Hi-Tek

now playing: Hi-Tek - Suddenly feat. Mood

Anthony Cottrell, aka Hi-Tek, the son of Willie Cottrell, is a producer and rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known as a the other half of Reflection Eternal on the side of Talib Kweli. The two started working together after they both had been featured on hiphop group Mood's album Doom. Hi-Tek produced most of the tracks on Talib Kweli and Mos Def's album, Black Star on 1998.

Download Black Star

Probably most credits have been given to the two legendary emcees but also the strong production has been recognized. Working with Mos Def and Talib Kweli is a wonderful place to start a career. Giving out the debut release of Reflection Eternal in 2000 is a wonderful way of keep a career going. Train of Thought came out on Rawkus Records. At that time it wasn't a huge success but the sales rates were moderate and reviews mostly positive.

 Download Train of Thought

Hi-Tek produced many other projects of Rawkus Records, including the Soundbombing series, a three-record compilation of mostly Rawkus-based artists. His first solo album Hi-Teknology came out in 2001 and it featured appearances by Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common etc. Round and Round feat. Jonell from the album was a minor hit at that time.

Download Hi-Teknology

Shortly after the release of Hi-Teknology, Hi-Tek left Rawkus Records and went to MCA Records instead after the Round and Round remix featuring Method Man had become an undergound hit. He began to record Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, and produced Jonell's unreleased debut album for Def Jam. Hi-Teknology 2 was released in October 2006 on Babygrande. His third installment, Hi-Teknology 3: Underground, came out in December 2007.

Download Hi-Teknology 2 The Chip / Hi-Teknology 3

Hi-Tek has been praised for versatility but, at the same time, criticized for inconsistency. Hi-Teknology 2 is a versatile collection of strong beats and good/pretty good rhymes but as a whole the album stays a little messy. There's a mixtape-like feel to it. But on the other hand, some people say it is the best out of three releases in the series.

In 2010, Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli got back together to release the album Revolutions Per Minute. In general the reviews were positive from the start and the album sold well: Revolutions Per Minute debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart, number 5 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 3 on its Rap Albums. It seemed like the long wait had matured the two and their co-operation. Hi-Tek's beats fit Talib Kweli's rapping and the brought the best out of each other.

Download Revolutions Per Minute

Ta-Ku

now playing: Ta-Ku - September 4th

Thank you, thank you, you're welcome. I would love me for writing this, too. I've wanted to write about Ta-Ku for a long time and now I just decided to go for it. Why? Because there's something very special about his beats that makes me go ooooohh, aaahhh and do funny faces. (You know the funk face, right? I do that a lot.)

The official mini biography says: Recent (2008) Redbull Music Academy participant, Reggie ‘Ta Ku’ Matthews, has gone from strength to strength and has released a plethora of beat tapes and with releases set to drop in 2011 via PaperChain (Austraila) Darker Than Wax (Singapore) & Faces Records (Paris), this future beat maker has alot more coming and many more releases to unleash. Inspired from the likes of Dilla, Hazel, Onra, Fs Green, B.Bravo & Diabiase, he has produced beats internationally for artists like Cyhi The Prynce (G.O.O.D Music), John Robinson, Raashan Ahmad, Outasight, Kid Daytona, Phil Ade, Rakaa (Dilated Peoples) and more. 


So, Ta-Ku is an Australian sample based producer, a lover of soul music and an extremely prolific man. During 2011 he's given out at least 5 releases full of dope beats plus many many more tracks in his soundcloud. In general, his music has and is spread over the internet since he's released on many different labels and put his tracks to many different websites, so I'm trying to do you a favor here and have as much information on the same page as possible. Let's go.

Buy The Lonely Stranger

Download The Lonely Stranger 

Kicking it off with the Lonely Stranger, a Kris Mars album produced by Ta-Ku. It was a free release when it first came out in February 2010.

Next up, BD3: Battle Beats. "My hometown had its 3rd annual Beat Battle. BEATDOWN 3. 16 beatmakers in one spot - they all had absolute fire! Was fortunate to take home the win for the 3rd time! Here are all the beats used for the night." I must say that this is one of Ta-Ku's best albums from a dancer point of view. Dope ass beats.

 Buy BD3: Battle Beats

October 2010 gave out a tribute to a legend. TRIBUTE : Dilla is a compilation of the beats Ta-Ku had made during the past years and that were influenced by the late beat master. I'm glad that one of my current favorite producers' favorite producer is my favorite producer. (Miserable sense of humor, I know... Sorreee.)

