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77Klash is back with a bang. Check out his code for the streets EP (buyable on iTunes) with tunes produced by him, me and more. I’m partial to my tune Madagain with Johnny Osbourne on vocals but the whole thing is fiyaaaah. Check the title track especially. Released on his own label Klash City Records and blogged and hyped by the fader, diplo and the rest of the hipsterati Klash is one of the only people I know equally comfortable in whatever downtown  scene is about to be the next big thing or chilling in Kingston with local warlords and drug smugglers. It gives him a real unique perspective which he brings to bear on his own blend of rocky, hiphop, dancehall, electro-punk madness. Watch out for some new collabo tunes from he and I coming soon as well.

Check his myspace and RCRD LBL pages for more infos, contacts, bookings, etc.

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I heard Alice Russell‘s “Hurry On Now” at a party at Howard University earlier this year. The Boub instrumental sounds modest, generic even, but it’s also captivating and flawless under Ms. Russell’s voice which is really engrossing and powerful. This song was stuck in my head for several months. A friend who was at the same Howard party identified it for me.

Alice Russell – Hurry On Now (Boub Remix)

Alice Russell – Hurry On Now

Click here for more pictures of Ms. Russell holding a bunch of bananas.

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i found this list on the internet.

Top 10 artistes who walk with a “District of Man”

it’s the Top 10 artistes who walk with a “District of Man” (DOM). What is a DOM? DOM just means an entourage comprised of many men. Here’s Chat’s top 10:

  1. Capleton – they say the Fyah Man carries a whole parish full of Bobo Shantis wherever he performs. Some wave flags, some stand around, presumably as bodyguards
  2. Bounty Killer – the Poor People’s Governor probably has the most homophobic lyrics, but he’s always surrounded by a “sea of man” wherever he goes
  3. Sizzla – wherever he is, it seems the entire Judgment Yard – his soldiers – are there with him. Just ask Norris Man who felt their wrath last year at Capleton’s show after he said something about Sizzla’s mother.
  4. Vybz Kartel – “Addi the Daddy” is always surrounded by many “sons” from the Portmore Empire and outside
  5. Mavado – The Gully God’s army of “Cubans” from Cassava Piece ensure that he’s protected wherever he goes
  6. Turbulance – as with Capleton, always surrounded by many Bobos
  7. Sanchez – the only singer on the list
  8. Junior Gong
  9. Fantan Mojah – another bobo DOM
  10. Junior Reid – yet another bobo DOM

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Yep, that sounds like a good enough description. DJ Chief Boima and Sogui So Good’s latest mixtape/release, Baobab Connection Vol. 2 was dropped in my inbox a while ago by Sir Boima himself (and I criminally slept hard on this one!) This is an African Union party mix set in Abidjan by my Sierra Leonean brother who’s based out in the left coast. I’m down by law to give props, yes… I’m a little biased, but really this is a very strong and elegant mix. I know this might sound like a love letter, but seriously, (I almost caught myself dancing on the subway platform the other day) the music is that good!

Chief Boima’s mix starts with our entertaining host, DJ Elembe kicking good vibes over a mellow, unspecified Congolese groove which quickly builds up and gave way to the Magic System hit “Premier Gaou”. By the time we get to Boima’s Coup Decale remixes of Kid Cudi “Day ‘N’ Nite” or D4L “Like Me Baby”, it’s a wrap! Boima continue with his versions and refixes, and Sogui So Good picks up right where Boima left and proceeding to drop straight dance floor pleasing jams that will make the staunchest African two-stepper actually shake his bones, rather than just sway from side to side. Alright, enough talk, check out some cuts from Boima’s set below & peep this Ghetto Bassquake conversation.

[display_podcast]

Magic System – Premier Gaou

D4L – Like Me Baby (Chief Boima Decale Remix)

Enur feat. Natasja – Calabria 2007 (Chief Boima African Version)

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In one of his first acts in office New York’s new blind, black Governor David Patterson (replacing hypocritical philanderer Elliot Spitzer after his scandalous flame-out) issued a full gubernatorial to Slick Rick to prevent him being deported away from his two teenage daughters back to England where he was born.  As a long-time Slick Rick fan and hater of both the US and UK immigration bureaucracies I personally am delighted.

