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Best New Music: Chemical charisma
Spoon, the Chemical Brothers, and DJ Babu are the Download Music crew's picks this week.
Directed by Mazik Saevitz Featuring...John Yancey Common Will.I.AM Black Thought Talib Kweli Karriem Riggins Frank N Dank Styling by Las Vegas based Fruition (www.fruitionlv.com). James "Jay Dee aka J Dilla" Yancey was born and raised on the mean streets of Detroit?s east side. Little is known of his musical upbringing, but he has most definitely become one of the most talented, innovative producers of our time. Gaining inspiration from listening to Whodini?s ?Big Mouth? back in the day, Jay tried his hand at making beats by using the ?pause? and ?record? buttons on his tape deck. After learning to work an MPC-60 back in 92? from Amp Fiddler, J Dilla was on his way to becoming one of hip-hop?s illest beat makers. After hooking up with two high school friends, T3 and Baatin, they formed the crew called, Slum Village (circa 1988), and Jay started to polish his rhyming skills to match his dope production. As Slum Village began to show themselves in Detroit and around the east coast Jay was also busy getting his production noticed by other artists in the music industry. One thing led to another and by the end of 1996, Jay Dee had produced joints for the likes of The Pharcyde, Keith Murray, Busta Rhymes and De La Soul. After hearing Jay?s ill productions Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) brought him in to lend his expertise to their 1996 release ?Beats, Rhymes and Life?. Jay Dee became one-third of the ghost production team now known as the Ummah, which included Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed. That year also saw the first release from Slum Village with ?Fantastic Vol. I?, a classic hard to find item. A chance meeting with Janet Jackson led to his 1997 remix of the chart topping ?Got Til? Its Gone? single that paired Janet?s smooth vocals with Jay Dee?s intoxicating drum kicks. Now dabbling in other music genres, Jay went on to lace beats for artists like Macy Gray, D?angelo, N?Dea Davenport and Erykah Badu. 2000 was a stellar year for Jay Dee, with his group Slum Village finally releasing their critically acclaimed ?Fantastic Vol. II? through Goodvibe Recordings, he also received notoriety with many other acts. With the now defunct Ummah production team non-existent (breakup of Tribe Called Quest in 99?), J Dilla became a member of The Soulquarians, which includes Ahmir ??uestlove? Thompson (The Roots), James Poyser and D?angelo. Jay produced a substantial amount of Common?s 2000 release ?Like Water For Chocolate? and contributed to D?angelo's Voodoo album. In 2001 Jay Dee released his first solo effort entitled ?Welcome 2 Detroit? (BBE Records). The ?W2D? album showcased a few emcee?s from the Detroit area, but also showed the versatility of Jay Dee and his craftiness. This 16 track ensemble of lyrical tracks, classic ?instrumental? covers and bouncy grooves solidified Jay Dee as one of the illest producers of his era and beyond. Other albums that followed included Jaylib (Jay Dee & Madlib) as well as an instrumental series at Bling47.com and production of 2 songs (Love is... and It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)) on Common's recent 'Be' album. J Dilla leaves behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come. His most recent album "Donuts" was released on February 7th, the day of his 32nd birthday. Two other projects, "The Shining" (BBE Records) and "Jay Love Japan" (Operation Unknown) are completed and will be released in 2006. Other production work has been completed for artists Madlib, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, A.G., Visionaries, Truth Hurts, Phat Kat, MF DOOM, Skillz, and Frank N Dank.
Felix da Housecat: "Madame Hollywood"
Chicago's disco visionary FELIX DA HOUSECAT is set to return to dominate dance floors and airways with his stunning third album VIRGO BLAKTRO & THE MOVIE DISCO. A master class in sugar-frosted vocal pop, soulful synth-funk and pulsing electronic disco, it is comfortably the most satisfying album this dance music icon has produced. Six years after he glammed up dance floors with Kittenz And Thee Glitz, 20 since he stepped into a studio to record his first underground hit at the age of 15, one of modern pop's great outsiders is about to embark on the next phase of his remarkable career.
Tom Waits: "God's Away on Business"
"Real Gone" is the unpredictable follow-up to the atmospheric and conceptual "Alice "and "Blood Money," two albums that TOM WAITS released simultaneously in the spring of 2002.
In an exciting departure from the critically acclaimed Alice and Blood Money, Waits? fevered imagination has spawned a new musical hybrid, grafting together worlds both sonic and ethnic from musical traditions both old and new. The 15 track CD features: primal blues, Jamaican rock-steady grooves, rhythms and melodies both African and Latin, what Waits calls ?cubist funk.?
In that sonic cubism, Waits ingeniously finds common ground with hip hop?s cut and paste aesthetic and incorporates some of its elements into his approach. Many of the tracks on Real Gone were built on Waits? ?human beatboxing? on a cassette recorder in his bathroom and bringing those tapes into the studio to have the band play over them. As a result, there are no drums on many of the most driving tracks as his voice provides all of the necessary propulsions. And for the first time, there is no piano.
VHS or Beta: "Can't Believe A Single Word"
A long way from its Louisville, Kentucky, indie-rock roots, and pushing past the French disco-funk of its past offering "Le Funk," VHS or Beta further explores its knack for cleverly combining rock and dance music. With an unabashed '80s sound steeped in stylized Duran Duran exuberance, as well as the darker elements of Echo and the Bunnymen, VHS or Beta isn't afraid to indulge in its influences.
Nina Simone, UFO!, Sun Kil Moon
This week on Crossfade TV, the Download Music crew checks out a cool set of unreleased recordings and interviews from Nina Simone, new songs from electronic artist UFO!, and the new album from Mark Kozelek's band Sun Kil Moon.
It all started after Charlie Tate graduated from the London School of Furniture. He was approached by the infamous Paris-based Big Cheese Records to form a funk bank, and Big Cheese All Stars were born! 2 singles, an album, and several extensive stints of touring, supporting the likes of Don Blackman, Roy Ayers, Gil Scott-Heron, Fred Wesley and James Brown put an end to a career in bespoke cabinet making. A future immersed in the funk, the soul and the jazz seemed assured. While still with the All Stars, an opportunity to play base in Neneh Cherry's band arose and the best part of the year was spent on the road touring her "Woman" album. A lot of fun was had. A lot of drinking was done. But the love of the funk, the soul, and the jazz prevailed. Unfortunately the sheer size of what the All Stars had become essentially caused its demise. Just about then, the idea of forming a record company began to take shape. King Kooba had been in existence for some time now, the first release having been on a subsidiary of the aforementioned Big Cheese Records. But the thought of an autonomous vessel for representing the Kooba and several other projects seemed too good to resist. Enter Second Skin Records, and what a productve lot they turned out to be! Roughly 30 singles and 12 albums, not a bad output from a hybrid label offering all manner of styles from drum and bass, beats, ambient, bizniss, electronica and breaks. Pretty much most of what was going on at the time, perhaps the varied style of the label, but particualrly what the Kooba were up to, appealed to San Francisco's Om Records. Several licenses, then an album, and a relationship with Om had been cemented. With the release of "Indian Summer" in the fall of 2002, a man like Charlie decided his fate lay in the Bay area...The rest as they say is history!
Midnight Juggernauts: "Road to Recovery"
Lead single “Road To Recovery" is a dizzying array of stomping disco beats, spiralling synths and effervescent guitars,a sonic mission through laser-soaked corridors and rainbow-lit roller derbies. It’s the perfect intro to Midnight Juggernauts’ debut album, a trekking montage that occupies the dark spaces between M83, Moroder, Air, ELO and John Carpenter– shooting stars, black holes, thumping disco beats, glimpses of the edge of the universe.
A music video from ska and funk band Perfect Thyroid
Felix Da Housecat: "What Does It Feel Like"
Chicago's disco visionary FELIX DA HOUSECAT is creates vocal pop, soulful synth-funk and pulsing electronic disco.
