Temperatures are finally starting to drop a bit here. Spent the better part of the weekend shooting a music video for Get Lite (Trampolines, Acrobats, BMX, Dance Crew, Skaters… it’s gonna be bananas),  and some of that time was spent dancing in the freeeeezing rain. We had a crew of kids who were total troopers- popping and jumping around with the beginning stages of hypothermia setting in. I think my body also went into some state of intense shock after it was all over, because I ended up sleeping for 15 solid hours straight. Heaven must be like that. When I finally woke up, I needed some BRIT FUNK! As promised a lil while back, an entire post of music by Freeez. If this doesn’t thaw you out, you may be dead.

All selections by FREEEZ

      Southern Freeez ,       Flying High &       Caribbean Winter
all taken from Southern Freeez 0n Beggars Banquet (1981)

      One To One
taken from The Best Of British Jazz-Funk Vol.2 on Beggars Banquet (1982)

      I.O.U. &       We've Got The Juice
taken from Gonna Get You on Beggars Banquet (1983)

and one more fresh video, peep the nonchalant suave of this lead singer!

Working hard doesn’t really do it justice. I have now found a singular focus in music that is really all consuming. Sorry to my friends who think I flake on them, to the girls who are pissed at me for not calling back, and to my own mother whose birthday I forgot (by 3 days!), but there is a reason, if not an excuse: I’m making music. This here is the latest single, fresh back from the mastering spot. If you haven’t seen my group The Beatards live, then it may be difficult to picture just how ballistic we get while performing. These days there aren’t enough hip hop groups that are willing to jump around non-stop and sweat buckets on stage. We couldn’t do a show without that. And we’ve got a lot more music on the way.

This is an official leak, since the songs will be up on the iTunes store soon (and then people will have to buy them, or find them on a sketchy Russian 1 cent per mp3 site). If you’re inclined to making remixes or listening to straight beats, then I’m also sharing a link to the zip file with acapellas & instrumentals for you to mess around with. More coming soon so keep your ears right hear!

The Beatards :       Don't Step On My Sneakers &       Get Lite
cop the whole single with artwork, aca’s & instrumentals HERE

ALSO- my good friends and fellow rockers OUTERNATIONAL have a big show this Friday at Highline Ballroom to celebrate the release of their new CD Eyes On Fire. Japanther and R-Tronika will be on the bill as well- Good Times!

I’ve been listening to a lot of music by B.o.B. lately. You should too. Rapper, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and the man has a sense of HUMOR! You can find some of his mixtapes online. This is still my favorite one. Cloud 9 is actually worthy of it’s name. I can’t listen to this song without feeling better. Only problem is, like any good drug, I’m developing a habit. Past week I been using this track like 3 or 4 times a day. I keep telling myself it could be worse. I know some kids who stay hooked on that Miley Cyrus oxycontin. That stuff destroys the brain. If you’re in NYC, B.oB. is playing at S.O.B.’s tomorrow night. I plan on attending.

B.o.B. :       Cloud 9

p.s.- The broken links in older posts should be fixed now, not quite sure what the problem was.

One of my favorite things about putting on this party is when I find out about a new artist, post up their music here on the site and write something like, “these guys would be great at a Mixtape Riot! Party”, and then 2 months later it happens!  Fredericks Brown caught my ear with their afro-beat infused soul banger “Betrayal” a little while back and tonight I get to hear them do it live. You can too if you come out! In case you still need convincing, check a bit of footage from last month’s jumpoff. And as a musical offering, a couple tracks from this funky producer that I’m just finding out about way late- MUNK. And yeah, he would be great to have at a MTR party…

Munk :       Kick Out The Chairs
taken from the album Aperitivo on Gomma (2005)

Munk:       Down In LA (Shazam Remix)
taken from the single

Brazil to Benin. Korea to Nuyorica. Come along for the ride.

Pete Dunaway:       Supermarket

Gnonnas Pedro et ses Dadje:       Dadje Von O Von Non

Willie Rosario:       Calypso Blues

Kim Sun:       The Man Who Must Leave

I’ve been wishing for a while now that members of the Dap Kings or El Michels Affair would branch off and do a rocksteady side project using all their vintage analogue recording gear. Clearly, someone down in Jamaica was scheming something similar. Instead of trying to recreate that classic sound in a studio today, why not just sing new songs on top of old records? Simple but genius. To be fair, Bitty McLean has already been doing this for a while- with his 2005 album “On Bond Street with The Supersonics” as a perfect example of this very concept. But there’s something so classic about Courtney’s voice that I rarely hear today. So tender and vulnerable that it almost seems frail.

The chorus on “Lucky Man” usually has a way of staying with me all day after I listen to it once. I don’t have any problem with that, but I thought it only fair that I give you warning. And remember the rocksteady version of The Beatles “Blackbird” that I posted here back during Summer? Well he took that record too and turned it into a salve that should help heal even the most shattered heart. I’m also throwing in a couple older Bitty McLean hits for any of you out there who may have missed these when they first came out. Is this a new trend? Neo-rocksteady? I hope so.

Courtney John :       Lucky Man &       Win Some
taken from the album Made In Jamaica on Jamaica Records (2009)

Bitty McLean :       Walk Away From Love &       I've Got Love
taken from the album On Bond Street on Peckings (2005)