moonrise

in light of tonight's full moon...

harnessing the creative energy coursing through me - i'd like to interpret one of my favourite tracks from one of my favourite producers.... here's my loose lyrical adaptation of nitin sawhney's slow-moving boundary-crossing love letter, "moonrise", vocals courtesy of rai singer, cheb mami and brazilian vocalist, nina rocha miranda.

don't feel sadness
when my light fades away
you'll leave the dark life
when you see the moon play
taking its place
you'll find waves of sadness
for your grace

and so one day
a story of peace
after the storm washes the pain
and a future that couldn't be
calm after the rain
with eyes that even in the dark, still see

and no, i don't speak brazilian portugese... if anyone can take on the arabic i'd be impressed...

nitin sawhney - moonrise (featuring cheb mami and nina rocha miranda):


related:

• hanine y son cubano - arabo-cuban improvisation
  
• la nina de la puebla - la zagala
  
• gigi shibabaw - gela
  
• anjelika akbar - orkide I + II

catch nitin sawhney in toronto this summer at the luminaTO festival.

get this at amazon

heligoland dream

when i was in south africa a couple of years ago i went to the home of a traditional healer, or sangoma. there were several of them gathered, throwing cowrie shells, chanting and calling to the sprits. it was fascinating watching them at work.

one approached me near the end of the night and asked me if i dream. "no", i told him, and if i do, i don't remember them. he advised me to blow my nose before sleeping.

and so i did. and i dreamed...

paradise circus, off of massive attack's latest album, heligoland captures the feeling of my dreamland, where even the most surreal scenes are met with a level head. nothing seems extraordinary, not until i wake in a daze and recall the twists and turns of events.

funny, more and more my dreams give me perspective. to remember them in all their fantastic imagination, is surely to understand life so much better.

dedicated to the sangomas in kwa zulu natal...

massive attack - paradise circus feat. hope sandoval
(feat. hope sandoval):
and for the dreamers... video
scenes taken from tarsem singh's surreal film, the fall. full of dalí-esque visuals sure to make you feel like you are dreaming:



related:

• sonar kollektiv orchester - rej
  
• nina simone - sinnerman
  
• lhasa - on the living road

get this at amazon

aussi beau que bon... bonobo

pure bliss...

there is something deep inside simon green that understands the relationship, the dance, the interplay between a guitar and double bass played in parallel, between the bass and drums played in tandem, and between the horns and xylophone played in turns.

then there's the relationship between simon's instrumentation and that magical, sensual, sweet voice that is bajka. you'll hear her throughout his third album, days to come.

it's on 'walk in the sky', that he creates a world that exists in the twilight, a world where i happily live, dance, dream and love... where words describe a private little utopia and where the percussion - that sweetly syncopated drum, triangle, and cowbell make my temperature rise higher and higher. but it's not just the pure attraction of complimentary sounds, it's also the substance that reels me in: the bliss, the universal truth:

"they live happily
for they know from the past
life simply doesn't last
so they live for today
for tomorrow they may
not be able to walk in the sky..."

bonobo - walk in the sky (feat. bajka):


the whole album is masterful. pure musical genius, aussi beau que bon! if you wanna shake the spell off... read 'between the lines', "we can't change the world but we can change the way we live"...

bonobo - between the lines (feat. bajka):


and finally, off the bonus CD... 4 minutes and 22 seconds of pure instrumental jazz-induced sonic breakdown...

bonobo - hatoa:


related:

• sonar kollektiv orchester - rej
  
• heliocentrics - sirius b
  
• yonderboi - riders on the storm

get this at amazon

magic sound fabric

in my waking life i found i've started to appreciate the tonal, the nonverbal and the silences in between conversations - finding that most conversation is a means-to-an-end rather than the end. 'talk is cheap,' i say, 'show me some action!'

enter magic sound fabric. cameron akhunaton (the name self-styled after the ancient egyptian sun-worshipping pharaoh) is a veritable empresario of formless mind-expanding ambient music. on uplift drift, however, he goes out on a limb, picking up percussion and rhythm, and blending the electronic with the acoustic, the profound with the carefree. what he's created is utterly clean, gently disciplined, undeniably infectious.

electronic voice-over, sultry basslines, surprise waves of wah-peddling electric guitar, trumpeting horns, poignant piano riffs, hints of celebratory hand-claps and a pensive tabla solo give 'my thoughts have become visible' its delicious and unexpected flavours.

expertly sequenced, the tracks on this album flow effortlessly with a perpetuum that exudes the very motion, the very relentlessness of life, the drama of nature unraveling with birth, death and everything that happens in between. without words. expect the unexpected.

