This collection of funky stuff from South Africa was released back in May, but it just now found its way to me. With all the fantastic compilations of soulful music out of Africa in the 1960s & 1970s rolling around these days, it seems like South Africa has been out of the mix a bit. Thankfully Strut records is filling the gap with this collection of 22 tracks from 1969-1976. My favorite of the bunch, Bra Sello & his Band’s “Soul Time Nzimande Go,” reminds me of several US soul releases, “Soul Finger” and “Hip-Hug-Her” being the two that most quickly come to mind, but seems like there is another one or two mixed up in there as well. Regardless of the sources, what’s important is how it all comes together and it comes together mighty mighty fine, not just on Bra Sello’s track, but all throughout volume 2 of this series.
Ray Camacho Group – Si Se Puede
Ray Camacho Group – Damelo
Ray Camacho Group – Let’s Boogie
We’re on our way to the Bay Area to celebrate our anniversary, so just a quick post before I’m out for most of the next week. Everything I know about this group I learned from this interview. The Ray Camacho Group recorded a bunch of records in the late 60s and 70s, some are extremely sought after, others are not. This record, which I believe is from 1971, just based off of the sound of it, is one of the more sought after ones.
I first heard this one at Records LA, the owner Scott was listening to “Damelo,” this really hard mid-tempo latin-funk track in Spanish and I was immediately intrigued. He’d just bought a bunch of latin records off of a guy and was processing the new batch of goodies. Just sheer luck that I walked in when I did, because I can’t imagine this one lasting very long on the floor. I asked to preview the rest of the tracks and while most of the record is filled with rancheras that don’t particularly move me, there were three (including “Damelo” mentioned above) seriously dope latin-funk tracks. My favorite of the bunch, “Si Se Puede,” sounds like some kind of lost B-Boy classic and it has been featured on the Bay Area Funk 2 compilation by Luv’n’Haight. The last of the three, “Let’s Boogie,” is the most upbeat of the bunch, light hearted with a bit of goofing about from the band members vocally, but it’s all business in terms of rhythm. “Boogie” has been repressed by a UK label. All three are exceptional slices of latin-funk. Sometimes you literally just walk into great records…
Ever since moving over to KPFK from KCRW, I feel like I’ve been playing catch up with a lot of music. Londoners Betty & the Werewolves have been making music for a couple years, releasing a few 7″‘s and finally this debut about a month or so ago (though I just heard it today) on the venerable Damaged Goods. They are a lovely mix of C-86 Indie Pop/Twee, Garage and Post-Punk featuring three girls on guitars and vocals, none of which incidentally is named Betty (and no, the drummer is not Betty either…).
The lyrics are sharp and witty, the two and three part harmonies are pitch perfect, the tunes extra extra bouncy, nothing to hate and so much to love. “David Cassidy” should be a total cheese fest given the subject, but the girls have so much fun with it that even my often cynical pop heart has been warmed to the fullest, (especially when it gets to the “David Cassidy your magic’s worked its trick on me” breakdown) so will yours once you give a listen.
The legendary Rebirth, certainly one of the greatest contemporary New Orleans brass bands, is playing two shows in Los Angeles this week, both at the Mint, August 11 & 12th. I have a pair of passes for each night, if you’d like to go, let me know at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before Wednesday at Noon!
As if you needed a reminder on what a good time this band puts on, here they are in NOLA gettin’ down:
Solid show, starting off with a little mini-tribute to the righteous overturning of Prop. 8, brand new music from Corin Tucker, Best Coast, Reflection Eternal, Dungen, and after a really long time new music from Versus! I’ll be taking a break next week, but Oliver Wang of Soul-Sides.com should be stepping in for me and that will be an extra special treat for you guys! See you in a couple weeks.
{opening theme} Booker T. & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)
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Gossip – Men In Love – Music For Men (Columbia)
Orgone – Time Tonight – Cali Fever (Ubiquity)
Salsoul Orchestra – Nice & Nasty – Nice & Nasty (Charly)
Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules Theme – Hercules & Love Affair (DFA)
Fania All Stars – Smoke – Latin-Soul-Rock (Fania)
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The Mebusas – Mr. Bull Dog – The World Ends (Soundway)
Seu Jorge & Almaz – Juizo Final – Seu Jorge & Almaz (Stones Throw / Now-Again)
M.I.A. – Lovalot – MAYA (NEET / Interscope)
Laurel Halo – Something I Never Had – Let Me Shine For You (Tri Angle)
El-P – Honda Redux – WEAREALLGOINGTOBURNINHELLMEGAMIXXX3 (Gold Dust)
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Dungen – Marken Lag Stilla – Skit I Allt (Kemado)
The Battered Ornaments – The Crosswords & the Safety Pins – Mantle-Piece (Harvest)
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Prelude – Heritage EP (Choice Cuts)
Reflection Eternal feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole & Mos Def – Just Begun – Revolutions Per Minute (Warner Bros.)
