PODCAST INTERVIEW
NOTES & BOLTS 094

DRASTICS TALK TO THE PEOPLE

MUSIC + WORDS FOR YOUR EARS


Check this out ... Chillin at work ? Goin for a ride ? Stuck in traffic ? Heading out on a 4 hour spelunking adventure in the great American Southwest ? Packing for a stint on a oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico ? Spending some time in the earth's lower atmosphere ? Posing nude for 2 hours while a first year art student paints you ? Getting your oil changed at the world's slowest Jiffy Lube ? Entering hour 25 of labor and just running out of conversation to have with your partner ? Just taken a commission on a submerged dirigible or "u-boat" to fight the Ottomans ? Then congratulations! You're a perfect candidate to hear Drastics' drummer Anthony talk about reggae and dub with Kriss from Notes + Bolts for a while !



READ THE NOTES + LISTEN

Yup ... Nothin too crazy with this mix ... Just all sorts of songs singin praise onto The King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah ... Jah Rastafari ...

Probably shoulda done a 'duppy mix' or something, but had this one sitting on the shelf for a while and wanted to get it out ... Happy Halloween Suckas!

Download It
ABBA TEKEL


Track List
Give Jah The Praise Intro - The Blends
Imperial I - Prince Jazzbo
Roots Man Revival - Mikey Dread
His Imperial Majesty - Twinkle Brothers
His Majesty Dub - Twinkle Brothers
Ethiopia - Michael Prophet
Praise Fari - Leroy Sibbles
Coming of Jah - Earl Zero
Never Give Jah Up - Sugar Minott
Never Gonna Give Up Dub - Sugar Minott
I And I A The Chosen One - Prince Far I
Beat Down Babylon - Junior Byles
Trad On - Barry Brown
Kushy I - Winston McAnuff
Holy Mount Zion - Freddie McGregor
Jah Rasta - Culture
Beautiful Rainbow - Leroy Smart
Wicked Can't Run Away - Glenroy Richards
Prophesy - Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
Jah Love - The Abyssinians
Rastafari Calling - Ranking Superstar
 

If you haven't been made aware of the insane increase in violence & shootings in Chicago over the last months you either never read the news, or, you live somewhere without any sort of connection to the rest of the planet .. like, under a rock. Cause it has been gettin' cold dumb around here with how many badboys need to flex and pop off the next man over nothing. Certain neighborhoods on the South Side have seriously gone borderline-warzone status ...

So here we come with a special request to all Gunman! Leave Gun Business Alone! A topical edition for ya'lls lil' head domes to wrap it's brain assunder upon. Strictly gunman and badboy lyrics we play .. And none of that glamorizing gangsta culture sh*t ... If cautionary tales exist in the reggae community, some of these tunes would probably be the closest thing to them ... Also, maybe this will help in eliminating the use of the word 'rude' in non-jamaican bands' names. Rudeboy business is gangster business ... Nothing righteous or cutesie about it.

Download It
GUNMAN CONNECTION


Track List
Gunman Intro - The Blends
Blam Blam Fever (Guns Fever) - The Valentines
Gun Hawk - Al Campbell
Gun Man - Dudley Sibley
Youth Man Penitentiary - Edi Fitzroy
Tribal War - Little Roy
Hooligan Stop a While - Prince Mohammed
Murderer - Barrington Levy
Crime - Eek-A-Mouse
Bad Man Possee - Junior Murvin feat. Roots Radics
Don't Take Your Gun To Town - Jah Woosh
Gun The Man Down - Dice The Boss
Wailiing Rudy - Gregory Isaacs
Stop Your Gun Shooting - Errol Dunkley
Stop Your Gun Shooting (Dubwise) - Errol Dunkley
Johnny Make You Bad So - Lone Ranger
Hell In A Town - Wayne Palmer
Badness A Madness - Yellowman
Crime Don't Pay - Bob Andy
Gimme Mi Gun - Dr. Alimantado
Throw Down Your Arms - Burning Spear
 

Wow it's been a long time since we rapped at ya .. But things are still happening ... Next couple weeks we're gonna be up on this BLOG ish quite a bit .. Some new tracks, some previews of other new tracks, some upcoming shows, solo tours, yeahhhhhh ya know!

