One Hundred Project : Neil Clarke

What is on your stereo at the moment?
My KumoBlog mix to see how it holds up against the others! Not being a professional record changer like.

3 records that changed your life. Why?

1/ The Jam-Going Underground 1980
First single I'd pestered mother for all week leading up to it's release that it had to be the double pack what does she get the standard that's when I sussed that there is more to this vinyl lark then looks.

2/The Specials-Ghost Town 1981
First 12" I ever bought and still own it, sounded like nothing I had head before spooky spectral soundtrack to Britains worst riots not that i realised at 10 years old to me it just sounded good!

3/Farley Jackmaster Funk with Darryl Pandy-Love Can't Turn Around 1986
Seeing bigboy Darryl kicking off his shoes and rolling around the floor on Top of The Pops made me sit up and take notice what the fuck was this all about? What's this thing called HOUSE that they are bleating on about? where can I get this stuff? They were the questions on my mind. It all became clear two years later. See for yourself here.


What are you looking forward to?
Star Trek to see Simon Pegg as Scottie

What couldn’t you live without? Why?
Money and music!

Most memorable gig?
The Who Leeds Uni 17/06/06
One of the worlds biggest rock bands (Yes I know there is only two of em left but at least they are dying in the right order) in a small venue I'd always avoided watching them as I had an image in my head of them and didn't think they would be able to live up but boy was I wrong.

Here's their set list:

Who Are You
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Substitute
Wire & Glass Mini Opera
-Sound Around
-Pick Up The Peace
-Endless Wire
-We've Got A Hit
-They Made My Dreams Come True
-Mirror Door
Baba O' Riley
Let's See Action
Relay
Behind Blue Eyes
Mike Post
Cry If You Want
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey
Sparks
See Me Feel Me
Listening To You

Encore:
Eminence Front
Naked Eye
Won't Get Fooled Again

Who/what are your influences?
Star Wars I try to live my life by its secret code


What is the best and worst thing about the city that you live in?
That it's so Compact and Bijou plus it's seems to be one of a few towns that intend on keeping vinyl alive at least that's how it seems with the amount of punters that say, "There ain't nothing like this where i come from!" often followed by an Ecky Thump!

Given the accelerated pace of modern culture, what are we due a revival in?
Football hooliganism and rioting

Hero? Why?
Larry David. There are no more heroes when you get to my age, only cynics and Larry is king cynic.

Is there anything else that you feel that we should know?
Maybe but I can keep a secret...

Clampdown Records for Kumo mix

TRACKLISTING

AIM-LOOPDREAMS
DEADBEATS-FUNKY FOR YOU
BOARDS OF CANADA-AQUARIUS
KEIRON PHELAN & DAVID SHEPARD-THEME FROM CARDINAL MENTHOL
VANGELIS-DAWN
JW MEDIA-NO EXIT
EVIL EYE-HOLIDAY DU ZOMBI
DEADLINE-BOAT PEOPLES
ART OF NOISE-BEAT BOX
PUCCIO ROELENS-SWITCH OFF
MORNING KIDS-FREE LOVE
SUZY Q-GET UP AND DO IT AGAIN
SORCERER-SURFING AT MIDNIGHT
JAKI LIEBEZIET-NEON MAN

Download the mix here.

Visit Clampdown's city center store in Manchester, England at 9 - 11 Paton St. just off Piccadilly Rd.



Mailing Address

Clampdown Records
PO Box 27
Ashton-Under-Lyne
Lancashire
OL6 8BE
01612375932
fax 0871 211 8024


Oasis specialists
Rock,indie,punk,vinyl,rarities,cd’s,autographs,dvd’s

Check them out on ebay
powerseller clampdown30


www.clampdownrecords.com (NEW SITE COMING SOON!)
www.hoodiesonline.com
www.myspace.com/clampdownrecords
also find them at
www.clampdownrecords.musicstack.com
www.netsoundsmusic.com/clampdown
www.clamp.gemm.com

A few bits from the collection...

CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR



Brooklyn natives, Crown Heights Affair were a 70s disco/funk band originally known as the Neu Day Express and who achieved moderate success with tracks such as You Gave Me Love, Galaxy of Love and Somebody Tell Me What To Do over the course of the 70s and 80s but some of you may know them best for Say A Little Prayer For Two which was featured on David Mancuso's The Loft compilation that came out on the sadly defunct Nuphonic Records a few years ago. They're also a heavily sampled outfit and most recently LSB used You Gave Me Love on their fist-pumping floor-filling anthem FOG that was massive for Paul and I over the course of last year during over various DJ exploits. Having said that as much as I love FOG I probably prefer the original especially when the bassline kicks back in after the break.

Crown Heights Affair - Say A Little Prayer For Two

Crown Heights Affair - You Gave Me Love

LSB - FOG

DONALD BYRD



Hailing from Detroit, MI, Donald Byrd initially found his legs in the industry much in the same way that Roy Ayers did by being a member of legendary vibes man Lionel Hampton's touring band 40s and 50s. He was also a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and over the course of his career he played with the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk during the hard-bop era. Later he would team up with the likes of the Mizell Brothers and Isaac Hayes to move away from the sound previously associated with him to a jazz-fusion sound and, for me, it is during this period that his best work was released. The record that I've chosen to share with you may be an obvious one to those of you who spend their free time covered in dust digging for lost treasures in record stores and second hand stores the world over but for me this record is as good as anything that you'd care to mention and is a good gateway to the rest of Donald's vast catalog. I love Love Has Come Around as it is one of those 'any time any place' that gets people up off their feet and dancing, that and it is probably one of the best end of nighters ever written. As you can probably guess my copy is worn out good and proper. Some of you who are more inclined to hip hop will remember his collaboration with MC Guru on Loungin' in the 90s.

Donald Byrd - Love Has Come Around

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS



Former Sing-Sing correctional officer (I shit you not), Sharon Jones has been tearing up dancefloors with her politically charged firebrand soul since 1996 when she recorded Switchblade with Philip Lehman and Gabriel Roth. Previously a backing singer for Lee Fields, Sharon has gained notoriety ever since she hooked up with New York's finest funk/soul band, The Dap-Kings with whom she has released three albums - Dap Dippin', Naturally and last years immaculate 100 Days, 100 Nights. Some of you may know the Dap-Kings from their work with Mark Ronson on his marmite Versions album as well as from their Daptones Imprint which has successfully managed to update the funk and soul sound of the 60s and 70s without diluting the message. Some of her work is incredibly politically charged and is probably best shown on her storming record What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes? which denounced the war in Iraq and all the cronies in the White House. I've chosen 100 Days, 100 Nights as it was one of my favourite records from last year and it captures the very essence of the band. Catch them on tour soon and look out for Sharon on albums by Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed and in The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington that is showing at the moment here in the States.

Sharon Jones & The Dap King - 100 Days, 100 Nights

Kelvin Brown

Manchester has an abundance of superb DJs, some of whom are tragically underrated, such as Adam H, Ryan Hunn, Mr Scruff, Jeff Plant, Andy Peek, Danny Webb, Paul Hughes, Moonboots, Jon K and Balearic Mike amongst others but, with all due respect to the rest, the one man who stands head and shoulders above everyone is Eyes Down hero, Kelvin Brown.

I was given a mix CD of his in the summer of 2004 and I was instantly captivated by both his skills and his ability to juxtapose cutting-edge new records with hidden treasures and for all them to expertly form a cohesive 70 minutes of music that absolutely blew me away. I have been doing infrequent interviews for Basic Soul since October 2005 and in all my time I have only made the effort to do three interviews in person and that was with Ryan Hunn, Jon K and Kelvin which I set up pretty much as soon as I moved to Manchester in January 2006. The interview itself got me some of the most positive reactions that I have ever gotten for any of the hundreds of pieces that I have done over the years. You can read the interview here if you haven't already.


Photo by Emma J Watling

Kelvin is one of those DJs who can play for hours on end and have you enthralled through every tempo change of which there are many and sadly his residency in the Shack at the Electric Chair comes to an end this weekend with the club, which is a great excuse for him to relaunch the dormant Eyes Down night, and he has been kind enough to post his anthems from all his years in the Shack and you can peruse the list here. eBay, Discogs and Gemm are probably going to melt with all the glut of searches for all of these heavy hitters.



