You can forget about the obscure ‘grabs’ at the bottom of this poster… If you’re reading this blog you should already know who Antibalas are and you also know RayBan Wayfarers, Oakley Frogskins and kung-fu slippers are for chumps! No reference to ‘Casio’ or ‘the 303′ is gonna make me wanna go to a gig – quite the opposite actually. May as well just buy a daily and ride around on the 86! Motherfuckers at Urb Magazine and Flavorpill need to check their heads (because you look stupid!).

Anyway… Chico Mann. Do yourself a favour and check his blog, listen to his music and watch some of his recent film clips. Brother is heavy! chicomann.com

He’ll be performing with his band at the Toff in Town later this month. It should be a fantastic show. To put it simply: Real music for real people.

Check the poster for more info and ticketing details. Special guests Chris Gill and DJ Manchild will be in the house.

Holy shit, it’s a long way down from my high horse, especially for a bitter old man.

Last weekend I was down at the Croft Institute for the Kon & Danielsan show (aka Wax Museum Jam) and I ran into one of Melbourne’s most prolific gig-goers and certified hip hop head, Rolex. He told me this blog was getting a little tired at times, so here’s some news to keep him happy!

FRESHNESS:
Chris has just put out a bunch of Funk+Soul 7’s. Stay tuned for the email-out or call Chris or Elle at the shop to get the jump on super digger Arks!

Plus, there is an insane amount of good second-hand hip hop falling from the sky at the moment. Get in quick to check the crate upon crate upon crate of classics. I’m not usually a fan of Serato or any other digital-based DJ system – but you have to love it when peeps are selling the records they’ve been collecting for the last 25 years. Keep it coming!

FEATURED NEW RELEASES:
KOOLISM “The Umu”
Oz hip hop is back on the map with the best release for a long time. Hau and Danielsan raise the bar (again) with a solid album. Thankfully - this doesn’t fall into the narrow cliched sound and content that is oz hip hop; it’s another world class release from the the ex-Canberra duo. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s def worth the wait. The beats are great and Hau is on point as usual. Some seriously good tunes on here – and a little taste of what Daniel is cooking up in his lab for future releases.

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE “Heritage”
This is a dope arse 12″! It features a tasteful selection of tunes - the highlight of which is Fela’s Water Get No Enemy. Plus covers of Art of Noise, Jay Z, Doom+Madlib and more. Cover pictured here. Don’t sleep on this.

SEU JORGE AND ALMAZ s/t
Seu Jorge? It’s that dude from the movie “The Life Aquatic” who does Bowie covers… Almaz is his band. Produced by Mario C (Beastie Boys/Jon Spencer etc). Their album is both warm and dark; psychedelic and yet grounded, uplifting but at times somber. Nice artwork, Sure to be a classic.

THE WORLD ENDS (Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970’s Nigeria) VOLUMES 1 + 2
They never sleep at Soundway Records. The is a monster set of funky afro madness. The World Ends is the latest title from Soundway Records showcasing a wave of guitar driven and psychedelic groups that sprung up in Nigeria during the early 1970s. Featuring electrifying and funk laden grooves, this is the sound of a generation attempting to pick up the pieces after the devastation of the Nigerian civil war. CD and LP.

GIGS
CHICO MANN: WED 22 SEPT. TOFF IN TOWN
From Antibalas and direct from New York City, the undisputed James Brown of the Casio…CHICO MANN. 
Live Electro, Afro-beat, Afro-Cuban and more! Marcos Garcia aka Chico Mann grew up in a musical family in New York and New Jersey. His father was the owner of a Latin record label based in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City and a young Chico observed the ins & outs of the biz while practicing his guitar and piano. It was then that he began to propagate his deep musical roots with such influences as Afrika Bambaataa, Lisa Lisa, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz and Fela Kuti.
Last in Australia as one of the key collaborators and musicians in the worlds finest Afrobeat band ANTIBALAS. Chico has also worked his magic with such artists as TONY ALLEN, THE ROOTS, RAEKWON,  MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD, DAM FUNK, DJ SPINNA, TROUBLE FUNK, BRAND NUBIAN, RICH MEDINA, TICKLAH, NICODEMUS, THE BUDOS BAND and many more.
This is Chicos first trip to Australia with his acclaimed three piece live act.
If you want a taste of the richness of New Yorks musical underbelly then come down and feast on this super funky show.
Support from the undisputed James Brown of the Dunlop Volley, Chris Gill. Sho’ is funky in Chris’ shoes! More guests to be announced. Get the lowdown at chicomann.com

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I see Chris added a Thought for the Day to the View from the Northside. Just to stick with the program, here’s a quote of the week from one of Melbourne’s finest wordsmiths!