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The upcoming Nas album which was to be titled Nigger has been stripped of a name. The project will now be simply untitled, and this came after Wal-Mart and other retailers voiced their concerns about carrying a project with such a provocative title, and we’re all a little poorer for it.

The first track below is one of the best sounding leaked songs from the album. Nas is a lyricist writing a verbal book with a lot of truth in it (unadulterated, wisecracking truths—but there’s also history, struggle, conflict, duality and so much more!) DJ Toomp’s production, which we are now all too familiar with (after Kanye’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, T.I.’s “What You Know”, Jeezy’s “I Luv It” et c) adds a certain sparkle with some lush, uplifting strings, and the message floats on top perfectly.

Nas – N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave and The Master)

This second track is also a raw portrayal of truth, but this is rougher and may be a little too much to take (I know someone who hates this song with a passion.) Nas is in one of the most defiant moments of his career, and embracing the fire? (remember Hate Me Now?)

Nas – Be A Nigger Too

They like to strangle niggers, blame a nigger, shootin’ niggers, hang a nigger still you wanna be a nigger too!

Nasir and wife Kelis at the 2008 Grammys:

Yes, he’s one of the most articulate emcees on the mic, but his failure to communicate these grand ideas that, at least on the surface, appear to be profound is also part of the problem. I’m not saying that it was going to be easy to put such ideas/substance into concrete form or to sell that particular title to his record label (especially after people from his community dismissed the idea from the onset and threatened his employer’s bottom line) but still Nas should have stuck to his guns on this one.

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Rabid Todd Edwards fans, don’t get mad if I leave something out, this is by no means a definitive or informed post. People who have no idea why I need to make that disclaimer? You’re in for a treat. Here are a few YouTube clips of music by Bloomfield, NJ based dance producer Todd Edwards. To my ears this guy is very responsible for a big fat slice of the main ideas in 2-step garage, speed garage, UKG or ‘old school garage’ as they now call it in England. Like Burial’s cut-up distorted vocal style? This guy created it. Akufen? Yup, another fan of Todd “The God” Edwards (as his obsessed fans call him). JME’s “Tropical” mixtape? This is the blueprint.

People have called his style “micro-sampling” which is pretty appropriate, displayed to excellent effect on the below clip, a mix by UK legend EZ (ask any DJ in grime now who inspired them to start mixing, it’s EZ). Listen to all those little dots and chirps of sound, many of them in different tempos, keys etc, woven together into a delirious, delicious whole.

EZ mixing older Todd tracks, recorded 2004:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhVryO8L7I0[/youtube]

Shadetek fans surprised I like this stuff? I sort of am too, I was talking to Rupture about it this afternoon and he said “Everybody secretly or overtly loves house.” I replied “Secretly even from myself!” But actually I sort of grew up around New York House, being a teenager in the city in the nineties and although I hated it at the time (really hated it, as only a teenager can) somehow House was programmed into my mind and now when I return to it in my twenties I actually have a real soft-spot for it (the good bits anyway). Also the more music I make and the more I work with music the more I realize how stupid genre-tribalism is and how a good song is a good song is a good song. Music is a technical language of emotion and someone who can speak that language honestly and clearly can communicate across most borders. Todd is also a born-again Christian (and proud) and this may well have something to do with the unashamed, delirious happiness in his music. There is no posture of coolness or cynicism here (witness the Enya remix below), just someone taking a great deal of pure pleasure in sound which is one of the things I especially love about his music.

NEXT TO YOU

This is a very very weird video, apparently made by Todd himself. It has this weird digital apparition of Björk in it and it sounds like her on the track but she is referenced no where else besides in that clip. A below the radar collaboration in spite of label disapproval? That’s my guess. This is one of the more recent things available.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU0jvscjtZo[/youtube]
ENYA REMIX:

Yes, there’s an Enya clip on Dutty Artz. And what? I love this remix, beautiful breathy stuttering. There’s also a REALLY funny argument between some trance DJ Enya fan and Todd’s fans in the comments to this.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0NZg5nkfds[/youtube]

JUSTICE REMIX:

I sort of really don’t like Justice, much too big-beat cock-rocky for my taste, but strongly in spite of that this Todd remix is great, also an example of his more recent work.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_zw3Jzwrvo[/youtube]

Here’s an interview that Matt Mason (former editor of RWD and all-around interesting writer posted on the Todd thread on Dissensus). He’s got some interesting stuff to say.

