lockdown : vinyl find #18.

Fourteen years ago, on my way out of China, I passed by Tokyo, Japan. I wasn't a record collector yet at the time, but I had in mind that one day, I would fall in that category. I was fantasizing it. I was of course already very interested in music, in various genres. The internet had helped me to increase my knowledge of obscure records and distant genres, though the forums, the P2P and the music blogs. What an era... 

As a real dreamer, I went to Shibuya, where the buildings are filled with record stores, from the bottom to the basements to the small apartments. I spent an awful lot of time in those, and I didn't even know what to look for. It was a whole new world for me, the dream. I didn't even owned a turntable ! But the whole experience was great. 

Hip-hop, but not only, was a big focus and I knew that the Jazzy Sport label (which I had discovered through DJ Mitsu The Beats and DJ Muro's mixes) started as a record store in Tokyo. So, when I found it, I started digging, searching for something cheaper than the usual, something that would filled my quest for exclusive stuff. Well, at least I thought I would feel that way... But to be honest, I felt ashamed. For knowing so few. Short version : I didn't fit. But the Japanese are so discreet and nice that they won't make you feel bad. 

Madlib was already a steady name in the alternative rap scene, and I felt that he would be here to stay. His unique approach to sound, and especially to sampling, would inspire lots of beatmakers for the following years, and to this day I was right. 

When I found this EP, it was the perfect find : it wasn't as expensive as the rest (I was damn poor so most LP's were not be considered), it wore Madlib's name, and it was kind of a rough project. The copy I bought was labelled as "sample", so it thought it would be some kind of promo version or bootleg. Only years later, I found out it was a very regular project. 

6 tracks from Madlib's archives, splitted on the two sides of a 45, straight to the point, pure rap served by heavy spitters like Wildchild, Oh No, MED, Declaime, Kazi, plus DJ Romes on the scratches. The early Stones Throw recipe. With a title that would be the name of Madlib's imprint : Madlib Invazion.  

Madlib - Madlib Invazion.

Here's the full EP : YouTube.

I proudly consider this one as the first piece of vinyl I bought with my own money. Could have been worse...

lockdown : vinyl find #17.

Back in the days, I was going camping from time to time. All I had to do was to choose an area on the map, then drive to it. The only criteria was that it shouldn't imply days and days of driving to get there, and it should be big enough with woods to spend four to seven days exploring the area without getting bored. 

So, one day my finger pointed at the region called Morvan, in France. Very rural, not very populated, with a few noticeable sites for visiting, and a bit of wild. It was the end of spring, maybe the beginning of summer, the weather was perfect to camp and hike. 

But while driving around the area to simply go from one site to another, I stumbled upon a few good surprises : flea markets. It was indeed the best season. Some of them were huge and attracted big crowds from all around. I remember buying a lot of records, sometimes even entire lots when people wanted to get rid of their records as soon as possible. 

Back then, I had another recurring tip : charity shops. They were unloading records for cheap. When I was crossing a bigger town, I saw the sign of one of those charity stores and immediately diverted my course. It was even better than expected. Usually, there was a bit of competition, even very limited, for records. This day, at this place, there was absolutely none, nobody cared. 

I found the first album by Béatrice Tékielsky, not knowing the first thing about her. I didn't own a smartphone back then, applications were almost non existent, so I had to go with my intuition. The cover told me about a serious record, not especially yéyé, but something conceived with rigor. The credits told me it was folk music : guitars, bass (including an electric bass), piano, organ, flutes, drums. Very folky. And it told me vocals would be the main focus. 

So I bought it, and it was exactly what I imagined. Serious lyrics over discreet music, both from Mrs Tékielsky. 

Later on, I learned that Béatrice Tékielsky had a career under the Mama Béa moniker, and enjoyed quite some success in the alternative/avant-garde scene of the late 1970's-1980's. Although not his best effort, "Je cherche un pays..." could have launched a decent career... but it apparently didn't. There's indeed a 5-year hiatus between this album and the following one, which she released under the new name of Mama Béa Tékielsky. 

"Je cherche un pays..." offers a soft sound, a trembling yet powerful voice, while Mama Béa's following albums would display a rage. What happened during those 5 years, I do not know. But if you pay enough attention to the lyrics of this first album, it already indicates which direction Mama Béa would later take and which message she would voice. Deep down she was already a rebel. 

Béatrice Tiékelsky - Je cherche un pays...

Here are a few songs from this album of chanson française... in no particular order.

At the end of my trip, needless to say the trunk of my car was filled with records.

Pi-Pol - R&¶

Every single time, it's a blessing.

Yes, Pi-Pol released another project on his Bandcamp. This time, it is a collection of R&B/Nu-Soul remixes, and please believe it, it is that good : "R&¶".

Expect banging drums and fat basses to optimize the voices of D'Angelo, Alicia Keys, Dwele, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, etc. 

Silky as the cover.

Travel back into time... now back to the future.  

lockdown : vinyl find #16.

Most people from my parents' generation know Galt McDermot's music without even knowing his name. They know the musical "Hair", but ignore who was the author. 

I heard about McDermot not as the brain and hands behind "Hair", but as the guy who had been sampled by Handsome Boy Modeling School (Prince Paul + Dan The Automator) for the song "The truth" (on the "So... how's your girl" album, which, to be honest, would deserve a post as well), and from the day I heard this track, I had to know more... so it became a quest. 

Perhaps Galt McDermot was smarter than most of his peers, perharps he just felt that need to release his own music without compromise, the fact is his most significant music pieces were released on his own imprint, Kilmarnock, which seems to be still active today (although very quiet), after his death.

The Kilmarnock original pressings are pretty damn impossible to get in a regular European record store, so ten years ago, when I was eager to get my hand on McDermot's records, I had to settle for reissues. Which was fine to me ; at the time, they were very cheap, and still made by Kilmarnock. 

Having spent part of his life in Africa, McDermot's music, although comparable to smooth jazz (before it was called that), adds a different groove to it. Which is probably why it managed to travel through time...

In the 1990's and at the beginning of the 2000's, Galt McDermot was rediscovered by diggers, and beatmakers used his work to craft memorable beats. Madlib and his clique (notably his brother Oh No) even collaborated with him, proving Galt was a very open-minded person. Surfing on that re-fame, Kilmarnock released two volumes of previously unreleased tracks, which contain absolute gems, that everyone should listen, plus other old albums, such as the one I'm blogging about today.

