Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Various - The Reggae Disco Connection Part 3 (2013)


01 - cedric brooks - africa
02 - chalice - loosen up
03 - beres hammond - comin' at you
04 - joe gibbs & the professionals - bionic encounter
05 - lorna bennett - it's my house
06 - risco connection - good times (one more time inst)
07 - eric gale - red ground funk
08 - beres hammond - do this world a favour
09 - glp band - last funk
10 - guardian angel - last funk
11 - barry waite & ltd. - sting (part 1)
12 - ken boothe - down the road
13 - althea forest & togetherness - hey mister (instrumental)
14 - guardian angel - spirit
15 - ambelique - talk like that
16 - demos cates - ain't no stoppin' us now (1980)

More Jamaican Disco, Boogie & Modern Soul for you. If you enjoyed the first two compilations here and here - ''The Reggae Disco Connection Part 3'' will take you even deeper into the world of Jamaican Disco, Boogie & Modern Soul. This time I am trying to shed a light on 16 rare or overlooked songs out of Jamaica or from the Jamaican diaspora (UK, US, Canada) - again with a focus on Disco, Boogie, Modern Soul + a touch of Jamaican Funk & Soul. Most songs have either being recorded on the island, pressed on Jamaican labels and/or feature JA musicians. But compared to the first two compilations which still had a strong Reggae Feeling to most of the songs - this compilations is more or less straight Disco & Funk - often the accent of a singer being the only thing distinctive Jamaican...

I am starting this compilation with Africa by Cedric Brooks. Originally released on the 1979 album Sabebe by the Light Of Saba. ''Africa'' has some majestic horns arrangement, a sweet groovin' flute + a thumping funky bass line on top of a heavy steppers rhythm. But the arrangement of the song make it more akin to the disco sound than what is generally known as ''Steppers'' in Reggae. I would say, in Reggae music ''Rockers'' (yet another style of Reggae) heralded the militant hard (and fast) drum shots, and ''Steppers'' added the "four to the floor" bass drum beat. Steppers can be slow, it's the beat more than the speed of it. I'm sure some of you readers might come up with a better description though. I usually rather feel the music - and as I don't play an instrument myself or have any theoretical background in music - it's rather difficult for me to put it into technical characteristics. Back to Cedric Brooks. "Cedric 'Im' Brooks’ is arguably the most innovative saxophone players in all of reggae music. His stunning fusion of jazz, Afro-beat, funk and Latin with reggae sets him apart as a true pioneer, radically altering the limits and expectations of what reggae music could sound like. (...) In the late 60ies Brooks spent a brief period in Philadelphia, absorbing the music of some of his greatest influences, including Sonny Rollins, Pharoah Sanders, and Sun Ra. He was on the point of joining Sun Ra when the birth of his second daughter necessitated his return to Jamaica. Despite reggae being in full swing on the island, Cedric took up Sun Ra's challenge by moving beyond reggae's rocksteady beat by experimenting with free jazz and poetry, African robes and dancers. And so he formed his group The Light of Saba, taking leads from Hugh Masekela and Fela Kuti creating a multi-cultural 'world