Paris DJs Playlist - August 2013
With some funk and jazz reissues coming from Family Grooves Records, Sonorama or Tramp Records, new releases on friendly labels such as Tru Thoughts, Big Dada, Ninja Tune, or Mais Um Discos and few choice selections, Paris DJs' last playlist of the summer is as eclectic as ever, picking into the records (CDs and vinyl) labels and artists sent to us during the past month.
The August 2013 Paris DJs Playlist :
AFRO / HIP HOP / JUNGLE
01. Afro Cluster - Enter, The Lion (CD EP, Starving artists, 2013) | buy
This Cardiff-based Afro Beat / Funk / Hip Hop band is quite a discovery, their first EP hints at great & unique live gigs!
02. Congo Natty - Jah Warriors EP (12", Big Dada, 2013) | buy
The second single (after 'UK Allstars') extracted from the superb ragga-jungle drenched in a deep rub-a-dub 'Jungle Revolution' album. The Dub'n'Synths remix from Joker in there really heavy British Bass Reggae music - and there's more from Benny Page, Machinedrum and Serial Killerz, all worthy…
03. Professor Brian Oblivion - Hopscotch (7", Clockwise Records, 2013) | buy
Reminiscent of a Californian J-Walk, Professor Brian Oblivion's blend of funk & hip hop samples is our summer head-nodder, the kind that makes you say "hey! play that tune again, please!". Pure coolness… and his debut LP from 2011, 'The Dark Realities of the Moment' is a marvelous gem of psychedelic hip hop collage - highly recommended!
04. Rodney P - Success feat. Harleighblu & Renegades Brass Band (Digital Single, Tru Thoughts, 2013) | buy
Venerable London MC Rodney P on a brassy & clapping hip hop funk groove, with the soulful R'n'B stylings of new Tru Thoughts signature Harleighblu for the chorus, resulting in a killer single! Radio edit, instrumental and a capella versions being added to the original version.
FUNK / SOUL
05. Aurra - Satisfaction (12", Family Groove, 2013) | buy
06. Aurra - Something Tells Me (12", Family Groove, 2013) | buy
07. Aurra - Satisfaction (CD, Family Groove, 2013) | buy
The lost 1984 modern soul/boogie/p-funk abum from the Slave offshoot Aurra is finally out! At that time, Steve Washington had reformed Aurra with Sheila Brody aka Sheila Washington (Brides of Funkenstein) & Mark Stevens (Taka-Boom, Chaka Khan), after departing from Salsoul because of unpaid royalties on their previous 4 albums. The record, supposed to be released on Quincy Jones' Qwest Records label, was shelved to avoid conflict on the ownership of the Aurra name. In 2012 master tapes from the sessions were recovered in an abandoned recording studio in Columbus, Ohio. The music was returned to Steve & Sheila and has been mixed and compiled for release on 2 albums 'Satisfaction' and 'Body Rock'… We hinted at those reissues in our january playlist, with the 'Perfect Date' limited edition 7 inch (only 200 copies pressed!)… Now the album's landed, with two companions super-heavy vinyl 12 inches, both numbered and limited to 500 copies, with outstanding silk-screen artcovers. If you haven't been able to find the 45 or the 12s, don't pass on the LP, well if you're into post-disco edgy boogie funk, early 80's Dayton funk with bassy & bumpin' grooves!
08. Professor Earl Lett - The Story Of (CD/2LP, Tramp Records, 2013) | buy
After the prime 'I Got Hope' exclusive mix for Paris DJs' summer series, Tobias Kirmayer and Tramp Records keep on celebrating the celebrating the 10th anniversary of the label with a new volume in the superior 'The Story Of' series. This new volume gathers funky 45s from the 60s and the 70s from sax player/vocalist Professor Earl Lett. With extensive liner notes, as usual, it's another priceless history of Soul lesson!
