Bad news and a tiny bit of good news!

The Bad News

Please note THE MIGHTY DIAMONDS show due to take place in The Pavilion on Tuesday 31 March has been postponed…



‘Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson and Lloyd " Judge" Ferguson were all denied visas on appeal this week. There is only get one chance to make an appeal before the visa is completely denied and the process has to be started all over again. The system for UK visas has radically changed in the last few months, and since the last tour. Their Irish visas were dependent upon their UK visas and were to be collected in London.’



Refunds available from point of purchase. New dates will be announced once confirmed.



THE PAVILION

13 Carey's Lane(just off Patrick Street)

Cork City.

The Good News (here is a classic tune to cheer ya up on a Tuesday morning)

The most sampled artists in hip-hop?

We've often talked about sampling here through the years. It's been an integral part of hip-hop and when done well, it has brought us some great music by the likes of Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, De La Soul and many more great acts! Those who have been sampled have not done too badly out of either and it has helped resurrect the career of many soul, funk and jazz artists who have deservedly found a new young audience and got some long overdue royalties to boot. The obvious beneficiary has been James Brown but it obvious works both ways, if there was no James Brown there most certainly would not have been hip-hop. This week I'm gonna count down the top ten most sampled artists by hip-hop. If you are into rap music and you don't have music by these guys I would highly recommend a trip to your local record store or get downloading fast!

1-James Brown
The hardest working man in showbusiness was also the most sampled, and he is rightly heralded as the Godfather of not only soul and funk but hip-hop too. His bands were so tight that the music formed a perfect template for hip-hop breaks, and there is hardly an influential hip-hop album that hasn't used his music over the years.

2-George Clinton
Parliament and Funkadelic used many of the same musicians as the Godfather in the late 70's and again the funk grooves were tight and with so much variety in their music, it wasn't just the drum breaks that became hip-hop staples. Particularly influential on the west coast hip-hop scene, there would be no G Funk without P Funk, of that I am 100% certain!

3-Kool and the Gang
A lot of people may only remember these guys for disco era hits like "Celebrate" and "Ladies Night", but back in the early 70's they were one of the top funk and soul bands on the planet and uptempo numbers such as "Spirit of the Boogie" aswell as jazz grooves like "Summer Madness" plus many more were used by loads of rap producers in the 80's and 90's.

4-Sly and the Family Stone
Sly Stone is a music legend and paved the way for Prince and influenced everyone from Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix to a few generation of hip-hop artists years later. His multi cultural band and peace and love vibes brought us some great music in the 60's, and when it all began to fall apart he left us with a despairing classic album ("There's a riot Goin On") that sounds better than ever in 2009.

5-The Average White Band
Scottish funk band who were anything but average laid down some amazing grooves and were suitably pillaged by A Tribe Called Quest and co

6-The Meters
New Orleans funk outfit who are massively respected and of course massively sampled aswell. In recent years Amerie's "I Thing" became a huge hit on the back of one of their grooves.

7-Bob James
Jazz funk flavours have always been really popular among hip-hop producers and Bob James, Grover Washington, Roy Ayers, Bobbi Humphrey and Donald Byrd are just a few who have brought us some of the most notable cuts.

8-Lyn Collins
Possibly the most sampled female singer, her "Think" track produced by James Brown is one of the most sampled tunes of all time. The intro, the break, the vocal stabs and just about everything else have been used many many times

9-Zapp
More west coast flavours from Roger Troutman, who himself appeared on "California Love" and vocoded his way to hip-hop history with Zapp

10-Isaac Hayes
The late great Stax soul man was a terrific writer and amazing arranger, a fact not lost on the hip-hop people who not only took his look, but his beats and grooves! Barry White was another great soul singer and arranger similarly sampled.

The Disco era that lives on!

