This Wednesday, with the all-volunteer help of Spectacle Theater’s Akiva, Cassie D, and Zoe S, and WFMU’s Mike A, Bill B, and Dave E, we were able to continue our strange and occasionally bumpy journey down the path of live radio built from video clips & staged before an audience.
It’s an uncanny performance mode, talking to a roomful of bodies seated before Spectacle’s screen but knowing that many many more are listening at home, and attempting to create a path that works for both. Feels ‘experimental’ in the word’s basic sense: something for which the process and its possible outcomes aren’t yet established.
For the first of these radio-Spectacle nights, I screened Khaled & Cheb Mami rai comedy 100% Arabica, then in December it was Nass El Ghiwane documentary Transes.
And this Wednesday, on the first day of Black Mystery Month, I teamed up with Lamin Fofana, Chief Boima, and Old Money to host AFRO-SPECTACLE, two hours of live radio constructed entirely from DVDs & VCDs purchased in African-run stores in New York City, followed by a screening of Nollywood-NYC film God’s Own Country.
Are here are two selections from the evening: a jam Lamin & I have been into forever, a perfect song basically, based on an international collaboration between Sékouba Bambino & Kandia Kouyaté.(Lamin’s Brooklyn-purchased video version had much higher quality that this youtubery, alas.)
And my contribution to AFRO-SPECTACLE, a Don Cornelius homage in the form of David Bowie performing ‘Fame’ on Soul Train.
Join us at Vaudeville Park, 26 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, on Saturday January 28th 9pm-late… we’ll play good music and drink delicious drinks. Dutty hombre Taliesin will be there. Long time internet/blog friend Dave Quam, now producing music for Kingdom’s Fade To Mind label as Massacooramaan will also DJ.
The Embassy is the name of my weekly WFMU radio show. We broadcast at 91.1 FM in New York and 90.1 in the Hudson Valley, and of course we on the internets. You can stream last night’s show and check here for the playlist.
I was quiet for most of 2011 when it comes to releasing original music. To be honest, I was a bit hard on myself. I’m finally getting out of that muck, and feeling ready now. I’m planning to put out several releases this year, on Dutty Artz as well as branching out to other labels.
Please find details for my first release of 2012 below. Titled Dubious Prey, it comes out on limited vinyl January 30th, then a digital release with additional remixes shortly follows. London label Sticks N Stones is releasing it… SNS a small new label owned and operated by my friend Aramac, and distributed by ST Holdings. Artwork, tracklisting, YouTube and SoundCloud previews – all below.
artist: Lamin Fofana
title: Dubious Prey
label: Sticks N Stones Recordings (Distributed by S.T. Holdings, UK)
date: 30th January for vinyl / 27th February for digital
Vinyl
A – Brokedown City
A2 – Dubious Prey
B – Brokedown City (Aramac Remix)
Digital
1. Dubious Prey
2. Brokedown City
3. Brokedown City (Aramac Remix)
4. Brokedown City (Svpreme Fiend Mix)
5. Brokedown City (Mayster & Contakt Rebuild)
6. Brokedown City (La Ola Criminal Remix)
Yesterday, XLR8R premiered the first cut from Dubious Prey, “Brokedown City”
NYC-via-Sierra Leone DJ/producer and Dutty Artz affiliate Lamin Fofana is set to release a new EP, Dubious Prey, the follow-up to his 2010 debut EP, What Elijah Said. The new EP features two originals, including this one, “Brokedown City,” a dark but still active piece of techno with a steady four-on-the-floor. The song’s notably tropical percussion is buffeted by potent synth lines, which bleed in and out of the song, and a barely audible vocal sample that occasionally slips into the mix…
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2012 is here. While we’re all waiting for the mayan clock to tick over and usher in either the apocalypse or the dawn of a wonderful new era I suggest you get your mind right with the spirit world. The spirits in question here are those concerned with getting drunk, dancing your ass off and sweating out a year worth of ghouls and goblins. ˙∆ INFOS ∆˙ DUTTY ARTZ SWEAT LODGE DJs: Geko Jones Matt Shadetek Atropolis Lamin Fofana Taliesin Friday Jan 6th 10PM-4AM $$ FREE $$ ADMISSION at The Cove, 108 N. 6th St, Brooklyn NY. Take the L train to Bedford or G to Lorimer and walk. >> RSVP ON FACEBOOK <<
Our friend Daniel Perlin (a.k.a. N-Ron, but you’ll soon know him as Merlin) is throwing a crazy end of year houseparty at a space in downtown Brooklyn – Please join us in celebrating the amazing year that was 2011 and the arrival of 2012! Help us push away the spirit of apocalypse… He’s gone and invited the incredibleRipley, yrs truly, and some special guests. MORE details after Saul Williams, c. the year two thousand:
Saul Williams – Penny For A Thought
2012
APOCALYPSE LATER
DECEMBER 31, 10 PM
170 TILLARY ST. BKLYN
LOADING DOCK
Join Hosts dp, kwonix, Ezio and Danielle in celebrating the time-shift from 2011 to the year 2012
with DJ’s Merlin, Ripley, Lamin Fofana, + Special Guests.
