[Music] Rotation Devices 10.29.05

The first installment of Butiboi's thought-provoking music commentary spilling from the tender heart o'Brooklyn. Feel it!!!


NOUVELLE VAGUE
Luaka Bop Records 2005

I'm completely feeling this French group whose specialty is lounge covers of punk/new wave classics. Sounds strange? Well it is, which
is why it's a must-own. Being a former 80's pressure-punk/funk boi myself, how could I resist liking droll loungy remakes of "Guns of Brixton" (The Clash), "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Joy Division), "Psyche" (Killing Joke), and album highlight "Too Drunk to Fuck" (Dead Kennedys). The album dropped last summer, albeit under the radar, and is an instant classic. The Cure, Depeche Mode and Sisters of Mercy are just a few of the other groups covered on this gem. Lounge with. Attitude, indeed!



BOOKA SHADE - MEMENTO
Intergroove Germany 2004

Goin' out tonite? Get your pre-party ya-ya's started with some
electro/funk b-b-beats. This set starts out with a little
synth-lounge ("Vertigo"), then builds to a crescendo of krisp
electro/funk/house jamz ("Double Identity", "Memento", "On & On"). They've even thrown in some weird but melodic interludes ("Mr Torrance"). This album is not a non-stop dance record per se, but for pro and aspiring turntablists, much can be done with the more minimalist tracks. File under house for the discernible listener.



[Heavy Flotation]


STEVIE WONDER - Fulfillingness' First Finale
Motown 1974

Remember when R&B meant SOUL?? This is the perfect album for going
through your old phone book and calling that old friend/lover/classmate just to find out what's up. Or maybe you could just roll a "tree" and listen to a symphony........or crack that bottle of wine you was saving for a special occasion and clean out that closet of yours! Or just chillax and do you. Whatever the case, program this cd on shuffle, and hope that the first track that comes up is "Creepin'", a truly sublime classic. And let's not forget "It Ain't No Use", "They Won't Go When I Go".

I particularly enjoy the first two of these three tracks because you can clearly hear Minnie Riperton's vocals in the background (unfortunately, this album signaled the beginning of the end of Wonderlove, Stevie's group of background singers which included Minnie, Deniece Williams, and Syreeta Wright, who were all launching successful solo careers at the time).

This is vintage Stevie before he released Songs in the Key of Life (his next album), at the height of his career.