Here´s the Record!

Got a bit of a turntablist/DJ thing going on this program, lashings of Rob Swift, DJ Disk, J-Zone. First came across Disk when Buckethead came to London for a promo trip to make heads aware of his latest album at the time. Disk was part of his band. With one deck, mixer and two guitar pedals he bedazzled the entire audience. The whole band rocked, a crazy ass in your face drummer, whose name i can´t remember unfortunately, and not like i need to say anything about Buckethead, playing intricate light-speed solos while doing maneouvres with nunchakas using his left hand.
Here´s Disk with Bill Laswell, Zakir Hussein and some other killer players doin´ it proper....

Javi dropped some of his extra Womex cd haul on me last week. Included was a collection of music from the Indian Ocean, courtesy of Takamba Records. The simplicity of a bell, and a voice set to an ear-invading rhythm on a tambour never fails.
Checked in with The Bug and he reports that his new album is one month away from completion, so should be dropping in next April. Artwork will be handled by Fefe....yep, wanna see it now don´t ya?! I hope he goes with the current choice for the title, it´s very apt. No, can´t say yet, however the singles, Jah War, Skeng, and now Poison Dart have been well received. Kode 9 played Poison Dart at the End earlier this year, and the crowd reaction was how you´d want it to be, over da top....caught us off-guard, glad for ya Kev´. Skream and Stereotyp are among the remixers for the Poison Dart effort. The Bug and Burial have also tackled Thom Yorke with respective remixes, which i believe came out yesterday.

Christmas time in the Canary Islands means truchas; sweet potato, flour, almonds, raisins, bit of liquor, and a lot of elbow grease mixing the ingredients, then fried. Another component is Lard.

Oh, the images....well a few years back Aki came back from a trip to Poland with a copy of Time magazine and it had the same photo in it. We immediately jacked it for theT-shirt, which when worn, and viewed by Farsi/Arabic-readers, they always ask if i know what the writing says.

Ear Conditioning Playlist / December 18 / Here´s The Record!

• Here´s the record.....Intro
  
• Mos Def · Tash · Q-Tip / Body Rock (Rawkus)
  
• J-Zone / Catch 22
• Stacey Pullen / Futuristicfreakqueen (Science)
• Keith LeBlanc / You Drummers Listen Good (World)
• DJ Disk / Holidisk Inn
• Rob Swift / All that Scratchin is Making Me Rich (Asphodel)
• Strata 3 / (It´s Not A) Man´s World (Bush)
• Bomber Pilot speaks of dying with dignity, should his time come and being glad he´s not a ground soldier....(BBC Records)
  
• SoftBalletForms · Jail of Freedom · Autechre remix (SSR)
  
• ChainGang Song · WNEW´s Story of Selma (Folkways)
• Lard / The Power of Lard (Alternative Tentacles)
• Fun-da-mental / White Tongues (5 Uncivilized Tribes)
• Ile Rodrigues / Mo mari ó (Takamba)
  
• The Bug feat. FlowDan & Killa P / Skeng (Hyperdub)
• Kode 9 and The Spaceape / Nine (Hyperdub)
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson / Peace Go With You Brother · Wa-Alekum-Salaam (Strata East)

The Ear Conditioning program is dealt every Tuesday at 9pm on Radio Norte, 89.4FM Tenerife,
repeated at the same hour Saturday night.

I´ve thrown up a mix, Speaker Spazm, here if your interested or have the time. It´s got stuff like 2ndGen, FDM, Canarian comedy, Brazilian beats, Radiohead remixed by Fila Brazilia, Chávez on the mic, Grace Jones, Mutamassik, Blind Idiot God, Dr. Phibes and the House of Wax Equations, Massive Attack/Blur´d and so on. Clocks in at 42 mins, about 82mb.

Ear Conditioning 11.12.2007 / No se calla porque es la voz del pueblo

In light of Chávez, The Bolivarian Revolution, the recent referendum, i started the program with Joe Strummer´s soundtrack to Walker, the Alex Cox film about Nicaragua. The amount of bullshit coming out of the US, Spain, the UK etc. against Chávez is overwhelming. When he first came to power, his opponents said he was a dictator. Since 1998, Venezuela has had at least 10 elections/referendums.....i thought dictators didn´t do that kinda thing. For the first time in the country´s history they have an indigenous leader, and the rich don´t like it at all. Toma! Bloggers are being asked to carry real news about Venezuela as the mainstream media are not doing the job they should be doing.

Over at the Guevara Convention, this month´s contribution is from Indigenous Resistance. Sacred Power (Embracing a Free Leonard Peltier) is the title. The original CD that features this track is dedicated to the memory of Galdino, a Pataxó Indian in Brazil, who in 1997 was murdered, when as a "joke" four rich kids poured gasoline on Galdino as he slept. He was then set on fire. The rich kids received minimal sentences and were soon back on the street.
Fuck Babylon indeed.

Shit, piss, bollocks....got word that Goya Music, the distributors of all dat Broken Beat an´ Future Jazz stuff, went out of business a couple weeks back. Goya was situated just around the corner from Virgin Records, and Nigel Wildman, a Virgin AnR man, signed IG Culture (NSM, People, Main Squeeze) to the label, and I was priviliged to work on the promotion of IG´s ´Download This´ album. Every couple of weeks, I would drop into Goya and Mike and Spence would drop some new joints in my eager palms, and send me on my merry way back to the Virgin office, where I would proceed to drop the needle on the latest releases in the office. One of my favourites was…..no, still is, Seiji´s Second Nature. Hopefully IG, 2000Black, Bugz in da Attic and crew will find a new viable outlet for their tuneage.

The ever-giving DJ/Rupture served up a remix of M.I.A.´s Paper Planes by Sonido Martines. Those familiar with this page or it´s mother, Ear Conditioning radio, will be familiar with Sonido….yes, he of the Cumbia Rebajadas mix that I jacked from Rupture a few months back…

Another group on the rebajadas tip are El Hijo de la Cumbia. They have also been kind enough to send some tracks and i´ll be dropping them next week, once this glich with my computadora is sorted.

Joe Strummer / Machete
Sussan Deyhim & Bill Laswell / The Candle and The Moth
Tunisian Folklore
Lucy Pearl / Alabama A&M Marching Band
Taraf de Haidouks / A Stork Crosses the Danube, in the company of a Raven
Inverse Cinematics / Seven by Seven
Seiji / Second Nature
Rubberoom / Space + Time
DJ Food / Nevermore
Burial / Untrue Album mix by Kode 9
M.I.A. / Paper Planes · Sonido Martines´ Paper Guacharaca Mix
Doug Wimbish / Just a Minute

Ear Conditioning...the radio program is transmitted Tuesday´s at 9pm, with the repeat going on on Saturday, same time, same station, Radio Norte 89.4FM. The engineer has been made aware that the online function isn´t happening, and since it´s being paid for, the problem is being investigated...or so i´ve been told. Will let you know when i know.

Islamic Terrorism in Europe

Going by reports in the mainstream media/press/tv, one would think Europe was a haven of Islamic terrorists. Figures from Europol, the European Police agency reveal that ´Islamic Terrorists´ have been responsible for 0.2% of Terrorist activity in Europe during last year.
In 2006 the National press in the UK carried 26, 577 reports which mentioned the word 'terrorist' or 'terrorism'. Of these 7,620 also referred to 'Islam', 'Islamist' or 'Muslim'. In other words the media reported Islamist violence out of all proportion to the number of attacks.

Click here for the juice, courtesy of spinwatch.

Do we expect corporate media to give us the truth about corporate and governmental matters when they feed off the same tit?