Budos Band – Mark of the Unnamed – Budos Band III (Daptone)
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Corin Tucker – Doubt – 1,000 Years (Kill Rock Stars)
Hungry Ghost – You Get My Boogie – EP (Self-release)
The Gories – Hey Hey We’re The Gories! – I Know You Fine, But How You Doin’? (Crypt)
The Black Angels – Telephone – Phospene Dream (Blue Horizon)
Best Coast – I Want To – Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
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TL Barrett & the Youth For Chris Choir – Joyful Noise – Just Like A Ship (Light In The Attic)
Breakestra – Joyful Noise – Dusk Til Dawn (Strut)
Rakaa – C.T.D. – Crown Of Thorns (Decon)
The Pepper Pots – Keep Waiting – Now! (Black Pepper)
Hepcat – I Can’t Wait – Right On Time (Hellcat)
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Versus – Erstwhile – On The Ones & Threes (Merge)
Attics & Cellars – Two More Messages Sent – EP (Self-release)
Bastien Lallemant – Invisble – Le Verger (L’autre)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)
Last year this was the Funk Rumble Block Party, but from here on out it will be “Make It Funky!” Another great line-up of bands with Connie Price & the Keystones, The Rebirth, Baby Stone and Jeremy Sole’s Musaics. I was lucky enough to do a couple of sets, and thought I’d share my first mini-set with you guys here. Already looking forward to Make It Funky 2011!
…Almost forgot about this video that the mighty Anthony Valadez put together, with music from Orgone who was on the bill last year, I make a cameo appearance at the very end.
With the word coming down of the passing of Melvin Bliss last week, it seemed more than fitting to get this together, the first proper post in the “Top 5’s” section, all on the most iconic break-beats in Hip-Hop history. The choice of “iconic” is a deliberate one. Though many of these songs have been sampled 100s of times, it’s not just the fact that they have been mega-sampled that makes them iconic, it’s how they’ve been sampled and how they stick in the mind. So, here’s my list of the 5 most iconic breaks in Hip-Hop history, feel free to add your own in the comments section.
5: Melvin Bliss – “Synthetic Substitution”
With it’s massive drums and gloomy piano/organ, “Synthetic” is certainly one of the most sampled tracks of all time. It might also be the best overall song on this list, with observations on a dystopian world that seems a little too close to our present civilization from Mr. Bliss (RIP). To me it’s iconic status is secured by virtue of being on one of the earliest and still to this best examples of sampling on record, Ultramagnetic MC’s “Ego Trippin’” a song that continues to sound ahead of its time now almost 25 years since it’s initial release. For a mix of some of the other classic tracks to use this break look no further than this mix put together by Matthew Africa
Melvin Bliss – “Synthetic Substitution”
Ultramagnetic MC’s – “Ego Trippin'”
4: Lyn Collins – “Think (About It)”
Though this James Brown produced track gets associated mostly with Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock’s “It Takes Two” it’s been sampled by a ton of others as well, from Chubb Rock to Kool Moe Dee to Slick Rick to even more R&B/Pop based artists like New Edition, BoyzIIMen and Janet Jackson. It’s still amazing to me how few people recognize the original, until it hits the classic “It Takes Two” breakdown, but when it does, you understand immediately why I’d have it on this list.
Lyn Collins – “Think”
Rob Base & DJ Ez Rock – “It Takes Two”
3: The Winstons – “Amen Brother”
Another bedrock sample, that’s been chopped up and slowed down by countless artists. The “Amen” break is such an icon it even has an excellent documentary detailing the impact of this exceptional break on modern music. Besides it’s effect on Hip-Hop, the “Amen” break spawned a completely separate break-beat culture in Jungle/Drum’n’Bass and for that it deserves it’s legendary status.
The Winstons – “Amen Brother”
N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton”
2: James Brown – “Funky Drummer”
“Funky Drummer” might be the most sampled song in the history of Hip-Hop. While the drums have been used in songs like Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without A Pause” (matter of fact, is it even possible to think of the Bomb squad production sound without the use of “Funky Drummer”?) Eric B & Rakim’s “Lyrics of Fury” and my choice below LL’s “Mama Said Knock You Out,” don’t forget that many of the classic James Brown yelps and screams that punctuated many Golden Era productions came from this one as well. In the end though, it always comes back to Clyde Stubblefield’s massive drums.
