RENE COSTY - DANGER, SUSPENSE ET EPROUVETTES

http://rapidshare.com/files/376766592/Ren__costy_-_Danger__Suspense_et_Eprouvettes.rar

Track 1 - Expectancy

Track 2 - Danger

Track 3 - Alchimie

Track 4 - Ostinato Bass

Track 5 - Like A Magic Dream

Track 6 - Cosmogony

Track 7 - Onirisme

Track 8 - Schizophreny

This Rene Costy album has a very rewarding mix of crime funk, crime jazz and atmospheres that will please those of you who enjoy the band Air. It may only be 8 tracks long but there's plenty of scope for the claustrophobic ( "Alchimie" ), the wistful ( "Like A Magic Dream" ) and the esoteric ( "Schizophreny" ). However, if you are purely looking for a funky trip then head straight to the fab "Danger" and "Ostinato Bass". It really is a great collection and probably ranks up there in the top dozen or so library records in my collection.

BLUE PHANTOM - DISTORTIONS

http://www.mediafire.com/?wemizz05d1y

Track 1 - Diodo

Track 2 - Metamorphosis

Track 3 - Microchaos

Track 4 - Compression

Track 5 - Equilibrium

Track 6 - Dipnoi

Track 7 - Distillation

Track 8 - Violence

Track 9 - Equivalence

Track 10 - Psycho-nebulous

I first came into contact with Blue Phantom through "Diodo" which was featured on the "Phase 6 Super Stereo" compilation. Here for your pleasure is the original album from which that track was sourced. It's quite an interesting set, there's a distinctive heavy psych rock sound but it is complimented by library and soundtrack-esque moods which are in line with its early 1970's Italian heritage. In fact several of these tracks found their way on to the Jess Franco film "Sinner: Diary of a Nymphomaniac". This was originally released on Spider Records, an offshoot of the Vendette label which was founded by Armando Sciascia. And who is the mastermind behind this collection? Mr. Sciascia himself. It's wild stuff and well worth checking out. Thanks to the original uploader.

Here is an alternative cover that appeared on the U.K release...

FF015 TV TIME! - RETRO THEME SONGS AND COMMERCIALS

http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/DJLYC1DU/FF015_-_TV_Time_.zip_links

Track 1 - 20th Century Fox Theme
Track 2 - BBC Medieval Mind Trip
Track 3 - Mr.T Cartoon Theme
Track 4 - Wheel Of Fortune Theme 1975-1983
Track 5 - Victoria Bitter Beer Commercial
Track 6 - TVS Indent 1982-1987
Track 7 - Palisades Amusement Park Commercial
Track 8 - Diet Coke 1983 - First Ever Commercial
Track 9 - Superman/Aquaman Hour Of Adventure Theme
Track 10 - Atlanta Braves Baseball On TBS 1980's
Track 11 - McDonald's McDLT feat. Jason Alexander
Track 12 - Mannix Theme (LP Version)
Track 13 - Marine Boy Theme
Track 14 - Mac Vs PC Commercial
Track 15 - BBC 2010 Election Theme
Track 16 - Magnum P.I Commercial Break
Track 17 - Service Information
Track 18 - ABC's Wide World Of Sports Theme
Track 19 - Shazam Theme 1974
Track 20 - Warner Bros. Pictures Theme
Track 21 - Mario's All Stars Theme
Track 22 - Jack In The Box Mini Sirloin Burgers Commercial (Spanish Version)
Track 23 - McDonald's Big Mac Commercial 1978
Track 24 - WCBS 11pm News 1982
Track 25 - Old People Die PSA
Track 26 - WAYL FM Indent 1981
Track 27 - $10,000 Pyramid Theme
Track 28 - E.T Wants Future Funk Jingle
Track 29 - Universal Pictures Theme
Track 30 - Magnum P.I Theme
Track 31 - Pepsi Generation feat. Michael Jackson
Track 32 - ABC Station Break
Track 33 - Manwich Commercial
Track 34 - The $64,000 Question Theme
Track 35 - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show Theme
Track 36 - ABC Monday Night Football Theme 1970-1975
Track 37 - WFIL Action News 1970
Track 38 - McDonald's Big Mac Commercial 1984
Track 39 - Atlanta Braves Baseball Home Run Music
Track 40 - WGBH Indent
Track 41 - Airwolf Theme 1984-1986
Track 42 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News
Track 43 - Commodore 64 Commercial 1983
Track 44 - Match Game/Hollywood Squares Theme

I've been playing around with this compilation on and off for a couple of months now and even though it's a bit rough around the edges I thought it was time to set it free from my hard drive. Aside from some interesting theme songs and vintage commercials I have included a number of cool indents, station ID's, public service announcements and general weirdness. Highlights include a "medieval" version of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix and some very funky themes courtesy of Mannix, Wheel Of Fortune, Airwolf and Magnum P.I. On the commercial side of things there is some quality obscurity in the form of a Spanish language Jack In The Box jingle, Diet Coke's first introduction to the public and some truly demented performances on the 1978 Big Mac ad. I had to include "Victoria Bitter" because it is arguably the most iconic commercial ever on Australian television.

