Back in 2010, Gilles Peterson debuted a little track titled “BTSU” by an artist named Jai Paul. In the month since, the track has become an anthem in the bass music community (i’ve personally heard the song played at Low End Theory repeatedly) and anticipation for more Jai Paul is nearly overwhelming. Pretty incredible off of one song. Well today, we’ve granted our wish. “Jasmine” is Paul’s next single, released on XL Recordings, and it is pretty excellent. There’s some disco. A little funk thrown in. Highly distorted vocals. I hate to say it, but it’s also distinctly Jai Paul. Again, amazing to say after only releasing two tracks. Stream the track below.
Wow this is exciting! Brainfeeder reported on a new group formed by none other than Prefuse 73 and Astral Plane favorite, Teebs. Teebs anounced the collab album via twitter: “big day today. starting work with Prefuse 73 on a collab record.” Prefuse 73 (Guillermo Scott Herren) has been making ambient/hip hop beats for quite some time now. He started his producing career in 1997 and has multiple monikers that he releases music under; Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Amhmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord. Herren’s first release under Prefuse 73 was his successful Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives. On the hip hop side of things, he released Surrounded by Silence in 2005, which included features from Ghostface, Aesop Rock, GZA, and others. For an introduction into Herren’s production, check out “Perverted Undertone” off of One Word Extinguisher below.
I am very excited for this release because it will combine Prefuse 73’s electronic glitchy hip hop beats with Teebs’ ever improving skills in chopped sampling and acoustic instrumentation. We have previously posted on Teebs hereand you can check out one of my favorites, Verbena Tea, with the beautiful harpist Rebekah Raff. Hopefully we will be hearing more from these two sooner rather than later. Happy Friday everybody. Enjoy the beats. Also, Teebs is a pretty damn good artist and you can check out an awesome little documentary that shows his creative process here
Last night, bass connoisseur Sinjin Hawke brought his blasted out brand of beats to London radio station Rinse FM. Rinse DJ Monki brought the airhorns and gunshots. Over the proceeding 42 minutes, Sinjin set up a club atmosphere like no one else can. DJ Spinn, DJ Rashad and Mike Q are all there. So are the standard SInjin remixes and originals. The mixing is excellent as always. Rinse and Sinjin are quite a formidable combination
One Be Lo, one half of the now broken up Binary Star (check Evolution of Man with Senim Silla below), released his new album K.I.C.K. P.U.S.H. to stream on Bandcamp.
One Be Lo and Senim Silla were former cell mates at Hiawatha Correctional Facility and formed as Binary Star once they were released. They released their debut album, Waterworld on a minuscule $500 budget. There is word of these two are collaborating on a new album called Light Years Apart after a ten year hiatus. We’ll have to wait it out until we get more concrete information on that release, but hope is in the air. Binary Star showcases the talent of these two MC’s and their production style and flow meld perfectly together. It’s a shame they have only released one album (Waterworld which was re-released as Masters of the Universe). But with that said, this album is still highly regarded by hip-hop heads the world over.
For a brief glimpse into One Be Lo’s previous efforts, check out “Rivers Run Wild” off of his first debut solo album, Waterworld Too. I would highly recommend copping this album and my favorite release of his, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Sounds of Nahshid Originate Good Rhymes And Music)
S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M is an album that I have always been drawn back too. One Be Lo’s impressive lyrical wit and ability to touch on a broad spectrum of topics captures your attention from start to finish. Check out One Be Lo’s powerful lyrics in “Oggie” below. Moving on to K.I.C.K. P.U.S.H. (Keep It Cool Kid, People Usually Show Hate), the album consists of 12 solid head nodding tracks that show One Be Lo still has raw talent. He had to say this about the album. Stream the album in its entirety below.
K.I.C.K. (Keep It Cool Kid) P.U.S.H. (People Usually Show Hate) represents the raw energy that inspired me to make music over 20 years ago. We were always self motivated because most people around us didn’t understand what we were doing, or had the crab in the bucket mentality. In some instances we had to KICK down doors and PUSH our way in. For everybody that understands, sounds of Nahshid originate good rhymes and music. Something to interest Lo listeners beyond original recorded networkings. Real emcee’s bring intelligent rhymes to HipHop. Language arts based on Reality. Keep it cool kid. People usually show hate. That’s the motto.
Back in Week 3 of Sounds From The Astral Plane, we brought you a three-minute preview of Oxford electro DJ Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs‘ feel-good single, “Tapes & Money.” The original track is not set to be released until Monday, but mysterious Spanish house producer John Talabot seems to have gotten his hands on it. The result is a trance-like, dreamy, and perfectly repetitive track that trades the original song’s heavier bass for more complex rhythms. Check it out here:
There is something about Rustie’s music that is so easily digestible. Amid all of the clatter of Glass Swords was a warm pop-sensibility and a downright addictive quality. “Surph” or “All Nite” will never show up on Top 40 radio of course, but they have turned into the pop music of the bass music world. To do that without compromising any of his artistic value is quite a feat. “Lose Yourself” is another poppy jam, taking Surkin’s electro-house original and turning it into a hip hop banger. The vocals are a little irritating and I wish he did a little more with them, but with those hi-hats who can really complain. The remix is off of Surkin’s USA remix album that will also feature L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok.
Our favorite radio station, Seattle’s KEXP, caught Vancouver BC dream-pop songstress Grimes for a short in-studio performance back in February, shortly after her album Visions was released. Crouched on the studio floor surrounded by tangled chords and knobs, Grimes delivers three ethereal songs through a mixture of layered instrumentals and drum tracks, keyboard melodies and super-delayed, innocent-sounding live vocals. Beginning with her song “Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U),” and continuing almost immediately into “Genesis,” she then stops for a short interview with host Cheryl Waters before finishing out her set with “Be A Body.” Check out the full video below.
Daedelus has been making some real classy shit recently. The man who always dons a tuxedo for live shows just released a new track, “Shooting Off The Sun,” on his Soundcloud. I’ll let him set the stage:
A sober and reflective song made with overcoming in mind. A short sketch of recent events. Made for an imaginary emcee.
I’m not really sure if it’s for an imaginary MC in the sense that the MC exists in Daedelus’s mind, or if it’s just an MC to be named, but the track would certainly set a somber tone for a talented rapper (Open Mike Eagle would be great) to lace. This is just conjecture, but maybe the song title harkens to the Greek myth? Maybe? Anyone? Nevermind. Stream below.
Southern rap drums are not to be messed with. That’s why Halifax, Nova Scotia native Ryan Hemsworth didn’t fuck with DJ Paul and Juicy J’s snares and kicks on his remix of “Late Night Tip.” Three 6 Mafia’s original, off of Chapter 2: World Domination from ’97, is a masterpiece in its own right, but Hemsworth gives it a nice 2012 facelift. With the original percussion intact, Hemsworth speeds up the beat slightly, relieving it of some of its southern twang. Replacing the syruppy vibe of the original, Hemsworth infuses a ton of weird synths that feel like they’re from some altered zone. Feels a little bit like the atmospherics established on Lapalux’s When You’re Gone EP. Hemsworth is a genius for this one. Despite common perception, not all amazing Canadian artists come out of Toronto.
Aaron Jerome, aka SBTRKT, has released a really excellent video for his already stellar song “Hold On,” from his 2011 self-titled album. Directed by Sam Pilling, the video includes dark, chilling imagery, and evokes the sense of a muddied dream sequence, complete with confounding repetition and a mysterious lack of plot explanation. Watch the video over at MTV.
The Astral Plane 