I guess by now you've understood why this blog is called the lazy blog :-)
But this time I have a decent excuse for my relatively long silence: I was in the process of relocating to Valencia, Spain, which means I've been away from my records and turntables since early November... Hopefully they'll be here by the end of January!
So in the meantime, here's a little selection of records I would recommend to check and/or buy for the Christmas period. No particular order of preference, no equal representation of the different genres I like, and no relevance regarding the release date... Just a list of good records as they come to mind really. Hope everyone will find something fitting their taste!
Merry Christmas everybody!
DIGITAL MYSTIKZ - Education / Horrid Henry - DMZ 12"
This year has seen Mala of Digital Mystikz duo rise to incredible heights of sonic wizardry. His first long awaited LP Return II Space was undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year and most of his productions featured on various labels throughout 2010 were equally good. One last treat before next year kicks in, this 12" is the first one released on the infamous DMZ label in two years. As often with Digital Mystikz, each of the producers takes one side of the record to demonstrate his skills. As always, Coki's Horrid Henry is not really my cup of tea but should appeal to heads who like their dubstep dark and filthy. On the other side, Mala delivers with Education yet another epic piece of heavy meditation music, using sounds very much alike to those used on Level 9 for those who know. This guy is slowly but steadily becoming the Lee Perry of dubstep... I just can't get enough of his tunes :-D On an ending note, as with all DMZ releases this is super limited and will probably never be repressed so grab it quick!
THEO PARRISH - Ugly Edits Vol. 11 - Ugly Edits 12"
Five years after the last one in the series, Theo's infamous Ugly Edits are back! And for all his fans, this one's a real treat as both sides are tunes that the Sound Signature man has been playing heavily in his sets for years... Here's the chance to grab these on wax! YUMMY YUMMY! I personnally have a small preference for Jackey Beaver's Mr. Bump Man as this one's always been driving me mad whenever I heard Theo playing it live but both sides are really, really good... Guaranteed funky floorfillers! If you like your groove tight and raw, this is simply unmissable.
NOTTZ - You Need This Music - Raw Koncept CD/LP
I am particularly pleased to talk about this one because the last couple of years have been relatively quiet in terms of good ol'hiphop. I remember myself thinking last year "damn, a couple of years back it seems I couldn't cope with the amount of incredible hiphop releases, and nowadays it's almost as if I have to STRIVE to actually find something good in this genre!". I have no idea if this LP marks the return of something in hiphop, but in any case it's a great surprise, all the more since I didn't know so much of the producer before hearing this. Nottz has been making beats for over a decade now, and there's some Dilla-esque ethics in his way of carefully balancing his career between the mainstream and the underground. What is more surprising (and which inspires respect) is that it looks like he actually started to make a name for himself by producing for big names and progressively turned in to the underground... This is perfectly reflected on his first solo LP effort, which sees him destroy track after track with sick instrumentals, decent spittin' and an impressive roster of collabs (Snoop Dog, Black Milk, Joy Denalane, Dwele, Little Brother, Bilal, Mayer Hawthorne to name a few). As arrogant as the title might sound, if you're a true underground hiphop head, Nottz's statement proves to be quite right: you need this music.
ROBERT GLASPER - Double Booked - Blue Note CD
Released last year, this is still on heavy rotation in my iPod or at home. Robert Glasper has got to be one of his generation's most talented jazz cats. He comes from a background which blends jazz and hiphop, which is why he caught my attention a couple of years ago. He frequently collaborates with the likes of Bilal, Q-Tip and Meshell Ndegeocello amongst others. On his fourth LP he's decided to clearly separate his two facets by splitting the album in two parts, one with his regular and most reknowned trio (with Vicente Archer on double bass and Chris Dave on drums), and the other with his Experiment, a group with heavy hiphop and funk influences (with Derrick Hodge on bass, Chris Dave on drums and Casey Benjamin on sax and... vocoder!). One thing that will always amaze me with Robert Glasper is the fact that his virtuosity never takes over the rest of his music, and that's no small feat when talking about a jazz musician! I cannot recommend enough this album along with the previous one entitled In My Element. Simply put, this is extremely beautiful music. Very smooth and apeasing. And if you ever have the chance to see him play live, you're in for a treat... Chris 'Daddy' Dave is a MONSTER on drums. Nuff said!
BERNARD WRIGHT - 'Nard - GRP/BMG Japan LP/CD
Time for some classic action! This album has got to be one of the most incredible funk albums of all time... Produced by the mighty Larry Rosen and Dave Grusin, also responsible for Don Blackman's masterpiece a year later in 1982, 'Nard sees twenty-year-old Bernard Wright deliver a flawless mixture of jazz and funk throughout nine tracks of pure groovy bliss. A jaw-dropping collection of hits which were sampled by almost everyone in the hiphop industry... For example, those of you who remember Snoop Dogg's For All My Niggaz & Bitches from his first album Doggystyle probably know by now that this is some shameless sampling of Haboglabotribin'! To this day I'm still wondering how it took me so long to get a copy of this record... Absolutely essential purchase for any funk aficionado.
AVISHAI COHEN - Aurora - Blue Note CD
Like Robert Glasper's Double Booked, this album was released last year and has remained on my daily playlist ever since. And as with Glasper, I discovered the guy through his previous album, Gently Disturbed. Avishai Cohen is an Israeli bass player whose list of collabs reads like a who's who of jazz (Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove, Herbie Hancock...). His latest solo effort sees him blend jazz with traditional Israeli music and latin vibes, for a result which doesn't disappoint. Had the chance to see him live in an outside setting this summer in Frankfurt and it was wicked! A very interesting artist which might appeal not only to jazz heads but also to anyone with a discerning ear and taste for novelty.
JAMES BLAKE - Limit To Your Love - Atlas Recordings 10"
Your might have read my previous post about this one. This is now officially out and I highly recommend that you go and buy this one quickly if you like it, 'cause this is limited. Supposedly first single taken from his forthcoming first album, due to be released early next year. Surely an artist to watch in 2011, as was in 2010... The future of dubstep is here. The name is James Blake. Beautiful music from the UK.
MADDSLINKY - Make A Change - Tru Thoughts CD
Dave Jones can be considered as one of the pioneers of the dubstep sound, having produced under various monikers over the last fifteen years, making music ranging from two step (or UK Garage as they used to call it across the Channel) to broken beat. The first Maddslinky album was first released seven years ago on a then-famous broken beat label called Laws Of Motion (home of Neon Phusion amongst others... Ahhh! Memories :-)) and this year, Tru Thoughts have decided to re-release it along with the release of an entirely new album. As surprising as it might be, Make A Change is Jones' first proper dubstep album, but right after the first listen you will understand why this is the work of a UK bass music veteran. An album packed with great tracks, covering different BPMs and vibes, with loads of interesting collabs (Skream, Mr. Scruff, Tawiah and the mighty Omar on the killer Special), lushly produced... Proper sounds of the 21st century on this one! The only drawback to me is the absence of a vinyl version :-( But I'm not losing hope! Come on Tru Thoughts, gimme some wax, please!!!
V/A - Timeless - Mochilla 3xDVD Boxset / 3x2LP
Something very special I've already been talking about on the blog. Mochilla is a US label releasing both music and video documentaries which have constantly been of great quality. Their music releases are pretty scarce but always on point (one of my favourite mixes of all time, DJ Nuts' Cultura Copia, was released on Mochilla and is nowadays almost impossible to find on CD). Their latest project, Timeless, is a series of three exceptional concerts they organized in their hometown of L.A. The first one is by Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke (if you've watched Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers, you know his music). The second one is by Artur Verocai, an obscure yet mythical Brazilian producer/arranger/songwriter who released a seminal solo album in the 70's, which was a flop at the time of its release but has since then gained a cult status amongst heads (especially hiphop producers). And thanks to Mochilla, for the first time ever, Verocai played the whole album live with a full orchestra. The third concert of the boxset, the most special to me, is an orchestral adaptation by contemporary jazz artist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson of J Dilla tracks. For those of you who know this last name, you know what to expect. For the others, well, imagine one of the most influential hiphop artists of the last two decades being reinterpreted in a orchestral, contemporary way and you'll get the picture. Incredible music and images. If you like true emotions in music, you could do much worse than buy this. Each of the three concerts is now also available on 2xLP. Much love and respect to Mochilla.
DAM-FUNK - Toeachizown - Stones Throw 2CD/5LP
Stones Throw is getting more and more versatile these days. Initially famous for its hiphop roster with the almighty (and sometimes a bit overproductive) Madlib at the forefront, Peanut Butter Wolf's imprint has slowly evolved over the years to become a more general label releasing anything that's got a groove, more or less. And this record has got some, trust me. Or rather, it's got some FUNK in it. After all, the artist name says it all! Hailing from LA's underground scene, Dâm-Funk has always been true to his musical family, starting very young to rep California's soundtrack to what would become later the gangsta rap way of life. Heavily influenced by artists such as Prince or Kleeer, this guy has been playing keys on such type of music for almost 20 years in some of the most famous West Coast artists' studios... If I say for instance Dr. Dre, that might ring a bell to some of you ;-) I truly love this guy's dedication to his musical movement. He's proof that persistance and truthfulness can eventually pay off. Toeachizown is his first solo album and the least one can say is that there's quantity on it: 2 full CDs, 5 LPs, over 2 hours of pure retro electro-funk, eighties style, for your listening pleasure! Of course it takes a little time to digest the whole thing, but it's definitely worth its price and attention. If you like early 80s funk, you won't be disappointed!
Watch the video for Mirrors
And as an extra bonus, a little Christmas tune by none other than the Godfather of Soul, mister James Brown!
Enjoy, everyone!
Love the last one!!
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