Just want to post a couple goodies real quick. First up is a killer version of the Eagles' classic "I Can't Tell You Why" by none other than Chromeo!!?? Next is one of my favorite songs by the late great Sun Ra. After going to see King Britt & crew do their amazing "Saturn Never Sleeps" performance which is an amazing tribute to Sun Ra as part of the exhibition at the ICA, I've been going back and listening to a lot of Sun Ra. King consistently pushes the boundaries and is a brilliant producer. OK!...I was only going to post 2 tracks but now I feel I've got to post something from King Britt. I should just do a feature on him. The man has been a very prolific producer/remixer under various monikers for over 15 years spanning all genres and remains one of the most in-demand DJs around the world. Anyway, here’s one of my favorite tracks off his ‘80s inspired Sylk 130 album “Re-Members Only”.
I've been listening to my iTunes a lot of shuffle lately to try to rediscover stuff in my own collection. I've got a pretty large and very diverse collection so it's pretty fun. Here's a few of the 'new' rediscoveries. That Dimenzio post from a couple weeks ago is also technically part of this.
First up is by avant garde '80s funk rockers The Flying Lizards. This group is amazing! They also do a cover of 'Money' by Don Covay which is one of my favorite 7"s to play in the most random places & times. Some of you hip-hop heads will recognize this song even if you've never actually heard it.
The Flying Lizards "Her Story"
Next is a song I never really paid attention to by one of the greatest groups of all time to come out of the African funk & afro-beat movement. They but out a few really good albums that are very expensive when found in good condition...actually even in poor, nearly unplayable, condition these albums still aren't cheap. This is from their compilation on Strut records and is long out-of-print.
Blo "Preacher Man"
Here's a track from a serious jazz group with a silly name on Gilles Peterson's label, Brownswood. They also have the creepiest album cover in this post so let's give it up for Soil & "PIMP" Sessions.
This song produced by Domu with Pete Simpson on vocals is just beautiful. Excellent composition, lyrics and harmony. The latin swing combined with the cadence of the vocals work well together to carry the song without losing your attention. The house remixes are worth checking out too.
Domu presents Pete Simpson "Won't Give Up (album version)"
WHOA! This is a monster tune! I'd expect nothing less from an early eighties Hungarian jazz/fusion group named Dimenzió. Unfortunately, I do not own this record and have not heard the rest of the album yet. From what I could learn this album, Pepita, is the only album they released. Someone should really buy this record for me! This is the kind of music that vinyl was made for.
Another classic by the original funky soulstress, Nina Simone. Last time I posted a new video for the classic Feelin' Good and now is this epic live recording of one of my personal favorites "Ain't Got No...I've Got Life". Man, I wish I had this version on vinyl...I just have the studio version on 45, which is still dope. Her outfit and hair here reminds me of the cartoon character in several Miles Davis gatefold covers such as 'On the Corner' and 'Big Fun'. You'll want to watch this again so, bookmark it (or just bookmark my custom search).
I can't believe I'm a couple months late on getting this. Usually I'm pretty on top of new releases as important as this but as I've said before...school's a muhfuka! That's still not a good excuse for missing this release... Ahhhh...where to start!! Well, how about with the immediately apparent presence of mostly live instruments...not what I was expecting from Jazzanova but not surprised either. (remember the Sonar Kollektiv Orchestra album from earlier this year?) As producers of quality music, Jazzanova rarely let me down but there's not much they've done that really blows me away or gives me chills. Oh, and keep in mind, these dudes are from Berlin! It seems like a lot of the best soul & funk music is coming from Europe (or at least gets more support there). I have to wonder though...what happened to their sense of album art??!!! Seriously..it's some of the worst album art I've ever seen in my life and I'm being as nice as I can with that statement! hahahaha.. SUPPORT GOOD MUSIC, BUY THE ALBUM.
Last week I got a bunch of new joints to listen to and here a couple teasers you should definitely check out. I'll try to stay up on these new goodies as well as dig in my collection for some new gems for your ears.
The project was assembled to be in sync with Sonar Kollektiv Records' 10 year anniversary. Honestly, I'm feeling some of the versions even more than the originals. You can check out more tracks, watch some video of them live and learn more here>
