Beastie Boys - The In Sound from Way Out! (1996)

The Beastie Boys have frequently proven that they feel comfortable in a variety of genres. The New York-based trio started off as a punk band in 1979 but some time around the mid-1980s they turned towards hip-hop and since then have sold over 40 million albums worldwide to much critical acclaim. However, their records have never been solely hip-hop flavoured. The group incorporated a variety of sounds in their albums, mixing fast-paced rock tunes with laid-back, funky grooves in between sample-heavy hip-hop joints. What glued it all together were the razor-sharp lyrics of Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock and their trademark rap style. At times, however, the guys would abandon their mic's and jam out funk-filled instrumental tunes that would later work as interludes in their albums.

By 1996, the Boys, inspired by their French fan club which came up with the idea, decided to make a compilation album with the instrumentals from their previous records. And so, 'The In Sound from Way Out!' (which btw borrows the title and the cover art concept from the 1966 Perrey and Kingsley album) was released. The disc features 13 tracks, all of which have already previously appeared on: 'Check Your Head', 'Ill Communication' and the 'Jimmy James' and 'Sure Shot' singles.

Fair do's - there's no new material on the record, but it still is a pleasant listen. The album features a bunch of loose funk grooves with rhythmical wah-wah guitars, warm Hammond licks and laid-back, conga-heavy percussions, all neatly wrapped up in a jazzy vibe. But that's not all. With tunes like 'Eugene's Lament' and it's distinctive violin solo or 'Shambala' with the Tibetan monk chants in the background, the Beastie Boys give us a little taste of the Orient thereby keeping the album material fresh and interesting.

At any rate, this album will definitely not provide any big surprises if you know your Beastie's. But if you enjoyed bopping your head to their lazy funk joints on their previous records, then I really do believe it's an album worth having.

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Dang Thai Son & Frans Brüggen - Chopin's Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (2006)

Last year marked Chopin's 200th birthday anniversary. Among the thousands of celebrations all over the world dedicated to this most famous Polish composer, the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw released a very unique CD box-set. On 21 discs, it contains all of Chopin's works - from the early polonaises and songs of young Frycek (as he was affectionately called by his relatives), through to the many mazurkas, nocturnes and preludes he wrote throughout his life. The box-set showcases some of the most renowned pianists in the world - e.g. Nelson Goerner, Janusz Olejniczak, Kevin Kenner, Fou Ts' ong, Dina Yoffe, etc...

What's so special about it, you might ask? Well, what makes these CDs unique, in my opinion, is the fact that all of the recordings have been made using historical instruments - an 1849 Erard and an 1848 Pleyel; both made in Paris around the time of Chopin's early death. There's also an extra bonus: the CD marked NIFCCD OOO is a recording from a 1948 concert held at the Belvedere to mark the 138th anniversary of Chopin's birthday. The performer - Raul Koczalski - was a student of Karol Mikuli, who in turn was Chopin's pupil. Koczalski devoted his life to Chopin's music and considered himself a true heir of Fryderyk's style. Well, after all, Koczalski received lessons from a guy who took direct notes from Chopin himself! I really think that's the closest we can get to hearing what Chopin wanted his music to sound like.

Do the pianos make such a difference, you might ask? Well, quite frankly, they do. The pianoforte instrument, as we know it today, underwent many changes which shaped its current look. If you recall Miloš Forman's 1984 Oscar-packed film "Amadeus", then you might remember the weird-looking instrument played by Mozart. The white keys were black and vice versa...Well, that's the harpsichord, the predecessor of the modern-day pianoforte. The idea of the harpsichord was then 'upgraded' many times up until Chopin's era - the range was raised from 4 to 7 octaves, the frame was made of wood rather than iron and the hammers came to be made out of felt instead of leather. With these changes, a new instrument was created - the pianoforte - which, although stems from the idea of the harpsichord, is not directly related to it in its mechanical construction.

The differences between modern-day pianofortes and the ones contemporary to Chopin - like the use of single-escapement key mechanisms or the varying strike-points in the higher registers - meant that Chopin's music sounded completely different in the 19th century than it does nowadays. It is virtually impossible to achieve the same sostenuto sound that Chopin had in mind, with the pedal mechanisms we have in pianos these days.

And if that wasn't enough for authenticity, the piano concerto CDs were recorded with Frans Brüggen's 'Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century', which consists of nearly 60 musicians, all of them playing on historical instruments or on contemporary copies. The only two piano concertos Chopin has ever wrote - the E-minor op.11 and the F-minor op.22 - are far from being my favourite pieces by the composer. However, I really like the idea of 'historically-informed' performances and so I found this CD really interesting.

You can check out the recordings at: 

http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/institute/publications/musics/id/352

BTW - the http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/ portal (the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute website) is a fantastic resource for all your Chopin inquiries - whether it be biography, events, compositions, filmography, letters, etc. And apart from that, you can listen to all of the CDs from the box-set and buy them on-line. Check it out!

  

It's a real shame that Chopin died only a couple of dozen years before people figured out a way to record sound. We will therefore never be able to hear the great composer play his own work. However, these CDs, I believe, are really close to hearing the 'real deal'.

