super surprise

Well what a surprise. This Friday James Holden and Rob Hall - part time collaborator of the part time collective Gescom - are coming to Les Halles in Schaarbeek Brussels together with Autechre.

I've seen Autechre play multiple times. A show by Autechre is always interesting but over the years they're getting further and further away from the dancefloor, far off, almost to the point where I loose interest. As a reminder of those first eye-opening shows in the '90s some Autechre and Gescom classics.

Clipper
Motor 1

Ein ganz heitere Himmel über Brüssel

Mann-o-Mann, 7 mai konzertieren Mouse on Mars [Köln/Düsseldorf], Barbara Morgenstern [Berlin] und Planningtorock [Berlin/Bolton] im Brüssel auf Les Nuits Botanique.

Allen dort hin!

Stones Throw’s indie rap and soul

I’m not a religious person but thank god for labels like Stones Throw. Stones Throw knows that the foundation of hip-hop starts with classic soul and rare grooves. For more than 10 years now, they’ve been releasing throwback left- and offside hip-hop and funksoul projects that nobody else would dare to release or re-release (an extensive part of their catalogue consists of old skool material).
As a kind of random field guide, I offer a private collection of songs that are full of fire and spirit and — above all — soul.

046 Gary Wilson - Soul Travel 1973
First some early ‘70s bizarro funk Soul Travel from Gary Wilson. He’s one of those persons for whom the term cult is a highly appropriate brand. Just read this Wikipedia article on Gary Wilson.

047 Percee P & Koushik - Reverse Part 2
Next Percee P’s speed raps over a sample of Turkey’s first lady of funk, Selda, in a collaboration with Koushik on Reverse Part 2. Percee P has been emceeing since 1979 and is considered one of the few old skool rappers still in the game. He is something of a legend in the underground scene although he has never released an official album of his own. Instead he performed many guest appearances on other alternative and underground hip-hop artists' releases but change is on it’s way, Percee P is currently working on his first official release at Stones Throw.

048 Koushik - Be With
049 Koushik - None In Mind
More output from producer and a vocalist Koushik and somethin’ you might not expect to come out on Stones Throw. Be With and None in Mind are melodic and textural works reminiscent of '60s psychedelic pop, Shuggie Otis, Manitoba or even Beck. What does the trick for me is Koushik's soft, airy voice (reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Manitoba) but it doesn't act as the main attraction. He rather uses it as a DJ would, as another sound to add to the songs.

050 Jay Dee aka J Dilla - Two Can Win
American hip hop producer and MC J Dilla aka Jay Dee emerged from the mid-‘90s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit. J Dilla's work received cult-status and embodied the neo soul or nu-soul sound, playing a defining role up till 2006 when he died. J Dilla was highly regarded by better known producers as Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, who named him as his favourite producer.

051 Dudley Perkins - Falling
After the success of Lauryn Hill more and more rappers and emcees changed their style and started back singing instead of rapping. Dudley Perkins, also known as rapper Declaime, is Madlib’s vocal muse. Perkins has an extremely unique sounding voice, but he’s no traditional singer. He released an album of just him singing and doing spoken word over beats produced by Madlib. The track Falling is one of the best songs on the album and mainly a spoken-word piece over an incredible Madlib beat. The mid-tempo rhythm just glides along as a complicated and melancholy orchestral motif plays. The many different melodies change and integrate with each other. It is the best Madlib beat I have ever heard.

051 Mr. Magic - Earth Break
052 Mr. Magic - Coast to Coast [Edan Edit]
053 Mr. Magic - Potential 1980
054 Outlaw Four - Million Dollar Legs
055 Cuzz Band - I Just Wanna Dance
056 Positive Choice Band – 2001 Kazoo’s
And in order to end, a strong emphasize on Mr. Magic as heard on the compilation of old-school rap Third Unheard. Mr. Magic was New York's first all-rap radio DJ, but before that he was a Connecticut rap impresario. Connecticut's proximity to New York allowed it to be among the first to fall sway to the newest form of party music in the late ‘7os. Third Unheard is full of naive but fresh old-school amateur charm. Something nostalgic for the old folks, as to speak.
12-year-old Pookey Blow, nephew to Magic, shows up with Magic for the highly rated rare groove Earth Break, followed by Coast to coast and Potential 1980.
Apart from Mr. Magic there was in 1980 more going on in Connecticut as shown in the tuneless-yet-still-compelling chorus of the Outlaw Four's disco-rap Million Dollar Legs, Cuzz Band’s I Just Wanna Dance and Positive Choice Band’s 2001 Kazoo’s.

