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.