Long Players

LPs, albums, whatever, we get the picture. More and more come out every week and there are no signs of this growth slowing down. I wonder when and where it will all end? As it is record shops simply don’t have the space to stock all of these new releases - if you’ve got a new album coming out, I hope you have a good marketing team behind your release. Anyway, with my bionic eagle-eye vision for new music, most the hawt stuff falls under my radar, so I just want to give a quick rundown on new (and relatively new) releases.

Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise (Secret City Records)

The reason ignorant bastards said the latest Cinematic Orchestra album sounded like Coldplay. If only those people had stopped to realise that even if parts of that album did indeed sound remotely like Coldplay, it would have been Coldplay at the top of their freakin’ game! Patrick Watson is an immense vocalist. I’ve not experienced anything as good in this ilk since the debut release from Damien Rice, only imagine this under a more adventurous pop guise ala Gotye perhaps. Strictly speaking this was originally released about a year ago, but I wont let that get in the way of a good review! It’s 13 tracks of indie-folk goodness, chock full of haunting vocals and beautiful music. There is something pretty indescribable about the atmosphere created by this album, you really need to hear it to fully understand.

Patrick Watson - Luscious Life
>> download track
>> buy Close To Paradise @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

The Heliocentrics - Out There (Now Again)

A UK funk collective signed to the Stones Throw imprint Now-Again. That first sentence alone should be enough, but I’m never shy of a few words, so have some more… This stuff is heavy! These dudes backed Shadow on one of the only decent tracks on his latest album, that track was This Time. Madlib loves them, Egon loves them, Peanut Butter Wolf loves them - and not for no reason either. Their blend of psychedelic, dark melodies to the funkiest hip-hop’esque beats is just sublime. Guilty Simpson also lends a cypher or two on the 12″ release of Before I Die, so try to catch that while you can.

The Heliocentrics - Distant Star
>> download track
>> buy Out There @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Ohmega Watts - Watts Happening (Ubiquity Records)

Fresh from guest appearances on the latest Bamboos album and also from last year’s The Find album, Ohmega Watts is back! The first album had on point rhymes and flowed nicely, but this follow up stings hard! It is brimming with raw energy and I would say is actually better than his previous material. The beats are tight and the mic action is strong, this is one for all the real hip-hop heads. Flying that Ubiquity flag nice and high, Ohmega Watts wins again.

Ohmega Watts - Eyes and Ears
>> download track
>> buy Watts Happening @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Me&You - Floating Heavy (Tru Thoughts)

One of the albums of the year right here! Rob Luis and TM Juke of Tru Thoughts send an eclectic storm of creation right in your direction with Floating Heavy. Designed to blast the dancefloor in an authentic Tru Thoughts manner, heavy things done go on in Brighton this year! The jazzy cover of Roni Size’s Brown Paper Bag is pure class, whilst the blend of 1950s early Lord Kitchener style calypso/ska and high powered drum ‘n’ bass on Last Night will shake you to the core. There’s something for everyone on this album, but despite the eclectic array of sounds, what impresses me most is how consistently on point the whole thing is.

Me&You - Space Lizards
>> download track
>> buy Floating Heavy @ EtchShop
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Y Society - Travel At Your Own Pace (Tres Records)

Thes One is one half of People Under The Stairs, he is also heavily involved with the Tres Records label of which Y Society are signed to. Travel At Your Own Pace is a fantastic hip-hop album that manages to combine the raw sound of old skool beats with modern production techniques and sick flows. This is chilled hip-hop with a confident attitude. But don’t confuse confident with arrogant, cos it most certainly isn’t that - it’s well produced and reminds me of a sort of blend between Pete Rock & CL Smooth and The Procussions, but naturally with their own unique elements and techniques.

Y Society - How Many Of Us?
>> download track
>> buy Travel At Your Own Pace @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Five albums for you to investigate. No doubt you may have already heard some (or all) of them, so feel free to share your thoughts. Just remember, even when thousands of really shitty records are being pushed in our faces all the time… there is still just as many quality ones out there too, you just need to spend a bit of time searching for them. It is worth it in the end though. The musical world doesn’t begin and end with what you hear coming across the airwaves, it’s a big ol’ world out there with music being spread through multiple mediums. Go find that good stuff, it’s waiting for you!

Useful links:

• Patrick Watson MySpace page
• The Heliocentrics MySpace page
• Ohmega Watts MySpace page
• Me&You MySpace page
• Y Society MySpace page

Guess who’s back?!

Yup, it’s me. Sorry for the huge gap in posts, I hope my semi-regular podcasts have been keeping you entertained? So much great music coming out all the time, we truly are spoilt. Anyway, as this is the first post for a while it will basically be covering (briefly) a range of topics - there’s a lot of stuff you need to check out.

