Andy Kim - It's Your Life

Time to delve into rock and pop for a bit. Nothing more pop, or rather bubblegum I should say, than Andy Kim.
This little piece of psych soul does something unique for me. I call this a Saturday morning wiggle your toes on the front porch type of jam. It starts off as if it were made for looping up with several 4 measure bars ready to feed right into the MPC. This is in the vein of Crystal Mansion or label mates The Illusion. Both of which are 'hippie soul' and 'pop rock and roll' groups from the seventies. It's tasty hippie soul or folk funk either way you slice it. Just a lazy funky beat with all the right elements. It heads in a bit of a Hare Krishna direction but has grown on me through the years regardless.
Andy Kim grew up in Montreal but was of Lebanese descent. When he moved to New York to pursue a music career he hooked up with Jeff Barry of Steed records. His biggest claim to fame was having penned 'Sugar, Sugar' for The Archies. After Steed records fell apart he moved to MCA in 1974.

Not an expert on Andy Kim in the slightest, but the story around this one being in my arsenal is kinda odd. My copy of this 45 is actually a mis-print. Steed records put the label for Robin McNamara's 'Lay A Little Lovin' On Me' on it instead of Andy Kim's. For years I thought it was Robin, and then for many years after that..I knew it wasn't Robin, but couldn't figure out who the hell it was! Fortunately, a friend (who prefers to remain anonymous), ex-record store owner, and fellow bubblegum and pop collector told me it was for sure a Steed label mate of Robin's. Thank god. At last my mystery 45 was exposed. But, then years passed by again... oh shit. Who the hell was this again? I had forgot the real artist it was and who he had told it was. screwed. I forgot!! I had to rifle through the Steed label again just to confirm and present it here on soundboutique. But, here it is in all it's splendor. Fresh from the 'Greatest Hits' of Andy Kim, not from my dodgy mis-printed 45.



Andy Kim - It's Your Life

Shuggie Otis - Ice Cold Daydream

Whether in conversation or on this blog, I constantly reference Shuggie Otis. There's something truly beautiful and mysterious about him and his music. When I first scored his 'Inspiration Information' LP, I think I spent an entire week in my apartment with the headphones on. I was obviously blown away and affected, but it went even further than that. Somehow I had dreams those nights about Shuggie jammin' with the school band at Berkeley High. It was some kind of great hippie psychedelic soul jam session. I've often used that dream to describe his music, and although it doesn't encapsulate his 'sound' (as it's only my individual experience) Shuggie has created 'dream' music for his fans. He definitely left some kind of celestial imprint in my musical tastes.
In that LP he's etching out a new brand of 'Hippie Soul' (among other things) and with this LP he launched one of my all time favorite tracks EVER...'Strawberry Letter 23'.
This song 'Ice Cold Daydream' is on the flip of a 45 I have of 'Strawberry' and the opening tune on his 1971 'Freedom Flight' LP. This LP came out a year later than his previous more bluesy 'Here Comes Shuggie...' LP, but was light years beyond it. It was apparent that his sound was evolving and in 1974 when 'Inspiration' dropped it fell on deaf ears. Critics panned his moving away from the blues sounds and claimed he had lost his way. Years later it was of course discovered by soul enthusiasts, and heralded up there right along with other landmark Bay Area LP's like 'There's A Riot Goin' On' By Sly and the Family Stone. Then, it was re-released by Luaka Bop and it finally met with universal acclaim. As a result of his new found 'fame' I had to the chance to see him at Great American Music Hall in SF, but he was 'out of sorts' and almost canceled the performance. I had heard of people trying to reach him, and often knocking on his door with no response, or being told to 'go away' by Shuggie himself.
This is a sample of his more psych rock sounding stuff, but Shuggie is unconventional to say the least and his music knows few boundaries. In any instance of his music you'll hear vast varieties of both sound and mood and a bevy of unpredictable changes in the song writing. I'm posting this song 'cause i love it, but also I'll be heading down a 'rock' path in the next few weeks. There will be more Shuggie snippets to come in the future as I'm a huge fan. Thanks for letting me vent about my love for Shuggie, and have a happy Ice Cold Daydream.



Shuggie Otis - Ice Cold Daydream

Ananda Shankar - Streets Of Calcutta

From the synth boogie of Nigeria's Dizzy K to the break laden funk of India's Ananda Shankar, it's all in a days work when deep in the labs of Soundboutique.

