Tuff Darts – All For The Love Of Rock’n’Roll
Tuff Darts – Fun City
Tuff Darts – Here Comes Trouble
I first heard something from the Tuff Darts on a collection of bands that played at the legendary CBGB’s in New York when I was still on the air late at night on Album 88, way back at the beginning of my radio career. “It’s All For The Love Of Rock’n’Roll” struck me as a great punk/power pop anthem with tons of trademark post New York Dolls bravura. I hadn’t really thought about the band that much in the ensuing years, until I happened up this LP over at Records LA.
This version of “All For The Love” is a bit different, it sounds a bit more fully produced, I remember the other version having a more hollow sound and different, deeper vocals. Though the sound is a bit brighter, the song still packs a punch on this LP, as do many other tracks.
“Fun City” is a bit of an ironic title for a song where lead singer Tommy Frenzy runs down a laundry list of things he’s sick of in NYC. It’s interesting how the out of the blue lines “I’m a middle class American, I used to think I had it made, I never dreamt that I’d be second class, when i joined the big parade,” resonate more in 2011 than they did even in 1978. “Here Comes Trouble” is maybe the punkiest track on this LP, a upbeat little yarn with some punchy saxophone bits about a girl who has all the boys eating out of her hand. The Tuff Darts all but fell into obscurity until a couple years ago when they reformed, first to record a new album and later to memorialize guitarist Jeff Salen. It strikes me that a band like this would have no trouble continuing to record on indie labels in the present time, but things have certainly changed in the music industry since 1978. The sentiment and spirit on display in “All For The Love Of Rock’n’Roll” deserves to be heard and appreciated, and I hope you will in listening to these tracks from this band.
Lots of buzz around this band, and rightfully so. La Sera is the latest project from Kickball Katy of the indomitable Vivian Girls. After a relatively quiet 2010, it looks like it will be a busy year for Katy and Cassie of Vivian Girls, both have separate side projects, Cassie has a solo record and we’ll get a new record from Vivian Girls. Of the bunch, the upcoming LP from La Sera is the one I’m looking most forward to, especially after this, their second single. Katy is the primary songwriter and singer for this project, which allows her to explore some bittersweet emotions and narratives paired with blissfully sweet melodies. “Devils Hearts” is a perfect example of the style of this new project. There’s something strangely unsettling about the Raymond Pettibon-esque cover for the single. These elderly people look happy, but at the same time, something just doesn’t seem quite right here. However, when it comes to the sound, everything is right with its mix of 60s styled pop and 80s/90s C86 twee.
As a bonus (and a clear sign of the whole sweet/sour vibe of the group) here’s the video for the first single “Never Come Around” shot with a definite Hershell Gordon Lewis 1970s Horror film aesthetic combined with some Evil Dead absurdity in the ending sing-a-long:
Had a technology plagued but otherwise solid show this Sunday. I’ve spent several hours trying to fix my rather janky recording set-up in order to present the full two hour show. I really shouldn’t complain, virtually all of the music came out perfectly fine and ultimately that’s what’s most important. There’s some brand new stuff from La Sera (fingers-crossed, they should be our guests next week!), remixes of work from Andreya Triana and Bilal (by Tokimonsta and Flying Lotus, respectively), and newish work from Ghostface Killah, Fabienne Del Sol, JayLib and others. The show features a very minor tribute to Bobby Robinson of Enjoy records fame (for a better tribute see Oliver Wang of Soul-Sides.com’s guest podcast here) and a major tribute to Trish Keenan of Broadcast that takes up the last half-hour + of the 2nd Hour. If you just want to hear the tribute mix by itself, I’ve updated my tribute post to Trish to include the set. Next week we’re doing all vinyl with a guest set from Music Man Miles of Breakestra + a performance/interview with La Sera!
