Author: djtbird

In the last several weeks I\’ve been pretty busy with things other than the show: traveling to the UK twice in 4 weeks, playing new locations in the Barcelona area and working on new material with my production partner Maxey Blaze as \”Los Chicos Altos.\” You will be seeing a lot of that name in the near future, keep your eyes peeled. The station\’s season just started up again and I\’m happy to be getting back to putting together shows and writing about the music I\’m sharing with you!

As always our journey begins with the \”Something Else! Intro\” before we head off to this week\’s opener, \”Great Dub In The Sky\” by Easy Star All Stars. If you\’re not familiar with them, this group is known for doing reggae/dub versions of classic rock albums like OK Computer by Radiohead (their version is called Radiodread,) Sgt. Pepper\’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (Easy Star\’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band) and the one this track is drawn from, Dub Side of the Moon (tribute to Pink Floyd\’s Dark Side of the Moon.) All of them are recommended for both lovers of dub/reggae and classic rock. While dipping my toe in the groovy vs. rock bag, \”Wouldn\’t Want to Be Like You\” by Alan Parsons Project seemed appropriate for the next cut–especially since Alan Parsons worked on Dark Side of the Moon and received a grammy nomination for his engineering on that album. \”Mangotee\” by Lonnie Liston Smith keeps the groove going, even if in a slightly more jazz direction. \”Sticks and Stoned\” by Common Ground, a collective of electronic producers including Tim \”Love\” Lee, Jadell, Waiwan, Raw Deal and Dj Wool (producer of this track) leads us into \”Suite for Beaver Pt. 1\” by L.A.\’s own People Under The Stairs–a tale of a night out… Return of Forever (Swell Session Remix) by High Contrast is from a recently re-acquired compilation Out Patients 3 from one of my favorite labels from the late 90s & early 00s–Hospital. The smooth, musical production is obviously the hook here. Speaking of smooth, one of my favorite vocalists of all time works with one of my favorite producers from the 2-step/UK garage scene, Zed Bias. \”Special feat. Omar (Simbad 4×4 Remix)\” is under the Maddslinky alias for Mr. Bias and remixed by one of broken-beat\’s name producers, Simbad. \”At Peace With Woman\” by The Jones Girls is a song that was obviously influential on the broken-beat crowd, given that they were devotees of \”boogie\” and classic vocals. Great message on the track as well. Nice vocals as well on the Brazilian track \”A Sereia (The Mermaid)\” by Democustico leading into the instrumental bossa version of Horace Silver\’s \”The Jody Grind\” by Quintetto X. Another recent re-acquisition is \”Life of Fortune & Fame (Runaways Remix)\” by Doctor L. I found this in London on a 10\” single (the 12\” has different versions) during Notting Hill Carnival weekend. The show closes out with \”Raise (Long Mix)\” by Greg Osby feat CL Smooth (Pete Rock\’s long-time MC partner) as remixed by Ali Shaheed Muhammed (of A Tribe Called Quest.) Greg Osby is generally known for working in the avant-garde jazz world, but a number of years ago he decided to do a hiphop album. I think a few things on the album worked but this was really the best done track.

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right-Click and \”Save As\”)

