Earthquake Aid

A list of links for those who would like to make a donation to the relief effort in South Asia. It's easy to donate online.

Canada: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/asia_earthquake/helping.html
UK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4131881.stm
US: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/tsunami.aidsites/

mp3 - Bmore

K. This is making me happy right now. I've been playing this fragment of a DJ K-Swift radio rip over and over today, interspersed with some Favela Funk and Dizzee's "Hoe." There's definitely a mashed up, post-break thread linking the three. If anyone can identify anything being played here I'd be very interested. More soon, I hope.

mp3 - DJ K-Swift Radio Rip - 92Q Baltimore

Collected Bizzy-ness

An exciting and timely bit of news from Nick Gutterbreakz regarding a forthcoming Bizzy B compilation on Planet Mu à la the recent Remarc re-releases. Not only that, but Bizzy has a new Science E.P. on the way in the coming months (see stolen image).

I'm not sure when Nick found out about this - whether he had a little bit of Bizzy in his customized Mu grab bag, or whether our exchange yesterday lead led him to give Mr Paradinas a ring. Either way, the "Please release a Bizzy B compilation on Planet Mu" online petition I was preparing has becoming redundant.

mp3 - Dark III

The dark before Christmas. Our third installment from the dark side of things past. Three licks from the one like the Bizzy B. I've been saving this one until I had the time and the server space to do the man justice.



The other day I missed out on a pretty wicked Bizzy 12" ("Dubplate Wars" b/w "Obsession") from Brain records as the bidding quickly got a too rich for my PayPal account. However, I did pick up something else that folks might enjoy. So watch out for a whole heap of darkness in the coming months. And some other stuff too ;)

mp3 - Bizzy B "Dark III" (Whitehouse, 1993)

Remember the Manchester-goes dark sequence in Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People? It begins with that 'solemn string pads' mix of of Moby's "Go" set to a nighttime helicopter shot of the city; then on to the smiley people inside the Hacienda. Tony tells us how guns and drugs are flooding the scene and that the good times couldn't last forever. The magic ends and real life crashes in. The sounds change, and it's the birth of Gunchester - set to an awfully Big Beat for the era.



Now if I were lucky enough to be the person choosing music for Michael's films I'd have followed Moby with "Dark III." No question. Check out the looped string at 1:08. Sounds like "Go" to me - sped up too fast, tense, suspended. Stuck in a loop that it can't sustain. Then there's the moan, and in come the gunshots, again and again. The beat comes tearing back in. Rave's hopeful strings run out of gas, but the breaks keep rolling. That's just the first two minutes.

mp3 - Warped Kore "The Power" (Whitehouse, 1993)

This one's a little reminiscent of Nasty Habits' "Here Come the Drumz" but a little more more mental. Big atmospherics, rough and flange-y breaks, and those slurpy, searing hoovers that Bizzy does so well. Ooh yeah.

mp3 - Bizzy B "Slow Jam" (Whitehouse, 1993)

Wicked, scary things going on here. Absolute ardkore 'oover madness, mate! Or something like that.

mp3 - knackered

...

mp3 - 4 Hero "Cookin' Up Ya Brain" (Reinforced, 1992)

mp3 - The sounds you wanna heard

Prophecised
The switch is complete. Let the unrestrained mp3 blogging begin - after I finish this last batch of work. Until then, and in honour of my newfound server space, I've got a high bandwidth junglist treat cued up for the massive (Small massive, anyway. I put it at about 24).

This hour and a half set was recorded the first week of January 1997, just at the tale end of that magical period kicked off by the likes of Remarc. It features Dbo General (of Arsonist fame) alongside DJ Dynamite spinning back-to-back with DJ Marcus on his long-running CIUT Radio show The Prophecy.

This is one of my all time favourite sets, largely because I find Dbo so engaging. I haven't heard much else from him, but I would guess from his performance that he cut his teeth on the UK pirate scene. He ranges from straight up roughneck to funny: "This one goes out to Mary, clearly X. Lookin for a pizza." I guess he got hungry.

The selectors come correct as well. Dynamite plays loads of material from Flex when the label was in its prime. It's hard to tell when the DJs switch off, but Marcus gets a couple of T-dot tracks into the mix as well.

mp3 - Dbo General/DJ Dynamite/DJ Marcus - CIUT Prophecy Mix 1
mp3 - Dbo General/DJ Dynamite/DJ Marcus - CIUT Prophecy Mix 2

Last note: If anyone can identify the track with the grimey bass by Dego McFarlane at the very end of the second mp3 I would be enormously grateful.

We Love Roll Call
These people are making me happy.

Chantelle Fiddy - For her defense of Wiley against all manner of idiotic criticism. Chantelle is really on fire these days. I wish she'd come hang out at Dissensus.
Nick Gutterbreakz - For his amazing piece on his father and his children. December has similar connotations for me and this piece really struck a chord. Nick has an uncommon ability to blog his musical notions in combination with thoughts on family in the most natural way. The photo was fantastic.
Luca Ghettopostage - Even when he's busy he still takes the time to hook us up with the newest and latest grimeyness.
John MPC - Who's gone "a bit crazy with the almost coherent posts recently." Big up ya chest.
Blissblogger - For coming back with keyboards blazing.
Kid Kameleon - For a stunning entry into the blogosphere.

Hosting upgrade

I'm in the process of upgrading my web hosting service at the moment. So mp3s will be down for a day or two. Photos might briefly disappear too. I noticed the Tango and Ratty tune is still pretty popular so don't worry, it will be back up and I'll have loads of room for new stuff.

Cheers to everyone who's been visiting and downloading.

mp3 - Big tune!

Before Andy C was doing whatever he does now, he made this bad-trip anthem as the other half of Origin Unknown.

Despite the 'long dark tunnel' theme, this tune breaks from the aural claustrophobia that characterized a lot of its Darkside illk. The sound is wide - less sealed in a box; more lost in a void. Swimming bells with announcements and a lazy bass that might just slurp up any loafers that let down their guard.

mp3 - Origin Unknown "Valley of the Shadows" (RAM Records, 1993)

Some news:
I'll be upping my server space several fold in the next while. Until then you may may notice older tracks disappearing. They'll be back after the switch.

Also, stay tuned for the third Dark installment. I've been looking forward to this one.

mp3 - Cannibal business

Only Cannibalism unites us. Socially. Economically. Philosophically.

The unique law of the world. The disguised expression of all individualisms, all collectivisms. Of all religions. Of all peace treaties.

Tupi or not tupi that is the question.

Against all catechisms. And against the mother of the Gracos.

I am only interested in what’s not mine. The law of men. The law of the cannibal.

- Oswald de Andrade



mp3 - Funk Neurotica - Track 16

Too tired to trace this one's family tree right now. But think Bambaataa, Miami, 80 Aum, "I'll House You," and '80s Coldcut with Popeye stomping around and yelling shit in Portuguese over top of it all. Really into the static-y synth stabbing along to tumbling drums. It's like Infernal Noise Brigade in my dreams.