My pick of the bunch from the other tracks would be the BBC election coverage music which seems to generate an inexplicable emotional resonance whenever I hear it. When I release a mix it's always good to get some feedback so please take the time to leave a message if you choose to download this. It should be noted that due the variation in age and sources for this material there are differences in sound quality from track to track. I hope you enjoy!

DON JULIAN & THE LARKS - SHORTY THE PIMP SOUNDTRACK

http://www.mediafire.com/?alhsgdg4lscoln7

Track 1 - Shorty The Pimp

Track 2 - Message From A Black Man

Track 3 - Vato's Brew

Track 4 - Schoolin' And Foolin'

Track 5 - Super Slick

Track 6 - Brother What It Is

Track 7 - (Ooh Baby) I Love You

Track 8 - Show And Tell

Track 9 - Check Out Your Mind

Track 10 - (If There's A) Hell Below

Track 11 - Just Tryin' To Make It (Parts 1+2)

Track 12 - A Woman Ain't Nothing But A Stone Trip

Track 13 - Respect Yourself

Track 14 - Inner City Blues

Track 15 - I Love You

Track 16 - My Cherie Amour

Track 17 - The Look Of Love

Track 18 - (What Does It Take To) Win Your Love

This excellent slice of blaxploitation never received a proper release due to the film in question being canned in 1973 but thankfully a collection was put together in 1998 ( incidentally this was the same year Julian passed away ). The music is a satisfying mix of early 70's funk and soul with some pleasant touches of jazz, most noticeably on the aptly titled "Super Slick". A few covers are featured in the mix including tracks original composed by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder which adds further depth to the collection. It's a great soundtrack for those of us in the southern hemisphere who are enduring a long hot summer but for folks on the other side of the world I hope this thaws you out!

SHAWN LEE'S PING PONG ORCHESTRA - MOODS AND GROOVES

http://www.mediafire.com/?mzz4lmui0xb

Track 1 - P Walk

Track 2 - Brighton Rock

Track 3 - Igor's Revenge

Track 4 - The Noose

Track 5 - Windy City

Track 6 - Cha Love

Track 7 - The Chase

Track 8 - Laurel Canyon

Track 9 - Indian Summer

Track 10 - Prog Funk

Track 11 - Electric Tit

Track 12 - Spooky Street

Track 13 - That's Right

Track 14 - Echo Park

Track 15 - Jagger

Track 16 - Ping Pong Song

Track 17 - Westenders

Track 18 - Skunky Funky
Track 19 - Garden Funk
Track 20 - Boogaloo
Track 21 - Theme From Andrex
Track 22 - Praying Mantis
Track 23 - 26
Track 24 - 60's Swinger
Track 25 - Lou's Place

Those of you who have been visiting Funky Frolic for a while will be aware of my adoration for Shawn Lee and this album is another example of his fine work. Lee takes all the best elements of 1970's library music ( breakbeats, deep bass, porn grooves, tripped out electronics etc. ) and then turns out sublime funk fueled nuggets. The hard-as-nails drumming will probably be the first thing that hits you while listening to these tracks but the heavy beats are complimented skillfully by keyboards, guitar, bongos, sitar and a range of other instruments.

Much of the music would be right at home on a sleazy 70's OST from Italy or the U.S, however unlike soundtrack music these pieces are kept super tight with only a couple of tracks going beyond two and a half minutes. Those of you with keen ears will also identify the occasional library sample slipped in along the way ( "Electric Tit" comes to mind ). If you haven't got on the Shawn Lee bandwagon yet then check this record out and jump aboard!

PROGRESS REPORT

Hello again. Just wanted to let you know that I have found replacement links for another 10 of my posts, this leaves about 19 that are still down. Most of those I will need to re-upload myself so it will take some time before they are all active again. Once again, your patience is appreciated.

On another note, a number of people have come to the site recently searching for "Dramatic Funk Themes Vol.3". I've decided not to post it here due to the takedown request I got from Blogger when I put up Vol.2. It is fairly easy to locate if you have a look around ( try Rappamelo ) and believe me it is well worth checking out.

