The Natural Selector

My Dailysession Mixes

2008-06-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jon@Dailysession and DJ Monchan@Zakka for inviting me to play! Click the links to stream or download the mixes, and to check out tracklists:

SESSION 112: ZAKKA 06.09.08 HR.2

SESSION 82: ZAKKA 04.21.08 HR.2

SESSION 40: ZAKKA 01.28.08 HR.2

SESSION 20: ZAKKA 12.17.07 HR.2

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

2008-06-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!!!!
A DJ Mix By Jesse Mann
>>>DOWNLOAD HERE<<<

TRACKLIST:
01. Trusme - Tony Does What Tony Wants
02. Kalabrese - Auf Dem Hof
03. Pier Bucci - Hay Consuelo (Samim Remix)
04. Loco Dice - La Esquina
05. Furry Phreaks feat. Terra Deva - All Over the World (Atjazz Dub)
06. Phonique - Lizard
07. Marc Houle - Edamame
08. Style of Eye - The Big Kazoo (Nacho Lovers Edit)
09. Riva Starr - La Conga
10. Catz n Dogz - Fixation
11. AKA The Junkies - Kinijntje
12. Trickski - Move Me (Phonique Remix)
13. Nick Chacona - The Next
14. Booka Shade - Numbers
15. I:Cube - Pazuzu
16. Badmouth - Anymore (Phonique Remix)
17. Daso - Idee
18. Milton Jackson - Ghosts in My Machines
19. Tiger Stripes - Survivor
20. The Dreamers - Home Run
21. Jonas Bering - I Can't Stop Loving You
22. Booka Shade - Charlotte
23. Simian Mobile Disco - Wooden

DRUM & BASS!!!

2007-09-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm playing a D&B show next month! Expect me to play a set similar to this mix below. This is the stuff that really got me into DJing. Click on the flyer for more info on the show and the party, The Secret Night of Science, which happens to be the best D&B party in NYC, at one of the best venues in NYC, LOVE. Needless to say I'm pretty excited to pull these records out after what's been way too long.

Enjoy!

Jesse Mann Live at The Pond 'Net Radio

(((LISTEN)))

Tracklist:
Spiritual South - Calypso Blues
Nicola Conte - Maria Moita
SP Collective - Sambassim
Drumagick - Sambarock
Bebel Gilberto - So Nice (Marky & XRS Remix)
Drumagick - Malandragem
Truby Trio - A Festa
Drumagick - A Night in Tunisia
Drumagick - Easyboom
DJ Roots - Sorriso De Floor
Digital - OK!
Danny Breaks - Astral Vibes
Use of Weapons - Mojo Woman
Klute - Phone Call (Matrix Remix)
Everything But The Girl - Blame
J Majik Feat. Kathy Brown - Love is Not a Game
Sci Clone - Hold On
Rob & Goldie - Shadow (Underworld's Bing Here Remix)
Odyssey - Object
Seba - Soul 2000
Skeema - Light My Way
Lamb - Gorecki (Global Communications Remix)
St. Etienne - The Sea (PFM Remix)
Hidden Agenda - 12 Seconds
Seba - The Hidden Key
Blu Mar Ten - Santur
Blu Mar Ten Vs. Erykah Badu - Baby You Got Me On & On
Blue Sonix - The Source

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO WOOHOO

2007-09-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

The Simian Mobile Disco show in NYC this past Saturday was pretty amazing. It's taken me a long time to warm up to the electro sound, but these guys played a HUGE part in that. Check out this light show!

As a little bonus, here's my favorite Simian song. It's certainly not one of the obvious ones, so much so that they didn't even play it...alas... It's a killer though! Reminds me a bit of Ken Ishii in a wierd way.

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO - WOODEN

xoxo!

Kanye "My head's so big you can't sit behind me" West

2007-09-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Holy crapola. I normally wouldn't just post up a youtube video that probably everyone and their mother has seen, but I finally stumbled upon this and just had a big old chuckle. Kanye West's video for "Stronger" is a straight up tribute to Katsuhiro Otomo's anime classic, AKIRA. Oh and it stars Daft Punk too.

How awesome is that? I heard he was recently whining again in public...but we still love you Mr. West!