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)
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Vicente Fernandez – El Rey – Linea Mecicanismo (Sony)
Charles Bradley – Why Is It So Hard? – No Time For Dreaming (Dunham/Daptone)
Fabienne Del Sol – Strange Shadows – On My Mind (Damaged Goods)
Dao Bandon – Tang Ngarn Si Nong – Sound Of Siam (Soundway)
The 5.6.7.8.’s – I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield – The 5.6.7.8.’s (Third Man Records)
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La Sera – Devils Hearts Grow Gold – 7” (Hardly Art)
The Three Degrees – Collage – Maybe (Roulette)
JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound – To Love Someone – 7” (Addenda)
Martina Topley Bird – Snowman – Some Place Simple (Honest Jon’s)
Andreya Triana – Far Closer (Tokimonsta Remix) – Far Closer (Ninja Tune)
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Ghostface Killah – In The Park feat. Black Thought – Apollo Kids (Def Jam)
Treacherous Three & Spoonie Gee – The New Rap Language – 12” (Enjoy)
Captain Beefheart – Rock’n’Roll’s Evil Doll – Bluejeans & Moonbeams (Mercury)
DJ Lengua – La Jungla – Cruzando (Club Unicornio)
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Bilal – Levels (Flying Lotus Re-edit) – Levels (Plug Research)
Ananda Shankar – Metamorphosis – Ananda Shankar (Warner Bros.)
Jaylib – Louder (Blast Your Radio Theme) – Madlib’s Medicine Show No. 11 (Stones Throw)
Can – I’m So Green – Ege Bamyasi (UA)
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Tribute Set To Trish Keenan of Broadcast:
Broadcast – Unchanging Window – The Noise Made By People (Warp)
Broadcast – Before We Begin – Ha Ha Sound (Warp)
Broadcast – I Found The F – Tender Buttons (Warp)
Broadcast – The Be Colony – Broadcast & the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp)
Broadcast – Ominous Cloud – Ha Ha Sound (Warp)
Broadcast – City In Progress – The Noise Made By People (Warp)
Broadcast – Man Is Not A Bird – Ha Ha Sound (Warp)
Broadcast – Tender Buttons – Tender Buttons (Warp)
Broadcast – Come On Let’s Go – The Noise Made By People (Warp)
Broadcast – Tears In The Typing Pool – Tender Buttons (Warp)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)
Algo Nuevo – Y Que Bien
Algo Nuevo – Pastel En Descarga
Algo Nuevo – Con Aji Guaguao
I first came to hear music from Juan Pablo Torres and his group Algo Nuevo when i was about to leave the Bay Area for LA. I was getting materials together to cut a demo for KCRW, and even though I hadn’t been a DJ there for a couple of years, I was able to use the studio (and most importantly the library) at KALX to get it together. While I was looking for new sounds, I came across a collection of music out of Cuban put out by the Waxing Deep label called Si Para Usted. Almost 4 years later I still regard the comp. as one of the best Latin Funk collections out there, perhaps precisely because it is so difficult to come across these records in the US, what with that embargo still going on. Algo Nuevo’s “Son A Propulsion” leads off the comp. and everytime I hear it my head is still blown!
Recently I finally tracked down the LP that track is featured on, 1974’s Super Son, and was very pleased with the rest of the record as well. The whole album has a very mid tempo and slightly laid back funk vibe to it, like the kind of music I’d imagine B-boy low-rider aficianados (is there such a thing?) chillin’ out with (especially “Con Aji Guaguao”!). While I first thought the title “Super Son” was just a way to describe the music on this particular record, it’s quite possible that it’s a reference to either a dance style or the specific fusion of latin-funk and cuban son rhythms. The band frequently locks into a groove, with some trademark Cuban ritmo and some surprisingly fuzzy guitar and wacked out synthesizer. Above it all is Torres’ mighty trombone. From what I’ve been able to gather from this discography there are a couple other records that likely feature similar sounds and similar players which I now will do my best to track down as should you.
Cheers,
Michael
…p.s. I wasn’t going to post up “Son A Propulsion” because it’s on a fabulous compilation that everyone should own, but just in case you don’t…here you go:
Here in the new year, there still haven’t been a lot of new releases, so I’m still checking out things that I might not have paid enough attention to in 2010. Martina Topley-Bird is one of my favorite vocalists, both for her work with Tricky in the 1990s and as a solo artist. This LP came out to little fanfare in 2010, and in my move from KCRW to KPFK I haven’t been able to make great contacts overseas. Thankfully I managed to get a copy of this album towards the end of last year and I really wish I’d been able to play it more. MTB basically remixes tracks from her prior solo releases, but not with guest producers remixing the original recordings, instead she offers alternate versions of these tracks with her band. In some cases the subtlety of these new versions surpasses the originals as is the case on “Snowman”.
