Post-Apocalyptic Dub: "Ghetto Defendent" Dr. Israel

14 years ago I was handed a CD by a friend. He said something along the lines of “You have to check this out, I think you'll like it.” There have been many times in the past where I heard new music through friends. Especially when it comes to a time period that was a decade plus ago. The CD that was handed to me was “Inna City Pressure” by Dr. Israel. I am always willing to give new music a shot. The moment that I sat down in the drivers seat this particular disc made its way into my car stereo. The A Capella opening of “Inna City Pressure” segued into the track “Pressure” and from that moment, I was hooked. This album is the combination of everything that I love about music. It is Reggae, it is Dub, it is Hip-Hop, it is Punk, it is Drum and Bass, and it is so much more. “Inna City Pressure” is one of the albums that expanded my young mind to understand that music is just that: Music. There are no are barriers in this art and it solidified the idea that music should be so much more than crammed into a small tin as if it were to be consumed like a canned ham. This type of music; the kind that excites the imagination and moves beyond the classification of what art is. For me it is on a list of albums and artists such as The Clash, David Byrne's “Feelings,” and Peter Gabriel.

Fast forward 14 years Dr. Israel is still excites my imagination with his newest EP “Ghetto Defendant.” An EP that includes a new take on The Clash's “Ghetto Defendant,” an appearance by Killah Priest, and mixes by Bill Lawrence. This EP fulfills the promise I heard those years ago on “Inna City Pressure.” Dr. Israel has taken his vision of what Reggae and Dub should sound like and then moves it into the 21^st century. A sound that is not for just Deadheads, Rastas, or the derivative swill of Sean Kingstion (or worse, Shaggy.). It is vibrant and of its time. Dr. Israel has taken the message of love and revolution that is important to Marley, Tosh, and Wailer. He has taken full advantage of the sounds that were inspired by reggae; Dub, Hip-Hop, Punk, and Techno. Creating the soundtrack of a post-apocalyptic urban jungle.

It is true that the description of the music that appears on this EP (along with previous releases) be called Brooklyn Dub, a term that is plastered upon that is upon his website. A sound that has mixed up everything that makes up Brooklyn; past, present, and future. Sounds that are as much Hip-Hop, the diversity of the various neighborhoods, cultures, heritage as well as Punk. Dr. Israel bridges the gaps that seem to be segmented by musical lines. There is the retelling of The Clash classic “Ghetto Defendant” that opens the album and a new story of the streets unfolds with each track. From that point there is no letting up and in each song you can hear the steam rising from the streets. It is the sound of New York. With “Ghetto Defendant” no longer is the saxophone synonymous with New York. The new sound comes from the fierce movement of beat. A beat that gives the imagination a scenery of this post-apocalyptic character saving the city, humanity, love, and creativity.

When listening to a new work I have to admit that I am not to concerned with whether or not the album has a greater theme to it. There is more of an exploration in finding out if the music is good, great, or pushes the edges of what an artist can do. Pushing the edges is exactly what Dr. Israel has done with this EP. Much like the first time I heard “Inna City Pressure,” he pushes the edge of where music can go. The first time for me, and being a self proclaimed Metal-head, was hearing the song “The Doctor vs The Wizard.” Taking the riffs from Black Sabbath and mixing them with Dub, Reggae, Dancehall, and Drum and Bass. “Ghetto Defendant” is the expansion of this from an artist that has broadened his range and has matured in a way that artists should. Maturing into a voice that pushes the fringe of what we know as music.

Dr. Israel digs deeply into the heart of what is happening on a street level. A street level that is unacceptable to anyone that sees injustice in our world. It does not matter if you are from the streets of Brooklyn, Trenchtown, religiously divided countries, or the suburbs of the world. There is the message of love and that we as humans can rise above a certain machinery that is set in place. That we as people can concur with love and creativity. A message that has been proven time and time again, but in the times that seem to be dragging us down are the words and beats that need to be heard. “Ghetto Defendant” needs to be heard. 

Download for free at Dr. Israel dot net

Daydreaming in America... Kooth: "Daydreaming" mixtape review

DC has never really had a sound that the average person could identify with as being solely from DC. Sure, there have been acts who are synonymous with the area: Minot Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, and The Thievery Corporation. When it comes to music in the realm of funk, jazz, RnB, or hip-hop there isn't much. One thing that many music lovers point to is either influential punk or the "go-go" sound. This is what sets Kooth apart from other artists that have, or could have, come from DC. Sans the punk influence, this emcee has taken a hip-hop spin on the go-go sound and mixed it with the down-tempo aesthetic of The Thievery Corporation. A blending of heavy (and sometimes aggressive) lo-if beats, lush electronic sounds, and a flow unlike many of his contemporaries sets Kooth apart from the garden variety hip-hop artists trying to make it big in today's compartmentalized music industry.

