weekend warm-up 15/05/09

another week, another set of music for your delectable little ears.

on Friday night i stood in for an absent Mat Hoods, who couldn't make his usual 8pm-10pm slot on Purple Radio. Mat's show is ace (check it out when you can) and he tends to keep things on a jazzy, disco-flavoured tip for the most part. so, when pulling tracks together for the show, i tried to keep it in line (more or less) with his style. i hope i didn't let him down!

there's a bit of inane chat on this recording too...but more importantly, a good selection of new releases. you can tell summer's almost here - there's just so much good stuff being released at the moment. mint.

tracklisting:

count bass d - jussa playa [day by day entertainment]
dj day - can you feel me [unknown]
cro-magnon - eclipse (dj mitsu the beats remix) [lastrum corporation]
thievery corporation - the forgotten people [eighteenth street lounge music]
madlib - steppin into tomorrow [blue note]
the london all-stars - the london convention [bbe]
g frequency - flight ticket [scribble records]
me&you - love in be must we [tru thoughts]
spanky wilson & the quantic soul orchestra - waiting for your touch (domu remix) [tru thoughts]
tal m klein - bricando el tiburon (valique iskradisco! remix) [aniligital music]
6ix toys - giggle [first word records]
lopez - jellybean [keep up]
domu - springbreak [tru thoughts]
mr scruff - get on down [ninja tune]
firefly - love (is gonna be on your side) [emergency records]
evelyn champagne king - i'm in love [bmg]
ilija rudman - two faced love (extended mix) [red music]
fat camp - put a little jam on it [anorak edits]
part time heroes - realise (landslide remix) [wah wah 45s]
snax - get in trouble (crazy p remix) [defdrive]
united future organisation - united future airlines (remix) [talkin loud]
speech debelle - spinnin [big dada]
kinny feat. diesler - back street lust [tru thoughts]
mr day - if i can love you [favorite]

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/4726nk

i hope you enjoy it - as ever, give me a shout if you encounter any problems with the download.

xx

weekend warm-up 08/05/09

here's the latest edition of my fortnightly Purple Radio show.

once again i was mic-less, but in the grand scheme of things that's probably a blessing. the two hours showcases the usual smattering of hip-hop, funk-based beats and electronica - with forthcoming beauts from Quantic & his Combo Barbaro, and another cut from the Speech Debelle album...whilst i also give a little nod to the excellent Bangface weekender with some dubstep (mixed terribly!) and filthy wonk.

i didn't host the show live as i had to return to Birmingham for the funeral of an old schoolfriend...and hence the last track of the show is dedicated to him.

RIP Andy Edmonds - 1982-2009

tracklisting:

count bass d - jussa playa [day by day entertainment]
kev luckhurst - dreams [unique uncut]
crown city rockers - no sense [basement records]
common - nuthin to do [relativity]
flying lotus - massage situation [warp]
nalepa - flatlands (nosaj thing remix) [1320 records]
rupert - feel you [hear today]
thunderheist - lbg [big dada]
quantic & his combo barbaro - linda morena [tru thoughts]
troubleman - toda hora [far out recordings]
crazy penis - do it good [paper recordings]
napz & mr strom - fresh kings [innvision]
luke vibert - synthax [warp]
nirobi & barakas - bungle jump (diesler remix) [tru thoughts]
me&you - united states of africa [tru thoughts]
toddla t feat. herve & serocee - shake it [1965 records]
autodidakt & john disco - autodisco theme [traktor]
plump djs - electric disco (d ramirez remix) [finger lickin]
the streets - blinded by the lights [679 recordings]
marco del horno - samurai (rusko "safe sex" remix) [bullet train]
massive music - find my way (kode 9 remix) [hyperdub]
la roux - in for the kill (skream let's get ravey mix) [polydor]
tc - where's my money (caspa remix) [d-style recordings]
frikstailers - to com saudade (ft. mc maiquinho) [man recordings]
mr scruff - giant pickle [ninja tune]
tom central & kaitain - akama [keep up]
bullion - get familiar [one handed music]
speech debelle - go then, bye [big dada]
metallica - nothing else matters [vertigo]

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/tdf0iw

i hope you like it - holla if you encounter any problems with the download.

(the Weekend Warm-Up goes out every other Friday, 6pm-8pm GMT on Purple Radio)

xx

saturday soul 02/05/09

Saturday Soul is a weekly show broadcast on Purple Radio. as the name would suggest, the remit of the show is present two hours of soulful tunes - both classic and contemporary. running for around 18months now, the show has been a great success and is much-applauded by the listeners for its suitability to the timeslot - and also its ability to celebrate classic/forgotten soul hits, whilst simultaneously highlighting the wealth of current, or more recent, soul gems.

last weekend i stepped in at the last minute to cover the show myself, and had a lot of fun pulling the music together. again, i had no mic - but i hoped the selection i chose would speak for itself, really. as ever, i've put a download link here so if you missed the live show and fancy a couple of hours of soothing soul, feel free to have a listen! there's a bit of everything in there, from legends like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Ben E. King, to current favourites such as Mary J. Blige, Kinny and Angie Stone.

tracklisting:

channel two - sposed to be
marvin gaye - right on
the soul clan - that's how it feels
angie stone - brotha
uptown funk empire - i'm a manchild
the spinners - i'll be around
maze feat. frankie beverly - color blind
gil scott-heron - gun
solange - i decided (part 1)
mary j blige - just fine
ashford & simpson - it seems to hang on
leon ware - that's why i came to california
ohio players - pain
greyboy feat. sharon jones - got to be a love
donnell jones - u know what's up
kinny feat. diesler - queen of boredness
speedometer feat. ria currie - am i your woman
esther williams - last night changed it all
timmy thomas - sexy woman
dwilt sharpp feat. lorett fleur - i need you close
kissey asplund - caos
the soul children - signed, sealed, delivered
ben e. king - supernatural thing (part 1)
roy ayers - show us a feeling
linda williams - elevate our minds
erykah badu - honey
mayer hawthorne & the county - just ain't gonna work out
aretha franklin - i say a little prayer
debra laws - how long?
al green - love & happiness
sunshine anderson - heard it all before

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/hrlz89

i hope you enjoy it - holla if you encounter any problems with the download.

