crate diggers.

Think you got game ? Maybe so. But the Chocolate Boy got 100 000 records. Yeah. Or more. 

soleil rare 26 - where's the 25 ?

The answer : banned. Suck it up. 

This time it goes with some weird and/or unexpected.

Lee Hazlewood - No Train To Stockholm. 

The title of this album finds its explanation in the recording place of this album by Mr. Hazlewood : Sweden. I don't exactly know why Lee Hazlewood chose to record there, but it obviously inspired him to compose a themed album. With such a voice, Lee could have been a country singer ; instead, he made folk music. This song is a nice ballad, filled with gentle drums, organ, bass and guitar. Maybe a flute also. 

Leonard Cohen -  Chelsea Hotel No. 2. 

Let's keep it in the same wave with Leonard Cohen, purely folk music. Recorded in 1974, this song showcases Leonard Cohen in conversation with his acoustic guitar, delivering his classic storytelling. For the story, the song refers to Janis Joplin ; Leonard Cohen revealed it, before regretting he did. A love story. 

Everything But The Girl - Goodbye Sunday. 

Being the 4th album of Everything But The Girl, "Idlewild" is mature enough to be a reference of the band. Released in 1988, it is filled with the duo's speciality, soft rock songs. Tracey Thorn's vocals are as relaxing as ever. A song to set the mood of the evening. 

James Blake - Once We All Agree. 

One day, James Blake will have to change his formula. I guess people will grow tired of it. But for the moment, it still works. A voice that sounds to be sent from the clouds, piano notes that sounds to be played randomly, weird sound effects behind to remind you that James Blake is a dubstep artist... "Once We All Agree" sounds like a revelation. You either like it or hate it, either get into it or find it stupid. 

J*Davey - Kill 4 Fun. 

Okayplayer introduced me to J*Davey and I thank them for it. Since I heard their cover of "Smell Like Teen Spirit", my interest for the duo grew even bigger. "Kill 4 Fun" is from their first album. It's on a rock mode. Well, rock mixed with electro music. Jack Davey tries a few words in French, or seems to, I don't know exactly. 

Laïka - Black Narcissus. 

At first, I wondered why the presence of the bass was so prominent on this song. Then, I realized Meshell Ndeogecello is behind it. So, that explains it. The bass contributes to the warm feeling that this song provides. It's jazzy, with a Benson-like guitar and the sweet voice of Laïka. Modern jazz at its best. 

The Nino's - Le Téléfon. 

The Nino's are a band that makes covers of French singer Nino Ferrer. "Le Téléfon" is a classic song from his repertoire. The cover is quite respectful of the original, even if it's not as good, of course. 

I guess that's the "weird" part of this selection. 

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside. 

I'm a proud owner of this one. "The Kick Inside" is the debut album of Kate Bush, released in 1978. With this album, the whole world got introduced to the unique universe of this artist, and to a beautiful voice. The production is mastered, and it's no wonder when you understand who's behind it.

With a two-year recording process, Kate Bush could only deliver the finest. Done. 

At first, I wanted to end this selection with a 20-minute song, but it would have been a bad idea. Go with this 8 songs.

16 years later...

The cult status of Nas is growing as the rapper from QB is getting older and somehow wiser. That may be the reason why the wait surrounding his next album, titled "Life Is Good", is getting unbearable. That and the quality singles Nas has been dropping for a few months already. "Nasty" opened the list, followed by "The Don" and more recently "Daughters". 

Retrospectively, it's fair to say that Nas' albums received various levels of popularity at the moment of their release. But all of them contained bangers. Seriously, a few years later, even his weakest albums would make the cut compared to other rappers' efforts. 

A t the time of its release, "It Was Written" was felt disappointing. People forgot that Nas set the standard so high on "Illmatic" that it was litterally impossible to equal the same performance once again. Still, people were foolish back then, because 16 years later, "It Was Written" can be considered a standard of rap music. It tells so much about what Nas was going through following the critically acclaimed "Illmatic". 

Complex did a nice presentation that does justice to this album, with exclusive thoughts and revelations of Nas' then manager Steve Stoute and producers Trackmasters about the making of "It Was Written". More of this would be welcome.  

les mains noires.

I chose to redirect you towards the latest post of Les Mains Noires, a reference blog about record digging. 

Their latest post is dedicated to a serious Brazilian digger, named Edson Carvalho. He's been digging for 15 years, specifically, but not only, looking for Brazilian 7" and library music.

Les Mains Noires has a banging formula, which is like a triple threat : accurate questions, very interesting visuals, and entertaining mixes. All this in just one post focusing on just one digger. 

How can you beat that ? 

latest additions.

Latest purchases. OG only. 

Sorry I'm bored...

Banksy's back.

Not exactly related to vinyl, but I like this guy. I'm talking about Banksy, the goadfather of street art. 

He recently posted new stuff on his website, both done outside and inside.  