Myself, Kelvin and erm...at one of the Riots.

To give you an indication of the man's skills here are a few mixes that will give you just a snippet of the educated and diverse magic that he unleashes wherever he plays.

Kelvin Brown - Celestial Blues

TRACKLISTING

Gill Scott Heron ‘Plastic Pattern People’ (CDR)
Charlie Mariano ‘Thiruvarankulam’ (What Music)
Family Brown ‘Imaginary World’ (United Artists)
Flying Lotus ‘Massage Situation’ (Warp)
Del La Soul ‘Bizness’ (Tommy Boy)
Fela Kuti ‘Sorrow Tears and Blood’ (Kalakuta)
Afra Behn ‘World of Paper’ –Instrumental (1er Cru)
Savage Progress ‘My Heart Begins To Beat’ (Ten Records)
Timmy Thomas ‘Africano’ (TK)
Moodymann ‘Shattered Dreams’ (Peacefrog)
Billy Ocean ‘One of Those Nights’ –Re-edit (CDR)
Chalie Rouse ‘Meci Bon Dieu’ (Blue Note)
Love Unlimited Orchestra ‘Hey Look at Me I’m in Love’ (20th Century Fox)
Theo Parrish ‘Dreamers Blues’ (Sound Signature)
Taj Mahal ‘Why Did You Have to Desert Me?’ (Columbia)
Soul Parlour ‘Ghee’ (CDR)
Dark Comedy ‘Plankton’ (Art Of Dance)
Theo Parrish ‘Sawala Sayale’ (Sound Signature)
Jackie McLean ‘De I Comahlee Ah’ (Inner City)
Osiris J ‘Rob 17’ (CDR)
DMZ ‘Burning’ (DMZ)
Linton Kwasi Johnson ‘Shocking Dub’ (Island)
Steve Spacek ‘Peep Show’ (Jazzy Sport)
Sun Ra – In Conversation (CDR)

Kelvin Brown - XFM mix

TRACKLISTING

Krystyna Pronko ‘Oto Przyczna’ (Wifon)
Linkwood ‘Hear The Sun’ (Firecracker)
Missy Elliot/Pal Joey ‘Really Hot’ (CDR)
Ed Lincon ‘Cochice’ (Musicdisc)
Eolen ‘Massini Yeah’ (Mai)
Cricco Castelli ‘Life Has Changed’ (Aroma)
Clyde- white label (CDR)
Burial ‘Distant Lights’ (Hyperdub)
Agrovators Meets The Revolutionaries at Channel One ‘The Conqueror’ (Basement)
Digital Mistiks ‘Anti-War Dub’ (CDR)
Loefah ‘Ruffage’ (DMZ)
Broke’n’English ‘Take it Low’ –Domu remix (CDR)

These mixes are also available on Northern Comfort.

Kelvin Brown live in The Shack June 2007, download it here.

...and my personal favourite, Diggin' On The Diaspora, download it here.

Oh, and Kelvin bring back Eyes Down.

One Hundred Project : Danny Northernights

What is on your stereo at the moment?
Right now I'm pretty much alternating between the Kelley Polar and Hercules & Love Affair albums plus the latest Bobby Peru long-player from Paul Woolford.

3 records that changed your life. Why?
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – Greatest Messages

I bought this at Quarmby's in Chorlton when it had a toy shop upstairs and a little record section down the back of the ground floor. Just past the art supplies. Anyway this album contains the seminal 'Adventures on the Wheels of Steel', of course. That was my favourite - even though I was just a kid with really limited knowledge of all this hip hop malarkey. The sleeve – where they looked like rap's Village People – might also have had more of an effect on me than I care to admit.

Urban Shakedown – Some Justice

I could have picked loads of records from early Chicago house onwards as being pivotal. There are tracks and tracks from years of clubbing that I've forgotten too. Yet this sampled Cece Rogers' 'Someday' vocal so it gets extra points. And then there's that bendy bass. When this came out I was probably more submerged in house and techno than those products of the post-hardcore rave scene but this still made a huge impression.