What this album has to offer is a piano-bar feel. Galt is on the keys, accompanied by a guitar player, a bass player and... Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums. It contains this absolute beauty that is "Coffee cold", where Purdie provides his magic behind Galt's display of sensitivity. Highly sensual. But it would be a mistake to only listen to this one track... 

Galt MacDermot and his mid Manhattan rhythm section - Shapes of rhythm.

 Here's the album, in full.

Egon (from Rappcats, Stones Throw, Now-Again etc.), who contributed to the rediscovery of Galt McDermot's music with his friends Madlib, J Dilla and Oh No, wrote a fine obituary after McDermot passed in 2018. Definitely worth a read of you want to know about his life and works.   

lockdown : vinyl find #15.

When I started collecting, I gathered a lot of information on the psychedelic record scene, mostly from the past. I quickly realized that a lot of those psychedelic records were expensive. With the info I could get from the internet, I started looking for a few key records, knowing it would be difficult at first. And it had been. 

One day, I happened to visit a huge flea market that was held on the parking lot of a supermarket in Brest, France. My only interest was in records, so I only focused on the people who had records to sell. I went twice to the same couple who had records lined up in crates on the floor. There was a crate of average records. In another one, among the better records, I found "Allée des tilleuls" by Edition Spéciale. That record had been on my list of French psychedelic records, and I knew it could potentially be expensive. I asked if the tag on the plastic sleeve was the price, and it was. So, for 30€, here how one my first real quests ended. The sellers knew how good and rare it was, and we started talking ; I told them I was surprised that it was not more expensive, to which the guy answered that he preferred that it would go for an average price to someone who really knows what it is. I guess I was that someone...

What can I say about the album ? Gosh... magnificient arrangements, in an intermediate way between progressive rock and psychedelism. There's even some funk in the instrumental parts. Some brand it as jazz rock. The vocals are not as pleasant, as they sound more amateurish than the music, but it doesn't ruin the record, as all along, the chemistry between the musicians make it a well-crafted album. 

Edition Spéciale - Allée des tilleuls. 

  

Here's the full album : YouTube.

Originally released by the major United Artists Records, it has since been reissued by Golden Pavilion.  

lockdown : vinyl find #14.

In 1997, my head got messed up by a bunch of guys from Staten Island, New York. And all of a sudden, it was like getting into religion. For a solid decade, I became a Wu addict. 

The adventure started for me with "Forever", a magical album, but I quickly learned that it was far from being the basis of the Wu-Tang Clan. So I had to walk back the path to the source, to "Enter the Wu-Tang : 36 chambers" and the solo albums. Along that path, I came accross a few revelations ; it was the golden age of hip-hop, New York rap and the Wu-Tang. 

Exactly one year after the Wu-Tang Clan's first album, Method Man was the first member to release a solo album in 1994, following a strategy elaborated by the brain of the group, Rza. Method Man, backed by the power of the label Def Jam, quickly became the star of the group. His flow was like no one's else. He was delivering rhymes over Rza's gritty beats, in a fashion that was unheard before. 

The flavor of the previously unseen. 

It took me a while before I started buying Wu-Tang albums on vinyl, as I'd already owned some of them on CD. I located Meth's first album, "Tical" while in Bordeaux, where I used to go frequently, and where I've always enjoyed the record stores and the regular record fair. It was the 2000 limited European reissue, but for 5€, I didn't think too long.

Listening to the album today, I can confidently say it hasn't aged a bit. It's rough, it hits hard, it still sounds relevant, as only a handful of MC's can compete with Meth in his prime. Plus, Rza was untouchable on the boards at the time ; he was bringing so many innovations to the table that he forged the standard of NY sound for the years after.

Method Man - Tical.

Here's the album, as a YouTube playlist.

Here comes the ruckus, the motherfucking ruckus...

lockdown : vinyl find #13.

Another one from an epic digging session at the Brussels Records Fair, on a particularly good day.

This one album was sitting in a 10€-record bin, which sat on the floor. The two guys who were sharing a booth had some good stuff on their tables, but I had a feeling the cheaper records could be good as well. After all, the records were from their personal collection, and I saw no reason to challenge the tastes of these old timers. I knew they were nice guys, so I emptied part of their cheapest crates and asked for a spot on the ground behind their tables, in order to listen to snippets of the records from the internet. They kindly accepted, knowing that I wouldn't take them all, and that it would prevent other potential customers to grab those records I had snatched. But that's part of the game, and they knew it. 

The Quintessence album caught my eye ; first, because of the sleeve of course, as it's cut in the middle, and opens like a book, which is not so frequent. The inner part is a new-age illustration depicting a guy who could be Jesus surrounded by many colours. The back cover confirms it : orange, with hinduist symbols and this unique dedication : "Be this dedicated to our Lord Jesus". Ok, there's something I didn't get here, and I still don't... there's a mix of Western and Asian spirituality, but I guess that's what new age is about. Some Indian writings on the back cover were additional clues. Plus, some guys, although British or Australian, got themselves Indian names... All these clues, added to the instruments played (flute, drums, guitars, bass) led me to think that this could be very psychedelic and interesting. So I bought it without too much thinking.

When I went to pay for my stash, a older guy came inquiring about that Quintessence album he'd seen before in the crate and which looked interesting... too late, too bad. 

Quintessence was a band from the United Kingdom, composed of UK and Australian guys, founded in 1969. Never heard of them before I came accross this record.

Spiritual is what it is. Some songs sound like deep prayers that make you feel you're sitting in an ashram. The vocals are not even bothering, they're part of the tripping sessions. Indian instruments, not credited on the back cover, give it the feel of authenticity. Then it switches on heavy rock guitars, in the most psychedelic vibe. 

Quintessence - Quintessence. 

Here's the full album, as a YouTube playlist.

This album got me interested in the band, so now I'm a mission to find their other records, hoping they're at least as good as this one. 

Nirvana : the collectibles.

Nirvana. Hate them or love them, these three guys were the biggest rock stars of the 1990's. It didn't last long, but the music remains. Back in the 1990's, there was no internet, no MP3, no streaming, only physical CD's and vinyls, and... concerts. And a bit of TV through music videos. 