I've got a few nice albums to share in the next week so be sure to come back soon. Cheers from Mr.Craig.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT - 70'S MUSIC LIBRARY

http://www.cinefamily.org/sharity/priceisright.zip

Track 1 - Amen, Brother Herbert
Track 2 - Bhen
Track 3 - Brioche
Track 4 - Car Music ('72)
Track 5 - Car Music (Current)
Track 6 - Come On Down ('75)
Track 7 - Deja Vu
Track 8 - Dig We Must
Track 9 - Eric
Track 10 - Jive Walk
Track 11 - Losing Horns
Track 12 - Main Theme
Track 13 - Phaser
Track 14 - Ralph
Track 15 - Robert
Track 16 - Rye Bread 2
Track 17 - Sam
Track 18 - Second Thoughts
Track 19 - Showcase 1
Track 20 - Showcase 2
Track 21 - Splendido!
Track 22 - Spring Waltz
Track 23 - Starcrossed
Track 24 - Tachlen
Track 25 - The Bean Stalker
Track 26 - The Big Banana
Track 27 -  The Cats

This a super, super, super groovy collection of library music featured on The Price Is Right during the 1970's. I'm not sure where the music was originally sourced from or who the composers were but fans of Syd Dale, Alan Moorhouse and James Clarke should be in heaven listening to this. Horns and flutes play a prominent role in most of the tracks and they are underlayed by frenetic drumming and funky wah wah guitar. I dare you to resist the incredible "Starcrossed", "Dig We Must" or "The Bean Stalker" or the more subtle pop charms of "Deja Vu" and "Rye Bread 2". The combination of uptempo British go go grooves and down and dirty U.S funk is what makes the majority of this music so desirable and fun. A compilation truly deserving of 10 out of 10 Frolics!

I found this link over at The Cinefamily but I suspect the original comp was put together by Egg City Radio so props to whoever compiled this awesome selection. I'm sure some of you will be able to identify individual tracks so feel free to leave me a message.

Update - Thanks to those who identified the composer of this music as being Edd Kalehoff.

BERNARD FEVRE - COSMOS 2043

https://rs91tl2.rapidshare.com/#!download|91tl5|362080707|BF__1977__Cosmos_2043.rar|63931|R~01D7B3BC56CBE8AFD539C047AAEE2085|0|0

Track 1 - Space Team

Track 2 - No.59018

Track 3 - Central Way

Track 4 - Satellite 33

Track 5 - Ronde Interstellaire

Track 6 - Cimes Etenelles

Track 7 - Le Monde Avait 5 Ans

Track 8 - Sunshine On March

Track 9 - Stars Away

Track 10 - Earth Message

Track 11 - 2043

Track 12 - Odysee

This Bernard Fevre record is a little heavier on the atmospherics than "Suspense" giving it the feeling of an early 1980's documentary soundtrack. Obviously the music is quite space orientated and contemplative but the last couple of tracks in particular have a refined grooviness to them. In terms of tempo the music evokes a sensation of floating rather than travelling at warp speed so I suggest sitting back and enjoying the ride.

FILE SHARING & UPLOADING UPDATE

 

Those of us still smarting from the Megaupload shutdown were dealt a further blow today with the announcement that Fileserve and FileSonic have been spooked into disabling their file sharing services. I read a very interesting article over at Forbes.Com yesterday that essentially debunks the argument that the entertainment industry and content creators are suffering hardship due to file sharing. You can read the article here.

While this latest development probably only affects a handful of links at Funky Frolic the most worrying aspect is that there could be much more of this to come. It looks like 2012 is going to be a defining year for the internet and users might be the ones that suffer.

I have re-uploaded a handful of files since yesterday but I also discovered a bunch more Megaupload links in my archives so I still have about 30 that are inactive. Stay patient, I will get to them all eventually. In the meantime I hope you enjoy a second serving of Bernard Fevre which will be posted in an hour or two.

Stay funky.

BERNARD FEVRE - SUSPENSE

http://www.mediafire.com/?etuznw1gtvc

Track 1 - Weekee Way

Track 2 - On The Channel

Track 3 - Skeese

Track 4 - Magnetic School

Track 5 - Mister Green

Track 6 - What Happens

Track 7 - Double Dream

Track 8 - Rocal System

Track 9 - Too Much Water

Track 10 - Contemplation Of The Mountains

Track 11 - Path To Tomorrow

It may be painfully short ( 21 minutes in fact ) but this Bernard Fevre album from 1975 still resonates long after the final note has faded. The tracks here exhibit a melting pot of electronics with undercurrents of funk and disco all contained within short, suspense filled compositions. This combination of elements was Fevre's stock in trade and there is an assuredness to the music which demands attention. This, along with the uncluttered nature of these pieces draws the listener in and hooks them. At least that's what happened with me. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.



MOHAWKS INTERVIEW!

Jon from WhoSampled.Com sent me an email a few days ago letting me know that they had done an interview with the Mohawks. Hearing Alan Hawkshaw and Les Hurdle talk about their musical journey is something not to be missed so be sure to check out the video below. WhoSampled looks like an interesting site so give them a visit and support their fine work also. Cheers.

VIGILANTE! - ROY BUDD CULT FILM SOUNDTRACKS 1971-1977

http://rapidshare.com/files/126687833/vigilante.rar.html

Track 1 - Main Theme / Goodbye Carter (Bobby Hughes Experience Mix)

Track 2 - "You're A Big Man But You're In Bad Shape"

Track 3 - M15

Track 4 - Black Is Beautiful

Track 5 - Mr. Easy

Track 6 - Jazz It Up (Mitchell & Dewbury Mix)

Track 7 - Love Is A Four Letter Word

Track 8 - Diamond Fortress (Karminsky Experience Mix)

Track 9 - "Suppose I Phone The Police..."

