I’d say Crescent Moon is what first got me into DJ Okawari (right before Animal Forest. At the time (around a year ago), I became increasingly interested in Hip-Hop from Japan (the DJ’s not the MC’s), and came across Okawari’s second album, Diorama. Diorama is more of a Nu Jazz style with Hip-Hop influences, and doesn’t feature any MC’s (something Okawari should possibly reconsider for his next album… I vote yes!). His music (this song in particular) for some reason brings me back to the song 3030 by Del with the quote, “while I float to Neo-Tokyo with Opio”. Probably because Okawari is from Tokyo, and his music reminds me of a night out in Tokyo, but most likely because I have nothing else to talk about, so I need a filler :)
I’ve been getting a lot of Japanese hits on my site lately (mostly looking at Okawari), and if any of you know of any similar music to Okawari then please post some of it on here! I need an expert to point me in the right direction… anyone :D
One other thing, I also posted this on Animal Forest, but it’s also worth mentioning here – the cover artwork for this album is incredible! Check it out in it’s entirety here or just click the image at the top (the beautiful vector’d girl).
[audio:CrescentMoon.mp3|titles=Crescent Moon](Download Link in Full Article)
So, I decided to introduce another series onto the site. The first one was the Know Good Classics series, so check that out if you haven’t. This series, Some Cool Ass Ringtones, is pretty self explanatory. I get the ringtones usually from my favorite hip-hop or electronic beats. I might also pull them off of some classic tunes, so look out for those as well.
The first set I bring to you is from my absolute favorite trip hop artist, DJ Frane. Goddamn, does this guy have talent! I have never seen so many rich & intricate beats from an artist. All of the ringtones featured come from his third full-length album, Journey to the Planet of Birds. Right now, I have Cloudy Voyage as my ringtone. Like I said in my article about his album, he is a major reason for the creation of this blog.
(Learn how to transfer ringtones to your iPhone in the Full Article)
[audio:Ringtone-NectarforIsis.mp3,http://silencenogood.net/mp3s/Ringtone-SpaceConvoy.mp3,http://silencenogood.net/mp3s/Ringtone-CloudyVoyage.mp3,http://silencenogood.net/mp3s/Ringtone-IfIHadWings.mp3,http://silencenogood.net/mp3s/Ringtone-GravitationalCommunications.mp3|titles=Nectar for Isis,Space Convoy,Cloudy Voyage,If I Had Wings,Gravitational Communications](Download Ringtones in Full Article)
Well, I’ve featured songs both by Nickatina and Dre, but nothing as good as this. A good friend of mine (from The Bay – the usual case) recommended it to me, so I gave it a listen. Now I could go into words about why it’s good, and blah, blah, blah, but I’m sick of trying to express myself so that you all will think, “my god, he has described this song perfectly”. And to be honest, I’m not really good at it anyway. So, just listen up and tell me what you think Better yet, tell me who you like better, Andre or Mac Dre I’ve asked a few different people, and all have given me the same answer (but I’m not telling)… until maybe I see some f’ckin’ comments :)
[audio:AndreNAndre.mp3|titles=Andre N Andre](Download Link in Full Article)
What initially caught my interest about this album was its purpose. Ecosystem is a 4 day festival in the Amazon, which is trying to raise awareness of the many threats the Brazilian rain forests are facing. The album is a mix of native roots and urban jungle beats by a compilation of artists from the festival. All of the proceeds from the album go to the Ecosystem foundation, so purchase this to invest in a better future :).
There’s not much to say about the song featured (that hasn’t been said) other than that it’s goood (with three o’s)… thought provoking, I know. The song incorporates vocal percussion, and a mix of natural sounds by both DJ Soul Slinger & Bid. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts about the track!
Also, subscribe to my Facebook Page because I’m in the cheap promotion tools mood ;)
[audio:NaNoiteSeResolve.mp3|titles=Na Noite Se Resolve]
When I first caught glimpse of Mattafix a couple years back I wasn’t a Big Fan (haha, sorry, just watched this film). I wasn’t really into their style at the time, but thought they had some potential, so I threw ’em into my collection anyway. A couple months went by, and I decided to give ’em another try. At this point I started to realize their talent, eventually becoming obsessed, and playing the album over and over again. I tend to do this a lot with albums I get hooked on, and it really pisses off my roommates (Pyramids in Moscow – being another good example). After my initial obsession subsided, two tracks stood out from the rest (even though I do enjoy a couple others). The first song being Things Have Changed, which I featured a couple months back, and the other being, of course, Stranger Forever.
