I LIKE DRUMS

Yes I do. Very much so in fact. All kinds of drums too - from machine gun style marching band percussion to tight ticking Kraftwerk beats.

I started liking drums because of the Chinese Lion Dance. The Lion Dance is a traditional Chinese dance that people would perform for festivities.




When I was a kid, my cousin was a Lion dancer, and sometimes I would get to follow him and the crew to their shows. The combination of the Dance, the boom boom boom of the big drum, the crashing gongs and the shattering cymbals - I was hooked.

So on the subject of drums, here are 2 tracks with some of my favourite sounding drums on record.

The first is "P.S.K." from Schooly D, which is arguably one of the first gangsta rap records... that loop has been sampled tons of times, from Ruff Ryders to The Prodigy. The second tune is from Electronome, which is old school techno from the Netherlands... the name of the tune itself kind of sums it up.

Schoolly D - P.S.K.
Electronome - Een Drumachine und een synthesizer

NEW MAN RECORDER IN THE MAKING

We are currently working on a newly designed relaunch of the Man Recorder, so sorry, no new posts for a few days. Visit the beta version of Man Recorder 2.0. here:

Man Recorder 2.0

YMA SUMAC R.I.P.

Peruvian singer Yma Sumac - the queen of Mambo and one of the most incredible voices ever - died two weeks ago at age 86. The South American Castafiore was born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri Del Castillo, Sumac said she never received formal vocal training. But her talent had been apparent since she was a little girl and began performing in Peru and later in Argentina. In the early 1950s, while performing in New York, she was signed to Capitol Records. Sumac quickly drew world attention, thanks to a prodigious voice that spanned a five-octave range, and her renditions of traditional Peruvian music with orchestral accompaniments. The singer played heavily on her Andean roots, claiming to be descended from the Inca Emperor Atahualpa. In Peru, glowing press tributes have been paid to the only Peruvian to have been written into Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Check her essential album "Mambo" - rough and ragged Mambo - this is South American punk rock 1954!

EDU K PARTY MUNKY EP OUT NOW

Our #1 ravemeister, Edu K, has just released his "Party Munky" EP - the first digital only release on Man Recordings. On the 6 track EP, Edu K presents the real rave business. Think of the early tracks of The Prodigy, Bizarre Inc, SL2 or Shut Up And Dance – all reborn on a baile funk party in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. A there you have the „Party Munky EP", sirens, pitched voices and the "Amen break" included.

EDU K "PARTY MUNKY"

Go buy the EP on Beatport, Itunes or Juno Download.

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #9 : Serge Gainsbourg

No doubt, Serge Gainsbourg was one of the coolest motherfuckers of the 20th century. Besides shagging all major European top ladies from Brigitte Bardot to Jane Birkin in the 1960s and 70s he released some of the most outstanding records that still sound fresh and inspiring today. Think of the "The Histoire Of Melody Nelson" album, or the dopest beat from the 1960s in the proto-rap anthem "Requiem Pour Un Con", or his collaboration with Sly & Robbie on "Aux Armes Et Cetera" (check the dub album!).



However one of the most memorable records by Gainsbourg is his 1964 released "Gainsbourg Percussions", which quiet likely was the first ever European pop and jazz album to include a North African choir and Caribbean rhythms. The album contains the anthems "New York USA", "Les Sambassadeurs" and the classic "Colour Café". The vinyl was just rereleased in a 180g re-edition - a record that shouldnt be missing in any record collection. Go buy.

WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE

M.I.A. send us the link to a new track she did with Blaqstarr - a cover version of the legendary opening song to the U.S. series "The Wire". Originally sung by Tom Waits, Blaqstarr and M.I.A. did a club friendly version, alongside the cheapest video ever made (still it´s good).



3rd Bass, one of the 2nd generation of Def Jam artists, did a cool version of the Tom Waits song back in 1991. It´s called "Soul In The Hole" and you can download it from here:

3RD BASS "SOUL IN THE HOLE"

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #8 : Roxanne Shanté

Roxanne Shanté still is the undisputed female queen MC of all times. Her "Roxanne´s Revenge" introduced smart and reflected female rap at a time when women in hip hop where confined to being mere party bunnies. She was aged 14 (!) when she recorded this song (in one take!) and single handledy defined female rap as we know it and love it. So if you listen to Peaches, M.I.A., Deize Tigrona or Yo Mayesty today - Roxanne Shanté was there first. Check the Mr.Magic intro (those delays!!) and Marley Marl behind the decks.

WHO´S AFRAID OF REMIX? OUT NOW

The vinyl edition of my 2nd EP "Who´s Afraid Of Remix?" is out now. It features four slammin´remixes by Riva Starr, Scottie B, Ku Bo and DJ Beware and already received club + radio airplay by Sinden, Crookers, Shirkhahn and Zombie Disco Squad amongst others. Check the great artwork by Paul Snowden and the photo by Vincent Rosenblatt.

Here´s the Scottie B Chavy Boys remix for you to free download:

DANIEL HAAKSMAN FEAT SD BOYS "PAROLAR DE VESO" (SCOTTIE B CHAVY BOYS REMIX)

Also available as digital release.

