It was the opening night of the Nevermind exhibition at the Loading Bay Gallery in London and I managed to get a look round! 20 years have passed since the now seminal album was released. This week the album was re-issued in a deluxe package with extra live footage and songs, so thought it the ideal time to post up some pics from the gallery.
Old Magazines featuring the band and rare formats of the album
Posters from gigs and a framed whiteboard (bottom right)
Lyrics from the album adorned the stairs and walls of the gallery
A famous photo of Kurt
That picture from the album, but bigger, and £500(!)
It was a privilege to go but overall I was slightly disappointed by some of the items on display, maybe 20 years isn't so long ago and seeing a framed whiteboard or one of Kurts hoodies wasn't enough to induce nostalgia. Nevermind still powerfully speaks to the listener and has kept it's relevance; is it too early to look back on it with a rose tinted fondness?
The exhibition will be running for two weeks only from Tuesday September 13th to Sunday September 25th at The Loading Bay Gallery, Brick Lane from 1pm-7pm daily. Entry is free.
A bit of a guilty pleasure playlist this one, but being into records such as Was Not Was' Shake Your Head, Rene & Angela's I Love You More and the likes of Patrice Rushen I decided to put together a wider collection of 80's R&B meets dance.
A labour of love over the last few months, there's a couple of slower numbers in here as well for good measure and popping up are Angela Bofill's Let Me Be The One and Stephanie Mills 'What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'" amongst a couple of others.
Also check out Rare Pleasure's 'Let Me Down Easy', the sample behind David Morales house smash Needin U.
The big chill campsite, looking towards the main stage from the guest area
This was definitely one of those trips where the journey was an integral part as leaking what smelt like a large quantity of petrol from Bristol, we shambled our way down the motorway towards the picturesque Eastnor deer park with most windows open and the small black Fiat threatening to be driven apart into pieces at any moment (mum don't read this!). We actually managed to put the tent up in daylight, a step forward on last years pitch black pitching, and tented ourselves near a tree (theory being a good landmark makes it easy to locate).
Having done the transporting and pitching, we made it down into the main stage for Chemical Brothers Friday headline slot after being drawn to 'cubehenge' for some jungle. Chems put on a fantastic show though, dropping their hits in all the right places and with some expansive visuals on the big screen to support the Djing and samples. Our tickets were a kind gift from Vodafone so we were amongst the few who made it into the TV gallery, looking over the 30,000 strong crowd, it was a great experience.
Janelle shakes her Monae maker
A 3am finish, we woke on the Saturday and hastily set about making a plastic cups worth of tea, and eating disco's (the crisps). First up after we'd managed to get down to the main stage was Janelle Monae, who put on a great set once again (I was lucky to have seen her at wireless festival earlier in the season). Towards the end of her show she likes to put people to sleep, the aim being everyone at the front sits or lies down, as the band wind down and pretend to go to sleep on the stage, then kick right back up again with some rawkus. This also brought rain, which amusingly resulted in the guy in front hastily shaking his fist in anger at the sky. Luckily this year an umbrella was to hand.
Saturday night and we went to see Aloe Blacc play in the Revellers Tent, he created very much a lounge vibe and enjoyed one of his best album tracks in Green Lights before we skipped out to see if Kanye had turned up yet. Half an hour late he did but the performance, or what we saw of it, was fairly flat. Starting out singing from the tv tower, which turned heads (literally), he moved to the stage and sang a further 3 album tracks, before launching a 10 minute monologue about being lonely, persecuted, picking up a dud award at the German MTV awards and complaining he had lost his voice to 'bring y'all a great show, a great product'. It was a strange but also a sad moment. The crowd had been upbeat; now those who had been seeking to hear a carousel of his hits were leaving in their droves. From there we went to see Buraka Som Sistema with some samba house and set about finding a fire to sit round in the guest area.
Sunday AM heralded sitting in the tent rustling up some fish sandwiches, getting through the remaining supplies and reading the newspaper whilst listening to the excellent Delta Swamp Rock compilation on SoulJazz. We wondered down the hill to the stage area and the sun really did come out with DJ Derek's brilliant reggae set and Norman Jay before that with his mix of dnb, house and good times. On the Saturday a hyperactive but enthusiastic Craig Charles brought us some of his favourite records on the cubehenge stage, the former Red Dwarf actor and Robot Wars host turned 6Music DJ and funk champion.
Wearily returning to London late on Sunday night meant I missed Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings which was a shame, but for what was to become a week of riots and madness, Big Chill did not disappoint, and is still one of the UK's best festivals for dance, pop, soul and reggae fans. ****
'Sam Bakers Album' is the self titled and newly released Samiyam break. It's also the follow up to Rap Beats Vol 2. and the first album that's come through Flying Lotus' label Brainfeeder that has really caught and kept my attention. The man from Michigan relocated to the musical hub of Los Angeles and was previously known for his use of video game inspired 8-bit hiphop beats. His newest effort goes above and beyond that calling.
