Sonic Travels (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 2/4/10)

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Hey folks, busy day today. I will log on tomorrow and do my usual informative blog entry, but for now here's the tracklist:

Something Else! Intro

This Love (Crystal Pharoah Remix) - SiSe

Constant Questions - Silhouette Brown

Rap Promoter - A Tribe Called Quest

Young and Fine - Weather Report

Cairo Bar - Digital Bled

Karabali - Herbie Hancock

Wesley Music - RSL

Save the Children - Marvin Gaye

Dub MPLA - Tappa Zukie

Master Teacher - Erykah Badu feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow

Night Streets - Chick Corea

Spain (I Recall) - Al Jarreau

Back To Bass-ics (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 1/28/10)

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As always, we start with the "Something Else! Intro" and head right into "A Beautiful Space" by The Ballistic Brothers, London producer super-group (Rocky, Diesel, & Ashley Beedle of X-Press 2 + Dave Hill of Nuphonic Records.) "The Rings Of Saturn" by Dexter Wansel is from his landmark disco-jazz/funk album "Life On Mars" and transitions into adventurous jazz vocalist Julie Dexter's "Ketch A Vibe." I resist calling Julie Dexter a "nu-jazz" vocalist, because she's capable of singing straightforward jazz on a par with Diane Reeves or Dee Dee Bridgewater, she just chooses to work with electronic producers from time to time. Speaking of electronic producers, the next track is remixed by one of my favorite Bugz in the Attic and retains the raggamuffin reggae feel that is so influential on modern English dance music--"Lump Sum (Daz I Kue Remix)" by Linval Thompson. While we're in reggae mode, more English music from superstars Aswad with their dub hit "Warrior Charge." "Mr. Outsider" by Aceyalone is from one of my favorite hiphop records ever (All Balls Don't Bounce) and fortunately for me, is from my hometown--Los Angeles. Aceyalone is one of the four MCs from legendary underground group Freestyle Fellowship--the others are Self-Jupiter, Peace and Mikah 9 plus dj Kiilu Grand! Freestyle Fellowship came out of the same L.A. scene that produced The Pharcyde and Jurassic 5; The Goodlife Cafe on Crenshaw Boulevard. At the same time that those groups were finding their feet, artistically speaking, I was being discovering acid-jazz like "Electric Lazyland (Journeyman Mix)" by 9 Lazy 9. This would be in the early to mid 1990s and giving credit where it is due, I was turned on to the Ninja Tune sound by a man named Junior Roach who would later become my dj partner for many years. I was playing the domestic USA labels putting out this sort of sound (Instinct, New Breed, Eighth Dimension, etc.) and Junior Roach told me about the UK sound (Ninja Tune, Mo' Wax, Talkin' Loud, etc.) Through another music friend I was introduced to Dj Elonzo who further educated me in the the deep crate fare like the following track "I Don't Want To Leave You, I Just Came To Say Good-Bye" by Shawn Phillips. The band backing up Shawn is essentially Herbie Hancock's rhythm section (i.e., bassist Paul Jackson, drummer Mike Clark & percussionist Bill Summers) plus some other studio musicians. The official site for the album says that this track was done in one take... Ending with a classic dance track given a re-fit, we have "We Are Family (Daz I Kue Dub)" by Sister Sledge an "extra" from the sessions for Atlantiquity the remix album of classic Atlantic tracks. Daz-I-Kue is a generous guy, so go and get your free download of the track here!

Enjoy the music and see you next week!

Train To Spottersville (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 1/21/10)

