Fall 06 Teasers

Junior Boys - In the Morning - In the Morning EP (Domino 2006)


Cursive - Dorothy at Forty - Dorthy at Forty EP (Saddle Creek 2006)


Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Cursed Sleep - Cursed Sleep EP (Drag City 2006)


For most midstream bands and promotion companies, the fall is the lucrative season for album sales and exposure mostly because the college radio market is where the get the most playtime. College stations are also the most active during this point of the year as each sets out with new, eager campaigns to improve their structure and listenership with a few handfuls of enthusastic new djs ready for those strenious 4-hour overnight shifts and the perils of passing out flyers. Most important, the station's music director is usually either starting his/her first go at running a solid music rotation and very easily swayed by promo companies as they attempt to build lucrative relationships, or they are a returning MD and have had the summer to rejuvinate from a demanding school year (burning out is natural for first year MDs). If you are lucky like me, and are MD of an independent, listener-supported station (the fabulous WLUW-FM Chicago), the station is in full force 365 days a year, and you get a bit of a break from nagging promoters who often get too lazy from the heat to keep your phone at a constant jingle, or are not slammed themselves and you get a chance to actually get to know the wonderful people that they are. Also, late summer means the teasers and singles start pooring in for the big fall releases, and my last week was graced with three excellent examples of this. I received new teasers from sexy synth-poppers the Junior Boys previewing 'So This is Goodbye' (Aug 2006), moody indie-rockers Cursive giving a taste of 'Happy Hallow' (Aug 22, 2006) and experimenting gospel-folkster Bonnie 'Prince' Billy who drops 'Then The Letting Go' in September 2006. I was very pleased with all three and am eagerly looking forward to enjoying the full-lengths as the leaves begin their inevitable descent into mulch. And in turn, I will up the tease and give you a one-track taste of what's to come, though I recommend purchasing all of these EP/singles if you can find them.

Junior Boys – In the Morning EP / Domino

The amazing electro-synth-pop of 2004’s ‘Last Exit’ from Ontario’s Junior Boys took a lot of people by surprise, including me. Owing as much to Scritti Politti as it does Timbaland, Johnny Greenspan’s infectious dance-pop is as sexual as it is vulnerable… basically the antithesis of The Postal Service using the same set of materials. In preparation for their sophomore release, Domino has released this EP featuring 3 new songs and 2 remixes. The originals’ pick up right where ‘Last Exit’ left off matching minimal techno with arty synth-pop and Greenspan’s endearing croon; the title track is the result of a collaboration with Mouse on Mars’ Andi Toma. Remixes come care of techno concocter Alex Smoke and IDM stalwart Morgan Geist, and are both decent cuts, but the originals are hard to top. It sounds to me like ‘So This is Goodbye’ (Aug 2006) may easily beat out the sophomore slump.



Cursive – Dorothy at Forty EP/ Saddle Creek

I’ll be honest, it’s hard to get used to Cursive minus cellist Gretta Cohn again… maybe because it now reminds me more of The Good Life, or that ‘The Ugly Organ’ was such a strong artistic expression that it really summed up what Cursive had been striving for since their inception in 1995 (which is no knock on the excellent ‘Domestica’). Whether you can accept it or not, the forgettable emo scene’s best product, Cursive, return to their original line-up but with a whole trunkload of new musical toys. The three-song teaser features the 4-piece’s relentless dynamics, exceptional rhythm section and Kashner’s trademark howl along with a blaring horn section, dancing organs and other instrumentation used to flesh out their sound. This really only raises more questions than answers for Cursive’s upcoming ‘Happy Hollow’ (Aug 22), but that’s the very definition of tease.


Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Cursed Sleep EP / Drag City

Get out your rocking chairs and creaky floorboards because Will Oldham is returning under the Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy moniker for a proper follow-up to 2005’s acclaimed ‘Superwolf.’ This three song teaser gives three distinct, separate styles we should at least expect from ‘Then The Letting Go,’ due out Sept 2006. 'Cursed Sleep' is country-leaning, string-laden folk-pop anthem featuring Oldham matching vocal wits with Faun Fables’ Dawn McCarthy. Where 'Sleep' swoons, 'The Signifying Wolf' plods through urgent gospel-stomping eeriness with much success. 'God's Small Song' goes in the complete opposite direction, opting for a very quiet, minimalist tune featuring Oldham’s lulling voice and a sweeping slide-guitar. Oldham and Drag City certainly tease with the best of them.

