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Buck 65’s Bike For Three project
Canadian iconoclast Buck 65 has formed a project with Belgian electronic producer Greetings From Tuskan called Bike For Three! And no, it has nothing to do with last year’s acclaimed Bike trilogy. Bike For Three has actually gestated since 2007, when they issued a track on a tour-only Buck 65 mixtape curated by Skratch Bastid. And now they have completed More Heart Than Brains, which Anticon will release on May 19.
Some PR snippets:
Bike For Three! is the well-lucked and mysterious cross-continental duo of Canadian indie-rap legend Richard Terfry (Buck 65) and budding Belgian electronicist Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê (Greetings From Tuskan). Shrouded in strange magic, anchored by the heavy stuff of life, and lifted by a mutual magnetism still uncharted, their music is a bright/stunning combination of downtempo textures, smart pop, and exposed lyrical bones.
Tanya Morgan welcomes you to “Brooklynati”
The three members of Tanya Morgan — Don Will, Ilyas and Von Pea — have tormented and teased their fans with side projects all winter, from mixtapes (Von Pea’s The Further Adventures of Von Pea, Ilyas’ The Prelude) to web videos (Don Will’s “Laura’s Song”). But rest assured that the main course, Brooklynati, is coming out very soon. It drops May 12 on Interdependent Media, and is the group’s first album in three years. Guests include Phonte Coleman, Blu, Kay from the Foundation, Peter Hadar and others.
The group has already set up an ingenious website dedicated to the “city” of Brooklynati. Check it out after reading the press release.
Highlighting the creativity and throwback sounds of the emcee trio Tanya Morgan, Brooklynati is an album, a place, and a state of mind. With Tanya Morgan providing the soundtrack, the Brooklynati project invites fans to become part of the virtual city of Brooklynati and one of the most involved and intricate marketing campaigns ever created for a hip-hop release. Hot off the success of their critically acclaimed debut album Moonlighting which received nods from ?uestlove, The Source and XXL, Tanya Morgan is stepping out of hip-hop’s shadow and moving to Brooklynati. Are you coming?
Miles away from the watered-down hype of auto-tune, the glam of Hollywood, big bank accounts, and even larger cars lays the virtual city of Brooklynati. Brooklynati, is Anytown, USA; a place where small record shops struggle to stay alive, local corner stores become impromptu gathering spots, and people enjoy city parks, attractions and performance venues regularly. Providing the soundtrack to our daily encounters, this album gives everyday people a chance to discover the things they have in common with the three members of Tanya Morgan; Ilyas, Donwill, and Von Pea. Discussing his move to Brooklynati, Donwill from Tanya Morgan says, “Brooklynati is the most real place I know”.
Sa-Ra’s “Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love”
On June 9, Ubiquity Records will release Sa-Ra Creative Partners’s long-awaited Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love.
Although technically Sa-Ra’s second album, Nuclear Evolution may be their first proper full-length. 2007’s The Hollywood Recordings was a mish-mash of old singles and material from their aborted Black Fuzz sessions for G.O.O.D. Music/Sony. However, this is a “completely new and original album,” according to the press release. It should also dispel persistent rumors that the collective has broken up.
Guests include Erykah Badu, Brook d’Leau from J*Davey, Gary Bartz, Jimetta Rose and others. Speaking of that press release, here’s a longer excerpt. (May 31 update: The release date has been changed to June 24.)
The Grouch & Eligh on tour
What’s a Living Legends album without a tour? Next month, the Grouch & Eligh will celebrate their forthcoming Say G&E! with a tour across the Western United States. Hipsters cavorting at SXSW this week and heads making the pilgrimage to the Paid Dues Festival next Saturday get a sneak preview.
Peanut Butter Wolf leads Stones Throw tour
Next month, Peanut Butter Wolf will lead Stones Throw’s new talent on a rare North American tour. In addition to Wolf’s patented “VJ” sets, the shows will feature Mayer Hawthorne & the County, James Pants and Dam-Funk.
New Music: Dälek
Dälek
Gutter Tactics (Ipecac, IPC109)
Many years ago in the pages of Musician magazine, Bill Flanagan classified punk bands under two categories: the ambition Clash-types who expanded the genre’s inspired primitivism, and the Ramones-style bands that played variations of the same tunes over and over again.
You could say that Dälek belong in the latter camp. Formed in New Jersey during the late 90s, Dälek were initially outcasts, too smart to play by indie rap’s rules of true school aesthetics. But since finding a home with Mike Patton’s Ipecac label for their 2002 breakthrough From Filthy Tongues of Gods & Griots, Dälek has found an audience among fans with experimental, noise and extreme metal tastes. Their subsequent output riffs on the sheets of sound built during Filthy Tongues, with slight adjustments in tone and melody. These shifting tectonic plates make for a cohesive discography, but it also creates grinding repetition, if not necessarily tedium.
DJ Shadow talks new album
It’s funny. Every time DJ Shadow drops a new album, he claims that he won’t take so long to release the next one…and then he takes several years to release the next one. It happened with 2002’s The Private Press, which ended a five year wait for the follow-up to his monumental 1996 debut, Endtroducing. It then took him four years to finish his third album, 2006’s oft-criticized The Outsider.
Perhaps Shadow will surprise us this year by finishing a new album in record time (for him, at least). Why else would this most celebrated and meticulous of hip hop producers release a statement reassuring fans that new music would be released soon?
Here’s “A Message From DJ Shadow”:
Hello, everyone, and Happy 2009. It has been quite a long time since anyone has heard from me, so I thought I would bring you all up to date.
To cut to the chase, this is going to be an interesting year in DJ Shadow-land. As some of my longer-term followers have probably observed, long bouts of silence usually signal changes on the horizon. That’s because I am ‘head down,’ focusing on the tasks at hand and laying a strong foundation to build on over time. There are some things brewing that I’m not at liberty to reveal yet, but that are exciting and very different for me. More about that soon; keep watching this space. But in the meantime…
…Yes, I am working on new music. It is way too early in the day to discuss what it will sound like or when it will come out, but I feel I owe everyone at least that much information; work has begun. Probably the only thing I can promise is that as always, it will sound different from the last one…oh, and that everyone will undoubtedly hate it until two years after the fact. (Let the backlash to the backlash of the backlash BEGIN!!! haha, err…ha)
Eyezon’s “A People Like Us” tangled in red tape
Last November, I posted an item about Eyezon and Sean Lane’s album, A People Like Us. Unfortunately, just days after writing the post, I received news that Eyezon’s label, rising indie label Interdependent Media (Finale, J*Davey, Tanya Morgan), had shelved it indefinitely.
Eyezon addressed the issue in a MySpace bulletin yesterday titled “Must Read”:
interdependent Media had held captive or rather suspended the A People Like Us since October of last 2008 along with Eyezon for two more records.
He has been told to shop the record to recommended labels but has recieved no help in doing so. The label said it does not want to do business with the artist but yet does not want to terminate the contractual terms on which they drafted for three albums.
Sean Lane who did all the production has chosen to take his production o which is the entire project away from the project if the label choses to still hold on to the project.
He has no contractual agreements with the Label nor between him and the artist.
I was told this is the same thing the did to another artist who also had issues with the label..
As of this writing, Interdependent Media has not responded to Eyezon’s accusations.
Busdriver hits the “Jhelli Beam”
Busdriver has finished his fifth solo album, the jiggly-sounding Jhelli Beam. Set for release on June 9 on Anti- Records, it features guest spots from Nick Thorburn of Islands, Mikah 9, Nocando and John Dietrich from Deerhoof. In addition to production by Busdriver, the album’s music comes courtesy of L.A. beat scene vets Daedelus, Nobody, Omid, Nosaj Thing and Antimc.
Here’s a portion of the press release:
Busdriver explained the recording process for Jhelli Beam, which was whittled from 30 songs to 13 while he was making the rounds of local Los Angeles home recording studios: “A bulk of the songs were written on planes somehow. I listened to Sublime Frequencies records, Bollywood soundtracks and electronic music rather than indie rock and rap. I was able to shed a good amount of self-awareness that way. Still, this was definitely the most grueling stint of recording that I’ve undergone…I nearly quit doing music twice.”
Lucky for us he didn’t, for Jhelli Beam is both smart and smart-ass, theatrical without being pompous, and, as always, funny as hell. Busdriver’s legendary breath-defying flow teeters precariously on top of samples of classical music, jazz drumming and proggy guitar parts, without ever losing sight of the electronic music that helped define BD’s sound, enthralled fans and stood out from the soggy beats that weighed down much of his contemporaries’ work. Sound schizophrenic? It’s not. The sum of Jhelli Beam’s seemingly disparate parts creates a record that is mindfully engaging and physically palpable at the same time – a wholly unique take on what an underground hip hop album should be.
Saigon’s “All In A Day’s Work”
Tomorrow, Saigon will finally issue his first legitimate (meaning, non-mixtape) album. No, it’s not that white whale known as The Greatest Story Never Told. It’s All In A Day’s Work. Saigon reportedly completed it with Boston producer Statik Selektah in a 24-hour session. All In A Day’s Work seemingly combines the best of Saigon’s worlds: it has the immediacy of a mixtape along, contains all original music just like a traditional album, yet avoids the unrealistic expectations and disappointment that usually greet viral rap stars when they finally drop a long-awaited project (just ask Joe Budden).
