Today is the first birthday of Push Up Ya Lighter. One year ago to the day I finally got around to starting a blog and sharing exciting and interesting music. Did you get me a present? No? Dammit. Oh well, in the spirit of Christmas I guess it's fine if I do some giving. Here's ten of the coolest songs from the past year. All of these artists really made their mark in 2011, and I'm definitely looking forward to more in 2012. Most of them are emerging artists that first gained public attention this year, so it's exciting to have them on my radar as they grow and mature. Enjoy!
It's no secret that I love music. I wouldn't have my own blog devoted to it if I didn't. Music is magic. It can evoke feelings from the entire spectrum of human emotions in a matter of minutes. Of all the senses, only hearing has this power. Yes, happiness and pleasure can be derived from any type of sensation, but it's a bit harder to eat or touch something that stirs real melancholy. In addition, I would argue that our reactions to stimuli for sight and smell are regulated by the individual. We will react how we have been conditioned to react to certain things. Sounds seem to transcend these constraints, however, especially when arranged into music. It can operate and influence one's feelings at the subconscious level. Music can be invigorating or calming, angst-filled or cathartic. It's wonderful.
I think what truly amazes me is the creative process that goes into making music. All music evolves out of simple, and intangible thoughts by an artist. To think that there are people who can imagine random melodies and then turn them into wildly popular or meaningful works of aural art is incredible.
With the ease of access to media and media editing tools these days, it's no surprise that a mass emergence of new musicians is occurring. Consequently, there also come many critics. The boundaries of originality inevitably enter the conversation whenever someone samples another artist's work. Most people are okay with artists using small portions of other songs in their music, but issues arise when a large part of the instrumental are seemingly copied. It is a gray area, with no definite answer, but I believe any true musician should be able to effectively take a sample and make it their own.
My case in point is Pogo. He is a young man from Perth, named Nick Bertke, that has taken sampling to a place it's never been before. He uses sound bits from movies to create unique pieces of music. Have a listen.
The video can only depict a small portion of what is going on here. Nearly every sound that this track is comprised of originated in the Snow White movie. All the 'drum hits' and 'instruments' are individual sounds from the film's audio that Pogo hand-picked to construct his song.
Sol first came onto my radar during the fall of last year when his single, So Damn High, hit number one on the Hype Machine charts. While it was obviously not a deeply metaphorical song, it was so damn catchy and well crafted that I became a fan. That track was off of the second installment in his Dear Friends trilogy. I had some trouble finding an mp3 download, which surprised me because, considering how good the song was, I figured more blogs would have picked up on it sooner.
I hadn't heard much from old Solzilla until a few weeks ago when his collabo with DJ Jacks Green, This Shit, came out. Again, Sol delivered with a perfect chill out song for the summer. The concluding EP was released today, and it's a great listen. The production is refreshingly light and electronic, but Sol is a rapper at heart, and he spits his lines with an impressive confidence and ease. Download Vol. III from his website, here.
Sol hails from Seattle, and my hope is that this young man can align himself with the burgeoning Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene. I'll leave the words to my personal favorites from the region, Blue Scholars... Quality alternative hip-hop deserves a home in every corner of our nation.
Be sure to treat ya self to all of Sol's Dear Friends EPs for free here. Sol seems like a genuine guy, who truly cares about his fans. There was a post on his Facebook page tonight from a fan who said he had commented somewhere that he simply wished that Vol. III would be released before he took a flight abroad and away from an Internet connection. Apparently, Sol personally messaged the man a download link late last night in time before he left. That shows true dedication to one's craft and respect for the people who make an artist's career possible, the fans. Very impressive, Sol, that's one way to really make us feel like dear friends.
Tyler, The Creator posted this over at the Odd Future tumblr a few days ago. Apparently, he's bored and one-legged on tour and decided to put together a playlist of his personal favorite summertime songs. This mix is by no means reflective of the standard Odd Future music we have come to know. None of the violent and bizarre themes that are usually to be expected from an OFWGKTA release are found in this collection.
I thought that this list provided an interesting insight into the mind behind the often misjudged OF collective, and helped to solidify Tyler as a legitimate artist in my opinion.
If you pay any attention to current hip-hop, then you have no doubt come across something involving Odd Future. It may have been some blogger fawning over them because of their rebelliousness. Maybe it was some hip-hop snob scoffing at their weak production and cheap rhymes. Their fan base was probably exuding vehement cries of "KILL THEM ALL" or "DON'T GIVE A FUCK". Their haters were likely condemning the lyrical themes of rape and murder. Whatever the sentiment, Odd Future has had a lot of buzz surrounding them. For anyone who truly cares about music and the state of hip-hop, the only question should be: How long will the attention last? It will be interesting to see if they can remain relevant and true to themselves at the same time.
A year ago, my summer playlists were full of fun, party songs by up-and-comers like Sam Adams and Wiz Khalifa. I haven't heard anything new in a long time from Sam, and Wiz has rocketed into the mainstream spotlight, but has seemingly drifted away from the style that first appealed to me. The heavy stream of traffic on the new music highway today makes it increasingly difficult to stay original and well-liked.
I have not previously posted any Odd Future music for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my intention with this blog is to expose cool music that I feel is worth talking about, and the OF crew was doing just fine in terms of exposure without my help. Secondly, I honestly have not been overly impressed with any of their material. I listen to it, and I do like most of it, but nothing was strong enough for me to want to share. In fact, this mix only has a couple of actual OF features on it. The remainder is comprised of relaxing indie songs and Pharrell produced hip-hop tracks. Tyler sprinkles in his own colorful commentary as his new alter ego, DJ Stank Daddy, and screws what can be assumed to be his most favorite songs down into his own deep toned voice.
Tyler and the rest of Odd Future have long maintained that they are not trying to please anyone, and are only set on making music that they would want to hear. If others do too, so be it, but they DGAF. What is important about this tape is that it lets us hear an artist's influences, which help to create a transparency between the artist's process and the final product. Yonkers isn't nearly as baffling nor as terrifying with the knowledge that Tyler enjoys kicking back on a summer day to some toro y moi or Jill Scott. Knowing Tyler has diverse musical tastes tells us that he can't be as angry and serious as he may seem. This fact, therefore, increases the artistic value of his output. If he can so convincingly portray such an appalling character, we have to applaud his efforts instead of dismissing them as trite. In addition, Summer Camp does have underlying consistencies in production that do evoke a summer vibe and can be felt upon relistening to Odd Future songs.
Tyler and his merry band of troublemakers aren't just a group of menaces to society, despite their public persona. They are a tightly-knit group with a common resolve to make quality music that they can be proud of and enjoy. Even with the odds and critics stacked against them, those qualities place them ahead of the curve on the path to lengthy careers.
Save yourself some time looking up songs and peep the whole tracklist and another download link here.
Ahh fruition. It's always nice when a plan comes together perfectly in the end. In this case, it took me several months to finally bring you the total presentation I had imagined, but here it is.
For a while now, I have been pleasantly surprised by the steady stream of talent coming out of the west coast music scene. I've found myself developing favorites from the Pacific Northwest, the Bay area, and Los Angeles. As a bit of background, I had originally been intending to dedicate a single post to several L.A. artists that have captured my attention over the past couple years. Those artists were Blu, J*Davey, and Flying Lotus. Each one of them has impressed me in different ways recently, and have demonstrated the health of that local music underground. As I was contemplating how to feature them all at once, an answer dropped into my lap. Sometime in March, Blu let a tweet fly that contained a download link to a song done by himself, and with the assistance of none other than Miss Jack Davey and FlyLo. It was a Godsend. I knew then that I had to devote a post to each individual musician in order to properly culminate with the excitement of this release.
So here we are. I have shown you the lyrical skills of Blu. You have heard the distinct voice of Jack Davey. Flying Lotus's video game-like production is instantly recognizable. This track is off Blu's forthcoming No York! album. Enjoy.
The track is by SBTRKT (as in 'subtract') and features the lead vocalist of the band Little Dragon. SBTRKT is an enigmatic British artist who specializes in drum and bass (DnB) and U.K. style dubstep music.
It's education time for all you triggas and snitches. Dubstep isn't defined by face melting bass drops. It can be traced to London producers during the mid 90's blending features of Jamaican dub, drum and bass, and British 2-Step into a new, creative style of music. This is one of the earliest examples of dub music. It has a sparse drum line; instead, the song's bass line drives the track. Ultimately, dub gave rise to DnB music which is much more up-tempo and frantic. A prime example of this style is seen in the opening scene of Ali G in da House. Classic. And finally, 2-Step garage music grew out of DnB, and is more or less dubstep's cousin. Here is a sample of 2-Step that displays an increased use of electronica as well as more vocals. It should be apparent by now how we arrive at music like that from SBTRKT.
Still reading? Then you're also probably still playing 'Wildfire'. SBTRKT has really shown us why less is more both in a name and in music. The light drum beats, heavy bass melody, and nice topping of female vocals make a simple, yet perfectly constructed song. He has said that he is a fan of FlyLo's Cosmogramma album, and those influences are obvious in his production.
Apart from deleting vowels, SBTRKT shares several more similarities with Toronto based singer The Weeknd (seriously, if you don't have his mixtape yet, you might be homeless). They both inspire this sort of late night swagger and confidence that is difficult to put into words, but easy to feel when listening to their music. Drizzy Drake has placed his approval on both artists, if that means anything to you. His tweets were partially responsible for the buzz around The Weeknd and he was so kind as to drop some bars on 'Wildfire'. Also, for all the secrecy surrounding The Weeknd's identity, at least we know his name is Abel Tesfaye. SBTRKT may or may not be multiple people, and he only performs publicly while wearing a signature tribal mask. To be honest, I didn't notice the eyes behind the mask when I first saw the picture above. It kind of freaked me out when I realized it, and made the song that much more haunting, but awesome.
This post is going to be fun. Flying Lotus, or FlyLo for short, is the alias of electronic musician, Steven Ellison. He is by no means your standard producer of electronica, however. He crafts complex tracks that draw from a wide variety of influences. Hip-hop beats, organic instrumentals, floating vocals, and video game sound effects all meld together with fantastic balance to give his music a distinct sound.
Like any good musician, it seems that FlyLo also likes to occasionally indulge in some mind altering activities...
Holy zodiac! That's a trip. The song is from his 2010 album Cosmogramma and is called "Zodiac Shit". His real 'influences' aren't all herbs and pills; he has said that he gets high to enjoy his music, not to make it because he gets distracted and forgetful. No, FlyLo music is much more a product of the environment in which he was raised.
The Los Angeles native has kept close ties to his musical family. His music takes strong inspiration from the lives and works of his aunt and uncle, jazz musicians Alice and John Coltrane. In addition, their son, Ravi, remains an important part in Ellison's creative process. See Ravi and Alice perform here.
Flying Lotus's name might not have mainstream notoriety, but his music does. Anyone that has ever watched Cartoon Network's [adult swim] programming block (as I am right now) should recognize his songs from their witty and snide bumps.
I've been revisiting some of my older posts lately, and I arrived back at my first one. It's a remix of "Little Secrets" by Passion Pit done by a guy named Jaques. Give it a listen. There was a reason I couldn't wait to help spread this track around the Internet; it gives this great vibe of being carefree, fun loving, and just out to have a good time.
Listening to it again, though, did recall my frustration over not being able to figure out where the rap vocals were from. Then, amazingly, a miracle happened. My older, wiser self realized that I should just ASK JAQUES WHERE IT WAS FROM. I put my simple, elegant plan into action and shot him an email. He very courteously and promptly replied and told me it was a cat named Future Kiddd from Pensacola, Florida. Problem solved.
I Googled this dude and most of the hits that returned were for "Passion Pit - Little Secrets (ft. Future Kiddd) (Plus Move Remix)". Well that was useless. I already knew the remix was of "Little Secrets", and I had just found out that it featured Future Kiddd, but what was all this 'Plus Move' noise? I figured it was an old Jaques alias or group name and continued being upset over having learned nothing new. Wahh.
Luckily, I have been known to have more than one good idea per day, which eventually led me to actually listen to the Plus Move track. Within the first two seconds I was rewarded for my lapse in laziness hard work with an epiphany. It's not the same track. Jaques didn't add those vocals to the Passion Pit song, Plus Move did, and Jaques remixed their remix. Whoa.
I found their Facebook page, and that had a link to a Tumblr full of free music. They are comprised of members Future Kiddd and fuZZZy. Yay, triple lettters. I've listened through everything they had on there, and it's pretty solid. They tend to start and end strong, both on tracks and on albums, and their remixes are probably better than their original material, but overall, I'm a fan.
I've got 4 and 20 songs for you today because... why not? Lots of awesome tracks missed the cut, but there will definitely be more lists to come. Click above to listen, and below to download. Have a nice day!
If you missed the first one, it's alright, here it is. It gave us the original remix to Darwin Deez's 'Bad Day' that was later reworked with some lines from Chiddy. It also had the monstrously incredible tracks 'I Wanna Know Now' and 'Radar Detector'. If you don't know who Xaphoon Jones is... then you need to get your act together buster. He's the producer half of the Philly duo, Chiddy Bang. You should know who they are by now or you're old.
Anyways, for as fresh as Chiddy's rhymes are, Xaphoon's beats are equally dope. They've been pioneers for the college hip-hop sound, and with an album due out this year, they're certainly poised to make a bang in 2011. Xaphoon was one of the earlier DJs to sample indie music artists for hip-hop beats, and since then it has become a rapidly rising trend. Hipsters and hip-hop heads alike have set their differences aside to rave about this exciting new blend of genres. I got really link-happy because I think the music really speaks for itself with this kid. This is why it pays to stay on top of what music is new and cool; there are definitely some serious rising stars out there.
Back on track. I just realized the last two artists I posted weren't big fans of the last letter 'e' in their stage names. Enough of that crazEEnEss.
On the left we have Miss Jack Davey, her momma named her Briana Cartwright, and yes, she is rocking the undercut/mohawk hairdo. I guess it's the style that all the cool, young ladies are rocking these days. (haha just messing with ya Skrillex) (UPDATE: I wasn't the only one thinking it! Look!) The dude with her is Brook D'Leau, his momma named him Brook D'Leau. Sometimes they do DJ sets together under the name Black Morris, but as a musical outfit they are J*DaVeY. He is the producer and she is the vocalist. That's where all the concrete definitions stop. His beats are spacey, her voice is swinging, and she's got a sharp rap tongue too. Their music infuses elements of hip-hop, R&B, electronica, rock, jazz, and basically everything else.
The song is recognizable, but they've definitely taken an iconic track and brought it into the new millennium. It got support from Kurt Cobain's estate and from Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl. This track is off their latest EP entitled Evil Christian Cop: The Great Mistapes, which is available fo' free at their Bandcamp site. SLTS is the only cover on there; some of the songs do interpolate other tunes, but in true J*DaVeY fashion.
Other artists often employ Miss Jack Davey for her vocal talents such as on this track by Grooveman Spot off his excellent album, Eternal Development. Grooveman Spot - What We Do (ft. Miss Jack Davey)
This is probably one of the chillest tracks I have ever heard, and one of my personal favorites. It would warrant its own post, but I can't find out anything about this guy. I do know he also goes by DJ Kou-G. All the sites I've found are in Japanese so I'm not getting too much other info out of those. Oh well, just enjoy!
Distractions. Sometimes you're all ready to get focused on one task, but then things start to pop up and get in the way (I'm looking at you guys, Facebook and Twitter). You get sidetracked. I had a whole plan laid out for my posts for this week; it was beautiful. When I'm prepping to write about an artist, I like to listen to a lot of their songs throughout the day so I can decide what to post and to try and catch any revealing personal information from their lyrics. The lineup I had ready before, though, is on hold for now because I was listening to something else. I'm sure basically everyone has had their weekday plans run off track by thoughts of the weekend, but this time it was The Weeknd that got me.
There's a bit of mystery surrounding what The Weeknd is exactly. From what I've read, it seems it is a one man R&B/Soul act, probably by the name of Abel Tesfaye. I'm pretty confident that there's a team of others, though, that handled production for this project. I do know that The Weeknd (God! I keep typing the third e) is based out of Toronto. He mentions being 20 years old, but his voice is strong and confident and complements the tight production well. Neither side dominates; there are times for each to shine.
On my first listen, it sounded like a super smooth and seductive baby-making mixtape. That was fine; I listened all the way through without skipping any tracks, which to me is a sign of a really good album. After I found myself hitting repeat a few more times, however, I realized there was a little more going on here. Sure, the common love song themes are there, but they're presented at a much more primal level. I use 'love' in the sense of instinctive, possibly drugged up, urges. It delivers the rawness that Jeremiah, Enrique, and Trey Songz and Drake only wish they knew how to express. It's subtle, yet forceful. This isn't your pump-up, pregame music, it's your after hours, make bad decisions but-who-cares music, and it's best listened to in the dark.
I'd like to introduce you to Blu, stage name of Johnson Barnes. He's a rapper out of L.A. who has been rising in the underground hip-hop world since he started putting out music several years ago. There are many shades of Blu; he has collaborated with a variety of producers and has recently begun producing himself. The beats he rhymes over offer a wide variety of styles and genres ranging from gospel to soul to television and movie samples. He also often incorporates vocal samples that use the word 'blue'.
Whenever I've got to get down to business on something, or if someone even says these words this song starts playing in my head:
This joint is off of Blu's collabo with Exile, Below The Heavens. It was his debut studio album and helped him to earn HipHopDX's honor for Rookie of the Year in 2007.
Notice his rapping style. His delivery is more similar to talking, but he still maintains the aesthetics of skillful end and internal rhyming. A big reason for the critical acclaim he has garnered is his lyrical content. Unlike many rappers, he tones down the braggadocio in preference of more grounded, everyman raps. He's a young guy, but he's seen a lot of the world; he had NBA aspirations and helped raise his eleven siblings so he's got plenty of experiences to keep his music honest and real.
Here's his version of A Tribe Called Quest's classic track Jazz (We've Got). It's hard to touch a gem like the original, but Blu manages to add his own shine to it. He even has a Nas sample in there to say "True in the game as long as blood is BLU in my veins".
Darren Williams (no relation) is Star Slinger, a young British DJ/remixer who has been generating a lot of buzz lately thanks to his feel good music. Apparently, Donald Glover described his music as 'booty LSD'. He definitely makes things drop. He likes to compose mixes while laying in bed or right after he wakes up which is an attitude I can certainly relate to.
I like to picture his process as similar to cooking muffins or something else delicious. He lays down these really fresh beats, and then samples old soul or R&B records and kneads them into the track. Once everything starts to rise together you get the same sense of anticipation and excitement you get right before you take something out of the oven. The whole kitchen smells great and you just know that first bite is going to be heaven. The drop comes and everything melts together perfectly, just in your ears instead of your mouth.
I'm still on the fence about battle rappers. While I can respect what they do, sometimes the tactics they use don't sit well with me. Battle rapping consists almost entirely of dissing and demeaning your opponent in order to earn a win. They can be entertaining to watch, but all too often the participants resort to mundane racial attacks and rhyming words with 'duck'. I haven't seen that many rappers that can actually battle, meaning they listen and consider what their opponent is saying and then flip it back on them. It's pretty obvious that a lot of these guys just sit at home thinking of one liners and then spew them out come battle time.
People like Dumbfoundead are different, and rare. He's a Korean-American who was born in Argentina and grew up in L.A. When he battles, it's not all about yelling and offending. Dumb prefers to embarrass whoever he's battling with clever rhymes and jokes, and he does so with a grin on his face too. Watch him do it here. The battle starts around 1:30. Dumbfoundead goes second after Tantrum, who epitomizes what I don't like about many battle rappers. Sure, Dumb plays the race card too, but his lines are way more meaningful and his flow is better too. Freestyling is hard enough, but to do this off the dome is truly impressive.
After a few years in his local battle circuits, Dumb has started making studio music. I've been trying to stay up on whatever he puts out and it's been fun watching him grow as an artist. Take a listen to his latest efforts with DJ Zo:
His earlier songs felt awkward and forced, but he is definitely coming into his own. The transition from battler to performer is never easy; the styles are too different. I think he's realizing now that he doesn't have to concentrate on the super focused topical content of battle raps; he can expand to talk about whatever he wants. I won't say it's the best mixtape ever, but it's fun and features some cool samples from people like Theophilus London and Lykke Li. We should look forward to more gems from Dumbfoundead who is only turning 25 next week.
I was watching a Youtube video and this song was playing in the background. I knew right away it was De La Soul, but had to listen carefully to catch the lyrics so I could search for the name of the whole song. I wasn't about to just start typing in 'oooh oooh oooh oooh'. Well, turns out I should've because that's actually the name of this track! Straightforward. Succinct. So De La, so Redman.
I just love the simple background instrumental. Redman is such a big personality that he doesn't need much under him to really make a song groove. The De La crew are legends in this rap game, renowned for their socially conscious lyrics and amazing production skills. They've been together for longer than I've been alive, and their influence can be felt in the music of essentially every hip-hop musician performing today. Their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, is the perfect soundtrack for a walk on a bright, sunny day. Go ahead, listen to any of the tracks and I guarantee you'll feel energized. This song continues in that vein, which is why I like it so much.
Also, be sure to check out the MTV Cribs episode featuring Redman that I have featured under 'Fun Links' over on the right ------------->
We're witnessing a truly grounded individual who knows what he likes and never asks for more. Not even for a doorbell.
A picture may say a thousand words, but I think music can be much more creative and expressive with just as few actual written words. For instance, this song has one word strewn throughout it as the only lyric. 'Ow!' is usually an exclamation for pain, but this song proves my point. It absolutely does not matter what 'ow' means or even that it was the word used at all. In fact, on my first listen I didn't even realize that was a human voice making that sound because it fit so well with the rest of the instrumentals.
This track does have something to say, however, and that is 'Get up and move yourself, fool!'. Seriously, if you listen to this and don't want to start flailing around like this guy (or dressing like him), you should really find out what has you so depressed.
Oh and by the way, the name of the group that put this record out is not a reference to inanimate shirt-holder-togetherers going through a sad streak, think more along the lines of pushing down your keyboard buttons. The tagline they've given themselves is 'We go weirder than hard' which I think is fantastically appropriate. They release from the Mad Decent label which is run by producer Diplo, of Major Lazer fame.
Here's the latest release from Hoodie Allen off his upcoming mixtape, Leap Year. Not only am I excited just because this track came out today, but also because it is still up to the high level of quality I've come to expect from Hoodie.
He samples Oh Land's White Nights for this joint. His sample selection is so diverse, but always manages to sound great. It sometimes takes you a second to catch his references and jokes because they come at you nonstop. That's part of what makes it good music, though: every new listen exposes something that you may have missed before.
This kid works so hard. As a UPenn graduate and current employee at Google, he's obviously one smart cookie. I don't know too many Google workers, though, who have 5,000 Facebook friends, a huge fan following, and actually make efforts to interact with any and all of them personally.
Hoodie dreams up. MLK had a dream. I spent all winter break dreaming, but now it's back to school...
I've played this song on repeat at least thirty times tonight. Skrillex (on your other right) is a twisted dude. He was the lead singer in the hardcore punk band, From First To Last, as a teenager, and now, in his early twenties, he drops filthy electro bangers like it's his job (it kind of is).
This song could not be more appropriately named. It's obviously an electronic song, but it maintains a smooth coherency at first. When the indistinguishable lyrics enter, it actually soothes the tone and lulls you into this trance where everything is well and all sprites are nice. Cue the 'Oh my gosh' girl. Then all that is 2010 rips through and unleashes the monsters. It definitely takes some getting used to, but after a while you realize it works.
I'm not gonna get into how the divide between the two forces symbolizes the dichotomy within us all, cuz that'd be annoying. Let's just enjoy the song at face value. If this is still way too much for you, how about you man up? lulz jk. You don't need to hide my friend, for I have a version for you.
Ok, I don't even know if those are really 22's, but I am today. What better way to celebrate than to put up a mix of 22 songs? And since it's my birthday, I can't get in trouble for giving away songs that probably shouldn't be free (I hope).
I had actually been building this list for a while already before I decided today was a good time to share it. Some of the songs on here are favorites that will never get old for me. I know them so well that I act like they were radio smashes and get surprised when people haven't heard them. That's one reason why they're here, though: to be shared. When I was younger, I used to buy CD's every once in a while. I'd then listen to them straight through over and over again for weeks or months. I know all the CD's I own from front to back, all the words and all the melodies. The digital age and Internet has changed all that for me.
Since I've been in college, and especially in the past year, I almost compulsively download music. I'm always on the hunt for new and different music that I haven't heard yet. Whenever I can, I download the whole album, and not just single songs. It's fun, but then I realize I have all these tracks on my hard drive that I have never listened to. That's kind of defeating the point. So I take a step back, and use a different form of music discovery, one that is from within. No, I don't check my inner chi or catch Zz's till I reach zen, I wait till I have an extended period of time to devote, and I put my entire library on shuffle. Everything. I occupy myself with homework or some chore and I just let the music play. I actively try not to pay attention too closely. Then, certain songs will jump out and catch my ear. Those are the keepers. I put them in a playlist simply entitled 'Cool'. Over time these become my new old favorites. It doesn't matter who it's by, as long as it sounds cool. That's why I have Lil Wayne and 2Pac along with Binary Star and We Are Scientists. These are the B-sides, the deep cuts, and the last released singles. That doesn't mean they were made to never be heard.
22 years is where I'm at, let's cheers it with 22 tracks.
When I first saw that there was a remix to 'Living In America' I immediately thought of this song by James Brown, so I had that stuck in my head for a good hour. I was totally fine with it too, I was thinking 'You do you Gucci. 2011'. No, instead this was the Guccster going in over a track by Dom of the same name.
I know Gucci Mane and those like him are supposedly 'killing' hip-hop, but I really don't mind him. I can never understand most of the things he mumble-raps but it somehow usually sounds okay. We all have to give him major credit for working with groups like Dom, too. This is the direction music is going. Young artists today don't go to a record store and head straight toward one genre to snap up only their favorite artists. They don't tune in to one radio station everyday to hear the same songs all the time. Anyone serious about making music is taking full advantage of all the different types of media access at their disposal. Because we've gotten used to information saturation, people are extremely open to being influenced by all genres.
I personally love this trend. The Roots are my favorite group of all time, mainly because they couple a sharp tongued MC with a full live band. The Blakroc project that paired blues rockers, The Black Keys, with some hip-hop heavyweights was incredible, and I can't wait for the second album. Chiddy Bang has blown everyone away with their incredible rapper spitting over beats that producer Xaphoon Jones constructs out of indie pop/rock favorites.
Dom's biography quotes him as wanting to be 'the Madonna of garage rock', and they thought getting a few bars from Gucci would help accomplish that. Good for Dom. Good for Gucci Mane for that matter, but most of all, good for us.
Here's a nice chill tune from the DJ duo, Flight Facilities. It's got some smooth chords driven by bouncing drums. Giselle's clear voice rings over it all as she sings about seeking the attention of the guy who won't look her way. Everyone else is though; cherish what you've got girl. The saxophone solo that comes in at the end gives the track some spice too.
Flight Facilities are a mysterious group. Apparently, they won't identify themselves although there is speculation as to who they are. Their blog is weird/funny. I understand in this day and age it's pretty easy to put out music without anyone knowing who you are, but these guys have DJ sets up for download. How do you spin live without telling someone your name? I don't really care as long as they keep making tracks like this. Here's to hoping they're also a group of crazy awesome celebrities a la Rad Omen. (Woo! first self plug)
There's also a second version of the song with completely reworked instrumentals. Peep that here.
It turns out, the mysterious title 'H.A.M.' stands for 'hard as a motherfucker' which isn't quite the deliciousness I was hoping for, but the song still sizzles. Audiobacon.
I think this sounds pretty similar to all the other tracks these two have linked up for, but that's not a bad thing. Far too often, these supergroup pairings end up tanking. This shows promise for the whole project to actually be a respectable album. It should be a solid effort even if it doesn't bring anything too groundbreaking to the table. Kanye has to be a little drained after putting out his brilliant My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy right? Right?
This young lady is Ashley Outrageous. She founded and runs a hip-hop blog, and organizes events and concerts in South Florida. She focuses her efforts on underground and up and coming artists, working closely with them for exclusive interviews, shows, and tracks.
This tape is her second playlist of entirely new music featuring some of the best new MC's and producers in the game. She quite obviously knows good talent; I'm excited to find more work from some of these artists.
Hearing this tape reminds me of listening to the old Chi City mixtape put together by Cosm Roks a few years ago. It can be overwhelming sometimes to get into new artists. I love it when I first come across someone who might be the next big talent, but there are so many people out there trying to make noise for themselves, and honestly, most of it is junk. There is plenty of strong talent, though, so it's always a pleasure when someone else does the dirty work and puts together a list of gems like these. It's also refreshing to know there are people who are still willing to seek out and support these artists as they rise. Props to Ashley.
Get a taste: Sin - Playlist (Thelonius Martin did work making this beat. There's a reason I didn't delete the producer credits.) YP - Insane (Another craaazy beat. Ha!) Laws - Lady Hip Hop (An ode to all the women who know and appreciate more than just club bangers)
Get the whole project off AO's website. No shouting, no horns, just music.
It's a tight electro song with a catchy hook containing the only lyrics. I could see middle aged people on the train to work blaring this on the ipods their kids bought them, all the while feeling so cool for getting into this song. It could easily be imagined as the personal anthem for nearly anyone who feels like they have a handle on things and 'knows how to do it right' in his or her 'city'. Oh, how little they know.
We all know that fast food is bad for your health, but fast food mascots can be much, much worse...
I wanted to post yesterday so I spent a whole lot of time listening through some mixtapes from last month I hadn't heard yet just to find one dope track. No luck. I really want to stick to a certain level of quality on here so, at least for now, I'm gonna be somewhat picky.
Trying not to get frustrated, I figured I'd check the Hype Machine for some kind of crazy remix. The top 20 didn't have anything special so I moved on. I don't really like the new setup by the way, whatever happened to keeping things 'fresh'? I fell back on searching for one of my tried and true favorites, The Cool Kids. I was looking for any recent remixes I hadn't come across. I know Big Talk just came out, but that was so 2010...
What I did find was something else. I am ashamed, embarrassed, and not angry, but just disappointed with myself for sleeping on several tracks from the summer that Sir Michael of the Rocks (known to his friends as Mikey, he rocks) put out sans Chuck. Don't trip, The Cool Kids are still together and will be knocking in your stereo in 2011, but Mikey took some time to work with his fellow Chicagoans in Produktionix while the kids were out of school and playing in the pools. I guess he was just keeping it in the Go during his summer vacation.
I saw these at iR. 'Bahamas' is probably my favorite out of the group, but you already know I much prefer the summer heat. Two more at FSD.
Oh, and if you've been wasting around more than I have, do yourself a favor and make sure you have Tacklebox. It was probably definitely my favorite mixtape of the past year.
Here is the Remix Artist Collective's mix of the song 'Hey Now Now' by The Cloud Room. I can't say enough about how impressive all of the tracks the RAC puts out are. They rework songs from a variety of indie rock and pop artists, and the results are always spectacular. They have a rare talent for creating new sounding songs while still preserving all the strong points of the originals. I went through nearly all the remixes they have posted on their Soundcloud, and choosing just one to share was quite a task. Definitely expect to hear more from them in the future.
The Cloud Room is a Brooklyn band that takes its name from a former speakeasy (Boardwalk!). They put out the original of this song in 2005. It was featured in several commercial spots and enjoyed regular radio airplay. I read that the lyrics in the chorus were influenced by the lead singer's HIV scare. The first half of the lyrics were composed as he awaited the results of testing; truly a reflection on mortality. After being cleared, the second half of the song came to be, with its more jubilant tone: "we find a new reason/a new way of living and we breathe it in and try to dream again".
You may be asking yourself 'why is that homeless man sleeping on those barstools?' and I would agree that there must be more comfortable places to take a snooze. This is Zach Deputy and he's tired not because of a lack of shelter but from playing his freaking heart out during a live show. His Bandcamp page description probably describes him best:
There is nothing out there like Zach Deputy. Truly a one-man band, he is a powerhouse of performance, technical chops, and one hell of a charismatic presence. Put simply, Zach Deputy does what is called live looping: layering sounds through the magic of technology to create a full band effect. He isn’t the only performer out there doing this, but he has taken the technique to the next level. First and foremost, however, Zach Deputy is a songwriter, a shredding guitarist and a soulful singer with a 4+ octave vocal range.
Yep, as you'll hear in his song, Real, that last line about his vocal range is no lie. Take a listen to a stream of his whole album up at that Bandcamp link; it's definitely worth it. The songs have a wide variety of styles and emotions.
You know how studio artists sometimes play all the parts themselves and then layer them together for the final mastered track? Well, he does that in live shows with loop sampling. He is a one man jam band. Watch him do it over at AK JIGGA.
The third installment of the D-Town rapper's Finally Famous series originally came out back in August but here it is finally tagless. I first heard Big Sean on his track 'Getcha Some'. It was cool and he has that unique voice but I wasn't sure how long he could stick around in the game. I'm glad I kept paying attention, though, because in the past couple years he's really grown as a rapper. I've been really impressed with the way he can switch his flow up, and the rhymes and jokes he puts out. He is signed with Yeezy's G.O.O.D. Music label, and will soon be releasing his debut album which should feature plenty of huge names. It looks like 2011 is going to be a big year for Big Sean.
The Hot Spitta released a new mixtape New Year's Day, and I was more than happy to make it my first download of 2011. Welcoming in the new year with new Curren$y music is definitely a good sign for the upcoming year. There are a few tracks that have been floating around for a while now as well as some new lines over familiar hip-hop beats. I noticed a few of the tracks end with long instrumental outros. I like to think that's just Curren$y taking time for a breather, you know, to inhale and exhale...
Download it from the Jets Blog. Free music is free music so go ahead and ignore all the spelling mistakes.
