October 31, 2010

Artist of the Day: NOMAK


Nomak is a Japanese hip-hop producer. He extensively uses instruments such as the piano, flute, saxophone, and acoustic guitar as a melodic basis for his music (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to NOMAK's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/NOMAK





Released Albums:
NOMAK - Combine
NOMAK - Dynamic Mediation Instrumental Limited
NOMAK - Muziq and Foto
NOMAK - Calm
NOMAK - Recalm

Reference:
(2010). NOMAK. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/NOMAK

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October 30, 2010

Artist of the Day: Shlohmo


20-years old Shlohmo (living in Los Angeles and San Francisco) delivers the soundtrack for the LA aftershow party. His tracks swarm from dirty textures, strange sounds and obscured samples. It’s Hip Hop that you hear, the echoes are clearly there: under the blanket the beats are alive and kicking, the compression is awful (as we love it) and from the way Shlohmo arranges his tracks, it is clear what this kid listens to at night (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Shlohmo's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Shlohmo



Released Albums:
Shlohmo - Shlo-Fi EP
Shlohmo - Camping EP
Shlohmo - Shlomoshun Deluxe

Reference:
(2010). Shlohmo. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Shlohmo

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October 29, 2010

Artist of the Day: Little People


Little People is the nom-de-guerre of Anglo-Swiss producer Laurent Clerc. Quirky and charming, as their name suggests, Little People inhabit the often earnest world of instrumental hip-hop, but instill it with a little fun and a dash of personality (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Little People's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Little+People



Released Albums:
Little People - Mickey Mouse Operation

Reference:
(2010). Little People. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Little+People

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October 28, 2010

Artist of the Day: J. Rawls


Who is J Rawls?

J Rawls is the producer that gave you the classic hit тrown Skin Lady by Mos Def and Talib Kweli on Rawkus Records and the beat-making force behind the hit duo Lone Catalysts that brought you the classic album шip Hop on BUKA Entertainment. J Rawls is the artist that brought you єhe Essence of.. in 2001 on Superrappin/Groove Attack Records.

The year was 1992, a couple of decades after Kool Herc pioneered the musical portion of the hip-hop culture by extending the breakdown beats. It was in the latter part of the year that I was given the considerable pleasure of meeting and starting a friendship with the man known as J Rawls. Now when I met J Rawls, he had already realized that production was where he wanted to be, and was in the early stages of nurturing his art.

Several years prior, J Rawls, along with two of his friends from the block in Columbus, Buka and Duane, started off like most at that age, rapping the lyrics of "La Di Da Di". A few equipment purchases later and the group Dope Beat Specialists was born. 

J Rawls, known as Dynomite then, was a rapper and did the beat box. The group made music purely for the love of hip-hop and for the love of music. Being formed in the Midwest, quite a distance from New York, the idea of getting signed and having a "deal" was about as likely as winning a multi-million dollar lottery prize. 
As J Rawls will tell you, "We did it because we loved it. We did it because it made us feel a certain way and there was nothing like hearing your voice on tape."

Now I know that there are several of us hip-hop heads out there that got the bright idea to make our own remixes when we were younger to become dub mixers, with our dual tape decks we took current songs and made them our own, simply by recording bits and pieces onto blank tapes in a planned pattern, matching the beats. J Rawls was on another level even then, finding the original scores that created the hooks that we jammed to then.   

"We had our dad's old records that we grew up on,  Rawls said, can't describe to you the undying excitement when me and Buka found our first loop... Kool and the Gang 'Wild and Peaceful' the jungle boogie joint that EPMD had used. Man we went crazy... HIP-HOP showed us that an old James Brown loop was really not that old when you put a fat kick and snare over it."

I started this bio out with the reference to Kool Herc, because I feel that J Rawls is one of the cats in hip-hop who has taken that part of the music and made it his own. His personal growth in producing the music has emulated that of hip-hop's own, especially the beat making.

During our college years at the University of Cincinnati, I had several opportunities to watch the growth artistically. I would love, and still do, to be in the studio with him, watching the piece take shape, like a painter with a blank canvas, J Rawls would take a sample, and add this shade of bass, or this hue of a horn, or a tone of treble, and all the while adding the touches that distinctly mark it as a J Rawls production.

Professionally, his years in Cincinnati were good as well.  Through his Lone Catalysts partner Jermaine Sanders, who he met through Buka, he met MOOD, The Five Deez, and Hi-Tek. With Five Deez member Fat Jon, J Rawls is one half of the group 3582.  Through MOOD, J Rawls was introduced to Talib Kweli, and as all true heads have the Black Star album in their collection, you know J Rawls was the mastermind to the beat behind "Brown Skin Lady". Some of the artists J Rawls has worked with include Masta Ace, The Beastie Boys, Wordsworth, Jonell, us3, and Venus Malone.  This is just a beginning to the vast amounts of albums, singles, collabos, and guest appearances that J Rawls is to be credited with.  When his biography comes out in novel form, they will all be listed!

Now as he takes off on another plane of existence with his art, I'd like to present to some and introduce to others, the undeniably talented, legendary J Rawls (Richie, n.d.).