music' way ahead of its time. His original albums sell for a lot of money - but if you have the chance get a copy of the 2003 released album The Magical Light of Saba, which collects 18 Of Cedric Brooks' most exhilarating tracks blending African and US, Cuban and other West Indian influences - calypso and funk, rhumba, jazz bebop, nyabinghi and even '70s disco - on top of a foundation of sunny, warm reggae music. For further reading check out this great article on Cedric Brooks which originally appeared in the Wax Poetics Issue 29 in 2008. Unfortunately, while writing this blog post, I got to know that Cedric 'Im' Brooks passed away on May 3rd 2013 in New York. May he rest in peace. Track #2 is Loosen Up by Chalice. A dubby reggae disco song with a slow rolling bass line and some bubbling synths. Taken from their 1981 album Blasted. On track #4 we got Bionic Encounter by Joe Gibbs & The Professionals. ''Taken from the classic 1979 Dub album Majestic Dub, ''Bionic Encounter'' is in fact an off the wall yet admirable interpretation of the Salsoul Orchestra’s 1977 smash Runaway and is not a cover of Getaway, as many people tend to think (I listened to both on loop for about an hour and I conclusively say that it is ''Runaway''). Not a dub or special ''reggae disco'' version, the track is a soft and stripped back disco song that is strongly reminiscent of the works of producer Patrick Adams (the wigged-out, stoned keyboards, heavy breathing - that sort of thing)" (via Days Are Numbers). Track #8 is the Modern Soul anthem Do This World A Favour by Beres Hammond (and produced by Joe Gibbs). Beres Hammond has a fantastic voice, and this track is one of his most soulful. With it's strong songwriting ''Do This World A Favour'' is an impassioned plea to live right. Taken from his 1979 album Just A Man. Check out the uptempo song Music Is A Positive Vibration from the same album, which I shared on the Reggae Disco Connection Part 1 in 2012. It has a four-on-the-floor beat, funky bass, horns, and strings... Instant favourite! Next we have track #9 the GLP Band's Last Funk - which some of you might know from Originals Volume Three on Claremont 56. There is hardly any info available on the GLP Band. I assume they are the studio band/backing band of Bevin Fagan, who was most well known as the lead singer and producer of one of the UK's biggest reggae acts, Matumbi. Yet in his time he was involved with and influenced by all sorts of music that was going on in South London during the seventies and early eighties, even being part of a prog rock band named 'Stonehenge' at one point in his youth. In the late 70ies he formed ''Guardian Angel'' - which was a roots reggae project with his wife (or maybe sister) Sylvia Fagan on vocals. They put out a few lovers rock type singles, among which the ''Last Funk'' stands out as the most leftfield and hard hitting of all. Serious Disco Funk. Track #10, the Guardian Angel's Last Funk is the vocal version of the previous song. It can be found on Woman At The Well, the only longplayer released by Guardian Angel in 1980. I am ending this compilation with a beautiful cover of ''Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now'' by Demos Cates. An 1980 Island Jazzy Disco rendition of Mcfadden & Whiteheads's all-time classic Ain't No Stopping Us Now...

