The Only Duffy I Remember Is Bobby Ewing

I hate to use this comparison as i think this girl should be judged on her own merits. But everyone else is gonna do it so i'll jump before i'm pushed. Anyone who loves Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, will love this. And since just about everyone loves Amy's stuff (I think alot of people forget that Mark Ronson had an awful oot to do with that) we'll be singing this Girls praises in no time. There is also a bit of a folksy influence to Duffy's sound though but don't let that put you off. Some of you should already know the lead single, Mercy which has caught fire in the charts recently. I noticed this doing the rounds on some pop blogs but she deverves lot more attention than the kind that fickle bunch can provide (it's true). This is a promo & i get the feeling i shouldn't be posting the whole thing (5 tracks). But since it's not the whole album & the whole point of a promo is to.... errrr.... promote.... stuff, imma do it anyway.

Duffy - Untitled Promo

Duffy - Mercy (Dunproofin's Thankful Remix)

I Feel Like Dirk Diggler When I Look in The Mirror (Disco Inferno)

A Disco Inferno for sure, but ain't no 50 Cent quotes here. John Travolta was superb in Saturday Night Fever (i'm not afraid to admit it) & the soundtrack was a thing of genius. However, Disco always went deeper than the aforementioned film & it's sequel suggested. So step forward Jerome Derradji, who has put together a Disco/Boogie collection that definately lives upto it's title. The American Boogie Down, Play It through some decent speakers while your doing the housework & you'll get into the groove without realising it. I did just that & i've played it a fair few times since then too. For anyone who doesn't usually associate their ears with this type of jam, download the freebies & check em out. Fans of Rare Groove, or fans of Parliament/George Clinton and the like (like me) should be making beelines for this asap. As for my personal faves on this journey. Tony Cook & Vernon Cheedy - Get To The Point is superb & immediately puts me in 'Off The Wall' mode. The Right Direction's 'Midnight Rhythm' is another that immediately had my feet moving. Overall this is yet another Quality collection from those folks at Barely Breaking Even (maybe you guys should release a bad one, just to see what it's like).

p e a c e

Grayship Daviz - Get Up Get Down & Let Your Body Pop

The Right Direction - Midnight Rhythm

Do Your Thing

Mr. Thing is a producer of immense quality, who along with Yungun, released the album, Grown Man Business. He is also an avid connoisseur of rare and sought after breaks. He has reached into his huge collection & come up with this. The llatest in the Strange genre is chock full of gems & is definately one not to be missed. I'm not afraid to say that i haven't heard of half of the artists on this album. But that didn't stop me appreciating how good it is none the less. A few of the breaks hit me from leftfield & i'm not entirely sure how to class a few of them. But since that only adds to the variety of the cuts there's more than enough for any budding beatsmith to be getting along with. A great addition to the Strange catalogue. Also be sure to check for the others in the collection. Check out the track below

The Discoettes - Yes You Can Can

Quantum Leap Is My Favourite TV Show

I hate Will Holland/Quantic. Why does he have to be such a bloody musical genius? Why, whether going solo or bringing it with his Soul Orchestra, does he not put a foot wrong? How can he draw from such a varied number of influences without a misstep? Why did he not so much dispell the dreaded 2nd album theory as kick it in the proverbials? It's not fair for someone to be so outrageously talented. For years he brings out one quality release after another, puts out quality remixes of other artists tracks & does it in between travelling the world doing critically acclaimed DJ sets. He even has the cheek to throw in some latin flavour with his Orchestra brethrin on their latest release (Tropadelico) & still sound effortlessly superb. The man is a Sublime talent & he doesn't even show it off, Bastard. And after all my bloody complaining i've still gotta give mad props to the guy... for kcuf sake!!!

Quantic - Mishaps Happening (Quantic Beat Mix)

Quantic - Meet Me At The Pomegranate Tree

Quantic - En Focus (Pilooski Mix) ft. Trinidad

Ohmega Watts - That Sound (Quantic Soul Orchestra Version) ft. Lightheaded & The Procussions

Sunshine Anderson - heard It All Before (Quantic Soul Orchestra Remix)

Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Don't Joke With A Hungry Man Pt. 2

Remember 8 ball Jackets?

I'm always looking to extend my musical branches further. To try something that i haven't tried before. I would class listening to a brass fronted modern Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop fusion band as trying something new (for me it is anyway). The Hot 8 Brass Band Hail from New Orleans & are the 1st US act to be signed by Tru Thoughts. But these guys aren't just musicians. They have strong ties to the political landscape in the US deep south, especially on anti violence issues. These guys have lost 4 band members to street violence & use their music as a conduit to convey their message. Staying true to their New Orleans roots, they bring in other elements to their sound with ease. Their lead single, a cover of Marvin's 'Sexual Healing, caused a sensation among those in the know. It is a brilliantly funky, uptempo cover that deserves alot more recognition. There's also a superb cover of Snoop's 'Whats My Name' as well as an awesome array of original material. Like 'Skeet Skeet'. That has the band in full voice foot stomping bass drums & the ever present (& masterfully played) horns. Or 'Rastafunk', which wondefully plays out just as the title suggests. The whole damn album is an experience that can only be bettered by seeing these guys live. I hear that the atmosphere created at there live shows is mind blowing & it is my mission to somehow get to a show to see these guys. A groove filled infectious debut that i will be using a few copies of as birthday presents. Awesome.

p e a c e

The Hot 8 Brass Band - Skeet Skeet

The Hot 8 Brass Band - Rastafunk

Now We're Cookin'

Nu Funk at it's best. Austrailian trio Cookin' On 3 Burners are masters of their craft and have obviously been hard at perfecting their brand of funk for a while now. Their are only with only 2 songs with a featured vocalist you might be forgiven for initially thinking that this maybe simply be background fodder. Hell No! The chunky drums & organ driven bass used as a base througout means this is far from being mere filler music. The gruff earthiness in these guys sound only adds atmosphere to the album as a whole. As for my standouts, Kylie Auldist Kills it on the superb 'Settle The Score' & the piercing guitars used on their take on The Gorillaz 'Feel Good Inc' make it a definate banger. Overall this is a really nice piece of work by these guys and i'm looking forward to more of the same. I've dropped a couple of samplers for the good people to wet their palettes with.

Cookin' On 3 Burners - Cressy St. Breakdown

Cookin' On 3 Burners - Feel Good Inc.

The Belle's Rush

We humans are complex souls. Lots of likes, dislikes, do's, don'ts, bests, worsts, must haves & don't want's spill from our minds & mouths as if life was a byword for vocal vemon. I of course, am just as complex as the next homosapien, but there are times when I would just like something to do exactly what it says on the tin. Especially when i buy an album called Turntable Soul Music, because as long as the cd delivers what the title suggests all will be well. And so it came to pass. Belleruche have put together a superb album using Hip Hop as it's foundation to allow many aural variations to permeate off of it. The first plus is my current favourite vocal songstress, Kathrin De Boer, is the vocal phenom of the group, so consequently is all over these beats. Her light alluring vocals are a great foil for jazzy boom bap production style of DJ Modest & Ricky Fabulous. The uptempo 'Northern Girls' sets things off on the right note and straight away you get the essence of what thses peeps are about. Kathrins lovely vocal, the sharp drums and the scratched hook are all in attendance. The Blaxploitation funk of 'Bump' & The simple but oh so soulful sample used for 'Reflection' are yet again perfectly allaid to Kathrin's vocal. Most of the tracks follow a similar formula but it's done so damn well that you'll never care anyway. There are some guitar led diversions from the majority in 'Balance' & 13.6.35. But these only serve to enhance the overall feel of the album and you can tell that these guys thought long & hard about my girls vocal style when bringing these tracks to life. I am not a big fan of all this blinged out R 'n' B & there are only a few credible artists left in the game. These guys blow all that BS out of the water. Silky smooth vocals coupled with a backdrop of substance & a little attitude make this album a recent favourite. I Can't wait till the next one. Grab the tracks i've posted below for a flavour of what these guys can do.

p e a c e

Belleruche - The Itch

Belleruche - It'll Come

Aar It Out

In the early 90's when my musical pendulum swung firmly in the favour of hip hop my mind was very blinkered. Hip Hop was the be all & end all. Where did the original samples come from? I didn't care. Who sung the original song's? I didn't care. What other genre's were out there for me to discover? I didn't care. For a guy that was raised with Dub, Reggae, Michael Jackson, calypso & Soca that is virtually crime of the century. But with age & experience comes wisdom (sort of) & a vastly extended musical palette. Music such as the kind Aaron Jerome has created on his debut disc is a testament to just that. Drawing on a vast catalogue of influences the sounds journey from gorgeous to outhere and to straight thumping with ease. The first track on the album, the beautiful Dancing Girl (featuring a subtly hypnotising vocal from Mozez) is an obvious example. It starts as a guitar led ballad and then reaches into a downtempo beat number with 4Hero-esque violins for company. It accelerates and opens out to a superb live drum & guitar section before slowing down again for the finale. A sublime piece of arranging as well as production. But it's when the following track opens with a continuous latino/bossa percusiion loop that you realise the scope of just what this guy has drawn on to make this album happen. And so it continues with each track bringing a sound you haven't heard on any of the previous tracks. Through the Midtempo Nu jazz drums and jazz textured cello & piano of 'Reason To'. The straight neck snapping Hip Hop of Way Of Life through the Spacey Drum & Bass vibes of 'Real Time' (featuring Bahamadia soundalike Voice). On the first listen you're never quite sure what sound is gonna infiltrate your anvils next. Yungun even makes an appearance on my favourite track on this one (it's hard to deny the Hip Hop in me) 'Light Night Mission'. With it's lovely uptempo swing & bass guitar weaving in & out of the catchy drum patterns my head was swinging (not nodding) all the way through. Yungun doesn't disappoint and the subject matter & skits woven into the song all fit perfectly. In fact there isn't a single guestspot thats out of place. A lot of producer led releases of this type suffer from too many thus taking the listeners attention away from the artists work. This does no such thing as all the guests only add to the music they're accompanying. Kathrin De Boer especially is a voice i would pay to hear in the atmosphere of any intimate venue without hesitation. Her turn on 'Blow Your Own Pt. 2 is simply awesome. Mr. Jerome is undeniably a superb talent & the variety he's shown on this album only shows just how much he can turn his hand to & how many artists will be asking for his services. A quite splendiferous debut sir!!! Check out the track below for a taster.

p e a c e

Aaron Jerome - Dawn Mist