At the beginning of the new year, The Cause dropped a dope Teyana Taylor remix; that sparked us getting back in contact, which then turned into Cause asking me to sit down with him for Part 2 of his "Conversations W/ Cause" series, which he kicked off in December of 2018. After chopping it up while driving through his stomping grounds, we sat down to talk about everything—his last project, The Release Party, growing as an artist and a person, working with the legendary DoItAll, and much more. It was dope chopping it up with him and having a real convo about the life of an artist and his varying inspirations in general.
Check the full conversation below, and just in case you haven't checked it out, dive into Cause's Release Party.
Heading out to Bill Nobes’ Dirty Old Robot Studio on a chilly fall evening can be downright scary. While some of the brightest stars in Trenton’s local music scene head down there to contribute to Nobes’ Analog Trenton project, you get the feeling that Nobes wants it that way.
The reason for my trek to this quiet part of Jersey was to see the punk-rock outfit PISSED! record a special version of their song “Hands Up” for Analog Trenton, a project that Nobes describes as “capturing the Trenton music scene in 100% analog.” Without understanding the scope of the project, I recall seeing images of the likes of Molly Rhythm and Black Collar Biz recording at spots like Champs in Trenton (as well as a special recording session during Art All Day 2018 at Trenton Coffee House & Records featuring Skelly, Nikki Nailbomb, Josh Adair, Bern the Bastard, and more) for this compilation, which aims to feature 30+ artists from a number of genres into this compilation that’s being pressed to vinyl (with CD and digital versions also being made available). Additional acts that have recorded for the project include Roebus One, DATA_WOLF, and Wade Wilson, among others.
Analog Trenton’s Indiegogo campaign is set to end on Black Friday (aka November 23, 2018); more than half of the $12,000 needed to complete the project has been raised, but they are still looking for funding. Perks for backers include everything from pre-ordering the vinyl, CD, and digital versions of the compilation to producer credits, chances to attend recording and mixing sessions, and more.
Amidst the theremin and Moog keyboards and tape decks and massive multi-track mixers sitting in the dining room area of Nobes’ home (“a real dorm room feel,” Nobes described), Bill shared the genesis of Analog Trenton. The concept for a compilation of this size started out roughly two years ago, around Thanksgiving while Bill was on his “way to Nikki (Nailbomb)'s birthday party at Abdul's. At that party it was just all musicians just playing to celebrate Nikki's birthday, together. It wasn't about anything other than that. I was like, ‘we should probably record this, this whole thing.’ I think that might be the first night I came up with the idea.”
Like many collaborative projects in the art and music scenes in Trenton, it snowballed from there. Nobes would speak about it to one person, and they’d be interested in the idea. Slowly, it morphed into the series of recording sessions that not only went down at Champs, but Trenton Coffee House & Records as well, that is numbering over 20 acts, and is set to wrap in late December of 2018.
This isn’t a project Bill dived into on his own, though; while it’s his vision, he recruited Nikki and Griff Sullivan to act as co-producers on Analog Trenton. They both are mainstays in the Trenton music scene, and help bringing in talented individuals that truly highlights what Trenton makes. “It's extremely important that we represent as much as we can the city of Trenton and all of its diversity,” Bill explained. “It wasn't just about what we like. It's about a true snapshot of what makes Trenton music right now. We have way more than will fit in a vinyl so what we're gonna do is sit down with the tracks and figure out which ones create that best snapshot.” Don’t fret; while the vinyl release might be limited to 20 or so artists, the CD version will add more acts, while the digital version of the compilation will feature everything recorded.
For music lovers, especially fans of music recorded before the dawn of the digital age’s impact on music, the idea of recording straight to analog might not be foreign. For those who just love a good song, it might be a tad confusing. Seeing Bill—a true renaissance man who’s done everything from directing his own stage plays to managing events in the New York and Hoboken scenes—in his element, guiding PISSED! through their roughly two-hour session, it’s an amazing sight to see. Bill’s doing everything, from troubleshooting instrument levels to picking the exact moment to stop the recording (hopefully those seconds of vocal+resonating cymbal sounds stay in the final version). There’s a sense of performance to his producing, with his ever-present hand signals at the start and end of each recording. Even if he’s just speaking aloud, making sure that all systems are go before pressing record, you get the sense that Bill has a particular way of producing, a true passion for committing the sound of Trenton to analog tape.