And so to start it off we got a brand new mixtape for ya'lls ... A special collaboration with Chicago's 'Simmer Down Sundays' ( Our friends Akasha's free reggae night held every last Sunday at the Double Door). Simmer Down Sundays features a rotating cast of selectors, deejays and bands is arguably the most important reggae happening in the city. Drastics drummer Anthony (aka King Tony) has dropped his 'live-dub-via-cassette' performance there a couple times now, and collaborated with The Blends on this new mix .. Reggae Synthesis .. It's ya know, like, when the guy (or gal) in your band gets a new pedal or new percussion toy and just throws-up all over the track using it to death? Well this mixtape is orta like that, but with rastas and synthesizers.

Stream It
MOOGS & BINGHIS


Download It
ARP ODYSSEYS & CHALWA


Track List
Introduction - The Blends
Spying Glass - Horace Andy
Willow Tree - Black Uhuru
Accept My Apology - B.B. Seaton
Interlude 1 - The Blends
Tell Them A Ready - Barrington Levy
Lazer Eyes - Sly & Robbie
How Could I Live - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
Social Justice - Mighty Two
Unknown - Unknown
Take Care of the Youths - The Viceroys
Mackarus Serenade - Joe Gibbs & The Professionals
Interlude 2 - The Blends
Single Barrel - Dave and Ansil Collins
Time of Decision - Ken Boothe
Roots Train - Derrick Harriott
Star Trek - The Vulcans
 

Resident Drastic Selectors King Tony, 8 Hundo and The Graduate get back up on the wheels of steel with more big chunes inna international flavor stylee.

Reggae & International Soul
The Charleston, Chicago
Friday / January 6, 2012
9:30 - Close / No Cover

Let Us Know You're Coming
Join Our New FB Page

HO HO HO HO HO!
Well what is this early stocking stuffer for all you good boys and girls?

Yes!

It's the return of the Third Thursday Free Mixes series ... Part 25!

Yeah we've missed (you!) more than a couple over the past couple of months so we've gone out of our way to make it up to you with an extra-long jam-packed mix featuring ... you guessed ... nothin' but B sides.

Now, the B side gets a bad-rap, so don't start thinkin' this is some of yesterday's jam sittin' in a mason jar on your aunties windowsill gettin' all moldy. These are slammin bees, deadly bees, boss bees, ill bees, even .. well, you get the idea. Now there are more ballads/downtempo jams on this mixtape than any other but they are still slammin! Highly recommended would be 'You'll Be Sorry' by The Fascinations (dig the piano fo sho) and 'Never Had It So Good' from Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown. Also, fans of polyrhythmia will appreciate the bizarre (BIZARRE!) transitions from 4/4 to 6/8, swing to straight and other things that make musicologist wet themselves.

THEY KILLED KILLER B

Track List
Ain't No Sunshine - Lyn Collins
He Is The Boy - Little Eva
Tribute To The Don - Tommy McCook
Chicken Necks - Don & Juan
Stalkin' - Duane Eddy
You'll Be Sorry - The Fascinations
Hit And Miss Affair - Night Doctor
Part Two Why DId You - Barbara Jones
Mary Poppins - Danny Simpson
You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming - The Playmates
I'm So Glad - Frankie Karl & The Dreams
Keep On Dubbing - Bigger T
May I Baby - Sam & Dave
The Love I Found In You - Brothers Of Soul
Never Had It So Good - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown
Going In The Hole - Ted Taylor
Hip To Your Game - Renaldo Domino
Drop By My Place - Little Carl Carlton
Can't Get Him Off My Mind - Sheryl Swope
No Love Like Your Love - Fantastic Four
Hot Pop - Jo Jo Bennett
Listen To Me - The Esquires
How Can You Tell Me - The Flirtations
Nine Times Out Of Ten - Simtec & Wylie
Keep Him - Barbara Mason
 

You know what THE BLACK HAND MEANS

Your resident Drastic Selectors Chris & Anthony will be back on the wheels of steel THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 02 at The Charleston in Chicago...

Aside from our usual choice selection of Reggae, Roots, Lovers, Latin, Afro, International & Domestic Soul and all things with a beat; Come celebrate Senior Democratic Majority Leader Harry Mason Reid's Birthday! We'll have him liquored up and in the cake, ready to jump-out by midnight !!!

We'll also be hosting our annual CELLOPHONE WAX-OFF ! Special celebrity judge Corey Feldman will be onhand to officiate the proceedings .. this year's theme .. death masks! Come take a whimsical stroll down Grim Reaper Lane with an assortment of death masks being used to keep yo Ritz cracka's all fresh n ish.