Enjoy! DubMe

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Various - Safari Disco Club (2013)


01 - j.m. tim & foty - douala by night
02 - usje sukatma - waiting for your love
03 - esbee family - chics are magnets
04 - kiki gyan - disco dancer
05 - ray munnings - funky nassau
06 - lord shorty - sweet music (sofrito edit)
07 - tirogo - dancing machine
08 - guynamukat - full of african boogie spirit (re-edit)
09 - christy essien igbokwe - rumours
10 - guynamukat - ahhhh morfendu (afro disco edit)
11 - mombasa - anson edit
12 - sonny okosun - mother and child
13 - kassav’ - lague moin (les edits du golem - la toubana)
14 - kelenkye band - jungle music
15 - africa - a.i.e. - amwana (12inch version)

If you enjoyed the two Palmwine Grooves & Disco compilations I shared earlier here and here - then ''Safari Disco Club'' could just be the right follow-up for you! A selection of some of my favourite African Disco & Soul songs + a few disco flavored grooves from other tropikal regions thrown in for good measure.

I am starting this compilation with Douala By Night from JM Tim & Foty, who were a duo from Cameroon (playing together from 1977 to 1982). ''Douala by Night'' can be found on their debut album. With its disco beat and funky guitar riff, the song was an instant hit. ''Some 25 years later, Jean Marie Tiam aka Tim was in the studio in Paris working on a solo album (The duo had disbanded in 1982 but Tim had continued on a solo career) on which he planned to include a remake of ''Douala by Night''. Tim was shocked when the studio musicians informed him that the song was not his and that it belonged to American Hip Hop artist Missy Elliott who had released the song under the title Dog in Heat in her Timberland-produced 2002 album ''So Addictive''. (...) Tim filed a lawsuit against Moses Timberland in 2007 and on January 15, 2010, an out of court settlement was reached between the two, with Tim entitled to royalties beginning from 2009, along with a small monetary compensation. Tim says he was not really interested in the money and simply wanted to ''restore the historical truth [and] let intellectual honesty and intellectual property triumph.'' (via Bakwa Magazine) Track #5 is Ray Munnings' Funky Nassau - a ''superb disco/boogie version from 1979 of the classic Bahamas Funk song Funky Nassau by the Beginning Of The End. Ray Munnings, who wrote and recorded the original version as part of the group Beginning of the End in 1973, decided to rework his monster hit a few years later for a new audience and produced this sensational rendering, replacing the signature horns and Caribbean percusssion with fierce moog synths and super long funky drum breaks which made it hugely popular on both the boogie and breakbeat scenes'' (via Phonica Records). Personally, I am a bigger fan of the original version, but I think some people, especially those who are feeling "the boogie", will enjoy this discofied version with its long drum break + some slappin' synth bass! Get a tasty reissue of the orginal 12inch here! After a full dose of African & Tropikal Disco - I am ending this compilation with track #15: Africa - A.I.E. (12inch version). This is the Italo Disco version of the great funky Black Blood track from 1975. With the heavy bass line and the cool percussions, this track brings in the best from both worlds. (via Sleazybeach blogspot). Now hit the DL button & don't forget to leave a comment if you enjoy this compilation!

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 79:59 long...

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Beatz & Carrots #13 (March 2013)

                                                                                                                     (picture found on the great SHORPY website)
01 - intro - deadbeats - i'm tellin ya (edit)
02 - iggy & the stooges - i'm a man (leroy schlimm edit)
03 - hot chocolate - blue night
04 - moodymann - untitled
05 - visioneers - runnin'
06 - cut chemist - what's the altitude (feat. hymnal)
07 - willie bobo - bobo! do that thing
08 - jonah jones - jonah's pachanga
09 - gary davis - gee dee (alternative mix)
10 - jupiter tuning center - ramses nubian bump
11 - jahlin pitter - roots reality version
12 - fela kuti - water no get 8-bit enemy
13 - pablo moses - come mek we run
14 - mellow madness - save the youth (original tempo kenny dope extended vocal edit)
15 - james brown - get up (hedspin party edit - b&c extension)
16 - sergio mendes & marcelo d2 - samba da bencao
17 - el perro del mar - walk on by
18 - karen be - coconut water
19 - money mark - insects are all around us

A new Beatz & Carrots compilation. I didn't find a lot of time to keep my blog updated during the last two months. Moving from China to France was a big step. Feels a little like the days of living free & wild in China are over to some degree. A new chapter in life is starting. I am not yet sure where life will be taking me - but I am all optimistic. The following twelve months should be interesting... Life, work, learning, my relationship, friends... I am doing a lot of reading at the moment, while also trying hard to get a grasp of the french language... Nevertheless - I am always playing music - and I will try to keep this blog running - but probably will do less writing accompanying each post in the future (just don't find the time for that at the moment). Just straight & simple share some favourite music mixes/compilations of mine. Although - sometimes I think writing a little review is also one nice way of giving some credit to the original artist - and it's good to read something about the music we love once in a while - because we all play/listen to so much 'non-physical' music these days. Digital music don't have that sexy smell of vinyl. And there is no record cover to hold in our hands, looking at the back of the cover, reading the review, checking the pictures, musicians, producer, label, year... Sometimes it is worth to dig for the original vinyl - or get one of the many great new albums or reissues which come out these days. SHOW SOME LOVE & SUPPORT THE ARTISTS YOU LOVE.

