Radio Madrid

UNBELIEVABLE - A BRAND NEW PODCAST!!!

2010-10-25T19:20:00.005+02:00

its been three years since i did a new podcast... and took something tragic to get me back to my music - the passing away of a friend of mine, neil suddes, at the age of just 41. neil was a huge influence on me musically, if not in many other ways. there is nothing i can do to bring him back - its still hard to believe - but i can at least honour his memory. this podcast is dedicated to him but it sounds more like a celebration of his life.

please take some time to have a look at my webpage where you will be able to follow my exploits in preparing for my ironman triathlon (3.8km swim, 180 bike, 42.2 run!) in brazil in may next year...

hope you enjoy the show and, who knows, maybe i'll get inspired to get back on air!! here's the tracklisting:

persuasive percussion - misirlou
moondog – bird’s lament
carla bley – sing sung lung
the chilites – inner city blues
sir richard – louie louie
george benson quartet – summertime
the third degree - mercy
enoch light and his light brigade – hijack
the jackson 5 – mirrors of my mind
babla and his orchestra – ramaia vatsavaiya
harry raboniwitz and the london festival orchestra- quiller
godiego – monkey magic
dee edwards – why can’t there be love
the deirdre wilson tabac – I can’t keep from crying sometimes
chaquito – special project
ramsey lewis – blue bongo
m + j - rejoyce

http://traffic.libsyn.com/radiomadrid2/radio18.mp3

blimey o riley

2008-10-02T11:25:00.000+02:00

i can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. almost a year(!) since the last podcast. and i still haven't got around to doing one myself. not to worry, i have an excellent selection from bongómez which more than makes up for my absence.

in the meantime, i'm in the final straight of my training for the amsterdam marathon which takes place of the 19th of october. wish me luck and - even better - if you live in amsterdam, come out and shout for me! i'll let you know how i get on and i should then have some time to get back behind the decks.

in the meantime, enjoy the podcast...

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Jupiter (CDR)
Fredo the Viola – Hogwash (Because)
Labi Siffre – I Don’t Know What’s Happened To The Kids Today (Pye International)
Jorge Ben – Comanche (Philips)
Zimbo Trio – Para Lennon e McCartney (Philips)
Nana Caymmi – Cala Boca Menino (Trova)
Lloyd Charmers – I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More (Trojan)
Patchworks and Mr Day – Brothers On The Slide, The Dynamics Edit (Favorite)
DJ Day – A Place To Go (Melting Pot)
Mr Beatnick – What’s Going On Reconstruction (Shhhhh Edit)
Maurice Jackson – Lucky Fellow (Goldmine)
Ronnie McNeir – You Are Everything (Prodigal)
Karin Jones – Here I Go Again (Handshake)
Lee McDonald – We’ve Only Just Begun, Original Extended Version (Favorite)
Leon Thomas – Love Each Other (Soul Brother)
Irene Kral – Going To California (Mainstream)
Joe Newman with Frank Foster – Mo-Lasses (Prestige Swingville)
Tawiah – Everystep (Bush Girl)
Two Banks of Four – Shadowlands, Season & Sygaire Remix (Sonar Kollektiv)
Jean Luc Ponty – In The Fast Lane (Columbia)
Richard Brown – Mr Vertigo (Burnt Progress)
Jazzanova feat. Paul Randolph – Let Me Show Ya (Sonar Kollektiv)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/bongomez3.mp3

where the hell have i been all this time...?

2008-04-15T12:31:00.001+02:00

i've hardly been down to the basement for months now. there are two reasons for this... ironically enough, the first is that i thought after having done a podcast for over two years i should at least own an ipod, so i bought myself an ipod touch. and, guess what, i've discovered that it is great being able to listen to music everywhere: in the car, in the gym, even in the swimming pool! i've actually started to buy digital music instead of vinyl... is this the end of an era?

more significantly, i've taken up running. i've even got my playlists organized to be at exactly the right tempo for my steps... i recently ran in the madrid half marathon and managed to raise some money for voces: you can see for yourself here. of course all this training takes away time when i could be doing podcasts.

keep bugging me and i will get on to do another podcast real soon now, i promise!

osaka monaurail in madrid!

2007-12-13T17:20:00.000+01:00

this saturday we have a rare chance to see the best in japanese funk, brought over especially from japan by javi bayo (http://www.danzz.es/, http://www.club-expansions.com/). i'll definitely be there so drop me a line if you are thinking of going.

saturday 15 of december, 21:30, sala caracol

tickets on sale in ama records (mercado de fuencarral, calle fuencarral, 45) or upbeat records (calle espíritu santo, 6)

12 euros in advance, 15 euros on the door

the tickets include entry to the post concert party in sala tempo (calle duque de osuna, 8) from 00:30 onwards, with sessions from dj pari, dj harry callahan and of course jesús bombín and javi bayo

check out the videos.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACmzHiwUp80

voces (voices)

2007-10-25T18:48:00.000+02:00

i was lucky enough to go to a very exciting event last night, the first concert organised by "voces", a new NGO based in spain, whose aims are to raise awareness (and money) for worthy causes (check http://www.voces.org.es/). they've managed to get support from the most famous and most promising musicians and actors that spain has to offer so its no surprise that the concert was completely sold out (12,000 people!). the musicians seemed to be enjoying it as much as the audience. drop me an email if you are interested in more details.

