I don't generally spend much time listening to other DJs' mixes or radio shows because they cut into the time I have to seek out new music. When I make exceptions, they're for stuff friends have done or mixes which I think can turn me on to something I want to know.
Chairman Mao's monthly radio shows for Spine Magazine, the Spine Blowing Decisions series, are both. In case his reputation doesn't precede him, Mao is a longtime NYC DJ and rap writer whose knowledge is as deep as his taste is good. His shows focus on obscure soul, funk and disco and usually have a theme or style (e.g., disco raps, Halloween music, tortured ballads). They always include at least a handful of things I wish I knew or had forgotten about and am delighted to be reminded of. His dry, occasional voiceovers are a nice touch, too.
This week I finally got around to listening to Mao's December show and it really knocked me out. The episode centers on late 70s/early 80s sounds: disco, modern soul, boogie, funk and the selections are uniformly great. There were songs I hadn't heard in too long, songs I'd never heard before but instantly wanted to hear again and even some songs I'd been saving to build mixes of my own around (damn you, Mao!). It's the best collection of soul sounds I've listened to in a long time.
There's no track listing per se, but Mao scatters some clues throughout the mix and also his blog features scans of some of the songs he included, like the following:
(One track that's not pictured is the Gospel Soul Revivals' awesome Slave knockoff, "If Jesus Came Today". The track is featured on the Numero Group's new and wonderful Good God! Born Again Funk, which came out Tuesday and which I can't recommend highly enough.)
But uh, back to the lecture at hand. Spine Magazine doesn't host older shows and the episode of Spine Blowing Decisions is no longer available from Spine's site, so with Mao's permission, I've uploaded the show:
I just got around to listening all the way through the homie DJ B.Cause's tribute to Roger Troutman, Playin' Kinda Ruff: The Troutman Legacy and it's a really enjoyable listen.
Although I know and love most of Roger and Zapp's hits, for whatever reason I never listened to much beyond the first 2-3 LPs. Josh's mix draws together all of the much-played, much-sampled classics, some of the rap songs that stem from them and a whole lot of other stuff you probably haven't heard, from pre-fame recordings with the Human Body to oddball collaborations from the 90s. Josh is an incredibly skilled DJ and knows his way around a multi-track, so he's able to make all kinds of transitions that I would never attempt sound smooth and natural.
Speaking of Roger, a recent Soulstrut post reminded me of this, which is one of my favorite performances by him:
Vontel: "4 My Homiez" feat. Roger Troutman (Fo' Life, 1998)
Vontel's an Arizona rapper. The album this is drawn from was partly produced by Battlecat, but this track was produced by Dre LeSean and Robert "The Professor" Anderson. Troutman's ad-libs are gorgeous.
Willie Mitchell passed away earlier this month. He produced some of the greatest soul music ever made, so this week's show collects 45 of my favorites, including some big hits from Al Green and Ann Peebles, as well as great music from a handful of lesser-knowns.
It's tough to talk about Mitchell without talking about Al Green, the artist Mitchell worked the most with and had his greatest success with. Green's gift is so overwhelming and his vocal identity is so established that it's easy to overlook Mitchell's role in shaping it. But to hear Green's work prior to recording with Mitchell, or even to hear their early recordings before Mitchell crafted Green's signature style, and to compare it with his mature style is to understand exactly how important a producer can be.
Mitchell plucked Green from relative obscurity, brought him to Memphis and recorded him for almost two years before they hit upon Green's sound. Early singles, like "Back Up Train", "Gotta Find a New World" or "All Because", show Green to be a better than average soul singer—strong, gritty, agile—but offer no clue as to how sinuous or graceful Green's vocals could be. It took two albums and a dartboard approach to find out what worked and apparently even Hi Records didn't recognize it at first; Green's breakthrough, "Tired of Being Alone", wasn't the first single from Green's second album with Mitchell, Al Green Gets Next to You, it was the fourth.
Once Mitchell hit upon a formula for Green, he worked subtle variations on a style that paired lush strings and jazzy chords with a restrained, lightly earthy backbeat. It was a perfect setting for Green’s music and their run of albums from I'm Still in Love With You to Livin' for You is almost flawless.
Mitchell’s touch was also evident in a host of other records he cut at Hi Records’ Memphis studio, both for Hi mainstays like O.V. Wright and Ann Peebles and for out-of-towners like the Detroit Emeralds and Denise LaSalle. Mitchell was not just a producer, he was an engineer, too, and the sound he coaxed from the room and from Hi’s band is instantly identifiable. Signature elements stamp all of these productions, like the wheeze of Charlie Hodges’s organ, the full, slightly tame sound of the Memphis Horns and especially the bone-dry snap of a snare drum, whether played by Al Jackson, Jr. or Howard Grimes.
The other acts Mitchell produced may have been less successful than Al Green, but many made remarkable music. When their songs were up to snuff, O.V. Wright, Syl Johnson and Ann Peebles all regularly made music that was nearly on Green’s level. Soul journeymen like the Masqueraders and George Jackson cut some of their best material with Mitchell, too.
