we got by

al, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

AL JARREAU
TAKE FIVE
WE GOT BY
LOOK TO THE RAINBOW
warner bros, 1977
so it's been a year now since i launched this musical blog. i hope some people grabbed here a little fun and a few musical discoveries, just as i did myself wandering across the everchanging blogosphere. there's so many of us now i admit i kinda lost track of everybody and stopped updating some ridiculous never-ending linklist but i'll try to behave, someday...
dedicated to whom it may concern and took time to share (you know who you are), here's some classic favorites of mine from an outstanding moment by AL JARREAU, one of the true last jazz singer.
i confess i'm not a fan of all al's past and current efforts but his first albums were cool and this early live recording sums up his talents, offering the right balance of funky grooves, jazz jams, ballads and vocal acrobatics, provided by one of his best back-up bands: tom canning on keyboards, abe laboriel on bass, joe correro/drums and lynn blessing on vibes.
one of the show's highlights is al's inspired version of paul desmond's "take five"-probably the ultimate scat xtravaganza, while "we got by" is one of my def classic fave song and the perfect closing track for any reverie set, hence the right one to celebrate together our 1-year anniversary online.
do yourself a favour and indulge in a birthday present HERE
much love to everybody.

the sweetest things i know

sweeties, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

SWEET SABLE
OLD TIMES SAKE
street life, 1993
LAUREN HYLL
THE SWEETEST THING
ruffhouse/sony, 1997
as late summer vibes, two very special musical and soulful memories:
with a few years in between, i first heard both tracks on the radio while drivin' around the atlanta area, which make them very special to my heart and soul.
SWEET SABLE's track was featured on the def classic "above the rim" soundtrack and uses a catchy portion of eddie kendrick's "intimate friends". production is by NIKKE NICOLE and i really dig the relaxed/phat/muffled scratch sound that underlines the breaks.
same kind of laid-back scratchism and cool guitar chords on LAURYN HILL's track, it just gave me goosebumps then and i remember making a detour up to wax'n'facts where that cool heavy dude gave me a promo copy!
xcept for a featuring on GURU's Jazzamatazz vol.2 back in '95, miss sable seems to have vanished in nu-soul divas' mist but you can get lauryn's track on the very good LOVE JONES: THE MUSIC SOUNDTRACK , which is a soulful goldmine compilation featuring MAXWELL, DIONNE FARRIS, LARENZ TATE, MARCUS MILLER & ME'SHELL (yes, the rush over track), KENNY LATIMORE among others.
btw, i realize this blog is almost 1-year old! i'll try to be back real soon (next week) in order to celebrate.

you must believe in spring

sweets, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

SWEETBACK
GAZE
w/AMEL LARRIEUX
AU NATURAL
w/BAHAMADIA
CHORD
sweetback
sony/epic,1996
well, as summer seems to fade away, sweet sounds are requested to carry on and ease our move into these sudden early evenings and scattered leaves.
one of my all-time classic albums is
SWEETBACK 's first opus. STUART MATTHEWMAN, ANDREW HALE and PAUL DENMAN form a trio mostly renowned as helen folaSADE adu musical partners in crime. that should tell you a lot but it's not even close to the beauty of it. i envy you if you don't know this album yet because you're about to be blessed. mostly instrumental, the album's line-up includes maxwell, amel larrieux and bahamadia, offering pure gems of sultry vocals. just click HERE and feel an ultimate chill experience.
unfortunately, i was sadly disappointed by their 2004 second effort, STAGE 2. it's been almost 10 years between the two albums and believe me i gave it a good try but didn't find that ol' black magic.
speaking of new albums, thanks to AURGASM who reviewed CLOSER, BEADY BELLE's latest album on jazzland: i'm joining the choir for praise.
relax, sit back and close your eyes.

precision on the cut

rob, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ROB SWIFT
ROB SWIFT MEETS CHARLIE PARKER
SOME MAX OUT SHIT
WHO SAMPLED THIS?
day by day, 2003
here's one to start the week under a groove and a smile on yer face, taken from a not-so-fresh mixtape-style cd by turntable wizard ROB SWIFT
for obvious copyright reasons, the cd has the particularity of revealing absolutely no info about the original material "borrowed" by rob: a shame for both sound diggers and lazy lawyers. the gold nuggets' titles are replaced by funny or blank descriptions such as: funk time, fraudulent fakes or shady beats (jacques loussier's/eminem breaks).
it's a very creative hip-hop block party album with enuff scratching xtravaganza to keep the serious fans focused and plenty of heart &soul grooves to cruise or chill at home.
i thought the "who sampled this?" was part of a concept series but it's not, maybe the cool guys at DBD should jump on the idea and send their BUDDIES back on tracks to deliver the goods. nod and enjoy.

