Admittedly, you’re taking a recommendation from someone who missed Exile’s set at Fat Beats last Saturday, to see The Grateful Dead. So maybe the MPC mastery of Aleksandr Manfredi is the hip-hop equivalent of the drum circle–meaning I’m the prime demographic. Still, between Fly Lo, Exile, Nosaj Thing, Gaslamp Killer, and, of course, the venerable Otis Jackson Jr., Los Angeles beatmaking is at a 21st century zenith.
A few months ago, I bummed American Spirits while interviewing Exile on the porch of his cluttered Echo Park pad-piled high with crates, artwork, and a classic 1985 NYC boom-box. The results were culled for a Pop and Hiss preview piece on his Fat Beats performance, most of which got left on the killing floor, which I’m too pressed for time to fully transcribe. Sorry. In case you were wondering, Exile Radio remains my favorite instrumental album of the year. Other things you may also be wondering: my favorite color is cerulean, my favorite breakfast food, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Cereal, and my favorite ninja turtle, Leonardo.
Download:
MP3: Exile ft. Ghostface Killah & Trife Da God-“Milk ‘Em Remix”
MP3: Exile-“The Sound is God”
MP3: Exile-“Jeppy”
