Beat Route UK: Van Wrinkle Dub

To all my mates in Londontown and the UK, alike, I hope you will enjoy my best attempt to please you all.  This is my donation to the Beat Route: 11 July 2009, and to my top mate in the UK, Jason Ebers and fam.  To good times, good friends, and good music!  Hope you enjoy!

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Beat Route UK: Van Wrinkle Dub Track Listing:
Dedicated to Michael Jackson: Rest In Music

    1.    (0:00:14) Fat Freddy's Drop PULL THE CATCH - Wicked!  Finally the moment we (Gilles Peterson included) have been waiting for...the follow up to Based On A True Story.  This is the second LP by one of the greatest New Zealand acts to perform beautiful life music entitled, Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW.  Gilles Peterson from the UK's BBC Radio 1 broadcast, and music extraordinaire, hailed them the greatest band in the world after their release of their first LP.  Joe Dukie (moniker inspired by his father Joe, and the great jazz pianist Duke Ellington), the lead singer often is featured throughout popular funky German acts such as Boozoo Bajou or Clara Hill.
    2.    (0:05:20) Mos Def & Talib Kweli DEFINITION - Classic hip hop from 2 of conscious rap's masters, on their album Black Star, borrowing from Blast-Master KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions' beat off, Stop The Violence.  The two pay homage in the chorus, and reuses the mantra with updated info.  The combination of Mos Def's rhythmic rhyme patterns over the 16th notes on the hi-hat and matching the accents on the snare and often the bass drum along with Talib's over-the-bar-line raps makes for a perfect Re-Definition of the original song (the following song on the album is entitled just that!).
    3.    (0:08:38) Ben Harper & The Relentless 7 LAY THERE & HATE ME - Harper is a singer-songwriter and excellent guitar player, who often can be seen wailing on his slide guitar, which is influenced by the great blues artist, Robert Johnson.  Harper started the Relentless 7 after meeting lead guitarist, Jason Mozersky, in Austin in the 90s.  White Lies For Dark Times is their debut and was released in May 2009.  
    4.    (0:12:27) Paul McCartney feat. Michael Jackson SAY SAY SAY (EXTENDED VERSION) - I was obligated to put a track with MJ on this mix.  I chose this track off Paul McCartney's LP, Pipes Of Peace, because of the musical significance in both icons.  This track was produced by the resilient George Martin and was paired along with, The Girl Is Mine, which was released on MJ's groundbreaking Thriller album.  Here, Sir Paul drops a 4 over 3 polyrhythmic verse (thanks, Todd, for the breakdown) only to be countered by MJ's brilliant funky pop verse.  Truly outstanding, and George Martin, the production king, extends this version decades ahead of its time, as per his usual.   There will never be anybody more influential in my musical life as Michael Jackson, because SNAP!, on my second birthday, MJ released the single Billie Jean, which just so happens to be my all-time favorite song - that's right, my first steps were the moonwalk, yo!  We will always be grateful, and continuously inspired by the musical contributions you've left behind.  Thank you!
    5.    (0:17:42) Bitter:Sweet THE BOMB - This was a surprise!  An electronic-jazzy-trip-hop duo based out of Los Angeles!  I started to write down, 'from the UK,' and realized I should have read the description fully.  Shana Halligan tears the jazzy riff apart and brings back that old cabernet style of swing.  This is off their brilliant 2008 LP, Drama.
    6.    (0:20:35) Mr. Scruff WHIPLASH - Another brilliant track off Mr. Scruff's Ninja Tuna LP.  This UK artist is on the record label Ninja Tune (duh!), and he also provides his own artwork as well.  He strives to produce music to meld into his artwork to make it all a cohesive piece.
    7.    (0:26:30) Nightmares On Wax DA FEELIN - George Eveyln, better known as Nightmares On Wax, drops another funky beat and summer classic here.  Unfortunately the rest of the LP, Thought So..., isn't quite as memorable as his other outputs, including 2005's brilliant, In A Space Outta Sound.  This happens to be the opener to the newer LP, which picks up right where In A Space left off.  
    8.    (0:31:03) Chromatics HEALER - Ooh, what did I do?  Haha.  Dropped the funk and added post-punk/synthpop from Portland, Oregan.  The bassline and riff can be reminiscent of The Cure or even the Pixies, for sure, which is attractive to those stuck in the 80s!  You will notice around 32:26 in the mix, there is a 'jitter' or a mistake in the recording.  This is planted by the band to represent the lyrics it lands on, 'false atrocities.'  This track is off their LP, Night Drive.
    9.    (0:33:51) DOOM feat. Raekwon YESSIR! - Oh wow, what a new LP by the master of conscious-gangster-humor, DOOM (formally known as MF Doom), from 2009's Born Like This.  The beat rocks, and is sampled from ESG's track entitled, UFO which has been also sampled by the likes of old school hip hop Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J as well as many others.  Here, Raekwon rules it, and earns his right to reinvent it Wu-style.  DOOM (all caps, by the way) is originally from London, but his family migrated to Long Island, New York when he was a child.  MF Doom usually puts out a few albums a year, and his highly-acclaimed commercial success with the master producer, Madlib, came in their release of the Madvilliany LP.  
    10.    (0:35:28) Patrick Watson WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - For some reason, the critics don't particularly like this creative Canadian, and I'm not sure why.  When he won the Polaris Music Prize for his second LP, Close To Paradise, he was criticized because counter-Canadians Feist and Arcade Fire lost out, thus giving him a bad rap.  I, however, dig his creativity and his haunting combination of piano and vocals.  I first heard him off Cinematic Orchestra's To Build A Home, and have since enjoyed his music.  This is a brilliant record, sounding something British eccentric composer Matthew Herbert would come up with.  This is off Patrick Watson's (band) third LP released in 2009, Wooden Arms.   
    11.    (0:38:56) Carlos Montoya GRANADINAS - How could I have a proper FSB mix without a song like this?  From the modern-day Flamenco style guitar playing trendsetter, Carlos Montoya, popularized this brilliant music in the 1920s and 1930s in Spain.  He was raised in a gypsy family and started accompanying dancers and singers in Madrid by 14 (circa 1917).  During World War II, he moved to the US and began his most successful days as a musician, touring with the dancer La Argentina.  Guitarists today, such as Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola, and John McLaughlin. amongst hundreds of others have certainly benefited from Montoya's music.  
    12.    (0:42:54) The Qemists feat. Wiley DEM NA LIKE ME - Ninja Tune drum and bass artists out of Brighton, UK, along with the styles of Eastern Londoner, Wiley.  Originally, the three members of The Qemists were members in a rock band touring the UK and Europe until they found DJing and drum and bass.  The three were conflicted, but then incorporated their guitar, bass, and drums over and around their creations as drum and bass heads!  This is quite unique, and it separates them from most, because they actually perform their music as a band.  
    13.    (0:47:10) Kim Carnes BETTE DAVIS EYES - Haha!  80s bustin' it out, yo!  This joint rocked the number one spot for 9 weeks in 1981.  It was originally written in 1974, but Carnes refused to release it until a new instrumental arrangement was produced by Bill Cuomo.  You can hear this sampled all over the place, including the massively successful UK DJ, Mylo, in his record, In My Arms.  This is off her album, Mistaken Identity.  It is said that her raspy voice is attributed to playing in smokey bars.  
    14.    (0:50:30) Tomboy I K. GUITAR (EDIT) - 2007's Serios LP, from Danish DJ, producer, and drummer, Tomas Barfod.  This album is wicked and certainly worth checking out if you're into the electronic scene.  Tomboy also happens to be the moniker for a trance artist, Thomas Bickham, whose largely popular OK2BGAY album is highly acclaimed in the gay community.  The song, OK2BGAY, may be featured on a future FSB mix...haha. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6bGW4ShpNU
    15.    (0:54:50) Pop Levi FIRE ON YOUR FEET - Musician, record producer, and filmmaker, Johnathan Pop Levi is from London but started his career in Liverpool.  He was a founding member along with Snap Ant and Loka in the group, Super Numeri, and also played bass for Ladytron.  This is off Pop Levi's Never Never Love released in 2008.  You can also check him out in the film by Beaches entitled, You Don't Gotta Run.  Check out the trailor here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftgf5p6orxU
    16.    (0:58:06) Moderat RUSTY NAILS - Oh snap!  Two of Berlin's better electronic musicians and most influential acts, Modeselektor and Apparat, join together to make this brilliant collaboration of an LP entitled, Moderat.  I certainly hope these two groups can get together more often to create this brilliant music.  Here, you can hear Apparat using his limited vocals to add to the music, which so often ruins electronic creations.  He's quite selective and uses it well.  
    17.    (1:02:29) Fink NOTHING IS EVER FINISHED - A brand new track from Ninja Tune's own British singer-songwriter.  This is off his newest LP, Sort Of Revolution.  Fink comes from his first name, Fin, and is joined by drummer, Tim Thornton, and bassist, Guy Whittaker.  Fink grew up in a musical family with his father playing folk music while his mother was a music manager.