Ajello was born from the meeting between Luca DJ Rocca Roccatagliati and Fabrizio Taver Tavernelli. Eclecticism is the keyword word of the Ajello project: Rocca is a DJ, producer, musician. Taver is musician, singer, producer. The sound ingredients are concentrated on different experiences; electro, new-wave, italo-disco, disco, neurofunk, eurodance, space sounds, early house. Their music has received worldwide support from a host of international artists including Laurent Garnier, Erol Alkan, Dimitri From Paris, Andrew Weatherall, and Miss Kittin amongst others. As well as being busy producing and remixing tracks, the duo can be found performing at various venues in most of the big cities across Europe playing their unique style of music.

What did you have in mind when doing the mix?

Me and Fabrzio was really excited to do a music selection that it was not strictly for the dancefloor, so we digged in our records collection just to found some very representative tracks for our melting attitude on different kind of music.

What are the standout tracks for you and why?

We really love all the tracks in this mix, but that retro electro from Haruomi Hosono (one of the Yellow Magic Orchestra) is an amazing piece of timeless music. Another classic for us is Kasso, italo disco at its best with that edit touch by Mr Benitez in person, during the period he used to be Madonna’s producer and boyfriend.

Well, and now as promised it’s time to let the music speak. We said it a million times already, you won’t be disappointed.

Did U like what you heard? Download The Mix in Hi-quality MP3 here!

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to listen to a sneak preview of his new album and I was positively impressed by his work. The album is very eclectic, full of interesting and obscure grooves and samples, very enjoyable from the start to the end. It definitely reflect the experience and the musical knowledge of the producer. You got 23 tracks of beats, grooves, orchestral samples, prog riffs, library-esque interludes and widescreen sounds.

I also had the chance to have a short conversation with him about his new project, and that’s the result of our talking:

Q: What is the main idea behind your new work?

There are a few main ideas: the first was to combine beats with orchestral sounds which was definitely influenced by the Suite For Ma Dukes tribute to Dilla released by Mochilla. Watching the film of this concert had a huge effect on me, reminding me of the power of a big orchestra and taking me back to the days of my youth when I used to listen to the Rite of Spring by Stravinsky almost every day. I’d get home from school and put it on the stereo at full blast and just let it take me away. This led to a desire to also revisit some rock and prog rock styles from my younger days. Which was also informed by listening to a lot of Andy Votel’s DJ mixes (eg. Vertigo Mixed), where he will play about 60 different tracks over the course of a CD, so it never gets too self-indulgent or up itself. Just lots of nice breaks and riffs, quick changes for the short attention span!

I also took inspiration from library music from the 60s and 70s, which I once heard described as “music written by the yard” – ie music written to order and put in a library for film or TV producers to use off-the-shelf when they needed a bit of dramatic tension or a funky theme tune. So my method was to work fast, keep the tracks short and the ideas flowing.

Q: I have found the album very smooth and easy, perfect music for chillin’. Where did you get the inspiration for these kind of atmospheres? Do they reflect your actual mood?

I think it must just be the way I am – I very often make a track that I think is not at all chilled and yet people always seem to think my stuff is all laid back. I consciously made some more aggressive sounding tunes on this album (Cyclogyro, Gentle Glurgen for instance) but if you can chill to it that’s fine with me.

Q: Alright, those are banging tracks, no doubt about it! Now, what kind of equipment did you use to record and edit the tracks?

Technics SL1200 turntables, Cubase, Fender bass, Fender and Gibson guitars, Burns 12-string guitar. I’m big into vintage keyboard sounds like Hammonds, Rhodes, Wurlitzer and I got a lovely RMI electrapiano which was a big sound in prog groups and library music of the 70s.

Q: In creating your new album, where did you start? I mean, did you start with a sample, a drum beat or what else? And how did you proceed? Talking about samples, as you probably know, we are really into it: can you tell us more about your choices?

