Back to the 90's: Fila Brazillia

Fila Brazillia, groupe composé de Steve Cobby et Dave McSherry, était le fer de lance du label anglais Pork.

Sa musique, bien qu'essentiellement électronique, se démarquait des productions d'alors par la présence de parties acoustiques et live jouées par ses deux membres, également batteur et guitariste, rendant leur son beaucoup plus chaleureux.
Mais surtout une inventivité jamais égalée dans leur quête et leur vision très personnelle du groove.

Ce groupe hors norme, aujourd'hui séparé, a su renouveler sa musique sur une dizaine d'albums, produits entre 1994 et 2004. Des titres plein de non-sense accompagnaient leurs pochettes improbables (papier peint à fleurs, peinture de petit lapin en forêt,...) souvent réalisées par les Designers Republic.
 et a brazillifié en plus de 80 remixes, des stars internationales (Simple Minds, Busta Rhymes, Black Uhuru), la crème des musiques électroniques (Tosca, Sven Väth, The Orb) ou des groupes plus anecdotiques à la carrière fulgurante.

Difficile de résumer une production si prolifique en un seul morceau. Alors je vous propose celui qui m'a fait les découvrir, grâce à la programmation de Gilb'r sur Radio Nova. Ce remix pour Fluke, Tosh (Nosh), est avec son groove imparable la démonstration parfaite de leur Fila Funk.

Pour l'anecdote, le maxi m'a ensuite été offert par Steve Cobby lors d'une soirée Pork au Rex Club en 1998. Ce fut l'unique venue de Fila Brazillia à Paris.

Talentueux, ouverts, généreux... Qu'attendre de plus de musiciens et de leur musique ?

Francois K.: Essential Mix

Here's a truely essential mix by the living legend Francois Kevorkian. The French born François K. started dejaying in nyc's underground clubs in 1976. Since then he crossed the decades as a talented dj & producer in New York and all over the world.

Read about how essential Francois K.is on cieloclub.com.

Hear him live every monday at his Deep Space residency.

And listen to François Kevorkian's essential mix right now!

Jota Playlist: InnerCity Blues

Tracklist:

01. Kool & the Gang - Summer Madness

02. Placebo - Inner City Blues

03. Marvin Gaye - Whats Goin On

04. Bill Withers - Ruby Lee

05. William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got

06. Willie Hutch - Brother's Gonna Work It Out

07. Curtis Mayfield - Little Child Runnin' Wild

08. Donny Hathaway - Little Ghetto Boy

09. Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle

10. Donny Hathaway - The Ghetto

11. War - The World Is A Ghetto (Special all new instrumental Version)

Get the playlist mixed, unmixed or listen now!

16 Ways to Light My Fire

So, you like The Doors' classic "Light My Fire"? The way Jim Morrison sings and screams, the way the music takes you up and down. Now, forget it all! This selection is made out of sweet and slow covers, more in a soulful way with Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band, in a latin way with Julie London or Billy Larkin & The Delegates, totally indianized by Master Ananda Shankar and his sitar, sounding like a James Bond theme with Johnny Harris, Shirley Bassey and Booster or even a happy funky movie soundtrack by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Erma Franklin (yes, the elder sister of Aretha) and Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger & The Trinity did the raw funk part of the job. Massive Attack & Mc Horace Andy, Minnie Ripperton, Jose Feliciano, H.P.B. Mix did their own version, also available in this playlist.

If it wasn't enough, some others like Isaac Hayes, Nancy Sinatra, The Four Tops or Al Green played that tune too. It will soon be added to the selection. And if you still want to hear Jimmy screaming, you'll find as a bonus track a 10mn live version by The Doors.

update: 6  new versions added to the playlist. Now that makes 22 ways to light my fire!

Enjoy!

