Sundaze 1718

Hello, F1 is playing ball in Sotchi this weekend at Putin's personal race track this weekend, that means not much rubber on the track, which limits cornering speed and general grip. Best slider was Vettel, just in front of Raikonen en Bottas and on a relatively considerable distance Hamilton 4th, looks like an exiting race coming up..


Today's Artist was an enigmatic multi-instrumentalist draws from the diverse culture and history of his Mexican homeland, Reyes combines flute, pre-Columbian instruments, and percussion with synthesizers and voice to cast a spell of ritualistic intensity. Like shadows from Mexico's sultry and savage past, his music has a dark quality to it that sometimes scares off the unprepared, but adventurous listeners will find plenty to admire in his evocation of jungles, jaguars, and Aztec rites. ....N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Reyes was born on September 24, 1952, in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico with the name Jorge Valencia. He was not a Native Mexican, but played many Prehispanic instruments to which he was exposed from an early age in his village. Reyes attended the National School of Music, Mexico (Escuela Nacional de Musica de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, or UNAM) 1970–1975, studying the flute. During this time, he formed two seminal Mexican rock bands, Al Universo and Nuevo México, influenced by Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd but incorporating native musical instruments. In 1976, his growing interest in jazz led to spending a year in Hamburg, Germany, where he studied improvisation with Herb Geller. As part of this training, he traveled through Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. In 1978, he attended a Hindu music course in the Himalayas, in which he studied traditional Indian flute and percussion techniques. On these overseas trips, he began collecting many native instruments.

After returning to Mexico, Reyes founded the band Chac Mool with drummer Armando Suárez and keyboardist Carlos Alvarado, which was one of the first Mexican progressive rock bands. The band recorded four well-received albums, on which Reyes played flute and guitar, before disbanding.

In 1985, Reyes began a prolific solo career. He collaborated with several other new-age and electronic musicians, including American synthesist Steve Roach, Mexican singer and multi-instrumentalist Arturo Meza (of the band Decibel), Spanish guitarist Suso Saiz, Mexican percussionist Juan Carlos López, German synthesist Elmar Schulte (of the band Solitaire), Deep Forest, and others.

His music was used frequently in Mexican radio and television programs. He performed many concerts at famous Mexican archeological sites such as Malinalco, Teotihuacan, Templo Mayor, Chichen Itza, and Tenango del Valle. His annual Día de los Muertos concerts at UNAM were popular events. He also gave many concerts at the Espacio Escultórico de Ciudad Universitaria, where he collaborated with dancer and choreographer Regina Quintero.

Reyes died from a heart attack at his recording studio in Mexico City on Saturday February 7, 2009. He was 56 years old. He had three children—Citlalli, Ridwan (with Ursula Kipp), and Erendira (with Ariane Pellicer).

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Ek-Tunkel is a set of deep Mexican Native American music from Jorge Reyes. Deep listening is required to capture the feelings of this album. The tunkul is a Mayan percussion instrument, a hollow trunk lying with two tabs at the top, one shorter than the other, that the percussed emit different sounds. it is also known as teponaztle between Nahuas .. Reyes combines traditional acoustic ethnicity with electric and electronic instruments to create this homage to his ancestry and heritage. He adds nature samples and field recordings for atmospheric effect. The simple melodies and gentle percussion allow listeners to float in and out of the psycho-acoustic sound worlds. The deep spirituality of these native cultures is a soft and warm destination.

Jorge Reyes - Ek-Tunkul  (flac 148mb)

01 Agua Quemada 8:22
02 Sazilakab 4:43
03 Nadie Supo De Donde Venia... 5:22
04 Ek-Tunkul 7:06
05 La Casa Obscura 4:44
06 En El Dondo Del Barranco Hay Un Cangrejo... (Part 1) 2:29
07 En El Dondo Del Barranco Hay Un Cangrejo... (Part 2) 4:15
08 Corazon De Venado 3:20

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A meeting of two friends and two worlds are reflected in this unforgettable drive. Contemporary music with the supposed pre-Hispanic music come together in the persons of Jorge Reyes and Antonio Zepeda, highly recognized in their respective careers in the dissemination of pre-Columbian music. Zepeda and Reyes manage to amalgamate sounds emulating other times, bringing the presence of the jungle , played from their whistles, ocarinas and water - sticks or battery using bases developed in modern drum machines. Insistent percussion played on logs and drums and melodies that emerge from the flutes or from keyboards, creating a uniform music where no matter what you run, but a last way that conveys emotion and the feeling of participating in some ancient ritual Magic .

The titletrack, A La Izquierda Del Colibri (To the left of Hummingbird) is the only one in that album with texts sung and recited. It's is the best composition Reyes when it comes to music with texts or poems included. The sound of the voice has an effect that allows you to be clear and mysterious at once, without seeming "overreacted", the rest is purely instrumental.


I'm so used to being alive
that even notice I noticed when I turned buzzard.

When I fly I'm not afraid,
no one could reach me.

Hummingbird in the house has not heard
the last word.

Jorge Reyes and Antonio Zepeda - A La Izquierda Del Colibri (flac  168mb)

01 I Caña 7:10
02 A La Izquierda Del Colibrí 2:52
03 A La Izquierda Del Colibrí 6:11
04 El Hacedor De Lluvia 4:59
05 Wawaki 6:39
06 Lejos Te Llevas El Espejo De Tu Rostro 2:39
07 Managua 5:24

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Comala is one of Jorge Reyes' most important albums. It is, as usual, deep shamanic Mexican Native American music. He augments his ethnic acoustics with synthesizers, processors, and other electronic accoutrements. Those modern implements enhance the spirituality and deepen it. They also give the ancient ritualistic music a contemporary feel and aura that invite and allow more listeners to participate. Overall, the extras enhance the total experience. There are some dark overtones to these proceedings. Reyes uses a deep drone to accentuate those textures. The eerie field recordings and samples take it over the edge. This hard to find classic will appeal to fans of Harald Grosskopf, Robert Rich, Steve Roach, and Suso Saiz. For serious collectors, it is essential.

Jorge Reyes - Comala (flac 238mb)

01 Comala 11:33
02 Adios Mi Acompañamiento 2:39
03 Hekura 1:58
04 Nadie Se Libra En Tamohuanchan 6:05
05 La Diosa De Las Águilas 3:06
06 El Ánima Sola 6:35
Añadidura
07 Mi Sombra Empolvada 3:46
08 Nadie Supo De Dónde Venía 5:10
09 El Hechicero De La Dicha Tranquila 4:10

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Nierika is a set of electro-tribal ambience from Jorge Reyes. This release also includes two pieces from Ek-Tunkel. Reyes performs on acoustic ethnic instruments as he has on his pre-Columbian releases. He augments those sounds with guitars, synthesizers, atmospheres, and processors. The soundscapes are still deeply inspirational. Reyes is the shaman's shaman and he constantly incorporates his personal spirituality into his sound world. Deep listeners will become deep meditators; deep meditators will enter the zone with Reyes. He has been flirting with the perpendicular universe for years.

Jorge Reyes - Nierika - Ek-Tunkul (flac 223mb)

01 El Vuelo De Los Niños Pajaro 6:09
02 Venado De Cinco Puntas 4:57
03 El Contador De Historias 4:46
04 Tejido De Sueños (Cola De Venado) 3:22
05 Los Que Se Pintaron La Cara 2:09
06 Danza De Los Peyoteros 4:22
07 Donde Nadie Lamenta Lo Que Somos 3:06
08 El Rostro De Los Abuelos 4:30
Ek-Tunkul
09 Aguaquemada 8:40
10 La Casa Obscura 3:55

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1717 Grooves

Hello, the artists today came up with a curious image dressed with a medieval militaristic maille headdress, like they were some kind of Crusaders, bizarre but then Star Wars were all the rage back then, and we know now 35 years later, it's still being milked by Disney (Walt must be so happy, Snow White gets rescued again and again).


Today's artists are a New York City octet, one of three funk and/or disco bands in which producer/keyboardist Randy Muller was involved. Muller organized the group and they recorded for Salsoul from the late '70s until 1984. Their biggest hit was "Call Me" in 1981, an R&B chart-topper. They could do sweeping funk tracks, dance-oriented cuts, or light ballads..... N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Skyy was formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1973, when sisters Denise, Delores, and Bonnie Dunning first met musician Solomon Roberts, Jr. The record producer/keyboardist Randy Muller (who was also a member Brass Construction and an arranger for B.T. Express) soon became involved with the project. By 1976, the Skyy lineup of the three Dunning sisters as vocalists, Roberts as the male vocalist/guitarist, Anibal Anthony Sierra on guitars and keyboards, Larry Greenberg on keyboards, Gerald Lebon on bass, and Tommy McConnell on drums had solidified.

In the late 1970s, Skyy signed to Salsoul Records. After several albums that saw moderate success in the R&B market, the group crossed over to the mainstream in a big way with the release of the Skyy Line album in late 1981. Featured on this album was the single "Call Me", which gave the group their first (and only, to date) top 40 hit on the pop charts, peaking at number 26 in 1982. It also became the first of several number one R&B hits for Skyy. Meanwhile, the group continued to record for the Salsoul label up through the release of their 1984 Inner City album (Salsoul would fold in 1985), scoring several additional hits on the R&B chart during that time.

In the mid-1980s, the group signed with Capitol Records and released their next album, From the Left Side in 1986. Apart from the top ten R&B single, "Givin' It (to You)", the album saw limited success, and the group left Capitol soon thereafter.