Something Else! Intro leads off this week\’s show as always. The mix of classic and new music has a name at the top that should be slightly familiar to regular listeners of the show, Bob James. Mr. James is a bit of a legend to \”crate digging\” folk like myself, especially fans of sample-based music and the sources it draws from. \”Blue Lick\” is a popular track with hiphop producers, listen all the way thru and you should hear at least 3 familiar samples… On the new end of things, Plug Research dropped 3 new tracks on me and this is one of them, the abstract, yet quite listenable \”Never Freeze\” by Quadron. Another classic artist is vocalist Randy Crawford, most known for singing on The Crusaders\’ \”Street Life.\” This time, Ms. Crawford is doing a downtempo take on George Benson\’s hit \”Give Me The Night\” and the \”Chill Night Mix\” gives it a slight Massive Attack feel. Natural Self\’s \”Midnight Sun\” comes courtesy of Tru-Thoughts and this week I feature Los Angeles DJ Jeremy Sole\’s \”Sans Drums Mix\” which also features trumpeter Todd Simon, who\’s played with Breakestra, Connie & the Keystones and Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. Keeping LA in the mix, producer Exile\’s track \”It\’s Coming\” gets remixed by Rhettmatic of the World Famous Beat Junkies. Next, rare-groove classic by Leon Ware, \”Why I Came To California.\” Switching coasts for a moment, De La Soul, New Yorkers from Long Island, bring us \”Thru Ya City\” feat. DV Alias Khrist, a nice mix of soul & hiphop. The next song should sound quite familiar as The Valentine Brothers\’ \”Money\’s Too Tight To Mention\” provided the blueprint for the later smash hit by Simply Red. Another new one from
Vikter Duplaix, \”Electric Love (Vikter\’s House Rmx.)\” There are other mixes that will get love on later shows… We close out with three more classics from three different eras. Studio 2 got a lot of play from me during my UK garage days because of \”Travelling Man (Banana Republic Shift Control Dub.)\” You all know how I\’m a sucker for soulful jazzy dance music… I played a private party last weekend and one of the songs that was requested by the hosts was Inner City\’s \”Good Life\” — one of the foundational Detroit techno hits! I\’ve always preferred the Steve \”Silk\” Hurley Remix, although the others from the same time are great as well. A name that\’s been in my ears since I was a small child is Quincy Jones. I\’m a big fan and for longer than I\’ve been alive he\’s been making great music, going back playing trumpet and arranging with Lionel Hampton back in the 50s! \”Walkin\’\” is Quincy\’s take on a song made known by another famous trumpeter, Miles Davis. While mellow, there is still hints of the avant-garde in this version, echoing the envelope pushing that his fellow trumpeter Miles was exploring more fully at the time this was released, 1970–almost 20 years after Miles Davis had recorded the same song.

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right Click and \”Save As\”)

After the ubiquitous \”Something Else! Intro,\” we launch into \”jazz mode\” with seasonally appropriate \”Beach Bar\” by Boris Blenn. In summer, beach bars (aka chiringuitos here) are all the rage in Spain. One very famous xiringuito (alternate spelling) is Cafe Del Mar in Ibiza. \”Average Fruit\” by Quadron is a nice vocal track that wouldn\’t be out of place on a Cafe Del Mar compilation but you can find it here. James Dewitt Yancey, bka as Jay Dee, J Dilla or even just Dilla left indelible fingerprints on the sound of current music, not just hiphop. The list of people he\’s worked with is longer than most artists\’ list of influences. The info sheet I got from label Organik with the next track, \”Castlevania\” by SirOJ refers to him as one of \”…rising post J Dilla era producers\” and the track itself as \”…homage to one of our favorite Nintendo video games.\” Classic video game + fat beats = dopeness, in my book. \”Enuff feat. Lateef the Truth Speaker & Q-Tip\” by DJ Shadow is a track that is probably better appreciated now than when it came out a few years ago. Shadow lives in the San Francisco Bay area and an underground style that gained a lot of popularity there in the hiphop community was \”hyphy\” (combines the words \”hype\” + \”fly.\”) Some people I knew who were fans of this sound didn\’t like DJ Shadow\’s album The Outsider which incorporates hyphy into his music, but I think this track works well as just a party track. \”Just Bring It Out (Andy Smith & Scott Hendy Remix)\” by Wolfgang Dauner from Jazz Club: Jazz Remixed brings it back to the old days of party djs cutting it up on turntables featuring Mr. Boca 45 (Scott Hendy) and Portishead\’s Dj, Andy Smith. Speaking of \”old days,\” a common practice dating back to the early days of records was to cover current hits. \”Tour De France\” by 10 Speed is a fun take on Kraftwerk\’s 80s classic. The version I play is an edit from a breakdancing compilation, but you can find the full-length version (along with Kraftwerk\’s original) at the I-Tunes store. \”Treat \’Em Right\” by Chubb Rock is another party favorite and has a good message to boot! As we all know, especially in financial situations like the present, \”It\’s Nice To Have Money.\” DJ Smash provides a jazzy house groove to go along with an amusing vocal sample in this acid-jazz classic. Visiting the Classics is the name of the compilation that includes \”Involvation\” by Jeff Bennett. I like a few of the tracks, but usually when I see the word \”classics\” I expect to recognize either artists or track names on a few cuts–no such luck, here. In contrast, \”It Don\’t Mean A Thing\” is the classic Duke Ellington song, but in this case performed by Space Jazz Dub Men and remixed by Incognito. This track and the next are both from Jazz Club: Jazz Remixed, like the Wolfgang Dauner track earlier. \”Feel (Spacek Remix)\” by George Duke betrays a bit of Dilla influence as might be expected by someone who worked with him (Jay Dee produced Steve Spacek\’s \”Dollar.\”) Closing out, \”Plastic Idols\” by Jean-Luc Ponty gives us some \”cyber jazz\” in its original version–i.e., not remixed–from Ponty\’s Fables an album from 1985.
Jazzyness this week, who knows what\’s up for next week?

