I missed Mr. Lif but found Sincere Underground Hip Hop

I'm in a very underground hip-hop kind of mood. I was hoping to see Mr. Lif at Paradise tonight in Boston, but last minute things fell through - i'm disapointed. But I downloaded Mo' Mega, its' good but not great. If you like Lif you'll like this, but its not absolutely necessary. Anyway, definitely though check out this track and video by Sincere ft. Natty - Once Upon a Time (just watch the video - found it on Certified Banger , seriously good underground hip-hop - I enjoyed it at least, more description below)

Sincere ft. Natty - Once Upon a Time

LONDON’ featuring Dizzie Rascals signing, D Double E as well as hot property Scorcher. He’s appeared in a television series – Dubplate Drama, made a movie, and set up and administered his own label YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS RECORDS. You certainly can’t accuse him of laziness.

“It’s been a busy period but I still feel I have a lot to achieve, I’ve taken so much from the last few years plus I’ve grown up a lot too”

His experiences in everyday life coupled with those in music have definitely made an impact on this young Londoner …

“It’s so easy just to get caught up in London, the roads, politics, life, music etc, but there’s a whole world out there and I want to reflect some of that”

SINCERE’S an artist that’s definitely feeling comfortable in his own skin, and the evidence is there for all to see on ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’, the first single from the new album ‘NOW OR NEVER’, which features ATLANTIC RECORDS signing Natty.

The album, ‘NOW OR NEVER’, is due October 2008 and already features guest appearances from Skinnyman, John Blood, Natty, Sway and fellow Young Entrepreneur Mark Henry.

Production duties are being dealt with by P Nut [Dido / Amy Whinehouse / Faithless], Firstman [Hi Tek / Talib Kweli / Skinnyman / Lemar], Blak Jak, the man behind ‘THAT’S NOT GANSTER’, [Miss Dynamite, Akala, Scorcher and Nathan], Res [Akala, Miss Dynamite] and Young Entrepreneurs very own in house beatsmith Godson [Sway / Scorcher].

Also look out for the sinceremusic.co.uk download mixtape available soon and featuring the mighty King’s of Leon. There’s more remix action with fellow N2 resident Natty on the remix of Cold Town. Plus look out for the HUGE video for ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’ coming to a screen near you soon.

Check online for updates
www.myspace.com/sincererap
www.sinceremusic.co.uk

For more info please contact
management@ye-records.com

Flashbaxx - new downtempo out of Germany

I'll be the first to admit, some downtempo and chillout can get stale - much of it sounds alike, much of it is a more energetic take on soundscapes. I find the best downtempo takes a little bit from many genres and sub-styles of music. Thievery Corporation is one of the best and widely known examples of how to make downtempo stand out. You hear a Thievery track and you know its Eric Hilton and Rob Garza mixing up many influences and somehow making it work. This works best when they are going for energy. When they go for pure downtempo, its simplified, working with soulful electronica and slight jazzy backdrops.

I just received a downtempo EP from Flashbaxx - an artist out of Germany whose first release's title track, Livingroom Adventures, was featured on compilations by Tosca and Jazzanova nearly five years ago. Flashbaxx is back with The Changing Tides EP - an album that is born of acid jazz, commercial soundscapes and some signature downtempo that is reminiscent of the basic Thievery chillout that brought me into this type of music.

There are other comparisons I could make (Bonobo, Lemongrass, others) but I want to stick with Thievery. Flashbaxx's Voodoo Therapy is a true chillout track that builds on intermittent piano and guitar bursts with bongos that hint at Brazilian Jazz. "Stainless" and Sand Bank continue the chillout with even more lounge-like groove. These are sit back and relax tracks that employ echo effects and interesting electronic sounds to add to any lounge ambiance.

