Al Jarreau Feat. Phife ‎Dawg – In My Music (Dodge Remixes) - (2001) / In My Music (Remixes Promo) - (2000)

Al Jarreau Feat. Phife ‎– In My Music (Dodge Remixes) - 2001

GRP ‎– 158 568-2

My second birthday gift today is a two part post for you, Vendistas.

Musical heavywieght Al Jarreau is a legendary figure within the jazz and soul worlds. 

Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. He received a total of seven Grammy Awards and was nominated for over a dozen more. Jarreau is perhaps best known for his 1981 album Breakin' Away. He hit the mainstream in a BIG way when he did the theme tune to the 80's classic TV show Moonlighting, starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis (Now there's a blast from the past for you!), and was among the performers on the 1985 charity song "We Are the World."

He had such an expansive and influential career that I really couldn't do it justice in a single post devoted to just one song of his, so please check out his Wikipedia entry for more info.

Malik Izaak Taylor was born November 20, 1970 and sadly passed in March 22, 2016.  Known professionally as Phife Dawg (or simply Phife), Malik was an American rapper and a member of the group A Tribe Called Quest. He was also known as the "Five-Foot Assassin" and "The Five-Footer", because he stood at just 5 feet 3 inches.

Phife formed A Tribe Called Quest, then simply named Quest, with childhood friend Q-Tip and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad (also for a short time Jarobi White) in 1985. The band would go on to have a huge affect on the Hip Hop landscape, understandably frequently cited as many peoples' favourite Hip Hop band. 

The melodic Mix is nice, but I would suggest jumping into Dodge's Main mix immediately, as it's my favourite. They're both an upgrade over the original, although that one is great in its own right... but you know how I feel about my man Dodge!

Tracklist

1. In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix Radio Edit)
2. In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix)
3. In My Music (Melodic Mix)
4. In My Music (Original Album Version)

Discogs page

Download: AJ-IMM-CDS.7z | Filesize: 40.7MB

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Al Jarreau Feat. Phife ‎– In My Music (Dodge Remixes) - Original Promo - 2000

Verve Records ‎– VERR-01049-2

And because I love you, here is the UK promo release on Verve Records from a year before.

It's 7 tracks with three variations on the Dodge Main Mix as well as three variations of the Melodic Mix, all topped off with the original album mix.

This is a good one for mixologists but it'd be nice if they'd put an acapella on there!

Thanks for your amazing music, Al! xx

Peace & luvizm, people!

Tracklist

1. In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix)
2. In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix Radio Edit)
3. In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix Instrumental)
4. In My Music (Melodic Mix)
5. In My Music (Melodic Mix Radio Edit)
6. In My Music (Melodic Mix Instrumental)
7. In My Music (Album Version)

Discogs page

Download: AJ-IMM-P.7z | Filesize: 67.9MB

Venus Tribe - Slow Down - (2002)

So Urban Records - 673192 2

Re-Upping this classic piece of UK R&B

Any track produced by Dodge will automatically carry the Soul Vendor seal of approval, as the man really can do no wrong, and Slow Down is a perfect example of this.

A really cool slice of UK R&B soul released in 2002, this should have made more of an impact than it did. I dig the cheeky lil' Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians sample, evoking brand Nubians' classic Slow Down (see Love Thang by Intro for a different sample from that track).

Vocals are on point and courtesy of Dianne Joseph ("Di"), formerly of the UK R&B group Truce, who also supplied the excellent vocals for Drum & Bass dance-floor destroyer Shake Ur Body (the single release of which also carried a Venus Tribe mix which turned it from D&B to R&B - and which I posed on here a few days ago).

The Original Mix is such a classic that it is hard to look beyond it, but Tash (from one of my favourite West Coast Hip-Hop groups Tha Alkaholiks) brings his trademark flow to the w/Rap version, for two verses, which is otherwise the same.

The script gets flipped on the Bigshot Radio Mix, which is a full vocal UK Garage track with a nice enough vibe and decent bassline, if that's your thang.

However, there will be no prizes for guessing where my preference lays. Original styley!

In Dodge we trust.

Peace and luvizm x

Tracklist

1. Slow Down (Original mix) 
2. Slow Down (Original w/Rap Feat. Tash from Tha Liks) 
3. Slow Down (Bigshot Radio Mix) 
4. Slow Down (Vox) - BONUS alternate cut taken from Street Beats Vol 12 Series 4

Download : VT-SD.7z Filesize: 41.060MB

Soul II Soul ‎– Represent (1997)

Island Records, CID668/572087-2

Wow, this CD has an awful cover! No offence, skin-head man... you could be a lovely guy in real life I guess. Luckily the contents are all that and a fat bag o' chips!

