Unfortunately, I don’t remember at all where this link came from.

Flow State is a newsletter which promises “every weekday, two hours of music perfect for working”.

They shared Hotel Neon earlier this week:

Today we’re listening to Hotel Neon, an ambient music trio based in Philadelphia. The group uses synths, guitar, and strings to produce beautiful sound atmospheres conducive to deep focus or meditation.

They recommend starting with their most recent album, released on Jan 1st of this year (yes, 2021!), All is Memory:

Their full Digital Discography is 80% off…so I bought all 18 releases.

Happy music buying in 2021 everyone!

I was delighted to find theNEWDEAL on Bandcamp!

I watched them live in Ottawa when I was living there in the early 2000s, and the self-titled album came up in my local collection rotation and I went to see what else they had :)

I bought their June 2020 release Isolation Suite to hear their latest¹. This is the third track, Cycles III:

And after listening to a couple of different albums, decided on 2016 release, Mercury Switch. It’s high energy bopping and grooves. Here’s the title track:

The Internet Archive also has a lot of their live recordings. Here’s a 10 minute track from a January 2020 show in Pittsburgh. Yes, they are super fun to experience live!

While this sounds like something that comes straight out of a computer, this is all played and performed live – bass, keyboards, drums, percussion.

I’ve got myself setup to go through my “old” music collection, carried through into this digital streaming future through my iTunes Match subscription. Funny enough, I still think of “gigs of music” – as in, how many GB of space does the music take up.

I checked, and I’ve got 11,279 songs, which totals 32.7 days worth of music, or 73GB of music.¹

I haven’t really used or setup the iTunes Music app in a long time. That is, no stars and curated playlists and such. I’m not used to investing in a desktop music player like this.²

I made a “Not Played” smart playlist which just gives me songs that haven’t been played in 2 months. It’s been a nice start, shuffling through all sorts of different music, dropping a ❤️ here and there for songs to come back to, making it so that Christmas music and Dave’s Jamaican podcast files don’t hit the shuffle in the future.

Primus came on, The Devil Went Down to Georgia (I don’t think I’ve ever seen this video, it’s amazing!):

Did I want to be listening to Primus? You know what, this track isn’t even weird, it’s just a great tune. Aside from the Rhinoplasty album that has this Devil song on it (1998), I also have Pork Soda (1993) in my collection.

Which of course, made me go and look: yep, Primus on Bandcamp. The newest album is The Desaturating Seven (2017).

Here’s a comment:

If you enjoy the trio Primus especially at their weirdest then this is the Claypool Concept album for you. It grows on you after each listen, I promise.

Here’s the one preview track from the album:

Wow, from 1993 to 2017 and back again. I guess I’m listening to Primus, again.

We watched the Lovers Rock movie, part of the Steve McQueen’s Small Axe BBC film series. It’s all about music.

The Independent has a write up, and embeds a Spotify playlist in the article.

This means I can do another playlist deep dive, and find where to look for the artists and tracks separately.

Robin Hood, Cry Tuff & The Originals

On YouTube:

Didn’t find this track on Bandcamp, but did find this one by Cry Tuff:

The entire Pressure Sounds catalog is amazing. In fact, the album covers are all the original 45 records, which you see them playing in the film:

You can buy the entire discography for only like £500!! Tempted…

Kinta Kinta Dub by The Revolutionaries

I originally found the none dub version, which lead me to asking, what does dub / dubplate mean Wikipedia?

A dubplate is an acetate disc usually of 10 inches diameter, traditionally used by studios to test recordings prior to mastering for the subsequent pressing of a vinyl record, but pioneered by reggae sound systems as a way to play exclusive music. They would later become an important facet of the jungle/drum and bass, UK garage, grime and dubstep music scenes.

The first use of dubplates is commonly attributed to sound engineer King Tubby and reggae sound systems such as Lloyd Coxsone and Killamanjaro.[1] Special and one-off versions would be cut to acetate for competing in a sound clash, utilising vocals specially recorded to namecheck the sound system. As such, these would become known as “dubplate specials” often remarking on the prowess of the sound system playing it, in a bid to win the clash.

Oh, interesting, so a reggae sound system is…?

The popularity of a sound system was mainly contingent on one thing: having new music. In order to circumvent the release cycle of the American record labels, the two sound system superstars turned to record production. Initially, they produced only singles for their own sound systems, known as “Exclusives” or Dubplates—a limited run of one copy per song.[4] What began as an attempt to replicate the American R&B sound using local musicians evolved into a uniquely Jamaican musical genre: ska. This shift was due partly to the fact that as American-style R&B was embraced by a largely white, teenage audience and evolved into rock and roll, sound system owners created—and played—a steady stream of the singles the people preferred: fast-shuffle boogies and ballads. In response to this shift in supply, Jamaican producers introduced to their work some of the original elements of the Jamaican sound: rhythm guitars strumming the offbeat and snare-drum emphasis on the third beat, for example.[3] As this new musical form became more popular, both Dodd and Reid began to move more seriously into music production. Coxsone Dodd’s production studio became the famous Studio One, while Duke Reid founded Treasure Isle.

