No, I still haven't heard Fleet Foxes. Or the TV On The Radio.

Adele - 19

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Jamie Lidell - Jim

Jazzanova - Of All The Things

Little Joy - Little Joy

Metallica - Death Magnetic

Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Quiet Village - Silent Movie

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Singles:

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)

Flying Lotus/Lil Wayne - Robo Tussin

Thank you Jim Jones?

Got the heads up about some of the Okayplayer holiday jammy guests, so hustled over to B.B. Kings late enough for a shut door and a lot of cops dealing with the aftermath of Jim Jones being kicked out.  Which was enough distraction for me to slide in.  This is like the inverse of the time years ago in Chicago when I was using a bad fake ID for a Prince aftershow.  Malcom Jamal-Warner was in front of me in line trying to bring about twenty people in with him, causing enough confusion to slide me right through.  Later he got up on stage to rap while Prince played the drums, and the crowd chanted, "Go Theo!  Go Theo!"  Alas, I digress...

Missed the Roots opening set, and thought Alicia Keys had put on weight and a track suit to hype the crowd on the mic with a lot of talk about Staten Island, but I guess that was Amanda Diva.  Talib Kweli and his new group Idle Warship came on and did a few songs.  Um, Res is in the group.  That's good, I guess.  They seemed to be jacking a beat from the first Daft Punk record on one track.  Make of that what you will.

The Roots back out next, bringing out Estelle for a rocking soca-style take on You Got Me.  Fire.  Very well done, lots of simultaneous rapping/singing between her and Black Thought.  And she looked good too - new haircut ala Lauryn Hill somewhere before the Fugees reunion went wrong for the second time.  Anyway, she stuck around to do Come Over, and the she went away.  Too bad.

Fela-inspired jam session next.  Roots members plus Robert Glasper and James Poyser on keys, and Gary Bartz out on sax.  Gary Bartz!  GARY BARTZ.  That's pretty heavy.  No time for links today, but do some netsearch.  Music is his sanctuary, yo.

Bilal and 88-Keys stepped up next.  I knew Q-Tip was on later (and hence I missed the big MC throwdown with Black Thought and Pharaoh Monche, and Verses From the Abstract, damn), but I was late to another gathering, and Bilal was doing straight crazy from note one.  "DWEEEEEEE!  BWAAAAAAAA!  SHUUUUUUUU!"  Doesn't that come at the end (thinking the Radiohead cover here - High and Dry, not Everything In Its Right Place, which I guess did come at the end)?  Anyway, it did for me.  I was out.  Early, but caught some nice music.  Thanks Frank 151 and OKP!

P.S.  What would Jim Jones have done with the Roots?

Moredele

Further down the Adele remix road, Mick Boogie has done an '88-themed mixtape of a handful of tracks.  So if you ever wondered what your favorite Adele song sounded like with a Slick Rick loop under it, well, now you can listen to see how long it takes you to decide that it doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'm digging the Green Lantern mix of Melt My Heart To Stone a little more, if only for the organic little groove on the second verse.  Can I just get a whole track of that?

Chased Pavements

Adele - Chasing Pavements (Various Remix) -

After hearing this remix on Gilles Peterson's show, I spent the majority of my last trip to London searching the shops for this song to no avail. Seems a hard look, but happily I have found this link (for the moment). It's such a dope mix. It needs to be out there! Enjoy.

Robots After All

Electroma, Daft Punk's stab at your typical art/silent/road/midnight/stoner movie is streaming until 8 pm tonight at Pitchfork.tv.  It comes on like a mix between the beginning of The Shining and lost footage from a bionic buddy cop series.  And then not a lot happens.  But it's still pretty cool.

Be warned, this might not translate to the pc screen at all.  I saw it in a theater in Shibuya and had to contend with the inane chatter of two girls directly behind me.  Like I said, audio-wise, there's not a lot going on.  Anyway, I liked it.  See if you have the patience, or just click around to see if you can find one of the more bizarre moments.  

Kanyegenic.

The overall vibe of most of the 808s & Heartbreak reviews I've come across is this: It's kind of a mess, but isn't it great that Kanye is experimenting?  We need to support that.  Interesting.  While music journalism often runs pithy to downright vicious, what is it about Kanye that inspires such admiration cum generosity (or is that vice versa)?  The threat of being called out by a loud-mouth who's much cooler than you?  Solidarity amongst those of artistic leanings?  Maybe he's just done a good job selling the whole "heartbreak/art" angle.

