Kubo - another alias of the man behind the Siqnature project. Twenty minutes of barefoot-global-afro-latin-kuduro-baile-bass bizness (or somn like that). Some of the tracks are already available on 12 thanks to Daniel Haaksman and Mann Recordings.

click here for instant downloadable mayhem

Here’s a sweet little pleasurable song from a rather obscure American funk/R&B group. Members of this band used to be songwriters and musicians for Motown, as part of the in-house production team in the 1960s. This song appears on the B-side to their most popular hit “I Can Understand It” from 1972. It’s funny, but this tune is strange and familiar at the same time. It reminds me of a Maxi Priest song, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

The New Birth - Oh, Baby, I Love The Way

We are still in 1972, but let’s get away from Detroit and visit the Makossa Man, Manu Dibango in Yaounde. His album “O Boso” is recommended for warm, beautiful Summer nights, with smoke, steam and sweat –several counties in the tri-state area are under severe thunderstorm watch.  Anyway, among all my parents 7 and 12″’s I was able to get my grubby hands on (and actually listened to), this is one of the most surprising, varied, and unique 12 inches.

Manu Dibango - Hibiscus

“…we are playing a music whose unity has it’s roots deep in African earth, but whose harmony and construction reflect the influence of all the branches which have grown in the common three century old tree of music.” - M. Dibango, 1972

Soca Twins - Addicted to Soca CD1

Soca Twins - Addicted to Soca CD2

Here’s a tune from DUTTY REMIX ZERO which is still fresh in the stores. This remix is great, but you should really hear SHADETEk’s “Can’t Breathe” remix.

Cauto - Bona Vida

Rupture and JahDan are in the middle of their UK trek. If you are in the area, go and see them! Something wonderful happens when these two are together. Check DATV001 for proof.

(pic by Sr Atlantico)

We also got teh mixes -

Geko Jones New York Tropical; live on WFMU is still up + popping.

Taliesin got some dark dark dark for ya… Well, it ain’t so dark, but it is.

But here’s why I love David Banner also, because of songs like “Faith.” This song is meaningful and real. It is a spiritual, you know… the source from which gospel, blues, jazz, and hiphop came. Here, David Banner, an emcee from the American South expresses his deep, enduring faith during some extreme days, or troubling times. And although the Negro Spiritual is steeped in Christian doctrine, (”de-Africanizing” African people) the core of it, or rather the foundation and structure is on African rhythm.

David Banner - Faith

Killer Mike - Pressure (Feat. Ice Cube)

$$$ Huey P. & Louis V. !!!

Nas - Nigger Hatred

Nas - Queens Get The Money

Nas - Testify

Nas - America

well, it comes out in less than 2 weeks, but thanx to the new music cartel for these. therez not enuff anti-americana 2 go round on america day.

Jahdan Blakkamoore: We Are Raiders, presented by Matt Shadetek and DJ /Rupture will be in your shops on July 7th. We’ve been labbed up and working hard to get this first taste into the world as quickly as possible while finishing the full length that these songs are taken from, and now: it’s here! Well, in a few days anyway. But trust me, unlike some of our past infinitely receding release dates, this one actually exists (camphone evidence by Geko Jones):

It will be available in CD, digital and 12″, with instrumentals and a bonus tune on the CD and digital, vinyl is the four vocals only (CD cover pictured).

The CD EP tracklist is as follows:

1. Buss It Pon Dem (Produced by Chancha Via Circuito, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

2. Nice Green (Produced by me, Matt Shadetek, New York City, USA)

3. Go Round Payola (Matt Shadetek)

4. Pon Time (Produced by Stereotyp, Vienna, Austria)

5. Pure Riddim (Bonus Instrumental, Matt Shadetek)

6. Payola Riddim (Matt Shadetek)

7. Nice Green Riddim (Matt Shadetek)

8. Varela (Chancha Via Circuito)

Pre-order yours now (and hear samples) from Boomkat or Cargo, distribution by Cargo (UK & Europe) and Traffic (USA).

Jahdan and Rupture will be in the UK this month on tour promoting the release. Get dates and more info from Qujunktions.

Also get a sneak preview of Nice Green off the EP over at my myspace, along with Go Round Payola.

The Chief Commander of Juju Music Ebenezer Obey is also a praise-singer, combining the rich cultural and spiritual musical traditions of Yoruba people from the Ogun State in South-Western Nigeria with the excitement of Lagos highlife and Christian themes to create melodious, dance floor music and praise songs for the wealthy, famous and the powerful. Listen for the talking drums, which you can also hear these days in NYC underground/subway drummers.

Ebenezer Obey - Oro Nipa Lace

If you never heard the song below, I don’t know what to say you… R.I.P. Joseph Hill. I think this is my favorite song ever.

Culture - Two Sevens Clash

(reggae pictures)

Jucrafry - Maraca (mad remix)

post-acoustic Dominican bump

Makaraka - Como Ella

spanglish bachata-crunk! synth presets the gran unifier

PERO CUANDO FUE LA ULTIMA VEZ K U REMEMBER AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE POP SONG ABOUT A CRASHING PLANE?!?!