(Saturday Soul is broadcast every week on Purple Radio - Saturdays 12:00-14:00 GMT)

mayer hawthorne vid

happy May everybody! let's hope the summer starts properly now, eh?

thought i'd kick off the month with a corker of a video from Mayer Hawthorne (who i've raved about in my April top tunes, below). gawd bless the Stones Throw camp on this one - terrific sound, really setting a new standard for this modern soul revival that seems to be happening. the video itself is a great watch too.

enjoy...



by the way, there's some great shots from the "making of" the video HERE.

xx

top tunes - april 2009

blimey! nearly missed the boat this month! anyway...better late than never, huh? in no particular order (because like children, if i had them, i couldn't possibly pick favourites) here's a selection of the beats and breaks that have been consuming my ears the most over the last 30 days or so...

Fort Knox Five - Insight (A Skillz remix) [Fort Knox Recordings]
Around this time last year people started caning A Skillz' remix of Kraak & Smaak's "Squeeze Me"...and it lasted right through the summer as a festival party anthem - a true banker for any DJ dropping a funky breaks set. Well, i think Mr Skillz has gone and done it again here, and this time it's Fort Knox Five who get the man with the golden touch's treatment. Uptempo, solid big beats, ravey synths and a vocal that urges you to "put your hands in the air" - bet you can't resist, either. Buy it now so you know what it is before it drives you mad with curiosity at every festival you attend in 2009.

Download @ Juno


Dwilt Sharpp feat. Lorett Fleur - I Need You Close [Favorite]
I don't know anything about Dwilt Sharpp...nor Lorett Fleur, i'm afraid - but this is one of the loveliest bits of nu-soul i've heard in a good while. Low-slung beats and a guitar hook that oozes class, Fleur's vocals smother the track in beauty and sublime dubbed-out soul stylings. Favorite have put out an early summer winner here...a must for any soul or downtempo fan...or DJ.

Dwiltt Sharpp @ MySpace


Rupert - Just Woke Up [Hear Today]
OK i'm cheating here - this is an album release - but I wont do this often unless the album in question is really outstanding...and this one is, believe me. Previously signed to Tru Thoughts' sister label, Zebra Traffic, and then known as Rup, this young man from South London has been carving a name for himself on the UK hip-hop scene for a few years now. With his vocal style often drawing comparisons with Mike Skinner, his "everyday" lyrical content is a joy to listen to. On this album, released through the brilliant Hear Today records, he's teamed up with a swathe of fine producers; from Steve Clear and Naim, and even a track with former TT label-mate Bonobo. Full review soon, honest...but in the meantime get over to the Hear Today website, buy it, and then come back to have a go at me when you can't get the hook to "Something That You Like" out of your head. Mwahahahaha.

Rupert @ MySpace
Buy the album @ Hear Today Records


Lopez - Jellybean [Keep Up]
You'll be able to hear this on the Beat Dispenser E.P. - yet another quality release from the ever-consistent Keep Up records. If you've been following the label's output you'll have undoubtedly come across Lopez's work before; usually a producer of latin-influenced funk beats and breaks, on this release the producer has turned things around and opted to give us a taste of his more wonky, electro-tinged side. It doesn't disappoint either, and hasn't been off my decks since I got hold of it earlier in the month. Hint's also done a smart remix of this tune, but you've gotta check out the plod and bassy drive on the original. Essential listening.

Lopez @ Keep Up
Buy the "Beat Dispenser" EP @ Juno


Hint - One Woman Army (Hint Remix) [Tru Thoughts]
The original was brilliant, i'll give you that...so I was intrigued to see what Hint could bring to his own track to take it somewhere else and enhance an already perfectly acceptable slab of music. Well, he's knocked the tempo up to a 2-steppy, broken beat speed, laced some subtle organy-synthy (i believe that's the technical term) stabs over the top, and then underpinned it with a proper knee-wobbler of a bassline. Oh, and did I mention the undeniably fantastic strings? If you liked what he did to Hot 8 Brass Band's "Jisten To Me", you'll love this. Just go and check it out on his MySpace, then buy it - you know it makes sense.

Hint @ MySpace


Amplified Orchestra - Fun Thing [Clone Records]
It's all the rage at the moment, this disco-chug stuff. I've never really known where to start, as there's simply so much about it's a bit bewildering. If you like things with a little bit of wonk, a splash of acid moog, a backdrop of funk and strings direct from a 70s New York pimp's underwear drawer, then check this out. Relentless, funky and all kinds of disco greatness - ideal for late-night grooving. Or something.

Listen/buy @ DJDownload.com


Mayer Hawthorne & The County - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out [Stones Throw]
Late. I'm bloody late again! By now you've probably read about this recent signing to the brilliant Stones Throw label - and if you haven't you should really check out this feature here. Originally this double-sided, heart-shaped vinyl was put out on a very limited run. I missed it that time round. Then another slew of them came through, and I grabbed one while the going was good. It's nu-soul, but it sounds vintage...it's really quite remarkable, and i'm yet to play it to a classic soul fan who doesn't love it...and insist "this can't be modern...it just can't". Expect big things from Mayer Hawthorne in 2009, and grab anything you can by him until the inevitable album drops.


