Red Astaire: Nuggets For The Needy

One odd thing about living way down here under the equator is that we get ‘summer’ albums just as our summer is dying down. Sure, it makes sense to release this album when the majority of the world’s music buying population is checking the gas in their BBQs – damn Europeans and Yanks – but there’s a certain cruelty for us southerners.

The new mix album from Red Astaire is most definitely a summer record. The cover copies the Red Stripe logo – a fine beer for summer lounging and, unsurprisingly, the music follows the lounging summer theme. It’s a ‘sand between toes, rocking in a hammock with a battered straw hat on sipping on beers’ type of sound. Red Astaire may be Swedish, but he’s drawing on Latin, reggae and soul sounds; rather than those staples of the Swedish Eurovision entry – pop, metal and pop metal.

Astaire is probably better known by the similarly altered nom de plume – Freddy Cruger – though there is little that separates the sound produced under each name. If you were seduced by last years excellent Freddy Cruger record, Soul Search, you’ll definitely need to get your hands on this set of mixes.

Read the full review here

The Presenters Presenters

With Tom and I being off air for a few weeks I thought I’d take the time to present our readers with some of the radio shows I enjoy on a weekly basis.

Rhythm Incursions deliver one of the finer radio shows this world’s radio waves have to offer. Often, each week, Rhythm Incursions will invite a guest to co-ho a show with them. Two of Rhythm Incursions more brilliant shows are still available for download.

The first is hosted by a DJ named Buddy Peace. Although most Rhythm Incursions shows focus on more beat driven and hip hop genres. Buddy Peace decided to present a show focused on some of his favourite indie rock jems.

Buddy Peace and the Rhythm Incursions crew pre-recorded the show and then Buddy mashed it up with spoken word samples and extra beats to present something that resembles a dj mix. However it isn’t really a mix, its something different, a collage, maybe just a radio show, whatever it is, its pure fucking genius.
Its not often that radio show podcasts get continual rotation on my mp3 player; this one has and will continue to for a while yet. Grab it now here.

Wrongtom, another DJ who’s just released his mix ‘Cassetiquette’ co-hosted another show for Rhythm Incursions. Wrongtom brought in various rare jems he’d picked up over the years and offered some great insights about music and the records he’d chosen to play. A very enjoyable show, grab it here.

Hey Hey My My Yo Yo It's Luscious Jackson

Luscious Jackson - Greatest Hits
Ah, the ‘best of’ or ‘greatest hits’ album – fleecing fans with a few remixes and rarities, or offering an introduction to that band you always liked but not enough to buy the album? This example of the genre will hopefully bring more listeners to the group that inspired the Beastie Boys to found the Grand Royal record label. Yes that’s right, Luscious Jackson’s In Search of Manny EP was Grand Royal #1 back in 1992.

According to Beastie Boy Mike D’s liner notes, the Luscious Jackson girls – Jill, Gabby and Kate – were one step up the ‘smarter-than-thou, young NYC teenage punk know-it-all’ food chain from the boys who became beastly. The girls had a fanzine that served as a entry into gigs and interviews with the bands, and were always able to fake the night’s entry stamp or rush a back stage entrance when that failed. As musicians they had friends in high places and when a demo tape made by Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser became a tour-bus staple on the Beasties Check Your Head tour they soon found themselves with a record deal. They soon added former Beasties drummer Kate Schellenbach, and shortly after the release of their debut EP filled out their sound with the addition of Vivian Trimble on keys.

Click here to read the full review

Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
Half Junior/half Senior, half gay/half straight, half shaven/half mustachioed, all Danish popsters who demanded that you ‘Move Your Feet’ return with the stutteringly titled Hey Hey My My Yo Yo. A title that serves as an excellent litmus test of your appreciation of the record. If it sounds childish, simple and a little too much fun for your days of po-faced seriousness, then Junior Senior ain’t for you. However, if you’ve ever slid across the floor boards in imitation of Tom Cruise’s glory days, then this album will induce inane grinning and quickly become your new guilty pleasure.

Like the Go!Team, Junior Senior realise that the one of the most important element of popular dance music – be it 60s Motown, 80s new-wave, early hip-hop or even cheerleading – is the handclap. And the three minute running time. Perhaps one reason for the short songs is to give their hands time to recover – a full live Junior Senior show must result in hands swollenly clapped to novelty sizes. There’s a definite novelty streak to this album, with the lyrics tending to the most ludicrous of catchy rhymes and giddy, cheeky vocals.

Click here to read the full review

Frazzle Snazzle is the square root of Firsnazzle Difornazzle

Bill Cosby’s terrier recently won America's top dog show, which is a relif because if the pooch had lost he was facing the possibility of been dyed 47 differet colours and worn as a sweater. Well not really, but it does provide a pathetic excuse to link you to this disturbing discovery – Urban Dictionary's definition of Cosby Sweater.

Cosby Sweater

The sexual act of eating Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Trix, and Boo Berry- or any other 'bright, colorful' breakfast cereals- and then vomitting the tacky, dazzling mixture onto your partners chest. The result should look similar to the incredible sweaters that Bill Cosby wore during his highly successful 1980's sitcom "The Cosby Show".

Example: Nicole was overjoyed to receive "a Cosby Sweater" for her birthday.

You learn someething new and perverted everyday - if you know where to look.

The award winning dog, Hobergays Fineus Fogg (i kid you not), was bred in New Zealand and won 30 best in show titles in Australia before coming to live in Pleasanton, California. Bill missed the victory but according to his daughter was very excited by the win. And as his 40-year-old daughter said ‘Can you imagine anyone being more excited than him?''.