Spank Rock – Bump (Switch remix)

The problem with picking records that changed your life is that I hear things all the time and do consider them to be life-changing. Compared to war and famine or whatever, they're not, of course. But, still, they matter a great deal in their own way. There will probably be another life-changing record this time tomorrow but, for now, let's pick this. I've liked a lot of Switch's material but this seems to break all the rules. And those Amanda Blank rhymes are filthy.

What are you looking forward to?
A lengthy trip around the US later in spring. And Cloverfield.

What couldn't you live without? Why?
Oxygen. Water. Food. That kind of thing. For obvious reasons: i.e. 'the lack of which would result in death'.

Most memorable gig?
With the Electric Chair closing, I'd recently been asked to do some obituary-type pieces for a couple of publications which had me recounting a special Francois Kevorkian date there some years back. It was my birthday so I was naturally hammered. And, after hypnotising everyone with some seamless dubby technoid stuff, Kevorkian unexpectedly dropped Lauryn Hill's Everything Is Everything. At least that's how I remember it.

Who/what are your influences?
I'm constantly floored by talented, inspirational people. I was talking the other day about how Terry Callier and Nina Simone would probably be top of the list. But then I also get excited by kids wearing stupid clothes who choose to pogo around in basements to 'their' music. That enthusiasm keeps me going.

What is the best and worst thing about the city that you live in?
Manchester's an amazing city. Best thing is how it's always changing and that its population is quick to react to something that's becoming boringly commonplace with something new. Worst thing is those who seemingly haven't realised how that is actually the driving force behind the city's creativity: so, yeah, all those bores who insist on pushing their dreary Madchester and Hacienda agendas. And all those unfortunates that are stupid enough listen to them.

Given the accelerated pace of modern culture, what are we due a revival in?
Something that's probably in the midst of a furious backlash? Hard-Fi? But surely nobody wants that, do they?

Hero? Why?
I was going to say Alan Turing and Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe but, really, it would probably be my mum. "Without her…" and all that aside, she does a proper and fairly thankless job that actually helps other people.

Is there anything else that you feel that we should know?
The capital of Mongolia is Ulan Bator.

TRACKLISTING

1. Fields – Song for the Fields (Ewan Pearson vocal remix)
2. Fox N Wolf – Claws Against Knives (Todd Terje remix)
3. Recloose – Dust (Induceve remix)
4. Jesse Rose & Oliver $ - Wake Up
5. Jesse Rose – Everyday This
6. Ben Westbeech – Dance With Me (Switch remix)
7. Alphabeat – Fantastic 6 (Radioclit remix)
8. Buraka Som Sistema – Wawaba (Radioclit remix)
9. DJ Znobia – Eue

Download it here.

For more on Danny check his superb site here.

No Pattern's New Prints

Chuck Anderson has just released 12 new prints on NP&CO and they're up to his usual impeccable standard. All of them are limited edition, so don't sleep on these. The Exact Moment is my favourite of the new prints and I might have to treat myself to an early birthday present.

Here is a piece that I wrote on Chuck a few weeks ago. Talented guy.

Respect The Shuffle

This morning my iTunes provided me with an inspired selection and played the eight tracks below on the bounce which made for a very entertaining way to start the day. Respect the shuffle.

Most of these .mp3s have been culled from the always excellent Best Foot Forward, which saved me from having to record them from vinyl for all of you. Respect to Kev, Scholesy and Ryan for what is always an outstanding and educated read. You can catch Kev and the rest of the crew at Common every Saturday playing leftfield gems aplenty to an enthusiastic crowd in my favourite bar in the NQ by a mile. Check the artwork on the walls as well if you get a chance to get down there.

If any of these records belong to you and you'd like me to take them down then just holler.

