I just got this in my email box and thought I'd pass it along. Does anyone
have any suggestions where to find set lists for Thievery or any of the 18th
Street DJs?
korova
-----------------------------------------
VERVE RECORDS TO RELEASE THIEVERY CORPORATIONıS SOUNDS FROM THE VERVE HI-FI
DJ duo selects favorites songs from legendary labelıs archives
Verve Records will release Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi, a compilation of
rare and classic Verve Records tracks chosen by renowned mixologists
Thievery Corporation, on January 29th, 2002.
For Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton of Thievery
Corporation extracted a number of genre-spanning songs from the legendary
labelıs vaults, creating a collection that displays the kind of musical
variation which has characterized Verve since the 1960s; bossa nova, Latin
jazz, samba, hard bop, and 1960s folk exotica are all represented on the
collection. Though Garza and Hilton often favor Verveıs Brazilian and
Afro-Cuban offerings in their influential DJ sets, Sounds from the Verve
Hi-Fi is stylistically inclusive, a unique look into both the Verve catalog
and Thievery Corporationıs personal record library.
From the lilting bossa nova of the Luiz Bonfá & Stan Getz opener "Menina
Flor," to the driving Afro-Cuban strut of Kenyan Hopkinıs "Hard Latin" to
the laconic sexuality of Astrud Gilbertoıs "Light My Fire" and Chico
Hamiltonıs rollicking "For Mods Only," Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi is
perfect for consoles and car stereos alike. The albumıs title references
Thievery Corporationıs celebrated 1997 debut, Sounds From the Thievery
Hi-Fi.
The record also features the inimitable Brazilian stylings of Jackie and
Roy, Elis Regina, Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66, and Walter Wanderley, as well
as simmering Latin tracks from Cal Tjader & Lalo Schifrin and Willie Bobo.
Paralleling their status as trendsetters and tastemakers in the electronic
dance world, Thievery Corporation mix it up even further, spinning in
psychedelic sitar ramblings from Richie Havens, bluesy swing by esteemed
improvisers The Wynton Kelly Trio and Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery, plus the
rare "Do It The Hard Way" by British collective The Jazz Renegades.
"Verve is one of our biggest inspirations," says Rob Garza from the duoıs
home base at Washington, DCıs Eighteenth Street Lounge (which is also the
name of TCıs record label). "We have a huge wall of records here and many of
them are Verve LPs. For Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi, we went through all of
our records and chose some of our favorites. It was very easy to pick
fifteen songs; the hardest part was narrowing down the selection and finding
songs that we were both really into. It is just an honor to be asked by
Verve to pick our favorite songs."
"We didnıt try to pace it as a DJ set," adds Eric Hilton. "We wanted to make
it interesting for the home listener as well as someone in their car or in
any sort of environment. If you only make music to fit the dance floor, it
wonıt transpose well to other listening environments. A lot of this music is
played here at the Eighteenth Street Lounge, and itıs also what we play in
our own DJ sets. When we DJ, we play a lot of older records and combine them
with newer sounds."
"Itıs great to expose people to a lot of music they may not be familiar
with," added Garza.
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton met at the Eighteenth Street Lounge in 1995, and
soon found their mutual love of jazz, Brazilian, and contemporary dance
music turn into a full-time, music-making obsession. The pair immediately
began writing songs with samplers, computers, and old vinyl, and their
debut, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi (Eighteenth Street Lounge Records),
was born. Prescient, influential, and stylish (just check their suits),
Thievery Corporation became popular among DJs and armchair listeners alike,
releasing Abductions and Reconstructions (Eighteenth Street Lounge Records)
and a DJ Kicks compilation (Studio K7) in 99, followed by The Mirror
Conspiracy in 2000 (Eighteenth Street Lounge Records).
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton comment on some selections from Sounds from the
Verve Hi-Fi:
"Menina Flor" Luis Bonfa & Stan Getz (from Jazz Samba Encore!)
Eric: It was hard to decide on the opening track. "Menina Flor" is one of
our favorite songs. Mary Toledoıs voice is just amazing and it sets a really
nice mood for the record.
"Chove Chuva" Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66 (from Equinox)
Rob: This is a Jorge Ben composition, a track I was playing in my DJ sets;
they always play it here at the lounge. This is a great interpretation of
that song. It really captures a moment in time. And the vocals are so cool,
like cinnamon and cloves. There is a lot we could have picked from Sergio
Mendes; the vocals are so sultry and beautiful.
"Hard Latin" Kenyon Hopkins (from Music From Mr. Buddwing)
Rob: I donıt know a lot about Kenyon Hopkins, but this song is from a
soundtrack. We play compilation tapes before we do our live shows, and this
is a song from one of those tapes. It has such a nice feeling about it; it
can put a room in a really good mood.
Eric: I like this one because it is from a soundtrack. It is always fun to
find a gem on a soundtrackit just seems like youıve gone deeper into the
mine.
"Something Else Again" Richie Havens (from Something Else Again)
Rob: Richie is playing the sitar there. The song is kind of an oddity for
Verve because that whole album is a little more rock than jazz.
"Light My Fire" Astrud Gilberto (from September 17, 1969)
Rob: The Astrud Gilberto is one of our very favorite recordings of "Light My
Fire"; itıs a standard in our DJ set. It is not a version that people are
very familiar with but we love the drums and the whole vibe of it.
Eric: It is such an interesting pairing of the song with her voice; you
wouldnıt expect her to cover this song. It is rare because it hasnıt been
released on CD in America, and I have only seen one copy of the album.
"Batucada" Walter Wanderley (from Batucada)
Rob: The thing we love about these songs is that they are really nicely
produced, and we donıt think of the songs as kitschy. When we listen to
records we are listening to the production valueshow tight everything is
and the overall feeling of the record. `Batacudaı feels great and has that
lush organ.
"For Mods Only" Chico Hamilton (from The Dealer)
Eric: This is another song that we play out a lot, and it always fits right
in to the set. In the beginning we were going to name the compilation For
Mods Only. It is a cool title and a cool song.
"Escapade" The Wynton Kelly Trio (from Itıs All Right)
Rob: This is more of a sophisticated track and once again, we donıt want
people to assume that this is a Latin only compilation. The spectrum of
music that exists in the Verve catalog, whether it is Richie Havens or Chico
Hamilton, is very broad.
"Do It The Hard Way" The Jazz Renegades (from Freedom Samba)
Eric: The Jazz Renegades are a group that only did one record. It was from
Steve White, the drummer from the Style Council with some other British jazz
musicians. It was released on Antilles Verve overseas. The record didnıt do
that well, but it has some nice tracks on it. It allows the record to end on
a soft quiet note.
Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi [314 584 151-2] available on CD January 29, 2002
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