Episode 9: A Groovy Christmas!

That's right! It's time for the annual tradition of an Audiofiles Christmas Mix.

This year we decided to share something we have wanted to do for a while. We've been storing up little-known, funky Christmas tunes since our episode last year and now get a chance to bring them all together for a truly Groovy Christmas mix. 

Enjoy these rare tracks as you trim your tree, wrap your gifts, drink your drinks and generally get in the spirit of the season. From the Audiofiles to your and yours - we wish you all a Groovy Christmas and a very happy New Year!

1. Little Drummer Boy by Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
2. Gee Whiz It's Christmas by Carla Thomas
3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by johnny Clarke
4. Mamacita, D6nde Esta Santa Claus? by Augle Rlos
5. Christmas Comes But Once A Year by Amos Milburn
6. Merry Christmas Baby by Ike and Tina Turner
7. Zat You, Santa Claus? by Louis Armstrong
8. Santa Baby by Eartha Kltt
9. Baby It's Cold Outside by Ray Charles and Betty Carter
10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald
11. Everybody's Waiting For The Man With The Bag by Kay Starr
12. White Christmas by Charlie Parker
13. Twas The Night Before Christmas by Perry Como
14. Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding
15. Merry Christmas I Love You by James Brown
16. Funky Jesus by The Jive Turkeys
17. In The Hot Sun Of A Christmas Day by Caetano Veloso

Groovy Christmas! by The Audiofiles on Mixcloud

Episode 8: The Not So Classical One

For this episode The Audiophiles bring you an eclectic collection of their favorite classical music. During our many years of exploring the musical genres of soul, jazz, R&B, gospel and rock, we have always had an appreciation of the classics as well. Many of these tracks were discovered even as we rummaged through record bins for our regular interests.

Classical music underpins almost all of western popular music and we wanted to give our listeners an introduction to our own (hidden) classical roots. So enjoy this episode featuring some truly great musical masterpieces and the stories of the great composers behind them. This episode also introduced a new presentation format featuring our unscripted conversations in real-time as we share the music with each other and with you. Happy listening!

Feel free to comment or share the audio-love. You can also follow us here: https://www.facebook.com/theaudiofilesbrussels?ref=bookmarks

1. Intro w/ Kinderszenen Op. 15 Von Fremde Ländern und Menschen (Robert Schumann, performed by Martha Ärgerich)

2. Love Me Or Leave Me by Nina Simone

3. Prelude for Guitar No. 1 in E Minor, A. 419 - 1 (performed by Octavio Camargo) by Heitor Villa-Lobos

4. La Catedral by Agustín Barrios

5. La Savanne (performed by Cecile Licad) by Louis Moreau Gottschalk

6. The Planets, Op. 32 - 4. Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity (performed by Charles Dutoit; Montreal Symphony Orchestra) by Gustav Holst

7. I Vow to Thee, My Country (performed by The Royal Choir of Saints) by Gustav Holst

8. Köln Concert part IIa by Keith Jarrett

9. Wichita Sutra Vortex by Philip Glass

10. Three Piano Pieces (performed by Claudio Arrau) by Arnold Schoenberg

11. Nocturne for Piano #7 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 (performed by Vitalij Margulis) by Frédéric Chopin

12. Spiegel im Spiegel (performed by Sergej Bezrodny) by Arvo Pärt

13. Outro by The Audiofiles

The Not So Classical One by The Audiofiles on Mixcloud

One Belgian In The Bronx And Seven Other Musical Gems From March

We just HAVE to share this with you:

• It's great to do a podcast because people will send you all kinds of good stuff. Like a documentary from 1986 with a goofy Belgian asking Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC and LL Cool J about ghettos, scratching, beatboxing and other 'weird' concepts. 

• This documentary about the birth of mambo and hip hop made us happy too.

• A chat with the inventor of circuit bending was another thing we found in our mailbox. These kinds of tips are always welcome!

• The Jazz Video Guy did an interesting interview with the drummer that created the soundtrack of 'Birdman'. 

• More jazz: Ron Carter talks about his career and gets humorous and Herbie Hanconck remembers that time he played Stella Starlight for Miles Davis.

• Barbaras Got Soul is a website where funny illustrations and soulful Barbaras await you. 

