Beats and pieces

[Paul]

From what I can gather, the new Wu is severely shit. Can't wait for Ghostface though.

Picked up American Gangster by Jay Z over the weekend. Half of it is really poor, but the tracks that use 70s soul samples are ace, in particular Roc Boys (and the winner is). Also, the track with Nas, Success, is genius. It's a surefire equation that Jay Z + Hammond Organ = quality.

I've also got Percee P and the new Stones Throw compilation on their way. This thread has actually inspired me to start buying new hip hop again, so kudos to all..

 

Mine's in transit as we speak. I'm surprised by what you say about the new Wu. I've heard loads of good stuff about it.

[sh#t waffle]

Mine's in transit as we speak. I'm surprised by what you say about the new Wu. I've heard loads of good stuff about it.

 

Major 180 on the way... I heard 8 Diagrams last night (albeit the Clean version), and it is, for the most part, ace. I still hate While my Heart Gently Weeps, but luckily (for me at least) it is so at odds with the rest of the album as to sound ridiculous. I don't have the track listing in front of me (I only heard it in a car) but the first two tracks are the most aggressive stuff they've done since the likes of Shame on a Nigga.

I do reserve the right to change my mind slightly when I get my copy of the album (which should be this week.. woo hoo!), as it may be a similar thing to when I hear a new Oasis record - if it's not unspeakably awful then I convince myself it's genius as I want it to be so much - but from the brief listen I gave it is comfortably their best album since Forever.

[El Rojo]

The ultimate companion piece to the release: The Ghostface Doll. A snip at $500, includes genuine gold jewellery.

 

http://www.theghostfacedoll.com/

[Paul]

The ultimate companion piece to the release: The Ghostface Doll. A snip at $500, includes genuine gold jewellery.

 

http://www.theghostfacedoll.com/

 

Ha, ha!!! Ace. How fucking cool is Ghostface? Has anyone seen Jay Z's Fade To Black DVD? Ghostface is filmed back stage getting ready for the show. He's wearing a purple silk dressing gown with Theodore Unit written on the back and is putting on chain after chain after chain from a big bag being held by his bling minder. Who can't love The Wu?

[Paul]

Never Fade by Chow Daddy (apparently Carl Craig):

 

http://www.fatcity.co.uk/Sales/pages/MusicPageRichMedia.aspx?pageid=12648

 

Seriously, this really is a tune - probably the best record I've heard all year. Check it out, kids. (Anyone recognise the sample, by the way?).

[theghost]

So... about what I said a few days ago... I have the new Wu Tang. Anyone?

[Paul]

So... about what I said a few days ago... I have the new Wu Tang. Anyone?

 

Cheers.

[Unrighteous]

Ugh... Hip hop talk.

[Stu Monty]

So... about what I said a few days ago... I have the new Wu Tang. Anyone?

 

Hit me that shit, Ghost. I fancy giving it a listen.

[theghost]

You give it a listen yet gents?

[sh#t waffle]

The Percee P LP is absolutely superb, some genius Madlib beats. The NYGz album I am only halfway through but am so far surprised and impressed, though I guess it's always going to be at least half decent with Premier producing half the tracks.

[moxter]

Paul and co - do you ever go on the Brownswood board? We've got a good arguement going at the moment about GP's worldwide awards winners.

[Paul]

Paul and co - do you ever go on the Brownswood board? We've got a good arguement going at the moment about GP's worldwide awards winners.

 

Just registered. I'll join in over the weekend sometime.

[Paul]

Anyone heard much by Connie Price and The Keystones? I got onto them via Gilles this week and every track on their MySpace is ace. They're a tight as fuck funk band who work with, by the sounds of it, every underground Californian MC there is. Half of Stones Throw's roster have worked with them. Check Interational Hustler with Percee P on this link - filthy funk. Ace.

 

MySpace.com - Connie Price and the Keystones - Los Angeles, California - Psychedelic / Soul / Hip Hop - www.myspace.com/conniepricethekeystones

[Paul]

This sounds ace. Anyone going?

