For Ear Sake

2011-10-06T04:27:00.000-04:00

The Stuyvesants - Brooklyn's Finest (2010)

Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental, Soul

“The Stuyvesants is a collaborative effort between music producer Allan Cole (Algorythm), and record collector Darien Victor Birks (Flwrpt). Both reside in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY. The two wanted to work together on a project where they could incorporate several of their talents, related to music and design. They wanted to do this under a moniker that would pay homage to the ’70s. The collaboration allowed them to do four major things, design, beat dig, produce amazing music, and simply have fun." - The Stuyvesants

I remember coming across Flwrpt's blog over a year ago and thinking it was the best thing since sliced bread. Maybe I was longing for simplicity, or maybe I was in need of a new source that featured a balanced dosage of design and music. Whatever it was, I felt like my long nights of endlessly surfing the web had paid off, and I swiftly cashed in by devouring all of the content his website had to offer. After paying his website a few visits, I soon realized that he was more than a blogger, but a musician as well. That's when I learned about The Stuyvesants. After listening to their material, I was hooked. The Brooklyn based duo was much more than the average Hip Hop act. Their instrumentals are skillfully crafted, and pays homage to every ingredient used to create their sound. Brooklyn's Finest is a testament to everyone that had an unsureness of where Hip Hop instrumentals were heading. It serves as a breath of fresh air to the gasping individuals looking for more than producers that slap samples upon drums and title it a beat. Brooklyn's Finest is what Hip Hop should be; respectfully sampling from yesterday to create a new sound for tomorrow.

“Last summer, I was prowling random wordpress dot coms trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, when I stumbled across a beat-tape called “Brooklyn’s Finest” by a duo calling themselves The Stuyvesants. Now, I don’t typically listen to beat-tapes because they rarely ever amount to more than some kid pounding away at an MPC for forty minutes and pillaging a bunch of 9th Wonder and DJ Premier drumkits. But the shameless branding of my home-borough roped me, and I decided to give the .zip file a spin. It’s been a year, and I’m still very happy I did.” - Unknown

With the album being featured on numerous blogs, and the instrumentals rapped on by various emcees, Brooklyn's Finest successfully made it's way off of the Internet and into the everyday lives of it's listeners. Using elements of Funk and Soul, the album imaginatively takes the listener to an era of when those genres were prevalent. It also gives individuals (like myself) unfamiliar of the New York borough, a sense of Brooklyn. Furthermore, the aesthetic album art created by wordbk adds the finishing touches to the project to perfectly bring the album together.

In summary, Brooklyn's Finest is quality music waiting to be given a chance. A chance that should come easy considering it's available as a free download (click here). The full album can also be streamed in it's entirety through Sound Cloud (click here). If you're a fan of Hip Hop, this album will more than likely be up your alley; it may even be the sound you've been patiently (or impatiently) waiting for. I must admit, picking one song out of twenty-five for the sample was pretty challenging. Since I enjoy the release as a whole, I randomly picked a song for the sample. So, enjoy the random pick located below, and thank you for reading!

The Stuyvesants - Roosevelt Projects Jam Session

2011-10-05T21:05:00.002-04:00

Vinyl Lovers is a monthly post that premiers the love individuals have for vinyl records. Each month, one special individual will be chosen to share their love with For Ear Sake by giving a glimpse of their collection, certain records they adore, and stories surrounding their love for the forgotten medium. Vinyl Lovers is not only for vinyl collectors with large collections, but for all individuals that own and love records. It's not about the amount of records you own, but the love you have for what you own. Hopefully this monthly post will inspire people on the verge of starting a record collection, and motivate those that collect to keep digging!

Everyone meet Taran. He's not only a record collector, but a father, a husband, a teacher, and he even runs his own website that focuses on music. I caught up with Taran after surfing the web and stumbling upon his website. He not only has a love for records, but he's very knowledgeable of the format as well. This West Coast (Bay Area) vinyl lover has been exposed to music since a young age, and he was kind enough to share his story with us.

Music usually inspires people at a young age. How important was music in your life as a child?

I have been fortunate enough to be always surrounded by music lovers throughout my life. My father always played music from his record collection, which was small but proved to have strong imaginative currency. When he wasn’t playing them himself I would sit on the floor and go through every one, spin it, and stare at the covers. I was raised on The Rolling Stones (all of my family are Stones geeks), The Doors, James Brown, Country Joe & The Fish, Janis Joplin, and Credence, to name a few. When I was about eight years old my father got one of the first CD players along with his first CD, “Waiting For The Sun” by The Doors. I remember dancing to it but when songs like “Not To Touch The Earth”, “Unknown Soldier”, and especially “My Wild Love”, came on, I sat curled at the corner of the couch enthralled and overtaken by the strange sounds I was listening to. This is the first memory I have of music really having a strong effect on me. Needless to say, I went through an intense Doors phase that lasted into my teens.

Later, I had a babysitter who collected records and he introduced me to Led Zeppelin. Yes, he was the coolest babysitter ever as we spent our time listening to records, very loudly I might add. I was pretty much raised on the classics: Zep, Stones, Floyd, Hendrix, Dead, etc…

I also had different groups of friends that were into different music scenes, which enabled me to soak up a wide range of music styles. I hung out with people into the Cure, Stone Roses, Smiths; another group of people into Tool, Metallica, Black Sabbath; my immediate friends, though, were into Hip-Hop, Jazz, and anything that had a groove to it. We spent many hours just listening to my friend’s father’s record collection and playing dominos.

Jimi Hendrix really opened my world musically when I was 15. He became my center of musical discovery. After absorbing what he was about I really set about collecting as many sounds as I could. I have burned through many stereo receivers as I would keep them on 24/7. I would fall asleep recording the late night radio shows when they would play all the good music. Likewise, I had a small collection of VHS tapes containing recordings of MTV’s 120 Minutes, the late-night show of music videos never played during normal hours, back when the M actually stood for music. I have continually searched for new music since my childhood.

I am a Miles Davis nut and am still trying to complete my collection of his albums. My initiation into the world of Miles Davis was through Bitches Brew at the age of 15. Needless to say, I didn't know what the hell was going into my ears and brain after listening to that album. It took me 5 years when I discovered the album Big Fun (holding), which is outtakes and sessions around the Bitches Brew period, before I could understand his electric period. I have been devouring everything Miles ever since.

When did you realize you had an interest for records, and what caused you to start collecting them?

Records had always just been around and my friends and I didn’t think of them as some vintage retro type of thing. It was just how you listened to music. It wasn’t until I was 19 or 20 that I wanted to have more Hendrix records knowing how good his music would sound on vinyl, plus there were a lot of posthumous collections only available on LP. So my collection started out being just a Hendrix collection. I did gain a few other artists from my friend’s father who let go of some doubles including some John Mayall LPs.

It wasn’t until I started working at a record store that I began really adding to my collection. This was the beginning of a Miles Davis phase so I beefed up on his albums while working there. I also had access to a lot vinyl pressed promos and limited edition type of stuff. I did, however, have to sell some of my collection back in order to save enough money to move and go back to school. My collecting took a hiatus at that point as I was moving a lot and didn’t have the room or resources to keep moving and storing vinyl.

What was the first LP you purchased with your own money? Do you still own it? If so, what condition is it in?

My first LP I purchased on my own was actually a $1 record from the local library. I had to be seven or eight. It was Iron Butterfly’s “Ball” and I think I was drawn to the cover, as I had no idea what it sounded like until I brought it home. I don’t remember my first impressions of the music (other than I wasn’t into the singers voice or phrasing), but looking back at it now it is a good album, though I am not a big IB fan. For all the heaviness contained in their albums they do have moments that have soulful simplicity and some great bass lines, just check out “Soul Experience” or “Butterfly Bleu”!

That album, however, didn’t really start out my collection. I don’t have it anymore and I’m not quite sure what happened to it. My first record that started my collection was a late 70s or early 80s issue of the Essential Jimi Hendrix from an antique store. Once I had all the Hendrix albums I gave it away to someone. I am not really into ‘Best of’ collections. If I’m really into an artist I would rather have all their albums.

Funkadelic "America Eats It's Young". A 1972 double-album put out by the P-Funk crew with probably the most overt social commentary in their canon. My favorite Funkadelic album by far but one I feel does not get enough recognition. This album shows how tight the band had become, which is immediately evident on the first song, "You It The Nail On The Head". Bernie Worrell really shines on this one as co-arranger and keyboardist, giving the album a slightly slicker sound compared to their last three. The lyric writing was getting much better by this point, also. "We are just biological speculation sitting here vibratin' and we don't know what we're vibratin' about."

How many records do you have within your collection?

I have roughly 600 albums at the moment and I add at least a handful of records a week. I add more of course if I have a full time job or I am selling enough vinyl. Most of my collection is from buying and trading with friends, other collectors and three main stores I frequent. My collection initially grew quickly as I loaded up on the essentials first; albums I just had to have on vinyl. When I was in college I didn’t buy any vinyl as I lived where there were no record shops and I didn’t have the room to store them. CDs were the pacifier at this stage, and when I did start to collect again I started by replacing my CDs with must haves. I’m still working on locating some of those must-haves, but my curiosity has led me all over the musical map.

What do you consider to be the best characteristic of your collection?

Hmmm… Well, I try to keep only what I know I will listen to. I don’t collect so I can just say I have something. So, I feel my collection does a good job of representing my musical taste. I love music in general and listen to anything that moves me, regardless of genre or style. I try to have a little bit of this and that from every corner of the musical world.

Where do you like to shop for LPs, and why? (record shops, flea markets, garage sales, the internet, etc)

All of the above and anywhere the opportunity presents itself. I have a few choice shops I frequent here in the Bay Area. I hit the flea markets, record shows, estate sales, and I get personal leads to individuals selling their collections. I do use the Internet and eBay, usually more for informational purposes, or if there is something in particular I am looking for and I know I’ll never find it locally. My favorite places to buy vinyl are the smaller outfits that listen and talk music with you. I hardly ever step foot in the big stores, only when I need a new release or have a gift card.

Gal Costa "Self-Titled" (1969). One of my favorite Brazilian records, mainly because it has a little of everything on here that I believe represents the transition that popular Brazilian music was going through at the time. This record balances some slow gorgeous tunes with more outrageous fuzz-guitar, yowling vocal, experimental pop. It's a great record to start your Tropicalia movement investigations with. Check out the song "Sebastiana" (click here).

Have you ever traveled in search of records? If so, how far have you ventured off to?

This is something I have wanted to do more of but I have not traveled very far in search for records. The farthest is probably 300 miles away down the Central Coast. Some places I would love to go, New York, Seattle, Portland, LA, and Texas!

What's your strategy while shopping or searching for records? (Do you look for specific genres/artists/labels, do you purchase albums on a whim, etc)

It depends, but I am usually looking at everything as I dig. I usually hit the Funk/Soul section first, International, Jazz, and then 45s or any other section. If I am looking in Jazz, I often check who the musicians are on the sessions, and which gives a good clue to the sound of the album, usually. Anyone that digs often enough will start to notice little clues, especially from just the graphic design of the album cover. I do sometimes buy albums on a whim, but I usually listen to everything I buy before hand.

Stu Gardner's "Sanctified Sound" and Charles Wright's "Doing What Comes Naturally". Coming out within a year of each other and both involving Charles Wright. Stu Gardner was discovered by Bill Cosby and given the chance to record this album with his backup band, adding Charles Wright on guitar and arrangements, who does some of his best guitar work. A very solid Soul/Funk album that has a great warmth and down-home vibe. Wright's "Doing What Comes Naturally" is, in my opinion, his masterpiece. A double album of catchy tunes, long jams, and exercises in "subtle funk". Found this one still sealed. Always a trip to open something that is brand new from 1973! Check out Stu Gardner's "Sister Matilda" (click here).

You explained that both you and your wife love to dig for records together (which might be a dream for many record collectors). Has records brought you two closer together? Also, what are the pros and cons of digging with your significant other?

Yes, it is a collectors dream and she is well aware of that! I think records have provided another interest for us to connect with together. She wasn’t a diehard music lover when we met (until she heard her college jazz band do a rendition of Mingus’ II B.S. She came home with a new ear, so to speak) but discovering vinyl has rekindled her love for music from her childhood and, of course, along the way she has found her own niche of newly discovered gems. She is a big fan of “old-timey” music such as Ma Rainey, King Oliver, Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell, and early Billie.

The pro of digging together is that she provides an extra pair of eyes and hands and I likewise for her, as we both know what we tend to look for. The only con I can think of is that my budget is a little tighter than when I’m by myself. In other words, don’t go on a shopping spree with your accountant!

Do both you and your wife collectively share a record collection, or are they separate?

After my collection got bigger she keeps her separate now so she can find her LPs easier. We don’t always agree who found what and where it should be shelved, but they’re in the same house so it’s not anything too crazy. I make compromises in order to keep certain ones with me. I let her keep the Tribe Called Quest so I can keep the Pharcyde.

Oliver De Coque & His Expo '76 "Ogene Sound Super of Africa". This is my great dollar find, which was found at a library sale. Original pressing and pretty much mint vinyl. Oliver popularised a form of Nigerian Highlife called Ogene and has 73 albums credited to him. His music is known for being bright, uplifting, and energetic or, as he says "I do not like people to sleep where I am playing. I put people on the floor to dance when I play." Of course, I don't know what African music, especially Highlife, could put anybody to sleep! Check out this track (click here).

Records seem to play a major role in your life. Your website Fat Headphones not only broadcasts your love for vinyl, but you also sell vinyl within your website as well. When did you realize you wanted to sell vinyl records? Also, what goals do you wish to accomplish from selling records?

My goal in the next 10 years is to open a brick and mortar record shop, but I initially started selling records online to fund my own habit. At the moment my main goal is to not have to dip into my regular budget and be able to buy records for myself solely off my profits from Fat Headphones. It’s harder than you would think but I don’t only sell online. I sell to individuals, stores, and trade for titles with other dealers and collectors. I prefer to sell in person than online but with a full time job and family it is not always possible, and the online marketplace offers dudes like me the opportunity to sell, converse, and share new sounds with anybody around the globe.

The new digital wave has taken over everything in its path. As not only a vinyl collector, but a seller as well, how do you feel about the digital format?

It took me a long time to warm up to the digital format, but when I realized how much music you could carry around with you and store on your hard drive I became a fan purely from an ultilirian stand point. I still think that the digital format will never compete with vinyl. Even if its 320 or FLAC I still find a harshness in the treble and new music recorded digitally is ‘heavy’ sounding in the mid ranges. Vinyl simply breathes. I would love to see a strong resurgence in analog recording from artists and musicians.

However, I’m pushin’ 250 gigs of digital music right now (mostly AAC quality) because I want all the music I can get my ears to hear, and digital music offers a very easy way of accumulating sounds.

The way I see it is that vinyl is king when it comes to sound. Vinyl should be the first medium in which everyone engages with recorded music. Then, CDs are there to share music, specifically mixes. I am still always burning cds and receiving burned cds, even though you can’t actually buy a proper cd player for your home anymore. Lastly, digital music offers portability. My iPod goes everywhere and it provides me with a soundtrack where there are no turntables. I think all three formats should coexist. It would be nice if artists and bands would sell their albums as a vinyl/cd/mp3 download package: vinyl for home, cd for car, and mp3 for takin’ on the run!

Afro Funk "Body Music". Don't know much about this rare one except that it is some righteous Funk-Rock out of Ghana. Solid beats, rock inspired guitar solos, funky organ work, and some phased-out vocals on a couple of tracks! It doesn't get much better than this! Check out the song "Farewell to Ibusa" (click here).

Despite the decrease of album sales, and an increase of illegal downloads, do you feel as though vinyl records will survive through the trying times of music? Why?

Vinyl records aren’t going anywhere. I don’t think they will ever be at the top again but they’re definitely not going anywhere. There will also be groups of people looking for that music-listening ritual that vinyl provides. Plus, I think people forget that digital music relies on its own very infrastructure to exist and allow you to enjoy the pleasure of it in your own home. We speak of the ease and convenience of digital music, but if you think about it you’ll need a computer, digital music player, speakers or boom box, and/or some type of contraption to listen to it your car if you don’t have an aux input. You’ll also need an external hard drive to back up your digital files. Let’s not forget the $60 a month for the internet connection so you can have the “ease” of listening to low quality digital music through inadequate speakers. We can go a step further and mention all the servers, miles of cables, and so on, but you probably get the idea. Why this is progress from vinyl I will never know.

There is something to be said of enjoying and even reveling in the “process” of things, rather than only being concerned with the outcome. I feel my generation is one of the last to truly enjoy this, as the younger generations have been raised on instant gratification. I think that younger people who discover vinyl stumble across a ritual in which the process from musician to listener is celebrated. Similar to the ‘slow-food’ movement, listening to vinyl makes you slow down and invest your time in appreciating music. There will always be people out there that want more from their listening experience.

