Thursday, February 24, 2011

Avtntcourt

Over the course of the last two years I really have become a big hip-hop head. Just searching for whatever tickles my insides until they burst out laughing. A few months ago my friend hipped me to lightning fast rapper Busdriver (more commonly known to his mom as Regan John Farquhar). His album Temporary Forever seemed to be in the same fire of Deltron 3030 and Aesop Rock, my two favorites for a long time. His lyrics and his flow will poly rhythm your brain until it screams for another listen. They are calling music like Busdriver is what is commonly refered to has Avantcore. There are two types of music that are categorized and both make sense in their own context. There is avantcore that is a mixture of avant garde metal with hardcore. The avantcore I am talking about his is avant garde hardcore hiphop. Other people in this genre would be Busdriver (who has worked with electronic sample god Daedelus with the next rapper), Radioinactive, Haiku D'Etat (Aceyalone, Myka 9 & Abstract Rude, who all have their own great solo projects), Nocando, 13 & God (Doseone and German indie band The Notwist), Themselves, Doseone (who is also in 13 & God and Themselves), and Why? (more indie but similar fire). All these people care about their beats and their words. They will not be compromised by what people say. They are making the exact music they want to make. The name of genre could possibly be traced back to the Busdriver track "Avantcore" off of his album "Fear Of A Black Tangent", track 5.
Albums to start with
Temporary Forever by Busdriver

Free Kamal by Radioinactive and Antimc

Coup De Theatre by Haiku D'Etat

Jimmy the Lock by Nocando (Nosaj Thing and Daedelus have a beat each on this)

self titled 13 & God
 TheFREEhoudini by Themselves
If you like anything of Anticon or if you just love weird, soulful hip-hop, then get at all this. Not your average boom-bap.
-Chakrah

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

OffOf Snowdonia

Fuck pitchfork media's review of this album. Of Snowdonia by Daedelus is like many releases by Alfred Darlington (born Alfred Weisberg-Roberts) are hard to rank. Each one is its own brand of wine or beer or whatever the hell you drink. I bow to his ear for sampling. It had a lot more breakbeat influences drums that I expected, which was a great pleasant surprise. He also sounds like he is a big fan of anything Scott Herren (Prefuse 73, Savath Y Savalas, etc.). Each song blooming with it's own ray and vastness of emotion. Each song is with the touch from a man who loves every piece of what he is doing.
If you like: Prefuse 73, Flying Lotus, Jaga Jazzist, The Long Lost, MF Doom, and anything Ninja Tune.
Recommended tracks: Taking Wing, Snowed In, and Scaling Down.

Taking Wing

-Chakrah

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

First time in a while!

So this is my first in a while folk. Ninja Tune never stops amazing me with its ear for special talent. Anyway. I got really inspired by this one album I found this morning. There is this born when it was the USSR, prolific DJ Vadim, more commonly known among his friends and family, Vadim Zendejas. His previous albums are also their own fire in their own ways. He uses his two greatest tools, his ear and hands in perfect harmony. It takes the right kind of ear for samples like brushstrokes of this character. His previous albums more stayed in more of a blend of trip-hop and hip-hop. This one just goes to all other genres, from reggae, to soul to jazz hop. It goes everywhere you want to be. Perfect for a party but just as fine for a relaxing day after all the work that falls all over our hours. You need The Soundcatcher by DJ Vadim. Really. Really? Really. His collaborations really shine.
If you like: Portishead, Janelle MonĂ¡e, Peter Tosh, Madlib, and anything Ninja Tune.
Recommended tracks: Fear Feats (feat. Emo And Syrus), Talk To Me (feat. Sena) and Kill Kill Kill (feat. Big Red And Kathrin De Boer)

Fear Feats


-Chakrah

Radioheads Limbs

Once again I have delayed blogging for a month.  I give my most sincere apologies for this.  I blame it on excess laziness.  I could get into a whole discussion about this, but I will spare you.  I want to talk about Radiohead's newest album, The King of Limbs.  If you are familiar with Radiohead, you will understand what I am about to say.  If Kid A, Amnesiac, and maybe Hail to the Thief had a baby, the result may be the King of Limbs.  This is how my friend Eian and I described it the other day.  The album opens up with "Bloom," which opens with a smooth piano and then proceeds to add layering of electronic beats that bring us back to Kid A and of course Thom Yorke's vocals.  The first half of the album had this general formula, chill, calm, yet extremely enjoyable.  This changes with "Lotus Flower."  Yorke digs into his emotions, singing "There's an empty space inside my heart where the weeds stay root."  Overall, the album is a great one, but nothing over the top.  I think at this point, that's what Radiohead was going for.  It's an enjoyable album to sit back and relax to.  It may not have the critical success that say "Ok Computer" had, but at this point I don't think that's what they want (or ever wanted for that matter). 
Check out the video for Lotus Flower
-E-steam