If you were among the first happy few to rush on Nirvana's records, you may have something worth several hundreds or thousands of dollars in your shelves. 

Goldmine Mag listed the most valuable Nirvana items. 

lockdown : vinyl find #12.

It starts like in a movie. You're walking in a lobby, hearing a very light melody, then the door opens and the music gets louder. Time to enter in a different world... 

This album is about Brittany. The sleeve is written in Breton, the songs are sung in Breton, and apart from the address of the record label, there's no clue of a French origin. This tells you a lot about the motivations of the authors. 

Although labelled as the work of Kristen Noguès, this album seems to be a real team effort, under the wing of the label Nevenoe, which apparently promoted Britanny's culture (if not more).. They were activists. And this album is an artistic and political statement. 

I found it in a second-hand store in Brussels (again). I wasn't particularly attracted by the burdungy colour of the sleeve. I didn't know who Kristen Noguès was (but a guy is making a thesis about her), nor did I know the language used on the cover. But I noticed the address of the record label, located in Brittany. I could connect the dots... There are a lot of Celtic records in France, due to the fame of Dan Ar Braz, Tri Yann and a few other bands, and I usually don't buy these records. But something looked different about this one. And oh boy, I was right... 

The B side, for example, starts on a almost Arabic note... there's a sense of tenderness all along the album, which shouldn't be a surprise, with Noguès' background as a harp player. But strangely, despite being a prominent harpist, and photographed with a harp on the cover, she's not credited as playing any harp on the record. 

When diving into the credits, the oriental touch (though Persian and not Arabic) makes sense, as a zarb, an Iranian drum instrument, is used. No other drum is used, mostly strings and horns, but nothing like a common Celtic record ; don't expect bagpipes and binious, there's none. 

And that's what makes this record different. Sweet and comforting. 

Kristen Noguès - Marc'h gouez.

 
Here's this (too) short album, in full.

lockdown : vinyl find #11.

This is a small one. A 45rpm. I don't buy many 45's, as I don't have the same pleasure listening to them as I have with a 20-minute side. But from time to time, when I fall on a good piece, or something that reminds me of a good time, I can buy. 

As I was touring in Turkey, jumping from one bus to another along the southern coast, I didn't stop for records in most towns. I only did it in the last one, which was Izmir. Rain was pouring, and a cold one on top of it. Cats and dogs. Izmir hosts so many good record stores that I had to spend more than the usual one or two days there ; I stayed four days. Several stores are located within the bazar ; it's a maze, but they're pretty well known, and located next to the jewellers, on the first floor of a building that is right next to a mosque. In those stores, you'll find the vintage Turkish rock you're looking for, although they're pricey ; they adjusted the prices to the high demand, both domestic and international. Baris Manço, Erkin Koray, Okay Temiz, Ersen, Alpay... you name it... I bought quite a few, and consequently spent a lot. Then, I visited other stores, outside the bazar. And even in the northern part of town. 

There, there was this book store, that also had a lot of records, mostly foreign records and new stuff from the current Turkish scene. I wanted to buy several records, but started lacking cash, as I bought too many (or too expensive ones) at the bazar. So, at night time, before end of business, I left the record at the store, and ran to the closest ATM, which was not very close to the store. The machine swallowed my credit card. Now, that's something you don't want to happen when you're abroad. Ever. But it did happen. And I was left, so to speak, with my dick in my hand. Fortunately, it was my last night in Turkey and I had enough money for a train ticket to the airport, and maybe have a tea there. But nothing more. 

So, I went back to the shop, and took advantage of it to find shelter from the heavy rain and call the Visa service, with nothing but my sorry face to show to the owner. 

But there were better moment of digging of course. In a very small shop, I found these two old guys, one without teeth, who were talking about music while hiding liquor behind the desk. I sat down in front of a turntable with a few records to listen to, and after a few minutes the owner started providing me with more and more records to listen to. I tend to think it was not oriented, he just wanted me to listen. Minutes passed by, then an hour, and the two guys were getting pretty drunk... As I started mentioning the names of the big stars, the owner went to his secret stash and unveiled treasures. Among them, was the 45 by Okay Temiz, with the track "Dokuz sekiz" on it. It's a tribal,  heavy psychedelic piece of music. And the A side is on the same level, though less crazy and more folk-ish. So it's a classic among diggers and can cost a small fortune. Although the owner insisted, I refused to buy it considering the high price, and also because the cover was a colour scan of the original. I went back to listening some other records, selected what I wanted to take away, and went to the counter... the bill was big again. As I was leaving with a big smile, the drunk owner slapped Temiz' 45 on top of my pile of records. As a gift. 

Okay Temiz - Dokuz sekiz / Denizalti Rüzgarlari.

Here are the two tracks.

Turkish kindness. Or drunkenness.

lockdown : vinyl find #10.

Back in 2009, I spent a few months in a confined area with a few guys. One of them happened to be obsessed with a French singer, Jean-Jacques Goldman. See, Goldman, now almost reclusive and not producing anything, seems to have lived many lives. First a band member, capable of playing several instruments as well as singing, he then acquired fame as a solo act, before launching a pop trio, and wrote and produced for others (Céline Dion anyone ?) to be successfull thanks to his talent. A true genius. 

This Goldman-loving guy had no preference about his career, and he talked a lot about Goldman's days among the group Taï Phong. Of course, I knew about Goldman (I mean, who wouldn't know him in France ? He's often ranked as the favorite French personality even though he almost disappeared from the news radars), and vaguely knew he had been a member of a band called Taï Phong. 

Little did I know about the type of music Taï Phong played. Well, it was progressive rock, in a very good and refined fashion ; think something like The Moody Blues. The vocals are not memorable, as Goldman's voice can turn to be unbearable at times (but he wasn't the only singer), but the quality of the music remains. Although not the frontman of the band (Taï Phong was founded by two Vietnamese brothers, Khanh and Taï), Goldman was a key member of the band. 

In December 2017, I was digging records at the Brussels Records Fair, held at the Ravenstein Gallery. The fair happens every 6 months, and it's a very good one. I used to have my little habits over there, always going to the same booths and knowing what I could find and for how much. On this day, I bought Taï Phong's first album, released in 1975, out of curiosity, because I remembered what that old friend had told me almost a decade before. The cover, displaying a samurai in a cartoon way, was pleasant, and the info inside the gatefold sleeve was straight to the point. It confirmed Goldman's role in the band : vocals, guitars and a bit of violin.

