MOISTWORKS

Mp3s offered for previewing purposes only. Mp3s remain up for a few weeks. Please do not direct link to a track (to save me bandwidth). Any artist wishing the removal of copyrighted material please email me and it will be done so immediately.

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Thursday, April 14, 2005

"LONDON-BORN" Moistworks in todays issue of The Guardian

Things are going to be quiet here for the next couple days but very noisy next week, with some VERY SPECIAL CHANGES to the site, so do check back, wot.

100 Most Famous Britons!!!

Boy George 50 spots higher than JRRTolkein! Swarm Hobbit geeks, swarm!

posted by James |

Saturday, April 09, 2005

THE MODERN CHEMICAL AGE (locKDown mix)
The Strokes vs. Chemical Brothers
mixed by locKDown
[DOWNLOAD HERE]

DROP THE GIFT
Velvet Underground vs. Snoop Dogg w/ Pharrell
mxed by Brigitte B
[DOWNLOAD HERE]

GREYHOUND PART 1
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Experimental Remixes [EP] 1995
[BUY IT]

Its been a while since I have trawled the teeming waters of GYBO, that bootleggers paradise. A quick browse last week turned up these two gems. Not much trickery on display here, but a keen sense of musical husbandry.

The Strokes and the Chemical Brothers are mixed with just the right measures of neo and retro. The Edge makes a quiet cameo - very nice.

The second mash drops Snoop Dogg and Farrell over an unlooped chunk of the Velvet's grubby and bass-heavy "The Gift". I read somewhere recently that Snoop has become "Adult Contemporary Gangsta," with his overly slick production and with squares like Jimmy Kimmel and Dan Patrick and that guy who sold you a car last year trotting out their best Fashizzle Nizzles whenever a black person joins the conversation. But backed by the Velvets at their least-pretty, Snoop sounds convincingly menacing. (Even Pharrell sounds like his balls have finally dropped.)

I posted the unrelated "Greyhound Part 1" because it is truly dynamite and because The Blues Explosion play 3 shows at NYC's cozy CBGB; April 10,11 and 12. Check the bands site for details. On Amazon you can also pick up the Experimental Remixes Import (2000) which includes 4 bonus remixes, including one by Prince Paul.

posted by James |

Thursday, April 07, 2005

BLOODY MOTHER FUCKING ASSHOLE
Martha Wainwright
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
[buy it]

This week Martha Wainwright releases her first full length album.

Much has been written about the muscial DNA of the Wainwright clan. Loudon 3 is well known for his unabashedly personal and scallywag folk balladeering. His ex-wife Kate McGarrigle is a folkie. Kates sister Anne, a folkie. His sister Sloane, a folkie. As for Loudon and Kates son Rufus - people bandy around the phrase "trubadour" but strip away his ambitious arrangements and genre double-dipping, and he possesses the sentimentality of a gay folkie at heart.

And the Wainwright clan love nothing more than to sing about each other. They are a dysfunctional lot, and they use their music to very openly launder their flawed relationships. If Martha longs to understand what her father was thinking when he skipped town on his pregnant wife, or how that made her mother feel in her most private moments, she simply needs to flip on her iPod. This collective narcissism is odd and cathartic. Sometimes it can be occasionally a little much. They are like the Swiss Family Too Much Information. But the honest and personal nature of these singer/songwriters is what makes them so engrossing.

So it comes as no suprise to find Martha Wainwright continuing the family tradition. Her work is far less stylized than her brothers, less narative than her dads. If you find the Wainwright man-porridge too hot and too cold, Martha may be just right.

For an artist so expressly insecure, Martha has a very confident voice. Her songwriting approach runs closer to pop's. Not just for her sparse style but also for her openly wounded intimacy. In fact, a fair number of her songs deal with Dad.

Martha Wainwright came up with an effective way of dealing with having a singer-songwriter father who substituted looking after his family by writing about them in songs. She proved that those who live by the pen will die by the pen, and wrote a song about him called Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole. "For most of my childhood Loudon [Wainwright III] talked to me in song, which is a bit of a shitty thing to do," says Wainwright, who only started writing songs after becoming peeved at the amount of attention her brother Rufus was getting. "Especially as he always makes himself come across as funny and charming while the rest of us seem like whining victims, and we can't tell our side of the story. As a result he has a daughter who smokes and drinks too much and writes songs with titles like Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole."

Martha Wainwright's career might well be designed to irritate her family. Her first album is filled with unhinged, emotional songs that fall into what she calls the "woe is me" vein, and she requires no prompting to reveal the source of her inspiration and especially the effect her father's song I'd Rather Be Lonely had on her. "I always felt terribly sorry for the poor woman I thought it was about because of the line: 'Every time I see you cry you're just a clone of every woman I've known.' Then one time I was on tour with Loudon and he said to the crowd: 'I wrote this song about my daughter.' I had no idea. We lived together for one year in New York when I was 14 and it was a disaster, and I'd Rather Be Lonely was about that year. He really crossed the line there."

-The Guardian 3/18/05

There is member of the Wainwright family, however, who is never discussed in song. That would be Michael Wainwright, older brother to Rufus and Martha. Michael is fromer charter acocuntant and current Managing Director of Boodle and Dunthorne, an upmarket UK Jewelers.

Michael moved to England manmy years ago. He is married and has 2 children and by all accounts lives a normal, emotionally steady life. This of course, makes him something of a black sheep when it comes to his family. Perhaps the other Wainwrights have granted him his space as a matter of respect and decency. Like that other Osbourne daughter who asked out of the family reality business.

But then again, in this family, maybe respect and privacy is in fact a sign that Michael has, in a way, been cast out from the family nucleus. Perhaps they find his conventionality eccentric and hard to engage. But lets not forget that a family that fights is still a family and the turbulent love of resentful people is love nontheless. For all his kin's laments, it may be Michael who is in fact the one truly lonely Wainwright.

In a never published interview, Michaels his wife discussed her husband's relationship with his family:

"Look they are always nice to me and to Micahel and with the kids. We don't see them very often. The last time was in 2001 for a Thanksgiving dinner that they all flew out for. We don't do Thanksgiving in England, so you can imagine what a dreadful ordeal it was putting together a traditional turkey meal for everyone. Michael's father and his brother and sister all came which was wonderful. But they didn't bring anything but their bad tempers. This is quite typical I would say from the few times I've met them. Michael doesn't talk about them much which I reckon is a real shame. Dinner was a bit of a fiasco. We were lucky to get through the soup course before somebody stormed out of the room. Somebody accusses somebody, and somebody complains about somebody else complaining and somebody cries. And when its over they practically race back to their guest rooms to start writing songs about it. As I said they are always civil to us, but it is very awkward I can tell you. Almost like we are invisible. We just sit there in uncomfortable silence eating down at one end of the table while all this madness goes on around us with doors banging. The children just hate it. Its very hard on them. And Michael gets very quiet. He says "pass the gravy" maybe, or "fine weather" but I can see in his eyes he can't wait for the weekend to come to end and our regular lives to start over. We are nice normal people you know. Michael may not be an artsy sort, but he loves what he does and takes pride in himself and he is very good at what he does. Somebody has to balance the checkbooks, we can't all just say what ever we feel like saying whenever we want. That's what children do. We can't all sit around thinking about the universe and feeling sorry for ourselves."

Some nice Wainwright links:

Martha recently did a tour of the UK and no one writes like the Brits:

Snow is falling on Chalk Farm Road as if released by a celestial set designer, transforming the down-at-heel leather shops and cheap Thai eateries into stage props for a monochrome musical. Flakes the size of communion wafers crash slowly onto cars, walking boots, umbrellas and the woolly hats of patrons entering the Barfly, a pub and music venue of lovingly-maintained, Withnail-era shabbiness...

Thats the opening lines from The Independent

Lots more Martha in the Guardian here

And The Times

marthawainwright.com

A Martha Blog

Martha Photos

rufuswainwright.com

Loudon's Official site.

Loudon's unusual acting career:

In 1975, Wainwright appeared in three episodes of M*A*S*H as singing surgeon Calvin Spaulding. He was David Letterman's original musical sidekick during the comedian's short-lived morning show that predated his late-night hit. He appears in the Sandra Bullock rehab film, 28 Days (performing two of the four songs he wrote for the soundtrack), and is also seen in Jackknife and The Slugger's Wife. Recently, he's done television appearances on Ally McBeal, as well as a regular turn as "Hal Karp" on Fox's Undeclared.

The site of the excellent but cancelled Undeclared

Kate and Anne McGarrigle

Sloan Wainwright

Rufus and Martha on NPR

Upcoming Martha Tour Dates

4/07/2005 Sunset Tavern: Seattle, WA
4/12/2005 Joe's Pub: New York, NY
4/13/2005 Paradise Lounge: Boston, MA
4/14/2005 North Star Bar: Philadelphia, PA
5/23/2005 Iota: Arlington, VA

Also...

Found some great music yesterday over at The Captains Crate

Other blog downloads on high rotation:

Emiliana Torrini at Aurgasm

Stephen Malkmus at Gramophone

Also CUD at SVC

and exc. songs by Audible and The Frames and Wooden Stars from a few weeks back from where I can't recall.

posted by James |

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

CLOSE EDGE / FREESTYLE
Mos Def
From "The Dave Chappelle Show"

"I'm like the second plane that made the tower's face off
That shit that let you know it's really not a game dawg"

Quick post.

I smoked a cigarette with Dave Chappelle on a DC street corner on a sunday morning about 7 years ago. he still hasnt done a skit about it called "White Guy Smoker" yet though.

Mos Def got cast in this summers "Hitchikers Gide to the Galaxy" which in turn has resulted in awesome things like this being posted on message boards by real life Trekkies:

Trekbean
Aug 8 2004, 03:35 AM

*screams incoherently*
*sob*
Ford Prefect is a black rapper!!
oh god. No offense to "mos def", but........how could they?? thats NOT ford prefect!! (imo)

Arthur Dent looks good.....as does trillian.....but.....but....ford!!

I don't know......I'm gonna watch it, but......these are THE BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME!! (anyone wants to dispute that, pm me)(not to sound confrentational)(ARE YOU SAYING I'M CONFRENTATIONAL?!?!)
if they make a bloody hash out of it...........grrrrrrr

GOD. A BLACK RAPPER!

The book says (and I qoute) "his hair was wiry and gingerish......" most africans don't have "gingery" hair........
is this just me? does anyone else think thats weird??
ok. I'm done now.
sorry about the rant.

and....

Ford prefect was not meant to be a black rapper dude who wears large gold jewlery and has gyrating girls around him at all times! hes FORD! ....

...But what I don't get is this : Roots had a mainly black cast because the movie was about slaves. HHGTG has a white cast.

WHY MESS AROUND???!?!?

Brooklyns own Mos Def got a banner:

posted by James |

Monday, March 28, 2005

ROCK N ROLL FANTASY
Bad Company
10 from 6
[buy it]

ROCK N ROLL FANTASY
The Kinks
Come Dancing: Best of Kinks 1977-86
[buy it]

Moistworks so very Busy busy busy busy...

Bad Company in Good Company:

Nelson Mandela!
Tony Blair!
Franco Harris!

posted by James |

Sunday, March 20, 2005

D.W. SUITE
D.W. SUITE (Moist Edit)
Lindsey Buckingham
Go Insane 1984
[buy it]

I know very little about Lindsey Buckingham, or even Fleetwood Mac for that matter. Like many people I was heavy into Rumours at some earlier point in my life, tho I fear I overplayed that CD to the point where now if I hear "Rhiannon" I get a sudden sense of insistent agitation. Or maybe thats just my body changing.

I heard this song, or at least the lovely opening bars, years ago during a poignant sequence of a Northern Exposure episode, a show distinguished by its excellent music selections and poignant sequences. Its an e[pisode on the second season which is on DVD now I think.

The song is an ambitious art-rock opus. It plays like an 80s homage to Brian Wilson. And as it turns out, it is a tribute to Brian's borther, the late Dennis Wilson -- the "DW" in "DW Suite." (Dennis dated Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie for a time.)

It has 3 very distinct movements. I find the song to be a little overcomposed for repeated listening, and so I took the song into GarageBand and, in an act that Lindsey fans will claim sacrilegeous, created an edit comprising only the first couple of minutes. If you are making a mix tape for a hippie chick you fancy, tack this beauty on the end.

Here is the best interpretation of the song I could find.

Of note:

Many of the songs on Go Insane deal with the loss of Lindsey's father, Morris, and his brother, Greg, (who died suddenly in 1990.)

Lindsey and Stevie Knicks first became involved romantically while students at San Jose State College, where he studied Art and she majored in Speech Communications. Of course she did.

Some interesting Lindsey Buckingham resources:

Lindsey's bio and his guiitar

Matt Pond PA, a [sigh] "chamber-pop outfit" has released a cover of Lindsey's insane "Holiday Road" -- the theme song from National Lampoon's Vacation.
You can preview it at iTune. No barking dogs on this one. Its gentle, not giant. The band also covers Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" on the same EP. Check out Matt Pond PAs site. They play Northsix in Brooklyn on the 26th of March

Lindsey has 2 sites:

Lindseybuckingham.com

and the more personal Madnessfades.net

where you will find LB ruminating at length about being a really boring guy (his words) .

Do you think you have enough for a feature story? Can I get you anything? Are you sure everything is all right? I don't really do that much. I told you it was going to be boring. Want to play a game of pool? Croquet?

Lindsey Buckingham at AMG.

posted by James |

Thursday, March 17, 2005

US CUSTOM COAST GUARD DOPE DOG (Album Edit)
Dope Dogs 1998
Parliament Funkadelic All Stars
[buy it]

An undercover NARC with a bark.

There are two kinds of crazy. There's crazy as in lacking some degree of sanity. This is crazy like Courtney Love. Then there is crazy as in possessing some degree of special madness. This is The Good Crazy.Think Crispin Glover, LRon Hubbard (-cmon you gotta love LRon, he makes Scientologists dress like sailors!-). This is George CLinton crazy.

At the time of "Dope Dogs" CLinton was nearly 60 years old, and , like a dog, I reckon a George CLinton year on this planet is probably worth 7 in human time.

But on this song you hear an energetic old mutt, with an amazingly acute sense of humor and a confident delivery. The song tackles the dual themes of substance abuse and the US war on drugs, by stepping inside the nose of a strung out, over worked drug sniffing dog.

From the Baltimore City Paper:

"The premise could have easily degenerated into a Cheech and Chong skit; instead it becomes an Allen Ginsberg—like critique of the government's complicity in the hard-drug trade even as it suppresses soft-drug pleasures. As much fun as the puns ("Pick up the tracks of the trafficker and track 'em like a rabbit up the coastline/ canine controlled-substance retriever") is the tug-of-war between the pushy rhythm loop and the lazy keyboards."

To Clinton's credit, you may actually find yourself moved by our dope dog's predicament. He wins awards for his bravery, he possess a wonderful gift, he works to make the world safe and yet... POIGNANTLY.... he is a dog very much alone...

U.S. custom coast guard dope dog, nicknamed "Bust em"
Like most dope sniffin' dogs, he's got a habit,
trained to have to have it.
Pick up the tracks of the trafficker,
And track 'em like a rabbit up the coastline.
Canine controlled substance retriever,
Receiver of the Golden Nose Award,
For leadin' 'em to the cash,
cashin' in on the stash.
Now he's in line for his issue of the booty
Never do he do a line in the line of duty,
he's a dope dog.

The full lyrics here.

The whole Dope Dog record is in fact something of a concept album about dogs.

Check out this great George CLinton Interview.

And the Onion reports:
"CLINTON DROPS DA BOMB"

A long collexction of PFunk links

posted by James |

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

BAM BAM
Sister Nancy
What A Bam Bam!: Women of Reggae
[buy it]
300% Dynamite!: Ska, Soul, Rocksteady, Funk [IMPORT]
[buy it]
Buyaka: Ultimate Dancehall Collection
[buy it]

BA BA BOOM
The Jamaicans
Baba Boom Time
[buy it]
The Treasure Isle Story [2CD]
[buy it]

I'm no fan of dancehall and toasting but I really like this Sister Nancy track. Its got a very old school sound, though I think it dates to the '80s, not one of reggae's better decades. Plus, who cant relate to these lyrics?:

A me seh one thing Nancy cyaan understan
one thing Nancy cyaan understan
seh, wha' mek dem a talk 'bout me ambishan
'ca me seh some a dem a ax me whey me get it fram
a true dem nuh know it's fram creation
bam bam, ey, what a bam bam,
bam bam dilla, bam bam
bam bam dilla, bam bam
'ey what a bam bam, seh what a bam bam

Sister Nancy claims to be reggae's first female DJ.
The Maytals had a song in the sixties called "Bam Bam," and though I'm a big fan, I haven't heard that song. I'm guessing this is an update?

Hipsters in the NYC area:

Sister Nancy headlines at Club Seho in the Lower East Side on February 12.

