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A little spotlight on the funkier side of our monthly playlist The Damyang Drop, out now on Spotify & YouTube. We also took on a few new bangers for our Sampled funk & soul first hour. After that, right as rain, Dan Lloyd joins us to go over some of his favorites and mehs for the week in the world of rock.
"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.
Mar 3, 2022
The Drop with Danno
Willie Wright – Right On For The Darkness
Orion’s Belte feat Oyvind Blomstrom – Put the G in MSG
Lonnie Liston Smith feat Jazz Is Dead & Loren Oden – Love Brings Happiness
Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Ikoyi Blindness (edit)
NEZ feat Moodymann & Gangsta Boo – Freaks
Hugh Masekela – Don’t Go Lose It Baby (JoshAlo Repack)
Thomas de Pourquery – Love In Outer Space
D.R. Hooker – Forge Your Own Chains
Sunbear – Let Love Flow for Peace
Skinshape – Sua Alma (Manny Talvez & Alae remix)
Rick James – Fool On The Street
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight and it felt like March today as spring’s warmth is very close, and it is once again time to let out the stank and throw rocks tonight as our Sampled & AMPED Thursday rolls out extra saucy. And this particular chapter in the seemingly endless weekly tour of our collective labor is wiped off the brow as March 3, 2022. This is Danno keeping the levels right where they gotta be, providing the keep on for your keepin’ on from studio 2 GFN HQ right in the heart of downtown Gwangju, how do you do? As mentioned since it is Thursday, we have our Sampled funk & soul first hour ready to go, and speaking of things that are already ready already, The Damyang Drop for February and March just came out officially yesterday, so go look that up on say, the tube where all the videos are along with the spot with all the music, however you wanna do it. We’ll be showcasing some of the funkier cuts on our playlist with The Damyang House during the hour, but we do have some new cuts to bump as well in the process as well. Dan Lloyd of course joins us once again after we hit the top of the clock once again for our AMPED feature, so lots to do as always. However, let’s start tonight with an old school funk joint from Willie Wright to start things right and give you a taste of that Damyang Drop goodness. THIS is The Drop.
Willie Wright – Right On For The Darkness
Back on The Drop and our Sampled funk & soul first half is now on the air for real. Danno here in studio 2 GFN HQ and thrilled once again to have you with us tonight and any night you’re so kind as to join us, and we have opened up with a little selection from our own monthly selection that you can find on the tube or the spot.
Just out yesterday, our latest edition of The Damyang Drop features our guest artist selector for last week Scoobert Doobert and of course, my own and Sean Walker’s picks for the month.
Definitely check it out, the playlist this month is undoubtedly extra swervy with Scoobert Doobert’s input. For those that missed last week’s Friday show, Scoobs is an artist based in San Diego who maintains a secret identity by wearing a Scooby Doo mask. And of course, he’s just such a wonderful goofy guy, but for those of you out there snickering and blowing him off, the dude is definitely an artist on the rise big time here in 2022, most notably working with Japanese girl power group CHAI, who are currently on tour with Mitski in the US.
Anyway, do check and follow if you haven’t yet, The Damyang Drop, our favorites served every month.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, pod.
So, with that out of the way, let’s get into some stuff that’s new this week and that we also slept a bit on. First up we have Orions Belte with Lonnie Liston Smith and Jazz Is Dead rolling after that with a new reissue of an old Fela cut to finish things. We’ll talk about all there is to know about after the roundabouts, but for now THIS is The Drop on your Sampled funk & soul first hour.
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The Drop verbalizes once again after our opening triangle on this Sampled funk & soul first hour for this week. Danno here, maintaining on the air as I do nightly, and Gwangju’s sultan of malarkistan Dan Lloyd kicks down studio 2’s doors for our AMPED feature at the top of the hour here on the air. As to that triangle, let’s analyze the angles for now...
Orions Belte feat Oyvind Blomstrom – Put the G in MSG (…the latest from the trio out of Bergen, Norway and now a leading innovator on that famous scene. This group is always a surprise stylistically with each and every release, bending and dipping from and between psyche, afrobeat, loungey lo-fi, straight funk and so much more. Keep an eye or take a listen to more if you’re not so initiated.)