Something Cosby related that I’ve been recently excited by is hearing the great man rattle through the funk of Funky North Philadelphia – a track from his album Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Army Band! backed by the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band – of Express Yourself fame. I first read of this gem a few years back when it was mentioned as a neglected treasure in the pages of MOJO and acts like Cypress Hill and the Ultramagnetic MC's have also treasured and sampled its grooves. Anyway here’s taster from that record the very fine, slightly childish Funky North Philadelphia.



It was on Funky 16 Corners a while back, but we've put it back up for ya'll.

Funky North Philadelphia - Bill Cosby

It's been a long time - we shouldn't have left you

Things here at 'the living is easy' may seem to have been a little too laid back in the past few weeks with a distinct lack of blogging. But that's what happens when your computer dies and coughs up its C drive like some thoroughly corrupt smokers lung. Anyway, the computer's back and so is posting. Although the radio show is on hiatus for a while, the blog will continue. We resume standard blogcast with a review of a new compilation of soulful hip-hop from San Francisco based label Om Hip-Hop.

Om Hip-Hop Volume One
A decade ago the first release on the San Francisco based Om Records featured music from the likes of DJ Shadow, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest and Blackalicious. Now Om has launched a hip-hop devoted offshoot label, called err… Om Hip-Hop. But what the label lacks in name creativity they more than make up in musical quality – and that’s where it counts. This compilation shows off the names that could be the next Roots, Tribes, or Shadows to hit the hip-hop scene.

Many of the names here will be new to most listeners, though there are some bigger names to lure in the curious hip-hop fan with cameo contributions from Erykah Badu, Gift of Gag, Lateef, Mistah FAB, Esthero and Rashan Ahmad of the Crown City Rockers. Two of the groups signed to Om Hip-Hop, Strange Fruit Project and the duo Zion I & The Grouch, have also started to make a name for themselves – and they each make two contributions to this release. However the highlights come from artists that are, for now at least, lesser names.

One of those lesser names is J-Boogie, who teams up with Deuce Eclipse to deliver the flute driven 'Que Pasa' - Check out the clip.


To read the full review of Om Hip Hop Vol. 1 click here

Radio Playlist 25/02/07

Mungus HiFi - ing
Smily Culture - Shan- ah-Shan
Stephen Marley, Damian Marley -Trafic Jam
Micky Dread - Saturday Night Style
Clash - Guns of Brixton
Big Audio Dynamite - Contact
The Good, The Bad and The Queen - Green Fields
Mali Music - Sunset Coming On
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
DeLa Soul - Ghetto Thang
Run DMC - My Adidas
The Pack - Vans (Diplo's Vans till Infinity remix)
Cinematic Orchestra - Breath
Rae and Christian - All I Ask
!!! - Heart of Hearts
Juan Maclean - Give Me Every Little Thing
LCD SoundSytem - North American Scum
Zillia - Grinted Teeth and Brawsville mix
Busdriver - Kill Your Employer (Recreatonal Paranoid is the Sport of Now)
New Flesh - Lie Low

Palylist 18/02

Curtis Mayfield - Summer Hot
Mavis Staples - Kootchie Kootchie Kootchie
Trammps - Love Epidemic
Betty Davis - If I'm in Luck I Just Might Get Picked Up
Rufus Thomas - 60 Minute Man
Mad Lads - No Strings Attached
Amnesty - Lord Help Me
Aretha Franklin - Lee Cross
Make Up - Save Yourself
Dr Rubberfunk - Talk it Out
Mr Scruff - Ahoy There
Cold Cut feat Roots Manuva - True Skool
Mr Scruff - Vibrate
Section from Living is Easy mix
Alicia Keys - Heart Burn
Common - Soul Power
Amarie feat Jay Z - One Thing
Public Enemy - He Got Game
Talib Kweli - Broken Glass
Lady Soverign - Hoodie
Uffie - Pop the Glock
Lady Laistee - Sortir Du Lot
Amon Tobin - Always Falling

Could the Living Get any Easier?

Your living just got a hell of a lot easier, with all our listeners demanding a mix (there is no truth in this statement, however you must admit it makes the whole thing sound better), I’ve complied one for you. With my musical taste being craftily cultivated by Tom over many years, combined with my lack of a full time job, I’ve had plenty of time spare to slap, smash and trash over 60 tunes in 50 minutes for your pleasure.

If you live in Melbourne you can also pick up a cd version of this mix, because this little beauty was also crafted in support of my personal record store of choice: CRAM.
533 Riversdale Rd.
Camberwell

Or you can download the mix here.

If you're still not convinced check out the track listing:

‘And the Living is Easy’ Mixed by Marty.

Tracklisting:

