In 1969 German keyboardist Ingfried Hoffmann recorded a number of tunes covering or inspired by the Memphis r’n’b sound. Utilizing the certified funky Hammond B-3 organ, Hoffmann created music that would sound completely relevant amongst all the neo-funk bands of today. These tunes were marketed under the band name Memphis Black and went on to become sought after in the UK’s Northern Soul scene. Dig!
Here’s a little experiment with a seemingly terrible idea: put three genius bandleaders in the same room and make some music together. By the time Money Jungle was recorded in 1962, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach were all successful composers, musicians and bandleaders. What could go wrong? The tension apparently hit a threshold after recording this tune, leading Mingus to storm out of the studio with bass in hand. Ellington caught him at the elevator and successfully talked him back into the session. While to can often bust pipes, pressure can also create diamonds. All the awkwardness was worth it in the long run. This album has gone on to inspire a great deal of future musicians.
Daptone Records has been the A1 source of the retro soul movement for decades. Before that was Desco Records. Desco tried to pass off their newly created wares as actual archive recordings newly unearthed. One of the finest records they produced was by the afrobeat loving Daktaris. Featuring future members of Antibalas, the album cover claims that it was “recorded in Nigeria”. However, the scam inherent to this group is simply stated by reading the name of the above tune backwards. Yojne!
Senor Coconut is one of seemingly endless aliases of electronic musician Uwe Schmidt. After moving to Santiago, Chile in the mid-90s Schmidt became enamored with Latin rhythms and set up this alias as a means to explore this new fascination, as well as pay tribute to some of his favorite musicians. On his second full length outing, “El Baile Aleman”, Coconut pays homage to Kraftwerk. Senor Schmidt displays in fine style that not all intricately programmed electronic music needs to be earnest. (Oh yeah, and this was made all on an MPC!)
“Boys and Girls”, the debut album by Alabama Shakes, is a masterclass in saturation. Everything is LOUD, as things in a rock record should be! Through the distortion, Brittany Howard’s inspiring words cut through. The live version slaps, as well:
The Screaming Eagle of Soul meets the Prince of Fucking Darkness. RIP Charles Bradley. RIP Ozzy Osbourne.
It’s hard to think of many more TV show themes as instantly memorable as “The X-Fiies” theme. I know people who have never seen the show recognize it. RIP Mark Snow. Here’s a clip of him talking about the origin of the tune:
Deadbeat is a Berlin-based Canadian musician who makes multiple types of dub-derived music. Here he mixes hiphop, reggae and ambient to great effect. Perfect for those hot summer days that call for moments of being as still as possible.
7FO is an Osaka-based electronic musician. He keeps his identity private, so there is very little information to be found regarding the artist. His sound is based in ambient and dub and sounds decidedly Japanese. Sit still and vibe out!
Hailing from Austin, Gary Clark Jr. is the heir-apparent of Texas Blues. His studio recordings find him mixing up his blues stylings with R’n’B and HipHop, but in a live setting he is the most electrifying blues guitarist since Stevie Ray Vaughn. Just when you think the first solo is mean, the second solo he takes rips your whole face off!
It is arguable that David Bowie had a creatively tough time in the 1980s. After making big waves in the rock scene throughout the 70s, the turn of the decade saw him leaning less towards innovating and more towards entertaining. His first album of the decade, “Let’s Dance” saw him relying heavily on producer Nile Rodgers. While it produced monster hits, the deep cuts were lacking much of the creativity that made his previous albums so great. The follow-up release to this massive success was “Tonight”, a massive flop. One of the highlights of this venture was the lead-off track, “Loving the Alien”, a rare glimpse into Bowie’s anti-religious beliefs. The video is perhaps one of the most creative things to come out of the period. Band members and sets were modeled off of surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico’s works.
The music world has suffered many losses in the last week. Brian Wilson and Sly Stone were both pillars of modern popular America music. Lesser known is Douglas McCarthy, singer and songwriter of the EBM group Nitzer Ebb. Alongside New Order, Depeche Mode and Front 242, Nitzer Ebb’s songs were a major thread of the dance music fabric of the late 80s and early 90s. If you went to a club and did NOT hear one of their songs it was notable! I believe that McCarthy had to have had a healthy sense of humor, so let’s also revisit the time when Beavis and Butthead commented on a Nitzer Ebb music video:
Rest in Power.
Sublime Frequencies is “a collective of explorers dedicated to exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, other forms of human and natural natural expression not documented sufficiently enough by various communication channels.” They have multiple releases that are edits from radio recordings around the world. These not only act as ethnomusicological studies, but also fascinating examples of audio collage.
Apparently Lou Reed was really going through it in 1978 when this live recording was made. His feisty, aggressive and blabbermouth tone sounds like a mix of alcohol, drugs and the strain of being considered a “living legend”. All the while his very good live band tries to hold down the proceedings by keeping up with very different arrangements of some of his classics. While most (if not all) acts overdub their live records to make them sound as good as possible, Reed clearly was taking a “warts and all” stance with this release. I’m not sure who was more brave in putting this out: Reed or his record company?
As we hit late-Spring 2025, it’s appropriate to pull out LA producer Teebs’ classic first full length, “Ardour”. Deep beats, lush melodies and chirpy synths make this a must-listen for this time of year as well as one of the best releases from Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label.
Junior Byles, who created some of the biggest roots-era anthems in Jamaica, died a few days ago. Rest in power, King Chubby!
Here’s a roboto rare groove record from 80s Detroit. Jerry Green had sung for the Motown act The Contours back in the 60s. It’s a commendable bedroom production calls to mind this 1999 remix by Hell Interface aka Boards of Canada:
The music world keeps getting hit with losses! Cocoa Tea came to prominence during the classic rub-a-dub dancehall era, recording for the likes of Henry “Juno” Lawes. He transitioned into the digital era of the mid-80s and had some of his biggest hits. In the 90s he set up his own label, Roaring Lion. In 2008 he utilized this platform to boost the political platform of Barak Obama. Rest in Power to a true reggae legend!
Jazz and Soul legend Roy Ayers passed away recently. A sometimes neglected page in his storied career is the six weeks in the late 70s he spent in Nigeria playing with afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Surely, the spirit of the Funk was further fortified by this meeting of the minds! Rest in Power Roy Ayers!
The music world lost one of its best song stylists last week. Roberta Flack could take just about anyone’s song and make it her own. The kicker was that she had impeccable taste, as well as chops at the keys and on the vocals! RIP to a true master!