Dreary Night Music

Triosk - Visions IV - The Headlight Serenade (Leaf 2006)


Collections of Colonies of Bees - Track 5 - Rance (Crouton 2000)


The Watery Graves of Portland - Scenic Vista with a Tropical Fruit Drink - Caracas (Marriage 2005)


It’s probably the dreary weather combined with my reviewing of Triosk’s latest outing ‘The Headlight Serenade,’ but my love of minimal, free jazz meets modern post-rock has taken the pole position in my daily music listening. It’s a much harder genre to define than enjoy, because it encompasses so many critical influences, but presents them in a very mellow manner. Taking cues from the layering free-jazz of Alice Coltrane, the skittering drums of Art Blakey, the creative fringe-rock of Tortoise, the minimalist song structure of artists like Eno and even some of the electronic experimentation of ambient-techno artists like Jen Jelinek, the heavily hyphenated niche of music is perfect for dark, rainy days or lonesome, star-filled nights. I often find myself staring out the window when I can’t sleep studying the sweeping light patterns created by passing headlights, and you can be for damn sure that this is the music that I’m listening to. It features the similar notion of improvised, unable to recreate sensibility of non-existent song structures that come with sudden inspiration in the studio (even if in reality it is meticulously thought out by the musicians). I also find it to be very soothing to listen to what can be definably whittled down to minimal chaos, since that is mostly what my life is made up of. Like the rain hitting the ground, the music usually comes in tiny, skittering explosions of sound that immediately separate onto their own individual path never encompassing the same aural space again.

There are a good amount of bands creating this sound, so check out labels like Leaf, who have a roster filled with excellent artists of this niche. Here are three that immediately come to mind, including the review I just wrote for the new Triosk album.

Triosk – Visions IV – The Headlight Serenade (Leaf 2006)
Australian trio Triosk is about the closest think you can come to in terms of contemporary minimalist free-jazz (just in case you were looking for one of those). It’s also about the closest acoustic rendition of the ambient-techno created by friend and collaborator Jan Jelinek, whose contribution to ‘1+3+1’ and frequent associations helped put the band on the map. With their second release for the electro-ambient UK label Leaf, Triosk returns to their jazz-inspired roots teaming skittering acoustic drums with minimal free bass lines, a barrage of keyboards and various ambient noise and samples. The non-linear song structures and non-abrasive approach to the music gives the album a very mellow, contemplative mood perfect for, as the title suggests, soundtracking the perspectives created by sweeping headlight reflections during the quietest moments of the night.

Collections of Colonies of Bees – Track 5 – Rance (Crouton 2000)
I’ve wrote about C of C of B in my first ever blog on this site, and they fit in perfectly with this post as well. Former Pele members, Chris Rosenau, Jon Minor and Jon Mueller craft minimal soundscapes using, strangely enough, traditional folk/bluegrass instrumentation with jazzy percussion and finely tuned post-production manipulation. The result is amazing, sweeping ambient music that comes together brilliantly in one moment, then completely disperses the next. I just got a hold of their out-of-print ‘Rance’ album from 2000 a couple weeks ago, and have been completely obsessed with it ever since. If you can’t find a copy of it, their latest, ‘Customer’ on Polyvinyl, is just as amazing and readily available; I highly recommend both.

The Watery Graves of Portland – Scenic Vista with a Tropical Fruit Drink – Caracas (Marriage 2005)
Portland’s (obviously) The Watery Graves of Portland is a bit different from the previous two bands in that there is little to none electronic manipulation to their sound, but they still greatly fall into this category. The trio of Curtis Knapp on piano, Adrian Orange on brushed drums and Davis Lee Hooker on upright bass bring a classical approach to our genre niche of choice utilizing simply acoustic instrumentation and a good dose of resonance and room sound. In what may be the most appropriate audience participation ever with a particular band, as according to the Marriage Records website, the Water Graves provide ‘free stamped envelopes and office supplies, encouraging audiences to write loved ones and/or the band itself amid the music.’ Genius.