John Cage - Four Walls
Eraserhead - We’re Scientists
Squeals - ‘…the living is easy’ radio show introduction
Mr Scruff - Come on Grandad
Christina Ageulia - Still Dirty
Eric B and Rakim - I Know you Got Soul
Sufjan Stevens - Say Yes! To M!ch!gan!
Lyrics Born - I Change my Mind (Stereo MC’s remix)
Beyonce and Jay Z - Déjà vu
Katylyst - UpRock This
Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mamma
Amiel - 1 Thing
Christina Ageulia - Ain’t No Other Man
Thom Yorke - The Clock (Surgeon Remix)
Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous (Hint Remix)
Mmm Digital - Noisy Boy
Justin Timberlake - My Love (RUF Dubstep remix)
Supercat - My Girl Josephine
21st Creation - Tailgate
Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 8
Augie March - Little Wonder
Terrence Blanchard - 25th Hour Opening Title
Amon Tobin - Ruthless
Al Pacino - Devils Advocate Speech
Amon Tobin - Ruthless (Reprise)
Radiohead - The National Anthem
Cut Chemist - The Audience is Listening Theme Song
Greyboy - Bronson w/Mainflo
Cliford Gilberto - Restless
Ghostface Killah - Shakey Dog
Sufjan Stevens Redford - (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
Bassling - Postmortemism
Patrick Wilson - Hard Candy
Amon Tobin - Ever Falling
Johnny Cash - I Hung my Head
Andre 3000 - Happy Valentine’s Day
Rhymefest - Fever
The Budos Band - Up from the South
DJ Shadow - This Time
Ghostface Killah - Be Easy
Undisputed Truth - Big John Is My Name
Fourtet - Smile Around the Face
Amen Andrews - Murder
Vashti Bunyan - Rose Hip November
Kongas - Anikana-O
Herbie Hancock - Rockit
Dr Skunk and Eduardo - EDJAM
SpankRock - Backyard Betty
Boca 45 – Diego’s Theme
Mouse on Mars - Blood Comes
Enoch Light - Hijack (Tangoterje High Jack re-edit)
Justin Timberlake - Like I Love You
Irn Bru Snowman Advert
Count Bishops - Teenage Letter
Chemcial Brothers - Morning Lemon
Beatles - Sgt Peppers Loney Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Jamie Lidel - The City (Fourtet Remix)
AfrikanBoy - Lidl
Blockhead - Good Block Bad Block
Pretty Purdie - Pretty Funky Drummer
The Consolations - Johnny
Death in Vegas - Hands Around My Throat
Death in Vegas - Hands Around My Throat (Adult Remix)
Bjork - Possibly maybe
Squeaks and Squeals - Along the Fence
Crane - Pepperwaltz

Love the Lovage, Baby

So it's Valentine's Day - and while your 'Living is Easy' correspondents are single, as least Stones Throw records loves us. And they love you and everyone you know.

Head over and grab Peanut Butter Wolf's Valentine's Mixtape

1. How Could You Break My Heart - Bobby Womack
2. Don't Cha Love It - The Miracles
3. I Wanna Be Where You Are - Marvin Gaye
4. Blacks & Blues - Bobbi Humphrey
5. Blues Away - Micheal Jackson
6. Equal Love Opportunity - Clear
7. Pretty Music - New Birth
8. Go For What You Know - Archie Bell & The Drells
9. Aint It Funny - Roetation
10. Telephone Lovers - Alladin
11. Dance With Me Tonight - Holt Brothers
12. I Want Your Lovin - Backyard Construction
13. Loves Traffic - Loves Traffic
14. Someday In Your Life - GQ
15. Need To Be - Stereolab
16. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea - Can
17. Sirens Of Salo - Jimi Tenor
18. Ballata - Barry Forgie

Then follow Wolf's instructions and E-mail it to 'your sweetheart, your spouse, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your maingirl, your babycake, your beloved, your chick, your darling, your honeybunch, your cupcake, your broad, your lover, your number one, your numero uno, your old lady, your old man, your paramour, your patootie, your pet, your significant other, your ex, your sugar daddy, your suitor, your turtledove, or your valentine.'

It'll Take a Taxation of Millions to Hold Us Back

From the 'is-it-possible-to-sink-any-lower?' file:

Vanilla Ice is hosting a competition to find the best rap about tax for American Tax specialists TurboTax. According to TurboTax 'Just because we're experts in tax code doesn't mean we can't bust mad flow.'

If white and nerdy is your thing you can see some of the accountant raps here

Playlist 11/02

Lloyd and Devon - Push Push
Finley Quaye - Sunday Shining
Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley - The Master Has Come Back
Lifesavas - Selector
Ms Dynamite - Miss Dy-na-mi-tee
Erykah Badu - On and On
Strange Fruit Project - Pinball
Gangstarr - Love Sick
John Ledgend feat. Snoop Dogg - I Can Change
Jamie Lidell - Multiply (live)
Sweet Stuff - Freaky (to You)
Bobby Womack - I Can Understand
Rokk - Patience
Boca 45 - Round & Round
Alice Russell - Fly in the Hand
Spanky Wilson and Quantic Soul Orchestra - Don't Joke With a Hungry Man (Part 2)
Little Barrie - Free Salute
Taj Mahal - Chevolet
Free Association - Everybody Knows
John Spencer Blues Explosion - Flavour (remixed by Beck, Mike D and Mario C)
Del tha Funkee Homosapien - The Wacky World of Rapid Transit
DJ Yoda - Delta Ebonics
Avalanches - Flight Tonight
Black Sheep - The Choice is Yours
DJ Yoda/Willus Drummond - It's a Stick Up

The modern DJ seems to struggle to express an individual voice these days. Whilst building upon the fundamental basics of modern mixing laid down by Coldcut with their revolutionary mix, ’70 minutes of Madness’, the art of mixing as a whole has failed to do anything really new and different to Coldcut’s formula. This last year, however, I have heard some mixes that have got me very excited in certain body parts, that unfortunately aren’t excited enough these days.

Seeing Girltalk play at Meredith was one of those exciting times. As a child bred on mash-ups and ‘2 Many Dj’s’ he took the already schizophrenic culture of modern mixing and upped it a level many thought a few years ago would be un-listenable to a general audience. But today’s general audience can take a lot, and Meredith took all that Girltalk had to offer and begged for more.

The other DJ with a truly distinct sound that excites me these days is a man named Zilla. Already we’ve directed our ‘The Living is Easy’ audience to one of his early mixes in this blog. However it’s his most recent mix that is truly, one of the greatest, if not the greatest mix I have ever heard – and I don’t say that lightly.

