Body talk(box)

Before Roger Troutman acquired his bionic—er...talkbox/vocoder-enhanced voice—he inhabited a far fleshier realm of funk. No judgments; he was awesome with and without his machines. This jam may be pre-digital, but it's fully turned-on. 

Roger and The Human Body - Been This Way Before

Tomorrow ain't what it used to be

And a damn shame for all of us. It's nothing new to be discouraged by our collective dread at what's to come. But when you hear a tune that hints at a prior era's sense of wide-eyed (or stony-eyed) wonder at future possibilities, it just brings into relief the sadness of our time. Meanwhile, a thumbs-up to Madlib for re-imagining this groove; the sample is culled from Donald Byrd's track of the same name.

Madlib - Stepping Into Tomorrow

It was Spring for a minute

Spring peaked its head through the curtain this weekend, and I got all dizzy and confused. I biked around Brooklyn smelling flowers and garbage. Looking up at the sky, this little gem popped into my head, and I knew we'd be spending Sunday afternoon together.

Eddie Kendricks - Date With the Rain