check out some videos here: http://es.youtube.com/AsociacionVoces

podcast #17 - tribute to jon lucien (RIP)

2007-10-25T10:10:00.000+02:00

sadly, jon lucien, the owner of one of the most beautiful voices to ever grace this
planet, passed away recently. so i wanted to dedicate this podcast to his memory; may he rest in peace. thanks for the great music jon.

here is the tracklisting:

serge gainsbourg - ah! melody (philips)
astor piazzola - el viaje (4 hero remix) (chicooligan)
beat konducta - movie finale (stones throw)
beatconductor - marrakech (gamm)
jon lucien - would you believe in me (rca)
land of afro - spooky (freestyle)
boris gardner happening - melting pot (trojan)
wille and the mighty magnificents - funky 8 corners (all platinum)
herbie hancock - wiggle waggle (warner bros)
nono morales - soana (jazzman)
west/rock/woods - love cats (mukatsuku)
? - mirrors of my mind (moton records inc)
QSO vs MR - pushin ronson (rebtuz)
MJ vs Q tip - breathe and stop 2002 (ariston)
dubben - karameller (gamm)
aquarian dream - you're a star (elektra)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker13.mp3

podcast #16 - another new old podcast

2007-09-17T17:43:00.000+02:00

i'm afraid i'm having to dig into the archives of old mixes (but still good ones!) because i just don't have time to do a new podcast right now... another tour of north, central and south america is looming. this mix i did for "brokenbeat radio" and "department deluxe" over three years ago but i was listening to it today in the gym while sweating my head off on the treadmill and its not bad, even if i say so myself. when i get back from my travels i'll do another podcast, i promise!

Excerpt From Kojak / A Question Of Honor / Peter Pan Records
Christian Zimmermann / Diary Of A Lost Girl / BBE
Solid Groove / Flookin / Loungin Records
Paolo Fedreghini / Please Don't Leave / Schema
Antonio Ocasio / Amazonia, Corazon De Brasil / Tribal Winds
Russ Gabriel / Jelba / S.M.A.L.L
Studio Uno Band / Di Bi Di / White
The Mighty Bop Feat. Duncan Roy / I Go Crazy / Yellow
Greens Keepers / Bang In Your Face? / Classic
Terri Walker / Ching Ching / Mercury Records
Mafikizolo / Loot / MAW Records
Terry Hall + Mushtaq / They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around / Honest Jons
Erkin Koray / Estarabim / Dogan

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/deluxe.mp3

the full montenegro

2007-09-01T19:37:00.000+02:00

so montenegro was great! in no small part this was due to a musical oasis in the old part of budva, called casper (where i was deejaying, of course!) but what really made it was our fantastic host and owner of casper, marko. he made me feel like i was the only one deejaying there out of the 10 or so deejays on the lineup, such was his attention to every detail. i'd also like to give a big thanks to nebojsa (who organised the whole thing) and his lovely wife jelena. i was also lucky enough to meet up with another good serbian friend, zjelko (from cosmic sounds) who was in belgrade when we were there. the only disappointing aspect was that quantic cancelled at the last minute (and i had the honour of filling in for him, as you can see it was sweaty work!). the three sessions i did have all been recorded - i will send a copy to the first ten people to email me asking for one!

podcast #15 - rodríguez special

2007-07-30T09:37:00.000+02:00

(from the journal of san diego.) The contemporary expression employed in Spain to indicate a man whose family is out of town and is temporarily a "bachelor" is estar de Rodríguez ("to be Rodríguez), indicating the alias usually assumed during extra-marital relationships, such as "Jones" or "Smith" would be used in similar situations in the United States.

so what better way to use my time other than to do another podcast!

earl bostic - harlem nocturne (gusto)
shankar jaikishan - mishra pilu (hmv)
the polyversal souls - sad nile (fryers recordings)
me & you - the hoop loop (tru thoughts)
mo' horizons - green day (agogo)
nina simone - funkier than a mosquito's tweeter (rca)
the dubben band - dubbicho (resense)
astrud gilberto - beginings (verve)
baden powell - blues a volonte (mps)
nino ferrer - les cornichons (riviera)
roy castle - voodoo girl (cbs)
nostalgia 77 - wildflower (tru thoughts)
idris mohammed - could heaven ever be like this? (kudu)
francine mcgee - delirium (ariola)
herbie hancock - saturday night (gamm)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker12.mp3

not sorted your summer holidays out yet?