I’ve tried to capture some of the breadth of Mitchell’s work in my mix. It’s not really his greatest hits (that would have required too much Al Green) or a selection of songs that have been popularized by sampling (though many were) and Mitchell’s work as a trumpeter and bandleader gets really short shrift (truth be told, I really dislike the music he made under his own name). I chose my favorites and tried to shape them into a mix that would function as an introduction or a celebration of his incredible body of productions. Enjoy.
1. Al Green: Love & Happiness 2. Al Green: Love Ritual (Remix) 3. Ann Peebles: Somebody's On Your Case 4. O.V. Wright: Ace of Spades 5. Syl Johnson: The Love You Left Behind 6. Ann Peebles: It's Your Thing 7. O.V. Wright: A Nickel & a Nail 8. Willie Mitchell: Groovin' 9. Al Green: So You're Leaving 10. Al Green: Tired of Being Alone 11. Al Green: Let's Stay Together 12. Ann Peebles: I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down 13. Al Green: Call Me 14. Al Green: Your Love Is the Morning Sun 15. George Jackson: Aretha, Sing One For Me 16. Jean Plum: Here I Go Again 17. Syl Johnson: Anyway the Wind Blows 18. Ann Peebles: I Can't Stand the Rain 19. The Detroit Emeralds: Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms 20. Al Green: I'm a Ram 21. O.V. Wright: Are You Going Where I'm Coming From 22. Ann Peebles: Run, Run, Run 23. O.V. Wright: I'd Rather Be Blind, Cripple & Crazy 24. Ann Peebles: Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness 25. Al Green: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 26. Al Green: I'm Glad You're Mine 27. Al Green: What a Wonderful Thing Love Is 28. O.V. Wright: Let's Straighten It Out 29. The Masqueraders: Let the Love Bells Ring 30. Al Green: La La For You 31. Syl Johnson: Steppin' Out 32. Syl Johnson: I Hate I Walked Away 33. Syl Johnson: Could It Be I'm Falling In Love 34. Al Green: I Wish You Were Here 35. Al Green: Simply Beautiful 36. Erma Coffee: You Made Me What I Am 37. George Jackson: Let Them Know You Care 38. Al Green: Something 39. Al Green: Strong As Death (Sweet As Love) 40. Syl Johnson: Wind Blow Her Back My Way 41. Betty Everett: Just a Matter of Time 42. Teacher's Edition: Sleepy People 43. Al Green: Jesus Is Waiting 44. Syl Johnson: It Ain't Easy 45. Ann Peebles: I Still Love You
If there's interest, I might break the mix into individual tracks and upload them as a .zip, but it's kinda a lot of work, so we'll see.
Statistical shits and giggles:
Number of songs by Al Green: 17 Number of songs by Syl Johnson: 7 Number of songs by Ann Peebles: 6 Number of songs by O.V. Wright: 5 Number of songs by George Jackson: 2 Number of songs by none of the above: 8
The other day I opened the mailbox and was geeked to find an advance promo of Edan's new Echo Party CD. I admire a lot of Edan's previous releases both as a rapper (Primitive Plus, Beauty & the Beat) and DJ (Fast Rap, Sound of the Funky Drummer, his radio show), but this is something else altogether.
Echo Party is a 29-minute mastermix of dozens or maybe hundreds of late 70s/early 80s lo-fi disco and disco rap tracks drawn from the catalogs of labels like P&P, Paul Winley, Chocolate Star, Sound of New York, etc. Apparently Edan got access to everything licensed by Traffic and, in some cases, multi-tracks.
He then proceeded to freak the shit out of everything, with liberal use of vintage echo, sampler, keyboards, and a lot of stuff I wouldn't know to recognize. (Every song and effect he used and what he did with them is described in the liner notes to the full CD release-- I suspect I could spend a long time nerding out on those notes.) My head hurts just visualizing the work that went into this.
I usually hate mastermixes and cut-and-paste records-- even Double Dee & Steinski's lessons really have never moved me-- but this is mind-blowing. It's so vast, so detailed and weird that it makes me feel like a really shitty, lazy DJ.
Stones Throw has pre-orders on limited-press vinyl with custom sleeves by Edan. According to their site, CDs are already sold out. I really, really recommend it.
This week I play a mix of dance music that kicks off with late 70s/early 80s disco, funk and soul, shifts into some current stuff (including new tracks from the homeboy DJ Eleven and the folks at Solid Bump!) and then loops back around to a few classic favorites. No talking, no drops, just music for dancing. The tracks I play are these:
1. Too Sweet: You’ve Got to Find Yourself
2. Idris Muhammed: Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
3. Candido: Thousand Finger Man
4. Kenix feat. Bobby Youngblood: There’s Never Been No One Like You
5. GQ: This Happy Feeling
6. Tony Silvester & the New Ingredient: Cosmic Lady
7. Sir Bentley: Street Shuffle
8. One Way: Music
9. Radiance: You’re My Number One [Dub version]
10. George Clinton: One Fun at a Time
11. Aaron Broomfield: Polyphase
12. Casper: Casper’s Groovy Ghost Show
13. Alton McClain & Destiny: It Must Be Love
14. Cloud One: Don’t Let This Rainbow Pass Me By
15. Final Edition: I Can Do It (Anyway You Want It)
16. Duck Sauce: aNYway
17. Laberge: We Don’t Know
18. DJ Eleven: Dance Our Way
19. Domu: Worldwide [Solid Groove’s Wednesday at Midnight mix]
20. Ultramagnetic MC’s: Poppa Large [Matthew Africa’s Switch RMX]
21. Dan the Automator: Rapper’s Delight [Tepr RMX] feat. Casual & Chali 2na
22. Malente: I Like It [Riva Starr Snatch! RMX]
23. The Juan Maclean: Happy House [Chateau Flight RMX]
24. Soul Central: In-ten-city
25. Fred Falke: Back to Stay
26. SoulPhiction & Move D: The Limelight [Trusme RMX]
27. Status IV: You Ain’t Really Down [Jazzanova RMX]
28. The Rolling Stones: Under My Thumb [Todd Terje dub]
29. U-Tern: Without You
30. Toby Tobias: In Your Eyes [Tensnake RMX]
31. Dayton: We Can’t Miss
32. Heaven & Earth: I Really Love You
33. Starpoint: Don’t Leave Me
A few months ago my friends over at Southern Hospitality approached me about contributing to their Twelve Twelves series, a weekly showcase of live, vinyl-only mixes, each comprised of 12 12" singles.
