whosaidjazz

Moved to Wordpress

2010-03-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

There were just some features that I got on with better over at Wordpress so all of these posts and all future blogging will be done over there and you can go there via this link.

Fat Lace Radio/Podcast/Ramblings

2010-03-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

The boys over at Fat Lace Magazine have started recording a semi-regular show that is available from their Soundcloud page or their own very fine blog. Check the first two shows below, stream or download.

Fat Lace Show 001 by Fat Lace Magazine

Fat Lace Show 002 by Fat Lace Magazine

Wax On, Wax Off - Saturdays at James St Tavern

2010-03-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is a relatively new night that will be happening every Saturday at the James St Tavern just off Cowley Rd. If you head down there you will have your aural needs taken care of by one or more of the residents who will be playing in rotation. One of them is me, but don't let that put you off! There will also be musical treats served up by Random Hero, Cynan and Angie.

I've known Mr Random Hero for a while and always been a fan of his work but the others are relatively new (and very welcome) aquaintances of mine. Come down and let us entertain you!

Turns out some people read this stuff

2010-03-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to mention that the man like Kid Fury made this post on Venom Fire because of me mentioning Lady Chann. Not only that but Hip Hop Chronicle also kindly gave the credit for the DJ MK Beatnuts mix I upped the other day.

If you do read this I'd encourage you to drop a little comment, and if you do post stuff elsewhere then drop me a line and let me know. I'd probably be doing this anyway but it's nice to know there are a few people out there.

On another note I'm thinking about making the switch to Wordpress very soon because I feel like there are features I would prefer to use over there. I'll make sure to link from here to the new place if it does happen.

Fashawn - The Antidote

2010-03-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Now I'm so late on this it's almost silly. This is a free mix for download from the man who put out one of my favourite albums of last year. Fashawn put this out before his debut album "Boy Meets World" and I clearly just missed it at the time.

Check it here, and then go and buy the album. Seriously, you need it in your life. While you're at it go and check his site for additional material and hit him up on Twitter as well.

DJ J-Live - First Things First Vol. 1

2010-03-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

DJ J-Live hits us once again with this mix of great first songs from great albums. This is free to download for a limited time from here, and apparently he's preparing to drop Vol. 2 on is very soon.

You can also have a listen to it all by clicking on the player below.

<a href="http://j-live.bandcamp.com/album/dj-j-live-first-things-first-vol-1">01 Intro Freestyle _ J-Live by J-Live</a>

Lady Chann - Dun Dem Season Vol. 1

2010-03-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

If you were paying attention you would have seen Lady Chann on the Ladies Night on Westwood vid I posted a while ago. Everything I hear from her is more and more impressive, and now you've got a chance to have her next mixtape just fall into your lap.

Check her Myspace for a link, and all you have to do is sign up to the mailing list. Then on April 5th you'll be sent a link to the new mixtape, shit doesn't get easier than that people.

DJ MK - 100% Pure Nuts

2010-03-07T08:36:00.001-08:00

If I have to explain who the Beatnuts are then you clearly don't like hip hop that much, and in a similar way you should be well up on who DJ MK is. This is a Beatnuts mix that MK put together for a HHC cover CD from years ago, and it is still the best thing they ever gave away.

Check it right HERE.

MK is more of Twitter man these days so you can hit him up here to tell him how this mix changed your life.

Chilly Gonzalez - Pianist Envy

2010-02-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

At the moment I'm really enjoying this but I'm not sure if it'll get annoying after a while. Either way you might as well check it out because it's free of course. Chilly Gonzalez has put together a mix of mostly commercial bangers and tinkled his ivories all over the top of it all. Since I wrote the first sentence I'm actually warming to it quite a lot, so check it out right HERE. A Clipse verse will do wonders for someone sitting on the fence.

Konny Kon - It's Winter Time, Tie Your Tims Up

2010-02-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of mixes done by Konny Kon of Broke'N'English with a specific time of year and feeling in mind. In his own words:

Its the wintertime,tie up your tims,put your champion hoody and starter hat on,zip up, put this in your walkman, turn it to 11 and stand outside some shops like your invincible..either that or just listen to my mix in your nice warm house,tracks from-the u.n,pete rock,sadat x,mobb deep,12 jewelz,biggie,wu tang,p brothers,onyx,scaramanga,jay z,black moon,smif n wessun,odb,bravehearts,capone n noreaga,imam thug,m.o.p,redman,prodigy and more.

He put them both up on the Broke'N'English blog which is right here. It's well worth checking for mixes like this, old tracks and general niceness from the Manc lads.

