Tiki Party 4

I'll take a cold Mai Tai over a bowl of poi any day of the week, and that’s coming from an honorary brah who’s spent enough time on mopeds around Diamond Head to know better. This music hits a different way for me—it’s the sound of grabbing pupus at the Shorebird or those hazy mornings heading down the road to Hana. I actually got into collecting records because of the Moffat family, spending time in Tom’s studio back in the day and even though I was keeping the dial on Q-FM and not KPOI. This session of Tiki Party is basically the encore to my own wedding reception, ditching the slow stuff for the kind of backyard rhythm that actually moves. If you can't make it to the islands today, just fire up the grill by the pool and let this be the soundtrack to your own mainland kanikapila. It’s an absolute Pick for when the sun is out and the grill is started.

Tiki Party 4

64 Kalapana - Naturally

65 Cecilio & Kapono - You And Me

66 Kulana - Typical Hawaiian Day

67 Brother Noland - Coconut Girl

68 Loggins & Messina - Lahaina

69 Bruddah Waltah - Sweet Lady of Waiahole

70 Peter Moon Band  - Cane Fire

71 Justin Young - Shake Me

72 Jimmy Buffett - Volcano

73 Kolohe Kai - Ehu Girl

74 Pablo Cruise - Island Woman

75 Ten Feet - Windward Skies

76 Robi Kahakalau - Pi'i Mai Ka Nalu

77 Kimié Miner - Bamboo

78 Anuhea - Higher Than The Clouds

79 Pure Heart - Tokada

80 Kapena - Reggae Train

81 Natural Vibrations - Put A Little Love

82 Big Every Time - Don't Stop

83 Henry Kapono - Friends

84 Mackey Feary Band - You're Young

Qawwality Bhangra 4

I probably love a good dhol beat almost as much as I love a hot plate of Aloo Gobi, and that’s saying a lot. There’s just something about that specific Southall swing that hits right every time. This new session of Qawwality Bhangra is easily the most danceable one I’ve put together yet. I cut out all the long, slow movie parts and just kept the stuff that actually makes you want to get up and move. And you still will want to Bend It Like Beckham! It’s loud, it’s heavy, and it’s definitely my latest Pick for the next time you need to clear the furniture and just let the speakers do their thing.

Qawwality Bhangra 4

41 Malkit Singh - Tootak Tootak Tootiyan

42 Panjabi MC - Moorni (Balle Balle) (Ajit Singh Groove Mix)

43 Safri Boys - Putt Sardara De

44 Surjit Bindrakhia - Tera Yaar Bolda

45 Apna Sangeet - Vaje Apna Sangeet

46 Heera Group UK - Dowain Jaaniya

47 Rama & Bally Sagoo - Mera Laung Gawacha

48 B21 - Darshan

49 Bally Jagpal & Shazia Manzoor - Aaja Sohneya

50 AS Kang featuring Miss Lee - Gidhian Di Raniye (Hip Hop Mix)

51 Premi - O Tina O Tina

52 Shankar Mahadevan & Somya Baoh & Loy Mendonsa - Nach Baliye

53 Shaan & Vasundhara Das & Shankar Mahadevan - Where's The Party

54 Anushka Manchanda - Mit Jaaye Gham (Dum Maaro Dum)

Qawwality Bhangra 3

Three chapters deep and the frequency is finally jumping the tracks. Qawwality Bhangra has moved on from the skeletal, crate-dug feel of the earlier runs and slammed into something thicker, louder, more saturated. It’s a heavy low-end shove that trades dust for real club sweat - the point where the chant and the dhol stop being a curiosity and just start doing damage. No posturing, no polish, just a direct push that stays deep in the red and keeps the room moving. An absolute qawwality Pick for when it needs to get heavy.

Qawwality Bhangra 3

26 Sukhbir - Dis Da Bhangra

27 Achar On The Side - Desi At Heart (Tandoor 12 Inch Drop Mix)

28 Bally Sagoo Featuring Malkit Singh - Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha

29 Tigerstyle - Nachna Onda Nei

30 Safri Boys - Chan Mere Makhna

31 Dr Zeus - Lets Dance

32 Shabaz - Lagian (Joyful Bhangra Dance)

33 Mamta Sharma & Aishwarya - Munni Badnaam

34 Mika, Sunidhi Chauhan & Sajid Khan - Aapka Kya Hoga (Dhanno)

35 Vishal Dadlani & Sunidhi Chauhan - Sheila Ki Jawani (Remix)

36 Yo Yo Honey Singh - Lungi Dance

37 Dhanush - Kolaveri Di (Tigerstyle UK Bhangra Remix)

38 Sonu Nigam & Jayesh Gandhi & Amrita Kak - Just Chill

39 Shankar Mahadevan & Shaan & Mahalaxmi Iyer - Rock n Roll Soniye

40 Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalakshmi Iyer - Jai Ho

In-Frelling-Fix 3

I  have made a couple of these and a few sideways trips (see In-Frelling-Fix and Commingled) and I liked the last volume of this pick, but I wasn't happy that I kind of went down a rabbit hole with it. It was a good rabbit hole, but not one I intended to go on. It just works out that way sometimes. This one is more true to the original idea (in my mind). Let me know how it ranks with the other volumes. Not too many songs, as they tend to go longer. Rock that isn't quite Jazz and Jazz that isn't quite Rock. Borderline Prog, but not. Some call it Fusion. I call it:

