Musical Pirate

It's too bad that quality Hip Hop labels like Dope Folks Records usually have to go back in time to find authentic and real Rap music. New York MC Rast RFC is the exception to the rule. When the label came across his 2014 mixtape "Across West 3rd Street" it left them only one choice: distribute it on vinyl. There is a very raw and honest aspect about this album. Actually its just simple Beats and rhyming like back in the days or how it should be today. Talking and rapping about his past days and crimes the NY Hip Hop spirit still lives on in Rast RFC and his honest and gritty tracks. He also collaborated with Your Old Droog who also dropped a pretty impressive album recently for a dark interpretation of  a Hip Hop classic . If you're in for the cheaper digital version you can find the album on Audiomack . Or go ahead and get the vinyl at Dope Folks Records .

I usually don't post any albums that are only considered with covering songs by a different artist but for this one I'll have to make an exception. Guitarist Charlie Hunter who already has a nice reputation for his works with his jazz trio teams up with soul singer Dionne Farris to celebrate tunes by Dionne Warwick. You will find only vocals and clean guitar sounds on this record. This speaks very much for the talent and quality of the personnel working here. Especially the rhythms that Hunter puts in the tunes are quite remarkable. So "DionneDionne" leaves us with a package of simple and beautiful interpretations of tracks by one of soul's greatest singers. Stream some tracks before the release in early September on Atlanta Records' Bandcamp . DionneDionne by The Dionne Farris Charlie Hunter Duo

River of Snakes is a three piece rock band from Melbourne consisting of musicians you might know from other australian groups like like Magic Dirt, The Loveless or Hotel Wrecking City Traders .  July saw the release of their debut record "Black Noise" and what you can hear on this album is an excellent mix of noisy rock sounds and very precise songwriting. What sounds at first like a very fuzzy and feedback laden LP quickly turns out to be hiding some pretty catchy hooks and entertaining rock music. Its the blend of rough riffs, heavy instrumentation and a certain punk character that makes River of Snakes a stand out band on "Black Noise". Definitely not your average punk band but one that moves in the spheres of 90's Grunge Rock, heavy influences and the dirty sounds that create their very own and genuine moods. Get the full stream on Bandcamp . Black Noise (Album) by River Of Snakes

In one of the best Compilations of the last years, Tiger's Milk Records' "Peru Maravilloso" already took us on a fascinating journey through Peru's rich sounds. Even though its focus was on latin and cumbia vibes you could still hear some decisive psychedelic rock elements in those tunes - the new and upcoming Compilation "Peru Bravo" is setting its focus directly at those sounds while it celebrates Peru's 60's decade.  In doing so this sampler will take you to another trip through the country's musical history which is not structured by the search for exotic sounds but for original and honest tracks recorded in a radical decade. Elements of Funk, Soul and Rock blend with latin rhythms and instrumentation in an exciting and raw sound you will only find on "Peru Bravo". Check the label's Bandcamp for more information. Release will be early October. Peru Bravo: Funk, Soul & Psych from Peru's Radical Decade by Various Art...

It's been a while since I introduced you to the stunning Hip Hop Remixes by Ben Hedibi from Tunisia. A glimpse at his Soundcloud shows that he stayed productive and that there's even a brand new album entitled "The Next Level" on its way. So what we are about to witness soon is not only the incredible beat skills by the talented producer but also some original verses by some of the finest MCs out there. Thinking of the reputation Hedibi built through his remixes, who wouldn't want to be a part of this new album? One track featuring Cuts by DJ Technic and rhymes by MC Baz and Unseen already leaked and is up for free on his Soundcloud . If you still haven't heard of this man, this track should pretty much explain what I'm talking about and why this album will be one of the Hip Hop albums you better not miss.

Biography : One of the two bands formed from the wreckage of the semi-legendary Il Sistema, Celeste was the brainchild of drummer Ciro Perrino and keyboard player Leonardo Lagorio, himself a former member of Il Sistema's other offspring, Museo Rosenbach. With the line-up completed by Mariano Schiavolini (guitar, violin) and Giorgio Battaglia (bass), Celeste was an aptly-named outfit - with each member a virtual multi-instrumentalist, the group's arsenal included xylophone, harpsichord, violin and flute, all blended into a delicate, almost folky and, indeed, celestial brew that can readily be compared to the gentler moments on the first two King Crimson albums. Working with guest guitarist Vittorio De Scalzi, the band's debut album was recorded during 1973/74. It would be 1976, however, before Principe di un giorno was finally released, via the tiny Grog label. A further dozen tracks from this same period, including alternate (earlier) versions of several tracks from the alb...

