Blu meets Madlib.

When a restless MC meets a restless beatsmith, the result is "UCLA", the latest effort by the talented Blu, who managed to steal 15 beats from Otis Jackson Jr. 

The whole album is streamable on Bandcamp, but it's not free of charge to download it. And yeah, that's the actual "cover art" (if such thing really exists for a digital release), so I had to put it in an appropriate size. 

In my opinion, Madlib didn't have much to do with it except providing a beat tape, in a loopdigga mode. But still, the final product complies pretty much with what you would expect for such a collab. 

Worth a listen.

Edit : It looks like everyone jumped on the hype a bit early...

soleil rare 21 - old tapes.

Classic and weird. 

Alain Goraguer - La Femme. 

Besides composing music for gym records, lending his orchestra and talents to acts like Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Goraguer also got involved in this crazy adventure : "La Planète Sauvage".

Awarded at the Festival de Cannes in 1973, the movie is now better known through its soundtrack. It's psychedelic orientation shooked the world of music at the time. The original issue now goes for 120 € and more. 

A few record diggers sampled this album, including Jay Dee, Madlib, ASP...  

On "La Femme", the atmosphere is heavy and dark. Feel the genius. 

Sven Libaek - Mrs Benson. 

Sven Libaek was born in Norway. In his twenties, he toured in Australia, then chose to live there, and to acquire the citizenship. Libaek is well known in the small world of movie scoring, and his talent is undeniable. Just check, besides "Nickel Queen", "Inner Space" and "Solar Flares", his absolute masterpieces. 

"Mrs Benson" is a short track, mellow on the horn and loud on the bass. A fine interlude. 

By the way, I never heard of the movie, I guess it never reached success outside Australia. 

Fabio Fabor - Parallelotropic 1.

The title of the album says it all : it's about collages here. 99% of the listeners will judge it useless. I think it's... funny. Somehow. And courageous. I guess at that time you could record and print anything when you were labelled as a library music producer. 

Ennio Morricone - Placaggio. 

How to make a soundtrack compilation without mentioning the master, Ennio Morricone ? 

This track is made of two parts, with two different moods. The first one is quite unusual for Morricone : funky drums and bass, random screams (really scary by the way - it makes it sound like a horror flick), and strange harassing sounds all the way. The second part is more Morriconian : psych feeling, calm at the beginning, then blury and out of control. 

Michel Colombier - L'Usine. 

Part of the incredible team of French scorers, very active from the 1960's to the 1990's, a frequent collaborator of Serge Gainsbourg (yes, another one), Michel Colombier is nothing less than a legend. 

Prog, funk and psych at the same time, Colombier introduced the spirit of the French early 1970's in this soundtrack. 

"L'Usine" starts with a dope drum break, and follows like a symphony. Just picture Belmondo's charisma over the track and you get the spirit. 

Eric Framond - Ecole Maternelle. 

Eric Framond is Camille Sauvage, a French clarinet player turned into library music composer.

This is definitely library music : no clear purpose, experimentation to the fullest, and a strange but good feeling of freedom. Drums, piano, synths, guitars and other elements make it a fun moment. 

 François de Roubaix - Où Est Passé Tom ?

Once again, a music composer outshined a movie, at least that's how history remembers it. Frankly, I known nothing of this "Où Est Passé Tom ?" movie, released in 1971. But I know about the music, beautifully composed by François de Roubaix. Probably one of his most emotional tracks, supported by a pan flute that gives it a South American feeling. 

This track has different periods, and will tease your emotions for a bit more than 5 minutes. A delight. 

The Doors - Opening : The End. 

I decided to give this track its original purpose : making the end of a compilation. I can understand why Coppola chose it for the beginning of his movie (by the way, "Apocalypse Now" is easily in my top 3) but whatever... 

This whole soundtrack is crazy : it's made of a lot of spoken interludes, taken from the movie. But you have that track, the chopper sound, the wonderful crazy Indian feeling... I guess no one did it better since The Doors disbanded. Drugs for good. 

where's the R&B at ?

