Yppah Is As Happy Does

The Ninja Tune label was THE goto label of the 90s to find great turntable / electronic related musicians. And i guess in a way they still are. I suppose my tastes changed with the times and Ninja Tune lost me. Fickle!

Recently i've found myself going back to the albums of the past that really have an effect on my tastes now. Mr Scruff, 9 Lazy 9, Kid Koala still resonate with me and new fair like Sixtoo and Yppah, a young guy from Texas with a love of shoegaze and beats a la Boards of Canada, are allowing me to rediscover Ninja Tune with open ears. Enough name dropping already!

Check out I'll Hit The Breaks by Yppah
Taken from You Are Beautiful At All Times

Visit the Yppah myspace page

Talk About Over Used Samples...

Wow! I was just catching up on some design junk over at News Today and came across this fantastic yet visually boring explanation of one of the most used samples in music. How far should you go with copyright materials?

"The history of the "Amen Break," a six-second drum sample from the b-side of a chart-topping single from 1969. This sample was used extensively in early hip hop and sample-based music, and became the basis for drum and bass and jungle music."

Check out Amen Brother by The Winstons
*This is a piss poor copy!

Air Double Double

I've been meaning to update for awhile now but due to one hell of a chest cold, spending time in front of a monitor has been too demanding. Deep River has turned into a fairly bleak place. It was hit by several "microbursts" during the summer, leaving many trees destroyed in its wake. The town is now in the process of clear cutting a great number of "unstable" trees. This may seem like the right thing to do but after walking around, you can't help seeing decent looking trees marked for removal. Oh well, i'm still considering traveling back next summer for a brief vacation.

A couple days ago i found some of the new Air album online and have been enjoying the arrangements. Pocket Symphony seems to be a much mellower affair than the last album. Hell i almost fell asleep to it on the way to work yesterday.

If they decide to tour this one, i'll see ya at the show...

Check out Left Bank by Air
Taken from Pocket Symphony

*Bonus Track : Kelly Watch The Stars (Moog Cookbook remix) by Air
Taken from All I Need EP

Too Funny Not To Share

I know i said no more posting but this stuck in my head all day. Great gift idea!

Last Post Before The Deep

I'm still fatigued from my big weekend booze up. Won't i ever learn?
Thursday i take off for Deep River, Ontario, for a weekend of eating and excitement. I've already gotten my fill of sweets and cookies so i'm hoping for some decent home cooking, mom style.

Not too much to write up about Primal Scream. Electronic music or Rock music. Rock music or Electronic music. They can't decide and that seems fine. This song is taken from my favourite period of theirs. Just after Screamadelica came out, they recorded some soulful sounding tunes in Memphis. A lot of crazy drugs and horn playing and you get the Dixie Narco EP.

Have a Happy Holiday and watch out for caroling weirdos!

Check out Screamadelica by Primal Scream
Taken from the Dixie Narco EP

Saturday Morning 7am til 11am

I'm enjoying Adult Swim quite a lot these days. With Aqua Teen and Harvey Birdman on dvd, all i'm really missing is Minoriteam. Teletoon can only offer so much. Venture Bros is a great takeoff of Johnny Quest style adventure mixed with quasi reality based super villain dealings. Not to be missed!


Check out the Adult Swim website

Drunken Xmas Party Post #2

How did i know i'd be dealing with the Christmas drunks again? The evening started with a performance by 21 Tandem Repeats at the Western Front. Truly a Gong Show Extravaganza! Great spot for fun all ages shows.
The night did warrant some adult oriented refreshments and an "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party" is where i ended up. Is there something i should know? Who started this tradition? And it wasn't the only one going on tonight. Mind you this one involved some rather loved starved lesbians. Why do i manage to end up where the women are unavailable? Its my curse.

Tonight's offering comes from the soundtrack to "Shaft In Africa". Johnny Pate delivers the same raw funk as Issac Hayes brought forth for the original movie. Blaxploitation was all the rage and booty shakin' was just as rampant.

Check out Shaft In Africa by Johnny Pate

Drunken Xmas Party Post #1

I just got home from a booze up with some christmas friends and received a face full of snow. Were we not done with this slide-on-your-heels sloppy nightmare shit last week? tonight i've dealt with a train derailment, bad business bores and the common "its the season for lovin'" back patter. Oh, and lots of hot ladies and Whitesnake songs!

He's a teenage hero of mine who transformed into a musical hero of mine ( enter cheesy after school special music here ). Tommy Guerrero (far left pictured above) is not only a great skateboarder but has a great taste for San Fran pop art and latin / funk inspired songs. This super upbeat tune is from his latest album, "From The Soil To The Soul".

Check out Let Me In Let Me Out (Feat. Lyrics Born) by Tommy Guerrero

The KLF Did Punk Rock Right!

Holy shit my ears are ringing! The City Wide folks got a head full of bad punk rock tonight with the jam space next to ours. Its very difficult getting the feel for your own songs with a shitty band pounding away in earshot of you. I've been enjoying early Sunday morning recording sessions with no one around. Pin droppin' quiet!

As for some quiet sounds, tonight i was listening to The KLF's very sparse ambient album from the late 80s simply titled, "Space". An audio journey around the solar system and back again. I believe the Orb's Alex Patterson had a hand in this as well.



To think after recording this album and producing a string of UK number one songs, their grand finale would be throwing a sheep carcass on the steps of the Brit Awards. How charming! Although it sure beats burning your band's royalties as a publicity stunt!

Check out Space by The KLF
*Warning 52MB mp3 file

Sometimes The T-Dot Has It

Jackie Mittoo is one of the greatest reggae musicians. Its hard to place why that is but i believe its the fusion of R&B into the mix. During the late sixties, an influx of jamacian artists traveled to Canada to record in Toronto. Those soul tinged recordings were recently compiled to make "Jamiaca To Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974". This is my favourite compilation since last year's Stones Throw issued, Love’s a Real Thing.

Check out Grand Funk by Jackie Mittoo
Taken from Jamiaca To Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-1974

Ever Get The Feeling You're Being Cheated

Waking up in the dark has got to be one of the most depressing experiences. You feel overtired and that feeling seems to last most of the day. A couple of my friends recently told me how white light therapy helped in coping with this winter funk. I'm curious and may have a go at it myself. Hell, it might do wonders for my sickly albino exterior...

Meaty Ogre is a beat maker from Chicago, Illinois, who's done some great remix work for Canada's Sixtoo along with other hip hop folk on the Galapagos 4 label. This year he released the Carne Asada 7" to much praise from several hip hop and indie blogs. Its a mish mash of instrumental hip hop, jazz and jungle. I'm hoping for a full length album from this guy soon.

Check out Ventanas De Hielo by Meaty Ogre
Taken from the Carne Asada 7"
Visit Meaty Ogre's myspace page

All Those Underused Samples

RJD2 is one of those producers that keeps my faith in electronic music. I'm not at all interested in the latest and greatest of Daft Punk inspired electro tunes that seem to be making the rounds in the clubs. Something seems to be missing. And yes, glitchy beats are tired as fuck. Begone with all that and get back to some more funky sounds.

More ass shaking, less fragmented bullshit!

Check out Hey, Hey by Gershon Kingsley
As sampled in The Horror by RJD2

My Back Is Killing Me

I spent the day recording with my bandmates and i think i put my back out of wack. Who would have thought playing bass could be so taxing? Last year i suffered some serious nerve damage to my back that put me off work for a week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this isn't another repeat of the pain.

I came across Imitation Electric Piano a few months ago while reading up on Stereolab. The band was founded by Stereolab bassist Simon Johns as a new creative outlet. It still has a lot of that Stereolab flavour but with a more twee arrangement. Singer Mary Hampton pushes the sound into a folk space Stereolab could never achieve.

And now off to sleep on the floor...

Check out Come Into Force by Imitation Electric Piano
Visit Imitation Electric Piano's myspace page

I Can't Get Off The Computer

I don't want to turn this site into every other mp3 blog around. Illustration and Design make up another side of my deeply complex personality. Ha.

If you pick up any free zine in Canada, chances are you've come across Nicholas Gurewitch's work. Detailed pencil drawings and a flare for dry dry very dry humour.

Check out The Perry Bible Fellowship
More than likely this site has been featured at Drawn! The Illustration Blog

Bees Double Double

I love bands like this. The Bees have a Beta Band vibe to them; very Beatles influenced while adding an almost hip hop / funk element. They are also one of the only rock bands i can think of that have been remixed by Madlib. Plagued with the same fate as a lot of bands with common names and pending lawsuits, they've been rechristened Band of Bees. The video i've included is an awesome take on modern arcade culture.

Dance Dance Revolution Bees style...

Check out Chicken Payback (Madlib's Soul Distortion Vocal Remix) by The Bees
*Bonus Track : The Russian by The Bees
Taken from the album Free The Bees

Yet Another Birthday Dedication...

When i was nineteen, two of my close friends and i decided to go on a little road trip to southern Ontario in an old 1964 Bel Air. It was a monster of a car and ate up gas like nobody's business.

This seemed like the last big hurray before heading off to our life outside of high school. That summer i believe we found our perfect soundtrack. Machine Head by Deep Purple. Normally i wouldn't bother with this sort of shit. Smoke On The Water sucks monkey balls. But there was something pretty special about 3 nerdy guys banging their heads while driving over concrete highways in this freaky huge car.

I can't remember exactly who bought this bloody tape but i don't think a day went by without us blaring it from the old ghetto blaster we brought along.

Anyways this goes out to my newly turned 19 year old co-worker, Scotty, who seems to have a similar taste for the early 70s psy-rock that made me happy at his age.

Damn i sound old. Here's some crappy youtube footage of Deep Purple's Highway Star.

Check out Space Truckin' by Deep Purple

Remembering Wasted Time

During the 90s I spent many nights listening to my friend Quentin spin records in the basement apartment we shared in Kitsilano. He'd play "quit smoking" aid records over downtempo instrumentals and lounge tracks. It could get quite busy sounding at times but he was just screwing around. I almost regret not having turntables of my own. Almost.

Instead i lay out on the couch reading lame DJ Magazines filled with photos of sweaty drug addled Brits looking to lose some brain cells. Don't get me wrong. There seemed to be nothing else to do in Kitsilano.
This DJ mix is from one such magazine.

Check out DJ Magazines Mr Scruff Mix

*Dedicated to my birthday boy brother, Geoff

A Rufus Thomas Xmas

I don't care for Christmas. When i was a kid it surely meant the world to me. Santa Claus was like Superman to me and i had no idea of the religious implications. Jesus? Who's that? I also don't care for religion and Jesus is about as believable as Santa.

But enough rambling...
This will be the last time i acknowledge the holidays. Its all about Rufus. He's the sort of guy i'd loved to have shared some spicy rum filled nog with. Oh the stories he'd tell me and the dance moves... hell!

Check out I'll Be Your Santa Baby by Rufus Thomas
Taken from The Complete Stax-Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 3: 1972-1975

Have a Funky Chicken Flavoured Xmas!

First Postings...

I've been a huge Jimi Tenor fan for at least a decade but it never really shocked me that this guy wouldn't make it big. A seemingly shy type with a fixation for wizard outfits and funky orchestral numbers, Jimi Tenor made a name for himself on the Warp recordings label before, i imagine, getting himself kicked off or losing funding for recordings.

Here's is a little something i found on youtube.
This song taken from High Planes is a prime example of what i'm talking about. He's like a Finnish Prince or what Prince calls himself these days.

Check out Outer Space (Accordion Department Mix) by Jimi Tenor
Taken from his Sugardaddy / Take Me Baby EP

Visit Jimi Tenor