Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Voodoo Funk ~ what else is there to say?
My dear friend, Mike Alltmont, emailed me a link to the blog Voodoo Funk
many, many months ago and due to my prejudices against blogs which I will briefly expound upon below, I did not jump at the link. I filed it away under tasks to wade through on a rainy day. Foolish, foolish girl!
Ironically, now it is I that must laud how freaking brilliant the music and the fella (Frank) who posts it are. I have had nothing but happy hours listening to these gems of West African culture. I urge all to subscribe to the blog and download as much of this stuff as possible, then burn it to disc and give it to an unenlightened friend. Whether soul, funk, pop or disco, this site has tons of MP3s of beautiful African sounds. You will not find these songs in the "World Music" section of Tower Records.
Finally, my fantasy that someone (I always assumed I would be too poor) would traipse across the world and make mix CDs of the best music s/he unearthed has come to fruition. Thank you, Frank!
Unfortunately for the continuation of the Voodoo Funk series, Frank is moving away from Africa in July. Fortunately for those of us in NYC, Frank is moving here and will start DJing again. I can foresee only one outcome; there will be a Jell-o Wresting match to determine who will get to book him first.
As to my issue with blogs, it can be reduced to: any asshole with a computer can put her/his trite shit on the internet and I am supposed to read it? I know this is in direct conflict with my DIY ethic and support for indie journalists, etc. but for many years of blogging, I've seen more bad poetry than you could shake a stick at (which does beg the question: what is the critical point where combined bad poetry is so enormous that one may not physically be able to shake a stick at it?). There were harrowing personal posts by the arrogant, who really deserve pity as they are in dire need of both therapy and pride. ex: I'm sad; I feel whimsical; I broke a nail; I'm drinking a mimosa! No one wants to date me; I got soooo drunk last night; I miss my mommy. Vomit. Those blogs that did have "content" were the ravings of the kinds of crotchety men that one hopes won't show up at one's next lefty "save the world" meeting. One such crotchety young man, Josh Frank was so egregious that he cited my friend's donation of $200.00 to the 2004 Green Party Prez. Candidate, as an example of Democrats purchasing influence. How embarrassing!
Fortunately, blogs like Voodoo Funk restore my faith in humanity and the ability for people to blog with a purpose.
many, many months ago and due to my prejudices against blogs which I will briefly expound upon below, I did not jump at the link. I filed it away under tasks to wade through on a rainy day. Foolish, foolish girl!
Ironically, now it is I that must laud how freaking brilliant the music and the fella (Frank) who posts it are. I have had nothing but happy hours listening to these gems of West African culture. I urge all to subscribe to the blog and download as much of this stuff as possible, then burn it to disc and give it to an unenlightened friend. Whether soul, funk, pop or disco, this site has tons of MP3s of beautiful African sounds. You will not find these songs in the "World Music" section of Tower Records.
Finally, my fantasy that someone (I always assumed I would be too poor) would traipse across the world and make mix CDs of the best music s/he unearthed has come to fruition. Thank you, Frank!
Unfortunately for the continuation of the Voodoo Funk series, Frank is moving away from Africa in July. Fortunately for those of us in NYC, Frank is moving here and will start DJing again. I can foresee only one outcome; there will be a Jell-o Wresting match to determine who will get to book him first.
As to my issue with blogs, it can be reduced to: any asshole with a computer can put her/his trite shit on the internet and I am supposed to read it? I know this is in direct conflict with my DIY ethic and support for indie journalists, etc. but for many years of blogging, I've seen more bad poetry than you could shake a stick at (which does beg the question: what is the critical point where combined bad poetry is so enormous that one may not physically be able to shake a stick at it?). There were harrowing personal posts by the arrogant, who really deserve pity as they are in dire need of both therapy and pride. ex: I'm sad; I feel whimsical; I broke a nail; I'm drinking a mimosa! No one wants to date me; I got soooo drunk last night; I miss my mommy. Vomit. Those blogs that did have "content" were the ravings of the kinds of crotchety men that one hopes won't show up at one's next lefty "save the world" meeting. One such crotchety young man, Josh Frank was so egregious that he cited my friend's donation of $200.00 to the 2004 Green Party Prez. Candidate, as an example of Democrats purchasing influence. How embarrassing!
Fortunately, blogs like Voodoo Funk restore my faith in humanity and the ability for people to blog with a purpose.
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