So it looks like we will be teaming up with our good friends at OUR HOUSE & doing another Spirit of House event in JUNE to pay tribute to that REAL HOUSE SOUND.
This time we have a great indoor/outdoor innercity warehouse space with a courtyard and BBQ.
An afternoon of 30 Years of House music and its DISCO FUNK ROOTS.. with music by OUR HOUSE / SOUL OF SYDNEY DJ’S & Friends.
Look out for details coming soon or email us at soulofsydney@gmail.com for info.
The American artist Keith Haring in 1990 at the age of 31, is being celebrated in a Google Doodle.
Haring would have been 54 on Friday and no doubt would have approved of the tribute to his brand of pop art, which drew on the New York street styles and dance music scene of the 1980s. An unabashed populist, he delighted in the idea that his work should be available to everybody – not just a clique of gallerists and rich collectors.
He first came to public attention with his chalk drawings on the New York subway in the late 1970s. This cartoonish quality continued in his later work, characterised by vivid colours and bold lines, which influenced the club scene and advertising.
Mentored by Andy Warhol, Haring opened a small shop in SoHo in 1986 called Pop Shop, selling merchandise bearing his iconic images including T-shirts, toys, posters, badges and key rings as well as reproductions of his art. He said the idea behind the venture, reconstructed in a Tate Modern exhibition in 2009, was “to continue this same sort of communication as with the subway drawings. I wanted to attract the same wide range of people, and I wanted it to be a place where, yes, not only collectors could come but also kids from the Bronx.”
His friendship with Warhol connected Haring to rising celebrities such as Madonna, who was a regular
customer at Pop Shop in the 80s. The singer regarded Haring’s mixing of art, street and consumer culture as a major influence on her success. She has said: “Keith … managed to take something from what I call street art, which was an underground counterculture, and raise it to a pop culture for mass consumption. And I did that too.”
His last works included a painting on the rear wall of an Italian church and six animations for Sesame Street, reflecting both his versatility and the wide audience for his art.
JEAN GRAE (NYC) – UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL AT GOODGOD! + FRENZIE + MK-1 + BAD EZZY
THIS WED JAN 4
Rising up out of the New York underground, Jean Grae is a name that resonates with Hip Hop heads worldwide.
Since the release of her debut Attack of the Attacking Things, and her signing to Talib Kweli‘s Blacksmith Records, Jean has continued to evolve with countless platinum releases and performances on some of the biggest stages around the globe.
After numerous tours down-under sharing the stage with other Hip Hop immortals, she’s now bringing her impeccable flow and thought provoking lyrics to the intimate surrounds of Goodgod Small Club.
This is a once in a life time opportunity to witness one of Hip Hop’s finest MCs up close and personal. Capacity is limited! Early bird tickets willl not last!
One for the real old school heads – Grand Wizard Theodore ‘The Inventor of the Scratch’ brings his box full of classic ORIGINAL B-Boy breaks and beats to play a rare mini set on Funkmaster Flex‘s ‘Street Jams’ show on Hot 97 and lets Dot-A-Rock get busy on the mic too.
Originally released in 1987, “Someday” was an inspired collaboration between the raw driving house sound of Chicago legend Marshall Jefferson and the sweet, hauntingly soulful voice of CeCe Rogers. The result was the creation of a powerful political message highlighting the need for racial harmony in apartheid South Africa. The popularity of this beautiful piece of music has seen it ranked number 3 in MixMags‘s 100 Greatest Singles of All Time.
This part #1 of a rare live hour recording we through timely to share so your music fans can remember some of the musical legacy left by Gil Scott Heron.
[tweetmeme source=”soulofsydney” only_single=false]Here is the second part of an extended performance at the Knitting Factory in NYC we posted yesterday.
Part two of this 2.5 hour personal show for Gil Scott. A fitting way to remember the man through a live performance of the words and music that we will all still remember him through.
(for a download link get in touch with us at facebook)
A 75min trip through Cosmic Disco, Boogie and even some classic Chicago House vibes. Presented with luv by Sydney based Re-mixer, DJ, Label Owner and Blogger, Sloppy Seconds.
A re-edit label(Sloppy Seconds – get it?). You can find me digitally on Juno for now. I do have plans to press up vinyl sometime in the near future. The material that I plan on using for the vinyl releases will be titles exclusive to the wax catalogue (I have a secret stash saved specifically for this purpose). I’ll let you all know when that happens.
A music resource website. I’ve been collecting vinyl since the early/mid 80’s and have amassed quite an amount of relatively obscure stuff and started the blog as a way to promote lesser known artists and their releases. Because of the controversy surrounding mp3s I had originally intended to only post titles that are out of print, but I also realized that there are tons of new releases that are equally as amazing that weren’t being promoted very well. The music selection there varies greatly and includes just about anything that moves me and/or makes me laugh. Here’s the addy. Make yourselves at home. Beer is in the fridge.