Here are the mixes in Soundcloud player form, and just click on the relevant part to download.

KONNY KON-ITS THE WINTER TIME,TIE UP YOUR TIMS by konnykon

ITS THE WINTER TIME,TIE UP YOURS TIMS PT2 by konny-kon

Jay Electronica in Oxford

2010-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

This has got to be the biggest hip hop event that's happened in recent times. The boys from Wordplay have sorted this out, and it took me by surprise at first. They have booked Jay Electronica at the O2 Academy in Oxford.

The big tune that has taken the net/world by storm was Exhibit C of course, and if you look into my previous posts it's there somewhere. The Facebook page for the Oxford event is here amd you can buy tickets by hitting this link. I'll see you down the front.

To prepare you for the gig I thought I'd stick up this mix that entirely consists of Jay Elec material, it's worth checking believe me. You can stream or download it by clicking HERE. I can't take credit for it but I'm not sure who put it together originally.

I'm glad to say that one of the support acts is Chima Anya of local crew GTA. He's promoting his album which is due out this year, he's a nice guy, a fully qualified doctor and thankfully in this context, an ill MC.

Here's something that will give you an idea of what he's about.

DJ Cable Guest Mix for Mista Jam/1Xtra

2010-02-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

I've been downloading free mixes from DJ Cable for sometime now, and now it seems he's getting a bit of recognition on a wider scale. He put together this guest mix for Mista Jam on 1Xtra.

You can download it HERE, and have a look below for the tracklist.

01. Interview/Intro...
02. DJ Zinc - 138 Trek (Bingo) *
03. TC - Where's My Money? (Caspa Remix - Cable Re-edit) (White)
04. DJ Cable Vs. Tempa T & Rusko Mr. Muscle's Hype (White)
05. Caspa - My Pet Monster (Dub Police)
06. Joker & Ginz - Purple City (Kapsize)
07.Three 6 Mafia - Stay Fly (Acapella) (Sony BMG)
08. Grand Puba - Get It (12th Planet Remix) (SCION US)
09. Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (Joker Remix) (Wichita)
10. Caspa - Marmite (Cable VIP Re-edit) (White)
11. Redlight - Be With You (Lobster Boy)
12. Silencer - Dirtbag (Silencer)
13. Ludacris - How Low (Can You Go) (Def Jam)
14. Gucci Mane - Wasted (Warner Bros.)
15. Lil Wayne - Go DJ (Instrumental) (Cash Money Records) *
16. DJ Baddmixx - Go DJ (Juke Traxx Online)
17. Deep Blue - The Helicopter Tune (Moving Shadow)
18. Yung Joc - It's Going Down (Acapella) (Bad Boy Entertainment)
19. Foreign Beggars - Contact (Noisia Remix) (Dented)
20. Xample & Jakes - No Respect (RAM) *
21. Total Science - Nosher (Marky & S.P.Y. Remix) (CIA)
22. Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Acapella) (Def Jam)
23. Tinie Tempah - Pass Out (Parlophone)

Where's My Monkey - DJ Parker

2010-02-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Now I know I'm incredibly late on this (as I imagine I will be with a lot stuff I post) but I had to stick this one up for you. DJ Parker played around a bit with the dubstep anthem of a similar name, and it just so happens that DJ Sampology decided to create some visuals to go with it.

You can go and check the Sampology Youtube channel here, and download the track from here.

Some videos of artists featured below...

2010-02-16T14:48:00.001-08:00

This started with me finding a few new videos of artists that I've previously featured on this blog and before I knew it I had quite a list. They're all worth checking so have a little look at these.

Skuff of Delegates of Culture puts his own spin on a Gil Scott-Heron classic.

Inja of the same crew spitting over dubstep.

A couple of videos for tracks from the recent LP "Jimmy the Lock" by Nocando.

Nocando feat. Busdriver - Two Track Mind from Fresh Coast on Vimeo.

Dumbfoundead with a concept track off his recent LP "Fun with Dumb".

Mysdiggi going in over 64 bars.

Fucking tune! Cappo and the P Brothers repping Heavy Bronx.

Intuition - Girls Like Me

2010-02-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Intuition is part of the same wider crew as Nocando and Dumbfoundead who I have talked about before. He has just dropped "Girls Like Me" which is a high quality example of the resurgence of LA underground hip hop that has been happening in recent years.

