G-Funk

Woods April 2011 7th May

2011-04-21T21:58:00.002+01:00

I'll be in the environs of woods wine bar yeovil

check this out!

http://garethfunk.wordpress.com/

Blog has moved! No more entries on this site - check wordpress adress below

2011-04-16T14:38:00.003+01:00

I've defected.

Regular downloadable soundcloud mixes on new blog. Enjoy.

http://garethfunk.wordpress.com/

Shangaan Electro - South Africa

2010-07-04T16:19:00.002+01:00

Catching up with some music and come across Shangaan Electro for the first time from South Africa. Somewhat bonkers music! I like it like some kind of happy Aphex Twin style african grooves. Can you ask anymore? Check out this compilation from Honest Jon's Records Shangaan Electro.

Playing in Woods Saturday 13th June!

2010-06-13T20:23:00.002+01:00

Come along and have a dance to some African and Colombian beats. Ole!

Woods This Saturday

2010-05-20T21:10:00.009+01:00

I will DJing in Woods Wine Bar Yeovil tonight.

Mondomix Music

2010-05-13T14:47:00.004+01:00

I've added the Mondomix music radio gadget to my site and so here is some information about their site. Check it out, you'll find loads of good stuff!!

Check out the excellent Mondomix Music website for music by lesser known artists from around the world. Also check out their mp3 store here.
A special mention for their Haiti compilation which is excellent, and the proceeds of which go to a great cause.

DJing @ Woods Wine Bar Yeovil Saturday 3rd April

2010-04-04T01:09:00.000+01:00

I will be DJing Easter Saturday in Woods from 9pm. Hope to see you there.

Analog Africa ~ Anibal Velasquez ~ Mambo Loco!

2010-03-20T01:44:00.004Z

Ahead of the next Analog Africa release, here is a video clip to whet your appetite. I have another compilation of Anibal and it is superb so looking forward to more of the Colombian magic!

Sofrito Collective

2010-03-20T01:30:00.005Z

Check out the excellent heavy afro latin sounds of the Sofrito collective here. Some excellent freebie mixes to download for you aural pleasure. Glorious.

I want to know what the tune is at 7 minutes on the Tropical Warehouse mix is. Come on give it up Calypsonian!

Woods Wine Bar February 20th

2010-02-21T15:19:00.000Z

I will playing at Woods Wine Bar in Yeovil on Saturday February 20th.

Steve McQueen to make Fela Kuti Biopic

2010-01-09T15:11:00.002Z

After the success of the Broadway musical, Turner prize winner Steve McQueen is set to direct a film of the Afrobeat legend. Can't wait.

Read about it in the Guardian here.

G-Funk to DJ @ Woods Wine Bar

2009-11-10T20:31:00.000Z

I've just been confirmed to play at Woods Wine Bar in Yeovil. It's a nice little bar that I really like so I'm looking forward to it.

Check out their official site here.

Dates are Friday 20th November & Saturday 19th December. Should be a good couple of nights, hope to see you there.

Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen - Inspiration Information

2009-10-23T21:51:00.004+01:00

Strut Records are to release the latest in their Information Inspiration series this week. And it's Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen. Oh joy. I'm hoping this to be absolute stormer. I love Jimi Tenor who I've been a fan of since he signed to Warp back in the day. He's back recording for the Finnish label Sahko these days, though his releases aren't the bleepy tracks you'd expect from Sähkö Recordings if you had your head buried in techno in the early 90s. These days Jimi records with his band Kabu Kabu. Tony Allen is of course the more than legendary drummer from Fela Kuti's band. See him in action here.

Released on the 26th October.

Nice Speakers!

2009-10-23T19:48:00.003+01:00

What do you want for Christmas? Speakers shaped like dogs. With no heads.

ANALOG AFRICA Releases Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Vol.2

2009-10-23T19:23:00.006+01:00

Excellent news. I've been waiting for this one. Volume 1 of Analog Africa's compilations of Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou was a superb collection of the bands more lo-fi recordings. Volume 2 promises to be a collection from their more polished recordings for the Albarika Store label. Will be interesting to hear this. I really like the grittiness of the first one, so this should be interesting. Read the official lowdown here. Release Date is October 26th, 2009.

Soundway - Miles Cleret African DJ Mix

2009-09-22T22:48:00.004+01:00

The Soundway records website is featuring a 16 track african music mix. Good stuff, check it out here.