MILTON NASCIMENTO

Milton Nascimento is a Brazilian musician who has played alongside jazz luminaries such as Wayne Shorter, Jack deJohnette and Ron Carter as well as featuring on albums by Quincy Jones, Paul Simon, Duran Duran and Cat Stevens amongst many others. His records have been played at the funerals of Ayrton Senna and Tancredo Neves, which should give you an indication of the esteem that he is held in amongst the Brazilian people. I have no idea what Para Lennon é McCartney is about but I'm going to take a stab at it and say that it has something to do with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Milton has also written songs about other figures of popular culture most notably River Phoenix which made a Brazilian woman I was teaching English to last year cry, so it must have been some heavy shit. This is a record that you can play at any time and it will go off. It's short, sweet and to the point and if any of you re-edit kings are out there are reading this, for the love of God please leave this one alone, it is perfect as it is.


Milton Nascimento - Para Lennon é McCartney

METALCHICKS

Metalchicks are an all-girl Japanese noise/metal/synth/whatever duo who are apparently determined to make metal for the dancefloor. Now as frightening as that may sound to those of us who use a bit of hair product on our shorn locks, what they have achieved with this track is nothing short of sensational. Conspiracy is a slow, lethargic electronic groove punctuated by the gentlest of female vocals, it is another record that I can't find fault with. On the back of this however I did buy their album and what I was confronted with was something more akin to The Boredoms and OOIOO and not much to do with sand between your toes in the Balearics, which is where Conspiracy is firmly rooted in my mind. That's not to say it isn't good, its just that I could've done with an album of beautiful languid Conspiracy clones.


Metalchicks - Conspiracy

SEBASTIAN TELLIER

I've already waxed lyrical in the past about Sebastian Tellier on here before, which you can read here if you haven't done so already. I have no idea who Principles of Geometry are but all I can tell you is that this record is something that could be played anywhere from cosmic ho-downs to minimal mind massacres and at all points in between. It utilizes a refreshing use of off-beat drum programming and almost melancholic synths that prove that over the past year or so some of the most refreshing advances in electronic music have most certainly been made by the French. They all seem to be looking to the past to produce music that is the steamrolling the blueprint of the future. Superb stuff.


Principles of Geometry- A Mountain for President featuring Sebastian Tellier

UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE

There is nothing that I can tell you about 'Mad' Mike Banks and the rest of the Underground Resistance that hasn't been said countless times by the media rehashing the same scraps of information thrown to us by the notoriously media-shy UR collective. What I can tell you is that the first time I heard this record in a club when it was played by Laurent Garnier in Taipei on a rainy Wednesday night that it nearly took my head off. It's all about the wonky bit that comes in at about 1:30 in and on the night Laurent mixed this in perfectly with Radiohead's 2+2=5 which was a magic moment if ever there was one. I've tried the same mix on countless occasions and failed miserably but that goes without saying as my mixing skills can be at best agricultural. As an added bonus the lyrics aren't your usual 'reach for the stars, I love you' rubbish but are well thought-out and meaningful which endears the record to me even further.


Underground Resistance - Transition

THE BAR-KAYS

The Bar-Kays were initially an instrumental band on Stax/Volt and were most noted initially for being the former backing band for Otis Redding in the late 60s and and who unfortunately lost a number of their members in the same plane crash that claimed the life of Otis when he was traveling on route to Madison, WI. The two surviving members regrouped and experienced mixed success over the years most notably with their Hendrix cover Copy Cat and an appearance on the hugely successful Shaft soundtrack. Over the years members have come and gone but they're still performing their brand of psychedelic soul the world over to appreciative audiences. Personally, I think that Holy Ghost is far away and their best track, it's as heavy as it is raw. This record shakes the foundations in a night club and will do so for as long as people want records that bring out that primal quality in themselves.


The Bar-Kays - Holy Ghost

THE DETROIT EXPERIMENT

Released after King Britt's The Philadelphia Project on Rope-a-dope, this hugely ambitious project under the guidance of Carl Craig and featuring such acclaimed musicians as Marcus Belgrave, Bennie Maupin, Francisco Mora Catlett and a host of others has birthed a host of boogie bursters including the Electric Chair favourite Think Twice, but for me the standout track on an album of standouts is Space Odyssey. It's all about the horn on this one, which is played to within an inch of its life and wrapped up in a spellbinding blanket of electric piano goodness ably delivered by Amp Fiddler and superlative stick work from Karriem Riggins. As far as I am concerned this is in the top echelon of jazz records and is best listened to with your amps set to 11.


