Patrizia & Jimmy have a message: “Listen, parents everywhere… You can trust your child.” Delivered over a hard Hammond groove, these li’l ‘uns make a big case-the permission-slip bracket of late ’60s and early ’70s soul brothers and sisters had something going on. In the wake of the Jackson 5, parents all over America shoved their offspring into the studio, and the Smithsonian of Soul-the Numero Group-has dug up the finest results for Home Schooled. Some of it’s ridiculous (like Little Murray’s ballad “Don’t Leave Me Mama”), but hearing Cindy & The Playmates talk about report cards the way Diana Ross might describe heartache-is an entire DJ genre developing before our eyes.
Behrouz Coming Home
Deep, melancholy, moody, and mysterious, “Coming Home” is essentially house, with nice bleeps, an awesome bassline, and a vocal that grabs you the first second you put it on. Definitely a track for the big rooms, from one of the most recognized producers of dance music.
Various The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium
The task set before Rhino’s team of compilers for The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium, to cull four discs of the best tracks from the period, was no doubt a daunting one. While this glut of history-changing music was being produced over the roughly 15 years explored herein, British music went through countless changes stylistically and technologically. What’s constant through it all, though, is the bands’ distinct artistic determinism: They perfectly balanced their intentionally literate and sensuous approach to songwriting and sound-making with a vibe that was poppy enough to not take itself too seriously.
These aren’t silly songs, by any means. Rather, these songs could alternately go down easy with a Valium on a rainy London night or a pint of lager on a leisurely summer day; they were as comfortable at the top of pop charts as they were on the hi-fis of young intellectuals. Some of these songs rock hard, others soft, but even when they’re strung over a Paul Oakenfold beat (in the instance of Happy Mondays’ “Step On”), these 78 tracks still manage to rock-one way or another.
Starting in the mid-’80s, The Brit Box‘s first of four discs examines the period when The Smiths and Echo & The Bunnymen ruled Top of the Pops-long before The La’s sleeper hit “There She Goes” found itself in the hands of teen-movie producers. The disc ends around 1990, when the Mondays, Primal Scream (“Loaded”), and The Stone Roses (“She Bangs the Drum”) began revisiting psychedelic rock sounds while playing alongside acid-house DJs at the U.K.’s first raves-a sure sign of the progressive changes that the underground scene was to undergo.
Disc Two highlights those changes, when guitar rockers began to take more experimental, electronic chances. Without entirely eschewing pop elements, studio geniuses like My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields and producer/engineer Alan Moulder emerged and produced some of indie rock’s finest songs ever-Moulder having worked on tracks here by Ride (“Vapour Trails”), Lush (“For Love”) Curve (“Coast is Clear”), Swervedriver (“Duel”), and MBV (“Only Shallow”)-bringing about the at-the-time epithetic “shoegaze” term. There’s no Slowdive track in The Brit Box, but that’s about the only thing missing from this otherwise perfect disc.
Likely the biggest pop explosion the country had seen since Beatlemania, the Brit-pop era of the mid-to-late ’90s saw indie bands filling Wembley Arena and pitting music fans against one another at the Virgin Megastore counter. Suede’s icy-cool “Metal Mickey” kicks off Disc Three and bounces along through super-poppy gems like James’ “Laid,” Supergrass’ “Alright,” and Pulp’s “Common People,” while visiting Brit-pop’s rockier side, too, including Oasis’ genre-defining “Live Forever” and Elastica’s “Stutter.”
Disc Four documents that breaking point when the Brit-pop scene got saturated with shaggy-haired kids moving to London, starting bands, and attempting (sometimes successfully) to ride their forebears’ coattails. Ash’s “Girl From Mars” and Cornershop’s U.S.-radio hit “Brimful of Asha” are about the most passable of the lot, leaving in their wake also-rans like Rialto, Gay Dad, and Catatonia to round out the package (Spiritualized and The Verve notwithstanding, who, by that time, were operating more or less outside of the larger pack of rock brats).
Each disc here has its period’s requisite rockers, thinkers, dance-partiers, and stoners. Yet despite their decidedly indie, leftist leanings, they all comprised British rock’s center, a solid starting point from which an obscure, even-more-indie scene grew and flourished. Whether it’s the savvy, post-goth, post-New Wave lead-up to Brit-pop, or its flabby, trend-minded trail-off at the turn of the millennium, The Brit Box presents the best of pre-2000 U.K. indie rock in all its glory.
Various Body & Soul NYC Vol. 5
New York house heads of the past few years remember the joys of Sunday afternoons at the years-long Body & Soul weekly. That gig is gone but not forgotten (while other B&S parties endure), as such excellent compilations keep on coming. Compiled and mixed by Francois K., Joe Claussell, and Danny Krivit, the disc opens with tribal drums and finds its groove early on, with a funky Hammond B3 on “Esteban,” powerful, seductive vocals from Ursula Rucker on “The Light,” and Danny Krivit’s extended edit of the classic “Strings of Life.” Wipe away a little tear for the B&S weeklies, if you must, but breathe a sigh of relief that the sound is forever.