I've warmed to the record a bit, though aside from "Paranoid" and "Street Lights," there aren't any tracks that I care to listen to individually, or on rewind.  Rather, I let it play out in the background while I clean the house.  And maybe that's half the idea - the play out, not the cleaning, though a  visit to his blog demonstrates Kanye's interest with music to be played in environments both residential and retail.  I guess 808s & Heartbreak is what happens when industrial design aficionados bring their obsessions into the studio.  Less bangin' and more Bang & Olufsen.

My more immediate impression, as tracks leaked over the last few months: Man, Kanye is really going for that '97 Bjork drum programming sound.  Which caused me to revisit Homegenic the other day.  I don't know if it's any longer relevant to say that an album from ___ still sounds fresh in ___, but Bjork and collaborators were on fire with this one.  A cold, quiet fire, but still.  So, anyway, maybe I'll have a greater appreciation for 808s & Heartbreak around 2019.  Maybe it'll help if I have a much nicer apartment.

In the meantime, I'm favoring this recently dropped and officially sanctioned Kanye (re)mixtape.  A little heavy on rattly B-more vibe, but worth it for the "Get 'Em High" and "Throw Some D's" mixes.  All 909s & Sunshine.

New York Renaissance

Man, Jay-Z can tell his life stories “a milli” times and it still sounds interesting! He deserves his crown. It’s lovely to see some internet love in this video. I came across Evan Roth’s animated illustration technique some time ago, but it works really well in this Low Budget video. (props to GBH.tv)

“My billionaire mayor has declared himself king.”

The quickest way to my heart is to put Kermit in anything! And the vocalist in this song comes the closest to Jim Henson’s voice than anyone who has tried it since. A beautiful song. And it’s somehow fitting that The Frog (a new york transplant himself) give eulogy to New York’s slow demise.

Taking It There

Really, CNN?  

(And performer sounds like a euphemism for stripper.)

AMEN.

MN=Coleman over Franken (and by such a slim margin)?
CA=Yes to Prop 8?

Two minor setbacks/heartbreaks.

Otherwise, a beautiful day.

No, you do.

Two years later and I still love this.

More of less than ever before?

New Mos Def single drops November 4 (ask me later what I think about people releasing music on Election Day, I mean, I know it's a Tuesday, but when Fall Out Boy has the best idea...), but you can stream it now via RCRD LBL.  Myself...I don't love it.  The whole plodding, anthemic thing is best used for intro's - didn't Jay kinda already do this in "The Ruler's Back" (basically a 4-minute intro, c'mon)?  Just with a lot less synthesizer.  Damn you Daft Punk!  You done fucked hip hop up!  Are you happy now?

I will say this, though: Mos Def should be the only rapper allowed to sing on tracks.  Okay, maybe Q-Tip too (another November 4th-er, sheesh).  With four for four released/leaked tracks from the new CD using the ungodly auto-tuner (and two using taiko drums?!), Kanye looks to be rushing into his lost in the wilderness period.

That sad, sparkly sound.

I bought this bootleg of Frontin' by Pharrell years ago in Japan. It sounded like it was done by somebody currently listening to a lot of Level 42 singles. Further down the same road, this Fatlip remix seems to have been done by Howard Jones. Stellar. The bulk of the Delicious Vinyl RMMXOLOGY compilation, released this past summer, is pretty good, if glitchy tech-soul and B-more drum programming is your thing.
Love the What's Up Fatlip video, too, but even better is the short Spike Jonze making of. Worth another trip to the extras disc of the Directors Label DVD, had the post office not lost my signed copy. What's up Flatbush!

Jazzanova Reborn

JAZZANOVA "Of All The Things" EPK 2008

Thanks Giant Step.

It's good to be excited about music again. Other eagerly anticipated albums are PPP and The Matthew Herbert Big Band
(Check The Story with the mighty Eska).

BONUS
BONUS too
BONUS three
o:{fer sure!}

RIP

Rudy Ray Moore 

1927-2008

and for best performance by a lemon...

and get a free MR. Scruff mix from Giant Step!

...Before today

"You were so beautiful..."
from "Take the Box"

I just got this e-mail entitled "New Album for Christmas", but when I clicked the link what I got was a desperate plea for me to buy an album that I've already bought twice! (yes, I succumbed to the possibility of new remixes and bought the latest "Frank" double disc set)

And I can see the marketing scheme as a way to pay for her current rehab stint and loss of revenue as an incoherent mess on stage. This made me want to go back to the Amy I love. This song was always my favorite. From the way they added to the beat (big up Salaam Remi! go to his discography to hear him discuss working of "Frank".) to her delivery, it's just a classic. But I have to say that I'm a much bigger fan of voluptuous (i.e. "Normal") Amy. When I saw her new "look", I was like WTF happened?!

