Well, well, well…this tail end of 2016 didn’t exactly turn out the way I might have liked. I’ve been in a funk pretty much all of November and December that I’ve only recently gotten out of, and thus, there hasn’t been a lot of activity from me of late. But, a new year always brings with it optimism and the possibilities of change and rebirth. So, I’m ready to close out 2016 strongly and carry through into the next year sharing more music than ever before.
As is tradition, I always share the last record that I buy in a year, just before doing some type of mix featuring the best things I dug up over the past 12 months. In 2016’s case, that last record was by French progressive rock group Atoll, swiped from Amoeba for a fraction of what it used to go for on the open market. A major part of the album’s appeal was the fantastic artwork by Yves Uro, who gained a measure of fame designing posters for Ibiza’s first disco club KU. The image at the center of the front cover is what you see here, one of several that I bought this year with a birth/egg motif. Musically, Atoll, connects to many other groups in that “Prog” scene, a solid, if not spectacular, sound, with the added pleasure of all of the lyrics, as they are on “Le Photographe Exorciste,” being sung in French (my preference is for non-English bands to not sing in English). “Cazotte #1” is the only proper instrumental on the album and gives a sense of the band’s strengths, along with a nice, clean, open drum break towards the end. There were periods of time where I felt like I had lost my record mojo, but just over the past month-ish, I felt it was back. Looking forward to sharing much much more in 2017.
I know a whole lot of folks aren’t happy about Donald Trump becoming President of the US. So, I made a mix of music for us, something to help with your election hangover and help you keep your head up and pushing forward, cause for me…I plan to stay a believer, so today…I’ll let the sun shine in and dream about what this world would be like if we had peace today, but I’ll tell myself, “Wake up sweet dreamer, we can make it real,” cause I want to see daylight in my life and I know that there must be something we can do! Instead of just asking, ‘where are we going?’ or just being optimistic about the future, I plan to be optimystical and glow in the light of my life. How do you do that? Meditate…Contemplate…Get closer to the essence of life, but be aware that it takes courage and strife. You can’t strain your brain, when you feel somebody trying to bring you down. I know we are not going to endure 2000 seasons in THIS America. So, don’t give in. Hang On In There! Love is really the answer, this you have to agree. But now, it’s time for all of us to wake up, we are in the presence of our future!
I had hoped that I might be able to go to the Bay Area to celebrate Matthew’s life today, on his 45th birthday, but the timing just didn’t work out (instead I was in the Bay on the 21st, more on that later). Still, it was nice to pay tribute to Matthew on this month’s Melting Pot Radio hour. I’d paid tribute to him after his passing in 2012, but as I mention in the show, I could have easily done 4 more hours then and could have just kept going with this mix. I limited it to 20 songs, from records that were actually from Matthew’s collection, things that he turned me on to, things that I heard him play and things that I had a story to share in connection to them. While I dearly miss my friend, I thankful for the memories of the past and for all of the music. It’s through the music that Matthew Africa lives on…and his legacy continues to grow.
