Tag Archives: aaliyah

mpfree lanks, muzak

MISTA VEE PRESENTS…THE BABYGIRL SUITE: PT. I + II (my 2012 AALIYAH tribute mix featuring the finest babygirl bootleg remixes & covers)

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presenting my two-part tribute to one of the most influential female artists of her generation, Aaliyah Dana Haughton. i have spent a decade wondering how i could show my love and appreciation for this lady being a part of my musical upbringing (by way of the massive talents of Da Bassment clique’s Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Static Major). and instead of just putting together a best of compilation as anyone else can, i scoured the Internets instead to find THE finest bootleg remixes and cover versions of babygirl classics. i believe this is the best collection as any you will find online.

4babygirl.

MISTA VEE PRESENTS…THE BABYGIRL SUITE: PT. I

01. INTERLUDE (By XplosiveDJAntman) (Intro)
02. 4 PAGE LETTER (CFCF Remix)
03. pOSH – A MILLION(M)
04. WE NEED A RESOLUTION (MIṨTΔṾΞΞ RESOLVEITMIX)
05. ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY (SANGO Remix) (feat. TIMBALAND)
06. AALIYAH x DAM-FUNK x SHASH’U – ROCK DA BOAT
07. TRY AGAIN (DANIEL DARDEN Remix)
08. ONE IN A MILLION (EAR JERKER Remix)
09. ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY (TKo Remix) (feat. TIMBALAND)
10. ROCK THE BOAT (STRAM Remix)
11. COME BACK IN ONE PIECE (NICE GIRL, WRONG PLACE Remix) (feat. DMX)
12. TRY AGAIN (DJ SQ‘s Dancehall Remix)
13. ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY (GENTLEMEN THIEVES Remix) (feat. TIMBALAND)
14. ROCK THE BOAT (ELAQUENT Remix)
15. IF YOUR GIRL ONLY KNEW (SOULSPY Edit)
16. COME OVER (ROB MANGA‘S Goodsoul Edit)
17. DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YA (ALEX DATSUN‘S Edit)
18. ONE IN A MILLION (DJ BOOGIE Mash-Up)
19. 4 PAGE LETTER (KAYTRADAMUS 1986 Remix)
20. A PRAYER

original cover art by BRANDON REDENIUS. re-coloured and re-touched by VAHÉ.

MISTA VEE PRESENTS…THE BABYGIRL SUITE: PT. II

01. KATERINA GEORGIO – ONE IN A MILLION (feat. JEM) (Intro)
02. MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE – MORE THAN A WOMAN (feat. NIA ANDREWS) (Live @ KCRW)
03. KYLA – AT YOUR BEST (YOU ARE LOVE)
04. THE ECHOCENTRICS – WE NEED A RESOLUTION (feat. TITA LIMA)
05. AMORIA & JOK’A’FACE – IF YOUR GIRL ONLY KNEW
06. SARAH HABASS – ARE YOU FEELING ME
07. BELL – ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY
08. CHYLL WILL – ONE IN A MILLION
09. ANNA MUTIA – MORE THAN A WOMAN
10. YO SMOKE – I CARE 4 U
11. SMOKE E. DIGGLERA – ONE IN A MILLION
12. ANHAYLA – 4 PAGE LETTER
13. JENNA ANDREWS – HOT LIKE FIRE
14. CAYLA – I MISS YOU
15. SOJIE – ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY
16. EPITHET MUSIC – ONE IN A MILLION (feat. FALLON DOUGLAS)
17. COLLATERAL – TRY AGAIN
18. KINOKONIJI – ROCK THE BOAT
19. THE XX – HOT LIKE FIRE
20. FOREST SWORDS – IF YOUR GIRL
21. JAKE “JUNNY” KIM – ONE MAN WOMAN (feat. CARMINA)

original cover art by MEZMACKO.

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V.

mpfree lanks, muzak, youtubery

Rochelle Jordan – Take Time (prod. Klash)

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like i told RoJo over twitter: after waiting this long to hear the follow-up to How To Feel, i can finally replace the non-stop listening of one Rochelle Jordan track for another. Take Time (again produced by Klash) evokes the breathy self-confidence of the most stylish mid-to-late 90s r&b singers (as a big lifelong fan of Aaliyah, baby-girl is the most obvious comparison). the pretty visual is a bonus (ain’t she cute as hell?), but it’s her command of harmony and songwriting  that’s got the widespread attention of the Interwebs, after only two songs. can’t wait til the mixtape drops.

:::DOWNLOAD:::
(.mp3)

oh, and if the sample sounds familiar to my audiophiles out there (heard during the verses, before the beat-switch), that’s the O.G. technically-unreleased version of Fantastic Vampere by Sa-Ra Creative Partners (an equally awesome song, peep it below).

V.

mpfree lanks, muzak, youtubery

2-For-1: Rochelle Jordan – How To Feel/Anhayla – One In A Million

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Rochelle Jordan

i seem to have an m.o when it comes to quickly fallin in love with songs and female artists: they got sweet-as-honey voices that also carry the depth and weight of the emotions they convey, standout songwriting, slightly different production, funky fashion sense, big-ass hair & chocolet skin. and i know that sounds like it’s comin from the crotch, but it’s not. it’s pretty much the definition of the modern day soul sista that i seem to invariably gravitate towards, and the talent i keep stumbling upon just gets better n better. within the last couple weeks i discovered both Anhayla and Rochelle Jordan, and they’ve been clutching at my audio circuits ever since.

