Latest music recommendations:

Celebrating my 28th birthday wasn’t supposed to be all that. However it was a perfect weekend. A great birthday party at Barbeint on friday, out with my best mates on saturday and then a perfect sunday in the park and later with family and my girlfriend. Sunshine all weekend. And to top it all, one of the best presents I can remember getting – A state of the art gramophone player.

This phonograph was first spotted at an antique store at Sagene. Walking through the city on a lazy sunday with my girl, we spotted this through the window. The owner, although peak hours for an antique dealer, was out and the shop closed. Knowing I had been talking about this for a while, she went back for it, wrapped it, and made it the perfect gift.

As far as my research goes it is made after 1909 by The Gramophone Company, a Camden company that introduced the legendary “His Master’s Voice” label that year. The label was painted by Francis Barraud and pictures a dog (“Nipper”)  listening to an early phonograph. The U.S. rights to the label and name was licenced to Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, and that company was later sold to Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The Gramophone Company later opened the HMV record store on 363 Oxford Street, London.

It is handcrafted from the finest dark pinewood for the eight cornered box casing, and the best quality brass for the horn. The piece looks like the original  - but I have not yet been able to verify if it is an original or a reproduction. It features “Nipper” in a stamped logo as he listens to “His Masters Voice” (printed) along with “The Gramophone Company Ltd”.

I am now in the market for a quality needle, and look forward to appreciate the vintage sound.

The great American poet, musician and author is finally back in Oslo. Wednesday the 19th of may he will grace the stage at Rockefeller Music Hall. Scott-Heron has been a great influence on the hip-hop culture, and has been dubbed “the black Bob Dylan”.

His engagement in society, politics and afro-american rights a key theme in his music. “The revolution will not be televised” is in that context  a great example, as it is an exquisite piece of soul music. A key piece of the album “Pieces of a man”, it was released on Flying Dutchman in 1971 and spans the early years of Gil’s career before he left the label for Arista. Working with Bob Thiele he got the mix of jazz, soul and poetry just right. His social awareness so apparent in his lyrics, dealing with the superficiality of television and mass consumerism, the hypocrisy of some would-be Black revolutionaries, white middle-class ignorance of the difficulties faced by inner-city residents, and homophobia.

My personal favorites from the album are “Lady Day and John Coltrane” (cheekily sampled by Kjell for the drum’n'bass heads), “Pieces of a man”, and not least the fantastic “Save the children”.

“I’m new here“, Gil’s first album in 16 years hit the shelves this february and was indeed impressive. Released on XL Recordings it has got that unmistakably soul of Scott-Heron all over it. Do not miss out on the opportunity to see a true legend live on stage in Oslo!

Tickets are still available here

Released: 01/02/2010

José James came to prominence when Gilles Peterson signed him to Brownswood Recordings a couple of years ago. His debut album, “The Dreamer“, has been one of my most frequently played records over the last two years, and I think it is now widely recognised for the great piece of music that it is. Finally, his new album, “Black Magic” is here.

His voice comes across as a modern Gil Scott-Heron, with influences ranging from Marvin Gaye to the unmistakable John Coltrane. ”Black magic” as José describes in the booklet, conveys a lot of meaning, from the roots of black music across genres with its emotional expression ranging from passionate uproar to the beauty of love.

The mission for José James is in his own words, “to create something classic, that is also relevant for todays people”. With “Black magic” he continues the journey he set out on “The Dreamer” this time drawing on a solid group of producers for assistance.

Not that he needed assistance, because one of the biggest strengths of the debut was the feel of the soundscape, the completeness of the production and how it perfectly arranged the vocals with the instruments, making it sound polished without loosing a live feel to it.

But the willingness to experiment and push himself further is a true feature of José James, and also one of the reasons he is such a good fit with Gilles Petersons Brownswood label. As label manager Emily says; “he has always been open and willing to work with different people and get completely out of his comfort zone. Not many vocalists of this sort of seriousness and pedigree can be found covering a dubstep classic, Mc-ing for Flying lotus at Brainfeeder events, having their vocals pitched up and twisted out by Basement Jaxx, or throwing down a rap for SOIL&”PIMP”’s ubercool trio side project J.A.M.”

The Productions by Flying Lotus Dj Mitsu the Beats, and Moodyman should increase his reach to further audiences without loosing his base. Of the producers, it is Flying Lotus that has the largest footprint on the record. Being involved from an early stage in the writing and recording process, his slow hip-hop grooves and atmospheric sounds is apparent on a number of tracks. Of his three  productions, “Code”, “Made for love” and “Blackmagic”, the latter is my favourite.

But the standout track for me is “Promise in love”. Produced by Dj Mitsu The Beats, the slow, warm beats and trumpet creates the perfect base to highlight José’s fantastic voice. Another great example is “Lay you down” – where bouncy and slow funk groove really accompany the vocal, this time with staying slightly more prominent in the soundscape.

