WHATYOUWANTRADIOSHOW #72

Posted on: 29-11-2014

Breaks and beats ladies and gentlemen, breaks and beats. A show of two halves, first of all giving you some of the best heavy funk and soul used by various hip hop heads over the years, and then we get all up in your nicely produced grill during the second hour when we go a bit more electronic and disco. Nice.

Oh, and there’s a 12 minute jazz track in the middle.

So what do we have? Loads of fruit off of DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s tree, is what. A recent dig hooked me up with some unofficial compilations of tracks from the legendary Brain Freeze mix, as well as an old Ultimate Breaks and Beats vinyl to boot. Therefore you’re getting beauties from the 20th Century Steel Band, The Turtles (they’re Chief Kamanawanalea!), Gary Bryd, Alvin Cash, Eddie Bo, Pleasure Web and the Unity Committee. An unreleased Galt MacDermot track finishes the run – mental drum breaks and whatnot abound.

Light in the Attic (a brilliant label) have re-issued everything off of Sly Stone’s Stone Flower label which operated between 1969 and 1971 and utilised a woozy sound and early drum machines. I’ve picked two tracks by Little Sister, a band featuring Sly’s, er, little sister – the rest of the comp is just as good though.
I’ve been wanting to play Woodland Conclave for a while but I needed a 12 minute space for this wonderjazz effort. It’s worth the wait.

After the jazz, the electronic. Speed Painters off of the new Cut Copy-curated compilation out of Melbourne (another great record to pick up for xmas, folks), and then a 2010 track from Cantoma who does good Adriatic. Check the lush pads on Classic Man after that – NYC house from the end of the 80s.

International Feel is a label that rarely disappoints, so I’ve added Talamanca System’s ‘ Balanzat’ to the show for more early 1990s sounds. Definitely getting the 808 state vibe on this one.

Marc Mac is back. The new Nu Era lp is sweet, and you get the mighty moving ‘ Changing Form’

After that some modern soul courtesy of Ivan Neville, Kano doing ‘ Can’t Hold Back’ which is a bit of a classic, Spiritual South doing more of that nearly disco thing with ‘Gonna Getcha’, then stone cold West End legendary stuff (it said on Phonica) from Shirley Lites – I believe it might be a Larry Levan fave.

At this point we’re getting close to disco so Ecstasy, Passion and Pain keep the faith, and then we hit the 80s with Donna Allen which is featured on the new Late Night Tales comp put together by Groove Armada. You can’t move for classics on that one.

To finish: ‘Ride’ from the new TV on the Radio record. The whole LP is a winner and a WYWRadio recommend. Make TV on the Radio happy this Christmas people.

Next time is Best of 2014 time!