In November 2010 Ta-Ku and Roughsoul made an album together under the name LoveChild. Synth You've Been Gone is an ode to the synthesizer and it has a great vibe straight from the 80's. 

Buy Tribute : Dilla

Download Tribute : Dilla

Buy Synth You've Been Gone

An interesting add to the discography is a Moovmnt exclusive (you all know moovmnt.com and if you don't, you should), a collaboration with Miles Bonny. It's called Down to Earth Club Music and I actually just downloaded it, too, and cannot wait to listen to it.

 Download Down to Earth Club Music

The first release that I actually got to know was 24. It came out on April 1st on Soulection. It is a free release but 100 % of all donations go directly to Japan. The artist describes the album like this: "This '24' Beat Tape is a testament to the technology age we live in. Being a big fan of SOULECTION it was crazy to think I could make a beat one night and 2 hours later, email it straight to Joe Kay for it to be played to the world that very same day. Inspired by Joe's fine selection of music - I decided to see how many beats I could bump out and polish in a 24 hour period."

Buy 24
Download 24

On April 10th, only about a week after the release of 24, Ta-Ku gave out his Day And Night EP. The album is "To commemorate the release of the 'Day & Night 577' collaboration between New Balance & Highs & Lows." Each track represents either day or night vibes.

Buy Day & Night

Download Day & Night

 Buy Scraps

Scraps came out on May 31st. In Ta-Ku's own words, it is "a bunch of old scrappy beats gathering dust on my PC. Soul & Electronic joints." At least music bloggers have been thankful and happy about those "scrappy" beats but also contrary opinions have been presented. Yes, some of them aren't maybe the best thing he's given out, but I think dope is still dope.

One of the newest releases from him in my library is KT. Different websites give different release dates and I'm not sure which one I should believe. The record label's (Darker Than Wax) facebook site says April 1st but multiple bloggers have written about the end of May or beginning of June. Who knows. Anyway, it's a really nice EP. I like the slightly cinematic and emotional vibe that the four tracks have. KT is dedicated to a very special person in his life and it offers a raw an atmospheric glimpse into his world.

 Buy KT

The next project was September. It says on Ta-Ku's soundcloud that "I will be making a beat a day in September 2011 and uploading here. Take a listen." Well, there weren't beats for all days but let's forgive him because the 13 finished beats are goooood, and it was this album that gave me the last kick to start writing. Anyone who is able to produce with this tempo deserves to be mentioned somewhere and anyone who produces this fast and this well definitely deserves to be blogged about. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that speed makes a good producer. But the combination of quality and amount of beats that Ta-Ku has is pretty incredible to me.

Download September

Project Mooncircle & Finest Ego have teamed up to establish a fresh new 12” producer series, entitled “Faces”. On every edition, you will find two different producers. Respectively, each producer will have their own record-side and unique cover artwork by the aspring LNY, known for his surrealistic portraits, blending humans and animals. The very first installment of the “Faces” series will feature Pavel Dovgal & Ta-Ku.

Coming from backgrounds which could not possibly be any more different these two artists share a common connection through their relentless work-ethic and individualistic creative approach to making music. They have been fighting for international recognition with their extravagant beats.

 Buy Faces

Download Faces

The latest release came out yesterday, the 5th of December 2011. I believe Late NYC will create a buzz in the blogosphere since I've already spotted it on several sites I follow. The album is a preparation for the next LP coming out early 2012, and Late NYC captures Ta-ku's down time while in New York and is pretty much a story for his trip earlier this year.

Buy Late NYC

Download Late NYC 

So, quite a lot of music, huh? And there's more to come. I don't even need to say that keep the name in mind because he will take care of that aspect himself. There's no way that you could forget someone who's pumping out good music like a machine.

Gringo - Xperimental

now playing: Gringo - De Jazz

Enjoy. That's all. 

Hiphop music for dancers

now playing: Hiphop mixtape November 2011

Hip Hop Mixtape November 2011 by Veusty84

Fulgeance - To All of You

now playing: Fulgeance - Hiver Normand

Gonna keep it short and sweet. A late night discovery. Good stuff.

Heavy D 1967-2011

now playing: Heavy D - Blue Funk

Another legend passed away yesterday. Thank you for the music, rest in peace.

Gracias

now playing: Gracias - HKI

Sometimes some people do the right thing at the right time. Like Deogracias Masomi. He's released (in my opinion) one of the best rap/hiphop EPs in Finland possibly ever and the time is certainly right. Finland needed it. Gracias, formerly known as Luminate, has been in the game for a good time now but after giving out HKI, the first single of the Gracias EP, there has been a constantly growing interest in this 24-year-old Congo born talented rapper.

