So, stick around, check back, and I’ll have some new flavors for you soon.

This week, I revisit a favorite mix CD I made as part of my short-lived monthly-MP3-mix-CD series on my personal site.

This is the soundtrack for driving through New York City at 3am. This is a soundtrack for cabbies that work the graveyard shift. This is a soundtrack to make your adrenaline rush while making you meditate on the biological nature of urban existence.

Here’s original cover art, if you’re interested.

Click through for the playlist…

• (ab) Steve Roden: (Untitled) [portion]
  [ More Info ]
  It’s time to wake up… it’s 1am and your day is just starting. The subway rumbles nearby…
• ?: (Unknown) [from the Manhattan Calling mixtape by Paul C.]
  Speeding over potholes, as the skies thunder and shake the ground, time is short.
• 1.8.7: Hollywood
  [ Purchase ]
  Every night starts out the same, but you never know how it’s going to finish.
• Necrofix: X-ina
  [ Purchase ]
  After being hit over the head with a lead pipe, you realize you shouldn’t flash cash at this time of night this close to the Port Authority.
• DJ Krush: Underneath the System
  [ Purchase ]
  Waking up under the subway, it’s hard to breathe looking up at the underground.
• Jeru the Damaja: Come Clean (instrumental)
  [ Purchase ]
  The drops of sewer water hitting you from above feel like Chinese water torture, until you find your way back to the surface.
• Black Star: Respiration
  [ Purchase ]
  Breathe in…
• Jimpster: Slow’n'low
  [ Purchase ]
  Breathe out…
• Charles Mingus: Scenes in the City
  [ Purchase ]
  Wait morning out in a jazz club. They can’t find you here.
• Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders: Blue Nile
  [ Purchase ]
  The sun rises in the east, all is calm. It’s time to sleep.

Hang tight.

Back this week with a new podcast. Promise.

aka “The Episode Where I Say ‘Interesting’ Entirely Too Many Times”

I admittedly have only a beginner’s level of knowledge on this week’s theme: exotica. So much so that I’m combining exotica, lounge, and space age pop into one big batch, which may make more knowledgeable fans cringe. For those interested in the actual distinctions between genres, check out What is Space Age Pop?.

Lots of groovetastic music this time around, with great sounds from Bernie Green, Andre Popp, and the only artist that is common to both my record collection and my dad’s: Enoch Light.

Here are a few links to help you explore the wonderful worlds of exotica, lounge, and space age pop:

• Tapeheads and Sound Effects Geeks - A great rundown on space age pop and some of the innovative recording techniques involved in making those records. The section on Bernie Green’s Futura makes him sound like the godfather of sampling: “The creator of Musically Mad! for RCA and Mad! Magazine, Green debuted “Animated Tape” (i.e., tape manipulations) on Futura, one of the best in RCA’s Stereo Action series. For “Kiss of Fire,” he wrote out a solo passage for trumpeter Tony Greenwald. Instead of having Greenwald simply play the solo, he recorded him playing separate notes, then spliced the solo together from these samples, according to precise tape length measurements–seven inches for a quarter note, twenty-eight inches per bar. The resulting manufactured solo included 778 splices for less than 20 seconds of music.”
• Hyp Records/Vinyl Safari: Exotica - Features an extensive listing with ratings.
• Cocktail Music for Robots - An LP Cover Gallery of the Music of the Future (circa 1959).
• Weirdo Music
• Two Zombies Later - Netlabel Comfort Stand’s debut release, a two disc set of original exotica.

Click through for the playlist…

• (ab) Sunshine Superman… Enoch Light
• (ab) Golden Earrings… Los Admiradores
• Futura… Bernie Green
• Futura (Reprise)… Bernie Green
• Punctuated Performance… Henri René and His Orchestra
• Shopping in Paris… Andre Popp & His Orchestra
• Mama Inez… Xavier Cugat
• Theme From… The Mind Expanders
• The Last Roundup… Leo Diamond and His Orchestra
• Constant Rain… Warren Kime
• A Little Fugue For You and Me… Enoch Light

For the 20th episode, I decided it was time to bring on the first guest of the show’s history. It seemed only fitting that for a show on turntablism and the art of DJing that I bring on the dopest DJ I know to drop some knowledge (and skills). Of course I speak of the oft-shouted-out-to DJ Ragz, a ‘97 West Coast DMC finalist who’s opened for people like Biz Markie, Del, Black Star, Organized Konfusion, Busta Rhymes, and others. He’s also a member of the Jazz Addixx and is working on an incredible new project called Soul Expansion with producer and emcee Mudd. Check out his site and his MySpace profile for videos, audio, and all that good ish.

This show serves as a sort of introduction to turntablism and DJing, covering DJ tracks from the late 80s, battles, team routines, and the turntable as an instrument. We’ll be revisiting this theme down the road sometime and hitting somewhat more rare tunes, but if this has got you jonesin for more, I suggest checking out the excellent Turntable Radio show. You’ll also want to pick up a copy of Doug Pray’s excellent documentary Scratch on DVD.