Let Us Know If You're Coming ... WE AIN'T PLAYIN!!!

Resident Drastics selectors PalmDown Sound team up with
Mexico City's finest Carlos Tropicaza

Saturday / July 30 / 9pm

An Extra Special Night
Latin Soul/Funk/Garage
vs
Reggae Roots/Dub/Rub-a-Dub

Missed you last month. We really did. What? No I tried calling! But, my phone was dead! I was stolen by gypsies! My arm was broken! I was attacked by feral weasels! Aw baby don't be like that ... but but but but baby, don't you understand that I do the things I do because I LOVE YOU????

Anyway ... spent last month gettting geared up for our first Sound Craft All Night Dub Session and didn't have the wherewithall to get a mix together. With next month's Sound Craft Series 2 rapidly approaching (August 5) we put together a hardass dubwise mixtape for ya'lls little boiled cauliflower ears.

Definitely some rareities in this pile of chune but familiar names and melodies abound as well. ABOUND.

And hey! If this doesn't satiate your depraved musical needs, your PalmDown Sound Crew will be back at The Charleston on Saturday July 30th with extra special guest DJ Tropicaza form Mexico City in the house. Reggae vs Latin Funk. The gloves will be off. All Vinyl. No Cover. Good Drinks.

DUB WILL FIND A WAY

Playlist
Martin Luther King - Scientist w/ The Forces of Music
Firehouse Special - Prince Jammy
Peaceful Man Dub - Rockers All Stars
March Down Babylon Dub - Prince Douglas
In Those Days - Burning Spear
Galong So Dub - Bunny Wailer
Mr. Walker Dub - King Tubby
Wicked Dub - The Revolutionaires
Iron Bar Dub - Linton Kwelsi Johnson
Idlers Rest - Joe Gibbs & The Professionals
None A Jah Jah Children No Cry - Ras Michael
Fun & Games - Lee 'Scratch' Perry
Round 9 - Scientist w/ Roots Radics

Our sabbatical was well needed.

And we now return you to our regularly scheduled programming. Finally, after 2 months of waiting, pining, fighting and reclining .. we got a new mixtape for ya'lls. This one is a special request and a popular demand to our boys at Impala Sound and Soul Summit. We humbly offer to the court of yer listening pleasure, surprise witness Reggae/Soul. An all thriller, no filler, 15 track attack of soul tunes gone down the JA-way. Of course to the inundated listener, the connection between soul and reggae is obvious, and soul/reggae comps aren't exactly hard to find, but we think you'll enjoy our special blend of common-and-obscure, northern-and-southern, contemporary-and-classic styles on this mix. I mean, Teddy Pendergrass tunes covered in a reggae style? WHACHUTHAWTYOONOO??.

Good chance there will be a Part 2 of these as I had more source material than I knew what to do with. 

But in the meantime, if you like what you hear, you can come check out more of these jams LIVE at the Charleston in Bucktown, Chicago on Thursday April 28, 10pm when PalmDown Sound (your resident Drastic DJs) spin a Reggae-Gone-Soul themed night. Special Guest Nic The Graduate on board for the musical throwdown.

All Vinyl. No Cover. Good Drinks.

anyway ....

HAILE SOULAISSIE

Playlist
Turn Back The Hands of Time - Winston Francis (Tyrone Davis)
Gonna Take A Miracle - Cornell Campbell (The Royalettes)
Fever - Junior Byles (Little Willie John)
Love T.K.O. - Hugh Porter (Teddy Pendergrass)
Gimme Little Sign - Hepcat (Brenton Wood)
So Unusual - George Allison (The Impressions)
You Dont Care - Lloyd Sparks (The Impressions)
Human Nature - Jrn Reid (MJ)
Baby Now That I Found You - Alton Ellis (The Foundations)
Private Number - Honey Boy (Judy Clay and William Bell)
Aint No Sunshine - Horace Andy (Bill Withers)
Never Had A Dream Come Through - Glen Adams & Upsetters (Stevie Wonder)
Moving Away - Ken Booth (Kenny Lynch)
Lonely Man Am I - The Techniques (The Temptations)
Too Late To Turn Back - Alton Ellis (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose)

This months' installment will feature special guests Chad Tunning and Style Goodworth on the PalmDown Soundsystem! Extra special guest Johnathon Plentymoore will be 'pon di mic! Chattin 'bout yachts n stock splits! Chad will be spinning an only 7" set, so bring it soundboys ... Definitely nuff reggae this month!