So let's take it back to when Amy was sultry, sexy and smiled!

o:{and while we're reminiscing, check this!

• VH1 TV Shows
• Music Videos
• Celebrity Photos
• News & Gossip

it's all love when LaDiDaDi is played! "Eve you look good girl!!!"}

Fun Again!

The Knux - "Cappuccino"

Simple but cool video that has atleast the director thinking back to De La Soul's "Me Myself & I" and Eric B & Rakim. Speaking of which, it's nice to see a good hip-hop duo again. But wait, they're playing guitars?! Check what gbh.tv had to say.

o:{and this is dope too!!!}

...................

This needs another spin...

bright eyes – "first day of my life"

an excellent song with a video that conveys the lyrics and mood perfectly.

o:{"with these things there's no telling..."}

The Takeover

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=588

A little Vik Duplaix and King Britt and Budos Band?!
A little Last Dragon and The Warriors and She's Gotta Have It?!
Some Guitar Hero and Ping Pong?!

o:{i'm lovin' BAM right now. (not to take anything from my other fav art complex: The Barbican)}

VMA's

Did somebody pass an old Goldfrapp CD on to Christina Aguilera? (Really, have a quick compare of the new Xtina and the old Alison.) Is electronica R&B the new thing? Don't answer until you've heard the new Solange songs where she's singing over old Boards of Canada tracks.

And...thoughts on the new Kanye? Another victim of the auto -tuner craze?

Now It Can Be Told

Or heard.
Been working on some nostalgia mixes for a reunion with a group of long-term friends who all haven't been in the same place almost since some of these songs were popular. Or at least since we enjoyed going to raves. Anyway, a little rough around the edges, but here's one. Go ahead and download, or give it a moment to load and click play:

Enjoy this trip.

Market Share

This is a brilliantly simple marketing scheme for the new Foreign Exchange album. It previews the mood and the music while conveying the online working process of how the album (and it's predecessor) was created. Best use of the web for a while now!

o:{can't wait!}

EDIT: The Cinematic Orchestra's got a little something too! A short film to go with their latest album. Reminiscent of their excellent re-soundtrack to the 1920 Russian film "Man with a Movie Camera".

Fresh P

Shad: The Old Prince Still Lives at Home. "Just vibe with it!"

So clever. Between this and Kanye's "Good Morning", the video is making a comeback!

On a More Positive Note

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo

Griff Jenkins: Journalist or Pussy?

Hint: It's not the first one.

E...L.O.V.E...

great chop! now if only the video editor could keep Rosie on beat.

Making music fun again

Another Andre cameo. An admitted freestyle. But I think he is slyly trying to take Weezy's crown as Kang (©Phonte) of the South.

The song is "ehh", but the video is really cool. It gives you a mini-movie chunk of feeling in the way that UGK feat. Outkast's "International Players Anthem" did. I wonder if Barber did this?

Andre's back to stylin' and I have to wonder if these story-video's are part of his plan to get further into Hollywood. In any case, it's enjoyable.

o:{I'm a "G"...entleman."}

What 60 year olds can do in '08.

Love it.

On another note, have we fully left these days behind?

Not the playhouse. Just seems that '88 was maybe the end of the era where Oprah and Charo would be among a long list of guest stars on one entertainment program. These credits kill me. And Pterri (I think) at the end, going, "Amazing! Amazing, Grace!"

Love Quest

As reported on Gilles Peterson's Worldwide show this week,
Questlove will be producing the new Smokey Robinson album!!!
{...long pause full of amazement and wonder...}

And if this upcoming album is anywhere as good as the recently ?uestlove and James Poyser produced Al Green album "Lay It Down" as well as the tribute tracks for Isaac Hayes that are credited to The Randy Watson Experience {?uest and James' cover band} then this is going to be a project worth watching for and hearing more of. Now if they can only get an official release on the Pharrell remix project,
"Out of my mind"!

o:{and some more Bilal madness. this Time with The Randy Watson Experience. "I wanna run with ya!"}

Heads Talking

Hillman Curtis has a way of making films that ooze emotion. You feel his interest and excitement in his quiet narratives. And even though I’ve never been a big fan of either David Byrne or Brian Eno, I am excited about their reuniting for this project. They’re legends all.

Birthday Muxtape!

It's on.  It's up.  It's http://mattm.muxtape.com/

Crescendos all night!

It’s a crime that “Love 4 Sale” never got an official release. It’s an amazing album. But that didn’t stop Bilal from filling the Highline Ballroom with a crowd that was singing and dancing along to the songs from that unreleased album alongside his well-known classics.

With support from a band filled with talent like the great Robert Glasper on keys and Chris Dave on drums (“Chris Dave, motherfuckers!” was the text I got this morning from my boy Ollie, an amazing drummer in his own right.), the music was wholly on point. They even slipped from Bilal’s “All for Love” to one of Glasper’s now-standard smooth jazz (but funky!) Dilla tributes; this one was “Fall in Love”. The rest of the band consisted of bass, electric guitar, a horn section, and two back up singers – one of which, a big unassuming dude in a yankees cap, was hitting high falsetto notes to rival the headliner!

The music went from faithful renditions of the songs to fun remixes that bounced from blues to gospel to full on rock. The band cut loose with a rendition of Jimi Hendrix “Purple Haze” that led beautifully in to Bilal’s “Fast Lane”. And all the while, Bilal is being silly and laughing on stage with his band mates. I’ve seen shows where he’s been a hot mess and lines like “I wish I was drug free…” from “Sometimes” really make sense. But for this show he was clear-headed and focused. Everything from the music to the antics and camaraderie on stage to the lighting was working together as each song built in intensity. You couldn’t help but get swept up in it. And for an artist without an album out, that’s more than you could ask for.

o:{too many links? hurmm...maybe.}

The Hold Up

Initially prompted by preparation for a looong (C)DJ gig the other night, I've been well occupied digging through old CD books and cleaning up my iTunes recently.  So, I present to you a new and semi-occasional musical and pictorial (re-)review.

Holds up:

1991. One of Norman Cook's post-Housemartins/pre-Fatboy projects. The second record. The toasting is pretty corny, but it's a nice late summer-appropriate mix of pop, soul, reggae and whatever. It was pointed out to me that the singers, whether male or female, all sort of sound like Alison Moyet (on different bpm's, natch). That's okay, right?

Doesn't:

1990.  I loved this CD in high school.  In my memory, it's really dense, bassy UK soul.  On recent listen, it seems that Island basically got a group of producers to try and sail Mica to America on a slowly sinking New Jack Swing ship.  The disc is a nice orange color, though.

Just because...

...i just can't stop rocking this.

Andre-with-an-accent three-triple-O is on his "early busta rhymes" game - killing long guest verses.
Gotta find me a mixtape of these cuts!

Ben jamin'

More Marketing

My Drive Thru - Santogold, Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D produced by Pharrell for converse.

Great video! The song is cool but the creativity of the cut-out paper figures deserves a rewind.

Estelle - "Back in Love"

a) is my new summer in the city song.

b) has some lovely drum programming.

c) needs a Bugz in the Attic remix.

d) all of the above.

What the?...

Came across this strange ad on the subway the other day. No mention of it on Kanye’s site, but I did find this commercial. It ends with the ominous “a vision by kanye west”. I can’t believe someone green-lit this!

Thanks to kemba for putting me on to the new gnarls barkley video for “whose gonna save my soul”. Wow. She knew I’d like it. Her words: “picturesque and very appropriate. Shout out to all the lovers out there!” It’s almost like an anti-video with the acting taking center stage over the song itself. I thought it was a commercial for MTV at first. It looks like something they would do in between their many shows. An amazing drug-induced concept that definitely has people talking.

And finally, this made my day:



My two favorite things – muppets and M.O.P.

Herbie

I've meaning to get around to getting this down for a while, but 60-hour work-weeks don't really accomodate rambling jazz treatises.  But, I digress (prematurely).

Japan, or maybe Japan of yesteryear, being full of cultured jazz maniacs and full-on completists (is there any other kind?) gets the best and most when it comes to music.  Recently, I've been obsessing over a couple of mid-seventies Japan-only Herbie Hancock releases.  My knowledge of Herbie's output, considering the breadth of his catalog, is pretty shallow.  I probably leave off with the first Headhunters record, and pick up again with I Thought It Was You.  Japanese friends love this song; I can only take so much vocoder from non-Troutmans.  Troutmen?

So, anyway, filling in gaps, foreign-release style.  Loving the following two:

Dedication (1974) is an album recorded on an off day while on tour in Japan.  At first listen, a curious release, albeit a balanced and engaging one.  Side A contains two solo piano takes on tracks from Maiden Voyage (1965), the title track and Dolpin Dance.  Exquisite, contemplative version.  Super gorgeous and beautifully recorded.

Side B, counter to the acoustic meditations of A, is full of synth exploration.  I've heard Nobu referred to recently as possibly the first techno track (1974!).  Recently given the re-edit treatment by one of the Quiet Village guys, and lots of love by Gilles Peterson, it's not too hard to connect the dots.  Though lacking in a strict four-to-the-floor beat, there are layers of ominous keyboard rhythms, jabs, and riffs.  Cool stuff.  Continuing the electro-theme, the album closes with a chunky, bass-programmed (Arp?) take on Canteloupe Island, returning again to earlier catalog, though with a (for its time) considerably futuristic slant.

The following year's live release, Flood, documents a Herbie/Headhunters concert at several Japanese halls (check Butterfly for some of the most well-intentioned but hesitantly delivered Japanese stage banter here).  It's said that with the Headhunters projects, Herbie had aimed to create a more earthy, rooted sound, compared to the airy/spaciness of the preceding Sextant albums.  Evident here in the warmth and ease of the band's sound.  Particularly cool how Hancock opens the show on acoustic piano (Maiden Voyage again, not dissimilar to the Dedication version) and gradually moves towards more electronic sounds as the show progresses.

So, anyway, I need to close this out...  Um, given the state of my iPod and Winehouse in summer '08, I can't really hate on The Joni Letters taking Album of the Year anymore.

Take A Sad Song And Make It Better

For Tony.

Three Inspirations

This Flying Lotus album is ridiculous. Or so it goes, but I think I have to agree. I tend to like beats/sounds that are very dense, or conversely taut and minimal. Somehow this record seems to be both at the same time. It's like if Madlib's BeatKonducta were to produce Massive Attack (or vice versa) in a vaccuum. Magnificent.

I think, though, that my favorite record of the summer so far is Silent Movie by Quiet Village. Side project of a minimal techno producer or two, I think, the project finds the duo in mellow, balearic territory. Sounds great in headphones. Rolls by lovely if you're on the road at night.

I spent the earlier part of the week searching for a track I heard in a YouTube video. Turns out to be the title cut of My Way by a Canadian artist called Akufen. And it's a mind-blower. Lots of FM radio samples spliced into melody and rhythm over smooth house soundscapes. Lovely.

I want that old thing back…

From this:



To this:


Oh Amy.

What is going on? Although now I’m starting to believe that her slurred delivery of her hit Rehab is just a part of the stage show.

On another note, if M.I.A. and Diplo are bigging up B-more Club music, then new artist Wale is taking it there for D.C. I didn’t really feel him on the Roots’ “Rising Up”, except for the “Olson-twinnin’” line. That’s classic! As is his downloadable, Seinfeld-inspired, “Mixtape About Nothing”. Extra points to Julia “Elaine” Louis-Dreyfus for dropping in (for real!!!) on “The Vacation from Ourselves”. His subtle use of Go-Go is really nice! Check “The Grown Up”. Go-Go mixed with hip-hop/electro and Stevie flavor.

One more:

Big-up Mos Def for showing love to Jay Electronica AND Jon Brion at his Mos Def Big Band Carnegie Hall show. Beautiful.

Enjoy.

Afro-Punk 08

Mr. Spooner is a good guy, and there's a bunch of quality music, film, and activity going on...more info here.

Skins

Call me a twat, but I fucking love this show. In spite of (or maybe due to) the fact that I have no cable, and don't really watch TV when I do. Especially comedic dramas. Or dramatic comedies. Or whatever.
Anyway, I haven't been this into a program since I was all about Ikebukuro West Gate Park whilst living in Japan. Somewhat akin to that show, Skins is a bit of post-Larry Clark (parents have all skipped town) youth scenario. High tension (dual Japanese meaning here) dramatic scenes countered with frenetic hilarity or action. Here, IWGP's bowling and gang fights replaced with pill-popping and house-trashing. At any rate, well-written and paced, often laugh-out-loud funny, good soundtrack, and a brilliant coda to season one (I think I mean that somewhere between the American and British meanings). I almost like English people again.

(Any yeah that's the chubby kid from About a Boy.)

Rest Comfortably

I was saddened to hear the news today that the brilliant George Carlin had passed away. I can remember sneaking around at night to catch a glimpse of Carlin doing his now famous “Seven words you can’t say on TV” routine while my dad watched it on cable. It was more than the adolescent fun of hearing a comedian repeatedly cussing and getting away with it. My young mind was truly entertained and enlightened by the insights of this potty-mouthed philosopher. From that day on I was hooked and gradually learned the power of words.

Good books, good God.

Man has screwed things up for himself; he will devolve, perhaps, and become but a beast, so he better start learning how to talk like one.

R.I.P. to one of E.S.T.

So sad to hear that the pianist and founding member of Swedish jazz group e.s.t. (Esbjorn Svensson Trio) died recently at the age 44 as reported by Giant Step.