Oh and I also wrote up a review of the new album on Prefix Magazine.

Ok, that's it! STADIUM STATUS!!!!!!!!

LIVE AT NO SELECTOR SUNDAYS!

2007-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll now baby!

Here's another mix, a really special one. Live and direct from my weekly jam NO SELECTOR SUNDAYS over in Williamsburg, recorded just this past Sunday for our Labor Day bash. And oh man, was it a bash. Take a look.

It was like this from 10:30pm pretty much straight on through to the end of the night. DAYAMN! Thanks to all you lovely people that came out and partied with us.

So anyway, on to the mix. This was my early set, a nice mix of jazzy beats blending into some funky disco and things to start off the night right. The tracklist is below, and please excuse a couple little technical foibles, the DJ setup at Bembe isn't quite 100% perfect and I was already getting berated with greetings and music requests early on. Gotta love those requests! Still, overall it sounds pretty good. Why don't you tell me what you think?

xoxo
-Jesse

Jesse Mann @ No Selector 9/2/07
>>>DOWNLOAD HERE<<<

tracklisting:

1. Quasimode - Lucky Luciano
2. Nostalgia 77 - Wildflower
3. Nina Simone - See-Line Woman (MAW Remix)
4. PR Records - Crazy
5. Nick Weston - Ugetsu
6. Juju Orchestra - Take Four
7. Christian Prommer's Drumlesson - Strings of Life
8. Slow Supreme - Havel Jazz Havel Ha
9. Kelley Polar Quartet - Ashamed of Myself (Osunlade Remix)
10. Morgan Geist - Most of All
11. Tracey Thorn - It's All True (Escort Remix)
12. Kotey Extra Band - Sooner or Later
13. Mark Rae - Medicine (Kraak & Smaak Remix)
14. The Canyons - Apples & Pears
15. Kerrier District - Let's Dance and Freak
16. Dorfmeister vs. MDLA - Boogie No More (Reverso 68 Remix)
17. Talking Heads - I Zimbra
18. Rolling Stones - Miss You (Extended Disco Version)

P.S. - I have to give a big shout to A Hole In The Sky Recordings out of Australia, the tune "Apples & Pears" by The Canyons, featured in this mix, is one of my favorite tunes right now. So smooth, so delightful! They're a brand new label so hit up their website and myspace page and show them some love!

Another new mix!

2007-09-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

So this is the first of a couple new mixes and things that I'll be uploading here in the next few days. It's been way too long since I updated this thing so here goes:

Sexy Beast Vol. 4 - mixed by Yours Truly
>>>>DOWNLOAD HERE<<<<

TRACKLIST:
1. Escort - All Through the Night
2. CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (Spankrock Remix)
3. Shapemod Feat. Snax - Love's Too Much
4. Daft Punk - Da Funk
5. Simian Mobile Disco - Hot Dog
6. Tape Deck Project - Moonbootica (Kid Alex remix)
7. Justice - Phantom (Soulwax Nite Version)
8. Madonna vs. LA Riots and Atlantic Connection - Angel Rock
9. Armand van Helden - I Want Your Soul (Fistfight's OG Crookers Chop)
10. Proper Villains - Summer In The City
11. Claude Von Stroke Pres. Mr Zim & Pablo Ingles - Peanut Butter Jelly Time
12. Martin Brothers - Stoopid
13. Tanner Ross vs. Wu-Tang - Tiger Style
14. Basement Jaxx - Right Here's the Spot (Switch Remix)
15. Bobby Konders - Nervous Acid
16. Nick Chacona - The Next
17. Zero 7 - You're My Flame (Justus Kohncke Remix)
18. Partial Arts - Trauermusik

So, the idea behind this mix was just to try my hand at some of the hipper sounds floating around on the internet, while adding my own little flavor to it. I just grabbed a bunch of tunes, tried out a couple transitions, then woke up the morning after and did it in one shot to see how it would come out. Using Serato plus two turntables and a mixer, after about 68 minutes, and I had something that I was pretty happy with, and ready to share with all of you, so enjoy. Here's some info about the tunes that I selected.

