Thursday 27 December 2012

The Red Eyes - Red Army

The Red Eyes, “Melbourne’s very own Reggae Superstars” (PBS FM), have firmly established their position as one of Australia’s leading original Dub/Reggae acts. They have received critical acclaim for ‘Red Army’ (2010), including a nomination for ‘Best Blues & Roots Album’ at the 2010 Australian Independent Record Label Awards and ‘Album of the Week’ on PBS FM and Radio Australia.
Founded in 2002, The Red Eyes brings together 7 multi-instrumentalist musicians who deliver an explosive live sound that combines masterful beats and shake the house dub rhythms with heartfelt lyrics that provide unique antipodean spin on the broad Reggae genre. The band is led on stage by enigmatic front man El Witeri (2011 APRA Songwriter Award Finalist) who draws on his New Zealand upbringing and Maori heritage for inspiration. Witeri introduces and closes each show in Maori to represent himself and welcome people into the whanau (family), creating a sense of community and openness that fans and new audiences are drawn to.
Red Army is expertly produced dub goodness…full character, tight, catchy and brimming with soul.



Projeto CCOMA - Peregrino

Projeto CCOMA is a brazilian duo of contemporary instrumental jazz. Formed by Roberto Scopel (trumpet) and Swami Sagara (percussion), the Projeto CCOMA mix drums to electronic music and the hang drum to trumpet, to create a music that could be called Future Jazz.
The album "peregrino" has the participation of many special guests such as Luciano Sallum from "pedra branca", Zeca Baleiro and Di Melo among others.


 
 

A Bad Donato - Joao Donato Psychedelicfunkyexperience (1970)

' "A Bad Donato" was an attempt to break into the contemporary overseas market. I wanted to be successful and bossa nova wasn't my thing anymore, it was too much singing -- João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim were all working closely with lyrics. Frank Sinatra had recorded their songs. Yet, my music didn't fit into any genre, or if it did it was jazz that wasn't such a commercial success. Jazz musicians were moving more into popular music, such as Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery, and they were starting to play to big audiences. Fusion came along and my record was something like that, a fusion of Brazilian music with jazz rock and electronica.'

"I don't play acoustic piano on this record at all, just the keyboards. At the time, music was very raw, noisier. The Beatles were happening, shouting out their lyrics, and Jimi Hendrix ... who shouted with his guitar. And I made the noisiest record I can ever remember making."

João Donato


 
 

Friday 21 December 2012

Karl Denson - Dance Lesson #2

Saxophonist Karl Denson may not have the name recognition enjoyed by new-jack jazzmen such as Charlie Hunter or Medeski, Martin & Wood, but that should change with Dance Lesson #2, his Blue Note debut. A versatile player, Denson played with Lenny Kravitz in the early '90s and helped found the acclaimed if short-lived Greyboy Allstars in the mid-'90s. He's also cut a handful of albums on small labels, the early ones more straight-ahead and the later ones more locked into the groove thing. Here, Denson's work on alto, tenor, and flute rides the dance-floor jazz groove with the melodic sense of Herbie Mann and the immaculate funk timing of Maceo Parker, who is undoubtedly an influence. An all-star cast of sidemen that includes Melvin Sparks, Charlie Hunter, Chris Wood, and DJ Logic urge Denson on by holding nothing back themselves. This set is also diverse--while some tunes delve deep into the groove, others verge on smooth jazz, making for a nicely paced, well-crafted album.

 
 

Dynamo Productions - Analogue

DJ's Scott Hendy and Andy Smith are the brains and team behind Dynamo Productions and their debut release on Illicit/Invada, Analogue, bridges the gap between hip hop, old skool funk and breaks, giving respect to the past while keeping their feet in the present.

Hit The Floor warms things up, it's one for the dancefloor and has featured on Deadly Avenger's Fabriclive CD and also on the Battlecreek series - a highly sampladelic jam with a nasty organ sample on top. Get It Together uses the same sample that made Soul of Man's "Between The Eyes" such a popular tune.