09. Youngblood Brass Band - Pax Volumi (CD/2LP, Tru Thoughts, 2013) | buy
'Riot Jazz' brass band from Oregon, Wisconsin Youngblood Brass Band have a new album out on Brighton's finest Tru Thoughts Recordings, with founding member, sousaphonist and primary arranger Nat McIntosh back in the group he had left in 2004. Blending the traditional New Orleans brass sound with rock, funk and hip hop, the band has reached new heights here, and we can't recommend this hard'n'heavy brass band LP enough!
ELECTRONIC / POP
10. Emika - Centuries (Digital Single, Ninja Tune, 2013) | buy
If the dark dub electro pop & classical music brew of the title track 'Centuries' or its club/rave remix byeskort ain't that obvious to our ears, the b-side 'After The Fall' is a flawless piece of electro-poppish R'n'B!
11. Grey Reverend - A Hero's Lie (CD, Motion Audio, 2013) | buy
Brooklyn resident Grey Reverend has a new folk/pop album out on Motion Audio, the Ninja Tune sub-label launched by Jason Swinscoe (Cinematic Orchestra). Emotionally intense and deeply sincere, in the vein of Elliot Smith, Will Oldham or John Martyn, this is haunting 21st century acoustic porch blues at its finest!
12. Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program - Back On The Planet (CD/2LP, Brainfeeder, 2013) | buy
Clearly reaching for the cosmos, Los Angeled beat producer Gregory Shorter, Jr. aka Ras G reaches for an out-there experience, widly experimental ride with his new album 'Back On The Planet', which seems more like the recordings of… his crashing back on earth than a safely arrival from a holiday trip! Sometimes recalling Sun Ra's free jazz or George Clinton's funk experimentations, this weird instrumental drony hip hop LP fuses crazy percussion with futuristic electronics, spectral synths and some heavy bass coming in and out… The listening experience is not really that groovy, but utterly cosmic!!
AFRO / LATIN
13. Siba - Avante (CD, Mais Um Discos, 2013) | buy
Licensed to UK's Brazilian music specialists Mais Um Discos, Siba's unique concoction of tropical folk-rock is finally available worldwide and its mainstream appeal should lighten up many radio programmers end-of-summer playlists...
14. The Garifuna Collective - Ayó (CD, Cumbancha, 2013) | buy
Released early july on the Cumbancha hear globally label, the new album from the Garifuna Collective, six years after the passing of their leader Andy Palacio, is a pleasant surprise, music truly descending from both their Caribbean and West African origins while sparkling with hope and joy, sounding great with modern production techniques while keeping the tradition alive. The Garifuna Collective will be performing in Belize in september and are scheduled to tour Europe in October with stops in London, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague and Paris...
JAZZ
15. Attila Zoller - Jazz Soundtracks (CD/LP, Sonorama, 2013) | buy
Hungarian-born jazz guitarist Attila Zoller produced four soundtracks in Berlin in the 1960s, all improvised directly in front of the screen. Previously unreleased, they're now collected by hardcore diggers Sonorama Records, who know how to find obscure soulful gems from the past like no other. From cool jazz to free jazz, with an obvious cinematic edge, those jazz pieces doubtlessly have soul. Favorites include the psychedelic 'Mousetip Strut', the calm before the storm soul-jazz vibes of 'Light Wind' and the more classic and groovy jazz guitar of 'Minesweeper'.
16. Third Eye feat. Wilton Gaynair - Connexion (CD/LP, Sonorama, 2013) | buy
Arrived just in time for our monthly playlist, this album of rare German Fusion Jazz was recorded and released on a private pressing (600 copies) in 1977, with an international sextet composed of international names like Wilton Gaynair on sax, Gerd Dudek on tenor sax & flute, Ali Haurand on acoustic bass, Frank Köllges on drums, Rob Van De Broeck on Fender Rhodes and Arp Oddyssey and Steve Boston on congas. The album is now kinda famous for having been featured in DJ Cam's 'Rendez-Vous', an unofficial compilation from 1994, with the killer Brazil/Fusion track 'Ogetnom'. Well 'Landings' ain't bad either, especially when the fat drum break comes, or the spacey 'Marron Dance' with its acoustic bass and sax solos…
Contact us to be featured in this monthly playlist or send us records at :
Julien Lakshmanan / Paris DJs
240 rue de Belleville
(gardien au 55 rue du Telegraphe)
75020 Paris, France
Bonus !! The companion Soundcloud set for this month's playlist :
The August 2013 Paris DJs Playlist :
AFRO / HIP HOP / JUNGLE
01. Afro Cluster - Enter, The Lion (CD EP, Starving artists, 2013) | buy
This Cardiff-based Afro Beat / Funk / Hip Hop band is quite a discovery, their first EP hints at great & unique live gigs!
