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Hippie House
2008-05-16 18:49:00
House Music Friday takes you to the place we don't always like to talk about...Now, I would guess most people wouldn't associate House music with dirty hippies, but there are House Hippies out there... and they're actually pretty easy to spot. Basically any party, music group or (best) "collective" that has the word "Tribe" in their name = dirty hippies. Full moon parties = dirty hippies. Didgeridoos & Nitrous tanks = dirty, dirty hippies. Were talking bonfires, bongos and birkenstocks. And there were no more popular makers of Hippie House than Dubtribe Sound System. Notice the word "Tribe" in there? Not a coincidence, folks. Hell, the two members of the group went by the names Sunshine and Moonbeam, for fuck sake. But, unlike your garden-variety hippies with their jam bands, House Hippies actually listen to good music... because Dubtribe, for one, were pretty awesome...Dubtribe Sound System - Nothing Is Impossible (ysi)As you might have guessed, I have attended such e...
More About: House

Homeboy, you never shut up!
2008-05-15 19:47:00
Breaking away from the obscure for a stone cold classic today...Now, at first I was thinking that there's certainly no need to tell anyone who Run-D.M.C. is... but then I realized this record is 23 YEARS OLD! And then I remembered how Raising Hell was the first Hip-Hop tape (TAPE!) I ever bought. Then I also remembered how I used to tape songs off Yo! MTV Raps and listen to them in my Walkman (WALKMAN!) as I drove a tractor around a hay field. Then I remembered that I'm really freaking old... and then I drank 2 bottles of Vodka. When I woke up, um... well, actually that just happened. So, what were we talking about?...Run-D.M.C. - You Talk Too Much (ysi)So there you have it, a nearly quarter-of-a-freakin'-century old version of "Stop Snitchin'"... they were ahead of their time...(Reaches for new Vodka bottle)
More About: Shut , Shut Up

Afro-funk King
2008-05-14 19:05:00
A little life lesson before the tune today... being stoned is not conducive to keeping secrets...It's been a while since I've posted some proper African Funk , and that, as they, ain't right! So let's fix that with a jammy by Nigerian sax man Peter King . That's about all I know about him, although if you click the name, I'm sure that article is very informative. I myself couldn't be arsed to read the whole thing this morning, but since when do I have to do all the work for you. Slackers...Peter King - Shango (ysi)While were on the Afro -Funk vibe, have I mentioned the blog Voodoo Funk to you yet? Well, if I haven't, I have now... so get your ass over there...

The D'n'B 3
2008-05-13 19:47:00
I've been up since 4 AM, so forgive me if I ramble...So, way back in the wee days of Drum & Bass, there were three main guys whose tunes got me into it (all courtesy of Jason Bentley), and they were LTJ Bukem, Goldie and Alex Reece. Now, Alex seemingly had the shortest run of the three, which is odd because his tunes probably had the most pronounced Pop edge. But then it was that Pop edge that seemingly led Goldie to shun Reece from his Metalheadz label, and after putting out a few records under the name "Al's Records", that was all for Mr. Reece. And then Goldie went on to shag Bjork, have a cameo in Snatch, and then become just as irrelevant himself. LTJ, of course, remains the man. The point of all of this discourse? Fucked if I know, but here's Alex Reece's best one...Alex Reece - Feel The Sunshine (ysi)How's that for scattered and pointless? Oh well, good tune at least...

One weird dude
2008-05-12 18:46:00
Mondays are a very good day to be mellow...Mixmaster Morris, aka The Irresistible Force, is one weird dude. The kind of weird that only a couple of decades of taking enough psychedelics to render an elephant retarded will make you. Pleasant guy to chat with though... good stories as you'd imagine. Heck, he even autographed one of my CD decks for me after he used it for a gig. But if you don't know the name (and many don't... I'd often show off my autographed deck only to hear, "who's that?"), he's definitely one of the larger figures of ambient electronica, right up there with Dr. Alex and Rick James, Bitch! (how I will now forever refer to Aphex Twin), and this album, Global Chillage, is one of the essentials of the genre. Just check out this trip...The Irresistible Force - Moonrise (ysi)Mixy, as his friends call him (ok, not really), has also been a fixture at The Big Chill Festival, which has an awesome lineup planned this year... if only I lived in England... sigh...
More About: Weird , Dude