SANY PITBULL MIXTAPE

Original Baile Funk Master Sany Pitbull has sent us his new mix, the"Future Baile Funk Express". Yahhhh!
Download it from here:

SANY PITBULL MIXTAPE

Tracklist:

01-Intro Gabi Conda
02-Sany Pitbull - Caraja's Massacre
03-Sany Pitbull - Tambor Roll
04-Sany Pitbull vs Daft Punk - Da Funk Around the world
05-Sany Pitbull vs Teriyaki Boyz - Tokio Drift Funk
06-Sany Pitbull - Faroeste Rmx
07-Sany Pitbull vs Madonna - Hung up - Baile Funk Mix
08-Sany Pitbull - Blues'n'Funk
09-Sany Pitbull - Arabian Lover Rmx
10-Sany Pitbull vs Deep Purple - Smoke on the water Rmx
11-Sany Pitbull - Nightmare
12-Sany Pitbull vs Daft Punk - Tecnologyc - Baile Funk Mix
13-Sany Pitbull vs Black Sabbath - Infected - Olelê Bass Mix
14-Sany Pitbull feat. Dj Dedé Mandrake - Tribos
15-Sany Pitbull - Let your body rock - Freestyle mix
16-Sany Pitbull - That P****
17-Sany Pitbull - Monotone - Baile Funk Mix
18-Sany Pitbull - JB Beat
19-Phabyo Dj - Jungle Bass - Carioca Funk Clube Mix
20-Phabyo Dj - Eletronic - Carioca Funk Clube Mix
21-Sany Pitbull feat. Juninho Carioca - Beatch Brazil

P.S. I found the above papers leaving a baile party one early morning when last visiting Rio . Displayed are labels that mark the price (5 R$ or 10 R$), the distributor and source of the cocaine that is sold in small plastic bags on the bailes by the drug gangs. "C.V." stands for "Commando Vermelho", one of the major drug gangs in Rio - a gang so self concious that it even sells fan t-shirts with "C.V." prints.

EDU K ME BOTA PRA DANCAR - RICKY + RULO REMIX

We just received a new remix for Edu K feat. Marina´s "Me Bota Pra Dancar" by Argentinia´s Ricky + Rulo duo. If you fancy moustaches, noisy basslines and headbanging this one´s for you:

EDU K ME BOTA PRA DANÇAR (RICKY + RULO REMIX)

BOSSA DO MORRO OUT NOW

Bossa Do Morro - my new compilation featuring baile funk remixes of various Bossa Nova classics is out now in the shops. See the interview here:



The final tracklist is:

1. Sergio Mendes + Brasil 66 "Day Tripper - DJ Fú + DJ Dinho Remix"
2. Luiz Bonfá "Discussão - MC Gringo + DJ Bolão Remix"
3. Rosinha Da Valencia "Berimbau - DJ Nazz + Ernani Maldonado feat. Bani Silva Baile Funk Remix"
4. João Gilberto "Desafinado - DJ Nazz + Ernani Maldonado Remix"
5. Fernanda Meirelles "Barquinho - DJ Marrentinho Remix"
6. Luiz Bonfá "Embocada - DJ Dinho + DJ Fú Remix"
7. João Gilberto "Bim Bom - DJ Amazing Clay Funk Remix"
8. Tom Jobim "Agua De Beber - DJ Edgar Remix"
9. João Gilberto + Astrud Gilberto "Girl From Ipanema - DJ Nazz Funk MIx"
10. Klaus Doldinger "Insensatez - DJ Edgar Remix"
11. Rosinha De Valencia "Uma Noite - DJ Marrentinho Remix"
12. Rubens Bassini, Jorge Arena + Chico Bater "Macumba - DJ Dinho + DJ Fú Remix"

Release party is on Nov 4th in Berlin @ Bar Tausend, w/ DJ Edgar and myself

DJ AMAZING CLAY IN EUROPE - NEW DATES

We have more dates confirmed for the DJ Amazing Clay tour in Europe:

Nov 14th, Warsaw, PL, Astigmatic
Nov 21st, Tübingen, DE, Mancuso
Nov 28th, Vienna, AT, Café Leopold
Nov 29th, Berlin, DE, Worldtronics Festival @ HKW

If you´re up for booking him to one of your parties, please contact Daniel @ Man Rec: info@manrecordings.com

With twenty-eight years (yes, that's 28) of DJ experience, Amazing Clay is one of Rio's most experienced DJs. One of the founders of the „Equipe Curtisom Rio“, one of the earliest sound systems of baile funk, Clay started to DJ in 1980 when the original Rio funk scene was moving from the 1970s sound of disco, soul and funk to early American rap. When „Planet Rock“ hit Rio in 1982, Amazing Clay played it at his parties. Ever since, he has seen various forms of Rio baile funk emerge and vanish – like a rock, Amazing Clay is here to stay.Today Amazing Clay is DJing at more then five parties every week, most notably at the 'Boquierao' baile next to Rio's Santos Dumont airport. Clay s the producer of a huge range of big baile funk artists like Mr. Catra, Deize Tigrona, MC Gringo, MC Dido or Bonde da Oskley. He is the creator of the „Montagem Bonanza“, which introduced the Bonanza theme in the baile funk scene. Recently, Clay produced large parts of MC Gringo´s „Gringão“ album, which currently receives critical acclaim around the world. Following the acclaim of his "Baile Funk Masters" release, Amazing Clay recently remixed Munk´s "Live Fast Die Young" as well as João Gilberto´s "Bim Bom" and Luiz Bonfá + Maria Toledo´s "Samburá" for the "Bossa Do Morro" compilation on Universal Jazz Germany. His remix of Fréderic Chopin´s "Etude In C Minor" received widespread acclaim. For his live performances, Clay plays live on a MPC.