I featured one of the tracks on a podcast episode, but you really have to check out Leo Nevilo’s Beastie Boys Revisited project. As some of you may already know, the Beasties put up a load of a capellas a while ago for anyone and everyone to have a little play with. Leo’s project is fantastic and approaches the Beastie sound from a fresh, electronic, angle. It is very beat driven, but really gritty and inventive. You can download the whole thing here… http://www.archive.org/details/BeastieBoysRevisited - You can check out more of Leo’s work at his MySpace page.

With each musical genre come sub-genres and then mutations between genres and sub-genres, almost to the point now where it is becoming hard to classify certain music as one thing or another - sure it is shitty if you work in a record store, but generally speaking I love it. There are casualties along the way, but such trials must be taken and errors must be made to unearth something a bit special. Sometimes it is the subtle approaches towards a genre that can surprise and pay-off the most. Recently it was one such approach that came as the most pleasant surprise. I’ll cut to the chase: it was the new release by Lotus Tribe, the ‘S.E.L.F.’ project: The Art & War of Misanthropic Philanthropy. These guys are from San Antonio and decided it was time to shake up the hip-hop scene in Texas, and that they did. The rhymes are smooth, melodic and intelligent. The beats are strong, well produced and addictive. All the elements are on display to full effect, in a similar vein to Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique, only in a more laid back manner, these dudes really hit that fresh spot. Remember to check the Lotus Tribe MySpace page.

Lotus Tribe - El Fin
>> download track
>> buy S.E.L.F. - The Art & War Of Misanthropic Philanthropy @ CD Baby
This download link will expire on 15th September.

Continuing with the exploration of interesting hip-hop angles, the city of angels has been providing some heavy, heavy stuff for a while now. Two parts hip-hop and one part crazy, the L.A. sound has been gripping people from all corners. Last year we had the two Sound Of L.A. EPs from Plug Research and now ArtDontSleep presents the From L.A. With Love LP from Milan Records. This is hotter than the sun, so prepare yourself. The LP features an array of amazing L.A. based artists, including; Adventure Time, Exile, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer. A blend of hip-hop, electronica, neo-soul and dub, this stuff is definitely for the beat loving head nodders. Full details are on the MySpace page, grab this while it’s hot. Kutmah has also made a megamix of the tracks and that can be downloaded via Dublab.

Flying Lotus - Its A Secret
>> download track
>> buy From L.A. With Love via Milan Records
This download link will expire on 15th September.

Lastly I have something for you that I think should be described as a remixtape. Whilst Sweden’s Mojib is trying to promote his upcoming debut album Whimsical Lifestyle on Canada’s Non-Existant Recordings label, he is also giving away a remix project he did of UNKLE material. Frankly, it is fantastic. A very creative mix and mash-up of all UNKLE related tracks, Mojib has furthered the classics and actually made good the infamous misses. I didn’t really have much in the way of expectations when I heard bout this, but as soon as I heard the first part of the four contained on the project, I knew it was pure dynamite. It is right up there with Skalpel’s Virtual Cuts as far as addictive mixtapes go - and that is saying something! Luckily for you, the whole thing is available for download…

Mojib - VS UNKLE
>> part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4
>> myspace @ http://myspace.com/mojibmusic
More info available @ www.mojib.net

Well, that’s your lot for now. I hope to pick things up and get cracking with more regular blog updates - I know I have said that before… but now I’m saying it again. Have faith y’all and don’t forget to subscribe to my mother-funking podcast, you know it makes sense!

Useful links:

• Leo Nevilo’s MySpace
• Lotus Tribe MySpace
• From L.A. With Love MySpace
• Mojib’s MySpace

6 Questions: with… Ionik of Traveller Records

Via mailing lists, RSS news feeds, and word of mouth, I find out bout new 7″ records dropping half a dozen times a week. Sometimes I’ll know the artist or label and therefore know it needs checking out, or other times it just sounds cool or looks interesting and I am inticed to delve deeper. A recent excavation unearthed a gem hailing from Finland: Traveller Records. The relevant communication links were opened and before I knew it Masa (aka Ionik) from Traveller Records had sent me a couple of 7″ records. The needle dropped and so did my jaw, “this is the shit!”. Two hot hip-hop joints that have been lauded by the likes of Jon Kennedy, the boys at Fat Beats Records, and the good man Quantic. I grabbed a few words from Masa for this, the latest, 6 Questions…

1. Who Are You? Masa aka Ionik, owner of Traveller Records and a tireless fan of all things made of wax with a pinch of soul.

