PODCAST: Jus Like Music Volume 33

Photo by Nadia Lavard.

The first JLM podcast since I hit the sunny shores of England, and here it is, Volume 33! Another 22 track monster for you, this one is just shy of 1h10m long and contains tracks from; Rox, Guilty Simpson, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Miles Bonny and some brand new material from Fat Freddy’s Drop. Mixed vibe on this one (like most of the rest really!), it goes from pop to beats to soul to darker beats and then finishes with some more laid back pieces.

Podcast RSS feed URL

Volume 33 tracklisting:

01. Rox – My Baby Left Me
02. The Jivers – Do What feat. Anqui
03. Lunice – Just Loosen Up
04. KenLo Craqnuques – LLL’s Feelosophie
05. Ghost – From The Beginning
06. Guilty Simpson – Stress
07. Juice Aleem – You Shut The Fuck Up
08. M64 – In The Pocket
09. Sa-Ra Creative Partners – I Swear (feat. Noni Limar)
10. Constrobuz – Before My Eyes
11. Circle Research – Stop, Look … Listen to Your Heart
12. Ocuban – Phylum
13. Miles Bonny – Fela
14. eLan – Royal Blue
15. Hi-Res – Brothaships
16. Low Limit – Inspirational Jumpsuit
17. Jamie Vexd – Radiant Industry
18. Joker – Untitled_rsn
19. Fat Freddy’s Drop – Big BW
20. Nujabes – Child’s Attraction
21. Gary Bartz – Gentle Smiles (Saxy) (DJ Day sax-less edit 1)
22. Fink – Sort Of Revolution (The Cinematic Orchestra Radio Edit)

I hope you enjoy it!

mp3: Sa-Ra Creative Partners – I Swear (feat. Noni Limar)

VIDEO: Michael Jackson tribute by Dwele

This is absolutely stunning…

Detroit soul man, Dwele, had a spare 45 minutes at home and decided to make an impromptu dedication to Michael Jackson in the form of the above video. As you can see, Dwele used a whole array of instruments and gadgets to loop up the various parts of Michael Jackson’s track Human Nature, and the result is simply beautiful.

mp3: Michael Jackson – Human Nature

mp3: Dwele – Without You (Live)

R.I.P. Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Rest In Peace Michael Joseph Jackson, born in Gary, Indiana (August 29, 1958) and tragically passed in Los Angeles, California (June 25, 2009).

Details are currently vague, but what is known is that paramedics were called to his Beverley Hills home around midday Thursday after reports that Michael had stopped breathing. Two hours later, after many attempts to resuscitate him proved fruitless, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA medical center. He was believed to have suffered cardiac arrest.

This is absolutely awful news. Some media outlets are choosing to focus on Michael’s controversial past, but one thing that is undeniable is what a musical legend Michael Jackson was. Michael Jackson and his music will be passed down to, and talked about to, your grandchildren’s grandchildren. From that eleven year old boy starting out with Jackson 5, to that 50 year old man about to embark on a huge run of shows at London’s O2 arena, he truly has been the King of Pop. If anything good can come of this upsetting news, I hope it is that the younger generations will now take the time to explore his back-catalogue and realise the genius of records like Off The Wall.

A legend has passed.

mp3: Michael Jackson – Ain’t No Sunshine

mp3: The Jacksons – Never Can Say Goodbye

GIG: The Doctor’s Orders 4th Birthday Spectacular

On Friday 3rd July at Herbal (10-14 Kingsland Rd, London E2) The Doctor’s Orders will be celebrating their 4th birthday, in association with King Apparel. And what better way to celebrate four years of being one of London’s premier regular hip-hop nights than with live performances from Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat & Big Tone, as well as DJ support from DJ Vadim, Spin Doctor, Paul White & DJ Khalaas! The night runs from 9pm to 3am and you can grab your advanced tickets (just £7) right now from TicketWeb.

Don’t miss your chance to catch Detroit’s finest emcees live and direct in England’s good capital, as well as Doctor’s Orders resident stalwart Spin Doctor, the Russian Percussion DJ Vadim and One-Handed beat-master Paul White. Promises to be one of the hip-hop gigs of the summer!

mp3: Guilty Simpson – Stress

mp3: Paul White – Cheese Special & A Draw

EDIT: Check out the 4th Birthday Mixtape! > http://sharebee.com/84be3cd9

Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy

The debut LP from recent Big Dada signing Speech Debelle is out now! Speech Therapy is an intimate look into the world of one Speech Debelle and through her hushed and rhythmic hip-hip tones this 51-minute creation will hit you from the freshest of angles in a boldly blunt manner. In my February interview with Speech Debelle it was instantly apparent what this young diamond from London stood for and where her musical journey had brought her so far, but now here’s a chance to read a little more about the actual music itself.

At 51 minutes long, the 13-track Speech Therapy starts where it all began, with the track Searching. A lot has already been said about this understated track with its subtle innocence, and it certainly sets the mood for the album. The intricate strings and keys dance around the bouncing bass and steady beat, whilst the cypher pulls all the rhythmic strings together, as if bringing the composition into total alignment. It’s beautiful.