"Gracias made his debut in 2007 (as Luminate) with the mixtape Listenin Comprehension. Luminate faded himself away for a couple of years mainly because the bullshit politics in music and cheap beer. Uninspired by the state of hiphop, Luminate was quietly laid to rest. Metaphorically speaking. Gracias fell back and nourished his ears and soul with that vintage, golden-era, gritty hip-hop sound. He then reinvented himself after realizing how much passion he had for rap music + the local fanbase, consisting of little kids who were constantly demanding for new material. That was bugging the shit out of his nerves." (Quote from www.gracias.fi/bio)

Gracias EP was released in July 2011. From the start, it has been adopted by the Finnish hiphop heads and it has received good critique. Many say that it is not a brilliant album, yet, but a very promising debut that leaves you eagerly waiting for more. Personally, I find the production very nice. Laid-back, groovy and soulful is how I like my hiphop and that's what I get. I know I'm listening to something good when my head starts to nod and I feel like dancing. That's what's up.


Gracias was performing live in the opening night of Kluuvi shopping center and I was very pleased with his stage presence. (Footage coming soon). Rapping and performing seems so natural and easy for him - he has much less annoying mannerisms than Finnish rappers usually have plus his flow is very nice. Often I'm almost disgusted by the slow, hard and somehow pushy rapping that you hear a lot in Finland, but luckily Gracias makes a nice exception in this matter.

On the side of the tracks from the EP, he performed one new track from his upcoming album and it really left me waiting for more.

Must Have Records

now playing: Saine - Drifter

Check check! Keep your ears tuned into the direction of Northern Virginia because that's where the new record label Must Have Records is coming from. Based on the first public release, Saine's Drifter EP, it's going to be amazing.



Saine - Drifter EP [MHR-001] by must have records

Olli aka DJ Mercy-1

now playing: Olli - BUUMM

One of the few Finnish deejays that have made an international breakthrough, Olli, is famous for his popping beats. As a member of Flow Mo Crew he is also known as a bboy... and a really nice guy.

His Boogaloo Danger Vol. 1 and 2 were released in 2008 and 2010. Beats from both albums have been played in numerous dance events all around the world and he's been said to be one of the hottest popping deejays no only in Finland but for example in Korea, too. Boogaloo Danger Vol. 3 was released just a little while ago.

Check out his blog and his store. Pop.

Crappy Old Remixes by Elaquent

now playing: Notorious B.I.G. - Kick in the Door (Elaquent Remix)

ugh, i cant believe im even posting these. so yeah, i made all of these back in 06 to early 08, which i recently just recovered. these were old myspace joints that i lost when my last computer crashed, little did i know that i backed these up online, and completely forgot. lol. these were my old "boom bap"
joints, back before i stopped quantizing my drums, and back before i started experimenting with my sound. guess its nice to look back to see how far you've come along i guess....a couple of these in my opinion aged nicely...i fucks with the biggie remix and the redman ones especially...some of the other ones are kinda bleh
to me.

Let's allow some self-criticism for the artist and know better ourselves. Ok ok, it's not the best stuff he's released but I'm still happy listening.

Ay Pee Beat Libraries 1-3

now playing: Apatight - Black Rush

A while ago I got a huge load of music from a friend of mine and lately I've been doing nothing but tried to organize it all and find out what did I get.

The first diamond out of this pile is Apatight's Ay Pee Beat Library 1, 2 and 3. The albums were released during the summer of 2010. They're free downloads from the Bandcamp site of "Producers I Know".







Have a nice day and enjoy.

Platinum Pied Pipers

now playing: Platinum Pied Pipers - Luv Affair

Platinum Pied Pipers aka PPP aka Triple P is a Detroit-based hip-hop and r&b group. The members are producer Waajeed ( a founding member of Slum Village) and multi-instrumentalist Saadiq (not to be confused with Raphael Saadiq). The two met in 1992 and some years after that they decided to start working together as a duo. In 2000 they started to release 12"s and mixtapes and in 2003 their collaboration with Dwele called Ridin' High caught the attention of listeners and set the stage for a full-lenght album.

Their debut album Triple P was released in 2005 on Ubiguity Records and it was praised by some rather influential people such as Gilles Peterson and Questlove (“I listened to the album (Triple P) seven times in a row…I made 23 friends listen to the album 3 days straight… at gunpoint - I’m on the run. I will go to jail for Platinum Pied Pipers!!!!”) The album was also made the Pick of the Week by LA Weekly.