Stranger Forever doesn’t have as meaningful of lyrics as Things Have Changed, but it does have a quality of its own. The basic premise is about recognizing someone from the past, but not knowing exactly where from. We’ve all had this happen to us… right Well, this is what Preetesh Hirji (vocalist for Mattafix) is trying to get across, and I must say, he does it with grace. Though, the more I listen to his lyrics, it simply sounds like some guy creepin’ on a girl at a bar, but besides that, the song is elegantly done with Hirji’s delicate voice… that’s sometimes confused for a woman’s, but let’s put that aside as well :). So, pop this shizz in (push play), and tell me what you think (of his voice)…
[audio:StrangerForever.mp3|titles=Stranger Forever](Download Link in Full Article)
I recently spotted this song (I’m not typing it out) on Pandora, and thought it made for a good feature. The only problem with it is it’s length (1:50). It’s an intro. for La Phaze’s album, Fin de Cycle, so I can undestand why it’s so short, but it would have been better if it carried on a little while longer. Most of La Phaze’s music seems to be a blend of rap, electro-rock and reggae. I am not the biggest fan of his other works, mostly because I still haven’t grown accustom to MC’s outside of the U.S. (a little more on this here), but this song (still not typing it out) is their stellar track, combining two elements in two different genres to create something new, yet familiar. These “two elements” I am speaking of are (1) the electric-guitar combined with (2) DJ scratching. Recently, I’ve had growing interest in the combination of the two… this song, along with a lot of music by Mel Gibson and the Pants (II), being great examples. The guitar in this, for some reason, reminds me of something Johnny Cash would rock out to, being in a large amphitheater to create that echo sound. It’s a nice quick little piece that won’t take much of your time, so give it a listen and tell me what you think…
Also, if you have any thoughts or info. about La Phrase or Pasderépit@punglist.com (there I said it… or copy/pasted it) please indulge me, I don’t know much about these guys ’cause a lot of the references are in French (and Babelfish can only do so much) :-
[audio:PasdeRepitatPunglistCom.mp3|titles=Pasderépit@punglist.com](Download Link in Post)
Every so often I become obsessed with Bone Thugs. I wasn’t a big fan of ’em back in the day, even though I had some friends that were, but after a few decades they finally hooked me. My first favorite of theirs is without a doubt Ghetto Cowboy, even though it’s technically by Mo Thugs, which is comprised of Krayzie Bone & Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs. The song tells a story of a few gun slingers back in the Wild West with a nice ghetto twist. It’s not only a great story, but it’s got a calm & coolheaded composition… not to mention it gives a shout out to good ol’ Tucson, Az… my college town (brings me back :)). It’s also worth mentioning the song features Layzie Bone’s wife, Felecia, on backup vocals. Ghetto Cowboy may just be my top pick in the Bone Thugs collection, but the group has many other chill tunes, so make sure to look out for ’em on here…
[audio:GhettoCowboy.mp3|titles=Ghetto Cowboy](Download Link in Post)
I consider Atmosphere one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. Some may argue differently, but both Slug (MC) & Ant (DJ & producer) have created a style that’s helped inspire a new era of hip-hop. Not just that, the two set Twin Cities on the “hip-hop map” (and I will forever be greatful).
In ’95, the two decided to create their own independent label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, with the help of Brent Sayers, Musab S’ad Ali and Derek Turner. Rhymesayers house some of the premiere names in underground hip-hop, and is no doubt becoming one of the best independent labels.
Over their 16 year reign, Atmosphere has created six LP’s with numerous quality hits, and a whole lot of side projects, as well. This is what sets Atmosphere apart from many others, they are consistent in quality, coming out with fresh, innovative music over and over… and over again. For their first feature, I decided to go with Crewed Up because (1) it’s not that well-known, and (2) it features some of Rhymesayer’s best acts.
Crewed Up begins with Stage One’s naturally smooth & melodic voice. He, like most artists one here, seem to produce a naturally flowing wit. Next up, St. Paul Slim takes over with one of the best flows on the track with a humorous & sarcastic rhyme. The next few MC’s (Muja Messiah, YZ, Brother Ali & Tok Wright) do a great job of keeping with the beat, and yet add their own distinct flavor.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of YZ & Blueprint (mentioned later), but compare ’em to today’s mainstream, and they aren’t half bad. I saw Toki Wright & Brother Ali back at college in good ol’ Tucson. I thought Wright did a fine job opening for Ali (from then on I was a fan), but Ali’s performance was mediocre at best, even though I’ve got a lot of respect for his work over the years.
Second to last, Blueright gives a decent performance, but really nothing to write home about. His name isn’t mentioned above because I ran out of room, :/ so i’ll give him a link to redeem myself. :) Finally, Slug wraps (or raps) it up in a way in which is all his own – the man can weave his rhymes with ease (or presumably so). Overall, this may not be on Atmosphere’s “best of” compilation, but it does showcase some of what the Rhymsayers crew have to offer.
Also, mad respect for Ant in providing another fine-tune.
[audio:CrewedUp.mp3|titles=Crewed Up](Download Link in Post)
The beat is the most attractive part to this song. DiViNCi is a talented producer & beat maker… a lot of good beats have been comin’ from Florida, lately (e.g. Mayday). Swamburger (MC) flows well with DiViNCi, but I’m still not sure how I feel about Alexandrah. She’s got a beautiful voice, there’s no doubt, but I am not the biggest fan in how she uses it – I guess I’m just not feelin’ her intro. Anyways, Swamburger drops in nicely at 1:54, and goes on for about a minute. It’s tough to touch on his lyrics, usually they’re either good or not, and his definitely weren’t bad. After that, Alexandrah cuts back in at around 3:50, and lays a a funk-rhythmic sound down, but the chorus accompanying her seems out of place, though it did take me a while to notice this. Overall, this is a good great listen based on just the beat… not to mention the rhymes. Hopefully, i’ll be hearing more of Solillaquists of Sound… as tedious as their name is to type.
(Download Link in Post)
Going from Tears for Fears to Mac Dre seems a little odd, but both have talents… as different as they may be.
Mac Dre is a local rapper from Oakland, best known for introducing the hyphy movement (along with Keak Da Sneak), and which is now being spread by E-40. Dre was shot and killed in Kansas City, Missouri in November of 2004. Some believe he had potential to be one of the greatest MC’s of all time, some even say as great as 2Pac, which isn’t far off from my opinion. He has countless hits that were witty and controversial. He was no angel, and never pretended to be. Dre was charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery in the early 90’s. He constantly rhymed about his struggles with the police and other problems with the law… let’s just say this one’s not for the kids. Though, i’ll probably show mine… Gift of Gab being one of ’em. The song shows Dre at his finest. He started the hyphy movement with classics like this… wish he had the chance to perfect it (E-40 doesn’t do Dre justice).
[audio:GiftofGab.mp3|titles=Gift of Gab](Download Link in Post)