Head in the clouds part two (including Po’ Boy)

Hello, kiddies.

First and foremost, I hope you all had a great weekend, you know, with Record Store Day and 4:20 day and all… and Earth Day too, imagine that! I sadly could not participate in the former for the obviously painful reasons… I won’t even comment on the latter. I do have a remedy for that though, I’ll get to that sooner than later, but allow me another quick indulgence if you will. It won’t disappoint, I promise.

I kinda got away from posting mixes with non-vinyl sources, and for good reason…they sound great and all, but the times have definitely changed in the land of blog over the past year. I kind of promised myself that I wouldn’t break out the soapbox too much, better yet, I wouldn’t let the soapbox get in the way of serving up the funky eats. Suffice it to say, the message is still very much in need of being spread, but there are so many out there that really tell the truth that very much needs to be heard. I hope you all can keep up with the Best of the Left podcast. It’s the best way to keep one angry enough… I’ll still do what I do in the name of doing my part though, and that’s the best I can do since I am clearly a victim of the madness.

Anyway, on to the meat of the conversation with another from the holidaze sessions.

This one was done around Thanksgiving of last year whilst hanging out with a friend and a bottle of something, most likely some sweet Belgian nectar… after much self doubt and (at the time) jonesing for some new 45′s. I was inspired to do it this way by a couple of my esteemed colleagues from the mixcloud fam. I’ve name-checked them before, sure, and will do so again in good fashion before too long. More on that in a bit…

In any event, this is the result. When the bottle was tipped, I was happy. It’s a collection of some great tunes that most of you should know well, and some you may not have heard in some years. It was also a means of free advertisment for the good folks at Freestyle Records. They also hold it down at Mixcloud too… check it out for some nice mixes and some exclusive ish from their rich catalog, and of course, please support their efforts if you are able. It’s also the answer to a question posed by the one called iDiO7 SAVAN7…I do owe a debt for the inspiration, the will to keep the soul a rollin’…

At the least, I hope you’ll enjoy Po’ Boy, either at your leisure, on demand with the player thingie down there, or here.

Head in the clouds part two (including Po’ Boy), posted with vodpod

Nasty-Deep Street Soul
Micro Popcorn-Calypso King & The Soul Investigators
Heartbreaker-Boogaloo Investigators
Bag Of Soul-Soul Saints Orchestra
I Know What It Is-Shaolin Temple Defenders
Two Beat Beast-Speedometer
Let The Music Take Your Mind-The Soul Providers
Tramp-The Grits
Sexy Popcorn Pot-Breakestra
Heavy Soul-The Sound Stylistics
Hook And Sling Meets The Funky Superfly-Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Don’t Joke With A Hungry Man-Spanky Wilson
I’m Coming Back To)The Coming Back-Osaka Monaurail
Stop The Bus-Funkshone
Cressy St. Breakdown-Cookin’ On 3 Burners
Lover And A Friend-Speedometer Feat. Myles Sanko & Ria Currie
What Have You Done For Me Lately Pts. 1&2-Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Hot Funky And Sweaty-The Organites
Promised Land Pt. 2-Sugarman 3
Crazy Legs-The Grits
Hippy Skippy Moon Strut-The Mighty Showstoppers

and now for the closing commentary…

By request, I re-upped this post too. I will do the other two soon. it’s a good way to gear up for the next session. There’s no denying that it’s gonna be tough keeping it all together, all things considered, but I do intend to press on until an unforeseen inevitability comes along. Again, the best I can do. I intend to be back in some capacity though, so until then, have fun(k), and please be safe.

Peace and blessings

The first of May is coming… please join the fight in whatever way you are able.

Head in the clouds part one (including Records are like chocolate…? The Birthday Edition)

Hello, kiddies.

Just when I thought I’d find a great moment to do all the things that I wanted to do back before spring break, setbacks and lack of motivation rear their ugly head yet again. I may admit to the setbacks, but I will never admit defeat. With all that said, it’s time to get back up to speed here. I’ve got my seafood fix to a certain degree, the Flyers are in the playoffs and socking it to the Penguins, and there’s a few fleeting moments in between to keep the “stew” pot full (that little greeting was for Bill)…

Here is the first of four exercises that I did over the holidaze. All of the tracks except four were scored during a surprise downtown dig. I hadn’t been down to Fells Point in at least two years, so with an unexpected windfall of resources at hand (otherwise known as an early birthday present), I was able to return to my favourite spots, fill some more holes and discover some more real gems. I got so lucky. I finally got a chance to put it here for your enjoyment, either at your leisure, on demand with the little player thingie, or here…

Imagery provided by chocmocakes http://www.flickr.com/photos/chocolatemoosecakes/ Thank you.

