Episode #36 - Dub Genesis

Tune in this week for a delightful trip through the echoes and reverb-drenched sounds of 1960s and 70s Jamaican dub. King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry will be our guides.

Episode #35 - Top of the World 2015

Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra - The Reason Why Vol. 2
http://headspinrecordings.com/releases/releasedetails.php?ID=52

Bixiga 70 - III
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/10/bixiga-70-iii-review

Le Vent Du Nord - Tetu
http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001393.php

Dengue Fever - The Deepest Lake
http://www.mojo4music.com/18756/dengue-fever-deepest-lake/

Dexter Story - Wondem
https://www.soundwayrecords.com/Shop/PhysicalDetails?pid=SWR_PH_147

Shooglenifty - The Untied Knot
http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2015/08/shooglenifty-the-untied-knot/

 

 


 

Episode #33 - Global Grooves

“Life is about rhythm. We vibrate, our hearts are pumping blood, we are a rhythm machine, that's what we are.”
- Mickey Hart

Remember a simpler time before memory
Devoid of distraction
You lay nestled in the womb of your mother
We all start from the same place
Surrounded by warmth and darkness
The single presence of a sound captured your focus
Existence was measured by the simple beat of the heart
Mother’s heart. The world heart
Speeding up. Slowing down
Always within its groove
9 months of a continuous rhythm
Counting out the days of your universe

This week, I’ve put together a playlist of rhythmically captivating songs that span the world. Global Grooves. Coming up in the next 90 minutes, you’ll hear a variety of mindblowing, booty shaking, soul stirring, get up and gyrate to the beats of humanity’s pulsating polygalactic heartbeat music.

1. Manu Dibango - Africa Boogie 
2. Rocket Juice & The Moon - Night Watch 
3. The Big Beats - Mi Nsumoo Bo Donn 
4. Vula Viel - Yes Yaa Yaa 
5. Global Drum Project - Baba 
6. The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band - Kwang Noi Chaolay 
7. Fania All Stars - Smoke 
8. Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - The Ambush 
9. Juaneco Y Su Combo - Vacilando con Ayahuasca 
10. Tito Puente - Wata Wasuri 
11. Iconili - O Rei de Tupanga 
12. Matias Aguayo - Minimal 
13. Bachar Mar-Khalife - Lemon 
14. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Higher Consciousness (Remix) 
15. Goran Kafjes Subtropic Arkestra - Storstad 
16. Bixiga 70 - Niran

Episode #32 - Songs of Resilience

1. Proud Earth - Chief's Lament 
2. The Wabanakis of Maine and the Maritimes - Little Pines 
3. Eric Landry - Out of the Blue 
4. Mariee Souix - Two Tongues at one time 
5. Willie Dunn - Ballad Of Crowfoot 
6. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Native North American Child 
7. Willie Thrasher - We Got To Take You Higher 
8. Link Wray - Ice People 
9. Nahko and Medicine for the People - Vultures of Culture 
10. Redbone - Wovoka 
11. Willy Mitchell - Kill'n Their Mind 
12. Floyd Westerman - Just Another Holy Man 
13. David Campbell - Underneath Blue Canadian Skies 
14. Willie Dunn Metis - Red River Song 
15. Sikumuit - Sikumuit 
16. David Campbell - No Not Columbus 
17. Dakota 38 Soundtrack - The Hanging 
18. Willie Dunn - Son Of The Sun

Down in the WMPG basement with Randy, discovering

some vinyl gems and realizing that we need

to do a second Native American music show soon.

Episode #31 - Global Grab Bag

The mysterious sounds of Raoul Lugar Yaugud Duguay!

Today's show was a mix of global sounds from vintage and contemporary releases. Thanks to all of the callers who enjoyed the trip!

