Morbidly Obese Midget: Ra Power Mix

 

For five years now I've been playing around with a crappy old version of Mix Vibes mp3 mixer, inspired by the mixtapes and sets that I love to listen and dance to. Two weeks ago, after an unexpected bonus and much deliberation, I finally took the plunge and bought my own bottom-end MP3 controller - a Reloop Digital Jockey 2 running with Traktor LE.


The plunge coincided with a mixtape I'd been working on for our mates' Beards and Vikings houseparty a couple of weeks ago. It starts off with some party breaks and moves through some fat-electro into more progressive house. Enjoy!

  Ra Power! Mix by Morbidly Obese Midget
Alt link / http://soundcloud.com/musicalmana/ra-power-mix

Tracklisting:
Beat Assasins - We Run Tings
Dj Fixx - Shake it Naughty
Splitloop - Ghetto UK
Plump Djs - Put Em Up (NAPT Remix)
Fort Knox Five - Party Pushers (Krafty Cuts Remix)
Felguk - Buzz Me (Re-Work)
Calvin Harris - Stars Come Out (Rektchordz Remix)
The Beatpusherz - Muzik
Wunderbar - Gustavo Assis and Thiago Sian
Dibby Dougherty - Arizona
Talisman & Hudson - Leaving planet Earth (Dousk Remix)

FatPimp - hairy woman mixes

Peachi here: So this entry is a bit more mainstream than usual, but bear with me. Contained in this blog post are three very fine mixes of music of varying styles. Me-mate Alex (aka. Fatpimp - soon 2B a stag) is da master of blending mainstream tunes with the odd comedy blinder which always cheers me up... and who doesn't need that at some point! Save these for fun silly evenings where the mood is light ;)




... sense of humour-Ra is important in music, same as everywhere else innit! Thus'ly I present to thee three lovely mixes as follows:

The Rest is Noise - is the most recent with some unexpected complex electro bits (see 31.30 for brain spaz) in amongst the seemingly mainstream gumf. I've pointed my fave bits out with my comments on SoundCloud. Also watch out for the comedy interludes of Ivor Cutler at 14.45 (a favourite I must say) and 'I am a very stylish girl' (18.15)...

Well Seasoned - is the the next most recent with comedy interludes coutesy of the 'Salmon Dance' (7mins) and 'I like Apples and Oranges' (38mins). Nice HotChip mix in there too...

Revenge of the Long Haired Freaky People - well you get the idea.... but this one is a bit more of a JAZZ style mix... gotta be in the right silly mood for this.... or just on in the background for up-tempo relaxed moozik! (NB: hosted on my soundcloud page for now)

Anyway, enjoy those as a bit of change from the usual BANG BANG BANG!!

Emancipator - Safe in the Steep Cliffs

Peachi here. Well this post comes thanks to a tweet by Dr. Hedflux who put me on to this amasingly chilled and lovely new album by Emancipator called: Safe in the Steep Cliffs. You can listen to the whole album on his website before you decide whether to buy it or not. I suggest you buy it since he sounds like a home grown self produced talent that needs your support and they are both beautiful albums!


Here is the album description from the ABOUT section of his web page: “Safe In The Steep Cliffs” blends new instrumentation and organic samples with the signature Emancipator style of clean production, silky melodies and addictive drums. Dense layers of choirs, horns, American folk instruments such as the banjo and mandolin, violin and some distinct Asian influences make for a playful but refined album built out of intricate tracks listeners can enjoy on as many levels as they want. Dance to it, chill out to it, immerse your mind in it.

Emancipator says: 'Safe In The Steep Cliffs' represents the tightest, most unique, most organic beats I've made in the last three years. This album has a new palette of sounds and samples from around the world, including more original recordings (guitar/violin/mandolin/banjo) and new guest artists including Japanese jazz musician Uyama Hiroto. It's ominous and overgrown, dense and ethereal. And epic. Always epic.

While you're there check out his debut album "Soon It Will Be Cold Enough" that he self-released at the age of 19 in 2006: "it beautifully mixes hip hop beats with guitar feedback and a delicate piano melody,” Rolling Stone says. “You can feel his energy when he performs. His face lights up and you can see how much he enjoys the music.”


