My sincere apologies for posting this later than I had initially intended because I first found it a few weeks ago in promotion for a couple NYC shows, which, after giving this a listen, I’m sure were extremely hyped affairs.  Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew hail from Sierra Leone and kind of remind me of Daara J or a West African T.O.K. with the high to low vocal range and killing it equally as hard with the one drop riddims and dancehall elements, while also fusing some boom baps and electro grooves to create a pretty unique dance floor vibe- I mean, these guys go from 140BPM all the way to chopped and screwed!  Their sound has caught the ear of hip hoppers like ?uestlove and Black Thought of the Roots, Talib Kweli, and K’naan, who are all slated to make appearances on their debut album due some time this fall, while the production is helmed by the Fyre Department, made up by the talented Adam Deitch and Eric Krasno of Soulive, meaning that these guys have some serious heavyweights in their corner.

Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew are already massive in their home country and throughout Western Africa where they are hailed as “the voice of the voiceless,” speaking out against the various political and social injustices that are prevalent throughout their area.  In regards to the overwhelming support they get back home, one of the members A-Klazz (amazing name) says, “When we have a show in the national stadium, you see these guys making a long line, taking off their T shirts and laying them on the floor so we can walk on it as a mat to go on to the stage…yeah, red carpet…a lot of love, man. For real”

It’s nice to get behind some dope music with a real message, so be sure to support these folks and cop the album when it drops, but in the meantime bump the mixtape at your next BBQ and remember to enjoy all that you got.

For more info and full mixtape download check out-  http://planetbajah.com/

      Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew- Laba Laba
Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew- Bondo Kallay
      Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew- Continue reading…

Well actually, this is not me.  This is Shyvonne.  (Not the dancer on the flyer, but the singer posted below)  The up and coming singer from The Bronx who we have booked to perform at our next Mix Tape Riot! party.  My friend Ibe took me to see her at my friend Roxy‘s party @ Sway.  She blew me away with her dope personality and energy.  She didn’t perform this song, but I heard it on her myspace page and I think it’s really sweet.  Kinda Amy Winohousey without the beehive and nihilistic attitude.  Actually, it’s the opposite of Amy Winohouse and is really positive and uplifting.  This tuesday is going to be cruncadelic with live performances by my group, The Beatards and Nyle filling out the bill.  So here is a taste of what the party just might be like.  (Minus the booze, inappropriate touching and squeezing…)  Hope to see you there!

Shyvonne –       This Is Me

Full disclosure here. I like Elizabeth & The Catapult. A lot. Like, they’re cool peoples. But chances are you don’t know them, nor do you care what they are like when their instruments are put away. So let’s talk about their music. The group is composed of singer/songwriter Elizabeth Ziman, Dan Molad (formerly of Via Audio), and Pete Woodman Lalish, and they are a pleasant reminder that pop appeal and musicality need not be forces at odd with each other. The new album, Taller Children, spans a handful of genres of music and when I asked Mr. Molad in jest what genre it would be tagged under in iTunes, he looked at me in all seriousness and responded by repeating my own question back to me. And then waited for an answer.

Though the album is varied both sonically and emotionally, it does carry throughout a very child-like spirit in both its whimsicality and sensitivity (album title might tip you off too). I’m posting two tracks that are presently my favorite off the album, though I suspect that each of you will find different personal gems on this project. Do yourself a flavor and buy the whole damn thing on iTunes or Amazon. Did I mention they hit #2 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart in their opening week?? Enjoy.

(Oh, by the way, check some behind the scenes footage from the making of the album I cut together here, here, and here, if you are so inclined.) Continue reading…

Many of you now know of the Dap-Kings for their production on Amy Winehouse’s album, or maybe you’ve even heard Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. And if any of you have dug even a little deeper to discover Truth & Soul Records, then you’ve no doubt unearthed several overlapping bands (no venn diagrams, sorry), whose music takes us back to the late sixties and early seventies in such an authentic fashion that many have been struck by disbelief in these recordings being produced post-millenium.

One of these groups is El Michel’s Affair. Though they recorded their first 12″ in 2002, and their debut album, Sounding Out The City, came out a couple years ago, nothing will pluck at the heart strings of true-school hip-hop heads like their most recent project, Enter the 37th Chamber. It is an instrumental rendering of the Wu’s most classic joints, and while some might presumptously claim “gimmick!” (and sure, maybe it is a little), it is also an awesome project. I think Can It All Be So Simple is my favorite track and will definitely be on repeat this summer, but I’m also loving the unexpected voices (and only vocals for the whole project) on Shimmy Shimmy Ya.

I highly recommend checking out more of El Michels Affairs music, though, and hearing what these dudes have to offer. Continue reading…

No the picture you see is not a still of Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.  It is Louis Hardin aka Moondog.  A blind son of a preacher from Marysville, Kansas.  After losing his sight in highschool to an exploding dynamite cap,(see your parents are right when they say be careful around DYN-O-MITE!!!)  he enrolled in various schools for the blind in the midwest and south before settling in Memphis, Tennessee.  (Later he moved to the greatest town in the world, aka NYC, and was known as the Viking of 6th Avenue.)  A classical composer at heart he made this song to sound like it was a free improvised jazz joint. But if you read the man’s liner notes, he is acutely aware of every couplet, note slur, tie and iambic septameter.  This funky cut, which has been sampled by numerous people and used in a car commercial or two is dedicated to Charlie Bird whom he met and talked to in the 50’s.  It’s called Lament (Bird’s Lament) and is just amazing.  It’s  starts off quiet and is super short so in the days when I played the vinyls I would try to have the next record ready.  (Ah the good ol days…)  Any how, now it’s free for you to dj with through the magic of Protools and Serrato.  Enjoy!

Ps.  It’s a real shame you can’t see the whole image.  This is a gate fold album and the liner notes as well as the crazy pictures of him conducting are really cool.  But hey, who likes humping vinyl??

Moondog       Lament (Bird’s Lament)
Columbia Records 1967

It’s not often that listening to any artist tagged as “indie-rock” gets me so amped, but since I jumped on the Arcade Fire bandwagon a few years ago, I’ve always had the urge to mess with one of their songs. Their music is anthemic. It delivers an energy and emotion that celebrates the best and worst things in life. Think I’m being over the top? David Bowie is alleged to have called them the greatest band in the history of music, so I think by comparison I’m still on sane ground.

While I can’t say I’m as consistently a fan of Three 6 Mafia, I still have not gotten tired of their 2006 hit, Stay Fly. The original beat, sampled from Willie Hutch, was straight fire, but I thought I’d try my hand at a little mash-up with Arcade Fire’s Rebellion (Lies), off their debut album, Funeral. Indie rockers and dirty south hip-hop heads… Unite! Continue reading…