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brokenbuttonsmusic · 3 years

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Howard Tate: A Philadelphia Soul Resurrection

This post is a near- transcript of the Broken Buttons: Buried Treasure Music podcast (episode 1, side B). Here you’ll find the narration from the segment featuring the great Philadelphia soul singer Howard Tate, along with links, videos, photos and references for the episode.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Anchor or Mixcloud.

Music history is packed with bands and artists that had the talent, the songs and even the fully realized recordings to make it big, only to be passed over. Some miss their window, or worse, some get their big break, but somehow self-destruct or fail to capitalize on it. It’s the reason why I decided to do this show. There is so much overlooked and under appreciated music out there to be found and enjoyed.

This next artist doesn’t quite hit any of those scenarios exactly though. Howard Tate got his break and made it happen. Howard Tate hit big and he hit fast. Tate said he came home from work one day and a big limousine was sitting in front of his door.

“You gotta get in here right away. You gotta get a suit. You’re playing with Marvin Gaye tomorrow night.”

Between 1966 and 1970 Howard Tate had six top 40 R&B singles. And then he disappeared. Plunging into obscurity, almost as quickly as he soared within sight of the summit. Tate never completely crossed over. While he regularly appeared on the R&B charts, the highest he ever placed on the Pop charts was #63.

Let’s start our dive into Tate, by hearing his highest charting single. One of three top 20 R&B hits in his catalog. This is Ain’t Nobody Home by Howard Tate.

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Ain’t Nobody Home by Howard Tate.

Here’s what the Rough Guide to Soul & R&B has to say about that recording and the chemistry of the whole crew who made it happen.

“With a groove laid down by keyboardist Richard Tee, guitarist Cornell Dupree, bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Herb Lovell, the production of Ain’t Nobody Home by Jerry Ragovoy both borrowed from and influenced the music coming from Memphis and Muscle Shoals, and set the precedent for Atlantic’s first recordings with Aretha Franklin. While the music was great, however, it was Tate’s vocals that made the record. Sounding like a less overwrought Percy Sledge, Tate’s simultaneously Northern and Southern phrasing was impeccable, and economical use of his falsetto made it all the more effective.”

Tate had the voice, which many compared to Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. He also had a distinctive gospel-blues delivery that sticks with you for days. But the tunes came from somewhere else.

Before his quick ascent, Tate was singing in a group with Garnet Mimms. Mimms was the original singer of the Janis Joplin hit, Cry Baby. He also introduced Howard to record producer Jerry Ragovoy, who co-wrote Cry Baby. Ragovoy is known for writing Time is On My Side for the Rolling Stones and another Joplin hit, Piece of My Heart. Clearly Janis liked the songwriting of Jerry Ragovoy. In fact, she also performed this Ragovoy composition that you’ve probably come across at one time or another.

That’s Janis Joplin singing Get It While You Can from her massive second album Pearl in 1971. What you might not know is that Get it While you Can was originally performed by Howard Tate, five years earlier in 1966.

Ragovoy was taken with Tate’s voice and began recording him as a solo artist for Verve Records. Ragovoy’s memorable, punchy Northern soul production paired with Tate’s soulful blues phrasing was a perfect match.

Here’s Howard Tate’s version, the original version, of the Jerry Ragovoy penned Get It While You Can.

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That was Howard Tate with Get It While You Can from the 1966 album of the same name.

American rock critic Robert Christgau had this to say about Tate and his collaboration with Jerry Ragovoy.

“Tate is a blues-drenched Macon native who had the desire to head north and sounds it every time he gooses a lament with one of the trademark keens that signify the escape he never achieved. He brought out the best in soul pro Jerry Ragovoy, who made Tate's records jump instead of arranging them into submission, and gave him lyrics with some wit to them besides. In return, Ragovoy brought out the best in Tate.”

Despite the magical team up on early singles and a debut album, Tate recorded his second album without Ragovoy, instead working with Lloyd Price and Johnny Nash. Released in 1969, Howard Tate’s Reaction is more uptown soul than the grittier southern soul of its predecessor, but it’s another recognition worthy collection of performances.

Ragovoy and Tate reunited for 1972’s eponymous Howard Tate. This time an Atlantic release. Critics knock this album as being a notch below Ragovoy’s best songwriting, but I think it’s a worthy piece of Tate’s catalog. Tate sounds great, as always, and there are a couple of really explosive, interesting covers. The Band’s Jemima Surrender and this one.

Bob Dylan’s Girl From the North Country. Listen to this voice.

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Howard Tate covering Bob Dylan’s Girl From the North County from 1972.

After recording a handful of additional songs—one single for Epic and a few for his own label—Tate retired from the music business. Frustrated with his lack of crossover, but downright bitter about how little he was paid for his successes, which again, included 3 top 20 R&B hits—he quit. Disappeared, really.

But not everyone was ready to forget. And while his name would fade from memories over the coming decades, Howard Tate’s impact was undeniable.

One of Tate’s heroes, BB King, covered Ain’t Nobody Home. So did Bonnie Raitt.

Ry Cooder and Grand Funk covered Look At Granny Run Run

Jimi Hendrix covered Stop

Foghat covered Eight Days on the Road and so did the one and only queen if soul.

And not everyone forgot. Tate’s old partner, record producer and chief songwriter Jerry Ragovoy made many attempts to track down his old friend over the years. He contacted old business associates and got them in on the search. They all came up empty.

A New Jersey DJ named Phil Casden had developed somewhat of an obsession with Tate’s whereabouts. Casden hosted a weekly radio show, spinning soul, blues and R&B and had taken to asking his listeners for any information about the missing (by this time) cult soul legend.

Even Verve, Tate’s old record company, had given up trying to track down the long retired crooner. The 1995 CD reissue of Tate’s Verve sessions included liner notes that flat out said: Howard Tate is probably dead.

''It wasn't sufficient to leave a story like that open-ended,'' Mr. Casden said. ''I had to find out: 'Is the guy alive? Is he dead?' There had to be something more than, 'He just rode off into the sunset.' ''

In 2001 the mystery was solved. Ron Kennedy, singer of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes recognized Tate at a grocery store and the old pals played catch up after nearly 30 years. They exchanged numbers. Kennedy put the New Jersey DJ, Casden, in touch with Tate. Casden enthusiastically announced the good news to his listeners and the soul fanatics across the internet. Howard Tate was alive! He even put Tate in touch with a lawyer to help him recoup past royalties from his reissues.

Apparently Tate had quite a loyal following overseas. Eventually, a British journalist reached out to Tate’s old partner-producer Jerry Ragovoy for a reaction. The only problem was, Ragovoy didn’t have a reaction to give because he didn’t know Tate had been found. Ragovoy was elated at the news. After reconnecting with his long lost friend and confirming he was doing well, the next thing on his mind: could Howard Tate still sing?

Before we answer that, let’s answer this: where had Tate been all those years after walking away from the music?

After becoming resentful and disheartened by his missing paydays, Tate decided to go missing himself. He didn’t intentionally go into hiding, he just bailed on the industry that he felt wronged had him.

He worked as a securities dealer with Prudential for a while and then darkness hit. He lost his 13-year-old daughter in a house fire. In 1981, after 20 years, his marriage fell apart. Soon after, Tate unraveled too. He tumbled into drug addiction and lost everything. He lived on the streets for years, struggling to get by and feed his habit. Finally, in the mid 90s, he started to climb out of the hole. He cleaned up and found god. He became a minister and dedicated his life to helping the poor and homeless.

And that brings us up to the moment of his big reunion with Jerry Ragovoy and loyal fans awareness that Howard Tate was alive and well after all those years. But now more than your die hard R&B/soul enthusiasts were interested.

But did he still have that voice? Could Howard still sing?

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Uh, yeah. Jerry Ragovoy was stunned at how strong Tate sounded after decades of being out of the game. And he was REALLY out of the game. Howard claims he never sang a note all those years. Not until Jerry approached him about recording a comeback album and got him into the studio. Tate also says he had no clue that Janis, B.B., Jimi, Ry or any of the others had ever covered his songs or took an interest in his music.

Howard and Jerry recorded a new album in 2003. It’s called Rediscovered. And remember that Elvis Costello quote from the intro to this episode? Elvis called Tate the missing link between Jackie Wilson and Al Green. Tate asked Costello to write a song for his new album and he agreed.

Let’s here that now. From his comeback album, Rediscovered, more than 3 decades in the making, here’s Howard Tate with Either Side of the Same Town, written by Elvis Costello.

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That was Either Side of the Same Town from Howard Tate’s first album after 30 hears away from the music business. But not his last.

Tate had quite the victory lap. He made numerous tv, radio and festival appearances in the ten years after his reemergence. He recorded two more studio full lengths and a live album. On December 2nd, 2011, Tate passed away of complications of multiple myeloma and leukemia.

With a superb first act and a spectacular resurrection that led to the near doubling of his recorded output, there’s plenty of Tate music to check out and enjoy.

Other sources for this segment are listed below.

I referenced several NPR features in this episode, including the obituary they did for Tate.

Deep Southern Soul - This blog did a great post on Howard Tate. Lots of other good stuff here, but they recently announced they are closing up.

Gadfly Online - Another nice write up on Tate and his back story.

New Jersey new feature - The clip of Howard talking is from this segment. They did a feature on Tate’s rediscovery.

Trunkworthy - Post about Tate and his comeback. This site digs into music, movies and TV you might have missed. They also did a post about the Elvis Costello song featured in this episode. Elvis’ version is on The Delivery Man album.

New York Times Obituary for Howard Tate

The Guardian Obituary for Howard Tate

Billboard Magazine, July 26, 2003 - Article about Howard’s return after 30 years.

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erinelezabeth920 · 4 years

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Love in the Time Of

Nostalgia. Do you remember the last trip you went on? Maybe it was a road trip, or a flight above patchwork plains? Or maybe a visit to family, the old and familiar grating with the growth of life? Do you remember that feeling of just... moving? The passing trees, the stirring as the landscape shuffles and re-arranges itself into your own soul puzzle. It’s a wanderlust- inherent, vital and deep. I remember wind on the mountains- Wyoming maybe or wildflowers in a spring breeze in Colorado. I remember a trumpet in New Orleans in the rain, walking the streets in a whisky daze, taking in melodies that wedged their way into my body like the droplets that fell from the sky. Last night I drank rose and watched an episode of Ken Burns’ documentary on country music. They were at the beginnings, origins until 1930s or so. The sound of the banjo, harmonica, fiddle, mandolin all merging from different areas of the word- the banjo out of Africa and the Caribbean into the horrors of slavery, used to uplift out of a deep and lasting persecution until even the whispered legacy was taken and mangled for white gain. The mandolin from Italy and continental Europe, and the fiddle from the English ballads, Scottish Highlands all merging for something completely new. As I watched, and the melodies faded in and out, I remembered nights in the mountains trying to strum my little guitar under a desert moon. I remembered Indiana, driving through rain listening to bluegrass. I remembered stories my mother and aunts told me of my grandfather, who died when I was in high school. He used to sit on the porch through summer nights and strum his guitar, singing all the old country ballads out of the hills and radio of the 1930s, occasionally throwing in a yodel to the fireflies dotting the upstate New York corn fields. Add that to the Irish and Scottish heritage that runs through my veins, and I’m drawn to the fiddle and picking like a moth to light. I had been listening to an episode of ‘Dolly Parton’s America’ while I cooked dinner; pasta and vegetables while the rain pounded outside. From my headphones, Jad Abumrad had been describing Dolly’s ‘Tennessee Mountain Home’ and the essence of nostalgia in country music. A longing for simpler times. ‘Country music,’ he had said as I strained the pasta into the sink, “is immigrant music.” He went into it a bit. Country music, at its core, is about a longing for something that is gone. A home that once was. A front porch. The sound of a river, or the whistle of a train to unknown places. A sense of home that can’t even be expressed except through a melody that you somehow feel you’ve known your whole life. Once the podcast ended, I sat with my glass of wine out of a can and pasta in front of the TV. Andy was hosting a DnD sesion in the bedroom. I scrolled until I found the PBS episode. I drank my wine and slurped pasta as we went deep into black and white photos and voiced-over stories as Ken Burns does. The origins of those old folk songs we know well, (think “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack), one song taken from the other until they’re blended into our conscious and unconscious history. “Music,” Jad had said, “is the soundtrack to our lives. Wherever we go, its with us. And that’s how we mixed.” Jimmie Rodgers circa 1929 travelled around “catching songs.” He’d drive sometimes 90 miles into the hills to listen to someone singing in their kitchen, gather it up in a flutter of shifting memories and dust, and put it down to record. When “Mule Skinner Blues’ began playing over some old photos, I yelped, “Holy crap that’s Dolly’s song!” I knew it was an old folk tune, but I didn’t realize it was Jimmie Rodgers, the OG of country according to most. Dolly took the original lick and turned up the volume to 10. “That song,” Jad had said at one point, “is fire.” Twenty or so minutes later, as the episode credits rolled, lo and behold Dolly’s version began playing. I let the credits roll until finished. Then I turned off the TV and sank into the couch. Silence.

“Okay Google,” I called to the kitchen, “...play ‘Mule Skinner Blues’ by Dolly Parton.”

Jad’s right. That song is fire.

When it finished, too lazy to bother, the Spotify algorithm marched on with the next song. It was Dolly’s voice, but she was singing ‘The Story.’ “Isn’t this Brandi’s song?” Andy asked from the computer where he was now playing video games.

“I think so?” I googled it. Brandi Carlisle, 2007. Dolly Parton cover. “Damn,” I said, “Dolly’s covering Brandi? That’s epic.” “Okay Google, play ‘The Story’ by Brandi Carlisle.” Dolly’s version was fine, but Brandi is the new queen. I laid on the couch and listened. As her gritty, smooth voice washed over me, I remembered Chattanooga, Tennessee in early September. I remembered sitting in a lawn of a big park, festival lights strung through the heavy leaves, a wide river, humid skies, a big moon. The day had been sweltering, but by the time Brandi came out for her headliner it had cooled to an ease. The grass was full of people, standing, sitting, or somewhere in between. The air dripped and hummed and turned indigo as she sang her first note. Google then moved on to Joni Mitchell. Good job algorithm, because I happened to remember that Tennessee night in September, Brandi telling us that Joni was her idol. She was going to have a chance in a month or so to play the album ‘Blue’ all the way through for Joni herself. ‘I’m going to royally fuck up,” she told us. “I need to practice on you.” So she did. I closed my eyes. The moon reflected in scintillations on the river. I thought she sounded like warm honey. I went to get up, to turn off the music and go to bed. It was late and I had to work in the morning. As I walked over toward the kitchen the little white screen on the counter tucked behind the coffee maker, as if in a small act of defiance, struck up some solemn piano chords. The beginning of ‘I And Love And You’ by the Avett Brothers. I sighed softly, cursed the Spotify algorithm for being too damn good, and slowly walked back to the couch. I laid down and closed my eyes.

