Post Tagged with: "reggae"

Just when you thought that the Easy Star All-Stars couldn't come up with a better idea for a cover album, boom, they hit you with "Easy Star's Thrillah."  This is an amazing reggae version of the Michael Jackson classic, released just a day before MJ would have turned 53 (Rest in Peace, Michael).

One thing about Easy Star cover albums is that they really do their research.  From front to back, they make sure the original album is intact, with respectful renditions that are just too good to be true.  My first experience with the Easy Star All Stars was back in 2006.  I was in Maui, and a friend of mine put on their debut, "Dub Side of The Moon," while we were driving around Kihei.  One of her friends had mentioned it to me at a party the night before, that there was a reggae version of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon," and I was completely oblivious.  She put this on and from the intro I was hooked.

Definitely was stood out to me was their version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," which brings an afrobeat vibe to the party.  Lovin it!

Cop the vinyl at a decent price on Easy Star's website.  Go for the Vinyl and T-shirt bundle!

Thursday nights are for Afro Funke!  For over 8 years, the team of Cary Sullivan, Rocky Dawuni, Jeremy Sole, and Glenn Red have provided Los Angeles with a quality event, dedicated to african rhythms, from reggae to afrobeat.  Definitely one of LA's shining stars in the music scene, this is a place to come hear music you've never heard before, and to dance to music you've never heard before.  And EVERYONE is dancing.  That's what makes this so special to me.  There's a lot of wallflowers in LA, but not at Afro Funke.  Everyone is vibing out.  Even if someone is not on the dancefloor, they are moving their feet. When I got the email about Frank Gossner guest DJ'ing at Afro Funke this week, all my other plans got cancelled.  This cat spent quite a bit of time travelling through Africa, sometimes not in the safest of places, in search of the rarest and funkiest of African records.  He documented this journey on his blog, Voodoo Funk.  Lots of photos and music for you to check out.  Frank played some SERIOUS heat, from afro-disco cuts to slow funk burners.   And if you're wondering what kind of records he was playing, they were all original pressings.  No compilations.  I couldn't help but remember what Jeremy Sole said when introducing Frank: "Think of it like this, one of these records can pay for your rent this month!"

Stumbled on this group, killin the reggae covers.  Not only do they have their 45’s selling for SUPER CHEAP, but they also have a free download of their steppers version of Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here.”  You can’t go wrong with a reggae version of anything, and it’s good to see Redbud putting this out.

Peep their cover of Nu Shooz’s “I Can’t Wait,” featuring one of my favorite vocalists, Cecilia Stalin.