Runaways- Green Street

From Brooklyn crew Green Street and a track from their Endless Summer set




"The project has features from Donwill, Fresh Daily, Chris Faust, and more. Listen to the first single below, “Runways” featuring Sunny Jones......."

Flying Pigs

Faced with the hype over the reissue of a set of Albums by Pink Floyd had me searching my hard drives for a classic beat tape.

Sometimes the best things are re imagined

3 from other Blogs

I have a great respect for other places on the net. Some of these places I count as inspiring me to carry on, others have been fundamental to the way my taste has changed over the Years.


The latest in my favourite list is Chris Crates Blog based on his Radio show. Meltdown Radio covers many of the bases I do, only better. His latest post features a forthcoming track of such complete awesomeness..(phew)..find out the details there, and check out Chris other posts,especially his forward thinking Radio Show.



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Blind I For the Kids is a blog that's been around a number of years now. They are supportive of a number of artists, they have made up their own CD, they organise live events.


Recently they posted up this freebie via Stones Throw featuring everybody's fave Dam Funk.






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MOOVMNT is another one of my all time fave places.


Here from a couple of days ago a little bit of crazy crazy stuff.....

Phonte and Carlitta Durand deliver something sublime

After what seems like forever Phonte can say it's a wrap when it comes to his Solo CD.


Well actually it's a Rap for the most part and much as I'd like to complain about that (he's my fave non singer), I can't because that is after all what he does very well.


In many ways he only had two choices, to either say it like it is or produce some melodic Soul Music. He chose the first option for  the most part. This is not a bad thing, it means my new bootleg compilation "The Voice of Phonte" will be ever more popular (once I've done it). I will of course include this track from this Solo CD- as it's just wonderful.

A Funky Heart of Darkness- Hell Below.......

Stones Throw have just released an interesting set/series via their Now Again Label. 


Looking at it HERE it is a fine example of how re releases ought to be done, it's well presented with lots of interesting back ground information. It is completely obscure of course. 


They also let you have a free taster track.


 "Now-Again Records is proud to present Hell Below, three complete albums from the winners of the US Army's First and Second Annual Original Magnificent Special Services Entertainment Showband Contests. Consisting of nearly two hours of heavy funk and soul music from the United States Army soldiers enlisted in the 70's"

Soundcloud of the day

Danish Duo Quadron flirt about on the edges of the new spaced out electric Soul music so admired by the likes of MOOVMNT. While this free taster isn't their best work it captures that feeling of the new path Soul Music is heading down.


Quadron - Wounds (Unreleased simili life version) by Plug Research

Blake Carrington

According to Wikki Blake Carrington is a fictional character from a 1980t's Soap. Yeah thanks for that.....


My own Hard drive features a mix tape from somebody called Blake Carrington who isn't fictional, and the mix tape is called "dare to dream", which doesn't help much either as it's somewhat removed from the material on show here. ? ? ?


I like this track from this CD...
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/blakecarrington

Eric Roberson

I'm a big fan of Eric Roberson, he's gifted, he writes songs about real things, real feelings.


He's been around a while now (a long while) and this is his seventh CD release.


Here is a track from it, it's simple and understated but has that floating on a cloud feeling.

Quick Update

Last Saturday saw the birthday of  DJ and nice bloke Paul Goldsmith.


Paul has been a DJ for a number of years and has a weekly show on Starpoint Radio.


I recently spent an evening in his company and he is modest, good natured, and has a sense of humour. We chatted over many things, and not withstanding the fact that talking about myself is my number one topic, we managed to reflect on just how difficult it is to do a weekly Radio show. I posted about Mark Merry and the effort he puts in to his pod casts with regard to finding music to feature, and Paul is no different. Paul Goldsmith has to think of his weekly Show with a mind to "presenting" so it's the same game but with different rules. 

A Radio show needs an element of continuity about it, it needs to deliver a style and approach that sets it apart from the rest. Paul Goldsmith has managed this by his choices of tracks and his ability to connect with his listeners.

Podcasts of his show are here:

http://selectsoulshow.podomatic.com/

Soundcloud of the day

Never meant 2 lie.. by OuTfiT

Some Compilations to enjoy

This Compilation by MELAZ is a seriously top drawer.  I'm finding it near impossible to fault the choices contained here.

