Sufjan Stevens – I Walked
I would say I’m only a tiny bit obsessed with this song. Repeated listenings only add up to maybe twenty times? Oh, but there are so many more to come!
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Tellez: We didn’t cross the borders…
My great-great grandmother and father, Flora Tellez Martinez and Zacarias Tellez Sr.
The idea of legacy has been on my mind for awhile now. I sometimes joke my ancestors survived plagues and genocide in order to keep their lineage going, so I better do something useful with my life. That brings me to this photo, it’s the oldest known photo I have of my antecedents. It’s of my maternal great-great grandfather and mother. They were freighters and miners in New Mexico and Arizona and lived a hard life, I’m sure. They survived the annexation of Mexico by the US and the death of their son, my great-grandfather, to miners lung. They are both buried in Tucson, Arizona. Thanks to them, I’m here now.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before
Jorge Ben – Taj Mahal
Two Men Sound – Disco Samba
Rod Stewart-Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
From IMDB:
Rod Stewart was successfully sued by Brazilian singer Jorge Ben who claimed the tune to Rod’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” was too similar to his song “Taj Mahal”. Ben won the lawsuit and asked Rod to donate all his profits from the song to UNICEF.
An awesome album with Gilberto Gil includes an improvised version of Taj Mahal.
Favorite Song of the Day: Wut
Girl Unit-Wut
I’ve been driving my housemate crazy with repeated listenings of this one. Actually, it’s probably my neighbor who is more annoyed – that deep, bouncing bass gets into the walls and rattles the wood of my 1917 duplex. And it’s meant too, it’s the kinda bass for cars with loud stereos, where you can feel the air being compressed around you as the car gets closer and you began to wonder if some kinda assault is about to begin. Yes, this song is an aural assault on your ears.
Here’s more on Girl Unit from the site Bookmat:
Solid gold anthem business from Girl Unit on the follow-up to the killer ‘I.R.L’ 12″ for Night Slugs. It would appear from his form this year that Girl Unit specialises only in BIG tunes, which is no bad thing when you’ve got a rave to rub up the right way. At the pinnacle of this particular monolith is ‘Wut’, his scorching fusion of Araab Muzik-style martial 808’s and purest R&B synthline saturation that’s become a staple in the sets of Jackmaster, Ikonika and Oneman since the summer. There’s no avoiding it’s lazered brilliance, beaming rapturous organ and that earworming vocal snippet like the light of the second coming. OK, maybe that’s a bit strong, but we’ve definitely seen nerds prostrating at the speakers when this is dropped.
Porch Life
Please click for larger view
My grandmother, sisters, brother, mother, neighbors and her soon-to-be-husband, my grandfather Atanasio. In front of their original home on North La Fayette Park Place. The house is no longer there, torn down to make way for a parking lot many decades ago.
By the way, they were the first Mexicans on the block. There were racial covenants at the time but I suppose they were allowed to move there because they could pass as ‘white’ and maybe because they were all young, attractive females.
Old School DJ New Wave Set
The Los Angeles “Disco” scene of the 80s/early 90s was notable for it’s backyard party scene organized DIY style by primarily Chicanos from the Eastside and the San Gabriel Valley. Most of the DJs grew out of the early hip-hop and break-dancing crews and for the most part, their DJ sets were chockful of freestyle, electro, hip-hop and the more Latin-ized disco songs out of New York i.e. Mandolay. However, due to the popularity of local radio stations like the new wave friendly KROQ, fast, danceable new wave songs began to creep their way into some of the “Disco” DJ’s sets. Eventually, these new wave sets became standard and part of the Old School classic DJ repertoire.
Here’s a few examples. Any others?
Berlin – The Metro
You can still go to parties, quinces and weddings and watch forty-year old plus women jump on the dancefloor when the first few seconds of Berlin’s The Metro are recognized.
OMD – Electricity
B-MOVIE – Nowhere Girl
Spandau Ballet-To Cut A Long Story Short
Haircut 100 – Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)
Blue Monday by New Order
Yaz – Situation
C-Bank with Jenny Burton – One More Shot
One More Shot was strange because it was a freestyle song that was played on KROQ which firmly stayed away from any other songs of this genre.
Fav Video of the Week: Joy Division
Joy Division – She’s Lost Control
“While other bands went on stage with an attitude that screamed ‘fuck you’, Joy Division went on stage with an attitude that said ‘We’re fucked.’ ”
There is something so raw about Ian Curtis’ performance, it almost feels like you need to look away. It is much too private.
Favorite Song of the Day: Stars
Visti & Meyland – Stars
Sometimes, most of the time, others are better at articulating what I wish I could.
From the site, Big Stereo:
Visti & Meyland made some waves with their Yes Maam release which featured some huge remixes by Trentemoller and Kasper Bjorke. Now they are back with their latest “Stars.†Its quite unique and could be easily mistaken as instrumental because the vocal comes in late at around the 5 and half minute mark. The release is through Bear Funk and includes remixes by The Time and Space Machine, and Rodion & Mammeralla which is my favourite. Another winner from Visti & Meyland.
From the site, Space Dust:
In fact – you could say that if fellow Dane Trentemoeller is the Dark Prince of Denmark – Visti & Meyland – are the Speedo-equipped, sandal-wearing Balearic Disco opposite bringing in the light, the fun, the Disco and the Funk on the arms of a coked-up Grace Jones!
Arabella, Dance Queen of the Mahala
Arabella, denim-clad dance sensation of the mahala is mocked by her family and neighbors for her modern “disco” Romani style of dance. While her father entertains with hoots and jeers, the mahala laughs but also watches. Perhaps in a few years, the children circling her now will dance as she does, learning, much the way she did: village gatherings, impromptu parties, adults twirling, swaying and shimmying around them. Little gestures caught by the eyes and heart. Arabella is the descendant of master interpreters; her legacy, to create new languages of movement. A lineage stretching from Rajasthan to Romania made up of bits and pieces of everywhere.
Traditional Romanes mixes with the bumps, grinds and pops of the video vixens Arabella watches on satellite TV. The result is a fusion of old and new, rooted, looking back and moving forward and infused with the swing of her ancestors. Called forth by two polyrhythmic violins and a syncopated bass doubling as a drum, Arabella’s hips offer tiny kisses to the wind. Around her, the Rajasthani/Romanian sands rise and warm her body, preparing it for the long night of revelry.
Beyonce and Shakira have nothing on her.
Favorite Things: Household Oil
It really does everything listed on the label and is one of my favorite domestic helpers. The small tin receptacle inspires wistful recollections of a time when people fixed things instead of replacing them. Unfortunately the old design but has been discontinued. The new packaging is a generic plastic thing, indistinguishable from other items on the store shelves.
Household oil tip: use the oil to lubricate older style wooden drawers. Place a few drops on the bottom of the drawer, where it rubs against the cabinet, for smooth sliding.