Also available at itunes

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*soundclash |’soun(d),clash| noun.- two or more DJ’s/Sound Systems in a head to head battle over who has the best/livest/ rarest and most party-rockin dubplates and exclusives in their record box

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March 27 2007 - That’s Dave Q (Dub War) on the left vs Geko Jones and 3rd Rayl (Funkworthy FM) on the right. Hosted by Deffrei - ‘The 456′ (Ahficionados/Soulvibes Digital).

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A couple of years ago, some friends and I decided it would be fun to put together a soundclash series that allowed for several genres of the reggae/ragga/dub persuasion including, but not limited to, dancehall, jungle, rocksteady, ska, dubstep , garage and the occasional broken to bits type tune that ya can’t really classify. We wanted all the vibes of a traditional Jamaican clash but alternative sound systems and rounds.

The following is a recording of the clash in the video. Dub War’s resident vibes man- Juakali - was out of town, so dubstep mafioso Dave Q of Dub War is here rollin longside the Hip-step/Junglist and Zulu King- TC Izlam vs my sound system, Funkworthy FM backed by the Lyrical Gungourgon - Jahdan Blakkamoore.

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Our host was well-wasted by this point in the evening and having trouble controlling the crowd. I’d had a rocky first round train-wrecking blends that I had rehearsed a hundred times and was consequentially playing catch up. I mostly blame myself and my love of Guinness for that first round- live and learn. Since then, I definitely try and keep myself moderately sober till after I’ve performed. I remember the frustration of not being able to correct the mixes and the distinct feeling something was off with my gear. Two weeks later, one of the turntables I was using rolled to a stop and died in the middle of another party we were doing! Dave Q too faced his own set technical difficulties. Some kind of blow out or disconnect on his set up forced us share the rig on my side of the stage, taking the clash went into extra innings.

I had managed to let my ego convince me that beating Dub War in the tune for tune round was gonna be easy. There was no way DQ was gonna pull out specials like mine. I knew a fair number of the titles he was playing and he didn’t have any real soundclash dubplates for me to worry about.

*dubplate|dub’plait| noun.- an exclusive limited-edition or one-off record used to kill soundboys. In Jamaican clash context, its a battle tune voiced by an original artist that bigs up ur sound system. In the UK, unreleased pressings in jungle, dubstep and grime are also considered dubs.

The third tune he played, the one from the video, was a 45 the Heatwave released called Mad LDN and I had it in my bag that night (shouts to Gabe and man like Rubidan). Its a fun tune, but a released tune nonetheless… nothing exclusive about that. I honestly thought we had already won on the strength of the first two dubs. I thought about playing the 45 back at him, which hindsight would have probably been a better selection. I thought about running The Police dub Jahdan voiced for me, which we’d won the last clash with. Or the Mr Easy dub. So many options…………..only 30 seconds to decide.

All I could hear in my head was the crowd’s reaction to the Sugar Minott dub I’d just played specially recorded for the event. I stuck decided to stick to my dub pistolas and played another exclusive. A gyal-choon called She Told Me by Noble Society feat 77 Klash. I’d just finished the 140 night nurse version for this tune with Fuego Campo and knocked out both a Gregory Issacs special and a new choon on the riddim that month and had them both cut to 12″- of course I was gonna play that shit! It was the right tune- the ladies loved it- at the wrong time- my dudes thought it too soft a response. I sunk the eightball and Dave Q got the forward… and the crown… a fair fight.

Wounded- but not buried. I vowed to regain my thrown.

Dub War came back with Juakali to defend their title a few months later vs Shadetek and Jahdan Blakkamoore. Dutty Artz sweep the leg for a 3-0 victory! Now, who waan tes’ the champion sound?

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The Code of the Samurai Soundboy

Both of the great works used in the post are used with the permission of illustrator/animator and good friend Chuck Collins. He created several works especially for the series which were used on the flyers for the events. If your looking for an ill-cartoonist for your album, music video or other professional project, he’s the mang.

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Salif Keita - Mandjou

Growing up in a Mandinka (Malinke or Mandingo whichever you prefer) household in Sierra Leone and later in Guinea, Salif Keita’s music-one of the finest voices of Africa-was always on heavy rotation. Salifu Keita is royalty, not only as a direct descendant of Sundiata Keita, founder of the Malian Empire, but he’s a musical treasure to Mandinka people and to Africa and the whirled. His exquisite voice is a mountain. “Mandjou” is from his very successful 1995 album Folon recorded in Paris. Download the older, Bamako version here -recorded sometime between 1969 and 1980. I grew up listening to both, the Bamako version on cassette and the Parisian version on CD.

Salif Keita - Folon

“Folon” is the title track from the mega-popular album. Tremendously sad, haunting, and beautiful.

Stay up.