wood is a pleasant thing to think about

pat, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

PATRICIA BARBER
ODE TO BILLY JOE/gone<
w/michael arnopol (b), mark walker (d)
from CAFE BLUE, blue note,1994
THE BEAT GOES ON/gone
w/michael arnopol (b), eric montzka (d), john mclean (g)
from COMPANION, blue note,1999

well, lately i've been listening to some of patricia barber's records that fit my summer moods perfectly, then i used to feel the same way comes winter, fall or spring. of course you'll find all the info you want HERE
signed on the prestigious blue note label; though i'm not sure it means anything anymore: french singer keren ann being a labelmate now... critically speaking, i'm not sure she gets the props she deserves compared to the norahs, dianas, etc. maybe a hard-boiled dedicated jazz fan hopefully will give me his feedback (hi, nick francis!). found this nice info online about her : "critics can't always agree on the genre patricia barber falls into, saying she fits somewhere between billie holiday and joni mitchell, but barber knows exactly where she stands."i would define it as jazz. i'm going to insist that my years of sucking in smoke and playing for $100 a night entitle me to assert this is jazz".
patricia's discography is impressive and she probably tours a lot so be sure to catch her live in a club nearby. her own material is great but i really like her standards covers. SUMMERTIME is one of her early gems and a favorite (visit HERE). hope these few classic tracks will make you want more and go shopping at your local sound dealer, hey, these guys need to make a living too. cheerz.

softly as in a morning sunrise

bulleplays, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

NU SPIRIT HELSINKI
ORSON/GONE
MONTANA ROHA JAZZ e.p
JCR, 2000
here like everywhere else, it's kinda hot and lazy, sorry then for lack of posts...
most of the time i make a fool of myself trying to handle some indoor renovations, then we have to watch carefully our new baby cat BULLE (bubble). enid isn't too cheerful about this tiny intruder in her world but maybe we're overprotecting parents. reading is a major part of the farniente schedule, too: george p.pelecanos, elmore leonard, lee childs have been leading the nap's way.
to cool it down, here's some beautiful music by finnish uberband NUSPIRIT HELSINKI.
DISCOGS, as always give a fine glimpse of the band's ambitions and plenty of info, there's of course more to grab at NSH home HERE
listen to these strings and watch the stars in the summer skies. be back soon... or later.
peace

urban blues project

soulfurics, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

MICHAEL PROCTER
&URBAN BLUES PROJECT
LOVE DON'T LIVE/GONE
soulfuric, 1996
SOULFURIC
as i keep repeating here, vocal house/garage music used to be sooo exciting in the 90's.
there was something very uplifting and almost spiritual in vocal tracks played in good clubs. of course it was just about love, sex, dance, sweat and getting lost in music but at the end of the night, what else are you asking for? as far as house garage go, any serious lyricist soon or later had to endorse the magic soulfuric touch of BRIAN TAPPERT and MARC POMEROY.
these florida guys endlessly produced hits under so many monikers they probably stopped counting but pick anything by JAZZ'N'GROOVE, URBAN BLUES PROJECT, SOULSEARCHER or MOTHER OF PEARL and you'll be fixed with more funky bass, rhodes/clavinet and horns your feet can cope with. among these, some of my faves are MICHAEL PROCTER's tracks.
he sure knows how to carry a tune and the live jam session gives the extra soulful edge.
just listen end learn. very interesting article by the man itself about the downfall of the vocal house garage genre, killed by the club owners' greedHERE
i confess i didn't catch up with michael's or soulfuric productions lately. if any garage fan shows up, current info will be very welcomed. again and again, try your closest vinyl dealer first to grab the classic stuff, they need you more than ever. peace.

going, going, gone

streetscene, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

adios to my former naugahyde life, welcome to A BIGGER SPLASH!
in order to feel free from any further action by nice corporate people, i'll change the blogspot URL too in a few days so you'll have to update your bookmarks.
ciao.

love me or leave me

r&p, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ROY DAVIS jr.
GABRIELLE/GONE
Large records, 1996
one of the few real genuine deep house music anthems, "gabrielle" had the distinctive flavor of true crossover soul hits, hitting it big on both radio and club circuits.
interesting info about the manHERE and then 19-years-old vocalist PEVEN EVERETT.
this one is a classic so turn it up and jump around, this is summer music!
oh by the way, i got a message warning me that i "was using the Naugahyde Trademark in an unauthorized way", so i should cease and desist asap.
though i think it's a little absurd i won't take any chance on that. so, the naugahyde life will be history very soon...
i asked blogger if there's a way i can change the name but save its contents rather than terminate the whole thing. if any of you out there have some tips or info about that move, thanks to keep me posted.
guess it's ime to move on to new blog adventures, i'll let you know ASAP.
cheerz

a desert road from vegas to nowhere

bagdad, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

A:XUS
CALLIN' U/GONE
guidance, 1999
one for these early stormy summer days/nights, another from my golden house years and another classic from the Guidance recordings stables. austin bascomb a.k.a ABACUS a.k.a A:XUS cut off the cheese from the original version and delivered a fine slice of deep jam featuring naomi n'sembi's sultry vocals. lots of samples from this interesting producer (and many others) on guidance's playground so enjoy the ride.
love and joy to all of you out there.

for you

net men, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

CHARNETT MOFFET
NET MAN
blue note, 1987
FOR YOU/GONE
this track's been a favorite for 18 years now so there's little i can add.
the beautiful piano solo is by the late KENNY KIRKLAND. you'll learn plenty about the main bass man
HERE
try first your local record store to grab a lp or cd copy of NET MAN or shop online.
i'll try to be back here on a more regular basis. luvs.

one from the heart

apple enid, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

enid, marsou's baby-sister, is joining us to thank y'all for the warm support and sweet words you expressed here. much love to everyone...

we loved him madly

marsou, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

marsou R.I.P
june1989
june,15th 2005
8:45 a.m

house of blues

GU, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

GLENN UNDERGROUND
HOUSE OF BLUES/GONE
Secrets of CVO E.P
Guidance,1997
GLENN UNDERGROUND is one of Chi-town best-kept secrets and a sure choice when it comes to deliver the beats. this moody track feat. STEVE ISRAEL's guitar licks isn't a proper floor filler but a mellow jazz-fueled housey jam i used to blend in the mix back in the days. it builds up brick by brick of funk in true oldschool house style. hope it will brighten your sunny side up and turn your disco side on.

honey bring it close to my lips yes

professionalwidow, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

TORI AMOS
PROFESSIONAL WIDOW
ARMAND'S STAR TRUNK FUNKIN' MIX/GONE
Atlantic, 1996
when i arrived in Los Angeles in 1996, california just fell under the spell of the dance music phenomenon via GROOVE RADIO. tori's remix was blastin' everywhere, next to WAY OUT WEST's "THE GIFT". it was the perfect soundtrack of my early cruises in the L.A. area... the STAR TRUNK is the epitomy of remixing: take an obscure or average track, keep very few original elements, add a killa sampla or a monster beat and give it heavy radio rotation. after a while you're DYING for that special intro to kick in, you keep pumping up the volume 'til you damage your auto speakers. more about a baad motherfunker HERE
special shout out to the L.A people out there and much love to lena, rose, eduardo's car, the people at Disney and the very beautiful, gifted and talented nic.

d'amour à volonté

mfcover, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

MYLENE FARMER
SOUVIENS-TOI DU JOUR
ROYAL G'S CLUB MIX/GONE
SWEET GUITAR MIX/GONE
PEPPERMINT JAM PRODUCTIONS REMIXES
universal, 1999

as a friendly wink to our Tofu Hut friends and their recent infamous mylene farmer post: here's a couple of remixes of a late 20th century MF track.
xcept maybe for her first ambiguous and controversial teenage hit (1: maman a tort 2: c'est beau l'amour 3: l'infirmière pleure 3: je l'aime) and despite her gay-friendly cult/icon status, i hardly shared any vibes or crossed musical paths with ms.farmer.
a few years ago, a friend's girlfriend and aspiring singer offered me this MF 12", as she knew i was into house music and remixes stuff. i probably thanked her with a warm, hum, sneer... and hurried up to bury it deep under the crates. then it somehow surfaced later and i gladly realized the remix treatment was signed by peppermint jam's ROYAL GARDEN SOUND team, which could mean quality stuff. on this 12", both club and downtempo remixes make ms. farmer sounds amazingly good, production enhances its cheesy melody and chorus with minor chords with an edge, the kind to mess with both your head and butt.
actually, i know nothing of ms. farmer's taste or policy for remixing choices. it's probably on the crest of MOUSSE T's hits wave that some cubicle A&R at universal dance pool submitted the track to the peppermint guys (along a phat eurocheck of course). no idea if the sales or clubs feedback made a difference between these babies and regular average eurodance poop (of course there's one of a kind on the 12", too). listen here: there's no way i'll ever get caught dancing my ass off in a club on these tracks but i have to admit i quite like them... now you'll make up your own mind.
NEWS FROM THE EDGE: to the bands who sent messages on a regular basis to offer their sounds to be pushed here eventually: i had little time lately to indulge in this kind of explorations but i will. give or take, it's harder to keep up with the blogworld everyday but i'll try. to all naugahyde fans: your comments and feedback are the backbone of our dedication and enthusiasm to share favorite sounds here, so stay cool and leave a message after the tone.