Track 10 - Hanky Panky

Track 11 - Beauty & The Bass (Edit)

Track 12 - M17

Track 13 - "You're A Cop, Ex-Cop"

Track 14 - Diamonds

Track 15 - The Girl In The Car

Track 16 - Jazz Source (Edit)

Track 17 - Livin' Should Be This Way

Track 18 - "It's All Rotten"

Track 19 - Free Tarrant

Track 20 - Theme M8

Track 21 - Hallucinations (Edit)

Here is a fine collection of classic Budd tunes culled from films such as "Get Carter", "Tomorrow Never Comes", "The Black Windmill" and others. I really don't need to say much about the music, it is crime jazz at its finest mixed in with some vocal numbers and dialogue from the movies in question. A few of  the tracks have been given the remix treatment which seems a bit unnecessary but they are done with the up most respect for the original material. While one single album could never do Roy's career justice this is certainly a well selected and entertaining mix of his work. Credit goes to Sleazy Listening for the link.

BARRY 7'S CONNECTORS VOL.2 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

http://rapidshare.com/files/67649252/RR_-_CONNECTORS_II.zip

Track 1 - Rito A Los Angeles / Giuseppe De Luca

Track 2 - Dorian Gray / Giuseppe De Luca

Track 3 - Sisy / Giampiero Boneschi

Track 4 - Dies Irae Psichedelico / Ennio Morricone

Track 5 - Oakum / Giampiero Boneschi

Track 6 - In Un Ricordo / Ennio Morricone

Track 7 - New Situation / Giampiero Boneschi

Track 8 - Saturns Ambush / Giampiero Boneschi

Track 9 - Italamericana Collage / Piero Piccioni

Track 10 - Giallo A Londra / Giuseppe De Luca

Track 11 - Omicidio Per Vocazione / Stefano Torossi

Track 12 - Secondo Rito / Ennio Morricone

Track 13 - Stato Confusionale / Ennio Morricone

Track 14 - Margaret / Giuseppe De Luca

Track 15 - October Fest / Giuseppe De Luca

Track 16 - Iniziazone '72 / Ennio Morricone

Track 17 - Motivi Psichedelici / Daniele Patucchi 

Barry 7's second installment of the Connectors series finds him focusing on rare and unusual delights from Italian composers such as Morricone, De Luca, Torossi and Piccioni. This is no ordinary soundtrack or library collection, the tracks are super rare and in many cases super weird! Take for example "Italamericana Collage" which sounds like three different pieces of music mashed together to create a jazzy, musique concrete nightmare. Torossi provides a typically enjoyable slice of psych tinged crime funk and De Luca's "October Fest" is the musical equivalent of drinking 10 steins of beer. In fact every track on this comp has something unique or weird which makes it stand out. When you combine that with a typically Italian sensibility the result is a must listen collection!

MEGAUPLOAD, SOPA AND THE WORLD WEB WAR

Firstly I'd like to make some comments about the unpleasantness that happened yesterday. After a 2 year investigation the U.S government shut down Megaupload and made a number of arrests. This kind of action was what we feared might occur if the proposed SOPA legislation passed but it is clear now that the war has already begun. You can find a bit of background regarding recent developments here. I am hoping that in the short term the authorities will be tied up trying to prosecute Megaupload and for now other file sharing sites will be safe. Mediafire just became that much more important...

I'm sure the likes of Mediafire and Rapidshare will see large increases in traffic and this will probably slow the downloading / uploading process. My advice is to not be complacent, if you see an album that might interest you then download it immediately because we don't know what the future will hold. I have replaced about 30 of my Megaupload files with alternative links, I couldn't find alternatives for the rest and will need to re-up them on other file sharing services. This process may take several weeks and I ask you to be patient in the meantime. Unfortunately I may have to decrease the frequency of my posting while I get everything sorted.

A lot of excellent music blogs suffered a major blow yesterday. I hope that in time we will recover and become stronger because I firmly believe our work makes the internet a better place.

Until next time, stay funky.

MEGAUPLOAD REST IN PEACE

Like many people I have been wondering why I can't get on to Megaupload in the last few hours. The sad news is that they have been shut down by the U.S Government. We seem to be entering a new phase where the internet is much more highly controlled by the powers to be. You can read the article here.

I will endeavour over the next few days to replace my MU links so please bear with me during this period. All the best from Mr.Craig.