Immediately I saw in my mind the wide Columbia River at sunset, the sweeping rocks and plains of Eastern Washington. The music filled the gorge like a bowl, rising up as if from the river itself. I’ve seen the Avett Brothers twice live, both times at the Gorge Amphitheater sitting next to friends as the sky lit on fire. The clouds turned orange to dark blue, and the lights of the stage looked like heaven twinkling. I could feel the blanket beneath me, the cold grass, the gentle swaying of the bodies of my friends beside me. “Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in... are you aware the shape I’m in. My hands they shake my head it spins. Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.” The mighty Columbia flowed dark and wide in the space beyond.

(The Gorge, August 2019) Back in the apartment, eyes still closed as the notes lingered, trying to hold on to the wisps of memories, Google moved on to “The Joke”. Back to Brandi. If you know that song, I don’t need to explain. The music swelled. She basically shattered her emotions through the ceiling in a soaring arc of notes. I thought of her, young and unknown busking at Pike Place, the folk ringing through her voice surrounded by the grunge of the 90s in back bars and alleys. You can hear it in her songs, the moody gray sky, ocean and deep misty mountains, chunky guitar and angst. They try to put us in boxes, slap on labels but the joke’s on them. It’s ‘the rub’, as Ken Burns called it. Seattle and folk, Tennessee and jazz. Slavery and persecution, reconstruction and high rises. The rub of people and place, the mixing and sighing of ideas like notes mingling in the night air. “Imagine a ship,” says Jad. “Nineteenth century, whaling ship maybe in the Indian Ocean. Full of people from different cultures, places. What did they have with them? Likely instruments. And a lot of free time.” Do you remember the last trip you took? The sounds, the sights, the smells passing you by like dandelion seeds drifting in the wind. They latch onto your coarse sweaters, stick to your old shoes. Maybe they’re discarded, or they take root, slowly growing into something more. You know that scene at the end of Lord of the Rings, where Sam and Frodo are on the side of Mt. Doom and Frodo says, “No Sam, I can’t recall The Shire, nor the taste of strawberries?” Sometimos, especially recently, I feel like that. I know it’s dramatic, but it’s also true. The hug of a friend, a seething mass of bodies at a concert, the electricity of a new city, or moonlight floating on a river as Joni Mitchell is practiced to the Tennessee sky. It’s the rub, brushing up against life, re-inventing ourselves over and over, growing like the dandelion into our veins, a little newer each time. I miss it. I told Google to turn off the music. The rain outside had stopped. I got up off the couch. Andy sat at the computer, headphones on. I brushed my teeth and went to bed, the silence of the apartment heavy as a blanket. And somewhere in the space between sleep and dreams, a fiddle flickered a tune, fading into the ether like moonlight falling on the dark water below.

#country music #live music #quarantine #creative writing #mental health #seattle #music #travel

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ivisitlondon · 3 years

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iVisit... Barbican brings back Concerts On Demand and announces new films on Cinema On Demand alongside more digital content

With England currently in lockdown, the Barbican announces a new programme of music and films On Demand, alongside fresh and existing digital content, inspired by the Barbican’s international arts programme. A curated mix of streams, podcasts, playlists, films, videos, talks and articles enables audiences to continue to enjoy the Centre’s rich and varied programme from home or on the go during its temporary closure and beyond.

Digital content is available via the Barbican’s website through Read, Watch & Listen, Cinema On Demand, Concerts On Demand, Live from the Barbican and its social media channels (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify). In addition, podcasts can also be accessed by subscribing to the Nothing Concrete podcast via Acast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Highlights of the Barbican’s current and upcoming digital content include:

Concerts as part of the acclaimed Live from the Barbican series in 2020 are available via Concerts On Demand from 9 Feb until 24 Mar 2021. Included are performances from celebrated artists who reflect the wide spectrum of the Barbican’s distinct music offer:

Nubya Garcia, The Divine Comedy, Emmy the Great, Richard Dawson, SEED Ensemble, Ian Bostridge and Dame Sarah Connolly, Shabaka Hutchings, Barbican’s Associate Orchestra and Ensembles BBC Symphony Orchestra, Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia

Also available On Demand are two seminal performances by the Barbican’s Resident Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra recorded at the Barbican in 2015 and 2017

An excerpt from the Olivier-Award nominated work, Blak Whyte Gray, performed by Barbican Artistic Associate Boy Blue and filmed at the Barbican Theatre, will feature in a three-part boxset Dancing Nation, available on BBC iPlayer and Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage until Fri 26 Feb 2021

Inspired – the Barbican’s Theatre and Dance in-conversation podcast series – returns, with the latest episode just released. This sees some of the amazing artists who work with us paired with Barbican young artists, sharing their personal stories about the influences that impact their work creatively

A full programme of exclusive films and ScreenTalks on Cinema On Demand including Martine Deyres’s 2019 documentary Our Lucky Hours in anticipation of the Barbican Art Gallery’s exhibition Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty

As part of the Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning’s programme Subject to Change: New Horizons, interdisciplinary artist Mandisa Apena and Tice Cin have released: "cos now im missing our touchhh", a new musical score and video exploring the loss of nightclubs and queer nightlife in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic

The annual literary festival New Suns returns entirely online from Fri 5 – Sun 7 Mar 2021 for a weekend of talks, workshops and a film centred around feminist storytelling

The Barbican believes in creating space for people and ideas to connect through its international arts programme, community events and learning activity. To keep its programme accessible to everyone, and to keep investing in the artists it works with, the Barbican needs to raise more than 60% of its income through ticket sales, commercial activities and fundraising every year. Donations can be made here: barbican.org.uk/support-us

Full details of digital content below.

MUSIC

Barbican Concerts On Demand available from Tue 9 Feb until Wed 24 Mar 2021

A range of concerts that have already taken place as part of the Barbican’s successful autumn 2020 concert series Live from the Barbican have just been made available to re-watch on Concerts On Demand until 24 Mar 2021.

Live from the Barbican was first devised during the summer of 2020 when it became apparent that, due to the pandemic, the Centre’s music season could not go ahead as planned in the autumn. A new series was born which, for the first time, made Barbican concerts accessible online for a global digital audience through a livestream and, also, for a reduced, socially distanced live audience in the Barbican Hall. This hybrid experience, developed and delivered entirely in-house, has enabled the Barbican to bring music to its audiences during a difficult year, and, to also support artists and partner organisations during the pandemic. The Barbican is now pleased to be able to bring back a range of these autumn performances as part of the On Demand offer at a time when it had to postpone its planned Spring 2021 series of concerts.

Tickets are £12.50 for new bookers and half price for those who booked tickets to watch the concerts originally. Discounted tickets at £5 are available to 14–25-year-olds through the Young Barbican scheme. Once tickets are bought, audiences have 48 hours to watch the concert.

Please find a list of Live from the Barbican – Concerts On Demand on offer in date order below

The Divine Comedy: Live from the Barbican

Original performance date: 14 Oct 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Produced by the Barbican

Emmy the Great: Live from the Barbican

Original performance date: 17 Oct 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Produced by the Barbican

Richard Dawson: Live from the Barbican

Original performance date: 25 Oct 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Produced by the Barbican

Nubya Garcia: Live from the Barbican

Original performance date: 29 Oct 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Produced by the Barbican

Ian Bostridge / Dame Sarah Connolly

Mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, tenor Ian Bostridge, piano Julius Drake, Carducci Quartet

Original performance date: 1 Nov 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Produced by the Barbican

BBC SO/Oramo: Live from the Barbican

Soprano Anu Komsi, conductor Sakari Oramo, BBC Symphony Orchestra,

Original performance date: Fri 6 Nov 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Anna Clyne: Within Her Arms

Haydn: Symphony No 49 La Passione

Magnus Lindberg: Accused (world premiere of chamber orchestra version)

Co-produced by the Barbican and BBC SO

SEED Ensemble and Special Guests Celebrating the music of Pharoah Sanders: Live from the Barbican

Part of EFG London Jazz Festival 2020

Original performance date: 14 Nov 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Co-produced by the Barbican and Serious in association with EFG London Jazz Festival

Shabaka Hutchings with Britten Sinfonia: Live from the Barbican

Part of EFG London Jazz Festival 2020

Original performance date: 18 Nov 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Copland Clarinet Concerto

Stravinsky Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet

Copland Appalachian Spring

Co-produced by the Barbican and Britten Sinfonia

The Cosmos with Professor Brian Cox & BBC SO

presenter Professor Brian Cox, conductor Dalia Stasevska, BBC Symphony Orchestra

Original performance date: 13 Dec 2020, Barbican Hall, 8pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Sibelius arr. Iain Farrington: Symphony No. 5 Mov. 3

Ives: The Unanswered Question

Mahler arr. Michelle Castelletti: Symphony No.10 Mov. 1

Co-produced by the Barbican and BBC SO

Handel’s Messiah - Academy of Ancient Music / Egarr

Original performance date: 19 Dec 2020, Barbican Hall, 7pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Co-produced by the Barbican and the Academy of Ancient Music

London Symphony Orchestra

Barbican audiences get the chance to re-watch two great concerts by its Resident Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, as part of its On Demand programme, which will be available till 24 March 2021.

Michael Tilson Thomas 70th Birthday Gala

pianist Yuja Wang, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra,

Original performance date: Thu 12 Mar 2015, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Colin Matthews: Hidden Variables

Gershwin: Concerto in F

Shostakovich: Symphony No 5

The LSO’s Conductor Laureate and former Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas celebrated his 70th birthday at the Barbican in 2015 with a pair of concerts focusing on British and Russian music, but with a nod to his native USA. In both concerts he was joined by the pianist Yuja Wang in Gershwin’s popular Concerto in F.

This is Rattle

conductor Sir Simon Rattle, London Symphony Orchestra

Original performance date: Thu 21 Sep 2017, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm

On Demand Tickets £12.50

Stravinsky: The Firebird (original ballet)

Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 version)

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

An authority on Stravinsky, Sir Simon Rattle continued the 2017/18 season opening ‘This is Rattle’ celebrations with three of the composer’s revolutionary ballets. Stravinsky sent shockwaves through classical music in the 20th century. His first three ballets – The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, all composed between 1911 and 1913 – brought a new and frenzied sense of rhythm, so distressing to audiences that it caused uproar; The Rite of Spring even caused a riot.

From Barbican partners

British baritone James Newby’s song recital as part of the ECHO Rising Stars Festival is now available to watch again for free via Read, Watch & Listen on the Barbican’s website. James Newby is the Barbican’s ECHO (European Concert Halls Organisation) nominee. The recital took place at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on 28 January 2021.

The Guildhall School alumnus, ECHO Rising Star, BBC New Generation Artist, Kathleen Ferrier Award winner and member of the Hanover State Opera’s ensemble presents a selection of atmospheric Lieder by Clara and Robert Schumann. He is accompanied by pianist Marcelo Amaral. James Newby’s debut album with pianist Joseph Middleton I wonder as I wander came out in 2020.

James’s London ECHO recital was due to take place at Milton Court Concert Hall in January this year but had to be postponed due to the current lockdown restrictions.

CINEMA

In February Cinema On Demand brings together an exclusive programme of worldwide, bold, independent films for audiences to enjoy at home, while the venues remain closed.

Preceding the Barbican Art Gallery’s exhibition Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty, Barbican Cinema On Demand will host an exclusive presentation of Martine Deyres’s 2019 documentary Our Lucky Hours (19 Feb – 31 Mar), including a live ScreenTalk between art historian Sarah Lombardi, director of the Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne and Ben Platts-Mills, who works with artists with disabilities in London and has supported the development of Hackney-based inclusive art studio, Submit To Love. The live ScreenTalk will take place on Thu 11 Mar at 7pm.

In this thought provoking documentary, photos, archival footage and sound recordings tell the story of a pioneering psychiatric institution in 1930s France. The asylum was radically re-thought, with doctors, patients and nurses working side by side to run the facility, with the support of the local community. Patients were respected and integrated and individually supported. They took up roles in the hospital kitchen and on local farms, they published a newspaper, and many pursued flourishing visual art practices.

During the Second World War, the asylum also sheltered refugees and Resistance fighters, among them such figures from the Parisian avant-garde as Paul Éluard, Tristan Tzara, Georges Sadoul and Georges Canguilhem. At the end of the war, another visitor was Jean Dubuffet, whose discovery there of the sculptures by patient and artist Auguste Forestier supported his elaboration of the notion of ‘Art Brut’.

Other exclusive highlights on Cinema On Demand during February include:

Cat in the Wall (Dirs Mina Mileva & Vesela Kazakova), set on a South London council estate – in which a Bulgarian family gets into conflict with their neighbours due to an abandoned cat – it’s a striking and provocative drama about the aftermath of the Brexit vote. Screening as part of the New East cinema programme, the film is followed by a recorded ScreenTalk with directors Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova.

Screening as part of Forbidden Colours – a Barbican Cinema strand celebrating queer films from places where LGBTQ+ people continue to face oppression – is Several Conversations about a Very Tall Girl (Dir Bogdan Theodor Olteanu), a sensitive Romanian romance in which two young women – one out and proud, the other less confident – begin a tentative affair.

Following on from its sold out screening in Cinema 1 in December, as part of Barbican

Cinema’s Emerging Film Curators’ programme, Reframing the Fat Body (Dirs various) makes its online debut. In this programme of shorts, writer and curator Grace Barber-Plentie celebrates the bigger body; here fat bodies are freed from the constraints put upon them by modern society and allowed to be fluid, free, sexy and radical. This programme features a recorded ScreenTalk with film curator Tara Brown and co-founder of The Fat Zine, Chloe Sheppard, hosted by Grace Barber-Plentie.

Also available are The Capote Tapes (Dir Ebs Burnough) which explores the social rise and fall of Truman Capote, the infamous American writer; Song Without a Name (Dir Melina Léon), which follows a woman’s journey to get her stolen baby back, taken from her just after child birth; and Shahrbanoo Sadat’s tender film The Orphanage, about a young boy in 1980s Afghanistan, who is sent to a Soviet orphanage and finds himself in a complex social hierarchy.

For families and younger audiences there’s Creepy Crawly Films for Families (Dirs various), a compilation of fun shorts celebrating all that’s creepy and crawly in the ground.

Cinema On Demand is available to audiences across the UK with a rolling four-week programme of titles and events that reflect the Barbican’s international cinema programme.