Records are like chocolate…? The Birthday Edi…, posted with vodpod

01 Get On Down-Eddie Harris (Atlantic)
02 The Chicken-James Brown (King)
03 Buzzsaw-The Turtles (White Whale)
04 Love The Life You Live Pt. 1-Kool & The Gang (De Lite)
05 Broad Street-The Electric Indian (United Artists)
06 There’s A DJ In Your Town-Samson & Delilah (Black Prince)
07 (Do It) The Funky Dance-Dave Cortez & We The People (Sound Pak)
08 Humpin’ Thumpin’ and Bumpin’-Andre Williams (Checker)
09 My Thing Is Your Thing-Bobby Patterson (Jetstar)
10 Gotta Get Over The Hump-Simtec & Wylie (Mister Chand)
11 Do The Funky Chicken-Rufus Thomas (Stax)
12 The Goat-Freddie & The Kinfolk (Dade)
13 Give The Drummer Some More-Little Hooks with Ray Nato and the Kings (Enjay)
14 Mama Come Quick and Bring Your Lickin’ Stick-George Torrence & The Naturals (Shout)
15 City Dump-Dyke & The Blazers (Original Sound)
16 Things Got To Get Better-Marva Whitney (King)
17 Sweet Meat-The Zip Codes (Better)
18 As Long As I Got You-Laura Lee (Chess)
19 Party Hardy People-Act 1 (Spring)
20 The Funky Mule-Buddy Miles (Mercury)
21 The Emperor Pt. 1-Donald Byrd (Blue Note)
22 Thanks I Needed That-The Glass House (Invictus)
23 The Bottle-Brother To Brother (Turbo)
24 No More Water In The Well-Odell Brown & The Organizers (Cadet)

not much in the way of closing commentary this time around, except to say that I hope to have the rest of the holidaze exercises up soon as well as a couple of new joints. It’s all in an effort to restore some sort of relevance ti this piece of cyber real estate for a while. Just watch and see. Until then, have fun(k) and as always, please be safe.

Peace and blessings.

Happy Spring!

Hello, kiddies.

Countdown… “t” minus 2 weeks (give or take a day) and counting.

Spring has indeed sprung, quickly and without warning. With it, another respite, which I certainly plan to use wisely… Here’s the second session from the last fire haul. I answered the call of my esteemed colleague HeavySoulBrutha this time, not only because it’s lots of fun to hear good 45′s, but because he’s just an all around good joe. He’s been keeping it funky for five years and counting, so it’s always a pleasure to drop by his spot and share. Much respect, good brutha!

I actually got the player thingie to work again, but in case it fails, you can check it out on-demand here if you like. Enjoy.

Happy Spring!, posted with vodpod

01 G’wan-Mark III Trio (Wingate)
02 Give It Up-Young Holt Unlimited (Brunswick)
03 Git E Up (The Horse)-The Preparations (Heart & Soul)
04 Karate-The Emperors (Mala)
05 The Switch A Roo-Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (King)
06 Some Got It Some Don’t-Senor Soul (Whiz)
07 Run Joe-Freddie Scott (Shout)
08 Searchin’-Alvin Robinson (Tiger)
09 Everything’s Hunky Dory-Billy Harner (V-Tone)
10 The Soul Of J.B.-James Brown & the Famous Flames (King)
11 Ain’t Too Proud To Beg-J J Jackson (Warner Brothers)
12 Gettin Away-Cliff Nobles & Co. (Phil LA Of Soul)
13 Snake Pit-Gunga Din (Valise)
14 Poppin’ Popcorn-Alvin cash (Toddlin’ Town)
15 Shake A Poo Poo-Chet “Poison” Ivey and his Fabulous Avengers (Tangerine)
16 Can’t Get Over Losing You-The Delfonics (Philly Groove)
17 Nobody’s Fault But Mine-Arthur Conley (Atco)
18 I Gotta Thing For You-Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Tamla)
19 Can’t Satisfy-The Impressions (ABC)
20 Our Love Is In the Pocket-Darrel Banks (Revilot)
21 Don’t Make Me A Storyteller-Steve Mancha (Groovesville)
22 Mole Skin-Bobby Kool (Expo)
23 You Can’t Take Love-Cash McCall (Thomas)
24 Chili Beans-Mongo Santamaria (Columbia)
25 Dance What You Wanna-Jerryo (Shout)
26 Do What’s Right-Eddie Seay (Imperial)
27 It’s Too Late-Howard Tate (Turntable)
28 Headline News-Edwin Starr (Ric Tic)
29 You’re Such A Beautiful Child-Archie Bell & the Drells (Atlantic)
Exitus from “LP Retreat” by Luscious Jackson

