Lou Perez and His NY Sound: Caribbean Woman
From S/T (Parnaso, 1972)

Lou Perez y su Orquesta Barrio: Antillana
From Barrio (Parnaso, 1972)

I always find it interesting when artists cover their own songs. It’s hardly an unusual practice but you sometimes wonder how much of it is dissatisfaction with the original version and how much of it is trying to capitalize on an already successful song by flipping a variation on it.

The Lou Perez, to me, is especially notable since, from far as I can tell, these two songs are probably, at most, a year or so apart. “Caribbean Woman” has been a favorite at Boogaloo[la] – dancers seem to dig its combo of Latin rock/funk rhythms with that whiff of island flavor. It’s always reminded me something that Santana’s cousin might have whipped together – not deep but sweetly satisfying.

When I picked up Perez’s Barrio LP, I was surprised to hear him, in essence, remake the song in a charanga style. That means here a faster tempo, a strong acoustic piano montuno and most charanga-ish, the string accompaniment. That plus he flips the lyrics into español.

I’ve never had a chance to play out both songs to a Latin-friendly crowd but I’d be mightily curious to see which of the two goes over better.

Unfortunately, Perez passed away just a few years ago at the age of 78. He wasn’t a household name to casual Latin fans even though his career was rich and long-lasting, having risen with the charanga fad of early 1960s not to mention a prolific songwriter to boot.

DeBarge: Love Me In a Special Way
From In a Special Way (Gordy, 1983)

AZ: Love Me In a Special Way
From S.O.S.A. (N/A, 2000)

Face it, early ’80s R&B was far better then you think you remember it.

AZ knew what’s up. (So does MAN).

Menahan Street Band: Home Again!

From Make the Road By Walking (Dunham/Daptone, forthcoming 10/14/08)

This has to be one of my favorite songs I’ve heard all summer, a beautiful mid-tempo ballad off the new Menahan Street Band. The MSB is the brain child of Tom “TNT” Brenneck, the guitarist for the Dap-Kings and a rising songwriter/producer from within the Daptone’s deep camp. I wrote about MSB last fall after their single, “Make the Road By Walking” was sampled for Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys” and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of their full-length album.

The MSB sound is less like what the Dap-Kings themselves turn out and more on what I’d call “soul meets cool jazz” tip, not unlike what Leon Michels has done with the El Michels Affair over at Truth and Soul (and not surprisingly, many T&S players are featured in the MSB. I’ll have more to say about the album as a whole once it drops but did want to at least tease people with “Home Again!”, which I’m finding sublime, especially with that opening guitar melody and the horn arrangements. Enjoy this and make sure to pick up the album when it drops October 14th.

(Also, Daptone is about to put out another single from the album, feat. the vocals of Charles Bradley).

Common feat. Bilal: Play Your Cards Right
From Smokin’ Aces soundtrack (Lakeshore, 2007)

Joe Bataan: Under the Street Lamp
Available on Under the Streetlamps: The Joe Bataan Anthology 1967 – 1972 (Fania/Emusica, 2008)

Joe Bataan was just here in Los Angeles the last week or so (and I feel stupid for not posting up links to his performances) and we caught up twice during that time, including one meeting where he broke down the entire history behind “Rap-O, Clap-O“. Fascinating stuff and I’ll have to try to write that up sometime.

Anyways, the other time we met, he was asking me if I knew anything about this Common song that sampled one of his songs. Joe had gotten a check for the clearance but hadn’t heard the actual use of the song yet. Not having really followed the sampling game that closely of late, I couldn’t think of anything off the top so we sat down and googled it and sure enough, it was Common’s “Play Your Cards Right” from last year’s Smokin’ Aces soundtrack. And once you hear it, it’s plain as day that producer Kareem Riggins had looped up Joe’s great “Under the Street Lamp” (from his Singin’ Some Soul album originally). (Joe got a kick out of hearing his song sampled).

He was also gracious enough to sign a copy of his anthology that I did the liner notes for and I’m going to give this away to one lucky (and informed) reader.

To be eligible, send an email to soulsides AT gmail.com with the subject line “Joe Bataan giveaway.” You need to answer the following:

1) What Latin producer of Alegre fame did Joe Bataan record with prior to signing with Fania?

2) How many albums did Joe record for Fania (this is a trick question of sorts so think it through carefully)?

3) Some of Joe’s most successful songs have been covers: “Gypsy Woman, “Shaft,” “The Bottle.” Name the original artists behind these other Joe Bataan songs:
a. “It’s a Good Feeling (Riot)”
b. “I’m No Stranger”
c. “Make Me Smile”

4) What Ismael Miranda boogaloo mash-up/cover of “Tighten Up” does Joe Bataan make a cameo on? Name the song and album.

5) What pseudonym did Joe take on when he recorded for Bobby Marin’s Dynamite label?

6) What single preceded the release of Bataan’s most successful album for Fania?

7) What classic from Joe’s repertoire appears on his Salsoul album, but with a different name?

8) What’s different about the 7″ version of “Woman Don’t Want to Love Me” compared to the LP version from Afrofilipino?

9) What old school rap duo was supposed to appear on “Rap-O, Clap-O” instead of Joe rapping himself?

10) What martial art are Joe’s children all masters of?

I’ll select a winner at random from those with the most correct answers. Deadline: next Monday.

I also have a second (unsigned) copy of the anthology to give away, randomly, to those who buy Deep Covers 2 in the next week. (Physical CD orders only, digital downloads don’t apply, sorry).