You can sample the goodness by clicking on the player below. If you like what you hear you can get a download from Bandcamp, iTunes or eMusic. I highly recommend it, you know you want to.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://intuition.bandcamp.com/album/girls-like-me"&amp;amp;gt;Say Hello To Goodbye by Intuition&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Ska Cubano in Oxford

2010-02-10T16:33:00.001-08:00

Those lovable rogues from Skylarkin Soundsystem are once again bringing Ska Cubano to Oxford for your delectation and entertainment. All of the details can be found here, you can go and buy some tickets all of your very own right here, and below you can have a listen to get an idea of the kind of thing you might hear if you do.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://skacubano.bandcamp.com/album/ay-caramba"&amp;amp;gt;Soy Campesino (I'm A Country Man) by Ska Cubano&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

If you like what you hear you can go here and purchase a download in the format of your choosing. If you're after a "real" CD probably best to look elsewhere because they seem to ship from the US if you order from Bandcamp.

Brooklyn Dust (Beasties mix) - Jimbo Jones

2010-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

OK, hopefully some of you people (who am I kidding? Nobody reads this shite, holla at me or comment if you're a real person!) remember my post about the crazy Marvin Gaye mix by the man like Jimbo Jones. The good news is that he's been putting in work again and this time has crafted a masterpiece entirely out of Beasties material.

You can go and check it over at his blog here to get full tracklisting etc, or alternatively this is the direct download link.

Below you can find some examples of his own blends that he has put together to feature on the mix.

Cappo - Psychological Warfare

2010-01-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

Cappo (seen above with Styly Cee and Disorda of Suspect Packages) is a lyrical monster from Notts. To be honest it's not often I use a phrase like that because it's so often applied incorrectly, but in this case I think it's true.

I originally saw him live for the first time when he came down to Oxford with the P Brothers to play at Hiphopalypse as it was then. There are after party stories but I won't reveal them here (and to be fair there always was!).

I came across this track and can't find any info on it but it appears to be a brand new track from the Grand Imperial Capps. I hope it means there's more on the way but we'll have to wait and see I guess.

<a href="http://cappo.bandcamp.com/track/psychological-warfare">Psychological Warfare by Cappo</a>

Dumbfoundead - Jam Session 2.0

2010-01-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

Just had to post this with Dumbfoundead and plenty of others (info in the Youtube link), just watch it.

*edit - this has now been broadcast (at least in part) on CNN which you can check HERE*

The Psychonauts Essential Mix

2010-01-27T15:42:00.001-08:00

Not the greatest picture but the best one I could find! This is the Essential Mix by The Psychonauts (of Mo Wax) originally broadcast in 1996. I remember recording this onto tape and only catching about an hour. Even so it really opened me up to new genres and I loved it.

Download it HERE.

Bobby Corridor Hip Hop Mix

2010-01-26T12:49:00.001-08:00

Not much info on this but it's a killer tracklisting. Go here to find the mix including a link to a free download, and see below for the tracklisting:

The Prophet L-Cee- Ace of S.P.A.D.E
MC Tee & Lord Tasheen- Talkin’ Loud
Hot Day Dante- Hot Day Is Burnin’
Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew- Keep Risin’ To The Top
Seeborn & Puma- They Call Me Puma
Latee- This Cut’s Got Flavor
Just Ice- Freedom Of Speech
Freddie B & The Mighty Mic Masters- Coolin’ On The Ave
The Rangers- I’m Hot
Boogie Boys- KMD Step Off
MC Sugar Ray & Stranger D- Knock ‘Em Out Sugar Ray
Kid Flash- Ain’t Nothin’ But A Party
King Dee & The Bishop- What’s Your Opinion?
Deuces Wild- Five Times The Rhymer
TDS Mob- Dope For The Folks
Stezo- To The Max (Remaxed)
Big Daddy Kane- Ain’t No Half Steppin’
Massive Attack- Any Love (Remix)
The Fed- Freestyle
Sindecut- Sindecut’s Kickin’ Yeah
The Scam- Scamgroove
Too Kool Posse- Give ‘Em A Sample
Kings Of Swing- Nod Your Head To This (Audio Two Remix)
Extra Curricular- Go With The Flow
B Boys- 2,3 Break
Twista- No Peace Sign (Kutmaster Kurt Remix)
MC Mello- Wize
Freestyle Fellowship- Hot Potato
Jungle Brothers- Good Ole Hype Shit
Ultramagnetic MCs- Feelin’ It
MC Lyte- Start It Up Y’all
Blvd Mosse- Move To Somethin’ Funky
Lakim Shabazz- Hands Of Fate
MC Player- Rhyming Rampage
Father MC & The 1st Fleet Crew- Father MC Going Ill
A.O.K- Shack It Up
Divine Styler- Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’
E & J- Lyrically Insane
Rhamel- Power
24-7 Posse- We Ain’t Playing
Tuff Crew- She Rides The Pony (Remix)
Unique- Axe Maniac