You can listen to J. Rawls' music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/J.+Rawls



Released Albums:
J. Rawls - The Essence of J. Rawls
J. Rawls - The Essence of Soul
J. Rawls - The Liquid Crystal Project 1 and 2

Reference:
Richie, M. (n.d.). J. Rawls. J-Rawls. Retrieved from http://www.j-rawls.com/jrawls.html

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October 27, 2010

Artist of the Day: Elaquent


Words from Elaquent:

Whats good? the name’s Elaquent, and im a hiphop beatmaker, Sega fanboy and kung fu movie buff…representing the Gill Breathin family…but most dudes call me eQ for short…

First and foremost, I’m a fan of hiphop music and hiphop culture…been doin this thang here for 8 years…damn, wheres the time gone…and i love what i do. I dont care to become the next Just Blaze…if it happens, thats great…but im having a blast just making beats…what equipment i use to make beats is irrelevant…as long as it bangs…i love the dirty lofi vibe…i love clean shit too, but dirtiness is where its at…if you’re lookin for that jiggy shit…or something more pleasing to commercial radio…look elsewhere…my shit appeals more to the open mind and open ears…i love Sega shit…Master System…Genesis…Dreamcast got lots of love for all my Nintendo shit, but i rep Sonic over Mario…sue me…since i started doin the beat thing, ive learned a lot, and cats have showed me lots of love from all over the globe, especially Europe.. appreciate it all.. peace to everybody holdin me down in small ass Guelph…peace to everybody holdin me down in the Tdot and the rest of Canada…peace to everybody holdin me down in the US…peace to all my peoples holdin me down in the UK…Germany…France…Japan…Chile…or wherever it is ur from…if u’ve ever taken the time to hit the play button, i appreciate it, whether u think its wack or not…hope y’all enjoy the tracks on the page…more to come…now if anyone wanna talk business (beat inquiries, booking shows), music, life, whatever, feel free to message me or drop a comment. just dont spam. for real, that shit irks me to no end…

one love,
-eQ

(Last.fm, 2010)

You can listen to Elaquent's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Elaquent



Released Albums:
Elaquent - Freebies
Elaquent - Persona
Elaquent - After Midnight
Elaquent - In Colour Vol. 3

Reference:
(2010). Elaquent. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Elaquent

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October 26, 2010

Artist of the Day: Natural Self


Natural Self is the ongoing project of Nathaniel Pearn, aka producer Keno-1. Pearn was originally inspired by the rhythmic force of The Bomb Squad’s productions for Public Enemy, and hip hop was the primary influence on his first forays into music. His hometown of Oxford was just near enough to London to pick up Tim Westwood’s then seminal Capital Rap Show floating across the airwaves. The beats he heard as a teenager led him forward, to the future hip hop of DJs Shadow and Krush, and back to its roots in the American funk of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. This sparked a keen appreciation of musical lineage as well as a sense of the possibilities of the future. Crate-digging culture introduced him to a whole world of music and broadened his horizons immeasurably and part of The Broken Keys.

2001 saw Natural Self’s production debut with the “Shakedown/The Soul step” single on Tru Thoughts. With seven years of DJing experience already under his belt by this time, he knew exactly how to work a dancefloor, and both tracks had a strikingly direct and confident sound. The characteristic combination of raw drums, polyrhythmic percussion and strident horns would become a signature style of the several singles that followed, notably in the mighty “Heavy Heavy”, the renowned collaboration with his good friend Nostalgia 77 (recorded as Keno-1 & The Hermit). This style became increasingly sophisticated and subtle, as showcased on Natural Self’s 2006 debut album ‘Let Peace Be The Ruler’ for Breakin’ Bread records. This album saw the introduction of live recording into the Natural Self sound as well as a first full-vocal production with Alice Russell on “I Don’t Need This Trouble”. The first Natural Self and Nostalgia 77 collaborative album “Gravity” - recorded as The Broken Keys for Tru Thoughts – was also released in 2006, and received acclaim from the BBC 6Music Funk and Soul Show, among others. Combining the skills of the two producers, the album also featured Natural Self’s first steps into singing.

Throughout this time, the demand for Natural Self’s services as a remixer was steadily rising, and he re-worked tracks for such artists as Nicole Willis, Quantic, Elizabeth Shepherd and the Canadian MC Abdominal. Natural Self’s skills as a DJ also saw him travel increasingly across the UK and Europe, as his style came to incorporate Latin and African music alongside the funk and hip hop that had played such a consistent role since he first started out.

2008 saw Natural Self returning to Tru Thoughts to release his highly anticipated second solo album, entitled “The Art Of Vibration”. The new long player, which was released on 30th June, saw a further development of the continually distinctive productions, featuring experiments in electronic sound as well as collaborations with Abdominal and eminent UK soul singer Andreya Triana. The album was preceded by a 12” single, “The Rising”, featuring the vocals of Andreya Triana and Natural Self, gaining support and acclaim from Mark Lamarr (BBC Radio 2), Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1), Boca 45 and many other DJs and tastemakers around the world. Natural Self recently put together a top quality live band to take the sound of his album on the road, and their first outing was a killer performance supporting Mr Scruff - so watch this space for more action from Natural Self Live (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Natural Self's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Natural+Self



Released Albums:
Natural Self - The Art of Vibration
Natural Self - My Heart Beats Like A Drum
Natural Self - Let Peace Be The Ruler

Reference:
(2010). Natural Self. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Natural+Self

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October 25, 2010

Artist of the Day: Freddie Joachim


Born in the Philippines, raised in San Diego, CA, and now residing in Los Angeles, Freddie Joachim (pronounced: JO-AH-KIM), became a dj in the later part of 1996. Starting as a mobile dj and turntablist, Joachim has become a dj, who spins and listens to all genres, with a strong focus on jazz and hip hop.

