The Ex: Dignity Of Labour (International Workers Day!)

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International Workers' Day (a name used interchangably with May Day) is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, and a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. The 1 May date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, inspired by labor's , demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This resulted in a general strike and the riot in Chicago of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. The May Day Riots of 1894 and May Day Riots of 1919 occurred subsequently.
Due to these left-wing overtones, May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist, and anarchist groups.

To celebrate May Day we share "Dignity Of Labour" by The Ex. The Ex is an anarchist band from the Netherlands. They formed in 1979 at the height of the original punk explosion and have released nearly twenty full length albums since, making them one of the longest-lived and most influential punk bands (along with The Fall) still in existence. They are known and respected worldwide for their longevity, their explosive, energetic live shows and their political edge.

The Ex: "Dignity Of Labour"
The Ex: Dignity Of Labour (International Workers Day!)
(mp3, 192 kbps, ca. 43 MB)

The music on “Dignity of Labour” is as fresh as anything they’ve released recently. Parts rush in and rush out, double percussionists are hammering the sound of a factory, a saxophone crackles over an intense bassline - is this the dignity of labour? This is the ultimate urban blues, a soundtrack that sounds like a manic collission between Einstürzende Neubauten and Gang Of Four. The box packaging comes with a little pamphlet talking about the dismantling of the Van Gelder factory where the album was recorded. It continues the dance of the dispossessed, with a thick atmospheric reconstruction of a factory´s death.
Was punk a closed factory? Or do we have the ex dancing on it’s grave and expounding it’s greatness as a medium of expressing social situations?

For more industrial action music please go to the wonderful http://ezhevika.blogspot.com/ and listen to the compilation "Lehrlinge halten zusammen!" with Floh De Cologne and others!

Neil Young: Don´t Be Denied (1973 Tour)

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To celebrate the release of the new Neil Young album "Living With War" we like to share with you an interesting live recording from the "Time Fades Away Tour" back in the old days.

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(mp3, 160 kbps, complet artwork included, ca. 90 MB)

Neil's powerful anti-war album is available for free streaming on http://neilyoung.truemajorityaction.org or via www.neilyoung.com , and will be in the shops in May.

Much of the album conveys a sense of outrage, vowing repeatedly in the title track "to never kill again," mocking Bush's conduct of the Iraq war in "Shock and Awe" and calling for his removal from office in a provocative song titled "Let's Impeach the President." It's Neils pure, naked, visceral reaction to the Bush administration's foreign policy, building on a canon of outrage that he began with 1970's "Ohio," penned in the wake of the Kent State student deaths.

Neil Young nailed a lot of thoughts that are shared by disillusioned Americans in his new recording. No message is hidden, no need to read between any lines. There is optimism in the songs, and yet a sense of urgency about the plight of America throughout the album. I find it to be a very consistant effort musically and its good to hear Neil rock the walls with a message from the heart. The album is definitly great - so buy it! Would´t it be great having this on top of the charts in the US?

Via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utryGZ25dg you can view an interesting CCN-interview with Neil. Check out when the interviewer suggests that Neil chose this subject to sell more records.... Neil kinda politely shrugs it off and then after the interview the TV-anchorman in the studio says to the interviewer that anyone that thinks the themes of this album are motivated by publicity: "I think THAT's ridiculous". Her uncomfortable facial response is great! We got a Neil fan at CNN!!!!!

You will find a detailed listener´s review by Jim Cirile in the comment.

Blind Willie Johnson: Dark Was The Night

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Even in the blues, a style capable of wrenching unexplainable emotions from its audience, Blind Willie Johnson has few equals. With a voice capable of alternating effortlessly between sublime, trembling tenor and the sound of pure gravel, and unparalleled skill with the bottleneck (and knife), Johnson recorded 30 sides for Columbia (1927-1930) that stand as a high-water mark for both country blues and raw gospel.
While the lyrics of most of his songs were religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. Among musicians, he is considered one of the greatest slide or bottleneck guitar artists who ever lived, as well as one of the most revered figures of depression-era gospel music. His music is distinguishable by his powerful bass strumming and gravelly false-bass voice, with occasional use of a tenor voice.

"Blind Willie" Johnson was born in Texas about 1902. At age 5, Johnson announced to his father that he was going to become a preacher and fashioned his first guitar out of a cigar box. Johnson was not born blind, and, although it is not specifically known how his condition came about, it is widely believed that his stepmother, in a fit of rage, blinded him when he was 7 years old by throwing lye in his face.

