#104 – Remix O’Clock

Here we go with another roundup of remixes, old and new, that I’ve been listening to over the past week or two. I am going to start with something off the Wugazi mashup album. It’s rare for mashups to be any good at all, let alone comparable with the original songs. Yet somehow Cecil Otter  and Swiss Andy have managed to pull this off. Picking one song off the album is a pretty much impossible task. So rather than simply listening to this one song, head over to www.wugazi.com, download the album and listen to all of the songs. Lots.

Wugazi – Shame On Blue

Having put Rihanna’s latest song up on Sunday I started relistening to a reggae remix of Rude Boy I found ages ago. I don’t have a clue who it’s by, but it’s about as summery as it gets.

Rihanna – Rude Boy (Reggae Remix)

#101 – Animal Farm Told Me To

Have you heard of Animal Farm? And no, I’m not talking about the controversial (one-time banned) George Orwell novel. I’m talking about the Hip Hop group out of Portland, Oregon. If not then fret not. We have got a bit of a treat for you, as the five of them have kindly taken the time to do our little musical interview. But before you get to their choices, listen to their track ‘Test Of Time’ which features Talib Kweli who is easily one of my favourites. This song came to my attention thanks to the daily RCRD LBL mailout some time ago and it’s been getting a steady rotation since. A funky sample and a great lyric/flow adds up to a song that you will listen to plenty! We actually featured it a little while back, but seeing as we’re so generous here’s another listen.

Animal Farm – Test Of Time Feat. Talib Kweli

The guys have just released their newest single and you can listen to it here. If you like it, then follow the link to their Soundcloud page and get it free.

Animal Farm – Culture Shock Feat. Rob Swift

Just after the drop we’ve got the guy’s choices and there are some right good eggs in there. I reckon my favourite is probably Fury’s choice. But I’m a sucker for Q-Tip…

This Is Our Second Podcast

"So why the hell haven't you listened to it yet?"

Part 2 of the soon-to-be world famous Safety, Fun and Learning podcast. We’ve got a song from a band called EMMA this week in the first half. They’re worth a quick mention here as well as a listen when you stream it. A couple of Aussies who are making music that seems sun-infused and lighthearted. They sent around an email with a link in. See, we do listen to them, honest!

Anyway, as usual, give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below…

Safety, Fun & Learning Podcast #2 [Alt]

#54 – X-Force Told Me To

This time it was a deejay called X-Force’s turn to tell me a little about music. He is a bit of a Hip Hop mixologist / aficionado / fan and his first single is out now from all good online retailers. Anyway, anything I can say about him will be bettered by him talking. You can listen to his single up here and then scroll down to listen to his choices…

X-Force’s Theme [Buy]
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Here are my three songs – I could probably name 50 more but these are the main ones that spring to mind! Enjoy.

Public Enemy – Welcome To The Terrordome [Buy]

When I first starting getting into deejaying as a teenager I was buying rooting through some vinyl sleeves when I came across ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ by Public Enemy. I was mainly in to a combination of techno, house and hardcore at the time (around 1992) and the first thing that drew me in was the band’s logo and album artwork. I thought – this just looks badass – lets see if it sounds as good as it looks. Now I’d heard Bring The Noise with Anthrax courtesy of my older brother and loved that and swiftly took the sleeve to the shop owner to play the record for me. Cue best intro ever on an LP, cue Welcome to the Terrordome…WOW… “I got so much trouble on my mind/Refuse to lose!” – my hip hop love affair started at that moment. I think I waited about 20 seconds and I quickly pulled the money out of my pocket fearing someone else in the shop might snap it up before me. For me PE ARE hip hop. No question, no sellout.

#53 – The East Coast Fights Back

After the relative success of last month’s post on West Coast rap by Jimmy, I’ve got the East Coasts’ reply. Actually, I can take very little credit for this. I owe a lot to Josh, Rob, Dave and Jimmy, as they were the ones throwing one good song after another at each other in some kind of friendly, Facebook rap war. After the dust had settled and the empty casings hit the ground, 19 songs had been put up. Here are my picks of the bunch. Guys, thank you.

Cormega – Beautiful Mind [Buy]

Rakim – When I B On Tha Mic [Buy]

Jay-Z – D’evils [Buy]

#1 – A Bit Of Rap

While wasting some time on the internet the other day (house-hunting online just got boring) I came across some pretty cool bits and bobs. The Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture album came out about 5 years ago now but some of the tracks sounds as good now as they did then. The song Preservation with Aesop Rock and Del the Funky Homosapien fits in really well with the souly, rootsy kind of rap that I’ve been listening to quite a lot at the moment. K’naan, Zion I, The Roots, Amp Live (one half of Zion I) and Aloe Blacc are all in my recent plays. They all seem to be looking for obscure soul samples that they can fit into new beats and talk about their issues over the top of. I think it all works pretty well.

Wu-Tang Clan – Preservation Feat. Aesop Rock and Del The Funky Homosapien

K’naan – Take A Minute