{Opening Theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)
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Gal Costa – De Um Role – A Todo Vapor (Philips)
The Power Of Zeus – Sorceror Of Isis – The Gospel According To Zeus (Rare Earth)
James Brown – Ain’t Enough Room In Storage – Sho Is Funky Down Here (King)
Freddi/Henchi & the Soulsetters – Funky To The Bone – 7″ (Reprise)
Hank Ballard – I’m A Junkie For My Baby’s Love – 7″ (Chess)
The Advancement – Fall Out – The Advancement (Philips)
Toni Tornado – Me Libertei – Toni Tornado (1971) (Odeon)
The 4th Coming – The Dead Don’t Die Alive – 7″ (Alpha)
The Inner Drive – Party Man – 7″ (Zodiac)
Shades Of Black Lightning – Yesterday’s Dream – The Shades Of Black Lightning (Tower)
David Axelrod – Freedom – The Auction (Decca)
The 24-Carat Black – Foodstamps – Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth (Enterprise)
Ohio Players – Ecstasy (Matthew Africa Edit) – 7″ (Personal Dub Plate)
Juan Pablo Torres – Son A Propulsion – Super Son (Arieto)
Tim Maia – Nao Vou Ficar – Tim Maia (1971) (Polydor)
Sass – I Only Wanted To Love You – 7″ (20th Century)
Ponderosa Twins Plus One – Bound – 2+2+1 = Ponderosa Twins Plus One
Betty & Angel – Everlasting Love – 7″ (Every Day)
Blackbyrds – Wilfred’s Gone – Jazz Dance Classics Vol. 1 (Luv n’ Haight)
US 69 – I’m On My Way – Yesterday’s Folks (Buddah)
Dennis Olivieri – I Cry In The Morning – Come To The Party (VMC)
Pi-R Square – Fantasy Pt. 2 – 7″ (Wee)
~~~~ Break ~~~~
{Closing Theme} Billy Harper – Sir Galahad – Capra Black (Strata East)
Today would have been Matthew Africa’s 45th Birthday. Every year around this time we pay tribute to Matthew here on Melting Pot. I met Matthew as a DJ at KALX, but his influence stretched back much earlier, through his work in the early 1990s with Luv’n’Haight while working at Groove Merchant. though Matthew’s now been gone for 4 years, it’s nice to hear this music and remember my friend. As this would have been his 45th birthday, I decided to highlight a few 45s, several of which were from Matthew’s own collection.
Matthew was becoming especially adept at creating edits when he was so suddenly taken away from us. This is my favorite, so much so I had a dub plate pressed with it, so that I could play it out at all-vinyl soul/funk nights, such as Funky Sole here in LA. The flipside is “Quit Jivin’,” which is probably THE song that I saw Matthew freak out the most to on the dancefloor. I’ve been able to play this song three or four times, and every time someone comes up to thank me for playing it. Matthew took a song that always felt too short and extended it in all the right places. The “loving you is ecstasy and I’ll never let you go…couldn’t never do without you,” lines are something that several of his friends felt about Matthew after his passing, and four years later, it still seems apt.
One of my favorite memories of Matthew is related to this record. When DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist debuted their Brain Freeze sequel, Product Placement, they asked a few local DJs to share the stage with them, for opening sets. Matthew’s was early in the night, but it was stellar as usual (Cool Chris of Groove Merchant also did a set). At the end of the night, all of the DJs came back to the stage to play one track. This was Matthew’s choice, and while all the other DJs were playing it cool, when Matthew got to play this, he did his “strut” while holding on to other 45s. It’s one of my favorite songs to dance to as well, and while I have my moves to it, sometimes I can’t but help to do “The Matthew Africa,” when on the dancefloor.
I first heard this track on a Luv’n’Haight collection, and it’s a classic bit of rare wax from Oakland. This copy comes from Matthew’s collection, and it was the first time I’d actually gotten a chance to hear Part 2, which I enjoy more than the flipside, mainly because of that insane two-note guitar solo near the beginning. One of many records that have that “Matthew Africa sound,” which is hard to describe, but you just know it when you hear it.
Another from Matthew’s collection. I’d never heard this one before Matthew’s records were auctioned off. Every single thing about this song is gorgeous. The vocals, the lyrics, the music…just perfect. It’s not quite a “soul boulder,” but it is one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever heard.
