Beatz & Carrots #9 (June 2012)

01 - elvis presley - pocketful of rainbows

02 - dj mitsu the beats - masquerade

03 - unknown - air hostess bossa (1966)

04 - james brown - the avenue aint for fuckin hipsters anymore (dj prime fool around)

05 - jackie stoudemire - dancing

06 - the agitators - jb's lick (the dusty groove re edit)

07 - boz scaggs - lowdown

08 - renegades of jazz - moo juice (benji boko boy com remix vocal)

09 - poldoore - banana hammock (original mix)

10 - mr bird - on a sunny day (lazy summer mix)

11 - sibu - arroz

12 - grupo socavon - homenaje a justino (thornato remix)

13 - john schroeder - superstition

14 - lucho bermudez - danza negra (UFedit)

15 - manolis chiotis-feakes - megali mou agapi (1965)

16 - phil pratt & ken boothe - sweet song for my baby

17 - margie lomax - god’s greatest gift to man is a woman (1974)

18 - barry biggs - stop look listen

19 - pretty lights - finally moving (james brown remix)

20 - cuetec - be around

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I have updated my blog. I have been travelling through China, Myanmar and Thailand with a friend for almost six weeks. Lot's of sunshine, good food and even some good funky music in Bangkok. Since early September I have been back in Chengdu/China - but didn't until now find the time, mood or groove to compile another selection of music for the blog. These will be my last 4-5 months in China before I will be leaving for France in January. Working a lot these days, trying to save some money. Winter seems to be embracing Chengdu early this year. Lots of grey days with either a lot of fog - or smog. Usually winter happens to cancels out the sun in most cities and the skies seem to turn gray over most of China. Only a few pockets of sunshine are immune to the meteorological oddity known as "China Winter" and I am NOT in one of them now... 

 

So what better way is there than to start this new Beatz & Carrots compilation (which was actually supposed to have been shared here in July) with the nice Popcorn song "Pocketful of Rainbows" by Elvis Presley from his 1960 album G.I. Blues. Listen to the first few lines of the song and you will understand: "I don't worry. Whenever skies are gray above. Got a pocketful of rainbows. Got a heart full of love..." Track #3 is the mysterious Air Hostess Bossa - a beautiful haunting S U M M E R C H O O N - shared by jupiter tuning center. For more things soulful be sure to check his soundcloud page or his blog. Can't fight the Chengdu grey sky with Brazilian Bossa Nova sweetness alone - so here is some serious serious funk: track #4 - the damn good & HOT James Brown - The Avenue Aint For Fuckin Hipsters Anymore (DJ Prime FoolAround). Thanks to DJ Prime for foolin' around with this one! Track #5, "Dancing" by Jackie Stoudemire, is another musical treat. Real sweet disco floater! Props go out to Mr. Vinyl Addicted who introduced me to this goodie. Thanks again! Now I and I will change the mood. You say I can't do that?! Wait until you hear track #9 Poldoore - Banana Hammock (Original Mix) which was kindly shared for free on the Cold Busted compilation Various Artists - Bust Free 9. Serious re-lick of Horace Andy's song Skylarking from the legendary Studio One. Track #11 is Sibu - Arroz - a brilliant remix of Lucho Bermudez's Arroz Con Coco from Sibu who is based in Athens/Greece. I really like Sibu's remix - the nice intro, building up anticipation for what is going to come. Slowly introducing those beautiful horns - until Lucho Bermudez finally hits the musical listener with the sound of his dizzyingly swift clarinet. Beautiful - and on top of the list of my musical favourites this year! Listening to all those good songs on Sibu's soundcloud page - one is surprised to have not seen any of them getting a proper release yet! Anyone out there?! Among many other songs - I seriously want to see King Kong 22 by Sibu & Joe Nagall being released - so I can play it out loud for the good dancefloor. Thanks to Sibu for sharing this beauty with everyone here at Beatz & Carrots! With track #12 we are staying on the Cumbia path - but going a little up north - to the Afro-Colombian/African-descendant/Black people of the Pacific coast. Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Colombian marimba, a wooden xylophone which resembles the African balafon, played by the Grupo Socavon. Thornato delivers a stompin' remix of Grupo Socavon's Homenaje A Justino. The riddim bares some similarities to Chaka Demus & Pliers Murder She Wrote. A little speeded up?! Beautiful remix - and I am glad that Thornato and the Cumba Mela collaborative finally shared this song on their soundcloud pages. Track #14 is yet again another Cumbia remix/edit. This time we have Ufe from Bucharest in Romania sharing a scorching edit of Lucho Bermudez's Danza Negra with us! Track #15 takes us to Greece. Megali Mou Agapi is a song I can't quite categorize (and why should I?!) by Manolis Chiotis-Feakes, who was one of the greatest composers of Greek folk music and a great virtuoso of the bouzouki. The song was recorded in 1965 and can be found on his Manolis Hiotis - The USA years album. I always thought that song sounded somewhat familiar - and yes! It got sampled by Simon Resoul and Kormac on their equally great song Entre. Track #16 - time for some sweet Rocksteady by Phil Pratt & Ken Boothe. "Sweet Song For My Baby" was the first single recorded by Phil Pratt in 1966. Melancholy rocksteady with great horns and superb understated production. This is Music with a capital M! Track #17 is yet another great song which Yer Darling Daily put on my musical map. The groove on Margie Lomax's God’s Greatest Gift To Man Is A Woman is simply unstoppable… and I also dig the lyrics. Played it at my last gig here in Chengdu - and the ladies almost fainted from excitement. I am ending this compilation with track #20 Cuetec - Be Around. A deep slow soulful house version of I'll Be Around from Otis Gayle. Original Studio One production. I am feeling that bass!

Enjoy! DubMe