Neomix Volume Two

Finally after so many people bugging me, I've put together another mixtape in the Neoloop series Neomix (I guess I can call it a series now there is a second volume!). Volume Two is as eclectic as the first and covers all the stuff we love on Neoloop.

Tracklisting is as follows:

• 1. Get Free: Major Laser
• 2. Why: Carly Simon
• 3. On and On (Ruined by Rick Rubin): Justice
• 4. Big Love: Matthew E. White
• 5. Without You: Behling
• 6. I Walk This Earth: King Biscuit Time
• 7. I'm on Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Remix): Bruce Springsteen
• 8. Hamjam (Tofu Mix): The Soul Session
• 9. Social Studies (Plastic Plates Remix): Body Language
• 10. So Good At Being In Trouble: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
• 11. Big Shot: Dr.John
• 12. Bombay: El Guincho
• 13. Tear Club: Moullinex
• 14. Chip Off The Old Block: Chic
• 15. Destiny: John Talabot
• 16. Le Grand Sommeil: Ginger Ale
• 17. Get Lucky: Daft Punk
• 18. Utopia: Footprintz
• 19. Juicy Onion: Brusco
• 20. Benediction: Hot Natured & Ali Love
• 21. Bourgie Bourgie: John Davis & The Monster Orchestra
• 22. Inspector Norse: Todd Terje
• 23. Lost: Frank Ocean
• 24. Sea: Roosevelt
• 25. Done and Over It: Marie Madelenine
• 26. Goblin City (Holy Ghost Remix): Panthers
• 27. Island: The Whitest Boy Alive
• 28. La La La: Snoop Lion
• 29. Fashion Killa: A$AP Rockey
• 30. Perfidia: Phyllis Dillon
• 31. The Baddest Man Alive: The Black Keys
• 32. Blue Skies: Willie Nelson

Cuban Bass Drop

London dubstep producer Mala travelled to Havana to collaborate with traditional Cuban musicians under the guidance of world renowned music mastermind Gilles Peterson. Buena Vista Social Club goes dubstep you may think, but this album climbs new heights to deliver a truly original piece of music. This is far removed from the early trappings of dubstep, this is cuban music with earth-moving low frequency basslines. An organic feel throughout never sounds forced, instead shifting and moulding into a free flowing rhythm of epic soundscapes and alt-jazz nuances. 

Noches Sueños, the closing track really taps into the spirit of Cuban music, but it's like nothing else on the album. Guest vocalist Danay Suarez sings a Spanish lament over a powerful slow reggae bass, you can feel the melancholy longing at the core of both much traditional Cuban music and early dubstep. Stunning. Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

Fly me to the Moon People

Feeling this track from Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Nickodemus' third long player Moon People. Best known for his collaboration with Quantic, the iTunes ad endorsed Mi Swing Es Tropical back in 2006. His 2005 debut album Endangered Species is still a favourite classic LP. This track Mirage features the velvet vocals of Swedish singer Kissey Asplund, a beautiful soulful groove for an easy going evening.

Buy on iTunes click here

The parents do not understand us

Les parents ne nous comprennent pas! Picked up this soundtrack while on my travels around France, in a quirky little music shop in Bordeaux. I haven't seen the film that it soundtracks, it's called Le bal des actrices [2009] (The Ball of the Actresses) a French film directed by Maïwenn. A film about a director that, while shooting a documentary about all kinds of actresses, falls for one of them. Linh-Dan Pham plays herself, born in 1974 she is a French actress of Vietnamese descent. As it turns out she's not a bad singer either with her cute Vietnamese ascent singing in French. The rest of the soundtrack is pretty good too!

Buy it on iTunes

Nairobi-London sound clash

Found this tune on the latest Nova Tunes 2.4 compilation. A cheerful tune from a collective of London-based musicians and a group of Kenyan's musicians jamming in the middle of Nairobi. Signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Records Owiny Sigoma Band released a full album back in April, Damon Albarn adding Farfisa organ on a couple of the tracks. 

Check out on iTunes

It's good to hear some new music from Beirut, sounding on good form on this cover of the Tropicália legend Caetano Veloso.

The first track from the Red Hot Organization’s sequel to their 1996 comp Red Hot + Rio, paying homage to Brazilian Tropicália. The album will also feature Dirty Projectors, of Montreal, St. Vincent, Neon Indian, Beck, Devendra Banhart, Madlib, José González, and John Legend. Quite the eclectic mix, Can't wait!

