Metal Lungies

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Another quotable from Premo’s press run.

You can write the illest rhymes in the world, but can you deliver it right? It’s like, we all know how to put our dick in the hole, but can you tear it up?

–DJ Premier

Same horn sample DJ Premier used on Blaq Poet’s “Don’t Give A Fuccc,” but it goes in a totally different direction. Premo flipped it mad militant while Statik Selektah skews it nostalgic for an appropriate backdrop to AZ’s street knowledge. Off Doe or Die: 15th Anniversary Edition, out November 23. Also peep the iTunes bonus track for Statik and Termanology’s 1982 album featuring Freddie Gibbs.

I saw Mr. Selektah during CMJ and as always, he told me about half a dozen albums he’s working on. I’m still waiting for his album with Bahamadia.

Download: AZ – The Calm (produced by Statik Selektah)

Download: 1982 – Fallin (ft. Freddie Gibbs)

via Dirty Glove Bastard

Today marks the kickoff of the Voodoo Experience in the heart of New Orleans. ML is taking this year off, but we have had documented an amazing time in years past.  Even though we aren’t going it doesn’t mean we can’t recommend some acts, amiright?! Ticket’s are still available, trust me this will be wayyy better than Halloween house party.

Here are some picks from ML (but don’t forget that discovering new artists is a clutch aspect of any music festival):

Muse; Ozzy Osbourne (that guy from MTV!!); MGMT (be sure to see mostly KIDS, if they do it lawls); Drake (Please report on his knee.);Metric; Hot Chip (sleeper pick of the festival!); Deadmau5 (biggest buzz on the festival scene this year?; Street Sweeper Social Club (Tom Morello+Boots Riley from The Coup=Win.); Paul Oakenfold; Florence and the Machine; Raphael Saadiq; Janelle Monae (one the best live acts of the year); Afrojack;  Kelis; the Crystal Method; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue; Crookers; Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Boys Noize.

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…a guy committed suicide on the train that we were riding. We saw him when he was dead, right in front of us. When you’re in fifth grade, that’s the story to tell your friends: “Yo, man, we saw somebody kill themselves on our train, and his arm was cut off and it was still moving.” I was like, “I’m coming back here. This is where I wanna live. This is exciting. I wanna see all the crazy action.”

–DJ Premier

Last seen on Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress,” Bink! ventures West on this track from Cypress Hill’s SmokeOut compilation. So dope.

Download: Bink! – Smoke Sumthin (ft. Ras Kass, Kurupt, Young De)

via HRSMN

Last night I had an ‘oh shit’ moment similar to the first time I heard Yelawolf. Milwaukee rapper/producer Juiceboxxx sounds like the rebellious offspring of a Beastie Boy. As far as I can tell, he communicates exclusively in all caps. His new tape Journeyman from the Heartland is, in his words, “10 TRACKS OF EXTREME RAGING AND REAL LIFE SITUATIONS BUT DON’T WORRY IT IS ALSO A LOT OF MOTHERFUCKING FUN.” The beats are all over the place, but it’s all dope. There’s an amazing Block Beattaz track, some rock stuff, some electronic, and a track with a TLC sample that shouldn’t work, but does. Right now he’s touring Japan. As soon as he gets back, I’m going to ask to be his roadie.

I fucking love this guy.

Download: Juiceboxxx – Journeyman from the Heartland

via Juiceboxxx

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Los Angeles electronic producer Daedelus once went on tour with Madvillain and J Dilla. His idea of a guilty pleasure is music from the 1930s. Every other picture of him shows him hunched over a monome (look it up). He’ll go on a tangent about Persian wedding bands or the Beijing opera. Yeah, Daedelus is one of those producers. The kind of guy whose knowledge of music belongs on a hard drive under lock and key at the Smithsonian. His last album was an EP with his wife Laura Darling based on a 19th century passage in Chinese history. And what’s an underground bohemian beat-head without his quirks? Mutton chops worthy of a Civil War general and a propensity for Victorian fashion and give the experimental musician a suitably odd appearance. Yeah, Daedelus is definitely one of those producers.

Daedelus recently called us from his Los Angeles home to talk about getting sampled by Madlib, the LA beat scene, and articulating his ever-twisting discography. Dates for the Magical Properties Tour below.