Global Grab Bag Setlist

1. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz - Sweet Mother
2. The Barbeques - Aaya Lolo
3. T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou - Ye Ye We Nou Mi
4. Raoul Lugar Yaugud Duguay - Prelude / La Bitt A Tibi
5. La Vent Du Nord - Elise
6. Genticorum - La Chasse
7. Cat Stevens - Rubylove
8. Mikis Theodrakis - Zorba’s Dance
9. Kimmo Pohjonen - Cyclon
10. Kinky - Uruapan Breaks
11. Caceres - Tango Negro II (La Vuelta)
12. Shantel & Areti Ketime - EastWest - Dysi Ki Anatoli
13. Chlopcy Kontra Basia - Oj Tak!
14. Les Loups Noirs D'Haiti - Jet Biguine
15. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz - Wayo In-Law

Episode #30 - Escape from the Planet of the 70s

1. Graham Central Station - It’s All Right - Ain’t No Bout A Doubt It - 1975
2. Ramsey Lewis - Spider-Man - Don’t It Feel Good - 1975
3. Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - Shadows - Expansions - 1975
4. Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information - Inspiration Information - 1974
5. David Cortez and the Moon People  - Happy Soul with A Hook - Fania: El Barrio Boxset
6. Fania All Stars - There You Go - Fania: El Barrio Boxset
7. Aretha Franklin - Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) - Let Me In Your Life
8. Ike and Tina Turner - Bold Soul Sister - The Hunter
9. Nina Simone - Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter - It Is Finished
10. Jerry Reed - Bake - East Bound & Down
11. Larry Jon Wilson - Ohoopee River Bottomland - Country Funk: 1969-1975
12. New Riders of the Purple Sage - Too Hard To Handle - Self-Titled (1973)
13. Dr. John - I Been Hoodooed - In The Right Place
14. Grant Green - Ain’t It Funky Now - Green Is Beautiful
15. Tower of Power - Squib Cakes - Back To Oakland
16. Herbie Hancock - Chameleon (Edit) - Headhunters
17. Robert Palmer - Every Kind of People - Double Fun
18. James Brown - I Can’t Stand It ‘76 - Hell

Episode #29 - Still Lost In The 70s (Tribute to Allen Toussaint)

Yes, We Can (Parts 1 & 2) - Lee Dorsey and Allen Toussaint
Soul Sister - Allen Toussaint
Tippi Toes - The Meters
Here Come The Girls - Ernie K-Doe
Night People - Lee Dorsey and Allen Toussaint
Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John
Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley - Robert Palmer
Life Is A Carnival - The Band
Tell Me What's On Your Mind - Cyril Neville & The Meters
Ain't No Sunshine - Roy Ayers
You Goin' Miss Your Candyman - Terry Callier
I Want You To Be Mine - Kayak
Song Within A Song - Camel
Southern Nights - Allen Toussaint

Episode #28 - 70s (Guilty Pleasures, Hidden Treasures)

Cal Tjader & Charlie Byrd - Tambu
Paul Simon - Late In The Evening
Monguito Santamaria - Black Dice
Herbie Hancock - Gentle Thoughts
George Duke - Brazilian Love Affair
Sea Level - Rain In Spain
Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman
Piero Umiliani - Savana
Nina Simone - To Love Somebody
Hall & Oates - Alone Too Long
Robert Palmer - Sailin’ Shoes
Aaron Neville - Hercules
Dr. John - I Walk On Gilded Splinters
Roberta Flack - Go Up Moses
Ken Boothe - Let’s Get It On
Taj Mahal - Roll, Turn, Spin
John Lucien - Would You Believe In Me?
Al Jarreau - Rainbow In Your Eyes

Episode #27 - Around the World in 25 Songs

1. Yothu Yindi - Gapu, Djapana

   

   
   

2. Black Rose - Raude
3. Deodato - September 13
4. Le Ry-Co Jazz - Dima Bolane
5. Julieta Venegas - Ese Camino
6. Los Lobos - There I Go
7. Weather Report - Non-Stop Home
8. Groan Box - Deep Tree Diving
9. Eccodek - In Confidence
10. Genticorum - Reel Circulaire
11. Revibe - Delphi
12. Vula Viel - Lobi
13. Eardrum - Yellow Skies
14. Serge Gainsbourg - Requiem Por Un Con
15. Chateau Flight & Bertrand Burgalat - Les Antipodes
16. Piero Umiliani - Lady Magnolia
17. Shantel - Marko I Shantel
18. Habib Koite - Sambara
19. The Very Best - Guju Guju
20. Mbwongwana Star - Shegue
21. Ayub Ogada - Thum Nyatiti
22. Mai Lệ Huyền - Duyên Phận Con Gái (A Girl's Destiny)
23. Ween - Pollo Asado
24. ...
25. ...

