RPM'S R&B DANCE PARTY

 

If you saw this in a pile of question marks.....would you pick it up and pop it in?

Yeah, me too. 
It's not what you think.

RPM'S R&B DANCE PARTY

FREEATLAST

 

Rough around the edges? Sure. Honest? Without question.

The is the shit that I live for. Is it awesome and/or essential? Nah, not by a mile. Is it fukkn real? No doubt.

Indonesian Hardcore - 2003.

REHEARSAL TAPE

RAÏ REBELS

 

Do I know anything about Raï? Before a few days ago I might have said "no" and today I might still say "no," but spend an afternoon with Raï Rebels and you'll want to know more. Algerian folk/protest sounds, led by cheb/cheba singers, chioukhs and cheikhates, who created mesmerizing and infectious sounds with roots in (resistance to) early 20th century colonialism. It's a different world, and the world is vast....

EARTHWORKS: RAÏ REBELS

MODERN JAZZ QUARTET

 

I remain firmly convinced that MODERN JAZZ QUARTET is the ultimate group for less familiar with and/or hesitant about jazz. Smooth and accessible, innovative and interesting, challenging and engaging;  they settle comfortably into the confines of what the civilians think of as "jazz" while pushing those very same boundaries. You're not going to hear any free jazz freak-offs, but the vibes up front create a truly unique approach to the (sub)genre, and their 1958 collaborations here with Group de Paris are just smooth as fukk. Did I scoop this out of a bargain bin? Yes. Was it a good choice? Absolutely.

LOS GRANDES DEL JAZZ: 5

PROLETARIAT

 

Gratitude to the old punks who captured and distributed this shit. PROLETARIAT are perhaps (somewhat) under-appreciated, but this boot shows that real-time punks knew what was up (I see you, Felix). A live WERS set and tracks from Soma Holiday and the elusive Distortion demo....you need this. A full 60 minutes, and you need all of it. "Events / Repeat" on repeat, and then "Options" forever. 

RADIO SHOW BOSTON

MANDRILL

 

In the never ending world of things I didn't know I needed in my life, I present MANDRILL. I feel like I have had them forever, but I heard them (consciously) for the first time in July 2025. Better late than never, yeah? Sounds I never knew I needed until I had a taste - these kids shared the stage with JAMES BROWN and DEEP PURPLE and if you need a more rousing endorsement than that then I'm not really sure I can help you. Gorgeous 1970s psychedelic funk that channels SLY STONE and PHARAOH SANDERS with equal ferocity and in real time. There are twenty MANDRILL albums to choose from, and I would be an ignorant fool if I said that you should start with this one - but I started with this one and it's amazing. 

JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN

VOCIFERIAN

 

This is one of those "sit down and just listen" tapes. Two tracks, thirty five disturbed minutes of Belgian black metal that doesn't sound like anything else. Ever. The vocals are so bizarrely manipulated that you'll wonder what's happening in your earholes while you're sitting down (and listening, as I asked). Soaring, triumphant sounds from a different realm, and the drum solo on "Ode Aux Rats" should settle any debates about the normalcy of sounds contained on this cassette...and then there's the interlude/buildup that follows. This is something else. 

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