Gonja Sufi - A Sufi and A Killer (Warp records, 2010)

Lock it Down has been waiting for this album. Finally someone brewed an electronic psychedelic potion of of all those funky & freaky exotic records we love. Earlier, we already talked about the emergence of the LA scene around Flying Lotus & Gaslamp Killer and now the next chapter reveals itself: GonjaSufi’s album A Sufi And A Killer, produced by the Gaslampkiller, was released on Warp records last month (check them here on Youtube). Gonjasufi also provided vocals on the Flying Lotus track Testament (on the Los Angeles album), but his own release really did it for me. Captivating yet uneasy, freaky, funky, dark but spiritual. In touch with the past, but as uptodate as it gets. The Sound of Urgency. Once in a a while a record comes along which sums up the stuff you like, and combines it in a way you hadn’t heard before. A Sufi and A Killer is a record like that. Gonjasufi spits his distorted lyrics over beats filled with sound from records we love. The Turkish psychrock legend Erkin Koray is heard various times, his tune Yagmur is versioned into Kobwebz and Seni Her Gordugumde (aka I’nan Ki) into I’ve Given. Both Erkin Koray tracks are featured on his 1973 album on Istanbul records. As a great fan of Spanish seventies flamenco-hybrids I was thrilled to hear the voice of Las Grecas in the single Cowboys & Indians, sampling their 1974 tune Bella Kali (from their classic first album Gipsy Rock). L.A.'s Spirit gave their The Other Song (from Son of Spirit, 1976) for Gonja to recycle it to Dust. It seems he's putting a band together as we speak, can't wait to experience this in a live setting. Check out this little mix by Anikulapo, combining the Sufi songs with the originals.

Obviously, there tons more of samples, if anyone has any more suggestions, I’d love to hear it

And remember to buy this album!

Links:

gonjasufi: http://www.sufisays.com/
gaslamp killer: http://www.thegaslampkiller.com/
flying lotus: http://www.flying-lotus.com/
warp records: http://warp.net/

FORWARD THE SOUND

The sampler, one of the most revolutionary instruments since the invention of the electric guitar, was not only a key player in the evolution of hiphop and dance, it also spawned a whole new way of listening to records. I'm always interested in, or rather, intrigued by interviews with producers who unravel their "sacred" records when they talk about sampling (Wax Poetics makes for good reading on this topic), especially when those records turn out to be some sort of freejazz gems that are impossible to listen to (for me) due to the sheer noise and seemingly random rhythm patterns that features them. I'm intrigued because people actually buy these kind of records and listen to every nano-second of it not so much because they like the music, but because they are in search for that one little sound or break that hasn't been sampled yet. And although not all songs that have been sampled are worthwhile listening to, it's always fun to trace a sample because you never know what you might find. And that is the true art of sampling: it became a two-way street with producers on the lookout going one way and sample tracers going the other.

I'm not a hardcore sample chaser, really. Every now and then, when I listen to a record, some familiar sound may pop up that grabs my attention. If that occurs, I'll begin my search for the original, which basically involves me frantically scanning hundreds of 7"s and records because "I'm sure I've heard that sample before, but I just can't figure out what it is." Here are some of my recent findings. Who knows, maybe there's a gem in there you've never heard before?

Zomby - Spliff dub samples Billy Boyo - One spliff a day
Billy Boyo was one of the many teenage stars the Jamaican music industry has spawned. With some tunes released on the Greensleeves label his future was looking bright for a moment but unfortunately for Billy his (international) career never really took off. Billy died of a brain tumor in the year 2000, after which some more of his musical legacy was unearthed. The album "The very best of me" (released on the Jah Guidance label ) included his biggest hit up to to date "One spliff a day" which, although being an avid reggae collector, I only discovered after hearing the epical Zomby track: "Spliff Dub."

Burial - Broken Home samples Sizzla - Just one of those days
Dubstep superstar Burial has been making quite a name for himself with two albums full of beautiful tracks in which the human voice are key elements. The human voice keeps the cold, computerized tracks from freezing below the subzero level and gives a tune an often well deserved amount of emotion. In "Broken Home" Burial utilizes two tiny snippets of Sizzla's hit tune "Just One of those days" (aka "Dry Cry"), providing the tune its wings to fly with. In terms of approach the two tunes are quite the opposite of eachother, which makes it even more interesting to link them.