Bill’s also learning on the job. He shared his experience recording Jersey hip-hop luminary Roebus One and his unique way of recording vocals. “He did every third verse,” Bill explained, “and then he did two tracks fill in here, fill in here, fill in here. We had five levels of fill in.”
“When [Roebus] writes,” Bill continued, “he overlaps the words. When I was listening to some of his tracks, I was like ‘how are we going to do that in analog?’ We had him doing some crazy stuff for the final fills. At one point I had him stand eight feet away from the mic and yell stuff. Then the next one I put in a ribbon which is very sensitive and have him get right next to it and whisper.”
The spirit of experimentation is alive and well in his studio, although with PISSED!, the session was much more straightforward than you’d imagine for a bunch of Capital City punks. The four-man outfit began the session working out some of the changes in this special version of “Hands Up,” and after two run-throughs of the song in full, they laid down two takes on the song (which questions the issue of police brutality) before doing individual takes of each instrumental and vocals. Bill was always willing to try something new, making sure the musicians felt comfortable with their take before moving to the next step. It was collaborative, and fun; a truly welcoming environment to record in (or just be a fly-on-the-wall of).
In the end, Bill made sure to point out that while this compilation will highlight the sound of Trenton, Analog Trenton’s mission runs deeper than that. “[The] idea started as a snapshot of Trenton music,” Bill shared, “but it's turned into a snapshot of Trenton community.” He recalls one session where the family vibe of the scene was alive, with Nikki and company working on vocals while chilli was being served to those in the session. Anyone who’s worked near the art and music communities in Trenton have had that moment, where the family vibe of the scene makes these events about more than the music. It’s people coming together and building something, or just watching out for their peers. It’s the spirit of Trenton that gets lost in the salacious headlines about the city. It’s what true Trentonians (and those who’ve been adopted into this patchwork community) see, feel, and experience on the regular.
After PISSED! completed their session and took off into the November night, Bill and I parted ways. Stepping into the cool evening air, I felt like I’d truly experienced...something. Going to see music performed live can be a life-altering experience. Dropping by Dirty Old Robot and seeing a piece of Analog Trenton be constructed right before my eyes? It puts a different spin on the concept of live music, and more importantly, what makes up the Trenton music scene. For such a historic town, committing that excellence to analog tape is fitting, and should be a part of every true Trenton music scenseter worth their weight in pork roll.
When I sit back and think about how many artists from the drum & bass scene I've personally seen flourish, it makes me proud. One duo in particular went by the names Hobzee and Zyon Base. For a period from about 2007 to 2011 (give or take a few years), they saw their material end up on imprints like SGN:LTD, Fokuz, L Plates, Samurai Music and Inside Recordings, back when there were a litany of labels to drop tunes on. At some point, they realized that their respective sounds fit together (so much so that they needed a proper name, Silent Dust), and in 2011, they started their own imprint, none60, which not only highlighted their own work as a duo, but has featured gems from the likes of Sinistarr, Dexta, Sina., and many others.
It's been roughly seven years since they dropped their self-titled album, so it only made sense to link up with Andy (Hobzee) and Dan (Zyon Base) about their latest album, Listen to the Night, which features rockthedub alum like Zilla Rocca alongside DRS, Jon1st, SelfSays, and Illingsworth.
One of the biggest changes between when I first discovered these two and their roles as producers and label owners now is the evolution of their sound. Many might chalk that up to the overall collective shifting of definitions of what "genre" truly means, but to Dan, he says that it's more due to "having a label" itself, which he says "really changes the way you approach making music."