Afro Latin Mix - Featuring Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango, DJ Format, Kanda Bongo Man, some New York Latin and more...

2009-09-22T21:52:00.019+01:00

The picture above is of Fela Kuti's Shrine in Niigeria. To see the action in this place have a look at this post.

Here is my first mix to put on the blog. Enjoy!

Download with Rapidshare here.

http://rapidshare.com/files/283668608/Afro_Latin_Mix_21-09-09.mp3

Track List

1. Soul Makossa - Johnny Zamot
2. African Battle - Manu Dibango
3. Cuba Libre - Nico Gomez & His Afro Percussion Inc.
4. Ole (Cairo Version) - Tony Allen (Salah Ragab Mix)
5. Afro Funk - Peter King
6. Come On, Get Dancing - Pride
7. I'm Good (feat. Abdominal) - DJ Format
8. Deep - Quetcy Alma
9. Homenagem a Mongo - Camargo
10. Freedom No Go Die - Souljazz Orchestra
11. Zombie - Fela Kuti & Africa 70
11. Sai - Kanda Bongo Man

Hitman and Her Detroit Style

2009-08-24T23:59:00.003+01:00

Now that's what I call a night out. A bizarre hybrid of 80s fashion and Detroit techno. 80s music so not sure why it should seem odd. Ahh life before glow sticks, that's it, the world was a better place. Some good groovers here. Somehow I think I wouldn't get this reaction if I played this in Sherborne. Sometimes a town's just too small.

Breakdance!

2009-08-20T23:07:00.002+01:00

The last guy in this clip is great. Try doing this down your local discotheque!

Jah Shaka

2009-08-20T23:02:00.001+01:00

Here's Jah Shaka in Brixon town hall from the late 70's. Enjoy.

Captain Beefheart Documentary with John Peel

2009-07-25T00:15:00.004+01:00

I've had a great time being puzzled, amazed, over and underwhelmed by Captain Beefheart's output. But ultimately fallen in love with it. He may not sit that comfortably with the rest of the music on this blog, but there again I don't think he sits comfortably in most places! Here's a documentary narrated by John Peel from 1997, so if you are a fan and haven't seen it, enjoy. If you've never heard of him, meet one of popular music's genuine eccentric and genuine unique voices. A master.

Incidentally I read the guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo's memoir of being in The Magic Band, Lunar Notes, and all in all it didn't sound like he was a happy bunny about it all, verging on the bitter. A good insight into that strange world though. When Beefheart locked them all away to detune their minds from the conventional for the album Trout Mask Replica, some blues guitarists popped in and played some wild guitar. Why can't you play like that pondered Beefheart. Zoot Horn Rollo reminded him that they used to until Beefheart got his hands on them. I lent that book to a taxi driver Magic Band fan I got talking to about Beefheart on the way home one night and completely forgot about it. He posted it in my letterbox over a year later. Respect.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Disco Dancing From Finland

2009-07-20T21:40:00.002+01:00

After mastering the dancing from previous posts, it's only fair to brush up on your disco dancing skills. And who better to give you pointers than these two masters of the art from the world disco dancing epicenter, Finland. Clear some space on the floor and give it a whirl. Look out for them at the next Dimitri From Paris gig.

Strut Records Free Sampler

2009-07-14T19:11:00.003+01:00

Strut have released the follow up to their excellent 2002 compilation Black Rio. Focusing on Brazilian music influenced by American soul and funk, the first compilation was a classic and one of my favourite Brazilian compilations. Strut release lots of great albums and compilations, and to get a taste they are giving away a free sampler available here. Well worth checking out. Have a look here and get a free MP3.

Sabres of Paradise Tape Incident

2009-07-09T01:00:00.003+01:00

Growing up I learned piano, played in the local brass band and graduated to playing trumpet in the local schools jazz orchestra, a kind of swing band. But despite all that, I never found music that I really liked, found my own. That's until I read about LFO and then Nightmares On Wax in the magazine Music Technology. Twiddlings on my Casio keyboard paid off then. I used to walk my dog, good old Fudge, with my walkman on loud, listening to the LFO and Nightmares On Wax albums everyday. I knew every bleep and bloop. I followed the records Warp released religiously, it introduced me into a whole new world. One of the cassettes I had was Sabres of Paradise's Sabresonic. I never got into that one as much as the others, I was used to the bleeps. Wanting a knew album, I repackaged the Sabres album into a newer box and tried to fob it off in the St Helens Our Price records as new to get something else. I got found out. Sent out with the tail between my legs. Shameful. But not the end of the world. This is monsiour Andrew Wetherall with his Sabres of Paradise from 1994. Trippy. And this tune I love.