I said "yes" right away but it took me a while to actually get something together-- I pulled a lot of records and then wrestled with what to include, before settling on twelve songs spanning 1987-2007. (Unless I'm mistaken, I've bought exactly two new rap 12"s in the past 2 years-- the one I put in the mix and this.) About half of the mix is from the Bay Area and about half of it sounds like "Funky Worm" and about 98% of it is great rap music.
In keeping with Southern Hospitality's steez I won't provide a track listing, just a picture with the covers of the 12"s. (Scanning the 8 previous installments I can say my contribution is by far the least visually interesting one; the downside of getting lots of free 12"s in the 90s is owning lots of generic sleeves instead of picture sleeves.)
You can get the mix free here. While there, check out other installments in the series from folks like DJ Ayres, Rob Breezy, DJ Dub and Superix. You also ought to soak up some of the great new selections they feature from Huntsville, the Bay Area and elsewhere.
Oh, and, if this mix had been done for a series called Thirteen Twelves, it would have ended with this:
Flipping "Assembly Line" or "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" is pretty much gonna make me love any record. Flipping both at the same time with the latter on slow? Game over.
For the latest installment of 2 Busy Saying Yeah I tried to catch up with a backlog of new rap music I've been listening to. People whine about where rap is now but if you pay attention there's a lot that's worthwhile. In this show I play some of my current favorites plus a couple older things that wormed their way into the mix. Oh, also, I talk a lot more than I have been doing lately.
1. Big Boi: Shine Blockas feat. Gucci Mane
2. Illie: Oh Noo
3. Phat Mob: Wrong Number
4. Raekwon: Ason Jones
5. Spank Pops: Beautiful Noise
6. Dizzee Rascal: Chillin' Wiv Da Man Dem
7. Frank Nitt: L.O.V.E. feat. DJ Quik & J. Black
8. Beanie Sigel: Don't Stop feat. Snoop Dogg
9. People Under the Stairs: Trippin' at the Disco [DJ Day RMX]
10. Kurupt: I'm One feat. Terrace Martin
11. Dam Funk: Hood Pass Intact
12. Meek Mill: Make 'Em Say
13. 5th Ward Weebie: Bend It Ova
14. Peedi Crakk: Smile (You Mad)
15. The Game: I'm So Wavy
16. Ghostface Killah: Guest House feat. Fabolous
17. G-Side: Be There
18. DJ Cunta: Bands on My Wrist
19. Rudi Deville: Yea Tall
20. SwagZilla & Stackamil: Wut2dayiz?
21. Mr. Marcellus: Think It Over feat. ST 2 Lettaz
22. Stanza: Amilliondollars
23. Big Boi: Fo Yo Sorrows feat. Too $hort & George Clinton
24. Remi: Phone Codes
25. Lil King: Bet She Can't Do It
26. Jay Electronica: Exhibit A (Transformations)
27. Mistah F.A.B.: Follow Me
28. Rhymefest: Angry Black Man feat. Lil Jon
29. Mac Meezy: New Boy (Cool Kid Flow)
30. Roach Gigz: Gassin' Em
31. Sam Bostic: Get Away feat. E-40
Just when I thought I was done with gangsta rap for a little while, I opened my mailbox to find this bomb:
Sac: Nine One Classix is the latest mix from r8r & L-Wood, who previously did a great San Francisco mix that I posted about, as well as a few I didn't (i.e., two mix CDs devoted to Northern Cali cassette-only rap and one collecting Kansas City rap).
Sacramento occupies a weird position in relation to the Bay Area rap scene. It's far enough from the Bay to seem really remote (90 minutes from SF and Oakland, about 60 minutes from Vallejo), but also close enough to share a lot of similarities and connections. As someone put it before, Sacramento might not be the Bay, but it's also not not the Bay.
Bay Area mobb music heavily influenced the sound of 90s Sacramento rap-- there are lots of slow tempos, sinister synthesizer basslines, some 80s R&B interpolations and very little sampling-- but lyrically, Sacramento rap seems a little darker. There's more shooting, less pimping and partying.