Ron Trent & Chez Damier: RadioFG mix

Here's an oldschool house mix by legendary dj's and producers Ron Trent & Chez Damier, recorded on Parisian radio FG in 1993. Nowadays, FG sadly became a traditional radio airing bitchy eurodance and r'n'b. In the early 90's, when it still was "La radio des scotchés" (that barely means "radio for fucked up people"!), Fréquence Gaie was the first radio in Paris exclusively dedicated to technobeat & house music... and to the gay community. Listening to 98.2 was also the only way to know about parties in and around Paris. But this is another story.

Enjoy!

2 Legends exploring future

Herbie Hancock & Quincy Jones jamming with the Fairlight CMI

Jota Playlist: Gimme Your Love

Tracklist:

01. Minnie Riperton -
      Baby, This Love I Have

02. Faze-O - Riding high

03. Ramp -
      Everybody Loves the Sunshine

04. Matthew Larkin Cassell - Heaven

05. Minnie Riperton - Inside My Love

06. Deniece Williams - Free

07. Isaac Hayes - Walk on by

08. Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love

09. Gwen McCrae - 90% of me is you

10. Leon Haywood - I Want'a Do Something Freaky To You

11. James Brown - Sunny

12. Minnie Riperton - Lovin' You

Get the playlist mixed, unmixed or listen now!

Laurent Garnier: Birthday mixes

To celebrate one of the best dj's birthday, here are 2 mixes by Monsieur Laurent Garnier.

It was recorded in London at The End 12th birthday party (2007) and in Paris Rex Club for his own birthday in 2002.

Enjoy!

That's the break !

International B-Boys in action :

Pioneer B-boys, NYC Breakerz vs Rock Steady Crew :

Jota Playlist: Back 2 the Old Skool!

The Bronx, Summer 1973. During a pre-school party in a building, the room becomes to small to contain the crowd. A jamaican born Dj decide to move the party down the street, hot wire a light for pole juice to power up his speakers and 2 turntables. We can hear music in the streets and see b-boys & b-girls dancing on the funky beats.
Same time, same neighborhood. After a visit in Africa, a gang leader from the Bronx River Projects decides to use his street leadership to turn those involved in gang life into something positive and creates the Zulu Nation, based on the spreading of knowledge, peace, heritage, music and awarness.

Thanks to Dj Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, along with all the pioneers, Hip-Hop was born!

New-York, 2009. Several parties and meetings are held to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Hip-Hop culture (and 36th of the Zulu Nation). I was luckily at one of those parties in Manhattan. The list of mc's and dj's being there was just amazing. Legends such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmixer D. ST., The Cold Crush Brothers, Dj Jazzy Jay, B-Side, Grandmaster Melle Mel,... and also Naughty by Nature coming on stage for 3 of their classic trax.
I wanted to celebrate Hip-Hop my way and be thankful to all the pioneers by spreading the message with this fine selection of early hip-hop cuts. Supa mc's, grandmixers & grandmasters at the control. Electro-funk, raw breaks & intergalactic keys. Everything was already there, back in the 80's.

Original picture by Joe Conzo at the Zulu Nation Anniversary in Bronx River, 1981.
From left to right: Tony Tone, Afrika Bambaataa & Busy Bee (!).

Jota Selecta's Back 2 the Old Skool!
Tracklist:
01. B-Side - Change the Beat (Original)
02. Futura 2000 (Ft The Clash) - The Escapades of Futura 2000
03. Grandmixer D. ST. - Cuts It Up
04. Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock (Original Twelve Inch Version)
05. Rock Master Scott And The Dynamic Three - The Roof Is On Fire
06. MC Shan - The Bridge
07. LL Cool J - I Need A Beat
08. GLOBE and Whiz Kid - Play That Beat Mr DJ
09. Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
10. Xanadu and Sweet Lady - Rapper's delight
11. Bonus track: Grandmixer D. ST. - Megamix II: Why Is It Fresh?



Grandmasters' Extras:
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
Grandmaster Flash - Jesse
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
Grandmaster Master Melle Mel & The Furious Five - Beat Street
Grandmaster Flash - Wheels of Steel

Enjoy!