This past Sunday we paid tribute to Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart on Melting Pot, just a day after what would have been his 70th Birthday. As I’ve mentioned multiple times here in the last month, Beefheart was a major influence for me, and a major influence on many artists who I admire and enjoy, especially Tom Waits and The Minutemen. Having done a similar show 15+ years ago, I was mindful not to repeat the past (though I had played what remain my most favorite songs during that show, I did change about an hour of material and mixed the songs up even more), but I did make the same decision to not do this tribute chronologically. What I think this style of mix reveals is the remarkable consistency of both ideas and quality in Beefheart’s music. There are very few artists who recorded during this same period of time (1966-1982), where you’d be able to put music from the winter of their career paired with music from their spring and find that things mix as seamlessly as much of this music ultimately did. What I also found, and this may be a matter of personal taste in terms of the songs I chose, is how Beefheart’s music remained centered in the blues, even when he completely deconstructed the form. If Beefheart had just been a blues revivalist, ala Canned Heat, he likely would have had a much more financially successful career, but thankfully he was interested in pushing boundaries, even in his attempts at commerciality on The Spotlight Kid (1972), Clear Spot (1972), Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) and Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974).
As I mentioned at the end of the show, a special note truly has to be made about the role of Beefheart’s translators in his various “Magic” bands, John French, Bill Harkleroad, Mark Boston, Gary Lucas and others, who were directly responsible for taking Beefheart’s ideas on how the music should sound and shaping them into reality. The Captain was certainly a genius, but like every other musical/artistic genius he didn’t create alone in a vacuum. Their debt to this music is often unrecognized, so I definitely wanted to acknowledge them in this tribute. I got a number of calls during the show thanking me for it and sharing Captain Beefheart stories, I’d love for that to continue here in the comments section. Two hours isn’t nearly enough time to fully honor the Captain’s memory, but I’m very grateful to have been able to do this show and hope you enjoy it.
{all tracks feature Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, except “Willie The Pimp” which is from the Frank Zappa album Hot Rats}
I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby – The Spotlight Kid (Reprise)
Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do – Safe As Milk (Buddah)
On Tomorrow/Beatle Bones N’ Smokin’ Stones – Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb)
The Past Sure Is Tense – Ice Cream For Crow (Virgin)
The Smithsonian Institute Bleus (Or The Big Dig) – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Straight)
Dirty Blue Gene – Safe As Milk (Bonus Cuts) (Buddah)
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Ant Man Bee – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
Ashtray Heart – Doc At The Radar Station (Virgin)
Here I Am, I Always Am – The Legendary A&M Sessions (Edsel)
Click Clack – The Spotlight Kid (Reprise)
Owed T’ Alex – Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Warner Bros.)
Veteran’s Day Poppy – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
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Willie the Pimp – Hot Rats {Frank Zappa} (Bizarre)
Electricity – Safe As Milk (Buddah)
Excerpt from Fallin’ Ditch – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
I Love You, You Big Dummy – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Straight)
Ella Guru – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
The Floppy Boot Stomp – Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Warner Bros.)
Captains Holiday – Bluejeans & Moonbeams (Mercury)
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The Party Of Special Things To Do – Bluejeans & Moonbeams (Mercury)
Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles – Clear Spot (Reprise)
Full Moon, Hot Sun – Unconditionally Guaranteed (Mercury)
Sugar ‘N’ Spikes – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
Tropical Hot Dog Night – Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Warner Bros.)
