete blindness to musical notation. While certainly American blues rings a bell, his music was usually almost always about happiness rather than sorrow, hence the words "Happy All the Time". I'd closer relate his music to Christmas Carols, something he enjoyed immensely. Sitting on the porch playing guitar constantly only stopping to ride around on his bike, Joseph lived a full life in Andros and later Nassau with his wife Louise. He had breif success with some touring near the end of his life, but remains largely unrecognized. I really can't think of many people I'd rather hang out with, and really can't think of much music as good as the recordings of Joseph Spence.

Not a duppy in sight here!

For more Spence stories, read this excellent article from the Nassau Guardian.

Country Rap Tunes

Boss Hogg Outlawz - Intro (from Boyz N Blue 2004)

This is way better than Slim's new attempt to make Flock of Seagulls hood. That said, I like the new record enough, especially the 9 minute Welcome 2 Houston. One of those everyone from Texas tracks with one of those Miami Vice beats.

I would have used that awesome picture of Mr Boss of all Bosses out fishing but I already used it for his CCR cover.

Red and White Walls

Can someone out there hook me up with the mp3?!

Mouth Noises and Aqua Duppies

The Ring Craft Posse - Waterford (from St Catherine in Dub 1972-1984 released 2004)

Felt the need to throw up the strangest track from Sly and Robby's great underwater Dub group. You know how Timbaland does that beat boxing thing to find a rhythm, and leaves it in the track? That stuff happens here too, with plenty of tape delay. The weed smoke wasn't able to reach these duppies crawling through the Caribbean Sea.

Chicago Cumbia Spot #1

Gina y Lost Fieles - Vuelve, Velve Amorcito (from Dinastia Perea Cumbias Chilenas 1997)

Went for a little stroll around the neighborhood the other night and it turns out I have lived right next to a Latin record store for almost a year now. It's a little joint called Jalisco Discoteca Electronicas located about 4 blocks west of Ashland on Chicago ave, and it's jam packed with an insane selection of Cumbia mixtapes. I almost grabbed some Merengue CDs with crazy naked girl covers but ended up just checking out some Sonidero stuff. Really been digging this track that has pretty similar production to a CD I bought from Kumbala in Brooklyn (includes the intro track on DJ/Rupture's great new K-K-Kumbia mix). It's got this decaying quality to it, like the guitar mics were fucked up. I got to get off my ass and find more places like this here in Second City, and get a Cumbia map going like this NYC one. Apologies for being such a lazy record digger.

Trip The Fucking Club Out

Blastto - Your Gonna Miss Me Baltimore House Remix (from the internet 2009?)

Roky Erickson ran away from the nursing home and ended up at Club Choices on the west side of Baltimore where he was warmly welcomed with a permanent DJ residency. After a few weeks he was kicked out for freaking everyone out with his prolonged TV static staring and frequent acid flashbacks. Here are the results.

All This House Music Fuss

Magebz - What Do You Say (from The Passion 2008)

Interesting contrast to the Kwaito going on right now, here's some South African Rap. Magebz was birthed with a Doggystyle tape in his hands, and has been performing since he was in primary school. Interesting life story, he was displaced as a child to Pretoria after his mother was hijacked from their home in Soweto. He's got an NWA point of view with somewhat of a Hypnotized Minds kind of grit to his voice. More free Kwaito and South African rap over at this place.

Dolamite Does Deals with the Devil

Nat Dove and the Devils - Ghetto St U.S.A. (from Petey Wheatstraw OST 1977)

Some ghetto funk from the evilest flick in the Dolamite series. Record players get smashed, an entire church gets gunned down (twice), and Rudy Ray Moore shoots explosions at Lucifer with his own pimp cane. On some Kenneth Anger in Compton type shit. Scorpio Rising in furs.

Tilapia and Shark

Young Dro - Clean With It (from The Young and the Restless ? 2009)

Amazing how Dro goes off the way he does over this slowly creeping beat. It's kind of one of those worms crawling through synths productions a la Play but with one leg knee-deep in some Willy Wonka world. So far one of the best rap tracks to come out of 2009 if I was to be asked.

Thanks Noz.

ZZK Tour 2009

If your in Chicago and don't come out to Sonotheque for this, I'm not your friend anymore. Same goes for Portland and everywhere else for that matter.

DON'T BE A FOOL, GET YOUR CUMBIA FIX COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU!

Some Notable Mixes

Taliesin - Virtual Light 2008

An old one I missed from last summer. NYC native now ex-pat in Budapest somehow gets away with having Merce Cunningham introduce Bone Crusher in his homage to the low end. A short but sweet collection of left field bangers with the politics toned down a notch from his election week Apricity Mix, but with the signature Taliesin painterly like Basshead collage steeze. I've scratched my head so much its started to hurt.


Douster - ZZK Mixtape vol 6 2009

The sixth in ZZK Records' wonderful(and free!) series of mixtapes, this time around from Frenchman now in Argentina Douster. Starts things off with a Cumbia lazer bass version of Clipse's Zen and keeps consistant with the Club Zizek sound. I even like the nintendoness of his own remixes. Be sure to catch this guy in your city on the ZZK North American Tour that starts next friday.


DJ Fantasma (of NGUZUNGUZU) - Chicago House Mix 2009

My favorite Ghetto Acid Club DJs passed this mix of West side record digging my way that has provided me with some good times during rush hour on the EL Train. Fantasma rummaged through the likes of Barney's Records and Tapes to create this wonderful overview of forgotten warehouse joints from the Percolator era. Pioneers of left field club music, these guys graduated with a MFA in Ghetto House.