Zilla’s ‘Grinted Teeth’ is a true work of genius. It combines England’s hardest electronic beats with the US’s hardest raps. This mix is angry, there’s no doubt about it, but you walk away smiling at the pure brilliance of its creation. Acapella’s are reworked and re-written; this man doesn’t just mix songs he re-writes them all.

Buy the mix NOW! from here!

Thank-you to Bos Bos, who first offered the world the chance to download this mix, visit Bos Bos, the man has plenty of goodies.

Tracklisting:
1. Chef Raekwon - Knowledge
2. Organised Konfusion - Interior Assasin’s Car
3. Jurassic 5 - Swing Set
4. J-Zone - Smoke Theory
5. Beanie Sigel - Wanted (On The Run)
6. Organisation - Tone Float
7. Redman - Psycho Dub
8. A-team & 50 Cent - Gunz 4 Hire
9. Person - Deeproid Pre
10. Trillville - Get Some Crunk In Your System
11. Aphex Twin - Saw 2
12. Lyrical Giants - F*** !!!
13. AFX - Unknown
14. Three 6 Mafia - Mosh Pit
15. Sammy Sam - Knuckle Up
16. Tru - Where U From?
17. Lil Jon & Tha Eastside Boyz - Roll Call
18. Modeselektor - Turn Deaf
19. Polygon Window - Supremacy 2
20. Codename John Feat. Grooverider - Warned
21. Matrix - Mute
22. Dave Angel - Bump
23. Lil Scrappy - Be Real
24. Ice Cube - The Drive-By
25. Geto Boys - Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
26. Drop The Lime - Drunk In Broklyn
27. Twista - Budunkadunk
28. Kid 606 - Site Specific Sound Installation
29. Kid 606 - Juvenile Hall Roll
30. Modeselektor - Modeselektor’s Rave Anthem
31.Crime Mobb - Knuck If You BuckBme
32. DJ Funk - Whip That Pussy
33. DJ Assualt - Ass & Titties
34. DJ Surgeon - Crunk In Yo System
35. DMX - The Kennel
36. Aphex Twin - We Have Arrived
37. DJ Nasty - King Of Kings
38. Jim Jones - Get Crunk Muzik
39. Juelz Santana - Welcome To Dipset
40. Sektor Vs Dick Nixon - Rhythm Tech 140
41. Doc Scott - Here Come The Drums
42. DJ Assault - Tear The Club Up
43. Luke (Feat. Lil Jon) - Head Tonight
44. T-power Vs. DJ Trace - Mutant Revisited
45. David Banner - Like A Pimp
46. Squarepusher - Come On My Selector
47. Dead Dred - Dred Bass
48. John Cale - The Second Fortress
49. Goldie - Manslaughter
50. Doc Scott - Dark Angel
51. Autechre - Second Bad Vibel
52. 4Hero - Mr Kirk’s Nightmare
53. LFO - Combat Drinking
54. Splack Pack - Shake Dat
55. DJ Smurf - Ooh Lawd (Party People)
56. Autechre - Flutter
57. Aphex Twin - 54 Cymru Beats
58. Human Resource - Dominator
59. Clay D - Give Me A Bottle
60. LTJ Bukem - Horizons
61. Rufige Cru - Terminator
62. Lil Jon & Tha Eastside Boyz - Throw It Up
63. Sudden Def - Method To My Madness
64. Mike Jones - Still Tippin’
65. Autechre - Eutow
66. Trick Daddy - Nann
67. AFX - Unknown
68. Wu Tang Clan - The Closing
69. Wu Tang Clan - Dog
70. Wu Tang Clan - Little Ghetto Boys
71. Kid 606 - Buffalo 606
72. Organised Konfusion - Somehow Someway
73. DMX (Feat. Mase And The LOX) - Niggaz Done Started Something
74. Transatlantic Icefloe - Strait Of Juan De Fuca
75. AsphodelIconz (Feat. Trick Daddy) - We Thuggin’
76. DMX - Prayer
77. Kid 606 - Hardcore
78. DJ Whitelightning (Feat. Serf 400) - Crack White
79. edIT - Twenty Minutes
80. Three 6 Mafia - Sippin’ On Da Sizzurp
81. Team Shadetek - Menthol
81. Team Shadetek - Hard Dragon
82. Funkstörung - Perto
83. AFX - Children Talking

Free Music - Free Drama

Review of Mixtape Inc - The Movie
Mixtape Inc claims to be an objective presentation of the mixtape DJ – and their awkward position in the music industry as unofficial A&R man and criminal bootlegger. With the recent Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) raid on DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz operation the mixtape has been thrown into the news headlines and Mixtape Inc goes someway to explain exactly how the mixtape business straddles the complicated legal manoeuvrings of the police and the record labels.
read more

In other news mixtape supporter M.I.A has posted a new track 'Bird Flu' on her myspace - gotta love her top friends. Despite hitting the studio with Diplo, Switch and Timbaland, this don't exactly sound like she's gonna be blazing the pop charts.


Added Bonus


Here's the Diplo mix of M.I.A's 'Sunshowers' - taken from the Piracy Funds Terrorism Mixtape. M.I.A and Salt 'N Pepa - fine stuff.

