TH#106 - Blow 'Way ! [Graham's Selection X-mas'24]

 

The traditional X-mas comp/mixtape, full of goodies for your winter parties, car trips, messy breakfasts... Perhaps the common denominator in this selection is every track contains an element of madness, in one way or another.

It starts with my favourite track from 2024 : Misha Panfilov's ''Mesosphere'', recorded with his septet in one weekend somewhere in the woods (the story says), a truly beautiful and inspiring tune.

Side A then goes more Caribbean and party-friendly with genius Rapsonian Lancelot Layne, Ranking Ann (what a vibe!), The Tufftones (what a sound!), Jeannette Azzouz and Harry Panday (both taken from our friend Chris ''DJ Sofa''s highly recommended ''Elsewhere CC'' compilation), the Paragons' beautiful version of War's hit ''The World Is A Ghetto''... and a great version of Ecuadorian organman Polibio Mayorga's hit ''La Minga''.

Side B takes us back to the good old US soul-jazz sounds : jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby, bass&drums killers Young & Holt, New Orleans drummer June Gardner, latin-jazz king Cal Tjader...

Easy then to bounce back to the old continent with crooner Voldemar Kuslap (Estonian like Misha Panfilov), and to end with an epic funk-inematic fresque by Lebanese legend Ziad Rahbani... Play and rewind !

A

01 Misha Panfilov Septet – Mesosphere

02 Lancelot Layne – Blow 'Way

03 Lancelot Layne – Bassman

04 Olmedo Torres y Los Gatos – La Minga

05 The Paragons feat. Rosalyn Sweat - The World Is A Ghetto

06 Jeannette Azzouz & Belles Combo – So Close To Me

07 Ranking Ann – Indian Dub Song

08 Harry Panday – Love Your Mother And Father

09 The Tufftones – Sensi For Sale

B

10 Dorothy Ashby – Soul Vibrations

11 Young Holt Unlimited – Dig Her Walk

12 Young Holt Unlimited – Give It Up

13 June Gardner – Mustard Greens

14 Cal Tjader – Souled Out

15 Voldemar Kuslap – Motlen Sinule

16 Ziad Rahbani – Abu Ali

 

Thanks : Flavien, Diz-Diz, Helen Wells, Chris Sofa, Axel Z

TH#105 - True Love Will Find You In The End [Luke's Autumn 24 C60 mixtape]

 

Click here to find true love, or stream below. Calm and deep selection to fit on a C60 musicassette.

Side A.
01 - Fausto Papetti - Trust Me
02 - Slim And Slam - African Jive
03 - Mango Santamaria - Afro Blues
04 - Calchakis - Sol Caribe
05 - Anna Makirere - Aue Te Aroa
06 - Lou Christie - Have I Sinned
07 - Ray Cathode - Waltz in Orbit
08 - Una Ramos - Reflejos del Sol
09 - Derya Yıldırım & Graham Mushnik - Horoz Havada
10 - Orquesta Nacional - Atahualpa
11 - Edric Connor & The Caribbeans - Missa Ramgoat

Side B.
12 - Lord Christo - Jacob From Panama
13 - Franco & le TP OK Jazz - Siluwangi Wapi Accordeon
14 - Orchestre Ratego Jazz - Stephin mulofa
15 - Nightmares On Wax - Imagineering
16 - The Wozrd Of Iz - Big Sur
17 - Eugen Thomass - Art Asia
18 - Orkes Krontjong Dhaya Sakti - Sangkurian sangkurinang
19 - Mort Garson - Kevin and Paige
20 - Jad Fair & Kramer - True Love Will Find You In The End

 

TH#104 - Betta Must Come [Luke's Autumn 24 C90 Mixtape]

Good morning! Here is Luke's new batch of killers. Much drumming in this one (check out drummer / composers Tony Esposito and Mansa Musa, resp. from Naples and Port of Spain), many Caribbean numbers (calypso ; nyabinghi oldies ; Martinique "coastal hills" flutist Max Cilla ) and general worlwide goodness: a 90's Franco hit feat. Camille Feruzi on accordeon ; a wild instrumental by wicked a taiwanese band ; brazilian crate digga instros by Waldir Calmon... Can anything really come betta than this?

SIDE A
01 - Charlotte Walters - Fleurs De Pavots Bleus
02 - Waldir Calmon - Airport Love Theme
03 - Tony Esposito - Pagaia
04 - Ali Affandi - Msaydiano
05 - Touré Kunda - Ninki Nanka
06 - Androo - Judso Danc Theate
07 - The Zenmenn - The Magic Eye
08 - Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble - The African Look
09 - Young Tiger - African Dream
10 - Mansa Musa - Who Told You
11 - Franco & T.P.O.K. Jazz - Likambo Ya Ngana

SIDE B
12 - Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari - Sam's Intro
13 - The Emperor - Tough De Times (Things Getting Tough)
14 - Ginger Folorunso Johnson - Egyptian Bint al Cha Cha
15 - Max Cilla - La Flute Des Mornes
16 - Tony Esposito - Il Giorno e la Notte
17 - Waldir Calmon - Afro Son
18 - Unknown Killer Taiwan Band
19 - Q.Q. - Betta Must Come
20 - Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari - Way Back Home
21 - Simentera - Raiz

THANKS Captain XXI - Madlib - Seb Thieme - Antoine "Maaula" - Paul & Vincent "Coustou" - Fellow Bloggers

TH#103 - Pigtails & Cocktails [Graham's 60's Selection Vol. 2]

After "Freaks & Leeks" (one of the first comps on this blog, over 13 years ago), here's the sequel, "Pigtails & Cocktails" !