HMF + NHL
2008-05-09 19:19:00
So, my little blog passed a milestone this week, hitting over 50,000 page views. Wow. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by... I really appreciate it! It's nice to know there are lots of folks out there who appreciate the good good music. Now, I had no idea you got a prize when you hit this milestone, but lo and behold, look what I got...Now, I'm just as surprised as you that I was awarded the Stanley Cup, but it sure looks nice on my coffee table. Blogging has its rewards after all!Now, on to House Music Friday...I've never been to Nottingham, England, but I've sure been all over their music scene lately... and here's yet another great act from Robin Hood's, uh, hood. They're a couple of blokes named Steve & Andy, aka Toka Project, and they make good House music... that's really all you need to know... Toka Project - I Gotta Go (ysi)And let's end up the week with a video to celebrate my new award...Have a great weekend!

Burger time
2008-05-08 19:22:00
Quick political thought before we get started... is the difference between delegates and Superdelegates... that Superdelegates get to wear capes? Today, I got more jazzy, Cali-style Hip-Hop for ya... which to me is a music of choice for the fast-approaching Summertime barbecue season. This one is courtesy of San Diego's The Sound Providers and NY MC Grap Luva, from the Looking Backwards compilation of previously 12"-only Sound Providers jammies. As is often the case, I can't claim to know too much about either of 'em (and I'm not the kind to cut-n-paste a Wikipedia entry and pretend I know stuff), but I do know the SPs have shown up on at least one of Mark Farina's Mushroom Jazz comps, which should tell you what you need to know about their sound... aka, it's good...The Sound Providers - Who Am I (ft. Grap Luva) (ysi)Yep, that kinda stuff makes me wanna grill burgers right there. So, who's bringin' the buns? (Make sure them shits have the sesame seeds on 'em, yo!)
More About: Time , Burger

Joe or no Joe? Who know?
2008-05-07 18:42:00
I think today's song selection may be slightly ironic, but I'll have to check with Alanis Morisette on that and get back to you...Today we have a return visit from the King of Latin Soul (it says so on his website!), Joe Bataan... sort of... because, well, Joe's famous for being a singer, but the shuffle (proving it's randomness) gave us an instrumental song. So, this Joe Bataan song may or may not contain any actual Joe Bataan. I'm guessing he's on piano, but who knows? He may just be in the back smoking a joint and hogging the credit. Which is fine with me. So yeah, you won't learn a hell of a lot about what Joe Bataan, the famous singer, sounds like from this track, but it is a killer uptempo Latin Funk bomb...Joe Bataan - Latin Strut (ysi)And yes, this was the first record to carry the "Salsoul" name. Turns out ol' Joe was in fact one of the founders of the famous Disco label and came up with the term (a bit of salsa, a bit of soul... clever guy!). Also, he's b...

In which I say farewell to the Indie Kids
2008-05-06 19:03:00
Predictably, the readership around here has taken a dip since the Blog-achella project ended and I'm no longer posting the same music as every other blog in the blog-o-sphere (did I say "blog" enough in that sentence?)... but you know what? Good! I don't need fans of flavor-of-the-day blog bands around here... I need you folks who appreciate the good stuff... like so...Assuming that you don't recognize that album cover on sight, I'll tell you it's Skintone Collection, a compilation of Japanese producer Susumu Yokota's best work on his own label (Skintone, that is). This guy isn't super-well-known in the states, but that hasn't stopped him from being ridiculously prolific... he's put out something like 32 albums - you know those crazy Japanese with their "work ethic" and "efficiency"... hmph! Now, I'm guessing with 32 albums, there's gonna be a bit of crap in there once in a while, so this is a good place to start if you wanna check what this guy's about. He does all...
More About: Kids , Indie , Farewell

