Dirk van den Heuvel (dirkv@groovedis.com)
Thu, 2 Dec 1999 17:18:10 -0600
Okay somewhere along here two different threads have crossed.
Thread 1) Recommendations of good bands/artists. Yes they are many very
excellent America, French, etc bands doing jungle, trip hop and the like. I
never disagreed with this.
Thread 2) Why are so many of the big bands used in tv commercials and the
like British? Why not US? My response was that they are not a lot (if any)
US bands doing music at the level respectively of Portishead/Massive Attack
(for trip hop), Goldie/Roni Size (jungle), Chemical Bros/Propellerheads (big
beat). Erik makes a good point with DJ Shadow (who I even mentioned in my
original message as a maybe) and Thievery Corp are close (but no cigar
IMHO). But I still stick to my guns otherwise. Yes there are many good
American trip hoppers and junglists but no one has mentioned anyone at the
level of the people listed above. So while Hive's records are very good they
are not in the same league as Massive Attack's "Protection" and Soulslinger
has yet to make a record anywhere near as good as New Forms. That's my
point. I wish it weren't so, but it is. Sorry. And we weren't talking about
turntablist music, where the US does indeed rule (just like rap and r&b).
Okay there it is. I just want to make sure when I get flamed it's for the
right thread :>.
Dirk van den Heuvel (dirkv@groovedis.com)
Groove Distribution
www.groovedis.com
Your Guide To The Underground
-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Witherspoon [mailto:arzachel@best.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 4:21 PM
To: Moonlight; acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
Subject: RE: downtempo in movies
At 1:48 PM -0800 12/2/99, Moonlight wrote:
>American downtempo musicians?
Hive _Working w/Sound_
Company Flow _Little Johnny from the Hospital_
_NY Vibeology_ (forget the dj's name, but it's not on the package anyway;
it's marketed as a comp).
DJ Wally _Genetically Engineered_ (is that the title?)
DJ Shadow maybe comes close to Portishead & Massive Attack? In my book,
it's a different kind of music, if only for the vocal/instrumental split.
AND he (& the rest of the guys on this list) kick their ass anyways.
Q-bert? Would he fit this niche? He's great.
>
>American Jungle?
>I like DJ SoulSlinger and 1.8.7, though YMMV. DJ Spooky. We's "sqrt(-1)."
>Ming & FS.
>Mocean worker is from NYC, right?
Hive (again) _Devious Methods_
Pish Posh (aka DJ Wally, again) _Up Jumps the Boogie_ (great, underrated
album-- on a subdivision of Rawkus!)
There's also a comp called Digital Dust on that same Rawkus subdivison
(Rawkuts?) which is pretty excellent.
DJ Spooky & We could both be quoted as excellent examples of US "downtempo"
(sheez, let's go back to trip-hop) as well.
>
>American Techno?
>Carl craig. Josh Wink.
Not (thump) my (thump) cup (thump) of (thump) tea.
No one's mentioned Taran's album as a "classic" of downtempo, which I'm
pretty sure I'd rate it as. Lots of Compost stuff, though I was kind of
underwhelmed by the A Forest Mighty Black full-length. Also:
Vibert _Big Soup_
Up Bustle & Out & London Funk Allstars
Lionrock
_Bombay the Hard Way_
I'd best stop now.
Jason Witherspoon
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