lundi 28 mai 2012

Resonance - Moto Rock b/w Safari Love (Sirocco - 1974)


I found this Resonance 45 RPM yesterday on a secondhand market for 50 cents and despite the cover was missing, it was definitely a good deal. Both titles are credited to Bacson which is in fact a duo composed of Pierre Bachelet and Mat Camison. They released several singles and one album under the Resonance moniker and all are favorites of any decent eurogroove digger. Moto Rock is a surf track with loud moto engines noises on it, trying to reproduce the atmosphere of a racing field. The real scorcher is the side B, Safari Love, an infectious tribal funk piece, charged with filth and based on percussions, animal samples, African traditional vocals and a funky guitar. 



 Download => Resonance - Moto Rock b/w Safari Love

dimanche 27 mai 2012

Dingo! - Sexopolized by DJ BNX (Pulp Flavor - 2001)


Pulp Flavor, Dare Dare and Vadim Music are the different names of the same label. Based in Grenoble, it is (was?) one of the best reedition label I know, the French equivalent to Finders Keepers. They recently destocked all their records and their web site is under  maintenance since one month and I don't know if they didn't go bankrupted, which would be a damn shame. Anyway, Dingo! is a French pop and library music compilation made by DJ BNX from Bordeaux that deserves all due praises. If some big names are present here (Zozoi by France Gall, High Tide by library king Jack Arel, Francis Lai with Number One), all the other titles are rare and were unknown to my ears. They all have in common to be brilliant and original. If you already have exhausted the US, British, Jamaican, Brazilian and African music scenes, try to explore the French one, there are plenty of nice things and scorching breaks (listen to Je Veux Te Dire Une Chanson by Angelillo & Hamel for example) to discover. 



 Download => Dingo!

samedi 26 mai 2012

Ennio Morricone - So Sweet So Sensual (Cinevox/Pick Up Export - 2003)


This nice 15 tracks compilation pays tribute to Ennio Morricone love themes from his best 60's and 70's Italian B-movies soundtracks. It is not necessary to write much more to convince you to make the acquisition of this record, especially if you are not that familiar with Morricone's work except his work made for Sergio Leone. The master was then at the top of his inspiration and was churning out classics after classics whether it be Il Gatto, Forza G, 4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio or L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo, all well represented here. So Sweet So Sensual, also known as Erotica Morricone: a compilation that wears perfectly its name.



 Download => Ennio Morricone - So Sweet So Sensual

dimanche 20 mai 2012

Willie Bobo - Juicy (Verve - 1967)

What attracted me first to Juicy was its cover that looked good: an orange and a pretty lady dancing on its skin. And the music that goes with it is damn nice too. Willie Bobo and his band play latinized cover of R&B hits of the time (Knock On Wood, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy or Ain't Too Proud To Beg). But the timbales palyer is at his best when he and his pals play his own repertoire on La Descarga Del Bobo and Shing-A-Ling Baby. This album certainly won't change your life but it will give you some pretty good times and make you in a party mood which is as well what this kind of music is made for. The CD version I ripped comes with 4 alternative takes of Juicy, Music To Watch Girls By, Dis-Advantages and Shing-A-Ling Baby that don't have any real interest.



Download => Willie Bobo - Juicy

samedi 19 mai 2012

Tom Dooley - Don't Leave b/w (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (TRX Records/Festival - 1969)


I have a theory that in every record collection there is at least one good record. Lately, I digged in a record collection that was taking dust in the cellar of old acquaitances. And I didn't expect myself at all to find that excellent deep soul 45 RPM. I haven't found much on the internet about Tom Dooley. He was a white FM deejay from Kentucky, lead his own band, The Lovelights and recorded 5 singles for Nashville based TRX Records, a sublabel of Hickory Records (http://www.79waky.com/tomdooley.htm). The band never really made it and disbandled quickly. Tom Dooley stays well known in Northern Soul circles and those both sides, especially his Rolling Stones cover, are just excellent.


