Forgotten Treasures: Bobby Bland (1930 – 2013)
Another soul giant passed away recently, but Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland was more than a tear-jerking blues man. In his obituary he was described as “among the great storytellers of blues and soul music… [who] created tempestuous arias of love, betrayal and resignation, set against roiling, dramatic orchestrations, and left the …
Forgotten Treasure: Sade “By Your Side” (Naked Music Mix #2)
My ears were first graced by the smooth and sultry voice of Sade at a very early age. My mother used to play “Diamond Life” on tape to lull me to sleep, and ever since, goosebumps rise whenever those vocal chords are struck. So when I heard Bowly of Montreal’s …
Forgotten Treasure: Nina Simone “House Of The Rising Sun” (1968)
No lengthy introduction needed; the recording speaks for itself: Nina Simone performing “House Of The Rising Sun” live at The Bitter End in NYC in 1968. This is one of those songs whose mythos is as dense as the register of artists performing it. From Andy Griffith to Dylan, the …
Forgotten Treasure: Sun Ra “The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra” (1965)
Heliocentrism is the astronomical model where all planets revolve around the sun and was a moment in history where the world shifted from a vision of Earth as the center of the universe. The same can be said for multi-instrumentalist, jazz guru and astrophilosopher Sun-Ra’s album, that marks the departure …
Forgotten Treasures: Romanthony “The Wanderer” (1993)
Romanthony has always been one of my favorite old school house artists, very original and instantly recognizable on any track. He is known for mid-90’s classics like “Let me show you love” and “Bring U Up” but my personal favorite by far has always been “The Wanderer”. I have a …
Forgotten Treasure: Pattie Blingh “Brother: The Point” 2562 Remix (2008)
What with Mr Huismans (aka A Made Up Sound / 2562) taking us on a tour of his favourite record stores (link to article), now seems like a good time to drop this Forgotten Treasure. Dubstep happened to me when I started uni in 2005. It involved spending hours in …
Forgotten Treasure: Kiki Gyan “24 Hours In A Disco” (1978-82)
Kiki Gyan (real name Kofi Kwarko Gyan) was a Ghanaian superstar who was celebrated as “Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder”. Starting with piano at age five, he took music very seriously, to the point where it had caused him to quit school when he was twelve and join a huge …
Forgotten Treasure: The Cannibals “She Knows” (1981)
“Is there anything more anti-climactic than New Years?” my friend asked. Finding myself in King’s Cross Station at 5.30 am with nothing but a 6-inch Chicken Teriyaki sub under my arm, my response was a resounding, “No”. Sensing my rapidly increasing despondency, he rescued me with his iPod; “Here, listen …
Forgotten Treasure: Steve Arrington “Beddie-Biey” (1983)
Oh the things you can find in dollar bins! My favourite kind of digging is getting down in the crates no one touches and spend a whole bunch of money on overlooked gems you can buy just based on a hunch or simply because of the cover art. Well, this …