O’Donel Levy : I Believe In Miracles
taken from the album Windows on Groove Merchant (1976)

King Harvest : Take It Easy
taken from the album Dancing In The Moonlight on Perception (1973)

Som Tres : Take It Easy My Brother Charles
taken from their self-titled album on Odeon (1969)

Nilsson : Coconut
taken from the album Nilsson Schmilsson on RCA (1971)

Van Morrison : It’s All Right
taken from the album Bang Masters on Epic (1991)
originally recorded for the Bang label in 1967

Today I pulled together a seemingly random bag of tunes that share a certain slinky slowness- the noggin bopping tempo- which fits perfectly to an early Autumn blue sky day with nothing to do but laundry.

I have a few other LPs by O’Donel and I can always count on him for some solid jazz-funk fusion goodness, but when this slow bounce scat-fest came on I too was reminded about the realness of miracles. Keep in mind- O’Donel is on guitar while vocalist Aleta Green is vocalizing the EXACT same line! There’s plenty of other good funky moments on the record, but this track is what I’m needing today.

King Harvest is a group I knew nothing about until now. I picked up the record because I usually like the soul music I find on the Perception label. Definitely not The Fatback Band, this funky-country-soul song still won me over instantly.

This Som Tres record was an easy pick to follow up with, and I’m surprised we haven’t posted it here in the Crate before. Such a classic! And when your name happens to be Charlie, the song feels that much more like it was written specifically for you. I’ve heard a handful of other Brazilian versions of this song- written by Jorge Ben I believe- but this Som Tres take on it has got to be the most true embodiment of the song’s message. Check the rest of the record at Loronix.

Do we ever need an excuse to drop a lil Nilsson into our set? Whether or not this song has been played 2 bazillion times does not seem to affect my love for it. And with the new track by Tyga getting spins in the club and on MTV, I wanted to return to the version that made me realize Bobby McFerrin wasn’t the first vocalist to get crazy nice with the vocal instrumentation and tropical-coco-butter harmonizing. I can also relate to the way the man feels on the cover of this one- sometimes putting on an entire outfit is just too much work, that’s why we have bathrobes.

Last but certainly not least, a song of pure, unbridled catharsis from an album that I can’t seem to take off repeat. There’s a whole story behind the recordings found on this CD (which were never collectively released at once until 1991!), but there’s also the tale of a much younger me, listening to this record by default every other weekend when I stayed at my Dad’s house and came up with another thousand ways to use a stick as a toy. Is Van the most soulful white man ever? Until I’m shown a better example (Bobby Caldwell comes close) he will hold the title.

The New Swing Sextette : Open Your Mind & Puerto Rico
taken from a private press 12″ on ENS (1976)

DJ Busquelo & Liz Martin on The Mambo Machine : Radio Show

today’s post comes from friend and mentor DJ Busquelo (www.busquelo.org) who hosts The Mambo Machine on WKCR and has put together an amazing event, Tropic Of Cancer, happening tonight in NYC!

A record collector often finds himself in a world of imagined memories, among records that were heard before, in some other place and time, perhaps danced to, cried to, or even made love to. Very rarely do we find an opportunity to really learn the context of the forgotten place and time. One record which always held a mysterious place in my heart was this extremely funky 12″. This private disco 12″, with salsa on one side, latin funk on the other, and the group name”El Nuevo Swing” hinted at the 60’s combo, The New Swing Sextette, who recorded 4 incredible albums on the Cotique label. However, nobody who I asked ever knew anything about this 12.

One day this past July, We received a special honor on our radio show The Mambo Machine. when 2 members of The New Swing Sextette visited to promote the release of their first album in 30 years. The studio came alive with Angel and George’s energetic presence, and in the midst of all the vintage vinyl and their countless memories of the golden age of Latin music, I pulled out my mysterious ENS 12″ and said to them, “guys, I’ve been wanting to ask this question for such a long time: is this record YOU??”. Their jaws dropped, and they asked me where the heck did I get that record?

They took the record into their hands and looked at it the way an old man would look at a photo of a secret lover from years ago. They revealed the story of how they recorded a full album in 1976, 5 years after their last record on Cotique, that took their original vision of the group into new territory, exploring aspects of psychedelia, rock, soul, and disco, as well as their traditional Latin elements. For whatever reasons, the project got shelved by the record label, and they took it into their own hands and pressed a handful of these 12″s to get the music out. They said that this 12″ was only the 2nd one they have seen since those days, the first one being at Angel’s house.

This special 12″ is my contribution to the Captains Crate in honor of Tropic of Cancer which is taking place on Friday September 5th and celebrates tropical music and its many branches all over the world. Thanks to Captain Planet for such a rich and entertaining place to share such gems.

The Playlist:

The Beatards : Big Bad Beat & It’s So Easy
sneak peak taken from the upcoming EP “Big Bad Beat” on MixtapeRiot (2008)

Our new EP is done as of last week and will be back from the printers shortly! Don’t think you know what we sound like just from hearing these two tunes, we go all over the map and back again. Check us live in LA this week & next, or back in NYC in Sept. We keep our schedule updated on the myspace page.

