Cumbiadelic Congress

Some self promoter I am... gig's in 3 days and I'm just posting about it now:

Dos Mundos Radio (CIUT, Tuesdays 12-2PM) presents:

Cumbiadelic Circus

A night of badass tropical grooves blending old and new
Featuring:Psychotropical Orchestra (Mexico/Montreal) - first time in Toronto!
Plan C (Colombia/Toronto)

Your DJs for the affair:
Huelepega ("Glue Sniffer") Soundsystem & DJ David Dacks (CIUT/Abstract Index)
dubbing out cumbia rebajada, vallenato, Afro-Peruvian, NuYorican funk, Tropicalia, Latin psych, African rumba and much more...

Lula Lounge, Dundas St, W of Dufferin

Showtime 10PM

I just got myself one of these:



so it's time to take it for a spin!! Don't try to stop me!

Abstract Index Playlist - November 21/07

I wrote about Ghislain Poirier for AOL Canada a few weeks ago. Don't know if I would have bothered trying to break down "Dancehall Vibes 101" in quite the same way in another publication, but the thrust of the article is that Mr. GP is doing it his own way. He gets inspired performances and ideas from the vocalists he works with, and it sounds like the exchange of ideas is mutually rewarding - I had heard Face T and Kulcha Connection before, but something tells me I should keep an eye on them...

Best of all - and I don't know how many times I've termed this as the ultimate virtue on the Abstract Index - it's the kind of album that I can play in many different contexts because the multifaceted rhythms jump off so well to all the beat oriented musics I love.

sex and death - deep dark united (rat drifting)
drop descender - inhabitatns (drip audio)
barokscapes 2 - nancy tobin (musicworks)
gaw gawng jing pe play, from Ethnic Minority Music of Southern Laos (sublime frequencies)
init - sonic liberation front (high two)
colaboraccion - david buchbinder (tzadik)
sibu sibu - massada (follow me)
sweet power your embrace - james mason (soul brother)
evolucao percussivo do baque maracatu - maracatu nunca antes (no label)
jungle - som tres (emi)
zeep dreams - zeep (far out)
feedback - ojos de brujo (six degrees)
take your time - jeremy ellis (ubiquity)
el diablo - silvestre montez y sus guantanameras (vampisoul)
vives boogaloo - charlie palomares (vampisoul)
get out of my way - bossa 70 (crippled dick hot wax)
hoy tenemos - sidestepper (palm pictures)
boombala dub - infantry rockers (revolucion)
mangen l'boule - ghislain poirier feat. nik myo (ninja tune)
ta travudia - rootsman (essay)
brothers on the slide - dynamics (groove attack)

Abstract Index Playlist - November 14/07

I've started writing reviews for Eye Weekly, and this is one of my first. David Buchbinder and company really bring this concept to life.

next one rising - david buchbinder (tzadik)
dreamers dance - nostalgia 77 (ubiquity)
tupa tupi - arthur verocai (far out)
springs - pete jolly (a & m)
88 - byproduct (mantle)
dark soul - broken (mind)
neg chante - nomadic massive (ptr)
para no vivir deseperando - mexican institute of sound (nacional)
tukki - youssou n'dour (nonesuch)
a ra - joao donato (emi)
beat the drum - masa musa (crippled dick hot wax)
200 saxophones - deep dark united (rat drifting)
excerpt from nov. 13 performance - bitchin' (no label)
mor feen - wilson/lee/bentley (drip audio)
sons of washington - dust galaxy (emerald tablet)
move on up - dynamics (groove attack)
live as one - zion train (universal egg)
come along - maytones (heartbeat)
mister brown pt. 2 - gladiators (heartbeat)

Abstract Index Playlist - November 7/07

No podcast this week - earnest fundraising does not make for repeat listening. What does, however, is this Gladiators collection. As Soul Jazz continues its superb various artists series, Heartbeat is more likely to take the artist profile route.

The Gladiators were a rare group in Jamaica – they were a self contained band. They gained major international notoriety through a series of outstanding albums for Virgin records in the 70s. But like Bob Marley and the Wailers, leader they didn’t start out as a band. Their earliest singles feature the trio of Albert Griffiths, David Webber and Errol Grandison in a classic sound, mixing politics, Rasta sentiment and love in a countrified cocktail. While moderate hits resulted, the quality of the music is excellent. The dub versions are typical Studio One griminess of the era. During the seventies, the vocal lineup changed and the band coalesced around Griffiths guitar and new singer Clinton Fearon’s bass. They became an in-demand session band, and are best represented on their Virgin discs which focus much more on cultural themes. Nevertheless, the third of Studio One Singles devoted to this output is rock solid – sounding way less polished than the concurrent Virgin releases. The snare/digital clap sound on the 12” mix of “Pretending” is worth the price of the disc.

streets of calcutta - ananda shankar (times square)
love is the only god - jimi tenor (ubiquity)
black man's cry - gay flamingoes steel band (crippled dick hot wax)
junio 73 - willie colon (fania)
do it -brotherhood of breath (rca)
underside of a table - drumheller (rat drifting)
par en avant - michel f. cote (ambiances magnetiques)
sad friend - the inhabitants (drip audio)
daxaar - steve reid (domino)
mar sem fin - smaracatu nunca antes (no label)
bailando - psychotropical orchestra (denso)
la policia - infantry rockers (revolucion)
elsa - los destellos (barbes)
muneca - eddie palmieri (mp)
two face - ticklah (easy star)
dil da rog muka ja mahi - gaudi feat nusrat fateh ali khan (six degrees)
music - the dynamics (groove attack)
pretending - gladiators (heartbeat)
every tongue shall tell - wayne jarrett (wackies)

Destination Out Streaming Audio

louis moholo


A bit late to be posting about this, but Exclaim's Destination Out Streaming Audio channel launched at the end of October. This channel runs the gamut from left-of-left-of-center rock to the outer spaceways of noisy improv, covering new and old tracks, travelling around the world in search of diverse sonic environments. Of course, the channel also reflects the content of the Destination Out reviews section in Exclaim. I'm proud to say that Destination Out represents a considerable archive of writing about experimental sounds, with over 140 reviews submitted this year alone.

This channel was the result of several inputs - I couldn't have done it without the help of Bryon Hayes, Glen Hall (if you're in Toronto, check out the 416 Creative Improvisers festival, which starts tonight), Eric Hill, Michael Barclay and Helen Spitzer.

I believe, and others have echoed this, that this will be one of the few places to find music this adventurous on demand. If you like CBC Radio's "The Signal" but yearn for something more extreme, D.O. Radio is just a click away.

And how can I post about Exclaim's Destination Out without a tip of the beret to the other Destination Out which is an essential source for exploratory jazz.

Fundraising Straight Ahead!

I've really waited until the last minute here but please tune in and support the Abstract Index tonight from 6-8PM Eastern time. Call in during the show or pledge online at www.ciut.fm .

Joining me tonight will be superfan Grant Smales, host of Dos Mundos Sergio Elmir, and reggae singer Treson.

Please support! CIUT got a new antenna that cost $78,000 during the summertime, so we're strapped these days.

Abstract Index Playlist - October 31/07

Happy Halloween! This one's a must for every October 31 show.

But it's more than just one of the definitive dub albums of the early 80s, it's also at the center of a nightmare of its own. Publishing, intellectual property, and fair use all figure into the controversy. The issue at hand is the use of much of this album in Grand Theft Auto III. Beyond that, you'd best read for yourself - it gets spooooooky.

the life of the mind - plug (blue planet)
serious sirius space party - ednah holt (west end)
that's how I feel - sun ra (evidence)
esplicitamenta sospeso - ennio morricone (ipecac)
oracion - ray barretto (fania)
el son de la muerte - psychotropical orchestra (denso)
zombie - follow follow (ombu)
rince doight - michel f. cote (ambiances magnetiques)
comparsa de los locos - eddie palmieri (fania)
deep sleep - mr. something something feat. ikwunga (world)
noonday demon - scotty hard (thirsty ear)
tune into you - nifty (blocksblocksblocks)
miss lucifer's love - funkadelic (westbound)
spaceape - burial feat. spaceape (hyperdub)
old ghost - calamalka (plug research)
satan side - keith hudson (trojan)
black heart - keith hudson (blood and fire)
vampire - devon irons (heartbeat)
the vampire - upsetters (trojan)
chase the devil - max romeo (island)
the mummy's curse - scientist (greensleeves)

Colon-ial Mentality

image from justsalsa.com


A quick note to say that if you're in Toronto, be sure to catch salsa legend Willie Colon, who I wrote about here, at the Docks tomorrow night.

This is reportedly his farewell tour, and videos from the promoters' website, Cocolatino, show he's still in fine fettle.