Mother Tongue Music

i am sitting in the haymarket cafe in northampton, mass. i woke up to many new inches of snow on the ground. yesterday my grass in my yard was there and i could see all the dog poop that had been covered for so long, and today all white and no poop. (i have come to the realization that picking the poop up directly following the secretion is the way to go, especially in the winter.  i guess the snow does not evaporate it).

i am still finishing the business plan needed for mother tongue. it is quite a feat in itself to complete. for me, i sit and create its potential on paper and vision its long term survival. i feel like i am playing a game like when i was little. we would play office or hairdresser, school or pretend to be in a band. in a way it was the same thing i am doing now. we are still in its development, but it feels so real to us. so normal to own a label and see its huge success.

one of the things i am writing about today in the business plan is our quality of artists both on the musical front and the image front. we will be using photographs, drawings, graphic design and video created by our friends, hoping to generate interest for them as well. we are creating an image people can relate to and feel connected to. mother tongue music is a community.

as i debated leaving the house, my mind yearned for socialness. (i am often in my head, alone with nothing but my computer and thoughts) change is something i constantly need to avoid the stagnant stop. to continue in this process i put in a homemade cd that read “beatmix”. hmmmm, i thought. what could be on this? i have many many random mixes displaced throughout my existence.

the first song on the mix was “white breathe”, by calm. i remember making this mix. it was several years ago before i had any idea i would be making my living by living my dream. i love to find unrecognized music and make mix cds for my friends.

as i drove through the freshly fallen snow, driving along huge plows, my heat on high, i knew this was the end of winter. perhaps our last snowstorm. i could feel the springtime energy begin to beat in my soul. an excitement for future was resonating . and the sounds of “white breathe” gave dawn to the coming warm and healthy vegetation waiting to blossom once again.  both outside around me and inside of me.

tokyo producer calm has appeared on my different compilations and has been featured in releases on ubiquity, compost, yellow productions and on francois kevorkian’s wave label. calm is also much in demand for his mixing skills having successfully completed mixes for arto lindsay, modaji and femi kuti.

calm – “white breath” – music for dreams

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* i apologize for the delay on this post.  i was in search of the mp3 for this song, was not easy to find. i am almost done with the business plan which will give me more time for bloggin again!!

again i am on the music train and the possibilities with in its’ ride.

i was able to fit in a few hours of the best release i have yet to find, my church….the dancefloor.

it has been ten years since steve porter played his first gig at RISE, boston’s only after hours club.  friday night RISE celebrated 10 years!!!

steve porter was upstairs with eli wilkie closing and john winn and chris thorpe rocked in the lounge.  there has been a following through these years stretching from western mass (northampton and amherst) across to boston.  for us it began in the basements of the dorms in college(UMASS 1994 – 2000), the GROWROOM (a underground record store in amherst 1995 – 2002), ATLANTIS (a restaurant/bar/small club in amherst 1998 – 2002),  and the many late night house parties over the years.  through these years and through the music, a family was started and a dedication that stands above the rest.

as i travelled through the many experiences of the past the one and only common denominator for all of us has been the music, the dancing and the release.

there really is nothing else that drives me as music does.  i cannot imagine my life with out it.  i would not have the people i have nor would i have the passion for living as i do.  i breathe in and feel the extreme beauty that pulsates in its’ every beat, melody and rhythm.

i have staked everything to have a career based around music, the sharing and exploring of it and the opportunity to show others, teach others and learn from others.

when we all hear the music, depending on the tune, it evokes an emotion.  we connect to something deep with in ourselves,  it is painfully beautiful sometimes.  we sometimes cry, smile, dance, make love, exercise, take car rides, zone out, disappear from our reality, relax.  music is life with out words.  

and so i danced friday night. i laughed and smiled with long time friends that i have met over the years on the one of our many different dance floors.  

when it comes time for me to write a blog i am not always sure what song i want to share.  i have many on hold, waiting to share.  this time this tune came to me through a very close friend of mine.  beth introduced me to a woman named karin dreijer anderssoner, known as fever ray but also part of the duo the knife, from sweden.  she captured my attention immediately.  her passion and energy for the music was quickly  apparent and i was eager to share.

as i was searching for one of her tracks to speak to me and be the chosen tune for this blog, beth mentioned another calloboration karin did with the incredibly talented royksopp.  instantly upon listening and reading the title i knew i found my tune.