Nineteen new/old songs on this Beatz & Carrots selection. We have got ''Blue Night'' (track #3) by Hot Chocolate - a British band which might be best known for their biggest hit You Sexy Thing. It's interesting to note that ''You Sexy Thing'' originally started life as the B-side of ''Blue night'' - which (at least for me) since its release in 1975 has faded more or less into obscurity. A nice mellow song with a bluesy feel... and that warm bass line. Another song which deserves a special mention is ''Ramses Nubian Bump'' (track #10) by Jupiter Tuning Center, who has a soft spot for ''60s soundtracks, poetry and jazz, boogie, some say rare groove, all things soulful!''. Now mix all these together - and you will get some beautiful songs like the one shared on this compilation or The Gyra Grip (vibin in space). Check out Jupiter Tuning Center's Soft Landing which just got released on Editorial #6: "Jupiter Tuning Center" retouch a jazzy beauty from the past, the "Springs" by "Pete Jolly". The original has a special place in my jazz albums' collection. Thanks for the flight" (via the great Just Love Vinyls blog). Last but not least there is Coconut Water by Karen Be - which I first got introduced to by the great Mixtape Riot blog by Captain Planet. Nice crispy song with some deep underlying bass, gentle use of electronics - rich in sound - and Karen Be's sensual yet fiery voice. This song might have drawn some inspiration from Marvin Gaye's Calypso Blues, Robert Mitchum's Coconut Water of the same name and Calypso Mama's Gin and Coconut Water. If you want to listen to more of Karen Be's unique brand of jungle soul - check her new EP here. Thanks to Atum Management - a London based ''Artist and Sports Management company'' - who is representing Karen Be - for sharing ''Coconut Water'' with all of us. Check some more of Atum Managements tunes on their soundcloud page. 

Coconut wata. 
Good for your dawta.  
Make you strong like lion… 
Coco got a lotta iron. 
Coco coco coco coconut.

So much for today. Enjoy & share the good vibes! DubMe

Monday, February 18, 2013

More Jamaican Disco, Boogie & Soul: The Reggae Disco Connection Part 2 (2013)


01 - bunny wailer - back to school (vocal)
02 - sheila hylton - disco reggae beat
03 - brentford disco band - jamrec jam
04 - ernest ranglin - soft touch
05 - althea forest & togetherness - hey mister (re-edit)
06 - derrick harriott - checking out (vocal)
07 - willie lindo - samba pa ti
08 - the chariot riders - do it nice & easy
09 - dillinger - lsd
10 - derrick harriott - fly robin, fly
11 - junior tucker - which side of the coin (spinning round) (top ranking)
12 - risco connection - it's my house version (1980)
13 - joe gibbs & the professionals - ten commandments
14 - disco dub band - for the love of money
15 - derrick harriott - float on
16 - the in crowd - baby my love
17 - heptones - giving up on love
18 - willie lindo - midnight

After I shared The Reggae Disco Connection in 2012 - here is a second compilation/mix of Jamaican Disco & Boogie songs - plus a few soulful ones thrown in for good measure. ''Ting a Ling a Ling ! School bell ring and it’s back to school again!'' - I am starting the mix with Bunny Wailer's Back To School. An unseen blend of Bunny’s rugged rap over a fresh combination of Disco and Dub, and of course tightly produced with the unique Jamaican touch. Originally released on Solomonic Records in 1982. Among 18 different songs you will further get the pleasure to listen to Al Kent's re-edit of Althea Forest & Togetherness' Hey Mister (track #5) - a tight Jamaican Disco song with some wicked synth sounds! Released on Crystal Records in 1976 and produced by the "more than soulful" Reggae producer and crooner Derrick Harriott, who was not only responsible for a string of Rocksteady hits in the late 60ies, but also for some grooving soulful and discofied Reggae songs in the 70ies & early 80ies. Althea Forest, the female singer on ''Hey Mister'' is probably better known as part of the photogenic duo Althea & Donna and their Reggae hit Uptown Top Ranking (produced by Joe Gibbs). On track #8 we have yet another Derrick Harriot production - the Chariot Riders' Do It Nice & Easy from '76. Derrick Harriott's funky reggae cover of Eddie Drennon's Do It Nice And Easy has some seriously funky bass, militant drumming, bubbling guitar and cheesy disco organ; all topped off with vocals by Derrick and his niece Kim Harriott (via Roots From The Yard). A real treat! Be sure to play it out LOUD. On track #11 we have a very youthful Junior Tucker singing ''Which Side Of The Coin (Spinning Round)''. An upbeat piece of Jamaican Disco Soul sung by the then 14 year old Junior Tucker - who back then was also known as the Jamaican Michael Jackson. Released as a 7inch on Top Ranking records in 1980. I am ending this mix/compilation with Midnight by Willie Lindo. Recorded in Jamaica in '78, "Midnight" is a subtle cover of Midnight and You by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. Lindo's version is better than Barry's, but decide for yourself...

