Treebeats A To Z Posting Compilation Of Really Dope Things. The Letter F

What up!?!? As the end of summer creeps closer and closer I yearn for yesterday when school's last day was tomorrow and I had big plans to recreate my life in mine own image. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and all I did was read The Deathly Hallows and Check The Technique (both good reads but fairly different in subject matter.) On a positive note I just got my ingrown toenail removed. I've had that sinfully painful delight poking it's way into the deeper recess of my right big toe for about 15 years now. Good riddance. Also, instead of doing anything constructive or worthwhile, I've also spent some time deciding who my favorite Wiggles dancer is (you have a kid and see if you don't do the same inane type of shit). This is the F mix. I'm not doing Friday's cover this week but I'll do it next week. I'm also going to post a few things that I have found interesting recently and I hope you will too. I need to come up with a clever sign off like "You stay classy" or something sexier like "Keep it hot" but, alas, as you can see I am currently as inventive as something very uninventive (see!)

01. Fat Boys - Stick'em
With a combined weight of 750 pounds of fatness, the legendary Disco Three changed their name, made one good record, put beat boxing on the map (be honest, he wasn’t the best but he did have every kid in America loudly hyperventilating) and made the first movie starring rappers not as themselves (again, not that it was any good but it was groundbreaking). Also, another sad tidbit of this song is they did an ad campaign for the then totally chic and poorly made Swatch watches where, due to their creative dynamism, they replaced “Stick Em” with “Swatch Em” Pure genius that is. Regardless, this was one of the first hip-hop songs I knew in and out and truly loved in a way only a way only a 12 year old douche bag, white boy in an upper middle class neighborhood inRhode Island could.
02. Fatboy Slim - Give The Po' Man A Break
This was the first song that I really learned about builds in techno. I also love the idea of giving the poor man a break, for at times in my life I have enjoyed being financially ungifted, and this is something that I wish people had done. So the rent’s late…Give the poor man a break. My payment is past due? Give the poor man a break. I'm short 50 cents on that 40 of St Ides...You get the idea. This is also one of the first songs I tweaked the EQ on whilst DJing to great effect. If you don’t like techno or electronic dance music, this song could make you spontaneously combust and leave behind a pile of ashes and the smell of roses. I’ve seen it happen. It was kind of cool.
03. DJ Faust – If 9 Was 6
If you don’t know DJ Faust then you don’t know your DJ history. He made the first record, “Man Or Myth” completely by records on an 8-track I think. He used to be in a crew of DJ’s that included Shortee (she did the DJ 101 video), Klever (currently on tour with GZA), Craze (money has like 6 DMC titles), and Shotgun (from Goodie Mob days of old). He ended up marrying Shortee and now the 2 of them live in Cali teaching classes on DJing at the The Scratch DJ Academy founded by Jam Master Jay (R.I.P.). This track was a rethink of Jimi Hendrix’s track If 6 was 9 and, as far as I’m concerned, is about as good as it gets. The dude is fucking nasty! He’s probably the most influential person for me in the world of production. The things that kid got out of a SP were ridiculous. He’s spinning a lot more Drum & Bass now but still is a crate digger and is about as dope as they come!!!
04. Finesse & Synquis - Soul Sisters
I’ve always liked the idea of ladies rapping their asses off. Although I can only think of 3 that were good (Lyte, Bahamadia, and Lauryn) I always try to give them a chance. It’s like a chick playing bass. It’s hot if a female can rip the mic to shreds. Exceptionally rare, but hot. Finesse & Synquis wore leather Gucci suits and had asymmetric hair do’s and weren’t really that good but this song was pretty awesome when it came out.
05. The Flaming Lips - Waitin' For A Superman (Mokran Remix)
Peter Mokran started off by doing remixes for Aaliyah, Changing Faces, and the legendary musical God, Michael Bolton. Thankfully he left shitty R&B (Changing Faces) and shitty shit (Mr. Bolton) and did a remix of my favorite Flaming Lips song, "Waiting For A Superman." It’s not really an exciting remix but adds some thump in the beat and a few sounds but sometimes less is more.
06. DJ Food – Break
DJ Food started out as a side project from the Coldcut masters, Matt Black and Jonathan More. Later joined by Strictly Kev and Patrick Carpenter from Cinematic Orchestra, they were a collective of amazingly influential artists that released, I think, 5 volumes of Jazz Breaks, not including “Dub Plate” and “Refried.” Kaleidoscope was the last album they released and probably my favorite (that’s favourite if you are speaking the Queen’s English). "Break" is just a tripped out avant gardeish jazz track with some smooth ass dude making pool sound like the coolest thing in the world. Production wise, this track was ridiculous to me when it came out.
07. Foo Fighters – Everlong