but i digress. yes talk is cheap, let me listen-you the music.

magic sound fabric - my thoughts have become visible:


magic sound fabric - galaxy rise:


magic sound fabric - space traffic control:


can't wait to lay my hands on this year's release, observer. listen to this or get the release at www.magicsoundfabric.com or amazon.com

related to this:

• four tet - as serious as your life
  
• yonderboi - riders on the storm
  
• bruknahm project - siba dub plate
  
• heliocentrics - once upon a time

novalima

a few weeks ago i did something i don't do enough of and checked out a little-known band at a local music venue.

novalima is a multi-member outfit based in peru. my friend jc returned from a visit to lima in 2007 with novalima's eponymous (and rare, to my dismay) debut cd. it quickly fell on heavy rotation, bringing some heat and spice into the dying days of my winter... i've lost the cd and long to hear novalima again...

their first toronto gig was not something i wanted to pass up.

the latin-loving lula lounge was a hot, packed, sweating room throbbing with the deep polyrhythmic syncopations of this talented crew... and a whole lot of boogy-ing fans. the stage was almost too small but no lie, they made some big sound. the best way i can describe it is a groove-salsa-meets-conscious-electronic-dub-pounding-hop.

i had fun.

and until i get my hands on their first cd (rafael - if you're reading, send it on!), this will have to do...

novalima - ruperta/puede ser:


novalima - africa landó:

PS - i got them... thank you rafael...

related to this:

• up, bustle + out - all out king
  
• amadou + miriam feat. manu chao - senegal fast food
  
• hanine y son cubano - arabo-cuban improvisation

you can find this at www.novalima.net

sometimes i get a good feeling

derek vincent smith - finally moving

this colorado producer takes mood music to the next level. wanna throw your hands in the air? take a drive through the desert? tell someone how they make you feel? throw this on for size. smith has put his double length filling up the city skies up for download on his website. here he takes electonic music to the next level, sampling riffs, blips and vocals transcending vintage soul to current hip hop... part 1 is smith's self-styled "organic downtempo" autobiography. part 2, worthy of some major rump-shaking action, is what he plays at his live shows. don't take any of this lightly. smith is a mastermind of sound.

he ties up part 2 with a remix of finally moving, a track that he opens with the deep, velvety souldarling etta james introducing something's gotta hold on me... then comes an electrosonic ride complete with video game sounds, broken violin beats, thumping bass and vintage guitar riffs à la hendrix. the skies clear for a moment when etta returns rippling over a flourish of piano keys. just barely long enough to catch your breath before hopping back on the soundwave...

i get a good feeling... and i don't wanna get off.

pretty lights - finally moving (remixed):


related to this:

• up, bustle & out - all out king
  
• four tet - as serious as your life
  
• yonderboi - riders on the storm / pink solidism
  
• the blow - the love that i crave (strategy's strata club mix)
  

if you like what you hear, give a nod to smith... he's continously sharing his brilliance.

as serious as your life

another genius to inspire me with.

this one from camden, uk,
and had two records released by age 24, they say.

i simply don't get.
why kieran hebden goes by the name four tet.

see, he's only one guy.
they call his style "folktronica", and i can see why.

colourful guitar strums broken down by the pixel put back together
like a mashed up rubix cube pattern mutating forever.

but it works.

take a listen...

four tet - as serious as your life:


and then there's the jay dee remix,
same, same but sans guitar licks.



related to this:

• yonderboi - riders on the storm / pink solidism
  
• heliocentrics - once upon a time
  
• heliocentrics - sirius b
  
• mc 900 ft jesus - the city sleeps
  

riders on the storm / pink solidism

behold the boi-yonder....

i'm entering a phase of mind expansion. and nothing better to set it to than yonderboi. by age 24 this budapest-based composer had already released his second masterpiece-release, splendid isolation.

off his first - the double-length shallow and profound - comes this quasi-cover of the doors' riders on the storm.

easily, the most beautiful storm i've heard.

yonderboi - riders on the storm / pink solidism:


related to this:

• mc 900 ft jesus - the city sleeps
  
• bruknahm project - siba dub plate
  
• heliocentrics - once upon a time
  
• heliocentrics - sirius b
  

mission apollo

taking a break from reading resumés and this guy has been singing to me en francais for the last hour or so. and i feel so lucky and spaced out.

first heard him on cbc this afternoon in the car over. there is such a subtle joy in taking in new music in a self contained mobile machine made of black glistening metal as the sun shines down on a crisp fall afternoon. the music plays, the car accellerates, the tires spin faster, the wind catches in the slivers of open windows, and the world outside passes by: people going about their business, pushing carts on the sidewalk, opening doors for elderly people, waiting with their hot coffee for the street lights to change, then there's a girl bouncing along holding her boyfriends hand, he feeling so lucky and slightly embarrassed, watching as i zoom by lost in sound as i tap tap tap on my steering wheel inside and full steam ahead outside.