Esbjorn Svensson and his group were credited with bringing jazz to younger artists and it made me wonder what makes jazz music like the above (that I was put onto by the always trustworthy Gilles Peterson) more accessible to more than just the "jazz cat" aficionados? Is it the focus on the bass? Is it the heavy drums like in Roy Hargrove’s Forget Regret and The Bad Plus’ Flim? To me it’s just good music and a sense of emotion that draws me in and makes me think things like “This is how it should be done!”

“Where are all my real life (jazz) documentarians at?” ~ Mos Def

A day late, but...

A DJ friend challenged me to a quick re-edit contest last week. Figured I'd post a little post-birthday love, so have a listen.

I am a happy semi-hypocrite.

The Sondre Lerche concert at Joe's Pub was 70 minutes of constant smile, chills every song, intimate fan-fucking-tasticness.

3.1

Bit of a bummer that Muxtape crapped out a day after I sorted out the new one. Anyway, re-upped, with a couple new songs. The new NERD track is basically the other new NERD track just a little faster, but I like Pharrell talking about being a little teapot. The Lidell remix on the Nu Shooz tip is nice, too.

So here ya go.

And I Am (not) Telling You, or, It's a Think Piece

There's this song. It has a kind of simple, effervescent quality, and an lovely inertia that makes it feel proper to start it over as soon as it finishes. One listen turns into two or three, sometimes more. It's a song you want to fill up the last leg of your walk home. And to start you off again the next morning.

So this song occupied a good space of time in my life at the beginning of last year. Partially for the above reasons, and partially because lyrically it was somewhat fitting for things going on in my life. A little bit of musical zeitgeist, if you will. Maybe a little bit of spell-casting, too. Or not.

And then it was kind of over. In part, I stopped listening to it because I picked up other CD's; the usual stuff. Moreso, the extra meaning and circumstance I'd attached to the song had, in retrospect, begun to prevent me from enjoying it.

I think I stumbled upon it again last fall, shortly before moving back to America. Again, one listen turned into multiple. But this time it was a sort of purging and reclaiming - I walked around enjoying the tune once again.

And all that sappy stuff. But, anyway, I like the idea or feeling of having a relationship with a piece of music. Much like a person - there are times when you don't want to see anyone else, and then times when you want to see anyone but. Some songs feel like the biggest, most intimate truth, then suddenly feel like a lie. And then feel like maybe the secret wasn't ever really for you, but it's a good secret nonetheless.

Me and this song, we hang out for a while every few months. I still think the song is beautiful, and worthy of perpetual rewind (I've listened about five times as I type this). But now it just makes me think of all the things that have a little over a year. And all the things that could happen in the next year or so.

It's not Hudson, by the way. Or Holliday. I'm not that corny.

3.0

Muxtape updated for good weather soon come. Have a listen.

Finished!

Last week, actually, but I've been mad busy. Anyway, I've made twenty copies, which I will sell for $95 each.

Just kidding; if you want one, get at me and we'll figure it out.

In other news...does Adult Swim/Cartoon Network just kind of corner the market on everything cool?

And...why do I feel guilty every time I talk about how much I love the Vampire Weekend album? I sometimes wonder how the dude can sing so well with Paul Simon's dick in his mouth. It's kind of like Wes Anderson held Pavement hostage and made them practice Rhythm of the Saints over and over. I'll see you in the park, nonetheless.

New Muxtape later in the week.

Freshly Made

Was trying to work on my own stuff, but ended up with this instead. If it's sunny where you are, go drive around a lake and listen to this. Bonus points for near-sundown.

Click here for the lovely.

I don't care what you say; it's go-go to me.

Nice performance. Dave kills me..."Wow..a lot going on there!" I could watch that part like five times.

せつない

Setsunai. Maybe best translated as "sentimental," but like a lot of Japanese words, there's a little more to it that's hard to put into English. A friend once tried to explain it as wanting to go back to the way something once was, but knowing you can't.

So I changed up the Muxtape. And that's the theme. A.K.A. Songs I Love But Sometimes Can't Really Listen To All The Way Through.