Another side of Flasbhaxx's EP is the funk-infused Jack of all Trades The name may imply that Flashbaxx is promoting its various styles (or I may just be thinking too hard), and it certainly showcases another type of music that Flashbaxx can manipulate (for our listening delight). However, as funk guitar chops along with horns, high hats, and soulful ladies humming in the background, this is as eclectic as we're going to get. Flashbaxx's Changing Tides is a true downtempo EP that is lovely to listen to, but don't expect too much beyond the chillout and a taste of funk. This is a very promising EP for Flashbaxx, I'm going to listen to this for many moons, and await what is next to come.

Don Imuze (aka Jeff Bennett) - Great Illusions on Phunctional Loungin

Don Imuze hunted me down. Not to scare me or play italian mobster, but to share his latest dub creation. Jeff Bennett, under his dub guise Don Imuze, releases some beautifully chill tracks at the end of May. Probably better known for his techno and house beats such as Smoke In the Shadow or Raindance, Jeff breaks out of the deep house on his Phunctional Loungin label.

Currently out on Beatsource.com (Beatport's alternative music source), Don Imuze's dub creations will be available digitally throughout many other digital stores on May 30.

Here are some of my favorite tracks from Don Imuze's upcoming release (click the title link above to listen to the entire album - I'm still working out kinks to embed music directly in my posts):

"Mahla" is a very simple downtempo groove that pulls no strings. It has slight slight undertones of dub but is more a chillout tune at heart. Twanging thumps that sound like an acoustic base provide the dub foundation and a sitar comes in to change it up and give it a borderline bhangra vibe. Its a very smooth chill tune.

"Bazzif" is the dub club tune, ready to mix. This track comes with a ready made, chilled dub foundation that is so solid yet subdued that you can throw something very cool on top of this to Frankenstein your own hip-hop dub creation. I smell Remix.

"Feverz" is my favorite dub on the album, its the purest as far as I can tell. Honestly, this track is straight fun. Sit under the trees and add this to your summer jammin' playlist. The relaxed funk guitar, choppy organ and flutish woodwind adding some lovely light flavor - making you think only of rum drinks and your hashish of choice. (Ok, I know hashish is Indian, but I'm in a hookah mood lately!)

All in all, check out Don Imuze. With the summer months cresting for many of us, this provides the midday or late evening downtempo that is best accompanied with a lounge chair and cold drink.

RJD2 Live

Back in Nov/Dec of 2007 I wrote some commentary panning RJD2's "The Third Hand" - his latest installment. I kind of rescind my comments - I saw him live at Paradise in Boston on May 3 and "The Third Hand" came to life for me that night - and I actually had a chance to tell him quickly after the show. It all makes sense to me now too - I did some more digging and realized his first albums (progressive and fairly experimental trip-hop) were released on the Definitive Jux label which hosts more independent hip-hop artists such as Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif and C-Rayz Walz (heard of em? let me know if you haven't and I'll hook you up with some music - they're great).

So anyway, RJ is now with XL Recordings which releases the likes of Beck, Vampire Weekend, Tapes 'n' Tapes and the Raconteurs. This is a HUGE departure from Def Jux, and "The Third Hand" is a HUGE departure from RJD2's previous albums. I still like "Deadringer" and "Since We Last Spoke" more than Third Hand, but RJ did rock out on stage in between classics such as The Horror and Chicken Bone, and some improv Mario Bros soundtracks. He really showed some versatility, and he brought his creativity on the turntables to his guitar playing and general stage presence.

It was very cool too - at the end of the show he sat at the front of the stage and shook hands with his fans, I've seen few and far between do something like that, very classy, and made me like his beats even more.

Mystic Man & Eshamanjaro "In Heavy Weather" - out May 12 on Fat! Records

Gotta’ love the trip-hop. Especially when established breaks artists, such as Merka, adopts his alter-ego Mystic Man and collaborates with UK hip-hop vocalist Eshamanjaro, a.ka. MC Esha, to release their first full length album - “In Heavy Weather.”

