In The Pocket: May 2011

30 May 2011

George FM Playlist Monday 30 May "In The Driver's Pocket"

29 May 2011

George FM Playlist Sunday 29 May "In The Pocket with 90"

27 May 2011

George FM Playlist Friday 27 May "In The Selectah's Pocket"

I had great fun covering for Karn Hall on the George FM Selectah show today, and even managed to squeeze in a bunch of tunes from my own selection! Alas, there was no playlist taken, as such, but my share of the tunes came from this selection below:

Spandau v Peaches | Shake Yr Ballet
Al Green | Piece Of Mine (Jayl Funk edit)
East Coast | The Rock
Gazeebo | You Ain't So Tuff
Holy Ghost! | Hold On (Blackjoy remix)
Homework | Hold Me Tight
Andy Ash | Freak
Starsgarage | The Massage
Superbreak | Body Bait (Superbreak Disco mix)
Rayko | Gettin' Down

...and if you enjoyed those I strongly suggest you get on down to The Third & Social THIS Saturday night for Bump n' Hustle, alongside my good mates Murry Sweetpants and Jay Jeffrey.

25 May 2011

Classic Review: Nightmares On Wax 'Smokers Delight'

NIGHTMARES ON WAX
Smokers Delight
[Warp]

Despite the liner notes by Nightmares On Wax aka George Evelyn himself asking that the music found on Smokers Delight should not be considered trip hop, this album is the benchmark - if not the blueprint - for that genre. Mind you, back in 1995 when this stone cold classic was originally released, trip hop music wasn't yet de riguer in cafes, hair salons and hotel lobbies worldwide. Smokers Delight was the second album from Nightmares On Wax, following a more dance floor-oriented debut, Word Of Science. For the follow up though, Evelyn got to experimenting with trip hop - which is essentially hip hop with deeper soul and less rapping. With its rubbery bass lines, low-slung funk, meandering, jazzy guitar patterns and slow-motion chocolate-smothered grooves, Smokers Delight is often described as sophisticated stoner music, but that's merely lazy alliteration. This remains an all-time classic of contemporary instrumental music and an essential album.

5 stars from 5

24 May 2011

Bumps

The next in an incredibly irregular series I like to call 'Bumps' features a tasty track from the producer Jayl Funk entitled Piece Of Mine, which samples Al Green's track All Because, from his Al Green Gets Next To You album. Check out the link on the *bump* and enjoy!

22 May 2011

George FM Playlist 22nd May "The Rapture Special" In The Pocket with 90

17 May 2011

Review: Pikachunes 'Pikachunes'

PIKACHUNES
Pikachunes
[Lil' Chief Records]

'Taking drugs in the afternoon / spending lazy Sundays drinking brews / party party every night / being with you makes me feel alright'. The self-titled debut album from one-mand-band Pikachunes aka Miles McDougall is anything but the usual twee-pop offering from the slept-on (but, very twee) Lil' Chief label. Quite the opposite in fact: this is almost impossible to listen to during daylight, revealing its true character only under cover of darkness (preferably from the midst of a dense and sweaty dance floor). Despite this, a strong pop sensibility nestles comfortably alongside a severely stripped back simplicity, eliciting feelings of desperate longing and an enticing darkness both implicit and unspoken. This hypnotic blend is at its most potent on lead single Nervous, which sounds like LCD Soundsystem fronted by Bernard Sumner or that guy from The National. Make no mistake, this is one-trick-pony material - but, oh! what a trick!

3 stars from 5

16 May 2011

Review: Sergio Dias with Tahiti Boy & The Palmtree Family 'We Are The Lilies'

SERGIO DIAS with TAHITI BOY & THE PALMTREE FAMILY
We Are The Lilies
[Third Side / V2]

We Are The Lilies is the result of a collaboration between Parisian outfit Tahiti Boy and The Palmtree Family, and Sergio Dias, founder of 1960/70s Brazilian psychedelic group Os Mutantes. The album was apparently written in five days and recorded in four, and that loose, live feel adds to the overwhelming sense of sheer fun which pervades every groove. We Are The Lilies is jam-packed with ideas; song structures blown apart by bursts of brass, guitars, sitars, organ and banks of percussion, as well as guest appearances from Iggy Pop and Jane Birkin. It's as if The Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend were in a pinball battle with The Beach Boys and Frank Zappa. Dizzyingly experimental and wildly acid-drenched, We Are The Lilies is one of three things: a boldly ambitious masterpiece; an incredibly joyful celebration of collaboration; or simply a deliciously disparate guilty pleasure. You be the judge.

