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!

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.

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...

Soundcloud Heaters cont.

~so my computer that houses all my work is on the fritz...no protools access these days, so I figured what better way to cope with this loss than to listen to music and shine some light on a couple tracks I'm feelin....as some may know, I'm into a wide range of music--from the hardest gangsta rap/geto tek bass bangers, to sublimely-chilled lounge---If I feel it and it makes my head nod, its all good. With that, heres a few more for the headz....

MC Bener One ft. Charley Chico - Mami Muevelo (Moombahton) by djtranzo
~this is straight-up club banger material here...the bass bangs like it should, and the lyrics are directed right at those scantily-clad females that came to get they groove on...look beyond the slight misogyny and see this track for what it is...a dancefloor filler.

Dj Javier Estrada - Ciclon by djjavierestrada
~this guy has been droppin' gems consistently now for some time...it seems every time I log in to SC, Javier has a new banger uploaded...well today is no exception. 'Ciclon' starts out like a simple edit then transforms into some monstrous dubstepped-audio carnage with some raverton-cumbiaton elements...add some horns and a few breakdowns and you're like WTF!! Seriously, I want a copy of this to play the next time someone asks me for Latin music...sure, comin right up.

Cabeza! 036 - Black Mandingo - Black Rockin Beats - 2011 by Cabeza!
~I loved this the minute I heard Kris Parker--aka KrsOne-talkin in the intro...I grew up on old skool hiphop, so you know....the homie Cherman drops this nice cumbia and others for the always excellent Cabeza label...check it here

Soundcloud Heaters of the Month

~this one here is just dripping with that late 60s era psychedelic South American sound...Os Mutantes meets Arthur Verocai?? Whatever the case, I'm lovin the slow, hypnotic groove...perfect for the early set...available on Ubiquity records here.

The Echocentrics - "Esclavo Y Amo" by Ubiquity Records




~as some might have realized by now, I'm quite enamored with the North African sound...DJ Badre comes through with a solid remix of this rather obscure track...don't know a whole lot about Fnaire, but I'll definitely be looking forward to hearing more from them soon.
FNAIRE -SAHARAOUI BASADUB RMX by Dj Badre


~wow! such a killer tune by Cream taken to a whole 'nutha level by sultry soulstress Spanky Wilson...I cant say I've heard the original, but dj ken walker gets love for dropping this gem on the soundcloud massive...killer tune!
Sunshine Of Your Love - Spanky Wilson - Ken At Work Pyschadelic Extension Dimension by djkenwalker

Lets talk Latin Funk

~one of my favorite blogs, Musica del Alma, has posted his top 5 latin funk tracks of all time...a herculean task no doubt. Some great tunes posted in there!! Check his site, as he is always posting some really great and obscure tunes.

So, of course, I started to think of my own top Latin Funk tunes. Its a rather difficult exercise, yet I think Ive managed to come up with at least a top 3. So here they are.


~this tune is just plain incredible in so many ways...the drums, the chanting, the ill breakdown, etc...b-boy fodder for the dancefloor indeed!



~this one here first popped up on my 'Y Chile Verde' mix back in 2006. Its off an LP by Alma Tropical entitled "La Sangre Caliente'...Ive seen a couple of tracks of theirs comped before, so this isnt any great new discovery...anyhow, its a Latin Funk banger of the highest order...check it!

AlmaTropical-QuetePareceCholito.mp3



~okay, I'll admit it, I'm showing my Texas bias...hey, this record was practically cut in my backyard...whatever, its a great tune that slays the party every time...and these guys just performed last week at SXSW, so check em out if possible.

Keepin' it Ol' Skool--the Tribe Vibe

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe: First ever aerial footage from Survival International on Vimeo.

~i cant imagine what the members of this tribe must be thinking at the sight of this; its the equivalent of an alien spaceship flying over the downtown of any given city then flying away...lets be honest here, its only a matter of time before contact is made and the tribe is introduced to other 'worlds'. Perhaps thats not such a bad thing--if we can learn from them and they can learn from us. On second thought, just let them be...we have little to teach them anyhow.


~damn, this album was so fresh...wore the print off the cassette tape on this one.



"...war is not the answer; war has never been the answer." Fela kuti