2007-07-05T14:34:00.001+02:00

so if croatia is the new greece i reckon montenegro has to be the new croatia... and what better reason for heading down to budva than to see me (ajem!) and quantic amongst other great djs playing in the open air! the venue is kids friendly (i'll be there with the whole family) so don't be shy to combine the beach holiday with the party holiday...

the details of the venue are

"Tudo Beleza festival takes place in CASPER, DJ BAR situated in the old town of Budva. It is in CARA DUSANA street. Walking along the yacht port of Budva this is the LAST ENTRY GATE into the Old Town on the right side. After 30m you will notice a magnificent garden in stone covered by lemon trees, with the finest music in the area - this is CASPER."

calling out for anyone who went to the "world peace soul jazz" sessions

2007-07-04T00:12:00.001+02:00

i would love to hear from anyone who came along to world peace soul jazz all those years ago in oxford... it was started by a couple of friends of mine - john cusins and chris swales - then i got involved... those were the days - popping down to london to jam records in the trocadero (RIP) and getting vip treatment from ollie... and being able to play anything as long as it was good... giving away free food so we could dodge the esoteric uk licensing laws and keep going until midnight(!) on a sunday. we even had tom from groove armada as a guest dj (in 1992!).

podcast #14

2007-07-03T23:12:00.001+02:00

without further ado, here is the tracklisting for the latest podcast... comments please - don't be shy! and anyone in madrid this friday - come down to the boca del lobo in calle echegaray...

tom jones - ain't no sunshine (parrot)
doc severinsen - fever (command quadrophonic)
"rob on acid"
hot rocks - the chopper
enoch light - hijack
steely dan - peg (abc records)
j j cale - right down here (mercury)
ray terrace - michelle (tower records)
warieka hill sounds - africa freedom march (honest jons)
fat freddie's drop - ernie (drop)
nightmares on wax - the sweetest (warp)
kutiman - music is ruling my world (mpm)
mo horizons - green day (agogo)
ben westbeech - dance with me (switch remix) (brownswood)
ben westbeech - get closer (brownswood)
makoto - take my soul baby (good looking records)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker11.mp3

finally, i can watch the beeb in madrid!!

2007-06-28T11:18:00.000+02:00

i've been waiting for this moment for over 6 years... and it has always eluded me. to be able to watch the bbc in spain the size of the satelite dish needed has always just been out of reach - just as i was getting used to the cost (and the size) the signal would move to another satelite and the dish would have to be even bigger and uglier (latest was 2 metres diameter!). so i'd pretty much given up hope.

now this is not an advertisment, just that i am very grateful to the person who put me on to this gadget (and to my brother who has it in his house, sapping his internet upload bandwidth) and i think it might be of interest to some of you international peeps! its called a slingbox and the idea is that you leave it connected to a tv aerial and the internet in your country of choice. then you can log on to it via the internet from anywhere in the world and watch your beloved home tv. although after so many years i'm beginning to realise how crap a lot of it is... i still miss it though!!

something to stir up a bit of debate...

2007-06-22T12:55:00.000+02:00

(disclaimer: i'm talking about differences between men and women ON AVERAGE, not about all men and women)

lately, i've noticed more and more girls who are passionately into their music. and i have my theory that the internet, itunes and online social networks like myspace have gone some way to level the playing field.

what do i mean? i think that men tend to collect music more than women but are not necessarily more or less passionate about listening to it. and faced with a collector with an encyclopaedic knowledge of records it can be a bit intimidating...

for example, in my experience of deejaying (and of course this may be conditioned on how good or bad looking i am), all the requests i have had from guys have been of the type "have you got such and such track by such and such" and from girls more like "can you play something that we all know"? i think that it is easier (in general) for a guy to go up to a deejay and ask for a request... the girls that come up tend to be more drunk by the time they start asking. the same thing goes for specialist record shops (just make a count of how many guys to girls there are on average) which has a more far reaching effect...

so, my point is that, behind the anonymity of your computer screen and with the ease of finding and downloading related music that you like on the internet, i wonder whether this has balanced out this social bias and left us just with those who are passionate about music and those who are not so passionate (be they men or women).

podcast #13 - summer madness

2007-06-10T18:01:00.000+02:00

i'm back from my second tour of central and south america. (not a dj tour, mind.) and that means i can back to the basement... hope you like the show... comments please!

babe ruth - the runaways (harvest)
gianfranco reverberi - nel cimitero di tucson
the andrew oldham orchestra - the last time (london)
onsunlade - acrylic venezuela (yoruba)
four hero - morning child (raw canvas)
patrice - soul storm
jackie mittoo - totally together (studio one)
nouvelle vague - the guns of brixton (peacefrog)
troubleman - lonely girl (far out)
? - ? (cup of tea)
mark ronson - god put a smile upon your face (sony)
johnny pate - you can't even walk in the park (abc)
gil scott heron + brian jackson - its your world (ariston)
first gear - i feel the earth move
mario biondi - i can't keep from crying sometimes (schema)
jazz invaders - love and happiness (social beats)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker10.mp3

maybe i'm crazy...

2007-06-04T14:48:00.000+02:00

...but check this out!

podcast #12

2007-04-22T23:32:00.000+02:00

i've just been finding too much good music lately to go to waste (either in the shops or hidden in my own collection, collecting dust). so, without further ado, here is this the tracklisting - comments please!! and don't forget to check out my myspace and become a friend! oh yes, and jonmarie dominguez from new mexico has gone to the trouble of creating a dedicated radio madrid group on facebook! thanks for the support!