All In A Day’s Work hits iTunes and other outlets on May 17 via Amalgam Digital. The company also plans to issue Saigon’s next mixtape, Warning Shots. Check your favorite New Music Cartel blog for leaked tracks.
Here’s a bit from the press release:
Saigon partners with Amalgam Digital expanding on the company’s already-talented roster of artists in a new innovative non-traditional deal to market, promote, and release music in a unique fashion.
Saigon’s first release with Amalgam Digital will be “All In A Day’s Workâ€, a digital only album that will transcend the standard time frame for marketing and bypass release date scheduling imposed by traditional retail outlets enabling the both the artist and company to release the album immediately on Tuesday, March 17th in the digital format. In addition to the announcement of an expedited release date, the ground breaking project will compliment the forward thinking artist and pioneering new media outfit’s list of milestones as it is essentially the first time in Hip Hop history a commercially viable product, bridges the gap between mixtape and studio album, with all original production, and is completed in a 24-hour span. Production was handled exclusively by DJ/Producer extraordinaire, Statik Selektah, who made the following statement:
“Working with Saigon in those twenty four hours and getting songs done so fast showed why he should be held as one of the greatest to ever do it.â€
When asked about the unique nature of the release, Saigon made the following statement:
“This album, “All In A Day’s Work†is a bonafide Hip Hop classic created from beginning to end in twenty four hours. It is a definitely a spark in the right direction for the resurgence of East Coast Hip Hop. I teamed up with producer Statik Selektah and Amalgam Digital and we came together to present the world with the best album of the year 2009, aside from my debut of course, “The Greatest Story Never Told†which will soon follow…â€
The Wrap Up: DOOM 3000
Hip hop is for the children, “Pimpin’ Curly” is for the Stans:
- Thom Yorke remixes DOOM track for iTunes version of Born Like This (pitchfork.com)
- Andre 3000 turns “Class of 3000” into stage play (hiphopdx.com)
- Wyclef Jean joins former president Bill Clinton, U.N. delegation on fact-finding mission to Haiti (allhiphop.com)
- 2Pac and Boot Camp Clik’s One Nation album finally sees release (allhiphop.com)
- Nice rundown of 51 “lost” rap albums (vibe.com)
Free junk: J. Period and G. Brown’s Biggie tribute March 9/09: The Complete Collection (jperiod.com), Damu the Fudgemunk’s Madvillainy Revision (urb.com), Buck 65’s Live at Knitting Factory (strangefamous.com), Danny!’s Behind the Beats Vol. 1 (myspace.com), DJ Jazzy Jeff’s My Faves Volume One (fivesixmedia.com), DJ Drama & Cookin’ Soul’s The Notorious B.I.G. Tribute (2dopeboyz.com)
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Abstract Rude’s “Rejuvenation”
Over a year after Abstract Rude signed with Rhymesayers Entertainment, the L.A. vet has scheduled Rejuvenation for a May 5 release. Initially titled Dear Abbey, Abstract Rude’s third solo album is completely produced by Seattle’s Vitamin D and, according to a press release, “is a hard hitting soulful ryde showcasing Ab Rude’s distinct and unlimited vocal styling.”
Jared Paul & B. Dolan on tour
Strange Famous activists/spoken-word poets/rappers Jared Paul and B. Dolan are currently on the Direct Democracy tour, performing in the nation’s colleges, anarchist cafes and bookstores, warehouse concert spaces and, occasionally, nightclubs. Some of the dates feature Jared Paul’s group, Prayers for Atheists.
Scratch brings Kanye West, others to “Loss 4 Wordz”
Tis’ the season for goofy, unexpected mashups — see N.A.S.A., the BPA and MSTRKRFT’s latest for proof. And with his new album, Loss 4 Wordz, former Roots member Scratch has added to the micro-trend. The track listing for his second album includes Kanye West, Damon Albarn from Gorillaz, Estelle, Talib Kweli, Musiq Soulchild and many other unexpected guests. Loss 4 Wordz drops May 25 on Gold Dust Media.
Here’s a bit from the bio:
Scratch, the world famous beat boxer and hip hop superstars is extremely excited about his new album, Loss 4 Wordz. For those that don’t know, Scratch is one of the most amazing DJs, producers, entertainers and of course, beat boxers in the world. Scratch is a Grammy Award winning artist who’s also known all over the world. He’s performed on stages with icons like Jay Z, James Brown, and Usher.
Loss 4 Wordz includes singers, rappers, and traditional instruments infused with Scratch’s beat boxing that will have everyone wondering where the beat boxing stops and the traditional instruments begin. All of the production was done by Scratch, creating everything from the crisp scratches, lush bass, melodic synth sounds by layering different vocal effects on top of each other for each track. “I wanted the tracks to be as simple as possible but also to sound full.” This philosophy is what raises the bar to new heights for beat boxing. It’s much more than the early days when beat boxing was a highlight or small component to rap music. With Loss 4 Wordz Scratch transforms beat boxing into rap music.
