March 13th, 2010
In lieu of being able to actually enjoy the Airliner’s lax weed policy and jumbo-sized Fat Tires, the Low End podcasts offer an ideal window into what makes the weekly so unique. But until now, they’ve neglected to feature Nocando as anything more than a host. Wisely, Daddy Kev enlists his Alpha Pup protege and fellow resident to decimate an array of beats ranging from the Joker’s “Snake Eater” and Flying Lotus’s remix of “I Feel Like Dying,” to “All the Way Turnt Up” and “Exhibit C.” Written and recorded in a single night, James McCall proves why he’s not only one of this city’s most underrated rappers, but also one of its best. Jay Rock and Nipsey Hussle may have the major label deals and XXL hype, but the vanguard of the third generation of Project Blowed shows and proves every week. I have yet to bring a single person who hasn’t turned to me and said, “that dude can really really rap.” Were you wary about dropping a Hamilton on Jimmy the Lock, the proof is in the Porter. Plus, Daddy Kev drops a typically blistering set, nicely averting any and all ill omens endemic to the 13th edition.
Download:
MP3: Low End Theory Podcast XIII - Daddy Kev and Nocando
Posted in Daddy Kev, Nocando, Alpha Pup, Low End Theory | 1 Comment »
February 25th, 2010
Science has failed us. We were supposed to get hover conversions and robot vassals who could keep our sky castles tidy, while making us homemade guacamole and new-fangled old fashioneds. Yet as the new millennium rolls into its second decade, the most popular robotics involve Megan Fox’s stilted theatrics in Transformers. Granted, there is Robot Koch and Daft Punk, but we’re all deluding ourselves if we think they can bridge the gap between pliant automatons and our sad sad reality. Chris Alfaro, who records as Free the Robots, attempts to cover the difference on his debut Alpha Pup release, Ctrl Alt Delete, turning in an album full of quicksilver synths, iron drums, and samples that sound like they were salvaged from scrap heaps.
Heavily steeped in the Low End aesthetic, Free the Robots doesn’t as much assert a new vision as much as add a different angle, one occasionally angular and overly stiff, but often sleek and punishing, closer to traditional dubstep but unorthodox enough to dig up some dirty Levantine psych to make a beat called “Turkish Voodoo.” I gave the weed dispensaries six weeks to add this sativa. Heads already indoctrinated into the world of beat music will undoubtedly find this the ideal soundtrack to blunt cruise, while admiring the fine craftsmanship of Goldie Wilson III. Non-believers can continue to keep a vigil for the return of Rosie the Robot while bumping Cocorosie (yes, today is make your own Busdriver rap day).
Download:
MP3: Free the Robots - “Orion’s Belt Buckle”
MP3: Free the Robots - “Jupiter”
MP3: Free the Robots - Paris DJ’s Podcast (Tracklist Below the Jump)
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Posted in Free the Robots, Alpha Pup, Low End Theory | 4 Comments »
November 13th, 2009
If Dibiase does not win the title of best beatmaker in Los Angeles, he will buy it from a thespian giant named Andre who may or may not hail from Grenoble France. As this is a tough belt to win, I hope he is saving his diamonds and gold bullion. Unlike the Million Dollar Man, the Watts-born beatmaker understands the value of paying dues, as he’s bounced around for over a decade, honing his craft at Blowed, Unity, and Sketch, the forerunner to the Low End Theory. Of late, he’s finally said his prayers and taken his vitamins, with Alpha Pup set to release his debut LP soon, on the heels of a Low End performance this summer that hit me like a folding chair over the head (no referees).
Like everyone else affiliated with the beat scene, you can trace his sound through the usual suspects: Madlib and Dilla, Primo and Pete Rock, et. al. But Dibiase’s love of old-skool Nintendo is rivaled only by the Bristol producers, as he’s recently flipped RC Pro-Am, Castlevania, and Mega Man 3 with ease. I remain patient to hear the re-constituted versions of Baseball Stars and Tecmo Bowl–perhaps tonight when the erstwhile Diabolic takes over the Hyperion Tavern, which some knucklehead recently claimed hosts the best weekend electronic beats in town. Also playing is Dak, who records for Matthew David’s Leaving Records imprint, and provides conclusive evidence that either the depth of local talent is limitless, or I have smoked myself retarded. Maybe both.
YouTube videos of both Dibiase’s below the jump, complete with Bobby the Brain and Gorilla Monsoon’s Manichean dialectic. The World Wrestling Federation was deep.
Download:
MP3: Dibiase-”Cubaser Laser”
MP3: Dibiase-”May the Force”
MP3: Dak-”For the Sun”
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Posted in Alpha Pup, Dibiase, Beats, Low End Theory | No Comments »