Here's an understatement : R&B evolved along the decades. Formerly applying to what we commonly name "soul music" today, R&B (for "rhythm and blues" of course) nowadays brand a wide range of singers, from Usher to The Internet, from Franck Ocean to D'Angelo (though, the D created his own genre with the unassumed nu soul).

The Guardian has been going through the topic in a brief but synthesizing article.

In all its different forms, R&B still is a dynamic genre, gaining (in a hip-hopish way) from a lot of influences. Usher went electro, and still rides this wave (thanks Diplo) ; The Internet and Franck Ocean emerged from the Odd Future hype, offering a different sound ; the old guys from Sa-Ra Creative Partners have long been doing some cosmic music ; R. Kelly still uses the hormonal formula that brought him so much success (and troubles) ; and D'Angelo is finally back (already the best news of 2012).

And there are all these youngsters I don't know because I'm already too old. But I guess some of them are worth a listen (just listened to Ango's "No ordinary love" and it's crazy... Sade must be glad).

And for a glimpse of nowadays R&B, head to the Indie R&B blog. It's fresh, it's classy. Gotta like it. I even read some deep truth on it, and I can't resist to sharing it :

“I STILL FEEL THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH MUSIC IN THE WORLD. I’M NOT CONVINCED THAT WE NEED TO MAKE ANY MORE MUSIC. I READ THIS STATISTIC THAT SAID 75% OF MUSIC ON ITUNES HAS NEVER BEEN DOWNLOADED ONCE. IT’S DEPRESSING, BUT IT ALSO MAKES YOU THINK THAT WE SHOULD STOP MAKING MUSIC UNTIL WE LISTEN TO IT ALL, AND THEN WE SHOULD START AGAIN.” 

– Experimental producer Matthew Herbert 

Nuff said. Meditate.

Wax On Film.

One thing you should know. 

JJ DOOM.

Quite simply, JJ DOOM is a duo made of Jneiro Jarel and MF Doom (oops, now he's just DOOM - is the mask off ?).

The two prepare an album, titled "Key To The Kuffs", and set to released on Lex Records.

After a fruitful (and profitable) collaboration with Madlib, DOOM reached out to another creative and avant-garde beatmaker. Considering the talent of the two hip hop heads, this association should be good. And judging by the first teaser, called "Banished", the forecast is confirmed. I saw no date of release.

What's next for DOOM ? Flying Lotus ?

Meanwhile, Jneiro Jarel (aka Dr. Whodat ? aka a lot of other aliases) did a nice interview for Clash, in which he talks about inspiration, being kind of off the radar, and other things.

Ethio revival.

Somehow it's funny. Somehow it's not. 

There's a lot of Ethio-jazz released these days. But most of it is the work of non-Ethiopian bands. Those bands are good, play either in a traditional way either in a fusion trend, and are comprised of passionate musicians who, like common listeners, were introduced to Ethiopian music through the notes and voices of Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessèssè and others. No need to emphasize here the huge role played by Francis Falceto and his "Ethiopiques" series on these guys current devotion. 

Among other bands, let's name the following ones : Akalé Wubé, Arat Kilo, Badume's Band, The Heliocentrics, Woima Collective, Wudasse Band, uKanDanz, Eth, Le Tigre (des platanes) (they stopped their Ethio era though), Imperial Tiger Orchestra, Either/Orchestra... 

As you can see, the scene is getting some attention, especially from "abroad", and there might be an Ethio-jazz band in concert near you right now, and you don't even know it. 

As I implied, this is a good thing for music. This is not a good sign for Ethiopia. As in other parts of Africa, Ethiopian music is taking the digital slide. Sometimes it's still creative, sometimes it's boring. A few tracks played in the clubs are very enjoyable, and you might feel like doing the shoulder dance while listening to some current hits. But still, the references are still the same and point towards the previous decades... 