More Infos on Clay here:
DJ AMAZING CLAY MYSPACE

Download Clay´s "Mulher Da Camesinha" feat. MC Betta here:
MULHER DA CAMESINHA

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #7 : Burundi Black

African music all of a sudden seems to be everywhere. Hollertronix release an entire EP dedicated to Kuduro, Vampire Weekend get inspired by sounds from Botswana and Warp release DJ Mujava´s "Township Funk" to enthusiastic response and everyone looks to Africa as it was 1988 when "Yeke Yeke" by Mori Kanté was ruling Eurolands charts and African inspired pop music was considered the next big thing.
We @ Man Rec have been longtime fans of the kaleidoscope of sounds emerging from various African regions, be it Hi Life, Kwaito, or lately Kuduro. However one of the first African tunes to ever encounter our ears in the early 80s was Burundi Black. The track was recorded in 1967 by Sevac Ekian during a ceremony of the Ingoma Tribe in the East African State of Burundi. Back home Ekian developed the idea to arrange a "musical marriage" (mariage musical). Therefore he asked the producer Mike Steiphenson to create a fitting tune to those absorbing drum recordings and chants he brought from Burundi.

Steiphenson produced a psychedelic harmony consisting of e-guitar and piano and inserted it in Ekian's recording. In 1971 the track was published under the pseudonym Burundi Black. "Burundi Black" was a huge success in European discotheques throughout the 1970s and is considered one of the anthems of the Cosmic Disco movement. It´s probably also one of the first remixed African tunes ever released.

On Side A of the vinyl release there is "Part 1", the drum-solo version, on Side B ("Part 2") the version by Steiphenson. The single went top 40 in the UK. If you´ve heard Quiet Village´s remix of Gorillaz, you may recognize the source of inspiration (oh and Beastie Boys also sampled the drums on their "Pauls Boutique" album).

BURUNDI BLACK PART 1

BURUNDI BLACK PART 2

BIG BOOTY CLASH REWIND

Yeahhh! We sweated big time at our Big Booty Clash party at Berlin´s Scala last Saturday. Man Recordings vs. Delicious Gutter rocked it till 7am. Delicious Gutter was represented by Don Rimini (Aaron Lacrate cancelled the gig short termed) and Schowi, we lined up DJ Beware, Isa GT Live and myself to got those Berlin booties swinging. Here´s some shots.

DJ Beware+Isa GT


The crowd @ Scala


Isa Gt rocking it:


DJ Beware + Don Rimini


Isabell + friend, fronting customized Baile Funk Masters shirt


Schowi, Beware, Daniel


Thanks to Conny, Martin, Pampam and the Scala crew for the great night. We´ll be back soon!!

EDU K + MARC JACOBS

Style is us: Check Marc Jacobs recent fashion show featuring Edu K´s + Marina´s "Me Bota Pra Dançar" as soundtrack:

LOLOLOLOL

http://view.break.com/577249 - Watch more free videos

BUSHIDO BIOGRAPHY

Germany´s #1 thug rapper Bushido just released his autobiography "Bushido" and promptly lead Germany´s best seller charts, breaking the 100.000 sales barrier in just three weeks after its release.

Riding on the coattails of American rappers like 50 Cent and Eminem, German gangsta rappers have made a strong showing on the charts in Germany in the last years. The last albums by Tunisian-German Bushido have made their debuts in the Top 10 -- and shaken a Germany not used to hearing ghetto tales of death and revenge in its own language. A good 15 years after the music genre spread from the streets of American cities to tough neighborhoods from Rio de Janeiro to Marseilles, gangsta rap has hit it big in Germany, where tamer rap has been popular for years. German rap has traditionally ceded ground to imports from across the Atlantic. Though some German hip-hop groups found success in the 1990's, German, unlike French and English, is not a language that accommodates the genre. The language features many combination words with an avalanche of syllables that don't rhyme well together, impairing a rapper's ability to let loose a smooth and creative flow. That, combined with inferior production quality and beats, kept young people listening to rap imports. German rap's newfound success is partly a result of improved production quality and better lyrics, and partly a realization that Germany has its own problem neighborhoods, where failed integration and social hardship are part of the daily struggle.

The first ever German thug rap was released in 1994 by Frankfurt based Konkret Finn Duo, consisting of Iz + Tone, which can be considered a blue print for all following German thug rap. Check out their legendary "Ich Diss Dich" (I diss you), rapped in hard boiled "Hessian" (the local Frankfurt dialect). Download it from here:

KONKRET FINN "ICH DISS DICH"

MELT! FESTIVAL VIDEO REWIND

See some new videos capturing the mad Man Recordings session @ Melt festival in Gräfenhainichen, Germany, on July 19th 2008. It was truly a legendary night.

CROOKERS


EDU K


MC GRINGO + DJ BEWARE


DJ BEWARE

PAUL SNOWDEN IN KOREA

Paul Snowden, the graphic designer who created all fabulous covers for Man Recordings, recently rose to global fame with his "Wasted Berlin Youth" and "Minimal My Ass" T-Shirt range. From Brooklyn to Mitte, from Montmartre to Shibuya, there´s no hipster area where you won´t see one of Paul Snowdens iconic designs. Now Paul was invited to Seoul, Korea, to show his collected works as part of a show titled "Berlin Subculture". He didnt inform us yet whether Seoul´s Youth is getting wasted too but if you happen to be in Seoul in the next few weeks, visit his show at:

T-SPACE TOMBOY FASHION CULTURE SPACE
175-14 NONHYUN-DONG, GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL, 135-826 KOREA
http://www.tspace.co.kr/

DEIZE TIGRONA "BANDIDA" LIVE

See Deize Tigrona performing her Diplo produced track "Bandida" live @ Berlin NBI. Valeu, Deize!

