Author: Maestro Saturday

Eamon’s Album Of The Week: Jazz Jamaica by Ernest Ranglin

Posted on by Maestro Saturday

Every week of this outdoor Mister Sunday season, we’ll be asking Eamon or Justin to highlight an album that they’ll be playing in full at the beginning of the day. This week, it’s Eamon’s turn. He’s chosen Ernest Ranglin’s Jazz Jamaica record. This is what he has to say about it.

On a recent tour of the UK, Justin and I dropped into Idle Hands, a really nice record store in Bristol where we did a spot of record shopping. (There’s actually a video of us talking about a few of our picks from the store in case you’re interested.)
One of the records I picked up was Jazz Jamaica by Ernest Ranglin, and it’s that record we’ll be kicking proceedings off with this Sunday. The record initially caught my eye for the cover, which was clearly Jamaican but suggestive of a different kind of sound than reggae, ska, dance hall, etc.

As the title suggests, it’s actually a jazz record – notably, a jazz guitar record. Ernest Ranglin was a prolific guitar player in the reggae and ska worlds, integral to the early releases on Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, and his progressive style in the early 60s is credited with starting what would become know as ska. You can read a whole lot more in his bio.
It’s a really elegant record, with an obvious Caribbean swing to it but at the same time, it’s unmistakeably a jazz record. I buy a lot of jazz, and recently I’ve specifically been exploring the world of jazz guitar. I’ve really grown to love this record for its unique combination of jazz playing with a Jamaican sensibility. A perfect record to ease the party in this Sunday.

Come Back Outside

Posted on by Maestro Saturday

mrsun_back_email_2015Allllllright.

Enough waiting! We’ve finally got our ducks in a row for this summer and are very very happy to let you know that starting Sunday, May 24th, we’ll be back in the courtyard between the big ol’ hundred-something-year-old buildings at Industry City. Everything’s pretty much how we left it: a nice, big dancefloor flanked by birch trees; a Country Boys taco stand; and lots of space to let loose (and let your kids loose, if you are so inclined).

Of course Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter will be on hand to keep the music fresh. To get you in the mood, here’s thirty hours of mixes from the guys.

This year we’ll also have food from a new spot called Nowadays. They’ll have good, fresh stuff for our veggie and vegan friends and, for those of you that like-a the meat, the best burger we’ve had in a real long time. (Also for the omnivores, Ends Meat is serving up pulled pork on opening Sunday.)

Speaking of opening Sunday, it’s ALWAYS mas popular. In fact, it’s so popular that we sold out of all our advance tickets. We’ll have a handful of tickets on the door Sunday, but if you want to come down, we recommend getting there as early as you can.

Okee dokee. That’s all we’ve got for now. Looking forward to dancing outside with you again!

Nebraska and Gunnar

Posted on by Maestro Saturday

It’s been over six months since we released original music on Mister Saturday Night Records. We’re making up for lost time by releasing two records at once.

The first, above, is an EP from a music-maker that we’ve admired from afar for a long while – Nebraska. His 2011 album, Displacement, is a longtime Mister favorite.

About a year ago, we started to wonder, “Where is this Nebraska guy?” He hadn’t released any new music since the LP, and we wanted to hear more. We searched high and low an found his contact. When we got in touch, he responded by paying us a visit at a Mister Sunday, bringing us a couple pieces of vinyl (one of which made its way onto Eamon and Justin’s Weekends and Beginnings Mix) and, thankfully, sending us a steady stream of unreleased music.

A couple of those songs have become regular dance floor contenders, and we’re very happy to say now that we’ve cut them to wax, and we’re officially welcoming Nebraska into the Mister Saturday Night family.

The second album is from Gunnar Haslam, a Mister alumnus who released the first and only ten-inch on the label. This is his first twelve-inch for us. The loud cuts on the vinyl do these tracks proud. A bit more charged than his previous output for us, this EP, Margareten, is as heady as usual, but it aims straight for the dancefloor all the same. You can listen to clips down below.

Both EPs  are out now. You can get them on the Mister Store.

The Indoor End (For Now)

Posted on by Maestro Saturday

1mistersundayThis Sunday we’re doing our last party at Shea Stadium for a long while. We’ve done a party a month there since November, and each one of them has been great. Our soundsystem punches nicely in the room, and the sun coming through the windows on the dancefloor makes for a really nice vibe. Tickets for that one are here.

Hope to see you down there.

Mister Boiler Room

Posted on by Maestro Saturday

We’ve teamed up with Boiler Room to start a regular Mister Saturday Night show. It’s a big first for MSN and Boiler Room – for us, because, well, we’ve never done a TV show; and for Boiler Room because the focus is almost exclusively on dancers, kind of like a sweatier Soul Train. The first episode was shot at The Lab, a regular NYC House Dance session. You can watch the show above, and you can check a background interview with Eamon, Justin and a couple of the dancers from The Lab here.

For anyone interested in the tunes in the episode, here’s the full tracklist:

01. Freedom Williams – Voice Of Freedom (Bass Hit Dub) – Columbia
02. Eamon Harkin – Innit – Wurst
03. Aphex Twin – Windowlicker – Warp
04. Farm Boy – Jackin’ Me Around (House Mix) – Trax
05. Trankilou – Atom Funk – Kif Recordings
06. Kerri Chandler – The Old Office – Downtown 161
07. DJ Duke – Can You Feel It (Pump The Parade Mix) – Power Music Trax
08. Phyllis Nelson – I Like You – Carrere
09. White Label – White Label
10. MFSB – Love Is The Message (DJ Romain Mix) – ITH Records
11. Michael Watford – As (U.S. Dub Mix) – Soundmen on Wax
12. Omar S – The Sh*t Baby – FXHE