02. Congo Natty - Jah Warriors EP (12", Big Dada, 2013) | buy
The second single (after 'UK Allstars') extracted from the superb ragga-jungle drenched in a deep rub-a-dub 'Jungle Revolution' album. The Dub'n'Synths remix from Joker in there really heavy British Bass Reggae music - and there's more from Benny Page, Machinedrum and Serial Killerz, all worthy…
03. Professor Brian Oblivion - Hopscotch (7", Clockwise Records, 2013) | buy
Reminiscent of a Californian J-Walk, Professor Brian Oblivion's blend of funk & hip hop samples is our summer head-nodder, the kind that makes you say "hey! play that tune again, please!". Pure coolness… and his debut LP from 2011, 'The Dark Realities of the Moment' is a marvelous gem of psychedelic hip hop collage - highly recommended!
04. Rodney P - Success feat. Harleighblu & Renegades Brass Band (Digital Single, Tru Thoughts, 2013) | buy
Venerable London MC Rodney P on a brassy & clapping hip hop funk groove, with the soulful R'n'B stylings of new Tru Thoughts signature Harleighblu for the chorus, resulting in a killer single! Radio edit, instrumental and a capella versions being added to the original version.
FUNK / SOUL
05. Aurra - Satisfaction (12", Family Groove, 2013) | buy
06. Aurra - Something Tells Me (12", Family Groove, 2013) | buy
07. Aurra - Satisfaction (CD, Family Groove, 2013) | buy
The lost 1984 modern soul/boogie/p-funk abum from the Slave offshoot Aurra is finally out! At that time, Steve Washington had reformed Aurra with Sheila Brody aka Sheila Washington (Brides of Funkenstein) & Mark Stevens (Taka-Boom, Chaka Khan), after departing from Salsoul because of unpaid royalties on their previous 4 albums. The record, supposed to be released on Quincy Jones' Qwest Records label, was shelved to avoid conflict on the ownership of the Aurra name. In 2012 master tapes from the sessions were recovered in an abandoned recording studio in Columbus, Ohio. The music was returned to Steve & Sheila and has been mixed and compiled for release on 2 albums 'Satisfaction' and 'Body Rock'… We hinted at those reissues in our january playlist, with the 'Perfect Date' limited edition 7 inch (only 200 copies pressed!)… Now the album's landed, with two companions super-heavy vinyl 12 inches, both numbered and limited to 500 copies, with outstanding silk-screen artcovers. If you haven't been able to find the 45 or the 12s, don't pass on the LP, well if you're into post-disco edgy boogie funk, early 80's Dayton funk with bassy & bumpin' grooves!
08. Professor Earl Lett - The Story Of (CD/2LP, Tramp Records, 2013) | buy
After the prime 'I Got Hope' exclusive mix for Paris DJs' summer series, Tobias Kirmayer and Tramp Records keep on celebrating the celebrating the 10th anniversary of the label with a new volume in the superior 'The Story Of' series. This new volume gathers funky 45s from the 60s and the 70s from sax player/vocalist Professor Earl Lett. With extensive liner notes, as usual, it's another priceless history of Soul lesson!
09. Youngblood Brass Band - Pax Volumi (CD/2LP, Tru Thoughts, 2013) | buy
'Riot Jazz' brass band from Oregon, Wisconsin Youngblood Brass Band have a new album out on Brighton's finest Tru Thoughts Recordings, with founding member, sousaphonist and primary arranger Nat McIntosh back in the group he had left in 2004. Blending the traditional New Orleans brass sound with rock, funk and hip hop, the band has reached new heights here, and we can't recommend this hard'n'heavy brass band LP enough!