Whether the combination of these two styles are intentional or just a product of the area is not the point. What it comes down to is trying to find a way to describe this young emcee and the production to people who may not have ventured into the realm of hip-hop. As well as those who have not ventured into the idea of digging digitally. Most have the thought of digging as going through the bins at record stores, Salvation Armies, and yard sales. With the advent of high speed internet, the world of music is at our finger tips. The act of finding something new that excites the imagination online is just like going through the musty smell of a record store.

Just the act of scavenging for music has taken a new turn in this digital age. Unlike in days gone by many people don't find themselves wandering for hours in the aisles of a record store looking for something new. There is a new sense of discovery as one takes to the internet. This record store is much larger with a greater vastness of what can be dialed in from downloads, internet radio, and YouTube. The one musical culture that seems to have embraced the new frontier is hip-hop. It seems to be that way after the success of Lil Wayne. His appearances after appearances on mixtapes until he blew up with “Tha Carter III.”

The sound of the latest mixtape from Kooth continues the with what appeared on “Airborne.” It is the sound of DC. It is the combination of an older style and the lushness of down-tempo. Don't think for a minute that because the music has a lushness that he is the second coming of P.M. Dawn (no offense to P.M. Dawn.) That is not the case. There is a drive and determination that makes Kooth's flow different from many of the other up-and-coming emcees. Instead of the pounding of chests and false aires, Kooth makes it very clear that he is going to make it. Most of the songs that appear on this mixtape is about him working his way up and creating the lifestyle he wants from hip-hop. There is an honesty that doesn't appear very often.

Just the message of making something of yourself is ultimately infectious. Hearing someone who wants something bad enough makes others believe they too can make it. Starting from the bottom and working their way up to achieve what they dream of. Kooth's rhymes are the embodiment of the American dream. Not that American dream of a suburban home, white picket fence, a wife, two kids, a dog, and all the other trappings that middle class comfort can buy. The American Dream that no matter what you want to do, you can work your way up and get to where you are going. The happiness of creating a life for yourself.

Kooths voice is what you hear on the majority of these songs. By today's standards it is something of an oddity in hip-hop. More often than not many of these mixtapes feature guest appearance after guest appearance. These are used to garner some sort of street creed and do not work within the context of the song they appear on. For one emcee to carry the bulk of an album on the strength of his (or her) rhymes alone is a feet unto itself these days.

“Daydreaming” does feature a couple guest appearances. Unlike most guest appearances, these fit perfectly with the song and the other emcees offset the timbre of Kooth's voice. The two songs (out of 14) feature Jace and Big 6. The first of which is a club anthem, “She A Killa.” With each voice and verse these emcees move the song forward. The last of the guest appearances comes in the song “Cold Hearted” with Big 6. Both of whom rhyme of love and friendships gone bad. Each of them take their verses all the while reminding us that they are going to move on and make it to the top.

One of the great surprises of this mixtape is the track “Want It All.” For what seems like years, Coldplay has been willing to showcase their love for hip-hop to a world that seems to either not understand it or hide it under the bed until it is time to dress up and go out for a few drinks. It seems to be fair turnaround that Kooth does the same. Taking a melody and keyboard hook from the song “Paradise” by Coldplay, offering up a fitting musical tribute of his own.

The music has a great accessibility making it easy to get lost within. These sounds can easily belong in the car, the club, chilling at home, or broadcast through radio waves. There is only a matter of time before these sounds and words find their way to the masses. They are messages many need to hear. There is nothing wrong with daydreaming, and we need those daydreams so that we can move forward in life and love.

Download for free:

http://www.datpiff.com/Kooth-Daydreaming-mixtape.367496.html

Follow on Twitter:

@Therealkooth

Diggin in on Jazz, Kenny Burrell Quintet with John Coltrane

As the rain pours on this St. Louis evening, the sound of jazz floats through the air of this house. It's one of those moments where you can feel the rain hitting the window. A blue tinged guitar and saxophone moves to outer limits. A rhythm section holding down what seems to be two forces at odds with each other. A contrasting a sound coming from the blues clubs of Detroit and the basement jazz haunts of Philadelphia.

It is the sound of Kenny Burrell's guitar, the saxophone of John Coltrane and a rhythm section made up of Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. To some, with one man being responsible for “Giant Steps” and the other for “Midnight Blue,” these two worlds should not coexist on one record. Let alone coexisting in one jam session. Luckily, we have an albums worth of songs that capture these five men in one room.