Ear Conditioning 4.12.2007 / Shock Doctrine

Naomi Klein makes another appearance on the program, no, she wasn´t actually in the studio, i just jacked an interview she did with MSNBC´s Keith Olbermann, who seems to be one of the few journalists in the US mainstream that does not bow down like Faux News or CNN. Klein talks about the economic theory created by the No.1 Chicago Boy, Milton Friedman.
"Only a crisis, real or perceived, produces real change". His ideology was exported to Chile with the USA-assisted coup that brought Pinochet to power in ´73, and still continues to run to this day. At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq's civil war, a new law was unveiled that would allow Shell and BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves. Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly out-sources the running of the "War on Terror" to Halliburton and Blackwater. After a powerful tsunami devastates the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts. New Orleans's residents, still scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be reopened. Interestingly enough this weekend i watched the John Pilger film on Venezuela ´War on Democracy´, as millions of Venezuelans went to vote on the constitutional changes the Chávez government has proposed. Despite the final outcome, which saw Chávez lose the vote, he and his government still have a good few years to make the best of their nation without selling out the Uncle Slam and discarding the hopes of the millions that were constantly forgotten and abused in the pre-Chávez years.

Late addition: Just saw this piece by John Pilger about the Venezuelan referendum in the Guardian of today, and this one from yesterday by Seamus Milne. The folks at Tenerife News should read this and learn something instead of spouting the line as if they were being paid by the Venezuelan opposition.

Now sports.....well, music actually.....the best DJ i´ve ever witnessed and had the pleasure of working with is called Rich McLean aka World Service aka Audio Shrapnel. Rich worked at Nation Records doing everything apart from writing the cheques. I found one of his mixtapes, and digitized a bit to play on today´s program. He mashed together Lata Mageshkar, Yabby U, A Tribe called Quest and an 7/8 opus from Nitin Sawney.

Last week FDM returned to Prague, and old friends Ivo, David Urban, James Scanlon were present. Pavel aka Mustakillah , Dj´d before and after the band set, wearing his Checkpoint 303 t-shirt....hence, i visited their site again, and downloaded Gaza Calling. A couple guys from the group Pop-Porn gave me a copy of their CD, while i was spinning with Mustakillah, so we got some fresh Czech joints lacing the Tenerifian radio-space as well Rachid again, gotta love him, despite his affliction for the whiskey.
The most diverse hour on Canarian radio is soon to strike....Radio Norte 89.4FM from 9pm.

• World Service Mix– Best Dresssed Chicken Tikka in Town featuringYabby U/ Kishore Kumar / Baluji Shrivastav / Lata Mageshkar /A Tribe Called Quest / Nitin Sawney
• Unknown artist / Ahl Al Aqil (Oh People of Reason) Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq CD
• Yumma, Al Hilou (Mother, Here´s my Beauty) Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq CD
  
• Naomi Klein / Shock Doctrine
  
• Checkpoint 303 / Gaza Calling
  
• Rachid Taha / Nokta
  
• Sheik Usama Bin Laden / Message to the European Peoples
  
• Moondog / Bumbo
  
• Nick Cave & Warren Ellis / Cowgirl. From the Assassination of Jesse James by the
  Coward Robert Ford
  
• Manu Chao / Politics · Prince Fatty Remix
  
• Rusko / Cockney Thug
  
• Unknown Dubstep t´ing
  
• Pop-Porn / (R)evolution
  
• Sonido Martines / Cumbia Rebejadas mix for DJ/ Rupture
  
• Cymande / The Message

Rachid.....and not a bottle in sight!

Rachid Taha was in town last week, but to be completely honest, he was pissed as a newt. A friend did a pre-show interview with him and he was already on the scotch or whiskey. I hope this doesn´t become a fashionable thing among singers of his ilk. I mentioned it to Aki during our Prague visit on Thursday, and he replied that it had already set in among some of Rachid´s peers.
My best wishes go out to him. Here´s some footage with him in much better form, alongside Faudel and Khaled.



I have been trying to find the video that a stylish French director did for ´No, No, No´ from Rachid´s Olé Olé album. Rachid´s producer, Steve Hillage asked me to do some vocals for an ´international´ version of No, No, No....no, no, no joy so far. Here´s a little sample of the track itself....yes, it´s a house thing.

Rosa Parks 52 years on......

Today is the 52nd anniversary of the day Rosa Parks refused to move from the back of the bus. For the minority workers shipped into the richest enclave in the USA, the fight for basic human dignity continues.

On Friday, August 31st, 2007, security officer Wisly Jonatas clocked out of work at 11 p.m. after his evening shift on Fisher Island, an exclusive, private island off the coast of Miami. Like all Fisher Island service workers, Wisly took the ferry to and from the island for work every day. Tired from a long day at work, Wisly walked onto the ferry and sat down in the ferry’s segregated employee lounge…

Wisly had just taken his seat in the ferry’s segregated employee lounge when the ferry captain summoned and reprimanded him for not following a newly-instituted rule that prohibits workers from walking past island residents’ parked cars on the ferry to get to the employee lounge. For his insubordination, Wisly was forced to get off the ferry and wait for the next one. Five days later, he was fired from his job on the island…

It´s the 21st century dammit! Talk of being civilized is ridiculous. Let the so-called peasants revolt.

Click here to see video clip and read more on this, courtesy of alternet.org

Album of the Week
Just before i left for Thursday´s FDM gig in Prague at Lucerne Music Bar, i received the latest work of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, music for the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Violins, violas, tamborine, celestes....uh, what´s a celeste? Gotta check, back in a minute.

Ok, wiki cleared that up....."sound, akin to that of a glockenspiel".
So, the album is awash with violin, viola, celeste and cello. There´s one joint on the album, Cowgirl, that is a good one to grab your lady by her waist, and waltz around the kitchen table to. It´s been on repeat so much that i fear it´s hitting that point of annoyance to my ever-lovin´.

In today´s Independent newspaper, there is this feature about my former bosses at EMI, and their monied ways. I think it scrapes a bit of the iceberg....
I recall much noise being made over the 5million pound golden handshake that Ken Berry received when he was given the boot. To be honest, Ken was cool, and think he deserved it, he was at Virgin from early on, and held onto Virgin and it´s ways for many years even after we were swallowed up by the bigger EMI.

Do you really think he deserved five million pounds? Well, the second in command at EMI USA was given the boot after the company lost millions....his severance was fifty million dollars, and i didn´t hear any one say anything about that. It really pissed me off at the time....thinking here we are working to pay off this guy´s severance package. What are the artists gonna think about that, knowhatimean? And it´s not like he needed it....he, being Charles Koppleman, the K in SBK Publishing/Records already received roughly the same amount when EMI bought SBK. Can you spare a dime (10cents) brother?

I always thought Pop Will Eat Itself was one of the best band names ever, because it has.

Thanks to La Opinion/Radikal....for some reason they gave this blog a little big-up.
Do check the latest issue of Radikal/Rdk for the review of last week´s Womad Festival by the incomparable Javier Jiménez.

Ear Conditioning Nov. 27.2007

Ear Conditioning 27.11 / Post-Womad Program
As mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend, the Womad Festival in Las Palmas took centre stage. Akli D, Los Campesinos, Justin Adams, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Mala Rodriguez, 08001, Concha Buika, Mory Kante, Dj´s Blam & Khan, Jamie Cato, Black Strobe, David D´Or, Susana Baca, Culture Music Club, Calima, local 4-man DJ crew Funk Four Factory, 2 Mini Dj´s and Maghreb Sound System were among the artists that presented their thing. Bill Cobham was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, which ended with him leading the Grand Finale Jam session, featuring most of the artists that performed over the weekend. Class.
At least once a day there was a ´What the hell is that´ moment. The introduction of a new sound, new instrument, and new group/singer/style...something fresh for the senses. Concha Buika topped it for me.

