Burning Spear

The photo above inspired me to write about Burning Spear.

Many years ago, I came across a CD of vintage reggae songs called Studio One Presents Rare Reggae: Collector's Edition.

There was an early Burning Spear single on it called Live Good. I gave it no more thought than that.



It would take me hearing the song Marcus Garvey to light the fire under me for Burning Spear.

I was more than happy to buy the 2CD Burning Spear - Chant Down Babylon The Island Anthology I found at one of my favorite Plateau music stores.



I discovered another favorite single, Slavery Days, thanks to that compilation.

Alice Russell

Just as the 1960s had U.K. soul singers Dusty Springfield and Lulu to claim as their own, our generation can add Adele, the late Amy Winehouse and Alice Russell to ours. 

By the time I learned she was on the bill for a Montreal Jazz Festival performance, I was barely aware of Alice Russell as an artist. 

From the first time I heard her voice, I vowed to not let her perform in Montreal again without me seeing her live.

I kept my word in October 2013 as she graced the stage at Le Belmont.

Hours prior to the Le Belmont performance, I found out The Souljazz Orchestra would be either her backing band or just do a set the night before in Ottawa.  I naturally wished and hoped that I would see the Souljazz six on the Le Belmont stage.

Alice Russell sounded as crisp in person as she does on record.   I wasn’t in the mood to hear ballads that night but I understood she had to give as broad a performance as possible for all in attendance.

Alice Russell’s Someday is the only non-hip hop track on the Wide Angles compilation.

A special thank you is extended to World Famous Music, Tru-Thoughts, DJ Rubyjane and DJ Lexis for their part in making this post possible. 

Method Man - Tical (1994)

Method Man is one of my favourite MCs of all time and has been on my mind for the last few days. I managed to score his 4:21... The Day After CD at one of my favourite music stores hours ago. This now makes my Method Man discography complete.

There is no surprise why he made so many guest appearances on tracks over the past decade or so. He brings so much flavour, flow and style to a track that you’d be doing the track a disservice by not featuring him. There are a handful of MCs that symbolize New York and he is one of them. That is probably why I am such a fan. If I were to rhyme, I would want to be like Method Man.



I’ve written about how I get when it comes to vinyl in past posts. With as many records and CDs as I have, I choose whether I need to bring another piece of wax home. My weekly radio show is my main outlet for spinning vinyl unless/until I get gigs like Under Pressure to use them so I can’t go buck wild on bringing home records. Let’s now connect that towards Method Man’s debut.

A few months ago, I held the double-vinyl reissue of Tical in my hands. I didn’t know it was reissued. I remember the first pressing was a single vinyl and as I’ve come to learn, issues of sound quality can surface. 

The nostalgia of the album dropping in conjunction with Redman’s Dare Iz a Darkside came to mind as I looked at the cover. I particularly remembered how slamming the first side was with Biscuits, Tical and Meth vs. Chef among the track listing.

The urge to bring home the Bring the Pain album was strong but my better judgement prevailed. The $20+ price tag probably didn’t help the matter either. With the limited number of songs I can play on the show each week, why would I shell out for vinyl I already have on CD? I decided I didn’t need it because I’ve already had the CD in my collection for years. I wasn’t that much of a Method Man fan!




As I write this now, I realize I’ve never seen or held Tical on vinyl since 1994. I don’t know what set it off but Method’s been on my mind and I’ve started to have slight regrets about not getting the Tical vinyl. As I think about it now, my cueing up a sweet Method Man track like Release Yo Delf or Mr. Sandman on the turntables during my radio show is not likely to happen unless I come across the vinyl again.

I don’t beat myself up too much over the decision. It’s not like I never heard or owned Tical and let it slide back on the shelf. It was my lesson to learn but I believe the underlying message is that Tical worth another listen and potentially worth springing for the vinyl, if I get another chance. In the meantime, I’ll be trying to add more Method to the playlists in weeks to come.




Method Man performed at Montreal's Club Soda in early January 2013.  I did a small tribute to him on the first episode of The Suite Delight for the year.

Method Man and company, Wu-Tang Clan, performed at Montreal's Olympia on November 29, 2013.

If you haven't already, please make yourself familiar with the link below for more of your favorite show and mine.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below are some podcasts to bring you up to speed.  Click here to download more.

The Suite Delight - 2013-12-17 (2) by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013-12-10 (2) by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013 CKUT Funding Drive Podcast by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - 2013-05-28 by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

Method Man & Redman – Blackout! (1999)

When was the last time you heard Blackout!?


Am I the only one that thinks that album gets better with each listen?


I hadn’t heard Blackout in a few years and reached for it a few days ago.


1995 was a magical year for hip hop as most can agree. Proof of that came in the form of the dynamic duo’s How High. When I saw the pair together, I agreed with the pairing. If the single was hot, then it stood to reason an album of theirs would be hotter. It would take another five years for my theory to be proven right.