After selling about 2000 records when I moved house last year I felt justified in going out to buy some new vinyl which was great fun. I started going to car boot sales and second hand shops and finding lots of interesting and obscure things to sample which gave me the basis for a lot of the tracks. I usually listen through an album and look for an interesting little change that happens maybe once in the whole track, then loop it up and start building other ideas around it. At the same time I’m always digging for breaks, trying to find ones I haven’t heard before or chopping them up in fresh ways. I also like to put a breakbeat through Recycle, then just use the midi with completely different drum sounds to create a new break. I was really digging an album called Beat Dimensions that has crazy uneven rhythms and of course Dilla and Madlib are peerless in the way they manipulate beats, although their work was created on MPCs which is something I’ve never tried. I got into just moving things around onscreen without quantising, just fiddling around till the feel was right.

Q: Do you have any funny or interesting anecdote about the album?

As soon as I had a few tracks together I would always listen to them on shuffle (ie random play) and as the album grew I realised that this was definitely the best way to listen to it, so you are always surprised by the running order and the juxtaposition of tracks. So I have included an advisory note with the album to always play on shuffle, keep it fresh!

Q: Finally, tell our visitor where they can get more information about your music.

This is my website and you can get hold of all my BiggaBush and Lightning Head releases there as well as read up on my regular blog posts and previous projects like Rockers Hi Fi plus my band the Magic Drum Orchestra.

Thanks a lot and keep in touch!

Do you want to know more about him? Check his biography and the interview we did a couple of years ago!

Duccio is a long time friend of this blog, but don’t get me wrong, we are posting this stuff over absolute quality, not friendship. It’s not that “hey, listen to my man” thing you read everyday on the net.

These mixtapes, “The Unknown Edition” and “Still Unknown” were released for Ecko Clothing (you’ll find many others on their italian site if you wish) and are mostly centered on the eclecticity of Hip Hop from a record collector’s point of view.

The DJ played tunes from his favourite beat makers and blended them with any sort of styles and flavas as long as they sound “right” together. A wide range of music is represented, picked up and thrown in the mix as the recording goes without thinking too much, with the intent to create a musical path based on the DJ’s feeling at that precise moment.

Of course not everything its “mixed” in a strict sense, because by doing so with some tunes you risk to mess up their true nature (and you miss the initial break, which is often the dopest section).

From Dilla to turkish star Selda Bagcan (as sampled in Percee P’s song), from Rock, Psych, Jazz, to Rare stuff. Be prepared to hear crazy beats from Library music and Ethnic grooves from the far corners of the world, from Turkey to Brazil to the Middle East. Feel lost? Don’t be, these mixes are incredibly linear and coherent while they quickly pop secret gems in your face one after another, give them a try.

The Unknown Edition by Ecko Unltd Podcasting

STILL UNKNOWN by Ecko Unltd Podcasting

One of our first successful post was his break beats session. Now, after five years, we want to share with you this other great mix from the one ad the only ”living encyclopedia of beats”. Enjoy!

Almost a month ago I received, from our brother from another mother Rchecka, an email about this gem from 1983: The Big Break Dance Contest Live at the Roxy 1983. This rare footage it’s an historical representation of the early hip hop culture and I am sure you will love to see it. Props to Rchecka for the upload.

By the way, get all his mixes here!

all recent funk and latin funk 45s and some recently reissued classics … funk is alive and well in 2012…

listen and enjoy

Have you been a good boy? Get your present!

To mark the 25th Anniversary of Gilles Peterson broadcasts for the BBC, heres a special present from the Mucho Soul crew! This is the very first show Gilles did for the corporation back in the mid eighties! Recorded on September 2nd 1986 between 10pm and 12 midnight, Mad On Jazz aired weekly on Radio London 94.9 FM every Tuesday. There’s a little bit missing mid way through the show – I must have dozed off! – or popped out and forgot to flip the tape over, but hopefully this won’t spoil your listening enjoyment. It’s a pretty good representation of the sound of early GP and he’s given us the OK to post and share with all our regular podcast listeners. So sit back, listen and raise a glass in celebration of 25 years of the finest Jazz broadcaster ever to hit our airwaves!

Nuff respect to Al & Ket Mucho Soul for this: Gilles Peterson BBC Radio London Sept 2nd 1986

It’s all about playing with music and trying to do something new. Nice one! Check the full video from this performance:

DEVIATION STRING QUARTET: FULL PERFORMANCE from Deviation on Vimeo.

And if you want to pump this stuff in your music player, here’s a download link for the mp3 of this set:

LISTEN! Deviation string quartet 2011 in mp3