Various - Christmas 2012 - It's Snowing On My Piano

01 - intro - blondie & freddie - yuletide throwdown (christmas rapture)

02 - catalist - soulful christmas

03 - shawn lees ping pong orchestra - do you hear what i hear

04 - c. robert walker - a thousand kisses at christmas

05 - alpheus - christmas again

06 - sufjan stevens - put the lights on the tree

07 - the whispers - funky christmas

08 - the sisterhood - the rocking disco santa claus

09 - skit - are you gonna stop the white xmas

10 - lowell fulsom - i wanna spend christmas with you pt. 1

11 - charles bradley - mary's baby

12 - electric jungle - funky funky christmas

13 - brendan hanlon & the bat men - christmas party

14 - twistin kings - christmas twist

15 - binky griptite - stone soul christmas

16 - kurtis blow - christmas rappin' (short version)

17 - jimmy jules and the nuclear soul system - the new year

18 - ann sexton - santa claus is coming to town

19 - solomon burke - presents for christmas

20 - jo-ann campbell - happy new year baby

21 - the kinstonians - merry christmas

22 - esther phillips - far away christmas blues

23 - johnny osbourne and the family group - christmas styles

24 - bugge wesseltoft - its snowing on my piano

Here I am back with yet another Christmas compilation - to be precise this is my fourth Christmas compilation after 2007, '08 and '11. I can't actually remember how this Christmas Compilation thing started - but my mom & sister keep asking me for a new compilation every year. So consider yourself lucky - because I am again sharing 24 fresh, funky & groovy seasonal greetings with you! As always - a little bit of everything: Reggae, Soul, Funk, Indie, Blues - and lots of Disco this year! Setting the vibe with a nice intro I 'stole' from Blondie & Freddie's Yuletide Throwdown. And after that DJ Catalist sets the Dancefloor Christmas Tree on fire with his heavyweight Christmas Dancefloor edit of James Brown's Soulful Christmas. As I can see everybody grooving & dancing - I will sneak out of this post - but not before wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Stay healthy, positive & have a good time with family & friends! And keep the good vibe alive :)

Enjoy! DubMe

Various - Christmas Snowflakes (2008)

01 - intro - free design - the now sound christmas introduction

02 - jimmy reed - christmas present blues

03 - billie holiday - i've got my love to keep me warm (yesking remix)

04 - the soulful strings - little drummer boy

05 - jackie mittoo - after christmas

06 - genoa keawe & her hula maids - mele kalikimaka

07 - chuck berry - run, rudolph, run

08 - skit - eddie kendricks - christmas greeting

09 - doreen schaffer - wishing you a merry christmas

10 - horace andy - christmas time

11 - the enchanters - mambo santa mambo

12 - ginny wright - gonna get me a real doll for christmas

13 - los jibaros - decimas de nacimiento

14 - leadbelly - christmas is a-coming

15 - lightnin hopkins - happy new year

16 - barrington levy - christmas day

17 - skit - pizzicato five - merry christmast

18 - faroff - a message to you, santa claus

19 - lord executor - christmas is a joyful day

20 - sugar minott - christmas jamboree

21 - the staple singers - who took the merry out of christmas

22 - skit - smokey robinson - christmas greeting

23 - james brown - santa claus goes straight to the ghetto

24 - the drifters - white christmas

25 - johnny preston - (i want a) rock and roll guitar

26 - la dusseldorf - tintarella di

27 - claudine longet - snow

28 - the j's with jamie - i saw mommy kissing santa claus

29 - half pint - christmas vibes.

30 - outro - pizzicato five - merry christmast

I am currently selecting & listening to songs for a fourth Christmas compilation, which I hope to share here on this blog very soon. Meanwhile enjoy ''Christmas Snowflakes'' from 2008. Also be sure to check out these two previous Christmas compilations I shared here last year: Christmas never felt so good! (2007) and This ain't no white Christmas (2011). Funky, swinging & groovin' Christmas Sounds from all four corners of the globe.

Enjoy! DubMe 

"Less consumerism and more love, real Christmas is inside of you"

Oriental Disco & Acid Arab (2012)

01 - the g*slamp killer - n*ssim (ft. amir yaghmai)

02 - adil el miloudi - track 2 (dj su-real club mix)

03 - ali hussan kuban - hanwil tanza (izzywise remix)

04 - ahmed fakroun - nisyan

05 - paris casablanca - dancing in cairo (dr. dread edit)

06 - senay - honki ponki

07 - figen han - pisi pisi

08 - senay - dalkavuk

09 - elias rahbani and his orchestra - liza... liza

10 - bebi dol - mustafa

11 - ahmed fakroun - love words

12 - badawi - final warning

13 - kai warner's oriental express - fly butterfly

14 - john berberian & rock east ensemble - iron maiden

15 - ouiness - zina (128 bitrate rip from soundcloud)

16 - orient express - abdullah's wedding

17 - sahara band – habibi

If you enjoyed Oriental Discotheque - Disco Not Disco (2012) from a few months ago - here is more for you! ''Oriental Disco & Acid Arab (2012)'': Oriental & Arab Disco, Disco Not Disco, No Wave, Leftfield, Edit, Balearic, Pop-Boogie-Electro, Cosmic & Italo Disco with an Oriental Theme...

