Paul Simon : Late… (Edit De DJ Spun)
taken from the 12″ on Editions Disco

LTJ Xperience Ft. Joe Bataan : Ordinary Guy (Latin Club Edit)
taken from the 12″ on Irma (also available on this CD)

Oreja vs. Plenafro : Julieta
taken from the 12″ on Candela

Schoolly D : Skool’s Out (Les Rythmes Digitales Remix)
taken from the 12″ on Wall Of Sound

Last week Spring burst into the city with a palpable gush of long-dormant virility. The mere site of magnolia blossoms stirring in the sun evoked more artistic appreciation and divine wellness in the collective heart of New York City than all it’s art museums, galleries and theaters combined throughout the entire rest of the year. In every direction you could find someone smiling and taking a long-deserved deep breath of rebirth. Looking out on the dancefloor, the stink of fermented pheromones was spilling out in bucketloads as party people remembered why they live in the land of Gotham. This music is as close as I can get right now to expressing the communal kinetic release I see in my neighbors and friends and feel in the warmest part of myself. Enjoy these true treasures of bombasticism and use them to shake loose whatever cantankerous crust you created over winter.

Erykah Badu :Cleva (Captain Planet Smarter Samba Remix)
taken from the upcoming 12″ on BSTRD BOOTS
(available as DL for a limited time only! then you gotta buy it!)

YO!!! I miss this blog. Been way too busy with other hustling these past couple weeks, but I promise to return full force next week. In the meantime, feast your ears on the latest remix and come out to see my band THE BEATARDS tonight at Mercury Lounge. We’re joined by extended family members Vamoose. If you don’t know by now, then you need to get wise ’cause we know how to turn a show into a party.

And yeah, if you haven’t yet, join our FAM CLUB for just $8 and get our full-length CD in full-color, super-stunning, digi-pack vibrancy. It’s SOOOO worth it! On top of 12 original Beatards tunes, you get a handful of our remixes and tracks from our friends like Santogold, Stephanie McKay, Jahcoozi, Roxy Cottontail, Kid Acne, Vamoose and more!!!

***UPDATE***
Thanks to your info, we’ve got the songs ID’ed. So update your MP3s with the following:

“Cachaca Mecanica” is Erasmo Carlos
“Mystery 1” is Kazumbanda by Marku Ribas
“Mystery 2” is Eu Bebo Sim by The Golden Boys
“Mystery 3” is It’s Time For Carnaval by Airto Moreira
“Mystery 4” is Batucada by Marcelo D2

Check the comments for info on albums and comps where these songs appear. BIG thanks to: Andy, BRS-ONE, Helmut, & Paw!

UNKNOWN ARTIST : Cachaca Mecanica
taken from the album “Sambas Reunidos Vol.2” on Premier (1973)

UNKNOWN ARTISTS : Mystery 1, Mystery 2, Mystery 3, Mystery 4
taken from a CDR

I’m looking for some help today from all you Brazilian heads out there. I found a great CD full of nice tracks, but it was burned and thus I have no info about who made the music or what song titles are. I feel pretty confident that Mystery #1 is Marku Ribas, but this song isn’t on any of the lp’s I have from him. Mysteries 2 – 4 I have no idea.

I also recently picked up this great collection of sambas put out in ’73. It sounds like covers of a lot of popular tunes, but there’s no info on the LP jacket to let me know who’s doing these cover versions. The singers are definitely different from track to track, so I’m not sure if it’s a compilation or just a group that has multiple vocalists.

Last time I asked for help from you guys I got a ton of info, so I’m hoping someone out there will recognize at least a couple of these. Please post a comment with any leads. It will be much appreciated. And even if a song or two should remain a mystery forever, the music is still top notch.

Mikis Theodorakis : Cafe Rock
taken from the soundtrack album “Z” on Columbia (1969)

Sum Sum : Mountain Beauty
taken from the album “Midnight Guitar” on Regal/EMI (196?)

Los Yaki : Las Estatuas De Marfil
taken from the album “Vol. II” on Pickwick/33 (196?)

Los Blue Caps : Tu Mujer, Yo Varon & Solo Vivo Por Tu Amor
taken from the album “Cuando Te Miro” on Parnaso (1970)

Imagine the immense awe that must have splintered into the core of the first fuzz guitarist when, upon strumming his coiled strings, he heard not the sweet melodious ring of a clean plucked note, but instead was met with the scream of electrical feedback that will forever voice the raw agitation of youthful rebellion. Did this forgotten string-strummer catch any glimpse at the vast impact of his forever raging bastard child? Was it done on purpose? Did he finally achieve the sound of his burning inner torment after exhaustive hours of experimentation, or was it an accidental buzz that stabbed him in the back when he innocently left the volume knob turned up too high? Whatever the case may be, today I’d like to celebrate a few obscure shrapnel nuggets that were flung in different directions across our planet in the aftermath of this explosive auditory revelation.

Mikis Theodorakis is perhaps one of the all-time greatest and most widely recognized Greek composers. I addition to scoring virtually all the major Greek theater productions of the 60’s, he achieved international renown for his film score to “Zorba The Greek” and then, “Z” (looks like he also did Serpico, which is such a badass film). Mikis has always had a serious lean to the left, and for this he was imprisoned and then exiled (before making Z). Included on the soundtrack (I still haven’t seen the film, but it looks like a winner) are several bootleg-sounding recordings of just Mikis singing and playing piano “in secret circumstances” (according to the liner notes). A true rebel indeed, and this short little fuzz bomb stands as proof.