Find out the full lo-down on redhot.org

The great Paolo Conte has a new album out called Nelson, some of which he showcased at the Royal Albert hall last Wednesday. This is a nice chilled out song leading with Conte's subtle piano and builds up with  his bands amazing accordion players over a bolero beat. It another great album from Italian to add to his amazing back catalogue.

Check out the new album on iTunes here

Official Paolo site

This week I went to see the great Paolo Conte at The Royal Albert Hall, it was his first concert in the UK to tour his new album Nelson. So naturally Paolo Conte for one night only was sold out. It was a night to remember, even at the grand old age of 73 Conte has still his mojo. Surrounded by the most amazing musicians, it was an incredible performance.

He's been described as Italy's answer to everyone from Jacques Brel to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, but he inhabits a world of his own, in which he can switch, often within the same song, from echoes of French chanson to jazz-edged swing, with occasional excursions into stomping R&B or Latin styles, and with his piano work matched by an equally versatile band, which features the remarkable multi-instrumentalist Massimo Pitzianti. This tune, Max is an all time classic Conte song and an all time favourite of mine. Truly Exceptional.

Like this? Try: More Paolo Conte, Serge Gainsbourg, Astor Piazzolla, Tom Waits, Arthur H

This odd little ditty reminds me a lot of the Stereolab sound but with a chinese vocal and groovy pop kitsch. Love to know what she is singing about. This features on a compilation album called Expo (A compilation of independent Chinese electronic artists) presented by The Shanghai Restoration Project, a US based group renowned for its fusion of Chinese instrumentation with hip-hop and electronica and Neocha (leading online community of independent Chinese musicians and artists)

Buy it on iTunes

Chill out to some seriously good dub with the second album from Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, the tropical dub-reggae side project that Quantic introduced with 2008's highly acclaimed Death Of The Revolution. With the Flowering Inferno, Will 'Quantic' Holland brings dub and reggae flavours to the Latin American and African sounds that he has been chasing round the globe since he first started collecting records. 

He recorded the album in his Sonido Del Valle studio in Cali, Colombia. An album inspired by soundsystem culture but widened out far beyond just reggae and dancehall styles 'Dog With A Rope' is a Tropical soundclash - encompassing a heavy bass and reggae aesthetic alongside the Tropical dance-orientated music from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia.

Like this? Try: Buena Vista Social Club, Ernest Ranglin, Ticklah

Kick start any party with this Balkan skanker, with added Flat Eric rubs and swirling sirens. Add your own air horns for maximum effect. Taken from Balkan Beat Box's remix album Nu Made which sees new remixes of their Nu Med album. Stefano Miele speeds up the original and add more electronic effects and skanks it right up! Banging!

Like This? Try: Shantel, Mahala Rai Banda

But this on iTunes

Since today is the first day of British summertime I'm digging out some old feel-good summer tunes. What better than some Brazilian vibes, this just oozes the heat of the sun with a chilled out groove. Totally tropical, Bonobo remixes the track for the bottletop project (see more about this at bottletop.org) which raises money for inspiring causes through music sales. Taking original music from all over the world and asks various leading DJ and producers to remix them. For more of this kind of fantastic music, look no further than Mr. Bongos.

Like this? Try: Gilberto Gill, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Os Mutantes, Sergio Mendes

Unmistakably Quantic but with an emphasis on reggae inspired sounds this is from the constantly evolving series of ideas from the unstoppable Will Holland. Released back in 2008, a timeless sound that borrows from the past to create the future. This has such nice cool groove, Death Of The Revolution is looped through the track to give it a dark undertone with sunshine high-lights it's a wicked tune. Taken from the album Quantic Presents… Flowering Inferno.

Like This? try: The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Quantic & His Combo Barbaro, Ticklah Vs. Axelrod, Mr Scruff

Buy on iTunes, Tru Thoughts website

House with a twist of lemon from Stefano Miele, aka Riva Starr. Following his very successful remixes comes If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade, his new album (released in January 2010) - full of eclectic dancefloor fillers. I Was Drunk takes inspiration from the Balkan music scene with the distinctive gypsy brass and skanking beats.

The album Stefano described as Mezcla, a universal Spanish word that’s used to describe a mixture of different things that seems to aptly apply to Stef’s music with his World influences and eclectic beats. Check out his album for the full ‘Mezcla’ experience. 

