"Just Be Glad and Righteous" Recently we wrote about Jacob Miller and since shuffle decided to treat me to three jams from Big Youth on the way home from work, I figured it's as good a time as any to mention an original ras. Known to many as the Rasta musician with the red, gold and green bejewled front teeth, Big Youth came alive in the Kingston ghetto with a string of hits, including his most popular song "S. 90 Skank", a dubbed out jam about motorbikes. While "S.90..." was his most notable hit, I've always been a sucker the tracks on Dreadlocks Dread, a record full of stoney vocals, steady riddims, and dubby production. Bust out the Bambu's and get acquainted with one of reggae's finest.
"The Time Has Come For Us All To Praise Unto Jah" Like 10CC, "we don't like reggae, we love it!", and we really fucking love Jacob Miller. While we rarely post on reggae, there are some artists who just don't get enough love and Jacob Miller is one of those artists.
Jacob Miller is undeniably one of the greatest reggae singers of all time. His soulful take on Irie poli-tricks and natty dread culture was not just Rastafarian rhetoric, but true gospel for the spiritual movement. I was introduced to his two most enlightened records, Who Say Jah No Dread? and ...with the Inner Circle Band & Augustus Pablo, by two reggae connoisseur friends in college who each had a chronic collection of classic roots and culture records. To give credit where credit is due, without Guy and Dewy, I wouldn't know jack shit about reggae.
Unfortunately for the world, Miller died in a car crash at the young age of 27, but his spirit lives on in his music and his role in the legendary roots rock reggae film Rockers (aka the definitive documentation of roots reggae culture, aka the "street" version of The Harder They Come), both of which showcased Miller's ultra righteous Rastaman attitude, natty dread spirituality, and his soulful staccato phrasing, epitomized in utter classics like "Forward Jah-Jah Children" and "Curly Locks." If you consider yourself even a modest fan of reggae and you don't own these records & haven't seen Rockers, you're doing yourself a great disservice.
"Every Party Has A Winner & A Loser" We're not afraid to admit our intense love of all things Scandanavian. The accent, the names (Jens/Lindstrom), and especially the music (electro/pop/space disco/goth house). Maybe it has something to do with only getting sunlight for half the year, but whatever the cause, there is some incredibly magikal stuff coming out of Viking land.
One of our favorite Scandanavian's is Erlend Oye. Erlend, who hails from Bergen, Norway (also home to Royksopp, Annie, and The Knife) is famous for his work in the Norweigan version of Simon & Garfunkel, Kings of Convenience. However, in the past few years Oye has ditched his acoustic guitar for a pair of turntables and a host of synthesizers. Aside from his work with Royksopp (yep, the sick song on the Geico commercial) and his on-going stint in the Whitest Boy Alive (fitting name), Erlend has produced a bevy of fuzzy, infectious downtempo electronic pop songs. His album Unrest is a collection of 10 tracks recorded in 10 different cities with 10 different producers. He has also contributed to the ever expanding DJ KiCKS series, where he remixes the Rapture and Phoenix, among others. Below you can download a song he did with Prefuse 73 (one of our all time favorites tracks) and the absurdly titled "Poor Leno" remix from Erlend's DJ KiCKS. If you dig the Postal Service, you're gonna eat this right up.
all songs are posted because we love them and think they make the world a better place. they are for sampling purposes only (duh). if you like what you hear, buy the record or see the concert!!! if you own the copyright to anything that appears on this site, contact us.
