Hamza el Din, Master of the Oud (Ud)

Here is some culture for your ears by Hamza el Din on the Oud. If you like this track you should check out his 3 part track called Water Wheel on youtube. Here is part one of three: Water Wheel part 1

Suite For Ma Dukes Orchestra - Untitled / Fantastic (A Tribute To J DIL...

Amazing. Hip Hop was told at a young age it would never amount to anything by the "sophisticated" classes. This performance is Hip Hop shouting from the mountaintop, "Look at me now!".

Batida - "Bazuka (Quem me Rusgou?)"

Bazuka!

Mattafix - Big City life (High Quality)

A song by London based duo (they are onto their own solo projects now) Mattafix I just discovered. I don't know where this song has been for the last 5 years but I'm glad it found a home in my ear today.

El Tigeraso, Maluca

Ignoring boundaries, blending different cultural sound and generally advocating for her own type of change is Bronx born Maluca. Raw sound. You can find the official video for this track on youtube but I try not to support music videos with advertising on this blog so go find it your damn self. 

hamid zahir lile a sidi 3mara remix حـمـيـد الـزهـيـر

I do plan on articulating the theme of this blog a bit more down the road. For now you are going to continue to get a wide blend of world music, political music, chillwave (dilla, flying lotus type beats), a bit of hip hop and music that I think has pushed or is pushing change in the (music) world. I have decided to incorporate American Folk music into a separate blog, more on that soon. World music is always influencing neighboring countries and continents and eventually new music is formed (often in melting pots or political turmoil, i.e. hip hop) which incorporates styles and influences from various regions and cultures into the new form which may sound nothing like anything it is influenced by. This is why I pay attention to beats, melodies and trends from different areas of the world. It isn't always an easy task to listen to music from another culture or in another language but if you force yourself to listen, through the discomfort you may have, your music filter will expand and intensify greatly. Middle Eastern music is something we in the west don't often listen to or bother with (other than Indian music, for some reason we seem to embrace it) and that is a real shame because there is a wealth of beautiful music there steeped in many cultures, histories and religions. I doubt I will ever understand much of of it but my ears can now, through listening to enough of it, appreciate these sounds and begin to decipher what I enjoy and what I don't. Most of the Middle Eastern and African "Pop" (like pop everywhere) that comes out is terrible (and has a very cheesy, light sound to it, one exception is the autotune stuff that comes out of it which can be quite appealing at times) in my opinion but certain classic, timeless middle eastern music is often mesmerizing (especially when performed live). This performance by Moroccan Hamid Zahir and company is one of those timeless pieces of music. From the call and response to the rhythmic clapping to his skills on the strings, it doesn't let up throughout. Earth music.

Carlos Pickling Y Su Conjunto - El Rey Del Boogaloo DJ YEYE

Here is some serious jam cumbia from 1971. Carlos Pickling was one of the original organ grinders in cumbia history. Enjoy.

Vibrate On - Augustus Pablo Meets The Upsetter. [Dub-Wise]

Vibrate on with Augustus Pablo and The Upsetters.

reggae singalong no. 1 - police and thieves

Another mellow reggae tune perfect for springtime.

Tapper Zukie Man A Warrior

Whatchu know about some Tappa Zukie from 1977? Well now you know it exists. Perfect beat for a spring stroll.

Johnny Osbourne - We Need Love

A beautiful track by Johny Osbourne. A youtuber finally led me here after I was stumped as to what sample Quetzal was using on his Fig Pulp track. Brilliant.

Jamie Woon -- Lady Luck (Official Video)

This Jamie Woon is a neo soul singing Londoner who has more soul than he knows what to do with. There is a better audio quality version without the video here. Also, I am feelin this remix that Hudson Mohawk just did of this track. Tickle your ears with it here.