Good beer selection, no cover! Polo-reggae and preppy-latin all night!

Proper!

Rather!

Let Us Know If You're Coming so we make sure we have enough bouncy balls on hand for the late-nite-bounce-off!

 

Need more holiday tunes and/or reggae?? Well we got you covered on both ...

Our friends at Musical Occupation just put up a new Podcast/Mixtape ... not exactly holiday themed, but they start out with our hip-hop/rocksteady/dancehall opus "Fraudulent Parts 1 & 2" ... Nice selection pon di mix.

Then our enemies friends at The Impala Sound put up an impressive Christmas-Gone-Reggae Mix ... featuring some real rarities. However, no matter how many times they say it, Impala does NOT rule, nor have a "big big sound". Impala di Imposta!! 

Musical Occupation

Impala Sound

 

So I realize it's technically closer to the 4th Thursday, but ... what the hell December ? Five Thursdays in 1 month!? That's some Mayan harbinger of doom-style-shizz! Well, as you may or may have not noticed, we added yet another holiday tune to our big-player-up-top! Auld Lang Syne in a rocksteady fashion! Oh yeah! We used this as the backdrop for our WXRT promo a few years back, but realized we had never put it up as an instrumental ... so please to enjoy!

Anyway, twenty-and-a-half? You may ask yourself? What am I doing here? This is not my beautiful home! Twenty-and-a-half 'cause it's not really a Blends mix and it's not really themed with anything ... As you can read here we took over the airwaves at KDHX in St. Louis a few weekend ago for a guest set on Ska's The Limit. So this is a 1-track mp3 of that set, plus some bonus material we couldn't fit in, and alot of the talkover stuff taken out as well ... there is some blending, but it's mostly just a hard/rare dub/dee-jay mix. Drastics Radio.

10000 WATTS OF MEGAWATTS!

Playlist
The Skatalites - Lon Chaney
Prince Jammy & Black Uhuru - Eden Dub
Jah Batta - Youthman Time
The Senior Allstars - Sniff Dub
Rhygin Rockers - Spooky
Derrick Harriot - Harmony In Dub
The Drastics feat. MC Zulu - Striped Curtain Dub
Prince Jammy - Sleng Teng Riddim
The Drastics feat. MC Zulu - No Lies
Duke Reid & Alton Ellis - Willow Tree Dub
Dillinger - Middle East Rock
Jah Woosh - Danger Man
The Wailing Souls - Jah Give Us Life/Don't Feel No Way
Prince Jammy & Black Uhuru - Firehouse Special
U-Roy - Fire In A Trenchtown
The Skatalites - Lon Chaney

Did a 'lil interview with Courtney Klos of mnska.com for "The Flyover Ska Show" ... Talked for a good while about the current state of reggae/ska, past injuries and new projects ... And can I just say ... I think it's amazing that there are folks out there documenting the current state of Jamaican inspired music in America .. Big ups to Courtney and everyone at MNSKA ... anyway, on to the interview ...

Blah di blah blah blah ....

LISTEN HERE

It's ding-dang official now ladies n gents! Your Drastics (Chris & Anthony) will be throwing hot wax every last Thursday at The Charleston (2076 N Hoyne Ave in Bucktown)

Come out for weekly drink specials, a great beer list and a growing menu of fancy cocktails!

And here it is ... The return of The Drastics mixtape series .. and sitting at this month's "Musical Bema Seat" is mainstay Drastique Trombogouneist, Andrew Zelm, aka Drew, aka Dre, aka Baby Dre, aka Z, aka The Zelmer, aka Z-Bone, aka BonerTron (HAHA yeah, nobody calls him that ... UNTIL NOW!) ...

So here we go ... we're on the musical chopping block and you have 45 minutes to prepare the MEAL OF A LIFETIME and impress some opinionated and pushy British judge ... and what you come up with is a sweet sweet 45 minute set of straight reggae trombone. Yup.   All trombone .. all the time .. You will probably NOT want to listen to ANY trombone for a good while after listening to this mixtape, so fair warning: Pregnant women (who do not want trombonist children), and; People imminently attending Trombone Choir Recitals should NOT listen to this mixtape.

