WFMU DJs Pick Their Favorites of 2011 (part IV)

One of the best mixes if not THEE best of the year! 45 cuts in 56 minutes. The man who runs things overat Finders Keepers (a personal favorite label of mine) pulls out tons of worldly audio goodies from India,Malaysia, Spain, Italy, France and more. This platter is perfect really for anyone at anytime; fuzzed outpsychedelic grooves that are DEEE-licious!!

2. K-Def - Night Shift (Redefinition Records)

New Jersey golden producer K-Def has been chopping up tracks since the early 90’s. Night Shift is predominantly an instrumental release, and (insert curse words here) great! Re-DefRecords has also joined the ranks of the few decent hip-hop labels left and doing it real handson, so look them up and support them!

3. V/A / Michigan Meltdown: Post-garage Pandemonium And Pre-punk FuzzFreaks From The Mitten State's Milken Era (Coney Dog)

Pretty damn great compilation of some fuzzed out late 1960’s / early ‘70’s Detroit rock slop by a bunch ofpimple faced losers that never made it. Some real mind blowing grooves but don’t know squat about anyof the groups or about the label; Coney Dog Records. Was told some Polish kid from Bay Parkway, NYput it out, kinda makes sense since it’s one stop from Coney Island....

4. Ol’ Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers Dirty Deluxe Edition re-issue (Get On Down)

My good buddy Karma put a lot of hard work into this project and it really shows. Who ever thought ofmaking an ODB wallet for crying out loud? A second disc of 13 filthy bonus tracks is included along witha poster, sticker and an actual re-produced public assistance card! You can’t get any dirtier, R,I.P. DirtMcGirt.

5. Marshall McLuhan - The Medium Is The Massage deluxe re-issue (Five Day Weekend)

I worked on this project for over 18 months and I got to say I’m damn proud of it. Tracking down the unpublished photos from the recording sessions, getting quotes from people like Woody Allen, Jello Biafra, Dick Cavett, Winston Smith etc, getting the whole thing cleared from Columbia and the finaloutcome of the packaging. It’s really great looking, hands down and this is how a re-issue should bedone!

6. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (Sub Pop)

Who ever says hip-hop is dead is a moron. Black Up is the third release from Ishmael’s (Digable Planet)Shabazz Palaces and a damn good one! I think It’s also the first rap record on Sub Pop as well. Real leftfield sounds, and great vocals, such a breath of fresh air for recorded music. In their words; “the beat willalways save us”.

7. VA: Hip-Hop Still Lives: Classic 'Promotional Use Only' & Rare Cuts (2011 WFMU Marathon Premium)

I think a few years ago I had another one of my premiums on my year end list. In true hip-hop tradition,this is purely all ego! This CD mix is amazing and the best premium I’ve done (next to The War OfRoxanne) so far. Who else is putting bangers like this together?

8. LL Cool J - Year Of The Hip Hop 10” (Slice-Of-Spice)

In 1994 K-Def was producing out of Marly Marl’s House Of Hits when Uncle L asked to collaborate andsaid he always wanted to use ESG’s UFO break. Track was completed and then vanished just as quickly.Fast forward many years later, the DAT has been found, legendary hip-hop artist Joe Buck draws anincredible cover and here we are, year end best list! Do not sleep on this!

9. Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label (Rizzoli)

There are so many books about hip-hop record labels and NONE of them are put together this well. Thewriting, the layout & design, the well archived images and the weight of this sucker make the perfectbook to sit out on a table for all to enjoy. I was honored to have Bill Adler & Cey Adams from the book onCoffee Break on September 22nd 2011, check the archives for that show as it was pretty amazing!

10. Elzhi And Will Sessions - Elmatic (Jae B. Group)

Know to some as “Detroit's Best Kept Secret", the Michigan MC released one of the best mixtapes of 2011, and one of the best rap tributes of all time. With the music remade by the band Will Sessions,Elmatic is welcomed head nod to Nas’ classic.

11. Finders Keepers - Every release thus far is needed in the collection, and physical copies too (CD or Vinyl)! Don’t download their projects, BUY them! Support a record label that really cares about their product (just like Slice-Of-Spice Records) and keep them doing what they do well!

12. The Feedback (Custeemix) - Skewtape

The Custodian Of Records has been a vital part of my show from the very beginning. The last year or so, I’ve been using the instrumental of this song as bed music for all my mic breaks. Just recently, he said something like “...you know there’s a vocal version of this track”. I never knew, so I just HAD to include inon my year end list!http://soundcloud.com/the-custodian-of-records

13. R.E.K.S. (Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme) (Brick Records)

The Massachusetts MC has shown once again that hip-hop music is doing just fine by releasing his fifthfull length. Packed with solid production by staples in the game like DJ Premier, Nottz, The Alchemist, Pete Rock, Statik Selektah etc. Real rap rhymes that recall the prime days of artists like Kool G. Rap andKRS-One. Be on the lookout as REKS is working on quite a few projects right now.

Other fine additions to 2011:

Superstar Quamallah & Deqawn - Talkin' All That Jazz (Brick Records)

Phill Most Chill feat. Paul Nice - Neva Stop Diggin' 7" (Slice-Of-Spice)

Dirtbombs - Party Store (In The Red)

Mas Tacos in Nashville - Dope Folks Records (dopefolksrecords.com)

Terre T (TT Allin & The Femanazis) singing "Don't Talk To Me" At the WFMU 2011 Marathon

The Natural Yogurt Band - Tuck In With... (Now-Again Records)

All the friends and guests that came by the show this past year and made it so memorable.

Chris M's Favorites of 2011:

Best New Albums of 2011:

The Cosmic Dead - Psychonaut
Deerhoof - Deerhoof Vs. Evil
Djevel - Dødssanger
The Fall - Ersatz G.B.
Kid Sister - Kiss Kiss Kiss
Marcus Visionary - Humble
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Robert Pollard - Space City Kicks
Roots Manuva - 4everevolution
Spank Rock - Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a F---ing Liar

Tia Carrera - Cosmic Priestess
Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats - Blood Lust

My Best Moments of 2011:

10. Getting to host the Grammys.
9. Finally learned the correct way to pronounce "Fela Kuti" ("Fella Cutie").
8. Hosting the Chinchilla Bowl.
7. Redirecting the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island to a tuna fish cannery nearby.
6. My nearly three-hour (2h, 57m, 38s) unaccompanied guitar solo live on Scott Williams' show. Unfortunately now deleted from the archives for shredding too hard.
5. Got Phillip Glass' autograph. Not the whole thing - only the first letter repeated 100 times.
4. Found $4 on the street and nobody claimed it at the police station so I got to keep it.
3. Invented beer.
2. Met the Dalai Lama and found out that he never sneezes. Not once in his entire life.
1. Rescued actor/movie star Michael Caine from a staring contest in which four men burned out their eyes from not blinking.

Comments

Chris, your joke would have been funnier if you said "Got Steve Reich's autograph." C'mon, man! You're in the big leagues here! It's WFMU! Step yer game up!

Posted by: Glob | January 03, 2012 at 11:18 PM

Noah always has a sick list, and a great hip-hop show!! The Elzhi is amazing! WFMU - When are you bringing back coffee break and the hip hop???

Posted by: Mark1 | January 30, 2012 at 12:04 AM

Yeah, like MARKONE says, Coffee Break for Heroes and Villains is missed out in there parts. Noah always spun some fresh or out there stuff on that show. Have yet to listen to his PodCassss.

Posted by: Pierce Deere | February 15, 2012 at 02:21 PM