Things were looking rather bleak for the band by the late 1980s. However, after signing to Atlantic Records, Skyy launched a major comeback in 1989 with the release of their successful Start of a Romance album. This release spun off two number one R&B singles, with both the title track ("Start of a Romance") and the quiet storm classic, "Real Love" claiming the top spot. "Real Love" also became the group's second and final crossover pop hit peaking at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1990. The second single released from the album (between the title track and "Real Love"), "Love All the Way" also cracked the R&B top 50. By the release of the Nearer to You album in 1992, the hits had again dried up, and the band has not released a new studio album since then. Although Skyy is one of very few bands to release 12 studio albums in 12 years (two compilation albums), which turned out multiple hits, they often go unnoticed and unsung. In 2014, the French Nu-Disco act Solidisco released an updated version of Skyy's 1980 single "Here's To You", in which the group received credits due to the original version being used.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This was the debut album for this self-contained octet. Their first release was the dance number "First Time Around." It was a mixture of funk and disco. A very lengthy musical track with some vocals added here and there; ideal for a party. It sealed the top 20 inside 14 weeks. It was followed by "Let's Turn It Out." Funk was the focus here for the Brooklyn based band. Chanting party vocals, improvising solos and Solomon Roberts master of ceremonies wail keep this groove on the move. However, it was only on the charts for nine weeks peaking at 65. A bonafide party song, as are most of these selections and solid ones they are. "Stand By Me" is the only ballad; it's trimmed in a pop texture. Though disco was on its last leg, its popularity still warranted groups including it in their repertoire and Skyy has its share.

Skyy - Skyy    (flac  425mb)

01 This Groove Is Bad 6:20
02 First Time Around 6:37
03 Lets Turn It Out 6:37
04 Fallin' In Love Again 4:51
05 Stand By Me 5:04
06 Disco Dancin' 4:12
07 Lets Get Up (S-k-y-y) 5:17
Bonus Tracks
08 First Time Around (Larry Levan's Greatest Mixes Vol.2 Version) 7:32
09 First Time Around (Larry Levan 12" Disco Mix) 9:05
10 First Time Around (Randy Muller 12'' Remix) 6:31

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The second album from the Brooklyn-based octet featured two releases: "High" and "Skyyzoo." The former is a moderately-paced groove showcasing the unison vocals of the Dunning sisters. Lightly arranged with an unruffled rhythm track and some guitar licks, the strings and horn complement this laid-back dance number. The single peaked at 13 after 16 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts.

The follow-up, "Skyyzoo," was more of a antic-driven number. With its hyped vocals and various music gadgets, the song was an invitation to the dancefloor. It peaked at 32 on the charts after 11 weeks. The remainder of the album falls in line with these two singles save the ballad "Who's Gonna Love Me." and "Music. Music," which swings the way of rock with its heavy electric guitar and slashing vocals.

Skyy - Skyway    (flac 328mb)

01 High 5:04
02 Don't Stop 4:55
03 Skyy Zoo 4:34
04 Dance, Dance, Dance 4:16
05 Love Plane 5:25
06 You Got Me Up 5:07
07 Whos Gonna Love Me 3:57
08 Music 4:35
Bonus
09 Skyyzoo (Larry Levan Remix) 8:32

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

In the late '70s and early '80s, producer Randy Muller was best known for two things: being a member of Brass Construction and working with Skyy. Both bands favored a funk/disco approach that brought many dancefloors to life, but there were some major differences between the two East Coast outfits. For one thing, Skyy had three female vocalists. Plus, Skyy was a lot more consistent. While Brass Construction recorded its share of albums that were uneven or disappointing, Skyy was usually reliable -- more often than not, one could safely assume that the latter would deliver a first-rate party album. Skyyport is no exception. This 1980 release was the band's third album, and the party people who had acquired Skyy's two previous albums were not disappointed. The LP gets off to an impressive start with the hit "Here's to You" (written by Muller), and they keep the creative momentum going with equally infectious funk dance numbers like "Superlove" (another hit single that Muller wrote) and "Take It Easy." So, if Brass Construction and Skyy both had Muller's input, why was the latter so much more consistent? It all came down to chemistry -- he had a more consistently productive relationship with Skyy, which is interesting when you consider that Muller was actually a member of Brass Construction. Though he co-produced Skyyport and other band releases with Skyy's Soloman Roberts, Jr. and did a lot of writing for the band, he was never an actual member. One of the Skyyport offerings that he didn't write is the ballad "For the First Time," which Roberts contributed. Although ballads weren't the group's forte, the tune is pleasant enough. However, it is the up-tempo funk/dance numbers that ultimately define Skyyport and make it one of Skyy's best releases.

Skyy - Skyyport   (flac  247mb)

01 Here's To You 5:22
02 I Can't Get Enough 5:05
03 Superlove 5:08
04 No Music 2:19
05 Easy 5:18
06 Sun Won't Shine 4:30
07 For The First Time 4:03
08 Arrival 4:06

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

In the late 70's Skyy landed a deal with the legendary Salsoul Records. Skyy released three albums with some R&B success, but it wasn't until the release of Skyy Line in 1981 that the group achieved cross over popularity. The album was their biggest Pop chart placement, climbing all the way to #18 while rocketing to the top spot on the US R&B chart and later winning a coveted RIAA Gold Certification. Skyy's "Skyy Line", released in 1982, was actually the group's fourth studio album. This outing offers a combination of grittier and funkier songs and some sophisticated mid tempo grooves. "Call Me" is a killer funker/Dance jam that deservedly became an across the board R&B, Pop and Dance smash. "Let's Celebrate", a sleek mid tempo sophisticated groove followed suit and also became a huge Top 40 and R&B/Dance Hit. "Girl In Blue", "Jam The Box" and "Get Into The Beat" follow the same jamming formula as the one two punch of the album's two smashes and could all easily still find a home on the dance floor. "Gonna Get It On" is a Latin tingled killer jam that would have been a smash had it been released just a few years later when the Latin sound became oh so popular in the mid 80's. The album's lone ballad, "When You Touch Me" demonstrates the group's depth and their ability to perform any genre.

Skyy - Skyy Line  (flac 385mb)

01 Let's Celebrate 5:32
02 Call Me 6:21
03 Girl In Blue 4:24
04 Jam The Box 4:54
05 When You Touch Me 3:38
06 Gonna Get It On 4:13
07 Get Into The Beat 4:28
08 Let's Celebrate (Tom McConnell Mix) 7:04
09 Let's Celebrate (Francois Kevorkian Mix) 7:12
10 Let's Celebrate (Instrumental Dub Mix) 8:51

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1717 Re-Ups 95

Hello, 10 requests this week, 2 too recent, 1 in the wrong place, 7 fulfilled, in short another batch of 22 re-ups.

These days i'm making an effort to re-up, it will satisfy a small number of people which means its likely the update will  expire relatively quickly again as its interest that keeps it live. Nevertheless here's your chance ... asks for re-up in the comments section at the page where the expired link resides, or it will be discarded by me. ....requests are satisfied on a first come first go basis. ...updates will be posted here  remember to request from the page where the link died! To keep re-ups interesting to my regular visitors i will only re-up files that are at least 12 months old (the older the better as far as i am concerned), and please check the previous update request if it's less then a year old i won't re-up either.

Looka here , requests fulfilled up to April 27th.... N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx


3x Aetix Back in Flac (Wipers - Is This Real, Wipers - Youth of America, Wipers - Over the Edge)


3x Sundaze Back In Flac (Ryuichi Sakamoto - 04, Ryuichi Sakamoto - 05, Ryuichi Sakamoto - Playing The Piano 2cd)


3x Sundaze Back in Flac (Budd, Garcia, Lentz - Music for 3 Pianos, Budd With Zeitgeist - She Is A Phantom, Harold Budd and Hector Zazou - Glyph+Remixes)


2x Sundaze NOW In Flac ( UNKLE Sounds - Widescreen Edit (a new hope), UNKLE Sounds - Edit  (strikes back))


3x Aetix Back In Flac ( Green On Red - Gas Food Lodging + Green On Red, Green On Red - No Free Lunch + the Killer Inside Me ,  Green On Red - Here Comes the Snakes)


4x Roots Back (Gilberto Gil - Louvação, Gilberto Gil - 1968 (with Os Mutantes), Gilberto Gil - Cérebro Eletrónico, Gilberto Gil - Copacabana Mon Amour)


4x Aetix Back In Flac (Stranglers - No More Heroes, Stranglers - Black & White, Stranglers - The Raven,  The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus)



xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1717 Aetix

Hello,


Today's artists was the brainchild of Roddy Frame, a Scottish songwriter and vocalist whose precocious talent -- he was still in his teens when the band cut their acclaimed debut album, earned the band a loyal cult following. With Frame's knack for catchy, upbeat melodies and wordplay that often invited comparisons to Elvis Costello, Aztec Camera became a major critical favorite in the U.K. and the U.S., even as the band went through frequent personnel changes. And now they are here to .....N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Aztec Camera was formed in 1980 by Frame, then just 16 years old and living in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The initial lineup of the band consisted of Frame on guitar and vocals, Campbell Owens on bass, and Dave Mulholland on drums. Aztec Camera made their recorded debut on 1980's In and Out of Fashion, a compilation cassette of Scottish bands released by Pungent Records in association with Glasgow-based Fumes Magazine, and in March 1981, the group released a single through the respected Scottish indie label Postcard Records, "Just Like Gold" b/w "We Could Send Letters," which rose to number ten on the U.K. Independent charts. The British music journal New Musical Express gave Aztec Camera their seal of approval by licensing an alternate acoustic version of "Just Like Gold" for C-86, a cassette-only compilation curated and released by the magazine. After issuing a second single through Postcard, "Mattress of Wire" b/w "Lost Outside the Tunnel," Aztec Camera signed with Rough Trade Records, who released the single "Pillar to Post" b/w "Queen's Tattoos" in 1982. 1982 also saw the departure of Dave Mulholland from the group, with John Hendry taking over as drummer.