The Skuff And Inja Show

2010-01-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

If you're a fan of hip hop from the UK you have probably heard of Skuff and Inja, two of the members of Cambridge based crew Delegates of Culture. What you might not realise is that they've just released an album that I reckon will be up there with my favourites of the year.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://inja.bandcamp.com/album/the-skuff-and-inja-show"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Kick Start by INJA&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

You can check out exactly what I mean by clicking on the play button just above these very words. Assuming you like what you hear (and I'm willing to bet you will) you can purchase a CD or download from Suspect Packages, or go to THIS page to download it directly for the price of your choice (there is a minimum, these boys know how cheap people are given the chance!).

On a related note you can also go HERE to stream the crew album from last year, and for a few more of your finest pounds sterling you can download that to keep forever and ever as well. Go for it, you know you want to.

eLZhi - The Leftovers Unmixed Tape

2010-01-20T15:54:00.001-08:00

eLZhi should need no introduction, from his participation in some classic Slum Village albums through to his collaborations with more recent stars of the Detroit scene like Guilty Simpson and Black Milk.

The Leftovers UnMixedtape is exactly what it sounds like: A compilation of one of the game's most talented Emcee's unreleased and featured works. Whether it's a promo joint from a few months back (eLZhi and Black Milk - Deep), a feature from another artist's project (Danny Brown - Contra feat. eLZhi), or just a rare gem from years past (eLZhi and DJ Dez - Living), these Leftovers would have passed for a fresh cooked meal if you didn't know better. It's raw, uncut, unmastered, fresh from the studio and ready for your ears. No DJs, just eLZhi and his comrades, your speakers and you. Without the Leftovers UnMixedtape, most of these songs would never have seen the light of day, so consider this a gift, and come get your grub on!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://elzhi.com/album/the-leftovers-unmixedtape"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Great (Prod. Oh No) by eLZhi&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

You can stream the whole thing right here (just click next to scroll though the tracks) or you can go to this page to get the option of downloading the whole thing in the format of your choice for free.

Tom Caruana Presents Wu Tang Vs The Beatles

2010-01-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

These "theme" projects can vary wildly from pretty shoddy to working well, and I'm pleased to be able to say that this one is definitely near the top end of that scale. Put together by Tom Caruana who runs his own label/site Tea Sea Records, anyone who has more than a passing interest in the UK scene will have heard one or more of the heavy beats he puts out.

Check the label site to preview some of the other product coming/already out, and check the link below to stream this project or download in a variety of formats.

HERE

DJ Dylemma & DJ Sav One - Coming up in '09

2010-01-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

As soon as I post one mix showcasing the best of '09 hip hop another one comes along, proving that there is still plenty of quality material out there. There is some common ground in terms of artists featured but J-Live definitely ventured into the mainstream while these guys keep it underground.

DJ Sav One and DJ Dylemma put this together, and it seems fairly representative of the other subject matter over at The Underground Come-Up which has plenty of other stuff worth checking out.

See below for an idea of the sort of artists featured here, and download the mix HERE to hear just how healthy the underground scene still is.

DJ J-Live - Do The Knowledge Vol. 1 (The Late Pass)

2010-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's easy to forget that the multi talented J-Live is a skilled DJ as well as rapping and producing on all of his own releases. The picture above is actually from The Source when he was identified in the famous Unsigned Hype column as one to watch way back in 1995.

He has put together a mix of recent hip hop to show all the naysayers that there is quality material coming out on a regular basis. In his own words:

Basically, I got tired of hearing a lot of people say stuff like, "there's nothing new out" or "hip hop is wack now". Upon hearing this I usually run down a list of names of new artists and even old artists with new albums and ask if they've heard of'em. Nope! These people have no idea. There's a lot of good new hip hop. You just have to do the knowledge and keep your ears open. These are some of my favorites from 2009 alone. Enjoy!

I agree with his sentiments absolutely and often have similar conversations with people, the main difference is he actually did something about it! The mix can be downloaded from the link below in the format of your choosing, and I highly recommend doing so as soon as possible so that you too can "do the knowledge".

