The Existential Angst of The Music Collector

It just doesn't seem fair...



You think you've got it covered, you know? You think that with all the research and reading and blogs and downloading that you have a pretty good handle on what's out there as far as music. You think you know it all. Then a re-issue label like Vampi Soul comes along and blows that thought straight to shit. You don't know nothin'. What, you got a collection of Funk and Soul from '60s Spain? No? Well, here ya go. How about two volumes of two CDs each, for starters. And it's good. Fuck me. This rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper...

Wagon - Para Siempre (ysi)

You notice the blatant rip-off of subtle nod to The Doors "Peace Frog" there? And no, I don't know anything about the actual group, and neither does anyone else...

Music to not do a hell of a lot to

Time to slow it down with some soothing sounds. You are listening to Smooooooooth 102 on your AM dial...



... but I kid. Although this is definitely about as far away from yesterday's tune as you can get. I mean, there's even an accordion and shit. It's new on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood imprint and it's called Half Seas Over. Elan Mehler is a Jazz pianist and Adam McBride Smith is the dreaded "singer-songwriter", and a countrified one at that. Doesn't sound terribly promising, but somehow they make it work quite nicely. Basically you got some acoustic instrumentation, a dude that kinda sounds a little like James Taylor, and some Soul Jazz underpinnings to give it a little extra spice. And did I mention it has some accordion?

Half Seas Over - Sad Mona (ysi)

A bit easy listening, but that's what a Sunday morning (to give you one recommended usage) is for. Back to buzzin' synths and slammin' beats tomorrow... :P

Just to clear up the confusions...

Big TV week, eh? I coulda told you that Jack Bauer would waterboard the Smoke Monster and then pistol whip the chick from Pussycat Dolls weeks ago... but I didn't want to be Mr. Spoiler Alert. Anyhoo...



First off, let me clear something up. Roska is not, in fact the same as Rusko, and really... if they were both going to be popular on the UK dance music scene at the same time, someone should have sent someone a memo, no? If there was a dance music Dave Letterman, he'd love this one. "Rusko, Roska. Roska, Rusko". Comedy gold! But just so you know, Rusko = white dude making dubstep. Roska = black dude making what is now known as UK Funky, which is kinda somewhere between House, Broken Beat, Garage and Whateverthefuckelse. It's a bit confusing. Good sound, though. Very useful for making dancing movements...

Roska - Energy (ft. Nikki) (ysi)

See what I mean, though? Pretty tough to describe, the Funky. But I likes it. Because of course I do, or else I wouldn't post it here would I? Duh...

Legends of Los Angeles

The measurement of just how big a group really is/was is really pretty subjective when you think about it...



L.A.'s Freestyle Fellowship are one of those groups that are either legendary or completely unknown, depending on who you hang out with. In other words, they were very influential to a very small group... that group being the headz who loves their Hip-Hop jazzy. And live on the West Coast. And were into Hip-Hop in the early '90s. But yeah, they are HUGE to that guy, and for good reason. Busting out from L.A.'s famous Project Blowed collective, they put together a couple of indisputably classic albums. Like "best of the decade" style. Dig this heat...

Freestyle Fellowship - Everything's Everything (ysi)

All joking aside, this really is great stuff and you're an idiot to think otherwise. Okay, maybe not ALL joking aside. Kisses!

What do you think I should call this one?

When my boy Danger Mouse invented the album-length Mash-Up with The Grey Album, I'll bet he had no idea what he'd started. Everyone's got a cheeky idea... "I know, lets do The Dead Milkmen vs. P. Diddy! The Did Milkmen! Get it?" Gah. But every now and them some talented fool comes up with a good one...



Like for instance this here project by a British producer known as Bullion. He takes snippets from the Beach Boys' masterpiece and weaves them into Dilla's beats like a pro, and... well, not a hell of a lot more to say... that's what happens, and here's one now...

Bullion - Don't Talk (ysi)

(Due to the nature of this project, it is readily available for guilt-free download on the World Wide Intrawebs. GO GET YOU SOME!)

Okay, I'm gonna go open up Ableton Live and get to work on that Did Milkmen record. Shit is gonna be TIGHT, yo!

I'd write more but my eyes hurt...

Let me start off this House Music Friday by saying that if you missed last week's DJ mix, you, um... don't know what you're missing. Or something. Go download it. It's good...



Nice color scheme on that cover, eh? Points lost by the Robsoul Recordings design department, OR SHALL I SAY LACK THEREOF?!?!? But hey, at least the record's good. Minimal but funky Deep House from French producer DJ W!ld with some Latin spices and... well, that's all I got. Dig it...

DJ W!ld - Panama (ysi)

Have a great weekend, folks...

Seriously, though... fuck Rick Dees.

My apologies for the lack of posting this week (as if anyone noticed). Busy busy busy. But we're here now, so let's do this...



In the history of recorded music, it's generally not been a good idea for a radio DJ to try and actually make the music. I give to you Exhibit A... which, by the way, is only one of the many reasons Rick Dees is going straight to Hell. Eat a dick, Dees. But as with every rule, there are always exceptions. Like, for instance, when the Radio DJ involved is the amazing, legendary guru of the caliente sound, Mr. Jose Rizo of KKJZ in Long Beach. He put together a little band named after his show called the Jazz On The Latin Side All-Stars, packed with the greatest Latin Jazz players of the here and now. And not only that, but my man actually wrote most of the songs? Geddafuckouttahere! But this is no Dees-like blasphemy against good taste... this is FIRE, son...

Jazz On The Latin Side All-Stars - Caramba (ysi)

So make sure to bookmark the man and listen often. It's the right thing to do...

