Abstract Index Playlist - June 3/10

As the days get nicer, thoughts most definitely do not turn to blogging for this average Canadian... This compilation's a couple of months old, but when you're talking about tracks that have been gathering dust for thirty-odd years, a couple of months is no big deal.

This is another entry in British label Jazzman's Sufjan Stevans-ish Funk series: Texas Funk, Florida Funk, etc. Apparently it's been in the works for several years; it certainly sounds as though a great deal of attention was paid to sequencing, mastering, and ultimately, selection. Unlike the midwestern funk comps that Jazzman has put out, this one sounds smoother to me. One would have to figure that these West Coast musicians were in a better situation.

Based on population alone in L.A. and San Francisco, there would be more opportunities for musicians to work and better their craft/chops - add to that all the film and TV work in L.A., and being a musician was a decent profession. There was more of everything else, too: studios, entrepreneurial labels/hustlers and radio stations to play the finished product. Of course, more competition guaranteed that some music would get left behind, but certainly this music sounds like even the most obscure acts had talent.

Stylistically, this comp is fairly diverse, from Chicano funk to jazzy one-offs to spacy studio confections. All of it hits hard.

Podcast

BTW, tomorrow is my final edition of Funky Fridays - I just can't hack the turnaround from a Thursday night time slot.

sweet jamaica - anthony b (no label)
king's highway - jah marnyah & vibronics (scoops)
the door - prof (otnorot)
dust on a white shirt - william parker violin trio (thirsty ear)
what if - nicole mitchell black earth strings (delmark)
the falling leaves - ramachandra borcar (semprini)
onda - cassiano (polydor)
revolucao organico - marcos valle (qdk/normal)
funky fire - billy larkin (jazzman/now again)
limits - freddie joachim (mellow orange/organology)
cirandar - seu jorge & almaz (now again)
espuma negra - helado negro (asthmatic kitty)
aroro - petrona martinez rmx by nate mars (no label)
angel echoes - four tet rmx by caribou (domino)
little miss echo - raymond scott (basta)
timely buck/anon - john oswald (fony)
space elements 5 - rafael toral (staubgold)
bang - elektrik toboggan (victo)
wellen und felder 1 - atom tm (rune gramofon)
4:04 AM - brent larner/joelle leandre/kazunori uchihashi (spool)
thread's first stitches - jyoti (someothahship)
altered states - high tone (jarring effects)
illuminations - hungry ghost rmx by marcellus pittman (international feel)
u.p.c. - franck biyong & massak (colored inc)
eliza we - yinguica (arc music)
two steps to latin - los charlys orchestra (imagenes)
yes - mgo (bongo disco mix) (out here)
stepping in hq - morwells/king tubby (blood and fire)