Artist Interview: Rainbo - Volatile EP

Rainbo - an up & coming downtempo, electro hip hop producer in St. Louis - dropped his new EP on me and I'm excited to share it. Rainbo's music has a smooth downtempo vibe rooted in hip hop beats and organic samples from earlier eras, giving it a texture you wouldn't get with computer-based production. This sampling element is what caught my ear, so I asked Rainbo why he uses these samples. Listen to his EP, download it on Bandcamp & read why he finds certain samples below:



Downbeatscape: I noticed you mix samples from musical eras ranging from old, nostalgic, 50's to more recent. What inspires you to use a sample and why ones in these eras?

Rainbo: There are a few different reasons. The first and probably most important reason is the analog sound of these recordings. The natural saturation that occurs during the analog recording process is really difficult to recreate digitally. So for me its a short cut to a more organic sound. Also there's a bouncy soulful vibe that i was looking for, and just seemed to find more often in older recordings. Finally, i would say older pop/dance music has a much more human sound than modern pop. Being that modern pop is basically an auto-tuned vocal over synth and drum machine sounds, usually its easier to go back in time if i'm looking to add a human element to the track.

I have to apologize to Rainbo though - I lied to him. I told him I wouldn't post his replies verbatim, but as I read them I found that I didn't want to paraphrase or interpret. What he said really resonated with me and I thought was important for you to read too.

Damian Marley & Skrillex - Make It Bun Dem

Lovin' this new downtempo reggae/dubstep hybrid by Damian Marley & Skrillex. I really love both of these artists' work in general, and I respect both of them for the way they've embraced collaboration across genres and styles. Damian has been collaborating across hip hop and his recent stint in the super group SuperHeavy with Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, and AR Rahman was awesome. Skrillex has been collaborating with a ton of different people, from the remaining members of the Doors, Ellie Goulding, Korn and now Damain. Good for the them for finding awesome ways to create even more kick ass music.

OHM Dedication Mix Series #1: Beautiful Swimmers present Don Cherry

I recently received a mix from the One Handed Music (OHM) label and the Beautiful Swimmers out of Washington, D.C. that educated me about a legendary jazz artist who influenced the downtempo music that I love today. This mix - the first in the forthcoming OHM Dedication Series - was curated by Beautiful Swimmers (musician based in D.C.) to showcase the influence of Don Cherry - an African-American jazz musician who helped pioneer and showcase avant-garde jazz around the world from the 1950-70s, playing with legends such as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Listen to the mix and keep reading to learn more about Don and his jazz and world fusion sounds:



Don Cherry specialized in the jazz trumpet and cornet - a compact version of the trumpet that creates mellower sounds. He was a jazz purist who emphasized the power of the single note, but didn't hesitate to use "smearing" techniques to bend and blend notes to create distinct sounds. Over the years, in his own exploration of music led him into world fusion where he experimented with Middle Eastern, African and Indian sounds.

I've been listening to and showcasing a lot of electronic music these days, but i'm really glad I got this email from OHM label turning me on to their dedication mix. Jazz is such an important influence on music in general, especially on the downtempo music that I love, ranging from trip hop to acid jazz. This is incredible listening - you'll hear the jazz, the world fusion, and the old meshed with the new.

Suburban Dream - Wandering Around

I've been following Suburban Dream for a few years and his latest - "Wandering Around" - is a downtempo piece that builds with elements of jazz and hip hop, giving it great texture, which is no coincidence considering this track is, in his words, "actually a tribute to Mark Farina's acclaimed Mushroom Jazz series which Ciaran [the man behind Suburban Dream] has repeatedly found inspiration from over the years. It builds beautifully, wrapping the listener within a curtain of sound." Suburban Dream continues to produce great chillout tunes that perfectly toe the line between ambient and head-noddin' electronic lounge music. I'm always excited to hear the latest from Suburban Dream - all his work maintains a dream-like quality (no pun intended) created with light synthetic sounds and pointed percussion that together carry a ton of weight. His songs are aptly named to fit the stereotypical suburban experience - "Wandering Around [looking for my friends]" "We Long To Be" and "They Start Out Using." As I was checking out his latest , I was also surprised to find a track that I hadn't yet heard: "We Long To Be" This downtempo track has a simple lyrical phrase punctuated with drug references and this sense of yearning, that is lifted by synthetic sounds that lighten the track and put it into the clouds (an effect of the drugs maybe?)