Turns out, it only takes 23 songs to get around the globe. We made it from Australia to Vietnam. Not quite a full circumnavigation of the globe. But pretty damn close!

Episode #26 - American Polka Party!

A short documentary about a small town Polka Fest in Bird Island, Minnesota.


Extremely raw home movie made at Birnamwood Polka Days (Wisconsin) in 1983.

Episode #25 - Los Lobos

The ambassadors of Chicano Rock, Blues, Folk & Soul!

Show Setlist

Songs played on-air, but missing from the Spotify list:
Poquito Para Aquí (Gates of Gold)
Evangeline (How Will The Wolf Survive?)
Corrido #1 (How Will The Wolf Survive?)
Mexico Americano (Acoustico En Vivo)
On A Night Like This (Masked & Anonymous Soundtrack)
When We Were Free (Gates of Gold)

Discover the Roots of Los Lobos

Here are some links to documentaries about Los Lobos in the early days. Great footage of the bearded 70s Hidalgo and Rosas playing folkloric classics in polyester white pants. Also, cool footage from the early L.A. club days. Steve Berlin rips it up on the sax!

Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles (Early Documentary)

Los Lobos: ...And a Time to Dance! (1984 PBS Documentary)

Promo for Sonic Latitudes #24: The Genius of Gustavo Santaolalla

Episode #23 - Global New Releases

1) Cabruera - Doce de Coco (Colors of Brazil)

Hard to classify - samba, funk, Afrobeat and rhythms from northeastern Brazil.
2) Bixiga 70 - Mil Vidas (III)
Brazilian Afrobeat. Reinterpreting the music made popular in the late 60s and 70s by the likes of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.
3) Zebrabeat Afro-Amazonia Orquestra - Amazonia Orquestra (Amplificador)
A compilation from Amplificador - a Brazilian music blog. Writers picked 17 outstanding examples of new musical endeavors from around the country. The album is full of retro-classicist sounds that are the common foray of the Far Out label.
4) Palenke Soultribe - Tripao (Tercer Chofao) feat. Son Palenque (Versus EP)

Colombian sounds channelled through Los Angeles-based group. Psychedelic dance.
5) Groanbox - Wolfe Ridge (Groanbox)
Band that has a penchant for recording in strange locations. Their 6th album was recorded in a cabin in the Ontario wilderness.
6) Shooglenifty - Samhla Reel/Scolpaig (The Untied Knot)
25 years and running. Scottish group who continues to redefine their sound. On their 7th album, Shooglenifty keep the Celtic diaspora party going!
7) Calan - Tale of Two Dragons (Dinas)
Dragon-fighting Welsh music!
8) Raul Rodriguez - Razon De Son (Razon De Son)
Cuban tres guitar with son and flamenco.
9) Orblua - O Diabo da Velha (Retratos Cineticos)
Gorgeous vocal music from Portugal.
10) Mec Yek - Kali Som (Super Diver City)

Roma Reggae. Fronted by Roma sisters, Katia and Mielka Pohlodkova.
11) Oulhawen win Tidit - Faris (Mississippi to Sahara)
Toureg guitar music from Algeria
12) Ludovico Einaudi - Tonio Yima / Rirollala (The Taranta Project)
Features Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara (master griot from Gambia) both from Juju.
13) Khiyo - Doyal Tomaro
London-based group that interprets traditional Bengali music.
14) Cabruera - Nordeste Oculto (Colors of Brazil)
15) Iconili - O Rei de Tupanga (Amplificador)

Episode #22 - Mundo Electro

What happens when tradition collides with technology? This playlist features artists who bend their time-honored musical genres with electronics and robot beats.