Lonnie Liston Smith with Jazz Is Dead feat Loren Oden – Love Brings Happiness (…the latest from Adrien Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s jazz label project Jazz Is Dead, with this single not only featuring the space funk legend himself Lonnie Liston Smith but also Loren Oden on the vocals. This is a huge release coming on March 25, with Dr. Liston Smith along with Tony Allen, Jean Carne, Phil Ranelin, and other total legends featuring on Jazz Is Dead 11, this being the opening salvo.)
Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – Ikoyi Blindness (edit) (…although still a long track at just over 7 minutes, the original of this joint released by Fela & company was over 15 minutes in length. This edit is part of a series of new remasters and edits that are getting released by the estate to keep the memory alive of one of the world’s most legendary musicians.)
So, we got a couple more new jawns to explore, but we got a couple cuts from the more electronic end of the spectrum to throw into the solar system right now. Up next is NEZ featuring Kenny Dixon Jr in his Moodymann guise along with Gangster Boo providing the raps on a cut called Freaks, and we’ll finish with JoshAlo remix of Hugh Masekela just out called Don’t Go Lose It All Baby, which will guide us to the jump. This is The Drop.
NEZ feat Moodymann & Gangster Boo – Freaks*
Hugh Masekela – Don’t Go Lose It All Baby (JoshAlo Repack)
II
The Drop is back in action once again this week on our Sampled funk & soul part 2 with something a bit more jazzy and wistful. I don’t know what it is about spring, but it is definitely jazz season for me, what do you think hit us up (#9870, etc). So, let’s get to that classic spacey cover right there…
Thomas de Pourquery & Supersonic – Love In Outer Space (…an album covering some of Sun Ra’s earlier 1950’s works released almost 50 years after the alien communicator and his Arkestra dropped those albums on his triumphant return back then. For those unfamiliar, Thomas de Pourquery is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist from Paris who dropped this with Supersonic in January 2014, with the album title being Thomas de Pourquery and Supersonic Play Sun Ra, simply enough. Fin.)
#9870, @gfnthedrop, pod.
So, we have more features from this month’s Damyang Drop to go through in the next block, with Sunbear starting things off to be followed by a Skinshape remix of Sua Alma and we’ll finish with DR Hooker in order to forge your own chains of freedom tonight. This is The Damyang Drop on your Sampled funk & soul Thursday.
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Back on The Drop for very last joints of our first 57 this evening. Danno here, studio 2, GFN HQ as always as ever, and we just showcased one newer joint we kinda slept on the past few weeks along with a couple cuts from our freshly served Damyang Drop playlist, which you can find on the great huge tube or the music spot, let’s say for on air purposes. Dan Lloyd joins us shortly to go over the new rock for this week, so let’s get to the rundown of that last block of joints…
Sunbear – Let Love Flow for Peace (…Singer/drummer Arnie Oliver, aka Ahaguna G. Sun, and singer/guitarist Werner "Bear" Schuchner comprised Sunbear, a little-known soul/funk vocal duo that recorded in Los Angeles in 1977. Earth, Wind & Fire was a heavy influence on Sunbear, and there were also hints of Tower of Power and El Chicano in their sound. In 1977, Sunbear recorded its self-titled debut album for Don Cornelius and Dick Griffey's Soul Train Records, which evolved into Solar Records after Cornelius' departure in 1978. Sunbear broke up without ever recording a second album, but the two did continue in music after that.)
Skinshape – Sua Alma (Manny Talvez & Alae remix) (…very interesting remix right here, which is wayyyy slowed down from its original. Sua Alma was released on Umoja in 2020, which was Will Dorey’s 5th studio album with this tune being the lead single.)
DR Hooker – Forge Your Own Chains (…this record is a true rarity from 1972 called The Truth, and hat tip to Sean Walker on finding this one, our partner on The Damyang Drop. Donald R. Hooker II as he was truly named was mainly a local phenomenon during his life, but this has become a collector’s item through the years, now selling original pressings for about $1,000 US online.)
Okay, so we have some real estate to work with here on the clock, and to finish we’ll tip our caps to Sean Walker once again and give Rick James plenty of space to wile out and end the first half. This is Fool On The Street by Rick James to finish our first 57, and THIS is The Damyang Drop and that’s 180.