Rochelle came to my attention thru a friend’s random recommendation via twitter. i clicked on to her bandcamp page which features her brand new single “How To Feel” (available for free .mp3 download) and totally abused the replay button (i don’t think there’s an actual ‘replay’ button but the point is i pressed play..a lot). i dig that her voice isn’t overbearing or explosive, rather chill n laid back, but in a way that still manages to hook u in to the emotional crux of the song (let’s just call this “the Sade method”, employed a lot by Aaliyah who also happens to be one of Rochelle’s influences & is also the subject of Anhayla‘s cover song…that’s a little something i like to call “symmetry”). anyways, this Toronto native is now on my radar. i expect big things for her down the line.

:::DOWNLOAD:::
(mp3)

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Anhayla

what connects these two ladies apart from the afore-mentioned equal part looks & talent, is the fact that they can both be considered ‘YouTube Starlets’ (to be taken in the nicest way possible). both have a large albeit underground following, mostly consisting of cover songs with splatters of original material. in Anhayla‘s case, the covers are done acoustic with her on guitar and vocals, completely re-working established r&b classics. so imagine my delight when, on a random Aaliyah binge, i started searching for someone, ANYone, who had done a cover of “One In A Million” that actually sounded…i dunno, GOOD? and i found THIS. she not only covers the song masterfully, she completely OWNS it.

:::DOWNLOAD:::
(mp3)

i wanna thank these two ladies for makin the last couple weeks of musical life that much more exciting. i think YouTube has become THE arena where talented artists can be unearthed and supported purely by people power (those who dig will throw their weight behind it, those who don’t will just ignore, n there’s no politics involved: just the feeling).

V.

muzak, youtubery

Mista Vee presents…The Top 5 Tracks From My YouTube Stash #001

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if u were unaware (and u probly were/are cos i am not exactly someone significant), but i have my own YouTube channel: Mista Vee’s Haus Of Love & Fun (the name might change). i upload some of my fav little-heard gems on a daily basis and i’ve favourited a whole shitload more quality stuff. so i thought every now n then i would highlight my uploads here for ur enjoyment, 5 at a time (cos i get wordy as fuck).

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Abstract Truth – Like Water (Drip-Hop Mix)

Abstract Truth, a modern soul/jazz/house/broken beat project featuring Monique Bingham & helmed by bandleader/founder & producer Dana Vlcek (along with Ravi Best, Vincent Chauncey, Jephté Guillaume, Guy Daniels, & Pete Mark). they released some really hot singles in 1996/97 like Get Another Plan & (We Had) A Thing and then vanished without a trace. the Drip-Hop Mix of Like Water is from the Get Another Plan EP (1996) and is a lot more water-like in its changing structure than the original vocal version. that and i used to listen to this profusely when catching the train to University back in the day. expect more blogging to occur on this short-lived yet awesome group of musos.

Lee Fields – You Don’t Know What You Mean (To A Lover Like Me)

from the vintage-but-not-vintage Daptone Records “vault” (this entire description can’t help but be tongue-in-cheek). Lee Fields performs a scorchin hot funk classic, taken from the Daptone 7 Inch Singles Collection Vol. 2 (2008).

Arkarna – House On Fire (Acoustic Version)

i still think it’s rather unbelievable a group like Arkarna is barely known to the average music listener anymore. although some critics derided them for essentially biting the styles of others (when the very same artists they were accused of biting were co-signing the band and even lending their expertise in the studio), Arkarna is an awesome hybrid band that plays a style of music that can only be described as a genre mishmash, a GUMBO, if u will of aural flavas. on their debut album Fresh Meat (1997), for instance, you’ll hear electro-pop, acoustic power ballads, grunge rock, acid techno, and HINTS of Prince (further expanded upon with Skin from their 2nd album The Family Album (1999), which seems to have mysteriously vanished from YouTube, but is one of the funkiest jams they’ve ever made). they’re still active and are working on releasing their newest album, due out any day now. keep in touch via The Official Arkarna Music YouTube Channel. House On Fire is one of their most well-known songs, this acoustic version appears as a hidden/bonus track at the very end of Fresh Meat (1997).

Lulu Jackson – Careless Love

a true buried melancholy gem that appears on Last Kind Words (1926-1953) (2008), an album full of old OLD super rare gospel & blues 78s compiled and released by Mississippi Records. the low-fi quality of the recording only adds to its appeal for me as a nice acoustic ditty bout the follies of love and lust. plus i could imagine this song being used in Punch-Drunk Love (2002) which may explain my extra amounts of love for it.

Gaelle – Ghost In The Machine

i seem to have developed an M.O. over the years for worshiping a certain kind of female musician, one that conjures up images of Sade and Aaliyah, not so much the appearance but the ethereal semi-mystic quality that they exude. Gaelle Adisson is one such semi-mystic quality exuder. this is one of many unreleased tracks that Gaelle briefly made available a few years ago. i’m told it’s from the 1998 sessions with Chris Brann (who also produced this track). shame it never got a release but i guess now it kinda did? *shrugs*

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V.