Trafik Find Me (Guy J Remix)
Guy J is one of the upcoming producers that really brings something fresh and new to the dance scene. This rework of “Find Me” keeps all the feeling and sensibility of the original, a downtempo electronica track, taken from the Club Trafikana album. The leading synth and the breakdown will definitely freak you out!
Oh No Dr. No’s Oxperiment
When your record label GM grants you carte blanche to his vast library of rare jazz, funk, and psych rock from the far reaches of Europe, you don’t drag ass at the opportunity to chop up these treasures into samples for your next record. Oh No, Madlib’s baby brother, takes heed and rises to the occasion, further expanding his conceptual horizons in the burgeoning tradition of Stones Throw’s 30-track beat reel, solely with nuggets gleaned from Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Lebanon. While no one’s spitting multi-syllabic bars over these clever instrumentals, the results of this “oxperiment” (dubbed for Oh No’s hometown of Oxnard, CA) exhibit a dope alchemy of West Coast bounce-meets-vintage Mediterranean and Arabic swagger.
Animal Collective Strawberry Jam
While Animal Collective’s latest LP may find the band increasingly enthused with traditional pop-song structures, it would be wrong to say that in doing so they have somehow lost their trademark experimentalism. Strawberry Jam exhibits how moods can be as malleable as genres, how a song that is seemingly atonal and absurd can reveal itself to be heart-wrenchingly sublime. Most of the album’s nine tracks begin with synthetic tribal drones before spastic percussive layers are introduced, but none of this seems to matter once vocals emerge. Death screams, reverb-laden falsettos, and Brian Wilson harmonies slam into each other, and the resulting urgency is stupefying. Strawberry Jam is the Collective’s most mature outing yet.
Z-Trip: Gridiron Beatdown
With massive club tours, headlining spots at Coachella, and an opening gig for the Rolling Stones, DJ Z-Trip has had one hell of a ride since hitting it big with the now infamous mash-up classic Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 in 2001.
Now, the busy DJ and producer talks to XLR8R about his involvement with 2K Sports‘ All-Pro Football 2K8 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), which not only features classic players like Dan Marino, Barry Sanders, and Mike Singletary but also an album’s worth of tracks produced and mixed by Z-Trip himself.
Z-Trip On How All-Pro Football 2K8 Came Together
Tim Rosa over at 2K Sports was a fan and used to check me out back in the day. Originally they just wanted me to do more mixing stuff, like when I play live, but we ran into some sample issues so I ended up doing a hybrid of everything–mixing, remixing, and producing some original stuff. They are bringing back all the old players, and to be involved in a game that is on a revolutionary tip is kinda dope. They could have gotten whomever the fuck they wanted, so it’s very maverick-like for them to use someone like me instead of someone that might have been more ‘expected.’
On Choosing Guest Artists and Styles
It’s a football game, so I had to approach it from the angle of wanting to tackle somebody, which is a little more aggressive than I would normally do. At the same time I wanted something you could nod your head to, that’s why I have counterparts to all the MCs, like Deftones, Clutch, and Dub Trio. But as far as the MCs go, I really wanted to work with MCs that I’m a fan of and respect so having people like Gift of Gab, Rakim, and Dead Prez on the record is a bonus for me. Rock riffs with MCs–Rick Rubin-style.
On Gaming Habits
I’m the guy that used to roll around with a pocket full of quarters, trying to get my Moon Patrol or Galaga on. With trying to bang shit out in the studio, if I have any off-time chances are I’m trying to grab food or a couple hours’ sleep. But there are some games I just have to take the time for–like The Warriors. As a guy who knows all the words to the movie, I almost took a couple weeks of vacation time to finish the fucker. But on tour is where I’ll have a lot of catch-up time to play a lot of the newer games.
On Touring a Videogame Soundtrack
We’re going on tour for the soundtrack to All-Pro Football 2K8 and we’ll be out a little over a month. It’s going to be me, Gift of Gab, Aceyalone, my old homie Tricky T from Arizona, as well as a live drummer and a visual crew–the whole thing.
On Future Surprise Collaborations
Eventually I’ll start working with some bands and produce one or two. Maybe try and reinvent an old cat. UB40. Tool. Whoever. As long as I have a connection with them musically or can take them down a road they’ve never been. That’s when really good music is made, when you’re doing something that isn’t tried-and-true. That’s when you come up with Dark Side of the Moon.
