Stevie's a musical genius!

We've all heard that before and I will tell you no differently. Stevie Wonder is the most fascinatingly talented musician of the last century, with no exception. The trouble is that people say this for different reasons and I am here to set the record straight.

For years, Stevie wrote songs that made us move, that told us stories, that made us feel, and he did it with a voice that was not too perfect, but as sublimely real as anyone could. Now, it seems that black people have been a little more exposed to his repertoire than whites. I only say this because everytime a the topic of Stevie comes up in conversation, some white chick pulls a "I Just Called to say I Love you" out their ass! Hey, I'm not saying you can't LIKE the song! Shit, if I had written it, I'd still be talking about it. But to define the man, his music, or career by that song, is to give a back-handed bitch-slap to the art he creates!

Now, nobody's worried about Stevie getting his due. He gets plenty, but it should not have anything to do with the condition of his eyesight, or the fact that a couple of his lamest tunes have been so commercialized.

This is not a tribute to Stevie Wonder per se. It is a plea to music lovers who have not explored his music, to do yourselves a favour and listen to at least a portion of a staggering body of work while he is still alive.

Ray Charles exploded posthumously due to a hit movie and a 'Duets' album, and Stevie will leave as large a footprint as Ray, Bob Marley and Elvis put together! (As great as Elvis was, white people that argue that he was the greatest talent of all time, have clearly lost their mother-@#$%&* minds if they think he compares to any of these 3.) Rather than argue whether Fonzie could beat up Batman, I have decided to break it down to help people make an easy transition into Stevie's music. You may decide for yourselves:

1. Flat-out Funky, Make-you-shake-it songs:
-Uptight (Everything's Alright)
-Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day
-You Met Your Match
-We Can Work It Out
-Signed Sealed Delivered
-Boogie On Reggae Woman
-Sir Duke
-I Wish
-Master Blaster
-I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
and oh so many more, but that's a good start.

What if you want to hear some of Stevie's more political music?

2. Social Commentary
-You Haven't Done Nothing
-Living For The City
-Heaven Help Us All
-Village Ghetto land
-If It's Magic
-Higher Ground
-Love's in Need of Love Today
-They Won't Go When I Go

And if you just want to treat him like anyone else and listen to a beautifully-sung ballad, nobody does them like Stevie:

3. Love songs
-Ribbons In The Sky
-Overjoyed
-Too Shy To Say
-With Each Beat of My Heart
-My Cherie Amour
-Knocks Me Off My Feet
4.Blues Ballads Songs of regret. This brother can make you cry. Even if you're a guy!
-Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer
-Lately
-All In Love Is Fair
-Whereabouts
-Summer Soft

Also, if you had to buy just one album: Songs in the Key of Life
I recommend headphones, but regardless, this is a good start to get anyone interested in the diverse talents of this extraordinary man. Enjoy!

Vol.1-Hip Hop, Ya Don't Stop!

"Music is a world within itself. It is a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands." Stevie Wonder

Unlike most DJs, that specialize in one or two genres of music (usually dance-oriented), I consider myself an aficionado and an expert in pop music history and sociology. I have bestowed upon myself, after years of faithful service to the listening public, an honorary masters of Funk, and PhD of Rock N' Roll!

I am going to hereby dedicate this blog (the occasional random rant not withstanding) to that very thing: Music!
My apologies in advance to enthusiasts of Classical and Opera music. I will not be taking that plunge for reasons of practicality, but do appreciate the sophisticated ear of a true music admirer.

Message to rap fans:
Rap can be wonderful. Poetry set to hard-hitting beats that reflect the angst of urban America has now extended much further, and has become the sound of subjugated people in other countries around the globe. Rap can be found and appreciated nowadays in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, and many more.
My problem with the rap fan is that they seem to think music begins and ends with rap. The people producing hip-hop know that's not true!
P. Diddy, Kanye, Missy Elliot, Snoop, LL Cool J, and if I may add Will Smith have all experienced success by introducing old songs cut to create a new sound that kids think they're hearing for the first time. Parents hear this and say, " Hey, that's Rick James, Sister Sledge, Frankie Smith (alright even your parents may not remember Frankie), George Clinton, Chaka Khan" and many, many more.
Therein lies the key to their success. Even kids hearing it for the first time, are probably only recognizing a song their subconscious has already known. We all want new adventures but welcome the comfort of familiarity, and our musical tastes as a society are affected by such.
Incidentally, if you're thinking, "Oh, but that's just the commercial acts like those mentioned above." Think again.
The more hardcore guys aren't necessarily more creative, they just have to dig deeper, and cut harder to keep the original source more of a mystery. The Frankie Smith song referred to above is Double Dutch Bus from 1981 where it sounds like kids talking in a ghetto-style, pseudo pig-latin. Missy used it in her Double Dutch song in 2005,and everybody thought it was new, though people in their 40s were thinking how familiar it sounded. Not to mention De La Soul who are the most inclusive in their sampling. Their first album, 3 Feet High and Rising sampled Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Barry White, and even a little sound byte from Liberace.
My point is that if you are going to call yourself a true lover of music, you cannot shut the door to the influences of your favourites.
Here are my suggestions: If you are a rap fan, then you surely want to listen to old rap like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Eric B. & Rakim, LL and Kool Moe Dee dissing each other on their respective albums, Run DMC, Ice T, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy to name just a few.
However, that's still just rap. Those guys were influenced by, and therefore borrowed from Motown, Staxx, and the Sounds of Philadelphia i.e.:
Marvin gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Teddy Pendergrass, The Spinners, The Stylistics etc., etc.
So let's not forget our roots people. Every song we dig is inspired by another that's just as diggable. R&B/Soul is up next.
Questions and comments welcome.

