DJ Format - Statement of Intent
(CD/2LP) Project Blue Book Records 2012-02-27

The new DJ Format album is coming out on Feb 27th but it's already been playing on repeat @ Paris DJs for a few weeks! The man is one of the most interesting and groovy DJs from the England, fresh, funky and shining like none other on the island. With his friend Simon James, DJ Format has released as The Simonsound in may 2010 an astounding album, Reverse Engineering, and if you slept on this one it's high time waking up! We deeply wanted to host a Simonsound mix on Paris DJs, but since Format was in between albums, preparing this Statement of Intent, we finally agreed on publishing a DJ Format & The Simonsound mix, blending psychedelic and electric records with a hip hop spirit. 6.000 people downloaded the mix and we hope they'll be at least as many to buy the vinyl (or the CD if there's no vinyl, or the digital release if you don't mind paying for owning nothing). Anyway now's the time for the DJ Format album and both old school b-boys and psychedelic music nerds will be more than pleased. This is really heavy shit, and with many guests: The Simonsound, of course, Sureshot La Rock, Edan, Mr Lif, Nostalgia 77, Beta Hector... Prized choices for us in this orgasmic collection of music are the two Simonsound collaborations, the retro-futuristic psyched-up breakbeats of Battle of The Planets and the party-people-ready Beyond disco which we'll be spinning very very soon in our monthly Bag of Goodies mix, and the over-groovy James Brown-esque Horse Power.

The Whitefield Brothers – Earthology
(CD/LP/Digital) Now Again/Stones Throw NA5047, 2010-01-11

While In The Raw's hypnotic, defiantly psychedelic funk music was grounded in the great musical traditions of both America and Africa, Earthology finds the Brothers infusing their funk with musical traditions that span the globe. With this new album, The Whitefield Brothers - and a multitude of guests ranging from vocalists Edan, Mr. Lif, Bajka, Percee P and MED to musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Quantic, Poets of Rhythm and the Dap-Kings - blend together what might seem to be disparate music into global-psychedelic-jazz using the fierce funk their fans have grown to love.

Edan - Radio Show #2

"Sup y'all... Just finished another installment of the radio show! Once again, much love to those that checked out the first one and got back to me with kind words, etc. As stated before, i'll be doing these when i feel like it for now. Once i get my shit together with the new website (later this year), it'll become more of a weekly thing." (Edan)

Edan - Radio Show #1

"Sup y'all... I've started up my own radio show. In the age of technology we can do these things now. I've recorded the first installment. It was more like a loose test run to see how sh*t felt and I was cool with it, so I decided to put it out there." (Edan)

Various - Now-Again (Re)Sounds Vol.1
(CD) Now Again/Stones Throw, 2007-07-16

Tracklisting :
01. Koushik & Percee P - Cold Beats
02. Aloe Blacc - Blind World (previously unreleased)
03. LA Carnival - Blind Man (Cut Chemist mix)
04. Edan - Blind Man (rap version)
05. Cut Chemist & MED5. - Sagittarius Rapp (previously unreleased)
06. Guilty Simpson - Before I Die (previously unreleased)
07. Egon & Percee P - Reverse (Koushik's apples and oranges mix)
08. J Rocc - Cold Heat Funk Mix (part 1)
09. Detroit Sex Machines - Rap It Together/Funky Crawl (J Rocc edit)
10. Oh No - Kashmere
11. Kashmere Stage Band - I Wish (Todd Terry mix)
12. Kashmere Stage Band - Super Strut (part 1/Kenny Dope mix)
13. Leon Mitchison - Street Scene (female vocal version)
14. Amnesty - Trouble Will Remain (Truth and Soul mix/previously unreleased)
15. Sound In Light - Free Your Mind (previously unreleased)
16. Kashmere Stage Band - Ain't No Sunshine (J Rocc mix)
17. Koushik - Too Much Tenderness (previously unreleased)

Links :
stonesthrow.com
myspace.com/stonesthrow

Cut Chemist - The Audience's Listening
(CD) Warner, 2006-07-10

Here's an album we've been expecting for quite some time now. The first Cut Chemist real solo 'album'. The man is one of the most famous active scratchmasters of the planet, along with Dj Shadow, Shortkut and a few others. He's released many incredible recordings as a member one of the best hop hop outfits out there, Jurassic 5 (from whom a new album will be out this summer!), he's done deejay mixes, solo ("The Litmus Test"), or with partners in crime ("Brainfreeze", Product Placement", "Live At the Future Primitive Soundsession", "Live At The Variety Arts Center"). Lotsa tracks on compilations ("Return Of The DJ", "Deep Concentration", "Bunky's Picks") and remixes (Dj Shadow, Otzomatli, Blackalicious, Major Force West, gly Duckling, Breakestra, Edan...) were released since the mid-nineties, and even a few bootleg compilations appeared on the market recently ("Pre-historik Rarities", "Def Beat Remixes Vol.7", "Tunnel Vision"). The hype is now so big on this artist that he's signed with Warner to release his first album.
That's bad news. Major companies are really killing artistic potential. Jurassic 5 may have attained artistic freedom since they became major stars on the live circuit (and so don't need their record company more than the record company needs them), with Bonnaroo festivals and such, but Cut Chemist's solo career is another thing. We can only keep our fingers crossed, waiting for something not too awful like the recent Dj Shadow cash-in of the "Entroducing - Expanded Edition" (don't buy it!).
Two tracks are already available. I'm not convinced. I keep my fingers crossed for at least one or two heavy dancefloor electro hip hop'n'scratches tracks on vinyl though... Let me know what you think.
Tracklisting :
01. Motivational Speaker
02. My 1st Big Break
03. The Lift
04. The Garden | Download MP3
05. Spat
06. What's The Altitude (featuring Hymnal)
07. Metrorail Thru Space
08. Storm (featuring Edan and Mr. Lif) | Download MP3
09. 2266 Cambridge
10. Spoon
11. A Peak In Time
12. The Audience Is Listening (Theme Song)

Links :
cutchemist.com
myspace.com/cutchemist

DJ Format - Fabriclive 27
(CD) Fabric Records Fabric54, 2006-04-17

Tracklisting :
01. DJ Format - 33% B-Boy
02. Ugly Duckling - U. D. In Brasil
03. Lyrics Born - Do That There
04. DJ Format Ft. Abdominal & D-Sisive - 3ft Deep
05. Cut Chemist & This Kid Named Miles - SNT [Live At The Peace Pipe '93]
06. Coldcut - Beats & Pieces
07. Aspects - Bristol Fingers
08. Jimmy Smith - Root Down And Get It
09. Mr Lif Ft. Edan - Get Wise '91
10. Nostalgia 77 - Changes
11. Ella Fitzgerald - Sunshine Of Your Love
12. Marsha Hunt - Hot Rod Poppa
13. Reverend Cleatus & The Soul Saviours - The Slip
14. Nina Simone - Save Me
15. Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll & The Trinity - Indian Rope Man
16. Julien Covey & The Machine - Sweet Bacon
17. We The People - Breakdown
18. Ellen Mcilwaine - Toe Hold [Live At The Bitter End, New York]
19. Karachi Prison Band - Put Some Grit In It
20. Ruff Francis & The Illusions - Give Me Mercy
21. Linda Perry & Soul Express/Eddie Billups - I Need Someone
22. John Murtaugh - Slinky
23. Ananda Shankar - Dancing Drums
24. Cleo Laine - Night Owl
25. Edan Ft. Dagha - Rock And Roll

