From: Velanche Stewart (vstewart@calpoly.edu)
Date: Fri Dec 06 2002 - 10:47:13 CET
U R B A N L A N D S C A P E S
Global Club Culture...
Made Fresh Weekly.
Urban Landscapes hits the airwaves tonight and every Friday evening from
8-11pm PST on KCPR 91.3 FM.
Don't forget that if you miss the live show, you can hear it anytime via
the Urban Landscapes web site at http://www.urbanlandscapesshow.com. The
most recent show will also be posted a day or two after the broadcast on
the site's home page. The last five shows are available online for your
listening pleasure anytime, anyday. You can find them via the
"Playlists" section of the web site.
Be sure to tell your friends about the show!
---- ADDRESS FOR MUSICAL SUBMISSIONS (NOTICE: ADDRESS HAS TEMPORARILY CHANGED) To jump right to the mailing address for musical submissions, please scroll toward the bottom of this circular for more information. ---- NEWS Our local auction drive the Friday before Thanksgiving has been good for the station. Nice to find out the locals have been restless for their goods, and we thank them kindly for calling in. The folks who ended up with the Groove Distribution packages were very, very happy. Major thanks once again goes to Chicago's Groove Distribution, as well as all of the other donors this year. THE 30 MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS OF 2002 So here we are, approaching the end of the road for the year 2002. It's been full of interesting sounds and diverse musical tangents from around the world. I won't go so far to say that it's been an innovative musical year, but I will say that there's lots of quality sounds out there--proving that good music is, indeed, where you find it. Starting this week, we're looking back at some of the best music from the year 2002. Normally, I'd save the best for last: the comprehensive, end-all list of my favorite albums from this past year. But with quite a few listeners leaving Cal Poly before next Friday due to the end of the academic term, it'll be as good a time as any to pass along musical recommendations that can be explored at one's leisure...those gems that may have fallen between the cracks, as well as those that have gained massive props in the underground. The decision to narrow down the field hasn't been an easy one to make. I've listened to hundreds of albums and singles this year. At the end of the day, however, there's only enough air time to showcase about thirty tunes per show that best represents the albums, the singles, and the compilations that have been played on Urban Landscapes. Next week, I'll explain my criteria that I've been relying on to narrow the multitude of musical choices. With that said, the 30 Most Recommended Albums of 2002 will roll out this evening on the live show. You can have a listen sometime this weekend when the show goes online. More details soon. Don't forget that next Friday December 13, I'll rundown the 30 Most Recommended Singles that best represented the year. Then on Friday December 20, the Most Recommeneded Remix Albums & Compilations of the year will round out the look back. A COUPLE OF EXTRA SHOWS WITH NEW MUSIC GALORE The new music just keeps coming in like gangbusters. Just because the year is ending doesn't mean that the flow of great music has been grinding to a halt. In light of that dilemma, I plan on airing two special weekend broadcasts to catch up on both the new and the more recent flavors that warrants repeat play. I hope to have more details for you soon regarding the airdate of the shows, but rest assured that they will be online for you to sample, cherish, and strut your way around. ---- THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS Dabyre--Payback 12" (Ghostly International) Off from one of the most arrestingly original hip-hop albums of 2002 comes the follow-up from Tadd Mullinix's alias "Dabrye." Fresh from his debut "One/Three" long-player comes this new 12" from the dope Ghostly International imprint. As ever, he's indeed in fine form. "Making It Pay" is a trippy number full of multilayered goodness that has made "One/Three" such a great piece of work. Then we get an even tripper remix of the tune "Hyped-Up Plus Tax" done by a new artist on the