The Funky Melting Pot

Sorry its like 07:30 around here and I am slowly getting late for work and am thus in a rush. The one thing I just have to say is that for me Track 1 represents this blog and my personality perfectly. If the Funky Melting Pot had a business card, this would be on it under the question “So, what type of music is on the Funky Melting Pot play?”. It’s a question I get asked often you see …when people find out I run a blog. Now, the track itself is by no means perfect. No doubt it could have done with a visit to a reputable Sound Engineer for some polishing. Those people have an ear for sound that shames us mere mortals. But they cost a fortune and somehow I later fell in love with the “do-it-yourself” feel of the track. It sounds “garage-ish” …if you know what I mean. Anyway, for me the track is a fusion of what you get here at FMP. There is a Lounge-ish feel to it that is pushed along by nice House-ish sounds …all of which is decorated by the accomplished rap talents of EPMD. Harmonic Lounge/Chillout, House and the occasional Hip Hop mix …need I say more? That is what its about around here. But then again there is the odd oddball but then lets not let the facts interfere with the partial truth I am sponsoring here!

I hope you enjoy …and have a peaceful and useful couple of weeks till the next mix. I look forward to it.

Track List

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The writer Keith Ward gives this theory that is quite interesting. In the book its mentioned almost in passing and probably had little to do with the overall point of the book. But for some reason I remember it. The point made was that some writers have, what he called the ‘peculiar’ ability, to be convincing …while you were reading their book. In other words, they are believable as long as you read them. Somehow they drag you onto their wavelength and their arguments become compelling. But put the book down and in a day or so you catch yourself thinking, “what??”. Suddenly the holes appear and you return to your senses and marvel at how convinced you were.

Whether you agree with that or not, the fact is that it certainly happens with music. Man I have listened to some crap in my life! I mean sheesh ..I have been places …scary places! And why you ask when I sound like a reasonable human being? Well, I was dragged in onto the wavelengths of friends …MTV …pop radio …etc etc. And I was sold …to the point of changing how I dressed and behaved. But years later you look back at all that s*&t and think …”what?!?!?”.

Now, the music in this mix has been chosen very carefully with the intent of making sure it was convincing looooong after you first hear it. To this end, I have varied the sound somewhat …because I believe if the tracks are too similar, things get boring quickly. Maybe here or there I have gone too far from track to track …if what you re hoping for is smooth blending. But honestly, around here song choice takes 1st priority. I just hope the listening experience will, maybe with a second listen, smoothen out. Honestly, if you just do the “1…2…3…4...5…6…7…8…9…CHILL” thing, grab yourself a drink and listen, you will find the experience is as smooth as any.

Next up is …I don’t know. I feel like something different …either old school lounge or up-tempo lounge …and I mean in the 124 BPM dance floor region! Trust me …this latter stuff is FIRE! Anyway …please enjoy the mix and take care!

Track List

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A long time ago …not sure when to be honest …as its one of those things that just hangs in your head without reference to time. Anyway, I was watching Comedy Central and they had this dude on …quite an old dude …Lewis something or the other. He said something that ensured that a piece of his stand-up routine would form an integral part of my memory. The strange thing is, I remember none of anything else he said that night …but this piece is as vivid to me as if I had seen it just yesterday.

So, he was making the point that sometimes someone can say something that is so bizarre, and so strange, and so un-understandable, that it works its way around and around in your head until you feel like your head is going to explode. As an example, he said he was once travelling somewhere …not sure where …and was in a queue when the lady behind him said …and I have to warn you here because this might just stick in your head for a longgggg time …that: “If it was not for my horse, I would not have spent that year in college”. WTF does that mean?!?!? If the person who says it is a stranger, and you are unable to ask them “WTF?”, then it does become something like a mental puzzle that defies explanation. Now, this piece of knowledge is no doubt not going to improve your life …in fact I might just have wasted a few minutes of it … but I am trying to make a point here!

See, the first track in this mix is an absolute BEAUTY!! But, unfortunately the artist, Carolyn Harding, pulls a “if-it-was-not-for-my-horse” expression. To wit, she says “" ...take me so high that I touch the ground" …WTF does that mean?!?!? I mean, unless we are talking a different kind of “high” here, I really would love someone to explain to me just what that sentence means. The first few times I heard the track and started singing along, I kept making a mistake and saying “ …touch the “sky”. Do you think, I don’t know, that someone made a typo? I mean, you only need to see the comments on massive sites like YouTube to know that, well, shit happens when it comes to spelling these days. I reckon once Carolyn Harding spotted the error, she decided to use it anyway because it was catchy. But see, yes its catchy but its catchy in a “why the HELL did you do that??” kind of way!