DOWNLOAD HERE

Tracklist:

J-Live ~ DTK Intro 01:39
Jay Electronica ~ Exhibit A (Transformations) 02:28
Skyzoo ~ Return Of The Real 02:05
Royce da 5’9” f / Bun B & Joel Ortiz ~ Hood Love 03:14
Wale ~ Mama Told Me 01:35
Marco Polo & Torae ~ Word Play 02:24
Senor Kaos ~ Automatic Classic Remix 02:30
Mos Def ~ Priority 01:13
Mr Lif & Bahamadia ~ Breathe 02:58
OC & AG ~ Give It Back 03:05
Nipsey Hussle f/ Snoop Dogg ~ The Life 02:14
Edo. G & Masta Ace f/ Pos ~ Good Music 02:52
DJ Spinna f/ Fresh Daily, P.Casso & Homeboy Sandman ~ Get On Down 04:09
Tanya Morgan f/ Blu ~ Morgan Blu 02:40
Zion I f/ Brother Ali ~ Caged Bird Pt. 1 02:03
Jay Are ~ The Lee Morgan Story 02:03
Chali 2na f/ Elzhi of Slum Village ~ When Will I See You Again 02:46
Jay Z f/ Luke Steele ~ What We Talkin’ About 02:31
Raekwon F/ Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna ~ 10 Bricks 02:52
Daimond District ~ I Mean Business 02:45
Tiye Phoenix ~ Stop Right There 02:17
Method Man & Redman f/ Ready Roc & Streetlife ~ How Bout Dat 03:37
Living Proofe ~ Rise 02:25
J. Cole ~ Lights Please 02:23
KRS-One & Buckshot f/ Talib Kweli ~ Oh Really 02:38
Busta Rhymes f/ Jamie Foxx, Mary J Blige, John Legend & Common ~ Decision 06:19

Some classic posse cuts

2010-01-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

This list isn't supposed to be exhaustive, but here are some of my favourite posse cuts of all time. Probably stretched the definition slightly but it's my list so I'll do what I want.

Wax on Traffic Jam

2010-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

I almost didn't put this up because it feels so old but then maybe you guys don't all spend your time searching Youtube for vids of men rapping in cars.

You can find more info (and further videos etc) on Wax on his website HERE or his Myspace HERE, and buy some music either HERE or HERE.

I was going to leave you to find this most recent video for yourselves but what can I say, I know you need help so here you go.

Camp Lo - Luchini

2010-01-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

This is so good I don't need an extra reason to put it up, just enjoy.

Ladies night on Westwood

2010-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Bit of an old video but I had to put it up after being reminded of it. Lady Chann and Nolay kill it for me but most of it's worth checking. I believe the phrase is "BARS bruv!".

South Rakkas Crew - free album for download!

2010-01-06T14:59:00.001-08:00

South Rakkas Crew are a couple of danehall/electro producers from Florida. They recently remixed a whole Tricky album to great effect, and right now they are giving away their latest offering for free on Mad Decent.

The actual page in question is HERE so go along, follow the instructions and you'll end up with a nice set of 320k mp3s.

The crew are also on Facebook HERE, Twitter HERE, and you can buy music and merchandise from HERE.

Shouts to Loudat for the info as well.

Nocando - free track

2010-01-06T14:42:00.001-08:00

Nocando came up through Project Blowed and is a member of a crew called Customer Service. A respected battle/freestyle rapper as well as a solo artist in his own right. His next solo project will be entitled "Jimmy the Lock" and will be released on Alpha Pup Records on January 26th (digitally) and a few weeks later (physical format).

He's leaked a track from the project for free as a little taster and I like it so check it out by right click/saving right HERE.

Mystro on Kiss (MK & Shortee Blitz)

2010-01-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Don't want to go too extra spam-like on the Mystro content but here are a couple of vids I missed just before Christmas. While I'm here I should mention DJGoneTV on Youtube, check it and subscribe for all sorts of UK music updates etc.

Mystro with the '09 Rap Up

2009-12-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

*Updated post with the new vid from "Wasteman Productions", you know they'll be big in 2010*

Taking a little page out of Skillz' book Mysdiggi (w)raps up the year with a more of a UK slant to the content. Check it people, and listen to the man and stop saying "par". Please.

Scorz on 1Xtra

2009-12-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

He's back people!

Associated Minds Xmas mixtape

2009-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Next up is a little christmas treat from the boys at Associated Minds. Mixed by DJ Jaffa it features Ralph Ripshit, Ruffstylz, Beatbox Fozzy, Willo Wispa, Mudmowth, Metabeats, P.L.O., Dubbledge and Elucid.

Download it HERE people!

Stuff you think I'll like?

2009-12-14T17:08:00.001-08:00

If anyone has something for me to review, a mix to promote, a video you think is interesting or whatever you want then you can always reach me on whosaidjazz@gmail.com. I can't promise to love everything but I do promise to be fair.

Mystro presents... The F.D.T. EP

2009-12-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last week the mighty Mysdiggi hit me up with a copy of his new EP to review. The first thing this made me do was to pull out a load of tunes to throw them on the decks and have a little reminisce. As you can see from the stash I unearthed (above) his back catalogue includes some great tunes. Having checked his Myspace earlier I was almost on for the full discography but I left out the albums and CDs.

I was also reminded of the time that we were preparing for one of our annual boat parties we used to put on and Gabs mentioned that Blufoot might be coming down to party. When he turned up he had Mys with him which was all a bit random. There are some very short video clips of some cyphers from that party but I don't think anyone involved would be too keen on them being made public! Nobody disgraced themselves but let's just say the emphasis was on the party more than the rhymes. I have got a clip of Ineff dissing the instrumental I put on for him (RA's The Lesson for the record) which still makes me laugh to this day.

So the EP, I have to say I like it a lot. I'm not going to reproduce the press release but I have to say it is very well written (unsurprisingly because it was Ryan Proctor who was responsible for it).

In general the beats still have that bounce that a lot of Mystro records seem to swing to, but a lot of the lyrics are a bit more serious than party tip. "The Truth" kicks things off and is driven by an insistent piano line. The first skit made me laugh out loud in the fruit n veg section of Co-op which was slightly embarassing but I suppose is a pretty good endorsement!

This rolls into "Banishment" which directly addresses the title of the EP (I think everyone knows the story/rumours by now). "U Live & U Learn" has just been released as a video (below) so you can see that for yourself.

Without boring you at length about each one the later tracks don't drop in quality. I'll let Mystro describe the whole thing in his own words.

This is almost like a destroy and rebuild project. Aside from me saying the things I wanted to say on there, the EP is also about letting people know that UK Hip-Hop definitely isn’t dead. The scene might’ve changed, but there are still people out there making good music

The EP is out now available from iTunes right HERE so go and cop that so Mys can keep providing us with quality music. You can hit him up on Twitter HERE, and you can go check the Natural Born Spittaz blog HERE.

Finally, on the final track "The Urge" he documents just some of the frustrations modern life can throw in our way. The hook chants "I ain't a killer but I do get the urge". He sounds like he means it people, I would take him seriously if I were you.

Scorzayzee - The Starter (free mixtape)

2009-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know I promoted hip hop nights for several years along with some friends under the name of Hiphopalypse and then Blunted. I believe it was the second night we ever did that involved this man grabbing both mics (one wouldn't do apparently) and spat some crazy shit that had people going crazy. He's been away for some time but he's got a new album coming in the new year, and he's provided this free download to keep you going until then.

Scorz' new free mixtape is called "The Starter"and is available from Get Nottz which has also got a whole lot of material from other Notts artists. The individual blog post is here so go and get it now!

Jay Electronica - Exhibit C

2009-12-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

This is old by internet standards even though it only appeared a few weeks ago really. The radio rip of this track as produced by Just Blaze made me take proper notice of JE for the first time, you've got to love the lyrics leading up to that rewind...

100 (More) Producers You Need To Hear Right Now...

2009-12-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

First things first, this list was produced by Dart Adams over at Poisonous Paragraphs. It may get a bit "beat nerd" for some people but stick with it if you like fresh sounding instrumentals.

This is the article I'm talking about, a pretty comprehensive list of people that make noise in an exceptionally good way. I'm planning on working my way through the list to check them out but I can already tell you from experience/current listening habits that there are some amazing producers in that list, particularly Daru, FS Green, Aspect 1, Roddy Rod, Exile, Grooveman Spot and S-Type.

There are plenty of beatmaking talents that aren't on the list, and as soon as I used the phrase "beat nerd" it made me think of Louis Den and all the people involved there. I think they probably deserve a post of their own when I have a bit more time.

Critical Madness - Bringing out the dead

2009-11-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

Critical Madness are a duo originally from Florida, made up of Critical and Madness funnily enough. Their new album "Bringing out the Dead" is out very soon and you can check a sampler of it here. Check it out, and when you love it more than sandwiches then hit them up on Myspace to get your very own copy.

Damu & Buff 1 - When the winter comes

2009-11-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

So the weather is starting to get a bit more chilly and we've finally got the heating on at home. Damu and Buff 1 come with something to warm your cockles which you can find here along with a few other bits and pieces. Enjoy!

<a href="http://damuthefudgemunk.bandcamp.com/track/when-the-winter-comes-2-track-mix-ft-buff1">When The Winter Comes (2 Track Mix) ft. Buff1 by Damu The Fudgemunk</a>

Breakage feat Roots Manuva - Run Em Out

2009-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Out this week I believe, this tune is going to be big.