Set I

Batida - Alegria (Alegria EP)

Salif Keita - Madan (Mouffou Remixes)

Mbongwana Star - Malukayi (feat. Konono N.1) - From Kinshasa

Smadj - Zakari (Spleen)

Gotan Project - El capitalismo foraneo - La Revancha Del Tango

Set II

Yothu Yindi - Gapu (The Tidal Mix) (Djapana CD Single - 1992)

Cheb Khalid - Ya Loualid - (Rough Guide To Rai)

Talvin Singh - Eclipse - (OK)

Koyate-Neerman - Requiem Por Un Con - (Skyscrapers and Dieties)

M.A.Z. - Reel De La Tentation (Chasse-Galerie)

Set III

Cornelius - Brazil - (Point)

Amon Tobin - Nightlife - (Permutation)

Balkan Beat Box - Cha Cha - (Balkan Beat Box)

Burcan Ocal and the Trakya all-Stars - Karabiber - (Trakya Dance Party)

Pernett - Primitivo - (The Caribbean Computer)

Wakal - Terraza Mantel - (Pop/Street Sound)

Episode #21 - Tales from the American Folk Festival

Part 1 - Opening Parade, Introduction & De Temps Antan Interview

Part 2 - The Dardanelles Interview

Photo Gallery from the 2015 American Folk Festival

The Dardanelles perform to a full house on Saturday night.

Episode #20 - American Folk Festival Preview

The American Folk Festival in Bangor, ME is coming up fast. Next weekend (Aug. 28th, 29th and 30th) the Queen City’s waterfront will be transformed into a cultural festival presenting music, dance and other performing arts from across America and the world. Plus there’s food... a variety of regional, ethnic and good ol’ fair food. The event is free of charge (of course donations are kindly accepted) and family friendly - providing lots to do and see for the youngsters in your life. As the host of Sonic Latitudes, I’ll be attending the festival (with my media pass) which will give me access to the artists and my goal is to bring back interviews and new sounds for a show that will air on Sunday September, 6. Today’s show is gonna be my Folk Festival preview. I’ve put together a playlist of artists who will hit the stage next weekend and standout artists who’ve appeared at the festival in years past. The next 30 minutes will spotlight some of these past artists. Then, around the top of the hour, I’ll focus on this year’s artists.

Here are some pics from Bon Debarras' performance at last year's festival. This Quebecois trio delighted the audience with their unique spin on traditional French-Canadian folk music.

Episode #19 - Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Just got back from a week in Lyons, Colorado, visiting my brother and his family. It was hard to leave those snowcapped mountains and our loved ones behind. In an effort to lift my spirits, I put together a playlist of some of my favorite hippie bluegrass and funk from the Front Range region. Here's some Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Grant Farm, Drew Emmitt, Kyle Hollingsworth and Emmitt-Nershi Band. Sure to cure any blues!

Leftover Salmon

Episode #15 - Songs of the Sea

Sailing. Was there ever a more popular theme or motif in pop and rock music of the 70s and 80s. Crosby Stills & Nash released Southern Cross in ‘82. Lionel Richie sang “Sail On” in ‘79. Who can forget Jimmy Buffet’s “Son of a Sailor” - one could say that he even pioneered sailing rock. Do you remember Loggins & Messina? They belted out the chorus to Vahevela on their album Sittin’ In… a song that romanticized the life of island hopping Caribbean pirates. Later they released an album titled “Full Sail.” The cover to this album left such an impression on me as a kid. Two suntanned dudes at the helm of a sailboat. The fully bearded Kenny Loggins holds a pipe and his bare-chested captain, Jimmy Messina, holds the wheel with his Hawaiian shirt slung over his shoulder.

These modern sea songs painted a picture of luxury and romance. As Christopher Cross sang,

“Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see Believe me”

The canvas can do miracles, that’s true Mr. Cross. But the canvas can also fill the heart with longing and cast dreams into oblivion. In fact, most sea songs and shanties preceding the cocaine and merlot-fueled yacht-sailing fantasies of the 70s and 80s, dealt with the dreams, feats and tragedies of hard-working sailors.
Today on Sonic Latitudes, I’ve put together a playlist that explores sea songs and shanties of old from around the globe. Coming up in the next 90s mins you’ll hear songs from Nova Scotia, the British Isles, Australia, Cape Verde, Portugal, Brazil and the Bahamas.