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Somehow I got into a particular "trainspotting" mood when choosing the songs for this week's show and included many sample sources. Occasionally, I throw in a few but this week has several. The Something Else! Intro leads us into the first piece that has been sampled many times and I personally find amusing. Well, the spoken bit is amusing, the music is just groovy... "A Few More Words/Jive Samba (Live)" by The Cannonball Adderley Sextet. By the way, the "my brother" spoken of would be Nat Adderley, author of jazz classic "Work Song" and cornetist in the sextet. "Woman of the Ghetto (Live)" by Marlena Shaw is the full, unedited version from her marvelous Live at Montreux album. Unfortunately, the version from several compilations tends to edit out the beginning section where she introduces the band in a particularly musical way as sampled by Saint Germain for "Rose Rouge" and Blue Boy for "Remember Me." "Yendi" by Photek is the drum & bass track from the Modus Operandi single that included one of the few non-d & b tracks before Photek "went house." As I mentioned last week, an LA friend turned me onto Hawthorne Headhunters and this week I'm featuring "A Song About Her (Ced No's Remix.)" Method Man & Redman's "How High (Radio Remix)" seemed bumping enough to follow before digging in the crates to come up with another sample source. "Loud Minority" by Frank Foster (who has worked with the Count Basie Orchestra) features jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater in a Nikki Giovanni-type role (i.e., poet.) If you're a regular listener, you'll recognize at least a few bits of the poem as sample fodder... A warning: I believe in this track, but it's a bit of dropping you in the deep end--there's some avante-garde sections. I lighten up a bit with the next track, originally from the musical Hair "Easy To Be Hard" by Three Dog Night is mellower as is "You Showed Me" by The Turtles. You should probably recognize more samples in both of these tracks. "A Night In Tunisia (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix)" by Duke Jordan is the funkjazzical closer for this show. I really love that DJ Jazzy Jeff has been getting his due of late minus "The Fresh Prince" (aka Will Smith)--did you know that Jeff invented "The Chirp" scratch? Here's something to let you know what Jeff can do on the wheels. Notice the way the other DJ (DJ AM, R.I.P.) takes his records off his set of turntables at one point... (Not Safe for Work or little ones)

Rivers of Bass (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 01/14/10)

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The ever-present Something Else! Intro starts us out before we journey with Underworld on their "River of Bass" from the second album (my favorite) DubNoBassWithMyHeadMon. Next up is Ethel Beatty with "I Know You Care" produced by Roy Ayers, a rare-groove classic. I just found out a friend from L.A. is involved with the group Hawthorne Headhunters. They were featured on both Gilles Peterson and Benji B's Best of 2009 shows! I really liked a few cuts and decided to play "Manifest Station" this week, expect to hear more soon (thanks Max!) I haven't been to Holland yet, although I definitely plan to at some point. Another recent discovery is that the Dutch version of Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun has a 2nd disc with a few fun songs on it, including "Hollywood"--a cover of a Rufus & Chaka Khan cut from the 70s. Thanks to the NYC organization known as Giant Step, I was introduced to the work of Salvador Santana. His "Keyboard City (The Hood Internet Remix feat. GZA)" is a fun vocoder joint with guest spot from one of the Wu-Tang Clan (Gza) giving it a bit more "hood-vibe." Another interesting guest appearance happens on the next cut, "Why Cry (Radio Edit)" by rapper Afu-Ra featuring German reggae sensation, Gentleman. I'd known Afu-Ra for years, mostly because he was associated with Dj Premier (Gang Starr,) but Gentleman I've just found out about in the last few months thanks to my friend Zsofi from Hungary. Speaking of Gang Starr, "Ex Girl To The Next Girl" was always one of my favorite cuts by them, so I was intrigued to find out there was an official remix. "Ex Girl To The Next Girl (Remix)" isn't just the same song with a new beat, it includes new scratches from Primo along with the new groove (nice!) I'm sure you all know I'm a big fan of the Bamboos from Australia and over the years I've featured music with Lyrics Born, um, "a lot." "Turn It Up" has these two great flavors together--Bamboos featuring Lyrics Born. Turns out LB is a Bamboos fan as well and said they were the only group in Oz he wanted to work with. Fortunately for Lanu and the crew (i.e., The Bamboos) LB was on Australian radio when he revealed that tidbit and a few phone calls later... On to an anthem from The Future Sound Of London, namely "Papua New Guinea (12" Original Mix)" which hopefully inspired a few ravers to pull out their maps or globes to figure out where the heck the inspiration was (not too far from Oz, actually.) More English music inspired by exotic places is provided by Thomas Dolby. The title track from his album "The Flat Earth" (you might remember the hit "Hyperactive") is pleasantly atmospheric and sets you up for the energetic switch-up of Mr. Manuva's bass anthem, "Witness (One Hope)" by Roots Manuva. I hate being nostalgic, but I find myself being drawn to the music of The X-Ecutioners. I love how their first artist Album X-Pressions was really an artist album and not merely a compilation of turntablist routines or standard hiphop with MCs. There were bits where you got to hear them working out bits, talking about their approach and feelings about music and then tracks you could appreciate even if you didn't realize how they were constructed. "Musica Negra (Black Music)" features the mc Gudtyme expressing the plight of Black people in the United States and there are ingenious interjections by the djs within the rhyme. It's also one of the few hiphop tunes I can recall with a prominent cello part. I close it out with one of my favorite Drum & Bass tracks from back in the day, Photek's "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu (Two Swords Technique.)" Photek was always "the one to beat" when it came to chopped breakbeats--no mere sampling & speeding up from that guy...