Yeah, this is awesome, and depicted in the film, or at least the version that immigrated into the UK.

He’s the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge

Remix version by Lucas D:

Probably a little too clean compared to the version on the film.

How Long Will it Take by Pat Kelly

Darling Ooh by Errol Dunkley

And found it still available on vinyl as a re-issue. Here’s the description:

Errol Dunkley was an early reggae star and one of the youngest, recording his first side (“My Queen”) at the age of 12 for Prince Buster in 1964 and scoring his first hit (“You’re Gonna Need Me”) in 1967. Later, he became a key performer in the ‘70s Brit-Reggae scene, just missing the Top Ten in 1978 with his remake of John Holt’s “OK Fred.” Helmed by groundbreaking female producer Sylvia Pottenger, Darling Ooh! is actually his 1972 debut album, but like a lot of records that came out on small Jamaican mprints that later got swallowed into the mammoth Trojan label, its history is complicated; this record came out on the Gay Feet label under the title Presenting Errol Dunkley and also on the Trojan imprint Attack the same year as Darling Ooh! with different art and an expanded track listing (and, just to make things more confusing, a 1979 Trojan reissue had the Gay Feet track listing and the Attack artwork).

Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglass

Classic.

“Kung Fu Fighting” is a disco song by Jamaican vocalist Carl Douglas, written by Douglas and produced by British-Indian musician Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974 on the cusp of a chopsocky film craze and rose to the top of the British, Australian, Canadian, and American charts, in addition to reaching the top of the Soul Singles chart. It received a Gold certification from the RIAA in 1974 and popularized disco music. It eventually went on to sell eleven million records worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. The song uses the quintessential Oriental riff, a short musical phrase that is used to signify Chinese culture.

Wikipedia <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung…>

Things in Life by Dennis Brown

After Tonight by Junior English

Lonely Girl by Barry Biggs

Different track, also from Pressure Sounds label:

Here it is on YT:

Baby My Love by The In Crowd, Jah Stitch

Whole Flabba Holt / Roots Radics / Jah Stitch discography looking great, here’s a one track:

Actual track on YT:

Silly Games by Janet Kay

Yes! On Bandcamp:

This was one of the key songs from the film. Looks like it was released on BC for the film:

Janet Kay also is known as the Queen of Lovers Rock earned the title when she made history by becoming the ‘First British born Black Female Reggae Artist to have a No. 1 in the British Pop Charts’ - Music Guinness Book of Records. With this classic song ‘Silly Games’ it was a hit not only in the UK but also in Europe.

Keep it Like it is by Louisa Mark

Another Trojan Records, on YT:

Minstrel Pablo by Augustus Pablo

I’m mainly seeing some sweet melodica action (a keyboard you blow into). Found this in Rockers International Discography.

Actual track on YT:

Dreadlocks in Moonlight by Lee “Scratch” Perry

Absolute legend:

Lee “Scratch” Perry OD (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936)[1] is a Jamaican record producer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks.[2] He has worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, the Beastie Boys, Ari Up, the Clash, the Orb, and many others.

Wikipedia <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_…>

Well, now I want to go listen to The Orb. Their latest comes out this year:

I have Live 93 in my collection already (one of their earliest), so I now have the pleasure of working my way forwards.

Looks like The Orbserver in the Star House features Lee “Scratch” Perry. Yeah, this is a rabbit hole I can fall down.

Have a Little Faith by Nicky Thomas

Another Trojan Records.

Yes, Trojan Records exists:

Trojan Records was founded in 1968 when Lee Gopthal, who operated the Musicland record retail chain and owned Beat & Commercial Records, pooled his Jamaican music interests with those of Chris Blackwell’s Island Records. Until 1975, they were based at a warehouse in Neasden Lane, Willesden, London.

Trojan was instrumental in introducing reggae to a global audience and by 1970 had secured a series of major UK chart hits. Successful Trojan artists from this period including Tony Tribe, Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Upsetters, Bob and Marcia, Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Harry J All Stars, The Maytals, The Melodians, Nicky Thomas and Dave and Ansel Collins.

The bulk of the company’s successes came via licences for Jamaican music supplied by producers such as Duke Reid, Harry Johnson and Leslie Kong. While the company’s focus was firmly on the sale of 7” singles, it also launched a series of popular, budget-priced compilations such as Tighten Up, Club Reggae and Reggae Chartbusters.

Wikipedia <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troj…>

Also credited with getting us to rude boy:

Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms rude boy and rude girl, among other variations, being used to describe fans of two-tone ska. The use of these terms moved into the more contemporary ska punk movement as well. In the UK, the terms rude boy and rude girl are used in a way similar to gangsta, yardie or badman.

Wikipedia <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rude…>

Which could take us to two-tone ska and ska punk, but I think we’ll leave it there :) Watch the film! It’s pretty intense, and some of the energy around how women are treated is horrible, but it’s an amazing look into west London Jamaican music parties.

Campbell @cambel sent along a note over the holidays with a link to a Spotify playlist of some music that he has been grooving to.

Since I’m in music adventure mode, and looking to buy direct from artists as much as possible, it was a good excuse to do some research into each of the tracks.

