Four Tet @ Plastic People Mix

Just got hold of this amazing mix by Mr. Four Tet himself - Kieran Hebden, and felt it was far too good to keep it kooped up on my hardrive, so i've posted a link care of a third party website....'Prettymuchamazing.com'. This one is a real killer and I thoroughly recommend you get on the download - that means you Gaz man....


Although Four Tet (aka Kieran Hebden)’s new album in 5 years (!!) isn’t due until January 26th, Four Tet is assembling the masses and preparing them for his return in a big way. First, he released the new single, “Love Cry“, which was later remixed by fellow-Londonite Joy Orbison. Now, Four Tet is giving away this incredible DJ mix. This mix, “Much Love tot he Plastic People” was passed out exclusively to the folks at the Plastic People, a club he’s held residency at in London. And during his last show on Dec. 11, he gave away an exclusive mixCD as a sort of “thank you” to the club. Nice, you can always count on Kieran Hebden to come thru with great mixes. And naturally, you can find it now on the net.

"The final edition of Four Tet's Plastic People residency takes place this Friday night.

Over the last couple of years, Kieran Hebden has seen his sound become more and more influenced by house, techno and minimal, echoing his move to become a more active DJ on the scene. He's certainly been no stranger to London's dance floors over that time, holding down residencies at James Holden's Border Community parties and now Plastic People, but that era is now set to come to a close.

As if catching Hebden play his final show at Plastic People wasn't enough to encourage fans to brave the cold winter weather, though, he'll be giving out a limited edition CD-R mix at the door to everyone who attends. Hebden has also confirmed that the CD will not be sold through any other channels, and will be exclusive to the party. "A lot of the music on the new Four Tet album was tested out at these Plastic People nights, and this club is a big inspiration to me," Hebden explains in a post on his website. His There Is Love in You LP will see a release next month on Domino Records." (RA News)

Four Tet – Much Love to the Plastic People (70.9MB) DOWNLOAD HERE.

Worldwide Awards 2010 in Februray - WOW what a Line Up ?

"Gilles P returns with quite possibly the best line-up yet for another triumphant Worldwide Awards session – this time taking over the newly refurbished Garage in Islington. With no less than 14 awesome live acts and DJs gracing the stage, plus the usual array of special guests, cameos and general tomfoolery, it’s looking like a night to remember. You can bag your tickets HERE.

To celebrate this gathering of our favourite artists from 2009, Brownswood homie and all-round gentleman DJ LeFtO has pieced together a dope little mix repping the whole line-up. Check it…" (Worldwide

LeFtO’s Worldwide Awards 2010 Mix

Right-click-then-save (PC) or ctrl+click-then-save (Mac) HERE to download. HERE

1. Elan Tamara – Oranges (CDR)
2. Theophilus London – Enjoy The Sun (CDR)
3. Jose James – Detroit Loveletter (Brownswood)
4. Floating Points – Love Me Like This (Eglo)
5. El Michels Affair – Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Truth & Soul)
6. Nailah – Sacred (Brownswood)
7. King Midas Sound – Lost (Hyperdub)
8. El Michels Affair – Detroit Twice (Truth & Soul)
9. Lee Fields & The Expressions – Ladies (Truth & Soul)
10. Lee Fields & The Expressions – My World Is Empty Without You (Truth & Soul)
11. Floating Points – Vacuum Boogie (Eglo)
12. dOP – Mambo Jumbo (White)
13. Darkstar – Aidy’s Girl’s A Computer (Hyperdub)
14. Nailah – He Speaks – Ennio Styles Edit (White)
15. Andreya Triana – Shine – Live @ Paradiso (White)

The Big Chill 2010 - Seriously Considering Next Years Festival....

Seriously considering a return to next years Big Chill Festival for my sons introduction to UK Festivals. He will be 3 years old by August 2010, and the Big Chill looks like a serious contender for his "Baptism of Fire...."

"Early bird tickets for The Big Chill 2010 are available at 2009 prices from 9am, Wednesday 28th October, until December 31st 2009, from Ticketline (0844 888 4411).

Deposit Scheme/Payment Plan
To help you spread the cost of your Big Chill 2010 tickets, we are pleased to announce that the Deposit Scheme returns this year and we have also introduced a Payment Plan, allowing you to pay for your tickets in 4 convenient installments.

Please note that all ticket types are subject to a maximum booking fee of up to £7 (depending on ticket type) and a per-order postage and packaging cost for secure delivery of your tickets.

Early bird adult: £145
Student: £110

For full-time students only. Valid NUS or ISIC ID required at the wristband exchange - no other student ID accepted.

Teen* (13 to 17 years old): £60
Kid* (12 and under - this includes babies and toddlers): £4

* Please note that all under 18 year olds must be accompanied to the festival by an adult. An adult cannot be responsible for more than 4 under 18 year olds each.

Sunday: £70

Car Park/Live-in Vehicle tickets: Available in the New Year.

In response to your feedback (specifically the location of the Family Camping area) we are changing the layout of the car parks and campsites. Once we've finished making our plans, Car Park tickets will be put on sale. If you've already ordered your tickets by this time, you will be emailed to ask whether you would like to add a Car Park ticket to your order (paying only for the Car Park ticket - you will not be charged an additional admin/handling fee).

Deposit Scheme
Pay an initial deposit of £50 for your ticket and pay the balance by 31/05/10. This offer is only available for Adult and Student tickets only, until 31/12/09.

Payment Plan
Spread the cost of your Big Chill tickets across four monthly payments. Make an initial payment of 25% of the face value of your tickets, then pay the outstanding balance over the consecutive three months. This offer is available for all ticket kinds, until 31/12/09.

Information about our Easy Camping options will available in the New Year....."

Holiday Bonus Mix From Moonstar

Moonstarr "Beats from the Vault Vol 1"

"All you beat heads will enjoy this one.. Presenting Moonstarr "Beats from the Vault Vol 1" the mixtape you have to have for the holidays.. Get your toes tapping, heads nodding while you are doing your holiday shopping, or wearing the lamp shade at your next holiday party.. Featuring a mashup of Moonstarr's beats from the past, present and a sneak peak into the future. Including beats from Instrumentals Forever, Mathology, Montreal ILL Harmonics, guests, unreleased remixes and works in progress. Spread the word!!"

Tracklist:

01 - Scarborough RT - PTR-1201
02 - Bossano *
03 - More Or Les - Tension Remix *
04 - My Place *
05 - Novo w/ Voice Fantasy Pt1 accapella *
06 - Fantasy Remix Demo - PTR-1217
07 - Electronics *
08 - Hav'em feat Tony Ezzy - PTR-701
09 - Dust - PTR-1205
10 - 5 Deeze - It's About Time -Remix Inst. - PTR-CD007
11 - Head Bangers *
12 - Rima Green Remix - Just Breaks *
13 - Break It Down - PTR-CD010
14 - ILL Beats *
15 - Big Boppa *
16 - Step Up Demo - PTR-DA018
17 - Dutty Bizness w/ Sarah Linhares' Step Up*
18 - Jigga What *
19 - Meet Me For Dinner *
20 - Take Me Away *
21 - Koyoto Jazz Massive - Mystery Mashup feat Bembe Segue *
22 - Middlefield - Incoming Remix - Diaspora
23 - July Black Remix *
24 - Voice Nu Skool Remix *
25 - Zero DB - Remix *
26 - Povo Remix - Raw Fusion
27 - LAL Feb. Demo - PTR-CD015
28 - Kentaro Remix *

* Unreleased / Works in progress. All Beats by Moontarr

DOWNLOAD DIRECT (Right Click and Save As).

Hyetal 'FACT Magazine' Mix

"This Friday's FACT mix is by Hyetal, the Bristol based producer responsible for one of the year's best dancefloor jams, 'Pixel Rainbow Sequence'.

Counting Starkey and more amongst his fans, Hyetal's productions drip with colour, and his collaborations with Shortstuff have proved some of the year's most intense club tracks. His FACT mix features new Hyetal and Shortstuff material, plus new dubs from Brackles, Julio Bashmore, NB Funky, Gemmy and more. It's really, really good, and you should obviously download it. It's even got Prince." (FACT Magazine)

Tracklisting...