In 1983, Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released by Rough Trade in the U.K. and Sire in the United States. The album earned rave reviews (with many citing the fact Frame was just 18 when he wrote most of the songs) and respectable sales (especially in England), and guitarist Craig Gannon and keyboardist Bernie Clark expanded the group's lineup to a quintet. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits came aboard to produce Aztec Camera's second album, 1984's Knife, but as the group's sound became slicker and more ambitious, Frame became disenchanted with his bandmates, and by the time he went on tour in support of the Knife album, Campbell Owens was the only other original member of the group left in the lineup, and it would prove to be his last tour with Aztec Camera.

After a stopgap EP of live tracks and B-sides was issued in the United States in 1985, the third Aztec Camera album, the R&B-influenced Love, appeared in 1987. Though it was issued under the group's name, Frame recorded the material with a handful of session musicians, and from that point on, Aztec Camera would not have a consistent lineup on-stage or in the studio, with Frame assembling a different set of players for each project. Love proved to be a commercial success in the U.K., rising to number 10 on the album charts, but it barely made the Top 200 in the United States, and the next two Aztec Camera albums, 1990's eclectic Stray and 1993's electronic experiment Dreamland, didn't even chart in America. After 1995's Frestonia, a low-key and primarily acoustic effort, failed to excite fans or critics, Frame retired the name Aztec Camera, and his next project, 1998's North Star, appeared under the name Roddy Frame. A compilation that followed the group's career up to Dreamla`nd, The Best of Aztec Camera, was issued in Japan in 1999 and in the U.K. in 2001; a more comprehensive two-disc set, Walk Out to Winter: The Best of Aztec Camera, followed in 2011. In 2013, AED Records brought out a 30th Anniversary edition of High Land, Hard Rain in the U.K., with Domino following suit in the United States in 2014; in support, Frame played a handful of solo shows in which he performed the album's 13 songs in their entirety.


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Some performers never make a bigger splash than with their first record, a situation that the Ramones and De La Soul know all too well. If that's the case, though, said musicians had better make sure that debut is a doozy. Aztec Camera, or more specifically, Roddy Frame, falls squarely into this scenario, because while he has doggedly plugged away ever since with a series of what are, at times, not bad releases, High Land, Hard Rain remains the lovely touchstone of Frame's career. Very much the contemporaries of such well-scrubbed Scottish guitar pop confectionaries as Orange Juice, but with the best gumption and star quality of them all, Aztec Camera led off the album with "Oblivious," a mini-masterpiece of acoustic guitar hooks, lightly funky rhythms, and swooning backing vocals. If nothing tops that on High Land, Hard Rain, most of the remaining songs come very close, while they also carefully avoid coming across like a series of general sound-alikes. Frame's wry way around words of love (as well as his slightly nasal singing) drew comparisons to Elvis Costello, but Frame sounds far less burdened by expectations and more freely fun. References from Keats to Joe Strummer crop up (not to mention an inspired steal from Iggy's "Lust for Life" on "Queen's Tattoos"), but never overwhelm Frame's ruminations on romance, which are both sweet and sour. Musically, his capable band backs him with gusto, from the solo-into-full-band showstopper "The Bugle Sounds Again" to the heart-stopping guitar work on "Lost Outside the Tunnel." Whether listeners want to investigate further from here is up to them, but High Land, Hard Rain itself is a flat-out must-have.

Aztec Camera - High Land,  Hard Rain (flac  250mb)
 
01 Oblivious 3:05
02 The Boy Wonders 3:10
03 Walk Out To Winter 3:20
04 The Bugle Sounds Again 2:50
05 We Could Send Letters 5:40
06 Pillar To Post 3:55
07 Release 3:38
08 Lost Outside The Tunnel 3:25
09 Back On Board 4:50
10 Down The Dip 2:10

xxxxx

Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain bonus (flac  444mb)
 
01 Pillar To Post (Original Single Version) 3:43
02 Queen's Tattoos 2:12
03 Orchid Girl 2:35
04 Haywire 3:59
05 Walk Out To Winter (7" Version) 3:48
06 Set The Killing Free 3:47
07 Back On Board (Live) 4:22
08 We Could Send Letters (Live) 6:55
09 Walk Out To Winter (Kid Jensen Session) 3:34
10 Down The Dip (Kid Jensen Session) 2:25
11 Back On Board (Kid Jensen Session) 4:17
12 Release (Kid Jensen Session) 3:49
13 Walk Out To Winter (Unreleased Single Version) 3:25
14 Walk Out To Winter (12" Version) 7:48
15 Oblivious (Colin Fairley Remix) 3:51
16 Oblivious (Langer/Winstanley Remix) 4:37

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Roundly trashed upon its fall 1984 release -- many reviewers took the album almost as a personal insult -- Knife is nowhere near as terrible an album as it seemed at the time. One must remember the circumstances, however: 1983's High Land Hard Rain, as well as the preceding singles on the legendary Postcard and Les Disques du Crepuscule labels, had presented Roddy Frame and crew as the jazz and folk-inflected, acoustic guitar-slinging saviors of pop music from the synth-driven hordes. Knife, on the other hand, was produced by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, who brought in a pair of keyboard players to color Frame's newly R&B-flavored pop songs. In retrospect, though, Knife is, a thoughtful and largely likable set of tunes. There are three killer singles, the danceable "Still on Fire," "Just Like the USA" (which features a jiggly guitar riff that almost turns into the hook from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" in a few spots), and the sublime "All I Need Is Everything," a lovely, yearning tune based on a hypnotic guitar riff and featuring possibly the best chorus of Frame's career. Slightly below that fine triumvirate are "The Birth of the True" and the stirring "Backwards and Forwards," which both recall the pretty but slightly strident ballads of Frame's early career, and the peppier "Head Is Happy (Heart's Insane)," all of which are perfectly respectable tunes. Then, though, comes the bland, forgettable "The Back Door to Heaven," and the title track, which stretches out too few musical or lyrical ideas over an endless, nearly ten-minute track that seems to be going for a Dire Straits-like ambience but merely sounds noodly and insipid. With a more sympathetic producer and a less obvious method of filler (why not record new versions of those early singles?), Knife would have made it past the cultural arbiters.

Aztec Camera - Knife (flac  468mb)

01 Still On Fire 4:00
02 Just Like The USA 4:02
03 Head Is Happy (Heart's Insane) 4:14
04 The Back Door To Heaven 5:23
05 All I Need Is Everything 5:50
06 Backwards And Forwards 4:13
07 The Birth Of The True 2:42
08 Knife 9:06
Bonus
09 All I Need Is Everything (7" Edit) 3:48
10 Jump 2:54
11 All I Need Is Everything (Remix) 6:05
12 Jump (Loaded Version) 5:31
Live At The Dominion Theatre 16th October 1984
13 Mattress Of Wire 3:17
14 Walk Out To Winter 3:17
15 The Bugle Sounds Again 3:20
16 Backwards And Forwards 4:17
17 The Birth Of The True 2:50

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Roddy Frame dispensed with the previous members of Aztec Camera and turned to a group of American session musicians and high-powered producers (Russ Titelman, Tommy LiPuma) for his third full-length album, on which he also abandoned his singer/songwriter, folk-rock approach in favor of an American R&B style. It's a distinct step down from the ingenuity of his first couple of records, and was met with indifference in the U.S., which seemed to be its intended target. In the U.K., the album belatedly took off after its second single, "Somewhere In My Heart," went to #3, and became Aztec Camera's only Top Ten LP. (Other U.K. chart singles were "How Men Are" [#25] and "Working In A Goldmine" [#31].)

Aztec Camera - Love (flac 528mb)

01 Deep And Wide And Tall 4:02
02 How Men Are 3:38
03 Everybody Is A Number One 3:25
04 More Than A Law 4:39
05 Somewhere In My Heart 4:00
06 Working In A Goldmine 5:36
07 One And One 4:10
08 Paradise 4:29
09 Killermont Street 3:16
Bonus
10 Deep And Wide And Tall (Breakdown Mix) 7:17
11 Bad Education 2:48
12 The Red Flag 2:49
13 Killermont Street (Live) 3:24
14 Pillar To Post (Live) 4:09
15 Somewhere In My Heart (12" Remix) 7:10
16 Everybody Is A Number One (Boston '86 Version) 3:14
17 Somewhere In My Heart (The Alternate Mix) 6:30
18 I Threw It All Away (Live) 2:04
19 Working In A Goldmine (Sax Version) 3:56

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A welcome comeback after the flaccid dance-pop of 1987's insipid Love, Stray is among Roddy Frame's most assured and diverse collections of songs. Unlike previous Aztec Camera albums, there's not one unifying style to the disc, and the variety makes Stray one of Frame's better collections. From the assured rocking pop of the singles "The Crying Scene" (the closest thing Aztec Camera ever got to an American hit single) and "Good Morning Britain" (a rousing collaboration with Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) to the cool, Chet Baker-ish cocktail jazz of "Over My Head," Frame covers the waterfront, but it's the quartet of songs that constitutes the second half of the album that impress the most. These four songs, "How It Is," "The Gentle Kind," "Notting Hill Blues," and the tender acoustic closer "Song For A Friend," are a loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions. Starting with a bitterly cynical denunciation of modern society, the four songs move through sadness and resignation to a hopeful, sweet closure. Shorn of the pretentiousness that mars some of Frame's earlier lyrics -- written, to be fair, while he was still in his mid-teens -- the lyrics on Stray are the first that stand up to Frame's remarkable melodic sense. The simple, low-key production by Frame and Eric Calvi also retreats from the unfortunate excesses of both Love and its misbegotten Mark Knopfler-produced predecessor, Knife. With the exception of Aztec Camera's 1983 debut High Land Hard Rain, this is Roddy Frame's best album.