Notable Newer Releases #2

Nomo - Nu Tones - New Tones (Ubiquity 2006)


One Second Bridge - Everywhere - One Second Bridge (Buro 2006)


The Brown Party - Three Plus Four Equals Fun - The Brown Party (self-released 2006)


Nomo – New Tones / Ubiquity

Much like early Antibalas records, Nomo’s eponymous debut was an infectious tribute to Fela’s afro-beat and soul-jazz, but it lacked individualism and would always be described as a tribute. For their second go around, composer/arranger/saxophonist Elliot Bergman (Saturday Looks Good to Me) and producer Warren Defever (His Name is Alive, Flashpapr) progress their sound tenfold, seemingly absorbing everything that was wonderful about late 60s, early-to-mid 70s music and deriving their own individual sound from it. As AMG so perfectly puts it, the 12+ member band ‘suggest Fela playing with Alice Coltrane and Roy Ayers in the JB’s.’ An obvious new influence since the self-titled is the inclusion of the makeshift electro-acoustic instruments popularized by Konono Nº1 and the Congotronics series, adding yet another element of worldly influence so important to their sound. With nasty polyrhythms, blaring horns, spluttering thumb piano riffs, deep bass grooves, funky guitars and Bergman’s Coltrane-inspired tenor solos, Nomo is without a doubt the most exciting, most nostalgic, most forward-thinking, most fucking amazing band of this decade.


One Second Bridge – One Second Bridge / Buro

One Second Bridge’s eponymous debut is made for nighttime. Scratch that… One Second Bridge’s eponymous debut is made for a downpour at 3am during the dreary month of May when your luck is down and you catch yourself solemnly staring out the window for signs of hope. The collaborative efforts of Vicente Garcia Landa of Mexico City and Matias Bieniaszewski of Buenos Aires reach back to the early days of shoegaze, when artists venturing into the infant genre experimented with grand melody-drenched soundscapes that decayed into the background as quickly as they appeared. Recorded during improvised late-night sessions, the relocated Barcelona residents have managed to create an immensely poignant and moving album of shoegaze, electronica, pop and light psychedelia that will surely be overlooked by most everyone, but become an obsession for a lucky few.


The Brown Party – The Brown Party / Self-Released

This is good. This is very good. How this Chicago 4-piece is not signed is pretty baffling; with all the great local labels, how has none of them taken notice? With a DIY attitude (they design, print and package all of their own releases and promos) and undeniable pop sensibilities, The Brown Party fuse a Stereolab-inspired sound with falsetto voices and ample percussion. Taking cues from 60s pop, psychedelia, jazz, Krautrock and worldly rhythms, they layer keyboards, percussion, guitar and an assortment of other instruments (from sitar to glockenspiel) into pulsing jams of rhythmic avant-pop. Think a less schizophrenic Of Montreal with a love of Fela-inspired keyboard hooks, harmonic layering and Krautrock experimentation.

1996 & 10-Year-Anniversaries

Quasimoto - Rappcats pt. 3 - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (Stones Throw 2005)


Chin Up Chin Up - Trophy's for Hire - Slaying Since 1996 (Suicide Squeeze 2006)


Savath + Savalas - Rolls and Waves of Ignorance - The Rolls and Waves EP (Hefty 2002)


Apparently 1996 was a hell of a year for new record labels. Music was somewhat in a transition period as grunge’s reign over alternative rock was waning, the division between mainstream and underground rap began to significantly widen, the new wave of teeny bopper pop stars began to emerge, electronic music began to feel the effect of exponentially advancing equipment, post-rock and fringe rock were taking hold of college radio, punk was dissolving into pop-punk, emo and hardcore and indie-rock was greatly feeling the effect of wider exposure thanks to the quickly developing interweb and DIY ‘zines.

