Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
BeatCaffeine’s Top Tracks of 2018 (so far)
Eight months into 2018 and this is shaping up to be a very good year for new music. Over the past few months, there has been a number of incredible jazz releases by Kamasi Washington, Sons of Kemet, Kamaal Williams, Nubya Garcia, Joe Armon-Jones, Emma-Jean Thackray, Tenderlonious, Makaya McCraven, and others
Mr. Bongo releases limited edition Cymande 45rpms
The UK based label Mr. Bongo has just released two well-crafted limited edition seven-inch releases by Cymande, featuring four of the legendary British funk bands most notable songs.
BeatCaffeine’s 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs
At times written off by the genre’s purists that the 1970s were a less than remarkable time for jazz, the decade was actually an era of major exploration for many jazz musicians, incorporating elements of funk, soul, rock, and early electronic sounds into their own recordings. This expansion of musical influences and an adaptation of more electric instrumentation helped lead to what some consider as a golden time for what has been coined “jazz-funk.”
Manuel Göttsching’s electronic masterpiece ‘E2-E4’ that changed everything
Declared by Pitchfork as “the most compelling argument that techno came from Germany,” and ranked the fourth best album of the eighties by FACT, Manuel Göttsching’s 1984 E2-E4 is considered by many to be one of the greatest electronic recordings of our time.
Gambler’s Life: Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith And Mizell Brothers’ Often Overlooked Recording
Before Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith and the legendary producer tag-team of Larry & Fonce Mizell recorded the 1974 jazz-funk masterpiece Gears, the two parties first came together one year earlier to record the often overlooked album Gambler’s Life.
Gil Scott-Heron “Rhythms of Revolution” Mix
by TJ Gorton
The iconic songwriter, composer, poet, and activist Gil Scott-Heron was one of the most influential artists of the last century. With the help of multi-instrumentalist and long time music counterpart Brian Jackson, Gil Scott was able to create a unique and revolutionary sound that fused jazz, funk, and soulful grooves with politically driven poetry and vocals that helped produce timeless classics like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” “Home is Where The Hatred Is,” “The Bottle,” and “Johannesburg.”
From Here to Eternity, Giorgio Moroder’s 1977 Italo Disco Classic
Starting in the mid-1970s, disco flooded nightclubs in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. From its soul and Motown roots, disco expanded dance music with complex arrangements and productions: Percussion, strings, horns, and keyboards were often played by a large team of musicians under the direction of a producer.
I’m Not a Writer …
In 2006 I started a blog, and now it’s 2018 and I’m starting another music site. The early lesson I learned back in 2006 when I wrote my first post for American Athlete was that I’m not a writer, and I’m certainly not a journalist. Even though I have the upmost respect for both of those professions, I have come to the realization that is not me. I’m not a Nate Chinen, a Ben Ratliff, or a Richard Scheinin, not even close.
Onda De Amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94) // Soundway Records
Even though the first thing that might come to mind when you think about Brazilian music are the more popular genres of Bossa Nova, Samba, and Tropicalia during the 50s, 60s and even 70s, however Soundway Records has recently released an incredible new compilation exploring the region’s less explored synth-pop, boogie jams, and electro from the 1980s & 90s.
