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Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night02 July 2008
Camp Lo are another hip hop duo who created a classic debut but never managed to follow it up in proper fashion, (also see them and them.)
Their 1997 debut, Uptown Saturday Night is an album whose whole concept, from lyrics to artwork to videos is based upon the themes of 1970’s Blaxploitation. Whist sounding like a pretty heavy going subject, in reality its more to do with lush, smooth and uplifting funk, soul and disco samples, colorful flared clothes and a set of lyrics that reference a lot of 1970s pop culture whilst making absolutely no sense.
Camp Lo – Luchini AKA This Is It
Cassanova brown levitation jiggy in da shiggy’s
In la hotta Car 54 chasin’ diamond runners
Headin’ ice bound, where every chilla dime can get
Your Harlem buck strut freezin’ world hice Hollywood
Madame Butterfly let me in your house of pleasure
From the knuckle swat shadowboxin’ catchin’ black-eye blues
Some might find fault in having hip-hop lyrics that make no sense, but Camp Lo manage to conjure vivid lyrical illusions with the shortest of phrases, and without the constraints of having to make rhymes logical, they are freed up to make pleasing use of their skills with assonance:
Camp Lo – Black Nostaljack AKA Come On
Drop cats from BX on the one and the two
We sippin on the booze with the little big league shoe
Somebody pulled a heist but they just don’t know who
I wonder how we do heist the juice how we do
I’m in the airy lye with a little bit of ooh
I do swing my flings but I practice kung fu
Now this here be the end so we will be seeing you
Hailing from the Bronx, aka the ‘birthplace of Hip Hop’, Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede partnered their surreal raps on Uptown Saturday Night with the Jay-Z affiliated producer Ski Beatz. Ski Beatz, real name David Willis, was riding a high on a wave of confidence, having just produced 4 tracks on Jay-Z’s critcally acclaimed debut, Reasonable Doubt, (Feelin’ It, 22 Two’s, Dead Presidents and Politics as Usual,) and one brilliant, brilliant stand alone 12”, In My Lifetime. With Jay-Z’s beats, Ski used smooth, often horn based, samples to very sultry and moody effect, but during the making of Uptown Saturday Night, Camp Lo’s obsession with everything Blaxploitation must have rubbed off, as although his style doesn’t drastically change, his beats take a unique turn towards a more bombastic 1970’s Shaft theme tune sound.
Although the album came out to all round great reactions, Camp Lo failed to make a follow up for 5 years. Once again they used Ski Beatz, but he hadn’t exactly been on fire since and the decision to drop their sampled soul sound for a more digital, polished and commercial approach failed miserably, the result being an extremely boring album that sold next to nothing. Such a shame. Anyway, I’ll leave you with another great track from their quite wonderful debut:
Camp Lo – Coolie High
In other Jay-Z "news"...02 July 2008
Shawn Carter-mania has really swept the UK (and this blog) over the past few weeks.
This is the last time I write about him for a bit, but I couldn’t help but splutter my tea on my desk when I read that BBC.co.uk just called him ‘Jiggerman’ in their commentary at Wimbledon. Apparently he’s there watching the Murray – Nadal match.
No surprise really:
Jay-Z – Can’t Knock the Hustle
Got the US Open, advantage Jigga
Serve like Sampras, play fake a rappers like a campus
Le Tigre, son you’re too eager
"how can you mosh to Jay-Z?"02 July 2008
classic footage, banned by the BBC for copyright reasons:
Kid Harpoon Live with Dizzee Rascal30 June 2008 Kid-Harpoon
Kid Harpoon playing guitar with Dizzee Rascal, live at Glastonbury, on Dizzee’s new track (feat. Calvin Harris, ) Dance Wiv Me:
Seems I might have to eat humble pie.