Mister Guido Minisky, DJ, artistic director at the Chez Moune Club (Paris), responsible for the great Kid Creole compilation Going Places - The August Darnell Years 1974-1982 & most importantly ACID ARAB frontman, probably gave a better name to this musical movement - calling it ACID ARAB: ''The idea is to give a name to this musical movement, and to present ourselves not as "know-it-all geeks" but as 2 djs playing house & oriental music...'' For more info please visit & join ACID ARAB on facebook here and here. Lots of info & music shared there, tune recommendations via youtube, mixes & more... And its growing! Finally the ''Acid Arab Genie Is Out of the Bottle'' - sharing all those magic! Also check out the Acid Arab soundcloud page.

I am starting this compilation with Nissim from The Gaslamp Killer. "Nissim" a song named after Gaslamp's late grandfather, who grew up in Istanbul, is a richly arranged Turkish soul groove with a break-beat bounce to it and a special catch: every instrument on it was played live. Here's Gaslamp with a few words: "I was listening to this old Turkish song over and over, and I said to myself, 'Lord, this is too good. I don't wanna just loop it like I used to. I should get with some musicians and recreate this. ' So I got (producer) Daedelus on bass, and Amir Yaghmai from Jogger on guitar and yiali tambur, and we just jammed. It sounded so good that Amir offered to bring in some Middle Eastern professionals he knew, and then they redid it while I sat in and directed the band." Track #2 is DJ Su-Real's Club Mix of an amazing tune by Tangiers phenomenon Adil El Miloudi who performs a contemporary version of traditional Moroccan music. This is what DJ Su-Real himself says about the original and his remix: ''I love the searing female vocals that enter in the second verse, and the sauntering rhythm is entrancing (...) I stuck a simple little 4×4 under the track and just let it ride, and now its ready to burn up the dancefloor…'' Read more about Adil El Miloudi here. Track #4 is Nisyan by Ahmed Fakroun, who was already featured twice on the first Oriental Discotheque compilation here on the blog. Ahmed Fakroun, born in Lybia, is an arabian disco and electro pioneer. In the 70's and 80's he spend a lot of time in England, France and Italy. ''According to Wikipedia, this song was arranged by Nicolas Vangelis (?) and Ahmed Fakroun, and recorded in Italy. I especially love the vocals on the second verse. Ahmed is breaking off lots more mp3s for your enjoyment over here. Also make the voyage to ahmedfakroun.com.'' (Art Decade) Track #5 is Paris Casablanca - Dancing In Cairo (dr. dread edit) - a superbly bizarre and little-known French disco production. The title track ''Dancing In Cairo'' is the most appealing to my ears. The lyrics start "Dancing in Cairo, Everywhere you go, Heavy perfume flows, In Cairo...". After 2 minutes the disco tune blends into a syncopated flute-driven middle-eastern sound, and then back out into an alto-sax solo, before returning to the main tune... For me the best part of the song is that 30 seconds of 'syncopated flute-driven middle-eastern sound' - anyone out there who could deliver a proper edit/extended version of that 30 seconds?! Track #6 is the Turkish disco delight Honki Ponki by Turkish singer and actress Senay. Taken from here 1980 album of the same name. There is also a funk’ed up version by edit master Baris K available. Track #7 Figen Han - Pisi Pisi is another great song from Turkey - a dirty, funky slow Disco groover with nice instrumentation & lots of moans. Not much more info available on this song - unless you can read Turkish. Track #8 is Dalkavuk by Senay - another good track from her above mentioned album. Real nice jam, mad synthesizers, the drummer's minimal sleeze style in perfect harmony with her vocal stylings. Google translate defines "dalkavuk" as "syncophant"... Track #9 - Liza...Liza by Elias Rahbani and his Orchestra takes you on an almost 8 minute Lebanese disco ride with lots fuzz. Wild! Track #10 is what ACID ARAB is all about - taking our love for the Orient in all its various form on to the dancefloor. Mustafa is a phenomenal 1981 track by Serbian Bebi Dol from former Yugoslavia. Almost industrial, raw 4AD-esque production, with some On-U Sound Dub influences, exotic or even oriental melodies, astonishing female vocal performances and whatever else the 1980's communism block was hidding. Very unique track. Read more here. Track #11 is yet another song by Ahmed Fakroun. Love Words + Soleil Soleil are my favourite two songs from his 1983 release Mots D'amour, a great record filled with oriental disco and electro. Track #12 Final Warning by Badawi is as ACID as ACID ARAB can get. Raz Mesinai's (aka Badawi) is an experimental music alchemist along the same lines as Muslimgauze (whom I unfortunately have neglected to give a proper listen yet). His music is usually highly rhythmic with a particular keen sense of microtonal sound - and a lot of middle eastern influences. He released his first album in 1994 as a 20 year old. Since then he has released almost 20 albums, EP's & 12inches under various pseudonyms, his last in 2011 under his moniker Badawi called Index ¹⁻² No Schnitzel. The next song - track #13 - Fly Butterfly, is some exotic slo mo funky disco courtesy of Kai Warner's Oriental Express. Originally released in 1976 on a Phillips 7inch. Thanks to Psychemagik for sharing this beauty on his blog (well worth checking out if you are looking for more ''Musical Treasures from The Cosmic Forest''). Track #14 Iron Maiden by John Berberian & His Rock East Ensemble has been a favourite of mine since I bought the original long-player Middle Eastern Rock (1969) as a teenager. John Berberian is an American-Armenian oud player who pioneered fusions of middle eastern music with modern psychedelic rock in the 1960's. The song "Iron Maiden" is an adaptation of another Armenian-American oudist by the name of Chick Ganimian's piece Welcome to the Casbah. Go here and here to read more on John Berberian. Mister Guido Minisky from ACID ARAB introduced me to track #15 - Ouiness – Zina on his soundcloud a while ago. Not much info available on this song from 1979, except that Ouiness probably was from Morocco. According to Radio Diffusion he apparently won a Special Mention at a International music competition in Paris. This is what Guido Minisky himself is saying about this song: ''What if Talking Heads were from Morocco? They would have recorded this song for their first album in 1977''. Yes! And we would probably have a great edit of this song by Greg Wilson in the tradition of his edit of Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads. Classic material! (The 'Ouiness - Zina' song unfortunately is only a 128 bitrate rip from soundcloud). Track #16 is Abdullah's Wedding by Orient Express. Taken from their 1978 album A Desert Fantasy, "Abdullah's wedding" is some proper Oriental/Arab Disco with catchy vocals, a wailing chorus, percussion - and the lyrics are supposedly also very funny. Early on in the song, the lyrics are: "Will you marry Abdullah, tell me my dear..." Eventually towards the end of the song, we finally get a reply: "Don't want Abdullah, I found another, I like his father better than him!" I am ending this compilation with track #17 Habibi by the Sahara Band, a 1983 Italo Disco song with some oriental influence, a catchy melody and some beautiful female vocals - which I don't understand a bit - but find really beautiful: sweeter than sugar! Also make sure to check out the instrumental Samba version of Habibi. Now let's go ACID ARAB...

