Tag: jazz

Weekly Mix 1: January 8, 2017

Hello, I’m Joseph Aleo and welcome to the Weekly Mix!

What is the Weekly Mix? It’s a show that features seven tracks from the last week that I’ve posted to Facebook and Twitter for my #songoftheday series. The songs are old and new, but with an emphasis on the new and are from many different genres. What unites all the tracks you’ll hear on today’s show and every show going forward is that they are fantastic and deserved to be heard.

The mixes often won’t be seamless and smooth because that’s not what I’m going for on this show. Again, I’m just delivering a week’s worth of the songs of the day in one place. That pains me as a deejay because as a deejay I’m all about the segue, but so be it.

The Weekly Mix will also include an introduction from the featured band or musician whenever possible. For example, on today’s show, you’ll hear from Preacher vs Choir and HypeMan Sage.

I only have a couple introductions on today’s episode because the Weekly Mix doesn’t have an audience yet, so if you like what you hear, please feel free to introduce your friends to the Weekly Mix. The more people who listen, the more talent I can get to participate on future shows.

Another reason should you listen to the Weekly Mix is because I’ve been a deejay and podcast producer for nearly 30 years. I have great taste in music and I want to share that music with you. Some of the music you’ll hear might not be your cup of tea but I think you’ll recognize that it’s good stuff. The music that is your cup of tea I hope will become your new favorite song. In fact, if you hear a song on today’s show that you like, I encourage you to go out and buy it to help support the artist.

The album art for each Weekly Mix features an illustration by the wonderful Geneva B. My girlfriend discovered Geneva on Instagram and I quickly became a fan. When I decided to launch the Weekly Mix I immediately contacted her for permission to use one of her illustrations for the show. You can find her on Instagram or find her online at her website . I hope to talk with Geneva on the Weekly Mix in the near future.

You can find me on Twitter at @josephaleo. Feel free to email me at joseph@josephaleo.com.

See you next week for another Weekly Mix!

  1. Preacher vs. Choir “Better than Ever”
  2. Subculture Sage “Childhood”
  3. Aaron Fontwell “Crystal Coated”
  4. Irene Schweizer Trio “Yaad”
  5. CRX “Broken Bones”
  6. Asadi “Throne”
  7. ADR “Severance”

Illustration: GDBee ©2017

solipsistic NATION No. 17: Saturnalia

Happy holidays, citizens!

However you celebrate the holidays, I hope you have a good one.

I’m calling this episode of solipsistic NATION Saturnalia for no particular reason. It just sounds cool is all.

From Wikipedia…

The Saturnalia was a large and important public festival in Rome. It involved the conventional sacrifices, a couch (lectisternium) set out in front of the temple of Saturn and the untying of the ropes that bound the statue of Saturn during the rest of the year. Besides the public rites there were a series of holidays and customs celebrated privately. The celebrations included a school holiday, the making and giving of small presents (saturnalia et sigillaricia) and a special market (sigillaria). Gambling was allowed for all, even slaves; however, although it was officially condoned only during this period, one should not assume that it was rare or much remarked upon during the rest of the year. It was a time to eat, drink, and be merry. The toga was not worn, but rather the synthesis, i.e. colorful, informal “dinner clothes”; and the pileus (freedman’s hat) was worn by everyone. Slaves were exempt from punishment, and treated their masters with disrespect. The slaves celebrated a banquet: before, with, or served by the masters. A Saturnalicius princeps was elected master of ceremonies for the proceedings. Saturnalia became one of the most popular Roman festivals which led to more tomfoolery, marked chiefly by having masters and slaves ostensibly switch places. The banquet, for example, would often be prepared by the slaves, and they would prepare their masters’ dinner as well. It was license within careful boundaries; it reversed the social order without subverting it.

Photo Credit: Ray-of-Sun

  1. Dean Martin “Jingle Bells (Dan The Automator Remix)”
  2. Sismo “Pueblo”
  3. Dolce Stil Nuovo “Hawaiin Song”
  4. D.J. Waht “Shopping Cart Ride Reprise”
  5. Skink “The Ages of Carbon Dating MkIII”
  6. Kaká Werá Jecupé “Ibi-Cy”
  7. Neikka Rpm “Kill All Machines (Ft. Kenji Siratori)”
  8. Mel “Sheltered Life”
  9. Tanya Pea “Handcut Ice Cubes (Thieves Mix)”
  10. Cars & Trains “Broken Streetlamp Serenade”
  11. Infantjoy “Without”
  12. Ultre “Scissors and Intervals”
  13. BEe “Our Blood”
  14. Michael Bross “Oscuro”
  15. Beckett & Taylor “Where There You Been Gone Find It”
  16. Spandex “What’s Wrong With You”

solipsistic NATION No. 16: Acid Jazz and Nu-Jazz

Today’s show focuses on acid jazz and nu-jazz. Acid jazz combines elements of soul music, funk, disco and modal harmonies while nu-jazz lend jazz textures and sometimes jazz instrumentation, funk, electronic dance music, and free improvisation.

As a former punk I originally hated electronic music like acid jazz. I was into hardcore and the only music that mattered to me was the kind that was raw, abrassive and in your face. If it wan’t punk, hip hop or indutrial I couldn’t be bothered with it. Acid jazz was just to dainty of a thing for me to care about.

But that was soon to change.

At the time I was a DJ at WMFO and each weekend I would have live bands perform on my show. As you might imagine, they were all punk, industrial or hip hop acts. My engineer was a guy named Harry and prior and after a band’s set he would blast the speakers of his studio with all sorts electronic music I had never heard before. And it grooved!

I think the big turning point for me was one night after my radio show I headed over to a nightclub I worked at. The DJ was spinning acid jazz and house. It was very sexy watching people dance to the music, always slighty off beat but always riding the rhythm. Kind of like a jazz solo. For the first time I really started digging the music. The tab of acid I had just taken might have helped.

Photo Credit: ^riza^

  1. Dolce Stil Nuovo “12 Times”
  2. Craig De Maio “Intro To Reality”
  3. Tstewart “A World Generated Every Answer Ever For All to Know”
  4. So Percussion “Work Slow Life”
  5. Spacehoppa “Alone”
  6. Soular Sound “Things We Do”
  7. The Messenger “Colorized”
  8. The Other Guy “Rockin Chairs”
  9. Fonkmasters “Once I Get Up”
  10. Heliotrope “Flute Flight”
  11. Nikita Warren “I Need You (MLK’s Dream Version)”
  12. Nettle “Mehmet Irdel (ft. Aziz Arradi)”
  13. DJ Olive “Coonymus”