The influence of British pop and prog rock is obvious. There's nothing about the Vietnamese roots of the band founders. The arrangements are great though : the guys know their stuff on the guitars, and Jean-Alain Gardet brings some well crafted keyboard parts, especially on the organ. The production has everything you would expect from a mid-1970's record in terms of effects and sound. 

Did I mention that they sing in English ? The record is indeed intended at a wider audience than the usual French pop (which is also why Goldman left the band later on). With only three songs per side, including the hit "Sister Jane", songs are long enough to mentally escape, with long instrumental parts... the ideal record for lockdown. 

Taï Phong - Taï Phong.

Here's the album, as a YouTube playlist.

On that day, at the record fair, I did not only found records. I also, and above all, found love. 

lockdown : vinyl find #9.

In 1999, I was in high school, living in Toulouse, France. The band Zebda was at the peak of their career, and their fame made them natural ambassador of the city. So, when they made a concert at the newly built Zénith room, the whole town wanted to be there. My father managed to get three tickets. 

Zebda displayed their usual energy on stage, playing songs from their latest successful album "Essence ordinaire", as well as songs from previous albums (the seminal "Le bruit et l'odeur" mostly), which contributed to make them a big name in the French rock scene ; 1998 though was the year of the breakthrough, as they took the French music industry by storm. 

In 1999, an Algerian (Kabyl actually) singer named Idir met success with his album "Identités", which saw him sing his old songs with others such as Maxime Le Forestier, Manu Chao, Karen Matheson, Dan Ar Braz etc. 

The three singers of Zebda (yes, a rock band with three singers is unusual) have always been keen on using their North African roots as influences. So it was only normal that they would invite Idir to open for Zebda on their tour. 

Idir's voice and the crystal sound of his guitar were enchanting, and songs such as "Tizi Ouzou" and "A vava inou va 2" either give you chills or make you want to cry. It's emotional. 

So, in 1999, many people suddenly remembered that they already knew the songs they were hearing : "A vava inou va" had some success in... 1975. But the new version was equally good. 

After the concert, my father bought Idir's album, which meant something : he didn't buy so many CD's, unless it really moved him. 

Fast forward. We're in 2011, I had started collecting maybe a year before. I had decided to go on a city trip to Istanbul, the first of several trips I've made since to Turkey. As a fairly new but dedicated collector, trying to find records was mandatory. And I wasn't disappointed by what Istanbul had to offer (I wrote a "diggin' guide" back then, which is outdated now, since there are so many new shops now in Istanbul). 

I think I bought this one at a store called Plakhane. Stumbling upon a French record was quite odd at first, but I quickly learned it should not be unusual. The name Idir instantly reminded me of 1999, and even if the record wasn't cheap, I made my mind on buying it. I knew what to expect : Kabyl music and lyrics, a gentle voice and soft guitars. Plus, I knew the names of two of the musicians credited : André (as Dede) Ceccarelli on drums and Jean Musy on Moog. Can't go wrong with this line-up. 

Sweet melodies is what you get here, in a smart mix of Western and Kabyl arrangements. I still hear those swirling flutes floating in the air...

Idir - A vava inou va.

Here's the full album : YouTube.

It was only after I bought the LP that I realized it's not even that difficult to find in France. It's actually pretty common. But this is how one gets knowledge, and stories are born. 

lockdown : vinyl find #8.

I will be cheating with this one : I bought it on internet. 

Earlier today, I was reading a great interview of Jeff Dominguez, a prominent recording engineer who helped shape the sound of French rap in the years 1990's and 2000's. Dominguez mentioned working with the late DJ Mehdi and how he fitted in the rap scene back then, how Mehdi used to interact with his friends and crew mates. 

To me, Mehdi is the one who built the bridges between rap and electro, rap and world music. I know he didn't, at least he wasn't the first one ; he "only" contributed to this movement. But he did it when I was able to understand and capture the moment. Him and Imhotep, the producer of IAM, did it for me. They helped me understand there could be a gangway between genres, that samples can come from anywhere and could be cut and filtered in many different ways, that personality was a major, if not the most important, element in music, even if machines were involved in the process. 

Later on, when I started collecting, I wanted to own some of Mehdi's pieces on vinyl. They were/are pretty difficult to find in stores, so I decided to look for them on internet. I purchased this one, that I already knew from "Espion Le EP" (or at least two out of three tracks), which is according to me, a masterpiece. 

Owning the music Mehdi composed and assembled as side projects to his career in hip-hop is still a goal of mine. I must confess I'm no so hyped on the music he made for the Ed Banger label. 

On this maxi, Mehdi, under the The Cambridge Circus alias, gives his rendition of the classic hip-hop cut "Wild Style". But for me, the peak of this record is on the B side, with two joints that represent the essence of Mehdi : "Ulysse" and "Spanish Harlem". These two tracks are the ones who introduced me to the softer yet energetic side of Mehdi, so I hold them dearly in my heart. Strings and a unique way of blending fast beats and basses with samples are Mehdi's trademarks ; they're here. 

The Cambridge Circus - Wild Style. 

A few weeks ago, before the lockdown, I went to the Père Lachaise cemetery with my girlfriend, and while looking for the exit, we stumbled upon DJ Mehdi's grave. Simple, with touches of Tunisian blue. It moved me.

lockdown : vinyl find #7.

I did not think of Helsinki as a digging destination. I went there because a friend of mine was living there at the time, and he could offer me some lodging. It was the perfect plan for a city trip. I've always liked cities opened on the sea. Another friend, who owned a small boat, gave me a tour of the bay, and it was a grand experience. 

Besides, Helsinki turned out to be a paradise for record diggers. The sea-loving friend explained it by the long cold nights of the 6 month winter that require some kind of entertainment. And even if I dug in a oven baked city, the hunt was satisfying.

It started with a disappointment though. Closed shops were due to the summer vacations. Then I found Digelius Music, home for jazz and ethnic grooves lovers, in both original and reissued pressings. The owner was a knowledgeable guy, and was very talkative, keen on sharing his tastes. Do ask him about the legendary Finnish record label Love Records (by the way, the greatest logo ever), and he'll fill up your next 30 minutes or so with stories. The owner played for me some nice Finnish psych and prog rock, initially issued on Love Records and recently reissued by Svart, a label based in Turku, an historic city of Finland. Later on, another record dealer booed at me for buying these reissues but whatever, the music was nice and maybe the perfect audio system helped. And when you know the originals are pretty rare, as well as the very limited reissued pressings, one (tourist) can't be too picky. Overall, Digelius was a nice way to start.