MC Profile features on two tracks - the laidback Think and head-nodding hip hop of Back To Basics. The latter works for me as it is catchier thanks to it's funky bassline and more uptempo feel.

The uptempo joints on the album are it's high points, a healthy mixture of old skool breaks, funky basslines coupled with scratches and cuts that Andy and Scott are known for. Busta Beat is a personal highlight of the album thanks to it's b-boy breakbeats, latin orchestra horns and James Brown like "Bust It" samples. Look out for the breakdown in the middle!

The album also has it's share of downtempo tracks such as Slip Inn and the bluesy Airwaves featuring yawning strings on a laidback beat and the album finishes off with the piano heavy We're Through featuring a female vocal sample, which appears to be lifted off a classic breakup tune.

Overall Analogue is a great album and born out of the need for Andy and Scott to bridge the gap between hip hop and funk tunes in their block rockin' DJ sets and unlike DJ Format's album, doesn't over utilise the skit approach to bridging the gap between songs.


 
 
 

DJ Vadim - U Can't Lurn Imaginashun

Early in his career, DJ Vadim was a specialist. His specialty was shadowy ambient breakbeat, and it provided some of the highlights to appear on Ninja Tune, which was a very fine label indeed. Since then, he's branched out and matured, able to float all manner of beat-centric forms. That's exactly what happens on U Can't Learn Imaginashun, and virtually every track is the type of high-quality jam that could survive on its own. (It's easy to imagine the praise a DJ would get for his range if he aired the 18 tracks here in a DJ set.) Though he starts with dancehall, Vadim spends a lot of time in hip-hop, but with many variations on the form: classic hip-hop, digitalia, East Coast hardcore, and slow-grind R&B. Vadim also gets the most out of his obscure cast of featured guests, including a pair of serviceable East Coasters named Juice Lee and Rjay, the outre R&B vocalist Sabirajade (who appears on three great tracks, including the deep-grooving "Thrill Seeker"), and Chicago veteran Pugs Atomz (who appears on "Saturday" and "Always Lady," a pair of completely different settings). Oddly enough, the variety on tap can make for a scattered listen, but U Can't Learn Imaginashun  is studded with great tracks.

 
 

Di Melo - Di Melo

If you´re into brasilian (soul) music you will love this record, but I can present you almost no information about the artist. It was rereleased on CD a few years ago, is hard to get on vinyl and you have to pay a lot of money for it, but never got much attention like other brasilian artists. This record is a true inspiration: soulfull vocals, funky grooves, Tropicalismo and Latin influences in general resulted 1974 in a record (as far as I know the only Di Melo release), that seems to be premature for the date of the release. It is time to rediscover this jewel and if you have some more informations about Di Melo, please leave a comment.

It is hard not to fall in love with this record, Samba Soul.

 
 
 

Cunninlynguists - Strange Journey Vol. 2

One of the decades most consistent independent Hip Hop
groups, CunninLynguists return with Strange Journey: Volume
2. Hailing from Kentucky, the trio consisting of Kno, Deacon The
Villain and Natti has built a rabid fan base with past releases
Southernunderground, Will Rap For Food, A Piece of Strange,
and Dirty Acres, as well as extensive worldwide touring with
Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan and Brand Nubian. Despite their
Southern roots, the group has become a key centerpiece in
East Coast Hip Hop conglomerate QN5. In the past two years
the group has been covered by XXL Magazine, Spin, The
Source, URB Magazine, XLR8R and more. Strange Journey:
Volume 2 features guest appearances from platinum artist E-40
and Evidence of Dilated Peoples Represented by The Agency
Group.


