by SCOTT C

I guess there's no better time than right now to celebrate the relevance and power of underground hip hop culture. It's something that continues to thrive internationally while a whole other hip hop economy continues its gluttonous and obese sprawl into every corner of life as we know it. Northwest Film Center graduate and Female Fun Records owner Peter Agoston's love for the music, the culture, and the hip hop microverse led him to the creation of Culturama, an attempt to document and preserve the individuality and uniqueness of the culture - something largely ignored, overlooked, or dismissed in the commercial media. Through short films and music videos, Agoston was able to tap into the second tier of hip hop with sharp focus, in effect answering the watered-down images of the MTV agenda. Check out www.culturama.org, or make your way down to Blue Dog on Saturday, June 19, at 9 p.m. for the Culturama Video Fest Tour hosted by Back to Basics. If you're into film, fresh videos or good music, you'll probably enjoy this. Agoston will also be in the house.

This Friday, June 18, at Bustin' Loose with DJ Kobal, Blizzarts welcomes Milwaukee funk master Tom Noble for a night of obscure floor-fillers and great tunes. Tom owns Lotus Land Records back home, and boasts an impressive collection of crazy 45s, some of which I know he'll be playing that night.

That very same night over at Salon Daomé, one of the U.K.'s finest compilers of African funk touches down in Montreal for the second time. Soundway Records head Miles Cleret is in town from Brighton to launch the release of his new Nigerian comp Afro-baby: The Evolution of the Afro-Sound in Nigeria 1970–79, a collection of Afro-jazz, soul, highlife and Afro-beat that will keep the floor packed all night. Joining him is Toronto's A Man Called Warwick and his own collection of worldly funk.

Some early dates on the Montreal Funkn Soul Festival roster include DJ Smash (Blue Note Records) and Franck Biyoung with DJ Moka at Kunta Lounge (2021 St-Denis) on June 30, Glenn Underground, Massak and the Therapy crew at Jello Bar, July 1, and Lizz Fields, Shane Phillips and Jojo Flores and Eddie Lewis at la Sala Rossa, July 3.

I guess now is as good a time as any to invite you all down to Kunta Lounge where me and Andy Williams have set up shop for the Spot, our new weekly Wednesday night. Ready for the summer with a terrasse, no cover, and all the music you love, we hope to see you there.

Seven reasons some things never change:
1. Sabye "My Saba" (Mulatu Astatqe)
2. Fred Fusher "Asa-sa" (Soundway)
3. Offsides Foul Language (Urbnet)
4. Slum Village Detroit Deli (Capitol)
5. Omar "Waitng Game" (CDR)
6. Sebi "Horn" (GAMM)
7. Bola Johnson "Lagos Sisi" (Soundway)

New, improved and invisible... fathead@videotron.ca

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