MAYOR ELECTIONS IN RIO

MC Gringo, our man in Rio De Janeiro, sent us this video from a mayor´s election party at the Zona Norte (the North Zone) of Rio. I would give my vote for any mayor that invites these dancers!

MAN RECORDINGS BAILE FUNK MIXTAPE SERIES #1 : DJ AMAZING CLAY

Warming up for his first European tour coming November, original Baile Funk Master DJ Amazing Clay has provided #1 in the new Man Recordings platform "Baile Funk Mixtape Series", which will present mixtapes by various DJs from Rio De Janeiro.

Amazing Clay is probably one of the most legendary funk DJs from Rio. With a career that spans more than 25 years of DJ experience he knows how to get a party going. Recently his work shifted to international recognition, when he contributed to #4 in the Baile Funk Masters series on Man Recordings. Soon after, Clay remixed Munk´s "Live Fast Die Old" feat. Asia Argento, and contributed in the "Bossa Do Morro" compilation with a fierce remix of João Gilberto´s "Bim Bom". Clay is also part of the "Astigmatic Inspired by Chopin" remix project, which includes remixes of classic Fréderic Chopin songs by heavyweights like Crazy Baldhead, Daniel Wang, Black Joy and Max Skiba amongst others (Clay´s mix is included in the mixtape) - released in November.

Amazing Clay will come to Europe for a few weeks in November, if you´re interested in booking Clay and his MPC for an original set of Rio Baile Funk please contact me at: info@manrecordings.com

Confirmed DJ dates for Clay´s Europe tour are so far:

Nov 13th, Berlin, DE
Nov 14th, Warsaw, PL
Nov 27th, Tübingen, DE
Nov 28th, Vienna, AT

Download the mix from here:
MAN RECORDINGS MIXTAPE SERIES #1 DJ AMAZING CLAY

Tracklist

01= Aquecimento Do Verão (Dj Amazing Clay)
02= Gringo Vai Embora (Dj Amazing Clay feat. Mc Gringo & Ninna)
03= Oi Novinha (Dj Amazing Clay feat. Bonde Zoeira)
04= Chopin In Da Party (Etude in C Minor) (Dj Amazing Clay)
05= Saudade da Ex (Dj Amazing Calay feat Mc Maiquinho)
06= Live fast Die Old (Munk with Asia Argento - Dj Amazing Clay Remix)
07= Upside Down (Sandra D'angelo & Dj Amazing Clay)
08= Super Jones (Extended Mix) (Dj Amazing Clay)
09= Berimbolô (Dj Amazing Clay)
10= Bim Bom (João Gilberto) (Baile funk Remix By Dj Amazing Clay)
11= Electro Sex (Dj Amazing Clay)
12= What The Funk x Mc Maiquinho x Ninna (P Funky / Dj Amazing Clay)
13= Hey Hey (Mc Maiquinho)
14= Fica Atrás Dela (Waguinho Caxangá)
15= Mulher de Cama e Mesa (Mc Betta & Dj Amazing Clay)
16= Soulfood x Mc Dandão (P Funky / Dj Amazing Clay)
17= Descendo e Mexendo o Ombrinho (Os Caçadores)
18= Tô Facinho (Mc Mágico)
19= Pode Me Chamar de Boa (Mc Dandara)
20= Daytripper (Baile Funk Remix Dj Fú & Dj Dinho)

Photo courtesy of Vincent Rosenblatt/ Agencia Olhares

DIGITALDUBS feat. TIPPA IRIE

Our favourite Rio De Janeiro sound system, DIGITALDUBS, released various singers on their Funk Milk Riddim, e.g. the sensational "O Comédia Vacilou" featuring Duda Do Borel, which we´ve released recently as 7" vinyl (Man 028). Here´s an exclusive for you´ll to get a taste of Rio´s ruling ragga and dancehall sound system: It´s the Funk Milk Riddim featuring Tippa Irie.

DIGITALDUBS feat. TIPPA IRIE

DJ MUJAVA vs. MISSY ELLIOT

Apart from djing and producing, me and Dj Functionist also do a mix show called "Unlimited", Monday to Friday from 2 -3 pm on radio FM4 in Austria. What I like about doing this show is that we pretty much get to play whatever we want; the challenge is to make it accesible and entertaining to your average daytime radio listener and simultaneously keeping it forward thinking and progressive for the music loving freaks who know and care about new music.

Another reason I love doing the radio is that we are 2 like minded djs on 4 turntables, which means that a lot of cool music experiments will happen live on radio, totally out of the blue. Just last week, as I was playing Dj Mujava's "Township Funk" in my set, Functionist decides to slam on Missy's "Lose Control" over the riddim. It sounded good in the set, so a couple days later Functionist decided to do a studio blend.

Dj Mujava vs. Missy Elliot - Township Funk Control (Dj Functionist blend)

TAMBORZINHO

Did you notice that baile funk is changing in shape? Recent tracks showed: No more Tamborzãos, no more Volt Mix Beat, hardly any pop-samples. This year´s Rio funk flavour certainly´s been the Tamborzinho, the beatbox version of the Tamborzão (using a beatbox freestyle of Mr.Catra). Another much used element: Bahian drumming (which makes funk sound more "Brazilian"), and the ubiquious Perez Prado horn snippet.Some people call this new style "Macumba". Whatever its name: Funk is going back to the roots.

