“This month for Cratery, we’ve enlisted the help of none other than homie/digger/producer extraordinaire Frank Dukes! For those unfamiliar with his stellar production work, get familiar. This is how it went down: we went 3-for-3 with a wide array of joints from psych to soul, west-Indian funk to Bollywood brainmelters. You’ll notice that there’s no tracklisting for this Cratery. The information is classified. However, we did give you an eBay-esque description that may help you decode the secrets contained within our crates. Just kidding, the descriptions won’t help you at all.” - Kaewonder

TRACK LIST:

1. Fantastic Soul *Horn Stabs* SAMPLES-*cue burn,surface noise. Plays fine*
2. MONSTER FUZZ SOUL!! 45 RARITY
3. “Ain’t no sunshine” HIP HOP BREAKZ
4. Shady Brook LP Hard-to-Find Soul!
5. Barbados 1977 WIRL Disco Funk
6. Funky 45 Plays Great!
7. Great Grits and Gravy Soul
8. 45 RPM Mid-tempo Soulful Rock – SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY
9. Groovy Funk – Great for Teenagers!
10. DOO WOP Surprisingly Hard Drums (No Break-sorry)
11. Detroit Soul 45 *surface noise*
12. Hot Wax LABEL Great Soul!
13. HIP HOP DRUM BREAKZ! 45 RPM
14. Indian Psych –FUNKY— SAMPLES
15. Disco/Rock MONTREAL LP
16. Rare Tropical Funk COVER Gwen McCrae
17. Cuban RARE RARE RARE
18. Library INSTRUMENTAL FUNK –BREAKZ-

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy

“Both the hommie Kaewonder and I recently spent some time on the left coast.  This month’s Cratery represents the fruits of our visit. I love shopping for records in a different town. Especially when that town is Vancouver. I was fortunate enough to stumble across a copy of J.R. Bailey’s “Just me and you”, Nina Simone’s “Is it Finished” LP, Bad Medicine’s “Trespasser” 45 and a copy of Marlena Shaw’s Spice of Life LP to name a few. There are definitely some records in Vancouver. And no one knows that better than the big hommie Sipreano, record guru extraordinaire. Thank you sir. For your hospitality. And your record collection. And so, in the aftermath of 2 weeks spent binging on records, alcohol and herb, we present to you, Cratery 18: The Vangover. Enjoy. ” - ARCEE

Track list and download after the cut.

TRACK LIST:

1. Galt McDermot “Let the Sun Shine In”
2. George Shearing “Aquarius”
3. Groove Holmes “No Trouble on the Mountain”
4. Strutt “Said you didn’t love her (instrumental)”
5. Bob Williams “I’m Alright (part 1)”
6. Grupo Irakere “Bacalao Con Pan”
7. Nina Simone “Funkier than a Mosquito’s tweeter”
8. Rotary Connection “Memory Band”
9. The Poppy Family “Beyond the Clouds”
10. The National Gallery “Pond with Swans”
11. Marlena Shaw “Where can I go?”
12. Mavis Staples “What happened to the real me?”
13. Bad Medicine “Trespasser (part 2)”
14. UNLISTED
15. Soul Hustlers “Super Party (part 1)”
16. Au Pairs “Headache for Michelle”
17. Marva Josie “He does it better”

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

“So. I grew a beard for four months.  Then I cut it off. But not without having some fun with a few of the hommies first.  Gotta shout my mans Clif, Darren G and my man Joe Cruz for lining me up nicely at the official De-Bearding. And my man Serious aka David Yan for trekking down to take some crazy flicks. Mad appreciated fellas. But I would be positively heartless if I neglected to mention my partner in crime, Kaewonder, with whom I share the distinction of rocking my first clean shaven Cratery. Turns out I haven’t been clean-shaven in 17 years. That almost makes Cratery 17 somewhat significant. If you’re me. Enjoy.” - ARCEE

Track list and download after the jump.

TRACKLIST:

1. Starfire “Make The Most Of It”
2. Hidden Strength”All we need Is Time”
3. Linda Tillery “Markin’ Time”
4. Dr.Music “In My Life”
5. Sugarloaf “Mother Nature’s Wine”
6. Isis-”April Fool”
7. Ruby Andrews “My Love Is Comin Down”
8. Maxine Brown “See And Dont See”
9. Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger “Indian Rope Man”
10. Zoo “If You Lose Your Woman”
11. Don Covay “If There’s A Will, There’s A Way”
12. Assagai “Cocoa”
13. Ramsey Lewis “Uhuru”
14. Gary Burton Trio “Vibrafinger”
15. Phillip Upchurch “As you said”
16. John Payne Band “New Spaces”

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

“And we’re back.  Almost a year and a half into our monthly dig diary with no signs of slowing. This month, the hommie Kaewonder and I return with a genre-bending hour of Caribbean Funk, Sweet Soul, Folk-Psych, Spiritual Jazz and Brazilian Rock. None of which we downloaded off the Internet. But hey, that shouldn’t stop you. Cratery 16. Enjoy.” - ARCEE

Track list and download after the jump.