BARRY 7'S CONNECTORS - VARIOUS ARTISTS

http://rapidshare.com/files/147897041/Barry_7_s_Connectors.zip

Track 1 - Erotica No.2 / Jiri Bezant & Jiri Malasek

Track 2 - Catch That Man / Nino Nardini

Track 3 - Dawn Mist / Stringtronics

Track 4 - Weird Sounds No.1 / Georges Teperino & Roger Roger

Track 5 - Amour, Vacances Et Baroque / Paul Guiot & Paul Piot

Track 6 - Preambule No.36 / Paul Bonneau & Yves Lamand

Track 7 - Solar Flares / Sven Libaek

Track 8 - Forgotten World / Anthony King

Track 9 - Quasars / Sven Libaek

Track 10 - Sacred Trip / Doris Hays

Track 11 - Electronic Rhythm / Eric Peters

Track 12 - Univers Sideral / Paul Bonneau

Track 13 - Coconut Coast / Roger Roger

Track 14 - Electro Sounds No.8 / Cecil Leuter & Georges Teperino

Track 15 - Roger Rhythm No.1 / Roger Roger

Track 16 - Hors Phase / Johanna Group

Track 17 - Maladjusted Moogie / Anthony King

Track 18 - Electro-Exotic 1 / John Mathews & John Baker

Track 19 - Preambule No.37 / Paul Bonneau & Yves Lamand

Track 20 - Mobile / Torrie Zito

Track 21 - Merry Go Sound / Gary Bellington

Bary 7's Connectors takes a look at the weirder side of library music with some unusual nuggets courtesy of Anthony King, Roger Roger, Paul Bonneau and others while classics from Sven Libaek and Stringtronics add more depth to the mix. There isn't much continuity between individual tracks however gems such as "Coconut Coast" and "Univers Sideral" make up for that. This is probably a good companion piece to "Nuggets: Luke Vibert's Selection". I will most likely post Volume 2 tomorrow. Enjoy.

TEDDY LASRY - MODERN WAY

https://rs347tl4.rapidshare.com/#!download|347tl2|184373743|Patchwork44.rar|53103|R~139FA9011FCE559F87455778E126E0E4|0|0

Track 1 - Automation
Track 2 - Cadences
Track 3 - Challenger
Track 4 - Cortina
Track 5 - Downtown
Track 6 - Economy
Track 7 - Highway
Track 8 - In The Gutter
Track 9 - Productivity
Track 10 - Reflection
Track 11 - Rush
Track 12 - Sky
Track 13 - Squaw Valley
Track 14 - Stress
Track 15 - Trafic
Track 16 - Workmen Choir

Wow, this is one of the best library records I've heard in quite a while! I already knew Teddy was a great composer but this stuff is off the charts, combining cool synths with a wickedly groovy jazz funk sound ( think deep bass, wah wah etc. ). There are some fantastic crime funk tracks such as "Squaw Valley", "Cortina" and the hard hitting "Highway", all of which would have been at home on a 1970's cop show soundtrack. This was released in 1979 and while many of his counterparts had fallen head over heels in love with the new electronic toys they had to play with, Teddy didn't let the prevailing trends get in the way of his clear love of everything funky. Even when he does produce an entirely electronic track i.e "Productivity" there is a level of energy that brings it to life and gives it soul.

Oh darn, I just discovered this rip is almost identical to the "Selected Patchwork Tracks" compilation which I posted previously and I've just spent the last hour repeating my work. "Modern Way" actually only has 10 tracks but most of them can be found on the above download so I might just post this anyway in the hopes that a few more people will get turned on to the brilliance of Teddy.

GUY BOYER & JEAN-YVES GUIHAL - SPORT NEWS

Download here

Track 1 - Basket Ball Rebound

Track 2 - Full Gallop

Track 3 - Motorbike Escape

Track 4 - Golf Driving

Track 5 - Crawl Cross

Track 6 - Sister Kimono

Track 7 - Asymetric Bars

Track 8 - Trempolino Si

Track 9 - Scratch

Track 10 - Crochet

Track 11 - Souffle

Track 12 - Ski Revolution

Track 13 - Football Boots Samba
Track 14 - Speedy Slalom
Track 15 - Formula One
Track 16 - Surfing Duo
Track 17 - Silent Flying
Track 18 - Submarine Control
Track 19 - The Gladiators Entrance
Track 20 - Sparring
Track 21 - Sailing Ship Victory

There are some really fun and interesting synth based tunes on this 1979 release which was put out through Charles Talar Records. The electronic instruments are sometimes teamed with drums and piano with excellent results and being a ( mostly ) sport themed album the tracks are all action and drama orientated. Every piece clocks in under 2 minutes which gives the composers just enough time to flesh out one solid idea and more often than not they succeed. It certainly should be considered a must listen for anyone interested in late 70's, early 80's library music.

Just a couple of notes on this rip....I found it online but was unable to locate the source, whoever did upload it originally didn't do the best of jobs as there are a couple of tracks missing and the individual tracks aren't titled ( although there was a text doc with the names in it  ). Unfortunately I had no way of knowing which tracks were absent so I couldn't use the doc to add titles. Anyway, I decided to re-up it on Mediafire because it took me almost 2 hours to download from 4Shared. Some of the music can be found through YouTube and you could work out a few of the titles from that. Don't let this stop you from checking it out however because there's some very cool stuff contained on this record ( I just sat through 3 back to back listens and was still begging for more! ).