Julio Bashmore - Around (Forthcoming Soul Motive)
Mosca - Square One (Dub)
Doc Daneeka - Deadly Rhythm (Dub)
Shortstuff & Hyetal - Don't Sleep (Dub)
NB Funky - Frequency (White Label)
Brackles & Shortstuff - Pipey D (Dub)
Headhunter - Love Dup (Forthcoming Soul Motive)
Starkey - Knob Twiddler (Forthcoming Planet Mu)
Sully - Toffee Apple (Dub)
Guido ft Aarya - Beautiful Complication (Forthcoming Punch Drunk)
Hyetal - Gold Or Soul (Soul Motive)
Gemmy - A Night On Da Wonk (Dub)
Hyetal - Pheonix (Dub)
Prince - I Would Die 4 U (Warner Bros)

Click here for DOWNLOAD (Available for 7 Days as per FACT Magazine Website).

Worldwide Winners for 2009

Looking at both Gilles Peterson's and Benji B's 'Best Of 2009' shows, it really has been an amazing year for music.....check the 'BEATS GENERATION' and 'FORWARD MOTION' sections below.....its is killer....


"Check out this Worldwide Winners special which has all the best tracks played on Gilles' show in 2009. We have crammed in as much music as possible, 74 tunes in total...the most we have managed to get into two hours so far!" Says Gilles and Team.....

DJ Mitsu The Beats feat. Black Spade — Free Your Mind [Jazzy Sport]
Harmonic 313 — Lion [CDR]
Carlos Niño — Fall In Love [Mochilla]
Robert Glasper — All Matter [Blue Note]
Zed Bias & Tawiah — Further Away [Sidestepper]
Sa-Ra — Dirty Beauty [Ubiquity]

BEATS GENERATION

Hudson Mohawke — Fuse [Warp]
James Blake — Air & The Lack Thereof [Hemlock]
Hudson Mohawke — 3.30 [Warp]
Shafiq Husayn feat. Fatima — Lil' Girl [Plug Research]
Ryan Leslie feat. Pusha T — Something That I Like [Casablanca]
Paul White — Alien Nature [One Handed Music]
Dam-Funk — Killdat [Stones Throw]
Seiji — I Can't Let It Go [CDR]
Dorian Concept — Tropical Hands [Affine]
The Colonius — Bugs N Fools [Ubiquity]
Cooly G — Love Dub [Hyperdub]

FORWARD MOTION

Untold — Palamino [Hemlock]
Mark Pritchard feat. Om'Mas Keith — Wind It Up [Hyperdub]
Darkstar — Aidy's Girl is a Computer [Hyperdub]
Pangaea — Router [Hessle Audio]
José James — BLACKMAGIC (Joy Orbison's Recreation) [Brownswood]
Portico Quartet — Lines (SBTRKT Remix) [CDR]
Martyn — Elden St [3024]
Pearson Sound — Wad [Hessle Audio]
Kode9 — Black Sun [Hyperdub]
Donae'o — Riot Music [My-ish Inc Limited]
Geeneus feat. Ms Dynamite — Get Low [CDR]
Gatto Viola — Backstabbin Angie For A Ten Bag Dub (Doc Daneeka Reedit) [CDR]

HOUSE MIX

Joy Orbison — Hyph Mngo [Hotflush]
Four Tet — Love Cry [Domino]
Floating Points — Love Me Like This [R2 Records]
Friendly Fires — Paris (Aeroplane Remix) [XL]
Brigitte Fontaine & Khan — Fine Mouche [DOP Remix]
Noze — Meet Me In The Toilets [Circus Company]
Bassfort — Bix Tritt [CDR]
Gramophonedzie — Why Don’t You
Seiji Vs Lady Chan — Sticky Situation [Suncycle]
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble — Alyo [Honest Jon’s]
El Michels Affair — Shimmy Shimmy [Fat Beats]

HIP HOP MIX

Voice — Nola [Redux]
Strong Arm Steady feat. Planet Asia & Fashawn — Questions [Stones Throw]
Q-Tip — Blue Girl [Arista]
Bibio — Fire Ant [Arista]
Melo-X — Treat Her Right [And I Know]
Raekwon — Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt.2 [Ice H20]
Superstar Quamallah — 88 Soul [Brick]
Fashawn — Hey Young World [One Records]

Theophilus London — Enjoy The Sun [CDR]
Julien Dyne — The Jung & Fine [Wonderful Noise Production]
Speech Debelle — Better Days Remix feat. Wiley & Incredubwoy [Big Dada]
K'naan — America [A&N]
Oh No — Xcalibur [Stones Throw]
Mos Def — Quiet Dog Bite Hard [Downtown Music]
DOOM — Gazzillion Ear (Thom Yorke Remix) [CDR]
New Look — Everything [CDR]
Las Ondas Marteles — Love in Outer Space [Corida]
Mocky — Birds Of A Feather [Crammed Disks]
Electric Wire Hustle — You Don’t Want [Every Walking Hour]

SOUL MIX

Lee Fields & The Expressions — Love Comes & Goes [Truth & Soul]
N'Dambi — Take It Out [Stax]
Trilogy — Brother Don't Cry [CDR]
Mayer Hawthorne — Green Eyed Love [Stones Throw]
Fat Freddy's Drop — Big BW [The Drop]
Shuanise & Duktus — Wide Eyes [CDR]
Hawthorne Headhunters — Do 4 U [HVW8]
Michael Olatuja feat. Lynden David Hall & Andrew Roachford — Hold On [Backdrop]
Ragen Fykes — Love Life [Fresh Selects]
Quadron — Day [A:larm]

WORLDY MIX

Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro — The Dreaming Mind [Tru Thoughts]
Jimi Tenor / Tony Allen — Three Continents [Strut]
Mulatu Astatke — Masenqo [Strut]
Oumou Sangare — Iyo Djeli [World Circuit]
Owimi Sigoma Band — Kenya [White]
Havana Culture Band — Chekere Son [Brownswood]
Matthew Halsall — I’ve Found Joy [Gondwana]


Click here for DOWNLOAD.

Christmas Treats For Myself......

Trus'me featuring Dam-funk Bail Me Out (7 INCH)

"Limited edition red vinyl one sided 7inch featuring a preview from the forthcoming Trusme album "In The Red". "Bail me Out" is a collaboration between Trus'me and Dam-Funk and is a low slung, soulful boogie interpretation of the 1981 disco epic "Wheel Me Out" by Was (Not Was). Trus'me's second album is released at the start of December and this is a preview of what's in store. "In The Red" perfectly follows his debut "Working Nights". On "In The Red" he ups the ante working with singers and musicians including Amp Fiddler, Paul Randolph, Fudge Fingas, Linkwood, Pirahnahead and Dam-Funk. Known as Los Angeles "Ambassador of Boggie Funk" Dam-Funk is currently making waves with his debut album "Toeachizown" imminent for release on Stones Throw. He has built a huge following through his Funkmosphere parties attracting boogie afficianados from from far and wide".

Cessa Liquidate / Movement / Recon (SBTRKT Mix) (12 INCH)

"New Label 'Missing Link Sounds' brings London based duo Cessa's 2 tracker to the playground which has been busted by Mary Ann Hobbs, Geiom, with a sick remix from SBTRKT."



Sampha/ Sbtrkt/ Slugabed/ Tokimonsta/ Shortstuff/ - Pudge 251109 EP (12 INCH)

"Super limited. RAMP Recordings drop an unfeasible limited 12” EP of exclusive beats and treats, that were given 100% free at the Lightbox on the 25th of November! The vinyl features tracks from every act playing on the night. We have secured the distribution of 100 white label copies that come with a Ramp Sticker."


SBTRKT. vs. Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (12 INCH

"LTD TO ONE COPY PER ORDER! After more than a year since 1st aired this (MAASIV!) mix has reached almost mythical status and so rightly sees a vinyl press even though promo and therefore very LTD. Unless you've been under a rock ya'll know that 2010 is gonna be the year of the SBTRKT...."

Best Of The Bangers (Part 2)

Here is Part 2 of Benji B's 'Best of 2009 Bangers'. Check my earlier post for Part 1..... Benji gives you the best of 2009 part 2 hip hop, R&B, beats and instrumental, jazz and soul, playing tunes from the likes of Jay-Z, Wale, Dam Funk, Hudson Mohawke, Harmonic 313, Erik L, Toddla T and Karriem Riggins.

Hope You ENJOY (Here ya go GARY C)


Raekwon — 10 Bricks – EMI
Raekwon — New Wu – EMI
Raekwon — Ason Jones – EMI
El Michels Affair — Shimmy Shimmy Ya – Fat Beats
J Dilla — 10,000 Watts – Nature Sounds
Black Star — History – Downtown
Mos Def feat. Slick Rick — Auditorium – Downtown
Mos Def — Quiet Dog – Downtown
Dam-Funk — Hood Pass Intact – Stones Throw
Computer Jay — Epiphany – Ramp Recordings
Funkineven feat. Fatima — Kleer – Eglo Records
Cassie — It Must Be Love (Re-Edit) – Bad Boy
Amerie — Tell Me You Love Me – Island Def Jam
Jazmine Sullivan — Jumpoff – CDR
Slum Village feat Marsha — Cloud 9 – White
Griffi — Suavizante Strickly Jabugo
DOOM — Gazillion Ear – Lex
Jay-Z — D.O.A. – Roc Nation
Clipse feat. Kanye West — Kinda Like A Big Deal – Re-Up
Jay Electronica — Exhibit A – Transformations
Jay Electronica — Candyman – Transformations
Malik Yusef & Kanye West feat Common & John Legend — Magic Man – G.O.O.D Music
Drake — Fear – Young Money
Flying Lotus feat Life For Strings — Auntie’s Lock – Warp Records
Sa-Ra — Love Czars – Ubiquity Records
Georgia Anne Muldrow — Beya – Someothaship/E1 Music
Shafiq Husayn feat. Fatima — Little Girl – Plug Research
Electric Wire Hustle — Chaser – Every Waking Hour Records
Harmonic 313 — Falling Away – Warp Records
Dorian Concept — Splasshh – Nod Navagators
Hudson Mohawke — Rising 5 – Warp Records
B Bravo — Computa Love – Frite Nite
Triolgy — Brother Don’t Cry – CDR
Robert Glasper feat. Bilal — Open Mind – Blue Note
Mayer Hawthorne — Green Eyed Love (Waajeed Remix) – Stones Throw
Lee Fields — My World – Truth & Soul
Georgia Anne Muldrow — Drum 8 (Instrumental) – Epistrophik Peach
Reggie B — Belief – CDR
Morgan Zarate — Satin White – CDR
Leatherette — In July Focus Rites – CDR
Débruit — I’m Going With You – Civil Music
Erik L — Soul Symphony – U Beat
Karriem Riggins — 12s In 8: – Scion
Dego — Monday Moo – CDR
Georgia Anne Muldrow — Momma B – Epistrophik Peach
Harmonic 313 — Music System – Warp Records
Knowledge — Create – U Beat
Hudson Mohawke — Fuse – Warp Records
Julien Dyne — Conglomerates – Wonderful Noise
Dizz 1 — Somewhat – Crunchtime Records
Ryan Leslie — How It Was Supposed To Be – Next Selection
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys — Empire State Of Mind – Roc Nation
Wale — Mirrors – All I Do Records
Mark Pritchard ft. Wiley — Scar – Dubplate
Toddla T ft. Roots Manuva — Going Off – 1956
Dam-Funk — Kill Dat – Stones Throw

Click here for DOWNLOAD.

Gilles Peterson digging in Cuba

Gilles Peterson is digging in Cuba from Léa Rinaldi on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas and the Best Of The BANGERS for 2009

Thought I'd post Part 1 of Benji B's 'End of Year' round up shows which aired this Sunday on BBC Radio 1. I always rate his end of year shows, they offer a comprehensive guide to whats been hitting hard this year....and lucky for us his shows are now 3 hours long...so thats 6 hours in total for this years round-up....NICE

"Whoooooooooo! Big show from Benji B this week! The show is called End of Year Special Part 1 where he gives us the best tunes of 2009 and many of them are among my favorites. Part 1 contains the up tempo tunes which means tons of lovely dubstep and the likes. Recommended download!"

Tracklist:
Zed Bias & Omar — Dancing Now – Dubplate
Dubplate Malice — Gabryelle Refix – CDR
Bias & Cole — Fly Up Ya Banner – Prolific Recordings
Geeneus Ft Ms Dynamite — Get Low Benji B Special – Dubplate
Altered Native — Rass Out – Fresh Minute Music
Zed Bias — Neighbourhood 09 (Club Vocal Mix) – Side Stepper
Joy Orbison — Hyph Mngo – Hotflush Recordings
emalkay — When I Look At You – Dub Police
Eve & Benga — Me N My – White
Breakage feat Newham Generals — Hard – Digital Soundboy
Magnetic Man — The Cyber Man – Tempa
Benga — Buzzin – Tempa
Silkie — Purple Love – Deep Mehdi
Kode9 — Black Sun – Hyperdub
Madslinky — Lost on Tenori Street – Dubplate
Martyn — Elden Street – 3024 Recordings
Roska — The Sheppard – Roska Kicks & Snares
Motor City Drum Ensemble — Raw Cuts 6 – Timothyreally
Hunee — Rare Silk – WT Records
Zomby — Tarantula – Hyperdub
FaltyDL — To London – Ramp
Sbtrkt — 2020 – Dubplate
Madslinsky — It Was You – Dubplate
Enzyme Black — Oh My Daze – CDR
Seiji — Dope Test – Dubplate
Apple — Sieglizer – Slimting Recordings
Donae’o — Riot Music – Myish
Hard House Banton — Sirens – Spoilt Rotten Entertainment
DJ Zinc — Blunt Edge – Bingo Bass
Mark Pritchard feat Om’mas — Wind It Up – Hyperdub
Joker — Digi Design – Hyperdub
Mala — Level Nine – Hyperdub
Skream — Memories of 3rd Base – Digital Soundboy
Alix Perez & Lynx — No Grudge – Shogun
Mark Pritchard — Heavy As Stone – Deep Mehdi
Floating Points — Peoples Potential – Eglo Promo
LCD Soundsystem — 04 45 33 – DFA
Krystal Tears — Tried For Your Love – White
Hawthorne Headhunters — Manifest Station
HVW8
Miike Snow — Animal Mark Ronson & Tickla Remix – Columbia


The original download link has been taken down by request...

Gil Scott-Heron 'The Godfather of Rap' is Back !!

Just caught this 10 min piece which played-out on BBC 2's Newsnight programme the other day......Gil Scott-Heron is back with a new album on XL Recordings...


"He was the man who invented rap, "the black Bob Dylan".As lanky as a basketball player, he delivered jeremiads against racism and poverty, but with such nonchalant poise that he might have been a Harlem Globetrotter. The phrase 'the revolution will not be televised' has entered the language Jazzy grooves and deft lyrics took his records into the pop charts in Britain and the United States.

Alongside fellow music luminaries Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, he successfully campaigned for the civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King to be recognised with a public holiday in the US. But then something happened to Gil Scott-Heron. The records dried up. He stopped touring. He was arrested and jailed over possession of cocaine and rumours circulated about his health.

When I mentioned Gil Scott-Heron to friends and colleagues, the ones who remembered him at all had the same question: "Is he still alive?" (BBC Website)



"Gil Scott-Heron was doing rhyming and spoken word over a back-beat as long ago as 1970," Russell explains. "The music that became hip hop and rap - that's what he was doing. He is undisputedly one of the people who invented that type of music. And it's gone on to be incredibly important, and affect the culture in an enormous way."



Here's a link to his promo material of his new album CLICK HERE



Gil Scott-Heron now on XL was @ Bowery Ballroom to see labelmates/remixers? The xx (now a trio).....

