While somehow managing to miss seeing Rusko, 2562, Starkey, a Dutty Artz party and a Blackkat party all in a matter of 72 hours, I did manage to seek solace in this newly discovered Rusko white label from 6 months ago. This should be released again!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
2008 RE/discoveries
In lieu of a year-end top-ten list, here's a few tracks from rare LPs I found while digging around Brooklyn. I listened to a lot of Dubstep and its attendant offshoots this year, but also re-discovered a lot of old dub, world and free musics I hadn't heard in ages... plus old jungle has been popping up all over Youtube... It has also begun to be a diggers' paradise with everyone now thinning out immense collections, sacrificed to the Almighty Serrato. Next entry will be my fave Youtube cuts from last year. Now for the re/discovered:
More of a newly discovered track, I've decided this was my most-often spun track of 2008. It's buried on the B-side of The Bug's "Poison Dart remix" 12" which is way sold-out and still worth hunting for the Skream remix on the A-side...
"Stampin" by The Bug Ft. Flowdan
Rumor is some record exec. sold a load of unsealed or unplayed vinyl to Academy Records. It was all '50's and 60's world musics, collections from Iran, Iraq, Syria, India and on and on. I paid a pretty penny for some of these and have been rewarded kindly. This track is from the Decca LP "The Syrian Maqams."
"Taqsim on Nay" by Badruddin Halibie
I was happy to buy a sealed copy of the "2 Bad Mice" double LP from Smile Communications founder DB himself. I was also happy to see digital collections of the early Reinforced dubplates. Made me pull out my old CD of 4-Hero's "Parallel Universe" LP...
"Terraforming" by 4 Hero
I found some great dub, random copies of 70's gems still popping up in Brooklyn warehouses. This is from Big Youth's "Dread Locks Dread" LP...
"Big Youth Special" by Big Youth
I can imagine Obama in this Lower East Side loft in '72. He probably ditched the Panama hat by then, but was still smoking something, nodding his head in ecstatic peace to Andrew Cyrille, Maono, David Ware et al.... Notice the electronics by a Mr. Romulus Franceschini toward the end. From the "Celebration" LP by Andrew Cyrille and Maono:
"Non-Expectation Celebration" by Andrew Cyrille and Maono
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
COMIN' RIGHT BACK ATCHA!!!
Back in Blog-land after a long break. Aside from Applecore Mailorder, Broklyn Beats has been on the quiet side this year. Our Pure Fire party had a good run over at APT until September when they fired the booking guy. We're now looking at Brooklyn Radio for a better outlet for our eclecticism. Broadcasts will start next month.
So what have we been doing all year? Well, paying off label debt and, as of December, we will be completely debt-free. After 10 years and 40 releases, we've managed to cancel the majority of our credit cards and not burn ourselves out too badly...
Speaking of 10 years, we're deciding what to do in a couple of months to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. Until then, we are slowly digitizing our catalog, starting with digital copies of our first 3 CDR releases from back in 1999. Those will also be available next month at Applecore Mailorder. For now, we offer you a couple unreleased remixes we've pulled out of the attic. First is a remix we (Criterion & Doily) did for Drop the Lime. It was meant for a double 12" remix release on Tigerbeat 6, but it turned into a single 12" called "Refixed"with all West Coast remixers.
The second is a raw mix of an afternoon with Brooklyn rapper Sensational from 5 years ago. He happened to be sleeping with a roommate after a loft party and we spent Sunday afternoon screwing around in the studio. Mind you, this was a rough blunt and beer afternoon, but Sensational really does sound the best under such circumstances...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
WE NEED AN INTERN SO WE CAN MAKE MORE MUSIC!!!
We need an intern. Broklyn Beats and Applecore have continued to grow and we haven't had an intern in 8 months. It's starting to show. Less blog entries, more lateness, unfinished to-do lists. Nonetheless, we did catch up on 3 years of business taxes and managed to get ourselves planted here in blogland. Anyway, if you know anyone who would like to intern for us, please get in touch (info[AT]broklynbeats.net) We can work with Universities to earn you credits for this and we are particularly interested in people with some graphic design skills.
