Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Lightning
Nothing much to say about this, other than that Howlin Wolf kicks ass… If you’ve never seen this clip, take five minutes and change your perspective on what truly great music, and a performer, is forever.
The Lost Ark Studio
Music has had a hold on me forever – hunched over a simple cassette player listening to Beatles tapes, getting my first Led Zeppelin album from an older cousin, listening to “Rastaman Vibration” for the first time, walking into a recording studio in New York City to make coffee and sweep floors and leaving with a bit of engineering knowledge and having a brief but ever so rewarding time as a DJ, spinning House music to those that needed it as much as I did.
After a ten year detour working with software (and enough sense to know that I didn’t belong on either side of the glass) I had a chance to get back into music in far different way than before – by building a small recording studio with the help of a Scott Kennerly,
It took a couple of years of talking about it to finally pull the trigger, but I’m glad we built it as it is a pretty special place. Location wise, it is where we first had a game room for the software company built down by the beach, and it’s just a hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean. And even though we set out to build a very simple place, it turned out just right – big enough to record most any band live, comfortable enough to be in for 12 hours at a time, and with just the right amount of gear to get whatever is needed down on tape just the way it should be.
So yeah, I’m kind of proud of The Lost Ark Studio, and looking forward to seeing what comes of this new adventure…
The Healing House Mix
Nothing to say except what I’ve said… Gotta Have House Music… (And of course, adding in the obligatory “All Night Long!”)
Download: The Healing House Mix (Single Track)
Jah Shaka Dub
I’ve been working on a “Producer’s Series” of dub/reggae – setting up some compilations by producer rather than by artist or genre.
I thought for the first one I’d be going with King Tubby, or Lee Perry, but I picked up a big collection of Jah Shaka tracks, so much of it was new to me that I pulled this together, some killer dub.
Too cool that he is still out there working live dub sessions…
Download: Jah Shaka Dub (Zipped Tracks)
Preview: Jah Shaka Dub (Single Track)
Tracklist:
01 – Rainbow Dub
02 – Bongo Dub
03 – War Drum
04 – Funde Dub
05 – Hail Him Dub
06 – Prayer of David Dub
07 – Verse 1
08 – Selah Dub
09 – Majestic Dub
10 – Lion Dub
11 – Captivity
12 – Zion I Dub
13 – Jah Disciples Dub
Streetparade 2010: The Helmhaus Mix
Every summer the normally quiet and staid streets of Zurich swell with close to a million people from here, there and everywhere to be a part of Streetparade, a day (and night, and early morning) long celebration of Trance, House and Techno – and sunshine, and a whole lot of people who are just in a good mood, a time to be a little less “Swiss” and more out there than most any time of the year.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be here for a few of them, and no matter what, it is always an interesting experience – twenty some odd massive tractor trailers turned into mobile clubs/dance floors, DJs working in stages set throughout the city center means amazing music no matter where you are. And add in a lot of people – did I mention close to a million? – and everyone is there, from freaks to families, all there to just let loose a bit, and have a good time.
I was there this year and put together this bare bones trance mix featuring Paul Kalkbrenner. I have to admit that I didn’t know about him before he headlined here, but his minimal style works for me, maybe for you as well. Enjoy…
Download: The Helmhaus Mix (Zipped Tracks)
Tracklist:
01 – Torted
02 – Keule
03 – Ick Muss Aus Dit Millieu Heraus
04 – Altes Kamuffel
05 – Bengang
06 – Tatu-Tata
07 – Steinbeisser
Don Carlos Dub
I’ve been looking around for “new dub” tracks and put together this mix for Carlos, a friend of mine living in Zurich (He also happens to be an artist who’s work I love).
This compilation features tracks from a few releases by “Sandoz” and from an incredible remix effort by Max Tannone called “Mos Dub”.
Download: Don Carlos Dub (Zipped Tracks)
Preview: Don Carlos Dub (Single File)
Track List:
01 – King Dread – Sandoz
02 – Soul Rebel (Afrodisiac Sound System Remix) – Bob Marley & The Wailers
03 – Johnny Too Beef – Max Tannone
04 – Cockpit Country – Sandoz
05 – Straight Forward Rasta – Sandoz
06 – 400 Years (Jimpster Remix) – Bob Marley & The Wailers
07 – Kampala Truth Work – Max Tannone
08 – Sit In Judgment – Sandoz
09 – History Town – Max Tannone
Sandoz is the solo moniker of Richard H. Kirk from Cabaret Voltaire. Inspired by twenty years of listening to Jamaican music, Richard H. Kirk has mixes contemporary Electronic music with Jamaican Dub styles on “ Sandoz In Dub-Chant To Jah”. As a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, Richard H. Kirk has been a pioneer of Electronic music for more than twenty years … With Sheffield’s Warp Records acknowledging the debt that Voltaire had played in defining Electronic music, it was fitting that Richard H. Kirk started his solo project, Sandoz, on Warp’s seminal Artificial Intelligence series. Twenty years on and Richard H. Kirk has made the logical link between his twenty years of experiments in Electronic music and a similar process that Jamaican Dub pioneers such as King Tubby, Lee Perry and Augustus Pablo were making in the 1970s. “Sandoz in Dub – Chant To Jah” also makes the connection with contemporary Jamaican Dancehall styles – mixing elements of Ragga, Digital breakbeat and two Steppers into the equation.
