The Groove Thief

2000 Tons of TNT re-imagine the vintage on Reggae Mysteria. Funky upbeat instruments like the excellent title track and the following “Cougar Communion” are sharp and well-polished, the latter featuring some wicked keys. While certainly retro-inspired, this is an updated and varied take on the past as the garage-rock of “Shot In The Dark,” the slightly-Eastern funk of “Tiger Uppercut,” and the well-passed melody on “Rabo De Toro” all show. This is dirty garage rock with ample funk and early reggae influences, but great cuts like “Electric Pyramid” don’t deserve to be pinned down by genres. “Theme For Ambu” features some nice heavy drumming and another wicked keyboard solo, before “I’m Feeling Lonely” closes with its skanking guitar. This is a unique mix of musical styles, coming out of San Diego, CA, that is pushing the past forward in all the right ways. Hopefully their follow-up, expected in 2013, will continue the inspiring trend:

01/01/13 UPDATE: Here’s two new tracks (currently available for free) as a new album preview:

In a dancehall clearly inspired by 2 Many DJs, High Time Sound, DontCallMeJunior & Flash It Up Sound [more tunes here] have united forces to produce their “2 Many Selectaz Vol. 1” mixtape. Heavy on the hits, Capleton is mashed up with The Jackson 5, Anthony B is set atop Queen, Elephant Man meets Crookers, plus lots of strong uptempo riddims, all alongside productions from other modern dub/reggae heroes like J-Star, Krak In Dub, and MAFFI. Lots of rock, digital reggae, and dancehall madness are crammed into this hour long mix, and the best part is many of these productions are available for free download from the artists’ Soundcloud accounts. Hopefully this series will continue soon!

Slightly Stoopid are delightfully predictable on the recently released Top Of The World. Smooth guitars, funky bass, catchy vocals with ample harmonies, and plenty of reggae, dub, punk, and other influences mixed in. The title track starts this SoCal party record off; long-time fans are rewarded with a funky-dubby version of “Devil’s Door;” “Way You Move” has vocals that perfectly slide in the ear; “Drink Professionally” may end up at reggae-loving frat parties, but it still has a great groove. The guest artists reflect the varying influences of the band, with Barrington Levy, Angelo Moore, Chali 2na, and G. Love (amongst others) making an appearance. For instrumentalists, “Deal With Rhythm” and “Rhythm Street” are both nice and simple jams, and while overall this is a rather mellow record, it is enjoyably upbeat and well worth a listen:

And don’t worry, there is a hidden punk rock jam at the end if you’re wondering where that side of Slightly Stoopid has gone…

The B-Side Dubs are dub-influenced for sure, but catchy lead single “Hazy Days” opens with reverberating guitar before the melody begins and the rock-reggae takes over. Lyrically, it’s a tale of naive ‘colorful’ adventure; musically the hook and breakdown are both upbeat and sufficiently funky. “Light” features a skanking rhythm section, while closer “Sunrise & High Tides” is smooth summer-time porch music. Buffa-Dub is a nice EP, poppy in a comforting, rather than worn-out, way; hopefully their upcoming full-length will continue to balance their multitude of influences with grace. “Hazy Days” is available on Soundcloud, or you can grab the whole album for free via the band’s website.

Morbo & Mambo deliver dark and broody psych-funk that transitions to be up-tempo and explosive on Morbo Y Mambo.  Standout track “Kerosenne” follows this precisely, building up to cascading horns and a frantic rhythm section.  Often during this impressive album the horns will take the lead and provide the motivation for the other instruments to quicken their pace.  This is modern funk, widely influenced yet firmly focused on the groove.  ”Blanco Nigeria” and “Candomb” are cleverly-named and rockin’, while the shadowy depths are explored on “Solo TV” and “Escandar.”  ”Fung Wah” sounds like the instrumental Beastie Boys at their finest, and closer “Das Papier” like the rock gods giving birth:

“Not Rock Not Stoner Not Dub Not Afrofunk Just All Together”

Domino takes an interesting position in the moombahton world, choosing to remix a variety of tracks: some from the pop universe and others much more electro.  His latest moombahventure is No Doubt’s “Rock Steady” (Moombahska Remix), with Gwen Stefani’s voice emerging from a hazy shuffle before the track descends into glitchy-bass.  The production on Riot Earp’s “Shai’ll Be That” (Jamaican Meth Remix) is full-on warbling electro-synths that make for a dark and dirty future dancehall track.  Other remixees include Die Antwoord, The Gorillaz, and Paper Diamond, all available on Soundcloud.

Tinariwen entered to hopeful applause, but exited to a roomful of awe and a standing ovation.  Playing their second of two nights as co-headliners of the 40th Annual Hong Kong Arts Festival - along with New Orleans blues legend Dr. John - the band embraced Hong Kong with their dusty, mournful, droning desert rock.  This was deep music to revel in, and between the last minute lineup changes (due to outbreaks of violence in the band’s homeland Mali) and a bit of a language barrier, it fairly took the crowd a while to warm-up.  But with the relentless hand-clapping and the dizzying layers of sound laid out by the mesmerizing sextet, coupled with the soaring guitar melodies and well-harmonized vocals, the crowd gradually became entranced, enraptured and wildly enthusiastic.  By the end of the almost two-hour set the majority of the sell-out crowd was on their feet, clapping feverishly as the band exchanged solos and instruments.  Fans briefly stole the stage to dance and to thank the crowd in Cantonese on behalf of the band, but this night belonged to the desert.

The talent runs deep with Tinariwen, so while they may have been influenced by 60s rock the sound they have forged is wholly original: Saharan campfire music that is clearly Grammy worthy.  Like equally renowned Malians Amadou & Mariam, this is passionate music meant for the world, not just “world music.”  Hong Kong should be thankful for nights like this, when the bustling city fades away and the stars come out…

(Please click here for my original review of the band)

“Default” is a confident jangly indie-rocker from Django Django. The inevitable Beta Band comparison aside, this is fun, eclectically-influenced music that’s simple yet mesmerizing - especially during the vocal-less sections. Not that the vocals are bad, chopped up they sound like instruments, and they suppy just enough purpose to steer this track safely through.

As a bonus, here’s a remix, the Dan Carey Dub, which slims the track down to a sparse version with echoing vocals emerging from within the beats and effects. Reinvents the track, really, placing it a whole different genre.