Otherwise, we are doing fine here in Broklyn. This would be the dead of winter and it's actually winter for a change, snow on the ground and outside not being a fun place. I'm trying to spend the time engineering Doily's new project. We're transferring material from her old Korg sampler to Ableton Live and the results are exciting. I'm also slowly working on material again. It's been a 3-year break from production for me and it's nice to feel the blood bubbling again. I often blame the lack of studio production on office work, my day-job or my annoying weed habit, but I've begun to feel like there's just good times to take a break and reflect on what it is you're making and why. We have, however, started to catch up on debt and this year finds us almost caught up and still surviving, learning and growing. Just in time to celebrate our 10-year anniversary next January!
Doily and I have managed to release a few fun tracks lately. Love & Circuits compilation double CD is released next week on Parts & Labor's Cardboard Records. It's one of the first tracks we've collaborated on and I dig it. The comp. is a great slice of the local underground scene here in Brooklyn with 2 discs of trcks by Oneida, Aa, Japanther, Parts & Labor and their cool offshoots and much more. Order it here. Doily and I also did remixes of Interference, our friend David Linton's 1982 no-wave band, for local rad rock label Social Registry. The 12" is out soon with other dope tracks by our pals Toshio Kajiwara and David Last. The original and 8-bit remixes are also grand (can't remember who did the 8-bit thing...) Check out the Social Registry site.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
More Top of the Pops
French Online site Chica-Chic always asks us for a run-down of our favorites at the end of every year and here they are for you. The list is in no particular order, although UGK's LP was my favorite release of the year and the Tes la Rock single probably my most exciting find and the song I lost it to the most on the dancefloor. All the best in 2008 (two thousand great!)
Top Ten Favorite Singles from 2007
1. Coki "Spongebob" 12" - DMZ Rec.
2. Kovert "Pressure Sound EP" - Sonic Belligeranza
3. Drop the Lime "Sky City Rising" - Broklyn Beats
4. Venetian Snares "Sabbath Dubs " 10" - Kriss Rec.
5. Appleblim / Shackleton "Soundboy's Ashes Get Ground Up and Snorted" - Skull Disco
6. Rusko "Babylon: Vol. 1" EP - Sub Soldiers
7. Kode 9 "Massive Music Find My Way (Kode 9 rmx)" 12" - Hyperdub
8. Tes la Rock "Round the World Girls" 12" - Argon
9. The Bug feat. Flowdan "Jah War" - Ninja Tune
10. UGK feat Outkast "International Player's Anthem" - Jive
Top Ten Favorite LPs of 2007
1. UGK "Underground Kings" - Jive
2. Rotator "Choose Your Poison, Mine is Hardcore" - Peace Off
3. Skull Disco "Soundboy Punishments" - Skull Disco
4. Maga Bo "Confusion of Tongues" - Soot
5. Panda Bear "Person Pitch" - Paw Tracks
6. Lil Wayne "The Drought, Vol. 3" mixtape
7. Disrupt "Foundation Bit" - Werkdiscs
8. Team Shadetek "Pale Fire" - SoundInk
9. M.I.A. "Kala" - Interscope
10. Trimbale "Soul Food Vol. 1" mixtape
Favorite Live Show - Boadrum 77 - The Boredoms' outside concert with 77 drummers on 7/7/07. Just imagine every drummer from every NYC band playing in a spiral in the park on a beautiful July afternoon with the Boredoms conducting. While at times overwhelming and lacking in focus, it was still a great time and free if you could get in ( the line stretched for almost a mile...)
Favorite DJ Set / Party - Mala at Dub War - With the collective consciousness that is the London-NYC dubstep continuum, I'd give it up to Dub War as a whole this year, but Mala's last set back in the fall was definitely a highlight. Dope dubplates, decent mixing and a sick soundsystem...
