I was very happy to have found out there is a free museum day in my fair city. From the moment I heard that, I knew I was going to do what I could to see the We Want Miles Exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.
I missed the 2009 Miles Davis CMJ Panel Discussion and the closest I came to it was grabbing remastered copies of Kind Of Blue& Sketches of Spain CDs they were giving away afterwards. When I first heard the Miles Davis exhibit was coming to Montreal, I vowed I’d see it. All I needed was the proper motivation to get myself to the museum.
Free museum day must not have been a secret because the streets near the Musee were packed with people. Luckily I didn’t have long to wait to be let into the exhibit. The history and legend of Miles Davis hit me immediately. From viewing his family heirlooms and memorabilia, I realized how important Miles was to music.
The 1950s Miles memorabilia got my imagination working. There was a photo of him with actress Jeanne Moreau while they were in France. I only recently became aware of her as an important French actress, only to see them in a photo together.
There was another Miles photo that got me thinking. There was a series of photos of him on stage with another musician. In one photo, he’s smiling while the other plays but in another, he’s blocking his ears. I must remember to research what happened in those photos to get the full story. I should have asked the panelists when I had the chance.
The 1960s Miles artifacts blew my mind even more. I saw video footage of him performing with Herbie Hancock! I have a lot of respect for Herbie Hancock and see him as a musical innovator but it was Miles who was the true innovator. I also saw a Miles Davis 7” single at the exhibit when I didn’t think they existed.
To hear and see footage as well as album covers from Miles’ electronic period made it even more clear he was a jazz giant. The Bitches Brew album cover is one of the most artistic I’ve ever seen but the Live-Evil takes it to a higher level.
For some reason I could identify with his hiatus in the mid-70s. I can understand him taking a step back from his years of being at the musical forefront. His being strung out from drugs at the time didn’t help matters either. There was a photo of him during that period where it looked like he was truly in a dark place.
I was a bit too young to know or care about his 1980s comeback. All I knew was this old jazz trumpeter was presumably important if Quincy Jones and a lot of musicians worked with him before he died. It would take my 20s to start exploring jazz and coming face to face with Miles Davis again to have more respect for him as a musician.
The Bitches Brew CMJ Panel Discussion was early in the morning but I wanted to learn a bit more about Miles and the album. It was surreal to hear Lenny White, an artist I know even less about than Miles, recount stories about his time with Miles. White gave an extra dimension to the Miles mythology, making me not only want to learn more about Miles but Lenny himself.
If you haven't already, please make yourself familiar with the link below for more of your favorite show and mine. Below is the podcast of the Birthday Celebration to bring you up to speed if you missed the live broadcast. Clickhereto download it and more. DJ Solespin 2014 Birthday Celebration Playlist: 1. The Rascals - Adrian's Birthday 2. Super Eagles - Love's A Real Thing 3. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Let The Sunshine In 4. The Flaming Ember - Westbound #9 5. Kool & The Gang - Rated X 6. War - Me & Baby Brother 7. Miles Davis - Spanish Key 8. The Equals - Laurel & Hardy 9. The Temptations - (I Know) I'm Losing You 10. Johnnie Taylor - (I Wanna) Testify 11. Hokis Pokis - Nowhere 12. Rare Earth - I Just Want To Celebrate 13. Bob James - Nautilus
The Under the Influence compilation series is similar to Late Night Tales and Back to Mine but its focus is uniquely on the myuuc that influenced some of today’s prominent musicians and producers.
A local playwright spoke highly about The Style Council to me when we worked on a production together.
I once dedicated the month of September’s playlists to magazines that I enjoyed reading or intrigued me.Ego Tripwas not among them. I did however pay tribute to the magazine with the playlist below.
I don’t remember much about the magazine in the 1990s. I either never saw it on the stands or saw The Source as just that for my hip hop news and reviews. I was definitely aware of the magazine when it published its Book of Rap Lists.
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists is one of the most, if not the most, important books related to hip hop ever produced.
I’ve been reading my copy for the last few days and an idea for an upcoming Suite Delight radio show theme came to me. If Ego Trip magazine would be the theme, I would need a great place to start from. As I got to the end of the book, there was a chapter discussing the artists that have been written about and appeared on the magazine cover.
