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?