(For the record, I have received numerous emails stating that purchases of posted material were made due to promotion of said titles from the blog.)
And a DJ. I’ve been DJing for quite some time now. Most of you have never heard of me, which might have something to do with the severe lack of self promotion over the years – I never liked that part of the job, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the self promotion game needed to be stepped up if I wanted to continue to do this.
To summarize one of the greatest stories ever told
The world’s greatest rapper (at the time) announces a follow up to his already classic “Road to the Riches” LP to be produced by Eric B of Eric B & Rakim fame. After an entire years worth of release date postponements “Wanted Dead or Alive” finally gets its commercial release featuring a musically advanced Eric B. Up and coming producer and protege of Paul C, Large Professor, spills the beans in “The Source” on being the real person supplying the beats for G Rap’s second album and not getting any credit/money for it. The kool genius of rap later moves family from New York to sunny Arizona, and the rumors start flying. The most circulated of rumors detailed Eric B being pissed off about the accuracy of the production credits being publicized, muscling G Rap and fam out of house and home. The real reason behind G Rap’s relocation remains a mystery today.
“I know there was a lot of rumors going around and all that shit, people talking that witness protection program shit, which it never was. Source magazine did an interview with me [at the time] out in Arizona, so it’s like how could I be in the witness protection program doing shit like that? As a matter of fact, me and Eric still talk to this day.”
Here Dr. Butcher touches on the drama surrounding “Wanted Dead Or Alive”.
“I remember a thing in The Source where Large Professor was complaining about his credits and getting ripped off by Eric B. I imagine that caused a bit of bad blood.
I think that’s what he’s talking about – he didn’t get a lot of the credit that he wanted for that. ..On Wanted Dead or Alive, Eric B. was gonna executive produce, so Eric was like ‘I wanna sign you as my producer’. Eric was like ‘I’mma pay you!’ Large was just excited to be working with Rakim and Kool G Rap at the time, and we was goin’ to the studio every day…Large wasn’t getting no money. Eric would stop in every so often and just check-in on the session, but nobody was thinking about it…There was an interview and they asked Large about it, and it got out there in The Source.”
And here we see Eric B avoiding the issue and inflating his ego at the same time;
“When you worked on the second G Rap album [Wanted Dead Or Alive] there were some issues with Large Professor over production credits. What are your thoughts on that situation now?
You know what? When I was doin’ all this stuff it was pretty new – new to me, new to everybody else – and when people sit there and say, ‘Oh, you put together a legendary project’ – it really hasn’t sunk in. ..I say, ‘Hey, there was some stuff that I did, it had to be done’. Actually, I say I took one for the team.”
“Kool G Rap is described by Kool Moe Dee as ‘the progenitor and prototype for Biggie, Jay-Z, Treach, Nore, Fat Joe, Big Pun’. MTV describes Kool G Rap as a ‘hip-hop godfather’. Rolling Stone says, ‘G Rap excelled at the street narrative, a style that would come to define later Queens MCs like Nas (who was hugely influenced by G Rap on his early records) and Mobb Deep’. Allmusic calls him ‘one of the greatest rappers ever’, ‘a master’, and ‘a legend’. A number of rappers, such as Ice Cube, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Nas have put him in their lists of favorite rappers.
Other artists who have named Kool G Rap as a major influence include Eminem, Jay-Z, Tajai of Souls of Mischief, Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, Steele of Smif-n-Wessun, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, MC Serch, Termanology, Black Thought of The Roots, M.O.P., Scarface, R.A. The Rugged Man, Bun B of UGK, Rah Digga, RZA and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Lady Of Rage, O.C. of DITC, Memphis Bleek, Kurupt, Pharoahe Monch and Twista, among others.”
“Some people did gangster rap, but some people did more what I like to refer to as reality rap. Ice Cube and them they did gangster shit, said gangster shit in some of they rhymes, but if you look at them as a total, as a artist Ice Cube was real positive in the shit he was saying. He was like an activist. If you listen to Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, he’s like a pro black activist pretty much. And Scarface did a lot of street shit, but when he was with the Ghetto Boys they would also do shit like Under Siege talking about how Reagan was in cahoots with Noreaga and all that shit, so these dudes was dropping science, it wasn’t just “suck my dick bitch”, “I’ll blow your fucking head off”, They had that element because that was the environment that they came from, but at the same time dudes was kicking real shit too. Some mental awareness shit. You’ve got to look at an artist as a whole.”
extra note – Big shout out to Matt Franklin and Syze (again) out in Hawaii for also bringing this to my attention – someone actually took the time to rip and upload Eric B’s entire solo album as separate tracks on youtube!