Tracklist:
01 Day Break - The Midnight EEz
02 3rd - Uno
03 Coffee House Swingin’ - Boho Fau & Elevated Soul
04 Goodbye Lullaby - Buddy Sativa
05 Jazz Swagg - Wizard At Will
06 Sunnshine - Leonard Dstroy
07 Corners - Agq
08 Panty Dropper - The Stuyvesants
09 Peacemaker - Canya Reial
10 Ceep Kool - Vinobeats
11 Eightie Eight - Supafuh
12 Professional Fuckery - The Underachievers
13 Resurrection Plant - Zed
14 Inside My Love (for Minnie) - DJ Cam Quartet
15 One Take - DJ Ezasscul
16 Mindstate - Jazz Addixx
17 Knotted - Tekst
18 First Notice - Question
19 Smooth Sailing - Cold Legistics
20 Oscillation - Shag
21 The Depths - Headspace
22 West Coast Chill - Ion the Prize
23 0,16 - Quiet
24 Early Minor suite 2 (+Dj Ivan6) - Keor Meteor
25 A Tribute To Horace - Jesse Futerman
26 Loungin - Mecca:83
27 Stoops Parks & Rooftops - The Stuyvesants
28 Daylights - Ethereal
29 What Goes Around Comes Around - David Bocuse
30 Doreen - Blacknuss


Inspired and essential............


http://www.mediafire.com/?ycd0t55sybyy845

Another eclectic and yet more across the board compilation by Blind I Sugar Plum Mayia. Blind I keeps it more current more urban and Mayia adds a bit of the urbane. That said I'm more of a Meezy guy myself........


http://www.blindiforthekids.com/2011/09/maiya-presents-rendezvous-vol-14/

Probably worth clicking the link if only to see the stock photograph used as the front cover....

Miguel Migs - Tonight Feat. Meshell Ndegeocello

Miguel Migs has a new CD out.


For me you can't top his 2002 track dedicated to Dick Emery called "oooh you are the one-and I like you" (a Dick Emery and modern soul joke combo)


It's quite a good CD as well as it happens- nice chunky safe grooves abound and you'd think you'd never left 2002. On this track (below) there are some annoying gimmick sound effects but that aside it's got instant appeal.


The track bounces along keeping the musical musings of Meshell in check, here unlike some of her own recent work she sounds like a pop diva.

No Comprendo- Funky DL

This track is one of my favourite tracks of the year. Maybe it's the "He's Misstra Know-it-all" type riff, maybe it's the words, perhaps it's even contained in the legacy of this true Brit ?


"I don't understand"

Mark Merry reaches 100

Confidence is a good thing. One thing I really do well is think up titles for things. (What do you mean this blog has a daft title?). When on Soul Forum ESSENTIAL MODERN SOUL record collector and passionate music fan Mark Merry asked for a title for his weekly Soul mixes I came up with "The Soul Sermon". At the time he and I were in regular correspondence about music via the forum. He understood what I was trying to do (back then) in pushing a certain view of music, even if he wasn't too blown away by my choices. To his credit he acknowledged that my agenda was driven by my love of music first and foremost and that I wasn't after much by way of recognition (or was I ?).


The music that I posted on EMS that was Gospel though really did appeal to him-hence my Title for his mixes which he adopted. We exchanged a lot of links to websites back then-Soundclick for example. His encouragement to me became important, I owe him a debt. When I struggled his words helped. Mark Merry had always been around supplying music to others, something I only came to understand much later. His taste overlaps mine but only at the edges, but he has an ear for what is popular (or would become so)-this is a skill I lack. Armed with lots of links and paid accounts at places like E music Mark began to put his mixes together. They may not have changed the world but in total they represent something rather special.


One cannot begin to contemplate the endless hours this must take, his devotion to his cause and his ability to brush off the fact that in some cases he would uncover something that became very popular without getting much credit for it. Sometimes his frustration would boil over he would write some daft things alienating himself from others- but never from me. My advice to him was always the same "It's a long game"-and it is.


If backed in a corner and made to quickly sum up his choices I say "He likes the peripheral".  The Singers might hit a few duff notes-it might be new but sometimes sounds old-he's a classicist. He acknowledges the Old in the New. 100 mixes on he shows no sign of slowing down.


