First Word goodies

First Word Records have dropped the latest installment of their free compilation Two Syllables...

They say "It’s become a tradition over the last few years that we release one of our Two Syllables Compilations to coincide with Soundwave Festival ... First Word has been involved with Soundwave since day one and this year was no different, Tall Black Guy, Essa & Mr Thing, Riot Jazz Brass Band, kidkanevil and DJ Gilla all represented this year, with the FW vs Wah Wah 45s boat party a particular highlight...

"There are tracks [on here] from most of our recent releases, with Frameworks, Yosi Horikawa, Comfort Fit, Riot Jazz Brass Band, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra, Souleance and Future Wildstyle all represented. This is backed by an exclusive track from Essa featuring Devise and a dope Danny Breaks-esque track from our good friend DJ Lok."

RIP Pixie Williams

Pixie Williams passed away on Friday evening of August 2 at an Upper Hutt rest home - she was 85. From Audioculture's Chris Bourke-penned bio of the 'Bluesmoke' singer...

"The first star of New Zealand’s post-war recording industry was a reluctant participant. When Pixie Williams was approached in 1948 by songwriter Ruru Karaitiana to record ‘Blue Smoke’, she turned him down – twice.

Williams was born in 1928 in Mohaka, northern Hawke’s Bay and brought up by her grandparents. At 17 she moved to Wellington, and lived in the YWCA hostel on Oriental Bay where she became known for singing in the shower and at sessions around the hostel piano. When Karaitiana was looking for a singer, his girlfriend Joan Chittleburgh recommended Williams – a friend at the hostel.

To the diffident singer, the sessions in October 1948 – at Tanza’s new studio on Wakefield Street, Wellington – seemed to take a month of Sundays. One morning Williams didn’t turn up, and Tanza employee John Shears was sent to find her: She had gone to play hockey. Shears recalled, “I can still see Pixie in her hockey gear, with striped socks, singing away. And Ruru looking very serious. He always looked serious.”

After ‘Blue Smoke’, Williams followed up with another song by Karaitiana, ‘Let’s Talk It Over’ – another sad, slow waltz, but a sophisticated song with more adventurous melody, which she handles confidently. Over the next few months Williams would record nearly a dozen sides for Tanza, but late in 1949 she followed her heart to the South Island, and rarely performed in public...."

“Music – it’s what keeps you going through good times and bad. It kept me sane in the hard times. Forget the pills. When you've got music in your life – you’ll be ok.” Pixie Williams

Above quote from About Pixie Williams - Blue Smoke Records website.

From Chris Bourke's blog: "The complete 1949 newsreel covering the release of ‘Blue Smoke’ is now available online at NZ On Screen. Directed by Stanhope Andrews, Weekly Review #407 also features items on flying sheep, sharp-shooting army cadets, steeplejacks high above 1940s Wellington, and the transportation of heavy machinery. Finally – the audience gasping in anticipation – the ‘Blue Smoke’ item turns up at 5’14”.

Besides showing a dramatisation of the recording session for the song – which had actually taken place about nine months earlier – the newsreel shows in some detail the manufacturing processes required to press the disc, as Tanza’s first release. I have written about this newsreel before – it helped pin down the actual release date of ‘Blue Smoke’."

News reports:
Blue Smoke singer Pixie Williams dies: from Stuff.co.nz, August 6, who note that "There will be a funeral service for Williams at St Joseph's Church Upper Hutt at 1pm today [Aug 6]. She will be buried beside her husband in Dunedin."

Singer of NZ classic dies: from RadioNZ


Pixie Williams’ recordings were rereleased on CD/digital, as For the Record: the Pixie Williams Collection, in 2011 on Blue Smoke Records.

Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra

Hat tip to Stinky Jim for putting me onto this wicked album... Via Reggae Steady Ska..."As the flying man on sax with Madness, Lee “Kix” Thompson has become a true legend in his own right since the days of 2Tone. Now he and his orchestra pay tribute to the Jamaican originators of Ska.

