fick soul

flat pocket (twit one & lazy jones) - fick soul (mixtape)

freedom suite

"echoing the style of guru’s jazzmatazz, jazz vocalist and multi grammy nominee nnenna freelon join hip-hop quartet the beast torelease 'freedom suite', a 10-track collection of creative reflections on jazz and hip-hop hosted by 9th wonder.

drawing from a traditional jazz canon as well as hip-hop “standards” from the recent past, the album brings a live jazz sound to some of the most loved tracks in popular music. the album features six original songs written and produced by the beast and also re-makings of modern classics such as mos def’s “umi says,” johnny mercer & hoagy carmichael’s “skylark,” and lauryn hill’s “doo wop”. the project has guest appearances from branford marsalis, phonte (of the foreign exhchange/little brother), yahzarah and geechi suede (of camp lo).

recognizing the importance of talking about the convergence of jazz and hip-hop and its role in forward-thinking culture, the album also features conversations among some of hip-hop and jazz’s greatest intellectual minds including ?uestlove, herbie hancock, amiri baraka, branford marsalis, angela davis and more."

kill your co-workers

"the minute you catch the striking, psychedelic artwork of theo ellsworth you know you're in for a treat. the insatiable, electrifying talent of flying lotus is back to treat us again. high concept beat-science is again order of the day, frazzled with invention, propelled by myriad time signatures and colour burst, cosmic-electronics. it's been noted before but flylo is slowly unravelling as the natural hip-hop heir to sun ra, a maverick oneness with sonic art is his, sit back and jump in."

jet set siempre 1°

'clive tanaka y su orquesta' release 'jet set siempre 1°' with a dense electronic sound and a miami vice edge. split into two halfs, 'for dance' and 'for romance', we can hear the two different personailities break away but intimacy remains throughout.

death gate

"the gaslamp killer, AKA william bensussen, is a peculiar entity. on the one hand, he's an artist that refuses to be bound by convention or accepted practice. on the other, he's an obsessive perfectionist. while the L.A. beat scene within which he operates has been around for several years now, its musical parameters have not been completely set. there's no time signature to work within, no rules regarding melody and harmony, and definitely no constraints when it comes to rhythm.

'fun over 100' kicks the EP off and is testament to that. it's downtempo and, unlike the rest of the package, doesn't purport to have been built around dusty analogue sampling. "when i'm in awe" follows, calling up san diego-based vocalist gonjasufi to sing out-of-tune lyrics over a kick-less excursion into psychedelic rock, with bensussen blending digital bass with vintage strings, which results in an eerie three-minute loop.

it's with the arrival of 'carpool dummy' that bensussen's skills behind the boards really shine. the drums are programmed to perfection, but daring at the same time. unlike other members of the brainfeeder clique—lorn, daedelus and even flying lotus, for example — bensussen frequently departs from the conventions of melody. sometimes, it seems, he just wants you to bang your head. the rhythms crafted from sampled breaks on 'carpool dummy' are superb. they're looped, looped and looped again, and while some would call that lazy, in the hands of bensussen they're superb, as every few bars brings a slight shift in the snare arrangement.

'shatering inner journeys' and 'monsterfromtheundergound' close out the release. on the former, fellow L.A. resident computer jay provides guest synths over a shifting snare and hi-hat loop. the latter is the EP's shortest and most relentless, making use of a distorted midrange and up-tempo pace, closing out a solid and adventurous release."



carpool dummy (feat. mophono)

why like this?

teebs is a producer and visual artist signed to brainfeeder and his debut album 'ardour' is out pretty soon. lead single from the record 'why like this?' can be downloaded here.

soulsessions

'loving you is killing me' by aloe blacc.

timeless: j rocc

this video is from mochilla's 'timeless' film/music series and features a live audio/visual mix from j rocc.

rapohnelizenz

"here it is. our first very own beatcompilation. when we started this about a year ago, living together in the same building, sharing the same passion for music, we were passing on links of the stuff we found online. it´s a bit like digging for wax - a lot of crap but then at the end of the box you find a beautiful piece of music. so the next step was to share what you find on an bigger platform. while browsing the web and selecting everyday what stuff is worth promoting, we meet artists who catch our attention. we just want more of their music. we invented this compilation as fans and asked our favorite underground producers to contribute. we´re happy to deliver you a selection of mainly unreleased beats. get your mp3-player ready and let us know what you think.

we thank all artists for contributing and making this happen. for more information about the artists, click his track and check his info-section!