Playlist 04/02

Platnium Pied Pipers - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
Jamie Lidell - Multiply
Greyboy - Geneviere
Nightmares on Wax - Sweetest
Saukrates -Ay, Ay Stutter
Nightmares on Wax - Les Nuits
Lovage - Book of the Month
Amy Winehouse - In My Bed
Amy Winehouse/Ghostface - You Know I'm No Good
Money Mark - Tomorrow Will Be Like Today
Beastie Boys - Dr Lee PhD
Beastie Boys - Open Letter to New York
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
Common and Kanye West - The Food
Mos Def - The Undeniable
Ghostface - Hit Me With a Strap
Jaylib - The Red
Exile - Notch
Nas Feat. Grandmaster Caz, MC Shan, Raheem, Doctor Ice, Kangol, Kool Moe Dee, Sha Rock, Tito, Linque, Dana Dane, Pebblee Poo, Just Ice, Redhead Kingpin, The Original Spinderella, Rob Base, Father MC, Monie Love, Mike G, EST, Positive K, Das EFX, Lords of the Underground, Dres, Breeze, Kam, King Tee, Candyman, Threat, Ice T, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Conscious Daughters - Where Are They Now? (The Mega-Mega Mix)
Kelis Feat. Nas - Blindfold Me
Bonde Do Role - Ma´quina de Ricota

Faux News Alert - Hype Level: Elevated

The world leader of journalistic impartiality Fox News Channel has a superb history of supporting hip-hop music.

Bill O'Reily has conducted level headed interviews with hip-hop artists, such as this gem with Camron and Damon Dash

This support has lead to O'Reily receiving shout outs from both Ludacris and Jay-Z.

Ok, that's all clearly rubbish. So imagine the shock of been introduced to a new rapper via an interview on the Hard Right Vs Soft Right debate show Hannity and Colmes. With Chuck Norris standing in for Hannity. (It takes a classy journalist to fill in for Hannity)

Timz is an Iraqi American rapper and while the interview with Chuck Norris is just plain weird, the lead single of his debut album is genuinely interesting. It's actually a surprise it's taken so long for an Iraqi rapper to emerge.

Timz 'Iraq'

“I Dropped the Chrome”

Stones Throw, one of my favorite hip hop labels, has been in a very giving mood recently. First they offered us the new album by Madlib and Talib Kweil for free download. Although personally, in my opinion, the quality of that release offered them no real choice.

Stones Throw recent release ‘Chrome Children’ was one of the better Hip Hop releases of last year, a variety of great Stone Throw artists strutted their stuff, and it also came with a yummy DVD featuring a live show in Texas. You can see a 9 minute preview of this DVD including Madlib and MF Doom performing under their Madvillian moniker.



Stones Throw has decided to give away the sequel to ‘Chrome Children’. ‘Chrome Children 2’ is a healthy follow on from its first inclination. Although it features artists not on the Stones Throw label, like two Fourtet productions (one great the other... meh), and even a ‘Gary Wilson’ production who if I’m correct is that dude from the 70s, but don’t quote this blog on that.
The Stone Throw regulars like Madlib (providing his usual beats under a dark dark haze of smoke), Oh No and lesser know Stone Throw artists round off the cd providing a electronic hip hop soul fun fair for all the tight arse families out there.

Download your free copy of Chrome Children 2 here.

Playlist 28/01

'Living is Sleazy' special edition

Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus
Barry White - Playing Your Game Baby
The Coup - BabyletshaveababybeforeBushdosomethingcrazy
Mille Jackson - Hurts So Good
Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns - Between Two Sheets
Skull Snaps - I'm Your Pimp
Butter 08 - What Are You Wearing?
Barry Adamson and Jarvis Cocker - Set Your Controls For The Heart of The Pelvis
Patti LaBelle - Teach Me Tonight
Ce-Lo Green - Closet Freak
Plant Life - Got2Get2gether4luv
Beck - Debra
Prince - Head
Prince - Darling Nikki
Prince - Sister
Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
OutKast - Spread
Tribe Called Quest - Hot Sex
OutKast - God
Dr Octogan - Girl Let Me Touch You
Slick Rick - Sleazy Gynecologist
Prince Paul - Beautiful Night
Spank Rock - Backyard Betty
Plastic Little - Now I Holler
Peaches - Stick It To the Pimp
Shawnna feat Ludacris, Too Short, Lil' Wayne & Pharrell - Gettin' Some (Remix)

Tom and Marty host 'Living is Easy' on Melbourne's SYN 90.7 between 8 and 10 each Sunday night

Put Your Panties On

To celebrate the presence of the musical smut of Peaches and Spank Rock on the Big Day Out bill, this week ‘Living is Easy’ becomes ‘Living is Sleazy’.

That’s right a show dedicated to the finest, funkiest filth we can dig up. To get you in the mood here’s the video for the latest danceable outrage from Spank Rock ‘Lindsay Lohan's revenge’.

Warning: not even remotely safe for viewing at work or in the presence of the young, old or offendable.

The Hardest Working Mix’s for the Man

James Brown, who died nearly a month to this day, lives on in the tributes that’ll be coming for a while.

Ignoring the fact that James Brown lay down the first foundations for house music, we’ll recognize him more for being the first rapper, extending the groove to orgasmic proportions, creating some of the finest funk in funk history, and being such a god damn good showman up until the day he died. He may of never allowed the James Brown team to ever use a computer (due to the fact that he thought computers could see him); hell, he was born dead, who wouldn’t think computers were looking at them if they were a stillborn child - he claimed he was born dead and revived, although all doctors say this is impossible.

Here we have mixes from two groups that to pay homage to the man. After all, if he hadn’t done what he did; these labels couldn’t have existed.

Both Stone Throw and DJ Food mashed and smashed their way through James Brown’s finest moments and the finest moments of producers who sampled him.

Thankfully a Blog friend of ours under the name BOSBOS has the resources to host both these mixes for your listening pleasure.

Stones Throw mix , and

DJ Food mix .

And refer to BOSBOS's main page for his other goodies.