James Brown – “The Funky Drummer”
LL Cool J – “Mama Said Knock You Out”
1: Freddie Scott – “(You) Got What I Need”
Unlike the other tracks here, Freddie Scott’s “(You) Got What I Need” has not been sampled to death, in fact it’s only been sampled a couple of times. This one heads the list because after Biz Markie sampled this for his “Just A Friend” it was absolutely impossible for anyone else to even attempt to sample this. Biz makes such brilliant use of the opening drums and the hook that anytime you hear even a snippet of this track, people immediately think of it as “Just A Friend.” Even at soul clubs, when I play the original, people sing the Biz Markie lyrics “But you say he’s just a friend,” instead of Freddie Scott’s original lyrics.
It’s also at the top of this list because I don’t think there is a more life affirming action than dropping the needle on Biz’s version or the original and having people immediately respond and start singing with the chorus. I would argue that no Hip-Hop song, including “Rapper’s Delight” has brought more people together in good times than this song and because of that, I don’t think there is a mightier sample than this one.
Battered Ornaments – The Crosswords And The Safety Pins
Battered Ornaments – Staggered
Battered Ornaments – Smoke Rings
I was initially drawn to this record because of the surrealist cover art. Not knowing anything about the band, I originally thought they were called Mantle-Piece and the record was The Battered Ornaments, a look at the spine fixed that. When I checked things out inside the gatefold, I found that they definitely fit my criteria in choosing psych/prog-rock records from this period of time, with reeds, flutes, organ, “african” percussion and even tambourine listed in the credits in addition to the usual guitars and drums. At the very reasonable price of $6 (downright bottom of the barrell pricing at Burbank’s Atomic!), it was worth a gamble to check them out.
Turns out, the Battered Ornaments were an English group that originally featured Pete Brown. Brown is notable for his collabortions with Cream, co-writing many of their hit songs. As the story goes the band recorded “Mantle-Piece,” their second album, only to unceremoniously kick Brown out of the band before releasing the record. Brown’s vocals were removed and Chris Speeding magically inserted his vocals into the mix.
Personally, nothing on Brown or Speeding, I would have preferred if they had just released this as an instrumental record. I really love the sound of this record, especially Rob Tait’s drums. On the slightly slower songs like “Sunshades” the instrumental “Staggered” and my personal favorite “The Crosswords & the Safety Pins” the drums have this huge and slightly hollow sound, just perfect to Hip-Hop tuned ears. They’re also super crisp on the upbeat numbers like “Smoke Rings,” which has this really great psychedelic passage with flute and electric guitar after the vocals drop out in the first minute or two. Unfortunately, there are no really clean breaks, Tait’s drums always seem to be on the verge of massive breakdowns but they never materialize (though there still is plenty of spots to chop up, if that’s your thing).
In terms of overall musicality the group has more of a slightly jazzy prog feel to their work, not as heavy as King Crimson not as subtle as McDonald & Giles, but a really great mix of sounds. Apparently the UK Harvest versions of this record go for big money, alas my copy is the US version, but for $6 it still is a steal and maybe one of my top finds of the first half of 2010.
While I hope this doesn’t start a trend (I can see Heidi Montag: Slowed & Throwed already…) this is a fascinating little remix project by the folks behind Tri Angle records. It might be hard to remember but once upon a time Lindsay Lohan put out the same sort of bland pop music other former child stars got rich with (Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, currently Miley Cyrus). All her mayhem over the last few years put a dent in that, but there were a few songs that leaked more recently before trouble reared its ugly head again for Linds. Taking original material from older and newer tracks by Lohan, the Tri Angle crew reimagine and recontextualize these songs into a soundtrack worthy of a downward spiral. The mix is at its best, as it is here with Babe Rainbow’s “I Can Try To Run”, when they slow things down and get deep and murky.
Just so you can see how vast a difference there is between this and the original, here’s LiLo’s “Stuck” which is the source material for Babe Rainbow’s “I Can Try To Run”:
Pacha Massive out of New York City were the first in-studio guests for KPFK’s Melting Pot. Pacha Massive consists primarily of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Nova & Maya, here joined by vocalist and flute player Monica. They’ve released a couple of records on Nacional, 2007’s All Good Things and 2009’s If You Want It.
Pacha Massive's Nova on guitar and Maya providing percussion on a KPFK trash can!
