Remix: Set Fire To The Rain

Brand new Adele remix! Built this around the acapella using the MPC, Juno, etc.

Adele - set fire to the rain (b.cause remix) by djbcause

Soul Boulders 2

After a long wait, and a good dose of elbow grease, 
we are proud to announce that Soul Boulders 2 is officially out today!


Matthew Africa & DJ B.Cause - Soul Boulders 2 Snippets by djbcause


To purchase the mix in digital mp3 format go here.


To purchase the mix in physical form, please send payment via Paypal to matthewafrica at hotmail dot com. The price including shipping is $10 in the U.S, $11 to Canada. and $14 to the rest of the world.


I was going to write something nice about the mix for the blog today.  However, after reading Matthew's articulate summary I have decided to post it here and forgo my awkward attempt at an eloquent description of such matters. Thanks to all who have supported this project!

"For those who aren't familiar with Soul Boulders, here's the story.

Back in 2005, B.Cause posted a mind-blowing 10-minute mini-mix on the

SoulStrut message board. The songs were exquisite but hard to

pigeonhole-- soulful and funky, but not purely funk or soul, slow,

psychedelic, moody, maybe a little haunted. In other words, exactly my

sound.

I sent him a message urging him either to finish the mix or to let me

hop on and collaborate with him on turning his ten minutes into

something CD length. I grabbed a dozen or so of my favorite records,

figured out their sequence and recorded my half at B.Cause's house one

rainy afternoon. Once B.Cause fleshed out his half and massaged the

whole thing a bit, we released it in the spring of 2006. It was my

first commercial mix CD.

The response to Soul Boulders was amazing. The Fader, The Wire, Wax

Poetics and Hip Hop Connection said nice things about it. Friends and

peers raved, telling us we soundtracked their summer, that it was

their favorite mix, etc. In a couple cases, I even had people tell me

that the mix changed their lives. Although it sold pretty modestly--

we only pressed 1,000 copies and gave many of them away-- it's easily

the most beloved thing I've ever had a hand in. Over the years, people

have consistently and insistently pressed me and Josh to give them

more. So we did.

For me, Soul Boulders was hard to follow up because I wanted to make

something that people would appreciate in the same way. The landscape

has changed a lot since we made the first mix. Compilations, blogs and

message boards have made a lot of formerly obscure music easily

accessible and consequently everyone seems pretty blasé. Also, I more

or less stopped seriously buying records in about 2005 and worried

that I might not have a good enough set of records to construct

another set; I didn't want to just present some tracks that didn't

make the original mix. Although rarity was never really the point of

Soul Boulders-- creating something unique and special was-- the mix

did feature a lot of music that was unknown to even hardcore soul

listeners and that did help create some excitement around it.

Soul Boulders 2 features 40 meticulously mixed songs. Some are from

common records, many are from rare ones, but all are (to us)

extraordinary soul songs that embody a unique feeling.  We labored

hard on the mix, cleaning up tracks, re-editing them to emphasize

parts we liked, obsessing over the sequencing and tiny details in the

transitions and generally polishing until we felt like we had made a

worthy sequel. I think we succeeded."

Soul 45: Brothers By Choice - Oh Darlin'

Smooth 70s vibes here on this West Coast indie, ALA being a subsidiary of the well know Laff comedy label. Really can't be too mad at it, even if it is just a overt rip of the midtempo Delegation hit.

Brothers By Choice - Oh Darlin'

New Edit: All I Want Is You - Keep It Up

Hey folks! Just finished this Miguel edit up, used a Milton Wright sample and added keys, created drum fills, etc. It's a summery night kind of vibe, hope you like.

Miguel - all i want is you (b.cause keep it up edit) by djbcause

Soul: What Can I Do

Tough to scoop midtempo cut by Jean Shy with arrangements and writing help from legendary Harvey Fuqua and his cohort Vernon Bullock. Bullock was the creator of New Birth, producer of the Younghearts' 20th Century albums and writer of quite a few solid tunes.

