Amy Jade Winehouse: 14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011

From the moment I heard Amy Winehouse on the Nas-powered “In My Bed” on Trevor Nelson’s radio show and blogged about it seven years ago, I’ve been a fan of what was probably one of the most interesting and talented artists in the music game over the past ten years. As a kid who grew up appreciating mod-soul, British pop music and hip-hop, Amy Winehouse embodied all those aesthetics effortlessly. No mere pastiche or tribute act, she took the past and fused it with the now to blaze a creative and exciting new trail in music that artists like Adele have subsequently taken advantage of traveling.

But what started out as a semi-charming side-story, cute but feisty London Jewish chick with jazz-soul pipes par excellence likes her drink and to get into scraps (“She’s more rock n roll than most rock dudes!” I used to say), clearly and quickly became a self-destructive train-wreck that nobody seemed to have any idea how to pull the emergency brake on. Like Tupac before her, it was clear where this story was going to end eventually. That it came to this inevitable conclusion so much sooner than later doesn’t make it any less sad or even shocking.

Somehow I thought maybe she’d pull off a miracle and get clean but real life is… well, real. And now sadly, she is a part of an esteemed fellowship that no-one likely wishes really existed, The 27 Club and that is music’s and all of our losses. Truly, they broke the mold with that one there. Amy Winehouse, your spirit will be missed. May you R.I.P.

But as they, she will live on through her music so here’s a couple of my favorite Winehouse moments:

MP3 Download: Amy Winehouse In My Bed

MP3 Download: Amy Winehouse Love Is A Losing Game

[image via NME.com]

[MP3] Dennis Coffey – All Your Goodies Are Gone feat. Mayer Hawthorne (Shigeto remix)

MP3 Download: All Your Goodies Are Gone feat. Mayer Hawthorne (Shigeto remix) by Strut

Also first posted on the Kitchen Facebook page yesterday. THIS IS FIYA!!!!! Official plug below….

“The city of Detroit was heavily represented on Dennis Coffey‘s latest album in the form of guest appearances from Mayer Hawthorne, Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs, Rachel Nagy of The Detroit Cobras, and more. An equally vibrant array of Motor City talent from the rich electronic community will be showcased on a forthcoming collection of remixes of tracks from the album. For now, check out a radical re-interpretation from beat head and accomplished drummer Shigeto, whose take on “All Your Goodies Are Gone” infects the track with a skittering bounce somewhere between garage house and Dilla-esque hip-hop. The full remix collection will be available for free download shortly, featuring mixes from Dabrye, Recloose, 14KT, Nick Speed & more.”

Online: Dennis Coffey | Shigeto

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 37. The Weeknd – House of Balloons

Regular readers already know how I feel about this album. And you know what? I keep playing it and it keeps sounding better. The hype is real! Whether homeboy can do his thing live will be revealed at the Molson Amphitheater at the end of this month when the second incarnation of the to be annual (?) OVO Fest goes down with The Weeknd doing his first official live show along side hip hop heavyweight Rick Ross and Drizzy Drake himself headlining. Talk about trial by fire! In the meantime though, I hope my fellow jurors did the right thing come tomorrow….

The Weeknd – House Of Balloons by The_Weeknd

A Look at the Long List: 5. Buck 65 – 20 Odd Years

Buck 65 is the kind of rapper and hip-hop the Polaris jury tends to favor (cf. K’naan, K-os etc.): more respectful of the old school and/or the four elements of hip-hop culture than most other contemporary, more commercial MC’s but at the same time incorporating more of rockist feel to their sound be it using instruments more than samples during recording or a band set-up for live performances. In Buck’s case that means exploring more a rootsy, blues-man feel in the music he’s released in the latter parts of his career. Although I won’t lie and claim to be an expert on his music or much of a fan based on the stuff I’ve ever checked out in the past but 20 Odd Years had it’s moments including actually a sense of humor on ‘Zombie Delight” and a dubstep and strings melange on the ‘Who By Fire’ track that features fellow Polaris nominee, Jenn Grant who also provides an assist of the moving, ‘Paper Airplanes.’

Buck 65 Superstars Don’t Love [MP3]

Buck 65 Zombie Delight [MP3]

[MP3] Dwele feat. Styles P – I Think I Love U (Mr. Mo Remix)

Perfect remix for those of you who held out to the end of this week’s edition of Ultra-Chill and are just about to wrap up tonight. C, I’ma catch up with you down there in a couple weeks, maybe?

“Here is a soulful house remix I recently completed of Dwele’s “I Think I Love U”. It’s actually a remix of the So So Def Remix feat. Styles P off the 12″ single. I thought this version with Styles P would make for a more interesting remix than using the original. Thanks for your time & hope you enjoy!”

MP3 download: Dwele – I Think I Love U feat. Styles P (Mr. Mo Remix) by MrMoMusic | Alt. MP3 download link: hulkshare

Mr. Mo online – twitter | website