Other 1996 musical facts

Top 5 Billboard albums: Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill, Mariah Carey – Daydream, Celine Dion – Falling into You, Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack, The Fugees – The Score

Notable albums released beneath the mainstream: DJ Shadow – Endtroducing, Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagon, A Tribe Called Quest – Beats, Rhymes and Life, Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die, Beck – Odelay, Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Ghostface Killah – Ironman, The Olivia Tremor Control – Dusk at Cubist Castle, Aphex Twin – Richard D. James, Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five, Weezer – Pinkerton, Jamiroquai – Travelling Without Moving, De La Soul – Stakes is High, Tricky – Pre-Millineial Tension, The Roots – Illadelph Halflife, Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister, Outkast – ATLiens and probably a whole bunch more that I missed.

Other random and funny 1996 music events I found on Wikipedia:
-January 16 - Jamaican authorities open fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker's plane. U2 singer Bono was also on the plane, but neither singer was injured.
-January 18 - Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.
-January 29 - Garth Brooks refuses to accept his American Music Award for "Favorite Overall Artist". Brooks says that Hootie and the Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did. (hahahahhahaha)
-March 28 - Phil Collins announces that he is leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career.
-April 3 - M.C. Hammer files for bankruptcy.
-May 25 - Brad Nowell lead singer of the band Sublime is found dead of a heroin overdose in his San Francisco motel room. (not funny)
-August 6 - The Ramones play their last ever show at Lollapalooza.
-September 7 - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot 4 times in Las Vegas, Nevada while leaving the MGM Grand hotel, after seeing the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon boxing match, in what is apparently a drive-by shooting. (not funny either)
-Jay-Z's musical career begins
-Arrested Development disband
-Jawbreaker split.
-The Pogues disband.

More importantly, three amazing and influential labels formed and are now celebrating their 10-year-anniversary with career-spanning compilations. L.A.’s Stones Throw, Seattle’s Suicide Squeeze and Chicago’s Hefty Records all set out for world domination with a cast of talented young artists and the motivation to put their personal stamp on the current music scene; needless to say all three are widely successful now, but it surely took a minute to get the ball rolling. Here are three brief bios of each for your reading pleasure, and if you are not yet turned on to any of the three, I strongly recommend each one.

Stones Throw Records – Los Angeles, CA – Founded by Peanut Butter Wolf
Stones Throw Records, started by beat maker/producer/DJ extraordinaire Peanut Butter Wolf, was created in 1996 as an outlet for releasing his own material after he realized that he got as much enjoyment promoting the music as he did creating it. It was also a way to release the material he produced with his late friend, emcee Charizma (who passed away in 1993) after a failed stint on Hollywood Basics (hip-hop subsidiary of Walt Disney). Stones Throw started by releasing 12"s, 7"s and instrumentals before breaking on to the scene hard in the late 90s. Within 4 years (1998-2002) and the release of long players by Peanut Butter Wolf (My Vinyl Weighs a Ton - 1998, Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45s - 2002), Lootpack (Soundpieces: Da Antidote - 1999), Quasimoto (The Unseen - 2000), Breakestra (The Live Mix Part 2}, Yesterdays New Quintet (Angels Without Edges - 2001) and a fantastic funk compilation called The Funky 16 Corners (2001) along with singles from the rest of their core line-up (MED/Medaphoar, Dudley Perkins, Wildchild), Stones Throw was able to solidify their position as the essential independent hip-hop label on the west coast. The label would not have earned nearly as much popularity without beatmaker/producer/emcee/DJ Madlib, ST's flagship artist. He is not only responsible for probably about 75% of the label's music and production, but is actually 40% of the label's artists himself, just under different monikers. His unparalleled innovation musically along with PBW's creative knack for promotion and presentation has made Stones Throw maybe the most important independent label of recent times and moving strong into the future. Their second generation of artists is currently making noteworthy noise including new music from Georgia Anne Muldrow, Aloe Blacc, Oh No and Koushik.

