Quick turnaround on this one, if you want to see the GZA at the Echoplex on Tuesday August 24th, e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before 3pm Monday (Tomorrow!)…and Happy Birthday to the Genius!

Supposedly the RZA and the GZA are working on a Liquid Swords sequel, can anything top the original? Maybe you’ll find out if you win the tickets.

{Congrats to Michael M. for winning tickets to see Hepcat!!!}

One of the greatest, if not THE greatest, third wave SKA bands has reunited and have been playing a number of shows in the last couple years. The mighty Hepcat will be performing at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theatre on August 20th (the night just before my birthday…what timing!). Hepcat continues to include some of the sharpest dressers and dances in all the land, and I’m sure this show will be amazing as always. If you’d like to get a pair of tickets to see them, send a message to michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before 12noon on Thursday, August 19th.

For your musical enjoyment I’ve dug up one of the few Hepcat videos from way back in the day, “Bobby & Joe”…now go out and do the Rambo!

Bra Sello & His Band – Soul Time Nzimande Go

This collection of funky stuff from South Africa was released back in May, but it just now found its way to me. With all the fantastic compilations of soulful music out of Africa in the 1960s & 1970s rolling around these days, it seems like South Africa has been out of the mix a bit. Thankfully Strut records is filling the gap with this collection of 22 tracks from 1969-1976. My favorite of the bunch, Bra Sello & his Band’s “Soul Time Nzimande Go,” reminds me of several US soul releases, “Soul Finger” and “Hip-Hug-Her” being the two that most quickly come to mind, but seems like there is another one or two mixed up in there as well. Regardless of the sources, what’s important is how it all comes together and it comes together mighty mighty fine, not just on Bra Sello’s track, but all throughout volume 2 of this series.

Betty & The Werewolves – David Cassidy

Ever since moving over to KPFK from KCRW, I feel like I’ve been playing catch up with a lot of music. Londoners Betty & the Werewolves have been making music for a couple years, releasing a few 7″‘s and finally this debut about a month or so ago (though I just heard it today) on the venerable Damaged Goods. They are a lovely mix of C-86 Indie Pop/Twee, Garage and Post-Punk featuring three girls on guitars and vocals, none of which incidentally is named Betty (and no, the drummer is not Betty either…).

The lyrics are sharp and witty, the two and three part harmonies are pitch perfect, the tunes extra extra bouncy, nothing to hate and so much to love. “David Cassidy” should be a total cheese fest given the subject, but the girls have so much fun with it that even my often cynical pop heart has been warmed to the fullest, (especially when it gets to the “David Cassidy your magic’s worked its trick on me” breakdown) so will yours once you give a listen.

The legendary Rebirth, certainly one of the greatest contemporary New Orleans brass bands, is playing two shows in Los Angeles this week, both at the Mint, August 11 & 12th. I have a pair of passes for each night, if you’d like to go, let me know at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before Wednesday at Noon!

As if you needed a reminder on what a good time this band puts on, here they are in NOLA gettin’ down:

With the word coming down of the passing of Melvin Bliss last week, it seemed more than fitting to get this together, the first proper post in the “Top 5’s” section, all on the most iconic break-beats in Hip-Hop history. The choice of “iconic” is a deliberate one. Though many of these songs have been sampled 100s of times, it’s not just the fact that they have been mega-sampled that makes them iconic, it’s how they’ve been sampled and how they stick in the mind. So, here’s my list of the 5 most iconic breaks in Hip-Hop history, feel free to add your own in the comments section.