Excerpt from Pena – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
Nowadays A Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man – Clear Spot (Reprise)
One Rose That I Mean – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Straight)
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My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains – Clear Spot (Reprise)
I’m Glad – Safe As Milk (Buddah)
Grow Fins – The Spotlight Kid (Reprise)
Gimme Dat Harp Boy – Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb)
The Buggy Boogie Woogie – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Straight)
Hair Pie: Bake 2 – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
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Moonlight On Vermont – Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
Frying Pan – The Legendary A&M Sessions (Edsel)
Ice Cream For Crow – Ice Cream For Crow (Virgin)
Dirty Blue Gene – Doc At The Radar Station (Virgin)
Lick My Decals Off, Baby – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Straight)
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{closing theme} Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian – Ice Cream For Crow (Virgin)
{Update 1/24/2011: Below is a tribute mix that I broadcast on the 1/23/11 edition of Melting Pot, just my 10 favorite songs from Broadcast and Trish Keenan…I hope we’ll hear more music from the sessions already recorded, but if not, I’m sure thankful for time spent listening to this music}
The extraordinarily tragic news hit today that Trish Keenan of Broadcast passed earlier this morning from H1N1 related pneumonia contracted during the band’s tour of Australia. Keenan was a founding member and integral part of the UK group Broadcast, one of my favorite groups of the last 10 years. I first heard their music while I was at KALX in 2000 and was drawn immediately to their mix of 60s psychedelic, electronic experimentation and girl group harmony with Trish’s ethereal vocals at the fore. With each successive release they seemed to become more and more experimental in their approach to sound. I was supposed to have played a track from Broadcast in my most recent show on KPFK, in hopes that a new album would finally be released in 2011 (Broadcast hasn’t released a proper LP since 2005’s Tender Buttons, though 2009’s Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, should certainly count, it is like several other releases in this interim period, a collaboration). From interviews I’d heard before this fateful tour to Australia it does seem that they’ve been recording, but likely had not finished the new record. I sincerely hope there is more music to be heard, now that we’ve lost this unique voice.
There are a number of videos and performances of Broadcast to be found on the internet, but I’ve chosen an exceptional performance recorded at KCRW back in 2006:
Sound Foundation – Soul Foundation
Sound Foundation – Bruised
Sound Foundation – Aquarius
This is a record I really just lucked upon. Last week while I was prepping for my guest stint at Funky Sole, I was checking out some tunes on youtube as I was considering a trip to some local record stores. By sheer luck I came across a post that featured “Soul Foundation” from this group. Instantly smitten with the raw drums, handclaps and fuzzy guitars (the trifecta of perfect ingredients for a perfect song in my book, how could I resist!) I set about trying to find a copy. Local stores didn’t turn anything up, so I turned to the internet as a last ditch effort. Given the break heavy nature of this track, I wasn’t surprised that copies were running in the $50-$65+ range. After a fair amount of searching though I came across a listing for the record for $11 (including priority shipping!) at a Chicago area record store Reckless Records. Condition was listed as “good,” (which if you don’t know means “crap” in vinyl parlance) but given the price and the possibility of the record arriving in time for Funky Sole, I figured it was worth the shot.
My luck continued as the LP arrived late on Saturday just hours before my guest set. Better still the condition of the LP itself was actually quite excellent, the cover was a little beat up but the album itself was beautiful, it didn’t even have much surface noise. I was also surprised with how deep the LP turned out to be, “Soul Foundation” is a bonafide monster of an instrumental cut, but the album was filled with a number of other solid numbers. From the sound of things, Sound Foundation listened to quite a bit of Sly & the Family Stone, and that’s clearly the vibe and audience they were going for on this LP, especially on the lead track “Morning Dew” which has a couple of bits that sound just like Sly’s “Higher.”
The two biggest surprises on this record connected to songs that have been covered quite a bit during this same period of time. Their version of “Get Out My Life Woman,” a song that is almost always simply breaktastic, is probably the weakest song on the album without a single discernable break, while their version of “Aquarius” from Hair, a cover that is almost always terribly boring, has a fabulous break and nice (though still heavily hippie-fied) funky style throughout. I’m also fond of their original track “Bruised” that leads off the second side with it’s super sweet breakdown behind the singer’s “think about it now” lyrics in the waning moments.
All in all, my first real buy of 2011 (and first Dig Deep post of the year) might turn out to be one of my favorite finds of the entire year. Big thanks once again to the crew at Reckless Records for sending this out to me quick fast (I will definitely stop by on my next trip to Chi-town!) and to the crowd at Funky Sole for making the whole affair absolutely worth every single penny and then some.