FROM RWD MAG MARCH, 2003:

So tell us about the new album?

It’s a collection of some of the singles I’ve put out since the last ‘Full On’, some of the ‘New Trends’ tracks and some fresh stuff with different elements coming through. I spend a lot of time on sampling, on average I spend about a week just gathering samples and a week or so building a tune. Even when it’s something like a remix I put my all into it and it can be very draining. I know I was blessed with a certain amount of talent. But it’s not just me. I’m doing it for God. I believe God is using me as an instrument to spread love, I’m not in control. I don’t want to force it down anyone’s throat, I try to keep the positivity out there and keep the message there, but it’s subliminal. It’s only there if you need it.

Was it always a conscious thing to put spiritual messages in your music?

Yeah pretty much from the start. From my mid twenties, when I was 27 I guess, I got bolder with it. I’m proud of who I am and my relationship with God. It’s not about preaching to people or making them follow rules, it’s about having hope, having a friend and someone to turn to. The messages I put in tunes like ‘Shut The Door’ are very religious, very personal, but you don’t need to hear that to enjoy the tune. I’m trying to put something positive back, there is so much hostility in the world, in the clubs, and what with the war building up…

Talking of clubs you were recently over here for EZ’s 4 by 4 event. How was that and what did you think of the scene in the UK?

4 by 4 was brilliant. It was very humbling. I was… beside myself. I knew I had a following in the UK, but being in New Jersey you don’t realise… I have friends in Jersey who like dance music but here I’m just Todd! It was very re-affirming. The garage scene in the UK is really interesting. There is definitely a power there, there is so much energy it borders on hostility. I went to a few clubs with EZ, and we saw some fights even break out. There are two types of energy, spiritual energy and hostile energy, I saw a bit of both in the UK but in both cases the DJ interaction was there.

Your music is so inspiring to so many. What music inspires you?

Recently it has been soundtrack music and orchestral music. I love sampling orchestra. Orchestra has chord changes that really change, that doesn’t happen so much in dance music. I don’t like doing the same thing. I’ve always said Mark Kitchen (better known as house producer MK) was a big inspiration, a lot of ’70s music, disco, pop, everything inspires me. I’m not sure what genre the music I make is, I don’t think it’s my place to say where I fit in. I don’t consider myself a house producer, even R&B and hip hop influence me, I don’t know if you could tell but the Beckon Call remix was influenced by stuff Timbaland and the Neptunes are doing.

You get bootlegged a lot. Does that bother you?

It kinda sucks that people are stealing, I work hard, it’s not all about the money but it’s not really fair. It’s also a form of praise though, if someone thinks my stuff is worth the risk of pressing up that’s good, when you stop getting bootlegged is when you’ve got a problem!

A lot of it is down to your stuff not getting an official release. Like the ‘Fully Loaded’ project and several mixes which have only come out in Japan etc. Why does that happen?

Fully Loaded just got really complicated, what with everyone having their own really tight schedules as individuals; I don’t think anything will be happening with that this year. With things like Bonnie Pink and M-Flo, who knows why people do what they do, just because you’re a record exec it doesn’t necessarily mean you know what the right thing to do is. But what are ya gonna do?

What is your favourite piece of studio kit?

The Akai S6000, it’s a quality sampler, it’s not without its bugs though… Also the Ensoniq EPS sampler which was the first one I ever used, it’s a keyboard sampler with a really good swing feature. I bought it for $1400 and built an entire studio with the money it made me!

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I want to do some more singing like on Beckon Call 2003 and Face to Face (with Daft Punk). I have a whole bunch of tracks that need vocals, plus I have some very interesting remixes on the horizon. 2002 was a very inspiring year for me, I felt I made some really good tracks and I’m looking forward to DJing more after New years Day. It looks like it will be a really good year.

top photo from Stylus magazine, from their interview with Todd from last year.

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Much respect to Benga for being open about how he makes his dubstep tunes. Some people are insecure about sharing their studio knowledge, but those that know know that its really not about process, technique or ‘secrets’ but as 77Klash says “Music is a combination of vibes and energy.” If you’re a producer quite a lot of this is stuff that you know, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and if you’re young or aspiring you might get some real useful stuff from this. Big up to Future Music for filming this and putting it on Youtube. If you don’t know who Benga is he’s responsible for this past years HUGE dubstep anthem “Night” with Coki, also check for his album Diary of an Afro Warrior.

