Marley gift

Damian, the youngest son of Bob Marley in a homely, motivating tune.

track's info
Damian Marley - Living it up
Stony Hill
Republic Records 2017

Groovy pikrodafni

Truth is I'm not into traditional Greek music. I may like some pieces here and there, especially some polyphonic ones from Epirus, but I don't really have a special interest in this kind of music. "Pikrodafni", though, is one of those tunes, which I must say I loved when listening to it from a jazzy point of view by a kickass Greek group, Mode Plagal.

Up till yesterday, that was my favorite version. Until I got my hands (ears) on this groovy piece of music by another freaking talented Greek ensemble, On The Road.

Whatever shit we're into in this country, these are stuff to be proud of.

track's info:
Στης πικροδάφνης τον ανθό (traditional Greek song)
1. Mode Plagal version
2. On The Road version

Checklist

Playful piano, check.
Groovy beat, check.
Nice put together vocals, check.
Great bass, check.
French touch, check.



Now try to keep the volume down.
Not possible.

track's info: 
FKJ - Instant Need
Time for a change EP
Roche Musique 2013

Power

Spring time with a groovy sound attached to a powerful beat by KS French.



KS French wins the groovy game every freaking time. Thumbs up.

track's info: 
KS French - Mr. Sweetness
Rawsoul Edits Vol.3
FKR 2016

Ouch!

This is what I call super-dirty, wicked, serious piece of groove.



It has some fades in it, but remains freaking hot throughout.

track's info:
Dave Allison - Basement Jazz
2016

Still funkin'

Funkanomics is a three member group from South Germany with a totally funked-up style, blending funk with other stuff like hip hop and whatever suits best in their funkadelic mind and ear.



Hit the free download button, burn a funk cd startin' with this and start drivin'. When all goes wrong, funk is the solution and these dudes seem to know what they’re doin’. Eyes on the road, ears on the music. That's all you need. 

track's info:
Funkanomics-Linda and the funky boys
2015

Groovy jam

Now that winter time makes our nights longer, let's make good use of them.



Had something else other than groovy piano, funky drums, delicate bass and smooth trumpet in mind?

*Check out The NCY Milky Band page here, where you'll find tunes that cause ear to ear smiles and go back to a previous post of mine here where you'll dig out the work of Le Serveur, one of the bands talented members.  

track's info:
The NCY Milky Band - Lynx Jam (AJ Remix) 
2014

Nothing wrong with groovin'

Don’t you just love it when you have a favorite song and you feel like it’s only yours and the world doesn’t know and doesn’t care about it, because they ‘d rather listen to Lady Gaga or that other chick, Lana Del Ray or whatever? Yeah, you love it. But the greatest part is when you listen to that favorite song of yours, outside in public, out of the blue, in a bar or a club or a place where someone else selected and pressed play to it and not you. Something that doesn't happen often for me and when it does, I find myself thinking that this world as we know it, may be coming to an end.

A couple of months ago I attended a street culture bazaar with handmade creations, helping a friend (Rthens) set up his stand and showcase his inspired jewelry -actually I attended this Street Culture Bazaar, which I hope I ‘ll get a chance to attend again in the future, cause I really enjoyed it. Sunday night and as the bazaar was coming to an end, people were packing up their stuff, maybe having one last beer and trying to get a ride home, this song filled the whole place.

                                           
 
Absolutely nothing changed when that happened, people continued to pack their stuff, have one last sip and search for a ride mate, except for one person (guess who) who almost had a heart attack with the first notes. I adored that song from the very first time it caught my attention from the Gilles Peterson & Norman Jay - Desert Island Mix and I believe I’ve never had the pleasure to catch this tune out in a public place from the selections of a dj. Till that minute.

The world is still there, but I must admit I had a moment. My moment.

Thank you espeekay for that moment.

(Don't forget to push the play -or the free download- button to this, from espeekay's soundcloud page, to enjoy his... mating rhythms)



tracks' info:
-Letta Mbulu - What is wrong with groovin' 
Jazzman Records

also found in Gilles Peterson & Norman Jay - Desert Island Mix
Journeys by Dj 1997

Thrillin' memories

Maybe it's not considered cool to be in your thirties and still attempt to moonwalk with the first notes of "Billie Jean" or have a few Michael Jackson cds lying around your car's back seat, but I don't give a shit. Leavin' all the "You are not alone" crap aside (sorry, I could yawn forever with this one and some others I must admit), Michael Jackson was one of the artists that have kept me company with their music from the age of 3 until today and is also one of the few artists that can time travel me - I can honestly feel, smell and see the world through my 10-year-old self when I chill with the songs I used to love back then - and I loved them.

I ain't gonna talk about his achievements, cause I don't really care that "Thriller", for example, is the best-selling album of all time - I would have loved it anyway. What I want to say is that I carry a pretty heavy music luggage my whole life, which is getting bigger and bigger as I grow and still consider music as the greatest part of my essence. And this luggage has one hell of a lot of Michael Jackson in it.

                                             

Such music and feeling couldn't of course leave today's producers untouched.