The Virgins : Rich Girls (Beatards Remix)
CRATE EXCLUSIVE – can’t get this one anywhere else!

Atlantic records reached out to us, and then bailed cause they don’t know what’s good for ’em.

Erykah Badu : Cleva (Captain Planet Remix) & Honey (Captain Planet Remix)
taken from the 12″ AVAILABLE HERE or HERE on BSTRD BOOTS (2008)

I posted these joints for limited time only downloads earlier on, but this summer they finally came out on wax. In case it isn’t already entirely clear, I’ve been going a little buck wild with vocoder and autotune experimentation recently. Feel free to hate, but I’m happily picturing myself chilling alongside Roger Troutman and T-Pain in the afterlife. Someone even liked my Honey remix enough to post it on youtube!

Captain Planet ft. Ako : On Yer Feet
taken from the upcoming EP on Bastard Jazz

Ako is a young funky drummer and producer. He recorded a bunch of drum breaks and posted them online- I used one as the backbone for this beat. The rest of the EP is falling into place nicely and should definitely be out before the year is over.

Captain Planet : Lean On My Baby
just a sketch for now… we’ll see what happens

One of the many lil ideas I’ve hurriedly thrown together this Summer. I did this in an hour and a half, no lyrics yet, but I still love it and hope that it turns into something finished- who knows what.

Bonus beat: peep this music video, made by the group of High School students that I worked with in Sunset Park this summer. It was part of a competition to express why “I LOVE NY” in one minute or less. We didn’t win, but we had a bunch of fun regardless.

The Story:

Deeply embedded in my understanding of the world, is the belief that Summer is meant to be “time off”. There have been few moments, if any, in my life that approach the uncontrollable surging relief and freedom that I would feel every June getting off the bus after that last day of school. Looking ahead at the summer in front of me, the days of the week ceased to matter, and the passing hours that normally divided my laborious schedule into even blocks of responsibility and focus, blurred into a continuous quest for thrills. The goal of a day might take shape in the simple hunt for an ice cream cone, a new skate spot, a cute girl or a water-balloon fight and a place to swim. Perhaps nostalgia has amplified what I truly felt at the time, but this is how I will forever remember it.

2008 was my UN-summer: I’ve been working more than ever before, scheduling meetings and filling up two calendar pages beneath the present one. However, the fact that I’m doing it for myself, and spending time on what I love, has also helped me feel some of that same thrill I used to get from doing Super Soaker drive-bys on my bike. Instead of any “time-off” this summer, I spent nearly every free moment in my studio working on music or putting together live shows with my group The Beatards. In general, I really try not to blow up my own spot, but to be honest, these are the songs I’ve been listening to the most this summer. The tracks I’m posting up today are just a small fragment of all the music I’ve been making, so stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Now that summer is unofficially over (Labor Day still means back to school in my book), I’m finally getting a chance to take a break. Anyone who’s in the Los Angeles area should definitely come out to one of the events I’m doing in the next week & a half. Leave your preconceptions at the door and be ready to let loose.

Taj Mahal : Cakewalk Into Town
taken from the album “Recycling The Blues & Other Related Stuff”
on Columbia (1972)

Taj Mahal : Farther On Down The Road
taken from the album “Giant Step” on Columbia (1969)

Taj Mahal : Queen Bee & Salsa de Laventille
taken from the album “Evolution” on Warner Bros (1978)

Taj Mahal : Why Did You Have To Desert Me?
& Clara (St. Kitts Woman)
taken from the album “Mo’ Roots” on Columbia (1974)

Taj Mahal : Satisfied ‘N Tickled Too, Easy To Love & Misty Morning Ride
taken from the album “Satisfied ‘N Tickled Too” on Columbia (1976)

When you fall in love with a song, you mark yourself for life. You can forget about the song, but you won’t forget the song. You’ll hear it again and experience the type of space-time warping that string theory scientists are still struggling to define. And when you really need a particular piece of music from your past, when a hungry hole of nostalgia or pain rings in your chest like an empty hallway, you have the innate ability to diagnose yourself with the perfect musical prescription. Turning up the volume and traveling on memories is a magic luxury that has carried our ancestors through struggle since the dawn of the lullaby. This week I was in need of comfort, and from some unknown inner dimension, my memory played a melody that collapsed the past into the present and future. I felt my 16 year-old self hearing “Cakewalk Into Town” for the very first time (endless thanks to Chattanooga Hammy Hamilton for that introduction), I could feel the me now, lying on the floor with a little ball of fur named Rosco purring between my fingertips, and I could also see the brightness yet to come. After playing that first Taj LP, I pulled out one after another and continued tripping through past loves. There’s so many good tunes, and somehow I’d gone all these years without a single one on MP3!?! Now I’ve been listening to Taj almost exclusively for a week and I figured I should share my little personal “best of” collection – even though there’s lots more to check for.