113 Ludlow St (between Rivington and Delancey)

The promoter: Jammyland, touts her as: "Only Woman DJ with Degree"

My pal Joey describes Club Seho as a bit thugged out:
"No sneakers, no jeans, no du rags"

Show details here
Pal Joey on VHS
Pal Joey golf clubs

Little known but very true fact about moistworks: I own Pal Joey golf clubs. I got em because they were very cheap and beacuse they had kangaroos on them. They are made in New Jersey. Ahhh, the diaspora.

Rocksteady, however, I find to be the greatest music on earth, if music is about smiling and shufflin. "Ba Ba Boom" feels very fifties to me. It makes me think of Happy Days and drive-ins but with chilled Jamaicans.
Potsie smoking chalice, Chachi chewing sugar cane.

The song is almost 50s: it was written for the second annual Jamaican Song Contest in 1963, and was the run-away winner. It was released in 1967, on an original rhythm played by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, and produced by Duke Reid.

"At the time this one was a instant hit with the white youth in Southern England, the sound was arresting and electrifying, played under the right conditions it could hardly fail to make you dance. The rhythm has been much used since; one notable instance as "Treasure Dub" on the Joe Gibbs' African Dub Chapter 1 album." [link]

Methinks Southern England in the 60s must have been dull as scones for white folk to find this song "electrifying".

Everything Joe Gibbs touches turns to gold. Football, Nascar, African Dub... his is a legacy of committment, faith and winning!

My google search informs me that the great Jackie Mittoo recut this song soon after, but I haven't heard it. And Burning Spear uses the riddim in the song "No More War"tho they definitely ruffed it up.
Hear a "No More War" sample here.

"Ba Ba Boom" is available on alot of compilations, but this 2CD set, The Treasure Isle Story, looks especially attractive.

posted by James |

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

HOT WHEELS (THE CHASE)
Badder Than Evil
Gordon's War Soundtrack 1973
[buy vinyl]
[buy more Badder Than Evil]

Gordon's War was an early 70s Blaxploitation classic about 4 vietnam vets reutning to their Harlem neighborhood to clean up the trash.
"Hot Wheels" is, as advertised, a chase theme.

You don't find many studio bands these days with names like Badder Than Evil. But they walk the walk.

Cool Gordon's War factoids:

-Directed by Ossie Davis
-Original Music by Andy Badale aka.... Angelo Badalamenti of David Lynch fame.

This soundtrack doesn't seem to have been issued on CD yet.
Best places I could find were the link above and eBay.

posted by James |

Monday, January 24, 2005

We are back online, abusing phonographs, after a little chapter called...

Moistworks vs. THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Thanks to everyone for the emails and comments.
Especially the alarmed legion of french music bloggers who rallied with particular verve.

"J'ai vos fesses, hommes."

-- I got your backs men!... or does that mean "buttocks"?

Moistworks was quite the cause celebr. I was the blogger who fell down the well.
I genuinely think there is no cause for alarm. Though I could be wrong. And as a British passport holder, if I am wrong, there is an awesome chance I could be flogged in a public square.

The Aussies would never front like this.
Australiaz da muthaf***in Sherriff!

I think the real danger to music blogs is going to be when the major labels start publishing their own mp3 blogs. The blogs will pretend to be some independent kids doing their thing. Like when Budweiser put out its own fake microbrews.
But you will know its big business because they will have superlame names like:
"J. Bandit's Fresh Trax" or "Blogs Are Awesome!"

So I'll say this now while I still can:
when you read the following sentence on this site:

"Hey, ALL the older kids in my neighborhood are down with this KILLER new rocker:Kenny Wayne, check out this fresh talent!",

then you know I've been bought.

Until that day, we will continue doing what we do here with a few modifications:

-mp3s will stay up for a much shorter time period, probably a week.
-I will make attempts to clear music where possible
-Now... Stone-Roses-Free!

Also, I'll archive things at some point. And update my links. Oh, and expect more of those signature typos.

Content-wise, expect the usual, with renewed focus on vintage hip-hop source material and preposterously dated Australian rock.

For today, I have reposted the mp3s from the last post before the fall:

The excellent french-lebanese styles of Clotaire K,
courtesy of Tony.

"Maqam" is especially dope.

Also...

Fellow bloggers: the RIAA Radar

Enjoying these new(ish) rap blogs in my time off. I thing Soul Sides linked some of them a while back. Check em out:

Freemotion HipHop

Steady Bootleggin'

Can I Bring My Gat

Broke B Boys Whistle!

And...

Check out my good man John Dugan's (ex-Chisel, ex-Z Lights 1/16 vertical) blog

Doogz has an ear for music, an eye for fashion and an appetite for sandwiches.

And Sean Daly, aka Chenier's Ghost, big-timing it with Ice Cube over at the Washington Post.

Mr. Cube:
'He craves access to the "Spielberg formula" -- that is, "do the movies that will make the studio profit, then do the period piece or whatever and they'll give you the budget you need."'

Its so true: "Shadowlands" would have been a WAY better movie if there had been more scenes of dudes getting socked in the nuts and making that suprised "Oh I just got socked in the nuts!!!!" expression to the camera.

And belated thanks to Marc Pfister for identifying the mystery track I posted a while back as "Rock 4 U" by Hustlers of Culture. Everyone go buy this.

posted by James |

MAQAM

LUBNAN

BEYROUTH ECOEEREE

Clotaire K
Lebanese 2003
[buy it]

MOISTWORKS IS HIGH AND DRY!

I have been forced to removed my mp3's by my hosting service (lypha.com) because of the following letter they recieved from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Who knew the Brits had Chuck Ds back?

I have never personally received any such letters, and it was only after I inquired about my site being suspended that it was forwarded to me.

In the next week or so I shall be moving the site to a new hosting service, a move I was planning on making anyway. So check back in a week or so and we should be up and running here.

In the meantime, let me restate for the record what I have said before:

I run this site for the purpose of promoting music and bands that I feel would benefit from this exposure. I always encourage my readers to purchase material from artists and I provide links to do so, as well as links to further material on these artists. I do not maintain this site for the purpose of people obtaining music for free at the expense of the artists and publishers.
I don't give a rat's ass about the rights of downloaders.

I fully support the rights of the artists that I feature on this site, and if any artist or label has a problem with a post, I encourage them to contact and the song(s) will be immediately removed.

And if these requests ultimately make it too dificult to continue this site then so be it.

Fellow bloggers:

Have any of you received similar notices?
If so I would be very interested to know.
Cheers

moistworks at hotmail.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am contacting you on behalf of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and its member record companies. The IFPI is a trade association whose member companies are some 1,450 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings. Under penalty of perjury, we submit that the IFPI is authorized to act on behalf of its member companies in matters involving the infringement of their sound recordings,including enforcing their copyrights and common law rights on the Internet.

We have learned that your service is hosting infringing files on its network (see above-referenced directory). These files contain sound recordings by the artists known as Stone Roses and Public Enemy. These sound recordings are owned by some of our member companies and have not been authorized for this kind of use. We have a good faith belief thatthe above-described activity is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. We assert that the information in this notification isaccurate, based upon the data available to us. We are asking for your immediate assistance in stopping this unauthorizedactivity. Specifically, we request that you remove the infringing files from your system or that you disable access to the infringing files. In addition, please inform the site operator of the illegality of his or her conduct.

You should understand that this letter constitutes notice to you that this site operator may be liable for the infringing activity occurring on yourservice. In addition, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, if you ignore this notice, you and/or your company may also be liable for any resulting infringement.

This letter does not constitute a waiver of anyright to recover damages incurred by virtue of any such unauthorized activities, and such rights as well as claims for other relief are expressly retained.

You may contact me at

IFPI Secretariat,
54 Regent Street,
London W1B 5RE,
United Kingdom

or email Notices@ifpi.org to discuss this notice. We await your response.

Sincerely,
Mr Paul Mitchell
Internet Anti-Piracy Administrator
IFPI
Secretariat 54
Regent Street
London
W1B 5RE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7915
Fax: +44 (0)20 7878 6832
E-mail: Notices@ifpi.org
Website: www.ifpi.org

=====================

We are forced to take immediate action on your account "moistwor"( moistworks.com)failing which our server will remain terminated. We have suspended your account as a first step regarding this. We hereby request you to get back to us with proper explanation and resolution regarding the issue within 24 hours failing which we will beforced to terminate this account.Please feel free to get back to us if you need any further clarification(s).