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right-Click and \”Save As\”)

If you\’re not on my email list, just copy down my email address from the sidebar and send me a message to add you!

I mentioned in the blog entry about the show before this one that there were several tunes that you would hear other mixes of or different songs from the same collection soon–this is the week for that. \”Something Else! Intro\” leads into \”The Language of the Flame\” another track from Georgia Anne Muldrew\’s (as \”Jyoti\”) new album Ocotea. Fat Freddy\’s Drop is no stranger to this show and this week I feature \”Big BW (Butterfish Black Remix.)\” Everyone has heard a cover or remix of Bob Marley\’s music, so it\’s not a particularly new idea. SevDee has done an album\’s worth of Marley remixes and some of them are quite good–like \”Wait In Vain\” (artist billed as Bob Marley & The SevWailers.) Switching gears slightly, A wonderful surprise showed up in the musical blogosphere, \”Learnin\’ To Fly\” by Dj Day feat. Miles Bonny & Nate McKoy. The best part is the person who uploaded it was Dj Day, the artist! Although he says he\’s stepping away from this sound, I hope he either: 1. has a change of heart or 2. blows us away with \”the next thing\” so we\’ll be glad he decided to move on… Next up is \”Conclusion\” by Dj Spinna, the closing track from his Heavy Beats Vol. 1. There\’s a few MCs on the collection, but most of my favorite tracks are instrumentals. \”Ego Trip By Nikki Giovanni\” is Blackalicious\’ tribute to the poet and educator who first came to fame in the 70s. \”Release Da Freak feat. Colonel Red (Simbad Remix)\” is another Pablo Sanchez track and this one is a bit more clubby than the previous show\’s \”Sunstar feat. Kissey Asplund.\” \”Back Home\” doubles up on the Colonel Red vocal features, this time courtesy of artist Chocolate Puma. \”Clap Your Hands (Prince Vince Remix)\” is actually my favorite version of the Sia track, but Diplo\’s was the first I was familiar with. Another version of \”Next Best Thing\” by Nikki & Rich this week, this time it\’s the Trent Mazur Remix which leads well into \”Rockstar 101 (Dave Aude Remix)\” by Rihanna. Downshifting for the closer, we also switch up to a more mediterranean sound, \”Taqasim on the Beat\” by Simon Shaheen–legendary middle-eastern string virtuoso.
More new stuff coming up in the next show along with the usual classics or obscurities…

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right-Click and \”Save As\”)

Putting together this week\’s show reminded me why I like my usual format so much. I attempted to give you a show that was purely new music (as in recently released.) While I can really play whatever I choose, I still prefer it to hold together thematically. Given that, I mostly accomplished my objective, but I had to put in a few \”oldies\” to make the set work.