Suicide Squeeze Records – Seattle, WA – Founded by David Dickenson
Like most record labels, Suicide Squeeze began as a hobby of David Dickenson who set out to release ‘top caliber records with a punk rock soul.’ Located in Seattle, SS began in the waning moments of the grunge hype and in the shadow of burgeoning Sub Pop; needless to say, they were the underdogs. Grunge’s punk attitude and soft/loud counterbalance along with a heavy post-punk influence can be easily heard on a lot of the bands early releases, including music from 764-Hero, Modest Mouse and The Aisler Set. At the turn of the millennium, SS had become a full-time business and the roster became increasingly eclectic, including notable additions Pedro the Lion, Minus the Bear, Hella and the Six Parts Seven. Maybe most importantly, friends were turning to SS to release limited edition EPs and 7 inches which brought a lot of attention to the label. Elliot Smith, The Melvins, The Constatines, The Black Heart Procession, Les Savy Fav, Of Montreal, Iron and Wine, The Unicorns and Black Mountain have all turned to Dickenson to release music through Seattle’s quickly expanding label. Today’s roster is about as diverse as it gets in indie-rock with albums being released by art-poppers Chin Up Chin Up, bedroom musicians Metal Hearts, the Twiggy Ramirez/Zach Hill collaboration Goon Moon, the anti-angular We Ragazzi and the urgent art-punk of Hint Hint. Predictability has never been a word associated with Suicide Squeeze, but quality always has been.

Hefty Records – Chicago, IL – Founded by John Hughes III
Ok, so I cheated just a little bit because Hefty was actually started in 1995, but their 10-year-anniversary comp was just released recently, so they count. Started by John Hughes III, who is actually the son of the film director responsible for the 80s classics ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ and ‘The Breakfast Club,’ Hefty was established in an attempt to release music drawing the line between yesterday’s jazz, soul and funk scene and today’s electronic scene. Heavily influenced by the editing rooms he spent time in with his father, Hughes’ natural inclination directed him towards music heavy on the collage aspect, most notably electronic and experimental music. Hefty releases have ridden the wide line between post-rock, IDM, jazz, hip-hop and down-tempo; almost every release seems to touch on each of the genres, but none can be easily describe by just one of them. Official Hefty artists include Hughes’ soul-jazz outfit Slicker, the laptop soul duo Telefon Tel Aviv, electro-baroque exes L’Altra and jazz legend Phil Ranelin among others. Another fruitful collaboration of the label is with Guillermo Scott Herren and his Eastern Developments label, which Hefty kindly distributes (and rightfully so since their musical output is so similar. The similar-minded Herren has also released music under his folktronica moniker Savath + Savalas through Hefty. Hughes’ music of choice commands the listener to be challenged and see the similarities between seemingly unconnected genres; and we are all better listeners because of it.

So-Called Ambient-Techno

Jan Jelinek – Universal Band Silhouette – Kosmischer Pitch (~scape 2005)


Kammerflimmer Kollekteif – Unstet-Schilefen (Jan Jelinek Remix) - Remixed (Staubgold 2006)


Mouse on Mars – Catching Butterflies with Hands – Idiology (Thrill Jockey 2001)


I recently received the Kammerflimmer Kollektief remix record, and while listening to it’s various re-imaginings of the German collectives’ original material, it appeared to me that the recent movement of ambient-techno/post-rockish artists are really the closest thing we have to the experimental jazz artists of the late 60s and on into the 70s. I’m not really sure how I feel about the ‘ambient-techno’ label, which is just as ambiguous as any hyphenated classification, mostly because I relate negative connotations to the word ‘techno.’ The AMG definition sites obvious starting points at B12, early Aphex Twin and the Higher Intelligence Agency, which I more relate to the minimal techno movement; but they do hit the nail on the head with the beautifully summed-up definition, ‘soaring, layered, aquatic atmospheres of beatless and experimental ambient.’ Alright, so with that definition, what does ‘techno,’ which emphasizes electronic, synthesized beats and electro-funk dance groove, have anything to do with this music? I realize that this new style is certainly a byproduct of the 80s movement, especially with finally chopped, minimal beats that provide the skeletal backbone to a lot of the songs, but when you get to the music of artists like Jan Jelinek, it just seems like he has gone far past anything that could be remotely derived as techno. Similar to jazz artists like Alice Coltrane, Jelinek stretches out a motif into almost a drone and lets the music layer upon itself creating unforeseen overtones that swell while progressing the music by adding new sounds into the building mix. While Coltrane accomplished this by layering Eastern instruments like the tamboura, Jelinek uses finally chopped samples which he stretches into indefinable new sounds. Both styles of music produce a very meditative state for the listener, letting the slowly progressing loops and layers swirl around the ears and fill a room with a colorful atmosphere of overtones and reflections.