2. What do you do? Spin records, organize parties, snipe records at eBay, turn down requests, enjoy my new apartment, plus eat mostly this thing “lihis” which is kinda like meat pie but more exotic. I wish we had more snooker coverage on tv.

3. Why do you do it? I just LOVE good music.

4. So what’s new? We just got the Sun Rise Above single out, that’s going to be our last 7-inch. Next up is a two-part 12″ from Detroit that’s looking to be big. It’s our first step into more soulful side of things, that’s all I can say right now. Also in the works is a compilation that’s looking really promising right now, it should be out in late August. Another joint from Detroit also in the lab, so watch the skies people!

5. Who are you listening to at the moment? Mid sixties reggae, seventies soul, New Jersey garage, hip hop from back in the day, and I’m a big fan of late seventies/early eighties US boogie/disco/modern soul scene - the type of stuff that will get me to play louder than the club owners ever want! I just re-discovered my drum ‘n bass jewels recently, summer is here folks.

6. What’s your best nugget of wisdom? If not, why the f*ck not?

Sun Rise Above - Free Your Mind
>> download track
>> buy records @ Traveller Records MySpace page
This download link will expire on 22nd June.

Sounds like big things are going down in Finland! Thanks to Masa for taking the time to participate, much appreciated. Be sure to check out Traveller Records on MySpace and give Masa a shout at travellerrecords@hotmail.com if you have any questions or want to get your grubby fingers on some music!

Useful links:

• Traveller Records MySpace
• Download - Sun Rise Above - Free Your Mind

6 Questions: with… Unkle Ho

If you know your Aussie hip-hop you’ll have no doubt tasted the fruits produced by this rather creative chap. Unkle Ho actually produces for The Herd, the group that brought us such tracks as Scallops, Burn Down The Parliament, and their cover of the classic I Was Only 19. Both The Herd and Unkle Ho are signed to Aussie label Elefant Traks, one that I am loving more and more as each day passes. The material released on Elefant Traks is not bound to any rules or constraints, full creativity is encouraged and I believe this helps the artists to flourish and deliver a more developed and well rounded end result. This is entirely the case with Unkle Ho’s latest release Circus Maximus, but enough from me, let’s see what he has to say for himself in this, another edition of, 6 Questions…

1. Who Are You? Unkle Ho, gypsy beats producer from Sydney, Australia.

2. What do you do? Produce music as Unkle Ho and also for 8 headed hip hop beast The Herd. I also help run Elefant Traks, the label that Unkle Ho and The Herd are released on.

3. Why do you do it? Started doing it for fun and haven’t looked back. Hopefully when I’m an old man my crippling arthritis won’t stop me from tinkering on music machines.

4. So what’s new? Well funny that you should mention that, my second album Circus Maximus is now out in shops. People can listen to what I’ve been up to in the two years since the first one.

5. Who are you listening to at the moment? Lots of things, Waiting For Guiness’ new album is great, this Russian band called Billy’s Band, local Aussie band called Because of Ghosts and some top shelf dancehall from Mista Savona.

6. What’s your best nugget of wisdom? Hmm, one who cuts his own wood is twice warmed…

Unkle Ho - Big Bad Rag
>> download track
>> buy Circus Maximus @ Amazon
This download link will expire on 11th June.

Usual etiquette applies; check out Unkle Ho on MySpace, get him added to your friends, then go buy the album! Seriously though, it is a brilliant album. I think I might even create a genre to cater for it… gyp-hop, cos those gypsy beats are banging! Thanks goes out to Unkle Ho for sparing his time to participate.

Useful Links:

• Unkle Ho MySpace page
• Elefant Traks MySpace page
• Unkle Ho website
• Elefant Traks website
• Download - Unkle Ho - Big Bad Rag
• Buy Circus Maximus @ Amazon

6 Questions: with… Flow Dynamics

I’ve given you plenty of time to catch your breath since the last 6 Questions, so here is another one! Still on a funky tip, this time it is the turn of Aussie producer Flow Dynamics. Hot off the release of his debut album, this is your chance to learn a little bit more about the fella…

1. Who are you? Dave McKinney aka Flow Dynamics aka Soul Harmonics. Based in Australia.

2. What do you do? Flow Dynamics is my beats, breaks, funk, hip hop kinda project, and Soul Harmonics is my soulful house and nujazz outfit. I spend a lot of time in the studio, making tunes, and having a lot of fun. Music makes me happy. I like working with different artists doing collaborations and writing songs for different singers. I tend to play a lot of the instruments myself as much as possible, (bass, drums, keys etc) and if my playing sounds really crap then I’ll enlist the help of my music friends to bring their goodness to the mix! I’ve got my own studio at home, so I record everything live and then chop it up and muck around. I love the combination of live instruments chopped up and processed in the studio. I’m also getting right into DJing with serato and using ableton live to make things interesting out on the road. I also work as a marine biologist when I’m not making beats. Gotta pay the bills! I do a lot of coral taxonomy, which is basically swimming around with a scuba tank on identifying coral species. It is very complex, and keeps me busy, but I like the balance between science and music. Keeps me refreshed and inspired for making tunes.