5: Melvin Bliss – “Synthetic Substitution”

With it’s massive drums and gloomy piano/organ, “Synthetic” is certainly one of the most sampled tracks of all time. It might also be the best overall song on this list, with observations on a dystopian world that seems a little too close to our present civilization from Mr. Bliss (RIP). To me it’s iconic status is secured by virtue of being on one of the earliest and still to this best examples of sampling on record, Ultramagnetic MC’s “Ego Trippin’” a song that continues to sound ahead of its time now almost 25 years since it’s initial release.  For a mix of some of the other classic tracks to use this break look no further than this mix put together by Matthew Africa

Melvin Bliss – “Synthetic Substitution”

Ultramagnetic MC’s – “Ego Trippin'”

4: Lyn Collins – “Think (About It)”

Though this James Brown produced track gets associated mostly with Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock’s “It Takes Two” it’s been sampled by a ton of others as well, from Chubb Rock to Kool Moe Dee to Slick Rick to even more R&B/Pop based artists like New Edition, BoyzIIMen and Janet Jackson. It’s still amazing to me how few people recognize the original, until it hits the classic “It Takes Two” breakdown, but when it does, you understand immediately why I’d have it on this list.

Lyn Collins – “Think”

Rob Base & DJ Ez Rock – “It Takes Two”

3: The Winstons – “Amen Brother”

Another bedrock sample, that’s been chopped up and slowed down by countless artists. The “Amen” break is such an icon it even has an excellent documentary detailing the impact of this exceptional break on modern music. Besides it’s effect on Hip-Hop, the “Amen” break spawned a completely separate break-beat culture in Jungle/Drum’n’Bass and for that it deserves it’s legendary status.

The Winstons – “Amen Brother”

N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton”

2: James Brown – “Funky Drummer”

“Funky Drummer” might be the most sampled song in the history of Hip-Hop. While the drums have been used in songs like Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without A Pause” (matter of fact, is it even possible to think of the Bomb squad production sound without the use of “Funky Drummer”?) Eric B & Rakim’s “Lyrics of Fury” and my choice below LL’s “Mama Said Knock You Out,” don’t forget that many of the classic James Brown yelps and screams that punctuated many Golden Era productions came from this one as well. In the end though, it always comes back to Clyde Stubblefield’s massive drums.

James Brown – “The Funky Drummer”

LL Cool J – “Mama Said Knock You Out”

1: Freddie Scott – “(You) Got What I Need”

Unlike the other tracks here, Freddie Scott’s “(You) Got What I Need” has not been sampled to death, in fact it’s only been sampled a couple of times. This one heads the list because after Biz Markie sampled this for his “Just A Friend” it was absolutely impossible for anyone else to even attempt to sample this. Biz makes such brilliant use of the opening drums and the hook that anytime you hear even a snippet of this track, people immediately think of it as “Just A Friend.” Even at soul clubs, when I play the original, people sing the Biz Markie lyrics “But you say he’s just a friend,” instead of Freddie Scott’s original lyrics.

It’s also at the top of this list because I don’t think there is a more life affirming action than dropping the needle on Biz’s version or the original and having people immediately respond and start singing with the chorus. I would argue that no Hip-Hop song, including “Rapper’s Delight” has brought more people together in good times than this song and because of that, I don’t think there is a mightier sample than this one.

Freddie Scott – “(You) Got What I Need”

Biz Markie @ the Apollo in 1990 – “Just A Friend”

Babe Rainbow – I Can Try To Run

While I hope this doesn’t start a trend (I can see Heidi Montag: Slowed & Throwed already…) this is a fascinating little remix project by the folks behind Tri Angle records. It might be hard to remember but once upon a time Lindsay Lohan put out the same sort of bland pop music other former child stars got rich with (Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, currently Miley Cyrus). All her mayhem over the last few years put a dent in that, but there were a few songs that leaked more recently before trouble reared its ugly head again for Linds. Taking original material from older and newer tracks by Lohan, the Tri Angle crew reimagine and recontextualize these songs into a soundtrack worthy of a downward spiral. The mix is at its best, as it is here with Babe Rainbow’s “I Can Try To Run”, when they slow things down and get deep and murky.

Just so you can see how vast a difference there is between this and the original, here’s LiLo’s “Stuck” which is the source material for Babe Rainbow’s “I Can Try To Run”: