Alert!

One and all, just a quick note to let you all know that beginning next week is July's FmGT Retrospectives Month, and we have a boatload of guest writers and collaborators lined up to give you fresh insight into artists and acts near and dear to their hearts. We're excited to have them here, and look forward to much more cross-pollination in the future. So, apologies for the lack of freshness in the last couple of days, but we've been working hard to prepare for what promises to be a good month in the FmGT labs.

Diverse, far and wide, expansive, expressive, individual, enlightening : FmGT Retrospectives Month is almost here. In the meantime, enjoy yr weekends, and come back to us on Monday for Installment #1 of many.

JT & Silent K.

FmGT: Substance

This is Sissy: TDR's ultimate desk fetish item. You can buy her HERE.

//Sound

Fenix Funk 5
AFX [Aphex Twin]
Chosen Lords
Rephlex : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Aabbesses
Birdy Nam Nam
Birdy Nam Nam
Uncivilized World : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Dayvan Cowboy
Boards of Canada
Trans Canada Highway [EP]
Warp Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Ocean Drive
FPU
Ocean Drive / Crocket's Theme [EP]
Voidcom : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Strange Days [Thievery Corporation mix]
The Doors
Thievery Corporation: Versions
Eighteenth Street : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

8 Men Strong
The Herbaliser
Take London
Ninja Tune : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

// Motion


Birdy Nam Nam earns the rent.
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Six solid tracks and one video to match. This just in: Your Wednesday's just received an upgrade to FmGT-class. Enjoy the leg room. -- Silent K

High Heat

Yesterday
Murs & 9th Wonder
Murs' Revenge
2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Sifting Through Records
Count Bass-D
True Ohio Playas EP
Ultra-Vybe : 2004
[Listen]

Song of Will [Jazzanova Remix]
Eddie Gale
Blue Note Revisited
Blue Note Records : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Kim
Substantial
To this Union a Sun was Born
Dimid Recordings : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Divisions
NOMO
New Tones
Ubiquity : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Keep it On
The Nonce
World Ultimate
Wild West Records : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

Well, today I watched the US team crash out of the World Cup. Sad as it may have been [I wasn't really rooting for them, as you can't take England out of the emigre limey], but it was entirely deserved. No energy today, poor strategy [who the hell comes out in a 5-4-1 formation against a team they need to beat?? What are ya gonna do, beat them with defending?], the substitutions were too late, and Ghana ran them off the park.

They came in overrated, and they leave with their tails between their legs. It's depressing however because I fear football will disappear in this country now for 4 years [you know which football I'm talking about], much like true political discourse seems to vanish in non-election years [zing!].

So, to beat the heat and stave off any musical thirsts, crack this sonic six-pack and drink deep. I haven't got time for much more commentary or insight today, but these tracks should keep the wolf from the door. Enjoy.

EDIT: I will take a little extra time to strongly recommend you check out NOMO. Remember what Antibalas did for 2004? NOMO is the new wave, and they're catching fire. I am planning on hitting their NYC show at the beginning of August, but yeah, they're absolutely worth the further investigation.

Also, FmGT has been occasionally deleting archives [don't fret, we haven't reached 2006 yet], but we are slowly plodding through. Also, July will be the official inaugural FmGT Reruns Month [because it's summertime; who has the time for new shit when they should be outside??], where we'll provide a number of in-depth retrospectives on some artists and bands we know and love [as you do too], including the appearance of some guest writers and FmGT contributors! [Believe me, we're fucken psyched, and you'll like 'em too] There are a few names in the pipeline that look pretty solid, and we are also slowly working on a site revamp [I wish I knew html], and logo action. The summer is here, and we are just getting set. Stay tuned, and please, accompany us through the hottest time of the year.

