Guest Post From DZ

The Soul Messengers : Side A, track 4 and Side B, Track 3
details from the album haven’t been translated as far as we know…
Private Pressing (1978)

The Platina : Africa
taken from the album “The Girl With The Flaxen Hair” on MIO (2003, originally 1976)

Mordechai Ben David : SOUL
taken from the album “SOUL” on Aderet (1977)

Happy Chanukah to all you fellow Jews out there. This is DZ, your semitic guest blogger. Captain P has been bugging me to do an Israeli music post for a minute now, and the 7th night of Chanukah seems to be as good a time as any (yall’s oil better still be burning for another miraculous night). Now it’s no secret that my peoples are blessed when it comes to comic talent, but when combined with music the results have been, well, unmiraculous (think Adam Sandler’s Hanukah Song and the entire genre of Klezmer). But I’m here to let you know that there does exist some ridiculously ill funk and jazzish artistry born in the motherland of Israel.

The first two mp3’s up belong to Soul Messengers. I first heard some tracks from another LP of theirs on a Jewish audioblog called Hippocampus. I then came across this record on Ebay and dropped a stupid amount of loot on it during the tense final moments of a cutthroat bidding war. And don’t ask me how much. That is so Jewish of you. Anyway, it was worth it and you should feel blessed to be able to download not one, but two tracks off this ’78 rare-as-shit privately pressed LP for free. This is a group of Black Hebrews or Black Israelites (I’m not sure which is the preferred term) who lived and I believe still live in a commune in Jerusalem. It is still unclear to me if they consider themselves Jewish or if they emigrated to the Holy Land for other reasons. Either way, this isn’t just American funk/soul/disco transplanted to Israel. All these songs are sung in Hebrew, and seeing as Hebrew was actually the first language I learned, I have to say I was taken aback. Never have I heard the language infused musically with so much soul and funkiness. The first song is what good disco-funk is all about. Dope build-up, party horns, and the odd-but-ill reference to Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”. The second song is a fast-paced joint also laced with some dope horns and funky guitar work. The Captain is far better at vivid, on-point descriptions of any given song than I am, so that’s as far as I go. Just listen.

The 3rd mp3 belongs to a jazz-fusion group called Platina. This album, titled “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” was recorded in 1976 and re-released on CD by a small Israeli label called Mio Records. Good thing, too, because I don’t know how else I would’ve gotten my hands on a copy of this. I showed it a few weeks ago to my uncle visiting from Israel (shout-out to Rafi Adar) and he smiled and said he knew everyone on the cover personally. Nobody from this group went on to do anything particularly stunning, unless you decide to count the one member who went on tour in the states with Manhattan Transfer (dollar-bin diggers should be all too familiar with that name). Anyway, the 14 minute joint here is called Africa. Historical note here: When the U.N. considered potential locations for the state of Israel pre-1948, one area considered was Uganda. Imagine how different the world would be had that vision been realized. Anyway, you might expect something blatantly offensive from any song called Africa that was produced by a group of exclusively non-Africans, but actually this is pretty damn good. Again, I forgo the description in favor of you just listening.

The last song by Mordechai Ben David is from the Captain’s cassette tape collection (thus the not so great audio quality). Don’t expect other records from this cat to be nearly as funky, he’s definitely better known for his not so unique brand of Klezmer smegma.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the songs. If you have a minute, check my boy’s travelblog from Israel: Dakotamodamowf. Have a happy new year and 7th night of Chanukah. Peace in the middle east.

Geraldo Pino: Africans Must Unite
Taken from the album Let’s Have A Party reissued on Soundway (2005)

Geraldo Pino: Power To The People
Taken from the album Let’s Have A Party reissued on Soundway (2005)

Man, I done fell off. Apologies all around. Murphy has been working like an absolute hound dog on a new mix which, having just finished it, I can safely say is pure fire. Query: what you know about some 22nd century soul, jazzy hip hop, mid tempo disco stepper cuts, and funk break bombs sprinkled with a bit of latin sum’tin sum’tin? Seriously, whatchoo know about it? The as yet untitled mix will be available very soon on The Crate.

In the meantime take in some Geraldo Pino to satisfy the funky African in you. Brought to you courtesy of the folks over at Soundway, the above tracks are taken from Pino’s second release, originally recorded in 1974. I learned of Pino via Michael Veal’s Fela Kuti bio, in which Fela remembers his early encounters with Pino’s pioneering Afro-funk. Particularly evident in the keys work of “Africans Must Unite”, the influence seems pretty undeniable. Fela later recounted to another biographer, “After seeing this Pino, I knew I had to get my shit together. And quick!”