Here´s one of the recent bangers from Rio
DJ IGOR feat. DANIBOY "SENTA SENTA NO CALCANHAR"

Photo by Vincent Rosenblatt, courtesy Agencia Olhâres

FUNK MUNDIAL #7 JESSE ROSE + OLIVER $ feat. DEIZE TIGRONA

We are proud to present #7 in the Funk Mundial series: It´s by Jesse Rose and Oliver $ from Berlin, and both have teamed up with Rio funk MC queen Deize Tigrona and created two incredible tracks. We produced a limited edition of 300 copies in red shiny vinyl, so get to your nearest vinyl dealer or order the vinyl through us. Superduper-Anti Mp3-Sound included. For those without a turntable, go to Itunes or Beatport from next week to download the digital version.

DEICHKIND - ARBEIT NERVT

Deichkind is the only really outstanding German rap crew these days. This trio from Hamburg doesnt pretend to be gangster nor isnt trying to copycat any known US rap standards but just push the boundaries of what is called rap music. I always thought their legendary video "Limit" is one of the most incredible German music videos ever made, when I just watched their new clip by Berlin directors Alex+Liane, which blew my mind:


("Arbeit Nervt"="Work sucks")

Ah and here´s "Limit"

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #6 : Grandmixer D.ST

Grandmixer D.ST is from the early 1980s generation of NY scratch DJs. His debut public appearance was as DJ in the amphitheatre scene of the movie "Wild Style", shortly after D.ST hit the jackpot as being the guy responsible for the turntable parts in Herbie Hancock´s "Rockit". Another D.ST´s highlight was the track "D.ST Cuts It Up", which was featured on the - ESSENTIAL - 1984 Celluloid compilation "Street Music Material". The compilation was produced by Material and contains tracks by Fab Five Freddy, Phase 2´s legendary "The Roxy", The Clash (!) feat. Futura 2000 and with "The Smurf" probably the 1st electro funk track featuring a live hard rock guitar. Check D.ST´s video and try to track down "Street Music Material", this is timeless electro funk. Some of the tracks have lately been released on the "Celluloid Years" compilation, but nothing beats the original album vinyl. Oh and the cover artwork is by Futura 2000. After listening to "D.ST Cuts It Up" again I have to ask myself: Why on earth is no one doing music like this anymore today? Why is everyone only looking to the block party prime years of hip hop and completely fading out on the shit that Celluloid Records released from 1983-1985?

GAIOLA DAS POPOZUDAS

Pardal, the manager of Rio´s fiercest female MC crew Gaiola Das Popozudas has sent us this new press photo of the Popozudas. Yes boys and girls, this is the funk carioca female body in full effect. Who needs Giséle Bündchen when there´s Gaiola Das Popozudas?

Download Gaiola Das Popozudas recent floor burner here:

GAIOLA DAS POPOZUDAS "DE SAINHA"

DELICIOUS GUTTER VS. MAN RECORDINGS

Save the date! At the final day of this year´s Popkomm music fair in Berlin, we´ll celebrate the "Big Booty Clash" at Scala club.
We´ll rep with DJ Beware, our new signing ISA GT live and myself on the decks plus a very special guest. Delicious Gutter a.k.a. Delicious Vinyl will front with Don Rimini and Aaron Lacrate, plus the whole Delicious Vinyl crew. Maybe Young MC will come down too and some other well known people . So don´t miss this party, it will certainly be this year´s Popkomm highlight.

A WORLD OF GANGS

Today, I present you a book recommendation. This book is also about music - gangsta rap in particular - but mostly it´s a pretty amazing book about the history and culture of gangs around the world. I picked it up because it has a foreword by Mike Davis, which already can be considered a quality approval (check also Davis´ books "The Birth Of The 3rd World" and "World Of Slums" amongst others). But most of all I bought it to get a better understanding of the social and economic reasons why gangs have institutionalized in urban areas around the world - and to realise the role of some of their cultural by-products, be it gangsta rap, baile funk or kwaito. So next time you say to your mates "I gotta cop me some of those ghetto beats from Man Rec" you can be a bit a more precise after reading "A World Of Gangs": The music on Man Recordings (except for the fidget stuff, hehe) is in many aspects an intrinsic spin off of both globalisation and gang culture.

John M.Hagedorn "A World Of Gangs", University Of Minnesota Press, 2008
The book´s author also runs a homepage worth checking out: http://www.gangresearch.net/

DJ EDGAR EURO TOUR NOVEMBER

DJ EDGAR, one of our favourite baile funk DJs from Rio is currently putting together new dates for his 2nd Euro tour in November. If you fancy booking him, please contact his Europe manager Johan von Friedrichs in Stockholm: info@barbrasil.se. I can assure you: This DJ is rocking the bells!

Check out DJ Edgar´s latest DJ mix, full of new tracks and remixes from the Baile Funk Master himself. Check out the Max Romeo baile funk mix, woahhh!