TRACK LIST:

1. Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot
2. The Gaylords of Dominica – Wicked World Outside
3. Johnny Clarke – Declaration of Rights
4. Soul Explosion Band – Captivity
5. Billy Stewart – Cross my Heart
6. Shades of Brown – Garbage Man
7. Freddie Robinson – Smoking
8. Blue Mitchell – Collision in Black
9. Earth Wind and Fire – Bad Tune
10. Doug Carn – Higher Ground
11. Roy Ayers Ubiquity – A Tear to a Smile
12. Volker Kriegel – Mindwell
13. Pete Jolly – Springs
14. Pride – A Home
15. Glass Prism – Extention 68
16. *Unlisted*
17. Funkadelic – I’ll Stay

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy

“The arrival of Cratery 15 signals two things: 1. An official Cratery logo + design. 2. A brand new format for this month.

First off, a big thank you to Sean Davison (Creative Director, Maclaren McCann) for helping us bring our monthly dig diary to life with its own logo + look.  Hope y’all like it. Just the first of more new Cratery related newness to come.  And special thanks to this month’s official Cratery photog, DJ Serious – who was nice enough to join us on the first of many dig days this March.

This month, we’ve traded our traditional “1 for 1” format for two 30 minute sets from myself and the hommie Kaeweezy. I end up somewhere in the African/Latin/Rock space (Mandingo, Chakachas, Fever Tree), leaving Kae to mess around in the Jazz/Soul/Oddball realm (Cleveland Eaton, Julius Brockington, Synthesis).  In simple terms, another hour of ill shit – on us.  Cratery 15. A to the motherf****n’ Kae, homeboy. A to the motherf****n’ Kae. - ARCEE”

ARCEE’S SET:
Mandingo/Watching and Waiting
Chakachas/El Canyon Rojo
Manu Dibango/Pepe Soup
Monomono/Find Out
Exile One/You have lost the battle
Ginger Baker/The Winner
Fever Tree/Don’t come crying to me girl
Hugo Montenegro/Undun
Joe Thomas/Chitlins and Chuchifritos
Mandrill/Coelho

KAEWONDER’S SET:
Cleveland Eaton/All your lover, all day, all night
The Fatback Band/Love
Roy Ayers/Baby you give me a feeling
Synthesis/City Song
Marie Rottrova/Time is a rogue
Harnell/For a brief time
Herb Geller/Space a la Mode
Streetdancer/Journey into the night
Julius Brockington/Got to be there

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy

“I’m a sucker for a good soundtrack. The covers alone are usually worth the price of admission. Composers often take experimental liberties they would never take while working on a conventional pop record. And some of the best gems can be found on tiny little one minute transitional tracks – as in the case “Dog Eat Dog” from The Thief who came to Dinner”. And this Cratery is especially auspicious since we are joined by Murr (LAL, Da Grassroots), a distinguished space cadet whose own sonic soundscapes mirror his love for film music. To simplify things, every song is listed by movie, not composer or song title. And it’s not quite a sequel – but the bonus session is a little 25-minute extra we thought you might enjoy.

By that time, the idea of writing a track list had taken a back seat to the sedentary effects of our friend Century Sam. Hell, if someone decided to make a film about Sam, Cratery 14 would undoubtedly be the soundtrack.” - ARCEE

Track Movie list + download link after the cut.

1. Psych-Out
2. Up Tight [interlude]
3. An Unmarried Woman
4. L’Initiation [interlude]
5. Shaft
6. Cool Breeze
7. T.R. Baskin
8. The Final Comedown
9. R.P.M
10. Enter The Dragon
11. The Thief Who Came To Dinner
12. La Planete Sauvage
13. The Adventurer
14. Theme from “Stavisky”
15. Hair
16. Shaft In Africa
17. Coffy  [interlude]
18. L’Aube
19. Short Eyes [interlude/outro]

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

BONUS SESSION!

- (Man Like)Keezy

“Cratery thirteen. As is quite often the case with Cratery, we go all over the map with a variety of heat . Starting off with the straight boom bap of Cuba Instrumentals face-scruncher “Quema”, to Barbara & Ernie’s blissed-out “For You”. From Common (People) records, to Saverage White Band (no, that is not a typo)  we don’t sleep, nor do we hate or discriminate. We just play full-length songs from our respective record collections and hope you guys enjoy it.” - Kaewonder

Hit the jump for the track list and link.

TRACKLIST:

1-Cuba Instrumental-”Quema”
2-Stereo Discotheque-”Malaria Fever”
3-Brain Auger’s Oblivion Express-”voices of other Times”
4-Pink Panther-”Here’s Lookin at you, kid”
5-Jim & Dale-”Past The State Mind”
6-Osmosis-”Adrift”
7-The Common People-”I have been alone”
8-Jean-Pierre-Ferland-Le Chat du cafe des Artistes”
9-Madelaine Bell” I Wanna be Around”
10-Betty Wright-”I Love The Way You Love”
11-Jerry Butler-”never gonna give you up”
12-Roy Ayers “Giving Love”
13-Barbara & Ernie-”For You”
14-Womb-”Evil People”
15-Sunshine On-”Mañana”
17-Saverage White Band-”A star in the ghetto”

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy

We did it.  Kaewonder and I have successfully maintained our dig diary, Cratery for 1 whole year.  And what better way to round out the year than with the hommie DJ Serious? Serious has been a mainstay on the DJ/Production (and now photography!) front in Toronto for quite some time now.  Since his early days at Lola’s Lounge and Planet Mars to creating the seminal DJ Serious Revue in the late 90’s, Dave’s accomplishments have grown considerably – much like his crates. This is our 12th installment of Cratery, which means we’ve hit y’all with close to 12 hours of soul, funk, jazz, psych, library and soundtrack heat in ’09.  FOR FREE.  The generosity continues in 2010 with more fire, more guests and of course, more crates.  Shout out to Kae, Serious, Heist, Ace, Johnbronski, Taktiks, Mensa, and all who made the last Cratery of the year unforgettable.  And don’t forget to check out Cratery LIVE this Tuesday December 22nd at Andy Poolhall – I get down with residents Kaewonder and Serious for 24 Carat Tuesdays.  FREENESS.
Hollerate!!!!!!!

Tracklist and Link after the jump.

1. Ten Wheel Drive “How long before I’m gone”
2. Spirit “Apple orchard”
3. Victor Brady “Brown Rain”
4. Seven Seas “Pat’s Jam”
5. Gene Harris & The 3 Sounds “Hey Girl”
6. Ike Turner “Thinking Black”
7. The Barons “Make it better”
8. Tito Puente “Last Tango in Paris”
9. The Professionals “Theme from Godfather”
10. Music DeWolfe “Hard Hitter”
11. Leon Thomas “It’s my life I’m fighting for”
12. Sonimage “Keep Quiet”
13. Chrysalis “30 Poplar”
14. Melba Moore “The Thrill is Gone”
15. 12 Top Hits “The Thrill Is Gone”

GET IT HERE

“Kae and I are both Sagittarians with savage qualities.  Qualities which I won’t mention here – but definitely the kind worthy of celebrating.  Cratery 11 coincides with both of our birthdays in the final week of November.  So we thought it might be fitting to pull out 11 personal favourites each – records that we like a little more than we ought to, for whatever reason – and share them with y’all.  Kae had the idea of highlighting the stories behind our selections, so we’ve included them in this month’s track list (You can find an extended version of the tracklist at barbecueorboogaloo.com). Some are joints we fell in love with when we first started diggin’. Some are oddities passed on by our peers.  And others remind us of how inventive hip-hop can be.  We give you Cratery 11. Enjoy.” - ARCEE

Arcee & Kaewonder still going strong with another edition of Cratery, including choice selections from Minnie Riperton, David Axelrod, Gil Scot Heron, Donald Byrd, Marvin Gaye, Leroy Hutson, James Brown, Little Beaver, Patrice Rushen, & much more! Track list and link after the jump.

TRACK LIST:

1. AR: Minnie Riperton “Every time he comes around”
Probably my favourite Minnie Riperton joint.

2. KAE: David Axelrod “A Divine Image”
This LP was always considered a “grail” when I was coming up digging, and as herbed-out as that seems in hindsight , I’ve always felt as though that was a rightful title.

3. AR: Gil Scot Heron “Lady Day and John Coltrane”
I play this when it rains. This joint is like every shade of grey.

4. KAE: Donald Byrd “Wind Parade”
I got my start looking for records that were used on my favorite rap records. Plus, this joint has been a classic from the moment it came out.

