I promote a bunch of East Coast Funk and Soul and music events on these pages, but I need to give a shout to the left coast. I have been a fan of this series of different music nights for a long time. When it was the Root Down, I would try and get my friends in LA to send me the promo flyers because they were so dope. I know I have a few around somewhere. Funky Sole has definitely evolved in the past eleven years. They have had a who’s who of guests at all incarnations of the party (Keb Darge, J-Rocc, Adrian Younge, DJ Nu-Mark, Quantic, Chairman Mao, DJ Shadow, Skeme Richards(among others) and official DJs Clifton, Music Man Miles, DJ Chico, the gang of DJs known as the Soul Travelers, a rotating cast of LA DJs, and unofficial residents Cut Chemist and Egon who have blessed the turntables while opening people’s minds to all kinds of new, funky music from all over the world. Not commercial music. Not radio music. REAL MUSIC. The best part about it? It’s free, every week, and right smack in the middle of all the action.

“It wasn’t like Cut Chemist playing hits, or Egon playing hits, we were experimenting with different types of stuff. It wasn’t just Deep Funk, it was Ethiopian Soul, Psychedelic, Ghanaian, Salsa, Cumbia, Funk, Old School Hip Hop and obscure Cosmic Disco, twisted, dusted, psychedelia. Whatever we wanted to play. ”

I definitely wanted to shout out Miles and the Funky Sole crew, as they have been doing parties the way they should be done since day one. They do it and do it well. If you are out in LA and haven’t been to this party, I urge you to get there and get turned on to a whole different vibe. Miles describes the party itself as “A dance party where we celebrate mostly 60′s to early 70′s Funk Soul music, whether it’s instrumental or vocal. If it’s funky and it moves people on the dance floor, that’s what works at Funky Sole. And vinyl.” Sounds like my kind of place. Hit ‘em up when you’re in the LA area.

Funky Sole
Every Saturday
The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd
LA, CA

Weekly Special Guests and Surprises

Funky Sole 11th Year Anniversary video directed and edited by Giovanni Solis

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Follow Funky Soul on twitter.

For all you Funk and Soulsters in the Tri-State area, the good people over at Dig Deeper have got another hot show for you. In the past, they have brought you artists like Syl Johnson, Winfield Parker, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Willie West, Kings Go Forth, Marva Whitney, Darrow Fletcher and more. On January 28th they bring back Soul Sister Eula Cooper for the second time since 2008. Eula Cooper, known for her small string of sides released on Tragar and Note Records, as well as Atlantic, will be bringing her Georgia heat to the stage at Southpaw, backed up by The MAP Legends. Meah Pace will be the opener, and as usual, Mr. Robinson and DJ Honky will be spinning the Funk and Soul 45′s in between acts and late into the night.

Dig Deeper does a great job bringing these sometimes long forgotten Funk and Soul artists to NYC, many who have never performed here during their early careers. Their events have grown pretty huge, getting spotlighted in magazines like The New Yorker, and drawing audiences from pretty far. So if you’re in the market for some real, live, Funk and Soul, Dig Deeper have got your fix this weekend.

Dig Deeper
Southpaw
125 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY
2,3 to Bergen/ B, Q to 7th
718.230.0236

Buy tickets to this event here.

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Eula Cooper Live! at The 5 Spot in Brooklyn, NY 2008

Here’s a gem of a record I got in the dollar bin at some charity shop this past week. I also pulled out some more heavy Reggae, plus some 80′s private press Hip Hop 12′s, and some early 70′s 12″ Disco Funk. More on every one of those records in the upcoming months. For now, we’ve got Sammy Dread with “Dreadlocks Queen” from his 1982 Hit Bound Lp Road Block.

