25/02/2008

The Kings of Electro - Compiled and mixed by Playgroup and Alter Ego

Rapster Records

The Kings of Electro - Compiled and mixed by Playgroup and Alter Ego

The problem with anthological works is that they lose touch way before they covered as much ground as they meant to. This is especially true when you decide to put out a colossal 2-disc compilation of a genre as sunken in identity crisis as electro has always been. In the various diasporas of music, electro has evolved dually into the glorious b-boy hip-hop of the 80s and, one decade later, the eucalyptus-like electronica that almost dried out any chances of rocks reemergence.

"The Kings of Electro" tries to document that period in time by adding the proper soundtrack to a 2-and-a-half-hour history lesson. Interestingly enough, the kings of electro featured here are not the most obvious ambassadors of the genre. Indeed, it takes a long while before Afrika Bambaataa shows up in the compilation – and he only does so as a sample on the shattered, almighty "Al Nafyish" by Hashim. All numbers sound surprisingly fresh as if delivered as part of a contemporary DJ set.

Never has the dancefloor-oriented Model 500’s "No Ufo’s" glued so well to The Fearless Four’s electroclashed "Just Rock". The set also features a little interlude every now and then, and while it’s not a proper recess, it certainly feels like one. The anonymous instrumental track played just before Ryuichi Sakamoto’s "Riot in Lagos" is like an internship for the intricate but loose ambitions of the Japanese adventures in hi-fi.

As the first disc comes to an end, you can actually visualize the eyeliner and lipstick of later days that will come to the forefront. Let us not forget all the various seeds that electro has sown, notably synthpop, techno, and a more complex hip-hop. The last chapter of our first essay has dub written all over it. High Fidelity Three’s "B-Boys Breakdance", Deee-Lite’s "What Is Love (Holographic Goatee Mix)", and finally Junior Wilson’s take on "Dock of the Bay" are all steroidal, smoked-out highlights for late night/early morning consumption.

Unlike its predecessor, the second disc doesn’t need a walkthrough as it manages to be less distractive and briefly more uptight. Obvious highlights include the opening track, "Neurotic Behaviour" by Psyche, Azzido Da Bass’s "Dooms Night", and "Radium" as done by Acid Jesus.

Sometimes schizophrenic, often faintly encyclopedic, but always self-conscious, "The Kings of Electro" does more for electro than any stinking downtown club. Not that there’s anything wrong with night life. But sometimes it takes a statement like this to put things into perspective.

http://www.properlychilled.com/music/release/profile.php?view=543

24/02/2008

#58: Posto de Escuta: Stones Throw

Percee P



















01 A Way Of Life Cellestial
02 Def Dom 48 Special
03 IMF (Bash, BrownBum & KB) Bam Boozled
04 Many Styles Wright About Now
05 Twilight Jungle Rap

06 Stones Throw
6.1 Percee P No Time For Jokes (Remix)
6.2 Guilty Simpson Getting Bitches
6.3 Jaylib The Mission (Stringed Out Remix)

07 Venomous & Phonetic Introducing Lessons
08 Skeptik Full Blown
09 Ramadom It's A Wonderful Life
10 Tracy Jones Bucktooth Alchemy
11 Self Sulivan Medium Raw
12 Dub Trio Bay vs. Leonard
13 Techno Animal vs. Dalek Megaton
14 Jesu You Wear Their Masks

First aired on Feb 19

17/02/2008

#57: The Complete Moon Bay Sessions

DJ Drez & Marty Williams




















First aired on Feb 12

10/02/2008

#56: Ervas Daninhas: Orazio Del Core

Orazio Del Core



















01 Villain Accelerate Things Told
02 Realism Raw Meta
03 Zoned Out Black & White
04 Piff James Trouble

05 Orazio Del Core
5.1 Before Sunrize
5.2 Doin It Like Did It
5.3 It Aint Hard to Tell ReMisc

06 InIversal More Lighter!
07 Ovabite Just A Man
08 Creature Tomorrow's Alive
09 Shawn Luv Turn Back Time
10 DJ Shadow Mashin' on the Motorway
11 Them It's Them

First aired on Feb 05

Properly Chilled's Featured Drink: Pomegranate Mimosa

07/02/2008

Chillodesiac Lounge Vol. 1: Fever

Worldwide Groove Corporation

Worldwide Groove Corporation - Chillodesiac Lounge Vol. 1: Fever

Often regarded as electronica's little girl, lounge music is instead like the savvy child that rapidly learns that indoors is where they get the most attention. That's why chilled-out numbers are best enjoyed with a glass of champagne and not with a cup of instantly-brewed coffee to go. Beverage metaphors aside, lounge music is the comfy armchair in every living room.

With that said, there seems to be no better way to celebrate lounge music than to put out a record that is celebratory without being too exhaustive. "Chillodesiac Lounge Vol. 1: Fever" is a collection of hand-picked tracks that manage to defy gravity in their disorienting, smoky-voiced output. And while doing so, "The Man I Love" and "Tangerine", the first two tracks, also set the mood for the drink-pouring that will most definitely follow.

Fittingly subtitled "Fever", production duo Worldwide Groove Corporation's debut album infuses various jazz standards with groovy new finesse. Based around chunky beats that take any passionate heart to a cushion, "Besame Mucho" is revisited in little breaths of air that pamper the ear. On the other hand, "Mas Que Nada", featuring Kenya Evelyn, Melinda Doolittle, and Missi Hale, now sounds so urgent it's like tropicalia rules the world.

The prelude to what will certainly become a fulfilling career is designed to be sipped and not taken by a huge, single bite. And it comes with what critics call the international appeal, as it features lyrics in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. Speaking of which, "Midnight in Venice" will take you on a gondola across the city's renowned channels.

The track is one of the four originals included on the album, the others being the stripped-down "Smoke & Mirrors", the fleshed-out "Mimosa", and the naively romantic "You Still Give Me Butterflies". With tracks that, after the first half, seem to flow seamlessly into each other, the record bows out on a high note with two fat remixes that will make you forget all those new age records.

http://www.properlychilled.com/music/release/profile.php?view=537