G Frequency - Let's Begin EP [Scribble Records]
A real beaut of a hip-hop four-tracker here, from a label who hail from Dublin, Ireland...of all places. Tracks like "Flight Ticket" ooze a Pharcyde-ish sensibility and production style, and the groove and charm on title track "Let's Begin" (with its contents encompassing a bunch of kids being tutored in the ethics of real hip-hop) is irresistable. Not an offensive track on it, you could play this to your Nan and she'd probably love it. Well, i know mine would. Seek out and enjoy - it'll sound great in yo yard with a beer when the sun shines.

Listen/download @ Clickgroove


DJ Wood - Eye Know [Goodgroove]
This is actually tucked away on the latest Featurecast "Regrooved Series" EP, and while the A-side tracks are entertaining enough ("Soul Flower" being particularly enjoyable, with its sneaky interlooping of Paul Weller's "Sunflower"), it was this track that caught my ear and had me bopping, and grinning, like a loon this month. Basically, it's the hook from De La Soul's seminal tune of the same name, but turned into a 127bpm banger with a nice summery vibe to the whole damn affair. Another one for the bars at the festivals, i'd imagine.

Listen/buy the 12" @ Juno


John Robinson - The Author [Fat City]
Yet more ESSENTIAL hip-hop i'm afraid - but again, if you haven't heard this already, I think you'll be thanking me for hooking you up (and in turn I gotta thank Beatsfortea for bringing it to my attention). It's not new, this - I believe it was released back last year (2008) on the truly awesome "I Am Not For Sale" LP, but it's one of those that could have quite easily passed you by. Man-of-the-moment Flying Lotus is employed to produce this particular beat, and it carries his typcially wonky, off-kilter style...which matches perfectly with Robinson's delivery (who you'd be forgiven for thinking sounds a tad like MF Doom - they're good pals, after all). Get hold of the album and revel in a bit of quality NY hip-hop...and realise that the good stuff hasn't "disappeared".

John Robinson @ MySpace

weekend warm-up 24/04/09

here's my most recent radio outing if you fancy getting your ears around something and missed the original broadcast. again i had to pre-record the show, as i was off on my RAVE TRAVELS enjoying some brilliantly obscure, and pretty tough music down at the Bangface Weekender. anyway, this time i managed to grab a mic and do some chatting over it, which makes for a slightly more interesting listen. or less - i'll leave that up to you to decide.

the show runs through hip-hop, funk/party breaks, a touch of house and a smattering of drum & bass, and features new-and-upcoming releases from Ninja Tune, Favorite, Rhythmicity, Tru Thoughts & Scribble...amongst many more.

tracklisting:

count bass d - jussa playa [day by day entertainment]
ghost - feel pain [breakin' bread]
dwilt sharpp feat. lorret fleur - i need you close [favorite recordings]
kinny feat. souldrop - water for chocolate [tru thoughts]
mophono - the edge [cb records]
g frequency - outside my window [scribble records]
speech debelle - the key [big dada]
krafty kuts - we do this [against the grain]
badboe - let's get ill [goodgroove]
mr scruff ft. roots manuva - nice up the function (remix) [ninja tune]
john robinson - the author [fat city]
the dynamics - miracles [big single]
arcadion - ghost feeder [dc recordings]
ltj x-perience - no rhyme no reason (pluton kids remix) [irma records]
the middle agent ft. tech n9ne & garth culti-vader - keep it hott (bradelectro remix) [tarantic records]
grant green - let the music take your mind (live at inside out studio mix by muro) [mukatsuku]
paikan - dancefloor fight [jazzman]
flevans - endless things [tru thoughts]
thunderheist - sweet 16 [big dada]
fort knox five - insight (a skillz mix) [fort knox recordings]
etienne de crecy - 3 day weekend [xl recordings]
mel rosario - still maintaining [rhythmicity]
willie graff & tuccillo - 123 yeah yeah [freerange]
high contrast - the basement track (hc upstairs downstairs) [hospital records]
me&you - wouri river (redeyes mix) [tru thoughts]
the insiders - stepdub [intrigue music]
dj moodie - made jah look [large hole]
rupert ft. naim - zone out [hear today]
g frequency - flight ticket [scribble records]
flying lotus - gng bng [warp]

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/dfg44t

i hope you like it - holla if you encounter any problems with the download.

(the Weekend Warm-Up goes out every other Friday, 6pm-8pm GMT on Purple Radio)

xx

kutiman - mother of all funk chords

this isn't new, it's been knocking around for a while now...so god knows why it's taken me so long to post it up on here.

Kutiman (aka Ophir Kutiel) is an Israeli-born musician, composer & animator...and recently began making a name for himself with his ThruYou music video project. in basic terms, Kutiman's taken the culture of sampling records to make new beats, but applied this to videos he's found while browsing YouTube.

in the words of the man himself: "what you are about to see is a mix of unrelated YouTube videos/clips edited together to create ThruYou. in other words - what you see is what you hear..."

enjoy this - and i hope it puts as much of a smile on your face as it does on mine...



xx

weekend warm-up 10/04/09

on Friday night i made my "grand return" to Purple Radio's wonderful airwaves...although it wasn't as grand as i'd have liked, as i was unable to do the show live due to family commitments, and didn't have a mic to use for the pre-record either. ah well - it's still two hours of my top tunes at the moment, some mixed together better than others (i decided to pre-record after an unexpectedly brilliant night at a pub quiz...so please excuse any drunken shoddiness).

some of them you might notice from my March "Top Tunes" update, and some will be featuring in my April "Top Tunes"...which i'm hoping to list this week. honest.