mattm.muxtape.com

Jim

I often think about when music is released, season-wise. Artists (or more likely, record labels) drop obvious summer hits a month too late; stark, introspective albums bow in May. And so on. Surely musicians are keen to get their work out in a timely fashion, but sometimes the timing is just off.
Anyway, I listened to the new Jamie Lidell record today, and it felt perfect. Like it was made for this week - the week it finally became reliably warm and sunny in New York. It felt as if I hadn't had it on the iPod, the city would have had to have somehow created it. Urban musical zeitgeist, or whatever you please.
So. I'm easily taken with new music these days, but that said, it's a pretty fantastic record. It's a great progression from the last one - looser and more confident. In a sense, considering Lidell's electronic roots, and the use of loops and layering on Multiply as a means of tentative approach to traditional soul music, the more organic Jim continues a reverse progression (retrogression?) of sorts.
I love the single - it took me a couple listens, but after that I've had it in heavy rotation the last few weeks. Other highlights: "All I Wanna Do" dips into almost Doo-Wop-esque production near the bridge. "Figured Me Out" - the most electronic-leaning of the bunch - is insane. It sounds like a future-retro-futuristic throwback to early Jamiroquai, Central Line, vocoder funk, and new jack swing all at once. And "Green Light" - I want to live inside this song. The percussion at the beginng is great - so halfway between Shuggie Otis and Richie Hawtin. And the first chorus slides in so lovely.
It's been a long time since I've had a succession of "favorite records" this long - maybe not since I was in junior high and couldn't afford to buy but one cassette every couple of months. Anyway, it's nice to kind of live with an album for a while, or whatever. Progression so far this year: Owusu & Hannibal-Adele-Erykah Badu-Benny Sings-Jamie Lidell...

Butternut Reduction

Here's what I was going to post:

I've got a hit song, but my heart isn't in it.

Given the state of:

Hip-hop/my sense of humor/ringtone rap and so on, however, I don't feel that that's an issue. Maybe it works in my favor. Is it possible that to have a hit record these days, it's better not to be vested in what you're writing about?

Anyway, I figure I need:

A little Casio beat that sounds good on crappy speakers, some effects, about four lines, and a dance. Should take about an hour. If you want to come over and help, we can get it down to forty minutes, maybe. If Soulja Boy can tell 'em, I can too.

My song? Tron That Bitch.

But here's what it comes down to:


Why is current popular Black music in love with the sounds of late 90's Eurobeat? Is Cher like the OG of modern hip-pop?

We R Here; Where RU?

Muxtape is where it's at, at least this month. Painless playlists and nice simple design. Anyway, here's some April music:

mattm.muxtape.com

1. Just because it's an ill way to start a mixtape, er, muxtape. Did they redo this theme song for the remake? Is the remake already cancelled?

2. I dig this, but this is seriously the kind of music only French people can pull off. One of the dudes from Daft Punk producing. Latter half of the disc has lots of female moaning.

3. I put off listening to the Adele record for quite a while, only to listen to almost nothing but last month. Great mix of influences; the vocal stylings are almost Jeff Buckley-esque in certain passages on the first few tracks.

4. I actually paid for this record! The blue-eyed soul meets yacht rock thing is spectacular. The Netherlands and Denmark have it going on the last few years.

5. Nice little stomper from a well-done record. Would've liked to hear the shelved Dangermouse/Ike Turner sessions this partnership started from, though.

6. Stop fronting, fellas. There's nothing wrong in calling it a go-go record.

7. New New York neo-disco. I can finally semi-appreciate Antony, but still like the instrumentals the best.

8. Dangermouse production again, I believe. Love the kinda Happy Mondays doing U2 vibe.

9. For the Ladies and the Gentlemen. Finished soon, hopefully.

10. In the Sade discog, Lover's Rock (the album) doesn't really stick out to me, but I kind of rediscovered it a month or two back (when you're coming home from work at 5 in the morning, it's almost Sade or nothing on the music tip). This track is especially lovely.

11. Nice, unexpected moment off the new one.

12. One of my all-time favorites; ever since some diamond commercial from the pre-Fugee days. 2:38 mark gets me every time. Magic.

Wanna know!

“Somebody…ain’t living right and I wanna know who is…”
~ intro to “Nic’s Groove” on the Foreign Exchange “Connected” album

I am SO tired of watching Flash-animated turning pages on computer screens.

Finally, somebody has done an online magazine right! Inqmind.ca is perfect. They meld the best aspects of web design with the best of magazine design. This site is a classic example of knowing the rules in order to break them. I’m seeing beautifully laid-out columns of text and images moving independently in order to progress through the article and add to, instead of distract from, the content. I am very inspired by this.

Plus, I am thinking about how many times I’ve read the Fader (another fav) and wondered how the music that they described sounded. The music player on Inqmind is seamless. It’s hard to go wrong when you start with a Dilla tribute, but what’s up with that new Funkdoobiest!!! Rock on.

Reee-wind!

"...Lord knows he's tryin'"

I have been running this short clip into the ground {"rinsing de chune", as the say here in London} all day long. This is where my head is right now. Big up Jay Smooth @ illdoctrine.com. The video is really interesting too, juxtaposing the lavish life style of 50 against the working-class mentality of John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf. Music has always recorded exactly where the writers were at the time of the song. But this combination plays the best of both worlds nicely
{if that makes any sense. ;P}


And this is another one for the heads. KRS-One attacks! I'm feelin' what he's saying. "I'm in my dreams right now!" Creative visualization, f'real.