Enjoy! DubMe

Sexy, Sophisticated & Melodic: Balearic Dreams - Your Mind is on Vacation (2012)

01 - azymuth - linha do horizonte

02 - jorge ben - oe oe faz o corro de boi na estrada

03 - jago - i'm going to go (instrumental)

04 - tullio de piscopo - primavera (stop bajon) (12inch version)

05 - rah band - float

06 - london aircraaft - rocket in my pocket (more info here!)

07 - pino daniele - yes i know my way (special 12inch version)

08 - prism - the white shadow (rare remix of risco connection version - 1980)

09 - salena jones - summertime (mark wayward edit)

10 - supermax - camillo

11 - kid creole and the coconuts - im wonderful thing baby (12'' mix - 1982)

12 - nohelani cypriano - lihue

13 - fleetwood mac - dreams (far away edit)

14 - the hollies - draggin my heels (special disco version)

15 - jimmie rowles - your mind is on vacation

''Its the undefinable that makes it almost like a secret society. You either get it or you don’t. In or out.''

I have finished compiling this selection of some Balearic favourites of mine a while ago, but I thought I ought to do some proper writing to accompany it. What is Balearic? As I can't put it any better - I will give the word/pen to Radio Jiro from the great website Panther Club:  

''First off you need to understand that Balearic isn’t just some kind of genre, it’s more about a vibe, a feeling and an attitude. This might sound like some hippie shit but that’s exactly what Balearic music is all about, it’s about being in Eivissa and listening to Alfredo while you dance naked during sunrise, it’s about that feeling of total euphoria, where there’s no problems just pure bliss (...) There aren’t really any rules as to what can and can’t be classed as Balearic as long as it feels right, but to me it’s usually something sexy, sophisticated and melodic that gets your body and mind feelin’ good.''

Next I am going to quote Apiento's What’s It All About? Balearic Beat In 2012 from Testpressing: 

''By definition, and harking back to it’s original origins, it means a musical style that means anything goes. To some it means a specific period in Ibizan clubbing history, as Terry Farley, DJ and producer, says when questioned. ''Its all about Alfredo - pure and simple. A South American kid in exile looking at the rich and fabulous slumming it at an after hours club off their rockers and thinking ‘I can play anything and they will dance’. The UK take on Balearic is totally shaped by what he played in those two summer seasons before 1988. By ’88 by and large he was playing HOUSE - using that logic Balearic lived for two beautiful years then died a death in ’88.''