Download it from here:
DJ EDGAR SUMMER MIX 2008

TRACKLIST DJ EDGAR SUMMER MIX 2008

01. Abertura (DJ Edgar)
02. Funknotronic (DJ Edgar)
02. Boogie down beat (DJ Edgar)
03. Samba com Funk (DJ Edgar)
04. Explosao mix (DJ Edgar)
05. Guns'n'Funk (DJ Edgar)
06. I can't get no (DJ Edgar)
07. Na Europa eh assim oh (DJ Edgar)
08. Prostituto, o sonho delas (DJ Edgar)
09. Alegria (DJ Edgar)
10. Salsa com Funk (DJ Edgar)
11. We willRock-FunkU (DJ Edgar)
12. The power (DJ Edgar)
13. Out of space (DJ Edgar feat. Max Romeo and The Upsetters)
14. Boxe vs Axel F. (DJ Edgar)
15. Nirvana in 'Funk' Concert (DJ Edgar)
16. Rock N'Funk beat (DJ Edgar)
17. Gaita mix (DJ Edgar)
18. I fly with Funk 'U (Gigi D'Agostino feat. DJ Edgar)
19. DJ Edgar, aplica o som (DJ Edgar)
20. Sininho mix (DJ Edgar)
21. Solta esse ponto (DJ Edgar)
22. Link Funk Park mix (DJ Edgar)
23. Psiu-Psiu (DJ Edgar)

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #5: Run Dmc

Okay, you might already guessed it. Man Rec is a label about electronic beats and lots of rhymes. And there´s one tune that brings it all down: Run DMC´s "Sucker MCs". When released, it set a new standard. With a bassdrum, some claps and a snare plus two MCs singing over it, "Sucker MCs" showed that it doesnt need much more than a DJ playing a minimalist beat and two guys on a mike to make a dope tune.



Oh, and of course in terms of fashion there´s only one name we have to highlight: Prince Vince (a.k.a. Vincent Gallo)

BOSSA DO MORRO

I have a special, world exclusive pre-announcement for y´all to make and it´s about an upcoming release of mine called BOSSA DO MORRO. "Morro" means "hill" in Portugese, in Rio particulary, the hills are the cite where many of the city´s favelas are located. Thus BOSSA DO MORRO is a Baile Funk remix compilation I comissioned to celebrate this year´s 50th anniversary of Bossa Nova, the great musical genre that was birthed in Rio in the late 50s. When I first heard about this anniversary I immediately thought that there should be a Baile Funk Bossa Nova remix release. But soon I skipped the thought as I knew that it was quite impossible to get any original Bossa tracks for official remix use. Then I met Cristina Ruiz-Kellersmann, the Brazilian wife of Universal Jazz Germany boss Christian Kellersmann, and I suggested to her the compilation idea. She was enthusiastic about it and presented the idea to her husband who greatly supported the idea, together with Universal Jazz A+R Matthias Kuennecke. Eventually I was able to get access to parts of the Bossa Nova catalogue of Universal. Unfortunately not all of their prime tracks could be used, but BOSSA DO MORRO now features remixes of classic songs by João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Sergio Mendes and Klaus Doldinger amongst others. The remixes are by Rio´s finest DJs such as DJ Amazing Clay, DJ Edgar, DJ Nazz, DJ Marrentinho, DJ Fu, DJ Dinho and a few others. The results are simply amazing. Think of "Girl From Ipanema" with a Miami Bass Beat. Think of "Insensatez" with a Tamborzão. It´s crazy. And I can assure you that there was a never a similar project like this released in Brazil.

How come that todays hottest Rio Funk DJs and producers never touched the big music legacy from their very own city? Well, there´s various reasons. For Cariocas (=the people from Rio) Bossa is the music made by the 1950´s bobos - the bohemian bourgeoise which hung out in Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. These are area that are culturally and socially far away from the grim reality in the favelas. But it´s not only this barrier that hardly produced any Bossa-Baile Funk tracks so far (except for DJ Sandrinho´s famous "Funk Bossanova"). For the Rio funk DJ culture, Bossa´s just been far from being cool or dope , it´s music to which you can´t really grind your teenage booty to. Thus hardly any funk DJ samples MPB (=Musica Popular Do Brasil) or 1950s, 1960s Brazilian music. To Funk DJs, music from the USA or Europe is cool to sample, but certainly not the music that their grandma´s or parents were listening to. So BOSSA DO MORRO is truly a debut piece. The compilation not only cultivates the first Bossa/Baile Funk pairing, it´s a compilation that probably will be considered blasphemic in Brazil, where the music from the favelas is largely still considered trash. But maybe - hopefully - this image will get a slight correction when people will finally hear that even the most crude MPC based arrangement with a chunky Tamborzão beat can pefectly support a subtle song by Tom Jobim.

Watch out for the full compilation, scheduled for an October 17th release on both vinyl and CD through Universal Jazz Germany. A 12" vinyl pre-release with four tracks will be released mid September. Watch this space for some more news (sorry I cant give you any free downloads of this project).

UNRULY RULES

Our dear friends at UNRULY- the #1 label for Baltimore Club sent us this cute pic today. Funk Mundial indeed!! Scottie B (pictured in the middle), next time we´ll sort you out with the gold print version....

WHO´S AFRAID OF RIO?

Yeahhhhh! My debut EP is about to be released next week Friday (29th) both on vinyl as well as digital. It contains collabs with hot Rio MC´s SD Boys, MC Jennifer and MC Betta. On this EP there´s something there for everyone to play, it contains everything from fidgit, to ghetto to a todd terry-like old school house-track - all colored by the great music experience called baile funk.

Here´s an exclusive pre-release promo MP3 edit of "Who´s Afraid Of Rio?" for y´all to bang out.

