Kraftwerk live show from 1997

Kraftwerk - Live PA, Tribal Gathering, Luton Hoo Estate, UK: Essential Mix - BBC Radio 1 1997-05-24 by +dB

This is an amazing live performance from the one and only Kraftwerk. It think it makes more sense to be a fan of theirs than any other band because they are robots and will be playing live shows and producing quality music for eternity. The Rolling Stones should consider becoming robots before it is too late.  

Redbull Induced Mix by MadCoins

Redbull Induced Mix by MadCoins

The newest MadCoins mix is out, rejoice. I made this after 3 too many redbulls and 5 too many vodkas so I was in perfect shape to mix. This is a world beats based mix genre jumping between UK Funky, Middle Eastern beats, Hip Hop, Glitch and general weirdness. Free download available as usual. 

Benga - Man On A Mission

Here is the original Benga beat "Man On a Mission". You can hear how much depth Katy B's vocals add to the beat. In some cases that is just what the beat needs, in others not so much. It is a guessing game for a lot of these producers. Benga is talented enough to know when adding vocals could take away from the beat and the opposite is the case here.

Katy B - Katy On A Mission - Official Music Video

This Katy B song is a good example of using singing properly over a UK Funky-ish beat. I think the reason it works so well is how slowed down the beat is for most of the song. She actually makes it sound more UK Funky than the beat itself. Benga made the beat and is often classified as Dubstep so I'm not even sure this would be classified as UK Funky but I'm gonna go ahead and do that. Certified funky.

'Feeling Funky' By KG

Here is a sick UK Funy beat with a vocal sample that, in my opinion, adds to the track rather than pulls focus away from the beat too much. Too many tracks have a female singing or someone emceeing and while I appreciate the effort to push UK Funky along, the best parts are still by far the fresh take on danceable beats.

Formula - Keep Calm [ Funky House ] [2011].wmv

It's hard to find smoothed out UK Funky with no cheesy vocals over the top but more and more it seems like it is becoming available. This one is ripe for remixing.

Roska - Tomorrow Is Today

Another banger I came across from Roska. Tomorrow is Today. UK Funky is hit and miss but when it hits, it really hits.

FUNKY HOUSE...NEW TRIBAL FUNKY 2009...UK VYBZ

Hope you enjoy the UK Funky run. I have to make up for lost posts while I was away at SXSW. I know nothing about the artist, UK Vybz, or Charmer productions, but I do know I dig the smooth, tribal, funky track.

Kingdom - Fogs HD

This is one of Kingdom's originals. I tend to like his remixes of other people's music more but he is no slouch on his own either. His music falls into many categories, some of it doesn't fall into any. Some categories he does fall into: 2 Step Garage & UK Funky. I hesitate to call anything I have heard him do "Dubstep". I have heard the ridiculous term "Post-dubstep" kicked around lately to describe some of this futuristic sounds like this coming out of the UK and beyond.

The Aikiu - Just Can't Sleep (Egyptrixx remix)

Here is a slick remix Egytrixx recently did. Egytrixx is a Canadian DJ/Producer on the Night Slugs label.

Egyptrixx - Everybody Bleeding (Kingdom remix)

So I was away from blogging for a week or so recently due to the amazing festival that is SXSW. You should check it out at least once. It is held in Austin, Tx each year during the third week in March. I have a list of artists I got to see (and a bigger list I never got to) but I won't bore you. I will tell you that one of the best shows I saw was Egyptrixx. He played a DJ set at Beauty Bar and it was wicked fresh. This track is remixed by Kingdom (like the Lil Silva remix I mentioned in my last post), a nice artist who is fresh to the scene. I will post something by him in a few.

Different - Lil Silva

This is my favorite UK Funky beat. By Lil Silva who I think I read is only 19 or maybe 20 now. He is one to watch what with tossing out bangers at such a young age. There is a remix of this song, "Different", by Kingdom ft. Jazmine Sullivan that is amazing (I think its better than just the beat which is sick in its own right). If you can find it online you will be a happy camper. I have a copy but don't know where I even got it from anymore or I'd clue you in on where to find it. Happy hunting.

Roska - Squark - Rinse

In the vein of fresh tunes with great animation, here is a one minute sample of Squark by Roska accompanied by some squarking birds. Roska has been creating some quality UK Funky House tunes for the last couple of years. He is out of London I believe.

Ramadanman - Humber (PIPS005) - Apple Pips

Fresh animated music video I discovered from a guy called Ramadanman who is making some waves in the UK. I don't know much about him but from what I've heard so far, he loves the 808 and the stripped down UK sound. I like the tree growth to the beat in the video. It reminds me a bit of the Nobukazu Takemura "Sign" video I posted here a while back. This will be the first of a bunch of UK Funky & 2 step Garage tracks I'll post. I don't think I have covered it here much and it deserves some play.

