Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Funky Sole 11th Year Anniversary

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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

Keep Diggin’!

Follow Funky Soul on twitter.

Creative Source – Who Is He And What Is He To You

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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

Big Ups with DJ Un-G

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As I close out 2011 with the last Big Ups of the year, I saved a special one for you. DJ Un-G, my DJ potna’ since the late 90′s, has been one of the biggest influences on me as a DJ. As a DJ duo we taught each other about different music, but simultaneously made each other better. Un-G , a talented musician and turntablist showed me the finer side of mixing, and talked me into using Serato as a professional DJ when I wanted to stay carrying tons of record boxes every week. This didn’t stop me at digging for vinyl, don’t get it twisted, but rather Gary showed me how to mature as a DJ. We have played countless parties and nights, opened for our heroes (Bad Brains), rocked unrehearsed 4 turntable parties where people gave up the dance floor to climb on bars and tables to shake it, ducked bottles, glass ash trays, and whatever else was hurled our direction in a basement bar in the LES, and spent countless hours mixing different genres and holding it down while mean mugging thugs stood an inch away from our turntables while we were doing our thing. He’s an accomplished MC, musician (drummer, guitar, ukelele), producer, film and graphics whiz. A member of the 10+ year old band/crew known as P.I.C., he now holds it down in Los Angeles, CA, rocking the 1′s and 2′s weekly on the Left Coast. I am proud to call him my homie.

Check Out P.I.C. here.

Hear some mixes, blends, and more on Un-G’s My Space page.

Keep Diggin’!

Cut Chemist – Hip Hop Lives (1985-1996)

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Cut Chemist is at it again. Not satisfied with setting the bar with his all 45 sets, live bands, solo records, world tours, producing, The Hollywood Bowl, Star Wars figures, or audio/ video assaults, he has now come to tell us that Hip Hop lives. Hip Hop lives in all of us right? This particular brand of Hip Hop is from 1985 to 1996, the Golden Age to you youngsters. If you didn’t know it, Weezy was still potty training when some of these songs were out. As per usual, Cut lays down a perfect blend of songs from the mid 80′s to the mid 90′s, complete with his signature beat juggling, cutting and scratching. Highlights include Biz Markie “Make The Music With Your Mouth” (without the Isaac Hayes sample WHAT!), Ultramagnetic Mc’s, Eazy E, King Tee, Naughty By Nature doing “Down with MTV”, Soul II Soul, “The Double Huey Skit” from De La Soul, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Freestyle Fellowship “P.E.A.C.E.”, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas and a grip of pertinent artists from that period known and obscure. What’s great is that it’s an all live set. Hip Hop Lives was recorded live for Adam 12s Afex night in 2008. Afex is one of LAs most prominent conceptual hip hop nights, covering the era from early eighties to mid nineties. Three years ago and this mix is still relevant and important. The guy knows his Hip Hop for sure. Nuff Respect, school’s in kids. Check out the link below to download this slice of Hip Hop goodness from the one and only Cut Chemist.

Download Cut Chemist – Hip Hop Lives (1985-1996)from his Soundcloud page

“Cut Chemist – Hip Hop Lives (1985-1996)” (Cut Chemist) / CC BY 3.0

If you are lucky enough to live near in any of the areas in this video, check out the Tunnel Vision Tour featuring Cut Chemist, Mr. Lif, and new Brooklynite Edan. Visual assault by Tom Fitzgerald.

Cut Chemist presents TUNNEL VISION trailer from A Stable Sound on Vimeo.