Beats! Beats! Beats! [Serious double post]

Saffron
MF Doom
Special Herbs 1 & 2
High Times Records : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Beat 6
MF Doom
Special Herbs - The Box Set, Vol. 0-9 [Bonus Disc]
Nature Sounds : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Agrimony
MF Doom
Special Herbs Vols. 3 & 4
Nature Sounds : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Safed Musli
MF Doom
Special Herbs & Spices Vols. 7 & 8
Shaman Works : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Beat 2
9th Wonder
Unreleased Instrumentals Vol. III
??? : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Beat 7
9th Wonder
Unreleased Instrumentals Vol. III
??? : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

If the Papes Come
A Tribe Called Quest
Can I Kick It? 12"
Jive : 1990
[Listen]

Track 11
Diplo & Tripledouble
AEIOU Two - Making Music Your Own
Ultrasound : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Staccato
Double F & J-Dilla
Welcome to Cali
2006?
[Listen]

Artificial Influence [feat. B-1]
Double F & J-Dilla
Welcome to Cali
2006?
[Listen]

Shadow Boxing
The GZA
Liquid Swords Instrumentals
White Label : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

Two Can Win
J-Dilla
Donuts
Stones Throw : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Really no time to stop and ponder, but instead let these tracks sink in for size. There are infinity-plus-one good beats and instrumentals out there, so I felt like slapping together a laundry list of the ones I'm loving most right now.

I know there are a couple of track that are't instrumental or decidedly compact as most of these beats are, but hey, it's my house, my rules. Apologies too for the relative homogeny - I was pushed enough for time that I needed to double-dip on more than one occasion just to get something down here. Regardless, it's 34 minutes and 58 seconds of good times, with no real rhyme or reason except a rare alignment of quality AND quantity. Enjoy. Also, if I screwed up any of the naming/labeling and chronology, let me know so I can put it together properly. Cheers.

EDIT: Whoa, I almost forgot, some probably-unheard work in there from J-Dilla. The excellent Double F is working towards his first full-length solo LP, "King of the Streets" [due to drop in late 2006], and this track comes from his bootleg tribute to the man we all love and miss, Mr. James Yancey. The entire thing is superb, full of the exuberant grooves and ear for tune that Jay Dee furnished us with during his lifetime, and here he is still making hips waggle with this collaboration/inspiration. From what I understand, he produced for Double F on this LP, so I'm not sure as to how deep his physical influence was, but nonetheless it's worth the listen.

EDIT #2: I just realized, it's kinda funny that most of those MF Doom tracks are Track #1s on those LPs.... I guess it's important to always start yr albums strong, right?

A quick one while he's gone

FmGT is going to start deleting archives today, starting way back from the infancy of our site, and from now on tracks will be available for 7 days or so before disappearing like the dodo. I believe Silent K has some treats for later today, so stay tuned.

Unabashed Patriotism

The glory days of 1966

Three Lions '98
Baddiel & Skinner with the Lightning Seeds
[Listen]

Vindaloo
Fat Les
[Listen]

Eat my Goal
Collapsed Lung
[Listen]

Obviously, the world is awash in World Cup fever, and rightly so. I'm sitting with a beer [at 10am], watching every grass-stained minute, and preparing for the big [big in context, of course] England vs. Trinidad/Tobago match in two hours. My boys [yes, I own them] looked a little rough in their opening game against Paraguay, but they did enough to get the 3 points, and will now be looking for a more emphatic performance that befits the three lions on our crest.

Therefore, I present three songs hailing our England lads, all from various stages of previous sporting campaigns. The Baddiel/Skinner track was our "official" anthem for the 1996 European Championships, and the version here is the World Cup '98 "remix", which really doesn't come across that differently but sold well nonetheless. It does contain a truckload of references to English football achievements of the past, but by and large, is a typical chant for those long, lager-soaked summer nights. Baddiel and Skinner are English comedians/soccer pundit types, and their song came along at just the right time. Fat Les tackles the limey obsession with curry after a few pints, and this too became a great drunken chant late into the evening. The final track had a good little funky loop to it, which was quickly undone by bad rapping, but hey, it's a football song, so leave it be. I love all these songs because of what they represent, and I'm leaving my "snobbery" at home for the day!

I will be liveblogging the England match over at the hilarious Deadspin, so come across if yr about and we'll enjoy the game together. Cheers! Eng-er-land!

Visuals

I'm off to a wedding early doors tomorrow morning, so I won't be around until a new week arrives. I have an absolute boatload of stuff to share next week [and I know Silent K has a similar, equally-large amount], but in the meantime, to stave off intense boredom, a couple of music videos.



Dinosaur Jr - Feel the Pain




Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice



The Pharcyde - Drop


[I was definitely inspired by a recent-ish post on Analog Giant to throw up some videos, and that Pharcyde one has to be my all-time favourite.]

Have a good weekend, one and all.

Pop Rocks for Your Ears

[Zeno's, State College PA]

Midnight Birds [Sa-Ra Remix]
Medeski, Martin and Wood
[Listen]

Fill the Be-Bop
The L.O.D. Crew
The Third Unheard : Connecticut Hip-Hop 1979-1983
Stones Throw : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Tokyo
Richard Beirach
[Listen]

Floor Rock
Ohmega Watts
Move!
Ubiquity : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Black Swan
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
XL Recordings : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

[NOTE: Track removed by owner's request.]

One Imma [produced by Madlib]
Aloe Blacc
Shine Through
Stones Throw : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Hey, Hey
Gershon Kingsley
Music to Moog by
Audio Fidelity Records : 1969
[Listen] [Buy]

Christ, I'm more pressed for time than Indiana Jones trying to escape that spike-filled rock room with his blond-haired ladyfriend. I never figured out how they made such a hydraulic room in such a rocky place, but I guess that's what made the bad guys so evil.

Therefore, short and sweet. No verbosity today, just a pallet of sonic color for yr daily paintbrush.

Oh, one last thing: whoever identifies where they've heard that last track before gets a trophy. It shouldn't be too difficult.

Getsuyōbeats

+ Professor Hess & the tasteful punching bag +

That Old Pair Of Jeans
Fatboy Slim
The Greatest Hits - Why Try Harder
Skint : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

At Home in Space
Fila Brazillia
Maim That Tune
Pork Recordings : 1996
[Listen] [Buy]

Sad Sad City
Ghostland Observatory
Paparazzi Lightning
Trashy Moped Recordings : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

The Blend
The Herbaliser
Blow Your Headphones
Ninja Tune : 1997
[Listen] [Buy]

Today
Junkie XL
Today
Ultra Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Luv (Sic) part 3 [Feat. Shingo2]
Nujabes
Modal Soul
Hyde Out Productions : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

It's been a while, eh? Where have I been? I dunno - working, sleeping & brown baggin' it in Union Square for the most part. Somtimes it takes time to digest some tunes for the site. Also been busy working on some FmGT expansions, baby. Announcements for that are coming soon. Of course, we're always open to ideas from you on that front. It's time to drink up your digital 6-pack.

-------

The first Fatboy Slim track that I had "teh" pleasure of wrapping my ears around was the 'Rockafeller Skank'. So, I immediately went out and bought Norman's album, Better Living Through Chemistry - thinking that that 'Funk Soul Brother' song that I heard would be on it. Too bad it wasn't, and I had to wait for You've Come A Long Way Baby to come out as it wasn't available just yet. But, really in retrospect, it wouldn't have mattered if I picked up the second album or not - the first album has always been my favorite. It's a combination of Norman's sound on that album that only truly exists on the first album in addition to those tracks being so firmly associated with my first year at Syracuse-Learning-Institute-of-Mind-Expansion and driving '84 Honda Accords while smoking too many cigarettes. Good thing I quit those. Fatboy Slim on the other hand I have never been able to kick - but, really who would want to? His sound has drastically changed from Big-beat bangers to almost downtempo chillout samplers. It's still solid stuff, but I err on the side of the earlier stuff. Moving on though, it worries me when artists release 'greatest hits' compilations. Sure, celebrating past work is great, but it's too often an indication of the artist slowing down. Still, we've been given a few new beats and rare treats on this one - particularly 'That Old Pair Of Jeans,' which fits very well at the end of the CD. I just hope Norman isn't closing his big beat boutique just yet. Thanks to FmGT correspondant, Chuck, for pointing this one out.

A favorite duo of mine continues to resurface on FmGT - Fila Brazillia - so they're no strangers in these parts. It shouldn't be any different for downtempo G-stone afficianados [I think I've said that before] - Steve Cobby and Dave McSherry's tunes continue to be a large part of the forefront of the chillout sound, right up there with Theivery Corporation. Acts like this keep it fresh, soulfull and avoid the cheese-fest that sources like Sirius Chill have become - Yeah. 'At Home in Space' is a long track that starts out slow and easy, not truly warming it up until about 3:20 elapsed. But when the funk drops you're not doing anything else but diggin' it - kinda like that feeling you get at the moment you light your cigarette: like nothing else exists.

