No “Sophomore Slump” for this French-trained Interpretive Dance troupe.
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Named for the breaking news item “Some Senate Democrats Do Actually Have Some Balls (and they’re nice Christmassy balls too!)” So, I’m really feeling all the tunes on this mix right now. I’ve got no idea why but I’ve been in a very hip-hop mood the past month. Hence these latest 2 O’Pinionated installments. Yes, I confess, Track #2 by Super Chron Flight Brothers, is in fact a repeat and was featured on an earlier O’Pinionated Mix (if anyone is paying this close attention to my mixes, I guess I’m surprised, beyond flattered, and perhaps even a little bit concerned). Well, what can I say it is that good. And I will definitely keep pumping it for years to come. …As is the case with everything else on this mix. Mostly newer rap by acts that were new to me in the aughts, but now already on repeat and much beloved – (Oddisee, Hell Razah, Modill, Binary Star, Knux etc.) Also some lifers who kept kickin it the way that I like it, well past the 90′s (PE, Masta Ace, Fatlip and Aceyalone). And how is it again that I like it? Say it with me: I like it 2 bougie 2 strong… 2 bougie 2 strong… 2 bougie 2 strong… 2Bougie 2Strong Mix #5 - If you’ve been jonesin’ for another elliptical mix, alternating between nu-jazz and hip-hop, the wait is over. This mix kicks off with two African originals: Mulatu Astatke (specifically the Ethiopian giant’s recent collaboration with the UK Heliocentrics) and a cut off Tumi & The Volume’s self-titled album from 2005. I am embarrassed to say I slept on Tumi & The Volume’s album when it first came out and only caught up with the re-issue this year on iTunes. This track should give you a taste of the album’s vibe- basically a South African version of the Roots, complete with live band as the foundation. Speaking of The Roots, Questlove’s Philadelphia Experiment is represented on this mix, as well as the newer Harlem Experiment follow-up from the same series (which also includes the superb Detroit Experiment). Finally I have to thank Sandy for introducing me to half of the rap tunes on here– including the far out Senim Silla, his former outfit Binary Star and of course, the always great Masta Ace– one of the most underrated cats in the game. Cut and paste or right-click the link. Playlist after the fold O’Pinionated Mix – 2 Bougie 2 Strong #4 “A Bowl of Cherries and Some Ghostmeat” Todays batch is electronic and jazzy. Extended beats for weekend leaf-raking. Psychedelic pumpkin pie grooviness. Okay, so I’m not much of a punk purist and was never much of a juvenile delinquent, but I did spend serious amount of time in detention for my variations in class-clownery. So it is with this spirit that I am inaugurating the return of MixTape Fridays. Complete with a back-to-school special edition– guitars cranked, in an anti-authoritarian collision of punk, garage, and indie rock. Bad Brains and Pavement anarchicly coexisting alongside Joy Division and the Talking Heads. Who else is gonna give you that, huh? O’Pinionated Mix – 9th Grade Detention (Playlist below the fold) When I was in Kindergarten, our Canal Street class went on a field trip to West Brattleboro, to the Chelsea House– a converted barn which served as a folk music venue back in the day. Unlike many of the other 5 and 6 year-olds in the crowd, I had been to the Chelsea House before, presumably to see the Arwen Mountain String Band or (my mom’s group) Pearly and The Waistband, or some other artist popular among the counterculture adults, who were my constant companions in my earliest years. When the singer onstage decided to enhance her repetoire of kid’s songs, by taking requests, I think she was expecting my fellow kindergarteners to shower her with requests for “Old MacDonald” or “The Wheel’s On The Bus.” This would explain the awkward moment of silence and chuckling that followed, when the hi-pitched five-year-old with the tangled head of red curls shouted out a request for “One More Cup Of Coffee ‘Fore I Go”! What? It was a folk club, wasn’t it? Are you telling me they don’t know any Dylan? Well, tomorrow I’m heading down the Newport Folk Festival for the first time (to catch a truly amazing line-up). And so for today’s podcast, I’ve chosen to pay tribute to the gentleman who has made the most famous and controversial appearance ever at the fest (and the author of my favorite song when I was 5). Yep, all the songs on today’s mix are by Bob Dylan and for fun I have chosen to alternate between classics performed Bob himself and a truckload of my favorite covers– several of which come crashing down on that very same folk/electric divide that shook Newport all those years ago. Enjoy. Full Playlist is beyond the fold. This week’s podcast is full of lovely, regretful gems, epic declarations of passion, and artful ballads of bitter ambivalence. The flavor is not far from the first O’Pinionated podcast in May-”Lost Verses.” And it contains such treats as a brand new track by a dear old friend (Lands = Ramiro Fernandez recording with Troy Kidwell), my favorite song of the spring and summer, and the greatest anthem about being born in Vermont that you’ve ever heard. Enjoy. (Full playlist is below the fold) No better place to be, than at my mother’s side, when I hear the great man, Cronkite has passed. She had read that Walter recently befriended, as a sailing partner, Mickey Hart– percussionist for our beloved Grateful Dead. So, at the outset of this worthy media reverie, I am treated to my mom’s best routine about the pair: “Mickey… Mickey…,” Cronkite intones, “Could you just lay off the wind chimes for a bit?” Today’s mix is like an after-hours midsummer night’s cooldown from the dance party marathon that was the Summer Pop series of podcasts. It is also a sequel (of sorts) to the most popular podcast so far — namely the second 2Bougie2Strong (Jazz & Soul) mix. This one doesn’t have any jazz instrumentals but it is chock-full of electronically infused funk and sultry soul cuts, and of course the purple one makes an appearance early on. With the title “What happens in Appalachia stays in Buenos Aires” I’m obviously paying homage (with this sweaty mix) to the love story of the summer, between S.C. Governer and King David admirer, Mark Sanford and his South American paramour. Playlist is below the fold. 2Bougie2Strong # What Happens in Appalachia Stays In Buenos Aires “Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines, (When it Rains and shines.) It’s just a state of mind? (When it rains and shines.) Can you hear me, can you hear me?” So, five weeks ago, when I kicked off this Summer Pop Podcast series, I had no idea that my particular choice of Beatles tunes would be so predictive. I hope you right click and enjoy all five, and play them in the next few months, as the weather adjusts its attitude and begins to reflect the overall vibe and not just the series opener. An accidental independence day irony is that this one has even more U.K. conceived rockers than any the previous mix. Here’s hoping that this, being the last Summer Pop mix of the season, means that the colonies can declare their independence from the British invasion of our climate. Next week will be another 2bougie2strong jazz & soul mix, as this jack of all parades peels off with his two turntables, microphone, and convertible getaway car… Think you can guess the color and make? Playlist is below the fold. |
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Copyright © 2010 Evan O'Television - All Rights Reserved |
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