DANIEL HAAKSMAN "WHO´S AFRAID OF RIO?" feat. MC JENNIFER

Cop the EP on ITunes and other platforms to hear the full length, super sound version.

NEW MAN RECORDINGS T-SHIRTS

You may have seen the new and fancy "FUNK MUNDIAL" T-Shirt´s on the current MySpace profile of Crookers. Well, you can cop them in our newly installed Spreadshirt-Shop from today.

Click on the T-Shirt below to get directed to the new Northern American shop:



Click on the T-Shirt below to get directed to the new Euroland shop:



They´re available in various colours, garments and sizes - even with gold metallic print that will make you go bling, yay!

RADIOCLIT SOUNDCLASH @ NOTTINGHILL CARNIVAL

Our favourite London Afro Funksters Radioclit will drop a special issue of their legendary Secousse night @ London´s Nottinghill Carnival next week Monday (Aug 25th). If you havent booked a ticket to London yet, do it now. The aftershow party will see Switch + Diplo presenting their Jamaican Lazer Project around the corner the same night. Fo´sure: No sleep guaranteed. Yeah bwoayyyyy!

BACK FROM BRAZIL

Baile Funk lives and breathes in Rio de Janeiro. Hearing the music being blasted out of car stereos and on the streets, tuning into the Baile Funk mix on the radio, going to the bootleg market to pick up the latest hits, being at a baile in a favela.... all I can say is, if you love Baile Funk, you should try to go to Rio.

Here are some of the torch bearers of Baile Funk that I had the pleasure of meeting.

DJ Marlboro




One of the first to make Baile Funk accessible to the masses. I got to see his set at his monthly night at Zero Zero club. Dude played a great mix of Miami bass and classic Baile Funk - the ladies loved it.

Here is an old school classic from Dj Marlboro

Dj Marlboro - Melo da Mulher feia




Dj Sany Pitbull



This is a pic of Sany, Sany's nephew and me at Circo Viador. I reckon Sany's nephew is going to become a dj too. I mean, I would too if my uncle could freak the MPC like that!




Gaiola das Popozudas


- The first lady of Baile Funk posing with me and the lovely Joyce Muniz. We saw Gaiola's show in a brothel in Rio, where Dj Edgar also holds a residency. Gaiola is siiiick! She and her two dancers definitely know how to put on a show.

This is the original to the Makossa and Megablast remix

Gaiola das Popozudas - Late que eu to Passando

Dj Edgar


Edgar the criminal! He definitely took good care of me when I was in Rio. Check out the previous blog entries for his music, and go on to youtube to see Edgar on the MPC 1000. Deadly!


Big thank you to Julia Ribas, Joyce Muniz, Nathalie, Bu, Ben Mono, Tee Carducci, Edgar, Marcelinho, Luciano, the lovely ladies from the South, and everybody else who made this trip so enjoyable!!!

MAN RECORDINGS LEGENDS SELECTION #2 : FREESTYLE

Freestyle was a Miami based electro funk outfit which released their seminal "Don´t Stop The Rock" in 1985. The track was produced by Pretty Tony, one of the most prolific 1980´s electro producers. He build the electro legacy which would give birth to the sound of Miami Bass and Freestyle (and consequently, Baile Funk). In the later 1980s he produced Debbie Deb´s "Look Out Weekend" and Shannon. Both Autechre as well as Chemical Brothers cite "Don´t Stop The Rock" as their main musical influence.

Download the Daniel Haaksman Baile Funk Remix of "Don´t Stop The Rock" here - or cop it in high res super sound on the "Rio Baile Funk Breaks" vinyl:

FREESTYLE "DON´T STOP THE ROCK - DANIEL HAAKSMAN BAILE FUNK REMIX"

If you are looking for more tracks that set the musical base for baile funk, check this Brazilian blog - with tons of MP3s - entirely dedicated to the roots of Rio funk:

CLASSICOS DO FUNK

MIA. vs. MAN RECORDINGS

Okay peepz, here´s a nut to crack for all of you. There´s a German band called MIA. which has come up with a new logo that has a pretty obvious resemblance with the logo Man Recordings uses since 2005.

First, a few explanations. The symbol we use on our records, on the website and some of our T-Shirts - in abstract form - represent the three letters MAN. The logo also symbolizes a waveform, the basic graphic display of a sonic signal. When looking for a logo for our record label, we played around with the letters "MAN" noticing that in pairs, the three letters consist of four triangles which could be displayed in a waveform too - thus the Man logo which until now only few people deciphered as symbolising both MAN as well as the waveform. We use this as our company´s logo from release #1 and IT`S OURS!

MAN REC classic logo, in use since 2005:
MIA.´s new logo, first released in 2008:

MIA.´s old logo:


Now, about MIA. : They do a kind of pretty non-funky, middle-of-the-road electro-rock in German language. German kids love ´em but if you know the music from the Neue Deutsche Welle, which MIA. heavily plunder, MIA. is kind of lame. Plus: People in Germany always confuse them with our favourite UK darling M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam). So this band is kind of a big pain in the ass. We don´t need further confusion or desire any association with the band MIA. - and we prefer to be the only label using this logo.

Check the MIA. website and see what I mean:
http://www.miarockt.de/

Man Recorder readers, Man Recordings fans, supporters, haters, what time is love? Is this a coincidence? A matter for the legal department? Should we care? Should we sue? Your comments are warmly welcomed.

