PREVIEW: Invisible Inc – The Exit Strategy

Considered by many to be up there with the cream of UK hip-hop, Ghost, Verb T and Kashmere are back as Invisible Inc! Their digital album, The Exit Strategy, is coming out on 26th April via Bandcamp. Check out the above preview to get a feel of what this new album is all about. But, in their own words…

“This album was recorded whilst under the influence of LSD and lemsip max strength, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, this is a true story…”

The good news, as you’ll hear for yourselves, is that they’re sounding fresh as ever. That trademark heavy drum-break production from Ghost, coupled with the sharp, yet smooth flowing cyphers from Verb T and Kashmere, shows that the UK can still bring its hip-hop A-game when required. Naturally we’re a little way off the end of April release from Invisible Inc, but nearer the time we’ll have a proper detailed review of The Exit Strategy and some more sneaky previews – so, stay tuned!

RBMA: Introducing… Myele Manzanza

Time for the fifth in our series of Red Bull Music Academy 2010 candidate interviews. This time it is Kiwi drummer and producer Myele Manzanza, who some people may have heard recently via the group Electric Wire Hustle. Don’t forget to check out the previous four interviews with Lunice, Kidkanevil, ANGO and Dza, respectively. But, here’s what happened when we caught up with Myele Manzanza…

Jus Like Music: Please tell us, who are you and where do you come from?

Myele Manzanza: My name is Myele “Manzilla” Manzanza. I’m a half Congolese, half NZ European musician currently based in Wellington, New Zealand.

JLM: What exactly do you do?

MM: I am a musician. Predominantly a drummer, but I’ve been getting my fingers into beat making and production as well over the last two years. As is the case with a lot of Wellington-based musicians, I play in a big variety of bands in lots of different musical situations with lots of different people. Some of those include; Electric Wire Hustle, Olmecha Supreme, Recloose Live, The Coffee Blaq Quartet and Sheba Williams.

JLM: Why do you do what you do?

MM: It’s what I love to do. My father is a musician, so there’s probably a bit of footstep following going on. Music is such an awesome way to convey energy or a message to people, even if it doesn’t have words. I couldn’t imagine not having it in my life. Oh, and it’s the only way I’m making any money at the moment too!

JLM: With regards to stepping up from being solely a drummer, to being a producer, how has that transition been for you?

MM: It’s been good. It’s a bit of a headspace change. When you are a musician, playing live in a band, you have to be totally in the moment. You are one part of how ever many people are in the group that are making music with you, in real time, in that moment. There is no stopping to re-edit that snare drum that lagged a little bit or quantise that synth melody you cant really play properly. Also, when playing an organic acoustic instrument, the rhythms, notes, sounds, dynamics etc. are controlled purely from your human body, as opposed to a volume nob or filter etc. So, there is a kind of life force in that. “Production”, in the beat maker sense, is different. In a live band, you are making one minute of music in one minute of time. Production could be four bars of music in four days! It’s probably more akin to painting. You have as much time as you like to work the canvas and get it exactly how you want. Spending hours on getting the bass to roll the right way, or that snare drum to crack how you want, is a whole different mentality that I’m still getting used to. It’s also a lot different in that you are making music by yourself, so there’s more personal control over the end result. I think I’m more used to collaborating in a band situation, so it ends up being more productive for me that way. But I still want to keep working up my production skills too.

JLM: So, what else is new with you?

MM: Just getting prepared for RBMA! After that I’ll be relocating to New York for a few months, and then back to Europe for the northern hemisphere summer. I put on an RBMA send off gig in Wellington with a 12-piece band. It was awesome, but trying to rehearse was like trying to herd kittens! I’ve also recently been into the mastering process of the new Coffee Blaq Quartet album. It’s the first jazz album I’ve recorded on, and that’s something I had always wanted to do.

JLM: What do you hope to achieve at RBMA 2010?

MM: Well, getting accepted is an achievement in itself, so I’m super thankful to get in this year! I want to get deeper into the production side of music. I’m sure there will be plenty of brilliant brains to pick on that tip. I wanna be as productive and get the most musically out of the lecturers and other students as I can, so I don’t anticipate going out of the studios much.

JLM: What music have you been feeling lately?

MM: I could go on for days, but I’ll just give you my recent iPod playlists; Charles Lloyd, Eric Harland and Zakir Hussein – “Sangam”, The Clonious – “Between The Dots”, Jeff “Tain” Watts – “Watts”, Jay Z – “Blueprint 3″, Robert Glasper – “Double Booked”, Karriem Riggins – “Music Kaleidoscope”.

JLM: Is it important to you that you study what your contemporaries are creating, or are you happy to just keep your head down and do your own thing?

MM: Good question. I’d have to say both. Seeing what your contemporaries are doing can give you inspiration or motivation to keep working on your craft. We just had the listening session at RBMA where we listened to all the other participants music, and it’s made me go “holy fuck! I need to put in work”. I’m in the deep end, at least in regards to beat making, and it’s motivation for me to improve. However, getting too obsessed with what other people are doing can a) distract you from what you are doing because you get too concerned about not being good enough and b) cause you to try to “fit in” with what your peers are doing to a point where you don’t really have an individual sound, and it becomes easy to lump your style into a group. For me, a balance between both is key.

JLM: Last, but not least, what’s the best advice you could give to an emerging artist?

