Tryna' Keep Cool

Today I'm in the mood for rap, rhymes and beats. Spanning 1986 to 2023, ten blistering tracks covering old school greats, stone cold classics, genre-mashing, effing and jeffing and a chunk of words and music that I've only discovered in the last few years. And enough spare tape on the C90 to add your own favourites to the mixtape.

 

1) I Don't Know Nothin 'Bout Daisies: Definition Of Sound (1991)

2) Dedicated To The City (Album Version): Subsonic 2 (1991)

3) Moment Of Clarity: Jay-Z (2003)

4) Summer Nights: Statik ft. Tom Paddington, Ears & Scorcher (2007)

5) GOB (David Andrew Sitek Remix): Dels ft. Jack Davey (2011)

6) Bite Back: Algiers ft. Billy Woods & Backxwash (2023)

7) Kids...: A Tribe Called Quest ft. André 3000 (2016)

8) Rollin Stone (Live @ Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6Music): Little Simz (2021)

9) Paul Revere (Vocal) (Remix By Rick Rubin): Beastie Boys (1986)

10) Brain Washed Follower (Single Version): De La Soul (1989)

1986: It's The New Style EP: 9

1989: Me Myself And I EP: 10

1991: Include Me Out: 2

1991: Wear Your Love Like Heaven EP: 1

2003: The Black Album: 3

2007: Love Music, Hate Racism (NME promo CD+MP3): 4

2011: GOB EP: 5

2016: We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service: 7

2021: Live, Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6Music, 15 June 2021: 8

2023: Shook: 6

Tryna' Keep Cool (38:00) (KF) (Mega)

Rollin Stone (BBC6 'Clean' Version) by Little Simz

I was in São Paulo
Eatin' palm hearts and I couldn't believe my surroundings (no)
True, I got the Ends in me, listenin' to Headie
Gettin' gassed in the mountains (yeah)
No time for the thirst trap, I'm quenched
I drink from a different fountain (sip)
Hard food when I serve that
All these likkle fish get fried and your yam get pounded (pounded yam)

 

Mm, might be a brat for a bit 

Want my farm and I want my chicks
Want my suit tailored by Gucci
First-class to Shibuya for the sushi
Give me my cheques and give me my plaques
Want breakdowns and I want my stats, pronto (now, now)

 
Yеah, yeah, God flow
Make you wanna dance all day likе Alfonso (move your body)
Wanna talk about P's, wanna talk about wage, 

but can you do the job though? (can you?)
I can't vouch for a man that ain't got the talent and business combo (no)
It's all a sport, flow on archery, don't get hit with the crossbow

 

Stayed to myself, been true to the core (stay to myself, man, I stay to myself)
I was always the illest, there's never been no cure (no medication)
Callin' shots like I call in favours, facts (true)
My fellas got me if I ever need that

Still, there's things I'm faced with
Stormz' ain't lyin', man, these fools audacious (yeah)
Might demonstrate frustration
Tryna' keep cool, but I'm losin' patience (ayy)
Hmm, no cap, we hate snakes and we hate rats
You can have opinions, just don't mislead the youth in your raps 

(please, please, please, please, please)

 

Mummy handled business, Papa was a rollin' stone
I'm a mix of both, there ain't no snitch-boy in my bones
Coming for this dough like say it's pizza
You can't get in Italia, Fashion Week, huh
Shut down Milan down to Rome

Lookin' like the future, got you fearin' the unknown
I got stories regardin' your chick I won't disclose
Picture perfect, nothing picture perfect here, I know
All illusion, why the world confusing? I don't know

You can't diss me three-time, pull up behind, you'll never see I
I'm probably the reason why your bosses has had to resign
They all follow my step, read about me like I'm Eli
I just book a flight only to land and have some me-time
Let me be, I'm (let me be, I'm)
Takin' time out, hold my spot, go through your time now (hey)

 