The mix seems really comprehensive. It's got tracks from Sac's bigger names, like Brotha Lynch Hung, C-Bo, Marvaless & X-Raided, but also 60 tracks from 58 other artists, almost all of whom were new to me. Even so, the selections are high quality throughout. It's the kind of mix that makes me a little nuts because I wind up wondering "if someone can pull together this much good stuff I've never heard from just this one little micro-genre, how much other great music is out there that I will never hear?"
Here are two excerpts from the mix:
r8r & L-Wood: Sac: Nine One Classix Disc 1 Sampler (Double J Promotions, 2009)
r8r & L-Wood: Sac: Nine One Classix Disc 2 Sampler (Double J Promotions, 2009)
You can also download both excerpts in a zip here. Ordering details on this and their great San Francisco mix are below:
This week I pay tribute to my city, playing an hour of the best new rap music out of Oakland and talking with Oakland representer DJ Fresh.
DJ Fresh was recently named West Coast Mixtape DJ of the Year on the strength of his excellent Tonite Show series of artist-themed albums. We talk about his incredible work ethic, his background as a top-ranked turntablist and DJ for Nas and upcoming projects including installments of the Tonite Show with Messy Marv, San Quinn and Raekwon. Also, we play songs from the brand-new Tonite Show album and PTB label boss J-Moe offers some thoughts on why Bay rappers can't separate the streets from business and describes D-Lo performing "No Hoe" at an Oakland middle school (!).
The show kicks off with a mix of some of the best of current Oakland rap from all styles: turf raps, political raps, cupcake raps, undie raps, you name it:
1. Philthy Rich: Straight from Oakland feat. Ros, J-Stalin, Stevie Joe, Kaz Kyzah, Shady Nate, Lil Blood, Eddie Projex, Beeda Weeda, Keak Da Sneak & Mistah F.A.B.
2. Lyrics Born: Block Bots feat. Trackademicks & Clyde Carson
3. Shady Nate: Head Doctor
4. Sleepy D: Sleepy Fuckin’ D
5. Stevie Joe: 80s Baby
6. D-Lo: You Played Me feat. Rico
7. Clyde Carson: Take It to the Hotel feat. R. Kelly
8. J-Stalin: Millionaire Status
9. Kaz Kyzah: Freeway
10. Beeda Weeda: You Don’t Hear My Tummy
11. Shady Nate: Jug feat. J-Stalin, X.O. & Gary Hawkins
12. Jern Eye: Blowin’ Up feat. Roc C
13. Brwn Bflo: Powerful People
14. Bicasso: Warz Over feat. Saafir
15. Crown City Rockers: Forever Song
16. Vell4Short: Shirts & Baggy Pants
17. The Grouch & Eligh: Say G&E!
18. StreetMedia: Push
19. Mayne Mannish: Flight to Boston
20. Casual: Town Bound
21. Guce & J-Stalin: Another Quelo
22. League510: To the Beat [Trackademicks RMX]
I know I messed up by leaving out some Oakland rappers that belong in there (Zion I, Mistah F.A.B., etc.) and including a Berkeley rapper that doesn't (Lyrics Born), but it's due to my general unfocused-ness, not hate. I tried to make the mix as comprehensive as I could but I'm sure there's a lot of great stuff I don't know or just spaced on.
Big shout to my dude XJ, who figured out how to get me mp3s for two of the highlights of the mix, Mayne Mannish's "Flight to Boston" and Casual's "Town Bound".
My man DJ Anonymous from Helsinki passed through town last week and I persuaded him to drop a live set for 2 Busy Saying Yeah. I hadn't planned on making another soul mix so soon after the Soulful Disco one, but his set inspired me to dig out some more mellow soul gems.
Several of Anonymous's selections have previously been featured on his excellent blog, DJ's Delight, which features a ton of great dance music of every stripe and is among the blogs that inspired me to do it. If it's not in your bookmarks already, jump on it.
New Yorkers can catch Anonymous tonight with the #1 homie DJ Eleven at Fam at Von Kellar or on Saturday with Chairman Mao at Grand Groove at APT. I had the pleasure of rocking with him, B.Cause and Vinnie Esparza last Friday and can tell you he really puts it down.
1. The Commodores: Oh Yeah 2. Brenda Lee Eager: When I'm With You 3. Pure Gold: I Miss You 4. The Bar-Kays: Feels Like I'm Falling in Love 5. Sylvia: Sweet Stuff 6. Harry Ray: The Next Time I See Your Face 7. Wyndchymes: Unconditional Love 8. Arawak: Acaddi A Bali 9. Isaac Hayes: Vykki 10. Dave Grusin: Either Or 11. James Ingram: Ooo 12. Ronnie McNeir: Sexy Mama 13. Tony Silvester: Verry White 14. Benny Golson: I'm Always Dancing to the Music 15. Quincy Jones: 100 Ways 16. Heatwave: Mind Blowing Decisions 17. Jimmy Sabater: Mind Blowing Decisions 18. The Gimmicks: You Can't Hide Love 19. Leroy Hutson: Never Know What You Can Do (Give It a Try) 20. Eddie Fisher: It's That Music 21. The Inner Drive: Party Man 22. Wee: Find Me, Love Me 23. Deliverance: Loving You 24. Jorge Dalto: I've Got You On My Mind 25. Vytas Brenner: Avila 26. Twilight: You Know It's Me 27. Leo's Sunshipp: Madame Butterfly INST 28. West Wing: I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby 29. Mighty Ryeders: Lovely 30. Willie Tee: Get Up 31. The 3 Pieces: Backed Up Against the Wall 32. Sunni Nash: The 3rd Movement 33. Trilogy: (K.C.) In the Ghetto 34. Side Effect: Private World 35. Willie Hutch: Love Me Back 36. Brenton Wood: All That Jazz 37. The McCrarys: On the Other Side 38. Barry White: You're the One I Need 39. Joe Thomas: Mr. Mumbles 40. Frank Walton: Safari 41. Sylvia Striplin: You Can't Turn Me Away 42. Funk Factory: Rien Ne Va Plus 43. The Nights: Hangin' Tough
As always, you can subscribe to 2 Busy Saying Yeah via iTunes or readers like Google and Yahoo.