Sucka DJs!

Yo party people in the house!!

I am as ol' school as the brotha in the picture, and as a DJ in the 90s, I worked with artists that would blow yo' mind! Okay, I'll chill with the ghetto-speak. Here's what's really on my mind:

There are some great DJs out there right now. There are some abominations out there too! Mine is not to judge what's hip, happenin' or who's fresh. My experience simply helps me identify the qualities that will keep you working, and the magic that will make you a legend!

DJs like Lil' Louis and Frankie Knuckles parlayed club appearances into studio projects that kept them rolling in the green for years. Some of us lived like rock stars; Sex, drugs and well, music!

Now excuse me for dissing the lazy DJs using Serato on your laptop, having never owned a record case. It's not your fault, and there is no shame in being where you are at the time that you are. Just be better! If you have the tools to slow things down, and create your own mixes with the computer matching beats that we had to do by ear, then just make sure they are that much better for it! A lot of young DJs think it's all about mixing everything to sound like one song. Not true! The key is to keep it flowing with natural progression, and not disrupt the groove. NOT MAKING IT SOUND LIKE ONE LONG TECHNO-BEAT! People want to hear songs they know. New songs, and old songs. The old songs may need to sound a little fresher, but it's okay if people get that it's old. That's the hook. The DJ should aim to please but he/she must have the confidence to make the rules on behalf of everyone at that party. I like to mix 3 or 4 of the newest freshest grooves in my style (every DJ must decide on a style. An identity.) and then stick in a slightly re-mixed, but still characteristically ol' school jam. 70s and 80s works best for me because my style is funk-based, but like any artist, if you're true to you, you cannot go wrong. Oh, you'll still be criticized, but that is rarely about you.

My true beef is with the professional clubber. The guy or gal with the silver lamee outfit baring lots o' skin, and even more attitude. The clubber that thinks they ARE the DJ, commenting on every choice of song and demanding what they think are the best new tunes. Listen up, "You people annoy us all!!" See, the rest of the folks at the club are there to have a good time and drink and dance. They allow the DJ to take them on his own trip. They hop on, they go along for the ride, and make their decision when they get off (no pun intended). These folks are rarely disappointed. At least not by me! Because you can't be the driver and the passenger at the same time, so all you DJs out there trying to make a name for yourself, my advice to you is the same as it is for actors, singers, dancers, and hell, probably even plumbers:

Do what you do for the right reasons, with passion and with pride, and you won't go wrong.

If you think, "Hey, I can make a couple extra bucks spinning some tunes at my neighbour's bar-mitzvah, that's all you'll ever do. Note: No disrespect to the bar-mitzvah DJ. Some of you do your thang! Some of you are just clowns.

But if you love what you do, and do it until it's second nature, you will improve, explore and discover. You will live for the journey and not the destination, and when you follow THAT path, you cannot fail! Believe that!

Comments?

This article is dedicated to my boys: Easy E, Cut-Creator and the late-great JamMaster Jay!

Vexed Nation - Prologue

Before I begin, I would like to reserve the right to be angry! I am not talking neo-nazi, 'blame everyone else for fucking up your bloodline'-type angry. Just a little miffed at your daily injustice type of angry.

First "The meek shall inherit the earth". I am tired of hearing that shit! Look, you're either meek, or you're not fucking meek. There's no becoming meek! Why must the extroverts be punished for garnering the attention? It's really just the same shit; the loud guy may get attention, while the quiet guy is presumptuously endowed with positive qualities he does not necessarily possess. Addition by subtraction!
The less you say, the less bad shit you say, and less bad shit, equals more good shit, right? What?! People please! Every great crime against humanity or killing spree, or bombing of public building, or even pedophilic rape started with a "meek" guy that no one ever suspected. It's time people started looking in the right places! Yes, there are loudmouths who are tyrants and bullies, but at least you know where they are, and you see them coming! It's them quiet mother f@#$%s you need to watch out for!

Shyness is one of those qualities that everyone seems to accept. When people talk about kids, "Oh, he's very shy... She's just shy." Teachers will refer to the shy child as "wise", and "well-behaved". What's so great about being shy? Nothing. It's downright anti-social! Do you know how long ADHD was around before they named it? And what they used to say about those kids? Loud! Disruptive! Mischievous! Lazy!
Lazy? Anyone who knows someone with ADHD knows "Lazy" is not an accurate adjective. "Uninterested"? Shit yeah, but "lazy"?

Every g-damn after school special I ever saw had the same moral. "Be yourself.", "Have the courage to be yourself", "Be proud of yourself."....Sure. Unless "yourself" has too much energy, and annoys some lame-ass adult who used to be "shy". Oh, the meek have inherited the earth indeed! And their mission is to discourage those, that unlike them, have the ability to speak up. To walk up to a member of the opposite sex and say "Hi.". To be counted. To be noticed. To be seen.

It is time for the loud, the outspoken, and the hyperactive to take their place, and tell the world, "Yeah, I'm a loud-ass, can't sit still, hyper-active, super-creative, quick-witted, forgot-what-I-was-saying, A.D.D. Mother fucker!! And I'm proud!" More to come.