Last week I checked out Big Brother Ruptcha and Mr Two Sevens Klash (with his two-man dance group) at the New Museum. Needless to say, both men did their thing. While Rupture’s set was sort of weird (fitting for the name of the event was/is Get Weird) with nearly everyone (including yours truly) sitting down, listening, and watching on the big screen as Rupture’s magnified hands trash needles, thumps, and twists vinyls. There was applause and cheers, and a woman sitting in front of me gasped and shook her head in protest, expressing disagreement when Rupture threw an explicit SpankRock track in the mix. 77Klash has bangers, and beats like coconuts, but his set was too short. The title track to his new release you must hear (heavy, unrelenting bass pressure with equally weighty lyrics.)
If you never heard the song below, I don’t know what to say you… R.I.P. Joseph Hill. I think this is my favorite song ever.
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.
You thought I was joking when I said Brooklyn Anthem will not die. Well, after getting rinsed on the underground throughout the world and going mainstream through placement on Madden ‘08 it’s now crossed over to the Brooklyn teen bashment dance scene, which is popping off on Youtube. To be totally honest, I had no idea this was happening. Klash just sent me a mail with about 40 youtube links of kids dancing to my tune. Big up to Island Superia sound for playing it and promoting their edit of the riddim. If you want to hear a clip of it with Cypha Soundz talking over it about their big teen dance on Mar 1st go to their myspace and play “March 1st Sea Breeze Manor” or check DJ Mountain Doo’s myspace.
My original name for it was the “718 Riddim” but everybody always just called it the “Brooklyn Instro”. Now these kids are calling it the “Craziest” and I like that. I figure it’s a good name for a riddim that just will not stop.
Now, the dancers:
{check the Dutty Artz Youtube Channel for many more of these, this is just four of them}
SELL OFF FAMILY:
A big shout out to Diplo for showing my riddim “Mad Again” a lot of love on his Mad Decent blog. The tune is with 77Klash spitting and dancehall legend Johnny Osbourne on the chorus. For those of you who’ve heard it on myspace now’s your chance to grab it on an exclusive preview download.
Move quickly because I’m not sure how long it’ll be up there for DL. Wierdly he’s got a different tune called Mad Again coming out on his label with among others a remix from my boy Drop The Lime, great minds think alike I guess.
Watch out for the tune coming soon on the Iron Shirt mixtape as well as on 77Klash’s Code Fi Di Streets EP.
Big tings a gwan in Klash City. 77Klash has been hard at work on his riddim The Swarm and now it’s time to show the world. With the Aidonia version “Ah You” aka “Hot Fuck” already blown up Klash is turning his attention to promoting some of the other artists on the riddim, including local BK hero Jahdan.
Here’s Jahdan’s version of The Swarm, recorded with Noble Society partner Delie and providing the title cut for the riddim. I just saw them do this live last night in NYC and they FUCKED UP THE PLACE. Big tune, serious. The song received Download of the week on iTunes last week and garnered thirty thousand downloads in a very short time. The entire riddim segment (including a very surprising version by singing white girl Allison Faith) is available for sale on iTunes. All money garnered from sales will go to making more hot music, so make sure you go and vote with your dollars for our movement. This, along with a riddim medley of The Swarm will be featured on the forthcoming Iron Shirt street album which is in the mixing stages. This will be the debut release on me (Matt Shadetek) and DJ /Rupture’s new Dutty Artz label.
You heard it here first. Dutty Artz is the new movement, a label and family of like minded individuals living in Brooklyn. Rupture and I have gotten sick of putting up with people not understanding how to move with our music or second guessing us and have decided to take our business fully into our own hands. Already the initial line up of releases and projects is looking very powerful indeed. After a few years of running Shadetek Records independently I had gotten sick of doing business and wanted to just focus on music, but the result was a loss of creative control as I started dealing with P+D deals, labels, etc, all with their own opinions about how and what I should put out. Now, taking the power and stress and responsibility into my own hands I feel more focused and motivated than ever. There’s no risk without reward so we’ve decided to put our money where our mouth is and go hard. Watch this space.
And, for those of you who may have missed it, 77Klash’s excellent vocal of his own Scallawah riddim (popularized by Turbulence with his number one smash hit “Notorious”) now has a youtube video. I actually really like the still photo aesthetic they’ve utilized here and long wanted to do something similar after seeing Chris Marker’s excellent experimental film La Jetee, which 12 Monkeys was based on. Here you have a Jamaican version, with running title commentary, 77Klash featuring Tonto Marijuana “Ratings”. I’m still learning to use this new blog so this video was fucking up my formatting, it’s at the bottom.
Thanks to Sam and the good people over at The Fader blog for linking this up as well. Also thanks to Yardflex.com for this article on Klash with a mention of our project, along with the fact that we got included on EA Sports Madden ‘08 soundtrack, the Madden franchise is one of the biggest selling video games in the world. Our distorted ass fucked up BK grime tune is sharing space with Justin Timberlake, Swizz Beats and a bunch of famous rock bands. If you had told me this would have happened a few years ago I would have called you a liar, but there you go.
Journalists, bloggers, this is the text of the press release, copy and paste it into your articles: In 2007, 77Klash has been busy concocting his latest riddim opus, The Swarm. Influenced by electro-rock and old school reggae, The Swarm features several notable artists including Luthan Fyah, up and coming superstar Idonia, Brooklyn Anthem singer Jahdan, the international dancehall phenom Vybez Kartel and a host of Jamaican voices new and old. The riddim is smashing up dances from Kingston to Brooklyn. The Swarm Riddim, now available for sale on iTunes is also available on Klash City Records with distribution through Bob Marley’s legendary Tuff Gong label on 7″ 45. With this and his future project 77Klash is set to usher in the new generation of reggae vibes. 77Klash and Jahdan along with Matt Shadetek are responsible for last years underground smash Brooklyn Anthem, currently featured on EA’s Madden ‘08 soundtrack. The Swarm riddim medley will be featured on Iron Shirt’s forthcoming street album, the debut CD release on Matt Shadetek and DJ /Rupture’s Dutty Artz label. Also check out the Youtube vids for the tunes on the Swarm, and if you’ve been living under a rock, Brooklyn Anthem.
THE SWARM WHISKEY BAGGIO & LUTAN FIYAH:
THE SWARM AIDONIA “AH YOU”:
BROOKLYN ANTHEM:
plus, 77KLASH feat. TONTO MARIJUANA “RATINGS” (on Klash’s Scallawa riddim):
