Summer Living (While Taking Care of Business)

Life continues to be very busy. I keep meaning to write posts, and then getting caught up in something completely different. I'm working every day of the week, combing through hundreds of pages of documents in a not unpleasant, but not overwhelmingly awesome archive building, and then coming home at night and doing more research and reading. I'm trying to get ahead with my work, so I'll be ready for travel and visitors in July.
It hasn't been all work and no play, though. Last Friday was the Festa de São Antonio, Lisbon's biggest party of the year. After dinner at a friend's house, we headed downtown and into the madness (one friend, by the way, was wearing a kilt to fulfill a bet he'd made), drinking wine from the bottle on the metro and in the streets. There were tens of thousands of people walking around everywhere, always seeming to be moving. We drifted from place to place, before finally growing tired of the crush of people and heading to a club for a little. I don't have my full party stamina back, though, and by 4am I had to crash.
Not sure what this weekend holds in store. I was hoping to go see Gui Boratto tomorrow night at Lux as he tours in support of his new record 'Take My Breath Away,' but I now have meetings scheduled on Friday morning, so that might not be such a good idea. We'll see, though.

While the weather here was beautiful today, it hasn't been that great lately, and I'm always cooped up inside at work anyways, so I need to listen to sunny music to keep me going/sane. When I was in middle school and high school, I listened to a lot of reggae. Still do on occasion, because it always cheers me up and I love the lyrics, especially in classic stuff like Abyssinians. Of course, tastes do change, though, and I've been on much more of an electronic/dance bent for the past few years.
Well, DJ Spooky, a.k.a. Paul D. Miller a.ka. That Subliminal Kid, provides the perfect intersection. I saw Spooky in New Haven in the spring giving a showing of his film "remix" 'ReBirth of a Nation,' his mixing and editing of classic early American film 'Birth of a Nation,' which celebrated the founding of the Ku Klux Klan. While he was doing a screening of the DVD, in live performances, Spooky will physically remix the movie, changing the cuts, transitions, and music, to make a unique show. His reinterpretation was very powerful, and well-made, and he's a brilliant speaker.
So, having seen what he could do remixing film, I decided to check out some of his musical remixes, having only heard his original material before. The man's got skills. Legendary reggae label Trojan Records [official site] let Spooky into their vaults and let him have his pick of their tunes, resulting in his albums 'Creation Rebel-Trojan Re-Mixed, Re-Visioned, Re-Versioned' and 'In Fine Style: 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records.' These are both amazing albums. If you like reggae, like turntablists, or like dance music, this should work for you. Here are a couple of my favorite songs off of 'Creation Rebel.' Bob Marley, everyone knows, but Wayne Smith was one of the originators of the Sleng Teng. (Just click the link, Wikipedia can explain it better than I can. It sounds good, that's all I know.)

Bob Marley - Soul Rebel (DJ Spooky remix) [divshare]
Wayne Smith - Under Mi Sleng Teng (DJ Spooky remix) [divshare]

And for a more updated bit of sunny music (no, not going to subject you to R.E.M.'s 'Shiny Happy People'), with the power of three groups combined, I give you...'Beaches and Friends.' Frequently-crunchier Brazilian producers Database re-edited the remix of Brooklyn-based synth band French Horn Rebellion (playing in Bangor, Maine on the 4th of July; go figure) by Chicago's finest electro-pop outlet, Hey Champ (currently touring the West Coast; catch them if you can). The result: a breezy, fun, and laid-back tune for summer.

Database vs. French Horn Rebellion (Hey Champ remix) [divshare]

That's all for now, but get excited, because more good music's on the way from my inbox back to the internet, and also, E-603's new album is dropping very soon, which should be awesome. The Animal Show already has advance tracks and reviews.

Bonus: When I was looking for a Youtube video of 'Shiny Happy People' I found this, REM and the Muppets performing 'Furry Happy Monsters.' So good. Life is great sometimes.