Slow and Low

New edition of "Spine Blowing Decisions" available here. This month we drop the tempo and stick to slow soul burners - mostly pretty familiar stuff (for those that follow such things) that I just never got around to putting a show together around till now. (Shouts to Zaid for putting me up on the Sass 45 - great, and readily available.) Playlist goes somethin' like this:

Rhythm Machine - Whatcha Gonna Do

Moses Dillard & the Tex Town Display - I've Got to Find a Way (To Hide My Hurt) Pt. 2

Robert Vanderbilt & the Foundation of Soul - A Message Especially From God

Bobby Bland - Rockin' in the Same Old Boat

Syl Johnson - Everybody Needs Love

Fontella Bass - Talking About Freedom

Mike James Kirkland - Love Is

4th Coming/Impact! - Don't Let Him Take Away Your Mind

Tenison Stephens - Don't Rip Me Off

The Coalitions - Later Than You Think

Wisdom - Driftin'

Willie Hobbs - Do Your Own Thing

J.J. Barnes - You Owe It to Yourself Pt. 1 & 2

Diplomats - I've Got the Kind of Love

The Bonnevilles - Play It Cool

Dynamic Tints - Be My Lady

Sass - I Only Wanted to Love You

Comin' Home

Last Tuesday night Imagenation presented the world premiere screening of Jackson 5 in Africa at the National Black Theatre in Harlem. As you can see from the film's first nine and a half minutes (which have leaked onto youtube - much to the screening organizers chagrin, I'm sure), it's still raw. In fact, it's officially unfinished - at least as officially as anyone can deduce given the mystery that surrounds the footage. 

Co-produced along with Joe Jackson by the late Senegalese-born actor Johnny Sekka, the project - which documents the J5's 1974 concerts in Dakar - was abandoned when the filmmakers ran out of funding, remaining essentially forgotten until recently (we actually found out about this screening the day MJ passed). The lone known (16mm) print was apparently acquired by an African-American businessman working in the diamond industry from a member of the film's original production crew - reputedly swapped straight up for a rough diamond. Actor Robert Hooks (Trouble Man's "Mr. T") narrates, supplying play by play for the J5's arrival at the airport, press conferences, interaction with locals, and other events befitting visiting dignitaries (including an awards ceremony honoring Papa Joe that Jermaine memorably giggles through). And though the concert footage is predictably mesmerizing - sending Tuesday's audience into a frenzy at Michael's every head bob, leg kick, spin, and synchronized step with Jackie and Marlon - it's also brief. The doc's focus being more on moments like the fam's visit to former Dutch slave house dungeons on Goree Island.

Michael appears decidedly contemplative throughout. The seriousness with which he absorbed it all confirmed post-screening when activist/photographer Kwame Braithwaite - the tour's official lensman - was spotted in the audience and persuaded to share a few thoughts; MJ's expression on the ferry back from Goree Island providing one of Braithwaite's most lasting memories. Then as if magically summoned, others who were also present on that sojourn stood up from the audience and spoke. Visibly moved by what she just re-lived via the big screen, journalist Linda Tarrant-Reid reiterated the impact of the entire experience, and it was clear she didn't just mean on the Jacksons.

She also directed a message to those who may have dismissed the effects of vitiligo, the pigment loss condition with which Michael was afflicted: it's realer than you think. "I know," she said showing her paled hand, "because I also have it." Emotions flooding forth, she stopped, unable to get another word out. She didn't need to. Supportive applause filled the room and serenaded our exit - a picture perhaps just a bit clearer than before.

Time Keeps On Slippin...

WBCN in Boston is kicking the bucket as of August 13th. Not having lived in the Bean in forever I don't know jack squat about its more recent history (by "more recent" I mean the past quarter century). But it was a pretty cool station to have grown up listening to, and I was among the many who got schooled on all the fundamentals and essentials from regularly tuning in BITD. Especially since the station was "progressive" and as likely to play "I Will Follow" (before anyone heard of U2, if such a thing is imaginable to those born after 1980) as Sabbath's "Iron Man" or even something off Innervisions (though their copy would always skip at the same spot on "Living For the City"; I always wondered why none of the DJs would ever tell each another about stuff like this).

Little known hip-hop connection: Def Jam Records/Rush Productions OG Director of Publicity, Run-DMC biographer, and Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery big dawg Bill Adler was briefly a disk jockey at BCN in the '70s - some time between leaving Ann Arbor and landing in the Big Apple and becoming one of Russell Simmons' first hires. If you've ever heard Adler's velvety smooth speaking voice this kind of makes perfect sense. He obviously missed his calling.

To the Death

Thanks to Hsulu for a great re-cap of Bumpshop's last stand. 

Grand Finale

This is it. After four and a half amazing years we've decided to close up shop and move on to other endeavors. To anyone and everyone who's come through to support the night I can't thank you enough - you've been a part of something extremely special that I know I'll always hold near and dear to my heart.