This mix could also easily be called "A Tribute To Vin Gordon" as half the tracks on here feature Mr. Gordon ... basically, if you want trombone played outside a ska setting (ie Don Drummond, Rico Rodriguez), Vin is your man ... He backed everyone from Alton Ellis to Horace Andy, Augustus Pablo, Culture, Dennis Brown, The Heptones, etc ... Not to discount Mr. Drummond either .. Vin was nicknamed "Don Drummond Junior" in the ska days .. but it would be really easy to make a mixtape of only Drummond tunes and, frankly, I don't think Rico's work hold's a candle to either Vin or Don's work (except maybe the "Man of Wareika Hill" album) ... So here it is .. love it or lump it ....

THE SOMETHINGS CONNECTED TO THE SOMETHING BONE

 

DAMN! It's hot up in here for reals. Well, here as promised is yer second installment of Rub-A-Dub Fashion! Got a little more "out" on this one, and there are definitely some tongue-in-cheek selections to prove it ... Including but not limited to 2 different tracks promoting Synthesizers and Computers, a track by Charlie Chaplin which breaks into 80s pop-tune-medleys, Mutabaruka warning on the ills of junk food and a rub-a-dub version of Marvin Gayes "Innercity Blues" ... yowza! The mix "slowly" blends into more .. how should I say.. Jamaican-centric tunes that never gained much popularity off the island. These tracks are definitely "strange" to Americans and people with more of a blues/rock musical background .. bizarre casio-driven riddims with Jamaican cats talking in heavy patois over them.. using slang and describing situations only relevant to native JAers. But it's hard to argue that modern dancehall hasn't had a major influence on modern electronic/dance music (as well as vice-versa).. and these kinds of tracks are the roots. Anyway, if you don't like 'em I ain't gonna be mad at ya. Just gonna put you in the corner with a bag over yer head until you DO!!!!

SPUDS IS ON HIS WAY OVER FROM HIS JAM SESSION WITH MCMAHON!!!!

 

LIVE in STL THIS FRIDAY!

The Drastics are LIVE this Friday, August 20th at the Gramophone in St. Louis, MO ... gonna be a nite of dub niceness ... Fada Dougou 'pon the mic ... RUFFF!

That's a booya! The Drastics will be heading north into the great Northern Open this next weekend and hitting Traverse City (at The Loading Dock) and Billy's in Grand Rapids! This will be our first time in both these cities so we'd love to see you and love for you to spread the word! We'll have Fada Dougou 'pon the mic spitting hotta flame so make sure you wear yer lil asbestos drawers so ya don't get burnt like Kurt Russell!!!!

OH HEY! Ya know what else is cool? You remixing, re-dubbing, re-working and generally mussing up some Drastic riddims. But ... how? By downloading the newest in yet another new Drastics series ... this time of DIY mix-packs (sort of a series within a series .. this month it's sitting in for our belated First Tuesday release) . Up first we have Fidelity which originally appeared on our "Chicago Massive" album. The free-for-download DIY album contains stereo drums, bass, rhythm, and stereo auxiliary sounds ... Just don't go muxin' or melfin' or mylin' around with these tracks now ... jussamussin ... hit up the lil application below or get to our BandCamp page (thedrastics.bandcamp.com) and git'a'downloadin ...

This is by no means a competition, but we'd love to hear what you do with our tunes, so send any of your re-workings to contact@thedrastics.com.

Our new album is also still in production ... we are back on track after a near-studio-meltdown and are getting all our ducks in a row before pulling the trigger on this one. Best be ready those cause this is gonna be 10 solid shots to the dome kid .. with some very extra-special guests!!

And in super advance warnings, we are going to be traveling EAST the first week of November .. expect to find us in PA, NY, VT and some more of America's classiest states November 2-7.

Oh yeah, AND we're now on the Reverb Nation and can find us at www.reverbnation.com/thedrastics.
 

 

 

July is just the gift that keeps on giving! It's like Christmas ... in July. And this month's mixtape is Hotter ... than July. With the passing of Sugar Minott a few days ago, I toyed with the idea of doing a tribute, but the incompleteness of my Minott vinyl made it clear it wasn't going to happen. So instead we are focusing on the whole 80s/Rub-A-Dub style! I think this era of reggae gets a bad rap, but knowing how trends cycle every 20 years (30 for Jamaican trends) it will be popular in about 10 years. This is a real nice mix of both singers, crooners, djs, dubs, live bands, digital productions, etc ... Worth the download just to hear Lee Van Cliff shamelessly ripping off Eek-A-Mouse and Papa Kojie toasting about Nancy Regan sitting on Mr. T's lap! Folks who have collected all the mixes here should also notice a Sly and Robbie version of "Love and Devotion", the first track off the "Anthony Mix" .. And not to worry, the "Jam Rock Dub" is not a dub of the Damien Marley track overplayed by every cd-carrying reggae "DJ" under the sun, but a bizarre little piece on the "Nura" label from '81. The A-Side of the 7" is simply titled "Festival ........ Jam Rock" and is credited to Sam Carty and The Astronauts. Also, "A Horseman Skabay is the new Stylee". Of course old faithfuls like Yellowman, Roots Radics and Freddie McGregor make appearances as well. The mix starts out with a Mikey Dread production of Sugar Minott's "In This Time". And there is a Part 2 coming next month! The tracks are already picked out, so shutup and quit bugging us about it already!!