The music of Taj Mahal is roots and soul. Part Cymande, part Muddy Waters, part (dare I say it) Grateful Dead- entirely it’s own entity which fits within no genre. Call me cheesy, call me a hippy, your words will fall flat against the might of what I feel when I listen to his songs. Where else does steel drum and harmonica mix with banjo and flute so naturally? And his voice alone carries some songs- raw and warm like milk out the utter. It hath been taken there. I’m still a country boy at heart and every once in a while I have to let it show. Truth be told, my lil baby brother was even named “Taj” after senor blues himself.

Curtis Mayfield & The Staple Singers : After Sex
taken from the Soundtrack album “Let’s Do It Again” on Curtom (1975)

Bill Conti : Reflections
taken from the soundtrack album “ROCKY” on Capitol (1976)

Kool & The Gang : Summer Madness
taken from the album “Light Of Worlds” on Dee-Lite (1974)

Shuggie Otis : Island Letter
taken from the album “Inspiration Information” on Epic (1974)

Ok, so this is not my official “Summer Songs” post, which is now going to be a dog days affair, but I want to let everyone know that I’m not dead and am still in love with music. I’ve been going through some pretty heavy stuff lately (basically a divorce, even though we weren’t technically married), and working in the studio more than is probably healthy (you’ll hear the fruits of labor soon enough), but I’m getting back to the blog for real now. I love this place and the chance to sit down with a lil handful of songs like these ones I picked out today feels highly therapeutic.

I heard Curtis Mayfield’s “After Sex” (an old forgotten favorite of mine) yesterday at my friend’s spot, and as I lay melting into the wheelchair that he uses as furniture (superior by far to any lazyboy) I realized that the song was expressing the exact the sound inside me right now. I found myself pulling the needle back at least 10 times. Bill Conti’s “Reflections” came to mind next, as an extension of the same sentiment. I still remember watching Rocky for the first time (it was a hot Summer day then too) and loving the scene where he’s alone in his grimey little apartment and he drops the needle on a record… “Reflections”. It wasn’t until I later scooped Kool & The Gang’s “Light Of Worlds” that I realized Conti was doing what appears to be a pretty blatant knock-off track for the soundtrack (doesn’t really take away from my appreciation of it somehow). And then, to complete the vibe, I knew a little Shuggie was necessary. So here’s to a peaceful and uplifting moment of inner exploration. We all know the feeling.

ps- R.I.P. Isaac Hayes

Stephanie McKay : Jackson Avenue & Oh Yeah
taken from the upcoming album that needs to be OUT!
but if you like this, DEFINITELY check her first release and her myspace with more tunes, videos & tour dates.

Chico Mann : Dilo Como Yo & Zumba Mama
taken from the upcoming album “Analogue Drift” that also needs to be out already!
But check the myspace for more tunes and get that first album

King Khan & The Shrines : Burnin Inside & I Wanna Be A Girl
taken from the new album The Supreme Genius Of… on Vice (2008)

Flying Lotus : Roberta Flack (Ft. Dolly) & Melt!
taken from the new album Los Angeles on Warp (2008)

In the face of too much mediocre blandosia and overhyped saltine steezoni (sorry, I’m not hating for hate’s sake, but come on…), here’s a hearty helping of freshy-fresh audible produce for your summer mixes. Some of these tunes aren’t officially out yet, but as long as a few of you readers catch on and support these artists by picking up their other releases (Stephanie’s first album is NECESSARY), then I figure they won’t get mad at me for sharing this little taste.

I’ve been feeling the Estelle album a lot, and a couple of the Aunt Jackie tracks, but honestly, Steph blows these chicks out the water. She smashes the reggae tunes (“Take Me Over”), destroys the retro soul (“Say What You Feel”), and comes with some otherly space-funk for the ears of tomorrow (“Money”). I’ve had the pleasure of doing a bunch of live shows with her and can testify to her ability to K.O. the crowd too. Like way too many other top-notch underrated artists, she’s been bucked around by labels with the usual drama, and thus this masterpiece of an album (which has been DONE for more than a minute) is still not out. It’s a total crime how the industry works sometimes, but at least we can support her by copping the first release and can keep spreading the good word until this one is officially released- check for the live shows too!

Chico Mann is no stranger to the Crate. When I posted the Antibalas remix of “Dilo Como Yo” a couple weeks back it reminded me that Chico’s (somewhat more danceable) version of the same song should be shared as well. He’s got more music to download on his myspace page and an album from a year or so back that’s definitely worth checking- but holy greatness, his new album is really gonna knock some heads around! Stay tuned.

King Khan was purchased on the strength of the cover art alone, and it delivered twofold what was hinted at on the packaging. I don’t know where they recorded this album of catchy psychedelic garage-rock-soul, but it sounds convincingly like they discovered a wormhole to the year 1968. A thoroughly enjoyable and lively record from the opening chords of “Torture” to the last fuzzy notes in “No Regrets”. Highly RECOMMENDED!

Finally I leave you with the beautiful noise poetry of Flying Lotus. This record is abstract and earthy at once. Layered with cosmic dust and static, the album takes shape like a primordial organism from deep space that crash landed alongside the 405 and now shimmers in a blanket of neon steam emitting radioactive waves. Need I say more?