 

 

Massive Attack's Meltdown

 

 

'Right now, we're in a lucky place'

 

 

For two weeks in June, Massive Attack take over the Southbank Centre in London for the Meltdown Festival. Grant Marshall and Robert Del Naja pick 10 nights to catch

 

Sunday May 18, 2008

The Observer

 

 

Mark Stewart, Royal Festival Hall, 18 June

Grant: We've known Mark since way back in the day in Bristol - I used to DJ for him at his concerts when I was a nobody (still am...) - and he's a figure of crucial importance. He started out in The Pop Group, who were incredible, because they were a punk band but they flirted with the funk, and they were politically sussed, and then he hooked up with the On-U Sound crew. He knew a lot of the original punks, like the Clash, the Slits and Lydon, and he always brought a lot of reggae to the table. And his latest album, Edit (Crippled Dick Hot Wax) is fantastic, too.

 

Robert: I went on a tour of Belgian squats with Mark and Gary Clail and Adrian Sherwood in the early Nineties. It was nuts: every night the system blew up and whoever the owner was wanted a fight. Mark used to love to push everything to the max. Then there was the time that the Wild Bunch - which Massive Attack grew out of - took part in a sound clash with the Rapologists at the Language Lab, one of the first serious hip hop clubs in London in the early Eighties. It was a Bristol vs London thing. It was a disaster for us - even the graffiti backdrop that I produced fell off the wall. But then Mark got on the mic and started screaming 'Fuck off, go home!' It was amazing.

Yellow Magic Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, 15 June

 

Robert It's a real coup for us. YMO were a synth-pop group who formed in Japan in the late Seventies - they produced incredibly sophisticated music which saw them compared to Kraftwerk.

 

At the time, I was more into punk and new wave, and wasn't properly aware of them. But then through the film scores of Ryuichi Sakamoto - who was their keyboard player - I discovered them. It's their first date in the UK for 20-odd years, and I know that they're going to be well worth waiting for.

 

Elbow, Royal Festival Hall, 16 June

 

Robert: Elbow were the first band to cover 'Teardrop' from our album Mezzanine (1998) years ago - so they could spot a good tune! We circled round each other nervously from that point onwards, even if they're not the sort of group that people would readily associate with Massive Attack, and people from Bristol and Manchester can have a very different sense of humour. But then we got to know each other and it's been a real pleasure and we've seen the different energies collide. I do think Elbow are, in a funny way, underrated and Guy Garvey is a fascinating man. Must be: he's even worked with us on our new album. Someone's described the track as Scott Walker meets Jam Master Jay - so who knows..

 

Dubstep Chronicles, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 17 June

 

Grant: Dubstep is where it's at at the moment, particularly in Bristol, where we've always liked laid-back beats and slower basslines. But to be able to stage a night at the Southbank with all the key players - people like Benga, Pinch, Kode9, Digital Mystik - it's really exciting. You can never get too smug, whatever level you're at, so it's great to follow the young talent coming through. Even if I'm probably the oldest person to still go out clubbing in Bristol!

 

Tunng, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 21 June Robert: There are lots of new folk outfits around, but Tunng, who come from the West Country, have been unique from the beginning. The group work with loops - there's nothing retro about them - and they write beautiful songs.

 

Reggae Acoustic Songbook, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 15 June

 

Grant: We've got Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Earl 16 and Prince Malachi performing acoustically - it should speak for itself! But reggae was obviously always important to us - part of our staple diet - and also, perhaps at the Southbank, belting music isn't always appropriate. The hope is that doing it this way, people will be able to concentrate on the songs and the quality of the vocalists, rather than just paying heed to the basslines.

 

Of course, we've worked consistently with Horace Andy. I've been aware of his unique falsetto for as long as I can remember - he always sounded different to everyone else. We first met him through Neneh Cherry, and it felt like meeting God. But then you realise when you meet these people.. well, it turned out Horace was into us!

 

Future Sound of Hip Hop, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 19 June

 

Robert: I'm really excited about this and the acts we're putting on: Dalek, Cool Kids, Shape of Broad Minds and Flying Lotus. Take Dalek - who come from Newark, New Jersey: it's a very dense sound they produce, using a live band with guitars and drums; and their attitude is really punk and the lyrics really provocative. I also love Aloe Blacc (who supports Terry Callier at the QEH on 20 June); he's the first soul artist who's surprised me in a very long time.

 

He writes really beautiful songs that can move into pretty avant-garde territory. What these young rappers represent is light years away from what mainstream hip hop has become.

 

Grant Which is... very commercial. It's all about the money, the bling, and no one seems to mind about the quality of the music.