New Music: John Robinson
Carlos Niño & Lil Sci present What’s The Science?
Elevation (Shaman Works)
John Robinson
Who Is This Man? (High Water Music)
John Robinson
I Am Not For Sale (Fat City, FCCD028)
Who is this man, John Robinson? A veteran of the late 90s underground insurrection – you can hear him lighting up a cipher alongside Talib Kweli on Lyricist Lounge Volume One’s “Outside the Lounge†– Robinson was first known as Lil Sci of the Africanist trio Scienz Of Life. However, he has since begun using his government name to emphasize, as he recently told hiphopdx.com, “the straight away businessman/influential and positive guy. … Sci speaks about topics that would be spoken about in a spiritual classroom somewhere.â€
John Robinson and his namesake are kindred spirits. Both approach lyricism as a kind of extended freestyle, riffing on a theme while coolly riding a beat. However, his identity crisis reflects key stylistic differences among his recent trio of albums, all of which have appeared in less than a year. Elevation is co-authored with Carlos Niño, one of the men (along with composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson) behind the much-publicized A Suite for Dilla tribute concert in Los Angeles. Who Is This Man is helmed by mentor and frequent collaborator MF Doom. And I Am Not for Sale boasts a murderer’s row of progressive beat makers, including Jneiro Jarel, Flying Lotus, IG Culture and J. Rawls.
Boots Riley and Tom Morello are Street Sweeper
Remember back in 2006 when Boots Riley discussed a forthcoming project with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave? The duo will soon present it to the public. The group is known as Street Sweeper. They’ll introduce the project to the frat boys of the nation during a tour opening for Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction. Meanwhile you can hear their first track, “Fight! Smash! Win!” on the Street Sweeper website.
2Mex signs with Strange Famous
Last month, 2Mex signed with Strange Famous, the independent label (and growing online store) run by iconoclast Sage Francis. One of the great L.A. rappers, 2Mex hasn’t released a nationally distributed solo project since Mean Street Records issued his 2004 self-titled album. However, he has continued to drop collaborative effors at the drop of a dime, most recently with the Mars Volta’s Ikey Owens (the Look Daggers’ Suffer In Style).
In an informative bio posted on the Strange Famous website, Sage Francis breaks down 2Mex’s untapped potential:
This “golden boy of hip-hop†is possibly the most prolific underground rapper ever, with at least 35 CD releases and too many guest appearances to count. Through hard work and determination, while touring the globe many times over, he has built a cult-like following that tries to keep up with his massive output. Therein lies an anxiety problem and it’s one we’re determined to remedy.
My first exposure to 2Mex was in 1996 when my radio station was serviced with the Visionaries 12″s. I played that material almost every show. Since then we have shared many stages together and every single time we crossed paths he would hand over a new homemade CDR. Every…time. I became overwhelmed at one point and said, “Man…this is too much! You have a lot of great stuff but you’re spreading yourself thin (not literally.)â€
I’m not one to quell productivity, but the truth of the matter is I felt lost in his catalog. At a certain point an artist’s body of work can lose tangibility and become intimidating to newcomers if people don’t know where to start or end. …
Reflection Eternal works on reunion album
Nearly ten years ago, Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek issued Reflection Eternal. They packed the classic album with thoughtful neo-soul-influenced tracks. But soon after its release — which was delayed over a year and originally titled Train of Thought — the two amicably pursued solo careers, with mixed results. Hi-Tek’s had something of a journeyman producer’s career, landing plenty of big assignments (notably G-Unit) but so far failing to score that big hit (with the exception of “Round and Round” from his debut, 2002’s Hi-Teknology) that would make him a top street rap producers like Alchemist. Kweli has had more success — he recently shocked the music industry when his 2007 album, Eardrum, debuted at number 2 on the Billboard album charts. But he still doesn’t get respect from hip hop’s power brokers, who often dismiss him as a relic of the 90s underground scene. He’s reportedly working on a new solo album titled Prisoner of Conscious.
So Reflection Eternal’s forthcoming second album, which comes after years of thwarted reunions and occasional collaborations, should remind people where Kweli and Hi-Tek come from, and why they’ve managed to last over ten years in the business. They have several shows lined up this month including a four-night stand at the Blue Note club in New York and, of course, a run through the SXSW festival. With luck, the album should drop this fall.
Spot dates for Exile
LA producer Exile has assembled a series of spot concerts across the U.S. for the past few months. March may include his longest run to date as he hits up SXSW and nightclubs in major cities. Many of them are with fellow producer DJ Day and, of course, his onetime musical partner Blu.