to read more on karin dreijer andersson check out her website.  www.feverray.com/biography

royksopp is norwegian duo, torbjorn brundtland and svein berge. they will be releasing their new album, the understanding,  in march and have just recently celebrated their 10 year birthday as well.

royksopp (featuring karin dreijer andersson) – “what else is there?” – astralwerks 

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i am toughing out the winter months here in western massachusetts.  although, i really do enjoy the outdoor activities that accompany the snowy season.  just the other day i took a few hours and snowshoed with my dogs and a few friends.  i love how white and quiet everything becomes and how the sun can provide just enough warmth to make 20 degrees tolerable.  

when the sun is absent i then find these days too long and cold.  i almost hit stir crazy.  would i be more productive and not so much on a rollercoaster of emotions if i were to live somewhere with constant nice weather and warmth?  i seem to ask this question every year. 

i think the answer is i need to have multiple homes.  i would love to live here in new england knowing i had an escape when i needed it.

i have been in the process of writing a business plan for mother tongue music.  johnny and i have committed to its’ process and success and all of the positive feedback we both receive have given me the confidence to invest.

times are tough right now.  i want to ignore the reality of the economy, but i find it presents its’ difficulty too often to me and the people around me.

what we have going on is a break down of a system that is very outdated.  and now the opportunity to reinvent a new system for a new age.

it is vital to keep up with every new outcome and to be able to flow with the current of change.

my spirits are high.  i do believe the light of day is near for my generation and the next.

my thought are scattered today, but i felt the need to get another blog up anyway.

the sun is shining today and i am lucky to be going to work today.  

gelka is hungarian duo, alex and sergio.  these guys have been husslin for sure.  through the hard times they have finally found there success with there “less is more” album out on wax on records.  the album release august 2008 and will definitely be of timeless measure.  it is not easy to find good downtempo electronic music.  there is much crappy crap out there.  gelka has it’s own sound and has appeared on many different compilations. 

check out there myspace page.

the vocals on the track “soon” are from british vocalist elly may.

gelka – “soon” –  wax on records

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i am finally sitting on my couch finding my familiar routine again. (deep breathe and sigh)  it is amazing how the end of the year can be so chaotic and hectic.  enough so that i cannot even try to pretend to have any normal pattern of my day to day activity, or better yet activities.  i have to surrender completely and find peacefulness in my somewhat organized chaos that brings me into the new year.

with in the hustle and bustle i do find my spirit finding simple joy and pleasure with the beautiful people who surround me both physically and mentally.  the phone calls that connect me to distant friends and family and the many gatherings i attended with the special ones who are near.

i was “over it all” once in my life,  cynical and salty about the holiday time.  overworked and tired of other people who were too caught up in the materialistic aspects and  the feeling of not enough time to do everything,  only to finally get to wherever it really was we were all trying to get to and finding ourselves to  be cranky and drunk at our first opportunity. when this was the time to go slow, look around, give and be thankful.  

i have gotten to a place now that the words and the meaning of this time actually are very important to me and when i do remind myself to go slow and look around, i am overwhelmed with how lucky i truly am.  

one of my moments that i love so much about this year was sharing my best friend’s birthday with him and a few of our close friends.  we never really get the chance to actually sit down at a table together at the same time and just chill and relax.  busy schedules touring, gigs, working late hours producing, working other jobs, having every night booked with all of the other things we all try to do.

we took video and pictures, sat around a huge long table, had a catered dinner from the black sheep in amherst, mass, drank wine and soda, laughed and listened to music.

the song i would like to share is one that i found a few months back while litening to pandora radio.  i believe i had chosen bonobo as my groove and “you wish” by nightmares on wax came on.  i ran to my computer to make sure to hit the “i like” button and get the info so i could buy it asap.

i had put it on my myspace page until it was taken off.  i think i may have put it back on there now.

anyway, as i was sitting next to my best friend johnny (the other half of mother tongue music) at the long table of friends, this song came on via his ipod.  he was playing his amazing mix, “dry martini”.   you can find it in our music lounge (dry martini).  it is one of the free downloads available.

nightmares on wax is DJ and musician george evelyn, also known as DJ ease, from leeds, uk.  nightmares on wax’s music is released on warp records.  evelyn also releases on his own label wax on, started in 2005.

nightmares on wax - “you wish” – warp records

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one of my favorite things to do is dine.  the entire experience provides me with many satisfying moments.