There was a fantastic crowd response when Mory Kante dropped Yéké Yéké, the first million selling African record.

Womad 2007 was the first time i´ve heard grime and dubstep played in the Canaries, (courtesy of the youthful and fun-loving DJ´s Blam and Khan) on a system that can deal with the low end. Sub-frequency / bass-bins seem not the have a home in the Canaries for some reason. That must change. Had a quick chat with Khan, and he told me that all the tunes they played during their dj sets was all their own material, which was quite impressive, and they had a wide selection of tuneage, and no two sounded alike, promising.

Tonight, program two for Radio Norte goes a little like this.....some resistance music from Palestine, into Rachid Taha, a dash of Lisbon electro and so on.......

Palestinian Student Karmel Group · Al Intifada Was Jabal Al Thawra (Venture)
In A´d Rifaki · Al Kassam Al Filistini (Venture)
Rachid Taha · Ya Rayah (Wrasse)
Buraka Som Sistema · Com Respeito (Modular)
Trio Madjesi · 8ieme Round (Trikont)
Billy Cobham · Anxiety (Atlantic)
LV · Takeover (Hyperdub)
Coki · The End (dmz)
Skream · Moving Snares (Disfigured)
Coki · Sponge Bob (dmz)
ANS · Brave New World (Studio Rockers)
Bunny General · Kill a Drumpan Sound (Sweet Beat)
Frederik Galliano · Le Poussiére (F Communications 10")
The Dynamics · Move on up

Ear Conditioning is broadcast on Radio Norte, 89.4FM Tacoronte, Tenerife.
Todos los martes de 9 a 10 de la noche / Tuesdays 21h00-22h00

The Bug ´Poison Dart´ / Concha Buika

Prepping tomorrow´s .....no, today´s program for Radio Norte 89.4FM
Just stepped in from Womad Las Palmas, and got the word on this......
New single will be out early December....shop for Christmas with a difference.

One of Womad highlights was Concha Buika.
Piano, Drums, Bass, Voice, 100% conviction, passion, soul bared for all to witness.
Nex´ level funkjazz business on some classic Spanish compositions, that Concha has ripped the rulebook on.

Program two for Radio Norte today will be a 60 minutes non-stop action with hits from Palestine, Bunny General, Coki and Rachid Taha, who will be performing in Tenerife in two days.... The program should be up and running at 21h00/9pm at 89.4FM, tonight.
Last week´s pgm could get loaded as was expected....something about too much bass, not enough memory in the computer?!

Bush, Canada, sucky sucky

It´s a damn shame to see the Canadian government capitulating to the US regime instead of respecting their own parliament. Women in pink are now considered too dangerous to be allowed into Canada!

Hightower on the lowdown

24-N Manifestación por la conservación del medio ambiente

Tacoronte Se Mueve




24-N, yeah, Valen and countless others are working hard to defend what little soil there is from the overwhelming onslaught of cement and raising of towering oversexed cranes that appear to reproduce and lightnin´ speed and try to block vision of the muscular volcano El Tiede. 24-N, damn Womad weekend in Gran Canaria, what a beeyatch! Joper, priorities are a bastid!

Note on the track used in the video, much thanks to Nacho 4 President, and to Julio , the shepherd that made himself available to speak his part in front of my sock-covered mic. Big thanks to Valen also, for asking for the track, and putting the video together....and for also setting up www.earconditioning.net. the mother to this page. Where is the link to her webpage? VAlen, Valen, can you hear me?

More has come

Following on from the recent post about the Maori Resistance, pinch here
for The Guardian´s take on events, which appeared today.

Much thanks to all those that came out to Espacio La Casa in La Orotava and supported Beatal, our little fiesta for Radio Pimienta, which was naturally broadcast live. Those present or tuned in, witnessed some cracking tunes covering a Global Flow from Dab Maia, jazzed-up flavours from Eddie Souzzo, choice breakbeats from BFunk!, and MAD delivering the dancehall, drum an´ bass steppers. During everyone´s set i was pestering them, "What is this, who is this?" That´s says it all.

Just jammin´ with BerroFunk at Beatal /Radio Pimienta.


To the gente that came out the following week for the open-air rain-soaked fiesta that was part of the Festival de Cortos, also in La Orotava, nice one for staying right to the end despite the rain and cool temperatures. Thanks to G´sus for putting in the good word.

A good friend as hooked me up with a shepherd who added some vocals and bells to the Arando track that i´ve got up on myspace. I´ve just given a rough version to Tacorontesemueve for their YouTube video centered around the Nov. 24 manifestacíon regarding the destruction of homes and land which is running at a fast pace. Should be up and running from tomorrow.
PEace

Our man in Aotearoa - Beatal - 09.10 Playlist

Who is that man? People have been asking since putting up the picture above here and here

The news of a recent police raid in Aotearoa (commonly known as New Zealand) drifted past me, then i thought about it and checked a bit more....
When Fun-da-mental first visited that country for the Big Day Out festival we were warmly embraced by DTL, his brother George Nuku, Stinky Jim, bFM Radio, and Tame Iti, to name a few.

Tame Iti is a major component keeping Maori issues at a forefront. His actions within the community have done much to rile the Paekhi (white) establishment, but first and foremost maintain a level of pride and knowledge within a community/people that have been on the receiving end of the worst that can be heaped on a people.
We were told that he attempted to directed his people away from in-fighting that came to the world´s attention through the film Once Were Warriors - Your brother is not your enemy, the enemy you should be directing your energy towards is over there, sitting pretty.

On one occasion he bared his buttcheeks as the Queen Lizbeth gave a speech in his neighbourhood. The Maori affinity with the land is no joke, and is something that either the Paekhi don´t, won´t, never will care to understand, or they believe that it is their divine right to be champions of ´uckery and feel that the world is theirs for the taking.

When Maori are born, the placenta is buried in the ground, reinforcing their connection with the Earth. To have the head of the British Empire come down and give blah blah to the willing ears is an assault too much for those that matter.

I asked a friend there what the scenario is like at the moment, and he described it as "odd, the cops have rightly had a ton of shit of late so its well strange that they've gone on some kind of activist roundup which is what it looks like...but if theres only a few firearms charges i suspect shit will go down majorly. There's a lot of talk but NO politicians (bar one fruitcake) have said a word, which is again odd."


Resistencia del Pueblo Tuhoe



Te Mana Motuhake o Tuhoe


Tame Iti / Open Project


George Nuku / Moko

You can also check an interview with George Nuku here.

Beatal / Radio Pimienta
Saturday past, (20.10) we folks at Radio Pimienta opened the doors to all and tried an early Saturday evening thing with live broadcasting of sets by Dab Maia, BFunk and Eddie Souzzo, as well as MAD, host of the Mextura2 program and myself. High grade musical joints covering the Global beats, Afro-beaks, Jazz jumpers and Ecletic sounds swirled in the air among new and old friends. We definitely have some quality selectors here, despite the deluge of punchy-punchy house that gets played in 99% of the venues here in Tenerife. Look out for more events of this nature should you be in Tenerife.

The radio gig of October 9th fell on the 40th anniversary of the death of Ernesto Guevara, so grabbed a few tunes with revolution in mind....which actually is normal for my sets, but you get the idea should you read on, or be an irregular listener to the program.

