Archive for January, 2011
Much has been made of the alleged Wesleyan Mafia, the bumper crop of musical and artistic talents (MGMT, Boy Crisis, and your boys Das Racist included) that emerged from Middletown, Connecticut and have been rampaging through the halls of hipster power over the last handful of years. Le1f is the latest member of the Wesleyan Wave, and perhaps, along with Das Racist, holds the largest potential for being an overall game-changer in this music biz, and yes, that’s a big claim.
Let’s just put it this way: for most of us, 2011 arrived a couple weeks ago (my apologies in advance if you’re reading this in the future when Le1f is a household name, and 2011 is a speck in the rearview mirror), but this guy has been operating on 2011 principles for years. First and foremost, that means his business approach is non-institutional, instead relying on grassroots funding approaches like Kickstarter to pay for his recording costs. Groundbreaking? Maybe not in 2011, but it was, just a few short years ago.
Sweet Tea produced by Boody B by Le1f
It also means Le1f’s music has been walking the bleeding edge of future and today. That means collaborations with similarly genre-pushing outfits like NGUZUNGUZU and the homies Das Racist. The result is a sound that skitters between club shake and avant-psych. It’s the kind of music that could only be made free of major label strings, and with total creative control.
Hate2wait with NGUZUNGUZU by Le1f
Keep in mind this guy is just about to finish out university. That is to say, he’s still in school. With the waves he’s making while removed from the beating heart of Brooklyn, it’s going to be stunning to watch his growth once he’s back in the milieu. Get what he’s got to give now, and prepare yourself: the future is here today.
And even more below the jump.
I’d sort of been wondering what happened to neo-everything duo J*Davey over the past few years. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that they managed to become darlings of the Okayplayer circuit and were getting high fives from folks like the Roots and Talib Kweli while making music that existed just outside of hip-hop and nu-soul and afro-punk. People liked them because they made the type of forward-thinking black music that didn’t fit neatly in a box. On the other hand,they felt gimmicky and seemed to almost hold their noses in the air despite not fully earning the right to do so. Either way, they fell off or disappeared or did whatever groups do when they’re thrust into the limelight but they aren’t ready: they fall back.
But we’re pushing into a new decade now and since America loves a comeback story (shout outs to you Ted Williams), J*Davey is making a return. I’m not sure if the single below will end up on a larger project, but at least the L.A. raised duo are releasing music again. Interestingly enough, they borrowed a Nirvana song with their reworking of the Northwest classic, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The signature drums and heavy guitar wail is totally gone (bummer) but Jack Davey is still as eerily sexy on vocals as a lithe black female vocalist can be as she croons Kurt’s lyrics in a way where they’re actually easy to understand.
it has been too long since i checked in on john eden’s magnificent blog, uncarved. you might remember his digi-dancehall, et al. podcast that i posted awhile back. i still regularly listen to that in spite of the terrible bitrate, cut-off songs, and eden himself. well, rejoice, because this mix is high quality, all vinyl, and dialogue free. eden wrote a really nice write-up about these tracks that i’d encourage you to read. this mix is a nice companion to that gigantic greensleeves mixtape that tang recently posted.
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lovers rock, volume one – download
PS: eden also just posted a new volume of rsi radio, “a round up of reggae and dancehall infused grime from 2010″ that’s worth your time as well. if you like this song, you’ll probably like the whole thing.
I hope J. Pinder’s music catches on beyond Seattle, Atlanta, and anywhere else the young emcee chooses to live. He’s got a smooth as silk flow, solid financial backing (shout outs to Jake One/J. Moore etc.) and a good heart. Here’s his latest video from the Code Red EP that he released late last year. The horns and jazzy touches you’ll hear on song suits Pinder well and it seems like the young buck may have finally found his lane.
Spoek Mathambo – Don’t mean to be rude ft Zaki Ibrahim from leneopen on Vimeo.
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I don’t know if this is NSFW or not. You watch and tell me. Spoek continues to kill.
This whole internet/blogging thing is weird. There’s a constant treadmill of new stuff coming at you, and sometimes the newness means you lose track of the classics. After all, when you’re drinking water out of a firehose, it’s very easy to end up in a world of pain. And that means that every now and then you need to get away from the latest obscure genre and make sure you’re bathing in the correct amount of time-tested goodness.
In that light, allow me to bring a certain Mr. Bernard “Nard” Wright to the fore. Nard, a talented keyboardist and songwriter, is far from unknown, but even if you don’t know his name, you know his music. Dude belongs to that particular brand of musical stepchild that is the original artists who lives to see his finest work sampled on songs that soar into the commercial stratosphere, but doesn’t see the dime.
Not sure? Okay - just Nard’s early song “Haboglabotribin” alone has been sampled by LL Cool J (“Total Loungin”) J-Live (“Wax Paper”), and both Snoop (“Gz and Hustlaz) and 2 Pac (“Lie 2 kick it”). Still not sure? Okay – if you wish you were a little bit taller, were a baller and had a girl (just text her, my guy), then you’ve heard Nard. Yes, Skee-Lo’s “I Wish” is the man himself.
But anyway, I’ll shut up and let the music do the talking. Check a couple of the videos below the jump, and you can also download the 1981 debut album Nard, which has both tracks mentioned above, right here, courtesy of the good people at All Soul And Funk. However, since you are also a fan of justice and equity (I can just sense it), you should also consider purchasing that shit right here. Just saying.
What, that’s not what you do on Monday? Okay then, things are about to change: Vinyl Richie – Hear The Sounds boss, Sweater Funk affiliate, and the owner of one of the best DJ handles this side of Ill Cosby – just dropped a new podcast, focused on the modern sounds of love. Titled “Trust In Me,” it showcases the last decade of pillow music, with tracks from 2000 right up to 2011.
Listen, download, find that someone in your life, and put a new spin on what it means to have a “case of the Mondays,” if you know what I mean.
Every time I get an email from Otis Calvin AKA OC Notes, it contains a series of music that puts to shame every other email full of music I’ve received all month. The email I got this morning is no different. It’s the type of music that you just need to listen to in full in order to comprehend. No pre-listen write-up will do it justice. Hence, here are the words straight from Otis’ mouth.
The unplanned genius of human error is taken for granted in these times. Dope Fiend Jazz was performed and recorded live by OCnotes & Rik Rude on christmas day for a ghost audience. Take what you will from this experiment because at the end of the day we are the scientists of sound, we truly enjoy the process. Ladies and gentleman….Dope Fiend Jazz.
SYKE! Got the word from Lo after posting this video that he’s not ready for it to be out in the world. Safe to say it’s worth the wait, and you’ll be able to see it right here as soon as it’s ready to roll. In the meantime, check out a classic track to keep your appetite whetted and ready.
Awright, this is just some good, smart, well-executed hip hop shit. One Be Lo is that guy, aka he’s been on the scene for a hot couple of minutes now, both as an individual artist and as one half of the mighty Binary Star. Representing Pontiac, Seattle, Cairo and other spots worldwide (many homes on the road is what happens when you’re a working artist in this modern era, after all), Lo does the tricky task of saying real shit, but in an accessible and – glory be – enjoyable way.
This track, HisStory, is off the as-yet-unreleased album B.A.B.Y. Keep your eyes, ears and other sense peeled for more previews as it inches closer to release.