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posted by James |

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

MAQAM

LUBNAN

BEYROUTH ECOEEREE

Clotaire K
Lebanese 2003
[buy it]

Today: the first of hopefully many future guest blogs at moistworks:

BAALBEK REPRESENT REPRESENT

The time has certainly come for the Franco-Lebanese hip-hop of Clotaire K, a French native of Lebanese-Egyptian descent from Montpelier. This first album, Lebanese (Nocturne), is a stylish mix of French and Arabic language hip-hop that synthesizes its countless influences beautifully.

'Lubnan' ("Lebanon") combines some familiar hip-hop tracks of the MC Solaar variety and moves fluidly between English, French, and Arabic from song to song and often within the
same song. There's also some decent Oud playing, and even a track ('Maqam') with that most famous veteran of East-West fusion, Natacha Atlas.

The most refreshing thing about this album, and the biggest relief, is that it doesn't simply do your regular French/American hip-hop and then add a dash of middle eastern flavor in the patter of a dumbek or the occasional ululation. Instead, you get the sense that every song and sentiment is expressed in the language or musical style best suited to it. I also have to also say how brilliant some of the sampling is on this release, which mixes in everything from Oum Kalthoum, Fayrouz, and Coptic liturgies to Anwar Sadat speeches and the familiar street sounds of Lebanon.

Clotaire K's official site.

---Posted By Tony, Special to Moistworks

posted by James |

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Im testing out a new Rating System with the blog.
How moist was that last post? Now you can let me know.
Click on the stars icon below the posts. I think you need to quickly register when you do with Newsgator, a News Feed site, but its a harmless registration, no spam etc....

Anyway, maybe I'll scrap this in a couple weeks, but we will see. I thought it maybe a good way to gauge what people dig on the site...

posted by James |

LAST NIGHT CHANGED IT ALL
Esther Williams
Let Me Show You 1976
[buy vinyl LP]
[buy vinyl 12"]
[buy on CD compilation]

Esther Williams' 1976 LP Let Me Show You is very hard to come by based on my google efforts. You can pick up the vinyl single of "Last Night Changed It All" pretty cheap as a vinyl single and also on the excellent Saint Etienne compilation The Trip.

You may recognize the break on this song from a number of hip-hip classics.

The former "Miss Black DC" has enjoyed a long career in R&B, Pop, Gospel and Jazz.
She's active these days in the DC jazz scene, with her husband Davey Yarborough, a saxman and Edu-tainer. You can listen to extended music samples and buy their albums right here.

Esther and her husband run the The Washington Jazz Arts Institute and are also involved in the East Coast Jazz Festival which kicks off next month in the birthplace of Jazz... Rockville Maryland.

If you are in the DC area, you can also hear Esther in The Voices of Peoples Gospel Choir on the last Sunday of every month at The Peoples Congregational Church

posted by James |

Friday, January 07, 2005

RACING AWAY
Grant Lee Phillips & Horace Andy
One Giant Leap 2002
[buy it]

MY CULTURE
Maxi Jazz & Robbie Williams
One Giant Leap 2002
[buy it]

BRAIDED HAIR
Speech & Neneh Cherry
One Giant Leap 2002
[buy it]

"One Giant Leap" was an earnest multi-culti-media project undertaken a few years ago by UK director/musician Jamie Catto and producer Duncan Bridgeman.
They traveled around some 25 countries recording music, images and spoken word, that sort of thing. The musicians involved are all seem deeply concerned with positivity, respect, culture, ancestry. You can tell this because they use words like "positivity", "respect", "culture" and "ancestry" an awful lot.

Projects like this often garner equally earnest and often overly-generous accolades like these pearls:

"Boundaries of nationality, time, and musical genre meld into grooves for the head, hips, and heart that need no translation."

"Gather round the modern world's campfire; the movie screen, television set, or laptop DVD player, and let this film's message wash over you in these troubled times. For "1 Giant Leap" is nothing short of an electronic drum circle, drawing the citizens of Earth together for a planet-wide cautionary pep talk."
For my taste, the results are decidedly mixed, and - as is usually the case with such global throwdowns - sound often like straight london acid-jazz with a benign world music flavor.

Still there are a lot of really talented people involved here and a few of the tracks are pretty satisfying.

"Racing Away" has the fewest BPM and is prob my fav., esp. the second 3 minutes.

I think "My Culture" was a big hit in the UK, prob. because of Robbie Williams. Its pretty damn catchy in its typical Robbie Williams way. He teams on the song with Maxi Jazz, who I think is Dutch, but I'm not sure.

On his official site, Maxi describes himself as "The G.O.D. - The Grand Oral Dissaminator".

He also professes, in 3rd person, that his "...other great love, besides his faith and music, is his Ford Escort Mk 2 RS 2000. Her Buddha name is "The Orchid Room", her street name is "Biscuit".

Peep these biscuits.

This is a multimedia CD, and was released as a companion to a double-Grammy nominated DVD which contained 11 short films and 30 behind the scenes movies.
You can pick up the DVD, which is supposed to be great stuff, over at the 1 Giant Leap official site.

And its available at netflix.

I think there was also an additional "making of" PBS documentary.

posted by James |

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

THE WEEKEND
Dave Hollister feat. Redman and Erick Sermon
Ride Soundtrack 1998
[buy the CD singles]

SOMETHIN' 4 DA HONEYZ
Montell Jordan feat. Redman
This Is How We Do It 1995
[buy it]

For no real reason, a Schmoovy-Smoove Summer Jam two-play.
And both feature Redman, bringing some desperately needed butch to the barbecue.

From his official site:

All About Dave... Dave Hollister has developed his musical landscape as a R&B gritty lover man. He serenades us with real situations that we all can relate to.

From the AskMen.com interview:

Q: But when I think of Montell, I think of good times and smiles... tell us about the peaks?

A: Well, "This is How We Do It" was definitely what launched everything. It allowed me to travel to Milan, Sevilla... there are no words to describe those cities. Simply amazing. Music has allowed me to travel through my work, and live some great experiences, like going to Australia. Have you ever had Morton Bay Bugs? They are bigger than shrimp but smaller than lobster. And the shopping...

No one here but us cassanovas keeping it very very real.

An amazon reviewer had this to say:

Dis is da best CD ever! It rules da world. Man, dis guy is phat momma! I was a lowercase G, but now I'm a big G!

I don't know what that means: Did he lose his virginity to Montell Jordan?

Check out the video for Montell's last single "Get it on Tonight" over at Launch.
Its about relationships and fidelity and the modern man.
Its also about buttocks, and the Buttocks Meme.

Some Montell fan-art

Heres a serving suggestion for "Morton Bay Bugs Montell"

posted by James |

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Put something moist in you pocket...

Own a little piece of the moistworks legend:
I am selling my beloved RIO Karma mp3 player on eBay.
I loved the little bastard, its an iPod killer, but now its full and I got something roomier, (an iPod).

Here's the link.

Of course the player is jammed with 20GB of top cuts from the moistworks archives.

And peep this first class EDUTAINMENT:

It also has the entire 98 CD contents of the Arkangel Complete William Shakespeare Audio set tagged and loaded in.
Because life is stage and we but PLAYAZZ
Its a $400+ set in stores, but you can shower to the voice of Joseph Feinnes for free.

Here the Barnes and Noble Link.

Its also loaded with the entire Pimsleur Comprehensive French Language Courses: French I, II and III.
Thats about 45 CDs worth of lessons in the ordering of wine and the mocking of bellhops.
Its about a $1000 in stores.
Heres a link to French II at Barnes and Noble.

Its a great little player. Small, long battery life, a great display, playlists on the fly....

Here is a review at CNET, and here is the official Karma site is here.

Free shipping for moistworks readers!

posted by James |

Monday, January 03, 2005

Real quickly, here are some of my fav. things from this year as far as I can remember.

I don't really buy CDs nor do I have access to peer-to-peer sites, and I spent most of this year getting further into rocksteady, soul, and old hiphop, so Im going to make this list largely a celebration of being down with OPB, or Other Peoples Blogs. Tnx to you all.

Anyhow, the moisture:

- - - - - - - - - - - -

TOP SHELF:

Komeda - "Blossom (Got To Get It Out)"
Best HI NRG indyrock ever

The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike
Most enjoyed album from front to back. Very spirited stuff. Esp. "Huddle Formation"

Joana Newsom - "Peach, Plum, Pear"
Heartbreaking

TY - "Ha Ha"
A-One UK MC

Sun Kil Moon - "Carry Me Ohio"
I think this was v. late 03 actually. Mark Kozeleck (Red House Painters) and his enormous head weepier than ever.