tracklisting:

count bass d - jussa playa [day by day entertainment]
stonephace - five miles high [tru thoughts]
mayer hawthorne & the county - when i said goodbye [stones throw]
rupert feat. naim - something that you like [hear today]
john robinson - i am not for sale [fat city]
son of ran - the so [unknown]
lopez - theo's beat [keep up]
gagle - snow revolution (dj mitsu the beats 2008 instrumental edit) [mukatsuku]
dragon fli empire - civic pride [makebelieve]
q-tip - manwomanboogie [universal motown]
amplified orchestra - fun thing [clone records]
przasnik - swingalong [funky mamas & papas poland]
mr scruff feat. skuff & inja - zen [ninja tune]
benga - someone 20 [tempa]
featurecast - soul flower [goodgroove]
fort knox five - insight (a skillz mix) [fort knox recordings]
neighbour vs. dj soup - stars over kingston [home breakin records]
domu - le grand grunt [unknown]
hint - one woman army (hint remix) [tru thoughts]
orbital - chime (del gazeebo breaks edit) [unknown]
zinc feat. no lay - killa sound [unknown]
fingerlickin allstars - 2 da break (a skillz remix) [fingerlickin records]
dj wood - eye know [goodgroove]
flevans - 27 devils [tru thoughts]
tom central & kaitain - akama [keep up]
fort knox five - funk 4 peace (nick thayer remix) [fort knox recordings]
dj shepdog - limb by limb (militia mix) [large hole]
gagle - practice & tactix (souljazz instr - guynamukat edit) [mukatsuku]
lewis parker feat. jehst - communications [melankolic]
rupert feat. bonobo - geography [hear today]

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/f76cqm

i hope you like it - holla if you encounter any problems with the download.

(the Weekend Warm-Up goes out every other Friday, 6pm-8pm GMT on Purple Radio)

xx

review: hint @ glo bar 03/04/09

I’ve been living in Cardiff for a couple of years now, but much to my dismay have yet to see a Tru Thoughts artist playing here. That was until this weekend, when the mighty Hint made the journey into the Welsh capital to play at the opening night of Glo Bar’s new weekly event, “Big City Beats”.

Musically, the flyers and posters promised “funk, soul, hip-hop, breaks & mashups”, and I had a feeling that a set from Hint, who’s style has come a long way since his debut Portakabin Fever (Hombre, 2003), would fit the bill perfectly. It’s definitely fair to say that his latest offering, Driven From Distraction (Tru Thoughts, 2008) has seen him take a bigger step towards dancefloor-orientated beats, with his funk, soul and jazz influences melding nicely together with electronica – more specifically those current yoot fave elements “basslines” and “wobble/wonk”. Just go and check out “The Tremmuh” or “At The Dance” if you want a better idea of what I’m talking about. I guess it’s easy to see, when listening to that album and then reading Glo’s musical remit for the event, why they chose Hint to come down to open the party.

I got to the venue at about 11-ish, and was surprised by how quiet it was – not in terms of volume (Glo Bar doesn’t have a problem there – I think they’ve upgraded their soundsystem since I last paid a visit!), but more numbers of people. It’s a popular place at weekends and I expected it to be pretty packed by 11pm on a Friday. Not so – not this week anyway. Still, it enabled me to grab a seat with friends and listen to the support DJs do their thing.

After an hour or so of funk classics, a smattering of hip-hop and a selection of some pretty shady bootlegs/mashups (it’s a fine art nailing a mashup, and there’s some real guff out there unfortunately), Hint took to the decks. Bizarrely, the venue hadn’t really got much busier than when I first arrived, and I was increasingly amazed (and frustrated) by the fact that, despite having a pretty intimate “club/dancefloor” area on the basement level, Glo Bar had opted instead to keep all the DJs playing in the corner of the room in the upstairs bar. Which is mostly filled with tables and chairs – and thus isn’t really conducive to dancing (or swaying haphazardly, in my case).

Hint didn’t seem too phased by this though, and settled into opening his set with some brilliant soulful tunes. Starting the show came a corking little refix of Sunshine Anderson’s “Heard It All Before”, and not long after we were treated to Mary Jane Girls’ classic “All Night Long”, before he dropped the brilliant “One Woman Army” from his latest album. By this point the atmosphere seemed to be picking up and there was a move from head-nodding and foot-tapping into a few shimmies and shakes…good to see!

It wasn’t long before Hint progressed his set into a more disco-oriented vibe, notably playing Aretha Franklin’s “Jump To It” and (possibly the tune of the night, for me) Firefly’s “Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)”. By this point I’d had a few pints and had really begun to enjoy myself – and so had a few others. It was around this time, however, that the venue’s mistake in choosing to have the DJs upstairs, playing to a seating area, became all-too apparent. Though there were small spaces where you could dance, it seemed daft to do so next to people who were just sitting around enjoying a chat. It turned out that the management were piping the music from upstairs into the club space below, although this just resulted in a mass of people heading down there so they could dance, leaving the bar itself feeling even quieter. It must have been a nightmare for Hint to play in that kind of environment – how do you try to read a crowd when they’ve pissed off to dance where you can’t even see them?!

Still, the tunes kept coming and a more heavyweight selection of electronica, 2-step and broken beat began to creep in. I urge you to keep an ear out for Hint’s very own remix of his own “One Woman Army”, which sounded sublime through Glo Bar’s system. A lush bit of knee-shaking broken beat – perfect for city-centre Friday night grooving, trust me. Before finishing his set, Hint took the tempo back down and treated us to a bit of a hip-hop & funk “breaks” mix, rinsing out Prince’s “Gett Off”, the ever-pleasing “Soul Power 74”, and a storming bit of mixing from hip-hop favourite “The Message” into Sly’s “Family Affair”. Ooof – top work!