Born in Sierra Leone, Pino spent most of his musical career touring through West Africa with his heavily James Brown-influenced band, the Heartbeats. Eventually, they settled in Accra, Ghana, where, according to the record’s liner notes, they basically owned the music scene. It was there that Fela first took in the fatback American-style funk drums that Tony Allen would later transform into Afro-beat.

Earl Zero : Home Sweet Home
taken from the album “Visions Of Love” on Epiphany (1979)

Cultural Roots : Age Of Creation
taken from the album “Revolutionary Sounds” on Germain (1980)

Wayne Wade : Poor And Humble
taken from the album “Poor And Humble” on Live & Learn (1982)

Even the most high spiriterd folks need a little upliftment now and then. When the wallet is empty and the relationship is all fuss & fight, and the work is hard, and the future is hazy (or even glum)- for these trials and tribulations I thank the highest for the healing forces of roots reggae music. The bass and skank speak nostalgia for a Zion lost, sing acknowledgement of the brutality and injustice of Babylon, but low… within the void between the spaceous delay there too exists the room for change. Proudly prounounced with each hitting horn burst and throughout every wailing verse glimmers that promise of a brighter future for all righteous creatures. Feeling low myself, I dug out these forgotten gems- too many records to keep track of- and I’m starting to feel like I’m doing alright. Also helps to eat proper ital.

Earl only has 2 records by his own name, but it looks like he’s still keeping active by the will of Jah. “13 Months of sunshine all the time” sounds pretty nice to me right now (water is currently boiling for hot cup of tea #6). Really love the work from one Agustus Pablo on the melodica here. Guitar and musical production by Chinna. The album ends with a highly danceable steppers cut called “None Shall Escape The Judgement”, but you’re gonna have to dig for that one.

I like how Cultural Roots manage to rebel against scientific reasoning by saying that scientists “are only surmising”. No concrete evidence for the big bang? Sometimes I feel that fed up with the whole thing as well. Musical backing here by one of my all-time favorite reggae bands- The Revolutionaries. Another hot track on here is “Jah No Partial”.

Wayne Wade really speaks to me right now. Not just broke, but in debt (sorry gui), and the holidays are here and I got to get presents for people or else I look (and feel) real shmucky. But I’ll scheme up something, always do. I don’t know if I can claim to be humble- can anyone? It kinda seems like calling yourself humble is oxymoronic. But I’ll try… (cough, cough)

If you haven’t peeped the Defibrillator remixes we did, do so now, ’cause they’re SIIIIICK. Also, this party on Thursday night is gonna be really fun for all ye music lovers in the NYC vicinity. Spread love and get loved.

Trick Daddy, Big Boi, Cee-Lo, Vaughn Mason & Crew :
In Da Wind (Captain Planet Remix)
taken from the remix CD that we’re giving out at our party, so come out!

Yup, we been putting off our seasonal to the point where Fall is just about over, but the party is on nonetheless. If you live in the NYC area, then get your ass to Williamsburg this Saturday night for another proper Bashment- VIA stylee. Peep the flyer here.

We’ve got dope mix mastery from extended fam members Caps & Jones who have been making big moves recently. If you’ve never heard one of their mixes, then consider yourself inexperienced. Seriously, these guys have the artform DOWN! Also on the decks will be compadre DRM – ill cat and the Bastard Jazz overlord.

Hope to see you there!

Dengue Fever: Tip My Canoe
Taken from the album Escape From Dragon House on Mimicry (2005)

Dengue Fever: Sleepwalking Through The Mekong
Taken from the album Escape From Dragon House on Mimicry (2005)

A contemporary treat for you all today. While the A.W.O.L. Captain hibernates through the ever-colder New York winter days, things in the City of Angels are heating up, in no small part owing to a smoking local band that caught my attention at an in-store performance at Amoeba Records a few weeks back.

With a five pieve backing-band heavy on crisp, break-laden go-go drumming (from Beck collaborator Paul Smith) and soaring organ work, Dengue had a lackadaisacal Tuesday night record-shopping crowd in full-on boogie mode. Front woman, Chhom Nimol (who could probably attract a sell-out crowd just by showing up) dropped a forty-minute set that swept the Hollywood crowd away. Suddenly, Sunset Boulevard seemed a very distant memory. And here we were, en masse, in a banging Cambodian discoteque cerca 1970. Woah!

The tracks I’ve posted for you guys are teasers; honestly, support these cats. Check out their website, see them live, buy their record. This is homegrown Gumbo Funk. Show love.