Incubate Festival Tilburg Sept 19/20

Incubate Festival (formerly known as ZXZW, blog here) in Tilburg, Netherlands is coming up in September. on the 19th, as part of Generation Bass, i will do a solo set of all new material, heavy on the South East Asian and Middle Eastern flavors -- all the more abstract, emotional and "difficult" pieces which are too challenging and not suited for normal dance floors will get a chance to shine. on the 20th, as part of Car Free Sunday, i will be supporting dj for the legendary Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou (whose music you know from the Psychedelic Sound of West Africa (will re-up) and African Scream Contest compilations) -- expect appropriate Afro Funk both old and new.

the lineup looks fantastic, of particular interest to readers of this blog might be: James Blackshaw, Mark Ernestus (Rhythm & Sound) & Tikiman, Shackleton, Cooly G, Sensational and Spectre the Ill Saint from Word Sound -- and probably 2 dozens more i am not familiar with -- i hope to see some of you there. thanks to Vince the Prince for making this possible, check his great and often updated Generation Bass Blog for some of the coolest boom boom around the world.

Morrocco part 2

once again our western aesthetic prejudices might make the casual CD browser on the streets of Marrekesh pass by this awe inspiring recording. the photo of this woman might look like a 2nd grade teacher to us (not that 2nd grade teachers are necessarily anything to be taken lightly), but her voice, both sensuous and earth shaking, rivals those of the greatest Rai singers ever. make no mistake: this is some of the most powerful and beautiful Rai music i have ever heard, with enough depth of emotion and epic force to move mountains. (anyone know the english version of her name?)

thanks to Abdullah and Yves Thibord, i now know that this is Cheb Zahouania, whose name:

(from Yves) "could be tranlated "Happy-go-lucky", a star of algerian rai since the mid 80', and still today. Her "scandalous" duo with Cheb Hasni "we make love in a Shabby Shack" started their careers, Hasni was murdered by the islamists in 94. He is still a big star in Algeria...

Maghni is credited , this guy was the keybord player for a lot of recording in Oran (Algeria), Boualem (her husband) is the editor of the "label" DiscoMaghreb, meaning this cassette was probably recorded at the end of the 80's (in one night) the tracks are some of her best known tunes. you must have an moroccan edition printed in arabic caracter, the algerian original was printed in latin caracters. one thing is that the singers were recording many versions of the same tune, Zahouania must have recorded many hundreds of cassettes... A Cd version of this cassette has probably been released since (it is what i bought and presented here - zhao)."

another classic similar to but different from the one in the first Morrocco post.


and here is that Berber Reggae i was talking about. to me the elements of this hybrid music are reminiscent of Mongolian, Russian, Celtic, as well as North African and Jamaican traditions which stretch back across the centuries.

since they are a contemporary group, i was not going to share this (or at least not in its entirety), but after a search i could find no place to purchase the CD or digital files. if anyone finds such a place please let me know and i will link to it, and remove the download.

oh, and to the racist asshole who left a message in the last Morrocco post, don't bother trying to broadcast your ignorance and stupidity, it's not worth anyone's time.

video

big thanks to Arlei for the excellent camera work, Carolin for making connections, Nuwella, Jessica and Maya, for their support and just being amazing.

time was 1 - 3:30 PM. most people were just waking up i think (but some already on what looks like some good drugs :) due to the time of day and mood, Congo played pretty straight and sunny (maybe a bit overcast), and did not get into his crazy effects boxes too much... we need to record an evil-dead apocalypse dub night time set soon. and Robbie usually plays with at the very least 3 kongas, preferring to have a dozen or more drums in front of him, where his hands just become a blur... but at this they only had 2 kongas for him.

we look forward to playing many more shows and also recording (if you know some promoters or festival organizers in your city please don't hesitate to send this to them!)

onward...