Hint is a fantastic DJ, there’s little doubt about that. The set eased its way from one genre to another, and within each genre a magnificent representative selection of tunes were mixed seamlessly into one another. Everything was on beat, every drop fell into place perfectly, and every selection flowed nicely into what had gone before. I’ve also got nuff respect for anyone who can keep a dancefloor (in another room) going while all they’ve got in front of them is people sitting at tables! If this is what he can do in a small, laidback bar, I’d love to see him play on a massive system in a decent-sized, packed-out club. Preferably somewhere a bit dark, too - so nobody can see my embarrassed shuffling (it's what i do when i'm "dancing") and drunken air-synths. Again....christ - I should get some help for that.

So, top marks to Hint for taking the time to visit us in Cardiff and for bringing a class box of tunes with him…and I’m afraid it’s a “must do better” for Glo Bar, who should really be using their club space if they’re going to book such great guest DJs.

xx

soundcloud

okay okayyyy - i knowwwww: something else i'm no doubt late to - but something worth bigging up nontheless, i reckon...

soundcloud is a website/online resource/musical networking tool that basically allows producers (of all levels/abilities) to upload tunes and have people listen to and comment on them. each file is represented on-screen as a waveform, and one of the cool features is the ability to "tag" specific bits of the tune you're listening to and add your thoughts. so it could be a "ooof - nice wubble on the bassline", or "great drop here, made me touch cloth"...i'm sure you get the idea. you can also add general comments if you like - it's not compulsory to tie your comments down to any one part of the tune.

the nice touch about soundcloud though, is that it gives you an insight into both demos/productions-in-progress, as well as mastered forthcoming releases, and occasionally just a "here's a piece i put together a few years ago...thought i'd give it another rinse-out...enjoy!".

a fine example of using the resource in this way is Domu. a favourite producer of mine at the moment, i was pleased to find his work on soundcloud, so i decided to follow him on there and subscribe to his updates (yet another handy feature). in the last week or so, he's graced our earholes with three great productions, all differing in their "status". the first is "The Real Real Thing" - essentially a re-working of a Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell soul classic. is this a bit of jovial experimentation? or is this a forthcoming release? i hope it's the latter! next up was "Mandaloria", which is (in the words of the man himself) the "Second Domu record ever made, released on Archive 1999. A rare, deleted gem I thought I would give a lickle shine to celebrate it's 10th birthday". it's lush - blissed out, melodic broken beat at its finest - i can't believe it's ten years old! finally, Domu has treated us to a sneak peak at "4 O'Clock Earthquake", which is a remix he's knocked out for the KPM Remixes series. again it's immense...and another one i'm going to have to add to my ever-growing "must-buy" list.

soundcloud is full of cracking producers and wonderful music - and though it takes some patience in hunting stuff down, and a fair bit of following links & trying stuff out, you'll soon get the hang of it - and i pretty much guarantee it will expand your shopping list too.

get yourself a log-in and check it out. oh, and don't forget to buzz me if you find any producers on there that you think i should be listening to. cheers dears.

xx

Boca 45 @ The Thunderbolt, Bristol - TONIGHT!

sorry about the late notice folks (should've really nudged you about this sooner), but tonight Purple Radio is hosting the wonderful Boca 45 at The Thunderbolt, Bristol...


thanks to the fine efforts of Mark Williams and Teiresias, Purple Radio have been hosting monthly events in Bristol for a while now, and this corking booking represents how well those events are doing. Boca 45 is an excellent producer (check out the albums "Vertigo Sounds" and "Pitch Sounds" if you haven't got them in your collection) and he's a fine DJ too. this is going to be BIG!

Boca 45 on MySpace

it's running from 7pm until 1am, and FREE ENTRY means you surely can't turn this one down if you're in the area. support comes from residents Mark and Teiresias, as well as Myles, Mr Black & Andrea.

hopefully see plenty of you there for a few ales, lots of top-notch music and maybe even a dance-off or two...

xx

top tunes - march 2009

Here's a selection of tracks that are doing the business for me at the moment. Please support the artists and labels by buying their music, attending their gigs and sending them emails of adoration. They'll love you for it and continue to deliver more stunning work if you do...

Kinny – Water For Chocolate (feat. Souldrop) (Tru Thoughts)

Gorgeous, laid back soul with a twist from Tru Thoughts’ “one to watch” in 2009 – lush guitar-led production from Souldrop underpins Kinny’s attitude-laden vocals. How many soul numbers open with the lyrics “fuck this”? Not enough, if this is anything to go by. I’m going to put a full review together in the very near-future, but in the meantime head get your diaries out and pencil in the release date for the album “Idle Forest of Chit Chat” - coming on 23^rd March 2009.

Kinny @ Tru Thoughts

The Insiders – Stepdub (Intrigue Music)

Is it dubstep? Is it electronica? Is it just a drum & bass tune that never actually drops into a full DnB step? Who cares – it’s immense! Brilliant drums and percussion pound a steady beat under some great techy noises, and a bassline that goes “waaaarrrrrrb” a lot. You’ve gotta like that, huh? If you don’t, go see your doctor. Pretty standard drum & bass fare (“Cold Harbour”) on the flip to this, but it was this track that really caught my ear.

The Insiders on MySpace

Tom Central & Kaitain – Akama (Keep Up!)

Keep Up are definitely a UK label to watch, if you don’t already. This track is a rock-solid reason why: fantastically-programmed beats and percussion underline a pretty standard funk hook…but then the bassline kicks in and it all goes off…right off! Every time I drop this into a set at the moment it gets a great reaction, which must be a good sign. Funky, dirty and very dancefloor-friendly – plus it’s got a brilliant video too! Check it out here!

Tom Central & Kaitain @ Keep Up!