The Detroit Experiment - Space Odyssey

ARTO MWAMBE

To be honest, I don't know shit about Arto Mwambé beyond that he is from the 4am pissed out of your mind tongue-twister, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and that he has released records on Output and Brontasaurus, which is the home to this little beauty. Noh Ngamebo is brilliant a piece of house music. Kicking off with a few hand-claps and some percussion this track really gathers steam once the immaculate piano-line comes in that sets the tone perfectly for the driving groove which is accentuated with the smallest of vocal samples. This is a lesson in how to make great, timeless house music and I'll definitely be buying anything that bears his name in the years to come.


Arto Mwambé - Noh Ngamebo

MARSHA HUNT

Philly-born chanteuse, Marsha Hunt has starred in Hair (for which she was recommended by David Hockney no less), had a child with Mick Jagger and worked with people such as Marc Bolan, John Mayall and Elton John as well as being a breast cancer survivor and author. Basically as far as potential biography subjects go she is top of the list. (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day is a record that isn't particularly hard to find but does come with a price. It's a bare-knuckled no-holds barred rampage through psychedelic soul music complete with a non-sensical chorus backed by those all important hand-claps and gun-slinging guitar work, this is a bomb and then some. If only more records were as raw as this one then we'd be all the better for it. I did hear an edit of this by Lee Douglas that was meant to come out on Editions Disco that is the most superfluous edit in a sea of superfluous edits that litter the stores at the moment. All he did was simply loop the intro a bit and extend the track by a whole 45 seconds which is as pointless as it gets really and is a shame as Lee is normally so spot on with the records that he releases - check New York Story and Our Song for two supreme examples of his usually impeccable work.


Marsha Hunt - (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day

One Hundred Project : Ryan Hunn

What is on your stereo at the moment?
As I write this, Daedelus- 'Sawtooth EKG'

3 records that changed your life. Why?
1. Augustus Pablo- King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (Rockers International) Because it got me into dub, in a big way.
2. Dabrye- Two/ Three (Ghostly)
Because it made me look at hip-hop in a completely new way, as well as totally changing my approach to making music.
3. The Lightmen Plus One- Energy Control Center (Lightin')
Because it completely bent my mind.
4. Fela Kuti- I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) (Kalakuta)
Ok, I know you said three, but this was one of the first Fela records I bought which resulted in me getting into African music.

What are you looking forward to?
Hopefully one day making a living out of what I love doing.

What couldn’t you live without? Why?
A number of people, they know why. And my Moog, just so I can say that I own one.

Most memorable gig?
Sketch City Stage, D-Percussion 2006, Manchester. This sparked my involvement with Sketch City and it was all because bumping into Jonny Dub a few days before and he just said, 'wanna play?'. That night blew me away. Seeing several hundred people going nuts to 'Samba De Flora' under a railway arch on a Saturday night in Manchester will stay in my memory for ever. Jonny made it all possible (thanks bud!).

Who/what are your influences?
A huge list of musicians/ artists, but more importantly my mum, dad, family and friends.

What is the best and worst thing about the city that you live in?
The best thing about Manchester is that there is such a huge amount of creativity in a relatively small city. Even though it is the UK's 2nd city, it is still a fraction of the size of London, but has just as many talented people, from artists to musicians to jewellery makers to designers. I love it.

The worst thing, being an Arsenal supporter and Londoner, is Manchester United!

Given the accelerated pace of modern culture, what are we due a revival in?
Polish psych. Oh, and beige. On a serious note, I hope that people and concepts get the credit and popularity they deserve, as opposed to gimmicks and fashion receiving the plaudits.

Hero? Why?
There are a few people I could call heroes, but to be honest and without meaning to name drop, but Mr Scruff. He has supported me personally in my own projects and has supported us at Sketch City immensely. He is, without a doubt, one of the finest DJs on the planet and fully deserves all the success he has had, which will hopefully continue. A great friend, and a top guy.

Is there anything else that you feel that we should know?
New monthly night, called Hoya:Hoya, starting in Manchester as we take over the last Saturday of the Month slot vacated by the Electric Chair. The first one is on Feb 23rd and is a residents special launch party, featuring myself playing for six hours in the main, and the legend that is Jonny Dub playing all night in the back. On the Sketch City front we are about to open our own gallery, 'Upper Space', which will be the first street art and illustration based gallery in the North West.