"Eddie Fisher & The Next One Hundred Years". Fisher was an amazing guitarist who unleashed a fury of Soul-Jazz-Funk guitar inventiveness, filling the nooks and crannies within the pocket-grooves laid down by a nameless band. He seems to have an endless amount of ways to turn a phrase, turning guitar licks inside-out and back onto themselves. I don't how I lived without this record for so long. Highly recommended, as is his next one, The Third Cup. You can find reissues of these as original copies can be quite steep in price. Check out the song "Either Or" (click here).

This question may seem to be a no brainer for anyone that appreciates vinyl, but I'm sure this question would benefit individuals on the fence for records. Why vinyl? What is it that makes you continue to support vinyl over other formats of music?

Vinyl is perfect because it is not perfect, or at least it doesn’t try to be. When things are too perfect they become isolated, stagnant, stale, and devoid of meaning, or, in other words, they have no relationship with the real world. Vinyl is the closest representation of the original music being played. It is a physical translation of sound and therefore offers the best listening experience for human ears.

The thing about collecting records is that there are so many different aspects of the LP that grab your attention and engage the imagination. The unquenchable lure of the LP is that it is the whole package; design, liner notes, the physicality and sonic clarity. Everything that the artist had to put into their vision you are holding in your hand. Today, the whole concept of an artist’s vision is spread across the internet with videos, exclusive downloads, or social networks, which is fun and great, but there is something to be said of putting all you have into one product.

I support vinyl because that is the way I want to hear music. When Bob Marley transitions from ‘War’ into ‘No More Trouble’ it sends shivers down my spine and vinyl is the only way to experience that.

Lastly, what advice would you give to individuals looking to start a record collection, or those with a small collection?

Collect what you want to listen to. Don’t grab something just because it is a “holy grail”. Dig for what you dig. Take care of your records!!! They should be passed on or down so other music lovers can enjoy them for as long as we got the juice to spin them.

I want to personally thank Taran for providing a great edition to the Vinyl Lovers project. Not only did he provide us with a great read, but he also went above and beyond and provided a nice lengthy mix to go alongside this Vinyl Lovers post. The mix can be found on Divshare (click here). Also, be sure to check out his website (click here).

2011-10-05T18:30:00.002-04:00

UNKLE - The Heretics' Gate (2011)

Genres: Ambient, Modern Classical

Have you ever been fond of a soundtrack just as much as the film? Well, that's what this Soundtrack post represents. This post is a detail of both films and soundtracks I enjoy.

Doug Foster (the artist behind The Heretics' Gate artwork) and UNKLE joined forces to create a visual and musical masterpiece for the Daydreaming With… St Michael’s exhibition that took place at at St. Michael’s church in Camden, London. The relationship between the two artists began when James Lavelle (leading member from UNKLE and curator of the Daydreaming With… exhibition) came across Doug Foster's installation of The Heretic’s Gate. Here's what Foster had to say about Lavelle in an interview pertaining to how their relationship and the score came-to-be:

"He found it (the Heretics' Gate installation) quite magical and we had a meeting and talked about doing something together for the “Daydreaming” project. So I asked him whether he would actually consider doing the soundtrack, to expand on what was there, and he was keen to do that and put it into this church show he’s doing in Camden quite soon. I had some music we put together for the Hell’s Half Acre show and he took that, remixed it all and changed it into a much more rounded and expanded soundtrack."

UNKLE - The Heretics' Gate

The score for the Heretics' Gate installation contains a single track with a duration of 13 minutes. It seemed lacking at first, but after researching the release further, it all made sense. Some described the release as atmospheric noise not worth the listen, but the dark yet calming sounds perfectly complimented the artwork it represents. I also found it interesting that this project brought forth a perspective of hell not too many people hear or see. The image of hell is never pleasant. Most individuals view hell as being an unholy place full of pain, suffering, and anguish. However, even though their image is still dark, Foster and Lavelle brought forth a tranquil image of hell. Doug Foster described the project as, "half savage and half heavenly." After listening to the score in it's entirety, I could image myself being in a pitch black state of confinement, but surprisingly, it was relaxing.

"All inspired by Dante’s Inferno; the heretics have their place in hell on the Sixth Circle of hell, they’re inside the walls of the City of Dis in tombs that are like flaming ovens that the heretics are lying in—it’s quite interesting that even the non-believers have got a space in hell reserved for them." - Doug Foster

The artwork for the Heretics' Gate project is fascinating. The installation fits perfectly within the St. Michael’s church. Despite churches being viewed as holy places of worship, both Doug Foster's image of hell and the gothic-like architectural structure of the cathedral church compliment each other quite well. Moreover, the album cover created for the score and the sounds by UNKLE perfectly compliment each other as well.

"Over the past few years I've had the pleasure of visiting a number of installations that have had a truly lasting affect on me. The kind of pieces that you find yourself thinking about for days after the event– James Turrell's Sky Spaces, Olafur Eliasson's Weather Project, Anthony McCall's projections, and UVA's Speed of Light to name but a few. These pieces share one thing in common– they've provoked very primal, raw emotional responses within me. Wonder, awe, joy, even fear in some cases. We don't get to feel such base responses much in our day to day lives, which makes the times when we do experience them even more profound. This piece by Doug Foster is one such work. I found myself utterly captivated by the space that he had created, which provoked a feeling of unease that I wasn't expecting. It felt to me like I was looking into something otherworldly, something threatening and unknown." - Tim Burrell-Saward

To add on to an already great project, Daydreaming with… and the Vinyl Factory teamed up to create an exclusive vinyl copy of the score. Each copy was hand-signed and numbered by both artists (Foster & Lavelle), and contained unique artwork by Doug Foster. However, the release was limited to only 100 copies worldwide, and the Vinyl Factory no longer has copies in stock. But with the retail price set at £ 100, I'm sure most of you (like myself) are far from disappointed. For the individuals that are willing and able to spend an astronomical price for a copy, hope is not completely gone. Discogs currently has one copy in stock for an additional £ 50 (click here). So, cheers to anyone that purchases a copy, and good luck to the ones that will be searching for it elsewhere.

2011-09-22T01:10:00.004-04:00

Little Dragon - Ritual Union (2011)
Genres: Electronic, Soul, Synth-pop

"Sweden's Little Dragon are a band blessed with a distinct and immediately alluring style. Their rhythms are dry and metronomic; their synthesizers either provide a distant ambiance or seem to glow like neon lights that flicker in time with the beat. Frontwoman Yukimi Nagano's phrasing touches on conventions of modern-- particularly British-- iterations of R&B, but errs on the side of aloof understatement. They are essentially an R&B band, but the major elements of their style are skewed enough that while the music seems vaguely familiar, it doesn't sound quite like anyone else." - Pitchfork

I've been addicted to Little Dragon since they released their self-titled debut album in 2007. Yukimi Nagano's soulful voice atop the Electronic production provided by the band instantly took ahold of me, and I've been hooked ever since. Little Dragon has displayed an ample amount of growth between their debut album and their third release Ritual Union. The group began moving toward a more synth sound with their Sophomore release Machine Dreams, and it seems as if Ritual Union picks up where their second album left off. Little Dragon traveled further into a synthesizing terrain with this release, and I'm enjoying every bit of it.

The Swedish band has been converting people into Little Dragon bots since the release of their debut album. The more material they release, the larger their fan base grows. However, Ritual Union didn't get as much positive feedback as I expected. Despite the unresponsive feedback the band received from most critics, for me, Ritual Union serves as a breath of fresh air. Most individuals expected Little Dragon to stick with the same formula they've used for past albums, but that isn't the case with Ritual Union. Not only is the group more experimental within this release, but the album as a whole is more put-together than their previous material. If I had to describe the album with one word, I would describe it as "consistent." Each component of the album compliments the next; from the album cover, to the lyrics, to the way each track perfectly merges into the next. I'd be lying if I said this was my favorite release by the group, but I cannot deny it being an enjoyable album added to their discography. There's a decent amount of gems lying around on the album in plain sight. The self-titled track "Ritual Union," "Please Turn," "Crystalfilm," "Nightlight," and "Seconds" are all personal favorites from the album.

After reading countless reviews and comments from "fans", I've come to the conclusion that not many people know much about Little Dragon beyond their second release Machine Dreams, and their guest appearance on Gorillaz's album Plastic Beach. If you're reading this review, and this description sounds like you, please research the group beyond these two releases before listening to Ritual Union! I find that if you're not aware of where something is from, you'll most likely lack the understanding of where that something is trying to go. So with that being said, take the time out to listen to all of their albums collectively in chronological order; I guarantee you'll walk away with a better musical experience.

If you've made it this far, it means either two things: this review has caught your attention, or the album has caught your attention. Either way, you've made it to my closing paragraph. This is when I inform you of where to purchase the album, and any other last statements left to be stated. So, if you're interested in purchasing Ritual Union (a good purchase indeed), you can purchase the album from three separate sources. First, if you're looking for a copy on vinyl, Turntable Lab has copies in stock (click here). Second, Amazon has copies available in CD format (click here). Third, if you're more of a new-age type of listener in search of the digital album, iTunes has you covered (click here). Also, for anyone in hopes of seeing Little Dragon perform live, head over to their website (click here) to find out information on locations and ticket purchases. Some shows are already sold out, so don't slack and miss out on your chance to see a great performance by a great band. Lastly, I've included a sample of the album below. The song I've decided to share is one of my favorite tracks from the album, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you for reading!

Little Dragon - Crystalfilm

2011-09-05T06:10:00.001-04:00

2011-09-05T06:05:00.009-04:00

Mayer Hawthorne - Impressions (2011)

Genres: Funk, Soul

For anyone that may not be familiar with Mayer Hawthorne, he's a musician with an array of musical skill. Widely known as a singer/songwriter, he's also a producer, arranger, audio engineer, DJ, rapper and— if that weren't enough— a multi-instrumentalist. Born and raised in Arbor, Michigan, he relocated to Los Angeles, and was later signed to Stones Throw Records. A year after being signed to one of my favorite record labels, his debut album A Strange Arrangement was released. Not only was his debut album the best album (in my strongest opinion) of 2009, but the reaction it received quickly catapulted Hawthorne into a considerable amount of success. His Doo-wop influenced style grew on countless individuals, and he's been busy impacting the music scene by releasing various projects, as well as touring the globe.

Okay, enough with his background, let's move toward his Impressions (The Covers EP) project… The EP contains six cover tracks from various artists. You can expect to hear orignal work by Mayer Hawthorne with his band The County, Chromeo, The Festivals, and Jon Brion just to name a few. The impressing part of Impressions is how each cover has a story behind it's coming-to-be. One story that stood out amongst the rest, was the story for the track "Fantasy Girl". Here's what Hawthorne had to say about the track:

"This song was written and composed by an amazing man from Pasadena named Steve Salazar. He was born with a heart condition and passed away at the young age of 27. Before he died he recorded one incredible album of demos in the mid-70s with a band called Shorty’s Portion. Peanut Butter Wolf found a copy of the album and I loved it so much that he gave it to me (thanks Wolf!). The vinyl had a handwritten note tucked in the sleeve that was addressed to anyone who could help the band with management, a record deal, radio airplay, etc. I’d estimate there were less than 300 copies pressed. That’s my Dad playing pedal steel guitar and Topher Mohr shredding the guitar solo on my version."

Impressions (The Covers EP) is yet another enjoyable release by Mayer Hawthrone. After listening to the EP in it's entirety, it was apparent that this project wasn't thrown together without any thought. Each song was wisely chosen and executed with perfection. Even the design of the album cover was taken to some degree of seriousness. The EP opens and closes just the way I like, with fun tracks. The opening track "Work To Do" is soulful and will leave you hitting high notes you never thought you could (if you're not much of a singer), and the energetic closing track "Mr Blue Sky" will place you in high spirits. The EP also balances it's high energy with slow tempo tracks. "Don't Turn the Lights On", "Fantasy Girl", and "Little Person" is the perfect combination of dark and relaxing. Impressions is an overall solid release, and it's replay value is high.

For anyone in search of free material, look no more! This EP is free of charge. I'm normally surprised by most of the free releases I come across. However, Impressions being free comes to little surprise. It's more than likely free due to Mayer not paying for the rights of each song he covered. So with that being said… I recommend this EP to everyone. The EP can be downloaded through Mediafire (click here), and additional information of the release is located on the Stones Throw website (click here). Be sure to download yourself a copy while becoming more familiar with the release. Lastly, I've included the track "Fantasy Girl" below for anyone skeptical of giving this free EP a chance. Don't worry, I won't judge you. Enjoy!

Correction: Mayer Hawthorne recently admitted to a mistake made on his part with the "Fantasy Girl" track. The track was not written by Steve Salazar, but by D. Layne. Also, the track is not titled "Fantasy Girl" but "Fantasy Child". The mistake will more than likely remain on the release, but at least it was brought to light.

Mayer Hawthorne - Fantasy Child

2011-09-02T01:22:00.014-04:00

SBTRKT - SBTRKT (2011)

Genres: Dubstep, UK Garage

Known for wearing masks made by Hidden Place, and remixing tracks for artists such as Basement Jaxx, Little Dragon, M.I.A., and more… SBTRKT finally released his debut album. The self-titled release not only features solid production by the London, UK musician/producer, but it also features a nice line-up of musicians. Yukimi Nagano, Jessie Ware, Sampha, and Roses Gabor vocally enhance the album in their own right. Eleven tracks of hard-hitting beats, with equally hard-hitting vocals makes for a solid debut album by Young Turks' musician, SBTRKT.

"What SBTRKT has done is take all the best elements of the past two decades worth of dance sub-genres and used these ingredients to make a 11-course popping candy meal of an electro album. The intricacies of its production, paired with soulful vocal melodies, are enough to propel the bubbling UK underground electronic movement into the mainstream periphery. SBTRKT has shoved his way to the front of the audience and now sits side stage, ready step out of the shadows and jump into the limelight." - Drowned in Sound

Some saw this release as a surprise, but for the ones like myself awaiting an album from SBTRKT, it was a relief. I was overcome with a sense of excitement when I heard the opening track "Heatwave"; I prepared my ears for the Electronic experience they'd been craving. But just when my hopes were up, the second track "Hold On" made me think otherwise. It left me with crossed fingers, in hopes for better material. Then there it was, the song of all songs, the Big Gambino, the ever-loving motherload… The track "Wildfire" featuring Yukimi (from Little Dragon) stopped me dead in my doubtful tracks, and slapped any uncertainty I had out of my system. The wobbling instrumental laced with Yukimi's soulful voice was a match made in heaven. I repeated the song 10 times before moving along to the next track. The rest of the album was good, but sadly, the remaining tracks didn't give me the same musical-fix I received from "Wildfire". Despite my addict outlook, I enjoyed the tracks "Trials of the Past", "Right Thing To Do", "Never Never" and "Go Bang".

Regardless of the remainder of the album not being able to outdo the song "Wildfire", the album is still a solid release, and it deserves a listen. If you like Dubstep, you'll most likely enjoy this album. As far as purchasing goes… Bleep has digital, vinyl, and CD copies in stock (click here), so be sure to support the artist by purchasing yourself a copy! I've also included the video for the Big Gambino track "Wildfire" below. Enjoy!

2011-09-02T01:16:00.001-04:00

2011-09-02T01:10:00.002-04:00

The Go Find - Everybody Knows It's

Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight (2010)

Genres: Indie, Leftfield, Pop

The Go Find is a band from Berlin, and the album Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight is their third release. I'm not a huge Indie fan, so I didn't know what to expect at first. But after hearing the opening title track which features saxophone sounds provided by Andrew Claes, I was sold. Not only am I a sucker for saxophones, but I'm also a sucker for music with good vibes, and this release contains both. This album is satisfying. With eleven tracks that span for about 38 minutes, how could one want more?

Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight reminds me of a perfectly baked pie. The opening title track (the top crust) sets the tone for the following tracks, the songs in between the opening track and the last track (the filling) keeps the good vibes rolling, and the last track (the bottom crust) leaves you wanting more. Besides the first song, "Neighbourhood", "Just A Common Love", and "Heart of Gold" are my personal favorites from the album.

Elegant vocals, and easygoing production is what one can expect from this release.

I recommend this album to anyone that enjoys Indie music. The digital version of the album can be found on iTunes (click here), and Anost has both CD and Vinyl copies in stock (click here). I've also included the song "Heart of Gold" below, so please support this album if you like what you hear!

The Go Find - Heart of Gold

2011-08-30T23:25:00.003-04:00

Michael Jackson - Ben 45 (1972)

Genres: Funk, Soul

This Motown 45 features one of my favorite tracks by Michael Jackson, "Ben" (written by Don Black). The song was originally written for Donny Osmond, but landed in Michael's lap when Donny was unavailable to record the song due to being on tour. "Ben" quickly became a success for Michael. The song topped charts, was nominated for an Academy Award, and was Michael's first #1 solo hit. Giving the song to Michael went from being a second choice, to a good decision.