Radio Playlist 21/01

Sharon Jones - How Do I Let a Good Man Down?
Chat with Imaginary Funk Collective and a selection of their sounds
- Hercules
- Impeach the President
- Can I Get a Witness
Quantic Soul Orchestra - Hold It Down
Bamboos - Step it Up
Sharon Jones - Genunie
Budos Band -
Gil Gilberto - Bat Macumba
Ann Peebles - I Got the Man (You Got the Paper)
Betty Davis - Your Man My Man
Edwin Starr - California Soul
S.O.U.L - Top of the World
Undisputed Truth - Big John
The Parliments - Testify
Pointer Sisters - Yes We Can Can
J-Live - One For the Griot
Mos Def - Ms Fat Booty
True Live - Keep Myself Awake
Dangermouse and Gemni - Ghetto Pop Life
DJ Einstein and MC Zaakir - Haves and Have Nots
Blackalicious - Excellent
DJ ShortKut - Impeach the President
Brother D - How We Gonna Make a Black Nation Rise?
Ghostface and AG - 2K007

Just a Band?

This Sunday, ‘The Living is Easy’ is proud to play host to ‘The Imaginary Funk Collective’.

In the last few years we have been luckly enough to witness some of the most energetic and exciting funk music to be released in years.

Melbourne’s contribution to the new funk movement has so far been restricted, by and large, to the Bamboo’s, among other smaller cross-genre Melbourne figures. The Bamboo’s proved however that there was a demand for a live funk scene by Melbournites.

Imaginary Funk Collective has stepped up to the plate to fulfill Melbourne’s demands and provide both cover’s of classic funk tunes with exciting original compositions.

They’ll be joining us in the studio this Sunday the 21st to play some of their music and some of their favorite funk and soul tunes.

Head over to the ‘Imaginary Funk Collective’ myspace here to hear their performances and catch their dates for their live shows.

Fit, But You Know It

Cornelius - Fit Song

With a dazzling display at the Meredith Music Fest in December and great new album, 'Sensuous', Cornelius has been played fairly regularly in these parts. That gig featured incredible visuals and this clip is no different. It's stunning example of stop-motion film - with a little extra special effects magic.

The new album also features the more frantic 'Gum' - sounding like Brian Wilson if he was a Japanese rocker.

Cornelius - Gum

Download 'Gum'

Cornelius at MySpace

Radio Playlist 14/01

The Soulettes - Deh Pon Dem
Dawn Penn - You Don't Love Me(No, No, No)
Observer Allstars - Sir Niney's Rock
The Futuras - Hung Over
Butter 08 - How Do I Relax?
Galatic - Bongo Joe
Willie Hutch - Brother's Gonna Work It Out
Lalo Schifrin - Bulitt Theme
Roy Budd - Get Carter Theme
Diana Ross and the Supremes - Love Child
The Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love
Beyonce - Suga Mama
Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out (Chic Mix)
Funkadelic - Super Stupid
Mutiny - Lump
Bootsy Collins - Psychoticbumpschool
Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady (Danny Krivit Edit)
This Kid Named Miles - Ring of Fire
Bobby Corridor - section from Melancholy Flowers 1 mix
Abass - Zibi Zibi Zaba
Zilla - section from One Foot, One Fist mix
Nas - It Ain't Hard to Tell
Clipse - Mr Me Too (Z.A.K remix)
Wiley - Goin' Mad
AfrikanBoy - Lidl
Dizzee Rascal - Jezebel
Dubbledge - Lips to Da Floor

Don't forget to listen to Tom and Marty host 'Living is Easy' on Melbourne's SYN 90.7 between 8 and 10 each Sunday night...

Solid Food

The ‘Solid Steel’ radio show has been host to many of the world’s greatest DJ’s. Its reputation as one of the more continuously quality controlled DJ shows means that we’ve heard some of the best work of many of the DJ’s featured on the show.

Its success led its creators, DJ Food, to entice Ninjatune to release a regular Solid Steel mix comp. The world jumped to joy with the release of DJ Food’s mix album, the first solid steel mix cd, entitled, 'Now, Listen'. DJ Food broke new ground with their blend of the old and the new, the obscure and the popular, and they caused people to, not just question the track listing, but become enthralled more by the mixes themselves. It was released 3 years before 2 Many DJ’s popularized the mash-up genre with their DJ mix “As heard on Radio Soulwax pt.2". Yet DJ Food mix album 'Now, Listen' although not nearly as schizophrenic as the 2 Many DJ's album, paved the way for a new focus on the mix of the DJ, not just for a club environment, but a mix album that was appreciated at home, with closer expectation.

In my opinion no mix album has come close to DJ Food’s 'Now, Listen' in the 6 years that have passed since it’s release, except maybe Optimo’s, Kill the DJ (Part 2). Solid Steel itself has released over 6 other mix albums on the ‘Solid Steel’ series, of which, the Amon Tobin (recorded in our own city of Melbourne at the Prince of Wales) and Hexstatic release’s were brilliant, the Bonobo and Mr Scruff releases enjoyable and the DJ Kentaro and Herbaliser disappointing.

DJ Food are back. They’ve announced that they are releasing the sequel to 'Now, Listen', titled imaginatively 'Now, Listen Again!'. Not only that, only a few hours ago they confirmed the track listing and have announced it for the world to stare at and wait in anticipation for theses tracks to be served to our ears mixed by the consistent DJ Food team.