Now, maybe it's the same in the Western world, and I don't acknowledge it because I can't take the step backwards necessary to have a clear view of the situation. 

Anyway, the good thing is that Mulatu Astatke is currently recording a new record in London. No need to stress how important this is for the Ethiopian music world. Let's hope fellow Ethio stars like Mahmoud Ahmed would do the same ; well, Mahmoud still records music, but the CD's and tapes do not benefit from a worldwide distribution. Recent albums are available in Ethiopia, and some of them are even recorded in the USA, where Mahmoud Ahmed now resides. So, how come they aren't available elsewhere ?  

And when it comes to developing the knowledge of Ethiopian instruments, who is the main actor ? Mr. Astatke again.

Alright, don't feel like I send shots in this post, it's just  regular raving and ranting. Thanks to all the actors of this Ethio revival, both for keeping the music alive and for provoking the re-discovery of ancient gems. 

MAW.

Whenever I think about the Masters At Work, this logo automatically pops in my mind. That's the first effect of the MAW, they branded everything : their sound, their image, their attitude... Louie Vega and Kenny Gonzales are music and marketing geniuses. 

I've been a fan of the MAW and their various aliases as solo acts or as a group since the early 1990's. I even attended a Kenny Dope's set a few years back. With their ability to mix everything from bossa nova, to house music, rap, and their own nuyorican soul, these guys can be considered the masters of the spinning science. I mean, who's better ?

Despite developping solo projects, they somehow managed to reunite for an incredible 3-hour mix in San Francisco. This is streamable in three parts on the Red Bull Music Academy website. 

Now you can pretend you're behind your computer, mixing for your friends and be idolised by the girls.   

soleil rare 20 - salon.

Feel like sharing some groove. It's the 20th, y'all.

Oliver Cheatham - Boogie Stomp. 

You probably know Oliver Cheatham as a disco icon, with his timeless "Get Down Saturday Night". Well, you probably only know that track by him. 

Here's another one, from the album "The Boss". Disco-funk, early 1980's, good times. A sweet introduction. 

Secret Service - King & Queen. 

These guys don't look as impressive as their name would suggest. Don't blame them, they're Swedish (no offense). And were probably nice guys. They flooded the 1980's with dancing tracks, like this "King & Queen". They actually played pop and new wave music with live instruments ; no drum machine à la Communards, but authentic drum tricks. 

Bottom line, I think this guys are underrated because they had some serious loops. 

Osunlade - Casablanca Soul. 

Speaking of underrated guys, here's Osunlade, a true laidback producer, who mainly delivers lounge stuff. Music to set a mellow mood. Fine drums, gentle horns, a bass, a few synths, and you have your formula for a good evening. 

By the way, Osunlade makes great mixes as well. And likes to put a stick across his nose. 

Le Tigre - Sixteen. 

From the album "This Island", released in 2004, here's "Sixteen", a relax tune supported by a heady drum pattern (good to sample). But what's more heady are the voices and all the other little accessories. And somehow, all this sticks together and makes it a nice listen. Have a smile. 

SebastiAn - Shoot. 

SebastiAn is on the rise to a great career. Still a bit in the shadow, I guess he's about to blow out with his next project. He already proved to be a credible live act, so now he really has to step his game up. 

Ok, this is how you put pressure on a guy...

"Shoot" is from his EP "Ross Ross Ross", the one that caught anyone's attention, released on Ed Banger, of course. This is not the most accessible electro music, but it fits perfectly in a set. 

Télépopmusik - Breathe. 

This is French. This is trip hop. This is music to make out with your girl/boyfriend to. This brings me back to the finest hours of "Nip/Tuck". That was nice... 

Call me conventional if you like, this track is a must. 

Gotan Project - Epoca. 

Founded by Philippe Cohen Solal (a huge vinyl collector) on the basis of the band Boyz From Brasil, Gotan Project has a simple yet original concept : melting the spirit of Argentinian tango with modern rhythms. And most of the time, this occurs to be a perfect match, because this guys have magic hands. 

