Funset - Live Ragga Pumpkin [2005]

Initially I was going to post The Apples first or Seconf album to mark the release of they're new album Buzzin' About but flatsoulspreading pipped me to the post so here's another awesome Israeli delivery

I first discovered MC Karolina and Funset from the awesome Best Seven compilations (Best seven Selections 1 and 2) - soulful, dubby, nu reggae or something - maybe its just trip hop really - whatever it is I like it. Here's the live version of their album Ragga Pumpkin - not that you'd notice that it's live...

I can't be arsed to rate sellers anymore there's so many legal and illegal sites out there selling mp3's now It would take me a week to check them all.

You can buy Ragga Music and Best Seven's Selections on emusic (that's where I got part 2 and my non-live Ragga Pumpkin!) part 1 was a review copy I got. Let's hope they get more stuff out soon...

http://sharebee.com/40bde5c9

PS the playlists in the folder are wrong so delete them on unpack! (this is a copy I skanked off the net so no wonder they're wrong)

God Made Me Funky - We Can All Be Free [2006]

The Canadian Black Eyes Peas - funky like the name says and just as poppy really but I'm no longer young enough to be anti-pop and given that a large part of the beats and breaks I listen too were the pop of their time I'm unashamed of the fact. So be ready for an R&B flavoured mix of funky light hip-hop and almost serious beats and breaks. They've got a new album out this year (Enter The Beat) which is pretty good and I wanted to post their eponymous debut but I can't find it so you get this instead. If you like Plantlife or UnkleJam or Nu funk you should like this (or at least be pleased to know their sound). Would like to see them live that's for sure - they sound like one of those bands whose sound would carry well off record too...

Purchase: emusic, itunes
Freeloaders: the usual ...... 98facc93

Rephrase - Little Victories [2007]

Arrgh! I've had two opportunities to move permanently to Australia and I waish I has because the music scene there is rocking - I mean I knew about the live band rock scene but little did I realize that the best in dub/reggae/soul is coming from NZ and some hot beats/breakfunk is pouring out from AUS. And here's my sacrificial lamb to represent the Australian quarter. Some great breakfunk and mellow funky house all put together on one album - and even an AGFA remix to round it off.

Get Down, get down under.

Purchase: emusic, juno, itunes

Freeloaders: the usual d6218c3e

Gioachino Rossini - Petite Messe Solonnelle beginning [1863]

I'm getting married this December so I've been attending to my soul a bit more lately and am pleased to say that the C of E has lightened up/modernised a fair bit since my school days (i mean the vicar basically flogged us a DVD called Evan Almighty (it is a good film, mind you) and we even had a hymn to the tune of Dambusters to finish the service on in high spirits. But that was the only good him the rest where solemn latin dirge's that are about as connected with Jesus as capitalism is. And given that Jesus (if nothing else) was at heart a progressive rebel and worldchanger, it's always disappointeed me that his followers are so conservative. Which brings me to this little number, Rossini was an Italian master of Opera but like me (and anyone sane) he thought church needed jazzing up a little bit and so he created this take on mass. And boy is it so much better than anything less modern than a 20th century gospel choir of course whether or not its for you may depend on how against religion you are but Rossini said it best when discussing the work:

Have I just written music for the blessed or just some blessed music?

I'd say both, you?

Purchase: emusic, amazon, 7digital

Freeloaders: sharebee 9fd05937

All Good Funk Alliance - On The One [2005]

Often overshadowed by Washington DCs awesome Fort Knox Five, the All Good Funk Alliance have done some crisp tracks and remixes too and I've done my best to badger all my DJ friends into filling their BreakFunk stockings with AGFA and FKF. Sadly for them trawling the web for AGFA's albums defeated them until now (tunestop had one I think) and whilst their best tracks and mixes feature on many compilations there's nothing quite like an album to get you loving a group the way you should. 21st century funk to be sure and well worth purchase price from emusic.

Purchase: emusic
Freeloaders: sharebee da42cc3b

Lightnin' Rod - Hustler's Convention [1973]

Back in the days of yore (90s) I picked up a mix tape (yup a tape) from a clothes shop called Driver in Northampton - the tape played out with a fantastic tale of a 70s style hustler - prototypical rap over funky backing tracks - but I never found out how the tale ended. I didn't know the name or the artist and back in those Compuserve days it certainly didn't exist in the interweb. Later on I asked a few DJs and they reckoned it must have been Iceberg Slim but that was a dead end. Finally Google rescued me when I finally decided that if it was about a hustler going to a convention a good search would be Hustler Convention and combined with the amazing back catalogues on emusic I was released from purgatory and finally owned this album. Some may find it only a one listen wonder but a wonder it is nonetheless.

Purchase: emusic

Freeloaders: sharebee 7a897567

Cleveland Watkiss - Victory's Happy Songbook [2002]

You'll probably have heard Cleveland Watkiss's voice already (he gets around) but his album is a rare example of how a more or less entire album dedicated to God can still be interesting, contemporary and a pleasure to listen to even if you don't share the singer's spiritual sentiments. Soulful in every sense of the word, a solo album by this guy was long overdue

mp3: plong emusic(US)
Freeloaders: sharebee 223fc6bb

Digital Jockey - Codeine Dub [2005]

Another real musician here - piano, Terry Armstrong's amazing voice, a classical vibe and sincere dub sounds . High culture dub reggae soul? - it can't get much better than this. Damn those Germans make some good music when they're not into techno/rap/Hasslehoff

Mp3 purchase: juno, emusic

Freeloaders: filefactory 773b4f

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information [1974]

In his Dad's shadow Shuggie is a definitive underscovered artist who has been re-released in the 00s (so as usual shouldn't really be here!), he is apparently still kicking it with his Dad stateside. This guy was a musical polymath from production to experimentation - check him out you won't regret it and if you do you're probably in the wrong place!

Mp3 Purchase: emusic mp3fiesta itunes
Freeloaders: megaupload 9ISJRK8H