 Aztec Camera - Stray   (flac 392mb)

01 Stray 5:34
02 The Crying Scene 3:34
03 Get Outta London 3:41
04 Over My Head 5:53
05 Good Morning Britain with Mick Jones 4:02
06 How It Is 4:00
07 The Gentle Kind 5:32
08 Notting Hill Blues 6:41
09 Song For A Friend 2:27
Bonus
10 Salvation 5:11
11 True Colours 4:30
12 Consolation Prize [Live with Edwyn Collins] 3:06
13 Do I Love You? 4:40
14 Good Morning Britain [Mendelsohn Mix ] 4:05

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1717 Roots

Hello, ever since February 2016 the roots postings have come from Brazil, the Olympics have come and gone but Rho-Xs have stayed on the ball but after next weeks final post it's time to move on and so it's time to leave the country with some great beats..

The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, bossa nova, MPB, sertanejo, pagode, tropicalia, choro, maracatu, embolada (coco de repente), mangue bit, funk carioca (in Brazil simply known as Funk), frevo, forró, axé, brega, lambada, and Brazilian versions of foreign musical genres, such as Brazilian rock and rap.


Favela is the Brazilian equivalent of the Jamaican shantytown or the American ghetto, and from it springs an incredible variety of sounds -- samba, funk, hip-hop, easy listening and even drum'n'bass during the late '90s and early 2000s. Although the Favela Chic club is an ocean away (in Paris), it's become a focal point of the favela sound. Favela Chic Postonove, re-creates a night at the club by packing in two dozen tracks that may result in a case of whiplash if listeners attempt to chart the styles on display...N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Among the many hidden treasures of Paris is Favela Chic, a little gem of a restaurant and club tucked into a side street off Faubourg-du-Temple. Finding the illuminated top hat hovering above a small alleyway – the bar’s only exterior signage – is the hardest part, but once patrons arrive, they’ll be swept into the eclectic atmosphere of a Brazilian carnival.

Pushing aside the palm fronds reveals a scattering of picnic tables in the long and colorful rectangular room that serves as a restaurant. Guests should show up early if they want to peruse the extensive menu and try some of the best Brazilian food in Paris – the kitchen closes at 11pm when the restaurant and back bar transform into a nightclub, and there’s no guarantee that the other patrons will wait for diners to finish before they start dancing on the tables.

Favela Chic is loud, hot, and sweaty and regularly filled with a young, international party crowd. The atmosphere is feverish, the dance floor packed, and people are clearly in the mood to let loose and show off their seductive dance moves to the rhythmic beat of Brazilian and Latin music. It would be hard to find a club more dynamic and energetic than Favela Chic, so for anyone who’s looking for a quiet night out – this ain’t it!


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Favela is the Brazilian equivalent of the Jamaican shantytown or the American ghetto, and from it springs an incredible variety of sounds -- samba, funk, hip-hop, easy listening and even drum'n'bass during the late '90s and early 2000s. Although the Favela Chic club is an ocean away (in Paris), it's become a focal point of the favela sound. Favela Chic Postonove, the first volume in a series of mixes, re-creates a night at the club by packing in two dozen tracks that may result in a case of whiplash if listeners attempt to chart the styles on display (in that sense, favela has no specific "sound" to speak of, only an energy and specific quality of production that ties its tracks together). Here, Walter Wanderley's bustling and breezy "Batucada" gives way to an easy listening funk singalong ("Eu Também Quero Mócoto") from long-time Brazilian bandleader Erlon Chaves. Also given ample space is baile funk, an urban dance music heavily reliant on sample-laden party rap; highlights come from Batutinha DJ and Bonde de Gorila. But the energy displayed by these new-school artists is trumped by the artist with a longer resume than anyone -- Jorge Ben, whose contribution is the totally bonkers "Cuidado Com o Bulldog," which cycles between acoustic pop and heavy-riffing hard rock. (Most bizarre of all, however, has to be a cover of "Sixteen Tons" by Funk Como le Gusta.)

Various - Favela Chic - Postonove (flac  419mb)

01 Seu Jorge - Manda O Som Dj ! 0:29
02 Bezerra Da Silva - Eu Sou Favela 3:21
03 Walter Wanderley - Batucada 2:05
04 Erlon Chaves - E Tamben Quero Mocoto 4:13
05 Ed Lincoln - Eu Não Vou Mais 3:17
06 Os Incríveis - Vendedor De Bananas 3:40
07 Gringo Da Parada - Crianças 0:35
08 Jorge Ben - Cuidado Com O Bulldog 2:54
09 Funk Como Le Gusta - 16 Toledanas (Sixteen Tons) 3:05
10 Seu Jorge - Mangueira 4:23
11 Antonio Carlos E Jocafi - Simbarerê 2:37
12 Os Reis Do Batuque - Trem Batucada 4:06
13 A Coisona - Aquecimento De Capoeira 3:24
14 Batutinha Dj - Megamon 2:18
15 Gringo Da Parada - Mengoooo 1:05
16 Bonde Do Gorila - Porrada Solução 3:04
17 Gringo Da Parada - Coca - Agua - Skol 2:21
18 De Falla - Popozuda Rock'N Roll 1:48
19 Trio Nordestino - Chinelo De Rosinha 2:51
20 Elza Soares - Edmundo (In The Mood) 1:53
21 Jair Rodrigues - Alegria De Vocês 2:12
22 Fla Flu Prod - Mar Do Postonove 0:21
23 Jorge Ben - Rosa, Menina Rosa 2:13
24 Bebeto - Morte Da Sandalia De Couro 3:10
25 Seu Jorge - Acabou 0:28

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The second volume of tunes assembled by and for the painfully hip Paris nightspot Favela Chic is a surprising and far-reaching smorgasbord of Brazilian grooves both old and new. There's a superb mix of obscure samba cuts from the 1970s and latter-day material from the Trama label -- the common thread is the sublimely funky energy of all the songs, which goes well beyond the norms of most Brazilian music into a cross-cultural stratosphere that's pretty much all its own. If this set is even remotely representative of a typical evening at Favela Chic, fly to Paris posthaste, bribe the bouncer, and glide past the velvet rope. Highlights include "Favela" by Z'Africa Brasil, "Nao Pode" by Tony Bizarro, "Eu Bebo Sim" by Elizete Cardoso, and "Mamae Natureza" by Rita Lee.

Various - Favela Chic - Postonove 2 (flac  459mb)

01 Z'Africa Brasil - Favela
02 Os Originais Do Samba - Tenha Fe Pois Amanha Um Lindo Dia Vai Nascer
03 Os Originais Do Samba - Falador Passa Mal
04 Abílio Manoel - Luiza Manequim
05 Rita Lee - Mamãe Natureza
06 Trio Ternura - Sempre Existe Alguem
07 Sydney Magal - Meu Sangue Ferve Por Voce
08 Tony Bizarro - Nao Pode
09 Tim Maia - Vou Com Gas
10 Marku - Barrankeiro
11 Marcelo D2 - Batucada
12 Câmbio Negro - Esse É Meu País
13 Planet Hemp - Hip Hop Duo Rio (Bruno E. Remix)
14 Radio Favela Vs Z'Africa Brasil - Favela (2 Tribes Version)
15 Mo' Horizons - Pe Na Estrada (Hit The Road Jack)
16 Fernanda Porto - Sambassim (DJ Patife Remix)
17 DJ Marky & XRS / Jorge Ben / Toquinho - LK (Carolina Carol Bela)
18 Eliseth Cardoso - Eu Bebo Sim
19 Martinho Da Vila - Disritmia
20 Gal Costa - Deus E O Amor
21 Unknown Artist - Atirei O Pau No Gato
22 Secos & Molhados - Rosa De Hiroshima
23 Cibelle - Flor Na Favela

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The third volume in a breathtaking series that charts Brazilian club culture -- from the samba/bossa nova of the '60s through the party hip-hop of the 2000s -- has a similar arc to previous volumes: '70s and '80s singers and/or songwriters dominate the first half, while hip-hop and sampladelic acts take over the latter half. If the inclusions aren't as catchy and heart-stopping as on previous rounds, all of them are still well worth hearing. Highlights include Luciano Perrone's deft "Samba Vocalizado (The Vocal Samba)" (to hear it is to understand), Seu Jorge's whimsical, ukulele-led "Tive Razão," and Os Diagonais making like a latter-day Mutantes fronting James Brown's band on "Nao Vou Chorar."

