Kick Off - Ramsey Signals

Alright then, here we go. Briefly, it's intended that posts will be irregular, but hopefully reasonably frequent. Music posted is intended to be an introduction that will hopefully lead to perusal and purchase - if boats are floated and tastebuds are tickled. That's how I've been switched onto countless new artists and killer tunes that I've subsequently tracked down, so if that aint your bag, then this probably aint the place for you. With that in mind most mp3's will be up for a week max, unless I have some strings attached in which case, they might just stay and stay. Alongside the all important music, I'm hoping to occasionally include (or link to) full transcripts of interviews from the past and present (the future will have to wait), they kick around my computer not doing much and they're invariably more interesting than the truncated malarkey that gets published. This requires a fair bit of tidying up work, and sussing out how best to present some pretty wordy documents, so don't hold your breath on that. Beyond that.... let's see what develops, a fair few folk have asked about renking podcastery and that would be splendid but lets not run before we can walk, eh?!

To begin two artists (rarely mentioned in the same breath) who you can expect to see and hear a lot more of on StinkInc, Ramsey Lewis and Busy Signal.



'Cry Baby Cry' is taken from Mother Natures Son on the almighty Cadet label which was released in the middle of his golden period from 1965 to the early 70's. There's generally always at least something brilliant on all of Lewis's albums from this era but this set of Beatles covers is the piece de resistance. 'Back In The USSR' is the well known breakbeat source, but the psychedelic moogy intros and phenomenal arrangements of Charles Stepney offer lots more than just drums you can find on Dusty Fingers. This was one of the harder Lewis albums to find for a while though it's now been re-issued on CD
And the vinyl is reasonably easy to track down these days.
It's my favourite Ramsey Lewis album period, and I do have a bit of a serious thing for some of his gear so that's not words meant lightly.

RAMSEY LEWIS - CRY BABY CRY




Born Reanno Gordon in Browns Town, St Ann, Jamaica and repping Bounty Killer's Alliance to the maximum Busy Signal is on some Usain Bolt shit when it comes down to coming up with the fire these days. It's been obvious for the past few years that he has talents beyond the reach of most, and a flow that is fantastically flexible and downright freakish but the release of 'Loaded' on VP, and the gear he's subsequently released, is just getting ridonkulous. 'Loaded' is highly recommended (despite the auto tune agony) most especially the SSMG productions (Tic Toc, Cool Baby/Kool It Down, Knocking At The Door etc) which are beyond next level-age. The Birch Productions, Xmas come early, sounding 'Nine Night' isn't on there and doesn't appear to be available on vinyl yet, but I'm keeping 'em peeled. I interviewed Busy a couple of years back after his first major release for Greensleeves and he was a very sharp and onto it geezer, phoners with dancehall artists can be a right old waste of time but putting the phone down on him (after copping some superb stings and drops) it was obvious that this was a man with a serious future. Like much of his material this is a peace plea and far more conscious than most of the virtually unconscious, autopilot, rent-a-rasta, roots swill that has that term bestowed upon it these days, here and elsewhere. If you still need convincing check this freestyle with r'n'b singer Lloyd on Westwood, PROPER!



BUSY SIGNAL - NINE NIGHT


Nine Night is a Jamaican funeral rite, and I have a vague recollection of a tasty Steely & Clevie production on the same theme, maybe I can dig it out sometime in the future, in the meantime here's a stinklink to an excellent Bernard Burrell piece on JA funeral traditions

For The Busy-ness on meeeeshpaysh