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No Categories
Nujazz chronicles travels to the West Coast to celebrate Ubiquity Records 100th Release. A "No
Categories" event featuring live performances by Ubiquity artists: Francisco Aguabella, The Sons &
Daughters of Lite, DJ Greyboy, Nobody and John Beltram.
www.ubiquityrecords.com
April 11th, 2002
Ubiquity Records & 89.9 KCRW Present:
100th Release Party at the Conga Room, Los Angeles, California
5364 Wilshire Boulevard
No Categories 5 - Artists, Tracks and Facts . . .
P'taah - Hold You Close
This Brazilian-tinged mid-tempo track is the first new material from Chris "Wamdue"
Brann under his P'taah guise in over a year. Locked up in a forest castle in
the deepest part of Atlanta, Brann has been working away at a new P'taah album
which we hope to release early Summer 2002. Brann's recent output includes the
Ananda Project album as well as producing tracks for the Lisa "Left Eye"
Lopez (TLC) solo album. This is a beautiful, organic, & warm dancefloor
burner!
Cuica - Trommel Monster (PH remix)
UK DJ/producers Pete Herbert and Simone Serritella delivered a bomb of a demo
to us in the Fall of 2001. As such "Trommel Monster" was released
on 12" in December 2001 to rave reviews from DJs worldwide. A touch of
pure brazilliance the Cuica sound is edgy and clubby with tracks driven by Brazilian-style
percussive power. The PH remix was not included on the original 12" and
is exclusive to this compilation. Watch out for more Cuica releases on Ubiquity
soon.
Interfearence - Xtradition (Zero dB mix)
Paul Martin of Talkin' Loud records and Canadian DJ Tyrrell are Interefearence.
"Xtradition" is a hyper-percussive track with tribal twinges from
their Ubiquity debut album "Take That Train". Boiling down the mix
to a bass-line driven bruiser UK production crew Zero dB cook up one of their
best remixes yet - hard, super funky and irresistible!
As One - Another Revolution (Stacey Pullen remix)
In a clash of the Titans meeting Stacy Pullen re-arranges Kirk Degiorgios "Another
Revolution" from the album "21st Century Soul". It's Detroit
meets London over a slice of breakbeat driven digital funk as Pullen forms the
future jazz sound of the original into a more dancefloor-friendly piece ala
a Jazzanova number. Watch out for more Ubiquity releases from both artists in
2002!
Dark Leaf - Contact
LA's most left-of-center hip hop crew have been making noise for years w/ their
old-school Public Enemy Sound. Dark Leaf are the freakier fraction of a crew
once called the Unity Committee - the other half now known as Jurassic 5. Spoken
word, rap, lo-fi beats, plenty of atmosphere and chaos, this is the intense
sound of Dark Leaf. Watch for the Dark Leaf self-titled album Spring 2002.
Nobody - White Folding Slowly
Licensed to domestic labels in Japan and the UK, DJ Nobodys debut album "Soulmates"
caused a stir worldwide with a blend of downtempo beats, psychedelic stylings,
and hip hop. He even earned the curious term "Shoegazer Hip Hop" as
he climbed the hip hop, alternative and electronic music charts in the USA.
2002 will see a new EP and new album from Nobody. Tentatively titled "Pacific
Drift" the idea is to make a dreamy California-sun soaked record that continues
the explorations into beat mining and sampling along with a new interest in
incorporating live elements and the vocal input of several special guests.
John Beltran - Heaven And Earth
One of the USA's most promising dance music producers has a busy 2002 with an
album to drop on the UK's Exceptional label as well as projects for LTJ Bukem's
Good Looking Label. However he started the year on Ubiquity with the "Felicidad
Nova" 12" single which sounds like vintage Banda Black Rio (the masters
of early 70s Brazilian funk) crossed with 2002 production values and the dancefloor
in mind. A live bass-line keeps the track moving, and Beltran adds layers of
percussion - cuica, congas, etc as it progresses. Ending in true Carnival-type
style with a vocal hook and added percussion this is a party-track to please
the crowds world-wide. Beltran also featured on the "Love From The Sun
Ubiquity mix-CD.
Jack Costanzo - Bongo Jam
Recorded in England many years ago (date unknown) as part of a rare session
featuring British jazz musician Tubby Hayes, "Bongo Jam" was included
on Costanzos new Cubop album "Scorching The Skins" to rescue it from
obscurity and because it's proof that he truly was and is Mr Bongo!
Beatless - The Truth part 2 (King Britts Scuba remix)
Beatless are producer/DJ Alex Attias and Talkin Loud A+R man Paul Martin. Philly's
own purveyor of quality dance music, the world renowned King Britt reworks the
first Beatless single "The Truth" from their debut album "Life
mirrors". Vocoder and lush keys sit snug over Britt's trademark Scuba future
beats. Building from minimal to musical King turns up the heat to scorching
by tracks end. It's a vastly different version from he gospel-twinged uptempo
original which turned notable DJ heads like Gilles Peterson and Phil Asher.
As One - If It Ain't Broke
Jumping genres from house to broken beat this Kirk Degiorgio tune was previously
only available on 12" single. Imagine a futuristic Fela Kuti track -"If
It Ain't Broke" drives and repeats gaining momentum as it goes, then with
a twist of chords the mood changes and a more broken drum pattern kicks in.
Typical Degiorgio stuff - techy but musical, clubby but not predictable. Big
with a certain Vikter Duplaix.
Stacey Pullen - Liquid Letter
We look forward to working more with one of Detroit's blossoming producers.
Producing tracks under the pseudonyms Bango, Kosmic Messenger and Silent Phase
Stacey Pullen's acclaimed debut full-length album, The Theory Of Silent Phase,
was released on Derrick May's Transmat imprint in 1995. After working out an
awesome remix of "Another Revolution" and dropping a genre-bending
album on Virgin records in the UK in 2001 we had to ask Mr Pullen for an original
track. Fortunately for all he came up with this jazz-meets-Detroit nugget.
Jack Costanzo - Calypso Blues
Jack Costanzo was on the original recording of Nat King Cole's Calypso Blues
in the 1950s. He recently re-recorded the song with Quino (vocalist for reggae
superstars Big Mountain) for inclusion on his new CuBop album "Scorching
the Skins". Check also for the As One remix of this track on the forthcoming
Rewind! compilation. This is not the first time this song has been covered.
Jazz trainspotters may also recognize that it was one of the tracks covered
by Sahib Shihab on the highly collectible Companionship album, a must-have for
fans of 1960s European jazz.
Johnny Frigo - Gazebo
Latin, soul, funk, breaks n'beats, lounge, & a hint of psychedelia collide
on Johnny Frigo's music - made with and for master Jazz-dancer and choreographer
Gus Giordano & his Chicago-based Orion label. Made in the late 1960s through
to the early 1970s, compiled here by the Ubiquity rare-groove miners, aided
by DJ Egon (Stones Throw Records) and Cool Chris (The Groove Merchant/Dis-Joint)
on ultra-rare vinyl - now available to all on the Luv N'Haight Collected Works
compilation of Johnny Frigo music
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