3 stars from 5

Review reprinted courtesy of the Waikato Times

15 May 2011

George FM Playlist Sunday 15th May "In The Pocket with 90"

11 May 2011

Sick Disco Presents Into The Night

Into The Night
With Bevan Keys, DJ Philippa, Logan Baker and Made Of Horror
And Sweetpants & 90 hosting the Kitchen Party
10pm Saturday 14 May
Cassette #9
$10 on the Door

George FM Playlist Wed 11 May "Play It All In The Back Pocket with 90"

10 May 2011

Review: Little Bushman 'Te Oranga'

LITTLE BUSHMAN
Te Oranga
[Little Bushman]

Little Bushman often reference Jimi Hendrix as one of their bigger influences; but it's really his warrior spirit they seek to rouse with their gloriously orchestral cacophony of '60s psychedelic rock, lyrical folk and Maoritanga blues - and saying you sound like Hawkwind isn't anywhere near as cool, eh bro. Te Oranga is the difficult third album from the four-piece led by Warren Maxwell, surely already an official NZ music legend having also fronted Trinity Roots and played with Fat Freddys Drop. With a gentler approach than 2007's grandiose Pendulum, Te Oranga blends the song craft of The Beatles, the widescreen vision of Pink Floyd and the playing power of Led Zeppelin. Their Achilles heel is a tendency to sound like they're taking themselves very seriously, a major failing of many psych- and prog-rock bands. Happily, this occurs infrequently enough for Te Oranga to stand proudly alongside Maxwell's earlier work.

3 stars from 5

Goin' Places

Goin' Places
With Sweetpants & 90
Alternating Fridays
From 9.30pm 'til close
New Bond Street Bar
429 New North Rd, Kingsland
Get amongst!

09 May 2011

Classic Review: Butch Cassidy Sound System 'Butches Brew'

BUTCH CASSIDY SOUND SYSTEM
Butches Brew
[Fenetik]

(Originally released in 2004)

Butches Brew is the definition of a cult classic. The debut album from Butch Cassidy Sound System aka Glaswegian musician, writer and producer Michael Hunter is adored by those in the know - and equally impressive for first time listeners. After seven years recording for labels like Good Looking Records, Guidance and his brother's Red Hook Imprint as Pablo, Hunter began work on a project fusing his obsessino for rare breaks, hip hop and early '70s soul and jazz, with roots reggae. The diverse, fascinating and hugely enjoyable romp Butches Brew is the result: packed with vintage instruments, organic sounds, clever production - and above all else excellent songs - the album set a benchmark few have bettered. Highlights are many, but worthy of mention are storming house-tempo opener Brothers And Sisters; chillout masterclass Standing On; the rollicking title track; and a fiendishly funky reggae rub of The Meters' standard Cissy Strut. Timeless.

5 stars from 5
David Carroll

08 May 2011

Mu from Freddys interview in Groove Guide

Pick up a copy of this weeks Groove Guide magazine and have a read of the interview with DJ Mu from Fat Freddy's Drop. It's my first piece of writing for a publication which has been moving from strength to strength under the guidance and editorship of that fine fellow Sam Wicks. Get amongst!

George FM Playlist Sunday 8th May "In The Pocket with 90" Mothers Day Special

04 May 2011

Review: Hidden Orchestra 'Night Walks'

HIDDEN ORCHESTRA
Night Walks
[Tru Thoughts]

I cringed when I saw the sticker on the Hidden Orchestra debut album Night Walks. For fans of Zero 7, it says. Oh, really? Those boring bastards are worthy of being name-checked on a sticker? And this from one of my all-time favourite labels, Tru Thoughts? What the hell's going on?! Luckily for my pulse rate, the Edinburgh-based group formerly known as Joe Acheson Quartet doesn't sound much like Zero 7 at all. I hear Bonobo, Clifford Gilberto, Tortoise and classical influences mixed with Morricone and Axelrod, like a 21st century musical version of Alfred Hitchcock. Hidden Orchestra seek to emulate electronic music via acoustic means, utilising traditional live instrumentation, organically assembled samples - and two live drummers. This beguiling blend of hip hop swagger, lush sweeping orchestration and post-rock experimentalism makes for an intense and rewarding listen. Cinematic, emotive, percussive, next generation music. And Zero 7 can piss right off.

4 stars from 5

02 May 2011

George FM Playlist Monday 2nd May "Groovadelica In The Pocket"

Hudson Mohawke | FUSE
Tony Allen | Kilode (Waajeed remix)
Krystal Klear | Tried For Your Love
Wes Coats | Land Of Music
Tony Cook with Dam-Funk | What's On Your Mind
Kanye West | Diamonds (J-Todd's "Gimme The Ice" remix)
Gary Byrd & The G.B. Experience | The Crown
The Gap Band | Beep-A-Freak
Killer Funk Disco Allstars | Supermodels & Sponge (Cake Mosh edit)
Spektrum | Kinda New
dZiham & Kamien with General Santana & Misirli Ahmet | Sliding
Groove Armada with Red Rat & Nappy Roots | Purple Haze
Breakage with Roots Manuva | Run 'Em Out
The Kenneth Bager Experience with Gisli | Fragment One (...And I Kept Hearing)
Icasoul with Capitol A | Givin' It Up
John Arnold with Paul Randolph | Rise Up
Lee McDonald | We've Only Just Begun (TM Juke remix)
Beastie Boys | Make Some Noise
Quantic Soul Orchestra with Spanky Wilson | Don't Joke With A Hungry Man (Diesler edit)

Shouts: to Jason Eli, for letting me cover his Groovadelica show today...