In The Fader’s latest release of Ghetto Palms they blended in a snippet of “Afro Beat” a collaboration from Damian Marley and Nas (which logic only reasons most be off of the Distant Relatives project), along with some Ethiopian soul music and the Weapon Riddim.

The fire-starter was “Afro Beat”—Nas’ collabo with Damian Marley which just leaked in a truncated snippet version. Featuring Nasir and Junior Gong alternating bars over a chop-n-quench of Ethiopian soul pioneer Mulatu Astatke, it manages to spear all three birds in one track even though it is barely a minute long. Luckily the original, a ’60s Ethio-jazz monster that foreshadowed the fusion experiments of Fela, is long enough to carry both of them. That gave me a framework to cut together a couple other Ethiocentric joints—beats that are so idiosyncratic they don’t even blend, exactly, but are so much on the same vibe it doesn’t even matter, really.

Ghetto Palms blend

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Afro Beat Snippet

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I spotted this mix over at The Heat Wave Blog and thought it was so weird and original, I had to share it. Check out the details below…

Here’s something a little different. Musical alchemist and Reggae Reviews contributor Dale Cooper has mashed up a dozen Sizzla tunes with the soundtracks from 10 old spaghetti Westerns, a wacky venture that’s actually not as wacky as it initially seems, since A) reggae artists have co-opted Western movie mythology for years, from acts like Lone Ranger, Clint Eastwood, and Reggae Cowboys to songs like The Upsetters‘ “Return of Django” and Josey Wales’ “Bush Wacked,” and B) Sizzla is no stranger to musical experimentation. Thus, it all comes together quite naturally, the airy, melancholy movie music from composers Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov, and Bruno Nicolai lending an epic feel to Sizzla’s towering vocals. …

Check out a sample of what you can expect below….

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Check out the tracklisting and a link to download after the jump…

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It’s only right that I put up this one. Check the video below…

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Download it here: Sizzla Kolanji - “Thank You Mama”.

Sizzla - Conscious within yourself

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Lutan Fyah - What made us

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Junior Kelly - Out of control

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Steam - In the Ghetto

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Emanuel Stain - Dance in Peace

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I thought I would switch things up and post something with a little UK flavor to it. Plus its got my man Sizzla on it - you can never go wrong that way.

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It’s kind of a slow day….but I just noticed a story I missed yesterday. Dancehall star Sizzla suffered a major loss when his house & studio burned down, resulting in over $25 Million in damages. So where’s the silver lining? Check out the details below…

The fire, the cause of which was still unknown up to press time, left an estimated $25-million worth of damage…The building and its contents, which were insured, are valued at $60m.

So at least it’s not a total loss; You’ll at least be able to buy your losses back. Gotta love insurance for that. And no one was hurt, which is always most important.

Check out the full story here: $25m fire at Sizzla’s house (Jamaica Star).

image via nik_clayer on Flickr.

Just to add to what I posted this morning here are the full versions of some of the Strange Things Riddim…

John Holt
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Sizzla Kalonji
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The French label Irie Ites has dug into the past for a new rhythm based on John Holt and Phil Pratt’s eerie classic Strange Things. This riddim is serious…

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