ELECTRONIC / POP
10. Emika - Centuries (Digital Single, Ninja Tune, 2013) | buy
If the dark dub electro pop & classical music brew of the title track 'Centuries' or its club/rave remix byeskort ain't that obvious to our ears, the b-side 'After The Fall' is a flawless piece of electro-poppish R'n'B!
11. Grey Reverend - A Hero's Lie (CD, Motion Audio, 2013) | buy
Brooklyn resident Grey Reverend has a new folk/pop album out on Motion Audio, the Ninja Tune sub-label launched by Jason Swinscoe (Cinematic Orchestra). Emotionally intense and deeply sincere, in the vein of Elliot Smith, Will Oldham or John Martyn, this is haunting 21st century acoustic porch blues at its finest!
12. Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program - Back On The Planet (CD/2LP, Brainfeeder, 2013) | buy
Clearly reaching for the cosmos, Los Angeled beat producer Gregory Shorter, Jr. aka Ras G reaches for an out-there experience, widly experimental ride with his new album 'Back On The Planet', which seems more like the recordings of… his crashing back on earth than a safely arrival from a holiday trip! Sometimes recalling Sun Ra's free jazz or George Clinton's funk experimentations, this weird instrumental drony hip hop LP fuses crazy percussion with futuristic electronics, spectral synths and some heavy bass coming in and out… The listening experience is not really that groovy, but utterly cosmic!!
AFRO / LATIN
13. Siba - Avante (CD, Mais Um Discos, 2013) | buy
Licensed to UK's Brazilian music specialists Mais Um Discos, Siba's unique concoction of tropical folk-rock is finally available worldwide and its mainstream appeal should lighten up many radio programmers end-of-summer playlists...
14. The Garifuna Collective - Ayó (CD, Cumbancha, 2013) | buy
Released early july on the Cumbancha hear globally label, the new album from the Garifuna Collective, six years after the passing of their leader Andy Palacio, is a pleasant surprise, music truly descending from both their Caribbean and West African origins while sparkling with hope and joy, sounding great with modern production techniques while keeping the tradition alive. The Garifuna Collective will be performing in Belize in september and are scheduled to tour Europe in October with stops in London, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague and Paris...
JAZZ
15. Attila Zoller - Jazz Soundtracks (CD/LP, Sonorama, 2013) | buy
Hungarian-born jazz guitarist Attila Zoller produced four soundtracks in Berlin in the 1960s, all improvised directly in front of the screen. Previously unreleased, they're now collected by hardcore diggers Sonorama Records, who know how to find obscure soulful gems from the past like no other. From cool jazz to free jazz, with an obvious cinematic edge, those jazz pieces doubtlessly have soul. Favorites include the psychedelic 'Mousetip Strut', the calm before the storm soul-jazz vibes of 'Light Wind' and the more classic and groovy jazz guitar of 'Minesweeper'.
16. Third Eye feat. Wilton Gaynair - Connexion (CD/LP, Sonorama, 2013) | buy
Arrived just in time for our monthly playlist, this album of rare German Fusion Jazz was recorded and released on a private pressing (600 copies) in 1977, with an international sextet composed of international names like Wilton Gaynair on sax, Gerd Dudek on tenor sax & flute, Ali Haurand on acoustic bass, Frank Köllges on drums, Rob Van De Broeck on Fender Rhodes and Arp Oddyssey and Steve Boston on congas. The album is now kinda famous for having been featured in DJ Cam's 'Rendez-Vous', an unofficial compilation from 1994, with the killer Brazil/Fusion track 'Ogetnom'. Well 'Landings' ain't bad either, especially when the fat drum break comes, or the spacey 'Marron Dance' with its acoustic bass and sax solos…
Contact us to be featured in this monthly playlist or send us records at :
Julien Lakshmanan / Paris DJs
240 rue de Belleville
(gardien au 55 rue du Telegraphe)
75020 Paris, France
Bonus !! The companion Soundcloud set for this month's playlist :
Original post on Paris DJs