Contemporary Jazz Mix by Mos Eisley Music on Mixcloud This Mix focusses on recent tracks by some of the finest contemporary jazz artists.Find out more about them in the Jazz section of the blog. Tracklist: The North - Great Ocean Road Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra - When The World Was One Jeb Loy Nichols - Strange Faith And Practice Get The Blessing - Antilope Andrew Hadro - For Us, The Living Kekko Fornarelli - The Big Bang Theory Tumi Mogorosi - Thokozile Queen Mother Gogo Penguin - Hopopono Emil de Waal, Gustaf Lunggren & Søren Kjærgaard - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

Biography :The Luv Machine were something of a cross-cultural anomaly in Great Britain at the turn of the '70s. An interracial band from Barbados that played heavy psych influenced by the Hendrix/Clapton axis of British rock, the Luv Machine had been in the U.K. since 1967, slowly mutating from the West Indies' answer to Vanilla Fudge into a somewhat funk-influenced version of early British metal. Their self-titled album for Polydor in 1971 was roundly ignored, and the band split up shortly after its release. So all of the factors were in place to make the Luv Machine album the sort of thing that sells to psych, prog and early metal collectors for hundreds of dollars a pop. The Luv Machine Turns You On (which had been the band's preferred title at the time) is an expanded reissue that adds six single sides and unreleased tracks to the 12 tracks from the original album, remastered from the original tapes. It's the first release on Rise Above Relics, a collectors label ru...

Biography : Boasting one of the most thinly veiled references to smoking pot this side of British act Leaf Hound, Primevil's only album, Smokin' Bats at Campton's (Dave Campton being their lead singer; "bats" being, well, you know), was originally recorded in 1974, but only found its way onto CD some 20 years later. Now, the record is frequently cited as a bona fide stoner rock touchstone (whether anyone could find a copy to be influenced by or not, in the interim), and its eight cuts run a wide gamut featuring surprisingly refined songcraft and impressive musicianship, as well as semi-improvised efforts and unfocused jam waffling. The best qualities among these are all exemplified within the opening trio set off by the standout "Leavin'," with its acoustic passages and stop-start riffs, the hard-driving "Progress," with its funky bass, wailing harp and twin guitar midsection, and the instrumental six-string showcase "Fantasies," ...

Biography :Prior to recording their second album, Cochise underwent a major change in personnel, with singer Stewart Brown getting replaced by John Gilbert. As Brown had written some of the material on Cochise's 1970 self-titled debut, that left the songwriting wholly in the hands of guitarist Mick Grabham and pedal steel player B.J. Cole. Still, the music remained largely the same middle-of-the-pack early-'70s album-oriented British rock, sometimes hard and sometimes with a more reflective, folkier feel, though always with a more country-rock-ish tinge than most (owing largely to Cole's pedal steel). But as on their first album, Cochise had neither the stylistic distinction nor the top-shelf songwriting to attract wide notice, their approach encompassing a hard rocking update of Buddy Holly's "Love's Made a Fool of You"; original material which somewhat recalled the Guess Who's rootsier side; and lightweight U.S. West Coast folk-country-rock. As far ...

Formed at England’s Sussex University by pianist Pete Wingfield, Jellybread was originally completed by Paul Butler (guitar/vocals),John Best (bass),and Chris Waters (drums).In 1969 the quartet secured a recording contract with the exemplary Blue Horizon Records label and although largely unadventurous, their albums offered a highly competent grasp of black music, including both blues and soul. They provided stellar accompaniment on Lightnin’ Slim's London Gumbo and B.B. King in London, but the unit dissolved in 1971 with the departure of Wingfield and Waters. Newcomers Rick Birkett (guitar, ex-Accent) and Kenny Lamb (drums) joined for Back to Begin Again, but Jellybread broke up when the set failed to make commercial headway. However, Wingfield enjoyed success as a solo artist, session pianist, and member of Olympic Runners. allmusic.com Tracklist : 01.Faded Grace 2:59 02.Old Before Your Time 7:03 03.Sally Hotlips 3:36 04.Go Through The Motions 4:02 05.Full Circle One 1:57 06.Ol...