Anyway, enjoy and look for more craziness from me next week...

New Years Revolutions (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 1/7/10)

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Hey folks, took a bit of a break over the Holiday season, but we're back now with the "Something Else! Intro" as always... A myspace friend hipped me to something really cool he'd done and I thought I'd start the show with it "Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop - Al Naafisyh (Mr. Bird Remix.)" Mr. Bird (pictured left) is practically a neighbor in that he's in Portugal... The club sound here in Barcelona is really different than the one I grew up with in Los Angeles, but I've been adapting and finding tracks that are "me" but heavy enough for what people expect here. Michael Woods & Ant Brooks were nice enough to help me out by making their tribal, yet musical track "Yemba (Original Mix.)" Dipping back in the archives, I got reacquainted with Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man soundtrack recently. "Don't Mess With Mister T" gives you both the fat grooves and a bit of Marvin's soulful voice--not too sweet, not too tart. Speaking of archives, when I hear the name Archie Bell & The Drells, I usually think of their 60s classic "Tighten Up." Although I knew the groove, I'd forgotten they did this track for Philly Int'l in the 70s "Don't Let Love Get You Down." Both the sample and the subject matter dictated I play this track by Big Daddy Kane feat. DJ Mister Cee, "Djs Get No Respect." If I understand Cee correctly, sounds like Kane used to be a DJ... The Bamboos feat. Kylie Auldist; You've seen that name on this blog many times. "On The Sly," a cut I received over the break does NOT disappoint. I'll have to remember his new name (although it was always his "tagline" before) but The Spy From Cairo (the artist formerly known as "Zeb") is still up to the same thing--rocking dancefloors with the middle-eastern vibe and deep basslines. "Ana Arabi" features Ghalia Benali and reminds me of the old saw "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Familiar, but definitely not worn-out. Our buddy Nickodemus takes the "world music" formula and flips it on its head with "The Love Feeling (Christian Prommer Remix.)" Once again, I don't know how they make it work, but it just... ...does. I personally find Christian Prommer to be all the German producer who helps us understand why techno is still around (some of it is just brilliant!) Michel Cleis seemed to storm the world with "La Mezcla" last year, his 12 minute folkloric meets house track. With his new mix and compilation "Strictly Rhythms 3" he retouches another popular house track with obvious folkloric roots, River Ocean feat. India "Love and Happiness - Yemaya y Ochun (Michel Cleis "Floreo" Remix.)" I'm in awe of how he manages to take what could easily be "repetitive" and make it "hypnotic." Back in the 90s when I was a devotee of Drum & Bass music (along with the other music I'm always inevitably into) I loved the three closers and practically caned the last two! Ballistic Brothers "I'll Fly Away" was encouraging to me, as they are generally known for making house & downtempo. Amalgamation of Soundz were always eclectic and their "Tears for the Yazd" became a classic for me and my circle of jazzy music lovers as did United Future Organization's "Loud Minority (Alex Reece Remix.)"

Welcome to the New Year and let's resolve to enjoy good music for the whole year, what do you say?

December Doings...

Hey folks,

The show is taking a Winter break, but there are still some things to check out whether you are in the Barcelona area or not:

I've got a new mix up at Thirty Thirsty in the style of what I play at my world-music monthly residency at Brazelona Sessions.

I'll be at Brazelona Sessions this month on Tuesday December 29th for my Birthday Party in Barcelona! The cover charge is 6 Euros and it's actually a good deal--you get a ticket for your first drink included! There is a special going now where your first drink (usually a beer or mixer + 1 liquor) can also be a MOJITO! There's nowhere I can think of in Barcelona where you can get admission to a great dance party and a mojito for only 6 Euros.

Speaking of monthlies, I've also got a residency at a local spot in Sitges--Something Else! at Sitges Room Club. This happens the first Friday of the month and in December I had my first guest Dj, Jon Wedge a UK ex-pat living here in Catalunya. I warmed up for Jon and he played some great vocal house that got the crowd going as well as some classics like an acid-soaked remix of "Yeke Yeke" by Mory Kante and Jaydee's "Plastic Dreams." How do you follow a set like that? Well, I started with a few classics as well--"LFO" by LFO and Kraftwerk's "Numbers." Later, I played some new stuff like Dennis Ferrer's "Hey Hey," Seiji's acid remix of "Embrace The Martian" by Crookers feat. Kid Cudi and even "Conga" by GroovyCosta as remixed by T-Bird (yours truly!) All told, it was a fun night for all!