12th Planet - Control samples Mikey Dread - Saturday Night Style & Gregory Isaacs Allstars - Crops
12th Planet's banger Control uses two reggae tunes to provide the song with its seductive hooks. The "Control" bit is taken from the song "Saturday Night Style," the first tune of the most sampled reggae album ever: "African Anthem Dubwise" by Mikey Dread. This album was a showcase of his legendary radio show, in which Mikey never talked but used self produced "jingles" instead. These jingles ("you make me feel so goooood;" "Brand new, good for you!;" "Brothers and sisters goodnight, I hope you're feeling allright;" "Is that a turntable? Well get on it, it's your turn;" "You're disckjockey? huhuhuh, what's that?" and loads more) are still being used on a regular basis.

The keyboard part of "Control" is taken from a song called "Crops" (or "Crofs" as it is often credited), which is the dub version of Gregory Isaac's "Word of the farmer" from the Cool Ruler album.

ConQuest - Forever samples Barrington Levy - Here I come
This one took me ages to find. Forever by ConQuest, one of the most beautiful dubstep tunes ever, clearly leans heavilly on a Barrington Levy sample, an artist that has been a prolific "sample victim" from day one. But unlike all the other jungle, drum 'n' bass and dubstep tracks out there, using mainly Barrington Levy tracks like "Here I come", "Under mi sensi" and "Murderer," the vocal part in "Forever" didn't ring a bell, and yet, sounded strangely familiar Even hardcore Barrington fans, struggling with the same dilemma, couldn't identify it for me. In the end, though, I found the tune on the net. If you listen to the sample, you'll hear some heavy hissing which, I figured, may very well stem from an audience. After checking the net for Barrington live performances I found out "Forever" does sample the song "Here I come," but a live version of it, and instead of using the chorus, Conquest uses a part in which Barrington Levy rides the riddim in a brilliant freestyle, boasting about his woman: "She give me love."

The Qemists - Dem Na Like Me sample Morgan Heritage - Uncomfortable
"Stop that train, I wanna get on, my baby she is leaving me noooooow.." It was a rocksteady hit for Keith & Tex in 1967, was an international smash in 1982 when Clint Eastwood & General Saint launched their remake of it, and it was again heavily in rotation in 2004 when the Big Yard label released a stunning one-drop version of it: Stop that train is one of those riddims that never seem to fail.

The 2004 edition of the riddim enjoyed its biggest succes with a Morgan Heritage cut, called "Uncomfortable" (aka "Hail up the lion") which is exactly the version that can be heard in the Qemists (featuring Wiley on vocals) hit "Dem na like me" which is hitting it big right now. You can hear the guitar part quite well, but listen carefully and you'll also hear the "ow!" part with which Morgan Heritage start off their tune.

Probably more to come in the future!

D-ROK :: ORIGINALS vs REMAKES

While listening to hiphop, did you ever wonder where that massive intro/break/hook came from? Well, I do. Actually it happens to me all the time: while listening to reggae (lots of Impressions/Al Green/ Drifters/ Brook Benton and so on covers to be found here), dubstep (lots of contemporary roots reggae to be found here), instrumental hiphop ( example: Wax Tailor's new album starts with that great "museum dubplate" made by Nate Harrison about the "amen break") and the good thing is: it's all vice versa. For instance: while listening to reggae you might just find a superb soul version of it, if you dig hard enough. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: keep your ears open and you'll always find new and interesting music. And that's how I found D-Rok's "Break up mix" on a site called "t Nieuwe Werck."

"t Nieuwe Werck is a dutch website where all kinds of people drop their mixes. They've got quite a few online now, and it always makes for interesting listening, but D-Rok's mix is the one you should check out for sure. It's a nice mix of originals versus its hiphop remakes. Which reminds me to update that "reggae vs soul" mix i've been making for ages now...Well, for now, here is the tracklisting to D-Roks gem:

- Bobby Caldwell - Open Your Eyes
- Common - The Light
- James Brown - Blind Man Can See It
- Das Efx - They Want Efx
- Kool and the gang - N.T (Edit)
- Q-Tip - Breathe And Stop
- NWA - Express Yourself
- Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Express Yourself
- The Trammps - Rubber Band
- Mary J Blidge - Hate It Or Love It (Remix)
- Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers - Hey Jude
- Gang Starr - DWYCK (Instrumental)
- Herbie Hancock - Wiggle Waggle
- King Bee - Back by dope demand
- Big Daddy Kane - Warm It Up Kane
- Big John Hamilton - Big Bad John
- Betty Wright - Clean Up Woman
- Mary J Blidge - Real Love
- Leon Haywood - I Wan't To Do Something Freaky To You
- Dr.Dre - Nothin' but A G Thang
- Billy Paul - Let The Dollar Circulate
- Steve Spacek - Let The Dollar Circulate (Instrumental)
- The Emotions - Blind Alley
- Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'
- Eric B and Rakim - I Know You Got Soul
- Bobby Bird - I Know You Got Soul
- All the people - Cramp Your Style
- KRS-One - Still # 1
- Slum Village - Selfish
- Aretha Franklin - Call Me
- Dynasty - Adventures In The Land Of Music
- Camp Lo - Luchini aka This Is Iy
- Special Ed - I Got It Made
- Ripple - I Don't Know What It Is But It Shore Is Funky
- John Klemmer - Free Soul
- Akinyele - Put It In My Mouth

Download D-Rok's Break up mix here
and be sure to visit 't Nieuwe Werck for more here

Check the Sample: Amen, Brother by the Winstons

The "Amen break" is one of the most frequently used sampled drum loops in jungle and drum and bass music. It consists of 16 beats of the drum break lifted from the song "Amen, Brother" as performed by the 1960s funk/soul outfit The Winstons. The song is an uptempo instrumental rendition of an older gospel music classic. The Winstons' version was released as a B-side of the 45 rpm 7" vinyl single "Color Him Father" in 1969 on Metromedia. The Amen break can be found in many different forms: looped straight as in old-skool drum and bass, or entirely dismembered and rearranged as in some tunes by artists like Squarepusher and Aphex Twin; it is used in literally thousands of drum and bass songs and (notably) many hip hop tunes, such as NWA's "Straight Outta Compton". The Amen break has also been used by more well-known musical acts including Perry Farrell and Nine Inch Nails, and can even be heard in the background of car commercials and television shows such as The Amazing Race and Futurama. The Winstons were a Washington D.C.-based soul act led by Richard Spencer, signed to Curtom in early 1968 and lasted there for one single, the rousing "Need a Replacement." They had a sound that was somewhat similar to the Impressions, but were unfortunate enough to have signed with Curtom before the label had national distribution, and the single never got the play it should have. A year after leaving Curtom, they hit for the Metromedia label with a huge single called "Color Him Father," which became a Top Ten R&B and pop hit, just missing number one on the R&B list, and also earned a Grammy for Best R&B Song. It was both a great tribute number and outstanding lead vocal from Richard Spencer, along with Ray Maritano, Quincy Mattison, Phil Tolotta, Sonny Peckrol, and G.C. Coleman. Mattison and Coleman were veterans of Otis Redding's band. The Winstons eventually toured as the backup band for the Impressions, but never again made any noise on the charts. And never got paid for their break.

Check http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Agency/3263/ for what they are doing at the moment.

Some of the tunes using the Break: 2 Live Crew - "Feel Alright Yall", 3rd Bass - "Wordz of Wisdom”, 4 Hero - "Escape That", Amon Tobin - "Nightlife", Aphex Twin - "Boy/Girl Song", Atari Teenage Riot - "Burn Berlin Burn”, Brand Nubian - "The Godz Must Be Crazy", Deee-Lite - "Come on In, the Dreams are Fine",Dillinja - "The Angels Fell", Eric B and Rakim - "Casualties of War", Funky Technicians - "Airtight", Goldie - "Chico: Death of a Rock Star”, Heavy D - "Let it Flow", Heavy D - "Flexin'", Heavy D - "MC Heavy D!", Heavyweight - "Oh Gosh”, J. Majik - "Your Sound", J. Majik - "Arabian Nights", Lemon D - "This is Los Angeles", Level Vibes - "Beauty & the Beast", Lifer's Group - "Jack U. Back (So You Wanna Be a Gangsta)", Ltj Bukem - "Music", Maestro Fresh Wes - "Bring it On", Mantronix - "King of the Beats”, Movement Ex - "KK Punani", Nice & Smooth - "Dope Not Hype", NWA - "Straight Outta Compton", Oasis - "Do Y'Know What I Mean”, Roni Size - "Brown Paper Bag", Salt-N-Pepa - "Desire", Scarface - "Born Killer", Schoolly D - "How a Black Man Feels".

Information was lifted from the excellent sites Allmusic.com and Wikepedia.org

RECOMMENDED: Click here if you are interested in elevating your consciousness & understanding of music as it is today, then listen to Nate Harrison's oral history of the Amen break, placed into his cultural background!