"When I got to the xx show at Bowery Ballroom last night (11/11), I was told by someone reliable that Gil Scott-Heron was planning on joining the headlining UK band on stage for some songs - both with them and on his own for a few. At first I thought that was completely random. Then I realized that the xx's label XL Recordings recently announced that they signed Gil. They'll be releasing "I'm New Here", his first album since 1994's "Spirits", on Jan. 11, 2010. And according to jamespenycate, "The XX are remixing the entire Gil Scott Heron album". You can listen to four song clips, and watch video of Gil in the studio, at imnewhere.net.

Ends up Gil didn't join The xx on stage, though I saw him there after the show and apparently he did sound check with them (it's unclear why the change of plan). Ends up Baria Quresh didn't join The xx on stage either. The band performed as a trio and XL confirms that Baria's hiatus is permanent.

Fellow UK musician Jon Hopkins opened the show with a set of solo electro that had him pushing all kinds of buttons on stage to the delight of those that bothered to check him out. "Hopkins's third album, Insides, was released by Just Music in conjunction with Domino Records on May 5, 2009." (Quote from the www.brooklynvegan.com)

Thought i'd post a few Gil Scott-Heron classics for those who don't know :-

"The Bottle"



"We Almost Lost Detroit"



"Johannesberg"

More from..... The Jackin' Zone

“The Jacking Zone: DJ International”



Was checking Boomkat Records 14 Tracks feature and noticed that this week they are concentrating on the exact era that I have been focusing on myself.....take a look:

This time on 14tracks:

"From 1985 up to the early 90's, D.J. International was one of the most influential record labels in Chicago - and subsequently - the world. Alongside the slightly better known Trax imprint, they released some of the all-time classic House tracks from artists like Larry Heard, Chip E, Mike Dunn and Steve Poindexter. At decadent crucibles of dance music like Ron Hardy's Music Box and Frankie Knuckles' Powerplant, crowds of Hispanic, African American and Gay dancers were ingesting the latest Italo imports mixed with European EBM, British synth pop and classic disco edits. DJ International picked up and released the productions of those clubs patrons, churning out a succession of the most futuristic, ruggedly effective and influential dancing music of the last 50 years. The drug/technology interface at play would inspire tracks like Steve Poindexter's 'Work That Motherf*cker', making use of newly democratised technology to recreate the essence of hypnotic tribal drumming, while producers like Larry Heard aka Fingers Inc would make strangely elegant future-soul music that continues to amaze to this day. Now in 2009, a new wave of producers are turning to this stripped and functional aesthetic as inspiration for a new generation of dance music. Long live the Jack! ......."

1) QX 1- Inject Me Love - Mike Dunn in disguise crafting one of the best deep-house tunes ever.

2) Chip E - Time To Jack Raw - minimal and fierce tracky jacker from the legendary Chip E.

3) MIKE DUNN / CARL CRAIG - Magic Feet (Carl Craig Remix) Detroit gets involved! A killer jack track.

4) Steve 'Silk' Hurley - Jack Your Body (Original Club Mix) - One of Chi-town's finest instructional workouts and most memorable basslines.
5) STEVE POINDEXTER - Work That Motherf*cker (Original Mix) - Brutalist dancing gear for the real jackers!

6) JM Silk - Music Is The Key - The very first release on D.J International courtesy of Steve "Silk" Hurley.
7) Paul Johnson - Third Dimension - Pumping raw tracky style. Get Get down.

8) E.S.P. - It's You - Infectious melodic simplicity and a classic vocal = a treasure.

9) FINGERS INC - It's Over (Dub) - Original deep house soul from Larry Heard!
10) The It - Donnie - Larry Heard, again. A deep underground staple. Track down the Ron Hardy mix!

11) Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder - Burning acid lines and sinister synths make a true Chicago classic.

12) Kenny 'Jammin' Jason - Can U Dance - Kickin' - Body music with Italo-inspired synths.

13) Drew Sky - Razzmatazz - A brilliant example of the Disco influence over Chi-Town house music.

14) Farley Jackmaster Funk & Jessie Saunders - Love Can't Turn Around - The first house single to make the UK charts back in 1986.

'The Call It Acid' Film

Since my post on the 24th September - 20 Best: Acid House (Created By Fact Magazine), I've been checking loads of Acid house from my library and my fellow crate digger GARY-C has been pushing through a load of links to me, which are just too good not to post - so check these out, beginning with the exciting news that a documentary film has made which showcases this era and music - check it....

FEATURING:

Adamski, Alfredo, Kid Bachelor, Carl Cox, Colin Faver, Frankie Foncett, Trevor Fung, A Guy Called Gerald, Larry Heard, Marshall Jefferson, Jazzy M, Graham Massey, Derrick May, Mark Moore, Paul Oakenfold, Robert Owens, Steve Proctor, Danny Rampling, Evil Eddie Richards, Jesse Saunders, Pete Tong, Noel Watson and many others....





"The UK -1988 - the birth of one of the most long-lasting cultures and musical genres since Rock 'n' Roll itself – Acid House. In two years it was to outgrow the underground clubs of London and see millions of Thatcher’s children dancing through the night and shouting ‘Mental’ at massive illegal warehouse parties and outdoor Raves, attended by tens of thousands, they called it ACID HOUSE.

Driven by a media hate campaign, the British Government acted against this new culture by pushing a bill through Parliament that would outlaw these illegal parties. Millions of pounds were spent funding a special Police Unit, whose sole purpose was to crush this movement, never before has the UK seen such a reaction against a youth culture . In response, the Ravers formed The Freedom to Party Campaign who’s slogan was ‘Let the People Dance’, but by 1990 the police’s tactics got heavy handed and the Government at last won the war against Acid House - the illegal party scene was all but stamped out.

THEY CALL IT ACID is a feature length documentary which plots the emergence of this culture from its musical roots in Chicago and Detroit, to the melting pots of Ibiza, London and North England where these elements were brought together by a small number of DJs, musicians and promoters. Fed up with the 80s society that they were living in, they created the illegal Acid House party scene. Far from being just a culture of music, fashion and drugs, Acid House broke down long-lasting barriers in the UK, bringing together black and white, rich and poor and groups of previously opposing football hooligans. 12 months from its conception it was to bring on board millions of people and through the 90s spread worldwide, with the birth of the super club, massive licensed outdoor Raves, Dance Music festivals and the rise of the super star DJ, many of whom are now world famous.

Narrated by Robert Owens, one of the most distinctive voices of House Music, with a seminal soundtrack compiled by DJ ‘Evil’ Eddie Richards, one of the UK’s foremost House pioneers, THEY CALL IT ACID features over 60 interviews with both the originators and followers of the Acid House scene and the Police and Politicians who opposed it. Featuring unique film from many of the first illegal clubs and parties as well as never-before-seen footage of Police raids as they clamped down on the scene.

The Hippies had 'Woodstock', the Mods 'Quadrophenia' and the Punks 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle - 'THEY CALL IT ACID' is the story of Acid House, the birth of Rave, the culture the Government failed to crush!" Excerpt from Film HOMEPAGE.

CHECK THIS FOR A LITTLE DEMO -

TB-303 loves the TR-909 too

The Doors - Live in New York (6CD Set) Limited Edition

"Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives unleash four inspired performances from The Doors’ final tour with LIVE IN NEW YORK.

As an added bonus during the Live in New York Pre-order, we'll be randomly selecting customers to give (1) one autographed copy each of the Live in New York set. Pre-order now for your chance to win....

(10) Ten Grand Prize Winners will receive (1) one autographed copy of Live in New York. BUY HERE.....

This six-disc collection contains all four of The Doors’ performances – in their entirety – recorded in 1970 at the Felt Forum in New York City. Recorded January 17 and 18, 1970 – just a few weeks before the release of Morrison Hotel – these concerts find Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek locked in tight as they deliver smoking takes on soon-to-be-classics from their forthcoming album.