Various - Favela Chic - Postonove 3   (flac  404mb)

01 Seu Jorge - Tive Razão 4:31
02 Sandra De Sá -Olhos Coloridos 4:13
03 Emilio Santiago - Bananeira 2:49
04 Raulzinho & Impacto 8 - Spinning Wheel (Viva Torta) 2:24
05 Erlon Chaves & Sua Banda Veneno - Jesus Cristo 2:04
06 Wilson Simonal - Mexerico Da Candinha 2:32
07 Os Diagonais - Nao Vou Chorar 2:23
08 Luciano Perrone - Samba Vocalizado (The Vocal Samba) 2:20
09 Beth Carvalho - Saco De Feijão 2:58
10 Marcelo D2 - A Procura Da Batida Perfeita 3:00
11 Rappin Hood - Sou Negrão 5:08
12 DJ Dolores & Orchestra Santa Massa - A Dança Da Moda 3:40
13 Cabruêra - Forró Esferográfico 2:37
14 BoTECOeletro - BoTECOeletro Visits As Baianas Mensageiras De Santa Luzia 2:11
15 Fernandinho Beat Box - Beatboxsamba 1:03
16 Ginger Ale Vs. Z'Africa Brasil - Hip Hop Não Para 3:55
17 DJ Dennis Feat. CABO - São João, Vila Rosali 1:57
18 Pinduca - Vamos Farrear 2:53
19 Eli Goulart & Banda Do Mato - Sunny 3:27
20 Evinha - Olha Eu Aqui Oh! Oh! Oh! 2:41
21 Antonio Carlos & Jocafi - Minhas Razões 3:04

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

One of the hippest restaurant/clubs in Europe right now is Favela Chic, which has locations in both London and Paris, and has been slowly building a reputation for its DJs putting together some of the finest compilations of Brazilian music available today. Postonove 4, the latest in the series, stays true to its predecessors’ style in that it rotates between traditional players such as Os Mutantes and Elza Soares while throwing in many new and obscure samba cuts that joyously capture the consistent progression of traditional samba forms. With over a million revellers set to take to the streets of Rio this month in the annual Carnival celebrations, opening track "La Vem Salgueiro” fittingly captures the excitement with traditional samba guitars strummed over whistles and bongos that like all of the cuts, puts a groove in your step but never makes you feel awkward. As with previous compilations, the Postonove series is not content to just stick with one genre and Marcelinho da Lua and Voltair offer slices of Brazilian hip-hop and its famed drum & bass scene on "Tranquilo” and "A Hora do Brazil.”

Various - Favela Chic - Postonove 4 (flac  383mb)

01 Tchiky & Papo - No Favela Chic (Intro)
02 Os Originais Do Samba - La Vem O Salgueiro
03 Os Mutantes - Bat Macumba
04 Fundo de Quintal - Te Gosto
05 Celso Murilo - Cha-Cha Celso
06 Orlann Divo - Tudo Joia
07 Elza Soares - Deixa Isso Pra La
08 Caju & Castanha - Porfia
09 Black Alien, Marcelinho Da Lua - Tranqüilo
10 Voltair - A Hora Do Brasil
11 DJ Sandrinho - Favela Chic Ta Ligado
12 Dub Do Galo - Instituto
13 Seu Jorge - Bem Querer
14 Ronald Mesquita - Balança Pema
15 Bezerra Da Silva - Malandragem Da Um Tempo
16 Dona Edith Do Prato - Marinheiro So
17 Dinho Nascimento - Berimbau Blues
18 Dóris Monteiro - Coqueiro Verde
19 Voltair - Se Liga Nessa
20 Lucio Mala, Fred Zero Quatro, Jorge Du Peixe - Ligia

Various - Favela Chic - Postonove 4 (ogg  151mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1717 History Ends in Green 3

Hello,
Hello, Messi scored his 500th and winning goal tonight against those Real Madrid goons, keeping Barcelona's title hopes alive. In the UK Man City got fucked by a lines man who'd probably bet against them, in the end Arsenal scored a winner in extra time, they must be so happy directly qualifying for the Europa League as their FA final opponent, Chelsea will most likely be champions this year. And now for the more serious news today, France's new president is called Emmanuel Macron, an opportunistic eurofile technocrat, plus de misere pour La France, pity. Marine Le Pen his upcoming opponent has no chance because everybody hates her father, thank you daddy..


Terence McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an Irish-American philosopher, psychonaut, researcher, teacher, lecturer and writer on many subjects, such as human consciousness, language, psychedelic drugs, the evolution of civilizations, the origin and end of the universe, alchemy, and extraterrestrial beings.... ..N'joy.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Terence McKenna grew up in Paonia, Colorado. He was introduced to geology through his uncle and developed a hobby of solitary fossil hunting in the arroyos near his home. From this he developed a deep artistic and scientific appreciation of nature. At age 16, McKenna moved to Los Altos, California to live with family friends for a year. He finished high school in Lancaster, CA. In 1963, McKenna was introduced to the literary world of psychedelics through The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley and certain issues of The Village Voice that talked about psychedelics. McKenna claimed that one of his early psychedelic experiences with morning glory seeds showed him "that there was something there worth pursuing." In an audio interview Terence McKenna claims to have started smoking cannabis regularly during the summer following his 17th birthday.

In 1965, McKenna enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley to study art history. In 1967, while in college, he discovered and begun studying shamanism through the study of Tibetan folk religion. That year, which he called his "opium and kabbala phase" he also traveled to Jerusalem, where he met Kathleen Harrison, who would later become his wife. In 1969, McKenna traveled to Nepal led by his "interest in Tibetan painting and hallucinogenic shamanism." During his time there, he studied the Tibetan language and worked as a hashish smuggler, until "one of his Bombay-to-Aspen shipments fell into the hands of U. S. Customs." He was forced to move to avoid capture by Interpol. He wandered through Southeast Asia viewing ruins, collected butterflies in Indonesia, and worked as an English teacher in Tokyo. He then went back to Berkeley to continue studying biology, which he called "his first love". After he completed part of his studies and his mother's death from cancer in 1971, McKenna, his brother Dennis, and three friends traveled to the Colombian Amazon in search of oo-koo-hé, a plant preparation containing Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Instead of oo-koo-hé they found various forms of ayahuasca, or yagé, and gigantic psilocybe cubensis which became the new focus of the expedition. In La Chorrera, at the urging of his brother, he was the subject of a psychedelic experiment which he claimed put him in contact with "Logos": an informative, divine voice he believed was universal to visionary religious experience.

The voice's reputed revelations and his brother's simultaneous peculiar experience prompted him to explore the structure of an early form of the I Ching, which led to his "Novelty Theory". During their stay in the Amazon, McKenna also became romantically involved with his translator, Ev. In 1972, McKenna returned to Berkeley to finish his studies. There he decided to switch majors to a Bachelor of Science in ecology and conservation, in a then new experimental section of the same university called the Tussman Experimental College. During his studies, he would also develop techniques for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms with Dennis. In 1975, he parted with his girlfriend, Ev, when she left him for one of his friends from Berkeley. Their parting left him "tormented with migraines and living alone". He graduated in 1975. That same year, he began a relationship with Kathleen Harrison, whom he had met in Jerusalem. Soon after graduating, McKenna and Dennis published a book inspired by their Amazon experiences, The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens and the I Ching. He also began lecturing. The brothers' experiences in the Amazon would later play a major role in McKenna's book True Hallucinations, published in 1993. In 1976, the brothers published what they had learned about the cultivation of mushrooms in a book entitled Psilocybin - Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide under the pseudonyms "OT Oss" and "ON Oeric".

Later life In the early 1980s, McKenna began to speak publicly on the topic of psychedelic drugs, lecturing extensively and conducting weekend workshops. Though associated with the New Age and human potential movements, McKenna himself had little patience for New Age sensibilities. He repeatedly stressed the importance and primacy of felt experience, as opposed to dogma. Timothy Leary once introduced him as "one of the five or six most important people on the planet. It's clearly a crisis of two things: of consciousness and conditioning. These are the two things that the psychedelics attack. We have the technological power, the engineering skills to save our planet, to cure disease, to feed the hungry, to end war; But we lack the intellectual vision, the ability to change our minds. We must decondition ourselves from 10,000 years of bad behavior. And, it's not easy. ” —Terence McKenna, "This World...and Its Double", He soon became a fixture of popular counterculture. His growing popularity culminated in the early to mid-1990s with the publication of several books: True Hallucinations, relating the tale of his 1971 La Chorrera experience; Food of the Gods; and The Archaic Revival. He became a popular personality in the psychedelic rave/dance scene of the early 1990s, with frequent spoken word performances at raves and contributions to psychedelic and goa trance albums by The Shamen, Spacetime Continuum, Alien Project, Capsula, Entheogenic, Zuvuya, Shpongle, and Shakti Twins. His speeches were, and are, sampled by many.

In 1994 he appeared as a speaker at the Starwood Festival, documented in the book Tripping by Charles Hayes. His lectures were produced on both cassette tape and CD. McKenna was a colleague of chaos mathematician Ralph Abraham, and biologist Rupert Sheldrake, creator of the theory of "morphogenetic fields", not to be confused with the mainstream usage of the same term. He conducted several public debates known as trialogues with them from the late 1980s until his death. Books containing transcriptions of some of these events were published. He was also a friend and associate of Ralph Metzner, Nicole Maxwell, and Riane Eisler, participating in joint workshops and symposia with them. He was a personal friend of Tom Robbins, and influenced the thought of many scientists, writers, artists, and entertainers. His influences include comedian Bill Hicks, whose routines about psychedelic drugs drew heavily from McKenna's works. He is also the inspiration for the Twin Peaks character Dr. Jacoby. In addition to psychedelic drugs, McKenna spoke on the subjects of virtual reality, which he saw as a way to artistically communicate the experience of psychedelics; techno-paganism; artificial intelligence; evolution; extraterrestrials; and aesthetic theory, specifically about art/visual experience as information representing the significance of hallucinatory visions experienced under the influence of psychedelics.

