#funkadelic threads

[dustedmagazine]

Remi Kabaka — Son of Africa (BBE)

Son of Africa by Remi Kabaka

“Kachunga!” This ebullient cry—a word that means creative, happy and sociable in a West African dialect— kicks up a hornet’s nest of trebly funk guitar, burbling keyboards and a knife-edge sharp horn section. It’s the lead-off track to Remi Kabaka’s Son of Africa, originally released in 1976 and long out-of-print, and a fitting introduction to this smoking amalgam of funk, afro-beat, jazz, pop and rock.

Kabaka was born in Ghana to Nigerian parents and spent his earliest years immersed in West Africa’s communal multi-drumming traditions. He moved to London as a teenager, however, and came into his own in that city’s rock scene. He played various kinds of percussion with Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones (including a live version of “Sympathy for the Devil”), Jimi Hendrix, Ginger Baker’s Air Force and Traffic (whose Steve Winwood plays guitar on the eponymous first track). Chris Blackwell of Island Records was enough of a fan to sign Kabaka for this album, but while Blackwell did a lot to make reggae ubiquitous in 1970s rock, he couldn’t do the same with Afrobeat. The record sold poorly and disappeared from circulation.

It's hard to see why. This was, of course, pre-Nigeria 1970 and the Fela revival, and western ears were simply not as accustomed to the polyrhythmic grooves coming out of Lagos. But even so, Son of Africa leans heavily on American funk and soul sounds. Anyone who had spent time with James Brown or Motown or classic Stax discs would find much that felt familiar. “New Reggae Funk,” even anticipates disco by a couple of years with its insinuating slink and airy falsetto. “Sure Thing” struts its consciousness funk like a lost Funkadelic cut, the blurt of brass bursting from slap-and-pop bass. The only cut that comes across as mildly exotic is the thunderous, “Aqueba Masaaba,” and it’s so irresistibly body-moving that you can’t imagine an objection.

You could spend a lot of time picking apart the threads of funk, Afrobeat, jazz and rock, trying to decide where Kabaka’s African heritage leaves off and his youth in swinging London kicks in, but in the end, it’s probably pointless. This album bangs all the way through, and if you missed it the first time, now’s your chance.

Jennifer Kelly

[nerdmars]

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have been waiting for years to unleash Silk Sonic on the world. And you can tell they're in the mood to party now that their finger-snapping, slinky debut R&B jam "Leave the Door Open" is out.

Speaking to Apple Music's Zane Lowe on Friday (March 5), the mimosa-sipping pals broke down the group's origins, what it felt like to work together in-person and how they roped bass-slapping funk legend Bootsy Collins into the mix.

Mars said one of the songs on the album dates back to a phrase he came up with on tour in 2017, that quickly morphed into a hook that "snowballed" into seriously intense studio sessions. "It was like, 'Well, want to come back tomorrow?'" Mars told Lowe. "And we kept coming up with music. It felt like why you fall in love with music in the first place. And jamming with your buddy… There’s no plan, just working out the parts and trying to excite each other... that's why this wouldn't happen if it didn't make sense and it didn't feel natural and organic. This was a series of events that led us to 'Man, why don't we just do it?'"

That initial idea turned into a friendship, which morphed into a realization that they loved a lot of the same music and then, hitting the studio. The pandemic, of course, threw a wrench into their plans, but instead of trying to make music long-distance, .Paak said they decided to get in the studio face-to-face.

"When you get in and you can jam with someone and other artists that could hold it down and you're bouncing, that's different," AP said. "That's the difference and you're really creating a groove from scratch. You guys are trying to figure out what's going to work. What's the math behind this that's going to get everybody feeling good? What is it? Is it too heavy? Is it not heavy enough? And especially with this song, it's a song that requires so much patience and delicate..." Mars jumps in: "Delicatessen," with .Paak adding, "Delicatessens. A lot of meat went into this song."

Because both men are allergic to being regular, they knew they needed to get Parliament/Funkadelic thumper Collins -- who Mars referred to as "the definition of a superstar" -- into the mix. "There's so many artists that you could see that grew up on him. And me and Andy being a couple of guys that just grew up loving that," he said of the pair's mutual admiration of Bootzilla. "And we thought it'd be incredible if we could dream up a dream set list and we, that was our model in the studio, 'Alright, well, let's create the set list of doom, who would be the ultimate host that could thread all these songs together?' And thank God for Bootsy."

As for Mars' legendary perfectionist streak, .Paak said the last person he collabed who worked him to death so hard was his original mentor, Dr. Dre. "This dude doesn't listen to music like regular people, you know, people get lost? And he can't, he can’t," .Paak said of Mars. "A lot of people do collabs these days, but I don't think they understand what it's like to go in and get work with someone that's challenging everything.” Like, 'Did we do this right? Did we do this right? Should we try this right?' You know for me, a lot of it is about having fun, but he was really the first person, the first period of bringing it to my attention that sometimes you got to go through hell to get heaven."

Mars and .Paak see the project as the next evolution of their careers, even if the collaboration kind of just fell in their laps as a happy accident. And now that it's done, the pair, who have a mutual love for ripping it up live, are anxious to get out there and perform the tracks for an audience, whenever that's possible.

"We were in a situation right now for guys that grew up playing live. That's another thing. That's heartbreaking for it to be in the studio and trying to write songs, but the live element is gone," said Mars about COVID-19 putting a crimp in any plans to do a joint tour. "While I'm writing songs, that's a part of my whole thing. It goes to like, 'I can't wait till people hear this.' And it's also, 'I can't wait to play this for people. I can't wait to be with my band.'"

But when things open up again, .Paak said they will definitely be ready to hit it, hard. "I'd love to present it," he said. "And soon as the world gets to the point where it's saying...," with Mars adding, "We need it, man. We need it. I mean, if the terms are right. Yeah. The terms got to be locked, though."

[burlveneer-music]

Khu.éex’ - Héen - new triple album from Seattle-based indigenous activist funk band featuring Bernie Worrell

Tlingit tribal member Preston Singletary, an internationally known glass artist, founded this one-of-a-kind collaboration with major musicians including the legendary late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame composer and performer Bernie Worrell of PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC and TALKING HEADS, Skerik collaborator with PEARL JAM, Stanton Moore of GALACTIC, Captain Raab of RED EARTH, and tribal members Clarissa Rizal, Gene Tagaban and Nahaan.

​Khu.éex’ (pronounced koo-eex) translates to “Potlatch” in the Tlingit language, a Native group from Southeast Alaska. Singletary thought of the name Khu.éex' because of the notion of sharing culture, stories, and music. This is the intent of Khu.éex', to present a contemporary interpretation of our culture to empower others.

The newest album by Khu.éex’! The recording of Khu.éex’s third album, entitled “Héen” (water in the Tlingit language), coincided with critical events and issues affecting Indian Country (and the earth as a whole) including the construction of Dakota Access Pipeline and the endangerment of clean water in our communities. These events were on the group’s mind during these sessions, which resulted in water being a conceptual connecting thread throughout the material. The album features Khu.éex’ co-founder the late Bernie Worrell, keyboardist and original member of Parliament-Funkadelic. This triple album and the almost complete upcoming fourth album are Bernie’s final collaborative efforts. Featuring: Bernie Worrell - Organ, clavinet, synth Preston Singletary - Bass Skerik - Saxophone, piano, horn arrangements Gene Tagaban - Vocals, flute Captain Raab - Guitar Nahaan - Vocals Steve Nistor - Drums, Percussion Hans Teuber - Horns, piano Indrayani Ananda - Vocals Tim Kennedy - Keyboards Carly Kienow - Vocals

[officialcameronfrye]

hello ! here’s every single album i’ve listened to in 2018. the rule is i can only put down the album once, the first time i listen to it in the year. i’ve definitely listened to things more than once, and i’ve also listened to albums i’ve heard before 2018. click the read more if you’re interested :)

JANUARY - 44 buena vista social club - self titled fleetwood mac - rumors the clientele - music for the age of miracles machine girl - because i'm young arrogant and hate everything you stand for alan vega - it car seat headrest - twin fantasy (mirror to mirror) new order - brotherhood death from above 1979 - you're a woman, i'm a machine kino - 45 velvet underground - white light/white heat velvet underground - self titled velvet underground - velvet underground and nico cowboy bebop ost 1 nick drake - pink moon car seat headrest - how to leave town radiohead - ok computer pink floyd - the wall new order - power, corruption, and lies dexter gordon - go! the cleaners from venus - midnight cleaners the cleaners from venus - blow away your troubles the cleaners from venus - on any normal monday serge gainsbourg - histoire de melody nelson talking heads - speaking in tongues joy division - closer nuns - opportunities the amps - pacer vulfpeck - mr. finish line death grips - exmilitary lower dens - escape from evil jean-claude vannier - l'enfant assassin des mouches black marble - a different arrangement dead kennedys- plastic surgery disasters the zombies - begin here bravo - crossroads of spring dead kennedys - frankenchrist nick drake - five leaves left the fall - hex enduction hour jay reatard - blood visions daryl hall - sacred songs king crimson - in the court of the crimson king spiritualized - ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space sloan peterson - midnight love ep radiohead - in rainbows

FEBRUARY - 31 the clean - compilation lcd soundsystem - sound of silver dean blunt - black metal dean blunt - skin fade john maus - we must become the pitiless censors of ourselves luna - penthouse felt - gold mine trash camper van beethoven - telephone free landslide victory woman believer - dunzo vulfpeck - vollmilch siouxsie and the banshees - the scream the monkees - self titled the monkees - more of the monkees billy bragg - workers playtime elliot smith - figure 8 car seat headrest - twin fantasy (face to face) mf doom - mm food madvillain - madvillainy jonny greenwood - phantom thread big black - songs about fucking iceage - plowing into the fields of love sufjan stevens - carrie and lowell the monkees - headquarters various artists - glass arcade joy division - unknown pleasures new order - movement calexico - convict pool jonathan richman - i, jonathan the monks - black monk time slowdive - souvlaki drop nineteens - delaware

MARCH - 34 the magnetic fields - 69 love songs wilco - yankee hotel foxtrot aquarium - radio africa aquarium - ten arrows elvis costello & the attractions - imperial bedroom sufjan stevens - illinois radiohead - hail to the thief fleet foxes - crack up the magnetic fields - get lost love - forever changes david bowie - low the smiths - the queen is dead clinic - walking with thee clinic - internal wrangler the clash - london calling sparks - angst in my pants sparks - whomp that sucker brian eno - here come the warm jets 14 iced bears - come get me kino - noch kino - eto ne lyubov lou reed - transformer zex - fight for yourself lou reed - berlin van morrisson - moondance funkadelic - maggot brain martha wainwright - self titled kate bush - the kick inside the monkees - head the mountain goats - the sunset tree arlo guthrie - alice's restaurant the smiths - self titled jobriath - self titled kino - 46

APRIL - 35 donovan - the hurdy gurdy man gerard way - hesitant alien tokyo kid brothers - throw away the books, let's go into the streets the protomen - act ii: the father of death the jesus and mary chain - stoned and dethroned poly trap super six - dream the smiths - meat is murder paul simon - graceland the monkees - the birds, the bees, and the monkees mort garson - plantasia pulp - a different class david bowie - ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars queen - jazz nino tempo & april stevens - deep purple jacques dutronc - il est cinq heures television - marquee moon cory wong - cory wong and the green screen band the fearless fliers - self titled the stone roses - self titled michael nesmith - wichita train whistle sings the brobecks - violent things the young veins - take a vacation! the cars - self titled the apples in stereo - the discovery of a world inside the moone neil cicierega - mouth moods neil cicierega - mouth silence the zombies - odessey and oracle tim buckley - starsailor the mothers of invention - absolutely free abnuceals emuukha electric symphony orchestra and frank zappa - lumpy gravy the mothers of invention - freak out! the beach boys - pet sounds world party - bang! david bowie - young americans david bowie - station to station

MAY - 37 the cure - three imaginary boys les rita mitsouko - the no comprendo the beatles - rubber soul the beatles - sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band the beatles - revolver sufjan stevens - age of adz various artists - the ruling class - the very best of el records charlotte gainsbourg - 5:55 the housemartins - london 0, hull 4 the communards - self titled new order - substance the replacements - let it be alvvays - self titled the beach boys - smile candy claws - ceres & calypso in the deep time faust - faust iv auktyon - ptiza supergrass - i should coco feist - the reminder trashcan sinatras - cake thelonious monk - thelonious monk and sonny rollins joey dosik - game winner boards of canada - music has the right to children ali farka touré - talking timbuktu saint etienne - foxbase alpha new york dolls - self titled oval - popp amon tobin - bricolage billy bragg - talking to the taxman about poetry billy bragg - brewing up with sufjan stevens - michigan bruce springsteen - born in the usa xtc - drums & wires the b52s - cosmic thing wire - pink flag toto - toto iv dexys midnight runners - too-rye-ay