P.S. Some additional trivia: There´s even another MIA in Germany, Berlin based Techno DJ MIA (Michaela Grobelny) which spells her name as "M.i.a." Can you dig it? Total confusion, arrghhh!

DJ BEWARE IN RIO PT.2

See footage of DJ Beware´s recent trip to Rio. Oh and by the way, he´ll be a new contributor to the Man Recorder. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome....

MAN RECORDINGS LEGENDS SELECTION #1 : RELAX

As you may have noticed, we love series at Man Recordings. We started the Funk Mundial series and the Baile Funk Masters series, to establish platform for musical concepts. While Funk Mundial is the platform for collaborations between Rio based MCs and producers from the Northern hemisphere, the Baile Funk Masters series is exclusively dedicated to Rio producers and DJs. For our blog, we started the "Man Recordings Inspiration Series" which presents videos from artists that inspired the Man Recordings sound and look. So now it´s the time for another series for our blog. In "The Man Recordings Legends Selection " we´ll present tracks by bands and artists that were inspiration for us as kids, opening our virgin ears.

There´s probably no better track to kick off the series as the following tune by Bavarian funk outfit Relax. The quartet rose to prominence in 1982 with their debut single "Radio Hörn" (Listening to radio), which is a hard boiled funk track - with err, Bavarian German lyrics. "Radio Hörn" shows that the early 1980s "Neue Deutsche Welle" (German New Wave) wasnt all about post punk and electronic instruments. In fact, it had various protagonists that were massively inspired by names such as James Brown, Ohio Players, Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind + Fire, George Duke and other U.S. funk outfits. George Kranz´s "Din Daa Daa", the first album by Nena or the tracks by the former backing band of Nina Hagen, Spliff, illustrate that U.S. funk had a huge influence in German pop culture way before hip hop landed in Germany.

So check out Relax and their "Radio Hörn" - and you´ll understand that Germans do have the funk too, even in Bavaria!

RELAX "RADIO HÖRN"

DJ EDGAR - FINGER OF GOD

It´s Eurodance time again! Original Baile Funk Master DJ EDGAR from Rio De Janeiro sent us one of his new remixes. It demonstrates once again that DJ Edgar can turn anything into gold - even Gigi D´Agostino´s "I´ll Fly With You", an Italian progressive-house classic from 1999.

Download it from here:

GIGI D´AGOSTINO "I´LL FLY WITH YOU - DJ EDGAR REMIX"

Man Recordings Inspiration Series #4 : DAF

The German New Wave had many effects on the emergence of electro funk in the U.S. and DAF´s "Der Räuber Und Der Prinz" illustrates why. The song hasnt got a real funky beat, but when released in 1981 people considered it perfect for the dancefloor. In opposition to the electronic beats of Kraftwerk, DAF used a heavy, live drum beat that sounded like minimalist rock, combined with a set of spare electronic sounds. When surfacing, "Der Räuber Und Der Prinz" sounded so alien, it was considered music from the 21st century. Besides it´s heavy popularity on post-disco dancefloors across Europe (e.g. Cosmic Disco in Northern Italy) it became big in the NY downtown scene. Thus not only NY electro funk was largely influenced by "Der Räuber Und Der Prinz" ("The robber and the prince"). Also visually the song had a huge impact: The video featuring mechanical toy puppets (in lack of budget and robots) was quite possibly the main inspiration for Herbie Hancock´s legendary clip of "Rockit" from 1983.
Until today DAF are considered Germany´s prime influence for electro pop across the world and the later emergence of techno and late 90s electro - right next to Kraftwerk. P.S. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft = German American Friendship (a much used Cold War term in West Germany)



See Herbie Hancock´s "Rockit" video here:

DJ BEWARE IN RIO

DJ Beware just visited Rio for the first time. See him talk about his first impressions.

Interview With Dj Beware (Man Recordings)
Courtesy of Sanfrancarioca

Big up for the interview to Tee Cardaci, who runs the highly recommendable "Sanfrancarioca" blog. Sanfrancarioca reports from a Gringo´s perspective on music, politics and culture in Rio De Janeiro. Check Sanfrancarioca here: http:/sanfrancarioca.blogspot.com/

CROOKERS ON MAD DECENT RADIO #32

Celebrating their debut release on Mad Decent - the highly recommended "Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo" EP - Crookers present another banging mixtape, this time exclusively made for the Mad Decent Radio podcast #32, released July 29th. They play a lot of them tunes that set the Man Recordings floor @ Melt! festival on fire. Boyaa!

Here´s the download link: http://www.zshare.net/audio/1622397284dc56d0/

CROOKERS ON MAD DECENT RADIO #32
INTRO
CROOKERS-BIG MONEY COMIN'
BART B MORE BINGO PLAYERS (DIPLO MIX)
MIA-XR2 (BOY8BIT EDIT)
BOY8BIT-THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME (DTL MIX)
CROOKERS-IL BUONO
DUKE DUMONT-HOY
COBRA KRAMES-WHATEVER SHE SAID
BUSTA RHYMES-I GOT BASS
BENGA-26 BASSLINE
RUSKO-HAMMERTIME
DJ Q-YOU WOT (WIDE BOYS MIX)
OUTHERE BROTHERS-ENJOY (CROOKERS WORK IN PROGRESS MIX)
ALPHABEAT-BOYFRIEND (BLOODY BEETROOTS MIX)
MADERA LIMPIA-LOCO (DANIEL HAAKSMAN MIX)