 
 

Saturday 15 December 2012

Alice Russel - Under The Munka Moon

Alice Russell's UNDER THE MUNKA MOON shows the British soul singer at her finest on songs like "Someday" and "Peace Resides," among others. 2007 release from the first lady of contemporary UK Soul. Best known for her recordings with The Quantic Soul Orchestra and Bah Samba, Under The Munka Moon sees Alice performing a collection of her favorite tunes that draw from her musically diverse past. 13 tracks.
She was born in 1975, the daughter of an organist, and grew up in Framlingham in Suffolk. At the age of nine, following in her father and sisters' musical footsteps, Alice began taking lessons on the cello, and sang in choirs, before attending studying art and music in Brighton from 1994.
As well as the classical influences of her father, and formal music lessons, Russell began finding influence in Gospel music and soul artists such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin from an early age played a big part in the shaping of her style. Artists including as Minnie Ripperton, Eva Cassidy, Chaka Khan and Jill Scott are listed by Alice Russell as influences.

The Cat Empire - So Many Nights

Forget the didgeridoo. The Cat Empire has to be the real sound of Australia. It’s perfectly multicultural, young, accomplished, fresh, funky and above all, fun.
They’ve stayed down-to-earth, innovative, and intimate despite their first two albums making platinum status and their third receiving an ARIA. This is a band that refuses to be pigeonholed. Listen to them, and I dare you not to smile and dance, even if you’re feeling glum.
Felix Riebl’s voice, holds everything together. It handles rap, meringue, big band sound, ska, funk, or jazz with an equal laid back smiling croon. And just when you think you can’t be caressed any more sweetly, along comes Oliver McGill on his amazing piano tearing your heart out with most amazing virtuoso. And then comes the trumpets, the flugelhorn, the trombone, the guitars, and the whole thing explodes into a terrific party where you just can’t stop dancing around the living room.


Tosca - Suzuki

Tosca is the joint musical project of Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber from Vienna, Austria. The three Tosca albums „Opera“ (1996), „Suzuki“ (1999) and „Dehli 9“ (2002) are considered milestones of the downtempo genre.
More moody musical fairytales from Richard Dorfmeister, this time with Rupert Huber under the guise of Tosca. Suzuki is--like his releases with Kruder and Dorfmeister--a sublime work that manipulates emotions through sound. Soft and sweet, subtle and supple, Tosca's tracks drift, sifting from one dream to the next. Though they patch hip-hop, jazz, ambient, and techno together, you can't hear where one begins and the other ends. "Annanas" pairs sneaky, squeaky scratching with a lusty female vocal and bossa-nova-inspired hip-hop breaks, while "Orozco" loops a playful riff, running it through reverbs and filters, creating something like pure bliss for the ears.

 

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Barrington Levy - Poorman Style (1982)

Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, this great example of early dancehall is a short and sweet classic. Many will recognise some of the riddims from Freddie McGregor's Big Ship album. Levy's vocals warble over the steady beats and deep bass with lyrical content ranging from the lovers rock of "She Is the Best Girl" and "Rob and Gone" to the tribulations of Jamaican life in "Poor Man Style" and "Man Give Up." The ganja anthem "Sensimelea" is also here. The production from Linval Thompson is solid and the mixing from Scientist, which means some precision dub effects mainly on the drums and vocals, puts the icing on the cake. These effects work brilliantly all through the album, but especially on "I Can't Wait too Long"; probably my favourite track on this strong set.

 

AYB Force - Lost Breaks

A.Y.B. (Abnormal Yellow Band) FORCE is a trio of Japanese Break beat artists. Their only US release to date is the 2006 Lost Breaks. Lost breaks is typified by break beats and samples over jazz horns and piano. Before they were known as A.Y. B. Force they were known as DJ Lark Chillout and the Funk Messangers.
 


Nightmares On Wax - Thought So

The venerable Nightmares On Wax return with ''Thought So...,'' a sun-drenched collection of dub and heavy drums arriving just in time to wrap up summer madness. After paving the way for soul-minded beat-smiths like Madlib and Flying Lotus, this latest LP is another important step in an already iconic career. Buoyant and supremely catchy, ''Thought So...'' is another skillful combo of advanced production and vintage groove. In short, the record gives fans everything they have come to expect from Nightmares On Wax.



