This show marks the last new Urban Landscapes of 2008, and also brings its 10th anniversary to close.

This show is truly special. In addition to some of the fine new music are a couple of goodies. The second hour brings the last guestmix of the year, and in fine style. Ricky-Tick Records, based in Finland, has been one of the central jazz labels of modern Scandinavia. It’s one of the few labels that I can say that anything the label puts out, you should run, not walk, to add the music to your collection. A few months ago, I’ve asked Antti Eerikainen, the founder of the label, to put together a guestmix for the show. I’m very happy that he’s come through with some beautiful, lively, wonderful slices of jazz, be it from his label or from others jazzheads will dig the selection. Big props to Antti for coming through!

The other goody I have to present to you is something that I don’t do that often; it honestly takes a lot of time for one person to do. But Cecilia Stalin is so worth the time to profile. Best known for her collaborations with native Swedish producers Koop (”Waltz For Koop,” Baby”), she dropped a stunner of an album a few years’ back called Straight Up to critical acclaim. I’ve been singing the praises of it since she’s sent it to me, because if you only know her for her vocal work with Koop, then you really don’t have a firm grasp of Stalin’s talent.

I’ve had the pleasure of interview her late last summer while she was visiting Los Angeles. We’ve held the interview via phone, which is partly why some of the audio is slightly choppy (but not severely so). I’ve taken some highlights of the interview, and mixed it in with music old and upcoming. She’s due to release her new album next year, tentatively titled In The Spirit Of. I hope you have as much fun listening to the interview as we had chatting.

The next show will be the last for 2008 due to scheduling conflicts. Whereas the year-end show usually consists of the final two shows of the year, the second part will kick off the show’s 12th year come January. More news to come on that one.

I do hope that you enjoy this extended edition of the show; peace.

On the web:
Ricky-Tick Records
Cecilia Stalin’s site

Song - Artist - Title - Label
Simply Good To Me (Shoes Edit) - Shoes - Re-Soled Vol. 1 - Shoes
Aldeia de Ogum - Joyce - The Best of Mr. Bongo - Mr. Bongo
Oye Como Va - Tito Puente - The Best of Mr. Bongo - Mr. Bongo
Aqui Da Tuda Certo - The Ipanemas - Latin Jazz II - Far Out
Magica (2007) - Joyce & Tutty Moreno - Latin Jazz II - Far Out
Visions - Nostalgia 77 featuring Keith & Julie Tippett - Tru Thoughts
Les Draps Sourds - Marianne Dissard - Les Filles - Le Pop Musik
Jimmy Jam - Tim Mabin - EP - 4Lux
Para (Sabo Remix) - DJ Sun - EP - Alternate
Take Believe in Something (Ceramic Vocal Mix) - Greymatter - EP - Unique Uncut
Smooth Criminal (Bugz in the Attic Remix) - J. Viewz - Jorjia Music
Yemp Booty featuring Colonel Red - Landslide - EP - Round The House

Song - Artist - Label
Two Jaguars in Warsaw - Auteur Jazz - Ricky-Tick
Charade - Sahib Shihab - Ricky-Tick
Hip Vibrations - Cal Tjader - Verve
Soul Daddy - Erik Kloss - Prestige
Ray-El - Elvin Jones - Riverside
Olive Refractions - Johnny Griffin Sextet - Riverside
Bolles Vaggvisa - Jan Johansson - Megafon
Seranata - LTC - Ricky-Tick
Tin Tin Deo - Clarke-Boland Sextet - Columbia
All Gone Over You - Chiles & Pettiford - Atlantic
Nile Valley Blues - Yusef Lateef - Impulse
Athatolaggloo - Astro Can Caravan - Ricky-Tick
It Ain’t Necessarily So - Eje Thelin - Metronome

Ess O Ess - Sona - Nosa
END BROADCAST

 

 Show 11.36 with exclusive Ricky-Tick Guestmix + Cecilia Stalin [171:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The end of October has arrive, which means a mere two months before 2008 comes to a close. There’s still Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays around the corner, but people here in the States seem to be a long ways off from thinking about such things. The two most paramount things that seem to be on the minds of the public are the economic roller coaster that’s a big shot across the bow, and the U.S. elections that’s happening next Tuesday. It’s a bit of a crazy, yes indeed.

Here’s hoping that this week’s music will ease the crazies a bit. And if that’s not crazy enough, I have a crazy, leftfield guestmix coming this week from Me Raabenstein of Nonine Recordings in Vienna, Austria. You’ve heard some of the music from the label played on the show in the past, and the producer was kind enough to offer up a mix of music from the label’s roster. It’s an exclusive to the show, inna no-nonsense, Nonine style.

Enjoy the show, and I’ll be back atcha next week.

Song - Artist - Title - Label
Little Bird (featuring Jose James)- Jazzanova - Of All The Things - Verve
Where Would You Be - Yaw - Brownswood Bubblers Three - Brownswood
Breathe - The Matthew Herbert Big Band - There’s Me and There’s You - !K7
Cosmos (Jazz Chronicles Remix) - Electric Conversation - Golden EP - Futuristica Music promo
Drag Your Feet - Ed Seven & The Exposures - On a Mater Payer EP - Straightup promo
Agua Y Nieve (Rob Dubb Remix) - Radiokijada - EP - Month of March Music promo

Song - Artist - Label
Cincinnatti Phoenix - Sqaramouche - Nonine
Battle Fatigue - Me Raabenstein - previously unreleased
Blue Skirt Joe - Rael - previously unreleased
Colony of Cooperating Agents - Me Raabenstein - Nonine
Bound Dog Time - Slowcream - Nonine
Weekend Squeeze - Sieg der Liebe feat. Mark Gisbourne - previously unreleased
Day on a Tree - Me and Mrs Bee - previously unreleased
Either Or - Patron and Patron - Nonine
Breed Disorder- Me Raabenstein - previously unreleased
Muscadine - Langer & Raabenstein - Nonine
Vanity Fare - Dichromatic - previously unreleased
Enough Rope - Kaisen feat. Fay Victor - previously unreleased
Dead Jerk - Taub - Nonine
Into Butter - Slowcream feat. Major Major - previously unreleased