Episode #18 - World Fusion

This episode's playlist pulls together some of my favorite examples of world fusion - collaborations between artists from different regions or singular artists who blend genres to create something new and innovative.

1. Mdungu - Rio Nights
2. Goran Kafjes Subtropic Arkestra - Dokuz Seki/Esmerim*
3. Tipsy Oxcart - Honey Dripper
4. SoCalled - Baleboste

6. Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita - Future Strings
7. Nitin Sawnhey feat Faheem Mazhar - Daybreak
8. Titi Robin - Sur Tes Pas - Taziri
9. 17 Hippies - Worksong
10. Eardrum - Astrobeat - Colonised
11. Mickey Hart - Happiness is Drumming

12. The Demon Barbers - Disco At the Tavern
13. Martin Bennet - Swallowtail
14. Bei Bei & Shawn Lee - Hot Thursday
15. Ibibio Sound Machine - The Tortoise
16. Juju - Nightwalk*
17. The Toure-Raichel Collective - Kfar
    
    
    
    

Episode #17 - Cosmic Quebec

Today, we’re taking a little trip back in time to a province not so far away. I’ve put together a playlist of French Canadian prog-rock from the 1970s to stimulate your ears and expand your mind.

One thing that most Mainers fail to consider is the benefit of our close proximity to Canadian province of Quebec. Of course, this means we can easily drive across the border for international vacations and gorge on buckets of poutine, but it means so much more. Visit any used record shop in Maine and you’re likely to find LPs from Quebecois artists. Some shops, like Strange Maine even have a French/Quebecois section! Dig into those crates and you’ll find some unique and sonically distinct Quebecois prog rock albums. That’s right, throughout the 1970s, the province of Quebec was host to a largely unknown, but adventurous prog rock scene. Many of those records made their way across the borders into the states of New York, Vermont and of course, Maine. Today I’m going to share some of the sonic nuggets that I’ve recently uncovered from the land of Bonhomme and Fleur-de-Lys! We’re exploring Quebec’s progressive past here on Sonic Latitudes.

1. L’Engoulevent - La fete De La Musique
2. Cano - Mon Pays
3. Harmonium - Harmonium
4. Fiori-Seguin - Deux Cents Nuits a L’heure
5. Offenbach - Promenade sur Mars
6. Pollen - Tout’l Temps
7. Morse Code - Cocktail
8. Yves Laferriere - des instruments charges a blanc
9. Bregent - Mes Longs Voyages
10. Maneige - Le Gai Marvin
11. Maneige - Mambo Chant
12. Franck Dervieux - Hyperboree, Civilisation “Un”
13. Contraction - Delire
14. Morse Code - Procreation

Episode #16 - Vintage African Grooves

Today's show is all about the funky grooves created throughout West Africa in the late 60s, 70s and early 80s. Dig.

1. Yatchiminou - Jimmy Hiacynthe - Ivory Coast Soul
2. Zadie bobo - Ernesto Djédjé - Ivory Coast Soul
3. Ilha Virgem - Jovens Do Prenda - Angola Soundtrack - The Unique...
4. African Dialects - Peter King - Nigeria 70 - Lagos Jump
5. Me Yee Owu Den - K. Frimpong And His Cubanos Fiestas - Afro Beat Airways
6. Fever - Jingo - Afro-Rock Volume 1
7. Pachanga Maria - Os Bongos - Angola Soundtrack - The Unique...
8. Everybody Likes Something Good - Ify Jerry Crusade - Nigeria 70 - Lagos Jump
9. Unite - Moussa Doumbia - Ivory Coast Soul
10. Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
11. Kazucuta - Os Bongos - Angola Soundtrack - The Unique...
12. Let Them Talk - Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats - The Rough Guide To West Africa...
13. La ilaha illalahou - Ali Ibrahim - Ivory Coast Soul
14. Eme Lelu - Quim Manuel O Espirito Santo - Angola Soundtrack - The Unique...
15. Afe Ato Yen Bio - De Frank Professionals - Afro Beat Airways
16. Hustler - Tony Allen - Jealousy - Progress