Presumably, both MCs were busy with their solo and respective Wu-Tang Clan/Def Squad projects leading up to the Blackout! date.

There is easily no weak beat on the album meaning the producers must have known what they were working on and brought their A-game.  The choice of guest appearances is also faultless with the exception of one. In retrospect, it would have been nice for Young Zee to have spit a verse on Blackout! instead of Ja Rule but I was not consulted or contacted for my opiionon when the album was in planning.

Epic hip hop albums like Brand Nubian's debut, both Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth releases, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Blackout! have many common traits.  They are classic and timeless.  As great as Blackout! is, it misses a smidgeon of an element for it to be considered timeless but is unquestionably a strong album graced by the charisma and talent of the two titans.

In the early 2000s, I was very picky about hip hop.  Regardless of my rigid, rules on hip hop, Blackout! did not slip passed by me. I did not over-saturate myself with it at the time.  I had a feeling it was like a fine wine that I would want to try to savor later. 

I was too occupied to have fully listened and studied Blackout! 2. The beauty of the sequel is that it allows us to revisit the brothers from other mothers. One verse from Method Man or Redman is a blessing. I’m not sure when but a visit here in the future might reveal how I feel about the sequel.

Method Man & Redman had a scheduled performance at Olympia De Montréal (1004 St-Catherine Est) on Friday, June 21. 

For more Method Man and company, Wu-Tang Clan are scheduled to perform at Montreal's Olympia on November 29.

If you haven't already, please make yourself familiar with the link below for more of your favorite show and mine.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below is the 2013 CKUT Funding Drive podcast to bring you up to speed.  Click here to download it and more.

Playlist:

1. Salt-N-Pepa – Get Up Everybody
2. DJ Kayslay – Untouchables feat. Prodigy & Raekwon
3. D-Shade - The World We're In 2(Simahlak Mix) feat. Buckshot And Blurum 13
4. Kanye West - Classic (DJ Premier Remix)featuring Nas, KRS-One and Rakim
5. EPMD – The Big Payback
6. Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics - A Day In The Life featuring Sadat X & Lord Jamar
7. Masta Ace and Edo G - Good Music featuring Posdnuos & Light
8. The Beatnuts – Se A Cabo (Remix) featuring Method Man
9. Shad + Skratch Bastid – Homie featuring Cadence Weapon

Haul of Records Featured Mix

As much as I love creating playlists and hosting a radio show, I'm also a fan of mixtapes and mixes.

Like compilations, mixes present new music, artists as well as different ways to listen to the music.

All going well, mixes inspire me to be a better DJ and possibly introduce me to my next favortie song or force me to add another slice of vinyl to my collection.

After contemplating the idea of sharing mixes not created by yours truly, I finally decided that the solution to pay the inspiration and good music forward here is the right one.

The first quarter of Santiago's The Dancefloor II (Boogie / Electro-Funk Mix) practically helped make my decision for me. 



I was still in the midst of listening to Michael Terzian's Mama Afrika Vol.2 mix at the time of posting it on the blog. This is the type of house music I really enjoy.

The mixes above are ideal introductions to classics that could have created hip hop classics within the past 30 years. 

Thankfully I discovered these mixes at the time I did. 

Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967 - 1974

After months to maybe a couple of years of being on the fence about it, I sprung for Light in the Attic’s Jamaica to Toronto compilation. 

My rationale was that I was not going to be able to play the songs from the compilation very often, especially since my focus musically was more electronic in nature.  I already was sitting on many CDs that I either have or have not played on The Suite Delight.  What good would come from spending money on another compilation that could very well not make it onto a playlist?

In the last year especially, my interests have shifted away from electronic music slightly because I am no longer RPM director for Concordia University's radio station and that has allowed me to again broaden my musical scope.

With the need of securing Canadian content for my show’s playlists, I began to explore avenues and options for music that could be suitable matches for The Suite Delight.  The Jamaica to Toronto compilation crossing my path was inevitable.  The music and history related to the album are vital to my education and culture.  It provided proof that there was soul, funk and reggae recorded in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Similar to other albums I have fronted on and later burned to own, I started thinking how great it would be to spin the compilation during my radio show.  A visit to the Light In The Attic website let me know that the album is unavailable on vinyl.

As my 6th Anniversary episode of my radio show was approaching, I thought how sweet it would be to spin songs from the compilation on the next available format. The CD was delivered within days of the order being placed and was ready to rock the house as I showcased a number of the compilation’s tracks on that special night

If a second volume of Jamaica To Toronto is released, I will not front on it. I will be at the front of the line to purchase it.

Buddy Miles - Them Changes (1970)

As much as I loved his Them Changes single, I never knew what Buddy Miles looked like until I started exploring 1960/1970s rock, soul, funk and jazz.