2LP // £13.99
MP3/FLAC Download // £6.65
E.M.A.K. (ELECTRONISCHE MUSIK AUS KOLN)
A Synthetic History Of E.M.A.K. 1982-88
Soul Jazz
CD // £13.49
Killer post-Kraftwerkian studio experiments from mysterious 1980′s E.M.A.K. collective – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Soul Jazz
2CD // £14.99
**25-track Double CD pack and 68-page book with exclusive text, photographs and biographies**
Bossa Nova And The Rise Of Brazilian Music In The 1960s
Soul Jazz
2CD // £13.99
A definitive presentation of classic Brazilian music from the 1960s.
Soul Jazz
2CD // £12.99
Soul Jazz set their sights on the UK Funky scene with a cherry-picked, 21-track double disc compilation.
Soul Jazz
CD // £13.49
Soul Jazz frame the UKs morphing rhizome of dubstep and technoid dancefloor operators on one killer package.
Soul Jazz
CD // £13.49
Reissue of this definitive, super-rare and in-demand boogie soul LP produced by Roy Ayers in 1981.
Nu Yorica Roots! The Rise of Latin Music in NYC, 1960′s
Soul Jazz
CD // £13.99
Afro-Cuban infusions of American jazz, funk and R&B from Eddie Palmieri, Ray Baretto, Tito Puente, etc
Rara In Haiti: Street Music of Haiti
Soul Jazz
CD // £9.99
Recordings from Port-au-Prince capturing the music of Haitian street carnival
Soul Jazz
2CD // £13.99
**A collection of groundbreaking punk-funk and disco out of print for years!*
Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 07
The latest from the Lost Ark… This one a bit unique in that it’s a collection of cover songs. As much as I love reggae, sometimes reggae covers of well known tracks are sometimes a bit weak, and other times almost painful (Reggae Beatles anyone?).
But in my opinion, these early reggae covers are great interpretations, and have some killer bass lines rolling around in them as well. And who would ever think that The Heptones could pull off an Elvis classic? Well, they do.
Enjoy…
Download: Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 07 (Zipped Files)
Preview: Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 07 (Single File)
Track List:
01 – Second That Emotion – Albert Tomlinson
02 – Midnight Hour – The Silvertones
03 – Just My Imagination – The Charmers
04 – On Broadway – Slim Smith
05 – Rainy Night In Georgia – Lord Tanamo
06 – Angel In The Morning – Joya Landis
07 – Hang On Sloopy – The Slickers
08 – People Get Ready – The Minstrels
09 – Stand By Your Man – Marlene Webber
10 – Strange – Dobby Dobson
11 – Twelfth Of Never – Pat Kelly
12 – Suspicious Minds – The Heptones
Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 06
As the summer heat kicks in I’ve been slowly melting along with everyone else and have been a bit slow to update the music here.
But I have been working on several compilations, and just finished the latest collection of early reggae and, as usual, at least I think it’s packed with gems from the past.
Phyllis Dillon’s “Picture on the Wall” simple lopping rhythm is a new favorite, the unique, deep, backing vocals on Pluto Shervington’s “I Man Bitter” are too cool, Rita Marley’s “Friends and Lovers” is one of the best tracks that taps into what probably should be called the “Hang on Sloopy” rhythm (or did these come first) and Rico Rodriguez’s trombone on “Rainbow Into The Rio Mino” is as sweet as it gets.
Anyway, all worthy of the “Lost Ark” series and perfect for a summer beer wherever you are. Enjoy…
Download: Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 06 (Zipped Files)
Preview: Reggae From The Lost Ark – Vol. 06 (Single File)
Track List:
01 – King Alpha (The Beginning) – King Stitt
02 – Picture On The Wall – Phyllis Dillon
03 – I Man Bitter – Pluto Shervington
04 – Friends and Lovers – Rita Marley & The Wailers
05 – Let Me Through (Please Mr. Gateman) – The Versalites
06 – Get Up – Jackie Edwards
07 – A Little Better – Lloyd Parks
08 – Talk About Love – Pat Kelly
09 – I For I – King Stitt
10 – Some A Weh A Bawl – The Starlites
11 – Rainbow Into The Rio Mino – Rico Rodriguez
And if you haven’t checked it out, be sure to head to the best early reggae blog on the planet, You and Me on a Jamboree…
The Lost Ark Session
Just in case someone is interested in a compilation of compilations – this is a selection of the best the from the Lost Ark compilations scattered about on this blog.
A sampling of tracks in a different order, something for a fine Spring afternoon, sun shining, summer around the corner.
A Swiss summer? Hope so…
Download: The Lost Ark Session (Zipped Tracks)
Preview: The Lost Ark Session (Single File)
Track List:
01 – Choo Choo Train – The Soul Cats
02 – Nana – The Slickers
03 – Take My Hands – Yvonne Harrison
04 – It Don’t Sweet Me – Laurel Aitken
05 – Bandit – Errol Wallace
06 – Promoters Grouse – Rupie & Andy Capp
07 – Hold Down – The Kingstonians
08 – The Chase – Yvonne Harrison
09 – My Whole World Is Falling Down – Ken Parker
10 – Another Fool – Vern & Alvin
11 – Skinhead Train – Laurel Aitken
12 – A Thing Of The Past – Phyllis Dillon
13 – Love Me Tonight – Audrey