From: Velanche Stewart (vstewart_at_calpoly.edu)
Date: 2003-02-04 10:00:57
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 Friday evenings 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 To jump right to the mailing address for musical submissions, please scroll toward the bottom of this circular for more information. ---- NEWS Hello, and thanks for reading! There's been a great deal of effort that went into this edition of the circular, all the while fighting for limited space of time amongst competing tasks. It's taken a bit longer than anticipated to send this out, but hopefully it'll be worth your valuable time. There's quite a bit of jam-packed info in this circular, so feel free to read a little, take a break, walk around the block, count to ten, then come back to this when you're good and ready. UTSUMI MIX SET This coming Friday on Urban Landscapes, I'll drop a mix set during the second hour with Japanese artist Utsumi. You'll want to be sure that you're up for that one, because you're in for a real musical treat. LAST FRIDAY'S SHOW...RECOVERY MODE IN PROGRESS Last Friday's recording of the show has been lost. Through the wonders of technology, however, I'm currently re-recording the show in its entirety. When the show is finished and posted, I will send out email to let you know when it's online for listening. It's been about six weeks since a new show has been posted on the Net, and doggone it you truly deserve to hear some new digs. That's one reason why you visit the site, isn't it? Also, I will recreate the previous week's show and will have that one online soon too. Great music should never be wasted, and indeed should be heard. More details soon, y'all. THE ADDICT MERCHANTS If you're in San Luis Obispo, you will want to check out the hip-hop/funk collective known as The Addict Merchants. I've been giving them props since finding their most recent album "Matters of Fact" in my box last year. Some fresh music has been coming from this posse, and now you can catch them live. They will be performing not once, but twice during their visit here. The first show, part of ASI's Higher Grounds Entertainment series, will be at Backstage Pizza--located in the University Union--this Wednesday evening at 6:30pm. The second show will be downtown at SLO Brewing Company, or Club SLO Brew as they call it nowadays. I will be hooking up with the band, and try and get a few words from them. Playback on Urban Landscapes will be announced soon. ---- EUROPEAN TRIP--PART ONE-UK This week is the first of seven parts of my recent trip to Europe. It isn't my first trip there, as I’ve previously visited Germany (Rostock & Berlin) back around the Christmas & New Year's holiday period of 2000. However, this is my first time travelling wide through Europe. If you’ve been listening to Urban Landscapes over a fair period of time, you know that a vast amount of music featured on the show has originated from Europe. Much of the music on the show, I feel, weaves various strands of jazz and soul, two original American musical art forms. Europe has embraced such forms, and in turn they have been influenced enough to develop music that’s as individual as each country makes them. Visiting Europe, for me, was sort of my own visit to Mecca (well, I have visited Meccca (yes, with three c's)...but more on that down the road). It’s good to have an up-close and personal perspective, having been not only a longtime fan of various scenes embraced on the show, but also have been a supporter as well. It’s surely one thing to know the different music scenes, and another thing to experience them first hand. And so it is that, with the generosity and support from others, I was able to make the move. So with that, on we go to my first stop…the UK. VELANCHE’S EUROPEAN TRIP-PART 1: GREAT BRITIAN It was the day after Christmas that I’ve departed for London. The flight from Vegas to LAX had started out with a three-hour delay due to some mechanical failure found in one of Boeing's engines. After the long wait for both the arrival and the subsequent replacement of said part, it was on to Los Angeles. By the time the flight arrived, there was only less than an hour to spare before passengers had to start boarding the flight to New York. After going through the labyrinth maze known as security, the flight departed L.A. Our flight included two movies, some sleep (but not much), and five hours before reaching New York’s JFK…where outside at 8-ish in the morning it was freezing cold. Getting to the connecting flight going to Heathrow took some finding while on foot. Once on board the plane, over the Atlantic we went. At about 8-ish on Friday December 27, the plane finally touched down at London's Heathrow Airport. I’ve had the impression that the airport was more immense in size and as busy as LAX. It didn’t turned out that way, and after some time I was picked up by an acquaintance. After a few days of unwinding, the activity started picking up the night before leaving for Vienna. A few weeks prior, I was informed of a rare Sunday Co-Op gig at a club in London called Plastic People. For those who aren't quite initiated, Co-Op is a long-running club night that features nu-jazz and broken beat music. The club night has moved to Plastic People recently, after enjoying a long run at another club that has been closed for renovation. The DJs on the Co-Op bill read like a who's who--Dego from 4 Hero, I.G. Culture, Phil Asher (aka Focus), Seiji from Bugz In The Attic, and others. I was supposed to have met Alex Attias prior to the event, but he was taken ill and couldn't make it that night. I would highly advise folks attending Plastic People to get decent directions before leaving. It was hard as hell for me to find the place, having walked about 1/2 hour from the Liverpool Street train station up to Curtain Road, the street where Plastic People is located. One has to look carefully and hope to see a sign that would otherwise blend into the darkness were ti not for the red neon sign that displays "Plastic People." It wasn't lit after passing it a few times, so I've ended up walking up and down the street several times trying to spot it. When I arrived on time (in accordance with the start time on the flyer), Phil Asher and someone...not sure if it was Dego or I.G., passed through the entrance with record bags. Meanwhile, I've waited, hearing no music playing at all. I was then geeted by a woman who told me that I've had to wait outside until they were ready. My feet were killing me after the walk up and down the street to find the place, so at this stage my patients were being tested. After a 30-minute walk later and about an hour after the scheduled start time, I was finally admitted after a few others have gone through. I was given a 50% discount for the trouble of entering the place late, which eased my frustration level a bit. That was my first and only time that I've had to pay to enter a club during my vacation. Once the back of one of my hands was stamped by the hostess, I've entered downstairs into a dimly-lit area. The music was already full blast, and the people were congregating with one another. I've ended up meeting a man from France who's an avid attendee of the Co-Op event, having travelled from Paris. His friend, a Brit, also accompanied him. They've each bought me drinks, and have done their best to explain the vibes that is Co-Op. Meanwhile, the music became louder, the place became fogged with cigarette smoke, and the bodies were huddling ever closer to the small but intimate dancefloor. I wasn't able to view from my vantage point who was on deck at any given time, but the music was all good as people were moving and grooving to old favorites and new tracks some of us were dying to know. When it was all over, it was a bit after 2:00am. The flyer said that the event was to have lasted until 3:30am, but I was told later that speculation was that Co-Op was not able to secure a permit to operate later than 2:00am on a Sunday night/Monday morning. That's too bad, because people still would have danced a while longer. It's a bit difficult to describe the feeling of actually attending Co-Op. For years, I've heard great things about the event. The night that I was in attendance surely lived up to its fullness of being a soulful night with heavy dance vibes and friendly people all around. I can't say that words can easily describe it, at least from my point of view. Everyone should go and check it out for themselves, I think. With the event ending early, I've walked back to the Liverpool Street station for about 30 minutes. I've arrived at the station, only to find the main doors shut. Three other people were waiting outside the station, where the weather at the time must have been in the low 40's Farenheit. After waiting out in the chilly outdoors, the doors were opened at about 4:30am. We were able to enter the warmth of the station. I've found a seat to sit in (albeit, it was a metal chair all the way), and waited until the left luggage place opened at 7:00am. Picking up the bags that I"ve left to be held overnight, I've made my way to the Stansted Express. This train travels from Liverpool Street to London's Stansted Airport, one of London's three smaller airports. Its claim to fame at the moment is the number of low-fare carriers that operates through the airport. After a 40-minute train ride, I've ended up at the airport. It would be about five hours before departing by plane for Vienna, so I've killed some time by a combination of sleeping, walking, and reading. The low-cost carrier that I was to use was an airline based in Ireland called Ryanair. It was recommended to me because, I was told, I can get great fares. Indeed, the fares sometimes are so obscenely low that they would put the U.S. based airlines Southwest to shame. But