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Madlib - Shades of Blue (2003)

Otis Jackson Jr.'s moniker is actually a wordplay on the Latin phrase: 'ad libitum' (or 'ad lib' for short) meaning 'at one's pleasure'. In a musical context, it usually is an invitation for a performer to improvise a certain passage, play it at his own discretion. And it seems that Madlib does just that - he digs up samples, fiddles with them and pairs them up with neat breakbeats thereby 'improvising' a new sound.

The 'Shades of Blue' album is even more so interesting, because the samples used throughout the entire production come from the legendary Blue Note labels' archives. Madlib surely had a lot to choose from. Actually, saying that he merely samples old recordings would be a gross understatement. Rather than that, he uses the various bits and bobs he finds as instruments and, much like the head of an orchestra, creates a musical collage with a fresh and unique sound. No wonder then, that one of Madlib's alter egos is called 'The Beat Konducta'.

The results of his invasion of the Blue Note catalog are quite impressive. Madlib remixes many classics, such as: Gene Harris' "The Book of Slim", Donald Byrd's "Distand Land" and "Stepping into Tomorrow", Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" or Bobby Hutcherson's 'Montara', giving them a new appeal. There's also a bunch of skits and interludes thrown in for good measure, which tell the story of the Blue Note label and give us an insight into Madlib's answering machine (!).

Much like the title of the album suggests, the various tracks spread across the whole emotional spectrum. You can find tunes with a real hip-hop edge ('Please Set Me At Ease' with guest MC Medaphoar); some break-heavy jams ('Stormy' or 'Funky Blue Note'); slower, moody grooves ('Andrew Hill Break'); and tracks which might as well have had a 'nu-jazz' label stuck on them ('Song For My Father' or 'Peace / Dolphin Dance'). What all these tracks have in common, however, is the delicious, ear-pleasing production quality served by Madlib. Even the most raw and simple songs are filled with carefully picked sounds - there's an almost silent horn over here, a distant cowbell on the off-beat there, some barely noticeable vocals harmonising with the strings, a swinging piano in the background, etc. That's what really makes this album sound so good and I also believe that part of the fun with it is exploring these hidden gems.

'Shades of Blue' is also special for one more reason. Madlib is so far the only hip-hop producer ever to release an album on the legendary Blue Note label, which has in its roster such prominent artists as: Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins or Cannonball Adderley. Do you think he can match his label mates? Well, just see for yourself!

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Dimitri From Paris - live @ Djoon, Paris (8/04/2011)

Ok...Let's start off by saying that Dimitri from Paris is actually not from Paris. Dimitri Yerasimos, as is his actual name, was born in Istanbul to Greek parents. However, he grew up in France and from an early age was heavily involved in the French house scene. Taking inspiration from 70s disco and funk, he created a unique sound that quickly got him the recognition he deserved - in 1986 he was hosting the first house music radio show in France on Radio NRJ. Apart from that he was involved in producing runway soundtracks for such fashion labels as: Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermès and Yves Saint-Laurent. In 1996 he released his first album, entitled 'Sacrebleu', on Bob Sinclar's Yellow Productions label, which was a massive success - UK's Mixmag proclaimed it 'Album of the Year'. Dimitri is also responsible for tons of remixes, for such renowned artists as: Björk, The Cardigans, James Brown, New Order and Quincy Jones.

I'm writing about Dimitri cause just a couple of weeks ago I had the immense pleasure of hearing the man live at Djoon - the soulful mekka of all the househeadz in Paris and by far my favourite club in the French capital. And, I gotta admit, it was utterly mind blowing! Trust me, I've been to many clubs in my life, heard many djs play, but what Dimitri showcased cannot be expressed in human terms - it was a night of pure magic and a truly spiritual experience!

If I were to choose one word to describe it, it would definitely be: energy !...Dimitri is simply the god of the 12" realm. Throughout the night he was serving the groove-hungry crowd an eclectic mix of the finest cuts of beats out there. The ease with which he jumps between genres, mixing music from the whole spectrum of 'dance music' results in a hot and heavy mixture of pure joy. Simply dynamite!

I think that's what really separates the men from the boys. DJ-ing is seriously not only about getting the perfect, seamless blends. It's sooo much more! And if there's anybody who understands, it's gotta be Dimitri. The man was like a snake-charmer, hypnotising the crowd with the slightest move of the faders.Utilising tricks that in some societies could easily be classified as black magic, Dimitri took control of our bodies and souls for the whole night, creating a truly mystical musical journey. I mean, at several points during the night I found myself getting to the point where I thought I was gonna rip the hair off my head - if that's not Voodoo, I don't know what is!...Tune after tune, Dimitri manages to make your heart beat faster and faster, and just when you start thinking to yourself: 'My god, can he take it even further?'....straight away, he comes in with another banger of a tune, making you submit to his beat-infused mysticism!

Like I said before, the true magic in this mix stems from Dimitri's excellent intuition and his unmistakable eclectic style. There's soulful, disco-diva-styled vocals, hypnotic hard-hitting beats, fantastic percussion arrangements with plenty of mayfield-like congas and cowbells...all this is covered with fat, funky basslines and a steamy, red-hot groove! Tune, after tune, after tune!

So, if you wanna see for yourself what dance music is really about it, buckle up and let Dimitri hijack your soul!

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