stompin' at the savoy

having recently completed an essay on the harlem renaissance of 1920's america, much of my research revolved around the celebration of black culture and the roots of african american heritage through the medium of art, literature, music, and progressive thought. the creation of intellectual arts worked to uplift the african american people during a time of severely unstable race-relations, producing a new sense of pride and distinction. jazz music was undoubtedly the defining sound of the 1920's. duke ellington, for example, worked to portray an authentic representation of black life in his music, with many of his songs reflecting the urban harlem culture. at the bottom of this post you will find the track 'stompin' at the savoy', an effortlessly uplifting track which oozes charm and sophistication.


the image below is winold reiss's 'drawing in two colours'. much of the art created during the harlem renaissance encompassed the positive image of 'the new negro', a reinvention of the african american into an energetic yet respectful image. i recommend anyone interested in jazz music or american history to familiarise themselves with the works of claude mckay, langston hughes, zora neale hurston, and jean toomer, as these were all major influences in the roots of jazz as we know it today.


download...

duke ellington - stompin' at the savoy [mediafire]

fancy clown

this is a track from the critically acclaimed 'madvillainy' album, a collaboration between mablib and mf doom. sampling zz hill's 'that ain't the way you make love', this song has the interesting dimension of coming from the point of view of mf doom's pseudonym viktor vaughn, seemingly pretty livid with his girlfriend sleping with mf doom (the same person)...

"that's you, if you want a dude who wear a mask all day"



download...

madvillain - fancy clown (feat. viktor vaughn) [mediafire]

wanda vidal

this is a track from one of madlib's projects that takes a distinct step away from traditional hip-hop - yesterday's new quintet. recently i have been on a journey discovering all the madlib-related material out there and with each new turn the music takes, my appreciation greatens. this jazz-based quintet, made up of four fictitious characters, has released a few albums that i highly recommend you check out.



download...

yesterday's new quintet - wanda vidal [mediafire]

history (live on jimmy fallon)

mos def and talib kweli performing the track 'history' from the album 'the ecstatic' released this year. this song samples a j dilla beat and the backing band for this performance just happens to be the roots.

j dilla

j dilla was a hip-hop producer from detroit, michigan. having only discovered his work recently, i was instantly intrigued by his use of sampling and the misty, almost nostalgic atmosphere his music creates.




download

j dilla - stop [mediafire]

the keeper

this is the first single from bonobo's new album, which is as yet untitled and due for release early next year. 'the keeper' features vocals from andreya triana, a british singer/songwriter who has also had interesting collaborations with flying lotus and mr. scruff. this new track shows bonobo's continually evolving sound, melancholy yet uplifting, wonderfully soulful vocals with a relaxing trip-hop beat.


listen here...




download...

bonobo - the keeper (feat. andreya triana) [mediafire]

bird's lament

moondog, real name louis thomas hardin, was a blind american composer, musician, and poet, who chose to live on the streets of new york for nearly 20 years. often known as 'the viking of 6th avenue' for his home-made attire based on his interpretation of the norse god thor, he once met charlie parker in the streets of new york and they had planned to jam together. touched by parker's death, moondog wrote the song 'bird's lament' in his memory. it has that wonderfully smooth brass ensemble mixed with the classically upbeat jazz drumming. 'bird's lament' was later sampled by electronic musican mr. scruff in the track 'get a move on' which features on the 1999 album 'keep it unreal'. below you can find the original song...



listen here...



download...

moondog - bird's lament [megaupload]

meet me at the pomegranate tree

will holland, often known as quantic, creates music that draws upon elements of soul, funk, jazz, and salsa, yet retains a very contemporary feel in terms of production. you would expect most music with this range of influence to be dominated by samples, but being a multi-instrumentalist, much will holland's sound is original composition. in this particular song, 'meet me at the pomegranate tree', i love the handclaps, clicks of fingers, and how the bass works extremely well with the drums.



listen here...



download...

quantic - meet me at the pomegranate tree [megaupload]

on the vista

the lastest track to emerge from the forthcoming blakroc album. 'on the vista', with mos def, features a sqealing guitar and has a really delicate ending with mos def's whispers.



listen here...

blakroc - on the vista (feat. mos def)

madlib medicine show

madlib's 'medicine show' is going to be a one-a-month 12 cd series. the show will combine madlib's new hip-hop productions, remixes, and beat tapes. no.1 in the series, 'before the verdict', will feature guilty simpson and contain 17 tracks of new material. no. 2 in the series, 'flight to brazil', will be a mixtape of brazillian jazz, funk, folk, and psychedelia.


madlib & guilty simpson - the paper [mediafire]

keep an eye on stonesthrow for details of the full release, looks like it's scheduled for the new year.

time & space (a new refuation of)

some really laid back hip-hop from digable planets, a trio that couple alot of old jazz and funk samples with culturally aware lyrics.



digable planets - time & space (a new refuation of) [mediafire]

when it wobbles

a track from RJD2's new EP, 'the tin foil hat'



RJD2 - when it wobbles [mediafire]

love cry

the new single from four tet is a nine-minute percussive-dance track with ghostly female vocals. the artork is inspired by the cyclical pattern of a 'rainbow' of downtempo electronic sounds. it looks like hebden is scheduling a release for the new four tet album, 'there is love in you', to be january 25th 2010.




four tet - love cry [mediafire]


the limited edition 12" single can be purchased here which features the b-side 'our bells', an interestingly beatless, ambient track.

bye bye bayou

the new single from lcd soundsystem gives a taste of what new material is sounding like. apparently while the band is recording their new album in an old mansion in LA, they are all wearing white clothing from top to toe at all times, an interesting idea.



lcd soundsystem - bye bye bayou [sharebee]

lcd soundsystem - bye bye bayou [mediafire]

i get a kick out of you

ella fitzgerald is undoubtedly one of the greatest female jazz singers of all time, and through her career she won an astonishing 13 grammy awards. this particular song i'm posting is ella doing a cover of 'i get a kick out of you', which has then been remixed by the cinematic orchestra (a british-based jazz and electronic outfit). the acoustic guitar fits perfectly with ella's purity of tone, and it really feels as if this track has been tastefully brought into the 21st century.



ella fitzgerald - i get a kick out of you (cinematic orchestra remix) [sharebee]

ella fitzgerald - i get a kick out of you (cinematic orchestra remix) [mediafire]

hoochie coo

the blackroc project is spearheaded by blues-rock band the black keys and hip-hop label executive damon dash. the self-titled blakroc lp will feature jim jones, mos def, q-tip, rza, pharoahe monch, raekwon, and nicole wray amoungst others. anticipation for this album has been building steadily with the weekly release of the blakroc webisodes giving an insight into the recording process of each song.




blakroc - ain't nothing like you (hoochie coo) [sharebee]

blakroc - ain't nothing like you (hoochie coo) [mediafire]

pre-order the cd or vinyl

wolf club / moth

below you'll find both tracks from the new burial & four tet 12". upon listening it appears it's likely to be more collaborative than a split ep, as both tracks feature signature burial beats/atmospherics, and four tet's organic sounding layers. if you like what you hear there are still copies available for purchase here.

truck festival '09

truck is a small, independent, quirky, not-for-profit festival located at a farm in the village of steventon, near abingdon, oxfordshire. truck is usually a place for smaller bands, and often an opportunity for the annual average of 5,000 festival-goers to discover new bands they havn't seen or heard of before. the festival prides itself on its family atmosphere and community ethics, and farm itself remains a working farm, shutting down only temporarily to allow the festival to take place. bands which have played at truck in previous years include british sea power, the futureheads, goldrush, biffy clyro, the magic numbers, the mystery jets, regina spektor, the young knives, the electric soft parade, laura marling, foals, metronomy, youth movies, and many many more.


the lineup for this year has not yet been released in its entirety, although several acts have been confirmed - local favourites supergrass will be headlining on sunday night, and ASH will be playing on saturday night. smaller bands playing this year will include the red light company and detroit social club. this year's festival takes place on the 25th and 26th of july and tickets are available to buy online at...

wegottickets

seetickets

four tet/burial split release

with very few details to go on, word has it that a split 12" vinyl is being released by four tet and burial, named 'moth/wolf club'. according to bleep the LP, which is largely shrouded in mystery at the moment, is due for release on may 4th. there is no artwork, no sales notes, and no audio previews or promos; hopefully the music in this collaboration will do the talking. in the mean time, here's a track from burial's 2007 album 'untrue'.

burial - 'archangel' [mediafire]

burial - 'archangel' [sharebee]

anything but love

listening to songs you'd almost forgotten about is always nice. 'anything but love' featured on the libertines' 'legs 11' session. this particular session was recorded in 2000 and showcased the band's eight best tracks at that time. it has become one of the most popular of the band's many bootleg recordings probably due to the variety of instruments used, giving these demos a distinctive sound uncaptured in many other recordings.

the libertines - 'anything but love' (legs 11 session) [mediafire]

the libertines - 'anything but love' (legs 11 session) [sharebee]

one foot in the grave reissue

beck is set to reissue a deluxe version of his 1994 album 'one foot in the grave' with 13 bonus tracks, several of these being previously unreleased songs. the tracklisting for the bonus tracks featured on the reissued version of 'one foot in the grave' reads...

it's all in your mind (k records 7")
whiskey can can (k records 7")
mattress*
woe on me*
teenage wastebasket*
your love is weird*
favorite nerve’*
piss on the door*
close to god*
sweet satan*
burning boyfriend*
black lake morning*
feather in your cap (k records 7")
one foot in the grave*
i get lonesome*

*never before released

the long lost (daedelus)

the long lost consists of alfred darlington (aka daedelus) and his wife laura collaborating for a self-titled album. daedelus is an experimental music producer from california who pioneered the use of the minimalist monome controller. his music is often built upon vintage or analog sounding samples giving it a very distinct and almost nostalgic nature; it is clear how much the rhythms of the 30's, 40's and 70's influence his music. this particular project of daedelus is said to have arisen as a result of a renewed courtship of the couple following a four year separation. the album has been described by the label (ninja tune) as the work of two hopeless romantics making "psychedelic lullabies for lovers and the lovelorn", which seems to be an accurate description upon listening.

'the art of kissing' features a gentle acoustic guitar matching the softness of laura's vocals, and has daedelus's signature-sounding lo-fi drums as a backdrop. 'subliance' has a very groovy drumline which increases in depth as the song unfolds, with short bursts of violin helping the romantic tone. the songs are very delicate, sad at times and joyful at others, with experimental electro-acoustic melodies. as far as i can see, most (if not all) of the tracks from the album can be heard on their website which is linked below the live dates.

the long lost - s/t [streamed]

as serious as your life

'as serious as your life' was a single released from the 2003 album 'rounds' by four tet, otherwise known as kieran hebden. hebden is primarily an electronic musician under the name four tet, but some of his sounds, melodies, and samples are lifted from or incorporate elements of hip-hop, psychedelic rock, abstract electronica, jazz, and folk music. much of hebden's work has a dreamy atmosphere about it, but 'as serious as your life' is slightly more punchy, and undoubtedly quite accessible. a looped funky riff accounts for the calmest parts of the track, with a mayhem of drums and cymbals interspersed for the hectic elements. the twinkling sitar actually gives the track a less 'serious' feel i think, and relates back to the music-box melody in previous tracks on the album. the real drum samples and stuttered handclaps throughout the song give it a more organic feel, balancing well with the electronically generated sounds, the cut-up rhythms, and the experimental atmospherics.

four tet - 'as serious as your life' [sharebee]

four tet - 'as serious as your life' [mediafire]

unkle - heaven

UNKLE's latest video is for the track 'heaven' which featured on the 'end titles... stories for film' album of recent collective recordings, and it continues UNKLE's tendency to produce unforgettable music videos. the footage for this piece was originally from lakai's 'fully flared' skateboarding film; collaborative directors spike jonze and ty evans re-edited a sequence which shows southern californian skaters demonstrating their skills. footage of skaters is slowed down to a snail pace which makes you focus on minute details like t-shirts rippling in the wind, or the skaters wavering in balance when making impact with the ground. what separates this from a simple homage to skaters is of course the unexpected explosions of parts of the skate park which the skaters navigate through. this is really where the slowed down speed of the film has maximum effect as we see sparks flying, concrete shattering, clouds of rubble hanging in the air - all in precise detail. the album this track featured on, 'end titles... stories for film', was made to harness a relationship between music and images, an area of audio-visual association. in the credits to the album james lavelle described making music for film or television as "frustrating" because:

"a lot of the music you're making ends up sitting on the shelf, neither properly released or heard. a waste really, we thought. so this album is our attempt to alleviate our musical frustrations whilst hoping that it will find a wider audience."

the menacing 'heaven' is a great track in it's own right, and this video could be their best since the groundbreaking work on 'rabbit in your headlights' by chris cunningham. the video builds slowly in tension and expectancy, like the song, towards a gallant conclusion. the images are successfully related with the musical backdrop in both matter and timing, producing an extraordinary relationship between sound and picture that lavelle clearly wanted to achieve when making his music.

strokes writing new material

with recent reports suggesting julian casablancas and nick valensi have started writing new material for the band's fourth album, i think it's safe to say anticipation can officially begin. by now we can assume all members have convened in new york as planned to continue writing and to start rehearsing. fabrizio moretti spoke to the bbc towards the end of january explaining that all members of the band were meeting very soon. moretti also said that the stokes are "the kind of band that it's not finished until everyone's in one room and everyone's got their parts perfectly. we're a very mechanical band." so it seems that there may be some time to wait until we hear material from the new album. in the meantime, here's an old demo version of 'i'll try anything once' with julian singing and playing keyboard.

the strokes - 'i'll try anything once' (julian on keyboard) [mediafire]

the strokes - 'i'll try anything once' (julian on keyboard) [yousendit]

birdy nam nam

birdy nam nam consists of four french djs who believe in using the turntable as an actual instrument. they scratch, cut, cross-fade and loop in harmony to create some really unique tracks – often complimented at their shows with live percussion, strings, and keys. their first album which i have posted below is a great little contemporary jazz record. the clever thing about it is that you wouldn't notice it was four turntablists using vinyl as the only sound source unless you read about it. it has a very vintage style of sound, obviously originating from the vinyl samples used, yet a fresh style is present with the modern production techniques. stand-out tracks in this album include the more traditional lounge-jazz effort 'kind of laid back', the heavily scratched yet infectious 'jazz it at home', and the more epic 'abbesses'. some of their vinyl compositions are breathtaking when you consider how they are assembled; with clear influences ranging from 1990’s electronic experts to 1980’s rap producers.


1. ready for war, ready for what?
2. body, mind, spirit...
3. too much skunk tonight!
4. transition
5. kind of laid back
6. jazz it at home
7. we drummin'
8. new birth
9. escape
10. l'interlude de qualité
11. engineer fear
12. rainstorming
13. il y a un cauchemar dans mon placard (ft. d-styles & mike boo)
14. migration
15. abbesses
16. new steps breaking barriers [bonus track]
17. from here to there [bonus track]

download [megaupload]

password: featherinyourcap

superfly

curtis mayfield's 'superfly' album is a classic of 1970s soul and funk. it would be wrong however to dismiss it as merely a funky sounding record with no substance or rooted meaning. in fact, we also saw deep political meaning in mayfield's first solo album entitled 'curtis'. songs like 'keep pushing on' and 'people get ready' were commenting on the civil rights movement and gave people's belief at the time another avenue of expression.

in 'superfly' he uses each song to focus on a different aspect of what he saw was going wrong on america's streets at the time; offering probing questions of his own community. he presents a critical perception on drugs, dealers, and leading a life of such nature. mayfield doesn't slip into the trap of becoming too moralistic, but simply observes what black life was often like in the early 1970s. in particular, 'pusherman' uses the metaphor of a drug dealer as a means of earning a living and running a business. talented lyricism is evident with the incisively written... "i'm your mamma, i'm your daddy, i'm that nigga in the alley; i'm your doctor when in need, want some coke, have some weed". the latin percussion used throughout the record also helps i think to convey this theme of the streets.

curtis mayfield - 'superfly' [mediafire]

curtis mayfield - 'superfly' [yousendit]

bobby darin

bobby darin, a grammy award-winning singer and one of america's most popular big band performers, has one of those instantly recognisable voices in music. darin was unfortunately subject to severe health problems throughout his life. it is likely this is responsible for giving him such a strong drive to succeed within the limited lifetime he feared remained. he had a string of hits in the late 50's and early 60's, many of which he composed himself. his renditions of other songs were also executed to the highest quality; it is claimed even frank sinatra called darin's version of the classic 'mack the knife' the definitive version. his music has an almost nostalgic feel when listened to now, and i think to some degree it's a shame popular music of today doesn't draw more of an influence from that era. his music is always satisfying to hear and is the perfect blend of swing jazz and pop.

bobby darin - beyond the sea [mediafire]

bobby darin - beyond the sea [yousendit]

the philadelphia experiment

the philadelphia experiment - not to be confused with the alleged US military experiment where a naval ship was rendered briefly invisible - is a collaboration between ahmir thompson (otherwise known as questlove/?uestlove, drummer for acclaimed hip-hop act the roots and producer for artists including common and al green), uri caine (jazz pianist and composer), and christian mcbride (jazz bassist). this one-off album was dedicated to recognising philadelphia's profound legacy of jazz and soul.

even though each member hails from philadelphia, they all bring their unique musical style to this collaboration. caine's avant-garde piano, mcbride's jazzy bass, and thompson's hip-hop drumming style all result in a very funky album unrivalled in originality. they have achieved a completely fresh approach to a style of music which consistently features in 'greatest albums of all time' lists; bringing that style of improvisational jazz into the 21st century. this album is a flawlessly executed homage to the greats of music. in particular, 'trouble man theme' is a rendition of marvin gaye's 'trouble man' which has been transformed into what some people have described as a 'revival-like groove'. not to be overlooked is the hidden gem of a track at the end of the album where mcbride plays a stripped back cover of 'just the two of us' by grover washington jr with a slapped bass rhythm line and handclaps. with repeat listens you can really appreciate the influences behind this highly successful experimental venture.

the philadelphia experiment - 'trouble man theme' [mediafire]

the philadelphia experiment - 'trouble man theme' [yousendit]

ohio blues

the black keys now have five very good albums under their belt. it is clear how much lead singer dan auerbach was influenced by early blues music and this shines through in their style of psychedelic/blues-rock. it can only be a testiment to auerbach's talent on the guitar that they have such a complete sound with only the two members in the band. i'm posting a song i keep listening to recently from their third album 'rubber factory' which was recorded in an abandoned warehouse in the band's hometown of akron, ohio. '10am automatic' features brutal yet very catchy guitar riffs, which are emphasised by the raw and unvarnished production techniques - how a decent blues album should be made. i cant recommend some of their albums highly enough, i'm sure i'll be talking about more of their material in the coming weeks.

the black keys - 10am automatic [mediafire]

the black keys - 10am automatic [yousendit]

featured album: 'rubber factory'

da feelin'

nightmares on wax, or dj ease, has a habbit of making low tempo yet infectious abstract hip-hop with influences inclufing funk, soul, and jazz. 'da feelin' was a single released from his lastest album to date, and is a again a song which has a distinct 'summery' feel - probably why i'm listening to it at moment with this week of sun we are having in brighton.

nightmares on wax - da feelin' [mediafire]

recommended album: 'in a space outta sound'

poney poney

apparently this outfit started as a one-man band with an ipod playing the part of drummer and bassist, thankfully the ipod was stolen and a real band emerged. that infamous sound created by french duo justice has been dominating airwaves over the past year; whether that sound was actually coming from the pair or simply from all of the imitating artists trying to recreate that same sound remains to be seen. admittedly, poney poney are doing near enough the same thing, but this band are bringing that distorted electro and those hard-hitting snares into more of a rock scenario. one of their few tracks so far stands above the rest, 'cross the fader', in which they even recieved recording and production help from xavier de rosnay. apparently they're making an album, i'm not sure whether i could stand an album entirely comprised of this sound alone, but nevertheless this is a song to dance to in the summer.

poney poney - cross the fader [mediafire]