JUNE - 32 car seat headrest - nervous young man my bloody valentine - loveless sons of an illustrious father - deus sex machina: or, moving slowly beyond nikola tesla the damned - molten lager the verve - urban hymns weezer - pinkerton weezer - blue album lilah larson - pentimento CAN - ege bamyasi NEU! - self titled gong - expresso ii NE-HI - offers walk the moon - talking is hard aphex twin - richard d. james album jpegmafia - veteran elvis costello and the attractions - armed forces talking heads - remain in light robohands - green sons of an illustrious - sons neil young - on the beach ric menck - the ballad of ric menck a$ap rocky - testing death grips - year of the snitch protomartyr - consolation ep death grips - bottomless pit matthew wilder - i don't speak the language the i.l.y's - bodyguard meatloaf - bat out of hell portishead - dummy john denver - rocky mountain high john denver - poems, prayers, and promises this heat - deceit

JULY - 24 godspeed you! black emperor - F# A# infinity the cure - disintegration the smiths - strangeways here we come shark tears - in the museum of my memory kid dakota - so pretty new radicals - maybe you've been brainwashed too prince - purple rain matchi - oblivion prince - 1999 roxy music - country life abba - arrival nico - chelsea girl the jam - sound affects absinthe father - good enough marigold - self-titled billy bragg - william bloke pulp - his n' hers pulp - it pulp - we love life david bowie - aladdin sane julian cope - black sheep the jam - the gift the volley - self titled oasis - definitely maybe

AUGUST - 31 brian eno - ambient 1: music for airports kraftwerk - autobahn kraftwerk - the man machine steve reich - music for 18 musicians max eider - the best kisser in the world blur - self titled the dentists - some people are on the pitch they think it's all over it is now twin peaks ost wire - dot dash (single/2 song ep) orange juice - rip it up the index - self titled matmos - a chance to cut is a chance to cure clarence clarity - no now xiu xiu - fabulous muscles big black - atomizer pj harvey - rid of me alex turner - submarine ep leonard cohen - songs of leonard cohen shellac - 1000 hurts shellac - dude incredible close lobsters - foxheads stalk this land the bangles - different light jarvis cocker - further complications even as we speak - the black forest ep a silver mt. zion - he has left us alone but shafts of light sometimes grace the corner of our rooms... kamasi washington - heaven and earth april march - chick habit big star -  #1 record the doors - self titled orchestral manoeuvres in the dark - crush the heavy blinkers - the night and i are still so young

SEPTEMBER - 33 mekons - so good it hurts the fall - the frenz experiment nick cave and the bad seeds - murder ballads patti smith - horses suburban lawns - self titled the mountain goats - goths donnie & joe emerson - dreamin' wild nothing - guilty of everything donnie & joe emerson - still dreamin' wild: the lost recordings 1979-81 sports - people can't stop chillin various artists - wayne's world soundtrack various artists - dirty dancing soundtrack neutral milk hotel - in the aeroplane over the sea pink floyd - wish you were here naked giants - sluff eloy - ocean pure reason revolution - the dark third pink floyd - animals car seat headrest - teens of denial vampire weekend - self titled elton john - goodbye yellow brick road men at work - business as usual midnight oil - diesel and dust car seat headrest - living while starving belle and sebastien - dear catastrophe waitress depeche mode - violator creedence clearwater revival - green river ezra furman - day of the dog kate bush - hounds of love joe dassin - elle était... oh! king gizzard & the lizard wizard - nonagon infinity the modern lovers - self titled misfits - walk among us

OCTOBER - 30 martha and the muffins - metro music the redskins - neither washington nor moscow... oingo boingo - dead man's party the gun club - fire of love the flatmates - potpourri: hits, mixes and demos '85-'74 the passions - thirty thousand feet over china talking heads - 77 dexy's midnight runners - searching for the young soul rebels tears for fears - songs from the big chair oingo boingo - only a lad oingo boingo - nothing to fear danny elfman - so-lo altered images - bite fleetwood mac - self titled fleetwood mac - tusk ? & the mysterians - 96 tears of montreal - hissing fauna, are you the destroyer ride - nowhere galaxie 500 - on fire ride - smile ataquepolariS - self titled oingo boingo - good for the soul coven - witchcraft destroys minds and reaps souls aquarium - equinox love and rockets - earth sun moon nick cave and the bad seeds - i let love in weezer - green album johnathan wilson - gentle spirit express - jöjj hozzám nuns - the ghost inside

NOVEMBER - 11 the cranberries - everybody else is doing it, so why can't we? grimes - art angels frank zappa - hot rats my bloody valentine - tremelo queen - sheer heart attack queen - news of the world tame impala - currents slime girls - vacation wasteland slime girls - no summer no cry kero kero bonito - bonito generation the beach boys - surf's up!

DECEMBER - 14 skylar spence - prom king cocteau twins - heaven or las vegas boston - self titled vulfpeck - hill climber nine inch nails - the downward spiral mitski - be the cowboy mitski - bury me at makeout creek various artists - a christmas gift for you from phil spector fleetwood mac - tango in the night modern rocketry - get ready sufjan stevens - silver and gold sufjan stevens - songs for christmas goblin - suspiria jeff buckley - grace

all together i listened to 356 albums this year !!!! really close to an album a day but i fucked it up and got really busy towards the end :(

[captawesomesauce]

Do you think your music is all over the place or are their common threads?

Do you just like a bit of everything or do find that all of your music branches out from common themes?

How did you get into the music you love? Was it radio? Myspace? Friends? Family?

How has technology like spotify and youtube changed how you listen to music... for the better and for the worse?

I've been thinking about these questions for a few days. @betterinthe90s has gone through a lot of it with me and trying to introduce another person who has  no musical exposure has brought up a lot of these questions.

For myself... I notice a lot of common threads in my music. I tend to like harder, up tempo, darker, and aggressive music for the most part. Where this diverges is in my love of electronic dance music, 80s synthpop, ska, and new wave. I like heavy bass, really good drums, and a good horn section always makes me happy. I don't realy care about lyrics at all, and even vocals tends to be a non issue with some of the music I listen to. Kele Okereke is one of the few vocalists that I can say I really love listening to sing.

If I was going to create a chart of my music, a timeline, it'd start with the 1920-30s blues. I love a lot of classic blues artists like Lead belly, Mississippi John Hurt, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House.

From there it's an easy jump to up tempo Jazz like Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck. I'm not a fan of slow, wandering jazz, I need speed, I need aggression, I need pop, I need something that makes me bounce or has a semblance of tension.

Next up would be a lot of the 60s electric blues and classic rock, but also a divergence of sorts into Motown and other pop music. I think a lot of the divergence is due to my mothers love of Fankie Valli, the Supremes, Neil Diamond, the Isley Brothers and such. No lie, there was so much good music coming out of the 60s, it's one of those incredible decades where you had Classic Rock, Electric Blues, Motown, and so much more just exploding everywhere. In that period you'll find me loving everyone from Chubby Checker and The Monkees to the Troggs and Rolling Stones. You have the Doors and Led Zep, everything Clapton and Steve Winwood ever did, and so much more. But here you can see that thread... that link back to the Delta, Chicago, and Mississippi Blues coming through in the English bands like Cream, and in the songs of the Doors.

The 70s would also track these divergent sounds, with punk, hardcore, proto-punk, and classic rock really being the mainstay of favorite songs from the decade. I couldn't get into Disco and still can't, and a lot of the pop songs are still bleh to me. But you have Queen, you have the Sex Pistols, you have Iggy Pop and the Stooges, you have everything coming out of CBGBs like Blondie and the Ramones, The Clash and glam rock by Bowie. I can't get into the funkadelic happy love stuff... I want Lou Reed, Paul Weller, The Damned, and so much more!

The 80s just took the end of the 70s and blew it up 1000 fold. Proto Punk turned into Punk and Hardcore with distinct scenes popping up all over. The Midwest had Husker Du and the Replacements, Washington had it's own scene with Fugazi, the west coast punk and hardcore scenes were incredible with everyone from the Minutemen and Adolescents and Descendents and so many others that would take too long to list. You also have New Wave and Synthpop coming up big with bands like B-52s, Talking Heads, Devo, The Cure, and Depeche Mode putting out some of the best music ever. Joy Division became New Order, and with Erasure and Pet Shop Boys really took over the electronic dance scene. OMD, Kraftwerk, and so many others made some of the best synth songs. Bauhaus became the god fathers of Goth, and Siouxsie Sioux became it's queen. Ska had a revival with the Specials, General Public, Madness, and so many great two-tone bands. But the thing that is important to note is that for all of the 80s music I love.. Soft Cell, A Ha, The Police, Oingo Boingo, Heaven 17 and Kajagoogoo included... I never got into the "pop" music of the time. Michael Jackson never did anything for me, nor did Whitney Houston, Survivor, Bonnie Tyler, or Wham. I never gave a shit about "Metal" like Motley Crue or Van Halen. If the people were singing about parties, romance, or shit like that... well... that wasn't my life. I could better relate to music about social struggles and general nonsense! Hall and Oates and Phil Collins had incredible music, Dire Straits too... Give me that Huey Lewis and Falco... but I couldn't deal with Billy Ocean or Madonna. The 80s were the era of the Punk, Post Punk, New Wave, Synthpop, Ska, Goth, Electronic Dance, Rockabilly, and I loved it so much. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Every 80s band I grew to love, I was exposed to by the DJ's at KROQ in Los Angeles (Pasadena)... Rodney Bingenheimer, Shadoe Stevens, The Poorman,Richard Blade, Jed the Fish, and so many others. They helped get airplay for so many bands from England like Depeche Mode and The Cure, and played a lot of others that would never get played on top 40 like X and The Cult.

By the end of the 80s, music started to move subtly into a new new wave. The 90s became characterized for me by shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Catherine Wheel, Lush, Ride, and Slowdive exploding out of my speakers, along with a 2nd wave of Britpop bands like Blur, Oasis, Pulp, and Elastica. Bob Mould's Hardcore Punk band Husker Du broke up, but his alt-rock ensemble Sugar put out the greatest album of the 90s in Copper Blue, and Grunge made punk huge and accessible. Nirvana took the elements from the Pixies and Husker Du and made some amazing albums. Industrial music from the 80s also hit it's stride, with Nine Inch Nails building on the earlier works from Killing Joke and Skinny Puppy among others to craft something that was incredible. But it all followed the same lines you know? Grunge grew from Punk, Punk still existed and was great. Industrial came from the 80s hardcore synth scenes. Goth was still going strong. Synthpop became shoegaze and britpop. It was all the same stuff with just new bands and new names. Heck we even had a 3rd wave of ska!

Today it's much of the same. Alternative rock, Indie, EDM, ... it is what it is and bands like Bloc Party and the Wombats would not have stood out as weird in the 80s playing with say, New Order, or even Joy Division. Put Death in Vegas next to Kraftwerk, and have the Clash play with Kasabian.

The biggest change was in the 80s and 90s, women started to have more voice. RiotGrrrl really allowed for women to write songs not meant for men, or crooning about men, but to really rock the fuck out, be loud, be aggressive, and say what they wanted about what mattered to them. Even bands that didn't have a political bent or agenda of any kind, could still have a safe space and supportive fan base and the great thing about punk was that while you had a lot of shitheads in it, you had a greater number of people who were just very supportive of ideas that went against the conservative norm.

So for me, there's really a very common thread in all of my music, but you might ask how the fuck did I get exposed/start with 20's blues when I was born in 77? The answer is simple... the Blues Brothers! My mother had an 8 track of theres and as a toddler it's ALL I ever wanted to listen to, I wore that shit out! From the time I was tiny, the blues was the only music that resonated with me. From there, I was exposed to classic rock and all of the great 80s stuff thanks to having some amazing LA radio stations like KLSX and KROQ at a time when DJ's had power, they could make their own playlists, they could even play deep cuts from albums, not just singles.

