Perfect Saturday night listening material. I have a feeling I’m going to end up playing a lot of Disco in my set tonight.
Tracklisting
[00] Stephen Encinas – Disco Illusion [05] House Of Downtown – Bodymove [10] Nick Holder Presents Fruit Loops – Dance, Dance, Dance [12] Black Traxx – Doctor’s Housecall [16] JV – EditChannel XXX [20] Gwen McCrae – Keep The Fire Burning [25] Mouzon’s Electric Band – Everybody Get Down [28] ? [31] ? [37] Ma Foom Bey – Cultural Vibe [41] Thompson & Lenoir – Can’t Stop The House (Vocal Mix) [45] Made in USA – Never Gonna Let You Go (Theo Parrish Re Edit) [51] The Whatnauts – Help Is On The Way
Been a good few weeks since I compiled a ‘Reaping’ together. Quite a few tunes have come and gone since then, leaving less of a mark than they initially promised. However these are a few that have continued to stand out in that period.
Noémie – Blue Blood
I’ve discovered loads of great bands since working at Boomtown Fair, one such band whom I’ve already mentioned on this blog are Gentle Mystics. They shall be gracing the Town Centre stage this year and are definitely worth checking out, but also Noémie, the lead singer of the group has recently embarked on a solo career set to run parallel with (rather than instead of) the Mystics’ material.
Although her Soundcloud page has a few odds and ends already, this is her first official single, and it’s a beauty. At the risk of being more obvious than I’d like and throwing in some over simplistic similarities, this reminds me of Portishead, Billie Holiday and Beth Orton rolled into one haunting, industrial Jazz song about “being lead by the beauty of love into a grim corner of the mind.”
Tyler – I.F.H.Y.
The sentiment in that last sentence is echoed with greater venom by Tyler in this track. I’ve pretty much ignored most of the O.F.W.G.K.T.A. releases for a while now, over hype tends to result in an excessively underwhelming output, but the last Earl Sweatshirt video snapped me back in the room. Both videos are also directed by Tyler and I’m really starting to think that an occasionally excellent rapper and an often interesting producer, is far more consistent as an incredible director.
The Mouse Outfit – Escape Music (Album)
On a somewhat different part of the Hip-hop scale, but no less appealing for me, is the forthcoming album from Northern UK based live band, The Mouse Outfit. This video is a short selection from each track, featuring some killer guest appearances from rappers such as Dr Syntax, Sparkz, Black Josh, Fox and Dubbul O.
I’ve had this on heavy rotation at the moment and they’re another band I would highly recommend catching if you’re heading to Boomtown Fair this summer.
Stagga – Who Ya Gonna Kill
Stagga muuuurdered it with this (and everything else he played) at Troyfest last weekend. Rather gutted most people were crammed in watching Craig Charles so the Chrome Kids room wasn’t quite as busy as deserved during his set. Usually I’d have been well up some Funk & Soul too but generally on the last day of a festival, I’m worn out and had most of my emotions wrung dry, so I need to be challenged, I need someone to provoke and push buttons. Stagga was definitely the right man for that job.
Bonobo feat. Grey Reverend – First Fires
Aside from the Cornelia collaboration ‘Pieces’ which we included in the last Chrome Kids show, I’ve pretty much just been approaching the latest Bonobo album only in it’s entirety . It’s nice to break it down into these succulent bite sized chunks every now and then but I’m not yet totally convinced that the sum of the parts is greater than the piece as a whole.
Omar – The Man
It’s tough being a Soul singer in the UK. One classic hit and a small time to shine, then you either get lost in middle of the road pop mediocrity or middle of the road Jazz obscurity (I’m being brutally and unfairly sweeping with that statement I know). To be honest, even though I haven’t known (or really cared) where to find him, I have no real idea if Omar actually got lost anywhere. He popped up in my sights recently with a couple of excellent collaborations alongside Zed Bias and his alter ego Maddslinky, then from nowhere he drops this slick, soulful, low down and funky number, just so we know that he is actually still, The Man.
This Is Moko – Summon The Strength
Hopefully This Is Moko won’t subscribe to either of my prophecies for UK Soul artists, although being as this reminds me of classic 90s Shara Nelson or the earlier Emeli Sandé material (which I loved), it doesn’t fill me with too much hope truth be told. Still at least we have this to enjoy for the moment.
