1981.766* (HNY!)

Last year, in September, i was contacted by the calendar with some ‘news’. I had turned 30.

Responding in a typically British fashion, i decided to bolster my collection of 70’s + 80’s funk-disco records and make a 30 track mix (it has been pointed out to me that technically i am in my 31st year. thanks, douche bag)

Anyway, slightly belatedly, Happy New Year!

* 1981.766 is what you get if you’re on a long and boring train ride, and decide to look up the year of each song add them together and divide by 30, resulting in the mean. occurred to me afterwards that the median might have been more appropriate, but i decided i was sad enough already.

Owiny Sigoma Band

In 2009, a handful of London-based musicians travelled to Nairobi in Kenya to collaborate with two local musicians: Joseph Nyamungo and Charles Okoko, who hail from a village up country called Owiny Sigoma. The workshop/rehearsals were a lot of fun and pretty fruitful so they set about finding a studio that could accomodate a 7-piece live band. The resulting four tracks made their way to Gilles Peterson who promptly signed the band to his Brownswood imprint and sent the boys back to Nairobi for another week-long recording session with Joseph, Charles and their extended musical family.

Brendan picked up these guys’ new single a couple of weeks back and it’s triple-double-nice. Turns out the ‘London-based musicians’ are the same guys who used be Task Force’s live band, and one of ’em is also AKA as Louis Slipperz, who made the incredible “£10 Bag” mixtapes back in the day. This is ‘Wires’, and it is good:

Haggle Hits the Big Time

Hate the ad, makes me want to throw up a little.

How many of the record stores do you recognise though?

Labels of Love

Label Love is a free compilation of free music that you can download for free right here. Free.

The compilation brings together music from a bunch of dope-as-hell imprints including heavyweight winners like Tru Thoughts, Ubiquity and Stones Throw sister-label Now Again, plus something amazing called Bastard Jazz.

It’s all sounding pretty nice but I highly recommend Quantic’s newish Dog With A Rope, plus there’s a Dimlite tune on there that’s comfortably the best Swiss bleep-jazz record I’ve heard in days. Get involved.

Record Store Day

Keep it local

Edinburgh – Underground Solushn

Souls of Mischief

Not sure if you know these guys… but me, Steen and Alana have got tickets to see em tomorrow.

Leamington Spa has something for all the family!

As a Leamingtonian bred, not born unfortunately, but I lived a vast majority of my youth hanging about in the Royal Priors and smoking and drinking 20/20 down at the band stand, I feel it is my duty to bring to your attention a few of the musical delights which the town has given birth to and which will be sure to wet your appetite.

M(en)usic

For an Amuse-Bouche we have Post War Years, who with a sumptuous concoction of live guitars, electronic blips ‘n’ samples and a healthy set of drums they produce sparklingly energetic catchy tunes that will get stuck in you teeth for days.  I brought their album, you should have. Do it now.

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Then for our starter may I serve you Lucien Digwell.  A Long while back I ran a Hip Hop night at the infamous Sugar now know as Smack. On one occasion I had an open mic night providing upcoming lyricists a place they could spit at each other whilst I span instrumentals. I remember vividly Digwell ruling said night. Turns out he now produces PHat beats aswell, who’d have thunk it! May I suggest Seasons with a sprinkling of Everything. Big up.

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For main course we have a marvelous helping of People Persons.  A smorgasbord of sounds and personalities that have been intelligently blended together to produce tracks which will definitely have you coming back for seconds. I have been lucky enough to have been acquainted with these guys through various projects for a while now and feel it is my obligation to let y’all know they are playing tonight at Water Rats in shiny shiny London town, so all you Londoners get your shiny asses down there and give some shiny support. Shiny.

P.s. LWAPD’s very own ‘Base Player. Cable layer. Knows all the words to “Livin’ on a Prayer” is a member of PP. Fact.

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And if you still have room may I offer you some dessert, if not then find some space because you do not want to miss out.

I serve to you the Mysterons (cream/ice cream on the side).

Although I don’t know them personally I have been told many a tale of how they have taken apart old Xboxes and various other electronic stuffs and made sounds with them that Aphex couldn’t even have dreamed up.  The production on these guys tracks is mouth wateringly juicy, and you will be scraping the bowl leaving nothing but a clean spoon and the call for a long lie down / head nodding session.

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Coffee and chocolates

Back to Basics

Llama in a party hat. Fact.

Two reasons: one, it’s Monday morning, and who doesn’t need a Llama in a party hat on a Monday morning? Two, there’s a nasty rumour going around that Guru from Gang Starr (the man who uttered the immortal words, lest we forget) is in a coma after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Definitely hoping this is just a internets rumour – there was a virus on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that made people post “RIP Bill Cosby”, for reasons passing understanding – and wishing Keith Elam a speedy recovery if it isn’t.

With that in mind, I thought it was time to take it back to basic principles. An animal in a ludicrous hat, and a great fucking record. Because Guru’s the man.

Gang Starr – I’m The Man

Fantastic JJ Project

MasterB, I agree.

And because I am no longer lifting a finger at work, and had this sitting on my desktop, I thought y’all might enjoy a mini mix featuring Mr Jneiro Jarel amongst others.

Length 22:16

Fantastic JJ Project Mix

And also, jus’ because:

Length 4:18

Way Out (Brazilian Thought)