Buddy Miles’ Them Changes was one of the many 7” singles my parent would want played on my portable record player when I was a boy.

I was reluctant to have any of their old records touch my record player for fear they age my machine, ruin my stylus or just outright reduce its cool factor.

There was not much rock music in their collection but admittedly Them Changes is one of the songs from their collection that I most identify with. It has that driving, pulsing groove that I need from a song. I can’t resist singers who scream and Buddy Miles is always on the verge of doing so during the song. To my delight, he does scream from time to time.



The 1971 footage of him performing the song on Hugh Hefner’s late-night Playboy After Dark program is perfect. I presume most people danced as wildly and vibrantly to the song as those on camera during the song’s heyday.

I believe it was discovering Buddy Miles’ beautiful cover of Neil Young’s Down By The River that put me on the path to seeking out more of his music. The song was on BBE’s DJ Spinna Funk Rock compilation and I have kept my eyes and ears open for more Miles since I heard it over a decade ago. 

When I learned that the Down By The River track that I just learned about and love was on the same album as the Them Changes track I grew up with and forgot, I vowed to get a copy of that album. 

Most of the times I found the album, the price was high for vinyl copies that were not in the best shape. The photo at the top of this post was taken years ago and I did not take that copy of his album home. I finally got my copy from a local record convention.

Please make yourself familiar with the link below.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below is a podcast to bring you up to speed. 

Click here to download.

DJ Solespin - The Goods (December 2013) by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

DJ Solespin - The Goods (December 2013) Playlist:

1. Dave Cortez & The Moon People – Happy Soul (w/a Hook)
2. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm – Funky Mule
3. Bo Diddley ‎– The Shape I'm In
4. Merry Clayton - Gimme Shelter
5. Harmonica Paul ‎– Motherless Child
6. Ramsey Lewis ‎– Mighty Quinn
7. Lonnie Mack - Memphis
8. The George Benson Quartet ‎– Benson's Rider
9. Clarence Carter - Snatching It Back
10. James Brown ‎– Nose Job
11. Five Stairsteps & Cubie ‎– We Must Be In Love
12. David McCallum - The Edge
13. Dyke & The Blazers ‎– You Are My Sunshine
14. Otis Redding - You Left The Water Running
15. Johnnie Taylor - Love Bones
16. The Staples Singers - If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)
17. Wilson Pickett - Take That Pollution Out Your Throat
18. Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop
19. Ken Boothe - My Love
20. Gwen McCrae - 90% Of Me Is You
21. The Illusion - Together
22. Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky
23. Patrice Rushen - Givin' It Up Is Givin' Up
24. Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man
25. Buddy Miles - Down By The River
26. Donovan - Season Of The Witch
27. Gary Bartz NTU Troop - Celestial Blues

Buddy Miles Express - Expressway To Your Skull (1968)

During one of my last guest hosting gigs on WeFunk, my partner Rawsoul dropped a single from the Buddy Miles Express debut album called Train that made me feel like I was getting run over by said locomotive. 

I recognized the big sample from a hip hop track and was super surprised to learn it was Buddy Miles.

Click play to hear the show and here to download.



Playlist:

Junior Walker & The Allstars – Cleo’s Mood
Tommy Roe – Dizzy
Gary Wright – Love Is Alive
Johnny Guitar Watson – Lover Jones
James Brown – Make It Funky, Pt. 1
Ramsey Lewis – Back To The Roots
The Chris Hinze Combination – Bamboo Magic
Mandrill – Don’t Mess With People
The Shocking Blue – Love Machine
Grootna – I’m Funky
Freddie Scott – You Got What I Need
Buddy Miles Express – Train
The Equals – The Skies Above
Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield – Stop
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity – Why (Am I Treated So Bad)
Willie Bobo & The Bo-Gents – Come Together
Lee Michaels – Do You Know What I Mean
Barrabas – Children
Day Break – Everything Man
Rufus With Chaka Khan – Swing Down Chariot
The Flaming Ember – Spinning Wheel
The Electric Flag – Groovin’ Is Easy
James Last – I Am I Said
Nancy Sinatra – Friday’s Child
Percy Sledge – Love Me Tender
William Bell – I Forgot To Be Your Lover
Gino Vannelli – The Wheels Of Life
Bobby Bryant – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Ocean – Put Your Hand In The Hand
The Bee Gees – Marley Purt Drive
Erma Franklin – Piece Of My Heart

The Roots

In 1993 while I was in New York shopping for audio cassettes, the colors black and white struck me with regards to the group.

I had never seen or heard anything about The Roots until I walked into that New York record store. In league with AC/DC, Prince and Metallica, I saw the Organix audio cassette. I was curious about it but didn’t press the issue.