1 night only, we are taking over The Loading Dock at 170 Tillary Street. This is a sacred space, to be treated with a proper party! To scare away the oncoming doom, we have everything, well, almost everything we need:
MUSIC- Be prepared to dance. Sounds from everywhere to make you move. LIGHTS- The most fabulous light system ever. It moves to the beat. It has switches for on and off! FOG- Yes. Fog. Even Kurtz could hide in our fog! DRINK- We have some. Bring more! BUBBLE MACHINE- 2012 in with style. Bubble style. HOT TUB- What more do we have to say. We have a brand spankin new hot tub in the and indoor/outdoor space. Never leave the boat. But you should know how to swim.
What we need: YOU! and a guest.
Please RSVP. We want to make sure we have all the necessary powers in order for an amazing time.
WFMU is a wonderful institution. The longest running freeform, independent community radio station in the United States! I’m excited and very much looking forward to doing this once a week this winter! We’ll staying true to WFMU’s commitment to unstructured-format broadcasting, and we’re going everywhere all the time. Listen in.
The first show in Mudd Up Radio’s new Wednesday night time slot is now streaming! SOAP BLEACH SOFTENERS. Gentle beginnings. New music from Cauto, Vladislav Delay, Ghanain gospel, Erothug, and, yes, Lana del Rey:
WFMU’s Winter 2012 schedule shuffle means that, starting this week, Lamin Fofana will host a show right before me on Wednesdays! We’ll do our best to give you good apocalypse in 2012. Our ice cream comes in 5 flavors: regular black, mudd, noir noir, soft bop, and dust bowl.
December 7, 2011, Mudd Up! w/ DJ Rupture on WFMU – tracklist:
This month Sweat Lodge is falling a week later than usual on Friday 12/16. Our good friends over at Turrbotax asked us for a date swap and we were happy to oblige! This month our guest is Jubilee, a long time friend of Dutty Artz. I’ve been wanting to get her to play Sweat Lodge but what with her hectic touring schedule and all was never able to make it happen… Till now! She’ll be supported by your handsome residents Matt Shadetek (me), Chief Boima, Lamin Fofana and Taliesin. It should be a lively affair.
˙∆ INFOS ∆˙
DUTTY ARTZ SWEAT LODGE
DJs:
Jubilee
Matt Shadetek
Chief Boima
Lamin Fofana
Taliesin
Friday Dec. 16th 10PM-4AM
$$ FREE $$ ADMISSION
at The Cove, 108 N. 6th St, Brooklyn NY. Take the L train to Bedford or G to Lorimer and walk.
Join us for an intimate night of sound & celebration on Saturday, December 3rd @ Vaudeville Park in Brooklyn (L to Graham). Mint tea, dates, and homemade deliciousness will be served.
We are celebrating the release of Nettle’s new album on Sub Rosa, El Resplandor: The Shining in Dubai. (get it at: iTunesAmazonBoomkateMusic actual record stores, etc)
“Dubai may be a cipher masquerading as a city, but it’s not a complete blank slate unencumbered by theoretical and contextual baggage, and El Resplandor depicts it as you might expect: ancient and dignified ‘Middle Eastern’ airs buffeted by howls of the ghosts in modernity’s machine. This is not to say that the album is merely conventional, however, for El Resplandor contains some of /Rupture’s most vivid and striking music… provocative and as chilling as anything in the real Shining” – Peter Shapiro, The Wire Nov 2011
Sat. December 3rd: Nettle (live), Lamin Fofana (dj). Vaudeville Park, 26 Bushwick Ave. Bklyn. doors at 8:30pm $8. Come early warm bodies shining ghosts.
To celebrate our ongoing monthly Sweat Lodge party series at The Cove in Brooklyn (next edition next Friday Nov. 4th! info below) and to give all you unfortunates who haven’t been able to attend yet a taste of the magic I’ve recorded a new DJ mix. It’s mixed live on Serato Itch which is something new I’ve been trying out – button pushing based DJing instead of vinyl control records – and I had a lot of fun creating it. There are some mistakes and in the spirit of human imperfection and because I’m too lazy to edit them out I left them in. It’s kind of representative of the drunk madness that goes down at Sweat Lodge anyway. Although I was not drunk when I recorded this I swear. The focus is on the Dutty Artz fam and catalog with a bunch of new and unreleased tunes and remixes from the crew. Enjoy!
1. Matt Shadetek – Sweat Lodge Exorcist Intro
2. Tod Dockstader – Electronic Pieces (8): Part 1
3. William S. Burroughs – Last Words With Ras I. Zulu
4. Dj Eridson, Mzee, Kampi Moto – Umoja [2012] (Remix made Angola)
5. Nguzunguzu – Strut (Lamin Fofana Remix)
6. Floetry – Say Yes (Kingdom Remix)
7. Sorie Kondi – No Money No Family (Chief Boima Remix)
8. Atropolis – Mbria Funk
9. Contakt & Mayster – Korak
10. Contakt & Mayster – Korak (Matt Shadetek 3Ball Remix)
11. Don Omar – Danza Kuduro (DJ Rodriguez 3Ball 2011 Remix)
12. Joelito – Sickhead
13. Antony Santos – Vete (Uproot Andy Moombachata Remix)
14. Geko Jones & Reaganomics – Las cuatro palomas Remix
15. DJ Arafat – 5500 Volt
16. Cajmere – It’s Time for The Percolator (Chief Boima Coupe Decale Remix)
17. Kalup Linzy feat. James Franco – Rising (Cardopusher Remix)
18. Appietus – Miss Doctor (Secret Agent Gel Remix)
19. Maxwell D – Out The Window
20. Dubble Dutch – Mad Loopz
21. Gunselectah – Villa Ghetto (Matt Shadetek Remix)
22. Nguzunguzu – Timesup
23. Robzilla ft. Jahdan Blakkamoore – World Keeps Spinning
24. Luisa Maita – Lero Lero (DJ Rupture Remix)
25. Active Child ft. How To Dress Well – Playing House
26. ASAP Rocky – Peso
SWEAT LODGE PROMO VIDEO:
Filmed by Atropolis and edited by Erik Marika Rich:
Check this short video shot at Sweat Lodge by Atropolis and 2Melo and edited by Erik Marika Rich.
Next Friday September 9th we’re back at the Cove for another Dutty Artz family reunion. I’d just like to say thanks so much to everyone who came and partied and played at the last one, especially Uproot Andy and 2Melo, I really enjoyed it and I think it was maybe our best attended party yet. For the next one we’ve got Chicago’s own DJ NewLife who has been running one of Chicago’s best tropical/whateverbass parties flying in to drop some bombs for us AND DA’s own Taliesin is back in the states after a crazy world traveling year spent in Brazil, Jamaica and South Africa (and many places in between). Chief Boima is also back in the building after his own travels in Africa, if you were there for the last one he was dropping some crazy music from Liberia that really caught my attention and I’m eagerly waiting to hear what he’ll play this time. Lamin Fofana is also re-joining us and I’m equally excited to hear what he’ll pull out with the new DJ setup he’s using, hopefully including some of the new crazy techno-ish stuff he’s been producing. As usual I will be there DJing, selling hats, shirts and CDs and of course getting drunk and yelling over my friends DJ sets.
INFO:
Dutty Artz Sweat Lodge
The Cove 108 N. 6th St, Brooklyn (L to Bedford Subway Stop)
Let’s party! Next Sweat Lodge we’ve got some old and new friends joining us. 2Melo, who is part of Atropolis Cumba Mela crew has been heating up Brooklyn’s warehouses, boats and other strange places for the past few years and I’ve had a blast every time that I’ve played with him. It was actually through a couple of gigs around Brooklyn with Cumba Mela that I got to know Atropolis and his music which lead to his release on DA. Lamin Fofana needs no re-introduction to readers of these pages and will be re-joining us after a hiatus. I understand he’s been working on a new set including some of his own new productions so I’m very excited to hear that. Finally Uproot Andy who was a resident at Sweat Lodge’s big sister New York Tropical and is fresh off his recent tour of Europe and Summer Stage appearance will be returning to rock with us, so it’s a family reunion of sorts. I’ll be there too, of course but taking the early warm up this time to make room for our guests.
Last Monday’s radio show is now streaming. I selected the tunes but hiccuping Casablanca wireless meant that last-minute I couldn’t add my voice — co-pilot Lamin Fofana helped out on that end.
you can subscribe to the Mudd Up! podcast for downloadable versions, issued a week after FM broadcast: , Mudd Up!RSS. Also useful: WFMU’s free iPhone app. We also have a version for Android (search for “WFMU” in the marketplace).
Mudd Up! 