Part One

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_6RitUOONI[/youtube]

Part Two

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACSqPEYER_s&feature=related[/youtube]

Part Three

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuyIXZ4XthA&feature=related[/youtube]

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I’ve been getting more and more into the whole youtube thing lately and I’ve noticed a lot of people are using it as a jukebox or a place to quickly find songs. We like that, so we decided to stick the tracks from our new EP Dutty Remix Zero by me and Cauto up on there. Here they are complete with my own public-access-esque graphic accompaniment. Wondering why there’s this amazing low-fi yet consistent graphic design aesthetic through all the DA visual branding? It’s because instead of trying to press-gang any of our friends who are actual graphic designers into doing art for no money and put up with our vague and annoying feedback and everything thereby taking forever we just decided to do it all in-house, specifically, my house. Witness my simple yet devastatingly powerful deployment of the black box, stock type-face and gradient tool. Dun know the photoshop skillz. For your listening, embedding, re-blogging pleasure.

MATT SHADETEK SIDE:

GIRLFRIEND REMIX:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIxBoFg8zmI[/youtube]

CAN’T BREATHE REMIX:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asDfiV7IQbY[/youtube]

CAUTO SIDE:

OLD SCHOOL:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en5hO554GCk[/youtube]

BONA VIDA:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du5NAT3YpAE[/youtube]

Check the Dutty Artz Youtube Channel for more stuff you might have missed.

Buyable only on vinyl from fine independent retailers everywhere or wholesale through Cargo distribution.

UK: Juno, Boomkat, Norman.

US: Turntable Lab.

Japan: Cisco.

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Who says late-capitalism isn’t violent? Look what they’re doing to these women! Or at least their photos. When real just isn’t real enough, go on then, go on then draw for the Photoshop. Some of these are just snarky nerdery about clone tools and bad compositing but some are just… EEK. Like this one:

she's not smiling enough

How did that get past the many layers of corporate approval and get published into the world? The only conclusion I can draw is that these people are on drugs. This was another favorite of mine. Body issues anyone? Seriously, you just need to diet more, go to the gym instead of sleeping and get all of your internal organs removed by someone with a Wacom tablet.

she still looks fat

she still looks fat

And now that I think about it? What is she doing? Standing next to a couch tipped on its end? Sexxxxxxy. Many more at Photoshop Disasters.

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Matt Shadetek sez: Everyone welcome Mode Raw to the DA blog, he’s gonna be popping his head up and dropping some jewels on us, like this one below. Background: Besides doing almost all the graphic design for all the previous Shadetek records, mixtapes, etc, teaching me how to DJ, use photoshop and always, always telling me to my face he didn’t like a tune I’d made when he felt it was necessary D and I have been homies for literally about 20 years. We went to nursery school together! (this is not hyperbole, exaggeration or lying, but instead the literal gospel truth.) He continues to open my ears to the new lava with this crazy hot mixtape, don’t let his understated description fool you: this shit is nuts. For those with fragile psyche’s, be forewarned, this is un-remitting satanic gun-man darkness with Kartel, Aidonia and crew engaged in the never ending struggle to find new and more EVIL ways to sing about fucking and killing (“Rise di rifle like my penis”). Worth downloading in it’s entirety if only for the vicious Munga disses from Aidonia and Deva Bratt. Donia linked individually in the flash player below Deva’s “Pon The Nazzle” in the zip file disses Munga’s heavy use of vocal pitch correction software auto-tune saying “Dem rising to the top but fall so soon/… Cuz stage show no carry no auto-tune”. Mad.

And now, Mode Raw:

Portmore Empire – Gaza Thugs

I found this comp while listening to tunes on Kartel’s myspace. I had never heard of Junior Snypa but he is doing it with this tape, which is more reminiscent of a canal st mixtape or street album than a straight-forward juggling session. Rather than lining up large blocks of big riddims, voiced by everyone in the scene, the selection is built around a handful of vocalists over mostly B-side productions. Kartel, Aidonia, Black Rhino and Deva Brat do the business over a gang of lo-fi, grimey riddims on the slower end of the spectrum, turning out the kind of auto-tune gun ballads that have been raining down on the world from stephen big ship’s lab for the last year or so. Recommended.

VA__portmore-empire__gaza-thugs.zip