 

Stiff Little Fingers, Royal Festival Hall, 18 June

 

Robert: When I was 15, they represented pure, raw energy. I saw them play at the Colston Hall in Bristol - along with the Damned and the Dead Kennedys, it remains the most memorable gig I saw, and I went looking for their autographs afterwards. Unlike a lot of punk groups, they were properly political. And the sleeve of their album Inflammable Material (1979) - which they'll be playing at Meltdown - is my favourite sleeve of that era. In fact, it inspired the artwork for Massive Attack's Blue Lines (1991). I even got the same logo tattooed on my arm. Whenever anyone sees it, they never say 'Massive Attack?'. It's always: 'Stiff Little Fingers, mate?!'

 

Grant: We went on tour with the Sex Pistols when they reformed and they were, I'm sad to say, a parody. I saw a picture of Boyzone the other day and I thought: 'Not a good idea.' Although Take That are better now than when they first came out. Not that I endorse them - but the point is: it can work, especially if you've got integrity.

 

Massive Attack, Royal Festival Hall, 14 & 22 June

 

Grant:We're book-ending Meltdown with two performances. For the second show, there should be some surprises; for the first, we should be playing some tracks from our new album, which should come out in the autumn. We've been working with different people again - Guy Garvey, Horace Andy, and also Hope Sandoval, Damon Albarn, Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio. And for the festival, we've been rehearsing 10 new songs.

 

It's great that people do want to work with us and as with Meltdown, we feel hugely privileged. We're in a lucky place right now. Of course, opening and closing the Meltdown brings its own pressures, but without the flutters in the stomach, what would be the point of it?

 

Grace Jones, Royal Festival Hall, 19 June

 

Grant: I first became aware of Grace in the early Eighties. She collaborated with two of my favourite musicians, Sly and Robbie, on records like Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). It was the first time they had worked outside reggae, so it was like a match made in heaven for me.

 

And then I found out that Grace was born in Kingston - she was Jamaican! - although she moved with her parents when she was a young teenager to Syracuse in upstate New York. She ended up in Manhattan, hanging out with people like Andy Warhol, who was a good mate of hers. And then she became an iconic figure herself.

 

I've always loved her music - in one sense, she's completely avant-garde, but her records have been big pop hits, too. That was possible in the Eighties. But the visual aspect has been important to us as a band as well. Back then, stars had to look like they came from a different planet, and working with people like the artist Jean-Paul Goude, she looked amazing. The sexual ambiguity of that period was important; it makes me think that perhaps D and I should start wearing wigs and heels...

 

She's not the most prolific of artists - Bulletproof Heart, her last album, was released in 1989. But I know she has a new record ready for release in the autumn.

 

She appeared at Jarvis Cocker's Meltdown last year, too, singing 'Trust In Me' from The Jungle Book for his night of Disney songs. I've never had the chance to meet her - she frightens the life out of me (she's about 6ft 5!). No, really, I'm looking forward to the opportunity at Meltdown.

[Paul]

Anyone heard much by Connie Price and The Keystones? I got onto them via Gilles this week and every track on their MySpace is ace. They're a tight as fuck funk band who work with, by the sounds of it, every underground Californian MC there is. Half of Stones Throw's roster have worked with them. Check Interational Hustler with Percee P on this link - filthy funk. Ace.

 

MySpace.com - Connie Price and the Keystones - Los Angeles, California - Psychedelic / Soul / Hip Hop - www.myspace.com/conniepricethekeystones

 

I tell you what, that is a fucking tune. I'm a track that shit down on vinyl; true dat.

[Paul]

How ace is this? Northern Soul through a 21st century Scando white boy filter:

 

[Paul]

One for the soul boys. Get onto the new Jazzanova track on Gilles this week, just after the halfway point. Let Me Show Ya is very different to their usual stuff and is fucking amazing. Check it out on the iPlayer. In fact the show is a real winner from about that midway point. The Milton Nascimento tune that precedes it is ace and there are loads of gems that come after it too - especially the Jazmine Sullivan track.