Combining Eshamanjaro’s heady rhymes with Mystic Man’s classically inspired, jazzy and modern electronic beats, the result is a collection of energetic and trippy tracks that are a lot of fun to keep up with.

And keep up we must. “Cheshire Cat” kicks off the album and sets the pace. The track has a breaks foundation that loops a quick top hat beat accentuated with piano flurries. Eshamanjaro introduces his voice through a frenetic flow that honestly doesn’t make much sense – his voice is the instrument and becomes an important element of the sound that I’m strangely okay with.

Tumbling drums, big band horns and pinball electronic sounds intro Esha as we begin to hear his persona on “The Rambler.” With a true hip-hop flare of self-promotion, he asserts himself as an MC “who has that rare ability to rock across senses with no sensibility.” Within the first two tracks, Mystic Man has shown that this album wouldn’t hold up without his mixing and mashing. Now Esha has to back up his “rare ability” and he does so through the rest of the album.

The remaining tracks range from somber downtempo to hip hop breaks and seriously funky acid jazz. “Keeper of the Flame” begins with a somber flute setting a whimsical and foreboding tone as strings and a siren’s voice hums along. Mystic Man conjures images of a conflicted man attempting to gather the last shards of self-respect after the love, pain and suffering that this mystery woman has caused him – “I raise up above the pain, remember my past self through the fading flame.” The woman explains that she is the “keeper of the flame,” though we begin to understand the complex relationship that the two have together, and the emotion that both are struggling with.

Eshamanjaro’s complex rhymes continue on “D’ah Quinta,” a masterful extension of “Flame” that demonstrates how Esha has been hardened by his experiences. The lyric “Dreams flicker, I miss nothing” is a powerful double-entendre in the context of this album. Though dreams change, Esha does not miss them, and yet, he also does not miss a thing – observing and reflecting on everything he experiences.

Dust intros delicate pianos while Eshamanjaro enters with a sensitive, yet aggressive opinion of the masses’ overall lack of self-awareness as they lope through life “pondering costs” and thinking “theology is thicker than blood.” Esha considers himself a model amongst them – “I’m the sun beam scuba diver, diving into life’s channels” and enjoying “the process of returning to dust.”

Other tracks, such as “Off It,” “New Jack Swing” and “Minds I” continue to show the versatility of this duo’s approach to trip-hop. “Off It” is a nu-jazz inspired track churning progressive beats in a disjointed, but fascinating way. You can listen to the electric keyboard crank out accentuating notes, or the quick drums providing a foundation, or Mystic Man’s scratching, bringing a ton of personality. “New Jack Swing” and “Minds I” are the closest approach to traditional hip-hop this duo gets, combining their eccentric style with traditional bass beats that often provide the base for the best hip-hop around.

Overall, this album is worthy of many listens, as it will take at least a few to truly appreciate all of the wonderful nuances and hidden secrets within this complex delivery of sound and rhyme.

“In Heavy Weather” is released by Fat! Records in the UK, and will be available in wide release on May 12, 2008. Listen to tracks in my TRACKLIST to the right, or visit www.thefatclub.com

MUSIC PLAYER ADDED

I just added a music player to the right of the blog posts. I love Widgets - you can do so much. The music player gives all readers access to my LastFM playlist and you can listen to previews of songs directly on this site, or you can go to my playlist and listen to the full tracks. I'm also working on locating a cool application that will actually allow readers to listen to tracks that I've recently played in my iTunes library. I've found a few but they dont update very well. If you have suggestions let me know!

Beatport Music Awards 2008

Check out the Beatport Music Award winners of 2008. The best of the best in chillout, techno, dubstep, and more - a great collection of progressive and amazing artists and tracks.

Work it Out

Getting so excited for RJD2 tonight at the Paradise. Been listening to Deadringer and Instruments all day, and just watched the video for Work It Out - the crutch dancing in this is so visually entertaining. Check out the video - its putting me over the edge!