J Team

The homie JBX and myself in the mix tomorrow evening: holiday weekend, family affair. 'Nuff said. 

Mid-Tempo Magic Hour

New edition of "Spine Blowing Decisions" now available for stream or DL here. Kept things mostly on the mid-tempo soul/disco/modern tip this month - very suitable for kicking back during the holidays this week. Playlist below. Enjoy!

Jeffree (a/k/a Jeff Perry) - Mr. Fix-It

Willie Hutch - I Wanna Be Where You Are

Donald Byrd - I Feel Like Loving You Today

Foxy - Madamoiselle

Samson & Delilah with the Boss Four - Don't Listen to Your Friends

Leroy Hutson - So Nice

7th Wonder - Missin' Out

Jae Mason - Cloud of Sunshine

Billy Paul - How Good Is Your Game

Clausel - Let Me Love You

Chew - I Like It

Average White Band - Stop the Rain (Monk-One Edit)

Claudja Berry - Dance, Dance, Dance

Afro Cuban Band - Something's Got to Give

Roy Ayers & Wayne Henderson - For Real

Patrice Rushen - You Remind Me (X-Factor Re-Edit)

Jackson 5 - Buttercup

Serious, Sirius Space Echo Party

This is the magnificent (f*ck being humble) Edan Echo Party video. Buy the album here. You owe it to yourself. 

When the East (Bay) Is In the House...

DJ Matthew Africa is in town this week from out West and joins me at the controls tomorrow night. Longtime listeners of Cal-Berkeley's KALX are well familiar with this gentleman as he's been a staple there since the early '90s, when he started out DJing and co-hosting indie rap impresario Beni B's influential program. In addition to hosting his own weekly show at the station, and gigging 'round the Bay, Matthew's mixing and musings are conveniently available to the rest of the galaxy via his Internet radio program, 2 Busy Saying Yeah, and blog - both of which, of course, get the enthusiastic thumbs-up over here (as do his much celebrated official mix releases). If you're in the city and don't catch us Saturday night you've got ample chance to check him otherwise while he's here, so don't snooze.

The Show Must Go On

The Notations Rehearse "A New Day"
by chicagoistkevinr

Renaldo Domino Rehearses "Not Too Cool to Cry"
by chicagoistkevinr

Been eagerly awaiting Numero Group's Eccentric Soul Revue's arrival in NYC ever since these amazing rehearsal vids were posted on-line last April. It kind of sucks for those of us uptown that tonight's scheduled Grand Ballroom show got cancelled - though tickets are being honored for Friday's Music Hall show in Williamsburg (more irritating evidence that the County of Kings is running things these days). Nonetheless, you can be sure I'll be in the building tomorrow night. I've already missed one Renaldo Domino performance in Brooklyn this year and don't plan on being a two-time loser. Plus the chances seem decent that he'll do this:

Renaldo Domino "I'm Hip To Your Game" (Smash, 1968)

I Wish

File under: "Things You Wish Existed... and Miraculously Do." MJ singing "Buttercup" circa 1974. Apparently the song was written by Stevie Wonder for Michael & co. but was shelved and has sat in the vaults all these years. It was later given to Carl Anderson, who cut the official classic version. But the above snippet tantalizes the brain and makes my head spin (in a good way) - not unlike the first time I heard this. Full OG version available next week here. 

After glimpsing at the track list I'm nearly equally intrigued to check out the full version of "Man's Temptation" that's included since it's one of my favorite Curtis Mayfield compositions. The Amazon snippet suggests that it's one of the other brothers handling the vocals, though. (Maybe infidelity was a subject considered too mature by Motown brass for MJ?) Anyways, the tale of the tape shall be revealed next Tuesday.