Willie taught himself to play the guitar and accompanied himself using a pocketknife for a slide to mimic his voice. Johnson's father would take him into the town of Hearne and leave him to play on the corner every Saturday with a tin cup tied around his neck.
At age twenty-five he married a young singer named Angelina, sister of blues guitarist L. C. "Good Rockin'" Robinson (1915-76). Angelina accompanied Johnson on some of his recordings for Columbia Records between 1927 and 1930.
He sang in a "rasping false bass," and played bottleneck guitar with "uncanny left-handed strength, accuracy and agility." So forceful was his voice that legend has it he was once arrested for inciting a riot simply by standing in front of the New Orleans Customs House singing "If I Had My Way I'd Tear This Building Down."

If you are only seeking one Blind Willie Johnson collection, you cannot go wrong with "Dark Was the Night". Included are both "God Moves on the Water" and "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground," which are both utterly necessary, along with the classics "Praise God I'm Satisfied," "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed," "John the Revelator," and 11 others. "God Moves" is a slide masterpiece in which Johnson's guitar interjections and responses become as captivating as his voice and a tale of the Titanic sinking at the will of God. "Dark Was the Night" is an otherworldly performance of gorgeously spun slide lines and Johnson's wordless moaning, aimed straight at the heart. Everything else on hand is nothing less than emotionally rich, consummately executed and spiritually charged blues at its very best.

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(mp3, 160 kbps, ca. 58 MB)
With a big thank you to Ivor Fan!!!

Jack Ruby Hi-Fi: Reggae Soundtape For The Foundation Massive

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Jack Ruby is the infamous reggae producer linked to the Ocho Rios-sound of St. Anns Bay, best known perhaps for his production associations with Burning Spear around the start of his Island career, Justin Hinds of the Dominoes, as well as numerous high calibre reggae artists, think The Gaylads, Big Youth, King Tubby, Errol Thompson, Ken Booth and The Black Disciples.

Here's a real nice soundtape from 1981 in good quality and 192 kbps - one for all the foundation massive:
JACK RUBY HI-FI Soundsystem live from the Jack Ruby Lawn, St. Ann's Bay 1981, featuring Nicodemus alongside Lui Lepki and U Brown and selector Fat Jaw. Still a wicked dance. Enjoy!

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A big thank you goes to Diego de la Vega!

Hybrid Sounds @ Liberacion

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Once again our friends from Zero G Sounds are going to spin some fine records at a little bar called "Liberacion".
If you like blues, soul, jazz, r´n´b, reggae, americana and all kind of groovy and strange music it´s the place to be on the forthcoming friday.
You are invited!

The Firehouse Sound

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Sydney’s top ranking reggae crew "Firehouse Sound" always rocks a dance. They have featured local artists like Sheriff Lindo, Ras Iya, Ras Ronnie, Mat Ottignon, Jeff Dread, Danny Rankin and the Mighty Asterix (NZ) on the set and supported international reggae stars like Lee Perry, Burning Spear, the Gladiators and Earl 16 with their big bad selection of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dancehall and exclusive dubplates.

If you are interested in reggae-podcasts (for example a Wackies special, a Niney The Observer feature and many, many more...) , nice mixes and a lot of rare and special reggae stuff you should definitly check out their website www.firecorner.com.

Here are the "Firehouse Roots & Culture Mix" (74 minute selection, mp3, 128 kbps) and the "Firehouse 2K5 Summer Jam Mix" (70 minutes, mp3, 128 kbps).
The tracklists are in the comment!

Lightnin Hopkins: From The Vaults Of Everest Records Vol. 3

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Here are more of he famous bluesman's recordings that epitomized Lightnin's spare "country blues" which was in contrast to the brash and bold Chicago blues so commercially appealing at the time.

Lightnin' started his career singing on Houston's street corners for change and drink and his best performances are those intimate concerts: Down and dirty, out and out blues, honest and true--perfect documents of Lightnin's style, songs and performance.
From the honest portrayal of a family in disarray in "Mama And Papa Hopkins" to the long, long road of his Texas youth he sang of in "75 Highway," to the street corner busking given a turn in "Get Off My Toe," this volume 3 of the Everest recordings contains as much of the life this great bluesman lived as could be hammered into sixteen concise songs. Those who came later to the life of the blues were deeply influenced by Lightnin'!

Lightnin Hopkins: Mama And Papa Hopkins - From The Vaults Of Everest Records Vol. 3

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(mp3, 192 kbps, ca. 80 MB, front cover included)

DJ Urbun - Stop That Train Mix

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With special greetings to Sista Kim - welcome back in town!

Here´s DJ Urbun with his wonderful "Stop That Train"-Mix:

www.urbunmedia.com/stopthattrain2_mix.mp3

With a big thank you to DJ Urbun on www.urbunmedia.com!

DJ Urbun: Superior Mix

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Fresh off the turntables is the new DJ Urbun (www.urbunmedia.com) "Superior Mix" featuring a ton of new rhythms straight from the Jamaican record plants.

