Friday, February 27, 2009

Funky Friday

- AR Rahman's score for the movie Slumdog Millionaire is a great multi-culti mashup of Bollywood music, techno and hip hop beats. Ringa Ringa gets my kids dancing in a trance.
- Luther Vandross had one of the great voices in soul music, and one of the great funk bass players in Marcus Miller. Both are prominently displayed on the tasty funk of You're The Sweetest One.
- NinjaTune is gearing up for the release of the new self titled album by Two Fingers (Amon Tobin and Doubleclick), and sent a few bootleg remixes the duo did. Missy Elliott and Spankrock get the fuzzy electronics treatment.
- Empire Of The Sun is the new project formed by Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. It is a fantastic album of electro pop that reminds me a lot of MGMT or even the latest Animal Collective record. The album is not very funky but Swordfish Hotkiss Night sure is.
- London jazz crew The Heliocentrics have recorded an album of music with Mulatu Astatke, renowned Ethiopian jazz musician. Titled Inspiration Information Vol.3, it is a cool set of tunes, ranging from JB style funk jams to Afro funk with all kinds of grooves in between.
- Crown Heights Affair deliver hooks and grooves aplenty on their 1980 disco classic.
- Mr.Scruff is one of my favorite NinjaTune artists. When I need quirky left field funk with a nautical bent I turn to him. His latest album Ninja Tuna just got a US release this week, and comes with a bonus disc. Rocking Chair reminds me of Steely Dan circa 1977 - crisp beats and loads of lovely warm keyboards and horns.
- There is a great compilation out called Protected - Massive Samples. It is 12 tracks that Massive Attack has sampled over it's career, and features Al Green, James Brown, Rufus & Chaka Khan and a few others. Billy Cobham's groove on Stratus is the glue that holds Safe From Harm together.
- J Saul Kane, AKA Depth Charge, has a new single out called Mecha Squirrel, available from DC Recordings. Shy is the b-side, and is a glammy, squelchy stomper filled with the requisite crazed samples.


A.R. Rahman & Alka Yagnik & Ila Arun - Ringa Ringa
Luther Vandross - You're The Sweetest One
Missy Elliott - Best Best (Two Fingers Remix)
Spankrock - Backyard Betty (Two Fingers Remix)
Empire Of The Sun - Swordfish Hotkiss Night
The Heliocentrics & Mulatu Astatke - Cha Cha
Crown Heights Affair - You Gave Me Love
Mr. Scruff - Rocking Chair
Billy Cobham - Stratus
Depth Charge - Shy

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