Barbican Cinema has been supported by the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England which is administered by the BFI, as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund supporting arts and cultural organisations in England affected by the impact of COVID-19. #HereForCulture

THEATRE AND DANCE

Inspired Series 2

Inspired is the Barbican’s Theatre and Dance in-conversation podcast series in which some of the amazing artists who work with us share their personal stories about the influences that impact their work creatively. Part of the Barbican’s Nothing Concrete podcast, the first Inspired series was released weekly in September 2020. This new Inspired series, released weekly from the beginning of February, pairs Barbican young artists with those that inspire them.

In episode 1 interdisciplinary artist Riwa Saab talks to writer and director Kirsty Housley about her extensive career in theatre, the craft of dramaturgy and directing, and the political nature of her work.

In episode 2 Barbican Young Poet Amani Saeed talks to storyteller Amrou Al-Kadhi about gender identity and drag performance.

In episode 3 sound artist and composer Rebekah Alero talks to vocalist, movement artist and composer Elaine Mitchener about improvisation, contemporary music theatre and performance art.

In episode 4 author Rogan Graham talks to actress and writer Susan Wokoma about acting and activism.

In episode 5 multidisciplinary practitioner Gabriel Akamo, and writer and performer Jeremiah Brown talk to actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù about his career, heritage and legacy.

Blak Whyte Gray

Co-commissioned and co-produced by the Barbican, Blak Whyte Gray by Barbican Artistic Associate Boy Blue premiered at the Barbican in 2017 and was restaged here in 2018 due to demand. Created by co-artistic directors Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, an extract from the piece, Whyte, is available on BBC iPlayer and Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage until Fri 26 Feb 2021. This fierce, bold and galvanising dance work, set to a multilayered electronic score, reflects themes of identity, oppression and transcendence. The time is once again right to ask questions, to break free from a system that isn’t working, to emerge on the other side to an awakening – a return to roots, a celebration of culture.

CREATIVE LEARNING

Subject to Change: January 2021 commission

As part of Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning’s programme Subject to Change: New Horizons, interdisciplinary artists Mandisa Apena and Tice Cin have released: "cos now im missing our touchhh", a new musical score and video exploring the loss of nightclubs and queer nightlife in the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The audio of Mandisa & Tice’s track uses ASMR sounds of their own breath and laughter to create the drumline, mixed together with a collage of video snippets of clubbing scenes and people dancing. The piece aims to illustrate how nightclubs can be a vital space for deep healing, the excitement of being openly queer and feeling united through digital spaces, mutual love and understanding. Through this work, Mandisa & Tice hope to show queer club culture during lockdown and chatroom bonding, celebrate togetherness through technology, as well as making note of the physical spaces that they miss so much, and the way lack of touch has affected them.

The Subject to Change: New Horizons programme commissions a different young creative, each month for a year, to produce new and powerful artistic work responding to the uncertain times in which we are living. Mandisa & Tice’s piece is the seventh in the series. New work will be shared every month on the Barbican’s website and social media channels until June 2021.

LEVEL G

Experience the 2021 programme of the New Suns Feminist Literature Festival from home

The annual literary festival New Suns returns for a weekend of talks, workshops and a film centred around feminist storytelling. The weekend will feature acclaimed writers, activists, artists, and academics including adrienne maree brown, Season Butler and Dorothea Lasky. This third edition of the festival, running from Friday 5 – Sunday 7 March 2021, will take place entirely online for the first time. New Suns is a co-production between the Barbican and independent publisher and curator Sarah Shin.

This year’s New Suns will look to the legacy of eminent science-fiction author Octavia Butler, to explore the power we have to both sustain and change the world around us, and how to commune with others. In particular, New Suns will reflect on Butler’s prophetic, unfinished Earthseed series, which imagines Earth in the 2020s ravaged by ecological disaster and violent divisions.

The festival will navigate the books’ central themes, such as the inevitability of change, community-building, examinations of race and gender, and humanity’s relationship to the cosmos. For the first time, there will be a limited edition New Suns anthology booklet to purchase which includes an extract from Octavia Butler’s book The Parable of the Sower; poetry by Dorothea Lasky and Daisy Lafarge; guides for self-reflection and meditation; as well as herbal recipes for strength and healing to enjoy this spring and beyond. The anthology is accompanied by thyme seeds and instructions on how to use the herb beyond the culinary.

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emmanueloregon · 4 years

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Blogging on Behalf of the Church

Seven Years Ago I proposed that Emmanuel could use a new website. At the time, I didn’t think engagement with current members was all that important. Small “family” sized congregations, with many members who don’t even own a computer wouldn’t see much benefit. At least, the current membership wouldn’t see a benefit. Websites at that point were more like fancy phone book entries. The pendulum had already swung quite a bit away from phone books and towards Google. It’s quicker and easier to get numbers, addresses, hours and more by simply typing the name in.

Those phone book entries come up in two ways.

The first is the optimistic: church shoppers. When someone new moves into the area and wants to find a church, they are most likely going to look online (or someone will look for them). You want the character of your congregation to be made clear to those people. In our case, “small,” Lutheran, rural, traditional, and so on. (I mark small with quotation marks because congregations in the United States are mostly about our size, but people still call 60-70 weekly worshipers “small”)

At the time I decided it would be fun to try something a little different. Rather than a Facebook feed that inundates members and community members who already “like” your page (and have probably made up their mind as to whether they will attend, have a relationship etc), put that sort of live feed on the website. Use rolling updates instead of a static phone book entry.

That was the purpose of this tumblr page. Tumblr, of course, has had its reputation as to which demographic will use it and what for. It’s been during this time, in fact, that pressure from Apple (I believe it was) prompted Tumblr to remove pornographic images from the site. Internet savvy people have raised an eyebrow at me when they noticed my choice of website host.

However, I’m not much of a mind to judge a whole platform by what some people put on it. Informative newspapers have inflammatory and ill-informed ‘letters to the editor.’ Facebook has had its scandals in the same period of time. Tumblr is a useful, free tool that addressed the task at hand.

It’s been more or less an unsuccessful experiment. I’ve been inconsistent in posting (both in frequency and content), sometimes intentionally, other times not. I was unaware that the automatic post-to-Facebook feature had stopped working, because I have months long periods where I don’t check Facebook. There’s been no good way to get feedback on these changes, disruptions, etc.

At one point, I saw that the audio of an Easter sermon I had posted had over 500 listens. That seemed to be the best indicator that SOMETHING was working. Church shoppers, I assumed, would listen to a sermon or two on the websites of churches in their area. So I switched to doing that.

That led to headache after headache. File size and audio length restrictions meant I had to post in multiple places. Posting online was always an after thought, so sometimes I would have to go back and re-record similar content without personal, private references. With more than one or two sermons posted, the counter never got very high anyway.

Things are different now, of course. In light of the pandemic related shut downs, I’ve had to post everything online. I’ve done so on Anchor.FM (so it appears on Spotify) as well as YouTube. That means the one thing this site seemed well equipped for is no longer serving that purpose.

There’s a second group of people who check the website though. This is the less optimistic views, because they’re looking us up for a specific function. Sure, sometimes that’s fine, like for a church dinner. Those people really are just looking for the phone book entry though. They aren’t researching a new church, most likely.

The evidence for that, for me, is when I get reports from Google on how many people searched our church, looked up directions, and clicked through to our website. Most of the time, it’s only a handful of people. Then, once or twice a year, because of a well attended wedding or funeral, the number skyrockets. Hundreds of people might look us up in the same week.

Today

Times have changed, and boy have they changed a lot.

Smart phones went from niche use cases, usually centered around messaging (e.g. Blackberry and Danger) to more versatile machines (e.g. iOS and Android). Mass market meant they got cheaper, simpler, and virtually everyone could find something these gadgets can do that their old gadgets could not.

I know that seems like a silly aside, a bit of a history lesson, but it means something changed for churches too. That idea that you may as well not bother with the Internet because many of your members aren’t on anyway has faded. “Many” may still be technically correct, but it’s misleading. Of our something like 180 people engaged in the church throughout the year, I count about 15 that do not use e-mail and do not have access to YouTube. If you expand the criteria to exclude those who text, the number gets down to less than 10. Okay, technically I’m including some people as “Internet users,” because they live with someone who is an Internet user (either a spouse or child).

We are a small, rural, “older” (again, probably about average, but people consider average older), and yet we’re overwhelmingly connected to the Internet.

The writing’s been on the wall for a couple of years. This way of doing the website may have worked if it was done right in the first place, but that time has passed.

The pandemic has forced the issue. For congregations, for members, for church shoppers, and on and on because it has affected everyone. My “maybe some day when I have the time...” aspirations about Internet use became “well, I have until Saturday to get this figured out.” Then (and now) “well, now is the time to experiment and try new things on here.”

That’s what this is.

This is our attempt to be all things to all people for “netizens” (that’s a portmanteau of Internet and citizens, by the way).

Instead of loosely using Facebook and Tumblr exclusively, we’re adding to the list.

YouTube - eServices (recorded versions derived from Sunday morning worship)

Anchor.FM - A podcasting host, which distributes the audio of sermons to many places. Look up “Paynes Point Pastor Preaching” on your platform of choice.

Weebly - Our landing page, www.emmanueloregon.com is now an aesthetically pleasing, relatively static, place to get just a glimpse into our church.

Going Forward

Church shoppers and those just looking for directions should have a more familiar experience. They’ll see a site that looks like, works like, and serves them like so many other small organization’s sites. There’s no scrolling through a variety of content, trying to “figure us out” from an audio sermon here, a picture gallery there, and a Pastor’s Piece newsletter article besides.

Emmanuel’s members and extended community can connect more extensively. Really, about as extensively as they want. When we begin to reopen, what it looks like exactly may change, but we will have something approximation of Sunday morning worship available online to those who are unable to be physically present. Current and past sermons will be easily available for those who want to catch up, go back hear something a second time, or maybe got a recommendation from a friend to take a listen.

Then we have this.

Since we haven’t had Bible Study, Circle, Confirmation, work days, and all the other gatherings, we haven’t had much room for conversations. I like to talk to the folks at Emmanuel about my reasoning and planning, etc, and I like to hear their feedback.

While this won’t facilitate feedback terribly well, it can get the ball rolling. The kind of things I would have taken the time to talk about throughout the week as I visited with the members, I am going to start posting about them here. This is a very long, self-referential example of that. It’s also the first installment of re-purposing this site as one of Tumblr’s intended purposes: a weblog.

At least for now, I will plan on writing something here about once a week or so. Those who get the newsletter in physical form will get this content along with the newsletter.

Hopefully it helps.

Pastor Andrew

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avaliveradio · 5 years

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March New Music Monday Dance Pop | Electronic Mix | Hip Hop | Americana Rock

TODAY'S LIST OF WHAT'S FRESH COMING INTO A.V.A LIVE RADIO. THIS IS A MIX OF INDIE POP, HIP HOP AND ROCK SONGWRITERS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU AND SEND YOU SEARCHING THE ARTISTS PAGES FOR MORE. EPISODE HOSTED BY JACQUELINE JAX.

Listen to the show : starts Monday at 4 pm et on all broadcasting outlets including:

The Anchor Fm page: https://anchor.fm/ava-live-radio

iHeartRadio station page : https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-AVA-Live-Radio-Musi-29336730/

The Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2toX0f3dPmI8gmUSOKZicx

Artist: Dante Palminteri

New Release: Miles Apart

Genre: Pop Rock / Singer-Songwriter

Located in: New York City

This song is... As a singer-songwriter, I try to peel back the layers of every day life and focus on the little nuances of falling in love or going through heartbreak. It's really important to me to recount my own experiences and be as vulnerable as possible in my writing. I wrote "Miles Apart" about still loving someone who wants nothing to do with you at the end of a relationship - abandoning the motions of being with someone, and fighting through the pain and sadness on your own.

Right now we are... Headline show at The Cutting Room in NYC, on March 16th at 9:30PM. Filming the official video for "Miles Apart." The director and I have taken the stereotypical story on a failing relationship and twisted it into a more immersive, artistic concept with POV shots that drop fans into the narrative.

LINKS: Website: https://www.dantepalminteri.com Spotify: spotify:album:1niK1sxdAU3XqGIH4US9np Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palminterid Twitter: @dantepalminteri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dantepalminteri

Artist: Liah Alonso & DJ Taz Rashid

New Release: LIGHT TO THE UNIVERSE

Genre: Dance/POP

Located in: : New York, NY

This song is... Excited to announce my new song, LIGHT TO THE UNIVERSE - remixed by DJ TAZ RASHID will hit the global airwaves and a hot dance floor or yoga studio near you March 1st! Light To The Universe is a musical prayer for love, light and peace that was inspired by an ancient prayer whose origin is unknown. This Remix Is the first of a 7 song collaboration with the world famous Producer/DJ Taz Rashid. LIGHT TO THE UNIVERSE is the first single from the album collaboration between international troubadour and Gypsy Cowgirl, Liah Alonso and DJ/Producer Taz Rashid. The two artists have joined together to bring positivity and mindfulness to dance floors and yoga studios around the world.

Right now we are... Stay tuned for the LIGHT TO THE UNIVERSE music video! The video features dancer and tv host, Vandana Hart (We Speak Dance) and Liah dancing with majestic horses! Liah and Taz are currently getting ready to launch a single every month along with a video:) The two will be touring both solo and together in 2019 and 2020.

LINKS: http://smarturl.it/jff8hi www.liahalonso.com www.instagram.com/officialgypsycowgirl www.facebook.com/liahalonso https://twitter.com/liahalonso www.youtube.com/user/liahalonso https://soundcloud.com/liahalonso

Artist: Den of Ashes

New Release: California

Genre: American Western Rock

Located in: Hermosa Beach, CA

The journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. I'm continuing mine and have a lot to look forward to on the road ahead, touring, performing, interviews and living new experiences through my fans and friends. I’ve always known that Life is a journey. Mine was to California where I came to focus on my dreams. When I came to Los Angeles, I was fortunate enough to meet many stars from the Golden Era of Hollywood. I was the youth they once were as they shared their stories with me. I found the romance of the West and indulged in the intoxicating past of the West Coast left there to be discovered. These are my stories in the Den of Ashes.

The music we are creating is... I am committed to bringing back the genre of Western music as Western Rock and Folk, skipping the needle forward 50 years, where it left off.

LINKS: Spotify: Den of Ashes https://open.spotify.com/artist/3r5Cp3p7h46CZJV7FiEZXU @denofashes https://www.facebook.com/denofashes https://www.facebook.com/ash.beck.75 https://www.instagram.com/denofashes

Artist: Wolf

New Release: Go Crazy!

Genre: EDM, Electronic

Located in: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This song is... Catchy and has a more rockier feel than the previous singles that was produced.

