Cozy Rocket

I came across Christaan Virant’s Buddha Machine while listening to the Studio 360 interview (requires RealPlayer) over the weekend. According to Mr. Virant,

My goal was to design a song or a piece of sound that people could listen to all day that would be constantly in their mind, constantly evolving, but it’s essentially the same sound over and over.

The device is quite simple; it features a volume control and a toggle switch that chooses between 9 endlessly looping FM3 songs. I’m really interested in buying one for myself since Virant really poured a lot of heart and passion into the tracks; at one point in the interview he talks about how he listened to the first track for about 2 straight weeks in an effort to get the tracks just right. If you’re interested in buying one for yourself, you can get one HERE.

First let’s start with the song. All I ask is that you listen through the first 1 minute and 36 seconds of it (after that you’re free to stop it and read the rest of the post). During the playback, pay attention to a drum solo that starts around the 1:29 mark; be careful because it’s only around 6 seconds long so you might miss it.

[This song has been removed, please see homepage for more info]

So what’s so special about the song? Well the song itself is a Winstons production that didn’t really garner much attention. The drum solo on the other hand has pretty much left its mark on the world of music in ways that you would never expect. The drum solo has been cut, remixed, sampled, and incorporated into so many songs that there’s a chance you’ve listened to it in a modified form at least once this year; if not in an actual song, then in a track created for a commercial or TV show. There’s a good video about the “Amen Break” (as it has come to be called) on YouTube, it’s a bit long yet the first few minutes offer some good insight into the Amen Break. The link for the video is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac.

This song is from the first Buena Vista Social Club album produced by Ry Cooder in 1997. I know own a few of the albums that have been put out by Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, and can almost always recognize a Buena Vista artist’s song when I hear one. The music is timeless and amazing, and never fails to catch my attention.

I actually went to watch Ibrahim Ferrer when he performed at ASU’s Gammage Auditorium in 2002; I consider myself fortunate to have seen the great artist in action before he passed away (August 2005). For those of you who don’t know who the Buena Vista Social Club is, I would recommend renting the DVD as it shows the amazing ensemble of Cuban artists that were reunited to produce these amazing albums. For now, I’ll leave you with Eliades Ochoa’s El Carretero which also serves as the perfect closing song for Coffee Shop Week - which I hope you’ve enjoyed.

[This song has been removed, please see homepage for more info]

I thought this song was perfect to help kick off the weekend for several reasons (FYI, my weekends start Friday morning). The first reason is since it is the start of the weekend, it’s the perfect opportunity to be spontaneous and take a road trip. If you’re lucky, maybe you can even take a trip down historic Route 66. Living in Arizona affords locals the luxury of being able to actually take a trip across northern Arizona from Oatman to Gallup. Along the way, you can stop by the Meteor Crater, Canyon Diablo, the Petrified Forest, Winslow’s historic railroad hotel - La Posada, and many other sites of historic interest. For the adventurous, you can head up to Havasupai Falls just north of Seligman. The second reason I picked this song is because today is the premier of Pixar’s Cars. What fun would having a car be if you didn’t have historic routes like Route 66 to create new memories with? And finally, the song is soothing yet rich - like a nice cup of coffee.

[This song has been removed, please see homepage for more info]

Here’s some Wikipedia info about the song that you might enjoy while listening to the great track:

(more…)

This post has been removed, please visit the homepage for more info.

Just an FYI, I updated my original post on Thievery Corporation’s Lebanese Blonde.

This post has been removed, please see the homepage for more info.

This post has been removed, please see the homepage for more info.

Much to my chagrin, it looks like Chris isn’t entertaining the idea of opening up a Coffee Shop in the foreseeable future. It’s a definite bummer since I’ve always wanted to be part of (or even own) a quaint little restaurant or eclectic lounge chocked full of eccentric patrons and lounge beats. Well, I guess all is not lost since it got me thinking about having a “Coffee Shop Week” here on the blog. So for the week of June 4th through June 11th (I realize that’s 1 day more than a week, but who’s counting), I’ll be posting some tunes that I feel would belong right at home playing in a Coffee Shop. I’m thinking music along the lines of something jazzy or lounge-like (if that’s a word) will fit the bill perfectly.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of Cars since I first saw the previews for the animated film last year, so it was an added bonus to find out that the Cars cast will feature a 1959 Chevy Impala Lowrider by the name of Ramone. The voice of Ramone is none other than funny man Cheech Marin, and it’s a fitting role since Cheech’s first movie (1978’s Up in Smoke) begins with War’s Lowrider being played during the opening credits.

(more…)