1/31/2006 - The Heathen (Live)

Song: The Heathen (Live)
Artist: Bob Marley
Why this song is the current jam: This track off of Bob's album, Baylon By Bus is perhaps my favorite Bob Marley song of all time. Probably it is part of a 3-way tie, but for now, lets focus on this song. First of all, this is the seminal version/recording of this song. Just listen to the album version off of Exodus. Severely lacking in comparison. The K-Os track reminded me of this, perhaps my all-time favorite reggae bassline. The rhythm on this track is just so HARRRD. I really never understood why Bob Marley's stuff sounded so fucking good until I had been swing dancing for several years. I had become more and more acquainted with different types of swing music and I eventually found myself (and still do find myself) drawn over and over again to those songs that have a certain tightness of rhythm. Like the band is together in a very synergistic sort of way, one that isnt so much about every little part so much as how they all cohere together. That is what makes a good swing song drive forward and make you want to swing out, the rhythm section punching it out, and everything on top playing off of that foundation. When I listen to Bob's stuff now, I realize that his band is so amazing because those guys were so very tight and together that with seemingly no effort at all they were able to produce these amazingly powerful, deep rhythms which underpinned all of his stuff. I mean, just listen to the drums - there is not a lot happening, but just like in Funky Drummer, it isn't that he does something crazy, he just takes that rhythm and goes deeper with it, accentuates it, and together with the bass, and the guitar, the rhythm is just unstoppable.

This has become a seminal, and hence much sampled, rhythm among reggae artists. Here are a few random examples I found by Yami Bolo, Shabba Ranks, and Pinchers. All still pretty hot tracks which just goes to show, you cant really eff up a beat this hot. I heard a recording of some Dance Hall MC on KMOJ (89.9 FM) a few years ago performing some freestyle to this track at a live show - it was one of the hottest things I have ever heard. The car was just exploding with the sound of this beat, this MC going off, and a crowd going crazy for it all. I wish I knew who it was, cuz I would find it and snatch it up in a second.

1/30/2006 - Superstarr Pt. 1

Song: Superstarr Pt. 1
Artist: K-Os
Why this song is the current jam: Here is another track from K-Os, this one off of his first album this time, and one that I really like. It has a well-done little reggae flavor, and again, I must remind you that this dude can totally rap. He just chooses to sing here, which he can also do pretty dern well. I love the bassline on this track, and the horns on the chorus. (which, for the record are pretty much straight-up jacked from Bob's jam, Africa Unite) To all those for whom hip hop puts a bad taste in the mouth, I encourage you to check K-Os out. He is a talented dude, smart, and spiritual but not in an annoying way. An actual artist, but still keepin it real. (in a good way)

1/29/2006 - Tomorrow Never Knows

Song: Tomorrow Never Knows
Artist: The Beatles
Why this song is the current jam: Here is why the Beatles kick ass. I have been studying up on my Beatles, ie actually listening to their albums rather than just saying I liked them. Fuck they are good. Listen to this track from 1966 (aka 40 years ago). This is off of their Revolver album. It is weird and psychedelic and let's just remember that this is 40 fuckin years ago. Listen to the bizarre, dense layers of sound and the relentless repeating structure, with no verse/chorus blah blah. Even fuckin RINGO is gettin into the act here. The drums on this track are fuckin powerful, their stuttering attack power this song forward. Now listen to Bloc Party, from all accounts the greatest thing since sliced bread. Here is their song, Like Eating Glass. This song is just a normal song dressed up with a fast, agressive beat and kick ass bassline. Now, I like this song, but it comes off a little dickless in comparison to the Beatles one. Check out Theme for the Outcaste from Untouchable Outcaste Beats. This has some similar elements, and again, I dig it, but it is just the planet rock beat with some hot ass drum sounds and atmospheric effects. I feel like what the Beatles did was so different and more creative in terms of structure, sound, lyrics, production, all that shit, it really is crazy. I'm not shitting on any new bands or anything either, I like Bloc Party and I like this Outcaste beat, but I am just saying, if they are the greatest thing since sliced bread, then the Beatles are sliced bread itself.

1/28/2006 - Beyond This World

Song: Beyond This World
Artist: Jungle Brothers
Why this song is the current jam: OK so Souls of Mischief got me on a little kick so I had to post this track from the JB's. These guys were contemporaries of De La Soul and Tribe but they didnt really get the same props, but this album really holds up over the years. I am really impressed at the production AND the rhymes on almost the whole thing. There is a low-fi sound that is really crunchy and tasty on the whole album. The beats are heavy and the rhymes are tight. There are a lot of samples that you have heard in other places, but more than likely after these dudes. This track, the first off of their 2nd album, is a nice representation of what these fellas do, although their eclectic tastes require an album really. The JBs also have a nice little guest spot on the CLASSIC De La Soul single, Buddy (which is itself a beautifully done interpolation of the Heartbeat beat by Taana Gardner) The verse is lifted from a song off of their first album called "I Got it Like That" and I happened to find a really cool mix of that song with the Hollaback girl beat so just cuz I'm so nice, I'll include it here. Both of the first two albums of the Jungle Brothers are classics, well-worth having if you are into hip hop. I miss these days.