Here´s the mix:

www.urbunmedia.com/SuperiorMix_djUrbun_May2005.mp3

Mike Bloomfield: The Root Of Blues

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Michael Bernard Bloomfield was born July 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. A self-described social outcast, Bloomfield immersed himself in the multi-cultural music world that existed in Chicago in the 1950s. At the age of 14 the exuberant guitar wunderkind began to visit the blues clubs on Chicago’s South Side with friend Roy Ruby in search of his new heroes: players such as Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Howling Wolf, and Magic Sam. Not content with viewing the scene from the audience, Bloomfield was known to leap onto the stage, asking if he could sit in as he simultaneously plugged in his guitar and began playing riffs.

Bloomfield was quickly accepted on the South Side, as much for his ability as for the audiences' appreciation of the novelty of seeing a young white player in a part of town where few whites were seen. Bloomfield soon discovered a group of like-minded outcasts. Young white players such as Paul Butterfield, Nick Gravenites, Charlie Musselwhite, and Elvin Bishop were also establishing themselves as fans who could hold their own with established bluesmen, many of whom were old enough to be their fathers. In addition to playing with the established stars of the day, Bloomfield began to search out older, forgotten bluesmen, playing and recording with Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachell, Little Brother Montgomery and Big Joe Williams, among others.

The legendary CBS producer and talent scout John Hammond, Sr., immediately signed him to a recording contract, and Bloomfield was recruited to play slide guitar and piano alongside with Paul Butterfield and his band. In between recording sessions with the Butterfield Band, Bloomfield backed up Bob Dylan on the classic "Highway 61 Revisited" album, and appeared with him at the Newport Folk Music Festival in 1965 when Dylan stunned the purist folk music crowd by playing electric rock´n´roll. This great work established Bloomfield as one of the most talented and influential guitar players in America. He started his own band, The Electric Flag, and joined with Al Kooper and Stephen Stills to the successful "Super Session". By the late seventies Bloomfield's continuing drug and health problems started causing erratic behavior and missed gigs.
Michael Bloomfield was found dead in his car of a drug overdose in San Francisco, California on February 15, 1981.

Here´s a budget-label reissue of the instructional blues LP "If You Love These Blues, Play Em As You Please" released by "Guitar Player Magazine" in 1976. This version includes most of the songs but omits Michael's spoken passages about each track. Bloomfield pays tribute to his influences and favorites: acoustic and electric, solo and with a band. Standout tracks include "Death in My Family," aplayed in the style of Guitar Slim, "WDIA," a tribute to B.B. King, "City Girl," dedicated to T-Bone Walker, and an acoustic version of "Kansas City," aplayed, in Bloomfield's words, "in a style I would call 'Travis Picking´, after Merle Travis. It seems an anomaly to use a modern style for such an old song, but the method of syncopated contrapuntal fingerpicking is well suited to the song because the key of E has so many open strings."

Mike Bloomfield: The Root Of Blues
(mp3, 224 kbps, ca. 50 MB, front cover included)

Lud Dub Presents: "Old Time Something Vol.6" (Roots-Reggae-Mix)

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Born in Teheren, Iran and escaping the islamic revolution, Lud Dub (Lud Isabegian) and his family moved to the Bay Area, USA in search of a better life. Growing up in the Bay Area, Lud was heavily influenced by his sister´s record collection. "I soon hat the whole collection of Van Halen, Iron Maiden and Ozzy tapes."
Years later, a friend left Bob Marley´s "Legend"-tape in Lud´s car. "I was hooked on the bass-heavy hypnotic beats and conscious lyrics... I sold all my tapes and started buying roots reggae."

Searching for more heavy bass records with some friends, the started talking about dj-ing. "We liked the idea of playing our favorite tunes on a bass-heavy soundsystem." The Cosmic Vibe Sound was started in 1992. At the end of the 90´s jungle was gaining momentum in San Francisco. Lud became exposed to breakbeat. "Jungle was a bit too fast for me... but I loved the drum patterns and the drawn-out basslines combined with the jamaican patois and dubbed-out sound effects... I started buying some select jungle cuts."
Since 2001, Lud Dub is spinning nu-skool breaks and has released tow promo-mixes
"Future Funk Theory" and "Ganja Ash". He joined Netamp Radio in 2003 establishing the weekly Netamp Radio Webcasts with DJ Lantz, showcasing the latest in breaks from around the globe.

For your musical pleasure her´s his cool "Old Time Something Vol. 6"-mix with some fine selected classic and new roots reggae tunes: www.cosmicvibe.com/Old%20Time%20Something%20Vol.%206.mp3.

The tracklist can be found on http://www.luddub.com/Old%20Time%20Something%20Vol.%206.htm, more informations about Lud Dub and some more mixes are waiting on his website
http://www.luddub.com/.