In 1985, McKenna co-founded Botanical Dimensions with his then-wife Kathleen, a nonprofit ethnobotanical preserve in Hawaii, where he lived for many years before he died. In 1997 he and Kathleen divorced. Before moving to Hawaii permanently, McKenna split his time between Hawaii and Occidental, located in the redwood-studded hills of Sonoma County, California. Death A longtime sufferer of migraines, in mid-1999 McKenna returned to his home on the big island of Hawaii after a long lecturing tour. He began to suffer from increasingly painful headaches. This culminated in three brain seizures in one night, which he claimed were the most powerful psychedelic experiences he had ever known. Upon his emergency trip to the hospital on Oahu, Terence was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. For the next several months he underwent various treatments, including experimental gamma knife radiation treatment. According to Wired magazine, McKenna was worried that his tumour was caused by his 35-years of smoking cannabis; though his doctors assured him there was no causal relation. In late 1999, Erik Davis conducted what would be the last interview of McKenna.

During the interview McKenna also talked about the announcement of his death:“ I always thought death would come on the freeway in a few horrifying moments, so you'd have no time to sort it out. Having months and months to look at it and think about it and talk to people and hear what they have to say, it's a kind of blessing. It's certainly an opportunity to grow up and get a grip and sort it all out. Just being told by an unsmiling guy in a white coat that you're going to be dead in four months definitely turns on the lights. ... It makes life rich and poignant. When it first happened, and I got these diagnoses, I could see the light of eternity, a la William Blake, shining through every leaf. I mean, a bug walking across the ground moved me to tears. ” McKenna died on April 3, 2000, at the age of 53, with his loved ones at his bedside. He is survived by his brother Dennis, his son Finn, and his daughter Klea.

xxxxx

 "Stoned Ape" theory of human evolution:

In his book Food of the Gods, McKenna proposed that the transformation from humans' early ancestors Homo erectus to the species Homo sapiens mainly had to do with the addition of the mushroom Psilocybe cubensis in its diet - an event which according to his theory took place in about 100,000 BC (this is when he believed that the species diverged from the Homo genus). He based his theory on the main effects, or alleged effects, produced by the mushroom. One of the effects that comes about from the ingestion of low doses, which agrees with one of scientist Roland Fischer's findings from the late 60s-early 70s, is it significantly improves the visual acuity of humans - so theoretically, of other human-like mammals too. According to McKenna, this effect would have definitely prove to be of evolutionary advantage to humans' omnivorous hunter-gatherer ancestors that would have stumbled upon it "accidentally"; as it would make it easier for them to hunt. In higher doses, McKenna claims, the mushroom acts as a sexual stimulator, which would make it even more beneficial evolutionarily, as it would result in more offspring.

At even higher doses, the mushroom would have acted to "dissolve boundaries", which would have promoted community-bonding and group sexual activities-that would result in a mixing of genes and therefore greater genetic diversity. Generally McKenna believed that the periodic ingestion of the mushroom would have acted to dissolve the ego in humans before it ever got the chance to grow in destructive proportions. In this context he likened the ego to a cancerous tumor that can grow uncontrollable and become destructive to its host. In his own words: Wherever and whenever the ego function began to form, it was akin to a cancerous tumor or a blockage in the energy of the psyche. The use of psychedelic plants in a context of shamanic initiation dissolved-as it dissolves today-the knotted structure of the ego into undifferentiated feeling, what Eastern philosophy calls the Tao. —Terence McKenna, Food of the Gods The mushroom, according to McKenna, had also given humans their first truly religious experiences (which, as he believed, were the basis for the foundation of all subsequent religions to date). Another factor that McKenna talked about was the mushroom's potency to promote linguistic thinking. This would have promoted vocalisation, which in turn would have acted in cleansing the brain (based on a scientific theory that vibrations from speaking cause the precipitation of impurities from the brain to the cerebrospinal fluid), which would further mutate the brain. All these factors according to McKenna were the most important factors that promoted evolution towards the Homo sapiens species. After this transformation took place, the species would have begun moving out of Africa to populate the rest of the planet Later on, this theory by McKenna was given the name "The 'Stoned Ape' Theory of Human Evolution".

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

History Ends in Green, Gaia, Psychedelics and the Archaic Revival

Religion, originally, was the the internal linkdimension of the self that directly internal linkinterfaced nature, or the overcell... and this happened through the use of internal linkpsychedelics... so the reason why the weekend is called "history ends in green" and what this whole internal linkgaian awarenss thing is in my mind... it's not a nary-fary attempt re-cast a new image for religious ontology... it's the actual discovery of the minded presence of the planet, which has always been here...



Terence McKenna - History Ends in Green Pt.3 (flac 183mb)

01 Terence McKenna - History Ends in Green Pt.3  88:00

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Previously

Terence McKenna - History Ends in Green Pt.1 (flac 128mb)
Terence McKenna - History Ends in Green Pt.2 (flac 116mb)


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Sundaze 1717

Hello, this is my 4th posting on Steve Roach, it will be the last one this year, Steve is a painter with sound and as such his discography is impressive with well over 120 high quality albums, he keeps himself sharp by working with others who in return lift on his ever increasing status in the world of (tribal) ambient. That said I think i would do then Sundaze fans a disservice if i kept posting his work for months on end (i could), hence you'll have to wait another year for another month of Steve Roach...


Today's Artist is a longstanding leader in contemporary electronic music, composer and multi-instrumentalist,a onetime professional motorbike racer born 1955 in La Mesa, California,  drew on the beauty and power of the earth's landscapes to create lush, meditative soundscapes influential on the emergence of ambient and trance. Drawing from a vast, unique, deeply personal authenticity, his releases cover a wide range of dynamic styles all of which bear his signature voice. For 35 years the boundaries are constantly challenged in his work, ranging in style from pure floating spaces, analog sequencer music, primordial tribal, rhythmic ambient, dark ambient, long-form 'drift ambient,' and avant garde atonal ambient.....N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A longstanding leader in contemporary electronic music, composer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Roach drew on the beauty and power of the Earth's landscapes to create lush, meditative soundscapes influential on the emergence of ambient and trance. Born in California in 1955, Roach -- inspired by the music of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Vangelis -- taught himself to play synthesizer at the age of 20. Debuting in 1982 with the album Now, his early work was quite reminiscent of his inspirations, but with 1984's Structures from Silence, his music began taking enormous strides. The album's expansive and mysterious atmosphere was partly inspired by the natural beauty of the southwestern U.S. Subsequent works, including 1986's three-volume Quiet Music series honed Roach's approach, his dense, swirling textures and hypnotic rhythms akin to environmental sound sculptures.

In 1988, inspired by the Peter Weir film The Last Wave, Roach journeyed to the Australian outback, with field recordings of aboriginal life inspiring his acknowledged masterpiece, the double-album Dreamtime Return. A year later, he teamed with percussionist Michael Shrieve and guitarist David Torn for The Leaving Time, an experiment in ambient jazz. After relocating to the desert outskirts of Tucson, Arizona, Roach established his own recording studio, Timeroom. In the years to follow, he grew increasingly prolific, creating both as a solo artist and in tandem with acts including Robert Rich, Michael Stearns, Jorge Reyes, and Kevin Braheny -- in all, he recorded close to two-dozen major works in the '90s alone, all of them located at different points on the space-time continuum separating modern technology and primitive music.

His album roster from that decade includes Strata (1991), Artifacts (1994), Well of Souls (1995), Amplexus (1997), and Dust to Dust (1998). Early Man was released on Projekt in early 2001, followed by one of his many collaborations with Vidna Obmana, Innerzone. Throughout the remainder of the 2000s, Roach remained extremely prolific. His release schedule included the Projekt titles Trance Spirits (with Jeffrey Fayman) and the quadruple-disc Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces, Spirit Dome and Somewhere Else (with Obmana), Fever Dreams, Mantram, and Nada Terma (with Byron Metcalf and Mark Seelig), and the ongoing Immersion series, Arc of Passion, and Stream of Thought (with Erik Wøllo). He also self-released several titles on his own through Timeroom Editions.

Over the next decade, Roach would show no signs of slowing as he continued with a non-stop slew of new material under his own name, as well as collaborations and soundtrack work. Though new volumes of work appeared at a clip of more than three albums per year, standouts included more collaborations with Byron Metcalf, 2013's Future Flows, 2014's disparate releases of arid road trip music on The Desert Collection and ambient explorations of mortality and humanity on The Delicate Forever. Roach began constructing an extensive analog modular synthesizer system in 2014, and in 2015, the album Skeleton Keys was composed entirely using this setup. In 2016, Roach released two full-lengths with Robert Logan (the more rhythmic Biosonic and the serene drone album Second Nature), as well as solo efforts This Place to Be and Shadow of Time.