CHRIS JOSS - MONOMANIACS VOL.1

https://rs769tl2.rapidshare.com/#!download|769tl5|344954932|Chris_Joss_-_Monomaniacs_Volume_K_1.rar|67830|R~81157B8FBAA567AFEF00417DA243754B|0|0

Track 1 - We Got Some (Part 1+2)

Track 2 - Optical

Track 3 - Kali Flowers

Track 4 - Re-Volt

Track 5 - Ford Mustard Cutter

Track 6 - Keep On Digging

Track 7 - Mo Lovin'

Track 8 - Shafro

Track 9 - Backbeating

Track 10 - Highway 75

Track 11 - Within

Track 12 - Jha Mon

I would loosely describe this Chris Joss release as being uptempo electro funk. One of the most impressive features of the album is that Joss played almost all the instruments himself and is clearly a very talented performer. There are definitely elements of porn groove, blaxploitation and Northern Soul on offer and the way the tracks come together does lead me to make comparisons to another talented multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee. The album really takes off from "Keep On Digging" onwards with the zenith coming on the frantic breakbeat and organ grooves of "Backbeating". I do wish that some of the tracks had a deeper bass sound but apart from that it's great, well composed music that at the very least demands a good deal of foot tapping.

COKE ESCOVEDO - COMIN' AT YA!

http://www.mediafire.com/?nnniwt8bslv

Track 1 - Diamond Dust/Vida

Track 2 - Something So Simple

Track 3 - Stay With Me

Track 4 - Hangin' On

Track 5 - Somebody's Callin'

Track 6 - The Breeze And I

Track 7 - Runaway

Track 8 - I Wouldn't Change A Thing

Track 9 - Backseat

Track 10 - Everything Is Coming Our Way

Track 11 - Fried Neck Bones And Home Fries

Percussionist and one time member of Santana's band, Coke Escovedo released this solo album back in 1976. The music is mainly soulful funk with Latin rhythms and naturally there is some really nice percussion included as well. A few of the tracks wander off into forgettable pop / disco territory but for the most part it's an enjoyable listen. The key piece is "I Wouldn't Change A Thing" which is much loved and much sampled due to the awesome drum break that kicks off the song. That, along with the cool cover art and album title were enough to seal the deal for me. I hope you feel the same way.

DUSTY FINGERS VOL.17 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

Download here

Track 1 - Hit & Run At The Club / Johnny Pate

Track 2 - A Pungi Nudi (Suite) / Bixio Franco

Track 3 - Keep On Using Me / Bill Moss & The Celestials

Track 4 - Stopover / Laurie Johnson

Track 5 - Es Bleibt Die Sonne / Gerd Michealis-Chor

Track 6 - Na Opak / Henryk Debich

Track 7 - Cat And Mouse In Berlin / Roy Budd

Track 8 - Electrosonics N.4 / Cecil Leuter & George Teperino

Track 9 - Hijack Pt.1 / Laurie Johnson

Track 10 - Blackout / Mike Nock

Track 11 - Life / Down Town Boogie Woogie Band

Track 12 - In Man Get / Kollage Klatte

Track 13 - 4 Tet / Sadi

Track 14 - Last Tango In Paris / Julio Gutierrez

Track 15 - Percussion Vol.1 / Bruton

Some of you may remember that I posted volumes 1 through 10 of Dusty Fingers a while back, here is the most recent release in the series and it's another corker! As always there is a large dose of break heavy rare groove and this edition has a particularly strong crime funk vibe which is most pleasing. Superstars such as Roy Budd, Johnny Pate, Laurie Johnson and Cecil Leuter all have wonderful tracks featured along with some lesser known but equally enjoyable performances by Kollage Klatte and Mike Nock. Dusty Fingers comps are renowned for their drum breaks and this is probably one of the better volumes in that regards. Plus there are the usual spelling errors which seem to be a trademark of the series as well. An excellent collection and highly recommended!

THE FREELANCE BISHOPS - SELF TITLED

http://rapidshare.com/files/158702857/THE_FREELANCE_BISHOPS.rar

Track 1 - Old Town Pump

Track 2 - Bullseye

Track 3 - The Pawtucket Hussle

Track 4 - Mr. McFeeley

Track 5 - Space Invader

Track 6 - Smack My Bishop

Track 7 - Tussin And Crumpets

Track 8 - Smack, Pt.2

Track 9 - Untitled

The Freelance Bishops hail from Massachusetts, U.S.A and this is their debut release from 1999. What you can expect here are danceable jazz / funk workouts with touches of soul and R&B. The stars in my opinion are Stephen Giannaros on sax and Jeremy Parker on keyboard who provide some sensational solos. Overall there aren't too many surprises to be had and I'm sure they would have sounded a lot better live but there's enough going on to keep the listen engaged. I like the cool retro cover art as well.

