Dilla-San

This mix is further proof of Japan’s love affair with Dilla. Recently in Tokyo, I saw his image on magazines and a lot of hip-hop flyers. There were also ‘Ma Dukes’ t-shirts and more than one free mix cd. This is one of those mixes and has a lot of Dilla tracks found on newer releases, like this one with Black Thought or this with Raekwon. I hadn’t heard of DJ Tsubasa but, in a sea of Dilla mixes, this isn’t as obvious as others have been– and is probably the best, most inexpensive thing I got in Japan.

(Dan Ubick, serious musician from Rhythm Roots All Stars, Connie Price and the Keystones and The Lions, has played with Ghostface and Slick Rick among so many others, recording for Blue Note, Ubiquity, Tru Thoughts, and Stones Throw along the way. In his spare time he also writes (I worked with him on this Richard Evans piece) but he’s a music head above all things. A guitarist who transitions between different genres, he’s apparently, at heart, a bluesman. Here’s his thoughts on Little Willie John’s ‘I Need Your Love So Bad’. – DM)

‘I Need Your Love So Bad’ by Little Willie John

“I Need Your Love So Bad” by Little Willie John is to my ears absolutely the most perfect song ever (a huge claim I realize… but true.). This recording contains the most heart wrenching and captivating vocal take I personally have ever heard committed to tape (and I’ve listened to a couple records at this point like most of you reading I’m sure!).

The lyrics, apparently written by Willie John’s brother Mertis John Jr, (their sister was Stax and Motown artist Mable John) are the kind of lyrics that you never forget. Willie John’s well-worn and perfectly loose delivery draw you in like a good friend sharing his troubles with you personally. A voice of wisdom, longing and truth we can all relate to.

“I need someone’s hand to lead me through the night, I need someone’s arms to hold and squeeze me tight. When the night begins and until it ends…I need your love so bad.” Continue reading “Little Willie Needs Your Love (so bad)” →

Icelandic Pentameter

This new 45 on BSTRD Boots takes Toots and the Maytals’ ‘Peggy’, blending it with ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’ by Janet Jackson. It’s the latest release by our bud and Nerdtorious contributor, DJ Platurn. The flip is a pretty nice take on Prince Buster’s ‘Al Capone’ too.

Listen to it here. Buy it here.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Platurn’s Breaking The Ice series for some more rare Icelandic goodies.

DYNAMITE SOUNDS: ADRIAN YOUNGE INTERVIEW

(Editor’s Note: Adrian Younge, producer, collector, composer, and musician currently touring as Adrian Younge and The Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra recenly gave us details on his creative processes. Jeff Brummett, musician and now occasional contributor, interviewed Adrian a few months back. Stay tuned for his extensive, upcoming interview with Soul Cinema icon, Jamaa Fanaka. -DM)

By Jeff Brummett

Adrian Younge is the composer, producer and songwriter for the amazingly righteous Black Dynamite soundtrack. An homage to classic blaxploitation films, the movie and especially the soundtrack are pitch perfect. He went to severe lengths to perfect and duplicate the analog sounds of classic era Soul Cinema creating a very distinct flavor mirroring the original intentions and grooves of those groundbreaking works. The attention to detail and painstaking long hours really bring this project an authenticity that is tremendously impressive. Adrian was also the editor for the film Black Dynamite, so this was very much a passion project for him. We look forward to hearing more from this multi-talented artist.

Were you given the freedom to completely create the tracks or were you and the director working together to come up with the sound?

The producers and the director gave me the freedom to do anything for the score; we collaborated ideas on most of the songs and this was a very joyous experience. The director, Scott Sanders, actually wrote the lyrics to “Cleaning up the Streets.”

How did the tracking aspect go? Was it usually starting a groove with the drummer, then overdubs?

I rarely wrote any of the music with drums first. On the song, “Black they Back,” my drummer, Jack Waterson, composed a drum sequence and I just basically followed his progressions; other than that, songs were either written on organ, bass, or guitar; I would record my instruments into my mpc 2000 for arrangement purposes; after the song was arranged, the band and I would play every instrument onto tape sequentially (do a youtube search for the black dynamite score documentary, it shows the entire process). Continue reading “DYNAMITE SOUNDS: ADRIAN YOUNGE INTERVIEW” →

SylMatic

‘Falling In Love’

Besides the awesomeness of having Syl Johnson’s best tracks in one HUGE BOXSET, it also allows fans of his work to fill in gaps between his rare songs and more known recordings. ‘Falling In Love’ is an early, simple Syl tune done for TMP-Ting Records, 1965.

The upcoming release, The Syl Johnson Mythology is being put out by Numero, probably the only label that could curate something like this and nail it. With Syl being sampled so much through the years, and with him hitting the road again, the timing of this is perfect. It’s also an effort to get some funds back to Syl, who is now 74, and who has in the past attempted epic lawsuits to get paid for his work.

This is a massive release, a 6LP + 4CD Boxset. Be ready for some epic listening (81 tracks!) and linernotes (52 pages!) when this comes out late October. I’ll be linking up with Syl soon for an upcoming interview, so keep an eye out in the months to come!