Ear Conditioning
Playlist 09.10.2007

Grounation / Bongo Man
Thomas Mapfumo / Handinbotya · I´m not afraid (Real World)
Joe Strummer / Filibustero · Walker Soundtrack (Virgin)
Ernesto ´Che´ Guevara addresses the UN General Assembly
Fela Kuti / Water got no Enemy
Noam Chomsky / On Terrorism
Dead prez / I´m a African (Sony)

Sizzla / No time fe gaze (Greensleeves)
Dam / Mukadime (Red circle Music)
Company Flow / Patriotism (Rawkus)
Public Enemy / Rebel Without a Pause (DefJam)
The Clash / Washington Bullets (CBS)
BAD SoundSystem / D ke sirve el dub (Sustraies Blai)
The Selector / Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis)
The Clash / Let´s go Crazy (CBS)
Fermin Muruguza / Nazio ibiltaria naiz (Metak)
Darando / Let me people go
Herbie Hancock / The Prisoner
Radar / Radar saves Tibet
The The / Sweet Bird of Truth (CBS)
Amit / Swaztika (Commercial Suicide)

Culture Club feat. Captain Crucial / Murder Rap Trap (Virgin)
Mad Tune / Darker Dub
Vivian Jackson / Revenge (Prophet)
Shitmat / Shopliftin´ Gabba (Planet Mu)
The Bug feat. Killa P & FlowDan / Skeng · Kode 9 Remix (Hyperdub)
Carlos Puebla y sus Tradicionales / Hasta Siempre

Keeping Real It American Dream

I am not really aware of the music and lyrics of David Banner....i´ve seen people i respect mention him....(file in memory bank until further notice) then i came across the following clip.
Master P, David Banner and Michael Eric Dyson at the US Congressional Hearings about Hip Hop.

Check this for more on Michael Eric Dyson. He to is new to my sphere, but he´s somebody to take note of for his insight and obvious commitment to bettering where we are. What he saying makes me think of Malcolm as a mover of people to greater heights. He checked misogyny good and proper.

Interesting for me to see Master P here, when i worked for Virgin Records i handled his No Limit label, which was hot as hell at the time. He definitely knew what he was doing. All his albums had the artwork for all the albums slated for the next year and a half....so people knew what the album was gonna look like well in advance, smart cookie. No Limit could release a shit sandwich pressed onto cd and it woulda shipped half a million. He once came over to Europe, accompanying his son, Lil Romeo who had an album out. I found P to be a complete dickhead, throwing his weight around, threatening me with a beatdown from him and his crew....not that he would have needed them, P´s six feet three-four, former basketball player size. The Priority label rep, that also came with P and Romeo didn´t fare much better, he had her in tears on a few occasions. Post-Imus, he wants to put out ´clean´records and take responsibility for what he does. I can´t totally take his senate hearing appearance seriously because of clouded judgment from my dealings with him, which is unfair, i admit. He apparently started his label with the money from an inheritance, well, that was the official story, but a former colleague based in the US kicked that one clearly to the curb in no uncertain terms. Former gangster going legit, that´s how he funded No Limit, and he did very well. But that is the American story, or one of them anyhow. He´s a Jimmy Cagney character, that had a father and a father before him. American breed´s certain ism´s and the media, politicians appear surprised when it comes to bite them on the ass. What a way to spend the day.

Everything David Banner and Master P say when it comes to the conditions of which they speak sit barely 15 minutes drive from the White House and Capitol Hill, and the sentators and representatives on the panel have no idea or avoid caring about their needy that live in the Chocolate Cities.

What´s on the table? Racism, Poor-Inefficient housing, unemployment, crime, historical neglect, oppressive police tactics, and the American Dream, Capitalism.
Loved it when David Banner compares himself to the author Stephen King....you´ll get the picture.

Accept no substitutes.

Gotta a helluva sore back...so ain´t sitting in this chair for too long, gonna be brief.
Here´s the isht from last week´s do.
Yeah, myspace-murdoch-space....views have and will continue to be expressed about it, but through it i have exchanged x and learned about y. Dub Gabriel and Maga Bo for example came to my attention via ourspace and hence z, they provided us with a preview to their new respective albums. Dancefloor friendly, lyrically armed to the teeth slabs of low-end theory with movemental tops.....knowhatimean! Check Bo´s blog (click on Bo above, if you haven´t already) for the latest running´s just down the road from his yard in Rio.

Two friends here have asked about ´Dubstep´ this week, so i answered with the selection below.
ANS, from Prague has the first release on new label Studio Rockers, out this week, and also got a refix of Amy Whinehouse by my ever charming friend Tony Moody Boy Thorpe. Apparently the heads at her label flipped when they heard this mix.....




Kicked off this week´s show with a new joint from Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, great sentiment in the lyrics....basically saying Don´t Let the Bastards grind ya down. We are not alone....actually we never have been, it just feels like that sometimes.

Don´t watch this space, just come back next week.
All the beats

Ear Conditioning Playlist
September 25 2007


Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals / Fight Outta You (Virgin)
Prince Far I / Throw Away your Gun (Virgin)

Maximo Jimiñez / Gente de Monteria (Maximo)
Gaudi feat. Ojos de Brujo / Babylon Flamenco (Interchill)
Species / Todo Controlado (Roxy)
Tupperwear / Dantolo todo en vaicarca (Drone)
Massive Attack / United Snakes (Virgin)
El-P / Tasmanian Pain Coaster (Def Jux)
State of Bengal / Skip-ij (Betel nut)
Fun-da-mental feat. Rizwan-Muazzam Qawal / Pollution (Nation)

Maga Bo feat. Xuman / Fire (cd-r)
Maga Bo feat. ALIF / Sayel Mbott (cd-r)
Dub Gabriel / Battle of the Righteous Man vs. Common Factor / Untitled (SSR)
Dub Gabriel feat. Juakali/ Mash Out (cd-r)
Frank Perez / Que no te engañan (mp3)

ANS / Dungeon (Studio Rockers)
Subversion / Evil
Burial / Ghost Hardware (Hyperdub)
Saian Supa Crew / Voodoo Chile (Source)
Coki / The Skin (Big Apple)
Loefah / Disko Rekah (Deep Medi Musik)
Amy Winehouse vs. The Moody Boyz / Love in a Losing Game (Universal Dub cd-r)
Kode 9 + The Spaceape / Nine (Hyperdub)
King Jammy´s / Darker shade of Dub (Jamaican Recordings)

Saul Williams / Talk to Strangers (Witchita)
Cannibal Ox / Scream Phoenix (Def Jux)
Massive Attack / Angel · Blur Refix (Virgin)


Next week Thursday / jueves, i´ll be spinning at the pre-InspiraciónTenerife shin-dig
in Puerto de la Cruz. This event was originated by the promoters CDI, who with the council of
Puerto put on the festival of electronic music. The council later registered the name, and jacked CDI off like they was nothin´. With the recent local elections in May, the new council in Puerto have seen to give CDI their fair dues and gave them the call. Next week´s thang is gonna be at the beach, Playa de Martiánez. Do drop by if your in the area, i think the tax/entrance is reasonable six euros. Trevor Fung of HigherGround....(not Leftfield connected one) and Carlos Dominguez also sharing the decks. More info at www.inspiracióntenerife.com, although it wasn´t functioning last time i checked.


Radio Pimienta meanwhile will be holding an open house....food, drink, conversation, and tunes from MAD, the host of Mextura2, and contributors to his program, BFunk, Eddie Souzzo and Dab Maia, as well as i. It´s a Saturday afternoon thing running until midnight. We will also be recording for future programs for both Ear Conditioning and Mextura2.