This song was the final song Matthew chose on his “Matthew Africa Plays 7’s” mix, that ultimately ended up being his last one. The mix was basically a run-through for an upcoming set he was going to do at 45 sessions (that session is online too, and it’s interesting hearing the two and noting the changes Matthew made). When he debuted it, I remarked how annoying it was because there were all of these songs that I didn’t know and I was going to be obsessing about it for years. Matthew saw the humor in it, and I remember him mentioning that part of that set was inspired by the nights we had at Kitty English’s Soulvation night at the Ruby Room in Oakland. In particular, Matthew remembered how often several of us would dance while we were playing records, a feat that was easy enough given how small the space was and how close the dance floor was to the turntables. It was a rare joy spinning there with Matthew, Kitty, Sean Sullivan and (at Matthew’s 30th Birthday party) the legendary Joe Quixx. So much of those good feelings came through in Matthew’s mix. This song closed it out, and it’s a somewhat atypical “closing time” song, atypical solely because it’s not quite upbeat, not quite downbeat. But it’s the sentiment that’s perfect for that time of the night after last call. I wish we could have had it be a tradition, like playing “Foxy Girls In Oakland,” so that I could have memories of singing this at closing time with Matthew and Kitty, though…I am very thankful for the memories I do have, and especially thankful for Matthew’s friendship and all the music he shared…RIP
{There won’t be a Melting Pot Radio hour this week, as I shift it to the Sun the 23rd to pay tribute to Matthew Africa (incidentally, this 45 originally came from MKA’s collection), who’s 45th birthday it would have been on that date.}
Today, October 15th, marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, begun in Oakland, CA by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. Probably no other group had a greater influence on my mindset and worldview than the Panthers, since being exposed to them at an early age because my mother taught about the Civil Rights Movement in her US Government classes. This meant I was in the room when she was preparing classes and so I watched a lot of films and documentaries about the this period of time as a child. Though the Panthers were often painted as a “violent” organization, the historical record shows that they were more often the victims of state sanctioned violence, with the aim to discredit and dismantle their operation. Despite having many of their leaders jailed and, particularly in the case of Fred Hampton, murdered, the legacy of the Panthers extends all the way to the present time, particularly in the Black Lives Matter movement, which was sparked over the same issues that sparked the BPP, the killing of Black people by police officers.
Because of how well versed the Panthers were in liberation theory, they thought it would be a good idea to try to reach the people through music and thus created a singing group to carry their message, The Lumpen (so named for the class of people that Marx described as “a dangerous class,” the Lumpen Proletariat, the underclass of society). While the band performed around the country, they only recorded a single 45 (though, according to Rickey Vincent’s book on the band, their is a live recording of a performance that might have been slated for release, in the Huey P. Newton archives). “Free Bobby Now,” found it’s way onto the Listen Whitey compilation, but the flipside “No More,” is a more interesting track for me. Even though 50 years later, the issues that moved to Panthers to organize and protest are still pressing issues, that same defiance that courses through “No More,” is found in our present era, where even as the Trump campaign has threatened to tear open the fabric of American society, many people are recognizing the need for change and refuse to go back to a period of time where we had no control and no power over our destinies. Here in 2016 we owe a great debt to the Black Panthers, a debt that I hope in my lifetime will be paid in full when all people truly have the freedom and power that so many have fought and died for over our history.
New semester’s had me completely out of sorts on posting on the regular, but I think I’ve finally got things under control (though now grading begins, so we’ll see) and should be back at it. I’ve got a ton of music to share, quite a lot from recent pop-ups at Rappcats in Highland Park. I already posted a bit from the DJ Shadow one, just this past weekend there was another (with another scheduled in two weeks with the folks from the Numero Group), this time featuring selections from MoSS, a producer who has done beats for Ghostface in the past, and reissues things through his Strawberry Rain label (he was the main collaborator on Now-Again’s excellent Those Shocking Shaking Days collection of Psychedelic music from Indonesia). I had virtually no money, but was still able to pick up a couple things including this record from reedman/producer Son Hak Rei.
Normally I bring my portable player to these things, because there’s so much music that I’ve never heard of, but I’d forgotten it in my office in Long Beach this time around. As is often the case, I was drawn to this record because of the art work, with it’s psychedelic colors and what appears to be Hendrix, Zappa, Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley, floating along with some groovy farm animals. A quick search of the catalog number led me to discogs so that I could identify the record and the artist. That listing is the extent of my knowledge about Son Hak Rei, it seems that he played with Korean psych godfather Shin Jung Hyun and also produced some of Black Butterfly’s music. Despite the appearance of a really weird sounding organ, I wasn’t really that impressed with this record, that is, until I dropped the needle on “Dry Leaves.” My ears perked up when I heard that almost Axelrod-esque introduction, but once the song got into it’s groove, I was sold. Interestingly, it seemed like MoSS didn’t realize this song was on the album, perhaps because, as he told me, someone had described the album as a heavy funk record and most of the songs are kinda loungey. But this track is a MONSTER…and definitely gets me interested in trying to track down more from Son Hak Rei and other Korean Psychedelic artists.