Kev Luckhurst – Dreams (Unique Uncut)

I hadn’t really heard of Kev Luckhurst (formerly known as Phat Kev) before I got hold of this - a crime, I know. Now I’m seeking out everything he’s put his name to (any suggestions gratefully received!). This is a fine example in taking soul/jazz melodies and weaving them into a beautiful, intelligent piece of hip-hop instrumental work. All it needs is to be a couple of minutes longer and maybe feature a nice vocal…but I’ll leave that to the re-editers amongst you and bask in the warmth of this track in the meantime.

Listen to/buy @ Clickgroove

Stonephace – Five Miles High (Tru Thoughts)

More pre-release treats from the Tru Thoughts camp (I’ve been spoilt this last month!). Stonephace continue the label’s leaning into classy jazz and bring together an all-star lineup with which to do so. The album hosts jazz veteran Larry Stabbins, Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley and bassist Jim Barr, and even a guest turn from Dizzy Gillespie collaborator Guy Barker on trumpet. The production is overseen by Cornish resident Krzysztof Oktalski, and trust me – it’s awesome. If you like the kinds of sounds Madlib brought on “Shades of Blue”, or you just enjoy some quality, low-slung jazz, then you’ll want this. Self-titled album due on 20^th April 2009.

Stonephace @ Tru Thoughts

Gagle – The Funky Instrumentals: Vol.3 (Mukatsuku)

Another fine label who are in the habit of putting out must-own records, Mukatsuku made me firm right up (sorry Nan) with this release. A double-sided 7” of two DJ Mitsu The Beats instrumentals, this really really IS a vital slab of plastic to own if you even care in the slightest about hip-hop, or lush downbeat for that matter. Mitsu has got the midas touch like no-one else, and these tracks sum it all up for me. Beautiful, beautiful stuff, and another one to appeal to you acapella-fiddlers, surely? Worth the slightly-more-expensive price you’re paying for an import, without a doubt.

Listen to/buy @ Juno

Frikstailers – To Com Saudade (feat. MC Maiquinho) (Man Recordings)

Taken from the 8^th installment in the “Funk Mundial” series, this track bridges electronica, hiphop and funk with an infectious vocal hook, crazy synth lines and an absolute stomper of a beat. Do you like basslines that make your tummy rumble? Then you’d be daft to pass this one up – more tummy rumble than Starvin Marvin yo!

Listen to/buy @ Clickgroove

Przasnik – Swingalong (Funky Mamas & Papas – Poland)

Another fine “lesson” of a track here – this time the lesson being “how to take a bit of dusty old jazz and turn it into something cheeky and modern”. Instantly catchy and another dancefloor-pleaser without any doubt, Polish-based Przasnik has come up trumps here. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s Mr Scruff producing under a pseudonym (maybe it is?!), given the infectious jazz-wobble-meets-irresistible-beats that it encompasses. Out now on 7”, with a nice bit of edit action in the form of “Get Bambaata” on the a-side.

Przasnik on MySpace

Mr Scruff – Whiplash (Ninja Tuna)

I know, I know…I can already hear you saying “Marky, mate – this is oooold news now bro”, and maybe it is. But Scruff recently (and finally!) put this monster of a track from his 2008 Ninja Tuna album out on 12”, so I figured I’d elbow it in to my Top 10 for March. And hey – what’s not to like about it? Absolutely a tune of two halves, it opens up at 137bpm with a frantic set of drums laced under some scarily-wonky brass stabs…and then suddenly boils down into a 92bpm rumbler. Like, a proper rumbler. More wub-wub bass than you can shake a stick at, too. Another one that doesn’t fail to do the business whenever I slide it into a set, it got a huuuuge reaction at Electric Vindaloo last weekend. Get that 12” in your shopping basket and lap it up.

Buy this 12" @ Ninjatune.net

Flevans – 27 Devils (Tru Thoughts)

Woah woah woah! Bit of a “stop press” moment here! Still getting my ears around this one, but the new Flevans album is on its way and the promo landed on my doormat just last week. I’ll be saying a lot more on it in the very near future, but I just had to give props to this, the title track, which has really blown me away. Loose-sounding drums which drop into a nice tight rhythm, a good smattering of ivory-tinkling and some dutty dutty bass – I guess you can tell why this one stood out on the initial listen! Also continues Flevans’ knack for giving us tunes of two halves (though now this has become more subtle), this one moves from jazzy funk into an almost haunting piano melody for the last section. Just. You. Wait. All kinds of aces!

Flevans on MySpace

freakaholic - 13/03/09

we're back!!

after what was deemed to be a very successful event last month at Clwb Ifor Bach, myself and Neil Raygun (Phantom Beats, Plastic Raygun) are being allowed back onto the decks this Friday 13th March (yes, i'm aware that doesn't bode well) for another edition of Freakaholic.

unfortunately we've got no flyer to pimp at your eyes, but rest assured it'll be along the same lines as last time: plenty of funk, hip-hop, breaks, beats and basslines. the perfect antidote to staying in and watching Comic Relief. not that i'm against Comic Relief, of course, but you try watching more than two hours solid of it without feeling more than a little bit depressed.

there's a Facebook event page here, so feel free to register your interest there and perhaps use the comments bit to hurl abuse at us. we know you want to.

you'll also note that while we play on the top-floor, Ben and co will be hosting the frankly excellent Breakfast Club in the middle room - an unashamed celebration of forgotten (and unforgotten) 80s pop classics. so that's £4 for entry to two top nights, one fantastic venue!