From our inaugural party with Kenny Dope, Cut Chemist rocking sh*t with half of LA in the building, Sharon Jones killing it live, Ian Wright's incredible stateside debut, Frank O's afrobeat excursions, Jason Perlmutter's all-Carolina blow-outs, Brad Hales and the People's Records fundraiser, Muro doubling up mini-flexi discs of "I'm Your Puppet," the grand return of Soul Kitchen's Frankie Inglese, Dante always saving Pure Essence for last, Shadow's surprise guest set, Ricky Calloway and his cape, the Skull Snaps in person, Honeydrippin' with Miss Nydia, RESIDENTS' DAY, Burgan beating the blizzard, Spinna, Egon, Gabe and Neal, Jeff and Leon, Gino and Fryer, Big Daddy George, Music Man Miles, Nitekrawler, Big Tony Janda, Nick Cope, Agent 45, Mr. Lewis, the Scorpios, Aaron Anderson, Andy Noble, Tormo, Iñigo, and on and on... what more can I say? It's been one hell of a run.

And to think it all started as a conversation over mac n' cheese in our OG music director Alec D's place in Chinatown way back when...

Anyways, enough with the reminiscing. Tonight our guest is one of our biggest supporters these past few years, none other than DJ Young Chris of Big City Records and The Lost & Found Tuesdays at Savalas, BK. If you've heard "The Time Was Right" or any of his other terrific beat ballad mixes you know how he does. I can't think of a better guest to help us wrap this thing up.

For those curious, I'll be keeping my Grand Groove nights and sliding them over to twice monthly in Bumpshop's absence. As you can see from the flyer the ride is a wreck. Time to find a new way to get around.

Planet E

Been meaning to big up the homie Edan's great new radio show for a minute. There's two volumes so far and they encompass everything from Mike and Dave to Rough Trade, Sweet Daddy Ceville to the Velvets, heavy psych, 60s garage, deep funk, African rhythms, Tropicalia, Duke Ellington, and almost anything else of quality you can think of. But here's the official introduction from the desk of the man himself:

SUP Y'ALL...

I'VE STARTED DOING A RADIO SHOW... VERY CASUAL FOR NOW.

DONE TWO EPISODES SO FAR...

HERE'S THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD SHOW #1:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/juiego

HERE'S THE LINK FOR SHOW #2:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/41588o

PLEASE GET AT ME WITH COMMENTS...

I'LL BE DOING THESE WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT FOR NOW.
ONCE I GET MY SHIT TOGETHER WITH THE NEW WEBSITE (LATER THIS YEAR), IT'LL BECOME MORE OF A WEEKLY THING.

ONCE AGAIN, MUCH THANKS TO THOSE THAT ALREADY CHECKED THIS OUT AND GOT BACK TO ME WITH KIND WORDS, ETC.

AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR READING//LISTENING...

-EDAN  

Big Brother

I gotta say, Jermaine Jackson has shown a lot of class through everything that's happened these past two weeks. And he really trooped through that performance of "Smile" at the MJ memorial. There may not be a helluvalot of glory being the third most famous singing Jackson sibling (let's just agree that Latoya's more infamous than famous). But besides rocking lead vocals on J5 gems like this and this, Jermaine has put out some pretty hot solo joints too (albeit with some help). 

The Stevie Wonder-assisted "Let's Get Serious" (Motown, 1980) is probably the best known. (Stevie apparently couldn't make the taping for this TV appearance, so Jermaine just lip-synched his part.)

The Devo-assisted "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" (Motown, 1982) is probably the strangest. (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Jermaine is the only Jackson to have collab-ed with both Devo and Pia Zadora.)

The Michael-assisted "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming" (Arista, 1984) is probably the most likely to enjoy a resurgence (for obvious reasons).

But "You Like Me Don't You" (Motown, 1980) is probably my favorite. So smoove. I always found this kinda-sorta Marvin-ish (that's, of course, a good thing). Plus it goes really well with "Yearning For Your Love" (I remember hearing both a lot on KSOL when I lived out in the Bay that one year as a kid). I was also shocked to learn semi-recently that "You Like Me Don't You" actually appears on this Gilles Peterson comp from a few years back. Who knew?!?

Funk Academy

Dam-Funk did a real cool little in-store DJ set at Academy Records Thursday - the perfect mix of connoisseur-level boogie-funk obscurities, classics, Italo, and soulful Chicago house to counter all this sh*tty-ass weather. I've been openly jocking everything this guy's done for the past several months - the singles, the remixes, the EP, the 45 under the generic dance music alias etc. And I'm counting on the forthcoming album being a monster (in more way than one if the speculation about quintuple-vinyl and different digi versions is to be believed). Makes me feel bad that I was such an East Coast elitist in the '90s and dismissed all those G-Funk records he played keyboards on without actually hearing them. (I gotta say, the Kokane track he played during the in-store was kinda fire.)

Thinking 'bout hitting the shops today and getting my Def Jam West and Doggystyle Records collections up to par. ("Summertime in the LBC...")

On second thought maybe I'll just wait for Dam's album.

OG Style

Much as I love DJ Bobo James' "Good Thing Going" remix, Cool V's "Tribute to Scratching Pt. 2" - which clearly inspired the former - is the godfather of MJ hip-hop megamixes - made famous via WBLS and Kid Capri tapes. It's been booted in the UK, but rumor was a year or so back that Marley was going to finally put out a proper version as a limited release on his Hot Chillin' imprint. Not sure what the current status of that is but in the mean time here's a low quality rip of it - not for the DJs, it's for the listeners - from an "In Control" show from '89. (Thanks to Hsulu.)

DJ Cool V "Cool V's Tribute to Scratching Pt. 2: MJ Medley"