Metaform’s album Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is rooted in hip-hop, electronic, and soul. This album delivers interesting beats with a cinematic perspective. You will hear an amalgamation of afro-centric drums, jazz, funk, rock, and boom-bap. Overall an energetic, well crafted effort.
This album has been on heavy rotation ever sense I picked it up a month ago. I hear something new everytime I listen to it. He really comes through on several tracks and does well by leaving around gems to discover on later listens.
Metaform MySpace.
Preview the album here.
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Noteworthy
Knowledge seems to have flown under my radar until now. I haven’t heard much from the Philadelphia producer but the little I have heard is banging. He has an incredible remix of Erykah Badu’s song “Soldier” on his myspace page that would be on repeat if it was available for download. He is starting to produce tracks that are getting onto notable albums, he produced a track for Invincible’s debut LP ShapeShifters.
He is most def a producer that is on the rise so take notice. Oh and he has a EP that is set to drop sometime but I don’t have the name of it or the date it is supposed to drop. As soon as I get more info I will be sure to post it here.
Knowledge MySpace.
The Beats
I stand corrected. I had posted this last week and heard from Franklin ( AKA FS Green ) that indeed there are three separate beat tapes that he, Hayzee and Sir OJ completed.
There’s what seems to be a nice little interview with the crew ( in Dutch ) that can be found here.
Links to the Beat Tapes are as follows:
Sir OJ’s Beat Tape
Hayzee’s Beat Tape
FS Green’s Beat Tape
I have always liked Vast Aire. With that said his last solo joint “Look Mom…No Hands” was lackluster at best. I could just never get settled in. Once I’d hear something that I was feeling it would switch to something I couldn’t stand listening to. Albums like that upset me because all that separates it from being good is the filler. I would rather have a shorter album that’s flames than a 17 track album that’s kiddie pools.
Vast Aire has just dropped a new album “Dueces Wild” that I didn’t even know was coming. A welcome surprise and a shorter no fills addition to Vasts collection. This album is all i need right now.
Oh and “I used to make cheese sandwiches with No Frills.”
Track of the day
I can’t believe I have been sleeping on Sebastien & his band the Mountains. He was in the band Death From Above 1979. I never really listened to that band at all but I am going to go back and give Death From Aboves collection a try.
When I heard “Ways to Come Home,” a song off of Sebastien and his four piece bands new EP I was floored. It was part electronic, part underground, part atmospheric, part mellow, & all epic.
I am starting to build a nice little soundtrack to the hot days of summer. This song heads that sdtrk off. Once you here it you will understand why I love it so much.
This song is off the EP American Names that came out June 10th in Canada. You can buy it from the Canadian iTunes link below if you live in Canada. I have no clue when this drops state side but be on the look out for it . Respect to my buddy Dan L. for putting me on to some more of that good music.
Their MySpace.
iTunes Canada.
Bleep Bloop Blip
Dutch entrepreneur Nalden aka Naldisney (Nalden.net / Appletree Records) presents HayZee (20), one of the Netherlands finest talents, by releasing his first beat tape Next Level online as a free download. This young producer HayZee is certainly an upcoming talent and could be recognized by the influence of his passion for 8-bit games in the beats he produced. With games like Mario, Metroid, Megaman as inspiration HayZee started to make beats with this typical 8-bit sound a few years a go. Now, the loading is done and Next Level is his first beat tape containing 8 levels of crazy beats which gives you a pleasure listening for at least 30 minutes.
HayZee also invites every singer or mc to play with vocals of his beats. It would be much appreciated if we all can hear the result too so please e-mail us your Next Level tracks containing vocals and maybe we’ll end up with a limited but Next Level Compact Disc.
Download Next Level here
Next Level Tracklist:
01. Press Start
02. Mario VS Megaman / Fanfare
03. Y3eah
04. Orbitworks / Fireworks
05. Spacedoll
06. UnderwaterWays / Grimey Cutman
07. Last Boss / Final Form
08. Ending / Reset
Shout outs to FS Green for assisting HayZee with the production . . .
Track of the day
I’m starting to dig E.P.s. They give me a glance at whats to come. An orderve, something to wet the appetite. When I think back to recent E.P.s that sparked my interest, I’m reminded of Daybre and Harmonic 313. What was it that these albums offered?
About twenty minutes of head bangers and an interlude to my next selection. This is how I feel about Architeq.
Birds of Prey captures a bit of what I like in electronic. Good use of synths, breaks and clever arrangement. Its funky hooks get me right back into the song and it’s an overall good effort.
Check it out.
Architeq MySpace.
Alright. So I picked up and album several months ago, Louis Bordeaux’s Lets Love Life and played it on rotate. I became a fan of his music, but neglected to check the label he was signed to. I do this more than I should.
