Perth's Ta-Ku recently uploaded a collection of short, untitled instrumentals that he has dug out from the dark corners of his hard drive and dusted off for your listening pleasure.
Dusty is coming hot on the heels of that New York venture following which came the fantastic LateNYC release last December, and it also serves as a heads up for the Scarlette LP, due out next month. Both are embedded below for your listening and you can grab them either on the Bandcamp, or over on the HW&W site.
Again it's sample heavy soul-shuffle all round from the production machine Ta-Ku. For the amount he churns out, this cat must be in possession of doc's flux capacitor!
Heading over to Kansas now where Kyle Dykes aka Innate Sounds producer Leonard Dstroy delivers his latest blend of original beats. Having worked with the likes of Brother of Moses, Stik Figa, and Ces Cru his music features downtempo beats, west coast and r&b influences, and soulful 70’s samples. It’s built on a foundation of instrumental hip-hop and layered with vocal samples, light synth fx, acoustic guitar patterns, clean, tight kicks and thick, funky bass lines. Heavily influenced by Pete Rock, Exile, and J-dilla, Leonard Dstroy is definitely living up to an amazing legacy and progressing it into the future. This one spans plays as a collage album with over 50 beats mixing into one another to create a live set experience.
By now, you should already know Dibiase from either his debut album on Alpha Pup last year, for winning the Red Bull Big Tune beat battle in 2010, his work with 14KT, Exile, Blu, devonwho, or his Green Llama crew constituents, or for just generally being the D muhfuckin D!
For the 9th installment in the series, Dibi offers up Comfort Zone a 7 track beat EP, with more worthwhile morsels in its 17+ minutes than most producers could give you in a full album’s time. More importantly, the EP is also released in memory of the late J-1 aka The DEER.
Dibi explained a little bit more about one specific tribute moment in his e-mail,
copied below:
track 4 sub factor ( so ruff ) has a lil [audio] footage from so ruff so tuff in l.a. – thats j-1 on the mic… i thought that beat would be something he would gettin amped up on. if its funky he mess with it. went with a smooth approach ,and a lil funk influenced on a few joints too. hopefully heads dig this project.
Additionally, after Dibia$e & Versis’ collaboration for The Journey (4U) off of Versis’ debut album iLLCANDESCENT, they decided to join forces again and lace vocals over Fly Me t’The Moon, a beat from Dibia$e’s instrumental LP Sound Palace which hit the waves in December. That joint is available for free below the video which was directed by Ruff Mercy.
You can preview Sound Palace below, and head here to order.
Smooth Sailin ||
Rockout ||
Strangeland ||
Genie In The Sky ||
DB Grover (ft. Dak) ||
Gospel Slap ||
Cosignin ||
Woman ||
Changeups ||
Suncity ||
Stars Out ||
Living My Life ||
Dont Be Late ||
Fly Me To The Moon ||
And finally the latest cut, Driftin' off, from Fat City Recordings' Producer #3 Part 3 EP is set to release February 20th. It's the first time the Green Llama has returned to Fat City since his death star theme on Producer #2 so be sure to cop this one as it also features Danny Drive Thru and Marcus Intalex under his new Trevino alias.
J.Rocc got his hands on a bunch of reference CDs of upcoming Stones Throw releases: The Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2, Quakers, Myron & E, Jonwayne, Jonti, Steve Arrington and some other cats ... full track list coming soon ... maybe.
Following last year's album Some Cold Rock Stuf and the recent Stay Fresh EP, J Rocc has been busy touring with Blackstar and the Madlib Medicine Show as official DJ on both shows, unofficially as the glue that holds the whole damn thing together. He's recently put together a special set of his own "Mystery Tracks" culled from the two or three "Mystery Disc" sets included with Some Cold Rock Stuf. We'll have the Mystery Tracks up next.
The latest stones throw podcast, and first of 2012, is curated by J Rocc. More need not be added.
Subscribe if for unfathomable reasons unbeknownst to me, you haven't already.
February 7th is an important annual date, and one that is fast approaching now. Why? Well, on that day in 1974, two humans were born on opposite sides of the globe that during their tragically short lives, would become two of hip hop's most groundbreaking innovators and would both leave an everlasting legacy. Dilla & Nujabes. It is always remarkable to reflect upon their lives, the beautiful music they created, and the legacy they left behind but words can never fully describe the magic that the Detroit and Tokyo legends spread with their minds and the power of sound.
So what's install for the revered date this year? There are three releases set to drop on February 7th 2012. Shlohmo, Lapalux, and Mux Mool will each drop a project on the magical day.
Stuart Howard, aka Lapalux's upcoming EP When You’re Gone will mark his first release since signing on Brainfeeder.
The last we heard from Howard, April’s fantastic Many Face Out of Focus EP – the Essex-based producer was carefully honing his blurred, distant and sonically rich beat style for Pictures Music. In the intervening months, Howard has seen his Lapalux project take flight, touching down in the far-flung yet none-more-appropriate LA home of the infamous Brainfeeder label. Surrounded by like-minded souls and healthy sources of influence, Howard’s first release for the imprint, the seven-track-strong When You’re Gone EP, is an impressive way to make an introduction.
Opener ‘102 of Introduction’ has more than a hint of the crackle and jerk of its Brainfeeder home, soft keys and Howard’s own strained vocals joined by a mesh of jazz samples, while Vocalist PY’s contributions to ‘Moments’ begin as the track’s focus, before getting chewed up and spat out by the skittering, erratic beats Howard constructs around it. It’s the EP’s most disjointed, awe-inspiring production – complex and mutating, but never bewildering.
