A very ( early ) good morning followers ,disciples and non-believers .It's 5.30 am and no I'm not at the end of one of my once-legendary " all-nighters " I always get up at 5 on a Saturday to listen to Rob Da Bank's brilliant Radio 1 show......a great mix of modern electronica,alternative ,folk etc etc,you can listen back to the latest show for a week at www.radio1.co.uk/robdabank..........a great way to keep abreast of what's happening .
From 1978-1980 I was one of the Soul Mafia DJ's playing the first 4 Caister Weekenders,various all-dayers and running the legendary Papillon club in Brighton ( my spiritual home and still my favourite place to be ). Me and Pete Tong were the bottom of the bill then,obviously one of us went on to achieve greatness.....and the other was Pete Tong.
Today,after a 30-year absence ,I am going back to a Soul Weekender - The Bournemouth Soul Weekender in fact . I honestly can't wait to see a lot of old friends ( I will be in the bar at The Carrington from 6 with Paul Clark and the crew ) and hear some classic tunes .
Talking of Bournemouth brings me to today's music tip .....
Deborah Jordan is a young Soul/Jazz vocalist from Bournemouth , I'm told ( I'm not wikipedia so if I'm wrong - tough ) and her album " The Light " on Futuristica Music is a great soul/jazz album reminiscent of the early Mizel Brothers Productions ( Bobbi Humphrey,Donald Byrd ,The Blackbyrds etc ) on Blue Note.Its the perfect Sunday morning chill-out album......highly recommended
Also recommended is Danny Byrd's brilliant mental drum and bass tune " Ill Behaviour "THE party record of the year ( agreed Cal ? ) " Rave Digger " ( GREAT title ) is one of the best dn'b albums you will hear with some proper " Old-skool " rave pianos etc........totally uplifting stuff.
As I'm typing Rob is playing " Night Nurse " as a tribute to the Gregory Isaacs " The Cool Ruler " who tragically passed away this week.............RIP Gregory ,one of the real all-time greats .
So Bournemouth and Ill-Behaviour............quite a combination !!!!
As it's a Saturday I have to say a mighty " Come On You Saints " to my beloved Southampton away at Notts County
Have a great Saturday ,thank you for all the positive messages you've sent me ,I really appreciate them
Rave On ! x
PS tomorrow's blog will be written on my return from Bournemouth so you're just gonna have to wait
Friday 29 October 2010
Urban Scmurban
Morning ,I'm enjoying writing this blog a lot ,I hope those of you who read it are finding it informative and entertaining .If not ,tough ,I'm not stopping .
So Urban -Scmurban....what's it all about ? I'm a massive fan of good British Urban music and I accept that I am older than the target audience for today's young British Urban artists . Unfortunately although there are so many UK Urban acts being successful now which is a good thing the fact the remains that most of it is CRAP ! Derivative,mindless bragging seems to be the major requirement for UK Urban/Grime/Pop success....honourable exception is Proffessor Green whose tracks combine a great sense of humour and self-deprecating lyrics.
I think that the best artists combine great talent with the REAL X-factor ,a certain star-quality that cannot be manufactured and an inherent sense of class.......Marvin,Madonna,David Bowie
A young lady who I think could go on to achieve real greatness ,and today's music tip,is the wonderful Andreya Triana whose album " Lost Where I Belong " is simply brilliant. A great new talent and a great album.......youtube her " A Town Called Obsolete " or the amazing " Darker Than Blue " then go BUY it .
Talking of buying records 30 years ago I sold records in City Sounds - the best job I ever had ! The decline of independent record stores is a real tragedy but I'd like to recommend Carl and Neil at Sounds Of The Universe ,7 Broadwick St ,London W1F 0DA or www.soundsoftheuniverse.com . Virtually everything I recommend will be available from then .They are friendly ,knowledgeable and helpful.....its a great place to buy great Soul Music.
Listen to at least one great song today ....then see how much better you feel after ,music.......there's nothing like it for lifting the spirit !
So Urban -Scmurban....what's it all about ? I'm a massive fan of good British Urban music and I accept that I am older than the target audience for today's young British Urban artists . Unfortunately although there are so many UK Urban acts being successful now which is a good thing the fact the remains that most of it is CRAP ! Derivative,mindless bragging seems to be the major requirement for UK Urban/Grime/Pop success....honourable exception is Proffessor Green whose tracks combine a great sense of humour and self-deprecating lyrics.
I think that the best artists combine great talent with the REAL X-factor ,a certain star-quality that cannot be manufactured and an inherent sense of class.......Marvin,Madonna,David Bowie
A young lady who I think could go on to achieve real greatness ,and today's music tip,is the wonderful Andreya Triana whose album " Lost Where I Belong " is simply brilliant. A great new talent and a great album.......youtube her " A Town Called Obsolete " or the amazing " Darker Than Blue " then go BUY it .
