Monthly Archives: September 2009

Pillow Talk.

Saturday: September 26, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Soul 8 Comments

Artist: Sylvia
Title: Pillow Talk
Year: 1973
Label: Vibration
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 3.0/5.0
Foot Fungus
Front Cover

Review
I’ll start by stating that this woman’s lyrics and voice are pure SEX. Ladies and gentleman this is the debut album, Pillow Talk, by none other than Sylvia. She was very underrated as an artist, and as a result, many of you have unfortunately never heard any of her music. She is without a doubt, the Minnie Ripperton of the underground. This album was bold, edgy, and risqué…it dealt with love and sex, but not just simply on the surface, Sylvia painted visual pictures through her lyrics. She definitely was NOT afraid to express sexuality through her songs, and in 1973, that was a pretty BIG deal. The sound is very mellow, very lo-fi, but vibrates and gives off a sense of heat in a way.

Check her info on Wikipedia (Sylvia Robinson), you’ll be surprised at how she had a hand in commercializing hip-hop music. Enjoy the music selections below…

Check out the sound!

Gimme A Little Action

The Next Time That I See You

Pillow Talk

Design
I get it, it’s supposed to be sexy. Uhhhh…

Anyway, the type treatment could’ve been better, but there’s something interesting about that crazy background, I can’t quite figure out what it is, which is mainly what had intrigued me about it, maybe it’s some sort of tiled mirror.

What I’ve observed is that Sylvia has chosen to stay away from the huge AFRO which dominated cover art back in the 70′s, instead she has a loooong pigtail and slicked down baby hair…interesting!

Video

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Additional info on Sylvia

Making the Blueprint 3 Cover.

Wednesday: September 23, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Video 2 Comments

A very interesting video of how they created the cover for Jay-Z’s latest album, Blueprint 3.

Inner Crisis.

Monday: September 21, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz Leave a comment

Artist: Larry Willis
Title: Inner Crisis
Year: 1973
Label: Groove Merchant
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 3.75/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Willis was birthed into the Harlem jazz scene, naturally that would be his style once he began creating music. This is his second LP, probably my favorite from his discography. Just a cool vibe throughout, almost like a soundtrack to a lifestyle. Each piece is arranged in such a way that it’s sort of narrating someONE or someTHING…maybe even a thought process. The sound can open up the listener to several interpretations. Give it a listen…

Check out the sound!

Out on the Cost

Inner Crisis

Design
This is just a HOT cover. PERIOD. From the photography, to the type placement, to the warmness juxtaposed by the cold stare. Had to buy the album for this reason alone, just so happens that the music was dope.

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Additional info on Larry Willis

Love Satellite.

Thursday: September 17, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Jazz, Soul Leave a comment

Artist: Ronnie Foster
Title: Love Satellite
Year: 1978
Label: Columbia
Format: Vinyl LP (Original)
Flwrpt Rating of this Record: 4.0/5.0

Front Cover

Review
Solid LP from the talented keyboardist/pianist/organist Ronnie Foster. This album represents his style post-Blue Note. Sonically, this is where his sound took off I would say…he really began experimenting with synthesizers, exploring a crisp sound, and including more vocals into his work. He was very successful with this release, Love Satellite. Foster is really good friends with Stevie Wonder, and he contributed to the production of this record, along with other great studio musicians such as drummer Harvey Mason. They all come together to create a great sound here, have a listen…

Check out the sound!

Love Satellite

Happy Song

Design
I’m always a fan of a pre-photoshop image manipulation of some sort. This cover was created in 1978, notice the overlay technique of the profile shot, versus the straight-forward shot. Simple, but very graphic! The cream border is a nice elegant touch, and the wide typeface living within it jives nicely. This is an effective cover, and there’s something about it suggesting speed, or some sort of sonic sound (maybe that’s just me).

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Additional info on Ronnie Foster

Flipped v13.0

Wednesday: September 16, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Flipped Leave a comment

flipped

The Message
Two separate samples that come together to make a hot beat. Took me a while to find the sample used for the “wah wah” guitar, but I think I nailed it! Enjoy…

Check it out…

Two Originals:


Flipped:

Peace.

091309

Sunday: September 13, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Mix 11 Comments

Front Cover
Cover Art + Mixed by Darien Victor Birks of Flwrpt
Photography by Donald McPherson

The Message
I started constructing this mix on the night of September 11th, and finished this morning, September 13th (hence the title). There’s really no concept to this one (hence the anonymous black hooded cover), I just had some random music that I wanted to share with my readers/viewers. I hope you all enjoy…

Check out the sound!

DOWNLOAD

OR

Listen Now:

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Also, be sure to check out my other mixes here.

Peace.

Influenced v2.0

Friday: September 11, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Design, Influenced 1 Comment

ORIGINAL:
Roy Ayers – He’s Coming album cover, circa 1972.



INFLUENCED:
Smif-N-Wessun – Dah Shinin’ album cover, circa 1995.

Barber Shop Style Chart.

Thursday: September 10, 2009 Posted: Darien Victor Birks Category: Design 2 Comments

This is a vintage barber shop styling chart from the 70′s. PURE FIRE! This was also repurposed for an ad as well, for Duke Hair Products. Notice the detail here in the cut edges of each image, the off-white background, the naming of each hairstyle (accompanied by the nice simple italicized font), the overall richness of color. This was well-thought out, from both a photographic and design standpoint.

Mood music for this one…

Maceo – Got To Get Cha

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