Dusting Off My Dusty Fingers

While most of the time these days you’ll find me sharing newer music here on the site, don’t get it twisted, I still freak out about finding obscure 70’s records like the skinny-necked 18-year-old nerd that I once was. Sometimes I have to return to what it was that got me into all this DJ business to begin with, and the sounds that inspired my early beat making experiments. Maybe it’s the Singapore haze that’s getting to my head, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how to put into words what separates the music I really love from all the crud- the cheese, the plastic pop, the wanky lounge- the music that I say lacks “soul”. It’s a pretty difficult thing to pinpoint, and there’s certainly a multi-dimensional spectrum where songs or artists can find themselves. Perhaps the beat is killing, but the lyrics are cliche. Could be that every note is played right, and all the pieces fit together where they should, but the whole concept and feel of a song is just off. How does one articulate that properly? Sometimes I have to even check in with myself and ask- why do I like this? What makes this stand out from the endless stream of other music out there that I want nothing to do with? I don’t really have any answers today, except that being a professional “selector” for me relies first and foremost on an almost instantaneous gut reaction. All of today’s tunes hit me hard from the opening bars the first time I heard them, and continue to put me in a good place with every listen since. Without further ado, scoured from the 4 corners of the globe, here are a few of my favorite things…

Phil Ranelin :       Vibes From The Tribe

Arthur Verocai :       Dedicada a Ela &       Na Boca do Sol

Nino Nardini :       Tropical

Open Sky Unit :       Sunshine Star

Emilio Santiago :       Bananeira

Alhaji K. Frimpong :       Kyenkyen Bi Adu Mawu

Gnonnas Pedro :       Yiri Yiri Boum &       La Musica En Verite

Los Mirlos :       La Danza de los Mirlos &       Sonido Amazonico

Les Gypsies de Petion-Ville :       Patience &       Pacole

Minoru Muraoka :       The Positive And The Negative

Tabu Ley Rochereau :       Pitié

Mulatu Astatke :       Yekermo Sew &       Ene Alantchie Alnoren