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…

We’re so on top of our game here at MTR that we left posting about our latest party til the day of. You’ve heard me say it before, but once again, we be foolish. If you’re in the NY area though, and are looking for a serious Tuesday night get down, look no further. Tonight’s Mixtape Riot party brings live performances from MC K-Swift and Chen Lo. Both of these guys are good friends, but that doesn’t sway my opinion on their music at all- it’s undeniably premium. Come out and hear for yourself! If you’re one of the first 100 you’ll get the latest limited edition mixtape- this time expertly woven together by the fathers of feel-good: Soul Imperial. And in case you needed any extra incentive, I’m sharing this fresh remix from The Rub’s DJ Ayres. He’s been putting out mashups and remixes consistently for a minute now, and they’rejust getting better and better. Check his website for more goodies.

Afrika Bambatta vs. Breakout :       Planet Rock Unplugged (DJ Ayres Edit)

For more info on the party, peep here and rsvp for the fun of it.

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

This is as real as revolution music gets. Recorded in the midst of a guerrilla war in which rebel insurgents were fighting to overthrow the white minority leadership of what was then known as Rhodesia, this album was the soundtrack to a coup. “Hokoyo!” means “Watch Out!”, and Mr. T. Mapfumo was not playing around. The melodies sound uplifting, borrowing from generations old Shona traditional songs, but buried within the ambiguous stories told in these proverbs are clear rally calls that inspired rural rebels to stand up and fight. It was working so well that the Rhodesian government banned these recordings, confiscated and destroyed them, and imprisoned Mapfumo for 90 days until they decided to try to use his powerful voice for their own purposes. They even went so far as to blast his music from their helicopters on bombing missions in the bush to demoralize the rebel opposition! In a final desperate attempt to utilize his rallying power, they forced him to perform in support of a government candidate. Guess it didn’t work, the whiteboys fell from their throne and the newly independent “Zimbabwe” was turned over by popular vote to Robert Mugabe. Happy ending right? Not quite. But I’ve been a Chimurenga freak forever and I’m deeply indebted to the diggers who just re-issued this hard to find early recording (can you hear that fuzz and crackle?). Now go drink some Hwa-Hwa and get in touch with the spirits while shaking like an epileptic to the sound of yodeling resistance.

Thomas Mapfumo & The Acid Band :       Hokoyo! ,       Hwa-Hwa , &       Zvandiviringa  
taken from “Hokoyo!” just re-issued on Water (originally 1977)