Dave Chappelle's Block Party

YOURZ

When the incomparable Mr Dave Chappelle decides to throw a party, he doesn't just invite a few friends, he throws down one of the best events ever staged on the streets of New York. 

Of course, the music is going to be the cream of hip hop and soul but not the normal shit you might hear on the radio.  This is the real, full flavoured, heavy bodied cream, which includes The Roots, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Jill Scott and Common.  And then of course, there's the comedic talents of Dave himself, who acts largely as narrator, announcer, master of ceremonies and roving crazyman-on-the-ground.

If you've not seen this documentary, I can't recommend it highly enough, not just because of the music but also for the general bonhomie of both the performers and the crowd, who turned out in droves to go to an event they knew little about.  And what an event it turned out to be. 

As a soundtrack, it features highlights from the show but not all the highlights, which means if you want to hear The Fugees (who reunited for this show) or a number of other great tracks, watch the movie.  On the soundtrack, the standouts for me are Dead Prez's Hip Hop, every time Jill Scott opens her mouth, Boom by The Roots, Back In The Day by Erykah Badu and Umi Says by Mos Def.

But there are so many good tracks, really it's worth listening to the album as a whole.  And for those of you who don't like hip hop, all I have to say is you really don't know what you're missing out on.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

We live in Brooklyn, baby.  The soundtrack to the documentary to the Block Party is flavoured with summer.

From the incidental conversation between the tracks, we learn there's going to be two barbecues set up, one for the vegans,and they'll be frying up some tofu for the girls.  That's the lovely Erykah Badu and the incomparable Jill Scott, who I've also enjoyed in her role as Precious Ramotswe in the TV series of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

But I digress.  This is a terriffic soundtrack to a fantastic idea Dave Chapelle had, and it really should be played on a summer's afternoon after a day at the beach, with the doors to the balcony wide open and something grilling on the barbecue, with a cold glass of something giving me a nice buzz and the salt crusting on my shoulders.  Roll on summer.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.chappellesblockparty.com/home.html

Space Invadas - Soul-Fi

YOURZ

I bought this out of some small loyalty I felt to one of our favourite DJs, Katalyst (real name Ashley Anderson).  Aside from his day job, he also runs Invada Records with Portishead Geoff Barlow.  With all this on his plate, the last thing you think he'd do would be start a side project. 

But with his friend, Steve Spacek, who has been one of his go-to vocalists in the past, they put together Space Invadas, with Soul-Fi being their first release.  While it isn't far removed from Anderson's previous output, what really differentiates this is Spacek's voice.

Recognised by such luminaries as Mos Def and Common as having one of the best modern soul voices, overlayed with the dynamic funk and soul beats Anderson is well known for, elevates Soul-Fi above the standard.  The astute, sharp beats and soul-filled vocals are a match made in music heaven.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

This Katalyst side project has some great moments - and some really ordinary ones. 

Bits I like: most of the songs are Funky (yes, we need the capital F) and as you'd expect from a producer of this calibre, they show extremely high production values.

Bits I don't like: Introductions to songs (why?) and the occasional move across into MOR R&B.  But it's mostly OK and mostly stuff I like.  So maybe I'll just delete the bits I don't like off the iPod.

VERDICT: TURN IT (MOSTLY) UP

For more information: http://www.spaceinvadas.com/

Roots Manuva - Awfully Deep

MINE

Ermph.  Reasonable.  Not Tricky.

I can't figure why YourZ thinks I'll like this, there's too much rappin' and not enough melody.  It just made me want to play Blue Lines full bore to remind myself what good Sarf London dubby-stuff is like, especially when you mix it with good melodic lines sung by great-voiced girls.

I liked the lyrics on some of it.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN/THROW IT OUT (can't raise enough interest to decide) (YourZ sez: c'mon, you have to pick one or the other) (Mine says: whatever YOU say we should do, darling)


YOURZ

I went through a phase where I brought a lot of hip hop, mainly because I was working with a young MC, writing and producing backing tracks for him.  I saw this as a way of educating myself about the variety of sounds and production techniques used by various artists around the world.  I knew I wasn't interested in any of the established black American artists mostly because I didn't (and don't) like their misogynistic attitudes and conspicuous consumption - bling culture has never interested me.

But there are artists making great, interesting music in the genre.  Artists like Handsome Boy Modelling School, The Roots and Mos Def make truly intelligent and innovative music.  While I get what he does and enjoy some of the tracks, for me Roots Manuva, unfortunately, can't be included in this group. 

While named by some as the one of the innovators of the British grime movement, Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva, makes music that is almost Tom Waits-ian in its production with literate, intelligent lyrics and lots of deep overdubbed voices.  There is also a bit of a nod to his Jamaican roots in some of the beats and use of horns.  But it is not particularly joyous music.  It is dark and challenging and often depressing in it lyrical content.

To be honest with you, hitting on this merely reminded me of how much crap I've added to the collection over the last half dozen years or so.  It actually kind of annoys me because I could've used my hard earned dollars to buy a lot of music we both like as opposed to music I considered necessary to have at the time. Damn it, I should've been more selfish.

Anyway, not to beat that puppy to death, while Mine and YourZ (truly) regularly go through our various collections (believe me, the music one is nothing compared to the book one), a lot of that stuff has managed to avoid the Great Axe of Disinterest (patent pending).  But not any more.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT (can you believe it, Mine, huh?)


For more information: http://www.rootsmanuva.co.uk/

In our collection we also have Run Come Save Me and Slime And Reason