The Key comes next and will get your head nodding immediately. Lovely combination of brass and double bass. One thing that is extremely evident from this album is the organic vibe – it’s plain to see that this was an important element during the creation process. So what we have, essentially, is real instruments coupled with a very fresh sounding voice/flow – definitely not your typical hip-hop album. Micachu appears as a guest vocalist on the track Better Days, and it is a real stand out track indeed. It has attitude and energy, but in a controlled manner. The beat is heavy, as is the bassline, but nothing is overcooked – it’s extremely appealing and Micachu’s vocals pair up with Speech’s flow just fine.

The track Spinnin’ takes the album in a different direction. It’s very upbeat, and although the lyrical content is no less deep or real than other tracks, it most certainly does have a more uplifting atmosphere to it. Whatever way you want to look at it, it’s very catchy and I really appreciate the continued raw instrumentation that is thus far ever-present. Solid stuff. Go Then, Bye is a track that will strike a chord or two with most listeners – it’s brutally honest. A ballad of sorts, it’s a deep reflection of relationships and how they can and do affect us – although granted specifically this is obviously something extremely close to Speech Debelle and events in her own life. Musically it is exquisite – well produced and constructed, it’s unique in its style and execution. Check out the video…

Daddy’s Little Girl is a steady track with a focus on lo-fi beats and a narrative that speaks some very open truths. It’s a strong track with very conscious lyrics – which shouldn’t be taken for granted considering that half the emcees out there today struggle to say much worthwhile beyond a few grunts and jabbering on about cars and jewellery. Given it is the debut LP from Speech Debelle, her lyrical content alone is awe-inspiring, but she’s been lucky enough to work with Big Dada and producers like Wayne Lotek, who have really helped to make this album what it is. Bad Boy has some real attitude about it. The drum break is fierce and the bassline steady – when that chorus kicks in, so will your foot and then your head – nod away!

Roots Manuva appears on Wheels In Motion, giving his instantly recognisable voice an airing during the chorus. There’s a nice piano part to this track, under the bass and beats. Collectively between these aspects of the track, and of course Speech’s verses, it comes together to create a pretty damn fine laid back hip-hop affair. I’d expect by now for it to be apparent that this is no ordinary hip-hop album though. I’m not even sure if that should be the correct genre to use, but it may have to do. There’s no denying the skills of Speech’s flow, but unlike a lot of emcees, it appears her focus (consciously or not) is on the actual content of her flow – as if the skill and style then just follows naturally. Live & Learn is currently one of my favourite tracks on Speech Therapy – but I should mention that this changes on a weekly basis! Those organic beats and instruments really help Speech stand out, such a good choice that was. I wont even waste any more of your time on this one, give it a listen…

mp3: Speech Debelle – Live & Learn

Welcome the ragga’esque rhythms on Working Weak. The subtle levels of instrumentation on this track might not be immediately apparent, but give it time to flourish within your ears and it’ll come. Nice summer track indeed – lay back and get it on. Buddy Love kills it with the acoustic sounds and island vibes. I would say by this stage of the album (and after having listened to the whole thing enough times for the past however many months) that Speech Therapy will be one of those growers that people will return to again and again in subsequent months and years. Naturally I don’t want anybody to sleep on this, but at the same time I think we may see a bit of an effect ala The Wire – people will catch up… in time!

The penultimate track is Finish This Album. It encompasses those ever-present instrumental core virtues of bass, some lead, steady beats and then warm and strong strings over them. Seems an appropriate way to begin the album wind down and warm rhythms within this track carry the listener gently onto the track with the same name as the album, Speech Therapy. Baroque sounding with its acoustic intro, it switches up with a slow, yet heavy kick drum and snare. There’s an air of confession about the track, with a narrative as honest as the rest of the lyrical content found throughout. It’s soft and most definitely not over-bearing in any way – quite a soothing outro that really does hit a note.

There are a few points I want to get across and reaffirm about Speech Therapy. Notably it should be realised that for a debut album, this creation really sets a tone. The idea that an emcee can combine seamlessly with raw instrumentation and deliver something that sounds so unique and complete is, to my belief, quite astounding. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to suggest that this is necessarily the best album you are likely to hear all year, but what I am suggesting is that this album presents quite a few unique qualities that should do more than enough to grab some attention. Speech Debelle is not an emcee like Lil Wayne or Jay-Z, nor is she a singer like Amy Winehouse or Erykah Badu – she’s just Speech Debelle, and this should be embraced. This album is also a grower and I would urge people to give it repeat listens. The lyrical content is there from the beginning and is indeed extremely refreshing, but the music and all it’s little intricacies will become more apparent after a few listens and it is very rewarding – especially with a good sound system or some decent headphones. The conclusion: get Speech Therapy, it’s a great album.

Upcoming Live Dates:

24 Jun 2009 – Point Ephemere, Paris
26 Jun 2009 – Glastonbury Festival, Pilton
17 Jul 2009 – Latitude Festival, Suffolk
18 Jul 2009 – Soundwave Festival, Croatia
26 Jul 2009 – Secret Garden Party, East Anglia
15 Aug 2009 – Bloom Festival, South Gloucestershire
28 Aug 2009 – Tauron Nowa Festival, Poland
11 Sep 2009 – Bestival Festival, Isle of White