Absolutely "ESSENTIAL"!!!

Yes, it's been a little while since my last post (or entry... I'm still getting used to all this blog talk). I can assure you it's all been time well wasted. If it's not school or work occupying my time it's the amount of things worth going out for in February and March, namely birthdays. In fact, it really makes me wonder what everyone in the world is doing in June and July (actually it doesn't, and I will let you do the math on that to your own conclusions... anyways...!!!).

One other thing that has been occuppying my time of late is going to the gym. This is an evolution in my life that is certain to baffle most who have known me for years. The benefits of working out can not be discounted though. It's a great stress release, there are the obvious physical benefits, my heart likes me a lot more now than it ever has, and of course the most important benefit; I get a solid 90 minutes - 2 hours of time to listen to great music un-harrassed by the outside world (with the exception of tht guy who interupted a blazing mix by High Contrast last week to find out how many sets I had left on the Leg Curl machine... you know who you are!!!). It amazes me how quickly the time can fly if you are wrapped up in a Derrick Carter "Ministry of Sound" mix down, or hanging out with Underworld "Live". In fact Mark Farina regularly gets me through 15 km on a stationary bike, only to have Mylo work me over in some resistance training.

Lately though, my iPod has been feeling too familiar. I know all of these mixes. I know all of these albums. And like any work out, the routine needs to be switched up every so often to maximize it's effects on you. Enter the "BBC Essential Mixes blog".

For those who don't know, Essential Mix is a weekly series of 2 hour sessions hosted by the legendary Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 that showcases the best DJ's from around the world flexing the latest and greatest wax for discerning legions of electronic music fans (and I'm certain it's soundtracking the late night, post club piss up at some blokes house in Cardiff). If you're like me and your schedule does not revolve around weekly television or radio shows (I think I might be in the minority here given the number of people who talk about Jack Bauer like he's a close personal friend) you need someone to put it all together for you, a place where you can peruse 10 years of great weekly shows in one glance. That's what the BBC Essential Mixes blog has done for me. With sets from the likes of High Contrast, Grooverider, Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier, and Pete Tong himself the list is long and nothing short of legendary.

My sincere thanks to the person who started this blog and has taken the time to post not only the sets themselves, but the track lists that accompany each one. I would highly recommend doing a strict regimine of at least one new set a week. Just remember to stretch.

http://bbcessentialmixes.blogspot.com/

This Saturday Night!!!

So, I'm playing a party this Saturday for some friends, none other than the "Notorious Walkers" Kerry and Scott. It just so happens to be Kerry's birthday, which just so happens to be the excuse we need to all get together, have a few drinks and get down with our bad selves. Always fun times and good people (and of course you can be assured of some groovy tunes courtesy of yours truly. Peep the deets... hope to see you then!

Hey there friends,

we are having a very special party, this Saturday February 24, 2007 at Harmony Lounge on College Street, to celebrate multiple birthdays (Tommy, Agnes, Auggie, Frankie Guns, and myself), Aquarians, the Age of Aquarius, and life in general. We would love it if you would join us for some cake, some sweet beats, and some proper Bachanalian fun.

Scott, and myself will be playing some fine house muisic for your listening/dancing pleasure, and Desroy will be sure to get your booty shakin with his awesome djembe skills. Joining us in this musical venture: the truly talented, musical maestro, and fellow funk warrior, K2. He'll be soothing our souls with his fine blend of uplifting, jacking beats.

Hope to see you there, and all the best from the Spiral Groove Sound Collective.

Harmony Lounge

589 College Street, West of Bathurst
9 until late
no cover

Flute Boxing?

Now I'm not one to scour the internet in search of useless home videos of un talented hacks who want their 15 seconds of fame. I don't forward many links or chain letters, and I don't watch television on my laptop. That said, the internet has brought many wonders of the modern music world to light that might remain unappreciated if not for websites like YouTube. The link attached is one such marvel that can only be described acurately by clicking and enjoying.