If you want to explore more discofied Reggae songs, Jamaican Boogie & Soul give a listen to Waxist Selecta's Red Stripe Disco Series which Waxist - a ''black music'' lover/vinyl collector from France already started back in 2009/10. There are 8 volumes/mixes online so far in which he sheds a light on ''rare tracks out of Jamaica or from the Jamaican diaspora (UK, US, Canada) with a focus on disco, modern soul & funky styles in a reggae mood. Most songs either being recorded on the island & issued on Jamaican labels or featuring JA musicians.'' Waxist Selector believes that there is much more to dig, saying Reggae Disco tracks are being pretty un-explored territory. ''I keep believing a lot of things remain pretty much unknown & to be discovered as most of the reggae headz didn't pay attention to those tracks at the time. The reason imo is that these tracks were too far from the regular "reggae" sound played in the 70's, also maybe seen as way too much into US music vein... A few JA producers have a real soul/funk/disco influence & touch... Sometimes versions (or b-sides) need to be checked as some nice stuffs could pop up... And Lovers style got also a few treasures imo, yet more modern soul oriented for most of them.'' (Via a Discogs discussion on Underground Reggae Disco Tracks.)

Now ''let the music take you higher''...

DubMe

Monday, February 11, 2013

Message from a Balearic Star (Cosmic Records - 2013)


01 - ken nordine - sounds in space
02 - snob - message from the stars
03 - electric mind - pick me up (dub version zwei)
04 - fleetwood mac - rhiannon (baron von luxxury dreams unwinding re-edit)
05 - mad professor - fast forward into dub
06 - the duke of burlington - flash
07 - sun palace - rude movements
08 - lee oskar - haunted house (lw edit)
09 - jim morrison - ghost song
10 - alessi brothers - seabird
11 - brian briggs - aeo (pt.1 and 2)
12 - pointer sisters - hypnotized
13 - büdi und gumbls - pienes tanz
14 - roxy music - india
15 - sammy barbot - mexico (lovefingers barrio edit)
16 - the beach boys - california girls