When I first came across this LP, I had to pick my jaw up off the carpet of the record convention floor. Not that it's thaaaat rare, but for me at the time.. it might have been..well, a little 'grail-ish' let's say. It was in the box of a mostly rock and psych oriented seller. And as a result, he didn't really know why cats like myself sought after this particular LP. After engaging him in a lengthy conversation topped off with a little wheelin' and dealin' I took it off his hands. Nothing like a little charitable verbatim to grease the gears from one collector to another. It was necessary to wiggle a bit as his pricing was a bit high even though he blindly 'knew' about the record. It was priced high just because he could tell it was worth something. Not really knowing what exactly it was worth. Of course at the time, it was emerging in popularity on the rare groove circuit thus, climbing in price. I looked at it...yup, EMI India, yup, yup gatefold... that was it. I tried to keep it well concealed from other perspective buyers. We reached a livable price and now in the collection it sits.


Ananda has a staple of India funk and sitar bangers. His covers of 'Jumping Jack Flash' and 'Light My Fire' show his interest in The Doors, The Rolling Stones and other mainstream rock and roll in general. And, it was rumored he hung and played with Jimi Hendrix while in L.A. in the sixties. Ananda blended psych and sitar soul and did probably the best in his time at converging rock and eastern sounds.

Those familiar with Bollywood know the soundtrack sound and 'Streets Of Calcutta' is spot on. This is probably the best tune on the album, but it is an excellent LP and Ananda's best work. I'd say get the album if you can, its an enjoyable listen for sure.

Ananda became entirely less traditional than other sitar artists and chased a broader appeal for his music. He branched out with western 'rock' guitar and more 'pop' material. This LP, noted as his masterpiece, was recorded in 1975 marking his return to India from Los Angeles. He later gained exposure in London DJ circuits and enjoyed a considerable re-issue craze. His tunes have been featured on the Blue Note Break Beat comps and this LP has been re-released in a few formats. Hopefully making him a little more of a well known name and a lil' pocket change to boot. Before his death in 1999, he also enjoyed continued success blending sitar and eastern sounds with breakbeat and hip hop.

Please check out and enjoy this monster sitar funk track from Ravi Shankar's nephew Ananda Shankar... 'Streets Of Calcutta'





Ananda Shankar - Streets Of Calcutta

Dizzy K - You

Speaking of Africa... I think I'm gravitating to Nigerian records from 81-83 like the tractor beam from the death star. Just so happens they are all sounding like complete replicas of Michael Jackson records. From Chris Mba, who I posted here before, to this cat Dizzy K. The squeals and yelps, to the rhythmic scats, it all ads up to MJ. Not to mention the bass heavy brilliant disco boogie production perfection they've all got. Dizzy had a number of albums, all seem to be excellent. Don't have them all yet, but working on it. So far so good. Meaning they've all been worthwhile listens. This particular LP is the best yet. And, judging from the prices his LP's command, this is probably the most desired. I remember buying this on ebay. I heard a few sound samples of the tracks and was completely FLOORED. I had never heard anything so funky and so hotly produced. It blew my mind how incredible the few tracks sounded, even though they were crappy ass little soundfiles. This was approximately 5 or more years ago. I was ready to drop some serious loot on it. I put figures into eBay I had never entered before. I was willing to bet the farm on this one, and didn't want to lose it to another bidder. Surprisingly it ended for 13 or 14 dollars, (totally surprised!) a far cry from the hundreds I was willing to spend. Since then Nigerian Boogie records have gone through the roof. I have no idea what this record would go for now, but the last few copies went for 500 to 1,000$.
To me, it might be worth it. All the tracks on here are bombs. Plus, like I said, I'd never heard anything produced so well. Every track sounds like you could make a new Daft Punk song just by looping it up. The back info on the record reads like a synth and drum machine holy grail want list..some of the hottest shit on earth. Trust me this record is made with some of the sickest sounds you've ever heard. Dizzy is still around, and heavy into gospel music. It's still a fantasy of mine to re-release ALL of his LP's, something I can estimate is only a matter of time.

I'm only posting this one right now.. it's kinda too good to let it all out at once..but, I WILL post more from this same album. I may even do a Dizzy K special once I have ALL the Dizzy LP's.

I hope my buddy Juan finds this one while he's in Africa. He just hipped me to his newest project, his blog about his vinyl discoveries while he's adrift in Ghana and general South Africa. He's finding hot shit. We yucked it up a while ago, over a donut at a greasy spoon breakfast spot I like, about his future trip. We talked about all the previous record hounds that have scoured the land. How they never pay 'jack-shit' for records, sadly keeping those peoples VERY poor while making hundreds themselves. How few record hunters there have been 'other than white' in that biz, and how he might be able to connect further being a person of color himself. Finalizing our conversation we both mentioned we thought the most important things were.. the stories, the connections with these people along the way, the music, the art, the experience, the sharing, and NOT just gripping and flipping. I'm proud to say he's not just trying make a fat loot, but doing something deeper. Something he's always been dedicated to. This time he's working new angles and turning up some tasty goodies. Check them out here.
http://digging4gold.tumblr.com/
This is his second trip to Africa, and the second time I've mentioned him on this blog. Must be I love this dude. word.