I’m going to include a track from the new Kammerflimmer Kollekteif remix album, Jan Jelinek’s latest Kosmischer Pitch and one from Mouse on Mars, and earlier and still very important innovator in the genre.

Jan Jelinek – Universal Band Silhouette – Kosmischer Pitch (~scape 2005)

Jelinek has rose quickly through the ranks of electronic producers in the last 6 years, first under the monikers Farben and Gramm, and now under his birth name. His penchant for microscopically sampled loops has helped define the microsound and ambient-techno genres. This is a review I wrote for this album when it came out:

Jan Jelinek, the Austrian-born producer with the unparalleled ears capable of dissecting a sample into enticing sound bytes just milliseconds long, leaves his soul and jazz records on the shelf for his third proper full length under his real name. Drawing inspiration and samples from the krautrock creative explosion in Germany during the 70s, 'Kosmischer Pitch' ('Cosmic Pitch') is a flowing array of unidentifiable and melodic noise that fluidly melts into a single strand of droning music. By almost completely leaving his glitch tendencies behind, Jelinek has created a much more free-flowing sound; one that builds calmly before stretching out and layering back on itself. The music almost sounds like it's waking up to dreary Saturday morning, only to decide that everything it had planned out to accomplish that day was not nearly as important as rolling back over for a few more hours of much needed sleep. Jelinek's samples remain mostly a mystery due to the heavy manipulation but they are much more accessible than his previous outings. Whether it is a number of vibraphone splices (perhaps the same one) weaving in and out of each other or a guitar strum with the entire attack cut off, each moment of sound seems strategically placed and triggered to create one, effervescing sound. 'Kosmischer Pitch' may be a new direction for Jelinek, but it is definitely not a wrong turn.


Kammerflimmer Kollekteif – Unstet-Schilefen (Jan Jelinek Remix) - Remixed (Staubgold 2006)

Kammerflimmer Kollekteif began as the brainchild of Thomas Weber and his bedroom experimentation with ambient noises but expanded into a typically 6-piece collective that brings the music to life by creating it with a band rather than solely a machine. The group has continually reinvented their sound throughout their 7-year existence, progressing from more lo-fi, ambient drone to electronic jazz improvisers to lush post-rock composers. They have a penchant for rich soundscapes that can range from playful minimalist static to fleshed out and lush shoegaze-like music that is not afraid to skronk when necessary. This remix record compiles tracks from two limited edition 12” EPs and features mixes from similar artists like Jan Jelinek, Sutekh, Aoki Takamasa and Secondo.

Mouse on Mars – Catching Butterflies with Hands – Idiology (Thrill Jockey 2001)

While Mouse on Mars may be more beat driven than Jelinek, they are certainly a crucial step in the evolution of their shared experimental electronic music, and elements of their sound can be heard in Jelinek. Duo Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner teamed up in 1993 and were thankfully seated between the burgeoning German techno and ambient scenes, of which were both heavily influential and undeniably important to their musical evolution. Always a bit offbeat, they usually took the path least traveled opting for oddly programmed beats and colorful samples to shape their music. ‘Idiology,’ their seventh full-length was the perfect summation of their career to date, collecting 11 almost unrelated tracks that each succeeded in their own individual way. By far my favorite, this song is so oddly infectious it’s ridiculous and features bright samples twisted and manipulated in unforeseen creating a completely indefinable composition.

