As I’m currently working on a project involving typographic treatments and motion graphics, I’ve been looking for possible things to reference. This Cee-Lo video came just in the nick of time as it’s a perfect example of how engaging simple text animation can be, and is very close to the vision I had in mind for this particular project. The old school film treatment is a nice touch too.
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Finally got around to doing a Summer mix, inspired by the Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rythm Band track “Express Yourself.” Here, it’s covered by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires to great summer effect, setting the tone for the entire mix. A pretty diverse collection of warm summer vibes – something you can enjoy at a BBQ or picnic, or on your stoop sipping sangria. Some longtime summertime favorites of mine here, like Cymande’s “Bra” or Wilson Simonal’s “Nem Vem que Nao Tem,” as well as some recent discoveries. Hopefully everything meshes well together despite the eclectic selection. Enjoy and have a great summer.
Express Yourself Track Listing:
Part 1
01. Jorge Ben – Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu
from Africa Brazil, 1976
02. Orchestre Poly Rythmo – Assibavi
from Volume ONE “The Vodoun Effect,” 2009
03. Blo – It’s Gonna Be a Good Day
from Phase 2, 1974
04. Johnny Osbourne – We Need Love
from Truth & Rights, 1979
05. Who Can Get Busy Like This Man – Brand Nubian
from One For All, 1990
06. Sister Nancy – Bam Bam
from One, Two, 1982
07. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires – Express Yourself
from Reggay Splashdown!, 197?
08. Wilson Simonal – Nem Vem que Nao Tem
from Alegria Algeria!!! Vol. 1, 1967
09. Marcos Valle – Mem Paleto Mem Gravata
from Previsao Do Tempo, 1973
10. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – All the Places
from The Main Ingredient, 1994
11. Marvin Holmes – Find Yourself
from “Find Yourself b/w Part 2″, 197?
12. Leo’s Sunshipp – Give Me the Sunshine
from We Need Each Other, 1978
Part 2
13. Rosinha Da Valenca – Summertime
from Um Violao Em Primeiro Plano, 1971
14. Love – Hummingbirds
from Forever Changes (Collector’s Edition), 1967/2008
15. Happy End – It’s Summer
from Kazemachi Roman, 1971
16. Shuggie Otis – Strawberry Letter 23
from Inspiration Information, 1974
17. Main Ingredient – Summer Breeze
from Euphrates River, 1974
18. Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – For What It’s Worth
from Stillness, 1971
19. Roy Ayers – Everybody Loves the Sunshine
from Everybody Loves the Sunshine, 1976
20. McNeal & Niles – Summertime
from Thrust, 1979
21. Cymande – Bra
from Cymande, 1972
22. Stevie Wonder – All I Do (U-Tern Remix)
from Digital Release, 2007
23. Rye Rye – Shake it to the Ground (Arthur King Remix)
from Digital Release 2008
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Complex Magazine recently featured Kon & Amir’s 50 greatest hip hop samples of all time, a pretty comprehensive run-down that features audio of the original and a track that sampled it, as well as words from the duo. Like many vinyl heads (myself included) the record thing starts with breaks and samples; trying to find records that producers used to make that hip hop track you love so much. And while I’ve definitely grown out of that phase of my collecting habits, there’s still something about hearing classic samples that never gets old.
Lists like these are always tough to compile, and even harder to judge, but I think if you asked a lot of other producers to pick their top 50, they probably wouldn’t be too far off from this one.
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Yesterday hip hop lost one of its most prolific MCs in Keith Elam aka Guru. Known best as one half of Gang Starr, Elam was a pioneer in conscious rhymes and also brought the jazz/hip hop crossover to the forefront with his Jazzmatazz series. All of the Gang Starr albums are considered classics, which is especially impressive considering their career spanned three decades.
People across the industry are already flooding the inter webs with their thoughts and tributes to him, so I thought I’d post something beyond the standard “these are my favorite Gang Starr songs.” I’ve always loved this performance on the Arsenio Hall Show in what was probably the greatest gathering of hip hop luminaries, ever. Guru throws it down at about the 3 minute mark.
And for your Gang Starr fix, check out Matthew Africa’s Gang Starr mix here.
R.I.P.
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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.
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After college I tried my hand at production, messing around and recording backpacker rap tracks with friends. I started off with stuff like Acid Pro, Fruity Loops and all that stuff until I eventually splurged for an MPC XL2000. Nowadays it seems you can make just about anything on a computer, but I don’t think any program has been able to emulate the natural feeling of the MPC’s pads. I’ve always thought that Jel from Anticon was one of the best MPC performers I’d ever seen, but I saw this video of new Dipset producer AraabMuzik and damn; kids have been steeping their game up. Impressive stuff.
araabMUZIK Live MPC Set Part 1 from Death by Electric Shock on Vimeo.
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