block known as Outputmessage that is phat, downbeat tastiness. The other side is a wicked megamix done from Warp's Prefuse 73 (aka Scott Herron, showrunner of the Eastern Development label in Atlanta--where Dabrye has released his most recent album), combining three tunes from "One/Three" side-by-side and doing it rather nicely thankyouverymuch. Herbert--Addiction 12" (!K7) Unless you've been living in a cave, you can't quite escape the influence that the UK's Matthew Herbert has left on the musical map during the last several years. !K7 drops a new 12" of new mixes of tunes from Herbert from 2001's wonderful "Bodily Functions" album. "Addiction" gets a new rework from Herbert, managing to corral Perry Ferrell to drop vocals alongside Dani Sciliano to create a haunting version of the original. "I'll Do It" is a previously unreleased track that features Dani's voice once again, and it scores rightly with me. The other side starts off melancholic, as Herbert collaborator Phil Parnell goes acoustic with his PPP (Phil's Piano Piece) version of Suddenly (sans Dani). To round out the wax, we get yet another remix from the likes of Japanese keyboardist Emerson Kitamura on the tune "The Last Beat." Sounds sort of like it came from an expensive Casio, but the bass is a little bit on the thick side...and it fits with the other mixes just nicely. If you're a fan of Herbert like me, this is one to add to your collection. No breakthroughs here, but worth the listen. Todd Sines--Cum Closer 12" (Planet E) Indeed, I have reviewed this 12" during the last round of reviews about two weeks back. Then I was made aware that the tunes in question are reworkings pulled off with finesse by none other than Planet E label head Carl Craig (thanks for the tip, Kito!). I've wondered where the heck he's been hiding! This makes it all the more important to seek this gem out in order to keep in check with where CC's going. Who knows? Just go along for the ride, and enjoy. Dublex Inc. featuring Barbara Padron Hernandez--Tocame (Pulver/Germany) You won't find me saying this unless I mean it, and I do mean it sincerely when I say that "this is the shit!" Germany's fledging Pulver Recordings has been on a roll with a stream of quality releases that's gotten some serious worldwide attention. And so it is that the those guys who have put out seriously in the form of "Tango Forte" (which I've yet to hear) raise the bar with a solid new tune in "Tocame." (Pronounced like TOE-kah-meh, meaning "Touch Me" in Spanish.) This is definitely a must-have. The original has a very nice mixture of Latin and tech sounds for an uptempo delight that will have the body going into overtime, with added vocal work by Ms. Hernandez that's tasty and sexy. Then watch out for the remixes. Dublex tweaks their tune with a slightly edgier instrumental dub version. Then it gets rough on the flip, as Jackman comes most correct with a rough and wicked Mendoces remix that is just strong and massive. I absolutely love it! The remixes round out with the New York house duo Nickodemus and Osiris doing their mix in fine form. I can picture many a DJ who will be dropping this one on the decks as part of their New Year's Eve celebration...and well into 2003. "Tocame" is definitely some slamming peaktime goodness for both the crate and the head. Loopless--Pink Blue Hotel 12" (Nylon/Portugal) This is a rather delicious twelve put out by Nylon out of Portugal, and it surely will speak volumes to the jazz lovers and dance steppers out there. It's part lounge, part nu-jazz, and absolutely lovely. "Pink Blue Hotel" is a great merging of some sultry jazz vocals and some terrific music to create an epic music lover's delight. I surely would love to divulge the identity of the singer because she's got her jazz sensibilities down pat, but I'll have to look into that one. A mixture of live insturmentation and electronic sounds, this goes up there with the best of Nuspirit Helsinki and The Bobby Hughes Combination. It really is that fresh! The B-side gives us "Carnival Bandits," packed with some Brazillian/lounge flavor with equally engaging vocals. This has a lazy Sunday sort of springtime ambiance, and this should put a smile on even the most stoic