Moody garage songs, glamorous Italian pop gems, cinematic instros, surfy Turkish rarities... all dating from the swinging decade.

I wanted to include a few Joe Meek productions ("I Don't Want Your Loving No More", "Pigtails" and "Bitter Sweet Love") and some of the great tracks from the obscure Milky Way label (mad drummer-singer Kookie Cook and amazing all-girl band The Cobras)...

The man on the photo is Tetsuya Watari, the only Japanese artist on the selection, who was also a famous yakuza film star.

Please note : there are 2 garage bands called "We The People", not to be mixed up ! One of them (n° 2) had to change its name for "American Zoo" half way through its (ephemere) career, due to the established success of the other one (n° 1)...

Apologies for the absence of R'n'B, doo-wop, rocksteady, etc. There are so many genres ! These could well be a focus for the next 60's comp – hopefully in less than 13 years...

Cheers !

Thanks : Dav' Grasselli, Beatmike

SIDE A
01 - We The People (1) – In The Past
02 - Robin Ward - Wonderful Summer
03 - Rita Pavone – Solo Tu
04 - Armando Trovajoli – Lady Luna
05 - Armando Trovajoli – F.M.B. Shake
06 - The Blue Rondos – I Don't Want Your Loving No More
07 - The Cobras – Try
08 - The Prisners Dream – Autumn Days
09 - The Bittersweets – Hurtin' Kind
10 - The Saints – Pigtails
11 - Cahit Oben – Hereke
12 - Human Expression - Sweet Child Of Nothingness

SIDE B
13 - Piero Umiliani - Fotomodelle
14 - Tetsuya Watari – Shu Be Du Be
15 - Kookie Cook – Working Man
16 - The Cobras – Goodbye
17 - The Humane Society – Eternal Prison
18 - Cahit Oben – Halime
19 - Mina – Il Cielo In Una Stanza
20 - Optikler – Köylü Kızı
21 - We The People (2) – Feelings Of My Emptiness
22 - B. Bumble & The Stingers – Nautilus
23 - The Riot Squad – Bitter Sweet Love
24 - Piero Umiliani – You Tried To Warn Me

 

TH#101 - The Ocean [Luke's Spring 24 mixtape]

Mixtape number 101 is here! Quite folky / poppy with a bit of an arty-electronics passage. "The Ocean" is taken from the Born Bad Records' far-out "Prend le temps d'écouter" compilation that brings together pieces made by children and teachers in Freinet schools. An ocean of music...

SIDE A
01 - Michel Legrand - Ballade de Polly Maggoo
02 - Mort Garson - They're Off To Find The Wozard
03 - Orquesta Nacional - Ponchito Al Hombro
04 - Tia Blake and Her Folk-Group - Wish I Was A Single Girl Again
05 - Wimple Winch - Lollipop Minds
06 - Ken Boothe - Old Fashion Way
07 - Hudford All Stars - Crying Version
08 - The Jaguars - Night Walker
09 - Lord Sutch - The Cheat
10 - Prefab Sprout - Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
11 - Grab Grab The Haddock - I'm Used Now

SIDE B
12 - Fools - Snodae
13 - Yasuaki Shimizu - Kakashi
14 - Sil Austin - Aka To Kuro No Blues
15 - You'll Never Get To Heaven - Mad Shadows
16 - Fools - Deefyfe
17 - Bepotel - These Times
18 - Mort Garson - I've Been Over The Rainbow
19 - Tia Blake and Her Folk-Group - Hangman
20 - Nadine Perron - The Ocean
21 - Bibio - Lightspout Hollow 

Thanks : Yippie's Quest, DJ Sofa, fellow bloggers.

TH#102 - Silver Roses And Jade Waters [Graham's Summer Selection 2024]

An eclectic, intercontinental and groovy selection for this summer's road trips, sunny mornings or late night parties ! 

First of all, I wanted to feature songs by Surinami "Chutney" artist Cynthia Bhikharie, as well as instrumentals by Indian percussionist/composer Babla, since their sounds are connected by the phenomenon of Indo-Caribbean fusion. I also discovered some cool late 60's tracks by soul-jazz legends Ramsey Lewis and Nina Simone. And to link back to the Caribbean feel, a reggae version of Nina Simone's "To Love Somebody", beautifully sung by Busty Brown, followed by "Love" by the Twinkle Brothers.