Tuesday 11 December 2012

Saint Germain - Tourist

Since the advent of acid jazz in the mid-'80s, the many electronic-jazz hybrids to come down the pipe have steadily grown more mature, closer to a balanced fusion that borrows the spontaneity and emphasis on group interaction of classic jazz while still emphasizing the groove and elastic sound of electronic music. For his second album, French producer Ludovic Navarre expanded the possibilities of his template for jazzy house by recruiting a sextet of musicians to solo over his earthy productions. The opener "Rose Rouge" is an immediate highlight, as an understated Marlena Shaw vocal sample ("I want you to get together/put your hands together one time"), trance-state piano lines, and a ride-on-the-rhythm drum program frames solos by trumpeter Pascal Ohse and baritone Claudio de Qeiroz. For "Montego Bay Spleen," Navarre pairs an angular guitar solo by Ernest Ranglin with a deep-groove dub track, complete with phased effects and echoey percussion. "Land Of..." moves from a Hammond- and horn-led soul-jazz stomp into Caribbean territory, marked by more hints of dub and the expressive Latin percussion of Carneiro. Occasionally, Navarre's programming (sampled or otherwise) grows a bit repetitious -- even for dance fans, to say nothing of the jazzbo crowd attracted by the album's Blue Note tag. Though it is just another step on the way to a perfect blend of jazz and electronic, Tourist is an excellent one.

 
 
 

TM Juke - Maps Of The Wilderness

A cohesion of beautiful melodies and rugged beats, “Maps from the Wilderness” is an accomplished album that should earn TM Juke the same accolades as fellow Tru Thoughts album acts Quantic, Jon Kennedy and Bonobo (who now record for Grand Central and Ninja Tune respectively).
Having recorded various songs for Tru Thoughts under the guise of Al Stylus, TM Juke took it upon himself to adopt a name suitable for styles and sounds he wished to explore with this album. The styles are varied and they seem to span the full orchestral range; rolling timpani drums underpin hazy beats whilst delicate guitars flitter amongst intricate strings.
As a producer, TM Juke draws on funk, soul, hip-hop and jazz influences, but adds a greater depth and maturity with immaculate arrangements that belie his twenty four years and give “Maps of the Wilderness” a strikingly original yet strangely familiar feel. Owing as much to the sampler as the guitar, the TM Juke sound embraces atmospheric melodies and street savvy beats in equal measures: this is made apparent by the album’s guest vocalists. Jim Oxborough and Alice Russell who join together for “Knee Deep”, the first single to be taken from the album, a lush affair with a natural swing and memorable hooks.
Bringing back the hip-hop, Canadian MC’s Bread and Water lend their calculated style to “Get It Together“ whilst appearing on behalf of the UK, Rup gets lyrical and gives “Wilderness Kids“ an edge that sets it apart from any uniform hip-hop sound. “Maps from the Wilderness” has all the ingredients that make a great record, setting new agendas in instrumental music whilst retaining a universal appeal.

 
 

Monday 10 December 2012

Putamoyo Presents - Samba Bossa Nova

This eclectic compilation shows the syncopated and seductive evolution of the African-derived Brazilian samba and its offspring, the bossa nova. The CD features a new-wave series of moods and grooves tailor-made for the 21st century. There's angel-voiced Rosa Passos and her silky version of the Ary Barroso/Luiz Peixoto song "E Luxo So." Guitarist-vocalist Márcio Faraco's remake of Noel Rosa's samba-canção "Feitiço da Vila" is just as tasteful. The elegant, classically tinged Quarteto Jobim-Morelenbaum, led by cellist Jacques Morelenbaum, skillfully mixes Ravel-like harmonies with Afro-Brazilian beats on "Eu e o Meu Amor/Lamento No Morro" from the film Black Orpheus. The London-based group Da Lata swings the sacred syncopations of "Cores" in a club-friendly, secular rendition. And the talented Moreno Veloso, son of the great Caetano Veloso, turns in an intimate and atmospheric version of Olodum's "Deusa do Amor" (Goddess of Love). These tracks show that the bossa nova and the samba can still give us new musical surprises.