Been Wrekt: Steps Outside Mix

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Curled up in the mess he calls a studio, Been Wrekt drinks cans of malt liquor and misses the nineties. He doesn't long for raves he missed, where he would have been sure to consume vast quantities of ecstacy, mince around with glowsticks, and sing the praises of the P.L.U.R. He just misses the music. In fact, he misses it so much that he sometimes has his friends the Izragga and Localfields over to revel in the banging techno; the old school jungle; the math rock. Just listen to this mix. You'll see what we mean.

Click here to download the "Steps Outside"-mix (54 min.) as heard at "Beat Research" (www.beatresearch.com) , a weekly event and a record label promoting experimental party music. Thank´s for your stimulating work!

DJ Poingi: Oh God, I´m So Minimal!

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DJ Poingi, born 1978 in Tel Aviv, spend some long years constructing and reconstructing some weird freaky techno & harsh electro. He got totally bored and eventually escaped from Israel in 2003 and woke up in a dead city called Berlin.... and now..?Started working music production under the name of AnneFrankZappa and... ..is basicly still bored to death.

Click here to download Dj Poingi aka AnneFrankZappa- Oh My God, Im So Minimal! (WtfGabbaAssAcidJungleFreakCore) and visit his homepage!

You wanna know the secrets of the universe? Check out DJ Poingi´s new mix "She loves breakcore but she has no legs" and find it out and more!

Massif - An Electroraggasnarebass Odyssey

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"Massif - an electro ragga snare bass odyssey" is a militant 2-step and hefty breaks mix by DJ El Kano from the UK.


Click here to download the mix.

Tracklist:
ENNIO MORRICONE The Chase
DJ HATCHA The March
TIMEBLIND Myanmar
SLAUGHTER MOB Zombie
TIM WRIGHT Going Down
ARTWORK Rank
SKREAM The Bug
DJ SCUD No Love
DARQWAN Metro
PLASTICMAN White Gloves
SLAUGHTER MOB Dub Weapon
DJ HYPE Pussytrak Remix
SCORN Out Of The Picture
CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES Crowd Dispersal
NAUGHTY Shots
MUZIQ Grape Nut Beats Pt. II
TIPPER Latitude By Observation Remix
MARK ONE Raindance
SQUAREPUSHER Talk About You & Me
ARDISSON Can You Keep Up?
HORSEPOWER PRODUCTIONS On Tha Run
BENNY ILL & HATCHA Highland Spring
BENGA Amber
FUTURE FUNK SQUAD Lost In Time
MUZIQ Johnny Maastricht

You can download more of El Kano mixes at his Adverse Camber page.

Thanks to http://www.adverse-camber.net/.

Lightnin Hopkins - Blues Kingpins

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You've really got to be in the mood to listen to Lightnin' Hopkins, but if you've been doing hot dirty work, or you've been tossed and tumbled and the sky is overcast, a dose of Hopkins is just what the doctor ordered to give the spirits a boost. Hopkins's predominant style is described as "mournful Lone Star laments", and he's playing the blues in a rural vernacular, but everything he does unaccountably cheers you up and makes life seem easier wherever you might be. And such are the mysteries of music. His guitar playing sounds deceptively simple, but that impression is soon belied by the uncommon elegance of his fingerpicked filigrees, which can be a reminder that there is always light and grace. Or it might be the rhythm, the faster tunes known now as the Texas boogie, carried by a slightly stamping shuffle beat. Or his crazy stories that found their way into his songs. In his lengthy 60-year career, Hopkins made more records than any other bluesman before or since.

So there are more than enough reasons Lightnin Hopkins is one of the artist honored by "The Right Stuff" in their "Blues Kingpins"-series of six CDs that bring back early recordings of blues pioneers like B.B. King, Elmore James, Ike Turner, Fats Domino, and John Lee Hooker. Lightning's disc features 18 songs from his days at Los Angeles labels Aladdin, Modern, and RPM. There's Hopkins' picking aplenty, including "Rocky Mountain Blues," "Jake Head Boogie," and two of Lightnin's better-known songs, "Short Haired Woman" and "Katie Mae Blues." This sampler is a great overview of a great bluesman.

Lightnin Hopkins: Blues Kingpins
(mp3, 192 kbps, ca. 65 MB)

Lightnin Hopkins - Blues Kingpins

It's a real bonus for the blues fan that "Right Stuff " took their charge seriously. In assembling the 18 tracks, they gained right of entry to EMI's vast treasure trove of blues recordings. Which in this instance meant that "Right Stuff" had access to some important material, including Hopkins's earliest sides from Aladdin. Set down in Los Angeles in the 1940's, this is exactly where and when Sam became known forever after as Lightnin'. Important to the blues collector are the inclusion of exceedingly rare tracks by Hopkins for the L.A. blues labels Modern and RPM. Not only have these songs never been released on CD, they've never been re-issued in any form, and these long-hidden jewels contribute nearly half the numbers to this disc. Even though Hopkins released something like 120 albums on vinyl, covering many of these self-written tunes for a myriad of labels, just the rare issue quotient might make a blues snob's heart flutter. Of greater significance is the fact that this material all works exceedingly well when set down next to each other, and altogether creates a superb if not defining collection of Lightnin' laying down his music. Even if you know nothing of Lightnin' Hopkins or his music at all, by the time you finish listening to this, you'll come to understand something of what makes the very essence of Lightnin' Hopkins, country bluesman extraordinaire.

More information in the comment!

Well Written Meditations On Music

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Do you feel sometimes the need to sit back and read some fine meditations about wonderful music? Then we would like to bring your attention to two well written blogs that treat popular music serious but with a fine smile:

Pop Musicology:
http://musical-guru.blogspot.com/

Lonesome Valley:
http://americanroots.blogspot.com/

Blue Beats For Longing: DJ Flack Instrumental Mix

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Dj Flack (aka Antony Flackett) is a dj and a video/multimedia artist living in the Boston area.
"I usually try to mix up lots of different genres when I do a mix, but for this one I wanted to blend together my favorite emotional rainy-day head nod beats that pluck your heartstrings and get under your skin. Some are old, some are new, but all are blue.
Please listen with your lover, or when your lover is far away, or when you are just longing for some love.
This hip-hop journey is about 48 minutes long and all tracks are represented in their instrumental form.
Enjoy..."
Dj Flack (http://www.djflack.com/)

Click HERE to download (46mb) the "Blue Beats For Longing"- mix. You´ll find the track listing in the comment!

DJ Calibre & DRS: Soulful And Dubbed Out Drum & Bass

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DJ Calibre (Dominic Martin), hailing from Belfast, Ireland is one of the most prolific and respected drum & bass producers in the world. Since breaking onto the scene in 1997, Calibre has enjoyed steady success through releases on prominent labels including Warner UK, Creative Source, Hospital, Phuturo, and his own Signature Recordings imprint.
DRS has been a force in the drum & bass scene for close to 15 years. Formerly a primary MC for LTJ Bukem’s world-renowned Good Looking Organization, many will recognize his vocal/emcee stylings on the legendary Logical Progression and Progression Sessions album series. DRS is now the MC for the Soul:r and Signature camps and is carving a name for himself in the hip-hop world.

Here´s their soulful and dubbed out drum & bass mix from Radio 1 Breezeblock (03-01-2005): [Download]

(via www.anchormix.com)

Murderbot

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Murderbot, a 22 year old graduate student from Kansas City named Chrissy, is a neo-ragga-jungle DJ and producer. "I got into electronic music pretty early" says Murderbot, who has been playing out at parties since the tender age of 12. "I am an OBSESSIVE record collector--it's a sickness." While music & program director at KJHK, the college station at the University of Kansas, Chrissy hosted a radio show of obscure "pre-techno experimental disco" called Superdisco Galactica. Murderbot is currently proving the point that classic mashup ragga-jungle is the hot shit. While this style had its heyday in mid-'90s U.K., it never caught on in the USA. Murderbot´s uplifting mix on the hungarian webradio Töréspont Rádió (download here , mp3, 192 kbps, 63 minutes) and his first vinyl releases (more infos on http://www.murderbot.net/) are documentating that ragga-jungle is alive and well! Like the very best classic jungle tunes, Murderbot's complex—yet precisely composed—drum programming, and keen sense of harmonic structure, make for tracks that murder the dance-floor and mashup the brain. For example his track "Fi You " blends Waterhouse vocal samples with rattling amen breaks.
"Murderbot demonstrates just how strong his next-generation ragga-core kung-fu skills are on "Fi You," while also demonstrating a strong sense of musical dynamics with his ballsy use of Jethro Tull's "Cross Eye Mary" to build up the tension before the killer breakbeats on "Twilight Zone" (download). - Howard Shih, Grooves Magazine

DJ Shir Khan: Music Is Universal

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Berlin´s disco-hooligan Shir Khan (http://www.dj-shirkhan.de/) refuses to adhere to artificial musical boundaries and is constantly searching for fresh and innovative ways to blur the lines between genres. Dj Shir Khan strives to avoid stereotypes in his music and upholds a common Boomselection-philosophy by saying: “I don’t set any boundaries with my music. I play all genres. Music is universal – It’s just seperated by different tempos.“

How can you describe Shir Khans Dj-Style? Well – at the moment he plays a mixture of asskicking premium elektrorock bollox, aciddisco, uptempo hiphop, mash-ups, punk funk and booty bass! – The melange of everything that is cutting-edge with a sense of humour and trash - deconstructing pop-music in general and blending the genres. You can call it genre-hopping: mixing the old with the new, the good with the bad...bringing it to another level, but always in a clubmode –100 percent electro-groove-shit. At home, Shir khan also makes some hybrid remixes and bootlegs. Furthermore, he has produced a history of bastard pop/mash-ups-cd called COPYRIGHT CANDIES (exploited/kompakt). COPYRIGHT CANDIES believes in the power of the collage-technique, cut’n’paste, plunderphonics, mash-ups, slick coverversions and unofficial remixes. Besides his band "Tolcha" Shir Khan has a radioshow at Berlins ex-pirate radio station Twen FM. His weekly show is called DOPE ON PLASTIC where he fuses music from all around the globe in an eclectic style.

