beat konducta in africa

here are a couple of tracks from madlib's 'medicine show no. 3: beat konducta in africa' which is out this month from stonesthrow. the album features samples from african funk, pych-rock, soul, and afro-beat.


listen...


madlib - warrior's theme


madlib - mtima

today

jefferson airplane were one of the prolific californian psychedelic-rock bands of the 1960's. the acclaimed 'surrealistic pillow' was a defining album to emerge out of the 1960's counterculture movement, fusing folk rock with psychedelia. the 'beat' culture was typified by interest in eastern religion and spirituality, experimentation with drugs, and the rejection of mainstream culture.


listen...



download...

jefferson airplane - today [mediafire]

smoking buddha

onra is a french beat-maker who uses predominantly asian samples. his first album 'chinoiseries', which features this track 'smoking buddha', uses mainly chinese and vietnamese samples which gives it a really unique feel.


listen...



download...

onra - smoking buddha [mediafire]

cold beats

this is a track by producer koushik and underground hip-hop artist percee p that features on stones throw's 'science class: heavy funk & raw disco soul' compilation. the song samples the deep funk classic 'cold heat' by lil' lavair & the fabulous jades which can be heard in its original form here.


listen...


download...

koushik - cold beats (featuring percee p) [mediafire]

do-over vol. 1

this two track vinyl is released courtesy of stones throw, each volume in this series is limited to 1,000 copies and the artwork/packaging features different graphic designers. the first track is by house shoes, which can be heard below, and the second is by flying lotus.


listen here...



download...

house shoes - the making [mediafire]

i hear music

billie holiday was a seminal jazz singer and songwriter, and despite a voice that somewhat lacked range, she brought a deeply emotional and intimate aspect to her performances. i am posting a track from the 'remixed & reimagined' album, a record that i think overall doesn't particularly work very well, but i am a fan of how the track 'i hear music' was re-worked. for me this remix does bring the importance of the original recording to the forefront, without being lost in some overpowerful electronic/house beat. the brass and piano samples almost reply to eachother in conversation, while billie's wonderful verse is preserved with the right balance of cut-up sampling - a balance which is unfortunately absent from the rest of the soulless album leaving the listener to feel that the over-production is only detracting from the originals. nevertheless, 'i hear music' is both elegant and energetic, and would not seem out of place on one of the amazing verve remixed complilations.


listen here...



download...

billie holiday - i hear music (swingsett & takuya's mighty fine remix) [sharebee]

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"



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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]