this past weekend my girlfriend took me away to portsmouth, new hampshire.  portsmouth is a little, hip new england town located on the water.

we were lucky enough to choose exactly what we wanted.  with so many different choices of restaurants portsmouth has to offers, we could have missed this one.   we followed our intuition and were lead to “black trumpet bistro”.  

the entire experience left a lasting impression.  we were greeted with warmth and confidence and that same energy flowed  through to our server and her accompanied support.  the ambience was soft and well lit. surrounding our table were brick exposed walls, accented by deep red painted areas and perfectly placed mirrors.  exposed beams,  glowing yellow lights hung by black steel chandeliers and flickering candles mounted on the walls, added to the already perfect, rustic, dinning room setting.

the real joy came when our taste buds entered the experience.  my first major decision was my glass of wine.  i tend to enjoy the south american wines and was pleased to see a carmenere from chile on the list.  medium to full body with very little dry finish. mmmmm perfect.  

we then began our dinner with a perfect lobster bisque.  light and flavorful,   followed by pomegranate, chevre and yogurt stuffed grape leaves and a raddichio and dried cherry salad. we split the main course of pork osso bucco. perfect for the chilly, almost winter weather.

here is where it all ties together for me.

as i was deciding on what dessert and tea to finish with, i heard in the background,  the sounds of a group i have been waiting to blog about.  fitting, oh so ideally into this already picture perfect moment was gotan project.  

cheers to the black trumpet bistro!!!  i cannot wait to go back!!!

gotan project is philippe cohen solal, christopher h. mueller and eduardo makaroff.  together they create a well balanced sound of both tango and dub.  

queremos paz is off of their lunatico album (2006), released by xl recordings.

gotan project - “queremos paz” – xl recordings

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i did also want to mention mocean worker and their track “reykjavik“, which was also part of that “chillside” river sequence.

new to me and much appreciated.

mocean worker is adam dorn.  his fifth and  latest album, “cinco de mowo”  (2007), is accompanied by live musicians blending into samples of 1930’s big band swing, 1960’s soul and electronic loops.

mocean worker - ”reykjavik” -  ryko/wea label

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i am happy to say that 93.9, the river, did get back to my e-mail i mentioned a few blogs ago.  i had stated that i had heard a tune on “the chill side” of the river, and was very interested in knowing the information of its’ origin.   i did hear the dj that night speak of the beastie boys as one of the artist played in that specific sequence of songs.  so then began my quest.

this caused a series of events that has given me much more then what i wanted.  

monte belmonte, a dj at the river, (not sure if he is the actual “chill side” dj) returned my e.mail with the information to what track was played by the beastie boys.  it was “electric worm” from their “mixed – up” album (2007).  prior to this, i had searched extensively through the beastie boys collection and found “namaste” (this is the one i shared, a few blogs ago).  up until yesterday i had no idea that the beastie boys played some groovy, downtempo, intrumental jams.

after monte’s e-mail i was still not satisfied because the track i was after had vocals. and neither of the beastie boys instrumental albums (“the in sound way out” or “mixed-up”) had vocals.

so i replied to his “electric worm” response, asking what were the tracks prior to it and following it.  

with in that hour i got another reply with the list of songs from that entire half hour that the beastie boys showcased.

here is where i had two choices.  it either was “reykjavik” by mocean worker or “the hop” by radio citizen.

after looking them both up on emusic, i discovered what tune was, “the hop” by radio citizen. which is featured on their album, “berlin serengeti”.   it does feature the vocals of bajka who was also a huge part of this album as well as bonobo’s album, “days to come”.

radio citizen is a combination of multi-instrumentalist and producer, nico schabel and a slew of other fantastic musicians. (wolfi, schlick, klaus, janek, julian waiblinger, gaelle georges, benny drechsel, ian ensslen, marcel jung, thomas myland, antonis anissegos, yorgos dimitriadis, teresa gruber, groxi, marje burchard)

all of that and i discovered so much more then what i originally wanted.

today is a happy day! thanks monte.

radio citizen – “the hop” – ubiquity records

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music is art and there are no limitations to what is can be, sound like or become.

my passion for music comes from my love of music. all types of music hits me in that special spot that connects me. i just love it, love it, love it. i live for it.