OCDC - Ralph Ripshit & Stophe

2009-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

A free to download project from Ralph Ripshit and Stophe, the result is OCDC. Some will know Ralph from his own releases (and features) on Associated Minds.

To quote their site:

This is for those who made tapes. This is for those who liked Busta more when he had hair. This is for those who still love Maseo blowing soul through the horn. This is for those who are convinced Dres is the greatest MC ever. This for those who want to swagger with earphones in, clean their sneaks with a spare toothbrush and rock a crisp tee in the summer.

Go here to download the whole thing and make your own mind up.

London Posse - insanely well written feature

2009-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Once again Jimbo Jones comes with the quality, and this time it's a London Posse feature that must have taken some time to put together. Check it here and show Jim some love, it's people like him that help to keep quality music alive.

BET Hip Hop Awards Cyphers

2009-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

*All the embedded vids have been taken off Youtube but you can check them on the BET site here*

The first one features Mos Def, Black Thought and Eminem. I'll be honest, I didn't really know what to expect before I watched these but this vid killed it, Black Thought and Em in particular. Em hasn't been up to his own high standards for a while but this took me by surprise, he might well be back.

There are a couple more below, and to be honest the highlight is Joe Budden which is another sentence I didn't think I'd be typing. Nicki Minaj makes me chuckle though, what is up with her voice? My only other comment is how depressed I was to see someone asking what this beat is on a forum somewhere. Have we got to the point now that "Funky Drummer" isn't known immediately? Don't really know where I'm going with that one but it surprised me.

A Marvin Gaye mixtape...

2009-09-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Now I'll be completely honest, I didn't like the sound of this (before I'd heard it) just because it could have gone so wrong. I mean this is music that you shouldn't mess about with right? Well Jimbo Jones initially thought the same but went for it anyway and I'm glad he did.

It's more "blended" than mixed and it's all done in a very sensitive way, with a lot of style to be perfectly honest. There are some points where rap accapellas have been used (again, I know it sounds worrying) but it all holds together well. Check the vids below for a few samples:

The whole thing is up for download at the link below and if you like it and want to show your appreciation head over to Jimbo Jones' Convenience Store.

DOWNLOAD

A-Trak @ The Do-Over, LA

2009-09-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is shamelessly robbed from DJ Step One's blog so credit to him, it's so good I couldn't resist though. Check the vid of A-Trak really demonstrating how to rock a party properly, and now click below to download the full set he played.

DOWNLOAD

The Rub

2009-09-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to add this to the previous post which was on a top notch mix by some of these guys (go and check it, it's just below this). I actually thought that this deserved a post of it's own. This is all about The Rub, which is a night in Brooklyn run by DJ Ayres, DJ Eleven and Cosmo Baker. They put out consistently amazing mixes as well as DJing all over the place. I've yet to catch them in the flesh because last time some of them were in London I found out the day after they played. I hate it when that happens.

Their site is the best place to go to check what's going on with them, but they are also on Brooklyn Radio where you can download and stream some of their mixes.

Some of my favourite mixes they've done are part of their "History of hip hop" series, one mix for each 1979-1999 inclusive. No matter what era you favour you know that there's one of these that you're going to love. I'm a big fan of the '94 mix but '88 is up their as well. All of these mixes (and others) have been archived on Crewcial here so please don't sleep, and make sure you explore the other folders there.

Think the 80s was only cheese?

2009-09-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

You'd be very wrong, and this is the mix to prove it to you. This is also for you if you think DJ Yoda dropped the definitive 80s mix (and while you're at it Google DJ Spinbad). Check here to find the download link, beautifully put together by DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven of The Rub.

Talking heads

2009-08-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice short featuring some of the favourites of the UK scene Scratch Perverts, Foreign Beggars (including Shlomo), Stig and Doc Synners. Enjoy.

Brown Bag Allstars

2009-08-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

I first got wind of BBAS from seeing Soul Khan (also on Twitter at @_soulkhan) battle in Grindtime against some crazy competition (and some not so good but that's not his fault). It seems like they all (mostly) work at Fat Beats NY which is somewhere I always head when I land in NY. This is a video for a remix of a track off their mixtape which is now out of print in terms of physical copies but can be acquired from iTunes. I like it.

My upcoming gigs

2009-08-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

OK, the next few sets I'm playing. The first one is a wedding of two friends so you're not invited to that one unless you're already down! That's the 29th Aug at the reception, messy business.