Apart from Digelius, I think I shopped in four or five other stores, and most of the times, I found talkative record dealers, who would be glad to share knowledge and information. Interestingly enough, those shops stored many genres, from the local jazz and rock to Bollywood soundtracks, Asian stuff, Brazilian records, and the main attraction of the place : the deep crates of records from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.  

I've never been to Sweden, so Finland was the closest logical place to purchase a record by Bo Hansson. I think I bought it at a shop called Redhill Records (or RHR), whose owner had an interest for samples, and labelled records with small notes on (potential or known) samples which can be found. This one album, "Ur trollkarlens hatt" is indeed filled with potential samples. A guy called akabrownsugar used it on several occasions. I can't think of any beatmaker who wouldn't exploit this one. 

The atmosphere set by synth wizard Bo Hansson on this album is supposed to be inspired by The Lords of the Rings and the world created by Tolkien. Get rid of the musical references you may have acquired from the Peter Jackson's trilogy. Instead, expect instrumental progressive rock, jazz, ambient and experimental. And again, who doesn't love a flute solo ? A musical bliss.  

Bo Hansson - Ur trollkarlens hatt. 

Here's the album, as a YouTube playlist. 

lockdown : vinyl find #6.

As I was driving accross New Zealand back in 2015, I made a stop in Christchurch, and witnessed how difficult it is for any city to recover from an earthquake, let alone three. Since then, the city has suffered from other calamities, unfortunately. 

I remember a damaged town, but with a wonderful light. And I spent a few hours browsing in a couple of record stores, as I did in other towns accross the country. Travelling by car surely helped, and the trunk slowly got filled with records. 

When it was time to leave the country, I was carrying the result of my hunt in a 15kg-heavy trash bag in my arms. At my arrival in Europe, my bags were nowhere in sight and all I had left were my recently acquired records.

I remember one of the stores had a sale, so I took advantage of it and snatched this album by The Stylistics, because I knew it was filled with classic hip-hop samples (think "You're a big girl now", "You are everything", "People Make the world go round" for example). I knew I would find pure soul music from the 1970's, with sweet vocals and well composed songs, most of them I would probably already know from compilations. I knew a friend of mine, Pi-Pol, had already sampled some of their songs in his beatmaking endeavours. 

When one mentions soul music, the obvious names Stax and Motown comes in mind. Even Atlantic sometimes. But very few think of Avco, although the label produced notorious soul stars Della Reese and Van McCoy, for instance.

For this album by The Stylistics, their first one, all praises go to the duo that shaped it : Linda Creed on lyrics, and Thom Bell on music. Impeccable melodies, landmark drums, even a flute solo, are some of the elements you'll find here. 

So, today, absolutely not a rare record, but an essential one. 

The Stylistics - The Sylistics. 

Here's the full album, as a Youtube playlist.

lockdown : vinyl find #5.

Down in Tallinn, Estonia, there is this record store that looks like the perfect one. It's called Raamatukoi Grammofon. There's a decent amount of crates, ordered in a manner than I can understand, mostly by genres, but also partly geographically or even thematically ; you should find there a crate titled "weird stuff" or something like that. That's a go-to crate. Also, there's a couch, a chess board, some posters and postcards, tapes, and of course what should be in every record store : a turntable for customers to listen to potential acquisitions. 

The shop is run by Vadim. Vadim is not the owner, but he's pretty much the boss anyway. Ask him anything about the shop, he'll know. Ask about what you're looking for, he'll have something for you. 

I have been several times to Tallinn, so I have been several times to Raamatukoi. But there was this special time when I entered a few minutes before end of business. Vadim did not mind. We started talking. As we talked, time flew. With the lights on, more late customers wanted to come in, but he refused and locked the door. So there we were, two guys behind the windows, in a closed store, talking about music. Vadim does not push you into buying records, because he'll tell if something is shitty or worthy. But the more we were chatting, the more I realized Baltic music and especially Estonian music can be dope. Vadim acted like a professor and I thank him for that. It was only after 4 hours of a deep conversation that we decided to go visit some trendy places because I'd asked him about street art, then we grabbed a bite. All this time, we talked about music and life in Estonia. 

As I was looking into the local scene, both contemporary and vintage, I think Radar was one of the bands that Vadim strongly recommended, among others. I bought the two albums that the group issued in the second half of the 1980's. Labelled as jazz-rock or fusion, it's a perfect example of what Estonian bands could perform back then : mainly instrumental albums (it was dangerous to be a lyricist under the reign of the Soviet Union of course), with a clean and clear ability behind the instruments and arrangements that smell like the 80's. It's also a potential winner for beatmakers, as it's filled with ready-to-use samples. 

Not a cheap purchase per se, but definitely one I don't regret. 

Radar - Trofee.

Here's the full album : YouTube. 

lockdown : vinyl find #4.

For part of my childhood, I grew up on zouk, reggae and dancehall. 

Living in the French West Indies, music was everywhere and that's when I became a radio addict. The names I revered at the time were Bob Marley and Kassav, obviously, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, but also confidential local acts such as Metal Sound, Princess Lover, Daddy Pleen, Janik, Ralph Tamar, Tony Chasseur, Kali... 

At the time (the 1990's), one guy was everywhere on the radio with his kinky songs and naughty lyrics ; his name was Francky Vincent. Apparently, sex sells, and Francky understood it quite early. And his songs were broadcasted, without being censored. To me, it was fun. 

I bought this record a few months ago, in a second-hand store in Brussels. A word on the cover was familiar : "Tabou". I knew Tabou Combo, the legendary Haitian band. But here, the name was "Tabou n° 2". Naively, I thought this was an offshoot of the original Tabou Combo. But a few clues looked off. 

First, the record was published by Debs, a company founded by Henri Debs in Guadeloupe, who played a crucial role in spreading the music from the French West Indies (many Debs records display a very humble "Debs saved the music of the West Indies" notice). As far as I knew, Tabou Combo had never been published by Debs, as their records were mostly published by American companies, due to the large Haitian diaspora in the US. 