Vampire Weekend at The Natural History Museum29 June 2008
I didn’t go to Glastonbury, so I missed this but I did go to one of the most surreal gigs I’ve ever been to:
Last night Vampire Weekend played a birthday party at The Natural History Museum. As per usual, they were fantastic:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Mouse28 June 2008
Boy Better Know + Timmy Mallet =28 June 2008
Homage to Catalonia28 June 2008
“Love of the music should be the driving force of any producer, performer or DJ. Everything else stems from that core, that love. With that love, sampling can become a tribute; An expansion on ideas long forgotten, reconstruction, collage. Using the same understanding openly and respectfully can turn DJing into a spiritual participation. It can turn a few hours of selection into essential history; Necessary listening through movement.”
- Theo Parrish (some more wise words in this clip ) played a set to a few thousand pilled or coked or otherwise up’d pilgrims at Sonar, Barcelona at 5am last Friday night. Some disco, some soul, some 35 minutes of free jazz, some hombre telling me I’m in another dimension. After an hour of Buraka Som Sistema’s onslaught of heavy bassy beats and grimey world electro driving the crowd wild (I was not so enthused), the easy thing to do would have been to crank out the techno and house bangers he is so well versed in, but instead, we got a treat. Whether the rest of the masses saw it this way, for me, it was spiritual. As the hombre insisted ‘this is the smart thing to do after that other band, just real good music.’
When times were better...27 June 2008
I just can’t get over this. I was youtubing everything Shaq and Kobe ended up finding this:
Things used to be so good between them.
Holy Fuck - Super Inuit27 June 2008
Gang Gang Dance are in town this weekend26 June 2008 Gang-Gang-Dance-
Gang Gang Dance are in town this weekend playing two shows.
The first:
The second is at Cargo the day after, Sunday the 29th of June. Its being put on by the ever amazing Upset The Rhythm and has support from High Life, (on The Social Registry)
Enjoy
Fuck Buttons26 June 2008
(Photo taken from here)
Fuck Button’s Street Horrrsing came out at the start of this year to much, deserved, praise. Coming in at 6 songs and 50 minutes, Street Horrrsing shows up Fuck Buttons’ remarkable skill of creating extensive, yet captivating, songs from the most simple ideas. ‘Bright Tomorrow’ is based on an unelaborate, constant techno beat, decorated by a few other parts, layered slowly throughout the song. The result is a crescendo of noise and tension (although I’d just as easily call it euphoria,) which peaks at 4.00 (2.26 in the video, but you really shouldn’t be listening to this through your computer speakers,) as a swathe of distortion/feedback cuts through and floods your ears with noise.
Fuck Buttons – Bright Tomorrow
Although the album is a thoroughly good listening experience it does pale in comparison to a good live show. A couple of weekends ago at Primavera Sound they played a very good show.
Fuck Buttons, from backstage, Primavera Sound, Barcelona, 2008:
To a jam-packed ATP stage, the duo played a set that worked the large sound system to its limits, with wave upon wave of bass-led, yet Hi-Fi drones.
(Fuck Buttons, from the photographers pit, Primavera Sound, Barcelona, 2008)
For ‘Sweet Love For Planet Earth,’ I positioned myself in the photographers pit. From this uninterrupted view, (because its just under the speakers/monitors,) I felt like I’d been placed in a cathedral of sound. The low rumbles of bass and the lush synths/keyboard parts continuously washed over me, sending me into some sort of trance like rapture.
You can see the song performed live below, although you’ll have to go see them live for yourself to gain the same effect:
Cool Kids - Bake Sale26 June 2008
Chicago’s well talked about Cool Kids are in London this week playing a few shows. One of these is an in-store, dressed up as a Bake Sale. I’m not sure what ‘Bake’ is meant to mean. I very much doubt they’re going to be selling cakes, so I’m sure I missing some Hip Hop/drug selling connotation.
Cool Kids – Black Mags
Anyway, they are rather wonderful, especially live, where their charisma is in full effect. Catch it all here:
