It’s not very often I get to hype something in the future, but here is a party that I am so proud of. Kid Fonque released his “2 Sides of the Beat” compilation last year and since then it has become a monthly party at Kitcheners in Braamfontein. Hosting some amazing guests like Kenzhero, Johnny Miller, QB Smith, Tha Cutt, Dexterity and Andrw the DJ, you’ll see why I’m happy to join DJ Hamma and DJ DangerIngozi next weekend.
Please come and join us, I making this special.
I would like to thank Mr Bong for inviting me to collaborate on his recently released album, Bongville Stomp, a great achievement for South African music on a whole. The album is released through On A Break Records, based in Cape Town and is doing great on the Beatport charts.
I’ve known Mr & Mrs Bong for a good few years now through my chemical brother-in-law, DJ Afrowhitie and the Two Twiggs Xperiment, who were responsible for quite a few breakbeat events around Johannesburg, including some of the biggest names in music coming to South Africa like Diesel Boy, Cargo 77, DJ Vadim, Pendulum, General Midi and Freq Nasty. Mr & Mrs spent 2 years in the UK, Mr Bong got his sound engineers license and has presented the us with an debut album full of collaborations from around the World.
The collaborations are with Enough Weapons, Crosby, Trenton Birch, Koldproduk, J Rokka, Bakaman, Brotherman, DJ Redwood, AfroWhitie and yours truely. Beats, breaks, dubstep and garage fill this album with a sound to be proud of.
Well done Mr Bong, thanks for including me!
I have finally had a spare moment to get 75% of the Blunted Stuntman flyer collection up onto the Facebook Timeline Page and noticed recently that Myles had responded to this particular flyer which did always make me giggle.
It was 1997 and Joburg town was full of Raves and All-nighters. We wanted to open a Sunday morning Trip Hop hang-out that could catch a few of these loons not quite ready for bed!
With lines like “Don’t burst your bubble anywhere else but @ NEXT” and “for beats that are as broken as you are”, I think we got the direct marketing in place with the couple of hundred flyers we used to deliver across town on a Saturday night.
Noticing, of course, that this was pre-Blunted, as I was still up in smoke about a name to perform under; sure DJ Leyton was not going to be funky enough. Yes, Dr Skunk ’twas!
It’s time again to praise another DJ/Producer I have been very honoured to work with, smoke with and just get to grips with. Fletcher Beadon, known by many as one of the original members of Cape Town’s Krushed & Sorted crew and African Dope Records executives. From big beats and basslines, to locking himself in the studio for 3 months to unearth the African Dope Soundsystem album, Fletcher or DJ Dope as he has been called in the past, deserves a shout out from the Blunted one.
Cape Town has been pushing itself into a more visible spot regarding its musical talents and after the Red Bull Music Academy paid them a visit in 2003, this seemed to be a good progression; A Taste of Sonar.
Fletcher has toned down his beat and bass lifestyle and ventured into his much-loved appreciation for dub and ambient sounds. This is his live set from the Sonar event, which got to see him open for Modeselektor and the Massive Attack DJs. Respect Dude!!!
It was July 1996 when the Mad Blunt Posse played their first nights in Market Street’s Le Club. The first South Africa crew to push the sound of Big Beat hip hop, Dancehall funk and the best place to hear Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Daft Punk and everything else we called different. At the end of the 90′s we all went our separate ways and that meant Shang Hai, China for who we called Missile Myles.
Myles always had a great ear for music and left us on a contract to play the hotels of Shang Hai. After a 7 year absence, Myles came back to visit the folks and see his home town and I managed to slip him a performance at 2012′s Jozifest.
Basically, I pumped him full of all the exciting music I had been collecting over the past couple of years and after his choice, this is the selection we came up with. Using his ear and the M-Audio Xponent, we put this set together to a raving response at the festival.
I’d bought a new laptop especially for the occasion and put it down next to the monitor and buzzed it out on it’s first public appearance. I have never had such a nail biting start to a set and dreamt of my vinyl crate!!! After all the holding on for dear life, we did get started as the last song faded from the Hypnomaniacs.