Hawk House – Tidal Tendencies
The YouTube comments proclaiming ‘the UK Digable Planets’ or ‘the UK Fugees’ should give you some idea where the band formally known as A Yelow Man are coming from. Hyperbole aside, these guys definitely are refreshing. I’ve not heard the whole mixtape yet but it’s downloaded ready to roll. Grab yourself a copy here.
The Uncluded – Delicate Cycle
Another release that has been refreshing my eardrums is the new project from Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson called, The Uncluded. They might seem a world apart and I know a few people who like them separately but can’t quite gel with them as a duo, however I think they’re perfect partners in poetry and this track in particular keeps pulling me back round again.
Pusha T – Numbers On The Boards
Pusha T has always had an acute ear for a dope beat, back since The Neptunes lay down their wares for The Clipse first album. Although Push knows how to ride still, it’s definitely the Don Cannon (and possibly Kanye) production here that is the stand out feature.
Walton – Baby
Okay it samples Brandy and has the same swing as Blawan’s ‘Getting Me Down’ but who gives a f**k. It’s still more interesting and certainly more fun than most / all of the other things that I dug out of the Chrome Kids Mailbox today. This is only coming out on Vinyl but if you’re strictly digital and can put it to good use, I’m sure you could ask him or the good fellas at Hyperdub really nicely and they’d be able to hook you up.
This actually follows on rather well from the last post as at around 56 minutes Brian Eno talks a little about creativity and education. However if you have a spare 1h20m don’t skip straight to that as he makes for an extremely engaging subject for a RBMA lecture / interview.
I remember him capturing my interest during a Roxy Music documentary but he’s still not an artist I have explored to any great length whatsoever. He certainly has some worthwhile views on subjects such as: the importance of constraints on creativity (and technology); and the relationship between both control and surrender with making or appreciating music. I also like his views on film soundtrack music (I hadn’t realised he provided the score for Top Boy).
Plus within an incidental story about working with James Blake and referencing within current music, is a mention of this stunning tune from the Rev James Cleveland’s Gospel Choir.
I can’t help feel that if we had an educational system built on the ideals of Ken Robinson, I would definitely never have left school at 14 and our society would have far less problems than the ones it faces daily. It’s such an important part of growing up, it seems crazy that we treat it the way that we do.
I honestly feel that Ken’s Ted Talks should be compulsory viewing in teacher training and most certainly if you’re a teacher or parent now then you need to watch them all. In fact, regardless of that, even if you never plan on teaching or having kids you should at least spare 3 minutes to hear what he has to say.
With our Chrome Kids Radio Show now down to just 1 a month, there should be no excuses not to get round to posting each one. Here’s the latest (just click on the picture to listen) plus each track individually for those non-committal types who prefer to scan through quickly and pick their favourites.
Talented, handsome, intelligent, passionate, compassionate, controversial, challenging, brave and extremely funny I always enjoyed Dave Allen’s show, I first started watching him with my Grandfather in the early 90s, however it wasn’t until watching this BBC documentary that I fully appreciated what a legend he truly was. Very inspiring.
Just an odd and highly biased little window of UK Rap music right now. This is by no means meant as a proper over view, just an excuse to post a bunch of tracks I’m feeling at the moment.
Strange U – Klaatu Barada Nikto
The more I listen to this the more I like it. Kashmere is one of those UK Hip-hop artists that is well respected within the confines of what used to be called a scene but is rarely found outside of the inner circle. His new project on Alex Nutt’s incredible Eglo label seems to have passed even them by but I’m sure somewhere it has opened him up to a whole new audience. At least I hope so cos for me it’s some of the most exciting material around right now. Definitely seems to be nods to the likes of DOOM and Kool Keith but that’s no bad thing really. Also check out this live session recorded on Kane FM.
Juice Aleem – MoorKaBa Light Bikes
Another rapper who has always had a steady foot in the present is Juice Aleem and he proves that hasn’t changed with his new single, which incidentally includes a remix of the (virtual) flipside ‘AnuMal’ by Kashmere.
On a more traditional UK Hip-hop tip is this Brummie / Bristol link up. The video gets extra bonus points for representing Biblios, pretty much my daily lunch spot.