3 + 3 avant C. for peace and calm

(before we begin, a few re-ups: the gorgeous bird symphony, Kaija Saariaho's "L'Aile Du Songe", as well as the 2 for solo post which contains Feldman's "For Bunita Marcus" and Scelsi's "Complete Clarinet".)

the following is my favorite installment in the Avant Garde Project - 4 pieces of music by Robert Erickson. words in the original article:

"The composer of all four tracks, Robert Erickson, was born in 1917 and was a founding member of the Music Department at University of California San Diego, starting in 1966. He wrote a number of books, including Sound Structures in Music (1975).

Night Music is the standout piece in this set, and is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard (same here - zhao). It is based around the agile, sinuous trumpet playing of David Burkhart, supported by flute, clarinets, trombone, cello, bass, and percussion. If the first two AGP installments have been too chaotic for your taste, check out this lovely meditative fantasy. It starts off quite softly for the first few minute--no adjustment to your equipment is necessary.

The other three tracks fill out the remaining Erickson pieces I was able to find in my stacks (minus Pacific Sirens, which is currently in print). The Idea of Order at Key West features the soprano Carol Plantamura singing Wallace Stevens’ poem, backed by flute, clarinet, Burkhart’s trumpet, viola, and cello. It includes some nice harmonies and ensemble scoring. General Speech is an interesting novelty piece in which Stuart Dempster plays trombone while forming his mouth around the words of General MacArthur's retirement speech at West Point. The timbres that result are intriguing, and one can even somewhat follow what is being said. End of the Mime is a choral piece to a text from Finnegan’s Wake.

These tracks were drawn from CRI releases SD 325 and SD 494, and New World Records NW 254. The text file has liner notes from all three LPs, including biographical material on Robert Erickson and the lead musicians as well as commentary on the pieces. "

download



for those unfamiliar with this classic set of music: ideas from Gamelan and African xylophones meets Satie-esque minimalism, realized on carefully messed up pianos performed by the one and only John Tilbury.



download



and finally when you are ready for some serious meditative depth. a performance of Cello music by La Monte Young. of course it takes some patience, as the first section is a single tone which does not change much, if at all. but it does pay off, as ever so slowly other layers of ebb and flow gently swell in the composition...

download

Molam...

take a break from filling out your TPS report and enjoy a piece or 2 of sweet Molam:

(better to view full screen or go to the youtube page as this blog cuts off 20 pixels from the right - i tried adjusting but it doesn't work)a friend (hi Danielle!) just pointed out that this is actually from Laos, and not Thailand as i previously thought. but i think the style can also be found along the border and in other parts of Thailand.

my Thai friend says this is the music people from the country side prefer, while the big city folk are all listening to Rihanna and Kanye.

i was thinking about why a style like Molam from Southeast Asia is unheard of in the west, while it is as funky and enchanting as anything, for instance Cumbia, the third-world darling of the hipster world at the moment. these sounds feel more strange to western ears, but why? for sure the reasons lie in history, trade, access, interaction between cultures, and a slew of economic and political factors.

for instance why has Reggae become by far the most internationally popular music from the Caribbean? and not the incredible grooves from the Dominican Republic, wicked VouDou sounds from Haiti, or of course, the amazingly rich musical traditions in Cuba? El Congo, my Cuban trumpet man, explained that this is due to trade agreements between Jamaica and US from early and mid 20th century, Cuban politics which isolated it from the world, and large scale migration of Jamaicans to the UK, etc., etc. in other words, arbitrary reasons little to do with the artistic merit of the music.

the above are more traditional examples, in Thailand there is an urban Molam sound system culture -- in poorer parts of town they would just set up a stage and speaker bins anywhere, and people come and dance all night:and this, my friends, is what the information age is all about: was ecstatic to encounter braingoreng, a treasure trove of South East Asian cassettes and vinyl. i'm still in the stage of frantically downloading, and have not yet reviewed the material, but there has to be some quality Molam hidden in the depths of this blog, along with all kinds of Gamelan, Muay Thai (Thai boxing) soundtracks, Afro-Arabic-South Asian hybrid pop (!!!), and who knows what else. the author writes of one recording: "... unfold like stratified mandalas" -- words that can likely describe the blog itself.