Second clue : the names of the musicians, and one in particular, the last one. Credited on vocals and tambourine, appears "Franky Vincent". He is also credited for the lyrics of some songs, or for the music of others. Most people who are used to his commercial hits spanning from the 1990's to the 2010's ignore that Francky Vincent is a true musician, with a background solid enough to have contributed to organic music on several albums. And yes, this is the same Francky that would sing later on about breasts, butts and farts. The kinky voice was already there in the middle of the 1970's (Francky Vincent was 19 at the time this album was released), singing in Guadeloupean creole on songs clearly inspired by the Haitian compas. The liner notes even confess the influence of Tabou Combo, claiming that the pupil (Tabou n°2) outdid the master (Tabou Combo) ! How bold ! 

I was glad I could own what is probably the first appearance of Francky Vincent on a LP, even if it sounds ridiculous to most people. The album displays the talent of a few youngsters from Le Raizet, in Guadeloupe, in the best manner. That is probably what counts : a fine example of early zouk and compas, with long instrumental parts and joyful bits. 

Tabou n° 2 - Ambition.

Here are three songs from the album : "Ambition", "Flipper La" and "Allez Co". 

lockdown : vinyl find #3.

The time of good deals and bargains is over. Vinyl is bought by youngsters, not so young people, middle-age people with comfortable income, and old people who undusted their old turntable. We've hit that wall. Vinyl has value, again. When stores started increasing their prices for second-hand records, and news articles started spreading the word about the vinyl comeback, folks at flea markets followed the trend. 

But four years ago, people were still unloading their records for cheap. This is how I got my copy of "Brigade Mondaine - La Secte De Marrakech" by Cerrone, published on his own Malligator Records imprint. Once again, it was at the flea market of a small village in the rural part in the north of Paris. As usual, I didn't wake up very early, but when I arrived, there was still this baby waiting in a crate. Sometimes, flea markets in villages are as good as in bigger towns ; people sell the music they used to listen when they were teenagers, or the records that their kids had left behind. And most wanderers are not looking for records in these villages. Big records hunters won't be going to such places either. 

I don't especially have a thing for the work of Gérard de Villiers, the French writer behind "SAS" and "Brigade Mondaine", but Cerrone's music is something I can easily relate to. Being a teenager then a young adult when the French Touch wave flooded the Western world, I had to acknowledge that before the Daft Punks, the Airs, the Justices, the Mehdis, the Bob Sinclars, there was Cerrone, the godfather. 

With a feet in disco, another one in electronic music, Cerrone can talk to many audiences. And the mix of both is perfect for soundtracks. It is the sound of an era. 

This soundtrack is filled with nice instrumentation, especially fat basses, raging guitars and whirling synths, at least at the beginning and at the end. Of course, it's danceable sometimes, but at other times (ore... most of the time), it's hypnotic as it reaches electronic grounds in a Jean-Michel Jarre or even Tangerine Dream kind of mood. Almost meditative, which is quite unusual in the disco-filled world of Cerrone. 

Cerrone - Brigade Mondaine : La Secte de Marrakech.

Here's the full album : YouTube.
  

Radio I Have A Dream.

Rather eclectic is the motto of this blog. In my wildest dreams, I could have turned it into a radio. Now, I know I don't need to because this radio already exists ; it is called Radio I Have A Dream. 

No link (that I know of) with the great Dr. King. The online radio (also available on your mobile phone of course) was created by the great Jules-Edouard Moustic (born Christian Borde), a man known in France for being the anchor of a humouristic (some would say gross, but that's a point of view I do not share) TV show titled "Groland". 

Few knew that Moustic (yes, it means mosquito) is a huge record collector and have a true passion for music, almost any kind of music genres, and radio. 

So the playlist of the radio reflects the eclectism of the boss (or "dirlo"). Moustic spends eight hours a day selecting songs and tracks. In other words, he has the perfect job. Sure, it broadcasts in  shuffle mode, with no transition between one track and the next one. But it's dope nonetheless. And it airs nonstop. Without advertisements !

Here's to get acquainted with the "dirlo" : 

Here's to join the Facebook page : La Radio de Moustic.

Here's to browse the website : Radio I Have A Dream.

lockdown : vinyl find #2.

A few years ago, I was regularly going to flea markets/garage sales. I was living in a rural area about 70km north of Paris, France, and this seemed to be one of the few occasions for me to mix in with a crowd. I have never been the kind of digger that would wake up very early with the obsessive goal of browsing first in the trunk of an old car with my headlamp tightly nailed to my forehead. 

I was eagerly waiting for the weekends, and after a few months of practice, I knew how to discriminate between the interesting flea markets and the dull ones. Sometimes, I had a schedule, expecting to visit several markets within the same day. As a matter of fact, such markets happen within a short period of time, say between April and October. 

Some markets were glorious, with a lot of people selling the records which used to collect dust in the attic. Some were completely without records. Most of the time, one could study, just by looking into the crates, the obvious bad taste which was a common thing in France back in the days. 

And sometimes, very rare thing, a gem would pop out. I quickly learned how to spot the families that would have interesting records, sometimes just one, sometimes a whole crate. The whole-crate situation could appear to be problematic as I would not carry a lot of cash with me. 

Back in 2013, I found this record in a rural town, Crépy-en-Valois, which happened to be one of the first clusters of Covid19 in France. It was sitting in a crate with almost nothing else interesting. As an admirer of Cesaria Evora, and facing the impossibility to get my hand on a decently priced record by the goddess, I had developped a taste for other Cap Verdian artists. After all, the recipe was close : bright guitars, mellow melodies, sweetness all along, saudade and funana. I'd heard the name Abel Lima before. I knew French producers had been instrumental in bringing Cap Verdian artists to the world stage. 

And this record popped out : not a beautiful cover per se, with a bit of French text on the front, and Portuguese liner notes on the back... it didn't make sense. Which made it worth of interest. Once again, the price (again 3€) would help me to decide : I had to own it. 

I was not disappointed. The record, the first from Abel Lima according to Discogs, is everything you would expect from a Cap Verdian artist. Add to what I already said before nice basslines provided by Bernard Brito, and you get a major record, very peaceful. The perfect record for the lockdown. 

Abel Lima e Les Sofas - Nos Bida. 

And here is the album in full : YouTube.