Sum Sum is a mystery to me, but I really dig this record she made. Found it in a bargain bin recently and have put it on whenever I felt the need for a bit of Austin Power groovy-kitch.

Los Yaki are also pretty far off my radar, but they appear to be from Mexico. This album features them covering “Yellow Submarine”, “Good Love”, “secret Agent Man”, & “Sunny” (which they turned into “Sonia”) among others. The whole album isn’t the best listen, but I’ll ride for “Estatuas” any day. Hand claps, screechy vocals, B3 organ, and yes… gritty guitar full of fuzz.

Los Blue Caps (not to be confused with Renato E Seus Blue Caps) are another Mexican garage group that I know nil about. But this record is chock-full of pounding drums (yes breaks) and fuzz, fuzz, fuzzzzz. The vocals are a bit hit or miss (lil more on the miss side) but this is the birth of punk we’re talking about, so just roll with it.

*Last note: it happens to be my birthday today, so if anyone feels like sending a record my way (hint hint), hit me up with an e-mail. hehe. Also, the OTHER BLOG LINKS ARE NOW FINALLY FIXED.

Delta 5 : Mind Your Own Business
taken from the compilation Disco Not Disco on Strut (2008)

Set The Tone : Dance Sucker (Francois K Mix)
taken from the compilation Funky Nassau on Strut (2008)

Sonora Casino : Astronautas A Mercurio
taken from the compilation Obsession on Bully (2008)

The Funkees : Akula Owu Onyeara
taken from the compilation Nigeria Special on Soundway (2007)

Juan Bautista : Estoy Aqui Pero No Soy Yo
taken from the compilation Bachata Roja on iASO (2007)

Is it just me, or are there a higher percentage of compilations to new releases nowadays? It feels like the market for re-issued recordings is catching up with the market for brand new material- could just be my twisted, old-timer perspective though. Whatever the case may be statistics-wise, I’m certainly happy that there are so many other people devoting themselves to putting together great collections like these.

STRUT RECORDS IS BACK! And I’m gonna shout about it. These guys put out some really enlightening comps when I was first getting into DJ-ing, and then in ’03 they closed up shop. This latest enstallment of the Disco Not Disco series brings us more hard to find indie 12″ cuts from an era when lenghty dubbed-out, electro dance music could be considered punk. On Funky Nassau, Strut pulled together a wide range of work from Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas to shed some light on a scene that I have always had a soft spot for. From big names like The Talking Heads and Grace Jones to lesser-knowns like Guy Cuevas, this record captures some of the best fusions of dub and new wave that came out in the early 80’s. It’s the sound of of NYC’s greatest party acts chilling out on the beach in a cloud of weed smoke with some of reggae’s MVP’s (Blackwell & Sly Dunbar).

The Obsession comp was tastefully pulled together by Mike at Academy Records, which has long been one of my favorite places to get schooled on cool records- and often take them home at reasonable rates. Wild psych monsters from the far reaching corners of obscurity is the bill here, and there’s really nothing short of behemoth in the line-up. Track by track liner notes with cool pics help too. This track from Sonora Casino is one that I’d heard about as a mythological anomaly for quite some time now, and finally can listen to on repeat!

Soundway really don’t need much introduction or explanation on this site. Everytime they put something out you can guarantee that you’ll be getting more than your money’s worth. These dudes are some of the heaviest collectors out there. While the set this time is less focussed on funk and dancefloor material, the overall vibe and richness of sounds is top quality.

And finally, something that is long overdue: a collection of old school acoustic bachata! Some readers might remember my discovery of Luis Segura a few years back on a trip to the Dominican Republic. And while I do not intend in anyway to detract from that man’s genius, I also have always had the nagging suspicion that his sound was part of a bigger scene that I needed to dive into. The soulful, pleading falsetto. The bouncing bongo taps and staccato guitar plucks. THIS IS THAT SCENE! The music that was banned under Trujillo, that survived in the campos and made it to the city and finally onto records in the 60’s. And to my knowledge, this is the first time that any of these songs have been available outside the DR. Thank you iASO.

Mel Williams : With A Little Help From My Friends
taken from the album “Stranger In Paradise” on Wampus (197?)

Eugene Paul : Chain Gang
taken from the 12″ on Third World (198?)

I don’t know a nickel’s worth about either of these artists, so I won’t front like I do. But both of them offered me a much appreciated respite in a time of need. I love how Mel has completely changed the tempo and swing of the whole song. Despite the poor recording quality, he really strikes a nerve when (right around 1:35) he lays behind on the beat and then jumps right back on top of it. The Eugene Paul cut, produced by Winston Curtis, has some serious gall to even dare take on a classic of such epic proportions. And while the production quality here might also distract some listeners, by the arrival of the first verse, I was entirely sold. When else has Sam Cooke received the raggae version? I’m running a blank. The 12″ also contains a nice rendition of “Wonderful World” and a not so nice B-side called “Rock Me”.

*** ALSO CHECK THE BLOGROLL UPDATE! ***
Finally. Some cool new ones I’ve been checking are added to the list at the right and some that are now defunkt or infrequent have been removed.

Kikin Bakk: more funk, soul & latin heat.

Missing Toof: electro, mash-up & dancefloor food.

One Day Later: home of U-Tern and his boogie & electro selections.

DJ Delights home of DJ Anonymous and a wide array of danceable tracks.