But you know what the biggest change has been? I find that I no longer give albums and songs a chance anymore thanks to youtube and spotify. Back int he day when you had a tape, you couldn't skip songs. You stuck it in, you listened to the whole album A side and B side. Some songs you loved immediately, many grew on you, some you hated automatically. And that's the part I miss... having the space and ability to let songs grow on me through repetition. I feel like the current technology and abundance of choice kind of robs us of that. If someone sends me a new song, I listen to bits and pieces of it and if it doesn't catch me... it's a miss. If a favorite band puts out a new album, I might not even listen to it all of the way through. And that sucks. Some songs need familiarity and room to grow. One thing I do like to do is play random peoples playlists that have songs I like and delete anything I know and just try and find new music that way. But I can't even remember the last time I listened to the radio... I can't imagine why I would bother... to be honest... Today, my friends are better DJ's than the corporate radio stations. Today, tumblr and spotify are better places to be exposed to good music than anywhere else. I mentioned trying to expand my friend to more music... and I realized the other night that it has to be a process. No one jumps straight from classical music to Ministry's Stigmata Martyr, Bauhaus, or Nitzer Ebb. You don't go from Ed Sheeran straight into NiN Starfuckers or Smashing Pumpkins Geek USA. Early Husker Du and Public Image Ltd is not for people who grew up on Beyonce. Some bands, some music are gateway drugs. Bowie is a great gateway drug, the Velvet Underground, Cream, and Zeppelin... bands like the Communards and Talking heads... they're accessible. Morrissey and the Smiths too. Joy Division's Warsaw or Atmosphere is not lol. I have to laugh though, because I was flipping through music and Ministry came on and I went oooh nope, that's a nope, she's not ready for that. But she was polite and happy and said nooo I should just play whatever I wanted, it was ok. ......... She even commented that my tone and look on my face was a warning... but she was fine with anything. ... She was not fine with anything... lol we got a few seconds into Stigmata Martyr and yeah... it was time to change :) Still one of my all time favorite songs though!

So there you have it, this isn't in any way a comprehensive exploration of music of each decade, but who knows, maybe it makes you think about the questions at the top of this and come up with your own answers.

[dustedmagazine]

Michael Rosenstein 2020: Seeking Sojourn

What was I doing in 2010? What was I listening to? Honestly, without doing some digging, nothing springs immediately to mind. I’m guessing that ten years from now, thinking back on 2020, that won’t be the case. In mid-March, my wife and I took off on our annual winter/early spring sojourn to Provincetown, Cape Cod. When we headed out, the state of the world was tenuous. But over the course of four days, we split our time between idyllic, cold walks on the Outer Cape beaches and tracking the pandemic slide into lockdown and mayhem. We came back home to an entirely different world which has continued to spiral and swirl. This was a year where I spent far more time walking in a woods near my house, searching out a pair of barred owls and their four fledglings than I did listening to music. Focus for listening has waxed and waned and online video streams just haven’t resonated with me. But still, music has brought me some sense of solace over the course of the last year.

AMPLIFY 2020: quarantine

Without a doubt, most of my listening over the year was spent following the AMPLIFY 2020: quarantine festival. Organized by Jon Abbey, who runs the Erstwhile record label along with musicians Vanessa Rossetto and Matthew Revert, the online festival kicked off on March 20 and ran through September 20, presenting 240 newly-recorded pieces and 80 hours of music by musicians from across the globe. Most were solo contributions, with seven “blind overdubs” where two musicians with established working relationships chose track lengths in advance and submitted their recordings which were superimposed with some light mixing by Taku Unami. While the pieces are all available as free downloads on Bandcamp, that only reveals part of the story. Over the course of six months, the Facebook group grew to 3000 members, acting as a virtual gathering place for online conversations and musings with countless posts a day. Additionally, Abbey tirelessly posted an ongoing playlist which he dubbed “atmosphere” with cuts that ran the gamut from Albert Ayler to Funkadelic to Keith Hudson to Al Green with an extra-heavy helping of DJ Screw. Just tuning in to those choices and jumping on conversations was enough to save some days.

While anyone following the Erstwhile label caught some memorable submissions by expected participants, the organizers and some guest curators had more in mind than that and sub-threads developed early on. Yan Jun recruited fantastic submissions from little-known musicians from China while also contributing two pieces of his own. In addition to delivering three strong pieces, Revert brought in an Australian contingent. Rossetto delivered a festival highlight with her piece “perhaps at some time you have acted in a play, even if it was when you were a child” while also inviting a wide network of sound explorers constructing intimate sonic investigations. Abbey himself cast a wide net, probing for both established and little known musicians who had caught his attention over the years. (I’ve known Jon for a long time and was honored to be amongst those invited, contributing a piece assembled from field recordings from my Cape Cod trip.)

A number of musicians who hadn’t put out solo recordings in years, some who hadn’t had any recent releases at all, were lured back, with highlights by Greg Kelley, David Kirby, Joe Panzner, Annette Krebs and Sean Meehan. There was also a somber thread of homages to musicians who died over the last year, starting with a dedication of the entire festival to Australian percussionist Sean Baxter as well as a stirring tribute to bassist Simon H. Fell by Rhodri Davies, a dedication to Keith Tippett by Mark Wastell, and pieces commemorating Cor Fuhler by Dale Gorfinkel, Marcus Schmickler, Jim Denley, Nick Ashwood (recorded with Fuhler shortly before his death), Clare Cooper and Reinier van Houdt (whose six monthly missives delivered throughout the duration of the festival are all well worth spending time with.)

I find myself still catching up on the overwhelming array of contributions but here are a small sampling that caught my ear, though if I were to assemble this list a week from now, the choices would certainly be different.

Zhao Cong – “Homework”

homework by Zhao Cong

Yan Jun’s choice of musicians from China was uniformly superb and all are worth checking out. But Beijing-based Zhao Cong’s entry, in particular, has continued to hang with me. Her piece, constructed from two bass guitars and objects with its scrabbled detail of electronic hum, grit and glitch shot through with ringing bass strings popped out on first listen and continues to deliver.

Rie Nakajima – “carpet”

carpet by Rie Nakajima

Nakajima’s approach to sound-making, utilizing motors, mechanical devices and found objects proved the perfect tonic for pandemic listening. Her piece for AMPLIFY was recorded in her home in London “with all familiar objects I have been using at home.” The percussive piece is shot through with timbral depth, clattering along with a barely-contained momentum. Her release Karu Karu for Café Oto’s digital Takuroku lockdown series is also well worth checking out. And while I tended not to connect with online video over the course of the year, I found myself returning to Nakajima’s seven days bird songs which unfolded over the course of a week, multiple times.

Ivan Palacký – “Sanctuary”

Sanctuary by Ivan Palacký

Czech-based Ivan Palacký’s “Sanctuary” hit early on in the fest and remained a favorite. Palacký spent the first day of quarantine exploring his flat with an electromagnetic sensor, capturing the buzzes and tremors of everyday electronic devices. A few weeks later, he pulled out three knitting machines which he contact mic’d and used to improvise with the electromagnetic recordings. Palacký deftly interleaved percussive patter with wafts of static, grit and crackles, creaks and sputters and resonant thrums into an immersive piece.

Martin Kay – “Bath Time (2nd Edit)

Bath Time (2nd Edit) by Martin Kay

Through the festival, a thread developed of the pieces constructed as sonic response to the physical surroundings of isolation. Moniek Darge's gutting “Quarantine Child,” assembled from interior recordings and the desperate wail of a child, Mark Vernon's “The Dominion of Din,” woven together from field recordings from outside his Glasgow flat, cataloging exterior sounds that have annoyed him over the years and Kate Carr’s haunting “on every stair another stairway is set in negative” recorded using an old reel to reel tape and instrument recordings captured in her bathroom are three. Martin Kay’s four-part “Bath Time” delves in to that personal, interior realm, composed from recordings made in and around his bathroom during the routine that developed with his daughter’s nightly bath. The use of shifting focus, natural resonances of the room, the tub and underwater recordings transform the private, domestic activity into an increasingly abstracted aural study.

Distant Duos

The Distant Duos project that Mary Staubitz and Russ Waterhouse embarked on was also instigated by a sense of lost community. But here, the strategies employed were markedly different. The two are immersed in the DIY noise/improv New England community, spearheading shows in basements, bars, galleries and ad hoc venues and collaborating with musicians from New Haven to Portland, Maine, with all stops in between. They’ve also been instrumental in developing a network of like-minded musicians and bringing travelers through, some who have become frequent visitors. Unlike the duos in AMPLIFY, Staubitz and Waterhouse curated the 78 sessions, inviting pairs of musicians with a simple strategy. “Two remote artists record five minutes of sound while thinking about the other artist, unable to hear each other. The two tracks are combined into one.”

Released in sets of five on Bandcamp, the first on April 30 and the last on December 9, these bursts served as vital postcards. For those of us based in New England, these were both bittersweet reminders of the pre-COVID world we frequented and exultant celebrations. As someone who organized shows with the two and often played on the same bills, these really connected. (I was asked to participate, paired with Worcester-based Abdul Sherzai.) Some of the duos were longstanding partnerships (Greg Kelley and Vic Rawlings have been working together for over a decade). Some were pairings of musicians who knew each other but had likely never played together. Some participants were drawn from the deep field of regional musicians while others were recruited from across the US and Europe. With only five minutes at play, these served as sketches, vignettes or rough drafts. But keen curation and Waterhouse’s astute mixing and mastering made these hold together. Like AMPLIFY, these periodic missives kept me going through the last year.

Flip through any of the contributions and you’ll find plenty to encourage further listening. This batch, culled from the October 28th releases, provides a glimpse into the broad crew of musicians pulled in and the diverse strategies they came up with.

Adam Kohl and Mickey O’Hara

Adam Kohl and Mickey O'Hara by Distant Duos

Western Massachusetts-based Kohl (better known musically as Arkm Foam) and Worcester-based O’Hara have been performing together for a while now, and experiencing their mix of low-fi cassette manipulation and laptop generated deconstructed clatter and glitch inhabit a performance space is enthralling. This brief snapshot serves as a succinct snapshot of one of their sets.

J​.​P​.​A. Falzone and Hali Palombo

J.P.A. Falzone and Hali Palombo by Distant Duos

This mashup between J​.​P​.​A. Falzone (part of the ensemble Ordinary Affects) and composer and visual artist Hali Palombo comes across as quavering pulsations dialed in from some ethereal transmission. Listening feels like one is tuning in to an hours-long broadcast of hovering tones and fluttering waves which fuse together into shuddering oscillations.

Henry Birdsey and Mary Staubitz

Henry Birdsey and Mary Staubitz by Distant Duos

Birdsey has been developing his micro-tonal musings as part of the duo Tongue Depressor as well as his solo releases under his own name and as S.T.L.A. while Staubitz jumps from the solo sonic onslaughts of Donna Parker to a wide-ranging array of ongoing and one-off collaborations. Here field recordings of rippling water and electric pops and crackles mix with shuddering overtones of bowed metal for an engulfing sonic snapshot.

Lexie Mountain and Angela Sawyer

Lexie Mountain and Angela Sawyer by Distant Duos

Baltimore’s Lexie Mountain and Boston’s Angela Sawyer have known each other for years, so it’s no surprise that their distant connection of broken electronics and found objects clicks so well. Here, everyday detritus is elevated to a compact improvisation imbued with skittering percussive tumult, whirrs and clatter.

New Releases

When I did carve out time to listen, here’s a few that stuck with me through the year.

Toshiya Tsunoda & Taku Unami – Wovenland 2 (Erstwhile)

Wovenland 2 by Toshiya Tsunoda/Taku Unami

Working from basic field recordings, Tsunoda and Unami use the studio as an alchemical laboratory, delving into mixing and mastering tools to explore, process and transform environmental sound. In their hands, the digital artifacts of that process are as intrinsic to the results as the source material they have deconstructed. They sum it up succinctly. “Our goal is to focus on acoustic experiments. No more and no less.”

Here are some more that stuck with me in no particular order:

Rhodri Davies – Telyn Rawn (Amgen Records)

Judith Wegmann – Le Souffle Du Temps II - Reflexion (ezz-thetics)

Clara de Asís & Mara Winter – Repetition of the same dream (Another Timbre)

Takuji Naka/Tim Olive – Minouragatake (Notice Recordings)

Magnus Granberg – Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth –Revised version for sho, koto, prepared piano and electronics (Ftarri)

Tasting Menu – Mueller Tunnel (Full Spectrum Records)

Simon H. Fell & Mark Wastell – Virtual Company (Confront)

Xavier Charles & Bertrand Gauguet – Spectre (akousis)

Pierre-Antoine Badaroux, Seymour Wright, Jean-Luc Guionnet – Solos (Remote Resonator)

Archival Releases and Reissues

Reissues continued to pour out from record labels. Some applied studio wizardry to revive and restore previously issued material and others dug out material from the vaults that rightfully deserves to be heard. But with touring opportunities gone, the ability to collaborate in person evaporated and the monthly boon of Bandcamp Fridays, many artists also took the opportunity to dig in to their personal vaults.