Links :
djformat.com
myspace.com/djformizzle
fabriclondon.com

Blackalicious - The Craft (-Anti) parisdjs
Circulus - The Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To be Sent (Rise Above) myspace
David Last - Push Pull (The Agriculture) parisdjs
Edan - Beauty And The Beat (Lewis) parisdjs
El Michels Affair - Sounding Out The City (Truth & Soul) parisdjs
Eyal Maoz - Edom (Tzadik) parisdjs
Flevans - Make New Friends (Tru Thoughts) parisdjs
Jamie Lidell - Multiply (Warp) parisdjs
Pivot - Make Me Love You (Sensory Projects) parisdjs
Treva Whateva - Music's Made of Memories (Ninja Tune) parisdjs

Edan - "Beauty & The Beat"
(Lewis Entertainment)

L'album de hip hop de ce début d'année est signé d'un Dj et MC de Boston nommé Edan et auto-surnommé "The Humble Magnificent". Il contient des morceaux entiers de soul psychédélique et des gros bouts de rock psychédélique dedans. En 34 minutes Edan met à peu près tout le monde d'accord à coup de hip hop et d'un flow ultra old school, qu'il trempe allègrement dans l'acide pour encore plus de trip. Et oui les albums de hip hop parfaits pour ingurgiter une bonne dose de champis, c'est plutôt rarissime, et pourtant en voilà un idéal. Une sorte de "Sergeant Pepper's" version hip hop. Rien que pour sa pochette, il vous faut le vinyle. En dire plus serait vous gâcher le plaisir et puis les louanges ont inondé cet album sur le web depuis sa sortie alors rien ne sert d'en faire trop...

Le site officiel : humblemagnificent.com (minimal)
Ca ne devrait pas durer mais des MP3s de l'album sont dispos sur ce blog
...

Dj Format - Presents A Right Earful Mix Tape Volume 1
(Antidote 2004)

Les amateurs de hip hop old school bien groovy et funky se sont tournés en masse vers Jurassic 5. Ils ont bien raison: ils sont au top depuis leur premier mini-album ("Jurassic 5 EP") et leurs disques ("Quality Control", "Power In Numbers") assurent autant que leurs shows, largement au-dessus du lot. Ugly Duckling, tout aussi doués, font beaucoup moins l'unanimité malgré le talent en or massif déployé sur leur trois albums ("Fresh Mode", "Journey To Anywhere" et "Taste the Secret"). Relativement, Edan est lui un inconnu, malgré un très bon premier album ("Primitive Plus") et quelques maxis ("Mic Manipulator", "Sprain Your Tapedeck", "I See Colours") et mixes ("Fast Rap", "Sounds Of The Funky Drummer") exceptionnels. Dj Format est à peu près au même niveau, avec un premier album ("Music For The Mature B-Boy") renversant et quelques remixes (Major Force West "The Re-Return Of The original Art-Form", "English Lesson"), pas piqués des hannetons. Si vous aussi êtes branchés hip hop fresh, funky & ensoleillé comme ces quatre-là, vous êtes tombés sur la bonne compile, où Ugly Duckling et Edan y vont justement de leur inédit: la meilleure de l'année dans le genre "block party mixtape".

Tracklisting :
01. Down South – Oh My
02. Abdominal and DJ Faze – Fast Food (DJ Format Remix)
03. Freestyle Fellowship – Inner City Boundaries
04. Madkap – Phuck What Ya Heard
05. Souls Of Mischief – A Name I Call Myself
06. Nautilus – Record Making Manual
07. Lord Sear – Ya Mouth Stink
08. Edan – Humble Magnificent
09. Ugly Duckling – Almond Rocha
10. Brand New Heavies and Main Source – Bonafied Funk
11. The Pharcyde – For Better Or For Worse
12. The Wascalz – The Dips
13. The Alkaholiks – Turn The Party Out
14. King Tee – We Got The Fat Joint
15. Kurious – What's The Real
16. Black Sheep – Still In The Ghetto
17. Double J – Operation Desert Storm
18. Edan – Funky Rhymin'
19. Little Barrie – Give Me A Microphone
20. The Upsetters – Popcorn
21. Gonzales – Funky Frith Street

links :
• pas grand-chose à part les infos sur le site officiel du label...
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