Download Triple P

Buy Triple P

Fellow Detroit artists Jay Dee, MC Ta-Raach, plus UK-based Spacek, and Los Angeles based SA-RA Creative Partners pop up on the album. As a whole Triple P is an interesting mix of different genres and catchier than you might at first think. A personal favorite of mine is the ninth track, Now or Never, which is pure genious in its simplicity.

After the debut, the group changed their name to the more simply stated PPP. Their second album, Abundance, was released in 2008. This album has a new, more progressive vibe to it, but it manages to stay true to Triple P's soul-based foundation. The result is a fluid mash-up of the group's array of both vintage and modern influences from pop, house, funk, Detroit techno, and of course, hip-hop.

Download Abundance

Buy Abundance 

Hopefully the group will keep on making great music and bringing new ideas and approaches to soul and r&b. For now, all I can say is, enjoy these two.

Surg & Hellfire

now playing: Surg & Hellfire - Like My Dad

Lately I've put a lot of time and energy into my posts and tried to cover whole careers of different artists. But today I'm keeping it short and sweet because it's already late and I'm leaving early for Estonia tomorrow. So, something I found out today and enjoyed a lot.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse was found dead in her apartment at the age of 27. One of the best voices of contemporary soul music. Rest in peace.

Slakah the Beatchild

now playing: Slakah the Beatchild - Enjoy Ya Self

Funny how so many of my current favorite artists are Canadian. So is Byram Joseph aka Slakah the Beatchild, a highly sought after and awarded performing producer. This Toronto based multitalented musician has produced for many Canadian artists such as Justin Nozuka, Drake, Glenn Lewis, Divine Brown, Ayah, Ebrahim and Melanie Durrant and he was nominated for a Juno award for his work as a producer with artists Shad (make sure you check out my post about Shad!!), Ebrahim & Arabesque. In 2009 he was awarded a Juno award for the Divine Brown album Love Chronicles. He is a member of the hiphop duo Art of Fresh, a solo artist and the creator of The Slakadeliqs.

A recent documentary style EPK peers into the life of Slakah the Beatchild as he talks about his collaborations with various artists. Watching this, you can follow the Beatchild as he goes on a mini tour and writes in the studio. The documentary was produced by Maya Bankovic and Nadia Tan for Six Nine Three.

Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician

now playing: Fat Jon - Tell Me

The ample Jon is not your average beat technician. His extraordinarily varied productions set him apart from those who focus on one type of beat or style of music. He has found success with hip-hop, soul-touching relaxed grooves and more abstract soundscapes

He is probably most famous for his work as a member of Cincinnati's Five Deez. This collective burst onto the scene with their Bluelight Special 12" sometime ago. Since then they have clocked up more than 40 single releases. Jon has his fingers in all the pies with this group, and has contributed to their output as an emcee, producer and DJ. Their debut album, Koolmotor, was released on Counterflow in 2001.
He is also a member of the 3582 crew, the other half being J Rawls. With 3582, Jon has been able to showcase his excellence as a vocalist as his solo material has gained much press acclaim for his unique productions that flirt with electronica, downtempo, and dub sounds.

Elaquent

now playing: Elaquent - Deep Slumber

Today I bring you Elaquent, Beatmaker x Batman Lover x Kung Fu Movie Expert x Night Owl from Guelph, Ontario. I didn't make that up but it was on his facebook page. The following list of his influences can be found on the same page: J Dilla, Madlib, Flying Lotus, Pete Rock, Moka Only, DJ Premier, Mr. Dibia$e, Afta-1, Benny B Blonco, Onra, devonwho, Samiyam, mndsgn, Sunclef, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Winehouse, Mayer Hawthorne.

He is extremely talented plus a really nice guy, according to his own words. I believe that if his music tells anything about him as a person because we are without a doubt talking about the better kind of instrumental albums.

I'll list his albums with download/purchase links with some words here and there. Most of the stuff is free so you might want to appreciate that and support the artist and buy the few non-free releases.

In Colour (dirty loops)

Download

Skipless

now playing: Skipless - Stella

Today I'm about to keep it short and sweet. Skipless is the second Finnish producer in my posts. He comes from a little city called Ikaalinen - which is mostly known for its spa - and this is how he introduces himself on his website: There is nothing spectacular to tell about myself... Im producer from Ikaalinen, Finland.
I make my beats using only vinyls and MPC. My music is mainly built from old jazz, funk and soul samples, like the beats from golden era. I'm big fan of Pete Rock's productions, but there is also other big influences like Large Pro, K-Def, Damu the fudgemunk, Lord Finesse (etc..) and finnish producers Staffro and Aksim.