Born Stewart Farquharson in Greenwich Town, in Kingston, JA, he became Sammy Dread and never looked back. Catching a break to work with Sugar Minott singing back up, Sammy also had released a single of his own, “African Girl” on the Roots Tradition label. Recording for a variety of labels: Channel One, Heartbeat, Jah Life, Sammy Dread International, Black Solidarity, Black Roots, and Freedom Sounds among others, his 7″, 12″ and 10″ output is definitely impressive. Working with Reggae notables like Joe Gibbs, Dennis Brown, Tony Tuff, Tappa Zuike, Barrington Levy, Dennis Brown and more, Sammy Dread is a definite success in Reggae music. One tune that would get lots of play was “Bad Boy (M-16)”, and the subsequent M-16 riddim ensued. It wouldn’t hurt that he was name checked and big upped by The Fat Boys in their ’83 “Hardcore Reggae” record, which got the name Sammy Dread on people’s minds. Dread kept releasing records until the late 90′s, where he went MIA for a while only to reappear about 10 years later. Sammy Dread picked up where he left off, making music, spreading a positive vibe, and releasing good music.

“ Everybody is an artist in Jamaica, so you always have to find a tune that’s above other tunes. If you don’t do that, after three or four months, no one hears you. Look how long I’m in the business, and it’s just the love of people, my fans. ”

Known primarily for this 1982 Road Block Lp on Hit Bound (Channel One) which this side is from, “Dreadlocks Queen” uses Eric Donaldson’s “Cherry Oh Baby” riddim. Sammy Dread mashes up the lyrics as a tribute to the love for his dreadlock girl. A great use of this riddim, which has also been used by the Lone Ranger for “Sat Upon the Rock” (produced by Ernest Hoo Kim) among others. The side was recorded at Channel One and produced by SOJIE in Jamaica and backed by the Radics, which included Style Scott on Drums, Errol “Flabba” Holt on bass, Bingy Bunny and Dwight Pickney on guitars, Gladdy Anderson on piano, Steely on organ, and Christopher “Sky Juice” Burt with added percussion. In my opinion, they don’t make music like Sammy Dread did back in the early 80′s. In fact, Reggae music doesn’t have the stars like they used to, that’s why it’s important to preserve music like this, and keep the fires burning. Sammy Dread keeps the fire of Jah burning through this music. We’re just glad to help.

Download or Listen to Sammy Dread – Dreadlocks Queen from the Hit Bound Lp

Here’s a Sammy Dread interview from 2011 from MadVibez Radio out of Toronto.

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As a young buck, I listened to music. A lot of music. Everything from Hip Hop to Punk rock to Classic Rock and beyond. I also played basketball. Let’s rewind. I lived basketball. I was a Philadelphia 76ers fan who got pissed when they traded Moses Malone for Jeff Ruland, so pissed that I became a NY Knicks fan and never looked back. The players I watched hoop it up: Doc, Moses, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins..I could go on, were how I remembered basketball. However, when I discovered soccer it was game over, no more hoops. That is for another story though. While I played, watched, and was a fanatic for basketball, I had a friend in high school named Mark. He was a year older than me. Mark, his brother (a few years younger than me) and I all played basketball for the same team in South Jersey. We all became good friends, and for most of high school and the summers after, I pretty much stayed at their house. We got into trouble, played hoops, drank beer, and listened to music. Mark knew I loved Hip Hop, so one day while we were all having lunch that his Mom made, he brought out a few cassettes his brother was into. One was The Surf Punks Locals Only!, the other Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation To Hold Us Back.

When people ask you about pivotal times in your life, when certain music grabbed you and changed your outlook forever, this would be one of them. That record rocked my world. Of course his mother, Marge, would bust our balls and ask: “Why are you listening to that stuff for?”. She would then keep us in stitches with more ball busting, all the while feeding us until we couldn’t eat any more. I was treated as one of the family, not immune from the ribbing from their mother, and never forgot those times in my teens and early twenties at the Jersey Shore. As we all got older, and started to all be scattered all over the United States (both boys graduating from Notre Dame, a school their Irish mother was proud of), visits were fewer, and phone calls came about once a year from Mark. He got married, moved away and we fell out of touch. I last saw him when I was on tour in about 2004 in Atlanta, and we haven’t seen each other since. When I was in the area where I used to live, I always stopped in to see his mother Marge. Again she would open up her house to me like I was her son. Eventually I moved away and you know how the story goes: “life gets in the way”. I reached out to Mark’s mother last year so I could reconnect. When I called her and she found out it was me, she asked the same two questions she had always asked: “What the hell do you want”? (with a chuckle), and “Are you married yet?” (a question she was always relentless with). I informed her 1, I wanted to get in touch with her son, and 2, yes I was married. We reflected on old times, laughed, and I wished her well. As I stated earlier, life gets in the way, and Mark and I kept missing each other. I still consider him a good friend. A friendship transcends boundaries, and even though we’re older (and hopefully wiser), I look forward to a time when we see each other again.