But then again, it is also worth noting - as Bill Brewster, author and DJ, wrote in 2008 on djhistory.com: 

''In the 1980s, before the arrival of house music, almost all club DJs played an eclectic range of music that might incorporate disco, funk, soul, rare groove, go-go, electro, hip hop and even the occasional comedy record. Nobody billed these DJs as Balearic; a) because the term did not yet exist and; b) because everybody played in this style.

In New York, it was the same story, too. Larry Levan, with his wide ranging tastes that encompassed the classic disco and soul of his youth to bands like the Clash or Cat Stevens or even Nu Shooz, it could be argued (and is, frequently, by some ninnies) that Larry Levan was Balearic. The same could be said for Ron Hardy. And Frankie Knuckles. Oh and Tony Humphries, Shep Pettibone, David Mancuso, Nicky Siano and about a hundred others.''

Back to Apiento from the great Testpressing website: 

''So what does Alfredo, one of the Godfathers of the whole scene, think? “Originally, it was as simple as me trying to make a party with a very cosmopolitan and different crowd very late at night, or very early in the morning!!! A crowd that came from another places and was open to a special experience. This fact gave me the opportunity to play all kinds of styles and tempos of music, and not only English, also Italian, French, Spanish, Brasilian, African, South American… That was the beginning. In actual terms - a mixture of chill out, lounge and dance music. At that time in Ibiza I could play soul, reggae, rock, pop, Latin, and if I like it, the crowd would like it. They where kind of ready for that. And I think they where looking for that 'cos I was one of them!”

It’s certainly true that Alfredo was the original DJ and there are those like Farley who believe his playlist in those two years is where it began and ended, but there are thousands more around the world that picked the baton up and ran with it, loving the anything goes spirit of the genre that allowed DJs and producers to take in folk, ambient, house, R&B and whatever suits the mood.

Manchester duo Moonboots and Jason Boardman of the Aficionado club probably have a better take than most on the overall sound of the modern balearic beat. “Its all about playing anything good outside of the four-four mainstream for minds and feet with a balearic edge. Referencing the multi-tempo playlist of Ku , Shoom and the Cafe Del Mar, disco has been added to the mix alongside electronic and folky oddities.” Bill Brewster shows the extremities of the genre, ''Balearic Beat in 2012 is the same as it was in 2011, 1999 and 1984. It’s shit pop records and brilliant EBM records. It’s everything and nothing.'' We disagree on the shit pop records but then we like The Blow Monkeys. Mark from International Feel, the label behind DJ Harvey’s recent releases amongst many others, also goes for the anything goes angle. ''Balearic Beat is anything I want it to be… Anything you want it to be. In a world of digital noise, black sausage waveforms and ringtone pop music, its pure atmosphere and melody, the last bastion of real emotion in music.'' (...) (Balearic) means the beautiful sounds of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra with their fusion of world and classical music in the 80s. It means finding strange records no-one has ever heard or hoping to find a B side on an Italian pop record with 'that' sound. It could be any of the host of new producers and DJs bringing the sound full circle to the current day and starting to bend its edges into new shapes. It’s getting a new mix (...) and marvelling at the amount of music that fits our world. It’s not just music. Anything can be balearic. The art-house film Bagdad Cafe is very balearic for example, and on the subject of video, if you want to watch the most balearic thing ever then check the Ku Tourist clip Look De Ibiza (...) from the mid-80s with its amazing soundtrack. To summarise, to us its an attitude.

We’ll give the final word to Alfredo. A don and Ibizan legend. ''My definition of Balearic; its a music mostly, eclectic, happy , sexy, not cheesy, that gets its roots in the origins of dance music and flourishes on the dancefloor, as a sound that makes you forget genres, or categories and you just enjoy it, listen to it, dancing and sharing it. Beat poetic, but real!'' 

Here a little selection how the term "Balearic" has been discussed on djhistory.com which pretty much sums up what I wrote/quoted above:

1. Balearic is whatever was in Alfredo's record box back in Ibiza in the mid-'80s and cannot be anything else, or replicated. (It was a time and a place.)

2. Balearic is radio-friendly pop music, but played at *that* moment in the night transforms into a thing of dancefloor magic. (Can be any DJ at any time.)

3. Balearic is a mindset, not a record or a musical style, which understands the first principle and is capable of pulling off the second.

More Balearic Niceness coming in the future! Until then enjoy this first selection of some Balearic favourites of mine.  

DubMe

Original links, videos & some mixes I enjoyed listening to on soundcloud:

1. Amnesia Closing Party With Alfredo DJing in 1989 on youtube.

2. What’s it all about? Balearic Beat in 2012 (Apiento / February 2012)

3. In Search of Balearic (Bill Brewster / 2008)

4. Balearic Beat on Wikipedia.

5. One March Morning by Moonboots on soundcloud. Quite a few new Balearic classis  on here. Beautiful mix! 

6. Autumn by Wonderfulsound. Deep Balearic stuff for some long Autumn evenings!

Beatz & Carrots Anniversary Special #4

01 - palov ft lady faye - the dude

02 - street boys - some folks.