The Arrival - Vodovoz - Trip To Oz - Vodovoz
Candy (Johnny Miler Re-edit) - Cameo - promo
I Found Lovin’ (Johnny Miller Re-edit) - The Fatback Band - promo
C’mon Marianne (Mark Springfield Re-edit) - Four Seasons - promo
Tea House in China Town - The Four Tops - The Four Tops - Motown
Standing in the Shadows of Love - The Four Tops - The Best of the Four Tops - Motown
END BROADCAST

 

 Show 11.32 w/Me Raabenstein Guestmix [121:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Okay, I’m way, way, way behind on presenting the new music here. And you will hear more of the backlog on the next several shows. But sometimes, you gotta go with it.

And this week is really going with it. It’s all mainly about dub meister Bigga Bush, adding the sounds of afrobeat as among his most recent musical self-discoveries, sharing the love with others. Back in 2001, he released an album under the guise of Lightning Head on the Sonar Kollektiv label called Studio Don. It was an amalgaman of dub, reggae, and some afrobeat among other sounds.

Since that time, Bush has dug deeper and deeper into the afrobeat, making discoveries, new friends, and travels near and far to follow the music. He describes his musical journey in a short audio documentary he’s narrarated and produced called “Journey Into Afrobeat.” You, Urban Landcapes fan, will be hearing it here on this week’s show. And not too long after it ends comes an exclusive guestmix from Bigga Bush himself.

Yes folks, it’s (almost) all about Bigga Bush aka Lightning Head and afrobeat.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend to you to check out his dope 13 Faces of Lightning Head album being released in October through his Lion Head label. Check the site for more info, aight?!

Soak it up and enjoy!

Song - Artist - Title - Label
Two Steps Back - Shawn Lee and Clutchy Hopkins - Clutch of the Tiger - Ubiquity promo
The Drop Off - Shawn Lee - Under The Sun Movie Soundtrack - Ubiquity promo

Morning - Azymuth - Butterfly - Far Out promo
Sun Children- Soulphiction - Do You Overstand? - Sonar Kollektiv

Song - Artist - Label
Free Your Mind - Amnesty - Now Again
Shango - Peter King - Strut
The Message - Cymande - Janus
Waha Do Ho No - Alex Konadu - Soundway
Rascal Republic - Lightning Head - Lion Head
Won’t Nobody Listen - Black Haze Express - ClinTone
Oja Omoba - Onyeara Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band - Soundway
Invisible Twin - Lightning Head featuring Earl Zinger - Lion Head
Ku Ka Maria - Buari - RCA
I Made A Mistake/Lowdown Popcorn - Apollo Commanders - Now Again
Sousaphunk - Lightning Head - Lion Head
It’s Real - Hot 8 Brass Band - Tru Thoughts
Ride or Die - Budos Band - Daptone
Hot Pants - St. Vincent Latnaires - Harmless
Shark Fin Soup - Lightning Head featuring Earl Zinger - Lion Head

Avenida Rio Branco - Azymuth - Butterfly - Far Out promo
Nu - Abstract Butta Fingaz - Because I’m Beautiful - Abstract Butta Fingaz
END BROADCAST

 

 Show 11.27 with exclusive Bigga Bush Guestmix [114:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s good to be back with you to round out the rest of the year for the show. As most of you know, I needed a bit of a break for the rest of the summer. Now, I’m ready to share more musical goodness with you.

And believe me, the goodness is in such abundance at the moment that you’ll get just a small sampling of what I have piled up to the brim.

There are also several guest mixes that have been in wait. This week’s guestmix is another exclusive, this time coming from Replife. We’ve had a bit of an accidental meeting during the beginning stages of Co-Op: Miami at WMC 2007, informing me that he was having an album soon to be released on Futuristica Music. That album, The Unclosed Mind, dropped last spring and has been getting plenty of notice in the underground, with production fronted by some of the finest in the scene. He wanted to do a mix for the show, and he came through in fine form. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by some of the tweaks he’s done, so check it out!

Enjoy the music; back atcha next week!

On the web: Replife on Myspace

Song - Artist - Title - Label
Perspective - Stefan Oberthaler - Stefan Oberthaler
Time - Lizzy Parks - Raise The Roof - Tru Thoughts
Kixotic - Coffee Garner - demo
Can You Feel It - Christian Prommer’s Drumlesson - Drumlesson Vol. 1 - Sonar Kollektiv
Khamasin - Soil & Pimp Sessions - Planet Pimp - Brownswood
Berimbau - Joyce - Far Out Bossa Nova - Far Out promo
Triagem - Azymuth - Butterfly - Far Out promo
Dub Del Pacifico - Quantic Presents Flowering Inferno - Tru Thoughts
Sousafunk - Lightning Head - 13 Faces of Lightning Head - Lion Head promo
Bokoor Sound Special - Lightning Head - 13 Faces of Lightning Head - Lion Head promo

Prayers For Angry Men - Charlie Dark and Roger Robertson - Brownswood Bubblers Three - Brownswood
Where - Blaktroniks - Blaktropolis - Deepblak
OM (featuring Musinah) - Stacy Epps - The Awakening - Japanubia Music
Que Pasa? - J-Boogie’s Dubtronic Science - Soul Vibrations - Om
END BROADCAST

 

 Show 11.26 with exclusive Replife guestmix [121:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download