This show was supposed to be about my 2-year anniversary at this time slot on KCRW, but that was overshadowed by the shocking news that Guru of Gang Starr passed away at the age of 47. As I mention in the show, Guru (Gifted.Unlimited.Rhymes.Universal) is one of a handful of MCs, from any era, who had a truly distinctive sound. Combined with his cadence and his singular sound, Guru’s rhymes were often (though not always) focused on uplift, when he did cross into more violent territory, it was almost always as a cautionary tale (“Just To Get A Rep” comes to mind, a song that inexplicably didn’t find it’s way into my set). He also was at the forefront of Jazz+Hip-Hop collaborations through his Jazzmatazz project and a community presence through his Each One Counts foundation. Guru was and will always remain Hip-Hop royalty, and the 30+ minutes that I start the show with is far too short of a tribute to his influence. If you want more, I highly suggest you check out Matthew Africa’s recent Gang Starr mix.
For the rest of the show, there’s a fair amount of new tracks from the likes of Little Brother, Roky Erickson, Dum Dum Girls, Erykah Badu, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Unkle, Ana Tijoux and Jose James recorded live at KCRW. At the close, to celebrate the anniversary, I played Canned Heat’s Parthenogenesis. This song has personal meaning for me, because it was one of the first tracks that I can clearly remember hearing on Atlanta’s WREK radio, back when I was like 12 years old. It, along with the other sounds I’d hear, pushed me towards increasingly diverse and ecletic songs (and it might help explain why my shows shift from genre to genre so frequently) and was a catalyst for me, helping me to become the DJ I am today, so I thought I’d share it on the airwaves with the hopes that it might spark something similar in others. Enjoy it while you can, on demand for one week until the next one…
Tribute Set to Guru of Gang Starr:
Gang Starr – Royalty – Moment of Truth
Gang Starr – The Planet – Hard To Earn
Gang Starr – Code of the Streets – 12”
Gang Starr – Step In The Arena – Full Clip – A Decade of Gang Starr
Gang Starr – Speak Ya Clout (instrumental) – 12”
Gang Starr – Check The Technique – It Will Take A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Guru feat. Roy Ayers – Take A Look At Yourself – Jazzmatazz Vol. 1
Gang Starr – Robin Hood Theory – Moment Of Truth
Gang Starr – Words That I Manifest – Full Clip – A Decade Of Gang Starr
Art Blakey – A Night In Tunisia – A Night At Birdland
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Jose James – Code – Live On KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic
Bonobo – Black Sands – Black Sands
Jimi Hendrix – Valley Of Neptune – Valleys Of Neptune
The Morning Benders – Excuses – Big Echo
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Ozomatli – 45 (Tom Schnabel Remix) – Ozomatli Vs. KCRW Soundclash
James Murphy – People – Greenberg: Original Soundtrack
Gregory Isaacs – Storm – Mr. Isaacs
Gonjasufi – Duet – A Sufi & A Killer
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Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – The Game Gets Old – I Learned The Hard Way
Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Ligthnin’ – The Howlin’ Wolf Album
Paul Weller – Find The Torch, Burn The Plans – Wake Up The Nation
Love Is All – Repetition – Two Thousand And Ten Injuries
Flying Lotus feat. Thom Yorke – And The World Laughs With You – Cosmogramma
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Dum Dum Girls – Yours Alone – I Will Be
The Flamin’ Groovies – Have You Seen My Baby – Teenage Head
Geraldo Pino & the Heartbeats – Heavy Heavy Heavy – Afro-Rock Volume 1
Unkle feat. Sleepy Sun – Follow Me Down – Where Did The Night Fall
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Little Brother – Before The Night Is Over – Leftback
Caetano Veloso – Sem Cais – Zii E Zie
Gotan Project – Peligro – Tango 3.0
Erykah Badu – Incense – New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh
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Roky Erickson – Please Judge – True Love Cast Out All Evil
Ana Tijoux – Obstaculo – 1977
Valerie Lagrange – Si Ma Chanson Pouvait – The BYG Deal
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Canned Heat – Parthenogenesis – Living The Blues
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