Ryan Hunn presents Hoya:Hoya- Volume 1

1. Stan Lelowski- The Moon (Poljazz)
2. Joe Bataan- I Wish You Love (Part 2) (Fania)
3. Doug Hammond- Wake Up Brothers (Tribe)
4. King Tubby, Scientist, Prince Jammy and The Aggrovators- Harder
Dub (Fatman)
5. Lloyd Coxsone- East Of The Rockfort Rock (Tribes Man)
6. King Tubby- Puppy Dub (Fatman)
7. 2562- Kameleon (Tectonic)
8. Skream!- 2-D (Tempa)
9. Mundo- Big Up (Dub Assembly)
10. Mr Scruff- Chipmunk (Ninja Tune)
11. Mala- Left Leg Out (DMZ)
12. Tunde Williams & The Afrika 70- Mr Big Mouth (Afrodesia)
13. Le Simandou De Beyla- Festival (Syliphone)
14. Dego & Kaidi Tatham- Got Me Puzzled (2000Black)
15. Daedelus- Sawtooth EKG (Ryan Hunn Edit) (Mush)
16. Scienz Culture- Ginsu (Son of Scientist Mix) (Sunshine)
17. James T. Cotton & Rodger Devine- ARAK (CD-R)
18. Luther Davis Group- You Can Be A Star (Soul Cal)
19. The Players Association- I Like It (Vanguard)

Download it here.

Contact Ryan here, and be sure to check out the interview that I did with him on Basic Soul.

Another Mix on Earth

Fellow South African, Chris Keyz of Another Night On Earth infamy was asked by Bristol's finest Future Boogie to a mix for them and what he has delivered is a mid-tempo soul-drenched disco slow burner that is as perfect for the dancefloor as it is for the headphones. Nice one, Chris.

Chris is taking party in my One Hundred project, which I'll be launching towards the end of the week.

You can download it here.

TRACKLISTING

LAMONT DOZIER – good eye (jameleone edit)
CHIC – i want your love (todd terje edit)
BILLY FRAZIER & FRIENDS – billy who? (underdog edit)
RUNE LINDBAEK – soper star
RUNAWAY – aint afraid to beg
PUNKIN MACHINE – i need you tonight
I:CUBE – tokyo uno
TONY ALLEN – kilode (carl craig remix)
DISCO DEVIL – now dance
JIVE RHYTHM TRAX – 112 BPM
WORLD PREMIERE – share the night
STARFLIGHT – dance to the beat
TODD TERJE – kul i pul
BLACK SUN – black sun
HERB ALPERT – red hot (special remixed version)
CHAZ JANKEL – youre my occupation (2007 take)
QUINCY JONES – betcha wouldnt hurt me (ooft full rework)
CRONK FAMILY ENTERPRISES – put it on
JAMES BROWN – its a mans world (henrik schwarz remix)
JAMES BROWN – dead on it (u-tern’s disco edit)
MELBA MOORE – standing right here
SUBWAY TRACKS – sexy moments
TRUSME – dont you know
REKID – lost star 6
*projam* - into the groove
BEATFANATIC – doin fine
COMMUNITY SERVICE – b & d

Daddy Buy Me A Pony

Peet Pienaar is a South African performance artist/graphic designer probably best known for his 2000 video which showed him being circumcised in knee-buckling close-up. He's also well-known for dressing up as a rugby player and standing motionless for hours everywhere from the National Gallery in Cape Town to various shopping malls. To him it was a way of exploring the homoerotic aspect of the myths and hero-worship with which players are treated, and the constructs which define masculinity in a patriarchal society but to me it was a guy standing still for a really long time.

I've never been a fan of performance art in that I tend to see it as being all bullshit and very little substance. One of the things that irritated me when I was studying art was the pomposity of it all. People would wax lyrical in crits about the various themes that flowed through their work when in truth all these delusions of grandeur spewed forth like a bad case of verbal diarrhea when they were confronted with the dreaded, 'So what were you trying to portray with this work?' I always found this bit of the week to be excruciatingly pretentious and would do my utmost to avoid it all costs, that and they were always on Mondays when the art cinema across the street was half-priced. Result!