Download =>  Tom Dooley - Don't Leave b/w (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

vendredi 18 mai 2012

Mato - Hip Hop Reggae Series Vol. 4 (Stix - 2012)

The first three volumes of the Hip Hop Reggae series have been downloaded nearly 3000 times on this blog! In fact they are directly responsible for a large part of my trafic. So I expect my little success by posting the fourth volume. Mato didn't change his winning recipe, already used on Vol. 2 and on Vol. 1 and 3 by his partner un crime Taggy Matcher: reggae interpolation of classic hip hop tunes with the a cappella vocals pasted on it. Like always it's very well made. This time, it's the turn of De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan Naughty By Nature, Nas, Missy Elliot, Lords Of The Underground, Cypress Hill, Lauryn Hill and Funkdoobiest. Heavy stuff.



Download => Mato - Hip Hop Reggae Series Vol. 4

jeudi 17 mai 2012

Dancehall - The Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture (Soul Jazz Records - 2008)

Every reggae compilation released by Soul Jazz Records is a must have, Dancehall included. This compilations offers insights on the Jamaican dancehall scene between 1977 and 1993. Like always with Soul Jazz, you'll find obvious classics and more obscure tracks but every single of them is just a scorcher. If you read this post, you probably know what you are about to download so this time, no Youtube or Soundcloud snippets is needed.

Download => Dancehall CD1 
Download => Dancehall CD2

samedi 12 mai 2012

Big Youth - A Luta Continua (Heartbeat - 1985)

Usually I am very careful with reggae albums made in the 80's. Reggae was going digital at those times and the rich instrumentation of the 70's was replaced by cheesy electronic drums and keyboards based melodies. A Luta Continua is an exception. Produced by Herbie Miller in Jamaica, Big Youth toasts on instrumentals and backup vocals provided by musicians like Robbie Sakespeare, Sly Dunbar, Leroy Sibles or The Tamlins. Clearly roots, this album is dedicated to the Black people struggles figures in Africa or in the US. Nice riddims, a good DJ well inspired, revolutionary vocals, what else would you ask to a good reggae album?



Download => Big Youth - A Luta Continua

dimanche 6 mai 2012

La Formule Du Baron (CBS - 1969)

 All right all right, this one is not a that much hidden French deviant groove gem. It has been already pretty much blogged about and is famous all around the world among beat diggers, break fanatics, rare groove connoisseurs, euro groove fanatics. Bernard Estardy, to compose it, used his studio as a proper instrument and it's probably while La Formule Du Baron sounds that much unbelievably cool, still up to date and good. Some would still today sell a testicule or a kidney for that sound and that level of inspiration. The funniest thing is that Bernard Estardy, seconded here by Etienne Roda Gil, is well known to have churn out and produced thousands of cheesy pop songs for French worst and most famous singers. Nearly 99% of his work is absolute unlistenable garbage (the guy is well known to be featured on literaly hundreds records) while  the 1% left is pure genius. So enjoy his genius side and let's forget all the rest. In fact, The reputation of La Formule Du Baron is so high that even if it has been often reedited, this record is still complicated to find for a decent price whether on CD or vinyl. 



Download => La Formule Du Baron

samedi 5 mai 2012

This Are Two Tone (2 Tone Records/Chrysalis - 1983)

Jerry Dammers started 2 Tone Records in 1979. With a strong visual identity (the iconic Walt Jabsco logo, created with Horace Panter and designer John "Teflon" Sims, the black-and-white check patern) and an excellent roster consisting mainly of Jerry Dammers own The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, The Beat, 2 Tone strong imprint on British society  of the early 80's cannot be dennied. Its mix of ska with post-punk flashes was at first the soundtrack of the fights against racism, Maggie Thatcher and its reactionary rethoric. The skinhead movement fell then into fascist brutality and hooliganism. This Are Two Tone gives you one of the best insight available on 2 Tone catalog and features absolute classics like The Special's Gangsters, Rudi, A Message To You, Ghost Town, The Selecter's On My Radio and Too Much Pressure, Madness' Madness or The Beat's Tears Of A Clown cover.


Download => This Are Two Tone