Electrolatino

Ricardo Villalobos will be playin' at the fuse this evening. I don't know what to expect because I've never heard him dj before. So far, I can only get an idea on the basis of his last album which is really great but I should better check http://linkset.blogspot.com/.

As a forproof listen to Unflug and Que Belle Epoque at an earlier post from the beginning of this year or at my public box over at the right counter.

Back to Black

The show must goes on. Bringing you this time some older and more recent stuff that I stumbled upon while wading through my digital files.

042 Joss Stone - Girl They won’t Believe it

Joss Stone has a new album out. I'm not really a big fan of her but I like ze genre and some of her songs. This one is great though. A nice steady offbeat shuffle. I went through the backs of my mind but I can't recall having heard this rhythm before. Which probably says more about my musical knowledge than the originality of the songwriting. But one never knows.

043 Flanger – Outer Space Inner Space

Electronic Jazz. There's tons of it out there but I find most of it rarely satisfying. A happy exception is Flanger. Some people will find this just noodles but I like the hard uncut edge. It doesn't have to be perfect. It ain't Rocket Science.

044 Sun Ra – Space is the Place

And since we are talking 'bout space and rocket science now... Space is the Place, indeed. I wonder whether one's inner space is as vast as outer space. Or whether the inner space can be a metaphor for the depths of the far far galaxy. Is everything we can imagine, also somewhere out there? Is there a limit to our minds? Am I ready for Los Straightjackets right now?

045 Joe Bataan – Chick-A-Boom (Chris Joss remix)

I recently purchased a compilation of the Thievery Corporation's ESL Label. Last year they produced their 100th release. Favourite track is the David Byrne collaboration The Heart's a Lonely Hunter in the Louie Vega Mix. You can already find it somewhere else on this site. But a nice surprise (and reason of purchase) was the Joe Bataan song Chic-A-Boom. I like Joe Bataan. A Salsoul and early hiphop pioneer. I knew the song but I couldn't find it anywhere. Now I have it in a worthy Chris Joss remix. A genuine Floorfiller!

By the way, I'm using Zshare right now. As a test because I'm running out of storage space at the Box. It's easy. A nice features is the possibility of hearing first what you're going to download. If you don't like it you can just split.

Superdiscount

put on yer dancin' shoes... you dirty little swine 'cause Etienne de Crecy is comin' to town with a whole lotta Digital Soul... Oops. There was no digital soul apparently, but a four to the floor partyrave. Well, for once that's just as good for me.

...and somethin' else, a suprise from a friend at meckermeckermecker Kompakt's cool taste Partial Arts - Trauermusik

...and more Battles Leyendecker

What do you do with the pieces of a Broken Heart.

Sometimes I feel like the bandleader of a Lonely Hearts Club Band. Recently I had multiple friends lamenting on me about their present and past love life. A nice side effect of listening and worrying about other people's misery is that one forgets one’s own.

So, for those poor suckers with a broken heart (be it unanswered or played around with) here's a nice comforting video Chinese Translation from M. Ward. A lot gets lost in translation and the will to communication. Let’s just all stop wanting. You’ll know what you want if you get it. Si Vis Amari, Ama.

So sail a wild, wild sea, climb up a tall, tall mountain, meet a old, old man beneath a weeping willow tree and ask him these questions three.

Awesome

There are some great new Warp label releases that I simply have to share with you all.

First, the new release Atlas from Battles's forthcoming album Mirrored. I never liked Helmet but I really like this stuff. It's something fresh. Some primitive bouncing rhythms which refer to German Motorik but the end result is something else. It has a catchy edge while those Krautrockers usually kept noodling on and on.



Next a song from last years album Body Riddle by Warp label protege (Chris) Clark. It's out on a special EP now. My favourite track at this moment. I just can't get out of my head. Dirrrty!

Clark - Ted

Candid Sauna

And the magic word for tonight is Patrick Wolf. His last album The Magic Position is really first-rate smashing ausum. It’s not yet for sale over here, but what the heck, it’s circulating all over the net right now. I downloaded it a while ago but I know I’m gonna buy it anyway, if it isn’t for the music than at least for the fancy silly album cover. It’s completely over the top and full of attitude but hey, that’s the spirit if you wanna sell records and get attention these days. What is it with the orange hair? Too much carrots... It seems that he changes looks like other people change their undies but I think it looks great. It’s my favourite colour anyway, especially for everything that spells... hair.
Favourite track this time is Bluebells which sounds a bit like David Sylvian to me.

This post is meant for a friend who, I reckon, is craving for this album and it's cover right now ;-)... so it’s password protected since I have the policy of not posting complete albums (most records these days aren’t worth listening all the way trough anyway). Have fun.