This past weekend, LA got a real special treat, as this months “pop-up” record show at Rappcats in Highland Park (who has been hosting one-off shows since July, featuring Joel Stones of Tropicalia In Furs, as well as Egon of Now-Again Records and Michael McFaddin of Luv’n’Haight/Ubiquity fame), featuring selections from the collection of DJ Shadow. Though it got billed in some places as “Shadow selling his collection!” the best way of describing it was Shadow selling doubles and triples he had, likely from just “part” of his collection. As I mentioned earlier, it was humbling to run into so many records that I’d just never even seen before, and other DJs and collectors I respect had similar things to say. One of the most interesting bits (several pictures below) was the fact that Shadow had meticulously priced every record, and in some cases even added a little commentary, noting which songs had breaks and some other choice comments as well. I didn’t get nearly as much as I would have like (I am STILL paying for the trip to Spain earlier in the year!), but I got a nice grip of records and learned about more than a few others that have gone on the wantlist. If you missed it, these pictures should give you a sense of what it was like.
Over the weekend, DJ Shadow treated us to a small peek into his world, as he sold off a portion of his collection in what was described as “The 1st Annual DJ Shadow Storage Sale.” The thing that I found most fascinating about the two day event, is how many records I just had never seen, and how so many other collectors and DJs who I know felt the same way. This record was one that I picked up just because of the color scheme on the front cover, which I noticed went round the back cover to say “BOOM.”
Dropping the needle on the record, there were some moderately pleasing Brazilian/Jazz/Lounge sounds for most of the record. But then I dropped the needle on “Zig Zag,” and promptly flipped out (though I should say that “flipping out” for me at a record store is more or less a series of raised eyebrows). As I brought the song back to the beginning, with it’s sorta surreal intro from the “Westlake Inn,” I noticed that the song had a writing credit for Jair Rodrigues, and figured that it must be a cover. Right around that time Oliver Wang of Soul-Sides sat down next to me and my portable and started raving about this album and “Zig Zag” in particular, something that Young Einstein of Ugly Duckling had hipped him to many years back. Oliver pushed me off the fence over getting the album, noting that it really doesn’t come up very often, is still pretty under the radar and was a steal at $35. And with that, my day was basically done (I’ll likely post a few more things this week from Shadow’s sale). I’m really not convinced that this is an actual live record, it sounds more like a record with live audience sounds piped in, to give the impression that Da Silva has an enthusiastic crowd listening to him in Westlake each week…but no matter, “Zig Zag” is undoubtedly the coolest thing (maybe the only thing?) ever recorded at the Westlake Village Inn, in Westlake, California.
9/11 is often a somber and reflective time, this year, 15 years after the attacks, is even more so, particularly because it also occurs near the anniversary of the passing of a dear friend, Matthew Africa. Adding to all of those feelings, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds released an extraordinary film and album that deal primarily with the tragic loss of his son Arthur Cave in 2015. Lots of heavy stuff, and that colors the first break of the show, with music from Cave and tracks that remind me of Matthew Africa. The second and third sets are connected to some recent record digging done over the week, during a Labor Day sale at LA’s Record Jungle and this week, the two-day pop-up at Rappcats of DJ Shadow’s records. I recorded the show before getting a couple more records on the second day and I didn’t have nearly enough money to get what I really wanted (The Significants 45 will likely haunt my dreams for some time), but still happy with what’s here and look forward to sharing more…Enjoy!
{Opening Theme} Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot – Is What’s Happening (Dyamic)
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Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Distant Sky – Skeleton Key (Bad Seed LTD)
Billy Harper – Sir Galahad – Capra Black (Strata East)
Pi-R Square – Fantasy Pt. 1 – 7″ (Wee)
Gary Bartz NTU Troop – Celestial Blues – Jazz Dance Classics Vol. 1 (Luv’n’Haight)
David Axelrod – The Human Abstract – Songs Of Experience (Capitol)
~~~~ Break ~~~~
The Knowbody Else – No One And The Sun – The Knowbody Else (Hip)
Lisa Wong(?) & The Stylers – TBD – TBD (Star)
The Soul Crusaders Orchestra – Funky Jive – 7″
Cross Winds – Fool’s Journey – Murder At Midnight (ERC)
Jimmy Dawkins – Put It On The Hawg – 7″ (Mojo)
~~~~ Break ~~~~
Los Lazos – La Rola – Como Has Hecho (Orfeon)
Linda Jones – Don’t Go – Your Precious Love (Turbo)
Chris Connor – Time Out For Tears – 7″ EP (Atlantic)
June Christy – Lonely House – – Something COol 7″ EP (Capitol)
Winchell’s Donut House – Hear The Monsters, Spooky Sounds & Scary Tale – Halloween 7″ (Winchell’s)
Captain Beefheart – My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains – Clear Spot (Warner Bros.)