03 - the bas lexter ensample - celias baile

04 - mato - mary jane

06 - mario biondi - my girl

06 - nicki minaj - did it on em (soulforce rmx)

07 - pliers (bonner productions) - im your man dub

08 - the instigators - instigators five o

09 - joao gilberto - discussao

10 - galt macdermot - farmland

11 - jazzy jens - guarapera

12 - os chicos altos - palante (original mix)

13 - elvis crespo - suavemente (busy signal remix)

14 - uproot andy - odb vs uproot andy - brooklyn cumbia

15 - dialect trio - cumbiarus dialect trio version

16 - ocote soul sounds and adrian quesada - el diablo y el nau nau (grant phabao remix)

17 - group inerane - tamidit in aicha (ahmed)

18 - bjork - crystalline (omar souleyman remix)

19 - jamie xx - far nearer

20 - unknown - pussy outro

Here is part 4, the final Beatz & Carrots 1 Year Anniversary Special. I did this compilation in July 2011, a few months before I started this blog... Now that I shared all my pre-blog Beatz & Carrots selections - everything you will find here in the future will be selected live & fresh ;-)

I will be back in a few days with a first selection of some Balearic favourites of mine - a musical idea & feeling that has been growing strong on me during the last year. I have known of the term ''Balearic'' for a long time - but only began to have an understanding of it after reading Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - The History Of The Disc Jockey by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton last summer... I will try to link to some great articles in my next post talking about Balearic music - until then I will leave you with this quote by Balearic legend Alfredo: “My definition of Balearic; its a music mostly, eclectic, happy, sexy, not cheesy, that gets its roots in the origins of dance music and flourishes on the dancefloor, as a sound that makes you forget genres, or categories and you just enjoy it, listen to it, dancing and sharing it. Beat poetic, but real!“

DubMe

Beatz & Carrots Anniversary Special #3

01 - orlando julius - disco hi-life (2009 edit)

02 - amadou balake - taximen

03 - rhythmagic orchestra - fish market dance

04 - cyril diaz & his orchestra - taboo

05 - playmo'bill - billatoo

06 - lucho bermudez - danza negra (dj mohan remix)

07 - chakachas - stories

08 - scooby doo - christmas time.

09 - souleance - one step

10 - philadelphia international allstars - lets clean up the ghetto (12inch version - 1977)

11 - nickodemus - conmigo (es e remix)

12 - quantic - sol clap

13 - johnny cash - personal jesus (rayko edit)

14 - the revolution of st. vincent - the little you say

15 - uproot andy & anthony santos - vete (uproot andy rmx - 2011)

16 - alpheus - far away

17 - slim smith & friends - jahmons conversation

Here is part 3 of the Beatz & Carrots 1 Year Anniversary special. Another early compilation of favourites from March 2011. Some nice songs on here. Check the tracklist...

Enjoy! DubMe

Beatz & Carrots Anniversary Special #2

01 - fat freddy's drop - ernie

02 - brassroots - good life

03 - joe lutcher - ojai

04 - quantic & his combo barbaro - un canto a mi tierra

05 - quantic & his combo barbaro - un canto a mi tierra (j-boogie remix)

06 - hossam ramzy - sehr oyounik (john newell nu cumbia rmx).

07 - unknown - douga

08 - kottarashky - opa hey

09 - owiny sigoma band - nabed nade e piny ka (rework)

10 - dedy dread & dj rebel - swing

11 - qwiny sigoma band - wires

12 - skit - riddim full of culture

13 - malente - sweet soul music

14 - quantic & his combo barbaro - mas pan

15 - quantic & his combo barbaro - mas pan (dj day remix)

16 - wildcookie - serious drug

17 - renato carosone - caravan petrol

18 - dotmatic - look around

19 - outro

Here is another Beatz & Carrots compilation I did in February 2011. The cover I used for this compilation is a picture from a Tibetan New Year family gathering. In 2007 I was visiting an English friend who was working as an English teacher in a small Tibetan village. It was around late January, and I was lucky to be invited to stay with a family of Tibetan nomads for a few days - while they were celebrating their traditional Tibetan New Year. It was fun & I definitely had a good time. An those super cool dudes on the photo were looking much more friendly after we started drinking Baijiu...

Enjoy! DubMe

Happy Birthday! (Beatz & Carrots Anniversary Special #1)

01 - intro - bappi lahiri - let's dance for the great guy bruce lee

02 - elias rahbani - dance of maria

03 - gnonnas pedro - yiri yiri boum

04 - bunny rugs - be thankful

05 - quantic presenta flowering inferno - no soy del valle

06 - cut chemist - povo de santo (instrumental)

07 - cut chemist - povo de santo

08 - grupo saya - canita canaveral

09 - samuel belay - aynotchesh yerefu

10 - thomas chauke - xipereta

11 - skit - jah wobble - cherry blossom of our youth

12 - la ola criminal – sin gas5. maga bo – analys d’amour (inst.)

