DJ Signify builds “Of Cities”

Posted on December 3, 2008 by plugoneboss

On January 13, DJ Signify will drop a new album, Of Cities, on Bully Records. A veteran of Mr. Dibbs’ 1200 Hobos crew, Signify brings Aesop Rock to the party this time.

As usual, a lovely press release snippet:

Signify’s latest release, “Of Cities”, is his most evolved and realised record to date. Although he stays true to his hip hop core, there are a multitude of palatable influences ranging from Krautrock to Glitch to early 90’s Hip hop to New Wave. Once again, he effortlessly nestles his drum-heavy signature style into new musical territory. Factor in two lead contributions by Aesop Rock and this album is sure to please fans of beats and beyond.

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Hudson Mohawke on deck for January

Posted on December 3, 2008 by plugoneboss

Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke has a new EP coming out January 19 on Warp Records titled Polyfolk Dance. It prefaces a full-length debut scheduled for later in the year. Though friends with the celebrated Flying Lotus, Mohawke’s steez is slightly different, as he tends to mix contemporary R&B/mainstream styles with his beat tracks. He’s currently best known for a series of EPs with fellow Glasgow producer Mike Slott — together known as Heralds of Change.

Here’s a bit from the label’s MySpace page:

Enter Hudson Mohawke, a new Warp signing and one of our secret weapons for 2009!

A 22-year-old hailing from Glasgow, he has been perfecting his craft since the age of 12. After only releasing a handful of productions and painstakingly hard-to-find vinyl releases in the last few years, Hudson Mohawke has managed to become a much talked about producer.

He’s responsible for spearheading a movement of next generation beat music that has exploded from Glasgow this year (also see Rustie, Wireblock, LuckyMe, Numbers). It’s not just a Scottish thing either – these last six months have seen Hudson set off touring America, Australia & all across Europe!

With an ear for a pop hook and a forward thinking production aesthetic, our bets are that 2009 will hold an awful lot of action for this young producer. If you don’t believe us yet, wait for this killer first EP on Warp – with his debut album in the pipeline.

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Evil Nine make “They Live” with El-P, Beans

Posted on December 1, 2008 by plugoneboss

On their new album They Live, Bristol, UK breakbeat/electro duo Evil Nine continues a trend of electronic dudes collaborating with rappers. Set for release via Marine Parade, They Live features contributions from the mighty El-P, Beans from newly reformed Antipop Consortium and British MC Toastie Taylor from New Flesh for Old. The album dropped October 20 in the UK, and comes out February 3 in the States.

Here’s a bit from the group’s MySpace page:

When we started writing All The Cash it was an awkward, inaccessible and self indulgent piece of music like a lot of our album demos at the time. We loved the bare bones of the track but it needed to change in a big way. We wanted to make it a little more friendly and playable, it kinda ended up a strange mixture of Sonic Youth, Fad Gadget, Run DMC and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (or maybe not?), which doesn’t sound that friendly really.

We’ve always loved working with hip hop MC’s and if there was one person we wanted to work with it was El-P. His rhymes and production totally blew us away the first time we heard him as part of Company Flow but what really grabbed us was his debut solo album ‘Fantastic Damage’ and his work as part of ‘Cannibal Ox’. After a chance meeting with El before our gig at the Coachella festival in L.A. we decided that he was what All The Cash needed and formulated a plan to work with him which involves lots of boring manager stuff.

We’re very proud of the outcome and think there’s nothing else out there like it, maybe that’s why we find it so hard to describe our music?

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Stones Throw expands for 2009

Posted on December 1, 2008 by plugoneboss

Next year, Stones Throw promises to offer its most exciting slate of artists since 2006. Like that groundbreaking season, which brought classic recordings from Oh No, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Aloe Blacc and the late J Dilla, 2009 will find the L.A. label mixing forward-thinking hip-hop with ecletic, genre-bending sounds. So far, Stones Throw’s upcoming projects include albums from Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Savath y Savalas, Mayer Hawthorne & The County and Dam-Funk.

First up will be Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s Old Money. A few years ago, the lead guitarist for the Mars Volta might have issued this album on his now-defunct label, Gold Standard Laboratories (GSL). Instead, Old Money is coming out on Stones Throw. The label issued a digital version on November 10; the CD and vinyl version will reach stores on January 27.

Here’s a description from the press release:

The album fits comfortably between the guitarist’s monumental work with The Mars Volta, and his prior rock-based solo releases such as 2007’s The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange. Loosely based on the concept of exploitative industrialists and, well, their old money, the album presents a 10-track collection of concise rock compositions, which range from progressive to psychedelic to downright funky. Many of these sounds could easily be at home on a Volta record proper had they meshed with Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s vocals; Rodriguez Lopez has hinted that this record was a potential follow up to the 2006 Volta release Amputechture until he changed his musical direction.