In our interview we chatted about their love of Los Angeles, their distinctive mix of styles and sounds and a bit about the recording process. They also performed two songs, “Your Love” and “If You Want It” in our studio, with Nova and Monica on vocals, Nova on guitar, Monica on flute (ala Rahsaan Roland Kirk playing and singing!) and Maya on percussion which as you can see from the picture was improvised on the spot using one of our trash cans! Looking forward to bringing them back at a later date with the full band and hopefully a much better sound person (I simply don’t cut it as a sound man…)
Our first show of August also had a historic first for Melting Pot, the first in studio performance and it comes from NYC’s Pacha Massive! Below you can catch audio of the whole show (slightly less quality than normal, this comes from the recently reinstituted KPFK Audio Archvies), I think I’ll have a separate post for this performance, that will just include the interview+performance from Pacha Massive (and hopefully many more artists as the years go passing by). Also in the show, new music from M.I.A., Best Coast, Myron & E with the Soul Investigators, Cooly G, Budos Band and more. Show opens with a most of my set from Saturday’s Make It Funky Fest 2010 (a post on that to follow) and closes with a tribute set to Melvin Bliss, whose “Synthetic Substitution” is one of the seminal breakbeats of all-time. Tune in and tell a friend, audio will be up for a month from today…
{opening theme} Booker T. & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)
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Make It Funky 2010 set:
Lafayette Afro Rock Band – Hihache – Voodounon (Editions Makossa)
Toni Tornado – Podes Crer Amizade – Toni Tornado (Odeon)
Ray Camacho Group – Si Se Puede – Salsa Chicana (Californio)
Ruby Andrews – You Made A Believer Out Of Me – 7” (Zodiac)
The Trinikas – Remember Me – 7” (Pearce)
The New Holidays – Maybe So, Maybe No – 7” (Soul Hawk)
Cymande – Bra – Cymande (Janus)
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Myron & E with the Soul Investigators – On Broadway – 7” (Timmion)
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Rainbow – Heritage EP (Choice Cuts)
Shawn Lee – Christopher Walken On Sunshine – Sing A Song (Ubiquity)
The Pepper Pots – Dream Guy – Now! (Black Pepper)
The Breakestra – Back At the Boathouse – Dusk Til Dawn (Strut)
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Best Coast – Summer Mood – Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
Versus – Lose That Dress / Yeah You – Secret Swingers (Teen Beat)
Budos Band – Rite Of The Ancients – Budos Band III (Daptone)
The Comrades – Bullwalk – The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria (Soundway)
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Pacha Massive Live Interview & Performance
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Pacha Massive – Lejos Cercas – If You Want It (Nacional)
M.I.A. – Story To Be Told – MAYA (N.E.E.T. / Interscope)
Cooly G – Up In My Head – 12” (Hyperdub)
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Melvin Bliss Tribute Set:
Melvin Bliss – Syntehtic Substitution – 7” (Sunburst)
Ultramagnetic MC’s – Ego Trippin’ – Critical Beatdown (Next Plateau)
Public Enemy – Don’t Believe The Hype – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Def Jam)
De La Soul – Potholes In My Lawn – 3 Feet High & Rising (Tommy Boy)
The Pharcyde – Ya Mama – Bizarre Ride II (To) The Pharcyde (Delicious Vinyl)
Gangstarr feat. Nice & Smooth – Dwyck – Hard To Earn (Chrysalis)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)
Super gassed about being apart of this for the second year straight (last year it was called the Funk Rumble Block Party), with a DJ set on the main stage at 9:00pm. If you’re in the Los Angeles area Saturday July 31st, this is where you need to be, 50+ DJs spinning every funky style under the sun, 25+ Artists painting live all around and some of LA’s finest and funkiest on the main stage (schedule below). Early next week I’ll be throwing up a few pictures and probably my set as well. Hope to see you there!
Mauricio Smith – Old Shoes
Mauricio Smith – El Green Hornet
Mauricio Smith – Going Uptown
I’ve been on lockdown recently, obsessively focused on putting together a set for the upcoming Make It Funky Music & Arts Fest in Chinatown this Saturday, but I did want to share this swinging record from reedman Mauricio Smith. Smith cut his teeth with Joe Cuba and others, and for this album, which I believe was his debut as a leader, he hooked up with Joe Cain to produce a top notch blend of latin inspired go-go music.
What’s always been a bit perplexing for me is the title, “Bitter Acid.” While this music certainly burns, there’s nothing bitter about it at all. The whole record is winner after winner after winner. Strangely the three tracks I chose follow one another (though not in this order) on side 2. “Old Shoes” is really the Nancy Sinatra classic “These Boots Were Made For Walking,” retaining only the opening signature bass line before busting out with a great and wild go-go beat. “El Green Hornet” is a straight ahead latin rocker, with stinging (pun intended) guitar work from Vinnie Bell. “Going Uptown” was actually the song that Cool Chris of Groove Merchant sold me on this record, with it’s fuzzy guitar and mid-tempo beat. When I first heard it I swore there was a hand-clap in there too, but subsequent listens have shown my ears to be wrong about that, but little else when it comes to this album.