1. Cold Flamez: Miss Me, Kiss Me 2. Jaye Cooley: Drippin Wet 3. YT: Call Me Daddy feat. New Era & TayF3rd 4. Dizzy: Swagg It Out 5. YG: AIM Me 6. Looney Toonz: Cock A Doodle Doo 7. Swagg City: That Hoe Crazy 8. Asia Lynn: Bad Bitch 9. Vixen Ent: Toot My Shit 10. Clothes Off Movement: Better Than You 11. J.R.: Inhale It feat. TayF3rd & Ashlii 12. NHT Boyz: Introduction 13. Dinoo Supreemo: Dirty Ass Vans 14. Rude Boyz: Go Hard 15. Go Go Power Rangers: Tippin on My Dick 16. New Boyz: You're a Jerk 17. Rude Boyz: Tight Jeanz 18. Fresh Boyz: I Rock Skinnies feat. New Era 19. YT: Skinny Ass Nigga 20. Pink Dollaz: I'm Tasty 21. Camille Tianna: Hot Commodity 22. TayF3rd: Heard About Me feat. Project & New Era 23. Turfeazy: In a Tree 24. Vixen Ent: Bust Me a Nut 25. The Lowz: She Poppin' feat. Nie'Starr 26. Julian: Jerkin Song 27. L7: Knock Knock 28. YB: 2 Step 29. Ro2co: Toot It Up Done 30. Dinoo Supreemo: Step To 31. Aeiress Ent: Billy 32. Wes Nyle: Dougie 33. Nokio: Hi I'm a Jerk feat. YT 34. YB: I'm a Jerk 35. Jayy Starr: Where the Functions 36. New Boyz: Cricketz feat. Tyga 37. YG: I'm Still Poppin 38. Young Sam: I Do My Thang feat. Asia Lynn 39. Payso: Beat That Pussy feat. Cold Flamez 40. New Era: Dumb Bitch 41. Draft Pick: Get It Jerkin 42. Julian: Do It Don't Stop 43. The Bangz: Get It Girl feat. Pink Dollaz 44. Asia Lynn: Tip Toe feat. Aaliyah D 45. Fly Guys: We Jerkin 46. Ro2co: Shooting Dice 47. TayF3rd: Conceited
As always, you can subscribe to 2 Busy Saying Yeah via iTunes or readers like Google and Yahoo.
Mac Mill was a Berkeley/Oakland rapper who put out a couple of singles and one EP, 1995's One Mill-Yon. When "Arabian Hump" came out I have a distinct recollection of a local TV news story about the controversy the song was generating and Mill offering some hilariously unconvincing rationalization about building cross-cultural understanding through imitating the speech of dudes who ran the liquor stores where he shopped. I"m pretty sure he knew "sand ni**er" was a slur, though.
After years and years of doing a relatively freeform college radio show, I've been wrestling with how to adapt it to internet radio with my new show, 2 Busy Saying Yeah.
My sense is that you can't really grow an internet audience through serendipity like you can with broadcast radio-- people who happen to be switching the dial, get seduced by a song and stick around to see what else you have. Instead, I think you have to offer something really identifiable and desirable to get them to go out of their way to check you out in the first place and then, if the quality's good, maybe they'll be impressed enough to keep coming back, subscribe, etc.
Last Friday's show is a step in that direction. I wanted to create a mixtape-quality set that would merit repeated listens and hopefully some word-of-mouth. It's a live, two-hour mix of late 70s/early 80s soul music with no back-announcing and minimal talking. The selections are drawn from a bunch of sub-genres-- boogie, modern soul, disco, jazz-funk, etc. Some are obvious, some rare, others just neglected, but it's all great music.
Listen and if you enjoy it, please spread the word.