I GRES - EXOTIC THEMES FOR FILMS, RADIO & T.V

Download here

Track 1 - Shadow
Track 2 - Hot Dog
Track 3 - Voleur
Track 4 - Moaning
Track 5 - Minor Bossa
Track 6 - To Ramsey
Track 7 - Tropical Balls
Track 8 - Duo Balls
Track 9 - Plancton
Track 10 - Jeannette
Track 11 - Sweet Steel
Track 12 - Yellow Green
Track 13 - To Jean Luc
Track 14 - To Wes

Another highly desirable compilation of library music collected from three different I Gres releases. Their sound is a little more varied than the likes of Cordara Orchestra or Barigozzi Group with each track possessing an entirely unique style. Plenty of funky organ and guitar vibes play their role and "Hot Dog" features some wickedly good drum breaks. The whole album is top notch and you can find some more I Gres on the "Stroboscopica Vol.1" comp. Cometa released a more in depth collection of their work in 2010 under the title "Vol.1-2-3", it comprised 38 tracks and was limited to only 200 CD's.

ANTIBALAS - WHO IS THIS AMERICA?

http://rapidshare.com/files/98740810/antibalas_-_who_is_this_america__2004_.zip

Track 1 - Who Is This America Dem Speak Of Today?

Track 2 - Pay Back Africa

Track 3 - Indictment

Track 4 - Big Man

Track 5 - Obanla'e

Track 6 - Elephant

Track 7 - Sister

Here is some heavy duty Afro Beat straight outta Brooklyn, New York! Antibalas ( also known as Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra ) have been performing since 1998 and this is their third studio album which was recorded in 2004. The standard afro sound is on display with steady drumming mixed with blasting horns, organ solos and politically charged vocals. It's easy to get lost in the hypnotic vibe of tracks such as "Elephant" and "Sister" which run for an epic 14 minutes and 19 minutes respectively. There have been a few different versions of this album released and the one I saw on itunes had an extra track called "Paz". I haven't listened to their most recent release yet ( "Security", 2007 ) but after discovering it was was produced by Tortoise band member and well known producer John McEntire I'm sure it would be excellent too.

EGISTO MACCHI - FUTURISSIMO

http://www.mediafire.com/?ty15ozofyo2

Track 1 - Chambre Anachronique

Track 2 - Nouvelles Planetes

Track 3 - Appel Spatial

Track 4 - Module Lunaire

Track 5 - Capsule En Panne

Track 6 - Forme Planetaire

Track 7 - Gare Spatiale

Track 8 - Extra-Terrestre

Track 9 - Limite Extreme

Track 10 - Nebuleuses

Track 11 - Bande Radioactive

Violins and electronics combine effortlessly in this disturbing and claustrophobic offering from Egisto Macchi. As the titles indicate, the theme here is space and the results are arguably as good as any science fiction soundtrack you are likely to come across. Sparse blips and beeps are suddenly interrupted by violent orchestral blasts on several occasions but at other times you are left waiting for the attack which never comes. The intensity in these tracks is almost overwhelming. There seems to be a lot of conjecture about the year of release for this record, various sources on the internet have it listed as 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1979. Even good old reliable Discogs has steered clear, not putting any date on their listing. My gut feeling says that it's from '71 or '72. Many thanks to the original uploader.

INTERMISSION IMPOSSIBLE - VARIOUS ARTISTS

http://www.mediafire.com/?2jynenjmtzu

Track 1 - Two Way Stretch / Ray Davies

Track 2 - Cheyne Walk / Harry Stoneham

Track 3 - Friday's Theme / Bill Hutchinson

Track 4 - Let's Skip / Malcolm Lockyer

Track 5 - Joe's Talk / Stan Foster

Track 6 - See You Soon / Ray Davies

Track 7 - Out Of The Blue / Reed & Wells

Track 8 - Viva Vincente / Ray Davies

Track 9 - Pronto For Paul / Gus Stephens

Track 10 - For Jane / Gus Stephens & The Skymasters

Track 11 - It Takes Nine To Mambo / Syd Dale

Track 12 - Travellers' Joy / Gordon Reed

Track 13 - Little Ridsdale / Clarrie Sampson

Track 14 - Incandescence / Neil Richardson

Track 15 - Soft Satin Nights / Ray Davies

Track 16 - Drop Out / Ray Davies

Track 17 - Let's Go Metric / Eddie Strevens

Track 18 - Softly, Softly / Roberts, Dudan & Paul

Track 19 - Siamla / Stan Foster
Track 20 - Any News / Kenny Powell & The Skymasters
Track 21 - Waltz In Jazztime / Syd Dale
Track 22 - These Foolish Things / Jack Strachey
Track 23 - You Take It From Here / Vivian Ellis
Track 24 - Back To Square One / Malcolm Lockyer
Track 25 - Early Hours / Kenny Powell
Track 26 - Early Riser / Ray Davies
Track 27 - In And Out Of Fashion / Malcolm Lockyer
Track 28 - El Hombre Soul / Winstone & Alderson
Track 29 - The Count's In Town / Pat Dodd
Track 30 - Easy Come, Easy Go / Eddie Strevens & The Skymasters
Track 31 - A Gentle Stroll / Earnest Ponticelli