Arrrgghhhh ..I will bite my tongue and move on. They are artists after all so I guess anything goes. But I am not complaining because “Peace of Mind” is just on another level when it comes to funky Deep House. And speaking of things that are on another level, do not miss the O.M.G moment of the mix …which will happen as soon as you hit “Catalina” by “The Djoon Experience”. This is, and by some margin, one of the best foreign language Deep House tracks I have EVER heard …not the best mind you, but certainly up there!

I hope you enjoy the mix. Next up, and pretty soon, will be a Chilled Lounge mix. I have not done one of those “Fireside specials” for a long time and this is not a good thing. Stay chilled, love Beauty and appreciate Life …without it we are nothing.

Track List

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Ok so sometimes, a man, or a woman, needs beats which are a bit on the rough side ...which display a bit of an edge. The melodic beats, as you will usually find around here, are always good for relaxed listening. They take the mind on smooth trips of fancy and leave you with a floating feeling. That is all good and well but sometimes you just need to, you know, "get it all out", and there is nothing more effective in helping with this than hard, bass drum heavy, edgy lounge music. As always, with RL mixes, there is variety in sound and feel between all the tracks. Note how the mood shifts from lazy, funky-as-hell laid back chilled grooves, to frantic Asian inspired percussion heavy beats, then to cool rock and pop inspired bliss, and then, finally, to Hip Hop funky instrumental heaven. I could listen to this kind of mix all day and night and please, whatever you do, check out “Roke” by “Rithma”. Now, I usually stay away from offending anyone by avoiding things that some might see as blasphemous but honestly, when it comes to “Roke”, no other expression comes to mind but Oh . My . God! As you sit there listening with your eyes closed, and that angelic voice comes on towards the end, I swear, there is a moment there when you are convinced that all is good with the world. All is perfect. All is Roke!

On a personal note, things are busy of late and, to be honest, I am lacking a bit in enthusiasm. There are hundreds of tracks in my possession that I need to listen to, and sort into my categories. Also, during my break, I got quite a few CD’s and Vinyl …these need to be ripped, listened to, and categorized. All this, plus work, plus studying towards a major qualification in my field …well, it will be weeks before I make another mix. But, all things being equal, and if that inner urge within me can be trusted to always be as strong as it currently is, I should have a Soulful House mix ready in a few weeks. I have about 120 new Soulful House tracks and they are the S*&T! These need to be added to many more that I have yet to use. I just feel I am drowning in music, work and study at the moment and enthusiasm is becoming hard to come by. This morning, while pondering the load and worrying if I can do it all, I grabbed my old friend - my notebook - and randomly opened it. It contains hundreds of quotes that I have grabbed from all over the place over the years. This morning’s quote put a smile on my face and made me decide to upload the mix and fight on. It read:

We are not going to succeed in everything we attempt in life. That's a guarantee.
In fact, the more we do in life, the more chance there is not to succeed in some things.
But what a rich life we are having! Win or lose, we just keep winning.
-Susan Jeffers

Fight on people! Enjoy the mix and cheers! There is life yet in this blog!

Track List

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This is a collection of stunning mid-tempo contemporary Lounge tracks. The title is a bit on the deep side …and so is the way every track has been chosen. For me there is deep meaning in the mix and you will notice some of it in the overall mood and the contrasting styles of the individual tracks. While there may be a contrast in style, there is a unity in feeling and purpose. The purpose though, is hard to determine …because it is based on individual feeling and this is diverse. Whatever it may be for you, you cannot deny that the tracks are funky, fresh, contemporary and bang on the money when it comes to lifting the spirits and taking the imagination to those “distant places” some of us feel when touched in the right places. I don’t know, in the end it is music and all I can hope for is that you “get it” …but if you don’t its cool …hopefully you will like something else in the collection.

So I am slightly burned out and will be taking a break. Lately I have been getting quite a few books and it’s time to take some time off and …uhm … feed the inner man …or “take a swim in Lake Me” to put it in a contemporary way. I will return in a few weeks hopefully refreshed and ready to go forth with new ideas and combinations. Things are not stale around here yet but they soon will be, for me anyway, if this Lounge-House-Hip Hop rotation thing carries on for too long.

Anyway, I wish you well and hope you are getting what you want in life …or at least are on the path to getting there …more or less. Not to use clichés but it really is all about the journey. Its an “unfolding” and we DO have the power to guide that process ...at least in terms of ourselves. Anyway …those are matters that belong in another blog. Please enjoy the mix and “see” you in a few weeks or so! Ciao!

