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.

New Mayer Hawthorne x Classixx - 'No Strings'

MAYER HAWTHORNE - 'NO STRINGS' (PROD. BY CLASSIXX)

That smooth kid Mayer Hawthorne is back with a new track!

Following on from his recent collab with hot-as-duck producer Nottz on slow-burner 'I Need You' on the legendary Stonesthrow Records; 'No Strings' comes produced by synth fiend duo Classixx who look after the instrumentation with fine results.

These two have collaborated once in the past also, on the brilliant 'Green Eyed Love' remix. One of favourite tracks, let alone remixes of the past year. Beautiful stuff.

Plus: Here's a nice interview with Mayer Hawthorne on Hypebeast.

Plus plus: While I'm at it, here is a DL of Classixx fruity 80's-type remix of Active Child's 'When Your Love Is Safe'.

The Niceguys x DITC x Oliver Sain

The Niceguys 'The Good Shepherd'

New rappers on the scene come with this Oliver Sain sampling jam 'The Good Shepherd'.

Hailing from Texas, the crew is made up of DJ Candlestick, producers Christolph and Free, plus rapper Yves Saint who (like most good mic-handlers) comes from NY City.

Don't know a hell of a lot bout' em, apart from what you can check out on the vid below, but what we have here is a legendary hip-hop sample flipped yet again, as well as a very nice flow from Yves, with techniques for days which makes for a promising future for them I reckon.

I get a Pharcyde feel from these cats...

Worth keeping an ear out on these nice guys anyway. So here's a nice way for ya to kick your fan-dom off by checking their electric guitar-lick single 'Mr. Perfect' and Green Room EP for free DL at their Bandcamp site.

Whoooooop!

Anyhow, what this track did bring up for me though was a classic track from 97' which samples the very same Oliver Sain jam. Yup, DITC's hot-classic, 'Day One'. The late Big L. just tears it up on this one.

So reminisce, and check out the original, the 90's indie classic and a little sumthin' new.

Classic Mix x DJ Jazzy Jeff - 'The Vibe I'm On'

I used to love this tape (yes, cassette tape!) way back. I thrashed it so much I had to make another couple of copies just to preserve what deserves.

My old DJ pal DJ Dozer put me onto it and it made me want to make mixes just like it. In fact, to be honest I've been known to bite some of the blends from it in my own DJ sets over the years!

Have a listen, it'll take you all the waaay back to 1998 when it was made and the joints that were then super-fresh.

I just love Jeff's simple, old-school but extremely effective mix style; and then there's his classic cutting and scratching techniques. Magic.

So, take a trip back to the late 90's in a hip-hop fashion while a DJ master steers the good ship Cassette.

Enjoy.

DJ Jazzy Jeff - 'The Vibe I'm On'

Intro-(samples “Summer In The City-Quincy Jones)
Lauryn Hill “Lost Ones” BLEND
Common Sense – “Communinism”
-interlude-
Mos Def – “Universal Magnetic”
Shawn J Period, OC, Ras Kass “Action Guaranteed”
Diamond D & Sadat X with C-Low, Severe & K-Terrible – Feel It
Nas “One Love” BLEND-”I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are”-Grand Puba ’95)
A Tribe Called Quest “Stressed Out Remix”
A Tribe Called Quest “Get A Hold”
A Tribe Called Quest “Jam”
A Tribe Called Quest + Busta Rhymes “One, Two”
A Tribe Called Quest “Award Tour”
De La Soul “Breakadawn”
De La Soul “Stakes Is High” / BLEND
Channel Live + KRS-One “Mad Izm”
Interlude
Eminem “’97 Bonnie & Clyde” BLEND
The Fugees “Fugee-La” BLEND
Interlude-
KRS-One “Hip-Hop vs. Rap”
Organized Konfusion “Somehow Someway”
Interlude
Gang Starr “U Know My Steez”
Dialated Peoples “Work The Angles”
Limitless “Fat Free” BLEND “I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (Kenny Dope Remix)” -Nuyorican Soul featuring Jocelyn Brown 1997)”
Camp-Lo + Trugoy of De La Soul “Sparkle”
Mos Def, Q-Tip, Tash “Body Rock”
“Time Bomb”
Roy Ayers “Searching”
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth “Searchin’
Tom Scott “Today”
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth “They Reminise Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”
A Tribe Called Quest “Pad And Pen”
DMX “Where My Dogs At?” BLEND-”Summertime ’98″-JJ&TheFP
Main Source “Lookin’ At The Front Door”
A Tribe Called Quest “Hot 4 U”
A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, & Redman “Steppin’ It Up”
Outro

AIAIAI x TMA-1 Headphones

It has seemed like a looong time coming, but my TMA-1's should be wrapped cosily around my head by this time tomorrow. 

To celebrate the world-wide release of these mega bad-boy Danish headphones, AIAIAI Headphone's NZ distributor in collabo with the mighty Loop Recordings are putting on a heavy-weight throw-down this Saturday at Auckland's Bacco Room.

A couple of levels of bands with their songs, and some disc-jockeys with their discs are in charge of foot-tap and neck-snap facilitation on the night.

There have been some top-line testers for the brand's flagship ear-wear and it seems that the feedback from the likes of Madlib and Flying Lotus has been a triple thumbs-up!

I'll be making noise at some point with my rap hands and records, so come on down and make a party with us.

Deets below.

Monday Five - 13th September, 2010

Wow, Monday comes round real fast these days.

One. Georgia Anne Muldrow - 'Thrones'
Two. Shawn Phillips - 'I Don't Want to Leave You, Just Came to Say Goodbye'
Three. Dorothy Ashby - 'Cos' I Need It'
Four. Pursuit Grooves - 'Whisper'
Five. CSLSX - 'We Ought To Be Together'

Musical chur.

Sample & Flip #5

Supa mean-as beat from Dilla this one. A while back it had a lot of cats I know fiending for copies of A Tribe Called Quest's 'The Jam EP 2' which this track featured on.

As for me, first I heard of it was back on Funkmaster Flex's 'The Mixtape Vol. III' way back. From that point on it was a serious mish to find a vinyl copy of that one track. 

Around 2003-ish(?) Beat Merchants' record store record bins and my path fortunately crossed paths, and it has regularly sat proud in my record bag and spun on Technics turntables at many a gig since.

So, where is the sample from? 

Why it's from Shawn Phillips EPIC fifteen minute-long acoustic guitar and sax funk jam, 'I Don't Want to Leave You, Just Came to Say Goodbye' (the sample section that Dilla used hits around the 1.30 mark) from his 1977 LP 'Spaced', a pretty nice album in it's own right.

Pursuit Grooves - 'Foxtrot Mannerisms' EP

NY City's Vanese Smith a.k.a Pursuit Grooves is definitely holding it down for the ladies with her latest release 'Foxtrot Mannerisms' on the Tectonic label.

Blunted instrumentals, hybrid dub-step, and all good things in between, this EP deserves your attention for sure. Have a look at the review in Dusted Magazine for a little info on this dope release.

Have a listen to my personal favourite, the sexy-as-fuck 'Whispers'...

LP FEATURE: Eddie Kendricks - 'People...Hold On' + The Others...

EDDIE KENDRICKS - 'PEOPLE...HOLD ON'

Yeeeahhh. I have been gettin' back into and re-lovin' this old favourite of mine lately. As a result I have been tuning out for any version of 'Girl, You Need A Change of Mind'  I can come across.

Released on legendary label Motown/Tamla, it has to be one of the best 70's soul/funk records you could ever hear, and was released only three years after he left the legendary Temptations.

Here, on his 2nd solo LP, he showcases his amazing falsetto and musically, you could say that some of the jams here are direct pre-cursors to the disco movement.

Comes highly recommended, this is THE Eddie Kendricks LP to find on wax if you are so inclined.

MUST HAVE.

Ironically for a singer, he lost a battle with lung-cancer at the too-young age of 52 in 1992. Have a look at this interview recorded just a year before he passed.

While on the subject...

At the weekend I finally got my self a copy (and so completed my vinyl series collection) of 'Strange Games & Things' Volume 1. Eddie's 'Girl, You Need A Change of Mind' is fittingly the last track on the set.

Great compilation!

Ill versions have been done by Paul Lewis, IG Culture on 'Zen Badizm', and D'Angelo on his 'Interpretations/Remakes' LP over the years, but for me Eddie's is the stand-out. 

Get yourself a DL from up above of his great 'People...Hold On' LP.

Beat-head trainspotters might also recognise that 'My People...Hold On' has been sampled amongst others.

Monday Five - 6th September, 2010

I suspect that none of my readers fall into the category below, but after the usual round of idiots at the weekend, and following the insane story about DJ Jazzy Jeff getting kicked off mid-way through a set at a DJ AM tribute gig (I suggest AM would be turning in his grave on that one! R.I.P) in a Las Vegas club...

...I have this to say:

To the people that request an artist/song (in 2010 it's Lady Gaga usually) when I'm playing a live set, then ask, "Well, what do you have then?!" when I politely tell them that Lady Gaga is shit and I don't have any...

I AM NOT A JUKEBOX!

Oh, sorry I meant I am not an i-Pod. You're too young to know what a jukebox is.

This is what I like and I play what I like.

One. Pursuit Grooves - 'Whisper'

Two. Johnson & Jonson - 'Hidden Bonus Track'

Three. Exile - 'In Love' (Kan Kick Remix)

Four. Prince Rama - 'Storm Worship' (Sun Araw Remix)

Five. Catcall - 'Swimming Pool' (John Mehndelson Remix)

Gene Harris - Astral Signal x Spring Jam

GENE HARRIS - ASTRAL SIGNAL

So we need some lovely music to go with this weather on the first day of spring? 

Well, here is some killer soul/funk/jazz from Blue Note Records alumni Gene Harris. Personal favourites would have to be, 'Higga-Boom', 'I Remember Summer', and the fantastically named 'Losalamitoslatinfunksong'.

DL and play. No need for anything else...well....