SOLO.JIMMY.JONES.YACKFOU.IP"

Rapohnelizenz.com
twitter.com/rapohnelizenz


01. boom baptist – 8-bit-try
02. xperiment beats – sound barrier
03. jon phonics – face music
04. chemo (telemachus) – dirt digler
05. das geraet – beck’s
06. dibiase – choke ya hood
07. anatol atonal – a-tzeton
08. torky tork – signal rap
09. dday one – give and take
10. suff daddy – message break
11. boom baptist – asian march
12. bugseed – break of dawn
13. elaquent – good fortune
14. j. bizness – biz reason 105 nevermind
15. pigeondust – wingless believer

who says boys

five-piece oxford pysch-pop band fixers are guys to look out for, bringing the beach boys into the 21st century.

rattling cage

get the new forest swords 7" 'rattling cage' here.

someday we'll all be free

miguel atwood-ferguson ensemble performing 'someday we'll all be free' live in los angeles at the grand performances, california plaza july 23rd 2010. free download here.



bilal (vocals)
flying lotus (laptop)
miguel atwood-ferguson (violin)
evan francis (flute)
dontae winslow (trumpet)
joey dosik (alto sax)
kamasi washington (tenor sax)
garrett smith (trombone)
rebekah raff (harp)
marcel camargo (guitar)
brandon coleman (keys)
stephen 'thundercat' bruner (bass)
chris 'daddy' dave (drums)
nikki campbell (percussion)

the outsiders are back

perhaps one of the most pleasantly suprising debut records to be released this year comes in the form of this brilliantly infectious funk/soul LP from kings go forth on luaka bop records. this 10-piece soul unit from milwaukee, wisconsin consist of seven players and three singers. this band have created their own sound from a broad palete of classic rhythm & blues, from mid-60s chicago to early-70s philadelphia, and those even more obscure. groove-heavy and horn-powered, 'the outsiders are back' cements its place in the exciting soul-revival.


kings go forth - fight with love

last chants

here's a track from the forthcoming sun araw EP out on woodist this october. this is the project of magic lantern's cameroon stallones which takes you down a distinct psych/dub/drone path of escapism.


sun araw - last chants

heritage

"hypnotic brass ensemble are one of a kind. graced with soul, funk, and spirituality these guys have captivated audiences worldwide. their music is a combination of all genres. with the undeniable drive of hip-hop, the freedom of rock and the melodic thread of R&B these guys are nothing short of unique.

all band members are the sons of legendary sun ra trumpeter phil cohran. the group began performing together as children (some as early as 3 years old). in 1999 they formed what is now known as the hypnotic brass ensemble and have performed or collaborated with some of the greatest musical stars of the last two decades. from mos def to maxwell, wu tang clan’s ghostface killah to UK superstar damon alburn, erykah badu to fela kuti’s drummer tony allen. if you don’t know these guys you’re missing out.

during one of their many stays in dublin with choicecuts, hypnotic decided to shack up in a studio located high in the dublin mountains to rehearse for a week and write new material. hypnotic and choicecuts had a bit of down time in between these sessions and with plenty of guinness and jameson in tow chose to rework some of their favourite records from other artists that have influenced them both.

hypnotic know their fans. they also know their fans know real music. the heritage EP released by choicecuts with hypnotic is a nod to that fact, a sprinkling of the hypnotic dust over some of the tunes that influenced the band and their musical direction over the course of their lives."

hypnotic brass ensemble - spottie (free download)

lloyd miller & the heliocentrics

"following their award-winning collaboration with ethio jazz godfather mulatu astatke (sunday times world music album of the year), pioneering UK collective the heliocentrics resurface alongside another fascinating jazz enigma, ethno-musicologist, jazz maestro and multi-instrumentalist, lloyd miller.