David Grohl is one of my favorite drummers of all time. Technically, he’s no Stuart Copeland but he plays a really powerful drum. With work in side projects like Queens of the Stone Age and Tenacious D and being part of the little known trio that played as Nirvana, he’s been part of a great deal of the contemporary rock that I like a lot. Everlong was popular when it came out but was a really good song.
08. Foreign Legion - People Round Town
I heard this record from a friend of mine while I was lamenting about the state of hip-hop. Prozac and Peter Parker have a 1-2 flow that keeps them up with really good back and forth rhyme smiths. While they weren’t legendary they were really good and made me want to take Hip-Hop back into my heart, whisper secrets in her ear, and caress her hair til she fell asleep and then cop a feel when I thought she was out.
09. Fountains of Wayne - Bright Future In Sales
Another great indie rock group that released heir debut in 1996 and were then up for MTV’s best new band award in 2003 after their third release. hmmm…. Anyway, besides the fact that they had Rachel Hunter in a swimsuit for a video and “Stacy’s Mom” was #11 with a bullet, they were a pretty solid band even before MTV noticed. Any song about an alcoholic trying to get his “shit together” because he “can’t live like this forever” has got to be good. Although I never had the balls to go to a job drunk I highly respect anyone that has, does or will.
10. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
While the Scott’s have been the musical red headed (heh) step child of the UK, never since the Proclaimers, has a Scottish band made me want to sing along with such fervor. Franz Ferdinand wanted to create a sound that, as they put it, would be "music that girls can dance to." Who doesn’t?! Plus, I danced to it to. And I’m a boy. I’ve always like songs that morphed into another song and this one does it well.
11. Fred Wesley - Blow Your Head
Being the band leader of the J.B.’s makes you funky. It makes you uber-funky. Ever Since PE sampled this track for “Public Enemy #1” I’ve been a fan. It’s noisy and not quite jazz and not quite funk but dope nonetheless.
12. Free Speech - Everything Is Different Now
I’m not putting this under “Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth” because I feel like it. But the project was done by M.C. Freespeech (thus the “f” inclusion) and Ro Blvd on beats. This record was released for free at their site and was pretty good. The video for this is done in one take and that takes guts in any situation. Who doesn’t like a song that says how much better things were in the days of yore and how stupid and contrived things are now.
13. Freestyle Fellowship - Inner City Boundaries
I’ll admit I wasn’t as hip as this record when it came out. But, I’ve always dug scatting (not in the Pornographic, defecating on people sense of the word) and Hip Hop. This does both and makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
14. Fu-Schnickens - La Schmoove
Phife helped these cats make one good record and they made another one by themselves. For some reason in the early 90’s having a dude that spit lyrics really fast and had dreadlocks made you legit. I liked the video for this too because they were just on stage getting wicked.
15. Fugazi - Waiting Room
Minor Threat was my favorite hardcore punk band. They were short lived and highly influential (check for the “M” edition for a full write up) Ian MacKaye went on to Fugazi in 87. “Waiting Room” has one of those bass lines that freezes you in spot until the rest off the track comes in and makes you want to punch someone in the face (in a good and politically correct sort of way.)
16. Fugees - Ready Or Not (Clark Kent-Django Remix)
I had never even heard of this remix until a couple of years ago. It get’s it’s “Django” moniker from the Modern Jazz Quartet’s (Milt Jackson anyone?) song of the same name that was sampled. Oh Clark Kent, where are you now? This is up there with “Vocab” and “Nappy Heads” insofar as it is a really fucking good remix. Listen and be amazed that Lauryn Hill now demands all of her security to be black and not look at her or pass in front of her (she really is a lunatic).
17. Funkdoobiest - Bow Wow Wow
DJ Muggs loved him some Latin rappers that either were or dated porn stars. I was a big fan of this song when it came out and loved that vocoder “Bow wow, wow” That’s all I got.

Pace.

01. Fat Boys - Stick'em
02. Fatboy Slim - Give The Po' Man A Break
03. DJ Faust – If 9 Was 6
04. Finesse & Synquis - Soul Sisters
05. The Flaming Lips - Waitin' For A Superman (Mokran Remix)
06. DJ Food - Break
07. Foo Fighters - Everlong
08. Foreign Legion - People Round Town
09. Fountains of Wayne - Bright Future In Sales
10. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
11. Fred Wesley - Blow Your Head
12. Free Speech - Everything Is Different Now
13. Freestyle Fellowship - Inner City Boundaries
14. Fu-Schnickens - La Schmoove
15. Fugazi - Waiting Room
16. Fugees - Ready Or Not (Clark Kent-Django Remix)
17. Funkdoobiest - Bow Wow Wow

18. Flight Of The Conchords
If you haven’t watched this New Zealand group’s deadpan sketch comedy on HBO you should and then tell all of your friends at the water cooler how hip you are and spread the word. It’s about two guys in a band that doesn’t really have any gigs and how pathetically worthless they are. Great fun!