October 26th, 2009
Late pass on Jahdan Blakkamoore, the Brooklyn-based, Guyanese-raised artist on DJ/Rupture’s Dutty Artz imprint. Like his label boss, Blakkamoore switches seamlessly between styles and sub-genres, encompassing everything from roots reggae to dancehall, hip-hop and grime and dubstep. He has yet to incorporate “genuinely Persian music with the electronic tools of the 20th-century avant-garde,” the current post on Rupture’s excellent Negrophonic blog, but there is still time. His solo debut, Buzzrock Warrior, came out last month on Gold Dust and for those nostalgic for Mad Cobra, Mad Lion and Mad Koala (latter may not exist), but who don’t want a strict homage to dead days, this will likely have you saying “Shabba.”
Below the jump, video of Blakkamoore performing “Sound Bwoy Burreil” with Smif-N-Wessum in Crown Heights.
Download:
MP3: Jahdan Blakkamoore-”What You Know About This”
MP3: Jahdan Blakkamoore-”Best I Ever Had Freestyle”
MP3: Jahdan Blakkamoore-”Never Gonna’ Stop”
Bonus: Get “The General” free from Blakkamoore’s Website
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Jahdan Blakkamoore | No Comments »
October 26th, 2009
The mutual admiration society between Daedelus and The Low End Theory always made sense. Since ‘01, Alfred Darlington (he of the best chops since Ambrose Burnside), has aspired towards a futuristic blur of hip-hop, dance, and grimy, glitchy beats–the same combination favored at the Lincoln Heights hang-out. Last year, he dropped Live at Low End Theory on Daddy Kev’s Alpha Pup label, a record aptly described by Mike Orme, as “gauzy re-interpretations of his own work [that] take on a whole new life as dance music just as critics and fans were writing him off as a niche commodity.”
Since then, the dapper Daedelus has stayed consistently on-point, most recently making the de rigeur stop on Mary Ann Hobbs BBC1 show last Wednesday and dropping a mix of unreleased and classic material from his Ninja Tune and Plug Research catalogue. Along for the ride is Brainfeeder prospect, Lorn, who laces a similarly scorching set from his own stash. Somewhere along the way, there are Joy Orbison, Nosaj Thing, Shackleton, and Madvillain tunes. Good times.
Download:
ZIP: Daedelus & Lorn on Mary Anne Hobbs (10/22/09) (Left-Click)
Posted in Daedelus, Brainfeeder, Mary Anne Hobbs, Low End Theory | No Comments »
October 23rd, 2009
A fixture on the local club scene for the last six months, 18-year old guitar prodigy Avi Buffalo recently signed a deal with Sub Pop. For those interested, I discuss the pact with the recent Long Beach Millikan grad and his A&R over at Pop and Hiss. For PoW purposes, I highly recommend downloading his first single, “What’s In It For,” which I describe at the Times as an “irrepressibly catchy slice of Shins-esque jangle pop just waiting to be snagged for a crucial contretemps in a Michael Cera vehicle.” Listen to it now before it gets Braffed.
Download:
MP3: Avi Buffalo-”What’s In It For”
MP3: Avi Buffalo-”Raccoon”
Posted in Sub Pop, Avi Buffalo | 3 Comments »
October 23rd, 2009
I can’t believed I missed this. Then again, while this went down, I was watching a face- melting performance from Wooden Shjips in front of 100 people at the crackerbox Hemlock Tavern. A worthwhile consolation if there ever was. For those who don’t know, the Low End Theory Beat Invitationals find the club inviting the best producers around and asking them to play their latest greatest beat that they’ve never played prior.
Accordingly, the clips capture new previously unheard Flying Lotus and Samiyam. The video didn’t come out, but the audio is surprisingly clear. Thanks to Dzame for posting these.
Posted in Low End Theory | 1 Comment »
October 23rd, 2009
The Soft Pack work best in the single format. Credit it to their sound, the aluminum clang, garage rock aesthetic so endemic to indie rock over the last few years: a barrage of insanely catchy, proto-punk surf guitar-encrusted nuggets like those collected by Lenny Kaye on the seminal 60s comps. A SoCal answer to The Black Lips, weaned on surfboards, stoner culture, and the San Diego sun. Or White Denim with shorter attention spans and stickier hooks.
Truthfully, I’d sort of written these dudes off after they changed their name from The Muslims. After all, what could be less punk rock than bowing to politically correct impulses from humorless drones-it’s not they were scrawling Danish caricatures of Muhammed or something. But over the last few months, the band has built on the potential they showed on classic early single, “Extinction.” First, with their remix of Phoenix’s “Fences,” which spun the former’s Gallic elan into a psychedelic squall. And now, “Answer to Yourself,” a three minute burst of hard drums, scuzzy guitars, and caustic cold-hearted vocals. Anything but soft.
Download:
MP3: Phoenix-”Fences” (The Soft Pack Remix)
Via Some Velvet Blog via NME Daily Download
MP3: The Soft Pack-”Answer to Yourself”
Posted in The Soft Pack | 3 Comments »
October 22nd, 2009
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary Broadcast of Radio Lancashire’s On the Wire, Hyperdub kingpin Kode 9 dropped this Bubble & Squeak Mix, which thanks to XL8R and Hyperdub has been made available as a free download. Just a shade under a half hour, the mix focuses on vintage Garage and Two-Step made between 1999 and 2002, some of the material that most strongly informed the early iteration of dubstep, and in particular, Burial. Almost as good as Mr. Bubble, and worthy of the slogan, “makes Getting Clean Almost as Much Fun as Getting Dirty.” No Aguilera.
Tracklist below the jump.
Download:
MP3: Kode 9–Bubble and Squeak Mix (Left-Click)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Garage, 2-Step, Kode 9 | 2 Comments »
October 22nd, 2009
Camp Lo-”Another Heist” (prod. by Ski)
Cormega-”Make It Clear” (prod. by DJ Premier)
Redman ft. Ready Roc-”Cock Back”
Royce Da 5′9″ ft. Joell Ortiz & Bun B-”Hood Love” (prod. by DJ Premier)
Roughly half of the year’s 10 best hip-hop albums (UGK 4 Life, Born Like This, BlaQKout, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, Blackout 2) have been made by rappers whose careers are approaching uncharted areas that Age of Exploration cartographers would’ve filled with sea serpents, dancing mermaids, and the occasional fabricated continent (word to Thule).For those with Muggsy Bogues memories, it’s a stark contrast to the days before Zshare, when rappers pushing 40 typically received Eskimo kiss-offs from their old labels or released largely unheard records on imprints owned by Joan Jett.
The mathematics make sense: when you factor in a graying but still substantial fanbase of people weaned on aging artists’ catalogues, an architecture of blogs equally ready to post on KRS-One or Wiz Khalifa, and iTunes’ ability to minimize or even eliminate manufacturing costs, it creates a much more ideal environment for both fans and veteran artists (who would’ve likely bricked regardless of web piracy).
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in The New Rap Language | 8 Comments »
October 21st, 2009
Nosaj Thing elaborating on the inspirations behind Drift, which is increasingly looking top five for the year. I recommend listening at 35,000 feet at 3 a.m with a pair of steroid-strong headphones and zonked on a quart of red wine. Yours Truly also captures Jason Chung rocking his tracks live with surprising style and flair (37-plus pieces). A long feature on the backwards spelling beatmaker is coming soon. In the meantime, another cut from Drift and a Boris remix that the Alpha Pup-signed artist recently did for a Scion-sponsored comp. What more could you ask for?
Download:
MP3: Nosaj Thing-”IOIO”
MP3: Nosaj Thing-”Buzz In (Boris Remix)”
Posted in Nosaj Thing, Low End Theory | 3 Comments »
October 21st, 2009
Like all good producers, phaseone’s remixes are reinterpretations. Raekwon removed from his concrete criminology raps and placed afloat an aqueous ambient sample from Blind Man’s Colour. Bon Iver’s wood-cutter hymns wrapped inside El-P’s apocalyptic abandoned building aesthetic. Rich Boy over some greasy synth-funk. Panda Bear given some snapping Southern-sounding drums. YoungbloodZ drawling over a bass-heavy beat that sounds straight out of Bristol.
More than just a Girl Talk with taste, St. Louis’ best producer (according to the Riverfront Times) reflects the omniverous appetites of his generation about as well as anyone working. Raised on hip-hop but equally eager to talk about Washed Out, Dam-Funk, or Joker, if blogs have taken notice of 24-year old Andrew Jernigan, it’s because he effectively synthesizes these disparate sounds into something singular. It’s possible that it’s all a matter of vanity–after all, everyone wants to hear their tastes affirmed. But ultimately, the beats bang and that’s enough to suspect that phaseone is just getting started.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in phaseone | 1 Comment »
October 20th, 2009
With Jeff holding down all things Low End and Brainfeeder, I’ve quietly become obsessed with the work of Dayve Hawk AKA Memory Tapes AKA Memory Cassette AKA Weird Tapes AKA Dangerdoom (err…). Madlibesque affinity for alter-egos aside, Hawk’s take on dream-pop defies the reductive signifiers foisted on the latest batch of indie-influenced electronic musicians (or is it electronic-influenced indie musicians?) Forgoing obvious nostalgia, summery vibes and all things “chill”, Walk Me Home stands out for its refusal to conform to the elements that have ”Glo-fi” pegged as the next trip-Hop: a musical genre lauded by taste-makers one minute and mocked the next. Merging the scrappy fidelity of early techno, sounds and chords of cheap synthesized movie scores and all-out fun of Acid House, the track makes a strong case for continuing to listen now that the leaves are falling and beach parties have made way for Haunted Houses.
Download:
MP3: Memory Tapes - Walk Me home [Via Z-Share]
Posted in Memory Tapes, Sach O | No Comments »