5. AR: Marvin Gaye/Life is for learning
I always have a new favourite Marvin joint.  Follow the bass player on this one.

6. KAE: The Reflections “(She’s my) Summer Breeze”
The string/bassline interplay on this is incredible. Produced by Mr. “Just Me & You”  himself, J.R. Bailey, which explains why the string arrangement is so fire.

7. AR: Leroy Hutson “I think I’m falling in love”
Got caught trying to steal this, years ago in Detroit.  I don’t steal records any more.

8. KAE: Milton Wright “Get no loving tonight”
This was one of the joints that really stuck with me when I first heard it, and changed my perception of post-’74 soul. There’s something really soulful, but kinda eerie about it, on some ARP shit.

9. AR: James Brown “You Mother You”
Tribe, Main Source, Pete Rock, Brand Nubian and Biz all enjoyed this JB album.  So do I.

10. KAE: Mock Duck “Do Re Mi”
One of my top 10 psych joints EVER. Extra points for being from my place of birth(Vancity!).

11. AR: Cymande “The Recluse”
One of the first albums I was geeked on finding.  I play this song more than “Brothers on the Slide”.

12. KAE: Silhouettes “Fonky First”
Got a package in the mail and opened it to find one my most sought-after LP’s (no eBay): this one.

13. AR: Donovan “Get thy Bearings”
I love this record because it speaks to the genius of Biz’s digging.

14. KAE: Jean-Jacques Perry “E.V.A”
Got this record from legendary dealer Ty Scammell out in Vancouver at “For The Record” in the flea market for $25. This shit still knocks as hard as the day I first heard it.

15. AR: Little Beaver “Let the good times roll”
Little Beaver is the master of partying below 80 bpm.  And his name is Little Beaver.

16. KAE: Alain Clavier “Metadata”
Fuzzed out, weird, disturbing (distressed female vocals, anyone?), and straight-up DUSTED, “Musique Pour NFB” is not only rare, but an esteemed artifact of Canada’s spirited electronic music history.

17. AR: Tania Maria “Come with me”
One of the first records that convinced to me start digging in the 80’s section.

18. KAE: Cortex “Huit Octobre 1971″
Absolutely stunning. This song completely slays in everyway possible. The Fender Rhodes and synth tones are dope & all, but I’ve always felt as though the drummer on this record is bananas.

19. AR: Bobbi Humphrey-”Fancy Dancer”
I’ve been going hard on some Mizell Brothers lately.  This one had to come back out.

20. KAE: Bayete (Todd Cochran) “Free Angela (Thoughts and all I’ve got to say)”
Some know this record being the basis for Jay Electronica’s “Dear Moleskine”, but I ride for the previous De La usage (“Sunshine” from “Stakes Is High”).

21. AR: Patrice Rushen-”Remind me”
Quintessential “AR Music”.  A classic.

22. KAE: Hodges,James & Smith “Sexy ways”
I remember my homegirl Anousheh playing this at a half-price sale I was at. I was like “damn, that’s kinda fire” and did the old “remember-that-cover” game. 20th Century records always had that sound.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy

“More Cratery Baby. My mans Kaewonder and I have successfully managed to run our monthly dig diary for 10 months without running out of records.  I’d say that kind of dedication is worth something awesome – like another free hour of funk on us. Cratery 10 starts off with some Modern Soul/Boogie bangers: some of my fav’s, including Webster Lewis’ “You are my life” and Eugene Record’s “Fan the Fire”.  By the end, you should be bopping to Curtis Mayfield’s 5 Stairsteps, the tripped out sounds of Stouffville Grit and the blue eyed soul of Jim Capaldi’s “Wild Dogs” (which some of you will undoubtedly recognize). Big up Acesix and Mr. Attic who joined us on our mini digging mission over the weekend. NEXT MONTH: Kae and I both celebrate our birthdays. Cratery 11 promises to either be a sick ass hour of funk or a drunken disaster.  I vote for both.” - ARCEE

Hit the jump for the track listing and link.

TRACK LIST:

1. Webster Lewis “You are my life”
2. Kleeer “I Love to dance”
3. Brainstorm “Wake up and be somebody”
4. Bruton Music “Motion 3″
5. Eugene Record “Fan the fire”
6. Skyy “Call me”
7. Komiko “Feel Alright”
8. The Nite-Liters “I’ve got my dreams to Remember”
9. 5 Stairsteps & Cubie “Love’s Happening”
10. Stouffville Grit “Diana by the Sea”
11. The Keef Hartley Band “Imitations from Home”
12. Little Boy Blues Band”Seed of Love”
13.Jane Birkin “Jane B”
14. Guy Pedersen “Christopher Columbus”
15. Egg “Germ Patrol”
16. Jim Capaldi “Wild dogs”

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

- (Man Like)Keezy