"Even subconsciously," Dan continued, "if you are always looking to impress someone else you will move your sound towards the accepted norms or whatever is currently in vogue. It's a lot harder to take risks and have them come off. It's just human nature when you are trying to get exposure for your music that you will create something that sounds marketable. I guess it's the alternative for us now, and that works for me, as I feel I could create tracks that 'work' with little effort these days—and that just doesn't provide much satisfaction. I try and set up situations whereby chance things happen—unexpected things in the studio—and use these to work off. It's generally the accidents or mistakes in tunes that are my favorite parts."
The idea of "happy accidents" in creativity fueling some of our favorite (and most memorable) moments is definitely not new, and has sparked innovations, like how Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally created the "scratch." When it comes to hip-hop, Silent Dust has always made sure that they included emcees in their productions. In my experience, I always figured it would've been harder to get rappers accustomed to their sounds, but Dan explained that these things came together rather easy. "I think the best hip-hop is pretty spontaneous and that's how we've approached these tracks. All the 'hip-hop' tunes on the album were pretty much completed in a couple of hours, and MCs just worked off those initial drafts."
It's also intriguing when you consider that aligning themselves with each artist came from their different dealings in the music scene. Andy says that they got their third track with MC DRS—one of which being a track on DRS' 2015 album Mid Mic Crisis—through the late Marcus Intalex back when their first album was penciled in to be released via Soul:R. Self was an emcee they spotted on a Submorphics track and reached out independently. They credit their longstanding relationship with Philly's Zilla Rocca to Jeff Weiss. "Jeff was a fan of our first album and thought our styles would compliment each other," Andy says, and that turned into the magic they've made over the years, which has since bridged into remixing the likes of Curly Castroand Has-Lo.
They also worked with Detroit's Illingsworth, who dropped his "mostly-instrumental" album, You’re No Fun (with the Denmark Vessey-featured "DnD") on the same day as Listen to the Night.When Ill explains how he ended up on "Beat Fate" from Listen to the Night, it definitely sounds more casual than you might imagine, with SelfSays being the connection. "I think they might have contacted him about us both working on it. I don't remember if they sent a pack of beats or that specific one but, I really enjoyed the one we ended up using for the song. It's a slower beat, which presented the opportunity to potentially write a fast rhyme. It's something that I can do but, it's not my favorite way to rap so, I don't really do it super often."
This seems to be how Silent Dust approach working with emcees; " We didn't really direct them towards subject matter or style," Dan explained. "We wanted their input to stimulate and challenge us, so trying to micro-manage everything works against that idea. There wasn't a conceived concept to the songs on the album really, so the themes evolved pretty organically. The MCs we worked with are really talented guys, and we knew that before sending anything to them, so it's easy to be this relaxed about their input. It was just a pleasure to have them put some words to the music."
So, there you have it. Talented producers picking talented emcees to craft a truly forward-thinking project. It sounds simple, and if you're creative enough, it more than likely is.
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Silent Dust's Listen to the Night is available for streaming and purchase via the none60. You can grab Illingsworth's You're No Funvia Mello Music Group.
2017 was an interesting time for drum & bass. It felt like my passion for the jazzier, breakbeat-infused side of things was reignited. Not only did I spent most of the jamming out to Earl Grey's Headwinds album, but it was also the 20th anniversary of Roni Size / Reprazent's Mercury Prize-winning debut album, New Forms. It was also the year I got introduced to Ornette Hawkins, who has a new EP, The Other Side of What, dropping on AGN7 Audio on Friday, January 19.
One question a number of people had was "um, who the hell is Ornette Hawkins?" They've been around for a bit; a track on a Subtle Audio compilation here, a feature on a Rude Operator single there. This EP would be the real testament to their intricate blending of drum & bass and jazz. Before the holidays, we got a chance to speak with the D.C.-based duo to try and get some answers. Press play on the clips from The Other Side of What and learn something.
For those who are new to Ornette Hawkins, please introduce yourselves to the people.
That's an interesting question. I'm not even sure we know anymore. What we can tell you for certain is that we currently live in DC and are a collective of improvisational musicians trying to bring together the spontaneity of jazz and drum & bass sensibilities.
