History

Short but sweet video for one of the standout tracks from Mos Def's latest album, The Ecstatic, featuring Black Star cohort Talib Kweli.

Live To Listen Podcast 001

'Live To Listen' Podcast 001 by {Work:Ethic}

Creative Source- "You Can't Hide Love" (Sussex)
Paul White- "Dragon Fly" (One Handed Music)
Group Home- "Livin' Proof" (Payday)
Pointer Sisters- "Pinball Number Count (DJ Food Re-Edit)" (Ninja Tune)
Joseph Koo- "Theme From The Big Boss" (Tam)
Take- "After Words" (Eat Concrete)
Blue Daisy- "Hunterz" (Black Acre)
Frank Hebly- "De Tuinslangboogie" (Magnetron Music)
Dam Funk- "Hood Pass Intact" (Stones Throw)
PMD- "Straight From The Heart" (Boondox)
Fulgeance- "Smartbanging" (One Handed Music)
Connie Price And The Keystones feat. Percee P- "International Hustler" (Ubiquity)
Mount Kimbie- "Serged" (Hotflush)
Homecut- "I Don't Even Know" (First Word)
Dramatics- "The Devil Is Dope" (Volt)
J Dilla- "Over The Breaks" (BBE)
Amanda Blank- "Something Bigger, Something Better" (Downtown Records)
The Flaming Lips- "Convinced Of The Hex" (Warner Bros)
Silver Apples- "A Pox On You" (MCA)
Architeq- "Fox Tails" (Tirk)
Andreya Triana- "Lost Where I Belong" (Ninja Tune)
Alice Coltrane- "Blue Nile" (Impulse!)

The first of many podcasts from Work:Ethic.

Digibooty Digibooty

Earfworm Jim on artistic duties.

Üdio 27th November @ The Gramaphone

Euan Indecision (Skylarkin' Soundsystem / Disco Shed)


Chris C-Top (Space Bass)

For the November party we've invited 2 of our good friends to play some records in the early hours. Euan recently left his position at the Gramaphone as bookings manager and considering how supportive and encouraging towards Udio he's been in the past we had to get him back. His excellent blog What Is Wrong With Groovin' is testament to the depth of his record bag so we're looking forward to seeing what he comes out with on the night.

Chris C-Top is part of the ebullient SpaceBass crew who can be found rocking east London warehouse parties and also the occasional Sunday at the Big Chill Bar. He played just before me at a mutual friend's fundraiser for the National Deaf Children Society which featured the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kode 9 and Lukid, and not only was his track selection really good but he also struck me as being an extremely genuine geezer. Again, looking forward to C-Top's interpretation of the Udio sound (if there is such a thing) and also hoping he pulls his finger out and delivers a podcast for us in the near future.

Other than inviting these two chaps down, we don't really have any special plans for the November affair mainly because we feel we've done enough in the last 2 years to justify a residents & friends party from time to time. We hope you don't get put off by the lack of a big name and promise to deliver something extra-special for our birthday celebration in January.

Bridging The Gap @ Market Place 23/10/09

I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

When I went to BTG for the first time the residents had all my friends dancing on the sofas which is no easy feat. It is quite simply a great party with a basic but effective formula: Free entry, cheap drinks, loads of girls and a basement fit for the finest boogie > house around. This springs to mind:



Should be a fitting precursor to the next Udio on November 27th! More to come on that later......

Work:Ethic

work:ethic is a website that paints portraits of creative people and their creative environments.

Whether they are electronic musicians, bands, or visual artists, these individuals have devoted their lives to creativity and have an innate understanding of the hard graft and sacrifice that such a pursuit entails. It is those people we pay tribute to and discover what makes them tick. We want to know about their working methods, about their inspirations, about their creative frustrations and how they overcome them. We also want to tell everyone about the things going on that we like, whether it's up and coming music that interests us, or interesting events that we think people should know about. Ultimately, though, we want aspiring musicians and artists to visit our site and to come away stimulated and inspired, inspired to pursue their creative urges and enjoy their work.

