When I took a little side trip into book-world last week— drawn into Eden's alley by the color of ghetto palms under fluorescent lights— I left part of my brain behind, where its been compiling a list of other texts that have exerted some pull on this column one way or the other. Besides Rats, I just picked up The Gun which is already light-years beyond the other book I have that's about AK47's. Shadow Cities is relevant to what I do here some very obvious ways, Cloud Atlas in some way I haven’t quite pinned down. I got Heliopolis in the pipeline, I’m planning to buy my dad a copy of The Warmth of Other Suns for Christmas on the strength of the title alone (as far as thought-sparking titles I guess you’d have to include the Secret Life of Plants) and I’m also looking forward to my friend Anicee’s book on Passa Passa.
Rihanna f. Vybz Kartel, "What's My Name" Federation Remix (Max Glazer, Ricky Blaze)
MIA, “There’s Space for Ol’ I See”
Natalie Storm, “Wuk Mi Nani” (Songs 2 F@#ck and Fight 2)
Matt Shadetek, “Wonton Garden” from Dutty House (Dutty Artz)
Blak Ryno, “Nuh Tek Talk (Shadetek Remix)”
Download: GP 124: "Space Heater Blend"
If this week’s blend has a literary analog, though, it is the orbital Rasta enclave in Neuromancer, because to me, all these productions sound like dancehall queens clashing in zero gravity. Maybe I'm projecting, but I know for a fact Natalie Storm’s manager/producer Prodigal is up on his cyberpunk game and god only knows what kind of crazy sci-fi Matt Shadetek reads . MIA, I assume, doesn't have to read it cause she lives it.
But the real queen of this satellite-hive is the "What's My Name" refix. Max Glazer. who used to be her tour DJ, called in some heavyweight favors and got Ricky Blaze and Vybz Kartel in the studio. They all did a number to its body-structure, coming out with this exclusive and brilliant dancehall version. I believe this one can go the far distance, so when I say it’s not an official remix, I mean its not official yet. Max technically debuted it on the Federation podcast, but best believe I was next in line.
I know we've been beating y'all over the head about about the Natalie Storm mix, but go get it if don’t have it. More bulletins for 4-life readers: Shadetek just dropped his Dutty House EP, and The Very Best bumrushed Craig Ferguson's stage, Esau posing off like a hipster Mobutu. If you don’t know who that is, go read a book.
