Michael Orr: Spread Love and You Opened My Eyes To The World
Taken from the album Spread Love on Sunstar(1976)

Some seek that elusive sample from an old De La Soul record. Others crave the glossy black gold that is a fresh slab of M- (that’s mint minus for you non-Ebayers) wax… Sometimes though, an album cover is enough. As to whether or not an album cover alone warrants dropping serious cheddar–well, that’s another question entirely… And one I failed to ask myself prior to bidding waaaay too much money on a record I had never even heard of. But such is the lure of a hand-drawn genie.

Fortunately for me two things happened shortly after I received ye olde Irish “Item Won!” notice:

1) I hate to admit this (don’t $%@# with my feedback!), but I managed to fabricate an extremely bogus excuse to get me off the hook with the seller: I told him my kid sister hacked my Ebay account and bid on the precious disc without my knowing it. Heinous, I know. But he believed me and let me back out. Whew.

2) By the grace of curiosity, diligence and Emusic (who woulda guessed!) I managed to track down the source material, which, I believe, does no small justice to the transcendent cover art.

Spread love, indeed. Nothing says it like a mustachioed genie chillin’ on a cloud with a pot of gold. Nothing that is, except the stone cold croon of Michael Orr lacing a blistering synthed-out mid-seventies jazzfunk instrumental with lyrics that would leave Erykah Badu feeling spiritually vacant. Orr is like a cross between Gil Scott Heron, Andy Bey, and Dwight Trible. A highly polished effort by a serious contender for the next Dalai Lama. Damn! Spreading love like a mother.

PS. The album gets production credit from Carey Harris, who is my new hero, and about whom I know little to nothing. If you’ve got any clues… Holla!

The Beatards : Scooby Snack and That’s How It Is
taken from the upcoming mixtape…

So this is the reason my posts have been dwindling to a mere trickle lately- I haven’t been lazy, just hustling like mad. For the past year or so, I’ve been doing parties and rocking shows with two partners in crime under the guise of The Beatards. We’ve also been recording songs and remixes here and there. Just recently, we went into HIGH GEAR. It’s no strectch to say that I’ve never worked this hard on anything before- talking about 10 – 13 hour long days for almost 3 weeks straight. There’s no real studio, and none of us have any “real” engineering knowledge, but we make the most of our little bedroom facilities.

These two songs are just the freebies, the official real deal will debut on our mixtape that’s due to drop in less than 14 days (the hustle conitnues). I will definitely be hyping that and making it available here when it’s done, but in the meantime, I wanted to give you a little something to bob your head to and remind you that I’m not dead.

Expect a mix of hip hop, pop, punk, and booty music that’s not quite like anything you’ve heard. I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, it’s just the truth. Our music, especially our newest songs, are just downright weird. See the Turntar in the pic above (don’t try jacking our idea, shit is patented already fool), that’s what I’m talking about. More of this gumbo funk coming at you soon…

DJ Sandrinho : Berimbau
taken from the Baile Funk Masters EP on (2007)

Nickodemus : Conmigo
taken from the Mi Swing Es Tropical Remix 12″ on Candela (2007)

Spiritual South : Hullabaloo
taken from the Hullabaloo 12″ on Raw Fusion (2007)

Boys And Girls Club : Summer In The City
taken from the album A Simple Night Of Dancing With… independently released (2007)

Just setting the mood for the BIG PARRRRRTY this Friday at Cielo. I’ll be DJ-ing alongside Nickodemus, Chris Annibel, and Derek Beres in celebration of the Vieux Farka Toure Remixed: UFO’s Over Bamako record release party. The album is fire (my remix of “Ana” is on there), proceeds go to help fight malaria in Mali, and the party itself will no doubt be reeedonkulous.