So here's to Michael Jackson who's done his part on the world's music history, who has spent almost 45 of his 50 years of life singing or putting notes together, who's managed to get us off the chairs and start dancing like we never did before secretly in our rooms and who sadly left us 4 years ago, while we were still trying to capture the perfect moonwalk to his sounds.

tracks' info:
-Beat it
Thriller 
Epic 1982

-Baby be mine
Thriller
Epic 1982

-Ain't no sunshine
Got to be there
Motown 1972

-Pretty young thing
Thriller 
Epic 1982

-Rock with you
Off the wall
Epic 1979

-Off the wall
Off the wall 
Epic 1979

-Take me back (Regrooved)
Michael Jackson Regrooved
Goodgroove Records 2009

-Off the wall (house remix 2012)
2012

-Baby be mine (Boxed riot edit)
2012

Car-less: the benefits

I’m almost 40 days without a car – I’m getting it back, God knows in what condition, in a few days, having seriously experienced the "two weeks" line from the "Money Pit" all this time (but instead of "two weeks", the line I got in repetition was "next week" or "in a couple of days").

by Vashta-Nerada91

Through this month+, I walked and walked and WALKED, I saved money from gas, I didn’t get stuck in traffic inside this flaming box among hasty drivers inside other flaming boxes who have lost all their hearing ability from the constant sound of their horn and I spent more time at home (I think) than usual. That gave me the opportunity to do a little bit more music searching and find some really good stuff out there (some fresh, some older) – which I would have found anyway, but maybe later (it was meant to be, I’m sure). And because what good is anything if you can’t share it –and hopefully engender the same enthusiasm you had to others- I’m placing my favorite findings below. Can't wait to get my car back and listen to all of them in a volume that could wake up the prawns from "District 9" at their home base.

Midnight Lab Band - Time waits for no man

Keith Mansfield - Crash Course (waian re-edit) free download

Ks French - Can't have your cake (Ks french edit)

Ks French - Angel Pocket (Ks French edit) free download (hurry)

Fingerman - The happy track 

Fraicheur - Promise your love free download

Ash Reynolds - What's missing free download

Evelyn Thomas - Heartless (The Owl's slomo disco dub)

Willie Beaver - Party times (Dope Beasts freebie edit)

and of course the whole EP from Disco B and Nicko Marineli (which I have already mentioned) which constis of:
Heartless
Bar K
French bomb
Serena must dance

tracks' info:
-Midnight Lab Band - Time waits for no man
white label
Names you can trust 2009

-Keith Mansfield - Crash Course (waian re-edit)
Strut Records 2013

-Ks French - Can't have your cake (Ks French edit)
2013

-Ks French - Angel Pocket (Ks French edit)
2013

-Fingerman - The happy track
Disko Selectors 2nd Anniversary (free compilation)
Disko! collective 2013

-Fraicheur - Promise your love
2013

-Ash Reynolds - What's missing
2013

-Evelyn Thoms - Heartless (The Owl's slomo disco dub)
2011

-Willie Beaver - Party time (Dope Beasts freebie edit)
2013

-Disco B & Nicko Marineli
Late Night Boogie EP
Los Grandes Records 2013 

Woman deconstruction

It seems (and sounds) that what a woman means and what she needs are two different things (ok, so far that's not exactly brand new information). The thing is that the second is being inspired by the first. Before you make your wtf? face, Freddie Joachim has something to say about a woman's needs.

 

Donny Hathaway has his own point of view about what a woman really means and if I judge by the comments below the video (e.g. "If he were still alive, let's just say I would be chasing him") he's right on.

Hathaway's song never made it to the "Extension of a man" album back in 1973, but Roberta Flack (with whom he counts multiple duets) released it in 1978 (with more of a groovy feeling, but if you ask me, Donny's version sounds more complete -at least for those of us who don't yawn with a little bit more romance). About 27 years after his death in 1979, it was released in a compilation with previously unreleased tracks by Atlantic artists. Freddie Joachim obviously felt inspired by this tune and came up with a contemporary view on the woman's needs.

If you like Freddie Joachim's sound, check out his soundcloud page here (personal favorite these last days: "To remind us" feat. Miles Bonny) and here you can download for free his "Dust" EP with "What a woman really needs" in it. If Hathaway is more like your kind of guy, search for the 4CD box set "Someday we'll all be free" (2010) with remastered recordings from this full of soul artist, along with previously unreleased tracks.

tracks' info:
-Donny Hathaway - What a woman really means
Various – Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Brothers 
Atlantic 2006

-Freddie Joachim - What a woman really needs
Dust EP
Mellow Orange Music 2010

Ready, set, groove!

If you 're into soul music, you search for rare grooves, you reach ecstasy with voices like that of Willie Hutch, Minnie Riperton, Betty Wright and so on (I could go on for the next 2 hours at least) or you just look for the perfect soundtrack to... seduce your significant other, I believe I'm about to make your day - or night.

Rare grooves and modern soul flavours is a weekly radio show presented by Paul Collins on solar radio and if my memory doesn't play tricks on me, it's been over 3 years since I randomly found out about it on the internet.

Paul Collins does a really great job selecting and presenting grooves that are not only rare, but can root deeply into your soul -and your player. As if that's not enough, he also avoids doing the "trick" that most radio producers do, playing the same 5 tunes over and over again on each show. He carefully selects tracks that haven't been heard previously and although the infinity of music can't be doubted, you can imagine how hard it can be to constantly dig for tracks that you haven't played before, that are rare, 3-4 minutes long (tops) and at the same time that can make a 2 hours long show leave you bowled over.

Through "Rare grooves and modern soul flavours" I' ve found and loved songs like Elvin Spencer's - "Lift this hurt", Love & friendship - "Firefly", Emmett Garner jr - "So much better", Tomorrow's men - Who's that lady" and lots lots lots of others, while I do have my own personal favorite show which goes back in June 2010 (you can listen to it here).

Now that your speakers have got soul, I think I'm gonna pay my respects to Paul Collins - something I should have done years ago.

Thank you Mr. Collins, whoever you are.

radio show: Rare grooves and modern soul flavours
presented by Paul Collins, every Wednesday 20.00-22.00 GMT on Solar radio