The debut album “The Benevolence Of Sister Mary Ignatius” [was] released on June 11th 2013. Madness founder-member Mark Bedford is on board as well. The album was recorded at The Ironworks Studio in Brighton and co-produced by Mike Pelanconi aka Prince Fatty.

It sets out to recreate the Caribbean vibe on tracks by Desmond Dekker, John Holt and others. Dave Robinson, co-founder of Stiff Records (Madness, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury) has been involved in the project, too. The first single “Fu Manchu” features vocals of the great Bitty McLean."

Read an interview with Lee Thompson... on Madness playing on top of Buckingham Palace and at The London Olympics, Lee says "...We have entertained and given the music business a run for their money and lapped them. EMI took some beating though…"

Tracklisting

1. Guns Fever
2. Bangarang
3. Midnight Rider
4. Fu Man Chu (ft Bitty McLean)
5. Ali Baba
6. Mission Impossible
7. Eastern Standard Time
8. Hot Reggae
9. Hello Josephine
10. Napoleon Solo
11. Soon You'll Be Gone
12. Soul Serenade

SJD vs Phoenix Fndn

Ring The Alarm playlist, Aug 3

Jonzun crew - Space is the place - extended version
Wreckx n effect  -Wreckx shop
Outlines - Waiting in line
Team dynamite feat Che Fu - Coconut lime
Lightning head - Steelsation
Lee Thompson ska orchestra - Napolean solo
Courtney Melody - Stop inform
King Tubby and friends  - Step it up in dub
Fat Freddys Drop - Mother mother
Roy Ayers - I am your mind - Pepe Braddock main mix
Recloose - Turkish delight
Bic Runga - Something good - Submariner remix feat Tha Feelstyle
Skyy - Skyyzoo
Taka Boom - Middle of the night
Bang gang - Who said honkys aint got soul
The Mar-keys - Philly dog
The Kingsmen - Louie louie
The Vogues - Humpty dumpty
Brenton Wood - Some got it, some don't
Bill Doggett - Honky tonk pt1
Johnny Nash - Hold me tight
Lee Thompson ska orchestra feat Bitty Maclean - Fu man chu
Roland Alphonso and the soul brothers - Phoenix city
Overproof sound system - Watch what you out inna
Yellow man - Them a mad over me
Lennie Hibbert - Go for yourself
Aretha Franklin - Rocksteady
Gladys Knight and the Pips - Nitty gritty
People under the stairs - Hang loose
King Dynamite sound system - Mahia

New Team Dynamite album drops

Ten brand new tracks from Team Dynamite, guests include @Peace, Che Fu;  producers include Christoph El Truento, Haz' Beats (Home Brew), BHaru & Miso Shiru, Ben Jamin, and Dandruff Dicky. Download is name your price.... out thru Young Gifted and Broke.

Reva and Roane are frozen

Hard to go past a tune that samples Digible Planets...

"Cloudshine Deluxe is the product of two supremely talented hip-hop/nu-soul artists; singer/songwriter Reva DeVito (who you might know from playing fashion week with Mark Ronson or her recordings with Dark Time Sunshine, Kastle, Jason Burns) and producer Roane Namuh (Dropping Gems label / KZME Radio).

The new Deluxe version has been remastered to bring out Reva’s great voice and excellent songwriting, and is remixed by some of the best producers of new school soul and funk music - Tall Black Guy and Tony Ozier."

Portland, Oregon native Reva dropped her debut EP back in 2010, and Cloudshine originally dropped early last year. 

Roane featured on the Cosmic Compositions Avant Garde Series Vol​​.​​2 [Alice Coltrane] collection alongside Ben Jamin and Christoph El Truento.

The deluxe version of the album is available on digital or a limited edition vinyl ep that includes the remixes, listen to em below...

and here's a bonus - found this on Roane's Soundcloud, a cool edit of George Duke, free DL...