7/31/2007

Mingering Mike


Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar, by Dori Hadar (2007 Princeton Architectural Press)
I can't add much to the copious amounts of press that the work of Mingering Mike has generated since Dori Hadar and Frank Beylotte dug up his life's work at a Washington, D.C., flea market. So instead I decided to imagine what types of real-life soul and funk stompers might have inspired Mike's record sleeves and filled the cardboard grooves if they were real wax. (Without getting too obvious with it, that is ... his biggest touchstones seem to be James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield.) So pick up this incredible book, cue up a soundtrack and be sure to visit the mysterious magnificent Mingering at his myspace(!)



The Big "D" & Mingering Mike, Boogie Down at the White House

When I first read about this stuff in Wax Poetics magazine in 2004, this sleeve was on the cover ...

The Show Stoppers - "Ain't Nothin' But a House Party"



Joseph War, Ghetto Prince

MFSB - "Freddie's Dead"



Audio Andre, Tuxedo Styled

Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together?"



The Big "D" & Mingering Mike, Fractured Soul and Other Wise

Bull and the Matadors - "Funky Judge"



The Big "D" & Mingering Mike, Let's Get "Nasty"

Wayne McGhie and the Sounds of Joy - "Dirty Funk"

7/27/2007

Studio + Old Time Relijun + Escort


Studio, West Coast (Information 2007)
Slow-motion balearic beach music from the coast of Sweden finally getting a U.S. release soon ...

Studio - "West Side"


Old Time Relijun, Catharsis in Crisis (K 2007)
Preview track from Old Time Relijun's new one, clattering punk/dance/racket on K Recs.

Old Time Relijun - "Daemon Meeting"



Escort - "All Through the Night"

Hilarious video from NY's premier disco band ... they're playing PS1 on Aug. 25.

7/23/2007

Pissed Jeans + Fire Engines


Pissed Jeans, Hope For Men (Sub Pop 2007)
Pissed Jeans seriously brought it at Southpaw this past Saturday. I was already a huge fan but their live show is the bizness, even if it's a 20-minute set. (How long do they play if they headline, 30?) Like to hear more from Tyvek, they started out a little shaky but got into a groove fast, somewhere between post-punk and hyper strummed rave-up rock. Double 7" out now and more to come on What's Your Rupture? That label's also putting out music from headliners Fucked Up from Toronto, who aren't really up my alley musically but their live show was an awesome spectacle. Fun night. Photographic evidence here.

Pissed Jeans - "People Person"


Fire Engines - "Everything's Roses"

Following on the heels of Orange Juice and Josef K we're about to get an essential reissue of Scottish post-punkers the Fire Engines called Hungry Beat. I try not to talk out my ass on here so I won't pretend to be up on these guys -- the reason the reissue is essential is because their stuff is hard to find! Check out Dan's new blog over at his label Acute Records and I'm sure he'll kick knowledge. (In the meantime check out his set on Beats in Space -- scroll down to May 30th.)

Fire Engines - "Meat Whiplash"

p.s. Remember when I posted Hall & Oates and the comments were full of people looking for the Rolling Stones "Too Much Bood" Arthur Baker mix? *cough* Banana Nutrament *cough cough*

7/20/2007

Sarolta Zalatnay + Igor Wakhevitch + Babe Ruth


Sarolta Zalatnay, Sarolta Zalatnay (Finders Keepers 2007)
Andy Votel's reissue imprint brings Hungarian beat-freak heavy funky rock to the masses. Probably my favorite label right now (next on the want list: Selda).

Sarolta Zalatnay - "Hadd Mondjam El (with Skorpio)"


Igor Wakhevitch, Docteur Faust (EMI 1971)
Don't actually have the vinyl of this French composer's avant-rock opus .... but it's too good not to post ...

Igor Wakhevitch - "Materia Prima"


Babe Ruth, First Base (Harvest 1973)
"The Mexican" ain't the only song on this record ya know ...

Babe Ruth - "Wells Fargo"

7/16/2007

Turzi + "Voyage" + Health


Turzi, A (Kemado 2007)
French psych band follows up the pretty ace Made Under Authority with A, due out in September on Kemado. Goblin synth horror, Spacemen blastoffs and droning jams melt from one to the next.

Turzi - "Acid Taste"

Turzi - "Afghanistan"


Various Artists, Voyage: Facing the History of French Modern Psychedelic Music (Kemado 2007)
Maybe even better is Voyage, a window into a French psych scene that I didn't know existed ... hadn't heard of any of the bands off this except Turzi, who curated. Skewed Syd Barrett pop, laser-focused Hawkwind rock space exploration ... 15 revelations. Between this stuff and the new Dungen, Kemado is pretty stacked on the modern psych front. Prepare for takeoff.

Edit: Forgot to mention, this comp. is a free download if you buy the Turzi record.

Aqua Nebula Oscillator - "Ready to Fly"


Crystal Castles / Health split 7" (Lovepump United 2007)
L.A.'s Health throws down a relentless post-punk racket on this single with Toronto's Crystal Castles. They've also got a full album on the way, both on Lovepump United who's put out Indian Jewelry among others ...

Health - "Crimewave"

7/12/2007

The Budos Band + Ray Barretto


The Budos Band, The Budos Band II (Daptone 2007)
Wicked instrumental soul from Staten Island. They're playing Joe's Pub on Aug. 9.

The Budos Band - "Budos Rising"


Ray Barretto, Acid (Fania 1968)
A few weeks ago we were playing a big dance in the Bronx, Ray sat down and took a conga drum solo. He played and played, and a finger on his right hand began to bleed but he didn't notice because he was playing with his eyes closed. The blood was running from his finger onto the conga, but he kept playing. When he was through and the audience was applauding him, he looked and said "I cut myself," and I said to him, "Now again you are Ray Barretto, the Ray of six years ago."
-- Pete Bonet, Acid liner notes

Ray Barretto - "Acid"

Ray Barretto - "The Soul Drummers"

7/09/2007

33/45 Mix - Melting


Psychedelic sounds for 95 degree weather. Gets kinda heavy toward the end.

Melting
58 min., 80MB

Exuma - Summertime in New York
Blues Control - Behind the Skies
Indian Jewelry - Powwow
We Acediasts - Ibasho
Sapat - Dark Silver
Oneida - Spirits
Alex Delivery - Komad
Jean-Claude Vannier - Les Gardes Volent Aux Secours des Roi / Mort du Roi des Mouches
Electric Prunes - General Confessional
West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - A Child of a Few Hours Is Burning to Death
Steppenwolf - Jupiter's Child
Friendsound - Lost Angel Proper St.
United States of America - Coming Down
Morton Subotnick - Touch Pt. I (excerpt)

7/03/2007

VII


Soft Machine, Seven (Columbia 1974)

Soft Machine - "Down the Road"



Upsetters, Double Seven (Trojan 1973)

Upsetters - "Jungle Lion"

Upsetters - "Waap You Waa"



Culture, Two Sevens Clash (Joe Gibbs 1977)

Culture - "Two Sevens Clash"

Culture - "Get Ready to Ride the Lion to Zion"



07 / 07 / 07