Here is a brand-new compilation/mix of some old & some rather recent Balearic favorites and discoveries. Balearic?! Or is it Afro/Cosmic, Space Disco, Krautrock, Italo Disco, Dub...?! Honestly. I don't know. It just has to be good music - and support the general vibe & feeling of this compilation. But - then again - when I shared Balearic Dreams - Your Mind is on Vacation last year I wrote:
''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.'' (Radio Jiro)
I am starting this compilation with a beautiful spoken word track by Ken Nordine over some dreamy-early-outta-space-electronics. Taken from the RCA Living Stereo sampler Sounds In Space - which has Ken introducing the concept of Stereo to the listener back in 1958. If you have never heard of Ken Nordine before - google his name - or start by listening to Yellow from his 1967 album Colors. Killer beat poetry/spoken word jazz! But be warned! It might alter your view on colors forever. Track #2 - the mega rare Message From The Stars by cult Montreal disco band Snob is a wonderful slo-mo cosmic groover with a great female vocal taken from their highly collectible Are Women Snobs album. Followed by track #3 - Electric Mind's Zwei (Dub Version). Nice dubby cosmic Italo Disco. Track #4 is a stripped-down, laid-back, post-coital reworking of Fleetwood Mac's classic Rhiannon by Baron von Luxxury. "This hot tub dub version of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rhiannon' is the first in a series of 70s and 80s re-edits I’m making from the original studio multi tracks," says the Baron. "Each will be different tonally, but I’m trying to keep them all vintage-y sounding, refraining from using any (or too many) modern dancefloor tricks like filtersweeps, bswooshes, etc. Just delay, reverb and editing'' (via discoworkout). Go here for more Fleetwood Mac mixes, remixes & edits. Track #5 is Mad Professor's beautiful Fast Forward Into Dub from his 1985 album Dub Me Crazy Part Five: Who Knows The Secret Of The Master Tapes? Found on DJ Lexx' equally beautiful & brilliant mix Pressure [Mix/Jan. 2011]. Track #6 is the incredible breakbeat classic Flash by The Duke Of Burlington - who were an Italian combo from the late 60ies/early70s - often mixing up hard heavy piano, funky drum breaks, choppy guitar and some nice soulful flute solos. Yeah! Next we have the wonderful Rude Movements by Sun Palace. Beautiful spacey midtempo Disco tune. ''Rude Movements'' is the B-Side to a single called Winning by Sun Palace who only put out this single under that production name. It was a huge track in NYC during the days of Paradise Garage and The Loft. Track #8 is Leftside Wobble's edit of Haunted House by Lee Oskar - a bittersweet little slow burning funk number. Also be sure to give the original a listen - a atmospheric roller disco classic from Danish harmonica legend Lee Oskar. Lee is better known for his soulful playing with War on tunes like Me and Baby Brother and Low Rider but here he trades strutting for suggestiveness and the results are all the more euphoric for it. Built around a shimmering Fender Rhodes, a whispery guitar arpeggio and an insistent slo-mo disco beat, less is definitely more. It's all so lush and effortless that 7 minutes scarcely feels like long enough to appreciate it and the slightly surreal chorus makes complete sense in context. (via The Ransom Note) Where there is a ''Haunted House'' - there must be a ''Ghost Song''! So track #9 is Jim Morrison's Ghost Song - taken from The Doors 1978 album An American Prayer. Seven years after lead singer Jim Morrison died members of The Doors reunited and recorded backing tracks over Morrison's poetry (originally recorded in 1969 and 1970). Several tracks on this album have a really nice Balearic Disco feeling to them... One of them being ''Ghost Song''. Track #10 is the Alessi Brothers' Seabird - a drum-machine driven curio with intriguingly imperfect double-tracking and wonderful lyrics. Pure sunshine bliss! Pay FLASH STRAP a visit to listen to the rest of the Alessi Brothers first album. The next song is Brian Briggs - Aeo (Pt.1 and 2) - a beautiful little gem I have no way of describing. Sounds of fairies & elves... Perfect for listening to on a Sunday afternoon - in your garden - surrounded by fields and woods... Brian Briggs real name was John Holbrook and he was a well-respected mixer and sound engineer. He worked on the Who's Tommy & Hendrix's Electric Ladyland among others. "Aeo'' is taken from his album Brain Damage (1980). Track #12 got the Pointer Sisters covering  Fleetwood Mac's Hypnotized. A really awesome groove to this one. Littered with stylish guitar inflections, nonsensical but beautifully executed lyrics about hypnosis and UFOs and eerie synth drifts inhabiting the background. After the Pointer Sisters trip to space - track #13 takes us back to good old mother earth: Büdi & Gumbls' Pienes Tanz is some rare German Kraut/Prog. Dreamy and mellow... Dance on, fly on, dream on... Somewhere deep in the forests there is a feast. Fairies & elves are already dancing... Taken from Büdi & Gumbls' Hmm album from 1983. Now we are jumping straight to track #15 - the Lovefingers Barrio edit of Sammy Barbot's Mexico. As I couldn't put it any better - here is what Andy Webb from Disco Delicious says: ''I've been loving the Black Disco series but had never heard the first volume until a few days ago, which features this stunning low-mid tempo Hawaiian shirt hangout tune. Give me a pineapple filled with some kind of tasty alcohol and some ember orange sunlight to bask in, crank this up and await heaven. Ice cool and toasty warm at the same time, this is a huge winner. I am ending this compilation with some California Sunshine Pop - the Beach Boys' classic California Girls. Written by band-members Brian Wilson (who conceived the song during an LSD trip) and Mike Love in 1965, the song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Enjoy! DubMe