In-Frelling-Fix 3 

24 Chicago - Introduction

25 If - Your City Is Falling

26 Frank Zappa - Big Swifty

27 Nucleus - Torrid Zone

28 Billy Cobham - Stratus

29 Gong - Master Builder

30 Herbie Hancock - Sly

31 Brand X - Nuclear Burn

32 Colosseum - The Machine Demands a Sacrifice

33 Soft Machine - Nettle Bed

Bananas & Rice

What with all the news in Minnesota about fraud and all kinds of weird stuff, I got interested in what Somali music sounded like. And like all the music in the world, I found I liked some of it and some not as much. Did a bit of searching and listening and came up with a pick of songs I thought was kind of cool. This is it. Some of it has bilingual lyrics, but most does not. So I have no idea what most of the lyrics mean, could be good, could be lame. But each of these would probably be great mixed with afro pop or even rai. I am pretty sure that each has Somali connections somewhere. I didn't add a couple of songs that I understand are big in the Somali community because I found out they were not Somalia related artists, even though they fit in sound-wise (my favorite which I would play at a wedding or event is French Montana but, oh well). I'm not an expert on the genre, so if you have suggestions of what I am missing, let me know.

Bananas & Rice

01 Hassan Gantaal - Bogsiya

02 Rooda Kayf - Noloshu Waa Wada Jirkee

03 Marwaan Yaar featuring Haboon Nuura - Xulasho

04 Sharma Boy - Macalimoo

05 Ilkacase Qays - Iskiifo

06 Kiin Jaamac - Bye Bye

07 Waaberi - Cidlaan Dareemaya

08 Sabriina Musse - Ciyaarta Noo Wada

09 Ugbaad Aragsan - Boqolow

10 Elmi Original - Dhag Dhag (Remix)

11 Mustafe Kante - Dhakhtarkaygii Maan Helin

12 DJ Hunky featuring Kiin Jaama & Hassan Gantaal - Bal Dareen Remix

13 Frey & Walz - Learing Centers (Somali mix)

14 Dur-Dur Band - Dooyo (Airbird Remix)

15 Aar Maanta - Dhadhami

16 Suldaan Seeraar - Ha Samrin

17 Nimco Happy - Isii Nafta (Love You More Than My Life)

18 Maryam Mursal - Lei Lei

19 Khaalid Kaamil - Soomaaliya Hanooolato

20 K'Naan featuring Adam Levine - Bang Bang

Bayou Boogie 5

Happy Mardi Gras! So I was ready with this one for a bit but decided to wait until today to spring it on you. Another Bayou Boogie pick (click there for some more of this and some Zydeco). It's programmed to run as is for a nice dancing and drinking night. I probably would mix it up with the previous volumes, but you could just play this and keep your bar going for an hour while you take a dinner break. You'll notice the ebbs and flows designed in to get people on and off to order drinks. Everytime I look at the cover, I just like the design. The mirror ball crawdad, the Pirates of the Caribbean type shack on a swamp with the fireflies and all.

Bayou Boogie 5

75 Tony Joe White - Roosevelt And Ira Lee

76 Lee Dorsey - Do-Re-Mi

77 Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole - Zydeco Paradise

78 Earl King - Come On (Parts 1 & 2)

79 Nathan & The Cha Chas - If You Got a Problem

80 Geno Delafose - C'est Pas La Peine Brailler

81 Shirley & Lee - Let The Good Times Roll

82 C.J. Chenier - Man Smart, Woman Smarter

83 Tab Benoit - I Got Loaded

84 Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers - Git It Check It Out

85 Li'l Brian & the Zydeco Travelers - Z-Funk

86 Horace Trahan & The New Ossun Express - That Butt Thing

87 Major Handy - Te Ni Nee Ni Nu

88 Sean Ardoin - Get Right Girl

89 Willis Prudhomme & The Zydeco Express - Zydeco Queen

90 Soul Rebels Brass Band - Let Your Mind Be Free

91 Chris Ardoin & Double Clutchin' - Papa Was a Rollin' Stone

Moss 2

Since I posted Volume 1 yesterday, I’ve been digging through my hard drive and realizing just how much of this stuff I've hoarded. It’s actually a bit overwhelming trying to narrow it down when you have fifty different versions of the same song. I tried to keep this second pick just as scattered as the first one. You’ve got everything from the Scorpions to some really quiet, dusty country takes that I’ve always liked. I threw in the Brave Combo track just because it’s so weird it had to go somewhere. It’s mostly just me clicking through folders and picking the tracks that actually made me stop and listen. I’m nowhere near the end of this list, and I am sure I could get a third volume out soon. This batch should bridge the gap while I keep digging through the rest of the mess. Plenty more to come.

Moss 2

19 Bjork and PJ Harvey - Satisfaction

20 Echo & The Bunnymen - Paint It Black (Live)

21 Bryan Ferry - Sympathy For The Devil

22 Scorpions - Ruby Tuesday

23 Peter & The Test Tube Babies - Mother's Little Helper

24 The Family Cat - Rocks Off

25 Inspiral Carpets - Gimme Shelter

26 What Noise - Under Cover Of The Night

27 Brave Combo - No, No, No, Cha, Cha, Cha

28 Marcus King - Can't You Hear Me Knocking

29 The Primitives - As Tears Go By

30 Sammy Kershaw - Angie

31 Maren Morris - Dead Flowers

32 Blue Mountain - Torn & Frayed

33 Everest - Sweet Virginia

34 Handsome Family - Faraway Eyes

35 Barbara Kessler - You Got The Silver

36 The Henry Kaiser Band - Tell Me

37 Hem - You Can't Always Get What You Want