Rare & Unreleased…
24 11 2006I’m going to write about two albums I recently purchased that contain “Rare & Unreleased” tracks, but first I need for this FabricLive 24 by Diplo to finish playing, I cant possibly concentrate on Lord Finesse or Foreign Beggars while Diplo’s remix (and splice) of Way More and the acapella of Bucky Done Gun are blasting out of my speakers! So perhaps I’ll start by saying that this FabricLive mix is wicked. Starts on an early nineties electro trip, progresses to Window Licker, touches on Ludacris, moves onto that crazy Brazilian baile funk sound that Diplo loves so much, and ends up with a few rockier tunes and hot dancefloor breaks - a genuinely enjoyable mix that has tonnes of energy. I’m not one of these subscribers, or just people that make a point of getting the latest FabricLive (the fact that this Diplo one came out last year somewhat proves that!), but I listen sporadically and have such issues as; James Lavelle, AIM, DJ Spinbad, and Scratch Perverts. The Diplo one is well worth getting. Anyway, back to the topic at hand…
Last weekend Lord Finesse was in town (Brisbane) with Roc Raida, Q-Unique, and DJ Eclipse. They did an instore at Butter Beats in Brisbane City and plenty of people turned up for the momentous occasion. Finesse himself didn’t seem in the mood for idle chit-chat, Raida came across as one of those quiet-but-pleasant guys, Q-Unique seemed cool enough and Eclipse was a good laugh. I took the opportunity to grab some ’squiggles’ from each of the guys and they were forthcoming in that - I got Lord Finesse to sign my Rare & Unreleased album of his, and I have to say it is a class record. It contains 22 tracks that have been previously unavailable on CD and it touches on all aspects of his work, from the proper old skool stuff, right up to a few r&b productions that he worked on. If anything it gave me a stark reminder that some of this old skool stuff sounds as fresh today as it did way back then!
Ground Floor Featuring Lord Finesse - Dig On That
>> download track (YSI)
>> buy album @ Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 1st December.
The other rare & unreleased album I purchased comes from UK hip-hoppers Foreign Beggars. They recently dropped Bukkake Ski Trip on the Dented label, their compilation of previously unheard tracks, vinyl-only releases, bootlegs, collaborations and remixes, all put together by Foreign Beggars DJ Nonames. There’s plenty of UK talent showcased on the album, not to mention a few other nice surprises, such as Stones Throw’s very own Wildchild on the track Million Skill March. Enough people have previously voiced their opinion that Foreign Beggars are one of the best UK hip-hop acts around, and this album does nothing but re-highlight that fact. For anyone new to the ‘Beggars, this album would be a perfect starting point, an 18 track extravaganza of different sounds that these head-nodding fellas produce. Foreign Beggars manage to finely balance the elements of the UK sound that can so often fall wide of the mark with a heavy emphasis on aggressive, dark vocals and a lack of sound production - their stuff manages to sound gritty, but still showcase tight beats, clever lyrics, and intricate flow. Above all, it really gets your head nodding - two thumbs fresh!
Foreign Beggars - Cold Breeze
>> download track (YSI)
>> buy album @ Dented Records
This download link will expire on 8th December.
I’m currently working on a bumper blog entry (in my mind at least) that will be focusing on the best albums that have been released this year - so if you have any suggestions, give me a shout. I think at the mo my list is bout 20 albums strong.
Useful links:
- FabricLive website
- AG/DITC MySpace page
- Download - Ground Floor Featuring Lord Finesse - Dig On That (YSI)
- Buy Rare & Unreleased @ Amazon UK
- Foreign Beggars MySpace page
- Download - Foreign Beggars - Cold Breeze (YSI)
- Buy Bukkake Ski Trip @ Dented Records
Categories : Classic, Info, Links, New Release, Review
De La Soul - More Than You Know (Hint Remix)
Lyrics Born - Changed My Mind (DJ Spinna remix)
Madvillain - Money Folder (Four Tet Remix)
Nas - Made You Look (9th Wonder Remix)
Nightmares on Wax - 70s 80s (RJD2 remix)
Sia - Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix)
The Avalanches - Thank You Caroline (Andy Votel Remix)
Coldcut - Everything Is Under Control (DJ Kentaro Remix)
Elbow - Fugitive Motel (RJD2 remix)
Kings Of Convenience - I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From (Royksopp remix)
Serge Gainsbourg - Ford Mustang (DJ Cam remix)
Zero 7 - Somersault (Danger Mouse remix feat. MF DOOM)
A tragic tale of an immensely talented individual, so shy and lacking in self-confidence, that he never lived to experience the full fruits of his labour. Nick Drake only released three full albums, none of which sold any more than 5,000 copies whilst he was alive. The official census is that Nick Drake committed suicide in 1974 by way of an overdose of an anti-depressant drug, although many dispute this and label it as a “tragic accident”.