13 - shantisan - meu filho (carioca funk)

14 - pepepe - el desastre (original de los macuanos)

15 - victor uwaifo - ohue (frankie francis and simbad edit)

16 - jay dee - rico suave bossa nova

17 - willy berking - lillie und luise (vocal - rudi schuricke - 1940)

18 - joe gibbs - he prayed version

19 - seu jorge & almaz - the model (joey altruda remix)

20 - la banda africana - te clavo ma mano

21 - eddie hooper - pass it on

22 - rubens bassini y los latinos - son cubano amparo

Beatz & Carrots is one year old! One year ago on the 31st of October I wrote my first post. And just a day later I posted the first Beatz & Carrots #1 (October 2011) compilation. 12 months later - and there is still a lot of music I want to share and discover with everyone following this blog. There are many reasons why I started this blog - the main reason above all is probably my love for music - and wanting to share the joys of good music with more people. Also, living in China (which is a bit of a blank spot on the World map of music), where it is difficult to find like-minded people who go crazy for a good song, who dig the funky grooves of James Brown, feel the soul in an old Studio One Motown cover, swing & jump to some fresh Cumbia by Mister Quantic, laugh about some weird late 70ies No Wave video, chill to a rare Disco Boogie edit - and wonder what the next Resense 7inch is going to sound like - this blog provides a way for me to stay in touch with other music lovers, exchange ideas, gain new inspiration... I am quite happy how the blog is going. I shared some nice compilations, I am updating the blog more or less regularly, I do get some feedback for the music I share. Of course - more comments would always be nice. They for sure make my day ;-)

So, I thought I use the Beatz & Carrots One Year Anniversary as an excuse to share some of the older Beatz & Carrots compilations I did before I started this blog. Altogether four Beatz & Carrots ''Anniversary Specials'' which I will be posting over the following days. Enjoy & leave some feedback if there is any music your particularly enjoy!

DubMe

Beatz & Carrots #11 (August 2012)

01 - intro - the originals - the whip

02 - souleance - chemise

03 - soul shakers - you ain't my brother

04 - ben e king - stand by me (suonho soul beat edit)

05 - amp fiddler - hope

06 - rokk - patience

07 - featurecast ft greg blackman - get lovely

08 - les edits du golem - we have it made

09 - johnny cash - i walk the line (alkalino rework)

10 - liam bailey - please love me

11 - mungo's hi fi - don't let them horns riddim

12 - dj nu-mark - our generation (re-edit)

13 - mulatu - yegelle tezeta (nicolas jaar edit)

14 - uproot andy & chief boima - sina makossa remix

15 - fabulous arabia - give me love tonight

16 - dj nu-mark - troplicalifornia (main)

17 - gramatik vs. the beatles - don't let me down 2012

18 - john lennon - imagine (nicoluminous remix)