“Touch”, “Save your love for me”, “The greater good”, “Beauty” and “No tellin’” is the tracks that mostly resembles the debut, whereas Moodyman develops the classic José James voice with a characteristic production on “Detroit Loveletter”. Worth mentioning is “Love conversation” the only track on the record with a vocal collaboration. The conversation with Jordana De Lovely is an example of how José also fits well with other artists in a more supporting role.

James has even adapted of Benga’s dubstep anthem “Emotions,” adding his own vocals and re-titling the track “Warrior” – after the title of Bengas album “Diary of an afro warrior”. The dark and slightly paranoid foundation of beats blends well with the smooth jazz piano and Josés vocals – taking it into a new exciting territory.

Again, if you haven’t checked out José James yet – you are in for a treat. The video is a great introduction.

Brownswood Recordings | Amazon | MySpace | Juno Download |

I was on a short weekend break in London last weekend. And when I saw the band was playing, seeing Joey Negro’s Sunburst Band live at the fantastic Jazz Café in Camden took prominence over the activities that was originally planned. I Broke away from my schedule, and jumped on the northern line. I arrived 20 minutes into the show, and worse, all tickets sold out. Coming all the way from Oslo I was determined to find away. Using a combination of conversation skills and the odd bribe, the doors finally opened and I got to enjoy 35 minutes of an enthusiastic live band in front of a pleased audience.

The Sunburst Band is a collective born out of Dave Lee aka Joey Negro’s passion for boogie, funk, disco and jazz.The band are taking the live circuit by storm playing sell out venues across the UK and Europe with a highly polished and unique live sound that is missing from much of today’s dance music. In Dave’s words; “It’s not like I’m the guy who harps on that it was so much better back in ’78, but at the same time I’m a bit of a polar resistor who goes against the flow. So many dance acts are making electro I’ve gone the other way with this project. I’ve missed the performance thing, the intensity of a band playing together.”

Indeed, house music needs to rediscover the live performance. Seeing seven talented musicians play off each other, the vocalists, the saxophone, the bass, the drums, the guitar, the keys and the electronic elements all blended together with enthusiasm and joy – It certainly was a great experience.

As always, I highly recommend you to visit the Jazz Café if you are in London.

Released: 1966

The opening track of the debut album from The Velvet Underground and was released as a single with “Femme Fatale” the same year. The album “The Velvet Underground & Nico” has been widely regarded as one of the most influential records of its time.

Written by Lou Reed and John Cale on a sunday morning (fact) with the voice of German singer-singwriter and model Nico in mind – but ended up with Reed himself singing the vocal. The bands manager, Paul Morissey, originally was opposed to the idea and regarded Lou Reeds voice as less remarkable than Nico – who in the end supported Reed with the backing vocals. Luckily, artistic expression took precedence  over commercial viability.

The band was managed by Morissey and Andy Warhol, who also did the artwork for the album. Warhol and Morissey had previously used the acting talents of Nico in experimental films like “Chelsea Girls” and insisted that she became a part of the group. It was to be a short fling, and she left the group shortly after the release. She was romantically involved both Reed and Cale, but no drama was behind her decision to quit the band. Both later worked with her. On that note, they were not the only  high profile musicians she was involved with – the list also included Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Tim Buckely, Iggy Pop  and Jim Morrison.

The song is laid back and beautiful – perfect for those lazy sundays spent with a long breakfast, a sunny day in the park or in a deep couch of a smoke filled café. The celestas soft and light sound, set in the context of the psychedelic, unpolished and unmistakably british rock sound, with Lou Reeds characteristic voice and simple lyrics creates the perfect contexts for celebrating the lightness of being.

Fast Tube by Casper

Released: 09/11/2009

What an exquisite piece of balearic bliss! I am absolutely in love with Rocha’s debut single “Hands of love (fingers of sand), a record that was recently released on the brand new label International Feel Recordings. If you loved House of House’s “Rushing to paradise” you will adore this one.

The fingers of the artist gently sweeps through the ivory of the piano and interacts with a slow spaced out disco groove to create a monster of a tune. With that description of the soundscape, there is no surprise to see legendary disco producer and dj Harvey coming up with a remix. He dubs it down and adds a sweet layer of sweet, funky bongo percussion. There are rumors saying he actually signed on to do three releases on the label, so keep your eye out in the coming months.

Another hot producer, Reverso 68, takes the original into progressive territory, adding some electro elements, yet not leaving its disco foundation.  There are also remixes from Gatto Frittos and Mugwump.

Listen on YouTube | Juno Records | Soul Seduction |

Released: 1973/2009

Jon Lucien captures the essence of romance. His rich and expressive voice are a perfect channel for poetic tales of devotion, trust, hope, harmony and spirituality. The atmosphere is just right, drawing inspiration from rhythm and blues, jazz, caribbean beats (he was born on the island of Tortola – the largest of the British Virgin Islands) and Brazillian bossa to create his own unique blend soul.

