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"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
The Drop with Danno
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Introduction
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Your Man’s No Good
Monophonics – Love You Better
Danger Mouse & Black Thought feat Michael Kiwanuka – Aquamarine
Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity
Marxist Love Disco Ensemble – 1905
El Michels Affair & Liam Bailey – Walk With Me
Monster Rally – Moon Flower Bloom
Dallas Tamaira – Just Fine
Arjuna Oakes & Serebii – Flavour
Skinshape – High Tide, Storm Rising
Kokoroko – War Dance
I.
(cold open)
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Introduction
Ghost Funk Orchestra – Your Man’s No Good
It is 20 hours past midnight, is it not? Haha…a little cold open right there for volume 2 of our funk punk soul rock favorites this week on our Sampled & AMPED Thursday night. Danno here so it is so it goes, coming at you as always on the people’s frequency. Our funky faves vol 2 is the biz for tonight’s first hour broadcast, with the final line on the triangle to be drawn next week. Dan Lloyd is doing the same for the rock world tonight in hour 2, and next week he’ll be critiquing the critics and their rock picks for this year, which is always entertaining in the throwing shade category so do tune in for that.
We just commenced things for tonight’s programming with what is undoubtedly our album of the year in the funk & soul category, that was Ghost Funk Orchestra off their latest LP A New Kind of Love, which dropped via Colemine/Karma Chief Records, and we just cold opened with the Introduction and another tune called Your Man’s No Good, which are the opening tunes on the record.
Can’t say enough about this album, and deserved praise from all who listened, including NPR’s All Songs Considered. The crisp, heavy vintage sound is so unique in the world of music right now, and you can tell founder Seth Applebaum has continued to hone his game in the studio. We had a chance to rock a two hour special back in November with Seth & I playing a game of playlist tag, if you’d like to check that out.
Ghost Funk Orchestra, A New Kind of Love, do yourself a favor and give that sucker a spin front to back.
Duly noted, just a quick reminder…#9870 (50/100)…stream
So let’s continue with some more of our funky favorites for this year’s end, and up next we have Monophonics to be followed by Danger Mouse along with Ibibio Sound Machine, and we’ll get the static out of our hair and talk a bit after the electricity wears off. THIS is The Drop on your Sampled funk & soul favorites vol 2.
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The Drop returns as we begin the end of the first fourth tonight. Danno here, doing the do for volume 2 of our funk & soul favorites for this year, and volume 3 hits the air next week as well on Christmas Eve Eve. Dan Lloyd goes through vol 2 of his AMPED rock best of 2022 tonight as well, and he’s got some criticism for the critics’ picks next week as well. Let’s discuss what just went up to Saturn right there to start the show properly, that was…
Monophonics – Love You Better (… this one appeared on the latest LP from the veteran funk & soul outfit headed up by our favorite Green-eyed Irishman in Kelly Finnigan. The album is called Sage Motel, and if there’s anything you can say about Monophonics is over the years, this band is one of the most consistently excellent groups out there, this album being an exceedingly consistent and loving narrative that just caresses your heartbreak and angst perfectly.)
Danger Mouse & Black Thought feat Michael Kiwanuka – Aquamarine (…and speaking of consistent excellence of an even longer-running variety, veteran producer Danger Mouse and The Roots front man Black Thought dropped the Cheat Codes LP back in August, and this tune features 2020 Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka. So many collabs on this one in true hip-hop style, one of our picks for album of the year no doubt about it.)
Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity (…this is the title track to the UK-based band’s latest LP, and what a gem it is. If I had to give Ibibio a tag, it would be afrofuturism. The sound is squarely based in the sounds of West Africa but layered with all of these incredible dance beats and synth-centered arrangements. Congrats to Hot Chip on producing this amazing LP, definitely one of the year’s best albums.)
Quick …#9870, social media.
Alright, so we still have a good bit of time and we’re going to need it, as this revolutionary bit of Italo Disco is gonna take a bit. Much like SAULT, Marxist Love Disco Ensemble is a mysterious group as to the membership and bio, but this album from earlier this year is a winner with us, and it’s self-titled MLDE if you’re looking for it. So, we’ll go back to the revolution and 1905 to finish part 1 for tonight, and we’ll turn down the burner as we begin the 2nd quarter in a bit after the jump. THIS is The Drop on your Sampled funk & soul faves vol 2.
Marxist Love Disco Ensemble – 1905
II.
The Drop returns and as we do we just cracked the 2nd can open ice cold to start the slow simmer tonight. Danno here, going through part two of our funk & soul favorites for 2022, and Dan Lloyd will be doing the same with his top rock joints for this year starting in hour 2, and that would be vol 2 of that series as well. Now, as far as what just happened to your audio senses, let’s get into it...
El Michels Affair & Liam Bailey – Walk With Me (inst) (…back in 2021, these two put out the Ekundayo Inversions LP, which was a brilliant collection of ultra spacey & percussive dub remixes from Liam Bailey’s previous Ekundayo LP. Earlier this year, Leon Michels and Big Crown Records put out the insturmentals to this record for all the DJ’s out there, and it is striking what El Michels can do in the studio, even without Liam Bailey’s brilliant vocals.)
Monster Rally – Moon Flower Bloom (…who’s the guy you go in Cleveland for those tropical dream vacations that cost you nothing? That’s right, it’s Ted Feighan, who has taken us on another trip this year in Botanica Dreams, another glorious mix of hip-hop and lo-fi vibes with that exotica/tropicalia magic to give it that indescribable art deco afterglow. Do check it in full if you have a chance, once again that’s Monster Rally, Botanica Dream.)