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Tour dates for Wu-Tang Clan

Posted on December 1, 2008 by plugoneboss

Wu-Tang Clan has embarked on a two-month tour. As usual, a bit of drama surrounds the group: Method Man will not be performing on some of the dates, as he’s currently on a tour with Redman. It’s unclear if Meth will rejoin the group once his tour wraps up.

The Wu-Tang lineup for this run is the RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna.

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The Grouch launches tour, steals Christmas

Posted on November 24, 2008 by plugoneboss

It’s only right that the Grouch should do a tour called The Grouch Stole Christmas. Set for next month, the Grinch-inspired holiday run also features Eligh, the Grouch’s partner in G&E. Here’s the press release:

This December, The Grouch will be bringing hip-hop fans the, “How the Grouch Stole Christmas Tour”. Initially started as an annual show held in Oakland, CA, The Grouch decided to take the show on the road for the holiday season. He will be accompanied by fellow Living Legends crew member, Eligh as they perform solo sets as well as a combined G&E (The Grouch & Eligh) set, along with their DJ, DJ Fresh. Accompanying The Grouch will be the up and coming Bay Area trio, “The Bayliens”, and handling opening duties will be hip-hop violinist Paul Dateh who has been growing a buzz in the music scene over the past year.

What’s more, they will perform new, never before heard tracks from their forthcoming spring album, Say G&E (Legendary Music) Featuring a host of emcees, including Gift of Gab, Pigeon John, Mista Fab, Blu, Micheal Marshall, Sage Francis, Slug, this record (a March 2009 release) will not disappoint. Guest producers on the album include: Flying Lotus and AmpLive of Zion I, among others.

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B-more innovator K-Swift’s “Greatest Hits”

Posted on November 24, 2008 by plugoneboss

When Khia “K-Swift” Edgerton died after a swimming pool accident last July 21, the significance of her passing undoubtedly escaped many music fans. Despite being a member of the vaunted Violator All-Star DJs crew and one of the leading voices of the oft-hyped B-more club scene, most of them were probably more familiar with the people she influenced — Diplo, Blaqstarr and M.I.A. among them — than the Club Queen herself.

Next month, Baltimore imprint Unruly Records hopes to rectify that with K-Swift‘s Greatest Hits. M.I.A. will handle the hosting honors alongside recent Interscope signee Rye Rye and Blaqstarr. It’s scheduled for release on December 9, will be distributed by Koch Records and features tracks from B-more stars Blaqstarr, Rod Lee, Samir and others.

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Illogic’s free “One Bar Left” EP

Posted on November 24, 2008 by plugoneboss

Remember Illogic? The Columbus, OH emcee made a modest splash back in 2002 with Got Lyrics?, earning comparisons to Aesop Rock (who appeared on the album). But after a promising follow-up, 2004’s Celestial Clockwork, he seemingly disappeared, save for occasional guest appearances.

So Diabolical Fun, set for release via Weightless Recordings in spring 2009, marks a return. To promote the album and re-introduce himself to the hip-hop swells, Illogic has prepared a free prelude in the One Bar Left EP. It is also available as an iTunes package that includes the EP and a set of instrumentals produced by Ill Poetic.

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P.O.S. is “Never Better”

Posted on November 21, 2008 by plugoneboss

On February 3, Rhymesayers will release Minneapolis rapper P.O.S.’ third album, Never Better. Here’s a section from the press release:

P.O.S. himself made more than half of the beats on Never Better, and the production bears his unmistakable signature. The album enters a room like bombshell with a black eye-badass, noisy, impossible to ignore. Feedback and relentless drum rolls are only occasionally tempered by sung choruses and clean, chiming guitar lines. Some critics will be eager to categorize the album as a hybrid-some kind of crossover project. But it’s probably not. P.O.S is a rapper with range, he’s a real musician and an unstoppable performer. For him, genres are as they ever were: permeable.

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Eyezon & Sean Lane are “A People Like Us”

Posted on November 21, 2008 by plugoneboss

On January 29, rapper Eyezon and producer Sean Lane will release A People Like Us on Interdependent Media.

Eyezon has a crazy story. Originally from South Africa, he lost his father at an early age and his mother was exiled to Germany. So he relocated to the United States, where he immersed himself in hip-hop culture. He often raps about his homeland and social issues, but is definitely an Oaktown rapper, with a swagger and street sensibility typical of the area’s musical product.

Here’s an excerpt from the bio:

A People Like Us was produced entirely by Charlotte, North Carolina-based producer Sean Lane. Initiated through online communities OkayPlayer.com and Soundclick.com, the bi-coastal duo shared a love of music, and decided to digitally craft A People Like Us through file sharing. Eyezon, who has been writing verses since 1994, admits, “I’ve never worked like this. All I got was the drum loops, with maybe a sample in the back. Sean Lane went on and added different things to the beats to make them what they are now.”

Interdependent Media, a sequel of sorts to Tanya Morgan’s old imprint Loud Minority Music, drew a lot of attention for releasing J*Davey’s first nationally-distributed album and K’naan’s U.S. debut, but not for lesser-known albums from Shaya and Truthlive. Hopefully, Eyezon’s A People Like Us will get the spotlight it deserves.

Update: Eyezon has left Interdependent Media, and the label will not be releasing A People Like Us. It’s unknown if Eyezon will get a chance to release the album elsewhere. Stay tuned.

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Dujeous launches “No Clearance” series

Posted on November 20, 2008 by plugoneboss

Last Tuesday, New York hip-hop band Dujeous launched a weekly campaign called “No Clearance.” Every Tuesday, the group will post a new song incorporating tracks from unlikely sources such as the Shins and the Budos Band. The campaign ends on January 20, and Obama’s inauguration day (or, in their words, “I-Day”), after which the entire slate of remixes will be issued as the No Clearance EP.

The first two cuts, “Show ‘Em” (an election-day cut dedicated to Obama) and “Into Night,” have already been posted. You can download them here.

Dujeous’ long-delayed second album, Day In Day Out, is due sometime next year. Thanks to Oh Word for the link.

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Ghostface as “GhostDeini”

Posted on November 20, 2008 by plugoneboss

According to a recent Billboard.com post, Ghostface Killah’s new GhostDeini the Great is an odds-and-sods collection of greatest hits (“Cherchez La Ghost” and “All That is Got Is You”), hard-to-find remixes (“Run” with Lil Wayne and others and “Back Like That” with Kanye West) and new tracks (the intriguing-sounding “Ghostface Christmas”). Unfortunately, it seems that the recently leaked cut “Computer Love” isn’t included. GhostDeini the Great drops via Def Jam on December 16.

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Eliot Lipp composes “Peace Love Weed 3D”

Posted on November 18, 2008 by plugoneboss

Prolific Tacoma-to-New-York beatmaker Eliot Lipp will release Peace Love Weed 3D on January 27. It’s the first release on his new imprint, Old Tacoma Recordings. Here’s some info from the press release:

Peace Love Weed 3D began as a collection of loose sketches made on various drum machines and synthesizers recorded to tape. This source tape was then cut apart, resampled, and enhanced with the addition of more samples and live instrumentation. Lipp chose to work for the first time with a studio guitarist. He met Guitar Ron in the Subway station close to his studio. Throughout this album his efforts blend perfectly with Lipp’s exquisite taste in sound as the synth and guitar leads weave effortlessly into thick chords and complex drums.

Eliot Lipp is currently on tour with Sound Tribe Sector 9, but that itinerary ends this week. See if you can still catch him on one of the dates listed below.

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Rewind: Swamburger’s “Sun-Vibes”

Posted on November 18, 2008 by plugoneboss

Here’s a blast from the past: Orlando house label Eighth Dimension is re-releasing Swamburger’s 2003 12-inch single “Sun-Vibes” on Beatport next month. Now best known as one-fourth of Epitaph-certified rap band Solillaquists of Sound, Swamburger used to make dope downtempo and hip-house tracks on the Mushroom Jazz vibe.

“Sun Vibes” is being issued digitally with remixes from the All Good Funk Alliance and Beef Wellington. It’s a precursor of sorts to a new project Beef Wellington and Swamburger that Eighth Dimension hopes to release next year.

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Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit A”

Posted on November 18, 2008 by plugoneboss

I usually don’t get into the hot-new-MP3 sweepstakes (okay…occasionally I do), but Jay Electronica’s new “Exhibit A (Transformations)” is an outstanding song. Just Blaze, who produced the track, posted it on his Megatrondon blog two weeks ago. It’s already all over the Internet, of course, but deserves mention here because anyone who hasn’t heard it should do so. He spits “that Kurt Vonnegut/That blow your brains out Kurt Cobain and Nirvana shit.”

“I pave ways like Nat and Harriet
I’ll blast on Judas Escariot
And peel off in a chariot
I’m sitting pretty, spitting flames, gripping grains
Ain’t a damn thing changed.”

