… If you’re not, prepare to be. I’ve got some crazy shit for you.

The first is an album that’s been making the rounds among sample-crazy beat makers and crate diggers in the past year or two. It is ’70s Turkish psych funk hero Ersen’s (pictured on the right) reissue on Finders Keepers Records (read their press release for more info). Unfortunately, I was unable to find even the slightest trace of a CD rip anywhere on the net, and my vinyl copy still hasn’t arrived after several months. But not to fear, I was able to work my way around an online store at which you can stream all 16 tracks in full. The only problem is the very low bitrate. The files are MP3s encoded at 40 kbps. At least they’re in mono, so it sounds like a stereo recording would at 80 kbps.

In spite of all that, the overall sound quality is still quite good. Believe me, I wouldn’t offer any songs on which you’d mostly hear static. But, if one of you out there has a decent CD or vinyl rip of this album, or comes across a working RS link or some such, I’d very much appreciate a comment. Otherwise I’ll get my own vinyl rip up here, once I get the damn thing. Even though the bitrate is rather lame, I didn’t want to hold out on this release for obvious reasons. It’s fucking pure hell fire.

Also, I have Ersen’s complete discography of original recordings in mp3 format (twenty 45s and ten LPs). But it’s all very unorganized at the moment. Maybe I’ll up the entire collection at a later point. We’ll see.

As a little example of the sampling I was talking about, here is Ersen’s original track “Zalim” and Oh No’s flipped version in the song “Heavy,” off of his latest full-length effort “Dr. No’s Oxperiment.” (The Gaslamp Killer also flipped this song. More about him in the future.) You can clearly make out the sample, and both tracks are dope as fuck. Oh No sampled even more Ersen for his “Oxperiment,” but this is the one that really stands out.

Ersen – Zalim from “Ersen” (2008)

Oh No – Heavy from “Dr. No’s Oxperiment” (2007)

But without further ado, here is the download…

Ersen – Ersen
Release year: 2008
Label: Finders Keepers Records
Catalog number: FKR016LP / FKR016CD
Bit rate: 40 kbps
Size: ca. 19 MB

Download

1. Ternek
2. Gunese Don Cicegim
3. Kozan Dagi
4. Beni Hor Gorme Kardesim
5. Guzele Bak Guzele
6. Yine Seni Tanirim
7. Garip Gonlum
8. Metelik
9. Sor Kendine
10. Dostlar Beni Hatirlasin
11. Dertli Kaval
12. Gazan Mubarek Olsun
13. Cakmagi Cak
14. Bir Ayrilik Bir Yoksulluk Bir Olum
15. Gafil Gezme Saskin
16. Zalim

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Next up is another reissue from Finders Keepers, but this one’s a sampler. A sampler of Hungarian Funk-Rock, to be precise. “Say what now?” was my reaction when I first came across this joint. But my doubts would fade away as early as the first seconds of the first track. Just like the Ersen album up top, this one is packed to the brim with heavy (Psych) Funk tunes that will leave nobody unharmed.

The collection is called “Well Hung: 20 Funk-Rock Eruptions From Beneath Communist Hungary Vol. 1″ (again, read press release for more info). The last part of the title leaves me with nothing but hope. If this is “Vol. 1,” then there should be a “Vol. 2″ in the future. Please, Andy, please!

Also, the subtle irony on the cover (see image below) is great: the title of the record (“Well Hung”) in combination with the fact that it’s Hungarian music and that there’s a donkey on the cover is just brilliant. Luckily, this time I didn’t have to go through the back channels of an online store only to end up with low-quality files. Quite the opposite, actually. You’ll be able to enjoy this baby at full blast: 320 kbps.

There’s really nothing left to say about this project other than “the music will speak for itself.” Pure hotness. Enjoy!

Various Artists – Well Hung: 20 Funk-Rock Eruptions From Beneath Communist Hungary Vol. 1
Release year: 2008
Label: Finders Keepers Records
Catalog number: FKR017LP / FKR017CD
Bit rate: 320 kbps
Size: ca. 180 MB

Part 1
Part 2
(Simultaneous download possible. You’ll need both files.)

1. Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser – Ringsad El Magad No. 2
2. Omega Redstar – Egy Lány Nem Ment Haza
3. Metro – A Pénz
4. Hungaria – Végállomas
5. Kati Kovacs – Add Már Uram Az Esöt!
6. Corvina – A Tüz
7. Neoton – Nóra
8. Tamas Somlo & Omega – Azt Mondta Az Anyukám
9. Meteor & Demjen Ferenc – Kivánji Te Is Nekem Szép, Jó Éjszakát
10. Illés – A Bolond Lány
11. Omega – Kérgeskezü Favágók
12. Sarolta Zalatnay – Hadd Mondjam El
13. Locomotiv GT – Megvárlak Ma Délben
14. Nemenyi Bela & Atlantis – Kínai Fal
15. Kati Kovacs & Gemini – Nem Biztos Semmi
16. Piramis – Mondj Egy Mesét
17. Skorpio – Szevasz Haver
18. Omega – Félbeszakadt Koncert
19. Illés – Nekem Oly Mindegy
20. Bergendy – Hétköznapi Balladák

**********

On another note, I’d like to guide your attention to a previous post of mine. A few months ago, I upped the series “The Boondocks” but didn’t include the download links in the post directly. Instead, I linked to a forum post I had made elsewhere. As it turns out, the posts on that forum can now only be viewed by registered members, which leaves you guys with nothing. So now the RS links are also included here. If you missed it the first time around, check it out now. It’s definitely worth it. Amazing show from [adult swim].

And to top things off, here’s a little preview of what you can expect from the next few posts (over an undefined period of time and not necessarily in that order):

• Hip-Hop-related documentaries for download (really awesome stuff, some of it very rare)
• [DONE] RBMA Radio request service (you’ll find out what this is soon enough)
• unabridged audiobooks of Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and “Outliers”
• DVD rips of the complete(!) “Def Poetry” series from HBO (yes, all 44 episodes)
• [DONE] download for Karl Hector & The Malcouns’ brandnew live session for RBMA Radio
• high-quality MP3 rips of my small-but-growing vinyl collection (I’m gonna call this “EarWax;” how apt!)
• a ton of dope music I gathered over the past months: lots of Electronica, Instrumental, and Funk along the lines of Ersen and “Well Hung” (e.g. Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, and other Brainfeeders; more Heliocentrics stuff; a complete Jazz & Milk Recordings discography; some wicked ish from Stones Throw and Now-Again; African and Latin Funk; and many more)

So stay tuned, bitches!

Most humbly,
Your Aural Percussionist