SG12 Done, Release Date Soon

The Summer Guide 12 playlist has been finalized this evening. It required a much-needed night of pitting track vs. track, and it will definitely live up to the SG billing. So many great songs, but only 80 minutes to spare.

The mix should be live for download within the week. If you want a CD copy, comment below.

Without revealing anything, here's a top-notch track that ended up being the last cut from SG9 because it just didn't have the gusto.

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - "Expensive Shit"

Fela Kuti is a legendary Nigerian musician/band-leader/multi-instrumentalist/political activist. With his band Africa 70 he defined Afrobeat music, a fusion of funk, African rhythms, jazz, and psychedelia. In listening to this track, he also formed the basis for house music with the piano stabs and groovy beats. To think this was created in 1975 boggles the mind. Ride da riddim man!

Donna Summer

Damn. I feel like I'm posting only when an artist dies. Is this what it's like to get old?

Donna Summer died today. She was the first lady of disco and one of the most successful artists of all time. She won 5 Grammys. She was the first artist to score three consecutive #1 double albums. Many of her albums were doubles due to the 12 to 17 minute extended disco mixes included on them. Her first hit was 1976's 'Love to Love you Baby' which was banned by some radio stations including the BBC for its 'sexual explicitness'.



Summer's musical partnership with Italian producer Giorgio Moroder advanced the sound of music into the electronic age. Her biggest song "I Feel Love" is probably one of the earliest "techno" songs in it's structure and sound.

Skrillex ft. The Doors - "Breakin' A Sweat"

The Doors were a formative band for me. They released six amazing albums in four years before Jim Morrison went off to the big party in the sky from a bathtub in Paris in 1971. After that the Doors floundered. They released a couple more terrible albums and then faded off into in-fighting and bitterness. Contractually they were not allowed to use the name "The Doors" unless all remaining members agreed on it, and drummer John Densmore has held out all these years. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger reformed in 2002 as "The Doors of the 21st Century" with Ian Astbury from the Cult trying to fill Morrison's shoes. This new collaboration with bass-producer Skrillex is the first time the three have come together to create music since 1972. It is part of the Re:Generation project where new artists collaborate and rejuvenate some classic genres. As far as I can tell this is the first song to be released as part of this project. Long time hold out Densmore can be seen skulking in the background banging a bongo, but Skrillex provides most of the beats, and all of the bass. The Doors never had a bass player, I guess this makes up for it.

Beastie Boys

This week marks the passing of Adam Yauch aka MCA from the Beastie Boys. It's hard to overstate the impact these guys had on my musical development. Any of their albums instantly take me back to some good times with good friends. Paul's Boutique in particular seemed like the party/hang-out soundtrack for a 2-3 year period. I'm sure I learned to hacky sack and do sink-tokes while listening to this album. This week The AV Club travelled to NYC to get the scoop on the Paul's Boutique classic album cover.
New York: The Paul’s Boutique corner The Beasties have had so many iconic videos. Like SOOO many. How is that possible? In large part it was courtesy of MCA, who under his filmmaker moniker 'Nathaniel Hornblower' directed many awesome videos including So What Cha Want, Pass the Mic, Jimmie James, Sure Shot, Shake Your Rump, Intergalactic, and Make Some Noise, which was a short version of the star-studded short film "Fight For Your Right (Revisited)" featuring celebrity stand-in Beasties trippin' on acid. They have so many classic ones. A couple directed by Spike Jonze including Sabotage, and 'Don't Play No Game that I can't Win' They have so many classic ones, it is hard to chose a favorite. But I think just for old time's sake I'm going to go with "Hey Ladies", in part because I love the disco vibe.