Email us on info@work-ethic.net

Plenty more features to come including CD-R, James Holden and Kid Kanevil. Enjoy!

You Got The Love

My friend Claudio has a thing for The XX... I am sceptical to say the least. 'Crystallised' is a treat to listen to but will the album be a let-down? I'll have to investigate further. Anyway, Claudio mentioned this track to me and having checked it out, I'm sure it deserves a post. It starts off almost as if it were a return to form from The Streets, but before you know it The XX have put their undeniable stamp on it. Looking forward to the album now.

French Wave

You'll either love it or hate it.

The Mizell Brothers

Had a Mizell Brothers jazz fusion morning today and what fantastic producers these lads were. Here are my highlights:

Ike White - Changin' Times

Many thanks for the introduction Ricky. What better way to start than with some music. This rather excellent and widely undiscovered album has been a permanent feature on my player over the last couple of years. Since hearing the title track on the Sean P guest mix over at sixmillionsteps, I was well and truly hooked by the haunting and addictive vibey echoes prominent in both the intro and outro as well as the laidback but genuinely retrospective lyrics and tone that seemed to eminate so naturally from Ike. 'Changin' times' which was released on L.A International, was the one and only album he released. Considering that it was written at Tehachapi State Prison where Ike was an inmate at the time, the level of sincerity is clear. It was actually Stevie Wonder who wrote the sleeve notes:

"There are many Ike Whites' in this world, let's give these men a fair chance making not the colour of his skin final fate for being behind bars"

Stevie Wonder

The album is probably best known for the more famous 'Love and Affection' which has made the tracklistings of many a rare groove compilation, a real dancefloor burner that will hopefully rock the basement of the gramaphone club in the not too distant future ;)

Anyway, if you see this LP anywhere, do buy and cherish it, it's definitely one of those albums for life.

NonCollective

Earfworm Jim put me on to this nifty website - nicely presented and chock-a-block with interesting mixes:

www.noncollective.com

You can find their tracklists here but my pick of the bunch is Broken Psych. Get involved!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Eddie Roscoe...

Very happy to welcome Mr Roscoe on the udio blog. Anyone who knows him can testify to his extensive musical knowledge and his ability to cook up a storm (and create a mess) in the kitchen, so expect some great links to all kinds of boogie-mischief and perhaps the odd recipe as well. Welcome on board Eddie.

Boom Bap of the Month

Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad
by lasc35

Kato & Bat Fellatio

Haunting re-work of the opening vocal from Bat For Lashes' Two Suns album by Kato. Proper.

Duke Etienne

I haven't heard many good mixes recently for some reason - but this little opus from Duke Etienne, stalwart over at the Heads-High music website, certainly got my attention. Afro-bump of the highest order!

1. Lizzy Mercier Decloux – Hard Boiled
2. Pearson Sounds – WAD
3. Sole Fusion – Bass Tone
4. John Robertson – Blame
5. Reggie Dokes – Walk In Deepness
6. New World Aquarium – Tresspassers
7. Block 16 – Morning Sun (Pepe Bradock Refix)
8. Lightening Heads – Message Beats
9. Nanyo Addo – Wo ba wo ba shue
10. Jimi Tenor & the Kabu Kabu – Fast Legs
11. Silkie – Purple Love
12. Elemental – Braindrops
13.James Blake – Air and Lack Thereof’
14. Build an Ark Remix (Unknown – Help us out!)
15. Amede & The Soundsmith – Tip Toe ft. Shanazz Dorsett
16. Sa Ra Creative Partners – Soul’s Brother

Andreya Triana

Looks like Bonobo is producing Andreya Triana's debut album. I'm intrigued.

Qlocktwo

Only 885 euros...

I'm just a sucker, looking for some sugar...