How do two jazz musicians from the D.C. area get immersed in the drum & bass scene and sound?
Well, drum & bass can be a natural extension of jazz, if you let it. We’ve been following its evolution since the early '90s. When it's done right, it retains the same complexities. It's been done before. We just want to take the fusion a step further.
For me, it’s hard to tell what’s live and what’s synthetic on a track like “Raw Sun.” How does crafting an Ornette Hawkins tune work?
We typically start out by rehearsing an idea with a few musicians until it becomes fleshed out. Then we record the live performances. Once it gets into the machine we take some liberties with the arrangement, though there are those performances that demand we keep them largely intact. Drum & Bass mixing techniques are obviously an important part of the sound, as well.
Most of the sounds you hear are live players, though we like to create moments that remind the listener that it’s much more than just live performance.
Are there any direct inspirations to the Ornette Hawkins sound, both in drum & bass and in general?
If we’re being perfectly honest, psychedelia. We want to push the boundaries of the perception of what is possible. Free flowing streams of consciousness in the studio help us see the music from a different perspective. Not too much, though, or you can’t work a compressor.
Talk to us about your upcoming EP, The Other Side of What. We’d seen your name on a pair of releases over the last few years; how long had you been working on this release?
This is a fairly new collaboration. Our first tune, "Jazz Police," was released relatively quickly on Subtle Audio after we made it. The Other Side of What is a collection of some of the more jazz-forward work we’ve produced since then. We also had the opportunity to collaborate with studio-mates Rude Operator, on a cut off their recent EP on 31 Recordings ("Witchdoctor"). It’s probably been a few years—maybe even a decade—since the first ideas for these tracks were initially conceptualized, but it takes time to bring a project like this to full fruition.
What significance does the title hold to the tracks on the release and/or your aesthetic in general?
“The Other Side of What” references a conversation between Alice and the caterpillar in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice finds herself in a situation where nothing makes sense and it causes her to question her own identity. Part of figuring out what "The Other Side Of What" is is figuring out which side is which. You can only do that through experimentation. That's what we're trying to do.
A track like “Legend” feels like something I’ve wanted to hear all my life. The drums are funky and hectic, with some amazing horn work. Are you guys planning on recreating these tunes in a live setting? Is it hard to do that? I feel like drumming a tune like this live would be a serious workout.
We have a 100% live recording of “Raw Sun” that we’re giving away as part of the release. The drumming is incredibly demanding. You can hear Matt Tebo working in lots of phrases directly from the recording, so it's definitely possible. We like giving our players the freedom to improvise because they are capable of taking whatever material we give them and elevating it. Of course, there's a definite appeal to seeing it live, and we’re working to make that happen. There are certain things that we put in our tunes that are impossible to do live—at least to do them honestly—but what you get in exchange is the intensity that fuels creativity in the live setting.
Who’s idea was it to get so blunted on reality with that Submorphics and T.R.A.C. remix of “Raw Sun”? That feels like the hip-hop that really got me open back in the ‘90s!
Our friends at AGN7 Audio came up with the idea to reach out to Submorphics, who was keen on the idea of a remix. He happened to be with T.R.A.C. and the two of them reinterpreted “Raw Sun” in a way that’s so appropriate for the EP. Golden-era hip-hop is another intersection point between newer, technology-based forms of music and jazz. It fits perfectly with the aesthetic of the EP and also goes well with our favorite hip-hop. They did a brilliant job!
Are there plans for more Ornette Hawkins releases or, dare I say, an album?
We definitely want to keep it open by exploring different sounds and textures. You can hear some of what we’ve been up to on the accompanying mix. We do have some plans in the works for future releases, but you’ll have to wait and see…
What are you two getting into when you aren’t getting super jazzy and technical with the drum & bass?
Everyone in Ornette Hawkins has a number of other musical projects they’re working on. All of us live and breathe music, everything else is just a distraction.