He has released two EPs: Jazzamentals in 2008 and Rooftops in 2009. Both were on Dusted Wax Kingdom and like all the label's releases they are free downloads. In 2011 Skipless gave out his first LP, The Traveler's Ghost which is also his first not fully instrumental release.

Download Jazzamentals / Rooftops / The Traveler's Ghost

I like his sound a lot. Maybe he's not technically the best producer you can find but there's something very honest about his music. Nice jazzy loops and soft vibes all over. Totally enjoyable, totally smooth. I've listened to his music while stretching out and that means complete relaxation for me. I've also played his beats while cooking with friends, walking with the dog, watching the rain... So,yeah.. umm.. anyways. Get good music for free and enjoy.

Tha Connection

now playing: Tha Connection - Take It Higher

Representing Hempstead, Long Island, New York, the duo Hus Tha KingPin and SmooVth Dude form Tha Connection, one of the rawest and most soulful hip-hop groups of the 21st century. Young in age but old souls in the game with musical influences including Slick Rick, Wu Tang Clan, DJ Premier, AZ, DITC, Pete Rock, Jeru the Damaja, Nas, MF Doom and Jean Grae to just name a few.

Tha Connection's very first and quite unknown release is called Connect and it came out in 2007. I didn't find any reviews or articles about it and there was only one blog post that I came up with so it really seems like the album is pretty much in the dark. There is a download link to the album on Tha Connection's myspace (although sharebee has been down the whole day, so I'll put another link below).

Generally, it is said that they made their first appearance on 12Bit's Stranded on Planet Rock album on Rawkus Records in 2008. They represented 11 out of 23 tracks on this release.

Download Connect

Download Stranded on Planet Rock

Mic Newman / Fantastic Man

now playing: Fantastic Man - Groove With You

There are two kinds of creative. Those who speak loudly and publicly about their work, and those who let their work speak for it self. Mic Newman falls into the second category. Billed as ‘One To Watch’ by Juno Plus, Mic is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exiting talents to emerge out of Melbourne’s flourishing dance scene, with his exquisitely deep and incisive take on House music.

European born Producer/DJ Mic Newman made the journey at a young age to Melbourne Australia, a city that is deeply embedded with a culture of diversity and talent – having produced some of the world’s finest musicians and DJ’s alike.

With a strong musical upbringing and aptitude to compose and produce music, Mic took his creative ideas to the next level shortly after beginning his DJ career. His hard work and determination in the studio drew attention of esteemed Australian house label, Vicious and in 2007 they released his debut single Rhythm To Ya Hips – an electro smash hit that caused waves at home and abroad, making its way on to various compilations, including the coveted Ministry of Sound ‘Sessions’. In the same year he collaborated with the local producer Lewie Day to release their Hermione EP on 8bit Records in Germany, and it drew support from some of the world’s leading underground artists like Marc Romboy, Audiofly and Steve Lawler.

Memorecks

now playing: Memorecks - Passing By

Another great artist I've never heard of before.. But thanks to my friend from Chicago (yes the same one that I've mentioned earlier) my situation isn't that sad anymore.

Possibly the newest member of the list of my top producers, Memorecks has a good deal of amazing beats on youtube and his website. Camcorder EP was released in April, 2011 and it is a free collection of his very best works. It is a really solid and at least I'm having it on repeat. I think I'm in love with Passing By. There's some Flying Lotus kind of vibe, some J Dilla and a lot of Memorecks' own geniousity.

 Download Camcorder EP

I didn't find a decent biography anywhere even though the guy seems to be all over the internet. He's from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and he has possibly started his career in 2003. His musical influences are DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Madlib, DJ Exile, Beatminerz, Diamond D, Marley Marl, Marco Polo, 50s-70s jazz etc. 

His beats are also on Bankrush and DJ IV's Solid Mas - The Show Off Mixtape that came out in 2008. It is available on Datpiff.com. 

Easy Changes

now playing: Easy Changes - Chironex Fleckeri

The more I dwelve into house/electronic/techno music the more I seem to like minimalistic and raw soundscapes. Today I was searching for new house tracks from Beatport and I was actually kinda looking for something soulful to get my groove on but, instead, I found Easy Changes. 

Kilrill Sil and Denis Guttersnipe live in Moscow, Russia, and they both have been dj'ing and producing before their common project started off in 2005. Two years after getting together they released two EPs, Magic Tunes and Caviar, almost simultaneously on Foundsound records and got Moscow's attention immediately.

Magic Tunes EP

Caviar EP

Download Magic Tunes

Download Caviar

 

The EPs have been referred to as captivating, mesmerizing, brilliant, gracious... The list of positive adjectives seems endless.

Diz Gibran

now playing: Diz Gibran - Exactly

Diz Gibran is one of those rappers that started young only because of the love for rapping. He never actively pursued a career in music, until recently, and now that he has been in the game for some years there seems to be a growing interest in this LA based talented artist. As a west coast rapper Diz Gibran is not of the typical sort. No gangsta but witty and introspective lyrics, kind of classical material.

Son of a diplomat, Khalil Bernard Kinsey (named after the great Lebanese poet) aka Diz Gibran spent a lot of time traveling around the world. He had seen the world by the age of 16 and, therefore, he had a different point of view and a lot to talk about. Music wasn't the only thing in his life even though he always loved it. In LA, he grew up skateboarding, spraying walls and rhyming. At Lincoln Elementary in Santa Monica, he had a group and they called themselves The Ill Kids - fun fact: Guru of Gangstarr came out on the Ill Kid Records - and in high school Diz got into the battle circuit. At this point, it was all still just for fun, no professional intentions yet. He also dwelved into the fashion side of it and is known as the co-owner of the skate shop Diamond Supply Company.

In 2005, he dropped a mixtape called Spin City vol. 1 which is his first one.

Download Spin City vol 1

There was supposed to be a second part but he got sidetracked and vol. 2 never came out. Spin City was made while he lived in Miami and the album has about 50/50 original material and mixtape instrumentals. Back then the recognition wasn't huge.

In 2009, Diz got back and bigger as his Soon You'll Understand tape came out. It was brought to us by the lifestyle clothing brand Crooks and Castles. Produced by Moonshine, the album has evoked a lot of attention in two years. He has performed with such names as Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, The Game and Clipse, he's been adopted by bloggers all over the world and the industry is starting to warm up, too. Back in 09 Hip Hop Official posted about the album and gave huge credits: "it’s doper than Amy Winehouse’s blood stream".

The buzz keeps on growing. Diz Gibran is a favorite of mine and I believe that he'll be huge in some years. I'm really looking forward to his new stuff to come out because the co-operation with Moonshine has definitely pleased us listeners. Soon You'll Understand represents also the kind of hip-hop that Diz really wants to do so probably the two will keep on working together and bringing us good quality stuff.

Trebles and Blues

now playing: Trebles and Blues - The First Time

Trebles and Blues is a hip hop producer hailing from Los Angeles, CA. When he was 14 years old, he went with his younger brother to a local Sam Goody store and together they purchased their first CD, the Wu-Tang Killa Bees’ first compilation album, The Swarm. That introduced his eardrums to the vibrant sounds of hard-hitting drums and melodies that gave his head no choice but to nod repeatedly.

Trebles and Blues began making beats in late 2009 and in 2010, joined The Soul Dojo Music Group to further its mission of delivering good music to the listeners that long for it. After graduating from UCLA and working in the financial services sector for three years, Trebles and Blues decided in 2011 to pursue music wholeheartedly, and will release his debut album, The Blue Note, on March 1st, 2011. (Quote from Trebles and Blues' website)



The Blue Note is definitely in my top instrumental albums of 2011 so far. I'm sure you will love it, too, so go ahead and have a listen.

There are more beats on his soundcloud and they are absolutely amazing. For instance, Summer Love is the perfect tune for warm evenings spent in good company sipping wine and just chilling.

Summer Love by Trebles and Blues

Untold Songs: Volume One curated by Belle

now playing: Ahu - Contact

Untold Songs: Volume One is a groundbreaking compilation of songs by female artists brought together from all across the globe. The compilation is being released in collaboration with Amnesty International and She Said 2 Much to raise awareness and money for Amnesty International's "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign.

London-based singer, Belle, is the brains behind the project and has grafted to assemble an amazing array of songs from a selection of immense talents from the far corners of the globe. Proceeds from the sale of this release will go straight to Amnesty International.

Pete Philly & Perquisite

now playing: Pete Philly & Perquisite - High Tide

Hailing from Amsterdam, Netherlands Peter Monzon aka Pete Philly and Pieter Perquin aka Perquisite are two of the freshest European hip-hop artists, if you ask me. The collaboration started in 2003, although they both already had musical careers before that. Pete Philly & Perquisite's first release was the Mindstate EP in January 2004 and it got such a positive response that they decided to release a full 17-track Mindstate album in March 2005. Each track represents a different mind state both lyrically and musically.