19 - percy mayfield - hit the road jack

20 - talking heads - sugar on my tongue

Brand new Beatz & Carrots Selection. No genres - just music - starting with a nice intro taken from the '50ies raunchy & rockin' instrumental The Whip by The Originals. This video might be the more entertaining version TO WATCH. Track #3 brings us some heavy bouncing funk, catchy lyrics - and above all some irresistible horns: You Ain't My Brother by The Soul Shakers. Recorded in the late 60s, the original 45 rpm single on the 'Amark' label is much sought after - and rare as a hens tooth. But those who want it on crispy vinyl are lucky - it got re-released on Tramp Records a while ago on limited 7inch vinyl. Beside that it can also be found on the first Movements compilation by Tobias Kirmayer. Also check out the heavy hitting old school edit 'To The Beats Yall' by DJ Rudd on Beatz & Carrots #5. Track #5 is an old favourite of mine which I first heard on a Quantic live mix years ago. Took me like 3-4 years to finally identify this song: 'Hope' by Amp Fiddler is a hypnotic funky house shuffle with some added bass bounce. Sexy & very danceable! The next song - track #6 Patience by Rokk is a super rare modern soul gem from 1976 - and it is pure sunshine bliss. No wonder - as it was taken from the great California Soul compilation full of smooth west coast grooves from the sunshine state California. Let me quote from the liner notes of 'California Soul': "Patience" was recorded in 1976 as the lead single to an album by Rokk. The album was never finished because producer Calvin Carter became too ill. A handful of promotional copies of “Patience” were distributed but the song has otherwise never seen the light of day. Label owner Betty Chiappetta had high hopes for Rokk and looked to re-launch her Tollie label with the band’s success. Unfortunately when Carter fell ill the band disappeared and the almost-completed Rokk album is still in Chiappetta’s possession." - - - Would love to listen to that album! Track #8 is a subtle but yet hypnotic edit by Les Edits Du Golem of the 50ies Doo Wop or Teener song We Have It Made by Pete Votrian. Finding track #8 on soundcloud a while ago was a pleasant surprise: Brilliant Alkalino Rework of ''I Walk The Line'' by Johnny Cash. Smooth, deep & elegant! Absolutely diggin' this one! Track #10 - Liam Bailey - Please Love Me is another sweet, smooth & soulful favourite which has been on heavy heavy rotation at my place. Absolutely addictive. Recorded nearly two years ago, this is another song (also check out When Will They Learn) that perfectly showcases Liam's sublime singing, songwriting, and musicianship. '''Please Love Me' is an uptempo song that sounds like the musical lovechild of Curtis Mayfield and Waylon Jennings. A soul track with a country twist, Please Love Me has Liam in a falsetto while tough drums and lush strings dance around his vocals and a country guitar line gives the song an unrelenting bounce.'' (Info courtesy of Truth & Soul Records). Find the 7inch & Digital Download here. Track #12 - DJ Nu-Mark - Our Generation (Re-Edit) is a real crate-diggers rejoice which was available as a free download. It is a re-edit of the original Ernie Hines classic ''Our Generation'' (probably most commonly known as the sample Pete Rock & Cl Smooth use on Straighten It Out). This is what DJ Nu-Mark himself says about this great re-edit: ''I chose 'Our Generation' because the vocal content in this 1972 classic still pertains to what’s happening in the world today. The topic of unwarranted wars and violence still plague our society.'' True dat! Track #13 is a bootleged, unreleased Nicolas Jaar edit of Mulatu's Yekermo Sew, wrongly titled ''Yegelle Tezeta (Nicolas Jaar Edit)". Perfect fusion between the magic multi-layered sounds of Ethiopian legend Mulatu Astatke and Jaar’s magical touch… Close your eyes & let yourself be taken away! Track #15 is an 'old favourite' which has already been on heavy rotation for a few months - after I first got introduced to it by the Prince of Ballard on his Armed Snobbery blog July this year: Fabulous Arabia - Give Me Love Tonight from the album Unlimited Buffet. What can I say? Perfect song. Always making me smile. This is probably my favourite song from their long player Unlimited Buffet - but the rest of the album is equally great - containing ''flawless harmonies, interjections of brass and smatterings of searing guitar, all underpinned by an elastic and funky rhythm section. It's a buzz-funk extravaganza with playful vocals. Think of a wild unique mixture of Shuggie Otis meets the Beatles with a New Zealand twist. And the band is a true NZ allstar band featuring Toby Laing and Joe Lindsay of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Lucien Johnson of The Black Seeds and Julien Dyne (BBE) on drums.'' There is some magic brewing in New Zealand! Check this video for an electrifying look behind the scenes as Fabulous/Arabia 'warms themselves up' for their debut festival performance. Track #16 is another DJ Nu-Mark freebie: Troplicalifornia featuring Mister Quantic - and taken from DJ Nu-Mark's upcoming release Broken Sunlight Series 4. Just watch that video & save me the time describing this upbeat sunshine trip. Happy! Track #18 is a pretty style Dubstep remix by Nicoluminous of John Lennon's classic song "Imagine". Really feeling this remix: strings, piano, beat & John Lennon's timeless lyrics & singing. Track #19 is the first version of ''Hit The Road Jack'' written & recorded by rhythm and bluesman Percy Mayfield in 1960 as an acapella version - before it got picked up by Ray Charles and became the classic we all know. Ray Charles version, which has a strong beat, is a brief but rather comic duet between a fed-up woman and her good-for-nothing man. He tries to wheedle her into letting him stay, but she will have none of it, "'cause it's understood: you ain't got no money, you just ain't no good." I am finishing this compilation with Sugar On My Tongue by the Talking Heads, which Kristof just shared in time on his blog Duendiness. Perfect! Thanks! This song originally should have been on the Talking Heads debut album Talking Heads -77, but only got released many many years later. I got addicted to this song the first time I heard it: tight, punchy, funny, sweet and weird. Maybe that's why the song didn't get released the first time? And because of the lyrics? Sugar standing for LSD?! I assume its not necessarily about popping-around for a spoonful of... ? Anyway - enjoy this fresh Beatz & Carrots selection with or without sugar!

DubMe

This compilation fits perfectly on one CD - just click "NO PAUSE BETWEEN TRACKS" when you are going to burn it - and the CD will be exactly 79:30 minutes long.

Beatz & Carrots #10 (July 2012)

01 - intro - jeff barnes - get in the groove

02 - kalle et l'africa team de paris - africa boogaloo

03 - suonho - gypsy woman

04 - pillow talk - sunny

05 - eek a mouse - ganja smuggling (disco tech edit)

06 - chordettes - mr sandman

07 - dj delay - baga cumbia

08 - pernett - cumbia computer (zeb remix)

09 - charles wright & the watts 103rd street band - what can you bring me

10 - fatback band - goin' to see my baby

11 - gianfranco reverberi - nel cimitero di tucson (alkalino rework)

12 - thornato - marimba

13 - little dragon - summertearz inna bottle (nickodemus & zeb remix)

14 - whitney houston - my love is your love (jeremy sole cumbia dubplate)

15 - mary jane girls - all night long

16 - barry biggs - love come down (1984)

