The semi-secretive super group known as Chauffeur came through The Levi’s®/FADER Fort
NYC last Saturday looking like The Specials, all done up in tailored suits and sharp collars and
ready to pump out some mellow dance music. Due to flight schedules and the fact that they have
but one song, however, they only played for like eight minutes. What an eight minutes though!
Sheila E cover HELLOOOO. The one song that is theirs, it turns out, is a special ditty cooked up
for Gucci’s Icon-Temporary pop-up stores as they unveil the boat-sneaker designed by Mr
Ronson himself, so prepare to feel like spending a lot of money as you listen to this. Ronson has
that kind of mind power.
DOWNLOAD:Chauffeur, “Soles of Fire”
[source]

Excerpt:
One night, while DJing at Cheetah, he recalls, "I remember just thinking, I wonder if I could get away with playing Puffy's 'All About the Benjamins' next to AC/DC's 'Back in Black,' and I worked out this whole routine where I would get from A to B, from a hip-hop set to AC/DC without the crowd realizing that the music had changed." Ronson became the great unifier of New York nightlife. With some resistance from upper-level management at mega-clubs like Life, he brought black people into traditionally white clubs, and vice versa. "He is magnetic in the sense that people are just drawn to him," Lily Allen says. "He is also sickeningly good at working a room -- women love him as do men."
read the FULL story at PAPERMAG.com

I love Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson, and now I know why: Sharon Jones. Last year I caught about 3 minutes of an MTV news story on Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I wanted to write about it then, but I couldn't remember her name! Only recently I had a conversation with Andrea who was listening to her on MySpace and it all came flooding back to me. Sharon Jones sort of created this new wave/soul/funk sound that Winehouse and Ronson gained notoriety from. Some try to juxtapose her to Amy Winehouse, but Amy ain't got shit on Sharon. Bludgeoned by the "industry standards" she was basically shunned, told she wouldn't sell because of her chocolate complexion, womanly curves, natural hair and strength. Her sound is funk up! I'm currently listening to her album "100 Days 100 Nights".


100 days, 100 Nights Video:

Two words: MaRk RoNsOn!
One Album: Version

“Mark Ronson has assembled a dream team of mega talented artist to create a smooth contemporary blend of sixties soul and contemporary urban funk.”

“…a sizzling masterpiece…”

“Version is chocked of blazing sounds that sizzle the soul and sends your senses into overload”

“His sultry cover of Britney Spears' Toxic clearly indicates this DJ's ear for innovation…”

“Who is this guy?”

“I just put it on and let it play on repeat.”

“It’s a dazzling cornucopia of sexy songs—the album is rather addictive”

“Gotdamn! This is good.”

[all are comments by me]