Latin-Jazz

Señor Coconut - Simoon feat. Mouse on Mars - Yellow Fever! (Essay 2006)


Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers - Yania - Yania (Cubop 1997)


Willie Bobo - Roots - Latin Sounds (Verve 2004)


With the ridiculous temperatures throughout the county melting away ice cream cones and brain cells alike, there is not a more appropriate time to talk about some hot Latin sounds. Along with sweltering heat enveloping my air condition-less apartment, there is a much-anticipated package from Forced Exposure, a distributor of genreless music that never ceases to fascinate. Among the many rough diamonds was a very humble looking cd case with artwork that look like it was straight from the flea market crate of 60-year-old strung out war vet. Blatantly retro, to the point that it if it was the vinyl version, I would absolutely believe it to be from the 50s, the cover art is of a small toy reminiscing of the Chiquita lady that pronounces ‘YELLOW FEVER!’ with subdued gusto. In the top left corner it reads, ‘Señor Coconut and his Orchestra including Argenis Brito,” and underneath, a tiny cut out star with a straight-faced Brito looking hesitantly at an imaginary crowd. Fuck Yea, I can already tell this is going to be good. Little did I know that it was actually a German DJ/producer covering Yellow Magic Orchestra (Japan’s answer to Kraftwerk) with a Latin-jazz big band. Damn, it is goood.

Here is the short review I wrote for the lucky DJs who will be spinning this at WLUW-FM Chicago (pay no attention to the terrible pun at the end, sometimes corny humor is the best, especially if you are going on the 4th hour of an overnight DJ shift):

Laptop-salsa??? Acid-merengue??? Personally, I’m already sold, but in case you lack playfulness or fear hyphenated madness, I’ll continue with more info. The brilliantly named Señor Coconut, or German DJ/producer Uwe Schmidt who left the dismal blandness of Germany for the bright colors of Chile, has already produced albums consisting of Latin Big Band covers of Kraftwerk, Sade and Michael Jackson, and this time he is paying homage to Japan’s answer to Kraftwerk, the Yellow Magic Orchestra. With all three original members on board to contribute, as well as a full ensemble of Latin Jazz artists and other more electronic-minded artists like Mouse on Mars, Towa Tei and Burnt Friedman, Schmidt had ample and able musicians and creative minds to give YMO a proper Latin makeover. The results are amazing and sound truly like authentic Latin music for the most part, and I would assume that most unaware listeners would consider it to be just that. This is incredibly fun, surprising and dare I say ‘hot hot hot!’ (er, I apologize, that was completely uncalled for).

But I won’t leave you with just that; how about two more amazing Latin-jazz cuts:

Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers – Yania – Yania (Cubop 1997, originally 1971)

Henry ‘Pucho’ Brown did wonders in melting away the line between Latin-jazz and soul-jazz, kind of the same way Roy Ayers did with R&B; and jazz. He was a hefty, and seemingly cuddly, African-American who became so obsessed with the rhythms of Afro-Cuban salsa that by his later years, most people mistook him for an actual Latino (which I’m sure he took as a compliment). Like most people in the latter half of last century with any interest at all in Latin-jazz, Tito Puente was the starting point, and Pucho followed his idol into the percussion field, concentrating on the timbales. He recorded for Prestige, Right On! and Epic in the 60s and 70s before falling off until the 90s when acid jazz revived his career. Thanks to the always wonderful Fantasy re-releasing his early records, Pucho has returned to his rightful place in the upper echelon of Latin-jazz percussionists. ‘Yania’ was originally recorded in 1971, and re-released by Cubop in 1997. It is an excellent album of most laid-back Latin-jazz heavy on flute and vibes, and features covers of The Rolling Stones ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ Kenny Burrell’s ‘Chitterlings con Carne’ and John Coltrane’s ‘Naima.’

Willie Bobo – Roots – Latin Sounds (Verve 2004)

The flamboyant and genre-hopping percussionist Willie Bobo would make significant contributions in fusing Latin rhythms into jazz, R&B; and pop throughout his lengthy career. Specializing on the congas and timbales, Bobo was seated next to Tito Puente by the age of 19 and never looked back. Throughout the 60s and 70s he worked with such amazing jazz artists as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery, Chico Hamilton, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt and Cal Tjader, was responsible for the Latin standard ‘Afro-Blue’ and recorded for Blue Note, Verve, Columbia and Sussex. Latin Sounds is a compilation put together by Masters at Work compiling some of Verve’s finest Latin-jazz music. ‘Roots’ also appears on 1967’s ‘Juicy,’ which obviously came out on Verve.