Escort - All Through the Night
I am absolutely in love with this band. Bringing disco back in the best possible way, these guys get on stage with anywhere between 12 and 15 members, and jam out the disco classics along with their own amazing productions. The best thing is, if you don't know their tunes, you can't even tell the difference between the covers and the originals. It's like 1977 all over again. "Starlight," their first single, is probably my favorite of theirs, but this new jam brings in a dash of the 80's and a whole lot of sex appeal and so I had to start this mix with it. Plus, I can plug the hilariously awesome video that's been made for the song! Just go look, it's right here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qqRDct1IDI8

CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (Spankrock Remix)
I used to hate these kinds of blasé bored sounding vocal stylings, but with this song, it just makes me laugh and smile. Add to that some fun disco vibes coming in the form of this Spankrock remix, and you've got a nice little jam. It's got the funky disco bass, and even drums sampled from the underground disco classic by Loose Joints, "Is It All Over My Face." Good stuff.

Shapemod Feat. Snax - Love's Too Much
Man, this guy Snax is a sexy mother SHUT YOUR MOUTH! Jamie Lidell comes to mind, but he's got way more of a Prince/P-Funk kind of vibe going on here. Those high-pitched breathy vocals, and the ridiculous synth solos, This track is a monster. Let's not forget all that acid squelching chaos that comes in halfway through. I've been feeling this track for ages and even though this guy isn't on many people's radars just yet, he should be.

Daft Punk - Da Funk
Now I'm sure just about everybody on the internet will agree with me on this, but I must say that the entire debut album by the Daft boys still stands up today, as much as it did when it came out ten years ago. "Da Funk" was always my favorite, just an absolute killer on dancefloors big or small. So simple and so effective.

Simian Mobile Disco - Hot Dog
Out of all the big hot new electro/whateveryouwanttocallit bands a la Justice, Digitalism, etc. etc. I think these guys really take the cake in terms of craft, production, melody, and even pop sensibility. Their album Attack Decay Sustain Release is really tight all around, every track stands out and this one really hit me with its crazy percussive edits. It also happens to mix beautifully with the Daft song.

Tape Deck Project - Moonbootica (Kid Alex remix)
I can't remember for the life of me where I found this mix, but I really dug those arpeggios, and the funky live bass thing going on. I have a couple other more housey mixes of the tune, but this particular remix just seemed to work here best. Nice and melodic but still with a bit of a punch too.

Justice - Phantom (Soulwax Nite Version)
This brand new remix is beyond epic. This is like some 3am thousands of hipsters screaming kind of business right here. I love the first bit of the song for its relatively quiet tension after the initial rockout, and that's all I included here. A nice buildup to the more dancey portion of the mix.

Madonna vs. LA Riots and Atlantic Connection - Angel Rock
This is a little re-edit/remix deal from a couple West Coast folks, including Atlantic Connection who also happen to be a drum & bass outfit. Being a former D&B junkie, I really noticed the influence of the D&B structure in how this tune was put together. It's super DJ-friendly, for better or worse. It worked perfectly for this mix but is not the kind of thing to listen to from beginning to end. Way to make an old school Madonna song totally not cheesy though!

Armand van Helden - I Want Your Soul (Fistfight's OG Crookers Chop)
Holy crapola. This re-edit is ridonkulous. Armand's original, from his brand new album, is basically just a straight up 80's pop dance jam. The mix by Crookers just switches up and turns into an intense baltimore-influenced wonky house bit. Way heavier than the average b-more joint, these guys take their house production skills and apply it to a genre that could do with a bit more effort put into each track. Then, this guy Fistfight went and just combined the original with the remix and made the most ridiculously perfect genre transition piece.

Proper Villains - Summer In The City
This is a tune that I made with my good buddy Jon [S] who is one of the best engineers and producers I know. But getting him to finish a tune is sometimes like pulling teeth! We sat down together and made a fun little b-more remix of one of my favorite classic rock tunes. It's not as cut up as most b-more tunes and so it's a little more versatile, I think, almost with a straight up breaks kind of vibe. We made it a really long time ago but have been slacking hardcore about letting it out into the world, so here's another peek at it. Click on the track title above to download and go play it out in your clubs/ipods/car stereos and let me know how ya like it!