These two cuts are finally to be found on on 45! Two huge Jon Lucien cuts, “Searching For The Inner Self” and “Would You Believe In Me”.

What a track “Searching for the inner self” is! It rose to prominence when Gilles Peterson dug the crates and included it in his Digs America compilation back in 2005. The b-side, “Would you believe in me“, is taken from the longplayer “Rashida” and is, as the main cut, a slow groove with Lucien’s majestic voice supported with the right amounts of horns and classic drumbreaks.

Fat City | Official Site |

I am constantly caring about your musical education. I search for new music every single day, it being online, in magazines, in record stores, in my friends record collections or on the radio (fortunately my friends still got record collections).

Today I thought I’d share some of the radio shows that I listen to regularly. Obviously, BBC is a great place to start.

• Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio One
• Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music
• John Peel Sessions
• The Essential Mix with Pete Tong on BBC Radio One
• Dom Servini’s Unherd radio show (Wah Wah 45s) is broadcasted every monday between 9-12 (UK time), and you can also listen online.
• Wah Wah 45s are also one of many interesting djs/labels broadcasting on Zamurai FM.

There are also a great number of podcasts available through iTunes – “Gilles Peterson Worldwide”, “Jus like Music”, Roger Sanchez’s “Release yourself” podcast and “Defected in The House” being some of my favorites.

Released: 22/09/2009

Florence & The Machine took the UK festival circuit by storm this year, before moving on to conquer the rest of the world. Despite the name – it’s all about the charismatic redhead Florence Welch. Her lucid voice first caught the attention of the BBC and she hasn’t turned back since.

As for The Machine, it’s a flexible beast. It can go right down to Florence and a drum kit or a piano, but right now it’s a seven-piece band including long-term collaborators Rob Ackroyd (guitar), Chris Hayden (drums), Isabella Summers (keyboards) and Tom Monger (harp). Live, Florence and The Machine become an entirely different beast. No two performances are ever alike – as I witnessed at this years Lovebox festival.

“Rabbit heart” was the third single from the best selling debut album “Lungs”. The original version of the single is a powerful piece of vocal indie music, bearing some resemblance to what a female version of The Flaming Lips would have sounded on “The soft bulletin”. Harps and strings, break beat drums, haunting vocals and lucid piano make up some of the many aspects of this multi layered monster.

Jamie T’s Lionheart remix changes the drums to a slightly off, wandering beat, and focusing on the magnificent piano chords, before it builds the pace with a simple, yet so effective old school breakbeat. It is a close race between the two remixes. But in the end it is the magnificent Leo Zero remix that does it for me. The slow disco beat and accompanying drums and the main piano chords builds in with slow pace before it almost unnoticeably changes into dream territory by layering more elements before it slows down and then builds again.

Florence also did a decent cover version of Candi Statons wonderful “You got the love”. It was never released as a single but an unofficial white label with the UK garage inspired remix from The XX has recently found its way to the market - I just can’t get enough of it.

Official site | MySpace | Juno Records |

Ibiza. The island always provides a music schizophrenic like me with tons of inspiration, and this time was no exception. My summer trip that took me from Oslo to London, Ibiza and Barcelona brought together sounds from all genres, and I thought it was a good excuse for a long overdue dj-mix that showcase some of that experience.

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I put together a blend of minimal techno, tech-house and tribal influences from the island. Not necessarily the tunes I heard, but just trying to recreate and relive the summer when the fall sets in and the closing parties are over. All the moments – the girls, the music, the djs, the scenery, the vibe, the clubs.

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You can download the mix here, and I would love to hear your feedback.

Tracklist:

1. Sebastian Leger – Discotechno

2. Lauhaus – Back to Ipanema

3. Solo – Afreaka

4. Dj Gregory  & Gregor Salto – Con Alegria (Solo more cowbell remix)

5. Saeed Younan – Backroom Honey (original mix)

6. Micha Klang – Baby I am for real (Nima Gorji remix)

7. Alex Niggaman – El Henchizo (original mix)

8. Io – Jeton

9. Martin Eyerer and Benno Blome – Pianoroll (Ramon Tapia remix)

10. Nima Gorji – Keep on getting down

11. Johnny D – Soleil (original)

12. Solo – Joga Bola

13. Funkagenda – Flauta Magica (original)

14. Edu Imbernon and Coyu – El Baile (original mix)

15. Muzzaik – Going Underground (original mix)

16. Eric Entrena and D-Unity – Drugs and stuff (D-Nox and Beckers remix)

17. WWW – Relaxx (Uner and Coyu remix)

18. Joris Voorn – Chase the mouse (original mix)

19. Arnaud Le Texier & V-Sexion – Funk some thoughts (remix by Lemons)