Leonard Dstroy

now playing: Leonard Dstroy - Technical Difficulties

Yo hip hop heads, I'm back!

I heard about this guy Leonard Dstroy today and just got into his stuff. Worth posting but I don't have time to write in much detail now. There are at least a few releases on his bandcamp site. Check check.

DJ Rahdu - Ya'll Feel That?: Erykah Badu Remixes, Flips & Covers

now playing: Erykah Badu - Real Thang (maTic’s cold crush remix)

Mm-mm-mm.. BamaLoveSoul's DJ Rahdu is on point with this one. As they put it:

Alas, there are those that feel they can perfect what Badu has done in the studio or just want to add their personal spin to her musical offerings, heck, some have even been commisioned; It’s these remixes, flips and covers that fuel this mix. Y’all Feel That is a collection of some of our favorite tricked out treats, lovingly mixed and offered to you and your mp3 players. Enjoy!

1. My Morning Jacket – Tyrone
2. The Electric – Didn’t Cha Know feat Add2, Qwazaar, Wes Restless & Yarah Bravo
3. Jesse Boykins III – Mystery of Iniquity (BaduBoykinsHill)
4. Durand Bernar – Flipside of the Game
5. Erykah Badu – Love of My Life (Shelltoes Remix)
6. Erykah Badu – Love of My Life (Kaytradamus Remix)
7. Erykah Badu – Real Thang (maTic’s cold crush remix)
8. Erykah Badu – Window Seat (The O Remix)
9. Erykah Badu – Southern Gul (Nonagon Remix)
10. Mark Ronson – A La Modeliste (Bonobo Remix) feat Erykah Badu
11. Melo-X – Gone Baby feat Paul McCartney & Erykah Badu
12. Collette – Orange Moon
13. Erykah Badu – Honey (Lawrence Wiggins Remix)
14. Show Tufli – Stand Out Girl
15. Erykah Badu – I Want You (Rancido’s Deepersoul Edit)
16. Erykah Badu – On & On (Kero One Remix)
17. Erykah Badu – Soldier (Sam Champ Remix)
18. Erykah Badu – Telephone (Freddie Joachim Remix)
19. 9th Wonder – 20 Feet Tall feat Erykah Badu & Rapsody
20. Erykah Badu – 20 Feet Tall (Yoruba Soul Remix)
21. Erykah Badu – Honey (Glenn Underground Remix)
22. Eryah Badu – Back in the Day (Chopped & Screwed)
23. Vlooper – The Healer feat Modlee
24. Erykah Badu – Bag Lady (J Finesse Remix) 

Oaklyn

now playing: Oaklyn - Chasing the Sun

Perhaps the most refreshing Finnish release in a good while, Chasing the Sun is the debut of Oaklyn. Linda Ilves' vocals and Sami Tammela's production go nicely together and the outcome is soulful and smooth. Check it out.

Return of the Tec

now playing: Ill Tal - Captian Morgan and Coke

"The Beat Tape Project enlisted the services of hip-hop producers worldwide to create an audio work of art paying homage to The Beatnuts. The producers were asked to create tracks reminiscent of The Beatnuts sound. We think it came out pretty damn good."

R.I.P. Don Cornelius

now playing: MFSB - The Sound of Philadelphia

Another legend lost... Don Cornelius, the father of the legendary Soul Train TV programme, was found dead in his apartment early on February 1st.

It's hard to think of other people who would've individually contributed to what we nowadays might call hiphop culture, as much as Cornelius did. By that time black people singing and dancing on national TV was unheard and radical but he made that become reality. Soul Train was the first show to have dance styles like locking, waacking and punking in it, and for many incredible artists in the soul (and other) genres it was the first platform to showcase their talent.

Thus, I say thank you. Thank you for starting something that has now become essential in my life and what I'm passionate about. Rest in peace.

Mix 02 by Full Crate

My packing soundtrack. Definately sets the mood up for New York!

Mix 02 by Full Crate by Nalden

Tracklist:
01. Pete Philly - Gemini Solo
02. S-Type - Bairns
03. Eats Everything - The Size
04. Eats Everything - Entrance Song 05. AnimalStatuS - Ol' Dirty Bounce 06. Rustie - Cry Flames
07. Canblaster - Air Totem
08. Frank Ocean - Thinking About You (5kinAndBone5 & Vin Sol Remix) 09. The Count & Sinden - Future (Canblaster Remix)
10. SirOJ - Cudder
11. Joy Orbison - Sicko Cell
12. French Fries - Laquisha Dub
13. Canblaster - I'm a superfister (Fis T vs dj Mike Q)
14. Raven - Is It Real
15. Raven - Special Way
16. James Blake - Love What Happened Here
17. A Orange Breakdown - Supreme
18. Full Crate - Joy
19. Obey City - Fuck Dat Wobble (Anti-Wobble Anthem)
20. Klever - Klever - It Gets Hot (Canblaster remix feat. Smoz)
21. Vincent Paolo - Omni Lite
22. Erykah Badu - Honey [Seiji Remix]
23. Submotion Orchestra - Always
24. Time Wharp - yrLyf
25. Cadenza - The Darkest Hype (Philip D Kick Remix)
26. Adam F - Circles (Philip D Kick Footwork Edit)
27. Full Crate ft. David Simmons - Without My Heart

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.

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.