For all that may not know, "Ben" serves as a theme for the 1972 film Ben (a sequel to the film Willard). I was never quite sure how such a beautiful song could represent a killer rat film, but when I referred back to the Jackson 5 film, and remembered the part where Michael had a pet mouse, and it all made sense.

Not only does this 45 feature the song "Ben", but it also features the track "Abraham, Martin and John" by Marvin Gaye – Making this release even better. It's hard to come across a person that doesn't appreciate material released when Michael was young, so I recommend not only this single, but the Ben album to everyone. Both the Motown 45 (click here) and the full album in both CD and vinyl format (click here) can be purchased through Discogs. Live footage of Michael performing "Ben" is also located below. Enjoy!

2011-08-30T05:13:00.003-04:00

A special Michael Jackson edition!

As stated above, this is a special Michael Jackson edition of Vinyl Lovers. The idea turned into reality when I came across a vast MJ record collection owned by the actor, singer, and dancer Jared Bradshaw. Michael Jackson was one of a kind, so I wanted to do something special in remembrance of him. However, this Vinyl Lovers feature isn't only for paying homage to Michael Jackson, but to my devoted readers as well.

A self-portrait of Jared in a room he created solely for his Michael Jackson memorabilia.

When did you become a Michael Jackson fan and why?

I grew up a fan with my parents albums of Thriller and Bad, and realized that as amazing as those albums are, he had so many other recordings to hear. I was always an admirer of his work, but when he performed at the superbowl in 1993, I saw the scope of his talent: dance, theatre, magic, spectacle, voice and his humanitarian side. He performed "Heal the World" after "Jam", "Billie Jean", and "Black or White". I rushed out to get the "Heal the World" single and Dangerous album. I was amazed at his versatility. That sparked the collecting!

It's evident that you're a fan of vinyl. When did your love for Michael shift into a broad vinyl collection of his material?

I was collecting compact discs and singles from the Dangerous album and realized that on Vinyl, there were unreleased songs, remix versions, and entire double LP gatefold DJ promos that included things unavailable anywhere else. Then I went searching in every record store I could find... Just searching for anything MJ on vinyl. The internet and eBay has made it a lot easier! Sites like Music Stack and eBay is where I find the rarest stuff online!

I'm sure as a Michael Jackson fan you've collected other musical formats of his music. Is there a specific satisfaction you get from the vinyl format over the other formats you've collected?

Artwork! Sound! Lyrics! I have an iPod like everyone else, but there's something about taking a vinyl record off of the wall and dropping that needle into the groove. The Jackson Five material from the 70s are really beautifully made... Gatefold covers, lyrics, it's tactile... You can hold it, and it just loses so much in a download from iTunes. Forget the digital booklet. I prefer the real thing!

Sometimes you can find amazing records that weren't released in the US, with great foreign languages, or awful pictures like this 45 from Japan! What were they thinking with this picture sleeve!?

How many albums, EPs, and singles do you have within your MJ record collection?

I really need to do an inventory! My videos online have to be updated. I'm guessing about 240 12" records and 90 7" 45s. Not to mention a couple hundred CDs including The Jackson Five and The Jacksons. I'm on the road performing right now, so I can't do an actual count for you.

When did you decide to create a room solely for your Michael Jackson material?

I had all of my collection in storage, as I travel a lot to perform. When Michael passed two summers ago, I was inspired to get up and put my collection out for all to see. Oprah held a contest before the This Is It film came out (later cancelled out of respect) to find Michael's biggest fan.

What kind of things can be found in your Michael Jackson room outside of your record collection?

Well, the Michael Jackson record player is really amazing! People can't believe it actually works. I have lots of replacement needles. I also have some great gold records, tons of posters, the old MJ dolls from the 80's, and my signed Thriller album is a favorite. Michael was on the cover of every major publication the month he passed. I bought more than 65 magazines with him on the front cover that summer. He was the most famous person on the planet, and when he passed, the world felt it.

This set of 12" dance mixes are a great reason to collect vinyl. These versions are from the HIStory album, and only made it to vinyl. To top it off, they look great!

It's no secret that Michael Jackson touched a lot of lives. Can you share how he personally touched your life?

I'm a performer... I'm an actor, singer, and dancer. I also do Broadway musicals. Michael was the performer. He was so theatrical in everyway. He only did things BIG! Every time I'm on stage there's always a little MJ in my performance – whether it's a pose, a move, a harmony, a vocal influence, a silhouette in lighting, a hat, or a rhythmic grunt. He is definitely the ultimate performer to me.

Michael was special for different reasons. However, people have their own personal reasons as of why he was special. Why do you feel as though Michael Jackson was special?

Well, he really was out of this world. People thought he was so strange, but if you had people chasing you, stalking you, and pulling your hair out or clothes off since you were 8 years old, you'd probably be a little different. He sold more records in his lifetime than anyone (700 million+)! He couldn't go to the grocery store, the movies, or restaurants... So he became isolated and really did live in a bubble. He was religious, and believed God put him on this planet to create; he always wanted to live up to that. He was a perfectionist, and never released something until it was polished. He started so young, and you've heard him speak of his "lost childhood" that he searched for his whole life. He surrounded himself with other former child stars, someone he could relate to and trust. Brooke Shields, Emmanuel Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, Macaulay Caulkin, Liza Minelli, Mark Lester, Stevie Wonder. These weren't for the media. He literally connected with these people. He was a sponge, and everything he did was a comment and influence from someone else. The greats: a white glove from vaudeville/mime, a spin from James Brown, a fedora from Judy Garland, a white tie belt from Fred Astaire, and white socks from Elvis. He learned from everyone around him, and took it to another level.

Surprisingly, not too many people know of Michael Jackson outside of what the media broadcasts. Can you please share something most people may not know about Michael?

He was shy. He was always more comfortable on stage than in a face-to-face conversation. He rarely trusted people around him, because most individuals always wanted something from him. Performing is all he has ever known. Boy, was he great at it.

I want to give a special thanks to Jared for making this tribute feature possible! We worked with the little resources we had, but it was still an enjoyable experience.

2011-08-30T03:54:00.001-04:00

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969)
Genres: Funk, Soul

The end of August will always belong to Michael Jackson, and this fabulous debut album by The Jackson 5 is a perfect way to not only celebrate the life of the late legend, but to also say farewell to Summer. Almost everyone knows of this album, so an in depth review on it's greatness isn't necessary. However, I'd be doing this album an injustice if I didn't slightly elaborate on my love for it, so here we go…

Despite the album's 1969 release, it's rare to find a person that doesn't still enjoy it as much as they did when they first heard it. It's apparent that this debut album is eternal. You know you have a timeless album on your hands when you can hear a track like, "I Want You Back" countless times within your life, and never grow tired of it. This album reminds me of the simplicity of being a child, and the warm feelings I get around the holidays, or a Sunday dinner full of comfort food. This album is an all-around good experience from start to finish. To top it off, the best part of the album is hearing how Soulful the Jacksons were at such a young age. Tracks like "Nobody", "My Cherie Amour", and "Who's Loving You" are all perfect examples of how soulfully funky things get within this release.

I highly doubt I have to recommend this album to anyone, but if I did, I'd recommend it to everyone. Due to the album's popularity and success, it isn't hard to find copies for purchase. As always, Discogs has copies available on vinyl (click here), Amazon has the CD version available for a higher price (click here), and the digital album can be purchased through iTunes (click here). Lastly, I've included a video of live footage of The Jackson 5 performing "Cane You Remember" below. Enjoy!

2011-08-20T01:10:00.006-04:00

Misel Quitno - Sleep Over Pieces Vol. 1 (2007)
Genres: Experimental, Glitch, Rhythmic Noise

Misel Quitno (better known as Dimlite) is the man behind the eclectic album Sleep Over Pieces Vol. 1. Mainly known for his detailed Hip Hop/Electronic production, Quitno bravely switched up his sound by creating an album he described as, "A score to an imaginary 1960 film." However, Misel Quitno's goal was to not only create a soundtrack for a fictitious film, but to pay homage to the birth of Electronic music as well.

Sleep Over Pieces Vol. 1 is a beautiful nightmare. The disarrayed production filled with eerie sounds and random touches of mellowness reminds me of a never-ending cycle of bad dreams followed by serenity. It's known that Quitno had a 1960 film in mind when making this album, but the type of film he envisioned was never discussed. I can't help but imagine all of the different types of films this album could musically portray. The music can represent anything from a horror film about an isolated mental institution, to a independent documentary similar to the film "Dark Days". All in all, there's nothing better than music that has the ability to awaken an inactive imagination, or enhance whatever atmosphere it infiltrates.

I recommend this album to anyone that enjoys calm music with an odd twist. Vinyl copies can be purchased through Discogs (click here), and digital copies are available on iTunes (click here). Also, the two tracks located below serves as an example of the dimness, as well as the calmness featured on the album. Enjoy!

Misel Quitno - Sie Seh'n Es Ab Und Zu

Misel Quitno - We Are Both Waiting

2011-08-18T03:32:00.014-04:00

Architeq - Gold + Green (2009)
Genres: Glitch, IDM, Jazz, Leftfield

Architeq (Sam Annand) is a Producer/Mixing Engineer from London, UK. His debut album Gold + Green has been sitting in my iTunes library, collecting virtual dust for almost 2 years. I figured now would be a good time to dust off this release, and explain why it's worth a listen. However, many of you will discredit whatever good things I have to say pertaining to this album, due to my digital copy being covered in computer-generated soot. So to plead the album's case, it wasn't forgotten because it lacks in any way shape or form, I just happen to have an iTunes library that's crammed to capacity.

While sifting through an iTunes library I almost never access, the origami shapes (created by Faye Allen) held together with golden strings quickly caught my attraction, and I found myself revisiting an album that fell between the cracks of my negligence. Considering the simplicity of the album title, I prepared myself for an easy listen – I was wrong. Gold + Green is everything but easygoing. The album is best described as, "challenging late-night listening that never lets itself become indulgent." I began to read various reviews of the album as I enjoyed it's complex sounds, and I found myself wanting fresh squeezed music after reading the statement, "Architeq knows how to squeeze that last bit of juice from every key with a rhythmic twist." Before I knew it, I was juicing Gold + Green for all it had to offer.

This is Chopsy's first foray into the world of music videos – a tie-in with music maker Architeq. Conceived as a short film with a simple premise: “What happens to all the old vinyl people used to play? From out of attics, rubbish bins & forgotten shelving? The records are summoned to an old warehouse by a mysterious ‘collector’.”

I'm sure the question, "Why is this release worth listening to?" still remains in the minds of some of you. The answer to that question is, because Gold + Green is a musical melting pot. Architeq created a concoction of warped Jazz, Rocksteady Dub, a dose of Leftfield, topped with jarring Electronic effects. This album is right up your alley if you enjoy Leftfield-Electronic sounds fused with Jazz. For anyone interested in purchasing a physical copy of the release, Discogs has a limited amount in both CD and vinyl format (click here). For anyone looking for digital copies, iTunes is the place to go (click here). Lastly, I've included a sample track below. Cheers!

Architeq - Krakatoa

2011-08-17T11:54:00.004-04:00

S.N.S. - Yesterday's Machine (2011)

Genres: Downtempo, Experimental, Nu-Soul

“Saturn Never Sleeps was originally created by music producer King Britt and artist Rucyl for two performances specifically dedicated to the music and sound of Sun-Ra. Inspired by the works of classic electronic innovators like Herbie Hancock, Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire, the experiment began in July of 2009.” - Sature Never Sleeps

The Philadelphian veteran King Britt and the innovative mastermind Rucyl forms a dynamic duo. With decades of musical skill under their belts, and strong inspirations behind them, Saturn Never Sleeps is a force to be reckoned with. Ever since their formation, the duo has been busy refining their sound and touring the globe. Now, two years after their journey began, their debut album Yesterday's Machine is finally here.

“Their debut album, Yesterday’s Machine, combines an experimental create-in-the-moment vibe with inspirational lyrics and vocal sonics that range from Sade tones to Flora Purim’s ethereal layers. The result is well-crafted, intelligent, genre-pushing, electronic soul rooted in the duo’s collective years of experience and musical expanse.” - Saturn Never Sleeps

The video for the track "Grace" from the album Yesterday's Machine, created by Rux (Rui Pereira).

Yesterday's Machine is a solid debut album; it contains 12 elated tracks with a time span of 43 minutes. The album opens up with the track "Lotus," where Rucyl elegantly sails upon lullaby-like production. The track "Lotus" sets the tone of the remaining 11 tracks, seeing that the production remains relatively mellow and Rucyl's vocals remain graceful throughout the span of the album.

Yesterday's Machine is an all-around good release; and to top it off, it's available as a free download. A nice glass of wine, dimmed lights, a cool breeze, and free sounds by Saturn Never Sleeps is the formula of a perfect Summer night. Since the album is currently free, I recommend that every gives it a chance. The album can be downloaded directly through Saturn Never Sleeps website (click here). Also, if you wish to support the album, you can purchase yourself a copy through iTunes (click here), and vinyl and CD copies will soon be available. Lastly, I've included two sample tracks from the album below. Enjoy!

Saturn Never Sleeps - Yesterday is Gone

Saturn Never Sleeps - All Seasons Are Good

2011-08-12T22:29:00.004-04:00

Ray Barretto - Barretto Power (1972)

Genres: Boogaloo, Latin Soul, Salsa

"It was the early 70’s, Jerry Masucci (the former police officer turned lawyer) and his newly formed Fania Records was establishing itself as a power in the Latino music industry. Recordings by Johnny Pacheco (who became the labels vice president), Larry Harlow, Willie Colon and Ray Barretto were giving the label a visible identity of hip-ness. They were all characterized by a sound based on the best traditions of Afro-Cuban music but with an “in-your-face” contemporary NYC attitude. Although Ray’s previous recordings on Fania (Acid, Hard Hands, Together) all had a common thread of excellence, it was still a band that was evolving." - Bobby Sanabria via Fania Records

Barretto Power is a solid release by Ray Barretto, and it doesn't take knowing Spanish to realize it. Barretto comes from a time when New York City was the center for Latin music within the United States, and he (along with other artists) helped turn Latino musicians from add-ons for various Jazz bands to musicians to be reckoned with. Furthermore, it doesn't take being a Latino to know how influential Barretto's music was and still is today. The influence of Barretto's music soared across genres. His work was noticed by everyone from Charlie Parker to the Rolling Stones (whom he's worked with). The title of this album is a good description of Ray Barretto's discography as a whole, because he undoubtedly was powerful through sound.

The soulful songs "Right On" and "Power" are personal favorites from the album. Ray Barretto's shifting ability from Latin Soul to Salsa seems to be effortless. Regardless of the language barrier between Spanish and English, I found the Salsa numbers to be enjoyable as well. My love for Latin music stems from years of being around Latinos and their culture. Albums like Barretto Power remind me of dancing Salsa all night at countless birthday bashes, the great food I ate, Christmas and Thanksgiving parties, sitting in traffic on the way to Seaside Heights (a beach located in New Jersey), and other great memories I have with my Dominican friends and family.

Barretto Power is a feel-good album, and I recommend it to everyone. Despite the difference in language (if you're not familiar with the Spanish language), the electrifying vibes the album gives off is universally understood. Vinyl copies are available for purchase through Discogs (click here), and for the compact disc lovers, CD Universe has copies available for purchase (click here). Lastly, I've included two sample songs below. Enjoy!

Ray Barretto - Right On

Ray Barretto - Power

2011-08-10T19:43:00.007-04:00

Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself (2005)

Genres: Downtempo, Electronic, Pop Rock

Have you ever owned an album that embodies great material musically, but the album cover tells a tale of everything but that? Well, this is what the 'Bad Cover, Good Music' post represents. This post is to show a prime example of why it's not always wise to judge an album by it's cover. My goal for this post is to enlighten those that miss out on swell material due to unpleasant covers that misrepresent the beauty held within various albums.

Speak For Yourself is Imogen Heap's second solo album, and it's easily my favorite album by her thus far. On this album, Imogen shows much musicianship and creativity as a solo artist. Remarkably, the album was written, produced, arranged, and funded by Heap herself. Angelic harmonies, digestible lyrics, and sublime production reside within this release. Speak For Yourself is not only a strong album, but it also sets her apart from her previous group Frou Frou.

I've been in a Imogen Heap aura for the past few weeks, and the album Speak For Yourself has been satisfying to the ears each listen. However, despite the strong material featured on the album, it's missing one major component, a radiant album cover. It's never good to judge anything by it's cover alone, but as people, don't we all fall victim of using the "the first impression is the last impression" rule more than we'd like to admit?

The cover for this album says everything opposite of the musical experience it has to offer. The thoughtless album art screams, "I'm dull. I lack creativity. I'm not worth the purchase. I was created to collect dust wherever I'm placed. If you're shopping for music, you can expect to see me on a clearance rack." However, after bypassing the horrid artwork, a masterpiece quickly appears. It's as if the the clouds roll back, and the heavens rejoice directly after tearing through the unpleasant artwork.