Nick Drake - River Man
Nick Drake - From the Morning
I’m sure most of you, or at least all the hip-hop fans, out there know all about Stones Throw. It’s the indie hip-hop label started and run by Peanut Butter Wolf. But how much do you know bout the Wolf’s origins and how Stones Throw started? Maybe you know it all, or maybe you’re not aware that back in the early 90s Peanut Butter Wolf was hanging around with Wildchild and also a young fella by the name of Charizma. Peanut Butter Wolf, or PBW, spotted Charizma’s talent early - he was a gifted emcee and showed much promise. Very quickly they signed to Hollywood Basic (a division of Disney), they even recorded an album full of material, although it didn’t get released till many years later and the pair were quickly dropped from the label before anything was released. The guys put it down to experience, but before they could move on, Charizma was tragically killed in 93. The details are hazy but it is said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was shot at the scene of a burglary.
Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf - My World Premiere
Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf - Red Light Green Light
White Town was (and still is!) Jyoti Mishra, Born in India, but raised in the UK since he was just three years old. White Town was an electro-pop act playing out of Derby since the late 80s, but a chance discovery by then Radio One DJ Mark Radcliffe, suddenly turned low-key to over-night fame. One thing led to another and then White Town signed to EMI/Chrysalis in late 96 and the track was released at the beginning of 97.
White Town - Your Woman
Today I want to tell you about Nitin Sawhney, and it's such a colourful story to tell. 
Nitin Sawhney - Falling Angels
Nitin has had his work remixed by many very highly acclaimed artists over the years, some of which are; 4hero, MJ Cole, and Talvin Singh. But, as a producer and DJ, he has also remixed or produced other peoples' work, like; Jeff Beck, Lamb, Robert Miles, and Sinead O'Connor. The 2004 album All Mixed Up was actually a compilation of Nitin Sawhney tracks that were remixed by other artists.
Nitin Sawhney - Homelands
Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining
Have You Fed the Fish? saw BDB return to a more rocky path. Tracks like Born Again showed he still wanted to belt out a rock track - although this album did contain its fair share of upbeat pop-rock tracks like; All Possibilities, You Were Right, How, and Tickets To What You Need. His style sits finely on the border line of alternative indie rock and pop. It's almost too pop for rock and too rock for pop. Hence he also tends to be one of these artists you either love or… well not hate, but if you don't love him, you probably just feel quite indifferent.
Badly Drawn Boy - Another Devil Dies
The Cinematic Orchestra are made up of six members; Jason Swinscoe, Patrick Carpenter, Tom Chant, Luke Flowers, John Ellis, and Phil France. Swinscoe is the 'conductor', if you like - the man that makes sure the magic comes together as it should. Carpenter is the DJ and producer, Chant is the sax man, Flowers is the drummer, Ellis is the keyboard dude, and France is the bass player. Essentially, Cinematic Orchestra are a jazz/electronica group, signed to Ninja Tune and have been in existence since 1999.
Taking note of the last LP on that list, Man with a Movie Camera - it was actually a score to the classic 1929 Dziga Vertov Polish film. The story goes that they were originally asked to perform a live score for it at a film festival in Portugal, but it went down so well that they decided to record it. The film was actually a piece of communist propaganda, but for it's time had quite advanced production techniques that such allowed the score to be split into six main sections, and in turn corresponded with six main themes. You have to hear this LP to believe it, it's nothing short of breath-takingly beautiful.
Their live shows are said to be amazing, and over the years the Orchestra have visited countries both far and wide, including more recently; Germany, Japan, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Holland, France, and Switzerland. Their respective appearances tend to sell out quite quickly and the guys have a certain reputation for putting on fantastic live shows, both in concert and at festivals.
Cinematic Orchestra - All Things To All Men
Roots Manuva is Rodney Smith, a UK hip-hop/dub artist from London. Although he was brought up in the Stockwell area of London, his parents are of Jamaican origins - his father was a preacher. He emerged on the music scene in '94, appearing for the first time under his name of Roots Manuva on a Blak Twang track called Queen's Head. Later that same year he released his first single, Mind To Motion. In the years following this he collaborated with artists such as Skitz and also worked alongside the guys at Big Dada (a sub division of Ninja Tune).
Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope)
Essentially The Herbaliser are a jazz/hip-hop group. Their earlier releases were more of a beat driven hip-hop experience, but over time their sound has matured, the jazz element began to take more of a shape and then in the later years they experimented using an actual jazz band to play instruments on their tracks. Another, more constant, feature in their music has always been the appearance of guest emcees. Many have returned to work with them time and again, whilst others were one off, such guest appearances have been from; Jean Grae (credited in earlier work under the name What What), Roots Manuva, Raaka Iriescience (from Dilated Peoples), Blade, Phi Life Cypher, and MF DOOM.
The Herbaliser - Something Wicked (feat. Seeming To)
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