MM: Well I guess I’m an emerging artist myself, so I can’t really say this from any platform of authority, but… if you’re going to pursue music (or any art for that matter) there is no point going halfheartedly about it, because there just isn’t enough room for mediocre artists. Most of the artists in the world don’t make a whole lot of money, so you better love what you do and know what you’re in it for. But despite that, it’s a privileged position to be in. You have the power to move people in a whole range of different ways, and that can be pretty intoxicating. But, if I was going to give you something a bit more specific, it’d be… learn the history of your craft, work on your craft really fucking hard, and be honest with yourself and to your audience.

mp3: Myele Manzanza – Big Space Intro (draft version)

GIG: Ghostpoet @ MOMO, LDN

One of London’s best kept secrets, Ghostpoet, will be performing live at MOMO in London (25-27 Heddon Street, W1B) on Tuesday 30th March Tuesday 6th April. The incredibly talented Ghostpoet will be providing his unique and fresh combination of rhythmic hip-hop beats and conscious, spoken-word style cyphers. Entry is free, but it would be advisable to get there early (doors open at 7pm).

Enchanted Tunes have presented LIVE at MOMO every Tuesday night for some time now. They’ve hosted UK debuts by the likes of Seu Jorge, Amadou & Mariam, Mariza, Konono N*1, Tinariwen, Mahmoud Ahmed, Jose James, Hindi Zahra and Fat Freddy’s Drop – certainly a list of names to stop you in your tracks! Ghostpoet will be another quality name to add to that list come 30th March, so make sure you’re there to witness it.

mp3: Ghostpoet – Cash and Carry Me Home

RBMA: Introducing… Dza

We’re back with the fourth installment in our Red Bull Music Academy 2010 candidate interviews, and this time it’s the turn of Russian producer Dza! If you haven’t checked them already, don’t forget to go back and check out the interviews we’ve done so far with Lunice, Kidkanevil and ANGO. But, right now, take a look at what Dza had to say for himself shortly before boarding his flight to London…

Jus Like Music: Who are you and where do you come from?

Dza: Hello, I’m Sasha and I come from Poselok Luchegorsk Primorskogo Kraya Pozharskogo Rayona (Russia). I have green skin, and I can make a cheap DIY card-readers for the Akai MPC2000XL.

JLM: And what exactly do you do?

Dza: Cutting, drumming, mixing. I like to combine soft, ambient melodies with heavy, broken rhythms.

JLM: What drives you to do it?

Dza: I’m influenced by various musical genres, therefore I’m trying to find room to fit all my influences into one musical project. I have not yet solved how I’ll do it, but I’m searching always.

JLM: So, how is the music scene in Russia? Is there much opportunity for more ‘underground’ music?

Dza: The music scene in Moscow is very colourful. Here there is a nice techno scene and a lot of experimental electronic musicians, but… also over a million rock and crappy rap bands. Usually here, what is popular has already ceased to be popular in the US and Europe. So, there’s not a lot of people who are really doing something interesting in the music biz. In Moscow, for example, there is an organisation called Ideal Conversation, and they advance in a new style of disco music. They’re doing nice parties, and even made their own night club. I, with my friends from How2Make, create variations of hip-hop and beat music, and we constantly host huge house-parties at secret venues that are always hot and crazy. It’s always tough being at the beginning of something, but someone’s got to do it!

JLM: So, what’s new in your world?

Dza: I’ve got a new passport with a plastic front page and mustached photo.

JLM: Besides getting a new passport, what have you been working on recently?

Dza: It was a very long process receiving the passport and documents, but this is typical of Russia. Takes a lot of effort and nerves! Plus, it almost didn’t happen! Apart from that, a month ago I’ve moved to a big country house where I live with my family, but my most recent music projects have been collaborations with Herrmutt Lobby and Nongenetic.

JLM: What, would you say, you hope to achieve at RBMA 2010?

Dza: Judging by the pictures on the web, it’s too crazy there! I hope to have a cool time and get acquainted with the guys. In general, I like the idea of RBMA itself, it’s good that we’re all people together who realise it’s such a great thing.

JLM: What music have you been feeling lately?

Dza: In my player I’m listening to space hip-hop from France – James Delleck and his projects (I hope some time that I’ll be able to make some hot tunes with him, ha ha ha!). Crazy stuff from Bretzel Zoo and Herrmutt Lobby, from Belgium. Of course I’m always keeping a playlist of Russian musicians like Laric Surapow, Mujuice and Ol, and some of the legendary bands like Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Wu, cLOUDDEAD, The Rezidents, Fog, Lustmord, Tool and Михаил Розембаум.

JLM: And finally, what’s the best advice you could give to any emerging artists?

Dza: Make friends! Be kind, dont fight and do not spoil each other’s moods. Then everything will be cool.

mp3: Dza – Hey, Rake

FREE: BUG – Cosmic Lab / 20 Winks

The debut single from London’s BUG, which is called Cosmic Lab b/w 20 Winks, drops for free today on Jus Like Music Records. I’m gonna sound a bit biased because this is our release (the name of that record label’s not just a coincidence!), but we’ve always maintained extremely high standards here at Jus Like Music. So, if we’re feeling something enough to actually put it out, then it’s got to be a bit special, right?!

BUG, is a keyboard player, songwriter and producer. Under the moniker, BUG, he creates an experimental, instrumentally grounded style of music with a compositional approach. The BUG sound encompasses the finer elements of hip-hop and neo-soul, yet the real beauty is in the delivery. Think the smooth richness of the Dam-Funk vibe, the solid construction of a Dilla beat, the electronic wizardry of Flying Lotus and the soulful melodies of Lonnie Liston Smith’s jazz.

Check the single for yourself…

…and go here to grab the high quality free download.

With his debut single barely just dropping, BUG can already count the likes of Ty, Eric Lau, Ohmega Watts, Débruit, Lunice and Kidkanevil as fans. Kidkanevil liked so much what he heard that he even asked BUG to remix a track of his for an upcoming project! BUG will also have a track on the upcoming Jus Like Music & Apple Juice Break present: Oscillations compilation – so look out for that next month.

For more info on BUG, check out his website and the Jus Like Music Records site.