This enjoyable but rather long compilation was put together by Winchester Hospital Radio and features a large amount of uptempo easy listening and jazzy big band tracks. If you are a fan of Laurie Johnson or the "Music For TV Dinners" compilations then you'll eat this stuff up, while there is no Laurie to be had the likes of Syd Dale and Ray Davies provide many wonderful moments. Some of the quirkier tracks prove to be the most interesting with the standouts being "El Hombre Soul", "It Takes Nine To Mambo" and "Little Risdale". All in all I would have liked a bit more diversity in this collection but there's no doubting the skill of these composers and the quality of the music.

MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO - LIVE PHOTOS

Had a fantastic time at Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro last night. Had a few drinks, hung out with some beautiful ladies and saw some wicked raw funk. Here are a few photos I took...

CORDARA ORCHESTRA - THE BEST OF

http://rapidshare.com/files/109099126/Cordara.rar

Track 1 - Tipsy

Track 2 - Distensione

Track 3 - Search

Track 4 - Target

Track 5 - Irony

Track 6 - Misly

Track 7 - Battuta D'Arresto

Track 8 - Target (Album Version)

Track 9 - Perfect

Track 10 - Saguia

Track 11 - Jet Society

Track 12 - Chrisalis

Track 13 - Misly (Album Version)

Track 14 - Hypotesis

Track 15 - Gad-Fly

Track 16 - Trip

Track 17 - Contrasi

Track 18 - Riri

The Cordara Orchestra is another member of the Italian rare groove club along with the likes of the Barigozzi Group, I Gres, I Marc 4, Arawak, Freedom Power, Blue Sharks and Pulsar Music Ltd. Ably led by Carlo Cordara, you will find plenty of the prerequisite organ, piano and flute combined with laid back guitar and restrained drumming. Pleasingly there are a number of tracks that fall into the category of crime jazz with the best examples being "Hypotesis" ( a misspelling of hypothesis I presume ) and the two versions of "Target". The occasional moments of funk such as opening number "Tipsy" are most welcome and add another dimension to this very impressive compilation. You can also find several Cordara Orchestra tracks scattered through the Mo'Plen series which can be found in my compilations section.

MOUNTAIN MOCHA KILIMANJARO - LIVE VIDEOS

Hey folks, I'm super pumped to see Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro live tomorrow night so I though I'd post some YouTube videos of their fine work. It's my first time posting vids so fingers crossed I do it right! You can download their 2008 debut album here.

WHITE NOISE - ELECTRIC STORM

http://www.mediafire.com/?nfowmzmzmyw

Track 1 - Love Without Sound

Track 2 - My Game Of Loving

Track 3 - Here Come The Fleas

Track 4 - Firebird

Track 5 - Your Hidden Dreams

Track 6 - The Visitation
Track 7 - The Black Mass: An Electric Storm In Hell

To apologise for my Dr.Who gaffe yesterday, here is a bizarre electronic / psychedelic rock opera created by Delia Derbyshire, Dave Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson and John McDonald. It's certainly difficult music to describe, there's plenty of tape manipulation and interesting effects combined with standard instruments, trippy vocals and occasional high pitched screams of agony. It says something about Vorhaus and Derbyshire that I was actually expecting this to be stranger. From what I gather the first six tracks took over a year to complete and when the label put pressure on them to finish they pumped out "The Black Mass: An Electric Storm In Hell" in one day and it turns out to be the most interesting piece on the album. To get best results listen to this with headphones on.

DAPHNE ORAM - ELECTRONIC SOUND PATTERNS

http://www.mediafire.com/?kd7n8ga3gfv9k0d

Track 1 - Melodic Group Shapes 1
Track 2 - Melodic Group Shapes 2
Track 3 - Three Single Sounds Taken In Cannon
Track 4 - Rhythmic Variation 1
Track 5 - Rhythmic Variation 2
Track 6 - Ascending And Descending Sequences Of Varying Nature

Description of music from the sleeve notes, thanks to Discogs ...

"Teachers seeking original material have found this new approach exciting and stimulating in their creative work for music, movement and drama. The Sound patterns are intended for children to enjoy and may lead them into movement of dance-like character, or involve them in imaginative situations. People who are interested in sound production may like to know that these sound patterns were created by Daphne Oram at her Electronic Studio in Kent. By using audio generators, many tape recorders, filters, ring modulators and other electronic devices she built up the tone colours, pitched each of the notes separately, gave them duration and dynamics and finally spliced the notes together to obtain the required rhythms and sequences."

Cool stuff, check it out. A similar record in terms of its potential educational use is "Listen Compute Rock Home" by Bruce Haack.