Ears Have Eyes

A favorite artist of mine since the ’90’s and one of the more organic producers in the field of electronic music, multi-instrumentalist Max Brennan always worked from his base on the Isle of Wight, a relatively isolated outpost in the middle of the English Channel. Brennan appeared to be growing as a musician as his Fretless AZM project continued, and his fourth 1998 album Oceans of Light revealed glimpses of improvisation among its deep grooves and the occasional excursion into beatless electronics. Truly cosmic stuff.

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Fretless AZM – ‘The Ears Have Eyes’

Coolin’ Pt.6

An obscure find and very different than a lot of his other work, Ray Bryant’s 1979 album ‘In The Cut’ features string and horn arrangements by Charles Stepney – which makes the track ‘Andalusian Nights’ a very tripped out and mellow one, but with that majestically soulful approach.

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Ray Bryant – ‘Andalusian Nights’

…And On Rhodes

Two Helsinkian dudes I don’t know jammin’ it out with Theo parrish.

Taken from the excellent OOFT Music blog…

OTAM Mix 10: San Proper – ‘To Heal Live @ Radio 100′

San Propers‘ influence has spread far and wide during recent years, but this longtime collaborator and friend has been on the forefront of my attention for more then a decade. Standing shoulder to shoulder with DJ’s such as Theo Parrish, Moodymann and Rahaan, San has proved to be Amsterdam’s most popular advocate of vintage funk, thrusting disco and straightup structuring house beats.
This mix was recorded 8 years ago during my weekly radio show called ‘Earsmear’ on DFM, and displays just the right blend of forbidding atmosphere, subtle funkiness, samples and noise. Repeated play recommended.

No tracklisting for this one.

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OTAM Mix 10: San Proper – ‘To Heal Live @ Radio 100′

Pussycat Pussycat

Japanese bass player Teruo Nakamura released this album called ‘Rising Sun‘ in 1976 on Polydor Records, in which he shows himself to be more than an able bassist; he leads by guiding the rhythm and not standing out as a soloist. This stellar album is equally divided between very electric fusion tracks and more modal acoustic numbers, has aged very well & is an indesputable gem. Miauw.

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Teruo Nakamura – ‘Cat’

Coolin’ Pt.5

An excellent modern pianist who is adaptable to many acoustic jazz settings, Stanley Cowell has long been underrated except among knowing musicians. Taken from the 1981 album ‘New World‘, this invigorating track displays amazing technique, finding each player exploring seemingly different territory, keeping the listener in a deep meditative state trying to take it all in. Recommended.

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Stanley Cowell – ‘El Space-O’

Funk Not Funk

The minimalistic funk of New York’s Liquid Liquid is definitely not a bad choice to start this years’ series of posts with. The angular, bass-propelled funk grooves laid the groundwork for post-rock bands like Tortoise and Tarwater more than a decade before the fact — stripping all excess and artifice, resulting in their hypnotically dub-like sound. Remarkable intense stuff.

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Liquid Liquid – ‘Lock Groove [Out]‘

Guest Interview/OTAM Mix 08: Thomas Martojo – ‘Raw Vibes’

The only suggestion I gave, was to make this guest mix as eclectic as he’d want it to be, not expecting to be catered to the exact Theoresque melange I have a huuuge craving for: difficult-to-identify funk and disco cuts interspersed with underground classics and modern house. Drenched deep in that Motor City flava, my man Thomas Martojo, founder of the infamous Amsterdam based Dekmantel collective, ties each track together just the way a great DJ should. It’s the next best thing to seeing him spin. Contagious & sophisticated stuff.

Where, when & how was the mix recorded?

I’ve recorded the mix yesterday eve – 25th of november – at home in Amsterdam, using vinyl and two turntables. I simply decided which record to play as first and took it from there, had no clue what I’d end up with. The result is mix of deep yet soulfull disco and house with bits of African music and techno. Fairly rough and raw in places [hence the name], but that’s what I generally like best, it shows character…this is also a good example of how I’d prefer to play myself [though you rarely get the crowd in clubs who's open to this type of music/diversity].

Can you tell us something about what got you started in the music biz & who are your greatest influences?

Well I got into music through clubbing actually. I first visited smaller techno parties when I was in my mid-teens. I eventually met Dimi Angelis and Steve Rachmad, got to know them quite well and I accompanied them on many of their gigs back than. Through [Detroit] techno I caught up with the music of Moodymann and Theo Parrish, and through a shared love for this Detroit based house I caught up with guys such as Antal [from Rush Hour] and San Proper, who showed me the way to all sorts of music outside the box. Right now I’m into all sorts of music, and I am heavily into what a certain group of underground djs from Chicago [such as Rahaan and Sadar Bahar] play.

How is the amsterdam party scene treating you?

Great! Can’t complain. I’ve had many great gigs this year and we’ve done many great parties with Dekmantel. I moved to Amsterdam only a year ago but I wish I had sooner!

What are you up to next?

Continue rocking with Dekmantel! We’ve got lots of special parties planned, and were about to head into our first office and launch the bookings agency and record-label, which marks a new chapter. All in all very exciting times. Hopefully all will end up as planned, or better…

Tracklist:

01. The Rebirth – ‘The Journey’
02. Venom vs Marco Di Marco – ‘Bossa Of The Future [Black Mamba Remix]‘
03. Andres – ‘Salvador de Bahia’
04. Theo Parrish – ‘First Floor Part 1 LP’
05. Bumblebee United – ‘I Got A Big Bee’
06. Ian Dury & The Blockheads – ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythmstick’
07. Oscar Sulley – ‘Offume [Natural Self Remix]‘
08. Jackson 5 – ‘Hum Along And Dance’
09. Mr Fingers – ‘Slam Dance’
10. Theo Parrish – ‘Ugly Edit 8′
11. Wild Honey – ‘I’ve Been Working’
12. Marijata – ‘Mother Africa’
13. Universal Robot Band – ‘Doing Anything Tonight’
14. Peven Everett – ‘I Can’t Believe I Loved Here’
15. Nebraska – ‘White Label’
16. D5 – ‘Formation One’
17. Deepchord – ‘Electromagnetic Dowsing [Mike Huckaby]‘
18. Erro – ‘Don’t Change’

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OTAM Mix 08: Thomas Martojo – ‘Raw Vibes’

Imaginative Movement

Sometimes a track digs itself to the forefront of your memory once again for no apparent reason, despite the fact that you haven’t heard it in ages. In this case, gladly so. The 1971 album ‘Second Movement‘ by Eddie Harris and Les McCann features great technology that emphasizes one of their best songs, funk-workout ‘Shorty Rides Again’. These technological enhancements add to the explosive chemistry of McCann and Harris as well as waking up the resonance and excitement inherent in the compositions and the extended vamps ignited by Harris on electric sax. On its release the album was panned by critics for abandoning straight-ahead jazz for an experimental self-indulgent sound, however, when measured by 21st century standards, this release is a gem that continues to inspire.

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Eddie Harris & Les McCann – ‘Shorty Rides Again’

Coolin’ Pt.4

Japanese trombone player Hiroshi Fukumura teams up with saxophonist Sadao Watanabe on this laid-back jazz gem, taken from the album called ‘Hunt Up Wind’ which was released in 1978 on Flying Disk Records. Accompanying musicians are Don Grusin, Cornell Dupree, Chuck Rainey, Harvey Mason and Paulinho Da Costa. Served up for your much needed unwinding pleasure.

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Hiroshi Fukumura – ‘White Clouds’