Biography :Alan Price's second album consolidated the change of direction he'd started in early 1967, when his cover of Randy Newman's "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear" became a big British hit. Moving away from the jazzy Animals-styled R&B-rock that he'd presented on his first album and singles, Price moved into a more original, if less powerful, brand of Newman-influenced vaudevillian pop. The Randy Newman influence isn't a matter of conjecture; about half of the songs were covers of songs by Newman (who had yet to release his first album at the time A Price on His Head was issued), often of tunes that remain obscure even to serious Newman fans. The effect is something like hearing an even jauntier, more lighthearted Georgie Fame, as even Price's own compositions bore a strong Newman influence in their emphasis on poppy craft and wit. Breaking up the Newman and Price songs were covers of Bob Dylan's "To Ramona" and the litt...

Biography :Price's first album (released in the U.K. only, although some tracks would come out in the U.S.) is a rather routine set of club R&B/soul. Fronting a six-piece that includes three horns, Price sticks mostly to covers of familiar American tunes like "Mercy Mercy," "Ain't That Peculiar," "I Can't Turn You Loose," and "Barefootin'" on this amiable, but hardly remarkable, set. Price's voice is appealing, but lacks power, and in all it sounds like a clump of covers ground out hurriedly to get an album on the market. Georgie Fame did this kind of thing better, though Price's approach isn't as jazz-oriented. The CD reissue on Repertoire doubles the length of the original LP by adding 12 bonus tracks from 1965-1967 singles, including the brilliant British hit "I Put a Spell on You." The other singles cuts, alas, aren't in the same league, though in general they're better than the ones that cons...

Biography :A sprawling masterpiece, akin to the Beatles' White Album, the Stones' Exile on Main St., or Wilco's Being There in its makeup, if not its sound. Rock, folk, blues, country, Latin, and bluegrass have all been styles touched on in Stephen Stills ' career, and the skilled, energetic musicians he had gathered in Manassas played them all on this album. What could have been a disorganized mess in other hands, though, here all gelled together and formed a cohesive musical statement. The songs are thematically grouped: part one (side one on the original vinyl release) is titled "The Raven," and is a composite of rock and Latin sounds that the group would often perform in full live. "The Wilderness" mainly centers on country and bluegrass (Chris Hillman's and Al Perkins' talents coming to the forefront), with the track "So Begins the Task" later covered by Stills' old flame Judy Collins. Part three, "Consider" is l...

I won't be able to share any music with you this month. Still, there's lots of stuff on my desk that needs to get out there. So here's a short list of some releases you should definitely look out for in August: Kista & Glad2Mecha - Collecting Dust:  The first single already dropped some days ago. Here's the complete stream and free download on Bandcamp. Listen to Producer Kista and MC Glad2Mecha doing a great job on this one. Collecting Dust by Kista & Glad2Mecha The Shaolin Afronauts - Follow The Path More than just another Afrobeat Band. The Shaolin Afronauts' new Album "Follow The Path" is a perfect blend of Jazz, Funk, Afro and lots of positive vibes. The first single "Ojo Abameta" was great - the whole album is even better. Once & Future Band - Brain EP This band from Oakland will take you some 30 or 40 years back in Progressive Rock history. Riffs, synthesizers and interesting song structures. Trippy rock music that is not abou...

Biography : These 12 songs were recorded by Twin Engine in 1971 with the intention of getting an album together for release on United Artists, but they weren't issued until more than 30 years later. The music has very much of a 1970 aura, mightily influenced at different points by the Let It Be-era Beatles (particularly in the guitar sound of "Give My Love a Chance," "The Time Is Now," and "Mistress of the Morning"), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (a riff in "The Time Is Now" seems airlifted directly from Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand"), American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, and the country-rock being laid down by the Flying Burrito Brothers/Byrds axis in Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (That last influence may not have been entirely due to chance, as Byrds and/or Burritos members Chris Hillman, Clarence White, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow are all referred to in the packaging as having played on the sessio...