Claude Von Stroke Presents Mr Zim And Pablo Ingles - Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Here's Mr. Dirty Bird on some crazy cracked out tip. I don't know what else to say about this track, just listen to it. Way different than most of his stuff and 100 times sillier than his already wildly out there tech house sound. I love it, especially the phone ringing in the breakdown, and the big bad drop bass.

Martin Brothers - Stoopid
Here's a proper Dirty Bird tune by the brothers Martin. Justin Martin is about to come out with a killer mix CD for Buzzin' Fly, and the two brothers have been killing it here in NYC at their monthly party at APT, but this tune is still one of the best things to come out of the DB camp in my opinion. So funky, and so housey but electroey and just booty bassey at the same time. Does that make any sense at all? Just listen to it, dammit.

Tanner Ross vs. Wu-Tang - Tiger Style
This guy from Boston is a new addition to that Dirty Bird camp, and this white label bootie really shows that he's got the sound down. He also murdered CVS's "Who's Afraid of Detroit," and generally destroyed the APT crowd a few months ago filling in for CVS last minute at the first installment of their monthly. Yeah, I just played three Dirty Bird crew tracks in a row. What of it?!?!?!?

Basement Jaxx - Right Here's the Spot (Switch Remix)
And you thought I was going to make a mix of bloggy house without including a Switch remix! Of course I couldn't resist, but I had to dig deep for this one. This mix of the Jaxx from their Kish Kash album came out way before he became the king of this new house movement, but it showed the early efforts in living up to his name, starting out as a bouncey house number, and switching up into some heavy breaks. It's not nearly as over the top as his newer mixes, and I love it for that.

Bobby Konders - Nervous Acid
This is just one of those super duper gigantic classics. One of the earliest acid house tunes. It sounds really dated, but that giant acid buildup and drumroll just never ever fails. I think you could play this anywhere and current and/or former e-tards would put their hands up in the air and jump around uncontrollably.

Nick Chacona - The Next
Mr. Chacona is a house producer from right here in NYC, and he's branched out his sound to include some of the hipper disco elements at times. This track, done for the excellent 20:20 Vision label out of the UK, is probably my favorite of his, combining big room peaktime synths with a disco slap bass and thick drums. The slowly building tension comes to an awesome crescendo midway through and then just keeps twisting and turning. Man, you can just get lost in those winding arpeggiated synths.

Zero 7 - You're My Flame (Justus Kohncke Remix)
Call me a sentimental guy, but I love Zero 7. They make some of the most sultry, beautiful music anywhere. This was one of the standout tunes from their most recent album The Garden, and the German Justus Kohncke has done absolute wonders with his remix. It's got big swinging disco drums, trance-inducing arpeggios, and thick, sexy bass. The vocals have been slowed down and they run perfectly at the new tempo. I play this one all the time, and it always triggers makeout sessions on the dancefloor.

Partial Arts - Trauermusik
This is a perfect set closer. Partial Arts is a collaboration between two of the best remixers in the game right now, Ewan Pearson and Al Usher. For their Kompakt debut they made some of the most beautiful techno I've ever heard. The violins just kill me. It sounds so cold and industrial but at the same time melancholy and just gorgeous.

NATURAL SELECTIONS vol. 4

2007-06-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well boys and girls I've got a new mix finished, FINALLY. Temporary cover art, tracklist, link to download (thanks to my good buddy Steve Hubert) and embedded audio player all below. What more could you ask for?!? I'm psyched for this mix, I managed to go from Escort to Ed Banger, and everywhere in between in a little more than an hour. Click on the cover art to download and enjoy! Please leave comments or send me an email or otherwise harass me!

