In 2005, I collaborated with Swamburger from the Sol.illaquists of Sound (if you're not familiar, check them out here: Epitaph Site and Solilla Site). It was my 2nd year into production, and I was extremely excited to work with such an incredible MC.
At the time of the release, music was going through a transition phase. Hip-hop was starting to see a return to form through Common's "BE," and other incredible albums were released that year such as the self titled Clap Your Hand Say Yeah LP, Sufjan Steven's "Illinois," Bloc Party's "Silent Alarm," and the proper revealing of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk's live performance at Carnegie Hall.
Thinking about it, 2005 was a great year for music.
In any case, check out the tracks which saw a limited release of 200 copies.
I'm sorry folks, I've been MIA for quite a while...alot has happened since.
In mid October 20080, my garage was set ablaze by the Porter Ranch Fires. It's about mid April 2009 I still have yet to move back into my home....
No worries though, God is good and He is sovereign so I don't stay up worrying.
Since my departure, I've made sporadic posts here and there and can definitely say that I can now devote a chunk of time back into the blog. I'll start doing audio equipment reviews and the like.
In the meantime, there's a great deal of music released by artists that I respect. I won't post links because there are loads of blogs that can supply you with the needed information (ala 2dopeboyz.com).
The first being U-N-I. Their debut album entitled "A Love Supreme" is heralded everywhere from Okayplayer to XXL and boy what a release this is. Production completely handled by Ro BLVD, these cats (Thurzday and Y-O) definitely have a bright future ahead.
The next is Outasight's "From Here to There." Outasight delivers my favorite mixtape so far in 2009 and is one of the artists I'm watching out for when the summer hits.
Third, we've got Cook Classic's "The New Classics." The homie Cook delivers some heavy hitters with this Vimby collaboration. This is one of those albums you can play it on repeat and discover something new every time.
Lastly, Print - Comic Book: Unlimited. This is THE BEST concept album to date this year. It features an awesome lineup of all stars and is based upon every 80's/90's kid's dreams...comic books. This is one you don't want to miss.
I must admit, when I first heard "Handlebars," I HATED the hook. Actually, I hated everything about that song. I said to myself, who makes a song about riding a bicycle with no handlebars...this is retarded--what is this wanna be Linkin Park nonsense? I apologize. I judged them prematurely.
Their new album entitled "Fight with Tools," is incredible. Yes, at first glance the rapping is very Mike Shinoda-esque...but it is far deeper than any verse Mr. Shinoda has ever written. I'm a huge fan of live hip-hop bands (Crown City Rockers, The Roots, Shotgun Quintet, Othello & the Hipnotiks,etc.) but I can confidently say that this band will be added to one of my favorites.
The album begins with a dramatic violin track layered under spoken word entitled "There's A War Going On For You Mind." The second stanza stood out to me and made me instantly change my prejudice against the Flobots.
"There's a war going on for your mind Industry insiders slang test tube babies to corporate crackheads They flash logos and blast ghettos Their embroidered neckties say "stop snitchin'" Conscious rappers and whistleblowers get stitches made of acupuncture needles and marionette strings"
The lyrics are strong, political, and positive, but it's not the lyricism that get me. It's the polished production of the album--the sounds of a trumpet swelling against a pizzicato violin, backed by a slick bassline, and bangin' drums that are the gold of this album. Tracks like "Mayday" effortlessly meld classical music, rock, and hip-hop to give the listener something fresh, "Combat" displays an Eric B and Rakim vibe that makes you want to get up and bob your head, and "Never Had It" strays for a second to show off the band's musicality.
As good as the album is, it falls short in two tracks (which is amazing for an album these days). I still really dislike "Handle Bars." There's something about the hook that I just can't get into. The title track "Flight with Tools" is a bit bland, and could have been left off the LP.
In any case, no talk is good enough without previews. Enjoy.
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The Flobots - Combat
The Flobots - Mayday!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
this is it...the evolution in music instruments? amazing.
Yeap, you have no idea about these cats. They're three French beatmakers (DJ Dusty/DJDamage/Madhi) that are bringing back jazzy hip-hop! With the rise of French Indie-Disco (the Ed Banger crew to be exact), the French have proven that they can make music to move crowds.
The Jazz Liberatorz have just released their debut album entitled "Clin d'oeil." It features a plethora of really great American hip-hop artists ...Buckshot (Black Moon), Sadat-X (Bran Nubian), Tre-Hardson (ex-Pharcyde), Stacy Epps, T-Coil, Tableek (Maspyke), Fat Lip (ex-Pharcyde), J-Sands, Lizz Fields, Raashan Ahmad (Crown City Rockers), Apani B Fly, J-Sands (Lone Catalysts), and J-Live. Not to mention live instrumentation from some of France's finest jazz musicians.
This is definitely something you DON'T want to sleep on if you're a fan of jazz and "golden era" hip-hop.
As a DJ/Producer, this is music I'm enjoying. Envision this as my personal hype machine. MP3 posting is used as promotion to increase the awareness of the artist in question. If you're the artist or label responsible for the music being posted, and would like it removed--please e-mail me (dani3r[at]hotmail.com), and I'll be more than happy to take it down at your request.