The word disco music brings all sorts of different images to our minds. For some it is simply a nightclub or a huge hall, for many more it is the music movement that became fashionable in the late 70's and which ended up dominating pop music for a time in conjunction with movies such as "Saturday Night Fever" and it's massive selling soundtrack. Disco became a dirty word in the early 80's and suffered a backlash that still taints some of it's coverage today, but for more people again it's spirit stayed alive through the creation of a new type of music which took the disco groove; house music, which is more popular than ever these days.
Disco also evokes the cliched images of retro 70's nights and platform shoes with open top shirts and thoughts of the days where everyone from mod singer Rod Stewart to jazz legend Idris Muhammad got on the disco train and made music for the dance-floors. Disco saw the rise of the 12 inch single and a DJ Culture which is also bigger than ever today, but it remains one of the most misunderstood music genres and often one in which commentators can be totally ignorant! For me, it is a special music genre for many reasons, not least because of the fact that it's rise went hand in hand with the birth of hip-hop, which sprung out of many of the same communities and which first reached the mainstream through re-workings of the disco anthems of the day being replayed by live musicians added to rappers on the top.
I was lucky enough to always appreciate that a million miles away from "Y.M.C.A" and the wedding anthems that everyone knows, there was an underground music culture that developed out of this era that still carries an amazing relevance today. Just take a look at the best modern music producers and dj's; Danny Krivit, Theo Parrish, Moodyman and many more are all children of the disco era and slaves to the grooves which dominated nearly every big club track of that era.
Disco is far from dead. Despite record company and media fuelled revivals instigated by music from the likes of Cassius, Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk in the 90's, the disco era was always held in great esteem by the true aficionados of dance music, and DJ's, producers and record collectors have for a long time kept the spirit of the music alive. Even in the pop charts we can see this clearly. Madonna came out of the disco era, Lady Gaga and most hit-makers these days are in thrall of the 70's and 80's while Timbaland and a thousand other producers keep nodding towards it's later electro stylings.
As a DJ it is without doubt one of my favourite types of music to spin at parties or in clubs. Back in the day myself and Angi used spin at a night called Mor Disco in Zoes and every Tuesday night became an incredible party where loads of different people dressed up and got down to the funkiest of tunes! By the time we packed it in the music was becoming really ubiquitous again through the efforts of many of the aforementioned acts but in the intervening years i've always enjoyed dusting off the 12 inch disco gems for special occasions. Last Saturday on Black on Red on RedFM I spun a disco mix with some of my personal favourite selections. Some will be familiar, many more obscure and one or two will be edits of old tunes. The re-edit culture surrounding many disco records is quite interesting actually and when done tastefully it can be really good, fortunately there are many DJ's and producers out there with respect for the genre which brought us some of the greatest music of all time!
Here is the link for the Mix



Disco Special Volume 3

http://djstevieg.podomatic.com

I Wish You Would [edit] Jocelyn Brown
The Sound Of Music Dayton
Mr. Groove One Way
Don't Stop K.I.D.
Spaghettidisco (Extended) Cave Bear Cult
High Skyy
Sweet To Me Logg
Keep On Movin' Deodato
Feel Up Grace Jones
Seventh Heaven Gwen Guthrie
Loving You Donald Byrd
Don't Give Up [12" Version] Linda Clifford
This Beat Is Mine Vicky D
Don't Cost You Nothin' Ashford & Simpson
Hit And Run [7"Mix] Loleatta Holloway
Runaway Salsoul Orchestra
Once I've Been There Norman Connors
Mainline Black Ivory
I'm Every Woman Chaka Khan
I'm In Love (Original 12_ Mix) Evelyn King
Touch Me (All Night Long) Wish Feat. Fonda Rae
Falling In Love (DK Edit Of Shep Pettibone Remix) Surface
Jump to It (Original 12" Mix) Aretha Franklin
Sure Shot (Larry Levan Mix) Tracy Weber
Here Comes That Sound (Social Disco Club Re-Edit) Love De-Luxe
There Was a Time ESG
I Need You (Unreleased Mix) Sylvester
Bad Luck Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
We're Getting Stronger Loleatta Holloway
Armed And Extremely Dangerous First Choice

Maturing better than the finest wine!

Thanks to my boy Phil for this one-you can catch him spinning rare soul on the first Wednesday of every month downstairs at the Pavilion, and it's free!

Little Anthony and the Imperials heading for the Rock N'Roll Hall of Fame

Things done changed!