DJ Shir Khan - I Can See Your Tiger Stripes Mix
A mix of techno-baile, romantic future distortions, baltimore crunk, stairway to heaven-rock, modern disco and current rave anthems....featuring queens and kings like Uffie, Hollertronix, Spankrock, Edu K, Studio R, Chloe, John Tejada, Tomboy, Digitalism, Cut Copy, In Flagranti, Sebastian, Christopher Just... (Tracklist in the comment!)

SHIR KHANS GHOST RIDE
Disco funk, cutnpaste madness and deep minimal stuff versus heavy guitar techno, acid hop and booty shit. Shake your blood to this ghostride from shir khan, including heroes such as DJ T, Matt John, Lotterboys, Freeform Five, Jackson & His Computer Band, Modeselektor, Man With Guitar, Aphex Twin, Erol Alkan, Justice, In Flagranti, Anja Schneider & Sebo K, Sugardaddy...

FAVELA-SPACE-VODOO-DEATHDISCO-KICKS
Go and get your overdose of hot tracks by Avenue D, Soulwax, M.I.A., Diplo, Shir Khan, Jake the Rapper, Christopher Just, The Faint, Kaos, Princess Superstar... All done in the usual Shir Khan-quality-berlin-style. It is a big mash of rocking favela booty beats, miami bass, punk and vodoo death disco!

Billy Bragg: Bush War Blues - Free Protest Song

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In 1938, Leadbelly recorded "Bourgeois Blues" to protest the racism he encountered in Washington, D.C. Seven decades later, England's premiere folk-punk-poet-bard Billy Bragg noticed a few things going on in the U.S. capital that rubbed him the wrong way. On his current sold-out American tour, Billy has been performing his own version of "Bourgeois Blues" with a modern twist.
Being a man of action, Billy ducked into Big Sky Recordings in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 22 and laid down "Bush War Blues," with lyrics adapted to express his condemnation of the war in Iraq. His voice husky from his hefty touring schedule, Billy originally attributed the song to a newly-created alter ego, Johnny Clash.

Click here to download the MP3 or try this one "Bush War Blues" - Billy Bragg.

Thanks to Billy´s label Yep Roc Records the song is available free just a few days after it was recorded.

Lightnin Hopkins: Prison Blues

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For all the connoisseurs of the texas country blues here´s part two of the Lightnin Hopkins gems "From The Vaults Of Everest Recordings".

The beloved blues troubadour Sam "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 - January 30, 1982) was a master of the mournful Lone Star sound, and a great player of both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins' nimble dexterity made intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his fascinating penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise made him a beloved blues troubadour.

Born in Centerville, Texas, he learned the blues when young in Buffalo, Texas from Blind Lemon Jefferson and his older cousin, country-blues singer Alger 'Texas' Alexander. When Hopkins and Alexander were playing in Houston in 1946, he was discovered by Lola Anne Cullum of Los Angeles' Aladdin Records. He settled in Houston in 1952 and gained much attention. Solid recordings followed including his masterpiece song Mojo Hand in 1960. He was an influence on Jimmie Vaughan's work, and, more significantly, on the vocals and blues style of Pigpen, the keyboardist of the of the Grateful Dead until 1972.
This set includes early recordings and rarities from this great folk-blues artist.

If you want to read a bit more about Lightnin Hopkins, just move back in the archive and watch out for part one of these gems.

Lightnin Hopkins: Prison Blues - From The Vaults Of Everest Recordings Vol. 2"
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(mp3, 192 kbps, ca. 76 MB)

Track Listing:
1. Keep Movin' On
2. That's My Story
3. Dillon's Store
4. Long Time
5. Rainy Day Blues
6. Baby!
7. Long Gone Like a Turkey Through the Corn
8. Goin' Back Home
9. Prison Blues Come Down on Me
10. Backwater Blues (That Mean Old Twister)
11. Gonna Pull a Party
12. BluebirdBluebird
13. See See Rider
14. Worrying My Mind
15. Til the Gin Gets Here
16. Good Times

Soundmurderer: Ragga-Jungle In The Mix

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Todd Osborn, also known as Soundmurderer, ran the first Drum & Bass record store in the Detroit area, as the ex-owner of the legendary Dubplate Pressure shop. His obsessions with drum and bass led to him setting up his own label "Rewind Records" (http://www.rewind-records.com).

