J Dilla -- RIP

One of my favorite streaming stations/shows: dublab and Chocolate City on KCRW, have played tribute mixes to Detroit hip-hop producer J Dilla/Jay Dee, who sadly passed away Feb 10, 2006. Hearing the music flow from one song to the next, makes me more aware of J Dilla's musical genius of mixing melody, soul and making my booty shake.

My first taste of Dilla's sound was being introduced to Slum Village by my good friend & flash designer fiend Sean Green aka shamansilicon. We did a long web development intern gig together, and would while away the time with music and the droll of coding. I brought Roni Size, Sean brought Bahamadia. I brought Towa Tei, Sean brought Mary J Blige. I brought Howie B... then Sean brings Slum Village. Damn!!! I am loving this sound -- melodies, heady raps, and the groove. Everything I never knew I wanted. Needless, to say I've been hooked on Slum Village ever since....

Years later, Sean and I keep in touch sporadically, and during one of our conversations, he tells me how much he's feelin' the latest Jaylib album, Champion Sound -- a collab of J Dilla & Madlib (one of my fave producers, I'll save my rave for Madlib in another post). Ah, genius runs in the same circles. Certainly both of these talented musicians create under the Stones Throw Records label.

Goodbye J Dilla. You are gone, but your ability to groove us presses on. Thank you for the wonderful music, inspiration and being a part of great times with friends.

More Jay Dee por vous:
myspace profile
Stones Throw profile
Wikipedia entry
allmusic bio

[Music] Rotation Devices 12.15.05

Greetings from butiboi! There's good news and bad news in Rotation Devices this month, therefore I'm adding a new section called Record Player Hater, which will feature a review of, to put it bluntly, an album that I consider a real shitty deal. Here goes.

[Record Player Hater]



MADONNA - Confessions on a Dance Floor
Warner Brothers 2005

Okay, where do I start? I'm sure we're all aware of the publicity blitz preceeding the release of this album; the fall from a horse with a spectacularly quick recovery, the so-called controversy over the "Isaac" cut on the new album, her new purple wardrobe, her strict guidelines for Lola (nigra, pleeze), the loss of her Mavervick imprint, and her new documentary, ad nauseum. To be truthful tho', I've always been a fan of hers, although the last albums with any true soul on it were Bedtime Stories and the superb, underrated Erotica.

Sadly, I bought into the hype that COADF was going to showcase the return to her dance roots, and thus, I eagerly awaited this release. I should have known something was amiss when I plugged into her website and read about the producers contributing to this project (Mirwais, Stuart Price), and the release of "Hung Up", which sounds like a techno-tweaker-gap-store-cum-abercrombie-&-fitch-store-mix nightmare to be played only on the so-called Party Station. BTW, any producer who would bite the vocoder effects of Cher's "Believe" should be served up a plate of iced cold shade! Surely, I thought, the whole album couldn't possibly sound like this - the release was trumpeted as a return to her dance ROOTS so I expected to hear some soulful/poppy/dance funk shit a la her collaborations with Shep Pettibone, Reggie Lucas (Stephanie Mills, Mtume), and of course Patrick Leonard and Steven Bray.

Great early albums notwithstanding, I guess I finally have to acknowledge what some critics have said about Madonna all along, which is that she is neither a great master of re-invention nor a great innovator, but a crass, manipulating, transparent fraud (American Life), who'll pander to any given trend of the moment. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't expect the album to be a total rehash of her past shit, but when you put out misleading info on your website that you're sampling groups like the SOS Band on your new album, then I buy the shit and it sounds like one long fucking 135 bpm mix for 20 year old twinks, with no variations on the theme whatsoever, then I'm gonna be pissed, a'ight?!! And I won't even bother discussing or listing tracks; what's the point?

If you go for this type of sound, great. This might be the album for you, but for me, it's just one more slap in the face for dj's and listeners who yearn for true soulful/funky house soundz to be played on the air, thus ensuring their true place at the top of the charts like back in the day. Whew! Was that a rant or a review?..............

....................../´¯/)
....................,/¯../
.................../..../
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
.........\.................'...../
..........''...\.......... _.·´
............\..............(
..............\.............\...