Memphis Bleek feat. Freeway - "Just Blaze, Free, & Bleek"
Dizzying beats.

Thomas Fehlmann - "Du Fehlst Mir"
Languid and electronic. Poignant city. One of the first tracks I think I downloaded from an mp3 blog and a song a I never would have heard if not for blogs.

Madvillain and MFDoom

The Mountain Goats

RJD2

I'm not as big a fan of Kanye West as many, but versions of two of his songs were among my fav. things:

"Get Em High" from the unauthorized Ratatat Remixes Vol 1

and

"All Falls Down" (original mix)
with the very superior Lauryn Hill vocal that was cut from College Dropout when Lauryn wouldn't play ball. One of earlier treasures I found over at Soul Sides this year.

RAIL:

79 Cortinaz - "Feather Egshells"
Bangers and angst from Ireland

Colder - "Crazy Love"

The Avett Brothers - "At The Beach"
I found this off a blog recently. Made me happy.

Quinoline Yellow - "Opentoedwellies"
Dark and electronic. Best appreciated riding home over the Brooklyn bridge at night.

Igloo - "The Go Find"

Ed Harcourt - "Something to Live For"

Cee-Lo - esp. "Die Trying"

Jolie Holland

and:

Some things I continued not really to get in 2004:

Crunk, Dizzee Rascal, Sonic Youth, Lil Jon, Jaz-Z, Ashanti, Usher....

posted by James |

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Most of you faithful readers were probably not around for the first few months of this site, so I'm going to repost some of the early offerings over the next few days.

Before I do though, a few shout outs:

Sam Lipsyte's stellar new novel "Home Land" was recently pubblished in the US.
Sam had his brain analyzed using water displacement technologies and it is about 23% heavier than that of most men. He uses his big brain to write SO clever sentences and he sprays those sentences like a tommy gun. I urge anyone looking for a fresh and bitingly funny read to pick up the book.

Its only $10 at amazon and a portion of the proceeds go to feed my nephew.

You can also pick up the cool UK edition here.

Sam was an early player in Open City.

And his work appears in the debut issue of Keith Gessen et al's excellent lit. mag. N+1

"To read the contents of the journal...is to realize that the science of the literary brawl has been revivified."
--Boston Globe, July 25, 2004

You can pick up N+1 at amazon.

Also:
An anonynmous mate of mine has shipped out to Liberia to do good in the region.
He has started up a vivid travel blog, Delirium or da Larium? that I encourage you all to check out

Onto the music.

In the service of laziness I'll mostly cut and paste my comments for these songs from the first time around, with a few added links:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

"Reagan Gave The Pentagon The Farmer Brown Money"

THE WORD
The Junkyard Band

The bass is just mental.
This is the B-Side from their mid '80s "nationwide hit single" Sardines. (Go-Go PR folk have always tended to outpunt their coverage when it comes to estimating success.)
The Junkyard Band started as a way to keep kids from the Barry Farms housing project on the streets, and on the streets banging buckets. I first saw them some time in the late 80s on an August Saturday at DC's annual folklife festival on the mall. Apparently Reagan didn't give the Pentagon all the farmer Brown money, b/c on that humid afternoon the Federal Government was paying the band to teach puffy tourists how to do the Cabbage Patch. Maybe one of those tourists was a young Tim Allen!!!

The Washington Post has some more Junkyard tunes, which are hit and miss, as well as some history iof the band.
Junkyard on Amazon, again, hit and miss.

thejunkyardband.com is under construction.
Definitely NOT to be confused with junkyardband.com

CAT IN THE HAT
Little Benny And The Masters
Big City Records 1987

In the waspy DC private prep school circuit I grew up in, the three things you could count on at a house party were Ocean Pacific cord shorts, cocaine and white kids dancing to Go-Go. This songs was one of the biggest crowd pleasers. Little Benny and The Masters is such a great name. It would also be a great name for a young adult novel, especially one about a special olympics golfer with short pants but tall dreams.

Heres an Interview with Little Benny

You can find some live versions of this song via this substance over-style go-go site.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday, May 10, 2004

RISE LIKE THE SUN
Definition of Sound
from Love and Life: A Journey With the Chameleons (1991)

Definition Of Sound had a million singles in the early 90s, all from Love and Life..., most of them irritatingly anglo and perky (like "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"), most of them listened to by euro kids who tragically believed that "black" really is just an attitute. But "Rise Like Sun" was a great sleeper. Its the first rap song my girlfriend liked, and though the vocals aren't all that strong, the instrumentals are sleepy and more soulful than most hiphop. A very earnest Amazon reviewer has the following to say:

This album will become a part of your life. Beckoning you... These words will speak to your heart... to what you know to be true and just. I bought this album in 1992. As I proceed on my lifes journey this cd beckons me to dig it out and listen. These guys have knowledge and if this album is their foundation then they have no limits! Listen, and you'll listen again. This album is a gift to the world.

MY MAN!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, April 23, 2004

DEAD CITY SUNBEAMS
Kid Silver
Dead City Sunbeams 1998
[buy it]

These aren't really prototypical weepy white guys, especially Kid Silver who can be downright pert. You want a real weepy white guy? Go to Chip's music blog and download "Carry Me Ohio" by Sun Kil Moon. Actually, I think he has taken it down now. But trust me, its great WWG. Not Mark Eitzel types who actually cry while on stage, thats just unprofessional, but just capital-G Guys with some angst on their arm, keeping it real, keeing it weepy... Kind of like Chip, who turned me on to Kid Silver. Kid Silver was in a band called Rollerskate Skinny that kids seemed to like. I think hes from some damp, pasty foreign place like Dublin or Cleveland, but he moved to NYC a while back. Dead City Sunbeams came out on JetSet, in 1998 I think.

Onion interview with Kid Silver

posted by James |

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Sorry for the long delay, life has been so very busy. I promise the New Year will see a recommittment to all things moist.

I won't try and do a real year in review, but this has def. been the year of the music blog for me, a huge percentage of my fav. discoveries have come from my fellow bloggers.

But I'll quickly do the year that was in moistworks, re-posting some of my fav. more obscure offerings from this year. Today I'll start with:

Mashups and Remixes

Sifting through GYBO is akin to old school crate digging: theres a lot of junk out there but you keep going back because of the occasional beauties you come by. I haven't been by the boards in a long while but here are some of the gems i stumbled upon thid year:

"Lost"
Download it here
A very affecting collage of Paul Simon, Billie Holliday, Ella and others put togther by Tomas Diablo easliy takes top honors. I throw this baby on many mix tapes. I also recommend "Crucify The Verse"

"New York At Last"
Download it here
A Freddie Mercury demo remixed by Smash.

"Got Soul Vibrations"
Download
UK outfit Soundly Beaten takes the wind out of Eric B's sails.

"I Schaenke Dir 21 Questions"
Download it here
50-Cent gets uber-poignant when backed by Zuri West. Mixed by Dj Crook Air
Also check Crook's "Cold Sweat Beyonce"

"Baby, You're a Pure Man"
Download it here
Brat cleverly boosted the vocal track from the Beatles Athology dvd and slicked it up with some Willaim Orbit production.

"Don't Talk Remix"
Download it here
JoolsMF had the balls to reimagine the Beach Boys classic

"Ludakriss"
Download it here
The year's #1 party jam in my book.
Ludacris and Kris Kross remixed by Instamatic

"What about Brixton?"
Download it here
Mash royals Loo and Placido contributed this tite beast to the London Booted Project

and finally....
I posted this many months ago and still have no idea who made it.
Anyone?

"Great Unknown Song"
Download

Moistest Hits continues over the next few days so check back...

posted by James |

Friday, December 17, 2004

ROCK CREEK PARK
The Blackbyrds
City Life 1974
[buy it]

Things are very busy right now, so a short post.

Much love to my DC crew, esp JJ MeshPants, Cheniers Ghost and Old One Eye.

Rock Creek Park is in DC and its not a park so much as woods. I didnt know people DID IT in Rock Creek Park after dark unless doing it means catching mice or doing murder. All Things Considered contributor Michele Norris really really wants to do it in the park after dark, ever since she was a girl. She even listens to this song while she trolls for manwhores.

Read about her obsession here

Heres an excellent history of The Blackbyrds, though I have no idea why it appears in the Harvard Business School Journal. Maybe I should read the whole thing.