Thank you Mark-for keeping the game long-may you never change.....


http://soulsermonmixup.podomatic.com/entry/2011-09-19T05_40_42-07_00

Quick updates

Now I'm not one for Live Events but some say they are the life blood of the tiny UK based Modern Soul Music scene. Once you get over 40 years young- you've pretty much had it really. Nightclubbing is something you do young (in the UK)-the mid 20t's are middle aged on this time line. Modern Soul Events though cater for the over 30t's right up to the late 50t's. There isn't any foam nor dancing round to a Car Alarm, but there are soft drugs, a lot of booze and some decent music (if you like that sort of thing-which I kinda). Once used to the shock of seeing really old people line dance- it's possible to have a good time at them. Which brings me to the 10th Anniversery of Soul Underground held last Saturday 17th September. I didn't go of course but it's been hard for me to ignore. Now I'm not one to turn the knife (as if) but the brouhaha has been a little on the excessive. If asked to sum up the nights I'd say on the positive they were independent, varied and took risks with untried DJ's. Indeed the only slight negative was that in the early days they seemed to have some nepotism on show.  Even this though over time has proven to be a good thing because as of yet Jamie Taylor hasn't got a job at the Bates Motel and has graduated to greater things.


If you want to know about the night and it's history check this out.





But all you REALLY need to know about it is that like the Soul Kandi and Seductive Soul Events- yours truly has never been approached to DJ. It's not likely ever going to happen either but I wear rejection well.
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Now 3 Single track downloads:
Marsha Ambrosius - Have Your Way 

Eric Benet - Real Love


Raheem DeVaughn - Can We Make Up 

Daniel Johnson

Uplifting Gospel from a nice CD released earlier this year, with an old school soul sound to the vocals

Boogie Culture

Yet another example of a bit of music that I can't seem to find anything about ? 


I do know that Juno was selling it back in July and now every single free site has it up for download. 


It doesn't help that even when for sale it came with no info- even the most suspect of up loaders manage to include text documents- but when you are paying for one track at a time nothing...?


It's been tampered with and sounds old and  recorded off an LP- but lets that let that put us off....

Fela Soul

While I'm no expert of this sort of mix and mash thing- but this creation from Gummy- well it fair blows my socks off.....


Is it De La Soul‘s “Breakadawn” plus Fela Kuti‘s “Water No Get Enemy” ?


Anyone ?

Stimulus and Chris Dave

All over the PLACE today is this new (ish) mixtape a collaboration between Hip Hop personage Stimulus and Glasper band drummer Chris Dave. It features vocals from Bilal , Renee Neufville  and Stokley. 


It's a free mixtape off of Soundcloud and sure enough it has some great moments. 
Get it Here


My version was one of those "one mix" things. I'm not the biggest fan of one mixers so opened it up in a wave editor to break it down into tracks.


Well you know how it goes I got all confused and then inspired so edited out one track and messed a little with it to give it more Soul Appeal . By which I mean focus on the singing bits. That hook and Renee Neufville's vocals are amazing anyway.

"This is me, this is my life, this is what I do-forever"

" ahhh- I messed up.............."


It's as deep as you want to make it

Why I love K Murdock (part 2 b)

I first heard this remarkable collection of  intelligent hip hop back in 2008. Thinking back I very much doubt I made the connection with Crossrhodes at first (I'm old and learning is a slow journey). Featuring some of my fave vocalists, and a strange looking cover- I was pretty knocked out by it.


As a compilation of material though it's the production that carries it forward. 


Included below is the gloomy bluesy dirge Ova....

A quick taste of Distraction

It helps if you speak it as it is.

Modern Soul what is it ? (one of a series)

By Modern Soul in this instance- I mean the genre that I knew back a ways, the sub genre of a wider movement that these days touches and includes such a diverse amount of styles-it's hard to pin down.


For me, say back in 2004 Modern Soul meant the sort of music played at little Events held mostly in the North West of England (well the best ones were).


I'm not one for attending Modern Soul events these days. I'm too old, too poor and too miserable about it. This wasn't always the case and my times at Prestwich Civic Hall in particular (2000-2008) remain dear to me.


At the time I bitched about the choices played. Not Urban enough, not forward thinking enough, they listened to what I said with a sly grin on their faces.


