DJ Day Says...Step Bacc!

People Under The Stairs
"Step Bacc (DJ Day Remix + Instrumental)" from unreleased (2008, Gold Dust Media)

One of my favorite producers over the last few years. Too many great tracks from him to share, so I decided just to post a recent PUTS remix he's put out there for free. Do yourself a favor and check out his MySpace for more info on him and his music.

Sweet Cream In It

Jel
"Sweet Cream In It (video)" from ...his bedroom? (2007, YouTube)

Jel performing "Sweet Cream In It" live on an Akai MPC2000XL and Boss SP-303 Dr. Sample. The studio version of the track can be heard on Jel's 2006 album "Soft Money". You'd be surprised to hear how close he comes to recreating the original without the use of sequencing or a backing track.

You can find more from Jel on his MySpace.

Rising Down Remixes

The Roots
"Criminal (X:144 Remix)" from Rising Down Remix Contest (2008, Indaba Music)
"I Can't Help It (Static Pro's Shakespearean Interpretation)" from Rising Down Remix Contest (2008, Indaba Music)

Indaba Music is currently hosting a remix contest featuring music from The Roots' album "Rising Down".

You can listen to the top 25 from each round here:
First round - "Criminal"
Final round - "I Can't Help It"

The final round is being judged by The Roots, with the winner getting a chance to record with them. The winner gets announced on January 1st, 2009.

Links to my favorite from each round up top.

We Are Not Hippies

De La Soul
"3 Feet High and Rising Press Kit (video)" from Tommy Boy Records (1989, YouTube)

Introducing De La Soul...you might've heard of these guys before. Appearances by KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, DMC and a few more towards the end.

This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)

DJ Shadow
"This Time (video)" from The Outsider (2006, Island Records)

The story on this song according to DJ Shadow from an HMV.com interview:

"The vocals on 'This Time' are about 40 years old. A recording studio in the Bay Area closed down and a friend of mine got hold of all these reels. It's literally 1 minute 20 seconds of this guy tuning up his guitar, singing this little song, and I just fell in love with that vocal track so I literally built the song around it and I'm happy with the way it came out. I have a lot of imitators back home following the 'Endtroducing' model so I just wanted this album to be as hard to imitate as possible. That's one of the reasons I called it 'The Outsider'."

Some additional insight from Austin, Texas audio engineer Mike Manewitz via the SoulStrut.com boards:

"I can absolutely 100% guarantee that the vocals on 'This Time' are not redone. I did some tape transfers for Soulstrut's own Jinx74 ~18 months ago and the vocal was on one of the reels. Labeled in yellowed tape 'Joe'. There were a few other songs on the reel, but 'This Time' was the standout. I must have played that track on repeat for months. Just vocals on one track and acoustic guitar on the other. SO AMAZING. When Josh [Josh Davis, DJ Shadow] was doing some work in the studio I was at, I asked him if [Jinx] had played him any of the reels we transferred and gave him a copy on CD in case he hadn't heard. I mentioned the 'Joe' tracks and how he needed to hear them. Next thing I heard was Jinx calling me up to get the reel because Josh was in love with the song and wanted to use it on the new record.

I was pretty amazed with how the track turned out, especially after listening to the raw version for so long. Maybe at some point that version will get released. I have been a fairly unapologetic Shadow geek for a while, so it was a very cool experience."

Nardwuar vs. Questlove

Questlove
"Interview Part 1 (video)" from Much Music (2008, YouTube)
"Interview Part 2 (video)" from Much Music (2008, YouTube)
"Interview Part 3 (video)" from Much Music (2008, YouTube)
"Interview Part 4 (video)" from Much Music (2008, YouTube)

Interview of Questlove from The Roots conducted by Nardwuar the Human Serviette. They discuss famous Philly musicians, a few legendary samples and more.

If you aren't up on Nardwuar, check out his YouTube channel here. Some classic interviews of Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg in there.

Speaking of The Roots, they've been confirmed to become the house band for 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' on NBC. You can check the announcement on video here. If you didn't know, Jimmy Fallon will replace Conan O'Brien in March 2009 as he moves up to take Jay Leno's time slot.

It'll be interesting to see The Roots on national TV every weeknight. Hopefully they'll find the time to continue recording music and put on a live show here and there.

Take Me Away Fast

Leigh Iacobucci
"Take Me Away Fast (trailer)" from Tro-Tro Productions (2008, Vimeo)

These are select scenes from an independent documentary film, currently entitled "Take Me Away Fast", chronicling the adventures of Frank "Conakry" in West Africa and this music which must never be forgotten. If you didn't arrive here from his blog, go check it out: voodoofunk.com. This film was directed and shot by Leigh Iacobucci. More information can be found at trotroproductions.com on the Works-In-Progress page.

According to Frank's blog, the documentary should see release sometime in 2009.

Give The Drummer Some

Bernard Purdie
"Groove Lesson (video)" from Groove Workshop, Japan (200x, YouTube)
"Give The Drummer Some (interview)" from Red Bull Music Academy, Rome (2004, Red Bull Music Academy)

"Whether it's James Brown or Aretha Franklin, jazz heavyweights like Jimmy Smith or Galt MacDermot, firing Latin leaders like Pucho and Mongo Santamaria or even - controversially - The Beatles, his innate timekeeping has provided the foundation for innumerable hit tracks, and the Purdie break has become the stuff of drum folklore." - Red Bull Music Academy

Excerpt from the interview:

RBMA: There's a rumor...

Bernard Purdie: No, no, no.

RBMA: That nobody really ever confirmed - that you may have fixed some of The Beatles tracks that Ringo Starr played (laughter)?

Bernard Purdie: ...There are four drummers on The Beatles music, and Ringo's not one of them...

Charlie, That Really Hurt!

Mike Relm
"Live Set (video)" from YouTube Live. Nov. 22, 2008 in San Francisco, CA (2008, YouTube)

You can watch the original video he used here.

More from Mike Relm at his website.