Grand Wizard Theodore and the Fantastic released this 12" in 1982 on the Soul-O-Wax label. You might know the Fantastic 5 from Wildstyle (where they were known as the Fantastic Freaks), or maybe you are already up on the crew: Waterbed Kev, Master Rob, Dot-A-Rock, Prince Whipper Whip and Ruby Dee.
For me, they are the only crew that can stand up to the greatness of the Cold Crush in that era. Not that there weren't a host of other amazing crews, and I gotta say that Funky Four + 1 are my all-time favorite, but Cold Crush/Fantastic have that ill chemistry that makes them great.
If you don't know about african funk/afrobeat music, you need to go visit Frank at Voodoo Funk.
Even if you think you know, you don't know like your man does.
He regularly posts his finds, and his latest mix has been on constant rotation. He has me dreaming of wax from Ghana. Add to the amazing music his candid tales of vinyl archeology and worldwide DJ adventure, and you have a contender for best music blog on the web.
I had no intention of going so long between posts, but this week was kinda rough at work, and any bits of free time that I could find were devoted to bike rides in an attempt to reduce the stress level. This Diplo mix makes for good work out music.
An alias for Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5 yielded this masterpiece from the first year of hiphop on wax: 1979. Looks like this came out on Brass Records which yielded some good 12s from the era.
Everyone's flow is a lot more raw on this than on the Furious 5 songs, and I think everyone loves this one for its raw energy.
I guess my friend Mike has known for a long time. He spent 10 years tracking down the history and artifacts of Colorado psyche/garage music in the 60s. He can break down the science on not only the bands and the records, but also on the clubs and recording studios. He really knows his sh*t. Gear Fab records reached to him out and put together a compilation called Psychedelic States: Colorado in the 60s (couldn't find an image of the cover).
Even at 50 tracks deep, the quality never slips. I had no idea anything this good/freaky could come out of Denver, Greeley, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Manitou Springs (Say what?). Needless to say, Mike has done his homework.
I can't remember the first time I heard hiphop music. I think it must have been Run DMC. That really resonated with me. Before then I always had the Rock'n'Roll hits of the 50s and the Motown classics of the '60s in my Radio Shack walkman, but I remember that You Be Illin was my sh*t. It took me some years to track down any other hiphop from the early 80s when I was younger. I loved the sound, but didn't really have the resources to acquire it. In a Colorado town of 100,000, before the internets, and with a steady diet of country music from my parent's stereo, I filed that drum machine sound away. But I didn't forget. I think this probably formed the basis of my beatdigging lifestyle.
Sometime around the end of Junior High, I found a cassette that was titled something like 'The Early Years of Profile' which was dope (does anyone else remember this thing?). It contained a stack of classics from that label (Fly Guy, Fresh, etc), but I kept rewinding to hear one song in particular called Beat Bop over and over again. Knowing what I know now, it was a good introduction to that first generation of hiphop records (I don't want to get into the significance of Rammelzee vs. K-Rob now, but if you don't know this record you need to do your homework). In fact, Beat Bop launched a lifelong obsession with the 79-83 era in hiphop records. They don't really turn up in Denver all that much (although Trickeration made my summer last year), so I had to wait for the world-class diligence and obsession of European collectors to finally compile, bootleg, and open the door for me to finally hear all those obscure classics I'd been reading about for so long.
On the real, why is it that some many other countries hold American music so dear while we forget our own history? I'm looking at you England/Japan/Germany. I guess a 'thanks' is in order.
When the first generation of rap crews was performing live, they rocked to the doubles their DJ brought to the jam. When it was time to record, they didn't have samplers, so they rocked to backing bands. Hence the name for this generation of rap records being called Disco Rap. Its a subject that is dear to my heart, and there is a lot of music to share, so stay tuned.
To kick it off, peep this video featuring two of my favorites from this era: Granmaster Caz aka Casanova Fly (spell that out letter by letter and then tell me Sugar Hill Gang wasn't biters!) of The Cold Crush Brothers and Sha-Rock of The Funky Four Plus One. Just in case, you were thinking these were some dinosaurs that don't have any relevance in 2007, we'll start here:
I love reggae music. I can't afford to buy it though. Not that a whole lot of reggae vinyl turns up in Denver, but even when it does, I force myself to turn a blind eye. I can't afford to buy up all the music in all the genres I love. I would be broke in no time. I did make an exception for Tenor Saw. My man Tim had the LP last time I was at the Austin record show, and I couldn't pass it up.
Beyond the ultimate classic Ring the Alarm (on the almighty Stalag riddim), I fell for Fever and Lots of Sign the very first time I heard them. Come to find out, Tenor Saw was killed in 1988. Three short years is not a lot time for creative output to make a lasting impression, but your man did just that.
The news of his passing has left me in a strange place the last couple days. According to James Brown's autobiography, the Byrd family took him in after he got out of prison as a youth, and they were together until the mid 70s as far as I know. Thats as official as it gets.