That #@$%! brother's wise!

Great RZA interview.

From the rumors on the new Wu-Tang album, to acting, the effect of the Death of ODB, to chess and nymphomaniac chicks, this interview has it all!

Great to hear an elder statesman whose known for explicit records show the true depth and measure of a man. No "white voice", he just tones it down a bit so that he can be understood by this audience. Props!

Oh and PLEASE take a listen to the Propmaster on golden age Hip Hop New York radio.
o:{yyeee-e-e-e-e-e-eaaaaaahhhhh!!!!}

Return of the Reconstruction

And Scene: Riqonstruction

“The Roots are from Philly which is the murder capital of America yet neither Questlove nor Black Thought have ever killed anybody. If they want to rep Philly they have to catch a body.”
~ The Source {taken from the sig of an okayplayer post}

This quote was going through my mind as I was watching the new online Roots video for “75 Bars”

It took me two listens to get into the song, where the best parts are the drumming and the subtle backing music. I’m at an age where I’m not excited by the N-word being every line’s exclamation point. But even worse, the video is just lackluster. It made me {and some of the okayplayers on the boards ask, “What’s the point?!”

And so I started to think about how I would have done the video. This is what I came up with: “75 Bars: Riqonstruction”

On a completely different note, this made me smile. "You crazy for this one Barack!"

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
o:

This is how it could be done.

On this {I believe second} anniversary of the passing of the DillaGentleman, James Yancey, I was happy to hear the second tribute record from Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
“Find A Way”.

This version is an instant classic because it doesn’t stick too close to the original. It’s just enough and it takes risks {more than just presenting Classical orchestration to Hip Hop heads, which has been done before from groups like Mission and daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra (What is it about Cali?!)}

Equally good is their version of “Nag Champa” which can also be heard on the mySpace.

And just as a bonus, here’s an old interview of Madlib at the Red Bull Music Academy where he explains how he makes music. The best part is watching him dance around and explain that the first Quasimoto album took $50 to make, and that was mainly spent on ‘shrooms!

{Also worth checking is the above pictured album which is available on iTunes}

…Like a fat kid loves cake.

My love affair as of late has been with the mighty J-Rocc. Beat Junkie president and maestro DJ. He can do no wrong and he is one of the best reasons to subscribe to the Stones Throw podcast. But it really began with a free CD promo mix for the Jaylib album that collected the past classics of both Jay Dee and Madlib as well as introduced the new collaborative material. And the mix was seamlessly beautiful! That one CD got so much run in my car that it became just a pile of scratches. I would gladly pay money for it now and am happy to find that Jaylib vs. J-Rocc mix on his mySpace.

But if that wasn’t enough, I woke up this morning to find an okayplayer link to the new Blue Note “Droppin’ Science” compilation {which I will buy just for the ?uestlove liner notes. I’ll be happy when this dude just writes a book} and lo and behold there is this excellent J-Rocc mix of the songs and samples. Priceless.

99.4% PURE - mmHome

first a (very) brief promo for the attached mix:

download MP4
and then the mix itself:
download mix

"...Surrounded by hate
yet I love home.

...asked my dude how travelin' the world sound,
found it hard to believe
he hadn't been past downtown."
{quotes from Common, on Black Star's "Respiration"}

I've been really wanting to go home recently, and the time will soon come.

This is a mix I made soon after arriving in London a year ago and it's finally seeing the light of day! Hope you enjoy and if you like, drop a comment. To my people in the States, I hope to you see you all soon!
o:

©2007 o:coleman | http://omniousdesign.com

Funny? True?

"Because here's the crux of why everyone soured on hip-hop in 2007: The last song on the highest-ranking Pazz & Jop rap album ends with a track describing how the two biggest MCs in the world bickered over who had the idea to collaborate with Coldplay first. This is not acceptable."
- Rob Harvilla, Village Voice 1/23/08

(Pazz & Jop list-toppers, btw - #1 album: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver; #1 single: Amy Winehouse - Rehab)

Winterlong

MyFlashFetish

Wha-WHAT?!

“Ellen had a car accident and could not dance on her show’s opening. So she asked her Assistant Music Producer, Briana Cartwright, aka J Davey, to stand in for her”

I have never been mad at Ellen (well except for her questionable movie career playing typical straight girls) but to find out that she’s smart enough to have Jack Davey on the payroll is priceless.

edit: I have not seen the movie linked above, but after reading a bit about it, I kinda want to rent it. ;)