6 Questions: with… Unkle Ho

June 4th, 2007

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.

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6 Questions: with… Flow Dynamics

May 23rd, 2007

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!

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6 Questions: with… Lack of Afro

May 12th, 2007

Been a short while since the last 6 Questions feature, but hey… I’ve got a fresh one! This time it is the turn of Adam Gibbons, aka British funk maestro Lack of Afro. Anyone thinking that funk died in the seventies wants to get their head tested, it’s strong as ever, just gotta go that extra mile and search it out sometimes. So, without further delay, here’s the low-down…

1. Who are you? Adam Gibbons, aka Lack of Afro. Born and raised in Exeter in the South West of England, I now live and work in London.

2. What do you do? I’m a producer and musician. My music tends to be heavy on the beat and is a combination of samples and live playing. Track creation nearly always starts with a sample that I can hear potential in – it can be anything from drums to horns or even the sound of an audience at a live gig, whatever. It’s all about what triggers off an idea or what has the right feel.

I then play in other parts myself, sometimes bass, keys or drums - sometimes guitar or saxes. Live playing is something I’m passionate about because it adds that ‘human’ element which is sometimes lacking in sample based music. That’s where the soul is - in the live playing. If I’m after something a bit different then I ask other musicians in to see what they can add to the track. Collaborations are something I’d like to do a lot more of in the future; I’m a bit like a sponge that way, soaking up as many influences as possible…!

3. Why do you do it? Music is engrained in me so I’ve never had to really think about what I do too much. It’s just there - I can’t really explain it. If you’re a musician or producer then it never really leaves you, it’s with you wherever you go. My Dad is a massive soul fan, so I grew up listening to a lot of Motown and stuff on Stax and Atlantic, as well as a lot of mod stuff. I think my style of production owes a lot to that era. It’s not polished, it’s just all about the vibe!

I take great satisfaction knowing that people are enjoying my music. Whether it’s in a club environment or through something like MySpace, it’s extremely rewarding when someone drops you a message to say that they’re into what you’re doing.

My initial ambition was just to get records released; now I’d just like to see people continuing to take pleasure in my music and on a personal level, to collaborate with artists that I admire.

4. So what’s new? Another 7” on Freestyle featuring two deep funk covers; The Arctic Monkeys’ “When The Sun Goes Down” and Dusty Springfield’s “Spooky”. Release date tbc.

Most of my energy is currently going towards finishing the Lack of Afro debut album. Entitled “Press On”, it will be released on Freestyle records later this summer. It’s 95% done and is sounding grand. Release date also tbc.

I’ve also just completed remixes for The Houdinis (Social Beats Records) and two for The New Mastersounds. One for a “New Mastersounds Remixed” LP for Record Kicks and the other for a compilation called “Soul Shaker Volume 4”, also on Record Kicks. I’m also just about to start one for Diesler on Freestyle.

Finally, I’ve been asked to produce the latest LP from US soul band The Diplomats of Solid Sound, for release on Record Kicks due for release in Sep/Oct ’07, as well as a remix for them too. Check www.lackofafro.com for details of all of those, and visit www.myspace.com/lackofafro to hear them.

5. Who are you listening to at the moment? Lots as always. Amongst others;

Bonobo - Days To Come (Ninja Tune), The Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur (Ninja Tune), Eddie Roberts -Trenta (Salvos), Koop – Koop Island (Diesel), unreleased tracks from Funkshone, Nostalgia 77 – Everything Under The Sun (Tru Thoughts), Flow Dynamics – Flow Dynamics (Freestyle), The Sound Stylistics – Play Deep Funk (Freestyle), Solid Pleasure – Solid Pleasure (Afrokats), Smoove – Dead Men’s Shirts (Acid Jazz), The Cinematic Orchestra – Remixes (Ninja Tune), N*E*R*D – Fly or Die (Star Trak), The Small Faces – Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (Immediate), Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino), John Legend – Once Again (Columbia), Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (Island), Mark Ronson – Version (Columbia)

6. What’s your best nugget of wisdom? This is really aimed at unsigned artists because it’s something I struggled with. When looking for feedback on your material, try and ask someone who’s either had tracks released before (that makes similar music to you of course - don’t ask the opinion of a hard house DJ if you write classical music for example!), or someone who’s involved with a record label that you’d like to be on. Once you’ve found someone who’s willing to give you an honest opinion then hang on to them and ask their opinion on future projects. There are a lot of bullshitters out there who will just tell you what you want to hear and honesty can be hard to come by. Don’t ask for friends’ or family’s opinion because (and this is through no fault of their own), they’ll just tell you what you want to hear.

