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EVENT: Wonderfull Inauguration Edition @ Liv

We all know that this city is going to be EXTRA crazy for come Inauguration time, and we’re going to have an Inauguration roundup for all of y’all who will be in the city that weekend. However, I wanted to post this event first so y’all get your tickets in advance. But yes, the highly acclaimed Wonderfull party with DJ Spinna and Bobbito Garcia is coming to DC. And with so many celebrities in town that weekend, who knows if the dude himself will show up like he did in NYC.

Tickets are $30, a little much but worth it. I know that former writer Deanna and Needledrop/Rhythm Lab Radio’s Tarik will be in the building as well. Should be a very dope night!

Let me know if you’re coming through…

BUY TICKETS HERE

CHECK OUT OUR COVERAGE OF DJ SPINNA AT XM SATELLITE RADIO HERE

Tags: Bobbito Garcia, DJ Spinna, Stevie Wonder

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Interview: Raphael Saadiq

From the chart topping debut single Lil Walter (with Tony, Toni, Tone’) in 1988, through the party vibe of Lucy Pearl’s “Dance Tonight”, to the immediately classic “Instant Vintage” album, one voice has been a gleaming jewel in the tapestry of R&B music. Raphael Saadiq has done it again! “The way I see it” is an album that renders the best modern R&B has to offer…a clear view of the past.  In an age of designer vintage clothing, this authentic reminder of the very soul and sound of classic Motown without covering the original records is the new fitted, double-vented, narrow lapel blazer music has been waiting to make a comeback.  It’s too stylish to be dated, too raw to be fake, and too timeless to go another second without checking out.  I caught up with Raphael to talk about the motivation and execution of this album.

One of the general themes of your career has been that you’re the guy who clearly sees what could come next, and as such knows how to invite the past to the party today is throwing. Have you always seen this as a project that you would eventually do? or did something recently happen that made you want to strip away some of the elements of modern music and keep it super clean?

I didn’t really give it that much thought, I just got up one morning and kinda thought…I just want to go for it. I saw what I wanted to do and after that and I didn’t look back, ya know? It was a new way of doing things for me and my career. I couldn’t do that by just planning on it, and this is one of the ways I wanted to elevate myself so I just do it. And I’m always looking for ways to recreate myself without damaging my career, and this was the right way to do it. I always do that. I don’t even think about it you know? It’s something I just like to do.

It’s interesting that this is the quality of material you can come up with without having planned it …dude, that’s scary man!

Yep, you just change direction and keep running, ya know?

Absolutely.

Everyone always says that the Motown sound is the most elusive. Its a popular belief by myself and many other musicians that it is impossible without recording in the room in Detroit, with those original musicians…  So I think I speak for most when I ask… How did you do this and what steps did you and the sound engineers go through to guarantee the sound that you were looking’ for?

Well first of all I found the drum set that I wanted to use for the complete record. There’s a place where I eat every day and right across the street is a store called Drum City. They sell new drum sets, but they have this one old Ludwig drum kit, and I jumped on it and started playing it and I thought, “this is it!” From that point on, we just started messing’ with the drums, the sounds, and from there it took off. You gotta have the chops too, to make it work, but that was the beginning of it, you know?

Which sacrifices or embellishments in arrangements did you have to make in contrast to your normal way of working?

Well, the first thing we had to do was to make all the songs very short, and by making them short–you can’t play around, you gotta make an impact by the 2:30 mark [in the song]. The first few bars have gotta be catchy, ya know? The first few notes have to get you right into it.

I remember that you pulled out the tuba for “Still Ray” so you’re definitely comfortable using any instrument for any occasion as long as its necessary. Did you get a chance to use anything out of the ordinary this time?

Yeah, Stevie Wonder. (laughs)

Everybody knows you as this signature vocalist, I know you as this monstrous bassist and guitarist… What were the jam sessions like for this record? Is there anything floating around out there, that you wished made the record?

I started doing one type of record, then started doing a different type of record, then I ended up doing this record. Some of the other things almost went in, but it would have never fit the style of record that I was doing. There are a couple songs that could’ve  gone on this record that I didn’t complete. I just didn’t feel like they should be on the record, but I’ll probably end up putting them out for my next record. I’m gonna stay along these lines for my next record but it will just be a little different. I kinda like this Stax/Motown thing, it’s a global thing, and I want to live this out how they lived it out. They lived it out for a couple years, so I just want to I definitely want to fuck with this for a minute.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Raphael Saadiq, Stevie Wonder, The Way I See It

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Stevie Shows Up at Wonder-Ful, Bobbito in DC Tonight

I forgot to post about the latest incarnation of DJ Spinna’s and Bobbito’s Wonder-full tributes to the one and only, but I was in Georgia last weekend for my sister’s Med School graduation (Doctor in the house!). Of course, these parties are always off the chain, but there was even more of a reason to take the Bolt Bus to NYC last weekend. Stevie himself was in the building:

Yes, I know there was a Wonder-full party in DC a few months back, but of course New York takes it to the next level. (Superbizzee, did you roll through??)

And if you really need your Bobbito fix, he will be in DC tonight with Roddy Rod:

Tags: Bobbito, DJ Spinna, Stevie Wonder

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Unreleased Stevie Wonder Snippets

Stevie Wonder - Snippet 1

Stevie Wonder - Snippet2

One time or the other, your favorite artist will have a song removed or an album shelved. It happens to anyone, from low level rap stars to even the one of the greatest artists of all time….Stevie Wonder.

These two snippets mysteriously appeared on OkayPlayer over the weekend with no explanation whatsoever. Its believed that these tracks were from an unreleased album from 1974 that never saw the light of day. Thanks to the Internets, we at least get a peek into what could’ve been an amazing album.

Who knows how many unreleased tracks Stevie has in the vault, and it all may be lost if the rumors that his masters are to be destroyed upon his death are true. I’m sure the are hundreds more tracks to come at some point. Word is that Prince has unreleased tracks numbering in the thousands just sitting in a vault in his Paisley Park studios. I’m not in the record industry, but I’m really not down with letting art sit undiscovered. This tracks are amazing, even if they are only a few seconds.

Tags: Stevie Wonder

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