Once again, this brings me back to "Nip/Tuck"...

Cerrone - Strip-Tease. 

Cerrone is arguably the godfather of all the French electro scene. I mean, he developped the concept such in advance. It's house music 10 years in advance. I guess people branded it disco at the time, because they didn't know how to label this music. 

Le Knight Club - Mosquito.

A bastard of Daft Punk, Le Knight Club acts as a side project for Guy de Homem-Christo, one half of Daft Punk. Inside LKC, he shares the seat with Rico. 

Their label, Crydamoure, only releases maxis. "Mosquito" was featured on "Boogie Shell", released in 1999. It's build around a sample of "I owe you one" by Shalamar. 

Not the best house music you'll hear, but it fills a void. 

Patrick Juvet - Viva California. 

Mr. Juvet is Swiss. And had a famous hit in France, "Où Sont Les Femmes ?". Beside that, he is a disco icon, distinguishable by his very high  voice. He also wrote stuff for others, including French superstars Claude François and Daniel Balavoine. 

"Viva California" was part of the "Lady Night" album ; pretty efficient formula, with synths, horns, and even a samplable drum break in the middle of the track. 

a hot and bothered astronaut.

EARL

He is back.

Be ready to be sho(o)(c)ked.

kickin the kan.

Real beat lovers know Kankick, and realize his impact on the current beat scene. Indeed, the guy started alongside Madlib, when there was no Madlib yet. Hailing from the same city of Oxnard, California, Kankick rolled with Lootpack, Wildchild, Declaime, Oh No and such, over the years. But he is too independant, too discreet to be linked to a specific crew. So, he took his own road and kept doing collabos on an irregular basis. 

A wonderful beatmaker and producer (his opus "From Artz Unknown" counts among my favorite LP's), Kankick is also a decent MC and an accomplished DJ. He recently cooked up a mix for the one and only BTS Radio. Expect nothing but good taste. 

In addition to that, Prog Porn made this little interview video on a Londonian pavement, in which Kan Zulu breaks it down from the beginning. A chill dude. 

James Blake, live.

On this day of grieving (I might come back on this later), maybe we all need something else, a different flavor. 

Okay, a live album by James Blake may not be the funniest thing to lighten the mood. But that's what surfaced today. It won't hold your tears, but this music will be a nice companion on this special and sad day. 

I'll say it, RIP Whitney. 

Dilla week.

Six years after J Dilla's passing, it was Dilla week all over the web. Tributes, articles, posts, the whole blogosphere went crazy, and crafted a lot of ish to pay homage to the greatest who touched a MPC. 

So, among a lot of things, here is a selection of stuff you might be interested in if you still enjoy Jay Dee's work : 

- The 50 Best Dilla Songs by Complex Magazine (comprising beats from the many eras of James Yancey 

- Waajeed's 10 Favorite J Dilla Sample Flips by EgotripLand (strangely highlighting the previous link)

- Ma Dukes's interview by Complex Magazine about Dilla's legacy and estate

- ?uestlove on Dilla being the best, by XXLMag

- 10 facts you might not know about Dilla, by Complex Magazine

- Peanut Butter Wolf's interview about possible eventual Dilla releases by Complex Magazine

Man, the best hip hop is old. 

Agent K.

Kavinsky says it in a simple way : 2011 was an awesome year thanks to "Drive" and an awful one because of DJ Mehdi's death. 

Following this strange year, the French DJ/electro music producer is currently working on a new contribution to the world of electro music, still with the Records Makers label, and with the involvement of fellow Parisian producer SebastiAn.

Les Inrockuptibles wrote an interesting piece about the guy. Sorry, French again. 

the French side of conscious rap.

First of all, if somebody has these CD's, I'm willing to purchase them...

Nuff said, conscious rap is not the main genre among French rap. While heavyweights like Booba or Rohff can still sell over 100 000 copies of an album (quite good figures nowadays), so-called conscious rappers are pleased with 20 000. Anyway, when there is passion, there is truth.