Seventeen tracks, essentially presented as mini-ideas, breathe with electronic soul taking in influence from deep eighties jazz funk, films and sounds that could have turned up on a re-modelled nite flight compilation.
An album geared towards after-hours listening, as warped, vibey keys blur with looped vocals, film samples and various beats, flittering between hip-hop, broken beat and dubstep. There's alot of limiter placed on each loop, which moves it to the notion that you've discovered a pirate radio station late at night, under the covers.
Whereas some concept albums can spread themselves too thinly, the majority here are thoroughly enjoyable. And whilst it's difficult to hum them after, when the record ends, it leaves you with a niggling to come back for more. It's more a soundtrack than a traditional album with singles, now all we need is the great film to match.
If you've checked out spoof blaxploitation flick Black Dynamite then you'll know about the highly authentic soundtrack composed by Adrian Younge (who also edited the film). The soundtrack itself stands when compared to those Younge took influence from, the likes of Marvin Gayes 'Trouble Man' , Shaft by Isaac Hayes and Willie Hutch's score to Foxy Brown to name a few. It was high time to catch up with the man himself and ask a few questions about Black Dynamite, his newly launched record shop and his next venture under the guise of Venice Dawn. Thankfully, he agreed, so peel your eyes and enjoy BristolFunk viewers :
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"An essential component, in old soul, is the warmth of the tape"- Adrian Younge
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BF: The artwork for Black Dynamite was an integral part of promoting the movie and album, have you decided on the art for the new album and are there any tips you'd give to artists when thinking about it?
Adrian: "The artwork was designed by Freddy Azures, of wax poetics magazine, for the black dynamite album. He was also commissioned to create the artwork for “something about April.” The artwork is an integral part of the new album because it explores notions that were frowned upon by many in a historically racist society. Can’t say too much now, but you should get it when you see the artwork. The time frame for the album is about 1969."
Sounds like a classic. You favoured an analogue only approach on Black Dynamite, do you think that some music today is over produced or could do with a return to warmer, more organic sounds?
"It all depends; if you are creating old soul music, I think it is unfortunate when recorded with exclusively modern technology. An essential component, in old soul, is the warmth of the tape. With the digital age, some music isn’t supposed to be that warm; however, some is. Modernly, many producers are lazy, or uneducated, and do not feel the need to inundate themselves with analog technology. Ironically, these producers spend so much time in post (trying to create an analog sound) that they should have just started the right way: recording in analog!"
How excited are you about the new album? Do you have a title and has it been hard work?
"Very excited. It was a lot of work and well worth the effort. I believe it is my greatest artistic accomplishment as a composer."
"The new album is entitled “Something About April.” The album depicts the ups and downs of a relationship through the eyes of a male and female. It will follow in the steps of Black Dynamite, but it is more progressive. For the BD soundtrack, I had to somewhat stay within the boundaries of classic Blaxploitation; with Something About April, I had the freedom to do whatever I desired. That being said, the new album is a darker album with more emotional content."
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"I believe Something About April is my greatest artistic accomplishment as a composer."
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If there is a message for people to take from the new album, what would it be?
"From a producer standpoint, there is one message: be yourself and don’t be negatively influenced by people critiquing your new sound. You must be the judge of your own music, and make your new music for yourself; then think of others. Basically, focus on your personal expectations of greatness."
You recently opened your own record store, were you inspired by record store day and what is your favourite record from the racks currently?
"The record store component, to our record store/salon, is operated by myself and my close friend Patrick Washington. We were just inspired by our love for vinyl. My favorite record on the racks currently is Portishead’s “Portishead.” "
Nice choice, is the Haircuts and records idea a new one? Why not a milk or juice bar?
"I’m sure that someone has thought about it; however, I have never seen another recordstore/salon. Also, this picture is our stylist, “Snag,” cutting Rob Swift of the Executioners:: "
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The first records I bought were Babylon Zoo- Spaceman and The Luniz- I Got 5 On It, both on tape, what was your first record and any regrets?
"My first record was michael jacksons thriller; no regrets."
If we were just playing musical top trumps, you would've won.. 11 and a half minutes of Greg Carmichael's Barely Breaking Even do it for me, but do you have a 'guilty pleasure' record in your collection?
"Everyone does…R.Kelly and public announcements first album: “Born into the 90s.”"
BF: Haha, that's some honesty! Thanks for your time- Anything to add??
Adrian: "Wax Poetics is releasing an EP of Venice Dawn soon. It will be a free digital download. And possibly playing UK at the end of the year"
-Venice Dawn's New Album 'There's Something About April is out Soon. Thankyou to Adrian Younge for humbly allowing me to interview him-
In our church homegroup we've recently been learning about how cities were intended to be places of refuge, cultural diversity and of prosperity. Tim Keller has written a very good book/DVD called Gospel In Life on it, and it got me thinking, how much does the city really means to us all in our daily lives? Should we go to the city for our career or to take from it, or should we be giving to it?
So this mix came about, a soundtrack for the city in the summer. Rare northern soul, funk and party to travel the trams to.
