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A little bit of funk with that food.  I had to set my DJ gear back up today after a gig in Saint John, New Brunswick, last night and thought it was a good opportunity to get to know my new Nikon D90 camera which is capable of 720p HD video.  In the future, you’re likely to see some food HD.  That’ll be cool, eh?

It’s spring, so what better time for a funky worm.

Back in 1972, the Ohio Players put out this goofy two and a half minute tune, showing off both their sense of humour and sense of cool funk groove.   That soaring synth sound in the song has been sampled by hip hop artists many times – I remember NWA putting it to great use for “Dope Man” back in 1988 – but the original is still well worth a listen.

The Ohio Players put out two cool albums in 1972, one titled Pleasure and the other titled Pain, both with some cool cuts of raw funk.   By 1974 the Players got a bit more slick but were still great, putting out more classics like “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster”.

I managed somehow to find original vinyl copies of all their early albums and it’s cool to bump the Serato control vinyl off the turntable once in a while to make room for some real old school vinyl like this.  Check out 1972′s “Funky Worm”

Wah wah.

One of the great things about 70s funk was the fantastic, unapologetic use of the wah wah guitar.  Although it might seem a bit dated to that time, it still sends a chill up the spine of any proper funk fan.

Here’s a great example of it from Bobby Marchan, a singer that was better known for his Motown-type grooves in the 1960s but did a few fun and funky numbers in the early 70s.  One of my favourite all time tunes.

Push the Button definitely pushes all the right buttons, and be sure to look up Bobby’s “Bump Your Booty” from 1974 as well.  I’ve got an original 45 rpm record of that tune that is steadily climbing in value (I saw one record seller in France online today that had it listed at $260 U.S.. – holy crap!!).

Bobby Marchan – Push the Button

It’s Your Thing!

You’ve heard the tune countless times on the radio and in TV commercials among other places but rest of The Isley Brothers catalog is well worth a look.

The trio of brothers had a number of hits in the 60s and 70s with memorable tunes like “Shout!” and 1974′s sexy “That Lady”.

Around 1970 though, the funk was hard and the groove was aggressive.  Check out the track “Keep on Doing” from the 1970 album “Get Into Something”.   A killer tune that James Brown and the J.B.’s would later embellish for their searing and much-sampled “The Grunt”.

The Isley Brothers – “Keep on Doing”

Well, this week I feature me!

In preparation for applying to perform at at least one music festival this summer, I put together a demo mixtape.  It’s 25 minutes long but covers a lot of ground in old school funk, dance and hip hop.

Click here to listen! Right-click to save it on your computer.

I’ve been blasting the thing in my car all week!

Skratch Bastid!   There are loads of great DJs across this great land but none quite like Bedford, Nova Scotia-born DJ Skratch Bastid.

His jaw-dropping show covers all kinds of genres while always propelling a hook that gets people on the dance floor.   You’ll hear James Brown and Parliament, old school  Spoonie G or the latest hip hop banger, plus everything from Black Sabbath and Nirvana to Johnny Cash and 60s doo wop.   And he makes it all work.

I first saw Skratch Bastid back in around 2002 when a friend and I dropped into the Khyber Cafe in Halifax.  A youthful Skratch Bastid was on the turntables, some rappers were dropping some rhymes and break dancers were carving up the dance floor.    Years later, he was booked for a show in Saint John and I loaned my turntables for the event.   Using all original vinyl from two milk crates, he totally killed it before a packed house.  I couldn’t believe what was happening on my very own turntables!

Skratch Bastid has been back to Saint John many times since and hits the stage tonight at Evolution Night Club (75 King Street, $10 advance at Mr. Nice Guy’s Smoke Shop or $15 at the door) with DJ B BADD and Contagious T opening up.  Show starts at 10 pm.

Check out this performance from last summer, after the release of Skratch Bastid’s latest mix, titled (110 per cent).  Too bad James Brown wasn’t around to see this!

See more at www.SkratchBastid.com