His soulful dancehall ragga jungle productions combine the modern illness and intricate programming of Squarepusher and Plug with the classic sounds of Congo Natty and the early ragga-jungle soundsystem culture. We're talking of full-on bass-rinse snare-rush; tight, cutty ranks; and mixing like you're not likely to hear anywhere else.

Soundmurderer paints ragga-jungle as a recreation of the Jamaican dubplate phenomenon, modernized with tight jungle rhythms for the soundsystem parties of today. Dubplates arose in the fertile soundsystem scene in Jamaica; DJs would pile as many speakers as they could into the back of a truck and transport the entire thing to wherever that night’s party was scheduled. The practice actually predates the rise of the island’s most recognizable sounds (ska, dub, reggae, dancehall) – DJs spun big band and R&B tracks imported from America. Dubplates started as rough drafts of sorts – producers would press a track to acetate, which is far cheaper and easier than vinyl pressing. After gauging the track’s reaction from the crowds of soundsystem parties, producers could decide if a track was worth the more expensive vinyl pressing, which would also necessitate full mastering. King Tubby popularized instrumental remixed “dubs” of rocksteady tracks by pressing his musical experiments on dubplates and having DJs toast over the tracks at his soundsystem parties (which were the most popular in Jamaica). Soon dubplates evolved into hot commodities – every DJ wanted the newest, exclusive obscure dubplate with which to rock his party, and there were always new versions and remixes being released. Famous DJs would lend their voices to certain exclusive dubplates, endorsing particular soundsystems and therefore promoting particular parties; often producers would cut up a DJs voice over their tracks without license to get their parties jumping. Last year’s mashup craze is essentially a modernized version of this. Raves are an obvious descendent of soundsystem culture, and a good ragga-jungle-mix like this one by Soundmurderer exposes this link further, fusing jungle records with the toasts of ragga dancehall singles, effectively recreating the effect of a dope dubplate. The mixture is incredibly (and understandably) natural – jungle’s rhythms and basslines are obviously informed by dub and dancehall. Osborn has an obvious love of vintage jungle (he owns and operates Detroit’s first jungle record store), and the strict attention to DRUM and BASS allows his mixes recall a dancefloor style before sped up breaks became just another adornment for tepid lifestyle music played in boutiques. For any jungle fan,this mix should be a refreshing and invigorating listen.

Soundmurderer´s Breezeblock set on UK Radio 1, featuring Earl 16 & Brother Culture via www.durftal.com: Breezeblock 7 June 2004

Another source for this mix is http://saturn5.com/~peter/music/soundmurderer.mp3.

You´ll find the tracklist in the comment!

Greetings To All Junglists!

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DJ Freeze, a german musician, producer and dj (ragga-jungle, reggae, drum´n´bass) did a nice renewal of his website http://www.dj-freeze.de/ .

To celebrate the complete redesign of his website, here´s the brandnew Rebel Rock Mix featuring ragga-jungle and liquid funk (mp3, 192 kbps, 59 MB).

Mutter

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Since 18 years now „Mutter“ are making music: Notorious unsuccessful, but definitely an institution in the german music scene. Jochen Distelmeyer (“Blumfeld”) says: “ Later people will say: No one has ever seen `Mutter´ - but they are definitely the greatest!”. Unbounded, dark lyrics, titels like “I am ashamed having thoughts that affront other people´s dignity”, a frontman writhing in pain on the stage floor – and this strange, mysterious music, sometimes brutal, sometimes stunningly beautiful. Inscrutable in it´s brutal style, enigmatic in it´s aloof simplicity.