DJ Food – 'Now, Listen Again!' – Track Listing – Due out April

MVP - Rock Your Body (instrumental)
Z-Trip feat Soup - Listen To The DJ
Timbaland feat Missy Elliot & Magoo - Cop That Shit
Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (accapella)
The Human League - Being Boiled
Area Code 615 - Stone Fox Chase
Cut Chemist - A Peek In Time
Pepe Deluxe - Salami Fever
Cozy Powell - Dance With The Devil
DJ Format - You Hear That?
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Jonny Jones & The King Casuals - Purple Haze
Primal Scream - Revenge of the Hammond Connection
Bomb The Bass feat Merlin - Megablast (acapella)
DJ Shadow - Right Thing (Z-TripÕs ÔGet The Party OffÕ remix parts 2&3)
Gorgio Moroder - Tears
AC Lewis feat Ndidi Cascade - Tickles
Aphex Twin - Nannou
The Irresistible Force - Underground (Ambient mix)
New Order - The Beach
Part 2 feat Fallacy - One Of Dem Days (remix)
Freestylers feat Pendulum & Sirreal - Painkiller (Ed Solo & Skool of Thought remix)
5 Deez - Funky (acapella)
TTC - Dans Le Club (instrumental)
Reggie Steppa - Drum Pan Sound
DJ Zinc - Reach Out (remix)
Roots Manuva - Swords In The Dirt (Qemists 03 remix)
Pendulum & Fresh feat Spyda & Tenor Fly - Tarantula
Roots Manuva - Witness (Walworth Road Rockers Dub rework by Steinski)
Jo Ann Garret - It's No Secret
Ronnie Hazelhurst - Are You Being Served? (Film version)
The Dragons - Food For My Soul

Visit Solid Steel’s webpage for radio streams of their show and details on all their releases.

Grime from the Floor Up

I’m not sure if Grime is due for a second renaissance or is at the end of the road.

Dubstep's rise in popularity has somewhat superseded Grime; hijacking their dirty bass driven beats, yet regulating the MC to a supporting role.

Before Grime's MC's enters the history section of Wikipedia, they have mounted various assualts helping to re-energise the genre. Grime crew, Dubbledge, offer us ‘Lips to da Floor’. ‘Lips to da Floor’ may very well be taking the piss out of a genre that already takes the piss out of itself, but no Grime tune has quite done it this well.

Visit Dubbledge’s Myspace here.

Lips to Da Floor - Dubbledge


AfrikanBoy also offered us a brilliant Grime influenced track titled ‘Lidl’. The film clip’s not much; the song however is a delightful laugh.

Visit AfrikanBoy’s Myspace here.

Lidl - AfrikanBoy

Mr Me Too

Always an amusing source for reviews, Pitchfork delivers today by catching up on the laid-back soul reworking of Clipse's 'Drop It Like It's Hot' clone 'Mr Me Too' from Z.A.K., dropping Clipse's vocals over 'Honey Dove'.

'The juxtaposition of the gently strummed guitar, laid-back horns, and slow-motion strings of Field's track makes Pharrell's verses even more irrelevant, as Z.A.K. perfectly distills the flaunted prosperity of the song's lyrics into a mood that permeates the entire track. This is yacht rap...'
read more

Get it here

Or how bout mashed with the Flaming Lips"Flaming Clipse"

Clipse Featuring Pharrell - Mr. Me Too


Snoop Dogg Featuring Pharrell - Drop It Like It's Hot


If that's not enough Pharrell action for your day - build and dress your own Pharrell doll here

The Bees/Saul Williams reviews

The Bees @ the Corner 04/01/07

On a night so hot that belts were pointless because the sweat clamped your jeans to your legs, Melbourne’s tireless punters lifted themselves from sticky couches and ventured to the Corner Hotel. Why? Well, a cold beer on a hot night and the added bonus of hearing the British six-piece The Bees finally hitting Australian shores in advance of their upcoming third album, The Octopus. With a debut album called Sunshine Hit Me, perhaps it was no surprise that when The Bees came to Melbourne we had to brave sweltering heat to hear them play.

Read more

myspace to hear more including a Madlib remix of their hit 'Chicken Payback'

Saul Williams - Saul Williams

He’ll smack you in the head with weights of history and politics, and leave you grinning for more. Without his humour this album would feel like a violent, bitter tirade from an outsider raised on stray pages of the Black Panthers handbook. But Saul manages to blend a twisted sense of humour with a Black Power stance that makes Chuck D seem like Michael Jackson.

Read more

Africa’s Bouncing Back

Ghislain Poirier, a producer who resides in Montreal is doing his best to be the new ‘hardest working man in show business’, already he's produced 5 albums, enough remixes to fill another five albums, and started his own label - Rebondir Records.

Ghislain is also a great promoter of free music on the internet, backing his words up with plenty of freebies for the ever hungry ears of today’s Hip Hop listeners.

Ghislain has just offered the world another freebie, this time, a quality controlled selection of Africa’s latest Hip Hop beats and rhymes.

Explore Ghislain Poirier's myspace or his homepage, for more information.

Ghislain Poirier – Africa Hip Hop Mix

1. 37mph - All In The Name Of Fun ( South Africa )
2. Tuks – Clap ( South Africa )
3. Xplastaz - Msimu Kwa Msimu (Tanzania)
4. Peter Miles - Owango RMX ( Uganda )
5. Awadi - Stoppez les criminels feat. Tiken Jah Fakoli ( Senegal )
6. 994 Crew - Bad Boy ( Mauritania )
7. Unathi - Sgubhu Sam' ( South Africa )
8. Abass - Zibi zibi zaba ( Senegal )

Dry Your Eyes Mate

‘The Living is Easy’ is so much more than just a radio show blog. For this one post it has become a shoulder to cry on, a shoulder more specifically for our readers who have recently experienced the pain of a relationship breakdown. (WARNING: Tom and Marty have had no professional training in relationship counselling, so continue reading at your own risk.)

Although Tom and I try our best to keep the mood upbeat, this mix, Melancholy Flowers 2, by Bobby Corridor is so damn good that I couldn’t stop myself from posting it for our listeners to enjoy. Maybe ‘enjoy’ is the wrong word, ‘cry’ would be more appropriate.

