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*** Many thanks to Gordon from Beatonic for putting me on to this.
*** Many thanks to Gordon from Beatonic for putting me on to this.
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Roy Budd? Not that familiar? Well check the links below to Vilgilante and you’ll see jazz heads like Ben Mitchell, Russ Dewbury along with Glyn Bigga Bush’s mates The Bobby Hughes Experience are fans. In fact, Bigga plays a pivotal role in the story role as to how three lads get to release the next single on Afro Art.
And the story goes like this: a bunch of guys get watching a DVD of the classic Michael Caine 60s gangster flick, Get Carter with the obligatory beers, fags and curries. When Jock (drums and artwork), Dan (Keyboards) and Dan (the other Dan on everything else) collectively known as Peak get to the studio, Jock confesses, “I can’t get that tune out of my head.”
Jock was, of course, referring to the main theme of the film, ‘Carter takes a Train’. Caine at some point in the film has to go to Newcastle to sort out the bad guys. Forty years on and Peak get funkin’ like a train in the studio.
So you get the picture, South meets North meets Brit Ekland and a young Michael in the iconic movie of the 60s with a groovin’ tune. The Engineer in the studio says, “I’ve been in the music biz since George Martin was a tea boy and that’s the best track I’ve heard all year.” Peak then run off with the master tapes thinking they’ve a hit on their hands.
However, thoughts of getting on Top Of The Pops soon evaporate as the hardened A&R boys give it no hope of competing with boy bands, Pop Idols and the gangsta rappers of the top forty.
On the flip side of town, tune collector and floorfiller DJ, Glyn ‘Bigga’ Bush overhears the track at the Recording Studio where it’s still a big favourite with the Engineer. Bigga gets his hands on copy to play out whereupon, there’s another twist of fate in the story.
Afro Art boss and DJ Paul ‘Jazz Room’ Murphy joins Bigga at a headlining gig. Murphy finishes his set and relaxes at the bar. Glyn plays ‘Get Carter’ whereupon Paul rushes to the DJ booth to find out how he can get his hands on it himself. Glyn tells him the tale of the rejections Peak have had from the record company moguls. “How could anyone be so stupid as to not think this is worth releasing?” thinks Murphy and within a matter of weeks, Peak’s version of ‘Get Carter’ is nearly ready to spin with an Afro Art logo on it as a 7”.
Murphy (as his is want and right) has suggested this release be filed under ‘an Afro Arthouse Movie production’. Well, in reality it’s more of a mass market approach as it’s popular. Popular in a good way of cover versions, for example, like the good jazzy-soul tracks on Sexteto Electrónico Moderno. Jock’s original problem of this being a head blocker of a tune is spot on. You don’t have to be a media studies student to recognise it. Especially with that harpsichord sound, some ‘Ah, Ahhhh’ backing vocals and a rockin’ drum and bass. It really works well and someone’s going to pick it up for TV theme music – think Randal & Hopkirk (not the remake) mixed up with the Tales of the unexpected theme. Ideal for goal of the month theme on Match Of The Day (more beer and curry required).
The jazzhead breaks merchants can get down on the b-side when Murphy gives the drummer some and an Indian curry in a late night viewing. He’s not gone as psychedelic as you might think but there’s enough hallucinatory echo going on with a rock kit beat. Hey Jack, don’t pick a fight with Murphy. Heavy stuff.
This is such a cool jazzin tune, hopefully full support could lead to a 12” remix with further indo-jazz influences, perhaps Roger Beaujolais could meet up with BiggaBush on a Mathar vibe Roots dub remix?
The single will be worth getting for the cover alone, it’s enough to blow the bloody doors off your two smokin’ barrels. Jock is responsible [again] and you can see more of his work via the DCComics link below and at http://www.jockonline.co.uk (this is one talented guy).
‘Get Carter’ (the film) came out in the middle of Caine’s peak of success between the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies along with The Ipcress File, Funeral In Berlin, The Man Who Would Be King, Zulu and Sleuth. Arguably, not so hot were Alfie and the Italian Job (although my first car was a Mini, great advertising). It’s extremely rare that a film remake is anywhere near close to the original version. The relatively recent versions of Alfie (Jude Law, Renée Taylor -2004) and The Italian Job (Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron - 2003) are two fine examples of film industry remake madness. So it’s no surprise that previews of the ‘Get Carter’ remake with Sylvester Stallone as Carter for Channel 5 (Weds, 9.00pm) are not good. Caine features in this remake, why?
I’m going to watch it now just to see how bad it really is but back at Peak’s cover version of ‘Get Carter’, it’s in the vinyl shops and Internet sales sites very soon in full sixties stereo fashion. It’s goin’ to be big in the Jazz Rooms from Gateshead to the Balkans and could even surprise the charts.
‘Get Carter’ c/w ‘Get Carter’ (Paul Murphy Remix) (Afro Art) Cat. No. AFR 030, Format 7”. Release Date: Soon.
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>>> Osaka's Miyoshi Satoshi aka Cubop is one of the world's great collectors and dealers of Cuban records. Here he offers an hour's worth of selections from the Cuban vaults. This is music you will hear nowhere else!