To summarize one of the greatest stories ever told
The world’s greatest rapper (at the time) announces a follow up to his already classic “Road to the Riches” LP to be produced by Eric B of Eric B & Rakim fame. After an entire years worth of release date postponements “Wanted Dead or Alive” finally gets its commercial release featuring a musically advanced Eric B. Up and coming producer and protege of Paul C, Large Professor, spills the beans in “The Source” on being the real person supplying the beats for G Rap’s second album and not getting any credit/money for it. The kool genius of rap later moves family from New York to sunny Arizona, and the rumors start flying. The most circulated of rumors detailed Eric B being pissed off about the accuracy of the production credits being publicized, muscling G Rap and fam out of house and home. The real reason behind G Rap’s relocation remains a mystery today.
“I know there was a lot of rumors going around and all that shit, people talking that witness protection program shit, which it never was. Source magazine did an interview with me [at the time] out in Arizona, so it’s like how could I be in the witness protection program doing shit like that? As a matter of fact, me and Eric still talk to this day.”
Here Dr. Butcher touches on the drama surrounding “Wanted Dead Or Alive”.
“I remember a thing in The Source where Large Professor was complaining about his credits and getting ripped off by Eric B. I imagine that caused a bit of bad blood.
I think that’s what he’s talking about – he didn’t get a lot of the credit that he wanted for that. ..On Wanted Dead or Alive, Eric B. was gonna executive produce, so Eric was like ‘I wanna sign you as my producer’. Eric was like ‘I’mma pay you!’ Large was just excited to be working with Rakim and Kool G Rap at the time, and we was goin’ to the studio every day…Large wasn’t getting no money. Eric would stop in every so often and just check-in on the session, but nobody was thinking about it…There was an interview and they asked Large about it, and it got out there in The Source.”
And here we see Eric B avoiding the issue and inflating his ego at the same time;
“When you worked on the second G Rap album [Wanted Dead Or Alive] there were some issues with Large Professor over production credits. What are your thoughts on that situation now?
You know what? When I was doin’ all this stuff it was pretty new – new to me, new to everybody else – and when people sit there and say, ‘Oh, you put together a legendary project’ – it really hasn’t sunk in. ..I say, ‘Hey, there was some stuff that I did, it had to be done’. Actually, I say I took one for the team.”
“Kool G Rap is described by Kool Moe Dee as ‘the progenitor and prototype for Biggie, Jay-Z, Treach, Nore, Fat Joe, Big Pun’. MTV describes Kool G Rap as a ‘hip-hop godfather’. Rolling Stone says, ‘G Rap excelled at the street narrative, a style that would come to define later Queens MCs like Nas (who was hugely influenced by G Rap on his early records) and Mobb Deep’. Allmusic calls him ‘one of the greatest rappers ever’, ‘a master’, and ‘a legend’. A number of rappers, such as Ice Cube, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Nas have put him in their lists of favorite rappers.
Other artists who have named Kool G Rap as a major influence include Eminem, Jay-Z, Tajai of Souls of Mischief, Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, Steele of Smif-n-Wessun, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, MC Serch, Termanology, Black Thought of The Roots, M.O.P., Scarface, R.A. The Rugged Man, Bun B of UGK, Rah Digga, RZA and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Lady Of Rage, O.C. of DITC, Memphis Bleek, Kurupt, Pharoahe Monch and Twista, among others.”
“Some people did gangster rap, but some people did more what I like to refer to as reality rap. Ice Cube and them they did gangster shit, said gangster shit in some of they rhymes, but if you look at them as a total, as a artist Ice Cube was real positive in the shit he was saying. He was like an activist. If you listen to Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, he’s like a pro black activist pretty much. And Scarface did a lot of street shit, but when he was with the Ghetto Boys they would also do shit like Under Siege talking about how Reagan was in cahoots with Noreaga and all that shit, so these dudes was dropping science, it wasn’t just “suck my dick bitch”, “I’ll blow your fucking head off”, They had that element because that was the environment that they came from, but at the same time dudes was kicking real shit too. Some mental awareness shit. You’ve got to look at an artist as a whole.”
extra note – Big shout out to Matt Franklin and Syze (again) out in Hawaii for also bringing this to my attention – someone actually took the time to rip and upload Eric B’s entire solo album as separate tracks on youtube!
So it looks like we will be teaming up with our good friends at OUR HOUSE & doing another Spirit of House event in JUNE to pay tribute to that REAL HOUSE SOUND.
One for the real old school heads – 
[tweetmeme source=”soulofsydney” only_single=false]An extended performance at the Knitting Factory in NYC late 1999.
SOUL OF SYDNEY: Feel-Good FUNK SOUL DISCO & beyond. 