“It’s been a good ride but now we feel the time is ripe for some changes in our format”

Read more at www.multitunesproject.com

The biggest news today? “Students storm Tory HQ in London”

This protest – in both its peaceful and more violent dimensions – is a sign of a country unafraid to fight back, for the first time in a long time. — Nina Power

This goes out to London students. Big up to everybody organizing, standing up and speaking out against the education cuts and fees. When the government makes such outrageous plans, fighting back is the most reasonable and responsible thing to do.

Nice coincidence that I was going through some old UK garage last night. This is a throwback from 1997, “A London Thing” by Scott Garcia.

(Via my Tumblr)

“Unless you bangin on the system you a gangsta wearin panties”

It’s Dead Prez with Divine telling you to study Malcolm, Garvey and Huey. Waiting for their new album to drop!

We interviewed DP’z a year ago, peep game.

Another soul legend has passed away - R.I.P. Solomon Burke. This is one of my favorite songs by him. “None of us are free if one of us is chained.”

Last weekend was madness. Friday night was all about BÄNGIN raps with Mr. Tuomenos at Om’pu, and the release party for the new student rebellion handbook Vastaopinto-opas held at Kupoli. Not to mention the Saturday night baile at Pacifico where we dropped anything from soca to baile funk to moombahton with our guest Cheesy-J mixing in a dose of dancehall. Next up: Left Hooks goes Clip Kino! Check out the facebook.

MP3: Gracias - HKI

This is how it looks like here in Helsinki. As Gracias says, it’s pretty damn cold.

I caught the cumbia fever first time when visiting Mexico in early 2007. There you hear it daily, in the street, in the car, in the club, everywhere. Here in Helsinki, Autogestion Project dj’s have done a lot to promote cumbia music over the years. Lately, there’s been a global renaissance of cumbia going on. This article is just one proof of that.

This sunday evening we do a CUMBIA SPECIAL with Marcos Almeyda (Autogestion, Radio Kriminal). From 8pm til 2am at Pacífico, Kallio, Helsinki, we play old and new cumbias from Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Argentina. Come and feel the cumbia.

Check out Marcos Almeyda’s mix of mostly Argentinian cumbia below.
Programa 1 - mixed by Marcos Almeyda (Boosted) by Radio Kriminal

MP3: Afrikan Boy - Power

Neoliberalism reproduces itself through cynicism, through people doing things they “don’t really believe”. It’s a question of power. People go along with auditing culture and what I call “business ontology” not necessarily because they agree with it, but because that is the ruling order, “that’s just how things are now, and we can’t do anything about it”. That kind of sentiment is what I mean by capitalist realism.

- Mark Fisher

Afrikan Boy goes hard over Kanye West’s Power. He dedicates the song to 9-to-5 workers and poses a question:

Why the fuck you working all these hours?
Making money for the people in power

I stumbled into this song while I was checking out this interview of Mark Fisher. He poses the same question as Afrikan Boy. Why do we do things we don’t believe in? Is it because we don’t have an alternative - or rather because our ability to imagine alternatives has become so limited? We all take part in this cynical but nonetheless submissive behavior in our daily lives. Fisher names it “Capitalist Realism”, which is the title of his book. I think the book just might be worth reading. Maybe we can start thinking of ways to challenge that realism.

We can’t eat without pounds and dollars
It’s time to KILL this shit!
Send them flowers

MP3: El Guincho - Bombay

“I used to play in punk bands, and I wanted to bring the Tropicalia and Caribbean influences to my sound, but they ended up being the main thing” (exclaim.ca)

Here’s a brand new video for El Guincho’s new single from his new album “Pop Negro”. They say “El Guincho, aka Pablo Díaz-Reixa is one strangely amazing dude who, growing up on the Canary Isles, was starved for 80’s pop culture. He was just “a homeboy, who didn’t know about much except the beach and the sea.” But he found a talent for music, and nurtured it in Paris and Barcelona” (via IFC).

Gyptian is coming to town in the end of October.

25.9. Bicho de Pé (Bra), Banda Madrugada
25.9. VATAK V-DAY w/ Left Hooks
26.9. Rory / Stone Love (Jam)
1.10. Wolf Parade
7.10. Funkdoobiest
8.10. Kid Sister
9.10. MULTITUNES
9.10. Tensnake
13.-14.10. Lady Gaga
14.10. Adam Tensta
15.10. Kelis
15.10. LEFT HOOKS
17.10. DJ Krush
31.10. Gyptian
4.11. K’naan
5.11. MF Doom
6.11. Ras Kass
27.11. Sean Paul

MP3: KillaQueenz - Break The Rules (Mat Cant Remix)

“To be revolutionary is the most ordinary thing in the world, it is simply part of living in capitalist society” - John Holloway

Break the rules, crack capitalism. It’s KillaQueenz and John Holloway united in struggle. Both speak the language of resistance: “If you living in the dump with a major pain / time to stand up and get a major change!” Life’s too short, why waste it turning ourselves into robot people working meaningless jobs? Let’s create them cracks instead.

“The real determinant of society […] is the way in which our everyday activity is organised, the subordination of our doing to the dictates of abstract labour, that is, of value, money, profit. […] If we want to change society, we must stop the subordination of our activity to abstract labour, do something else.”
- J. Holloway: Crack Capitalism (2010)

KillaQueenz come from Sydney, Australia as we mentioned here. Check out the remix by Mat Cant who comes from Melbourne, and has done some tight ass moombahton too. I had the pleasure to drop this remix last Saturday at the Left Hooks party at Nolla. It was the first time for Left Hooks to bring the ruckus from Kallio to the other side of the bridge. Shit was bangin’. Next up there will be a Left Hooks set this Saturday at Belly, and monthly Left Hooks nights at Mascot continue on October 15. A kick-ass Saturday night special at Pacifico coming up as well so don’t sleep.

To hell with your double standards! Gogol Bordello are singing about the immigrant experience. Even if you’re not into punk rock, you gotta admit this song makes perfect sense. And in fact, punk rock IS cool.

“Suavemente yo, mueve el cuerpo” - Lorna

Once again it’s time for a nice & mellow sunday evening with salsa, bachata, merengue, kizomba, afrobeat and more. Pacífico is the place to be. Come chill out, get your salsa on, or try out some zouk.

MP3: Jennifer - Kel Ki Um Kré

MP3: D.R.T. - Salsa Skank

Salsa is cool. Even kids in UK know it, and here’s the proof: a new dance style called “salsa skank”. It doesn’t look or sound too much of salsa, but who cares, I’m all for it. Speaking of salsa, me and Gorgeous George are actually playing it every now and then. Check out the next Domingo Suave at Pacífico next week, September 19.

The most popular tunes posted in this blog in July-August. Jammer dominates.

1. Jammer - 10 Man Roll (ft. Boy Better Know)
2. Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar (Emynd Bounce Remix)
3. Jammer - Back to the 90s
4. Jammer - Bad Mind People (ft. Lickle J & Newham Generals)
5. Los Rakas - Abrazame (Uproot Andy Mix)

Here’s some Bambu for y’all. This dude delivers nice everyday-freedom-fighter raps, and besides rapping he’s doing some community organizing in his hometown L.A. Suddenly I realized there’s many Bambu music videos we haven’t posted yet. Good stuff.

The above is something like a sequel to the Crooks & Rooks video. Check out the story behind the song.

This one’s about the queen/bitch talk. “I heard the queen was dead”… “call you souljah instead”.

Three more videos after the jump… (more…)