The music we are creating is... A big step up from the previous releases (Rave into the Night singles & lead single 'Bass Heavy') as the track has a rockier edge and 'Go Crazy!' is a catchy song overall. Also, don't sleep on the new EP, 'Spectrum' which you can download/stream/purchase it on: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2SQdA8v iTunes: https://apple.co/2EVmFt4 Tidal: https://bit.ly/2Cb8jD7 Deezer: https://bit.ly/2NOyNPn

Right now we are... In the studio working on new material and hopefully a new EP before the end of the year.

LINKS: Spotify link (song): https://spoti.fi/2TsA0BQ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amirwolfwithin Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/thewolfwithinwolfMY Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/thewolfwithinofficial

Artist: La Roboká

New Release: Bipolar

Genre: Electro Pop

Located in: : Berlin, Germany

This song is about a person trying to dance away her bipolar disorder.

The music we are creating is our own version of electro-pop-rock. La Roboká started four month ago and consists of a classic soprano singer and a film-composer, Lady K & Robulus, two artists from completely different musical worlds. A classical voice hooked to electronic dance beats? Why one earth should we do this?! Because it´s so much fun! Lady K has an ongoing history on opera stages. Robulus not only composes film music but is also working as a director. We know each other for a long time until we saw our potential during a film production we’ve both worked on. With La Roboká we share our common interest in exciting, sometimes dancable, sometimes captivating music and putting on an extra layer of theatrics.

Right now we are... working heavily on our debut EP ‘MASKALICIOUS’ which will come out in April this year. With this record we will jump between genres, give you an emotional anthem to sing along and then surprise you with an ecstatic danceable electropop tune.

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/track/15FFbJK3NselCyUfeQiIl3?si=I2_6tqAvQlysPgYLptEsdw https://www.instagram.com/la_roboka https://www.facebook.com/laroboka

Artist: Popichil`O

New Release: Melody

Genre: Hiphop

The music I am creating is... This is real life music. Real thoughts, real emotions, real life moments. Reality not fantasy. Music that can inspire or help someone. Teach and reach. It’s ok to have a balance. We are human and sometimes I do feel like partying and sometimes I do feel like thinking. Don't take my choice away. I'm in a great place musically in my life and you can hear it and feel it threw the music.

"I'm really excited because I just finished my first EP titled "Don't Stop Me now". I am currently working on my first studio album which I'm almost halfway done with so stay in tune. This has been an exciting year for me and there's more to come. I feel truly blessed🙏🏼 Thank you for the love and support....1~Luv"

https://twitter.com/popichi https://www.instagram.com/popichilo https://www.facebook.com/popichilo https://soundcloud.com/reallyfe-muzic

Artist: Kristin Moura

New Release: Turn On The Gravity

Genre: Pop

Located in: Boston, Ma Turn On The Gravity is about just having the force of gravity to keep us grounded to life. "Can't keep my feet off the ground, everything's spinning around". There is a lot that goes on and sometimes it’s hard to stay focused. My music is inspired by all the drama around me and others.

It’s relatable for everyone because it gets to the root of the problem. Everyone constantly has things spinning around themselves (So much going on)and we need to find a way to keep our feet on the ground. So if we turn on gravity, this will help ground us to our routine for days to come.

There is always drama between people that create these obscure stories that sometimes bend the truth. It doesn't make it difficult to focus; I take it as an experience and roll with it. It’s just something you can create another story about or song.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0u6kOwWwiNnt8M4lV4OIB8?si=5lejnoHgR3SvgNr6UMUYvw

Right now I am... always writing and creating material. I am planning on releasing these last few originals as an EP.

LINKS: www.kristinmouraofficial.com www.facebook.com/thekristinmoura www.instagram.com/thekristinmoura www.twitter.com/thekristinmoura www.youtube.com/kristinmouraofficial

Artist: Sound Machine (Band)/Sunil Bhatia (Artist)

New Release: Anthem

Genre: Electronic Rock

Located in: : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

This song is... This an instrumental Electronica track with rock and symphonic elements in it.

The music we are creating is... This is a blend of the rock and pop sounds along with electronica and techno sounds of these days. Its important as it would be able to reach across a wider audience, hopefully making them want to dance also. Being the thirrt track from the 2nd Album by the Sound Machine(Band)/Sunil Bhatiia(Artist), its in continuity of the earlier track submitted to and played by AVA Life Radio.

Right now we are... Am a Singer, Songwriter and Composer based out of Mumbai. Have also authored a storybook with a poems section too called "My Feathered Friends & the Book of Poems-Part 1" available across online platforms.

LINKS: https://www.reverbnation.com/sunilbhatia/song/30574284-anthem-electronic-rock https://twitter.com/sunilbhatia https://www.facebook.com/YoursMusically https://www.instagram.com/sonu.sunil.bhatia

Artist: Cabela and Schmitt

New Release: I Admit

Genre: Alternative Rock

Located in: Colorado and Nebraska USA I Admit is about discovering ones self and admitting how they are without any inhibition. These are all forged by Life experiences. We will be releasing a new album on April 15th.

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/track/5tnMmyTwJFGT1x7ujounYR?si=z79VkMlAQYybrgfx55BkMA https://twitter.com/CabelaSchmitt https://www.facebook.com/cabelaschmittmusic https://www.instagram.com/cabelaandschmitt

Artist: Cabela and Schmitt

New Release: Lonesome Railroad

Genre: Instrumental

Located in: Colorado and Nebraska USA

This song is... Soothing and relaxing

The music we are creating is... We are songwriters/composers. This world of ours has always been filled with good and bad, and we all have the God-given ability to choose how we want to view this world. We hope always that more people will choose to see the world as good. We are all given a voice, in some way or another, to communicate how we see and experience our world. It is our choice how and when to use that voice, and we have chosen to use this venue as our voice to expose our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings in the best way we can…through a song.

We have always wanted to share our music, without giving up the wonderful life we’ve been given. With the new technologies now at our fingertips, and with never-ending inspirations for making music, the internet has become the perfect place to land our music, to share with anyone and everyone. We are so very happy and excited to be able to share with you!

Right now we are... In the process of completing and releasing a couple new single and an album by April 15

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/track/6Z8erh5vJkIDy25EeDXWDu?si=VUonT3n2TNenfud-lQ_aQQ @CabelaSchmitt https://www.facebook.com/cabelaschmittmusic https://www.instagram.com/cabelaandschmitt

#Liah Alonso & DJ Taz Rashid #Den of Ashes #Wolf #La Roboká #Popichil`O #Kristin Moura #Sound Machine #Cabela and Schmitt #dance music #pop music #Alternative Rock #americana #Hip Hop Music #Dante Palminteri

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airadam · 4 years

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Episode 136 : Protection

"I'm a walking heart attack, looking for somebody to happen..."

- Boogieman

Still shut up in the house for the most part, which at least gives me a chance to really dig through my crates, vinyl and otherwise! This month's selection has some great recent records, some older underground favourites, and a mix segment I've been wanting to do for ages - figured this episode was as good a time as any!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Mac Ayres : Shadows

If nothing else, this enforced time spent in the house has yielded some great musical discoveries. I heard this cut on a DJ Jazzy Jeff Twitch session, and bought it immediately as soon as I found out what it was! Mac Ayers is a singer/songwriter/instrumentalist from Long Island, and if he's already turning out material like this in his early 20s, I can only imagine what it'll be with more experience. This is a highlight on last year's "Juicebox" album, and one that those who enjoy the modern soul sound will almost certainly enjoy!

[DJ Premier] Prhyme : My Calling (Instrumental)

This beat from "Prhyme 2" is so, so good. DJ Premier continues to turn out fresh creations over thirty years since his debut, with more different styles than he's often given credit for. The pianos sound like falling rain, the low end is the solid ground, and everything else fits perfectly around them.

Ski Beatz & Stalley : Gentlemen's Quarterly

Smooth from the lyrics to Ski Beatz' sophisticated production, this is a cut I'd managed to forget about until I rediscovered it in my collection recently. Find it on the "Ski Beatz 24 Hour Karate School Presents Twilight" (snappy!) LP, if you can find a reasonably-priced copy!

LL Cool J ft. Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown : I Shot Ya (Remix)

A classic from the mid-90s. LL brought in some of the hottest MCs of the time alongside a young Foxy Brown making her on-record debut for a Trackmasters-produced street banger. The "Mr. Smith" album is the source for this often-sampled gem.

O.C. & Organized Konfusion : You Won't Go Far

Unapologetic boom-bap from this all-NYC combination, taken from the second volume of the "New Jersey Drive" soundtrack. Of all the tracks on that release, it's the one that hews closest to the plot of the film itself, which itself makes it a standout in the world of 90s Hip-Hop/R&B soundtracks! OK self-produced this one, and rather than give each MC a verse each, they split each verse between the three of them for more of a tag-team feel.

Rise : Make Sure That We Win

Note: I got this wrong on the voiceover - this is a Beatminerz beat, not DJ Spinna. Spinna produced the excellent "Part of the Game" on the same EP.

Rise is an MC out of Brooklyn and the Demigodz crew, who has a knack for punchlines and quotables within a laid back style - he just seems puzzled by wack MCs most of the time! The Beatminerz provide the beat with the fuzzbox guitars moving all over the soundscape and the classic boom-bap drum style and some sub bass to give it the heft. DJ Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz rounds things out with his cuts for the hook. Grab this and a couple of other great tracks on the 2003 "The Intro..." EP.

Pete Rock : Air Smoove

"Petestrumentals 2" may not become the low-key icon that the first instalment did, but don't sleep on it - it's still Pete Rock on the beats, after all. I keep going back to it and finding myself enjoying tracks more and more, with this being a prime example.

Above The Law ft. 2Pac and Money B : Call It What U Want

I once nearly got into a fight (the other guy was heated) when I off-handedly mentioned that I remembered when 2Pac had been a dancer for Digital Underground - but it was true, and there was never any shame in it! Anyway, it was also with that crew that he made initial strides onto the mic, and after going solo himself, this was one of his first features, alongside Money B from DU. Above The Law's "Black Mafia Life", from which this is taken, is one of the most overlooked albums that could claim the accolade of "classic" when you listen to how it sounded and how early it was made - I strongly recommend that every listener seeks it out for an end-to-end hearing. It's striking to realise that of the four MCs on this cut, only two are still with us today - RIP 2Pac and KMG.

DJ Quik ft. Pharoahe Monch & K.K. : Murda 1 Case

An absolute stomper from Compton's finest, leading with the piano, keeping the drums hard but simple (kicks on 1 and 3 only, snares on 2 and 4), and three MCs going at it. On this clear standout on 2002's "Under Tha Influence", the underrated Quik holds his own against one of the best to pick up a mic, and shows the confidence and intelligence as a producer to know that this was the man to bring in for the closing verse.

De La Soul : Verbal Clap

Many years after their debut, De La remind you that they can get busy on a state-of-the-art thumping beat with no problem - in this case, a masterful creation by J Dilla, one of two on 2004's "The Grind Date". Dave's rhyme style here is extra raw and he dominates by sheer brute force, standing out even on an album where De La sound highly-motivated overall. If you don't yet know it, it's well worth your while to search it out and have a proper listen.

Mr. Scruff ft. Broke 'n' English : Listen Up

Manchester all the way on this track, with the DJ and producer Mr Scruff getting the drumline mad active with a nice bassline, and Strategy and DRS of Broke 'n' English bringing all the local flavour on the mic. This great cut is on the flip of the also-excellent "Nice Up The Function" 12", which is now available digitally - so no difficulty in finding a copy!

[The Neptunes] Busta Rhymes : Pass The Courvoisier, Part II (Instrumental)

A great party beat, one to get people moving even without Busta and Pharrell's vocals!

AZ : Take Care Of Me

From his very first LP, AZ was flowing over soul/R&B samples, so it wasn't a reach for him to make a track like this for "Aziatic", his fourth. Precision soundtracks it with a "no samples" approach which for the non-Bad Boy producers tended to be the move for the club/radio tracks, and it's aged fairly well. AZ's lyrics are definitely reflective of the time - cellphones are so unremarkable in 2020!

Krumb Snatcha ft. Boogieman : Oxygen

Krumb Snatcha is pretty much as rugged as it gets, but here he shows that while he can give you an underground street classic like "Closer To God", there's still time to have fun! This track from his second LP "Respect All, Fear None" isn't what you might expect from KS but I think he did a solid job here. Nottz' beat bumps and burbles with a solid low end, and the guest MC Boogieman, who's already collaborated with him previously, steals the show with a casually disrespectful closing verse - not a particularly technical one, but entertaining!

Mic Geronimo : Nothin' Move But The Money

This record was hated when it came out, of all the tracks in this section, it was the most blatant pander to the pop audience - after all, Puffy (now Diddy) was the producer! This was amplified by the fact that Queens' own Mic Geronimo was a darling of the underground scene after his excellent debut LP "The Natural", and this is a million miles away stylistically. "Vendetta" was a big change, and arguably a bit of a career killer because of it. Have a look at the video - every so often, Mic actually looks pretty uncomfortable!

Goodie Mob ft. Big Boi and Backbone : Get Rich To This

This was the next most derided track when it was released - if someone else had recorded it, it may have been received for what it was, but again, this was a serious sonic whiplash for anyone who had heard "Soul Food" or "Still Standing". It was still Organized Noize on production, still the same MCs (plus guests), but definitely not what people were expecting, by and large. I can't front though - I kind of liked it even then! The "World Party" LP is the source for this one.

[Kenny Dope] L Swift : Ride This (Instrumental)

Crispy clean drums and a nice guitar line are the highlights of this beat from a 2000 12" by one of the MCs from the incredible Natural Elements (now reformed, with L Swift as Swigga). The vocal version features A Butta from NE and the B-side is produced by Spinna, so well worth picking up if you see it!

Toots & The Maytals : Funky Kingston

We close the episode with the title track of the 1973 album by the reggae legend "Toots" Hibbert, who passed away this month at the age of 77, and his band. The throatiness of his delivery on this classic cut does bring to mind the American funk godfather James Brown, but the message and the groove is pure yard. It may be almost fifty years old now, but still moves a dancefloor with ease!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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airadam · 4 years

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Episode 134 : Keeping Our Heads Up

"If you not at the table, then you on the menu."

- Jahi

This is not the summer we thought we were getting, but I'm going to at least partially overlook that and put some tracks in the mix that are perfect rolling music...even if we're only going to pick up essentials at the supermarket! There's some old(ish), some brand new, and plenty in-between. Oh yes - if your system has the bass turned up, turn it back down, or the third track up is going to destroy it...

The sad news came in after the music was already recorded, but Rest In Power to Malik B, best known for his work as a founding member of The Roots.

