Which Norwegians? Oh, those Norwegians...

House Music Friday brings you another favorite from the legendary Club Septo (don't bother Googling it :P )...



I don't imagine that too many folks have heard of Those Norwegians, an act that released the fine Kaminzky Park record on Paper Recordings, but it might ring a bell for a few of you if I mention one of the members of this project was Rune Lindbaek, a guy who's done quite well for himself in the Disco House/Disco re-edit scene that all the kids are wild about these days. But since it was on Paper, you know it's gonna be some good stuff, and this track in particular was on heavy rotation back in the house party days. Seriously jazzy deepness with a guest appearance by a robot that seems to have some kind of number fixation...

Those Norwegians - 39-38-39 (ysi)

But seriously though, 39 what? And then there's only 38? But then later there's 39 again? Other than my amount of surviving brain cells, I'm not really sure what that robot is referring to... oh well, have a great weekend, but try not to kill too many brain cells of your own.

Pasty British dude #126

Music so good you could eat it today, if you could actually eat music... which you can't...



Flight 602 is the latest album from Mr. Andy Turner, aka Aim. He's been turning out really good music for years, and this is no exception. Yummy, warm downtempo treats. Kinda like s'mores, but you can't eat 'em. Well, I guess you could try to eat a CD or record if you wanted to, but I doubt it would taste too good, no matter how much Tapatio you put on it. Mmm... Tapatio... but I digress. That's what I do when I don't have a whole lot of information about an artist. If I didn't digress sometimes, probably 70% of these posts would read something like, "now here's another faceless but most assuredly pasty British dude that makes good music"... and that would probably get kinda boring after awhile, no? Anyhoo, enjoy the sounds of Aim...

Aim - Walking Home Through The Park (ysi)

Dude used to use a lot of rappers on his tracks, but this new album doesn't have so much of that... so hey, there's a tidbit for ya! I know. I'll try harder tomorrow... :P

Ape-prototypes?

So, the shuffle landed on something I haven't listened to in quite some time today...



Considering that its members included Dan the Automator and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (and Kid Koala) and that Damon Albarn sang a song on the album, it seems that Deltron 3030 was The Gorillaz before The Gorillaz, knowhutimean? The album is just as genius, that's for sure... but then again, look at who's involved (and there are a lot more than I mentioned). Yet this record certainly never achieved anywhere near the crossover success... I guess it was the cartoon thing that pushed the idea to the next level... cartoons are funny and I like the bright colors...

Deltron 3030 - Love Story (ysi)

So supposedly, there will be another Deltron album coming out next year... let's hope that happens!

Mann-teca!

Now, yesterday I mentioned that Galactic's song had a piece of "Manteca" in it... so I figured I'd help you out, if you weren't familiar with that particular tune, because I am here to help, people! Remember when Paris Hilton was in jail and made all these pronouncements that she was going to dedicate herself to helping people when she got out, only to recant on them when she realized that helping people actually required, like, you know... doing stuff? Well, I'm no Paris Hilton! I've never recorded a sex tape... in nightvision, anyway... and I'm going to follow through! But I'm with Paris on one thing... I'm not going to Rwanda, either...



Anyhoo, Manteca is a jazz standard by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo that has been recorded oh, about a billion times, one of my all time favorites. This version, by flautist Herbie Mann, I was just introduced to by the awesome Jose Rizo on KKJZ's "Jazz on the Latin Side" show. (Do yourself a favor and check that out on the stream some time, both the music and my man Jose are amazing... talk about the perfect drive-home-from-work music!). Now, I'm not necessarily a Jazz flute aficionado, so it's the sick, sick percussion throwdown (at about 2:30) in this arrangement that really does it for me...

Herbie Mann - Manteca (ysi)

See what I mean? Intense! But if you wanna talk Jazz flute and intense, well, there's really only one man you need to know...



Stay classy, blogosphere...

NOLA, the next generation

Okay, I'm hoping you've slept off all that turkey and booze (Americans) or other food and booze (Europeans) or just plain booze (Drunks), because it's time to start another week of blog-tastic love (huh?)...



If you're going to start a funk band, it's a very good idea to be from New Orleans, just ask Galactic. They are from New Orleans, and their funk band is quite successful, proving my theory to be 100% rock-solid. Now, these days they're messing about with the Hip-Hop a bit, and are sometimes grouped into the "jam band" category, one that makes my skin crawl with thoughts of dirty, spinning hippies. I'm not sure the "jam band" thing really applies, but if you have white guys in your band and embrace the funk it seems almost unavoidable... sigh... anyhoo, this record is from a decade ago, before all that, when their sound was pure, unadulterated NOLA funk, naturally the period of theirs that I prefer...

