mixtape maestro (2.0)

After discovering Mariachi El Bronx via their gorgeously festive remake of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” from SPIN’s Purplish Rain tribute mixtape a while back, we were surprised to learn, after a couple seconds of Internet sleuthing, that MEB was not only this amazing band with an expert handling of the mariachi musical style (at least, what sounds like “expert handling” from our limited-knowledge-of-the-genre standpoint), but actually the alter-ego of The Bronx, a well-established hardcore punk band out of L.A.

And we thought we had heard it all.

The Bronx recently dropped the first album under this guise (entitled El Bronx) and to further hype the project, they’ve allowed a free downloading of album track “Quinceniera”, an tenderly crooned nugget about a night-creeping mystical Goddess that’s pleasantly built on a romancing sway of jolly Spanish guitars and soothing trumpet and violin contributions.

Pick up that freebie here, then sample the rest of the quite marvelous El Bronx album either through their MySpace or the Amazon widget below.

“I Would Die 4 U (Prince Cover)” (DL) (alt):

Uncategorized 80's, cover song, Latin, los angeles, mariachi el bronx, prince

Summer vacations/ distractions have brought things around here to a near-standstill, but in an effort to play a bit of catch-up, check out some of these noteworthy tunes below pulled from the ever-packed in-box and various other sites we’ve been digging lately from around the Inter-Webs:

JDP featuring Chester French “She Loves Everybody (Part Deux)”

This up-and-coming Chicago indie-hopper latches onto CF’s most well-known track, the shoulda-been-bigger slut ode “She Loves Everybody”, using it to support his own adventure with a promiscous groupie who has foolishly mistaken him for being a more high profile rap star (“I suppose someone told her we rich,” he sing-song quips at one point).

A bit Flo-Rida-ish, which-at least in this case-isn’t at all a bad thing.

From his new mixtape Air Raid.

DL: “She Loves Everybody (Part Deux)”

The Honey Brothers “Demonstration”

The Honey Brothers are a quintet from New York who call their sound “new wave folk”, and while most talk of them will surely be centered on their superstar drummer (Entourage lead Adrian Grenier), the music found on their recently released Demonstration EP definitely deserves it’s own hype as it’s some of the most feel-good stuff to touch our ears in recent weeks.

Check out the title track, a groovy lil’ indie-rock number that’ll likely have you tapping your toes to it’s summer-ready shuffle within seconds of it hitting the speakers.

DL: “Demonstration”

?uestlove, The Foreign Exchange, Zo! and Carlitta Durand “Purple Flip”

Don’t let the title confuse you, this is essentially a cover of Prince’s “Take Me With You”, and boy does it hit the soul in all the right ways.

Too bad SPIN Magazine couldn’t have employed THIS crew to handle the entirety of that mostly disappointing Purple Rain tribute cover album they had to nerve to drop last month.

DL: “Purple Flip”

Golau Glau “Summer Games”

On first listen to the output from this mysterious UK-born collective, you’ll probably end up with your head cocked to the side and a confused look pasted across your face.

But give these songs some time, as repeated doses of the spell-binding ambiance of “Summer Games”, “Soft Silver Young” and the rest of the band’s uniquely weaved creations reveal a trippy charm that’s quite the soothing aural experience.

DL: “Summer Games”

Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo “Knock You Down (Chew Fu GhettoClub Fix)”

Even after hearing this billions of times (*thanks radio*), we still find this hit single oddly put together (anybody else left cold by the fact that the three headliners barely seem to recognize the efforts of one another?), but the Chew Fu crew help calm that sense of underwhelmingness a bit with this dancefloor-targeting rehaul which nicely gives a repeated spotlighting to Kanye’s “Michael Jackson” line.

DL: “Knock You Down (Chew Fu GhettoClub Fix)”

Beyonce “Ego (DJ Unique’s I Love Her Remix)”

Sasha Fierce’s newest single given a smoother R&B treatment courtesy of YouTube mash-up king DJ Unique. Kanye-free sadly, but we can still dig it.

