Impression of the Instore concert @ ShoePirates, Apeldoorn. If you can’t see this movie, click here.
|
Published on May 26, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Respect for the past updated by the possibilities of the present. Practical work combined with love. Energetic dancing married to the sophistication of jazz. Is it any wonder that the Suede became the signature shoe of Acid Jazz fans and performers? A classic style, steeped in history, that still comes back year after year in fresh variations. That helps you move like crazy on the dance floor and looks great doing it. The Suede is a shoe that works and a shoe you can love. (Honestly, we get a bit teary just thinking about it.)
|
Published on Apr 22, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Not surprisingly, the marriage of jazz and dance culture has sometimes led to conflicts and misunderstandings. Beyond the dead-end “This is/isn’t real jazz!” argument, there were deep commercial issues to solve when a culture so dedicated to preservation of its legacy met up with a culture based in sampling and remixing.
Fortunately, both sides have seen the benefits of coming to legal accommodation. One of the biggest acid jazz hits ever, and the song that probably introduced the genre to more people than any other, was US3’s 1992 track “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia),” a respectful remix of Herbie Hancock’s F-minor groove, “Cantaloupe Island”.
What became Blue Note’s first gold single and platinum album in its 54-year history was the result of a far-sighted decision to give US3 producer Geoff Wilkinson unlimited access to the entire Blue Note catalogue. Norah Jones has since become the label’s cash lifeline, but “Cantaloop” proved that respect for the past and dance floor success need not be mutually exclusive.
|
Published on Apr 15, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Impression of the Instore concert @ Avenue, Antwerpen. If you can’t see this movie, click here.
|
Published on Mar 12, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Today (Sat. march 6) Jonas AKA JtotheC will give away an insane performance @ Avenue in Antwerp. He will be performing along with the Bad Muthas.. do I need to say more?! They’ll bring a Philicorda GM 751 organ, a microkorg and a nord lead synth, 2 rane TTM57 mixers, a roland sp303 sampler, 2 laptops, 3 turntables, a projector and a tambourine. Damn funky! The performance will start @ 4 pm, lange klarenstraat 29.
|
Published on Mar 06, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
One of the first things you notice about the acid jazz scene is that it’s primarily a UK-based phenomenon with a few European offshoots, but the musical sources are almost exclusively American. How’d that happen? It’s not unusual for young people in one country to pick up and run with styles from another country. (Just think Chuck Berry > Beatles or Kraftwerk > Afrika Bambaataa.) But in this case, there’s a bit more to it.
By the 1950’s, jazz in America had become mainly something you listened to in a sitting position. As more simple and energetic styles of popular music emerged, jazz left the dance floor and entered the connoisseur’s realm.
In the UK on the other hand, dance culture not only survived but by the mid-80’s, it was exploding as young people stormed the clubs every weekend. And while it was never as big as many other styles, there were groups who still practised the old-style, spectacular form of jazz dance, one of the most famous being the IDJ or I Dance Jazz posse. Jazz loving DJ’s like Gilles Peterson at the Dingwalls club in Camden began to produce regular nights for people who liked to dance to fast-paced jazz and from there it was a natural step to merge old jazz records with the modern technology and techniques that proved so infectious in more, shall we say, drug-n-bass fuelled venues.
|
Published on Mar 03, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Like many other genre names, “acid jazz” started as a joke. Gilles Peterson and Chris Bangs were DJing at this art centre in 1987 when…well, we’ll let Gilles tell it…
“Acid jazz happened when Bangsy and me were playing at the Waterman’s Art Centre in Brentford. A one-off gig by Nicky Holloway. I think Paul Oakenfold or Pete Tong were DJing. It was all ‘get on one, matey’ and it was banging acid house. They’d just got back from Ibiza, and they were introducing stuff like Phuture ‘Acid Trax’ and all that stuff. Bangsy and I were like, ‘what the fuck are we gonna play’, because it was different; something had changed. So Bangsy pulled out ‘Iron Leg’ by Mickey & the Soul Generation, put the record on, and “F*** that, if that was acid house, this is acid jazz!”
What he doesn’t mention here is that he was also messing with the speed of the turntable, which gave the song, with its single held note distorted guitar intro, an even trippier feel.
And for the record (so to speak) Mickey and the Soul Generation were a smoking local funk (not jazz) band from San Antonio, Texas back in the 60’s. UK rare groove diggers discovered their massive breaks potential in the late 80’s, but it wasn’t until DJ Shadow started repping them that they became more widely known in their own country.
|
Published on Mar 03, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Never Stop was the first single of this UK/US jazz-funk group. It reached up to number 43 in the UK TOP 75 October 1991. Can’t see this video? click here!
|
Published on Feb 25, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
“It seems every decade I get resurgence in my audiences. I remember coming to London and the vibe was very chilled. A lot of young stylish people would come to my shows and the Suede was part of their look.”
- Roy Ayers
|
Published on Feb 25, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
Our funk zooms like you hit the Mary Jane
They flock to booms man boogie had to change
Who freaks the clips with mad amount percussion
Where kinky hair goes to unthought-of dimensions
Why’s it so fly cause hip hop kept some drama
When Butterfly rocked his light blue-suede Pumas
Digable Planets’ 1992 classic “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” reminds us that the spirit of acid jazz combines respect for the past with the possibilities of the present. Beyond that, it’s difficult to pin down an exact definition. Sometimes described as a combination of jazz, funk, hip-hop and electronics or “jazz for club people,” acid jazz is as much a self-identification as a musical genre.
To be into acid jazz is to be first and foremost a digger, someone who combs second-hand stores for vintage vinyl, at least in spirit. While there are acid jazz musicians who don’t use existing recordings and even pride themselves on playing only traditional instruments, the goal and the mentality are generally the same: incorporating the sound of jazz/funk/soul circa 1960 to 1980 to make something new that still retains that authentic feel.
Which brings us to the subject of love. It is no disrespect to say that acid jazz is a derivative form. Because at its heart is a love for the music on which it’s based. Because really, whether you’re digging through dusty shop basements in search of an obscure killer groove or learning complex jazz progressions, you have to work. You have to be dedicated. You have to know your stuff. You have to love it.
|
Published on Feb 23, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|
|
Published on Feb 18, 2010 Filed under: Acid Jazz |
|