i can sit in front of my computer all day long listening to music, finding new music, discovering artists not found yet, getting to the underground music, and coming upon old tunes i have nevere  heard yet. i love to research the artist and read their stories. it is a dedication, a sacrifice. and when we connect to one another because of music, that connections becomes stronger.

my closest friends i have now are ones that i found through music.

whether it has been playing with, dancing with or listening with, these people also have found that refuge or that inspiration from the feelings music provokes.

yet again i am surprised at the unlimited possibilities out there.

there is a genre now known as folktronic,  coined in 2001.  it does seem about time for these two genres to combine forces.  there is though, a level of difficulty i can imagine.  you do not want it to be too folky and you do not want it to be too electronic.  there has to be a symbiotic relationship so to not hear more of the other.

like hip hop and house, folk and electronic appeals to the masses.

telepopmusik does it just right.  there are certain producers that just have stood in a place of their own for so long now and telepopmusik is standing strong.

i was visiting a friend’s myspace page the other night and was looking through his comments to find some info i was searching.  i came upon a post from “little kitten space girl”, kim wayman.  i was curious to check her out and to my amazement, i found a track she sings vocals on with telepopmusik.  and so i thought, how nice.

telepopmusik (vocals kim wayman) – “ghost girl” – catalogue/capital

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when i was a little girl, i felt like my best friend was music. 

when i sat in front of my mother’s radio with the headphones, playing with the equalizer, that was when i was the happiest.

i would dance alone to the music when i was at a friend’s sleep over.  when it was christmas or my birthday, all i wanted were cassette taps, record albums and posters of my current favorite artist. and when i was home alone i would sit at the piano and pretend i could play.

i would daydream (i still daydream) of making my career solely from working with music.

today i am so very close and writing these blogs have connected me to a passion i have carried with me for as long as i can remember.

i decide on the tracks to share and blog about from my current mood, or a memory that i may have that day, maybe from some music i hear on the radio or internet or while i am doing research i stumble upon a gem.

last night while i was driving home from my favorite restaurant in northampton massachusetts,  paradiso, i was listening to the 93.9 the river.  specifically the chillside of the river.  i do not recall the dj, but as i was listening i heard a track that i was eager to find out the artist and use it for my blog.  i have sent the river an e.mail hoping to get the information.

there is a group that has been a staple of my music collection and today i share with you the amazing ability of a group to change genres and still remain at the top of the list.

i am speaking of the one and only BEASTIE BOYS!!

unfortunetly  i have not been able to find that exact track.  it had vocals and an amazing composition.  the vocals sounded like bajka (pronounced “biker”) from bonobo’s album, “days to come”.

as i was searching for that specific song i heard on the river,   i did find a different tune equally satisfying. just no vocals.

the beastie boys delivered their album “the in sound from the way out” in 1996 on capital records. and it was all instrumental.

beastie boys – “namaste” – capital records 1996

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there are many many reasons why i love music.  

one of these reasons is the special moments that can only seem to exist when a bunch of people get together and dance. we are able to disappear from our crazy hectic lives and feel free for a little while. together trusting the dj and the sounds and beats they decide to play.

not always is it what we wanted or expected, by many times it is an opening of a door to a new groove.

the karminsky experince is just that.  i found this write up on vikslounge.com while doing some research and thought it perfectly portrayed the experience that i love and live for.

“In a small, packed Soho basement in the early months of 1991, a group of bohemians, seasoned clubbers, international jet setters and Japanese modernists gathered to dance away the winter blues. The slamming of Tequila glasses exploded through the air like voodoo percussion. DJ’s James and Martin Karminsky were playing head to head mining a groove that seemed to be beamed in from another dimension. And as eyes met through the heavy blue smoke a secret sparkle of understanding and pleasure passed between everyone. They weren’t dancing to this music because it was funny or cheesy or even different, they were dancing because they loved it, like they loved life itself. ” (vikslounge.com/karmin.html)

the karminsky experience are two fellows named martin dingle and james mums. a london base dj duo.  before signing to thievery corporation’s eighteenth street lounge label and putting their own tracks on their label, patterns of behavior, the karminsky experience are  best known for their compilation brilliance.  four compilations that came out on deram/polygram label to critical acclaim.  inflight entertainment, espresso espresso, dig it! the sound of phase 4 stereo and further inflight entertainment.

sit back and enjoy the ride.

karminsky experience – “exploration”- esl/patterns of behavior

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