So this is another great track from UK heavyweights Soul II Soul, this time featuring the excellent Paul Johnson, who had already made waves on the UK soul scene with the Dodge produced If We Lose Our Way, a track I never managed to get hold of outside of a compilation CD, but would dearly love. *hint hint*

Represent was a fine tune on a very good album. It's chilled and cool, typifying the sound of Soul II Soul, and this version gets two airings here with the Album and Radio Mix.

I actually err on the side of the remixes here though, preferring the more hiphop tinged Full Crew Mix  which turns it into a true banga which I love, and, for the dancefloors, the breakbeat-tastic and oh-so-funky Katt Mix which is in a UK Garage styley.

Having said that, the album/radio versions are really nice, plus there's a Soul Inside mix from our boy Dodge, and you know that man never disappoints.

This is a very rare instance though where I prefer another remix over a Dodge one. That might be the sign of the end times.

Big up Full Crew!

- Kym x

Tracklist

1. Represent (Album mix)
2. Represent (Radio Edit)
3. Represent (Katt Mix)
4. Represent (Soul Inside Reworked Rep Mix)
5. Represent (Full Crew Mix)

Download: SIIS-R.7z | Filesize: 58MB

Courtney Pine featuring Lynden David Hall - Lady Day (& John Coltrane) - (2000)

2000 - Universal Jazz ‎– 587 902-2, Blue Thumb Records ‎– 587 902-2

Darling of the British jazz scene (and beyond) Mr Courney Pine CBE is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the saxophone (and bwoy does he make that sax sing), flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and keyboards.

Establishing the influential UK band The Jazz Warriors in 1985, Courtney released the first of many solo albums the following year.

Pine was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to jazz music. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster on 6 December 2004. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton on 15 July 2010.

So Courtney dropped this fine cover of the Gill Scott Heron classic track back in 2000, featuring our beloved and greatly missed Lynden David Hall on vocals. What a track it turned out to be - a jazz/pseudo Drum & Bass hybrid that is sure to get you grooving. 

Courtney is such an underrated artist and backed up with Lynden's silky vocals it's a hell of a combination.

However, within just six short years of this release Lynden would no longer be with us and the UK music scene would be a poorer, less soulful place.

With no disrespect in any way meant to the mighty Courtney Pine, it is our man Dodge who really brings this track to life with his Soul Inside remix, bringing a more R&B/street soul vibe to the cut and providing the definitive version 

Dodge, Soul Vendor salutes you (and not for the first time either)! 

Enjoy!

Tracklist

1. Lady Day (& John Coltrane) (Radio Edit)
2. Lady Day (& John Coltrane) (Soul Inside Remix With Rap)
3. Lady Day (& John Coltrane) (Bishop Brad Club Mix)

Download: CP&LDH-LD&JC.7z | Filesize: 29.9MB

D'Angelo - Brown Sugar CD Single (1996)

1996, Cooltempo, CDCOOL 307

Special request!

Mick has already posted the 12" here but after a request the other day about six years ago(!) I thought I'd put up the CD single in 320kbps.

So there is little I can say that Mick hasn't already beaten me to. D'Angelo was the standard-bearer for the fledgling Neo Soul movement, whether willing or not.

Brown Sugar is one of, if not THE, best D'Angelo tune outside of the Voodoo album (Voodoo, how I love thee), a sublime cut with D'Angelo killing it on the vocals and smoky, sensual production courtesy of Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest. Quite frankly, it's an amazing track.

The UK CD single then brings us an edited, Radio version, that is the original with 20 seconds shaved off. Stick with the album cut for a deeper experience, I say. 

However, the real highlights here are the Carl McIintosh (of Loose Ends fame) produced Dollar Bag Mix, and Dodge's Soul Inside Mix. Avid readers will be all too aware of how much I love Dodge, and that funky bassline he brings is tight as hell, but the smoothed out vibes of  Carl's mix can't be praised enough. Though not quite as classic as the original, I can't decide between either, they are the highlights of this CD single.

The album cut When We Get By also gets an airing which a brilliant cut, and, on a lesser album, could well have been a single in its own right.

- Kymba :)

Tracklist

1. Brown Sugar (Radio Version) 
2. Brown Sugar (Dollar Bag Mix) 
3. Brown Sugar (Soul Inside 808 Mix) 
4. When We Get By 

Download: D-BS.7z Filesize: 41.782MB