Both good. 

And if you really want to make it your inhome decoration, just download and print some of his stuff. Brilliant. 

a call to US record collectors.

If you're a record collector living in the US, Dust & Grooves is interested in meeting you to talk about your love for vinyl and to share your passion. All the info here. 

Onra + Fool's Gold.

Alright. Onra will be dropping a new EP on the Fool's Gold imprint on June 12th, in the middle of his tour in the US. 

This is a major step for Onra, who can now take over internationally, being produced by an American label. 

Judging by the first track released, the feeling is the same neo-disco wave than on his previous effort, "Long Distance". 

Onra may have lost a few fans from the first hour by taking this road, but you honestly can't blame an artist for trying to evolve. 

WITCH.

You may know this band thanks to the reissues released by the German label Shadoks. 

If not, here's a brief : WITCH is a band from Zambia. Their name stands for We Intend To Cause Havoc. Their music is a blend of rock (in the garage/psych wave) and afro music. Needless to say, they were pioneers in their country, and on the African continent. 

Though Shadoks released two of their albums, Now-Again Records did better by printing 5 albums and a compilation of tracks originally released on 7". The 6-LP box is issued at 1000 copies worldwide, so you'll have to be fast to secure one for yourself. Why ? Because there has been a cult rising around these guys, especially since Shadoks released "Lazy Bones !!" ; but nowadays, these reissues scores really high prices. 

So, two possibilities : either the Now-Again box set will slow down the inflation on Shadoks issues, or it'll get even worse, considering that records by Shadoks are known for their quality. We'll see. 

Anyway, have a go, get introduced to African rock music by listening to WITCH. You can't be wrong. 

Kheper.

Imhotep's second album, "Kheper", will be released on June 18th. The cover brings back to the good old days of IAM's album covers, designed by Tous Des K. Can't wait. 

Gainsbourg on TV.

To French speaking readers, if you missed the TV program "Un Jour, Un Destin" dedicated to Serge Gainsbourg, here's the 100-minute film. Journalists, friends, writers, artists, collaborators : testimonies of a unique history. 

From Ginsburg, to Gainsbourg and finally Gainsbarre, you get it all told as a novel. And if you want more, go read the biography by Gilles Verlant. 

this is going way too far.

The "soleil rare 25 - air spanking" compilation became a collector since it's been removed for infringing copyright over Michael Jackson's "Bad". Even a remix of the track couldn't make the cut, and was hunted down by the big bad wolf. 

Wtf.

record stores across the world.

As a casual traveller, there's one thing I'm always looking for : addresses of record dealers. And good ones if possible, because time is a valuable asset for a digger.
So, among the latest addresses I collected, here are a few ones compiled by Pitchfork, and located in the US, England, and Canada. And here is a list of French, Swiss, Luxemburg, Belgian record stores.
This one list is pretty solid, to say the least, and all I can advise is you to use it too much when visiting these countries.  

a day with Madlib.

Guys, listen. I tried to resist, like... 5 or 6 seconds. I don't want to post too much of hip hop, because this blog is about eclectism, so to speak. 

But ! Well, I don't remember seeing a Madlib interview. I read very few interviews, but a video following a day with Madlib ? Never. So, when this one hit the web, it hit the fan at the same time. Fan might be too strong a word, but whatever. It's only 4-minute long, but it's full of 'Lib-branded punchlines. Dude seems a bit nervous and shaky, but you would be the same if you slept only "2 hours a night". How does he do that ? 

is mature better ?

Earl Sweatshirt, the most promising talent off the Odd Future posse, lyrically-wise, signed his return a few weeks ago with his extended verse on the posse cut "Oldie". 

But since he came back home in February after some time in the Samoa, he seems Earl didn't waste his time. Indeed, the New York Times revealed that he had signed a deal with Sony to release multiple projects, either in solo or with his buddies. Actually, it allows him to keep his business inside the family, as Odd Future as a group had previously signed under the Sony flag, through the RED imprint. 

As a matter of fact, the NY Times published a 3-page article about the boy everyone remembers for his killer track "Earl". Dude was only a kid then, and assures he has matured, especially in his lyrics. After all, Earl's father is a South African poet. Well, "Oldie" didn't disappoint, so we'll see what he has to offer. Confidence prevails.  

Discogs most expensive items.

Maybe you've been wanting these for years. Maybe it's been your everlasting quest, your digger's dream. But it costs so much that you just can't. Yeah, some records are so goddamn expensive. 

Just to make you even more envious, Discogs posts a monthly list of the most expensive purchases through the website. 

Unsurprisingly, "The Dark Side Of The Moon" by Pink Floyd topped the list twice in a row, selling for more than $1000 each time.  

Some things on those lists are really surprising though... really weird...

French grooves.

I couldn't have done better, so I'm posting this last mix made by The Jazz Kid. French touch indeed.