Track List

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In Her book "The Spiritual in Modern Art" Kandinsky states, in a chapter named "About General Aesthetic", that "Every work of Art is the child of it's age and, in many cases, the mother of our emotions. It follows that each period of culture produces an art of its own which can never be repeated".

Certainly that is how I feel about Chillhouse. If you asked anyone what Chillhouse is, I doubt you would get a clear answer based on any musical fact. In many ways it resembles a lot of mid-tempo House music from the 90s (in terms of tempo) and also resembles Sunset Lounge (or up-tempo lounge) especially in terms of instrumentation. But while Chillhouse resembles these others, it also goes way beyond them. There is Chillhouse, for example, that beats away happily in that Soulful House 120 – 125 BPM tempo zone and is thus about as fast as mid-tempo House …and again there is Chillhouse that thumps slowly below the Sunset Lounge average BPM. So Tempo alone provides no distinction. Personally I think that Chillhouse is the by-product of a time when both Lounge music and House music ruled the airwaves. It seems to be nothing more than a result of blending some of that up-tempo Lounge feel with House music’s inherent Funkiness and, as such, is in my opinion, just like Kandinsky suggests, a true “child of its age”, and that age, people, is NOW!

What I love about Chillhouse is that it is House music that can be enjoyed without feeling the pressure of dancing or partying. It can be played quietly in the background while entertaining friends; at mid volume in the car while taking a Sunday drive; or at high volumes on a Friday afternoon while entertaining people who are simply “warming up” for the much more strenuous job of dancing for faster Deep House, Trance and Tech House tracks. It is the House music for any occasion and the soft-feeling instrumentation used means mentally you get about the same effect as you would while listening to Sunset Lounge. In fact, they are so close in feel that there was a time ages ago when I used to do “Chillhouse vs Sunset Lounge” mixes. I only stopped because of a growing collection and doubt about peoples interest in such mixes. But I, and a couple of others I know on this blog, approved! Anyway, whatever you define Chillhouse as, it is, when done well, VERY good! It is funky music. It is SOLID music.

Most of it is instrumental but there are two vocal tracks including perhaps the best vocal Chillhouse track in my collection in the form of Crazy Ps INSANELY sexy “Never Gonna Reach Me”. Yes it has a Soulful House feel to it but its slowish tempo means its just about impossible to use in those sets. Chillhouse is its home IMO. I have had it for about two and a half years and for some reason I have always found reason to play it. There is yet to be a party or a gathering of friends that I play it for that is not touched by it in some way. It’s the goodness of that now classic 80s female Soul vocal sound with that jaw-dropping Funkiness of mid-tempo house that some of us love so much …sheesh its just too good! You have to hear it …it’s a treat for the ears …

On other matters, I am in a bind as to what to do next. The recent Festive Season left me somewhat tired of House (as in Deep House and Soulful House) and Hip Hop to be honest. Normally for me January represents a break from the more “hectic” forms of contemporary music. So, if you do not mind, the rest of the month will consist of Lounge sets …with maybe a leftfield proposal thrown in there somewhere …something like maybe a Pop mix …I don’t know but please just anything other than House or Hip Hop …for now anyway.

Other than that I wish you a fantastic weekend and, as Sandra Sturtz says; “Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you”. Cheers and Enjoy!!

Track List

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The quote on the compilation cover says: “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” -Ovid

Ovid is a very important Roman Poet from way back in the day. I guess a lot could be said about him but for me the significant fact is that anyone who can find the time, patience and determination to write a narrative poem in FIFTEEN BOOKS knows a thing or two about work/life balance and the importance of relaxation for both. Sure he never said anything about listening to Ambient Lounge for relaxation but relaxation is relaxation and this music promotes nothing but relaxation. You will not hear this kind of stuff in a club or bar …you are more likely to hear it in places where meditation and peace are promoted. I have a lot of this kind of music and I guess you could say this compilation is a test …to see how you guys feel about this kind of stuff. To my ear though these tracks are as Loungey as any Lounge track could be …but with an extra emphasis on the relaxing aspects and less on stuff that can move you physically …like percussion and rousing vocal elements. Note the concentration on sounds higher up in the spectrum …that is because lower sounds are earthy and are likely to resonate on a physical level which is not the effect that these artists are after. What they are after is a mental effect and for that you go higher up the sound spectrum …there is not much bass around here!