While I mentioned previously that Avalon Vintage might be my favorite LA record store, Record Jungle is far behind. Every single time I’ve gone there I’ve found some strange and obscure record, almost always for less than $10. The very first time I went to Record Jungle, I found that insane Becky & Sandy Doom Gospel record, and the spot is particularly good for Apocalyptic styled sermon/gospel music. As you’ll see below, there’s just all kinds of weird records to be found at “The Jungle.” But, the thing that might be best about Record Jungle is that even records that you’ve heard about, classic breaks, rarer releases, still tend to be priced 50% (or more) lower than at other places. Andy at Record Jungle maintains a diggers perspective even as a business owner, with his records priced to sell, and with more than a few gems to discover, but only if you spend the time to dig in the crates. Look out for sales, such as the 50% off Labor Day sale where most of these pictures were taken, but really whenever you have a chance to go to the Record Jungle, you should go. And if you’re gonna go, don’t expect just to breeze in and breeze out. Expect to spend hours going through the LPs and 45s…you never know what is hiding behind the next record.
So…took me a little longer to get into the swing of things with the start of the semester than I would have liked, but I should be back at it full time now that I’ve got a routine. For my return back I wanted to highlight a funky bit of Turkish instrumental music, the collection TRT Ara Müzikleri. After all the money I spent in Spain and Cuba earlier in the year, I don’t really have much money for super rare or expensive records these days. This record is a fairly rare and moderately expensive record going for $150-300. So how did I get this record when I don’t have that kind of money? Simply put, Record Jungle.
Andy at Record Jungle had originally put this record up on Ebay, but no one bid on it because of a slight warp and that chip that looks like someone took a bite out of the record. He posted a little bit of “Çeçen Kızı” on the Record Jungle instagram page and thankfully I happened to check the app shortly after, understandly freaked out, and asked if this record was at the store. Andy mentioned the condition and said it would be waiting for $10. As I’ll mention in a separate post, that’s part of why so many of us love Record Jungle. It’s a digger’s delight, where you can spend days going through all of the records looking for obscure and strange gems. Most everything will be reasonably priced. While rarer records end up on Ebay, what’s in the store remains affordable, and it seems like Andy is always running across top shelf material on a weekly basis.
Knowing that the condition wasn’t going to be anywhere pristine, lowered my expectations for the record, but much to my delight, most every song on the album was perfectly fine. The chip is entirely on the deadwax and doesn’t interfere with the first song on either side. The slight warp is barely noticeable and it definitely doesn’t affect the better songs. In other words, this record is a bonafide steal.
From what I can gather (despite digging a few artists, I really don’t know much about Turkish music in the 1970s), this is essentially a Library record, which seems to be made for the Turkish Radio and Television Corpoation or TRT. While most of the music is fairly standard “modern” Turkish background music, the songs I’ve shared really stand out, particularly “Çeçen Kızı.”
The song title translates to “Chechen Girl” and it dates back to the early 20th century, first recorded by Tanburi Cemil Bey (there’s actually a really interesting article about the songs origins, if you want to nerd out, click here). This version is actually very faithful, with Akagündüz Kutbay playing ney (an end blown reed flute) that isn’t so dissimilar from more “traditional” versions of the song. What sets this version apart from others is that funky backbeat and some blistering work on Soprano sax from Nathan Davis. It’s that wild sound that likely pushes this album into the 3 figure range and you can understand why once you hear it. You can also understand why I was so ecstatic to track this down due to how “picky” some collectors are. Yes we’d all like minty copies, but they’re called “rare” records for a reason. For me, the music always comes first, and if you have a chance to get a great record at a great price, you take that chance.