Bass Reaction!: Benga, Luke Envoy, MRK-1
Luke Envoy
We kick things off by confirming the release dubstep’s most anticipated artist album of the year–Benga’s Diary of an Afro Warrior (Tempa) drops October 8.
Luke Envoy and MRK-1 played September 7 at San Francisco’s Get Freaky event, with support from the Full Melt, Grime City, and BrapDem crews. XLR8R asked DJ Sam Supa to fill us in on the event (which also featured Si Begg, Freq Nasty, and Ghislain Poirier). Supa said: “Great night! When Luke got on, he dropped major plates on the already delirious crowd. His new track, “M.U.G.E.N.,” is stuck in my head–it’s a real sick, deep growler of a tune. MRK-1 stepped up and dropped a diverse and stellar set. An amazing night, and I honestly did not make it to many other rooms!”
I’m feelin’ this low-deep BBC Channel 4 ting called Dubplate Drama–a soap about urban UK youth doing grime and crime with a dubstep and garage soundtrack. Imagine HBO’s The Wire set in London, with Benga and Wiley doing the background music, and you get the picture. Luke Hyam’s addictive show is entering its second season, with real MC Shystie playing the fictional rising talent Pressure, who is caught up in a web of shifting alliances. Oh, and you, the audience member, gets to vote on how each episode should end.
Wha’ gwaan in L.A.? September is a big month for the Pure Filth crew in So Cal, with Headhunter, MRK-1, and other UK guests rolling through. Big up to Sam XL, Pablo Hassan, and Breakage for their reportedly stomach-rumbling, self-assembled soundsystem.
Seen and heard: Top-ranking UK DJs Chef, Hijak, and Hatcha appear on the cover of RWD magazine’s latest issue. Bass Reaction was checking out Bristol crew Hench’s MySpace page, where Headhunter’s “The Haunted” and “Gilly Weed” can be previewed. Straight illness!
Listen to or buy new dubstep and grime singles at online outlet Bounce. Other resources include BM Soho, Boomkat, Juno, and Bleep’s Road.
Parson
Many good tunes about to deh pon road: Hyperdub’s sixth single features The Bug with Killa P and Flo Dan’s “Skeng,” with Kode9 on the re-rub. HD’s next release is LV’s “Globetrotting.” Darqwan tells us that Texture Records’ new Loefah 12”, “Sukkah,” is out now. Darqwan’s “Warrior Stance” is on the flip. Texas sheriff Parson has his new one, an homage to his southern roots, out on Planet Mu. Parson’s newie on Dubline is out soon.
Coming soon from the very active Hotflush/Scuba imprint are new plates from DZ (“Slums Dub”), Vaccine (“Breathless”), and Toasty (“Angel” Si Begg remix.) The label’s new CD, Hotflush Presents…Space & Time, drops in October, featuring Jazzsteppa, Scuba, Boxcutter, Intext, Elemental, and many more.
Also on the forthcoming tip, gotta give props to Jason “Dubmaster” Mundo at Dub Assembly–his “Low” 10” drops soon. Argon keeps it rootsy with Babylon System’s “Loaded,” backed with the “Dancin Shoes” single. The Dub Police label’s latest single, “Fun House,” by The Others, drops any day. S.F. locals Narco.Hz’s eighth single is a remix affair featuring Juju, Komonazmuk, Tes La Rok, and Djunya.
Portland, Oregon’s DJ Monkeytek laces us with his top five dubs for this month: 1. DZ “Chalice” (Lo Dubs)
2. Roommate “Collie Weed” (dubplate)
3. Kion “Hardtimes Remix” (Clandestine)
4. Dubtron “Whendubcries (Echo Wanderer Remix)” (dubplate)
5. L-Wiz “Cowboy International” (Red Volume)
The Tek had this to say about his local yokels: “Dubstep in Portland is going very well. Ryan Organ and I run Various, a monthly night featuring rotating guests from PDX and beyond featuring dubstep, old-skool jungle, and dub. The vibes are joyful and boisterous.”
Gear Alert: Ableton Live 6 LE
Ableton Live has finally introduced its little brother into the production world, and both broke and amateur music makers couldn’t be more pumped. Ableton Live 6 LE is downloadable straight from the company’s site (for $50 cheaper), so that future bedroom rockers have instant access to loopy good times.
Offering a majority of the original application’s features, including unlimited MIDI tracks, up to 64 audio tracks, both the Simpler and Impulse instruments, and the same intuitive interface, Live 6 LE is a perfect introduction to the software that’s got everyone from Throbbing Gristle to El-P praising the Ableton name.
The only drawback is the fact that only 12 effects and two plug-in options are available per project (the full version has no restrictions), but users can still save their work, allowing for a smooth upgrade when it’s go time. LE also includes the same tutorial instructions that make this production phenomenon the most accessible music platform on the market. And it only costs $199. Producers, start your engines. The Live revolution is in motion.
