Real talk...

What was the last album you BOUGHT? Not on itunes that doesn't count, not a freebie copy someone gave you - I mean CD or vinyl you paid for and have sitting physically in your house. NB if you're a nerd ass DJ you may not want to join in proclaiming how you spent your rent money this week on vinyl - I'm talking to the people who don't have to acquire music as part of their job.
I'm going to fess up - the only place I now tend to buy music is Amazon and that's to replace much of the music I lost years back (I swear I've bought the Score and Voodoo about 10 times each - I will catch the tief sitting on a mountain of iconic 90s R&B and hip hop CDs one day...actually my first copy of the Score was a tape!) Apart from the CDs I buy direct from artists at shows if we're talking new music the latest I've bought were Bjork - Volta, 4Hero - Play With the Changes and Dizzee Rascal - Maths & English.
Volta

There was an article in the Independent on Sunday about the death of album art (click here to read) - how technology is killing it (from LP to CD to itunes to free download) yada yada yada. Volta and Play With the Changes are both exceptionally beautiful fold out CDs with cardboard covers, booklet inserts, and amazing artwork which is why I bought them without hearing a lick. If you've never seen it Bjork has created a website for Volta (and all of her other albums which link back to her main site) and not only has she produced an incredible album, a stunning album sleeve - the costumes for which she had made by designer Bernard Willhelm and knitwear by the Icelandic Love Corporation (see this fabulous page about it specially built in to her website), she has also produced a beautiful website just for the album with additional video art clips called vlips. Check out this article about it and a 'making of' video on Sleevage.com. She's probably not short of a bob or two but still - the reason she's not is that she's always been ludicrously creative about every aspect of her work. She is a complete artist and I don't believe that the so called constraints of digital music distribution will stop her - they'll feed her. I cannot see myself ever downloading a Bjork album because I consider it a piece of accessible art - I feel privileged to hold it in my hand or place it on my shelf. I hope that she will inspire other artists to do the same and raise their game wherever possible - sales of CDs may be down but sales of art aren't.

The article goes on to mention that there will be an exhibition next month at the University of The Arts London called Spin: The Art of Cover Design...and to be honest I have the feeling I might not see Big Daddy Kane's Long Live The Kane or Ice T's Power - if not who's down to do a little covert after hours exhibition curation with me?

GIRLS ARE NERDS TOO

OK, so the other day I had a slightly unusual request from a PMOIT reader who happens to be a hip hop DJ and was wondering if I could hook him up with some music...I'm not a DJ (I'm too pussy and I hang about with such amazing DJs I wouldn't even want to try) but I would say I'm a bedroom selectah. So I'm going to oblige this request - but it wouldn't be fair not to share it with all the other lovely people who read this blog (thank you thank you love you love you). I can't mix so it's just 21 tunes I'm listening to at the moment, some of it's old (but not old skool), the nerdier among you may have a lot of it, some of it's really obnoxious - sorry about the Obie Trice lyrics but I really only listen to beats (please see Dave Chapelle's 'hit em with a dick, fuck em in the eye' sketch for an explanation), and to be honest I kept all my serious gems for myself (I think I have DJ mentality)...but these are all tunes I'd love to hear out a bit more so I'm putting them out there. If you don't know about Invincible she's my knew favourite thing so I'm going to post the video below the mix.
Click the pic to enjoy!



Invincible - Sledgehammer!

I love L'il Wayne & Jay-Z's Mr Carter - don't you?

I know, I never thought I'd hear me say those words either - but you have to check this out it's a classic! Make sure you watch all the way to the end.


FYI, this is not about to turn in to a funny videos blog (see the Musiq Soulchild vid below), I'm working on some deepness but in the meantime...

HOLLA!

Take me now Lord....

Okay now...me and my relationship with the radio (no pun intended...you'll get it when you watch this video) is a very bad one. In fact, I detest it so much, I've sort to downloading podcasts to block out the sounds of Xfm playing at work - I think I may be going deaf - but ANYWAY.

This is the video from Musiq Souldchild's new album..I'm NOT going to plug this because I'm upset. I feel that the big cheeses at his record label have somehow let Souljah Boy and T-Pain loose on this track. I wouldn't be half surprised if they got the Ying Yang Twins and Lil John on the remix "okaaaaay".

I started watching the beginning of the video and thought...ha ha he's making fun of how everything on the radio sounds......and then it just continued. The visuals are nice, his haircut is very "edgy" - let me not be mean anymore and just post it.

I'm so sorry, lol:

mike gao x beatbox x midi x abelton

For those not in the know, Mike Gao is that off-the-wall producer that recently demonstrated how to use headphones and beatboxing to trigger multi-layered MIDI signals using Ableton Live 7.

Download: The Mike Gao Collection

Tributes...

I just found this. I really hope somebody does a tribute concert as beautiful and with as much love as this one for Isaac. We seem to be coming to a time where many of the people responsible for the significant changes in black music and civil rights are passing away, certainly many legends of the 60s are reaching an age where perhaps fast living will start to tell on you...I just hope it doesn't take that for us to fully appreciate the people we still have. I'm glad I saw Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Dilla and Lynden David Hall perform all shortly before they died. They were amazing artists who meant a lot to me...I grew up with a strange sense of family about musicians (my Dad shouted 'Uncle Ray!' whenever he saw Ray Charles on TV to the point I really thought he was my uncle), so when they're gone it feels as though a distant part of my family has gone. I hope I don't have to add any more names to that list anytime soon.

R.I.P. Issac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. - Aug 20, 1942 – Aug 10, 2008

Mighty Voices of Wonder: I Thank the Lord

JoAnn Garrett: Walk On By

Joe Bataan: Shaft

Lyn Collins: Do Your Thing

El Michels Affair: Hung Up On My Baby

Santogold Remix...

Has anyone else seen the episode of Little Britain where Ann clearly has a pre-release copy of the Santogold album and does a rendition of the opening bars from Creator? No? Here you go:


In case you haven't seen Santo's version of it - spot the difference:


In case I get lynched for this post here's a link to Creator - Santogold vs Freq Nasty & Switch.

Shame.

National Vinyl Record Day - August 12th (Invention of Phonograph)

this Tuesday August, 12th we’ll all have the chance to join in and celebrate Vinyl Record Day. Those begging for a bit of trivia will be happy to know that this also happens to be the day that Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. According to the Vinyl Record Day website, the concept is behind the celebration is "to preserve the cultural influences, the recordings, and the cover art of vinyl. And to have a good time on Vinyl Record Day."

WHO WANTS TO SEE BUSTA RHYMES FOR FREE?

I was walking past a poster under the bridge in Shoreditch and stopped short - Busta Rhymes at the Albert Hall? Weird. So I had a little dig around - you can't buy the tickets. You can't win the tickets. You can volunteer for them! Check out this link to Orange Rock Corps...you volunteer 4 hours of your time to a community project and then you get a ticket to see Busta Rhymes at the Albert Hall on September 26th. I think that's a wicked idea and I've already signed up - the project I think I'm on (tbc) is working at Guide Dogs for the Blind in Woodford on August 24th - if you want a seat near your mates you have to volunteer at the same project on the same day as them so if you want to come with me sign up!


*I was going to put up a pic of Busta but I think you know what he looks like.

This week...

I took a blowtorch to the proverbial candle at both ends. This will be known as the year I gave up sleep.

Before I get in to anything else, Brownswood Bubblers 3 came out. Now, I like the other two, but this one sounds like Gilles has been drinking fire. I didn't get to the whole thing until this morning but I had a heart stopping moment when listening to Mixed Nutz this Saturday on Rinse. YAW - WHERE WOULD YOU BE? IS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE SONGS I'VE HEARD IN I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW LONG YOU NEED IT IN YOUR LIFE. I want to cry, dance, fly, do things I won't write about here, and somehow exist inside this song...I'll have to settle for putting it on repeat for at least a month. Here it is - Yaw - Where would you be?

I wanted to go to the Roundhouse on Wednesday as mentioned way back when on here for the Jose James (love love love) and Eska (Queen of everything) gig, but best friends birthday meal was more important...um, but I did leave early to go to Deviation. It's official - Deviation is far and away my favourite night in London for so many reasons. The consistency of their wet dream programming, the quality of DJs (if they had Alexander Nut on residency it would be on a whole other level but hey - no hints there), the crowd (no scene kids, just music lovers), I've never had less than an amazing time there. I had a beautiful moment dancing in the dark to Q-Tip with my friends thinking - it's hard to be much happier than this (missing loved ones aside). Vula, Morgan Zarate and Queen Eska made it yet another classic 'oh my god, wtf?!' night.

Thursday I was feeling pretty fragile after getting home at 3am and being at work by 9.30am but a colleague put on Vespertine by Bjork and it was all ok...can I just check you've all heard it? Click the link to listen, it's classic, buy it don't download, you need it on your shelf. One of my top 5 favourite albums of all time, I truly believe if there is a heaven that's what they're bumping. Best times to play it - Christmas with fairy lights, in the bath in the dark, and Frosti is my alarm clock - means I don't mind waking up. I then went out AGAIN to Nuts to Soup at Visions Video bar in Dalston. I would love to know why everyone has started to go out so late? I had to leave at midnight or so - when everyone started to arrive. Highlights - Santee dropped Conscious by Womack and Womack, Alex dropped Sunshowers by Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, and Ed (Mr Wonderful indeed) let me taste his suya and jollof rice (check out Suya Express people) - hold tight boys.

Friday I actually fell asleep in a meeting. Again. Shame. I came home and got in bed at 9pm, carried on with my mission to learn Wordpress CSS code (nerd alert), and checked out blog land - half the music on there put up for free download they can't even give away it's so bad but I did come across a little gem. Here's Would You by Richard Swift.

Saturday I went to DJ Cavalry's house for a mango juice, to raid his Dad's allotment (I was scared I'd get mugged I got so many blackberries), and to listen to his amazing music collection. He's currently working on the mixtape to end them all, bait your breath people. I then headed down to Plastic People for a last minute ting - Benny Blanco of Chaingang and Alexander Nut were DJing with some indie Roisin Murphy/ KT Tunstall sounding live band on before. Hilariously a few PP regulars came down, heard the band and took the entire London hip hop scene with them to a party in Dalston. A couple of the hardcore stayed to watch a bunch of shameless office party types get down to the finest music in London. Spied antics included - trying not to be sick on their own shoes, zombified walking to the booth & staring, soul clapping completely out of tune, begging requests (well done for not laughing in anyone's face gents), and 'seducing' the DJs by shaking non existent booty, squatting to the floor every 30 seconds like you have a urinary issue and waving. It was definitely interesting.

Tonight I'm going to Pause at Market Place -Eric Lau, Fatima Layla & the whole crew's night. The last one was beautiful vibes, very chilled, wicked music, and made my weekend seem pleasantly long and fulfilled. See y'all there.

Is We Stoopid?

“When I create things I almost have to dumb it down a little, because low record sales for me is seen like a failure. The new minstrel movement in hip-hop doesn’t allow the audience to believe the artist is smart. I love Kid A, but I don’t think D’Angelo would be allowed to sing ‘Cut the kids in half’ over and over and be taken seriously. It’d be like, ‘What’s wrong with that boy?’”

Questlove, via Marlon James. Read the full piece here, as Marlon breaks it down...