Soul With a Hole: Peanut Butter Wolf Podcast

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Nice all 45s soul mix compiled by Peanut Butter Wolf. Download here.


Beats & Brass: The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I first heard about Hypnotic Brass Ensemble when someone posted a youtube clip of a New York Times feature (see bottom) a few years ago, and it was the first time in a long time that I remember being truly blown away by music. Comprised of 8 members, 7 of them blood brothers of the trumpeter and former member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra Phil Cohran, the group started out as a street ensemble, hypnotizing audiences on the streets and subway stations of Chicago before moving to New York. Picking up influences from their father, and combining that with their own interests in hip hop and soul, HBE’s music is an infectious cocktail of brass and rhythm that reminds me a little of Kashmere Stage Band’s material.

Over the past couple of years their career has really taken off, having recorded with Eryka Badu and Mos Def, as well as releasing a number of 7″ and 12″ singles, and their first official full-length album on the Honest Jon label in 2009. If any story deserves to be told it’s of these guys, and filmmaker Reuben Atlas is making it happen with his documentary Hypnotic, scheduled to be released later this year. Check out the trailer below.

I began filming in the fall of 2006, during my last year of law school. (I snuck in shoots between classes and visits to the library.) Hypnotic’s music is what sparked my initial interest—it also helped me pass the bar exam—but it was their nomadic, Utopian existence and deep commitment to uphold their family’s values that inspired the documentary. About six months into filming, the band’s career started to take off and I was fortunate enough to capture their evolution. The feature-length documentary is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2010.

Read more about this project here.

Mercury (WAR) from moriza on Vimeo.


Deep In The Groove

Friday, March 5, 2010

At first glance this looks like a dried up canyon on Mars or something, but in actuality it’s the groove of a vinyl record magnified 1000 times. Those clumpy parts are dust. Kind of makes me want to do a better job cleaning my records.


How Long – A Dreams in Audio Mixtape

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Download How Long

It took being sick on a Saturday for me to finally get around to putting this mix together, a continuation of D.I.A.’s seasonal mixes. How Long is a collection of winter themed tracks that give you that cold prickly feeling. No sequencing or anything fancy here, just the tracks in their entirety. Enjoy.

Tracklisting:
01. Early Morning by Troyka
from Troyka (1970)
02. A Little Girl Lost by David Axelrod
from Songs of Experience (1969)
03. Winter Song by Nico
from Chelsea Girl (1967)
04. Snow Roses by Jan & Lorraine
from Gypsy People (1969)
05. How Long by Circuit Rider
from Circuit Rider (1980)
06. Forge Your Own Chains by D.R. Hooker
from The Truth (1972)
07. Owl of Winter Fortnite by Collie Ryan
from Indian Harvest (1973)
08. Afrikan in Winter by Positive Force with Ade Olatunji
from Oracy (1977)
09. Winter Serenade by Terje Rypdal & Jan Garbarek
from Bleak House (194)
10. Song For Bobby Smith by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
from Winter in America (1974)
11. Will to Love by Neil Young
from American Stars ‘N Bars (1977)
12. Gently, Gently by Serpent Power
from The Serpent Power (1967)


Raps, Caps & Alien Slaps

Friday, February 19, 2010

Some nice Bay Area rap videos from up and coming filmmaker Aris Jerome. You can find more of his work here.

Young L (of The Pack) – Young L-E-N from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

Nht Boyz – 6 In The Morning from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

E-Gunna – Gangsta On Grove feat. Ya Boy, Dip and Big Rich from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.


Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas

Monday, February 15, 2010

Compiled and released by Joel Stones of Tropicalia in Furs, Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas brings together some of Brazil’s rarest fuzz/funk/psych 45s from 1967-1976. Rarely do I get geeked about new releases, but I’ve been looking forward to this since Joel talked about it in the Wax Poetics Brazil issue last year. Born and raised in Brazil, Joel knows his shit, and in a world cluttered with comps, this one just seems like a no-brainer.

I’m eagerly awaiting my copy, but you can order them direct here. This is the limited edition version with amazing custom artwork complete with 3D glasses, and in my opinion this is the only way to fly as the regular cover art is pretty bland. Don’t sleep on this one!

Tracklisting:

1. CELIO BALONA – TEMA DE BATMAN
2. LOYCE E OS GNOMES – ERA UNA NOTA DE
3. THE YOUNGSTERS – I WANNA BE YOUR MAN
4. SERGUEI – OURICO
5. FABIO – LINDO SONHO DELIRANTE
6. TONY E SOM COLORIDO – O CARONA
7. 14 BIS – GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
8. BANDA DE 7 LEGUAS – DIA DE CHUVA
9. TON & SERGIO – VOU SAIR DO CATIVEIRO
10. ELY – AS TURBINAS ESTAO LIGADAS
11. COM OS FALCOES REAIS – ELE SECULO XX
12. MARISA ROSSI – CINTURAO DE FOGO
13. THE POPS – SOM IMAGINARIO DE JIMMI HENDRIX
14. LOYCE E OS GNOMES – QUE E ISSO?
15. PIRY – HEROI MODERNO
16. MAC RYBELL – THE LANTERN


Africa 100: The Indestructable Beat

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Pitchfork just posted a nice feature on African music that kind of functions like a “For Dummies” guide. It was originally published way back in 2005, but I guess the rise in popularity of African music justified a re-post, with various edits. The article goes over history, artists, regions, record labels, blogs, and tons and tons of audio files. A pretty immersive an informative read for anyone looking to learn more about the world of African music.


Thunder Soul: The Story of the Kashmere Stage Band

Thursday, February 4, 2010

My step dad is a jazz drummer and music instructor, and as I was really getting into jazz a few years ago I decided to flip through his record collection to see what kind of records he had. His involvement with different school bands in the 60’s and 70’s yielded a bunch of interesting looking records that he either played on, conducted, or was affiliated with in some way or another. Eventually I came across a copy of Kashmere Stage Band’s Out of Gas But Still Burnin’ LP that he had acquired from the band’s director, Conrad Johnson. My eyes lit up. I knew that Kashmere records were rare and highly sought after by jazz and funk enthusiasts, and until then I had never come across an original KSB record.

In general, my experience with stage band records has been poor; they are typically tepid and cheesy, but the Kashmere kids are another story. Johnson apparently saw the potential in some of his best and brightest students from Kashmere High School in Houston, Texas, forming the KSB in the late 60’s. Between 1968 and 1978 they cut eight studio albums, toured the nation, and won several national championships in the process, becoming a national phenomenon of sorts. The group eventually disbanded in 1978, as several of the players went on to become professional musicians.

I just caught the trailer for an upcoming documentary, Thunder Soul, that traces the band’s history, catches up with some of the players and reunites them for a concert, honoring the man that pushed them to become the greatest high school band ever made. If you want to hear more, check out the compilation Texas, Thunder Soul 1968-1974.


Digging to the Next Level

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Frank just got back from another trip to Africa and shared these pics of his digging adventures. It’s safe to say that nobody is iller than him when it comes to vinyl excavation.

New mix of the best 45s Frank found on his trip!


Beautiful Losers

Monday, February 1, 2010

Beautiful Losers, an exhibit, book and most recently a documentary, follows the work of several artists, rooted in subcultures like skateboarding, hip hop, punk, and graffiti, who helped power a movement and generation of culturally significant art. Some of my favorite artists like Shepard Fairey, Geoff McFetridge, and Barry McGee are prominently featured. A highly recommended rental – watch the trailer below.

Beautiful Losers film trailer from beautifullosersfilm on Vimeo.

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