1. Cachao Y Su Combo-Oye Mitres Montuno
2. Chucho Valdes-Mambo Influencado On Pano Forte
3. Grupo De Expermentacion Sonora Del ICAIC-La Contradanza
4. Los Amigos-La Patta
5. Los Brio-El 4-5-6
6. Mongo Santamaria-Cha Cha Rock
7. Em Ilio Penalver-Mamboleate
8. Guapacha-Cha Cha Bebop
9. Margar Ita Royero Y Su Combo-Un Telegrama
10. Merced Itas Valdes-Osa In
11. Omara Portuondo-Ahora He Comprendo
12. Chucho Valdes-Ch Iqu Ita
13. Leo Rosa-S Is Itumbando Cana
14. Seven Suarez-Consuelate
15. Los Hermanos Bravo-Hasta Santiago a Pe Ie
16. Alfons Wonneberg Y Su Grupo-Rico Pilon
17. Car Idad Cuervo-Tambo Africano
18. Chepin Y Su Orquesta Oriental-El Botellero
19. Chucho Valdes-Guasabeando Voy
20. En Nosotros-Dom Itla Donde Vas
21. Gilberto Valdes-Mambo Tipico
22. Hilario Duran-El Son De Victoria
23. Los Van Van-Llegada
24. Peruchin-El Siju
25. Ramon Veloz Y Conjunto Sabor-Linda Guajira
26. Guyun Y Su Grupo-Y Que Hay En Ti
27. Merec Itas Valdes-Me Acostumbre A Estar
28. Cachao-Cam Ina Fuan Pescao
29. Chucho Valdes-Mabmao Influnciado Solo
30. Frank Em Ilio-Danzas Afro Cubanas
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12" taster from the forthcoming album Breakbeatraer - Songs from Soulstrut.com to be released in 2006.
Soulstrut.com is a on-line community focusing on the crate digging aspect of hip hop culture. Founded in 1999 by Raj Mahal and located in Sellersville, PA, USA (a suburb of Philadelphia), the site is frequented by over 350,000 DJs, music producers, record collectors, and music lovers world wide each month.
Active members include well-known collectors, djs, producers and musicians such as Paul Nice, Mr.Supreme, Soulman, Amir, Jake One, O-Dub, Monty Stark (Stark Reality), Cosmo Baker, DJ Day, Young Einstein (Ugly Duckling), Thes One (PUTS) discussing records, life and pop culture 24/7.
In early 2005 Soul Strut teamed up with Melting Pot Music (MPM founder Olski is SS member #225) to release an album entirely made by board members.
Hawkeye (Germany) is a DJ, producer and music journalist (Juice, Wax Poetics, Backspin). He is well-known as the long-time host of the hip-hop tv shows "Mixery Raw Deluxe" and "Supreme" on VIVA TV.
A-ko (USA) is a 18 year old bedroom producer from Grimes, Iowa. He released his first 45 single "Soul '69" in January 2005 on MPM. He is still living with his parents and has a cult following in Japan.
Dizzy Bull (USA) is the king of easy listening breaks. His Kelis re-work "Welkshake" on the British Soundly Beaten label is legendary.
Dizzy's "Soul Connection" and Hawkeye's "Kicked In The Nuts" are based on the same sample source and are only available on this 12".
The cover artwork is done by board member Mike Davis who is also art director for US hip-hop label Rhymesayers.
Linernotes:
Over the years, the soulstrut.com "Crate Digging Revealed" message board has become a tour-de-force for sample-based hip hop producers, launching the art in to a new stratosphere. The convergence of vinyl-hungry funk collectors, seasoned bedroom producers, and gigging hip hop DJs have made this once clandestine art form of digging for records into public knowledge, upping the ante for the sample-based producers of today.
This has manifested in an insatiable appetite for discovering the rarest break, the dopest beat, the illest, most foreign loop commonly referred to as "breakbeatraer" by soul strut regulars. The 5 plus years of the forum's existence has amassed quite a catalogue of mind-blowing sample-based music showcased by members of the community. Here we pay tribute to these prolific unsung heroes by compiling the best of the best with the Soul Strut stamp of approval.
This advance EP is just a taste of things to come with a full blown compilation to be released shortly featuring rising stars A-Ko, DCastillo, DAY, Hawkeye, Meaty Ogre, and many more.
Raj, creator of Soulstrut.com - 9/12/05
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The inaugural release on Phat Phil Cooper's new Sick Trumpet label is a must-have two track seven by Opolopo. Cunningly pressed on a 33rpm dinked 7" it contains two ace four minute plus tunes. "Theme From Hotspot" is a real funky number with a house foundation and a disco-funk heart. "Closed Circuit" is pure 70s exploitation flick title / action sequence, heavy on the wah wah and theremin effects with a cool melody.
OPOLOPO...
Hungarian born Swede, Peter Major, a.k.a Opolopo, has been immersed in soulful music since early childhood. Having a keyboard playing father with a respectable collection of jazz soul and fusion records laid out the obvious musical path. Artists like Herbie Hancock, Jeff Lorber, Earth Wind & Fire, Brecker Brothers, Bob James, George Duke, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Gino Vannelli etc, started him off and are still major influences.