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Mistah F.A.B ft. Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, & Z-Ro : Commin' Down

From Oakland to Houston! The Bay Area veteran reaches down south for this driving anthem from "Son Of A Pimp, Part 2", and the respect is returned in spades. For me, Z-Ro steals the show right out of the gate on that first verse, with his trademark combination of humourous imagery, vocal range, and casual misanthropy! I expected the production to have come from a southern beatsmith too, but S.E. Trill is from Wichita in Kansas, firmly in the midwest.

Sitting Duck, otaam : Nights At The Beach

Bandcamp must have been reading my mind when it put "Chillhop Essentials Summer 2020" in my face, so I put a few quid in figuring that I'd like at least a few of the 25 tracks. That was definitely true, and this was one, produced by a duo that I've not yet found much info about...but I'll keep looking!

Le$ : Duckin'

Big tune out of Houston, with some of the most ridiculous bass I've heard in a while! Mr Rogers rolls together a classic R&B sample and as much low-end as he could find into a heavy backing for Le$ to work with. Not exactly a romantic anthem, but he does it well! The "Summer Madness" LP is well worth having a good listen to, it's almost like the more down-to-earth version of Curren$y's lifestyle content.

Beyonce ft. Jack White : Don't Hurt Yourself

Until trying to mix this, it wasn't obvious to me that the tempo wanders a little bit! It's low-speed but has sections highlighted by stripped-down double-time drums, followed by those heavy rocked-out segments - not the kind of sound many would associate with Beyonce, but she's always been versatile. The "Lemonade" LP is a great demonstration, with stuff ranging from this to straight R&B, to country! This is a great track with her clearly not here for the nonsense, taking her vocals to a really raw place.

Run The Jewels ft. Danny Brown : Hey Kids (Bumaye)

If you're looking for rappers to be jumping out there defending Elon Musk and the likes, you'd better look elsewhere! Killer Mike goes at the billionaire class in the first verse, and every MC keeps the intensity level up regardless of the specifics of their content. El-P on the beat, of course, on this selection from "Run The Jewels 3".

Mega Ran ft. Richie Branson & Storyville : O.P.

Mega Ran's career continues to grow, which is a testament to his skills and a karmic reward for how nice he is to everyone! That said, this track from 2015's "RNDM" has him and his crew going at the haters in fine style. His second verse is definitely the best of the three, and features one of the best breaks of the fourth wall I can remember in I don't know how long! Ran's longtime musical partner Lost Perception contributes the banging video game-inspired beat with crazy low end.

Agallah : Power Boats

Kind of grimy, despite the title making you think of open waters! Brooklyn's own Agallah produces the vast majority of the stuff you hear him rapping on (with good reason), and this particular beat is on "Propain Campaign Presents Agallah - The Instrumentals Vol.1".

OutKast ft. Cool Breeze and Big Gipp : Decatur Psalm

Taking it to what is still my favourite OutKast LP, "ATLiens", with the only track not to include Andre. Bracketing Big Boi's verse are two other members of the Dungeon Family, telling tales of the streets of the ATL. Organized Noize on production, of course.

State Property : It's Not Right

It's been a long time since the breakout days of Just Blaze and Kanye at Roc-A-Fella, and this track definitely brings back memories of that era. Just Blaze did a great job conjuring up the right level of melancholy for this track from the self-titled LP/soundtrack from this Philadelphia-centred crew. On the mic are Freeway, Young Chris, and Sparks, with Beanie Sigel bringing it home.

Meyhem Lauren & Harry Fraud ft. $bags : Brunch At The Breakers

The 2018 "Glass" EP had some great tracks on it, but left me wanting to hear more - clearly, they were holding out on us a little, because the recent "Glass 2.0" is built from tracks that didn't make the initial release! It was a tough choice between this and "Steamed Monkfish (Remix)" to see what made it onto the episode, but the gliding sample and overall feel of the beat ended up being the decider. I won't give away the sample, but as familiar as it seemed on listening here...I don't think I've ever heard the record before.

Above The Law : My World

The 1996 "Time Will Reveal" album was the fourth straight gem from Above The Law, and this track is one of my favourites. The late KMG takes the first verse, and Cold 187um the second, as well as showing out on the production in a major way. The female vocal on the hook is uncredited, but definitely adds onto the flavour. This is a track to roll slow to.

Massive Attack : Weather Storm

This nice instrumental cut from "Protection" is not one often talked about, but it's so good. Taking a great sample, letting it breathe, and working around it just enough is an art and one that this Bristol crew definitely mastered.

Matteo Getz & Termanology : Summer In The City

Massachusetts connection here with the producer and Lo-head Matteo Getz cooking up a beat for Lawrence's Termanology, an MC I feel is often underrated. This is taken from last year's release "The Getz Collection", which I think might have to be a pickup based on this.

Gang Starr ft. Jeru The Damaja : From A Distance

Still can't believe we got another Gang Starr LP last year, and to have Jeru as a guest takes it back to the "Daily Operation" days! Like most tracks on the album, this is fairly short, but both Guru and Jeru get the job done over a signature Preemo beat - check the contrast on alternating bars between the lush strings and the almost white-noise stabs.

Timeless Truth : Wavelength

Nothing but the raw boom-bap on this! Large Professor is responsible for the beat (the very sharp-eared would have picked that up without me even saying anything), while Solace and OPrime39 share mic duties, culminating in splitting the final verse down the middle. "Cold Wave" is an album for those who want the uncut.

Enemy Radio : 2020

If you hadn't heard, Enemy Radio is the stripped-down, sound system version of Public Enemy, with Chuck D joined on the mic by Jahi and long-time PE DJ Lord Aswod on the turntables. Their new LP "Loud Is Not Enough" is out in parallel with material from their original lineup, but allows a different emphasis. This year has often felt like the world is ending, and Chuck D is the #1 MC for that time! Notice how short the actual verses from he and Jahi are on this C-Doc-produced track - they not only paint a picture of the darkness of 2020 but do so with incredible lyrical efficiency.

[Kev Brown] DJ Jazzy Jeff : Da Rebirth (Instrumental)

It's been a long time (almost 100 episodes) since I played the vocal version, so here's the instrumental in case you forgot how ill the beat is :) Fairly early work by Kev Brown, in his days collaborating with the A Touch of Jazz camp - this is on "The Magnificent EP".

KinKai ft. Children of Zeus : Top Down

There hasn't been as much road trip time as we'd like in the COVID reality, but Mancunians are nothing if not appreciative of good weather when it comes! KinKai's new LP "A Few Pennies Worth" is a great release for the season, and this single was a hell of a way to precede it - bringing in Manchester's own Children of Zeus for a summer anthem produced beautifully by Paya.

Check out this episode!

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airadam · 4 years

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Episode 128 : Crystalline Carbon

"...as long as I'm alive, I will make it."

- Kim Stephens

It's been a subdued start to the year in the main, and my equipment may have conspired against me, but nothing was getting in the way of the first podcast episode of the decade! There are definitely some popular classics in the selection, right next to brand new releases, and some slightly older tracks which deserve a second - or even first - chance in your headphones.

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Roc Marciano : Richard Gear

Roc is the absolute master of this style, and he's back with a new LP release, "Marcielago". If you like this vibe, then you're in for a treat as he carries it over the whole project. It's easy to forget that he's not just penning all those rhymes, but producing the beats as well. He's self-taught and beautifully individual in approach - a leader, not a follower.

[Alchemist] Mobb Deep : The Realest (Instrumental)

One of the most straightforward beats in Al's career - a two-bar loop with nothing added. It was originally going to be an interlude on the Defari "Focused Daily" album, but eventually became a standout on Mobb Deep's "Murda Muzik". This exact instrumental version is on the now-deleted "Gangster Theme Music" collection, but you could pretty much just loop up the start of the Mobb track :)

Trae Tha Truth : Even Tho Its Hard (sic)

A fairly recent release from Trae, taken from his eleventh album, "Exhale". This is a real struggle anthem, voiced by a man whose mic skills are too often overlooked. This is bell-clear rhyming, where you can pick out every single word - aided by the production not fighting him too much for focus. (Once again, this is a case where my digital purchase doesn't contain the credits to enable me to shout out the producer. Fix it, record companies!)

O.C. : The Chosen One

It's been a little while - well over four years - since we visited the "Jewelz" album, so it's about time we came back. Buckwild brings together the jazz and soul to craft the beat on this one, and O.C. strides over it like a king surveying his subjects. The whole album was criminally underrated when it came out, with many just expecting a re-tread of the "Time's Up" sound. A lot went into making it, and it took many listeners a while to catch up - but they did!

Flamingosis : You Were Meant For Me

A nice little piece from a New Jersey producer whose catalogue has a certain sunniness that you just have to listen to understand! Pick up the "Flight Fantastic" album and keep it in the stash until warmer weather arrives...

Statik Selektah & Termanology ft. Mtume : Never Let My City Down

Yes, Mtume of "Juicy Fruit" fame! The "Still 1982" LP from Statik and Term contained this little gem, where I'm not sure exactly who did what apart from the rhymes, but it works. Termanology's flow glides over this with confidence, and even the way the track winds down is expertly done.

9th Wonder : SuperChopFunk!!!!

Yes, all those exclamation points are part of the actual track title... Anyway, the beat is signature 9th Wonder material, drawn from his mostly-instrumental "Zion III" mixtape. With forty-two tracks in total, you can't say he didn't give you value for money!

Krumbsnatcha : Start Writing

I found this while having a flick through Spotify, and was glad I did! The "Iron Will Ninja Shinobi" album came out about a year ago, and it's good to see Krumb out there and still recording. The beat here is dark and menacing, sounding like a Hip-Hop contribution to the "The Terminator" soundtrack, and KS has no trouble matching that vibe on the mic.

David Bars ft. DJ Premier : Beat The Odds

If you don't know him already, it feels like you will pretty soon! Bronx native Bars getting co-signs from some of the best producers to ever do it - DITC, Beatminerz, and DJ Premier, who gave him this beat to rip! "The Bar Code" EP is the release to check to get a fuller picture of what Bars is bringing.

Meyhem Lauren ft. Big Body Bes : Badmon Ting

That "¡Caballito!" adlib will never fail to be amusing! Meyhem is not so much underrated as not well-enough known in my opinion, but he's a beast of an MC. "Gucci kicks got me looking like a pointsettia"? Come on now. Find this DJ Farhot produced track on the 2017 "Piatto D'Oro" album, named after a now-closed NYC restaurant - Meyhem does love the kitchen!

Natural Elements : N.E. Definitely

One of the great crews for the connoisseurs, NE were true kings of the underground right off the bat. Charlemagne provided the beats and L-Swift, A-Butta, and Mr.Voodoo brought bars by the trailerload! Many of the tracks from that era have been collected on the recently-released "1999 : 20 Year Anniversary" collection, of which this is one. Definite recommendation for those who like that real.

[Ali Shaheed Muhammad] Faith Evans : You Used To Love Me (Remix Instrumental)

I was happy to realise I hadn't already used this instrumental on a past episode! This neo-souled-out beat gave Faith's voice more space than the original from her debut album, which was dope in its own right.

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Brandy : What Are We Doing?

One of the best tracks on the excellent "Black Radio 2", easily. The drummer pushes this one forward constantly, playing a little ahead of the beat as though not completely under control, and the bass and keys fill in a track that would tear down any after-hours spot. And those vocals...you might just write Brandy off as some pop artist because you know her radio singles, but you'd be very wrong. This is a track with the space to expose anyone lacking skills, and she slays it. Recognise!

Children of Zeus : Get What's Yours

New release from Manchester's own Children of Zeus, who are on a flawless run right now. A soulful motivational cut that opens up with the vocals of Tyler Daley before he goes back and forth with Konny Kon on the rhymes. The closing vocals and piano (if you go and hear the full version) round it off exquisitely. Get this on the "Two Syllables, Volume Sixteen" compilation.

Lauryn Hill : Lost Ones

The drums of the Zeus track reminded me of this, so I figured there was probably no better time for me to play it! For me, it's a battle between this and "Everything Is Everything" for best track on the only real Lauryn solo LP, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" - a monster seller for sure. By all accounts firing shots at Wyclef, you can feel the focused anger in this one.

Kool G Rap : My Life

This was a pretty big single from the Rawkus Records part of G Rap's career, which made noise on the 2002 Hip-Hop charts as well as being a mixtape staple of the time. V.I.C (from the original Beatnuts producer crew) brings the beat, and an artist called G-Wise shows out on the talkbox. The official release of "The Giancana Story" album contains this one, as well as an alternate version featuring Capone-N-Noreaga.

Pete Rock : Stop Dat (Instrumental)

Sparse mastery from Soul Brother #1. The most recent release of the 2004 Edo G and Pete Rock LP "My Own Worst Enemy" helpfully contains all the instrumentals for when you want some unfiltered PR, and so is a recommended pickup for DJs at a minimum.

Raekwon ft. Kim Stephens : Jury

Allegedly, this track is actually supposed to be called "Jewelry", but for a typo in the tracklisting! We close the episode with a second track taken from a poorly-received sophomore album, 1999's "Immobilarity". Infinite Arkatechz, who handled the vast majority of the production, clearly picked up a Chris Spheeris compilation and ran wild with it, but this was definitely the track where that choice made the most impact. "Andalu" has nowhere near the cold, pensive feel of this song, which is classic Raekwon for me, as he tells the story of the start of the Wu from his perspective. This month's epigraph could have been any number of the lyrics from here, which paint pictures and describe feelings that I expect many besides me will relate to. On top of all that, Kim Stephens does a great job on the hook, on what may be her only ever recorded appearance. This isn't a track you put in the middle of a mix, you either start with it or end with it.

Check out this episode!

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airadam · 4 years

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Episode 127 : Stand Strong

"...so instead, you prefer to be lied to."

- Hutch

This feels very much like the stance needed at the end of a rough year on many fronts. Still, we're here on the cusp of a new decade, but we play out this one with a (mostly) wintry selection from both sides of the Atlantic which will take you into 2020 in fine style. Thanks for your continued support - I hope to continue bringing you quality material!

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Bugzy Malone : December

Thought I'd take the opportunity to play this new track while it's still this month! Manchester's Bugzy Malone is primarily associated with the grime scene, but this single leans into contemporary straightforward Hip-Hop as much as anything else. When you hear his voice there's no mistaking where he's from, and this new release has him reflecting on how things have worked out for him after years of work as an independent artist. The heavy beat by Krunchie and Zdot sounds like the darkest timeline of a Xmas advert - good work!

[El-P] Run The Jewels : Twin Hype Back (Instrumental)

I only picked up the instrumental version of the first Run The Jewels LP this month, but it's worth having for the DJs, and would probably make a solid contribution to a gym playlist as well!

Dr. Yen Lo : Day 70

It's been well over 30 episodes since we last played anything this LP, so I thought it was due a revisit. Ka on the mic and Preservation on the low-key production is perfect for this time of year, cold and wintry. Take time to listen properly to Ka's lyrics - always an absolute treat.

