Da Capo Press anthologized “Bass is Loaded,” my history of Babe Ruth’s “The Mexican” from Wax Poetics #30 in their Best Music Writing 2009 book. I haven’t had a chance to read the other pieces yet, but David Ramsey’s essay on how listening to Lil’ Wayne got him through his first year as a New Orleans schoolteacher is a must-read. Book is available on Tuesday.

The Very Best’s Warm Heart of Africa is that rare record that’s completely unique yet totally accessible; kind of like the M.I.A. albums but without everything that’s irritating about them. Producers Etienne Tron and Johan Karlberg (collectively, the London-based Frenchman and Swede are known as Radioclit) give singer Esau Mwamwaya, who’s from Malawi and sings in Chichewa, all sorts of unusual, Afro-techno beats to sound ecstatic over, but the song I find myself tuning to the most is probably the most familiar sounding one. The synth chords that drive “Chalo” recall the sort of anthemic stuff that aging arena rock bands (like The Who, maybe?) were making when they started discovering synthesizers in the new wave ’80s. I’d like to say why “Chalo” is good, but there isn’t much to say. It’s good because it’s so simple. Read the rest of this entry »

Apologies for another post drought. Here’s links to some work I’ve published recently:

Review of Bronx hip-hop pioneer Disco Wiz’s autobiography, It’s Just Begun, in this week’s Time Out

Review of Cam’s Crime Pays in last week’s Time Out

Profile on Dam-Funk in the May issue of XLR8R

Q&A with U.K. Afro-club producers Radioclit in the May issue of XLR8R

Review of Tanya Morgan’s Brooklynati from May 7 issue of Time Out

Random travel article on New Haven, CT that I wrote for Time Out Read the rest of this entry »

Flyer courtesy: Sugar Bear

Brits love Sugar Bear’s “Don’t Scandalize Mine.” It got so much burn at Manchester’s Hacienda club, it was included on EMI’s Hacienda Classics compilation. Thom Yorke has been documented dancing to it. They throw together videos like this. Unfortunately, however, Sugar Bear, was not embraced as wholeheartedly at home on Long Island, where he came up with Flavor Flav and Townhouse 3 (the crew that would later become Son of Bazerk) in Freeport before following Public Enemy out the gates of 510 S. Franklin St. in Hempstead, a.k.a. Bomb Squad HQ.

Though “Ready to Penetrate,” the B-side to “Don’t Scandalize Mine,” got some New York radio play thanks to its appearance on Kool DJ Red Alert’s We Can Do This compilation, Bear never recorded again save for an appearance on British DJ Richie Rich’s I Can Make You Dance LP. And that’s what makes “Don’t Scandalize Mine” b/w “Ready to Penetrate” such a rare beast: a 12″ single by a one-release artist with not one, but two, great sides. Read the rest of this entry »