Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters & Do Diddley :
Ooh, Baby / Wrecking My Love Life
taken from the album “Super Super Blues Band” on Checker (1967)

Bo Diddley : A Good Thing, Hey Jerome, & Take It All Off
taken from the album “Where It All Began” on Chess (1972)

Snooks Eaglin : Boogie Children, Lucille, & Drive It Home
taken from the album “The Legacy Of The Blues Vol. 2” on Sonet (1971)

Back from EUROPE! This time I really mean it when I say I’m gonna be getting back on track with regular posts. I SWEAR! My first proper Euro exploration (meaning I spent more than 4 days travelling) was highly rewarding, even if it cost me an arm and a leg (cottdamn EURO is beating the DOLLAR into oblivion right now). Also found some cool vinyl digs along the way – including a random reggae collection from an otherwise dead flea market in a tiny Austrian suburb – which will get posted soon. But TODAY, finally home and showered and in fresh clothes and feeling more happy than ever to be in The States (twisted, right?) I’m taking it back to some rootsy, funky and all the way American music.

The Snooks Eaglin – funkiest, rawest blues ever in my opinion – is a record I’ve had and treasured for many years, but these other two are new acquisitions, and total revelations too. I’d heard more than a couple people reccommend Bo Diddley but it wasn’t until I scooped up the Super Blues Band LP that I first understood what everyone was raving over. In ’67 these cats had a proto-wah-wah reverb (gotta be Diddley) and hard-as-bricks drum sound that would set the stage for funk to come. The looseness of the impromptu vocals and their sense of humor makes me feel like I’m sitting in the room with them (the panning of the vocals helps too) while they just play around on a single riff and shoot the shit.

Then most recently I picked up Diddley’s “Where It All Began” and again I was flabbergasted by the funkyness. The subject matter has this simple warmth and humor (cue “Take It All Off”) that is unmistakably blues, but the backbeat and the syncopated picking is all funk. I know he’s got some other records I need to pick up as well including this new addition to the wants list.

Stay tuned, more posts coming VERY SOON.

Blackstreet: No Diggity (J-Star Remix)
Taken from the whitelabel 12″ (200?)

John Legend: I Used To Love You (Superior Remix)
Taken from the whitelabel 7″ (200?)

Angie Stone: Wish I Didn’t Miss You (Nuffwish Remix)
Taken from the whitelabel 12″ (200?)

Whoa. Sorry for the delay.While the Captain is off exploring Bavarian Europe with his lady friend, and I’m marooned in southern Africa, our blogging duties have been neglected…

So feast your ears on these joints. The first two have been DJ staples for the last couple years (nothing like a cross-over reggae interlude), the third is a recent favorite for a more contemplative, solitary listen.

J-Star has been in the game for a minute, riding some HOT to death remixes and original beatmaking to make the world a better place. The Superior rhythm from a few years back pretty much slayed the mid-tempo reggae circuit. And Gottdamn! Angie Stone is killin’ the game! What is this riddim?! Sparse, haunting, straight nasty. Check out the whole Nuffwish whitelabel series… if you can find ’em. Shit’s rare as hen’s teeth.

Nothing revolutionary here, but good, tight remixes of some top notch jams. Short, sweet, to the point. For once. Peace.

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.