DJ Jazzy Jeff : The Government's Dead

Jazzy Jeff's "M3" LP definitely seems to have passed most people by, but it's definitely worth checking - a very different vibe to his previous albums, but still very well done. The band recruited and produced by Jeff cook up a jazzy groove which starts off sparse and light and then builds into a crashing wave. Lyrics come from "The Trinity" - Rhymefest (an early writer for Kanye), Uhmeer (Jeff's son), and Dayne Jordan - in multiple forms, from spoken word to rhyme to song.

Phonte : Euphorium (Back To The Light)

Little Brother's return this year with "May The Lord Watch" is an essential, but so was the most recent Phonte solo, "No News Is Good News". This was a beautiful closing track to the album, with Phonte starting off displaying a little of his singing skill before switching up to spit some bars - very much a reflection of him feeling free to be his whole self, as he says. Abjo out of San Diego provides the production, which feels faster than the 70-ish BPM it is while also having a lighter feel than much of the 140 BPM stuff that we hear now.

Curren$y & Harry Fraud ft. Styles P : W.O.H.

This sample usage by Harry Fraud is an absolute gem. Kind of in keeping with the original track, it's the soundtrack to a mental image of someone who needs to get out of town in a hurry. Curren$y stunts on everyone in his trademark fashion, but also brings in Styles from The LOX for a little extra flavour on the closing verse. Definitely my favourite track from the "Cigarette Boats" EP, and 100% perfect nighttime driving music.

Jan Hammer : Airport Swap

This track and the previous one almost got saved for a future planned podcast, but hey...there are always more records! Taken from the "Miami Vice" TV series soundtrack (the episode "No Exit"), this is classic 80s Jan Hammer. Production trivia - those electric guitar sounds are all synthesized, no strings in sight.

Gang Starr ft. Q-Tip : Hit Man

I was making some mad faces the first time I heard this track - DJ Premier absolutely put his whole foot into this beat. Straight gangster (appropriate) material from the biggest surprise release of the decade, "One of the Best Yet". Guru's monotone is so clean on here, on something not a million miles away from "Sabotage" on "The Ownerz", and the hook is provided by none other than Q-Tip from Tribe, doing his best gun sounds!

Blak Twang : 19 Long Time

The title track of the first Blak Twang album to get a proper release (the long-lost "Dettwork SouthEast" didn't surface until 2014 for most of us), this 1998 cut is undeniable. Tony Rotton looks back at all the Hip-Hop experiences that brought him to that point, with references that UK heads of a certain age can relate to. The beat is quality, well-mixed with plenty of bump for your speakers. Random trivia : it's odd to think that since this was released, both of the veteran travel agents mentioned in the third verse have gone out of business...

Raekwon ft. Havoc : King of Kings

I guess the title makes it seasonal? Anyway, this is one of the gems on the somewhat patchy third album from Raekwon, "The Lex Diamond Story". I'd assumed that Havoc had done the production here, but on checking the credits I find it's actually Crummie Beats, who's worked with Illa Ghee and Sean P amongst others. Havoc and Rae are experts in delivering that dark NYC street vibe, so there's no surprises when it comes to the bars.

MED, Blu, and Madlib ft. Dâm-Funk and DJ Romes : Peroxide

I only got up on this one recently - a defining aspect of the past decade for me has been such a deluge of music releases that it's common for great records to pass you by for years at a time! 2015's "Bad Neighbor" LP is a collaboration with the widely-popular Madlib on production and MED and Blu on the mic, but this particular track features original Lootpack member DJ Romes on the cuts and the LA retro god Dâm-Funk giving the tune some electronic flavour.

Ilajide : Breakin (Instrumental)

This one kind of crept up, a quiet banger from the "Five Week Heet IV" release. If you're a regular listener then you're probably well up on the brilliant producer from Clear Soul Forces, but if not - search out his stuff!

The Coup ft. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien : The Repo Man Sings For You

I feel like there's a replayed melody here during the verse and sung on the hook that I should recognise, but just can't put my finger on! It sounds like something that would be on the soundtrack for a Hip-Hop retelling of "A Christmas Carol", with the repo man (played by Del) heartlessly and gleefully confiscating goods from a debtor, and Boots (also the producer) playing the put-upon poor worker who is his victim. This is a highlight on the excellent "Steal This Album" which is also an appropriate track to play at a time when Black people are often omitted in the discussion of who is "working class".

Big Hutch : True Lies

Very apt in our seemingly post-truth world... This is a pick from the first solo album by Hutch (aka Cold 187um of Above The Law), 1999's "Executive Decisions". Self-produced as you'd expect from the man who arguably invented G-Funk, it's an ominous one which in my opinion would just have been elevated by slightly better mastering.

Tobi Sunmola : Good Guys Don't Survive

Tobi is a Nigerian-born, Manchester-based MC I learned about from Dubbul O (who gives him a shout here). This man is getting a lot of respect from those in the know, so get yourself up to speed with the title track from his 2018 EP. The drum track that underpins the beat is perfection, and Tobi's voice slices through with ease, allowing us to appreciate his writing.

Frameworks ft. Rioghnach Connolly : Calm The Still Night

Rioghnach is an incredibly talented musician, and someone I came across early in my time on the Manchester music circuit, with both of us at the same open mic/jam sessions. She's gone from strength to strength since then, and she combines here with another star of the local scene, producer Frameworks. This is a lovely chilled-out song, deftly constructed, which was released both as a single from the "Tides" LP and also on one of the First Word Records compilations.

Mudstone : The Tourist

Another quality beat from the "Return of the Tec" beat tape, courtesy of The Beat Tape Project. I couldn't dig up much (no pun intended) in the way of background on Mudstone, but s/he does their thing here.

The Honey Drippers : Impeach The President

I couldn't not play this, with only the third ever impeachment of a US president underway! As you'd almost certainly twig from the sound, this funk classic was released during the Watergate scandal - when Nixon, of course, managed to avoid actual impeachment by resigning first. Roy C of "Shotgun Wedding" fame is the man on the lead vocal, with his lyrics being timeless enough to fit the current indictee perfectly. One of the most often sampled records in all of Hip-Hop, this track gives us some of the best drums ever to enter an SP or an MPC! Not bad work for a band of high school students from Queens :)

Check out this episode!

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airadam · 5 years

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Episode 125 : The Audacity Of Dope

"In the land of the free, the slaves are still here."

- Jerry Beeks

The grind continues, and as the autumn starts to really draw in, the selection gets you prepared for full hoodie and boot season with some rugged sounds from the old to the new!

A couple of events for you...

The Flyest @ Klondyke Club, Manchester, November 15th - guest starring me on the turntables!

Artifacts ft. DJ Mr.Len @ Joshua Brooks, November 30th

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Royal Flush : Life Is Hard

Royal Flush is known to most for his debut "Ghetto Millionaire" album, but he definitely has had some other solid tracks over the years. While this is on the 2019 release "The Governor", it was first heard on the 2005 "Street Boss" album. The production (don't have credits for this one) is top-notch, with the eerie and dramatic instrumental sounding very noir - a perfect backdrop for Flush's grim Queens thug braggadocio.

[Maxmillion] Panda One : Elaborate (Touch You) (Instrumental)

There's another track on this 2002 12" that has been the favourite for me for a long time, but on a re-visit this month I had to give this beat a little bit of light! The sample it's based around has been used before, but not quite like this - good job by Maxmillion.

Phi Life Cypher : Earth Rulers

One of my favourite rhyme duos with a killer single! DJ Beware put me up on this one back in the day, but I only recently got my own vinyl copy. Si Phili and Life just firehose lyrics right down the DJ Nappa-produced track, in a way any fan of bars has to appreciate. The finishing touches are provided by the dancehall samples, which I think come from recordings of the veteran Earth Ruler sound system - the little one-bar sample that drops in in place of a hook is absolute fire!

Redlight Boogie ft. DJ Chainsaw : Hands Down

Amsterdam's Redlight Boogie yells, snarls, and spits his way through this cut from the "Dirty Money, Clean Hands" album - abrasive like a sack of Brillo pads. DJ Chainsaw drops in for some cuts at the close, which end up blending over the scratches from...

Gang Starr : Bad Name

Huge new single which the heavy Hip-Hop listeners will surely have had on repeat the last few weeks! Easily the biggest musical surprise of the last few years has been the news that a new Gang Starr album release is imminent, and that there have been unreleased Guru vocals in the vault all these years. The "Family & Loyalty" single stunned everyone, and this follow-up will keep the buzz going until the LP drops. DJ Premier on production, the late great Guru on the mic - it's what we've been missing.

Bronx Slang : More Grief

It's been great to see Bronx Slang getting momentum up this year off the back of their excellent debut album, and it just so happens that this track that I was planning to play anyway turns out to be their new single! Jerry Beeks gets busy on the mic with the kind of consciousness that a lot of people swear doesn't exist in music these days, while Jadell packs in the funk to complete the soulful stew. Don't sleep!

Jay Dee : Jay Dee #17

Big shout to Iain and Teresa for hooking up a release I needed in my collection - "King of the Beats" by J Dilla! Lots of unreleased beats on this one, as well as a few the hardcore listeners might know. This particular beat bounces along with that characteristic Dilla swing, focusing on the low end for a pleasing groove.

Skyzoo & Pete Rock : Ten Days

If you like Pete Rock beats, you want to get the new "Retropolitan" album - 100% Soul Brother #1, with Brooklyn's Skyzoo helming mic proceedings throughout. This isn't the kind of beat that you automatically associate with Rock, but it just goes to show he can be versatile with it. Skyzoo is on that "get money" talk here, with a hook that conjures up this scene from "Paid In Full". As an aside - I totally forgot that the closing track on this album shares the podcast title, which I've wanted to use with the cover photo for a while!

Black Moon : A Haaa

My goodness, what a wait - sixteen years since the "Total Eclipse" album (2006's "Alter the Chemistry" was dope, but essentially a remix project), but at last Black Moon are back in full effect on "Rise of da Moon"! One of the original Timbs and hoodies crews, this episode wouldn't have been right without them. This tune is short but a banger, with a heavy digital bassline anchoring things while Buckshot showcases the flow and flavour that made him famous. Also check that heavy boom that kicks in between the 1 and 2 beats of each bar!

Black Thought ft. Styles P : Making A Murderer

Devastation from last year's "Streams of Thought, Volume 1" EP. More bars than HMP, more bars than Temple Bar. Black Thought is one of the world's best MCs, who needs no hook and offers no reprieve on his fire first verse. It's a brave man who would get on the mic after him, but Styles P takes the challenge and does himself proud - rising to the occasion. 9th Wonder's instrumental beats you into submission in the best way with the heaviness of the drum track, but it's Thought that holds the murder weapon here.

Children of Zeus : Ghost

CoZ maintained their hot streak of great music with "The Winter Tape", and it's just about the season for those tunes to get a re-airing. Tyler Daly takes sole charge of the vocals for this haunting tale of lost love.

Vanilla : Sweet Talk

The title track from the last of the soul-inspired beat tape trilogy by this UK producer is a smooth one. Vanilla works a melancholy 70s soul sample, and the drums are suitably subtle so as not to overpower it.

Professor Griff and the Last Asiatic Disciples : The Verdict

This is the first of two tracks from albums that opened up the nineties, just as we start to look towards a new decade. Professor Griff's solo debut album "Pawns in the Game" came during his initial suspension/expulsion, and found him on unfamiliar ground as he was not a rhyme writer by trade. Still, he delivered the rhymes with conviction (no pun intended) on a song that opens with a take on Louis Farrakhan's short play "The Trial", and the rest of the L.A.D come through too. Beat Master Clay D provides the beat, based on a familiar break that never gets old but packed with other samples in a way that is unaffordable in terms of clearance fees these days...

Master Ace : I Got Ta

When the Juice Crew veteran's name was still spelled this way, the year was 1990, haircuts were angular, and Ace was making his solo debut on the highly regarded "Take A Look Around", from which this track is taken! Mister Cee takes a classic James Brown sample and keeps the Godfather's voice in for Master Ace to work around lyrically as he states his intentions.

Joell Ortiz ft. Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P : Put Some Money On It

Second straight tune working a vocal sample into the lyrics - this time, from the 2011 "Free Agent" mixtape with The LOX making a great guest appearance. Straight street bars all the way through, and Sean C and LV with the uptempo soul/funk production for a big win.

Sampa The Great ft. Krown : Time's Up

Massive thanks to Agent J for gifting me this LP! From Zambia via Botswana and Australia comes Sampa, whose new LP "The Return" jumps around stylistically but never lets you forget that this is an MC of quality. She and the featured guest Krown take the machinations of the record industry to task on this one and announce that the clock has run out on their BS. Silentjay's beat starts off centred around those stick hits to remind you of a clock, then brings those lows in to drive it forward. Definitely an album worth a listen!

Boogie Down Productions : Duck Down (Instrumental)

Early 90s ruggedness on this 12" release from the "Sex & Violence" LP. KRS and Pal Joey smack the beat into the drum sampler here, and right at the end you hear the sound effect that plays under one of Hip-Hop's best-remembered calls for a rewind!

Edgar Allen Floe : Arrest The President (Cypher God)

We played the original version of this track to open episode 90, almost three years ago, but I only recently learned that there was a remake! Edgar Allen Floe of the Justus League does a solid job with this, covering similar themes as the original and even borrowing some of the rhyme scheme while switching up the words themselves. The dope beat is pretty much the exact same as the Marley Marl-produced original, bringing that hectic 80s urgency and just begging to be cut up every time. Check out more of Floe's work on the rest of the album, "The Streetwise LP".

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Episode 123 : Count On It.

"...we see people as numbers and we make 'em check a box."

- Invincible

I couldn't not acknowledge the numerical sequence in this month's episode number! The episode title ties into that, but also the consistency I pride myself on when it comes to getting the show completed; on time, every time. As far as the tunes this time out, there are a few that play on the theme, plus we remember the great Sean Price on the 4th anniversary of his passing, as well as a bunch of other interesting tracks both old and new. 1, 2, 3, let's go!

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Geto Boys : 1, 2, the 3

I'm opening with this track just on principle, but only including Scarface's opening verse - if you want the whole thing, look up "The Foundation" album. That Tone Capone (who gave us the classic "I Got 5 On It") groove is wicked though...

[Pete Rock] Ed O.G. : Right Now! (Instrumental)

It's always good to hear a Pete Rock beat, and the re-issue of "My Own Worst Enemy", his album with Boston legend Edo G, has a full set of instrumentals 👍

Sean Price ft. St.Maffew : Weed & Hoes

Disrespectful on multiple levels - but so good. Not sure who produced this, but that's a brilliant bit of sample manipulation to turn gospel vocals into the hook for this thugged-out track. Sean's verse is definitely the one, but Maffew Ragazino (performing under an (in)appropriate alias) does his thing here too. If you can find it, this track is on the "Kimbo Price" mixtape. I can't believe this is ten years old already!