Plus, this is one of those lucky finds that you get for almost nothing but appear to be worth several hundreds of euros. But it is not the point. 

lockdown : vinyl find #1.

Now that the world is under lockdown (or at least a few countries, not counting on herd immunity), there's plenty of time to dedicate to writing, sharing stories, browsing the internet, learning things, doing nothing... all this beside working remotely.

Within the last months, I've been gathering quite a lot of records, some of them I will listen to only once, some others I will collect and store with love. I either bought them, or rescued them from the cold and rainy weather and from the broomstick of street sweepers, or was offered them.

So now that I have the time to listen to all this music (and non-music), I feel it's the right time to share some on these finds, and others finds from the past months and years. 

What I particularly like is to be amazed by a foreign language, a discarded record, a style I'm not used to hear. In other words, new sounds and dynamics. 

Recently, I purchased in a second-hand store in Brussels an album by Hungarian singer Koncz Zsuzsa, from whom I knew nothing. What did appeal to me ? The cover has nothing special, but displays an elegant woman sitting on a stone. The name was unusual. I knew the label, Pepita, for being home to some interesting stuff I had previously put my hand on. The year printed on the label, 1976, was a good sign, although it could have been the reissue year of something older... but judging by the clothes, the date was pretty accurate. Inside the gatefold sleeve, Hungarian words were of no help ; I couldn't even tell which instruments were used during the recording. Knowing only the big names of Hungarian rock music Locomotiv GT and Omega (I should have inverted this order), I was in for either traditional Magyar songs or innovative stuff regarding this one. 

The price (3€) convinced me to buy it. 

Verdict : Mrs. Koncz Zsuzsa reminds of the sweet Kim Jung Mi on some songs, of the rough Catherine Ribeiro on some others. And there's a variety of styles, going from choir vocals to solo acapella, accompanied by unsual strings sounds and some fair dose of audacity in the arrangements. All this allow this record to qualify for psychedelic, an adjective that is way too misused in reviews. The album feels even a bit too short, especially the B side... 

Discogs offers a perspective on the career of Mrs. Zsuzsa ; by the time she published this record, she had been on a solid streak of one or two albums per year since 1969. Her latest known album was released in 2016.

Here is my record of the day, the first of this particular period we're experiencing : 

Koncz Zsuzsa - (IX) "...Elmondom Hát Mindenkinek..."

And here is to have a listen : YouTube playlist.

Just allow yourself to be amazed by the unknown from time to time, and even more often when digging. Foreign stuff sometimes is just what you need to get out of your comfort zone.

Googoosh... again.

One of the greatest consequences of the current trend of reissues, record digging, and overall of the vinyl resurgence is directly to the benefit of the stars of a passed era. 

Everyone knows now of Sixto Rodriguez, whose story inspired a music label, a movie producer and tour promoters. He's not the only one who, thanks to a few diggers of good stories and talented musicians, enjoyed a late well-deserved fame. 

Lately, the Ethiopian masters such as Hailu Mergia gained some worldwide exposure and managed to record again after decades of silence. 

Googoosh, the Iranian icon of the pre-Islamic Revolution era, is among those stars who aged well. Her story and her skills have attracted the attention of the music world in the last few years. It started with some reissues and compilations on labels like Finders Keepers, which were followed by concerts and press articles. Check those two from 2018, by Vinyl Me, Please and Red Bull Music Academy, and also this one by the L.A. Times written before a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

The downside, and this will never stops, is that original recordings from all these stars now fetch for hundreds if not thousands of euros/dollars. Some would argue that this is a new face of colonialism, which dries the originating countries out of the original stock of records, making them unavailable to the people and consequently pillaging the culture... Are record collectors salvaging these pieces or are they damaging the local cultures ? Could records possibly be sanctioned as non-exportable items by some countries, kind of like architectural artefacts ?

Catherine Ribeiro.

The label Mexican Summer (a parent label of Anthology Recordings), lately known for releasing the latest album by Allah-Las, had the very good idea of reissueing three of Catherine Ribeiro's albums (with the band Alpes), the excellent "N°2", "Ame Debout" and "Paix", originally released in 1970, 1971 and 1972, which ensured the consistency in sound, message and overall quality. 

The awesome idea would have been to reissue the first album of Catherine Ribeiro + 2Bis, as well as "Le Rat Débile et L'Homme des Champs" with Alpes, but it is a good start and I guess you need to start and stop somewhere. Plus, an anthology was released in 2015 by Mercury/Universal, but only on CD (the major also issued the album "Paix" on vinyl in 2017, within the Back to Black series, but I can't explain why they printed only this one...). 

At least it gives the most interesting introduction to nowadays crowds (... well, amateurs let's say) who don't have an easy access to original pressings. 

This effort by the Brooklyn label (no, it's not a Mexican label) sheds some well-deserved light on Catherine Ribeiro, her old mates and their impressive catalog of free-minded music and words. Although she explicitly rejects all comparisons with Nico and Brigitte Fontaine, you have to admit that they all share a certain spirit of this era. 

Lately, a lot of articles and interviews have surfaced, which deserve a read. Interestingly enough, Catherine Ribeiro, who now resides in the middle of a German forest, sometimes posts links on Facebook. 

Noisey had the privilege of a phonecall with the hippie psychedelic poetess, which they transcripted, in French. Gonzaï, also in French, published in 2015 a lenghty article on Catherine's (and her bands') career. For the English-speaking souls around here, thank Julian Coppe for his article on the diva's album "Paix"... and the Guardian. 

My best advice of the day : go listen. 

Kiosk Radio.

Another great thing from Belgium...

If ever in need of a dope webradio that is into no genre and all genres at the same time, then you should drop an ear at Kiosk Radio. 

Airing from a wooden cabin located in the heart of Brussels, under the trees of the Parc de Bruxelles in front of the Royal Palace, it explains why the radio only broadcasts during the afternoons. 

What makes it special is that "programmers" are actually DJ's and music lovers who play live with the CDJ or turntables. The style vary from one hour to another, according to the tastes and intent of the person behind the boards. Expect everything from dub to hip-hop to techno to soukouss to molam to jazz to rock to anything that makes people shake or nod their head. 

Some hosts are regulars, and most hosts are local Belgians. Others are friends of the radio passing through the city, sometimes to play live shows in some venue of the Capital City of Europe. 