Galactic - Funky Bird (ysi)

Notice how they even threw a bit of "Manteca" in there? Bonus points!

The Funk Phenomena

House Music Friday is here to shake you out of that Tryptophan-induced stupor...



Yeah, yeah, I know... Armand Van Helden = Cheesy as fuck. I know... but he has had his moments. This is probably his best, right here. This track was huge in L.A....

Armand Van Helden - The Funk Phenomena (ysi)

Yep, even a dog has his day... wait, I think I fucked that saying up... never mind. Just pump it loud and have a great weekend!

Remix that fool!

The "King of Latin R'n'B" (it says so on his website!) meets remixing royalty today...



Reminted, the new remix compilation by Fort Knox Five is just chock full of the funky breaks goodness. Which is a good goodness to be chock full of, in my opinion. To wit, here they take a classic from the great singer Joe Bataan, repping Spanish Harlem again here in the blog, and funkify his shit up real nice like...

Joe Bataan - The Fool (Fort Knox Five Remix) (ysi)

I'll be taking tomorrow off to stuff my face, hope you do the same!

Which Lonnie Smith do you speak of?

Today, some great '70s Jazz/Funk and a fabulous album cover...



... but before we get to the track, allow me to clear some things up. This Lonnie Smith... or Dr. Lonnie Smith to you, whitey... is not Lonnie Liston Smith, okay? Yeah, they both have the same name, both played keyboard, both put out their most famous work at the exact same time and in pretty much the same style. But that's really all they have in common. I don't know where the confusion comes from... sheesh! Also, this Lonnie Smith is not the fine slap-hitting/base-stealing outfielder of the '80s...


"I can't even play piano!"

... besides, baseball Lonnie Smith was also a famed cokehead, and we all know that all the best Jazz players prefer the smack. Okay, so now that we have that out of the way, the song! Now, the first 1:30 of this song has some vocals that you might describe as, how can I say this nicely... Chocolate Porn City, perhaps? But after that, it settles in to a great uptempo workout with really nice extended trumpet and sax solos and some wicked percussion... a real groover, check it out...

Lonnie Smith - Afrodesia (ysi)

Dr. Lonnie is still going strong today, rocking a bad-ass turban and a surprisingly pimped out website... he's fly like that. Word.

You can call me Tonymoonbiscuit

An overlooked Neo-Soul gem today...



Ambersunshower is a singer from Brooklyn, and yes, that's her real first name. But despite that, her (one and only) album is not at all dirty hippie music. Actually, it's a hugely slept on record that pre-dates but should be mentioned in the same breath as the first Erykah Badu and Jill Scott records as one of the best of it's genre. Girl's got kind of a weird voice, but it really grows on you. Check out this jam, produced by P.M. Dawn...

Ambersunshower - The Running Song (ysi)

This is one of my favorite albums to turn people on to, because everyone I have turned onto it has become just as addicted to it as I have. Maybe you will, too? Let me know...

Did someone say Fi-yah?!?!

House Music Friday is heatin' it up...



There's not a whole lot of info out there on Powder Productions, except for what you would expect. It's a pasty Brit named Phil. Really? Never woulda guessed... but Phil put out two nice Deep House albums on Glasgow Underground, and this is probably my favorite track of his, a peak-time banger for sure...

Powder Productions - Hot Stuff (ysi)

This CD is out of print but available for 30 freakin' cents at Amazon. You need to go jump on that...

And hey, check it out, I'm on the YouTubes! I'm the one who says "That's a sweet ass"...



Look out world, a star is born! Okay, maybe not... have a great weekend!

If only he'd worn a belt

Listen now, to this tale of woe...



Monsieur Ludovic Llorca is a French producer who so far has one very good album under his belt. Assuming he wears a belt. Which he should... otherwise his pants might fall down and everyone would see his junk and point and laugh. And then all of his music would be sad because his self image was crushed by the mockery. Poor guy. He really didn't deserve that, ya know? Yeah, sure, he stole that baguette from that homeless old lady and kicked her in the head that one time, but to be honest she kind of deserved it. Well, anyway, the pre-public humiliation Llorca album is a fine mix of house, jazz and latin styles... you know, the usual. Good stuff... here's an uptempo number on a Bossa Nova vibe...

Llorca - Indigo Blues (with Nicole Graham) (ysi)

... happier times indeed for poor Ludovic...

The Broken Beat Diva

Why don't we just go ahead and take our lively music week up yet another notch...



