Dave Gahan vs. Babyshambles

Dave Gahan - Hourglass (2007)
01. Saw Something
02. Kingdom
03. Deeper and Deeper
04. 21 Days
05. Miracles
06. Use You
07- Insoluble
08. Endless
09. A Little Lie
10. Down
http://link-protector.com/313291

Babyshambles - Shotter's Nation (2007)
01. Carry On Up The Morning
02. Delivery
03. You Talk
04. UnBiloTitled
05. Side Of The Road
06. Crumb Begging
07. Unstookie Titled
08. French Dog Blues
09. There She Goes
10. Baddies Boogie
11. Deft Left Hand
12. Lost Art Of Murder
http://link-protector.com/312967

Fela Kuti

1966 Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos
http://www.badongo.com/file/4134556

1969 The ’69 Los Angeles Session (& Koola Lobitos)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4134788

1971 Fela Kuti & África 70 (& Ginger Baker)
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2kxg4ncrjzj

1975 Expensive Shit (& África 70)
http://www.mediafire.com/?7x9zzyt5lll

1975 Kalatula Show (& África 70)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4135261

1976 Before I Jump Like Monkey Give Me Banana (& África 70)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4135122

1976 No Buredi (& África 70)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4135436

1976 Yellow Fever (& África 70)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4135682

1976 Zombie (& África 70)
http://www.badongo.com/file/4135557

desert discs

An album that I have been listening to incessantly is Earth's "Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method." While visiting the good Erik Von Bartholomaus (www.erikvonbartholomaus.com) in New Mexico, he had put on this album during a drawing session we engaged in.
For me, Hex was one of those albums that right after the first few songs I knew I was going to be listening to the album for a very long time to come.
The album is a perfect soundtrack to the desert. It's all instrumental, easier to listen to as compared with their earlier stuff which is also instrumental, just heavier.
The music brings one back in time to a desert land where the Indian is being pushed out, some renegade blood-thirsty Indians still scour the dead land, and the white man with his family has come to claim what is not theirs. There are photos is the album of the southwest that I had never seen anything like before - a man on top of a mountain of cow skulls that must be at least 30 feet high, Indians looking out onto a river that had its banks literally raped by those huge oil drilling structures, and a lot more pictures just like this.
On another note, the album is so good, its music has the power to recall a moment, conjure up a moment of sentimentality that I believe a lot of music today does not have the power to. I can listen to this album and be brought back to Erik's place, clearly.
I'm rambling this morning. I have a terrible stiff neck.

http://www.mediafire.com/?53bxmwzms1k

DJ Krush at Highline Ballroom, NYC - "4 hour set"

Dan and I went to DJ Krush's DVD release show at Highline Ballroom in NYC last night. It was the first show of his tour to promote the DVD. Dan was lucky enough to be listening to WFMU (a great radio station really, you should check it out if you haven't already - wfmu.org) at just the right time, and won tickets to the show by being able to identify a Souls Of Mischief song. I was even luckier to be his +1. I found it odd though that the majority of the folks I mentioned the show to had no idea who Krush was. I thought he was a pretty well known DJ, but I guess I was wrong. So, for those of you who fall amongst the populous of not knowing Krush, he's an excellent DJ from Japan, and you should check out his stuff at all costs. He plays pretty jazzy hip-hop type stuff mostly, and does not disappoint.

The show was promoted as a 4 hour set by Krush, which pretty much meant good beats all night. We arrived, what we thought was, a little late for the show; 8:30-9 to a show that was billed to kick off at 8pm sharp. When we walked into the venue, the house lights, that were still on, showed us roughly 60 people standing around confused. I described it to Dan as random people who may have won a drawing that they unwillingly entered somehow, and were told to show up to this location to collect their prize, yet there were no signs of a prize or anyone handling the situation. Just people standing around confused. We got a few beers from the bar that cost roughly what an entire night of drinking costs me at a local watering hole because the bartender thinks I'm a swell guy. We decided it would be best to head outside (seeing as we had our hands stamped and re-entry wasn't an issue) and get a few drinks elsewhere. Armed with 7% alcohol cans of malt liquor, we head to the streets to find nothing but an art show riddled with Andy Warhol rip-offs and the Bates College Alumni party. Had I known where Bates College was, I may have invited myself, after all, it looked like a pretty swank soirée.

We went back for a second go, and this time there was an actual real live man, on stage, DJ music for us to listen to. There were more people, and the place wasn't lit like they were about to set-up for Thursday night bingo. We got some more beers, and sat back to have a look and a listen. The man on stage was Japanese, and he was good, but he wasn't DJ Krush. Not to to make it sound as if I have zero interest in listening to anyone but to artist that drew me to the show, but we just weren't aware that anyone else was going to be DJ'ing that evening. Now, as I said earlier, the guy was good, but there's something about a crowd of people standing around, watching a man use a laptop that bores. The crowd dynamic surely plays a factor, as does the "performance" of the DJ, but it wasn't long before the two of us fell into a social coma. Back outside.

