A few days ago, I found a CDR compilation labeled Super Hits of Nigeria in the ungoogleable/bootleg section of my CD-DVD collection. It was a gift from my cousin who bought it in the streets of Freetown sometime last year. The opening track from the comp is “Yori Yori”– a massive pan-Nigerian/pan-African (global) hit in 2009 by the duo Bracket. This tune was large from Lagos to Nairobi, Freetown to London, even nightclubs in Guangzhou were unsafe from the contagious tune (Guangzhou has the largest population of Africans in China.) I saw a video for the tune in early ‘09 while watching Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in northern Virginia. Boima also mentioned it over at Ghetto Bassquake.

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Bracket – Yori Yori

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Timaya, who appears on at least 6 tracks on the compilation also had a great year in ‘09. I saw a few of his videos on NTA – epic, conscious Nigerian rap grooves. Here are two more tracks -

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Timaya – Yankuluya

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J Martins feat. Timaya, P-Square, Banky W., etc. – Good Or Bad (Owey)

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“Heavy As Stone” by Mark Pritchard
from Elephant Dub / Heavy As Stone “12 – it’s a real no-brainer!

These are not not normal times. We are in the midst of another major winter storm in Brooklyn, NY (and our neighboring east coast cities and towns are witnessing/feeling the wrath of Old Man Winter.) Mala’s Deep Medi Musik released this superb 12″ from Mark Pritchard a few days ago. Side A is probably more apt for the weather (wet and heavy snow + smouldering xtra-subs = murky funk for dead bodies) but I’ve decided go with the flip because it melds many beautiful things together easily and well! It’s also warm – Tell the people of earth to be strong / You’re as heavy as stone / You are never alone…

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The O’Jays – Cry Together

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! Yes, we’re also suckers for classic American soul/R&B, especially the ones from the heartland. Keep love in your heart.

New video from Erykah Badu featuring Lil Wayne “Jump Up In The Air (Stay There)” from her upcoming album New Amerykah Part II: Return Of The Ankh – You already know this is a great song, but pay close attention to the lyrics and you’ll appreciate it even more; plenty memorable lines – (hip-hop) “church never felt this good before,” “my level, far from the devil/have some manners, and say hello to the angels,” “I am on the ceiling stuck like a fan full of dust, like a fist full of bucks…” etc.  As for the video, it has stunning moments; Wayne clearing a cloud of purple smoke to “elevate” with Ms. Badu is one of those.

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Four Tet – Plastic People
There Is Love in You (Domino, 2010)

Kieran Hebden’s latest album was in heavy rotation this weekend. It has some extremely lovely moments.

me: i couldnt wait, got it off —-. itd been there since July or something. criminally slept on by us!

Lamin: yeah. the album had very little buzz, considering the fact that it was released by Def Jam and produced by The-Dream (& Tricky Stewart)! my sis mentioned it to me after she heard about it from a cousin in Maryland who’s 14 years old! so yeah, this is what 14 year old girls are listening to in the DMV.

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Electric Red – P Is For Power

from their debut album, How To Be A Lady Vol. 1 ($5 at Amazon digital!)

Summer of love ‘09 = amazing heat & humidity

Friend = Tropical Chinese Traditional R&B, London

Kreayshawn’s demo reel Summer 2009

& here’s the future! Lil B’s new video “Like A Martian,” also directed by Kreayshawn.

This is definitely dumbest track I’ve heard from Lil B this year -mind you, I can only listen to his material in tiny doses so I’ve heard less than one tenth of his output this year. Andrew Noz/Cocaine Blunts has the time and patience/attention for this. Grab the mp3/audio dope here if you dare.

Audio and video are not completely in sync, but who cares, really? Especially, when the sound, visual, and message are so soulful and sexy (and she’s trying not to spell it out, but she can’t help herself…) “Milk and Honey” is deliberately sweet, seductive, and celebratory.  I find the experimentation and lightheartedness here much more interesting. Props to Bedrock for the beat.  I haven’t heard or seen much from Goapele since her 2000/1 song “Closer” - positive, dreamy, a bit wistful now.

On a general note -  neo soul and alt contemporary R&B has been anemic, stale since 2001 (after D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Erykah Badu’s Mama Gun, what else is there?)  I’ve stayed away for the most part, but very now and then, there are impressive, surprisingly great albums and songs like Erykah Badu’s “The Healer” from her 2008 offering New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). For 2009, Sa-Ra’s album Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love is amazing and has been very enjoyable.

vimeo spotted @ TSS

GET SICK NOW! it’s everywhere… & spreading!

3 mixes in 3 weeks! Tally!

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Basement Jaxx – Raindrops Joker and Ginz Remix

It has been raining on and off here for the last week, and I have been playing this jam quite a bit.

New York Tropical is exactly a week from today! Check the flyer – we are designers, you already know. To get ready, I have put a podcast together containing mostly women voices over beats and sounds composed by men. I wasn’t specifically looking for female voices on male constructed instrumentals, it just happened most of the tracks I gather are refixes and songs with women voices recorded by gentlemen producers (I was tempted to call this Women… In The Vicinity Of Men. Thankfully, I settled on Mousso.  We need some more gyals in here… too many man, too many, many man!

 

 Lamin Fofana - Mousso | duttyartz.com podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup

I was going to post the tracklist a little later but we all know how Björk feels about writers not giving credits, so here it is -

Umalali – Uruwei (The King)
Clouds featuring Tiiu – Protecting Hands Part 2
Oumou Sangaré – Dugu Kamelemba
Björk – Nattura (Switch Refix)
Geiom featuring Marita – Reminissin’ (Shackleton Refix)
Amadou & Mariam – Sabali
Taken By Trees – The Sweetness of Air France
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
Various Production – Deadman (Milanese Remix)
Filastine featuring Jessika Skeletalia Kenney – Fitnah
Love Joys – Stranger
Tanya Stephens – It’s A Pity
TOTAL FREEDOM and NGUZUNGUZU – Total Ciara (Like You Refix)
Matt Shadetek – (Tanya Stephens) Can’t Breathe Remix
Nicki Minaj – Beam Me Up Scotty
Uproot Andy – El Botellón Remix

Hilarious, via Gex via facebook.

[Dirty Projectors in the park - by thepiratehat]

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Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move

I’m finally getting used to the weather here- the unusual is the routine.  Today, it’s cold, cold rain- everything is slow- trains, buses, lines, money, etc.  Two days ago, it was warm and sunny in Brooklyn, and I was running errands, in t-shirt, borough to borough (park to park, Central Park north in Harlem and Prospect Park in Park Slope) enjoying the sweetness and soulfulness of Bitter Orca (not every song stood out/there were two or three tracks I skipped over, but nonetheless the album has some very good moments)

The groove on “Stillness” is easy (because the musicians  involved are comfortable and talented) and the voices are almost restless, transient and sugary, echoing the best of Mariah, Christina, Ashanti,  etc– while maintaining Dave Longstreth’s signature and timing. Longstreth has a distinctive style and voice, which I’m not going to attempt to describe here.

Dirty Projectors managed to deconstruct and reinterpret sugary teen-pop R&B as something inoffensive, harmless and nice,* the same way Vampire Weekend reimagined Kanda Bongo Man/Kwassa Kwassa/Koffi Olomide into “Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa.” It’s a little strange, but you can still listen to it while walking in the park and sipping lemonade.

*Let’s face it, Mariah Carey has some of the most abhorrent pop songs-  aside from the remix joints she did w/ ODB and LOX and, of course, that Bone Thugs collaboration.