I got a press advance of Stuck on an Island a few months back (so sweet), but held on to it for a while until closer to the release date.
I’ve been a big fan of ¡MAYDAY! since their self-titled release back in ’06. In fact, it was one of the reasons I created the site in the first place – they were my second post, right after DJ Frane. Since then I’ve been waiting for the next LP and it’s finally here – well, soon for y’all :p
So what do I think of the album I’m not going to get into it too much until it’s released on Oct. 12, but there are definitely a few stand out tracks. It may not be up to the standard of their first album – I’m always bias to […]
[audio:Ill-Be-Gone.mp3|titles=I’ll Be Gone](Download Link in Full Article)
In an interview with Ryan Olson on The Local Show, Ryan talks about some of his favorite music from the Midwest, one being from Doomtree’s very own Cecil Otter.
The song he talks about, Traveling Dunk Tank, is off of Doomtree’s first album, False Hopes. I talked about one of False Hopes‘s singles, Flex, a year back, but I had to showoff the rest of the album, thanks to Ryan.
Unlike Doomtree’s latest self-titled album, False Hopes is set up with one hit after another. It’s just one of those […]
[audio:Slow-Burn.mp3,No-Homeowners.mp3,Traveling-Dunk-Tank.mp3|titles=Slow Burn,No Homeowners (Renter’s Rebate),Traveling Dunk Tank](Download Link in Full Article)
I still can’t believe how interesting this doc was. Usually when I’m watching any documentary, I surf the net or do something else to bide the time. Scratch, however, kept my attention 99% of the time – I had the laptop on for the first few minutes (habit).
Scratch mainly focused on DJing/turntablism/scratching, hence the name, but it was all hip-hop. It covered the important figures in the development of turntablism and the effect it’s had on hip-hop as a whole.
I’ve been reading Jeff Chang’s “Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop” and a lot of the material from Scratch tied into the book. The doc also really helped me put faces to some of the figures in the book – I suck at remembering names and what they actually did, unless I get a glimpse of their face.
Once you get into it, the rest is a breeze. I was actually wanting more at the ended, unlike most times, but it was definitely full of some good info.
Give a shout-out to your favorite DJ from this – I’ll post mine in the comments a lil’ later.
[audio:Quality-Control.mp3,Intergalactic.mp3,Mass-Appeal.mp3|titles=Quality Control,Intergalactic,Mass Appeal](Download Link in Full Article)
Got sick on the way back from North Coast – I wouldn’t recommend MegaBus. As such, this post is going to be short – it took enough for me to actually put it out.
Wrekonize is part of a favorite hip-hop group of mine, ¡MAYDAY! from Miami. He just put out a mixtape called A Soiree For Skeptics, which I would review, but I don’t have the strength right now – maybe lata. But check this single off it, it’s a good example of his style.
Alright, I’m out! See it was short ;)
[audio:One-Foot-in-the-Grave.mp3|titles=One Foot in the Grave (feat. Bernz)](Download Link in Full Article)
We just had our one year anniversary on the 3rd, so we decided to take a trip to Chicago and check out the North Coast festival. We’ll cover the festivities in the next post, but first we wanted to talk about the theme song for that week.
Chiddy Bang wasn’t at the festival, but I finally got my hands on their mixtape, Air Swell. The mixtape was put together to promote themselves throughout the UK. It contains samples of famous UK musicians and at first I thought they were based outta the UK until I found out the EP is just based on the UK.
The first track I had to check out was a remix of “Stylo” by Gorillaz, but wasn’t all that impressed after listening to it. However, I did find a song that blew me away […]
[audio:Pass-Out.mp3|titles=Pass Out (Chiddy Bang Freestyle)](Download Link in Full Article)
I haven’t heard anything that breakthrough in hip-hop lately, so I thought I’d dig through my collection and find something noteworthy. Blackalicious, along with the rest of the Quannum crew, were a main reason for my first interests in hip-hop. Their West Coast, laid-back vibes made me rethink what hip-hop was all about. Nia may have had some killer tracks, but Blazing Arrow created a vibe that marked the Blackalicious sound.
Blazing Arrow may not be the most acclaimed album of its time, but it had a strong following and pushed hip-hop forward across The Bay. Gift of Gab put out some cunningly crafted rhymes, but without the backup of Chief Xcels beats, his words wouldn’t have flowed so freely. I put up some of the best from the album, but its entirety is well worth a listen.
If you’ve got anything fresh that reminds you of these two, post it up in the comments below.
