Something you may not know...

Prepare for a shocker...



Now, I don't know if you knew this, but apparently sometimes Reggae artists like themselves some marijuana. I know, shocker. But just in case you have any doubts, I will direct you to Mr. Linval Thompson and his cryptically titled album, I Love Marijuana. I know, tricky... but you'll figure out the hidden meaning, I'm sure. Anyhoo, this is a really, really good, yet sadly out of print, Reggae album that also includes the jam "Dread Are The Controller", which led off Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead's Reggae mix CD for Trojan. Been a while since I worked a random Radiohead reference into a post. Bet ya thought I was slippin'...

Linval Thompson - I Love Marijuana (ysi)

Now, I'm not not going to say that I don't not like the marijuana myself, if you don't not know what I'm sayin'... know what I'm sayin'? Hey, ya never know who's readin' this... :P

Quick 'cuz I'm sick

Battling a really gnarly head cold today, so I think I'll dispense with the jibber-jabber...



Here's a great little number by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers. Pucho called his sound "Latin Boogaloo", and "boogaloo" is awfully fun to say, so I think you'll agree... with what, you say? That's for you to figure out...

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Heat (ysi)

By the way, Pucho isn't even Latin... poser? Discuss...

Hard times call for good music

So it seems that economy is about to explode like a frog that had a firecracker stuck in it's mouth by a half-retarded little kid (whose name may be George)... and all the bigwigs are down there fighting over bail out plans and getting nowhere. But ya know, the solution to this problem is simple... Mike Huckabee!


Whaaaaa?

Let me explain... If you don't remember, Mike Huckabee is tight with Chuck Norris! Mike controls the ChuckSignal, yo! Chuck Norris would roundhouse kick Wall Street right out of it's funk and then make sweet beard-love to it and soon the streets would be paved with gold and everyone would get free bunnies! It's so simple, dudes! Someone call Mike Huckabee and have him get the ChuckSignal shining! God, do I have to tell those folks how to do everything? Fucktards.

Anyhoo, House Music Friday will always be recession-proof...



Perhaps my most favorite practitioner of what the kids call the Tech House is one Mr. Jean F. Cochois, aka The Timewriter. His tunes are the opposite of "minimal"... they are Maximal! Very lush with the sounds, he is. And no, I have no idea why I just turned into Yoda just then, so don't ask...

The Timewriter - Here Comes The Sun (ysi)

His ambient dabblings under the JFC moniker are also quite nice to listen to. But more important than any of this is that you make sure to turn on the debate tonight to see Barack Obama verbally skull-fuck John McCain. It's gonna be SWEET...

Have a great weekend!

You're money, baby!

Of Swingers and Douchebags and how they were once one and the same...



Ah, Swingers... great movie, no doubt about it. Genius, even! I'm gonna make Gretzky's head bleed! Yep, one of my all-time top ten... but there was a big negative to Swingers' success, that being that every single douchebag in Los Angeles (and that is A LOT of douchebags, people) decided that they would act just like the guys in the movie, go to the same places (The Dresden and The Derby), wear the retro suits, take up swing dancing, smoke cigars, drink martinis and act like huge twats. Now, except for the suits, the swing dancing and the twat part, I was kinda sorta one of 'em. Put in my time in those joints, lit up some stogies and the martini part goes without saying. So maybe I was partly douche-y. But I was young, so cut me some slack. Anyhoo, the Swing music and the Lounge music were everywhere, and most of it was really "meh"... but to me, the greatest act on the Swingers soundtrack were Louisville to L.A. transplants Love Jones and their debut album is the single greatest thing to come from that entire douchebag microcosm. Because rather than lamely aping the far superior Big Band music of the past (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, I'm looking your way), they simply wrote perfect Pop songs with often-hilarious lyrics...

Love Jones - Custom Van (ysi)

How can you not love that? Because you're a bunny-killing terrorist, that's how. It's really the only possibility...

Bonus Post: Jesus Is My Selectah

This is just too good not to post... an extremely amusing audio/video mash-up of some wikked Drum & Bass and some insane Jesus freaks who are... um... feelin' it, to say the least...