3. Why do you do it? Music wakes me up night. Keeps me up at night. Gets me up in the morning. I just love music. There is so much good music around, and so much music to be made. Back in 1992 I was at uni studying science, and had nothing to do with making music at all. I went and lived in Brazil for a year, as my brother had just got back from a student exchange there. He told me about how amazing it was, so I hit it for a year to check it out. After a year in Brazil, in such an incredibly musical place, where even an old grandma can play a killer samba on the table top, the music bug bit me for life. I got back home to Australia with a pile of Brazilian vinyl in my suitcase and went back to uni, It was then that I suddenly realised that music was what I wanted to do with my life. I started playing drums, and playing percussion in a traditional Brazilian percussion group with a bunch of Brazilians, and got into capoeira and all that. Then started playing in different bands and started listening to a lot of funk and soul. From there it was dj-ing around the place and playing live electronic gigs around Australia as Rhibosome. After that, it was onto my current Flow Dynamics and Soul Harmonics projects.

4. So what’s new? The Flow Dynamics album has just been released on Freestyle Records in UK, Europe, US, and Japan, and in Australia on Invada Records. You can also catch a new release featuring Soul Harmonics on French soulful house label Jaffa Music. Touring to UK, Europe & Australia in September October. The Soul Harmonics full length album is also finished and will be coming out soon, plus I have a pile of upcoming remixes for Fort Knox Five, Flevans, Beatfanatic etc.

5. Who are you listening to at the moment? I’m into a lot of different music. Especially heavy funk, soul music, hip hop, afrobeat, nujazz, soulful house, drum & bass, broken beats, downtempo, afro latin, jazz, and Brazilian grooves. You can check a pile of my charts here: http://www.flowdynamics.com.au/charts/heavy.htm - Here’s a few rekkids I’m digging right now;

Speedometer - Four Flights Up (Freestyle Records)
Lanu - Disinformation (Tru Thoughts)
Askillz vs Beat Vandals - Sunshine (Bombstrikes)
Featurecast - Avenue Rock (Good Groove)
Joss Stone / Yam Who Remix - Tell Me Bout It (Giant Step)
The Snugs - Strugglin’ - Omegaman Remix (Good Groove)
DJ Day - What Planet (Milkcrate)
Rhythmagic Orchestra - African Mailman (Impossible Ark)
Zeca Pagodinho - Quando Eu Contar
Jazz Liberatorz - Ease My Mind (Kif)
Peter King - Omo Lewa (Flow Dynamics edit) (Forthcoming)
Bamboos ft. Ohmega Watts Get in the Scene (Tru Thoughts)
Marva Whitney - I am what I am (Freestyle Records)
Flevans - Apostles (Jack To Phono)
MItchell Dewbury Band - Beyond the Rains (Mr Bongo)
Mr President - Love & Happiness (Pusher)
Drum Lessons - Strings of Life (Sonar K)
Lack of Afro - Wait a Minute (Record Kicks)
Phiro Y Sus Carribes - Comenzos (Soundway 45)
DJ Graham B - It’s Alright Now (Freestyle)
Sound Stylistics - Shake & Hip Drop (Freestyle 7″)
Sharon Jones - I’m Not Gonna Cry (Daptone)
Mark Murphy - Stolen Moments -Nicola Conte Remix (Verve)
DJ Vadim Talk To Me (BBE)

6. What’s your best nugget of wisdom? Whatever it is that you do, do it with LOVE! It IS what makes the world go round. Spread that Love!

DJ Regal - Shock Ya Mind (Flow Dynamics remix)
>> download track
>> buy Flow Dynamics @ Freestyle Records
This download link will expire on 30th May.

There you have it, everything you ever wanted to know about Flow Dynamics… and then a little bit more! Thanks to the man himself for taking the time to participate, appreciated as always. Usual routine; like what you hear? Act on it. Add Flow Dynamics to your MySpace friends and make sure you cop that album!

Useful links:

• Flow Dynamics website
• Flow Dynamics MySpace page
• Soul Harmonics MySpace page
• Download - DJ Regal - Shock Ya Body (Flow Dynamics remix)
• Freestyle Records website