Relaxo Monday
2008-05-05 18:54:00
Hey all! Hope you had a great weekend. How about that Kentucky Death Race Derby, eh? That thing's starting to resemble the chariot race from Ben Hur more and more each year. Maybe they should just lace the track with hidden, spike-filled pits and get it over with... yikes! Anyhoo, let's start the week off easy-style...The great Compost Records has put out many strong compilations over the years, but this might just be the best one, right here. Put together by DJ and bong aficionado Rainer Truby, this one is almost even worth the ridiculous price a used copy will cost you. Here's the lead-off track, courtesy of Extended Spirit, a side project of a couple of the guys from Jazzanova. Yep, another Jazzanova side project. What can I say? They're good at the music. This one's nice and relaxed...Extended Spirit - Solid Water (ysi)... yep, much more relaxed than, say, listening to a horse get it's brains blown out on live national television... ah, I'm just pissed 'cuz ...
More About: Monday

HMF!
2008-05-02 19:13:00
And now for the actual return of House Music Friday...... and a track from the first compilation released by the legendary Paris club, Respect, a track that stayed in my bag and received regular spins for years. That track is by a duo calling themselves Ame Strong, and if you believe what Discogs tells you, it's pretty much the only track these dudes ever produced. But hey, if you're only gonna have one track, ya better make it a good one... and it also doesn't hurt to have a legend like Francois K remix that bad boy for ya...Ame Strong - Tout Est Bleu (FK Remix) (ysi)You gotta wonder what the reason is for the 1-track discography? Let's see, they were French... did they eat some bad cheese? Trip into a guillotine? Can I come up with any more lame jokes to irritate my French readers? (Actually the answer to that last one is "yes", but I think I better quit while I'm ahead). Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tones of the world unite!
2008-05-01 19:29:00
We've got kind of a first around here today...... that being the first track submitted by a reader to be posted at Tonegents! This comes from my blog-buddy Floorman aka Tony Global (and yes, he does get special consideration for being a fellow Tony) reppin' Nottingham, UK. But this guy is no slouch sitting around in his underwear drinking Miller Lite and diddling around on Reason... you know, like myself... nope, Floorman runs with a cool crowd. Floorman Presents Stack is his tongue-in-cheek "supergroup", and that group includes members of a couple acts already loved by me, Fug and the awesome Crazy Penis! The results are predictably excellent, like this smooth Soul jam here, the kind of stuff that you'd think my man-crush Gilles Peterson would be all over...Floorman - Closer To Me (ysi)Buy it from Bocajito Records.... pretty nice stuff, no doubt. My man also has some killer re-edits and more originals posted up on his blog so make sure you check it out. And hey, if you g...
More About: World , The World , Tones

Anotha funky sista
2008-04-30 19:00:00
You know another favorite genre around here that got criminally neglected during Blog-achella? The Broken Beat goodness...... and today we right that with a three-nation collabo, featuring Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators (she's from Brooklyn, they're from Finland, where funk bands are a dime a dozen) remixed by London's Afronaught, one of the members of the mighty Bugz In The Attic crew. Now this Nicole Willis is flying under the radar a bit, but she should be in the same conversations as Sharon Jones, because she brings the same retro Soul/Funk heat, albeit with a bit less baaaaadass-ness. That's not a slam, it's just that there ain't no sista as baaaaadass as Sharon Jones right now. But enough with the chit-chat...Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators - Holdin' On (Afronaught Remix) (ysi)... but of course that remix isn't going to demonstrate my Sharon Jones comparison very well, so here's some YouTubes of the un-remixed Nicole...... so now you see what I'm...
More About: Funky

Coachella was not so jazzy
2008-04-29 19:47:00
So, with all that Coachella business going on the past couple months, there hasn't been much Jazz going on 'round here. Let's start to fix that, shall we?And what better way than with a track from the legendary Strata East label. These guys are were the finest purveyors of the Soul Jazz (or Spiritual Jazz, either of those terms basically being code for groove-based awesomeness), coming out of New York in the early '70s. Now, I can't find a dang thing on Billy Parker anywhere... which is odd since the Jazz-bos are usually so big on documenting the shit out of everything... all I know is he was a percussionist who played on a lot of label's sessions, and this album he did as a leader is pure fire...Billy Parker's Fourth World - Home (ysi)Unfortunately, like most of Strata East's catalog, this record is way out of print. But if you want to know more, check out The Strata East Fan Club and get yer learnin' on. We're talking some of the most amazing jazz ever made, folks...
More About: Jazzy

