Favourites of 2008 / Looking to 2009

Our man, Dub Gabriel has a new blog up and running, and he's asked some of his friends to contribute with their favourite things of the year just past....

I'm not sure if I was too late with my list, as we've had the house in a state of construction, meaning a mountain of dust everywhere, and also have had visitors from afar, therefore been doing the tour guide thing.

I won't bore you do death with over-analysis of 2008, there's plenty of that going on in the blogsphere.

Fav's of 2000-ate

The Bug / London Zoo LP (NinjaTune)

El-P / We Are All Going To Burn In Hell MeggaMixx 2 (DefJux)

Flying Lotus / L.A. EP 2 x 3 (Warp)

Banda Los Hijos de la Nina Luz (Soundways)

Songs of the Broken Hearted / Baghdad 1925-1929 (Honest Jons)

Kotchy / Sing What You Want - MRK1 Remix (Civil)

Zed Bias / The Cauldon featuring Jay Electronica and Ghost 1 (Sidestepper)

Orchestre Poly-Rhthmo de Cotonou / The Vodoun Effect (Analog Africa)

Gurzuf / Non-existent Cinema (Gurzuf)

King Midas Sound / One Ting - Dabrye Remix (Hyperdub)

DJ/rupture / Uproot (The Agriculture)

Akoya Afrobeat / B.F.B.F. [Panama]  (Afrobomb)

Womad Las Palmas 2008, which gave us Speed Caravan, Ba Cissoko, Paprika Balkanicus, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, Tony Allen, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, DJ Mr. Benn.

Another new blog to check is from Filastine....Observations of the Beginning of the End of the World.  It's the place to keep tabs on his new album, Dirty Bomb, coming out on Soot.

More as it happens, wishing you the best beats for 2000 and nine.

Thanks to all singers, players, promoters, producers, dj's, radio personnel that do it for the love.  Also big shout to the folks that drop by Txola in La Laguna for a bi-weekly dose of the goodness.  

Only the poor man feel it

Our house is in a bit of a state at the moment, but nothing like what the people of the pueblo Cho Vito have had to go through.  Cho Vito is a little town, part of Candelaria, 20km from Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

There is a Spanish law that states that buildings are not allowed to inhibit access to the beach/coast.

Many houses have been built in contradiction of this edict, and now the demolition crews are moving in. The thing is, in many cases permits for construction where given by councils, and also many houses on the coast belong to fishermen....which makes sense. There are also many hotels on the seafront that contradict the law....however it seems that it only the houses of the poor man that gets marked for demolition, as witnessed in this link.  Big respect to some of the the police that reportedly didn't turn up for work that day, even 'monos' (monkey's, have a heart at times.  Mono's are the Canarian equiv' of 'pigs', so ya know.) 

There is a huge house not too far from where we live....sitting right there on the beach, the owner is a business man, well respected and all....the chances of his house being subject to bulldozers and police carrying him out are.....uh, zero.

Speaking of being Uprooted, this month sees the release of the freshest dj mix from the one called DJ/rupture.  The tempo stays around 70/140bpm hence in the dubstep / atmospheric zone, giving lots of room for space and subtle movements where necessary, balanced with caustic bottom end and shards of metallic plug-ins.  Clouds from Finland have a couple contributions, and they are treating my ears nicely.  Also new to me are Atki2, Baby Kites & Nokea.  Ekkehard Ehlers bring a super gorgeous piece of string-led melancholy to the arena, with a track called Plays John Cassavettes pt.2.  Maga Bo and Filastine are included too.

I'll have some more of this compilation to come over the next few weeks, stay tuned. The video is from Baby Kites & Nokea 'Reef', which /rupture initiates the mix with....

A few years back, my good mate Tony Thorpe called me to assist on a track for an album he was producing for a singer from South Africa called Lulu.  After the project was completed I was told that it was shelved as Lulu had got married and her husband did not want her to continue doing music.  So I thought that was that, luckily I had a test pressing of the vinyl (although I lost one of the two vinyls).  I did a net search at found out that the album did eventually come out under the name Lungiiswa Plaatjies.  I really hope Lungiiswa is still doing her thing.

Ear Conditioning
October 7 2008

Asha Bosle - Jhunka Jhulade (Super)
Bap's Three Bips & A Bop - Oop-Pop-A-Da (Blue Note)
Overtone - Give It Again (Redbud)
Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb (Sugarhill)
Fear+APC+Pulsinger+Koas - Title unknown (!K7)
Root Down - Title Unknown (White Label)
G.A.F. - Two More Things I Need to Tell You (Ruin)
Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica (UUAR)
African Head Charge - Dervish Chant (On-U Sound)
Lungiswa Plaatjies - Title Unknown (Melt2000)
Diplo - Diplo Rhythm feat Sandra Melody, Vybz Cartel & Pantera Os Danadinhos (Big Dada)
Atki 2 - WinterBuds (The Architecture)
Clouds - Too Much (The Architecture)
DJ Food - The Sky at Night (Ninja Tune)

Ear Conditioning is broadcast Tuesday at 20h30 (Canary Islands/London Time)
Repeated Saturday night 22h00 (Canary Islands/London Time)
www.radionorte.com 89.4FM

Thanks to Tally at the architecture, and all singers and players.

Rupture is at it again...

..And this time he´s got some mates, Dutty Artz is the name of the new label he´s set up with super-quick producer Matt Shadetek. New tunes are being cut now, so put dat name into yer bookmarks and keep checkin´.