That works on so many levels. One the one hand, it's funny as hell, on the other hand it's scary to think these people are that caught up in their ol' time relijun... and they're the ones that support McCain & Palin. And Bush for that matter. You want these people in charge? Me neither! Vote Obama!

And since I can't just post without including a tune, here's a tune. I don't have my full library at my fingertips right now, or else I'd have some of that hard techstep biznezz for ya, so you'll just have to settle for an old-school Metalheadz roller by Dillinja with a vaguely appropriate title...

Dillinja - The Angels Fell (ysi)

REWIND!

Music to foil super-villians to...

A retro sound today, but thank goodness it's not '80s retro. Can we all agreee that that needs to end? We can? Excellent...



Shawn Lee is yet another artist from an off-the-beaten-path kinda place... none other than Wichita, Kansas. Well originally, anyway. Now he kicks it in London with the cool kids. Kind of a no-brainer there. I mean, nothing against Wichita, but... oh, never mind. Don't wanna piss of the Wichita Massive, ya know. People have tried and perished horribly from what I've heard. I think they send 'em into the field where the Children of the Corn hang out. Anyhoo, the music is very much like the old Library spy movie jams... which is, as you guessed correctly, a good thing...

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Glass Act (ysi)

... and as you also guessed correctly, he's scored movies and video games and won awards for it. And now, just for shits and giggles...



Man, them kids are creepy...

A Big Tromboner

Some great Soul Jazz today from Detroit Motor City...



Tromboner (yeah, I know it's really "trombonist", but come on...) Phil Ranelin started up Tribe Records back in the '70s as a home for political-minded Black Jazz. Now, I'm not exactly sure how music with no words can be political, but I'm just gonna not be a dick and go with it. It's a feeling, bro... or something. This is kinda like Free Jazz, but it's held down by a subtly funky bassline that keeps it from getting so far out there... because some of that Free Jazz shit, man, as much as I would like to be cool enough to "get it"... I just don't get it. But this I get just fine... super mellow vibes...

Phil Ranelin - Time Is Running Out (Extended Version) (ysi)

Nice stuff, but if anyone can figure out the political statement of that song, please go ahead and help me out in the comments. I think it may have something to do with pork-barrel spending, but maybe I'm just reading too deeply into it...

Music And Dodgeball On Monday

Let's get this week started right, with some brand-spanking-new hotness...



I'm actually kind of shocked that with over 500 posts now that I've never blogged on Thievery Corporation, especially considering they're one of my favorite acts. But the shuffle plays no favorites, does it? But I'm gonna tell the shuffle to suck it, because the boys from D.C. have a new one out called Radio Retaliation and it is pretty friggin' amazing, to no surprise. No reinventing the wheel here, just the Downtempo goodness with the World music vibes that you've come to expect. They just do it better than anyone else. Check this one out, on an Indian vibe with the very hot Anoushka Shankar rocking some sitar. I loves me some sitar...

Thievery Corporation - Mandala (ysi)

Yep, they still got it. It's out tomorrow. Do not tarry, fools!

And here's something even more awesomer... my latest appearance on Chelsea Lately, in easily the best sketch we've done so far, at least in my completely omnisicient and unfuckwiddable opinion...



I won't even tell you what a freakin' ordeal it was to get that makeup off... I actually had to shave part of my chest! I feel I can tell you that because we're friends you and I... right?

Another Large Tune

... which means that House Music Friday (Now 30% More Bacon-y Delicious!) pays a return visit to Chicago's Large Music for another jazzy Deep House gem...



So, this Jask guy has a pretty interesting background, unless you consider Thailand-born House producers based in Florida to be a dime-a-dozen. He's been around for a while now, putting out records on a variety of your favorite labels, and I hear he makes a Tom Yum Goong. Actually, I never heard that at all. Sometimes I just make stuff up about people to make them seem more interesting. Not that I'm saying Jask isn't an interesting fella. He may be able to regale you for hours with tales mysterious and delightful, but I don't know... I've never met the guy. Anyhoo, this track has lots of nice instrumental noodling around a chunky beat that keeps it very safely out of Wimpyland, which is unfortunately where a lot of noodly, jazzy House sometimes ends up livin'...