Anyway I'm digressing a bit here. Peet is also behind the graphic design agency Daddy Buy Me A Pony (actually, I'm not even sure if that is the case as I can't find any recent information on the venture, so if anyone knows then get in touch) alongside Heidi Chisholm who have together won numerous Loerie and Golden Clio awards for their work the most impressive examples being their superb Afro magazines. I only have Afro I and for a while it was my gift of choice to various expats in Taipei who yearned for that little bit of South Africa. Afro II was released in 2006 and was yet another dynamic and innovative product and both Afro I and Afro II are great examples of people's creativity not being corroded by budget constraints or second-guessing. Producing something on this scale would be very difficult to recoup any funds from and from what I can gather the two magazines were done purely as marketing devices and if there is any justice in the world it will have served its purpose well. Viva!

Here is an interview that I found on Media Toolbox with Peet on Afro.

What is the aim of Afro?

To introduce people to the amazing new cultural makers from the rest of the continent. We are losing the Picassos and Shakespeares of Africa to Aids and war, and we don't know what they make and we don't know who they are.

Did you have a particular message in mind when you put together Afro 1?

Africa is cool and wonderful.

You seem to be highlighting issues important to Africa - from AIDS and war to soccer and fashion. Which was why I found it interesting that you turned down Tim Hetherington's request to run his 'Missing people in Angola' pictures alongside those of people missing following the Sept 11 attacks in NYC. If Africa wants to be seen in a global (note: not Western) context - can we really afford to look at ourselves in isolation?

I wanted to make a magazine about Africa and Africa alone. We know what is happening in the rest of the world and we don't know enough about our own continent, I'd rather keep it black and white...

For a graphic- and design-intensive publication such as Afro, how do you go about maintaining readability?

We wanted to reach a non-reading audience and only people who read a lot found it [the format] difficult. Other people were so interested by the design that they wanted to read it. We understand it's a problem and we don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water, so with the next issue it will read better, but still try and get people who don't read to read it.

Afro 1 looks like a gift - wrapped as it is in a colourful map of Africa - but once you open it, it is a lot more serious than the cover paper suggested. Was this intentional?

Yes, people are buying it as gifts ... so the word is spreading when people read it. We see people buy five at a time.

Do you have a favourite image or text from Afro 1?

I must say I loved the story from Eritrea called 'Ghost night' and my favorite design page is the 'Bollywood in Nigeria' page with the Coca-Cola logo.

Tell what you are planning for Afro 2. Will it be similar to Afro 1?

We will keep it as fresh as the first one. It will have some similar things, like it will be like a gift again, etc, but very different, so people will be as excited by it as they were with issue 1.

Below are images from Afro.












...and Afro II




You can see a slide show of all the pages of Afro II here.



And to prove that Peet is a bit flash, this was his business card a few years ago. Must have cost him a small fortune to produce.

KUMO t-shirts

This was a limited edition run that we did a year or so ago and I'm toying with the idea of printing up a second run. If you're interested then just holler. I'll be peddling them at cost + shipping in all probability. The t-shirt was basically me paying respect to all my musical influences. They were printed by Phil Banks who did a sterling job.


Front

Front detail

Top left to right: Sufjan Stevens, Jon Peel and Hugh Masekela
2nd row left to right: Chuck D, Barry White and Theo Parrish
3rd row left to right: Gilles Peterson, Aretha Franklin, Depeche Mode, Metro Area and Rub 'n Tug
4th row left to right: Carl Craig, Beck, Eric Dolphy, Matthew Herbert and Roy Ayers
5th row left to right: Charles Mingus, Andrew Weatherall, Jack deJohnette, Stevie Wonder and Mos Def

The writing behind the images are the names of people like Laurent Garnier, Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, Moodymann and many, many more.


Back detail

James Kumo and myself at Cord


Rob D and myself at Last Rites

I'm available for all catalog work but won't do nudity unless it is vital to the narrative/artistic direction.