Speak For Yourself is the most played album in my collection at the moment, and I would hate to see it fall by the wayside due to it's outer appearance. This album is not only recommended to individuals that enjoy music by Imogen Heap or Frou Frou, but also to anyone that would second guess giving the album a chance based on it's cover. Amazon has copies of the album available for sale (click here), so be sure to grab yourself a copy and become hooked the same way I have. Also, a sample of two tracks is available below.

Imogen Heap - The Walk

Imogen Heap - Just For Now

2011-08-10T17:57:00.001-04:00

2011-08-03T13:05:00.013-04:00

Bonobo - Black Sands (2010)

Genres: Downtempo, Future Jazz

Black Sands is Bonobo's fourth album, and is believed to be his best work thus far, and I agree. Black Sands is a solid release that precisely exhibits Bonobo's growth as a musician. This is a record that allowed him to go deep into a far away distance of creativity; into a realm where emotion and deftness infused life into opuses and formations. With a knowledgeable use of live instruments (mostly played by Bonobo himself) and other digital trades, Black Sands comfortably holds the title as being, "the most contemporary record he has ever made."

Bonobo is no rookie when it comes to making indispensable music. His previous work laid down a pathway for the creation of the superb album Black Sands. As soon as the album opened, an exuberant emotion quickly engulfed me; and with tracks like 'Kiara', I soon recognized a difference in Bonobo's production. Euphoria briskly turned into an eagerness of what else was in store. Then there it was, the track that held my attention for ransom, 'Eyesdown'. The song features the beautiful vocalist Andreya Triana (who co-wrote songs with Bonobo for the album). Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, another Andreya Triana feature, 'Stay The Same' arose and gently placed me in the smoothest trance. Each song on the album compliments the next, turning Black Sands into a masterpiece that has the power to perfectly fit into anyone's music collection.

Video footage of Bonobo performing 'Stay The Same' feat. Andreya Triana with a live band at the Roundhouse, (5/29/10).

Black Sands is recommended to anyone that indulges in tranquil tunes, and doesn't mind a hint of Soul. The total package of this release was beautifully done. The cover art created by Oscar Bauer & Ewan Robertson alongside Pelle Crépin perfectly matches the tone of the album. This is an instance when it's safe to judge an album by it's cover. Ninja Tune has various formats of the album available for purchase on their website (click here). Support can also be given by seeing Bonobo perform live, and luckily, he's touring. Tour dates can be found through his website (click here), so be sure to see if he'll be performing in your area. Lastly, I've included two enjoyable songs to preview below. Cheers!

Bonobo - Kiara

Bonobo - Animals

2011-08-03T03:59:00.012-04:00

Everyone meet Huw Gwilliam! He's a graphic designer from London, and I stumbled upon his love for vinyl due to his artwork that's featured on Booooooom. Gwilliam is the man behind the amazing Lost Gramophone series; which is a collection of well loved record covers redone to emulate the classic format of Penguin books. After catching up with Huw, and emailing back and forth about his love for music and his artwork, his love for vinyl was formed into an in-depth Vinyl Lovers post that I hope you all enjoy as much as I have.

Portrait - this is the Hifi and records in our living room. That's me pretending to look for a records, and then posing with Paddy (aged 11, and able to sleep through pretty much any audio frequency my amp can reproduce) and my first ever LP purchase, ZZ Top's 'Eliminator'

Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you grow up as a child? Was your household musically influencing? If so, what did your parents listen to, and what kinds of music helped shape your musical interests today?

I'm Welsh by birth but we moved up to the north-east of England when I was two. It's not really the 'green and pleasant land' most people associate with England. It's got it's green bits, but the main employer in the area I grew up in is the huge chemical company I.C.I, and large swathes of it are composed of plants built for the manufacture and shipping out of all manner of noxious materials. The film director Ridley Scott is from the same area, and the flaming smoke stacks and high-density industrial architecture was a big influence on his vision for Blade Runner. Growing up there in the 70s and 80s when things were in decline probably influenced my take on music more than I know.

I think it would have been hard for me not to become some sort of musical addict in that location; around that time the UK was going through a grass-routes folk-music revival (a lot to do with hardship in the area and a gung-ho approach to making one's own entertainment because it was cheaper to sing or play an instrument than to travel somewhere that a 'known' band might be playing). My folks were both involved with a local folk-club, and because a reasonably sized house came with my dad's job, we would often have musicians staying over at our house for the weekend so they didn't have to pay for lodgings. I'm not really a fan of folk music per-se, but think being steeped in music and musicians from day one just couldn't have aligned my magnetic grains.

My dad is a music lover and despite the leaner times, he somehow always managed to have a reasonably decent hi-fi, on which he'd play us all sorts of things, and certainly not just folk. We'd listen to pretty out there stuff considering we were just young kids - long instrumental stuff by Mike Oldfield, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Isoa Tomita. He had a love of harder rock and classical stuff too, but for me, at an age of about 6 where I wasn't really listening to the radio or immersing my self in 'Pop' yet, it was this seminal electronic stuff that I remember the best, and as I carry on talking in this interview, will reveal itself to have been the big primer for where my tastes lie now.

I think all of these were obtained free when we were kids. I actually think the Depeche Mode belongs to my sister. That song is universally loved in our family. We were all at a cousin's wedding a few years back, and we were all onto the dance-floor before the intro was over! Da Da Da is all built around a bleepy preset rhythm on an old Casio VL-Tone keyboard, something which always makes me smile. Tour De France. What can I say? Amazing.

When did you realize you had an interest for vinyl records, and what encouraged you to collect them?

Vinyl was everything until the mid eighties when CD players started to become affordable (I think I got my first CD-player in about 1989), and I was pretty lucky in the way we were surrounded by it at home. My dad started working as a volunteer, then part time freelancer as a presenter/journalist for the commercial local radio station. There wasn't much of a budget for his sunday morning show but one of the perks the station offered was a 'help yourself' attitude to promo records that had come from the record labels, that were either duplicates or inappropriate for the station's daytime musical output. This meant that 'free' records started to find their way into the house, and that my brother, my sister, and myself found that—almost by default—we were beginning to start our own little 7" vinyl collections. Some of it was just novelty stuff—kids music or TV themes (I think the first one I owned was some school choir singing a song called 'Wriggly, Wiggly Worms'!), but a lot was not, and I started getting a semi-random primer in pop - ex punk bands like Tenpole Tudor, Pigbag, The Dollops, early Adam & The Ants, as well as synth pop from the likes of Hazel O'Connor, Ultravox, Trio and Vince-Clarke era Depeche Mode. I even have 7"s by Art of Noise (Close to the Edit) and Kraftwerk (Tour De France) from this era.

Despite their prevalence, we were taught to appreciated their value and were careful when playing them and keeping the covers safe. I remember the shock of seeing records at friends houses out of their sleeves, being frisbee'd on to the bed, and stood on the floor. The Horror! We were even (lamentably now) encouraged to put little paper stickers on the front with our names on them so that we would not lose them. This, of course had nothing to do with my dad's anally-retentive cataloguing influence!

So right through my formative years there was an occasional but persistent trickle of music literally coming into the house and pulling my tastes in different directions. Naturally as time went on I started to listen more to the radio, watch Top of the Pops and have a more mainstream immersion to music of the time. But those days when I'd see a new record, and have no idea what it'd be like save for the clues the cover may or may not offer (a lot of promos were just in plain paper sleeves) really formed my inquisitive ear for things. My mum later worked at the station too, around the time that electronic dance music was making it's first big splash after the acid-house explosion, and my first exposure to The Orb was via a promo 7" of Little Fluffy Clouds she brought home; a record I still treasure today.

If you look you can see my Dad's lovely handwriting on the sticky label, in case anyone should want to make off with my Hazel O'Connor 7". Perhaps unsurprisingly, no-one ever did! 'Close (to the edit)' was a real game-changer musically. Early sampling and Fairlights; crazy stuff ilke using the engine sound from a Ford Escort as part of the rhythm. Like nothing before it - this and the LP it is from (Who's afraid of…) is a firm favourite of mine.

What was the first record you purchased with your own money? What caused you to purchase the album? Do you still have the record in your possession? Is it still playable?

Haha - this is kind of a curve-ball as I went off the 'electronic' rails a bit in the late 80s as chart synthpop faded and was replaced by terrible manufactured pop like Rick Astley et al. I was a bit young to be into the things my brother was getting into (New Order, Pet Shop Boys) and my older sister was getting into more rocky stuff - U2, Simple Minds. So anyway - I went to stay with my uncle and cousin up in the wilds of Scotland one summer when I was about 15, and he had an amazing hifi and one of the first CD players I'd got to hear. He had 'Eliminator' by ZZ Top, and the intro to 'Give me all your lovin' sounded just amazing on it so when I got home I just had to get a copy. I think it was bought as ASDA - the big local out-of-town supermarket, now owned by Wal*Mart. So for no seemingly apparent reason, the first 'proper' record I bought was 'Eliminator' by ZZ Top. I may have bought singles before that, but I honestly couldn't say what was the first; 'I Love My Radio' by Taffy, or 'Let's Go All The Way' by Sly Fox may pre-date the LP.

Of course I still have it - I have even in my time DJed with it too - the production on the drums played by Mr Frank Beard is amazing; so despite the incredible un-coolness of the thing when surrounded by more worthy-seeming electronica, it will remain with me always. Condition? Pretty good I think.

I think 'Swords of a Thousand Men' is the first 'proper' record I owned - i.e. It was an actual chart hit (as opposed to some novelty act or unknown artist). I can remember being in the schoolyard when it was a hit in 1981, so I must have been 8 at the time. Not really my sort of music now, but it's great nostalgia. My mum saved me the Orb 7" from the 'throwout bin' at Radio Tees. I'd never heard of them before but it was amazing - the lush tunefulness and the promise of more at the end (where it faded, being a radio-edit) that hinted would be there on the 12" mix or LP. My brother bought the 'Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld' LP days later, and since I had no cash, a tape was made for me that I bashed continually for some time after.

How many records do you currently own?

I've got a lot more than the average Joe who sold them all to make room for Tapes/CDs/Home Cinema systems, but it's certainly not a wall of records like a lot of vinyl-philes. Combined with my partner's records, the 12"s fill about six cubes of an IKEA Expedit unit - so that's a dense chunk of 12"x12"x72" of cardboard and plastic. In my time I've sold a few things - not really anything I regret, as for a while at college I was DJing house and techno for the college student union, and bought a lot of 'cool-at-the-time-but-ultimately-forgettable-genre' 12"s some of which have been purged at second hand stores.

Of the 72 square inches of records, about half are 12" singles rather than LPs. We also have a box of about 200+ 7" singles, and a lot of CDs; though I no longer have a dedicated player, using the computer (and usually losslessly ripping them when I do listen to them) I've gone over to the dark side though, and have an awful lot of digital music, which would probably take over if it were 'real'.

The bulk of it is from a period between about 1990 and 1998; it's electronic and dance music from that time. Mostly but not exclusively instrumental. i.e. music from the time when house, detroit techno, ambient, breakbeat and dub were all still in a sort of melting pot where the rules of genre were a lot less obvious as they seem in today's micro-fragmented electronic sub-genres.

So things like Acen, early Moby, early Jam & Spoon, Joey Beltram, LFO, Richie Hawtin, Bertie Aphex, Black Dog/Plaid, Sabres of Paradise. Spooky, FSOL, Orbital, Hardfloor, Pete Namlook; the Artificial Intelligence series. As the nineties progressed you'll find pockets of Drum & Bass (or Jungle as it was first known) along with the beginnings of the big Downtempo scene - Air, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Gentle People — that sort of thing. Then around the start of the 00s I got into the whole rejuvenation of the Electro and Synth-pop scenes (I hate the term electroclash) so there's tunes by Solvent, Miss Kittin, Dot Allison, Fischerspooner, Felix Da Housecat. But my Indie (James, Stone Roses) and Electronic Pop (Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Shamen) records all have their place in the slab. As do more leftfield bands like Rengade Soundwave, Meat Beat Manifesto, Finitribe, and Electronica like Bola, Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss.

This is pretty rare - blue vinyl version of Keiichi Suzuki's 'Satellite Serenade', remixed by the Orb. I bought this via-mail order (pre-internet) with one of my first college grant-checks in 1991. It cost £8 ($11) - a hell of a lot for a 12" single at the time, but I'd read it was the best thing the Orb had done and I had to have it. The review was right and I still love this sprawling sparkly dubby Ambient epic, and that's my record player. I never had a pair of technics, but did have two lesser players for many years. Now I do my DJ stuff on my laptop. I opted to get a nice minimal 70s record player for the living room, and this lovely little silver B&O Beogram does the job just fine.

What genres do you normally look for while shopping for records?

Genres? Hmm. I'm a lot more eclectic as I get older. My 'path' goes something like this: Seminal Electronic (late 70s) > Synthpop (early/mid80s) > Rock (late 80s) > House (1989 onwards) > Ambient House (1990 onwards) > Techno (1991 onwards). From then onwards, my taste moved around in the Dance/Electronic area flirting with fashions, and a better 'understanding' of what had gone before. I think if I had to sum up my 'genre' it'd be to say 'Music that feeds into, is, or has come out of Labels like Warp, Guerilla, and Rising High." If there was one person I'd say was the biggest influence over my taste, it'd be Andrew Weatherall. From the early Bocca Juniors stuff, Screamadelica, the endless amazing remixes, the early 2000s Electro phase to the amazing Peel-esque radio shows he now does on BBC SixMusic his output and taste have always been an inspiration. Over the last 8-10 years I'd say James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem, and the DFA's imprint have been my consistent go-to for invigorating music that spans genres, is danceable, and makes me smile.

I don't stick to one genre, I like things that sound good because of the little things, or because they just don't sound like anything else. Either they're sublime, or have a clever little theft, a sound that makes you shudder, a porcelain little melody, or simply because it makes my neck-hairs bristle. It could be cold-as-steel-like Electro, or warm acoustic vocal Pop, or relentless but subtle like some of the Berlin dub-techno. Mostly it has to have some soul to it. However machine-like it is, it needs the humanity to cut through that layer and make itself interesting with a hook, a warm chord, a melody or such. I have very little time for the dense self-indulgent melée of noise that's coming out of certain parts of the electronic scene - I really don't 'get' current Autechre or Squarepusher. Seems like it's for the geekier fanboys to score points over each other about whether they 'get' it or not.

When I got my first job after college, and had a bit more cash, I started to delve more for older stuff that got referenced in interviews by bands I liked, so my tastes got wider, older, and more specific. That's really when I started to listen to the seminal stuff (of which everything else has been borrowing from). So it's your Kraftwerk, Neu!, Brian Eno, Afrika Bambaata, Basic Channel, Giorgio Moroder, John Carpenter, Talking Heads kind of deal.

Sun Electric's 'Aaah!' EP. Probably my favourite record sleeve, by the Designers Republic (no apostrophe). It's not their best work as a record, but the gatefold sleeve is just so cool with the circles, transparency, and experimental typography. I often pull this out just to look at it.

During the course of owning and collecting vinyl records, have you ever traveled in search of music? If so, what were the most reminiscent locations you've purchased LPs?

To be honest - not really. I mean - If I'm out of town and I have the time and I stumble upon a shop, then of course, but I don't really go on special hunting missions. Prevalence of online resources like Discogs, Bleep, and HardToFindRecords have created a strange situation I think. You can find pretty much anything you want nowadays, but at the same time the thrill of the hunt has gone. I still love spending an hour over in Soho (I live in London now) or in a local thrift shop looking through the crates, but because of the online stores, I'm probably not looking for something specific. It's still nice to stumble upon something unusual in that setting though.

I've always had a mild phobia in the smaller, specialist record shops (Haha!). It's the same in bike shops - any specialist shop really. I think it's that male tribal 'take it seriously' thing. Even though I'm clearly the sort of customer most proprietors would want in their store, my mind goes to mush in a record shop if anyone on the staff asks me what I'm looking for. I suddenly know nothing about music, have forgotten all the names of the bands, genres, sounds I like, and feel like a bit of a charlatan not being able to expound my tastes so that they may find me similar stuff in a similar vein. I'm also uncomfortable with that pushy feeling you get if a shop owner brings you a pile of things to listen to - like you have to buy one because of the time they spent rooting them out for you. So I guess I prefer to quietly dig in the corner at my own pace. I'm a graphic designer for my job, so often (and sometimes to my cost) I'll use cover designs as way of seeking out something that might be interesting if I don't know the artist. Sometimes this has worked well for me, but equally it hasn't. I've probably passed on a lot of things I shouldn't due to shonky cover art - but them's the breaks!