What Can I Do I'm So In Love With You

Gregory

Summer Soul Edit - L.A. Magic

Here's a little edit of a somewhat neglected warm so-cal nights joint - from the "Float Into The Future" lp.

L.A. Magic (b.cause s.b.s. edit)

45 Release Party Tonight in Oakland

Hey all! I have my first record coming out on Bastard Boots this month, we are throwing a release party to celebrate tonight at the Layover. We'll be debuting the new 45, & Platurn and myself are playing nothing but little records all night!

Grapevine - Sock It To Me

This one is somewhat "rustic", part of the reason being that my copy of the Deacons joint is pretty well/over loved. I tried to use the EQ to get the mix just right, but in general I consider it a pretty lo-fi draft and should be for ipod use only :) The Deacons track used here is essentially an instrumental version of the Syl Johnson recording "Come On Sock It To Me", as recorded on Twilight.

Through The Grapevine (sock it to me mix)

Love's Coming At Ya - Instrumental Edit

Here's a new edit of a M. Moore jam from '82 - tried to work lightly around the vocals while extending the beat out with a few accents and quick turnarounds.

Love's Coming At Ya (instrumental/dub edit)

Reggae Edit: Temps Over Classic Marley

Used the long version of "Jamming" from the UK 12" to piece together this Motown-Marley mix.

The temptations - papa was a rolling stone (b.cause jamming dub edit) by djbcause

A Little Bit Of Love Is All It Takes

Here's something new, the classic N.E. vocals over Le Scratch Funk's "From Scratch" drums on MPM. Planned on just making the quick blend/edit but after playing with the Juno a bit I added subtle layers throughout the track. Grab 'em both or take your pick :)

Check out the Le Scratch Funk dudes over on their myspace.

A Little Bit Of Love (drums edit with synth)

A Little Bit Lof Love (drums edit - no synth)

Something In The Way You Make Me Feel

Longtime personal favorite Stephanie Mills track on a fresh, synthy New Boyz blapper.

Something In The Way You Make Me Feel (tie me down edit)

Otis Sleep On

42 years. ago. Rest in peace.

West Coast Soul: Gee, It's Nice

Here's a really rare & sweet soul jam that I used to think was a Bay Area record given the label name, but found out later that it was apparently cut in L.A. I know that the group Chain Reaction (who worked with local producer Willie Hoskins) did an equally obscure version of the Rick Baked penned tune, which I'd really love to hear. Please let me know if you have any additional information or a recording of that version.

Charlie Harris - Gee, It's Nice

And I Heard The Strangest Thing

Here are 3 southern rap remixes I've made from the past few years that I still dig. These tracks all share the same quality in that I basically took a straight soul or funk 45 & chopped it generously to work around the song structure. They took a lot of elbow grease but it was worth the effort.

Dolla (RIP) - Who The F-ck Is That (ya mama know remix)

Baby Huey - P*p Lock And Drop It (joey remix)

B*by Boy Da Prince - The Way I Live (you got what I need rework)

Love Seasons - Edit

Here's a nice sweet/modern soul jam from the group Zoom, released in 1981. There were a couple little vocal turnarounds that were bugging me so I got rid of them, dubbed out a couple transitions and added some subtle percussion. Warm weather special.

Love Seasons (slow hands edit)

Where Did Our Club Go

Used a lil snippet of this indulgent blend on the Super 7 mix:
Here's the 'loose' version just for fun.

Love In This Club (supremes rewind)

8 Years

Still, I'm sad. Rest in Peace.

Rock The Boat (f- them b*tches blend)

Bonus:

Be Without You - Illo's Summer Bounce Mix

Shout out to the Ottawa crew!

Move Up - Drum Edit

Something revived from an old neglected session, the chops got kind of out there originally but I stripped it back to a drum edit to preserve the song structure. Not something to play out but some may enjoy this for what it is.

Move Up (b.cause dirty drums edit)