Big Ups with Adrian Younge

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Follow Adrian Younge on Twitter

Adrian Younge presents Venice Dawn

Adrian Younge and the Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra “Shot Me in the Heart”

Black Dynamite Score Documentary

Big Ups with House Shoes

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Stay Tuned to House Shoes on Podomatic

Follow House Shoes on Twitter

Interview with HouseShoes [Elevator HipHop] from Elevator Hip Hop on Vimeo.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Mass/ manipulated by FMF

T. Swift and the Electric Bag – Are You Experienced?

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Download or Listen to T. Swift and the Electric Bag – Are You Experienced? from the Custom Lp

Greeting FMF peeps, I’m hoping you liked the raw and uncut mix I dropped the other day. I wanted to do it that way. With so much access to correcting everything you can put out digitally, I figured what the hell? Let me simulate a live set vibe and see how it goes. Is it perfect? Hell no! I’m hoping that you all got what I was trying to do, just do something a little different by throwing out a curve ball. So in keeping up with the Rock tradition (sort of), I wanted to throw this side out that I scooped up at one of the Asbury Lanes record swaps. It looked interesting enough, and just for 10 bucks, I figured what the hell. Here’s T. Swift and the Electric Bag with “Are You Experienced?” on Custom Records from 1968.

There really isn’t too much out there on this gem of a record. Who is T.Swift? For that matter, who is the Electric Bag? This record has been called a “psychsploitation toss off” by certain people. It has been speculated that the whole band was contrived in some major record board room to redo popular cuts of the day. Some say this band of California studio cats ripped off Hendrix, the Box Tops, and Classic IV by doing interpretations and covers of their songs. Still others say that this band was related to Tom Smith and the Electric Grandmothers, a band who put out a side on on Sound Tex in the Early 60′s. This has also been shook off by experts as pure coincidence. This record was released on Custom and later different cuts were reissued on a few other labels, as of late Gear Fab. Another label pinned on this type of recording, an specifically this record was “exploito”. Basically the record label hires a band to play said popular songs of the time, (more specifically songs in a certain genre that cater say to the Psychedelic kids in this case). A record is made, and then put out unlicensed and uncredited to to and by the original artist. Pretty shitty huh? I can think of a few labels, more specifically TWO that come right to mind, that have been doing that for years. I have no idea how they can sleep at night. At any rate, this record really has no credits at all, except that it’s on Custom and the address: 5810 So. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, California 90044.

Starting off with a nice open drum break, this slowed down version of Hendrix kinda grows on you. It sounds really, like it was recorded in some dank basement with sub par recording equipment. I can just picture these cats, lights down low, going into the Session flying high on Hendrix and hash, saying: “We can do this.” I swear I hear a bit of a Fiddler on the Roof riff when the first guitar solo kicks in (and I’m not high I swear this time). The boys were definitely going out to impress the Psychedelic kids of 1968. I’m sure the suits at Custom thought that they were gonna grab all these impressionable acid eating kids and sell a ton of records. I doubt that was the case, and today, the reason people lay out some cash for this thing is because it’s got no info on it. I thought that this cover was pretty cool, but I get excited at an open drum break myself. It was more of a novelty, but I figured what the hell, I’ll have an open mind. So here’s another, Something Completely different for Wednesday, and I hope you enjoy it. Keep Diggin’!

Nolan – I Like What You Give

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Download or Listen to Nolan – I Like What You Give from the Lizard Records 45

Greeting to all the Flea Market Funk Family and to many of you new comers who just joined the FMF this week. Welcome aboard! I had to share this record with you, and I wanted to thank a guy I don’t even know for turning me on to it. I was digging up research for another record and I ended up on this guy’s page. At first I was skeptical because the guy was dancing all crazy in his videos. As I started to watch more and more, well I realized that this Northeast transplant from Florida had a great knowledge of music and DJing, and his enthusiasm about records was just like mine. So I say thanks to DJ Funktual for turning me on to this next choon. It’s none other than Nolan Porter and “I Like What You Give” on Lizard Records.