Searchin' For Obscurity

So, I should have been back yesterday, but was felled by technical difficulties. I hate when the Internet tubes are all clogged. But having used some cyber-Drano, we now resume whatever it is we do here...



I'm not one of those nerds who gets his rocks off more based on the obscurity of the stuff I post... but this is a pretty obscure record from what I can tell, especially considering that it comes from the hand of DJ Premier. It's super-limited vinyl-only release that sees Primo ditch the rappers and try his hand at some straight-up Downtempo - stuff way different than what you'd expect. And it should surprise no one that this shit is nice.



"That's cuz I'm nice, yo."


I wasn't questioning it, yo! Here, have a listen...

DJ Premier - Searchin' For It (ysi)

You know how you know something is obscure (other than the fact that when you hit the buy link and thought it was pretty pricey until you realized that was in pounds)? When you can't even find a real picture of the cover on the Intrawebs. So you may want to just Google this one, I'm just sayin'...

In which I rock your ass for one hour...

Just a couple of short months ago, the Tonegents Musical Thingamajig and Discount Waffle Buffet enjoyed it's third anniversary on the World Wide Intrawebs. Unfortunately we were in the middle of the big Coachella kerfuffle and the occasion was not properly celebrated. FOR SHAME! Also, it's House Music Friday. So put that together and you get...

Tonegent presents "The Jack That House Built

(Silky Smooth DJ Mix - 62:15 - 142.5Mb @ 320kps)

1) Joey Youngman - Ghetto Blaster
2) James Curd ft. J-Dub - You Know What To Do (Derrick Carter Dub Mix)
3) Jay West - Easy Comes
4) Jason Hodges - Shake It
5) Fred Everything - Stay (Lawnchair Generals Mix)
6) DJ Spen - Funk At Midnight
7) DJ Sneak - Salsa Elektrika (Chuck Daniels Salsa Esqueroso Remix)
8) Chuck Love - Bongos N' Shit
9) Soul Avengerz - Enjoy Yourself
10) Faze Action - Disco Warrior
11) Frequent Fliers - Vamos A Disco


You know, I have heard that House Music is 20% more effective when applied directly to the boobies... so enjoy!

(And despite what Glenn Beck says, you will NOT be indoctrinated, taxed, or put in front of a death panel for leaving a comment...)

Coming up with post titles is so tedious...

House Music Friday once again visits the vaults of the late, lamented Paper Recordings...



Hot Toddy is one Mr. Chris Todd, one of the members of the mighty Crazy Penis, off doing his own thang, that thang being good-time Disco House that isn't really all that different than what Crazy Penis does, but hey... I'm not complaining...

Hot Toddy - Ebers Groove (ysi)

Have a great weekend doing whatever it is you folks do when I'm not around...

A Bitchin' Camero

It's been more than a minute since I rocked it caliente style around here. Let's fix that right now...



Cuban percussionist Candido Camero was known by some as the Thousand Finger Man, which couldn't have hurt with the ladies, AM I RIGHT, FELLAS? (Man, I'm on fire this week.) He left Cuba for New York City in the '50s when he was discovered by some nobody named "Dizzy" something-or-other and has worked with everyone worth working with right up into his '80s. More on that later. First let's hear how he got that nickname, AM I RIGHT, LADIES? Sorry. Anyhoo, here's a typical Candido jam, meaning that it's a simple, loose composition that exists mainly for the reason of letting Candido go the HELL off on some Conga drums. Dig it...

Candido - Here Comes Candi (ysi)

Now, as I said, Candido was still abusing bongos well into his octogenarian years. Which, unlike with Rock musicians, is awesome with Jazz musicians. Do I wanna see an 80-year-old Pete Townsend play the guitar with his teeth? Fuck no. But do I want to see an 82-year-old Candido play the congas with his head? Fuck YES! Why the double standard? Because I said so, dammit...



Shit... I'll be happy if I'm still able to walk when I'm that old... just kidding, FOR I AM IMMORTAL! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

... and his sidekick, Koran Boy!

Not a ton of time today, so...



Despite what the name may suggest, Ramadanman is not a Muslim superhero, but rather a British Dubstep producer. And, um... that's your joke. Pretty shitty. But the tunes aren't! (See what I did there? Writing!)...

Ramadanman - Don't Change For Me (ysi)

Love how Dubstep is expanding and co-mingling with the Drum & Bass now... these are good days if you love beats...

Sometimes it's best to be blunt

First off, I guess I should apologize for yesterday. Sarah Palin asked me if she could do a guest post and... well... let's just say that I won't be returning her calls anymore...



So today we get Basehead, the project of Washington DC's Michael Ivey, who was kind of a one-man show, doing all the vocals and most of the (live) instruments. This was a huge college record (if there woulda been blogs back then, Pitchfork would have been ALL OVER this shit), hotly tipped for a breakout that unfortunately never happened. And shortly after this, Ivey's lyrics went from beer & weed (especially weed) tales to Christian Rap and that, as they say, is that. Here's a song with an awesome title...

Basehead - Do You Wanna Fuck (Or What?) (ysi)

Ivey certainly had game, but this stuff was never gonna go over big in '92, because Boyz II Men and Garth Brooks were RUNNING SHIT... and he wasn't nearly as accessible as Arrested Development, who also came out that year. Good record, though. Give it some love...

A Treatise On Accountabilty In The Gulf Oil Spill Disaster

OMFG! IT'Z TEH MONDAY! BUT DON'T WORRY, HAPPY BEAR WILL SAVE YOU!



TEH HAPPY BEAR LOVES DJ DSL! HE MAKEZ TEH SONGZ THAT MAKEZ TEH HAPPY BEAR HAPPIEEEEZ!

DJ DSL - Happy Bear (ysi)

HAPPY BEAR IS TEH HAPPIES-EST!



OH NOEZ!