We're a little over a year of Donald Trump being elected to the office of President of the United States of America; even typing that is weird as shit. And because of how weird and horrific and challenging it's been, heads cope in different ways. If you're me, you write your feelings out while downing bottles of brown liquor. If you're someone like Von Pea, you link up with the Washington, D.C.-based production duo known as The Other Guys and craft what became the 10-track album The Fiasco, which is out now (digitally, with vinyl expected to drop in January of 2018).
I told you guys last month that there would be some new beginnings around here, and our brand new podcast/interview series Deep Concentration will be a new chapter for this site and my own journey. Being a lover of podcasts and conversations, my aim for Deep Concentration is to have deeper conversations that will focus on the creatives that I have crossed paths with that either birthed new energy or just excited me as a fan and lover of the visual and performing arts.
For the first episode of Deep Concentration, I had a dope conversation with Trenton's own Will Kasso, who now calls Vermont home. I've been following his work for the longest, and have grown to know him over the last six years. He's one of the beacons of the Trenton graffiti scene, helping put the Trenton scene on the map, and is the founder of the S.A.G.E. Coalition, a community revitalization project that which was a major catalyst for today's arts scene in Trenton.
With his solo exhibition Urban Legend currently up at Artworks Trenton until August 31, I got to talk to him the night before the show's reception. Kasso didn't hold anything back, sitting with me for almost 90 minutes to talk about everything from his history as an artist in Trenton, NJ, the Gandhi Garden and that Mike Brown mural to the rise and fall of the S.A.G.E. Coalition.
I've been a fan of the drum & bass scene for over two decades now, and no matter what new producers come along, I will always have a group of names who's released are "buy on sight" to me. You know, the producers who's tunes you always have to check for, and nine times out of 10 end up loving. Commix has been one of those names, for me, since the early 2000s.
While I don't remember the first tune I'd heard from Commix, I do remember being blown away by the then-Cambridge-based trio's "Satellite Song," as well as cuts like "Together" and "Talk to Frank." Their sound design was second-to-none (IMHO), but it was the energy that resided in their tunes that really captivated me. I was hooked, and not surprised when they became the first group to have an artist album on Goldie's legendary Metalheadz imprint, releasing their impeccable Call to Mind in 2007.
After some changes in both the group's dynamic and the different phases within the dnb scene, Commix is now just one man: George Levings. Since his return in 2016 with two Generation EPs, he's been working on the follow-up to Call to Mind, which is set to drop on Metalheadz as well. Before we get that, Dispatch Recordings snagged three Commix dubs (four if you count the digital-only exclusive "White Trash") for the sixth release in their Dispatch Dubplate series, which is out now.
We got a chance to speak with George about the tunes featured on this release, his thoughts on dubplate culture within the drum & bass scene, as well as how his sound evolved from what people loved in the early 2000s to now. He also gives us some thoughts on the direction he's heading with his next LP. Check out the full interview down below.
With so much going on in the world of drum & bass, it's easy to become enamored with an artist than totally lose track of everything they've done. I feel like that's what's happened with me following DLR, who I originally knew from his work with Octane before going solo in 2013. Their Method In The Madness was seen as one of the top LPs of 2012, but DLR's moved on from strength-to-strength since.
In 2015, he dropped Seeing Sounds via the always forward-thinking Dispatch Recordings imprint. There's something about the way Ant TC1 and the crew approach the genre, and DLR exemplifies their ethos in quality controlled, forward-thinking drum & bass. Surprisingly, he's back with another full album, Dreamland, which is available today on vinyl and digital download.
Dreamland is much more of a concept project, highlighting the importance of having your personal haven in this massive (and massively fucked up) world while paying homage to drum & bass being done right; we're talking a keen ear for the late '90s vibe, and some top-notch sound design. With a number of captivating interludes guiding the way, it's easy to see the thought DLR put behind this project.
In our convo, DLR and myself look at the reasons behind going back-to-back with album releases, his own private dreamland, and the importance of dnb returning to its punk attitude.