• Radiolab and Radio Ambulante got together for a crazy story about Cuba, punk and aids as rebellion. Your jaw will drop a few times.

Next month more of this and hopefully a brand new episode. In the meanwhile, be kind to goofy Belgians and be sure to follow us on Facebook. 

Seven Musical Findings From February (And One Amazing Pic Of Jay Z)

Such a short month, so many things to share:

• VICE dug up a videoclip of Jay Z doing his first ever televised freestyle. His flow was impressive. Hats off!

• New Orleans went crazy for Mardi Gras this month. And so did we with our very own Mardi Gras playlist.

• Live For Live Music made a list of all the brass bands you need to know. Discover them all.

• Oh, say can you sing…? The website 'Popbitch' compared the most epic versions of the American national anthem ever sung at The Superbowl. We think Whitney scored a touchdown.

• The biggest discovery in our Sam Cooke tribute was, for us, Billy Preston. Billy was known as the Fifth Beatle because he played at several Get Back sessions. We found a funny interview with Billy Preston in which he talks about his time with The Beatles and claims John Lennon was the boss.

• In that same episode we cheekily stated The Rolling Stones stole from the best and this list gives you 74 examples.

• Is vinyl pairing the new thing? There's a blog out there that claims it is. We wonder what drink they would serve with a Sam Cooke record...

So what's next? We can tell you the research for episode 8 has begun and it will be something totally different. To be continued! In the meanwhile we're still having lots of fun on Facebook. See you!

Episode 7: This Is Not Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke (1931-1964) was one of the greatest singers and songwriters of the 20th century. In this episode we pay tribute to his musical legacy, showing his influence on artists like Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. It's pretty soulful and we're happy we finally got to squeeze in a bit of Muhammad Ali in one of our shows.

Feel free to comment or share the audio-love. You can also follow us here: https://www.facebook.com/theaudiofilesbrussels?ref=bookmarks

This Is Not Sam Cooke by The Audiofiles on Mixcloud

Six More Things We Loved In January

Because sharing is caring and we can't pour everything into our episodes, here are a few musical things we came across on the wonderful worldwide web.

• So Gram Parsons played a role in a trippy science fiction cult film called Saturation 70. Next to the 5 year old son of Rolling Stones Brian Jones! Read all about it in The Guardian.

• Craig saw Get On Up, the bio pic on James Brown, and thought it was ffffunky. Get your groove on with this trailer.

• Jordi waltzed into the new year, because that's what they do in Vienna. Little did he know, this tradition has a pretty dark side. Read all about it.

• Van Morrison made a little revival in our lives. Especially his 26th studio album Healing Game. 

• Jordi got an amazing book for Christmas: Hotel California - Singer-Songwriters and Cocaine Cowboys in the LA Canyons, 1967-1976. It's an impressive collection of anecdotes, drawn from interviews with stars like Linda Ronstadt, ex-lovers of David Crosby and people who just hung around to crash some parties. Check it out!

• White guys playing soul music accidentally created an enormous legacy back in the days in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Is this the birthplace of R&B? After seeing this inspiring trailer, Craig immediately rented the documentary on Amazon and was blown away. It's all he talks about, most of the time.

PS: Just so you know, we're aiming to bring out a new episode in February. It will involve one of our favourite singers ever. O, we can't wait!

Episode 6: Christmas With You

Christmas With You by The Audiofiles on Mixcloud

Celebrating together apart. That's what this episode's about. And some mighty fine songs in unexpected funky, soulful, jazzy, rocking, touching wrappings. From Erroll Garner to Johnny Cash and June Carter, here is our second Chrsitmas special. (Oooo, this is becoming a beautiful tradition.)

White Christmas - Erroll Garner

White Christmas - The Drifters

Winter Wonderland - The Andrews Sisters 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside - Louis Jordan & Ella Fitzgerald

Let’s Make Christmas Merry, Baby - Amos Milburn

Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Elvis Presley

Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme 

Santa Claus, Santa Claus - James Brown

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Jimmy McGriff

We Three Kings - Booker T. & The MG’s

Christ Is All - Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers

Ain’t That A-Rockin’ - Odetta

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Sarah McLachlan & The Barenaked Ladies

The Christmas Song - Stevie Wonder

Christmas With You - Johnny Cash & June Carter

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