At the end of the day though, you have to be true to yourself, so if in doubt, always go with your gut feeling and always trust your ears. Press On…

What more do you need to know?! My thanks goes out to Adam for taking the time to answer the six questions, I really do appreciate it. The man lacking in big hair was also kind enough to share a track, it’s one of my fav tracks at the moment, Roderigo…

Lack of Afro - Roderigo
>> download track
>> buy 7″ @ Freestyle Records
This download link will expire on 18th May.

Don’t forget to add Lack of Afro to your MySpace friends, everyone needs friends right?! And spread the good word, the word of funk! It’s all out there, just waiting for you to grab it!

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Plastique Petit

May 3rd, 2007

Do you ever wonder what might happen if there was a musical amalgamation of Spank Rock and 2 Live Crew? Well do yourself a favour and stop wondering… Plastic Little have landed. This Philadelphian five piece have actually been around since the Summer of 2001, a period of time sadly remembered for less musical reasons, however, PackOfRats, Squid, No Body’s Child, Jon Thousand and DJ Si Young are about to hit your radar big style.

The Spank Rock and 2 Live Crew analogy was to give you a partial idea of their sound, but don’t be mistaken, these are no copy-cats, they’re fresh and unique. The first thing I noticed about Plastic Little was their jump-up style of hip-hop, it’s energetic for sure, but once your ear begins to fully tune in, you’ll notice that these hip-hop layers run deep. You wont be able to hide from the sick flows and lyrical content - it’s crude for sure, but tongue in cheek and delivered in that unmistakable “we just don’t give a fuck” kinda way. Before this you had Spank Rock, before that The Beastie Boys, 2 Live Crew, but before that there was Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly), so it isn’t necessarily the shock-factor of such upfront and blue lyrics that make Plastic Little stand out, but more their approach and technique.

The first full Plastic Little LP is due out sometime soon and it’s called She’s Mature. Coming up first though is the release of an EP featuring the tracks Crambodia (feat. Ghostface Killah), The Jump Off, Foil, and a Pink Skull remix of Crambodia. You may have spotted the name of a little known emcee in that last sentence, yup, Ghostface Killah. Serious names take note of serious business and Ghostface doesn’t like to waste his time! The dudes also feature some production by Diplo and some rap rap rapping by Spank Rock himself on the album, so no doubt it’s gonna be a banger. The last track on the aforementioned 12″ EP was a Pink Skull remix of Crambodia and you can give it a little listen here…

Plastic Little - Crambodia (Pink Skull Remix)
>> download track
>> buy album @ ShesMature.com
This download link will expire on 10th May.

Also, if like me you are totally addicted to collecting 7″ vinyl, then there is the single of Crambodia available too, it features a Hot Chip remix on the B-side. Want some more media? Okey doke, check out this video for the track The Jump Off…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6prcYP6f7o]

You can listen to some more tracks on the Plastic Little MySpace page, I’m particularly feeling the sort-of-cover of Close To Me by The Cure, aptly named Get Close. So really, all that remains is for you to add these dudes to your MySpace friends list, then buy their album, oh and tell all your friends about them so they can do the same… obviously!

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It’s been a long time…

March 29th, 2007

…I shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to.

Today I just wanna chuck in all the info, condensed stylee, that I should have really been giving in detail over the last couple of months. I’m falling desperately short with the amount of ‘meaningful’ blog entries on here, and for that I am sorry. I’m juggling my 6 working days a week and this blog, and the blog is getting a pasting by the opposition; the merciless 6 day working week. The thing, however, I am most guilty of is realising I don’t have time to do a full track by track review of a new album, and so not even mentioning it at all, which isn’t really fair. So I’ll start by listing some good new stuff that has either come out recently or is about to come out soon.

The new Wax Tailor album Hope and Sorrow has literally just dropped. The French cut’n'paste hip-hop producer extraordinaire gave us Tales of the Forgotten Melodies back in 2005 and his new 2007 effort is just as heavy! The 15 track album delves deeper into the mind of a man with an obvious fascination with nostalgic story telling and rich beats. It also features some fantastic artists on the collab, including; Sharon Jones, Marina Quaisse, Charlotte Savary, and Ursula Rucker, to name a few. Already being a big fan of the Tailor’s work, I was instantly drawn to Hope and Sorrow, but like a fine wine it does indeed mature with age. Repeat listens will only strengthen your love for these exquisite beats and samples. One track I am totally hooked on at the moment is this one…

Wax Tailor - Alien In My Belly feat Charlotte Savary
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US / Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 4th April.