Kwaito in Berlin

aweh!

Namibian kwaito superstars Gazza and EES will be doing 4 shows in Berlin this week. jislaaik! i will open up for 2 of them.

come have a dop with us, light up the dagga, take off your broekie and jol!!!

Gazza:

Gazza and EES together:

EES:

Ocora East Asia 1

i know i have been a terrible blogger. not to mention stupid: lost a lot of links a few weeks ago when the rapidshare account ran out, and i didn't know about the "transfer links to collectors account" thing. (grrrrrr...) so there are a few requests to get to... going to get to them one at a time. (the 2 most recent OCORA Africa ones, "Bruitset Ambiances" have fresh links)

and now, onward and foward!

____Chen Zhong is one of China's most revered musicians and teachers. Seventy-five when this recording was made, he has spent a lifetime playing several instruments and keeping the Shanghai style alive. This is music for two, three, or four play and Zhong is accompanied by two Chinese musicians and the French Sino-musicologist Francois Picard. In various combinations they play flutes, ocarina, fiddles, and zithers. The ocarina in question is not the Western ocarina of course, but a round clay flute with a 7000-year history; reviving its use in secular music is one of Zhong's many achievements. Zhong plays solo pipa (lute) on one track and exhibits some impressive fingerpicking. On another, Zhong plays end-blown flute (something like a recorder) and is accompanied by Yang Lining on the zheng zither, which in this piece is strummed gorgeously in the manner of a harp.

Teruhisa Fukuda performing six of the most representative pieces of the Kinko School, developed in the 18th century from traditions of itinerant komusô zen monks for whom enlightenment could be reached through the sound of the shakuhachi flute.

Fusion 1 tracks

the majority of Fusion 2 (and maybe also 3) are finished, but will take more time to put together. in the mean time here are some individual stand alone tracks from Fusion 1, for radio, for playing out, whatever!

in my little way i wish to remind the world of the interconnectedness of all music, all cultures, all religions, all ideas, all ethnic groups...



corny? maybe. the truth? absolutely!

http://www.divshare.com/download/7366619-16a
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366618-115
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366617-a79
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366616-b58
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366276-6be
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366275-61f
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366274-7e7
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366271-756
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366269-692
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366135-c63
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366134-e19
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366133-f6d
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366132-9af
http://www.divshare.com/download/7366130-7a3
http://www.divshare.com/download/7298928-3b5

Wax Treatment

went to this last sunday night:

and it was completely mad. best night right now in Berlin probably.

by the way i talked to Marcus last time and that set which i thought was new Rhythm and Sound material was actually the meticulous and impeccable selection of DJ Shed...

New Hybrid

from deep within jungles of indonesian islands - special sneek preview of FUSION 3:

jungle operation by djzhao


and mark calenders:
ELECTRO-CUMBIAS, PANAMANESE REGGAETON, AND AFRO-BASS

BALLIN IN B-TOWN B DARE OR B SQUARE :D

FRIDAY JULY 10

Lawine festival continues, as orchestrated by the Piso collective of portugese youths: radical politics, video performance, uncategorizable music, conceptual art with a social dimension (and good cooks too!). as the "punchline" of the entire project, it's all going off friday July 10th @ club West Germany (small club capacity 200+, with badass soundsystem) I will do a 1 hour set earlier in the evening, showcasing some new material, and will be on again all night after the other artists play.