1. Brief Encounter: Human 2. The Jones Girls: When I'm Gone 3. Jean Terrell: Rising Cost of Love 4. Cream De Coco: Disco Strut 5. Donna McGhee: It Ain't No Big Thing 6. Quietfire: Makes Me Wanna Shout 7. Bill Cosby: You're Driving Me Crazy 8. Breakwater: Work It Out 9. The Sugarhill Gang: Passion Play 10. Carly Simon: Why 11. Sister Sledge: Reach Your Peak 12. Rick James: Moonchild 13. Flowers: For Real 14. Rance Allen Group: Reason to Survive 15. Raw Soul Express: The Way We Live 16. Chocolate Clay: Free (I'll Always Be) 17. Heaven & Earth: Let's Get It Together 18. James Bradley: I Can't Get Enough of Your Love 19. Hunt's Determination Band: No. 1 Lady 20. Stevo: Pay the Price 21. Leon Ware: Can I Touch You There 22. Roy Ayers: Love Will Bring Us Back Together 23. Don Blackman: Heart's Desire 24. Azymuth: Dear Limmertz 25. Junior: I Can't Help It 26. Karin Jones: Here I Go Again 27. Linda Clifford: Runaway Love 28. One Way: Hold It 29. Hipnotic: Are You Lonely? 30. The Strikers: Hold On to This Feeling
I've been digging this mix put together by BK homie Doc Delay and Sean Manchee. It's a 34-minute blend of '60s and '70s era analog synthesizer music built around moogs, ARPs, rocksichords and the like. Great selections, mixing and editing make for a beautiful, spacey and weird ride.
This is not the Jim Gordon who played drums on Pet Sounds and "Apache", co-wrote "Layla" and killed his mother with a hammer. It's from this Jim Gordon, a multi-instrumentalist who gigged widely as a studio musician in the '70s and built lots of cool synthesizers in his spare time.
Heavy! could be grouped with a lot of the exploito-moog records that came out in the wake of Walter/Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach and Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn", but the rhythm arrangements and playing are really impressive-- given the technical limitations of synthesizers at the time, very few people were able to make them sound as loose as he did. Gordon's website lists Heavy! as being from 1967 but my impression is that Cream Records didn't start putting records out until a few years after that.
I spent much of the weekend bumping Teddy Riley: King of Swing, a new mix by the homie Superix.
People don't really talk about Teddy Riley anymore but his accomplishments are crazy. I mean, the guy single-handedly invented a whole style of R&B by the age of 20 and then went on to have one of the craziest runs any producer ever did--I don't think there's anyone who racked up as many rap and R&B hits between 1988 and 1996.
Superix does a great job of selecting from, sequencing and mixing Riley's catalog. There are songs I wish were on there (offhand, Kool Moe Dee's "Dumb Dick" and "Go See the Doctor", Guy's "Piece of My Love", Joe's "Stutter" and especially Blackstreet's "Don't Leave Me") but the omissions are more than offset by some of the things I'd forgotten or was glad to discover.
You can also get more from Superix over at his site or at Southern Hospitality, the blog he runs with homie Rob Breezy and Davey Boy Smith. Their devotion to regional American rap is impressive and at times embarrassing--it's a humbling experience when dudes who live 6,000 miles away regularly school me about rappers who live a few miles away.
If you're a regular reader and you've noticed some slack around here lately, it's for good reason. I've spent much of the past few months cooking up a tribute to the most underrated major artist in rap music, DJ Quik.
1. America'z Most Complete Artist 2. Sweet Black Pussy 3. Loked Out Hood 4. Get At Me 5. Down, Down, Down feat. Suga Free 6. Tonite 7. Pitch In On A Party 8. I Don't Wanna Party wit U 9. We Still Party 10. Let's Get Down (Tony Toni Toné) 11. Let Me Know (Hi-C) 12. Up 'N Da Club (2nd II None) 13. Hand In Hand 14. Black Mercedes feat. Nate Dogg 15. Do I Love Her? feat. Suga Free 16. Don't Walk Away feat. Suga Free 17. Safe + Sound 18. You'z A Ganxta 19. Dollaz + Sense 20. U Ain't Fresh! feat. Erick Sermon 21. Til Jesus Comes 22. Tha Truth Is... (Mausberg) 23. Trouble RMX 24. Jus Lyke Compton 25. Trust No Bitch (Penthouse Players Clique) 26. Born & Raised In Compton 27. Summer Breeze 28. So Many Wayz 29. 50 Ways feat. Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men 30. Speed 31. Sex Crymee 32. Ni**az Still Trippin' feat. Hi-C 33. Smoke II Much (Fixxers) 34. So Good (Fixxers) 35. Can You Work Wit Dat (Fixxers) 36. I Got That Feelin' 37. Me Wanna Rip Your Girl 38. Chocolate Lover feat. Sexy Leroy & the Chocolate Lovelitez 39. One On 1 feat. El DeBarge
This mix is a labor of love. Although I put countless hours into it, I'm choosing to give it away so more people will hear it. You can download it for free HERE. (The link leads to Sharebee, a site that offers a bunch of free downloading options.)
I made this mix because people sleep on DJ Quik. Maybe they've forgotten or maybe they never understood, but people don't get the breadth or depth of his talent.
Quik's commercial peak was his platinum 1991 debut, Quik Is the Name. Although he released three more gold albums, it's been years since he's had a label push and, aside from a fluke Fixxers single in 2007, since he's had a hit on the radio.
Here's the thing, though-- Quik never fell off.
Where most veteran artists either make the same record over and over until everyone stops paying attention or lose their identity scrambling to co-opt whatever other people think is hot, Quik's career has been about devotion to his craft, steady growth and experimentation. Much of Quik's best work has been done outside of the spotlight.