Donald Byrd did recruit much of the band from Howard University, where he was Professor in Ethnomusicology, and I guess Howard sounds a little like Harvard.

posted by James |

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

HOT PANTS ROAD
The JBs
Funky Good Time: The Anthology
[buy it]

FIGHT THE POWER [EXTENDED MIX]
Public Enemy
Original Soundtrack: Do The Right Thing [Remaster]
[buy it]

Generally, theorists such as Baudrillard have argued that the conditions of postmodernity force artists working in popular modes to depend on electronic mediums controlled by corporate capital, and imbedded within these representational fields, any resistive stance threatens to be played out as merely a compliant mode of performitivity which reifies the authority of our master signifying practices....

The creative/political stance that Chuck D articulates is analogous to Michel Foucault's conception of the "masked other"- a model I find useful for explaining and understanding the paradoxical nature of postmodern political gestures. In "Nietzsche, Genealogy, History," Foucault locates power in discourse and suggests that a historically-notable event is not to be understood as "a decision, a treaty, a reign, or a battle, but the reversal of a relationship of forces, the usurpation of power, the appropriation of a vocabulary turned against those who had once used it . . . the entry of a masked 'other'", and I believe that Public Enemy's treatment of language and sampling on It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back occurs in just this sort of site. I would like to suggest that the notion of being simultaneously "masked" and "other"- the something-different which cloaks its deviance, the that-which-is-not-you which passes as that-which-is-you, the entity which can "play the game" and "work the game" simultaneously- is congruent with the consenting alternativism of the postmodern which, in the words of Linda Hutcheon, "works within the very system it hopes to subvert"

Thats from Todd F. Tietchen's:
Dissing Baudrillard: Public Enemy and Foucault's "Masked Other"

Here's guessing Todd F. Tietchen does not live on Hot Pants Road.

For some years my mate Tony and I have been preparing a thesis called:
Weighting for Cube : The Hegelian Dialectic
But it appears TODD has stolen our thunder.

More versions of Fight the Power (including some lousy live ones, and a nice edit off the Louder Than A Bomb remix album) over at the Shutemdown.com fan site.

posted by James |

Thursday, December 09, 2004

TIMLESS MELODY (US PROMO Version)
The La's
4 Track Promo
[buy it]

TIGHTROPE
The Stone Roses
Second Coming
[buy it]

The La's self-titled album is one of the great early 90s Brit Pop releases.
They burn bright and burned out quicker, mostly they say, because the lead singer was an enormous cockface. This sharp live version of "Timeless Melody" comes off one of many promo releases. I think their hit single "There She Goes" is now being used on TV to pimp feminine hygeine products. If you never had this record go buy it this instant.

The Stone Roses were also very talented and arrogant. "Fools Gold" would be a great name for a feminine hygeine product. Their long-in-the-making Second Coming was unfairly reviewed in my opinion. Guitarist John Squire busted out his best Jimmy Page riffs and the album rocked out. "Tightrope" was odd-song-out on this record, and I don't think it got any airplay, but I love its rousing campfire energy, inspite of Ian "Air Rage" Brown's typically medicore pipes.

posted by James |

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

CLOCK
Milla Jovovich
The Divine Comedy
[buy it]

IT'S YOUR LIFE
Milla Jovovich
The Divine Comedy
[buy it]

DON'T FADE AWAY
Milla Jovovich
The Divine Comedy
[buy it]

BEAT ON ICE
Milla Jovovich
Demo
[more demos here]

FALL TOO SOON
Milla Jovovich
[more demos here]

Something for your girlfriend today at moistworks!

You may know Milla Jovovich as the impossibly attractive model, or as the impossibly attractive movie star, but many people don't realize that she is also an impossibly attractive musician.
Her 1994 debut album The Divine Comedy was largely slept on. By all rights it should have been terrible, but it isn't only not terrible, it's an impressively polished folk-pastoral "pop tapestry."
Think a Slavic Kate Bush.
Milla was 15 when she wrote the lyrics, 16 when she recorded the album, but it's a grown up record and not self-absorbed in the way you would expect.

In 1998 Milla released a mail-order only, trip-hoppish, album called New Electronic Folk Music: The Peopletree Sessions.

"This recording was created in a series of late night meetings filled with conversation & song & plugged directly into the back of a computer in an apartment in the Hollywood Hills. That the raw recordings were then remixed & reinterpreted at other desktop studios in other parts of the world gives it a sense of time - you can feel, in listening the enthusiasm of a new era. Previously sold (for the last three years) through the internet, it's acquired somewhat legendary status - as much for its rarity (it has commanded $150 in online auctions)..."

You can get the 2002 re-issue here and its just $15.

The London Guardian calls the record:
"So barking it's great. Ms. Jovovich has defied convention and taken the route of madness. I don't have a clue what she's going on about, but at least she's done it with style."

I haven't heard it but I just ordered it for "my girlfriend" so I'll let you know how it goes down that route of madness.

Fans were divided on the new sound, and shortly after its release Milla accused her collaborators (that would be the nefarious folk collective "The Peopletree" ) of releasing the material against her wishes. She maintained that these were were rough and preliminary demos never meant for the light of day, and that the post-production was done without her approval.

The Peopletree respond!!

Since then, Milla has recorded number of one-offs: An interesting cover of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" on the soundtrack of muffinhead Wim Wenders' The Million Dollar Hotel, (in which she appears); and contributions to a Crystal Method album, as well as the soundtracks for Dummy and The Rules of Attraction.

There are 2 great sources for additional Milla material:

First is her official site.

Here you will find a bunch of demos available for download, some of them are real good. Many of you may actually prefer this sparser sound over her more lush studio work. My fav. is the The 80s flavored "Beat on Ice." Milla describes it as something "I wrote on the guitar and recorded on my laptop, for fun, they're just fun ideas."

Also check out the Portishead influenced "Calm Water" and "Flashlight" and Bjorkish "Bring it On."
And you might as well check out those photogallerys while you are there.

The second source is the entertainingly over-designed "Millanews" website.

"The Official European Site For Milla Jovovich"

Well, my name is ROBY, i spend long time for this Site,i hope you like it, i love MILLA and everythings she's done. Love Milla Forever Thanks Roby.If you want to write me, please do it at this email:webmaster@millanews.com

Oce you sort through the site nav you will find a very comprehensive Milla radio player (which includes the "Satellite of Love" cover) as well as a number of video materials, from music videos to live performance footage.

And finally, here is a 1994 interview with MJ

posted by James |

Friday, December 03, 2004

A CHANT FOR BU
Art Blakey
Mission Eternal 1973
[buy it]

FUNKY
The Chambers Brothers
Time Has Come [Re-release] 1968
[buy it]

DAYLIGHT
R.A.M.P.
Come Into Knowledge 1977
[buy vinyl]

Final day of acidjazz action from the Tribe Called Quest vaults.

Art Blakey banged the drum for some 30+ years for his Jazz Messengers band. He also contibuted to Thelonius Monk's historic 1957 group, a group that included both Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane.

Of Art, Kenny Clark said: "You see Buhaina is the only one I know who can make a press or ocean roll come out on top of the beat and keep the whole shit swinging. He never looked back. If you know a living drummer who can do it better than 'Buh,' name him and I'll kiss him here and now"

Buhaina is Blakey's Muslim name (Abdullah Ibn Buhaina ): he's often called "Bu" by his friends...

When I was a kid - actually when I was in high school - I though Thelonius Monk's name was "The Loneliest Month"

Official Art Blakey Site

BBC Radio 3 jazz interview

The Chambers Brothers "were arguably the first self contained, songwriting, African American rock band in America." You have heard their gritty hit song "Time Has Come" in a million movies, from Easy Rider to Girl Interrupted.

From the AMG bio: "Like their West Coast contemporaries Sly and the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers shattered racial and musical divides to forge an incendiary fusion of funk, gospel, blues, and psychedelia.

R.A.M.P. stood for the "Roy Ayers Music Project".
"Ayers along with fellow band members Edwin Birdsong and William Allen, wrote, produced and arranged the Cincinnati based group consisting of John Manuel on drums, Nate White on bass, Landy Shores on guitar and the singing duo of Sharon Matthews and Sibel Thrasher. "

Heres a full RAMP bio.

Ive posted plenty of Roy Ayers here before. And I always mention this link: the Roy Ayers J-Files, a full radio show dedicated to the man and his music.

