First caught wind of Love and Light from 4centers’ remix of “Eleanor Rigby” (too fuckin’ good). Since then I’ve been following the duo make electro magic, most recently with their remix of Outkast’s “The Rooster”.
I usually criticize electro-remixes for straying too far from the original, but that’s exactly what I love about their “Rooster” remix. It still brings nice touches from the original, but pulls it up far beyond its initially intent. Well done, sirs.
[audio:The-Rooster.mp3|titles=The Rooster (Love and Light Remix)]
In the music that got me blogging about music series, we’ve gone from the Midwest all the way to Japan and all along the West Coast. Now, we focus on one of the most influential hip-hop areas around, The Bay Area.
As small as The Bay Area is compared to any other area I’ve covered, it’s definitely rich with the best hip-hop around. I could’ve made a top 25 bay area groups, but that would’ve been a little much. This top 5 (or so), however, is some of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time. There’s no doubt that the Bay Area is the heart of my hip-hop listening.
[audio:Lady-Dont-Tek-No.mp3,If-I-May.mp3|titles=Lady Don’t Tek No,If I May]
I didn’t realize how much Steddy P sounded like The Grouch until I started playing their tracks head to head (gotta little Tech N9ne in their too). Style-wise it’s more like The Grouch, but I can’t really pin exactly why – it’s that calm, cool, collected sound, but something more specific. Whatever it is, I’m definitely feelin it.
Steddy P’s recently released LP, What Happened Tomorrow, has got more than a few solid tracks. “Pours Out”, the third track on the album, was what originally caught my ear. With a ‘steady’ rap flow and well harmonized backup vocals, Steddy brings more fresh to the Midwest. Dude can really can carry a tune.
Check out What Happened Tomorrow on Bandcamp and throw us back some thoughts.
[audio:Pours-Out.mp3|titles=Pours Out]
The Panda’s bring us three hip-hop induced mashes from their Pandamonium, extended for our raging pleasure.
My first choice out of the extended is Birdman’s “Money to Blow”, remixed to bottles-popped perfection.
[audio:Girls-To-Blow.mp3|titles=Girls to Blow]
The Family Sign brings an intimate look into the members of Atmosphere. In their recent video therapy sessions, the group sits down with Dr. Ralph Borka and hashes out some of the issues they’ve had as a group over the years. However, the real sentiment lies is in their seventh studio album, where Slug dives into his life as an aging emcee and the group, more than ever, shows where their roots truly lie.
The most noticeable change in The Family Sign is Slug’s style. Many have criticized it, claiming he’s lost his edge over the past few years. As true as this may be, when you’re almost hitting on 40, edgy may not be what you’re going for. But with the loss of a youthful arrogance, a more humble emcee emerged, expressing the sentimental side of Sean and pushing the group in a different direction. But as fresh as their new style is, it still relies on the place that made them so great.
We all know Slug is know for his Minnesota love, but The Family Sign, more than ever, is a true ode to MN. The album shows clear Minnesota ties through its themes and choice of instrumentals, but more importantly is a representation of the Twin Cities’ growing scene. Atmosphere may be the most influential group in the area right now, but they’re only at the tip of the Minnesota music culture.
[audio:I-Dont-Need-Brighter-Days.mp3,Something-So.mp3,Who-Ill-Never-Be.mp3|titles=I Don’t Need Brighter Days,Something So,Who I’ll Never Be]
A few weeks back I heard the Tron Legacy Reconfigured album with some of the most respected artists in the electronic scene. A few of the tracks were redone even better than their original, but the album as a whole was a little disappointing. Mostly because I hyped it up so much, but also because the talent didn’t stack up to their name. So I dug around SoundCloud, The Hype Machine and a few blogs to find some remixes that competed with the Reconfigured.
Well, I found three tracks that I really enjoyed and a bunch of “Derezzed” remixes – definitely the most remixed choice. I gotta say, scrounging around for remixes to Daft Punk’s stellar soundtrack gave me a little more respect for the Reconfigured. There’s a lot of shit remixes out there and although the Reconfigured may not have blown Daft Punk away, they still gave a quality switch to Daft Punk’s electro-masterpiece.
Anyways, check out the remixes I uncovered and hit me up with what you think. If you found any better, I’ll make sure to post those up, as well! + if some of you hit us up with your opinions, I’ll bundle all of the MP3’s together for d/l.
[audio:End-Of-Line-Meridian.mp3|titles=End of Line (Meridian Remix)]
We’ve seen a crop of new tracks sprout up from Zeds Dead over the past few days and I doubt this is the last.
Zeds Dead’s remix of Faulkner’s well-known classic wasn’t that recognizable to me at first, but I had the aha! moment a few plays in. It does, however, give a healthy dose of finely-tune electric-lazers ( – what would you call it) with a few grinds to it equal out.
[audio:Only-You.mp3|titles=Only You (Zeds Dead Remix)]
“Kiss Me on My Lips” is the first taste off Blaqstarr’s The Mixtape. The track features Mos Def whose voice is cut up and layered throughout. Besides that, Blaqstarr’s voice is autotunes at various parts, which I have mixed feelings about, but really it didn’t seem needed.
The mixtape is set to release next tuesday (April 12) on BlaqstarrMusic.com – expected to feature Talib Kweli, Diplo, Switch and a few others.
[audio:Kiss-Me-On-My-Lips.mp3|titles=Kiss Me On My Lips (feat. Mos Def)]
A few months back I went to First Avenue’s annual John Lennon tribute in Minneapolis. It was a good night despite the shit acoustics at First Ave, but one thing I forgot to do was pick up their album, the Minnesota Beatle Project: Vol. 2. Well, I had completely forgotten about it until I saw the official video of Cory Chisel’s cover of “Fixing A Hole”, one of the sixteen tracks on the album.
Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons covered this classic with class. Cory’s eerie, coolheaded echoes backed by some tripped out instrumentals set the stage for this dark & disturbing video. The original “Fixing a Hole” was one of my favorite from The Beatles and these guys really give it a refreshing […]
[audio:Fixing-A-Hole-Cover.mp3,Dear-Boy-Cover.mp3|titles=Fixing a Hole (Cover),Dear Boy (Cover)]
I first caught Basic Physics with their Lil’ Wayne // Pretty Lights // Phoenix mashup. I posted it up against another Lil’ Wayne mashup – Lil’ Wayne vs. Bob Marley – in which initially I liked the Bob Marly mash better. However, since then, not only has Basic Physic’s mashup become my favorite, but I’ve come to love a few other singles they’ve recently released – all cumulating into their first mixtape, Nightlife in the Northwoods, which just released today.
Unfortunately, I’ve only had a few run throughs with Nightlife in the Northwoods, so I can’t give my full thoughts yet. I will, however […]
[audio:Bow-Chicka-Wow.mp3,Somebody-To-Love.mp3,Sleeping-With-The-Undertaker.mp3,Starry-Eyed.mp3|titles=Bow Chicka Wow Show,Somebody to Love Our Style,Sleeping with the Undertaker,Starry Eyed E.T.]