Ladies and gentleman, two minutes of pure musical, artistic genius.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=crfrKqFp0Zg

Roy Hargove Quintet w/The Bad Plus @ Massey Hall

Last Saturday night I went to Massey Hall to see what has become somewhat of an annual ritual for me - to see a big name jazz show at the famed concert hall. On the bill this night was the Roy Hargrove Quintet with opening act the Bad Plus. To most people in Toronto if you mention Massey Hall they will immediately think of cramped seats built in a by gone era, at times hurting sound, and the odd "obstructed seat" (at least they have the good nature to print it right on the ticket). Speak to anyone in the jazz community outside of Toronto and they will recant that Massey Hall was the sight of what is commonly referred to as the "Greatest Live Jazz Concert Recording". The recording in question is performed by the Quintet (Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach), a concert that was organized by the Toronto Jazz Society to bring together the great artists from the bop era for a showcase. The recording, which features quite an assortment of lore surrounding it (including Parker playing the entire show on a plastic saxophone and the amount of empty seats in the hall as a result of a title fight booked at the Gardens on the same night) is simply as good as the catalogued title of the album suggest; "The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever".

With that said, you can certainly understand how excited many jazz musicians are to come and play in Toronto. That was certainly the case with the opening act "The Bad Plus", an avant trio from the U.S. that do anything but stick to the standard piano led, bass and drum accompanied grouping. Working their way through a lively, and quite personable opening set that included many tunes from their up coming studio release (look for it in May 2007) The Bad Plus set a great tone for the evening. The group's personality seemed to shine through as you could genuinely sense they were having a great time playing their own material, not to mention an incredibly well paced version of Ornette Coleman's "Song X" and a crowd pleasing rendition of Rush's "Tom Sawyer". They even made a point to pay tribute to old Massey Hall before announcing one of their final selections, an ode if you will from the young lions on stage and the reverence they had for the spirits of the elders who had filled the cavernous ceiling of the building 50 years before them.

A well dressed Roy Hargrove quintet graced the stage 30 minutes later. Hargrove, no stranger to Massey Hall having been apart of the 50th anniversary tribute to the great Quintet set of 1953, was certainly the main attraction of the night. Discovered by Wynton Marsalis as a young trumpet prodigy many years ago, the young Hargrove has been playing to expectations for years. More recently he's been touring with both his live hip hop/funk outfit the "RH Factor" and his quintet, keeping both relevant at the same time. It became apparent early in his set that either he's been playing way too much or not practicing nearly enough. I've personally seen Hargrove in various groupings 5 times over the years, but on this night he definitely sounded flat. Not in energy, but in ability. I commented to my friend Steve early in the set "is this the second or third show he's played today, because he sounds blown out?" As if his lip not producing wasn’t enough, the microphone on his alto player was doing much of the same. The rhythm section seemed to lock up pretty tight, but I couldn't help but be somewhat distracted by the lop-sided amount of energy coming from the drummer's side of the stage.

One thing that has hampered the shows I've seen at Massey from time to time is the inconsistent quality of the sound. Not the natural sound, but the mic'ed up mix that seems to lack the professionalism you expect to receive when you pay $60 (or a lot more in some cases) to see a show that for all purposes should only be seen in a small club anyways. Ever since Norman Granz took jazz out of the clubs with his 1940's series of "Jazz at the Philharmonic" shows, the live jazz experience has taken on all the difficulties putting on big venue concerts has to offer. That said, Hargrove's band came to play and they certainly did play well. It's just too bad in my opinion they had the misfortune of following up the real headliners on this night, The Bad Plus.

Opinions Are Like...

Only days after making my last post, which featured a short word of praise for the latest album from Brit singer Amy Winehouse, I was informed that she we will be making the trek across the pond to North America for a tour (March 23rd, The MOD Club, Toronto). What excellant news, a chance to perhaps see if it's simply "studio magic" that makes her stunning, authentic sound hold up (somehow I doubt it). Surfing my way through the internet I am directed to a review on popularly opinionated bible of music "Pitchfork.com". The quick review touches on the first single from Back to Black, more specifically how London outfit "Hot Chip" have made it sound good with their own reworking of her recorded material. The text doesn't just put down the original, it bluntly proclaims it as "awful, awful" (yes, for some reason there really was a need to make the distinction between an awful rating of "one" to the sensational, yet highly effective "two").

What is my point? Am I blasting the writer for not making the same connection I have made with the song and the album? Does she know something I don't? On the contrary, my point is simply this; If a reputable source, a demi god if you will of musical taste like Pitchfork can simply dismiss something that I have taken a liking to, then all is right in the world. It's important that people in the business of waxing poetic about the sounds they like and dislike (music journalists and bloggers alike) air their thoughts and feelings without pressure to make something sound like it's great, when it's shite. It opens up discussion and proves that there are people out there with differing opinions about what constitutes really great music. Isn't that the whole point of art? It's objectivity?

