Friday Finds: Foreign Beggars / Brother Ali / Constrobuz
The end of another week! So, what do I have for you within this inaugural edition of Friday Finds? Well, check this exclusive studio footage from Foreign Beggars, arguably the best UK hip-hop group around today. What you’re seeing is a sneak peak, via their Dented Records Studios in London, from their upcoming album, United Colours of Beggattron – due out in October. By the sounds of things it should be a pretty heavy record indeed, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Foreign Beggars, to be honest.
mp3: Foreign Beggars – Contact feat. Noisia (Dirty)
You’ll remember the other day that I posted up a video and track from Brother Ali’s upcoming new album, Us. Just so happens that I’ve got another sneaky track to share with you today. This track is called Fresh Air, and naturally it features that distinctive Brother Ali flow – it’s a catchy number with a real groove to it. Us is out via Rhymesayers Entertainment on 21st September and, like I mentioned the other week, if you’re in London you can catch him live on 15th September at Barfly in Camden.
Finally, I want to leave you with a track that has haunted me, for all the right reasons, this past week or so. It’s simply beautiful. The track has, what I can only describe as, an ‘ironic’ title – but please don’t let that put you off! I’m talking about Fecal Vomiting by Constrobuz, an unsigned hip-hop producer from North Carolina in the USA. I don’t really know much about Constrobuz, except that he continually spits out fantastic tracks on his BEATS series of albums, all of which are available as free downloads – check his MySpace page for links. Fecal Vomiting is lifted straight off the latest volume; BEATS Vol. 3, which contains 30 tracks. Anyway, I urge you all to go grab all three volumes, you wont regret it!
mp3: Constrobuz – Fecal Vomiting
Have a good weekend and maybe I’ll catch some of you tomorrow night in London for the DMC World DJ Championship!
Filed under Info, Links, Live Show, MySpace, New Discovery, New Release, Preview, Track of the Week | View CommentsTrack Of The Week: Exile – The Sound Is God
As I write these words I realise more and more that the title of this piece should have just been Album Of The Week. I’m talking bout the new release by Exile called Radio. Out recently on Plug Research, this masterful instrumental hip-hop album strikes a chord on many, many levels. I first heard Exile’s work via his track In The Night 22 from 2007’s From L.A. With Love compilation – I was totally addicted to the track and am still greatly fond of it now. Hence I was keen to hear this new LP, Radio.
The specific track I’ve picked out is The Sound Is God. Hard-hitting tight beats intertwined with such levels of arrangement exhibiting uncanny amounts of musical depth. On the surface it’s an absolute banger – but delve a bit more and there is so much contained inside. Minute samples and sounds, exquisitely built into one spine-tingling hip-hop composition. It will shake your bones whilst simultaneously caressing your soul – and it’s undeniably Exile, trademark material for sure.
Although with a distinct amount of variance, the whole LP contains that trademark Exile production technique. It doesn’t bare comparison with many contemporaries as such things are irrelevant beyond the fact that Exile creates boundary pushing instrumental hip-hop with an MPC sampler. I was actually surprised to see comments on another site from people claiming Radio to be a “Donuts wannabe”, if anyone in all seriousness thinks Radio is anything like Donuts, then they really don’t know what they are talking about. That’s a totally ludicrous thought. The theme of Radio is, obviously, radio and between tracks (i.e. intros and outros) there are cut ups from radio samples and also thought provoking dialogue, but there’s nothing to compare with Donuts other than the aforementioned hip-hop and MPC parts. If everyone that makes music using lots of samples and an MPC is automatically going to be accused of biting J Dilla, then we better all call it a day right now. So naive – even Exile’s MPC techniques are completely different to Dilla’s, sane ears will tell you that from the get go.
Anyway, rant over. Radio is a top, top LP and you need to buy it now, seriously!