I want to extend a thanks to the writers and creators of Ego Trip Magazine. Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists is of biblical proportinons as far as hip hop is concerned and I’m glad it was made. Similar to The Source of the 1990s, Ego Trip Magazine represents what I needed and ironically still need from a magazine dealing with hip hop. With The Suite Delight radio show now changed to an old school hip hop format, it seemed like an ideal to again pay tribute to the magazine. A visit to their website might give you some clues as to who made the playlist on August 26. The Suite Delight new time slot is Tuesday morning1-2am EST on www.ckut.ca & 90.3 FM.
If you haven't already, please make yourself familiar with the links below for more of your favorite show and mine to bring you up to speed.
The Suite Delight - 2014-08-26 Playlist: 1. Public Enemy - Welcome To The Terrordome 2. Ultramagnetic MC's - Watch Me Now 3. De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays" 4. Chi Ali - Funky Lemonade (Remix) 5. Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo - Talk Like Sex 6. Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx 7. The Notorious B.I.G. - Party & Bullshit (Lord Finesse Remix) 8. Organized Konfusion - Stray Bullet 9. Organized Konfusion - Stress 10. Smoothe Da Hustler - Broken Language 11. The Lost Boyz - The Yearn feat. Pete Rock 12. Master Ace - Music Man
The Suite Delight - Ego Trip Covered Feb. 12, 2012 Playlist: Dream Warriors - I've Lost My Ignorance Choclair - Bare Witness Marco Polo - The Radar Wu Tang Clan - Careful (Click Click) Talk Spot Ghostface Killah - Kilo (Remix) Mobb Deep - Temperature's Rising (Remix) De La Soul - The Grind Date M.O.P - Cold As Ice The Fugees - Ready Or Not Talk Spot Marco Polo - Hood Tales feat. Kool G. Rap Eternia & Moss - It's Funny feat. Ras Kass Classified - Cazual Drinking feat. Tash Big Pun - 100% N.O.R.E. - Nothin' Method Man & Redman - The Cisco Kid Big Daddy Kane - I'll Take You There Rakim - Guess Who's Back Talk Spot Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics - What U Heard Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx Eazy E - We Want Eazy A Tribe Called Quest - Find My Way Nas - Fried Chicken feat. Busta Rhymes The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy Rugged Intellect - Guaranteed feat. Rock of Heltah Skeltah BK-One - American Nightmare feat. Brother Ali & Scarface Madvillain - Rhinestone Cowboy
I remember being briefly on Twitter after work and just as I was about to log out, I read Fashawn’sR.I.P. Heavy D tweet. The expected denial kicked in amidst the flood of tweets stating what Fashawn said. I quickly went to Wikipedia but they had nothing confirming his death. I then went to Google and there was word of his death. I returned to Twitter for even more Heavy D tweets to greet me and the sadness kicked in.
It had been a while since I thought or saw anything related to Heavy D. With the exception of passing my Big Tyme vinyl while looking for records to use on my radio show, I hadn’t played his music in a long time. I did hear him a lot while I was watching my In Living Color DVDs days before his death.
When I learned of his death, I thought of the positivity and optimism he brought to hip hop. Who else would recruit over half a dozen of the hottest early 90s rappers for a classic posse cut called Don’t Curse of all songs? Heavy D never gave in to that or the negative elements that have surrounded the culture.
Going back to In Living Color and even Mad-TV, who else in hip hop had the vibe needed for theme songs of the two hip hop centred sketch comedy shows?
As I think about him now, I realize that he managed to bring the Jamaican roots of hip hop to the music a bit more than some of his contemporaries. As a youth, I saw music from the West Indies as old folks’ music and lacking the cool factor of anything Prince, Michael Jackson or Lionel Richie did at the time. KRS-One, Just-Ice and a handful of other Golden Era MCs chanted in their songs but they were more geared to the underground in their delivery. In the early 90s when reggae artists like Shabba Ranks, Tiger, Mad Cobra and Supercat were making more mainstream strides, Heavy D helped make it cool for me to acknowledge and appreciate the music and culture of my West Indian roots. I will be eternally grateful to Heavy D for that.
I am saddened by the news of Heavy D’s passing. He was not one I would have expected or wanted to leave us so soon.
When one reflects on his contributions to hip hop culture and the fact that he is no longer with us, one mourns the nostalgia of hip hop’s past and what-could-have-been.
Hip hop has needed some optimism and positivity for a while just as I have needed to feel optimistic and positive about it. Thankfully Heavy D’s legacy gives us a source for that anytime we want.