With experimentation in early 2001, Joachim turned his focus to recording and production. Mainly a software-based producer, he respects the art of record collecting and sampling, working closely with other artists who share the same idea.

In early 2005. Freddie, along with close friend and fellow music enthusiast, Ritchie Ramirez, formed ORGANOLOGY, a group which welcomes all forms of music, art, and culture.

Influenced highly by jazz, which is highlighted in many of his tracks, Freddie Joachim produces music he hopes all listeners will enjoy. You can catch Freddie digging for and spinning records at various places in California (Last.fm, 2010).


You can listen to Freddie Joachim's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Freddie+Joachim



Released Albums:
Freddie Joachim - Midway
Freddie Joachim - In With Time
Freddie Joachim - Olive Juice

Reference:
(2010). Freddie Joachim. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Freddie+Joachim

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October 24, 2010

Artist of the Day: Inner Science


INNER SCIENCE started in the end of 90s. It is a solo project by Tokyo-based Masumi Nishimura. Early in his career, he made his mark in the so-called Japanese Hiphop scene but since 2000s, he has departed from narrowly-defined Hip Hop genre and branched into instrumental electronic music. Presenting a perfect merge with beautiful melodies and colourful rhythms (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Inner Science's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Inner+Science





Released Albums:
Inner Science - Music / Ladium EP
Inner Science - No Name, No Place
Inner Science - Material
Inner Science - Forms
Inner Science - Elegant Confections EP
Inner Science - Concentrates EP
Inner Science - Differentia EP

Reference:
(2010). Inner Science. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Inner+Science

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October 23, 2010

Artist of the Day: Keaver & Brause


Keaver is a veteran of the Ceder studio system, known as a sound effects man but in fact, something of an innovator in electronic music.Brause, a dozen years younger and looking like a baby, has moved from Worksop to Berlin to London to Nottingham, working as a folk singer, and session musician, and is becoming more and more interested in beat sculpting. 

Their debut album “The Middle Way” twists a broad spectrum of elements to create hip hop founded electronics that relish the use of hazy samples and spiraling rhythms. Landing somewhere between Dabrye, Lukid and BOC, ‘The Middle Way’ is drenched in the sound of a youth spent locked in the studio - crafting the kind of intricately plotted instrumentals that unfold with textured detail, yet never hurry their slow-burn predilection. Alongside the likes of Lone, Paul White and Bullion, Keaver & Brause are at the vanguard of new producers aiming to snap your neck through persuasion over precision (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Keaver and Brause's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Keaver%2B%2526%2BBrause



Released Albums:
Keaver and Brause - The Middle Way

Reference:
(2010). Keaver & Brause. Last.fm. Retrieved from
http://www.last.fm/music/Keaver%2B%2526%2BBrause

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October 22, 2010

Artist of the Day: Deru


Deru’s music bridges different worlds. Hip-Hop, Electronic, Avant Garde. Back in High School in Chicago, Deru (Benjamin Wynn) had his friends wearing out underground hip-hop mix tapes. The second tape had Slug of Atmosphere rhyming with a “borrowed” microphone bought just for the session and returned after… Those tapes, by the way, are still being played.

Since then, Deru has found himself studying music in California (where he now resides) and writing music for TV and even dance. One of his recent projects was a collaboration with a classical composer for the Paris Opera Ballet. This piece was a far cry from hip-hop yet this is his music; a synergy of influences.

What this means, in short of course, is that Deru can get both the thinkers and the drinkers on the floor dancing, all in perfect synergy (Last.fm, 2010).


You can listen to Deru's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Deru



Released Albums:
Deru - Trying to Remember
Deru - Pushing Air
Deru - Pushing Soil
Deru - Say Goodbye to Useless

Reference:
(2010). Deru. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Deru

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October 21, 2010

Artist of the Day: Teebs


Teebs (aka Mtendere Mandowa) has been in the right place at the right time. The avid skater met esteemed workaholic producers Flying Lotus and Samiyam at a 2007 Red Bull Music Academy function in Orange County and later became immersed in Los Angeles’s weekly future-bass hot spot the Low End Theory, witnessing the Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, Kutmah, and others tear it up on the regular. 

An Achilles-tendon injury forced Teebs to take a year off from skating, which allowed him to focus on his music. He eventually ended up rooming with FlyLo and Samiyam, absorbing the rampaging, wonkily funky sounds he heard in his living space and then peace-ing them out into more blissful configurations (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Teebs' music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Teebs



Released Albums:
Teebs - Ardour

Reference:
(2010). Teebs. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Teebs

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October 20, 2010

Artist of the Day: Jazz Liberatorz


Jazz Liberatorz is a French hip hop crew formed in 1999, composed by producers and DJs from Meaux, which consists of DJ Damage, Dusty and Madhi. The group has released two studio albums; The 2008 album Clin D’oeil, a tribute to the golden age of hip-hop, taking its strength onto the roots of black music and more notably in jazz music. In 2009 Jazz Liberatorz released a second album Fruit Of The Past. The album featured numerous collaborating artists such as Fat Lip of Legendary Hip-Hop group The Pharcyde and award winning rapper Mos Def (Last.fm, 2010)

You can listen to Jazz Liberatorz's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Jazz+Liberatorz



Released Albums:
Jazz Liberatorz - Clin D'Oeil
Jazz Liberatorz - Fruit of The Past