Shufflings #2

Prefuse 73 - Another One Long Gone - Security Screenings (WARP 2006)


Quasimoto - Strange Piano - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (Stones Throw 2005)


A Tribe Called Quest - Sucka Nigga - Midnight Marauders (Jive 1993)


Oh my love of Party Shuffle is unmatched… except maybe my love for Scarlett Johansson. I should be writing more theme-based articles, but who doesn’t love quality random music? If you don’t, then you should seriously take a minute to reevaluate your life, and realize the pure joy that can be found in random occurrences. Like last Wednesday for example: after a enjoyable night of many-multiple $1 budlights, watching merrily as the Bobcats drafted ‘The Great Mustachio’ aka Adam Morrison and being pushed off the dancefloor by a ladyfriend who apparently wasn’t enjoying my pure caucasian dance moves, I was walking down the street to my apartment and notice a small, styrofoam container I had not noticed before. When I opened the mystery box, I was overjoyed to see a steaming hot piece of pizza! How it got into my hands is beyond me, but was the greatest surprise ever. Godbless randomness. So, without further a due, here are the first 3 songs on my current party shuffle. (also I just got the coolest shoes ever)

Prefuse 73 – Another One Long Gone – Security Screenings (WARP 2006)
I have made no secret of my unequaled love for Guillermo Scott Herren, and I probably owe any interest I have in electronic music to him. I also love his penchant for creating theme-based albums, whether it be the hip-hip and uprock homage on 2001’s Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives (WARP), the guest artist theme of 2005’s Surrounded by Silence (WARP) or the remixes of found-sounders The Books on 2005’s EP, Prefuse 73 Reads The Books (WARP). This year’s ‘Security Screenings’ finds Prefuse reflecting back to his earlier days as well as his work as Savath & Savalas, concentrating more on laid back, finely slice instrumentals that would be labeled electronica but owe just as much to hip-hop and jazz. This is the sound that truly defines the Prefuse 73 moniker, though, unlike most people, I am all about experimentation and pushing definitions to the limits. This particular song features some of the key components to the Prefuse sound, a steady hand-clap layered snare, awkwardly timed vocal samples (of what sounds like Sam Prekop), and skittering, unidentifiable sounds that give the song texture and infinite replay value.

Quasimoto – Strange Piano – The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (Stones Throw 2005)
Madlib’s brick-throwing, smack-talking alter ego, Quasimoto, was really a musical phenomenon of sorts, garnishing warranted but unforeseen praise for it’s strange but infectious helium sucking emcee and hazy jazz soundscapes. 2005’s ‘The Further Adventures of…’ is the follow up to the much acclaimed ‘The Unseen’ (Stones Throw 2000), and was just as gleefully accepted. One part Prince Paul, one part Pete Rock, the album combined amazingly sampled soul, jazz and funk along with 50+ audio clips from movies, educational clips and other skits with playful raps that range from weed to record breaks to inner city struggles. The album continues to prove why Madlib is the most creative man in hip-hop and maybe all of music along with the undeniable master of the sampler. This song begins with a NASA countdown, before Madlib/Lord Quas duet accented by obviously an interestingly timed piano loop.

A Tribe Called Quest – Sucka Nigga – Midnight Marauders (Jive 1993)
The story of Q-Tip, Phife and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad is well documented at this point, and their place on top of the alternative rap hierarchy will never be displaced. Building on the base built by De La Soul, Tribe went the less comical direction, sampling jazz into laid-back grooves and spit about socially conscious issues making the most essential hip-hop created by the early 90s (and possibly today). By that time, Gangsta rap was budding as well and Tribe led the latter side of the underground division between the more shock-oriented Gangsta rap and the more intelligent alternative rap. 1993’s ‘Midnight Marauders’ was the solid follow-up to the pinnacle, impossible to outdo, ‘The Low End Thoery’ (Jive 1991). This track could be very well the most potent and poignant of any Tribe song, and really defines them to a tee. Tip confronts the use of the N-word that was quickly becoming an endearing slang for Black youth everywhere. He skillfully explains the paradox behind using the word and explaining that its new use is ‘as a term of endearment,’ but he still flinches as ‘he’s about to spray it,’ know the history behind it.