1/27/2006 - 93 'Til Infinity

Song: 93 'til Infinity
Artist: Souls of Mischief
Why this song is the current jam: I'm going back a little ways on this one. Back to what is now commonly recognized as the golden era of hip hop - the early 90's. There was so much good stuff back then, and I didnt really realize it at the time. But really, take these guys for example. They are all good rappers, the whole album is hot, beats and all, and the content is so much more playful and listenable than so much of the crap today. I mean whatever happened to a little of the good ol' braggadocio? Really though, these guys tear it up and this beat is the bomb. I love the muted out bassline and the weird laser sound. This one brings me back to rolling around in my boy James's tiny Renault convertible in High School, blasting the heat with the top down in early spring. Good times.

1/26/2006 - Hey Little Girl

Song: Hey Little Girl
Artist: Professor Longhair
Why this song is the current jam: This song is some quintessential Professor here. The rhythm is jsut slammin, and it is just as leering and sexy as his vocals. There is something about the playful way that he does the dirty old man in this song that makes me think of a sweaty, boozy night in New Orleans, in a tiny bar filled with music and people dancing all smushed up on eachother. This, to me, is a song to get your blues on to. 1 - it is a blues song, 2 - sounds like dancing close, 3 - if you feel like getting sexy with it, well that is there too. There is also something about the beat of this track, the way it rolls along with the piano, that is completely New Orleans. Me wish me could talk gooder about it. Hulk smash.

1/25/2006 - When You Were Mine (Live)

Song: When You Were Mine
Artist: Ani DiFranco & Maceo Parker
Why this song is the current jam: Ha-HA GOTCHA! I went there folks, to the Ani DiFranco, but no apologies. First off, she and Tori are good artists, despite the ubiquitous nature of their music among lots of sometimes-annoying younger folks. But even beyond that, this song, it is PRINCE cover folks, and that kicks it up more than a notch. And then there is Maceo playing as well which doesnt hurt. Although I would take the original anyday in a choose-one-for-life-on-a-desert-island-with-a-record-player contest, I still really like Ani's take on this song. It is really gentle and tender, sort of culling out the painful emotion that lays one layer under the pop surface of the Prince version. (which, by the way, is why I love the original so much, it is such an honest representation of a kind of tormented and very adolescent pain) It is a live recording, so the quality is a bit crappy, and you have to work really hard at times to ignore this TOTAL FUCKING WHOOPING IDIOT who obviously did not know that someone was bootleggin the show nearby, and I have to say that Ani does sound annoyingly smug on her intro to the song, but yknow, it is probably really hard to balance confidence and humility onstage in front of a zillion people who think your shit doesnt stink. Anyways, overall, I really like this version of the song, and however you may think of Ani DiFranco, you can't fault her taste in music.

Dirty Mind
When You Were Mine
Do It All Night
Gotta Broken Heart Again
Uptown
Head
Sister
Party Up

1/24/2006 - Caught a Lite Sneeze

Song: Caught a Lite Sneeze
Artist: Tori Amos
Why this song is the current jam: If you are 1. a white female or 2. have gone to college with any white females, then I must apologize for the Tori Amos. You are likely a bit overloaded at this point. But hey, it's not Ani DiFranco, so don't whine. Perhaps there are a few of you out there like me who aren't already into (or perhaps over) Tori, but I only really know this song and a few others. Of course I am drawn to this song because of the beat which I think is pretty heavy and awesome (after posting Shout, I had to post this, it reminded me) and I love way in interacts with her pretty, haunting melodies, and her weird wicca-spirit singing. I need to do some studying up on her, she seems like a talented gal. Off to the U of M dorms I go!

1/23/2006 - Shout

Song: Shout
Artist: Tears for Fears
Why this song is the current jam: A little Tears for Fears anyone? Come on, you HAVE to know already that this song is the bomb. I am just posting this here in case you forgot or dont have it handy. I really like this whole album but it is this song that gets me the most. I mean the production on it is just sick. The beat is really slammin and I love the way they layer everything and I love the way they create such gravity with the verses. The chorus only adds to the seriousness of the song. It rocks, but in a funky way. And, as far as I can think of off the top of my head, it is one of the only rock and roll type songs to be quoted in an Outkast song ("Drop, like tears, like for fears, 'Y'know Shout, Shout, Let it all out', just for my peers" - A. Benjamin, "Wheels of Steel") and that is cool.