Heather B : All Glocks Down

A classic anti-gun record from the mid-90s, with this BDP affiliate taking no kinds of shorts on the mic at all! In fact, she would say she was "Takin' Mine", as her debut LP was titled. Kenny Parker works an old soul classic for the beat.

Termanology ft. Bun B : How We Rock

I don't know why I haven't played this one until now - it's been a headphone favourite for a long time, as you can tell by the reference to "Obama '08"! Lawrence, MA and Port Arthur, TX in combination here as Termanology brings in the legend Bun B of UGK to add his gravitas and gravelly flow to this DJ Premier-produced track. "Politics As Usual" is definitely worth a listen if you don't know it, and a re-listen if you do - there are a good number of quality tracks on it.

Papoose : Numerical Slaughter

Every time I think of Papoose, I now think of the late Combat Jack (RIP) - that said, I'd like to think even he couldn't deny this one! In a thematic blend between "Alphabetical Slaughter" and something like Emanon's "Count Your Blessings", 2019 Papoose runs through the numbers one to nine over a dramatic DJ Premier beat. Bars like this show that the title of his new LP ("Underrated") is an accurate one.

Jel : Loop/Truncate

We take a break from the rhymes to hear some pure SP1200 wizardry from Anticon's Jel, taken from the appropriately-titled "10 Seconds" album. That drum programming clearly took some serious work - those who've ever tried it will understand the difficulty level of some of those fills!

Bumpy Knuckles ft. Big Gov, V Stylez, and Kuye Mason : In Love With The Game

The "Pop Duke, Vol.1" LP is a heavy collaboration with the producer Nottz which is a recommended pickup if you love that boom-bap sound. While there are some big guests on the album, this track features some less well-known artists - Big Gov and V Stylez from Detroit, plus NYC's Kuye Mason on the hook. The beat grinds along like a drunk and grimier version of EPMD's "Headbanger", and after all the guests have eaten, Bumpy Knuckles comes in at the end to do what he does best - clean up like a pro.

Freddie Gibbs : Fuckin' Up The Count

Dark drug business from Gangsta Gibbs' "Shadow of a Doubt" LP. If you were a fan of "The Wire", you might recognise the intro voiceover, bridge, and the outro (if you can hear it) from some classic scenes taken from that monumental series. Speakerbomb, Frank Dukes, and Boi-1da merge some melancholy piano and bass which match the theme with some clean trap drums for that speaker shake.

Portishead : Numb

The classic "Dummy" album, Portishead's debut, is twenty-five years old this month! This was the lead single, and one hell of an introduction to this Bristol trio. Hip-Hop heads would immediately be able to detect the presence of kindred spirits in method and influence, if not direct style. A track like this wouldn't be the same without Geoff Barrow's scratching filling in the breaks between Beth Gibbons' killer vocals. If you don't know this album, sit in on an evening and give it a front-to-back listen.

Marco Polo ft. Sean P & Rock : I'm So High (Remix)

It was completely coincidental I ended up choosing two weed-themed Sean P tracks this month! This one is new to me, but is a winner - reuniting Heltah Skeltah on a fire Marco Polo beat. The original version of this track, minus Rock, is at least seven years old, so it's not a posthumous piece as such - Marco and Sean definitely worked together on this. "The Green" mini-album compilation is a whole project of ganja business, which I can at least appreciate on a music level even if it's not my experience :)

MFSB : Something For Nothing

Even if you don't know this song, it'll be familiar to quite a number of you because it's been sampled so many times! I'm playing this from an old dusty 7", but that's just a single release from the 1973 self-titled debut album from the house band of the mighty Philadelphia International Records.

The Left ft. Invincible : Statistics

I believe it was Vicky T's "Rhyme & Reason" show that introduced me to this track. The Left is a Detroit crew made up of Journalist 103 on the mic, Apollo Brown on production, and DJ Soko with the cuts. Local mic flamethrower Invincible is the featured artist on this selection from the 2010 "Gas Mask" album, and both MCs paint pictures (one first-person, one not) of hard lives in the face of an uncaring, bureaucratic system.

Rapsody ft. GZA and D'Angelo : Ibtihaj

Now this is what you call a big co-sign - Rapsody rhyming over a tweaked version of the "Liquid Swords" beat, and getting GZA himself to contribute a guest verse! If that wasn't enough, the notoriously reclusive D'Angelo comes in to perform the hook. That kind of weight lets you know that this MC is the truth. She commands the mic with strength and confidence, and it feels like the start of a coming-out party. The new "Eve" album is a sixteen-song collection where every track is names after a woman Rapsody admires - in this case, the American Muslim hijabi fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. Enjoy listening here, but the striking video is definitely worth a watch too!

Camp Lo : Superfly

This Camp Lo demo is dope as-is, but one that I wouldn't have minded hearing done again for the "Uptown Saturday Night" LP. As it is, this is a track that was unknown to most of us until the release of "On The Way Uptown", which collected together a lot of the demos and sketches from that era. Boom-bap, sparkle, and slang in abundance.

DRS ft. Enei : Count To Ten

Last episode you heard DRS in Hip-Hop mode from his most recent LP, but here we go D&B as we wind it all the way back to his debut LP, "I Don't Usually Like MCs But..." DRS delivers his lines with a measured aggression and is never hurried by the track - like an MC version of the T-101. For the instrumental, Russian producer Enei keeps things stark and dark.

Kev Brown : Victorious

Beat-heads will enjoy Kev Brown's short concept beat tape "Delve Into Classical Moog" from which this is taken; not only does he make heavy use of the sounds of the synth of the same name, but also samples the words of the great Robert Moog himself. I've extended this track a bit to make it more suitable for the show outro voiceover, and it was one well worth playing right to the end.

Redman : Da Countdown (Saga Continues)

This might have been a more appropriate pick for episode 321, but if I'm lucky and energetic enough to get that far, that's over sixteen years away - which would make this track officially an oldie! As it is, this is the highlight of the 2004 "Ill At Will" mixtape by Redman, coming out on his then-new label, Gilla House. The beat is bombastic, and Red is not coming meek and mild with it either! The sample on the hook should sound familiar to those who've been listening since the 90s - it's from the final NWA album. Ironic that the saga did not continue in the way they might have expected...

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Episode 117 : Rockin' Steady

"...and though the flag been tattered and beaten..."

- General Steele

The short month of the year puts a little pressure on the recording schedule, but the show is here on time for you as always. Once again, we feature the sounds of J Dilla, Big Pun, and Big L, alongside plenty of other great stuff - and we keep the same speed going all the way through the mix!

Shows coming up;

Sadat X & El Da Sensei @ Joshua Brooks, March 20th

GZA @ Gorilla, Manchester, April 9th

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

EPMD ft. KRS-ONE : Run It

We start the episode with an all-NYC, all-uppercase collaboration from the "We Mean Business" LP, the seventh in EPMD's industrially-titled discography. A nod to LL on the hook, stick-up business over an Erick Sermon beat (of course), with KRS playing clean-up man flawlessly. Favourite part of the verse - real 'G's do indeed want to stay at home and read the paper.

Jay Dee : Another Batch - 11

One of a bunch of late-90s Dilla beats that got leaked onto the internet back in the day, this one smacks along with a bassline that comes through like a funky duck! I don't know if anyone ever rhymed on this, but I can imagine someone like De La doing great things with it.

Chuck D ft. Jahi : BOT

I don't know if it was intentional, but this track seems to call back to two tracks from the legendary "...Nation of Millions..." album; "She Watch Channel Zero?" ("she looking at the screen more than talking to me") and also "Night of the Living Baseheads" ("battery on low, look like fiends with a Jones"). Chuck D might have been one of the very first in Hip-Hop to catch onto the Internet, but the elder statesman sees the BS it's brought us as well! He combines here with the lead MC in the group known as "PE 2.0" to get it all off his chest, and he's got plenty more to say on the new "Celebration Of Ignorance" album.

Black Thought : 9th vs. Thought

No-one can accuse Black Thought of not being a team player, with it taking until 2018 before we saw a solo release from him, the "Streams of Thought Vol.1" EP. 9th Wonder was the producer for the project, and on this track he gets headline billing. Fans of top-flight lyricism are in for a treat here, as the MC of choice for many MCs shows his skill level in a major way.

Boot Camp Clik : World Wide

Serious track from the Brooklyn stalwarts, uniting on 2006's "The Last Stand". I absolutely love General Steele's opening verse, from which this month's epigram is taken, and then it's followed with the late, great Sean P just thugging it all the way out on the second verse! They go out of the immediate crew for production, tapping up Large Professor for a head-nodding beat that easily could have made for a fire single. Not the best-known tune maybe, but a tune that is big by nature!

Big L : Don't Front (Freestyle)

Short and powerful like a shot of rum, this is a concise taste of Big L's legendary freestyle aggression over a smooth 90s beat from Diamond's "You Can't Front".

Slum Village : Go Ladies (Instrumental)

One of my favourite Dilla beats easily, as heard on the "Fantastic, Vol.2" album, flipping a well-known 80s soul sample and somehow making it even better than you could have imagined. It's only when you listen back to what else was coming out around that time you can hear how much of a shock to the system a laid-back groove like this was.

Donnie : Cloud 9 (Spinna Mix)

If you enjoy soulful music, Donnie's 2002 debut "The Colored Section" should definitely be in your collection. "Cloud 9" was one of the standouts, and DJ Spinna puts some extra bump into it on this remix, which is on a nice 12" release. His bass style is so distinctive, and with so much of the beat being in the lower frequency range, it leaves plenty of room for Donnie's masterful vocals!

Foreign Exchange : Hustle, Hustle

There are plenty of great tracks on "Connected", the debut Foreign Exchange album, and I was sure I'd already played this - glad to find out I hadn't, as it was the perfect fit for this slot! Nicolay's beat is smooth on that kind of early-2000s, neo-soulish vibe, and then you have lyrical treats coming from every angle. Quartermaine and C.A.L.I.B.E.R spit bars about trying to get ahead in the world, and Phonte comes in beautifully on the hook, in a fairly early demonstration of his singing talent. I don't blame you if you find yourself humming this one on the way to work.

Kev Brown : Hold Fast

One of the great bassline masters in Hip-Hop, Kev Brown certainly put Landover (MD) on the map with his top-quality "I Do What I Do" album. He's just as solid on the mic, and takes the reins alone on this track from the second half of the LP. Scratches are credited to DJ PMD, who is not Parrish Smith, but in fact Peter Rosenberg (who hails from the same area) under his original DJ name!

Jermaine Dupri ft. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and R.O.C : Protectors of 1472

Unless there's some other, non-publicised significance to the number 1472, the "Life In 1472" album has one of the most contrived titles of all time! I don't actually have the album, but this DJ Premier-produced cut is on a compilation of his rarer/lesser-known cuts. I cut this one fairly short, as I think you get the best of it in a compact dose - the last verse is by far the longest, but Snoop towards the front is the clear headliner.

J Dilla : Won't Do (Instrumental)

Classic Dilla from towards the end, based around the "Footsteps In The Dark" drums, with fragments of the vocal yelling out for help along the way. The vocal version is on "The Shining" LP, but for this instrumental, you may need to pick up the 7" boxset of the album (or the MP3 version), which contains instrumentals for every track!

Sadat X ft. Timmy Hunter : Neva

The three-bar loop makes mixing a bit tricky, but I really wanted to play this one! Sadat looks back over his life and career, and celebrates his own effort and self-belief - justifiably so. Diamond D provides the beat, as he does all the way through the "Sum Of A Man" album. It's been a long road since that first LP with Brand Nubian, but Sadat is still travelling it, and for that we should be thankful :)

Dabrye ft. Jay Dee and Phat Kat : Game Over

That beat will definitely do things on a big sound system. Sparse, menacing, insistent. Ann Arbor's Dabrye takes no prisoners on the production, and then pulls in his fellow Michiganders Jay Dee and Phat Kat, who just spit raw Detroit flames in the space the beat leaves! The 2006 "Two/Three" album is one for anyone who likes the more angular, awkward, and aggressive style of production.

Clear Soul Forces : Continue?

I've been saving the combination of this and "Game Over" for ages :) CSF's 2013 "Gold PP7s" is an essential album for anyone who thinks they don't make MCs like they used to - it should give you faith for the future! I can't even keep up with all the gaming, comic, and anime references that they just firehose you with, but the spirit is undeniable. Ilajide's videogame-styled beat bumps hard, and overall this is just one of those tracks I can't see any reason for anyone not to love!

C2C ft. Tigerstyle, Netik, Rafik, Vajra, Kentaro : Le Banquet

Here we have an all-star lineup of scratch DJs, liquefying their crossfaders one after another as the featured instrumentalists on this track from the "Tetra" album. If you listen closely, there are actually some quotes from "Game Over" in the mix - they sound like vocoded re-records, but they could well be heavily-manipulated samples...

J Dilla : Dillatronic 09

One more Dilla instrumental as we come towards the end, this time taken from the "Dillatronic" collection of beats, a posthumous collection of 41 pieces - many very short - from the MPC of the man himself.

Noreaga ft. Nature, Big Pun, Cam'ron, Jadakiss, and Styles P : Banned From TV

Late 90s thug styles, and the kind of triumphant sound that either had to start or finish the episode. Nature was the original guest on here, but while almost everyone else was invited on, Big Pun bullied his way onto the track! While everybody comes off, the true gems on this tune are towards the front - Nature's memorable opening line, and Pun's devastating verse. The Swizz Beatz production is a perfect snapshot of the keyboard-based beats of the era - the "horns" should be corny, but somehow they work in context, and the kick/basstone combo bangs! Classic Berra-ism from Nore on the last verse too - if it's with tomato juice, then it can't be Hennessy straight...

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Episode 115 : Our Streets

"Watch the roads before crossing."

- Tyler

Beating the deadline, coming in a few hours before the New Year, giving you time to play this on the way out - or if you're staying in! This month's mix has some of my favourite tracks of 2018, as well as some choice selections from deeper in the crates. Enjoy the listen, and spread the word!

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

The Mouse Outfit : Late Night Doors

One of Manchester's finest crews blessed us with the acclaimed "Jagged Tooth Crook" album this year and they continue to bring the quality every time out. New collaborator Berry Blacc takes his place on the mic alongside old hands Dubbul O and Ellis Meade for some quality low-tempo flavour, with the beat being an absolute gem. The drums, bass, and piano are all played without flash and to absolutely perfect combined effect - the mark of musicians who know exactly what they're doing!

