Sipreano & Kamandi: The Soulcial Volume Two (compilation CD) (2001)

Conceived at the tail end of the 20th century by SFU graduates Kamandi (Cowbell Radio, CJMP 90.1 FM) and Sipreano (Jamaica-Toronto and Native North America series producer), The Soulcial (1999-2001) was a trailblazing open format vinyl DJ night held at the Chameleon Urban Lounge in the basement of Vancouver, B.C.'s (in)famous Hotel Georgia. The Soulcial, made possible by Chameleon founder/operator, DJ, and label owner Luke McKeehan (Nordic Trax), lasted for almost 2 years and saw spin-off events at various shebeens and licensed venues around town. The night had a small, but dedicated fan base and was randomly frequented by local and international personalities. The 2000 millennium new year celebrations were particularly raucous with an end of the world fear apparent from certain revellers and a reckless feel all around. Promotional materials were designed by Jay Gundzik and Vincent Cook as well as two compilation CDs which featured a variety of rare groove, jazz, rock, EZ, funk, soul, and reggae music. 50 copies of each were distributed by hand and mail at no cost to the listener (bar a few copies that were available for sale at Beat Street Records). The Soulcial Volume Two (2001) contained hand drawn tags by the power now known as SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL. Further names, dates, and places will be officially documented at a later date. For the time being, please enjoy these selections as we did (and still do). PEACE 

Take a trip back

Around 10 years ago, I proclaimed that "Digging is dead." We are nearing the end of 2016 and I may have been right. Well, digging as we knew it anyway. Still, there are a handful of committed faithfuls carrying the 🔥 all over the world. We salute you. What was once classified is now overexposed/commercialized. Extravagance. Greed. Waste. We see you. The best part about digging back in the day was the learning and sharing, connecting with people who knew more or about different things, even when it was on the hush hush tip or required some time and an open mind. We traded records like sacred scrolls that contained blueprints for better days, only made possible through the blood, sweat, and tears of the creators, our heroes, combined with our own open ears and senses. Respect. Revive. Getting into the zone. Listening more, and more. Mystery. We made beats too (and still do). Sample this! Recycling. The ability to breathe new life into the deflated, to celebrate diversity or experience a cultural exchange. But today, we have reached saturation levels. There is a scramble. So much desperation. Distance. Indulgence. Remember, not everything from the past is worthy of reappraisal. You can't fake taste or the time put in. We are still paying our dues. On the streets, in the woods, by a mountain, stream or lake. This is a joy. Music is only a part of the equation. Context. Stories. Politics. On the road, bridging generations and eras of technology all the while. Sharing the land. Even after all of these years, we're not done and will never play the game. The body of work speaks for itself. Making history from history. A labour of love. Living in the present. The manifesto is coming soon... Right now, it's just two artifacts on view. PEACE

Brian Edwards RIP (Mashmakhan and Riverson)

Much has been written about Montreal jazz-rock group Mashmakhan and their massive 1970 hit "As The Years Go By," but of course, the story is always a little more than meets the eye... While their music is far from today's charts, their sounds live on in the hearts of many.

For any who may not be in the loop, Brian Edwards was the singing bass player and a contributing songwriter to both Mashmakhan and later, Riverson, two of Canada's most unique musical combos. Mashmakhan began at the tail end of the 1960s and released two full-length albums on the Columbia imprint (Mashmakhan and The Family), but after splitting from head songwriter, organ player, and flautist Pierre Senecal and drummer Jerry Mercer, lead guitarist Rayburn Blake and Edwards, along w/ singing guitarist and songwriter Frankie Hart, formed Riverson. In 2008, I wrote about the group for US music journal Wax Poetics after connecting w/ Ray, Frankie, and Brian (*link here). It was an honour to speak w/ three of my musical heroes whose songs had inspired me greatly.

For many, Mashmakhan were a part of growing up and listening to music in Canada ("As the Years Go By," also a worldwide hit, was even featured in a TV commercial for Concordia University in the late 1980s and turned into an electronic disco song by a mysterious group named Doktor), but it was my dearly departed hippie record guru Ty Scammell who had turned me on to Riverson in his East Van apartment back in the late 1990s, some 25 years after their album had been released. The record was already being traded between serious collectors of psychedelic folk and rock in the pre-Internet age for serious amounts of bread, but luckily Ty had a spare that I worked towards owning by trading a massive collection of used cassette tapes as well as a little extra cash on top. I'll never forget opening the album's beautiful gatefold sleeve and letting the music take hold of my soul. Thanks again Ty!

Mashmakhan, The Family, and Riverson all carry a special feeling, especially on vinyl (sorry Youtube). Informed by black jazz, blue soul, and international music, they sound like nothing else. Deeper fans should seek out Transition, a solo album by brother Cliff Edwards (The Bells), which features contributions from not only Brian, but Rayburn Blake. Non-LP singles by Mashmakhan ("Love Is" b/w "Time To Move On") and Riverson ("Sittin'-Waitin'" b/w "Chances") are also worth seeking out.