NGOMA soundsystem debut / Fusion Fest 09

Friday__06/26/2009__01:00-04:00 PM, Seebühne stage:



DJ Zhao-laptop // El Congo-trumpet // Robby Geerken-Percussion

hyper-modern global sonics meets ancestral lineage: psychedelia, abstract sound, ancient world-wide tradition and contemporary electronic bass for your freaky dancing needs.















a good first live set together even if we only ended up doing 2+ hours because of schedule push back... played lots of new material, rumba breaks, voodoo techno, broken afro-beat. Robby banged on the drums fierce and intricate, Congo was just flying with the trumpet and effects. too bad we couldn't record off the main board but video will be edited soon.

always great to work with fusion people, well organized, and full of good cheer. see you all in one year's time :D

Morrocco part 1

it's been almost an entire year since my trip to morrocco, and it is (past) time to share some of the music i bought in the dodgy little cramped and messy CD shops around Marrakesh and on route to the Sahara. what i found is that the bigger shops which are more organized is mostly all pop and rubbish, and that it is the ones with stacks of shit all over the floor, looking like it just opened that very afternoon, with employees who look like kids from the street, in which you can find real magic. i stood in a few of them for hours on end, trying to describe with gestures and a friend who could translate, the sounds i was after, and going through stacks and stacks of CDs. service was great, they happily played for me any CD i pointed to on the shop stereo. glad i spent the time and energy as i did find some real gems. here is the first, more to follow.



the music on here is even more amazing than this cover. as soon as the beat kicked in on the first track i was like "this goes in the yes pile". the guy on the left with the tie the shop attendent told me is a legendary player.

sorry there are no english names on most of these CDs and all i could do was label the mp3s in a simple way so that i can remember which is which.

much thanks to a commentor the artists on this recording has been identified as CHEB MOKHTAR EL BERKANI, featuring Hamid Bouchnak (Rai pioneer), with Hassan El Oujdi on vocals for tracks 11 and 12.

coming up: Berber reggae, classic Gnawa and fusion, more badass Rai.

thanks to Ed this has been re-upped.

Seamus Ennis - the Wandering Minstrel

to follow up on those mystical bagpipes, i think this item i got from a tip in the comments, from pamrapo:



mediafire

party / mini-mix

promo mini mix spring 2009
capturing the NGOMA sound in 10 minutes, 18 tracks:

Dogme 09 (for djs) - updated 24. Jan. 2011

with a goal of countering “certain tendencies” in the club today.

just like with Dogma 95 this is surely not for most, but should not be viewed as any kind of diss to people who choose not to adopt these vows, nor is it any kind of silly value judgement concerning "underground" being superior to top 40. and of course like the films Dogme directors make: some will strictly adhere, some will partially, and some completely outside the parameter - i am not suggesting anyone SHOULD adopt these rules, but just providing a guideline opposed to laziness and complacency. the desired result is of course maximizing fun and party and intrigue and inspiration...

goes without saying some of it has plenty of room for subjective interpretation.

THE VOWS OF CHASTITY

1. no selection which has been used by another dj *that you know of* in live or studio mixing.

2. no selection which you *think* the majority of the audience knows well in live or studio mixing.

3. no dj tools except as transition between non-tool tracks, (hallo techno djs).

4. avoid arbitrary fucking with the EQ, track volumes, cross fader, etc., for pure effect if it doesn't enhance the material. (same goes for chaos pads, etc.)

5. use repetition and monotony as means toward ends, and not out of default laziness.

6. when possible, make best use of the innate human tendency to recognize/imagine patterns, instead of beating people's heads with a giant kick drum ALL of the time.

7. all mashups must sound BETTER than, or at least become more meaningful than the original songs.

8. no excessive use of arpeggios as lazy way to create excitement-by-numbers.

9. Do in depth research into your chosen styles, its history and lineage as related to other styles, find and make unexpected connections.

10. do not play ANY ONE THING all night. selection should not be restricted to genre definitions, but guided by what feels right, and what works the best together to build the feeling you want to create in the over-all composition.