It seems like a world away when you place the needle on this record. From hearing iconic albums like “Midnight Blue,” “A Love Supreme,” and “Kind of Blue” (let us not forgetting Burrell's great work with the B3 god Jimmy Smith) it seems at odd that these two men, plus a rollick rhythm section, would find themselves at Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio cutting an record for Prestige. As the hiss and sizzle fades into the first track, “Freight Trane,” you know that you are in for a treat. A treat that sounds more like a group of guys getting together in the after-hours speakeasy than getting together to record.

Listening to it sounds like you are peaking into a room. A room with a few joints, numerous packs of cigarettes, a couple bottles of beer and whiskey. A dimly lit room with just the sight of cigarette smoke lingering in the air as each waits for their turn play through a few choruses. These are the albums in jazz that capture the true nature of this great American art form. Even if they are planned that way or not It is the ones that have a feeling of timelessness that makes you want to start from front to back and then from front to back again.

This is an album that was recorded in the late '50's. It seems to be of it's time but with all great jazz when you say that it is “of it's time” it creates a longevity that can only happen with jazz and blues. It is true that there are a number of great rock, pop, and hip-hop albums that stand up with what is considered the canon of American music. But, Jazz just seems to hold up better. It is like wine. It doesn't seem to be trapped in a vacuum of time that so many other pieces of music get stuck in.

It is not that well known of an album and because of this it seems to have been lost in the shuffle. Especially when it comes to the catalog of both Burrell, Coltrane and a remarkable rhythm section. A rhythm section that were key factors on a couple seminal albums mentioned above: “Giant Steps” and “Kind of Blue.” It is a shame that this album happens to be misplaced. By no means is this album revolutionary, but for what it is: it is a great album.

This album is a collection of songs that are original compositions of both Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Burrell completed with two standards. There is a life inside each of the songs. A life that is brought to a boil with the power of Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. A rhythm section that drives the music forward. It almost seems to drive it forward with such force that it takes the light touch of Tommy Flanagan to hold the ground underneath the feet of both Burrell and Coltrane with his sparse rhythms and licks of the piano.

In these five songs each of the musicians takes turns in showcasing there talents. Chambers bowed bass solo in the opening track “Freight Trane.” Burrell's blues inflected interpretation of the Hammerstein and Kern song “Why was I Born?” Flanagan's opening solo on the final song “Big Paul,” Jimmy Cobb holding and pushing the back beat. And John Coltrane, holding himself closer to the earth than you expect to hear of him.

“The Kenny Burrell Quintet with John Coltrane” isn't an album that is breaking down the doors at the revolutionary sound that we would come to hear from these artists. It is a fun romp through a smokey night in some after hours speakeasy with excellent musicians Being just musicians. Playing tunes for the fun of playing instead of taking their art to the next level. It is the type of album that is great to listen to late at night or on a stormy Sunday morning. It evokes the feel and love of music that each of these guys have.

My Man MCA has a Beard Like A Billy-Goat

The sound of “Paul's Boutique” is one of the most fascinating hip-hop albums to come out of the late 80's. '89 to be exact. For my money it ranks up there with genre changing albums like “Straight Outta Compton” and “It Takes a Nation of Millions.” Obviously these three albums come from very different circumstances, people, and areas. Well, both “Paul's Boutique” and “Straight Outta Compton” hail from California.

I know; the Beasties are from New York, but they hooked up with the Dust Brothers in LA. Where they wrote and recorded it.

There is something different going on in the album. It is the precursor to all the sampling you hear in music today. It doesn't matter if it is the Verve with “Bitter Sweet Symphony” or Moby with “Natural Blue's.” It seems to really come from “Paul's Boutique.” Innovated in the use of samples; pulling in elements from music as diverse as punk, funk, jazz, The Beatles, and more that I am forgetting. I am sure that I will want to admin this later when I go in and dig through the songs again.

It is no secret that “Paul's Boutique” is my favorite album in The Beastie Boys catalog. It is an album you can listen to over and over again. Hearing something different in it each time you listen. It is as exciting and fresh as it was back in '89.

I come back to this album because like many because we recently learned that MCA passed away.

To many people of my generation, it seems like we grew up with them. Hearing “License to Ill” while in grade school, “Ill Communication” in high school, and “Hello Nasty” while in college. The music ended up being a part of the soundtrack for us growing up. Even if you weren't an active listener, you know who the Beasties are and ten to one you probably danced to a few of their tracks at house parties, keggers, and out at the club. Unless you are like me and can't dance to save your life, then you just played the wall bobbing your head to groove coming from the DJ's sound system.