One thing that is constant about music and indeed all art is that we are always led to believe it is never as good as it used to be. A new exhibition on probably the greatest visual artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, places and compares him to the past masters who he was influenced by growing up in Spain over a 100 years ago. This may not seem like such a big deal now, but despite being widely acclaimed throughout his long and productive life, for many traditionalists, it was difficult to accept Picasso as being a genius in comparison to those who came before him.
In music i've always told young hip-hop fans to be respectful of the past in order to understand where the music has come from. Those who get this will have no problem understanding that to get to hip-hop the legends of blues, rock, soul, funk and reggae had to pave the way, and many hip-hop worshippers like myself hold the likes of James Brown, George Clinton, Ray Charles, Lee Perry and many more in massive reverence. Indeed, such is the ubiquity of many crap hip-hop artists these days, especially in the mainstream, that for many people who consider themselves big hip-hop fans, it is love of other music that these days interests them more. On the opposite end of the scale, many people who love this modern day version of hip-hop, mostly younger kids, have a disdain and ignorance of the music which went before, and would laugh in your face if you told them that James Brown or Gil Scott Heron were more hip-hop than Flo-Rida or Souljah Boy ever will be.
There are two almost opposite hip-hop mindsets these days, and many of those raised on the classics of the 80's and 90's have a totally different attitude than those growing up now. This is obviously largely in part to a simple generational thing, and even in Picassos time it was not possible for an artist to hear about how "things were much better years ago". It's a constant theme in hip-hop too and being lucky enough to grow up in arguably the golden era of the genres productivity (1987-1995), it would be hard for me to get the same excitement now with much of the music that currently gets released.
This was always the way though, and in any art-form this mindset persists. It may seem strange now, but those golden era artists were sometimes compared unfavourably at the time to the Run DMC's and LL Cool J's who had gone before. Hip-hop as a whole was certainly compared unfavourably with the soul and jazz it had emulated, and until that golden era many were reluctant to admit it was real music at all. Stetsasonic were correct when they credited hip-hop for bringing much of this soul and funk and jazz back into fashion and into the general musical consciousness; before the late 80's artists such as Donald Byrd and David Axlerod, revered now by many, were largely ignored.
Also, while it is right to always respect this past but sometimes I reckon older people let it prevent them from acknowledging the great work that still goes on in the present. Does this mean that Flo-Rida and Souljah Boy are as good as Run DMC and James Brown. Certainly not, but it is also certain that these guys still represent hip-hop to certain people and will introduce these people to the genre. Personally their music may do nothing for me but it doesn't mean all modern day hip-hop is rubbish. This is a familiar argument coming from people of my generation, who are sometimes to busy listening to 90's classics rather than searching out the wealth of great new music that does come out on the hip-hop underground. Terminology, Static Selectah, Panacea, Frank n' Dank, Exile, Theoliphilus London, Foreign Legion, Guilty Simpson, to name a few of the top of my head, are all hip-hop artists doing quality music a million times removed from Flo-Rida and Souljah Boy, but who will largely be ignored by many of the very people who would probably like their music if they heard it, but won't listen as it is of the wrong generation. To me, this is a shame, but it is the way with all music and art really. Those who make music should not get frustrated though, even the greats such as Picasso had their doubters back in the day!

This article originally appeared in Downtown in Cork's Evening Echo last Thursday

Jam March line-up

"Whoever thought that hip-hop could take it this far"?

The new movie about the late rapper Biggie Smalls, "Notorious", is garnering a lot of attention at the moment. I haven't seen the film but Biggies short life was ripe for the Hollywood makeover, and i'm sure it will prove popular. It will certainly lead to a few more people buying and listening to his music and this is a good thing in my book. He was only 24 when he died, but according to many observers, including me, Biggie was one of the top 5 rappers of all time. The media got caught up and indeed helped create the so-called East-West feud between him and 2 Pac in the 90's and while I have a lot of time for the former Digital Underground rapper, who on his day was also a great lyricist and a charismatic performer, he would never have reached Biggies status in the rap game.
Even those coming to Biggies music late will be able to appreciate the rawness and hardcore delivery of music. His second album, prophetically titled "Life after death" and indeed released only days after he was shot dead, contained many patchy moments and was a product of it's time, which saw rap at a major crossroads. The mid 90's was the first real era where hip-hop took hold of the mainstream music charts and started to really dominate, and suddenly, the likes of Puff Daddy, Biggie's label boss and a highly regarded producer and record executive, wanted it to become even bigger.
The music got watered down and the imagination was no longer necessary. Tracks like "Notorious", from which the movie is also named after, found Biggie rapping over a rather un-imaginative Duran Duran funk groove, rather than the left-field soul and jazz and 80's boogie leanings of his earlier material. The delivery was still great, but rap was now a popular commodity and it was no suprise that Puff Daddy's tribute to the late rapper was also a watered down simple loop off another 80's hit, this time by the Police. These songs were not bad as such, but Biggie himself was capable of so much more, and even on "Life After Death" his unique flow and style was sometyimes let loose, and tracks like "Kick in the Door" and "Ten Crack Commandments" remain hip-hop classics that stand up next to anything he did on his seminal "Ready to Die" album.
Like "Illmatic" from Nas and "Paid In Full" from Eric B and Rakim, "Ready to Die" was an album which basically announced the arrival of a music legend, and years later the album sounds as amazing as ever. It is likely had he lived that Biggie would have had a few more dodgy moments in his career, like Nas and Rakim, but it is also likely that he would have produced a few more classics too. We will never know, and unlike those who lived, we are forever left with the romantic image of a young hungry rapper on the streets of Brooklyn firing off rhymes with a tenacity and dexterity that few have ever matched. The movie might water this down, but at the very least the soundtrack has provided us with a snapshot of some killer early Biggie demos, where his dynamic delivery over some raw chopped up breaks would win over even the most cynical of rap fans. These mix show demos are also very much of their time, and those nostalgic for raps golden era of the late 80'sand early 90's will get misty eyed, but at least we had Biggie for awhile, and for awhile those of us in thrall of his rhymes knew that we were experiencing something special.
Hip-hop was a much more unified force back then, and in his own words, "we never thought that hip-hop would take us this far", but having achieved it's goal hip-hop became divided and now many rap fans will have more affinity with underground jazz and soul than many of the water-down MTV puppets who masquerade as torch carriers of the Biggie legacy. Some of these guys are true to the game though and although they have also had to walk the critical tightrope between commercial success and hip-hop credibility, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that Biggie would have been making strides with Kanye and friends in 2009. The movies and re-packaged greatest hits will come and go, but one of the greatest rappers of all time will be with us forever in spirit and for that we should be thankful.