I sat at my desk for a bit trying to figure out the best way to talk about DJ Bailey. Of course I could say that he's been down with Goldie and the Metalheadz crew for two decades, or how he was the best representation of drum & bass that the BBC had before they replaced him. I could say that he's currently doing great work over on Mi-Soul representing drum & bass alongside Jumping Jack Frost, or that he's responsible for one of my favorite mix CDs of all time, 2001's Heavyload. I could even puff out my chest and rejoice over him being the only drum & bass DJ ANYWHERE to publicly acknowledge my defunct drum & bass blog dubplatedigest, but that's not necessary. DJ Bailey means more to me than that.
For drum & bass heads like myself, we love the full spectrum of dnb. Liquid, dark, older, new school; it's all important, and while he's been doing this thing since the mid-'90s, he didn't get a proper chance to showcase this until 2002, when he got picked up for BBC 1Xtra. During one of his Intabeats shows, Bailey could lull you into a dream-like state with a serving of chilled liquid tracks, then dive right into the dancefloor. He may present you with the murkiest cuts to ever leave a studio, then bounce back with some of the finest of the heavily-edited breakbeat sound (which he affectionately called "choppage"). He would even dip into the back of his record bin, giving you style-defining "best of" mixes of everything from the massive amount of Virus Recordings dubplates he has in his bin to mixes full of reggae and dancehall sample sources (with the tunes these classics ended up being used in). A true drum & bass souljah, Bailey puts on for the scene every time he touches the decks, which is why his name being attached to any kind of mixed CD compilation is newsworthy.
On November 11, a label by the name of Vivid Sound out of Japan released Resurrection, DJ Bailey's first mixed CD release in 14 years. The 20-track mix, which features tunes from Jonny L, Rufige Kru, Nucleus & Paradox, Danny Breaks, and Dillinja roughly spans the last 20 years of drum & bass, but instead of anthem-bashing, Bailey dug deep, throwing in some well-known bangers alongside the deep cuts. It's more about the mood, which is as dark as it is deep, with bombastic subs being battered by all kinds of massive drum patterns. It's one for the ages, and a true "journey through yesteryear" as Bailey calls it.
After sinking my teeth into the mix, I had to reach out to Bailey to not only talk about how a project like this gets created, but our conversation also delves into a number of topics: the continued importance of radio, what he calls the "fast food world" of drum & bass, and his current plans, which include the continued success of his Soul In Motion bi-weekly. Let's get Intanatty with Bailey.
When it comes to the Art and Entertainment scene in the city of Trenton, NJ, there are a few constants: murals from Leon Rainbow, Will Kasso, and the SAGE Coalition. Good drinks (and better company) at watering holes like Trenton Social or the Mill Hill Saloon. Great art exhibits at Artworks. One thing you'll also notice is one person: Ahmad Shakir, a.k.a. DJ ItsJustAhmad, who is probably on the 1s and 2s, giving up the funk while educating the masses. You've probably seen one of his DJ master classes at Art All Night - Trenton, or caught him backing up acts like Old Sol or Agudos Clef, or just providing the sounds at the monthly Jersey Fresh hip-hop shows at the Mill Hill Basement, not to mention spinning at Trenton Social for the last five years. It's just inevitable; if there's music to be played, it's probably the 38-year-old Ahmad with his fingers on the decks and in the mix, or providing an extra batch of sonic oomph to some of the area's finer hip-hop acts. Sure, Trenton's only 7.648 square miles of land—everyone is going to meet each other at some point; but at some point, one has to wonder how Ahmad went from a selector in a pool of DJs to That Dude around #TheTown.
Here's his story, which surprisingly enough involved hating DJing initially.
Over the last few years, I've been drawn to damn near everything that P. Morris was doing. During the dog days of DAD, my love of his material was solidified by a Katy B remix he did under his former guise, MORRI$, and have followed his wave as he explores his sound over numerous projects. From the shorter, emotionally raw LOW to his more recent collection of leftfield bangers, TEETH, P. Morris has conjured up some hazy visions of the future through his intriguing mixture of sounds.