DL: “Ego (DJ Unique’s I Love Her Remix)”

Uncategorized 80's, beyonce, carlitta durand, chester french, chew fu, cover song, dance remix, diva pop, foreign exchange, golau glau, indie rap, indie rock, jdp, kanye west, keri hilson, mixtape, ne-yo, odds n ends, prince, questlove, remix, the honey brothers, zo!

It’s been twenty-five years since we were first introduced to the greatness that is Prince’s film and album Purple Rain, and in honor of this event, the folks over at Spin Magazine have cooked up an entire track-by-track cover set of the classic album (entitled Purplish Rain) and are offering it for free (well, almost free, as you must deal with answering a trivia question correctly in order to receive the download).

But as much as we dig “The Kid”, it was a little hard trying to muster up much excitement over this thing, given that tribute records rarely ever sustain much interest beyond a single curious listen and we’ve probably heard each of Rain’s nine entries covered over a million times over the years (with some being amazing, but most being…well, yeah).

To our non-surprise, Purplish Rain lands as a decent listen that’ll mostly leave you with a desire to re-check out the original; but if you do snatch up the free-load, the tracks you should most look out for include The Twilight Singers somber “When Doves Cry” (featuring the one and only Apollonia), a festive mariachi-styled run-through of “I Would Die 4 U” by Cali punk force The Bronx‘ alter ego Mariachi El Bronx, and the always-impressive Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings doing “Take Me With U”.

The final single stripped from Rain, the original “Take Me With U” paired Prince and Apollonia for a breezy duet celebrating their unbridled devotion to each other (“I dont care where we go/ I dont care what we do/ I dont care pretty baby/ Just take me with u”). Jones and the Kings relieve it of any pop stateliness (and, in a sense, familiarity) in their sassy rendition though, constructing this big band soul tour-de-force that sits comfortably in unison with the rest of their spirited old school-soaked output.

DL: “Take Me With U (Prince Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, cover song, grown folks R&B, prince, retro, sharon jones, the dap-kings

Twista speed-rhyming verses about the nastiest thing he could do to a lady isn’t anyhing new (from a distant perspective, it seems to be the main lyrical focus of about 90% of his output), but like his previous no-brainer smashes “Slow Jamz” and “Overnight Celebrity”, recent leak “I Can Make You Say” is mostly a keeper for the going-ons that surround his still ridiculous, uzi-fire flow.

In this case, a delectably chopped sampling of Prince’s 1981 late-night bedroom jam “Do Me Baby” which reduces His Purple Majesty to a loop of orgasmic falsetto yelps, the empty spaces between the diced-up groove filled in with Cali producer Doc Savage’s somersault-like percussion tricks.

Too bad it won’t become the major hit it feels destined to be with Prince not being in the mood to officially clear the sample. Damn you and your fun-stifling ways, Mr. “Purple Rain”.

Hear the track below, than peep the video for Twista’s latest, official single “Wetter” (from the forthcoming Category F5 album) afterward. It’s nice and all (and, unsurprisingly, another sensual one), but definitely less interesting than the Prince-affiliated number.

DL: “I Can Make You Say” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, doc savage, prince, sex-rap, soul sample, twista

“I got a box of chocolates that’ll rock the socks off any girl that wanna come my way,” teases His Purple Majesty, right before he calls on the arrival of a killer Linn-Drum strut.

For any longtime Prince fan, all it takes is these simple intro ingredients from his new single “Chocolate Box” to set them in an over-excited frenzy, as they’re once again faced with the possibility that the musical icon is delivering what has been desired for far too long: a return to his late-70’s to early-90’s pop, rock, funk and soul heights with a fresh, modern twist.