Download it at Themegatrondon2.com.

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Dälek introduces “Gutter Tactics”

Posted on November 14, 2008 by plugoneboss

Brick City, New Jeru duo Dälek returns with Gutter Tactics on January 27 via Ipecac Recordings. One of the heaviest hip-hop groups ever, and one of the few to consistently fuse extreme metal textures with hip-hop beats and radical politics (as opposed to Public Enemy’s classic one-off tracks like “She Watches Channel Zero”), Dälek has enjoyed a large cult audience for much of the past decade.

“I don’t make records for shock value,” says MC Dälek in a press release. “This is a collection of who I am at this point and what I see around me, so it’s a dark album, full of anger, maybe some fear, and also hope. It’s the state of the world where I, where we are at right now.”

“Our debut EP Negro Necro Nekros and From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots were about us starting out, sometimes getting sounds more than songs,” says Oktopus. “Absence was the book on how extreme you could go. Abandoned Language had more ambient moments and was the end of that chapter of writing it all either heavy or mellow. Gutter Tactics is more about us continually doing some early hip-hop sh*t but with the attitude of the Melvins or Black Sabbath.”

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Interview: Kidz in the Hall (repost)

Posted on November 14, 2008 by plugoneboss

Back in August, I noted that online magazine Paperthinwalls.com was going offline after a brief two-plus years existence. I also wrote that the site should be online for a few more months in case anyone wants to check it out.

Well, time is up. I recently checked, and Paper Thin Walls now officially no longer exists. RIP.

Since Paper Thin Walls’ content is no longer accessible, I decided to post an interview I completed with Kidz with the Hall for that site. The Q&A session with Naledge and Double-O breaks down each track on the group’s acclaimed second album, The In Crowd. With year-end ballots coming up next month, I figured it was a good time.

Enjoy the interview, and look for part two of that Danny! interview I promised next week.

And oh yeah! Reviews come back on Monday.

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New remixes from Black Spade

Posted on November 13, 2008 by plugoneboss

When 2008 is laid to rest, one of its most underrated breakout talents may be St. Louis, MI’s Black Spade. He dropped a great album, To Serve with Love, in March; and has since leaked out several great remixes, including a fistful for Jay-Z’s American Gangster opus.

This week, he put out two new remixes under his new alias, Stoney Rock. The first turns the “Stay Up (Viagra)” single from 88-Keys weird-yet-funny album The Death of Adam into a bleedy-eyed funk workout. The second reworks nu-soul newcomer Jesse Boykins III’s “Tabloids.” Thanks to DJ Jamad for the tracks.

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New dates for Immortal Technique

Posted on November 13, 2008 by plugoneboss

Next week, Immortal Technique (shown above, left, with DJ Green Lantern) will complete a few dates on the two coasts.  Chief among them is a fundraising concert at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge for OMEID International, an advocacy group that is building an orphanage and medical center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The center is scheduled to open in March of next year.

“I have been working hard along with Omeid International to coordinate the trip to Afghanistan and to work on the fundraiser that is coming up on the 20th of November in San Francisco. They are a dedicated group and I am glad to have such good company for my work and our achievements,”  Immortal Technique writes on his MySpace page. “And one day soon I hope to look upon the war-torn landscape of Afghanistan standing among the children that you and I as my supporters both helped to create a new life for with this center, who we aided in giving a fighting chance in this world that gives no quarter to the pious or the unknowing and innocent.”

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Subtle on tour, planning remix album and “hiatus”

Posted on November 11, 2008 by plugoneboss

Six-man indie-rock/experimental/rap/whatchamacalit band Subtle have begun the “Washere” tour in support of their recent album ExitingARM. Here’s the word from lead vocalist/pied piper Dose One:

hello friends and family…

truth be told….

subtle is going on hiatus….
this will be our last tour, for some time….
as subtle shifts the pace of our productivity…

so, do get off your ass, and come enjoy our company once again…

because, un-god knows, we truly enjoy being around yall…
and will miss you very much, in our absence…

so put on your obama panties, and biden briefs…

It’s not clear what the hiatus means, however. Subtle usually sticks to a two-year schedule, releasing an album one year then a remix album the next. In 2009, they’ll drop a remix album of ExitingARM called SmallFear Souvenir. Guests on it include Alias, Trans Am and Black Moth Super Rainbow.

Remember the Themselves project between Dose One and Jel? In 2003, they went on a “hiatus” that lasted five years. A new Themselves album will finally drop next year. Maybe that’s what Dose One means?

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