Cheers,
Michael
…p.s. here’s an example of what a proper DJ can do with materials such as these:
{Congrats to winners Nathaniel B. and Christopher H.!}
Been a little while since we had a giveaway here on Melting Pot, but this one is mighty fine. The Budos Band will be in LA later this week, performing at the El Rey on Friday Jan. 14th. Also on the bill is KCRW’s Jeremy Sole who I believe is just doing a DJ set, but might include some live musicians in the mix. If you want to go to the show, just send me an e-mail at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before 6pm on Thursday Jan. 13th!!!
Here’s a little taste of what’s in store for you if you win the tickets:
It was my great pleasure to be a guest DJ at what I consider to be one of the best deep funk nights in the entire world, Funky Sole. For over 10 years, Funky Sole has been an LA institution bringing together a nicely mixed crowd of dancers and some of the best DJs around to celebrate the funkiest vinyl they could find.
I tried to put together a set that would keep the floor packed and hopefully include a few tracks that aren’t often heard there on Saturday nights. I knew the latter would be particularly difficult the moment I walked in and Clifton was playing a tune I was looking forward to playing later! Clifton aka Soft Touch and Music Man Miles of Breakestra pack some serious heat, but I think everyone was pleased with the set you can hear below.
The set I played has a mix of deep cuts and classic sounds, with nods to my homeland of Georgia (via James Brown and Franciene Thomas), years spent in the Bay Area, especially at Soulvation at the Ruby Room (“G.S.T.S.K.D.T.S” and “Here Come The Girls” were staples of those Wednesday nights) and my love of Brazilian and Latin soul (courtesy of Toni Tornado, Ray Barretto and Pete Rodriguez).
The only moment where things got a little iffy on the dancefloor was actually by design. I played “Azucar” from Eddie Palmieri & Harlem River Drive, a song that begins as if it’s a salsa number before morphing into latin soul with English and Spanish lyrics, just to see how far I could take the crowd. I have to admit that even though most of the time people just standing around is not a reaction a DJ ever wants to have, I was pretty amused by the confused looks, especially once the drums and English lyrics kicked in, and people slowly started to find their groove.
On the opposite end, I was really impressed with how much people dug the Sound Foundation’s “Soul Foundation,” an instrumental with some massive drum breaks that has “B-Boy” written all over it (more on this record later in the week). Next time (and I seriously hope there will be a next time in the near future) I’ll make sure to bring more B-boy songs and maybe dig a little deeper. Until then, enjoy the set below and if you’re in LA, make sure to check out Funky Sole every Saturday from 10pm-2am at the Echo over at 1822 Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park!
Alvin Cash & the Registers – Keep On Dancing – 7” (Toodlin’ Town)
Pete Rodriguez – Oh That’s Nice – Ay Que Bueno/Oh That’s Nice (Alegre)
Mauricio Smith – Old Shoes – Bitter Acid (Mainstream)
Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room – 7” (Capitol)
Irene Reid – Dirty Old Man – 7” (Old Town)
Sound Foundation – Soul Foundation – Sound Foundation (Smobro)
Toni Tornado – Aposta – Toni Tornado (Odeon)
James Brown – Make It Good To Yourself – Black Caesar: Original Soundtrack (Polydor)
Franciene Thomas – I’ll Be There – 7” (Tragar)
Ray Barretto – Together – Together (Fania)
Eddie Palmieri w/ Harlem River Drive – Azucar – Live At Sing Sing (Roulette)
Rufus Thomas – The Breakdown Pt. 1 – 7” (Stax)
Vera Hamilton – But I Ain’t No More (G.S.T.S.K.D.T.S.) – 7” (Epic)
Ike & Tina Turner – I Better Get Ta Steppin’ – Too Hot To Hold (Pickwick)
Simtec & Wylie – Gotta Get Over The Hump – 7” (Mister Chand)
Ruby Andrews – You Made Me A Believer – 7” (Zodiac)
Ernie K. Doe – Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe (Janus)
Lee Dorsey – A Lover Was Born – 7” (Amy)
Shows early on in a new year are often a little difficult to program. After you’ve done a retrospective of the prior year’s music, there’s a desire to move on to something new, but it takes time for new releases to start comin’ out. So, this first “real” show includes a couple of tracks from upcoming releases, a few from artists who should have records in 2011, and a few that slipped under my radar in 2010 or that I simply just did not play enough. One particularly interesting moment happens towards the end, when for some reason my laptop decided to play Mad Villian’s “Papermill” at a much slower speed, like it was chopped and screwed. That actually kept me from playing the Ghostface Killah track I just posted in Heavy Rotation, but everything worked out in the end. The show begins with a teaser from my set at Funky Sole on Saturday Jan. 8th. I’ll post up the full set tomorrow, along with a few pictures, but until then, enjoy yesterday’s show and remember Jan. 16th I’m doing a 2 hour tribute to Captain Beefheart!