For the most part, “Box” does exactly that, pulling together several familiar Prince signatures (the orgasmic moans and squeals; a fierce synthetic funk groove; the new wave-y breakdown accented with a lil’ electric guitar spark) into an enjoyable enough whole. We even get glimpses of Prince’s clever pimp gab (at times, via the Auto-Tuned effect) as he plays mind games with some hot dame desperate for his goodies (“You can try to get it/ But I can’t let you hit it, cause you’re never gonna be the same”; “What’s the deal?/ Are you gay or poppin’ pills?/ Why you still wanna take my hand”; “You know you can’t make chocolate cake if ain’t nobody ever showed you how”), as well as a solid sixteen from featured guest Q-Tip.

Of course, it’s only when it’s compared to “Erotic City”, “Baby I’m A Star”, “Gett Off”, “U Got The Look” or any one of the other numerous delights from his heyday that “Chocolate Box” comes up short. But A: that’s a bit unfair, B: we should REALLY come to grips with the sad reality that the ass-less chaps favoring, floor-grinding Prince we loved so hard is no more, and C: we should just be thankful that “Box” isn’t another one of those boring, self-indulgent, forever-long noodlers the man has fancied so much in recent years.

From the MPLSoUND portion of his newly released three-CD set (also including LOtUSFLOW3R and protegee Bria Valente showcase, Elixer), that’s only available via Target.

Uncategorized 80's, funk, prince, q-tip, sex jam

One of Prince’s slickest pop creations ever remains the 1980 Dirty Mind gem “When You Were Mine”, a quirky love letter to an ex framed in a buzzy new wave sheen. It might not hold ranking as an obvious Top 5 Prince pick (partly due to it’s never being released as an official single), but it’s nevertheless reigned as a fan favorite, spawning numerous cover versions over the years.

Up on par with Miss Cyndi Lauper’s brilliant take is this version from Animal Collective protegee/ Mississippi-born ukulele & retro-pop enthusiast Dent May.

May’s reading perfectly taps into the lyrics’ put-upon boyfriend woe: it’s sparse setting of handclaps and acoustic strums on the verses conveys a loneliness feel, while his cold, and quite odd, old crooner vocal gives him a dweeb-ish quality that makes believable the notion that he would be so head-over-heels in love he would allow his girlfriend to siphon away all his cash, stay mum despite being aware of her continued infidelity, and not even raise any questions when he wakes up post-threesome to see her spooned up with the other dude.

DL: “When You Were Mine (Prince Cover)” (alt)

…Alas, all hope is not lost on May finding someone new to shack up with, as proven on “Meet Me In The Garden”, an all-original tune from his band’s recently dropped LP, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele.

Bathed in a dreamy Tropicália lilt that’s humorously accented with exotic bird calls, “Garden” sees May’s geek-chic persona getting some older blonde babe named “Miss Caroline” so hot and bothered, she makes sure to contact him “every Tuesday and every other Friday or so” to schedule their next freak session.

He may wink “I’m young but I can do things”, but beneath this faux-cool front, he’s pinching himself, unable to fully wrap his mind around the idea that he could hold so much power over such a sexy cougar (“Under the oak, she’s having a smoke/ Just for me!!!“).

We say relish in this very-pimp moment Dent, just make sure you don’t invite any other guys into the bedroom (or, in this case, garden) to distract her attention.

Uncategorized 80's, acoustic, cover song, dent may & his magnificent ukulele, mississippi, prince

It’s not fair that somebody like T-Pain could probably just sneeze on a track and it would be guaranteed a Platinum-selling download and heavy hitter at radio, while the far more deserving Raheem DeVaughn continually struggles to make a significant mark beyond his fanbase of critics, fellow artists and in-the-know soul-lovers. It’s enough to make you actually WANT to cue some Black Eyed Peas up just so you can scream “Where is the love?” at the top of your lungs.

Nevertheless, here’s something that should perk up more than a few ears and give this sadly still-underrated talent some major attention:

In a move that would’ve probably destroyed the career of a lesser crooner, DeVaughn bravely tackles and, a bit un-surprisingly (at least, to us), masters this dazzling remake of the Prince Purple Rain classic “I Would Die 4 U”.