Two more 'DR' covers and two classic tunes. LFO's 'What Is House' (Warp) is an early techno classic, and has other great stuff on it not on the Frequencies LP. I bought this on a field trip to London with my Art class. We went to see a bunch of Monet's, but I slunk off early to find an HMV where I got the Orbital 'Mutations' EP as well as some Erasure. No regrets. The other is 'O'Locco', also by Sun Electric. They have so many nice sleeves I had to show more than one!

Give me some insight on where you reside. Is there a big record community?

It's London. It's a big city with many kinds of shops catering to all tastes and cultures. There are reggae shops, elitist techno shops, chain stores, second hand stores, and the list goes on. I'm mostly happy to be in the second hand stores or thrift stores as less and less of the 'current' music I buy is in a tangible real-world form. For good or for bad.

Due to the economy, many record stores were forced to close up shop. Were there any good stores in your area that had to throw in the towel? Also, how do you feel about the remaining stores still standing? What shops would you recommend to a fellow vinyl lover?

In London, the best record shops (in my highest opinion) are in or around Berwick Street in Soho. There's lots of second hand places to dig, prices are pretty fair, and there's a nice bustling feeling around that area. There used to be a great 'new' records store there—Selectadisc—that was my go-to place for a lot of electronic stuff as it was big enough to browse without intervention, which seems to have gone now, but it's been replaced with a good second-hand store now (with the same format!), so it's not like the sad feeling you get when a loved shop becomes a Starbucks or something.

Two favourite 12" singles. The version of 'Don't Fight It Feel It' on the Screamadelica LP is great, but the 'Scat mix' on the 12" is even better, with an amazing piano break in the middle. My brother was playing this to his son, aged two the other day and he was jumping around digging the piano. At the particular point in time this was made. Andy Weatherall could do no wrong. Transform/Transformations is a mostly-instrumental Trance Techno tune from around 1993, but has a sample of Jane Fonda singing (well humming) taken from the 60s movie 'Barbarella' on it. It just builds and builds to this crazy break in the middle. Real hair-tingling moments… It's also one of a whole batch of records I accidentally ripped in mono. Head-desk moment when I realised that!

Three LPs. My brother got me the Shamen's 'En-Tact' as a birthday present, and it's a classic I had on heavy rotation in about 1991. It's a bit of a cheat as an LP since most of the tracks on it (if you read the sleeve notes) are actually remixes by all sorts of luminaries of the time - Orbital, Evil Ed, Well Hung Parliament. But it's great and the last of the good stuff they did before the tragic loss of Will Sinnott and their more 'Pop' phase at the helm of Mr C.

Spooky's Gargantuan. If you don't have this and like Progressive House or Ambient Electronica you have missed out. 'Little Bullet' still sounds fresh now, nearly 20 years later.

Satyricon is a genre-busting masterwork by Meat Beat Manifesto. I got it when it was released, and it's always in a pile near the front rather than filed as I return to it often. It's in parts abrasive, tuneful, bass-heavy, kitsch, hip-hoppy and melodic, yet somehow it all hangs together. I don't think MBM ever really get the props for just how influential they've been. I saw them supporting PWEI around the time this came out and not since have I heard such clean, crunchy and shuddering bass coming from just two guys on a stage.

Two seminal classics. The Malcolm McClaren is actually my Dad's, on long-term loan. Amazing album mixing Hip-Hop and Birundi beats. Everyone knows 'Buffalo Girls', but for me the tracks 'Soweto' and 'Double-Dutch' are the ones with lasting appeal. I love listening to this and then to the Art of Noise as there are so many bits where you can see how the Art of Noise sound was born.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a bit of a cliché in a music lover's collection and I'm an offender. My copy is pretty beaten up - I got it for like £2 (about $3) at one of London's 3 Vinyl exchanges about 10 years ago. It's a bit scratched but plays fine. Truly amazing work from Bryne and Eno.

This copy of 'Organisation' has been deleted from a record library sometime in it's life - you can tell by the notch cut in the corner and the gold 'not for re-sale' info emblazoning the front. Luckily this was ignored and I was able to pick this up for peanuts at my local vinyl thrift shop back in my home-town of Stockton-on-Tees in around 1988. The 'Record Mart' was great for more leftfield vinyl finds and I discovered loads of new stuff (Renegade Soundwave, Bassomatic to name but two) in that shop. Sadly it's no longer there.

You explained your decline of LP purchases due to the new digital wave. Have mp3's taken away your desire to shop for records altogether? If so, is this a phase that will blow over in due time, or do you see yourself sticking with mp3's until something new comes along?

I should say that after a dark period of lazy mp3 use I've recently seen the light on the benefits of lossless digital, and even 24 bit digital audio. I think the digital life in general erodes the desire to get outside and shop for most things: records being just one of them. As I said earlier, you lose out on the thrill of unearthing something rare, but you gain the chance to find it easily and do other things with it.

What's lost mostly is portion control. As a teenager without much cash for records, the ones you do buy you end up valuing more. Even the ones that weren't quite what you hoped probably still have room in your collection. With digital, and free music blogs, and iTunes' genius playlists you can have your cake and eat it, but I often feel you lose a lot in that process. I fear I don't sit and listen to music just for it's own end half as much as I should, and when I do, it's easy to go into attention-deficit mode and abandon an LP mid-way through because you've remembered something else you want to hear or you're bored. I have a lot of music in iTunes I've never listened to that I have on backlog, waiting to be listened to, categorised, and rated. Maybe it's taking the joy out of it?

On the plus side is the way you can play with, more than 'consume' digital music. I DJed at college and still dabble using tools like Ableton, so having music in digital form lets me do all sorts of stuff that I couldn't with 2 turntables. Mixing harmonically (within or across genres) is something I'm really excited about, and I'm currently in the midst of scanning all my digital music into 'key' (using a program called 'Mixed in Key') categories so I can better make choices about what sounds might work with that really cool break I've found.

When I do play vinyl now (which if I'm honest isn't as often as I ought), if there's time and it's rare, I do try to make a good lossless rip of it at the same time. I'm an Apple person so it's not FLAC but tools like Max can interchange between formats. To save on having to re-rip a lot of stuff I own, I do lurk at some of the FLAC blogs we all know are out there to replace things I don't realistically have time to re-rip. I don't see any problem with that. Lossless rips sound amazing through my Tripath 2024 amplifier.

I've always loved the sound of vinyl, but hated the fragility of it. I don't mind hiss, but pops and crackles on a lot of my played-to-death records does annoy me, even if that patina takes me back to a moment when it got scratched at some DJ venue, or fingerprinted by a less-careful friend. I think the world has forgotten about fidelity. I did for a while, but the price of digital storage finally being cheap enough to go lossless means I no longer have to compromise. The sad thing is it's still relatively hard to purchase a lot of lossless audio, and it's certainly not a mainstream thing. I dislike the way some people insult people's intelligence about audio quality with heavily compressed (at the mixing desk and at the data stage) music that sound pretty crappy, even to my cloth ears.

Thrift fun from my college sandwich year. The Donna Summer sleeve is held together by duct-tape at the top but the record is pretty good. Most of the album is pretty lame disco, but sneaking in at the end is the full 12 minute Giorgio Moroder/Summer epic that is 'I Feel Love' - the first ever House record.

'Tokyo Mobile Music' is a bit of an oddity and is one of those 'bought it for the cover' things. It's a compilation of new-wave and pop from Japan in the early 80s and some of it is pretty abstract and frankly unlistenable to an untrained western ear. The sleeve is so cool though. I'm not likely to ever part with it.

Three techno classics, all on the R & S label, and all bought around 1991-1992 at Alan Fearnley Records in the neighbouring town of Middlesbrough. This shop was amazing - Alan sat at the back with his beard and sage advice, and sold Indie, Rock, and (most importantly to me) proper dance music. All three of these 12"s are often cited as some of the most influential techno 12"s out there (Horsepower, Stella, and Energy Flash) and they make for a great triptych photo. Alan's record shop is now an Internet-only store, but the store itself is now owned by his daughter, who sells clothes from the same premises.

As a person that doesn't mind mp3's, do you believe records will become extinct to the dominating digital format?

I don't. I think we're on the cusp of a big digital backlash actually. I'm not saying we'll all trade in our iPods for Dansettes, but I think a lot of people my sort of age (38) are tiring of the sort of helplessness having an 'always-on' digital life can bring. I'm often paralysed by choice. "What Shall I Listen To?"—Sometimes I have no idea. So then I'll be weak and fire up a genre-based 'Genius' playlist to pique my appetite enough to actually find something I want to listen to.

What's missing is that old trope of tangibility I think. It's maybe a cliché to say it, but the tangible process of leafing through a pile of records, the smell, the yellowing edges, the nice big artwork cannot be replaced by the 'cover-flow' browsing mode in iTunes. I think that's really the problem. Digital is too clean. The sleeves don't age, don't get creased, don't have finger marks, or stains on them. The only way you can tell if it's a favourite is by looking in a database to see its play-count and rating stars. Too anal. Distant. Cold.

I had an idea a few years ago that seemed to me to be some sort of bridge for this problem and who knows - maybe it might become something that happens. The idea is you buy a 'record' that is still a lovely 12" sized piece of cardboard with artwork, inner sleeves - the works, but the 'record' itself isn't there. What is, is an RFID chip that you scan over some sort of interface that plays the record on whatever digital gizmo you have. Or it's got some solid-state memory in there and you slot that into a reader.

You keep these cardboard 'records' out in view (I feel its nice to have these things out rather than hidden away as 1s and 0s), just like records, they age just like records, and most importantly, you can browse them like records. I think you need to have the sleeve in your hands as you listen so you can read about the artist, enjoy the artwork, find out who produced it... So you're not browsing for other stuff, or correcting your ID3 tags or whatnot, but getting fully immersed. Other people can look and choose without having to get on your computer, so it's more sociable, and more democratic.

I think this sort of thing is starting to happen: I recently read about an RFID based Spotify player prototype that is dealing in a similar kind of concept. It has these neat real-world tokens that you use to help choose your music and create playlists. I think as 'the cloud' and physical space for digital files increasingly becomes an non-issue, that these more concrete, sometimes whimsical approaches may come into play to make everything more human again.

Sticky Labels: So there's my dad's careful handwriting and a promo sticker along with a library sticker from a deleted Radio Tees LP. Lastly a price sticker from the Music & Video Exchange - one of the better places to dig for records in one of three London locations

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fellow vinyl lovers?

1) Buy anything with a Designers Republic designed sleeve. It might not necessarily sound good, but it will always look good. :)

2) Get an anti-static gun for the dust that accumulates on records.

3) Don't stick with one band or kind of music for life. Don't flog a dead horse. Just because a bands' debut was life changing, doesn't mean their seventh LP is good for you. It's liberating not to slavishly follow one band or scene. They all have their moment, but it's usually not forever.

4) Read about what the artists you like listen to. Then read about what they listen to. So much of the most interesting music is widely unknown and digging through sleeve notes and interviews can yield just as many golden hints or happy accidents as spending time in your favourite record store.

5) Enjoy your records. Don't be too serious. Play your guilty pleasures; silly songs. Dance around the living-room. Music is about letting-loose, not sitting down and cataloguing!

Huw Gwilliam was not only nice enough to share his musical experiences with For Ear Sake, but he also allowed us to be a part of his record cover series by created us our very own cover! I fell in love with the series as soon as I saw it, and I was eager to find out what influenced him to breathe life back into a format many people overlook. Here's what I asked him, as well as his response:

Was your record artwork subconsciously done, or was your love for records on the forefront of your mind when you created the Pelican record covers?

Definitely my love of music and 12" record artwork. It wasn't a wholly original idea - I'd seen some by Olly Moss that did the same sort of mashup with computer games and old paperbacks, so doing it with Records, (and changing the Jan Tschichold-designed grid to square) seemed like a worthy follow up. It was really unexpected how popular they proved to be with people. I did one (Screamadelica) and posted it on the B3ta messageboards, where I instantly started getting requests for more. Even now, over two years since I created the bulk of them, I'm getting hundreds of hits a week on Flickr. I think that patina and nostalgia hit a nerve with people. Perhaps weirdest of all, the most popular one is the Phil Collins 'Face Value' cover.

I'd like to personally thank Huw Gwilliam for being apart of the Vinyl Lovers series. Also, be sure to check out his record cover series and the rest of his artwork on his website (here).

2011-08-03T01:25:00.012-04:00

Various Artists - Outer Spaces (2010)

Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Hip Hop

Retronyms alongside producers Eskmo, Exillon, Jneiro Jarel, and Starkey came together to create Outer Spaces; a short and sweet EP with a riveting story to tell. The producers were brought together to formulate tracks made with Retronyms' iPhone app, DopplerPad. Some producers used the app solely for their track production, while others used outside programs such as Logic and other DAWs (digital audio workstations) in addition with the app. No matter how each musician utilized DopplerPad, one thing that's certain is the EP is full of diversity.

Retronyms' co-founder Zach Saul stated, “Because we designed DopplerPad to be a tool professional musicians can use, we thought it’d be great to put together a compilation that showcases just what musicians are doing with it.” Outer Spaces is credited as being the first EP to use an iPhone app as an instrument for every track, and I must admit I'm not too surprised. Developers have been finding innovative ways to elevate their apps above the rest, and Retronyms clearly stood above various other production app developers with the Outer Spaces project.

"DopplerPad is a synthesizer-based instrument inspired by tools such as the Korg Kaossilator and the Yamaha Tenori-On. It mimics the standard DJ setup of a mixer with turntables on either side, and is complete with over 40 instruments, a gate arpeggiator, loop export via wifi, instrument and effects editors, and Audio Copy and Audio Paste with compatible apps." - Retronyms

“Of the iPhone apps I’ve had the pleasure of messing around with, DopplerPad is by far one of the most fun and engaging. It took me a few train trips to really wrap my head around it, I must admit. But after I realized that the app was built more around spontaneity and less about midi

sequencing, I was creating interesting loops at a feverish pace.” - Starkey

Since I'm no musician, I can't provide much information about how the app works in addition with my personal outtake on it. However, one thing I can say is, the project formed due to the app is quite enjoyable. To make it even better, it's available as a free download! Outer Spaces is recommended to all fans of Electronic/Hip Hop instrumentals. The EP can be downloaded through the DopplerPad website (here), and descriptions of the featured producers can also be found within the same page. Also, for anyone interested in giving up $10 for the app DopplerPad, you can be sure to find it in the App Store (here). Lastly, I've included a track from the EP below as a preview of what to expect. Enjoy!

Starkey - Hurricane's Doppler

2011-07-18T20:30:00.007-04:00

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue (2009)

Genres: Ambient, Electronic, Folk, IDM

Bibio (Stephen James Wilkinson), a musician from England, truly shows how much of a wild card he is with the album Ambivalence Avenue (his fourth release). He came with more than a refreshing sound, but he also jumped ship with Mush Records to set sail with Warp. Twelve exhilarating tracks, a beautiful cover created by David Foldvari, and a new improved Bibio made it easy to title Ambivalence Avenue as being one of the best albums released in 2009.

It's no secret that Bibio draws inspiration from the group Boards of Canada. However, his fascination with the duo turned him into an easy target for critics. He was labeled an emulator, predicable, and even as a "one-trick pony." But with three releases under his belt, and a solid debut album on Warp Records, he left many of his critics in a silent awe. Successfully stepping outside of a comfort zone is far from easy, but it seems as if Bibio took a creative detour down Ambivalence Ave to find success in his own right.

Bibio finds more than his own style in this release; he also grabs inspiration from artists such as Madlib, J Dilla, and even Flying Lotus. You can hear J Dilla inspiration all over the track "Fire Ant". This track is definitely the red-headed stepchild out of the remaining 11 songs, but it gives the album difference at the perfect moment. "Sugarette" is another personal favorite of mine, and it effortlessly breathes life into the album.

Ambivalence Avenue has a few diverse moments. Some people may not find this album satisfying as a whole, and will resort to picking it to pieces. Whereas others will digest it from start to finish. The bottom line is, there's something for everyone on this album; especially if you're a fan of genres such as Electronic, Folk, or Hip Hop. Bleep has the album available in both MP3 and CD format (here). Also, for anyone interested in viewing additional artwork by David Foldvari, it can be found (here). Lastly, I've included two tracks to preview below. Enjoy!

Bibio - Fire Ant

Bibio - Sugarette

2011-07-18T14:30:00.004-04:00

DJ Shadow - Dark Days (2000)
Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental

Have you ever been fond of a soundtrack just as much as the film? Well, that's what this Soundtrack post represents. This post is a detail of both films and soundtracks I enjoy.

DJ Shadow created a short and sweet score for the documentary Dark Days, and it fails to disappoint. The soundtrack only contains two tracks, "Main Theme" and "Spoken For Mix"; but it managed to win six awards in various competitions despite it's short duration. Moreover, the Dark Days soundtrack is looked upon as the component that completes the puzzle of the film, and is arguably the last recording DJ Shadow made in his "original style."