Another week has just begun
2008-04-28 19:59:00
You know what's better than Monday? Everything...So, last Friday we had some sample-source fun and today the shuffle gives us another very heavily sampled, certified funk classic, courtesy The Jimmy Castor Bunch...The Jimmy Castor Bunch - It's Just Begun (ysi)You may also remember this jam as being the only good song in Flashdance (dodges chair thrown at him by the president of the Michael Sembello Fan Club)... And, um... yeah, not feelin' to verbose today, so just put that in yer iPod, grab yer cardboard box and go to town, son!
More About: Week

Friday Fun with Steely Dan
2008-04-25 19:08:00
Since we're back to normal around here, that means it's House Music Friday ... well, starting next week I guess. 'Cause I just got this and had to throw it up for ya...It's in the same ballpark, though. You could totally drop this into a House set. Funky breaks from Canada's DJ Wood with a damn good remix of a Steely Dan classic. That's right, you heard me! Steely Dan, suckas! Don't even front...DJ Wood - Eye No (ysi)It seems that this vinyl has sold out it's run, though, as I've checked out just about every online record store I can think of and they all say "out of stock"... hmph! Too bad, too, because the other two cuts on this one are hot as well...--------------------But then that song reminded me of the first time I heard this someone flip this Steely Dan track... you know where this is going, don't you? Well, you should...Yeah, you totally knew that...De La Soul - Eye Know (ysi)And seriously, if you don't own 3 Feet High And Rising, um... what's wrong w...

Run, hippies!
2008-04-24 19:25:00
With all that talk about hippies yesterday, it's quite fitting that the iTunes on shuffle served up some absolute hippie-repellent today...Yep, some straight-up Black Panther style hip-hop should have 'em shakin' in their Birkenstocks... we're talkin' Dead Prez, the Florida rappers that would kick your ass long before they handed you a flower, bee-lee dat, Whitey! And these guys are pretty darn good, especially for their forward-thinking beat selection... definitely no run-of-the-mill beats on a Dead Prez record. This song's probably their biggest hit, and that might have something to do with Dave Chappelle picking it as his theme song... just sayin'...Dead Prez - Hip-Hop (ysi)Take that, ya patchouli-reekin' tree-huggers!
More About: Hippies

The return of the good-good
2008-04-24 00:11:00
All righty, then! Blog-achella is completed, and we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming... which around here is nothing but great music. And I'm gonna begin the return to normalcy with a song I've been dying to share here since Raul Campos dropped it on his show a couple weeks ago...Thief is a collaboration between a singer/songwriter dude and a couple of the bros from Jazzanova. Now, the cats at Sonar Kollektiv have taken to calling it Nu-Folk, a term I will admit I'm not too comfortable with... cuz, ya know Folk="Kumbaya" and shit... campfires... hippies... (shivers down spine)... so, lets agree not to call it that, and just call it an incredible song...Thief - Sunchild (ysi)Just makes ya all warm and fuzzy, don't it? Aw, crap... hippie term! (more shivers)
More About: Return , The Return , Good , Return of the , The Good

Blog-achella 08: The Big Finish!
2008-04-21 21:09:00
Okay, so while I've been plowing through the list, there have been some late additions to the lineup, so let's go through those first...First off we have Vas Defrans reppin' North Hollyhood with some kinda interesting instrumental Rock. But they lose all points for being named after part of my balls...... then, well... if it isn't Perry Fucking Farrell. You knew he'd worm his way on there eventually... it is tradition! Seriously, though, his fall from singer of one of the greatest bands of all time to unsufferable douchebag has been quite painful to watch, no?Next, L.A.'s Jupiter's Ring, who appear to all be about fifteen years old, so instead of listening to their music, I shall shake my fist and yell at 'em to get off my lawn.Moving on to Jesse Murphy, bass player of the fine Brazilian Girls, who apparently does some kinda DJ thing. Hey, as long as he doesn't suck as hard as Carlos D... wow, I've gone an entire Blog -achella without mentioning "fuck Interpol"... hey, ...
More About: Finish

