Stinky Grooves 30.06.09 & South London cumbia rub from SDP bubbling up nocturnally

Like You Don't Know - Harry Becket (On-U Sound)

Courage Fuyions Dub - Samoa Farah (On-U Sound)

Ting Dub - King Midas Sound (Hyperdub)

Heartbroken (Noah D Rmx) - Liondub ft Jahdan & Sotto Bless (Ear Wax)

Forward Youth - RSD (Tectonic)

Broadcaster Version - Lee Scratch Perry vs Moody Boyz (On-U Sound)

Gauchito Gil (Douster Rmx) - Fauna (ZZK)

Hay Guey - Tzochitl Soundsystem vs Toy Selectah (Bersa Discos)

Night (Sonido Del Principe Dub) - Benga & Coki

Las Mila Caras (Instr) - Fauna (ZZK)

Sunny Road To Selina - Christophe (Dirty/Born Bad)

Of Everyone Around You - James Duncan (Round Trip Mars)

The Cupboards Bare - James Duncan (Round Trip Mars)

Il Pleut - Brigitte Fontaine (Dirty/Born Bad)

Contact - Wooden Shjips (Mexican Summer)

Clocks & Daggers - Free The Robots (Obey)

Radiant Jewels - Wu Tang Clan ft RZA, Raekwon, Cormega & Sean Price (Koch)

Tito Santana - Wale ft Joe Budden (Back To The Feature)

Wheels In Motion - Speech Debelle ft Roots Manuva (Big Dada)

Long Time Dub - King Midas Sound (Hyperdub)

Rue De L'Arsenal - Bot'ox (I'm A Cliche)

The World May Shudder At My Joy (Depth Charge Rmx) - Tim 'Love' Lee (Tummy Touch)

A New Errror - Moderat (Bpitch Control)

Coaster (Idjut Boys Rmx) - Smith & Mudd (Claremont 56)

Knivar - Lukas Nystrand & The Ageema Blues (Lo Recordings)

Yellow Tongue Version - Lee Perry & Samia Farah vs Kode 9 (On-U Sound)

Narst - Cooly G (Hyperdub)

Anaconda - Untold (Hessle Audio)

Purple City - Joker & Ginz (Kapsize)

False Flag - Pinch & Moving Ninja (Tectonic)

I Hear The Vibrations (E-Z Version) - Wooden Shjips (Mexican Summer)

Comet Tail And Effigy - James Duncan (Round Trip Mars)

Clairevoyage - Mungolian Jetset's 16th Rebels of Mung ft Lindstrom & Dominique Leone (Smalltown Supersound)

Roll - Secret Circuit (Lo Recordings)

Shows like tonights, where there is a frankly greedy amount of excess brilliant tunage can be hit and miss, tonight's felt on target though it was a cram jam to get as many tunes in as possible. The last week has been a series of harvest festival type pick-ups from the PO Box and joyous packages appearing on the doorstep, and I have a feeling I haven't started to scrape the surface with a lot of the goodness. Gear like the floatatious new double-disc-delight 'Milky Disco 2' (chars KH) on Lo Recordings, and Smalltown Supersound's pleasingly bent latest label comp 'On Fire' (likewise GG), the two new'uns on a revived On-U Sound and others take a few listens and some proper absorption type business.

That's not even starting on the wax ranging from the blisterating new Wooden Shjips cover of Serge and Bridget's 'Contact', Dirty Soundsystems outrageously outstanding 'Dirty French Psychedelics' (we'll have to be posting on that at a later date but it's well limited so I wouldn't advise hanging around if you want to own it...and believe me you do) new cumbia biz from Fauna and Toy Selectah, right through to the soiled magnificence of a new Bot'ox vinyl injection, and both Sonic Boom and Depth Charge ruffling that delightful chap Tim 'Love' Lee's tailfeathers in a remix speed date gone horribly right. Maybe you can tell, I'm well excited about the latest ear wax.

When things calm down a fraction I'll get round to digitising some of those monstrous musical morsels, but tonight I have had to take my eyes off all that beaty bounty and be content with digital droppings. This is a right ripper though from Dutch cumbia convert (and converter himself it would have to be said) Sonido Del Principe, a feller called Vince from Noord-Brabant.

Having already had tracks on the two most prominent and discerning labels for South Amercian/Argentinian flavoured multi-stripe nuevo goodness, ZZK and Bersa Discos, his estrella is undoubtedly on the rise. He also runs the excellent and fast-moving Generation Bass blog which covers a great deal more than just cumbia, and is a definite needer for the RSS reader.

While some of his tackle is a bit too wavy-ravey-gravy for my highly pernickety tatstes when it isn't - it's mighty good. I thought I never wanted to hear another re-lick, blend, mash-up or close relative of Coki & Benga's 'Night' again, even the most inspired (and we're talking a couple really) failed to match the pure, undiluted (though now tarnished by overfamiliarity) brilliance of the original. This version, which I've played a few times on the show over the last couple of months, is something else entirely and I rate it the uppermost. There's a 320 of this about for those who love their ears but we only do 192 here, because the end result should be investing in the music and supporting the labels and artists - though in this case it's unbuyable so my goal shall be your investigation to track down the high quality files and the tonal tangents that may take you on.