Thanks for sharing, Campbell!

Machine Gun, by Commodores

Only thing I could find on Bandcamp this remix by Jayphies. Which is pretty great!

Released in 1974, it’s an all instrumental track with lots of synthesizer. More on Songfacts:

1974 marked the first signs of disco, as R&B was morphing into something with a little more boogie. This is a great example of that sound, an instrumental song by the Commodores, who were recently signed to Motown Records. This was their first single.

The original is on YouTube. The comment on that video: “Machine Gun has only funk music and is devoid of slow-paced ballads.”

Zombie, by Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti has an entire page of albums on Bandcamp. Here’s the Zombie track from the Zombie album:

In my collection, I already had the two disc set¹ from 2000, The Best of Fela Kuti, which includes the Zombie track.

I’ll also recommend the nearly 16 minute long Roforofo Fight:

Spitfire, by Public Service Broadcasting

Nothing on Bandcamp, here it is on Youtube:

Genre is listed as Dance/Electronic – but kind of chill at the same time.

Here’s a direct link to the track on Deezer. Never heard of Deezer, signing up! Here’s my borismann account liking this track.

Here’s an Android Authority review of Spotify vs Deezer.

Hit the Ground Running, by Smog

Smog is on Bandcamp, but only the Cold Blooded Old Times track is available for preview.

Here’s the Hit the Ground Running on Youtube:

And on Deezer.

Voice and lyrics reminds me a bit of Andrew Vincent and the Pirates which I shared back in July, except Smog is a little slower tempo.

Autumn Sweater, by Yo La Tengo

Just one album on Bandcamp, here it is on YouTube:

Here’s a cover by Hunting Bears:

I have the “And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out” in my collection, from 2000. It probably sticks in my mind because of the strange name, but I do like Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House:

Human Performance, by Parquet Courts

Sea of Love, by Cat Power

Wow, there are a ton of covers of this song on Bandcamp. One the 2018 Wanderer album is on Bandcamp, so here’s YouTube:

Here’s an electronic cover I particularly liked:

Florence-Jean, by Damien Jurado

On YT:

And a cover on Bandcamp:

Doll Parts, by Hole

1994! Other than Oasis, probably the most “commercial” track on this list. From 1994, on YT:

Lots of covers on Bandcamp. I listened to a couple of them, a lot of them are just bad, several others are just super basic :)

I’m a 90s kid (graduated high school in 93, university from 95 to 99) so this is right in my prime music listening years.

In fact, I made a smart playlist of 1990 to 2000, and I have 3,300+ songs from that timeframe! That of course includes things like the Fela Kuti best of that came out in 2000, so not totally accurate.

Champagne Supernova, by Oasis

This is the “official HD remastered video” on YT:

And yes, many covers on Bandcamp.

I don’t remember how I ended up finding Jesse Bru’s The Coast. He’s even Vancouver based!

I’ll quote the beginning of the description from the Bandcamp album page:

Returning to French label Happiness Therapy is Vancouver based producer Jesse Bru, with his first LP in 9 years! Influenced by early 90’s hip-hop’s use of samples, Jesse Bru’s sample-heavy music production style is highlighted in this diverse 15 tracks release spanning from Anthemic Summery House to Jazzy Emotional Electro.

My personal genre category for this is electronica, I guess? I used to just call it all house music when I was buying British import CDs in the mid to late 90s.

Some of the rest of the description says “minimal dub vibes, bumping chicago house to astral drum and bass”. I feel like I need to do a deep dive in exploring all these genre labels.

The last track is In My Heart, “an uplifting anthemic house track”:

I’m working my way through past purchases. It’s been nice to at least spend time every Friday listening to and exploring music a little bit. This week is Resurgam by Alias, released in 2008. The artist passed away in 2018.

Here’s the I Heart Drum Machines track:

I’m bad at genres, this is labeled on Bandcamp as electronic / hip-hop / beats. This also gives me a starting point to look for other music that is new-to-me. /me starts browsing ‘beatz’

Song Exploder Vol 2 is now on Netflix:

I really enjoyed the Dua Lipa and The Killers episodes. Genre-wise, I guess both of these are “pop”.

I bought Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (out now) and The Killers’ Sam’s Town (from 2006!).

The bigger “commercial” artists however mostly only sell through platforms, so I bought these two through iTunes.

I do use Amazon Music for random play lists and discovery. I have had a bunch of Dua Lipa favourited in there that I’ve been listening to.

Oh, and my iTunes Match subscription renewed. It’s not really promoted by Apple any more. For $30CAD annually, all my music from any source (e.g. music I buy on Band Camp and add to the Music app) is stored by Apple and available on any device. Essentially, a fancy unlimited file sync service, optimized for music.

As recommended by @carchrae, here’s one of my Bandcamp Friday purchases: Keleketla! By Coldcut:

I became aware of Bandcamp Fridays from Jessica @ticky and it just so happened that I was buying Good at Falling by The Japanese House:

I also bought Evil! by @dirtyspells. This track America is currently melting my brain in a good way:

I found this via @awesome, of course.

You can find other fine songs by Disasteradio, like "Gravy Rainbow", on the Bandcamp page.