Rick James – Fool On The Street
III & IV AMPED
PUP – Matilda
Wet Leg – Angelica
Band of Horses – Crutch
Tool – Opiate
Weird Nightmare – Searching For You
Papa Roach – Cut the Line
Bowling For Soup – I Wanna Be Brad Pitt
Adult Mom – 91
LIFE – Big Moon Lake
Stereophonics – Right Place, Right Time
PUP – Matilda
Toronto punk quartet PUP are bringing back their old sound in a very literal way with their new single “Matilda,” an ode to frontman Stefan Babcock’s favorite guitar. The band also announced an expanded North American tour for this summer.
The song is told from the perspective of the forlorn six-string that Babcock used for seven years before retiring it at the request of his bandmates. “As the band got bigger, the pressure to sound better was building and so I bought a ‘good’ guitar and played Matilda less and less,” Babcock said in a statement. “I wrote this song based on this intense feeling of guilt and sadness and shame and nostalgia and regret, watching her rot away in a corner.”
Though the lyrics are rife with jealousy and contempt (“As you fret my frets decay/ You pick up your other and you strum away”), there’s also an endearing love that doesn’t go completely unrequited. “I convinced the band that Matilda deserved one last rip on a PUP record, and I played her during the bridge of this song,” Babcock shared. “It sounds so shitty. But good shitty. Great shitty. For me, it was the most joyful and cathartic moment in the entire making of this record.”
The new track arrives with a visual directed by Jefferson Dutton. It follows a fictionalized journey Matilda took as she passed hands from one amateur artist to a thrift store owner and finally to a young aspiring guitarist. The energy between the beat-up instrument and its new owner is kinetic; their connection literally lights up the room.
PUP’s fourth album THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is out April 1st on Little Dipper/Rise Records.
Wet Leg – Angelica
Wet Leg are back with another new single ahead of their forthcoming self-titled debut album. Listen to the zany track “Angelica” below.
An ode to lead vocalist Rhian Teasdale’s oldest friend, “Angelica” zips around with the irreverent energy we’ve come to expect from Britain’s buzziest band. A disjointed, Wire-like guitar riff zig-zags in the verses, while Teasdale sings of her friend’s thoroughly unimpressed reaction to a party. In the chorus, a wall of distortion blurs out the song’s initial angular melody.
“It’s laced with disenchantment,” Teasdale said of the song in a statement. “Even though the chorus is ‘good times, all the time.’ That’s just impossible, isn’t it?”
In the accompanying music video, directed by the duo themselves, Teasdale and guitarist Hester Chambers dance around their home field on the Isle of Wight, busting out just the kind of childlike, unbothered moves their music implores. Watch Wet Leg’s “Angelica” visual below.
Wet Leg arrives April 8th via Domino.
Band of Horses – Crutch
6th album Things are Great comes out this week. Early reviews have been very positive, with the record being labelled as a return to form for the Charleston band. This song came out back in October of last year (the album release date got pushed back a couple of months) and is a really strong lead single. After a few barren years it’s good to see the band back at their best.
Tool – Opiate
Tool have released their newly reimagined version of “Opiate” across digital platforms. The new take on the band’s 1992 track, officially dubbed “Opiate²”, will be released along with an accompanying short film on Blu-ray on March 18th.
Tool fans will be pleased to hear that “Opiate²” is similar to the version of the song the band play live. The sharper production better presents each instrument in the mix, enhancing the old song with modern sound design.
There are also structural changes in the reimagined track, with an extended section giving Danny Carey ample room for a drum workout. Paired with the original “Opiate,” it provides a nice before-and-after of Tool’s sonic evolution over the years.
For the Blu-Ray release, “Opiate²” will soundtrack a 10-plus minute short film created by visual artist Dominic Hailstone and guitarist Adam Jones (the two previously collaborated on visual elements for Tool’s concerts). The disc also features “interviews and insights from special guests” and will be housed in a 46-page art book with behind-the-scenes and making-of photos.
Weird Nightmare – Searching For You
METZ singer-guitarist Alex Edkins is striking out on his own. The artist will release a solo album under the name Weird Nightmare in May, and as a preview, he’s shared first single “Searching for You.” Plus, later this year, he’ll take Weird Nightmare’s songs on the road for a quick North American tour.