Reference:
(2010). Jazz Liberatorz. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Jazz+Liberatorz

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October 19, 2010

Artist of the Day: Fulgeance


Fulgeance’s music is a perfect blend of huge, synth-laced French Electro and modern Instrumental Hip Hop. He takes club music into the realm of intelligent musical arrangements, yet always remains ‘dumb’ enough to work the floor (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Fulgeance's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Fulgeance



Released Albums:
Fulgeance - Chico EP
Fulgeance - Low Club EP

Reference:
(2010). Fulgeance. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Fulgeance

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October 18, 2010

Artist of the Day: Geskia! or Geskia


Geskia is undoubtedly the master of Japanese underground hip-hop and breakbeats. He started off his journey of sound making in 2001, and became a part of the down-beat unit “coma5”. Although Geskia’s music style is heavily influenced by industrial music (especially by Industrial icons like Coil and Einstürzende Neubauten), trip-hop movement and techno music, but by listening to the unique music that he has been creating, one can indubitably tell that Geskia has already established his very own distinctive music style and philosophy, and it has begun to mesmerize many people, including his fellow artists.

Geskia’s music concept is to reproduce the life around him, to reflect the connections of him with others, and to manifest his perspective about the world. Many established artists spoke highly of Geskia’s wonderful talent, including Dose-One (anticon, subtle, 13 & God), who described Geskia’s music as “very pretty, very well-made”.
 

It is Geskia’s aims to produce his music by using his sixth sense and subconscious connection with deliberate feelings. “To express those tiny magical moments in life with music” (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Geskia!'s music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/geskia

http://www.last.fm/music/Geskia!



Released Albums:
Geskia - Silent 77
Geskia - Eclipse 323

Reference:
(2010). Geskia. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/geskia

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October 17, 2010

Artist of the Day: fLako


fLako, Chile born and now living in both Berlin and London is one of Europe`s top producers at the moment. Whoever you ask within this beat world will give you the same answer. Though first appearing on Beatnicks Vol.2  with his banging "Inside" Track already it was not until his outstanding "Vortex Cookies" Remix in late 2008 that the world took notice for real. His take on the Robot Koch produced Track with Cerebral Vortex on vocal duties has been championed by Gaslampkiller, HudMo and many more and even got labeled "Track of the year" by Jay Scarlett. Damn right so.

Eversince fLako keeps on making waves, be it with his free download, 30 track heavy Beattape "First Spaceshit On The Moon", unofficial remixes (look around) or productions for Shuanise, Amenta, Noir and others. Did we already mention he is straight KILLING IT live? As energtic as it gets and far away from Laptop staring boredom. So far only Vilnius, Cologne and London have witnessed what will without a doubt be extralarge in 2010, Amsterdam and Vienna are next on the map. Don`t miss (UpMyAlley, 2006-2010)!

You can listen to fLako's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Flako



Released Albums:
fLako - First Spaceshit On The Moon

Reference:
(2006-2010). fLako. UpMyAlley. Retrieved from http://www.upmyalley.net/artists/flako

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October 16, 2010

Artist of the Day: Blackfilm


The term cinematic gets tossed around a great deal in the music reviewing business, especially when it comes to those genres and styles of an electronic inclination. For the most part anything appearing particularly dark, atmospheric and epic seems to get pasted with this descriptor, and much of that undeservedly so. Perhaps the right adjective at the time, in comparison to Blackfilm’s self-titled debut album, most other so-called cinematic peers fall short. This stuff simply defines cinematic. Its orchestral nuances and muffled piano (“Interference”), spectral voices and effective interlude transitions (“Eastern” and “Untitled”), among other elements, serve to elucidate this formative strategy. As the second release for young label Spectraliquid (based in Athens, Greece), “Blackfilm” reflects a promising musical direction and, more significantly, astute artist selectivity.

The disc invites its listener in with “Come & See,” an introduction to both the sound textures and strong thematic aspects that intertwine its ten compositions. “Blackfilm” brings a post-structuralist film noir quality to the forefront of pieces characterized as sweeping, ghostly, orchestral, downtempo and, of course, epic. Brilliant “Stalingrad” figures prominently in this idea; its ten-minute duration encompasses abandoned Cold War ambience and ominous post-urban illbient alike. In shorter tracks, other strengths come to prominence. The gently pushing bass tones in “Five Years” are masterful, while the insatiable trip hop groove of “Sonar” burns well into the night. The sensual Indian singing wafting through “Mahabharata” arouses fantastic visions of that poem’s grandeur and ancient metaphysics. The spacey tenor, echoing voices and maudlin strings of “Midnight to 4 A.M.” conceives a vast and unquenchable insignificance in the face of a universe beyond human comprehension. “Blackfilm” is gritty music for an eyes-closed headspace, at once harrowing and enlightening.

Blackfilm seems to have sampled or used a live drum kit for virtually all its snare and cymbal needs, and this anchor to realistic desires creates a specific tension strung through its otherwise calm, yet alienating, mood. Soothing and atmospheric as it is, this music blurs the uncomfortable boundary between fleeting emotion and the gnawing abyss. It succeeds in its sublimity. The closing, brooding “Atlantikend” sends the listener’s consciousness off on a trajectory pointed deep into the blackness between the stars, or perhaps deeper into the fabric of space and time itself, to a place so unknowable as to rewrite actuality. Soaked in the history of our world, “Blackfilm” grasps for its tenuous future (Last.fm, 2010). 