In concert, Steve creates transcendent electronic music emerging from an elemental instinctual mode. These events bring together an audience from around the country and as far away as Europe, all looking to experience the on-the-edge experience that erupts in the live setting. This makes Steve's concerts an entirely different experience from the recorded medium. With months of preparation absorbed into his system, evocative soundscapes blend with ecstatic rhythmic sections born from hands-on analog sound creation and sonic shapeshifting. The result is a direct transference of creative energy from the artist through his instruments out to the listener. Live performances are the place where Steve's music thrives, created at the leading edge of now.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Steve Roach has an impressive body of recordings; however, Origins may be his most striking release to date. Continually intrigued by Aboriginal culture and music, its influence can be heard on this release...Driven by hybrid percussion, synthesized melodies, gravel-voiced chants and didgeridoo, Origins brings our most elusive dreams and primeval memories into focus through potent sonic essays. "Clay, Wood, Bone, Dirt" is a stunning acoustic duo featuring Roach and Jorge Reyes, who plays clay water pots on this selection. Suso Saiz provides his own brand of hypnotic guitar textures on several selections as well.

Steve Roach - Origens  (flac 310mb)

01 Fearless 4:32
02 Mica 5:00
03 Forever 4:50
04 The Grotto Of Time Lost 9:03
05 Iguana 7:23
06 Magma 3:37
07 Persistence Of Memory (For Dali) 5:09
08 Remembrance 2:22
09 Ceremony Of Shadows 6:12
10 La Luna 10:39

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Solitaire is a group project that allows Elmar Schulte to perform with other notables. Rudiger Gleisberg has been a semi-regular member and Amir Baghiri has been a guest. Schulte has performed in minimalist, rhythmic, and tribal styles with those guests. Ritual Ground is an electro-tribal album that features the master of the style -- Steve Roach. This is a benchmark album, Schulte and Roach perform in the darker zones of the tribal realm. There are echoes of Roach's desert ambience and the pace is slow. The languid atmospheres surround deep listeners and the soundscapes are expansive. This album, like all discs involving Roach, is on its own level.

Solitaire (Steve Roach with Elmar Schulte) - Ritual Ground (flac  234mb)

01 Black Cloud 6:28
02 Turning World 7:43
03 North Sky 7:27
04 Rapt In Darkness 4:41
05 Solid Ground 6:43
06 Runes 9:47
07 In The Forest Of Ancient Light 13:52

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Ron Sunsinger, a Native American tribal artist and musician, joins two space music pioneers on Kiva, an atmospheric re-creation of sacred tribal ceremonies representing the directions of the Four Winds. For the Southwest tribes, a kiva is a circular subterranean structure used for ceremony and ritual; other tribes may use a canopy of trees, the circular space of a Sun Dance, or a cavern. For this recording, Sunsinger obtained, with permission, field recordings of traditional ceremonies. The musicians then brought the kiva space into their music studio. Each wind direction is preceded by an atmospheric passage of chanting, nature sounds, and rattles. "East Kiva: Calling in the Midnight Water" features chanting with the rattles and rapid drumbeats of a peyote ceremony. The space music continues the ceremony to an expanded heartbeat, with horns signaling breakthroughs of thunder strikes. A more celestial space is heralded by organ tones and crickets. Hearing the overlapping layers of sound and the progression allows the listener's mind to travel, while still being connected to the ceremonial music and rhythms. Ghostly voices usher in the passage to "South Kiva: Mother Ayahuasca." Here, breathy whistles and a hypnotic twang of a stringed instrument begin a trance that takes off on one of the most dramatic space blastoffs on record. It climaxes through shouts and ceremonial purging, a sacred song, and whistling; the organ/chanting drone background is very trippy with its sonic infinity pattern of organ tones, chanting, jungle birds, and distorted drumming. "West Kiva: Sacrifice, Prayer and Visions" includes the powerful powwow drumming, singing, and stomped bells of the Native American Sun Dance. The space music collides sounds and rhythms -- a dizzying and hallucinatory clash of reality and illusion. The music then "passes out" and takes the listener on a voyage through a sonic tunnel where all time is suspended. The final "North Kiva: Trust and Remember," recorded in a cavern, thunders with resonant drums and the growls of the didgeridoo. This recording is an excellent introduction to space music and the shamanic experience. You'll find it's not a free ride.

Steve Roach (with Michael Stearns and Ron Sunsinger) - Kiva (flac 341mb)

01 Passage One 2:27
02 East Kiva - Calling In The Midnight Water 13:42
03 Passage Two 1:59
04 South Kiva - Mother Ayahuasca 15:13
05 Passage Three 2:12
06 West Kiva - Sacrifice, Prayer, And Visions 17:27
07 Passage Four 2:00
08 North Kiva - Trust And Remember 9:42
09 The Center 2:33

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This double album is stretching in total over 124 minutes with not one second of excess, it marks the beginning of a destined musical partnership.. It's a soundtrack to the most beautiful dreams you'll ever experience in waking life. Put it on repeat play, darken the room, light a few candles and lose yourself within it's shifting mist walkways for a couple of weeks.

The album starts with a dark and mysterious journey, through Ancient Eastern alleyways, the air scented with desiccated humanity & seductive spices, blended now and then with the stink of ordure and rot. In the sand-coloured, dimly lit streets, rhythm can be heard, floating on the air, lulling the listener, seducing, beckoning. Before the rhythms of the second track well up from the darkness, the atmosphere remains one impending doom. Track three visits similar places with a lighter atmosphere, while the closing track for the first disc transforms from a drifting passive thing, using ethnic devices like Rain Sticks, into another tranquil rhythm, sounding like an opiate-shot Muslimgauze.

The opening to the second disc glitters out of the speakers like mysterious starlight, gentle waves of soothing, strange sound passing over you as if trying to describe the firmament from some other position in the universe, a place unseen, unimagined by humankind. Track two, the title track, continues the planetarium ambience, exploring yet more constellations, the gentlest of orreries dancing their dreamstate dance. Track three explores a deeper, more earth-bound, yet no less calming place. Deep warm tones well up while sustaining harmonies and thunderous noises resound. The atmosphere is one of restfulness, a welcoming womb of enveloping soundwaves. A nest for tired minds to hibernate - an asylum of peace. The fourth and final track in this collection could be a performance in a natural, cathedral-like cave - the tones are warm and non-linear, drifting like woodsmoke through an arid landscape. Rich, lulling, mysterious.

Steve Roach with Vidna Obmana - Well of Souls (flac 570mb)

01 In The Presence Of Something 9:57
02 In The Realm Of Twilight - Outlands One 13:13
03 The Secret Arrival - Outlands Two 14:08
04 The Gathering 24:08
cd 2
05 Deep Hours 29:24
06 Well Of Souls 25:58
07 The Quiet Companion 8:14
08 The Dwelling Place 9:02


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

RhoDeo 1716 Grooves

Hello, I have to admit that the music i post today, isn't really my thing, I remember at the time cynically calling them New York's answer to James Last. Sure it must have been impressive hearing this big band perform live, but performing in Europe was way to expensive back then. Anyway you can make your own mind up now...


Today's artists were the backing band of session musicians for many acts on New York City label, Salsoul Records and, under its own name, recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1982. Their music featured elements of Philadelphia soul, funk, Latin and disco. The Orchestra included up to 50 members and was created and masterminded for Salsoul Records by Philadelphia musician. Vincent Montana, he wrote, arranged, conducted, produced and played on all of the orchestra's tracks until 1978  ..... N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The music world's prime disco big band during the late '70s, the Salsoul Orchestra recorded several of the tightest, chunkiest disco themes of the 1970s, both on its own productions and as the backing group for several prime vocalists. Organized by Vincent Montana, Jr. in 1974, the band was an experiment in fusing funk, Philly soul, and Latin music together in a highly danceable discofied style with plenty of room for solos by individual members. With arrangers, conductors, and whole sections of instruments (including up to 18 violinists) contributing to the sound, the Salsoul Orchestra routinely included up to 50 members. Though the Salsoul sound became passé in the wake of disco music's explosion and rapid commercialization during the late '70s, Salsoul was a heavy influence on house music in the 1980s and even the return of disco-inspired electronica during the following decade.

The beginnings of the Salsoul Orchestra (and Salsoul Records) lie with nominal head Vincent Montana, Jr. A longtime jazz vibraphonist, bandleader, and session man with Philly soul groups like Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, the O'Jays, and the Spinners, Montana dreamed of constructing a large studio orchestra which could fuse polished soul and brassy funk with Latin percussion and live strings. In 1974, he was introduced to local entrepreneurs Joe, Ken, and Stan Cayre (who ran a local Latin music label) by Afro-Cuban pianist Joe Bataan. With their blessing (and financing), Montana spent months recruiting dozens of musicians from the streets and studios of New York -- including more than a half-dozen percussionists alone. The collective recorded three tracks, which impressed Bataan and the Cayres so much that they decided to form a new label -- named Salsoul for its connotations of salsa and soul -- to release a full-length LP.

One of the original Salsoul Orchestra recordings, "The Salsoul Hustle," was released in mid-1975 and it placed well on the charts. Salsoul's second single, "Tangerine" (an unlikely cover of a Jimmy Dorsey tune), hit the Top 20 in early 1976 and pushed the eponymous Salsoul Orchestra LP to number 14 on the album charts. Follow-up singles like "You're Just the Right Size" and "Nice and Nasty" did moderately well on the charts but soon a glut of similar-sounding material began to flood the market, cheap imitations of the amazing instrumentation of Salsoul Orchestra members -- guitarist and producer Norman Harris, bassist Ronald Baker, drummer Earl Young, arranger Don Renaldo, percussionist Larry Washington, and vocalists Jocelyn Brown, Phyllis Rhodes, Ronni Tyson, Philip Hurt, and Carl Helm. Many Salsoul contributors played on the biggest and best disco tracks of the era, including Trammps, Grace Jones, the Whispers, Loleatta Holloway, and First Choice.