In the past 10 years, a few French rappers made their way to the media with deep lyrics, and meaningfull speeches. Some even developped their art outside of rap music. Let's name a few : Rocé, Oxmo Puccino, Youssoupha...

This year, Rocé celebrates the 10th anniversary of the release of his first opus "Top Départ", which holds a special place in my record collection. This record is simply flawless. For French readers, Rocé speaks about it in a recent interview by l'abcdr. Rocé is now preparing his 4th album, "Gunz'N Rocé". Gotta smile at that. 

Youssoupha is releasing a new album, already available, called "Noir Désir" (yo guys, what is it with rock references ? - Noir Désir is the main French rock band of the last 20 years despite a tumultuous history and a recent disbanding). A son of Congolese star Talu Bey Rochereau, Youssoupha is well-known for addressing strong messages to the listeners. The French major newspaper Le Monde published an article about the new Youssoupha.  

Hopefully, these guys will transmit their passion to others. Right now, thanks to young bands like L'Entourage, or La Source, entertaining yet funny rap is coming back to the front. It's a good sign. 

D live mix.

D'Angelo die-hard fans are slowly coming back to life with his new tour. The supporting site, Okayplayer, is back in full "D-mode" and posts as many articles as possible about this come back. 

So, here's a mix of tracks by D'Angelo, recorded live along the years, but mainly back in the days when his chocolate abs were your girl's dreams. 

Although the mix was initially just streamable, it's now downloadable, and you will not be thankful enough for this favor. 

Now waiting for the new album.

Edit : I don't like writing too many posts about one thing, so here is a new thing about D'Angelo : the complete Paris live show, in .mp3 and/or .flac. Yeah, believe it. 

Iranian pop.

Recently, I was wandering around the archives of the Los Angeles Times, and gladly discovered the newspaper published an article about the resurrection of Iranian pop, through the examples of Googoosh and Kourosh Yaghmaei, and thanks to labels like Finders Keepers and Now-Again.

Unfortunately, only the outside world (meaning excluding Iran) is able to listen to those releases ; you have to realize that Googoosh stopped singing in 1979, when the Iranian Revolution chased the Shah and replaced him with a religious regime. She resumed performing only after she moved to the USA in 2000. 

Kourosh is another example of wasted talent ; after the Revolution, he lived a bit in Canada, but eventually returned to Iran, thus suffering from the numerous restrictions on music playing.

Long story short, the story of Iranian pop music is an interesting yet unfinished one and guys like Andy Vottel and Egon made it available to us. Even the hypish Vogue Magazine praised the release of the Kourosh boxset. 

Lucky us.

Edit : I forgot to talk about another record, because I didn't know it at the time, and discovered it only a week ago. This record is a compilation album released by Vampisoul, accurately titled "Rangarang : Pre-Revolutionary Iranian Pop". No opinion about it yet, as I haven't been able to fully listen to it, but once again, a good news about the current spread of Iranian music.

D is really back.

A few posts ago, I blogged about D'Angelo doing a little tour with few buzz around it, twelve years after his last album and last tour. And of course when it comes to D, people got suspicious. Can't blame them...

Anyway, it really looks like the nu soul icon is really getting back in shape and with new songs ! A couple of videos from his latest concert in Stockholm has surfaced in the recent hours, and... well, judge by yourself, but I think D is really proving the world his ability to bring the heat. After such uncertainty about D'Angelo's capacity to come back, these videos act like a proof : even a bit fatter than before, D'Angelo is still an incredible performer and (possibly) songwriter/musician. 

Good news. 

 

And just in case you don't know (or remember)...

 

And just as if it wasn't enough good news for today, Common tweeted today about an hypothetical Soulquarians (minus J Dilla) reunion... oh boy.

sample flips.

I really dig the "10 Favorite Sample Flips" series that EgotripLand initiated, for two reasons : first, it's a good way of learning about the influences of a famous producer/DJ/beatmaker ; second, it's pretty convenient to take a music history lesson. 