You can listen to Blackfilm's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Blackfilm



Released Albums:
Blackfilm - Blackfilm

Reference:
(2010). Blackfilm. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Blackfilm

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October 15, 2010

Artist of the Day: Débruit


Xavier Thomas, known by his production moniker of Débruit, is a producer, DJ, instrumentalist and vocalist from Paris, France. He has been playing saxaphone since the age of 9, and now, at the age of 28, works as a freelance sound designer for several clients. He has released an LP as Débruit last year on the label Musique Large called “Coupé Décalé”, twisting flamenco guitars, field recordings, and just about any sound he can get his hands on, into his electro hip-hop noise Débruit trademark. He has an EP “Clé De Bras” forthcoming on Musique Large March 2009 and he also records as part of his hip-house project called Kéèclac (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Debruit's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/D%C3%A9bruit



Released Albums:
Débruit - To Nartik Kef
Débruit - To Coupe Decale
Débruit - To Cle De Bras EP
Débruit - To Spatio-Temporel

Reference:
(2010). Débruit. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/D%C3%A9bruit

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October 14, 2010

Artist of the Day: The Clonious


Somewhere between the past and the distant future, sparked by dusty old jazz records and beat generation hip hop, at the sonic cross-roads of Detroit and Vienna, lies a series of sound stories steeping in the head of 23 year old beat navigator Paul Movahedi, also known as The Clonious.

The Adroit Adventures EP, released on Ubiquity in June, was the first set of tales to exit his studio and hit limited edition wax. It was immediately picked up by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs (who aired a Clonious mixtape the week of it’s release) and Benji B on BBC Radio. DJs from Helskinki to Tokyo to New York also gave thumbs up to his unique blend of bouncy cosmic vibes and glitchy shoegazer funk. On Between The Dots his debut album, Movehadi continues his development of sounds that are at once new and classic, soulful and striking, organic and electronic.

“If a regular hip-hop head and the biggest IDM nerd both find a track on the album that they like, it would make me happy,” says Movahedi. “The album is the sum of what I like. These tracks are little adventures that just want to say hello,” he jokes.

While “Fogged Spacesuit,” the ideal tune for astronauts on a spacewalk, and the outerworldly soul of “One At A Time,” (featuring DC-based vocalist Muhsinah, and remixed for the album) swell and bump, tracks like “Emora” are more angular and to the point, building around a focussed theme. Keeping the beats edgy, Movahedi lets the jazz and improv fly between the dots on “If Joe Had The Power,” and even more on the short “Agenda” and “Hang On.” There’s a Herbert-like warmth to the cut n’paste style of the more uptempo “Bugs N’Fools” and “Leaving Belief” should please the ears of Jazzanova and Atjazz fans with their floor friendly beats.

“I don’t really care how people explain my music. You will most definitely find references to others, and that’s cool with me,” says Movahedi. “You can’t invent the wheel a second time. It’s about your mix of influences, and with every record I have ever listened to I inhaled a piece of the world. Searching in the past always felt like looking in the future for me. The past and the future have the unknown in common - and I hope I also captured “the jazz” that make this music timeless,” says Movahedi.

Other guests on the album include Dorian Concept and Cid Rim, with whom Movahedi frequently collaborates. Los Angeles-based Georgia Anne Muldrow and partner Dudley Perkins round out the collabs, injecting some of their own brand of West Coast fonk.

Beat generation artists are smashing the boundaries and connections between electronic music and hip hop worldwide, making something new with every release. “I hope to achieve that fine balance between a superficial forcefulness and a striking deepness. I come from a musical background that is heavily influenced by the jazz era of the late 1950s and 1960s. But a big part of my sound is sampling. Everything I record or produce eventually ends up in a sampler. As I see it the art of sampling comes close to a cloning process. So add my love for sampling with my love for old jazz records and the name The Clonious makes sense…I guess!” he adds (Last.fm, 2010). 

You can listen to The Clonious' music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Clonious



Released Albums:
The Clonious - Adroit Adventures
The Clonious - Between The Dots

Reference:
(2010). The Clonious. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/The+Clonious

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October 13, 2010

Artist of the Day: Kno from CunninLynguists


Kno (Member of the CunninLynguists trio), hailing from Georgia and currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky, has been described as “one of the top loop-miners east of the Mississippi” by URB. He produced the majority of Will Rap For Food and Southernunderground, and has also recieved acclaim in The NY Times, Rolling Stone and other magazines for his remix of The Black Album, entitled Kno vs. Hov : The White Al-bu-lum (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Kno's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Kno



Released Albums:
Kno - Excrementals Vol. 1 2 3 
Kno - Kno Vs. Hov
Kno - Death Is Silent

Reference:
(2010). Kno. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Kno

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October 12, 2010

Artist of the Day: Lack Of Afro


Lack of Afro is the recording name of Adam Gibbons.

Born into a musical family, Adam started playing the piano at the age of 7, taking lessons from his grandmother. He started the alto saxophone at the age of 11 and had progressed to Grade 8 by the time he was 17. Musical influences at this early stage included Motown, Soul, Jazz and all forms of Sixties music, courtesy of his father’s record collection. Meanwhile when he was 15 he had been shown simple beats on the drum kit by his uncle and he then took this further by playing along to records in his lunch-breaks at school. By the time he left school at 18 Adam had also learned to play the guitar.

In July 2005 Tru Thoughts producer and DJ Flevans picked up on a funk track that Adam had written in late 2003 called “Wait A Minute”. He played it at The Big Chill to great crowd reaction. Thanks in no small part to close friend Heavy Stylus, in January 2006 the manager of Freestyle records Jon Sheppard heard “Wait A Minute” on The Root Down website. Lack of Afro was signed to Freestyle records a couple of days later.

To date Adam has played alongside and/or supported such musical luminaries as Maceo Parker, Quantic, Breakestra, The Rebirth, Flevans, The Baker Brothers and Jon Kennedy. His first single on Freestyle “Wait A Minute” has sold over 1,000 copies (no mean feat for a debut) and was played on Annie Mac’s Mash Up on BBC Radio 1, as well as countless other radio stations up and down the country. He has since completed remixes for Eddie Roberts (One Note), Tim Wood (Socialbeats) and is at the moment working on one for The New Mastersounds (One Note) and Flevans (Tru Thoughts/Jack To Phono) (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Lack of Afro's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Lack+Of+Afro



Released Albums:
Lack Of Afro - Press On
Lack Of Afro - My Groove Your Move

Reference:
(2010). Lack Of Afro. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Lack+Of+Afro

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October 11, 2010

Artist of the Day: Mamanet


Mamanet formed in Kramatorsk, UA in 2003. Given that Mamanet are a foursome - a very traditional arrangement of drummer, bassist, and two guitarists - they frequently joke that they’re mistaken for a rock or post-rock ensemble, at least before they turn the amps on. The one western parallel they invoke most often in order to lessen these misconceptions is with Hammersmith’s Red Snapper, given the English outfit’s equal willingness to mix jazz with breaks, hip-hop, and other non-canonical styles.

When pressed to be more specific about these possible overlaps, Mamanet’s members say the following: “Our music is charged with energy. We’ve got a vigorous, lively, and complex kind of sound; there’s not as much of a rock influence in there… but then there’s more indie, trip-hop, and dub than you’d expect!” This isn’t a style, it’s a relationship between them (Last.fm, 2010). 


You can listen to Mamanet's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Mamanet



Released Albums:
Mamanet - KI-MONO
Mamanet - TranceXpedition
Mamanet - Red,Yellow,Green,Blue

Reference:
(2010). Mamanet. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Mamanet

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October 10, 2010

Artist of the Day: Ghislain Poirier


Ghislain Poirier is a DJ/producer from Montreal who is signed to the Ninja Tune record label. He has, however, also worked with other labels such as Chocolate Industries, Rebondir, Shockout, Musique Large, Intr_version and 12K. His work mainly consists of original instrumental mixes and mixes featuring Montreal hip hop MCs including Omnikrom, Face-T and Séba. He also has collaborated with Beans, TTC, Lotek HiFi and Nik Myo. He is noted for popular remixes of tracks of rock and hip hop artists such as Les Georges Leningrad, Clipse, Editors, Bonde do Role, Kid Sister, Pierre Lapointe, Champion and Lady Sovereign. Though he has worked in many different genres of electronic music, he is known for his eclectic taste in music and appreciation of tropical bass sounds (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Ghislain Poirier's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Ghislain+Poirier



Released Albums:
Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under
Ghislain Poirier - Breakupdown
Ghislain Poirier - Beats as Politics
Ghislain Poirier - Conflits
Ghislain Poirier - La Ronde EP
Ghislain Poirier - Rebondir EP
Ghislain Poirier - Running High
Ghislain Poirier - Sous Le Manguier
Ghislain Poirier - Il N'y A Pas De Sud...

Reference:
(2010). Ghislain Poirier. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Ghislain+Poirier

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October 9, 2010

Artist of the Day: Dextro


Dextro is the pseudonym given to the Scottish recording and performing alias of Falkirk born DIY musician Ewan Mackenzie. Under the Dextro moniker he has released a number of works, most notably the albums Winded (2009), Consequence Music (2006) and the 12” single Do You Need Help (2004). The music of Dextro is primarily described as electronica that makes references to the shoegaze movement, with added influences from the post rock and folk music genres (Last.fm, 2010).
 
You can listen to Dextro's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Dextro



Released Albums:
Dextro - Winded
Dextro - Do You Need Help
Dextro - Animism EP
Dextro - Consequence Music
Dextro - Hearts and Minds EP

Reference:
(2010). Dextro. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Dextro

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October 8, 2010

Artist of the Day: The Q4


The Q4 (The Quadraphoni Quartet) is a collaboration of 3 young Dutch producers: Arts the Beatdoctor, Sense & STW. Who, though they all work in rather similar ways, all have a unique sound of their own. The - at the time 4 men - crew was formed in a sleazy, dark bar in Amsterdam during the fall of 2005 and have since then created an impressive amount of material together, coloured by a wide range of musical influences and collaborations. www.TheQ4.com

Although Hip-Hop is the foundation for all their music, material ranges from Jazz & Dub to Hardcore Hip-Hop beats and Drum&Bass. As opposed to continually repeating a loop, theQ4 composed their tracks practically note-by-note by making a collage of hundreds of dusty sampled notes and percussion hits taken from vinyl. Sometimes skilled instrumentalists are also recorded, only to chop up their work as well and layer it in the composition again. Due to this way of working, and the amount of sounds used, their work has a very moving/musical feel to it, to the point that every track becomes somewhat of a soundtrack on itself.

Arts The Beatdoctor (1983) started producing for emcees some years ago, only to decide he liked most of the tracks better without vocals. So he continued to develop his mostly instrumental style, and his warm sound and diverse yet ever dreamy style have since then gained in reputation. After doing several little projects and taking the battle honours that STW didn’t claim, he released his half-instrumental EP “Fragments” this spring on Unexpected Records, and is currently working on his first solo-album.

The Sense (1985) spent 5 years of day-in-day-out practicing and developing his instrumental style without ever releasing anything, until he found himself listening to his own stuff most of the day and realised it was about that time. Unlike his brothers in arms he doesn’t know the first thing about musical theory, and balances everything on his sense of harmony. His very defined ‘moody’ style, and unusual sample treatment and rhythmic patterns, saturate the sound of theQ4’s material through out the EP. Apart from theQ4, he’s also working on a solo EP at the moment, this time with vocalists as well and earns a little buck on the side with his clothing line ‘ouesT-shirts’ and graphic/multimedia-design.

STW (1981) born and raised in the middle of nowhere, had only two options to get his kicks: doing drugs or creating his own unlimited universe through music. The combination of both turned out to be most fertile. He’s played guitar in several alternative rock bands, but is best known for his soulful swinging hip-hop beats, which have earned him quite some recognition winning practically all beat and remix contests this little country provides. Like Sense, he has never released anything before either, but he just might release a mix tape of his (in)famous remixes, if Sense and Arts don’t ease up on bugging him about it (Last.fm, 2010). 

You can listen to The Q4's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Q4



Released Albums:
The Q4 - Sound Surroundings
The Q4 - Darker Days

Reference:
(2010). The Q4. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/The+Q4

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October 7, 2010

Artist of the Day: Stupor


Latvian author and music maker Eugene Simonenko. His first album was “Wrong Moonside”, followed by a short EP titled “carmacat” and “Dietology”. His latest is a Mondayjazz.com mix titled “Not Big Deal” (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Stupor's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Stupor

Released Albums:
Stupor - Carmacat EP
Stupor - Dietology
Stupor - Wrong Moonside

Reference:
(2010). Stupor. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Stupor

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October 6, 2010

Artist of the Day: Waxolutionists

The Viennese producer and DJ trio - DJ Buzz, The Bionic Kid & DJ Zuzee - expanded the borders of hip-hop and dared to make trips to new musical territories without losing their orientation and spontaneity in their style of production. Live elements and sample-related production have always been a major part and a dash of turntablism habit has always given their projects its very own special flavour.

After their first 4 albums - The Smart Blip Experience in 1999, Plastic People in 2002, RE:WAX in 2003 and Counterfight in 2004 - numerous remixes & compilation joints followed. Working, remixing and producing with and for artists like Sofa Surfers, Stereotype, André Heller, Ray Cokes, Dave Ghetto, Mystic, Dj Vadim, Blade, Ty, Lyric L, Killa Kela, Pure P & Melo, Dj Flip and many more, they enjoyed massive airplay on Austrias no.1 independent radio FM4, appearances on the Worldwide Show, Solid Steel Radio, Radio Magnetic, various German shows like BTTB and over all the Austrian Music Award. The sound of the Waxolutionists gained friends all over the world - from Newzealand to Japan along to Mexico.

10 Years of Waxos and far from being tired - they still work busy as bees on their future. Besides numerous soloprojects (DJ Buzz with "The Cosmic War Of The Planets, Bionic Kid with Circus & 313Radio) they still find time and energy to perform & manage the collective & label Supercity together with Rapper Manuva (Supercity, 2010).

You can listen to Waxolutionists' music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Waxolutionists



Released Albums:
Waxolutionists - Nudists Essentials
Waxolutionists - The Smart Blip Experience
Waxolutionists - Plastic People
Waxolutionists - Counter Fight
Waxolutionists - We Paint Colors

Reference:
(2010). Waxolutionists. Supercity. Retrieved from http://www.supercity.at/artists/waxolutionists/15-2.htm

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October 5, 2010

Artist of the Day: Alias & Ehren


Alias continues his inspired trip through wordless soundscapes with his third full-length and first collaborative instrumental album, Lillian. On 2003’s Muted, Alias (born Brendan Whitney) turned the corner from sample-based beatmaking and introspective raps to live instrumentation and electronic songcraft. He’d taken a giant leap of faith and strangely enough, landed square in his own shoes. Warm, fuzzy and swelled with pride, he sent the first copies of the record back to his family in Maine. Ehren Whitney, eleven years Brendon’s junior, was only three when his big brother started plastering the walls of their room with posters of screw-faced rappers but the music’s crotch tight grip never quite got a hold of him.

In fifth grade he started playing saxophone and discovered he was a natural. Dad, a jazz drummer, would bring Ehren with him to gigs and pretty soon he was jamming along with the old-timers. Word spread through the extended Whitney clan, and before long he’d gathered a pile of hand-me-down highschool band instruments. He learned each in no time at all.

The day that Muted reached Ehren in Hollis, Maine, Alias’s phone rang and plans were made: Ehren would fly out to Oakland, flute, alto sax, soprano sax, and clarinet in tow; they’d press record and see what happened. Using a few basic tracks laid down in advance, the brothers began layering sounds and improvising freely Alias’ trademark sounds are all here-crunchy fuzz, bassy cut up drums, pop-and-click percussion, atmospheric synth, ghostly guitars-but they’re made bright and buoyant by Ehren’s incredible ear for melody.

