2x5

And to keep things rolling, here's a current top of the pops (new and old) down at disco village HQ, no links, just google:

Jackie Wonder - Too Much Pressure On The Kid - Kalinda 7"
Rupture - Israel Suite - Diggers Digest LP

Robin Imamshah & Trinidad - I Can't Stop Adoring You - Kalinda 7"

Embryo - Nothing Is Impossible - Yolk 7"

Aska/Fuego - Trance - Teenage Teardrops LP

Tapes - Datura Mystic - Honest Jons 12"

Chiwoniso - Zvichapera - Nyami Nyami 12"

Kakai Kilonzo - Mama Sofi pt 2 - No Wahala 7"

Baba Comandant & The Mandingo Band - Juguya - Sublime Frequecies LP

Velvet Season & The Hearts of Gold - Long Black - Resista 12"

Tevo Howard - Summer Romance - SOTU 12"

Tip of the iceberg

Yo, dude, like whassup with you, where you at?

Right here, man, right here:

5,6,7,8

There are other purveyors of black plastic, here's my recommendations from one:

That's not my dog!

June/O

The usual selection of unavailable, unattainable and overpriced records listed through Juno (there are other purveyors of musical delicacies)

 

jun-o

Everybody loves a bit of Chart action. Bear in mind that these are only records available from Juno - there are lots of other records in lots of other stores that are equally as unavailable, such as the 8 copies for the world "special edition" Sun Ra Arkestra live at Squat:

 "So many fond, fun memories of those magical, wonderfully endless Nights Of Ra at Squat - the time there was a massive blizzard yet the house was at least half-filled for Ra, and half the band arrived an hour late for the first show and played as hypnotically as ever, while the rest of the band gradually straggled in through the snow...and not only did nobody in the audience leave, but I believe more people filtered in to experience the Intergalactic Cosmo Jet-Set traveling circus medicine show...Or the time it was SO packed one of Ra's dancers tripped over a slightly inebriated fan sitting on the floor in front of the stage, and Ra got furious and lectured the crowd about how he oughta pick up and leave right then and there - Giorgio Gomelsky yelled from the back "but Sun Ra, he loves you! we all love you!" Giorgio and others of us in the audience engaged Ra in an intense prolonged bout of debate and pleading - talk about "cosmo drama," it was pure white-knuckle theater (how appropriate!) and Ra did finally calm down and stay to finish the show...or the time late late late one night Ra was parading through the crowd as he always did, chanting "you gotta LEAVE this planet!" and he got to the bleachers in the back where I always sat and a guy was passed out on the 2nd bleacher level and Ra leaned right in his face and screamed "YOU GOTTA LEAVE THIS PLANET!" and the guy woke up and ran outta there terrified...one time the stage was switched from the back wall to the front, with the window onto 23rd Street behind the band - so if you looked hard, you could see passersby peering in - a very "Squat Theater" thing to do!..."

Gotta keep pushin on

Juno chart action. Even easier for your funds to disappear.

http://www.juno.co.uk/charts/dj/337907-Fred_Naked/565112-Chart/

10 From The Crates pt 2

Andy continues his 10 From the Crates series:

6. Common featuring Erykah Badu, Pharrell and Q-Tip - Come Close ( Jay Dee remix)
12” MCA Records 2003

Q Tip and Erykah on a joint produced by Dilla- it’s a must.





7. Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace (The Complete Recordings)
CD Rhino 1999

I love Aretha to bits, and I love gospel choirs so this lp was going to be a hit with me.
I believe it was recorded during a period when Aretha was agoraphobic and going to the studio wasn’t going to happen, however Atlantic wanted an LP from her. A mobile recording unit was sent out to her Fathers Church, the Southern California Community Choir was summoned, Bernard Purdie was called in for drum duties. Two services at the church were recorded; one on Friday 13/1/1972 and then the next day Saturday 14/1/1972 with the Friday serving as a rehearsal. I seem to recall that’s bits were taken from both evenings and edited together to form the original 1972 vinyl release. However if you ask me, you need the double cd version. Essential both services with sermons and everything left in, one on each disc.
The real joy of this to me is the way Aretha works in pop songs amongst the gospel standards, and of course the whole thing sounds incredible. Here is a a track from the the 1972 lp (but it’s on the cd also don’t worry):





8. Isan - Trois Gymnopedies
7” A Number Of Small Things 2006

Isan are an electronic duo that I shamefully know very little about and this single comprises 3 Erik Satie covers - Trois Gymnopies Number 1- Lent Et Doulouurex, Number 2- Lent Et Triste and Number 3- Lent Et Grave.
What you get are well crafted electronic versions of Erik Satie most famous piano pieces, with added glitch noises. It’s worth noting that for the last few hours I have been trying to remember where I bought this record and I have no clue, which adds to the magic for me:






9. Aphex Twin- “We Are The Music Makers”
From the lp “Selected Ambient Works 85-92”  Apollo 1992

Not at all rare or expensive, but if I’m making a top 10 records list this has to go in. I was 19 when this came out and had just been introduced to acid, to say this blew my mind would be an understatement. Lovely thick bass layers, pretty melodies, crunchy drums and a sample from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For me this is the Aphex Twin at his very best:






10. Augustus Pablo -  Meets Rockers Uptown
LP Yard Music 1976

Augustus Pablo is king of the melodica and King Tubby is master of the mixing board, bring them together and you get this. Simply put one of the best reggae lps ever to my humble ears. There is so much heat on this lp that I have struggled to pick a track to share with you. After quite a bit of thought I decided that their version of Jacob Millers “Baby I Love You So” would be the one:







I hope that you enjoyed some of those, if you did you will be pleased to know that each of my top 10 is available for £5 or under on discogs…..

10 From The Crates pt 1

Ok,this has been done so many times by so many people and on so many blogs but I always love to read them. Over the next week or so I am going to list 10 of my favourite records, some old favourites and some that criminally I had slept on ’til recently. These are in no order, other than the order in which I have pulled them off the shelves.

1. Dub Narcotic Sound System -  “Rhythm Record Volume One - Echo‘s From The Scene Control Room” LP (K records)

This lp was released on K records in 1995. Dub Narcotic was the project of Calvin Johnson, owner of K records. K released a lot of seminal US indie records.  7”s, cassettes, fanzines - the whole lot.
The K motto is "exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982”. Lo-fi, punk influenced, DIY, fiercely anti corporate record company that’s the kind of thing you get. Or rather that’s the kind of thing you usually get, Dub Narcotic Sound System was/is different.

Again it’s lo-fi and has a very DIY feel, but the music played on this lp owes more to funk grooves and dub aesthetics (the melodica features heavily in the DNSS sound) than it does punk's visceral thrills.  Although as I type this I realize that punk, dub and funk where often recorded on the cheap and sound all the better for it in many cases. So to summarize this is a lp of lo-fi indie funk jams with space echo and melodica. Here is a track from the lp called “Echo Control”




If that has tickled your fancy I can recommend the series of 7” singles the band released known as the Dub Narcotic Disco Plates. In the reggae tradition these have vocals on one side then the dubbed out version of the flip.

2. 3 Generations Walking - Midnight Bustling (Francois Kervorkian Dubs)
10” Spiritual Life Music/EFA 2003

I first heard “Midnight Bustling” played by Kelvin Brown in the hot and sweaty back room of the Electric Chair in Manchester, and I loved it. Trouble is I couldn’t remember what it was. Fast forward a decade and a bit and Matt (of this here blog) pulled out his copy and just as I fast I ordered one. A week later I ordered the FK mixes. I very nearly listed the 12”, but after a few listens this morning the 10” wins.
I can’t find a you tube clip, so I shall do my best to describe it. It’s dub house of the highest order, and then dubbed out some more by FK. I love the echoing trumpets, and as luck would have it the b-side is the four minute “Trumpet Fanfare”. Besides the trumpets there a snatches of vocal, reverb soaked percussion and all manner of beautiful little subtleties floating over a digital steppers rhythm fused with house‘s mighty kick drum. As you would expect from Mr Kervorkian this is a record to loose yourself in.