and now for the closing commentary, brief and to the point.

Thanks for allowing me to continue to do my thing. I know it ain’t much, but it’s all in my efforts to make getting through real life a little more tolerable. For everybody out there fighting the good fight, keep on pushing. Progress will progress. I’m confident. As always in parting, have fun(k), and please be safe.

Peace and blessings.

Wait til you see what happens next time…

Grab Bag (a long time coming)…

Hello, kiddies (finally, I get to say that again, I’m excited).

…too many things happened in the last several weeks. Too many fallen icons. Too much workload. Too much politics. Not enough patience! I can only hope that it will get better. Being able to attend last month’s fire haul made it a little easier to endure for a few hours. I managed to score some much needed pieces this time, some of which I’ve been patiently waiting to get my hot little hands on for over five years! I’m gonna thank the three vendors I visited for making it happen. I only know Gary by name for now, and I know the nice lady who I believe to be the one who organises the show each month. There were actually two more who also had lots more heaters for sale. Back to the nice lady, I have to thank her especially for going to bat for me so that I could get one in particular for much less than its sticker price of $60 USD. It’s the first (and more than likely not the last) record that I will ever spend more than $30 USD on. Of course, I digress. In any event, I finally got to make a couple of mixes with the fruits. Here’s one of them.

01 Alvin’s Bag-Alvin Cash (Toddlin’ Town)
02 Afro Twist Time-Jerryo (Shout)
03 Mini Skirts-Bobby Kool (Expo)
04 The Bird-Jimmy McGriff (Capitol)
05 It’s Your Thing-Senor Soul (Whiz)
06 New Mother Nature-The Friends Of Distinction (RCA)
07 Groove N Move-Jr. Walker & The All Stars (Soul)
08 Good Grease-Mark III Trio (Wingate)
09 Finally Caught Up With Jody-Big John Hamilton (SSS)
10 O Me-O My-O-Lee Dorsey (Polydor)
11 You Must Have Put Something In Your Love-The Persuaders (Win Or Lose)
12 Fever In The Funkhouse-General Crook (Wand)
13 Funk In Wagnal-Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (Dunhill)
14 Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone- Martha & The Vandellas (Gordy)
15 Cat’s Got Her Tongue-Joe Tex (Dial)
16 Stinger-Freddy (Creeper) Robinson-Cobblestone
17 Take It Easy Greazy-Billy Guy & The Coasters (Sal/Wa)
18 Funkadelic Sound-Little Beaver (Cat)
19 Let Me Get Close To You-Jerry Washington (Excello)
20 Funky Funky (Hot Pants)-Wee Willie Mason (Jay Walking)
21 Cherry-Jimmy McGriff (Solid State)
22 Crabcakes-Gunga Din (Valise)
23 JM’s Funk Factory-JM’s Funk Factory (Saluda)
24 I Wanna Jump-Ike & Tina Turner (Minit)
25 Hot Dog-Mongo Santamaria (Columbia)

Enjoy Grab Bag, either at your leisure or on-demand…

and now for the closing commentary, because this time there’s plenty. I’ll try and keep it moving though.

For all intents and purposes, I have made my way to the extreme left. If you recall my rant about the 2010 midterm election debacle, well as we have witnessed, it’s gets better. The GOP candidate nonsense just makes me want to do and say unthinkable things. I intend to add another widget on the right with links to the truth as soon as I can. For your entertainment and your enlightenment, because there are so few who actually tell the truth. The new axis of evil is recruiting new members daily, and true to form, we the people are in huge trouble as a result. “YES WE MUST!!!”