All of today’s tunes come from singles that you really ought to have, produced by indie artists that you really should support. Brazil’s DJ Sandrinho is making that boom for your butt. Nickodemus continues heating things up with this new single, the flipside contains a perfect reggae remix of “Mi Swing Es Tropical” (which became the new iTunes ad not that long ago). The remix allows Dj’s like myself to play this dancefloor favorite again without feeling like we’re just jumping on the iTunes bandwagon- COP IT. Spiritual South has also been really consistant with their “Worldwide Future Music” output lately- more gumbo funk greatness. And this last track from The Boys And Girls Club helps wind down the night smoothly. Lookout for more from these cats, associated with the Nuclear Family right here in Brooklyn.

Bettye Swann: (My Heart Is) Closed For the Season
Taken from the 7″ on Capitol (1968)
Bettye Crutcher: So Lonely Without You
Taken from the album As Long As You Love Me on Enterprise (1974)
Bettye LaVette: Let Me Down Easy
Taken from the 7″ on Sundazed (196?)

Hitting y’all today with a few of the all-star classics of the tear-jerker variety. It’s a bit risky stepping out on a limb like this, offering out my Achilles heels for public display (I am an absolute sucker for these songs), but I figure there’s something to be said for a commonality in suffering, and if ever there were a trio of artists (with commonality in appelation, if nothing else) and a trio songs worthy of exposition, these are they. I swear, I feel the rueful pulse of my very soul in these tracks. So here they are, a few of my most painfully treasured gems from the Vaults of Heartache… Collectively these songs have ushered me through more than a couple of break-ups, lachrymal nights, and solitary days.

Be brave friends. Embrace your sadness. And forge on!

Oh. And cheers to the best 3 Bettye’s ev-ar.

Ray Rivera : Guava, Sumptin’ Like Dat & Afro Girl
taken from the album “The Now Sound Of The Ray Rivera Orchestra” on MGM (1970)

Ray Rivera : Night Flight To Puerto Rico & Mambo At The Corso
taken from the album “Puerto Rico To Soulsvill” on Zanzee (1972)

I’m not even going to try a proper post right now. Just upping some tunes I’ve been meaning to share for a while now. Not your standard latin soul, certainly not salsa, and too funky for latin jazz – this album lays in that little niche between them all. On Soulsvill (no “e” on the end is how he spelled it), Rivera is joined by fellow latin groove maestro Pucho as well as Brazilian fusion don Eumir Deodato. Wishing I was on that flight to PR right about now…

Congratulations to Tim Kearns & Joe Galante who e-mailed me: Hector Juan Perez Martinez- “La Voz” Lavoe’s birth name.

The Bees (aka. Band Of Bees): Got To Let Go, Listening Man and Stand
Taken from the album Octopus on Astralwerks (2007)

Owing to the distance separating me from my records, I’m going to have delve into my Itunes library if I’m to stay at all current with my blogging duties. Which is nice because it may force me to present a more current selection of releases (believe it or not, I do listen to albums recorded after 1974.)

Take this Bees’record for example. So what if it sounds like it could be as old as the last good Kinks album. It’s new! And it psychy and funky and about a hundred other things… and it’s hot to death.

My boy Dave Greene (psyche-guru, fellow record geek, and indie label CEO) turned me on to these cats and, after hearing “Listening Man” that first go-round (and the subsequent 300 go-rounds), I was sold. (I swear that first phrase sounds just like Sam Cooke.)

And seriously, who can resist? Which is kind of the point…

It is after all a pop record, and meant for general consumption. But it’s throwback pop, and a special kind of that: “Octopus” manages to avoid the pitfalls of being a strictly throwback record, mainly in that it kind of defies any one particular category to throw back to. The psych and R&B influences are for sure (crusty break drums? horns a la Mussel Shoals?). But I also hear Fela on “Gotta Hold On”, Lee Perry on “Left Foot Stepdown”, and other tracks infused with a bluesy Rolling Stones-type flavor. Poppy hooks, even country twang: these tracks run the whole gamut.

I like pumping up a record like this because The Bees are filling a much needed void in the new music scene, reminding us how broad is the scope of excellent music, how rich a spectrum of style and genre we have to borrow from, and, when it’s done right, how well it can all be pieced together.