You can also find this song on the Tom Middleton double CD The Trip which I haven't heard but sports a sweet lineup.

posted by James |

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

TYPICAL AMERICAN
The Goats
Tricks of the Shade 1992
Out of Print
[buy mp3s]

In the very early 90s I was lucky enough to see the Pharcyde live at a very small club in DC. I have a low opinion of live rap shows. A SanFran show featuring, among others: Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, Parris, Naughty By Nature managed to be a big bassheavy crap fest, tho i did get to high five Tupac. And a PE concert in Melbourne was a downright disgrace; a very high Flav couldnt keep pace with his guide vocal. But the Pharcyde were just great; lyrical and fast and tight. But not as fast and tight as the band that opened for them: a mostly white trio from Philly called The Goats. There was no DJ, no dancers, no posse; just the three MCs (MADD, Oatie and Swayzack) on a tiny platform. Their word play was dense and spitfire and red-blooded. A few months later their debut album Tricks of Shade came out. It was a political record, a little skit-heavy, and featured live musicians. They sound sounded part Beasties, part Cypress Hill, and part Black Eyed Peas (that really really small part of the Black Eyed Peas that doesn't embarrass itself.) Its a pretty solid record, but "Typical American", which I think was the single, is a standout.

The Goats are all but forgotten now. Their three? CDs are out of print, and only this place seems to sell their mp3s.

But thanks to the internet I now know that MADD is living fat in france, and Oatie has found a second career as a Biology and Physics teacher (how about it Jay-Z?). Swayzack is "MIA," and the groups musicians Pierce and EJ have a folk band. You can sample their sound over at npr.

Oatie also produced the "Swing-Hop" act Jimmy Luxury, whose songs have popped up on a bunch of soundtracks, inckluding Oceans 11.

Check out The Goats website, for some great photos, and some of raps best lyrics.

posted by James |

Monday, November 29, 2004

DOWN HERE ON THE GROUND
Grant Green
Alive [Remaster]
[buy it]

GREEN DOLPHIN STREET
Lucky Thompson (Sax)
Friday The 13th - At The Cook County Jail [Live]
Groove Merchant 1974
[buy it]

BABY THIS LOVE I HAVE
Minnie Riperton
Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection
[buy it]

Back with even more Tribe Called Quest source works.

Grant Green
A "jazz guitar genius who played on nearly 100 albums from the early 60s to the late 70s, but narrowly missed celebrity... A straight-ahead jazzman turned funk wizard, Grant is best known for his rhythmic and driving tone as a session leader and sideman for Blue Note Records."

Grant's Daughter in law Sharony Andrews Green wrote a book about Grant called Grant Green: Rediscovering the Forgotten Genuis of Jazz Guitar in which she exhumes the "uneasy triumvirate" of Grant Green's life --music, Islam, and heroin.

The official Grant Green site.
A better, less official site.
and another.

Lucky Thompson "proved to be one of the most original and inventive saxophonists working in the post-bebop mainstream."
Heres a good bio.
Many many men have jammed to "Green Dolphin Street." The Cook County Jail album is perhaps a minor classic, but you would have to ask a Jazz Barney. It features George Freeman and Jimmy McGriff on organ, and moistworks number one hall-of-fame Singaporean B-TOWN ele-phunk legend O'Donel Levy on guitar. I wrote a boldly revisionist hagiohraphy of The Don once, a minor classic in its own blasphemous right. Really I did and wuill one day deliver it to the world. Until then you can see ODog play weekly at Baltimore restaurant Courtneys Place.

The Cook's County Sherrifs website.
The Green Dolphin Street Jazz Restaurant (every time I hear the words "Jazz restaurant" I reach for my revolver)
Green Dolphin Street THE MOVIE

Minnie Riperton died very young of breast cancer. She is best known for her beautifully moving 1974 #1 hit "Lovin' You", which was a ballad to her baby daughter Maya, now a sexy star on Saturday Night Live.
They say Minnie had some kind of freak range, like 5 and a half octaves. I think thats more octaves than the entire Band Aid 20 ensemble put together.

posted by James |

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

SON OF SLIDE
Slave
Slave [REMASTERED] 1977
[buy it]

WEAK AT THE KNEES
Steve Arrington
Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame I 1983
[buy it]

Quickness:

Heres AMGs bio on Funk superstars Slave.
Tribe Called Quest used "Son of Slide" for the guts of "Go Ahead in the Rain."

Steve Arrington joined Slave a year after "Son of Slide" and became their lead singer for a good while. Then he found a young bass player called JESUS CHRIST and now runs his own ministry, the Amazing Love Full Gospel Church, in Kettering Ohio. "Weak at the Knees" was a pretty big cheesed out funk hit in the 80s and has turned up on a bunch of hiphop platters, notably in my ears, NWAs "Gangsta Gangsta."

Also...
God Shammgods mixtape is frightening and amazing as is the Wizznutzz's "Aubernica"

posted by James |

Friday, November 19, 2004

INNER CITY BLUES
Rueben Wilson
The Sweet Life Groove Merchant 1972
[buy vinyl]
also on The Further Adventures Of Funk Soul Brothers
[buy it]

RUNNING AWAY
Roy Ayers
Lifeline 1977
available on: Best of Roy Ayers: Millennium Collection
[buy it]
12" available on: Destination Motherland: The Roy Ayers Anthology [IMPORT]
[buy it]

I used to work with a guy called Neil Drumming who is responsible for Entertainment Weekly's just-published 25 top rap records of alltime. You list types can get into the debate over at CBluntz. Moistworks isn't too keen on listmaking cuz it hurts me brain, and rap music is hardly an album makers game. Neil writes real good and has rap smarts and I'm pleased to see 2Pac was shut out. But it brings me little pleasure to see JayZ is on there, while Sex Packets and One For All somehow don't make the cut . And then of course there is the Disorderlies Soundtrack.

I'm going to keep dropping some source material for the next few days. Cuz if we are giving props, they gotta be HEARTBEAT PROPS!!!!!! Maybe I'll come up with a list of 25 top samples. Probably I wont though. But suggesitons are very welcome.

We'll start with the acid-jazz vibes of my two fav. early Tribe Called Quest songs: "Youthful Expression" and "Description of a Fool".

Reuben Wilson is main man maestro of the b-3 Hammond organ.
"Inner City Blues" is his silky jazz interpretation of Marvin Gaye's song by the same name, from the What's Going On album.

Heres a nice bio on Reuben:

Hammond organ hero Reuben Wilson helped redefine the soul jazz movement in the late 60s with a string of seminal albums for Blue Note and holding down the keys for Lee Morgan, Sam Rivers, George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Donald Byrd, Melvin Sparks and the great Grant Green.

Other Wilson tidbits: he is a former professional boxer, and was dusted off by Guru for the Jazzmatazz projects during the mid 90s

I feel like I post Roy Ayers music just about once a week these days. Check the Oct. 4 and Sept. 2 posts for 2 previous Ayer's classics. The disco-jazz jam "Running Away" is one of his best known works.

Roy Ayers dot com

The fantastic Roy Ayers J-Files radio show.

posted by James |

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

THE DARKEST LIGHT
Lafayette Afro Funk Band
Malik 1972
Darkest Light: The Best of the Lafayette Afro Rock Band 1999
[buy it]

THE GRUNT
The JBs
Food for Thought 1972
Funky Good Time: The Anthology 1999
[buy it]

Some classic Public Enemy source materials today.

The Lafayette Afro Rock Band were a bunch of soul brothers from Long Island who one day up and decided to move to Paris, to bring the old school to the old world.

Ahh to be a Long Island funk band in 70s Paris.

Moistworks presents the Lafayette Afro Rock Band phrase book:

'Sir, I am Knee Deep in Funk': Monsieur je suis genou profondement dans la trouille
'Papas got a brand new bag': Le papa a un nouveau sac
'Blow Baby, Blow!': Coup de bebe de coup
'Extra bacon': Plus de lardon sil vous plait
'Hey can i dry clean this ruby suit?': Peut I sec nettoyer un costume rouge?

Check out their unlikely bio here

'Darkest Light' astonishes me.

And Darkest Light: The Best of the Lafayette Afro Rock Band gets the moistworks seal of excellence! Pick it up!

The JBs were the handsdown phattest funk outfit of all time. Their soul was gritty but tailored tighter than Robert Pants trousers. They were the horny horn power that drove the Sex Macnine in the 70s, before the slow jam and current generation of R&B producer barons stole the soul, and the machine got broke.
Usher broke the sex machine! Destinys Child broke the sex machine!
Ashanti's Christmas Album, YOU broke the sex machine!

A JBs Page
Godfatherofsoul.com

posted by James |

Monday, November 15, 2004

LORAN'S DANCE
Grover Washington Jr
Reed Seed 1978
[buy the LP]

LORAN'S DANCE
Idris Muhammad
Power Of Soul [Remaster]
[buy it]

Moistworks is back on board, after some server issues. It turns out my hosting service is rigorously Christian and in the end I had to agree to take down my topless Maury Chaykin photographs, but it was worth it to keep the moist side moist and its what Maury would want.