As always, we start with the \”Something Else! Intro\” before diving into Jyoti\’s \”The Black Mother.\” Jyoti is a new alias for Georgia Anne Muldrew who is expanding into jazzy instrumental music. I\’ll be honest with you, generally I\’m not a big fan of Ms. Muldrew\’s work, but this is lovely. We follow some jazz with jazzy hiphop by The Funk League. \”The Boogie Down Bombers Feat. Diamond D & Sadat X (Main Mix)\” is classic-sounding in my book. It\’s a great return to the musical vibes of the 90s in hiphop before the ascendancy of \”thug-hop\” and the over-use of stoner-funk grooves. Speaking of a return to classic 90s music, Sandra St. Victor was a member of the UK\’s Family Stand which helped pioneer the \”nu-soul\” sound that brought us superstars like Erykah Badu & D\’Angelo. \”Cosmos\” is a more uptempo track than tends to be associated with that genre, but she brings just as much emotion and vocal power to it. Pablo Sanchez is an artist I was made aware of courtesy of Nickodemus and Pablo\’s \”Sunstar feat. Kissey Asplund\” shows that Nicko wasn\’t leading me astray. It\’s a slice of nice, latin-tinged broken-beat just the way I like it with a pleasant vocal. The next track is by Scott Hardkiss, part of the legendary Hardkiss Brothers (Gavin & Robbie are the other two.) \”Beat Freak (Fort Knox Remint)\” keeps it dancefloor-appealing. While we\’re already in \”bump mode\” I follow up with \”Bo Diddley-Itis (Ursula 1000 Rework)\” by Bo Diddley vs Ursula 1000, a breakbeat re-rub of a track by the 50s rock & roll legend. Sia, the featured vocalist from Zero 7\’s first album Simple Things has stayed busy putting out her own music and the most recent single is \”Clap Your Hands.\” This week I\’m featuring the Diplo Mix, but there\’s a few others that are quite good as well and you should expect to hear some of them in the following weeks. Months ago I got my first promo single by Nikki & Rich and assumed their album was out already. \”Next Best Thing (Steve Aoki Remix)\” is yet another single from the still forthcoming album. Once again, there are some other remixes I received that are quite good and I will be putting them on in the coming weeks. Mellowing out a bit, Caltrop\’s \”Good To See You (Original Mix)\” from this year is uptempo, yet pretty as electronic dance can get. Digging in the crates (you were warned) an electronic classic is up next from Jean-Michel Jarre, son of film composer Maurice Jarre, \”Oxygene (Part II.)\” Jarre and contemporaries Tangerine Dream and Vangelis were masters of texture and ambience. Although Most of J-M Jarre\’s titles weren\’t that inventive (mostly consisting of the album title + part 1, 2, etc.) the music tended to envelope one in sound atmosphere. Eventually Tangerine Dream & Vangelis ended up scoring films a few popular films (Risky Business and Blade Runner, respectively.) Although quite simple in structure, Bossa Tres\’ \”Imprevisto\” immediately captured my attention on first listening–there is a real \”vibe\”to it. Keeping it a bit latin, another track by Canadian-Cuban Alex Cuba is \”Directo\” notching it down from a Brazilian jam session to a mojitos-on-the-beach feeling. The show closes with another re-edit, \”Family Tree (Norman Cook Disco Edit)\” by Family Tree featuring Sharon Brown. The prominent conga drums tie it in with the preceding tracks and the ending is appropriate for the final track of a set.

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right-Click and \”Save As\”)

As always, the Something Else! Intro starts us off. \”Pools\” by Steps Ahead is a song I\’ve loved for a long time. All amazing musicians on this track–Eliane Elias, talented brazilian jazz pianist (and vocalist,) her brother-in-law (legendary saxophonist and studio musician Michael Brecker,) bassist Eddie Gomez (another legend with credits too long to list,) vibraphonist Michael Mainieri and drummer Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius Big Band, singer/songwriter Prema, etc.) Although Eddie gets plenty of chances to show his chops, I like that the initial melody is played by the bass, recalling the Miles Davis signature tune \”So What.\” It\’s jazzy & funky with interesting textures and the only electric instrument in sight is the vibraphone… \”Respiration (Flying High Mix)\” by Mos Def & Talib Kweli as \”Black Star\” continues the jazz & funk vibes adding a bit of vocals, both singing and rapping–Talib Kweli provides the main rap and Mos Def accentuates with sung vocals and rapping a bit later in the tune. After that, we hop \”across the pond\” to Bristol in the UK for the rest of the show. \”Angel (Blur Remix)\” is brought to us by one of Bristol\’s most famous groups, Massive Attack. Although Jon Kennedy is not as well known as the Massive crew, he\’s not exactly obscure either having recorded for a few labels well known to fans of this show: Tru Thoughts and Grand Central. He started out in Manchester, but now lives in Bristol.

\”Suck My Sound Mix\” by Jon Kennedy

Beastie Boys \”Can\’t Won\’t Don\’t Stop\” (iced coffee) new version instrumental (white)
Jon Kennedy – \”Anything you choose\” (tru thoughts)
Tokimonsta – \”Let Me Trick You\” (ramp)
Jon Kennedy – \”Lovesick\” (organik recordings)
Jimmy Screech – \”Let\’s Get Moving\” (banana clan)
KRS Jon vs Bob Marley – \”Mr Brown\” (organik recordings)
Beatsy Collins – \”Holler\” (white)
Jon Kennedy – \”You\’re My Millions\” (organik recordings)
House Of Pain – \”Heart Full Of Sorrow\” (tommy boy)
Jon Kennedy – \”Sit Tight\” (organik recordings)
D Bridge – \”Reversible Top\”(exit)
Calibre – \”Can\’t Stop This Fire\” (bassbin)
Calibre – \”fire & water\” (soul:r)
Chris Energy – \”music is\” (unknown)
General Electrics – \”facing that void\” (compost records)
Placebo – \”Balek\” (cbs)
Jon Kennedy – \”Boom Clack\” (organik recordings)
Manzel \”It\’s Over Now\” (dopebrother)
Brothers Johnson – \”strawberry letter 23\” (a&m records)
Madkap – \”Proof Is In The Pudding\” Proof Remix (rca)
Jigmastas – \”Dead Mans Walk\” (beyond real recordings)
Jon Kennedy – \”Demons\” (organik recordings)

Enjoy and more soon…

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right Click and \”Save As\”)

Recently I have been in caught in a bit of a \”musical avalanche.\” I\’m not complaining at all, I\’ve just been astounded at all the promos & new releases that have found their way to me in the last month! Some of those made it into past shows, a few are in today\’s show and expect to hear even more in follow shows. I got a new promo today that I\’m really digging and I think you all will find interesting as well–it was too late for the show, but remember the name Telepath…

As always the Something Else! Intro starts us off before a fond look back to the 90s with \”Cruise (Don\’t Stop)\” by Nightmares On Wax from the classic acid-jazz/trip-hop album Smoker\’s Delight. Courtesy of the compilation Gilles Peterson in Brazil we are treated to the smooth as silk voice of Brazil\’s 80s jazz-pop superstar Djavan on \”Serrado.\” Next up is another superstar that gets the occasional spin here, Prince. \”7 (Acoustic Version)\” by Prince & The New Power Generation is another \”throwback\” to the 90s, from the same album as \”Sexy M.F.\” A newer artist, Oceana brings us \”Cry Cry (Deichkind Remix)\”–this is a track from my \”musical avalanche.\” \”Bwana He No Home\” by Michael Franks is from his classic album Sleeping Gypsy, most known for \”Lady Wants to Know.\” Turns out part of the album was recorded in Brazil, in addition to featuring some of L.A.\’s finest studio musicians: Larry Carlton (guitar,) Joe Sample (keyboards) and Wilton Felder (bass)–who also form the backbone of the Crusaders. Going from latin-influenced jazz to jazz (and dub) influenced latin music, \”Dog With Rope\” by Quantic Presents Flowering Inferno is from the same single as \”Dub y Guaguanco\” featured a few weeks ago. Another track inna dub stylee is \”Forward Dub\” by Abassi All Stars meets Marta. The man like Dubmatix is keeping me current with his associates. As you probably know by now, I\’m a bit of a sucker for a good soul-based track and for music by Lewis Taylor in general. \”Waves\” by Lewis Taylor is one of those tunes I just can\’t get \”over.\” I was recently introduced to the talent of Alex Cuba and he\’s got some more new music coming out! \”Caballo\” is one of the new ones by Alex Cuba and there will be more featured on upcoming shows. I guess I\’d consider him a bit of \”latin soul.\” \”Hold On\” featuring Lynden David Hall & Andrew Roachford by Michael Olatuja is courtesy of another Gilles Peterson collection, Brownswood Bubblers 5. I\’m still trying to figure out the history of this song since Lynden David Hall passed away a few years ago… Dipping back in the past we encounter \”Are You Ready For This\” by Rhythm, a great boogie-oriented track, \”Voodoo Child (Slight Return)\” by Earth Wind & Fire from a tribute album called Power Of Soul, \”Get Into Something\” by The Isley Brothers and finally \”Spanish Fly\” by Van Halen. The last three tracks are linked by one person, also long since passed away–Jimi Hendrix. \”Voodoo Child (Slight Return)\” is a cover of one of Jimi\’s tunes, The Isley Brothers are a former employer (Ernie Isley\’s guitar tone and style of dress on stage were heavily influenced by his big brothers\’ former colleague) and Eddie Van Halen was an 80s guitar hero, obviously influenced by Jimi, who seemed almost as iconic as Mr. Hendrix for a while.