You may have heard the name Wunmi before... maybe. She's done vocals on tracks for people like Masters at Work and Bugz In The Attic. But now the Lagos-to-London singer has her own album of her own, Africans Living Abroad, and with a producer list that reads like a who's who of the Broken Beat scene, it's off the hook. Just listen to this madness...

Wunmi - Left 2 Right (ysi)

Damn, them's some crazy-ass beats. And vocals. And everything else! You go, wacky African girl with the freaky hair and the nutty clothes and stuff... you go!

I ain't funkin' around, and neither is he

Continuing to keep it lively this week!



Trumpeter Longineu Parsons is an artist who was raised from a state of obscurity to a state of new and improved semi-obscurity by Ubiquity Records' fine re-issue label Luv 'n' Haight. But hey, I'm sure he'll take it. This record is a career retrospective for someone you didn't even know had a career, so it's that much cooler when the person is actually quite good and can finally get some props. Jazz, Funk and African influences combine into what we like to call "good shit" around here. This tune here is a bit of a ramshackle affair, what with all the percussion bangin' & clatterin', but it will certainly make you get up and shake it...

Longineu Parsons - Funkin' Around (ysi)

It seems that his son (grandson maybe even?) plays drums for the crappy alt-rock band Yellowcard, but we'll try not to hold that against him.... friggin' kids these days... :P

Fighting off the darkness!

I don't know about y'all, but this switch to Standard Time is messin' with my brain. It's like pitch black at 5 PM these days... which makes it feel like 10, which makes me want to go to bed way too early. Or maybe I'm just an old man... anyhoo, I think we need to fight off the lethargy with a week full of uptempo tunes, and there's no more uptempo way to start than with some Drum 'n' Bass...



I can't be arsed to look back through my old posts, so if I've mentioned this before, oh well... but I was so into Drum 'n' Bass when it all started, but then kind of let it slip by the wayside when I got all into House. Haven't really been following it too closely for a few years, but turns out there's still some really good stuff being made, and a lot of the best new D'n'B comes out on Hospital Records, a label that's been around for quite a while now and is obviously still going strong. Perhaps their biggest act, Mr. Tony Colman, aka London Elektricity is a man who you gotta love, especially for the very funny title and album cover of Power Ballads. But hey, the music is no joke (aren't I clever)...

London Elektricity - Vapour Trails (ysi)

... me likey very much. And my man Tony scores extra points for touring this album with a live band. I loves me some live band D'n'B, and as you can see from this YouTubes video, they did it right...



Give me a stand-up bass and I'm ready to rock, folks! More lively fare on the way... stay up late!

House music and dead bunnies

Another House Music Friday = another stone-cold classic...



Mr. Guy Nado, aka DJ Rasoul is a legend of the San Francisco house scene, right up there with Miguel Migs, Mark Farina and that lot. He's never quite achieved the "mainstream" success those guys have for some reason, but ask anyone who came up in the scene in the last 10 years, and they'll set you straight... Rasoul is the man! As proof of that, I offer you what may be his biggest track, one that has killed many a dancefloor here in Cali and well, well beyond. This one is out of print and really hard to track down... it's the kind of record people don't ever sell back... the kind of record that if it gets scratched, you will see a grown man cry like a little girl who skinned her knee while simultaneously losing her favorite doll and watching a bunny get run through a woodchipper...

DJ Rasoul - True Science (ysi)

... see what I'm sayin'? Oh, and speaking of bunnies... I never knew they were so suicidal...

Have a great weekend!

The Pink Pirate

Yet another candidate for the "Why aren't they huge?" file today...



Me and Esthero go way back. Well, I've never actually talked to or met her or anything (although she is friends with some people I know), but I did see her very first L.A. show many years ago when her amazing debut record had just come out, but no one had really heard of her yet. She was great, but totally shy on stage, not talking much between songs, giving the meek little thank you's to the audience - it was cute... fast-forward to a few months later, the record had blown up and she played Coachella and suddenly she was sex on wheels, owning the stage, working the crowd... the change in her confidence level was amazing. I was quite convinced that she was going to be a huge star. Then, record company troubles and who knows what else happens and it's 7 years until she gets another record out. A really nice record, but didn't do much business. Talk about momentum lost. Now she's left a second major record company deal and who knows what happens next... sigh... hopefully she can get her shit together, because she's still young and she has more songwriting game and a better voice than just about any female solo artist I can think of.... plus she's a super sexy redhead and I totally have a thing for those...

... anyhoo, here's a little of that talent I'm talking about, a Latin-flavored jam from that second album, Wikked Lil Grrrlz...