For starters, check out the Best of the Left Podcast…

It’s only a matter of time before the next respite begins. I’ll do my best to make it fruitful. My ride’s slowly on the mend, so I need some new entertainment within. Y’all know the rest. I’ll also be playing another round of catch up. For those of you who check the Fufu Stew on Mixcloud link at the top of the page, you know that I have been posting there. It’s easier to do so because I have been relegated to a much slower internet connection since moving to the city, and yes, I’m pissed about that. I’ll put up some of those posts here in the coming days just because. And speaking of mixcloud, I know I do it all the time, but I really have to thank a couple of mixcloud regulars in particular who have provided me with a lot of incentive and inspiration over the last several months. Essentially, they helped me to rediscover what it is that keeps me here. More on that in a future post, I assure you.

In any event, I thank you all for your continued patience and your patronage, even in the midst of my extended hiatus. Thanks also for taking a few minutes to read this far. Until the next time, and yes, next time will be much sooner than last time, I promise, have fun(k) and as always, please be safe.

Peace and blessings.

Where do I go from here, really..?

Hello, kiddies.

I have an obligation to all of you who “dared to click the link” at least once over the last five years… Just like most of my colleagues have done for many and various reasons, I had to take the hiatus that I did. Twenty odd eleven has certainly been one for the record books for a lot of us. I don’t have to go into the specifics, as most of this year’s tragic events are probably as fresh in our minds now as they were when they first happened. Personally, it’s been a real rollercoaster of a year to say the very least… when last I posted for Mr. Grogan’s Soul Club, I had no idea it would take a whopping six months to come back. I never expected it, and I certainly wished it didn’t happen the way it did, but sadly, it did.
As one would readily guess, most of the events leading up to the hiatus were rather heartbreaking, especially the loss of both of our beloved cats Indigo Girl and Bear. They were both well in their senior years, living to be fifteen, but they will forever be our “babies”. To be fair, we do see some significant light at the end of the tunnel, all things considered…
We finally relocated to our new digs in the city. The place is pretty cool in a relatively nice neighbourhood. The new “kitchen” is much larger than the old, although I am still going to have a great deal of difficulty getting all the excess records off of the floor. What’s good about that scenario however, is that I have been taking great care to actually listen to stuff that I hadn’t heard in at least fifteen years. I don’t know how else to segue into the crux of this multi-purpose post, which undoubtedly is the future of this here piece of cyber-style real estate.
What do I really do with it; it’s in such disarray, and most of the old posts that I said I was going to restore are for all intents and purposes beyond restoration… I’ve wrestled with this problem for months, leading up to this, the fifth birhtday of Fufu Stew, which truthfully, I really never thought that that would come to pass, much less, that the blog would have come relatively close to getting a half million hits in five years time. I know, it would have probably fared better if I kept at it and posted a little more regularly, but as I always say, real life is a mother!
I admit, I set my expectation level real low when I first started. Looking back on it all, I really never dreamed that I would have come this far, meeting many great people from literally every corner of the earth, learning so much about the obsession of cratedigging and the fruits that result. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to each and every blogger whose sites I have visited, to each and every blogger that has been so kind as to include me as a part of their blogroll, to each and every blogger for their benevolence in sharing the fruits of their digging… It all goes a very long way, and needless to say, you all will forever have my respect, admiration and above all else, appreciation for everything you have done to help make the last five years of my life mean something from a creative standpoint.
More on that later, but for now, I must go ahead and start the blog over again from scratch. All of the original posts prior to mixcloud will disappear as I work on the new design. Most likely they will be redone, at least the better ones will at any rate. When it does shake out, and believe me, at some point it really will, I know that besides looking a hell of a lot neater, the browsing experience will be a lot better overall. As far as the path I intend to take, I have but one simple premise: I will always like making mixtapes. In fact, it’s about the only way I listen to music anymore. Ever since 1983, and that first cassette I got from an old friend, I tried hard to recreate that experience, over and over, leaving absolutely no stone unturned. With all those years of trial and error, I finally feel that I have achieved a personal goal. As always, I am proud to be able to share them with one and all as best I can, and as much as the apparent law will allow. One of my wife’s colleagues call it “paying it forward”. Some call it “share and share alike”. Whatever one wishes to call it, the end result is that the Fufu train will continue to chug along… with that said, the new pahse will leave me free to continue my love of making mixtapes. Period. From this point forward, the rules are there are no rules.
and now for the closing commentary…
Twenty odd twelve is here. I am so glad to see 2011 disappear in the rear view mirror, you just don’t know how much. I still hold true to my one and only resolution for the new year, and that’s to try and make it better than the last year.  The most I can do is the best I can. I want to take these final fleeting moments to wish you all the best for a prosperous new year full of good health, happiness, a good degree of security, and most of all, SOUL! As always, whatever you do, be sure to do it good, and please be safe doing it. I can’t wait to get started, with a little luck, the reconstruction will commence on Wednesday. Real life will always take precedent, but I will always try to use my spare time wisely. Til the next time…