There is not a tremendous amount of information on Nolan Porter out there. From what I can gather, his earliest years were in the Los Angeles, CA area, where he ended up on Gabriel Mekkler’s Lizard Record Label. I’ve spotlighted some Lizard stuff, particularly Paul Humphrey and His Cool Aid Chemists “Funky LA”. A track coincidentally written by Nolan Porter. This track is funky as hell, so you know where his head was at, collaborating with one of the best drummers EVER. He would contribute to some writing for Steppenwolf, and continue to make music. Porter, or Nolan Porter, or NF Porter, or just plain Nolan was known in the Northern Soul circuits as well. He released records such as “If I Could Only Be Sure” and “Keep On Keeping On”, both widely accepted by Northern Soul enthusiasts, one being a Wigan Casino anthem. Porter would jam with the Mothers of Invention and Jimmy Carl Black, Lowell George and Roy Estrada, an early incarnation of Little Feat. He was a well rounded musician, writer, and producer. Besides releasing sides on Lizard, he put out a full length, Nolan on ABC, as well as sides on Kent. In later life, Porter would collaborate with Candy Zappa.

To me, this Nolan Porter tune is really a Summer anthem. It starts of slow and smooth, with Nolan crooning his way over some nice percussion, a sweet bass line and some low key guitar. The kicker is when his falsetto “fiiii-hine” finishes and a few bars later a killer B-Boy drum break comes out. All instruments pick up and all bets are off for about 20 seconds or more. Then Nolan goes back to getting his groove. It’s killer, and I just couldn’t hold back any longer. I had to get this out. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I’ll see you Friday with some more goodness. Keep Diggin’!

Gene Dozier and the Brotherhood – A Hunk of Funk

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Download or Listen to Gene Dozier and the Brotherhood – A Hunk of Funk from the Minit Records 45

It’s midweek here at FMF, and I dug a bit deeper today. I had something else on deck and decided to change it the last minute. I’ve come to realize that my ever growing record collection needs another Expedit to get all these extra piles of Lps off the floor. I’ve got the room, so I just need to hunker down a bit and get it done. Today’s 7″ comes from s tash a bought a while ago, but can’t exactly remember where. I dig this record a lot, and I hope you will too. Here’s Gene Dozier and the Brotherhood with “Hunk of Funk” from the Minit Records 45.

Ugene Lloyd Dozier aka Gene Dozier aka Billy Jackson led a great musical life and successful career. With 19+ Gold records for a variety of bands and genres, Dozier started with Cameo in Philadelphia before relocating to Detroit to hopefully write for Motown. He ended up do some writing for a few artists (not for the famous label unfortunately). He released out this side on the great Minit Records out of New Orleans (but by this time they had relocated to CA, see the following). Minit was a hot bed of talent, with artists such as Alan Touissant, Jesse Hill, Ernie K. Doe, Aaaron Neville, Jimmy McCracklin, Bobby Womack, Tina Britt, and more. Of course they were bought by Imperial/ Liberty and then were based out of California eventually (allegedly some say after Touissant left for the Army and there were no more hits coming out), but the Minit discography is pretty damn impressive none the less. Dozier and the Brotherhood released this gem of a 45, which is off of the 1968 Lp Blues Power. The record was chock full of funky covers, most notably James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” and others like “Watermelon Man”. Dozier had keyboard and piano duties on this record, but he was a multi-talented player. When I say player I can include arranger and composer in his career. The man made and was involved with hits in the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s with bands and performers such as Dusty Springfield, Lakeside, Shalimar, the SOS Band, Minnie Ripperton, the O’Jays and others. Later on in life, Gene Dozier would found Renaissance records in Providence, Rhode Island. Dozier would die in 2007.

“A Hunk of Funk” starts out with a great little drum break coupled with some guitar work, and the piano genius of Dozier. The Brotherhood of Funk had a hot horn section (and with a name like that, how couldn’t they?) The beat is steady throughout, with some definite kick ass guitar that keeps your head nodding throughout. Not the heaviest funk, but a hunk of it as the title suggests. I’ll see you before the weekend with some new sides to quench your thirst. Until then, Keep Diggin’.