“Remember Breaks? They used to be so good before all the trance / prog people got involved and neutered the sound, really, one minute it’s Raw on 45 with a jamaican style sub bass and some Yardi yelling stuff on top then you turn around and it’s asshats like Sasha and Digweed claiming the sound, fuck was that?“ DJ Ransom

More magic words from Ransom and the Late Show crew here: late-show.blogspot
I just read the latest addition to this blog - I’m in tears after checking what DJ Stiffy had to say about Ben Cousins!

OTHER NEWS:
I’m tired after trying to excite Rolex. Stay tuned for attempted weekly updates of Rappin’ for Rolex. ALWAYS OPINIONATED, SELDOM INFORMATIVE, OFTEN ENTERTAINING!

This Friday is going to be something special. PBS-FM, First Floor and Zack Rampage team up to bring a much needed injection of real hip hop to the streets of Melbourne. Pre-90’s styles from Melbournes’s maestros of all things turntablist. Featuring true heavyweights J-Red and Danielsan, along with the regulars on the Melbourne scene, Manchild, Rob C, Mz. Rizk and the one and motherfuckin’ only, Zack ‘Eric B’ Rampage. Dust off you shell toes and start ironing your fat laces. This is what a lot of us have been itching for. Real hip hop, real DJs and actual real records (we hope).

This is a PBS benefit gig, so all the coin goes back into helping fund and run one of the finest community stations in the world. As such, we’ve capped ticket prices at tenbukah! Awww yeah.

Don’t forget to tune into RAMPAGE every Friday at 2pm!

In other news this week – it’s Wax Museum’s ‘Jam’ 1 year celebration, featuring special guest Kon (Kon & Amir). This Saturday night at the Croft Institute. More DJs on the bill than a long-weekend at Revolver. Expect the dopest-dopeness and the rarest-of-the-rare – and expect special guests Bonez and Danielsan to make the international guest look pedestrian! Others guests include Aux-One, Arks, Kano 172, Kuya, Inkswell and Japeye… It’s gonna be huge. Get in early to see the freshest DJs around. All the info is here: WAX MUSEUM JAM

Count on Northside to bring the realness!
ps. Nice poster!

Feat. THE BOMBAY ROYALE,
Russ Dewbury/Blair Stafford + Guests

If you made it down to the last (A night at the) Jazz Rooms show at the Order of Melbourne, featuring POAO, you know what it’s all about. The POAO were dope! Quite possibly the best thing to happen at The Order of Melbourne – ever. Keeping with the outernational flavours, the next Jazz Rooms show will feature Bombay Royale + Jazz Rooms founder, Russ Dewbury.

FROM PRESS RELEASE: DJ Russ Dewbury, founder of the Brighton Jazz Rooms has become the first international dj/promoter to achieve a Distinguished Talent Visa for permanent residency in Australia. In a musical career spanning 23 years Russ has achieved a reputation as one of the best djs on the worldwide underground music circuit. Working with everyone from Art Blakey to The Roots Russ is also well known for his Jazz Bop live Festival, New Jazz Spectrum Radio show and many Record compilations and productions. Russ has recently relocated to Australia bringing with him a club concept that is much celebrated by the underground music community. Running consecutively for over 21 years in the UK, featuring all over the globe and now playing to packed houses in Sydney and Perth, “A Night at the Jazz Rooms” is a fresh new live/dj club night for Melbourne with Jazz at its core.

Expect a heavyweight mix of Jazz/Soul/Funk/Afro/Latin hooked up with Hip Hop/Drum n Bass and House (House? WTF!) brought to you by resident DJ and host Russ Dewbury and featuring some of the heaviest homegrown live acts and Djs around.

The Bombay Royale are a new Melbourne based 12 piece Indian Bollywood Funk outfit attracting a buzz after a handful of live shows. This innovative live ensemble play a high octane mix of slamming Disco, Funk and Surf tunes from 1960’s and 1970’s Bollywood. Drawing on a wide range of influences from Indian Cinematic music to Jazz, Funk and Afro luminaries Quincy Jones, Ennio Morricone and the Budos Band the band create a heady cocktail of Eastern and Western influences making for a sensational live experience.