On Friday, I found out that Marge passed away at the University of Pennsylvania from a long battle with lung cancer. When I heard the news I was instantly transported back to a teenager, blasting Public Enemy from a boom box and shooting threes off of the garage in her back yard. As sad as I am, I’m happy she isn’t suffering any more and is at peace. I will hold many fond memories of the time spent with her and her family, and how indirectly, even if she didn’t know it, she got me into Public Enemy.

Rest In Peace Mrs. O

Margaret (Welsh) Olkiewicz 1944-2012

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I’m excited to announce that the next Big Ups interview will be, to me, the best digger and preserver of Funk, Soul, Jazz, and many other genres. A true defender of the underdog musicians throughout the world. A man that has dedicated his life to keeping this music we all love alive. I, along with countless others have bought these records, gained knowledge from Gerald, and enjoyed the many Lps, 7″s, and compilations he’s put out through the years. He was the first person to actually do a regional Funk compilation properly with Hard Texas Funk. While others were bootlegging, Gerald did his due diligence, put the legwork in, and came out with the official compilation. This set the bar for all of the future compilations. Label scans, rare photos, band info, studio info, and anything else that was relevant was included. All of this (for the most part) is common place these days. Everyone from Numero to Now Again to anyone else resurrecting and releasing these forgotten artists and music owes a debt of gratitude to Jazzman.

“ We’re validating a style of music that was already there but wasn’t being done properly. ”-Jazzman Gerald on Jazzman Records, 2011

Here is an interview done in December 2011 in Lausanne, Switzerland where Gerald speaks on Jazzman Records, how he got his start, and what the label is all about. It’s a great insight on the label’s philosophy, a brief history of the music he preserves, and why it’s important that it’s to be done properly. As I said earlier, I’ve got Gerald in a Big Ups interview that will drop next week. Here’s a little back ground for those who are or aren’t familiar. It’s a great insight into the life and views of the man they call Jazzman Gerald.

Jazzman Gerald Interview 2011

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I find that the best cover songs are usually in the Funk and Reggae realm. Early Reggae that was covering Motown and R & B that they heard on American airwaves, or from the records that were brought back from the States just can’t be beat. In the modern sense, it seems like a lot of Funk and Soul bands were resurrecting the sounds of artists like JB and Marva Whitney, but also dabbling in covers of Rock songs. Adam aka Lack of Afro has a cracker of a cover of Arctic Monkeys “When The Sun Goes Down”, and now our friends in Germany at Our Records have released a little Rock cover of their own. The most well known Blur song, “Song 2″, or the Woo Hoo song if you will, has been “reinvented as an uptempo Deep Funk tune by Diazpora with tight horns and featuring the vocal talents of Hamburg’s Nora Kinga Becker, who gives the song the soulful edge it deserves.” It’s the second record produced by Our Label’s own Gu, and it’s a belter.

Nora Kinga Becker channels N’Dea Davenport via Damon Albarn’s lyrics, while Diazpora’s tight drums, wah wah guitar, and horn section move your body and shake your ass to the groove. Lest we not forget the bass line, which will keep you dippin’ for the entire 2:12. As Keb Darge once said: “I play fucking records that I think are great, and that’s my style”. I couldn’t agree more with that statement in terms of this record.

Snippet of Diazpora – Song 2 on Soundcloud

Hear the full length on Our Records You Tube Channel

Buy this record here.

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This week we have a special treat. Our Big Ups is none other than Jefferson Mao, aka Chairman Mao, co-founder of ego trip. If you have been living under a rock for the last 18 years, ego trip was the go to Hip Hop culture magazine in the 90′s. I think I may have shed a tear the day they stopped publishing it. Luckily, there is egotripland, your daily fix of the best Hip Hop music culture you will read, and I back that up 100%. Chairman Mao is a well known DJ, crate digger, writer, and all around good guy who knows his shit. We’re happy to have him aboard on FMF and Big Ups.