40 winks - one button (merck)
drop zone productions - wondering
40 winks - melancolia (escapism)
QSO featuring AR - follow me (rebtuz)
quantic - announcement to an answer (tru thoughts)
fat freddy's drop - this room (drop)
johnny osbourne - truths and rights (studio 1)
randy's all stars - batman (impact!)
jackie mittoo - hang em high (coxsone)
mark ronson - stop me
dennis coffey - black belt jones main theme (w)
gp & gf reverberi - session 3
nino ferrer - mirza (riviera)
the latin brothers - las caleñas son como las flores (soundway)
wilson das neves - california soul (ether)
claudette soares - carolina carol bela (philips)
joao donato - que besteira (som livre)
os originais do samba - tenha fe, pois amanha um lindo dia vai nascer (exportacao)
viva brasil - ronco de cuica (sugarloaf)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker9.mp3

growing slowly, but surely

2007-03-27T19:13:00.000+02:00

as you can see, the word is spreading - slowly, but surely... its great to think that about the 130 people a day who currently listen to these shows, people from all over the world. people jogging in central park, librarians tuning in while they are busy cataloging, etc. people from every conceivable country (in the last hour i have hits from the US, from japan, from the dominican republic, from france, italy, the netherlands, the UK, germany and, of course, spain). i know it sounds corny, but all i really care about is getting this music HEARD. if i have an ulterior motive, it is just to make sure that more music like this is MADE. so, if you like these shows, please spread the word... its not to everybody's taste but i KNOW there are more of you out there...

new podcast (#11) from bongómez!!

2007-03-27T10:56:00.000+02:00

yes, finding time inbetween juggling a phd in cambridge and all the associated drinking activities, john bongómez has put together another sterling session which will keep you entertained until i get another chance to go down to the basement. ¡ que corra la voz ! here is the tracklist:

Clarence Smith - Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Soul Jazz)
Andy Bey - I Know This Love Can’t Be Wrong (Atlantic)
John Martyn - Bless The Weather (Island)
Brigitte Fontaine - Brigitte (Saravah)
Babs Gonzales - Lullaby Of The Doomed (Hope)
Mary Lou Williams - It Ain’t Necessarily So (Saba)
Leroy Hutson - Cool Out (Curtom)
Milton Nascimento - Tudo Que Você Podia Ser (Odeon)
Brigitte Fontaine - Tanka II (Saravah)
Joki Freund Sextet - Yogiana (CBS/Sawano)
João Donato - Me Deixa (Odeon)
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombone (Island)
Mark Hollis - The Gift (Polydor)
Family Of Percussion - Here Comes The Family (Nagara)
Duke Pearson - The Phantom (Blue Note)
Saul Williams - Black Stacey (Fader)
Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet - Dusk Fire (BGO)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/Deep_Podcast.mp3

new record shop in madrid!

2007-03-19T11:29:00.000+01:00

miriam checa (podcast colaborator) has just opened a new record shop in madrid called lola pulgada, specialising in jazz, nu soul, funk, hip-hop, downtempo... they've got vinyls, cds, dvds, t-shirts and even books. see the map for how to get there!

podcast #10

2007-03-13T08:54:00.000+01:00

can't believe its march already... this year is flying by. anyways, i hope you enjoy the podcast. remember, the more you encourage me, the more frequently i'll get around to doing podcasts... that's the beauty of interactivity! here is the tracklisting:

anandar shankar - renunciation (fallout records)
o p nayar - one two three baby (bombay connection)
re:jazz - gabrielle (infracom)
serge gainsbourg - requiem pour un con
morton and the uptights - taurus (palette)
kai winding - simian theme (verve)
steve ellis - the undertaker song (licourice soul)
dave cortez with the moon people - happy soul with a hook (fania)
the latin blues band - lay an oz on me (speed records)
ray terrace - wade in the water (tower)
brownout - el narco (alternate take records)
grupo irakere - bacalao con pan (avan guard)
library vultures - ronnie's groove
colman brothers - el niño (wah wah)
johnny dankworth - eleven plus (philips)
otto donner - haka blues
mario biondi and the high five quintet - this is what you are (schema)
red astaire - love to angie (house of godis records)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker8.mp3

ps: check out this link
http://www.lacoctelera.com/djbombin/post/2007/03/12/heavy-usker-este-viernes-16-la-boca-del-lobo-

the trials and tribulations of a jazz dj

2007-03-06T15:49:00.000+01:00

watch (at least) the first two minutes of this... it's spot on. what i find amazing is that deejaying with jazz records is so "mainstream" in the uk that it's made its way into a tv comedy...

wow... heavy üsker in demand!

2007-03-06T15:17:00.000+01:00

i was chuffed just now to see that the 12" i did on hitop records with the remix of cesar mariano's "futebol de bar" was just sold from japan to hong kong on ebay for $20! i told hitop we should have pressed some more of them... :-)

danzz on you tube

2007-03-06T09:10:00.000+01:00

check these out (from the opening danzz night):

danzz workshop

2007-02-27T09:16:00.000+01:00

the monthly jazz dance night in madrid is going to the next level: javi has organised a jazz dance workshop for kids (or maybe i should say "young people") aged between 12 and 15 years. jazzcotech will be showing their moves! i can just see this turning into madrid's answer to ny's legendary "body and soul" where people of all ages get together... (i might try to pass myself off as a slightly weather worn adolescent.)

the workshop will take place the day after the april session in sala morocco on the 1st of april when we will have paul murphy(!) - one of the originators of the london jazz dance scene in the early 90s - in the house. this is no april fool!!

details: la casa encendida, 2-4 april, telephone 902430322 / 916024641, www.lacasaencedida.com

the places are limited so don't miss out!

i'll be doing a new podcast in the next few days so keep your ears peeled.

