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