Filed under Info, Links, New Release, Preview, Rant, Track of the Week | View CommentsTrack of the Week
What can I say about this past week? Well between long days and long train journeys, this blog took the back-seat. But, in the words of Yazz; the only way is up! Just needed to get into the swing of this new routine – I have a track of the week for you though. One track I have been listening to loads recently is Peach, Plum, Pear, from Joanna Newsom’s 2004 album The Milk-Eyed Mender (it’s better than the version found on Walnut Whales) – I just love the track. I think it is the self-confessed harper’s skills at their best. If you aren’t familiar with Joanna Newsom’s work, then I guess you could call it alternative folk with a heavy emphasis on the harp – give this a listen…
Joanna Newsom – Peach, Plum, Pear
>> download track (YouSendIt)
>> buy album @ Amazon US
This download link will expire on 17th November.
However, Joanna’s new album (Ys) is to drop shortly and I have a track to share with you also. The new album (out on 14th November) contains just five tracks, but the running time is just short of an hour. This new album has seen Joanna work with Van Dyke Parks for the orchestral arrangement, and I have to say it really does sound beautiful. To look back now in hindsight it does seem like a natural progression to take her harp-folk onto a more cinematic level. It may take a few listens to get into Ys, but the time invested pays huge dividends – I think so anyway. Give Cosmia a go…
Joanna Newsom – Cosmia
>> download track (YouSendIt)
>> buy album @ Amazon US
This download link will expire on 17th November.
I’m thinking that maybe for now I’ll aim to post blog entries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – see how I go with that workload. Enjoy the Joanna Newsom tracks and have a great weekend!
Useful links:
- Joanna Newsom Fansite
- Download – Joanna Newsom – Peach, Plum, Pear
- Buy The Milk-Eyed Mender @ Amazon US
- Download – Joanna Newsom – Cosmia
- Buy Ys @ Amazon US
Track of the Week
Friday already?! Sorry for the total lack of posts this week, including the heinous crime of missing Sunday’s Unearthing MySpace Gems – promise I wont do it again. Anyway, how about TM Juke’s new album Forward?! Heard it yet? It’s really good, although it took me two listens to arrive at that blunt conclusion. It’s different from Maps From The Wilderness but maintains the Juke funky style. Alice Russell features on one track again, but this new album also sees guest appearances from a few other artists, including; Kinny, Sophie Faricy, Naim, and Elmore Judd. It’s hard to totally put my finger on this album except to say it’s pretty lounge like, but more in a Mr Scruff approach to lounge – then add some vocalists and typical Juke sounds. It’s definitely one you need to listen to a few times though, then suddenly the penny will drop and you’ll really start to enjoy it. Here’s a taster…
TM Juke – Skin feat. Naim
>> download track
>> buy album @ EtchShop.co.uk
This download link will expire on 10th November.
Something so nostalgic about that track – it seems simple, yet it is so catchy and addictive. One of the shorter tracks on the album, but a right little gem. This album dropped on Tru Thoughts on 16th October, so is ready for you to go cop right now sucka! Have a great weekend.
Useful links:
- TM Juke website
- Download – TM Juke – Skin feat. Naim
- Buy Forward @ EtchShop.co.uk
- Tru Thoughts website
Track of the Week
The weekend is upon us all once more and I have for you my track of the week. Being in Australia can often mean we get certain things a little later than the rest of the western world, one such thing being the new Doctor Who series – and I mean the one with Christopher Eccleston! Anyway I think it is class, but one thing I think they should have done is use Orbital’s version of the Doctor Who theme tune – missed opportunity! Check it…
Orbital – Doctor Who
>> download track
>> buy album @ Amazon US
This download link will expire on 3rd November.
That track is taken from their 2001 album The Altogether, seems like only yesterday that I purchased that album, but turns out it’s something closer to five years ago! Still, class album from a class electronica act – regardless of age, I’d recommend fans of electronica definitely purchase The Altogether, and at least take a peak at Orbital’s other releases from the past however many years.
Have a good weekend, and oh… I finally got a job. 
Useful links:
- Orbital website
- Download – Orbital – Doctor Who
- Buy The Altogether @ Amazon US
Filed under Info, Links, Track of the Week | View Comments