DANZZ

2007-01-05T20:57:00.000+01:00

yes, its that time of the month again for the second www.danzz.es in sala morocco (madrid). make sure you get there unfashionably early (19:00 this sunday) so as not to miss the masterclass from the jazzcotech dudes and dudesses. as i said, this event is breaking moulds!! for radio madrid listeners there's the chance to catch john gomez on the decks! unfortunately i won't be able to make it as i have to fly to chile on sunday evening... but i will be there in spirit... DON'T MISS IT! even the jazzcotech guys were psyched by the last one, and they get spoilt by the london jazzdance crowd. that's the spanish passion they are missing you see...

podcast #9 - www.danzz.es

2006-12-13T21:27:00.000+01:00

danzz was a phenomenal success! the jazzcotech boys and girls did a sterling job in catalysing the dancefloor which allowed us to take things to a level that spain has never seen or heard before! i was able to drop tracks i've never evern dared drop in london AND EVERYONE DANCED LIKE CRAZY! anyway, if you can't wait until the next session on the 7th of january (get booking those flights!) you can make do with this special session featuring the mastermind behind danzz (javi bayo) and the other deejays putting the tracks down... have a great christmas and new year!

a fantastica orquestra de studio de cipo - caravan (imperial)
jonathan richman - egyptian reggea (jazzman)
salah ragar - eqyptian strut
morton and the uptights - montego (palette)
guido carnagy - free way exit (rbr)
chaquito - special project (fontana)
carlos lacerda - disintegracao (js discos)
helen merrill - why don't you do right (rca italia)
lee mason - the connection (chappell)
pege trio - baby car (hungaroton)
clarke boland big band - om mani padme hum (atlantic)
joanne grauer - see you later (mps)
steve & eydie - this could be the start of something big (abc)
cannonball aderley & sergio mendes - sanibop (emi)
mark murphy - milestones (rah)
ray terrace - you've been talking 'bout me baby (tower)
paul winter sextet - viaje a recife (cbs)
the leslie drayton orchestra featuring barbara morrison - when will you be mine? (esoteric records)
the james taylor quartet - it doesn't matter (polydor)
jon hendricks - reza (fontana)
jackie & roy - don't be blue (concord jazz)
teurmoso hino - samba de la cruz (flying disc)
dadisi komolafe - speak no evil (nimbus)
guida de palma - casa forte (club brasil)
dick morrissey quartet - don't fall over the bridge (mercury)
john suriman - dance (deram)
quintessence - samba de santa rosa (quintessence)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker7.mp3

DANZZ this sunday

2006-11-22T15:43:00.000+01:00

jazzcotech

this sunday we are going to be breaking some moulds in madrid! the first one is a nod to the legendary dingwalls in london, where gilles peterson and patrick forge rose to fame: we will be playing from 7pm to midnight. this may not seem a big deal, but in a city where there are clubs that go on until this time from saturday night, its filling an important gap in the clubbing calendar. the second mould-breaker is that javi bayo (soundclash) is bringing the incredible jazzcotech dancers (think fred astaire meets capoeira) to share the dancefloor. when i first started deejaying about 15 years ago i used to be bowled over by those moves, the kneedrops, the spins, the improvisation. danny freidman, if you are reading this please drop me a line! i am so excited that i've got the opportunity to be involved in this! check the movie and the flyer... as usual, hit me for the guest listage.

2006-10-19T10:01:00.000+02:00

body pop-adum

if you haven't seen this before, check it out! its hilarious... michael jackson eat your heart out!

podcast #8 - long time no hear

2006-10-18T09:28:00.000+02:00

i'm back! been travelling around far too much lately - at least, that's my excuse this time. still, i hope its worth the wait. i'm already itching to do another one. here's the tracklist:

the cure - the snakepit (fiction)
ben westbeach - beauty (brownswood) (not best wenbeach as i presented it!)
maxence cyrin - sueño latino (download)
massive attack - teardrop (wb)
chinchilla - don't kill your fantasy (hitop)
melba moore - the magic touch (musicor)
the bamboos - happy (tru thoughts)
platinum pied pipers - 50 ways to leave your lover (ubiquity)
hiroshi fukumara - hunt up wind (inner city)
the quartette très bien - charade (decca)
the indonesian all stars - burungkaka tua (verve)
dj catalyst - baltimore oriole (pr records)
tavus havasi - baba zula (double moon)
okay temiz - east breeze (wea)
shantel - mahalageasca (essay)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/radiomadrid/heavyusker6.mp3

podcast #7 - blast from the past

2006-07-31T21:25:00.000+02:00

the other day i listened again to the very first radio madrid show ever (when it was more of a mixtape and less of a show) and i thought, this is pretty good! so, continuing with the 5th anniversary spirit (and my general laziness to do a new show) i thought i'd post it here. new show sooooon i promise!!!

by the way, a nice example of things coming around full circle. i just got an email out of the blue from a guy promoting his latest album. the band was called "the trio très bien" (pictured) which made me look a bit closer... the "guy" turned out to be none other than jeter thompson, the pianist from the "quartette très bien" and the man who wrote "boss très bien", a tune which has rarely left my record box. wow, the internet is crazy.

