Jweezy has does it again. Everyone’s favorite SP-404 maestro and surprisingly adept MC just featured in XLR8R’s podcast series. The mix is hip hop heavy, but like his live sets, features a heavy does of abstracted funk and video game sounds. Company Flow, Dr. Octagon and Defari are are all featured, as well as an exclusive Wayne remix of Lord Quas’s “Broad Factor.” XLR8R’s been killing it recently with their podcasts and this is one of the best in recent memory. You really can’t go wrong with this combination. Stream and download below.
Last April, The Smoking Section wrote up an excellent article on the “label that’s figured it all out;” namely, Atlantic Records. Atlantic is the home of artists like Wiz Khalifa and B.o.B, not to mention Plies, Musiq Soulchild, Diggy Simmons and Trey Songz. The Smoking Section article focused on the transition between the former three artists’ emersion as independent entities in contrast to their album releases through the label. Both Wiz and B.o.B. had built up venerable online followings, and their fans were clamoring for a proper release. The hype was a result of critically acclaimed mixtapes like Kush & OJ and Hi! My Name is B.o.B. Lupe had already released two critically and commercially acclaimed albums via Atlantic, The Cool and Food and Liquor, but it had been four years since the release of The Cool and both Lupe and the label were in drastically different places. The resulting albums, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, Rolling Papers and Lasers, all went RCAA Gold, an impressive feat for a label in our contemporary commercial music landscape. The label had been able to do what few others could; turn out consistent commercially successful hip hop albums.
That’s where the trouble starts though. Are any of the three previously mentioned albums actually hip hop records? Sure, the are rapped verses, familiar song structure, and appearances by guests like T.I., Eminem and Curren$y, but the albums prove to be a thinly veiled facade covering a disconnected series of singles. For example, the amount of mushy bullshit on Lasers is astounding, considering the completeness and conceptual genius of The Cool. The album serves as a vehicle to get “The Show Goes On” (a thinly veiled rip-off of the Modest Mouse classic) radio play and into GM commercials. Just before the album was released, Lupe stated in an interview with Complex that he hated the album and was forced to make “The Show Goes On.” Granted, Lupe has been a little erratic over the past several years, but it’s hard to imagine an artist of his caliber willingly succumbing to the creation of an album that panders as much as Lasers. It’s easier to see Wiz and B.o.B. abandoning their creative chops for a chance at commercial success, as it is somewhat doubtful that those chops existed in the first place, but they too turned out disgustingly thin albums.
What’s the point? In the past few weeks, two of the most hyped young rappers in hip hop, A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar, released singles in anticipation of their respective upcoming albums. Both also happen to be associated with major labels; Kendrick with Universal, and A$AP with Sony. While I would argue that Kendrick is still under the Top Dawg Entertainment banner, it’s hard to ignore the influence that Universal might have over the upcoming Good Kid in a Mad City. Now, obviously Sony and Universal don’t have quite the penchant for turning promising rappers to the dark side that is commercial pop, but both have turned out their fair share of awful radio-ready puffballs in recent years. I believe that both A$AP and Kendrick are miles beyond Wiz and B.o.B. in terms of pure lyrical talent, beat selection and their respective posses, but again, it’s hard to ignore the effect of major labels. (Continue after the jump)
If you haven’t heard people in hysterics yelling ‘Tupac Lives!’ this show was the cause for that assumption. On Sunday, April 15th, for the first time ever in music festival (or world) history a CG hologram was used to reincarnate a rap icon. Now besides the technological implications this has for the future of concerts and sports (Japan boasted the idea to equip 400 stadiums around the world with 3D flat screens that would make holograms of the players in the World Cup 2022. Thus allowing every country to ‘host’ the World Cup.) its a slippery slope in terms of how frequent artists use this technology to reincarnate nostalgic artists. Imagine if this was used to materialize Biggie, Mac Dre, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia and the list goes on.
In terms of the show itself, Snoop and Dre put on a killer performance. Bringing out an all-star cast including; Kendrick Lamar (performing The Recipe), Wiz Khalifa, 50 Cent, Eminem, Warren G, Kurupt, a giant projection of Frank Sinatra, and of course a hologram of Tupac Shakur. Backed by a full band this stellar lineup rocked the final night of Coachella. You can catch the hour long set on youtube below and I highly recommend watching the entire set for all of the guest performances and of course Snoop and Dre on the mic.
Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, has released a new 43-minute DJ mix titled “Conference of the Birds.” It’s delightful; no surprise there. Within the mix, Four Tet says, lie several new tracks from his upcoming 12″. Stream and download the mix in its entirety right here.
While I sit around feeling sorry for myself because I’m not at Coachella, here are a few musical gems from the past week. We’ve got several great remixes and a couple new originals as well. If you’re missing out on Coachella this weekend, avoid sinking into a deep depression by checking out some of the live stream on YouTube.
Wish you were at Coachella? While this won’t remedy the fact that I’m not able to see Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog, M83 and many more. It’s still pretty cool that someone finally decided to do live streams from the festival.This year there are live streams from some of the shows at Coachella including this awesome set by Frank Ocean who is backed by one of our favorites, BadBadNotGood. You can watch around 40 minutes of the set below and be sure to check out the live stream page here.
Nine weeks ago, the Sasquatch Music Festival lineup was released to much fanfare. Like all festivals, some hated the lineup while others loved it. For the more levelheaded, it appears to be a very balanced lineup with a deep undercard. From here on out we will be underscoring the lesser-known Sasquatch artists by highlighting a different artist each week. Beyond delving into each artist’s bio, sound, etc., we will attempt to give some insight into what will make their performance at Sasquatch so amazing.
Some of the most captivating music is made when artists seek to combine elements from a variety of styles, generating distinctive, unique subgenres all their own. Additionally, I am always fascinated by artists who draw from their own wide-ranging (if not traditionally related) talents, amalgamating their skills to create something entirely novel. It is no surprise, then, that I was instantly drawn to the music of Active Child, the production moniker of New Jersey native Pat Grossi. Grossi has crafted what I consider to be a truly unique combination of the new and the old, the majestic and the innocent. As a child, Grossi began soaking up music as a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir. He was also heavily influenced by the heavy, epic rhythms of ‘80s dance bands such as New Order. Add in his dexterity on the classical harp and a propensity for expressive lyrical imagery, and you have a musical entity that is both idiosyncratic and extraordinary.
In his work as Active Child, Grossi manages to fuse his own exquisitely naïve choirboy-style falsetto vocals (reminiscent of the work of James Blake and Justin Vernon) with powerful ‘80s synths and deep, sweeping drum patterns. The dramatic rhythms and crisp handclaps present in the choruses of several Active Child tracks evoke some the same feelings brought on by the work of M83. Additionally, the delicate, angelic qualities of the live harp provide a certain ethereal quality, counterbalancing the intensity of the other instrumentals. Active Child’s music is part classical masterpiece and part electronic gem.
Rossi released a cassette-only EP called Sun Rooms in early 2010 via Mirror Universe, and then went on to release a second EP, titled Curtis Lane, on Merok Records in May 2010. Curtis Lane was received well by various critics, and in August of 2011 Grossi released a full-length album titled You Are All I See. He has since toured with both James Blake and M83, proving himself as a strong performer as well as studio artist. On his tour in August and September of 2011, openers included Com Truise, fellow Sasquatch! 2012 performer and Artist of the Week feature. Active Child’s Sasquatch set will be on Sunday evening at the Yeti stage.
Below, watch the videos for “Playing House” (featuring How To Dress Well) and “I’m In Your Church At Night.”
For those of you who are missing out on Coachella this weekend, here’s a little something to brighten this rainy LA morning. The name Joyce probably doesn’t ring a bell. It’s the new moniker under which Katherine Fussey, niece of acclaimed guitarist Mick Ronson, has released a catchy, echoy-instrumental single, “Keep The Lights On.” It’s an enjoyable track in and of itself, with its head-bobbing rhythms, simple synth melodies, and bright, exclamatory vocals. But as we have seen thus far, it is very difficult to find a piece of music that cannot be improved upon through a little rework by our dear friend Clams Casino. He has preserved Joyce’s bubbly vocals, as well as the ease and abandon she displays in the original track, but at the same time he manages to throw in all of his trademark humid cloudiness, as though “Keep The Lights On” got lost in the rainforest or on a deserted island, and never had any desire to leave. It’s smooth with just enough crunch. There’s a lot going on in this remix, but it’s far from overwhelming; it’s the perfect balance of complication and repetition. Stream Clams’ remix here, and head to Joyce’s SoundCloud to hear the original track.
When Bobby Tank likened his music to “Rick James riding a flying unicorn along Orion’s belt whilst smoking a crack pipe,” I was admittedly a little turned off. I’m not a huge fan of unicorns, Rick James has never been my fancy and I’ve never really gotten into the whole crack cocaine craze. The result was that I ignored Tank. That was a month ago. I can no longer ignore the London native though. For god sakes, he sounds like the bastard child of Com Truise and Rustie! Cheesy vintage synths, 8-bit sounds and barely decipherable R&B samples run rampant on Tank’s tracks as they bounce between dance music sub genres. Throughout it all, there is an undeniable funk. A titillating quality that I’ve only seen Dam Funk and Truise pull off in recent memory. It’s not monochromatic synth-pop like Truise makes or the futuristic funk of Dam though. That’s where the Rustie comparison comes in. Tank is a self-described maximalist and manages to fit the aforementioned qualities into a dubstep framework. He has not necessarily dug out his own sound yet, instead borrowing generously from the aforementioned artists, among others, but he’s young and obviously has the skill set to take his music to the next level. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a spot reserved for him on the LuckyMe roster for him for when he makes that leap. Tank’s next release, the Afterburner EP, is scheduled for a May 17 release date. You can already stream and download two tracks from the EP. Find “Circles” below and catch “Wolpheus” over at XLR8R.
It is a rare occurrence when a hip hop producer transforms over night. It is even rarer when a producer who specializes in the boom bap brand of hip hop escapes their comfort zone. Producers like Statik Selektah, 9th Wonder and The Alchemist have made a living producing for the likes of Styles P, Phonte and Skyzoo. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with this. Each of the aforementioned producers excel at what they do and consistently keep my head nodding. Regardless, it is an exciting time for music as producers like Clams Casino, Keyboard Kid and Ryan Hemsworth push the boundaries of what constitutes a hip hop beat. Before this morning, I would have lumped Lee Bannon in with the former group of producers. A more than adequate beatsmith who has supplied heat for Planet Asia, Strong Arm Steady, The Jacka and more. I thought of him as a sort of West Coast Statik Selektah. Both utilize brass to its fullest extent and are consistent as hell, but they never make my jaw drop.
That was before I listened to his brand new Caligula Theme Music EP. Abandoning the brass element for which he has become revered in certain certains, the Sacramento-based producer instead opts for lush synth pads, abstract vocal samples and rolling percussion. To be honest, it sounds a lot like Clams Casino. Even the photo at the top of this post feels like it’s straight out of the hype machine. You know what though? I don’t really care. Clams doesn’t own this sound (although he has pioneered it) and blurry pictures are mystifyingly striking. These are hip hop beats at their core, but viewed through a thick layer of pond muck and blunt haze. Clammy Clams better watch out. There’s a new kid in town. You can stream and buy the EP below off of Bannon’s Bandcamp (well worth 3.99) and download the title track over at XLR8R.
The Astral Plane 