The best soul and jazz Divas?

Diva's are a dime a dozen in music these days. I've just read an article describing the likes of Madonna, Cher, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston as some of the best divas of all time and it got me thinking about my favourite soul and jazz divas. No disrespect to the above mentioned pop stars, who have all had their moments and are certainly divas, but the women i've chosen today have got soul in abundance and have made music that will always mean a lot to me personally. One of them, Candi Staton, is on town for a gig at Jam tomorrow night and it's a rare chance to catch one of our finest living soul and gospel stars up close and personal.


1-Aretha Franklin
She could sing anything and make it sound soulful. Her early gospel material is incredible, while her celebrated Atlantic recordings saw her finally achieve the music to match the voice, which was rightly claimed to belong to the "Queen of Soul"
2-Dinah Washington
Very much a personal favourite, she remains under-rated historically but her voice could cut you like a knife. Amazing diction and a heavy emotional quality to her voice, she was a big influence on Aretha Franklin, and despite not reaching 40 before she died, she managed to fit seven husbands into an eventful life.
3-Amy Winehouse
Sharing the troubled lifestyle of some of her jazz heroes has not harmed her songwriting and music, but it's unfortunate that it may lead her to an early demise unless she looks after herself. She would be delighted to be included in list of soul and jazz legends, and I for one think she is the real deal; probably my favourite modern soul star alongside Erykah Badu.
4-Nina Simone
Where to start? She did it all. Soul, jazz, blues, folk, classical, gospel, and whatever else took her fancy, she was perhaps the most influential singer of the 20th century. I will never tire of her music, which I could listen to all night any night.
5-Candi Staton
Another singer who ignores musical boundaries, she is still relevant today and her latest two albums are as good as anything being released these days. Known to many for "Young Hearts run free" and "You got the love", she has had a terrific career, and will appear at the Pavilion tomorrow night with a full live band.
6-Chaka Khan
Another soul legend who did well in the disco era, Chaka Khan remains an important singer in black music, and she still tours and releases good music too.
7-Gladys Knight
Unbelievably under-rated, a singer who's mainstream success often obscures her impact on soul music, which was immense. From her huge hits with the Pips in the 60's right up to a later career that included a more razzmatazz media profile, she is without doubt an important voice in music, and indeed is widely regarded as the best female voice to record for Motown.
8-Billie Holiday
Lady Day is another blues and jazz singer who could rip you to shreds with her vocal style, which helped change popular music forever. I should also include Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Odetta and Sarah Vaughan, but I'm running out of time!
9-Jocelyn Brown
I'm a disco freak and was considering Loleatta Holloway, Gwen Guthrie, Rochelle Fleming and Evelyn King and the like, but settled on this one time visitor to Cork for an amazing gig in the late 90's, Jocelyn Brown.
10-India
The salsa singer who is best known round these parts for her house classics, deserves a mention here. I've left out many more r&b, soul and jazz singers and apologise, but house music is important in Cork and a song like "I can't get no sleep" could easily be described as one the biggest ever anthems to grace the clubs of this city.

Cork hurling crisis skit!

It's not a good time for hurling in Cork but a guy called Corkoniense from the Peoples Republic of Cork site as attempted to "lighten the mood"


In his words

"Me and a mate have put together a Downfall + Empire Strikes Back combination scene for your viewing. The script is Corkoniense's....The tech wizardry is all my mate's doing, as I don't have a clue of these things, so kudos to him.

Remember: All characters in this movie are actors, with the exception of Dr. Joseph Goebbels, who stars as himself."

Jam stuff!

Lots of different hip-hop and soul events happening in Jam at the Pavilion in the next few weeks. Friday sees Jam play host to the legendary US Gospel and soul legend Candi Staton of "Young Hearts Run Free" and "You got the Love" fame. Brian Deady and his band will be in support for this early gig with free entry to Jam after, i'll have more details next week but tickets are out now! On February 20th DJ Flip comes back to Cork for a late night Jam show accompanied by Marc Stretch. DJ Flip caused quite a stir by becoming the World Champion ITF winner in 2003/2004 and he has since further established himself as a highly regarded hip-hop DJ and producer. He has worked extensively with Prozac Turner of Foreign Legion and is now the DJ for the crew that also comprises of Mark Stretch, who will be joining Flip in Cork!
Mark Stretch is a highly respected DJ and rapper who has collaborated with numerous artists around the world including Jake One, Jay Dilla, Supa Dave West, Azeem, DJ Zeph, Jerney, Zion I, The Poets of Rhythm and G Koop. Aside from Foreign Legion he is part of 75 Degrees (Dining Room Records), one third of the Marval Team Up (Gory Island Music) and currently the tour DJ for Azeem (Oaklyn Records/Ohm Records). This is gonna be a big show!
The fun does not end there however and at the end of the month Jam welcomes yet another guest, Brother Culture, a highly regarded reggae artist from the UK.