I’ve always been a massive fan of the Reggae / Hip-hop mash up style ever since ‘Ragamuffin Hip-hop’ by Asher D & Daddy Freddy blew my head apart back in the late 80s. Then 89 I got an album called ‘Ragga Hip hop’ which first introduced me to London Posse with my favourite track on the album, ‘Money Mad’. Now many years later the Tru Thoughts label are set to rerelease it along with the whole ‘Gangster Chronicles’ album from 1990 and a bunch of remixes. My favourite on the single is one from Wrongtom but I can’t find it online anywhere so instead here’s a mini documentary made to promo the second coming.
Ghostpoet – Meltdown
A rapper who seems to eschew any sense of the traditional, I’ve been a fan since I first heard the freebies given away by Brownswood and booked him on no less than 3 occasions in Cardiff Arts Institute’s short history. However this new single didn’t catch me straight away and it took hearing the Squarepusher remix to go back and give it another chance. I’m glad I did cos it’s a new favourite.
This happens from time to time, I remember completely disregarding the first Roots Manuva album before a friend gave me a copy on tape and it didn’t leave my walkman for weeks. Sadly none of his recent outings have made it to second base.
ItsNate f/ G FrSH, Catch’Em x Phaze One (Piff Gang) – WSLTA (Remix)
Seeming to take their lead from newer US groups such as A$AP Mob, Main Attrakionz and Flatbush Zombies, I’ve been feeling a few tracks from ItsNate over the past year or so. Have to admit I don’t know anything about G FrSH or Catch ‘Em but it’s definitely similar in vibe to the Piff Gang stuff of whom Phaze One is a part of.
Astroid Boys – Minging
Last but not least my young Cardiff crew, Astroid Boys have this new video just dropped, ‘Mingin’. If you were quick you caught the single on Bandcamp but otherwise it will be out on Digital and Vinyl in July. I heard Earl Sweatshirt chatted to Traxx the other day and told him he was feeling it, likening it to a modern day Linkin Park . I’d say that was fair comment. I think it’s great they’ve been getting picked up by the Rock crowds and playing festivals such as Ghost Fest and Download , more power to them.
LATE ADDITIONAL MATERIAL….
XO Man – Ella
Actually I’m gonna add this in as I’ve just noticed it. XO Man’s been playing across the country with Astroid Boys and they performed at his EP Launch. Got much love for the big fella.
Mikill Pane – You Don’t Know Me
This also led me to revisiting this classic tune from Mikill Pane and Will Power whom I last last at the Astroid Boys / XO Man show at Birthdays in Dalston (hence why I’ve gone on that tangent). Make sure you listen all the way to the end!
“Only birth can conquer death—the birth, not of the old thing again, but of something new. Within the soul, within the body social, there must be—if we are to experience long survival —a continuous “recurrence of birth”(palingenesia) to nullify the unremitting recurrences of death. For it is by means of our own victories, if we are not regenerated, that the work of Nemesis is wrought: doom breaks from the shell of our very virtue. Peace then is a snare; war is a snare; change is a snare; permanence a snare. When our day is come for the victory of death, death closes in; there is nothing we can do, except be crucified—and resurrected; dismembered totally, and then reborn.”Joseph Campbell (The Hero With A Thousand Faces)
I hope that this doesn’t turn into a regular feature of the blog, but after having my ears bruised once again and leaving a gig early once again due to bad sound I feel like I need to a) have a rant and b) say something because this is not okay people!
Sound is the most important part of music, therefore it needs to be treated with more respect than anything else when it comes to shows. If you paid out for a 4* hotel and extra bottle of JD for the artist but your soundman is on a training scheme from the local college, you have seriously mashed up principles (I’m not saying this simply to have a go, I’m sure most promoters have been there. I’m saying it because it’s a situation that needs correcting).
I’ve already mentioned how hard it is to get soundmen that understand Hip-hop and can create good sound for an MC. Last night I got to Lakota in time to catch Four Owls and Problem Child, everybody I heard sounded either too muddy, too quiet or too tinny (that’s aside from the serious lack of bass in Problem Child’s set but that’s another issue for another time). So at least there was consistency I guess, because not even one MC sounded clear and punchy.