Maes & Fybre : This One

Pure Manchester again, with these two dub producers almost outlawing everything that isn't bass on this one! One of the many (seriously, many) great tracks on the "From Manchester With Love" compilation.

Curren$y : Drone Footage

I pretty much planned this segment in reverse, and this was the last tune to fall into place. 70-ish BPM is a tricky speed for Hip-Hop, unless it's got trap-type production like this - which ironically was so slow I had to boost it up a bit! Not much to say about this succinct track - a bite-sized portion of Curren$y's signature lifestyle rap over an 808-heavy beat. Pick it up on this year's "Parking Lot Music" EP.

Andy Mineo & Wordsplayed as Magic & Bird : Kidz

I think I found this album on a random Spotify search and was drawn in by the "Magic & Bird" theme - as it turns out, it gave me a great tune for my gym playlist! Andy Mineo isn't someone I've heard before but he's a Christian Hip-Hop artist (well, that would explain the sudden prayer right before the last hook!) out of NYC who's been recording for the last five years or so. Apparently the lyrical theme for this one came from the producer Beam, who, when Mineo complained on hearing the beat that he wanted to get away from the trap sound, told him "just do one for the kids!" Mineo and Wordsplayed ride the beat ably and prove him dead right :)

Z-Ro : Like A Rocket

With the recent release of the "Sadism" album, and last year's "Codeine", it looks like the retirement is off! I'm always here for Ro's half-sung, half-rapped delivery style, and it fits perfectly over Risko Funk's 80s ballad-sampled track. The original flavour isn't overwhelmed by the drums or extra bass, but there are lots of nice touches along the way - heavy filters sweeping in, extreme pitch shifting on the drums towards the end, and a general tendency to make you want to replay the tune :) I don't know if the track title is taken from K-Rino's quote from a Houston Chronicle article a couple of years back, but if so then it's a great connection! Oh yes - didn't realise I bought the clean version of this until I put it in the mix :)

Zero 7 ft. Hidden : Mono

After a long hiatus, Zero 7 are back and I'm always interested to hear what they're bringing. This single starts off with pure spacey vibes before the solid drum line comes in, followed by the vocals of Hidden - soulful, and also restrained.

Kaytranada : Nevalie

A very old one from the man out of Montreal, first posted on his Soundcloud about six years ago. Took a while to find a good track to follow the Zero 7, but EQing this one down to just the snare and trappy hi-hats initially opened up a really good opportunity for a mix!

Children of Zeus x Black Milk : Won't End Well

Manchester and Detroit combination! When this was released at the start of December I thought it was a one-off single, only to be completely surprised on Xmas Eve with the release of "The Winter Tape", an essential and completely free album! This track featured appropriately bleak and sparse production from Black Milk while Konny and Tyler describe the lack of happy endings in the street game - as your parents certainly did if they're anything like mine. 2018 has absolutely been the year of Zeus and they're carrying big momentum into 2019.

1982 ft. Lil' Fame and Haile Supreme : It's On You

The union of Termanology and Statik Selektah has finally returned for their second full LP "Still 1982" - and not before time. The hi-hat-less drums and occasional chimes in this beat made it mix smoothly with "Won't End Well" and got it the nod over another cut that we'll definitely play here in the future. Haile Supreme is new to me but the soul he puts into the hook certainly grabs your attention, and M.O.P's Lil' Fame steals the show on the rhyme side, though Termanology is absolutely solid as always.

Marco Polo ft. Invincible : Drunken Sleuth

It's always good to hear Invincible, who is always one to come with high-quality bars. In the guise of an overlooked drunk, she takes on corruption, homelessness, and the lack of democracy in her home city of Detroit on this ambitious and well-executed track. This is one where it's well worth reading her own annotated lyrics to get more background on the specifics. Beat-wise, Marco Polo is one of the finest in recent years and his work here and on the rest of the "PA2 : The Director's Cut" album is a great example of modern production that is inspired by a classic sensibility.

Cormega ft. Chantelle Nandi : More

The Queensbridge veteran brings a positive, uplifting message on this selection from the 2014 "Mega Philosophy" album, with the vocalist Chantelle Nandi making her debut appearance. As the album title suggests, the 30-minute collection is centred around this kind of theme, so it's definitely worth taking a short while to hear the whole thing!

Doo Wop : Castle To Castle (Instrumental)

I was torn in planning over whether to play the vocal version or just this beat, but the direction the mix went in meant that we'll save the Raekwon bars for another episode. This is the A-side to a vinyl that features the Rahzel-voiced "Ten Tape Commandments" on the flip, with both of course produced by one of the undisputed legends of the mixtape game.

Pusha T : Numbers On The Boards

Stomping, aggressive tune from Pusha's first solo album "My Name Is My Name" with Don Cannon, Kanye, and 88 Keys all combining to provide the production. No matter how good the beat though, you come to Pusha T for lyrical ability and he brings it as per usual - double-meanings aplenty as he dresses down any and all challengers. Michael Kors also catches a stray on the second verse!

The Step Brothers : Step Masters

I hadn't played this album for a while and am not sure how the illness of this cut slid managed to be forgotten by me for so long! Evidence and Alchemist are both underrated on the mic, and Alchemist must get the biggest "WTF?" laugh for "flippin'... like things that flip" :) The energy in this track is much more than you'd think possible given that it's only about 91 BPM, which is a credit to the production from these two heavyweights. Oh yes - do have a genuine laugh at the video!

Alchemist & Prodigy : We Got This

I was sure that one of the samples from the previous track had been used by Alchemist before, and I was right! This version is from the "Chemistry Files" mixtape, but for the full version you'll need to find the bootleg 12" single that includes it.

Camp Lo : Love Is Love

Just the right tech-sounding track to fit this space in the mix! This wasn't even my favourite track on 2017's "The Get Down Brothers" but it's a great example of how Sonny and Geechi aren't afraid to jump on different kinds of beats and lace them with their trademark slang waterfall.

K-Murdock : New Religion

A friend of the show who is an endlessly creative beatsmith, and his "Soundscapes Vol.2" is a mix of video game-inspired beats and instrumentals from his work with MCs. I had this one playing in the house and found a good home for it here :)

9th Wonder ft. Skyzoo and Ness : Let It Bang

Closing with pure slick-talking battle rap here from the "The Dream Merchant 2" compilation, all produced by 9th Wonder, then only about five years into his career. The drums and bass definitely have the classic flavour of early 9th, as well as the great chop/re-purposing of a nice soul sample. It's all east on the mic, with Brooklyn's Skyzoo and Ness from Philadelphia (you may know him from Da Band) trading bars and telling us to play this until you break the tape - which I suppose gives away the age of the track...

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Episode 114 : Enter The Midnight

"...we fighting back - sorry Martin."

- Erick Sermon

This month marks twenty-five years (!) since the release of two monumental albums - "Midnight Marauders" by A Tribe Called Quest, and the Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". I still remember going to buy each of these albums which have had a huge influence on me over the years, and I thought that this episode would be a good time to feature them both. We have a mix of original tracks, alternate versions, covers, and original samples, alongside plenty of other tunes to keep your head bobbing!

There are still a few tickets left for Schoolly D and DJ Code Money on December 15th in Manchester - but you might want to be quick!

The Mouse Outfit are playing an Xmas special at Band on the Wall on December 18th - a few advance tickets left for that one too.

See Children of Zeus on tour!

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Minnie Riperton : Inside My Love

An excerpt of a soul classic from one of our departed greats. Minnie Riperton was well capable of singing well into the whistle register, and demonstrates that to spectacular effect at the end of this track from the essential "Adventures In Paradise" album, which I first encountered as part of "Lyrics To Go"...

A Tribe Called Quest : Lyrics To Go

This sample use was absolute genius. When I first heard this as a teenager I didn't have a clue that the high tone running through the whole track was actually a singer and not a keyboard, and it still stuns you the same way twenty-five years after release. Perfect production, together with Q-Tip and Phife (RIP) on the mic, make this album cut from "Midnight Marauders" every inch of a classic.

Funky DL : Midnight

London's Funky DL first came to popular notice as an MC, but clearly also has major skills as a producer, arranger, and keyboardist! His "Marauding At Midnight" album is a tribute to "Midnight Marauders", with instrumental versions of every track played with no sampled breaks/loops - just instrumentation, as well as backing vocals. "Midnight" was one of my low-key favourites on the original LP, so it's great to hear his take on it here. I couldn't resist the opportunity to cut a few samples over the top :)

Wu-Tang Clan : Clan In Da Front

On my first listen to "Enter The Wu-Tang", this was the track that made me know for sure that the album was a classic. The Wu members regularly battled to see who would get to be on any particular RZA beat, and you can hear for yourself how undeniable GZA was on this one - one of only two tracks on the album to feature just one MC.

The ARE : Clap Ya Hands

The "Manipulated Marauders" project is much older when I look at the release date (2007) than it feels, but still gets solid play from me on a regular basis. The ARE tears up the classic Bob James "Nautilus" sample amongst others to bring some freshness to the familiarity of the Tribe "Clap Ya Hands" track from "Midnight Marauders".

Rockwilder ft. Erick Sermon, Method Man, and Redman : Clutch Reloaded

I missed the original version of this track, but this remix is absolute fire! This might be the most aggro I've ever heard Erick Sermon, and I can't be the only one struck by the combination of "bunch a n****s walking down the block like it's Selma" and the lyric that gave us this month's epigraph. Following Erick, the match made in blunt smoke, Meth & Red, continues the lyrical assault, and Rockwilder's beat is a banger that reminds you of a classic sample atomised. A must-purchase!

Ice Cube : Arrest The President

The man who brought us "I Wanna Kill Sam" back in the 90s is back to burn and has absolutely no problem going in on Mango Mussolini! Atlanta's Shawn Ski provides a stomping, horn-laden beat while Cube calls out Agent Orange for being an asset of Russian intelligence, and his general devilish behaviour. This tune definitely puts you on notice for the upcoming "Everythang's Corrupt" album.

[DJ Quik] Nate Dogg ft. Eve : Get Up (Instrumental)

One of those singles I somehow picked up a couple of a while back and still barely play! The first single from Nate Dogg's third album, it's not crazy but does have that Quik flavour and the beat a good bridge between the bombast of the Cube track and something a little more subdued...

Public Enemy : See Something, Say Something

I was looking for something funky in this spot and this fit the bill perfectly. Chuck D is from the right kind of era to know what to do with a groove like this, and has the experience and intelligence to drop wisdom all over it. Gary G-Wiz is on production on this lyrically clever flip of the Department of Homeland Security slogan, an overlooked track from "How Do You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Lost Their Soul?"

El Michels Affair : C.R.E.A.M

Much harder to mix with than I thought, but that's often the case with live bands - tempos are much more likely to shift within the track than with electronically sequenced music! Anyway, this is just one of the many great Wu instrumental cover versions from El Michels Affair, who gave us this tribute to the 36 Chambers classic on "Enter The 37th Chamber". It's always interesting when a band is sampled by a Hip-Hop producer as part of a composition, and then another band interprets that new version.

A Tribe Called Quest & Busta Rhymes : God Lives Through

The original "God Lives Through" included the voice of Busta via a sample from Tribe's own "Oh My God" on the same album, but he wasn't actually on the track. As he says, he always wanted to rhyme on it and here he gets his chance! This version is from the Q-Tip and Busta mixtape "The Abstract and the Dragon", and here I've just gone with the Busta verse and then Phife's - which is the same as the original, hopefully you own it by now :)

Black Milk ft. Fat Ray and Elzhi : Sound Of The City

Detroit time! Black Milk covers the low end lovely with well-engineered kicks and bass driving this track along. The title track to his first solo LP is a worth headliner, and I always laugh at the shade thrown at Mike Jones at the end of the second verse!

Hall & Oates : Method Of Modern Love

A new one to me, but after reading recently that this was the song that inspired the hook to "Method Man", I took a listen and thought I'd play a snippet here. You hear the first eight bars looped up for a couple of minutes, then we let it go so you can hear the introduction of the chorus - then stop the track and merge into...

Wu-Tang Clan : Method Man (Home Grown Version)

...the tune that drew from it! This isn't even the version from "Enter The Wu-Tang", but an alternate version that was on the 12", and is even more raw and lo-fi than anything on the album. It sounds like it was recorded in a basement and probably was, and I'd bet that this was the original, later re-done for the LP. For the turntablist heads, this is the version Mista Sinista used for his killer juggle - solved a mystery for me!

Cypress Hill : How I Could Just Kill A Man

Classic Cypress! Back in the pre-internet days, some New Yorkers thought this crew were locals from the Cypress Hills housing project, but in fact they were from all the way over in Los Angeles. The first album is still my favourite after all these years, and this track was fierce - a hit without even an attempt to soften up for the radio. DJ Muggs layers up legendary breaks for the beat and even has a few bars on the mic at the start of the second verse, while B-Real spits memorable bars on the kill-or-be-killed lifestyle, and Sen Dog jumps in for the hook. Early 90s heat.

Slum Village (ft. Young RJ) : Nitro

Detroit in the mix again, with the 2009/10 lineup in full effect, along with family member Young RJ on the boards and rhyming as well. The beat actually has a lot of RZA feel to it, and I could easily have imagined this on one of the early Wu albums. No slacking on the mic either, everyone represents and make this a tune worth tracking down - I got it on the "Villa Manifesto" LP, but it's not on all versions so look out for that when buying.

Inspectah Deck : R.E.C. Room

I'd forgotten that it wasn't until six years after the release of "Enter The Wu-Tang" that we finally got a solo album from Inspectah Deck, but "Uncontrolled Substance" did eventually arrive - maybe it needed that incredible verse from the start of "Triumph" to create the momentum! I believe this was the lead single, a tribute to the rec room parties from the Wu's youthful days, with a characteristically Wu-Tang beat courtesy of True Master, who cooked up some great tracks over the years.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : Just To Get A Rep (Instrumental)

One of those tunes everyone either knows or really should! I think the 12" will have an instrumental on it, but this is taken from a white label instrumental version of the whole "Step In The Arena" LP.

Air Adam : 13th Chamber

I wondered if this was worth including, but if not now, then when? I recorded this maybe 10-15 years ago, and while some of the plain movie samples were just layered over the top from my DVD collection, everything else comes from the turntables! The bassline is a plain tone being modified with the 33/45 button and pitch slider, the drumming is all done with scratches, and then the kung-fu samples that were available on battle tool vinyl (no Serato back then!) were scratched over the top. This was my tribute to/version of Wu's "Wu-Tang : 7th Chamber - Part 2" from the first album, derived from a battle routine I once developed, and was on my "Sleight of Hand" mixtape - a few of you might still have it!

Check out this episode!

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