2 Busy Saying Yeah 10 - Matthew Africa & DJ Fuze Are So International!

This week I'm joined by one of my favorite DJs, DJ Fuze.

Fuze is a Bay Area rap legend best known as the DJ for Digital Underground and the Luniz and for being one half of the group Raw Fusion. He has toured everywhere and has produced Digital Underground, 2Pac, Dru Down & the Luniz. He is also a phenomenally hard party rocker with great skills and deep knowledge of many styles of black music, from rap to funk to the music of Africa and the Caribbean. In the second half of the show, he joins me and drops a great mix of dancehall that's too new for the club plus some classic soca and African hits. I had no idea how big a Vybz Kartel fan Fuze is, but there it is.

In the first half of the show, I play a mix of some of my favorite African funk records. Since comps long ago outpaced my African digging, almost all are from those. Nearly a third were taken from Soundway's phenomenal Ghana Soundz 2, which is a great place to start if you want more in this style.

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The tracklist is this:

Matthew Africa

1. Ebo Taylor Jnr. & Wuta Wazuri: Mondo Soul Funky
2. Honny & the Bees Band: Psychedelic Woman [Bonobo remix]
3. Orchestra Baobab: Kelen Ati Len
4. Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou: Dis Mois La Verité
5. Marijata: No Condition Is Permanent
6. Matata: I Want You
7. Orlando Julius Ekemode: Alo Mi Alo
8. Ebo Taylor: Atwer Abroba
9. William Onyeabor: Body & Soul
10. Sir Shina Peters & His International Stars: Yabis
11. The Sahara All Stars of Jos: Take Your Soul
12. Oscar Sulley & the Uhuru Dance Band: Olufeme
13. Asiko Rock Group: Lagos City
14. C.K. Mann: Funky Hi-Life
15. The Ogyataanaa Show Band: Disco Africa
16. Shina Williams & His African Percussionists: Agboju Logun

DJ Fuze!

17. Demarco: Roof Over My Head
18. Vybz Kartel: Life Sweet
19. Vybz Kartel: Versatility feat. Indu
20. Konshens: No Money to Give You
21. Erup: Pop Dat
22. Laden: Time to Shine
23. Mavado: Mockingbird
24. Beenie Man: Stack & Pile
25. Beenie Man: Pop Off
26. Elephant Man: Horny Wine
27. Vybz Kartel: Mentally Insane (DJ Fuze’s Town RMX)
28. Vybz Kartel: Gaza Commandments
29. Demarco: Some A Seh
30. Mr. Vegas: I Am Blessed
31. Vybz Kartel: Dollar Sign
32. Serani: Badmind
33. Keak Da Sneak: Super Hyphy (DJ Fuze’s Anger Management RMX)
34. Mistah F.A.B.: New O.A.K. (DJ Fuze’s Anger Management RMX)
35. Vybz Kartel: Go-Go Club
36. Konshens & Dario: Do D Ting
37. Mr. Vegas: Gallis
38. Mavado: Never Believe You
39. Isaac Blackman: To the Ceiling
40. Machel Montano: Fly Away feat. Collie Buddz
41. Soca: Hot & Groovy
42. Traffik: Sweetness feat. Shayne Bailey
43. Busy Signal: Up In Her Belly (Magalenha)
44. Fay Ann Lyons: Wine Fast feat. Beenie Man
45. Benjai: Tanty Say feat. Scarface
46. Magic System: Premier Gaou
47. Awilo Longomba: Karolina
48. Les Championnes: La Ronde Des Fillettes
49. Ellon DJ & Mix DJ 1er: Bobaraba
50. Romain Virgo: Mi Caan Sleep
51. Marcia Griffiths: Keeping It Real feat. Busy Signal

Hefti Hefti Hefti

Neal Hefti passed away Saturday. Before he achieved his most lasting fame as a TV and film composer, he was prominent as an arranger with Count Basie's big band and he wrote a number of great jazz standards.

Growing up, I heard various versions of this one all the time:



Novi Quartet: "Li'l Darling" (Saba, 1968)

My mom used to listen to KJAZ religiously and in particular to a weekly segment (Sundays, 10:00 a.m.?) where they'd play a different version of "Li'l Darling". I doubt they ever played this one, but there are dozens of others. (BTW, it's killing me that I can't think of a good version of Hefti's "Girl Talk"-- I know I have a cool one lying around somewhere.)

Of course, Hefti is best-remembered these days as the writer of the themes to the "Odd Couple" and this, here bastardized by unidentified members of Sun Ra's Arkestra and the Blues Project:



The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale: "Batman Theme" (Tifton, 1966)

This one has always reminded me of the Batman theme:



Mitch Mitchell & Gene "The King": "Definition of Things" (Go-Ko, 196?)

The Mitch Mitchell who made this is not the Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer, but instead an Ohio guy featured on this fine compilation and this l'il mix. Gene King also collaborated on Mitchell's "Never Walk Out on You" and, to hear the record tell it, was a real cool cat.

Finally, this one reminds me of the scatting on the Mitch Mitchell record, and has been stuck in my head on and off for months:


Segun Bucknor & His Revolution: "La La La" (Polydor, 197?/Strut, 2001)

The compilation it's drawn from, Nigeria 70, was released well ahead of the current glut of Afrobeat compilations but remains one of the best. The recent sequel is pretty great, too, and is still in print.

Too many R.I.P. posts lately. I think I may have to change the name of the blog to "I hear dead people". Or maybe "but I digress", to account for all the "reminds me of this" side-trips.