One of the most endearing traits of the Lapalux sound is its ability to absorb a range of production styles and create a wholly unique account of their strengths. ‘Gone’ has elements of Clams Casino’s lethargic, syrupy ‘trap beats’ – huge synths and metallic claps nailing down melancholic samples at a snail’s pace – while ‘Yellow 90’s’ lifts the pace and tone, a Roger Troutman vocoder line snaking through some twisted yet up-tempo hip-hop. Some of the stylistic intricacies of ‘Moments’ make a reappearance here, demonstrating the skill and craftsmanship that so initially impressed the Brainfeeder camp.
Preview the sampler below, and enjoy 'Gutter Glitter' as a freebie.
Staying in the western orb, LA native Henry Laufer aka Shlomo returns this February with a three-track digital EP on Friends of Friends, titled Vacation. This follows on from last year's Bad Vibes EP which served up his usual lush, organic beats and warm, thought provoking melodies. Tracks such as ‘Sink’ and ‘Same Time‘ highlighted the nature of his work as an intelligent combination of percussive clicks, organs and manipulated guitar sounds.
Returning with this EP, Laufer has released an early stream of the track ‘wen uuu’. Whilst Laufer’s sound is clearly recognisable, a certain progression can be identified. As ever with his works, the tracks on Vacation offer plenty of atmosphere and serve to sustain a mixture of sorrow with a sense of unease.
Notably, the three-piece has an overall more polished sound. The vocals, organ and beat section all sound more produced than in previous works. The scrapping of background noises has also contributed to this and it seems to have definitely benefited the song. This could be evidence of a developing producer or a shift in his composing methods. Either way, Vacation makes for a very promising listen.
Officially released in February, Vacation will contain two more tracks by Laufer. Additionally, the 12” release includes remixes by Nicolas Jaar and label mate Salva.
Listen to the lead track wen uuu below, and head to the FOF soundcloud to preview the full release.
Finally, we head to Minneapolis and thus encounter the terrain associated with Ghostly cat Brian Lindgren aka Mux Mool. His new album, Planet High School, will be released through Ghostly International and from each of the songs shared so far, will again display his versatility and talent in a big way.
Following on from Skulltaste, unsurprisingly this one doesn’t disappoint and once again shows off the producers skills for adding various genres and tempos to his palette while continuing to wrap them up in his unique packaging of groove filled earworm hooks and catchy melodies that sound instantly recognisable and forever memorable.
Grab a couple of the tracks from the release below.
Hayden Kramer is soul synth producer heRobust from Atlanta, Georgia. As a fan of his debut project Albumin, I'm only too pleased to here his new releases Late Night and Morning After, dropping on the ever-dope Saturate Records.
Both albums feature an array of blips, Dillaesque samples and intoxicating amounts of synth. The hip hop influence is very evident throughout each, but the electronic component of his sound refuses to take a backseat to the influx invigorating melodies and sensational drum patterns.
Head over to the Bandcamp to grab these two releases.
A stop off at the Cosmopolyphonic swallow is long overdue. Since the Fitz Ambro$e mix last summer there have been three more guest mixes, courtesy of Hashim B, Ahnnu & A Taut Line Matt Lyne.
The latest is courtesy of Diskotopia head-honcho Matt Lyne and coincides with the release of a compilation album put out by the label incorporating the likes of BD1982, Visionist, RLP & Lamin Fofana.
I was lucky enough to be at one of the launch parties which features sets from Green Linez, Am Rhein, Takeshi Kouzuki & Lyne himself.
Tracklist:
Darkhouse Family - Like No Other (feat. B. Bravo) Greeen Linez - Crystalline Vision Pleasure - Bouncy Lady DJ Shadow - Changeling Patrice Rushen - Remind Me Krystal Klear + Olivier Day Soul - Never Thought Would Go Pepin - Mercury Royalty - Halley S Trail Midnight Funk Association - Firescratch Andy Stott - Love Nothing Plastikman - Plastique (Video Mix) Lo Borges - Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser Oriol - 5 Bars Cassius - Hey Babe Savage - I Want It All (BD1982 Refix) Mosca - Orange Jack Conquerer - Highest Order Ed Davenport - Basium 2562 - This Is Hardcore A Taut Line & Hong Kong In The 60s - Don't Wake Me (LDFD Remix)
Going back a little further we had Ahnnu drop mix # 24.
Tracklist yasuaki shimizu - kakashi monkey_sequence19 - lazy lovin' mndsgn - procelainpeople bun - e-3a ahnnu - gameovr_rmx lapti - leaving home fitz ambro$e - whaayne devonwho - whenitrainsitpoursagain dj harrison - new millenium motown delofi - shine rain young black preachers - deep breathing ahnnu - dogrhythm negrosaki - cowbop beboy swarvy - clicktyclack ohbliv - tenderkiss p.u.d.g.e. - trying to convince myself radicaledward - i always park my chrome car in front of the lancer aaronmaxwell - funeral teebs - pretty poly
As you can see, or rather not see, this space has taken a temporary hiatus for a few weeks.
There's been good reason for this, as my own relocation to the heart of the land of the rising sun has taken effect (as you may be able to tell from the couple of pictures posted in the soundscapes below).
Spending no time dwelling though, it's high time we got the juices flowing again.