Witch Trials and Pyrex Pots

DJ Nate Da Trak Genious - Bring Yo Best Crack (from Crack Legends vol 1 ?)

The fact that this dude picked out a huge burning cross for the backdrop of his myspace page kind of justifies why his music is so damn evil. The parking lot is ignited with flames and 15 year old kids perform a satanic footwork mass to summon the beast of Ghetto House. Thanks to Pinglewood for adding another real mp3 in my Nate collection and for the love of God, please answer my emails youngin'.

Spend My Money on You

JIM - Big Time Baller (from Long Time Coming 2007)

Tampa's JIM adds a little shine to the Talk Box and carries the torch Roger Troutman left behind. A one man band making it rain on a room full of keyboards and rack effects, make note of his constant reminder that he did EVERYTHING on the album, including starting a label to release it. It's Computer Love in a strip club, but also rather appropriate and well crafted funk that's perfect for foreplay between you and your synth knobs.

They Juke out in Africa too!

Check out the footwork from these Angolan fellas in Os BF's new Sony video. Notice how much more cautiousness they are out there with their knee pads. They get all Ruff Ryders with their motorcycles too but with more dust flying everywhere and less dog fighting than Earl.

Thanks to the great Kuduro Files for putting me up on this one.

Brooklyn to Somalia

Knaan - ABCs (Gnawledge remix) (from Gnawledge Records 2009) direct download

The boys over at Gnawledge get all Mariachi band on street educated Somalian ex-pat Knaan and place a giant cloud of bass over his poor head. Makes me real excited for the Flamenco-Rap Granada Doaba album in the works. Mad thank yous to the people behind this project for sending this my way, I'm big Spain fan.

Stuck in Chicago

Syl Johnson - Concrete Reservation (from Is it Because I'm Black? 1969)

Duckin' low in the concrete lined walls of a Project apartment, sharing electricity by means of extension cords strung out of connecting windows. Shady elevator shafts traveling to the tops of high rise sniper towers adjacent to rooms full of families and dope fiends. The story of Chicago's failed housing authority.

"I used to let Curtis practice his music in my house when I lived down on Hudson. I knowed all of them, Jerry Butler too. I had to finally take Curtis over to Seward Park, and got the park to give him a room because my house wasn't conductive for him to practice in".

-Lillian Davis Swope from Cabrini Green in Words + Pictures

Everytime I walk through the park now across the street from Blockbuster Video and a Jewel Osco, I think about The Impressions, Sugar Ray Dinky's Cabrini Green Rap and Brother Bill walking into gunfire with efforts to spread faith amoungst the youth. A Lambrogini dealer now touches the southside of the gates that block the low rises from the rest of the world on Chicago street. 50 feet away, one of the remaining red buildings sports the words "Fuck D Block" and "Cream Team $$$" in red spraypaint as a backdrop to the remaining squatters. I once saw a man in the back of cop car shit his pants while a crowd of CPD officers laughed and and patrolled the boarded up said to be inhabited apartments.

A conversation with a former Stateway Gardens resident in the park today about the death of Dantrell Davis and Girl X sparked the idea that I should listen to Syl Johnson's classic tale of the worst Housing Projects in the nation. Writen at the end of the 60s, this song still rings true to the situation today. While not Chicago born, like much of the black population here in the Windy City Syl moved north from Mississippi in the 1950s. Recording with Howlin' Wolf and Twinight Records, you know his music most likely in the crevises between the Wu-Tang Clan and the Geto Boys. His ghetto blues was overshadowed by the likes of the reverend, though at times he even out Al-Greens the man himself.

The high rises in every coridor of the city may be demolished or well on their way, but the displaced still remain. Johnson reminds us in his classic tale of the struggle.

Lucy in the Sky with a DVS Necklace

Status Quo ft B.O.B. - My Ride Double Bubble remix (from VA - Welcome to the Show pt 4
2008)

My roommate who sifts through mix tapes even more than me put me up on this Beach Boys inna Chevy Impala bit of bubblegum crunk about hollering out the window. Some feyness has commeth in the rap game that has been real hit-or-miss, this track sitting on the opposite end of Weezy's goofy rock project.

"Fresh like Tic Tacs/Paint look like Kit-Kats"

What's up with these Atlanta dudes talking about peanut butter?

Mix, a Lot

The great Wayne and Wax has been downloading DJ mixes like a madman, and has compiled the shitload of them that he has been enjoying lately, including my I Ride on Guilded Spinners Screwed Oddities mix. Happy someone out there has taken the time to catalog something like this, and am glad to be a part of such a collection.

Got some more mixes comin' real soon, Cumbia, Madagascar, and have been doing the Abelton thing sorta.

Anteaterstep

Vince the Prince - I Eat Ants (from generationbass.blogspot.com 2009)

My boy from Amsterdam over at Generation Bass made this strange tribute to his favorite animal that I have been seriously scratching my head to lately. It's like Rusko locking himself in a room and listening to the Smithsonian Animals of Africa LP for a month straight while smoking himself retarded. Keep close tabs on the music he throws up on the page, he's a large source of my transnational bass education.

Speaking of Slow Music...

DJ Buttafingerz - Screwing Up the Oldies 1982

I stumbled upon this strange mix of screwed music when I was trying to find info on some SUC mixtape. Hungry Like the Wolf, The Message, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, they are all here and are named after baseball players for some reason. Definitely on the retarded side. Not sure what his next mixtape titled Screwedfellas is all about, but it has potential to make you go get your fucking shine box.