Top Ten Favorite Singles from 2007
1. Coki "Spongebob" 12" - DMZ Rec.
2. Kovert "Pressure Sound EP" - Sonic Belligeranza
3. Drop the Lime "Sky City Rising" - Broklyn Beats
4. Venetian Snares "Sabbath Dubs " 10" - Kriss Rec.
5. Appleblim / Shackleton "Soundboy's Ashes Get Ground Up and Snorted" - Skull Disco
6. Rusko "Babylon: Vol. 1" EP - Sub Soldiers
7. Kode 9 "Massive Music Find My Way (Kode 9 rmx)" 12" - Hyperdub
8. Tes la Rock "Round the World Girls" 12" - Argon
9. The Bug feat. Flowdan "Jah War" - Ninja Tune
10. UGK feat Outkast "International Player's Anthem" - Jive
Top Ten Favorite LPs of 2007
1. UGK "Underground Kings" - Jive
2. Rotator "Choose Your Poison, Mine is Hardcore" - Peace Off
3. Skull Disco "Soundboy Punishments" - Skull Disco
4. Maga Bo "Confusion of Tongues" - Soot
5. Panda Bear "Person Pitch" - Paw Tracks
6. Lil Wayne "The Drought, Vol. 3" mixtape
7. Disrupt "Foundation Bit" - Werkdiscs
8. Team Shadetek "Pale Fire" - SoundInk
9. M.I.A. "Kala" - Interscope
10. Trimbale "Soul Food Vol. 1" mixtape
Favorite Live Show - Boadrum 77 - The Boredoms' outside concert with 77 drummers on 7/7/07. Just imagine every drummer from every NYC band playing in a spiral in the park on a beautiful July afternoon with the Boredoms conducting. While at times overwhelming and lacking in focus, it was still a great time and free if you could get in ( the line stretched for almost a mile...)
Favorite DJ Set / Party - Mala at Dub War - With the collective consciousness that is the London-NYC dubstep continuum, I'd give it up to Dub War as a whole this year, but Mala's last set back in the fall was definitely a highlight. Dope dubplates, decent mixing and a sick soundsystem...
Monday, December 31, 2007
TOP TEN FOR 2007
Our Fave music will be posted later alongside a DJ mix of said tracks. For now a larger look at my favorite items this year... probably to be edited more later...
0. BUSH IS ANOTHER YEAR CLOSER TO LEAVING OFFICE. I had a big rant on this topic, but realized none was needed.
1.OTHER PRODUCERS DISCOVERED DUBSTEP. A small, but talented new genre of London-centric producers helped rejuvenate a much larger contingent of electronic producer, from Si Begg to Bong Ra, techno to breakcore, (the Appleblim/Villalobos remix seeming to top the media.) These same producers helped rejuvenate dubstep's already dimming star. Maybe it's all just electronic music after all... Dubstep has worked hard this year, so maybe they deserve to spend their offnights patting each others' backs.
2. WE WATCHED TOO MUCH TV. Weeds, Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sportscenter, our own videos we had to sound edit, YouTube, Netflix, Top Chef, Globe Trekker, No Reservations, Weird Food, NBA< NFL< MBA, the fucking National Spelling Bee... GODDAMN I HOPE I GET AN iPHONE FOR KWANZA!!!!
3. NYC PARTIES. Most notably Dub War, whose dubstep parties on the old Twilo soundsystem harken 90's all-night memories, but also the Trouble & Bass parties and Funkworthy soundclashes... and our own Pure Fire. Pure Fire's what's become of my ability to promote in NYC. That is 20% of a 5-person DJ crew who holds it down when someone deems it hold-downable. We fight over timeslots, underpromote, overplay, overdrink, undersmoke, undereat and always stumble out relinquished of the need to legitimize our record-spending habits for another week. Guess it's time to make another mix CD. Happy holidays, here's a link to our summer mix.
4. BROOKLYN. Always fascinating, celebrating our tenth year here in May of 2008. Sure the yuppies are taking over the city, but fuck 'em. They're not on my block yet... maybe...
5. UGK. First, Pimp C was released from prison in 2006 and then, after a few delays, we saw the release of UGK's "Underground Kings" double CD. This was easily the best rap record of the year, especially if you pare it down to an 80 min. CDR without so many of the pimp tracks. This shit was played by me every day since it came out with about a week where I gave my roommates a break. Then Pimp C goes and dies last week of natural causes at 33. Damn.... buy this record - you won't be disappointed...
6. CORMAC McCARTHY Oprah hyped "The Road" a post-apocalyptic father-son zombie book and it shot back up the book charts. Then "No Country for Old Men" was made into a perfect movie. Try finding any of his less recent books in the library or book store. Chances are the one you're looking for isn't to be found, even in downtown Manhattan. An elusive author who truly sums up the American underbelly and underclass, McCarthy seems to be having his day in the sun in a year when he didn't even write a book.
7. VINYL Many people have already begun mourning the end of vinyl. Distributors have continued to go under and those who haven't have gotten further behind, waiting for their download shops to be built. Sales are definitely down, but somehow there's hope that the consumer will miss vinyl and enjoys taking home a nice package with good music instead of an overpriced CD or blah MP3. It's also been a great year to buy used vinyl as everyone and their sister decides that all they need in their life is a laptop.
8. PUNK BLOGS. Many of my favorites have already stopped caring about new entries, but from someone who spent all his money buying punk records only to sell them all for rent years later, it's great to have sites with full mp3s and cover art. Some serious gems, including this early Bad Brains track and this rare NYC squatterpunk blazer from Nausea.
9. RADIO. Internet radio to be exact. I didn't listen to as much as I would have liked but enjoyed what I did hear. DJ Rupture's weekly Mudd Up Radio On WFMU was always a treat, as was WreckTech's local Math & Science Show on WNYU. I will be hosting a 40-min. faves of 2007 mix in January on Amsterdam's wonderful Another Nice Mess show. Don't sleep... and all the best in 2008!!!
0. BUSH IS ANOTHER YEAR CLOSER TO LEAVING OFFICE. I had a big rant on this topic, but realized none was needed.
1.OTHER PRODUCERS DISCOVERED DUBSTEP. A small, but talented new genre of London-centric producers helped rejuvenate a much larger contingent of electronic producer, from Si Begg to Bong Ra, techno to breakcore, (the Appleblim/Villalobos remix seeming to top the media.) These same producers helped rejuvenate dubstep's already dimming star. Maybe it's all just electronic music after all... Dubstep has worked hard this year, so maybe they deserve to spend their offnights patting each others' backs.
2. WE WATCHED TOO MUCH TV. Weeds, Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sportscenter, our own videos we had to sound edit, YouTube, Netflix, Top Chef, Globe Trekker, No Reservations, Weird Food, NBA< NFL< MBA, the fucking National Spelling Bee... GODDAMN I HOPE I GET AN iPHONE FOR KWANZA!!!!
3. NYC PARTIES. Most notably Dub War, whose dubstep parties on the old Twilo soundsystem harken 90's all-night memories, but also the Trouble & Bass parties and Funkworthy soundclashes... and our own Pure Fire. Pure Fire's what's become of my ability to promote in NYC. That is 20% of a 5-person DJ crew who holds it down when someone deems it hold-downable. We fight over timeslots, underpromote, overplay, overdrink, undersmoke, undereat and always stumble out relinquished of the need to legitimize our record-spending habits for another week. Guess it's time to make another mix CD. Happy holidays, here's a link to our summer mix.
4. BROOKLYN. Always fascinating, celebrating our tenth year here in May of 2008. Sure the yuppies are taking over the city, but fuck 'em. They're not on my block yet... maybe...
5. UGK. First, Pimp C was released from prison in 2006 and then, after a few delays, we saw the release of UGK's "Underground Kings" double CD. This was easily the best rap record of the year, especially if you pare it down to an 80 min. CDR without so many of the pimp tracks. This shit was played by me every day since it came out with about a week where I gave my roommates a break. Then Pimp C goes and dies last week of natural causes at 33. Damn.... buy this record - you won't be disappointed...
6. CORMAC McCARTHY Oprah hyped "The Road" a post-apocalyptic father-son zombie book and it shot back up the book charts. Then "No Country for Old Men" was made into a perfect movie. Try finding any of his less recent books in the library or book store. Chances are the one you're looking for isn't to be found, even in downtown Manhattan. An elusive author who truly sums up the American underbelly and underclass, McCarthy seems to be having his day in the sun in a year when he didn't even write a book.
7. VINYL Many people have already begun mourning the end of vinyl. Distributors have continued to go under and those who haven't have gotten further behind, waiting for their download shops to be built. Sales are definitely down, but somehow there's hope that the consumer will miss vinyl and enjoys taking home a nice package with good music instead of an overpriced CD or blah MP3. It's also been a great year to buy used vinyl as everyone and their sister decides that all they need in their life is a laptop.
8. PUNK BLOGS. Many of my favorites have already stopped caring about new entries, but from someone who spent all his money buying punk records only to sell them all for rent years later, it's great to have sites with full mp3s and cover art. Some serious gems, including this early Bad Brains track and this rare NYC squatterpunk blazer from Nausea.
9. RADIO. Internet radio to be exact. I didn't listen to as much as I would have liked but enjoyed what I did hear. DJ Rupture's weekly Mudd Up Radio On WFMU was always a treat, as was WreckTech's local Math & Science Show on WNYU. I will be hosting a 40-min. faves of 2007 mix in January on Amsterdam's wonderful Another Nice Mess show. Don't sleep... and all the best in 2008!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