Weird Nightmare sweetens METZ’s hardcore sound with music equally ferocious, but a bit more melodic. Here, Edkins’ roar remains in tact, but his screams come across a lot more singable than in METZ’s noise rock. It makes sense, then, that Weird Nightmare’s press release would compare the project to melodic punk masters Sugar.
“Searching for You” exhibits this growth with a simple, breakneck riff and lots of Edkins fuzz. “It’s a fun, no nonsense rock ‘n’ roll song. It’s about searching for meaning and inspiration all around us,” the artist said of the track. “In my mind, the ‘you’ in the chorus refers to something bigger than companionship or love, it’s that intangible thing we all look for but never find.” “Searching for You” comes with a brightly animated music video, directed by Ryan Thompson and animated by Jordan “Dr. Cool” Minkoff, which you can find below, followed by Weird Nightmare‘s artwork and tracklist.
Weird Nightmare arrives May 20th via Sub Pop.
Papa Roach – Cut the Line
Dating back to their breakout track "Last Resort," Papa Roach have had a knack for delivering a catharsis to fans by putting some of their inner most anxieties into words. That tradition continues with the new song "Cut the Line," which comes off as a rallying cry for those keeping things buried inside.
"Are you tangled up inside / Is it something that you hide? / Are you twisted up and don't know why? / Are you stuck inside your head / Like I'm stuck inside my head / If you listen to the voice inside / Ka-ka-ka-cut the line / Cut the line," sings Jacoby Shaddix in one portion of the song.
The track has officially hit streaming services and a video will be serviced for the song this Friday (March 4) at 1PM ET / 10AM PT.
Bowling For Soup – I Wanna Be Brad Pitt
Bowling For Soup have paid surprising tribute in a rather sweet way to one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, Brad Pitt.
The pop-punks' latest single goes by the name I Wanna Be Brad Pitt, and is quite literally about just that, with frontman Jaret Reddick singing in the chorus, 'I'll bet even Brad Pitt, wants to be Brad Pitt.' He explains: "Everyone who knows me, knows I love Brad Pitt. I got this chorus in my head while driving one day, and really, the rest kinda just wrote itself. I wanted the song to be a thoughtful tribute and not sacrifice the homage by making fun of him or things in his life. So that’s the direction I went and when it still got laughs from the band, I knew I had hit it out of the park."
The track is taken from BFS' upcoming 11th album Pop Drunk Snot Bread, which is due out on April 22 via Brando / Que-So Records.
Adult Mom – 91
Almost exactly a year ago, Stevie Knipe’s DIY indie-pop project Adult Mom released Driver, their first album for Epitaph Records. Today, Adult Mom have followed that album with a new song that appears to be a one-off single. The band has just released a new song called “91.”
Adult Mom recorded “91” with producer Kyle Pulley, the Thin Lips member and Hop Along/Shamir collaborator who also produced Driver. It’s a strummy, homespun rocker about throwing all your shit into your car and leaving a bad situation where everyone is getting hurt. In a press release, Knipe says:
“91” was one of the first songs I intentionally wrote for Driver. It’s a song that details escape in the most literal sense. The feeling of getting into the car, speeding down the highway at 2:00 am, and feeling the weight of what you’re leaving behind lifted. To me, it’s one of our most cathartic songs, and I’m glad to finally have it out in the world.
LIFE – Big Moon Lake
LIFE hail from Hull UK (home of The Housemartins!) and the city, with is in the North East of England, plays an intrinsic part in their style and their third album, North Eastern Coastal Town. "North East Coastal Town is our love letter to the city. The album is an ode to kinship and relationship with its musical and lyrical spine picking out themes of love, desire, beauty, horror, chaos, pride and most importantly the sense of belonging. It’s a reflective body of work dedicated to people and place and those that have always been there and made us feel like we belong." Check out the driving new single "Big Moon Lake."
Stereophonics – Right Place, Right Time
12th album Oochya! Is out this week. This track is a bit of a mixed bag. I love the heartfelt autobiographical lyric which detail the ups and downs of Kelly Jones’ career, but it’s set to the dreariest, most boiler-plate instrumental I’ve heard from a rock band in a long, long time. Don’t think I’ll bother with the new album.