Jesse Boykins III - 'Prototype' x Andre 3000 Cover

When Outkast released 'Speakerboxxx'/'The Love Below' in 2003 it was 'Hey Ya' that was shaking the dancefloor.

While that was happening though I was making love to 'Prototype', one of my top tracks of the decade.

Jesse Boykins III has taken himself to task by covering the future (already?) classic jam and has done a pretty fine job on it too.

He manages to pay homage to the original while putting his own twist on the jam with a nice verse from Melo-X to finish off.

As it is the season for giving, please enjoy by hitting the link HERE.

Monday Five - 20th December, 2010

This time round i'll dig up the pressies for ya'.

You know; Christmas spirit and all that jazz...

One. Keni Burke - 'Risin' To To The Top'

Two. LL Cool J - 'Around the Way Girl'

Three. Letherette - 'Furth & Myre'

Four. Chris Prolific feat. Illa-J - 'Voyage'

Five. Central Line - 'Walking Into Sunshine'

Summertime Rolls 2, January 3rd 2011

The flyer pretty much sums it up but I gotta' say I'm excited about the return of Summertime Rolls.

The first event on the same date in 2009 was killer! Open Souls headlined with a DJ line-up of some of my favourite DJ's; Cian, Dylan C., Manuel Bundy & Submariner.

So, we're putting the party on again with NZ's next big thing Electric Wire Hustle headlining plus support from good friends Kolab & Mikey Rockwell, Chef D. and the return of badman DJ's Manuel Bundy and Dylan C.

I might even spin some cassettes!

Tickets are pretty limited and last time the event sold out, so get into Conch Records in Ponsonby, Bloom Saloon in Matakana and the venue itself, The Leigh Sawmill Cafe.

Here's a taste of the action...

For the Record...

...I have been out of action on the blog front cos' i've just been too damn busy!

But, we will return sporadically, kicking off with this great image.

Monday Five - December 6th, 2010

It's an all hip-hop affair this week.

Here come the hot-steppers...

One. Dead Prez - 'Mind Sex'

Two. RZA - 'Good Night'

Three. Dela - 'Music Is My Sanctuary' (Remix)

Four. Madvillain - 'Raid'

Five. Nas - 'Foul Breeze'

...and, some bonus Lord Finesse w/ Big L. footage just cos' they the man! CLASSIC footage from the early 90's on 'Yo! MTV Raps'.

Monday Five - 29th November, 2010

It's a magic sprinkles number 5 today.

Got our gig with Japan's legendary turntablist DJ Krush this Saturday, so it's also a DJ Krush top 5; in no particular order and by no means definitve. 

That would just be too damn hard for a Monday!

One. DJ Krush - Song 1

Two. Pete Rock feat. CL Smooth - 'Only the Strong Survive' (DJ Krush Remix)

Three. DJ Krush - 'Big City Lover' 

Four. DJ Krush - 'Duality'

Five. Method Man - 'Break Ups to Make Ups' (DJ Krush Remix)

And while we're at it, here's some dope footage of the man doing his thing live last year in the Czech Republic.

Monday Five - 22nd November, 2010

One. Homeboy Sandman - 'Mean Mug'

Two. Freda Payne - 'The Road We Didn't Take'

Three. The Sylvers - 'That's What Love Is Made Of'

Four. Afta-1 - 'Tuesday'

Five. Aime Can - 'Satisfied'

Plus, bonus cut from Rickie Lee Jones!

DJ Krush in Auckland City

Definitely excited 'bout this one!

True DJ legend, Japan's DJ Krush hits our fair shores once more to blow minds and melt faces with his distinctive and formidable skills and sound.

Saturday 4th December with my boys Dylan C., Scratch 22 and myself in support.

To tie us over for now, here are some of my favourite Krush jams from the years...

Black Thought droppin' science. From 'Zen'...

DJ Krush on the remix, darkening things down...

From Milight...

The classic reinterpreted...

W/ Esthero...

Sample & Flip #6

When you flip a sample as a producer, sometimes it may have been used by another before you.

In these situations it pays big time to either flip and chop it in a completely different way, or get your #1 idol to remix your track with said sample.

It goes without saying that DJ Cam is clearly heavily influenced by one of the greatest; DJ Premier. 

On his killer LP 'Soulshine' he had Primo remix his track 'Voodoo Child' which featured Afu Ra on raps.

Next up, from their '8 Diagrams' LP and produced by RZA, Wu Tang Clan's 'Life Changes' is a track that they created as a dedication to Russell Jones aka Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Here's the Clan performing it live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in '07 with Method Man doing the kick-off verse.

And thirdly, here is my favourite use of the sample. The now legendary Madlib uses his chopping skills to lace Percee P's 'The Woman Behind Me' remix.

Lovely!

So where does that sweet sample come from that provides the back-drop for these three killer hip-hop productions?

Why it's Freda Payne on her classic 'The Road We Didn't Take' from her 1971 LP 'Contact'.

Mean as.

Monday Five - 8th November, 2010

One. Snoop Doggy Dogg feat. The Dramatics - 'Doggy Dogg World'

Two. Count Bass D & DJ Pocket feat. H20 - '...Guess This'

Three. La Melodia - 'Working On It'

Four. Solid Groove - 'Throwing Stones'

Five. Lazy Jones - 'Africaine'

Haz' Beats - 'The Good Country Beat Tape'

Here's some fresh-as beat material from our man Haz' of Home Brew Crew.

Man makes the beats for MC Tom Scott to spit over on the Home Brew material, some of the nicest hip-hop shit to come outta' New Zealand in a while.

One of the big reasons for their rapid come-up and super-solid fan-base is down to the fact their tunes are so easy to relate to; no bullshit.

Well, Haz' been takin' a bit of flack lately from toys that should prove themselves, pay dues, or really just shut the fuck up. Simple.

The classiest way to retaliate is just to do what you do best and better, tell them you're gonna do it.

Introducing 'The Good Country Beat Tape', inspired by Home Brew's recent NZ tour, and haterz.

Enjoy.

Electric Wire Hustle Interview

Electric Wire Hustle have just returned form their first U.S. tour, and by all accounts it was a big success.

Check out an interview below with the lads courtesy of The Mint Collective in L.A.

Electric Wire Hustle Interview from The Mint Collective on Vimeo.

Monday Five - November 1st, 2010

One. O.C. - 'Time's Up'

Two. Space Dimension Controller - 'Kaleidoscopic Ecstasy'

Three. Debo Band - 'Adderech Arada' (Kiddid Remix)

Four. Tanya Morgan feat. Blu - 'Morgan Blu'

Five. Herbie Hancock - 'Cantaloupe Island'

Pete Rock Interview @ Metallungies

Just came across and read a brief but informative interview with the legendary Pete Rock on Metallurgies.

Lots of interesting bits on what he has been up to production wise, from Smif N' Wessun to Kanye West.

Also, I did not know that Pete produced (or at least came up with the idea for) 'Juicy' by Biggie Smalls!

Anyhow, read for ya'self HERE.

Karriem Riggins Podcast x Stones Throw Records at Hella International

KARRIEM RIGGINS LIVE AT HELLA INTERNATIONAL

When Dilla's crew was looking amongst themselves as to who was the best person for the job of completing the late-great's 'The Shining' LP, who did they turn to ultimately?

Karriem Riggins. 

His mini-set for Stones Throw Records at Hella International 2008 is pure fire. Perfect for this oncoming lovely summer weather.

I have been back into this set in a big way of late after re-discovering it in my collection.

Most of the music here are his own productions; JAMS!!!

P.S. A LINK to his blog... Drummer for Diana Krall!

Monday Five - 25th October, 2010

Long weekend jams...

One. The Jackson 5 - '2-4-6-8'

Two. Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics - 'Pari Ru'

Three. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - 'Appreciate'

Four. Cypress Hill - 'Black Sunday'

Five. Karriem Riggins Live at Hella International - Stonesthrow Podcast

DJ Premier VS. Pete Rock x Tokyo

DL - PETE ROCK VS. DJ PREMIER - TOKYO BATTLE, 2010

Man i've been a busy boy and blogging has taken a back seat for the last couple of weeks.

BUT, I had to make time post this when I stumbled upon the DL link!

Arguably the two greatest hip-hop producers of all-time (just quietly my vote goes to Dilla) battled in Ebisu a district of Tokyo City in May this year.

I was staying in Ebisu until April 23rd so I was dismayed to say the least when I realised I was gonna miss this jam and the Stonesthrow showcase that was happening a few days earlier.

Anyhow, the next best thing is to get our wax-holders on to the recording of this historical event, right?!

Right on brothers. 

Enjoy.

Monday Five - October 18th, 2010

Shit, Monday again. It's been one of those weeks...

One. Spinnerty feat. John Robinson - 'Just Listen Pt.I' (B.Bravo Remix)

Two. Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics - 'Pari Ru'

Three. Lindstrom & Christabelle - 'Lovesick'

Four. Charlotte Gainsbourg - 'IRM'

Five. Body Language - 'At A Glance' (Toro Y Moi Remix)

Monday Five - October 11th, 2010

One. Toro Y Moi - 'Thanks Vision'

Two. Javelin - 'Intervales' Theme' (Original)

Three. Botany - 'Waterparker'

Four. Comfort Fit & Wallis Bird - 'La La Land' (Comfort Fit Remix)

Five. The XX - 'VCR' (Matthew Dear Remix)

Caribou - 'Swim' Remixes

CARIBOU - 'LEAVE HOUSE' (MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE REMIX)

Official remix releases for one of this years finest records were always going to be a formality.

Having toured madly in 2010 the band doesn't seem to rest and rather than settle for an EP of mixes, we'll hear their stellar LP 'Swim' tweaked, re-edited and flipped by contemporaries on a full-length(!!!) remix album.

Slated for staggered worldwide release over late October and into November, artist involved in the project include Gold Panda, Nite Jewel and Motor City Drum Ensemble.

Check out their remix of my favourite track off 'Swim', 'Leave House', the LP version, and a live performance of the original at the Bowery Ballroom earlier this year.

Toro Y Moi - 'You Hid' Re-create

Toro Y Moi's 2010 LP on Carpark Records 'Causers of This' is one of my absolute favourite releases of this year.

And, with not much of the year to go, it has to be one of the front-runners for my fave record of the year.

On it Chaz Bundick, the 23 year-old native of South Carolina has given us a sound that I have kind of been looking out for for most of my life (big call, I know).

Great electronic drum patterns, lush layering, and sweet melodies with BOTH pop and hip-hop sensibilities.

Post-Dilla + Ride + Stone Roses + Hall & Oates + Four Tet + Shuggie Otis = This record.

TORO Y MOI - 'CAUSERS OF THIS'

Lead single 'Blessa' sounds kinda like what Bullion achieved with his J-Dilla & The Beachboys tribute record 'Pet Sounds (In The Key of Dee)', but totally original.

Hit the link up above for LP DL and check out the video below for a re-create of one of the best off the album, 'You Hid'.

Here he plays all the instruments himself, layers it up and creates a beautiful semi-acoustic version of the sample and beat-driven original.

Despite the fact he's rockin' a pair of boat shoes in the vid, I gotta say I think a bright future beckons.

P.S. I have to say that my favourite track off the record has to be 'Thanks Vision' with it's beautifully epic final minute. Plus, it also totally reminds me of the lovely beat that DJ Mitsu did for Gagle's track '若き匠たちへ' off their killer '3-Peat' LP.

TORO Y MOI "YOU HID" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Baths - 'Cerulean'

Baths - 'Cerulean' LP

Fave right now...

Brian Eno - 'Small Craft On A Milk Sea'

Safe to say that I am reasonably excited about this record. 

It is also very significant in that it is being released by respected UK electronic label Warp Records (on their Bleep imprint), label home to the likes of Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin and dup-step auteur Rustie.

Brian Eno makes killer music, and his record with former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today' from 2008 is in my top 20 albums of the last decade.

Here is the first official leak from his forthcoming album 'Small Craft On A Milk Sea'; '2 Forms of Anger'.

Brian Eno - 2 Forms Of Anger (taken from Small Craft On A Milk Sea) by Warp Records

Well known for his spacious drum echos, lilting acoustic and ambient musical wanderings, this new track flips the script by dishing out a number that begins very Eno-esque but morphs into a rollicking three-minute electric-guitar and tom drum-driven thrash. 

To me it sounds like Sonic Youth in a hurry.

Nonetheless, it excites me. A clever teaser!

Check out a few early images below of the beautiful packaging and have a read here at Brian Eno's website for more info.

Monday Five - 4th October, 2010

Spring is here for real; some of these enhance the seasonal experience, others... not so much.

One. Aloe Blacc - 'You Make Me Smile'

Two. Baths - 'Lovely Bloodflow'

Three. The Legion - 'Jingle Jangle'

Four. Jneiro Jarel - 'Wave Trip'

Five. Shad feat. Von Pea & Donwill - 'Rose Garden' (Remix)

Baths - "Lovely Bloodflow" from anticon. on Vimeo.

Kolab - 'Killin' Time' x NEW VID x 'Standards' EP Update

I've been hassling the Kolab boys for a minute about when they're gonna release some of their new ish.

Well here is some of that in the form of their new video for their track 'Killin' Time' directed by Time Pierce.

This dope little jazz-flecked number is the lead single from their forthcoming second EP 'Standards', due for worldwide domination later in the year.

Not far off then...

So, to finish the post, here is a little behind the scenes on one of Auckland City's smoothest hip-hop crews, my boys Kolab!

For more info on what they're up to, and the next movement, hit up their slick web-page HERE.

Behind the Scenes - Killin Time with Kolab from Tim Pierce - Zeros&Ones on Vimeo.

Monday Five - September 27th, 2010

Better late in the day than on Tuesday when it's called the Monday Five eh ow. 

Here is the latest bunch of oh-so-sweet goodies both new and old that I am just lovin'.

One. Back Moon - 'How Many MC's (Must Get Dissed)'

Two. Moonstarr - 'Laham Baagine'

Three. Africa Hitech - 'The Sound of Tomorrow'

Four. Oriol - 'Spiral'

Five. Anika - 'Yang Yang'

Very Tall Stories - 'Home'

My homie Tom Everett a.k.a MC Speakeasy from local crew Kolab has a new-ish project called Very Tall Stories.

This buttery NZ beat-soul track has been out for a minute, but the video is freshly squeezed juice!

P.S. Will update soon with some brand-new Kolab material also.

2009 'Spacewayz' Mix DL x Scratch 22 & Dan Paine

'SPACEWAYZ' DL by Scratch 22 & Dan Paine

Rodi and I did this mix in early 2009 I think. 

Basically we were sick of making rap tapes, so we decided to flip it and take a whole lot of freaky folk, space-funk, sonic soul and make a straight live mix.

Yes, it is actually live with only Rane mixer effects and a few tweaks in post-production for that spacious feel. 

Other than that it was just two fullas with a bunch of Victoria Bitter to drink and and a cosmic attitude.

We may even do a limited edition re-release with magically dipped paper covers.

So put on your moon-boots and enjoy.

Blu - 'Amnesia' x Billie Holiday

In my humble opinion, Blu is one of the best around at the moment. One of the hardest working too.

This track has been around for a minute, but it's just lovely nonetheless.

Cook Classics x Aloe Blacc

Dinosaur Jr. & Del Tha Funkee Homosapien x 'Missing Link' x The Arsenio Hall Show

Judgement Night the movie was shit-house.

But, the soundtrack was way better.

Most of the jams still sound good to me (some not so much as they were always crappy), but I reckon rock/rap collabos are gonna be hot in 2013, so learn these classics of by heart now!

The hot jams for me are the classic De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub track 'Fallin'', Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill's ode to herbal remedies,  'I Love You Mary Jane', and my current favourite, Dinosaur Jr. and Del doin' 'Missing Link'.

A pretty rough performance but this is just classic, performing the track live on The Arsenio Hall Show...

Peep the soundtrack DL of it right here, and to supplement your listening experience, roll a blunt and crack a Woodstock Bourbon and Cola. MEAN!

Steve Arrington x Dam Funk DL 'I Be Trippin''

This is some exciting shit! When Dam Funk was in town earlier this year, he granted me a funky phone interview for Base FM.

We briefly touched on this project during the chat, and he pointed me out on the dance-floor when he dropped the jam at his gig the next night. Cool guy Damon, welcome back in NZ any time!

From what I recall, DF mentioned he hoped the LP would be out in November, not far off then.

Here's a DL of this dope track following reasonably hot on the heel of his collabo with the same man and MC Eiht on 'Hood Pass Intact'; thanks to XLR8R.

Steve Arrington & Dam-Funk "I Be Trippin" by stonesthrow

Aloe Blacc's 'Good Things' x Stonesthrow Shipping NOW

Despite checking mp3's for listening to on the "pod", I am sill a big vinyl fan dedicated to the cause and this one will be a must-have on wax.

Radio waves are gonna be sore from the thrashing this shit is gonna get! 

Now shipping from Stonesthrow's online shop as of today is Aloe Blacc's massively anticipated 'Good Things' LP.

Here you can also listen to the mp3's from the whole set, and look out for the vinyl copies filtering into your local record store worldwide from September 28th. Only a week away kids; patience is a virtue.

They are sure to be snapped up fast.

'Femme Fatale' DL and You Toooob below.

'FEMME FATALE' DL

Monday Five - 20th September, 2010

Yes! It's a Swedish road-sign.

One. B.Bravo & Robin Hannibal - 'What's It Gonna Be?'

Two. Dinosaur Jr. & Del - 'Missing Link'

Three. Mayer Hawthorne - 'No Strings'

Four. Consequence & Q-Tip - 'Got Me Trippin''

Five. Gold Panda - 'Same Dream China'

Artist Feature - AFTA-1 x New Material

Afta-1 is one of the few new post-Dilla beat-makers that has really made an impression on me. 

In the digital/online music age, there are a lot out there, and it was upon hearing his VERY good 'Afterthoughts Vol. 1' LP that convinced me he is a cut above.

A super-solid long player with beautifully formed instrumental tracks with lush spacey washes and crunchy drum patterns, 'Afterthoughts Vol.1' made for one of my favourite releases for the whole year in 2008.

If you don't know of it, seek it out. Here is a track from that record, the lovely 'The Gaze'.

Yup, delicious.

Anyhow, here is some fresh-as free DL material from Afta-1 direct from his Bandcamp page. 

Just to keep fans on their toes, n these ones he changes his style up in many ways, in fact he has pretty much dropped the drums out entirely opting to go for more ambient, sound-scape type arrangements. 

Like Talking Heads, it's a good thing...

Lucky you, here some extra cyber-pathways to sink your teeth into...

Courtesy of Moovmnt.com, here is a free download of his lovely, sparse Sunday-chillin', headphone-music remix of Little Dragon's 'Fortune'; a killer track in it's own right.

Finally, here is a choice little interview with the artist at the Recluse Sessions blog.