Episode #13: New Wave

As with all musical genres, New Wave is hard to explicitly define. It is usually considered to have flourished in the wake of punk with some bands borrowing so many elements of punk music that it may be hard to distinguish where punk ended and New Wave began. To simplify matters, New Wave can generally be narrowed down to late 1970s through the early 1980s. There are two main schools that evolved from the punk movement in the mid-late 1970s: post-punk and New Wave. New Wave can be considered the more straightforward, pop-conscious sibling to post-punk’s artier, darker, and more complex approach.

Basically anyone in the early-mid 1980s using a synthesizer was considered New Wave, but this serves to oversimplify things. Hugely influential and talented bands such as Talking Heads, Blondie, The Cure and Elvis Costello arose in the New Wave era and exemplify the high, nervous energy and irreverent attitude of punk while crafting catchy pop songs. However, there is certainly a wide variation within the confines of New Wave. Tinges of reggae can be heard on Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives” while synthesizer and other electronic instrumentation are very prevalent on Gary Numan’s “Cars” and Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Then you have more straight-ahead, traditional pop/rock, such as The Pretenders, The Knack and Nick Lowe and the punk-influenced stylings of The Jam and The Undertones.

After the advent of MTV in 1981, many copycat New Wave bands began to spring up everywhere. From that point on, New Wave would be harder and harder to describe as the music splintered into countless sub-genres and became increasingly reliant on synthesizers in an effort to create electronic pop dance music. However, here I try to salute the purest of the New Wave bands and celebrate its heyday.

Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track listing:
1) Uncontrollable Urge (3:11) – Devo
2) My Sharona (4:54) – The Knack
3) A Bomb in Wardour Street (2:38) – The Jam
4) Cities (4:10) – Talking Heads
5) Watching The Detectives (3:57) – Elvis Costello
6) My City Was Gone (5:25) – The Pretenders
7) Age of Consent (5:16) – New Order
8) Respectable Street (3:38) – XTC
9) Maria (4:09) – Blondie
10) Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (3:05) – Haircut 100
11) So It Goes (2:34) – Nick Lowe
12) Cars (3:31) – Gary Numan
13) Automatic (3:07) – The Go-Go’s
14) True Confessions (1:54) – The Undertones
15) Separate Beds (3:21) – Squeeze
16) I Know What Boys Like (3:13) – The Waitresses
17) Boys Don’t Cry (2:35) – The Cure
18) Just Can’t Get Enough (3:44) – Depeche Mode

Cut of the Week 01/18/10 MLK Day

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. here is one of his favorite songs, performed by a 14-year old Aretha Franklin in her father's church. I think it speaks for itself and Dr. King's lasting legacy. Enjoy.


Aretha Franklin - "Precious Lord (Part 1)" download here

Episode #12: Hip Hop's Golden Era (1991-1994)

Believe it or not, this mix was extremely hard to compile. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of great material to sift through. I grew up in this era and still have the tape collection to prove it. When referencing hip hop, the term Golden Era is open to debate. Some feel that moniker belongs solely to 1980s, while other believe it be comprised of the late 80s through the early 1990s. So, it’s a rather subjective decision. Either way, it refers to hip hop before it was co-opted by the mainstream and turned into a multi-billion dollar industry giant.

For simplicity’s sake, the 1980s will always be my beloved Old School (although as I get older, the 1990s are falling under that umbrella, too). So, for me, the early to mid-90s is the Golden Era. This mix in particular concentrates on 1991-1994, with a great majority of tracks from 1992. This was hip hop’s heyday in creativity and sheer originality. There were so many quality groups making great music at the same time it’s hard to believe, given the awful state of affairs hip hop finds itself in today.

The mix is in chronological order, starting with the pseudo-New Jack Swing of Chubb Rock and ending with the crackling b-boy funk of Artifacts’, “Wrong Side of The Tracks.” I was careful not to overlook The West Coast: Del, Pharcyde, and Dr.Dre & Snoop (Doggy) Dogg prove the Left Coast could hold its own despite always residing in the shadow of its bigger, older brother: The East Coast. The Geto Boys classic “My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me” even put Houston, Texas on the hip hop map. The Native Tongues, who still have considerable clout in the hip hop world and obvious staples of this era, are represented here by legends A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. And of course who can forget Wu-Tang, those kooky kids from Staten Island, who started way back in 1993 with their gritty, piano-laced beats and never-ending cast of MCs.

