Given the sheer amount of submissions I receive, it’s probably still fair to say that the best way of attracting my attention is to put something funny or unusual in the email.
WaMoo Papez (pronounced Payps) is the stage name of one Juan Alvarez. He started his email to me by announcing ‘I pray to the flying spaghetti monster that you don’t have a last.fm account.’
Actually, I probably do, but it’s been so long I don’t remember. But I do use soundcloud and was mightily impressed by his take on instrumental Hip-Hop, which owes as much to electronica and My Bloody Valentine-type shoegazing (yay!) as it does to the likes of J. Dilla. And sweet FA to do with the likes of 2Pac or NWA (though they have their place).
He has put up his fourth solo album We Float to download for free (though, in all honesty, I would have been happy to pay for it). He was born on the tiny island of the Dominican Republic, but hails from New York City and currently attend the University at Albany.
the first track I checked out was ‘Detroit Piston’ which takes Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’ (AKA ‘Forbidden Colours’) and runs with it:
He also recommended I check out the following two tracks
…so I had go and check out the whole album!
This record is thirty eight minutes long. It’s mighty fine. Please take the time to listen.