3. Rita Lee - “And I Love Him”
Taken from the lp “Build Up” (Polydor Records 1970)

Y’all know Rita was a founding member of Os Mutantes, so that saves me a bit of typing. This comes from her first solo lp released whilst still recording with Os Mutantes.
The whole lp is great from start to end, but for me the stand out is the Beatles cover “And I Love Him”. I can't put my finger on what it is I like so much but the piano/organ combination kills me, and the little drop in the middle followed by wah-wah'ed guitar strokes is almost too much. Here is a you tube link for your listening pleasure:




4. Brian Eno - “By This River”
Taken from the “Before and After Science” lp Island Records 1977

I love Brian Eno, generally I favour his full-on ambient pieces such as Music for Airports, Apollo, Music for Films etc.. However there is something so beautiful and yet so sad about “By This River” that it had to be the one I chose. It’s the lilting piano and the fragile nature of his voice that does it for me:




5. Cheri - “Give It To Me”
12” Single Venture records 1982

I’m shocked at myself it’s taken to number 5 to get to the disco, but this is worth the wait. I have to thank Nick the record for introducing me to this in Mr Scruffs Tea tent at the Latitude festival this summer. Simple, infectious disco with a killer chorus here it is for your pleasure




I got lucky and found Ken Colliers copy on Ebay with his writing on it, which leads me to believe it may have been a hit in the clubs of Detroit back in the day. Cheri’s mum was Geraldine Hunt and her brother is Freddie James, quite the disco family.

10 for the win

This month, we're loving:

1). Tony Humphries live @ Zanzibar courtesy of Mark Seven at www.juswax.com

http://www.juswax.com/juswax/boombox.asp?clipid=Hump191086Tape1SideA&length=2935

http://www.juswax.com/juswax/boombox.asp?clipid=Hump191086Tape1SideB&length=2925



2). Oki-Ni presents "Truth" by Dam Funk:

oki-ni presents TRUTH by DaM-FunK by oki-ni


3). Walter Gibbons SINGING on this one off acetate cut in his living room:

If you ask nicely I'll do you a nice low quality MPFree! ;-p

4). Another new collection of unreleased acid & jack trax from 80's Chicago courtesy of Mr Gene Hunt (the "I don't know" cut by Steve 'Silk' Hurley currently rocking down the D-V)

5). Tom Noble's "Superior Elevation" record label goes from strength to strength with finished copies of it's second release, big disco tip!

6). 2WK Sarc & Bassett - Still Dreamin'

The 'original' duke of Cambridge...!

7). Monsieur Mudd, you're just spoiling us... Claremont absolutely KILLING it!  The hype around "Birds" was big - the track actually lives up to it, amazing, amazing groovy soft rock balearic psyche!

www.claremont56.com

Torn Sail - Birds 12"

Holger Czukay - Hey Baba Rebop 7"

Almunia - New Moon LP

8). Andrew Morgan of Earcave (www.earcave.com) and People's Potential Unlimited (www.peoplespotential.com) keeping up the release pressure:

Ultimate Choice - Get It Up 12"

The X-Man - That Body

9). Still, gotta keep things fresh - brand new original material - awesome electro-dub vibes all round:

Publicist - Keep it off the record 12"

Freekwency - Don't Tell Me 12"

10). Keeping it even, Steven. New Secret Circuit Cosmic Cassette Action! The 2nd hour long Secret Circuit tape. Cosmic disco, endless and seamlessly mixed. This one's got a little bit of a darker undercurrent than Cosmic Capers. Deep layers of mind melt. 150 pressed.

Get it at www.teenageteardrops.com