Ghostland Observatory's 'Sad Sad City' came up on Soma FM's Groove Salad KEXP fm last week. [thanks for that correction Bess!] It's a nice indie sounding track with a pop ladden electronic soundscape. I'm definately romanced when something that normally falls into pop-rock is held up by pillars of electronic engineering. This isn't a breaking track or anything - I'm not going to stop what I'm doing when it comes on, but I will enjoy what I'm doing that much more because it's on - and that's why I'm passing it on.

"City to city, state to state, borough to borough..." The lyrcial madness of this track never fails to grip my strings. I've yet to hear anything from The Herbaliser that I've disliked. Ninja Tune is very lucky to have these guys in their arsenal. The Herbaliser takes elements of Funk, Hip-hop & Jazz into a blend that - well let's put it this way, if there was a blend of coffee equivalent to the H sound, we'd be up for a very, very long time. With their roster of remixes, collaborations and guest features, this is a group that's worth the effort of tracking down every single album and paying hard cold cash for it.

I've never been a big fan of Junkie XL. I used to think that he represented the part of electronic music that I didn't really like too much, the small sector that actually does make sense to be called 'electronica' - a catch-all category that's far too ambiguous for it's own good, and thrown around by people who have no clue what they're talking about. Thanks for spreading that name around Mtv, thanks. Still, some tracks fit into the not really Rock, not really Techno, but stuck in some sort of pop-limbo category - like Junkie XL's Elvis themed 'A Little Less Conversation.' That track was great...when it was featured on the american television show 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' but not too far beyond that. The negativity stops there however. 'Racquet-ball Raoul' tipped me off to the recent Junkie XL album - it's an okay listen. Really though, the title track 'Today' is the only track worth the digestion time. Tom Holkenberg has done an excellent job emulating New Order here, with the veiny guitar and Nathan Mader's vocals. I only like this track because I really like New Order. It's an excellent track for that extra motivation you might need on the treadmill - but after a few plays, I'd rather toss on 'Crystal' or even Hybrid's 'True to Form.' Looks like I just wrote more about a track that I don't like that much than I did about tracks that I do like. Don't get me wrong, this one is great for 4 listenings, but don't do it the fifth time - it's better to remember the track as it was when you liked it.

Jun Seba is a Japanese hip-hop deity, right up there with Izanagi & Izanami, except without all of the bringing order to the world thing. Then again, everything feels right under Nujabes' control. His subtle beats and brilliant sample selection make hip-hop beautiful again. Seba has a stake in the ownership of both Guiness Records & Tribe Records. In addition to that, he runs Hyde Out Productions, on which he has released two full albums: the every-song-is-awesome Metaphorical Music & the solid followup, Modal Soul. He's also contributed leaps and bounds to the soundtrack of Samurai Champloo, as well as worked with artists like Five Deez to amazing results. I hope he lets me be his friend on MySpace [half-serious].

Enjoy.

Cripes a-criminy

A Day in the Life
Grant Green
[Listen]

Norwegian Wood
Buddy Rich
[Listen]

Blackbird
Tony Williams
[Listen]

All songs taken from:
Blue Note Plays the Beatles
Blue Note : 2004
[Buy]

I've been listening to these for a couple of weeks, and I'm still not sure how I feel about them. That's where you come in, the people: one way or the other, are these good or bad? Respectful or cheesed-up? For the life of me, I haven't been able to decide yet, or whether or not decisions on matters like this are even worth making. Gah!

The Blue Note stable is synonymous with jazz, and here some of the heavy hip horses take their best shots at a litany of classic Beatles tracks. Some strike the mark, while others fall well wild, but a little part of me can't help but think that jazz sometimes strays into areas it shouldn't [see: easy listening/adult contemporary, that dopey elevator shit, the modern jazz club culture, and bumpers for the Weather Channel], and that this might be more of that dicey territory.

Regardless, sacrilegious or not, it's music, it's notes and sounds pushed deep into acetate, and it exists in the physical world for us to pick at and sample. All lily-livered, on-the-fence editorializing aside, take a listen. Blue Note: I still love you.