But hand on heart the chance to go on a dance floor and shuffle about to this (back in 2004/5) was an utter privilege and I'll never be grateful enough for it

Soul Togetherness 2011

About to be released on Expansion the latest in a line of  Essential Compilations under the long standing brand of "Soul Togetherness".

If you don't know this series then -I'm struggling to explain exactly what they represent in less than a few hundred words but I'll try. Let's begin with an acknowledgement that I owe a debt to them in terms of my taste. They were the food on which my taste grew fatter, they fed the need and encouraged me to sample more music. Personally they represented the axis of a certain brand of  Modern Soul championed by Ralph Tee and Richard Searling. It was always their vision -a best of the Year in question, based on a number of variables including (most importantly) what they could licence. The compromise was always considered and continues to be so. In this respect you cannot fault them. The joy in them was that ordinary people in going to events and posting on Forums might have some influence on these choices-or be seen too. Over the last four or five years I've tracked this-especially with regard to the "older " tracks they have featured. It's been like watching a groundswell grow.

Perfection though is a bitch. Two years ago I wrote "If  Mar doesn't feature on one of these compilations soon then I'm a Dutchman" <sic>.  You don't always get what you want. Though I'm a friend of the compilations, and encourage you to buy them-I'm (partly) at odds with them....

It's a Bipolar Friendship



http://www.filesonic.com/file/2463753641/02#VA_Soul_Togetherness_2011.rar

Why I love K Murdock (part 1)

A few months ago now-I found myself watching K Murdock doing a live stream on Ustream. I was one of about 15 people in the chat room (least at first). He was as ever  approachable giving us all shouts and asking for a bit of feedback. He mentioned the Crossrhodes project and try as I could I couldn't quite bring myself to say anything. I was in fact rather shy because I think the track Balance is so perfect, so awesome. I knew I couldn't justify why I thought so- when put on the spot (so to speak).


The words alone make it special.
"Most smile to conceal the pain, while others flick about with wandering eyes, trying to stay afloat from the Worlds demise"
It reminds me of Joy and Pain (yes I know)-the contrast of life "thing"- the rhymes by Wes (which put me in mind of Gil Scott Heron), the vocal of Raheem-the song itself, the whole sound, the fact you have to listen and think about it .  I missed my chance to tell him -you know?- I regret that. 

Kero One- Catch up

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Kero One has decided to put together a compilation of tracks for a FREE DOWNLOAD.


I have been a fan for a quite a while and featured him BEFORE.


This track isn't on there but for me it's a personal favourite and the lyrics say it all........

Lisa Banton

Chris Crates a Manchester based DJ who not only has a very very good Radio Show, but also  an excellent supporting Blog has written that a new mix tape by Lisa Banton is about to arrive. I've done a bit of searching but can't find it as yet.


I'll probably hear it first on his show.


Until then check out this free download from her released last year

Quick Update

First apologies for Divshare being off line yesterday leaving this space looking sparse...tut tut.


Hats off to  Mike Ashley for playing a remix of Joey Sommerville on his Radio Cardiff show yesterday- denting a rather large hole in my research and also The Hurst Selection for featuring the same remix in his London-to-America Pod cast. 


Both gentleman are several steps up from me with regard to knowledge and experience. Mike Ashley has for many years worked tirelessly promoting independent Soul Music (he was too busy giving shout outs to actual Artists to mention me yesterday) , Brian Hurst is innovating through his http://www.soulandjazz.com/ website bringing together an impressive collective of DJ's, who produce a superlative array of music streamed straight to good taste buds across the world.


A quick thank you goes to people who have visited here- I know that your time is limited. I have not enabled comments yet- I would like to but I'm trying to show (to myself mostly) that this blog isn't about me seeking recognition-for what is in effect simply listening to music


I have been trying (with no joy) incorporating posts from my last Blog http://altmodernsoul-the-exchange.blogspot.com/ on here- but I feel it's never going to happen. Something to do with formatting perhaps ??? A lot of the embedded links on the old Blog still work-though some do not.
If I actually manage to get any traffic on here I will upgrade my Div Share- we shall see.


Meantime I'll start updating here soon- tomorrow in fact.....

9/11

Speaking as someone who lives in the UK and at the time (and still!) tucked away in the North West of England it seems inappropriate to comment about this day. However it has become known as "The Day that Changed the World"- So how can one ignore it?