Everyone around me was going nuts over Distortion to Static and I just wasn't on board. We'd watch the video and I wasn't moved as much as them. Some of my friends went looking for the 12" single and I again didn't feel it as strong. They'd have to do better than that.  

All that went out the window after I heard Illadelph Halflife. Once I got slapped in the face with Respond/React, What They Do, Clones and Concerto of a Desperado, I made sure I got a CD copy of Do You Want More any chance it was presented to me. They got the answer in reverse.

I guess what concerned me is the direction The Roots had gone over their last few albums. From Game Theory to Rising Down, they had gotten darker and barely recognizable as hip hop. Yet, I still wanted to hear whatever they put out.

 
 

Things Fall Apart is one of those albums that take you back in time and you remember the glory days of hip hop. Thank goodness I learned my lesson before Dynamite!

Please make yourself familiar with the link below for more.

Below are some playlists to bring you up to speed.  Click here to download.

Check out the player below as well as the playlists.

The Suite Delight - 2014- 05-27 by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - May 27, 2014 Playlist:

1. Quantic & Anita Tijoux - Doo Wop (That Thing)
2. Sola Rosa - Turn Around Ft. Iva Lamkum (DJ Vadim Remix)
3. The Seatbelts - Cat Blues (Mr. Scruff Remix)
4. James Brown - Funky Drummer
5. The Cactus Channel - Wooden Boy (Part 1)
6. The Roots – Don't Feel Right feat. Maimouna Youssef
7. J Dilla (aka Jay Dee) - Love Movin' feat. Black Thought
8. Nas - It Ain't Hard to Tell
9. Termanology - How We Rock Feat. Bun B
10. Marco Polo - Lay It Down Feat. Roc Marciano
11. Buff1 - Never Fall feat. Black Milk
12. The Extremities - New Season feat. Ohmega Watts & Moka Only
13. Lords Of The Underground - Tic Toc (Remix)
14. Lone Catalysts - The Ultimate (Kev Brown Remix)

The Suite Delight - 2014-05-13 Playlist:

1. Ice Cube - Check Yo Self (Remix) feat. Das-Efx
2. Kurious - Baby Bust It
3. De La Soul - Breakadawn
4. Gang Starr - Code of the Streets
5. Souls of Mischief - That's When Ya Lost
6. Del - Mistadobalina (Remix)
7. Snoop Dogg - Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)
8. Keith Murray - Incredible feat. LL Cool J
9. Jay-Z - (Always Be My) Sunshine featuring Babyface & Foxy Brown
10. Queen Latifah - Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here
11. The Roots - Adrenaline
12. Poor Righteous Teachers - Rock Dis Funky Joint
13. Digable Planets ‎– 9th Wonder (Blackitolism)
14. Camp Lo - Luchini (This Is It)

Oddisee

If you pay close enough attention to my writing tone, you can tell I don't care much about the current hip hop scene. I've explained it many times before about how and why I'm so disgruntled and have been for many years. However, I still keep my ear to the ground and peep for peeps putting out good music. It takes special artists and songs to make an impact on me.

In the case of Oddisee, I've known about him for a while but never paid attention or took the time to pay attention. It took some browsing of blog posts for me to understand what he's been about for all this time.

For about two years, I’ve been convinced that Oddisee, whether behind the microphone or mixing board, produces some of the best hip hop for consumption today.

I discovered Oddisee on a Marco Polo produced posse cut from his album Port Authority. I have liked every track I’ve heard of his since.



Oddisee's just the right type of artist for me. At a time when I need a bit more from hip hop, I luckily learned that he delivers. 

It was a pleasant surprise to see him as a featured artist on DJ Center’s Left Of Center album.

I couldn’t have been happier to see and hear he remixed Shad’s Ya I Got It.

Please make yourself familiar with the link below for more.

http://suitedelight.podomatic.com

Below is a playlist to bring you up to speed.

Click here to download.

The Suite Delight - 2013-12-10 by Dj Solespin on Mixcloud

The Suite Delight - December 10, 2013:

1. Reflection Eternal - Just Begun (Ft. Jay Electronica, J Cole & Mos Def) 
2. Stik Figa - From the Top 
3. Gangrene and Roc Marciano - Momma Told Me 
4. ELMNT - Tesla's Son 
5. Marley Marl - What Ruling Means featuring Kev Brown & Grap Luva
6. Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets (Kenny Dope Mix)
7. Common Sense - Soul By The Pound (Thump Mix) 
8. Blame One & Exile - Disturbed feat. Sean Price 
9. The Extremities - Just The Day feat. Relic & Saukrates 
10. Simahlak - Under Pressure feat. Theo3
11. Black Sheep - Butt… In The Meantime (The Nostrand Ave Rastafarian Mix)
12. Ultramagnetic MC's - One, Two, One, Two
13. Ultramagnetic MC's - Two Brothers With Checks (San Francisco, Harvey)