Peace and blessings.

Back to the Corner…

Hello, kiddies.

The respite is slowly drawing to a close. Lots of unexpected twists and turns happened, but as is always the case, I rolled with the punches. I have been lacking in my duties here once again, but I’ve still got some time left to atone. Before I go another further, let me direct all of you over to Funky 16 Corners so you can take advantage of another installment of the F16C Soul Club All Nighter and pledge drive, held at the world famous Grogan Casino… clever play on words, huh? Dig this all-star lineup: Tarik (8KC) Thornton, DJ Prime Mundo, Tony C., and the mighty DJ BlueWater… and headlined of course with two sets from the host with the most. I am truly honoured to be among such great company. Clicking on the image below will get you to the place to be post haste.

…and while you’re there, please show your support if you are able. It’s an investment that has already paid for itself and will continue to do so for years to come. Thanks so much for allowing me this indulgence. I hope to be back sooner than later with some new goods. I’ll make it worth the while… until then, have fun(k) and as always, please be safe.
Peace and blessings.

It’s a Mondo Mondo Mondo Mondo World…

Hello, kiddies.

Another day in the life is coming to a close. It was a very productive couple of weeks to say the least, so let’s get the ball rolling.

Here’s where the overhaul finally begins. The page images will change radically, as well as the font. It should be a lot easier to digest when I get done. Additionally, the blogroll will go through a major change too. Each and every blog that is still active will get a visit from me in the next few days, just to say hi and thank you for all of your support over the years. I know I’ve lost touch with a lot of you, due largely to real life issues… believe me, I can dig it. It’s like I said back in November, the world as we know it, is in serious trouble on so many levels. In one way or another, we are all feeling the pinch. Besides the usual blessings that I certainly count each and every day, I am thankful for the role that my mixtape craft has played in my recent existence. It keeps me sane. The finished products usually always make me happy when I blast them on my iPod or in my wife’s grocery getter. (shrug)… why not share them, y’know? It’s only that simple. I’m equally thankful for all of the support of all of you who saw fit to visit and enjoy the small contributions. So to make a long story just a little longer, the future of Fufu Stew will unfold before your very eyes sooner than later. Moving on…

I caught up with my long-time colleague Mr. Mondo and the mighty Mr. Grogan last week. Both have invited me back to their respective spots to lay some 45′s down. Of course I can’t ever pass up an opportunity to make a mixtape or five…

For now, you can head over to Planet Mondo and dig on this batch of heavy fuzz and buzz.

He also turned me on to a sneak peek at the latest marvel from the Bongolian which should be available in the all the right places by the time you get this far in the post. I was given the go ahead to share just a bit of it, which you can check out in the form of a mini sampler over at my Mixcloud page if you like. Big cheers and mad love for the folks at Blow Up Records first, last and always for the opportunity. Click the image below…

…and since it’s a mondo mondo mondo mondo world, I will start the overhaul of this little ol’ slice of blog by restoring the exchange we did wayyyyy back in 2008. You can dig on those at my Mixcloud pages. Again, click the appropriate image if you wish…

Aside from the lack of visual changes, that should be a good start… more to come sooner than you think. I will change the imagery later on this week, so until then, have fun(k) and as always, please be safe.

Peace and blessings.