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Friday, April 22, 2011

Acid Rumba-Gypsy Psych-Funk 69-76












~I've been banging this comp all week in the ride. For most save the most seasoned beat digger, these tracks are all new to the ear. I did reach for the fast forward button a few times, but, for the most part, I'm able to kick back, drop the windows and imagine myself cruising through the streets of Barcelona in the early-to-mid 70's, wind blowing through my hair, blasting the killer funk fuzz. I cant seem to find a tracklist online (maybe its a secret) but track 7 is a personal fave. Both my inner-hippie and inner-bboy have been thoroughly satisfied with this one! Recommended!


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Few Reggae & Funk Burners




~so I'm trying out a new look here. I came across some new template and couldn't resist giving it a shot...I'm diggin it for now....


...I've been scoring a bunch of new records as of late; its not like I dont already have crates full of stuff I've yet to listen to...its just that I feel a sense of accomplishment at acquiring more; no Veblenian act of conspicuous consumption, just a therapeutic act that lets me get my mind right...speaking of....



~BANGER!


~gonna hafta go watch 'Rockers' now...


~scored a NM copy of this on 7" recently...FunkBangerSupreme!


~got this on 7" as well...killer tune!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Cairo Rising--Documenting R(evolution) in N. Africa



~Its no secret that great music tends to emerge from societies undergoing tremendous social/political change. Perhaps its something wholly intangible--a zeitgeist that sweeps through a nation, ignites movements, sparking the creative class--those artists/musicians/poets--to release what lurks within. Personally, I think of the late 1960s, the Vietnam era, the Civil Rights movement, the counter culture, and the incredible soundtrack that accompanied those pivotal times. I get the feeling that such music is waiting to be recorded in North Africa. Jef Stott seems to agree.

~a video I came across on Vimeo that features some telling images...

Photographer John Moore on 'Epic' Libya Battles, Arab World Revolutions from Mike Fritz on Vimeo.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Spotlight on South America
















~this group here hails from Lima, Peru...I'm really feeling their sound, a funky combination of dub, cumbia, reggae with some hiphop elements added in for good measure. Most of their tracks seem to fall on the instrumental side of things, which is all cool by me...plus I'm loving that groovy psychedelic artwork!

08 No mas huaska (Instrumental mix) by Sonidos_Profundos


~fuego alert! Pernett comes through with a nice Champeta remix of Isa Gt's "Pelao"-La paisita remix. The Champeta sound has yet to really gain a strong following like cumbia has. Heres a brief rundown on Champeta via wikipedia:

The word "Champeta" was first used as a cultural identifier in the 1920s, it was used to identify a dance in the 1970s and a musical genre in the 1980s.

Since before the 1920s, the inhabitants of the neighborhoods farthest from the center of Cartagena, those of the poorest social strata and of African descent, have been called 'champetudo'. The economic elite used this designation as an attempt to devalue this vibrant culture. The name, ambiguously accepted and transformed, originates from the relationship of these people, with the knife called "champeta", as it was associated with vulgarity, poverty and blackness. This culture has a past historically marked with slavery and mistreatment with its center in the oldest districts of the Isla Caimán, currently called Olaya, and the Pozón district.

At the beginning of the 1970s the Champeta culture became more visible at a national level in Colombia through a series of diverse and complex dances set to the rhythms of Caribbean music. This music was principally a mix of genres such as salsa and jíbaro but later included reggae. This music was played over large loudspeakers, popularly called "picós", that were invented during the 1960s in Cartegena. Equipped with these sound systems they held dancce competitions and other events. Those dances were called "therapy" because of their ability to help people relax and free themselves from the economic problems of the country.

In the 1980s "creole therapy" became a new genre of music, sung and interpreted by people from Cartegena and San Basillo, later joined by people from Barranquilla, Santa Marta and the rest of the country. Baranquilla played an important role in the commercialization of this genre of music. Subsequently, the music became popular in picós. Soon, it was known as "creole therapy", "Colombian therapy", and finally, Champeta.

Peláo/ La paisita remix. Isa Gt remixed by Pernett by Pernett

~this group out of BK really had me open with this track here...killer tune with some champeta-electro vibes that slays the dance each and every time..


~their latest track is pretty nice as well...