<>

One year in business

II started this Blog just one year ago. Around this time of year there are always 2 major events. One is keeping the memory and legacy of Serge Gainsbourg alive and the other one is the International Women's Day. The 2nd of March has passed and 8 March is still on it’s way so as a foreshadow of future events an the occasion for men to express their love to the women around them, this tribute from Tom Zé to the women of brasil and a lament on the still harsh conditions some of them live in.

These studies on the musical genre of Pagode are set up as a form of soap-operetta. Pagode is a natural evolution of Samba, Rio style, bringing funny and smart lyrics about malandragem (freely translated as the way of live of the outlaw), hard life and the brazilian way of solving problems in a convenient manner. In many lyrics, the small criminal outlaw who lives this kind of live, the Malandro, gives comment on his lifestyle, the government, the police and… bad women. This way Pagode is also known for it’s often women unfriendly lyrics (reminiscent of gangster rap).

As a form of critic Tom Zé used this musical style to give form to one the most powerful musical tributes to women I know.

fuse

'got a date with Richie Hawtin'

I'm heading off for a night at the fuse in Brussels. A combination of a couple of M_nus label acts playin' live supported by lessismore. I'm specially keen in hearing Troy Pierce play. But that's for later on, as a warm-up some other great minimal/tech house. I've been listening and shaking to these tracks for quite a while now and I still ain't gettin' bored.

Hammer of Thor – Riton
Moan (vocal version) – Trentemøller feat. Ane Trolle
Monsteer (Riton Remix) – Lindstrøm

some new toy

Rerun

Haven't I seen this one somewhere before?... Yes indeed, it's the same one as the post from 28th of November, last year, but... only different.
It's a mix and match from that video with an Artic Monkeys song for the Rhythms del Mundo album full of pop musicians being concerned about global warming. So check this Artic Monkeys in Cuba with an in between stop in Mumbai again.



I'm also rediscovering Feist. I kind of lost track of her but after listening to Broken Social Scene I started to listen back to her last solo album that I have Let It Die which is from 2004 and really great. One favourite is this song One Evening. Nice video.

Des choses que j'aime bien
Eu Gosto destas coisas

Foutaises 1989


Whether you give or Don’t Give a Doggone About It, long live james brown.



Cold War Kids - Now Hang Me Up to Dry



Jamie T – Salvador



Noisettes - Sister Rosetta



I don't know what this song was about but I reckon it's about Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Just watch and look for the connection. If you think, haven't I seen this somewhere before, you're probably right. This clip is featured in the French Movie Amélie Poulain, on one of the videotapes she posts to the old man.



Part of a show by the amazing Collins Kids backed by Tex Ritter. They were really hot back in the fifties but stopped recording in the mid sixties. I wonder what they're up to these days... at a Saturday grill in the Ozark Mountains?

2006 - A Year in Music

Rehab - Amy Winehouse
This is what I call an instant classic! Amy Winehouse is a notorious Jazz vocalist, violent drunk and ever growing tattoo canvas known for using explicit lyrics and the occasional whim as this song about her past refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre, after it was encouraged by her management company, shows. She said no, no, no and told the management company to go, go, go.
Her last albums Back to Black now shows a swing to the girl groups of the Fifties and Sixties.



Seeing Through Shadows – Loco Dice
The Porcupine (original mix) – Latex
There’s a Minus label night comin’ up soon at the fuse in Brussels. The best minimal tech house I heard last year was from the former hip hop DJ Loco Dice. The biggest track of 2006 Seeing through Shadows was released on Richie Hawtin's Minus label and Porcupine was released on Rebelone under the pseudonym Latex. They both sort of tipped his profile over the edge. Especially Porcupine is one of the finest and most organic grooves you're likely to hear lately. A very fitting title for the irregular, shuffling spiky undertones, quirky gamelan and the dream-like melodies, that combined make this not just a guarantee for the dance floor but also a thing of beauty and elegance. A must have! He now moved from La Dusseldorf to NYC looking for inspiration for his first album. I’m really lookin’ forward to that.

Atlantis To Interzone – The Klaxons
Gravity's Rainbow – The Klaxons
Golden Skans – The Klaxons
What can I say about The Klaxons which isn't already said in this Wikipedia arcticle. Klaxons sounds groovy in English but in Dutch or French it sounds funny. It's the equivalent of the old honk of a vintage car - Laurel & Hardy style. It's a sound though, nevertheless, lately one of the most interesting bands around. Check their latest video which looks a bit like the old Jackson Five's What a Feeling.
By the way, apparently skans refers to a god in native American mythology, just check the web for some interesting Indian stories.