1/22/2006 - Hymn to Freedom

Song: Hymn to Freedom
Artist: Oscar Peterson
Why this song is the current jam: This is a really beautiful song that I encountered a few years ago through dancing. I was kinda into Oscar Peterson and more recent jazz stuff back then, not having really become that acquainted with a lot of the old great stuff at that point, and after hearing Peterson's amazing version of Moten Swing off of his Night Train album with his trio, one or another of my dance homies hipped me to this one (off of the same album) which really is beautiful, even if it doesn't really make me want to swing out at all. It builds and builds with Oscar's piano running through the whole thing. And the powerful crescendo and the quiet return to the melody at the end of the song create a realyl dynamic emotional feeling. It manages to sound somehow American, I dont know, its the chord structure or some technical music shit like that. I just know that it has like the faintest whiff of patriotism without being staid or lame (perhaps because Peterson, as I am sure my partner Caitlin would tell you, is originally from Canadia). Anyways, me like.

1/21/2005 - Fear Not of Man

Song: Fear Not of Man
Artist: Mos Def
Why this song is the current jam: On the really really cool intros to albums tip, I had to include this one from Mod Def. Yet another of my favorite MCs (and perhaps the most handsome of them all, I mean check out the face on his album cover - that is a face with character) here has an intro track to his album full of interesting rhythms which build to a really nice little verse. Just check the lyrics here:

All over the world hearts pound with the rhythm
Fear not of men because men must die
Mind over matter and soul before flesh
Angels hold the pen, keep a record in time
which is passin and runnin like a caravan trader
The world is overrun with the wealthy and the wicked
But God is sufficient and disposes of affairs
Gunmen and stockholders try to merit your fear
But God is sufficient over plans they prepared
Mos Def in the flesh, where you at, right here
on this place called Earth, holdin down my square
Bout to represent in your whole atmosphere

Really, cut the last 3 lines and this is a perfectly tolerable poem, which is a very tricky thing to come up with my friends. I mean have you ever tried writing anything in any sort of verse? I will personally send you a mix CD if you can show me evidence of a poem that you have written that does not sound like the musings of a dreamy and/or morose high school girl. It is not easy. Try writing down some verse sometime - THEN - then trying rapping it my friend. Step 3: kill yourself to end your shame. My point here is that Mos Def is really good at this whole saying interesting things to a rhythm business - this Rhythmic American Poetry (ha HA! see the clever acronym?! Thank you D.O.C.) Anyways if you liked the Common intro, you will dig this one too. And I am serious about the poetry thing - send it to me if you dare and I will be the judge as to whether your art merits a mix CD.

peter[at]lindymovment.com

1/20/2006 - Place to Be

Song: Place to Be
Artist: Nick Drake
Why this song is the current jam: This is my favorite song by Nick Drake. It is off of his Pink Moon album, by all accounts his best. If you dont know, he was a singer/songwriter in the late 60's/early 70's. He was a very sad dude and not much appreciated while he was alive. He died of an overdose of anti-depressants that may or may not have been suicide, but the point is, he died young and his music has been appreciated since he passed. If you want melancholy, this is your man. The moment this song starts, I feel like I have been in the middle of it for hours. It is under 3 minutes long, but something about the melody he plays on the guitar makes it seem constant somehow, like I tune in and out of it, rather than starting and finishing the song. It always reminds me of when I spent Christmas at an old girlfriend's parents' place in Michigan. It was really fun, in a warm, family loving sort of way. Her brother and she were home from school for the holidays and he played this album over and over and everytime this song came on, it seemed to fill up the house and I felt transfixed. I remember thinking how nice it was having this really nice family welcoming me and stuff and at the same time feeling somewhere inside doubtful that I would be able to live in a world with so little pretention. Sadly, it ended up that my feeling was right, but still, I feel like I have this song as a memento of that time.

1/19/2006 - I Found a Love

Song: I Found a Love
Artist: Wilson Pickett (w/the Falcons)
Why this song is the current jam: Wilson Pickett, the Wicked Mr. Pickett, passed away today. It seems like there are fewer and fewer of the old soul masters with us. I guess we are at that time where we are just lucky to have those with us that we still have. Here is a link to Wilson's obit. I won't say a ton about him, especially since I have already posted a song of his earlier. I'll just say that he was a great talent and his vocal powers are easy to hear on this track despite the horrid recording quality. He just tears this song apart, his voice is exploding with emotion on this one. I like to hear a young Wilson in comparison to his older hits. I imagine these guys just whipping a crowd into a frenzy. I mean just listen to the way he wails the verses of this song, and then the plaintive wail of the chorus. It is killer. I cant think of many singers who have ever reached these hights of power and emotion. Imagine seeing and hearing this live! It would have been crazy, nearly too much to handle.

1/18/2006 - Time Travelin' (a Tribute to Fela)

Song: Time Travelin' (a Tribute to Fela)
Artist: Common
Why this song is the current jam: This one takes a little bit to get going, but once it does, the rhythm is amazing and Common, a rapper who is really worth listening to, does his thing. This was produced by the illustrious ?uestlove, who seriously, you should know about. I am a fella who cares about the drums and rhythm in a song, but he makes me feel like I have never really paid attention to the drums in a song until I heard his music. There is such a character to the sounds he comes up with. And Common is spitting some knowledge with some really amazing meter, switching it up. This has the same sort of depth and subtlety that D’Angelo’s Voodoo album had (which makes sense as they are fairly contemporary). I want to see more of ?uestlove producing and taking the helm of some more projects of these talented artists. The things that come out of it are amazing. Listen to the RHYTHM!

