I posted about The Gaylettes days ago and am still obsessed with hearing all their songs. Their records can be hard to pinpoint because—like lots of Jamaican releases—the information is wildly varied (spellings of their name include: Gayletts, Gayletts, and Gaylets). Just when I thought I’ve heard it all, I found this amazing 45 they put out on Hot Disk (the b-side also kills!). I should really update this post with the b-side too, but for now, here’s “Don’t Believe Her”, another ridiculously sweet song by my favorite Jamaican ladies, The Gaylettes.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD “DON’T BELIEVE HER” BY THE GAYLETTES
DJ Basura, Missingtoof superstar and Bay Area busy-body, gave NERDTORIOUS his brand new mix, Beats & Bleeps Vol.1, for heads to enjoy. Flying Lotus, DOOM, Harmonic 313, Quinoline Yellow, AND Schooly D? It all works as Basura irons out any hints of awkwardness throughout its 18-songs. The selections lean more towards hip-hop and downtempo than his other works, but it’s equally fun, equally smooth as the electro mixes he’s most known for. Dude’s versatile, so check him and his mix for some bump (and bleeps) in your trunk. Thanks Brosura!
HEAR AND DOWNLOAD BEATS & BLEEPS VOL.1 BY DJ BASURA
Tracklisting:
1. DOOM- Lightworks
2. Reminder- On Rooftops
3. Cool Kids- Action Figures
4. Push Button Objects- Lxp Bitches
5. Sixtoo- Boxcutter Emporium Pt.2
6. Harmonic 313- Word Problems
7. Schooly D- P.S.K. What Does It Mean?
8. Flying Lotus- $tunt
9. Secret Frequency Crew-Holographic Moon Owls
10. Chris De Luca & Peabird- What The Fuck I Got To Say
11. Dabrye- Piano
12. Flowchart- Fast Forward Remix
13. Freescha- Come Good
14. Mantronix- Get Stupid Fresh Vol.1
15. Autophonic- Mechanics
16. T La Rock- It’s Yours
17. Quinoline Yellow- Sheepdip
18. Lexaunculpt- Strangelove Offline
Linda Bruner sounds a lot like Janis Joplin at times, often intense, troubled, and totally bare. Her accent was deeply Southern, her hair was described as “a rat’s nest”. She grew up in Loves Park, the poor sector of Rockford, Illinois, in the late-‘60s and was discovered by her guitar instructor, Jim Krein. At seventeen, she joined Krein’s struggling yet determined psych band, Pisces, and recorded four songs with them. She is also said to have worked on a solo album around the same time which she abandoned and left unfinished. Pisces’s story and music will be released by the Numero Group on an upcoming CD, A Lovely Sight, fifteen unreleased songs that include Linda Bruner’s lone recordings. According to the liner notes: “When last heard from, Linda was embroiled in a check fraud scheme and was on the run.”
A Lovely Sight places Bruner’s dim story into the context of Pisces’ larger saga. Pisces was just another exuberant late-‘60s psych band, purposely woozy and highly derivative, but in a good way. And while the project is, I think, anchored by Bruner’s contributions, Pisces’ psychadelia isn’t corny or wildly fragmented, and sound like a mix between Jefferson Airplane and Donovan.
Below is “Sam”, the Pisces’ third single that never was. It begins like a late ‘80s rap cut before clumsy snares are joined by muddy bass. It all works well, made especially effective by Bruner’s uneasy vocals. Hear a clip of it below.
Hear “SAM” BY PISCES FEAT. LINDA BRUNER
Bruner’s other tracks from the album are also killer, particularly “You Are Changing In Your Time”. To hear those, and to purchase A Lovely Sight, please visit Numero’s storefront.
Joelle Phuong Minh Le, who goes by a mouthful of a name, Greetings From Tuskan, made a couple cool beats on her new collaboration project with Buck 65, Bike For Three. She’s this half-Vietnamese, half-Belgian beatmaker who kinda sounds like Boom-Bip, Jel, and Four Tet thrown in a blender. I thought it be interesting to talk to her real quick and ask her some real basic questions. REMIX kindly posted it. Check out the album More Heart Than Brains to hear more expert knob-twiddling via Ms. Le. Below is a cover of MC Shan’s “MC Space” , produced by Joelle from said album.
HEAR “MC SPACE” BY BIKE FOR THREE
I love Mary Wells and “Two Lovers” is one of her all-time classic joints (written by a young Smokey Robinson no less). It’s the type of song that’s so aligned with its singer that newer versions rarely if ever work well. And while “Two Lovers” fits in this untouchable category, here’s a rare exception: an outstanding cover by English pop singer, Louise Cordet, who recorded for Decca in the early-to-mid ’60s. It’s a rock version, slightly rougher, and more garage-sounding than the Wells original. Dig it below.
***LOUISE CORDET”S COVER OF MARY WELLS’ “TWO LOVERS”
Filed under: Interviews, Random | Tags: daniel dumile, doom, kmd, mf doom, zev love x
(After many cold calls and lots of thumb twiddling, I spoke to DOOM, one of the most fascinating emcee/producers ever, and whose latest, BORN LIKE THIS, has been on constant rotation. His longevity, his shape-shifting career, his lack of public exposure, all make for a pretty rare breed of performer— the kind that doesn’t want attention. Dude’s notoriously hard to get a hold of so I was stoked to get his time and ask things I’ve always wanted to know. Here’s my (long-awaited) talk with the usually low-key Daniel Dumile. -DM)
KMD, Know Mr. Dumile:
DOOM explains BORN LIKE THIS, talks own history, and draws line between himself and written characters
Daniel Dumile’s gift is the ability to be totally engrossed in and devoted to whatever his DOOM character does. He doesn’t seem to care about what fans or critics say about him or his work and has done so for two-decades. This is how he’s held his place while teetering between mainstream success and inde-rap stardom. His latest, BORN LIKE THIS, reflects more of the same, as he is one of the few who can mesh rap veterans (Raekwon and Ghostface) with indie-powerhouses (Slug of Atmosphere) naturally, without seeming gimmicky or dependent on guest spots. Production-wise, Dilla, Madlib, and Jake One have a song each while DOOM manned the rest. BORN LIKE THIS is DOOM at his most strange, most gruff-sounding, weird, and somewhat most confessional.
As a rapper, as an interview subject, DOOM has been notoriously elusive, often silent when time comes to promote his latest project. Say what you want about his antics or music, DOOM is, and has been, a totally uncompromising artist. As one of rap’s most consistent emcee/producers, as unapproachable as DOOM may seem, the person behind the persona is anything but. He begins our long-scheduled interview with: “Sorry it took this long to actually do this man. I wasn’t trying to discriminate! How are you doing today? What’s your name dude?” Hardly a mean guy, definitely a normal dude and a unique figure. Dumile graciously answered my questions about BORN LIKE THIS and all things DOOM.
Can we start with the mask? What are the reasons behind it?
It’s really just another character. Zev Love X was a character too, most people think that’s me but he wasn’t. They’ve all been characters. The DOOM thing is to be able to come at things with a different point of view. I decided the mask would just add to the mystique of the character as well as make DOOM stand out. I though it’d be an easy way for people to see and differentiate between characters, sorta like when an actor gains weight for a role. Throwing on the mask was just a good way to switch it up. King Geedorah and Vik are characters too for example.