 

BBC - Radio 1 - Gilles Peterson

Edited September 6, 2008 by Paul

[Paul]

There's a massive soul revival going on at the moment. Jazzanova and Raphael Saadiq have both put out pure soul albums over the last few months, Q-Tip and Erykah Badu have put really soulful stuff out with heavy beats and now these two tracks have caught my ear recently. The first one is Kanye's cousin Tony Williams who has been around as a session and backing singer for years. Dreamin' of your Love is amazing - all strings, drama and a fucking great, great voice; get on it:

 

[YOUTUBE]uCD6tgjXsD0[/YOUTUBE]

 

Also, Platinum Pied Pipers have become PPP and gone slightly less bonkers. This track, Pigeon Hole, features a vocalist called Coultrain whose voice is amazing. A more up-tempo tune, but still dripping with soul and a great brass section:

 

Moovmnt - PPP - Pigeon Hole - SoundCloud

Edited November 18, 2008 by Paul

[Stu Monty]

I'm liking them Paul. I'll definitely be having a look for that Rafael Saadiq album too; I was listening to some Lucy Pearl stuff in the week for the first time in a while and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. Robinson has some voice on her.

[Paul]

I'm liking them Paul. I'll definitely be having a look for that Rafael Saadiq album too; I was listening to some Lucy Pearl stuff in the week for the first time in a while and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. Robinson has some voice on her.

 

It's got a really authentic 60s soul feel, Stu; not a contemporary sound like with Lucy Pearl. Ace, though. The Jazzanova one is in a similar vein.

[Paul]

While I'm evangelising my own tastes again, I thought I'd post this. It's a review I wrote of the new Q-Tip album for Olly's Flashlight website. However, I got so carried away with it that I wrote more than double the maximum word length and they couldn't use it. So, for anyone who might be interested, here you go:

 

When one of the all-time greats of a genre releases a new album, it’s time to sit up and take notice. When that record is as long-awaited as The Renaissance, Q-Tip’s second solo release, it’s inevitable that it will have to bear the burden of expectation. The once and future leader of A Tribe Called Quest has an almost unparalleled track record as an artist and producer, consistently releasing ground-breaking and genre-defining singles and ( unusually for hip hop) albums.

 

Despite this incredible pedigree, he has not escaped the vagaries of major label ambivalence towards, and indeed misunderstanding of, hip hop, however. Two previous attempts at a follow-up to Amplified have been knocked back, sneaking out only on under-the-counter vinyl bootlegs, often to a rapturous reception from the heads, but little more from the wider world in the absence of any backing. It’s bizarre that hip hop is so badly served by the majors because it should be a cash cow with its global popularity. Furthermore, in the hands of Q-Tip, it is devoid of controversy, laden with credibility and has the potential to extend its appeal way beyond the bounds of the genres existing audience. After all, do you know anyone who doesn’t love Can I Kick It?

 

So in that context, what’s the new LP like? The answer is – initially – that it’s something of a surprise. The Renaissance is essentially a live hip hop record with smatterings of other genres dropped into the mix. And when I say mix, I’m talking metaphorically because, despite a vibe that sounds like it was programmed on the MPC Tip holds aloft on the cover, it’s clearly been filtered through a live band. And this is where the surprises start to make more sense. YouTube is awash with examples of Q-Tip’s recent forays into live performance, often with his friend (and contributor here) Robert Glasper, the jazz and experimental pianist. Furthermore, his friendship with Mos Def also seems to have been an influence on the sung contributions present in addition to the unique and famous flows we’re used to. There are obvious and simplistic parallels to be drawn with N*E*R*D*, but the hip hop vibe is stronger here and the rock influences more subtle.

 

The Renaissance opens with Johnny is Dead, a tune dominated by a heavy rolling bass, echo effect guitar and sung chorus with a slightly rock feel. As an opener, it defines the album well. Won’t Trade, a tune built around a sample of You Made a Believer Out of Me by Ruby Andrews, follows, heightening the funky feel established by the previous track.

 

Next is Gettin’ Up, the tune of the year for me, even if this pressing lacks some of the top end of the single version that augments the bass making it so quietly insistent. Unfortunately, some strangely wooden scratching comes in at the end; I’ll charitably attribute that to the poor translation to vinyl of a segue that might make more sense on CD. The subsequent Official sounds to me like a re-recording of the version off the ill-fated Live at the Renaissance album. Certainly my bootlegged version of this from a couple of years ago sounds better. However, it is still a heavy, heavy tune: made for the club but sounding great on the stereo; another sung chorus on here, but this is emphatically hip hop.

 

These two tunes, along with Move, are the albums stand outs and bear comparison with anything he’s ever done. Indeed Move is a huge tune that wears the influences of his departed mate very clearly: Dilla-esque production sees it constructed around a short, chopped up loop of Dancing Machine by the Jackson 5. This is definitely one for the floor and, as he showed on the likes of Breathe and Stop and Vivrant Thing on Amplified, his flow is infectious on rump shakers like this.