IN YOUR FACE CREDIT CRUNCH BRITAIN!!

the night runs from 10.30pm to around 3am. bring your dancing shoes and perhaps a bit of lino if you're into all that bodypopping malarkey.

see you there...

xx

kinny - enough said (feat. quantic soul orchestra)

thought it was about time i brought a bit of video action to my little slice of the blogosphere...and what better way than with a slice of classy soul from Tru Thoughts' rising star, Kinny?

i'm really excited about the forthcoming Kinny album, "Idle Forest of Chit Chat". collaborations with Nostalgia 77, Diesler, Hint, Unforscene, TM Juke and Souldrop promise to make it one of the must-own musical releases of 2009. not to mention Quantic Soul Orchestra, whose wonderful tropic-soul sounds underpin Kinny's fantastic voice in this little number, "Enough Said":



i've had a sneaky listen to a couple of other tracks from the album, and it's all sounding really very tasty. i'll no doubt have a lot more to say nearer the release date, but in the meantime, check Kinny out at the links below and put a bit of cash aside for when the CD is released in late March. oh, you can also grab the single of "Enough Said" on a nice little 7" - might keep you satisfied until the album release!

Kinny on MySpace
"Enough Said/Desire" single info @ Tru Thoughts

electric vindaloo - 07/03/09

i'm really pleased to have been invited back up to my second hometown, Aberystwyth, to play another set at the corking Electric Vindaloo in a couple of weeks...


the promoter, Joab, has been running the night for around four or five years now, hosting parties at various locations around Aber and getting some top names to visit the isolated little bit of coast in the process. it's really good to see the night running regularly again after a short lull, and just as satisfying to see it back in its spiritual home, the Bay Basement.

last time i played there (December, i believe) it was a brilliant night - the Aber crowd love their hiphop, and always go nuts for some beaty, bass-heavy, funk-laden tunes...hence why i get so much of a kick out of heading back to help the party along!

it also gives me the chance to catch up with some old mates and playing records alongside the likes of Eddy Scissorhands, Duska, Ether and co is a right laugh. not to mention a good chance to nosey up on what tunes are doing it in our respective boxes at the moment.

check the price, too - £3 - absolute bargain. if you're in the area or fancy a weekend by the sea with a bit of a rave-up, do come and join us...

xx

purple radio launches blog

fair play to them Purple Radio boys - they've only gone and launched their very own shiny new blog! not content with broadcasting music, living music, breathing music and discussing music on the forum...they're now embarking on taking it public in a proper written-word format. nice.

expect plenty of reviews, album props, special track mentions, not to mention up-to-date news on the events being run at various locations around the UK. plus you might even be able to snag yourself the odd free MP3 as a result of visiting it on a regular basis. i didn't tell you that though, right?!

i'll be contributing with my own witterings at some point soon, and rejoining the glorious Purple fold in April after having a few months off, but in the meantime go and check it out:

http://purple-radio.blogspot.com/

nuff props to Marcus for setting it all up and kicking everyone into contributing.

safe.

xx

my new toy

for the last month or so i've been pratting about with my new toy: an Akai MPD24.

for a while i've wanted to mess about with loops, beats and basically attempt to produce some of my own tunes, and always had an eye on buying something from Akai's now-legendary MPC range of sampler/sequencer units. however, after much consideration i decided that the outlay cost on an MPC was just a bit too much to try and deal with at this point, so i opted for the next best thing: a MIDI controller with the basic interface elements that the MPCs boast.

i'll be honest: i've got next to no production experience/knowledge, so this has been a massively steep learning curve to embark on. for now, i've got the MPD24 running in sync with FL Studio 8, as this seemed to offer much of the same "working method" as you'd find with an MPC.

it's been a mixture of success and failure in varying degrees thus far. i've worked out how to use Edison (a module within FL Studio) to chop my samples, and then load them into the FPC (FL's equivalent of an MPC), and then assign the MPD to the various samples within the software. that's all well and good, but latency is proving to be a real issue thus far - i'm not sure if it's my soundcard (Creative 24-bit external) or just the fact that the unit's running through a USB connection rather than dedicated MIDI, but it's proving almost impossible to overdub into sequences live.

although a lot of my friends are currently blasting out beats on MPCs, i've not been able to get much help from them as this is a different kettle of fish...none of them are familiar with the FL Studio setup. thus it's been a long, lonely and frustrating few weeks of reading help guides, watching YouTube tutorials (a mass of them, quality varying as ever) and hammering my poor old desk in frustration.

as soon as i've got any beats worth writing home (or online) about, i'll stick some download links up and you can slate them as you see fit. just give me three years or so. haha.

likewise, if anyone out there's got any tips for using the MPD24 with FL Studio, or could maybe help out with my latency woes, please holler at me and i'll be eternally grateful.

in the meantime, look after yourselves.

xx

still alive!

sorry i haven't posted anything up in so long. things have been proper hectic and my head's been everywhere...trying to take on the world and win again...must.stop.doing.that.

so, what's gone down since i last posted? well, 2008 went (bye bye) and 2009 came (hello). i had an awesome christmas with my family, so relaxed this year - and such a pleasure to spend some quality time with them all, especially my young cousins Karl and Thomas, who really do help to keep the magic of the festive season alive. i guess christmas is all about the kids, eh? here they are "helping Nan unwrap her presents"...



the start of 2009 has been tough. january is always a slog, but this one felt particularly vile. job insecurity and a muggy head haven't helped, and i had to lay low on any further radio DJing for a bit because it just didn't seem to be bringing me much fun anymore. i suppose instead of feeling refreshed by the onset of a new year, it's just served to wear me out.

do we set too much ambition for ourselves in these modern times? that's what i've been asking more and more, lately.

on a more positive note - seeing Obama being inaugurated was wonderful. not that i was there in person, but i was one of the billions of people who watched live, clutching a post-work cup of tea and harbouring a hope for genuine change that i'm sure you all hold, too. he seems like a cool guy, and i just hope he doesn't try to take on too much too early. or that he doesn't buckle under the pressure of the system like so many US presidents in the past. tough to break free from those corporate backslaps and big-money nudges, Barack...i hope you can. i really do.

more locally, and despite my shying away from radio DJing at present, i had a great time last week DJing with my mate Neil Raygun at Clwb Ifor Bach, in Cardiff.