I'm not sure quite how to explain my fascination with this record. Simply put, it is a soul record. One of countless soul records in my crates. As I've moved past my twenties, my appreciation for soul music has increased deeply, and these records get more spins. I'm getting soft. Its true. I'm ok with that. I'm ok balancing out James Brown with The Whispers. I have a new appreciation for Curtis Mayfield albums. I'm not fighting this new reality. But still, this album is something else altogether.
It came out on the GSF label which was also home to the mighty Skull Snaps, Joe Quaterman & Free Soul, and a number of other coveted funk/soul releases. In fact, I've only ever found 1 weak album on the label: Avoid this.
The Classic Example is produced in a strange sort of way by W. Stevenson and C. Colbert. There is clearly a very specific vision for the feel of the album, and it feels like it was meticulously crafted. Big strings. Reverb. It recalls bits of the Wall of Sound, but it feels different. Maybe updated, or maybe just the same ideas in the hands of different producers. I can't quite put my finger on it.
It retains some of the innocence of the late '60s, even though it was released a few years into the '70s. This innocence is reflected in the lyrics, the vocal performance, and in the production as well. The singers are very capable, and they have the best qualities of soul singers: Honesty, Vulnerability, and Sweetness. Whether or not it is, every story seems true. That sweetness makes the pain that much more bitter.
My copy of this isn't the cleanest, and it took several passes to get the levels right when I was recording this. I listened to the first side 4 or 5 times through in a row, and by the time I got it right, I was a bit drained. Its like that.
The session was backed by top players: Paul Humphrey, Wilton Felder, and Joe Sample. The musicianship is outstanding, but I wouldn't have guessed these were the players. They all lay in the cut. I always wonder when session guys of this caliber show up on small label LPs whether or not they would ever think about the session again. I wonder if these guys even remember this LP. I wonder if they have any idea how coveted it is today.
My copy arrived in the mail today from Turntablelab. The album spans several decades of Blacknell's life, and it ends up feeling very personal. Through the 25 tracks of the album, not much is left unsaid, and no variation of Soul is left untouched. You end up with a great sense of Blacknell's evolution over the years. There are some great unpolished moments on the CD as well, which humanize the artists. Complimenting the music Ubiquity included exhaustive liner notes, which round out the package quite nicely indeed.
Rendezvous With The Sun is an insane album by Cali Jazzman Howard Wales on his Costal imprint. It was released in '76, which kind of a wack year for jazz, and admittedly it starts out with some rather lame fusion tracks. I think some of the fusion stuff was just ego-stroking nonsense. Like "look how many beats I can get in this bar!" Yes, you are great. College students the world over are in awe of you when they are stoned. Anyway...
Thankfully your man gets down to business after the first 2 tracks. Fearless use of electronics, and just the right measure of discord. Its a trip, man.
I don't need to remind you how CD sales are slumping or that the Soulja Boy torrent you are downloading is already done. Alright, I'll give you a minute to finish posting your Crank That video to The 'Tube.
The iTunes Store proved that MP3 was for the masses, and my friends at Beatport proved that digital music for niche markets by niche retailers could be a success. They are leveraging that success to launch Beatsource for the 'urban' side of things. Two well-loved online retailers for all things hiphop/soul/funk/rare groove/etc are also launching their digital efforts this week.
Hiphopsite.com has stopped selling CDs and closed their storefront in Las Vegas in favor of moving to digital sales. With the beta just having gone live, I purchased the new Mumbles album. The price came in at $13, which is a bit more than iTunes, but no DRM, and 320kbps .mp3s justified the price for me. The download was fairly slow (around 23k/sec), but to be fair I was using a lot of bandwidth on a differnt machine at the same time. Hiphopsite was always really slow to ship orders in my experience, but their exclusives kept me coming back. It looks like they are going to keep that momentum going with bonus tracks on digital releases. Overall, I'm pleased with the new shopping experience there, and I'll def keeping checking back in with them.
I found Turntablelab.com way back in 2000. They have been on point every day since then. They are up on trends like nobody else, and it seems like they have been smart about growing their business over the years. Digital sales are a natural fit, and the timing seems good for them to launch the new service. I have yet to try it out. The content is amazing as usual, and I'm sure it is good. You should be there buying the Greenwood Rhythm Coalition EP right now.
I'm saying though. The design of the digital portion of their site has kept me from jumping in. The TTL brand has evolved over the years into a unique sort of heavy-handed Swiss design meets LES, NYC. Solid color fields, well-crafted and slightly clumsy type, tight use of color and an obvious passion/obsession for design. Every pixel is accounted for. Then along comes the Digital portion of the site, and it looks like they fell back on the now-established (and kind of played out) Web 2.0 look. Whats the deal? Gradients, shiny buttons, confusing icons. It seems to me that they are violating the best parts of the TTL design language. Obsession turned to over thinking maybe? Of course, I may just need to get used to the new look.
Good luck to everyone entering the market, and keep an eye out for the Wax Poetics shop to open soon as well.
The Heliocentrics is a new Malcolm Catto project on Stones Throw. It is a trippy album fueled by outstanding musicianship. Lots of meandering, discord, and electronics afloat in an ocean of reverb. At times the melody takes a distant back seat to the relentless rhythm and free compositions, but The Drummer really delivers. Some of the sampled vocals come across as cheesy to me, reminding me of that 'Presage' turntablist album from the late 90s, but don't let that stop you. This is great headphone music.
Out on the 25th, and it looks like they will be putting out a series of 12"s with rappers. My money is on Percee P being the one to get.
Paul's new album Baby Elephant 'Turn My Teeth Up' with Bernie Worrell (act like you know!) is out soon. They didn't create some weak throwback nonsense. Paul didn't jump on any retro-funk bandwagons. Its not some sad homage to how great Parliment/Funkadelic once was, athough it doesn't hide from the past. It is instead a fearless, mad biography.
Billboard called it 'acid funk' but that doesn't really get the essence. As soon as you think you have a handle on this thing, it turns left. Again and again. What else would you expect from these dudes?
I remember playing endless Double Dragon with 3 Feet High & Rising on repeat in the (Radio Shack) walkman. It was really the first hiphop album that I fell in love with, and over the last 18 years (…wait, what?) I've kept coming back to it. Now I'm floored by the samples that Prince Paul was able to mash into a cohesive album, and the innocence of De La. They literally grew up on their first 4 albums, and if you haven't listened in awhile, its time for a revisit.
3 Questions: 1) How ill is it that Paul pulls the Mickey Mouse Club break in '89? 2) How can I get a Big Daddy Kane endorsement? 3) How are you gonna rock a Mexican Pullover/Baja on Long Island, NY and not be at least kind of a hippie?
I read the article today, and it has me a little spooked. Rick Rubin could save the Majors. I really think he could. He will definitely put out some amazing music over the coming years, and his explanation of how he determines whether something is good or bad is beyond cool. I guess letting a (record-selling) Barbarian like Rubin into the inner circle means the Majors are realizing just how lost they are. I really think Rubin could lead the charge and turn it around for them. Maybe with quality content the subscription model will be viable.
I must say that I didn't really think that the majors needed saving. They have bullied the tastes of the people and catered to the lowest common denominator for a long time. Maybe since the Monkees. There has been an inordinate amount of music manufacturing and design, and all too little honest creation. They are greedy. The business model of the Majors seems to prevent artists from really making any money on album sales. I remember hearing way back in '94 - '95 that Q-Tip was still living with his moms despite ATCQs success, and I knew something was up. In the article the English dude who is working opposite Rubin at Columbia mentions that he wants his artists to start paying a higher percentage back to the label on touring/merchandising profit...the place most artists make their money. Yikes.
Then you have the reactionary hubris of the Major label response to the mp3 revolution of the late 90's. Instead of embracing technology, they ignored until it was too late, and then lashed out. The RIAA scouring your hard drive for shared music has not slowed illegal file sharing one bit. I thought when Napster was really going off that it was the window for the whole industry to launch into the future, and secure their position. I waited for something to come along and change the game up. Who knew it would come from Apple? You can see from NBCs reaction to Apple's flat pricing that the companies giving Apple content want more. They just seem inable to get it on their own.
So I say let them die. Bring on a phase of chaos. Let new rules be written by the indipendants. Let new technologies drive new revenue models, and put the artists first. Burn, baby, burn.
But what if Rubin really activates his $5/month subscription model across the industry and it takes off. What if they manage to keep the Indies locked out? I doubt even the good intentions of Rick Motherf*ckin Rubin could keep the business focused on artists if it really took off.
I for one hope it doesn't.
But I still love you anyway Rick. Thanks for T La Rock.
Top That! - Watch more free videos How many times have you wished your best friend had a magic crystal that would allow you to serve that entire crew of silk-vested MCs from down the block?
The mighty heroes at Ubiquity Records keep their string of essential releases going. They assembled a compilation of material from the career of the mighty Eugene Blacknell that they have titled 'We Can't Take Life For Granted.' I have only heard a handful of songs from this man, but all of them have been face melting (in a good way of course).
From the Ubiquity newsletter:
Oakland guitar ace Eugene Blacknell released multiple singles that ranged in style from raw r'n'b to power house funk. His musical career stretched from the early 1960s to the end of the 1980s and during that time he established himself as an East Bay original, an entrepreneur, an activist, and a family man. With so many accomplishments it’s an irony of fate that he died before releasing an album despite having recorded enough material for several. This will be the first official Eugene Blacknell album, and the story of a Bay Area legend.
Just scored a copy of Metroid Prime 3 for my fiancee. This means that she will be completely unavailable for the next month as she saves the universe from the scourge of the Space Pirates yet again. Her obsession is a double-edged sword. It gives me time to work on all sorts of creative endeavors without the threat of home improvement project discussions. On the other hand, she keeps me grounded, and by the time she is blasting away at Mother Brain, I will be ready to get back to normal life.
In honor of the event, here is a joint off of a strange LP from North Carolina by Pervin Lee. The majority of the LP is kind of a weird soul/calypso thing, but he slays it on 2 funky, funky tracks. This one 'You Don't Care' is my favorite of the 2 with high energy and a devastating horn line.