al foster band - night of the wolf (jazz spectrum)
the adam ross reeds - silly savage(the grass is greener)
mr hermano - free as the morning sun (12")
caveril payne - when i open my eyes (jazz bizniz 2)
salena jones - right now (moment of truth)
the peddlers - tell the world we're not in (7")
jimmy caravan - little bird (look into the flower)
elsie bianchi - little bird (the sweetest sound)
dee felice trio - nightingale (jazz spectrum)
quartette tres bien - boss tres bien (boss tres bien)
jazztronik - dizzin (jazztronik)
balanco - metti una sera a cena (jazzanova remix)
onkel joe - catch up (glücklich)
mr gone - mosquito coast (12")
kenny clarke and francy boland - un graso de areia (latin kaleidoscope)
perez prado - james bond theme (lights! action! prado!)

http://www.heavyusker.com/radio.mp3

podcast #6 - bomgómez special!

2006-06-24T09:59:00.000+02:00

i've been so busy lately that its been impossible to get down to the basement... as there was such a great response to the show i did with john "bongómez" gómez, i thought i would step aside and give the whole stage to the man. so this month we have an exclusive mix from john with no annoying banter from me over the top. we may even make this a regular online colaboration seeing as we have a monthly slot together at anymus (next date: 22nd july - put it in your diaries!). here's the tracklisting:

Soulphiction: Intro (Sonar Kollektiv)
Ramsey Lewis: Eternal Journey (Chess)
Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’77: Iemanjá (A&M)
Phoenix Black: Bling Bling (Burnt Progress)
Marc Mac: It’s Simple (BBE)
Don Byron: You Are # 6 (Blue Note)
Bobby Cole: A Change Of Scene (Concentric/P-Vine)
João Donato e Seu Trio: Tim Dom Dom (Polyfar)
Orquesta de Federico Ramírez: Voo Doo (Discos Corona)
Brubekk: Earthshaker (GAMM)
Gwen McCrae: Doin’ It (Atlantic)
Jorge Ben: Sou Da Pesada - 7 Samurai Afroraduno Remix (Dejavu)
Ira Sullivan: Nineveh (Atlantic)
Weldon Irvine: Soul Sisters (Nodlew)
Hajime Yoshizawa: Rise Me Up (Especial)
Motionlab feat. Reggie Watts: Anywhere (Kajmere)
Ramsey Lewis: Slick (CBS)
Andy Bey: River Man - live (12th Street)
Jaime e Nair: Sob o Mar (CID)

http://www.heavyusker.com/1 Bongomez.mp3

happy birthday

2006-06-14T10:39:00.000+02:00

well, actually its not MY birthday but RADIO MADRID is 5 years old today!! it started off as an idea that i had on my honeymoon while lounging in a hammock in belize... i had recently moved to spain and i missed those "sessions" when friends would come round and listen to records and drink beer. it wasn't quite the same thing, but i thought i would start an internet radio station for my friends to listen to (see my webpage for the tracklisting history). as it turned out, few of my friends had the bandwidth to listen to it in those days and instead i started getting emails from all over the world from people i didn't know. i ended up doing mixes for milkaudio and soulstrut amongst others and a chap called gaspar got in touch as a result... that lead to the live radio sessions in el círculo de bellas artes (100.4 fm) which during the two years that i had the opportunity to broadcast, i progressed from nervously talking (and sweating) over the records in spanish to being reasonably confident. unfortunately as you know those sessions got canned earlier this year to make way for more flamenco and poetry. that's when i discovered the podcast! thanks to all those who have spurred me on along the way!

la copa mundial

2006-06-14T09:58:00.000+02:00

i've been wondering who i should support in the world cup since i am english but i live in spain (and i don't fancy either of their chances of winning - sorry!). the choice has just been made easy for me... my sources in the UK tell me that the theme music that they have chosen for the televising of brazil matches is my remix of cesar mariano's "futebol de bar"!
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡GO ON BRAZIL!!!!!!!!!!

next saturday in organic (madrid)

2006-06-02T22:07:00.000+02:00

john gómez and myself will be on the decks at the new dial soul venture "organic" @ anymus. i may be biased but organic is the nearest to a london club i have seen in spain, in the sense of there being such a good mix of people and the styling of the venue. some serious coctails on offer and there's a restaurant too... hit me for guest listage!

flyer and jingle

2006-06-02T22:03:00.000+02:00

check these out...

http://www.heavyusker.com/mestizos.mp3

valencia rocked

2006-05-30T09:54:00.000+02:00

the gig in valencia was great - especially "muchachito bombo infierno" who were brilliant... and then of course me... apart from a few teething problems with the sound (including inadvertently becoming "rob unplugged" temporarily) the crowd really got into the set. when it was time to shut up shop, a few of the more feisty ones tried to jump the fence to put on another track themselves. thanks to el caiman for treating me like a rock star (dressing room, bottle of whisky, etc). it looks like there'll be some more gigs to follow so i'd better start thinking up some eccentric demands for next time...

valencia here i come!!!

2006-05-24T09:18:00.000+02:00

this saturday i will be deejaying at this event with an expected audience of 3,000 to 4,000 people! drop me a line if you are going to be in town!

new podcast!!!