Spanky Wilson – Little Things Mean A Lot

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Spanky on stage with Quantic

Download or Listen to Spanky Wilson – Little Things Mean A Lot from the Mothers Records & Snarf Company 45

It’s midweek here at Flea market Funk and with a holiday approaching, it is going to be nice to have a day off. So much in fact I might get out to do some digging on Friday. I have to DJ Friday and Saturday nights, but having the day off (hopefully minus the rain) will be a good thing. I got a great response on the Don Gardner track, one that I have been sitting on for a while, but killer nonetheless. My man John Noll from Retromedia Studios informed me that his new band, Shimmytang will be performing that, along with a boatload of REAL Funk and Soul songs in the Greater Tri-State area soon. Gonna try to get them for the 4th and Kingsley Soul Club. This should be fun. Now I’m gonna get serious. This is one serious record by a very serious Soul Sister. Here’s Spanky Wilson with “Little Things Mean A Lot” on Mothers Records & Snarf Company.

Born in Philadelphia, PA (man these posts this week have a Philly theme, purely coincidental!), Wilson emerged on the music scene in the 1960′s. She lived in Pittsburgh until 1967 before locating to Los Angeles until 1985. After ’85 she would settle in Paris, France. Influenced by Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, and Eddie Jefferson, she deveoped her unique vocal style. During her long career, she has shared the stage with many of Jazz’s royalty including Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Nat Adderley, and Willie Bobo among others. She also performed with the likes of Marvin Gaye and Sammy Davis, Jr. Wilson has even collaborated with super soundtrack maestro Lalo Shifrin for a cut on the Kelly’s Heroes Soundtrack. Her relentless touring of the Jazz Festival circuit led her all over the world. She’s released on Mother’s Records and Snarf Company ( “Spankin’ Brand New”, “Doin It”), Westbound (“Shake Your Head”), Eastbound and Big Blue. As of late, she has hooked up with powerhouse DJ/ Producer Quantic (and the Quantic Soul Orchestra) to put out a few sides and a full length, I’m Thankful. This collaboration has been really well received, here in the States and abroad. The woman still has it, what can I say?

The piano riff starts and Spanky Wilson’s voice just makes you melt. Her cooing and carrying on (in a good way) of what’s really important get your attention. It’s not the expensive things, you see. It’s the little things, a smile, a loving touch, and I really think she is on to something. I especially like how it’s just the piano, drums (barely) and Wilson’s great voice throughout. It’s simple, but if there was a lot going on, I think it would really be too busy and less effective. This collaboration with producer/ arranger HB Barnum and his label are killer. Despite being a Jazz vocal singer, Wilson knows how to belt out some Sweet Soul. It just goes to show you how versatile she really is. Dig this side, it’s a good one. I’ll see you Friday, maybe with some more Philly stuff, who knows? Keep Diggin’!

Beastie Boys – She’s On It

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Download or Listen To The Beastie Boys – She’s On It from the Def Jam 12″ on the Krush Groove OST.

Every once in a while I throw you a curve ball here, and today is the day. I’ve really been fighting this Flu bug going around, so I’m gonna keep it short and sweet. My man Dunny over at Bumpy Pitchand The Original Winger turned me on to this show. It’s called Under the Influence, and it’s all Beasties Tribute art show. It takes place at Gallery 1988 in LA, and seriously, it’s way cool. Anyone that knows me knows I ride hard for the B-Boys. Ad Rock even ordered a pair of Wu wear Wullabes from us one time at my job. He signed the package from UPS Rick Cerrone. I went nuts. These guys are straight up innovators: from License to Ill to To the 5 Boroughs, they’ve done it all. From Frat Boy, beer swilling goons to refined instrumental musicians, who to this day have not forgot their Hip Hop roots, it’s only fitting that over 100 artists pay tribute to them. I figured I’d tie in the show and a side I scored back when I was in high school. I remember playing this on this shitty Sears turntable/ cassette/ tuner combo that was on my dresser. I inherited it from a friend who had moved from Hip Hop, Punk Rock and Hardcore to this new band: Guns and Roses. So here’s an extra treat. Check out the Beastie Boys from the Krush Groove Soundtrack with “She’s On It” from 1985. Enjoy and Keep Diggin’!

Art from The Under The Influence Show