The New Swing Sextette : Open Your Mind & Puerto Rico
taken from a private press 12″ on ENS (1976)

DJ Busquelo & Liz Martin on The Mambo Machine : Radio Show

today’s post comes from friend and mentor DJ Busquelo (www.busquelo.org) who hosts The Mambo Machine on WKCR and has put together an amazing event, Tropic Of Cancer, happening tonight in NYC!

A record collector often finds himself in a world of imagined memories, among records that were heard before, in some other place and time, perhaps danced to, cried to, or even made love to. Very rarely do we find an opportunity to really learn the context of the forgotten place and time. One record which always held a mysterious place in my heart was this extremely funky 12″. This private disco 12″, with salsa on one side, latin funk on the other, and the group name”El Nuevo Swing” hinted at the 60’s combo, The New Swing Sextette, who recorded 4 incredible albums on the Cotique label. However, nobody who I asked ever knew anything about this 12.

One day this past July, We received a special honor on our radio show The Mambo Machine. when 2 members of The New Swing Sextette visited to promote the release of their first album in 30 years. The studio came alive with Angel and George’s energetic presence, and in the midst of all the vintage vinyl and their countless memories of the golden age of Latin music, I pulled out my mysterious ENS 12″ and said to them, “guys, I’ve been wanting to ask this question for such a long time: is this record YOU??”. Their jaws dropped, and they asked me where the heck did I get that record?

They took the record into their hands and looked at it the way an old man would look at a photo of a secret lover from years ago. They revealed the story of how they recorded a full album in 1976, 5 years after their last record on Cotique, that took their original vision of the group into new territory, exploring aspects of psychedelia, rock, soul, and disco, as well as their traditional Latin elements. For whatever reasons, the project got shelved by the record label, and they took it into their own hands and pressed a handful of these 12″s to get the music out. They said that this 12″ was only the 2nd one they have seen since those days, the first one being at Angel’s house.

This special 12″ is my contribution to the Captains Crate in honor of Tropic of Cancer which is taking place on Friday September 5th and celebrates tropical music and its many branches all over the world. Thanks to Captain Planet for such a rich and entertaining place to share such gems.

The Playlist:

The Beatards : Big Bad Beat & It’s So Easy
sneak peak taken from the upcoming EP “Big Bad Beat” on MixtapeRiot (2008)

Our new EP is done as of last week and will be back from the printers shortly! Don’t think you know what we sound like just from hearing these two tunes, we go all over the map and back again. Check us live in LA this week & next, or back in NYC in Sept. We keep our schedule updated on the myspace page.

The Virgins : Rich Girls (Beatards Remix)
CRATE EXCLUSIVE – can’t get this one anywhere else!

Atlantic records reached out to us, and then bailed cause they don’t know what’s good for ’em.

Erykah Badu : Cleva (Captain Planet Remix) & Honey (Captain Planet Remix)
taken from the 12″ AVAILABLE HERE or HERE on BSTRD BOOTS (2008)

I posted these joints for limited time only downloads earlier on, but this summer they finally came out on wax. In case it isn’t already entirely clear, I’ve been going a little buck wild with vocoder and autotune experimentation recently. Feel free to hate, but I’m happily picturing myself chilling alongside Roger Troutman and T-Pain in the afterlife. Someone even liked my Honey remix enough to post it on youtube!

Captain Planet ft. Ako : On Yer Feet
taken from the upcoming EP on Bastard Jazz

Ako is a young funky drummer and producer. He recorded a bunch of drum breaks and posted them online- I used one as the backbone for this beat. The rest of the EP is falling into place nicely and should definitely be out before the year is over.

Captain Planet : Lean On My Baby
just a sketch for now… we’ll see what happens

One of the many lil ideas I’ve hurriedly thrown together this Summer. I did this in an hour and a half, no lyrics yet, but I still love it and hope that it turns into something finished- who knows what.

Bonus beat: peep this music video, made by the group of High School students that I worked with in Sunset Park this summer. It was part of a competition to express why “I LOVE NY” in one minute or less. We didn’t win, but we had a bunch of fun regardless.

The Story:

Deeply embedded in my understanding of the world, is the belief that Summer is meant to be “time off”. There have been few moments, if any, in my life that approach the uncontrollable surging relief and freedom that I would feel every June getting off the bus after that last day of school. Looking ahead at the summer in front of me, the days of the week ceased to matter, and the passing hours that normally divided my laborious schedule into even blocks of responsibility and focus, blurred into a continuous quest for thrills. The goal of a day might take shape in the simple hunt for an ice cream cone, a new skate spot, a cute girl or a water-balloon fight and a place to swim. Perhaps nostalgia has amplified what I truly felt at the time, but this is how I will forever remember it.

2008 was my UN-summer: I’ve been working more than ever before, scheduling meetings and filling up two calendar pages beneath the present one. However, the fact that I’m doing it for myself, and spending time on what I love, has also helped me feel some of that same thrill I used to get from doing Super Soaker drive-bys on my bike. Instead of any “time-off” this summer, I spent nearly every free moment in my studio working on music or putting together live shows with my group The Beatards. In general, I really try not to blow up my own spot, but to be honest, these are the songs I’ve been listening to the most this summer. The tracks I’m posting up today are just a small fragment of all the music I’ve been making, so stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Now that summer is unofficially over (Labor Day still means back to school in my book), I’m finally getting a chance to take a break. Anyone who’s in the Los Angeles area should definitely come out to one of the events I’m doing in the next week & a half. Leave your preconceptions at the door and be ready to let loose.