[Heavy Floatation]



THE BLUE NILE - Hats
A&M 1989

In 1985, I remember listening to the QUAKE, which was the premier alt/new wave station in SF at the time, and the moment I heard the line "summer girls in disarray, can be so free and easy now , well, we'll be free and easy" from "Stay", I knew what I was hearing was not only the most beatifully lush electronic jam I'd heard up to that point, but what I'd hoped would be a group that would stick around forever. Indeed the Blue Nile is one of those groups that I can truly say created the blueprint for what is now known as electro/chill. In 1989 the group released Hats, which has not left my turntable since! Lead singer Paul Buchanan's plaintive vocals combined with pristinely gorgeous, at times eerily dark melodies and straightforward lyrics ("sometimes I walk away, when all I really want to do, is love and hold you tight" "Downtown Lights") simultaneously transports me to the past and future......This album has no filler cuts, but my personal faves include "Over The Hilltops", "From A Late Night Train", "Let's Go Out Tonight", and "Seven A.M.". After repeated listenings, I'm sure you'll consider this record to be your "soundtrack" as you move throughout the day.

Although the group has released only 4 albums in 25 years; A Walk Across the Rooftops/1984, which includes their first hit "Stay", Peace At Last/1996, and High/2004, they've left a bounty of great jamz to tide you over, and while you're at it, check out Annie Lennox's cover of "Downtown Lights" on her underrated Medusa album. I'll also be reviewing "High" in the near future.

In the meantime, put this record on and feel the love, make a baby, touch yourself in a nice way, or just think about stuff, um-kay?

[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.

RIP Luther Vandross -- I raise my cup to you

Opening day
Originally uploaded by DogMilque.

Some SF days are overcast and foggy. Summer can be a hit or miss. Today it was lovely outside and I couldn't wait to pull out my new-yet-used cheapo bike and take care of errands around my hood.

My can of Cafe La Llave has run out at home, and a glass of oolong milk tea just didn't cut it this morning. I remember seeing a new cafe in the neighborhood, next to Lost Weekend Video, called Ritual Coffee Roasters. It's nice, shiny exterior has taken over a space I barely remember. I roll over dying for a tall glass of espresso con ice.

After struggling for a few minutes w/my new bike lock (I'm still trying to figure this one out), I walk into a busy space reeking in the most delicious way of fresh, roasted beans. I figured I'd sit myself down w/a cup and write out the monthly rent check. No dice, this place was packed to the brim.

Oh well, I may as well get my coffee to go. I ordered a double iced espresso, and was served up a glass of ice mixed w/the anticipated dark elixer. I make my way to the bar to dress it up and find a nice surprise of liquid sugar! Now in Asia and most of the Pacific, liquid sugar (or sugar syrup) is a common sweetener for iced drinks. It's one of those common sense things that just hasn't caught up to the cafes here. With sugar syrup you never worry about stirring your drink to oblivion in hopes of dissolving the sugar crystals. Sweeten up and you're ready freddy.

Post-espresso dressing, I finally give my iced espresso a sip and oh my lord.... it was the best cup of coffee I ever had. Truly! It beat Martha Bros on 24th St in Noe Valley hands down. Now that's saying a lot. I had to have more.... but I felt aprehensive, especially since I really needed to write that rent check and get on w/my life. Oh what to do... I wanted to savor that cup slowly & surely. I figured the next best thing was to take away a 1/2lb of the house roast, "Hair Blender." Oh lovely this Hair Blender! I grab my bag of goodness and zip away.

After careful produce selection at one of my favorite markets on 23rd & S.Van Ness, unsuccessful thrifting at Salvation Army and roasted chicken noshing at one of the divey Chinese take-out joints -- I head home to feed the guinea pigs their Summer salad and take in some Chocolate City on KCRW.com.

I realized much of this evening's mix was a lot of 80's & 90's soul, which is usually not the norm on this wonderful radio show. The answer to today's theme is brought to light when the host announces a tribute to r&b balladeer Luther Vandross, who passed away today at 54.

  
I have fond memories of Luther's early tunes -- Never Too Much, A House Is Not A Home, and the entire The Night I Fell In Love album. One track in particular, Creepin' is one of his most underrated songs. It's a slow, sultry tune that defined a mid-80's Summer. This is Luther before he went by the Disney soundtrack wayside. The power ballads to follow his early success never really sat well with me.