Jask - Reflections Of Love (ysi)

No wimpiness there. And I hope there is no wimpiness to your weekend, either. Peace out!

All sortsa cool

Next stop: Nigeria. It's hot, but it's cool. Let me explain...



I'm going to have to put Babatunde Olatunji onto the Mongo Santamaria Memorial List of Dudes With Awesome Names. Because his name is awesome. His music is pretty cool, too. High Life might not be for everybody, but it's pretty fun. Lots of people other think so, too! In fact, Baba put out the first album of real African music on a major US label some 40+ years ago and it was a big hit. Not that I knew that before I researched today's post, but that's a pretty neat factoid. And the Grateful Dead were down, too... they had him serve as an opening act on many occasions and Mickey Hart put out some of his later albums. So, to sum up, cool dude, cool name, cool tunes... sounds cool to me...

Olatunji & His Drums Of Passion - Saturday Night Limbo (ysi)

That's the kind of song it would be fun to start out a Saturday night DJ set with... yep, that would be cool...

Blogdafucup!

Yet more gangsta rap today, I guess the shuffle is feelin' that you betta recognize...



I don't know how many of you will remember '90s Hip-Hop act Onyx. They had their one hit, "Slam", from their one good album, this one... and that was pretty much it. Yeah, yeah, they are seemingly still around in some form but, well, so are a lot of people. But although that sounds like a dig, they were better than you remember. All bald heads, bad attitudes and worse spelling, they were a pet project of Jam Master Jay after all, and if you check out this beat, you'll see that that is a pretty good thing to be...

Onyx - Stik 'N' Muve (ysi)

What's that you say? Another marginal old school Hip-Hop group that sounds better than the so-called "best" of today. I am so surprised! Now get off my lawn, ya noisy kids!

Back with a bomb!

Well hello there! My apologies (to the two or three people out there that may actually care) for the little unplanned sabbatical last week. Me was a busy guy. But I will try and make it up to ya the only way I can... with some good shee-it!



Tim Simenon's Bomb The Bass project has long been one of the most interesting in Electronica (check out the ridiculously detailed Wiki for info), in that the records have been so far apart that you forget about BTB's existence, then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there's a new one and it's totally bad-ass. "Wha? That guy's still alive?" Well, the cycle continues with the new Future Chaos... peep this awesome slice of Electro Pop featuring Fujiya & Miyagi, who know a thing or two about Electro Pop slices themselves...

Bomb The Bass - Butterfingers (ft. Fujiya & Miyagi) (ysi)

I prefer my slices with pepperoni, by the way... But in the interest of full disclosure, I gotta tell you that the thing that really made me want to post this song is the video...



That little animated Mini Moog is so cute I wanna take it home and hug it and squeeze it and call it George... just sayin'...

The best political site I've seen... and, of course, a little tune, too.

Sorry I missed ya yesterday. I was... um... eaten by hyenas, or something. But it's cool. I'm back now...



The Hi-Fi Killers were a Downtempo duo from Seattle of little-to-no acclaim... which is too bad, because they put out a couple of records in the late '90s that earned some heavy rotation from yours truly. Their first, this one here, was their best. All kung-fu/blaxploitation samples, funky horns and Hip-Hop beats... perhaps not far off formula, but very well executed...

The Hi-Fi Killers - Probable Cause (ysi)

Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

And before I go today, I have to point you out to the most amazing website ever for someone who wants the real scoop as far as this little election thing goes. It's a joint venture between the St. Petersburg, FL (I know, bizarre) paper and the Congressional Quarterly called the Truth-O-Meter, in which they take claims made by the 4 Prez/VP candidates and stand them up against the cold hard facts to tell you just how true these statements are. And even though I'm Obama all the way, this site will call him out when he tries to bullshit, too. So it ain't no "evil left-leaning media". Absolutely essential reading. Vote, bitches!

In which some guys do not suck...

Were gonna call it House-ish Music Friday this week... I'll explain...