Jon Wedge

T-Bird

Last, but by no means least (for this posting,) I was invited to a party put on by clothing label/store Desigual. They are from here, but calling them local would be selling them short by a long way--they have stores all over Europe, in the Middle East, Asia and even NYC! Dj Delippo (Bongo Lounge) held it down for Barcelona along with guest djs Raul Santana (Los Chicarrons/UK) and Zlata (Ukraine.) Unfortunately my pictures of Zlata didn't come out very well, but I like one of Delippo and a few of Raul Santana.

DeLippo


Raul Santana

I expect to do a few more mixes before the month is up, so check back!

Thanks for the Food & Stuff... (Something Else! on www.WtnrRadio.com for 11/26/09)

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For all the folks in or from the USA, "Happy Thanksgiving!" I hope that it is a good day full of friends, family and good food. Please remember the spirit of the first Thanksgiving, sharing between two very different groups of people (Native Americans and the immigrant "Pilgrims") celebrating the survival of the newcomers due to help from the locals. There is more to be said about that story, but I'll leave you to discuss that amongst yourselves--this blog is about music. The musical feast for today begins with the "Something Else! Intro" (kind of like an opening prayer or speech) and then we dive into the treats. The first few tunes have a "food" theme in keeping with the preceding holiday greeting, "Corn On The Cob" by Courtial, from the San Francisco Bay Area. That area has produced so many great acts such as Tower of Power (Oakland,) Sly & The Family Stone (San Francisco,) Santana (San Francisco,) the various Escovedos (including Coke, Pete and his daughter Sheila--better known as "Sheila E"; Oakland) and MC from Oakland, Del the Funkee Homosapien (featured later in this show.) For our next "dish" we "go to the go-go" with Washington DC classic "Sardines" by the Junkyard Band. Their other big song was "The Word," a critique of Ronald Reagan's defense budget "Man, Reagan's makin' bombs with all the money these days, yeah man, my sister couldn't even get no school loans/My grandmother couldn't even get her food stamps!" Funk classic and third dish for us is "Pass The Peas" by Fred Wesley & The JBs (JB = James Brown's band--if you listen you can hear James speak in the intro right before the horns come in.) After all that food, you've got to "wash it down" with something. What better than the original party-starter, "Firewater?" New Orleans' Wild Magnolias sing a little bit about alcoholic beverages... I'm kind of proud that you never know what you're going to hear on this show and "Where Pathways Meet" is a great way to introduce you to the o.g. space traveller, Sun Ra. Sun Ra contended that he was born on Jupiter and had his own mythology he created around himself and his music. Space is the Place is one of his most famous albums. "You Can Fly" seems an appropriate song to play after the man responsible for jazz space travel. One of the original "nu-soul" songs by Omar (or "UK street-soul" as it was called at the time) from an important compilation called "Homegrown" on Kongo--a family affair run by his uncle. Vanessa Simon also has a track on there that I'm sure will wind up on one of these shows. "Jazz Thing (Instrumental)" by Gangstarr was something I originally heard on radio many years ago and I'm glad to be able to share it with you. Saxophone duties are handled by the producer(!) Branford Marsalis (who later worked with DJ Premier on the Buckshot LeFonque project) and keyboards are by the late Kenny Kirkland (Branford's pianist at the time.) Scratches of course are by DJ Premier. "Lyrics To Go '09 feat Del The Funky Homosapien" by Bidimridim is from a forthcoming tribute mix in honor of A Tribe Called Quest. You can download this and another promotional track ("Check the Rhyme 2009 feat The Lessondary") also included in the Eclectic Relaxation mix from here. I love both tracks and as a fan of "The Quest" it's nice to hear a new interpretation of their music. "25 West 38th Street" by Peter Kruder notches the tempo up a bit as Mr. Kruder seems to of late, getting away from the spacy-slow-motion music that made him and his former collaborator, Richard Dorfmeister, famous--maybe he wants people to dance more now? Truth be told, he was DJing house music even when known for producing downtempo, so this isn't really that new for him. The next track is a bit of a treat as it features an artist you're well acquainted with on remix duties--ME!! "Conga (T-Bird Remix)" by Groovy Costa is from a Barcelona electro/minimal house producer I know and like. The track can be purchased here. We close out with another electronic house track from Dennis Ferrer, "Hey Hey (Dennis Ferrer Attention Vocal Mix.)" I don't know Dennis personally, but I love his work...

Enjoy the show and if you eat too much food, download the show and dance it off! See you next week.