His debut album contains my favourite two tracks of his. Both quite different:
1) 'When I Go' for its beautiful vocals and 2) 'Good Knight' for its lovely blobby and crunchy yet chilled bassline
...but its all good for those super chilled mornings or afternoons ;)
Listen, enjoy and then buy!

Emancipate - To free from bondage, oppression, or restraint; liberate.

Radio Ra: Musical Mana Podcast - Fail #1

 

Inspired by our posts on this blog and our shared love of the artists and music we feature on it, Peachi and I are trying to get a podcast off the ground under the monicker of Radio Ra.

So far we've only managed a few sketchy pilots as we attempt to get our heads round the technical side of things. The first attempts at a joint podcast took place in Nottingham a few months ago, but were hampered by technical issues and far too much alcohol.

Since then Peachi's had a go at a some more sober solo shows and I recorded my first attempt at a pilot using my spanking new Reloop Digital Jockey 2 mp3 controller last night. I've only used the kit a few times so far so there are a few glitches, in particular a rather obvious technical fail at the end - *must* remember to plug laptop in next time - but mainly there's a whole bunch of fat bass heavy tunes that rock my world right now. Enjoy!

  Radio Ra Podcast - Musical Mana (Fail #1) - 19 May 2010 by Morbgit

PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed in this recording are entirely my own and most likely wrong. No facts were verified in the making of this podcast, so believe what I say at your own peril!

Sub Swara - The Balance - Coup d'Yah

I first got interested in Sub Swara through the gorgeous Fort Knox Five remix of the track - The Balance. You can hear it on the FNFive - Party Funk mix previously mentioned on this blog here. Listen out for Party Pushers and the remix of the Beatles - Revolution - another pair of favourites from that excellent mix that I play alot at home (tip: great for parties too).



The Balance remix has become a bit of a Ra-anthem for me at the moment with really personally meaningful lyrics and a tune that sticks in my head and keeps me bouncing along:

The Balance - Fort Knox Five Remix can be found on its own on their soundcloud page.

and the original is on theSub Swara debut album Coup d'Yah (June 2008) - follow that link to their website and you can hear the original. Completely different from what I expected but still love both versions.

Chorus Lyrics (sort of): We no born rich, we no dress fine, We R want ting in me own mind, We R link up, We R make tings, We R party hard til we break tings. We R physical, we emotinal, We R live free, We R liberal, We R fight back, We outrageous, We R deadly, We contagious... So what about de balance den den? Its all about the balance balance! Amen!

Killa Sound Boy on their sound cloud page is good too and here's their myspace page.

Here's how they describe themselves:
Sub Swara hails from Brooklyn, New York and plays music with a genre-bending bass weight that parallels the depth and diversity of its hometown. Consisting of Dhruva, Dave (Sharmaji) and Haj, with vocalist Juakali, Sub Swara’s music centers on a wide array of influences, from dub to dancehall to hip hop to punk rock to funk and global sounds. Meticulously crafted for both the dancefloor massive and the headspace, Sub Swara’s music unites tribes by bridging gaps across all lines. The crew blends both electronic production and live instrumentation into its recordings and performances, creating an intense, human touch in its modern, electronic sound.



If you go to the website and give your B-Day and e-mail you can also download a free mix of theirs. It's a really eclectic mix of global sounds, dub and funk - plus alot of other influences that blend nicely together. Here's the track listing:

Super Human Happiness	The Hounds
Sharmaji vs. DJ Rekha/Bikram Singh/Wyclef Jean	Basement Bhangra Anthem (Sharmaji RMX)
Taal Mala	Sess Whey U Waan
Hem	Rich Chroma
Guido feat. Yolanda	Way You Make Me Feel
Mosca	Nike
Foreign Beggars	Get a Bit More (Baobinga RMX)
DJ C feat Zulu	Animal Attraction (Piranha Piranha & Tuffist RMX)
Jahcoozi	Pillowcase (Octa Push RMX)
Distal	Boss of the South
Superisk	Eva Takada (Wascal RMX)
Seiji feat. Bembe Segue	Get it Together
Kush Arora	Humidifer (Jammer Club RMX)
Other Weapons feat. Juakali, Lady K & Dr. Israel	Backflow (Sub Swara RMX)
Ghislain Poirier feat. MC Zulu	Go Ballistic (King Cannibal RMX)
Lady Chan	Sticky Situation (Toddla T RMX)
RSD	Naked Mario Cart pt2
D1	Hold on to Me