11. Both entertain and educate the audience: transcend the here and now, go beyond or destroy the status quo.

12. Music is never "just music", but always an expression of social reality. Allow the world around us and the situation we are in to inform your work. Make site specific references and conceptual links, infuse the musical experience with many levels of meaning.




leave comment if you have anything to add.

more SA hotness

via dissensus:

expansive mnml

interesting and quality mix and compilation by Henrik Schwarz (and friend), a producer bringing African forms and ideas to minimal techno, with often highly successful results (check his sublime remix at the end of NGOMA3, which i completely thought was South African before looking it up), and a dj of unusual scope and ambition. the clever idea of the Grandfather Paradox has not much to do with the content (a time traveler who goes back in time to kill his own grandfather couldn't logically do so, because without the grandfather there is no time traveler), but this mix draws lines between disparate nodes and forms unlikely connections: from academic avant garde to modern jazz, from post punk to maverick outsider music, and is a pleasure through out.

Henrik Schwarz/Âme/Dixon: The Grandfather Paradox

CD1: Mixed

01. Steve Reich & Pat Metheny - Electric Counterpoint – Fast (Movement 3)
02. Etienne Jaumet - Repeat After Me (Âme Mix)
03. Kenneth Bager - Fragment Eleven… The Day After Yesturday Pt.1
04. Liquid Liquid - Lock Groove (Out)
05. Cymande - For Baby Oh
06. Patrick Moraz - Metamorphoses 1st Movement (Live)
07. To Rococo Rot - Testfeld
08. Matematics - Blue Water
09. I:CUBE - Acid Tablet
10. Ø - Atomit
11. Conrad Schnitzler - Electrocon 11
12. Green Pickles feat. Billy Lo & M. Pittman - Feedback
13. La Funk Mob - Motor Bass Gets Phunked Up (Richie Hawtin’s Electrophunk Mix)
14. John Carpenter - The President Is Gone
15. Yusef Lateef - The Three Faces Of Bala
16. Robert Hood - Minus
17. Raymond Scott - Bass-Line Generator
18. Moondog - Invocation

CD2: Un-Mixed

01. Conrad Schnitzler - Elektrocon 11
02. Steve Reich & Pat Metheny - Electric Counterpoint - Fast (Movement 3)
03. Liquid Liquid - Lock Groove (Out)
04. To Rococo Rot - Testfeld
05. Patrick Moraz - Metamorphoses 1st Movement (Live)
06. Young Marble Giants - N.i.t.a
07. Kenneth Bager - Fragment Eleven… The Day After Yesturday Pt.1
08. Arthur Russell - Make 1,2
09. John Carpenter - The President Is Gone
10. Robert Hood - Minus
11. Raymond Scott - Bass-Line Generator
12. Pyrolator - November Mühlheim
13. Cymande - For Baby Oh
14. Can- Sunday Jam

both CDS here.

The Living Treasures of Bali

very happy to present these videos. (finder's credit goes to Janas) i have arranged them in a sequence which makes sense as a complete experience; for the newcomer whose curiosity is cursory, the essential ones to see are 01 and 07.

included below are good quicktime and better MPEG2 links (for more options including streaming go to the archive), but this is for sure no substitute for seeing and hearing in the flesh: if you live in a big city, chances are there is an ensemble associated with music department of a university or Indonesian cultural center, doing shows a few times a year...

Performances by eminent elder Balinese performing artists with Gamelan Semara Ratih
"Banyu Pinaruh dan Bulan Purnama"
26 December 2004 - Ubud, Bali

sit your friends down, shut them up, lower the lights, turn up the volume and give the EQ some extra bass. (comments below are from my subjective point of view, without knowing the narratives of the pieces or their historical significance.)


01 Kembang_Kuning
instrumental piece in which the power and subtlety within interplay of complex elements of the full orchestra is demonstrated. quicktime or MPEG2


02 Baris
a somewhat angular dance with a sense of urgency and danger, perhaps a good introduction to the many dancers which follow. quicktime or MPEG2


03 Kebyar Duduk
an ornamental and lush performance with sweeping arcs and gentle inviting gestures. quicktime or MPEG2


04 Teruna Jaya
a sensuous and playful dance. quicktime or MPEG2


05 Jauk_Manis
my fist time seeing one of these guys my heart almost stopped... a demon animal spirit of some kind, he is at once spooky and funny. quicktime or MPEG2


