Harlem 1958

First published in Esquire magazine in january 1959, this Art Kane portrait has to be one of the most lovely pieces of jazz history. Kane was asked to come up with a photo to open a jazz article, he just called every major New York jazz musician he knew of. It was his first professional assignment (...) On the steps of 17E on 126th street, some summer morning at 10 am, these 57 musicians showed up.

Click for large version

Harlem.org is a great site entirely dedicated to this photograph, which says something about the sheer history captured with it. You can scroll around and click the picture to pop up details like who's who and if you click on you'll be able to get individual artist info and so on. Learning some jazz history through one single picture.






This is probably my favorite part:

You see (from top & left to right) : Sonny Rollins, Lawrence Brown, Marian McPartland & Mary Lou Williams, Emmet Berry and Thelonious Monk. Behind the laidback ( hungover?) looking Monk are Milt Hinton & Vic Dickinson (in the back). I'd imagine Count Basie got tired of waiting for the shot and sat his musical self down on the curb amongst the neighbourhoodkids who were just in it for the fun, legendary moment in time or not....



As a hommage to Kane's A Great day in Harlem photographer Gordon Parks reshot the original still living artists once for Life magazine as well as this hip hop interpretation of the photograph on the same (!!) steps on 126th Street, titeled Another Great Day, for the cover of XXL magazine. In the picture people like Rakim, Busta Rhymes & Wyclef Jean. Great days in jazz and hip hop all on the same simple stoop in Harlem...

Great Day links:

A Great Day in Hip Hop
Harlem.org
Art kane
Gordon Parks

Bootstrapping 1

'Bootstrapping' makes me think of starting without a beginning, creating something with nothing. As impossible as to pull oneself up by his bootstraps, reminiscent ofcourse of the Baron von Munchausen pulling himself up out of a swamp by his own hair.
- read & learn -

Bootstrapping 1 is Eat Concrete's first record release and there's 2 of them! Bootstrapping 1.1 & 1.2! Featuring 9 tracks, the records go anywhere from dark, spheric listeningmusic to seriously soulful dancetracks and beyond. ATeeze, Orgue Electronique, Evan Odd, Ro Lee, The Freak with Thousand E's, Sensory Overload, Mononom, Ricercar and Swonkdog are coming at you from all kinds of directions!












click individual pieces to check out tracklistings & artistinfo and have a listen right here


Eat Concrete is about providing interesting productions to and from the world of electronic music. Formed in 2005 as a network of friends disciplined in a wide range of styles, bound by the history of the dutch underground electronic music scene and their inspiration to spread the music, they joined forces and created these 2 EP's under the watchful eyes and ears of Pete Concrete, the instigator of this all.

If you're not anxiously waiting for the link to buy this record by now, you must be getting curious about it's music at least! Listen to some excerpts here and check out Pete Concrete's nicely selected, new and improved downloads page for sure! featuring mixes and sets from Banzaï radio, parties and other cool musical places...

Congratulations Eat Concrete!

Jaan Pehechaan Ho !!!!

Remember the exhilarating Ghost World opening? Jaan Pehechaan Ho!!! Masked dancers go bezerk dancing to a high energy gogo-like song by Bollywood legend Mohammed Rafi. Ghost World's Enid just goes along dancing the crazy dance wich is highley contagious, I'm sure you'll find as well.



Jaan Pehechaan Ho comes from Bollywoods' first "horror thriller", Raja Nawathe's Gumnaam (1965). The story is completely hilarious though, involving a very funny drunken showgirl, a planecrash on a spooky island, a mysterious book and naturally a murdermysterie and a lovestory.

Topping it all off with drunken duets, extravagant beachparties and more psychedelic dancemania. If you ever get the chance: Watch It!!

Now, thanks to WFMU's Beware of the Blog I finally have the complete clip, instead of just the Ghost World excerpt. Much obliged, WFMU's Brian & others!!!

< Take it here >

Just watching it makes you wanna join! Please do so! Throw back your head, close your eyes and shake yourself to the ecstatic Jaan Pehechaan Ho!

The Ministry of Sound

I like their site. It's very busy, packed with tunes, video's, mixes, games, reviews, a forum. One of the best features is their radiostream. Free (no signing up) and 'on air' 24/7. Also check the mixes and podcasts in the radiosection...

Their tvchannel requires you to register. It's free and you won't be spammed. I think it's video's only. Check out their photogallery too, partypics all round.

In the clubbers guide to life you can read all kinds of articles on all kinds of subjects from the clubbing perspective ;) from travel and work to sex and drugs, law and health. Nice section.