17 - nohelani cypriano - lihue

18 - childs & moore - superstition

19 - al jazzbo collins - the three little pigs

Trying to catch up with my monthly Beatz & Carrots compilations. Here is the July 2012 selection. After a nice intro which I have taken of an old Rocksteady song - the fire is on: Track #2 is Africa Boogaloo by Kalle et L'Africa Team de Paris. Well - just as the title suggests: an African boogaloo song. And a wonderful one! Mixing the sweet elements of Congolese music - already including a dose of Cuban Rumba - with the fiery rhythms of the 1960ies New York boogaloo sounds. You can find this song on the very good Honest John compilation The Latinization Of West Africa, which includes more songs in a similar vein. The next song takes on the Latin heat with Suonho's amazing re-edit of Joe Bataan's 1967 Latin dance cover of Gypsy Woman. I have had this song for a long time - but it only lately started growing on me. Now I can't live without it. Play this one out loud - and get boogalized! Sweeter than sugar, nicer than girl watching on a sunny day. Well, you know what I mean ;-) On track #4 Pillowtalk gives us a wonderful edit of the classic track Sunny sang by Bobby Hebb. If you have been following this blog for a while you should know that I am a huge fan of this song & its various covers. Look here fore more sunshine. Eek! Track #5 is a Disco Tech Edit of Ganja Smuggling by Eek A Mouse. And what is even better it is an edit of the live version which Eek A Mouse performed at the 1984 Reggae Sunsplash in Jamaica - giving us the full intro and a massive build-up. Big original - and great edit. The only thing I could add - wish the mastering on the edit would have been a little louder. Track #6 gives us The Chordettes with their huge 1954 hit Mr Sandman. Some websites state that "Mr Sandman" is the most popular 50s song of all time! Well - it for sure is "Sweeter than a candy on a stick" (like this girl vocal band is sometimes described). Track #11 is a sweet Alkalino rework of Nel Cimitero Di Tucson ("Last Man Standing" in English), which was composed by Gianfranco Reverberi for the 1968 Django Italo Western Preparati LaBara! (ft. Terence Hill). You’ll most likely recognize this song as the prevalent sample from Gnarl Barkley’s "Crazy". What an amazing Italo Western theme. Can't get enough of those horns. Track #12: Thornato who was also included on the last months Beatz & Carrots compilation with an AMAZING remix of Grupo Socavon's "Homenaje A Justino", is back with yet another tropikal monster tune: Marimba! Another song I can't get enough of! The last time I played at a club here in Chengdu - I played this song twice in a row - and the Dancefloor basically exploded in joyful shouts. Marimbas! Track #13 is a deep haunting remix by Nickodemus & Zeb of Little Dragon's Summertearz Inna Bottle, which Nickodemus shared on his soundcloud page a while ago - saying this: "Now that Summer's over, here's a fun 'lil remix we did of a live "Summertearz" version of the band playing into glass bottles & amp; Yukimi's impromptu vocals over the top." Track #14 is a Jeremy Sole Cumbia Dubplate of Whitney Houston's My Love Is Your Love. Perfect & smooth: Great intro, vocals from the original lady, airhorn, some cumbia bounce... R.I.P Whitney Houston. We continue with another classic R&B song - the Mary Jane Girls' smash hit All Night Long way back from 1983. Original old-school R&B like I like it: great vocals, the beat is hot, melodic and on point. Produced by the late Rick James. Track #16 is Barry Biggs cover of Evelyn "Champagne" King's Love Come Down. "Barry Biggs is The Expert on ultra-sweet Reggaefied version of well known hits. "Love Comes Down" is a classic, also in Barry's own rendering. Throughout his career, Barry Biggs has stayed focused on sweetness, sugar if you will. Spice he let over to others. Barry Biggs is a household name in Reggae when it comes to Lovers Rock even before there was such a thing and this track shows why." (Dubroom Reviews) Also check out this nice Disco Syndicate rework. Track #17 takes us to Hawaii: Nohelani Cypriano - Lihue. Hot Hawaiian balearic disco from 1977 and sought-after underground classic. More info here. I was trying hard to include the next song on this compilation. Track #18 by Childs & Moore from the VA - Goodfoot EP is an amazing rework of Stevie Wonder's classic Superstition: "Almost accapella, full of soul feeling and passion!" I am ending this compilation with an old favourite of mine: Al Jazzbo Collins hip re-interpretation of the classic fairy-tale The Three Little Pigs in a hip beatnik fashion. Taken from the album "A Lovely Bunch Of Al Jazzbo Collins And The Bandidos" (1967 - Impulse! Records). Swingin' Jazz, damn groovy and you have to be fast to grasp all of Al Jazzbo Collins humor: "Once upon a time in the land of Nitty Gritty there lived three little pigs. One of the little pigs was really cool. The other was more on the commercial side and the third was beyond the shadow of a doubt as square as they come..." Brilliant!

Enjoy! DubMe

PS.: This compilation fits perfectly on one CD - just click "NO PAUSE BETWEEN TRACKS" when you are going to burn it - and the CD will be exactly 79:50 minutes long.