Saturday, September 5, 2009

Cyclic Defrost Magazine

Cyclic Defrost Magazine

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Various Artists – Black Rio 2: Original Samba Soul 1968-1981 (Strut/Inertia)

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 11:35 PM PDT

Black Rio 2

Strut continue to deliver some fine quality releases of reissued funk, soul, jazz and latin flavours, Black Rio 2 is no exception, compiled by DJ Cliffy. The original Black Rio was a memorable one, and the second in the series does not disappoint, with DJ Cliffy plucked ripe tracks from the very fertile period between 1968 and 1981.

The summer vibe of the samba soul sound equals a great listen, especially with the warmer days approaching, its hard not to like this music, its hard not to be uplifted by the positive vibes. I may not be able to understand the language, but the global language of music is to the fore here.

Classics abound from Zeca Do Trombone & Roberta Sax, Renata Lu, Guimaraes E O Grupo Som Sagrado, Rubinho E Mauro Assumpcao, Emilio Santiago, Watusi, Os Diagonais, Claudia, Pete Dunaway, Super Som Lord, Azambuja & Cia, Avan Samba, Cry Babies, Balanca Povo, Edson Frederico E A Transa, Bebeto, Mazlene and Sonia Santos.

The samba is infectious, and if you are lucky enough to have any other Strut compilations in your collection, no doubt you'll want to add this to the racks, it's a fine collection from Rio.

Wayne Stronell

Various Artists – Dillanthology 2: Dilla’s Remixes For Various Artists (Rapster/Inertia)

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 11:28 PM PDT

Dillanthology 2

Dillanthology 1 bought us a fine collection of tunes produced by the legendary producer, so I guess its high time for the second installment. The legacy of J Dilla/Jay Dee continues with Dillanthology 2, Dilla's Remixes For Various Artists, collecting remixes for a broad range of musicians, not just hip hop either.

The expected are here, hip hop classics, still sounding so fresh today, De La Soul with 'Stakes Is High', Pharcyde with 'Y?', Masta Ace with 'Sitting On Chrome', Slum Village with "Fall In Love', Busta Rhymes 'Whoo Ha', Artifacts with 'The Ultimate', Moods with 'Secrets Of The Sand', all with that summery Dilla sound, I never tire of this hey-day era hip hop sound. Dilla adds his magic to the soul of Spacek with 'Eve' and Brother Jack McDuff with 'Oblighetto', which is a standout with its stripped back production, shimmering keys and warm vibes. Also included is the Dilla transformation of fractured folk artist Four Tet, 'As Serious As Your Life' was the dream marriage, an upcoming original producer pushing boundaries, collaborating with an obvious influence in his music, allowing Four Tet to further delve into hip hop in his own productions, and later with his own remixes of the Madvillain project on Stones Throw. Dilla remixes a DJ Cam tune as well, 'Love Junkie', slowed to a shuffle, adding a late night club vibe to this downbeat tune.

Another great collection of tracks showcasing a talent that is obviously missed, although new tracks still seem to be emerging which note 'produced by Dilla'… There is probably still a mountain of unreleased material from this prolific producer, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear some new material soon.

Wayne Stronell

at 6:06 PM