Salsoul's third LP, the slightly amusing Christmas Jollies, displayed a predilection towards the growing disco novelty trend. The slip was hardly improved upon with 1977's Cuchi-Cuchi (which teamed the Orchestra with Charo) or 1978's Up the Yellow Brick Road (a takeoff on The Wiz). After disintegrating the Salsoul Orchestra in the early '80s, Vince Montana led the studio group Montana and recorded with several pop stars of the '80s as well as dance inheritors of the '90s like Mondo Grosso and Nuyorican Soul. Though Salsoul records had long been out of print, several were brought back in the mid-'90s, as well as a prescient two-disc retrospective titled Anthology.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This 1975 album introduced to the world to the slick yet groovy instrumental stylings of the Salsoul Orchestra, a group of Philadelphia session musicians spearheaded by vibes player Vincent Montana. Since many of the musicians (including Montana) also participated in the recordings of MFSB, it's not a big surprise that The Salsoul Orchestra explores a similar vein of orchestral soul. The difference between the two is that the Salsoul Orchestra explores a more Latin-oriented style with a heavy emphasis on congas and other forms of exotic percussion. This style is neatly encapsulated in the lead-off track "Salsoul Hustle," which is built on a contrast between a dreamy, string-led melody and a series of funky instrumental breakdowns spiced with conga tattoos. Other highlights in this style include "You're Just The Right Size," which layers sweet orchestrations and a female chorus cooing the title chant over a synthesizer-layered groove while "Salsoul Rainbow" glides forth on a fusillade of congas and wah-wah guitar riffs. On the downside, The Salsoul Orchestra occasionally allows their slickness to overpower their r&b backbone and the result is disco-flavored easy listening like "Tangerine" and "Love Letters." Another problem is the album's highlights, as funky as they are, often have a cookie-cutter feel to them: for instance, "Salsoul Hustle" and "Tale Of Three Cities" are built on strikingly similar arrangements that hinge on the contrast between string-led flights on fancy and funky grooves from the rhythm section. Despite these shortcomings, The Salsoul Orchestra shapes up as a solid disco album that will entertain anyone who enjoys orchestral soul.

The Salsoul Orchestra - The Salsoul Orchestra    (flac  368mb)

01 Salsoul Hustle 5:21
02 Get Happy 3:09
03 Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It) 4:51
04 You're Just The Right Size 4:44
05 Tangerine 4:43
06 Tale Of Three Cities 6:13
07 Salsoul Rainbow 4:11
08 Love Letters 3:41
Bonus Tracks
09 Salsoul Hustle (Single Version) 3:32
10 Tangerine (Single Version) 3:24
11 You're Just The Right Size (Single Version) 3:15
12 Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It) (Single Version) 3:03
13 Salsoul Hustle (Disco Version) 6:37

The Salsoul Orchestra - The Salsoul Orchestra  (ogg   132mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

On their second album, the Salsoul Orchestra enhance the appeal of their string-heavy soul sound by marrying it to a series of tight, hook-laden tunes. The overall feeling of Nice 'N' Naasty is very ‘up' and the album prominently features a number of high-energy tracks tailored for the dance floor. In fact, the album contains of two of the Salsoul Orchestra's best-ever uptempo tracks: "It Don't Have To Be Funky" moves forward at a double-time speed thanks to a combination of frenetic drumming and an infectious rhythm guitar riff while "Don't Beat Around The Bush" layers the rhythmic, sexy chant of the title over a huge-sounding, thickly-layered drum beat that sounds like it was lifted from a glam rock record. Another uptempo highlight is "Salsoul 3001," a dance floor stormer that brings "Thus Sprach Zarathustra" into the disco age by marrying its dramatic melody to a frenetic groove anchored by some furious conga drumming. Nice 'N' Naasty also improves on the group's debut album by downplaying the easy listening excesses that marred that album: even on soft tracks like "Nightcrawler," the musicians add a rhythmic touch that keeps the album's overall groove moving forward. In fact, the only time Nice 'N' Naasty slides toward easy listening is during the "We've Only Just Begun/Feelings" medley, but even that is saved by a clever arrangement that highlights some some lovely vibes work by Vincent Montana. Overall, Nice 'N' Naasty's combination of solid tunes and tight performance make it the Salsoul Orchestra's most consistently entertaining album and a good choice for disco fanatics.

The Salsoul Orchestra - Nice 'N' Naasty   (flac  503mb)

Left Cheek
01 Good For The Soul 4:20
02 Nice 'n' Naasty 4:35
03 It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove) 3:36
04 Nightcrawler 3:45
05 Don't Beat Around The Bush 3:30
Right Cheek
06 Standing And Waiting On Love 3:31
07 Salsoul 3001 6:16
08 We've Only Just Begun / Feelings 4:59
09 Ritzy Mambo 5:29
10 Jack And Jill 0:15
Bonus
11 Nice 'N' Naasty (12" Disco Mix) 5:20
12 It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove) (12" Disco Mix) 7:46
13 Ritzy Mambo (12" Disco Mix) 7:39
14 It's Good For The Soul (12" Disco Mix) 7:05
15 Nice 'N' Naasty (Single Version) 3:40

. The Salsoul Orchestra - Nice 'N' Naasty  (ogg   190mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Having already reached the apex of orchestral soul on their marvelous self-titled 1975 debut, the Salsoul Orchestra found themselves cookie cutter-ing themselves to death across subsequent releases. Keeping their hooky blend of Latin soul, disco beats, and big instrumental arrangements, the band soared, then foundered, as the decade progressed. A pairing with Charo on the lackluster Cuchi-Cuchi didn't put the Salsoul Orchestra in the best space to regale a tired audience. That said, the band dusted off their boots, pulled them up, and tackled Broadway across 1978's Up the Yellow Brick Road -- a collection of movie and musical hits titled to tie in with that year's Broadway smash The Wiz, whose "Ease On Down the Road," Salsoul style, serves as the LP opener. The instrumentation is tight and punchy and textually interesting, creating a perfect foil for the vocal hijinks of the Sweethearts of Sigma -- Barbara Ingram, Evette Benton, and Carla Benson. Their vocals, though, are best heard on the chunky "West Side Story (Medley)," which pretty much packed it all in across snips of "Fanfare," "America," "Maria," "Somewhere," and more. Elsewhere, the band repeats the feat to cringing effect with their salsa-fied "Fiddler on the Roof." The antics continue with a take on the title track from the Bee Gees/Peter Frampton movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which keeps the boogie-woogie piano and brass, but just doesn't measure up as a disco song. Overall, Up the Yellow Brick Road is sweet in hindsight. Unfortunately, by 1978, fans had already heard it all before, and Broadway moms and dads wouldn't really have given this any more than a passing glance. And even now, the Salsoul Orchestra's own early output is a far better bet.

The Salsoul Orchestra - Up The Yellow Brick Road    (flac  288mb)

01 Ease On Down The Road 5:32
02 West Side Story (Medley) 12:17
03 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 2:51
04 Fiddler On The Roof (Medley) 12:59
05 Evergreen 5:08
Bonus
06 West Side Story (12" Disco Version) 7:38

The Salsoul Orchestra - Up The Yellow Brick Road  (ogg     114mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Although this album is dominated by orchestrally oriented instrumentals, Street Sense is different from much of the Salsoul Orchestra's other output. Instead of being guided by Vincent Montana, this album was produced by disco remix legend Tom Moulton and arranged by Munich session man Thor Baldursson. The end result is an album that is much jazzier and more electronics-oriented than past Salsoul Orchestra albums. The tone is set by the exotica-flavored "Zambesi," a track that features the Latin percussion and swirling strings that most listeners associate with the Salsoul Orchestra, but surprisingly marries these elements to a very jazz-oriented tune that pushes its synthesizer sounds to the forefront. The big highlights of Street Sense are its title track, a dancefloor stormer that marries rhythmic chants from a group of singers with pulsating strings to create a track with a strong Euro-disco feel, and "212 North 12th," a funky instrumental workout that layers its churning, bass-driven groove with soaring strings and some trippy electronic effects. Note that the latter tune became a cult favorite with hardcore disco fans and was a favorite at the Loft, New York City's famous club. Unfortunately, Street Sense also includes some material that should have been left in the can: the remake of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" is professionally crafted but pointless and lacking in passion, while "Sun After the Rain" is a little too campy for its own good. All in all, Street Sense contains enough solid tracks to make it worthwhile for the Salsoul Orchestra enthusiast.

The Salsoul Orchestra - Street Sense  (flac 435mb)

01 Zambesi 5:22
02 Burning Spear 6:01
03 Street Sense 7:32
04 Somebody To Love 5:27
05 212 North 12th 8:31
06 Sun After The Rain 5:29
Bonus
07 Somebody To Love (Single Version) 3:31
08 Street Sense (Original Single Version) 3:42
09 Sun After The Rain (12" Disco Version) 8:10
10 Sun After The Rain (12" Instrumental Version) 8:14

  The Salsoul Orchestra - Street Sense   (ogg  164mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx