If you don't like Prince then there is probably something wrong with you.
Non-musical proof that Prince is awesome.....
Dave Chapelle: Prince plays basketball - watch more funny videos
Thursday 25 February 2010
Outsidaz - Night Life EP
EP from underground rap crew Outsidaz. Post-debut, pre-Royce Eminem used be affiliated with these lot if that makes a difference to anybody? No? Fair enough.
Contains at least one top quality 16 and there’s a fun size mars bar up for grabs if anyone can tell me which one I’m referring to. Ready? Go......
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Trentemoller - The Trentemoller Chronicles
Second album from Trentemoller, the Danish dance music producer fella. The first CD is his own production; all quality, fairly downtempo stuff but the second disc is where it's at. A collection of remixes he has done for other artists (The Knife, Djuma Soundsystem, Royksopp etc).
Various Artists - Badmeaningood Volume 2: Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva should do more compilation albums. This is brilliant.
If you don't agree then you're a massive racist. Fact.
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (OST)
Listening to this album while pounding the mean streets of Camberwell lets me imagine I’m in a mid-70’s blaxploitation film. Occasionally I slide across the hood of a parked car and kung fu chop the nearest jive turkey in the neck. That's just how I'm living these days.
No but seriously this is dope.
Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown
If something can be extremely classic, then this is it. So many great breakbeats it’ll make your head spin. Also, Kool Keith is The Prodigy’s favourite rapper. The internet taught me that.
Casual - Fear Itself
Debut album from Hieroglyphics member Casual.
Right, in my opinion, there are only a handful of albums that display this level of skill consistently throughout and all of them are better known than this one.
Start to finish this guy is on point and on this kind of form, could probably rap circles around your favourite rappers favourite rapper (Unless they're Nas, Andre 3K, Jay, Pun or Biggie. Or Em, or Ghostface, or Big L. Okay, maybe not, but on the strength of this album he deserved more praise from the lyrical/miracle/spiritual underground hip-hop nerds than he got.)
Plantlife - The Return of Jack Splash
Basically, this fella has listened to an awful lot of Prince and George Clinton records, which is no bad thing.
Electrofunk-soul type thing? Hella funky.
Les Rythmes Digitales - Darkdancer
Underrated album from that Jacques Lu Cont fella; he went on to produce for Madonna I think. Nobody’s perfect I suppose.
Download
Monday 15 February 2010
Geto Boys - The Foundation & We Can't Be Stopped
A lot of hip-hop these days is labelled as ‘gangsta rap’. Well this group is the very definition of that term.
The Geto Boys (Scarface, Willie D & Bushwick Bill) were so gangsta that their most violent and psychotic member was a midget. This midget was so gangsta that he made his full size girlfriend shoot him in the face during a failed suicide attempt. If that wasn’t crazy enough, they then used a photo of him on a gurney in the hospital, post-shooting, swollen faced and blind in one eye, as their next album cover.
I wish I was making this shit up.
Download - We Can't Be Stopped
p.s. The Foundation is a great album.
Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
I played this album to death when I first copped it. Will probably only appeal to a couple of people but I love this record.
Breakbeat Era - Ultra-Obscene
Late 90’s D&B. 'Bullitprooof' and 'Ultra-Obscene' were the shit when this first came out which, unfortunately, is over ten years ago now. Fuck I’m old.
Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World
Soul record that sounds like it was made 40 years ago when in fact it came out last year. Vintage yeah?
Styles P - The Ghost Sessions
Don’t know if this was a legit release or some fan boy compilation that the internet spat out but either way it’s a slice of grimy New York hip hop for your ears.
DJ Spinna - Intergalactic Soul
Once again can’t really be categorised other than in the aforementioned pigeon hole of niceness. Modern soul maybe? Yeah go on then.
Modern soul album.
D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
One of the few R&B albums that stands the test of time. Another plus point is that, to the best of my knowledge, D'Angelo never pissed on any underage girls and videotaped it.
D’Angelo: 1 – R.Kelly: 0
Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas (OST)
An entire album of acoustic slide guitar you say?
Yes, yes I do. There is some seriously beautiful, haunting music on this soundtrack. If you don’t believe me then check out the title track, ‘Paris, Texas’.
If you still don’t believe me then you’re wrong.
Friday 12 February 2010
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
My favourite solo album from my favourite Wu-Tang member featuring one of my favourite songs of all time, Mighty Healthy.
Favourite.
Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On
The granddaddy of funk. Without him there would be no Prince, and without Prince there would be no Carmen Electra or Sinead O'Connor crying in a video.
You do the math.
LTJ Bukem - Logical Progression, Level 1
One of the best D&B mix CD's in my opinion. Jazzy and soulful with great basslines throughout. You need this in your life.
UGK - Ridin' Dirty
My favourite album from Port Arthur's finest. Unfortunately no more following the death of Pimp C, but southern rap doesn't get much better than this.
Do not play within earshot of anybody with a vagina.
Capleton - More Fire
If you have even a passing interest in reggae/dancehall and you haven't already, you need to acquaint yourself with Capleton.
You can thank me later.
4Hero - Play With The Changes
Can't really stick this in a pigeon hole other than the pigeon hole of niceness.
Does that exist? It does now, I just invented it. Deal with it.
Thursday 11 February 2010
Jay Electronica - What The Fuck Is A Jay Electronica?
Compilation/mixtape of Jay Electronica material scattered across the interweb.
Basically the dude has listened to a lot of Nas and Wu-Tang. This is a good thing.
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Chris Read - The Diary: Volume 1.5 (20 Years of the Remix)
Remix album from former med bar stalwart and professional flat cap wearer, Chris Read.
Most of this is pretty down tempo and chilled, worth a listen.
DJ Kicks - Kruder & Dorfmeister
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DJ compilation from Kruder & Dorfmeister, kings of dubby chilled things and other such stuff.
Nice for your ears.
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Burial - Untrue
Dubstep on the whole passed me by but this is nice. Instrumental style, yaknowwhatimsayin?
Probably what MJ Cole would have sounded like if he came from Bristol and hung around with DJ Shadow a bit. Maybe? No? Okay then.
Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW
7-piece dub/reggae band from New Zealand.
Production is excellent and dudes' voice is great. What's not to like?
Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik
Mixtape/album from Alabama emcee Yelawolf.
Gets a co-sign from Raekwon & Bun B plus uses a nice Dylan sample.
'Stage Lights' & 'Mixin Up The Medicine' worthy of a listen.
Y-Society - Travel At Your Own Pace
Damu The Fudgemunk doesn't just have one of the best names in hip-hop, he's also a stellar producer.
Jazzy, laid-back hip-hop that your mom could listen to.
Massive Attack Vs. Mad Professor - No Protection
A dub remix album of Protection. Download it and then your ears can thank me just as soon as they develop self awareness and a basic grasp of the English language.
What? Exactly.
Just listen to it okay.
Brother Reade - Rap Music
Some hippety-hop for the hippety hipsters.
A little hit and miss in places but I think this is a solid start. Definitely residing at the laid back end of the hip-hop spectrum.
'Like Duh', 'About That Rock' & 'Lets Go' all worth a listen. Check it.
Francis And The Lights - The Top
A few important questions....
Does the lead singer look like Patrick Dempsey after a 4 day crystal meth binge? Yes, yes he does.
Should somebody have put him into the recovery position about halfway through this video to prevent him from swallowing his tongue? I believe that would have been the medically prudent thing to do.
Are these white boys funky? Damn straight.
Yes please, two.
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