Amen.
Had an incredible time at Subsuelo tonight. Every 3rd Wed. at Eastside Luv in Boyle Heights. Easily one of the best parties I’ve been to since I moved back to L.A.
Big up to Canyon Cody, Gozar, Ethos, Farah, Kid Gusto and Todd Simon.
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Ralph MacDonald just passed away. He wasn’t always as well known as a solo artist since the most prolific part of his career came as a percussionist for hire, but in that regard, he was world-class and one of the most important percussionists for countless 1970s and early ’80s jazz and R&B artists. He was also a highly undersung songwriter, having penned several absolutely classics alongside his writing partner William Salter. I wanted to whip together a personal list of favorites that MacDonald helped craft. If you’re like me, you might very well be surprised at how many of those songs – identified with their performer – came originally from MacDonald and Salter: Bill Withers: Just the Two of Us Co-written and produced by MacDonald, this was one of his biggest hits and arguably the smoothest song Withers ever put out? (You know that this song is unfadeable when there can even be a terrible Will Smith cover and it doesn’t ruin the tune’s reputation.) Plus, the song gets extra points for helping make this remix possible. Donny Hathaway: What a Woman Really Means A Soul Sides classic from back in the day! Roberta Flack’s version is better known but I think Donny absolutely kills his version (which has a very different arrangement – done by Donny himself). Ralph MacDonald: Jam on the Groove One of the best known of MacDonald’s solo songs, this song’s stature is no doubt due in part to its inclusion as one of the Ultimate Beats and Breaks. If you want to just cut to the minute long break – have at it. George Washington Jr.: Mister Magic A huge classic of the Kudu soul-jazz catalog. Sampled countless times and covered by everyone from Kellee Patterson to John Heartsman and the Circles.
Funky16Corners reports that Howard Tate has passed away. In honor of the late Mr. Tate, here’s one of my favorite A/B-sides from him:
Howard Tate: Stop b/w Shoot ‘Em All Down I’m too brain-dead tonight to properly articulate what makes this single so damn good but even though I typically hate saying, “the music speaks for itself,” in this case, I think the sides do the job better than I can right now.
My history of the Latin soul label, Speed, is included in the new issue of Wax Poetics. I’ve written on Speed before but never in this complete detail, which includes quotes from a variety of people I interviewed, connected to the label, including Bobby Marin, Bobby Matos and Frankie Nieves.1 Speaking of Latin, UK’s Soundway has put up an awesome, interactive map of regional Colombian music styles.
Polyrhythmatic was the 8th installment in my hip-hop mixtape series, originally released in 1998. This took me about five months to put together and all said, I’m still satisfied with most of my song choices here. There’s only a handful of tracks I’d probably swap out but for the most part, a lot of these still hold up for me. Side A:
Jurassic 5: Concrete Schoolyard Shabaam Sadeeq: Soundclash Visionaries: Blessings Black Eyed Peas: Que Dices? Kweli: Manifesto Divine Styler: Beyond Mecca Us Plus One: For All My People polyrhythmatic addict interlude IG Off and Hazardous: Hip Hop Til I Die Red Foo & Dre Kroon: The Freshest remix X-cutioners: Raida’s Theme remix Jaleel: I Call It Like I See It works of mart Gangstarr: Work Jay Z: One In a Million remix Sauce Money: Against the Grain Frakenstein: Quiet Storm Organized Konfusion: Invetro Walkin’ Large w/ Black Thought: Listen to This INI & Pete Rock: Think Twice Numskullz: If It Ain’t Raw Shadez of Brooklyn: Wanted Men Common: Hungry K-Otix: ???????!?! Blackalicious: Reach For the Stars Mountain Brothers: Galaxies Prince Poetry and QB: Long Distance gaye pride interlude Side B:
Steppin’ Razor: Calafia Cali Kings feat. Xzibit: Cali Kings Pt. 1 Dilated Peoples: Work the Angles Loot Pack: Lost Art Mystic: Ok…Alright Rasco: What Ya’ll Wanna Do? Defari: Never Lose Touch Spaztik MC: Who I Be Ras Kass: Understandable Smooth Hieroglyphics: See Delight T Love w/ Siah and Yeshua dapo ED: LA to Brooklyn the bk boro interlude Black Star: Definition Pumpkinhead: Wack Emcees The Doxxmen: Spontaneous Combustion Gangstarr w/ Rage: You Know My Steez rx K-Otix: Do You Wanna be an MC? Mathematik: Rhyme Trainin’ oh my god, they killed hip hop interlude Metabass: Where’s My Guitar (Pt. 2) Kweli & Mr. Metaphor: Outside the Lounge Scienz of Life: Scienz of Life Show & AG: Spit The Giant: Hidden Crate Smut Peddlers: One By One Rasheed and Ill Advised: 1986 Street Smartz: F-It-Less Yah Supreme: Old and Wise Mass Influence: Clown Syndrome J-Live: Shiesty Thrust: Emcee ATCQ: Busta’s Lament double clutch outro Enjoy.[1. By the way, I reupped the link on the predecessor to this mix, Mixtification, Vol 7.
The last few weeks have been a storm of activity around Soul Sides Central (the fruits of which labor will reveal themselves shortly) but I did have one great podcast in the bag that I finally as able to finish editing. I’ve been a fan of Mike James Kirkland since at least the mid-90s when his extraordinary solo album, Hang On In There was reissued by Luv N Haight. A masterpiece of socially engaged soul of its era, the LP was simply one of the many remarkable chapters in Kirkland’s career. An L.A. transplant from Mississippi, Kirkland, along with his brother Robert, formed Mike and the Censations in the mid 1960s, establishing themselves in a burgeoning world of doo-wop influenced soul groups in the Southland. Their complete catalog is now anthologized on the new Don’t Sell Your Soul (which comes with a bonus CD that has both of Kirkland’s solo LPs, Hang On In There and Doin It Right). Kirkland – as Bo Kirkland – along with Ruth Davis, then enjoyed another hit record in the disco era with Bo & Ruth. Kirkland and I discuss all this – and more – in our hour-long conversation, recorded live in our garage studio. The Sidebar #21: Mike James Kirkland Subscribe to this and future podcasts. Music used in the episode (all included on Don’t Sell Your Soul: The Complete Story Of Mike And The Censations unless otherwise indicated *):
My dudes Josh B. Cause and Matthew Africa have put out their long awaited sequel to one of my favorite mixes of the last few years, Soul Boulders. Slow, funky soul cookers = unfadeable. Here’s the sampler: To order, go here.
A very very cool new package from the folks at Light in the Attic: they’ve recently turned their famous Seattle soul/funk anthology, Wheedle’s Groove into a 45s boxset which features 10 7″s highlighting songs/artists from the original comp. It’s a sick package, including replicated artwork for the 7″s which is always a nice touch, plus a bonus EP of Robbie Hill’s Family Affair’s unreleased sessions. Unfortunately, they can’t offer the boxset for a giveaway since it’s a limited edition item, BUT Light in the Attic will giveaway an original copy of anthology on CD. Also, don’t sleep on another recent LITA release: Kool and Together’s self-titled anthology: Where Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys left off is exactly the spot where Kool and Together was born. For the Sanders brothers, the screams of Psychedelic Rock met with Motown’s funky Soul at a crossroads called Black Rock. To enter, send us an email, titled “Wheelde’s Giveaway”. We’ll pick a winner at random next week. Meanwhile, congrats to the winner of our last giveaway, J.W. (whose favorite cover song is Elliot Smith’s over of Big Star’s “13.” Notable fact: the only cover to get more than two mentions was this (which was noted by four different people!): Agreed – awesome cover. |
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