Gentle Fire – Explorations (1970-1973) (Paradigm Discs)

Explorations (1970 - 1973) by Gentle Fire

This one just hit in December but quickly shot to the top of my listening pile. Working in London in the early 70s, this little-known quintet of electro-acoustic pioneers worked at the edges of composition and improvisation, putting out a single, now impossible-to-find, LP performing graphic scores of by John Cage, Earle Brown and Christian Wolff (which, in itself deserves a reissue.) If they hit listeners’ radar at all, it was due to the fact that Hugh Davies was part of the group. This 3-CD box of previously unissued material is comprised of one disc of works by Wolff, Stockhausen, Brown, Cage and Ichiyanagi, another of their own compositions and a final disc capturing an extended improvisation. Five decades later, this stuff is still essential listening.

Rhodri Davies – Archif Series (self-released)

Archif #13: BMIC 17/09/1997 by IST

Currently at number 28 and counting, Davies dug in to his archives and unearthed a passel of gems, documenting live performances and studio experiments from 1995 through 2000. From solos to various group sessions, this is all music well worth spending time with. Particularly welcome are two releases by IST (Davies, Mark Wastell, and Simon H. Fell) and one by Assumed Possibilities (Davies, Wastell, Chris Burn and Phil Durrant). One hopes there is more to be unearthed.

Cor Fuhler Conundrom label

SLEE by Cor Fuhler

The sudden passing of Cor Fuhler was a tough one in a tough year. Whether as a pianist, instrument inventor or ensemble leader, Fuhler was always bristling with ideas. As part of a group effort, the discography of his Conundrom label is now available on Bandcamp with proceeds going to his estate.

Here are some others of note in no particular order:

Albert Ayler reissue series (ezz-thetics)

Phillip Wachsmann – Writing In Water (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Charles Mingus – @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 (Sunnyside)

Voice Crack – Glasgow 20/11/1999 (scatter)

John Butcher – On Being Observed (Weight of Wax)

Derek Bailey and Mototeru Takagi – Live at FarOut, Atsugi 1987 (NoBusiness Records)

Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley – Birdland, Neuburg 2011 (Fundacja Słuchaj)

[sightego]

i was tagged by @montysbaby thanks consistent angel :0 and i gotta tag 9 people i wanna get to know better but idk we’ll see...

relationship status: married to phantom thread

fave color: forest green and any variant of dark blue

Lipstick or chapstick: chapstick

Book I’m reading: i cant read books while im in school but the last thing i read was laura (idr who wrote it)

Last song I listened to: kelly price by migos and travis scott

Last movie I saw: tongues untied (by choice) and it 2017 (by force)

Top 3 shows: living single, a different world, maybe the twilight zone? I dont really watch too much tv anymore so im probably forgetting who i really wanna say

Top 3 bands: migos unfortunately, parliament funkadelic, and the supergroup me, beyoncé, and cupcakke got cooking up 😛

idk who to tag but if u wanna go ahead bc im interested in what all of you have to say!

[psychothrillcologne]

PSYCHO THRILL/ ROHBAU/ GOLZHEIM techno industries ... that’s how we gonna do it straight.

3hrs of a Rohbau/ PsychoThrill Cologne power-hour set at Düsseldorf's famous GOLZHEIM club, on sat., nov. 4th 2017 2gether with Dimitri Pike (DTM / WildTek BEL) and Daniel Fritschi (Golzheim / Level Rec.). Claus Bachor riding high through all valleys of cutting edged Techno which are almost natural for his Cologne club brand since 1988/91 (Rave Club/PsychoThrill CGN). featured TRACK LISTING: 01 FUNKADELIC: You And Your Folks _ Claude Young Jr. Club Mix [ D3-track from “Reworked By Detroiters” Westbound Records SEW3-158 UK 3x12" | 2017 ] 02 DEEE-LITE [ANI SCHEMPF, DMITRY BRILL, KIERIN KIRBY, TOWA TEI]: Heart Be Still _ Carl Craig 1996 Remix [ B1-track from “Sampladelic Relics & Dancefloor Oddities” Elektra 61872-1 US Promo-2x12" | 1996 ] 03 NICK SINNA: Come Again _ Luke Hess Remix [ B2-track from “PN19” Prime Numbers PN-019 UK 12" | 2014 ] 04 SHINRA [JAMES CLARKE]: Fallen [ B2-track from “Ball & Chain EP” null+void Recordings NUL-001 UK 12" | 2015 ] 05 JOHN HECKLE: Archipelago [ A-side from “Memories Of Kamerlengo” Moondance Records MR-002 CRO 12" | 2017 ] 06 RICHIE INKLE: Rationell [ B2-track from “2+2=5 EP” Pseudo Records PSEUDO-005 FRA Promo-12" | 2004 ] 07 DIMDJ [DIMITRIS EVAGELOPOULOS] feat. TRENTON CHASE: Computer Beats [ A3-track from “DimDJ” TH Tar Hallow TH-004 NL 12" | 2016 ] 08 ECHELON: Untitled [ B2-track from “002” Echelon 002 GER WL-12" | 2017 ] 09 DONA [DONA BASILE]: City With No Fear [ A-side from “C.W.N.F.” Points Records Points-006 GER 10" | 2016 ] 10 RHYW [ALEX TSIRIDIS]: Skull To The Chest [ B1-track from “Rhyw” TH Tar Hallow TH-005 12" | 2016 ] 11 KHAN [CAN ORAL]: Untitled [ B2-track from “Silent Movie” Electro Bunker Cologne EBC-003 GER Promo-12" | 1996 ] 12 Pacou [LARS LEWANDOWSKI]: Frequency Chain [ B1-track from “Radar” Djax-Up-Beats DJAX-UP-327 NL Promo-12" | 2000 ] 13 ELLERY COWLES: It's Taking Control [ A1-track from “Sonic Control” Djax-Up-Beats DJAX-UP-227 Blu-Promo-12" | 1995 ] 14 DANIEL BELL: Sience Fiction [ A2-track from “Tresor 3” NovaMute PNoMu-043 UK Promo-12" | 1995 ] 15 X-TERNAL PULSE [Ultradyne / Dennis Richardson & Alexandres Lugo]: Crossphaze [ A1-track from “The Silicon Ghetto EP Vol. 3” Accelerate ACC-003 US 12" | 1993 ] 16 DBX [DANIEL BELL]: Back 2 Da Beat [ A2-track from “Ghetto Trax” Accelerate ACC-100 US Promo-12" | 1993 ] 17 DAMON WILD & EPI CENTRUM [JERZY PRZEZDZIECKI]: Snatch [ A2-track from “Produkt” Synewave SW-119 US 12" | 2017 ] 18 BEN SIMS: The Stalker [ B2-track from “Gamma Ray Subway EP” Deeply Rooted House DRH-055 US 12" | 2017 ] 19 SIGHA [JAMES SHAW]: Down _ Function Remix [ B1-track from “Metabolism Remixes” TOKEN-077 BEL 12" | 2017 ] 20 DASHA RUSH: Black Swan [ B1-track from “Ain't No God Nor King” Sonic Groove ‎SG-1780 US 12" | 2017 ] 21 BYLLY: Lysis [ A2-track from “CDT001” Chineurs De Techno CDT-001 FRA Promo-12" | 2017 ] 22 F.U.S.E. [R.M.H. from Windsor]: F.U.2 _ Re-edit [ B2-track from “Substance Abuse” Plus 8 Records PLUS-8013 CAN Promo-12" | 1991 ] 23 FRANCOIS DUBOIS: Dark Angel [ A-side from “Dark Angel” Blue Recordings BLUE-012 CAN Promo-12" | 2002 ] 24 2AMFM [D'MARC CANTU & TADD MULLINIX]: Pattern On The Floor [ B-side from “2AMFM EP” Secret Studio Records SCS-007 FRA BL-12" | 2017 ] 25 FIT SIEGEL + TIM LOVE LEE [AARON SIEGEL & TIM LEE]: Living Is Serious Business _ Carl Craig Remix [ B-side from “Living Is Serious Business” Label Fit Sound FIT-014 / Detroit Threads US 12" | 2017 ] 26 SEEKER [OLIVER HO]: Untitled B [ B-side from “Manifestation” Continual CNL-006 UK Promo-12" | 2001 ] 27 TRAP 10 [JANIS & FABIAN]: DST [ B2-track from “Three EP” a.r.t.less ‎A.R.T.LESS-2182 GER WL-12" | 2017 ] 28 SOUNDERS DEPARTMENT [TOB JONA & MMIKE GERALD]: Cosmopolitan [ A-side from “Cosmopolitan” Sounders Dept. ‎003 GER Promo-12" | 1997 ] 29 DREXCIYA [GERALD DONALD & JAMES STINSON]: Black Sea [ A1-track from “The Journey Home” Warp Records ‎WAP-057 UK Promo-12" | 1995 ] 30 RUSS GABRIEL’s AUDIO SPECTRUM: Alligator Voodoo [ A2-track from “Pilgrimage EP” Soma Quality Recordings SOMA-036 UK Promo-12" | 1996 ] 31 HASHIM [JERRY CALLISTE JR.]: Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) _ Extended Mix [ A1-track from Cutting Records CR-200 US 12" | 1983 ] 32 ‘MAD MIKE’ BANKS: Lo-Tech Reality [ B2-track from “Hi-Tech Dreams / Lo-Tech Reality” Underground Resistance UR-071 US 12" | 2007 ] 33 BETA EVERS [BIGITTE ENZLER]: Destination Lost [ B2-track from “Eruption” Kommando 6 K6-XX GER Promo-12" | 2005 ] 34 ERIK TRAVIS: Freaky (Programming) [ A-side from “Sound Of Mind” F.A.C.T. Records ET-004 / Detroit Threads US 12" | 1998 ] 35 CYBONIX [ODELL PERRY, TAMEKO J. WILLIAMS]: Shake Your Body [ B1-track from “Cybonix In Effect” D-Bass Records DBR-50105 / Detroit Threads US 12" | 1997 ] 36 STALLONE THE REDUCER [SAMUEL CONSIGLIO]: Drug Pusher [ A1-track from “Drug Pusher” Est. 83' Records ‎EST.83-05 / FIT / Detroit Threads US Promo-12" | 2016 ] 37 OBJEKT [TJ HERTZ]: Unglued [ B-side from “Objekt002” OBJEKT-002 GER WL-12" | 2011 ] 38 PERBEC [MARK BROOM & PETER ADSHEAD]: Until The End Part 1 [ A1-track from “Until The End / Variety Club” ifach-017 UK Promo-12" | 1998 ] 39 PETTER B [PETTER BÖRGESSON]: Higher Thirds [ B2-track from “Unconfined EP” Bond ‎Bond-011 SWE 12" | 2017 ] 40 PERBEC [MARK BROOM & PETER ADSHEAD]: Variety Club [ B-side from “Until The End / Variety Club” ifach-017 UK Promo-12" | 1998 ] 41 PETTER B [PETTER BÖRGESSON]: Suspension Lock [ B1-track from “Unconfined EP” Bond ‎Bond-011 SWE 12" | 2017 ] 42 WOO YORK [ANDREW VANZHULA & DENNIS ANDRIYANOW]: I Am Against [ A1-track from “I Am Against” Soma Quality Recordings ‎SOMA-409 UK 12" | 2017 ] 43 HODGE & RANDOMER [JAKE MARTIN & ROHAN WALDER]: Slipping [ B1-track from “If I Could Stop” Clone Basement Series ‎CBS-027 NL 12" | 2017 ] 44 NATHAN JONES: Pillars Of Creation [ A2-track from “Voices Of The Further EP” Vision Collector VC-004 IRE 12" | 2017 ] 45 RUE EAST [DAVE HILL & MARK BROOM]: Remove [ A-side from “Remove / Liquid Line” Rewired RW-005 UK 12" | 1997 ] 46 POPULATION ONE [TERRENCE DIXON]: Out Of Control [ A1-track from “Theater Of A Confused Mind” Label Rush Hour Recordings RHM-013 NL 2x12" | 2014 ] 47 HENNING BAER: DNA [ A2-track from “The Idea Of Instinct” Nonplus Records NONPLUS-040 UK 12" | 2017 ] 48 JOEL MULL: Untitled [ B2-track from “Code Red 05” CODE RED-005 SWE 12" | 1998 ] 49 SHINGO SUWA: Filth Reality [ B-side from “Merkur Ep 06.5” Merkur Schallplatten MER-006.5 GER 12" | 2017 ] 50 DJ SKULL [RON MANEY]: Keep it Hard [ A1-track from “Hard Drive” Djax-Up-Beats DJAX-UP-224 NL Promo-2x12" | 1995 ] 51 MARCOS CABRAL: Loose Lips [ A1-track from “Trak Madnezz II” Clone Jack For Daze ‎C#JFD31 NL 12" | 2017 ] 52 STEVE POINDEXTER: Work That Motherfucker (mixed cutz) [ A1-track from “W.T.M.F.” Muzique Records ‎MR-001 US 12" | 1989 ] 53 JUSTIN BERKOVI: SCSI Dreams [ A2-track from “Rich Bitches & Superstuds #1” Predicaments PRED-005 UK Promo-12" | 1999 ] 54 JOEY BELTRAM: Energy Flash [ A-side from “Energy Flash” Transmat MS-16 US 12" | 1990 ] 55 EXETER [ARMIN LAMERS, NIKOLAI KAEßMANN, ROLAND CASPER]: Feel The Speed _ Mix 1 [ A-side from “F.T.S.” Spacemate Recordings ‎1202 GER Promo-12" | 1992 ] 56 CYBERSONIK [DANIEL BELL, JOHN ACQUAVIVA, R.H.M. from Windsor]: Backlash [ A-side from “Backlash” Plus 8 Records PLUS-8007 CAN Promo-12" | 1991 ] 57 LOCKERTMATIK [STEPHAN SCHINDLER]: 313-0351 [ B2-track from “Break The Chains” Shtum ‎shtum-013 GER Test-12" | 2017 ] 58 LIL'LOUIS [MARVIN LOUIS BURNS]: Jupiter [ B2-track from “French Kiss” Label Diamond Records LL-001 US 12" | 1989 ] 59 NUEL [MANUEL FOGLIATA]: No Wonder [ A2-track from “Replica” Kontra-Musik ‎KMWL-010 SWE WL-12" | 2017 ] 60 METRO SKIM: Awareness [ A1-track from “Identifying Possibilities” 6dimensions 126D-002 UK 12" | 2017 ] 61 INSYNC vs. MYSTERON [CHRIS HARTLEY, DAVID MANUEL, LLEE PURKIS]: Sandman [ B2-track from “Exit 9” Peacefrog Records ‎PF-033 UK Promo-12" | 1995 ] 62 DELANO SMITH feat. DIAMONDANCER [CAROLYN FERRARI]: A Message For The DJ _ Original Mix [ A1-track from “A Message For The DJ” Still Music STILLM-004 US 12" | 2005 ] 63 WAAJEED [ROBERT O'BRYANT]: Winston's Midnight Disco [ A1-track from “SHANGO EP” Dirt Tech Reck DTR-11 / Submerge US 12" | 2017 ] Recent SpyInTheHouse_radio / 674fm_podcast