Brother Culture has been MCing since 1982, originally with the Jah Revelation Muzik sound system. In 1991 started to mc at Londons Dub Club. Over the years has visited over 50 counties on the MC tip, At the moment he is touring with Zion Train, Adrian Sherwood and J*Star. He is also actively involved with the relaunch of "Jah Revelation Muzik" mk2 with Cecil Rueben. Brother Culture was the principal artist on the Trojan sound system album and has three tracks on the new "Aswad" album released in the USA.

N.A.S.A.-some great sounds and cool vids

Supergroups are not a new phenomenon in music by any means. All through the years there have been some big names creating new groups that caught the imagination of music fans. The Travelling Wilburys, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Blind Faith and even the Power Station can all claim varying degrees of success, but in hip-hop music there have been some notable creations too.
It's inevitable really that a music genre which generally finds a particular artist collaborating with loads of it's peers on many big records leads to some groups developing out of that. In many ways though, some of the best examples of these groups have come from the classic sound-system background of reggae and soul, such massive influences on hip-hop. Soul 11 Soul, Coldcut, Massive Attack and more recently the Gorillaz have taken this approach and created some great music out of it. The music delivers a variety not possible with a regular group and though touring can become difficult, there are always ways around it.
Massive Attack has launched solo careers for everyone from Tricky to Shara Nelson, and all these years later they still operate under the structure of a Sound-System. The Gorillaz were interesting too and used many different vocalists, while another well known project featuring Gorillaz masterminds Damon Albarn and Danger-mouse was the Good, the Bad and the Queen. The likes of the Gravediggaz also did their thing, though ironically they formed as another off-shoot of arguably the bets super-group of them all in hip-hop; the Wu Tang Clan.
In 2009 we are set to hear loads more from a similar project to the Gorillaz being put together by New Yorker Sam Siegal and his Brazilian pal Ze Gonzales. I recieved some promos of their new material before Christmas and was well impressed to find loads of my favourite artists appearing on their different tunes. "Spirit of the Apollo" is as eclectic as you would expect from guests spots featuring the likes of Tom Waits, M.I.A., Santogold, David Byrne, Chuck D, Karen O, George Clinton and the Gorillaz favourite rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien. The music is adventurous and held together with a distinct hip-hop aesthetic, the amazing thing being that it works as a cohesive record rather than one long stereotypical guest rap and take the guest-spot money and run vibe that waters down so many hip-hop and r&b albums these days.
I've been checking some of the videos too and just like the Gorillaz there seems to be a very tasteful visual approach to N.A.S.A. They really have assembled an incredible who's who of hip-hop alongside the big rock names and Fat Lip, Cee-Lo, Bushwick Bill, Method Man and Ghostface are joined by DJ's Z Trip, Q Bert, Swamp and many more. Overall, you could be cynical and say it is almost like a group put together by bloggers who are assembling a who's who of fashionable artists, but as with the best of these projects they cleverly get a few artists who are outside of the mainstream but still very relevant (Del, Bushwick Bill, Pharcyde etc) Go and check it for yourself and see what you think, this music fan is won over anyway. I've a feeling we are gonna be hearing plenty from these guys in 2009, as it is music with a superb variety and intelligent outlook, that crucially works on the dancefloors aswell!

also check a tune they did called "whachadoin"on my new mix

Free download




"http://djstevieg.podomatic.com"

50 years of Motown-my top tunes and a free mix!

A lot has been written about the 50th anniversary of Motown this week and the Detroit label has justifiably been lauded as being one of the most influential record labels of all time. Personally i've been a huge fan for many years now and as the birthday co-incides with my own Black on Red Shows seventh birthday, i've decided to dedicate a number of radio shows in January to spreading the Motown vibes further. This will continue this Saturday with a live interview on RedFM with Detroit born Jerome Rimson, a music veteran now living in Cork, and a man who knew many of the big players back in the day. Jerome is still holding it down with the Inner City Blues band and having worked closely with everyone from Van Morrison and Phil Lynott over the years, he is well positioned to talk about the impact of Motown on the wider musical world. Check it out on Saturday; in the meantime, here are ten of my favourite Motown classics. To download a mix of all of my favourites for free, simply go and check out my podcast at http://djstevieg.podomatic.com




1-Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell-Ain't no mountain high enough
An Ashford and Simpson written tune that perfectly sums up the synergy between the two singers, both of who unfortunately died way too young . This song was later covered really well by Jocelyn Brown and it was also recently sampled by Amy Winehouse on "Tears Dry on their Own"