SWEATBANDS OPTIONAL, BUT NOT FOR REAL!!
 

 

 

 

You read right. Your friendly neighborhood reggae squadron is heading south to the land of acadème. We'll be at the Canopy on Thursday, doors at 8pm .. a measly 5 bux to get through the door! We'll probably be hitting around 9pm or so ...

Make sure and get there early to participate in our 3rd Biennial "Cluck Out 'Til You Clock Out Cognition Competition". Due to last years unfortunate incidents, this year we begrudgingly are offering seat belts to all competitors. All contestants will be seated in a precarious velocipede and placed on a state-of-the-art rail track (specially built by the Siamese for this year's event!) surrounding the venue. The participant to first succeed in reaching three "Grand Clucks" will receive this years grand prize: a trip to Old Mr. Beederman's Farm and Abattoir where you will be put to work as an indentured servant until the these damn Siamese are paid. Runner ups will receive an assortment of street signs and manhole covers from Orange County.

 

 

Michigonians, Michiganers, Michiganese and Michiganites! We want to see you! But really we want you to see us. Actually, just make sure that you're in the club before you get to the show. And you're gonna wanna make sure that you're still there after you've left. So show up 15 minutes before you leave for the venue and we'll be sure to start playing 38 secon...ds after the music starts. But then again if you stick around after you went home, we'll be sure to be on the road before we leave. Ok, so check it out .. if you're not there after you arrived we'll be sure to wait until BEFORE we get to Kalamazoo to play. Cool?

 

To make up for last month's epic fail of not posting a new tune, we humbly offer you ingrates this ... a free live EP for the downloading.  That's about right ...  5 tracks, 2 new compositions and 3 group improvisations all recorded live at Sketchbook X on June 17, 2010.

I brought a portable recorder and a handful of mics to the gig hoping to capture whatever happened, and the result is some pretty electrifying group playing that teeters between the Sun Ra and Lee Perry schools of music. Drastics' Tenorman Tom couldn't make the gig so we asked our good friends Charles Gorczynski and Nate Lepine to sit in. That left us dub-less and forced the focus onto individual improvisation.

Check it out on BandCamp and preview the songs, download individual ones or the whole album! This music is definitely charting some abstract territories so fare-thee-warned it's not for the faint hearted.

Charles Gorczynski: Alto Sax; Nate Lepine: Tenor Sax; Andrew Zelm: Trombone, Melodica; Brian Citro: Guitar; Chris Merrill: Double Bass; Anthony Abbinanti: Drums.

 

Years ago, my boy Marty hooked me a sampler called "A Fashion Statement" .. basically a label sampler from "Fashion Records" .. served as a good introduction to the world of British/Jamaican DJs and the style of the era. This track is on it and up until today had no idea there was a sweet video for it ...

Smiley Culture - Cockney Translation (Real Rock Riddim)

The boys in The Pinstripes posted this video a few weeks ago, but it's still some awesome footage .. Tippa Irie and Saxon Sound live on British TV .. not sure what program ... Worth it just for his little dance everytime the chorus drops!

Tippa Irie - Complain Neighbor (Agony Riddim)

 

Toyan, Josey Wales, Lee Van Cliff rockin' the mic at the infamous Skateland in Jamaica .. this is crucial footage!

Sleng Teng performed on some sort of dijeridoo live in Brooklyn circa '87!

Ninjaman VS Supercat .. I've had the bootleg audio of this for a while and never knew there was accompanying video .. I love Ninjaman, and he comes pretty correct in this battle ... the crowd definitely thinks so ... Supercat definitely "fights" dirty calling Ninjaman a pussy over and over again while Ninja takes the higher route .. I know its from '91 but it's still a killah!