Blog-achella 08: We got beef!
2008-04-21 16:26:00
Happy Monday, all. So over the weekend, I got a fantastic comment from one DJ Medi4. Ever heard of him? Me neither. Anyhoo, he left a doozy on the Love & Rockets post. Go ahead and read it. I'll wait.........Wow, the old man's up there in his rockin' chair and he wants me off his lawn, don't he? Well, I had prepared a long, detailed, witty (dude, it was totally witty) retort, you know, something about coming to someone's site, reading 3 posts, jumping to a bunch of false assumptions and yada yada. It was quite a retort, but a bit long-winded... so I distilled it down to it's purest essence. Here is my reply to DJ Medi4..."Gargle my cocksnot, douchetank! Don't you come all up in my interwebs talkin' smack! You don't knows me!" "Oh, and you ugly! Pwned!!1!1"Yep, that about covers it.Roger WatersWho he is: He's the dude from Pink Floyd.What he sounds like: Well, if ya don't know what Pink Floyd sounds like, I would find that odd. Because they're pretty big ...
More About: Blog , Beef

Blog-achella 08: Only a week away now!
2008-04-18 19:03:00
Let's start Friday by glossing over My Morning Jacket, whose stoner Rock can be interesting at times, but is too appealing to dirty hippies... and we don't want to encourage those people, now do we? Love And RocketsWho they are: The band that sprung from the ashes of Bauhaus.What they sound like: Considering they haven't put out an album in a decade, I guess I might actually have to tell some of you. They're kinda rock and kinda electronic... kinda like Trip-Hop with guitars...Love And Rockets - Trip & Glide (ysi)What I think: You know, this isn't exactly a reunion that has the kids drooling in anticipation, but I think it will probably be pretty darn good. Have a great weekend, everyone, and then we'll finish this puppy up on Monday!
More About: Blog , Week

Blog-achella 08: The Spaceman
2008-04-17 23:26:00
Getting close now! And even closer when I gloss over Gogol Bordello! And you know what, I'm not even going to make a joke about this one... I'm skipping them because they're fucking horrible. There, I said it... I hope I don't get kidnapped by Gypsies for saying it, but what's done is done... moving on...SpiritualizedWho they are: They're that band that's really only one guy, Mr. Jason Spaceman up there...What they sound like: Big, epic noisy Brit Rock, but like many one-man projects they sometimes suffer from the up-his-own-arse syndrome. Despite that, when it's good, it's really, really good... to wit...Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (ysi)What I think: I would be all over this were I going Sunday, but I'm not, so I guess it sucks to be me... nah, 'cuz I'm gonna see Prince, bee-yatch!
More About: Blog

Blog-achella 08: Le Hype
2008-04-17 19:11:00
I just read something that said Coachella's line-up looks like "the Hype Machine threw up all over it"... funny and true, and there's no better example of that than...JusticeWho they are: The much-hyped darlings of the Frenchy House scene, these were the guys that opened the floodgates of "fidget".What they sound like: You know, here's the thing... despite the undeniable genius of "D.A.N.C.E.", is there really anything separating these guys from the 520 other similar acts playing at Coachella? I say not really...Justice - DVNO (ysi)What I think: I guess if you're gonna check out any one of the Frenchy Housers, these would be the guys to check, but don't expect anything terribly different... these guys aren't Orbital or Underworld and they got a long way to go to even get tickets to the ballpark the big boys play in... just sayin'...
More About: Blog

Blog-achella 08: Tenaglia? I just met ya!
2008-04-16 23:26:00
And if you think that was a bad one liner, you just hold on tight...Danny TenagliaWho he is: One of the old school New York DJ's... emphasis on old. Dude's first turntables were a pair of these...Yup, when this guy started it was still called New Amsterdam!These are the jokes, people!What he sounds like: You know, despite the fact that he's a House DJ, he's never been one that I followed at all, so I'm not sure exactly what his sound is. How's that for informative?Danny Tenaglia - Bottom Heavy 2008 (Phunk Investigation Instrumental) (ysi)What I think: Sure... why not... what the heck...... okay, I think I've run out of gas for the day, huh?
More About: Blog