there are tradeoffs that come with those low fares that you really should be aware of. For one thing, you will want to arrive as early as possible to receive a boarding pass. If you are not lucky to be one of the first 65 passengers, you will end up being on the second tier. Even if you're on the first tier, however, the seats themselves aren't reserved. When boarding the plane, the seats are first-come, first serve. If you carry lots of luggage, it will cost you if you are over the maximum.weight requirements. All-in-all, shopping low-cost airlines can yield significant savings for travllers. One can find specials at times that are only GBP1 (one British pound)! The other catch is that those fares can only be purchased over the Internet, so make sure you do have this for an easier experience. Vienna, here I come... (Next Week: Part 2--Vienna, plus pictures!) Links: Plastic People: http://www.plasticpeople.co.uk Ryanair: http://www.ryanair.com ----- THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS Greg Long--Skindiving 12" (Imperial Dub) Fresh from his "Balance" long-player from last year comes the new 12" single from Florida-based artist Greg Long. "Skindiving" is a very laid-back tune with gorgeous melodies percolating throughout, admist some funked-up bass business. It's a great tune to unwind with, to be sure. We also get a couple of uptempo remixes to go with that "Dive." Headstash, have of the Dubtribe duo, adds his 4/4 flavor to the mix that features sampled vocals and some other spaced-out sounds that should work the dancefloor up quite nicely. Meanwhile, Sunshine & Corster do their thing with a remix that's just slightly spacer and surely funkier than the previous mix. In the end, both mixes retain that laid-back feel while putting on the dance moves.. Whether you're feeling mellow or feeling like dancing, "Skindiving" can please...and does so nicely. Another feather in Mr. Long's cap, if you please. Cuica--City-to-City (Ubiquity) What's been said about this full-length debut that hasn't been said already?? UK-based artists Pete Herbert and Simon Seritella (aka Big Bang) turns up the Latin heat with this incredible album from San Francisco's Ubiquity, its first long-player of 2003. Cuica ain't messing around, either. Tunes like "Why Not Samba" and "Mesmerizing Parts 1 & 2" are just a couple of fine examples of how well Cuica blends both techy sounds and Latin influences into interesting hybrids that works very well for them. "City-to-City" should very well become an essential part of your collection. Daedelus--The Quiet Party (Plug Research) From Plug Research comes Daedelus's new EP featuring some tunes originally found on the "Invention" album. Madlib goes, well, mad...slipping on his Yesterday's New Quintet guise to mix up "Playing Parties" into a wickedly abstract vibe. Another dope mix comes from High Priest, formerly of Anti-Pop Consortium, as he tweaks "Muggle Horn" into some hip-hop goodness. Abstract Rule and Busdriver are also featured on a couple of tracks, as well. Fans who like their "abstract" in their hip-hop will be down with this release. Various Artists--Om Lounge Vol. 7 (Om) From the San Francisco-based label comes the final installment in the long-running Om Lounge series of a more laid-back nature in terms of the music--usually downtempo, but also other blends are added to the mix. You'll find tunes from artists such as Landslide, King Kooba, Soulstice, and more. Check it for yourself. Good for late-night listening, to be sure. Izzi Dunn: Fire: The Remixes 12" (Fireworx UK/white) I never did get to hear the four-track EP released from this talented vocalist, songwriter, and musician. She's best known as the vocalist on the tune "Betcha (Did)," for which Agent K, aka Kaidi Tatham, first created the music for before a very different version of the tune tuned up on Dunn's EP. And so it is that we get an Agent K production of the tune "Fire." Along with it comes some very dope remixes. Orin Walters puts on his Afronaught hat, turning the tune into broken beat stormer. A different take starts off on the flip, as Unsung Heroes goes hip-hop style with the remix duties. The B-side ends with Restless Soul in deep house mode with added riffs and grooves to finish things off. Snatch this one just for Orin's mix...you won't be sorry you did. Mauracher--Meilenstein 12" (Fabrique/Austria) Herbert Mauracher is a man who comes through with a winner from the up-and-coming Fabrique label out of Austria, the label that's released Bassman's "Doorpusher" EP and, now, the "Minimal Distractions" full-length. "Meilenstein" is a loungy sort of tune that seems to fit more in Italy than it would in Vienna. But who can argue? It's just dope that way. The tune gets two kinds of remixes which are flat-out solid. Jeremiah goes for a spacey, deep house direction that is hypnotic that way, while Victor Belin mixes the tune with a phat, broken, electro-type uptempo flavor. Nice one this is. Kemit Sources--Play EP 12" (Versatile/France) New act on Paris-based label Versatile. "Play" is some moody, soulful, head-nodding vocal house goodness.There's a dub version of the tune, as well. Then labelmate I:Cube (half of Chateau Flight) hits hard with his remix of "Bor Dlan," overlaying some riffs and grooves into a dope house track. And finally, the original version of "Bor" goes for the downbeat soul direction. Nice new one from Gilb-r's camp. Various Artists--pLUSH (Kriztal) From the label that brought us the ambitious "Elemental Chill" series and the novel Christmas chillout long-player "The Reindeer Room" comes its newest compilation. "pLUSH" bills itself as having music "designed for maximum lounging in the early hours." Whatever hour you choose to listen to it, it's a cut above the usual chillout fare. You'll find artists here such as Quantic, Hefner, S-Tone Inc, Minus 8, and others. Tastefully compiled, "pLUSH" can mellow you out in the right way. ---- VELANCHE'S SOUNDSCAPES FOR FEBRUARY 2003 (in no particular order) 1. Quantic--Off The Beaten Track: Carmel Remix (CD-R) 2. Marcel--Jealous (Good Looking/UK) CD-R 3. Various Artists--On The Right Track sampler 12" (Do Right/Canada) 4. Landslide featuring Alison Crockett--It's Not Over (West Is Best Remix) CD-R 5. Various Artists--When Shapes Join Together 3 (Tru Thoughts/UK) 6. Various Artists--Jazz Bizniz 3 (Counterpoint/UK) 7. Various Artists--Impressed With Gilles Peterson (Universal Jazz/UK) 8. Bassman--Minimal Distraction (Fabrique/Austria) 9. Swell Sessions featuring Ernestos--Let Me Decide: Desha Remix Parts 1 & 2 (Hollow/Sweden) 10. Cuica--City to City (Ubiquity) 11. Nicola Conte--Jet Sounds Revisited (Eighteenth Street Lounge Music) 12. Quantic--Search The Heavens 12" (Tru Thoughts/UK) 13. Loopless--Pink Blue Hotel 12" (Nylon/Portugal) 14. Various Artists--Care In The Community: The Discerning Dancefloor sampler 12" (Codek) 15. Izzi Dunn--Fire: The Remixes 12" (Fireworx/UK white) 16. L'Aroye--The Sci-Fi Sessions 12" (Faces/France) 17. Karin Krog--Raindrops, Raindrops (Crippled Dick Hot Wax!/Germany) 18. Various Artists--Vocalise (Unfold/UK) 19. Various Artists--Give Peas A Chance (Crippled Dick Hot Wax!/Germany) 20. Dabrye--Payback 12" (Ghostly International) ---- LAST FRIDAY'S PLAYLIST (show to be posted for listening within the next few days) 1. Ursula Rucker--7 (Attica Blues Vocal Remix) 12” (!K7) 2. DJ Krush--Supreme Team (featuring Anti-Pop Consortium) 12” (Red Ink) 3. Daedelus--Playing Parties (Yesterday’s New Quintet-The Stars Remix) The Quiet Party (Plug Research) 4. Re:Jazz--Release Your Mind Re:Jazz (Infracom/Germany) 5. Bobby McFerrin--Pat & Joe (DJ Smash Remix) DJ Smash Presents Phonography 2 sampler 12” (Blue Note) 6. Banda Favela--Gran De Trigo (RAS Remix) 12” (Head-To-Toe/Italy) 7. Paul Kuhn--Gateway To Crime (Difusora’s Studio Move Mix) 12” (Crippled Dick Hot Wax!/Germany) 8. Cuica--Mesmerizing Parts 1 & 2 City-To-City (Ubiquity) 9. Cee Knowledge & Sun Ra’s Orchestra--Space Is The Place Jazz Bizniz 3 compilation (Counterpoint/UK) 10. The Addict Merchants--How Deep? Matters Of Fact (own label) 11. Michael Tello--Barrio Beats Om Lounge Vol. 7 compilation (Om) FLORIAN KELLER’S ONE-HOUR MIX SET--TRACKLISTING -Orchester Ambros Seelos--Mabusso -Luis Enriquez Bacalov--Hello Quincey -Freddie Love--Crazy Girl Part II -Great Deltas--Tra La La -Big Jim H--Jungle Fever -Genies--You KNow What To Do When You Get It -Lonette--Stop -Dean Parrish--Skate -Attitudes--If We Want It -Ghetto Reality--James Brown -James Brown--Chicago Bus Station -Ellen McEllwayne--Born Under A Bad Sign -Young Hot Unlimited--Freddie's Dead -Human Race--Grey Boy -Georgeous George--Fon-kin -Darondo--Legs -Dynamic Concept--La Da Da -Charlie Antollini's Power Dozen--Jumping -Al Foster Band--Night of the Wolf -Henry Woods Troupe--The Stranger -Stevie Wonder--As If You Read My Mind -Nature Zone--Porcupine -Courtail--Losing You -Lyman Woodard Organisation--Creative Musicians 12. Fretless AZM--Facial Expressions Care In The Community: The Discernable Dancefloor (Care In The Community/Codek) 13. Mauracher--Meilenstein (Jeremiah Remix) 12” (Fabrique/Austria) 14. Mark de Clive--Lowe featuring Maiya James-The Way That It Goes (House Mix) Club Boogaloo 2 sampler 12” (Spinning Wheel/Switzerland) 15. Phuturistix--Feel It Out (Daluq Remix) 12” (Hospital white/UK) 16. Moonstarr & John Kong featuring Coolhandluke--Yesterday’s Beginnings On The Right Track EP sampler 12” (Do Right/Canada) 17. Kemit Sources--Bor Dlah (I:Cube Remix) 12” (Versatile/France) 18, Greg Long--Skindiving (Sunshine & Corster Remix) 12” (Imperial Dub) 19. Tosca--Wonderful (featuring Earl Zinger) Dehli9 (!K7) ---- 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 five years, as themovement 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_at_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 week!