Dizzy K - You

Erwin Bouterse & Roetoe - Groovy Weekend

From Sahuleka to Matata, I'm headed south in an africano mood. Directing myself straight to the motherland. I recently played this at 'HIT THE DECK'. Let me say, Troy Bayless and Joseph Roseberry throw a mean party. And, I'm glad disco, boogie, cosmic and everything else under the sun is alive and well in Oakland. Peeps at these parties dance, and they dance to whatever. Open minded folks wantin' to get down. That's what I love. Plus, I was glad to see the Oasis is still alive and well. That's one of Oakland's finest spots. It hasn't quite been right for the summer time vibe here, cold as shit really. Constant fog and frosty nights. But, I think we'll have a few more hot evenings between now and December. Least I hope so. I hope the HTD folks have me back soon. This Erwin tune needs a good re-edit. But, I'm into posting the originals. You can do what you must. Perhaps I'm just lazy. But, I believe there's a Daptone re-edit out there somewhere already. Enjoy!



Erwin Bouterse & Roetoe - Groovy Weekend

Matata - I Want You

Matata were obviously inspired tremendously by James Brown. One listen to "I Feel Funky" affirms they were huge fans of the heavy funk scene in the US. In fact their LP "Independence" directly channels the feel of Fred Wesley, Maceo, and the JB's first albums. Lead singer Anwar Richards pulls off a pretty mean scream and is generally pretty masterful at capturing the JB vibe. If ever there's a solid afro funk LP, this is probably the one. In addition to Anwar's amazing vocals the band is rumored to be comprised of top notch session players. A hit list from both Kenya and Ghana of amazing afro funk musicians thrown together for Matata. This incredible line up made every track they recorded solid funk bomb material.

This 7 inch has "I Want You" and "I Feel Funky". It's a great 7 inch to have. Both songs are incredible. They are probably the best two from the album. They're both from the 'Independence' LP on President Records. President is probably one of my all time favorite UK labels. Largely in part to being the label for most of the material by The Equals. I'm a huge fan of the Equals and I'm working on a tribute to the Equals in an upcoming post. Secondly, they were the label for Matata. Thirdly, they were responsible for bringing the T.K. and Miami sound to Britain. President records has a looooong and impressive catalog. Aside from having the other highly desired funk bomb "Talkin' Talking" on it, this entire LP is solid thru and thru. This incredible LP gets the highest recommendation I could possibly give. And, if deep funk is your thing you should track it down.

So, I'm giving up both sides of this incredible 7 inch and two tracks from the LP. I was tempted to only leave you with "I Want You" because its the best track by them...period. But, with four others, you should be able to make your own decision.

Enjoy....

Matata

Matata - I Want You
Matata - I Feel Funky
Matata - Talkin' Talkin'
Matata - Gimme Some Lovin'

Daniel Sahuleka - It's Beautiful

I'm not one to re-tread over already covered territory, but in the case of this song by Daniel Sahuleka, an exception has to be made. Plus, where artists on this blog are given multiple posts, I assure you it is well deserved. Not to mention, I'm un-earthing even more Sahuleka goodness, and will probably post more soon enough.
Let's start with the basics. Dutch born Daniel Sahuleka is actually of Indonesian decent. He started with a self titled LP back in 1977 and he's had a long career and still performs to this day in Holland. He's taken his music all over the world, been given a doctors degree in Yogyakarta, and generally been loved for his positivity in his music everywhere. The last post we featured was "Ev'rybody Feel The Groove" from his 1981 Polydor LP "Sunbeam". This particular entry for Daniel is from a rare single only release called 'Skankin'" This is the flipside called "It's Beautiful". Really it's just a tasty modern soul tune and another Sahuleka tune that I'm completely in love with.

The Daniel Sahuleka Band

The Pictured 45 above has this great shot of him with his guitar and gold leather shirt..LOVE IT.
I think this is from much much earlier at the beginning of his career. By, 1983 of course he was much older than this. He looks as though he's thirteen. I couldn't find any info anywhere to determine exactly how old he was when he started recording..but again, folks should know by now what the section below is all about.

I wanna thank LAGUPEDIA for posting this in the comments section of our last Daniel Sahuleka post. I appreciate the info and feedback, and although a lot gets lost in translation between Dutch and English with really love comments. It's equivalent to DJ'ing a radio show between 3-5am and actually getting a phone call or two!
I only have this tune on 45 (although it is available on 12 inch as well!) and will be bringing it tonite to Sweaterfunk. It's Kirk Harper's birthday and Annual 45rpm Night. I intend to speak tonite not with my lips, but with the tunes I play...and to Kirk, and the magic that is Sweaterfunk I aptly say..It's Beautiful !!

Come check Sweaterfunk out tonite....


Daniel Sahuleka - It's Beautiful