The end result is Lillian, a warm and wonderful album inspired by (and named after) their grandmother. The perfect postmodern tribute to an American musical family (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Alias and Ehren's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Alias%2B%2526%2BEhren



Released Albums:
Alias and Ehren - Lillian

Reference:
(2010). Alias & Ehren. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Alias%2B%2526%2BEhren

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October 4, 2010

Artist of the Day: Bushy


Bushy is Jim Bingham of Brighton, United Kingdom. He has released one full-length album to date on Catskills Records (Hiya!; 2002), in addition to several remixes and EPs. His music has appeared on a number of compilation albums, including Fabric 28. His track “Never” was remixed by Bonobo, and he himself has remixed many other artists (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to Bushy's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Bushy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOqp8eWiYfU

Released Albums:
Bushy - Hiya!

Reference:
(2010). Bushy. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Bushy

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October 3, 2010

Artist of the Day: Thes One


Thes One (born Christopher Cesar Portugal in Torrance, California, on October 18th, 1977) is one half of the hip hop duo People Under the Stairs. He has produced and engineered 7 albums for People Under the Stairs. His musical aliases include Uncle Thester, Supreme One, Thessoterrorist, Thunder Thumbs, Baron Wolfgang Von Thes, The S One and Lord Radio

People Under the Stairs (or P.U.T.S.) are one of underground hip hop scene’s acts. An MC and producer, Thes One is recognized for his eclectic and diverse range of beats. He handled the majority of the production in People Under the Stairs’ albums, although Thes One’s partner Double K is a producer, MC and DJ also.

Thes One has produced a broad range of tracks for a number of artists as well as remixing many tracks too, one such notable remix is Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s Back On The Block. Artists which Thes One has produced for include; Giant Panda, Ugly Duckling, J-Live, Starving Artists Crew, Crown City Rockers, Black Love Crew, Raw Produce, Substance Abuse, Lexicon, Akbar, Scarub and MURS. In 2004, Thes collaborated with Giant Panda to create the Bloquera EP.

In March 2007, Thes One released his debut solo album Lifestyle Marketing. It is a 2-disc album of instrumentals made from Herb Pilhofer’s Music That Works, a demonstration album originally released in the early 1970s that showcased Pilhofer’s musical compositions for radio & TV commercials, industrial films, and other projects. The first disc is Thes One’s album, the second consists of some of the original tracks from Music That Works from which Thes One’s album was made. The first single off the album is the 10” release ‘Target’ b/w ‘Grain Belt Beer’ (Last.fm, 2010). 

You can listen to Thes One's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Thes+One



Released Albums:
Thes One - Lifestyle Marketing
Thes One - Thes One Presents: Live At The Rootdown Soundclash

Reference:
(2010). Thes One. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Thes+One

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October 2, 2010

Artist of the Day: Arms and Sleepers


It was in July of 2006 that the members of Arms and Sleepers locked themselves in an old drafty apartment in Cambridge and began composing and recording new material. The last few years had been both exciting and promising playing with the dream pop outfit The List Exists, but in the end, even after two EPs and a US tour, the fate of the band was all too obvious. They say that with every death there is a birth, and in this case, that certainly proved to be true. Fed up with the recently failed music relationships, Max Lewis (programming, keyboards, bass) and Mirza Ramic (keyboards, bass) wasted no time in forming Arms and Sleepers, a project that would not limit itself to any artistic boundaries or music genres. The road was wide open, and Arms and Sleepers found themselves comfortably standing in the middle of it.

The result of these initial compositions was “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive”, a 7-song EP released through Fake Chapter Records in December of 2006. Mostly instrumental, this debut record is a warm offering of the band’s unique yet engaging sound. According to PlugInMusic.com, “Arms and Sleepers soar in with their multilayered sound on ‘Bliss…’ and make you forget that this debut EP is only their introduction.” N/A reviews writes, “Arms and Sleepers are venturing to bring in a new element to ambient music and it just happens to work perfectly.” After touring the US for several weeks in spring and summer 2007 and the release of a limited EP on Milkweed Records, “Black Paris ‘86” will be the bands first album (Expect Candy).

You can listen to Arms and Sleepers' music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/Arms+and+Sleepers



Released Albums:
Arms and Sleepers - Matador
Arms and Sleepers - Black Paris 86
Arms and Sleepers - Lautlos EP
Arms and Sleepers - Cinematique
Arms and Sleepers - Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive EP
Arms and Sleepers - Limited Edition EP
Arms and Sleepers - From The Inland Sea EP
Arms and Sleepers - The Motorist EP

Reference:
Arms and Sleepers. Expect Candy. Retrieved from http://www.expectcandy.com/artists/armsandsleepers/

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October 1, 2010

Artist of the Day: Devonwho


One of the Klipmode family - whose membership includes Suzi Analogue, mndsgn and Knxwledge - the LA via Portland-based producer, devonwho, makes awesome, synthy, low-slung beats that sit somewhere in between hip hop and experimental electronic music - if you’re up on Beat Dimensions or the Beatnicks 12”s you’ll know the vibe (Last.fm, 2010).

You can listen to devonwho's music at:
http://www.last.fm/music/devonwho



Released Albums:
Funraiser Vol. 1 Thumbtracks

Reference:
(2010). devonwho. Last.fm. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/devonwho

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