Roscoe – Midlake
Young Bride – Midlake
Another band that caught my attention last year was Midlake. They’re from Texas but don’t let that scare you off. A lot of fine stuff comes from Texas (mockingbirds, peppers, Austin, Scott Joplin, Gene Autry, the Houston helpdesk, and why not Coca Cola…). Anyway, they already made more than one album but those first ones got a bit lost in the cracks of time but that will not be the faith for last year’s album The Trials of Van Occupanther. A strange title and an even stranger album cover but it’s one that stays in your mind just as the music. When I read about it, most comments and reviews talk about 70’s influences like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac, but I just can’t stop thinking about a more recent band, Elbow. Their music had at first the same impact on me and it’s frankly in the same epic style and with a similar vocal sound. Just judge for yourself.





Cowgirls – Luomo
The Balloon Room – Ashley Beedle presents The London Heavy Disco Revue
Karawane – Escort
Moving Like A Train – Herbert
Loveboat (edit by palle) - iron-chef29 Kettel
Out The Door (Superdiscount Remix) – Who Made Who
Hustler – Simian Mobile Disco
Heart Of Hearts – !!!
Acho Um Pouco Bom - Cansei De Ser Sexy

D-Funked – Dexter
In The Morning - Junior Boys
Ankle Injuries – Fujiya & Miyagi
Discopolis Claude Monnet Beat Bass Dub – Lifelike & Kris Menace
Grabba Grabba Tape – Dr. Groxtronix & Lil Kul Lol
Get Myself Into It – The Rapture
A1 Motorized – Kiki
Marble House – The Knife
We Share Our Mother's Health – The Knife
I Go Hard, I Go Home – The Presets
Trucker's Delight – Flairs
Let's Make Love And Listen Death From Above - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Law of the Plainsmen – Antifamily

Madan (Exotic Disco Edit) – Martin Solveig vs Salif Keita
Pra Qui e Pra La- Kuduro Sound System feat. Gata Agressiva

Lump – James Holden
Que Belle Époque – Ricardo Villalobos
Sykkelsesong – Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas
I Go Ego Why Go We Go – Mouse On Mars
Congratulations – Wisp
Rotate Electrolyte – Squarepusher
Hello Meow – Squarepusher
Sweet Harmony - Thomas Mayer

Eternal Flame – Joan as Police Woman
If I - Piers Faccini
The Coming Of Night – Admiral Freebee
Think That Thought - Planningtorock
Fidelity - Regina Spector

On a Neck, on a Spit – Grizzly Bear
Take A Chance – The Magic Numbers
7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene
Postcards From Italy – Beirut
The Song That We Sing – Charlotte Gainsbourg
And I Was A Boy From School - Hot Chip

Promiscuous Girl – Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado
You Are What You Love – Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
Smile – Lily Allen
Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
Tell Me Baby – Red Hot Chili Peppers
We’re from Barcelona - I’m from Barcelona
Writer's Block – Young Folks
Big Julie - Jarvis Cocker

Long Distance Call - Phoenix
In the Morning - Razorlight

When You Were Young – The Killers
Gettin' Enough – Lil’ Chris
Checking It Out – Lil’ Chris
Save – Kap Bambino
Capricorinations – Mika Miko
Blood Visions – Jay Reatard
Elevator - White Nights
Standing in the Way of Control – The Gossip
Lost and Found - Phoenix
Here it goes again - OKGO
Tax Dollar - Erase Errata
Back To The 101 - Albert Hammond Jr.
Art Bitch - Cansei De Ser Sexy

On your way down – Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
Final Showdown – Shawn Lee - Bully OST
Break 'em On Down - The Soledad Brothers
Mr Tough – Yo La Tengo
Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
You’re the One – The Black Keys
You’re the kind of trouble – Solomon Burke



Git - Skeletons & The Girl Faced Boys
It's Time (Gay Masters Discomix) - They Came From the Stars (I Saw Them)
Les Matins De Paris - Teki Latex feat. Lio
The Elite (Radio Edit) - Robert O’Dell
Just Talk (Skatebard Remix) - The Work
Save Me Save Me - Xiu Xiu
Thatcherie – Sven Libaek
Girl and the Sea - The Presets

Bodiliser Bodilsizer – Emperor Machine
Red-Eye - The Album Leaf
Auto Rock (Errors Remix) - Mogwai
Origin (shake you down by the river) – Studio
Wildcat - Ratatat
Pick Up (Four Tet Remix) – Bonobo

Michael Caine on acting in movies

Michael Caine is my favourite actor and these episodes from Youtube show you more than anything else why. The sound’s way out of sync but it’s brilliant anyway.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6