I read in some email newsletter this week, oh boy.
About an influential New York radio online radio station that will fade away.
And when I read it, I was kind of sad.
If it hadn’t already existed and I lived in New York, I would have loved to have created East Village Radio. As I have stated numerous times before, a good number of East Village Radio shows were highly influential on me and my own Suite Delight radio show. My weekends basically would start and end with their shows. I would do whatever I could to be home to listen.
One show would run me down with records. Another show in particularwas the most eclectic and all over the place, springing incredible tracks I otherwise would never hear every Saturday.
The other shows’ playlists were marvels to behold but I could not always listen to anything but the weekend shows.
It was easy for me to be inspired by the East Village Radio roster. My radio station DJ colleagues and I were once asked what station we basically emulated and my answer was obvious.
A trip to New York for me is like a pilgrimage to Mecca. One particular visit was bittersweet. I had to seek my main source of inspiration, oracle, and Creation Matrix in East Village Radio to help me make it through my time there.
I got to see
where the magic takes place. Aside from the shopping and record crate
digging, that night was the highlight of my trip. I thankfully have the
experience to remember.
I
might have made it clear that I don’t do celebrity deaths well,
especially if I am particularly fond of them or they greatly impacted my
life in some way. The news of East Village Radio no long existing might very well have been something of a celebrity death.
I read the bad news from a CMJ newsletterannouncing the end of the New York radio station and followed where the link took me.
As much as East Village Radio
was a weekend staple for me years ago, I had not been able to tune in
live for years. I wasn't able to tune in to the station on my
smartphone. Had I been able to, I possibly would not have listened to
any other radio with the exception of my CKUT.
As
much as East Village Radio represented everything I aimed to achieve in
so far as radio is concerned, my motivations and aspirations associated
with the station do not die. I will not forget the station's legacy and impact on me. In fact, I changed my own Suite Delight radio show format in honor of the East Village Radio's old school hip hop show.
Thank you to the people of past, present and future people of East Village Radio for giving me another reason to love New York like I do.
There was little West Coast hip hop played on New York radio shows in the 80s & 90s.MCs sounding as close to East Coast artists and flavor like The Pharcyde, Del the Funky Homosapienand Souls of Mischiefseemed to have stood the better chance of being played. Compton's Most Wanted was something of a rare exception. As my audio cassette recordings from New York radio reveal, The Big Apple had a lot of love for MC Eiht. I easily heard and recorded more Compton's Most Wanted songs from my memorable New York trips than any West Coast hip hop artist.
Although Compton's Most Wanted was what I knew as a crew, it was always all about MC Eiht.
I wasn't all that surprised when We Come Strapped from 1994 boasted his name above the group. Streiht Up Menace is on par with Tupac Shakur'sDear Mama for sentimentality but Compton Cyco was my favorite from the album.
I may have learned of this group now, later or perhaps never.
I heard a song pumping through the speakers. As you can expect, or you know me well enough to see where this is going, I ran into the DJ booth to ask who it was.
I picked up on the trippy, psychedelic, John Lennon vibe of Solitude is Bliss and have since repeatedly played it and the Midnight Juggernauts remix.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget Tame Impala. The impact of their song was undeniable. I attempted to catch one of their last Montreal shows but unfortunate circumstances prevented me from doing so. I’m waiting to hear what they come up with next.
For a band I knew nothing about until I heard Solitude Is Bliss, Tame Impala really caught my attention. This comes at a time when I want to incorporate more indie-rock to my arsenal. Like The Black Keys and Arcade Fire, Tame Impala invite me to learn more about the modern, alternative rock scene and I’m a fast learner.
The vocalist says I will never come close to how he feels. That may be true. Unlike him, I'm a bit more generous and accommodating. I've at least shared my bliss where the song is concerned. Hopefully he and the rest of the band don't mind joining a shortlist of my best singles.
Exclaimhas more information on Tame Impala and their latest album.
Busta Rhymes is still very entertaining to me after all these years. Just as he embarked on a solo career, you couldn’t tell me anything about Busta Rhymes that I’d listen to let alone his music.
I especially didn’t want to listen to him even though he was popping up on posse cuts galore in the early 90s.
1996 was a pivotal year for me because A Tribe Called Quest and Nas disappointed me with their albums and forced me to seek refuge elsewhere.
I found myself under Busta’s umbrella with the bangers of The Coming.