Also, the shows can be watched and listened to on the Facebook page. Awesome.

Make yourself a favor. Listen.   

small talk about records...

I could be wrong, but it seems that the Fuse-produced YouTube series "Crate Diggers" has been discontinued since January 2017. That's bad, real bad. Wrong even. What remains is an incredible bank of 56 videos, filled with stories of records, digging, collecting, trading, ordering, rarities etc. 

Along with the also discontinued Radio France-produced "Radio Vinyle" (en passant, thanks to the compiler of those videos) series, "Crates Diggers" was a great contribution to the record digging and collecting culture. Sure, it wasn't perfect, episodes were rather short, so choices had to be made. 

But other ressources exist on the web. And the most interesting ones are basically... words. And a few photos. When well conducted, interviews are increbily interesting, especially since they allow everyone to have access to the correct spelling of record titles and musicians without having to guess... The prominant websites for such ressources are :

• the obvious Dust & Grooves : founded by Israeli NY-based photographer Eilon Paz, its pace of interviews is irregular but they are always, always, essential. Eilon makes the reader feel at home, right in the middle of a casual conversation... every now and then, the reader may feel lost and buried under the amount of exchanged information, but what a sweet exhilarating feeling... Being able to interview the crème de la crème of record collectors, Eilon Paz signed a book (two editions actually) which, of course, displays his impeccable photography skills.   
• the Belgian Vinyl Frontier : sponsored by Red Bull, this website is a gold mine for anyone interested in record digging in Belgium, but not only. The interviewed collectors, all based in Belgium, have crazy stories to tell. Which is understandable as most of them are or were actors of the music industry in Belgium, either as DJ, radio host, club manager, store owner, label founder, etc. And it's in English (the best way to solve the Belgian linguistic quarrel). 
• the well-named Vinyl Factory : it is indeed a pressing plant, and a source of articles about vinyl records. You'll have to browse the website by yourself to find the interviews of crate diggers (under the "Features" category), but it's absolutely worth it. Interviews are long, intimate, well documented, and feature pretty pictures. The Vinyl Factory also has a series of mini-interviews of collectors, called Home Grown, but it is insubstantial compared to the real deal.  

I'm aware there are other websites (such as Koeppel Design, and strangely several websites dedicated to metal/hardcore) that dedicate space to interviewing record collectors, or even interviews floating here and there, but I wanted to select the most consistent websites in terms of interview conducting skills, also in terms of genre diversity. 

Oh, and this is a treat : an interview of Hans Pokora, the guy behind the world-famous Pokora guides of rare psychedelic records, courtesy of the excellent It's Psychedelic Baby blog. Not the best interview, probably done via email, but whatever, the guy is a legend. 

Dans Le Club.

For the European heads, and especially the German and French ones, Arte has been labelled as a TV channel for old people, one that is so boring that everyone would know its primetime schedule without even checking : half the time, you would fall sleep in front of black and white films of World War II. 

This is however a misleading reputation, because it totally discards the fact that Arte has also been instrumental in promoting the underground cultures and trends, provided that you could watch TV in the middle of the night. For instance, a program like "Tracks" is probably unique in the history of French/German TV. 

A few years ago, Arte started making use of the internet to broadcast countless pieces of material related to music. 

"Dans le Club" is my latest discovery from the Arte website. 

Simply explained, it's just (and so much at the same time) artists from the French underground hip-hop scene playing their music live surrounded by a small but lively young crowd. 

Those who sweated on stage are Belgian veteran Isha, Jok'Air, the multi-talented Grems, Rémy, Nusky (wow), Lefa, 13 Block, Sopico (alone with his guitar...unusual), and even the mighty DJ Pone who showed his latest tricks and tracks on the newest gear from Rane. 

Enjoy those vids until... 2021. Nice use of our taxes. Sweet.

hip-hop journalism.

 

There was a time before internet blogs, before websites, before forums. There was also a time when all these internet media, applications and uses were sharing the space with the good old newspapers and magazines. Ah, magazines... Those were the good old days. But the thing about the old days is "they the old days".

And now, even more with the closure of the Wax Poetics adventure on paper, quality magazines about hip-hop are nowhere to be seen.

So it was a good surprise to see that Pitchfork published an article on the days when hip-hop journalism played a major role in the culture. Remember that quest for the "5 mics" status ?    

education and knowledge.

For those who understand French, and possibly German, English, Polish or Spanish, Arte constantly publishes new documentaries, about one hour long each, on fascinating topics including pictural arts and of course music. 

As they are only available on streaming for a short period of time, Arte's website is worth regular visits. 

At this moment, interesting documentaries include one on Jean-Michel Basquiat, the bursting disco phenomenon in Europe, as well as one on the queen of dirty funk, Betty Davis. Another series is dedicated to the beginning of the graffiti scene. 

great things from Belgium.

Belgium is the birth place of many great things. French fries (I know, the name is wrong), Magritte, Tintin, Eddy Merckx, the saxophone, Brueghel, Horta... and a lot of music, more than most know. 

Recently, Boiler Room dedicated a documentary to the revolutionary electronic movement that was the New Beat, first developed by innovative Belgian teenagers and geeks. 

"The Sound Of Belgium" is a well made trip into the eighties, as well as an instructive dive in the factors that allowed such a trend to emerge. 

It's not all. Belgium, and particularly Brussels, is home to numerous independent labels such as the eclectic Crammed Discs. Not a reissue label, Crammed Discs does a great job at giving a world exposure to local acts accross the world. It's no wonder that their catalog include current music from Africa, Eastern Europe, South America etc. 

To be honest, I don't know if this label has any limits in terms of genre or geographical area, which is confirmed by founder Marc Hollander in an interview with Noisey (in French). Note that Mr. Hollander regularly provides mixes available on Soundcloud, notably showcasing the music of the label. 

More great things from Belgium soon... 

 

Prince on Wax.

Wax Poetics is dead, long live Wax Poetics. 

The paper version you could buy for around 10 euros if you were lucky is no longer. Due to the increasing prices of printing and other expenses to maintain their business model, the team behind the reference music publication decided to transition to a new format : fully digital, that you can also receive printed in your mailbox, on demand. Not a bad idea, even though it may be a bit pricey. 

This announcement came as a shock for some, especially those who were waiting for the Prince special issue. Well, here it is, available for pre-order.