1. Eu e o Meu Amor/Lamento No Morro - Quarteto Jobim-Morelenbaum
2. Cores - Da Lata
3. Papo de Psicologo - Jairzinho Oliveira
4. La Vem a Baiana - Jussara Silveira
5. Deusa do Amor - Moreno Veloso + 2
6. Preto, Cor Preta - Jorge Aragao
7. Meu Mundo e Hoje - Eliete Negreiros
8. Admiracao - Paulinho Moska
9. E Luxo So - Rosa Passos
10. Feitico Da Vila - Marcio Faraco
11. Banho Cheiroso - Rita Ribeiro

 

Los Sebosos Postizos Interpretam Jorge Ben Jor

Jorge Ben, antes de acrescentar o “Jor”, lançou álbuns de vasta influência na música brasileira, nenhum tão influente quando o Tábua de esmeraldas, de 1974. Pelo menos para a turma do manguebeat, poucos discos foram tão escutados quanto este, na predileção de todos, sobretudo de Fred Zeroquatro e Chico Science. Outros dois álbuns de Jorge Ben Jor que fazem parte da coleção básica do manguebeat são Samba esquema novo (1963), e Bidu – silêncio no Brooklin (1967). O primeiro é o álbum inaugural da obra de Babulina (apelido de Ben Jor), o segundo (pelo selo AU da Rozenblit) é sua resposta ao pessoal do Fino da Bossa, que o baniu do programa por ter se apresentado no Jovem Guarda.

Esta é a trinca de discos de Jorge Ben Jor de onde saiu a maioria das 14 faixas do álbum de estreia dos Los Sebosos Postizos, projeto paralelo de parte do Nação Zumbi (Jorge du Peixe, Dengue, Pupillo e Lúcio Maia). O disco está chegando às lojas pela Deck Disc, com produção de Mário Caldato, contrariando as previsões dos músicos do Nação Zumbi, que prometiam para este ano um CD de inéditas da banda.

“As músicas estão gravadas, mas o disco só em 2013. A gente não tem pressa. Continuamos tocando com Marisa Monte. A turnê dela deve ir até meados do ano que vem. Até lá, a gente vai ouvindo o que foi feito para saber se é isso mesmo o que a gente quer. Jorge talvez bote novas vozes”, comenta o baixista Dengue, de passagem pelo Recife.

Los Sebosos Postizos surgiu de uma homenagem ao ídolo Ben Jor em 1998, numa festa chamada A noite do Ben. Evoluiu para uma banda cover, que desaguou num álbum, que eles achavam que não seria feito: “A ideia do Los Sebosos estava evoluindo para um disco autoral. Mesmo nos covers de Ben Jor tinha, e tem, muito da banda. O repertório está gravado há uns dois anos, só agora foi que mandamos para Mario Caldato. A gente não tinha pressa, como está acontecendo agora com o disco do Nação”, continua Dengue, acrescentando que por enquanto não há vaga na agenda dos músicos para uma turnê dos Los Sebosos: “Acho que vai rolar uns três shows. Um no Rio, outro em São Paulo e no Recife, até porque a gente está se encontrando pouco. Jorge está em São Paulo, eu estou no Rio.

Duas músicas autorais de Los Sebosos Postizos foram gravadas antes. Uma está no primeiro, e único, álbum do coletivo Instituto – Solaris, instrumental – e outra está num disco do Mamelo Sound System. Nenhuma autoral está em Los Sebosos Postizos interpretam Jorge Ben Jor, o álbum. Para chegar às 14 músicas do CD bastou pinçar as preferidas de uma lista que eles selecionaram para tocar ao vivo: “Complicado foi tirar três dessas 14 para o vinil, onde só cabiam 11”, diz Dengue.

