So, we just have one question- is Coney Island always this awesome?? Because if it is, we need to re-think our entertainment routines, re-orient ourselves south, trade trendy Williamsburg clubs for sun-soaked slices of Brooklyn boardwalk Americana, overpriced Lower East Side cocktails for cold Coronas bought out of some dude’s shopping cart on a Coney fishing pier. Sure, maybe it was a fluke, maybe this was a one-time event, maybe Sound Liberation Front and Eastern Standard Time hauled racks of speakers, a sound system, coolerfuls of refreshments and the best reggae selectors you could ask for into the one perfect summer afternoon on the Brooklyn beach, when everything was perfectly aligned. We don’t know. All we do know is if we can help it, we are never, ever going to miss an afternoon like that again.

Like the best parties, it’s all a little blurry, to be honest. Some of us got up early and packed a van full of equipment and drove out to the beach. Others of us biked out to Coney Island and arrived around 3, party in full swing, fixing ourselves rum and cokes and boogying down on the boardwalk in the perfect summer sun while the iconic Coney Island parachute tower loomed over us. Once the sound system was finally strung up, Carter Van Pelt from WKCR had things on full boil from the get go, a mixed crowd of reggae heads and curious Coney beachwalkers mingling in front of the decks on the boardwalk. A couple hundred yards down the boardwalk a Puerto Rican party raged on with a live bachata band and a crowd full of salsa dancers. A couple hundred yards the other direction some guy played Beatles songs on drums and guitar at the same time, and was actually, kinda, well, really good at it. We wandered back to the party to find a growing crowd dancing. Throughout the afternoon, a rotation of selectors including Hahn Solo, Vaughn All Star, Nick Solid Rock and Sir Tommy’s rocked the decks alternating rocksteady classics, vintage reggae and wicked foundation cuts.

Some of us wandered a little ways off to the fishing pier, watching some kid reel in a flounder and then lose it at the last second, while a crowd threw money down for a dice game on the planks and we bought beers off a shopping cart. Some of us met cute boys from California and rode the ferris wheel. Back at the party, the Rub a Dub session was kicking into full gear. In a traditional Jamaican sound system fashion, a succession of artists were throwing it down in the gathering darkness, displaying their skills over a series of classic riddims while the growing crowd edged around them. The standout moment of the evening came when Johnny Osbourne unleashed his “Buddy Bye” anthem on the infamous sleng teng riddim followed by Carlton Livingtson performing “Please Mr DJ” which had the crowd going wild.

Yeah, the power went out at one point. And yeah, some of the old school heads wanted more juice from our generator so they could really drive that bass…although truth be told there was no getting away from that bass no matter how far up the boardwalk you walked (thank God).

And then, with the sunlight gone, it was over, and we loaded our speakers and tables and cooler back in the van, scarfed down one more Nathan’s hot dog, and drove back home, back to the city, but still in Brooklyn, because we never left.

Click here for the full picture set.

A few days ago, the singer, producer, label-owner and sound-system operator Lincoln “Sugar” Minott passed away at the age of 54. When I heard this news it truly left me with a pit of sadness deep in my stomach — a feeling of loss, as if the world was simply not as good as it was in the minutes before Sugar passed away. This was a different feeling for me as when, say, Alton Ellis passed away. With Alton, my sadness was based in losing an artist, a vocalist, someone with a unique tone. With Sugar passing, I felt like an ethic has gone, a spirit, a morality — something beyond just a sweet voice singing timeless songs.

True, Sugar had a great voice and has a catalog of tunes that will always have a place in my box, but my admiration for Sugar went way beyond the music. First off Sugar holds the history of Jamaican music inside him — he started in the late 60s, worked with Coxsone Dodd and took those lessons of the 60s and 70s and seamlessly brought them into the Dancehall through his forays into Lover’s Rock, rub a dub, digital and beyond.

But more than all of that, Sugar was a true champion of the ghetto — a stone-cold believer in the power to uplift the people around him. He simply did not stop — in the 80s he formed the Black Roots Label and Youthman Promotion and reached out to his community and brought up the youth around him to grab a mic and deejay and sing and express themselves….and what expressions!!!! Little John, Tenor Saw, Junior Reid, Sinbad, Nitty Gritty, Garnett Silk!!!! And that is just the beginning!!! And when I say he did not stop, he didn’t…right up until he passed he was ALWAYS involved with music, ALWAYS in studios working with young artists and producers and sound men and anyone at all who loved the music. From all that I can gather, he was the type of person that would get paid for something and take that cash and immediately flip it into pressing some tunes, getting studio time, something to uplift the people around him….And the point of this is that Sugar was not doing this for any holier than thou reasons — he wasn’t a social worker! — but because it is because he loved it, because he thought it was great fun to be involved in music every day!! He loved to sing, to perform, to be around people who loved music — this was JOY to him. He sang about suffering, but having the ability to express sufferation, gave the man JOY!!!! And when you were around him or saw him perform, you felt that joy. And what a loss!!! Who else is stepping up to the plate anymore with JOY in their heart for music? Can you imagine Sugar Minott saying he was cross, angry, miserable because he got to make money by singing songs and playing music rather than by digging a ditch or working at a bank????? NOT A CHANCE!!

So….what can I say? I am going to mourn Sugar’s passing. And in honor to him, to his spirit, my mourning is going to take the form of making absolutely sure that I remember just how lucky I am that my life is surrounded by music, by people who love that music and share that passion with me. Bless…..To the memory of Sugar!!!

Last Wednesday, February 24th, the cavernous downtown basement space that holds Le Poisson Rouge shook with a party that recalled the best years of New York-based Latin music. A record release party for the reissue of Joe Cuba’s El Alcalde del Barrio: The Architect of the Nuyorican Sound, the night was jointly produced by Fania Records and Wax Poetics magazine and the Sound Liberation Front had the honor to be one of the event’s co-sponsors.

Wax Poetics is currently involved in helping to reissue a treasure trove of records from Latin music’s heyday of the 1960’s and 70’s-when salsa ruled radio airwaves and dance floors, much of it recorded in New York and released on Fania and several other smaller labels. Though much of this classic music fell into out-of-print obscurity over the last couple decades, Codigo Music has steadily bought the catalogs to many of the era’s classic record labels and now owns not just Fania but also smaller labels like Seeco, WestSide Latino, Discuba and others. The good news for music lovers is that Codigo has contracted WaxPoetics to catalog, remaster and essentially curate a series of forthcoming reissues that will reintroduce this irresistible music to the world.

The Poisson Rouge party was a coming out of sorts for the reissuing of many of these classic records that have been unavailable for so long, starting with the Joe Cuba release. Featuring the Boogaloo Assasins from Los Angeles – a tight, nine-piece Salsa group that rocked the dance floor with their take on the classic boogaloo sound of the late 60’s, and Chico Mann, whose electro-afrobeat was augmented for the night with samples of Joe Cuba’s music – the night was a perfect tribute to Joe Cuba, a conguero and bandleader who was one of the first Latin artists to mix Latin rhythms with funk and pop and gain wide popularity (his 1966 song “Bang Bang” was a massive hit and gave Cuba his nickname of ‘The Father of Latin Boogaloo’).

Manning the decks on Wednesday — along with DJ Turmix — was Bobbito García, a DJ, writer, entrepreneur and acknowledged authority on all sorts of urban culture for over two decades now. We talked to Bobbito after the party about Joe Cuba and his enduring legacy.

SLF: So, how was the party?

Bobbito: The party was so much fun. I walked in there and immediately had a great feeling. That space, a lot of people don’t know, that’s the basement of the old Village Gate. I used to do a spoken word open mic, which is still running now at the Nuyorican Poets Café. We started that back in 1992 at the Village Gate, so I have a long history at 158 Bleecker st. So whenever I go down there I feel special. Rich Medina and I did our Happy Feet party there. So it’s a great space, great soundsystem, great staff, and you know, I’m not even talking about the party yet! I’m just talking about arriving there. So already I’m feeling good.

And then seeing Joe Cuba’s family there, seeing Sammy Ayala, a singer from Puerto Rico, Joe Bataan was there, Larry Harlow I saw outside, you know, cats were up in to support, and I thought that was lovely.

SLF: So for people who might not know, who was Joe Cuba?

Bobbito: Well, for people who might not know, Joe Cuba is an artist that used to be on a label called Seeco, basically he started recording with his own sextet in the late 1950’s early 60’s. And at that point in time, there was no term for salsa. So basically you had mambo, you had cha cha cha, you had boleros, you had guanguanco, you had all these different, beautiful Latin rhythms, which eventually got put under the term “Salsa.” You also had Pachanga, which was another popular rhythm in that time frame, to which Joe Cuba, really, he rocked with all of those, he was a very versatile artist, and towards the mid 60’s and the latter part of that decade, he was instrumental in developing the sound called boogaloo, which was the next Latin rhythm, with an emphasis on the one, which is a foundation for funk, which became a foundation for hip-hop.

Basically, he was using a sort of strategy that a lot of genres have used since, mixing Latin music with R and B music, and you know, he had a huge hit with “Bang Bang,” and it just really stamped that whole Nuyorican sound. For those who don’t know, Nuyoricans are Puerto Ricans born in New York, with strong ties to the island, but with sensibilities of the ‘rotten apple.’

He was also one of the first artists to have his singers perform in English, but with strong Latin rhythm behind it. He was really just a forward thinking dude, in a lot of ways. And his career endured, he kept making albums all the way into the 80’s, he kept on performing all the way to the 90’s. So I don’t think so much that there’s a Joe Cuba revival right now, insomuch that I can’t think of a time when his music was not relevant! In 1992 I had a DJ gig in Toronto, Canada and threw on “Bang Bang” in the middle of the set and the crowd just losing it! I think that’s testament to the fact that, as a conga player, bandleader, he just spent a lot of time with the music.

SLF: What do you think about Wax Poetics helping to reissue all of these Latin catalogs?

Bobbito: I think it’s natural. If one reads the publication, since day 1 it’s obvious that there is a care and concern and a depth to their approach towards music, I’ve often felt like each edition is not a magazine, but it’s a book, it’s a paperback book that comes out every two months. So I think it’s no surprise there that Fania would be insightful enough to partner with Wax Poetics to do these reissues, it works for everybody.

Really the way I look at it is it’s a great era of music and a great body of compositions, and they were huge back in the 70’s, but there’s a lot of it that is not being created so much in this day and age, so it’s a pleasure to try to attempt to continue the exposure of the sound.

SLF: Do you see new artists that are doing this sound?

Bobbito: Yeah sure, there’s a bunch. But they do it in their own way. You know, Boogaloo Assasins and Chico Mann are sort of obvious, because they performed at the party. I never heard Chico Mann or Boogaloo Assasins live, and was definitely delighted at some of their interpretations of the songs and the energy they had on stage.

I have a new label called Alala, which I’m just launching this month, it’s a very tiny indie label. There’s a lot of cats out there still making great music, it doesn’t necessarily get heard, it might not get the radio exposure, but that’s where my head is at, I love hearing and playing stuff like that.

It’s been a busy few weeks here at the SLF. With both Joe Cuba CD release party and Soundlib last Wednesday, we were pretty hyped up about the Afro Dub Sessions. Without surprise, the party was a success with great music throughout the evening. We had a blast and it was good seeing many people come out to be part of it.

DJ Linh started the night with some massive tracks, seamlessly mixing dancehall classics with afro funk grooves. Super Hi Fi was banging as usual and we had the pleasure to have John Brown’s Body Sax player Drew Sayers sit in on some tracks and perform some insane solos. Emch, the session’s special guest, then came in and added a layer of dubby sound effects and melodica on top of the live band before starting his own DJ set.

For the next hour or so, he unleashed a diverse selection of classic dub, dubstep and dancehall bangers mixed in with some original Subatomic tracks including his trademark dubstep remix of Lee Perry’s “Blackboard Jungle” as well as a new dope remix of legendary U-roy. Halfway into his set, he was joined by vocalist Donny Yardas for an impromptu rub a dub session. By that time, the dance floor was packed and the entire place was getting down to some serious heavyweight music. Super Hi Fi then came back for a second set before Q Mastah and DJ Lil Tiger finished off the night in SLF fashion.

We’re pretty stoked that there are still clubs left in this city that support alternative music (especially on a Saturday night) so big up Rose Live Music for letting us do our thing and to everyone who came out and enjoyed themselves. See you all next month (3/27) for the next edition of the Afro Dub Sessions featuring special guest DJ DRM from Bastard Jazz Records alongside the usual resident SLF crew.

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday to Rose Live Music for the inaugural event of our new monthly Afro Dub Sessions party. We couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout especially considering the biting cold NYC winter that was in full force that night. More importantly, the vibe was great and the crowd seemed receptive to the unusual combination of dub music and afro sounds.

The night started out with our own DJ Linh, spinning some dope afro funk and old school dancehall to warm up the crowd before resident band Super Hi Fi performed their first set. With Ticklah manning the soundboard, they delivered a tight set of instrumental dub infused with funk, rock and afrobeat influences creating an irresistible groove which got the entire audience converging toward the dance floor.

Ticklah then came on the turntables, spinning  an all vynil set of rare afrobeat and dub classics. By that time, the venue was so packed it was hard to move around. Following his DJ set, super Hi Fi came back for a killer second set before SLF resident DJs Q-Mastah and Lil Tiger finished off the evening of great music with a blend of  heavyweight dub and afro grooves.

We all had a blast and we’re already working on making the next one even better. If you couldn’t make it to Rose last Saturday, make sure not to miss the next Afro Dub Session on Saturday February 27th with DJ Emch from Subatomic Sound System.  More info to come soon…

As everyone should be aware, a tragedy of unthinkable scale happened last week in Haiti. Considering that New York City has the largest concentration of Haitians in the United States, it was easy to feel the impact of these these events here in New York. Last weekend was also Martin Luther King weekend and this year, the traditional king day of service – day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King – had a different meaning with community organizations, non profits groups and volunteers mobilizing with the relief effort.

The music world also did contribute to the cause with many popular artists using their star power to raise awareness of the tragedy and encourage action. Wyclef Jean, probably the most famous Haitian American, raised millions of dollars through his Yele organization with a clever text message campaign. In France, dozens of French rappers and pop stars joined renowned singers Charles Aznavour and Youssou N’Dour to record a music video which will be widely broadcasted on national television.

On the local grassroots level, it was great to see many improvised benefit shows and parties pop up in New York. Since here at SLF, we’re all about partying for a good cause, we attended Giant Step’s 6th Annual MLK tribute party which was a benefit event for Doctors Without Borders in regards to Haiti. For the occasion, seminal NYC party veterans Rich Medina and DJ Spinna delivered the goods to a packed audience at the ever trendy club Cielo. With a groovy blend of soul, funk, classics and house, the duo did not fail to turn the event into an entrancing dance party and get everyone in a collective mood of celebration.

Overall, it was a fun party with a positive message and it reminded me of this spirit of solidarity and community which I think is partly what makes this city truly great.

To start this new decade, we’re proud to announce the AFRO-DUB SESSIONS, a new monthly party taking place every last Saturday at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg.

Since you probably don’t want to hear our music nerd babbles about the concept behind the party, we’ll keep the academic  details for SLF staff meetings. All you need to know is that you should come witness a unique blend of live dub music and DJs showcasing the latest in Afrobeat, Afro Groove, Reggae, Dub, Dubstep and more. There’s no cover so you have no excuse for not coming through!

Each month, we’ll feature a special guest DJ in addition to resident live band Super Hi-Fi and the Sound Liberation DJ’s. For our launch party on January 30, we called on our good friend and quintessential afro-dub advocate  VICTOR “TICKLAH” AXELROD, to bless us with his many talents. If you’re not familiar with Ticklah, here’s a bit from his bio:

NYC based producer, keyboard virtuoso, and vintage Reggae wunderkind VICTOR AXELROD, aka TICKLAH, has been a continual and integral part of the NYC music scene for over a decade – as a performer, TICKLAH is a founding member of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, the Easy Star All-Stars, and worked with Mark Ronson on both the Amy Winehouse and Daniel Merriweather albums. As a producer, TICKLAH was behind the boards for the Dub Side Of The Moon album (co-production, mixing), remixed Shaun Escoffery’s classic “Days Like This” (alongside DJ Spinna), produced 2001’s legendary Roots Combination album, and released his own critically acclaimed solo Ticklah Vs. Axelrod LP on NYC Reggae label Easy Star. The list goes on and on. … Victor is a man in very high demand from some very big players for his untouchable musical aesthetics, his intricate attention to detail, and a true understanding of our musical past.

Hope to see you all there! Here are some more details about the party:

==========

Sound Liberation Front + TheBRMG + buhbOmp presents:

[[ AFRO-DUB SESSIONS: Sounds of the Rhythm R(evolution) ]]

SATURDAY | 30 JAN 2010
(and every last Saturday of the month)
10p-4a | FREE | No dress code

@ Rose Live Music
345 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
- Between Marcy Ave. and Havemeyer St. in Williamsburg
- G/L train to Lorimer or the L to Bedford)
718.599.0069

featuring:

[[ TICKLAH aka VICTOR AXELROD ]]
( Easy Star Records, Antibalas )
+ facebook fan page | myspace.com/ticklah

w/ resident live Afro-Dub band:

[[ SUPER HI-FI ]]
( w/ members from Aphrodesia, Slavic Soul Party, The Superpowers and Blue Man Group )

and resident DJs:

[[ Q MASTAH ]]
( Sound Liberation Front, Music Nerd All-Stars )

[[ DJ LINH ]]
( Sound Liberation Front )

[[ DJ LIL TIGER ]]
( –=(] buhbOmp [)=–, Sound Liberation Front, touch&feel:radio, Music Nerd All-Stars, Soular Grooves )

more info:
+ facebook event page
+ going.com
+ eventful

maps:
+ google
+ hopstop
+ yahoo

SOUNDLIB is back! Sound Liberation Front is hosting another night of great music, soulful vibes and good times in Brooklyn at Fort Greene’s legendary Moe’s Bar. Come by for eclectic, soulful selections from the Music Nerd All-Stars that span the depths of soul (new and old), Hip-Hop, afrobeat, house, reggae and much more.

We won’t keep you out too late either: 9pm-1am. Perfect for unwinding after work, having a few beverages and listening to some good music with friends. …

==========

[[ SOUNDLIB ]]

presented by Sound Liberation Front + buhbOmp + The BRMG + Rappers I Know

WEDNESDAY | 13 JAN 2009

@ Moe’s
80 Lafayette Ave
Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
718.797.9536

C to Lafayette Ave / G to Fulton St
Also within walking distance from the Atlantic Ave station (B-Q-2-3-4-5 trains)

featuring:

MUSIC NERD ALL-STARS: [[ DJ LIL TIGER + Q-MASTAH ]] :: NYC
( Sound Liberation Front, –=(] buhbOmp [)=–, touch&feel:radio, Soular Grooves )

9p-1a | FREE | No dress code

+ facebook event page
+ going.com event page
+ eventful event page

map:
+ google
+ hopstop

In the spirit of our SLF/MNC Spring Loft Party and our Music Nerd Club Fourth of July Rooftop Party from earlier this year, we’re hosting a new party called SoundLib featuring your favorite selectors, SLF’s own Music Nerd All-Stars (aka DJ Lil Tiger and Q Mastah).

We’ll be bringing good folks together for some drinks and quality music at the legendary Moe’s Bar on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17. More info forthcoming. For now, peep the info below and spread the word.

==========

[[ SOUNDLIB ]]

presented by Sound Liberation Front + buhbOmp + The BRMG

THURSDAY | 17 DEC 2009

@ Moe’s
80 Lafayette Ave
Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
718.797.9536

C to Lafayette Ave / G to Fulton St
Also within walking distance from the Atlantic Ave station (B-Q-2-3-4-5 trains)

featuring:

MUSIC NERD ALL-STARS: [[ DJ LIL TIGER + Q-MASTAH ]] :: NYC
( Sound Liberation Front, –=(] buhbOmp [)=–, touch&feel:radio, Soular Grooves )

8p-1a | FREE | No dress code

+ facebook event page

map:
+ google
+ hopstop

It’s no news that technology has taken over many aspects of our lives. For the past week, I have been literally slave to a little device called “droid” which I compulsively check every ten seconds for a meaningful update to my virtual life.  I realize that we can now do a lot of things without the hassle and inconvenience of real human interactions. One of this things is making music and it’s behind the latest craze in music related video games such a Rock Band and DJ Hero.

Rockstar Games, the company behind the widely successful Grand Theft Auto franchise teamed up with Timbaland to create Beaterator, a mobile studio/beatmaker game geared toward music enthusiasts, aspiring producers and bedroom DJs.  Since they needed some music creds, Rockstar hired the ultimate music cred authority a.k.a Waxpoetics  to produce a series of short promo videos which resulted is this slick clip of Chico Mann using the game on a PSP. Coincidentally, the footage at the end of the video was taken during last saturday’s SLF Co sponsored Booty Crisis event.

With Droids and Beaterators infiltrating us,  it is now clear that the future of the human race is compromised.  We better start organizing the resistance…

If you’re not familiar with Chico’s infectious blend of electro afrobeat, I highly recommend checking out  his debut EP Manifest Tone vol.1 on kindred spirit records.