ML: You have a pretty daunting discography. For someone who’s unfamiliar with your music, what would be a good starting point?

Daedelus: I always hope that people have an in, some kind of gateway drug into my music. Be it somebody telling them personally what their favorite is and then being walked into things, because to my detriment, I haven’t stayed very solid release to release. It kind of flirts around different styles and ideas. Usually, if I have even the possibility of talking with somebody about what they like, I like to kind of like, ‘Oh, maybe you come from a hip-hop background. You’ll like this record called Exquisite Corpse that features people like MF Doom.’ Maybe that’s an in. If people are coming from more of an instrumental electronic place, I usually recommend Denies The Day’s Demise. Or if they’re more dance-y, I have this record Love To Make Music To which is a little more on the dance tip. There’s no easy answer, sadly. I find it amazing and wonderful that anybody is even willing to listen record to record. I find it incredible that fans are willing to make these jumps. I’m very grateful for that.

ML: Considering how many styles you jump into, maybe you should’ve adopted twenty different monikers like Madlib.

Daedelus: It’s true. My history with this kind of music is looking to these people like Madlib, but also people like Aphex Twin and electronic and hip-hop producers who tend to flirt around with different identities. At the time, I know a lot of these rappers and these people assumed different identities just to get out of contracts and whatnot, but I also think it’s belittling the audience to a degree. Because, it’s telling them that there’s this obscurity you’re not supposed to know about. That you’re assuming that people aren’t going to be into something, maybe. To a small degree. I know a lot of people don’t intend it this way, but it comes across that way to a degree. It comes across as being ego and that’s one thing I try to rally against as much as possible. I think listeners should be respected. Half the people in these audiences are other beatmakers and I was that person six years ago. I was just some kid in the audience with a demo in my pocket. I definitely still feel that to a huge degree. I still am that, it doesn’t change. I’m just trying really hard and I have a few records under my belt. We’re all in the same game. I think assuming that listeners need to be marginalized or segmented — maybe five, ten years ago it was more the case, but nowadays, most of the hip-hop kids I meet that maybe know me through Madvillain or something, they’re listening to dance music, they’re listening to electronic music. It’s all crossed over now. There’s no separation.

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This whole weekend I have been laid up sick (my cold is perfectly coinciding with next level/amazing weather occurring right out side of my sunroom). There was one good thing about this however; I was able to work my fingers into tip-top shape with the TV remote buttons and clicking of the computer mouse. Now when I wasn’t watching some hockey or playoff beisbol, Kanye West seemed to have my attention on either the TV or the computer screen. First, Kanye West premiered his artsy film, Runaway (pure coincidence the single shares the same title!), set to the score of his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I took the movie as a canvas to show off the new(ish) music, and for that purpose the  beautifully shot visuals worked. What I enjoyed more was the post-movie interview he did with Sway of MTV. The interview was unedited/live which showed off Ye’s train of thought and his passion for his work. When the interview was ending, Sway blew up the spot, by mentioning his surprise appearance he was going to do later in Brooklyn. Covering his face when he heard Sway spoil the surprise, Kanye’s reaction made the whole interview worth watching.

Check the movie & the interview that follows at the top.

Judging by the youtoobs and tweets, the aforementioned surprise show at the Brooklyn Bowl went off like a bomb blast, Rap Radar has footage of Kanye jacking the stage from CyHi Da Prynce for ‘So Appalled‘. Be sure to note how Kanye has the stage cleared of all Weed Carriers/Photogs/Etc.  Fools Gold DJ Sammy Bananas shot this footage of ‘Monster‘ which seems to translate very energetically in it’s live form.

Finally a song from Co$$’ new project I can get behind. Co$$ and Freddie Gibbs looks like an odd pairing but it makes sense considering they both have a sense of urgency in their flows. The dramatic soul sample seals it. Revelations drops tomorrow.

Download: Co$$ – Gone (ft. Freddie Gibbs) (produced by Numonics)

Here’s one more track off 1982 which drops October 26. Term raps about the nightmares of the hood, savoring every graphic detail. It’s hard to believe this comes from the same album as “You Should Go Home.” By themselves, both songs work, but this kind of incongruity is usually reserved for artists with major labels breathing down their necks.

Download: 1982 – People Are Running