Clwb is an institution and the top floor is a cracking room which boasts possibly the best soundsystem i've ever played on. loads of our mates came out for the night and it gave me a lot of pleasure to see the hiphop hits (in particular) being well-appreciated by a decent, dance-prone crowd. thanks to everyone who came down to support the event, and huge thanks to Ben Potter and all the staff at Clwb for having us there for the night and treating us so well. i'm hoping we'll be doing the same there again soon, so i'll be sure to keep you posted if we do.

gonna make this shit a lot more regular in 2009. and though i don't like making promises, that's a promise. hahaha. be sure to nudge me if you stumble across this and i haven't posted in a week or two. sometimes i just need a kick.

don't we all?

xx

Mystery Mix - Nov 2008

recently, i put together another hour (or slightly less) of tunes in an attempt to baffle the listeners of Purple Radio on its weekly Mystery Mix show. not that many were guessed, so make of that what you will...but i reckon there's some good music on there nontheless.

here's the tracklisting and download link:

00:00 lafayette gilchrist / rumble
02:40 gianni ferrio / un giorno in piu
03:49 thes one / gate city savings and loan
05:30 the pharcyde / runnin (rae & christian remix)
10:10 specifics / take me back
14:00 crown city rockers / no sense
16:53 eluard burt / from “freestyle – the art of rhyme”
17:10 regal / keep on (edseven’s dust lazy remix)
21:00 jon kennedy / the message
22:36 ayb force / do you wanna see
25:21 people under the stairs / step bacc (dj day remix)
28:57 charizma & peanut butter wolf / talk about a girl
30:15 tom caruana / the kraken
31:17 color climax / jigsaw
33:17 john arnold / geminade
37:05 mr scruff / kalimba
40:19 m dubs feat. the emperor richie dan / over here (sugar shack breakbeat funk mix)
45:30 bugz in the attic / reject
48:45 dj format / 2 3 scrape

download

:: 50mins approx :: 128kbps ::

ENJOY!

xx

Marky's Mixtape Archive

looks like that's it as far as the summer's concerned. these short days and dark evenings are creeping in fast now...how long is it til clocks go back?!

anyway - for some reason it's inspiring me to sort through some tasks that have been nagging for a while...and the first is getting my recent mixes back online. well, i say recent - last 18 months or so - but time flies and all that.

there's a mixture of styles and tempos, blahblahblah. most importantly, i hope you enjoy the tunes and that they nestle well within your woolly autumn collection.

Mystery Mix - April 2007

this is a mix i did for Purple Radio's weekly "Mystery Mix" show. every Thursday at 10pm, a different guest presents an hour of music, and the people of the lively forum attempt to name the artists and tunes. i'll save you the hassle they had and give you the full list here:

Vince DiCola – Farewell
I Am Kloot – Loch
Head & Neck Sessions – Romancais
DJ Frane – Ode To Old Toby / Innervisions
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – Funky Donkey
Rick James – Mary Jane (DJ Green Lantern Evil Genius Mix)
Kissin Cousins – Love Shock
Stabiliser – One Ton Truck
Pete Rock – Smooth Sailing (instrumental)
Rob Swift – I’m Leaving
Nas – Get Down (Quantic Soul Orchestra Mix)
The Pharcyde – Soul Flower (Dogs B*llocks Mix)
Sydney Thompson & His Orchestra – Can’t Buy Me Love
Mongo Santamaria – Heighty Ho
Nick Faber – Simple Meditation
Neil Young – Bandit
Metal Fingers – High John

download here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4w2jnk

:: 1hr approx :: 192kbps ::

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Mouldy Jam Mixtape - Feb 2008

a blend of unashamed party beats that i put together in the arse-end of last winter. it goes:

dj aeon seven - funky furious
stezo - bring the horns
beatconductor - rocksteady skank
mc serch - back to the grill
aceyalone - all for u (rjd2 instr.)
pavlov & mishkin - muchachos
james brown - get on the good foot (mr drunk remix)
sono rhizmo - mambocito mio
lack of afro - roderigo (natural self remix)
arrested development - mr wendal
jurassic 5 - a day at the races
ugly duckling - bang for the buck (instr.)
featurecast - story time
fdel - ladies & gentlemen
freestylers - b-boy stance (dub pistols club mix)
featurecast - go with my flow
michael jackson - wanna be startin somethin
barakas - kes
diesler- when she was bad

download here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/bwpamr

:: 1hr approx :: 192kbps ::

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Disabled Romance Mixtape - October 2008

this is basically a bunch of wonky/filthy/wobbly/glitchy/beaty electronica tunes that i liked and wanted to have all in one place - so i made this mixtape.

it's not full of perfect blends, but then that's all part of the fun. my excuse is: wonky tunes = wonky mixing. ;)

jimmy edgar - prêt a porter
massive music - find my way (kode9 remix)
jumbonics - bubble drop
dorian concept - fort teen
flying lotus - message situation
dinner at the thompsons - daily vitamines
prefuse73 - detchibe
me&you - last night (bassnectar remix)
waxfactor - reggaenomics (luna landa remix)
pest - heard yer bird moved in
charlie dark - keepintime theme
baldwin brothers - incident in the lab
blend - scream for i
milanese - caramel cognac

download here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/cul2j8

:: 45mins approxx :: 320kbps ::

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all these artists have done tons more great stuff, so if you like what you hear on these mixes, be sure to go and purchase some more of their wares. it's a worthy investment - and you don't hear that too often at the moment...

xx