Hey folks! Thanks Chuck for keeping the Fuzz rolling.

I’ve been at a loss as to what to post exactly these days. I was contemplating doing an homage to Junior and posting some forgotten Soul or Funk gem, but I’m still trying to figure out if I have anything fitting in my collection. Junior is a hard act to follow; so many amazing selections and posts.  Salud! … So,  in the interest of avoiding bloggers block and putting some fresh tunes up, I’m going to work with what I have banging around at the moment. Here are two random 45RPM 12″ platters that sound better (in my opinion) at 33.

Rocking a record at half speed is, of course, nothing new – DJ Screw famously inspired a whole Hip Hop movement out of  Texas with his “screwed” down mixes. For the curious, there is a great documentary about Screw which has conveniently surfaced on Youtube – part 1 of 11 kicks off here. And currently, Dave Nada of Nadastrom is wandering the country wrecking shop with “Moombathon” – his self-described brand of screwed down Dutch House. A great story on the origins of Moombahton here, and, a very tasty Nada mix-tape here.

… now, let’s slow some stuff down…

First up, we take 1985 Synth Pop Disco Curtie and The Boombox single Black Kisses (Never Make You Blue) and stretch it from from 4:27 to 9:04. Interesting things happen… the rhythm section shifts gears to a meditative echo-y drum stomp almost reminiscent of a long Cure jam (kinda like Pictures of You perhaps?). The staccato guitar retains a bit of its original pace and bounce. Meanwhile, the vocals are pitched down to a thicker, huskier tone (again, I get a goth vibe).  At 33, the synth arrangement really comes into focus.

The original is also quite excellent… Black Kisses works at any speed really.

Next up, we have a record I thought I was playing at the right speed, then I heard the Youtube uploads – I couldn’t believe it. I very much do not like this tune at its original tempo: it’s too “in your face”. However, screwed down, I absolutely love it – it’s addictive. At 33, Nino’s brilliant layered shifting arrangement and wonderfully expansive mix just kind of shimmers (if that makes any sense). This record sits well in any room as a low-key dance track or just an upbeat sound-scape.

Hope you dig. Thanks.

Chuck created a Soundcloud account for us so I decided to try and take advantage of its capabilities and create/post a mix-tape for you all. I chopped a few things up; hopefully no source material was harmed in the making of this mix.

I have drank of the Cumbia Nueva Kool-aid… This is all thanks to San Francisco’s excellent ~3 year old record label Bersa Discos. It all started when I happened across local NYC producer/DJ Uproot Andy’s Botellon in Poirer’s entry in Dusted’s regular Friday Listed feature. I picked up the BERSA-004 12″ at Turntable Lab and soon discovered Botellon was just the tip of the iceberg. The other Uproot Andy tracks were uniformly excellent and the Sonido Del Principe side completely melted my face. With so many rich variations on the Cumbia theme on one 12″, it was time to explore…

Cesar Ascarrunz: Descarga, See Saw Affair, Azucar
From: Cesar 830 [Flying Dutchmen, 1975]

Back from the abyss with some Latin heat. Man oh man. My Cesar 830 post is long overdue and the summer weather happening here in Brooklyn requires that I get my ass in gear.

An excellent lost Latin Funk album from the early 70s west coast scene — featuring a group led by Latin pianist and promoter Cesar Ascarrunz — and including some of the greatest Latin and jazz players from the San Francisco scene at the time!…
- Dusty Groove

Yes!

Cesar Ascarrunz is a Bolivian, born there in 1935. He came to America first as a tourist and then in 1960 to atttend the University of California at Berkeley. Cesar had never played music, let alone considered himself a potential musician, until 1961 when a group of students needed a piano player for a party. None could be found, so Cesar sat down and played Besame Mucho with one finger. Intrigued, he sat wood-shedding, and in a week had picked up nine more songs.
- Cesar 830 (reissue) back cover

Yes!

Cesar 830 is a rare recording that highlights the exceptional musical ensemble that pianist-bandleader Cesar Ascarrunz led during his years as a San Francisco nightclub entrepeneur. With his Cesar’s Latin All Stars, the house band at his venues Cesar’s on Green Street and Cesar’s Latin Palace in the Mission District, he forged this 1975 collaborative effort with Bob Thiele of Flying Dutchman Records and legendary jazz producer Teo Macero, who did Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” and Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.” “Cesar 830″ came out at the tail end of the Bay Area Latin rock boom almost 30 years ago and is an exceptional blend of Latino jazz rock fusion.
- Cesar Ascarrunz’s web site

Yes!

Hmm, how can I summarize…

IF YOU LIKE SHREDDING GUITAR SOLOS; THIS RECORD IS FOR YOU!!

Get ‘Em Mamis: Alpines Kickin’, Cold Summer, Soul Talk
From: Terawesome [Darkroom Productions, 2009]

Ok. Finally got a break and some time to get into what I started in January – ladies throwing down on the mic… thanks 2Shaney and E.Powers for the excellent suggestions; I’ve been digging on all the artists you mentioned. Let’s kick it off with a selection from 2Shaney’s list, something happening right now – Baltimore’s Get ‘Em Mamis. Their ‘Terawesome’ mixtape is a free and easy download and it is indeed a pleasing blend of terrific and awesome. The beats don’t skimp on booty and the ladies show no mercy on the mic.

From what I can glean from the internets, Roxzi and Symphony are a long time coming:  rap fanatics since childhood, they honed their craft for many years; writing, performing, and working together in different groups before streamlining to their current winning chemistry as a duo. With a pivotal career break in 2008, earning inclusion on HBO’s The Wire’s Beyond Hamsterdam soundtrack, they caught the ear of local Baltimore production crew Darkroom Productions. Recently, I’ve seen a few 2010 tour dates popping up (though mostly in MD… come to NYC!).

Throughout Terawesome, Get ‘Em Mamis prove themselves gifted vocalists with plenty of personality, versatility, and quality rhymes. Of the three tracks posted above, though, I’ll say ‘Soul Talk’ is my favorite as the song holds some of Roxzi and Symphony’s  most expressive lines:

while the whole world is sleeping or fucking
I’m up thinking of nothing but how I’m gonna give myself to the public
to make ‘em say that they want it, but I need it
Hip Hop will never be dead if I’m breathing

… and the hook hits it home. Sounds like they love what they’re doing. Look forward to hearing more.

Anyone else psyched about the return of the lovely Sade? [new album drops: 2.8.2010]

Sade: Soldier of Love
From: Soldier of Love [Epic, 2010]

I’m a long-time fan, and, the new single doesn’t disappoint. It retains her patented smooth and adds some nice trip hop elements. Pure class. Aging gracefully. Hard to believe she’s 50!

On a semi-related note: I’d like to devote some Earfuzz time this year to exploring our favorite women on the mic. To narrow the focus a bit, I’m thinking MC’s: Da Brat. Missy. Trina. MC Lyte. MIA. etc.

Readers, any votes/suggestions? I’d really like to get into this a bit.

Talen (featuring Sizzla): The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale
From: Kingston Book [Mouthwatering Records, 2009]

After the positive Fela! experience, I’m trying to not ignore promo emails so much. I’m glad; otherwise I would have missed out on this fine jam – a wonderfully successful collaboration between Winterthur, Switzerland based production/DJ crew Talen Bass System and Dancehall legends Sizzla and Cutty Ranks.

When I read “Switzerland” and “Sizzla” in the same sentence, my curiosity was peaked. I know absolutely nothing about the Swiss music scene so exploring the mp3 links seemed like a good learning opportunity. Indeed. The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale is quite literally a “tale”. Sizzla uses his time on the mic to do some story telling, and, it’s a good read- a sort of Reggae how-to coming-up success story all boiling down to… don’t fight the vibes. And, Talen do well providing some deep undeniable vibes. Massive kick, plenty of deep (almost acid’y) synth, and a rocking bass line. I think Talen themselves nail it when they describe their tune:

A mighty, yet playful, beat… Rock’n'Roll in a Dancehall costume, or rather vice-versa? Doesn’t matter – as long as the vibe is right.

For those interested, my good friend Deji Olukotun made his way to Eugene O’Neill Theater last week to experience Fela! On Broadway. Here is a brief sampling of his account:

… The story begins with the impending closure of The Shrine by the government. It’s as good of a starting point as any other. Fela, played by the Sierra Leonean Sahr Ngaugah, recounts his life through a series of flashbacks, charting the development of his music and remembering the key personalities in his life. We see glimpses of his life in London, his visit to America during the Black Power movement, and his fear of James Brown’s music, which swept through Africa and haunted him, because he both loved it and disliked its lack of African sentiment. We also watch as he meets the first and most influential of his eventual household of twenty-seven wives. He then explains his Afrobeat music by breaking it down instrument by instrument...

[click here for full review]

Sounds like a full success (despite an arguably out of place tap-dancing sequence… ha!) Cool. I’m psyched; it sounds like a great show.

Be back soon with some choice jams of both old and new school varieties.

Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Zombie
From: Zombie [Celluloid, 1977]

Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Sorrow, Tears, & Blood
From: Sorrow, Tears & Blood [Kalakuta, 1977]

Fela on Broadway Official Site

A few months ago, I received a PR email asking if I wanted to receive some “cool stuff” that might, perhaps, inspire Earfuzz to help spread the word about a new musical coming to town. The show was vaguely described as “an energetic mix of Afrobeat music and African dance, following the life of a famous musician.” Hmm, I thought, sounds Earfuzzy… who could this famous musician possibly be?… of course, it’s Fela Kuti. While I expected it to be Fela, I did harbor a fear it might be a half-baked off off off Broadway production about a fictional composite character based roughly on the life of Fela. Nope. It appears they are going large here and doing their best to channel the spirit of Fela Kuti- the man, the myth, the legend-through the lens of a Broadway musical production. For many reasons, I’m optimistic it will be a killer show… Why?…

Exhibit A - PR mystery box actually contained some “cool stuff”

The contents of the box and more, after the jump.

Cores: Babylon
From: Babylon EP [Noom Records, 1997]

A few months ago, we had a nice Earfuzz email powwow to get our summer posting outlook sorted. Each of the writers chimed in with enthusiasm in favor of delivering a steady flow of posts throughout the coming lazy days. I know summer isn’t quite over yet, but, thanks for all the warm weather jams everyone (let’s hope the warmth continues)! As well, Chuck, thanks for starting up and maintaining Earfuzz on Facebook. Readers, thanks for stopping by, listening, and commenting.

At the time of our email correspondence, I half mentioned to the other writers that I was falling into a Jungle/D&B hole and anticipated eventually posting some Trance. I was excited about the dubious challenge of finding some Trance that would fly on a Funk/Soul blog. Even if you’re an affirmed electronic or hard dance music fan, Trance/Techno music can be a bit overbearing and off-putting.

Now, four months later, I’ve since dug deep and far and wide to find some tunes I felt were soulful enough for you all; however in the end, only one track really felt appropriate.

Produced by Michael Kores, Babylon is a wonderful example of German Hard Trance gone right. The song opens sparingly with a deep heavy kick. This kick continues relentlessly as it gathers layers of sound. With each successive layering, Babylon seems to rush forward and quicken on its pulse. The sounds, thankfully, are all tasteful and organic; including the high-hat and vocal samples. Ultimately, the push and pulse gather momentum through a few extended snare builds before plateau-ing at 5:47. At this point, one can either mix in a new track, or, continue to enjoy the song as it empties its energy into space before regathering its layers and coalescing once again.

Deep, heavy, dark, and soulful. Hope you dig.

Break ‘N Spin: Break ‘N Spin [Singh Records, 1984]

This track is definitely hitting the spot in the midst of busy muggy summer; enough bounce to get you up, and, enough chill to keep you steady. 1984… who knew it could be this good?… apparently RealFreshBlog (thanks for posting!).

[[Does anyone else find the intro similar to the intro for the ubiquitous Jamie Foxx/T-Pain jam Blame It?]]

From what I can find on the web, “Break ‘N Spin” appears to be a one-off pseudonym for the very interesting funky and prolific Edwin Birdsong. Having just researched Edwin Birdsong, I’m somewhat surprised that this track was my introduction to the man. Long established since the 70’s, he’s worked and collaborated with the likes of Roy Ayers and Stevie Wonder. And, he’s still out there (as seen on his MySpace).

However, if you’re like me and this is the first time you’ve heard the name Edwin Birdsong, it’s very likely this is not the first time you’ve heard his work:

- Cola Bottle Baby, the lead track from his 1979 S/T album was sampled by Daft Punk in Harder Better Faster Stronger

- Rapper Dapper Snapper, his 1980 12″ release was sampled by De La Soul in Me Myself and I

Two classics both underpinned with Birdsong funk.

And, just to keep the party going, here is a slightly less old-school jam from ‘92.

Jump: Funkatarium [Dark Records, 1992]

Despite the recession and prudent financial sense, I picked both up on vinyl. So, if you are in the NYC area and looking for a public forum to share your favorite records, I invite you to join myself and friends at our monthly (next meeting: 8/10) Monday Night Vinyl Club “bring your own vinyl” collaborative DJ party. 2nd mondays monthly at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn. FREE