When Disaster Strikes sealed the deal for me and is simply his best album. It isno coincidence thatBusta recorded a track with Method Man,who is also flavor on a track and a party in the form of a human being when on the mic.
When I say mixtapes, I mean the compilations of songs preferably mixed with some semblance of a theme or cohesiveness left for you to decipher and enjoy.
I blogged about The Rapture's mix CD and will now write about quite possibly the most important mixtape I've ever heard, Andy Smith's The Document.
Years ago, I was hunting for music on vinyl, CD & even audio cassette and stopped at a favorite nearby music store. For whatever reason, I remember seeing The Document CD on many occasions but paid no mind to it. It was possibly while browsing CDs at that store that I'd glance at it.
One day I decided to take a closer look at the CD and its contents. The tracklisting appeared to be eclectic to say the least and that got my attention. The issue for me was how could a CD have Jeru The Damaja, Jungle Brothers, Tom Jones and The James Gang among its songs?
I will admit to being quite linear in my thinking even though I studied, listened to, knew and had a lot of music. I did not know how or why the songs would go from hip hop to rock and vice versa on the CD but I was curious to learn.
I sampled the CD and understood its modus operandi. The songs were mixed together and so seamlessly that the connections between the contrasting genres made me understand music is not always to be categorized, classified and compartmentalized. I learned that listening to music of varying genres can be an enriching and rewarding experience.
If De La Soul made me see there was nothing to fear in sampling varying music genres to make hip hop and the late 90s/early 2000s Brass Knuckles/Blizzarts era made me realize there was more funk and soul than James Brown then DJ Andy Smith’s Document made me see there was nothing wrong in blending varying genres of music as long as it was done as right as possible.
I not too long ago came across, listened to and marvelled at my copy of The Document. Not only do I seek mixtapes in the mold of The Document, I seek mixtapes that will hopefully open my mind to new revelations and somehow inspire me to be a better DJ.
I listened to The Document II and unfortunately found it did not take me to the next phase like I could have hoped. Maybe my expectations were too high and blinded me to the wonder of the second installment. Perhaps a more objective listening will cause me to blog about the beauty of The Document II one day. For now, it appears I will never forget my first.
News of DJ Andy Smith appearing at Montreal'sThe Goods on October 25 couldn't make me happier. The Goods takes place from 10:30-3:30 AM with a $15 admission on the last Saturday of the month at La Sala Rossa, 4848 St. Laurent (coin St. Joseph).
You Could Have Been A Lady is one of my favorite rock songs ever.
I’m even more happy to claim it as part of my Canadian heritage.
The song was a late addition to my Suite Delight 6th Anniversary Episode playlist. I had gotten into a groove with vintage late 1960s/early 1970s pop/rock and felt the April Wine classic would be a great fit.
The group has hits as greatest hits packages have informed me but my knowledge of the band’s music is limited.
The next song I really know and like is Just Between You and Me.I remember it from childhood and still like it to this day.The bilingual lyrics is a bonus.
Until I catch a live taste of April Wine, I'll settle with their albums and videos.
One of the first CD-Rs I ever made for myself was a Johnny Guitar Watson compilation. I didn't make it myself actually. I asked a classmate to find the songs and hand me the CD-R.
There is something bluesy and soulful about his voice that I can’t deny. I believe his music is the perfect link between blues and funk. There are many obvious reasons why he was sampled for hip hop tracks.
I found a Very Best of Johnny Guitar Watsonalbum at the Montreal record convention but it doesn't have Lover Jones, my favourite of his late 70s recordings. I'm still very happy to have found that vinyl and will try to add Johnny Guitar Watson to upcoming The Suite Delight radio episodes.
I was made aware of a Johnny Guitar Watson - Listen album from 1973 that lays the foundation for his late 70s blues-funk legacy. Listen is now on my want-list. Wish me luck in finding it so that I can listen to it.
I was very happy to have found out there is a free museum day in my fair city. From the moment I heard that, I knew I was going to do what I could to see the We Want Miles Exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.
I remember being briefly on Twitter after work and just as I was about to log out, I read Fashawn’s R.I.P. Heavy D tweet. The expected denial kicked in amidst the flood of tweets stating what Fashawn said. I quickly went to Wikipedia but they had nothing confirming his death. I then went to Google and there was word of his death. I returned to Twitter for even more Heavy D tweets to greet me and the sadness kicked in.
I may have learned of this group now, later or perhaps never. 