On a side note, in case some of you’ve notice my site has been down for a couple of days. I’ve resolved the issue with my host and hopefully this shit doesn’t happen again. It was a pain in the ass, and I’m hopin’ for some smooth sailin’, at least for a while.
[audio:MakeYouFeelThatWay.mp3,4000Miles.mp3,BrainWashers.mp3|titles=Make You Feel That Way,4000 Miles,Brain Washers](Download Link in Full Article)
Came across Binary Star while testing out a three-day trial of MOG. I’m not so sure about MOG’s fees – can’t justify $10 a month to use on the iPhone, but it’s got some promising features.
Anyway, I was pretty impressed by Binary Star’s “Honest Expression”, so I decided to check out the rest of their album, Masters of the Universe. It’s got a few standout tracks, and the rest of the album is better than most of the shit I’ve heard lately.
What I love about these guys is their witty lines laid out throughout the album. Although some aren’t so politically correct, “Rodney King ain’t never felt a beat like this”, it’s refreshing to hear some uncensored music.
What I don’t love is their obvious hate of mainstream, money hungry rappers. I’ve come across a few different talented MC’s who spend too much time hatin’ on the mainstream. Although I completely agree with ’em, it’s not something I really give a shit about. Leave a track for that and move on, they’re many more pressing issues to cover.
Other than that these guys have got something and hopefully will ignite another album soon. Though it’s been 10 years since their last LP, so I wouldn’t count on it. But I’ll make sure y’all are the first to know, just follow me on Twitter… or Facebook… or my RSS Feed… ;D
[audio:HonestExpressionIntro.mp3,HonestExpression.mp3,RealityCheck.mp3,KGB.mp3|titles=Honest Expression (Intro),Honest Expression,Reality Check,The KGB](Download Link in Full Article)
I’ve been a long time fan of the Quannum collective, but never got into Shadow’s work past Entroducing. Recently, the DJ Shadow team contacted me about featuring a new remix project – a compilation of remixes done by Shadow’s fans – so I thought this would be a good chance to check out more of his work… well, kinda…
Initially going through the album, I thought that most of the DJ’s did a decent job at putting their own spin on Shadow’s music, but none really stood out. There’s some that caught my ear but failed to keep my attention.
So I thought I’d turn to you guys. I’ve posted a couple of tracks on here for you to listen to and hopefully give some feedback on. If you want to listen to the full album it’s posted over at solesides. Hopefully we can find the track(s) that carry this album forward. I’ll post my thoughts in the comments below after I get a few more listens in.
[audio:BuildingSteam.mp3,WhatDoesYourSoulLookLike.mp3|titles=Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt (NiT GriT Mix),What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 2 (economics Version)](Download Link in Full Article)
Mayday’s latest EP’s, Technology & The Thinnest Line, came out over a year ago, just a couple of months apart from each other. Although they may not stack up to their first album, each has at least one catchy single.
The Thinnest Line features a single titled “Evil” – although, I don’t have much to say about it, its lyrics are too true… no offense, ladies ;). “Technology”, on the other hand, reminds me of my past years in college. My roommates and I senior year had a running joke about how obsessed I was with technology. It reminded me of just a few of the stupid things we did back then. Good times. “Technology” may have some corny lines, “USB, you and me connect so desperately”, but the rest of it isn’t half bad. I mean how bad could it be, it’s about technology.
I still can’t decide which sound I like better of the two. What do y’all think I’m leaning more towards “Evil”, right now.
[audio:Evil.mp3,Technology.mp3|titles=Evil,Technology](Download Link in Full Article)
What first got me into underground hip hop was its eclectic use of instrumentals. Nothing but Silence is an interesting example of this, with a beat that I can best describe as gothic or horror-like… horror hip hop Anyone want to help me out on this one Anyways, the beat is tight and drops on key several times (e.g., check out 1:24). Ethic & Sapient, as well as the featured Grayskul members, lay down some rhymes that were made for this beat (makes sense ;)). I wish I knew a little more about Debaser’s style, but their new album just dropped this last May, so maybe that’ll give me a better understanding of ’em. Check the song, love it, do whatever with it.
You know, after listening to Crown Control another time ’round, I’m starting to like some other songs off it, so I thought I’d include another track – Less Human – just because… and the sick beat.
[audio:NothingbutSilence.mp3,LessHuman.mp3|titles=Nothing but Silence, Less Human](Download Link in Full Article)