Talking of buying records 30 years ago I sold records in City Sounds - the best job I ever had ! The decline of independent record stores is a real tragedy but I'd like to recommend Carl and Neil at Sounds Of The Universe ,7 Broadwick St ,London W1F 0DA or www.soundsoftheuniverse.com . Virtually everything I recommend will be available from then .They are friendly ,knowledgeable and helpful.....its a great place to buy great Soul Music.
Listen to at least one great song today ....then see how much better you feel after ,music.......there's nothing like it for lifting the spirit !
Wednesday 27 October 2010
Educate,Agitate and Organize
Ok ,day 2 of my mission to " educate ,agitate and organize " ( a quote from one of the GREAT early hip-hop records - Education Rap by Community People ,check it out ).
Educate- increase your knowledge and enjoyment of great " Music For The Soul " - not just Soul music by the way .I signed LeftField and Grooverider so I'm gonna talk about electronic music ,drum and bass ,rap -it doesn't matter what the genre as long as it is QUALITY
Agitate- by just being me ,thats what I'm like .God blessed me with great taste........fact .If I think something is wrong or just plain crap ( hello Simon,Louie,Cheryl etc ) I'm gonna name and shame
Organize - that's gonna take some time but today 4 followers.......tomorrow 6 ?
When I was growing up falling in love with Soul music ( Marvin,Curtis Mayfield ,James Brown,Gamble & Huff ,Norman Whitfield ) Soul music served a vital purpose....it was THE music of social protest for a large part of society in America who had no voice ,a role now taken mostly by rap. The best Soul music comes from PAIN - the pain of everyday life in today's world - listen to Curtis Mayfield's " There's No Place Like America Today album " to hear what I mean.
Today as life turns hard we find ourselves seeking solace in music to raise our spirits.....at least I do . There is a debut album just out by a young man called Aloe Blacc .The album is called " Good Things " and one listen to the opening track " I Need A Dollar " tells you all you need to know about him . He was on Jools Holland on Monday nite so go get a coffee ,get your i-player on and watch a great performance by a new contender ....it will make you feel good and grateful ( remember gratitude ? )
Finally if you're reading this please follow me ,tell your friends etc etc
I buy all the music I talk about on this blog - I don't think music should be free...we intrinsically don't value stuff that we get for free
Music is ART ,it has value and worth !
Finally ,here's a question for you :
What's the greatest album ever made ? To me the answer is easy Marvin Gaye " What's Going On ".......post your choice
Educate- increase your knowledge and enjoyment of great " Music For The Soul " - not just Soul music by the way .I signed LeftField and Grooverider so I'm gonna talk about electronic music ,drum and bass ,rap -it doesn't matter what the genre as long as it is QUALITY
Agitate- by just being me ,thats what I'm like .God blessed me with great taste........fact .If I think something is wrong or just plain crap ( hello Simon,Louie,Cheryl etc ) I'm gonna name and shame
Organize - that's gonna take some time but today 4 followers.......tomorrow 6 ?
When I was growing up falling in love with Soul music ( Marvin,Curtis Mayfield ,James Brown,Gamble & Huff ,Norman Whitfield ) Soul music served a vital purpose....it was THE music of social protest for a large part of society in America who had no voice ,a role now taken mostly by rap. The best Soul music comes from PAIN - the pain of everyday life in today's world - listen to Curtis Mayfield's " There's No Place Like America Today album " to hear what I mean.
Today as life turns hard we find ourselves seeking solace in music to raise our spirits.....at least I do . There is a debut album just out by a young man called Aloe Blacc .The album is called " Good Things " and one listen to the opening track " I Need A Dollar " tells you all you need to know about him . He was on Jools Holland on Monday nite so go get a coffee ,get your i-player on and watch a great performance by a new contender ....it will make you feel good and grateful ( remember gratitude ? )
Finally if you're reading this please follow me ,tell your friends etc etc
I buy all the music I talk about on this blog - I don't think music should be free...we intrinsically don't value stuff that we get for free
Music is ART ,it has value and worth !
Finally ,here's a question for you :
What's the greatest album ever made ? To me the answer is easy Marvin Gaye " What's Going On ".......post your choice
My First Post
Hi , I have decided to join the online horde of bloggers to help bring great music to your attention. Why do I think I'm qualified ? Forgive me if it takes me a bit of time to get this as good as I want it to be
Because in a 20 year A&R career I signed:
Soul II Soul ,LeftField,Maxi Priest,Inner City,Mantronix,Loose Ends,Grooverider,DJ Rap, amongst others ......that's why !
I have no affiliation with any label,publisher etc but I do manage 3 artists and I will make that clear when I write about then
I'm doing this because I love music ,it's my profession and in a world of X-Factor crap I still believe it is important and can raise our hearts when times are tough ....like now.
There is no better album out there than John Legend & The Roots " Wake Up ".....go buy it ,or listen to it,if you like it then I'm glad that I've helped improve the qualiiy of your life
" Wake Up everybody No More Sleeping In Bed " has never been more relevant
The Soul Guru
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