Tracklist:
1. Mocky Feat. Jamie Lidell - In The Meantime (Four Music)
2. George McRae vs. Todd Terje - I Get Lifted (Supreme)
3. Jackson Jones vs. Pilooski - I Feel Good (Put Your Pants On) (Dirty Edits)
4. Escort - Starlight (Darshan Re-Edit) (Escort)
5. Reverso 68 - Take Me Back To Yours (Eskimo)
6. Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix) (Polydor)
7. Stetasonic - All That Jazz (Dimitri's Remix) (Bootleg)
8. Marvin Gaye vs. Unknown - Got To Give It Up (Remix) (Bootleg)
9. Rhythm Roots All-Stars vs. Fela Kuti - JJD (Afro Soundsystem Remix) (Scion)
10. Recloose Feat. Joe Dukie - Dust (Peacefrog)
11. Snax - Immer So (Justus Kohncke Remix) (Four Music)
12. Plantlife - The Last Song (Chicken Lips Remix) (Gut Instinct)
13. Telesfor - Twos (Slope Remix) (Pulver)
14. Mr. Oizo - Patrick 122 (Edit) (Ed Banger)
15. Prince - Erotic City (Extended Mix) (Warner Bros.)
16. Runaway - Ain't Afraid to Beg (Wurst Edits)
17. Escort - Karawane (Escort)
18. Quasimode - Ipe Amarilo (Spiritual South Remix) (Raw Fusion)
19. Christian Prommer's Drumlesson - Strings of Life (Sonar Kollektiv)

Click in the auto-player above to play it!
OR...
Download from this link HERE

xoxo
-Jesse

Living with and Loving Owusu & Hannibal

2007-06-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day! A miracle!

So I discovered these guys after hearing one of their tunes on the exquisite Body Language Vol. 4 mix CD by DJ Dixon. I didn't know what to make of it, at first I thought it was some obscure early 80's underground pop song, with old school drum machines and two male singers hitting their harmonies. There's not much else to the track until some simple chords slowly creep in towards the end, but there's alot going on in those drums and harmonies. It's somewhere between early 80's pop, hipster electro and broken beat, one of the most unexpected combinations I can think of. Oh, let's not forget the delightfully twisted lyrics that I still can't quite figure out. Something about Annie's bust size, and a young man learning the sexual ropes from some hot chick. There's definitely something else going on here, but I've always been more of a melody kind of guy than a lyric guy, so I'll leave it to you to figure it out. The song of which I speak is called "What It's About". What's it all about indeed.

I'm going to leave it to their label, Ubiquity Records, to tell you more:

"They’ve got cosmic freak-outs, street smarts, and crossover ballistics packed into each next level track. Think Moody Man meets Steely Dan meets Scritti Polliti meets Dilla meets Jorge Ben meets Spacek and you’re getting kinda’ close."

"Designers like Arne Jacobson, Vernor Panton and Hans Wegner are household names for their standard setting Danish modern designs. Owusu and Hannibal are the first Danish sound designers that we’ve heard do anything remotely this innovative in a long time."

"Theirs is down tempo music that retains the capability of making bodies move. Their moody Detroit-style flavors mix with boogie tune stylings and some next-level hip hop flair."

Say no more Ubiquity, and thank you for getting this amazing music out there into the world. Suffice to say I'm in love with these boys.

So now, check out a few more choice tunes from their album, Living With..., which you should go buy from the Ubiquity website RIGHT NOW.

"A Million Babies"
"Lonnie's Secret"
"Watch Watch (Girls)"

blahg

2007-06-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

So I've obviously not been doing so hot at keeping this thing regularly updated. You know how it goes...BUT, I have good reason. I've been keeping quite busy with writing that is actually being seen...by alot of people on REAL websites and in PRINT! WOAH! So for the curious, check out some links and see what I've been writing elsewhere:

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black - Album Review in BPM Magazine

Heya Hifi Records - Label Profile on Coolhunting

Michael Fakesch - Dos - Album Review on Coolhunting

Matthew Dear - Asa Breed - Album Review on Coolhunting

Body Language Vol. 4 - Mixed by Dixon - Album Review on Prefix Magazine

Hot Chip - DJ Kicks - Album Review on Prefix Magazine

Escort - All Through the Night - Single Review on Prefix Magazine

xoxoxo

What a somber name for such a sunny band...

2007-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know how I managed not to find out about this band, but that's the beauty of music sometimes. There are so many amazing DJs, producers, bands, musicians, record labels, etc. etc. out there, that no matter how much you may think you know, there's bound to be somebody who slipped under your radar, or over, as it were.