of music groovers. All I can say is...damn Loopless, get that album out! A brilliant 12" through and through, and will surely become a nu-jazz classic. The Transistors--Atelier (Temposhere-Right Tempo/Italy) What a gift from heaven this album truly is. It's space-age bachelor pad music and then some with this fine collection of tunes from the debut long-player from the Italy-based trio known as The Transistors. It's arresting from the intro track on through, with the lounge music inviting, warm, and often musically playful and confident. And if those attributes aren't enough, expect to be enchanted by the gorgeous vocals of Miss Ari. It's hard not to embrace this gem of a long player. The production is very tight, the vibes teethering on the 60s with a very modern stride (thanks to the production of Rocco Pandiani & Gak Sato), and the music wonderful. "Atelier" is just so much fun to listen to and enjoy. Right Tempo most definitely continues to have the right stuff when it comes to the lounge sounds. If you're a fan of Pizzicato Five and/or Saint Etienne and have a splash of Nicola Conte thrown in, then it's perhaps the closest idea I can give you for what to expect from this full length. Give this one a try...think you'll dig it nicely. **More new reviews on tap next week** ---- VELANCHE'S SOUNDSCAPES FOR DECEMBER 2002 (in no particular order) 1. The Bobby Hughes Combination--Nhu Golden Era (Stereo Deluxe/Germany) 2. Horsepower Productions--In Fine Style (Tempa/UK) 3. Snowboy And The Latin Section--Borrago/Los Rumberos de la Habana Y Matanzas Remixes (Ubiquity) 4. Landslide featuring Alison Crockett--It's Not Over (Hospital/UK) 5. Various Artists--Moshi Moshi: Nu Sounds From Japan (Fuego/UK) 6. Various Artists--Destination: Out 3xLP (Ecco Chamber/Austria) 7. John Beltran--Sun Gypsy 2xLP (Ubiquity) 8. Focus--Sweet & Sour (Versatile/France) 9. Microfish Meets Stereotyp--Who Me? (Stereo Deluxe/Germany) 10. Various Artists--Chainstore Massacre (On-U Sound) 11. New Flesh vs. Horsepower Productions--Stick & Move 12" (Big Dada/UK) 12. Phuturistix--Feel It Out (Hospital/UK) CD-R 13. Various Artists--California Soul 2xLP (Ubiquity) 14. Jazzanova--Days To Come Remixes 12" (JCR/Compost) 15. Lemon Jelly--Lost Horizons (XL) 16. Stereotyp--My Sound (G-Stone) 17. Various Artists--Red Hot + Riot 2x12" (Red Hot/MCA) 18. Derrick Carter--Squaredancing In A Roundhouse (Classic) 19. Ayro--new material (Omoa) CD-R 20. Various Artists--Blue Light One (Upstairs/Nettwerk) 21. Various Artists--Mushroom Jazz 4 (Om) 22. Tommy Knocker--Brazil Is Back 12" (Intercom/UK) 23. Various Artists--The Reindeer Room (Kriztal) 24. Tom Sines--Cum Closer: Overlap C2 12" (Planet E white) 25. DRM--Shaeed 12" (Citrona test) 26. Vikter Duplaix--Looking For Love 12" (Hollywood) 27. Al-pha-X--Mi Corazon: DJ Patife X Madzoo Sessions Mix (Bar de Lune/UK) 28. Mr. Scruff--Trouser Jazz (Ninja Tune) 29. Jill Scott--Slowly, Surely: Theo Parrish Remix (CD-R) 20. Various Artists--2000 Black: The Good Good 2 (2000 Black/UK) ---- No playlists this week due to absentia last week, and the auction from the week before. A fresh new playlist of this week's show will be in next week's circular. ---- Urban Landscapes proudly supports quality independent music from around the world. Respect and gratitude to all the independent labels, radio promotion folks, and related entities for sharing the wonderful musical goods. The show has been keeping it real for over four years, as the movement continues to expand its influence. Please feel free to send promos/musical submissions (CD/CDR, vinyl, and minidisc) for airplay and/or review consideration and t-shirts (large, if you please) to: Velanche Stewart, Urban Landscapes 258 Ramona Drive San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 USA If you're available for interviews, we welcome them as well. Just send me an e-mail message to mail@urbanlandscapesshow.com. This newsletter is sent to DJs, record labels, promotion companies, and like-minded music lovers from around the world. If you wish to be removed from the list, please let me know. To be added to the weekly mailing list, please send me email. Have a great weekend!
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