learning various instruments and immersing himself in new orleans jazz through his father, a professional clarinet player, lloyd miller first trained himself in the styles of george lewis and jimmy giuffre and cut his first dixieland jazz 78 rpm record in 1950. during the late ‘50s, his father landed a job in iran and miller began to develop a lifelong interest in persian and eastern music forms, learning to play a vast array of traditional ethnic instruments from across asia and the middle east.

he toured Europe heavily, basing himself in switzerland, belgium, sweden, germany (where he played with eddie harris and don ellis) and, most famously, in paris where he worked with oddball bandleader jef gilson, a phenomenon in french jazz during the early ‘60s. miller returned to the middle east during the ‘70s, landing his own TV show on NIRTV in tehran under the name kurosh ali khan. his show became a national fixture and ran for seven years.

miller has since been a vocal ambassador for preserving the traditions of many forms of wastern music. In recent years, his mid-‘60s album ‘oriental jazz’ has become a collector’s favourite and the UK’s jazzman label have issued a compilation, ‘a lifetime in oriental jazz’, covering work from across his career. the renewed interest in his music has spawned this new collaboration with the heliocentrics, a freeform mix of eastern arrangements, jazz and angular psychedelics and represents the heliocentrics’ most accomplished work to date".


lloyd miller & the heliocentrics - nava

compass

jamie lidell's latest album on warp, 'compass', is a kind of electronic funk/soul hybrid which doesn't particularly lend itself to pigeonholing. there have been many retro comparisons of this record, and perhaps rightfully so, likening some of the sounds to prince and stevie wonder, but the album's off the wall and more wacky nature is just as much comparable to beck - the album was actually recorded between beck's hudson studios in LA and feist's ranch. his voice is quite unique, especially in terms of being a white british soul singer, and ultimately the music is innovative. the track below captures the fun side of the record and the video is part of the 'take away show' with his band performing the track live in the streets of paris.


jamie lidell - enough's enough

spilling over every side

pretty lights, a colorado-based producer, has released the second EP of a 2010 trilogy - 'spilling over every side'. derek vincent smith stated in a description of the EP that he tried to incorportate different genres into his work, "transitioning between something pretty and organic to something heavy and electro". this record sounds pretty fresh, hitting us with a blend of hip-hop and soul samples, breakbeats, and an element of dubstep. you can get the EP for free here.


pretty lights - a million tomorrows

the shady daze

this band emerged as part of the garage/psych-rock scene of '60s chicago. USA records were prolific at this time, and the subsidiary destination records was set up to focus on music in the local area. both labels, headed by jim golden, put out classic after classic of mid-western garage-rock.


the shady daze - i'll make you pay

latin ala lee!

this record features the great peggy lee singing to a latin-styled musical backing. some of the tracks are classics from the great american songbook and broadway shows but peggy makes them her own, and with the latin style there are made even more distinctive. the rhythms, arranged and conducted by jack marhsall, are authentically afro-cuban and rarely watered down.


peggy lee - heart (from 'damn yankees')

ain't no sunshine

this reissue courtesy of now-again records picks out a lost dark soul/funk masterpeice from a classic high school funk band of the '70s. the equatics were hampton, virginia high school champions of pepsi's 'new sounds of 1972' challenge. 'doin it!!!' combines funk, soul, blues and psychedelic-pop to create some real beat-heavy tracks. make sure you check out the full liner notes and buy the record. below you will find the band's mournful cover of bill wither's 'ain't no sunshine' which is also available as a free download.


the equatics - ain't no sunshine

donut shop

these dilla tracks consist of previously unreleased instrumentals selected by j.rocc from the dilla archives and three original beats of dilla's production for mos def, q-tip, and busta rhymes. out of interest, the q-tip beat 'move' samples 'dancing machine' by the jackson 5.


01. safety dance
02. sycamore
03. bars & twists
04. history (mos instrumental)
05. move (tip instrumental)
06. you can’t hold a torch (busta instrumental)

download

history (mos instrumental)

trouble in wackyland

a mixtape from german producer/beatmaker suff daddy including rare remixes and unreleased material.


01. Pete Jolly – Leaves
02. Super Duck Break
03. The 45 King Feat Latee – Brainstorm
04. Resonance – Leon’s Club
05. Hubert Daviz – Tdk
06. Wu Tang Clan – Mystery of Chessboxin (Suff Remix)
07. Suff Daddy – Simple Suff
08. Connie Price and the Keystones – International Hustler Feat. Percee P
09. Diamond D – I Went for Mine
10. Andre Previn – Executive Party Dance
11. Jimmy Van & Richard Hieronoymus – I weight with kilos
12. Foster Sylvers – Misdemeanor
13. Main Source – Down Low
14. Notorious Big – Kick in the door (Suff Remix)
15. Disco Break
16. Suff’n’kurt
17. Cypress Hill – Somethin for the blunted
18. Johnny Pate – Maude Reminisces
19. Pete Jolly- Seasons
20. The Climax – Persuasion
21. Roger Webb – Grey Sigh
22. The Checkmates Ltd – Got to see you soon
23. Bronx River Parkway – Donde
24. Suff Daddy – Liquorhounds instrumental
25. Hubert Daviz – Undisputed
26. King Tee – Played ike a piano
27. Suff Saddy – Bo break
28. Big L – Flamboyant (Suff Remix)
29. Manzell – Midnights Theme
30. Johnny Pate – Untitled
31. Slum village – Look of Love (Remix instrumental)
32. Stacy Epps – Oh
33. Suff Daddy – The big hit

if you're looking for love

this track is lifted from the 'home schooled: the ABCs of kid soul' compilation by the numero group . the triads are some great kid soul from the florida scene of the 70s and this particular track moves at a quick pace with frenetic guitar and drums setting the groove, with a topping of harmony kid vocals that perfectly blend with the urgent funk.


triads - if you're looking for love

aloe blacc on gilles peterson

californian soul man aloe blacc swung by the renound gilles peterson worldwide show recently to provide words and music. they chat about his favourite singers and how the artist became signed to stones throw records, with a few tracks from his latest album 'good things' also featured.

skrawberries

latest release from knxwledge is a 22-track album full of bit-sized electronic and abstract beats. available to buy from bandcamp below.

various assets - red bull music academy

the audio yearbook for this year’s academy edition is finally here: various assets – not for sale: red bull music academy london 2010 boasts 41 exclusive collaborations by participants and lecturers from more than 30 countries. download the compilation in its full 320 kbit/s glory here and get more info after the jump.

01. Flava D – Ragga Sun
02. Robin Hannibal & Jullian Gomes – I Need Your Love
03. J-Wow & Sui Zhen – River Song
04. Marco Passarani & Julian Gomes – Walking Down Tooley Street
05. 00Genesis feat. Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 1
06. Hudson Mohawke, & Myele Manzana – Ain’t Nobody Like You
07. Lucrecia Dalt & Makes Pants – Too Much Light
08. Chester Lone Ranger
09. James Pant & Lucrecia Dalt – A Breezy Slide Into Hell
10. Ango feat. Katy B – Fireworks
11. Poirier feat. Hasan Hujariri – Loop 1
12. Space Dimension Controller – Hazeygalacticwonkafunk
13. 00Genesis feat. Tranqill – Jackin4beats Pt. 2
14. Andras Fox, Sui Zhen & James Pants – Touch-N-Talk
15. Modeselektor, Akshin, Ad Bourke & Vlad Caia – Jacbob Has Arrived
16. TOKiMONSTA, Lunice & Swede:art – Alpenglow
17. A Lone Boy, An Oud, A Theremin & A Funky Dread – T M 2
18. Clinic & Sui Zhen – Tell Me Once
19. Bala – London Mantra

01. Kidkanevil feat. Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 3
02. Kool Clap & Venice – Vitamine
03. Ross McHenry, Jakob Schneidewind & Infestus – The Song
04. Jackmaster, Mau’lin, Markur & Tony Nwachukwu – UK Hunky
05. Lunice – Strahl
06. Master MP6-60 & Robim Hannibal – Rocking All Night
07. TOKiMONSTA feat. Andreya Triana & Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 4
08. B. Bravo & Robin Hannibal – What’s It Gonna Be
09. Dam Funk – I Need 2 Know
10. Sergej Fresh, Tutu Sweeney, DJ Klem & Sui Zhen – Told Me
11. Lucrecia Dalt & Hasan Hujairi – Mimbre
12. 00Genesis – Endless Ocean
13. Homeless Inc, Juan Son & Jakobn Schneidewind – Solo
14. 00Genesis feat. Tranqill – Jackin4beats Pt.5
15. Tony Nwachunkwu & Tutu Sweeny – Breathin’
16. Daisuke Tanabe feat. May Roosevelt – Cказка
17. Amenta & J-Wow – Like That
18. Dza feat. AD Bourke – Endless Wishes
19. Flava D – It’s So Hard
20. Biel Nascimbeni & Juan Son – Cucaracha Madness Mix
21. Minus – Calling Number
22. Hasan Hujairi & May Roosevelt – Improvisation No. 136253892

sexslaveship

1000names mix

this collection was mixed by 1000names for drugoyhiphop.ru and showcases a great selection of dubstep/electronic/ambient tracks.


01. mount kimbie – vertical
02. osborne – there (lukid remix)
03. illum sphere – technopolis
04. ital tek – heliopause
05. architeq – mind games (feat. ilija rudman)
06. funkineven 1956 – must move
07. low limit – where you been 7.5
08. powell – street life
09. charles trees – mahjongg
10. run dmt – money 1 (dem Hunger version)
11. paul white – dance scene
12. knxwledge – pattern klear
13. Debruit – Bigger That Kom Pa
14. atlas sound – walkabout (feat. noah lennox)

j.birly

the ins (consisting of producer twit one and friends) teamed up with miles bonny last year for a 'super soul' 12" with three tracks and the instrumental versions. 'j.birly' is a cover of the jerry butler classic 'just because i really love you' which was sampled by dilla for the 'luv u' beat. butler was the original lead singer of 'the impressions' alongside curtis mayfield who went on to produce some of the best soul/funk records you will ever hear. this is a real laid-back number with fleur earth providing backing vocals.

bohemian beatnik lp

new lp from japenese artist bugseed is essentially a beat tape combining mellow rhodes piano and melancholy horns with those dusty drum breaks we love so much.

tunnel vision (miles bonny refix)

miles bonny, known for his hip-hop and soul productions, develops the track 'tunnel vision' from the latest lp by the roots 'how i got over'. miles bonny has an lp coming out late summer called 'lumberjack soul'.

the different 'hey joe'

the track below is taken from the legendary 'time and place' by lee moses. lee moses is a kind of mystery figure in soul music relatively unknown to mainstream audiences. he was one of several artists (including the ohio players, hermon hitson, gloria barnes, bobby brown and freddie terrell) to work with johnny brantley (known as a mover and a shaker on the new york soul scene) during the late 60s and early 70s. 'time and place' is by no means just a soul record, however, with a strong presence of heavy funk/psych-guitar throughout the album. despite the bulk of lee moses' work being produced in new york or new jersey, he was originally from atlanta, explaining the roots of the gospel and bluesy aspect to his singing style. his voice has such a natural rawness, a wounded-like quality that pulls your heartstrings. 'hey joe' is certainly a gritty and passionate cover, somehow managing to successfully combine funk/psych/blues into this 6 minute jam.

lee moses - hey joe

beat bbq

"on may 23rd we celebrated the art of beatmaking at friedenspark, cologne together with 700 likeminded music lovers. upmyalley and MPM say thank you with a free tape with unreleased beats from suff daddy, dexter, powell, twit one, adlib, moo, hubert daviz and tobrock. download the tape for free and check robert's photos."

the one (feat. T3 from slum village)

here's the new video for the upcoming single 'the one' from onra's 'long distance' LP.

jyoti (ocotea)

jyoti is georgia anne muldrow's jazz persona. the name derives from the sanscript word for 'light' and is also the name given to her by family friend and jazz great alice coltrane. this alias is used by muldrow for her jazz-inspired works when taking a break from her soul/hip-hop hybrid sound with non-comformative production and song structures. the album 'ocotea' is clearly influenced by late 1960s/early 1970s avant-garde and electronic jazz. this sound is modernised and makes for an intriguing release, a half-hour instrumental journey lead by her ancestral orchestra and guided by experimental synthesizers. it will be interesting to see how the jyoti project develops over the future, you can buy the debut here.


jyoti - black mother

a town called obsolete

this is the second single to feature on the forthcoming debut album from andreya triana, which is produced by bonobo and due for release this august. sign-up to the andreya triana newsletter here to get a free download of 'lost where i belong (flying lotus preview edit)'.

"'a town called obsolete' is an obliquely upbeat and heartfelt plea for patience and faith in the face of indifference. triana's voice is perfect for this mixture of longing and hope, smokey, beautiful and tonally perfect. bonobo, meanwhile, hooks up dusty break-drumming, thrumming electric bass and a horn part that peaks at just the right times. it's another example of the understated brilliance and emotional weight that the pair have packed into triana's debut."

crooks & lovers

the mount kimbie album is finally here. at the forefront of the so-called 'post-dubstep' sound (more atmospheric, less 'wonky', less dance-floor orientated, and perhaps more intelligent) that has been growing over the past couple of years, mount kimbie have enjoyed critical success so far with a couple of EPs. 'crooks & lovers' drifts across genre boundaries, touching upon elements of dubstep and hip-hop, you can hear flickers of post-rock and even jazz whilst also being heavily rooted in ambient and electronic sounds. the use/sampling of real instruments such as acoustic guitar gives the album a connection to the non-electronic realm, and the delicate chopping and layering of the vocal samples could be likened to the techniques pioneered on the last burial and four tet albums. some have noted that the record can feel quite restrained at times, for me, however, its beauty derives from what could be more suitably described as a refined nature. it does not feel cluttered, over-complicated, or wasteful, but actually quite creative and extremely infectious. the album is released on july 19th on hotflush records and can be bought here.


mount kimbie - would know

ain't nothing gonna change me

currently loving this track from the all female soul quartet the sweet inspirations. members have included cissy houston (whitney houston's mother), dionne warwick, dee dee warwick, and doris troy, all of which have had successful solo careers despite the sweet inspirations being predominantly known as a backing group for 60s rhythm & blues artists. the original group was in high demand by producers, artists, and songwriters for their backing vocals, leading to contributions on records for wilson pickett, solomon burke, and aretha franklin to name but a few. much of their material was originally released on atlantic records with a strong gospel influence coming through their earlier work. their name originated when atlantic records producer jerry wexler turned to cissy and told her he had an inspiration, to which she replied, "oh, sweet!".


the sweet inspirations - ain't nothing gonna change me

maker vs. now again

the latest beatsmith to delve into the funk and soul of the now-again records catalog is maker from the chicago area. previous effort from oh no was a resounding success, up there with some of my favourite instrumental hip-hop albums, so the next instalment in the 'music-library' series had been eagerly awaited. maker definitely puts his own stamp on these samples with golden-era dusty drum breaks and two-bar loops. there is more of an old school hip-hop feel to this release in the series, perhaps even a more normative framework in which the producer builds around. those of you residing in the U.S. have the opportunity to grab yourself one of the CDs which were limited to 1000 copies here.


maker - the love we have

good things

aloe blacc is a soul singer/rapper/musican and is fluent in spanish, it's beginning to seem like there's not much this guy can't do. his fanbase has been steadily growing since 1995 when he collaborated with hip-hop producer exile and became something of a 'stow away' on the lootpack tour of europe in the late 1990s. his public profile was significantly raised after HBO decided at the 11th hour to use the lead single from his sophomore album for the opening credits to their show 'how to make it in america". the track "i need a dollar" is reminiscent of a 70s soul number with its urgent piano and haunting vocals, originally derived at a time when blacc was listening to old field recordings of black convicts from the south working on chain gangs. the first rough recording of the track was made with his friends back in 2007 sitting in their front room stomping on the wooden floor and clapping their hands, much like a kind of spiritual you could find yourself singing in church.

