Nor-Cal to North Sea #4: Snoop Dogg vs. Silver Fox

Radio Netherlands Worldwide has the best coverage. Here are a couple of the latest:

For all his usual entertaining braggadocio, it seems Snoop Dogg has succeeded in boring me to death. I just watched the leaked clip of him filming his latest video in in front of the I Amsterdam sign. Unlike the listenable grooves and keytarlicious visuals of some other latter day Snoop tracks, ZZZZZZZZ. The hook "I drink I smoke" was more cliche than I could handle. It seemed to drone on and on, while the gyrating video hos merely seemed like a droopy cabaret made worse by grainy footage. I think this behind the scenes peek definitely took the swag out the pimp. I was more compelled by the question, which Dutch official even permitted this in Museumplein????

I have to say it, this story was far more entertaining. I'm telling you being gray-haired and speaking Dutch is just as awesomely enthralling as sporting cornrows and spittin' rhymes.

Exhibit A: Merlijn de Tovenaar



P.S. I know some will get nitpicky with me and point out that 213 is miles away from Nor-Cal, but that's the series name and I'm sticking with it.

P.P.S. #3 in the series is on a different blog.

Refresher Course

Catching those rays and making the most of it in the summertime is key. Here are some of my favorite ways to stay cool in the heat, pairing summer jams with icy imbibements.

This takes me back to a fine meal on Brenu Beach in Ghana, sippin ice cold Fanta cocktail in a glass bottle:



A glass of lemonade, don't be afraid:



It's all about Pimm's and lemonade in the summer! Yum. Or Arnold Palmers.

Well, I have to do it dairy free, but the milkshakes at Maggie Mudd are a great treat, as is f(x), sticky sweet Korean girl group sonic crack(their first full length album was fresh out last month--drink it, drink it, power up!):



P.S. I totally dig Amber, the one who fantastically tiptoes along the line between butch-femme. It seems the Taiwanese-American tomboy Kpop idol, barely out of her teens has inspired lezzie shipping to no end!

My deck tanning is always accompanied by bottle of Dry Cucumber Soda. Seriously, this is the most perfect soda I've ever had. It's just a touch of cane sugar sweetness, with a light cucumber fragrance and flavor, and the perfect level of sodium-free carbonation. Just like this Roy Ayers slow groove, it's laid back, not too overly done, and an expert blend of all the right notes, to create a sparkling yet mellow effect.



Cucumber slices in any drink is delish! For the evening edition, if you're in SF the cucumber gimlet at Bourbon and Branch's library bar is divine.

Drink it down til the sun comes up.



Really, what's better than Hawaiian Shave Ice and Jake Shimabukuro's strums?

Another tip for any drinks, add frozen fruit instead of ice cubes (mango chunks work well).
For dessert, I made my own strawberry sleigh ride, mixing hulled, quartered strawberries, a chiffonade of mint and a tablespoon of granulated sugar, then stuck it in the freezer:



A chiffonade of mint peps up any beverage too, especially sparkling water. If you're in Belgium or the Netherlands, Spa Citron met munt is full of win if you're lazy, mintless, or too cheap to buy a 2 euro mint plant.

Inspired by a confection at Gartine in Amsterdam, a scoop of sorbet in your fizzy drink is an effervescent delight. Try the lime sorbet in a vanilla soda. Taste the difference between a lemon and a lime:




For SF folks, have it with a coconut at Trouble Coffee.



And Lipton Ice Tea (with bubbles) is amazing if you can get your hands on it.
It even makes Hugh Jackman Dance (You can see him singing live in SF exclusively this month):



And last but not least, watermelon-lychee drinks with tapioca pearls, are also particularly fab.



Bottoms up, friends!!!!!

Delicious sampler platters

Holy hell, friends. I think my musical ADD is on overdrive. At any rate, I thought I would just share some of the current original/cover/sample linkages that I can't stop toggling between. Does any one have any that they'd like to share? Who Sampled just isn't quite as satisfying as realizing it on your own. So here are my latest revelations.

Philly Seoul
Anyone who's communicated with me recently is well aware, I've been addicted to Korean dramas and their excellent English language attendant commentary here. It's bled a bit into Kpop too now, since the synergy of Hallyu is so mighty. While I usually find most of the music to be too saccharine, soulless, or overproduced, the association with the shows I've been watching along with some incredibly catchy melodies and irresistibly corny antics have made some of it worth a listen. I am a total newbie to the genre, so my judgments are pretty snap. Nonetheless a listen on SeoulFM yielded a discovery of Supreme Team.

This is a pretty excellent hip hop duo. While I can't comment on the lyrical content aside from the rather pedestrian use of English, this is one of the few acts in the realm of Kpop that has a great sense of groove that stands out amidst the predilections of many their contemporaries. Their love of the old school blended with the best infectiousness of the Kpop disease make for some sick tracks.

One of my favorites is "I Just Need You":



They're romantic yet keep the manly swagger. If you didn't notice, they sample the Stylistics "You Make Me Feel Brand New" on that one. An all time fave oldie of mine. But what did ST sample here? I still can't figure it out though it sounds so familiar. Some help please?

And they've kept up the old school love with a release last month, a sweet little offering at the temple of Q.

Time does indeed reveal
I'm not really going to explain this. You guys know I love Janelle Monae. She does a Miami Bass makeover to De Barge's "Time Will Reveal":



This stone is genuine
You might've thought the original version of "This Diamond Ring" was done by Jerry Lewis and the Playboys.



I certainly thought so for the 20+ years I've been enamored with this song and its great backing track. But who knew the Jimmy Radcliffe demo version could be so different? It opened my eyes to a whole new respect for the tune.



Gary Lewis still gets some childish love from me, with the most wholesome take on a playboy ever. But man, all of his covers make a more seasoned ear bleed.

Crystal Clear
And finally the new release Madame Monochrome from Amanda Diva just caught my attention yesterday. I especially dig her leadoff, "Trendsettas". But another standout "I Can See" shows Diva tipping her hat to Johnny Nash, obvs.