Speaking with the Psychonauts last week regarding the re-release of Songs For Creatures. During the interview we touched upon the urban myth that was the Headz, Headz, Headz release (for Mo’Wax) by the Swedish hip-hop production unit, The Prunes (pictured above). The Prunes flitted between the now shut set of labels Mo’Wax and Grand Royal and one of their members, Peder, now resides on Ubiquity. Peder put out a mixtape a while back. Not exactly hip-hop, but very, very smooth and the perfect way to soften the blow of Monday morning.
This week sees two musical heavyweights step into the ring looking to find their form and titles again.
First up Massive Attack look to expunge the dissappointment of 100th Window with Heligoland. With the pressure solely on 3D to deliver the goods I found 100th Window creak under the weight of expectation. The sound was stripped too far back, with the vocals masked by the bleeping electronica. Horace Andy, father of gawd knows how many kids, has never sounded so impotent.
Heligoland, like 100th Window, contains a few eye-brow raising guest vocalists but, with Daddy G back in the fold, initial hype suggests that Massive are back on track and nearing Mezzanine’s heights again. Fingers crossed this is the case for one of the UK’s most original and influential groups.
Meanwhile across the pond and sitting in the red corner is Gil Scott-Heron. The grandfather of rap, Scott-Heron has spent years in the wilderness slipping into a hedonistic lifestyle at an age when most artists are going clean. Indeed he’s has been in a strange position where the tales of despair, loss and alienation he was documenting in his songs in the 70s, were actually foretelling his own recent troubles.
Gil Scott-Heron is where it all started in many people’s eyes and, like the Massive Attack album, I will be purchasing I’m New Here with a mixture of excitement, hey they could be starting a revolution again, and apprehension that maybe…
Not visited the 2K by Gingham store for a while so it was good to see that the site has had a facelift and boiled down the content (as a the marketing bods would say). The site is all the better for it and I reckon 2K remain in the premier league of t-shirt design. One of my personal favourite’s is still available too. Designed by Mario Guay this is a rock-and-roll design and a classic in the flesh.
Chimps and t-shirts have history of course – A Bathing Ape/Very Ape, SSUR, Paul Frank, X-Large, Ben Davis and countless imitators. Simian design was done to death during the 90s and 00s so it’s good to see that there is fresh life in the old monkey yet!
Brainfeeder goes global. The indie imprint set up by Flying Lotus in 2008 has signed a promotion and distribution deal with Ninja Tune using the London based record label’s “infrastructure to establish itself as a label with a global reach.” The statement goes on to add that ‘Brainfeeder remains autonomous…and Ninja is excited to be working with such an excellent label”
Brainfeeder housed many of Flying Lotus’s early recordings as well as those of the inimitable underground LA beat scene around him. The label’s output has further blurred the lines between progressive hip-hop and electronic music to devastatingly good effect, with a roster that includes Lorn, The Gaslamp Killer and Samiyam. But it is LA veteran Daedelus who will be releasing the first globally distributed Brainfeeder EP, Righteous Fists Of Harmony. A concept album/soundtrack to the Boxer Rebellion, the failed native uprising of a secret society of martial artists against the expansion of the British Empire in 19th Century China. Full-length albums by Samiyam, The GLK and a Brainfeeder compilation are expected to follow.
Rickshaw, below, offers a taster of what to expect and is part of the super limited Bleep x Give Up Art collaboration pack, North/South/East/West, of which we have a copy to give a way. Check out a few new beats and pieces over at our nascent Soundcloud account.
Introducing a new monthly column shining a modest sized spotlight on all that’s good, bad and downright awful in the crazy world of music blogs, and anything else that I can just about get away with including.
I’m a bit of cynical wanker who moans a lot but it’s a new year, the UK’s easing it’s way out of a crippling recession ( 0.1% economic growth, yeahhh boyyee!) and Arsenal are still, somehow, in the title race so I’m going to begin on an optimistic note…
Starting with L-Vis 1990, a name so ridiculous it could only belong to a plug in or a Mad Decent affiliate, it’s the latter, of course. United Groove has been smashing dancefloors for a while now and has rightly been given the remix treatment from Buraka Som Sistema, MJ Cole and this particular offering from Kingdom, a deep, hypnotic groove that gets under the skin. It’s good, if a little surprising, to hear and see the renaissance of MJ Cole in 2009 and from one og(arage head)to another, Donae’o releases his new single Riot Musicin March via Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy imprint, complete with remixes by Skream, The Nextmen and his label boss where sharp digi d+b stabs, aggy snares and sirens juxtapose nicely with Donae’o's soulful vocals. The video’s pretty basic yet effective, utilizing that most stylistic example of cinematic despair, Mattheir Kassovitz’s masterpiece La Haine. Check it.
Someone I’m not particularly feeling from the Mad Decent stable despite blog hyperbole is Gucci Mane. Dude sounds like he’s got a glob of snot stuck at the back of his throat in a rap style not dissimilar to YouTube phenomenon, Rehdogg. But make your own mind up about the Southern jailbird here.
From one phenomena to quite another, Drake was the undoubted success story for mainstream rap in 2009 and fellow Canadian A-Trak has given hit single ‘Money Loonies to Blow’ a typically trendy club remix via Fader. Closer to home and a little more taxing on the bandwidth comes Mos Defmaking a rare press appearance on Benji B’s Radio 1Xtra show, well worth a listen as Mos reveals some of his own musical influences including Frank Zappa, Shuggie Otis and John Coltrane.
A lot of people keep asking whether the new issue of Bonafide is available in physical shops and the answer is a resounding yes! If you peer to the right of this page you will see a list of ‘Stockists’ but if you’re finding my words to engrossing to look away the new issue is available in all Carhartt UK stores, Magma, Fopp, Noise labin Manchester, Rough Trade and ‘all good record stores’ and if it’s not ask your ever so friendly record store clerk to stock it. Or you could buy a copy from our online shop, just saying.
Eric the Dog has been burning it up recently and working well…umm…like a dog. He’s joining forces with OG street scrawler Will Barras and DEM for the forthcoming Original Cultures – The Show @ StolenSpace Gallery. Running from 12.02.10- 07.03.10, this will be the trio’s second collaborative project following their work during Original Cultures’ first event in Bologna, Italy, 2009. Original Cultures – The Show promises to be a creative exploration of paintings, animation, design and some crazy ideas. If you are in the locale, checkit!
The Old Sweet Shop has been a great supporter of Bonafide, stocking (and selling out) of the magazine. And it’s high time we returned the favour. An independent art space supporting a diverse array of local artists and product makers, make a bee-line for the gallery next time you are in the Steel city. You won’t be disappointed.
Their latest show stars artist and illustrator Lord Bunn who is showcasing his skills for the first time on a solo stage. Girls runs from the 13th January to the 23rd March.
Freewayslipped off the radar for a while but is back with this banger, Know What I Mean, featuring production by Jake One. The Stimulus Package is out on Rhymesayers Entertainment later this month. Cop the mp3 here.
A little bit of hip-hop’s soul was sold over the weekend, with DJ Shadow donating one of his Endtroducing-era Technics MK-1200 turntables to a Haiti relief auction run by Oxfam. Sold to a lucky punter for £920. If I had that kind of cash, that would seem a bargain!
Oxfam have loads of good quirky offers on Fleabay at the moment. Checkit!