Check Out Chairmqan Mao’s radio show Across 135th St. on RBMA Radio.

Check out egotripland.

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This morning we have some haunting Jazz organ originally from New Jersey, but reissued beautifully from the good folks over at Sticky Records in the UK. Larry Young Jr aka “The John Coltrane of the Organ” and Harold Martin originally released this floating 45 on an obscure NJ label London House Records out of Newark. Apparently this side was part of a concerto called Black Fantasy, although we have no other information if said concerto, master tapes, or anything even exists. If it does, it would be a major come up for some rare NJ organ Jazz.

Larry Young was an accomplished organist, and whether he was a band leader or sideman, made heads turn. He was known primarily for his side work with Grant Green on Verve and Blue Note, and Miles Davis on Bitches Brew. He had his starts on Prestige, and was a solid Jazz player. Young also released his own records, notably six Lps on Bluenote, which included the much applauded Unity record. Working with the aforementioned giants, he also played with John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana, as well as Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, and many more. Young died very prematurely at age 37 in 1978. It’s hard to say what kind of magic he would be working on these days if he was still alive. Suffice to say, this reissuing of the original early 70′s side with Harold Martin is a great discovery.

With a short run of only 400 being pressed, this is one side you may not want to let slip away. Sticky have been reissuing the best of Dub, Jazz, Sister Funk and more since 2005. It’s quite obvious these guys are serious about what they do, and they do it well. Reissued with permission by Harold Martin and Larry Young III (who owns a killer Jazz club in Newark, NJ), again, the lads at Sticky do it right. If some haunting organ Jazz is your bag, then this obscure Larry Young gem has your name written all over it.

Hear a sample of the record here.

More information about Larry Young here.

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This just in: someone finally made a poster for all us diggers, beat heads, collectors, and record nerds. Dave over at Rare Byrds out of Brooklyn has put together this gorgeous poster, which will be framed and on my wall before this post is up. Side A or Side B, you choose the Soul label. With the likes of King, Smash, Tico, Bang, Stax, Revue, Kent, Brunswick and many more, get this item before he sells out.

You can purchase this item here.

13″ x 9″ and printed on matte paper, this thing is begging to be put over your turntables. Viva la Soul!

It is with great sadness that I report the death of another great from this music game, Johnny Otis. He lived a long life, and at 90 years young, Mr. Otis was a huge contributor to Funk, Soul, early Rock ‘N Roll and R & B music. Read more from the LA Times. Otis is another in the list of deaths here in 2012. Saxophone player and band leader, Jimmy Castor, the E-Man, Mr. It’s Just Begun, and creator of The Bertha Butt Boogie passed away last week. These two legends in the record game were key players and contributors to this life we call Hip Hop. Castor’s B-Boy anthem “It’s Just Begun” has been rocking dance floors for decades, while Otis’ contribution to the LA music scene as well as radio industry is giant. Here are two posts I did on Otis: The Watts Breakaway and Country Girl.

Rest In Power to these two giants. B-Boys, DJs, Diggers, and producers all over the world give both of you a huge Salut!

Keep Diggin’!

When the dude says “Get on my level”, the dude is not joking. If he’s not opening for Lady Gaga, playing gigs in Dubai, or dropping knowledge over at CosmoBaker dot com, Cosmo Baker is traveling all over the world DJing. When you travel, you need a great bag. There was a shout out to Tucker and Bloom by Cosmo a while back, and now they have introduced the Cosmo Baker Signature North to South messenger bag.

“Being on the road over 150 days per year, I need a bag that is all business. Functionality is key but that doesn’t mean that one should sacrifice style. Together with Tucker & Bloom, we’ve created this DJ bag that not only works perfectly with my lifestyle. I’ll throw my laptop in, some vinyl and my DJ gear, a book, a change of clothes and toiletries, and I’m out the door. This bag works perfectly as to how I need it to, and keeps me looking fresh while I’m on the go ” – Cosmo Baker

Made out of Shell material 1680 denier black ballistic nylon with an interior lining 4 ply beige Taslan nylon, it’s built to take the tough knocks your bag takes when getting in and out of planes, trains, taxis and the like. With polished aluminum front side release buckles with a laser engraved logo on surface, leather trimmed in vegetable tanned leather, and double ring sliders made of brass casting with nickel plating, you will be on another bag level. It’s about time someone stepped up to the plate and made a decent travel DJ bag. Well played. Get your pre-orders in now.

