dj omni – quickMix: this is Africa from viral vinyl on Vimeo.

quickMix “this is Africa”

tracklist:
“African Voodoo Queen (Drama)” by Madlib
“Ayo Ayo Nene” by Mor Thiam
“Ololufe Mi” by Fela Kuti

quickMix™: 3-7 songs. download in seconds.

This quickMix™ starts with a hypnotic head-nodder from the prolific mind of Madlib. We then continue into a recently unearthed jazz gem that, according to Gilles Peterson, was created by the ever-nasal Akon‘s father. We conclude with a master. A rare cut that I went in search of after hearing the Fela section of J. Period & K’naan’s “Messengers” mixtape.

o:{dedicated to the delivery of Khalilah Elise and Elijah Samir Kearney. Congratulations to the proud papa and a speedy recovery to the lovely mother.}

I’m feeling the sunshine today and Stones Throw enticed me to grab the lastest Madlib opus from the title alone: “Summer Suite”.

Even the Stones Throw site has to admit that the master’s work is not always easy to digest: “This suite is a single track comprised of four major sections and several different themes, altogether feeling similar to, more more cohesive, than one of Madlib’s jazz mixtapes.” But I have to admit that this Suite of music has just the right vibe.

Until, that is, I recieved my Amie Street newsletter.
Quantic and his Combo Barbaro sounds like summertime in the city. With traces of Vince Guaraldi and Roy Hargrove’s Habana, this album is groovin like a good summer road trip or barbecue.

EDIT: Just came across this amazing Trailer from the forthcoming Mochilla/Sonido del Valle production. Based around the music of Quantic and his Combo Barbaro.

Tradition in Transition: A Postcard from Cali (TRAILER) from Quantic on Vimeo.

Even though there has been a mass of media all about Michael Jackson (and not enough about Farrah Fawcett,
Ed McMahon, and even Karl Malden), I have to say that this music video mix by the brilliant Peanut Butter Wolf of
Stones Throw really touched and inspired me. (can you see the beginnings of the moonwalk in the forward sliding robot moves of Dancing Machine?!)

EDIT: Read this great, quick interview with Quincy Jones remembering Michael. So Wise! (and, uh…take a look at all those platinum records in the pic!)

I wanna hear Prince’s take on the passing of his competitive contemporary!

This is a great idea for building interest in a new artist. This interactive art piece gives those with attention-deficit disorder something to do while they are listening to the music. The full song. Which is good but noticeably long. The little animated details that pop-up throughout, keep the viewer’s attention throughout and the option to replay your hand-drawn music video and send it to your friends, is a great way to get this artist’s name out there. Which must be working, because FWA has awarded it site of the month and I found it through the Adobe newsletter.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Mr. Mos Def keeps it moving on the streets of Osaka, Japan to build anticipation for his now newly released album, “The Ecstatic”. The lyrics are so strong accapella, but I was sold when I heard the combination of Mos, Madlib, and MC Ricky D! o:{Slick Rick for the slow-pokes}

This Flying Lotus album is ridiculous. Or so it goes, but I think I have to agree. I tend to like beats/sounds that are very dense, or conversely taut and minimal. Somehow this record seems to be both at the same time. It’s like if Madlib’s BeatKonducta were to produce Massive Attack (or vice versa) in a vaccuum. Magnificent.

I think, though, that my favorite record of the summer so far is Silent Movie by Quiet Village. Side project of a minimal techno producer or two, I think, the project finds the duo in mellow, balearic territory. Sounds great in headphones. Rolls by lovely if you’re on the road at night.

I spent the earlier part of the week searching for a track I heard in a YouTube video. Turns out to be the title cut of My Way by a Canadian artist called Akufen. And it’s a mind-blower. Lots of FM radio samples spliced into melody and rhythm over smooth house soundscapes. Lovely.

On this {I believe second} anniversary of the passing of the DillaGentleman, James Yancey, I was happy to hear the second tribute record from Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
“Find A Way”.

This version is an instant classic because it doesn’t stick too close to the original. It’s just enough and it takes risks {more than just presenting Classical orchestration to Hip Hop heads, which has been done before from groups like Mission and daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra (What is it about Cali?!)}

Equally good is their version of “Nag Champa” which can also be heard on the mySpace.

And just as a bonus, here’s an old interview of Madlib at the Red Bull Music Academy where he explains how he makes music. The best part is watching him dance around and explain that the first Quasimoto album took $50 to make, and that was mainly spent on ‘shrooms!

{Also worth checking is the above pictured album which is available on iTunes}

My love affair as of late has been with the mighty J-Rocc. Beat Junkie president and maestro DJ. He can do no wrong and he is one of the best reasons to subscribe to the Stones Throw podcast. But it really began with a free CD promo mix for the Jaylib album that collected the past classics of both Jay Dee and Madlib as well as introduced the new collaborative material. And the mix was seamlessly beautiful! That one CD got so much run in my car that it became just a pile of scratches. I would gladly pay money for it now and am happy to find that Jaylib vs. J-Rocc mix on his mySpace.

But if that wasn’t enough, I woke up this morning to find an okayplayer link to the new Blue Note “Droppin’ Science” compilation {which I will buy just for the ?uestlove liner notes. I’ll be happy when this dude just writes a book} and lo and behold there is this excellent J-Rocc mix of the songs and samples. Priceless.