Now most bad soundmen will simply shrug and blame MCs for sounding muddy, “they don’t know how to hold the mic!” is the general excuse, and to be fair they have a point. I’d say around 90% of MCs cup the mic and shout straight into it, but this is partly due to the fact that they’re over compensating, because the sound is so bad and they can’t hear themselves properly (for the record the best way to hold a mic far as know, is holding it directly under the ball and rapping just over the top of it but close enough to be heard clearly – I’m sure there’s some angle advice in there some place too but it’s been a while since I was a rapper).
Just as with DJs redlighting, you can’t just shrug and accept that’s what they do – presuming they turn up to soundcheck then work with them at getting the best sound possible. If that means giving a couple of pointers then do that respectfully and a lot of the time they will listen. If they don’t then be the bigger man and do the best you can with what you have.
One of the reasons this irks me so much is I like going to see acts live, but rarely do I see a Hip-hop show I enjoy. It’s bad enough that most rappers have no concept of stage etiquette or showmanship (and I was probably just as guilty of this back in the day to be fair).
Where as any good band has a constant and natural feel for what the rest of their band members are doing, most Hip-hop groups seem to just stumble about stage and hope for the best. When you get up to Wu Tang level with so many members this can get seriously sloppy. I think the best Hip-hop act I ever saw that tackled this perfectly was Saian Supa Crew from France but there have been others. I saw The Pharcyde live again recently and they had a pretty tight, fun and interactive stage show. But if you put all these wrong factors together, nearly every Hip-hop show is a just a bunch of guys up on stage shouting incomprehensible stuff into microphones, it could be anyone up there really.
Sometimes this kind of works. I saw Heems at Start The Bus recently and he didn’t seem to know how to do anything. He spent the first 10 minutes wrestling with two microphones, one of which was set up as an echo mic and was just used to roar into like a Street Fighter character every now and then. He even admitted, “I’ve been rapping for 4 years and I still don’t know how to use a microphone.” Then after a further 5 minutes in a semi-soundcheck (he admitted to never turning up to soundchecks either) he skipped through a bunch of (Paypal paid for) beats on his laptop (occasionally aided by his highly stoned girlfriend) until he found ones he wanted to rap over.
To be fair, Start The Bus is hardly prized for it’s sound and Heems has a tendency to kind of slur through raps (the bouncer wouldn’t let him into the club at first because he said he was ‘too drunk’ – Heems was adamant that ‘hadn’t even happened yet’) but he still sounded clearer than most rappers live. Plus I have to admit to enjoying most of the show, I guess a lot of charisma, a strong voice and an ear for a killer beat goes a long way. It’s kind of like in painting, some artists obsess over the tiniest detail whilst others can pretty much throw paint at a canvas and it looks good. Eventually it got a little weary though and I left before the end.
On the opposite end of the scale almost was Dizraeli & The Small Gods, who I’d seen the night before. Now despite the fact that to label them as a Hip-hop band would be a little misleading, these guys know how to do a live show. You can tell they’re used to jamming a lot and everybody was exceptionally tight. Dizraeli seems to be one of those artists who obsesses over his craft, partly I would guess because he’s not a ‘natural’ rapper in say the Heems sense, but there’s no doubt that his lyrics are poignant and poetical and his delivery is tight! Every syllable is crystal clear and perfectly pronounced (albeit with a strong West Country twang) and when he actually forgets his lyrics at one point (getting caught up in the magic of the moment by all accounts) for the ‘first time in 10 years’ you can see him internally kicking himself. For the record this simply humanises the show more and is in no way detrimental to the overall performance.
I may have gone a little off track here, but what both of these performances prove is that rappers can sound good live. It doesn’t even have to be that hard but if the rapper make that extra bit of effort too then everyone’s happy. So massive props to both: the soundman at the Heems for working well with what he had; and the Dizraeli shows for respecting the quality of the act. But for all you Soundmen who are making do with sloppy sound, please sort it out! Just for me, because I’ve given up drinking and I’m too sober not to notice these things and let them affect me.
I’ve posted up a couple of videos from my boy Joe Driscoll’s album with Sekou but it took me til recently to actually sit down and listen to the whole thing and I can’t recommend it enough. I used to buy a lot of African Fusion style releases but this is definitely up their with the best of them for me. Plus it was recorded with just the two of them using loop pedals, now their rolling with a full live band I’m seriously looking forwards to what the sophomore album holds in store. Grab a free copy of this tune alongside an Eddie Rankin Dub mix here.