Take one look at the track listing and you’ll see that this is a mix for the broken-hearted, if you are presently in the early days of being in love, avoid at all costs, however if over an hour of some of the most melancholy tunes mixed to perfection, sprinkled with bitter spoken word fables, sounds like your thing, then download now.

Bobby Corridor - Melancholy Flowers 2

Alan Watts- Divine Madness
Talk Talk- I Believe In You
Helios- Paper Tiger
Dub Tractor- Faster
Buck 65- Food (inst)
Bob Dylan- Don’t Fall Apart On Me
Stendec- Raine
Marc Almond- Ends In Tears
Manyfingers- Some Shield
Fila Brazilia- Return Of The Red Hot Brethren
Veda Brown- Living A Life Without Love
Eliot Lipp- Real Tragic
Tom Robinson Band- Long Hot Summer
Van Morrison- Warm Love
Sketchie- Suffragist Down
Andre Gurov- Relevation Of Wrath
James and Boby Purify- I’m Your Puppet
Lord Finesse- Yes You May (remix inst)
Lhasa- My Name
Johnny Osbourne- Give A Little Love
Scientist- Give A Little Love Dub
Barry Adamson- Hollywood Sunset
Clem Snide- Find Love
Scritti Politti- Petrococadollar
Billy Childish- The Humility Of Love
Jacob Golden- Dirty Snow
Arab Strap- Phone Me Tonight
Alias & Ehren- Lillian
Esmerine- While She Swallows Bullets and Stones
Hans Appelqvist- Grammofonnummer
Sufjan Stevens- That Dress Looks Nice On You
Savath & Savalas- Two Blues For Marion Brown
Caural- Sipping Snake Blood Wine (Savath & Savalas Mix)
Art Of Noise- Moments In Love
Zane Trow- Thirtithri
Silicon Scally- Toneworks
Brendon Anderegg- They’re Still Here
Jeff Klein- Nobody’s Favourite Girl
Ammoncontact- Barbeque Plate (Telefon Tel Aviv’s Last Supper remix)
John Martyn- Hurt In Your Heart
Bernard Purdie- Summer Melody
George Russell- You Are My Sunshine
Fat Jon- Romantic Misery
Tindersticks- My Oblivion
Aoki Takamasa- Fly Variation
Souad Massi- There’s Worse
2 Tall- Shifting Tides
Mark Eitzel- Anything
Bill Near- Drumin

Click here for cover art.
After enjoying this, you may want to go back to the begining, click here, the first Melancholy Flowers Mix.

Radio Playlist 07/01

Ebony Rhythm Band - Light My Fire
Poets of Rhythm - More Mess on My Thing
Maceo and All the Kings Men - Funky Women
James Brown - Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved
Breakestra - Gotta Let You Know
Manu Dibango - African Battle
Bamboos feat. Alice Russell - Step It Up
Betty Everett - Hound Dog
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Dirtbombs - Natural Man (Lou Rawls Cover)
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe/Sunshine of Your Love (Live at the BBC)
Focus Three - 10 000 Years Behind My Mind
Goodie Mob feat OutKast - Black Ice
Lupe Fiasco - American Terrorist
Plant Life - Luv 4 the World (Why They Gotta Hate?)
Nelly Futardo - Promiscious (Hint Remix)
M.I.A - Bucky Done Gun (Hint Remix)
Mayday - Groundhog Day
Bonobo feat. Bajka - Days to Come
Radio Citizen feat. Bajka - The Hop
Lifeforce Trio - Coliseum
Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 8

Links to mp3s, videos, artist sites. Check out all our goodies

Don't forget to listen to Tom and Marty host 'Living is Easy' on Melbourne's SYN 90.7 between 8 and 10 each Sunday night...

Sons of Soul

Lou Rawls Son, Lou Rawls Jr, is suing Marvin Gaye's adopted son, Marvin Gaye III, after he was attacked by four dogs at Gaye's Hollywood home.

Those soul stars really went all out when thinking of names for their sons.

Rawls Jr claims that he was bitten, lost blood, had torn flesh from the multiple bites and fears catching a disease.

In further bizarreness here's a clip of Lou Rawls - who died on the January 6 last year - singing and performing a colonoscopy on Damon Waynes

Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool

So it's finally summertime and we can all start complaining about how damn hot it is... 'Damn you Al Gore, with your stupid global warming'

To help you pass the time inside, where the air-con is, here are some versions of 'Summertime' tunes.

First up it's the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff with 'Summertime'.



And because I know you were pondering what the Baha Men did after they let the dogs out... here they are on Aaron Carter's 'Summertime'.



Apparently one of those 'honeys' in the clip is his sister.
Strangely the allmusic guide gave Aaron album four stars for this album - summing it up with the line 'It's a real testament to the record-makers that, despite Carter's voice, Another Earthquake! remains his best album to date. It's likely not many will hear it, since it's arriving at the end of the movement, not the prime, but years from now it will stand as an overlooked hidden treasure of the teen pop movement of the early 2000s.' Yes, of course.

Back to quality - The Pharcyde & Sublime with... wait for it... 'Summertime'.



The Pharcyde & Sublime track samples a version of it, so here finally is the real thing. George Gershwin's 'Summertime as performed by Ella Fitzgerald, Berlin 1968. This is how it should sound. And after all it is where I got the blog name, so it kinda has to be in the first post doesn't it?



'Summertime' is one of the most covered songs of all time there are also versions by:

Scarlett Johansson
John Coltrane
Sam Cooke
Miles Davis
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Al Green
Janis Joplin
Nina Simone
The Zombies
Mahalia Jackson

But we'll save them for another day...