So in honor of the talented Luther Vandross, whose early music presented the backdrop to my awkward coming of age years, I raise my delicious cup of Hair Blender coffee in your memory....

Ritual Coffee Roasters
1026 Valencia St, between 21st & 22nd
San Francisco
415 641 1024

weekdays 7am-11pm
Sundays 8am-9pm

Show me your music and I'll show you what you eat

My good friend Santos aka chotda, has made a quick detour from food to tunes on her foodie blog Scent of Green Bananas. Follow the link at the title to dive in. There are several questions posed for the music in you. I was asked to answer a few:


Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:
Here's the quick & dirty below. This got me thinking about my ever-changing top five. I must lay some words for DJ Shadow's Preemptive Strike, the legendary Al Green, Madlib's Quasimoto alter ego, and bossa nova, as well.


Tortoise (TNT) - In Sarah, Mencken, Christ And Beethoven There Were Women And Men
// Now that's got to be the longest song title in history. Basically I love the entire album, but I tuck this one in my back pocket (I Set My Face to the Hillside is another TNT fave). In 2002, I worked for Minidisco.com and made the daily BART commute from the city to Berkeley. I clocked in a lot of commute time and devoted my ears to whatever I could get my hands on. TNT got a lot of airplay at the office, thanks to all the boy musicians that made up customer service. This tune is the industrial Oakland landscape whizzing by, large-scale grafitti burns, my flower-strewn walk to work, waiting on benches, and the optimism of coming out of year long funk.


Tommy Guerrero (Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues) - Introspection Section
// Last February, I was pulling a major all nighter at STRANGEco, printing out handmade catalogs for the NY Toy Fair we were set to attend in a few days. Jim was already in New York, and Greg & I were working the printer to its proverbial "bone", to make deadline. I eventually slept under the desk and woke up periodically to press the start button when the run completed. I finally got a 2nd wind at 6am when an orange sunrise crept through the windows onto my face. SomaFM's Beat Blender was streaming this tune at this perfect, exhaustive moment. I've been in love with Tommy Guerrero ever since.


Stevie Wonder (Innervisions) - Golden Lady
// Stevie Wonder's music sets the backdrop to most of my formative years - it's a vision of green-hued photographs, playing red rover, the taste of sea salt after the beach and family gatherings. I spent a fantastic early childhood growing up on Oahu when my dad was stationed in Hawaii. Every weekend we'd pack up and camp at Bellows Beach with my relatives. Camping at the beach was great, but the drive was even better. I remember riding on the back of my uncle's truck, peering over the edge of a cliffside road and entering a long black tunnel, which was my personal landmark for the start of the weekend. Fast forward to my grown up life on Guam, I'm sitting in Trades, having ritual drinks with co-workers after another night of hard work -- Dave Santos is on guitar singing this tune in his spare, quiet manner. My mind trips back to the Hawaiian sun at my back, the beach, and the taste of imperfect smores.


Bill Evans (Sunday At The Village Vanguard) - Jade Visions (Take 2)
// This entire album chronicles my adventure of the build up of trivial love, a vulnerable spirit and the inevitable heartbreak to follow. I am recovered and strong willed now, and rediscovered my spunky side that stays up late traversing busy city streets. This tune's optimism is a Saturday night art crawl, lively conversation at the corner cafe, a delicious 1am beef pho across town, or a night spent in cuddling my much-loved guinea pigs.


Stereolab (Dots and Loops) - Brakhage
// My best memories on Guam were spent with friends: driving around the island, discovering hidden waterfalls, swimming in them, dancing till my legs gave out and sharing countless meals together. Cooking, eating, cooking, eating. Our whole experiences and culture are inside a lumpia roll and over a pot of rice. We cooked many delicous meals and laughed constantly. Brakhage is the sound of the kitchen, the heavy island heat, the smell of car air conditioning, full moon island jaunts and the tactile feeling of friends.

What is the total amount of music files on your computer? - unknown, but it's bogging down my hard drive dammit!

The CD you last bought?

The Disappointment - my friend Jill's boyfriend Ed's band. Sadly they recently broke up, but I shall not despair.

What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

"Happy Cycling" by Boards of Canada, from Music Has the Right to Children. Sometimes I love this album -- for the first 20 minutes. Then it grates under my skin. It's a good working tune -- especially if you're coding and your second coffee just kicked in.