The band to which I refer go by the name of Tortured Soul. They hail from Brooklyn, my current haunt, which makes it even more amazing that I never heard about them until now. Formed in 2001, Tortured Soul is a trio of fully live musicians that manage to recreate the deepest, most uplifting vocal house music you've ever heard. That's right, vocalist/drummer John-Christian Urich, keyboardist Ethan White, and bassist JKriv take those four simple elements and succeed in trumping the best of the deep house scene's veteran producers. They also always dress in dapper shirts, pants, and black ties for every performance. Such class!

I have yet to see them live myself, but from the looks of their Myspace page, they've got quite the following. The good word of some friends of mine is that these guys kill it live, and with this kind of sunny, smile inducing magic, I can't imagine it any other way. They've got an album out, and remixes of some of their choice tunes floating around, but very little info out on the 'net about them. Let's see if we can't spread the word a little. Check out some MP3 samples below, and buy their album Introducing Tortured Soul, released in 2006 on R2 and BBE:

"Fall In Love" - This song is just so unbelievably catchy and uplifting. some of the best house music I've heard in a long time.

"Epic" - Oh my goodness. As the title suggests, this one is a blinder. It's almost 10 minutes of funk, with skittering drums giving way to a slow-jam hip-hop tempo, only to speed up to breakneck house speed, and finally crash back down at the end. Their only instrumental track on the album, this one is also my personal favorite. This clip won't do the tune justice, you need to just go buy the album. Right now.

ESCORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Now, these guys have been getting a tiny bit of shine lately out here in the blogsphere, but they are just so good that I'm going to give them another big shout anyway. I was having a conversation with my buddy Bruce Tantum just the other night about these guys, about how no matter what your musical taste, biases, scenesterness (is that even a word?), etc., you cannot help but shake your ass to their music.

What kind of music might you ask? D-I-S-C-O. Straight up classic, 70's style disco. Without a hint of irony or shtick, this is pure, tasteful, funky, classy, infectiously danceable DISCO. They are known as Escort, and they are poised to do a bit of damage here in the NYC music scene. If you're up on the whole Metro Area / Rong Music etc. etc. tip, AKA if you are a music nerd and/or DJ, then you already are probably quite familiar with these guys. But, more importantly, if you're not, then you need to listen to the MP3 links below, and read on.

Most of the music is mainly concocted by a trio of producer/musicians, who then bring in a huge arsenal of talented people to put together some epic disco jams. Using anywhere from around 8 to 13 players, they make some serious live magic happen both on wax, and on the stage. A recent show at Barnard college, AKA Columbia's all-female sister school in uptown NYC opening for Fujiya and Miyagi, was a testament to that booty shaking quality. Imagine being in a room full of teenage hipster college girls (with a few ultra-fabulous young men) getting down in the boogie to these decidedly un-hipster 70's sounds...Yeah, you're jealous. I witnessed the spectacle with my own eyes and danced the night away with them.

Now to the music... So far Escort head honchos Dan Balis and Eugene Cho have dabbled in a few other disco productions on the likes of Rong Music, Metro Area's Environ, and Brique Rouge Recordings, but Escort proper has only 3 releases. And what killers they are. Oh, and let's not forget the group's amazing rework of Tracey Thorn's "It's All True" off her brand new LP. Oh don't worry, I know you're salivating for these gems, so I will shut up and let the music do the talking. MP3 links below, and links to buy the vinyls or some digital downloads for the non-DJs. These guys are my new obsession, and they will be yours too in about 2 minutes.

XoxO

Escort - Starlight (Escort #1) - This tune is pure bliss. Gives me chills every single time.

Escort - Love in Indigo (Escort #2) - IT'S ABOUT A PAIR OF SHOES!!!

Escort - Karawane (Escort #2) - This was my introduction to Escort. Monster percussion up the wazoo.

Escort - A Bright New Life (Escort #3)

Tracey Thorne - It's All True (Escort Extended Remix) (Virgin) - The rest of Tracey's album is amazing and I highly recommend checking it out.

BUY SOME VINYL!

BUY SOME MP3s!

(You can also find their tunes on the iTunes music store...)