Picked this up just yesterday at the Rappcats/Ubiquity Pop-Up record Shop in Highland Park. I might have bought this 45 just for the amazing label design, but I brought along my portable record player just so I didn’t get swayed by a pretty face. Sometimes you can just tell what a song is going to sound like just by looking at the title and the band’s name. As far as I can tell, The End Results were a group from Benton Harbor, Michigan and this may have been not only their own recording, but the only recording to have this lovely label. With a band name like “The End Results” and a song title like “Reminiscing” you just know it’s not going to be a dancefloor number. The date of 1972 seemed right about perfect in terms of the sounds that I like and dropping the needle confirmed it…this is what Matthew Africa used to call a “Soul Boulder,” slow, soulful and heavy, with a bit of an edge that makes it not quite smooth enough to be called “Sweet Soul.” As the song begins, a group of friends notices that one of their own is sitting alone at neighborhood party. Asking him, “what’s the deal?” prompts him to say, “I’ll tell you about it,” and then we get the beginning of the actual song, as the singer lays down a soulful version of his own tale of heartbreak where he is “reminiscing” of happier times.
For me today, which happens to be my birthday, I’m reminiscing on the end of Summer. Now, I know Summer doesn’t officially end until Labor Day here in the States, and doesn’t technically end until Sept 22nd, but for those of us who teach in the CSU system, today is our last day before the beginning of the semester. We collectively get to this point and wonder, “where did the Summer go?” even though it’s a massive privilege to even have a Summer where we can rest and recharge. Most of my life I always hated having my birthday so close to the start of school, now I’m actually thankful for it, because it forces me to sit down and reflect on things. Because I tend to get reflective around this time, it affects the kind of music I listen to, and I’m more likely to turn to these kind of sounds. Songs like this tap into memories of the past in a number of ways, from growing up in the South, to time spent in the Bay, to even Summers down here in LA. Though some times the memories are painful, I’m thankful for all that’s happened, since I wouldn’t be here any other way.
I realized today that I was actually, subconsciously at least, holding off on posting this album until this moment, towards the end of the Summer. As I’ve talked about on several posts over the years, certain sounds seem to fit certain moments, and for me, Lover’s Rock has a very specific kind of sound, late night, late summer, when the heat isn’t oppressive anymore, but everything is still sticky and sweet from the humidity. I got this album back in the Spring, during my very brief (and first!) trip to London, England on my way back to the States from Spain. I had 8 or 9 hours until my return flight and instead of just hanging out at the airport, I took the Metro to the land of Tottenham/Seven Sisters and Zen Records. While there I picked up several Reggae records (including that Freddie McGregor I shared a little while ago), but this one was the one that I was most happy with.
I very rarely, if ever, buy Reggae music from the 1980s. Something about the production and instrumentation just doesn’t grab me the same way as late 1960s and 1970s sounds. This album jumped out because of it’s distinctive color, and there wasn’t any info dating the session on the back. That’s a good thing, cause if I had known it was from 1981, I likely would have put it right back. Instead the owner obliged my request to hear how it sounded and proceeded to drop the needle on a couple tracks, making little comments like “Oh yeah, this was a big one at the time…” Eventually the needle dropped on “Stars In Your Eyes,” and I was done.
I love Jamaican breaks, often occurring right at the beginning of a song, just before moving into the tried and true riddims. “Stars” has one of the nicest and hardest hitting and soulful breaks I’ve ever heard in this genre, and it only gets better from there as Tella starts to sing out Zodiac signs, “Sagitarrius…Virgo…Scorpio…I wouldn’t care if your were Aquarius,” as way of telling her love that it doesn’t matter what sign they are, she will love them. And just to prove it, she uses most of the song to go through all of the signs, as well as working in The Manhattans “Shining Star” and the classic standard “Summertime” into the most epic end of Summer Lover’s Rock song of all-time. 8 minutes of absolute pure gentle rocking satisfaction right there. Other songs mine similar territory, including several that feature a uncredited male vocalist (maybe someone out there recognizes his voice, if you do let me know), but nothing is as sublime as “Stars In Your Eyes.” I could listen to it all Summer long.