everybody is trying to get down to the aaaaah

disco, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

WHIRLPOOL PRODUCTIONS
Ladomat, 1996
in 1996, german house music was hardly regarded as the leading scene it is today.
sure a few labels were already rockin' das beatz, firmly paving the path of the future: K7! in berlin or peppermint jam studios (feat. mousseT and boris dlugosh ( i'll be back to these guys in a future post). it seemed the whole eastern europe club scene was overshadowed by uberdubbers KRUDER & DORFMEISTER and countless related austrian posses. not a bad thing per se of course... then i heard this funnyfunky track on heavy rotation on the couleur 3 radio station: i peed my flared pants down then repolished my mirrorballs.
first i got a hard time finding the 12" and just cherished it for that. later, the track went huge and granted its classic discohouse anthem status. more on the artists and the ladomat label
HERE and HERE

them that's got shall get

a&b, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ALEX GOPHER
solid, 2000
long before the intoxicating "french touch" phenomenon, ALEX GOPHER was already famous as mastering wizard at parisian Translab studios since 1985. on top of that, he had legendary formed ORANGE, a versailles pop band starring xavier jamaux, jean-benoît dunckel and nicolas godin, the two dudes who will later mutate into superduo AIR. in many ways, gopher helped moldering the future sound of paris by laying hands on the Translab boards for many french pop singers while elaborating his own style. check his cool biography and original mix of THE CHILD HERE
about billie holiday and her "god bless the child" sample, gopher confessed being quite ignorant of her musical legacy (...) except her rhymes sounded cool. he bought a cheap cd compilation to extract the gem and housed it up to classic status. jérémie mondon a.k.a DEMON was about 20 when he got house virus. his take on gopher's classic has a strong david axelrod flavor, mixing both soothing and devastating dancefloor qualities.

UPDATE: thanks to captain planet from the wonderful CAPTAIN'S CRATE to let us know the above link was still bougie soliterre's... sorry 'bout that ...now' the child is finally fixed

bougie soliterre

bougie, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

BOUGIE SOLITERRE
from simple things lp
Flipside, 2000
sorry for unplugging the beats during vacation time but actually there's life growing outside the blogosphere and in order to get cherries, apricots, salads, tomatoes, etc. the garden is needing full attention these days!
back on the dancefloor with a soulful/old school jam signed by bettina constanzo a.k.a bougie soliterre (now that's some weird mispelled french pseudo...meaning "lonely candle").
less than very few girls been shakin' the house and most of them are dj's (or djettes) but female talented producers come as rare as a tasty eggplant. betty came from montreal, canada and moved to london where she banged the decks with the early brokenbeat scene and UK house heavyweights BUGZ IN THE ATTIC CREW or PHIL ASHER and top notch u.s house wonderboy KERRI CHANDLER. finally, she created her own imprint FLIPSIDE to promote jazz, house, disco & soul music by kerri, victor davies, blak beatniks, fred everything and herself, of course...
BESIDES YOU is a fave track with a classic 70's soul flavor thanks to the vocals talents of former P-funk vocalist STEF FRANK and a killer bassline. originally only available on 12" and 2lps; it made its way to classic status and CD formatwith remix treatments by uberhot german duo TIEFSCHWARTZ. hear samples of these remixes here and add this nice one to your record collection HERE

too much too soon

faze action, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

FAZE ACTION
IN THE TREES
nuphonic,1996
SIMON AND ROBIN LEE are the funky brothers behind the FAZE ACTION concept. as bona fide disco music connoisseurs, their sound was an instant blast: lush strings and heavy bass bringin' the dancefloor back to the best undeground disco years, without the cheese or the rollerskates.
it was luminous and sensitive dance music, the epitomy of deep house that you could actually get lost into in da club and listening at home on a rainy sunday. it was the golden era of UK house music at its best and all early NUPHONIC releases were amazing: FREE CHICAGO MOVEMENT, BLAZE, ESG, YELLO SOX, BLACK JAZZ CHRONICLES... for a year or two, you just had to grab the new nuphonic release to stay on the edge of the best music world/clubwise, as featured on their first comp NUPHONIC VOL.1
but from1999 on, the whole thing grew out of proportion: the label parted from the 12"s only politics and added a lot of artist's full-length albums to the release list: FAZE ACTION's 2nd opus, BLACK JAZZ CHRONICLES, SOUL ASCENDANTS, BLOCK 16, FUG, ADAM GOLDSTONE, and prestigious compilations like David Mancuso's THE LOFT vol.1 &2, NORMAN JAY's GOOD TIMES vol1&2 and XPRESS2, LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE, etc... almost all of these were beautifully designed/packaged albums classics but very costly projects, too. the tough turning point of the new century hit hard both the UK house music/club scene and its derivated record industry and nuphonic got flushed away as a leading label. thank god the music still remains and all dicography is available on cd thru amazon or your favorite record dealer.