06 Bapang Gede
a lovely number from this woman who looks to be at least 80... limbs not so nimble anymore but the moves are still there, and most importantly the spirit... she must be the coolest grandmother in the world. quicktime or MPEG2


07 Palawakya
this is the centerpiece for me. not only are her fantastic moves out of this world, her characterization rich with personality, she also sings and sits down to play gongs. quicktime or MPEG2


08 Oleg Tambulilingan
a dance for pair of female and male performers. some kind of love story is my guess. quicktime or MPEG2


09 Candra Metu
a subtle and whimsical dance. quicktime or MPEG2

help me with Kite

i lost the file/files to Kite, the tech house and minimal dub techno mix i put up a long time ago. has anyone got it? can please upload for me? mucho grassy ass in advance!

Toumani Diabaté - The Mandé Variations (NEW LINK)

in case some out there are not aware of this man or his sound... this is partially improvised Malian music made on the 21 string Kora; its formal sophistication and refinement comparable to the high classical styles of Indonesia, of Europe or Persia, yet with a particular fluidity and sensuality unique, to me at least, to African sensibilities. the pieces are a mixture of traditional melodies and original compositions through which touches of jazz and other modern sensibilities are hinted at, this is an essential recording.

Minimalist Eastern Rock

rock critics and jounalists need to listen to this all the way through, which will hopefully discourage them from applying cliches like "relentless" or "immersive" to luke-warm wank.

from Musicianguide.com:

"Many of Young's performances in the 1990s have been with the Forever Bad Blues Band, which, as of 1993, consisted of Jon Catler on guitar, Brad Catler on bass, and Jonathan Kane on drums. Describing this band in Down Beat, Young said, "It's a lot like a rock band, but we play one song for two hours." In an interview with Martin Johnson in Pulse!, he noted that working with the band helped him regain his enthusiasm for performing, which he had come to miss. Young told Johnson, "The Forever Bad Blues Band came out of the fact that in my bigger works ... I had set up the situation that was very difficult for sponsors to produce, whereas this band can go in, we can do the sound check at 3:00 and do the concert and pack up and go on to the next situation."

"The playing seemed to create an auditory space with its own dimension and depth, within which the music took place," reported New York Times contributor Edward Rothstein about a performance of Young and the Forever Bad Blues Band at the Kitchen. 'As in Mr. Young's other works, the listener was always discovering something about the sound, the way it shimmered around the edges or seemed to change color.' Rothstein concluded, 'The music emerged as an intriguing combination of blues, 1960's happening, Eastern esthetic, rock and Minimalism.'

Young has performed on a regular basis in New York City in recent years, often adding a touch of performance art to his concerts. A typical example was his appearance at Merkin Concert Hall in 1993, when he placed his musicians around the hall as if beckoning members of the audience to be a part of the performance. Many of his concerts have featured lighting designed by Marian Zazeela, his wife and collaborator, that imbues the stage with a New Age aura.

Young recorded Just Stompin': Live at the Kitchen with his band in 1993. Clearly influenced by the blues of John Lee Hooker and John Coltrane, the album also somewhat resembled the work of the Velvet Underground and modern rock experimentalists Sonic Youth. David Fricke gave the album four stars in his review in Rolling Stone. 'Two hours, one song (never mind 'song,' one chord progression), no break--and zero boredom,' noted Fricke. In his review of Just Stompin' in the Detroit Metro Times, Jurek said, 'The band plays dynamically, from soft to hard and back, gradually building in both intensity and tension, laying back just enough--without letting the air out--to allow the musicians (and listeners) to breathe and start again, until the music reaches an unbearable pitch [that] shatters all divisions between blues, Indian classical music, punk, heavy metal, grunge, modal jazz and noise, because it's all of them and none of them at once.'"

my copy has been destroyed and lost a long time ago, but just last week found a 192k version -- and here reupped for your temple of eternal beer and BBQ.