Not only is DeVaughn’s (thankfully spoof-free) vocal performance killer, but the electric groove-handling of his backing musicians alone (love that hyperactive percussion underlining!!!!), makes us long for the days when R&B was ruled by the exciting twist-and-turn intricacies of REAL bands. By song’s end, even the hard-core atheist will be jumping out of their seats, engaged in the fiercest soul clap in reaction to the tune’s sudden detour into moving gospel extravagance. Yes, you read that right: GOSPEL DETOUR!!

DL: “I Would Die 4 U” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, cover song, grown folks R&B, prince, raheem devaughn

Another year, another great new Prince tune, another unorthodox way to distribute his music. That’s been the trend for the past couple of years in which our favorite purple-adorned pop icon stopped being so…different and gave us the Prince we knew he still had in him.

“Guitar”, the first single from his new album Planet Earth is being released through a joint venture with Verizon, a move that brings up the thought of how freakin’ cool Prince’s own cell phone must be (probably shaped in that symbol thingie with James Brown and Chaka Khan ringtones). Continuing his much-approved return to the more pop-conscious material from his last two studio albums, “Guitar” is a clear winner from it’s first note. A cheery guitar riff powers the catchy chorus to which he explains that his admiration for his new supermodel arm trophy just can’t compare to the love he has for his cherished axe. Even though she doesn’t rank as high as his instrument, Prince isn’t above wooing her into his master bedroom and taking her on lavish trips. She just must remain aware that whenever the mood strikes to explore some new melody he’s imagined, she should expect to get left in the dust right alongside former “clients” Vanity, Appolonia and Carmen Electra who also had to learn the hard way.

It’s classic cocky Prince wholeheartedly embracing the icy handclaps that spiced up the best of his ’80’s output, and an electrifying bluesy guitar solo near the end just in case you needed to be reminded just how much chemistry he shares with his #1 love. It doesn’t matter if Prince opts on releasing his next material solely on 8-tracks and cassettes; with stuff this sticky-icky good, we’ll gladly support him all the way.

Download: “Guitar” (Amazon)

Uncategorized prince

Growing funk/ soul sensation Kevin Michael brings attention back stateside for one of music’s most exciting new talents. The 23 year old singer-songwriter embodies the kind of early Prince/ Sly Stone sound we’ve craved since D’Angelo, Maxwell and Cody ChesnuTT all went into seclusion and is sure to make big waves in the future if his amazing debut single, “We All Want The Same Thing” is any indication of what this cat can come up with.

A backwoodsy, front porch groove establishes the setting early on for this subdued demand for change. Unifying the different social sects he inhabits in an effort for some sort of trans-racial revolution (“All my gangsta friends/ All my skater friends/…Jesus freaks and thugs/ We all want the same thing”), Michael’s delicate phrasings (think El DeBarge with an Afro pick and handful of incense) and the track’s lean, paced arrangement is a soothing antithesis to the intimidating force message-oriented artists usually employ. His choice not to delve into too many details (he casually mentions his disappointment in politicians) keeps everything light and preferable to the production, but you don’t get the sense that he’s incapable of fleshing out his opinion, just careful not to let his words get in the way of the music.

Lupe Fiasco, this generation’s Tribe Called Quest/ De La Soul all rolled into one, compliments Michael well, helping embed a certain contemporary hip hip sensibility to prove that Kevin doesn’t only exist in some retro plane.

It’s one of those irresistible debut records that instantly categorizes an artist, perfectly encapsulating their entire artistic scope, as it currently stands, into an informing four minute introduction. With real R&B beginning to make a comeback in 2007, the mysterious Kevin Michael stands as the ideal man to help lead off the new soul era.

Download: “We All Want The Same Thing” (Amazon)

Uncategorized alt-soul, conscious rap, funk, kevin michael, lupe fiasco, prince