(And just for fun, so you can hear what goes on behind the scenes, this is what an Attic Beats blooper sounds like.)

• (ab) Terrorwrist… Mixmaster Mike [1995, Return of the DJ (also The Best of Return of the DJ)]
• Magic Mike Cuts the Record… DJ Magic Mike [1989, DJ Magic Mike and the Royal Posse]
• Aladdin’s On a Rampage… Low Profile [1989, We're in This Together]
• (ab) Look Who’s Talking… John Doe [2003, Popular Fallacies (ADDreviews)]
• Bad Meaning Bad routine… DJ Ragz [2003, excerpted from the "In the Groove" radio show]
• Head 2 Head… DJ Revolution v.s. DJ Spinbad [2000, In 12's We Trust]
• (ab) Invisible Skratch Piklz v.s. Da Klamz uv Deth… ISP [1997, 12"]
• Invasion of the Octopus People… Invisible Skratch Piklz [1995, Return of the DJ (also The Best of Return of the DJ)]
• (ab) Roboshuffle… Kid Koala [2000, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome]
• A Night at the Nufonia… Kia Koala [2000, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (UA Journal review)]
• Live freestyle… DJ Ragz
• (ab) Turntable Scientifics mix tape segment… Mr. Dibbs [1995, Turntable Scientifics]
• Catch Wrek… Jazz Addixx (DJ Ragz, DJ Boom, and Mudd) [2003, Oxygen]

To kick off the New Year, we’ve got a little (actually a lot) extra for you this week. The show runs nearly two hours and covers loads of great hip-hop, reggae, dub, downtempo, abstract beats, jazz, breaks, exotica, and even some of that forgotten subgenre of the early 90s, hip-hop reggae. There’s classics, forgotten singles, white labels, and random obscurities. I think you’ll really like this one.

This week’s set is all vinyl. Some’s stuff I’ve had for years, other is stuff I’ve recently acquired from Ebay, Ragz, and thrift stores.

Dig in, folks. And thanks for listening.

• (ab) Takin’ These (instrumental)… The Coup
• Mr. Tung Twista… Tung Twista
• Do It To The Crowd… Twin Hype
• Dial M for Murder… Malik (white label)
• I Got it Made… Special Ed
• You Know What I’m About (Soundtrack Version)… Lord Finesse
• Jingle Jangle (Mental Mix)… The Legion
• Memphis Underground… Herbie Mann
• Sitting On the Dock of the Bay… O.C. Smith
• Bongo Rock (Remix)… Preston Epps
• Jose Outside… Mongo Santamaria
• Bertha Butt Boogie… Jimmy Castor
• Anotha Mutha for Ya… West Side Mob
• Unfinished Business… The Blackbyrds
• High Heel Sneakers… Jimmy Smith
• Strat Hear/Basin Street Blues… Kid Koala
• D3flex… Dev79
• The Call… Bobby Christian and His Orchestra
• Jungle Drums… Leo Diamond and Orchestra
• Livin’ It Up (instrumental)… Sensational
• The Breeze and I… Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra
• Megaton… Techno Animal
• (ab) The Heart of the Game… Siege
• Walk One Mile (version)… Yabby You
• Dread Locks Dub… King Tubby
• Dub Part 2… GG’s All Stars
• My Life… Warrior King
• Third Eye Blind… Anthony B
• New Jersey Drive (acapella)… Nardo Ranks and Junior Demus
• Living Condition… Cutty Ranks
• Boom Wa Dis… Burro Banton
• Underground Jugglin… Raheem
• Hole in the Bucket (Slave Ship Remix)… Spearhead
• (ab) Hole in the Bucket (Slave Ship Remix instrumental)… Spearhead

Happy Holidays (and yes, that includes Christmas, dearest AFA)! We’ve got some jolly happy tunes for you this week, so gather the kids ’round the fireplace (actually, the kids shouldn’t be anywhere near this podcast) and enjoy some holiday cheer from your friend at Attic Beats!

The background music this week comes from the excellent Justin Time for Christmas compilation. Some of the best holiday jazz you may not have heard.

• (ab) All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth… Oliver Jones
• Lesbians We Have Heard On High… Venus Envy
• Akahana no tonaka… Uchida Yuki
• (ab) Silver Bells… Ranee Lee
• 12 Days of Christmas… Space Ghost
• Jingle Bells
• Punk Rock Christmas… Sex Pistols
• (ab) Christmas Time Is Here… Jon Ballantyne
• O Holy Night
• Feliz Navidad
• (ab) The Christmas Song… Paul Bley
• Last Christmas (hip-hop remix)… George Michael

A new Attic Beats coming at you tomorrow night. Hang tight.

To kick off December, we have some great jazz from the 1960s, including tracks from Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis (duh).

• (ab) The Sidewinder… Lee Morgan [1963, The Sidewinder]
• Moods In Free Time… Booker Little [1961, Out Front, my review]
• Caravan… Freddie Hubbard [1962]
• Riot… Miles Davis [1967, Nefertiti]