there is an absence of rapping on the new record, with blacc concentrating on the delivery, and in particular the emotional aspect of his soulful voice. production comes from truth & soul at the soul fire studios in williamsburg, some might remember their remix of dinah washington's 'cry me a river'. the retrospective track 'good things' starts off quite relaxed with a funky guitar riff bubbling under the surface, the introduction of brass acts as a catalyst in bringing this song to life, and the backing vocals create a sweet soul harmony that seems to be so rare in modern music. 'you make me smile' is nothing short of a delight, 'politician' features a heavier presense of funky horn licks, 'if i' is a delicate number where blacc's vocal talent really shines, and tracks 'momma hold my hand' and 'green lights' pay homage to traditional rhythm & blues. 'hey brother' has a crazy psychedelic groove and 'miss fortune' highlights a broader musical influence of reggae.

this record addresses current social and political issues, commenting on unemployment, homelessness, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and the pitfalls of capatalism. thought-provoking and decisively mature lyrics contribute to a growing musical character in which blacc strives for positive social change. 'good things' places aloe blacc at the forefront of modern soul, head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries, emphasising social consciousness and inducing compassion.

improv jam session snippet

here's a glimpse of a jam session with beatmaker afta-1 and friends filmed at mcf studio in downtown pomona. tune in every sunday to watch the jam sessions live with samplers, turntables, synths/keys, vocals and drums at ustream. afta-1's long awaited album 'forms', which is "intended to provide audible healing", is also now available to buy here.

secondhand sureshots

"secondhand sureshots is a filmed experiment in creative sound recycling. dublab directors bryan “morpho” younce & mark "frosty" mcneill sent beatmakers daedelus, nobody, j.rocc and ras g on safari into L.A. thrift stores with orders to make new music out of five finds while the cameras filmed the whole process. the result is a mini-documentary about putting new life into old vinyl. over 2 hours of footage, music & bonus material.

the deluxe super set is a true sound and vision experiment. dublab scoured southern california and rescued 500 gatefold LP covers from dusty thrift store bin obscurity. our graphic friends at hit+run took the covers and screen-printed them by hand, making new visual masterpieces to house the first public release of secondhand sureshots. stuffed in this package is all-exclusive material sampled and shredded into new forms fine-tuned to blow your mind. we hope it inspires you to make your own creative gems and jams!"

full details/buy/podcast

come on back

brothers of soul were a trio consisting of fred bridges, richard knight, and bobby eaton. hailing from detroit, their music was characterised by motown-esque harmonies and a rich, funky beat. below you can find one of their gems from what was a short and often overlooked career.


brothers of soul - come on back

send me your love

the latest lp from french beat maker onra is released on all city records who have been killing it of late despite being in the perhaps suprising location of northern ireland - not normally the place you associate with experimental contemporary hip-hop. the miami-vice artwork sets the scene for a refreshing blend of '80s electro and '90s hip-hop. the parisian has emersed himself into a distinct new avenue of sound, a break away from the more chopped-up dusty vinyl sound of 'chinioseries'. you can hear elements of prince or vandross, but at the same time its forward-thinking irony keeps the record instep with the likes of flying lotus or hudson mohawke. this blend of electro-soul suitable for the disco floor takes you right back to '80s miami. buy the album here.


onra - send me your love

quanny sitar

dr. quandary, a boston-based producer, uses psychedelic samples while introducing dusty hip-hop breaks. his first record 'quanny sitar' is a tribute to india, mixing folk traditions with mid-70s bollywood soundtracks. download the record for free courtesy of bandcamp.

1958 jazz drumming

a short clip of jazz drumming from 1958 with gene krupa, lionel hampton and chico hamilton.

the gin diaries

latest release from german beat-maker suff daddy, 'the gin diaries', is a real treat for fans of soulful hip-hop. collaborations with the likes of miles bonny, fleur earth, mariama, and jim dunloop produce a similar neo-soul feel to that created by erykah badu's latest record. 'the gin diaries' has been described as a beat novel consisting of 13 musical short stories providing snapshots of the producer's life.


listen...

suff daddy - konnopke

suff daddy - feelin' fly (feat. mariama)

the album can be bought here

how it should sound

washington dc's soulful beatmaker damu the fudgemunk has a new album out entitled 'how it should sound vol.1 & 2', and as damu himself states in the first track - 'interpret the title how you will'. this is a great instrumental hip-hop record made with little more than an MPC 2000 and a large record collection which harks back to the '90s era of jazz-rap. most of the footage in this promo video was shot by damu's younger brother while 'how it should sound' was being recorded...



more info/buy