1/17/2006 - If You Can't Say No

Song: If You Can't Say No
Artist: Lenny Kravitz
Why this song is the current jam: This song reminds me of my very first post, with that constant beep in the background which for me manages to not be annoying at all (I hope the same for you). This song has kind of a sad vibe, but I like the quietness of it, and the contrast between the verses and the chorus. I also like the way the song builds. Lenny Kravitz can be a hugely annoying poser, but I do like some of the songs he’s done. On an interesting side note, I saw some VH1 thing on Lenny and there was a time back in the day that he was just a lame Prince wanna be and he called himself Romeo Blue, I love that. Everyone they interviewed just gushed over Lenny because “he would do ANYthing to be famous, to make it man.” I love that. THIS is what people remember about him, and rather than shitting on him for it, which I would tend to do, they actually ADMIRED his painfully shallow pursuit of stardom. Ah. Maybe that is how he was able to put up with Lisa Bonet for so long. Anyways, I like this song, I think it is some of Romeo Blue’s finer work. It is certainly one of his less painfully derivative efforts and I like the hyper-artificial feel of the beat. Enjoy.

1/16/2006 - Keep On Pushing

Song: Keep On Pushing
Artist: Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions
Why this song is the current jam: This post is for Martin Luther King Day. Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions bring us this song (which is actually waltzable, weird) about pushing on, through bad times, trusting in the good that lay ahead. I don’t wanna say too much about MLK day because I bet it would end up sounding stupid or preachy. So, just enjoy this song and the spirit that it conveys, even though I am posting this late.

1/15/2006 - Save Me

Song: Save Me
Artist: Aimee Mann
Why this song is the current jam: The more I hear Aimee Mann, the more I like her. I first heard her forever ago when she was in the band the band Til Tuesday in the 80's. But she is a really good songwriter and I like the melody of this song and its sorta quiet gentle vibe. Above all though, I think it is the hook, when she pleads for someone to save her from "the ranks of the freaks who suspect they could never love anyone." Such a poignant image, those people "freaks" who dont think they can love anyone. It sounds to me like she doesnt want to get involved with any of those people and much less become one of those people herself. I get the sense though that she may have a similar suspicion as those "freaks" that she sings about - that maybe she could never love anyone either. I can feel her on that one, I think it is harder than it sounds to just go ahead and be in love with someone. And sometimes, people just dont seem that exciting on that tip. I like the hope in this song too though, it points to an exit from and growth beyond this viewpoint. Good words.

1/14/2006 - Guess Who's Back

Song: Guess Who's Back
Artist: Scarface
Why this song is the current jam: OK today we dedicate to beats by Kanye West (perhaps you have heard of him). He has produced some of the hottest tracks ever. Seriously. There is a reason for the hype. Here are a few of his best beats. We'll start it off with what is potentially my favorite track he has ever produced, Guess Who's Back. This song is so hot that even Beanie Sigel sounds pretty good on it. Scarface and Jay-Z both tear it up, but the big story is the beat. It is beautiful and hard and bangin at the same time. Kanye has a few trademark elements and several of them are at work here. First off, there is the old soul sample of course, but this time minus the chipmunk vocals, which is nice. Next up we have Kanye signature dirty snare/clap drum sound. It is full and heavy while still being sharp and he uses it ALLL the time (to great effect). This all combines with the heaviest, most rhythmic bassline that I can think of off the top of my head in a hip hop song. It is staggering what this does to the track. Kanye does this a lot, with either a really fast bass drums or pounding bassline like this, and it creates quite an effect. I love the rhythm it brings to the song here. Lastly there is the little Slick Rick sample from his hip hop classic, Hey Young World. Overall I think this is his most well-put-together beat. Check out the instrumental to hear how the elements come together.

Since Beanie is on this track, I figured I would include a hot beat that Kanye did for him, Mom Praying. This one has Scarface on it as well and it is a dedication to their moms which is cool. (If you can't stand the rapping, here is the instrumental) The track sounds epic and a touch sorrowful, something the Kanye is able to do really well with the soul samples. Jay-Z gets his own track here as well, Some People Hate. This song makes use of such and interesting sample to create such an interesting sound and feel that I love it. Check the instrumental.