The next day I'm playing at some point at this free entry all day event at the James St Tavern. There'll be plenty of good music, food from the BBQ and E.N.I.G. for those who know.

On Sept 12th I'm also playing at a night @ The Bully on Cowley Road, in aid of a very good cause for the newly formed night Beat Constructers. All of the acts on the night are extremely talented and some of of my best mates as well, I reckon it'll be a top night. Check the website for details and a couple of mixes by some of the DJs (not me yet, but I'm aiming to record something).

That's all for now, more than enough to be getting on with, don't get greedy now!

"The King Adverse, that is his name"

2009-04-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

We live in an age of disposable music, where every man and his dog is throwing together some pre-beatmatched mp3's and calling it a mix. Just to give you a heads up, these don't even come close to falling into that category. I first ran into Adverse on the Sure Shots message board a long time ago and since then he's put together a couple of mixes that are in regular rotation for me. They consist of a mixture of a few UK gems, some of the best recent hip hop, lots of classic and sought after hip hop from years gone by and a few beats and breaks to bind the whole lot together. As he readily admits he takes his time putting these together and it shows in the quality of the final product.

Here are links for the latest installments so download them, check them out, marvel at their splendour and hit him up on Myspace offering to have his babies. Why not try and identify a full track list? There will be prizes for the first winning entries (NB - these prizes will consist of varying amounts of "e-props" and do not have an equivalent cash value).

*All links reupped on 08/03/10*

Annual Report

Years To Build

Dedparty

Real Progress

Help the police

2009-01-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Just a little NWA tribute...

Best 13 hip hop albums ever

2009-01-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

Going back a good few years I regularly posted on the forum at Sure Shots (which now seems to be entirely populated by spambots) which was originally a hip hop mail order site based in Guernsey. There was a nice little community feel going on and actually met some really sound people through that place.

At one point we went through an elaborate process coordinated by myself and Rare Dave (who is now one of the head honchos over at DWG) to try and establish a list of the best hip hop albums ever. If I remember rightly we were originally going for ten, which became a dozen and we ended up including thirteen to make it a bakers dozen (or Cheryl Baker's dozen and some would have it). It involved an initial nomination period in which anyone could nominate as many albums as they liked, and RD collated these into a master list. Everyone had to then choose their favourite thirteen from the list in order of preference. This info was collected by yours truly and in a very scientific fashion the winning list was created.

Here is the list that we came up with, is there anything you would change? Any that you think missed out? I think everyone would have their one or two they would swap but overall it's pretty comprehensive. Check it:

1. Nas - Illmatic
2. Main Source - Breaking atoms
3. Diamond D - Stunts, blunts and hip hop
4. ATCQ - Low End Theory
5. Wu Tang - Enter the wu tang (36 chambers)
6. Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown
7. Gangstarr - Step in the arena
8. Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride...
9. ATCQ - Midnight Marauders
10. MF Doom - Operation Doomsday
11. Public Enemy - Nation of millions
12. De La Soul - ...is dead
13. Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Funky Technician

I had all the album covers lined up to include but I'm having trouble including images and keeping the layout they way I want it. I'll work it out eventually but in the meantime here's the plain text version for you.

My first post!

2009-01-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

OK, here we go. Normally I'll think very carefully when I'm writing anything but if I want to actually post anything up here I think I'll have to get more used to just typing as it appears in my head. Otherwise I could be here for hours every time I try to post!

The idea behind starting this blog was mainly just to have a place to write shit and post cool links I've found, so to begin with I imagine a lot of the content will be Youtube vids and links to other blogs and stuff. I am involved with Blunted so may well post up reviews I do for that site here as well, depending entirely on when/how much music I get sent to review. Truth is I don't get on well with the software over there so need remedial help doing the simplest thing. Hopefully I can manage over here, it's going alright so far anyway. I think if I get into the habit of writing on here and getting more familiar with it all it might help me actually get some stuff done for them (don't hold me to that if you're reading this Gabs!).

I don't plan to post up downloads to retail versions of full LPs or anything, which probably means a lot of people won't bother checking here! I will post up mixes with the permission of the DJ in question or if they are already available elsewhere on the net, links to artists I like and whatever else happens. We'll see basically, it certainly won't be 100% music related either.

Don't really have a way to end this post so instead here's a bonus vid of Killa Kela and Supernat. Many people will be blown away by the whole "freestyling about items from the crowd" thing. I don't know if it's just because I'm old and cynical or I've seen him do it several times but it doesn't quite get me like that. Correcting himself is sick though, I'll give you that...