I love a lot of different music, but there are a
few albums
that have stayed in heavy rotation from first listen till now. Here are
some of my personal essential records that I keep close at all times.
Sarolta Zalatnay, Zalatnay
For the longest time I was really into the soft
dreamy side
of female vocals until the first time I heard Zalatnay. The energy of
the band
and Zalatnay’s vocal style complement each other perfectly. It’s straight
forward
70’s hard rock with dirty drums, organ, guitar and bass. It sounds like Can
and
Shocking Blue had a Hungarian Baby.
Freestyle Fellowship, Innercity Griots
In the spirit of Los Angeles, let’s back-track to
one of the
most important Hip Hop albums of all time, Innercity Griots by the
Freestyle
Fellowship. It definitely has that '93 flavor, but if you listen to this
album
in its entirety, you’ll feel all sorts of different styles that people
can’t
even pull off today. Innovative rhyme techniques with a sense of melody
and
harmony over dirty beats; Freestyle Fellowship was way ahead of its
time on
this one.
Trap Door, An International Psychedelic Mystery
Mix
Compiled and blended by Dis-Joint records (SF). I
came up on
this record on a whim a few years ago, and to this day, I have it in
constant
rotation. It’s a non-stop mix of some of the greatest world Psych/Soul
songs I
have ever heard on one single release. Dirty drums, eerie vocal styles
from all
over the world, haunting melodies…everything I can ask for in one mix.
This is
the only LP I bought 4 times.
CAN, Opener
Can is one of those undeniably great bands. I’ve
been
listening to them since the days I was b-boying. The super break heavy,
“Vitamin C,” was my intro back then, but when I started collecting their
records is when I got a better understanding of Kraut-Rock. Till this
day their
entire catalog is something that gets me every time. They’re funky,
psychedelic, soulful, dubby, jazzy with the unique vocal style of Damo
Suzuki.
You could honestly blindly choose any Can record and its just as good. I
chose The Opener LP just because..
CRASS, Penis Envy
Punk was never meant to break the boundaries of
innovative
musicianship. The heart, energy, and message have always been the
driving
force. While some punk bands stand still, CRASS is one band that stands
out
amongst all. The exclusively female vocal album, Penis Envy, is one of
my
favorites. Eve Libertine and Joy de Virve took the front line and pulled it
off
very well. There's something about their voices, and how they connect
over the
music that just works. Angry, spoken word, anarchist, dirty punk at its
finest.
Mulatu Astatke, Ethio Jazz
First time I heard Mulatu Astatke was a complete
and total
mind fuck. Everything from the melodic direction, the choice of
instruments,
and how it was recorded is absolutely perfect. It’s definitely a “close your
eyes and take a minute to breath” type of record; very spiritual energy
here.
Start with “Yekatit” or “Netsanet” and let it just take you. Ethio
Jazz has
a soul of its own.
M