Huh, pull up at your spot, they're throwin' roses at my feet, yeah, yeah
What do you mean? In the presence of a queen
Bad, say that she wanna know what's underneath
I could show you things in private, know I hate to cause a scene, yeah

Range black just to match the colour of my skin
Last year, pen was crazy, this year tougher with the ink (yeah)
Know the people miss me, they like, "Where the hell you been?" (yeah)
Counted all my losses, manifested all my wins (yeah)

Can't believe it's Simbi here that's had you listenin'
Well, that chick for now, you didn't know she had a twin (yeah)
I've been in my zone, movin' lowkey in Berlin, ah
You can get the smoke, yeah yeah, das ist kein Problem, ah
Where do I begin? ah
You might just find out real soon, go through your time now

 

Rollin' stone
Rollin' stone
Rollin' stone
Rollin' stone

Everything Playing At Once

"How did I get here?" as David Byrne once said. I know what he means. It's been a pretty crappy year in many respects, but music - and blogging about music - has been my salve, my safe space, my springboard back into the, at times, sheer madness of the wider world.

"What, no mega-mix?" as Ernie Goggins commented yesterday. Well, I'd always planned a Dubhed selection to sum up 2023 and see in 2024. Thankfully, it's not a 24-hour marathon attempting to squeeze everything in. Instead, it's a much more ear-friendly party mix at a smidge over an hour, sampling 17 tracks (and one interview snippet) including one song which didn't even make yesterday's end of year list!

This may be the only place today where you will hear Balearic, post-punk, downtempo, travelogue, dub, house, alternative, r 'n' b, politics, jazz and psychedelia all cut and pasted together. As I said to Ernie, more manic- than mega-mix. I think it turned out surprisingly well.

 

I have no plans for Dubhed to slow down in 2024, so expect more of the usual make-it-up-as-I go-along nonsense on a daily basis, inspired as ever by the music that soundtracks my life and keeps me going through good and bad times. 

On that note, a massive thank you again to you all for your continued support this year, it really means a lot. I hope that however you are spending New Year's Eve, it's a good one and that 2024 brings you much joy and happiness.

 

Happy New Year!

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Bliadhna Mhath ùr! 

Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Dhuit!

Bonne Année!  

Ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος!

Feliz Año Nuevo!  

Щасливого Нового року!

 

1) Ride A Cloud (Xavi's Campfire Mix - Khayem's Nice 'n' Splicey Edit): The Woodentops ft. Kyoko Sato *

2) Master Of Time: Jah Wobble

3) That Time Of Night (Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown Dub): GLOK ft. Shiarra

4) Lack Of Sleep (Pye Corner Audio Remix): Maps

5) Cleanse Your Guilt Here: Algiers

6) Somehow It Feels Important (Auren Remix): Hairdressa

7) Tender Years: Robert Forster

8) I Laugh Myself To Sleep: David Holmes ft. Raven Violet

9) "do you wanna know what's changed about the music industry?": David Holmes **

10) Many Hands (Retroforward Dubbin' Hands Remix): D:Ream 

11) Brigada (Single Version): Bárbara Boeing ft. Phil Mill

12) Baba Louie: Jaimie Branch ft. Akenya Seymour & Kuma Dog

13) Go On Dub (Adrian Sherwood 'Reset In Dub’ Version): Panda Bear & Sonic Boom

14) 3rd Highlands And Islands Tour: Julian Cope

15) wifi: Spare Snare

16) There Will Be No Crying: Cleo Sol

17) $1 One Vote!: The The

18) Sunday's Cool: 10:40

 

Everything Playing At Once (1:02:45) (KF) (Mega) 

 

* This is possibly the laziest edit I've ever done. I've simply laid a copy of the mix on the other, with a 20-second delay and (roughly) beat matched. I like the repetition of Kyoko Sato's voice, so this version stayed in. 

 

** A snippet from Edith Bowman's interview with David Holmes earlier this month. Well worth an hour of your time.