20 Years of Warp

20 years and an unbeleivable number of amazing records. Many of which are handily compiled onto the Warp Classics double CD, available at Phonica now along with reduced price back catalogue from the likes of Aphew Twin, LFO, Squarepusher and Boards of Canada (to name but a few).

Here's a taster from the Classics album, Nightmares on Wax 'A Case of Funk'.

Enya's Niece?

Bat For Lashes' Mum?

Desi Disco Alert.

Kleeer Dominoes

Following on from Justine's post here are two tracks that have got me by the nuts this week. Enjoy

Strawberry Letter 23

I heard the most amazing edit of Brothers Johnson's Strawberry Letter 23 on Sunday, which as well as being a really worthwhile edit also sent me back into the arms of the original, fantastic, song. Enjoy the original and seriously, check out the edit too.

D-Lo

I had the fortune of meeting NYC breakdancer D-Lo on the tube the other night as we were making our way to a great house-party in North London. He confessed that he really liked my trainers and was shocked that I bought them from M&S (for all the ubercool sneaker-freaks out there, that stands for Marks and Spencers). Anyway, we made a deal that he would come and dance at Udio one day if we decide to keep the night going. Surely the idea of having D-Lo in the club is motivation enough? We'll have to wait and see.

God Bless..

.. Rob Da Bank




n.b did anyone else realise pilooski's remix of Crawfish took a vocal from an elvis presley movie!?!

Disco Loops For The Troops

Wicked selection of up-tempo disco breaks and house jams featuring tracks by Daft Punk, Soundstream, Steel An' Skin, and capped off by the sickest remix of True Faith's 'take me away' to date in my opinion. Nice work Tom Trago. In other news...

Claudio from monthly basement-rave Bridging The Gap has asked me to join him and his comrades for a session in room 2 of Koko this Friday. In room 1 there is some standard NME thing going on but room 2 will be a blast I'm sure. Hope you can make it.

Strangeloop

cephalapodophilia from Dr. StrangeLoop on Vimeo.

(I had my eyes closed for most of this)

WOON

New material from Jamie Woon and his band.

Tit

Such a tit.

They're Back

Machine Dreams due out soon...

Boom Bap Of The Month

Devil Dancer

Loved this video as a kid and watching it now it's quite cool to see how the dancing style was heavily informed by MJ himself. The best bit comes just after the 4 minute mark. Amazing.

Tussle

The above track is Transparent C by a band called Tussle, comes highly recommended from earfworm Jim. Worth staying with all the way to the end. Also, Tron's back...



And for some reason, the new film about Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Junior contains loads of apocalyptic kung-fu shenanigans? What would Watson think!? Still.. looks prettay good.

I Am Love

From the "Dancing Machine" LP.

RIP MJ

Reflection Eternal- Back Again

I couldn't help picturing the sunniest of summer days every time I heard this tune on Benji B's show. So naturally the video takes places in a daylight-deprived studio setting. Ah well. Anyhow, this is the lead single of the long-awaited new Reflection Eternal album.

Honkytonk

Great song.

June 23rd / Warp Records

Album of the Summer?

Double OUCH

Credit has to go to BeyondBody&Soul who is uploading these beasts on to youtube. Enjoy.

OUCH

I'm going to do an 'OUCH' every month from now on. It's the word that corresponds closest with a certain look I've noticed on the faces of people who like music so much that when they hear something they really like and there are no words, their faces crumple up, and it looks like they're suffering. Also known as the pleasure/pain principle. Anyway, I hope you can see why this song deserved the OUCH gong.

Mos Def/Zack Morris/The Roots collabo

Live performance of 'Casa Bey' by Mos Def from the new album The Ecstatic. He's backed by The Roots who are the house band on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show.



I was more impressed though with the appearance by Zack Morris from everyone's favourite yesteryear show, Saved By The Bell (shout out to my Channel 4-on-a-Sunday-morning-back-in-the-day crew). He talks about what he's been up to since leaving Bayside High, his divorce from Kelly Kapowski and even brings out his brick mobile phone before getting down with ?uestlove and co.