Fans will be blown away by the crisp sound found on LIVE IN NEW YORK. All four shows were mixed and mastered by the band’s longtime engineer, Bruce Botnick, who recorded a number of shows from The Doors’ 1970 tour on multi-track tape for the Absolutely Live album. Sadly, these shows represent The Doors’ final New York City performances with Morrison, who passed away July 3, 1971.

Click product image for more information and tracklists.

Ray Manzarek hails these shows as a return to the group’s early days, when they used to play a club called London Fog. “I mean, talk about going back to basics. We used to do four sets a night at the London Fog, and we only had a small block of songs written up to that time. So we would do other people’s material. And in New York, it was like the same thing as the London Fog. We’ve got four shows to play here, two sets tonight, two sets tomorrow night. Let’s play whatever we want! Let’s just go!”

Go they did. Along with a mix of then-unheard new songs and old covers, the band also tapped into its 1967, self-titled debut, peppering the set lists with signature songs such as “Break On Through (To The Other Side),” “Soul Kitchen,” “The End,” and “Light My Fire,” The Doors’ first #1 hit. Adding to the improvisational nature of the run, on the final night, the band was joined onstage by two guests– The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian (who played harmonica on the studio version of “Roadhouse Blues”) and drummer Dallas Taylor.

THE DOORS LIVE IN NEW YORK
Track Listing

Disc 1

January 17, 1970 (First Show)

1. Start Of Show
2. “Roadhouse Blues”
3. “Ship Of Fools”*
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
5. Tuning
6. “Peace Frog”
7. “Blue Sunday”
8. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
9. “Back Door Man”*
10. “Love Hides”*
11. “Five To One”*
12. Tuning/Breather
13. “Who Do You Love”
14. “Little Red Rooster”
15. “Money”
16. Tuning
17. “Light My Fire”*
18. More, More, More
19. “Soul Kitchen”*
20. End Of Show

Disc 2

January 17, 1970 (Second Show)

1. Start Show 2
2. Jim “How Ya Doing?”
3. “Roadhouse Blues”
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”* 5. “Ship Of Fools”
6. “Crawling King Snake”
7. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
8. “Back Door Man”*
9. “Five To One”
10. Pretty Neat, Pretty Good
11. “Build Me A Woman”
12. Tuning/Breather
13. “Who Do You Love”*
14. Tuning/Breather
15. “Wild Child”*
16. Cheering/Tuning
17. “When The Music’s Over”

Disc 3

January 17, 1970 (Second Show) continued

1. Tuning/Breather
2. “Light My Fire”*
3. Hey, Mr. Light Man!
4. “Soul Kitchen”*
5. Jim’s Fish Joke
6. “The End”
7. End Of Show

Disc 4

January 18, 1970 (Third Show)

1. Start Show 3
2. “Roadhouse Blues”*
3. “Ship Of Fools”*
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”*
5. Tuning/Breather
6. “Universal Mind”*
7. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” – False Start*
8. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”*
9. “Back Door Man”*
10. “Five To One”
11. Tuning/Breather
12. “Moonlight Drive”
13. “Who Do You Love”*
14. Calling Out For Songs
15. “Money”*
16. Tuning/Breather
17. “Light My Fire”
18. More, More More
19. “When The Music’s Over”*
20. Good Night – End Show

Disc 5

January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show)

1. Start Show 4
2. “Roadhouse Blues”*
3. “Peace Frog”*
4. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”*
5. “Back Door Man”
6. “Five To One”
7. We Have A Special Treat
8. “Celebration Of The Lizard”
9. Alright Let’s Boogie
10. “Build Me A Woman”
11. “When The Music’s Over”*
12. More, More, More

Disc 6

January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show) continued

1. “Soul Kitchen”*
2. For Fear Of Getting Too Patriotic
3. Petition The Lord With Prayer
4. “Light My Fire”
5. Only When The Moon Comes Out
6. “Close To You”
7. The Encore Begins
8. “Rock Me”*
9. What To Do Next?
10. “Going To N.Y. Blues”*
11. Tuning/Breather
12. “Maggie M’Gill”*
13. Tuning/Breather
14. “Gloria”*/End Of Show

*Previously unreleased"

(QUOTED FROM DOORS SHOP)

LIMITED EDITION - Massive Attack 'Splitting The Atom' 12"

Product Details:

• Limited to just 1,000 copies worldwide, this beautifully presented and individually numbered vinyl and art edition has been crafted by The Vinyl Factory, working in close collaboration with Massive's Robert del Naja and designer Tom Hingston.

• This is the only physical release of Massive's stunning new four-track EP, 'Splitting The Atom', featuring guest vocalists Horace Andy, Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio), Martina Topley-Bird and Guy Garvey (Elbow), as well as Damon Albarn, and the producers behind Fever Ray.

• Includes a 180-gram heavyweight vinyl record, pressed on the legendary EMI 1400, with laser-etched labels on either side.

• The record is housed in a bronze-foiled and printed sleeve with artwork by Robert del Naja, produced on pristine Colourplan white board with solid black inner lining.

• Available to pre-order now!

• Estimated shipping date October 19th

Click here to order :-

Just ordered mine - Nice

'Red Lightbulb Theory '87-'88' Double Vinyl on Sound Signature

Theo Parrish releases a compilation of Chicago House producer Leron Carson's work from back in the day - touched up by Omar S.




After the previous post...about the Roland TB303...I've been listening to many of my oldschool 12"s and albums from back in the day. So I was pleasantly supprised when I came accross this release on one of my favourite contemporary labels - Theo Parrish's 'Sound Signature Label'.

Fact Magazine states "This week sees the release of Red Lightbulb Theory '87-'88, a compilation of tracks he recorded when Carson was in his mid-teens. Over twenty years after these tunes were cut to tape, Parrish is releasing them on 2x12" via his Sound Signature label, with some re-engineering from AOS aka Detroit's man-of-the-year Omar-S. What's great about tracks is how raw and unfussy they are: proper Chicago box jams, recorded without sequencing and relying on cassette tape overdubs for layering".

Tracklist:
1. Mechanism
2. Dedicated
3. The Unknown
4. China II
5. Red Lightbulb

Grab a copy or check the sound clips HERE.

20 Best: Acid House (Created By Fact Magazine)

FACT MAGAZINE have just posted an article on the 20 best Acid House Records, which although is not definative does highlight a number of classic artists and releases.....its penned by Ed DMX who is best known as boss of Breakin' Records and for his work as DMX Krew, releasing on labels like Rephlex and Ersatz Audio.

"So how do you define "acid house"? So much has been written already and I'm surprised FACT hasn't already had an acid top twenty from someone with more cred than me. For the sake of this list I'm using an arbitrary definition of "house music with acid in it".

Acid: it's the sound made by a Roland TB303. Zillions of articles and compilation sleevenotes have held forth on the history of the little silver box designed in Japan by Tadao Kikumoto that accidentally spawned a whole genre of music. So I won't go into that too deeply, you probably know what a 303 is and what it sounds like, if not then listen to any of the records below and feel the squelch.

As far as "house music" goes, I mean music characterised by a four-to-the-floor kick-drum beat, made to be played at Chicago's Warehouse club, and music directly descended from that stuff. For me, 99% of acid house is from Chicago. I won't include earlier TB303 tracks like Alexander Robotnick's 'Problems D'Amour' or Ice T's 'Reckless', nor will I include Belgian new beat tracks, which I see as coming from a slightly different lineage. Because of my own feeling of what constitutes "house" I won't include banging techno tracks with distortion such as Richie Hawtin's early classics on Probe or the awesome acid bangers that constituted a good deal of Underground Resistance's early catalogue. But I do include one UK track that was inspired by the Chicago sound, and there would be more UK stuff if this was a top fifty instead of a top twenty.

In an important way, acid house was a UK scene. Again, many words have been written about the summers of 1988 and 1989, and you can Google "second summer of love" if you need a refresher. Even though nearly all the best records were made in Chicago, the music took off in a big way over here, it was massively popular, much imitated, loved by clubbers and ravers and misunderstood by the media. Lots of Chicago tracks were only released over here. Sometimes amazing tracks (like Pierre's 'Box Energy') were only available as album cuts on poorly-pressed UK complations, others like Charles B's 'Lack Of Love' got proper 12" vinyl pressings in the UK but were never released in the USA.

My first acid house record was a UK one, Perfectly Ordinary People's 'Theme From P.O.P.'. I wasn't really aware of the distinction between UK & Chicago tunes or the geographic origins of the sound. I knew some Chicago house hits like Steve Silk Hurley's 'Jack Your Body' but it wasn't until early 1992 that I got educated about original acid house on a trip to Brick Lane Market in Bethnal Green. In those days Brick Lane market was mostly a place to find people selling things like a single shoe, or a dead person's dentures, or possibly a nicked mountain bike, but nestling among all the junk I came across two boxes of brand new dead stock records selling for a couple of quid each. In one box were copies of the Jack Trax compilation album Acid House and in the other, the Westside double LP We Call It Hallucinates. I snapped them up, took them home and got submerged in the sounds of Phuture, Armando, Liddell Townsell and the rest. The music was similar to the UK acid stuff I knew but with all the cheesy "commercial" elements removed. Stripped-down, mind-numbing repetition made tiny changes in the beats into a highlight, and all the 303 tweaks and burbles took centre stage because Chicago guys hadn't seen fit to swamp their productions in piano and strings and so on. Sometimes it's what you leave out that makes a track heavy.

It was hard to narrow this list down to twenty tracks and of course lots of classics had to be left out but these are definitely twenty of the all-time top forty! I gave myself some arbitrary limitations as detailed above, and didn't include anything more recent than 1989, not for any good reason, but just to help me narrow down the selection. The track descriptions get a bit repetitive but that's the nature of the sound.

Nearly all these tracks were released in 1988, and I could easily have listed another fifty. Can you imagine if this many great records came out in 2009? Imagine how much money you'd spend if you found yourself in a record shop in 1988 with a couple of hours until the time machine brought you back to the future..."


01: DJ PIERRE - 'BOX ENERGY'(from ACID TRAX VOL.2, 1988)

'Acid Trax' by Phuture isn't in this list. It was probably the track that gave the genre its name, but it's nowhere near as good as this, DJ Pierre's finest moment. It was only properly released on 12" a couple of years ago, after languishing for many years on a compilation called Acid Trax Volume 2 that was pressed too quietly to play out in a club. The track features a pumping, constantly shifting 303 line over hectic TR808 drums and a weird sizzling noise that comes in and out, and that's it. It's at a very high tempo for a house track of this time. I can only squeeze in one track by each of the great producers really, so aux. honours go to 'Fantasy Girl' by Pierre's Pfantasy Club, and many other greats that DJ Pierre produced or co-produced, but 'Box Energy' is the greatest. I DJ'd with Pierre in around 2002 and he played awful tunes like 'Lady Hear Me Tonight'. Afterwards I went over and said, "Thanks for Acid House, mate," or words to that effect, and he replied, "That was a long time ago." Not interested. Shame really. Anyway, nuff respect.

02: SLEEZY D - 'I'VE LOST CONTROL'(TRAX, 1986)

If Pierre's 'Acid Trax' was the first track to use the word "acid" and christen the style, the "Space Mix" of Sleezy D and Marshall Jefferson's 'I've Lost Control' was the first proper acid house track on vinyl as far as I know. In a similar vein to "Box Energy" we hear a 303 in square-wave mode over TR808 beats, this time with a scary pitched-down vocalist losing control over the top. Marshall Jefferson did loads of excellent stuff but this is the most acid one and it's really intense.


03: ARMANDO - 'CONFUSION'S REVENGE'(from ACID HOUSE, JACK TRAX 1988)

In 1987, Armando Gallop released an early acid stormer on Westbrook Records entitled 'Land Of Confusion'. Once again the formula was the same but this time the drum machine was a TR707 giving a more angular. jerky feel to the beat in contrast to the more rounded analogue vibe of the 808. On the 1988 Acid House compilation is this remake 'Confusion's Revenge' which ramps up the trippiness a few degrees by putting everything through a massive warping flanger and adding a great smurf-rap all about the story of acid. He created several other absolute classics too, such as 'Downfall' and 'Overload'.


04: BAM BAM - 'WHERE'S YOUR CHILD'(DESIRE, 1988)

The label that released 'Land Of Confusion' belonged to a guy named Chris Westbrook, better known as Bam Bam. This track is his finest hour, a rather slow-paced dark acid tune, with pitched down vocals, satanic laughter and smashing glass sounds leading into a driving 303 line over a steady 808 beat. Bam Bam released this and other amazing tracks on Westbrook but my copy's on the UK label Desire.


05: CHARLES B -'LACK OF LOVE' (DESIRE, 1988)

Another track released in the UK by Desire, and never pressed in the USA, this is the only proper song in this list. It's got a real vocal sung in a normal un-effected voice by a human, and the beat changes in different sections, there are even some piano chords. I suppose it's quite close to the UK acid sound of acts like Perfectly Ordinary People and SLF who had a far less minimal approach to production than the Chicago originators. But it also has a great big squelchy 303 bassline all the way through and it always fills the floor when you DJ it. It's my favourite production by Adonis, who did loads of great stuff, most famously 'No Way Back' all the way back in 1986, but also some great simple acid tunes as Jack Frost & The Circle Jerks - just check 'Clap Me', 'Two The Max' or 'Shout' for example.

06: MR FINGERS - 'ACID ATTACK' (DESIRE, 1988)

Here's another artist who released on Desire, specifically his band Fingers Inc's monster hit 'Can You Feel It', which was issued with an acappella over the top taken from an obscure 1987 release by Rhythm Controll. Jack Trax also released the same track with a Martin Luther King speech over the top. I wonder why they couldn't leave it alone? The original instrumental was pretty amazing. Anyway I'm supposed to be talking about 'Acid Attack' which is not Larry Heard's most emotional track but it's his most acid moment, comprising an unhinged 303 pattern that is not a whole number of bars in length, so it gradually drifts around in timing relative to the drums. The rest of the track is just some beats from a TR707 and some conga samples in the background, that's it. Simple and head-spinningly good.

08: 808 STATE - 'FLOW COMA' (from NEWBUILD, CREED, 1988)

Before Gerald Simpson left 808 State and became 'A Guy Called...' he helped them create the first and possibly the only UK acid house tracks worthy of comparison with those from Chicago. Given how badly 808 fell off after his departure - especially in comparison to the strength of his early solo classics such as 'Voodoo Ray' and 'Blow Your House Down' - it's easy to imagine that he probably made this track more or less solo. This is a bit more layered than Chicago tunes of the era but still minimal and trippy as you like. 808 State also did some good acid tracks under the name Lounge Jays, and all their best stuff has been re-issued by Rephlex. There are other great UK acid tunes like Ecstasy Club's 'Jesus Loves The Acid' but there's no 303 in that one so it's consigned to the margins of this list.

08: COMING DOWN BAND 'SLOW MO ACID' (from ACID TRAX VOL.3, NEEDLE, 1988)

So I planned to not have more than one track per artist in this list, but I put this one in without ever checking who actually made it. It's a fairly obscure track from Acid Trax Volume 3, once again just nice TB303, this time two contrasting patterns in different parts of the song, with some slightly distorted TR707 drums underneath. Just now I googled the names of the writers of the track, N. Jones and E. Smith. It turns out that N. Jones is DJ Pierre and E. Smith is Fast Eddie so that explains the awesomeness of this track.

09: K ALEXI - 'VERTIGO' (from 'ALL FOR LEE SAH', TRANSMAT, 1989)

Acid house was a Chicago thing and not much acid came out of Detroit unless it was something on KMS or Express remixed by Mike "Hitman" Wilson (who was from Chicago) or else the banging acid techno of UR et al a few years later. This record was released by a Detroit company - Derrick May's seminal Transmat label - but it was made by a Chicago native, Keith Alexi Shelby. Distorted, simple and dark, with an extremely minimal 303 line and K Alexi's trademark thing of stopping the drum machine and starting it again out of time so you can't easily mix the record with another one. This is the only record on this list from 1989 apart from...

10: CODE 3 - 'CODE-OF-ACID' (CODE-OF ACID MIX) (INTERNATIONAL LATIN HOUSE, 1989)

An obscure and sought-after uptempo tune with a nice female rap over the top of a stuttering 808 beat, one-note 303 pulse and a bouncy square bassline. Quite simple but actually with a lot more going on than most acid tracks - at least two more synths and a vocal besides the usual drum machine and 303 combination! This track is on the B-side of a freestyle track with terrible vocals and the record is sought-after by freestyle collectors as well as acid house ones. Regardless of the trainspotter appeal, 'Code-Of-Acid' is plain and simply a great tune. Just don't play the A-side if you ever get your hands on a copy.

11: DA POSSE - 'IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT' (ACID MIX) (FUTURE, 1988)

Here's another nice acid tune with a female vocal, this time the vocalist is singing (in a totally different key to the 303) about... you guessed it, acid house. Da Posse was a group of four people including Maurice (see below) and Hula, both of whom released some serious solo jams. I couldn't fit Hula in this list so please check out his classic "Hot Hands". "In The Heat Of The Night" features a few different contrasting acid lines, and the drums are enhanced with some nice TR727 latin percussion sounds, and it's their best acid track, although "Searchin' Hard" comes a reasonably close second. They also did a few non-acid house tracks that are great as well as some terribly misguided attempts at RnB pop vocals.

12: MAURICE - 'THIS IS ACID' (TRAX, 1988)

This is kind of the theme song of acid house, Maurice from Da Posse rapping through a nice pitch-shift effect over a slowly growing acid line and a funky and crisp 808 beat with nice congas and tasteful use of the 808 cowbell as heard all over Whitney Houston records of the era. On the same EP on Trax Records is another great downbeat spoken-word acid tune called "Feel The Mood" and the immature and smutty 'I Got A Big Dick'. Overall a superb EP!

13: LIDELL TOWNSELL - 'JACK THE HOUSE' (TRAX, 1988)

Also on Trax, this time from a five track EP. My copy's got the wrong labels but I'm pretty sure "Jack The House" is the title. Most Chicago tunes feature the TR707 or TR808 drum machines, but this one uses a TR909 which is much more commonly heard in Detroit Techno of the era and gives the record a different, harder sound. I'm guessing Lidell & Tyree shared the same 909 because they seem to be the only Chicago guys who used one. Lidell made several excellent deep acid jams and some great acid hip house tunes with rapper Kool Rock Steady, of which the best is 'I'll Make You Dance'.

14: MARK IMPERIAL & CO. - 'SHE AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A HO' (HOUSE NATION, 1988)

Some TB303s just sound better than others. They contain analogue circuits and components with varying tolerances. My 303 is quite out of tune - high notes are rather sharp and the low octave is noticeably flat. I could fix it but I quite like the sick feel it gives. Luke Vibert's 303 always sounds lush. Mark Imperial had a magic 303. Maybe he had some amazing production technique but as far as I can tell his 303 is just a good'un. He started releasing way back in 1985 but this is a great 1988 acid track with a nice echoey 303 line and a vocal about Mr. Imperial's troubles with the ladies.

15: MD III - 'PERSONAL PROBLEM' (from 'FACE THE NATION', UNDERGROUND, 1988)

Another rap about female problems, this time over a quick 808 beat and a beautifully burbling acid line. Mike Dunn did loads of good stuff, including the contentious "Magic Feet" which is very similar to Lil' Louis' "The Original Video Clash" and there seems to have been some dispute over who came up with the idea first. Marshall Jefferson claims that Lil' Louis stole it from him. This controversy was rendered irrelevant when Tyree or possibly Rodney Bakerr stole the idea and made a track superior to both...

16: TYREE & RODNEY BAKERR - 'VIDEO CRASH' (ROCKIN' HOUSE, 1988)

Better known for his hip house classics including 'Turn Up The Bass' and the very acidic 'Acid Over', Tyree's take on the Video Clash / Magic Feet idea of stabbing synths and crashing thunder effects slays the earlier versions with its massive 909 beat, although the Mike Dunn & Lil' Louis versions are excellent as well. I've just realised there's no TB303 in this track; the only version with 303 is Mike Dunn's 'Magic Feet' but Tyree and Rodney's is better so it stays.


17: JAQUARIUS - 'LOVE IS HAPPINESS' (ACID RAIN) (ROCKIN' HOUSE, 1988)

On the same label as 'Video Crash', Rodney Bakerr's Rockin' House, this track from the label boss is about as experimental as Chicago acid ever got. The rainy theme is carried over from Acid Crash with deep thunder crash sounds throughout; the 303 is mangled through some intense echo and phaser effects and the acid line keeps changing and moving back and forth between the front and back of the mix. Truly psychedelic.

18: FAST EDDIE - 'ACID THUNDER' (AA AACCID) (DJ INTERNATIONAL, 1988)
Like Tyree, Fast Eddie is best known for his hip house hits like 'Yo Yo Get Funky' and the one that named the style, "Hip House," which has some nice 303 in it. His Jack To The Sound LP includes some excellent acid jams like 'Clap Your Hands' and 'Keep On Dancing', the latter of which once again refers back to Video Clash / Magic Feet / Video Crash with some Lil' Louis samples. The version of 'Acid Thunder' on the LP is rather cheesy with strings and vocals but this version from the 12" is good and simple repetitive 303 and 808 action of the best kind, with some nice drum fills and a great change up halfway through into a piercing sixteenth-note acid onslaught. The strings come in at the end in a very tasteful manner.

19: FARLEY JACKMASTER FUNK - 'I NEED A FRIEND' (from NO VOCALS NECESSARY, HOUSE RECORDS, 1988)

Farley had a massive UK chart hit in 1986 with 'Love Can't Turn Around' but his greatest acid moment came in 1988 with the LP No Vocals Necessary. The two sides of the record were devoted respectively to "Acid House" and "Deep House". The deep house side contains strange Casio-ish remakes of various disco classics including Sylvester's 'I Need You' but the acid side is nicely simplistic stuff with some of the lowest 303 ever heard throbbing away on top of a very distorted TR808. I guess they just overloaded something when they were recording this, the production is kind of terrible but it gives a nice dirty vibe. 'The Acid Life' is the hit but 'I Need A Friend' has a bit more structure, quirky cellos, a pitched-down vocal sample and a nice unexpeted change in the 303 pattern at one point.

20: JAMES JACK RABBIT - 'ONLY WANTED TO BE' (WESTSIDE, 1988)

This is rather rare record that has recently been bootlegged. I'm pretty sure my (bootleg) copy has the labels on the wrong sides. The title of the release is 'There Are Dreams And There Is Acid" and both tracks features a very high level of sound quality and production compared to other acid house records of the time, with individually effected drums - heavily flanged hihats, and reverbed claps. 'Only Wanted To Be' has a dark evolving acid line, ethereal howling voices and a pitched-down melancholy spoken vocal. Whereas a lot of acid tracks are just quick jams knocked out in an afternoon (and it's true that if you gave 100 monkeys 100 TR808s and 100 TB303s, you'd probably get more than 70 decent acid tracks) this track stands out as a seriously thought-out song with fantastic sounds and structure. "Rabbit Trax" on the other side is a very early prototype for the hard acid techno sound that later became popular through UR, Richie Hawtin, Mike Dred and many European labels.

For more Top 20's and articles...check FACT MAGAZINE Click here.

Massive Record ALERT !!

Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro - Yellow Soul Force/Don't Touch, Just Watch Me! 10 Inch (Jazzman JM072)



"White 10" in Japanese flag design! We’ve all heard the Dap-Kings from the USA, the Poets of Rhythm from Germany, and the New Mastersounds from the UK. Well now it’s time to make way for a neat dose of super duper hard ‘n heavy funk from JAPAN – it’s the debut UK release from MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO on Jazzman!!!!

