What a line-up of talent! I am a fan of all these guys and here they brought the chilled hip hop that we know and love from them all individually.
Filtered samples, snappy drums, Replife's easy flow and what sounds to me like a different flip on the sample that Dilla used for Common's track 'Nag Champa'?
The latest in the 'Bling47 Breaks Dilla Edition' series has Wajeed of PPP breaking down Dilla's beautiful 'Look of Love' beat which he did for Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. One LP and also for the sneaky J-88 EP.
Lovely tune (one of my favourites actually) and great to hear it being broken down...
These guys have been laying low for over a decade now when all of a sudden we find footage of them in rehearsal for some kind of dope extravaganza; well, you know it's gonna be when these cats combine.
Oh, and with an orchestra! Seems to be a bit of a trend right now.
They debuted the set in Toronto last night so here's hoping for a new project soon.
Home Brew have just released their long-awaited double LP opus and to celebrate they are throwing a 48-hour release parrrttyyy in a former brothel in Auckland's beautiful suburb of Kingsland.
I don't really need to say much except that the line-up above gives you a fairly good idea of how things are intended on progressing but I would absolutely stupified if it all went to schedule.
Whoever is running that shit is gonna have their work cut out. It's gonna be AMAZING.
Pick up their brilliant new record here or physical copies in Auckland's finest dairies and pubs.
Oddisee has just posted online that he will be releasing his latest (sure-to-be-dope) LP on June 12th.
That be the day after Bobby Womack's highly anticipated 'The Bravest Man In the Universe' LP.
Classic hip-hop and contemporary soul tunes are the subject matter here and Adi does a great job in updating some of the tunes with a modern feel while retaining the core (namely the lyrics!) of the originals.
June 11th sees the release of Bobby Womack's first LP since 1994 and I cannot wait!
I love his oft-off kilter singing style and gravely tone and have long been obsessed with his 2001 collab with Rae & Christian, 'Get A Life'.
Following from earlier single release 'Please Forgive My Heart', here is the next audio to appear from the forthcoming long player, title track 'The Bravest Man In the Universe'.
Not always 'ha ha' or 'lolz', but funny as in how you can put something out into the universe and it will eventually just be floating around and might be found or might not blah blah blah.
I could get really spacious on it, but I won't right now.
Anyhow, DJ Scratch 22 hit me up last week to see if I still had the artwork for a mix that we made back in 2008 that I had actually forgotten about. A friend of his, Wellington City's DJ Alphabethead had heard it a while back and was fiending for a copy.
So, with the power of Greyskull we dredged it up and sent it off to Alphabethead.
Now, I am well aware of DJ Alphabethead's past achievements, skill and taste for the abstract sounds of the universe but it just so happens that we haven't actually met in person yet despite many mutual friends.
I have much admiration for his talent and even more so for the 'outside the square' way in which he uses it.
Damon Albarn and Richard Russell team up with soul/funk legend Bobby Womack on his forthcoming XL Recordings long player 'The Bravest Man In the Universe'.
Set to be released in June this year, safe to say I am now really excited this Friday.
Check out the sparse and beautiful teaser single 'Please Forgive My Heart' and download to your *ahem, content.
P.S. Here are a couple of other notable Bobby Womack performances to bump while you wait.
Knxwledge has taken Nas' classic "Don't sleep cos sleep is the cousin of death" literally I think.
This guy is a bonafide beat-a-holic, releasing so much of his lo-fi beat heat that my mind boggles.
To be honest, some of it is half finished ideas just put out into the ether, but some of it is beautiful, original genius work. I'm definitely thinking his Hexual.Sealings LP from July 2011.
This Musiq Soulchild remix/edit being one of my favourite jams of 2011...
Seriously, dude is so prolific that since that album he has released another 15 EP's and LP's (that I know of)!
Oddisee is dope and we have a mean local line-up which I am lucky enough to be included in.
Oddisee is an undercover hip-hop beast who has produced for the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ken Starr, Talib Kweli, DTMD, as well as putting out into the world his own high quality beats and rhymes.
His latest release 'Rock Creek Park' was inspired by the one and only Donald Byrd.
Check it out, and if you happen to be around NZ and Oz over the next couple of weeks, be sure to check out the man all the way live!
Sam Champ is the New York native who bought us THE best remix EP's of 2010/2011, the aptly titled 'Sam Champ Remixes' which featured his dope and oft-played remix of D'Angelo's 'Left & Right'...
Sam Champ: "You may have noticed me using the header Mixtape Mondays on a few posts recently–something we intend to make a semi-regular feature here at Okayplayer. We figured we would kick it off properly with an actual OKP mixtape; something official, something original, something exclusive. Something worthy to place alongside DJ Soul‘s incredible Best of Common and Dilla mixtapes. And then we was like, Hmm what’s happening the last monday in January that we could use as a theme? Superbowl? Newt Gingrich? Or MAYBE the phoenix-like reemergence of our beloved D’Angelo, who is currently spreading his fiery musical wings across the waters in Europe."
Myele Mananza is of course the drummer for the dopest NZ band right now (in my humble opinion), Electric Wire Hustle.
He releases his debut LP 'One' upon the ears of the world on February 17th through Ever Waking Hour Records and has kindly put the second single up for download on Bandcamp.
The short version of 'Absent' features songstress Bella Kalolo on the mic and as you would expect from a jazz-minded stick-man the flavour is percussion proud and progressive.
"Absent' is the second single to be released from Myele's forthcoming album and features the beautiful BellKalolo who has also recently released her debut album 'Without The Paper'.
“Bella is a natural performer and talented vocalist with an amazing range. She is a joy to work with and one of my favourite vocalists to come out of NZ.” says Myele".
EWH at Matakana Summer Sunday - Sunday January 29th, 2012
We caught Electric Wire Hustle at the Summer Sunday outdoor festival gig yesterday and as expected, they blew minds; well ours anyway.
Didn't really get to catch up with the boys, but saw Mara briefly earlier in the day and he mentioned that this was the last live gig where they were gonna play their current set.
Mean as, I can dig it!
They reminded me once again just why I love what they do as I could see, and feel the largely "mainstream" crowd get polarised around us by the EWH jazz break-downs and deep vibrations.
Suffice to say that Anna and I were having a fucking ball!
Favourite for the night, 'Waters' and that new one?! DAMNNN.
So, my belief is reaffirmed once more as I reacquaint myself (for the millionth time) with their 'Every Waking Hour' LP and look ahead to the sophomore release on which Dave 'Taay Ninh' Wright says: 'Tryin' to get this sucker finished bro - working on it!'.
In the meantime, head to electricwirehustle.com for updates and check out the video from their sojourn to NYC from late 2010.
Stonesthrow Records label mates Georgia Anne Muldrow and Madlib have combined to create a full album together!
Significant for the fact that it is the first time that Muldrow has had anyone aside from partner Dudley Perkins produce one of her own records. Makes sense though because I have always thought of her as a bit like the female incarnation of the great Oxnard producer.
Peep the lead single from the collab 'Seeds' right HERE and head to Rolling Stone for the exclusive DL before release in mid-February.