Also the boys have been nominated for a Songlines Music Award. For those who don’t know, Songlines was my bible when I first started trying to discover what music the rest of the world had to offer. It’s editor Simon Broughton is also editor of the rough Guide To World Music. They’re down to the final 4 so fingers crossed.
Ninjaman – Ninja Mi Ninja
When’s he’s on form Ninjaman is easily one of the most dangerous Dancehall artists out there and this is him at his badman best. This is a going into battle track and has the power of any big Ragga Hip-hop track from the early 90s. I can’t wait to hear this in a dance.
DumbFoundDead – Huell Howser
This is from one of my favourite Hip-hop albums at the moment. You can catch the full thing here. I caught it off a tweet from Breezy Lovejoy, I think he might have produced some of the album, although I’m pretty sure this is a Duke Westlake beat.
The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble feat. Zap Mama – Walk On By
This is epic, I love it lots. It’s from a concert put together by LA art activists ArtDontSleep at the end of last year. I once interviewed Zap Mama for the BBC at Glastonbury, I’d been sober the whole time and then just before the interview someone introduced me to Brothers Strawberry Cider (which then escalated into other things), the interview went surprisingly well considering but she was such a beautiful person I think maybe I gushed a little (or a lot).
If you’re digging this then please spare just a bit of time and money to help support Miguel Atwood-Ferguson in finishing his new album ‘Les Jardins Mystiques’ which will be released on Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label when it’s done. Donate here.
Captain Murphy – The Killing Joke
Speaking of Flying Lotus, when I first watched the ‘Duality‘ video mixtape from his alter ego Captain Murphy’s, it blew me away and I always vowed to come back and watch it again before writing about it, as with any other Flying Lotus release it commands that attention. Unfortunately that still hasn’t happened, to be honest I still haven’t made time to listen to the last Flying Lotus album – a year later. I think maybe I need to have an annual Flying Lotus day, where I can dedicate a day each year to just zoning in and appreciating. Either that or start smoking weed again. So if you’re like me and need life in handy bite sized chunks, here’s a track from the mixtape with new visuals.
Earl Sweatshirt – Whoa
Generally when artists get too over hyped I switch off, not through any pretension necessarily but because suddenly the blogs get flooded with standard or even sub standard material and it becomes almost impossible to find the good stuff again. For me Odd Future only ever had a few tracks that really stood out from the rest and hit me, but those were utter diamonds, so I’m glad I’ve found another track from the clique that I’m digging. Of course it is helped massively by Tyler’s expert skills as a video director.
Warrior King – Melody
Although not strictly a new tune, this Warrior King track has just been given a brand new video. It has all the makings of a classic and has easily been one of my most played Reggae tunes from the last year or so. I first caught this dude in Jamaica back in 2001, his single ‘Virtuous Woman’ was the biggest tune on the island and the album that followed received some major play from me. I also saw him live with Luciano and Cocoa Tea on Queen Street in Cardiff (the long gone club of many names was probably called Vision2K at the time) and he stood up well against the other two legends. Good to see him back strong.
WLAK feat. Christon Gray & Dre Murray - Long Way Down
I just wrote a rather long paragraph about this new track from Collision Records’ WLAK (We Live As Kings) project , but then realised that the best way (if you’re anything like me) is just to listen and appreciate it as a great R’N'B tune and not know anything else about it. I will however warn some of you that this speaks heavily to the me that used to have R Kelly’s ’12 Play’ on repeat and played Usher’s ‘U Got It Bad’ a million times when it first came out… yes that me exists.
Chilling with the younger generation when they have their heads screwed on is inspiring. Hope for the future in Wales most definitely. 3 hours ago
Vanity singing Zombie by The Cranberries... Damn! Wish you were here. 5 hours ago
Impromptu DJ set at 'Chucks' pop up burger & wings place in Pontcanna. Not even sure what tunes I have on me but should be fun. #cardiff12 hours ago
@john_rostron Been to a few of their things in previous years. Always a good line up. Shame didn't know but might try and catch a bit of it. 12 hours ago