We had opportunity to record a 'lil end-of-the-year jingle for WXRT, 93.1fm in Chicago. So we did a reggae version of Winter Wonderland as the backdrop. Click the link below to get the dub and vocal version. Trust us, even if you hate holiday music .. it's worth it.

Happy Holidays everyone, hope your 2009 was everything you wanted.

AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT  

Well, its 6am and I still haven't gone to sleep so technically it's still Thursday and so I'm in time for our Third Thursday Free Mix ... Our 10th Mixtape! Good God, we actually made it to double digits ..... My brain is fried right now so pardon the brief description .. This month we present Potluck as the finger in the fjord of your ear canal.  So put on your wooden shoes and get ready for the storm.

Except for the self-contained Christmas-themed Mini-Mix at the end, this collection makes almost no sense. We got soul into hiphop into latin into downtempo electronic into ska ...

Eclecticism is the theme.

Happy Holidays ya'll.

We're gonna have aother download for you either this afternoon or Monday. Another holiday treat from The Drastics. So put that in yer stocking/menorah/kinara/hoa mai/yule log/boxing day gift/festivus pole and smoke it.

Track List
Proud Mary - Ohio Players
Proceed (Roy Ayers Mix) - The Roots
El Negro Bembon - Cortijo Y Su Combo Original con Ismael Rivera
Ya Mama (Cosby Mix) - Pharcyde
I Miss You (Remix) - Bjork
The Bridge Is Over (X-Rated Version) - KRS-ONE
Jericho Skank - Jackie Mitoo & Ernest Ranglin

Beatstumental Mix

The Prunes - D.S.B. Style
The Khromozomes - Seein'
Art & Science - Communication
DJ Vadim - Ghetto Rebels (Inst)
Palmskin Productions - Slipper Suite
Southside Crew - Time To Rock The Party

We'll Be There (10 second Remix) - People Under The Stairs
Spread Love (2:20 Remix) - Bozo Meko
Enamorado - Oscar D'Leon
Back Door Santa - Clarence Carter
Merry Christmas Baby - Otis Redding

Christmas Time Growing Up

Christmas In The Stars
Beach Boys
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
The Drifters
The Jackson 5
The O'Jays
The Ventures
Dodie Stevens
Miss Piggy

This Christmas - Donny Hathaway
Christmas Rappin' - Kurtis Blow

GRUSS VOM KRAMPUS

Yes yes ya'll and ya don't stop! To the beat ya'll and ya don't stop. We got the rhythm that'll make ya body rock.

Aight, now that we got that out the way, welcome back, and please to be considered for you prompt consideration ... another Third Thursday, another Mix Tape for ya courtesy of The Blends! This month's collection is titled "Cornucopious" as a sort of early Thanksgiving treat for ya'll good lil pilgrims out there. The tracks are mostly dubs and versions of pretty chilled out reggae joints, in some cases we've included the original and the version for contrast .. but there's no "Mayflower" or "Turkey" themes on any of these tunes ... just hard hittin reggae jams for ya lil cranberry sauce filled earholes!!

 

Track List
Intro - King Stitt
Rock and Groove - Bunny Wailer
Dub and Groove - Bunny Wailer
Hap Ki Do Version - Augustus Pablo
You Rest On My Mind - Naggo Morris
You Rest On My Mind Dubwise - Bullwackie
Look Out For The Devil Version - Junior Dan
Juggernaut Dub - King Tubby
Third World Shuffle - Mercenarys
Natty Dread A Weh She Want - Tappa Zukie
Rub A Dub A Weh Them Want - Musical Intermidates
Our Man Flint - Lloyd Young and Augustus Pablo
Harvest in the East - Tommy McCook and The Impact Allstars
Heavenly Dub - King Tubby
Dub Along the Shore - Dr. Ring-Ding & Victor Rice
Rasta Locks - Derrick Harriott
Touch A Dub - Phyllis Dillon
One Way Love - Barry Brown
One Way Dub - Scientist

WORTH 23 DOLLARS OF TRINKETS!

And here we go once again ... gonna keep this entry short and sweet cause I gotta finish squeezing the OJ. So this month we place on the altar of your aural consciousness; Instajam! This is the first mix up here that isn't strictly reggae .. it's a collection of some of my favorite tunes, plus tracks that just make ya nod ya head ... nawsayin? Now drink the whole thing or you don't get none of Uncle Abbinanti's famous chocolate covered biscuits n gravy for dessert!!!!