Embora tenha canções bem manjadas de Jorge Ben Jor, o CD consegue encaixar os hits em meio a canções, menos conhecidas, até mesmo do Tábua de esmeraldas, do qual pinçaram Cinco minutos. Do Samba esquema novo tem o quase sucesso Rosa, menina, rosa, e duas só conhecidas dos especialistas, Quero esquecer você e A tamba.

Um dos discos menos conhecidos de Ben Jor, Bidu – silêncio no Brooklin é um dos melhores e também o primeiro em que ele empunha uma guitarra e é acompanhado por uma banda de rock, no caso os Fevers. Segundo Dengue, ele é um dos preferidos dos integrantes da Los Sebosos Postizos: “É o mais diferente de Ben Jor, com uma pegada que só ele tem. De Bidu, o quarteto escolheu quatro faixas, todas absolutamente obscuras (a mais conhecida do álbum é Si manda).

De um dos discos menos conhecidos de Ben Jor, Ben é samba bom, de 1964, eles sacaram uma das mais peculiares composições do impagável Babulina, Descalços no parque (que não foi inspirado no filme homônimo, com Robert Redford e Jane Fonda, que é de 1967). Uma música que não é samba, não é bossa nova, tem a mesma levada de Ol’ man mose, hit de Louis Armstrong (cuja versão deu em A história de um homem mau, sucesso de Roberto Carlos, também em 1964).

“A música está no último disco de Marisa Monte, mas a gente gravou primeiro e deixou na gaveta até agora. Curioso é que tocamos o disco de Marisa quase todo. Esta foi um das músicas que não tem participação da gente”, comenta Dengue.

O que justifica a gravação de um disco com repertório de uma banda cover?

No caso do Los Sebosos Postizos, o fato de o grupo inovar no formato. Nem chega a ser um tributo, nem propriamente um grupo cover. Os arranjos e andamentos na maioria das faixas são bastante diferentes. Em outras o novo arranjo é feito em cima do original, só que com outros instrumentos. É isso o que eles fazem com a mais ou menos manjada O homem da gravata florida (esta é a terceira regravação da canção, além das duas feitas pelo autor).

Em Os alquimistas estão chegando, uma das poucas que preservam o mesmo ritmo da original, programações e a produção de Mario Caldato revestem a canção de outros tons, sonoridades: “Mario gosta muito de usar ecos, de ambiência. Ele fez um trabalho muito bom em cima das fitas que mandamos”, credita Dengue”. O quarteto do Nação tem o reforço de Guizado (trompete), Bactéria (teclado), Da Lua (percussão) e Bárbara Eugênia (backing vocal).

Creditos: Blog Baixa Funda

 
 

Soul Pleasure is back!

Soul Pleasure is back from holydays!
Enjoy all the good tunes and share the love.

TY - Special Kind Of Fool

International hip hop artist hailing from the UK, Ty hits us in Spring 2010 with his fourth studio album Special Kind of Fool, on BBE Records.

As one of the most revolutionary rappers on the British hip-hop scene, Ty embodies the intellect, talent and ferocity of an MC always destined to become a legend. Over the last decade, the Mercury Prize nominee has achieved the rare feat of establishing a legacy through his three albums and wise persona, strengthened by his amazing worldwide shows and countless appearances alongside luminaries such as De La Soul, Tony Allen and Pee Wee Ellis. Musically, he's also worked with Estelle, Scratch Perverts, Talib Kweli, Black Twang, Arrested Development, Bahamadia and Zion I, both in front and behind the mixing desk, further proof of his relentless artistry and his evolution from roguish wordsmith from South London to an internationally-acclaimed hip-hop connoisseur.