Shuggie Otis

2009-07-08T00:28:00.006+01:00

Shuggie Otis is the son of rhythm and blues musician and bandleader Johnny Otis. Somewhat of a guitar prodigy, his professional career began at the age of 12. He performed on various artists albums before releasing his solo efforts, which there are sadly not as many as there should be. Between 1969 and 1974 he produced four solo albums, the masterpiece of which was the classic Inspiration Information, one of my favourites. As I mentioned in an earlier post. Even if you aren't familiar with Shuggie, you may well be familiar with Strawberry Letter 23 originally released on Freedom Flight from 1971, which was covered by the Brothers Johnson and included in the Jackie Brown soundtrack. Inspiration Information was re-released on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label in 2001 with some bonus tracks. Since releasing these albums in the early 70s he has pretty much withdrawn from the music scene, although records bits and bobs now and then.

Anyway, here is Shuggie's Bootie Cooler from the album Here Comes Shuggie Otis, released in 1970. Bit of a blurry video, but well worth it for the dancing. Those of you who have mastered James Brown's Robot from last week can now try these moves. Happy days.

Master the Robot

2009-06-29T19:25:00.003+01:00

Nowadays a night out isn't a night out without doing the robot on the dancefloor. So you can master it like me, get the tips from the master, the one, the only, the hardest working man in showbusiness, Mr Peeeeeeeeeeeter Crouch. Aka James Brown.

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics

2009-06-28T18:21:00.009+01:00

Been really getting into this album recently. The best of the Strut Inspiration Information series I've heard so far. If you like the Éthiopiques series, you'll like this too. If you're in London be a good night at the club night too. Mulatu Ashtake was at Glastonbury which must have been pretty cool I reckon. Struggling to find coverage on the BBC past Lady Gaga's outfits. Not overly complaining. Incidentally, don't know if the name of the series is supposed to relate to the super chilled Shuggie Otis album of the same name, which is an all time favourite of mine. Anyway, here's a video of them live recently in London, enjoy.

All Star Bonkers Champion Lee Scratch Perry

2009-06-27T20:14:00.004+01:00

Jools Holland interviews the madly prolific Lee Scratch Perry from 1985. Got to love his toaster on the railings. Been playing The Upsetters version of Leaving On a Jet Plane and Melting Pot and they always go down well. Wonder what on earth his sound engineer thinks about during his day at work? Not sure if Paul Young is singing about revolution though.

The Late Great Marvin Gaye

2009-06-27T16:28:00.004+01:00

In a week where another great from the Motown cannon left us, here's a video of the late great genius of Marvin Gaye in full flow. Check out the highly influential James Jamerson on bass.

Bit of a spurt to get the blog going, some good links for you today. In the meantime, I better find out what's going on with Hugh's laptop I promised to fix ages ago, salut!

Some gigs like this in the South West please...

2009-06-27T16:18:00.003+01:00

Tito Puente - Free Concert in The Bronx
Tito Puente and Charlie Palmieri are off their nuts! Great stuff.

Fela Kuti greets Ginger Baker in his duds

2009-06-27T14:55:00.000+01:00

Great clip from the Ginger Baker In Africa film. Some top dancing from Fela and the girls, much like me at the Christmas party.

Analog Africa Free Mixes

2009-06-27T14:32:00.007+01:00

Analog Africa are definately one of my favourite labels in the reissuing game at the moment. plus they are nice folk as they have some free album length mixes on their website. Check them out here and here.

Here's a video that went with their African Scream Contest compilation, these guys got style.

And more pure joy here. Puppet love.

Soundway Releases Panama! 2 (plus free mix)

2009-06-27T13:32:00.000+01:00

Soundway Records have released the follow up to their excellent Panama! compilation. It's another brilliant selection of Panamanian music from the 60s and 70s and I can't recommend it enough. You can get a free mp3 mix here.