2-The Supremes-Where did our love go?
More musical perfection on a track produced by Holland, Dozier and Holland. The Supremes enjoyed a string of amazing hits before the group split with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross went solo
3-Stevie Wonder-I don't why I love you
Not the best known Stevie song, and i could easily have chosen somethings like "All I do", "Sir Duke" or even "Hey Love", but another track that shows how the Motown youngster came to be rightly regarded as one of the most important artists of the 20th century
4-Martha Reeves and the Vandellas-Dancing in the Street
"Are you ready for a brand new beat"? was the call to the young people of America, but this resonated all over the world and became another massive anthem as the civil rights movement took hold of imaginations everywhere.
5-The Four Tops-Baby I need your loving
Levi Stubbs and co were one of the great Motown bands, and this tune forms a great tribute to the legend who passed away last year
6-The Temptations-Ball of Confusion
Alongside "Papa was a rolling stone", "Cloud Nine" and many more hits, it showed the psychedelic sound of Norman Whitfield in full effect on this socio-political number
7-Smokey Robinson-Tracks of my tears
The man who Bob Dylan called America's "greatest living poet" in 1967. You can't get higher praise than that; a great singer and song-writer who had big hits with the Miracles and many more Motown acts.
8-Frank Wilson-Do I Love you
Unreleased at the time, but a soul collectors item years later, a stomping tune.
9-The Jackson 5-I want you back
A few minutes of pop perfection that lay the foundations to a legendary career.
10-Marvin Gaye-What's Goin' On
A new era was on the way, and a pop label became even more than that as some of it's biggest talents like Marvin and Stevie took control of their own careers.

and here is the Rap-up from my homeboy Skillz!

United States of Pop 2008

Big up DJ Earworm! Check his site at http://djearworm.com

2009!!!!!

Kid Cudi


Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at the Pavilion



Stevie and PPP

Okay here are my tips for the year-the first part was included in Jim Carroll's piece in Fridays Irish Times (some of them obviously overlap)


STEVIE G (RED FM/THE PAVILION, CORK)

In Cork, I'm hoping local soulboy Brian Deady reaches more ears as his sound develops. The same can be said for young funk act The Impressionists , who are residents at my Jam night at The Pavilion, and reggae stalwarts Wiggle , who have a great new album about to drop. Elaine Dowling is a terrific singer who is doing interesting work with Corkman and New York resident Freezerroom .

For a hip-hop fan, it's interesting that so many of my choices touch on that style without specifically being hip-hop and I think this is a reflection of the ubiquity of the genre as a whole. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are just one of the many acts with a hip-hop sensibility bringing this attitude to a different field, and their new material is incredible. This is music that makes acid jazz seem like it belonged to the last century. Oh, wait . .

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0102/1230581526657.html

The second was included in my Downtown column in the Evening Echo last Thursday

t's always difficult to peer into the crystal ball and see what's ahead but here are just a few of the acts who i think we will be hearing a lot more from in 2009. Some are already well known, some are gonna be well known, but hopefully each of these acts and each of you will all have a fabulous New Year!

YOU'RE ONLY MASSIVE
This Berlin based duo have got even better having made the move from Ireland and they promise an interesting follow-up to their excellent Dot Dash release with Queen Kong last year. 2009 could well be their year.

FREEZER-ROOM
Another act who is now based elsewhere, but collaborating with many local acts here including one our best singers, Elaine Dowling. There are some really nice beats on this project and with a FishGoDeep remix on the horizon too, it augurs well

THE IMPRESSIONISTS
Cork based act have improved greatly lately and despite losing their excellent drummer are hoping for great things next year. Residents at my own Jam night at the Pavilion, they are developing a really good live show too!

KID CUDI
Already with a big hit in "Day and Night', this Cleveland rapper is set to blow up big time next year and has already got the support of Kanye West and Wale amongst others.

PPP
Had a critically acclaimed debut as the Platinum Pied Pipers but now they have a shorter name and a tighter sound, future soul at it's finest.

BRIAN DEADY
Cork soul man who's music is developing really nicely he has put together a funky band now too and his new recordings look set to propel his name further into our consciousness this year.

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE
Already well known here after a few visits to Cork 2009 promises to be even better for these guys. They have got their live sound perfectly down and their new album is easily their best so far. Alongside the Hot 8 Brass Band and Menahan Street band, they are part of a new jazz generation making great music.

CONSEQUENCE
Okay i've been tipping him for every year since about 1997 but this could be the one! His new album is gonna be produced by Kanye West and Q Tip and could be the break he needs

CORK RAPPERS
Well there's loads of talented ones out there and some good producers too. Who is gonna step up and get some quality material out there? 2009 is here let's hope we hear some good stuff.

WIGGLE
The new album is great and they are always amazing live alongside Green Monitor and Sumo one of the most interesting Cork bands.

The Skatalites return to Cork!