It's late, I'm rambling... to the empeetree.

You can't pay money for this exquisite lick so buy the original

SonidoDelPrincipespace

NIGHT (SDP DUB) - COKI & BENGA

A Monster Main Course - Busy Belly Fat Eyes Skepta Showdown

Alright it must be at least a couple of weeks since the last Busy posting, and any pretense about this not being partially a Mr Signal fanboy site disappeared sometime ago. As usual the man is chucking out tunes at a prodigious rate, and I just wish there was somewhere you could buy high quality downloads all kosher and above board, the JA music industry has really missed the boat there. Hanyways here we have a presumably unofficial remix of Busy's 'Up In Her Belly' which was originally atop a lively cut-up of Sergio Mendes's 'Magalenha'. This version still contains traces with the vocal chants, while ramping up the hyper-percussion patterns to make it even more of a soca stormer. In all honesty I'm not sure if it trumps the original, but it's been the best part of a year since that dropped, and I'm not averse to a refix to give Busy's splendid vocal track some more legs. Because we're nice like that I'll stick the original Sergio soaked version up too. Also a couple of clips from Mr Gordon's ongoing European tour.

Busyspace

Mr Sergio Mendes - legend.

UP IN HER BELLY (MIX MASTER REFIX) - BUSY SIGNAL

UP IN HER BELLY - BUSY SIGNAL

From the same gig - Stinky grooves favourite 'Hustling', the rather dubious 'Rivers Of Babylon' and some crucial crowd participation for 'Jail'.

Can't resist slamming in this sweet cut from Tanya Stephens riding the perennial 'Norwegian Wood/Darker Shade Of Black' rhythm as (presumably) rendered by Fatta & Bulby at the Mixing Lab, under the Fat Eyes umbrella. I'm digging the cut of the rhythm, which heavily references the 80's Volcano 'Tu-Sheng Peng' version, and there's a few decent vocals - including Luciano and Queen Ifrica's duet (which finds the former re-emphasising the Frankie Paul memories in his pattern), Anju Kumbz, AJ Brown's bizarre 'Classical' version (doing what it says on the tin, as in more Herbert Von Karajan than King Tubby) and a bunch of vets ranging from Josie Wales, Cutty Ranks and Flourgon through to Terror Fabulous. It's only four years since Fat Eyes last did over this rhythm, but it is hard to argue with, and as always when Tanya Stephens avoids the fromage - she is excess essential.

The other big recent rhythm from Fat Eyes has been 'Mento' is another look back to the fertile 80's. Again the bulk of the artists might have you wondering what decade (millenium?!) it is but the performances aren't tired. Major Mackerel drops his squeaking immims on 'Bad Ras' while Admiral Bailey prescribes 'Fire Inna Har Hole' - maybe the less said about that and Red Dragon's humourous 'Inna Di Bush', the better. Sizzla is the junior of this group and his 'My Kinda Gal' doesn't rep that well for the younger generation overall, I guess the less aggressive, ribald, sense of fun that artists back then were able to muster just isn't on the menu these days. The butcher Cutty Ranks serves up 'Hot Girls', rocking a 'caliente' chant and the best flow he's had on any of his recent 45's, can't wait to run this in a dance. There's always space for The Stopper at StinkInc, and I've slung in the megamix too for a sampling of all the vocalisers.

Buy the Mento here , have yet to locate 'Darker Shade..' on 45

Tanyaspace

Cuttyspace

JUST ONE - TANYA STEPHENS
HOT GIRLS - CUTTY RANKS

Listening to grime has predominantly felt arduous of late, the new Wiley didn't really channel my tunnel, Trim dropped well off the pace (a little like Durrty Goodz disappointing 'Axiom' follow up) with the latest 'Soul Food', and the plethora of freshmen out there aren't really fully calling me to attention either. The pick of the current litter, to these ears, has been Skepta and his 'Microphone Champion' release. At 18 tracks it's still too much information, but nothing like the mouth mountain of surplus some of his contemporaries have bestowed upon us. Skepta's last effort, and debut proper 'Greatest Hits', was positively incendiary - I'm not yet convinced that this is quite up there with that, yet. However it does feel solid and varied to the extent that I almost enjoyed the cringing hit 'Rolex Sweep' when it popped up, which is well out of character and I did say 'almost'. While grime is often about as competitive, aggy and bloodthirsty as it gets musically (barring oi! and opera) I seem to have a weakness for the more meditative, wussy grime tracks - 'Reflecting' is a prime example. Boy better know indeed.

Buy - locally check Beat Merchants

Skeptaspace

REFLECTING - SKEPTA

Skepta & his bro JME on Westwood for any large canine readers

Next, something completely different....

Staggering Starters - Midtown Yellow Anaconda

I have a serious problem with restraint when it comes to music, and it seems to have extended to posting. A couple of tunes, a little blather - I think to myself. Then I head into the cavernous pit of my digital music folder or iTunes, and before you know it there's the best part of a dozen contenders bustling it out, shooting me sneaky glances and 'just a little bit of blog love, guvnor...' and that small, rapid, manageable post is out the window.

It's happened yet again, so reluctantly I'm going to split up the proposed postulation into a trio of family-fun-sized, more svelte outbursts over the next week or two.

Kicking off has to be Kode 9, aka Steve Goodman, who will be here in just a couple of weeks. I can think of few people I'd rather have on the upcoming musical calendar, and I'm also looking forward to warming the room up from 10.30 on the night. That early slot should allow a chance to stretch out the styles and wang in some weird ones, and there is so much goodly gear around at the minute I'm fully forecasting a pleased as a porcine creature inna faeces scenario from my end, even if there may be tumbleweed on the dancefloor and cobwebs at the bar.

Hanyways Mr 9, front cover starlet of a recent Wire magazine, should need no introduction. If there is a more consistent and progressive artist to have emerged out of the latest branch of London's bass culture tree.... well the chances are, they are recording for his Hyperdub label too. I can't help feeling that the success and relentless strike rate of the label (and of course, obviously Burial) has resulted in the actual Kode 9 releases not quite getting the shine they should. That was certainly the case with 'Memories Of The Future' which is an album that simply gets better with time, and as a result is never far from the stinking stereo. I've blathered on about Kode 9 previously, so we'll leave it at that but AK and surrounds readers - you simply MUST come to hear what the man plays. Word is tickets are shifting apace and it would be wicked to see it sell out in advance, so don't sleep.

I'm hoping that his set will give me a gateway into the 'funky' fandangle that is literally setting hipsterati bloggers on fire (oh I wish) and causing much media frothing and DJ dapping in (and outwards from) the UK. I have dutifully DL'd tracks that are raved about as the cats' pyjamas (danger - we could be an an unintended animalist syntaxethetic slew here) but aside from a few cuts that seem to me be pleasingly hypertweaked, klub-ground soca, I have yet to find my way in. I'm hoping that in the hands of a sonic adventurer like Goodman, and with a club system as the natural environment I will catch the drift that has been rapidly turning into an avalanche.

Whatever newly created genre umbrella it falls under, this remix of Lee Perry and Samia Farah's 'Yellow Tongue' is the proverbial flaming stuff, there is a sense of deliberation with every sound used and the overall momentum that is countered by deft dubbing on the vocal snatches. Brilliant stuff, go and buy the record or high quality files if that's your fancy and if you're a local get down to Beat Merchants for a ticket.

Buy the 12" NZ or elsewhere

Buy Mighty Upsetter locally or hinternationally

Kode9space

this is the album it's originally from, available everywhere

YELLOW TONGUE (DUB) - LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY vs KODE 9

Londoner Jack Dunning, better known as Untold made his presence well felt last year with his soundsystem worrying, Kingdom on the mighty Hessle Audio - from memory both of the selections on the flip copped an airing or few too. I was also really taken with his less celebrated remix of Dark Angel's ruff and ragga'd 'Cool & Humble' on Boka, Iwhich was anything but template raggastepper.

This tune is stupid - stupid as in fresh, and stupid as in stupid! Almost Jean Jacques Perrey-esque in it's unapologetic, choppy style and bountiful quota of excellent squeaks, squiggles and thuds, the vinyl of this touched down today and it's positively seismic. Alongside forthcoming hooha on his own Hemlock label, he's also got a remix coming up for Moderat's 'Sea Monkey' and I'm expecting fireworks on that score.

You can check a recent mix (I haven't had time yet, but it looks positively sultry) of his from the ever excellent FACT magazine here and the Martin 'Blackdown' Clark has words (nice ones, not the other kind of 'having words') with his Untoldlyness over at the hipsteroid hub that is Pitchfork. No need for me to regurgitaterate the guff on the geez so get your stinking linking fingers on.

Buy the 12" from Boomkat or locally go to a retailer who stocks Samurai

Untoldspace

Hemlockspace

ANACONDA - UNTOLD

This track is priceless. For those that don't know Terre Thaemlitz is a transgendersing tonal terrorista who has released a veritable trailerload squared of some pretty amazing, and also pretty severely fucked-up music and noise since the early 90's. His/hers 1999 7" for A-Musik, the snappily titled 'A-Musik Presents A Program Of... A-Muzak' is a top chart smash around our gates, and has been for a decade now I guess.

Under the superb nom-de-disque DJ Sprinkles, Thaemlitz makes immaculate, truly deep house music that is pretty much guaranteed to take you back and remind you of how awfully wrong it's gone (with notable exceptions), and how incredibly right it can be. This track and much of the album tells the hidden story of house, the entire lyrics/text can be found here (scroll down to the bottom for that, or check samples from the rest of the album at the top before the gobbledygook). It begins with 'House isn't so much a sound as a situation. There must be a hundred records with voice-overs asking, "What is house?" The answer is always some greeting card bullshit about "life, love, happiness....". Amen to that (though it's alright if it's DJ Pierre or someone else exceptional).

By the end of this gem, on the highly discerning Japanese label Mule Music, Thaemlitz says 'Twenty years later, major distribution gives us Classic House, the same way soundtracks in Vietnam war films gave us Classic Rock. The contexts from which the Deep House sound emerged are forgotten: sexual and gender crises, transgendered sex work, black market hormones, drug and alcohol addiction, loneliness, racism, HIV, ACT-UP, Thompkins Sq. Park, police brutality, queer-bashing, underpayment, unemployment and censorship - all at 120 beats per minute. These are the Midtown 120 Blues.'

Not half!

If my fiendish plan works this short slice will encourage you to investigate the rest of this album, which in some ways is hardly revolutionary, in other ways completely is. It's mainly considerably less vocal than this introductory scene setter, and it's all incredibly personal, unfathomably deep house of the very highest order, that is rigid in terms of the classic architecture, but flexible in its approach and content. This is 3am Harry's couch NYC business from the days of yore, I can shower no higher praise on Sprinkles.

Buy

Terreweb

MIDTOWN 120 BLUES - TERRE THAEMLITZ

I need a late pass on this one, Gabriel from Heatwave sent through the details a while back but I've not managed to muster up a post to put it in, and then forgot late last night, post-show. You should know the dilly (how quaint) with Heatwave by now, as in running things and what have you. This is their latest roots/one drop mix, and as ever it's well worthy of yer bandwidth. They reckon it's perfect for blazing out of car windows and listening to on hot sunny days, I'd add it's nay half bad in front of the fire or wandering up Balmoral Road with what feels like an Arctic originated blast to contend with. Make merry with your clicking devices.

DL Early Warming for some rhythmic insulation across the nation.

The all important tracklist..

Laden - Really Like You

Gappy Ranks - Gyal Mi Love

Voicemail - Ride Mi Bike (Gold Mine Riddim)

Gyptian - Money Man (Gold Mine Riddim)

Buju Banton - Buy Love (Gold Mine Riddim)

Richie Spice - Soothing Sound (Indiscretions Riddim)

Konshens - Straight Forward (Indiscretions Riddim)

Busy Signal - Beep (Indiscretions Riddim)

Mavado - Neva Believe U

Equiknoxx & Gerusalem - Cobba Cobba Riddim

Lil Joe - Wine (Cobba Cobba Riddim)

Tifa - Single (Cobba Cobba Riddim)

Spice - Badmind (Cobba Cobba Riddim)

Cecile - How It Feels (Hot Peppa Riddim)

Anthony B - Roll Mi Gal (Hot Peppa Riddim)

Mr Vegas - Mi Believe (Hot Peppa Riddim)

Mr Vegas - Old School Hustling (Heavenless Riddim)

Major Lazer feat Mr Lexx & Santigold - Hold The Line

Gappy Ranks - Put The Stereo On

Erup & Nature - Trample Dem (Multipurpose Stadium Riddim)

Beres Hammond - I Feel Good (I Feel Good Riddim)

Beres Hammond & Donovan Germain - I Feel Dub (I Feel Good Riddim)

General Degree - Jah Will Provide (I Feel Good Riddim)

Delly Ranx - Pleasure Pain (Comfort Zone Riddim)

Buju Banton - Pretty Every Time (Comfort Zone Riddim)

Cornadoor - Chocolate Fudge (Rougher Yet Riddim)

Some very sad news, Eon aka Ian Loveday passed away last week. Tracks like 'Spice' and 'Fear:The Mindkiller' were massive in AK across a bunch of scenes, and justifiably so. It's hard to go past those early classics because they were so iconic and yet strangely timeless, but he continued to make his own distinctive scifi techno/electro including a couple of stonkers for lomg time compardre J Saul Kane's Electron Industries. Sadly great producers and musicians are hitting their mortal run-off groove all the time and I dont want this to become an obituary page, but I really felt this deserved a mention, and a chance to celebrate an amazing musical life with the video below.

Aaaaand finally, there's a nice and decent tribute to our fallen comrade Big Matt, to mark two years since we lost one of the powerhouses and architects of our scene, and one of the most positive, upfull people you could ever wish to meet.

It's this Sunday, the 28th at the Ponsonby Social Club from 5, free entry, with Peter Mac Selecto, Mikey Sampson, Megan and The Chaplin will all be playing the music that Matt loved, and he loved a LOT of good music, see you there.

Stinky Grooves 23.06.09 and some Wale parlay & brand new James Duncan video

As Yet Untitled - Jefferson Belt (Round Trip Mars)

Just One - Tanya Stephens (Fat Eyes)

Classical - A.J.Brown (Fat Eyes)

Fools Should Never Know - Anju Kumbz (Fat Eyes)

Pressure - Cutty Ranks (Fat Eyes)

Love Affair - Luciano & Queen Ifrica (Fat Eyes)

Fi Wi Island - Josey Wales (Fat Eyes)

Darker Shade - Fat Eyes Crew (Fat Eyes)

Heartbroken - Liondub ft Jahdan and Sotto Bless (Earwax)

Jump Up - Caper ft Sweetie Irie (10 Against One)

Clash - Hoodz (Lo Dubs)

I Do Voodoo (Rob Smith Rmx) - Dubblestandart ft Lee Perry (Echo Beach)

Yellow Tongue (Version) - Lee Perry vs Kode 9 (On-U Sound)

Tito Santana - Wale ft Joe Budden (Back To The Feature)

New Soul - Wale ft Yael Naim (Back To The Feature)

Excuse My Mood (Kinda Big Deal ) - Kid Cudi

Refuse To Lose - Dead Prez ft Chuck D (Green Lantern)

Woodstock - Slaughterhouse ft MOP

Kill Too Hard (Ft Inspectah Deck, U God, Masta Ace) - Wu Tang Clan

Keel Dem - Busta Rhymes ft Movado & Bounty Killer

Dukku Dukku (Soul Force Rmx) - Keith & Tex ft Shabba Ranks

Tune In - Peckings Crew (Peckings)

Exodus - DJ Quik & Kurupt (Mad Simon)

Um Ricka - Wale ft K'naan (Back To The Feature)

Dewel - Mulatu Astatke ft The Heliocentrics (Strut)

Mesopotamia - Bruce Licher (Honest Johns)

Taxim Hugaz Kar Wahda - Moustapha Bey Rida (Honest Johns)

Ariwo - Chris Ajilo & His Cubanos (Honest Johns)

Calypso Minus One - Bobby Benson & His Jam Session Orchestra (Honest Johns)

Peeled Apples (Andrew Weatherall Rmx) - Manic Street Preachers (Sony)

Blue Snakes - Canyons (I'm A Cliche)

A Crippled Left Wing Soars With The Right (DJ Sprinkles Rmx) - Terre's New Wuss Fusion (Mule)

Foni Tu Argile - A Hawk And A Hacksaw (Leaf)

Entre Dos Aguas - Paco De Lucia (Polygram)

The Vowels (Amplive Rmx) - Why? (Anticon)

My New Flumes - James Duncan (Round Trip Mars)

Cupboards Bare - James Duncan (Round Trip Mars)

Don't Let Me Down - Charlotte Dada

Marcus Garvey - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Record Store Day)

Skal Vi Prove Na? - Lindstrom & Prins Thomas (Eskimo)

Don't get around to posting much hip hop in this here stinkosphere, mainly because there's so many people doing it so well and everything's blogged, trussed, linked and clocking up five figure downloads within hours. However some things are worth making an exception and there are some exceptional tracks on 'Back To The Feature' the latest mixtape from Wale. Nick Catchdubs has joined the seams splendidly and there's a more guests than you can shake a shitty stick, perhaps too many guests, like suffocating amount. Still it stops Wale going on too much about blogging, twittering and a couple of other things I could do without, but as easy as he is to caricature, he's good enough to warrant the attention.

Anyways the three tracks I played tonight were the immediate standouts on no more than a prelim skim through, but I'm looking forward to checking it at leisure.. someday soon.

Freeload 'Back To The Feature'

Walespace




NEW SOUL - WALE ft YAEL NAIM

And as a special treat here's the brand new video (made by the ever chipper Mr Sean Grattan) for the next single (whatever that means these days) from James Duncan's 'Hello-Fi' album which will be out on the 3d of August. More on that coming real soon and some imminent RTM 7" action. The album btw is a right pearler, it will blow minds, this song is a moss style grower. Enjoy it's fresh out of the youhootube oven, uploaded while I've been writing this. Zebras, Grattan Golems, James's hat... it's got it all.

and I know its been quiet round these parts but it's been well busy with label and other stuff, especially the keeping of warmth. I had hoped to have a wee post up before this weeks show but that will happen in the next 24 hours... honest, it's nearly done..

Stinky Grooves 16.06.09 and a supernatural slice of KMS dubwise business

I Do Voodoo ft Lee Perry (Rob Smith Rmx) - Dubblestandart

Step Forward - RSD (Tectonic)

Slow Watch - Moderat (Bpitch Control)

Ting Dub - King Midas Sound (Hyperdub)

Nuh Work Fi Free - Busy Signal

Dem Fe Gweh - Baby Cham (Fire Links)

Rodney Intention - Bounty Killer

Zagga Sing De Song - Beenie Man (Fireball)

I Need A Good Ride - Spice (Fireball)

Mash It Up - Khari Jess (Pressure Dem)

Mash Up Riddim - Pressure Dem Crew (Pressure Dem)

Mr Solo Dolo - Kid Cudi (Universal Motown)

Reflecting - Skepta (Boy Better Know)

Music I Like - Wiley (Eski Beat)

Do My Do - Mickey Factz ft Kid Cudi

Dayless Night - K'naan

Dirty Forever - Ghostface Killer

Ill Figures - Wu Tang Clan

Hustle (Bullion Rmx) - Paul White (One Handed Music)

Silvercape - Emperor Machine (DC Recordings)

The Offbeat - FLYamSAM

Caves - Nosaj Thing (Alpha Pup)

Diamonds, Fur Coats & Champagne - Conrad Standish (Blast First)

Spanish Coast - Iggy Pop (Virgin)

Semi Important Parasite - Various Productions & Gerry Mitchell (Fire Records)

I Dub - King Midas Sound (Hyperdub)

A Very Small Intro - Prins Thomas (Robert Johnson)

Funky Bass (Idjut Boys Version) - Arpadys (Robert Johnson)

Giorgio Carpenter - Cage & Aviary (Robert Johnson)

King Of Witches (Rub'n'Tug Rmx) - Capracara (Robert Johnson)

First Words - Trans Am (Robert Johnson)

Wyatt Urp - Map Of Africa (Robert Johnson)

The Frontist - Emperor Machine (DC Recordings)

Human Meadows (Boxcutter Rmx) - Falty DL (Planet Mu)

Yet - Martyn (Tectonic)

Klinik - Scuba (Hot Flush)

Epilogue (Ramadanman Rmx) - F (7Even)

Grand Central Pt 1 (Deep Into The Bowel Of House) - DJ Sprinles (Mule)

Mamas Hand - Moody (KDJ)

Xiayu - BV Dub (Meanwhile)

Meta Cognist - Falty DL (Planet Mu)

For those can, and do, actually listen..my apologies. Tonight was a right messy one. Beginning with massive parking dramas and a veritable jog/hike with all the vinyl, discs laptop etc .... in the rain... to arrive at 8.59 - the joy carried on through technical obstacles, a vital mislaid lead, cds that wouldn't play, skippy voinyl...the list goes on. Add in a fair bit of operator error (guilty!) and ... well, hopefully the tunes I could play were worthwhile.

So not too much prattle (on my clumsy form today I'd probably bust the laptop or something equally inept) but here's a scorcher from Kevin (The Bug) Martin and Roger Robinson's King Midas Sound project. The new 12" on Hyperdub is yet more superior deep bass exploration, and there's almost a hint of mid-period Weatherall in the drums, bonus points from this corner! Killer tune, larvly moody cover, all in all a homicidally humungous 12" and there's an album on the way... make for the links and then flop out your wallets and open your purses and support this quality gear.

Buy

KingMidasSpace

Hyperdubspace (..they're 5 years old and churning out the top-shelf sub-sonic jelly and pungent presents.)

TING DUB - KING MIDAS SOUND

Stinky Grooves 09.06.09 and a re-licked jolt from Holt

Strange Things - John Holt (Irie Ites)

Strange All Over The World - Trinity (Irie Ites)

Shake It Woman - Junior Kelly (Irie Ites)

Revolution - Sizzla (Irie Ites)

Strange Things Riddim - Mafia & Fluxy (Irie Ites)

Hustler - YT feat Skinnyman (Sativa)

Credit Crunch - YT (Necessary Mayhem)

No Cigarette - Mr Williams (Necessary Mayhem)

Ganja Smoke (In The Air) - Ziggi (Necessary Mayhem)

Hungry - Busy Signal

Gun Class - Aidonia

Country Rum - Bunji Garlin & Hitman (Rum Shop Chutney 8)

Hot Girls - Cutty Ranks (Fat Eyes)

Bad Ras - Major Mackerel (Fat Eyes)

Inna Di Bush - Red Dragon (Fat Eyes)

Tie & Dye Face - Busy Signal

Summer Bounce - Jammy Jam2 James & Stephen McGregor

Forever Dirty - Ghostface Killer

What Do I Do - Raekwon

Dayless Night - K'naan

Death Of Autotune - Jay-Z

In The Space - Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky (Montpamasse 2000)

Blue Nile - Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics (Strut)

False Flag - Pinch & Moving Ninja (Tectonic)

Junktion (The Shed Remix) - Peverelist (Tectonic)

Forward Youth - RSD (Tectonic)

Bad Mind - Hoodz (Lo Dubs)

Nr. 22 - Moderat (Bpitch Control)

Night (Sonido Del Principe Dub) - Benga & Coki

Broadcaster Version - Lee Perry vs Moody Boys (On-U Sound)

Give It To Me Right Now (Moody Boys Dub) - Melanie Fiona

Kunta Kinte (Kentaro's Tuff Cuts Version) - The Revolutionaries (Pressure Sounds)

Beware(Kentaro's Tuff Cuts Version) - The Revolutionaries (Pressure Sounds)

One Eye Open - Paul White (One Handed Music)

The Offbeat - FLYamSAM

Temper - Dabrye (Ghostly International)

Hustle (Bullion Rmx) - Paul White (One Handed Music)

Pillow - New Folder (Planet Mu)

Ball'r (Madonna Free Zone) - DJ Sprinkles (Mule Music)

Edit Amadou Et Mariam Izotrope - Dakunt

Verdad (Vompleud Rmx) - Fedaden (Nacopajaz)

Don't Let Me Down - Charlotte Dada

Dreams - The Duncan Brothers (Soundway)

Descarga Superior - Los Superiores (Soundway)

Juck Juck Pt 1 - Sir Jablonsky (Soundway)

There are classics... and then there are records that exist in another stratosphere altogether, somewhere beyond. John Holt's 'Strange Things' is one such record, and there was more than a little trepidation (and as a result, delay) in listening to this re-cut version of the Phil Pratt monster original lick. With Mafia & Fluxy on the case I really shouldn't have worried, there's some tasty vocalisers to join the still honey voiced Mr Holt too. I interviewed Mafia a good 15 years ago-ish (for Planet magazine from memory), and he was quite the loveliest bloke with a really interesting viewpoint as a truly intergrated JA/UK producer and in-demand session musician, spending a good chunk of his working time in both places.

I shall spare you the tales of Holt's magical, well after dawn, set in Montego Bay in August 95, and how it will always remain one of the best ever (despite sleep deprivation, and the rest) . However if you can send a track out to someone on a blog, then I shall to Irene, Slowie and Matt in memory of that mighty morning and that whole bizarre week. All the cuts on this rhythm are easily gettable so hit them links and fuck the credit crunch... we all need tunes, more now than ever.

Check the youtubery too, choice to see the Rt Hon Holt still making like a vintage bolt and I love the clip of Mafia, Fluxy, Earl 'Chinna' Smith and Bongo Herman laying down the rhythm, at least until they plunge into cheap&nasty vid fx for a retina retching, mercifully brief passage. There's videos for a whole bunch of the other cuts too on IrieItes channel, nice work!

Buy the 7" from Juno or even better check IrieItesnet for label direction ackshun and then some.
MafiaAndFluxyspace
Another great shot stinksclusively bought to you by Jason Burgess. This may well have been Sunsplash 94 at Portmore, or possibly a year or two before.

STRANGE THINGS - JOHN HOLT

Signals To Shjips

This began as a relaxed couple of tunes post, before an inability to decide, and a trailerload of procrastination took over..... and hence a meaty, eight song ramble. Up for no more than a week or two max, so don't delay on the dl and please do follow through with purchase power.

It's been a malodourous minute since we flung a Busy Signal track at you and we have standards to downkeep so have a chip at the high-energy 'Step To We'. Brilliant flow as ever and lyrics that reveal no problems for Mr Gordon in the self-esteem stakes, guess that's the adavantage of all that warm cranium business. Busy's been on a release crusade of late with a few fromagey question marks (the Phil Collins cover fer fucks sake and that Mothers Day song, NO!) and a veritable armoury of ballistic sureshots. I'm really digging the call and response Afro-soca of 'Da Style Deh' and the jaunty, anti-oral 'Nah Go Dung Deh', Heatwave are up on the former so pay them a visit.

The 'Birthmark' rhythm comes from Madmen Productions out of T'n'T who are big news in the soca world. They play it fairly straight bashment for this, and while the rhythm might not be super stand-out (how many really are currently though?), it does carry that enveloping, hypnotic buzz that's an irresistible lure on a well put together uptempo dancehall winer. Couldn't resist slinging in Bunji Garlin's sturdy 'Badman' too. Alongside Machel Montano he's right up there amongst the off-islanders in my book, sure his style may be watered-down Warlord but that's not the end of the world when Rodney Price's strike rate is still sporadically impressive, but realistically a shadow of its former self. Don't know where you can cop this rhythm from kosher and above board so sadly no buy links. Insert brrrrrt's and hotheads from here at will.

Busyspace

Bunjispace

Little article on The Mad Men who produced this port-wine-stain power punch

Bunji

Hothead himself... Busy

Huge tune and my pick of the dancemove action (marginally better than a still image)

What to say about Joker? He knocks em out like a Bristolian Busy Signal, and he doesn't seem to miss a step. The 'Do It/Psychedelic Runway' single on Kapsize is outrageous, and so is this Tectonic treat that comes on a 12" with Flying Lotus's substantial 'Glendale Galleria'. I kind of miss the really busy, messed-up beyond recognition ADD stuff that his first 'Kapsize EP' for Earwax indulged in, but when he's making such a riddiculously good job of sleek, distressed, futuristic machine funk...well it would be churlish to complain. He's picking up the props all over the shop too, and rightly so.

This is available on DJ Pinch's second, double CD, juggling of the 'Tectonic Plates' and listening to the mix disc as I type... man is it good. It was hard not to fret that this sophomore round wouldn't be as potent (and pungent) as the premier selection, especially as that was released at a time when the music was in a really exciting, unique, focus-pulling stage. The gear Pinch is pulling out is way deeper than the rash of cookie-cutter wobblers and irritatingly clean, technoid blueprints that litter the weekly release sheets. The mixery is sublime, with only a few tracks getting more than a couple of minutes but in a very un-jerky, immaculately schmoov way. The disc of standalone tracks sounds nae too shabby either, from the one play I've managed in a musically overgrown week. Out right about now, no excuses - hands in pockets business...purchaserate!

Buy ponline or is Samurai biz domesticatedly

Jokerspace

The 12"

The CD, vell vorthwhile

Undoubtedly the dominant disc amongst the pile at Chez Stench since it touched down a couple of weeks ago the Moderat album is a real grower. First collaborating on a 12" seven years ago the Teutonic trio of Modeselector dudes ( ) and Apparat (Sascha Ring, gaffer of the superbly monikered Shitkatapult label) have conjured up something really special with this crucial collabo. Ring sings on a a few of the tracks, and I have to confess that until I was able to treat the album as a whole, I wasn't 100% convinced about that... now I'm well and truly sold. The trademark Modeselector vipers net of bubbling analogue synths and driving Herman German rhythms is in full effect, with definite doffs of the cap to the likes of The Bug and most obviously Burial amongst the varied beatstyles and woodblocky widdims. Alongside Ring on vocal duties is Eased from Berlin dancehall collective Seeed and Paul St Hilaire (Tikiman), both giving it some ragga chat that doesn't disturb the vibes but doesn't massively add to them either. With so much tat touted on the interwebs I can't understand why records like this (and the magnificent last Modeselector album 'Happy Birthday') don't get much, much more shine. This is my small part to redress that and join the discerning blogerators who urge you to investigate this one further. There's no local distro in NZ for BPitch Control which sucks but it's a global marketplace and you could do a lot worse than going and getting yourself some. Go on!

Buy direct from BPitch Control or webular

Moderatspace

Les Grandes Marches

'A New Error', MODERAT Record Release, Visuals: Pfadfindere (phwoar.. looking good)

It's a bit disappointing that ZZK Sound Vol 2 doesn't match up to the virtually spotless standards of its predecessor but there's still a whole heap of well worthwhile tackle on there for the cumbia crazed cut crusader. El Trip Selector had one of the highlights on the first edition and he's back up on it sophomore style and fashion with 'Cumbiancherita'. Big up Buenos Airies and henjoy.

Buy from the wonderful Jetset or

Check Conch locally or

Stock up on files from eMusic

ElTripspace

ZZKspace

ZZKweb

Here's an odd one. Scarily proggy, rear mirror watchers and teepee builders Yellow Moon Band are not my cup of herbally infused char.... that is unless some bright spark hauls in Richard Norris in his Time & Space Machine guise to remix it all away to some place else. It's actually the Xela (John Twells) mixes on the other side that have been getting tongues a wagging with their Goblinoid ambient touches, and that's well understandable. However Norris's bossa nova country prog honk is a little gem in itself, apparently there's a Time & Space Machine 7" coming up on Tirk, look out!

Buy direct from Static Caravan or via the evergreen Boomkat

YellowMoonBandspace

Despite much hyping from The Fader and select other outlets whose opinions I rate, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson didn't win me over until I'd heard his entire album, a few times. It is, I suppose, the modern dilemma, with access to so much music, so many people shouting in your ear and trying to catch your intention - some gooduns inevitably slip past. You hope to rely on the 2nd line of defence (closer to home than the global-ninnynet) and that fantastic whimsical notion (or outright lie) that the cream will rise to the top (nay it's usally the scum that does that).

So my initial summation of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson was annoying name, excess hype and a tad too much wailing Dylan-esque ex-junkie, hobo business for my liking (not that I'm not partial to a heaping helping of that from time to time). Names - you get used to, the hype - is out of the artist's (anyones?) hands, though there are a few songs that do over-do the agony addict moaning-and -groaning a touch. But it's a debut, and in most ways it's a glorious one, I can forgive a bit of self-indulgence when the reward is songs as solid as 'Boneindian', 'The Debtor', 'My Good Luck' and the throughly addictive 'Buriedfed'. Like our hairy friends below you could fling a fistful of obvious influences at Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and he'd probably just wear them on his sleeve, and then wipe them on his metaphorical snotty cuff. Still coming to grips with the album to be honest, and it will be interesting to see whether it's a fleeting fancy, or a genuine long-term contender, but this song is just fire.

Buy from the Say Hey direct or the mega-retailers

MilesBenjaminAn..ohIgiveup..space

If you're not familiar with Wooden Shjips already, you may want to step back from the computer when approaching this MP3. With a hefty helping of kraut, definite traces of The Gun Club and The Cramps, let alone The Stooges or Loop, these West Coast wonders are ticking enough boxes to require a clipboard. As much as you can sink the signifiers left, right and centre, the four piece do have a definite sound of their own and the recently unleashed 'Dos' on Holy Mountain, shows ample evidence that it's developing in delicious ways. It's become a bit of a soundtrack to everything round our way, making it hard to pull out a single song, as the entire package is best swallowed whole, probably with instant repetition.

Buy from Holy Mountain themsleves or halternatively

WoodenShjipspace

WoodenShjipweb (...nice site!)

HolyMountainspace