We got a chance to prod him with some questions recently, trying to get a clearer picture of everything from the scatterbrained, pop culture-drenched TEETH to the seemingly more focused LOW, as well as what he has in store for the future and why he decided to include an awe-inspiring live rendition of TEETH (recorded during a set at the legendary Low End Theory) on as a bonus track to the release. Shouts to P. Morris for indulging us.
Hopefully you're tuning into Side-B Radio with the homey Phil Jackson WPRB Sunday nights, 5PM to 7PM. Phil puts on for Jersey, and the hip-hop world in general, and I respect the hell out of the work he puts in. It's not often that I get interviewed, but when he hit me up to come on the show and speak about what I do, I had to talk with him. It's not crazy long, but I got to speak about RTD and a few things we have going on, what's GONE on, and some of the stuff I've been doing with Complex. Big up to Phil always, and I'm hoping that 2014 can see us put some of these wheels into motion.
And for those paying attention, here's the promo for Black Friday 2:
It's no secret that I work for Complex, but rarely does my job actually involve writing for Complex.com. I recently got a chance to interview Zedd, and while I wasn't the biggest fan of his work, in researching him, I got a better understanding and appreciation for what he does. We spoke for a bit, charting his course from a piano-playing youth to one of the biggest EDM artists currently doing it.
My interview with the wildman DJ Carnage went up today at Pigeons & Planes. Dude's already done that track "Big Spender" cut, and already has jawns signed by Borgore and cuts dropped by Tiesto. It's serious.
Getting my feet wet over at Pigeons & Planes, which recently posted a feature I cooked up with Sinistarr, who has gigs lined up at Decibel Festivaland the Great American Techno Festival this month. Chrissy Murderbot is also dropping an EP of his tracks. Dude's getting there! We speak on his switch fro DnB to, well, everything else, alongside what you can expect from him in the near future.
For the last year or two, I've been patiently waiting for a project entitled Wu-Tang Pulp, which dropped earlier today. The Wrecking Crew, which consists of Zilla Rocca, Has-Lo and Curly Castro, put this together as the ultimate homage to the Wu-Tang Clan. Like, I've heard a good amount of these tracks in various stages, and have been waiting for this one with baited breath. Flipping classic Wu tracks with a plethora of like-minded MCs (including Elucid, BLKHRTS, Castle, Al Mighty, Ethel Cee, Random and others), they crafted the most fitting tribute project I've ever heard. If you're a fan of the Wu, this is the fanboy favorite that you'll be sharpening your sword to. I threw some darts at the Crew, and they sliced them and flung them right back at me. Here's a dope behind the scenes feature on the construction and completion of Wu-Tang Pulp.
I'm really happy with how my interview with MC DRS came out, content-wise. I love hearing from an MC's perspective about the DnB scene. His album, I don't usually like MCs but..., is set to drop in August on Soul:R, and he spoke with me about the project, the single (which dropped this week) and many other points of interest. Dude's down to earth and real about his, and I respect the fuck out of that. Check it out.
Just wanted to pass on this interview I recently did with Bandmo.com. I don't normally get asked to be interviewed, but I enjoy these kinds of things. They primarily spoke with me about how I got into writing/blogging and my views on the current state of music. Quick read - check it out!
"Dub" is more than just the cool word in the title of this blog. I really truly fucks with this music. Drum & Bass producer Morphy does as well, so much so that he has an AKA, Dubmonger, where he crafts tracks in a classic dub mentality, preferably heard on his Experiments In Dub release. I got an interview with him for DOA where we speak on all of this, and he gave DOA the exclusive on this tune "20 Paces Dub" as a free download. It's limited, so grab it EARLY!
Concord Dawn is one of those DnB outfits that's quality all around, regardless of what the actual vibe of the track is. Some of my fondest DnB memories were rinsing new Concord Dawn tracks to myself, and in the company of friends. Seriously. I was kind of surprised to hear that he was dropping Air Chrysalis for free on June 25th, but I got a lil advanced copy and there was nothing left out - these tracks are just as quality, and a true testament to the 15 years CD has spent making quality DnB. I like how my interview with Matt came out; check it out and let me know what you think!