Every now and then, one of the DJs on KCRW drops a tune that catches my fancy and must be sought out immediately. This is one of those tunes. The group is called Suicide Sports Club, which is a really shit name, and the guys behind it are Brancaccio and Aisher, who usually make the Progressive House that I'm not terribly fond of. But this one is pretty interesting, sporting a 4/4 House beat with rapped vocals, so I'm not sure exactly what genre to put it in... but who really cares about that anyway?

Suicide Sports Club - I Don't Know (ysi)

The album's got all sorts of different styles going on... it's interesting to see some Cheez-House guys expanding their sound and not sucking. So kudos, boys! Have a great weekend!

Ice Ice... Bee-yatch!

Mixin' up the format a bit today to feature two closely related artists and two of the greatest thespians of our time...




Yep, we're talkin' 'bout the Ice Brothers, T and Cube... two of the earliest heroes of Gangsta Rap. How about a little side-by-side comparison on some of the major categories...

Real Name:

Ice-T: Tracy Marrow
Ice Cube: O'Shea Jackson
Edge: Ice Cube wins this one, because Ice-T has a girl's name... but I'm not gonna be the one to tell him that... no way...

Rap Name:

Ice-T: Ice-T
Ice Cube: Ice Cube
Edge: For a couple of guys who are two of the hardest cats ever in rap, they got some pretty wimpy names... One names himself after a cool, refreshing beverage (what, "Lemonade" was taken? "Sunny D" not "hard" enough?) and the other takes it further by naming himself after a small piece of frozen water usually placed inside a cool, refreshing beverage. And a nice tall glass of delicious iced tea with some cold ice cubes in it does not make me fear that I'm about to get my cap peeled... Verdict? Fail.

Greatest Acting Achievement

Ice-T: Ice-T is a decent actor... real good in New Jack City, I like him in Law & Order... he makes a good cop... but nothing compares to his work in the classic (Classic!) Leprechaun: In The Hood. Witness...



Oscar better recognize, foo!

Ice Cube: I think most would agree that Cube has had the bigger acting career, playing excellent starring roles in three of the best Black films of the last however many years, Boyz N The Hood, Friday & Barbershop. Drama, comedy... versatility! But alas, if only all of his film choices were that good. To wit...



To use and extremely out-of-place interjection... Oy vey!

Edge: Ice Cube, but he ain't helpin' himself lately...

Music:

Ya know, I can't really choose either one. They're both among the best ever. Here's a randomly selected track from each... so how about you stop making me do all the work and decide for ya self!

Ice-T - You Played Yourself (ysi)

Ice Cube - Who's The Mack? (ysi)

Okay, enough of this, football is on! FOOTBALL IS ON! WOO-HOO!

Makin' sexy time

Here's another one for the ladies...



When Finley Quaye came out with his debut album, Maverick A Strike, it was to quite a bit of fanfare. Much of this had to do with the fact that he's Tricky's cousin (insert joke about massive weed consumption here), but much of it had to do with the other fact... that it was an awesome record. Unfortunately, Finley didn't really make another good one. His second one was okay, the third one was terrible, and I can't be arsed to care what's happened since, though apparently he's still at it. But Maverick A Strike contained some primo baby-makin' music, and here's an example...

Finley Quaye - It's Great When We're Together (ysi)

So put that on and make some sexy time...

Glen Miller did not have this in mind...

At this point I'm just waiting for a report to surface that claims Sarah Palin killed a hobo... but I digress. Hey there! Welcome back! It's been three long days... let's get back to it... I'm sure you're just dying with anticipation...



A few years ago, certified wacko/musical genius Matthew Herbert decided he was gonna make himself a Big Band record. And so he did. But of course, the Herbert method of making a such a record was to record a big band, take that stuff to the studio and cut-up the shit out of it, reconstructing it into something completely different and adding electronic skull-duggery. It still feels like jazz... just really weird-ass Jazz. You gettin' the idea this is a tricky record to explain? Listening is a much better idea...

The Matthew Herbert Big Band - Follow The Meaning (ysi)

Sounds kinda like if you took a swing orchestra, threw it into a wall smashing it to pieces, then just picked up the pieces and started pulling 'em out of a hat... or something. And then he did it live...



Yep. Wacko. Love it. New one by the Matthew Herbert Big Band coming out this fall... don't miss it.