Here´s Mutter´s „Konzerte I (1986-1991)“, which is out of print and ready for download:
1. Das Allerletzte Lied [0.3 MB]
2. Schlagzeugsolo Mit Gitarre/Kalx Radio [2.7 MB]
3. Das Ist Nicht Wahr [5.2 MB]
4. Spex Cover [0.2 MB]
5. Mutter Ansage [0.3 MB]
6. Es Ist Dein Problem [7.6 MB]
7. Eindimensionale Brachialität [0.9 MB]
8. Die Kinder Gehen Alle Tot [7 MB]
9. Entscheidung Wegen Motörhead [0.8 MB]
10. Ich Schäme Mich Gedanken Zu Haben... [0.3 MB]
11. Es Juckt Ich Kratze [4.4 MB]
12. Technik Ist Unwichtig [0.7 MB]
13. Wir Haben Keinen Amp [0.3 MB]
14. Langeweile [1.4 MB]
15. Schnee Von Vorgestern [0.4 MB]
16. Wer Ist Mutter? [0.5 MB]
17. Ich Kann Gehen [6.5 MB]
18. Wieder Einen Raum Leergespielt [0.8 MB]
19. Scheisse [0.2 MB]
20. Recht [5.9 MB]
21. Alle Menschen Sind Gleich [1 MB]
22. Mutter, Alle Menschen... [0.1 MB]
23. Alle Menschen Sind Gleich [6.4 MB]
24. Die Drei Gesichter Einer Band [0.6 MB]
25. Es Besteht Keine Gefahr [0.7 MB]
26. Ich Komm Aus Berlin [0.2 MB]
27. Die Im Dreck Krepieren [8.7 MB]
28. Happy Birthday Mutter [0.5 MB]
29. Kennt Ihr David Lynch? [0.2 MB]
30. Old Buddy David [0.6 MB]
31. Das Ist Der Platz [7 MB]
32. Basssaite Gerissen [1.2 MB]
33. Bratislava [0.1 MB]
34. Heavy Metal [0.6 MB]
35. Fällt Aus [0.4 MB]
36. Schon So Lange Her [1.1 MB]
37. Matka [0.3 MB]
38. Telephonsänger [1.2 MB]
39. Lass Es So Enden [7.5 MB]
40. Beifall [0.3 MB]
41. Ich Weiß Ja Wer Du Bist [5.6 MB]

You can find more information about the band on their website www.muttermusik.de . Jörg Sundermeier writes in the german magazine “jungle world” about „Wir waren niemals hier“, a "Mutter"-documenary by Antonia Ganz (www.jungle-world.com/seiten/2005/42/6485.php).

Aphex Twin Live Sets

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Here are some great live sets of one of the dons of the underground techno and electronica scene (thank you, Cecil!):

1993-04-09 - UK-England-Sheffield - Hallam University

1997-01-25 - Australia-Melbourne - Big Day Out Festival

1997-06-29 - Denmark-Roskilde - Roskilde Festival

1997-07-13 - Norway-Kristiansand - Quartfestivalen - prev. listed with date 1996-07-13

1997-09-17 - USA-Colorado-Denver - Ogden Theatre

2001-06-15 - Spain-Barcelona - Sonar Festival


Happy nightmare, baby!

Nikki Sudden Live In Berlin February 17, 2006

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In memory of Nikki Sudden we share this audience recording made last February in Berlin.

A big thank you goes to Hanno for this show!

Those who want to find out more of Sudden can buy his nine solo albums, all recently reissued on "Secretly Canadian" (go here) and wait for the indie label to release his final work, "The Truth Doesn’t Matter".

From the liner notes:
"Nikki had made Berlin his hometown and I´ve seen him play a dozen times here or more since last year. This is the last set I taped, a little more than a month ago. The gig was put together at the very last minute and about six people attended, staff included. Nikki sat at our table and played a beautiful set just for my friend Alex and me, honoring requests and making sure we were having a good time. It was a very special evening, and thinking back of it now makes the news even more painful. I´ll miss you, Nikki."

Nikki Sudden Live In Berlin February 17, 2006
(mp3, 192 kbps, front & back cover included, ca. 77 MB)

Street Level Sound - New Dancehall Mix "Rude Boy Skill"

Street Level Sound, Australia's No. 1 dancehall juggling crew, presents their new mix 'Rude Boy Skill'. Showcasing his talents on the decks, Selector DJ Trucker juggles some of the freshest, most 'up to the time' riddims, bringing you 70 minutes of the hottest dancehall music from Jamaica and NYC.

STREET LEVEL SOUND MIX VOL 2: 'Rude Boy Skill' - Click To Download (192kbps 100MB)

(Thanks to www.dissensus.com)

In the comment you can find a list of the tracks & riddims.

All of the mixing was done live and in 1 take. The effects and dubplates were added in post production using SoundForge 8.0.
For more information about Street Level, check the website - http://www.streetlevelgeezer.com/.
To hear Cris Harris and DJ Trucker every Wednesday night from 7-9pm on Adelaide's Fresh FM, check the website to listen live - http://www.freshfm.com.au/.

DJ Spooky & Roger McGuinn: Creative Commons

Creative Commons did interviews with two prominent artist-musicians whose work demonstrates the value of the public domain in inspiring new creative content.

Dj Spooky (aka Paul Miller) is a multimedia DJ and Creative Commons advocate who remixes not only music but also film/cinema and fine art. Spooky's film Rebirth of a Nation intersperses modern images with cuts from D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation (now in the public domain) to create a new work interpreting the original.

Legendary musician Roger McGuinn of the Byrds spoke with Creative Commons about the Folk Den, a project he conceived in 1995 for using the web to carry on the American folk music tradition. McGuinn publishes his own performances of traditional songs, and makes every recording available for download under a Creative Commons Music Sharing License.

You can read the interviews from September 2004 here: http://creativecommons.org/audio/djspooky-mcguinn