Friday, February 1, 2013

Beatz & Carrots #12 (January 2013)


01 - patchworks - los ladrones
02 - cleon & jazzy pidjay - samba a l'aeroport
03 - lulu joppert - wanna be startin' something
04 - the surpremes - my world is empty without you (drop out orchestra remix).
05 - ella & duke - caravan (lazlo remix)
06 - guts - mambo flying party
07 - the beach boys - little honda
08 - richie phoe - thriller dub 2012
09 - lionel hampton - vibramatic! (club version)
10 - flatpocket - peco
11 - la yegros - viene de mi
12 - tanya stephens - it's a pity (lulu rouge bootleg)
13 - alemayehu eshete - telantena zare
14 - dara o'neill - scribble me this
15 - velvet hammer - happy (the apple scruffs edit)
16 - randomized coffee - segunda feira na praia
17 - captain planet - chegutu

Beatz & Carrots is back - and what better way is there to start off this first Beatz & Carrots compilation in 2013 with Patchworks' Los Ladrones - some groovy, uptempo & uplifting music?! And then keep going with some groovy Bossanova'ness. Track #3 is a nice Bossa Nova cover by Lulu Joppert of MK's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' from his 1982 album ''Thriller''. If you listen to the original by Michael Jackson you will recognize him using a sample from Manu Dibango's 1972 classic Soul Makossa. Can you hear it: ''Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah". Dibango sued Jackson and settled out of court for one million French francs. And to tie up loose ends - it was Paulinho da Costa from Brazil who was responsible for the percussion on Michael Jackson's original. So here we now have a sweet Bossa Nova version. Track #4 is a fantastic edit/remix of Diana Ross & the Supremes’ My world is Empty Without You by Swedish disco connoisseurs Drop Out Orchestra. They themselves call it slow-mo disco - and I couldn't say it any better: slow and sexy with a killer bassline. On track #5 Grant Lazlo gives his magical electro-swing treatment to Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington's version of Caravan - keeping it slow & dubby - but with that right extra bit of bass & bounce to keep you swingin' & groovin' for sure! Great version - and up there with some of my other favourite versions of ''Caravan''. Listen here to one of the earliest versions of ''Caravan'' - a jazz standard originally composed by Juan Tizol - and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1936. With its Middle Eastern beat the song creates an exotic atmosphere - leaving the listener with images of far away places, mysterious deserts, camels, tents... ''Caravan'' is also a favourite among many listeners of Exotica music - and that's also were I first got introduced to it' - listening to 80 Drums Around The World - Caravan from the great CD Mondo Exotica which I bought in my teen days... If you want/need an introduction to the far-away sounds and worlds of Exotica music – ''Mondo Exotica'' is a must-have compliation - ranging from wild, to mellow, to savage and swinging. A wonderful cross-section of the Exotica genre. With Guts Mambo Flying Party, track #6 we are keeping the uplifting, sometimes exotic, groovy spirit of this compilation. This song just grows and grows on me the more I listen to it. Here is what Guts himself has to say about ''Mambo Flying Party'': ''During the production of an album, sometimes you do some tunes that kind of go off road, and don't fit with the main artistic direction... You know it, but just for fun and sudden burst of inspiration, you finish the track...'' Track #7 - The Beach Boys' Little Honda (the blonde girl in the video is really shakin' it!) is fun fun fun & sunshine as well. Been listening to some Beach Boys music lately - and man! They recorded some amazing music. And also, to ''link'' back to Exotica music - it is said/discussed that Martin Denny and Les Baxter,  two of the main figurehead artists of the Exotica genre might have had a bit of influence on Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds. Read here if you want to have a first introduction to ''Pet Sounds''. And check out The Exotica Project if you want to dig further into the realms of Exotica. On track #8 Brighton's beatsmith Richie Phoe takes MJ's ''Thriller'' deep into the worlds of dub - making it sound like Lee Perry directed by George A. Romero. Perfect for any dancefloor around midnight! Listen & enjoy the eerie video here. On track #9 - old Jazz hand Lionel Hampton tried his luck with Vibramatic!. A sweet electro tune from 1984. With backing synthesizers by Fred McFarlane, 'vibramatic!' has a very Herbie Hancock Rock It feel to it. Also check out Tigersushi-artist Joakim's remix - which is a heavyweight electro-boogie-dancefloor-monster. The next song - track #10 is Flatpocket - Peco. A laidback groovy piece of Hiphop meets Jazz in the mix! Thanks to Christophe from Duendiness for introducing me to this beautiful gem! Track #11 - La Yegros - Viene De Mi is a beautiful Cumbia song from ZZK Records compilation Future Sounds Of Buenos Aires. Yes! ZZK Records/Club who were one of the first to start of the whole Nu-Cumbia movement in 2007. Next (track #12) we have Lulu Rouge giving a bit of a dubby horn (balkan?!) twist to Tanya Stephens' It's A Pity (original on the classic Doctor Darling Riddim!). Wait & listen when the bass comes in. BOOM! Track #13 is a sweet groover from Ethiopia: Alemayehu Eshete -Telantena Zare. Amazing voice, awesome backbeat, strings, and horns. Ridiculously catchy. How many Ethiopiques compilations have been released so far? Never mind! I always seem to find new amazing songs on them - no matter how many times I listen to them. Track #14 - Dara O'neill's "Scribble Me This" is a jazzy, beatdown house groover... I have no idea what Dara O’Neill is singing about - but whatever he’s singing about - it feels good - and comes with extreme verve and élan. Track #15 - Velvet Hammer's Happy is a real 70's soul dancer. Here extented/edited for our listening pleasure by The Apple Scruffs. Top notch! I am finishing this compilation of 2013 with ''Chegutu'' from Captain Planet's Mystery Trip Vol. 1. Definitely one of my favourite releases from 2012. Beautiful song, uplifting, sunshine! Wohuu huu huu hu...

Enjoy! DubMe

Thursday, January 24, 2013

A note to my readers & musical friends...


Spring is around the corner - and it is about time I bring this blog back to life, plant new musical flowers and let the birds fly free to sing their sweet songs again... Like two months ago most d******d links on my blog died, got deleted. After trying to re-up them - just to see them get deleted again, I gave up - and left the blog like it was. Since then I have been busy moving from Chengdu/China to Montpellier in south France.

Sorry for leaving all the various comments & request to revive dead links unanswered. In the next few weeks I will be re-upping all the musical content of this blog again. And if time permits I will hopefully also share some fresh selections of some favourite music: more balearic cosmic leftfield pop gems, some 80ies rub-a-dub and dancehall sounds, dub, cumbia, tropikal disco and more...

On another note... As download links seem to get deleted, I have been thinking of going private (an idea which I don't really like too much - as it goes against the idea of blogging & sharing.) Or ask you to ''follow'' this blog, send me your email - so I can share links via mail. What about encrypting files with a password - which may help them to stay online longer? Please share your thoughts and ideas here with me and everyone... As I do not have the financial options to pay for a file host - I have to relay on free options. If you know of any good ones - please let me know. For the moment I consider using depositfiles and zippyshare...

Thanks - and - I will be back with more new compilations soon - as well as trying to re-up a few of the older selections every day.

DubMe