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The last of the three “bargain bin 12"s”, and possibly my favorite, an apposite example of this whole “dusted” thing I've been mapping out the contours to lately (we're still riding that roller coaster). Existing in those same shadowy chambers as Original Fire and Becoming X, this 12" brings together the two best tracks from … Continue reading Whale – Four Big Speakers (12″ Promo)
Khaleel No Mercy (12" Promo) Hollywood: 1998 Picking up that thread on return to that overcast day in Autumn and a brace of 12"s from Elements, we move from loose-leaf Hard Hands 12"s to the first of the promos. Where Octave One and Anthony Shakir checked in with prime examples of freeform techno soul at … Continue reading Khaleel – No Mercy (12″ Promo)
Bushflange Crossing Point (Hard Hands: 1995) It was an overcast day in Autumn, the Indian Summer heat mingling with the moisture in the air and rainclouds hanging heavy in the sky. You'd almost think you were in San Juan if you lost track of time and space, cruising somewhere on the north side of the … Continue reading Bushflange – Crossing Point
Bunny Wailer Blackheart Man (Island: 1976) Just last month, the great Bunny Wailer passed away. The last of The Wailers, he continued to loom large over the musical landscape when I was coming up, a legendary figure alongside other great roots singers like Burning Spear, Max Romeo, and Junior Byles. His old sparring partners Peter … Continue reading Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man
With the sun hanging like heavy metal fruit in the afternoon sky, there’s no question that summer has finally arrived. With the dawning of summer’s heat, the time has come for planting new shoots into the desert tropical, fractal rows of banana trees, palms, ferns, and cacti playing off one another from north to southwest … Continue reading Garden Grooves 008
Cresting into the dawning days of springtime, the last frost retreats into the shadows and the culling of the winter weeds. A towering stack of records nestled under the marquee, waiting in the cool of the morning shade, ready to accompany the landscape/ing as the lingering cold slowly recedes beneath the warm rays of the … Continue reading Garden Grooves 007
The year of the album I'd already been working on this little list for awhile now, the concept swirling around in the back of my mind for years (much like the Metal Beat 15 had been). In fact, I was originally planning to post this last weekend, but various real world concerns only pushed it … Continue reading 1988
In a similar spirit to last year, the list crew decided to put together a chart around a specific year. Last year was my call, so I chose 1997 for its pivotal significance in my own musical life (after all, it's the year I tripped and fell into the wonderful world of beats in the … Continue reading 25 From 91
Genaside II Narra Mine/Sirens Of Acre Lane Hardcore Urban Music 1991 Genocide makes me nervous, genocide makes me nervous, genocide makes me..." So begins the record, with a snatch of wordplay from Guru — taken from Gang Starr's Beyond Comprehension — retooled here as a rallying cry for the hardest crew in jungle. That this play of signifiers makes … Continue reading Genaside II – Narra Mine
Bristol's sage of the six-string Ah yes, all the true Bristol heads know what time it is. During the era of Blue Lines and Bass Is Maternal, the name Rob Chant would crop up in the credits for a whole raft of killer sessions to emerge from the city, a reliable indicator of fascinating sounds … Continue reading Rob Chant