'mission apollo' was the track that got me. a trip-hopped-up electrically acoustic guitar radio-headded french vocal track that seized my being enough to make me pause and note the time and place so i could look up the track on a playlist just to relive it, remember what the world was like at that moment, perhaps capture it with words like i'm doing now.... as i procrastinate making decisions about who i'm going to spend 40 hours with each week.

one thing's for sure, it won't be the talented alexandre désilets - mission appollo:



available at: itunes.

related:

• une rose noire
  
• salty kisses
  
• l'ascenceur pour le ghetto

pyro music

go get your headphones. the big, black ones, the plush ones that cover your ears. just get them, now before it's too late.

this pyromaniac, arsonist narrates his secret obsession in a thin, tinny voice, which stands out against the voluptuous, melodic layered keys and deep echoes of the drums and high hats. as he sets fire to an old house, turntable scratches punctuate his story, creating even more depth. he's a great storyteller. the entire effect is a feeling of indulgence, of a gift to oneself.

an old favourite, this track takes me back to an embryonic state. all warm and gooey. all comfy and jelly-like. special.

and all alone.

ok, got em? plug in those headphones and give your self a few minutes. enjoy...

mc 900 ft. jesus - the city sleeps:


i always wondered what happened to mc 900 ft. jesus... his real name is mark griffin and apparently he's taken time off to learn to fly and now spins jazz music in a dallas night club.

thanks to david hornbuckle for posting this. get this at via the label store, nettwerk.

related:

• heliocentrics - sirius b
  
• heliocentrics - once upon a time

shiva's lounge

tony estrada - shiva lounge mix

i sometimes wonder how different life would have been if i was born in east africa like my parents or in india like my grandparents. i may have had a completely different musical palate, for one thing.

i've grown to appreciate the incredible vocal ranges, sophisticated scales and intricate instrumentation that are all part of classical indian music. but the pop stuff only made sense to me when i travelled to india the first time last year.

indian electronica, though, has been a great bridge for me. similar to indian cuisine, where spices are simmered together at the exact right time, indian music and electronica must be carefully combined to elicit an undeniable yet dramatic flavour. sometimes the results are disastrous. and at other times the results are incredible - and very addictive.

today's post features a podcast by chicago-based progressive house/trance producer and dj, tony estrada. this came to me courtesy of qasim virjee - also known in dj circles as abdul smooth, and his baby: www.indianelectronica.com.

the set starts off a bit bland. with track names like "lost in reflection" and "pink elephant" i wondered if tony's track selection resulted from too many india pale ales... but halfway through the mix i heard it: nomadix's beautiful remix of asha bhosle's cinematic classic 'chura liya'. this was immediately followed by meme's 2001 nights mix of shakira's 'ojos asi'.

seriously.

these were followed by some infectious electric-cairo-disco, including a must-hear version of "walk like an egyptian' by cleopatra + hakim, and tony's own rhythmic remix of dead can dance's 'saldek', topped by 'haram aleyk' by the yalla-chant queen herself, natacha atlas... some great hip shaking tunes.

i suddenly want to jet to mumbai... and if i did, i'd be lucky to check out qasim's mumbai instalment of the indian electronica music festival.

in the meantime, tony estrada's 2006 shiva lounge mix:


related to this:

• gigi shibabaw - gela

15.0 the bruknahm project - siba dub plate

i've been itching to fly lately... dreaming of traveling to distant lands and escaping the big rat race. exchanging it all for a little exploration, some intrigue and a welcome nod to the unexpected.

translation: i have not had a holiday in a long time.

so in what would ordinarily be a mundane sunday morning routine of making breakfast and autopiloting into cleanup mode, i've decided to post something to launch my spirit out of this world.

the bruknahm project is sebastian bardin and saundi wilson, from paris, rio de janiero, and los angeles. they live in nyc and produce an eclectic mix of jazz, trip hop, middle eastern vibes, dub, electro, french chantilly lace, hip hop, breakbeat and everything that sounds good with all that.