When people talk about Quik they usually talk about his production. Aside from Dr. Dre, no one has been more influential in shaping the sound of L.A. rap over the last two decades.
As much as I admire his beats, I'm a bigger fan of Quik's rhyming. I think he's at his best when dissing-- he's ferocious and funny. But there's also an undercurrent of depth that's far more convincing than a lot of the post-Pac clothes-rending that passes for emotion in rap music. When the two are combined on a song like "Til Jesus Comes", the results are unique and a little scary, like, Jesus, you sure you want to go that hard at your own family in public?
If there's an overriding theme to the mix, it's beef. Quik is fearless and maybe just a little too hot-headed for his own good, so over the years he's gone at everybody-- most famously MC Eiht, but at one time or another he's also taken shots at Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Shemar Moore, Tim Dog, Everlast, the Source magazine, the East Coast, the South, his sister, his wife and, with the exception of Mausberg (R.I.P.), just about every single rapper who has ever been a part of his crew. (Speaking of which, how many crews in rap music are there with a deeper bench? I think the 304 Posse almost ranks with the Juice Crew, Native Tongues and Dungeon Family.)
The 39 songs on the mix are from all phases of Quik's career. Most of the hits are there, but I've drawn heavily from album cuts, collaborations with others in his crew and unreleased material. Although Quik has done great production work for those in his crew, Snoop Dogg, Truth Hurts, 8ball & MJG and others, I chose to limit the selections to songs Quik appears on. I've also downplayed some of the more juvenile gangster shit. Basically I made the mix I wanted to hear. Hopefully it's what you want to hear, too.
For shits and giggles, here's a few dozen songs that I thought about including and are really worth tracking down: "What They Think", "Way 2 Fonky", "Trouble" (AMG's funniest verse ever?), Suga Free's verse on the "Trouble" remix, the original version of 2pac's "Late Night" a/k/a 2nd II None's "Let's Get Higher", Kurupt's "Can't Go Wrong", "Change the Game", "Quik's Groove II", "Bombudd", "California", "Pimpin", "Birdz & Da Beez", 8ball & MJG's "Buck Bounce", "Pacific Coast" a/k/a "Spur of the Moment", Penthouse Players Click's "P.S. Phuk U 2", "Better Neva Than Late" a/k/a "Bitch Diss", "Ev'ryday", "Does the Good Life Even Exist", "It's Like Everyday", "So Cold", "Sure Shot" (Mixmaster Spade!), Suga Free's "Inside Out", Big Syke's "Time Iz Money", "No Bullshit", the original version of "Ni**az Trippin", "No Doubt". I could go on. His catalog is that deep.
If you appreciate this mix, go support Quik. His new collaboration with Kurupt, BlaQKout, drops next Tuesday, June 9th. He and Kurupt are also on tour with a full band. (Bay dudes: he plays SF's Ruby Skye on June 11th with the homeboy Trackademicks as an opener; tickets are available here.)
Feist: Sea Lion Woman (Feisty RMX) Moodymann: Tribute Omar-S: Day Puzique: Don't Go Earth People: Dance DreDay: Spider People Kid Sister: Get Fresh INST
I had completely forgotten that Feist had covered Nina Simone's "See Line Woman" until I saw this 12" up at Turntable Lab. I didn't get the hype over Feist's Reminder LP but I thought it was a really cool song choice and liked how spare her version is. The remix is subtle but really good-- they strip the guitars and dub it out a little, but leave the best parts intact. There are a lot of good versions of "See Line Woman" but I think Yusef Lateef's is my favorite.
This weekend I finally found time to check out the homie B-Cause's Record Haterz, a new mix that he did with his 4OneFunk partner, Mista B.
The theme is all-Bay Area and all-vinyl, and the mix is really well-executed. The selections are mostly from the mid-90s, bypassing both obvious stuff and alt-rap in favor of mobb music drawn largely from Vallejo and Frisco. They're mostly really good, too-- I got about two-thirds of the way through the mix before I heard anything I wanted to skip.
B-Cause and Mista B are both pretty savage on the scratch but they confine most of the wikki-wikkis to the intro and outro and keep the mixing smooth and unobtrusive. The mix sounds like it was made to be bumped while driving around slowly, just like the records that appear on it and the analog crackle adds to the nostalgia. (Favorite all-vinyl authenticity moment: hearing them re-reverse the curses on E-40's "Record Haters" in order to turn out radio-friendly vinyl.)
Here's a link to the mix. You can cop a physical copy with separately-indexed tracks by hollering at B-Cause; at $10 post-paid, it's really with supporting if only so they'll be motivated to make more mixes like this. Full tracklist and ordering details (buried in the comments) here.
Speaking of record haters, I was really psyched to catch this on a recent trip to New York:
This version of the song didn't make AZ's Doe or Die album, apparently due to problems clearing the Lou Donaldson sample. It's been bootedmultipletimes but I had never found an original copy before.
I like a lot of AZ's catalog-- even his recent records on Koch and Fast Life sound better than, say, much of the bullshit Nas puts out-- but this is the record he was born to do. His voice was made for melancholia like this and his flow just meshes perfectly with the beat.
UPDATE: Via the comments, I learned that the song was produced not by Buckwild or by Pete Rock, as some assumed, but by Spunk Bigga. Big shout to Spunk for setting the record straight!