The documentary Dark Days featured more of DJ Shadow's music besides the two tracks he composed solely for the film. Excerpts from the album Entroducing... and material he created with UNKLE is also heard throughout the documentary. Sadly, those songs aren't a part of the soundtrack. However, the two tracks that are, are more than satisfying, and help tell the tale of Dark Days.

DJ Shadow - Main Theme

The first track "Main Theme" sets the tone for the film. It starts off dark and grim. Imaging yourself living beneath the ground is easily possible while listening to this track. Spine-chilling echoes, a murky guitar sample taken from Bill Osborn's track "Bamboo and Rice", and other atmospheric sounds help this track mesh in a dusky and soulful way.

DJ Shadow - Spoken For Mix

The second track "Spoken For Mix" is more of an extension of "Main Theme". All of the eerie components to "Main Theme" are also found within this track. However, dialogue snippets from the film helps differentiate this track from it's counterpart. "Main Theme" is chill and woeful, whereas "Spoken For Mix" breathes life into the soundtrack.

"When he relocated from London to Manhattan, Marc Singer was struck by the number of homeless people he had seen throughout the city. Singer had befriended a good number of New York's homeless and later, after hearing of people living underground in abandoned tunnel systems, he met and became close to a group of people living in The Freedom Tunnel community stretching north from Penn Station past Harlem. After living with them for a number of months, he decided to create a documentary in order to help them financially. Singer had never been a filmmaker before, and saw the production of Dark Days as a means of gaining better accommodation for the residents of the tunnel." - Wikipedia

Many people overlook the homeless. We know they exist but we chose to pay them no mind like we do our own shadows; homeless individuals are nothing more than a reflection of what any of us could possibly become. Some of us judge in the midst of throwing chump change into their buckets, or we grab them a bite to eat because we're too concerned with what they'll do with our chump change, or worst of all, some of us don't give anything at all. While driving by or brushing shoulders with society's forgotten, many of us aren't concerned with the stories of the destitute. However, Marc Singer created the documentary Dark Days to help change the stereotypical perceptions many of us have towards individuals that are homeless.

I remember seeing Dark Days for sale a few years ago at Turntable Lab, and the description of the documentary quickly struck me as a "must see" film. Homeless people living similar to the urban folklore Mole People? How could I not be interested? However, I never purchased the film, and it eventually went from being a "must see" to a film that I'll eventually get around to watching. Luckily, thanks to Netflix, it didn't take much time for me to wrap my eyes and ears around this bone-chilling documentary. I remember my face being glued to my 13" Macbook as I observed the stories of a group of people that took refuge underneath the ground. These individuals were simply fleeing from the ills of the world; a disregarding world, a inhuman world. They were escaping the tormenting citizens above ground, as well as imprisoning themselves from the results of their own life-altering decisions. Dark Days may be seen as melancholy, but the cast brings an array of light to the forefront with their personalities, humor, and the way they peacefully co-exist with each other. Consequently, the stories the cast shares with the world is not only daring and exposing, but their stories have the power to change even the coldest heart.

"Shot in noirish black and white, Singer shows how society's discarded and disenfranchised fashion a community of sorts in the sunless labyrinth of the station's transit tunnels. Though told without narration, a dozen or so individual stories emerge. Dee (the sole woman depicted in the film) lost all her children in a house fire while she was high on crack; Ralph remains inconsolable after his five-year old's rape and mutilation during a stint in prison. In the final reel, Amtrak sends in armed police to clean out the tunnels, citing health concerns. However, the subterranean tenets happen upon a stroke of luck, as an NYC social worker discovers a cache of previously unclaimed public housing. Featuring a sparse soundtrack by DJ Shadow, Dark Days won the Grand Jury prize for cinematography, the Freedom of Expression award, and an audience award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival." - Jonathan Crow, Rovi

"I enjoyed this film on a lot of different levels. The camera work is really beautiful, and the film has a loose narrative structure with an uplifting ending. All of the people in the film are very articulate in their own way, which shatters some of the stereotypes people have about the homeless. The movie definitely takes sides, and is sympathetic towards the homeless, but it also makes it very clear that the people made poor choices in their life which lead to their situation. Even in the midst of all their suffering, I found it surprising that they all have excellent senses of humor. The score by DJ Shadow is also extremely well done and appropriate." - Soujiro (IMDb user review, 2000)

In final consideration, I hope that at least one person views this documentary, and walks away with a change of heart the same way I did years ago. Dark Days is highly recommended to open minded individuals, and the soundtrack is recommended to anyone that enjoys Trip Hop music or DJ Shadow's earlier compositions. Dark Days (the documentary) can be found for purchase on Amazon (here), or for rent via Netflix (here). According to an MCA press release, copies of the soundtrack are limited to 7,000 CDs and 3,000 7" vinyls. Fortunately, Discogs has both formats for sale (here), so be sure to grab yourself a copy!

2011-07-18T06:04:00.003-04:00

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Autumn

Kaleidoscope Got Changed (2010)

Genres: Acoustic, Experimental, Lo-Fi

Pittsburgh, PA has a lot more to offer than Wiz Khalifa, and Black Moth Super Rainbow is a perfect example of Pittsburgh's offerings. For anyone that may not be familiar with their work, Wikipedia provided a helping hand with describing their sound by stating, "Their music contains elements of psychedelia, folk, electronica, and pop. Their distinctive sound is characterized by analog electronic instruments including the vocoder, Rhodes piano, and Novatron."

"Originally a private press CDR from 2001, The Autumn Kaleidoscope Got Changed was never properly released, and mainly just given out to friends. Some material made it onto the first real BMSR album, Falling Through A Field in 2003, but Autumn's sound is more haunted and acoustic. Included on a specially etched record is EP, Sing To Us, an even less produced CDR made up of songs left off of the album." - Black Moth Super Rainbow

I remember being introduced to Black Moth Super Rainbow in 2007/2008. It was around the time I began to delve into the Electronic genre; however, their sound can't be described as just Electronic. They fuse Acoustic, Electronic, Experimental, Lo-Fi, and Psychedelic Rock into one. Hearing them for the first time was truly an ear opener, and I wanted to hear more. I began to randomly pick albums one by one from their discography, and I found myself satisfied with each release I heard, including Autumn Kaleidoscope Got Changed.

Like stated within the Black Moth Super Rainbow quote prior in the post, Autumn Kaleidoscope Got Changed was released in 2001. Yet, Black Moth Super Rainbow re-released the album in 2009 included with the EP Sing To Us (an even less produced CDR made up of songs left off of the album). The recordings of this album may have been recorded in 2001 (before BMSR was fully formed), but I'm glad The Autumn Kaleidoscope Got Changed finally received a well deserving release.

This album is recommended to individuals that not only enjoy Experimental music, but Folk music as well. Each track is beautifully fused with these genres. The limited deluxe 2XLP can be purchased directly through the official Black Moth Super Rainbow store (here). Also, they're currently touring the United States, so be sure to view their show dates (here) to see when/if they'll be in your area! Lastly, I've included two tracks as a preview below. The first song is from the original The Autumn Kaleidoscope Got Changed album, and the second song is a part of the Sing To Us EP. Enjoy!

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Appleworm

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Runthroughoraroundthepark

2011-07-11T13:14:00.011-04:00

Braveyoung - We are Lonely Animals (2011)

Genres: Ambient, Experimental, Post-Rock

I'm just going to start this one off by saying these guys are amazing. A good friend of mine introduced them to me about a year ago and I was thoroughly impressed. Braveyoung is a relatively new band, forming back in 2008.

We are Lonely Animals is comparable to a full motion picture soundtrack. Every track on this album tells a beautiful story; stories of joy, pain, struggle, laughter, sorrow, and more. There were times while listening to this album I shut my eyes and let the music speak to me. From start to finish, I was moved by the music, and at one point was almost brought to tears. The best part of this album is the stories are told solely though music. In fact, I think there is only one track on the entire album that actually has lyrics. With that being said, the vocals that are actually on the album are not that impressive, but the music that accompanies the singing takes over the song.

Braveyoung's sound can collectively be described as powerful. Dark, slow, swirling guitars accompanied by soft yet compelling percussion makes for an amazing sound. This album is highly recommended, and definitely worth a listen. it's available on vinyl (click here) and cd as well as digital download on iTunes (click here). Here's a very somber song called "Dark Days, Including After Midnight" that I particularly enjoy, and I hope you do as well. Thank you for reading.

Braveyoung - Dark Days, Including After Midnight

2011-07-11T02:33:00.001-04:00

2011-07-11T01:14:00.004-04:00

Seal - Seal II (1994)

Genres: Pop, Soul

Remember that one album your parents used to listen to in the car? Or can you remember having that one CD you never let your friends know you listened to because you figured no one else knew about it? This was one of those albums for me. Growing up in the 90's, I was exposed to alot of exceptional music by my parents without even realizing it. I've technically been listening to Seal since he dropped his first studio album back in 1991. While some tracks from his first two albums sound a bit dated, I'd say a good 90% of the rest of his music is timeless. His voice is amazing; quite possibly one of the best male vocalist to live. Most of our generation and beyond have yet to hear Seal's music, despite the fact that he still makes music to this day. A majority of those who have heard of him mostly know him as "the guy that did the Batman song."

Seal was actually Seal's second self titled album, and is widely know as Seal II to avoid confusion. It was released in 1994 and received a Grammy nomination for album of the year. This album features the well known hit "Kiss from a Rose" as well as 10 other great tracks. This album is a very easy listen, great for long drives with the top down. If you're looking for a easy listen, this one is for you.

Other albums by Seal that I particularly enjoy are Seal (Seal I), and Human Beings, and I definitely recommend you check those two out, especially if you like this one. Enjoy a sample entitled "If I Could" featuring Joni Mitchell. This album can be purchased by digital download from iTunes by clicking here or by vinyl here.

Seal - If I Could feat. Joni

2011-07-02T17:35:00.022-04:00

Fatima - Follow You EP (2011)

Genres: Electronic, Nu-Soul

Fatima is a beautiful singer hailing from London, UK. Follow You is her second EP released on Eglo Records, and it's undeniably a solid release. Fatima has worked with artists such as Dam-Funk, Funkieven, Shafiq Husayn, and now she's back with new material with Floating Points (who also resides in London, UK) by her side. The EP consists of Fatima's soulful voice over the sensational production by Floating Points. This duo is a match made in music heaven.

Fatima is shifting the sound of Soul music along side other great artists. It's no longer uncommon to hear a Soul singer accompanied with Electronic production. Some call this new sound "Modern Soul"; a modern sound that I happen to think of as a breath of fresh air. 2009 is the year that I stumbled upon Fatima's alluring voice on works by Shafiq Husayn and FunkinEven. "Lil' Girl" is easily one of the best songs off of Shafiq's album Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka. As far as FunkinEven, Fatima worked with him on her Mindtravelin EP, and also was featured on his 12" Kleer. It's good to see that she's still creating wholesome music. I've been waiting for this release, but wasn't quite sure I was.

"Utterly exquisite offerings from Eglo's blessed soul vocalist, Fatima Bramme Sey, atop the creamiest beats from equally talented producer/label boss, Floating Points. If you've dipped into the warm waters of modern Soul in the last few years it's highly likely you're familiar with Fatima's output already, from her appearances on DVA's 'Just Vybe (Soule:Power Mix)' to Shafiq Husayn's 'Lil Girl' or a slew of Eglo releases. Make no mistake, though; this is the one you need!" - Boomkat

The Follow You EP is recommended to anyone that appreciates the new direction Soul music is progressively heading in. The EP can be purchased digitally through Boomkat (here). However, copies are limited for all of my fellow vinyl lovers. Luckily, Discogs has a couple of copies for sale (here), but quantities are low, so think fast! Also, Eglo Records informed everyone the EP can be located in "all good record stores", so hopefully your local record store is cool enough to have a copy or two in stock. Lastly, I've included the officially video for the track "Innervisions" below. If you're not familiar with her work, this track should easily persuade you to support her music. Enjoy!

2011-07-02T14:40:00.044-04:00

Vinyl Lovers is a monthly post that premiers the love individuals have for vinyl records. Each month, one special individual will be chosen to share their love with For Ear Sake by giving a glimpse of their collection, certain records they adore, and stories surrounding their love for the forgotten medium. Vinyl Lovers is not only for vinyl collectors with large collections, but for all individuals that own and love records. It's not about the amount of records you own, but the love you have for what you own. Hopefully this monthly post will inspire people on the verge of starting a record collection, and motivate those that collect to keep digging!

Everyone meet Chris. He's a 26 year old vinyl lover from Iowa. I caught up with him through Instagram (iPhone app), and in the midst of the pictures he shared with everyone, I saw that he enjoyed vinyl records. There's a few fans of the LP format that use the app, but Chris was one of the ones willing to be featured for Vinyl Lovers, and we're more than happy to feature him.

How long have you been collecting records? When did you realize you had an interest for vinyl records, and what motivated you to start collecting them?

I’ve been collecting records for 14 years now. I learned about Punk and Rap music first through skate and BMX biking videos. My older brother and his friends were big influences being in our skate and biking circles as they passed around CDs, records, and mixes to one another. As I got older I became aware of the DJ community in Iowa, which at the time was mostly a House and Hardcore Techno scene. However, there were a few Hip Hop DJs around. Through countless dubs of their mixtapes, that opened my ears to collecting records, sample hunting, and new genres of music. Plus, the Midwest Rap scene was really taking off in the late 90's and early 00's.

What are your favorite genres to collect?

Currently, I collect Cuban records of all types. There are multiple eras that I am learning about dating back to the 40's all the way up to recent times. It’s pretty amazing how styles changed due to American or various South American influences; even under the ongoing embargo via the U.S. So, Cuban music has been my main venture for the past three years, and my collection is constantly growing. If I’m not in the mood for anything Cuban I spend time with Angolan, Brazilian, Private Issue New Age, and field recordings from all over the world. I don’t limit myself to just those genres, however. I find current artists like Flying Lotus, Deerhunter, Dimlite, and Dungen pretty amazing among countless others.

The Grupo Los Yoyi, self-titled. The Grupo Los Yoyi LP is considered a "grail" to collectors of Cuban music. As you can see, the cover of my copy is a bit gutted, but the record plays great! It contains a deep Jazz-Funk favorite of mine, "El Fino." Listen (here).

What was the first LP you purchased with your own money?

There were two records that I bought at the same time with my own money, those being DJ Shadow’s “Preemptive Strike” and a Ghetto House 12” from DJ Funk, “Ghetto Booty House Anthems.” I lost my copy of “Preemptive Strike,” sadly. I’m pretty sure it’s the only record I’ve ever lost. I still listen to the DJ Funk 12” here and there. If you were ever into House music of any kind, it’s a classic. Those two purchases were made strictly because of surrounding influences that opened up my ears to numerous sounds. I am extremely grateful for that.

How many records does your collection consist of?

If I had to guess, the most it’s ever been is around 2,500. Currently, the collection is closer to 1,500. I’ve been living in the top of a 100+ year old house for about 8 months now, and I’ve got maybe 500 of my LPs with me sitting on the floor, lying against the wall. It feels good to have fewer lying around than more. After a few years into record collecting, I knew I didn’t want to have an enormous collection, so I tend to thin it out when I get the time and motivation. I am definitely willing to let the collection get large, however. If I ever let my collection hit the 5,000 LP point, I’ll know it’s time to let a good amount go.

Ojas, "Seven Levels of Man." I've heard this one is considered by many collectors to be a precursor to New Age music. Ojas' "Seven Levels of Man" consists of experimental electronic noise and acoustic instrumentation right on the verge of New Age music. It's a great album, don't let the New Age reference point fool you. I'm a fan of any sort of early electronic music, and having just discovered the PINA (Private Issue New Age) genre, I'm hooked on this stuff now.

How often do you shop for records? Also, where are your favorite places to dig? (shops, flea markets, garage sales, etc)

The answer is daily. I don’t necessarily make a purchase everyday or week, but I’m always looking online or at locals shops. It’s beneficial to keep your eyes peeled and to read up on as much information as you can. It only makes you more knowledgeable and aware of what’s out there. My favorite places to dig are either garage sales or at the local Half Price Books. Iowa isn’t the greatest place for records, actually, it’s considered by many to be horrible. As you can imagine, I make a lot of my purchases online through contacts I’ve made over the years, or eBay, Music Stack, Super Fly, Discogs, etc. My favorite record shop is Good Records in NYC. I’ve met a lot of great and interesting people through collecting records.

Grupo Irakere, self-titled. Grupo Irakere's self-titled release on the fantastic Areito label is great all the way through. It contains the popular fuzzed out "Bacalao Con Pan" track, along with plenty more to jam to. It gets consistant play on my turntable. This is the first Cuban record I purchased, and I reckon it may be my favorite. Listen (here).

Where's the weirdest place you've come across records? Did you manage to score anything good?

I haven’t necessarily stumbled upon records in weird places per se, but various shops and house calls have all been interesting. For example, there is a store a few hours from here that is part record, antique, vintage costume, and skate shop. It’s very strange heading upstairs to this massive room of records, walking beside an enormous amount of vintage costumes that I assume are for Halloween or plays. At that particular spot, I scored a few overpriced notables upon my first visit. House calls can be a strange, awkward, and unique experience, or just a painful process to go through. After the owner has been telling war stories or subjecting you to a grueling story about a deceased pet, it’s always rewarding to score a nice LP or 20. I’ve found come up on some nice local private issue Jazz LPs a few times. Iowa's got a few record related secrets up it's sleeve.

Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC, self-titled. The Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC were a collective of Cuban musicians and composers for the Film Institute in Havana. Many of their releases contain Experimental Jazz and Folk music, along with the Nueva Trova (New Song) style they are most known for. This particular release is pretty amazing; in many ways its like a psychedelic-noise-jazz-samba-rock album if you can imagine that. This track is from their third release (not pictured). Listen (here).

How far have you traveled in search of records?

I’ve never gone on a trip specifically for record digging, though I’d like to. The furthest I’ve traveled is to both coasts of the U.S. I’ve traveled all over Iowa in search of records, and of course have found very little. Known collectors have come through Iowa a few times over the years, so props to those collectors for doing their homework and figuring out the record situation here. Whether I find a great LP in this state or someone else does, it’s good to know that someone is finding something around here.

Have you ever come across steals you take pride in? If so, what records did you manage to get for a steal price, and what were the prices?

Again, this is Iowa we are talking about, but I’ve scored a NM copy of Stanley Cowell’s “Musa” on Strata East for $.50. I like that album--nice, relaxing solo piano Jazz on the spiritual tip. The best may have been finding close to 25 various NM James Brown 45s in the backroom of an art gallery turned record shop in a small town 20 miles from here, all for $.25 each. The next day I went back for further inspection, and the owner realized what happened and raised the prices to the going rate. I wish that place was still around; it was open for only a summer. Aside from that, I've had some cool online steals. An example would be the awesome self-titled Latin Funk album from Coke on Sound Triangle selling for $11 on eBay. I’m still not sure how no one noticed, however, these things seem to happen often.

Daniel Viglietti & Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC, self-titled. Here we have Uruguayan folkster Daniel Viglietti collaborating with the Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC. Side A is entirely covers of popular Brazilian songs including Edu Lobo's awesome "Upa Negrito" and Chico Buarque's "Construccion." Side B is popular Cuban songs covering Noel Nicola's upbeat "Comienzo El Dia." There are a few different versions of this release, I've had the U.S. pressing on Monitor forever until recently I scored the Cuban pressing on Areito by way of some amazing luck. Great album cover.

Do you believe records will become extinct? If so, what do you think can be done to prevent the extinction?

I don’t believe records will become extinct any time soon. There will always be collectors, whether they are the specific hardcore completists or like-to-buy-everything type, records will be around. I think preservation is important for nearly everything—knowledge-wise or collectible. While I’m by no means perfect at handling records or taking care of them, I think it's important to take care and respect these objects, because they are an idea or work of art that someone created for others to consume or cause influence. They are a look into the past. I find it extremely interesting to own Cuban LPs, personally—some of the sleeves are printed on flimsy paper, while others on a sturdier cardboard stock. This was entirely due to the available supplies at the specific time the album was pressed in Cuba. Like any object that’s collectible or of historical significance, it can tell you a story about a time and place, and lead you in so many directions record-related or not.

What advice do you have for individuals just starting a record collection?

My biggest advice is to buy anything that looks interesting. If you don’t like it, get rid of it. Learning about records and music can be slow, or it can be fast. Use all the tools you have at hand—the internet, message boards, Popsike, etc. Read books on specific genres of music that interest you. Keep an open mind and take suggestions and recommendations from everyone you meet who's into music; it will benefit you in the end. Don't be afraid to take a chance on a record.

Do you have any other musical hobbies outside of collecting records?

I enjoy graphic design, photography, and bikes and hikes.

I personally want to thank Chris for being a part of Vinyl Lovers, and helping set the tone for what's to come in the following months. He's not only a vinyl collector, but an artists as well. Be sure to check out his work (here)!

2011-07-02T07:31:00.020-04:00

Rahsaan Patterson - After Hours (2004)

Genres: Neo Soul, R&B, Soul

After Hours is Rahsaan Patterson's third album. Patterson experienced mishaps and traveled a great distance for this substantial release to see the light of day. The story behind the development of the album is a reason why many people dislike major labels. Prior to After Hours, Patterson was signed to MCA Records, and released two albums with the label. But just like many artists signed to a major label, Patterson's sound didn't sit well with MCA, and they decided to drop him instead of releasing this album. Inspite of MCA turning their back on the album, Dome Records (UK indie label) decided to support Patterson, and release it. Here's what a fan had to say about the situation, "MCA dropped the set, and Dome here in the UK grabbed it before it could hit the floor. Well, hats off to Dome and underpants down to MCA!"

"A few spins of After Hours makes it plain that we're finally hearing the real Rahsaan Patterson. Granted, both the self-titled debut and Love in Stereo didn't come across as processed or put on in any sense when they came out; but this promise-fulfilling release puts it in a whole new perspective. After Hours benefits from a touch so easy and natural that it practically sounds like it was made by a new artist. Throughout, you can picture Patterson surrounded by a small group, cutting most of the material live in the studio. This is the proper route for him." - All Music

Rahsaan Patterson produced the majority of After Hours with the help of a few producers. Two individuals that stood out amongst others that helped produce the album is Van Hunt and Jamey Jaz. You can tell which songs Van Hunt produced; each track is engraved with his signature style. "Burnin" and "The Best" are two favorites produced by Hunt. As for Jamey Jaz, he's the producer behind the perfectly described track "So Hot" as well as others.

One thing Rahsaan Patterson can be credited for is his high energy. The energy he delivers goes well with his soulful voice. After Hours made up of high highs and enjoyable lows. This is definitely an album to check out if you're a fan of Neo Soul (a term I dislike using). The album ranges from songs you can easily dance to, or slow love songs any individual with a heart can relate to. Amazon has copies available for sale (here), so be sure to purchase yourself a copy if this album seems to be up your alley. Also, a couple of tracks that I personally enjoy are located below.

Rahsaan Patterson - So Hot

Rahsaan Patterson - Burnin'

2011-06-27T10:03:00.011-04:00

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (1957)

Genres: Hard Bop, Jazz

"Sonny Rollins will go down in history as not only the single most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop era, but also the greatest contemporary jazz saxophonist of them all. His fluid and harmonically innovative ideas, effortless manner, and easily identifiable and accessible sound have influenced generations of performers, but have also fueled the notion that mainstream jazz music can be widely enjoyed, recognized, and proliferated." - All Music

Way Out West is not only a timeless release, but it also helped label Sonny Rollins as the top tenor saxophonist in Jazz (until John Coltrane exceeded him the following year). The creation of this album is stunning. Rollins recorded the album with Ray Brown (bassist) and Shelly Manne (drummer); whom he had never played with before prior to Way Out West. In addition, statements from the liner notes also show how exceptional the album is. Lester Koenig stated in the liner notes, "At 7 A.M., after four hours of intense concentration, during which they recorded half the album, and should have been exhausted, Sonny said, 'I'm hot now.' Shelly who had been up for 24 hours, said, 'Man, I feel like playing.' And Ray, who was equally tired and had a studio call for the afternoon, just smiled."

Way Out West has a notable place in Jazz history due to the confident decision Sonny Rollins made to dispense the piano and carry on in a trio format. It's clear that both Shelly Manne and Ray Brown were inspired by Rollins' jaunty standpoint. Compositions from the fellow Jazz musicians Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Peter DeRose, and Isham Jones were all rigorously done within this release. The precise work from the trio turned this album into a classic.

This release is exceptional for more than it's musical facet. The album cover also adds on to why Way Out West is such a fine album. The celebrated jazz photographer William Claxton is responsible for taking the picture of the cover. According to the liner notes, the idea for the cover was Rollins' idea; he wanted to celebrate his first trip to the West Coast. A Stetson hat, holster, and horn in place of a pistol? If that isn't looked to be classic material, I don't know what the word classic means!

"Sonny Rollins’ playing is immediately attractive because of his muscular harmonic conservatism. Where he might have never have licked every scalar corner in existence as Coltrane did, he does always perform at the highest level. Way Out West remains a standard for this higher level." - All About Jazz

Way Out West is highly recommended to anyone that favors Jazz. This album should be included in every Jazz fan's music collection. Discogs has a variety of copies for sale (here). There's even a sealed vinyl copy available for $12.95. I can't guarantee the copy will still be available, because I might grab it for myself. However, there seems to be a variety of vinyl copies in good condition, so be sure to grab yourself one. Lastly, I've included a track I personally enjoy below. Enjoy!

Sonny Rollins - There Is No Greater Love

2011-06-27T08:12:00.005-04:00

2011-06-27T03:27:00.011-04:00

The Foreign Exchange – Authenticity (2010)

Genres: R&B, Soul

Close your eyes and reflect on the very first time you fell in love. Disregard the actually person, and remember the intensity of the stream of fresh emotions that flowed throughout your entire body. The same feeling can be applied towards the first music group I fell in love with, The Foreign Exchange. Members of the group include Singer and songwriter Phonte & producer Nicolay. The duo's union was definitely destiny, seeing that Dutch producer Nicolay moved from his native home to relocate in the States to collaborate with the rapper from Little Brother Phonte Coleman. Their first album was created while they were apart. The album Connected was created completely via phone and Internet. Connected was an introduction to who Nicolay and Phonte really were. Nicolay's mystical and ambient beats compliment Phonte's vocals and writing so eloquently. Sophmore album Leave It All Behind changed my life, and ultimately altered my entire extistence. The song “Daykeeper” was actually Grammy nominated in 2010, and the album received raved ratings throughout the entire soul culture media.

Men enjoy Soul music just as much women. It’s not often that R&B artists make albums that relate to what men experience in love, marriage, life, and relationships. In October of 2010, The Foreign Exchange released their junior album Authenticity. The album was crafted ever so beautifully. I didn’t see as much popularity with this album in comparison to the previous two, but the album was still a gem nonetheless. It was a journey that captured trials and tribulations through the eyes of men.

“Authenticity is an honest, revealing record of great potential to be one of those classics mentioned for our generation. The lyrics are thoughtful, charming and most of all genuine. Phonte proves to be the wordsmith we can depend on, making every experience real, and without judgment. It’s refreshing to hear such devotion on wax in our times. Yet, one of the most celebrated keys of success on this album is its diversity. Nicolay decided to continue with the same formula used on City Lights Vol. 2 Shibuya combining atmospheric 70s /80s jazz-fusion, elements of progressive rock movements, and softly laced broken beats. Separating themselves from the boom bap origin on previous albums showed musical growth and edginess that gives the genre a nice push in the right direction.”- Rawemag

To sum it up, the album is short and sweet. It includes collaborations with Jesse Boykins III, Chantae Cane, YahZarah, Median, and Darian Brockinton. I could compare the album to a ride on a rollercoaster. Each track will take you high and low; but right when you start having fun the ride is over. Currently the group is doing their Authenticity tour in the U.S. So if you haven’t seen them live yet, be sure to get your tickets. Also, if you happen to see them live, be prepared for an entertaining and heart filled show.

Authenticity as well as previous albums by the duo can be purchased at The Foreign Exchange Music Store or on Amazon. The video for "The Last Fall" is also located below.

2011-06-25T11:48:00.008-04:00

The Midnight Eez - The Midnight Eez (2011)

Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental

First thing's first, the story behind this release seems a tad bit offbeat. The Midnight Eez is an unknown duo from the Bronx, NY. No one is aware of their whereabouts or has any leads on how to contact them. But oddly, their demo which dates back to 1995/1996 still managed to get released on vinyl through All City Records. Here's what All City had to say about the release:

"So this is how the story goes.. A long long time ago in a galaxy far away, that is to say pre-internet, 1995 or 1996 to be not very exact, All City co-founder Splyce found himself on one of his regular record buying sojourns to New York. Approached outside the Fat Beats store by two guys who had heard he was a DJ from out of town and were eager to spread word of their production work outside their homeland, he was given a mix tape demo of their beats. Named The Midnight Eez, from the Bronx, they were one of thousands of budding production units on Manhattan Island. The tape came only with a name and pager number, which hardly surprisingly now goes unanswered in 2011, but after relocating that same tape in a recent house move, in the spirit of musical altruism we have decided to give it the proper vinyl release it deserves. Hopefully this release will see The Midnite Eez them get some belated but deserved shine."

It's great that their material will finally see the light of day, instead of covered in dust particles and only God knows what else in a "long forgotten" portion of DJ Splyce's old home. However, something doesn't sit well. When reading about the outlandish story of the album's origin, I quickly thought, "Where do the proceeds go? Will All City Records reap benefits from material that wasn't authorized to be sold? What happens if the group is never to be found?" In addition, the individuals shown in the album cover are far from the duo; the picture was taken by the New York photographer Sue Kwon. It doesn't seem fair. Regardless of how unfair and far-out the story is, it didn't keep me from allowing my ears to partake in the eargasmic Hip Hop instrumentals.

Another thought that came to mind was, "How can material released so long ago stand tall with material released today?" The self titled album The Midnight Eez will leave listeners in astonishment. There's a 15/16 year gap in between now from when they created the demo. These guys were clearly beyond their time; and if they're still making music, one can only image what their material sounds like now.

You can easily get lost in the mellowness of their instrumentals. Their music takes you to a placid dominion where wanting to lyrically float above the beats is an understatement. The Midnight Eez is strongly recommended to everyone that enjoys Hip Hop instrumentals. All City Records has copies of the vinyl (here) for 9 euro, which equals out to 12 US dollars. I've also included two tracks that I personally favor below, so be sure to check them out, and purchase yourself a copy if you enjoy what you hear.

The Midnight Eez - Night Walk

The Midnight Eez - Dust

2011-06-25T10:15:00.008-04:00

Albert Ayler - Music is the Healing

Force of the Universe (1969)

Genres: Free-Jazz, Soul-Jazz

Albert Ayler was a saxophonist, singer, and composer from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, whom later settled in New York City. He's known for his musical vigor in Jazz; a zeal that created a strong following of musicians and fans alike. Ayler may not have received recognition like some of the more popular Jazz musicians we hear about today, but his skill with the saxophone truly separated him from most of his counterparts. Music is the

Healing Force of the Universe is not the greatest work produced by Ayler, but in some unusual way, the album stands out. Not only does the album cover pull you in, but the music also has high moments that are capable of catching the attention of any listener.

Albert Ayler brought difference into the Jazz world. His sound was aggressive, raw, and free. Here's what was posted on Wikipedia, "Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz." He possessed a deep blistering tone achieved by using the stiff plastic Fibrecane no. 4 reeds on his tenor saxophone, and used a broad, pathos-filled vibrato."

Music is the Healing Force of the Universe happens to be the last album recorded before Albert Ayler's death. The tragic event helped make this album special. Some say Ayler suffered from depression during the past couple of years of his life, and his mental illness can be heard throughout the album. It's believable. The album consists bad lyrics (at times), fake Caribbean accents, and a failed attempt at covering the Blues. But despite the album's downfalls, it's still worth a listen.

There are times when not so good albums have potential, even when the potential is hidden. The vocals of Mary Maria Parks definitely played of a major role in giving the album an odd feel, and I'm sure many people would agree. The track "A Man Is Like A Tree" is a prime example of how quirky this album gets. It also seems as if her vocals are misplaced on every track she's featured on, and I love it! Music is the Healing Force of the Universe is easily one of the ugly ducklings within Ayler's discography. Regardless of the album being an ugly duckling, it's high moments touch the heavens! Here's what All About Jazz had to say about the album, "As soon as Albert Ayler's first earth-shattering deep tenor roar opens the album, shivers are running up and down my spine. Nobody else has made a sound from a horn quite like that - a truly holy bleat."

Before you throw this album away, give it a chance, because it may prove you wrong. Music is the Healing Force of the Universe is recommended to all Jazz lovers that aren't afraid of a little wackiness (or maybe more than a little). Copies can be found for sale on Amazon (here). As always, I've included a sample of the album below, so be sure to check it out and grab yourself a copy if you like what you hear.

Albert Ayler - Masonic Inborn (Part 1)

2011-06-25T03:43:00.013-04:00

The Weeknd - House of Balloons (2011)

Genres: Electronic, Pop, R&B

Just when most people thought Drake & Justin Bieber was all Canada had to offer (far from true), The Weeknd surprised everyone with their free mixtape House of Balloons. Music videos, lingering download links, and various tweets about The Weeknd suddenly stormed the Internet like an unforeseen storm attacking a cloudless day. Some may think, "when is a sudden storm ever good?" Well, the storm The Weeknd rode in on happens to be one.

House of Balloons is surprisingly good; especially considering this isn't their debut album, but instead a free mixtape. The precise vocals and production makes most people wonder who makeup The Weeknd. But wonder no more. The Toronto based artists Abel Tesfaye (vocalist) and Doc McKinney (producer) are the individuals responsible for this killer mixtape. The duo perfectly fuses R&B and elements of Electronica; which is a sound that has most critics raving to be the future sound of R&B. Not only does their sound differ from traditional R&B, their lyrical content is known to be "disturbing". The album cover alone is a sign that this mixtape is unconventional.

"The group's penchant for druggy atmospherics is mirrored in their lyrical content, which is overtly sexual, narcotics-focused, and occasionally downright frightening. Debauchery is obviously nothing new in R&B, but this takes it a step further-- the drugs are harder, the come-ons feel predatory and lecherous, and the general feeling is self-hating rather than celebratory. On opener "High for This", Tesfaye handholds a partner through some strange sex act, singing, "Trust me, girl, you wanna be high for this." "Glass Table Girls" is pretty clearly about doing coke. Because we don't know these guys, it's hard to say whether these are real-life tales or imaginative storytelling-- you want to think the latter, but ultimately the anonymity makes it seem more disturbing." - Pitchfork

House of Balloons has been one the main rotations in my car for a few weeks now; it's not only fitting for the warm weather, but it's also a sound my ears have been craving for. Cool Summer nights of cruising on highways with all of the windows down is well spent with tunes provided by The Weeknd. House of Balloons features 9 tracks with a duration of a few seconds short of 50 minutes. There's enough material to satisfy anyone, and their lengthy tracks should be appetizing to individuals that look for songs longer than the popular duration of most songs today (around or about 3 minutes). "High For This", "What You Need", and "The Party & The After Party" are a few of my personal favorites from the mixtape. Even though these 3 tracks get abused with the replay button, the mixtape as a whole is a good listen.

Their lyrical content is unlike any other material found within the R&B genre, and their production is dark, gritty, and raw. House of Balloons has the potential to be a R&B/Electronic fan's dream. This stellar mixtape by The Weeknd is highly recommended to individuals that aren't afraid to listen to R&B/Electronic tunes that discuss everything from sex to drugs. Luckily for all of the individuals out there rummaging for free downloads, this "shouldn't be free but is amazingly free" mixtape is waiting for you to download it, unzip it, and listen to it as loud as you possibly can. The download link is including in the album cover above, so give it a click and you'll be on your download-way in a matter of seconds. I've also included the bizarre video for their track "The Morning" below. Enjoy!

2011-06-17T03:55:00.008-04:00

Thelma & Clyde - White Line (2010)

Genres: Art Pop, Electronic

Thelma & Clyde are an Electronica duo that hails from Norway. Their grim yet stimulating sound easily sets them apart from their counterparts. The vocalist Hanne Kolstø blissfully floats atop the dusk production created by Trygve Tambs (along side producing duo Jan Bang and Erik Honoré), and their skill for perfectly complementing tenor tones with alto is indisputable. White Line is their debut album, and stumbling upon it was the best thing I've done in some time.

"There wasn't enough time. I never got to show what I'm about. Still, I'm not allowed to grow; even when I'm all worn out." (lyrics from "Wicker"). Some of the lyrics on White Line remarkably hit close to home. This isn't an album to listen to while multitasking. This is an album you listen to while secluding yourself from the rest of the world. There's so many elements that can easily be missed if your full attention isn't given. I find myself listening to songs like "Wicker" when people on my side of the world are either asleep, or too concerned with their own insomnia. The last song on the album "Wicker" is definitely a personal highlight of their album; the song expresses the difficulties of being overlooked in such a tranquil manner.

White Line isn't limited to only dark moments. Songs like "Crosscheck", "Chess", and "Hibernation" illuminate through the gloominess of the album. Thelma & Clyde's debut album White Line is recommended to individuals that take pleasure in dark vocal Electronica. The album can be found for purchase via iTunes (here), so be sure to support the artists by purchasing the album if you like what you hear. Moreover, I've included the track "Wicker" below for anyone looking for a sample to indulge in. Enjoy!

Thelma and Clyde - Wicker

2011-06-17T01:43:00.002-04:00

2011-06-17T01:07:00.006-04:00

Onra - Long Distance (2010)

Genres: Disco, Electro, Soul

By judging the album cover alone, the average person might think Long Distance was material from the show Miami Vice, or maybe even from the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. But that's not the case. Long Distance is the most recent album by Onra; and besides the album cover, it's apparent the Parisian producer took a trip to the 80's to grab inspiration for this album. Onra gives listeners more than enough electric content to enjoy. Long Distance consists of 21 tracks, and the duration is a few seconds shy of an hour. What more could one ask for? Not only is the album chock-full of satisfactory songs, but the artists featured help bring the album in unison as well. Artists such as Oliver DaySoul, T3 from Slum Village, Reggie B, and Walter Mecca can be heard on the album getting funky in their own right.

Some critics say the material featured within this release is simple and unimaginative. I beg to differ. Unimaginative and simple do not best describe this album. However, I can see why some critics might feel that way. Onra replicated S.O.S. Band's "High Hopes" and Carol Williams' "Have You For My Love". I don't see his replication as being unimaginative, but as breathing life back into old favorites.

Long Distance overflows with electro-funk tunes that have the power to move even the most arthritic individuals. "My Comet" and "High Hopes" are personal highlights from the album. "My Comet" is a cosmic face-scrunching, futuristic head-nodding, exotic shoulder-bopping instrumental that's out of this world! I was first introduced to "My Comet" in 2008 on All City's 7x7 series, and I loved it then the way I love it now. "High Hopes" featuring Reggie B is another hard-hitting track I personally enjoy. This track would be fitting for grooving at a club, eating BBQ and swatting flies at a cookout, skating in a crowded skating rink, or doing the Electric Slide at a wedding.

I wouldn't label Long Distance as a masterpiece, but it's most definitely an album that should be a part of an individual's music collection if they enjoy artists such as Dam-Funk, Funkineven, and Hudson Mohawke. So, if I just described you and you have yet to purchase Long Distance, Turntable Lab has both the CD and vinyl on sale (here). Lastly, both tracks "My Comet" and "High Hopes" are located below for anyone that's searching for a sample of the album. Enjoy!

Onra - My Comet

Onra - High Hopes feat. Reggie B

2011-06-13T02:14:00.008-04:00

Skream - Outside The Box (2010)

Genres: Drum n Bass, Dubstep

Outside The Box is the second and most recent release by the British Dubstep producer Skream. Not only is he one of Dubstep's first and most prominent producers, he's also played a major role in the development of the genre. Even though Skream fans anticipated the classic Dubstep sound he's popular for, Outside The Box dwells in more of a mainstream territory. The album has a pretty conventional lineup of featured artists. Featured artists such as Murs, Sam Frank, Freckles, and La Roux helped Skream change his image from an underground Dubstep god, to a Dubstep producer in pursuit of reaching an array of people musically.

An abundance of fans felt as though Skream moved into the mainstream realm at an accelerated pace; which drastically moved him away from the sound he's known for. Others claimed he walked upright into pop-friendly terrain in a respectable manner, and supported his transformation. Being on the supportive side or the non-supportive side pertaining to Skream's musical modification is trivial; because I'm quite sure individuals from both parties walked away with at least one positive gain from the album.

There comes a time where becoming mainstream is a must if an artist wishes to touch a wider audience. I personally have no issue with artists moving from an underground tier to more of a mainstream tier, as long as they can do it while staying true to themselves as well as their craft. Outside The Box didn't rub me the wrong way until I heard the track "8 Bit Baby" which features the Californian rapper Murs. "8 Bit Baby" played a major part in why the album received such bad reviews. The song is awful to say the least. However, I didn't allow it to deter me from the rest of the album. Tracks like "Perforated", "Where You Should Be", and "The Epic Last Song" were all personal high points of the album. Outside The Box isn't powerful enough to be titled a masterpiece, or even bright enough to stand tall in a roster of greatest albums released in 2010. Inspite of that, it's still worth a listen.

True Skream fans will remain loyal to his material whether they entirely adore it or not. So, if you happen to be a fan of Skream, Outside The Box is worth a try; especially if you're not hung up on his change in sound. However, if you're not aware of who Skream is, but enjoy genres such as Drum n Bass and Dubstep, this album is recommended. The album can be found for purchase via Amazon (here). Be sure to support the artist by purchasing yourself a copy if you're fond of the material. I've also included one of my favorite tracks from the album below, so be sure to check it out!

Skream Where You Should Be feat. Sam Frank

2011-06-13T02:12:00.008-04:00

2011-06-13T02:11:00.011-04:00

Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues &
Melancholy Jam (2011)

Genres: Electronic, Hip Hop

Ghostpoet is a 24 year old musician who hails from London, UK. Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam is his debut album, and it does not disappoint. Ghostpoet looks to make a mark in 2011, and with a strong debut album like Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, making his mark on this year is foreseeable. From covering topics such as self perseverance, financial strain, regret, love, and various alcoholic tales, Ghostpoet catapulted his way into the everyday lives of his listeners.

Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam consists of bone chilling and hard hitting instrumentals that have the capability of taking your mind to dark places unimaginable; and even though his voice is low-toned and slow steadied, it still dolefully clenches to his self-made instrumentals (hence the Blues and Melancholy). Ghostpoet is vocally unorthodox. XLR8R described his voice as, “A mix between Mos Def’s halfhearted croon and Tunde Adebimpe (lead singer of TV On The Radio) on quaaludes.” Moreover, based on their poetic similarities, Ghostpoet's name has also been in comparison to the fellow British MC, Roots Manuva.

It's known that MC's outside of the US are forced to fight their way through the American dominated Hip Hop genre; leaving many unsuccessful. Instead of following the blueprint most rappers abide by to fortify success, Ghostpoet successfully created his own lane. Not only did he shatter the Internet in 2010 with his EP entitled, "The Sound of Strangers", but the track "Cash Carry Me Home" from Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam also caused a stir; a well deserved stir that is.

Productively independent? Vocally incomparable? What more could a person hope for in a musician? If you don't mind dark yet hard hitting Electronic compositions matched with dusk lyrics, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam is recommended for you. The video created for the single "Cash Carry Me Home" is located below for anyone looking for a sample to indulge in. Most importantly, the album can be purchased via Amazon (here), so if you're interested in what you hear, and want more, support Ghostpoet by purchasing this amazing album. Enjoy!

2011-06-12T01:28:00.026-04:00

Tyler, The Creator - GOBLIN (2011)

Genres: Alternative Hip-Hop

*I'll cut to the chase and state this now. This album can be perceived as extremely offensive, and/or controversial. Please be warned, and listen at your own discretion.

This one is not for the faint of heart. Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Tyler, The Creator is one of the most the most controversial artist I have encountered to date. Rape, suicide, pentagrams, death, kidnapping, swastikas, drugs, and satanism are common themes of this album, and I do mean common. "GOBLIN" was said to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and that goes with good measure. This is technically Tyler's debut album, following his first free album entitled "BASTARD". Both albums are quite similar, in the sense Tyler is speaking to his imaginary therapist, Dr. T.C. (get it) throughout. Notably, the production is composed mainly by Tyler, The Creator himself, and he does a damn good job; this young man is talented to say the least. Not only does he produce his own albums, he does his own artwork and videos. Oh, and I do mean young man, because Tyler was still in high school when he dropped "BASTARD".

Tyler, The Creator is the founder of the group "Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (Don't Give A Fuck)" otherwise known as OF. OF has been on the underground scene for quite some time, gathering fame from their talent and pure creativity. Members include Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgey Beats, Left Brain, Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean, Taco, Syd the Kid, Mike G, and many more; all spanning in age from 17 to 24. The group recently has been taking flight, selling out records and topping charts, and the momentum is only growing.

"BASTARD" is recommended to the faint of heart. If you're offended by the content featured on the album, the album isn't for you. However, if you are interested in buying yourself a copy, Turntable Lab has copies for you (here)! I've also included the official music video (directed by Tyler himself) for the track "Yonkers" below. Enjoy!

2011-06-10T21:34:00.015-04:00

Little Dragon - NightLight (2011)

Genres: Electronic, Synth-Pop

"NightLight" is the first single from Little Dragon's third album Ritual Union. Little Dragon has become a force to be reckoned with in just a matter of a few years. The Swedes hit the scene back in 2007 with the perfect combination of Electronic sounds and Soulful vocals, and they haven't looked back since. Just when everyone thought the sound featured on their debut album would shape who they were, they switched their sound on their second album. Little Dragon traded in their soulfully mellow tones for a synthesized 80's sound on their second album Machine Dreams. Now, with their third album releasing right around the corner (at the end of July), many people say they've stuck with their 80's sound. However, I'm not quite sure if Ritual Union will be similar to Machine Dreams; some tracks make me believe it will, and others leave me feeling differently. I guess we'll have to wait and see when Ritual Union releases!

Little Dragon left all of their fans in a frenzy when they pushed the release date of Ritual Union from mid July to July 26th. Luckily, they will be releasing goodies to accommodate the waiting period. Here's what Prefixmag had to say:

"Little Dragon’s third album, Ritual Union, might have been pushed back one week to late July, but the Swedes are making up for it by dropping an additional project earlier in the month. It’s a remix EP filled with reworked versions of choice cuts from Ritual Union. And so far, we know that acts like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Tensnake are handling the remixes. It’s not clear yet which tracks they will be rearranging, but I expect we will hear new versions of lead single “Nightlight” and “Little Man.”

Now that I think of it, I remember hearing new material from Little Dragon's upcoming album during their last show I attended. The songs either blended in perfectly with every other song they performed, or I was completely out of the mix. I honestly believe I was out of it. All I remember is looking at Yukimi for most of the show with such a blank expression upon my face, and then the next thing I knew, I was dancing with her. All in all, I know their album will be adored by many, including myself.

"NightLight" is recommended to everyone that enjoys Little Dragon, or Synth-Pop/Electronic/Soul music. The single can be purchased through iTunes (here), so if you're interested in purchasing the track for yourself, you now know where to go. Also, keep your ears and eyes open for the release of Ritual Union! I've also included the track "NightLight" below. Enjoy!

Little Dragon - NightLight

2011-06-10T20:22:00.006-04:00

Madlib - Nittyville Extras (MMS #9) (2011)

Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental, Rap

Madlib has been busy with his Madlib Medicine Show series that began in the later months of 2009. Just when the fans thought each volume of the series would release in numerical order, #9 decided to be the first volume of the series to take a detour. Both #10 and #11 managed to release prior to #9, pushing the antsy Madlib fans at the edge of their seats. However, Stones Throw announced in April that Nittyville was back from its hiatus, and was ready to be released. Here's what Stones Throw had to say about MMS #9:

"Nittyville is perhaps the most traditional of the series, and we make no bones about it: one MC, one producer, and a rap record all about stunts, blunts and hip-hop. As for “Channel 85,” it is far off most dials. This album’s concept TV station runs one show only: the comic-drama, reality-musical called Nittyville, featuring Frank, MED, Oh No, Madlib, and a supporting cast of extras."

This post is not about the Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents Nittyville. This post is solely about the Nittyville Extras. The extras are featured within the bonus disc released with the limited 3-LP version of MMS #9. The 3-LP releases are a tad bit more expensive than the average released LP versions, but getting additional limited goodies is always fun. The extra bonus disc features 12 non-album rap tracks, instrumentals and remixes, and the duration is 4 minutes shy of an half an hour.

Stones Throw didn't lie when they said #9 was the most traditional of the Madlib Medicine Show series. The Nittyville Extras are jam-packed with a West Coast Hip Hop feel, and traditional Madlib instrumentals seasoned with humorous samples. A track stood out amongst the other 11 tracks though. It wasn't a sound that I normally hear coming from Madlib. It was Electronic/Hip Hop goodness layered with a sample of two women talking about falling victim to becoming a male's sex object. The 53 second track left me yearning for more Electronic material from Madlib. That would be a sound to hear!

Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents Nittyville not only consists of traditional Hip Hop, but the concept behind the project enforces that every volume of the series is well thought out, and #9 stands true to the other volumes of the series (concept wise). MMS #9 is highly recommended to individuals that enjoy Madlib's Hip Hop instrumentals and Hip Hop artists such as Frank Nitt (of course) and MED. The Nittyville Extras can be purchased through Stones Throw in two ways: The first option is purchasing the 3-LP version (here), or purchasing the MP3 version of just the extras (here). I'm sure most Madlib fans already purchased their copy, but for everyone that didn't, please do so if you're interested in the material!

I've also included two tracks from the Nittyville Extras below. The first track is the short-and-sweet Electronic instrumental that left me wanting more Electronic material from Madlib, and the second track is a traditional Madlib instrumental with a very humorous sample at the end. Enjoy!

Madlib - Nightrider (Instrumental)

Madlib - Monkey Hustle (Instrumental)