[funkadelicthreads]

Clean Vibes, Good People, Great Tunes.

This was the mantra that resonated throughout the weekend, rain or shine. Sweetwater & Happy Ending Production’s seriously stepped up the talent this year bringing this powerhouse headliner lineup, but even the smaller stages had the best local jammers as well. If you missed the fabulous preview of 420 Fest by Savannah elder – you need to check it out here!

It’s hard to come by a successfully run festival that is smack dab in the middle of a city, yet somehow ATL does this quite well. This is especially impressive when the festival is packed yet seems like there is green space between you and your neighbor. The heavy hitting headliners included WSMFP, Trey, Moe., Lettuce (If you don’t know then you better learn), Ween, Dopapod, Break Science (w Adam Deitch of Lettuce and Royal Family Records w/ Fitty Cent), Trombone Short, & Twiddle – just to name a few.

… But y’all could get that review from all the other media houses – L4LM, Jam Base, or Live ‘n Listen. This ‘rebrew’ is all about the smaller acts with that BIG sound! In order of appearance: The Hip Abduction, CBDB, Andy Bruh, Hedonistas, Voodoo Visionary, HIKU, & Funk You. So enjoy the epic photos by Blake Towns and listen to some Lettuce while you read!

Video by Clifton Dyer

The Hip Abduction

T.H.A. is an honorable mention since they are unable to play die to their singer’s vocal cord strain earlier in the wee which called for no talking/singing for a week (Doctor’s Orders)… coulda just jammed though y’all! Enough hate though I’m sure they heard it enough. They are currently touring w/ 3rd studio album under their belt and recently added synth sound incorporated into their tribal reggaeton arsenal due to their most recent producer from Nashville. Cheers to that guy because it works actually, big risk big reward because they have been shooting straight up the festival bills.

The Hip Abduction featuring David New (lead vocals, guitar), Pat Klemawesch (kamale ngoni, guitar, vocals), Chris Powers (bass), Dave Johnson (baritone and tenor sax), Sean Fote (keyboards), Matt Poynter (drums, vocals), and John Holt III (kamale ngoni, guitar, vocals) have shared stages with the likes of Ziggy Marley, Umphrey’s McGee, Thievery Corporation, 311, Dawes, Galactic, and Moe.FE and has performed at Sunfest, Wanee Music Festival, Suwanee Hulaween, Orange Blossom Jamboree, Tropical Heatwave Music Festival, The BIG What? and more.

All Photos are by Blake Towns

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CBDB

The slayers and purveyors of Joyfunk from L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama, not Los Angeles). These guys kicked off the festival with elegantly intricate riffs over light hearted prog jams. Its intense in a whole-hearted way which is hard to describe. CBDB always brings the heat and their performance at the Lyrics & Laughter Stage was no exception. Before the show, I talked to their newest bassist (that’s their 3rd if you are counting, but the rest of the band has held tight so no worries) but this new guy knows what’s up on the down low. Check out their third album, entitled “The FAME EP”, they are seeing a pattern of snowballing momentum with large, energetic crowds hungry. They blend soulful vocals and virtuosic instrumentation with smart, tasteful songwriting resulting in a sound that can be enjoyed by the casual listener and audiophile alike.

Speaking of questionable choices, as much as I hate to love Twiddle (Half of you Phish fans know what I’m talking about) I really do love this song and Bird Dog Jubilee does a spot on rendition. Here is vid of the song at 420Fest.

  Andy Bruh

The Heartwood Artist who is always in between Decatur and Athens has been raising the stakes in the DJ Realm for quite some time. After getting his start packing out New Earth, he quickly rose to support slots for Bassnectar, one of his biggest influences. He and Nectar also have more in common – they walk the line of producer and band by bringing together fresh perspectives, original music, and a true sense of community that is built on the entrepreneurial spirit of friends that surround them.

Andy’s other partner in crime, Robbie Dude, didn’t make the se this year, but they both were reunited alongside JuBee & Friends at the 420 Fest After party on Sunday. The Duo accompanied by accomplished MC, JuBee was nothing short of magical. Also Shoutout to JuBee playing Red Rocks this September // #keepATLfunky homie! The Atlanta born producer and DJ captures the soul of his city while pushing into unknown sonic territory with full control. Steeped in the history of Southern hip-hop, Andy Bruh builds on it’s melodic backbone and brings the full force of the electronic bass wave to create an energy unrivaled by many in the scene.

Hedonistas

Due to a time conflict, we weren’t able to cover these cool cats, but we still wanted to give them a shoutout and recoginition they deserve. Hit this link is after reading to get a peak of their set from the festival!

Also if that isn’t enough, our mutual homie Ethan “Dancin Shoes” Eloquin will be submitting a full rebrew of Hedonistas. Stay tuned kids!

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Voodoo Visionary

The Hometown Hero’s of Funk never disappoint. Here is just a little look into the set, but be looking out for a promo video and more media later! Where do we start?! Well, they played one of the best versions of “Harmony” I have head since its debut. Not to mention the monster jam that ensued after playing “Life During War Time” ( better than Widespread’s version i.m.o – more funky and to the point). Imagine that whilst slowly transitioning into the funkiest version of “Apache” (Jump On It) by Sugar Hill Gang all while Bret and the Krewe tossed out Voodoo Volley Balls into the insatiable crowd.

These newcomers ATE IT UP, and they fully satisfied their longtime fans as well. It was a magnificent marriage of olde & new, experimental & funk, young & old… so basically it is what you get all the time if you consistently go to VV’s shows. I cannot stress how much that this is a band not to miss next time you see them on a bill *cough cough* SCI afterparty. The crowd was so wild, I truly thought that widespread panic was about to ensue.

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HIKU

This Dynamic Duo is new on the block; however, the two producers are defiantly not. Niles, keys/synth/pad of ATL hellions Higher Learning who have been disrupting the electronic scene more than anyone since STS9 (which makes cents* since they were well-deservingly signed to 1320 Records last yea. (…don’t say 1312 like I always mistakenly say, it’s embarrassing. Especially if you say it to Alana while relating to bass theory) Moving on now.

Tyler (whose last name will remain a secret due to him being in the GBI’s Witness Protection Program) turned away from a life of killing beats to turning to the light side where he met Niles who noticed Tyler’s keen ability to produce phenomenal bass hits while pulling in drops to other covers which is the basis of HIKU. They do an extraordinary job of interlocking covers and original material to send out earthshaking drops atop there mountainous sound onto the audience.

Funk You

The OGs Renegades of Georgia Funk hailing from East Augusta have been on the grind for years and really been gaining this deserved recognition recently. The troupe is made up pf Will Clark on Drums, Will Foster on Keys, Gavin Hamilton on Vox, Evan Miller on Guitar, Palmer Owens on Perc, and Rob on Bass. Really they were well kept secret in Augusta, but nationally touring musicians have recolonized their talent for quite some time which has landed them in great festival spots like 420, The Werkout, The Big What, and the list goes on.

Back in 2014 at the first iteration of The Major Rager with Umphrey’s McGee and Moon Taxi, they were playing the afterparty at Sky City with The Kinky Aphrodisiacs and Chris Myers actually jumped on the drumset and jammed out! They had a number of flawlessly executed impromptu sit-ins – all while UM & Moon Taxi band members were in the crowd cheering them on. It was a magical moment to watch and after talking to Will Foster, it seems that there are many more stories to tell. We will save that for another article on these new age James Brown revivalists of the south. Catch them opening for PGroove at Georgia Theatre on June 2 in Athens and the Cox Capitol Theatre in Macon June 2. For tickets and info here!

    Stay Funky My Friends,

~Kyle Dee~

  … and if you still are reading, you deserve this: WSMFP night 2 – 2nd Set (I almost put the Ween set, but then thought you Gene and Dean fiends probably saw their set and already looked up all the recap plus pressed through the other single song vids from the night… I know I did. Roses was a great opener and Bird Dog Jubilee did a good cover of it at the Vinyl after Party too)

  FEATURED THREAD: 14th Sweetwater 420 Fest’s Heady ‘Rebrew’ Clean Vibes, Good People, Great Tunes. This was the mantra that resonated throughout the weekend, rain or shine.

[warpedspeed90]

“You come right out of a comic book”: Black Samurai and Death Dimension

For Black History Month, I’ve decided to take a look at two of the strangest films starring one of the biggest stars of the blaxploitation era. The man in question is Jim Kelly, the actor and martial artist who is best known for his portrayal of Williams in the groundbreaking 1973 action classic Enter the Dragon. Most of Kelly’s roles were demonstrations of his proficiency in Okinawan Shorin-Ryu karate, which earned him the World Middleweight Karate Title at the 1971 Long Beach International Karate Championships. Since his appearance in Dragon, Kelly became a rising action star during the 70s, starring in such notable films as Black Belt Jones and Three the Hard Way, but the subjects of my joint review don’t share the same amount of fanfare. Let’s take a look at 1977’s Black Samurai and 1978’s Death Dimension and see how they stack up.

Both films feature Kelly as some sort of law enforcement agent dealing with the bizarre machinations of a crazed supervillain with nothing but his wits and his martial arts prowess. The main difference is that Samurai is an adaptation of a popular adventure novel series written by Marc Olden, an African-American mystery author with black belts in karate and aikido. Besides Kelly, the other thread that ties these films together is the presence of infamous B-movie horror director Al Adamson. Although both films are structurally similar to many low-budget thrillers of the era (right down to the excessive amount of fun but pointless action scenes and gratuitous sex appeal to make up for the boilerplate story), Adamson brings a sense of tension and an affection for outlandish imagery that can only come from a director who’s honed his craft in exploitation cinema, which give the films a distinct style. The performances are more of a mixed bag, with both films relying on Kelly’s charisma and athleticism to make them something watchable. Dimension is notable for featuring two alumni of the James Bond film series, with former 007 George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) giving a formulaic performance as a police chief and Harold Sakata (Oddjob from Goldfinger) hamming it up as the ice-bomb-wielding gangster known as the Pig. For the sake of comparison, one of the biggest stars in Samurai is Felix Silla of Addams Family and Buck Rogers fame, portraying a henchman working for a Voodoo-practicing crime lord nicknamed the Warlock.

Overall, I’d say both films have something of merit. Between the two, Black Samurai has a more fascinating premise and crazier fights but Death Dimension is more focused and consistent in its storytelling. Whether you’re looking for a fun bit of campy action or a decent showcase of Jim Kelly’s considerable martial arts skills, this funkadelic duo should hit the spot.

Credit: Blazing Trailers, MT6Films

“You come right out of a comic book”: Black Samurai and Death Dimension

For Black History Month, I've decided to take a look at two of the strangest films starring one of the biggest stars of the blaxploitation era.

[dontlookdown]

Nick’s Favourite Music of 2018

In the time that I’ve been doing these yearly round-ups (ten years(!), although my first list was literally just a list), they’ve gotten a bit easier to write. It probably helps that I’ve done actual planning-ahead for the last couple of turns. The one thing that doesn’t get any easier is these introduction posts.

2018 was, and I don’t think this is a controversial stance, shit. I joked this time last year that 2017 was best summed up as “further complications”, but 2018 was fucking something else. I’m resisting the urge to list my grievances, because I doubt I’d ever stop. It’s exhausting to even think about attempting to take stock of everything that happened. To cap it all off, the website I’ve published these posts on since the very beginning had a panic attack regarding the sexual content that some people were uploading, and decided to address the situation in the bluntest way possible. This isn’t something that affects me directly (there’re no nudes in my blog. Hell, I felt anxious about including a photo of myself with clothes on that one time), but it affects people I look up to and care about, and a good portion of my audience for these things. I’ve considered leaving the site entirely in solidarity. I still might. It might be time that I focused more energy on writing a bit more frequently anyway, and setting up a new home for my work is a good starting point. Demi Lovato believes in me. We’ll see.

But for now, let’s focus on the reason that you clicked on this link in the first place: the music of 2018.

It was a good year. It was also a strange one for me. Whereas in previous years there were always one or two big standout albums or songs that held my attention for months on end, this year I really had to dig deep and re-listen to a heap of stuff to remind myself of what had actually left an impression on me. The critical consensus was all over the place too. The end-of-year lists I’ve seen from various outlets over the last two months have been the most diverse I’ve seen for as long as I’ve been paying attention. There were a few names they had in common, but they all featured a lot of unique choices. Hopefully you’ll feel the same about mine!

Sticking to my familiar rules (20 songs, no repeating artists) always means that there’s a couple of gems that don’t make the final cut. 2018’s wide breadth of musical talent means that this is the longest ‘honourable mentions’ list I’ve ever done! Here they are:

Beach House – Lemon Glow

Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally’s seventh album was probably my most re-listened album of the year. They’ve always been a band with a sound that rewarded repeat plays, but this release seemed to have its own gravitational pull that kept me coming back to reappraise it, despite finding it a little overwhelming on multiple occasions. “Lemon Glow” absolutely excels as a lead single. Those gravitational waves are in full force here, a light electronic throbbing acting as the thread I kept trying to follow to the end.

The Beths – Little Death

The Beths were a late discovery, and welcome breath of fresh air after I’d been deep in a fog of more ambient sounds. If you’ve been looking for a vibrant, punchy rock band to brighten your January, I highly recommend them.

Jenny Hval – Spells

Part of my planning process this year was learning to accept that I don’t always have the words or ability to explicitly pinpoint what I like about particular songs. This track is just nice. I like the way it glides along, building up ever-so-slightly as it goes.

Joey Purp – Elastic

Joey Purp followed up iiiDrops and “Girls@” with even-more-minimalist trap. This is straight no-nonsense fire. Add it to your dance playlist. And if you don’t have a dance playlist, make one!

Kali Uchis - After the Storm (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins)

Kali Uchis’s debut Isolation proved her to be an artist with fantastic taste. It’s a lot easier to nail a woozy sound that throws back to the work of Parliament-Funkadelic when you get one of the original members involved. I also want to highlight Bootsy’s use of the amazing line “Look both ways before you cross my mind” which, incredibly, is a phrase that no one seemed to have coined before George Clinton dropped it on To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015. It’s a line that perfectly encapsulates the P-funk mood, and it’s less than five years old!

Let’s Eat Grandma – Ava

Let’s Eat Grandma’s (no, I’m not sure how I feel about the name either) second album split focus between spacey synth-pop journeys and straightforward piano ballads. “Ava” is one of the latter, beautiful with lo-fi touches (listen closely and you can hear the rain falling on the recording studio windows). Enjoy this track now, before someone sticks it a Christmas advert for a shop.

Madison McFerrin – Insane

I’ll save you the Google. Yes, Madison McFerrin is the daughter of Bobby “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” McFerrin and, yes, she also has a unique talent for vocalising. Musically speaking, this track comfortably sits in-between the work of Sade and Solange.

Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower

Among the many, many accomplishments of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is this cut from its soundtrack, a Post Malone track that I actually like!

Robyn – Missing U

Robyn’s been one of my favourite pop artists for a while now, so I really, really wanted to love her big return. Sadly, I’m not quite there yet. The music on Honey is lot colder than I’m used to, most likely by design to reflect the change in Robyn’s (and the world’s) mood in the years since Body Talk. “Missing U” is the closest thing the album has to a big hook-y single like “Call Your Grilfriend” or “Dancing On My Own”.

Spiritualized – I’m Your Man

J Spaceman approached his final album as Spiritualized with as much brassy gusto as he did twenty years ago. A gorgeous send off.

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

I understand the disappointment some people had when was released and sounded nothing like AM, but I think those people lost sight of the bigger Arctic Monkeys picture. The lounge-y, Pulp-y sound of Tranquility Base is something that Alex Turner has been hinting at since the Submarine soundtrack. I heard the album several times and, while there isn’t any standout track that makes everything make sense, I’ve never been bored listening to it.

Jon Hopkins – Singularity

Bleeps, bloops, beats and bliss. Jon Hopkins continues his reign as one of the premier electronic musicians.

Pusha T – Daytona

The hardest, sharpest (and shortest) hip-hop album of the year. A reminder that King Push’s skills as an MC haven’t dulled, and neither has Kanye’s skill as a producer. Ye was crap, though.

Tierra Whack – Whack World

An interesting experiment to debut with, Whack World is a 15 minute album with 15 tracks, all unique in their sound, and all with their own music video (presented as one 15 minute film). Few of the tracks are long enough to stand as songs on their own, but they weren’t designed to be. These are concentrated blasts of pure creativity, and deserve to be supported. Besides, there was something really cathartic of seeing Tierra cheerfully singing “Fuck Off” while gleefully snipping balloons free of their strings. “Pretty Ugly” was my personal favourite.

Angélique Kidjo – Remain in Light

This was a nice surprise that popped up on my Spotify Discover. Remain in Light by Talking Heads is one of my all-time favourite albums, a moment when the band fully embraced an Afrobeat influence and stretched it as far as they could. But what if an actual Afrobeat musician had recorded that album? The answer is Angélique Kidjo’s full-length cover album, another Spotify Discover, uh, discovery. A fascinating, and highly danceable, rework. Tracks like “Once in a Lifetime” were already rays of sunshine. Kidjo’s arrangements turns them supernova.

Justin Hurwitz – First Man

2018 was an equally cramped year for films too. First Man seems to be getting ignored by the major awards, which is a shame as it was one of my favourites of the year. (Hey! If you’d like to see me expand on that thought, you consider subscribing to our film podcast, Sunshine Cinema Club! We’re about to cover our top ten of the year! First Man will be one of them!) I’m especially disappointed that people aren’t talking about Justin Hurwitz’s score, which combined the saddest instrument in the world (the theremin) and the gentlest instrument on the world (the harp) to create the loneliest soundtrack of all time. The perfect accompaniment to a story of a man, emotions dulled by grief, faced with the infinite possibilities of space travel.

As always, I’ll be posting about the twenty entries on my list across the next twenty days. Here’s the Spotify playlist of the final twenty, sequenced for musical effect.

In the past, I’ve updated the Spotify list as the entries go up, acting as some sort of musical advert calendar, keeping future songs under wraps. It’s since occurred to me that this method isn’t actually useful to anybody. Nobody cares about spoilers when it comes to this list, and it’s a big ask for people to keep tabs on a blog and a playlist for three weeks. So, consider that list a preview for what’s coming up and a chance to wonder how I’m going to justify sticking Drake and a black metal band on the same list! (I won’t. Accept my weird, varied taste in music!)

Lists from previous years can be found easily using the tag “best+of+20xx”. See you tomorrow!

[christhatcher]

12 albums from 2016

These aren’t in any particular order. I have, and continue to, love them all. If I’d have listened to the Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard album more often I reckon that would’ve got in too. Unfortunately I do a lot of listening to music in the car, and I’m perpetually late for work, and it’s impossible to drive at anything approaching the speed limit when you’re listening to an album by a band called Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard.

Underworld - Barbara, Barbara We Face A Shining Future

Oh Underworld you've soundtracked many significant moments in my life from the 90s onwards, and as we both get older you keep reminding me that youth and fire in the belly aren't the only ingredients necessary for making vital music. Underworld have blown me away again with an album which finds them at their most intimate yet transcendent. To my mind that's the perfect balance to pitch on an album that takes its name from some of a husband's final words to his wife.

The lyrics to Low Burn ('Time, The first time, Blush, Be bold, Be beautiful, Free, Totally, Unlimited') could, in the wrong hands, all too easily find their way onto a platitudinous meme but they sound vital in the context of the tune, a cresting wave of synths, strings, bass throb and eventually Hounds of Love toms. The perspective shifts on the penultimate line to include, "Panic, craving, nothing... Time, the first time..." and it transforms the vocal from a call for the Living to one that seems to encompass life and death's full cycle. Played back to back with Nylon Strung, whose refrain 'I want to hold you, laughing' assumes a mantra like quality, the two tracks feel like a compellingly heartfelt plea to embrace utterly the short moments we have.

David Bowie - Blackstar

We will never see his like again. To some extent that’s probably true, but that’s because Rock n roll is now nearing the point of anachronism; it's passing is inevitable but not something to mourn. We can't be forever young and full of piss and vinegar and I think if you're determined to be 18 till you die you've set your sights pretty low. I actually hope that the future of expressive culture lies not solely in the hands of men and women on raised stages preaching to the masses but in increasingly indivisible hands and minds brought together and operating in the spaces where the real and virtual world blur. I hope it's a place where individuals come second to the product of expression. In short, I hope there isn't another David Bowie. I love the guy (as much as it's possible to love someone you've never met), but I hope that before too long we no longer require these figureheads to align ourselves with or against. I want his work to survive and be celebrated but I hope that the culture he sprung from baffles my descendants, because there's something rotten about our obsession with the shock of the new that is the third quarter of the 20th Century.

Jez: Look, Mark, I'm a musician, in case you've forgotten. I answer to a higher law, the law of "If it feels good, do it."

Mark: Oh, that's a great law, isn't it? What's that, Gaddafi's law?

Jez: It's the musician's law. Colonel Gaddafi could not lay down a bass hook, Mark. That should be clear even to you. - Peep Show (series 3 ep 5)

It was the shock of the new, not a Solomonesque cultural cache. And now the world is moving on. Not diminishing in talent over time as we speed further away from the grand ejaculation of the Big Rock n Roll Bang. Music hasn’t descended into an over reliance on auto tune, or computers. There isn’t a dearth of ‘real’ musicians learning ‘real’ instruments, learning their song ‘craft’… ‘organically’. The world is moving on. But still we get to listen to the fucking bullshit put about by old people convinced that the brief period when you’re most emotionally engaged in the cultural stimuli around you happens to be the apex of civilisation; and you should never underestimate a Baby Boomer’s ability to slip a pair of rose tinted blinkers over your eyes when you’re moving into the crawl space they’ve rented out to you from their burgeoning property portfolios (Hippies and Yuppies – only really distinguishable by the proportion of their income spent on joss sticks).

But back to Bowie. Guilty of none of the above. His capacity for re-invention and forward thinking doesn’t need re-iterating, the back catalogue up to and including Blackstar speaks for itself. This has turned into a rant but, sod it, I'm not in the mood for not ranting.

Here's to Mr Bowie, perhaps the ultimate rebuttal to those who cite ‘honesty’ or ‘realness’ or ‘rocknroooooll’ as fundamental to making ‘organic’, ‘real’ music and writing ‘proper’ songs. Who used artifice, and sounds regardless of source, was fearless and transcended rock n roll and took it higher than it deserves, subverted and utterly disregarded hoary, chin stroking… fuck it… boring… notions of what a song/album/concert could/should be.

And he left us with Blackstar. All of the above.

The Comet is Coming - Channel The Spirits

It's quite hard to believe that this is the sound of just sax, synths and drums (or ‘skins’, if I'm trying to be vaguely alliterative) recorded (to tape no less) in a three day burst of creativity. The sound, all pervading atmosphere and ethos at large here is worthy of the entire Arkestra, amped up and channelled through Funkadelic via Leftfield at their most furious. If they've heard Channel The Spirits, then I imagine that the house band at the Restaurant At The End Of The Universe are probably worried about losing their residency. Sub point: Slam Dunk In A Blackhole (which wouldn't sound out of place on either Blackstar or Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly) is my song title of the year.

Savages - Adore Life

Opening with the three chord grind of The Answer, Adore Life positively pulses and howls (the guitars sound feral) before dissolving into more cerebral territory for the title track. Jehnny Beth's lyrics run the gamut of love, turning the subject inside out fearlessly, never breaking eye contact. It's an intense, beautifully paced piece of work, packaged in monochrome but red blooded through and through.

David Holmes – Late Night Tales

I was introduced to Mr Holmes via one of those late 90s Chillout compilations. The culprit, 'Rodney Yates' is a journey borne on floating ride cymbal and strings a la Lalo Schriffin, which led me to its mother album 'Let's Get Killed'. Over the subsequent years, I've lapped up pretty much everything he's done, be it soundtracks (Out of Sight springs to mind), Psychedelic Funk mix albums (Come Get it I Got It), freaky Hip Hop (The Free Association) and this year, Late Night Tales and Unloved (more of the latter in a bit).

If there's a unifying thread to Mr Holmes' work, to these ears, it's the sense that he's a man outside of time. His work is peppered with samples and ideas from pretty much every decade since it became possible to capture and replicate sound. But this is not the back catalogue of a retro mongering throwback, it's a body of work that speaks of a genuine love of sound and an overarching desire to share it. I have no idea how much of his own music is created from samples and how much is original composition... the lines are utterly blurred and it makes for compelling listening.

In these interconnected times, the Internet, behaving like it's second syllable, drags the endless bounty of musical creativity onwards with ever decreasing regard for chronology and Holmes has a rare talent for sifting through the haul for treasures. If you're on the search for new artists then Mr Holmes beats Spotify or any app you could imagine hands down. He's arguably never been better than on Late Night Tales. It's a beautiful, torchlit collection made all the more striking by the fact that it's largely beatless and full of acoustic and vocal performances thematically linked to questions of love and loss. A truly mesmerising experience.

Church of The Cosmic Skull – Is Satan Real?

I've spent the last few years resolutely trying to engage with modern sounds after years in a proto metal, Sabbath indebted cul de sac (not a bad place to be admittedly, but it's good to shake things up every so often). This year however, I've found myself slipping back into my comfort zone, maybe as a way of escaping the hideousness of 2016, maybe because albums like Is Satan Real? are so fucking tasty. It combines the vocal, harmonic... There's no other way of saying this... pomp of Queen, hooks and almost jazzy flourishes that The Zombies would've actually stayed split up over and a deliciously sparse smattering of Sabbathian crunch. The fact that they only properly let rip on the closing 'Evil In Your Eye' is a masterstroke that has had me reaching for the repeat button, repeatedly.

Metronomy - Summer '08

Joe Mount is not cool, he’s no rock star and he doesn’t swagger, but the music he makes does, albeit in a slightly jerky, twitchy St Vitus on espresso way. When I was small I used to make myself spaceships out of bits of furniture, and go on adventures of the imagination… Listening to Metronomy has always felt a little like being invited into someone else's world of 'let's pretend'. One where the lightsabers are still visibly made from mismatched lego bricks and the Darth Vader helmet is quite obviously a plastic policeman's helmet with a flap of cardboard inexpertly sellotaped around the back. They aren’t smooth. They're not making music for parties in and around Jacuzzis and JD shaped swimming pools, but 40 minutes in the company of this collection of off kilter electro funk, break and disco beats and aching slow jams might allow you to pretend that you are. And, once again, the artifice is far more stimulating and appealing than reality.

Opeth - Sorceress

Opeth. Opeth. Opeth. I just bloody love them. That's a shit review, but it's basically how I feel. I guess that how you feel about Opeth depends on your views on progressive music. If you think it's wanky and unnecessary then you'd be forgiven for avoiding Opeth but I'd argue that you're mistaken, because there are very few elements included in an Opeth number that could be considered unnecessarily wanky. Dramatic shifts in tempo and volume and time signature abound on this, as all, their albums. The key to their success though, is that they're artfully and meticulously placed with an almost architectural eye for detail that seems set on firing the imagination, rather than bludgeoning the listener with its own cleverness. In the truest sense of the word Sorceress is a wonderful addition to an enviable back catalogue.

Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Black Stabat Mater

 I don't really know much about these ladies. I'm not sure whether to describe it as Jazzy proto metal or proto metallic jazz... maybe the latter. But it is fierce. Really fierce. The five tracks slowly descend from a (relatively) straight forward opening freak out on a jazzy, turning bluesy groove, to nightmarish feedback and clatter that could be mistaken for King Crimson being dissolved in a rusted cauldron of battery acid stirred by Trolls. Also: One of my favourite album covers in a long time.

Paul Simon - Stranger To Stranger

Received wisdom has it that 74 year olds should just rest on the canon, firing blanks, cashing in on the willingness of Mojo readers to part with their coin for ever more padded out and barrel scraping reissues. Paul Simon seems to think that the best way to get through one's three score and tens is to build an album from the beats up and then bring in a designer and player of micro tonal instruments to add layer upon layer of otherwordly sound. I like Paul Simon. A lot.

Unloved - Guilty of Love

A collaboration between Jade Vincent, Keefus Ciancia and David Holmes (him again). As with Late Night Tales, Unloved is a creature of the night, but this time with teeth, paraffin eyes and a taste for smoke in the back of the throat. Guitars twang, drums can be heard reverberating up blackened alleyways and the astonishing voice of Jade Vincent entices, admonishes, damns and defies. When A Woman is Around should be considered a classic, 'Truth is seldom found (by a man) when a woman is around... Lose that Cheshire grin, take it like a man, keep what's yours, leave me mine.' Although there's a dark 60s vibe at work here, it's beautifully realised, with the faultless songwriting, performance and production giving it an elusive timelessness.

Nissenenmondai - N/A

This album is a perfect example of singular and fearless exploration.

They're a power trio, but that's where the similarities to that particular trope end.

They veer closest to making minimalist Techno, but with guitar, bass and drums.

They sound like they're being beamed in from the future, and not necessarily a good one.

Some of the album is hard to listen to and imagine it having been created by humans.

That's why I love it.

[sir-hicks-a-lot]

The Definite Top Ten Albums of 2016

10. FaltyDL - Heaven is for Quitters

The latest from FaltyDL aka Andrew Lustman is decidedly less experimental than his last couple of albums, forgoing the more repetitive loops and complicated drum patterns in favor of straight ahead and melodic synthscapes.  He even gives smokey vocal downtempo a stab on "Drugs" with singer Rosie Lowe bringing to mind Little Dragon.  He can still create densely abstract beats as he does on "Whisper Diving", but even when he drops a short saxophone loop on "Bridge Spot", it fades away before becoming abrasive.  Elsewhere he rides the oh-so late '80s Touchstone Pictures logo theme throughout "Future Shock" and it's one of the most awesomely obscure samples in recent memory.

9. William Tyler - Modern Country

I don't know if the title Modern Country is supposed to be a cheeky rejoinder to what passes for country music today, or if it is a sincere statement of what Tyler believes these instrumental compositions to represent.  To me, it's solidly in the alt country vein of bands like Wilco and Megafaun, which is no surprise as members of both bands appear here.  At other times, these pastoral soundtracks even conjure images of the acoustic excursions of Led Zeppelin III or Mark Knopfler's fingerpicking style.  Regardless of the proper categorization, the folky jams on Modern Country are evocative of American landscape contours and make for a listen that can either engage directly or set the background mood.  And the clear highlight of "Gone Clear" shows off Tyler's ability to piece together a multi-part epic that even throws in a classical section and perhaps points the way forward for the next go around.

8. Ray LaMontagne - Ouroboros

Ray LaMontagne teamed up with the guys from My Morning Jacket for Ouroboros and it makes for a spectacularly psychedelic twist on LaMontagne's usual singer/songwriter fare.  The songs are particularly well written and Jim James’ production makes a great match for the spacey themes, creating an all around strong effort.   I think there may be some overarching concept album going on as well, but honestly the songs themselves and the expansive production are enough to warrant and reward repeated listens.    

7. Bob Weir - Blue Mountain

My relationship with the Grateful Dead is complicated, for a long time I was a "hater" and to be honest a lot that stemmed from the on-stage histrionics of Bob Weir and his propensity for cowboy songs.  So it's pretty ironic that in the year 2016 an album of what are essentially cowboy songs by Weir makes my list.  I suppose as we get older our tastes change, but I think it's more than that in this case.  Blue Mountain feels like Weir making a bid for a late career statement, in much the same way Dylan did on Time Out of Mind and several times since.  And in that respect, it is a remarkable success, these songs build upon the Americana thread that weaves through the Dead's music and even adds a retro-indie rock sensibility via collaboration with younger artists like Josh Ritter and The National's Josh Kaufman.  Well done Weir, consider your legacy secured.  

6. Bibio - A Mineral Love 

It seems that sometimes albums released earlier in the year get forgotten during the end of the year wrap ups and perhaps that's the case with Bibio's latest that came out last April.  For me it was the soundtrack to summer and the sunny compositions on A Mineral Love were the perfect complement to a mid-afternoon drive or evening cookout.  Bibio strays even further from his IDM roots with a theme of old school funk and even leaning toward jazz fusion at times.  Then there's the straight up 80s style R&B workout "Why So Serious?", which wouldn't be out of place on a Debarge album. The message hits home, don't worry if it's cool or not, just enjoy the good times while you can.

5. Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!

I don't think anybody could have predicted that actor turned nerdy rapper Donald Glover would drop the funk explosion that is Awaken, My Love!  All across America you can hear confused listeners asking, "Wait, is Troy from Community the next Prince?"  A complete throwback to the halcyon days of funk and soul that recalls Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone and the aforementioned Purple One, there is no rapping to be found here.  Instead, it's a blast of psychedelic goodness and exuberance as Glover truly lets his freak flag fly in what is essentially a treatise on pursuing love in all its forms.  Such a pleasant surprise of an album is proof you can find fun in the most unexpected of places.  

4. Tycho – Epoch

Scott Hansen aka Tycho has been one of the elite downtempo beat makers since he released the now classic Dive back in 2011.  Even then, there were some acoustic flourishes of guitar and other live instrumentation, but on his latest he has made the bold move of injecting the tropes of rock, more specifically the moody dynamics of postrock, more than ever before into his previously mostly electronic music.  Clearly the influence of Hansen touring with a band for the last five years heavily influences the proceedings as it feels like the work of musicians playing together live.  Taking a more organic approach pays off well, adding new life, heft and even a little menace at times to balance the airy environments of Epoch.

3. A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here. . . Thank You 4 Your Service

Another shocker, the members of Tribe Called Quest recorded this largely in secret and during the final days of Phife Dawg who passed this last March.  After his untimely death, the first Tribe Called Quest in 18 years seemed like an impossibility, and yet here it is.  Not only did Tribe unleash this sneak attack on the world, but even more astounding, it stands as their best work since their monumental and genre defining first three albums in the early '90s.  Going out with a bang and packed with guest spots from longtime collaborators like Busta Rhymes, relatively new faces like Kenderick Lamar and even throwing a couple curveballs with Elton John on the Benny and Jets invoking "Wall of Sound" and Jack White’s blues inflected guitar showing up multiple times.  And although We Got It absolutely stands as a tribute to the memory of Phife, it is also a statement of protest in the face of frayed race relations, xenophobia and a prescient antidote to the coming dark ages of Trumpdom.  Tribe has long been the conscience of hip hop as well as one of its most creative purveyors of beats and rhymes. In the year 2016, we needed their return, however brief it may be, more than ever.

2. David Bowie – Blackstar

What more can be said of David Bowie that has not already been written?  He was truly a singular talent, a force in the world that we perhaps took for granted and just assumed would always be with us.  His absence has left a hole in the fabric of spacetime that cannot be filled.  His mode of expression and innovative spirit was so unique, that the mere thought of another arriving to take his place is preposterous.  It’s fitting then, that his farewell was like none other.  Dropping Blackstar on us like a bomb, it is an emphatic statement that Bowie was artistically vital right up to his last day on this earth.  It’s almost as if his years of inactivity and somewhat underwhelming albums before 2013’s The Next Day were all part of a long game to make his swan song all the more dramatically brilliant.  Blackstar is a dark, dense and unflinching examination of mortality and yet somehow is still hopeful.  Yes, it’s an album that directly addresses the death of its creator, but it transforms that death into a new birth and beginning.  Bowie was already immortal decades ago, by turning his last days into art, he stunned us once again.

1. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

Sometimes the universe just lines up in ways that provide the undeniable evidence of a pattern underneath everything.  Even though it’s always there, we are lucky to only get a few brief glimpses of the hidden structures that connect us and affect the events of our lives.  In 2016, I endured the most challenging ordeal of my life in the form of triple bypass surgery and the subsequent recovery.  Getting home from the hospital should have been an occasion for celebration, as it was all I could think about during the longest nine days imaginable, most of which I spent confined to a hospital bed.  Instead, I found the reality of the remainder of my existence waiting for me outside the hospital walls.  A new normal of medications and limitations, many of which were temporary, but others which I would carry permanently.  Mental scars in addition to the physical ones that I now bore.  It was in this moment that I received a gift, a new work from a band I have loved for almost 20 years now, since the landmark OK Computer exploded the conventions of rock n' roll itself.  The day after I came home from the hospital, the universe reached out to me and gave me this album, perhaps Radiohead’s most emotional, and one in which lead singer Thom Yorke sublimated his own struggles with a divorce into music with a level of artistry that few can achieve.  It was a message personally to me, and yet also designed for anyone else receptive to it.  To say it helped me through those difficult days is an understatement.  It truly was a lifeline, sustaining me and giving me the strength to keep persevering in the face of extreme distress.  The gift of A Moon Shape Pool can be summed up in the parting line of its final song, “Don’t leave, don’t leave”.  To which I can only respond by saying, I am still here and thank you.

[still-single]

HEATHEN DISCO for Aug 9th and 16th, 2020

Listen here.

Super-sized show, all of the most recent and select sets from the 9th glued together in defiance of God herself.

Tracklist below the jump.

Aphrodite’s Child – The Four Horsemen (666, Vertigo, 1972) Hawkwind – Magnu (Warrior on the Edge of Time, United Artists, 1975) Six Finger Satellite – Where Humans Go (Severe Exposure, Sub Pop, 1995) Wings Hauser – Neon Slime (from “Vice Squad,” 1982) Renegade Soundwave – Holgertron (In Dub, Mute, 1990)

Sparkle Division – To Feel (To Feel Embraced, Temporary Residence, 2020)

Sonic Youth – Marilyn Moore (EVOL, SST, 1986) Pink Industry – The Corpse (Remix) (Absolute, Soleilmoon, 1989) Ganser – Told You So (Just Look at That Sky, Felte, 2020) Circus Lupus – Blue Baby (Super Genius, Dischord, 1991) Sweeping Promises – Trust (Hunger for a Way Out, Feel It, 2020)

Oui Ennui – Decolletage (Oeuvre d’Isolement, self-released, 2020)

Lean Left – 2 (Medemer, PNL, 2020) Chrome – Heartbeat (3rd from the Sun, Siren, 1981) The Hecks – Flash (My Star, Trouble in Mind, 2019) Bailterspace – Telephone (Concret, self-released, 2020) Siouxsie & the Banshees – Desert Kisses (Kaleidoscope, Polydor, 1980) Thibault – Drama (Or Not Thibault, Chapter Music, 2020) Daisies – Lights Dancing on the Screen (Cherries EP, Perennial, 2020)

Josef K – Radio Drill Time (Demo) (Heaven Sent, Supreme International, 1986) Funkadelic – Fish, Chips and Sweat (single, Westbound, 1970) Slovenly – Where Are My Friends (After the Original Style, New Alliance, 1984) Primitive Motion – Night Colour Song (Elemental Dreaming 7”, I Dischi Del Barone, 2020) Marlowe – Small Business (2, Mello Music Group, 2020) Triplett Twins – Pretty Please (single, Thomas, 1970)

Serpente – Escalpe (Fe/Vazio, Ecstatic, 2020) CIA Debutante – Scum (The Landlord, Siltbreeze, 2019) Dave Rata – Colores (Hallucigenia, Bat Shit, 2012) Home Blitz – What We Wore (All Through the Year EP, Sophomore Lounge, 2020) Comet Gain – I Close My Eyes to Think of God (Realistes, Milou Studios, 2002) Endless Boogie – Basement Jam Ritual V (The Scattered & Gathered, No Quarter, 2020)

Kamaal Williams – Mr. Wu (Wu Hen, Black Focus, 2020)

Axis: Sova – Fever Days (single, Drag City, 2020) Jan Hammer Group – Who Are They? (Melodies, Nemperor, 1977) Herb Alpert – Rise (single, A&M, 1979) Miroslav Vitous – Basic Laws (Magical Shepherd, Warner Bros., 1976) Equals – Ire Harry (single, ICE/Island, 1976) Hanson – Smokin’ with the Big “M” (Now Hear This, Manticore, 1973) Bloody Hell – Keep It On (single, Spik & Span, 2019) Royal Family & the Poor – Pagan Ways (Phase 2 of the Project: We Love the Moon, Factory, 1986) Home Blitz – Final Decay (All Through the Year EP, Sophomore Lounge, 2020)

Makaya McCraven – Beat Science (Universal Beings Sides E&F, International Anthem, 2020)

Sally Anne Morgan – Thread Song (Thread, Thrill Jockey, 2020) Snowgoose – Who Will You Choose (The Making of You, Ba Da Bing, 2020) Steeleye Span – Lowlands of Holland (Hark! The Village Wait, RCA, 1970) Mickey Newbury – Write a Song a Song/Angeline (Looks Like Rain, Mercury, 1968) Rüdiger Lorenz – Invisible Voices (Invisible Voices, 1983, Syncord)

[scadatlradio]

Charts: June 11, 2019

1. TACOCAT This Mess Is A Place – Sub Pop 2. EMINEM Revival – Shady 3. TAME IMPALA “Patience” [Single] – Interscope 4. AGES AND AGES Me You They We – Needle And Thread 5. SOAK Grim Town Rough – Trade/Beggars 6. FIELD MEDIC Fade Into The Dawn – Run For Cover 7. DAVE HARRINGTON Pure Imagination, No Country – Yeggs 8. THE BEATLES The Beatles Super Deluxe 2018 – UMC 9. ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE IMPOSTERS Look Now – Concord 10. FLYING LOTUS Flamagra – Warp 11. PHOENIX Ti Amo – Atlantic UK 12. BECK “Saw Lightning” [Single] – fonograf/Capitol 13. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Electric Lady Sessions – Columbia 14. FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE High As Hope – Virgin EMI 15. MGMT Little Dark Age – Columbia 16. HOLLIE COOK “Sweet Like Chocolate” [Single] – Merge 17. SWERVEDRIVER Future Ruins – Dangerbird 18. EMPRESS OF Us – Terrible 19. BEACH HOUSE Seven (7) – Sub Pop 20. YOUNG THE GIANT Mirror Master – Elektra (NEK) 21. ADULT MOM Soft Spots – Tiny Engines 22. HOVVDY Cranberry Double – Double Whammy 23. HOT SNAKES The Incomplete Hot Snakes – Sub Pop 24. SANTIGOLD I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions – Downtown 25. VAMPIRE WEEKEND Father Of The Bride – Spring Snow/Columbia 26. BLOOD ORANGE Negro Swan – Domino 27. THE BREEDERS All Nerve – 4AD 28. WAVVES AND CULTURE ABUSE “Big Cloud” [Single] – Epitaph 29. FUNKADELIC Reworked By Detroiters – Westbound 30. BEAR HANDS Fake Tunes – Spensive Soun

Live DJs in studio for shows Thursdays and Saturdays. Check out the schedule at scadatlantaradio.org/schedule!

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Ed. Note: Memphis fashion expert and blog contributor Kim Thomas brings us this very stylish post on fall fashion for everyone, with pieces you can get here in town. Then, she’s got her personal picks for favorite fall Memphis events. It’s time to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall music festivals and events. From college football games to concerts and craft festivals, there’s always something fun to do in Memphis, no matter what’s your jam. The temps haven’t completely cooled (hanging on ’til late September over here), however, fall festival fashion will be front and center.   I’m sharing a few easy, festival apropos looks that will have you living it up with your friends and fam in style. Graphic tees, all things denim, light layers and fun accessories are must-haves trends right now, so if you’re still stuck on where to go* and what to wear, we’ve got you covered. Elizabeth (follow her at @lifestyleinfocus) Rompers are the perfect one and done piece for those days when you don’t want to think about what to wear (and who doesn’t love a floral pattern?).  Pair with statement jewelry and a long knit vest for an extra layer for a little added texture and warmth. (Romper: American Threads, Knit Vest:  Indigo, Sunglasses: SEE Eyewear, Earrings: Lily Rain, Necklace: IV by David)   Michael (follow him at @_one901) There’s nothing cooler than a classic denim jacket, and it’s so easy to throw one over your everyday khaki shorts and patterned t-shirt. A beaded necklace keeps it from being basic, so just slip on your favorite pair of Chucks or boat shoes to complete the look. (Denim Jacket, Patterned Tee, Khaki Shorts: Stock & Belle, Necklace: IV by David) Carmeon (follow her at @nubiiinteriors ) Super flares are a hot trend this season, and a soft black hue is a fun alternative to lighter washed denim. Play it cool with a patterned blouse, distressed denim jacket and your favorite pair of booties. (Denim Jacket, Top, Flares: American Threads, Earrings: IV by David) Camilla (follow her at @camilla.weddings)  Graphic tees FTW! If all else fails, you can build a cute look around your fave graphic or band tee and get total Penny Lane vibes. Instead of denim cutoffs, try a frayed hem corduroy skirt, and slip on a suede moto jacket to tie it all together. Skip your normal cross-body and pack everything in a backpack instead. (Graphic Tee + Corduroy Skirt: American Threads, Suede Moto Jacket + Backpack: Indigo, Sunglasses: SEE Eyewear, Earrings: IV by David) Denzel (Follow him at @denzalexander) On days when the weather is unpredictable (hello 80 degree days and 60 degree nights), light layers are the way to go! Graphic tees and relaxed denim are classic go-tos during the day, but keep a Fair Isle sweater with you to keep warm once the sun goes down. (Sweater, Tee, Denim: Lucky Brand, Sunglasses: SEE Eyewear). Shops: The Shops of Saddle Creek https://www.instagram.com/shopsofsaddlecreek/ American Threads https://www.instagram.com/threadsmemphis/ SEE Eyewear https://www.instagram.com/seeeyewear/ Indigo https://www.instagram.com/indigo_gt/ Lucky Brand https://www.instagram.com/luckybrand/ Lily Rain https://www.instagram.com/lilyrain_saddlecreek/ Stock & Belle https://www.instagram.com/stockandbelle/ IV by DAVID https://www.instagram.com/ivbydavid/ Kim’s Picks for Memphis Fall Events:  Southern Heritage Classic | September 6-8, 2018 http://southernheritageclassic.com/ The Southern Heritage Classic has been recognized as one of the country’s top HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) football classics. Thousands of fans will gather at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to see long-time rival football teams Jackson State University and Tennessee State University battle for bragging rights and for the victory. Levitt Shell Concert Fall Concert Series | September 6 – October 21 https://www.levittshell.org/ The Levitt Shell presents 50 free concerts every year, with performances by nationally and internationally touring musicians from all over the world. Fall Series lineup includes Devon Gilfillian, Reba Russell, Black Umfolosi, Those Pretty Wrongs and more. Cooper-Young Festival | September 15, 2018 http://cooperyoungfestival.com/ The Cooper-Young Festival is Memphis’ most anticipated outdoor celebration. Guests enjoy an appealing mix of art, music and crafts presented by over 435 artisans from around the country. Gonerfest | September 27-30, 2018 https://www.goner-records.com/gonerfest/ Four days of intense music with over 30+ bands and musicians from around the world. Celebrating 15 years, performers include Oblivians, Carbonas,  Robyn Hitchcock, Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Greg Cartwright, Gentleman Jesse and more. Mempho Music Fest | October 6-7, 2018 http://www.memphofest.com/ Paying homage to the Memphis community’s unique role in shaping and influencing global music culture, Mempho Music Festival was created to blend today’s best contemporary sounds with Memphis’ storied musical heritage. Performers include Beck, Janelle Monae, Post Malone, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and more. River Arts Fest October 26–28, 2018 https://riverartsmemphis.org/ This annual festival in Downtown Memphis  features a juried exhibition in fine art, juried Artists Market, live entertainment, culinary treats, a residency program in the Shelby County Schools, and children’s art activities. *This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of every single Fall festival or outdoor event in Memphis, just an overview. Check out the calendar and the fall events guides **Thank you to Stock & Belle, IV by David, and the Shops of Saddle Creek for providing wardrobe for this shoot, and to our models Elizabeth, Michael, Carmeon, Camilla + Denzel! About The Author/Photographer Kim Thomas is a lifestyle blogger + photographer based in Memphis, TN. Launched in September 2010, her blog KP Fusion provides of-the-moment fashion, style and beauty tips + trends with a little Memphis, TN flavor thrown in. Whether it’s high, low, fast fashion, vintage, or something new, like a well-edited wardrobe, there’s a place for it on the blog. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

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