Esthero - Blanket Me In You (Never Is So Soon) (ysi)

See what I'm talking about? So much better than so much Pop music. She should be HUGE! So spread the word, hit her up on the Myspace and let's make it happen!

Why not be trendy for a change?

For the most part I like the musical selections in this blog to be stuff you can't find on the other blogs, and I know I'm not the only person posting on this record... but damn if this isn't really catching my ear right now...



... or more like taking over my brain. The mystery man known as Burial has just released his second album, Untrue, and it's a corker. You can read all about it in this fine interview, but I'll just say this. You know some next-level shit when you hear it, and this is some next level shit. I'm not saying that there isn't a lot of fantastic music being made these days because there most certainly is in abundance... but my pants always feel a little bit extra funny when something comes out that sounds unequivocally new... or, to say that less pretentiously, I kinda dig this Dubstep stuff the kids are listening to these days...

Burial - Archangel (ysi)

... kinda like "garridge" being mugged in a dark alley with a broken whisky bottle, no? It creeps me out a bit, and I'm pretty sure that's why I like it. I'm kinda weird like that sometimes...

NOLA education

Good morning class, and welcome to Funk 101. Please open your textbooks to page 23...



Everybody knows that the definition of funk begins with James Brown, and the Godfather cannot be touched... but if he has any competition at all, it has to come from the pride of New Orleans, The Meters. They're probably the second most sampled band of all time... even if you haven't heard 'em, you've heard 'em, nawwhutimean? Led by Art Neville of the Neville Brothers, these guys were the masters of that NOLA sound, a more laid-back, jazz-influenced vibe than Brother James laid down, but still plenty hot and stanky... and if there's one thing that's better when it's hot and stanky, it's funk... I could make any number of nasty jokes there, but I'll spare you... this time...

The Meters - Little Old Money Maker (ysi)

I can't recommend this 2-disc anthology highly enough. More than essential... mandatory!

And here's some YouTubes action for ya from 1974, a few years after today's song was cut and right before they toured the world opening for The Rolling Stones(!)... don't you love when you get to watch movies in class?



There will be a quiz later, so you better study!

In which I promise not to complain too much about current Hip-Hop...

... because what's the point. I'm just gonna bring you some Old school, New York style... it don't get any better!



To think there are kids out there these days who claim to like Hip-Hop who have never heard of the Native Tongues crew... for shame! And while Black Sheep may not have been the clean-up hitters on that roster, they certainly knocked it out of the park with their debut album. (Thus conclude the baseball metaphors). Of course the big hit was "The Choice Is Yours", but you don't need me to remind you of that. Nope, instead you get an album track, but one with a guest spot by Q-Tip... because of course there's a guest spot by Q-Tip! There's always a guest spot by Q-Tip! It's in the contract!

Black Sheep - La Menage (ysi)

They just don't do sex raps like they used to, do they? Peace!

Used to get high just to pass the time

House Music Friday returns with one of the best tracks EVAR...



Although they appear to be running on fumes these days, back just a few years ago, Naked Music was the single best Deep House label in the world. There is no disputing this, folks. Classic after classic after classic... eagerly anticipating and circling the date of when the next record dropped, and getting your ass to the record store that morning to buy it is what I'm talking about. And this is perhaps the best of the best. Label head Jay Denes recorded as Blue Six (still does, actually), and his first record for his own label was a stunner to say the least. I'm not sure who the vocalist is (fountain of information that I am), but it doesn't matter... this remix courtesy the mighty Miguel Migs from the 12" is the one I would whip out for peak time funkification... enjoy...

Blue Six - Music & Wine (Migs Petalpusher Vocal) (ysi)

Heavenly. Have a great weekend!

Don't call him Joe

Time for some baby-makin' music...



Keyboardist and singer Amp Fiddler is a true veteran of the music game... he's played with everyone from Prince to Primal Scream, George Clinton to J Dilla... but his name really only become known in the last few years - after he released his first solo album, Waltz of the Ghetto Fly, a little while back... one of the best albums ever in the Neo-Soul vibe. Now his second record has finally come out in the states after a lengthy delay, and it's just as good. Considering the guy's extensive steez, one should not be surprised... and check it out, I've used the word "steez" twice in one week. Is that good or bad? I guess it doesn't matter. What matters is that you get Amped right now...

Amp Fiddler - Faith (ysi)

I've caught this guy live on a couple occasions and he puts on a heck of a party... and I feel like I say this a lot (much like "steez"), but for crap's sake, why isn't this guy huge? (Shakes fist)