Quite simply one of the most important groups of all time. Previous visits to Cork had been good, but their amazing gig in the Cruiscin was probably too limiting for such a band, while their Opera House show at the Jazz Festival didn't get the crowd it should have had really. Last night was perfect and i'm proud to have had them in the Pavilion, big thanks to everyone who came along and those who helped put it together, including Phil from Feile Africa. Here's a few of my pics and some from Rory Cobbe too who has more at http://www.jpgmag.com/people/frenchsvilla

Some of my favs of 2008

SINGLES

Q TIP-Move
Superb single from "Renaissance" that beefs up an old Jacksons sampling Dilla loop from "Donuts" to great effect, this even had a cool video to match in a tidy return from the Tribe Called Quest legend
COCOA TEA-Barack Obama
My anthem of the summer from the Sly and Robbie assisted reggae man. There were literally hundreds of different Obama tributes in the last 12 months but this was easily the best and became a huge track in Cork as the enthusiasm for change sparked a worldwide feeling of optimism.
M.I.A.-Paper Planes
This was really a track from last year (sampling the Clash) but 2008 saw it go into overdrive as it became probably the most remixed track of the year in hip-hop. They all had a go and it even got to a stage where the track got re-worked into a new tune by T.I., who's "Swagger Like Us" ended up with a million versions too.
JAY Z Feat SANTOGOLD-Brooklyn Go Hard
A bit of a late entry but a funky collaboration between another of the best singers of the year and Jay Z.
SOLANGE-I Decided
Proper soul music from a great young singer who has finally stepped out of sister Beyonce's shadow with a superb album and amazing lead single.
ESTELLE-American Boy
Monster track that still sounds good!

ALBUMS
MENAHAN STREET BAND-Make the Road By Walking
One of the big singles of last year is now expanded into a full length jazz soul opus.
RAPHAEL SAADIQ-The Way I see It
Another soul classic from one of the best modern day songwriters, singers and instrumentalists.
FLYING LOTUS-L.A.
Heavy beats and relaxed grooves made for one of the albums of the year.
ERYKAH BADU-New Amerykah Part One
A modern soul classic from a singer who has always been really interesting, this brought her back into the public eye!
ROOTS MANUVA-Slime and Reason
Hip-hop and reggae blended seamlessly together in another quality album from the U.K. rapper, check out the dub version too, it's equally brilliant!

Mash up the Dancehall!

Dancehall reggae has got a lot of bad press through the years. This has often been warranted in my opinion and the sexist and homophobic lyrics of some dancehall used to be as bad as even the worst gangsta rap. Their seems to be a curious machismo in much of dancehall reggae's past and it is often said that this "slackness" is a product of the ghetto's where dancehall stems from. The anti-homosexual and sexist sentiments in Dancehall music is a direct reflection of the male machismo/egoism in Jamaican culture. Personally, I'm glad that in recent years many dancehall artists have returned to the more conscious and positive sounds of roots reggae.
There is one place where the credentials of dancehall reggae have never been doubted. I'm lucky enough to have grown up going to a nightclub where dancehall was paramount, and it only seems like yesterday when me and my pals used go and check out Donkeyman spinning the best dancehall tunes in the Donkey's Ears and the Back Bar of Sir Henry's. Having taken over from him in Henry's I felt under qualified with regards to Dancehall and even though I was a big reggae fan it took me years to feel that i could spin that music with the same ability as Donkeyman. Thankfully I learnt from the best and luckily in Cork we have always had a good amount of people spinning the hottest rhythms from the Jamaican dancehalls. The likes of Dr Fiasco and Bellyman are regularly holding it down and always worth checking out if you like to hear the hottest grooves.


Dancehall has sporadically hit the mainstream over these years too but in many ways it's the same old story as when reggae dominated. The rhythms, many originally culled from reggae classics anyway, manage to get exposure eventually through pop or r&b hits. Just like with Bob Marley, there is one dominant artist who enjoys hit after hit, but it is fair to say Sean Paul will never enjoy the same kudos as the Wailers man. He is absolutely huge these days though and it is fair to say he is still a decent enough artist and he relies less on the novelty factor than the likes of Shaggy did when he was popular. Beenie Man, Shabba Ranks, Chaka Demus and Pliers are just a few more who have enjoyed success but for me the best dancehall flavours will always be the ones that have bubbled under the radar of the mainstream charts.
Capelton, Louie Rankin, Cham, Cutty Ranks and the likes have all been regulars in the dancehalls around the world in recent years and this is just the tip of the iceberg really. The rhythms and sounds are still absolutely banging and the music is as good as ever, but this is one form of music where you really need to be searching out the best stuff by digging deep and through the right networks. It's definitely worth it though because there are few musical forms that sound so good as when the vibe is the right the Dancehall is still king!