As well as playing in various funk and fusion bands, Peter started experimenting with production and recording right from the start. Starting out with overdubbing on cassette decks with a Casio VL Tone toy keyboard, through proper synths and beat boxes to computers. The production side of things slowly took over as his music became more and more dance oriented - he couldn't resist the beats, bass and energy. However he found a lot of dance music rather tedious after the first eight bars. The combination of dance elements with rich soulful musical content was the way to go. When composing he tries to write and produce music he himself would buy. Most of it is danceable but never looses the jazz and soul element. It’s like Herbie Hancock once said in an interview: "As much as I kept trying to make it funk, it kept integrating with these jazz elements, so after a while I stopped fighting."
After years of gigging with the band while perfecting production skills in the studio, it was time to approach the record labels. After few obscure releases he also drew the attention of the majors. The new millennium saw him doing soulful productions and remixes for Warner, Sony, Universal and BMG.
The Opolopo debut album was released in Australia in 2003, summing up the various elements that had made up his musical universe to that point. Spanning from d'n'b through house to soul, the album received great reviews and was on heavy rotation on club oriented radio stations.
Apart from working on material for a follow-up album, he's also involved in the live electronic jazz project Expansions. Fusing beats with laptops and live musicians while keeping everything loose and rearrangeable in real-time, focusing on the improvisational elements of jazz. The project has had some of Sweden's finest jazz musicians as guests and is currently brought to the studio for an upcoming album.
There are also some talked about remixes floating around the internet - new takes on classic r'n'b tracks that has raised many eyebrows. This has led to the upcoming original 7" releases on Phat Phil Coopers new label Sick Trumpet.
"SICK TRUMPET" - FROM CLUB NIGHT TO LABEL
As the clubbing institutions of old begin to crumble and the relentless house beat slowly leaves the pop charts a new generation of clubbers are taking dance music back underground. Intimate venues, deeper sounds and close knit communities are taking over from super clubs, banging beats and big business. Here in Liverpool Sick Trumpet are spearheading the soulful dancefloor renaissance as they carve their own niche in the Capital of Culture’s revitalised music scene.
Like minded souls Phat Phil Cooper, Steve Hodge and Phil Charnock run the night and reside behind the decks. Each member of the trio has an enviable track record in DJing and Sick Trumpet is the culmination of their vast experience. The music policy is wide open to reflect their broad tastes with previous guests having included fellow ‘eclectitians’ Rainer Truby, Jigsaw Music DJs, Diesler, Blackbeard, Landslide, Kelvin Brown and local heroes such as DJ Conrad and Sarah Sweeney. Deep house, disco, dancefloor-jazz, hip hop, broken beat and any other form of good soulful music could be heard. The great thing about a night at Sick Trumpet is not knowing what style of record you could hear next. A loyal core of regulars support the night, following it from the murky basement below a Kebab House in Liverpool where the adventure started through to its current home; the legendary raw dance space The Lemon Lounge. Each party seems to be better than the last and the Sick Trumpeters are always bowled over by the great response to the genre-defying sounds.
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>>> Another guest mix by Gordon from Beatonic done for the Edinburgh's Departure Lounge site!
>>> Bung it on your iPod, stick on your headphones and ride off into the distance!
>>> Again anyone interested in having a mix put on the guest spot please drop me a line!
(01) Teenage DJ - 'I Was A Teenage DJ' (Disco Best)
(02) M.F.O.S - 'El Padrino' (Freestyle)
(03) Breakestra - 'Family Rap' (Ubiquity)
(04) Johnny Habanero vs Smalltown DJs - 'Funtime' (Bigfoot Records)
(05) Los Hermanos Latinos - 'Whistling Dub' (white)
(06) Mamaluke - 'The Pant(Beatphreak Remix)' (Jack 2 Phono)
(07) A.G.F.A - 'Tall Man' (Howlin' Records)
(08) Kokolo - 'Mama Don't Want No Gun (Beatfanatic Mix)' (Freestyle)
(09) Quantic & Nickodemus - 'Puerto Rico Pa Gozar' (Candela)
(10) Javi P3Z Orquestra - 'Futbol-In (Broken Rumba Mix)' (HiTop)
(11) Gerardo Frisina - 'Alborado' (Afro Art)
(12) Beatconductor - 'Amanhanga' (Spicy)
(13) Bossa Tripped Outro (cdr)
Recorded in last few days!
SHED BOOGIE TUNE OF THE WEEK (3) ::::: Quantic & Nickodemus feat. Tempo - Ritmo Tropical (Candela 12")
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New York's finest, Nickodemus (Giant Step) hooked up with Quantic in San Juan for three days of music making with Tempo and The Candela Allstars, and here's the result: Two sides of horn-riffed Puerto Rican latino grooves given a twist by the US and UK producers. Both tracks also come with bonus beats versions if you're feeling inventive on the decks. Released and cultivated by Pablo Rodriguez of Candela Records and Candela Bar.