I never knew the man, I won't even pretend that I did. I know that he along with Mike D and Ad-Rock put out some great music that made it alright for white boys like myself to get into hip-hop. Get our feet wet and ready to explore another side of music that might have never been available in a small midwest town where the nearest record store was roughly 30 minutes away.

Fast forward to this very moment where I am spinning some of the 12 inches on the turntable, the same vinyl that I have taken out to DJ. Listening to remixes, extended cuts, and a few fun things for the fans. Just like me typing this, it is some way to pay tribute to a man that has given all of us some of the coolest music. Music that, even if the hardcore hip-hop guys don't want to admit, has pushed the art form to another level (and possibly being the antithesis for the advent of rap-rock... Do we really want to admit to that.)

I made a statement about a month ago saying that I was very fortunate to have seen A Tribe Called Quest open up for The Beastie Boys. I can now add on to the fact that my fortune is amplified that I was able to see The Beastie Boys kicking it on stage.

The side of the record is over, I think that I am going to just let is spin for a bit. A moment of silence, if you will.

Droppin' Science on Digging

Since this is my first writing on the topic of record collecting and music, (on a blog dedicated to the previous mentioned activities) I decided that it would be good to have some sort of background on where I am coming from. Droppin some science on what I do, and a little bit about how I go about it. Sure, I will go through some more details about artists, stores, and other musical field trips in future scribblings.

When I was in college, all those years ago, I had a buddy who use to collect comic books. By the time I was in college I was getting my toes wet in the arena that is record collecting. To a certain degree it was a cool little niche and something to do with all that extra free time and extra money that I seemed to have then. In my dorm room I had a turntable and roughly 10-12 records. Just things that I would get when heading to some of my favorite record store at the time. My buddy, Mike, said something that has stuck with me as this hobby has become a little more time consuming; and financially. Sometimes to my wife's dismay. Mike said to me: “collect what you like, don't worry about the value of it. As long as it has value to you, that is all that matters.”

What a revelation, a revelation that occurred almost 13 years ago. With that I started my real journey through record stores, Goodwills, Salvation Army stores, garage sales, antique stores, and whoever else happened to have a handful vinyl setting in some crate waiting to be explored, bought, and taken to a new home. To me it wasn't about finding the missing pressings of some Beatles, Stones, or Miles Davis work. It is about finding things that speak to me. Wandering around a record store in an almost daze, my hands go through the musty smell of cardboard and wooden racks. It creates an almost intoxicating affect when I walk through and see stacks of records, just waiting for me to pillage them.

I don't go into the store with a list. I just go in and dig. There is so much that can be found when you are not looking for it, and it would be worthless to have a shopping list. The same type of shopping list that you head into the grocery store with: Milk, eggs, cheese, soda, coffee, etc. etc. etc. For me if I have a list, it leave a huge room for distraction, and in the sense of collecting; distraction is the key to find new things. If it wasn't for distraction I wouldn't have found some albums like “The Kenny Burrell Quintet with John Coltrane.” or Jr Walker & the All Stars “Road Runner.” Two albums that have been purchased many moons ago and still get regular spins on my turntable (both when sitting in the basement and gigging as a DJ.)

There are two different schools in the realm of record collecting. It is to a certain degree the same as guys who collect and refurbish vintage cars. There are the guys who buy the car and trailer it to the show, and there are the other guys who rev up the engine, spin the tires, and feel the power of the car as it hits the road on the way into the car show. Records are just the same way, I know there are guys who collect records for their value and show them off as if they are priceless piece of art, and then there are guys like me. Who pull them off the shelves, put them on the turntable, and listen the analog hiss, warmth, and pure form in which music is to be listened to.

But, collecting records isn't an art form. It isn't about finding the holy grail and then putting them up as a relic of financial superiority. It is about the enjoyment of music. To listen to music how it was intended. From the sound of a great Jazz album like “The Kenny Burrell Quintet featuring John Coltrane” to the Native Tongue of De La Soul's “Stakes is High.” The feel of a 7, 10, or 12 inch platter in your hands, the art work, liner notes, and the smell. Yes, records have a great smell; musty or otherwise. To collect records is about finding new music in a manner that means digging through A-Z rather than searching iTunes so you might get to hear a song on shuffle when hit play on your iPod.

All in all, it is about excavating and finding music that speaks to you on an emotional level. It isn't about being a hipster who wears the funny sock hat in the summer, but the joy of finding music that is truly unique and moves you. To walk into any store and know that you are going to find something, anything, and everything. That is record collecting to me.