So I followed up and discovered Appletree Records. After diggin’ around some I came across Beau Love and found what I was looking for. Much like Bordeaux’s effort, Love comes with interesting composition, soul, and great timing. It has its own flavor and distinct sound. Plus his production stands out on a few tracks. Solid all around. Check it out for yourself.
Props to Appletree Records. They have an ear for talent. Even though I may be new to them (or a bit late in finding them), I’m glad I did.
ALSO, get this beat tape. Signed artist Lefto mixes this one. Its got a great selection, it’s free and picked from the Appletree.
Track of the day
You might have heard Ratatat on Remixes – Mixtape Vol. 1. A nice collection of mashup’s from hip-hop heros alike. Ratatat is set to release their third studio project titled LP3 on July 8th. The track here is from the new record and it is on some serious repeat right now in my iTunes. I am not sure how these guy pull off the use of 80’s metal guitar arpeggios, but they do. They some how mix it to sounds unmistakingly new. The rest of the record is untouchably hot, and highly recommended.
Classics
I would type a detailed description but, to cut it short….. DOPE! Ok well, one thing. The highlight of the show happened right before this clip, he played Windowlicker backwards and mixed it with Madlib. Wha?!? Next level. Watch and enjoy.
Flying Lotus “Los Angeles LP” Release Part at The Low End Theory from yesyesyall on Vimeo.
Posted by Kenneth/Saturday June 14, 2008
Noteworthy
Acquitted on all 14 counts. We knew you did not pee on that girl.
Podcasts
HEY BIG SPENDER! Horns, drum kicks, sassy and seductive choruses collide in an aggressive mix by San Francisco producer Geebz. Titled Big Spender, the track was originally composed for Geebz’s Shellmound crew but caught the ears of YYY and the rest is E.P. history. Geebz jumped at request and put together an extended play inspired by the show tunes of Sweet Charity. And it worked. The E.P. is full of production surprises, great mixing, and clever use of dialogue. Even Joe Namath makes a guest appearance in one of the many samples brought back to life in Big Spender.
Unique sounding and interestingly mixed, Big Spender feels a bit like an electronic, big band, hip-hop mash-up on broadway. Geebz definitely brought some thunder. We recently asked him his thoughts on the process. When asked how he felt making the E.P., Geebz replied “ Frustrating. Having a concept made it tougher. It’s easier to throw a bunch of joints together, but to tell one story was a little harder.” When asked how he felt about the mix, Geebz reflected “Yeah. I like High Roller like a mutha’. I still don’t feel like I’m done with it, but I could work on it forever and it’s just gonna be.” He’d like to give props to YYY for the respect, and Ev Murder for the mastering.
Geebz myspace
Enjoy this exclusive mix for YYY.
Track of the day
Okay boo to me or whatever but I didn’t know that Ropeadope Records was still around. The last album I bought from ropeadope was the Philadelphia Experiment’s self titled album that dropped way back in ’01. I haven’t really heard much from them since. But today I came across an album by Yameen titled “Never Knows Best.” How fire the album is made me believe I’d been neglecting a sure source for some more fire. I took a trip over to the Ropeadope website and found a whole roster of artists whom I had never heard of. I felt as if I had just found a treasure chest of possible ipod additions.
I don’t know much about Yameen. I know that he has been involved in music to some degree or another most of his life and that he has gone by several other aliases as a producer. I also know that this album has me the kind of excited you get when you discover new music that you really connect with. This album has a nice mix of instrumentals and r&b/hip-hop and dropped yesterday.
Noteworthy
Yea… they’re dudes. I had to rub my eyes a couple times when i found this cause the name threw me off. Don’t let the name fool you, these cats are raw. Cause ain’t nuthin sweet bout 3 emcees named Tanya, you know it’s gonna hit when 88 is behind ya. They’ve been hard at work for years, somehow managed to fly under my radar. I sleep from time to time as the homies like to keep reminding me, but how on this?! Winning MTVU’s Freshmen of the Week contest in July 2006 with their “We Be” video helped these guys get on the map along with frequent airplay on college radio across the country. If there was an audience that would be appropriate for this group it’d probably be college students. Their message is about focus and reality checks. It feels like Jungle Brothers/Tribe or that golden era of hip hop when it was all about witty lyrics and having fun. There’s a steady style to the album with enough variation to keep your head nodding. Oh, and about the crew. It’s another lovely Brooklyn and Cincinnati collab. Emcees Donwill and Ilyas are from the Natti, and Von Pea is from Brooklyn. They rock over tracks by Brickbeats. Apparently, they didn’t even meet as a group until halfway through the first album’s production. It was all done via instant message chat’s in the beginning. Check their myspace page, it’s got some freebies you may like. I think gangster rap is about to die. Don’t sleep on these brothas.
Tanya Morgan Myspace
Tanya Morgan
We Be Video Big up to Myspace pimpin!