Remembering it - I was at work when the news broke and was told by a co worker "a plane has crashed into the Twin Towers". I said in utter disbelief  "you mean a light Aircraft?". "No a Passenger Jet". I replied "you must have that wrong"-then I looked at his Computer as the second plane struck. It seemed beyond comprehension-the images like a disaster movie-totally unreal.


After work I went round to see a friend who took on an odd attitude "well you can't say it's not unexpected". His view was born out of ignorance, out of the anti American sentiments held by many at the time in the UK, and by the distance in both time and geography. As soon as the heart braking personal stories began to be told his view changed radically into accepting the event as the cruel work of cowards and cold blooded murderers.


Over the next few days I and many others had a real sense of dread over the action the US would take to seek vengeance. American was understandably after blood, and it seemed like even more innocent people would suffer and die, as if 3000 wasn't enough. Ever since we Christians burned that library in Constantinople in 1204 relations with the Muslims have been pretty strained. In 1988 Muslims did some book burning of their own almost on my doorstep, so three years later things looked pretty bleak all round.  


Ten Years on and especially on this day- it's wrong to consider the post 9/11 outcomes. Today is about those people who had life stolen from them and the loss and pain endured by their loved ones. Some things are beyond retribution. Two days before 9/11-in what seems like a supreme irony- I recorded from my LP's this track by Al Wilson. I forgot I'd recorded it until a week later and when I played it back the lyrics took on a deeper significance- it has never sounded the same.

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May they rest in peace.

1992 The Real Brothers

Back in 2009 I took an interest in a couple of tracks I managed to download from Rap Outfit -the Real Brothers. At the time I was downloading a lot of what one might call obscure old rap from places such as Bust the Facts and TROY. What I admired about these places including the phila flava forum, was the unbridled enthusiasm these people had, they were, it seemed at least a generation younger than me yet still looking back to their youth. On one hand I didn't quite get this. I don't own a vast amount of Records yet I do own several hundred dated 1977- and frankly I keep pretty quiet about them- simply because they represent my late teens. On the other hand I do understand recording these tracks (it's why I bought a Computer) and how memory and music are inter connected. Another thing I admire about TROY is the series of compilations they made called "Sounds like the 90t's", here they linked the past to the present in a knowledgeable way. Plus they share the music through their love. So here from Bust the Facts is a recording from a tape of "what's next"-and it's rather good (IMH)

Lawrence Matthews and Freda Lyons Campbell

I have just got hold of this may release from Lawrence Matthews.


I was interested because it features Freda Lyons Campbell on one track.

Freda on her "You've been set up" set of 2008 produced a track I truly adore.

Reggie B

Reggie B remains one of my fave artists. It's his voice I like best.


I've lost track of the number of great vocal stints he's done over the last three years.


The latest in a series of Applejac compilations which was free for a few weeks features some pretty good covers and some other top drawer performances.


Reggie does a good job with the old Slave number- a band which featured another of my fave vocalists.

It's "our" Frank Ocean

Young gifted and everywhere. For reasons I do not fully grasp people like Frank Ocean. It may have something to do with his age. On the surface he seems like every other artist trying to capture the market.  I like the guy because "We all try" seems such an extraordinary song- so mature. His mix tape Nostalgia Ultra is pretty essential (Try features on it) -it is a remarkable bit of work. Problem is since then the stack of leaks of all his past material have clouded the waters. I have downloaded them all because.... that is what I do. I've also got a lot of demo tracks from James Fauntleroy (crazy name crazy guy) who never quite realises his talent- though got close on the Cocaine 80t's set. 


This is just staggeringly ordinary- yet here I am posting it up. No I don't know why either?

Joey Sommerville

More of the Smooth stuff..............


Rather excellent though.


I feel a UK based  Streaming Media show will be playing this sometime next week- (assuming of course they haven't played it already- hey I ain't perfect with the research) Still I like to help out my Starpoint friends- so I hope this serves as a reminder


And this isn't even the best track on there......

Here

Spend- One Night

Brand new and sounding good

Winston Stewart

After all the excitement of Cee Lo's crazy disco inferno- lets settle down with a bit of smooove.


2011 release and a very gentle song.


Click here for info