If the download link stops working, drop us a line and we'll try to get it back up and running

Track List
Intro - Reiner & The Blends
Comin' On Strong - Hepcat
Snatching It Back - Clarence Carter
Magic's Wand - Whodini
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
Compared To What? - Roberta Flack
Jokes Fro Redd - Redd Foxx
Dig On It - Jimmy McGriff
Oh My God - A Tribe Called Quest
Lovely Day - Bill Withers
Time Tough - Toots & The Maytals
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Day To Day - Apani B
Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
Alone Again - The Slackers
Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding


PART OF A BALANCED BREAKFAST

 

Well here we go! Back to our regularly scheduled program so put your little busted-ass Speak 'n Spell down and take that damn Play-Doh out ya mouth! I know it says it ain't toxic but what if someone else wants to play with it? Ever think of that? Nah, you didn't did ya? Cause yer too busy practicing yer long division on yer damn Speak n' Math while shoving yer lil bitch mouth full of Mallomars like it's goddamn Halloween! Now listen up ... it's another Third Thursday and YES, it's time for another Free Mix ... Part 7 in our series.

Finally had a minute to get a new mix together and so this month we are taking a hard look at long-standing Drastic hornsman Tom Riley. For some reason I always associate ol' MushMouth Riley with Studio One, ethereal whistling, and instrumentals ... Tom is also a big fan of the ska-steady beat ... that kind of ska that's so slow as almost to be rocksteady, but it's definitely NOT rocksteady ... well, if you don't know what I'm talking, check out the later half of this mix and then go watch some Golden Girls reruns for christ sake. I didn't even tell ol' T-Bot Rizzle that I was doing this so he'll probably be just as surprised as you! So this one goes out to the White Larry Bird of the Tenor ... Uncle Term Rerry.

If the download link stops working, drop us a line and we'll try to get it back up and running

Track List
I'm Sweaty - Tom Riley
Tommy's Rocking Vibration - Tommy McCook
Love Devine - John Holt
Jah Rock Style - Jackie Mittoo
When Revelution Come - Big Youth
Cool Down The Pace - Gregory Isaacs
Close To Jah - The Skatalites
Rocking Time - Burning Spear
Pepper Rock - Prince Jazzbo
Stick By Me - Dennis Brown
Ghost Capturer - J. Gibbs Allstars
Sweet Loving - Lennie Hibbert
Don't Rock My Boat - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Dinah - J. Higgs
Here I Stand - Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
Come Running Back - Ken Boothe
Come Running Back Version - Coxsone Dodd
Occupation - Cedric Brooks & The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari

SKY HOOK STYLE

 

Well ... I am back-dating this post, but don't you judge me!

We teamed up with our friend Andrew Barker over at Musical Occupation to host this month's free mix tape! If you're not familiar with Musical Occupation, they put up a consistent amount of great content: ska/reggae news, interviews, podcasts, etc ... check 'em out!

This month I had to dig deep into the vaults as I was overwhelmed trying to finish up our MJ A Rocker project in-time for MJs birthday. So after perusing the warehouse I decided to dust off the very first mix I ever made .. Reggae House Party! These tunes are like a slow cooker, perfect for chillin' out too, or (if the feeling's right) gettin' up and shakin' it to .. ! I'm pretty sure this dates back to 2006, and for those of you who have collected the previous 5 mixes, you'll probably notice a few rough edges on this one, but it's still a solid play!

Track List
Dust A Soundboy - Super Beagle
Bam Bam (Version) - Techniques Band
Walk Away From Love - Bitty McLean
You've Changed - Al Campbell
Go If You Want - Buju Banton
Take A Ride - Al Campbell
The Rights - Johnny Osbourne and Buru Banton
Bad Boys - Barry Brown
The Big Match - Lone Ranger
Bobby Babylon Pt. 2 - Freddie McGregor
Why Keep A Good Man Down - The Immortals
Why Keep A Good Man Down Dub - The Immortals
Sing Along - Scotty
Guidance - Derrick Harriot
Badness A Madness - Yellowman
Isso (Victor Rice Dub) - Strikkly Vikkly
Till Sun's In Our Eyes (Version) - DJ Vadim and Demolition Man
No More Crying - The Slackers
Are You Satisfied? (Instrumental) - J-Live
East Of The River Nile - Augustus Pablo

YEEHAW LIL DOOGIES!
(hosted at Musical Occupation)

 

Cool post with some awesomely strange Jamaican album covers.

my personal favorite .....