2006-05-05T21:25:00.000+02:00

yes! its been a little while but we've had an overdose of bank holidays here (4 since the last podcast - life is tough). so it's meant time away from my beloved vinyl, delays in records arriving and - most importantly - john gómez, my special guest has been away. but i think you will agree that the wait was worth it. he has pulled out a bag of absurdly good tunes that are making me seriously question whether i can match that kind of quality. anyway, without further ado, here is the tracklist. comments please!!

ray bryant - cubano chant (2s siders)
los fabulosos festivales - el mensaje (soundway)
manny corvado - chicken and booze (jazzman)
joe torres - latino con soul (world pacific)
sarah vaughn - the mystery of man (telmak)
nera leao - berimbau (elenco)
al hirt - harlem hindoo (rca)
jef gilson nonet - overture (saba)
gum drop feat zena edwards - now i rise (altered vibes)
tenorio junior - consolocao (rce)
bahamadia - good rap music
gary bartz - i've known rivers (prestige)
innerzone orchestra - people make the world go round (planet e)
ray haynes - dorian (prestige)
pete kuzme feat bilal - high and dry (bbe)
nino maschelle - if you believe (you will be strong) - ubiquity
omar - ghana emotion (ether)
rebtuz - to be in love (white)
the gotan project - diferente
los hermanos latinos - baria cumbia (black)
bill cosby and the bunions bradford funeral marching band - mouth of the fish (sussex)

http://www.heavyusker.com/heavyusker5.mp3

rob's top tips for buying (and selling) on ebay

2006-03-31T21:20:00.000+02:00

(or confessions of an ebay addict)
as you can imagine, quite a few of my records were won in auctions on ebay. (by the way i have no affiliation whatsoever with ebay or any other business i mention here!) i've sold many fewer records (in fact i have only sold one record for a friend): as i say, you can never regret buying a record, but you can regret NOT buying one or, worse still, SELLING a record.

tips for buyers
1. ok, this one is a bit contraversial but i'll try to convince even those who have been "sniped" of the merits of sniping. we all want to get those records as cheap as possible, right? but who hasn't got in a bidding war? things are worth what someone else is willing to pay for them. so, if someone else outbids you, its is worth paying more for by definition! but then the same situation arises for the other bidder... my advice is to stick to a strict maximum which is what you would call a bargain. then, you use something like esnipe to automatically put your bid on at the last minute. that way, noone knows what you are bidding on and if the auction has no other bids, your bid will not atract others (like flies to...). the best thing is that you put it on and then forget about it. of course, you lose the auction but you keep trying until you eventually get it (maybe adjusting your maximum a little if you can't wait long enough).
2. so how do you know what records are worth? you can search past auctions to see what prices things ACTUALLY went for. (why do people get upset when a record goes for more than its "worth"?) but ebay only carries one month of data. this is where popsike come in. these guys keep a history of past record auctions going back years!!!
3. do as to others what they would do unto you. find out about records by searching through past and current auctions of people who compete for the same records as you.
4. search through seller's other auctions. maybe you can save postage.
5. here's a good one (but i'm sure i'm not the only one to have thought of it). suppose you are looking for that rare original by "mulatu". if you find it, then for sure you'll be up against some stiff competition and it will go for a small fortune. but what if the seller misspelt it? then hardly anyone else would find it. UNLESS they were warped enough to actually SEARCH for misspellings (e.g. "mulato" - although this may bring up more than you reckonned for!). desperate times call for desperate measures.

tips for sellers
1. as i say, i've only sold one record but i've been paying attention! of course you want to sell the record for as much as possible and you certainly don't want anyone to get it off you for less than you paid... but you'll never make money on ebay by just selling one item. you have to hedge you bets - some you win some you lose.
2. ok, so you 've got lots of items up for sale. each item is like a little advert for all the rest, so you start to bring in more and more potential bidders.
3. you should have some "loss leaders". think of this as advertising. don't think about the individual record but the whole lot. you put some on real cheap with the risk that they may go for too little (but they may end up surprising you!).
4. put the word out!

psp podcast

2006-03-31T21:10:00.000+02:00

forget all this business about cracks and homebrew software for the psp. the firmware upgrades are worth it for the internet browser and the wireless internet radio alone! if you have the 2.60 firmware (or later) go to the browser and type in the following url: http://feeds.feedburner.com/radiomadrid. then follow the instructions, exit the browser and go to "rss channel" in the network menu and select radio madrid... from now on you can go straight to the rss channel to stream all the shows. you'll soon forget that the psp also plays games quite well.

google wracking

2006-03-28T14:35:00.000+02:00

looking through the stats of my heavyusker website i came across some interesting searches that lead people to my page. the vast majority of searches are relevant (just as well, really) but i had to wonder at the people who were looking for

1. bar graph about the cons of drinking too much beer
2. why do you heavy breath when upset
3. french porno (this person must have trawled through a LOT of porn to get to my page, and then must have been very disappointed!)
4. www.indian porno.com (several times!)
5. best hairdressers clapham
6. scrap yards clapham (what is this with clapham?)
7. yugoslavia bons women manager current email contact (at least they were being specific...)
8. please let me listen to baris manco music (ok, google doesn't quite work like that)
9. cryogenics frozen spark plugs does it work
10. jazz beard

i've thought of a new challenge which will hopefully make me as rich and famous as the author of googlewhack. the idea is to find my webpage using the most absurd search string possible. you'll either need to be very cunning (and googlewrack your brains - ouch!) or very patient. a prize to the most ludicrous offering!! (subject to verification in the stats page!)

