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James Poole recommendations

2011: Top ten albums

The perils of writing a ‘best albums of the year’ list are many. First of all, I know that I’ll be missing some albums which probably deserve to make the cut. Last year, for example, while calling out I Am Kloot’s ‘Sky At Night’ as the album of the year (which I still stand resolutely […]

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reflection

Please Mind The Gap

The Gap Band didn’t mean much to me until two months ago. This is unacceptable. Growing up in a Motown-for-breakfast household with an unhealthy helping of 80s ballads, I was unreasonably proud of my funk collection. Before the wretched early teens kicked in, dad would take me to car-boot sales to hunt for records. A […]

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DJ Prestige recommendations

I Almost Traded In Paul’s Boutique

I’ve always rode pretty hard for the Beastie Boys. I remember going to this South Jersey Mall as a teenager and picking up the Cookie Puss 12″ (which I still have today) and then going absolutely nuts when License to Ill came out. In fact, I wore the cassette out in my first car stereo. […]

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defining freethinking DJ Prestige recommendations

Bizarre Ride II freethinking

It’s no secret that my moving from the suburbs in NJ to the Eastern Shore of Virgina during my 8th and 9th grade years at school shaped my music taste, as well as opened me up to everything Funky. From Funk to Soul to Reggae to early Hip Hop, the record store off of Market […]

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defining freethinking James Poole

Broadening horizons

1993. I scarcely believe that it was that long ago that I was dropped off by my parents at university. A naïve, fresher-faced, significantly slimmer (a ‘lanky streak of piss’ is one way of putting it) version of me. And I had bad jeans. I envy this streak of piss on a regular basis. Yes, […]

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defining freethinking DJ Prestige

More First freethoughts

The Original Funky Drummer Art Blakey Over the last few weeks I have been listening to a great big pile of music. First and foremost, I have been listening to an awful lot of Jazz, specifically Hard Bop. I’ve been revisiting artists like Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Ugetsu, At the Jazz Corner of […]