So moving towards the buzzer tonight, next block we go down under a bit with Dallas Tamaira batting lead-off followed by fellow Kiwis Arjuna Oakes & Serebii, then we head deeper into the chill that is oh so warm with Skinshape to complete the glowing, pulsating triad. We’ll of course break it down but not off with tender loving care on the other side of the glow, but for now this is The Drop’s funky favorites vol 2.
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Heading towards the end of our Sampled funk & soul first hour tonight. Danno here, going through part 2 of 3 of our funky favorites for the year, and we just let out another triad of besties for 2022 right there, so let’s have you know a bit about ‘em if you’re not so initiated…
Dallas Tamaira – Just Fine (…this was a brilliant one off single from the Fat Freddy’s Drop lead singer, released earlier this year in the summer. Nothing like Dallas Tamaira’s voice to soothe what ails you, and this is some serious balm on that front during another fraught year.)
Arjuna Oakes & Serebii – Flavour (…another year, another high quality album from two favorites of ours based in Wellington, NZ. After the success of First Nights EP last year, we have their latest in Final Days which is a full album. These two are really doing some amazing work in the studio and live, so go and check the album out to give our boys some love down under.)
Skinshape – High Tide, Storm Rising (…this is the ever-evolving project of Will Dorey, originally out of the UK. This tune appeared on the artist’s Nostalgia LP earlier this year, which would be their 6th. Go and check out like, all of them, they are mindblowing melds of library records, European folk, dub, and just plain lushness. Really lovely stuff mostly in the downtempo lofi category right there.)
So, we are losing space on the clock but we have one more very important record to air out a bit and discuss. Up next we have a tune from London-based Kokoroko off their LP Could We Be More. Interestingly, despite being around since 2014 and garnering millions of streams, this was the band’s first proper album, and we’ll get a taste of this gem from Brownswood Recordings called War Dance to close the book on hour 1 tonight. Stay tuned Dan Lloyd throws glowing audio rocks starting shortly, and this is The Drop at the half.
Kokoroko – War Dance
III & IV AMPED
The Beths – Silence is Golden
Plosivs – Broken Eyes
Gang of Youths – In the Wake of Your Leave
100 Gecs – Doritos and Fritos
Editors – Heart Attack
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Magenta Mountain
Viagra Boys – Troglodyte
Cave In – New Reality
Say Sue Me – No Real Place
The Garden – Horseshit on Route 66
Death Cab for Cutie – Asphalt Meadows
Screeching Weasel – Any Minute Now
Ginger Wildheart and the Sinners – That Smile
The Beths – Silence is Golden
From 3rd album Expert in a Dying Field (September 16). This band has shown over their short career to date a remarkable level of consistency, improving gradually with each release. The album as a whole is more lively than 2020’s Jump Rope Gazers, and every bit as good.
Plosivs – Broken Eyes
From debut self titled album (March 23) which has remained one of my favourite albums since its release. A new project from John Reis and Rob Crow that is full of melody and aggression in equal measure, harking back to 80s college radio (Husker Du, Replacements etc).
Gang of Youths – In the Wake of Your Leave
From 3rd album Angel in Realtime (February 25). This is one of my favourite songs of the year. The album is a bit patchy but this track is like the Killers, but way better.
100 Gecs – Doritos and Fritos
From upcoming album 10000 Gecs (Spring 2023). A really fun, bouncy single that expands on the band’s bedroom hyperpop to something bigger and more exciting (to me, anyway).
Editors – Heart Attack
From 7th album EBM (Editors/Blanck Mass). Solid record that adds a cool electronic element to Editors’ tried and tested take on post punk. I used to think of this band as a poor man’s Interpol, how times have changed.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Magenta Mountain
From Omnium Gatherum, KG’s second album of the year and 20th overall. They’ve put out a ton of great music in 2022, but it’s this song that sticks with me the most.
Viagra Boys – Troglodyte
From 3rd album Cave World (July 8). It’s an excellent album from start to finish, full of energy, invention and humour. An improvement on their second album Welfare Jazz in almost every way.
Cave In – New Reality
From 7th album Heavy Pendulum (May 20). A terrific surprise, as it seems the band was all but over following the death of bassist Caleb Schofield in 2018. But with Nate Newton (Converge) as his replacement the band is firing on all cylinders again.
Say Sue Me – No Real Place
From 3rd record The Last Thing Left (May 13). Probably the finest Korean rock/indie band around today (and certainly my favourite).
The Garden – Horseshit on Route 66
Title track from 5th album (September 8th). The Garden’s latest is by far their best and most cohesive record to date. It’s a short, addictive listen that takes twists and turns on nearly every track, but stays loyal to the duo’s hardcore punk roots.
Death Cab for Cutie – Asphalt Meadows
Title track from Death Cab’s 10th record (September 16). A real return to form, the album was critically acclaimed with most agreeing it’s their best work since the mid-2000s.
Screeching Weasel – Any Minute Now
From 14th album The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel (July 15). Legendary Chicago pop-punk band who have hit a purple patch in recent times, this album comes quickly after 2020’s Some Freaks of Atavism, which was also excellent.
Ginger Wildheart and the Sinners – That Smile
From debut self-titled album, out on October 7th. Just really good no-nonsense roots rock and roll.