East Flatbush Edo: Tried By 12 Primate Kings?

What a joy it has been to re-discover this (16^th century?) traditional Japanese lullaby (!!) that was not only used as a sample by the East Flatbush Project on their seminal 1996 single “Tried By 12,” but more recently (2005) gave way for inspiration to a conceptual ‘Ambient DJ Mix,’ Primate King’s Ambient Treetop Escape.

I originally found this song on Soulseek circa 2005 as a sample source for “Tried By 12” and am proud to bring it to you in 2009 via Smokeland California!

If you'd like a little more background, here’s an excerpt about Edo from Wikipedia:

Edo (江戸, Edo?), literally: bay-door, "estuary", pronounced [edo]), once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. During this period it grew to become one of the largest cities in the world and the site of a vibrant urban culture centered on notions of the "floating world".[1]

“Edo Lullaby” [MediaFire]

Work for Love?

"The hand model absolutely kills me," I think to myself as I notice exactly how similar the covers to Ministry's 1983 albums Work for Love and With Sympathy are! And the roses... oh the roses!

My second Ministry post this month focuses more on the disco-influenced synth-pop prequel to Ministry's harder-edged sound found throughout the 80's/90's, and is highlighted on such tracks as the dance-rock number titled, "Revenge." Also, some funky pop sounds worth checking out are found on "Here We Go" and general Jourgenson pop star status is found on "I Wanted to Tell Her."

It has been quite the discovery for me to learn Ministry's 'dirty little secret' on these 1983 releases, however it definitely puts their music into perspective, as they have undoubtedly helped pioneer and evolve the darker sounds of electronically influenced dark rock/metal into that which we may label 'industrial' or 'edm.'

You can pick up a copy of Work for Love (which is actually an imported, slightly different version of With Sympathy) by visiting the Smokeland California store!

Ministry - "Work for Love"

Ministry - "I Wanted to Tell Her"

Ministry - "Here We Go"

Ministry - "Revenge"

Sympathy For the Devil and His Ministry

It feels great to be back in the swing of things! Although I was traveling over the Holidays (from Oakland to Wisconsin to Reno to Las Vegas and back) I did have a couple moments to catch up on the tunez that have been flooding my inbox and toss a couple on the iPhone as well!

This is not one of them... This is Ministry's With Sympathy album from 1983 and it kicks a lot of butt!

The tracks I've selected for you below should give you an accurate depiction of how their style was much different then, as you could easily compare this 1983 release to some familiar bands as Pet Shop Boys, Tears For Fears, Pink Floyd and Phil Collins.

You'll have no problem warming up to the Jazzy, 80's-flavored Synth-Pop of "Say You're Sorry," which does lean slightly more towards the dark side than towards true pop music... It is however in contrast a little more Knots Landing than it is Dallas...

You can listen to a couple selections below, and can pick up the MP3 album for $8.99 on Amazon by clicking here.

Ministry - "Effigy (I'm Not An)"

Ministry - "Say You're Sorry"

Ministry - "Should Have Known Better"