I hope that you enjoy this eclectic (as always) set and hang on to your hat for next week\’s show with even more new stuff!

Stream or Download (Ctrl/Right-Click and \”Save As\”)

As always, we start with the \”Something Else! Intro\” before diving headfirst into a few jazz cuts, \”Sun Touch\” from Herbie Hancock\’s classic album Manchild and \”Night Passage\” the title track from a Weather Report album that sees them looking back toward the big band sound as evidenced by their cover of Duke Ellington\’s \”Rockin\’ In Rhythm\” and the title cut as you\’ll hear. These albums feature some amazing musicians who also show up on the next track \”So Right\” by Prema, a great vocalist who also writes her own songs and plays acoustic guitar on them as well. A couple of the musical heavyweights who contribute to her album, In Fusion, are guitarist Wah Wah Watson (featured on the Herbie Hancock track) and drummer Peter Erskine (on the Weather Report.) Both have resumes too long to mention here–let\’s just say they\’re both real good and I\’ve featured them before on the show in various contexts. I can\’t say I\’m the biggest fan of the next artist, but he does tracks every now and again that I dig. I kind of like the word-play of the title, \”Communism\” by Common Sense, the MC now known simply as \”Common.\” This track goes back a while for him as indicated by the name change (there was a legal case brought by a California reggae band with the same name) and I\’ve heard bits of it used in other tracks. I just found out that the next track is on Nu Jazz Bistro which just came out a few months ago. \”Give It My All\” by Sumsuch feat Matty Eeles is from the same Will Sumsuch who I featured in the last two shows. Speaking of new compilations, \”Calypso Blues\” by Calypso Rose is from Gilles Peterson\’s Brownswood Bubblers 5. Two tracks in a dub style set us up for a dub-step take on \”One Bright Night (Scuba\’s Broken Window Dub)\” by Way Out West. Another person who\’s been on the scene for a while and hasn\’t always made music that I\’ve championed is Satoshi Tomiie. An original member of the Def Mix crew (including Frankie Knuckles and David Morales) Satoshi\’s track \”Back To Basics\” reminds me of why he was put on early in the game–he\’s got talent. It\’s not an amazing track in terms of complexity, but it feels good and isn\’t that what dance music is supposed to do? \”When I Look Into Your Eyes (Quinten 90 mix)\” by Fred Falke is another \”feel good\” house track that leads us into a reworked floorfiller, \”Ooh La La (Ursula 1000 Rework)\” on new label Muscletracks. This track definitely carries its weight in a set! A classic that\’s always given me a bit of a chuckle as a navtive of the Golden State is \”Take California\” by Propellerheads. A driving dance track from the \”big beat\” era (late 90s) all sorts of fun samples show up, including the one from which the track gets its name–by the late President Richard Nixon, himself a native of Whittier (a working-class area not far from Los Angeles.) Speaking of dancefloor smashes, the next and closing track is remixed by a couple of guys familiar with what I\’d call \”techno-funk\” and written by another guy who is known for having lots of fun behind the turntables and making the crowd enjoy themself as well! \”Demons (Stanton Warriors Mix)\” by Fatboy Slim will hopefully send you on your funky way and keep you smiling until next week\’s show!