I misspelled the group’s name numerous times while writing this, it’s alot like Tracy Morgan
Track of the day
Props to the special YYY friend who dropped off this gem from the upcoming I-Sa project “Wah Waah”. And that’s what you can expect… some really ill wah waahs. There’s not much info available about this Belgium trio. They come from different backgrounds musically, fusing jazz, soul, and hip hop electronica. A blend that manifests well in their music. Kissey Asplund laces “Tyged Moments” with some vocals that I can’t wait to hear more of, but the most bangin’ track they have is “Drumloop 20”. Keep an eye out for the release.
Inspiration
I actually don’t share that many videos between people. I have at times been caught in the cross fire of youtube frenzy in which friends retort back to an email of mine or an instant message with a video that they indeed think is better than my own. Although they don’t say that ( maybe I’m reading into things? ) Regardless, someone sent me this wonderful video shot at about 90 frames per second of people getting smacked about. Yes, Smacked about. The other is typographic playfulness. The type of design work that inspires me and gets me motivated – work that makes a statement.
Have a look at these two Youtube gems . . .
Action Figure Slow Motion Punches
And
Posted by Ness/Monday June 9, 2008
Guest Posts
Flying Lotus hits the ground running with his highly anticipated sophomore release Los Angeles. For fans, you’ll find the same energy and personality from his debut release 1983 and should most certainly appreciate his evolution. Since his introduction, FlyLo has contributed greatly to the scene and has collaborated on some great projects including Adult Swim bumpers and several Plug Research artists.
What I dig most is his ability to bring together rich sounds in genre pushing compositions. His love for the avant-garde, electronic, and hip-hop are always apparent and I definitely like that he drives his music with heavy percussion and spot on melodies.
FlyLo’s effort is worth much more credit than I can give. Be sure to support him and grab this album.
Props to Warp Records for realizing Flying Lotus’ vision.
Pick it up here DRM free.
The Beats
This deserves a Album Cover of the Month award. Fantabulous Design. Powell is crafting some very nice tunes out of France. He’s also featured on the latest version of Beat Dimensions. It’s a tad tad too repetitive for my tastes – but he’s doing his thing.
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Download the sex tape here.
Fans of Bahamadia would recognize this sample and track posted here.
Inspiration
Timothy Saccenti takes nice photographs of people we like. He also does videos.
Flying Lotus:Teaser Video
Erykah Badu
EL-P
Ulrich Schnauss
Jimmy Edgar
SA-RA
TV on the Radio
& More . . .
And on a musical note. I believe Marma sent me this album by the talented Andy Dixon. Take some folk, electronic, and a little world – throw in the blender at a high speed and it may sound like this.
Track of the day
“The beats are constructed with expertise, balancing sampled elements and originals to impressive effect.” – OkayPlayer.Com
“They take the listener on an enthralling musical journey among the cosmos while the song’s unresolved ending leaves you uneasy, wanting more from this super-duo. Do we sense a collaboration with Dangermouse coming?” – Filter Magazine
“The best heartbreaking/horrifying slab of downtempo I’ve heard in quite some time” – URB MAGAZINE
It’s been said already. Blue Sky Black Death are producing some wonderful, complex, emotional pieces that fall in line with the best producers out there. After each member produced a number of tracks for various rappers on his own, Blue Sky Black Death made their debut on Mush Records in 2006, with the release of their double-disc debut album A Heap of Broken Images. The first disc featured twelve instrumental tracks, while the second disc featured a number of guests rapping over their production, which included Jus Allah (of Jedi Mind Tricks), Sabac Red (formerly of Non Phixion), Wise Intelligent (of Poor Righteous Teachers), A-Plus and Pep Love (of Hieroglyphics), Chief Kamachi (of Army of the Pharaohs), Mikah 9 (formerly of Freestyle Fellowship), Virtuoso (formerly of Army of the Pharaohs), Awol One and Holocaust. The album’s acclaimed production led to the duo landing a record deal with popular independent rap label Babygrande Records.
The chemistry felt on their track with Holocaust, a West Coast Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, led to a full-length collaboration album between BSBD and the rapper. On September 5, 2006, Babygrande released the duo’s second album Blue Sky Black Death presents: The Holocaust. Holocaust provided all vocals on the album, while BSBD provided all production. The album featured the single “The Ocean” b/w “No Image”. The duo’s next album was a collaboration with another Wu-Tang affiliate, Sunz of Man and Black Market Militia member Hell Razah, titled Razah’s Ladder, released October 23, 2007 on Babygrande. Unlike The Holocaust, the album included outside guest appearances, featuring Crooked I, Shabazz the Disciple, Ill Bill, Sabac Red and Prodigal Sunn. The duo strayed from the dark soundscapes featured on The Holocaust, instead providing a soulful backdrop for Razah. Shortly before the release of Razah’s Ladder, the duo released a mixtape titled Dirtnap, featuring a number of leftover’s from the upcoming album, various collaborations and instrumentals.
Their Myspace
Mush Records
Buy the Late Night Cinema
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