podcast with miriam checa

2006-03-25T22:03:00.000+01:00

i'm really on a roll now... finally, after literally years of promising miriam that i'd invite her as a guest on my radio show, we've done a show together. ok, it wasn't quite as glamorous a setting as the 5th floor of the círculo de bellas artes but the music was just as good, if not better... here's the tracklist so you can judge for yourselves.

scott bradford - essential horror (probe)
mustafa ökzentwe orkestrasi - dolana dolana
mahmoud ahmed - atawurulega léla
cannonball adderly - j's tune (mercury)
etta jones - almost like being in love
etta james - stormy weather
marco di marco - fontainebleu (ariston)
timo lassy - african rumble (ricky tick)
nathan davis - tragic magic (luv n haight)
marvin gaye - rockin after midnight
crown eights affair - use your body and soul
sugarhill gang - rapper's reprise
context - if i had a band (sonny b records)
the groove merchants - there's got to be someone for me (suemi)
mark ronson featuring alex greenwald - just (bbe)
mephis black soul club - hang em high (sonorama)
louise mccord - better get a move on
the isley brothers - that lady
jackie moore - if (strictly break records)
flowers - for real (resolution records)
lemuria - hunk of heaven (heaven records)

http://www.heavyusker.com/heavyusker4.mp3

not so heavy üsker

2006-03-22T15:38:00.000+01:00

i'd forgotten all about this photo... this is my eldest son luca (he's now 3 and a half) sporting a t-shirt that was a present from josé ángel (dj jadd).

my studio

2006-03-13T20:07:00.000+01:00

i just bought myself some boxes of tricks with loads of knobs to twiddle and lots of flashing lights. i'm not quite sure what they are all for yet but i'm getting there... seriously though, now the music "ducks" out of the way when i talk without me having to do anything and i also avoid "clipping" when i record to an unforgiving digital recorder (not like the good old days of cassettes). then finally i've got a "vinyl touch classic" which can timestretch in realtime to compensate for speeding up / slowing down the turntables. mmmm, interesting!! actually, this last piece of kit i picked up a number of years ago. it seems like the company (mix machines) has gone bust. i never understood why this gadget wasn't more popular: it wasn't too expensive and it works like a treat. just like a dj cd without the inconvenience of having to play cds.

dial soul

2006-03-05T17:51:00.000+01:00

i've just got around to doing another podcast - i'm on a roll... i've even been interviewed in a local paper about the podcast. its in english so you can check it out here! the tracklist this time around is

ofra haza - im nin'ain
gene harris - losalamitos (latinfunklovesong) (bluenote)
howard roberts - dirty old bossa nova (capitol)
sound factory inc - house of the rising sun (drive in)
james reese and the progressions - let's go (it's summertime)
nancy sinatra - the boots are made for walking (rhino)
nanette natal - it's over
grupo jazz marac - sguardo (ariston)
maxence cyrin - jaguar (d/l)
luis arruda paes - upa neguinhio (odeon)
? - aquarius (supreme records)
los hermanos latinos - puerto rico (white)
burnout - homenage (freestyle)
lupo el fantástico - los angelitos negros (cotique)
captain planet - samba radiante (?)
bugs in the attic - sounds like (white)
swell session - speak (hospital records)
paddy roberts - the big deejay (decca 1959)

don't forget the competition!

http://www.heavyusker.com/heavyusker3.mp3

dial soul

2006-02-15T11:13:00.000+01:00

well, the first podcast was so successful that i've been hitting my bandwidth limits. so if you get denied service, its not because its crap, its because its just too good... i may have to dig into my pockets to buy some more bandwidth if this keeps up! here's the tracklist - hope you enjoy the show

stanley myers - first suite (finder's keepers)
fat freddies' drop - cays crays (the drop)
kenny rankin - berimbau
edu lobo - even now (a&m)
the advancement - stone folk (philips)
bobby cole - a perfect day (ubiquity)
danser's inferno - sombre guitar
john wagner coalition- cold sweat (liquorice soul)
dennis coffey and the detroit guitar band - scorpio (sussex)
uniao black - na palma da mao (commonfolk)
patti jo - make me believe in you (black science re-edit) (089)
buddy rich - kilamanjaro (groove merchant)
sleepwalker - an-no-kawa (especial)
dj matsuoka - samba nexusia (typhoon)
nephews of phela - mulah 2 (white)
status iv - you ain't really down (jazzanova remix) (radar music)

http://www.heavyusker.com/heavyusker2.mp3

dial soul

2006-01-18T10:57:00.000+01:00

unfortunately dial soul has had to stop broadcasting on live radio (100.4fm madrid) from the 5th floor of the círculo de bellas artes. for those of you who don't already know, every weekend a bunch of 35 deejays from dial soul would take over the studio and broadcast the best funk, jazz, house, hip hop with NO playlists and NO adverts... like a totally legal pirate radio based in the cultural centre of madrid. now we are looking into alternatives but, for the time being, we are getting the word out on the internet... here is my first session, recorded in my basement! feedback is most welcome (its what keeps me doing this...).

http://www.heavyusker.com/heavyusker1.mp3