Mindstate EP cover

Download Mindstate

Among others, Talib Kweli, who stated that "musically these guys are light-years ahead of the game", was featured on the album. They toured around the world and received multiple awards and, eventually, the Mindstate was released also in Japan and the US. In January 2007, as the touring was over, they released a remixed version of the Mindstate called Remindstate and later in the same year their second album Mystery Repeats came out in the Netherlands. Belgium, rest of Europe and Japan followed in 2008.

Mystery Repeats cover

Buy Mystery Repeats

Download

Like the first album, Mystery Repeats was critically acclaimed and the public loved it, too. Its first single Time Flies was a success receiving radio and airplay especially in their own country.

Intensive touring in Japan, Germany and many well-known festivals in Europe, including Sziget, HipHop Open and Summerjam, brought them a growing fanbase and, again, many awards. The third single off Mystery Repeats got into the Dutch Top 40 list and is their most successful track.

Next, both got to their own projects as Perquisite was asked to compose the entire score for a Dutch movie and his official debut Across was released in 2010. Pete Philly has also started to work with his solo material. In 2010, he released a new free track every week for 14 weeks. These Open Loops are available on his website for free and his first full release, One, is coming up.

In 2009, the duo officially ended their common career with a massive live tour. I'm sure both will keep on doing what they do best and please us listeners with new solo material. At least Perquisite has been busy with producing and composing music for many projects. As we wait, I suggest you to get your hands on the albums mentioned above because no one should sleep on this good music.

14KT

now playing: 14KT - Ypsilanti

Kendall Tucker aka 14KT is one of my favorite producers right now. He comes from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and for some he might be familiar from Athletic Mic League and The Lab Techs. His beats are nearly everywhere and, for instance, he has had an impact on getting buff-1 and DJ Haircut aka Mayer Hawthorne to where they are at the moment.

The Golden Hour [SDTRK.] is 14KT's instrumental debut album released in 2008 and also the soundtrack to his life, as he puts it.

If you want to read more about the album and the artist, you should check this interview out. In 2008 he was also a finalist in the Red Bull Beat Battle.

The next full release is called Nowalataz. The album is fully inspired by J Dilla, 14KT's (and my) favorite producer.

Here it is… a project I unofficially had done since 2006. It started when James Yancey a.k.a. J Dilla passed that February. To cope with the death of my favorite producer, who I liked to call my unofficial “musical mentor,” I started making ‘donuts’ …uncontrollably. I never planned to release any of the material out of respect for Dilla & his craft. I’ve shared some of the music with others, in which they would repeatedly ask me to hear it, so I decided to put a little something together and make it official. JUST FOR YA’LL.

Quote taken from A-Side Worldwide.

In 2010, 14KT won the Red Bull Beat Battle. By then, I think, he was recognized as one of the freshest and most versatile beat makers out there.

The newest release, 2011, is called 14KillaTape.

Straight up…this is that raw ish. Slaps. Face twisters. Hard beats. All these joints were made in a span of 08’-11’. It all started when I first got into the Red Bull Beat Battle in Detroit end of 08’. I was never known as a beat battle type producer and believe it or not, I actually don’t like battling with beats. However, that was my first time ever battling with beats. Knowing I was battling, I definitely found myself in a different frame of mind when I sat down to make joints in the lab. While in the lab, my motivation was making beats that I would have HATED if my opponent played them against me. I took a collection of beats where I had that mind state and mixed them with other beats I made during that time period. I’m setting this Killer Tape off with the first joint I ever made in a beat battle mind state and the rest is history. I got a new nickname under my belt now, 14KillaTape…haha.

So, if you still haven't listened to 14KT's beats I suggest you to fix the situation. Go to his soundcloud, listen and download. Don't sleep.

Shad

now playing: Shad - Wild

Shadrach Kabango, aka Shad is a Canadian hip-hop artist. Born in Kenya 1982, raised up in London, Ontario, Shad released his self-made debut When This Is Over in 2005. Before that he had participated 91.5 FM’s (London, ON) annual Rhythm of the Future unsigned talent competition and, winning the first prize, he put the $17,500 on recording the album while continuing his studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.