Bombay Royale feature vocalists Parvyn Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya who sing largely in Hindi and comprise members from the cream of Melbourne’s live music scene, including bands such as Labjacd, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, San Lazaro, Mr Savona, Vulgagrad and Illzilla. Featured percussionist’s are Sam Evans, widely recognised as one of the finest tabla players in the country and multiinstrumentalist Josh Bennett who plays sitar, dilruba and tabla. The band gave their debut performance in April 2010 to wide acclaim and this is a project to keep your eye on. Experience the flavour of one of the world’s legendary club sessions as the “Jazz Rooms” returns to Melbourne after our slamming debut show!

Funk 45 of the Month

Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro
(Ain’t Got Nobody)
Just A Rambling Man
bw. Tell Me A Bedtime Story

Chris had this to say:
“Insane!! Australian Exclusive…heavy heavy dancefloor funk from the Japanese KINGS of the funky JB sound. Shin tells me this 7″ is just about ALL SOLD out around the world. And we have the last 20 copies in the world!! Not only are these funky but they are sealed 7″s!!!  The A side is really a super heavy dancefloor bomb, very fast and very heavy on the drums! The B Side is a super dope prestige flavoured number that would get them wiggling on the floor as well!! Starting off with the wah wah sound and then rolls into great solos. Do your self the favour!”

And I should add:
“Side B is of course a cover of Herbie Hancock – from the Fat Albert Rotunda LP (on Warner, not Prestige!). Man – this 45 is smokin’ hot! Sinister drumming on the plug side - burning guitar, searing horns – get on the floor or get burnt… Did I say this was smokin’ hot? Check it ya damn self. Don’t sleep, they’re flying out the door. ”

Comes in a factory sealed plastic sleeve. So fresh!

For my first venture into the realm of Victorian Rules since moving to Melbourne more than 10 years ago, I have to admit it wasn’t actually so bad (but it wasn’t actually footy either??). There were streakers, strippers, rock dogs (and their dogs), copious amounts of ice cold Melbourne Bitter, thick plumes of green smoke and more beer guts than I’ve ever seen in one place. The only resemblance to real football (AFL that is) as I understand it, was the sheer volume of tattoos! (oh, and Chris Gill’s shorts).

In what can only be described as a ‘miracle’, the RRR/PBS Megahertz staged a final quarter revival to snatch victory in the dying seconds and take out the 2010 Community Cup. (sadly, I’d had all the footy I could take by this stage and left with about 10 minutes to go – certain that the Espy Rock Dogs would run out comfortable victors). With the final score 41-40 in favour of the the Megahertz, there is no doubt that the real winner on the day was music and the punters, followed closely by CUB. A MASSIVE congratulations goes out to Chris ‘Peter Daicos’ Gill for his his sterling performance which earned him the much-prized Steve Connelly medal for “Best on Ground”. Never again will anyone even imagine telling Chris that his son Otis might have to sit out of of the ‘half time’ Aus Kick game between Collingwood and Essendon (on Anzac Day), or even worse, suggest that Otis “could maybe have a run for Carlton next time”. Good on ya Chris – that’s one way to show those fools!

One of our Northside regulars managed to loiter around long enough to capture this fantastic image of Chris leaving the ground afterwards. The knock on the head he received early in the first quarter certainly didn’t upset his sense of style! Obviously – his dunlop volleys are in the yellow bag along with the Steve Connelly Medal and his heavily soiled Megahertz shorts and singlet thing. If you want the full rundown – tune into Chris’ radio show (Get Down on RRR) this Thursday from noon, where you’re sure to get the insider’s critique on what was arguably the greatest game of football ever!

Congratulations to all the players, organisers and bands who made it such an auspicious occasion. Who knows… next year I might even stick until the final whistle blows.

Lee Fields: My World

Kings Go Forth:
The Outsiders Are Back

I love these records, my 4 year old daughter loves these records, my 62 year old mother loves these records, and even my friends in Sydney like these records! Pretty much says it all if you ask me.

Neither are actually new releases – BUT, both have dropped recently and are available at Northside. This is some heavy heavy shit. They’ll tear out your heart and soul - and then they’ll do it again. This is the kind of music that is dangerous to listen to while driving – it will have you zoning out; missing turn-offs, running red lights and exceeding the speed limit. They are so f*cking good I just can’t find words to describe… but let me try…

My World is amazing! Lee Fields and the Expressions take soul above and beyond all previous attempts of the new millenium. This is serious soul music with a healthy does of funk nastiness to boot. Tunes like ‘My World’ and ‘Honey Dove’ are beautiful; rich and lush like classic Philly and Chicago Soul, raw and lean like the best James Brown, and heart wrenching like Otis Redding or the deepest funk 45’s. Then - you have tunes like ‘Money is King’ – still soul, but with a funk edge that just makes you wanna smash some fool. The Expressions are an all-star line up that features Leon Michels (El Michels Affair), Homer Steinweiss  + Tommy TNT Brenneck  (The Dap Kings),  Toby Pazner (The Olympians), Michael Leonhart (The Avrimina 7). Damn, Enough talk – buy this record today.

KIngs Go Forth follow up their succession of amazing 7-inch releases with what is perhaps the greatest funk record of the decade. The Outsiders Are Back is definitely an apt title for this incredible album. This Milwaukee-based group serves up heady mix of funk, soul and RnB with a spoon full of disco and pinch of reggae.  Every cut is a stone-cold monster. Just ask the heads around town like Miss Goldie, Callum Flack or DJ Manchild – this shit is the shit. It’s hard to pick a favourite from this record (CD), but the instant-classic ‘One Day’ and latest single ‘I Don’t Love You No More’ are definite stand outs. Other tunes like ‘Now We’re Gone’ have become standards at nights like Soul A Go Go and every other credible soul night in the world. Get up, get in to it, get involved! This is an album that anyone with any inclination towards soul or funk music should own.

The vinyl release of the KGF album is not out yet, but we should have it really soon. In the meantime we have the CD and some of the singles (on Mr. C’s).  Don’t sleep any longer – and take care when driving.

Dig this ~ Here’s a pretty loose mix of tracks that I made for the shop (Northside) a couple of years back. It’s a collection of obscure and lesser known Australian and New Zealand records that I’ve found in my travels. It’s a mixed bag of jazz, blues/rock, funk, soul and more. Although some compositions are not necessarily originals - the interpretations of these classic tunes and ‘breakbeat standards’ are def worth checking out.

Strictly Australian and New Zealand artists. Some of these records are in pretty rough condition, so apologies for any background noise – at least you know it’s the real deal. The aim here was to compile some local tunes that have been overlooked on the ‘Heading in The Right Direction‘ and ‘Respect Overdue‘ Series’. Hopefully there are some tunes here you have never heard before…? A couple of these have been comped elsewhere since I recorded this mix, but there are still some extra tasteful moments within that will have you scratching your head. Enjoy!

There’s more than 85 minutes of audio here so it has been chopped it into 3 parts to make it a little easier to download. Click on the links (parts 1, 2 & 3) to listen and download.

Part 1.
1. METAPHYSICAL BREAK (EDIT): PETER O’MARA
2. A MESSAGE FROM THE REBELS
3. 3500: TODAY THIS WAY
4. SURVIVOR: RON BARRY EXPRESS
5. WORLD IS A GHETTO: ALAN LEE QUINTET
6. WORK SONG: THE DYNAMIC JUNE SMITH
7. THE GHETTO: SKYLIGHT

Part 2.
8. BACK ON THE STREETS AGAIN: BILLY THORPE
9. LOVE IS FOREVER: JEFF ST. JOHN
10. BRAND NEW BAG: THE ID
11. ODE TO BILLIE JOE: MARGARET ROADKNIGHT
12. ALL RIGHT IN THE CITY: QUINCY CONSERVE
13. IT’S JUST BEGUN: HOT CITY BUMP BAND
14. MOVE ON UP: QUINCY CONSERVE
15. MAXIMUM LOAD: MAXIMUM LOAD (aka JUNE SMITH)

Part 3.
16. THEM CHANGES: MISS RENEE
17. DJERBA (EDIT): LEEK SOUP
18. I FEEL GOOD: THE QUINCY CONSERVE
19. SPINNING WHEEL: WILLPOWER
20. ONLY TIME WILL TELL: JEANNIE LEWIS
21. ESPY SOUL STEW: DIANNA KISS*

* Never released on vinyl. CD release only

I’ve not supplied 100% accurate info in this tracklist for the obvious reasons. If you want to know anymore about any of these tunes,  just hit us up and we can shed some light on some of the more mysterious artsits and tunes here. Hope you enjoy.  If you’re feeling it – send donations to me (Rex) care of Northside records. Trying to raise $1,000,000.00 for ongoing vinyl research (and to pay the artists).

Shout outs to Johnny Topper, Takse, DJ Sheep (Tasman Connection), James ‘Votary’ Pianta, Dave Reitman, Katalyst, Vinko, Idem, Arks, Roger at Mainly Jazz and the rest of you (us) freaks. There are still more records out there…

Pictured right: just some records – not necessarily from this mix, but made in the same 2 countries.

Northside has been a fan of Quantic’s explorations of African music for a long time now. In some ways we can thank Quantic for helping bring Mulatu to Melbourne for the first time this week. Here’s a hot little link to a recent posting of a super Quantic DJ set featuring some of the best Ethiopian music the west has uncovered so far!

Check it, DOWNLOAD HERE: exclusive-quantic-mulatu-show-mix

The Timeless Concert Series wasn’t just a series of stunning performances. All the shows were framed by our favorite DJs. From Madlib to J.Rocc to DJ Nuts and more. Cut Chemist even raised the bar with a one turntable romp!

For the Mulatu show, Quantic brought along something very special .

In 2004 Quantic, Miles Cleret and B+ went to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia to find records and meet with Mulatu Astatke. It was there and then the first thoughts of bringing Mulatu to LA were hatched. So it was fitting that Quantic came to LA to DJ for Mulatu and brought with him records almost all found on that first unique trip.

Ethiopia has many musical traditions indeed not all of them have made it to vinyl. But those chunks of plastic contain some secrets that you really have to go to Addis to find. Trawling ebay is never the same as a trip to East Africa.

Quantic made that trip. And at the Luckman Theater on February 1st, 2009 he buckled everyone in, and took us on a one hour flight back.  Here is his DJ set in its entirety. Don’t be alarmed by the crackle, that’s what 30 plus year old records sound like.

Quantic and Mulatu records and CDs instore at Northside. I hear Chris even has a couple of autographed Mulatu LPs up his sleeve. Lean on him.

WOW! This record and the dedication that has gone into making it happen is amazing. In doing a little research for this release, I’ve found one of the best things on the web! Check out the VOODOO FUNK blog. The info, pics and love here is hard to beat.

voodoofunk.blogspot.com

From the press release:

Compiled by Frank Gossner of Voodoofunk.com, this record contains 12 tracks that represent the sound of Lagos in the late 1970s.

Dean Disi (Music Journalist and formerly Director of Lagos based label TYC Records) wrote the liner notes for this album: ”It was the era of sheer ecstasy. The music not only represents the vibrancy of youthful expressionism of the time but is also deeply rooted in African rhythm though not traditional in phraseology… This collection of songs marks the development of Nigerian urban pop culture… There was diametric difference in the music of the discos and the music play by the groups. Disco music as played by the DJs was essentially western. The fans could connect with this easily. It was hip, urban and stimulating. The young Nigerian groups were hooked on it and tried to play it but with a distinctive African stamp of their own.”

Some of the artists on this record were stars of their times while others remained in obscurity.

And here is what makes Nigerian Disco so special:

Lagos by the 1970s was a huge metropolitan city. Due to the oil boom, there was money to be made with music and nightlife and big international record labels like EMI, Decca and Philips had set up their recording studios that for a big part got equipped with vintage hardware handed down from their European franchises. So as the sound of the late 70s and early 80s in Europe and in the US got more and more modern and from todays point of view just plain shitty, overloaded with ugly sounding Roland keyboards, the sound of Lagos was dominated by powerful horn sections, heavy drums and percussion instruments. There’s plenty of early Moog synthesizers but no synth-generated strings or fake horns.

EMI’s house producer Emmanuel Odenusi had worked with Fela for many years, defining the sound of Afrobeat. Kayode Salami who produced another couple of tracks on this album also was responsible for the incredible sound of the famous debut LP by Psych-Rock group Ofege.

Lagos, a uniquely vibrant, gritty, energetic and sometimes quite dangerous tropical metropolis has always been much more than just a city. A state of mind where third world poverty met the oil boom, where African traditions clashed with Western decadence.

Make no mistake, this stuff will have you dance in a feverish rush in no time.

Side 1: DORIS EBONG - Boogie Trip 5:28  GEALDO PINO - African Hustle 5:25  GROTTO - Bad City Girl 5:34

Side 2:  POGO LTD. - Don’t Put Me Down 4:37  ASIKO ROCK GROUP - Everybody Get Down 8:17  PARADISE STARS - Boogie Train 5:31

Side 3:  DORGU - Rover Man 4:37 MFB - Boredom Pain 5:06  ESSIEN - Take Life Easy 4:14  TIROGO - Dancing Machine 4:03

Side 4:  BLO – Root 3:24  NANA LOVE - Hang On 14:45