Steve Reid Ensemble Daxaar

Master drummer Steve Reid recorded his latest foray into experimental modern jazz in Senegal’s capital city, whose life-teeming rhythms ultimately resulted in an extremely inspired effort. Daxaar throbs to an ancient pulse, enhanced by today’s technology. Though mainly consisting of several extended jam sessions, the album rarely meanders; it’s perhaps most suggestive of a more worldly, less obtuse version of Miles Davs’ On the Corner. With constantly shifting moods and tempos, Reid and company imbue their Afro-futurist opus with feeling, drive, and purpose. The instruments speak in familiar, yet esoteric, tongues; the level of communication between musicians approaches telepathic. Not only is Daxaar one of the most intuitive and organic-sounding electronic music albums in eons, it pretty much dispels the notion that there’s no innovation left in jazz. This is an album you could listen to every day for the next 20 years and never get bored of.

Break 3000 and Daso Prepare Single

Following a stint in which he recorded an album with his Dirt Crew counterpart, James Flavour, Break 3000 (known to friends as Peter Gijselaers) turns to his solo projects once again, the first of which is the forthcoming “Bleed Like Me” single.

In the spirit of borrowing ideas from house and techno’s golden days, something Dirt Crew is well known for doing, Gijselaers has crafted a 10-plus minute track of old-school strings and pianos paired, stabbing synths, and crisp beats. For the flip, Spectral artist Deso remixed the track into a darker, tech-heavy number. The single will be available March 3.

Tracklisting
A1. “Bleed Like Me”
A2. “Bleed Like Me (Daso Remix)”

Pon Di Wire: Airwaves Riddim Album, Spring Break, Bob Marley Boulevard

Ivory Coast reggae star Alpha Blondy was forced to cut short his U.S. tour after contracting pneumonia. The singer, whose following in his home continent Africa rivals that of Bob Marley, was scheduled to perform in Hawaii, but was instead hospitalized before being flown home for treatment. Blondy was replaced by Gregory Isaacs in the headlining slot for the California tour dates, including the Raggamuffins Festival shows in Long Beach, San Diego, and Northern California.

Soul Rebellion 2008, a series of concerts and service projects, swings back into action this March in Negril, Jamaica, and is for Spring Break students who want a reggae experience and a chance to volunteer for a good cause. Soul Rebellion links students with projects such as the “Build-A-Brick” program, which literally rebuilds local Jamaican schools. Participants will be able to attend events at the Jungle Nightclub in Negril every Tuesday in March, with live performances from Mavado, Tony Matterhorn, Don Corleon, Munga, Pressure, Alaine, and Sean Paul. Students can book reservations at StudentCity.

Elephant Man’s new album, Let’s Get Physical, is slated for release April 8. The album (a joint venture between Diddy’s Bad Boy and VP Records) features stars galore, including Wyclef, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, Shaggy, Swizz Beats, Kat Deluna, and Yung Joc. Of the line-up, Ele remarked: “A true entertainer is versatile and makes music for the world.” Elephant Man first stormed on stage in 1998, alongside Bounty Killa and the Scare Dem Crew; Ele’s nickname is “Energy God,” given for his boisterous performances and his shocking bleached and colored hairstyles.

The recently reshuffled Greensleeves is back in the riddim game with the blazing Airwaves rhythm album. The comp features 19 cuts of the Firelinks-produced, Daseca-built riddim, with hits from Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Anthony B, Kiprich, Bling Dawg, and Buju Banton. Airwaves was made famous by Mavado’s tune “Gully Side,” which does not appear on this collection.

Stephen Marley’s Mind Control (Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths) won Best Reggae Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Not all fans were pleased, with one commenter from the Google Reggae newsgroup grousing, “Do the voters even listen to all the albums? Are there designated reggae voters? The picks always seem predictable and more about the names and reputation than that year’s output.”

A major reggae culture conference opened this week in Kingston, at University of West Indies, Mona Campus. The Global Reggae Conference 2008 features lectures and discussions with noted reggae scholars Professor Carolyn Cooper, Roger Steffens, and Peter Ashbourne.

Busy Church Avenue in Brooklyn will be co-named Bob Marley Boulevard. The three-year push to have the street renamed involved both Jamaican and U.S. government representatives, as well as staunch community activists. The co-naming section will stretch 14-block blocks on Church Avenue, from Albany Avenue to Bedford Avenue.

Pon Di Wire Recommended Live Shows

Sunday, February 24: General Smiley Birthday Bash and CD Release Party with Michigan & Smiley, Shinehead, DJ JFX, La Dee Dread, General Jah Mikey, and Kiddy Ranks (Firgo Digital), 9 p.m. at Club Fais Do Do, 5257 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles.

Wednesday, February 27: Ranking Trevor at The Dub Club with resident DJs Tom Chasteen, Roy Corduroy, Dungeonmaster, and Boss Harmony, 9p.m. at The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles.

M.A.N.D.Y. M.A.N.D.Y: Fabric38

On the latest Fabric mix, DJ/production duo and Get Physical label founders Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung intersperse highlights from their own label (Booka Shade, DJ T, Raz Ohara & The Odd Orchestra, Lopazz, M.A.N.D.Y themselves) with tracks from the likes of Yello, Basic Soul Unit, Dubfire, and Poxy Music. The early-in-the-mix triptych of Guillaume and The Coutu Dumonts’ “Mederico,” Crowdpleaser’s re-versioning of Quarion’s “Karasu,” and the Lucy remix of Gui Borrato’s “Tiologia” is particularly endearing in its nuance and subtlety, and is indicative of a mix that has a really nice flow and coherence.

Cadence Weapon “In Search of the Youth Crew”

I’m definitely not a fan of the four-on-the-floor disco/Justice sound, but when you have a real rapper–I mean a real good rapper who can ride it properly like Canada’s Cadence Weapon–well, it changes everything and I’m down with it. I can’t wait to hear his second album.

Neon Neon “I Lust U”

Super Furry Animals member Gruff Rhys and L.A. experimental hip-hop producer Boom Bip have joined forces for Stainless Style, an album packed with synths and vocoders, and centered around the life of engineer John DeLorean (the dude who invented the sports car in Back to the Future). If that weren’t enough of a party, Spank Rock, Yo Majesty, and Fat Lip all stop in for guest appearances.

Neon Neon – I Lust U

The Mountain Goats Heretic Pride

Something of a Mountain Goats omnibus, the rarely subdued Heretic Pride ditches the prolific, hyper-literate folk-rock band’s thematic course of late, delivering songs that, while still uniformly downers in that “we’ll get through this together,” John Darnielle way, jump from WWII bombing raids to paranoia to the cold, dead places he mined so heavily on last year’s Get Lonely. “Autoclave” is your worst break-up flashback, with its relentless, hopeless line, “No emotion worth having/Can call my heart my heart its home,” while “How to Embrace a Swamp Creature” is a biting ode to break-up sex. Thankfully, it’s all prefaced with the fantastic “Sax Rohmer #1” and its “I am coming home to you/If it’s the last thing I do” revelation that Darnielle still cares.

Some Words from Reason Clothing

Some words from Jon Totaro, co-owner of New York-based Reason Clothing.

XLR8R: Who runs Reason and where is it based?

Jon Totaro: Reason is run by Philip Bassis (a.k.a. Phil Reason) and myself, Jonathan Totaro (a.k.a. Jon Reason), and about a dozen interns, part-time helpers, and designers. We are currently based out of a studio space in the East Village neighborhood in lower Manhattan.

What was the first t-shirt design you ever made?

That first “collection” (for lack of a better term) was a real eclectic mix of styles. It included some of Jon’s photography, some ancient Japanese mythological creatures, vibrant colored stripes, and the now-infamous Diplomats/Ramones parody tee. It’s funny how that seemingly random mix of graphics has manifested itself into what Reason is today.

What is the name of the spring collection and what are some of the inspirations behind it?

Our Spring ’08 t-shirts include some new graphics, some remixed classics, and a trio entitled “The Unreasonables Tour,” illustrated by the very talented Dust La Rock, all done up in fun, vibrant colors for the summer. We are particularly proud of the cut & sew pieces in this collection. This season’s signature ‘Jungle Stripe’ pattern makes it’s appearance on a crew-neck sweat, our first pair of “bored” shorts, and the super-soft jungle stripe jacket. There’s a couple other surprises as well, but that’s all I can say for now.

What are some upcoming projects for summer?

A big website re-design with way more content, some musical ventures with our resident DJ Jesse Marco, a New York City flagship store; all kinds of fun stuff. It’s going to be a busy year.

What do you think Reason is best known for?

People love telling me the story of how they first became acquainted with our brand. You’d think it would be through our more popular graphics like the Diplomats/Ramones tee or the Go Love Your Own City tee, but more often than not, it’s the fun, obscure stuff we do that people know us for. Things like the Hangover flasks, or the articles/interviews on our website, or the tee we designed for The Hundreds, or the interesting way we always decorate our booth at MAGIC. It’s great, because those are the things we really pride ourselves on. At the end of the day, anybody can design a cool t-shirt, but we apply that creativity to every aspect of our business, and that’s what sets us apart.

House Music “Originator” Releases House Music Book

House music is finally getting its history tome, courtesy of none other than Chicago native and DJ extraordinaire Jesse Saunders. Often credited as “the originator of house music,” he wrote, recorded, and pressed the genre’s very first record back in 1984, and has joined forces with writer James Cummins to release House Music: The Real Story.

Though the book is technically Saunders’ autobiography, the story of house music unfolds simultaneously, from its days on Chicago’s streets to the Warehouse club, to record labels, and beyond. And apparently Saunders’ has no problem pointing a finger at individuals and events that gave eventually the genre a bad rep. A little dishing of dirt always livens things up.

A book party is set for February 27 at the Strictly Social club in Los Angeles, with Saunders playing a special DJ set. House Music: The Real Story is out now.

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