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Bonus:
Tucker & Bloom Cosmo Baker Documentary

Big Ups with Cosmo Baker from 2011

This is how a promo should be done. Bringing it back to the concrete streets, DJ Format, plus a gang of artists deliver us a sample of music from the upcoming Statement of Intent record about to drop on February 27th on Project Blue Book. The project features artists such as Edan, Phil Most Chill, The Nostalgia 77 Quintet, Sureshot La Rock, and the Simon Sound. If this entire album is anything like this video, real Hip Hop is back, for real. High BPM rapping is in full effect!

More details from DJ Format’s site.

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Check out DJ Gu mixes every Wednesday from 10pm til midnight (cet) over here.

More info about DJ Gu here.

DJ Gu co-owns Our Label Records. Don’t Sleep!

Check out the Guardian article with excerpts from Gil Scott-Heron’s memoirs that tell the story of Stevie Wonder, the Hotter Than July Tour in 1981, and the fight to get Martin Luther King recognized with a national holiday. Not only is this an incredible story, but a first hand account from Gil Scott, who was a supporting artist on part of the tour that year. As controversial as he was talented, this is a remarkable piece of writing, as well as a huge nod of respect to Stevie Wonder. If you were just a so so fan of Stevie’s before (and you should really get into him more, just sayin’), than after you read this, tell me you don’t have more respect for the man. I know I do. The impact of that the man Martin Luther King, Jr. had on this world speaks in volumes, and it makes me happy that a man like Stevie Wonder could recognize that as well and bring this holiday to fruition.

Hear an excerpt of Gil Scott-Heron in regards to Stevie, MLK, and more. Courtesy of 38th Notes

Stevie Wonder BBC Documentary Hotter Than July

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Creative Source was a short lived band out of Los Angeles, California. Comprised mostly of mostly unknown musicians, the band put out four Lps, 2 on the mighty Sussex label, and 2 on the equally big Polydor Records. Here’s their biggest hit, a cover of Bill Withers’ “Who Is He And What Is He To You” on Sussex Records from 1974.

Bill Withers, when he wasn’t assisting the whole of the country procreate with his music, was writing solid, Soul music. There is no way you can deny “Use Me” or “Just The Two Of Us” (among others). However, Creative Source took his song “Who Is He And What Is He To You” and elevated it to something else. Members Barbara Berryman, Barbara Lewis, Don Wyatt, Steve Ranagan, and Celeste Rose went the funky Disco route and hyped up this side. Although they would make the move from Sussex to Polydor after Migration, clearly a bigger record label, they didn’t find the success they wanted. In fact, after just two more records with not much promotion, Creative Source would be put back onto a dusty shelf. Even though they would reach the top fifth of the US R & B charts with several of the records, it seems like it’s the same old song and dance with the old record industry. No money, no promotion, and in a world where there was no social media let alone computers or Twitter, you actually had to rely on radio stations, A & R, and a record company to push a certain record or band. While they had a good run, Creative Source faded back into normal life as quickly as they came in.

Creative Source’s version of “Who Is He And What Is He To You” is something special. What I’m bringing to you today is the instrumental, which I think is the best version. The Lp version is well over 10 minutes long (imagine that playing on FM on a Saturday night), but the single version packs a punch too. A wah wah guitar, some fuzzed out guitars, plus some fantastic horn stabs will keep your head nodding (and the dance floor movin’) until the end of the night. They may have been a flash in the pan, but if Creative Source kept putting out belters like this, they might have had a little longer shelf life. In fact, this has Blaxploitation car chase written all over it. Black Dynamite, get on it will you? FYI, this band also did a great version of “Magic Carpet Ride” from the S/T first LP which I have included on a past FMF mix. Here’s to a funky MLK Day. Keep Diggin’!

Download or Listen to Creative Source – Who Is He And What Is He To You from the Sussex 45