Dj Spooky - Peace in Zaire

Another DJ Spooky classic that starts out sampling Doin' Time/Summertime. This is off of the Riddem Warfare double LP. This album feels to me like the expression of his intersecting knowledge, experimentation and external happenings in the world of music at that point in time. In this album he includes elements of drum & bass, hip hop, jazz, electronica, rock, trip hop, emceeing, vintage sampling, dub and ambient (it also features all stars Karsh Kale, Kool Keith, Thurston Moore, Killah Priest and KutMasta Kurt). Not just includes them but blends genres and often confuses and surprises the listener by doing so. Many reviews back then just dismissed this album as trying to be too avante garde or said it wasn't cohesive enough. Many simply, and vainly, pointed out the tracks they liked and the tracks they could have done without. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I just think the album should be applauded for playing with so many different genres at a time when it was risky for a DJ to step outside of one genre on an album and I can guarantee this album has held up a hell of a lot better over time than most of the albums those same critics were giving "good" reviews to at the time. I personally feel like the album is the sound of Spooky's mind boiling over with experience and information. If it is indeed that, then it is the perfect soundtrack whether it sounds "nice" to you or not.

Update: There is a remix album of this album called "Subliminal Minded" that is well worth checking out as well. Here is a review of that album, which is actually the album that showed up in my car recently and sparked me to blog bout what I thought was Riddem Warfare. The disc itself has no information on it.

DJ Spooky: Galactic Funk [HD:AO]

Ok class... If you have been paying attention you will know exactly where DJ Spooky samples the main loop in the first half of this track from. Hint: I posted it very recently. I think the funky guitars at the 3 minute mark are sampled from somewhere too but I can't place where. DJ Spooky is a DJ, producer, author, futurist, historian and media theorist. I threw those last few titles in from my own opinion. The man is well versed in DJ culture, politics and history which are all interconnected and in my opinion essential to being a next level DJ.

Kid 606 vs Max Tundra - Five Minutes, Five Seconds

I posted a Kid 606 track a while back showing his hardcore side. Here is the Jekyll to his Hyde. This is a really beautiful minimal piece of work from a great album called "And Friends Vol 1". Note that none of the other tracks on the album are even remotely like this one.

JEAN JACQUES PERREY - The Groovy Leprechauns

Here is one more track from Jean Jacques Perrey to display his more modern sounding side (he has made strange music for 50+ years now). It is from the 1999 album "At Home With The Groovebox" which showcases three classic synthesizers from the 1980s: The 808 & 909 drum machines and the 303 bass machine.

Marek Biliński - Ucieczka z tropiku (wersja full)

In the theme of old electronica dudes, here is Polish composer Marek Bilinski set to some old school explosions and crashes. I love the unexpected murderous robot at the very end.

Gershon Kingsley plays Popcorn 2007

Here is Kingsley playing that same tune, Popcorn, strictly using piano. It's not enough!

Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn

Then there is Gershon Kingsley, Jean Jacques's partner in crime back in the 1960s. Perrey & Kingsley produced some strange pop oriented electronica together long before it would be appreciated by anyone outside of the avant-garde crowd. Their most famous album is The In Sound From Way Out! from 1966.

Jean-Jacques Perrey & Dana Countryman - E.V.A.

This is Jean Jacques Perrey, an electrical engineer, inventor, music producer and Frenchman from the future who has been sampled countless modern producers. I never knew what he looked liked and now that I've seen this clip I have to say he is more mad scientist than I eva could have hoped for. This track, simply titled, E.V.A., uses chimes, guitar, drum machines and synthesizers (moog) to create a timeless piece of work. It was created in 1968 and has since been sampled by the likes of Luke Vibert, DJ Spooky, Gang Starr (Just To Get A Rep) and remixed by Fatboy Slim. Here is a cool old clip of him from 1960 on the I've Got A Secret show.

Luke Vibert - I Love Acid

One more tidbit about Luke Vibert, he apparently loves acid. Can you hear the beat get thicker as the track moves along and do you hear that Jean Jacques Perrey sample he is using? I'll post that track next.

Wagon Christ - Receiver

Luke Vibert aka Wagon Christ makes fresh baked UK electronica. It fits well with animation and robots (two extremely rad things) as you can see in this video. If you want to familiarize yourself more with his production you should check out his 7 minute long Sci-Fi Staircase also on youtube.

The Third Eye Foundation - If You Treat Us All Like Terrorists We Will B...

The last two tracks I posted were from 1998 and 1997 respectively. To show you Third Eye Blind is still going strong here is a relentless, powerful track from his 2010 album "The Dark".

The Third Eye Foundation - The Out Sound From Way In

Amazing video for another Third Eye Foundation track from 1997. I actually slept on this album and the one that came before this so it is nice to find this on youtube.

The Third Eye Foundation - Lions Writing the Bible + No Dove No Covenant

Matt Elliot aka Third Eye Foundation has been one of my favorite hidden gems for the past decade. I want him to stay that way so all I will say is that he is an amazing musician/producer of both folk and electronic music (two extremely important forms of music to digest if you want to be a good producer) and is as diverse and prolific as they come. This particular track always makes me literally visualize lions lying around conversing and writing the bible.

MadCoins - Just Me and My Glitch Mix

Me and My Glitch by MadCoins on Mixcrate

My newest mix containing bass driven Glitch music meant to rattle your teeth and piss off your neighbors. Listen to and/or download it at mixcrate above or soundcloud below.

Just Me and My Glitch by MadCoins