This time we headed to a swank bar a few blocks away where a friend of mine bartends. Had we had our designer jeans on and been drinking martini's, or possibly a drink with an exotic fruit flavor, I think we would have fit in a bit better, but the drinks were cold and free, and I was able to smoke at the bar, which is something I miss at times. Two drinks, a short game of catch up, and we were headed back for, what would ultimately be, our last time.

Another live man, a Japanese man, a man DJ'ing, but I still don't think it was Krush. Although, it may have been, I couldn't really tell, but if I had to bet my rent check on it, I'd go for nay. Less than 10 minutes, and less than 10 feel from the entrance, and we were making our last exit. The music was good, but neither one of us were really in the mood to stick around and see what, if anything, was going to happen next, and considering neither of us paid the $20 cover, or whatever they were charging at the door, we had no problem with leaving early. Funny thing is, last time I seen DJ Krush perform, it was a pretty amazing show that I was really looking forward to seeing again. I suppose what I experienced was the exact opposite of that.

Just like my mom used to say to me... I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.

The Raincoats

I love The Kinks. I can distinctly remember my parents turning up the radio and/or stereo (people had stereos in their homes back then and that variety of electronic equipment was referred to as such) when "Lola" or "Apeman" came on. The Raincoats do an excellent version of "Lola," but the entire album that this song is on is worth a good listen. It's the type of music that can be listened to on a gloomy Sunday or on a Saturday night before heading out to get even more drunk than you already were before stepping out. They pull the feat off.

http://www.mediafire.com/?4croe4mt1jn

Beastie Boys Live

I saw the Beastie Boys in 1995 (or maybe it was '94?) at Madison Square Garden. Bad Brains was supposed to open but HR got caught with the marijuanas at the US/Canadian border. It would have been an amazing show. Now, I don't even remember who opened.

I don't know what it's like to have seen the Beastie Boys in 1987, but this Cleveland show from then can give me, and you, a little taste. It seems like it was a party, as their shows tend to be.

http://www.mediafire.com/?6maxzm9cjz1

HST, San Juan, 1960

As some of you may know, "The Rum Diary," a novel by Hunter S. Thompson will be made into a film starring Johnny Depp (of course.) It definitely was not one of Thompson's best novels in my opinion but it is one that can certainly be made into an entertaining and fun film and let's face it, there are many of us who will go see the film for our love and admiration of who Thompson was and what Thompson represented.

On November 1, 1977, HST was a guest speaker at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. He spoke on topics ranging from Tom Wolfe, the CIA's MK-Ultra test, Nixon, Steadman, baseball, Kesey and drugs. I found his side conversations with the student audience to be the most brilliant aspect of the event as it gives us a look into the quick wit and candor that was both a part of Thompson's personality and "character."

http://www.mediafire.com/?6fmao2yudvy

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork

I had mentioned in a previous post that I was quite happy with the new Chromeo record. That hasn't changed. I still am. Bands like Chromeo, who've come out of the woodwork with a great first record, have historically released utterly disappointing second records. Chromeo didn't do that. At all. See for yourself..

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork

NaS

I have the first Nas tape. It belonged to Vlad B. This will probably get back to him. It's past seven years so the statute of limitations has expired. I will not reveal how it made its way into my possession.
For a long time I thought I had the first Nas tape. Like looking up at the sky on a walk from your car to Target, you notice the sky like you've never seen it before though it's impossible to add up how many times in your lifetime you have theis sky before. And there's times you forget artists have demos.
Recently, I received a copy of Nas' demo.
I saw the sky open again.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4x9undmrl1b

DJ Krush vs. the Boredoms

The Boredoms are a Japanese bands whose music is more of an experience, than anything else. It is hard to describe them because they have done everything. Their early work [for me] is thrashy and then Pop Tatari, which I would venture to guess is there most popular album, is something that is similar in sound to Mr. Bungle's first album.
As their work progressed, the sound beagn from this horizontal scope and narrowed down to a singular stream. It's like in Ghostbusters when Venkman, Stantz, Egon and Winston combine their streams to defeat the evil showbiz monster - well, the Boredoms have crossed their streams.
A couple years back, the Boredoms released a Rebore series of various DJs mixing up their catalog. From getting into the Boredoms, I found out about DJ Krush. His dusty, dubby beats are the perfect sounds to study for your final for, write a paper, make out with a young lady or have on for some background music as you read a book. [I highly recommend his album with Toshinori Kondo, Ki-Oku.]
DJ Krush mixed the Boredom's catalog for the third and final volume of the Rebore series and the combination of the the Boredom sound with Krush's touch has made something that is highly pleasurable, noisy, offensive, relaxing and enticing. Enjoy.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1kn1myzneyy