Madlib’s Medicine Show continues with the third installment in 2010, with what he calls Beat Konducta in Africa. Two vinyl pressings have been made: a 3LP version and a 2LP version. The 2LP version features all 37 tracks that are on the CD, while the 3LP version features bonus tracks on the extra piece of wax.
The 3LP version will have a silk-screened cover designed by Hit+Run, in five different color variations. The standard 2LP edition will have a printed cover, but the cover is meant to replicate not only ring wear of an old album, but moldy ring wear.
(Significance of moldy album covers, especially pertaining to records from Africa, can be found here.)
To pre-order your copy, head to the Stones Throw store. The album is scheduled for release on March 23rd.
Mosaic is Soul Cycle’s third album, an album that shows a nice mixture of jazz, soul, and a nice hint of pop. The music on here is very accessible, so it could make the rounds of smooth jazz radio or be played at any spring winery tours. However, what makes them interesting is when they show their love and appreciation for musicianship by dipping into a bit of jazz fusion.
April 6th is the day for the release of I Learned The Hard Way by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, which comes out in time before summer vacation, paving the way for a big tour and some festival shows.
The album is being made available in a number of ways: LP,CD, MP3, and FLAC lossless. Those who order the vinyl and CD will get a bonus 45 featuring a track recorded during the I Learned The Hard Way sessions, and its instrumental counterpart. Vinyl purchases will get a coupon to download the album for free as MP3’s. Digital fans will get the song on the A-side of the bonus 45 as a bonus track, minus surface noise.
You can make your pre-orders by heading to Daptone.
In a recent Tweet, DâM-FunK stated that he is hoping to musically go into space. I suggested that as Sun Ra once said, there is no limit when “Space Is The Place”. He may not have made reservations to explore the universe just yet, but he’s going to take his fans “anywhere but here” when he goes on a brief tour this month in support of his Toeachizown album. These shows will lead him to this year’s SXSW, you can check out the tour itinerary by hopping over to Stones Throw Records, where you’ll also be able to purchase tickets for some dates.
King Megatrip continues his A Year In The Soul Society series with the March installment, lots of quality tracks to listen to. Here are some of the songs on this month’s mix:
Ohmega Watts-Triple Double
Marva Whitney-Daddy Don’t Know About Sugar Bear
The Metros-Since I Found My Baby
Don Covay-Yo Yo (Pt. One)
Mike Snow-Animial (Mark Ronson Remix)
Mr. Chop-Shut Em Down
Young MC-Know How (Gutter Remix)
For the full track listing, and the link to download, click here. If you missed the first two installments in this series, click there.
Fifteen years after they found each other and started a band, Ozomatli continue recording, touring, and doing sonic damage around the world. The band will be releasing a brand new album on Mercer Street Records called Fire Away, scheduled for release on April 20th. The album will be available for pre-order via iTunes on March 23rd.
The group are currently on tour, head on over to Ozomatli.com for details. There are no scheduled concert plans for 4/20, but if there are, I’ll keep you posted.
The Menahan Street Band backed up some kids who call themselves 3 Titans and recorded a few tracks. “College” is the A-side to a brand new single on Dunham/Daptone, while “The Life of a Scholar” was turned into a video. If you like the song, you an buy the 45 or MP3’s directly from Daptone.
In Prince’s career, his Black Album is the one that continues to be discussed because of its content, controversy behind its release, and the methods in which Warner Bros. Records pressed it up for a limited editon.
As the story goes, Prince was ready to release what was considered a very raunchy album, nothing dirtier from what he had already released but enough for it to stir up attention. It made it as far as the test pressing stage before Prince put a stop for it. That story has been archived in many places, but in a bit of a conversation on Twitter, I discovered a page that discusses the many different vinyl variations of the 1987 Black Album, including a tentative 2LP pressing for American DJ’s that was to be pressed at 45rpm, with two songs on each side.
The album wasn’t officially released until 1994, and by then only on CD, but it managed to have a very interesting life on vinyl. Someone has organized all of the different vinyl variations, and you can take a look and read up on each of them by heading to TheBlackAlbum.info. If any of you want to know if your vinyl pressing of it is legit or a counterfeit pressing, you can do your research here. It’s funny to think that this album was once one that had a layer of secrecy, especially pertaining with who had what copies, but now you’ll get a chance to read up on what is still one of Prince’s best albums of his career.
Record Kicks are a label out of Milan, Italy who, according to their bio page, specialize in new & rare funk, soul, headz, grooves & dancefloor jazz , and they also dabble in music publishing and special shows in Italy. The label have two 45’s coming out, the first one by The Hawk featuring Little Hannah Collins called “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover” (you can hear the song here), the other one by Milano Jazz-Dance Combo called “Changes‘, this one featuring Colonel Red. Two songs on each 45 of course, or if you wish to opt for MP3’s (directly from the label), you get an extra song.
The 45’s are available from Record Kicks. Dusty Groove in Chicago regularly stocks Record Kicks items, and you’ll be able to buy them there when they are in stock (The Hawk 45 can be pre-ordered now.)
Coming up from Record Kicks in April, a new 45 by Iowa’s own Diplomats Of Solid Sound (hunt down their “Bullfrog Boogaloo” 45 on the Prescription label.)
I’ve been a fan of The Whitefield Brothers for awhile, and I love being able to zone out without having any images but the record spinning and the cover in front of me. But what happens when they happen to make a video? The visuals for “NTU/Safari Strut” looks like something Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow would put together, but sometimes the best videos have absolutely nothing to do with the music, and it works.
