Love la vie!

abtal el 3alam hicham et said wlad sefrou 2010 love la vie...

Here comes the Aztec Queen!!!

Smoothe da Hustler

Don't know if this is a good first post but i've been playing this song daily a bunch of times the last couple of weeks.

Charlie Chaplin 1983

Another King Sturgav sound system recording: Charlie Chaplin live at Maypen Clarendon, Jamaica, Saturday October 15, 1983. Inspector Willy at the Controls. Selector: U-Roy. Special Guest: Jim Kelly. 28 tracks. Cover. Enjoy!

Fingerpicking from the Axis of EVIL!!!!!

Renova Band / Edia Sophie

Two versions of the same song, distant of about 40 years: "De Eglo Kanhluin" by Renova Band (Benin), vocals by Edia Sophie, around 1969... and the same Edia Sophie in this video from 2008 (note that the title of the track in this version is "Adjanouvi Kolo").


Renova Band, "De Eglo Kanhluin" (ripped from the 7", Albarika Store, 1969?)


Edia Sophie, "Adjanouvi Kolo" (2008)

For more on Renova Band and Edia Sophie, please check former posts.

Wajia Rastagar

An incredible Afghan version of Sofia Rotaru's big hit "Bylo, No Proshlo" (It Was, But It Has Gone), with a mind bending video.

Soviet Sounds

Russians are the largest ethnical minority in Finland. That's one reason why it's pretty easy to find Soviet LPs from Finnish flea markets. Another reason is that Finnish tourists and antique dealers have been carrying records from their trips to Eastern European countries for decades.

Most of these LPs are released by the USSR's monopolized record label Melodiya. After 1989 the variety of labels increases. Most of Melodiya's records contain classical music, Eastern European folk and pop songs and Soviet pressings of Western records. There's also some heavy rock, synth pop, electronic music and new wave among other more alternative genres.

For the last couple of years I've been collecting some interesting looking LPs from local flea markets. My main interests are in the strange and unique production values and synth sounds some of the songs have. The USSR had its own synth industry, which makes some of the songs very exciting and special.

I decided to post just a series of "best of" compilations, because most of the records I've found are not so exciting as whole albums. Usually on a record there are one or two real treasures among the more boring songs. Some of the featured songs were big hits in the USSR, some not. The first batch contains 70's and 80's disco and pop from USSR (except the Angel Vladkovic group is from Yugoslavia). Because of my crappy turntable there's some low brum noise in the tracks, sorry about that!

Tracklist:

Zdravstvuj Pesnja: Vokrug Ljubvi
Kruiz: A Top
Angel Vladkovic Group: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Leisja Pesnja: Obruchalnoe Koltzo
Dispeyi: Noch
Forum: Blue River
Jury Chernavskogo: Spit Pridorozhnaya Trava
Valeri Leontiev: Attraction of Love
Dialog: Kosmicheskie Son
Alexander Buinov: V Gorode Sochi

Get them here.

Beppe Maniglia

Beppe Maniglia: the Rambo biker, the street musician, the ex muscle man champion, the guitar hero. Born in 1943 Beppe Maniglia is a living legend in the streets of Bologna. This is how Beppe likes to introduce himself:
Cittadino italiano, figlio d'arte diplomato in Composizione al Conservatorio e laureato in Lettere Moderne. Solista di classe, dotato di grande talento interpretativo, muta il suono metallico delle corde della sua chitarra in vibrazioni cariche di sentimento. Giramondo per scelta di vita, trasforma le strade e le piazze in platee: l’asfalto è il suo palcoscenico. Amante della natura e degli animali, è assolutamente vegetariano.
I saw Beppe Maniglia a few times in the last years, playing electric guitar in front of Sala Borsa, Piazza Maggiore: sensitive solos, warrior outfit, speakers on top of his motorbike... Mitico every time. In 2009 Beppe ran for mayor but didn't get elected. The following video selection provides a good and approximately chronological overview of his activities.











Beppe Maniglia website. Beppe also runs Cimiteri Web, a death themed webpage.