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.
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!
I haven’t visited the DFA website since they were legally obliged to re-christian themselves Death From Abroad (where art thou Death From Above??!). Thankfully, while the name and website have changed, the output and agenda remain the same. Still traversing electronica, dance, hip-hop and anything else that floats their boat they also retain a healthy sense of humour. The Winter 2009-10 podcast, this time mixed by Holy Ghost, displays all the hallmarks of the label. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore would be proud to play this LOUD through the soundsystem in his Air Cav Huey.
Very few artists go out of their way to communicate directly with fans in a way that is as open, honest or sincere as DJ Shadow. Hey, he may not have liked the feedback given out to The Outsider and indeed that Keane remix, but respect is due for the fact that he keeps coming back for more. His recent web post sums up the challenge presented by downloading music for free and the affect it has both on the value consumers place in artistic endeavor and the future wave of musicians - those waiting for the new Nas, better get a coffee as they might have a looooonnnng wait. DJ Shadow is in the eye of the storm when it comes to the state of the music industry and it’s an insightful and a thoroughly recommended read.
Shadow’s site is also well worth exploring - crumbs the guy has been in, and often ahead of, the game long enough to be voted into hip-hops Hall of Fame (if such a thing exists) - from the nostalgic gallery shots to the new Handmade releases to the the current remix projects that showcase not only his catalogue but the great DJ skills of people like you and me. Well maybe not mine…
From old-school hip-hop to hip-hop on the outer reaches.Kidkanevil’s love affair with all things Japanese continues apace with the release of his new LP Basho Basho. Listening to the tracks it sounds like hip-hop through an ancient East Asian filter. Check it out and take advantage of bagging one of his previous albums, Problems & Solutions or Back Off Man, I’m A Scientist, for free when you purchase the CD.
What I also really like about KidK’s releases are the artwork. Produced by Matt ‘Monkey Boxer’ Bailey, Matt’s work has great flexibility and the illustrations for Basho Basho and the single Megajoy/Minjo are really suggestive of woodblock prints, feudal Japan, Rashoman and things of that ilk. Now that’s what I call proper record cover artwork.
BTW anyone not aware of KidK should check out our interview in issue 02 and his ill Public Service Announcement mix on Groovement. Both are straight outta Tokyorkshire.
Edan’s new release Echo Party is a toe tapping exploration of discarded and long forgotten disco, breaks, rap and fuzzy distortion mixed in with live instrumentation. As you would expect it’s both crazy mad and bad, as in good. This promo for the snippet release demonstrates that the Humble Magnificent operates on another level.
With name and cover artwork archly referencing Blue Note, Rebirth of Yuleis a lovely Christmas themed mix offering a warm and relaxing backdrop to the most chaotic time of the year. Produced by Kid Vector, who has always had complementary things to say about us, this mix is free so take advantage of the season of goodwill and pass on the recommendation to friends.
We’ve got an exclusive and rather good interview with Mr T in the new edition of Bonafide and with this in mind we thought we’d post a heads up about the excellent downloads currently available on his site. The Annie Mac Five Minute Mini-Mix is a great introduction to his jaunty Sheffield soundsystem and deserves to be played loud! Also worth checking is the video for the brilliant ‘Fill Up Mi Portion‘ that archly references both Little Shop of Horrors and Pac Man and the great promotional photography art directed by fellow Steel City creatives Peter and Paul.
This weekend has seen us slaving over the artwork for our Mr. Lif feature for issue 03. Tasters to the article can be found here but the best bits are being kept for the hardcopy. Inevitably the artwork session saw us bumpin to some of Lif’s classic material and reminded us of a couple of free (and legal) downloads floating around on the web.
The I Heard It Todaymixtape is on the promotional tip, while the Definitive Swim compilation (Def Jux hooks up Adult Swim) is worth checking purely for the kinetic Brothaz Remix with Cannibal Ox joining Lif on mic duties. Sure to wake you up on a Monday morning on the way to work!
That’s right folks, Bonafide is putting on an evening of underground hip-hop entertainment at the 23rd Leeds International Film Festival. Inspired by a conversation with multi-media/events organiser guru Liz Ainge, earlier this year we approached the organisers to see if we could put on a night and for their sins they accepted.
After much dithering we plumped to show the excellent Upper Playground/Walrus TV documentary The Run Up that pokes a lens into the face of leading street artists such as Jose Parla, Doze Green, Futura, Cody Hudson/Struggle Inc. and Swoon and gives them an intimate platform to talk about their work and motivations. Estevan Oriol comes across as one mean mutha of a photographer and the film is all the better for it. This is a rare chance to see The Run Up - we’re not sure if it’s ever been shown in a cinema setting before in the UK - at the Carriageworks 2 on 9th November with a showtime of 6.30pm. Oh yeah, did we mention the kick-ass soundtrack too?
Part two of the evening is arts based free-for-all at A Nation of Shopkeepers. Kicking off at 8.30pm the face off will feature uber turntablist DJ Mike-L who is a five times DMC finalist (what happened in the finals Mike?!) and has produced a mind-blowing spraycan/street-art themed mix. Mike-L is part of the First Word camp. Squaring up to him in the blue corner is nimble handed illustrator The Pern of the Best Joined Up crew. Serious props.
Two events not to be missed even if we do say so ourselves. For further details click here.