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)
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Funky Sole Set:
Irene Reid – Dirty Old Man – 7” (Old Town)
Sound Foundation – Soul Foundation – Sound Foundation (Smobro)
Toni Tornado – Aposta – Toni Tornado (Odeon)
James Brown – Make It Good To Yourself – Black Caesar: Original Soundtrack (Polydor)
Franciene Thomas – I’ll Be There – 7” (Tragar)
Ray Barretto – Together – Together (Fania)
Eddie Palmieri & Harlem River Drive – Azucar – Live At Sing Sing (Roulette)
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Charles Bradley – The World Is Going Up In Flames – No Time For Dreaming (Dunham/Daptone)
Tim Maia – Compadre – Tim Maia (Polydor)
Numonics – You Lied – Groove Merchant 20 (Ubiquity)
Mansfield TYA – Sur Le Plafond – Seuls Au Bout De 23 Secondes (Vicious Circle)
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Andreya Triana – Darker Than Blue – Lost Where I Belong (Ninja Tune)
Sun Kil Moon – Church Of The Pines – Admiral Fell Promises (Caldo Verde)
Jovenes y Sexys – Suerte – Bruno EP (Poni Republic)
Chicano Batman – A Hundred Dead and Loving Souls – Recorded Live at KPFK
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Captain Beefheart – Clear Spot – Clear Spot (Reprise)
Grinderman – Mickey Mouse & the Goodbye Man – Grinderman 2 (XL)
The Black Beats – The Mod Trade – Psych Funk Sa Re Ga! (Now Again)
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The 5.6.7.8’s – Tallahassie Lassie – The 5.6.7.8’s (Third Man Records)
Yuzo Kayama – Kimi Ga Suki Dakara – All About Yuzo Kayama (Toshiba)
Sebadoh – Rebound – Bakesale (Sub Pop)
P.E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble – It’s Got Two and That’s Alright (Show Me The Way) – Winter Winds (Now Again)
The Avalanches – Two Hearts In ¾ Time – Since I Left You (Modular)
(Attempted play of Mad Villian…)
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Saknatee Srichiangmai – Nom Samai Mai – The Sound Of Siam (Soundway)
DJ shadow – Def Surrounds Us – 12” (Self Released)
Mad Villian – Papermill – Adult Swim Singles (Adult Swim)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)
Ghostface Killah feat. Black Thought – In The Park
For whatever reason it always seems like Ghostface Killah’s releases slip through the cracks and take a long time to make it to my ears. It took 3 or 4 years after it came out for me to hear his first solo record and similar lapses have happened with subsequent releases. So, perhaps not surprisingly, I hadn’t heard his latest release until a recent Facebook post by a DJ friend of mine Soul Marcosa. I initially thought the fuzzy sample for this lesson in Hip-Hop history was from Johnny Thunders of New York Dolls fame, but instead its based off of this stunner from Johnny Thunder. Either way, it’s hot like fire!
I’ll be making my first appearance at the legendary deep funk night Funky Sole doing a guest set this Saturday January 8th, just after Midnight, after what I’m sure will be dynamite sets from resident DJs Clifton aka Soft Touch and Music Man Miles of Breakestra. I’m in the process of planning my set right now, a mix of classics, some left-field tracks and some heavy international cuts. I’ll be sure to throw up a mix and perhaps some pictures next week. Swing by if you can, say hello and get yourself together on the dance floor at perhaps the best funk night in the entire US of A. Funky Sole goes down every Saturday from 10pm-2am at the Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles/Echo Park 90026. No Cover!
Here’s a taste of what’s in store for you, if you’ve never made it out to Funky Sole:
I hadn’t really thought about the band that much in the ensuing years, until I happened up this LP over at Records LA.
