Album: Mike Decline – Calmmunicate

Vancouver stand up, Mike Decline is repping you hard right now. His second release for Phonographique since July, Calmmunicate is another 30-minute mix LP that aims to bridge the gap between the golden age sound and a lo-fi, DIY aesthetic, utilizing strong chops and stronger song construction. These are intelligent beats for people rocking starter caps in 2012, indebted to Premier and Alchemist, and evading the current obsession with Otis and Dilla. Just don’t expect to hear any rehashings of “Living Proof” here. Decline isn’t about utilizing samples and templates –  he’s about breathing new life into them, augmenting the mix with unique, unpredictable moments like the percussive carnival funk of “Stan Mikita” or the creepy, minimal chamber music on “Beat Smoke”. Increasing interest further is the collaborative aspect of the album. Smooth serenades from Ashleigh Eymann appear on most tracks, sometimes alongside sampled vocals for some interesting, doo-woppy effects and K-Rec resides behind the wheels of steel to handle the cuts and transitional elements. This specialized combination endows Calmmunicate with a subtle quaintness that jumps tempos and alters it’s approach often, creating a fresh perspective on instrumental hip hop that feels organic and self-contained. Peep it below, download it at Bandcamp and donate if you love it.

Top 5: 07 07 2011

My mind has been wandering a fair amount as of recent and while I have been listening to a lot of hot shit, I don’t know if I have the focus to review anything too in-depth. Here’s a quick top 5 for the week instead:

5:

Apollo Brown and Hassaan Mackey – Daily Bread Mixtape

Some free bits and pieces acting as a prelude to the highly anticipated LP, Daily Bread.

 

 

4:

Stilz – The Bachelor From Venus

Interesting little collection that hops back and forth between jazz-heavy sample-based hip hop and jittery bass music.

 

 

3:

Mike Decline – Umbrellatons

Posted this earlier in the week. If you haven’t peeped it yet you’re probably still living in your mom’s basement.

 

 

2:

MndSgn – NoMaps

Easily MndSgn‘s best outing to date (which says a lot) and an album conducive to summer activities.

 

 

1:

Small Professor - Beats and Rhymes Jawns

Rarely do you hear some nice, good-old-fashioned boom bap this refined. Listen to this very loudly please.

Album: When It Rains, It Pours

Vancouver’s own Mike Decline drops the bombs like precipitation on Umbrellatons, a 30-minute demonstration of Hip Hop in it’s  most unadulterated variety. With a remarkable ability to fashion beats that sound both raw and refined, Decline flaunts his plasticity, from the brooding antique jazz of  “The Shelter” to the orchestral contemplations of  “Just Frens”. Packaged in mix format (which serves Decline’s style very well) complete with logically-placed vocal snippets and ridiculous cuts provided by K-Rec. Head over to Bandcamp, cop this shit, and peep some other fly materials from the boys at Phonographique. BOOM.