Coming back with a wimper today, as I step perilously close to smooth-jazz turf.

Im pretty sure that I would never board a Smooth Jazz Cruise unless I was ready to cross to the other otherside. I fear they are our adult contemporary ferrymen up the river Styx. And if I saw Grover Washington Jr sidle up next to me in the mens room, I would know my time had come. I would button up my tux and take his hand, knowing that heaven would hold me in satin sheets and suggestive incenses with names like "Tanzania Queen" and it would always hover between day and nightfall, a time and place they call "Winelight" in smooth jazz heaven. And were the morning sun ever to come, Grover himself would deliver fresh bottles of Rose wine product to my doorstep.

Idris Muhammad's soul is a fair bit more volcanic than Soft Money Grove's. He's an OG drum legend. Over his long career hes backed singers Betty Carter, Etta Jones and Roberta Flack, jammed with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders and Herbie Hancock. He even played for the musical Hair

Nowadays Idris just wants to "...go fishin' and smoke my Cuban cigars and drink Diet Coke. I would like to enjoy a little bit of my life, come off of the road. I've done a lot of great things in my lifetime. And I know I can play. Some guys never reach their goal of what they're trying to achieve in life, you know? My life has been quite fruitful," says Muhammad. "I'm 62 now and I've been on the road 47 years and I'm thinkin' that I don't really want die out here."

Certainly beats dying on the set of the Saturday Morning Early Show, like Grover did.
But live by the adult contemporary sword, die by the adult contemporary sword.

These 2 editions of "Loran's Dance" were noteably sampled by Tribe Called Quest and The Beastie Boys respectively, and in both cases I reckon they made of with the choicest meat.

A Grover washington bio.

Idris Muhammad bios here and here (with video).

A good current interview with Idris here

A Maury Chaykin Fan Group

posted by James |

Monday, October 25, 2004

OK if anyone remembers me its Moistworks here. My blog has taken down temporarily because of incompetence on the behalf of my hosting service. Should be back up very soon. Will you still love.

Ill make it up to you when I return.

posted by James |

Friday, October 15, 2004

Think Ive got it actually

Meanwhile, Captain Bixby forwarded me this City Beat article on the new sampling laws, which in turn steered me toward this competition called "3 Notes and Runnin." I think the contest is just about over, but the results (170 and counting) are worth checking out. Its an open call to make a 30 second track out of the 1.5 second Funkadelic sample that was at the center of the court case.

posted by James |

MESSAGE FROM THE SOUL SISTERS
1970
Vicki Anderson (Myra Barnes)
James Brown's Original Funky Divas
[buy it used]

SPORT
1971
Lightening Rod
Hustlers Convention
[buy it used]

James Brown used them. Hip-hoppers stole from them. Will these women finally get their due?

...In these women's day, Brown's show was a full-fledged revue: Spots by comedians, vocal groups, Brown's backing band playing on its own, and other singers occupied the time before Danny Ray came out to introduce Soul Brother #1 -- "Are you ready for Star Time?" There was usually one featured female vocalist who'd come on before Brown and sing a few numbers; she'd also serve as a background singer for him, maybe do a duet or two, maybe cover a then-current pop hit while Brown went backstage to change into another outlandish costume. She'd make records, too -- mostly singles, mostly extraordinary, mostly overshadowed in sales and on the radio by the man who scored over 100 chart singles. Her name would appear as the artist credit; the rest of the label would say "Produced by James Brown," "Arranged by James Brown," "A James Brown Production -- The Sound of Success." You can guess whose name would appear as the writer's credit; the face pictured on the label would be his, too. ...

Read more here

I'm absolutely gonna buy me James Brown's Original Funky Divas. Though it seems to already be out of print, pleanty of used copies are out there.

Vicki Anderson's real name was Myra Barnes. She changed her name for a spell to keep her pagan ways of soul secret from the Goodie Proctor set. She also went by the great alias "Momie-O." She was married to James Brown's right-hand man Bobby Byrd

If you want to preview and download single tracks from this record, you can over at WalMart.

On second thought, f**k Walmart
Buy the record used, from Amazon and other places.

Here is a discography for Vicki.

"Message from the Soul Sisters" has been sampled many times. Heres a list.

As for "Sport"-- listen to those great lyrics:

"Shot a bad game of pool, well now they call me Sport... cause I push the ball short"

Sport is like Shaft after Tipper Gore got through with him.

Lightning Rod aka Jalal Nuriddin aka Alafia Purdim, was a founding member of the Last Poets. In the pre-dawn of Hip-Hop time, the Last Poets were the lungfish.
Read about the Last Poets here. Last Poet records are a must for any fan of the old school.

Hustler's Convention features the smooth backbeats of Kool & the Gang.

"Sport" has been sampled extensivley, most famously by:

Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five: "Hustlers Convention"
Jungle Brothers: "Black is Black"
and
Beastie Boys: "Egg Man"

This comprehensive website is dedicated to all the samples used in Paul's Boutique.

also...

I have added some donor links atop the blog. If you must download mainstream music illegally and take money away from rockstars and big music industry types, make like Robin Hood and send your savings to one of these charities.

Ive also updated my links, adding a few new blogs I'm enjoying, and a few I just never got around to linking.

posted by James |

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

ECHO BEACH
Martha and the Muffins
Metro Music 1979 [Re-issued 2003] [Import]
[buy it]

WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD AT WORK
Martha and the Muffins
This is the Ice Age 1981 [Out of print]
also available on Far Away In Time
[buy it]

THIS IS THE ICE AGE
Martha and the Muffins
This is the Ice Age 1981 [Out of print]
also available on Far Away In Time
[buy it]

ECHO BEACH
Midnight Oil
Live at the Myer Music Bowl 27/02/82
[buy it]

When MSNBC announced that New Wave is Back!, moistworks didn't cover his ears and deny the words. I'm retro-forward!

Martha and the Muffins had a silly one-hit-wondery name, the kind Mo "Look at my Big Four-Eyed C**t-Face" Rocca makes wry quips about on VH1, and they had but one (very very rad) hit in 1979/80 with "Echo Beach." But they were not a one trick pony. Martha and the Muffins knocked out a string of decent albums deep into the decade.

In 1981 the band took on a new lady bassist went by the name Jocelyne Lanois. Jocelyne had a brother, called himself Daniel. Daniel's signature production sound is ALL over Martha's post "Echo Beach" catalogue. Songs like "This Is The Ice Age" sound strikingly like very early Talking Heads.

If you haven't heard heard "Echo Beach" though, its gonna curl your Fioruccis.
Muffin Man Mark Gane reckons Echo Beach ain't real, its in your heart, so don't go looking for it.
He also describes, on the official MatM site, the lyrics to "This is the Ice Age" thusly:

The lyrics describe what came out of my head when waking up after a vividly beautiful dream. I've always been fascinated with this period of time; its odd mammalians, the idea of the human race not dominating the world around it, the purity of landscapes untouched by cities and roads, air so sharp it might burn the lungs, (but in a pleasantly euphoric way), and filled with strange, unfathomable sounds. In a funny sort of way, this could be an account of dying and going up to heaven, (the odd mammalians being angels I suppose).

I think the period Mark refers to is the actual Ice Age, not mornings in his bed, but either way.... oddly mamallian, Ripping stuff!! -- though those "strange, unfathomable sounds" are probably just the Rhodes CHROMA Synth Martha was banging on.

The Midnight Oil version of "Echo Beach" is a live number from a 1982 Mlebourne show. Its not really that inspired but worth a listen.

Marko's New Wave Bootleg Encyclopedia!!!!

also...

Some mp3 blogs that have been truly moist and supple of late:

Bunn Loxo du Taccu is offering up some fantastic African music. Diverse in styles but not just for diversity's sake. Its a good lookin site too.

Aurgasm is a genre whore after my own heart. More good looks.

Said the Gramophone had some nice moody action last week.

and reap the benefits of Soul Sides and Cocaine Blunts trying to one up each other with low-profile 90s hiphop all week long.

and Futurism Aint Shit DID NOT JUST POST SONGS BY BONES BRIGADE SKATER TOMMY GUERERRO!!!!!!!!!!!

Explore the formative moisture of my youth in Bones Brigage III: The Search for Animal Chin (now on DVD!)

posted by James |

Monday, October 11, 2004

DANCING MOOD
Delroy Wilson
Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music