Sunset

During the summer break i went to Toronto to see my Dad, who was illin´ with prostate cancer.
A week after i got there he was admitted to the hospital and five days later he passed away. He would have been 76 on Sept. 18th, the day of my latest transmission. I recall once telling him that i had met some fellow class-mates at my new school in Toronto, who´se parents like mine had come from Barbados. He was happy for me, and at the same time told me not to soley associate with them because of the Bajan connection but to feel free at hook up with people regardless of what passport they held. That was my parents way of dealing with close-minded people. The same thought process was applied to music, and what was listened to, all kindsa stuff. I returned to Tenerife with some of his records: John Lee Hooker, Chopin, Manu Dibango, Ella and Johann Strauss. This classic staple of Coldcut and other sample pioneers, "A Journey into Stereo Sound" was sitting in my dad´s collection from time man! It´s because of my Mum and Dad that i bring the music.

Thank you Sylvian W. Watts
Sunrise September 18 1931
Sunset August 6 2007

Ear Conditioning Playlist September 18 2007

King L Man / Enter the Matricks (cdr)
King Midas Sound / Surround Me (Soul Jazz)

Okna Tsahan Zam / Introduction & Edjin Duun (Buda)
Mongo Rives / Yo quiero bailar con Maríe Elena (Sonora Cubana)
Doudou Ndyaie Rose / Ligueyon Ndeye (Virgin France)

P.i.L. / Poptones (Virgin)
Einsturzende Neubauten / Boreas (Mute)

Spotlight
Linton Kwesi Johnson / Sonny´s Lettah (Island)
Linton Kwesi Johnson / Inglan is a Bitch (Island)
Linton Kwesi Johnson / Fite Dem Back (Island)
Linton Kwesi Johnson / Reggae Sounds (Island)

7" Bloodclatt Pressure
The Revolutionaries / Kunte Kinte (Channel One/Pressure Sounds)
Alborosie / Kingston Town (Forward)
IQ Productions meets Kope (Banana Klan)
The Dynamics / 7 Nation Army (Big Single)
Dr. Ring Ding / Bombs over Baghdad (Germaican)
The Bug feat. He-Man / Killer (Razor X)

Dub Gabriel / Battle of the Righteous Man (mp3)
Angel Garcia / Piquetón (Raya)
Tito Sensa / Shelembeh (Main Squeeze)
Razhel The Godfather of Noyze / Return of Razhel · Live
Quannum Projects / 2 1/2 Minute Workout (Quannum)
Roots Manuva / Awfully Deep · Lambeth Visitation Mix (Bid Dada)
Roots Manuva / Juggle Tings Proper · El-P Remix (Big Dada)
The Beatnuts / Props Over Here
LV feat. Dandelion / Takeover Dub (Hyperdub)

The Ear Conditioning radio program is broadcast Tuesday evenings, 20h00 to 22h00, and repeated Saturdays at 24h00. Radio Pimienta 100.3FM (Tenerife)

This week´s show happening to fall on Sept. 11th, hence the picture above, from Chile in memory of Salvador Allende. It was too easy to just blah blah blah on 9-11, for me, 9-11, as they call it, is being milked to death....uh, that was a shit pun! But it´s got enough coverage going for it, and i think it always will at this rate. So, the political content of the program contained contributions from Naomi Klein, and Robert Fisk. Clicking on the hot keys, about seven-eight words back will take you to the mini-site the Guardian newspaper has set up with Ms. Klein. Much information about her latest book, The Shock Doctrine is there, commentary on the business of war sitting alongside links to her articles for the Nation and video interviews.
The Fisk contributions have run previously on the program, but they are so damn good, they had to get another airing. He recalls witnessing what turned out to be the very first Hizbollah action, as a group of men took over an Israeli tank right before his eyes!

In trawling through the web a few hours before setting off to present the program from the Radio Pimienta studio´s i came across the news that The Roots bass man, The Hub has decided to move on after seventeen years at the helm. Seventeen years?! Damn, most folks ain´t even married for that long! His solo´s were jaw-dropping, from the first time i saw them in Roskilde ´94 or ´95, to most recently a month and a half ago at the Rogers Picnic in Toronto. He and the Roots are hip-hop but also beyond hip-hop, that´s why he (they) would pull shit from outta any musical genre and drop it, hard. Thanks Hub.

Felt is was time to get some more funk in the program, heads need to know about Funkadelic proper, never heard any P-Funk on Spanish radio in the two years i´ve been living here, and in the eight years i´d been coming here before the move. People have to know, so that´s my job. Also dug out The Meters and Defunkt for good measure.

Over at myspace world, Phobos3 got it touch this week.....the name drew me in for further investigation, and it turns out it was old friends Elixir, well, two thirds of them. Only the day before i was playing their Language collaboration with Endemic Void. Think Burt Bacarach, Hip Hop, lo-sci-fi, and your getting warm.

Mala of dmz was very kind in giving me plenty of records to grace the airwaves with. His latest dmz offering, Alicia is soulful dubstep, highlighting the potential of producers sitting high on the dubstep bassbin.....going further than the ´Wobble´phase that part of the scene is enamored with at the moment. Lush piano chords (and possibly guitar), organtastic movements propelled by a sub woofin´ entity.

Sometimes i ask myself "What ever happened to such and such producer, or group?" This week, Espionage filled that space. They-he-she released a track through Palm Pictures, and i think that was it. Purdy 4 President was a very fresh cover version on Eric B for President. Espionage had plenty talent...¿Que pas?

The Roots / Dilltastic Vol Won(derful) (DefJam)
The Roots / False Media (DefJam)
Asmahan / Aleik Salat Allah (Club du Disque Arabe)
Track 2 - Unknown Folk Music from Armenia / Mad Tunes from around the World (Metalanguage)
Tinawiren / Cler Achel · Water is Life (Independiente)
Indigeneous Resistance / Sacred Power Chanting Cree (IR)
Airto / Chicken in the Mind · Amon Tobin Remix (MELT)
Amit / Unholy (Commercial Suicide)
Kode 9 & The Spaceape / Curious feat. Ms Haptic (Hyperdub)

The Meters / Africa (Reprise)
Funkadelic/ Nappy Dugout…Cosmic Slop (Westbound 1973)
Funkadelic / Butt-to-butt resuscitation…Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (Westbound)
Parliament / Jimmy´s Got a little bit of bitch…(Westbound)
Sweat Band (Bootsy´s Rubber Band) / Jamaicia ...Sweat Band LP (CBS)
Defunkt / For the Love of Money Thermonuclear Sweat (Hannibal)

Bakshi Javid Salamat Qawal vs. Fun-da-mental / Just Bubbling Live
Live Human / Improvisessions (Fat Cat)
Elixir / Alien Rainbow vs. Naomi Klein discussing the Iraqi Election, if you can call it that.
The Clash / Magnificent Dance vs. Robert Fisk talking on the birth of Hizbollah
Overtone / Give it Again · Inverse Cinematics Remix (Rosebud)
Espionage / Purdey 4 President (Palm Pitcures)

Mala-Digital Mystikz / Alicia (dmz)
Jah Wobble / Need you by my side (Virgin)
Unknown Artist / I Don´t Give a Dub (White)
Supercat vs. Method Man / Scalp Dem · Junglist Version (White)

The Return of the dB assault

Ear Conditioning / dB Acrobatics

September 4th 2007

I´ve had seven weeks off from the program due to gigs and family commitments so plenty to catch up on.

Oh, where to start? Let´s make it simple...i caught up with fellow band members for a couple concerts in Russia in July. We flew into St. Petersburg for a festival sponsored by the British Council. The feel of St. Petersburg is so different from being in Moscow. The city is located on the coast, and canals and rivers flow throughout the city, very much a Nordic feel, where as the drive into Moscow last year was depressing as hell due to seemingly millions of vehicles on the motorway belching out tons and tons of diesel and petrol fumes (yes, we were part of the problem too), the drive into St. P from it´s airport is a lot shorter and we were greeted by the sights of people riding horses in city....not sure what that was about, but it looked good and not the type of thing i/we were expecting at all.

We were in St. P to take part in the British Council-sponsored UK Flavours event, featuring local band I-Iaska, Lily Allen, the Dub Pistols featuring former Specials vocalist Terry Hall, Tigerstyle (thanks for the 12" guys), Mad Professor and Misty in Roots. Click here for footage of our Ministry of Defence contracted dhol-player doing his solo. Seriously, he cant´t talk about the work he´s done for the MoD, as he had to sign the Official Secrets Act. Do they know he plays with us?

After the show, we had to take the overnight sleeper train to yup, Moscow for the Krylia festival. Eight of us travelling, four compartments reserved, two people to each compartment right? Not when you have a new monitor engineer that can´t share his assigned compartment for some unexplained psychological problem. So bass-man Lloyd had to sleep on the floor of another compartment. If it were up to me.....but it weren´t so enough about that, and back to Krylia. The festival was targeted in 2004 by a couple female Chechen suicide bombers, who took about fifteen people with them into premature retirement, hence the security at the festival was heavy as fuck, every two meters there was a cop or soldier present. Once again we shared a stage with New York´s Hazmat Modine who we played with last year in Moscow. They had a horn player with them who had the biggest horn i have ever seen in my life, surely most of their wages went to pay excess weight. Russian hardcore group FAQ continued the mosh-pit action after us with an energetic performance....well, you would if your hardcore. Speaking of hardcore, i caught a performance by Bad Brains at the Rogers Picnic in Toronto courtesy of old friend Errol Nazareth. Also on the bill was The Roots. Maceo of De La Soul was spinning during the stage change over, and he killed us with tunes...practically every track he played was a funk, disco, soul classic. I definitely rate him as one of the best party DJ´s, alongside DJ Premier and Rob Birch of Stereo MC´s. During The Roots set, Maceo Plug Won and Lupe Fiasco came out for an impromptu jam session. Most of us went home content.

While back in LDN working my way back home, i stopped of at Soul Jazz, Rough Trade and Honest Jon´s record shops for my fix, and came across a cd with a familiar image. Scratch the head, and ponder for a moment....ah yes i realized it was the mighty /Rupture that first brought this record to my attention with his superb blog. Choubi Choubi, Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq, you know that had to be acquired.

Dubstep, or bass-lead music comprised the majority of purchase this time around, but it´s gonna be hard to find a system here in Tenerife that can handle the bottom weight. I will have to search hard, low and high to find a capable system so folks here can be ear-conditioned proper. in the meanwhile we in Tenerife must be satisfied with radio offerings such as the last 30 minutes of the program or DJ Mad´s selection on his Mextura2 program, also at Radio Pimienta. Other new joints include the Gaudi produced Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan album, and the cumbia of Lito Barrientos, high energy latin fiyah!

It all makes a lovely stew.....

FAQ / Intro (RebelRecordsRussia)
Ja´afar Hassan · They taught me / from Choubi Choubi(Sublime Frequencies)
Gaudi meets Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan · Dil da rog muka ja mahi (Six Degrees)
Unknown Artist · Segue Bezikh / from Choubi Choubi (Sublime Frequencies)
Unknown Artist · Oh Mother / from Choubi Choubi(Sublime Frequencies)

King L Man · When will Turkey apologize for the first holocaust of the 20^th Century? (Ear Con)
Mighty Zulu Nation · Mdavu the Man (Nation)

Dodo · Electric Love (Freshly Squeezed)
Lemon · Batman (Freshly Squeezed)
Liars · Plaster casts of everything (Mute)

Bad Brains · Give Thanks and Praises (Oscilloscope/Megaforce)
Bad Brains · Jah People make the world go round (Oscilloscope/Megaforce)
Bad Brains · Pure Love (Oscilloscope/Megaforce)
FAQ featuring Max Cavalera · Killing Song (RebelRecordsRussia)

Madlib · Enter Hot Curry (Stones Throw)
Lito Barrientos y su orquesta · Cumbia en dos menor (Soundway)
Tigerstyle · El Tiburón (Soldier Sound)
Buraka Som Sistema feat. Petty · Yah! (Modular)
State of Bengal · Breathe in (Betelnut)

John Lee Hooker · Walking the Boogie (Chess)
Manu Dibango · Soul Makossa (London)
Papa Levi · Mi God Mi King (Fashion)
Laurel & Hardy · You´re Nicked (Fashion)
The Beat · Noise in this world (Go Beat)

Prince Fatty · Milk and Honey (The Moody Boyz remix)
LV featuring Dandelion · Takeover (Hyperdub)
Coki · The End (dmz)
Skream · Moving Snares (Disfigured Dubs)
Coki · Sponge Bob (dmz)
ANS · New Worlds (Studio Rockers)

Thanks to Errol Nazareth and family for the time and presents, The Bug for busting some new tunes for me, Steve Goodman for the LV 12", quite possibly one of the year´s best releases. Also shouts to Mala - Digital Mystikz for a generous package and a good lunch and Marta at EMI/Mute España.

All meat, no fat.

Ear Conditioning 10.07.2007

No three minute hero´s here, well not for the first half hour of the program....four songs, 33 minutes, starting with the golden voice of Asmahan, followed by further beauty courtesy of Anuradha Paudwal . According to the info in the link, she accused the Mangeshkar sisters of indulging in monopoly. This outspoken nature at times landed her in trouble as the music directors of the industry feared to face the wrath of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle and they often avoided Anuradha Paudwal. Many a times Anuradha's songs were dubbed by Lata such as Main Teri Dushman (Nagina)...and here i was thinking that Lata was such a sweet lady!
The punk of Qawalli, Aziz Mian made an appearance last night too. Fun-da-mental performed with him and his group a couple times, including the memorable gig at Brent Town Hall, London. We did two tracks before the gig was pulled, because some people in the audience felt it was inappropriate that us noisy upstarts where sharing a stage with Aziz. Some in the audience shouted "Haram", which was strange considering they were pissed.

Nearly four years ago, an asshole deliberately hit me with his car, breaking my right leg and leaving me for dead. Consequently i wasn´t able to make it to the Peel Session recording of The Bug vs. SoundMurderer, and made do with tuning in. The Bug did pass on a digital copy which begged me for an airing /earing. The Bug stepped up to the plate with Ras Bogle, Warrior Queen and Mexican riding shotgunDigital violence, ragga / dancehaul / bury dem lyrics...serus bizniz.

