Special Interest

To many outside of East Africa, the Kenya Special Soundway compilation released in 2013 was their introduction to the full spectrum of the musical landscape of 1970s and ‘80s Kenya. The promotion of Kenyan music on an international level from the mid-eighties onwards had often been within a narrative of ‘otherness’, where releases were marketed as world music, focusing on a few genres with clearly defined sounds, such as benga and Swahili rumba. Kenya Special did more or less the opposite by highlighting songs and bands that couldn’t easily be categorized. Many of the featured songs seemed to bend the rules, break away from existing genres and sometimes borrow from foreign music trends.

Frank Zappa - The Dub Room Special (1982) [DVD9 NTSC] {2005 Eagle Rock EV30138-9}
DVD9 -> 5,41 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | LPCM Stereo | ~ 100m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 72 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974-81, 2005 Frank Zappa / Eagle Rock | EV30138-9
Rock / Experimental Rock

Previously released on VHS and Beta and only available through mail order, Frank Zappa's Dub Room Special is an extremely rare TV special comprising two live performances from one of Rock's great individuals. Zappa's unparalleled abilities as a composer, guitarist, and absurdist/social commentator run rampant on The Dub Room Special – and it is a unique window on his willingness to push the envelope of what is possible no matter how improbable. Selections from two separate concerts, one, called A Token of His Extreme, shot in 1974 at Los Angeles public television station KCET and one in 1981 filmed at his annual New York Halloween show, are interspersed with then-cutting edge claymation/stop motion animation from Bruce Bickford and assorted comedy bits.

Although Eric Martin is best-known as the lead singer of rock quartet Mr. Big, he was a seasoned music veteran before that outfit in 1988…

Nigerian vocalist Sade Adu has carved out a cosmpolitan niche for herself over the past decade, gathering together elements of cool jazz, samba, reggae, funk and pop all under the pastoral umbrella of her suede-and-velvet voice. A pop stylist with a musical universe all her own, Sade has endured and matured over the past decade, seemingly unaffected by changes in taste and fashion–a movement unto herself…

Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte as Groundtruther + special guest Greg Osby - Latitude (2004) {Thirsty Ear THI 57150.2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 225 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 28 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2004 Thirsty Ear Recordings | THI 57150.2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Postbebop / Experimental / Modern Creative

Groundtruther is not a band, actually, but a project created by guitarist/composer Charlie Hunter and drummer, composer, and electronics maestro Bobby Previte. There will be three albums in the Groundtruther catalog when it's all done, of which Latitude is the first – Longitude and Altitude are the other titles in the series. In addition to the duo, each album will play host to a different guest instrumentalist, making each album a trio offering. On Latitude, it is saxophonist Greg Osby.

If I Can Dream is a compilation album by Elvis Presley. It was released on October 30, 2015 by RCA Records and Legacy Recordings. The album features archival vocal recordings of Elvis accompanied by new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It also features duets with Canadian singer Michael Bublé and Italian trio Il Volo. If I Can Dream was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, and it was produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman. The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, giving Elvis a record-equalling 12th UK number one. As of September 2016, the album had sold 1.6 million copies worldwide. A second album featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Wonder of You was released on October 21, 2016. The album features archival vocal recordings of Elvis accompanied by new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded at the Abbey Road Studios.