Amid a brutally hot summer, our city’s music scene has kept active with a litany of cool local releases, events, and new projects. A personal highlight of this month was hosting SOUNDTYPE music festival and writing workshop on July 1st and 2nd at Asian Arts Initiative, a project that was the beautiful culmination of a year’s worth of work Shout out to AAI for being wonderful partners/conspirators and much love to all of the writers who’ve attended workshops and the PTP crew for performing. Besides the festival at AAI and a few art shows, I’ve mostly been at home working. This summer I’ve found myself knee-deep into the process of writing a book (while pitching two more) and finishing up a new album that should be out in the fall. Despite being a little less tapped in, I’ve still found a bunch of dope local projects that are intriguing. Here are five of the best Philly-related music projects of July.
Various – No Occupation: Another Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza
Philly political punks The Dissidents have a fantastic cassette compilation on their Bandcamp page called No Occupation: Another Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza. Packed with rare tunes from bands from around the world, proceeds from No Occupation go to benefit Gaza Soup Kitchen, and also advocates for donations to Doctors Without Borders, Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, and more. A scorcher of a compilation, tunes like Eraser’s “Trans AF,” “Street Sweeper” by Sweeper and Prison Affair – “Algo Huele Mal” are personal favorites but the entire tape is smoking and it’s all in service of supporting mutual aid efforts that provide resources and services to communities in dire need.
Various Artists – Mutha Funkin Son Of A Bitch: The Truth Behind The Philly Legend
This is a CD-only compilation of local soul records released by Funkadelphia Records. Digging a little deeper than some of the existing Philly soul comps on the market, Mutha Funkin Son Of A Bitch presents soulful, hard-to-find tunes like Ando Orchestra’s “Ando’s Theme,” Daley Diggers’ “I Can Dig It,” and “Nikol Nikol” by Brothers Of Hope. With many of these tunes written by Gamble and Huff and featuring MFSB players like Early Young, Ronnie Baker, Thom Bell, and Norman Harris, the compilation explores some of the lesser-known corners of The Sound of Philadelphia.
“I Found Peace” is the brand new single from Michael The Lion and Natasha Kitty Katt. A spirited disco anthem, vocalist Suki Soul makes a guest appearance, lifting the tune into the stratosphere. Built around a propulsive rhythm section, and rich, bouncy piano chords, the original is fire enough, but Michael The Lion and crew up the ante by treating us to some choice remixes. Pontch’s Disco mix is warm and groovy while Tonarunur’s House mix and Tropical Dub turn the energy up for a pair of dancefloor-melting bangers. Go grab the 12” on vinyl. It’s well worth it.
The Re-Emancipation of Social Dance is a brilliant theater project created by dancer and choreographer, Raja Feather Kelly and poet and author, Yolanda Wisher. Combining dance with music and history, Wisher and Kelly educate audiences on the power and richness of communal dance cultures. The project’s podcast is a highly recommended listen as it digs deep into the history of dance with guests ranging from Nikkie Powerhouse and Mark “Metal” Wong, Lela Aisha Jones and more.
Artemis Prime – “Grab A Corona”
“Grab A Corona” is the single from Philly MC Artemis Prime’s latest album Beer & Cookies. Backed by a dreamy, piano-based beat produced by Digital Crates, “Grab A Corona” is a look into the mind of a man trying to make sense of the world around him. With a lowkey, confident flow and clever wordplay, Artemis Prime asks important questions about life and the nature of art itself.
