Here we go — another internet mixtape:
First, we have the Academy Award winner for best song, from Slumdog Millionaire — I’m really glad that Hindi music is getting some exposure here in the US. Cross-pollination is a good thing. A.R. Rahman – “Jai Ho.”
Courtesy of
Ian Eagleson was pursing a doctorate in ethnomusicology, and studying abroad in Kenya. He ended up combining members and sounds from his Washington D.C. rock band ‘Golden’ and the Nairobi benga band ‘Orchestra Extra Solar Africa’ into a new group, Extra Golden. In 2007, then-Senator Obama managed to get them visas so they could tour the US, and they wrote a tribute song to him in Luo, the language of Obama’s Kenyan tribe. Really excellent stuff: Extra Golden – “Obama.”
I’ve been listening to quite a bit of 60s soul recently — blame the revival by folks like Ronson, Winehouse and Sharon Jones. It all leads you back, and before you know it, you’re rocking out to “Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett, or Eddie Floyd – “Knock On Wood.”
Emily Wells is an artist performing at this years SXSW in Austin — she creates a new genre, a mix of classical, hip-hop, alternative… I don’t know what to call it, but it’s brilliant. Emily Wells – “Symphony 6 – Fair Thee Well and the Requiem Mix.”
Jukebox The Ghost is an indie pop band, whose debut album, Let Live and Let Ghosts came out last year. They’re a three-piece: drums, guitar, piano — with serious chops. Reminds me a bit of early Ben Folds, but even better, in my opinion. Jukebox The Ghost – “Victoria.”
Lastly — one of the best hip-hop tracks of all time, which I never get tired of hearing. “Engine, Engine No. 9, on the New York transit line…” Black Sheep – “The Choice is Yours (Revisited).”
Enjoy.