Escort's Myspace

Escort's Official Site

Spotlight on Joe Dukie

2007-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

You probably don't know this man, but chances are you've heard his voice if you keep an ear to the ground for new and danceable organic grooves these days. I can't find too much background info on him but what I do know is that his real name is Dallas Tamaira, he hails from New Zealand, and does lead vocals for the super talented reggae/funk band Fat Freddy's Drop. You may also hear his silky smooth voice with the likes of other such dub/funk/soul minded musicians as Recloose and Boozoo Bajou, each of whom recruited "Joe" for their albums "Hiatus on the Horizon" and "Dust My Broom" respectively. Both are amazing albums, highly worth scooping up. Here are some tasty examples:

Just about every week, I drop this little gem at my residency NO SELECTOR SUNDAYS at Bembe in Williamsburg. Major funk in the trunk, never fails to get booties shaking no matter how early or late I play it.
Recloose feat. Joe Dukie - Dust (Peacefrog)

Or try this one on for size, from Boozoo's "Dust My Broom."
Boozoo Bajou feat. Joe Dukie - Take It Slow (!K7)

Finally, here's Joe's main event in all their funk glory, off of the amazing "Based on a True Story" LP:
Fat Freddy's Drop - Flashback (Kartel)
BONUS: Some remix pressure from Jazzanova:
Fat Freddy's Drop - Flashback (Jazzanova's Breathe Easy Mix) (Sonar Kollektiv)

You can cop most of this stuff, in either digital, CD, or 12" format, at JUNO RECORDS so go do it right now!

xoxo

Justus Köhncke

2007-03-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

If you're into the techno, the house, the electro, then there's some great music for you coming out of Germany at the moment. Do a little search and there are some names you'll see alot of: Ellen Alien, Sascha Funke, Michael Mayer, DJ Hell, BPitch Control, Kompakt, etc. etc.

Justus Köhncke is a name you might not have seen, but he's been around for ages, doing remixes galore, artist albums for Kompakt, and generally making some pleasant noise for quite some time. He caught my attention recently with a couple of choice remixes, showing a funkier side than you might expect from Deutschland. Here are a few of my faves:
Zero 7 - You're My Flame (Justus Köhncke Mix) (Ultimate Dilemma)
Snax - Immer So (Justus Köhncke Remix) (Four Music)

Now here's a remix of one of Mr. Köhncke's classic tunes on Kompakt, by new disco king Prins Thomas. This is a wonderful example of some really emotive and beautiful electronic music.
Justus Köhncke - Elan (Prins Thomas version) (Kompakt)

And an added bonus, here's another great recent release on Kompakt, by Partial Arts AKA Ewan Pearson and Al Usher. This one is also absolutely gorgeous.
Partial Arts - Trauermusik (Kompakt)

If you like what you hear, go to these sites to get some more info on the man:
Justus Köhncke's Myspace
Discogs Page
Buy his records here on JUNO

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The Beginning

2007-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, welcome to my little blog. I'm gonna keep this short and sweet and get right to the music. I'll be posting up info, mp3 samples, photos, links, and general musical musings, perhaps with the occasional off-topic rant. There's a ton of music floating around the blog world at the moment, but I'll be focusing mainly on DJs, producers, bands, etc, that you might not be hearing/reading about in your travels.

For my first musical contribution, please enjoy this old DJ mix of mine, from about a year and change ago.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Tracklist:
1. Fela Kuti & Africa '70 - Let's Start
2. Cymande - Bra
3. The Roots - Din Daa Da
4. Roy Ayers - Tarzan
5. Beatfanatic - Mas Que Malandro
6. Afro Soundsystem - Makossa
7. Sunburst Band - Big Blow (Joey Negro Remix)
8. Disconductor - Disco Rhythms
9. Jamie Lidell - When I Come Back Around
10. Bugz in the Attic - Booty La La
11. Irfane - Just a Little Lovin'
12. Povo - Hi Fly
13. Nery Bauer - Mercado Do Porto
14. Boozoo Bajou feat. Top Cat - Killa
15. John Arnold - Cabin Fever
16. Chris Lum - Alone Together
17. Stockholm Cyclo - Sticky
18. Ron Legends - A Little Jazz
19. Herbie Hancock - Karabali