How you use this compilation or don’t use it is up to you but once again, on The Funky Melting Pot, we provide you with a collection of interesting music for your educated consideration. Nothing is typical around here …Compilations and Mixes are put together and presented to you with the question “And how about this?” You do not have to like everything but it is my honest hope that you will always find the compilations and/or mixes interesting.

Right, enough with the compilations already! As originally planned there will be a Chillhouse or Hip Hop mix coming up next. “Ambient Tools for Mental Calm” only came into existence because a friend desperately needed something with a massive calming effect. It was only after I had made it that I realized it might be worth sharing. There are lots of impromptu private mixes/compilations I make like this that never reach this blog …I hope I made the right decision by sharing “Ambient Tools …”. I hope you enjoy it and get all the relaxation and mental calm you can muster! Ciao!

Track List

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“As your mother tells you, and my mother certainly told me, it is important, she always used to say, always to try new things.” – Hannibal Lector

These nuggets of truth certainly do come from the strangest and sometimes the most sinister sources. Still, this particular one echoes in my soul. I have no idea what many of these tracks are about (except the Spanish ones ….ish), but the older ones have been in my collection for years. As time has gone by many have joined them and I now have a sizeable collection of what to me, are foreign language tracks. Even though I do not understand all the words, there is something in my soul that resonates perfectly with these tracks and understands their spirit …their “feel”, if not their verbal meaning. And sometimes I wonder what is more important: to grasp the feel of a thing, or its meaning. I am not sure which you would chose but its perhaps significant that while meanings often change with time and new understandings, feelings are feelings. The emotions I get now listening to “Herido de Sombras” are just about the same as they were years ago. Ofcourse, emotions can change over time but for me the feel always remains.

Next up will be a contemporary Electronic Lounge mix …probably of the Sunset variety. I am also considering a Chillhouse mix ..have not done one of those for a long time! I also need to shift all this Hip Hop! The last Hip Hop mix was built with old tracks …I have many, many current tracks begging to get out. Plus they are getting old so expect a sequence of Hip Hop mixes in the coming weeks. Enough of that …please hook yourself up to a glass or cup of something, sit back, listen, and contemplate how much beauty some artists in this world are capable of expressing. Enjoy!

Right, enough with the compilations already! As originally planned there will be a Chillhouse or Hip Hop mix coming up next. “Ambient Tools for Mental Calm” only came into existence because a friend desperately needed something with a massive calming effect. It was only after I had made it that I realized it might be worth sharing. There are lots of impromptu private mixes/compilations I make like this that never reach this blog …I hope I made the right decision by sharing “Ambient Tools …”. I hope you enjoy it and get all the relaxation and mental calm you can muster! Ciao!

Track List

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Well it’s the end of the year and it’s a special and busy time for many. Words cannot express my gratitude for your support and my joy at being able to do something that I really do love. That’s the thing about the Funky Melting Pot …its not about some guy trying to make it as a DJ, or some club addicted “never-sleep” type who is trying to impress by only playing the latest and most popular music; it’s a blog by a music fan for music fans who have a taste in music that is diverse and inclusive. All I can hope is that this diversity continues and that this never becomes a dull place where you can always guess where the sound of the latest House or Lounge mix will take you.

2012 has been a tough year for many …for many reasons the personal challenges have been numerous. If this is true for you, as it is for me, then I can only wish you the best in strength and courage and the will to overcome. As I mentioned in another post we have that thing within us called “Life” and it is Ancient …as well as capable of overcoming. What stops us from seeing and believing it is our own reasoning and emotions …both of which can easily be misled. But we are all doing the best we can regardless of how others many judge us and for 2013, I wish you the power to continue to do the best you can to be the best You that you can be. Yes, I know it may sound a little corny but for my money, that is the best wish that anyone can give me, i.e. the Power to be more “fully me”.

I am not sure if I will be able to post any more mixes this year since things are busy right now but this funky collection of Soulful House tracks should be enough to keep anyone going for some time. Whatever you do, do not miss “Alone With Myself” by Deep Joke and “Call Me” by Cei Bei! Its tracks like these that show that there are many music Producers out there who believe in the motto “Keep Soulful House Alive!”. And then there is the deep African-American church-groove like “Find Me Some Love” by Reegroove Feat. LT Brown. If they made another Blues Brothers movie in 2013, and chose to inject it with some House flavour, then this surely would have to be among the headline tracks. What a groove! Fire I tell you!

I hope you enjoy the mix and, again, the rest of the year. Be safe, cherish happy thoughts and remember that whatever your personal circumstance, change is something that can happen in a flash. Keep Hope alive! Cheers!!

Track List

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