As an extra double bonus, I am including an old Kanye track not on his albums called, Home with John Legend singing on the chorus. Also I am posting We Can Make it Better, a bonus track off of Kanye's newest album that you only get on the UK edition - what's up with that? I am down with buying the album, but why can't I get the bonus track? Also rapping on this song are Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, and Rhymefest (the rapper who is about to make a career out of ghostwriting half of Jesus Walks)

I hope everyone has enjoyed hot beats week, sorry I am so behind, hopefully I'll be caught up soon. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

1/13/2006 - What It Is

Song: What It Is
Artist: Busta Rhymes
Why this song is the current jam: Ok today is dedicated to songs that I feel like have been slept on. These tracks haven't gotten a ton of attention maybe, but I think the beats are totally slammin. We'll start with this Busta track, which is The Neptunes at their finest, with Kelis on the vocals. (The same Kelis whose Neptunes-produced Milkshake blew the fuck up in 2003 and is still a guaranteed club favorite to this day) My friend Dave and I used to joke all the time about how the Neptunes had only one drum pattern, the "Boom, Crack... Boom, Crack, Boom, repeat ad infinitum" beat that is displayed in part on this song. The first year or two that Neptunes productions were around, it was truly amazing to see how many different hits they could produce that had the exact same drum pattern. But hey, if it aint broke (and makes you millions of dollars)... I guess the same could be said of Swizz Beats as well though - see the 10th's post for examples. Another song I am posting as a dark horse beat that I love is Down For Me by attractive by subpar rapper, Loon. This guy is basically Mase 3.0 and I think Puffy had big hopes for him that didnt really pan out as much as he would have liked. In any case, I think that this beat is completely infectious. I can listen to the instrumental over and over, but I am a geek like that. Another song that I think has a really hot beat that wasn't really a huge hit is possibly THE anthem for date rapists everywhere. In You Owe Me by Nas he is talking about exactly what you think he is talking about. I mean, the lack of irony is so astoundingly blatant that it is nearly charming. I mean among most folks that I hang with, the idea of "I bought you dinner, now you OWE me!" is generally accepted as trite on an afterschool special-level. Be that as it may, Nas seems to think it is a great idea. You have to love the sexual politics of hip hop, healthy healthy healthy. Anyways, Timbaland's production is hot as usual, so check it out. Finally I am including a track by Mr. Cheeks formerly of Lost Boyz fame. The song, Lights, Camera, Action just has the most infectious rhythm and hook (one that I first heard on Ralph Tresvant's She's My Love Thang). Quik and Rock taught to this at Great Southwest Lindyfest (which if you are a lindy hopper you should attend this year because the 10th anniversary is going to be the bomb, chock full of goodness) and it was hot. You may or may not have heard these songs before, but in my little scorebook, they are all the bomb. Hope you like.

1/12/2006 - Shake

Song: Shake
Artist: Ying Yang Twins
Why this song is the current jam: Today's jam is from the crunkified side of things. This track by the Ying Yang Twins and Pitbull is the second club banger off of the Ying Yang Twins' new album. Now these dudes are high-caliber ignorant, but the beat is bangin, so I forgive. This beat is lifted from a club classic by a random German guy, George Kranz called Din Daa Daa (you'll hear why). Another Pitbull collabo with Twista, Hit the Floor has a similarly crunktastic uptempo party feel. Pitbull has been headlining a lot of the hottest fast tracks (he even did his own popular take on the Coolie Dance riddim with Culo) and his Miami bootyshake style can be heard on almost every track on his album. The themes dont really extend anywhere beyond "I am cool" and "Hey you, attractive lady, dance sensually for me" and intersections of the two, but what can you expect? This is club music, designed to move butts. And move butts it does.

1/11/2006 - 1 Thing

Song: 1 Thing
Artist: Amerie
Why this song is the current jam: Today we focus on two songs with real unique sounds. Sounds that sound original and awesome, and though indeed they are bangin and really well done beats, they are 100% about samples. This first one by Amerie is just a bangin track, so exciting, I love how it is just drum fill after drum fill. And the live drums sound so good when all you here is cheesy dirty south drum machines. And even her sort of annoying vocals work for me, like she is so worked up that she has to sing it that way. Produced by Rich Harrison, I think this track does a great job of recontextualizing a sample. Check the original (a tiny, short break with about a minute left) in Oh Calcutta by the Meters. Second, we have Big Pimpin' (also the instrumental) by Jay-Z and produced by Timbaland. This beat is amazing, but it turns out that Timbo, not know for his heavy sampling, jacked the entire thing from Hossam Ramzy's belly dance song Khusara, Khusara (thanks to Nomster for that one). Timbo really was at the front edge of the trend to introduce these cool eastern sounds into hip hop beats. As you can hear, it works like a charm here. Both of these beats take something that was good already and make them something new and interesting. Recontextualizing old music and making it new is not as easy as it seems. I give these guys props for using samples but not completely ala puff daddy.