Although these funk sides were recorded over a year ago, the reserved nature of the Japanese music scene has kept MMK recordings hidden from the ravenous ears of funk fans around the world. That’s until Jazzman Gerald & Fryer went on a DJ trip to Tokyo recently where they stumbled across an MMK album – a secret privy only to the ears of Japan’s bourgeoning funk collectors. Expect the album out on Jazzman soon, but in the meantime for the first time outside of Japan and presented in resplendent fashion with respect to the Japanese flag, two of the hardest, meanest cuts that MMK can muster either side of a super dope 10” 45rpm, on white vinyl & with large dinked centre hole!!! " (Fat City Records)


Tracklisting

Side 1 - Yellow Soul Force
Side 2 - Don't Touch, Just Watch Me



Click here for Artists Page.

September Purchases.......

The New Mastersounds - San Frantico/Chocolate Chip 7" (One Note 7006)

"Title cut is two-and-a-half minutes of breakneck soul jazz, feat. EDDIE ROBERTS' familiar chicken-scratch guitar and a purring Hammond organ. The b-side, "CHOCOLATE CHIP," has a driving swirling piano, crispy drums, and flute from CHIP WICKHAM. A SONNY LESTER kind of sound". (ONE NOTE)

Side 1 "San Frantico"
Side 2 "Chocolate Chip"





Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement LP + 4" which contains 2 non-album tracks....with "alligator skin" cover (Stones Throw Records)

"Mayer Hawthorne’s debut album A Strange Arrangement grew out of a childhood steeped in Detroit soul. Raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, he vividly remembers driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul, deep funk and swinging jazz the region provided. As he grew up, and his obsession with soul records grew into a passion, Hawthorne discovered that sweet soul existed on both sides of the commercial divide. He discovered the same beauty in the polished sound of Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield as he did in the deeper, darker grit of the obscure Symphonic Four and Detroit-cult soul slingers The New Holidays.

His album draws from the inspiration of Leroy Hutson, Smokey Robinson, and the legendary songwriting and production trio of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland Jr. At the same time that it revels in the raw sounds of those independent musicians who aspired to achieve a level of success akin to their famous peers. A Strange Arrangement is an album full of original compositions and one cover (he had to give The New Holidays “Maybe So, Maybe No” a whirl) that underlies a heartfelt nostalgia to the sweet soul of yesteryear with a clear desire to show that his Strange Arrangement is no passing fancy. “It’s old soul,” Hawthorne explains, without an ounce of irony. “But it’s new.”" (Stones Throw Records)

Side 1
1. "Prelude"
2. "A Strange Arrangement"
3. "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"
Side 2
1. "Maybe So, Maybe No"
2. "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'"
3. "I Wish It Would Rain"
Side 3
1. "Make Her Mine"
2. "One Track Mind"
3. "The Ills"
Side 4
1. "Shiny & New"
2. "Let Me Know"
3. "Green Eyed Love"

Limited Additional 4" Disc

Side 1 - "Love Is All Right"
Side 2 - "When I Said Goodbye" (demo version)


Cheyenne's Comin/Hanson - Come Back To Me / Take Me To Your Home 7" (BCAT 0996)

"Two extremely heavyweight cuts! Cheyenne's 'Come back to me' was originally re-issued on Wah Wah 45s a decade ago is now rare in itself. Don't miss the chance to grab this, the ultimate end-of-nighter on 45 again! The b-side is Hanson 'Take Me To Your Home' is a rhodes-driven funk-rock cut from their obscure LP on Emerson, Lake & Palmers' Manticore label. Tip" (Fat City Records)

Side 1 - Cheyenne''s Comin - "Come Back To Me"
Side 2 - Hanson - "Take Me To Your Home"


Kenny Rankin / Don Fardon - Name Of Love / Dreamin'' Room 7" (Jazz Peace JZ 0942)

"Big Fat City favourite Kenny Rankin's 'In The Name Love' lands on a 7"! A rare opportunity to get this absolute classic folk jazz piece on a 45!

Featured on the 'Still Dreamin' compilation, the original came be some what troublesome to find. However, here you're treated to another killer on the flip! Don Fardon's 'Dreamin Room', an organ driven 3/4 jazz freakout! Two insanely good sides, and an absolute snip at this price! Essential!!"

Side 1 - "Name Of Love"
Side 2 - "Dreamin'' Room"


Jon Lucien - Would You Believe / Searching For The Inner Self 7" (RCA 042)

"Double Jon Lucien A-Side available finally on a 45!!

First time on 45! Two huge Jon Lucien cuts, 'Searching For The Inner Self' (released previously on 'Gilles Peterson Digs America' comp and 'Would You Believe In Me' from the LP 'Rashida'. Completely essential on 7" so snap this up quick...."(Fat City Records)

Side 1 - "Would You Believe"
Side 2 - "Searching For The Inner Self"



Breakestra - Joyful Noise 12" (STRUT 048EP)

"Party-time heavy funk from SoCal ensemble Breakestra featuring Chali 2na of Jurassic 5. 'Joyful Noise' and 'Dark Clouds Rain Soul' are loaded with primed breakbeats and super-tight arrangements from the group, made to fire up any funk loving crowd. 'Posed To Be' on the flip features DJ Dusk and Chali 2na on a mid-tempo, drum heavy groove, making us feel like it's 1999 again and DJ Shadow is running for president." (Boomkat Records)

Side 1
1. "Joyful Noise" (12" edit)
2. "Dark Clouds Rain Soul" (dub version)
Side 2
1. "Posed To Be" (feat Mixmaster Wolf, Chali 2na & DJ Dusk - 12" version)
2. "Posed To Be" (instrumental)



Nik Weston PRESENTS Jazztronik - Disco: Boogie 12" (MUKAT 016)

"The strictly vinyl only Mukatsuku Records label unearth an exclusive unreleased disco instrumental ''Real Clothes'' from prolific Japanese artist Ryota Nozaki under his Jazztronik guise. On the flipside GUYNAMUKAT -the production duo of Guynamite & Nik Weston, dig deep in their boogie box to unleash a feel good 1982 vibe utilizing those enormous strings to maximum effect. Already being supported by Gilles Peterson on National Radio 1 plus the likes of Domu (who said it was the ''Aint No Body'' for 2009)Jazzanova,Dom Servini,Recloose,Mr Scruff, Kevin Beadle & more !" (Juno Records)

Side 1 - "Real Clothes" (unreleased instrumental mix)
Side 2 - "Real Clothes" (GUYNAMUKAT We Love Ryota! Boogie remix)


Angelina Goalie & The Football Funkateers/Louis Perez & The Peruvian Persuaions - Rock Steady! 7" (KILLERFUNK 007)

"Killer Funk presents 'Rock Steady' from Angelina Goalie & The Football Funkateers. It's a little known fact that before the original Lara Croft started wearing tight PVC and going to town on upper & lower lip Botox treatment she was a goal keeper for a Filipino Sunday League soccer team just outside her home town of Manila. In the wet season when the monsoon downpour kept the team off a water logged pitch, the amateur musicians of the squad used a local community hall for band practice mostly doing cover versions of stax and Motown hits. 'Rock Steady' is one of the better tracks that Angelina Goalie & The Football Funkateers eventually went on to record. Back in the mid 1970s it was hard enough to get food on the table let alone get a band together who had proper musical instruments. On the flipside we've Louis Perez & The Peruvian Persuasions; band's like them were often found improvising guitars, percussion and drums with hand made instruments found at the local rubbish tip. Louis Perez was a local character who spent weekdays mining for gold and weekends fronting his band The Peruvian Persuasions whose repertoire was generally Latin-tinged covers of songs originally made by US pop acts of the time. Occasionally they would slip in an original composition that would sit nicely next to material you might have heard, by the likes of Fania Allstars & Ray Baretto. 'Que Se Sepa' was one of those tracks."

Side 1 - Angelina Goalie & The Football Funkateers - "Rock Steady!" (Beef Jerky edit)
Side 2 - Louis Perez & The Peruvian Persuaions - "Que Se Sepa" (Latin Funka edit)