The Dickheads of the Week Prize is shared by George W. for his consistent manner of saying Fuck You and Sr. Carlos Lugo, recipient of the prize for journalism here in Tenerife. The event was hosted at the Mare Nostrum Resort. Sr. Lugo won the prize (12,000 euros) for two articles in El Dia newspaper on Immigrants in the Canaries, how they aren´t really hungry, but are Muslims engaged in a silent conquest to take over. That ´lock up yer daughters-hysteria´shit never fails to work does it? People are fighting back however, and the recipient of the second place award has returned his prize. Voices of concern should direct their thougths and hit the following emails....these folks work at the hotel that hosted and presented the awards.

mnreservas@expogrupo.com; ehbreservas@expogrupo.com; comercialbcn@expogrupo.com; tcreservas@expogrupo.com; psreservas@expogrupo.com;



Asmahan / Aleik Salat Allah
Anuradha Paudwal / Mere Dost Hindustani from the film Shikari
Aziz Mian / Her Ghadi Iltija Nahin Hoti
Tinariwen / Matadjen Yinmixen

Animal vs. Buddy Rich / Drum Duel (The Muppet Show)
Buddy Rich/ Solo
Max Roach / For Big Sid (Atlantic)

Monaka / Full Metal
Horsepower Productions / Golden Nugget (Tempa)
Prince Fatty / Milk and Honey · Moody Boyz remix
Sound Murderer vs. The Bug / John Peel Session Nov. 2003 (BBC)
The Micronauts / CD3 Mix (Virgin Promo)
Scalper / Feed

Alt Delete Esc / Ear Conditioning Playlist 26.06.07

Ear Conditioning Playlist
26 June 2007

Mary Anne Hobbs provided the link to bring Nettle´s Sonar performance to our ear. Abdel Hak (violin, banjo), Jen Jones (cello) and DJ /rupture´s brassic beats and swirling fx hosting the sounds of US soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan asking saying "Are we shooting people or what? I think this guy has a weapon."

Oh, did i mention Afghanistan?
Christian Parenti returned to the country to get more juice about what going on there. "The problem with the US is, they used Afghanistan as a stepping stone to get to Iraq, rushed the whole process and allowed the warlords to take over the government. The US-created Afghan government is a really pathetically corrupt kleptocracy where nothing gets down and most revenue is stolen, and this infuriates the people."

The Superjam with Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones, ?uestlove on drums and Ben Harper had to be served up...and oh, what a dish.

i can´t remember what led me to find Rodrigo y Gabriela, but i am grateful. Judging my their site, thousands have been snared by their fierce dedication to their craft. Metal heads doing flamenco.....uck me. Diablo rojo is an unbelievable piece of music, and when i think it´s just the two of them on guitar, no percussionist, the head rotates Linda Blair style.....goddamm it, i was hoping not to have the combination of letters that make up BLAIR in this week´s post as today the bastard with a T in front of them words resigns as the leader of the UK. War Crimes, war crimes, war crimes. No need for my thoughts on him apparently taking up the job of mediator in the Palestinian situ, ask the Palestinian´s what they think, that should be sufficient.

Anyway, the other hot find of this week was Buraka Som Sistema from Portugal who i first heard on the Babel program on rne (spanish national radio)..... Kuduro....think electro, carioca funk, breaks, block partys, sweat, grinding and yeah your there. Immediately after hearing them on the radio, i dove into net world to seek, but didn´t have any joy, ´cos i didn´t have the spelling right, but then was checking out Maga Bo´s blog and through there i found another jewel. Respect to Maga, who is on tour in europe right about now....need to link with that brother...Dr. Das already has done so on the remix tip.

Patti Smith....don´t know much about her really, or about horses, never the less, her rendition of Smells like Teen Spirit with it´s fingerpickin alt. folk vibe and her emotional vocal do the job superbly.

Moondog / Rabbit Hop (Astralwerks)
Miles Davis / Medley · Gemini · Double Image (CBS)
Patti Smith / Smells Like Teen Spirit (mp3)
Steven Lindsay / Monkey´s Gone to Heaven (mp3)
John Paul Jones, Ben Harper, ?uestlove / Dazed and Confused (mp3)

Konono No.1 / Infuala Ndongo (Crammed)
Muslimgauze vs. The Rootsman / Beirut (Third Eye Music)
One Chip / Trinity Rise (Zora Lanson)
7th Thief feat. Nawazish Ali Khan / Title unknown (M.I.B.)
Swami / Nachna (Nation)
Dr. Das / The Alchemist (VU)
Dr. Das / Free Agent (VU)
Christian Parenti reports from Afghanistan (The Nation Magazine)

Cottonmouth Texas vs. Bill Hicks / Senseless Census · Decadent Dub Team remix
Buraka Som Sistema / Wawaba
Rodrigo y Gabriela / Diablo Rojo
Nettle at Sonar Festival 2007
Eskiboy / Levels (Eskibeat)

Queens of the Stone Age / Auto Pilot (interscope)
Rage against the Machine / Microphone Fiend (Sony)
Slug & El-P / Revolutions (Counterflow)
Prefuse 73 / 7" Message (Warp)
Ricky Ranking / Doogoo Machine (Banana Klan)
The Bug / Live and Learn (Rephlex)


Ear Conditioning is broadcast on Radio Pimienta, La Orotava, Tenerife.
100.3FM
Tuesday nights from 8pm to 10pm
Repeated Saturday midnight.
No, sorry we are not online.

It´s our war, we are responsible....

For news, one of the stops is Alternet, and i came across a story about former US soldiers (veterans) that got together under the banner Iraqi Veterans against War
and they have called for the immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
Reparations for the destruction and corporate pillaging of Iraq so that Iraqi people can control their own lives and future, and full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women, (which is something Michael Moore kinda tackles with his new film Sicko i think.)
On Memorial Day, when the US remember their war dead, IVAW staged Operation First Casualty in NYC. Several IVAW members, in full military clothing hit the streets of NYC as if they were patrolling in Baghdad, giving unsuspecting Manhattanites a little taste of what is going on thousands of miles away. One of the veterans says in an interview that they returned home from Iraq to find their fellow countrymen and women having no idea about what´s happening in Iraq. Shouting at people to lay down on the pavement, having their hands bound together with plastic cable ties, heads covered in hoods. Hardcore!

Reunion gigs seem to be the new black for the last few summers....actually i think it´s more than a few summers, but anyway, this week a Superjam is going to take place. Sharing the stage will be Ben Harper, Roots drummer/producer ?uestlove and Led Zep´s John Paul Jones......my mind fries at the possible scenario that is going to evolve.

At the beginning of this century i was witness to a collaboration with Gang Starr´s Guru for his Jazzmatazz project. Alongside Guru was Angie Stone and Herbie Hancock. Yep, Herbie Hancock sat next to me at dinner....what could I say? Not much to be honest, i didn´t wanna come off like some jerk, so i kept my mouth shut. All the questions i could´ve asked but was too something not to. The Headhunters, his p-funk inspired period, his soundtrack work....which leads me to The Spook Who Sat By The Door, an uncompromising film centered around the black revolutionaries giving some payback in the vein of the Black Panthers and Franz Fanon to name a few. Herbie Hancock did the music....of course.

Back in 2000, Digital Bled created an album featuring musicians from Orchestra Nacional de Barbes infused with bottom heavy crawlers and lashings of dubtronics, very similar to Imothep´s Blue Print album, which if you like Berber-step you may also dig. Haven´t been able to find anything by DB since, shame.


Ear Conditioning / 05.06.2007

Vieux Farke Toure / Sangaré (Modiba)
Rachid Taha / Tekitoi (Wrasse/Barclay)
Sargento Garcia / Je Seis (Virgin)
Rude Hi Fi / Elzn in Dub (Metak)

GAF / Two more things I need to tell you
Bigg Juss / Moss Pink Coat (Big Dada)
The Roots / False Media (DefJam)
Herbie Hancock / Revenge · The Spook Who Sat By The Door
Herbie Hancock / Training Day · The Spook Who Sat By The Door
Hairy Diamond / Givin Up
Portishead /Cowboys · Christian Parenti / War on Terror
Moody Boyz / Witness the Day
Recycler / 2 Pints Please (Kube)
Kocani Orkestar vs. Señor Coconut / Usti Usti Baba (Crammed)
G.W. Bush / "They want us to leave (Iraq), the world would be a better place if we did...uh..uh"

Digital Bled / Encontrade (Sony France) · Robert Fisk / The Betrayl
Border Crossing / Looking for Mr. Manuva · Mr. Scruff remix
Iraq Veterans against the War / Memorial Day Action
Scott Ritter "..it´s our war, we are responsible."
El-P / Up All Night (DefJux)
Material / Slow Murder (Celluloid)

Bio Muse /Hurra Hurrey (No Label)
Fun-da-mental / Electro G-Had (5 Uncivilized Tribes)
King L Man /FILHSF! (Ear Con)
Swami / Jawani (Nation)
ADF / Melody (Virgin France)

Prince Django / Hot Tip (Upsetter)
Dr. Ring Ding / Bombs over Baghdad (Germaican)
U Roy / Great Psalms (Virgin)
Future Sound of London / Papau New Guinea Dub (Jumpin & Pumpin)
Suga B / Untitled Dub (G-Stone)
Bob Marley speaks about politics



Ear Conditioning 12.06.07

Rhythm & Sound / Imprint (Rhythm & Sound)
Les Juifs d´Ethiopie / Tes lévres ont le goút du miel (Radio France)
Nana Vasconcelos / Futbol (Island)
Fun-da-mental & Javad Salamat Qawal / Just Bubbling (Nation)
Doudou Ndaiye Rose / Rose Rhythm (Virgin France)
Amr Diab & Khaled / Albay (EMI Middle East)

Radiohead / Little Happier (EMI)
Las Ratas / Know Your Rights
Soma Metizo / Had Ur Back (Somamestizo.com)
Tackhead / Crosstown Traffic · Live
TV on the Radio / Playhouses (4AD)
Teledubgnosis / In Heaven, A Devil · The Bug Remix (Wordsound)
Teledubgnosis / 80 Creeps · Techlevel 2 Drum and Bass Head mix (Wordsound)
SUV / Flamenco Cybernetico (Full Cycle)

Max Eastley / Elastic Aerophone (EG)
Shut up & Dance / No Doubt (Shut up & Dance)
Saian Supa Crew / Poison (Virgin France)
Bas-1 & Fanatik / Instant Rap Star (Bomb)
Wayne Lonesome & The Bug / Buckle Up(Shockout)
UFO presents Contact / Class of 89
Top Cat / Champion DJ (Congo Natty)

Indigeneous Resistance / Remember Galdino (tftt)
Indigeneous Resistance featuring Dubdem Sound System, Zumbi and Dr. Das / Instinto Revolutionrio · (tftt)
Indigeneous Resistance / Fuck Babylon (tftt)
Badawi / Stampede (ROIR)

J.Rocc Mix from Peanut Butter Wolf Presents Stones Throw Ten Years (Stones Throw)

Tino / Tino beat (Tino Corp.)
Kids in Tracksuits / We Make It Rock (Dealmaker)
DJ Yoda / Fertilizer (Antidote)
Cabaret Voltaire / Voice of America · Damage is Done (Mute)

I ain´t scared of Al Qaeda, I´m from Brooklyn!

I have seen two works now of Bill Moyers, a US journalist that doesn´t sit back and wait for stories to come to him, he does his footwork, and looks for others that also wear out their shoe leather...and those that don´t, simply taking the White House version of events. Much of the samples in the program listed below came from his film on the cost of the Iraqi war stroke occupation. Man, are Halliburton creaming it, and Clinton got into loads of trouble over a blowjob?! Puhhhleese!

Bill Moyers on how the US media failed to tackle their government over Iraq....here too

George Galloway, Respect Party Member of Parliament does his bit also, speaking of the British, Yankee and Israeli attitude to Iran and their nuclear aspirations, which incidentally is no more than what the puppet Shah of Iran wanted back in the day. Coincidentally the British Gov´t have recently been discussing spending 75Billion Pounds on updating their nuclear program.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament info on the subject

Chris Rock contributes once again with his views on the conservative/liberal debate..."Nobody is just one thing, I got some things I´m conservative about and things I´m liberal about. Crime, I´m conservative. Prostitution, I´m liberal." Also drops the bomb.....eh?! on Al Qaeda, actually on the Bush administration and "Crackas".

Musical gems come from Demon Fuzz, the underappreciated London based AfroFunk group from the late ´60´s.
Late 80´s hardcore group Excel doing their version of Message in a Bottle. I´ve always loved how they tore it up.

Mutamassik and Morgan Craft. Searched for something on Mutamassik, got her Soot label effort, and a disc of producer Fatham Salay that she did some turntable cuts on, so was looking for more and found she´s doing this collaborative effort with Morgan Craft. The book has been shred again.

Even folks that live on an island with plenty of sun need a holiday, so we are bouncin´ hence no program next week, but will be back in time for the launch party for Proximas en Santa Cruz event for the Drone Colectivo. Will be spinning alongside Postman. A chance to dprogram from the electioneering that is currently in full swing leading up to voting on the 27th....I ain´t even gonna go into that now, I´m thinking about packing the snorkel, flippers, goat´s cheese and red wine (vino tinto).

Thanks for your ears, eyes and imagination.

Ear Conditioning
15 May 2007 Playlist

Count Basie / The Daly Jump (Roulette)
DJ Food / Nevermore (Ninja Tune)
Charlie Watts and Jim Keltner / Roy Haynes (Higher Octave)

Baluji / Raag Todi (ARC Music)
Nation World Service / Skanking for Jallunder (Nation)
King L. Man / FILHSF (Ear Con)
Khal Nayak / Cholike Ke Peeche (Outcaste)
Juttla / Ghaber Singh (Nation)
Demon Fuzz / Past, Present and Future (Castle)

Chris Rock / "Bush lied to me. If Iraq were so dangerous, how come it only took two weeks to take over the country? You couldn´t take Baltimore in two weeks."

The Selecter / Celebrate the Bullet (Chysalis)
DJ/Rupture / Little More Oil · Rupture´s Reggaeton Remix (Soul Jazz)
The Bug / www · Kid 606 Remix (Razor X)
Future Sound of London / We have Explosive · Leon Mar remix (Virgin)

Chris Rock talks.."I ain´t scared of Al-Qaeda, fuck Al-Qaeda, I´m from Brooklyn."

Public Enemy / Son of a Bush (SlamJamz)

Bill Moyers on the Cost of War. Halliburton charge the government $100 to wash a bag of soldiers clothes. Blow up a brand new $75,000 truck because they don´t have a spare tire. Just bill the government, the taxpayer, and reap millions in profits.

Zach de la Rocha & DJ Shadow / March of Death (mp3)
Excel / Message in a Bottle (Caroline)
Bio-Muse / Rat Dog (Virgin)
King Tubby / Satta Dub (Tubby´s)
Subcomandante Marcos - "We are looking for another way."
Cuba / Havana
George Galloway MP on Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Bush, Blair, Omert and nuclear weapons.

El-P / Drive (DefJux)
Shadatek / Brooklyn · Ghislain Poirier remix (mp3)
Pharoahe Monch / What it is (mp3)
Joe Beats / Fade (XL8TR mp3)
Mutamassik & Morgan Craft / RA_P Melank (mp3)
Killing Joke / Butcher (EG)
Fun-da-mental / Parasites (5 Uncivilized Tribes)



Radio Pimienta 100.3FM
La Orotava, Tenerife