When This Is Over album cover

When This Is Over was critically acclaimed and got respect especially for the lyrics. Some of the tracks are about the typical but most are not. For example, he uses his mother Bernadette Kabango's poetry when rapping about the Rwandan genocide in I'll Never Understand. After the release, he sold out shows around Canada and got to warm up superstars like Common and Lupe Fiasco.

In 2007, he was signed by Black Box Recordings and he released his second album The Old Prince. The album was an immediate success. It has been referred to as one of the strongest Canadian hip-hop albums ever (Vish Khanna, Exclaim! Magazine), it received a Juno award in 2008 for Rap Recording of the Year, was nominated for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and it was nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards.

Shad's third album, TSOL, was released in 2010 and it, too, received the Polaris Music Prize and the Juno award for Rap Recording of the Year.

The Old Prince album cover

TSOL album cover

With these three albums Shad has taken a well deserved place in the top rank. His flow is getting better with every word, although it was pretty ridiculous to begin with. The beats, oh lord the beats, are sick, his lyrics are smarter, more meaningful and layered than you could at first imagine. It feels like he had been on the game for years and years, even though the truth is quite the opposite. Like many other bloggers, I too think that When This Is Over is one of the best debut albums and things get only better after that.

To listen to Shad's music before buying the albums (oh yes, I know you will buy them, unless you're deaf) you can go to his website. He has a list of his official music videos on youtube and all the necessary links to find where you can purchase his auditory gold.

Maw-

now playing: Maw- - Day's End

I'm not a huge fan of Finnish hip-hop in general but every now and then there are exceptions. This time, a guy called Maw- surprised me very positively. I think I was just studying my Last.fm neighbours' libraries and bumped up into some one listening to Maw- and, since I had never heard of such an artist, decided to check it out. It turned out that I had been sleeping on some dope instrumentals.

As I did a bit of digging on the artist I found out that Maw-'s music has been played even in Solid Steel radioshow (right inbetween Erykah Badu and Ghostface Killah) by Ruckus Roboticus. That tells you something, doesn't it.

This right here is the first full album that he released.



Please do take a look at his bandcamp. There are four albums, all available for free. And, if you're interested, check out his blog aswell. And most importantly, enjoy nice chillout music.

DJ Renegade's free mix

now playing: Johnson & Jonson - Look

This is for all you dancers. DJ Renegade has been spinning it in probably every major dance event around the world and he's been a dancer himself so he knows exactly what it takes to make your feet do their thing. Free download of his newest mixtape here.

Moe Pope

now playing: Blu - OpenChopShop (MilkMoneysFirstBeat)

It is amazing how many people don't know a thing about Moe Pope because he is dope. And when I say dope, I mean Dope.

MC Moe Pope's career first took off in the early 2000s with Bay Area-based hip-hop band Mission (who later became known as Crown City Rockers). After a series of 12"s, Pope appeared on the group's LP, One, in 2001, before he decided to return to Boston in order to look after his daughter. Back in his hometown, he connected with rapper/producer Insight and his five-man outfit, Electric (aka Electric Company).

Along with members Anonymous and Raheem Jamal, Pope broke off from Electric to form Project Move, issuing their debut album, Love Gone Wrong/Butterfly Theory, in 2006. As each group’s members went off to make solo records, Pope reunited with his former Crown City cohort Headnodic for the 2008 well received collaborative album Megaphone.

2010 finds Moe Pope with a new production partner and a new label for his latest and most mature work to date, Life After God.
Envision the MC/Producer platform of Pete Rock & CL Smooth blended with the abstract prose of Bob Dylan and the pure adrenalin angst of Bad Brains and prepare for your Life After God.

Quote taken from Moe Pope's tumblr.

Life After God is really a great album. If you don't believe me, try reading this review. Depeche Moe, a remixed version of Life After God is pretty good, too, but my personal opinion is that it can't touch the original.

And no, no download links for this one. Go buy it.

B-Ju

now playing: B-JU - Babbel Net (Original)

I don't think I've recommended any house yet even though house music is the love of my life. Well yes, the blog is called hiphop something but hey, good music is always good music and if you aren't into house, just read a little further.

So. B-Ju. An award winning German producer who makes both house/electronic and hiphop/turntablism beats. A very versatile and talented guy, indeed. Dog Day EP is his debut album that was released on Error Broadcast Collective in April 2010. There was a very limited (100 copies) vinyl edition of the EP that had features of 1000names and Herrmutt Lobby and that, not surprisingly, sold out quickly. But, luckily, they went digital, too.



Over here we have B-Ju's podcast, sorry Cloudcast I was supposed to say. And here is his Soundcloud.

Can't wait to hear more from this guy.