I did, however, forget to press record on the night and what you hear here is actually my first attempt at piecing a mix together using Ableton Live. Still learning all the knobs and I hope it does justice to our performance on the night.
Thanks Myles, I Love You, Buddy!!!
Let me please take this opportunity to fill in a gap with an ode to
Kid Fonque’s Best of 2011 Mixcloud selection. A great selection of tunes.
Find out more about the Kid here: www.kidfonque.co.za
There is no better way to get a blog going than to give you a little incite into the writer/composer/or whatever they have named this hobby, blogwriter? Since one of my biggest passions is music, the best way to introduce ourselves, during a hot sweaty December evening in Africa, is to make you aware of what I have been listening to during this Year 2011.
Now this idea came about a couple of years ago when a good friend of mine, one that I work with, one that I see just about every day; Mr Allan Nicol aka Kid Fonque, he presents me with his Top 10 albums and singles of the year and I was horribly shocked at the lack of knowledge I had of these artists. There were possibly 2 names I recognised and the rest I had never heard of. He did point out that one was from Ninja Tune, one of my favourite records labels. Grrrr!!!! We work together, why don’t I know this stuff, was my first reaction!
I was born a music lover, grew into a record collector, matured into a DJ, and have finally started putting some beats and samples together. So knowing about new music is my drug. New or old, if it’s new to my ears, I’m happy. This year I did a lot of home listening and found those albums I may miss just concentrating on being a DJ. I hope you can see where I’m coming from.
TOP 10 Albums
1. Radiohead – King of Limbs
Surprised me, but when I saw Thom on YouTube I was hooked on “Lotus Flower”. Watching the FromTheBasement.tv set sent chills everywhere. Anyone Can Play Guitar, indeed!
2. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
This didn’t surprise me at all. I have been following this man through various guises waiting for him to make his pick. Outstanding current bass music.
3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver
An album that creeps out of nowhere and reminds you why. Stunning sonic folk music from one of Justin Vernon’s most successful projects to date. For those special moments.
4. Modeselektor – Monkeytown
An amazing producer, who can pull off just about anything. The crisp, clear beats with such astounding bass frequencies, along with the vocal contributions, makes this.
5. James Blake – James Blake
A home listening master piece, wow. I must share the “Limit To Your Love” video here for you to get a sense of this. His classical training, his love for dubstep and that chilling voice.
6. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
A bit of my old school showing here. I bought “Dry” all those years ago and it blew me away. This album is produced with the help of Flood which gives it a more dubby feel, but the lyrical content is where the mastery lies.
7. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX – We’re New Here
The Godfather of Hip Hop passed away this year and what a way to say goodbye to the new world. Last years vocal album, “I’m New Here”, gets a totally re-work from one of the World’s freshest talents.
8. Little Dragon – Ritual Union
I think it was both Gilles Peterson and Robert Luis that said “every home should own this album”. A bit of pop in your life helps all the curveballs in life. I did enjoy this.
9. Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Gilles again, he can pick them! Proof that I do still enjoy hip hop, if it’s experimental and if I can relate to the tales. This man has worked with Roots Manuva and The Streets, I’m happy.
10. Stanton Warriors – The Warriors
Finally! Since they dropped “Da Virus”, I’ve followed every 12″, every remix, The Sessions Series, oh and got to play 1-on-1 with Dominic B in Cape Town, I’ve always loved these guys. They mixed the best of everything that is good about dance music.
Let’s leave the first blog there and follow up with the 2011 TOP 10 Tracks next week and see if we can keep this nonsense constant.
Blntdluffx.
(’tis 1st attempt, so let me take a while to get the lay-out 100′s. drop us a mail if you know how this all works.)
I wanted to have a bash at putting my own website up to promote Blunted Stuntman, the record collector, the music lover, the DJ and all round nice guy.
If we bump into each other outside this virtual land, please say “Hi”.