New Gramatik EP - #DigitalFreedom - Pretty Lights Music label

Gramatik (Pretty Lights Music) released a new EP last week called #DigitalFreedom. His sound is historically hip hop driven (like most Pretty Lights Music) with gritty funk elements and less electronic sampling than other PLM artists such as SuperVision, Paul Basic or Paper Diamond.

#DigitalFreedom maintains the foundation of downtempo hip hop but brings in a much stronger electronic element (mostly dubstep oriented) than his previous work. I've heard this shift across many of Pretty Lights Music's latest releases. Fortunately, they all incorporate new sounds without sacrificing the style that their listeners have come to appreciate. This is true for the new Gramatik release. It really does meld his style with new elements, and there's a healthy balanced mix of really organic hip hop samples and synthetic downtempo electro. Listen on SoundCloud and download his new album on Pretty Lights Music for free:

DJ EROK & Andy Ward - Live at Kulturez Store 4.1.12 - Mix & Pics, Downtempo/TripHop/HipHop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of DJing at Kulturez - my friend's apparel & skate shop in Cambridge, MA. It was a chill Sunday afternoon and my Boston DJ partner Andy Ward joined me to play some tunes. Always great to partner w/ the Kulturez crew - they have incredibly positive energy and style.

Big thanks to the Kulturez crew - Mayan, Jay, Andre - for hosting us, and to all my friends and supporters who came out for the session and Buy One, Get One sale! Check out the mix and pics below, and visit Kulturez.com for some t-shirts, kicks, art, culture and more. Especially check out two of my favorite t-shirt brands - Mayan Tamang and AllThingsRPossible.

I DJ for the first hour, Andy jumps on for the second hour, he and I alternate until the end. Enjoy!

DJ Shadow show review - 3.30.12 - House of Blues in Boston - the SHADOWSPHERE

Legendary producer DJ Shadow performed at House of Blues in Boston last night. His performance was nothing I've ever seen before - he climbed into a giant ball "Shadowsphere" which was placed in front of a giant projection screen. He performed in the sphere all night. The ball acted as a 3D screen that interacted with the projection on the background.

It was an elaborate, but simple and entrancing performance. DJ Shadow has been performing the "Shadowsphere" for nearly 2 years now, but it was new to me and I recommend it to anyone. He performed for 2+ hours and his attention to the crowd was great. He is a true performer.

DJ Shadow performed various tracks - classics like "Building Steam on a Grain of Salt" "Six Days" and "High Noon," along with music from his latest album The Less You Know the Better. DJ Shadow has been outspoken about the art of DJing being a performance, and he lived up to that message. He remixed on the fly, used an array of turntablism, synth and midi effects, live drumming and masterful mixing to refresh his tracks for a live audience. He performed various styles that he's experimented with through the years, ranging from trip hop, drum & bass, dubstep (new stuff), and pure hip hop.

Here's a few pics from the night, plus DJ Shadow videos and tracks to check out - and visit his site for his newest album, many more pics and other media:

Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show - 3.30.12 - Stream & Download, expert trip-hop mixing & sampling by Coldcut, Yppah, DJ Food

Ninja Tune founders Coldcut and guests always produce incredible mixes for the Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show. This month's is an amazing mix of contemporary and classic UK trip-hop tracks. The sampling and mixing is immaculate - no easy feat. Big props to downtempo veterans Coldcut and their guests this month Yppah and DJ Food. For those of you who aren't as familiar with Ninja Tune: Ninja Tune is a legendary music label that features downtempo and trip-hop artists, DJs and producers from around the world that are personal favorites of mine, including Amon Tobin, Bonobo, Coldcut, Kid Koala, Mr. Scruff, Yppah, DJ Food, DJ Vadim, and many more. This is one label I always recommend following.

Here's the full mix, to stream and download for free via Soundcloud, and the full track list at the Solid Steel website: