From the moment Mixcloud’s “BBE Mixtape
Competition” was announced I knew I would enter, but things being as they are
in my life of late—newborn baby and all—the weeks just kept on passing and the
mix never got recorded.It became clear that I wasn’t going to just magically get my shit together, so I took action.The day before the first round of the
contest ended, I took a train from Puerto de Santa María (where my family was
on vacation) back to Seville (where my turntables are), pulled every BBE record
I own off the shelf, recorded two takes in quick succession, and was back in
time to burp the baby after breakfast the following morning.
While pretty much everyone who reads this blog
knows that I love Mixcloud, relatively few know how important the Barely
Breaking Even label has been to me over the years.I started DJing shortly after the label formed,
and have been steadily buying their releases for over a decade now.Their incredible scope, and taste shown across the board—from
Jazz and Soul to Techno and Drum & Bass—is impressive.
While I’m a huge fan of the original
artistic output of the label—Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock, J Dilla, DJ Vadim, Cut
Chemist, Osunlade, Tortured Soul, Million Dollar Orchestra, etc.—their
compilations have had an even greater influence on me along my path to musical
maturity.If you’re familiar with
the label, you know BBE is home to some of the best diggers, compilers, and DJs
around—Mr. Thing, Keb Darge, Kon & Amir, Gilles Peterson, Jazzanova, Al
Kent, Dimitri from Paris, DJ Deep, Masters at Work, Muro...the list goes on and
on.These compilations gradually
opened me up to new sounds and ways of thinking about DJing, and over the years
have, on the whole, served as a great guide, resource, and inspiration in the
types of records I buy and the sorts of sets I play. My feeling is that if you stick close
to the label, it’s pretty hard to go astray. Which is why I have much to thank BBE for.
I put this set together with eight of my
favourite BBE compilations, the stellar Roy Ayers “Virgin Ubiquity” album, the
Million Dollar Orchestra LP, and originals of Disco Fox “The Fox” and Cesar
Mariano & Cia “Metropole” (both included on the “Kings of Diggin’” CD, but
not on the LP).It isn't perfect, only the better
of two takes, which is all I had time for.There are couple of sloppy blends, but hey...it’s
disco.So here you have it: my
last-ditch, last-minute contest entry:
Despite having entered the contest just hours before the first round closed, thanks to the widespread support (thank you!) the mix easily qualified for the second round, making it to the fifth place position (in terms of number of listens), and is now leading the pack in terms of community support (number of "favourites")!
As most of you know, I don't typically push or promote my mixes very hard, so this result is such a surprise and honor. Many thanks to DJ Loveontherun, the fine folks at Clubbingspain, and the dozens of others who have plugged and posted links to the mix--and to all of you who have taken the time to listen.
There are still a few days to vote. You can check out the ten Semi-finalists here. Naturally, I hope you'll vote for mine--but the other DJs really brought it and deserve recognition as well. I've listened to all ten, and there are many nice mixes and whole lot of nice music; if you have the time I recommend checking out them all.
If you feel like voting, just log in and click the "favourite" button. It's the one with a heart. If you don't already have a mixcloud account, you'll have to register. It only takes a minute (probably the easiest sign-up process of any online community I've a part of) and you really ought to have an account there--especially if you enjoy sites like mine. I think it's better than Soundcloud; better community, more personal, not so much "soandso has shared a private track to 13245 people," and the opportunity for less-than-famous DJs to stand out with a great mix.
UPDATE AUGUST 4, 2010:
Thanks to the support of many of you, I finished the final round strongly in first place (over 20 "favourites" ahead of the next-most-popular mix). I am honored--and frankly, a bit surprised--that my last minute entry has made it so far. I even got Al Kent's vote, the Million Dollar Disco seal of approval, a disco honor so rarely bestowed that some have come to refer to it as "the Nobel Prize in disco." Haaaa.
Anyway, you can check out the final five here. All of them are worth listening to. And of course it's never to late to show your support by clicking "favourite" or sharing on facebook.
What happens now? The final decision will be made by the panel of judges: DJ Vadim, Richy Pitch, and Kon & Amir. Two hip hop DJ/producers and a digger/record junkie I often argue with on the MDD forum; it would seem that the odds aren't great. Still, my fingers are crossed.
Thanks again to everyone who listened, favourited, followed, commented, shared, tweeted, tracked, blah blah blah...
Mixcloud is becoming quite the site. There are still some interface problems with facebook and many other minor issues, but they're working out the bugs and the site's sleek design and functionality are improving steadily. Just check out this player:
I'm hoping that their model of doing things--which pays royalties to the artists in the mixes people upload, much in the way that radio stations do--will provide an artist-friendly alternative to mp3 piracy. Sign up if you haven't already, and support the site and the ever-growing number of DJs who upload there.
The above mix aired on Lars Behrenroth's "Deeper Shades of House" radio show
in December of last year is now streaming at Mixcloud. According to the DSoH website it has already
been downloaded more than 2700 times, making it one of the most popular
guestmixes in the show's history. It's now available here--in its entirety, without drops and discussion. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do now. If you like what you hear, you can download an mp3 version of the show here. Plue, there are literally hundreds of other shows available for download on the Deeper Shades of House Website. Registration only takes about 60 seconds.
Chris, Jeff, and I are back with a new special, this time delving deep into the Far Out catalog.
I admire this label and the people behind it for so many reasons: for its vision, for its longevity, for the undisputed high quality of the music they release, and for their across-the-board eclecticism (encompassing everything from vintage bossa, psych, and disco to house, broken beat, and drum & bass). The label is largely responsible for the rediscovery and reintroduction of the greats of 60s and 70s Brazilian music (Joyce, Marcos Valle, Azymuth, The Ipanemas, etc.), but they've also made it clear that they're about much more than compiling the classics. In the past decade they've done as much for future music as any of the other labels we've looked at thus far, putting out dozens of truly visionary records and offering up fresh revisions of the samba and bossa archetypes. It may have sounded impossible until a few years ago, but now it's hard to deny: the freshest sounds out of Brazil are to be found on a London-based record label.
Gerardo Frisina is a vital piece of the Ishtar equation. His deep knowledge of
jazz has been key in the creation and success of Ishtar, which houses
most notably the Schema and Rearward labels. He began as a producer for
artists involved with Ishtar and quickly moved into production of his
own records. This began with the release of Ad Lib in 2001 and has
since brought us Hi Note and The Latin Kick. Along the way, he has
managed to ring up an impressive catalog of remixes of modern jazz
tunes, as well as an incredible selection of classic artists including
the likes of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, and more. -DJ Offbeat
Having moved around like I have, and having relatively mellow tastes like I do has meant that over the years I've played more than my fair share of warm-up sets. Though there's nothing quick as exhilirating as playing to a packed dancefloor in full form, there's also a great pleasure to be had in building things up at the beginning of the night.
Why do I love to play early, as people are just getting to the club? There's generally more freedom, for one. The early slot is a perfect time to play all the records you might not normally be able to get away with, and it lends itself well to covering a wide variety of styles and genres in a short period of time--a perfect way keep it interesting and hit on the specific tastes of everyone in the room. And, of course, when you finish the night is still young and you can relax, check out the other DJs' sets, and enjoy the full selection of beverages available at the bar.
Recently I was in the mood for putting together just such a mix, a typical early-night set. I was pleased with the results I decided to share them with one of Spain's finest dance music portals, Clubbingspain. It's been getting some nice feedback so far, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to register and post a few kind words in support of the mix.
It's been some winter. Warm up to this...
Andrew OdDio - Clubbingspain Mix (The Warm Up)
The Salsoul Orchestra – “Ooh I love It”
(Love Break Groove) – Salsoul
Moodymann – “People” – Peacefrog
Manzel – “Sugar Dreams” – Dopebrother
Kutiman – “Music’s Ruling My World” (DJ Day
Remix) – Melting Pot
Manu Dibango v. Masters at Work – “New
Bell” – White Label
Incredible Bongo Band – “Apache” – Mr.
Bongo
Brownout – “African Battle” – Alternate
Take
Syrup – “Sweatshop” – Compost
Lee McDonald – “We’ve Just Begun” (TM Juke
Mix) – Favourite
Gil Scott Heron – “The Bottle” (Daz-I-Kue
Re-edit) – Bloodfire
Street Choir – “Phone Booth” – Choir
Mouzon’s Electric Band – “Everybody Get
Down” – Vanguard
The Scandanavian countries have a long and strong jazz tradition, but like most
of the music you'll hear on this site I came to know of it late, and by way of house music. I think the first points of contact, for me, were the Nuspirit Helsinki releases that came out on Guidance in the late 90s and early 00s. At that time I wasn't at all clear on what Nu-jazz was, or Broken Beat, or Jazzdance--but I liked what I was hearing, and felt increasingly drawn to less formulaic dance music. There seemed to be an interesting cross-polination happening between Italy, Japan, Germany, and Finland--and the Nuspirit name showed up elsewhere, cropping up on labels like JCR, remixing artists like Nicola Conte, and making all around wonderful music.
The early to mid 00s were an interesting time for dance music, with many producers putting aside their old aesthetics and trying for more organic sounds through live instrumentation. Nuspirit Helsinki shuffled their lineup and started releasing records under the name the Five Corners Quintet. This was not sample-based nujazz, but live jazz with true jazz sensibility and musicianship. In 2003 they released their landmark first 10" Trading Eights on the newly-formed Ricky-Tick Records--but they were not alone. Other groups from surrounding countries, such as Koop (Sweden) and Povo (Denmark), were involved in a similar project to revamp sixties style jazz for the dancefloor. With one foot firmly planted in the bop, cool jazz, and spiritual
jazz tradition and the other taking a big step into the future, this music brought steady acclaim through the rest of the decade--from DJs, music critics, and open-minded dancefloors alike.
Given the impact of the work of the Ricky-Tick artists Timo Lassey, Five Corners Quintet, Dalindeo, Jukka Eskola we were eager to make them the subject of one of our decade-ending restrospectives, but as they represent just a part of the jazz movement happening up north, we were happy to welcome artists on DNM (Oddjob, Soular Sound), Raw Fusion (A Bossa Eletrica, Povo), and JCR (Koop) into our geographically-defined "Scandinavian Jazz Special."
Scandinavian Jazz Specialby OdDio (tracks 1-9), DJ Offbeat (tracks 10-15, 25-26), and Chris Galvan (tracks 14-20)
1. Fertile Ground - Another Day (Povo Jazz Rework)
2. Povo - We Are Povo
3. Five Corners Quintent feat. Mark Murphy - Jamming (with Mr. Hoagland) (Nicola Conte "For Friends and Relatives" Version)
4. Soular Sound - Things We Do (Nils Krough Alternative Take)
5. Hi-Fly Orchestra - Violet (Povo Rework)
6. Jukka Eskola - Kulo (Studio Live, Take 4)
7. Dalindeo - Solifer-Lento
8. Nostalgia 77 - Wildflower (Povo Remix)
9. Shaun Escoffery - Breaking Away (Koop Remix)
10. Jukka Eskola - 1974
11. Dalindeo - Poseidon
12. Five Corners Quintet - Blueprint
13. High Five Quintet - Conversation (Nicola Conte New Jazz Club Mix)
14. Timo Lassy - African Rumble
15. Auteur Jazz - Two Jaguars In Warsaw
16. Koop - Never Gonna Let You Go
17. Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu - Black January
19. A Bossa Eletrica - Consolocao
20. Timo Lassy ft Jose James - The More I Look At You
21. Bobby Hughes Combination - Magnificent Mr. Morgan
DJ Offbeat (of Future History of House) and Chris Galvan (of Music Is
Everything Podcast) are back with another label special to knock your proverbial socks off, and being that the focus this time around was Osaka, Japan's Especial Records, I had to get involved. One of the truly pioneering labels of the past decade, Especial puts out house, broken beat, and nujazz of the highest caliber. If the multi-genre yet always exceptional output of the label wasn't enough (who would expect less from a label run by Kyoto Jazz Massive), they're all vinyl--and very heavy, quality vinyl at that. Every detail, right down to the impossibly thick color sleeves, sets them apart from other labels.
Especial Records Special by DJ Offbeat (tracks 1-5), Chris Galvan (tracks 6-13), and OdDio (tracks 14-20)
1. Sleepwalker - River Of Love ft Bembe Segue
2. Sleepwalker - Into The Sun (Intro Edit Version) ft Bembe Segue
3. Markus Enochson - You'll Shine (Full Shine Mix) ft Demetreus
4. Masa Collective - Love Is Everywhere (KJM Reconstruction)
5. Hajime Yoshizawa - Verao No Ar
6. Hajime Yoshizawa - Open Door
7. Jazztronik - Cannibal Rock
8. Da Lata - Change
9. Hajime Yoshizawa - Secret Flight (West Tokyo Mix)
10. Reel People - Love is Where You Are (Orto Mix)
11. Bakura - Mistaken
12. Opolopo - Life's a Dance
13. Monday Michiru - A Calamaria
14. Markus Enochson - Listen For It
15. Dr. J Presents 1Luv - Above You (Dixon's 2005 Edit)
As the year winds down, I've found myself thinking a lot about the past decade, and what a journey it's been musically. For a while I entertained the idea of writing a top-100 of the '00s, or some other equally exhausting project, but then I came to my senses. There had to be a better way to celebrate what was, by all accounts, a huge decade for music.
Whether you like or not the direction in which music (and music distribution) is heading, a lot of amazing music has come out over the past decade. Soul and Disco were being revived, Boogie came back, and House was becoming more organic (welcoming ever more real musicians and live instrumentation) even as an increasingly large percentage of it was made on laptops by bedroom producers. Innovation was underway, most notably in more experimental genres like Future Jazz, Jazzdance, Broken Beat, and Dubstep. While house was trying to get back to the raw, and techno seemed obsessed with getting back to the house, labels like Compost, Especial, Schema, Flower, Arision, File, Tru Thoughts, Comantonse, Sonar Kollektiv, and others--were out at the fringes of dance music, pushing forward some radical concepts and fresh sounds that I will here, for lack of a better word and time to come up with one, lazily call "futuristic."
DJ Offbeat (of Future History of House) and Chris Galvan (of Music Is Everything Podcast) are fellow fans of the jazzier end of the dance music spectrum, and the two came up with a much better way to honor some of the very best artists and labels of 2000-2009 than another top-whatever list: 2-hour retrospectives on their favorite artists and labels. Of course I had to get in on the action! They've already covered Jazzanova, JCR, and Compost records (You can grab the mixes and peep the playlists here), but I joined them for the Schema Records Special, and we'll be back again in a few weeks with an Especial Special. So here it is, two hours of great music from one of the very best labels out there.
Schema Records Special - Chris Galvan (tracks 1-9) OdDio (tracks 10-17) DJ Offbeat (tracks 18-25)
1. S-Tone Inc - How High The Moon
2. Rosalia de Souza - Fica Mal Com Deus (Truby Trio Treatment)
3. Nicola Conte - The in Samba (Kyoto Jazz Massive Remix)
4. The Dining Rooms - Prigionieri Del Deserto (Big Bang's I'm Going Jazz, Soon Remix)
5. The Invisible Session - To The Powerful (2 Banks of 4 Remix)
6. Beat Out Shrine - Pinkie
7. S-Tone Inc - Un Dia De Sol
8. Vuca - Cossa Notturna
9. Dr Abstract -Struck On Jazz
10. Artless - 2nd Room
11. The Dining Rooms - Milano Calibro 9 (Woman Is The Party Mix)
12. Parov Stelar - Tony Montana
13. Gerardo Frisina - Cortante
14. Gerardo Frisina ft. Candela All Stars - Calle de Candela (Vibes Version)
15. DruMagick - Malta
16. Rosalia de Souza - Maria Moita
17. The Dining Rooms - La Citta Nuda (SoulPatrol Afrolicious Mix)
18. Rosalia De Souza - Jogo De Roda (Innervision Mix by The Invisible Session)
Lars Behrenroth's "Deeper Shades of House" is one of the most popular, influential, and quality deep house radio shows in the world. If for some strange reason you haven't heard of it already, you'll want to check it out. The shows are in two parts: the first hour, which Lars mixes, and a second hour guestmix. You'll need to register in order to download the guestmixes, but believe me you'll want to register; there are mixes from some of the best DJs in the world.
I took this mix in the direction of the show's typically more-edgy take on deep house, with plenty of past and future classics. Lars went deep and soulful, playing--in my opinion--one of his very best sets of late. Check them both out!
Deeper Shades of House #316 - OdDio Guestmix
1. Moodymann - Freeki Mutha
2. Terre Thaemlitz - Grand Central Station part 1
3. Jovonn - Losing My Mind
4. Pimp Jackson is Talking Now (Accapella)
5. Kerri Chandler - A Night With...
6. Phil Parnell - Run Away (Atjazz Mix)
7. Pal Joey - Fukin' with Me
8. Mega Man - I Can See Her
9. Matthew Herbert - Deeper
10. Jesper Dahlback - What Time is It?
11. Mike Huckaby - Fantasy
12. Tommy Bones - After Party
13. Cojonudo Sound - El Gallo
14. Don Carlos - Alone
Those of you who have been following the site for a while know that this isn't the first time Lars has featured one of my mixes. The show began as an XM Radio show and did not originally feature downloads, so none of the other mixes can be downloaded from the Deeper Shades website, but you can grab them here:
