Here are two little beauties, which are taken from a new (modern) 18 track compilation based on groove fundamentals such as 80’s and 90’s R&B, Minneapolis funk and early electro. It features ‘74 minutes of dirty g-funk bangers, sweaty robot grooves, cosmic p-funk bombs and anthems of intergalactic existentialism’. This is everything I love about music, and more - it connects the dots between electro, rap, house and R&B and is an is equally recommended for fans of funk past, present and future. Both of these show the diversity of what is on there. Fucking BOOM!
Here is a little something that Mystro & Lady Chann came up with whilst in the Black Einstein Laboratories trying out something different, yet still keeping it raw. This guy can do no wrong, in my eyes. Black Einstein is one ridiculously talented man too.
Made To Play signees Idiotproof give a crunchy, quirky edit of the Detroit Grand Pubahs dancefloor classic. Lovely stuff, from one of my favourite labels.
Educational. Relevant. Powerful. Those are 3 things you can’t say about many Electro videos; however the visuals for Wolfgang’s latest video are an exception. Very good.
Here is one of my favourite tracks from Talib Kweli’s latest album, Gutter Rainbows, which features Kendra Ross and is produced by the super-talented S1. Last years RPM was Talib’s weakest work to date, and I think Hi-Tek’s choice of production style has a lot to do with that; however he’s back to his best with this release. He’s drafted in the likes of Oh No, 6th Sense & 88-Keys to create a classic Hip-Hop sound that we have come to expect from him.
Off back to Uni tonight and have been packing up my stuff all day, to this soundtrack. I thought it would be nice to share it with you all - 18 tracks of smooth soul vibes. Tracklist and download link after the jump.
1. D’Angelo - When We Get By 2. Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street 3. O’Jays - Backstabbers 4. Curtis Mayfield - Give Me Your Love 5. Baby Huey - Hard Times 6. Jill Scott - The Way 7. Minnie Ripperton - Inside My Love 8. Lyn Collins - Think 9. The Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Pete Kuzma Solefull Remix) 10. Stevie Wonder - All I Do (Is Think About You) 11. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 12. Donny Hathaway - Love, Love, Love 13. Donald Byrd & The Blackbyrds - Think Twice 14. Bill Withers - Grandma’s Hands 15. Grover Washington - Just The Two Of Us 16. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come 17. Al Green - For The Good Times 18. Ray Charles - (Night Time Is) The Right Time
Earlier in the week Corinne’s cover of Prince’s classic ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ leaked onto the web. Well, now I can bring you her beautiful take on one of my favourite ever Bob Marley songs; they will both be available on The Love EP, which is dropping on Valentine’s Day. Hit the jump to hear Corinne breaking down the EP track-by-track. I love this lady.
R.I.P. Bob.
‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ I met Prince in London at his gigs at the O2 and he gave me loads of encouragement. I was amazed by the gig but even more impressed by the aftershow he did in a small venue where he tore up on the guitar and played other people’s songs too. This is one of my favourite Prince songs and gives me the chance to sing the kind of sexy, rhythmical music I love but never seem to write. Getting the chance to do this song was a dream.
‘Low Red Moon’ Belly were one of the prime influences on my first band Helen, where we had a real indie/DIY ethic. I was addicted to their album ‘Star’ as a teenager and learnt loads about guitar playing just listening to them. They made me realise the most important thing in music was to express yourself and get your ideas across, without worrying about playing like a virtuoso. We had such fun playing this song, it’s like an aggressive 60′s science-fiction soundtrack.
‘Is This Love?’ My mum was the Bob Marley fan in our house which I loved, because although my father is Caribbean, he didn’t much care for reggae. Little examples like this meant I grew up learning that you could be yourself and never had to be a cliché because of your ethnicity. And Bob Marley is such an incredible songwriter, which means you can approach his songs in so many ways. I wanted to put ‘Is This Love?’ into 6/8 and bring the tempo back to underline the poignancy of the lyric, and then Steve Brown arranged the piano part into something reminiscent of Carole King or Aretha Franklin’s gospel-soul piano style, which gave it a whole extra level. When guitarist John McCallum added in this Hendrix/Curtis Mayfield sound, it brought in a whole American doo-wop dimension too. So it’s like a whole bunch of my favourite influences in one beautiful song.
‘My Love’ I first heard ‘My Love’ at an event for Paul McCartney at the White House, where I was invited to play. A string section played the song and I was struck by the fragility of that ascending melody on “My love does it good”. I was also really touched by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney’s relationship; their mutual respect and the fact they had known each other so long. When we recorded this song the harmonies and keyboards were definitely influenced by Stevie’s sound.
‘Que Sera Sera’ (live) ‘Que Sera Sera’ is a song we have been closing our gigs with all over the world. I love Sly and the Family Stone’s version, how he takes what feels like a nursery rhyme in Doris Day’s lovely hands and turns it into a philosophical outcry, declaiming “The future’s not ours to see”. Sometimes I attack this lyric angrily, sometimes I’m all peaceful and surrendered to it. What an amazing song. We recorded this super-long version in Washington D.C one night when the magic in the air meant we didn’t want to get off stage. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed playing it.
Adele’s highly anticipated 2nd album arrived in my inbox the other night, and it’s safe to say that it didn’t disappoint. This lady has a very special talent, and is very likeable too, which is something not enough artists are these days. I know it’s only January, but this will take some beating for best Pop album of 2011. Here is my favourite track, which is a piano driven ballad that has a sort of Chasing Pavements Pt. 2 feel to it. Pre-Order on iTunes.
Skinner dropped this monster of a track with Kano on his YouTube page last night. It’s classic Streets with a little Dubstep thrown into the mix. Have a feeling this final album is going to be a bit special.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 2:14AM 
