6 Questions: with… Sonny Noir

27 01 2007

Today I bring you the first edition of a new feature, 6 Questions. This feature has been in the making for a long time, but now it is finally here. 6 Questions is six set, and vague, questions that I fire off towards artists, DJs, promoters, whoever, so that they can explain in their own words exactly why I dig them. 99% of the time it is my word that you take as gospel on recommendations through this site, but this time the info comes straight from the horses mouth. Six questions, always the same six questions, but answered in any way the questioned feels like answering.

So without any further hesitation, I bring you the first edition with Sonny Noir of Brooklyn’s RiotControl podcast…

1. Who are you? My name is Sonny Noir.

2. What do you do? I do whatever is necessary to enjoy the short time I have on this planet. For the sake of this interview, I host a radio (podcast) show called RiotControl out of Brooklyn, New York with my partner Burt Fox.

3. Why do you do it? We’re interested in “timeless” mixes. A lot of DJ’s and mix shows who play what we play are constructed like “This is our reggae show, this is our old school rap episode” etc… Our concept is more towards the old Afrika Baambaata style of hip-hop djing in that we find links between records from all over. A lot of the stuff we play, we wouldn’t even recommend you buy the album they came from because it’s not always that listenable. But on that record there might be 1 song or half a song that we recognize as dope and something that connects with a piece of another record. Once all these are mapped out, connected, scratched, beat juggled or whatever, you get a RiotControl episode. Ideally, some sort of sense of continuity and vibe exists as you listen while the music skips across time periods and genres.

4. So what’s new? We are about to release our fourth episode and continue working on the fifth. We decided to only release episodes every 4 – 6 weeks. Kind of like a monthly subscription to a magazine. We want each episode to be well thought out and anticipated by the listeners. When we release a new show, we want the listeners to get excited because they know we’ve been putting our heads together, hitting the record shops and making sure it something we’re proud to present from start to finish.

5. Who are you listening to at the moment? Our show focuses on mostly funk/soul, hip hop with brains, Jamaican and electronic that’s not for Miami and Las Vegas (side note, I do love those cities but if you’ve been you know). Overall, we want to connect all music from these genres dating from the 1960’s to the present. I love rock music but we don’t include it in the show. Rock wise I’m currently into The Cold War Kids, M. Ward, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Raconteurs and The Shins. Lupe Fiasco is doing it for me in hip hop and Atmosphere continue to make me want to violently turn over tables with food on them. Because of the show we’re buying more vinyl than ever, so obscure funk and soul has been my primary interest. There are some great labels devoted to re releasing old vinyl that’s out of print and/or assembling compilations of hard to find music. Some of these I’m into are Ubiquity, Soul Jazz and Luv N’ Haight. Then there’s labels like Daptone and Truth & Soul who have taken this spirit to the modern day by releasing modern funk and soul records that neither cling to the past nor attempt to overly modernize the genre. I’m also into Dub Step, a relatively newer brand of electronic music mostly coming out of London. Excellent stuff but very new and we’ll see where it goes.

6. What’s your most valuable nugget of wisdom? I’m just a music nerd with internet access. You don’t want wisdom from me. All I’ll say is enjoy your life, at the end of the day that’s all you can do. Oh, and listen to Gavin, this dude knows what he’s talking about. Stay tuned to RiotControl! We’ve got some great ideas coming your way soon. Thanks for giving us a few minutes of your time. It’s much appreciated. PEACE.

My thanks go out to Sonny Noir for taking the time to answer 6 Questions. You HAVE TO check out the RiotControl podcast, it is fantastic. You can check RiotControl out on the web… www.riotcontrolnyc.com and also add them to your friends on MySpace - plus the feed URL to the podcast is in the sidebar of this blog. I’ve listened to the first three podcasts and they just had me entranced. Burt Fox is a demon on the wheels of steel, and the selection of tunes is incredible - it isn’t often I’m left thinking “whoah, what is this track?”, but it happens quite a bit when I’m listening to RiotControl!

I’m hoping this will become a regular feature, and that you will find it informative and perhaps even a little educational! So until the next 6 Questions, get that RiotControl stuff listened to! Also, volume 7 of the Just Like Music podcast is now available for download.

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Categories : Info, Interview, Links, New Discovery, Podcast

The Best of 2006

13 01 2007

It’s been a long time coming, but finally I am ready to detail my very own personal favourites of 2006. I think it was a great year and I’ve actually managed to compile a list of around 40 albums to discuss. I’ve never been one to easily rank my preferences - I just find it so bloody hard - so I’ll go into a little bit of detail on my favourite five of last year, and then I’ll just list the basic details of the remaining. Either way you should know that every album deserves to be mentioned as one of the best of last year, and hence is very much worth checking out. So if you find yourself reading this list and you stumble across something you previously chose to ignore, or you’ve just never heard of it… please, spare some time to check it out, that’s one of the reasons this blog even exists!

 

Joanna Newsom - Ys (Drag City)
What an album! It took me two full listens to truly start appreciating it, but Joanna Newsom’s Ys is an orchestral alternative-folk album, highlighting once more her incredible talents as a ‘harper’, singer, and writer. Each time I listen it just grows on me more and more. I even find myself at times craving to hear it. Keep an open mind, hit play, and just take it all in.

Daedelus - Denies The Day’s Demise (Ninja Tune)
Previously I had heard Daedelus’ last album, that was a bit of an alternative electronica/hip-hop effort featuring MF DOOM on a few tracks, it was pretty good. Randomly I spotted this album in a shop and took a listen - I knew straight away it was something special. Just like Joanna Newsom, this one wont take everyone’s fancy, it’s a bit out-there, but absolutely beautiful in a bizarre electronica kind of a way. This album just sweeps me up and takes me away every time.

J Dilla - Donuts (Stones Throw)
If you hear someone saying that Donuts is crap cos “all the tracks are really short, it’s stupid”, ignore them, they’ve clearly missed the point… also feel free to smack them in the face. This is pure genius from the late Mr Yancey (RIP) - as much as there was beauty in Newsom’s 5 track masterpiece, Ys, there was as much in Dilla’s 31 track banger, Donuts. Listen deeply and closely to these tracks, the production is so adventurous and intricate, not many people can pull off stuff quite like this. The album is also laced with cryptic messages to his friends and family - Dilla is already sorely missed, Donuts is a harsh reminder as to why.

Dr Rubberfunk - My Life at 33 (GPS Recordings)
I’ve pretty much run out of superlatives to use on the Doc. I wrote a detailed review of this album back in December, so it’s worth reading that to get the full picture. With this album, Simon Ward managed to create something organic that paid homage to the roots of funk, whilst invigorating that same sound with a fresh approach. The music was upbeat, rich, and inspiring. If you even so much as remotely enjoy upbeat and funky sounds, you’ll be sure to love My Life at 33.

TM Juke - Forward (Tru Thoughts)
If you’re a fan of Tru Thoughts, then TM Juke surely needs no introduction, but it always surprises me how quite a few people I speak to have never heard of him, that is a crime y’all. The Juke was responsible for producing Alice Russell’s second album, My Favourite Letters. If you are still lost, you have some catching up to do. Forward was TM Juke’s second album, a soulful record expressed through electronic experience and classical execution - this album was nothing but original, vibrant, and highly addictive.

Want to quickly mention a few excellent EPs that came out in 2006; Sirka Ragnar - I Am, You Are, He/She/It Is, The Q4 - Sound Surrounding EP, Grudle Bay Riots - DJ In Korea EP, Foreign Beggars - Slow Broiled Ilk EP. As far as labels went, Ninja Tune and Tru Thoughts really came through for me last year, plus I made a few new discoveries, like Melting Pot Music out of Germany - they’re releasing hot and funky vinyl all the time, and now a lot of it is available on CD too. There was also a good few remix albums out in 2006, like; Alice Russell - Under The Munka Moon II, Jamie Lidell - Multiply Additions, Quantic - One Offs Remixes & B Sides, DJ Krush - Stepping Stones - The Self-Remixed Best (Soundscapes), and DangerDoom - Occult Hymn. 2006 also saw the release of DJ Format’s FabricLive 27 CD, one of the best (if not THE best) FabricLive CDs I have heard, and also Foreign Beggars’ brilliant Bukkake Ski Trip mix CD - UK hip-hop at its modern finest.

If 2007 turns out to be half as good as 2006, then I’ll be happy. Onwards and upwards though - In the words of Hird, “always moving on”. I’m discovering new music every day, and a lot of it ends up in the relatively new Just Like Music podcast - speaking of which, volume 6 went up yesterday, this is the track listing…

1. Ty - Closer feat. Maceo
2. 4hero - Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) feat. Terry D
3. All Good Funk Alliance - Major C
4. Nightmares on Wax - Deepdown
5. Eulorhythmics - Sociology
6. Quantic - Ticket To Know Where Featuring Ohmega Watts
7. Nostalgia 77 Octet - One For Man
8. Surreal & DJ Balance - Speak Facts
9. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (Quarterbar Redo)

I’m not really one for new year’s resolutions, but I will sincerely try to update this blog at least once a week now - still, at least the podcast is pretty regular!

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Categories : Info, Links, Review

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