You’ve probably heard about legendary Gang Starr emcee Guru’s recent cardiac arrest and subsequent coma and sadly we have no new information to offer. Bottom line is that this is a truly awful blow to Hip-Hop and we at the Passion are all keeping Guru in our hearts and minds and wishing him a speedy recovery.I won’t bore you with a long-winded synopsis of the man’s career, if you don’t know the story, start here and then cop the catalog. To briefly put his impact in perspective however, Guru picked up where Rakim left off and his cool calculated flow and jazzman demeanor can be felt in every emcee to ever put a premium on restraint over energy from mush mouthed stoners to hyper-lyrical battle-rappers. Oft overshadowed by his equally legendary DJ, Baby Pa was a dope producer on the low as well and this cut with Lil Dap is a perfect example of the East Coast boom-bap vibe he exemplified. Get well soon my man.
Parts of this interview were originally published at Pop and Hiss.
Much of “There Is Love in You,” was live-tested at London’s famed Plastic People nightclub, where you recently held a DJ residency. Last week, the news broke that it’s in danger of being closed down due to concerns about drug use and excessive noise complaints. How have you been reacting to that news?
I’ve been hearing about it while I’ve been away on the road, but it sounds really terrible. It’s one of those situations where the police seem to have really targeted it. After all, it’s just another club on a major stretch in London where there’s hundreds of nightclubs right next to each other. I’ve got a feeling that of all the clubs in the area, it’s the least full of bad behavior. It’s been a very inspiring and influential place for many many people in London. Hopefully, it’ll be able to keep going.
Plastic People is a little sanctuary for people whose focus is purely music, and there aren’t many places like that. The people who run it aren’t interested in it as a commercial venue. It’s like a temple of sorts, in the tradition of Paradise Garage.
2009 was a huge year for Anti-Social Entertainment with “Silkie’s City Limits Volume 1” dropping to critical acclaim on Mala’s Deep Medi records and Kromestar’s “My Sound” making a heavy impact in London’s streets. Last week, Sach O spoke to crew representative, badman DJ and all around nice guy Razor Rekta about Anti-Social’s origins, the crew’s forthcoming releases, Dubstep and UK Funky, Canadian donut houses and just what is up with that crew name.
First up, who in the world is Razor Rekta and what kind of sounds are you bringing to the table?
I’m a 28-year-old underground DJ from Ealing in West London whose origin lies in Garage music, which has now evolved into my main forte Dubstep. I’m someone who’s always looking to push the boundaries as well as discovering new music, across the globe.
I generally play everything from the harder stuff such as Benny Page and Skream to the mellow sounds of Silkie and Quest, which is home to me. I mix it up, touching on every style and each side of the spectrum in my sets.
For a lot of listeners in North America, Anti Social is still pretty low profile: tell us a little about how the crew came together and how you came to DJing personally?
I started off working in Razor Records just buying records as a hobby and mixing in my bedroom really. Then I started working with [seminal UK Garage MC collective] So Solid on their radio station back in 2002. Since then I’ve been concentrating on pushing my own people’s music and spinning at radio stations where I could push all styles of forthcoming garage music and break new artists and talent.
Anti-Social started off as a collective just having a similar taste in music and direction in what we wanted to do. We produced together and did radio showcases pushing our own music and started from there really, we are all trying to push the boundaries, try new things and hopefully make a change somehow by bringing about ‘good’ music or stuff that is generally outside the box as opposed to the other forms of dubstep which are ‘ahem’ “commercially known”!
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).
The final part of Stussy’s three-part series on the life of J Dilla might be the best yet, providing a generous glimpse into Dilla’s recording habits, the genesis of Donuts, and his posthumous legacy. If you missed parts 1 and 2, they’re still up and required watching. Everyone involved with this project deserves a round of applause, or at least several boxes of glazed pastries.
Once again, Gilles Peterson, proves why British public radio overshadows its ex-colony, by coaxing an appearance out of the enigmatic Jay Electronica, who remains unwilling to properly explain the whereabouts of Act II. After all, the Style War emperor is almost 35, and still has yet to release an official album. Why rush now. Besides, he’s getting that Bonnaroo Money. Of course, all support will be promptly dropped should this lead to lyrical references to Shakedown St. and/or a guest appearance from Dave Matthews, a development known to leave legacies more tarnished than Rafael Palmeiro.
Listening to Jay gauge the groundswell of attention he’s received post-”Exhibit C,” makes it clear that he’s waiting until the people demand a record, or that he’s an insane perfectionist, or that he signed to Aftermath and became blood brothers with Dr. Dre. Do not skip over the first 20 minutes, where Peterson previews new Flying Lotus and drops a New Orleans tribute with cuts from The Meters, Dr. John, and Louis Armstrong, etc. In the interview, Jay Electchannukah reveals he’s working on separate projects with Nas and Mos Def, wants to work with Guilty Simpson and introduces a good chunk of his free-floating material. He also waxes philosophic on his recording habits, his love of Steely Dan, the legacy of Dilla, and why staying at hostels is like being on Twitter. Lots of pests.
Consider Tinariwen an amalgam of The Grateful Dead, The Wu-Tang Clan, and the sublime frequencies of the Sublime Frequencies comp of 1970’s Algerian Rai underground. Crossroads dirges. Six weary travelers singing traditional arrangements turned electric, a nomad blues. Hypnotic guitars, ragged laments, and a subtle ferocity flashing its fangs at all the right moments. Tapes baked in the blistering Sahara sun passed from palm to palm — no illegal downloading among the Tuaregs — just a covalent communion to the holy groove and rebellious words aimed at the oppressive Malian government.
Since a breakout performance at 2001’s Festival of the Desert set them on a path towards international acclaim, Tinariwen have become the darlings of the NPR set, revered by everyone from veteran superstars like Robert Plant to Chrissy Martin, to new jacks like Tunng and Fool’s Gold, all of these outfits united by their desire to employ the same entrancing sand-storm of rhythm — a languid and lissome funk fresh for both bands and fans seeking a repose from the arch-backed guitars and post-punk poses that dominated the first half of the last decade (to say nothing of whatever sad-sack pastiche passes for most “indie” today).
Rapper/producer yU is probably best known as one third of D.C. rap supergroup Diamond District with X.O. and Oddisee, but he’s been toiling for years in Washington’s underground scene. He also stakes membership in the Remainz Crew and the 1978ers, a production team formed with fellow beatmaker Slimkat78. Last year saw the free release of y’s Before Taxes, a 16 track album comprised of leftovers from his official solo debut The Earn. That Before Taxes is so consistent and cohesive despite being compiled from b-sides stands as testament to yU’s forceful, agile rhyming and exceptional ear for beats.
In anticipation of The Earn’s release later this year, the rapper born Michael F. Willingham reveals his back story, his influences and illuminates the state of D.C.’s hip hop scene.–Aaron Matthews
What was your first experience with hip-hop?
My moms was into hip-hop. I remember seeing Breakin’, Beat Street at the movie theatre. Her music collection, she had the first Tribe album, Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s Mecca & The Soul Brother. My first stepbrother used to perform at talent shows. He would call the radio station and rhyme, freestyle or whatever. Actually that was the first time I actually seen somebody doing it. He put me onto “Showtime at the Apollo,” the latest show I’d ever seen come on. EPMD was on there with DJ Scratch and he was doing tricks and stuff.
The Wu-Massacre trio clearly squandered Def Jam’s art budget on the official album cover, leaving the promo mixtape graphics to the jurisdiction of a stoned intern from Fordham with a rudimentary handle of Photoshop. Were one to judge a mixtape by its cover, this one would involve Ghostface’s unsavory relationships with gilded eagles, Rae feebly attempting to shave with a handgun, and Method Man impersonating the Grinch. However, the compilation includes a few cuts from the forthcoming album, classic Wu-Tang tracks, rarities, and most importantly, their indelible St. Ides commercial — reminding us once again that no one did crass commercial compromises better than the Wu.
While “progressive” American hip-hop producers dabble with “My First Dubstep” beats, the Brits in Bristol continue to operate as the U.K. analogue to the Low End scene. Maybe it’s the proximity to the sea or the trip-hop kief buried at the bottom of the grinder, but the Purple contingent (Joker, Gemmy, and Guido) splash their psychedelic synths and G-Funk drums with an array of color alien to their more monochrome London peers and more original than almost anything emerging stateside. Gemmy’s Purple Pictures Mix for the estimable Electronic Explorations operates as a 30-minute primer on the vertiginous purple funk pumping out of the port city. With Dre’s Detox forever sleeping with the Sleestaks, the trio are probably the closest thing to his sonic heirs. Hopefully, they’re able to stay away from the HGH, Dee Barnes, and creepy late night phone calls from Jayceon Taylor.
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