Like This? Try: Jesse Rose, Balkan Beat Box, Mahala Raï Banda, Shantel

Buy the album on iTunes, Riva Starr's place in MySpace

Funky balkan beat to move your feet, I'm chilling in my crib digging in the crates for some rare classics. This tune just makes you wanna dance. This kind of Balkan electronica can sound shit in the wrong hands, Al Lindrum knows his shit though and produces quality authentic balkan music, he's Just moved from Barcelona to Sarajevo in the balkans running weekly residents at The Balkan Café - www.Facebook.com/balkancafe.

This has an almost lounge vibe to it, with Japanese ladies singing along to the ainu dub beat rhythms. A chilled out Sunday afternoon, kick back and relax to some Japanese dub. Taken from the album Dub Ainu.

Oki is an Ainu Japanese musician. His real name is Oki Kanō (加納 沖) and he is from Kanagawa Prefecture. Oki mixes traditional Ainu music with reggae, dub and other styles of world music.

Official Site, Oki on iTunes, Oki Ainu Dub Band on iTunes

I've no idea what she's singing about, my spanish is a little rusty, but this is a beautiful song. An instant feel good vibe, just add a cuban cigar and a Mojito and your away! My mate Dave has this as his ringtone!

This is a classic tune from the Cuban diva Leyanis López Luque, born in Guantanámo on the 8th of October 1971.

Leyanis place in MySpace

Time for a bit of in yer face booming dancehall. This tune sounds like Major Lazer partying with Basement Jaxx at an African street carnival. Recommended by @ablackcanvas. A real party banger, dropping in all the sirens and whistles jumping along to a thumping groove.

http://www.myspace.com/burakasomsistema

A real feel good vibe, just add blue sky, a Mojito and a spanish dancer!

This Album is just amazing, to many good tunes on to pick just one. Many worldly influences and styles chop about with a colourful array of happiness. Gotan Project’s Christoph H. Müller and Peruvian percussionist Rodolfo Muñoz (Chinchivi, Sandunga) have teamed up to create RADIOKIJADA, a unique musical adventure based upon Afro Peruvian rhythms and culture, a crossover of powerful percussion, strong melodies, deep basslines and contemporary production methods.

Bands place in MySpace, Official Site 

Buy it on iTunes

Funky steel drums and a wicked trumpet!

On first listen to this I thought this is pretty cool cover of 50 Cent's P.I.M.P, after further investigation I discover that this is the original tune that Fiddy nicked. So now I think it's even cooler now.

The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band are an obscure band from Trinidad & Tobago. 

This moody downtempo tune shows the influence of Latin styles and Jamaican reggae in early 1970's Trinidadian music culture. The theme is said to be derived from Venzuela.

Havana to France via Chinese Man!

Chinese Man Records - The Groove Sessions Vol.2 is another album I picked up from my trip to France this week. It's a very eclectic affair to say the least, mixing up an array of styles from Hip Hop, break beat and Jazz to Bollywood chants, Cuban rhythms, weird electronica and mad film samples. This track is quality! Album RECOMMENDED

Official Site, Bands place in MySpace

DISKO, DISKO PARTIZANI!

Balkan brass, accordions and a ska skanking beat. Keeping on the balkan tip, this one gets your toes tapping. The rest of Shantels latest album is all quality balkan brass band music. I have a few versions of this old tune, Shantel brings it back up to date without losing the energy of the original standard.

Skank on…!

He's a German DJ who brought the rousing brassy gypsy music of eastern Europe to a new audience by mixing it with electronic beats. New album is out now - Planet Paprika.

His place in MySpace

Buy it on iTunes

Sunshine and Psychedelic pop

Every summer I always dig out some old Serge Gainsbourg to drop in to mix compilations. This is from a soundtrack to a movie called La Horse.

Composed by Gainsbourg and Vannier in 1970, a true pearl of Psychedelic pop stunningly modern and powerful.

Infectious groove, can't fail to get your foot tapping this one!

Terry Hall is enjoying Rave reviews touring with the Specials at the moment, I was lucky enough to see them at Brixton Academy last month, definitely gig of the year for me! This tune is currently on the cover mount CD with Uncut magazine this month and it reminded me how good it was and what a great album it comes from.

On this tune Hall's voice is joined by Romany Rad, a group of Polish gypsy refugees living in the East End, the blind Algerian rapper Mohammed and Damon Albarn. The album is also on Albarns record label Honest Jons.

Buy it - honestjons.com