Tony Cook, one time drummer to James Brown and electro pioneer, is releasing an anthology, Back to Reality, in 2010. Check out this interview - persevere with it as the intro is a bit DIY - and listen to musical history speak. As it says Pt.1, I’m sure there are going to be more instalments that should make for a revealing interview. Peep the background to the project here; it’s what discovering and making music should be about.
Greymatter’s Mind Over Matter album has just fallen to earth and there is an intense Illum Sphere remix of the track Too Much floating around for free. Well Bladerunner.
Kidkanevil has been a busy boy since we last spoke to him, check out the dope new video for Minjo by Ricky Kershaw, from his dope new album Basho Basho. Ever evolving, Kidk has flipped it yet again for his third long player and this one is truly epic. An abstract landscape of sonic sound textures played via a Boombox hooked up to a Commodore 64, which is hooked up to a satellite on the other side of Mars, which beams the sounds back to Tokyorkshire, recording over itself in a resounding auricular paradox. This is some next level future shit. You can check the album out and download it here.
You can also get the basho basho mixtape here.
In fact he’s been knocking out the mixtapes for fun recently, you can check his recent mix for knowledge mag here. and a mix he describes as “aggy bass music” for Data Transmission here.
And while we’re on the subject, you may have missed the video for his debut single Kranium Rock ft. Testament the first time round (also by Ricky Kershaw) way back in ‘05 – A Bonafide favourite recently re-upped on Youtube.
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.
Flying Lotus, Rickshaw by Bonafide Magazine
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.
Ever impressive live performers, The Bays, return to Koko this coming Friday, for an early festive treat of funk-fuelled electronica. Their improv live shows are the stuff of legend, with no two sets ever the same. Add to the fact that this is a double-header with the mighty Red Snapper also performing live and this gig promises to be pretty special.
We have two tickets up for grabs, all you have to do is leave a comment below answering the following simple question: where would you find a Red Snapper? The entry closes on Thursday 3rd December, with the victor being notified on the same day.
A rather more realistic addition for the Christmas list this time.
Produced across the way in Manchester, Make A Mixa has a genuinely creative approach to using a USB. The techy bit of kit is inserted into a tape and then (the exciting bit) you can design your own sleeve/label for your tape and make it look like you damn well please. For any 80s to mid 90s kids who spent hours crafting their own tape and its personalised packaging (I hold my hand up for spending hours scrawling infective 3D graffiti styles to go with tapes that reflected my, shall we naive, enjoyment of music) this should hit the nostalgia spot. Even more interesting are the limited edition versions with outstanding artist/illustrator Matt Sewell and underground legend Devin the Dude both getting involved. Cheeeckiiiiit it out.
The 1980s inspired artwork shouldn’t work and yet it does. Warp’s latest boy-wonder Hudson Mowhawke is making a name for himself as someone who doesn’t stick to the safe option. His debut LP Butter is out shortly but in the meantime try these tasters; Opps is fantastic, an ode to club hedonism and a perfect slice of urban electronic soul that melts in your ears like butter spread over hot toast. Nice if you like sort of thing.