"The Renaissance" by Q Tip

It's good to see Q Tip back with a new album. "The Renaissance" at first seems like a logical progression from his last full length official album in the 90's but on closer inspection the story is not quite so simple. The MC who first burst on to the scene with A Tribe Called Quest (and other Native Tongue affiliates like The Jungle Brothers and De La Soul) has been busy with the customary Hollywood acting career, but he has also had a number of albums that have never seen the light of day due to record company politics and other reasons.
So what happened? "Amplified" was his solo debut that did reasonably well even though it curiously dissapointed loads of fans of A Tribe Called Quest, who had recently disbanded after the under-rated "Love Movement" album. The last Tribe album was certainly not as mind-blowing as their first three, all bona-fide hip-hop classics, but it still had it moments. It was criticised for straying away from the traditional Tribe sound, but in reality, it was an album that again used some of the most cutting edge production in hip-hop, again supplied by Jay Dee aswell as Tip and Ali , the man largely responsible for their previous set, "Beats Rhymes and Life"
Hip-hop fans are a curious bunch sometimes. Back when Tribe released 'The Low End Theory", many were dismissive aswell, as it was a stark progression from their jazzy "Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" debut. People quickly caught up though, and by "Midnight Marauders" even the harshest of critics conceded that this was the work of hip-hop royalty. The final two albums may have had people confused again, but now all these years later most critics and fans concede that the production of Jay Dee was simply years ahead of his time, and the Tribes later albums reward closer inspection.
Q Tips "Amplified" was way too jiggy for some, but after later Jay Dee (now known as Dilla before his death in 2006) work with Madlib, Frank n 'Dank and Phat Kat, it seems to make even more sense now. Quite simply, it's a banging album, and it stands up well nearly 10 years on. He then took a typical left field route with the curve ball that was the more off-centre jazz influenced Kamaal the Abstract album, but anyone who knew Q Tip will have recognised that this was similar to the material he had been sampling for years with the Tribe; it made sense to go straight to the source!
The record companies have been even more confused by the fans and the album, like much of his material since, was left unreleased and despite some interesting bits and pieces this decade "The Renaissance" is his first official full length since "Amplified". If you are even a bit of a fan, give it a chance and hear him out. It's an album that has the right ingredients for the notoriously safe U.S. market (Norah Jones, Raphael Saadiq and a big Jackson 5 sampling Dilla produced single culled from his "Donuts" set http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI2szueHoL8) but above all it's an album brought to us by a guy who is generally ahead of the game, and who's music will always stand up despite the various fashions or trends of the day. It is not quite a hip-hop Renaissance, but like the Di Vincis and Michelangelos, he will stand the test of time.

This article was originally written by me for last week's Evening Echo check Downtown every Thursday

"After the idea, there is plenty of time to learn the technology"-James Dyson

I've always been of the opinion that technology is something that should be used to our advantage with regard to music. Coming from a background where i was a serious vinyl collector for many years this has sometimes led to some big dilemmas recently, and converting a lot of music to digital format gave me a lot of mixed feelings these last few years. Having used both digital and more traditional methods DJing i can safely say there is a lot to be said for both, and it simply depends on the person or scenario.
As a hip-hop fan, it is always necessary to pay respect to the role which technology has played in the music. The technological advances of the late 70's and early 80's provided the cornerstone for many of the great ideas springing from the harsh inner city boroughs of New York and elsewhere. In those days, rather than having to buy loads of equipment such as guitars and drums to emulate their funk and soul heroes, many music fans could now simply make music by grabbing a mic and assembling a groove for cheap.




These grooves were often supplied by a DJ operating on relatively cheap turntables, cutting up two copies of a record while the MC simply spat lyrics. Suddenly music was readily available for everyone and like the DIY punk and scene of a similar era, kids could now get records out on the cheap and on the fly. Years later it's much easier and dance music culture has moved on but now it may not be as easy to make your release feel as special as bringing out a 7 or 12".
As a DJ i can download more or less anything in 5 minutes but it will never replace the feeling of lusting after a vinyl record for years, and eventually tracking down a copy in a dodgy second hand shop basement full of dusty wax. I can now bring 20,000 tunes with me on CD or on a hard-drive, the same number of tunes that were once in my vinyl collection, but nothing will replace the feeling of flicking through the actual records with the original covers and the sleeve-notes and history that each brought.




Playing a few gigs lately where i was pretty much using only vinyl, i got an incredible buzz and realised how much i love the format, the sound and the culture of these records. I never got rid of any of my main records anyway, and they will always be my pride and joy, and even though it's much easier to go to 90% of my gigs with a laptop and loads of CD's, there are times when it will have to be beautiful black vinyl!
Purists will shrug their shoulders and dismiss the young DJ's who have never bought a record, but I can honestly say that i would never begrudge youngsters the convenience of the format they use. There is no doubt in my mind that years of record collecting and crate digging has benefited my music knowledge, and i will always treasure this, but technology is there for us all, and there is nothing wrong with using it to your benefit. After all, it's what comes out of the speakers that really matters.