NGOMA 3

the original plan was for 3 to be dub grime apocalypse, and 4 an uplifting and soulful holiday in the tropics. but due to both the popularity of 2, and the challenge from dj Doom, I've decided to continue with the afro-centric 4/4 boom for this volume.

while staying in the same territory as 2, the journey is not the same, and many things make this one unique: the psychedelic motorik genius of Dj Clock's "Durban Guitar"; the monolithic, earth shaking visions of Black Coffee; DJ Sdoko's ominous Kraftwerkian phuture; Manya's soul stirring take on traditonal Angolan melodies; a surprisingly wicked banger from the Dutch DJ Bigga (UK is not the only place currently Afro minded), and ending with Sami vocal style from Mari Boine, reinterpreting the sound of indigenous Norway*. most of the selection are not well known or commonly used tracks in the "scene", with only one exception: just could not stay away from the Yellowtail (but check how it is used before you complain).

concerning the anti-apartheid and war samples used through out the mix: the struggle for freedom from colonialism is the context which gave rise to contemporary South African music: Kwaito was born amidst antagonism and bloodshed, and has led to the current house music scene. thus songs such as "100 Zulu Warriors" and the radio broadcast at the end should not be taken as an incitement of racial conflict (especially in light of last year's wave of horrible xenophobia) but as a reminder of the political realities of the Apartheid era from which this music comes.

*you might think it strange to include a traditional song from northern Europe on an Afrocentric project, but 1. thematically it fits the recording as the vocalist has for decades fought for equal rights of her people, who have long been the subject of discrimination, like South Africans, in their homeland; and 2. Henrich Schwartz who made the remix is a producer certainly with a lot of Africa on his mind.

as you enjoy this i will be back onto the original course: stay tuned for dub terrorism and caribbean love.

DIRECT LISTEN AND SINGLE TRACK DOWNLOAD:

fairtilizer

SEPARATE TRACKS DOWNLOAD:

mediafire or rapidshare or megaupload

More Gripes

Against Drawing Lines

this blog, indeed my entire musical project, is about the blurring of, and hopefully completely doing away with, all lines which separate us and our sensibilities.

all lines are arbitrary and all separation is illusion. they are fictions invented to keep us apart, and remain our greatest collective enemy. i will provide an argument for this from a biological perspective at a later date, on the same river, but for now:

• all you modern classical people stop dismissing techno as stupid machine nonsense for kids on drugs. this is pure ignorance.

• all you beat heads take some time to explore the "werid" stuff on this blog.

• experimental sound freaks stop being afraid of hiphop and grime: testosterone is as valid as estrogen, that's why we have both.

Against Prejudice

also, i would like to ask the people who say they love music made on "real instruments", by "real musicians":

have you ever heard an idiot say, perhaps with drool dripping from his chin, that Free Jazz or improvised music is easy, and that anyone can do it?

well, that's exactly what you sound like when you say the same thing about what DJ's do.

of course there are bullshit djs (as there are bullshit jazz musicians); and some of them, for whatever reasons, make it big. but a real DJ (yes, like me) plays the roles of Historian, Archivist, Ethnologist, Curator, Choreographer, AS WELL AS Entertainer and Performer.

so you think it's "easy" to "play records"? how about next time there are 500 people gathered in a big room, who all paid money to dance non-stop for the next 8 hours, i give YOU 2 turntables and see what happens. i will laugh my ass off when the bottles start flying and your legs turn to jelly after 15 minutes.

and people like this always have a big chip on their shoulder about how much money some DJ's make -- presumably in comparison to how little they make as a "real musician" (boo fucking hoo) -- "and all they're doing is playing other people's music!!!". well let me ask you another question: do you think gallery or museum curators should get paid well? after all, they're only hanging other people's art on a wall, aren't they?!?

i can not believe how much of this condescending, bigoted and ignorant bullshit i have heard over the years, being a dj who happens to have serious respect for, and have met lots of people from, other musical disciplines. and most people who say things like this do not even go to dance clubs -- so please do us all a favor: stop spraying your stupid opinions about subjects of which you know nothing.

rant over.