Does this guy ever sleep? In the last 5 days he’s released Komposure.EP and Flowrs.EP, both for 8 bucks. His 4th and 5th album in a month. Quality material. Again. I can’t keep up.
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Video: Lunice – I See You
This one has been simmering in my dome all week. Lunice has been dropping hot lava out of Montreal since Kibbles ‘n Beats , and in addition to his ties with LuckyMe, is associated with some of the greatest talents in dance music, Canada and beyond. High-end crunk for the maximalist in all of us, he sees you but you can’t see him and that’s life.
Event: Star Slinger in Vancouver
I’ve described him recently as the reigning king of the remix, and if you don’t believe me just test it on Youtube. Star Slinger‘s portfolio runs mad deep and what’s just as impressive as his output is the tracks he chooses to rework (or, quite often, the artists that look to him for a fresh take). One thing is for sure, this dude is a certified music nerd and that usually translates into great selections and amazing dancefloor potential. AND there’s a kicker: the mighty Mux Mool will also be in attendance, hopefully shedding some light on his brand of future hip hop for those poor souls who are still sleeping on his oft-overlooked, but nonetheless classic, Skulltaste.
September 29th at Fortune Sound Club. ‘Nuff said.
Freebie Friday: The Weeknd – Thursday
I’ll be honest: The Weeknd‘s internet-breaking sophomore mixtape, Thursday, is essentially the same record as their exceptionally dark (but exceptional nonetheless) debut, House of Balloons. The production remains hazy and self-indulgent, the lyrics are as self-loathing and borderline-misanthropic as ever, and, most importantly, the moods are thick and inescapable. It is an extension of House of Balloons, right down to the hipstamatic cover art. The reasons this repeat performance is so welcome are the same reasons HoB remains as great as it is: blatantly lush productions that unravel into cavernous vacuums of R&B virtuosity. Song writing that is like Watch the Throne via Kurt Cobain. Brand tailoring and self-promotion that exceeds anything the current pop spectrum can squeeze out. Exploring a territory (most likely a marsh or bog of some sort) in music that has yet to be traversed. Or how about this: releasing a phenomenal first record and actually following it with one of equal or greater quality. That’s reason enough for me.
Interlude: Since we last spoke…
I decided to take a break from typing for a couple weeks, I’m sure nobody really noticed, but for those that did here’s few things of interest:
Like other losers who couldn’t escape their professional obligations long enough to escape to the forest to attend BC’s premiere electronic music festival, my only solace lies here. Big shout to Syd Woodward and Grounded TV for the stunning photography.
The Hybrid finally serves us with another tape, XXX, a reference not to pornography but seniority. I’m a firm believer that the “Adderall Admiral” is one the freshest breaths of air in the game, I just can’t always cosign his taste in beats and lack of continuity in his full lengths. Unfortunately, this isn’t an exception, and although this is easily Danny Brown’s most complete offering to date (and a very listenable one as well), we’ll have to wait for that singular classic I know he has in him.
Speaking of artists finding their sweet spot to deliver a classic record, Bad Vibes really, really delivered. All the things that made Shlohmo’s airy, ethereal style of choppy lo-fi hip hop so unique has been delicately refined to create a sprawling, impressionist work that will inevitably burrow into the hearts and minds of many. The title is a total misnomer.
Local Cats
Some locals unleashed heat in the past couple weeks as well:
Via Neferiu Records / Metawon
I’m really feeling both of these projects and the Vancity / Cowtown scene is definitely keeping it real this year when it comes to instrumental hip hop.
This guy is gaining serious momentum. Let’s hope his debut is constructed with Clams Casino production and tracks like “Peso” and “Purple Swag” and not any of the lazy filler that comprises most of his Deep Purple mixtape.
?uestlove’s Fantastic Pitchfork Interview
Say what you like about the goliath, be-all-end-all of “indie” record review sites that is Pitchfork Media, but they do strike it rich on a fairly consistent basis. Their latest gold mine comes in the form of the exceedingly likable ?uestlove and his highly entertaining (and nostalgic and insightful ) interview for their 15 year celebration.
More to come soon…
Artist: BUSTED!
Bambara – Drag Hesitation (BUSTED heRobust remix) by heRobust
HEY!
I know the above track isn’t new, but the dude HeRobust has been on a bit of a mission in the last few days, recruiting followers via Facebook and Twitter, posting remixes (such as the above) to his bandcamp and warning of new material. I feel it’s important to point something out: HeRobust is the shit. Rooted in down-tempo hip hop, his sound carries an unmistakably signature style involving constantly unraveling percussion and scattering high-frequency synths. As a blogger it’s normally requisite that I describe his sound by comparison, but you really need to hear it to believe it. He’s spawned a few of my favorite things in the last year as well, both directly and indirectly:
His debut Albumin EP is one of the most original works that the North American beat scene has yet to produce.
The unofficial video for “Snail Gate” from the aforementioned EP can also be filed under “see to believe”. Vintage stock footage spliced together so carefully that it never misses a beat. Visual retro amazingness overload. Keep an eye out for SlurpTV. Given the rising popularity of collage art and the “old is new” culture we could be seeing big things afoot for them.
Snail gate from SlurpTV on Vimeo.
And, the reigning king of the remix, Star Slinger (foreshadow) pieced together this little number and lovingly patches in Henry Rollins’ infamous rant against DJs and their lack of musicianship.
Don’t sleep.
Video: Tone Liv – Sgt. Slaughter
We needed to bring the “hard as fuck” ratio up around here, so thank you Green Llama Music. Top-tier braggadocio, a hook that would make Lil’ Fame blush, and a beat that’s more villainous than this. Dibia$e needs props for his collision of traditionalist NY boom-bap and futurist LA sound destruction. Tone Liv needs props for rocking N.W.O. shirts and rhyming hard as fuck.
Track: Ghost Town DJ’s – My Boo (Balam Acab Remix)
Another day, another sweet 90′s revivalist anthem. This nod should not be a surprise to anyone familiar with Balam Acab‘s music, which is often smeared with drifting vocal samples in similar inflections as this. Some of the remixes released this last week have me considering an entire part of the site devoted to 90′s revival jams. Seriously. Balam Acab’s new album Wander / Wonder drops August 29th.
Video: Teebs – Moments
Teebs “Moments” from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.
I found myself wondering just the other day when Teebs would drop something new.The track isn’t new at all, but Ardour still comes off as fresh after every listen, despite being almost a year old. The video is much like the song: capturing flourishes of normal life moments in a billow of smoke before quickly moving to the next. Thanks to Paul Trillo for the excellent, mood-capturing treatment.
Album: Passtimes (!?)
Just when I thought I could chill out and listen to the Hexual.Sealings.LP in peace, the ever-prolific Knxwledge drops another joint enitiled Old.Klouds.LP. That’s two bangers in a week for those counting. Currently a lot of producers are using the long play format to showcase a variety of small (usually about 1-2 minutes) ideas, as opposed to over-indulging in elaborate song structures and progressions. Knxwledge is one of the cats who gets it right, with most of these 25 tracks (in about 35 minutes) actually coming off as fully realized songs as opposed fleeting flourishes of pad mashing (Ras G’s recent Down 2 Earth unfortunately comes to mind). The destitute synth line of “Froid” is pure emotion music, the harp ‘n bass of “Fruit” is high-grade funk that James Yancey would be proud of, and”BadNewz(WunForShoes)” would have street anthem potential if the right MC were on it. Beat tapes and ideas are a dime a dozen right now, you just don’t get ones as good as these often enough.