If there is one thing I've learned while DJing all these years it's that everyone who listens to music has an opinion or two to share. And some of them are actually right.

I Feel This

Here's a round up of album's I'm currently feeling:

"Amy Winehouse - Back to Black"
I was in Play De Record on Yonge Street in December trying my best not to make any purchases when I was instructed to take notice of what the needle was about to hit in the booth at the back of the store. What I heard sounded like a song from the old Chess or Atlantic R&B catalogues, but one that had benefited from an updated treatment of production quality that made it sound strangely unfamiliar. Little did I know I was being introduced to what the Brits have known about for a few years - Amy Winehouse. Her jazz heavy debut left some to wonder what a major label sophomore push to R&B would do to the quality of her astounding vocal output. All I can say is wow! If you like R&B, and I mean REAL old school R&B (sorry Beyonce) then do yourself a favor and introduce your "soul" to Amy Winehouse.
"The Shins - Wincing the Night Away"
One of 2007's more anticipated releases in my opinion, the group doesn't try to re-invent the wheel with this disc, they simply add a few moody filters from time to time, and the occassional electronic nuance. With the same great song writing and trademark lead vocals from singer James Mercer, "Wincing" picks up where their last effort "Chutes Too Narrow" left us; in a really great place.
"Lily Allen - Alright Still"
Having made her mark in music the "new fashioned" way with revolutionary online promotion tool "MySpace", Lily Allen caught everyones attention rather quickly. As fast as you can say "Lily Who?" she had inked a major label deal, running the risk of being labelled a "novelty" right out of the gate. The possiblity still exists for that title to be more than appropriate, but there is something so infectious about not only the lead track she's become instantly known for ("Smile"), but for the ability the album has to dodge being categorized. On the surface it's pop hooks give it Top 40 ambition, but check out the lyrical London drawl, the two step tinges, slick production, and laced up back beats. To make the case even stronger I had to dig "Alright Still" out of the hip hop section at HMV! So what is it? I call it a great start.

A Few Of My Favorite Things...

The Prodigy - "The Prodigy Experience"

The early 1990's was a heady time for electronic music - if you were actually listening to it in the early 1990's that is. A period that for many people probably seems relatively dated in it's sound, the early 90's did not yield many great "techno" artist albums. "The Prodigy Experience" stands as one of the few examples in my opinion of a timeless blend of the era's many redeeming guilty pleasures, from the squealing chipmunk vocals, hyper pitched beats and whistles, to the dirty bass wobbles and anthemic piano lines.

What separated the Prodigy was their ability to display great, almost pop like hooks over top of "rave music" (which at the time seemed completely foreign to my friends and I). Growing up in the small Ontario town (and former quaker mecca) of Uxbridge, I was exposed to a more diverse range of music than was normal for teens from other small towns (respects to the James St. Bass show). Yes, the heady days of pick up truck sound systems in the parking lot outside the high school battling for metal supremacy weren't much of a resource for underground music. In fact the exposure to sounds like the Prodigy was really a fluke in many ways. I recall it was my friend Tim who arrived back from a trip to Ireland with a 12" by a group of digital punks out of Essex. I can still remember hearing "Out of Space" and being absolutely in awe of the sound. I can also recall trying to figure out what each of the groups four members played, only to soon realize it was one guy on a drum machine and a keyboard with three dancers.

The whole "Prodigy Experience" has much to offer though, and "Out of Space" only scratches the surface. From the bowel shaking bass solo mid way through "Charly" (that we could never quite hear in my friend Daryl's Ford Tempo), the demonic proclamation of "Fire", or the mash up madness of "Everybody in the Place", every song has something to grab your attention and keep you rushing. My fondest memories of this album were using it as the official soundtrack to marathon sessions of the video game Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis. Of course the gaming system is long gone, but Experience has managed to survive my ever expanding musical tastes all these years, playing in heavy rotation on my iPod at the gym.

The album like the game may seem dated by today's standards, but there really is no dismissing the fondness I recall having for them; a fondness that came with experiencing both in there prime.