Also recently released was the iTunes exclusive Kovas EP The Arrogance Of Youth. If you have been reading this blog for a while then you may remember the Chocolate Swim feature I did last September. Well Kovas featured on that with the track Up In Here, but now he has released a full EP of material. This is hip-hop with real attitude, but more in the style of ripping it up on the dancefloor than shooting the place up on the streets. Kovas makes tight, addictive beats to get yo’ ass movin’! Give this track a go for starters…

Kovas - Say What
>> download track
>> buy album @ iTunes
This download link will expire on 4th April.

Japanese turntablist DJ Kentaro has finally dropped his debut album Enter. For anyone that pays attention to the turntablism scene, you would’ve probably heard all bout Kentaro when he won the DMCs back in 2002. Or maybe you heard of him when he dropped that wicked Solid Steel mix CD for Ninja Tune in 2004. But either way, all that matters is that his album is finally here! I’ve gotta say, it has lived up to all the expectations. There’s a distinct volume of drum ‘n’ bass sounds throughout the album, but between Kentaro’s fantastic production and the impressive guest appearances on the album, it is much more than your average d’n'b record. Enter features the likes of; The Pharcyde, Spank Rock, New Flesh, Hifana, and Fat Jon. A subtle blend of hip-hop and d’n'b sounds presented in an intelligent turntablist style will leave you wanting more, so here’s a little something to get those taste buds tingling…

DJ Kentaro - Rainy Day (Ft. New Flesh)
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US / Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 4th April.

It’s been just over a year since the sad passing of J Dilla, but to celebrate that anniversary, Stones Throw have re-issued his 2003 EP Ruff Draft into a full LP. The new version is available on both vinyl and CD (as well as the super-rare cassette tape that has been kicking around) and features 14 tracks as well as a bonus ten instrumentals with the CD purchase. It’s funny cos I knew of J Dilla long before his passing, so I always had an idea of his sound and what he had done. So when I heard relatively new fans saying “oh this is way more ghetto than I was expecting!”, I was left thinking “ghetto?!”. The truth be told (and it is fitting with the fact this stuff originally came out in 2003) it reminded me a lot of the McNasty stuff, which was I guess slightly ‘ghetto’, but not in a huge way - some people just don’t realise that Dilla was also an emcee with attitude, not just a production guru. Ruff Draft shows this side of Dilla, and with classics like Wild, The $, and Make’em NV, you cant fail to fall in love with Dilla all over again. Give Make’em NV a listen right now…

J Dilla - Make’em NV
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US / Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 4th April.

One half of People Under The Stairs, Thes One has released his first solo album Lifestyle Marketing and it is strictly instrumental hip-hop. Although it goes one step further than that: the entire album is reworkings of Herb Pilhofer’s back-catalogue. Now, you are probably wondering who the hell Herb Pilhofer is. He was a producer from the 60s and 70s that made a lot music for commercials. So Thes One decided to rework the original material into some heavy sample based instrumental hip-hop tracks. But just so you can try to work out exactly what Thes has done, the CD comes with a bonus disc that includes 33 of Herb Pilhofer’s original pieces. Don’t be put off by any gimmick feeling you may be having, this is some seriously good stuff right here! Shop Hy-Vee everybody…

Thes One - Hy-Vee
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US / Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 4th April.

Still waiting for your ‘weird’ fix? Well CocoRosie have a new album and it is called The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn. It will freak you out, amaze you, surprise you, baffle you, and so on and so forth, but somewhere amongst all of these reactions and emotions, CocoRosie have dropped a real killer of an album. Not as cinematic as Joanna Newsom’s Ys, but just as addictive and quirky, this new album combines all the elements necessary to present a folk-indy-pop-avant-garde masterpiece. There’s singing, wailing, beatboxing, instruments, samples, and plenty of other unexplainable noises, but give it half a chance and there is every possibility is will take you in its grasp. Hearing is believing folks…

CocoRosie - Werewolf
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US / Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 4th April.

I think that’s enough for now, don’t want to overwhelm anyone! But, I also want to say, although I have been a little slack on the blog for a while, I have been regularly releasing new volumes of my podcast. Don’t you be sleeping on the Just Like Music podcast now! There’s nothing difficult bout downloading podcasts and it wont cost you a penny, so no excuse really. Plus it’s another good way to discover good music, both new and old. Check out the list of other cool podcasts in the sidebar of the blog too.

Look out for my extensive review of the new album Rawville by The Bamboos. I hope to put it up on here within the next few days - you wont want to miss it, it’s a cracker of an album!

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