on their myspace page, they eloquently describe themselves like this:
the block party, the won ton, the teflon don, roti, natty dread, norman's bread, fascati's pie, do or die, nickels and dimes, restoration, the slave, nyabingi's, smurf village, nathans, the guaguanco, the plantano, kim chi, o.e., the conservatory, the bullet proof joint, bam, the kosher deli, jube, the promenade, the pierogis, the pjs, the yarmulca, the dollar van, medina, masjeed, the b-ball, the beats, the cipher, 90 nations.............one love

and wherever that is, i'm there.

bruknahm project - siba dub plate, my great escape:

13.1 heliocentrics - sirius b

so there's more where that came from...

heliocentrics - siris b:


related:

• heliocentrics - once upon a time
  
• pyro music

13.0 heliocentrics - once upon a time

there's nothing quite like brain food, the stuff you listen to late nights working on something good. and while everyone around has fallen asleep, you stay awake addicted to the beat.

ok....
enough said.
this is what it sounds like in my head.

heliocentrics - once upon a time:


related:

• heliocentrics - sirius b
  
• pyro music

10.0 hifana - wamono

ok people!

special interactive instalment of 'this is what it sounds like...'
this one is for the movers, the shakers, the music-makers:)

get your inspiration from hifana - a 'hiphop' / breakbeat / electronic / experimental duo from tokyo, who gave up backing bellydancers (seriously) to do their thing. pushing the boundaries of description, they use sampling, beats, breaks, video games, percussion and distortion in a way that i can best only compare to coldcut.

first check the wamono video:


ok - your turn to 'fresh push'

hifana's site has a sound machine (à la mixman studio) so now you too can play!
check it out here.

instructions:
- once the welcome screen stops spinning, click it!
and there's your playground, so play the record!
- choose one of the two orange presets at the top of the console on the right (i like 'lanlan')
- play around with the thing in the middle! seriously, almost everyhing including the cans and keys on the page is clickable.

et voilà, you're making music. or maybe dancing?!

7.1 oddiofile - costa del sol

thought it may be so very sweet of myself to include oddiofile's costa del sol playlist for you true audiophiles out there...

et voilà!

ODDIOFILE - COSTA DEL SOL - JULY 16, 2006

Gotan Project-La Cruz Del Sur-Ya Basta
Shawn Ward-Alma Jazz-Dance Wicked
Freddy Fresh feat. Boricua All Stars-Flamenco-Howlin
Truby Trio feat. Concha Buika-Jaleo (Cuica Remix)-Compost
Lanu-Mosquito Coast-Freestyle
Scuba-Te Quiero-Work White
Matthias Heilbronn with The Candela All-Stars-Brobombique-Candela
Javi P3z Orchestra-Futbolin (Watch TVs Broken Rumba Mix)-HiTop
Mojo Project-La Tristeza (Alex Acosta Mix)-Love Monk
Jazztronik-Madrugada (Club Mix)-Especial
Julius Papp-A Flower Blossoms-Loveslap
Malone-Musica-Kosmic
Wahoo-Holding You (Full Version)-Sonar Kollektiv
Madrid de los Austrias-Un Mensaje (Extended Take)-Sunshine Enterprises

7.0 madrid de los austrias - un mensaje

today it got cold. i was in montreal walking around the sidewalks and noticed folks breaking out the down vests, the mufflers and the hats.

there were a few sun worshippers about.. you know who you are. you who refuse to allow summer to get away so quick, wearing your tanks and skirts and sandals despite the chill in the air... and i applaud you.

today's musical note is dedicated to you.

here's something from a duo from austria, who make music that sounds like it was from madrid. possibly explaining why they are called madrid de los austrias. their first release was called amor. the follow up? mas amor. these guys don't mess around. my favourite is a throaty vocal flamenco chillout track, which i heard at the very end of a sultry end-of-summer costa del sol podcast by oddio... so don't put away the tanks, the skirts the sandals just yet.

madrid de los austrias - un mensaje:


related to this...
costa del sol

5.0 the visionnaires - runnin'

how true... you can't keep running away. although it's so tempting sometimes...

the visioneers - runnin':

3.0 the blow - the love that i crave (strategy's strata club remix)

i'm feeling electric.... this song has captured my mood instantly... lyrical punctuation (yes i had to look them up!)...and induced some instinctive rump-shaking action...

the love that i crave is a polar bear to gore me
then i'd know the force with which she adored me
the love of my dreams is the stuff of my nightmares
when I wake up in screams, that's how i know that i really care

i must await the swing of the scorpion's tail
all my impatient advances come to no avail
little pinches and pokes, they don't mean a thing
compared to a true arrival and the shock that it brings

pick it up, try it, get tired of it, rewind
i'm so tired of being wasted, just chasing the same old thing
i want to get hit by a big thing, come take me, change me

the blow - the love that i crave (strategy's strata club remix):