This breakdown turned out to be longer than I thought it would…couple of important things to note about the first set. The opening song from Gary Bartz, “JuJu Man,” is not only one of my favorite tracks from him, but it’s also an apt song of celebration for the new weekly that I’m starting at La Cita in downtown Los Angeles, called “Ju Ju” on Sunday nights, 10pm-2am, starting August 2nd (full post on that coming shortly).
Also in this first set I paid a little tribute to my mother, whose 61st birthday would have been this past Tuesday. As I mention in the broadcast, “Raspberry Beret” was one of my mom’s favorite songs and I literally listened to it day after day after day after day after day, since she had me record it back to back to back over the length of a 60 minute cassette tape. Whenever it comes on, I still find it very comforting and it always reminds me of her.
As for the rest of the show, some fine tunes throughout, including new work from Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, The Portland Cello Project, Maxwell, Warpaint, Nicola Conte feat. Jose James and others.
A note on one of the older tracks I played here, from a group called Goliath. I told the story in the show, but I’ll expand a bit here. I was playing this record for Renato, who DJs at Supercuts in Chinatown and Funky Sole at the Echo, and while I was trying to entice him into a trade, someone inadvertently knocked over my portable turntable, which then went crashing into the ground along with this record from Goliath. The record was already in rough shape, but now most of side B is busted and the best track, the one Renato was listening to at the time of the major DJ faux pas, has two ugly scratches in it too. But, I still dig this band and so I played you guys a track that only skips once.
I closed up with a track from the Grateful Dead. I think this is perhaps the second time I’ve ever played the Grateful Dead in my 16 years of radio experience. This night there was a good reason to do so and it was in honor of legendary newsman Walter Cronkite, who apparently was a major dead head. There’s also a fascinating account on Huffington Post this week on how Uncle Walter played a major role in breaking the Beatles in the US. I’d wanted to direct listeners to that article on-air, but as you can tell by the way it ends, I’d run out of time…
Next week Jason Kramer fills in for me (which means this show will be on demand longer than usual). I’ll be back at the controls on August 5th, just ahead of our summertime fundraiser which runs from August 7th to 17th!!!
Gary Bartz & the NTU Troop – Juju Man – I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies
Sa-Ra Creative Partners – Just Like A Baby – Nuclear Evolution / The Age of Love
Prince – Rasberry Beret – Around the World in a Day
Dam Funk – Sunset – Rhythm Trax Vol. 4
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Little Dragon – A New – Machine Dreams
Horace Andy & Alpha – Storm – Two Phazed People
Tappa Zukie – Rush I Some Dub – Tappa Zukie in Dub
Adam Franklin – Big Sur – Spent Bullets
Ceu – Grains De Beaute – Vagarosa
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Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions – For The Rest of Your Life – Through the Devil Softly
Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation – Whiskey Headed Woman – The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – By The Time I Get to Phoenix – Kicking Against The Pricks
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Jarvis Cocker – Slush – Further Complications
Goliath – Yesterday’s Children – Goliath
Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens – What Is This – What Have You Done, My Brother?
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Mirtha y Raul – El Sueno de Andria – Si Para Usted, vol. 2
Mos Def – Casa Bey – The Ecstatic
Nicola Conte feat. Jose James – Awakening – Rituals
Portland Cello Project – The Lamb – The Thao & Justin Power Sessions
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Au Revoir Simone – Shadows – Still Night, Still Light
Gossip – 2012 – Music for Men
Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue – Ambivalence Avenue
Francoiz Breut – De Fil En Aiguille (Ouvrages de Dames) – A l’aveuglette
Broadcast – City in Progress – The Noise Made By People
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Maxwell – Cold – Blacksummers’ Night
The Aggrolites – It’s Time To Go – IV
Bomba Estereo – Fuego – Blow Up
The Duncan Brothers – Dreams – Panama 2
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Chali 2na – Keep Going – Fish Outta Water
Lali Puna – Fast Forward – Tridecoder
Chin Chin – Go There With You (Ticklah Remix) – The Remixes
Jae’s Soul – Sintonia En Soul – Sensacional Soul, vol. 2
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Warpaint – Billie Holiday – Exquisite Corpse EP
Vieux Farka Toure – Souba Souba – Fondo
Wilco – You & I – Wilco (The Album)
The Grateful Dead – Let Me Sing Your Blues Away – Wake of the Flood
The Beatles – Cry for a Shadow – Anthology #1
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