2 magnificent songs by cult Japanese movie-star Meiko Kaji, Anatolian folk track "Metelik" by arranger Esin Engin and Selda's hymn to Anatolia "Gesi Bağları" are followed by 2 important Italian artists from the 70's and 80's : avant-garde pop songwriter Franco Battiato and Southern-Italy's folk legends NCCP. What else ? "Memme Vaev", a groovy collaboration between Apelsin and Collage, two Estonian proggy bands from the soviet era ; and last but not least, contemporary Lebanese producer Charif Megarbane and his morriconesque composition "Pas De Dialogue".

Thanks : Piotr, Dav Grass, Derya, Coco Maria.

TH#100 - LOVE BIRD & TIGER - 100 YEARS OF TRISTES HUMANISTES!

You may ask yourself how we suddenly reached #100 - well if you scroll through the blog history on the right you'll find that it is quite exact. To celebrate this number we decided to re-comp some favourites amongst favourites into an exciting 2x 60 minutes of mellow/emo/trippy tunes here and killer dance tracks there. I say we cos it was together with Graham and the Major my all time chums.

A / LOVE BIRD
Side A:
01 - Sven Wunder - Natura Morta
02 - The Talbot Brothers - Waiting For Mary Jane
03 - Nino Ferrer - Looking For You
04 - Al Massrieen - Mafatshi Leh
05 - Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes - Canto De Iemanja
06 - S.E. Rogers - Toomus Meremereh Nor Good
07 - Shira Small - Eternal Life
08 - Özdemir Erdoğan - Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım
Side B:
09 - V.Ivanova & M. Kokareskova - Iovano, Iovanka
10 - Hibari Misora - Moon Over the Ruined Castle
11 - Zalla - Risaie
12 - Nora Dean - Angie La La
13 - Cork Gamelan Ensemble - Christine
14 - Marie Laforêt - Pour celui qui viendra
15 - Robert Wyatt - Just As You Are
16 - Bitsat Seyoum & Abebe Fekadu

B / TIGER
Side A:
01 - The Meters - Soul Island
02 - Dina Ögon - Ficktjuven
03 - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Malin Kpon O
04 - Gulden Karabocek - Mehmet Emmi
05 - Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy - Mam Yinne Wa
06 - Lil Albert - Fox Of The Year
07 - Velly Joonas - Stopp, Seisku Aeg!
08 - Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking
Side B:
09 - Zahouania - Loukane tjibou
10 - Thunderfunk Symphony - Sky Blue
11 - The Green Arrows - Nyoka Yendara
12 - Roha Band
13 - Los Originales Shapis - Amor Imposible
14 - Michel Legris - Elida
15 - The Rah Band - Messages From The Stars

 

ps: come to our shows and get the fancy two-cassette box set for a tenner ;)

VA -- Rosemarie [ Le Major's mixtape ]

 

There are two sides to Rose Marie.

Side A is very mellow and cinematic: soulful turkish and iranian singers, italian soundtracks and oddities.. [ Rose Marie by Bora Ayanoğlu is part of the soundtrack to "Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm ", a great documentary about turkish diaspora and its musical scene in Germany. ]

Side B, on the other end, is very joyful, groovy and futuristic. A few classics to (re)discover [Porque Te Vas' spanish singer Jeanette, here with another cool song], and some loony productions [genius UK producer Brenda Ray's Another Dream is the just the tip of the iceberg, Nigerian's Kosmic 3"s groove is just something else!] . You will also find a bunch of fresh urban tunes to spice it up, from London to the East Coast. [Danger Mouse & Black Thought's Cheat Codes is such an amazing Hip hop album]

1. Bora Ayanoğlu - Rose Marie 
2. Lesiman  - Trepido E Llare giorno

3. La Bibliothèque De La Bergerie - L’Homme Qui N’ Existait Pas   
4. Kourosh Yaghmaei - Leila (Leila) 
5. Ferdi Özbeğen - Aldırma Gönül 
6. Ennio Morricone - Ricordi Tanti Fiori 
7. Morteza Mahjubi - Improvisation in Sigah (Golha-ye Rangarang #193) 
8. Ellya Khadam ,Oma Irama & Orkes Melayu - Sepatu Baru  
9. Dariush - Talaafi

10. Jeanette - El Amor Toca El Violin 
11. Galt Mc Dermott - Space
12. Brenda Ray - Another Dream  
13. Metronomy - Mandibules (main theme)
14. Kosmic 3 - I’m Gonna Pack
15. Little Simz - Who Even Cares 
16. Free The Robots - Welcome To Los Angeles 
17. Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Close to Famous 
18. The Sweet Enoughs - Cerberus

Illustration taken from Yann Damezin's Concerto pour Main Gauche
Thanks: The Gray Area, Gerard, Derya, Graham, Radio Campus Dijon, Arci Subasio.
Stay tuned : SPECIAL Tristes Humanistes #100 Mega Comp' out soon !

va - Bel Épok Djaz ! Haïti Meringue & Early Kompa [1954-1968] - Edition Volkov EV#09

 

va - Bel Épok Djaz ! Haïti Meringue & Early Kompa [1954-1968]

Félix's latest research comp on 50's & 60's haitian music, released on K7 on Edition Volkov last year, and available for download above or streaming below. Wicked stuff!