1/10/2006 - Straight Up

Song: Straight Up
Artist: Sean Paul
Why this song is the current jam: Today we take a departure to the world of dancehall. Now I realize that everyone is over the newness of dancehall and all and that Reggaeton is the new dancehall, but still, for me, I dig the dancehall stuff. First of all, you can't stop the doo,kee-doo-kee beat. Second, the energy is just overwhelming and there is something irrepressably vital about the straight up down and dirty "I want to have sex with you girl" theme of most of the songs, they get at our most basic urges to shake our butts (and other stuff). So this song by Sean Paul (my favorite because of his awesomely flat voice and singsong melodies) is an example of a sorta newer rhythm that is all over the place now. The beat is by this producer, Supa Dups and it is called "Kopa". Most of the beats you hear are created by a producer and then given to a ton of different artists to tweat and rhyme over as they see fit. It is interesting how they do it, and you can check out how this stuff works by picking up one of the riddim albums, Greensleeves generally has good ones. If I bought physical media, I'd be all over it. Another example of a beat like Kopa is the Coolie Dance riddim which actually came out earlier. Two of my favorite takes on it are Nina Sky's Move Ya Body cuz I like the little trill they put in there on the chorus (even though those girls really cant sing for crap) and Elephant Man's Jook Gal Remix cuz he has some good rappers on there and comes with the crazy energy as usual. Another amazing beat was the diwali riddim made famous in the states by Sean Paul with Get Busy. This riddim, created by Steven "Lenky" Marsden is so unique, I just love it. The claps and all the polyrhythmic shit he makes happen, just amazing. Here are two more examples of the riddim: Wayne Wonder's No Letting Go and Lumidee's Stay (Uh Oh). The latter is really a tutorial in horrible singing, but the rhythm is really clear and it was a huge hit for her. It just goes to show what an effect a tight beat like that can have. For a little taste of a more old-school but still bangin sound, check out Murder She Wrote by Chaka Demus & Pliers, a seminal dancehall song based on Sly and Robbie's Bam Bam riddim. It is truly the doo,kee-doo-kee beat at its finest. As a special bonus to a post chock full of bonus tracks, I am including one more by Sean Paul that I mixed with the diwali riddim, Like Glue (Diwali Mix).

1/9/2006 - Get It On the Floor

Song: Get It On the Floor
Artist: DMX
Why this song is the current jam: Today we move on to beats with the BOUNCE. For this we will turn to none other than the self- proclaimed "only muthafucka in NYC with bounce", Swizz Beats. We last saw Swizz on the Busta track from yesterday. This track by DMX is a prime example of the hyped-up, high-energy beats with that crazy bounce that Swizz is known for. I love the energy and rhythm of this beat. And crass though it may be, let the rhymthmic qualities of the word "motherfucker" not go underestimated, just listen to how they work on this track. Another recent example of a completely off the chain beat by Swizz Beats is Bring 'Em Out by T.I.. This one displays Swizz's amazing knack for vocal samples *. Just like in Touch It, the vocal sample here is the linchpin of entire track, bringing all of the elements together. But back to the bounce - I am so glad that Swizz Beats is back on the radar again. I read an interview of him and he said that he planned very purposefully his temporary departures from music. He has come back after being a really hot top producer about 4-5 years ago and he said that he sensed that his beats and his sound were nearly overexposed and he decided to step back and lay in the cut for a few years until he felt that the hip hop world was ready to hear him again with fresh ears. Well it worked **. Here is a track from 2004, by Cassidy called Hotel. This one has a more sultry R&Bish vibe with R. Kelly on the hook. (busting out a little Michael Jackson-style "hooold on" in the background - have you ever heard the R. Kelly demo for Michael's song, that R. wrote specially for him, "You Are Not Alone"? It is eery how much R. sounds like Michael.) I love this beat and it would be a great song to step to if I ever got the chance. In general, I am just really impressed with this man's ability to take sound that sound like a fuckin Casio keyboard (the whistles, the fake fake horns, the shakers) and make something that conveys a real energy with them. I think it takes someone with real talent to take such artificial parts and make music that has such a visceral effect (see: Prince - 1999 & Purple Rain).

* Another great example of Swizz's vocal sample powers is I'm a Hustla again by Cassidy this time off of his new album. (Also a Jay-Z vocal sample, like Bring 'Em Out. Jay released an accapella version of his Black Album and a lot of folks, including Swizz Beats have been mining it for hooks)

** If you want even more Swizz Beats, turn on the radio and you are sure to hear "Check On It" by Beyonce - it is inescapable to a Coolio-like extent. Nice beat, but my god, I want Beyonce to please not be singing every time I get in the car.

1/8/2005 - Grindin'

Song: Grindin'
Artist: Clipse
Why this song is the current jam: OK we are starting off hot beats week with an extra special post chock full of all sorts of hot shit to make you bounce. Plus I feel guilty for having gotten behind on my posts so I am gonna make it up to you on this one. We begin hot beats week with the sparse beat. There are a lot of beats out there right now that are essentially snare/clap, bass, and a shaker and not a lot else. There is a power to these tracks and their eschewing of a bunch of sissy melodies and shit like that. These beats are tough and hard. One of the ones that really spawned a lot of imitators was "Grindin'" produced by the ubiquitous Neptunes. It was a pretty different sounding track when it came out and it is still a hot beat now. There are a lot of songs out right now coming with the same sparse instrumentation and heavy bang. Snoop hit it big with the Neptunes producing once again with Drop it Like it's Hot. One thing that always interests me about these seemingly very simple beats (and a lot of Neptunes productions in general) are the little elements they add that seem like they dont really do anything. For example, check out the spray paint sound effect that runs through Drop It, bouncing from the right to the left channel. I'd love to hear the song without that to see if I could feel it missing. Anyways, another more recent track is There it Go (the Whistle Song) by Juelz Santana and produced by Carlisle (who I dont really know anything about). I got to use this song in class at the New Year's Eve event I just attended and it was a blast. I love making people shake their butts to hot beats. The last example of the sparse beat up for display here is Busta Rhymes's new release, Touch It. This is off of his up coming album and is produced by Swizz Beats who I think we will see later in the week. This track of his is so simple it is preposterous, but the sample on the chorus, combined with Busta alternately "getting low" and "turning it up" on the vocals, makes this song addictive as hell. And again, the random laser noises on the chorus? Why do they work so well, and would you have ever thought to make them part of the track? Me neither, that is why we are not Swizz Beats, making zillions of dollars to make a beat with a bass a snare and a shaker.

p.s. The sample on Touch It is from Daft Punk's song Technologic.

1/7/2006 - In a Sentimental Mood

Song: In a Sentimental Mood
Artist: Duke Ellington
Why this song is the current jam: I just think this song is completely beautiful. It is so elegant and delicate and just a very tiny bit sexy in moments, like just a little whiff of sexy floating by. It also has some thing a little melancholy, and overwhelmingly sentimental to it. Makes sense I guess. I love this version because I feel like I can dance to it. While it doesn't necessarily make me want to swing out, it does make me want to dance with a woman. This song makes me want to have an elegant, romantic dance with a beautiful lady at a gala ball, where the rest of the room fades into the background as we have our dance. Like that scene from the Paris montage in Casablanca, I think of that a little bit, but with more intringue (and better dancing) when I hear this song. This is probably a song that most have heard before, and it goes without saying I guess that most stuff by Duke is gonna not suck at the least. The most popular version of this song is Duke's collabo with John Coltrane and it really is hauntingly beautiful and I would hate for you to miss it so here it is. The way the piano tinkles along with the saxophone - well it really defies description, just listen to it, it is a thing of beauty in a very serious and deep way. My good friends used this as their wedding song - how cool are they?! The composition itself is beautiful and performed by Duke it is classy, elegant, and romantic, and performed by Coltrane with Duke, it gains an intensity even while Trane plays it so gently, and it is so lush as to be almost sultry, but still with that elegance that is infused in the melody. Enjoy.

1/6/2006 - Tobacco Road

Song: Tobacco Road
Artist: Lou Rawls
Why this song is the current jam: Lou Reezy passed away today yall. This man had one of the best voices I have ever heard. Caitlin described it to me as a deep, round tone. Rich, like a velvety soft chocolate truffle. But also, he could kick some serious ass. He was around in a time where his idiom was very far from what makes sense to me - he was quite often a lounge singer. That can easily be an insult, and in fact in most cases when I use it, it is. But Lou's voice transcends the cheesiness of some of the stuff that he did. And most of it wasn't that cheesy at the time. Anyways, he is enough of a badass to not need me to defend him against my own prejudices. This song by Lou showcases not only his voice, but the legendary dripping, juicy soul that he puts into a song. As a special Lou bonus, I am including 3 more songs here:

First we have You've Made Me So Very Happy by Lou (produced by David Axelrod which I downloaded at www.soul-sides.com which is a great [aka much better and more informative and well-done than this one] music blog if you like soul-type stuff. Thanks for the tip Steve!)

Next we have a song that I have previously posted, which should sound all the more familiar now, since the song above is where they got the sample (hook, line, and sinker as it was) and when I found it on soul-sides, I just about doo-dooed myself with excitement. But wait, the connections go deeper still my friends.

Finally we have a version of You've Made Me So Very Happy by Alton Ellis, an artist whose stuff I have posted before. Alton does it up reggae-style, as is his wont, and I quite enjoy the bounce he puts into it.

So to sum up, much love to Lou Rawls. RIP.

1/5/2006 - The Glamorous Life

Song: The Glamorous Life
Artist: Sheila E.
Why this song is the current jam: This song was my JAM back in the day. When I was younger, I loved this song so so much when it came out. I loved (and still love) all that old Prince stuf (this was produced by Prince, it is clear to hear, just like the Time). What I didn't really know was what a total badass Sheila E was in her own right as a real deal artist. I mean she can drum her ass off. I remember one time, I took the 45 of this that I used to have and I played it on slow speed, and some of her rolls were STILL faster than I could have played them, and crisp and clear as shit every one. And this song had some cool saxophone too which I always liked (that Pussycat Dolls song, Don't Cha totally bit the horns on the chorus from this song - in spirit at least). And perhaps the most compelling thing about this song was that the sax player in the video had this super fuckin cool earring (in only one ear, with a cross) that hung down and sparkled all cool. I always thought it would be the coolest thing to have a big old earring in one ear and dress cool like those guys. I think at some point later I realized how amazingly gay that would be and thought, "perhaps that look is not for me." But I still do appreciate the beauty of it as an idea.

1/4/2006 - Hurt

Song: Hurt
Artist: Johnny Cash
Why this song is the current jam: Johnny Cash is such an interesting artist. Just his voice alone is so different and compelling. Anyways, I dont know much about him really, but I was checking out some of his stuff, and I came across this song and I like it so much. It is so cool to me that Johnny was like, hey, that is a good song, I'd like to sing it. I heard him interviewed on the radio once and he was so straight-shooting, I mean really, like exactly how you think a good old all-american man would be. Anyways, this song is great, and I like the original too by the Nine Inch Nails. The pain of this song comes through so powerfully in Johnny's voice, and he really makes this song his own, like he shoots those words and that melody through his own prism. I think the best thing about this song is the insistent building towards hope that comes with the refrain, only to settle back into the "Hurt." Hope you like.

1/3/2006 - Fame

Song: Fame
Artist: David Bowie
Why this song is the current jam: OK so David Bowie is a real bad ass artist, like a real artist, who has talent and everything. And he is the kind of guy who you try to pick a representative song for, and you look like an idiot because he does so much different stuff. So I just picked a song that I like, and one with an interesting little story. This song was written by Bowie, John Lennon, and this dude Carlos Alomar who played for Bowie all the time. It is maybe Bowie's funkiest tune ever, with an amazing riff played by Alomar and backed by some badass session musicians. The weird vocals go beautifully with the track too. Here is the interesting thing though. James Brown, the most sampled musician ever, totally jacked this beat for his song, Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved). Check out a short version of the story here. Perhaps even more interesting though is this review that I found here of the Young Americans album that this song was off of. Check this quote:

"Fame," written by John Lennon and Carlos Alomar and recorded with Lennon, was a US number one, his first Top 10 hit in the Home of the Brave. It was so popular it even came back to the top spot, leading before and after John Denver's "I'm Sorry." The instrumental hook of the song is clearly derived from James Brown's "Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved)," but that did not make it any less effective.

- Paul Gambaccini, The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time, Harmony Books, 1987.

It sounds like this dude assumes that the funky track could not have come from Bowie, but had to have originated with the black artist, in this case JB. I emailed him today to see if he still thinks the same thing or maybe he knows something the rest of us don't, we'll see if he responds. In any case, my guess is that talent is talent and Bowie has a ton of that, not to mention that he has good taste in his fellow musicians, which is where this song comes from. That's why he has worked with so many bad mothergrabbers, of all different kinds, including some of the funkiest dudes around (like for example Nile Rogers who you can thank if you have ever gotten down to Rapper's Delight aka Good Times). I dig both of these songs, but as usual, I feel a stronger connection to the original which I think is the Bowie.

1/2/2006 - Ooh La La

Song: Ooh La La
Artist: The Faces
Why this song is the current jam: This song is a good song for heading into a new year, it has a really poignant bittersweet vibe that I love. This band used to be the Small Faces until they changed their lineup a bunch. Ron Wood (bassist for the Stones) and Rod Stewart were in the group too. Anyways, I just love the story this song tells, and the sound of it really comes together with the lyrics in a beautiful way. The chorus, "I wish that, I knew what I know now, when I was younger" is such a perfect sentiment for growing older. Enjoy.

1/1/2006 - A Change is Gonna Come

Song: A Change is Gonna Come
Artist: Sam Cooke
Why this song is the current jam: Ok, let's do this. I hereby officially start out the new year with one of the greatest songs of all time. And because I love you so much, I give it to you times two. First, the original, the classical, the unsurpassable, the one and only Sam Cooke. This song ended up being released just after his death. It is really tragic (and astounding) to this of how young Sam Cooke was when he died (33). He could have done so much more, I mean we are talking about a guy who was essentially a comtemporary of Lou Rawls who is still around to this day. Imagine Sam Cooke still being around today. We would have better music. The same could be said for Otis Redding as well. He has been holdin it down here for the last few days, finishing 2005 strong for us, and he is gonna help us bring it in as well with his amazing live cover of this song. It has a slightly different energy, but man it is fuckin bad (meaning good). And his band is just fucking TUFF. Otis idolized Sam and he covered a lot of his songs and was really inspired by him in general. This song says so much through its words, and itsmusic, and of course, the voice of Sam Cooke. Just listen to how all of these elements come together to create such a grand picture of pain, struggle, and finally hope. This is the quintessential American song to me. As cynical as I am, this song brings me to a place that is not really reachable by that kind of cynicism, like it's beyond it - and I feel like the little spark inside of me that makes me alive gets shined up again and sparkles like new. I hope this song can make your spark sparkle too.