 

Other highlights include the Raphael Saadiq-featuring We Fight/We Love, Shaka, the most Tribe-like tune with its live band-replicated jazzy loop, and the secret acapella/tune which seems to speak to the way he feels pulled in two different musical directions; the record company hankering after a mainstream seller and the fans desperate for an LP for the street. This unnamed track actually feels like the best meeting point of the albums twin influences, with a sweet guitar riff laid over beats and scratches that works really well.

 

There are songs I’m less sure about, but overall The Renaissance feels quite unique – a hip hop record with pop/rock production values. Certainly, hard core hip hop tunes of the likes of his first solo record or the ATCQ back catalogue are largely absent, as is his jazz obsession. However, I really like this album now I’ve got my head around the fact that it’s quite a new sound, albeit one that has definite links to his other work. His flows are as fresh and dextrous as ever, but it’s musically where it’s more challenging. The best tunes remain those that are aimed at the dance floor and street. Of the rest there’s plenty that’s very listenable, but that’s not where Q-Tip’s genius lies.

 

That said, there’s nothing in evidence that is awful and The Renaissance is a great buy for at least two thirds of its content. I’m not too sure about two or three tracks, but the way this thing is growing on me, I suspect that may not remain the case. So, Q-Tip is back, yo (as we say in Oxton) and, while there are some surprises in store with some of his gestures towards the mainstream, yet again he’s released an album worthy of the name: this is a complete record and not just a collection of singles with some filler. He’s still kicking it.

[Paul]

More future/retro soul new for '09 here everyone:

 

Sticks and Stones - Morgan Zarate feat. Eska

 

Morgan Zarate on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

 

Just Ain't Gonna Work Out - Mayer Hawthorne & The County

 

Mayer Hawthorne & The County on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

[Paul]

Check Deviation this week, soul/funk/hip hop/house heads. Best show in ages; huge tunes galore. Stand outs include:

 

Jazmine Sullivan – Jumpoff (Dubplate)

Reflection Eternal – Back Again (Blacksmith Records)

Black Thought & Dilla – Reality Check (CDR)

Baby Huey – Hard Times (Curtom)

J Dilla - African Rhythms (Unreleased Version) (CDR)

Method Man & Redman – Mrs International (Def Jam)

Dam-Funk – Hood Pass Intact (Stonesthrow)

Floating Points - Love Me Like This (Dub) (Eglo Records)

Theo Parish vs LCD Soundsystem (Dubplate)

Mark Pritchard ft Om’Mas – Wind It Up (Dubplate)

Griffi – Suavizante (CDR)

Kariem Riggins - 12’s In 8 (CDR)

 

BBC - 1Xtra - Benji B

[Paul]

Just uploaded a mix I did last month to SendSpace so I can let a mate have it and thought I'd stick it on here on the off-chance that anyone can be arsed having a listen. The mixing skills are of the wooden spoon and a bowl variety, I'm afraid; strictly no Kenwoods here. Still, I like the tunes, which represent the cream of a year's worth of purchases (I hardly ever get in the mix, these days), and it makes the babies bounce in the back of the Volvo, yo (as we say in Oxton). Hope a few of you like it:

 

Oxton Soul Magic July '09

 

1. Just Ain't Gonna Work Out - Mayer Hawthorne and the County

2. Mrs International - Method Man and Redman

3. Honey (DJ Day mix) - Eryka Badu

4. Maybe So, Maybe No - Mayer Hawthorne

5. Pigeon Hole - PPP

6. Serious Drug (Main Mix) - Wild Cookie

7. Simple, Timeless - Fertile Ground/Chico Hamilton

8. Let Me Show Ya - Jazzanova featuring Paul Randolph

9. Let's Go (It's Summertime) - James Reece

10. Meet Again - Mr Day

11. Mercy - The Third Degree

12. Fania Brothers Workout - Sir Jarvis

13. Let The Love - Bennson

14. Evening of Love - The Main Ingredient

15. Twice - Little Dragon

16. Find A Way - Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

17. Gettin' Up - Q-Tip

18. International Hustler - Connie Price and the Keystones featuring Percee P

19. Casa Bey - Mos Def

20. Mercy (Rapson Edit) - Marvin Gaye