In 2009, I was able to connect w/ Brian in Saskatoon in the middle of a Toronto-Vancouver drive. In more recent years, he had started a trucking company and was well acquainted w/ the road I was traveling. As the sun went down, we chatted, took a couple of quick pictures, and had a nice steak dinner at a local restaurant. Though a couple of years younger, my father had gone to high school in Quebec w/ both Brian and Rayburn and I was excited to tell him of this connection. It was great to hear stories and share a few laughs with someone whose creativity had affected me so much. Never much of an autograph seeker, I did ask him to sign a record that I'd found on my trip west, a spare copy of the aforementioned Transition. Though I'd always hoped to reconnect, it was the last time that I saw Brian in person. Yesterday, I found out via Facebook that he had passed on. Brian, I send my best to your family and friends. Thank you for the positive vibrations. I will champion your music forever!

PEACE

salmongang is (still) the IG b/w (still) repping w/ nardwuar later today...

*PEACE!!!

Atom

Willie Thrasher at The Band Hotel

In good company

Walking Into the Sun

In 1997, I visited my Japanese brother Ichiro Goto in Tokyo. It was my first visit to the land of the rising sun and I was transfixed by every single light, sign, restaurant, store, shrine, tree, park, animal, person, and car, not to forget the fragrant air. The concrete streets of Ichiro's residential neighbourhood were well-suited for walking and it wasn't long before we trekked the short distance to the bustling hub of Shimokitazawa, a culture lovers dream. The district was literally exploding w/ a breadth of eateries, shops, jam spaces, and even a recreation complex where you could grab a hot cup of green tea for free. After tasting my first okonomiyaki, an egg-based cabbage pancake-like creation w/ fresh squid that was made right before my eyes in a six-seat hole-in-the-wall, we ventured off to a multiple vendor mini-mall and a store called WIND. Brimming w/ vintage vinyl, the owner chain smoked long-filtered cigarettes while we perused the inventory. While most of the music was old, much of it was new to me: American soul and jazz, European soundtracks, and bossa nova from Brazil. There were records from all over the world!@#$%!!! Eventually, we sparked up a little conversation. The shopkeeper's English was limited, but far more effective than my non-existent Japanese. When he discovered that I was visiting from Canada, he reached behind the counter and showed me a tattered piece of paper. "You have?" he said, pointing to a picture of an album by a group called "The Brazda Brothers." "No," I replied. "You find me?" "Um, ok!" I made a mental note and kept digging in the smoke-filled room.

Upon my return to Vancouver, I felt what could only be described as culture shock in reverse. I noticed obvious things that I had never observed before in quite the same manner. The streets back home were wider and there were far less people moving about. The natural openness of British Columbia, even the suburban area in which I lived at the time, was devoid of the colourful lights and in-your-face signage that had entranced me in Tokyo, even overblown Christmas decorations paled in comparison. In due time, life settled back down to a mellow west coast groove, but I was succumbing to yet another life-altering shift, DJ culture. Rap, rock and roll, and reggae was my soundtrack and I had already begun to seek high and low for vinyl records to spin in dark and dingy downtown clubs. Weekly visits to the Vancouver "Red Barn" flea market had replaced weekly masses at a local Catholic church, a family practice since birth. At 23 years of age, I was now forming my own religion, creating rituals and performing ceremonies w/ a different community. Love was still the message, and sound as integral to the proceedings as that of a sacred hymn, but the rhythms were much harder, the beat, completely dominant. The priest was replaced by a sound man or a vinyl habadasher like sage OG hippie, Ty Scammell. Air, once filled w/ incense, now smelt of tobacco, marijuana, and the choking, yet curiously inviting mist of a nightclub fog machine. Peace and unity of a different form and much more aligned w/ my emerging, and somewhat subversive, passions. I sought to find truth in music, and it took me all over Vancouver and the Lower Mainland (and eventually, more and more of the world) in search of its glory and mystery. Mysteries began to reveal themselves, layer by layer, like the unfolding pages of a bible, and could be found in the most everyday of places. One day I came across an average looking book store in town that also carried a selection of used records. Innocent enough, but amidst a stack of easy listening albums and pop pap of no consequence, I found a perfect copy of The Brazda Brothers sitting in the dollar bin. With the reverberating words from the owner of WIND still fresh in my mind, I paid for the record and proceeded home to give it a spin...





TO BE CONTINUED...

clockwork orange

DUB PLATE PRESSURE

photos from the guru (#1, circa 1974)

*i count myself unequivocally blessed to have been mentored by the late ty scammell (RIP). he was a vancouver-based record dealer (unparalleled), human data base (true), advice giver (kind), sage (um, wise), OG west coast hippie (for real and at heart), photographer (YES), and so much more... over time, i will write at length about this man and continue to share some of his images (*kindly gifted to VIN archives by citizenfreak)... PEACE

keeper of the key

back to the beach...

*see you on the flip!@#$%!!!

USE (+/-)

sweet grass music bubble wrap

vibes... vibrations...

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the high priest of reggae