Blog-achella 08: Fun
2008-04-16 22:32:00
After a bit of inner debate, I'm gonna gloss right on past Metric. It's weird... on the surface these Canucks have some of the ingredients needed to liked by me... normally if an Indie Pop band has a girl singer and some keyboards they have a good chance. And as much as I would think I could get behind these guys (and I've tried), well... they really are just "meh"... especially when you compare 'em to these other Canucks...ChromeoWho they are: Montreal natives Dave One and Pee Thug... from Wikepedia: "The two have been best friends since childhood and they describe themselves as the only successful Arab/Jewish collaboration since the beginning of time". Now that's funny. Oh, and I can use this time to correct a mistake I made a while back and was informed of by a kind commenter. I had said that Kid Sister was A-Trak's sister, when she's actually the sister of one of the guys in Flosstradamus. I bring this up because it turns out that Dave One is actually A-Trak's big...
More About: Blog

Blog-achella 08: The girl with the odd alias
2008-03-14 22:19:00
And let's wrap up the week, shall we?St. VincentWho she is: Singer/songwriter from Dallas, real name Annie Clark, who I will try to give a fair listen to despite her allaince with Sufjan Stevens, who can suck it and suck it hard.What she sounds like: I'm sure the Indie Kids will take offense to this, but it sounds like typical singer/songwriter fare to me...St. Vincent - Marry Me (ysi)What I think: ... which isn't necessarily a horrible thing. I've heard much worse than this. I think she's kinda interesting... that said, "meh".Have a great weekend!
More About: Blog , Girl , Alias , The Girl

Blog-achella 08: Feelin' kinda beardy
2008-03-14 19:54:00
Because beards are for strokin', yo!Akron/FamilyWho they are: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, without doing any research whatsoever, that they are a bunch of dirty hippies.What they sound like: I think it's most easily summed up as music to kill yourself to veerrrrrrrrrrrry mellow folk.Akron/Family - Italy (ysi)What I think: This type of music certainly has it's place, I suppose... I'm seeing some kind of extremely depressing weinie roast under a freeway offramp, but maybe that's just me... it's not exactly what I'm going to Coachella before. Besides, as I've said before, this type of super-quiet stuff tends to get pwned! by the boompboompboomp coming out of the Sahara Tent or by the rawwrararawwwr from the guitars on the Main Stage...
More About: Blog , Kinda

Yay me!
2008-03-14 18:44:00
House Music Friday is feeling a bit smug this week...... because I got a rare remix for ya that has never hit the blog-o-sphere, and I believe that it is written in the Blogger's Code that I'm supposed to feel extra self-satisfied to the point of unbearable obnoxiousness when something like that happens. Anyhoo, the mix in question, off this compilation from Loaded Records, features everyone's favorite Norwegian Pop tart Annie given the work-over by remixers extraordinaire Freeform Five, which is, as they say, the mark of quality...Annie - Greatest Hit (Freeform Reform Vocal) (ysi)Yay me! Annie is supposed to have a new one (finally) coming out soon... can't wait for that one!

Blog-achella 08: A note from the management
2008-03-13 22:49:00
And now, more French House! Just kidding...MGMTWho they are: A duo (why do I so enjoy the word "duo"? Discuss...) from Brooklyn.What they sound like: Indie Pop w/ keyboards... this one is probably the most dance-y of their songs, the others have a bit more Rock goin' on, but the pop sensibility is strong... which turns out to be a good thing, btw...MGMT - Electric Feel (ysi)What I think: This is the kind of band that has the potential to provide fine entertainment during such time slots when nobody you are really dying to see is playing... which is a good thing, btw...
More About: Management , Blog , Note

Blog-achella 08: You'll never guess...
2008-03-13 21:10:00
Now, for a change of Blog -achella pace... more French House!Institubes Paris Terror ClubWho they are: They would be Surkin, Para One, Curses and Orgasmic (who don't got no Myspace, so he don't get no link... suck it!).What they sound like: I think you've got the idea by now. I'm gonna throw up a song by Surkin, who is a young, 20-year-old whippersnapper and probably the biggest name in this group (not that anyone other than avid blog nerds know who any of these people are)...Surkin - Kiss 'n Horns (ysi)What I think: I think you've got the idea on this by now, too, since you all religiously read every single word I write... twice. But don't worry, there's still plenty more of these guys left on the bill, giving me plenty more times to repeat myself.
More About: Guess