Obviously, a volume 2 and 3 are already in the works (I haven’t even touched early Biggie or Nas work). But let’s start here. Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track listing:
1) Treat Em Right (4:43) – Chubb Rock
2) Lookin’ At The Front Door (4:13) – Main Source
3) Scenario (Remix) (5:18) – A Tribe Called Quest
4) Know The Ledge (3:59) – Eric B. & Rakim
5) My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me (5:11) – Geto Boys
6) Mistadobalina (4:18) – Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
7) Deep Cover (4:16) – Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
8) La Schmoove (4:57) – Fu-Schnickens
9) Sally Got a One Track Mind (3:44) – Diamond D
10) Soul Clap (4:02) – Showbiz & AG
11) Passing Me By (5:03) – Pharcyde
12) Crossover (3:49) – EPMD
13) They Want EFX (3:41) – Das EFX
14) They Reminisce Over You (4:47) – Pete Rock & CL Smooth
15) Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (5:06) – De La Soul
16) How Many Emcees (3:40) – Black Moon
17) Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (Remix) (4:31) – Brand Nubian
18) C.R.E.A.M. (4:12) – Wu-Tang Clan
19) Come Clean (4:57) – Jeru Da Damaja
20) Wrong Side of The Tracks (4:19) - Artifacts

Cut of the Week 01/08/10

Remember Ska?

Despite the fact that ska music dates back the 1960s as the precursor of rockseady and reggae music, in the early-mid 1990s there was a huge ska revival, known as Third Wave Ska. Bands such as Hepcat, Toasters, Sublime, Less Than Jake and Voodoo Glow Skulls enjoyed their heyday as the preeminent ska/punk bands. I believe ska reached its pinnacle (some may say "jumped the shark") when it went mainstream via the appearance of The Mighty-Mighty Bosstones in the 1995 cult classic Clueless.

Here is "Pleasure Bribe" from one of the great ska revival bands of that era, The Pietasters, off their classic album Oolooloo.


The Pietasters - "Pleasure Bribe" download here

Need a DJ?

Searching for a DJ?....Look no further.

I provide complete DJ/MC services for ALL entertainment purposes. I own all of the equipment including powered speakers, MIDI controller, mixer and microphone. My music library is all digital and my setup is neat and compact. There is no genre too obscure nor gig too big or small - weddings, engagement parties, corporate events, house parties, holiday parties, etc. I will work in close concert with you to ensure that I play EVERYTHING you want to hear. My 25,000+ digital song library will more than satisfy you. And if not, I will acquire any music you request to supplement my collection.

PRICES: economical - Please inquire for quotes.

REFERENCES: provided upon request.

I love being able to put my music obsession to good use and provide music for your special event. Please spread the word about the blog and my DJ services, especially to those who I can help by cutting them an incredible deal. Contact me and let's work it out.

Please email me at musichoundentertainment@gmail.com with inquiries.

Thanks,
Matt @ Music Hound Entertainment

Episode #11: Special Ladies

Happy 2010 everyone! As promised, I will continue to bring you diverse mixes once a week that I hope (re)introduces you to great music.

This week I chose to honor the great female vocalists, mostly of the R&B/soul/blues persuasion. There are some obvious heavy hitters here, such as Aretha, The Sparrow Edith Piaf and the High Priestess of Soul Nina Simone. The tracks are ordered relatively chronologically with some modern day standouts with remarkable voices included to balance out the list.

While singers such as Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, and more recently Neko Case have garnered serious acclaim and firmly established themselves as voices of their respective generation, other promising careers have stalled. Lauryn Hill has practically fallen off the map and Amy Winehouse may still have a storied career if she can somehow straighten her life out. Either way, I like to think of this mix as a kind of progression of the diva and to illustrate quite nicely that it’s not just a man’s world.

Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track listing:
1) La Vie en Rose (3:08) – Edith Piaf
2) Can’t Buy Me Love (2:39) – Ella Fitzgerald
3) The Very Thought of You (2:47) – Billie Holliday
4) Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (3:15) – Aretha Franklin
5) Compared to What (5:16) – Roberta Flack
6) Please Don’t Let Me Misunderstood (3:51) – Nina Simone
7) Something’s Got a Hold on Me (2:50) – Etta James
8) Son of a Preacher Man (2:29) – Dusty Springfield
9) Midnight Train To Georgia (4:35) – Gladys Knight & The Pips
10) Get It While You Can (3:28) – Janis Joplin
11) Workin’ Together (3:32) – Ike & Tina Turner
12) On & On (3:46) – Erykah Badu
13) Sweetest Thing (4:41) – Lauryn Hill
14) I Wish I Was The Moon (3:35) – Neko Case
15) You Know I’m No Good (4:17) Amy Winehouse
16) Not Too Late (3:32) – Norah Jones