The latest episode of the series invited A-Trak, one of the most brilliant DJ's on Earth, in every aspect of the DJ'ing game. He's an absolute god at scratching, knows how to rock a crowd live, and crafts powerful dance anthems and remixes for the benefit of the world. 

The former scratch wonderkid displays a full range of influences, that goes from club music to the rawest hip-hop stuff. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and listen to one of the best Dilla song. Ever. 

Previous episodes feature Jake One, DJ Spinna, Large Professor, Da Beatminerz, J-Rocc, Evidence, Prince Paul, K-Def... in a word : legends. 

the weirdo is back.

Sébastien Tellier is back with a new album, following "Sexuality". The new opus is called "My God Is Blue". So, expect a blue galore in the next appareances of the guy. And judging by the first song, it's gonna be Gainsbourgish. 

Here's the tracklist :
01 - Pépito Bleu
02 - The Colour Of Your Mind
03 - Sedulous
04 - Cochon Ville
05 - Magical Hurricane
06 - Russian Attractions
07 - Mayday
08 - Draw Your World
09 - My Poseidon
10 - Against The Law
11 - My God Is Blue
12 - Yes It's Possible

Now wait. No said date. 

behind the scenes : Black Star.

Do you remember being attracted to this cover artwork, the first time you saw it ? Strangely enough, on the same day, August 25th of 1998, "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" was released, with the same artwork style : a wooden background, lots of hot colours (red, yellow, orange) and carved-styled faces. 

The "Black Star" cover is Brent Rollins' work. And the designer goes all over the story of the making of. From metal to wood, from magazine to record, Brent Rollins tells everything. 

Do The Dilla.

Not long after Jay Dee passed away, it became impossible to count the tributes to the great beatmaker and producer. I guess a lot of people realized the impact that Jay Dee had had on the music game. 

If lots of beatmakers still pledge their allegiance to Jay Dee, it is rather surprising to see another tribute surfacing on the web, six years after his death. 

"Do The Dilla" is an announced tribute, with an international (but mainly European) casting of beatmakers. It is not yet available, but expect Dilla-styled beats, of course. The press release is quite explicit about the goals of the initiator and contributors. And for those who can make it to Lausanne on Feb 11th, don't miss the tribute party. Dilla lives.

Edit : "Do The Dilla" is now available for download. And it's free. 

restless Jeff.

This guy is my hero. A restless touring DJ, hip hop genre pioneer, and still an activist from his hometown of Philly. 

Recently, he launched a few interesting media contents : 

- his live set in Fukuoka, Japan (always a great moment, like his Do-Over mixes) ; 

- a video called "A Musical Journey", showing footages of his Asian tour (always a great moment... personal experience) ;

- the audio of his 1986 live set at the Union Square with the Fresh Prince (always a great moment... not a personal experience...).

Enjoy this bridging experience between the past and today. 

soleil rare 19 - another version.

Baby Huey - California Dreamin'. 

Baby Huey did one of the best albums of all time. Timeless. Funky, soulful, mellow... artfull. 

"California Dreamin'" is originally a song by The Mamas & The Papas, released in 1965. Here, instead of singing, Baby Huey and his band just adapted the musical part, with an unbelievable and unusual soul flute, funky horns and keys. So good. Sadly, "The Living Legend" is a posthumous and only Huey's release, because of Baby Huey's excesses of alcohol, drugs and food. 

MFSB - Freddie's Dead. 

Curtis Mayfield produced Baby Huey's only effort, and wrote the hit "Freddie's Dead", here played by Philadelphia's own band, MFSB. Once again, don't expect vocals, as MFSB is generally an instrumental-only band. This allows them to look deep into experimentations. MFSB makes it an extensive song with a few horn solos, without corrupting Curtis Mayfield's spirit. Funky enough. 

 Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Show 3, Set 1). 