New Orleans soul and funk legend Eddie Bo passed away Wednesday. If you're not familiar with songs like "Hook & Sling" and "Check Your Bucket" or the many great songs he wrote for other artists, grab this and this. Neither comp is the overview Bo deserves--his discography as an artist and producer is both broad and deep--but they're both decent starting points.
Here are two of my favorite songs he wrote for other artists:
As a bonus, here's Qbert murdering Bo's biggest hit, "Hook & Sling". The tape this is drawn from, Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik, is one of my favorite mixes.
My #1 homie DJ Eleven has been dropping free (and dope!) mixes left and right lately, but his latest deserves special mention. He had been talking about doing a mix of Mannie Fresh's productions and rapping for about three years, so long that I was beginning to think it would never happen.
It's not a greatest hits mix. Although he has like a zillion hits and club bangers, the emphasis is more on Fresh at his funniest-- crooning beautifully unromantic ballads, boasting ridiculously, sending shout-outs to chickens and ducks, etc.
Has there ever been a rapper or producer with better ad-libs? Fresh is like the anti-Khaled or Jazze Pha-- where they make any song they appear on unbearable, his intros and outros are often highlights. Fortunately, Eleven gives these plenty of run.
Mannie Fresh - Not Tonight Cash Money Millionaires - Project Chick Lil Wayne - The Block Is Hot Big Tymers - Get Your Roll On Juvenile - Ha B.G. - Bling Bling Mannie Fresh - Real Big Lil Wayne - Way of Life Mannie Fresh - The D.J. Lil' Wayne - This Is the Carter Big Tymers - Still Fly Blast - Hood Rich Juvenile - In My Life Rick Ross - All I Have In This World B.G. - Move Around Mannie Fresh - Tell It Like It Is Trina - Da Club Shawt - Im Da Man Bun B - I'm Fresh Plies - Pants Hang Low Young Jeezy - And Then What Lil Flip - What it Do Dem Franchize Boyz - Mr. Feel Good Squad Up - Parking Lot Lil Wayne - Go DJ T.I. - Front, Back Big Tymers - Southern Boy Big Tymers - Hello
For more freebies from Eleven, there's Winter Sadness and two mixes with the homeboy DJ mOma, Special Delivery 1 and Special Delivery 2. Also check out the latest installment of Glamorous Life, the series of 80s R&B mixes that he and DJ Ayres put together; you can buy that here.
A few years ago my dudes at the Fader asked me to put together something for their Vinyl Archeology column, a regular feature devoted to neglected music. I pitched ideas on a few pet obsessions that seemed broad enough to appeal to the Fader's readership (Patrick Adams productions, slept-on Sugarhill stuff, disk jockey rap) but ultimately they had me go with a genre I called "Twee Funk"-- basically, Jackson 5-inspired soul and funk records.
To go with the article, I whipped up a 69-minute mix featuring these songs:
Jackson 5: “2, 4, 6, 8” Promise: “I’m Not Ready for Love” The Voices of East Harlem: “Can You Feel It” Starborn: “Funky Piper” The Young Gents: “Big Things Come in Small Packages” Starborn: “Real Real Thing” The Nation Survivers (sic): “Get Down” The Posse: “Come Out and Play” Wee Three: “Get on Board” Jackson Sisters: “I Believe in Miracles” Family Plann: “Come On Let’s Do the Breakdown” Greer Bros.: “We Don’t Dig No Busing” Reginald Milton & the Soul Jets: “Clap Your Hands” The Eight Minutes: “I Can’t Get No Higher” The Voices of East Harlem: “So Rare” The Sylvers: “We Can Make It” The Sylvers: “I Don’t Need to Prove Myself” Foster Sylvers: “Misdemeanor” The Sylvers: “Don’t Give Up the Good Life” The Sylvers: “I Aim to Please” The Sylvers: “Stay Away from Me” The Sylvers: “Fool’s Paradise” The Sylvers: “I Know Myself” The Sylvers: “Only One Can Win” Foster Sylvers: “Big Things Come In Small Packages” The Eight Minutes: “Find the One Who Loves You” Ponderosa Twins Plus One: “Bound” Family Circle: “It Doesn’t Make Sense”
You can download it here. The other day I heard the mix for the first time in two years and was surprised at how proud I felt.
Here are two favorites that I toyed with including in the mix but which didn't make the final version:
I'm not going to pretend that this is the most musical song, but I find its goofiness and weird intensity completely winning.
Aside from hearing the mix again, a big inspiration for this post was watching a clip of Jimmy Briscoe & the Beavers getting real mannish with James Brown's "Hot Pants" on a clip of the early 1970s public TV show Soul! (that episode also features LeRoy Burgess destroying "Don't Turn Around" while pulling Al Green faces while wearing what looks like a jockstrap with the letters "B-I" printed on the front!).
Five other episodes of Soul! are currently available here. The episode with Tito Puente, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe & Felipe Luciano is a must-see. The performance by Earth Wind & Fire on this episode is also pretty mind-blowing; watching Verdine White's solo and the way they work the crowd at the end of their last song made me feel like that kind of craft and showmanship is pretty much lost in modern black music.