Otis Redding's early death is probably the most tragic event in the history of soul music. Feeling his energy on stage through 40 year-old records is simply of prodigy. A true performer and entertainer, Otis' talent is mostly known thanks to the super hit "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay", which is a pity. Because, even if the song is a beautiful one, it doesn't display the sweat and moves that Otis was able to provide. 

With this cover of the Stones' "Satisfaction", you can feel what the man was about. Dope. 

The Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag. 

In 1968, The Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band (damn, what a band name...) finally got their final line-up, just one year before splitting... however, even with a tumultuous story, the band managed to craft a few hits, including "Express Yourself". 

With the album "Together", they gained even more fame. Their cover of James Brown's "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" sounds almost like the original ; no innovation here, but a different voice and feeling. 

Paul Mauriat - La Vie En Rose. 

I gotta confess : for some reason, I collect Paul Mauriat's records. And it looks like a bottomless pit, and endless quest. 

Yeah, it is cheesy. But it definitely has a French feeling. A French gift to the world !

And yeah, here again, the song is simply an instrumental. Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" doesn't have the same vibe under Mauriat's direction, but still, I kinda like it. And I don't know why. Get charmed. 

Carte Blanche - Lettre A France. 

DJ Mehdi would have been 35 today. And his death is still a tragedy for music. I simply don't know how or who will feel the void that he left. 

On one of his last efforts as Carte Blanche (alongside Riton), Mehdi released this interpretation of Michel Polnareff's mega hit "Lettre A France". Saturated. Yet elegant. You can even picture Mehdi playing with the faders and the knobs of his mixer while listening to the track. 

Too short. 

Alain Bashung - Nights In White Satin. 

I already wrote quite a few lines about Alain Bashung on this blog. And I might keep on doing it. Until very recently, I didn't know he had made covers of English songs. Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satin" being an anthem of the late 1960's, it's a pleasure to listen such a giant covering it. With a gentle help from an acoustic guitar, Bashung offers all his sensitivity in just one song. 

Aretha Franklin - You're All I Need To Get By (Take 2). 

Oh, come on... the queen Aretha singing some Marvin Gaye. Aretha doing both Marvin and Tammi... good Lord. Wow, you gotta be thankful forever when you hear such a song. The covering is just perfect, and it sounds just like Aretha's voice was made for singing this song. Plain and simple. So she hired a bass player, a drummer, took the piano and did it. Boy, I could spend days listening to Aretha Franklin. 

The final cut is a bit strange as it sounds like a simple rehearsal for her, but don't complain. 

J*Davey - Smells Like Teen Spirit. 

Yes, this is an internet find, so I don't know if it's featured on a proper record. Whatever... The first time I heard about J*Davey, I think it was thanks to Okayplayer. I found the duo very talented, out of limit, unstoppable. Then I kinda lost their track, to find it again with their impressive cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (one of the best songs of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine). 

I haven't felt such a level of production in a long time, and the voice is sexy but distant. It's like and erotic theme, only with a rock'n'soul (I don't think the genre has ever been labelled) flavor. Let's just say... wow. 

tears of joy.

I should let you read the announcement of Light In The Attic about the release of this compilation album by Wendy Rene. Because it says it all. Because it sounds so promising : thanks to the restless label, you'll be able to hear Wendy's powerful voice right in the middle, in "glorious mono" ; you'll feel Wendy(s charisma and you'll shiver. 

Because I've been waiting for it ever since I realized how insane was the sample behind Wu-Tang Clan's "Tearz", the release of this compilation is great news. 

It's crisis time, folks. Be happy.  

By the way, it'll be released on January, 30th. 

don't call it a comeback.

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you...

And here you go with a new interview of a record collector, by Dust & Grooves.

This time, it's Markey Funk's turn, a record lover and DJ from Belarus, now settled in Jerusalem. The funny thing is that Markey Funk can talk about Soviet bootlegs, cover art and Jew music in the same sentence. As always on Dust & Grooves, the guy is an absolute aficionado, so make this interview a must-read.