grindin

Twitter this morning alerted me to a couple brand spankin’ Van She Tech remixes. The guys took some time out from recording what one can assume is a new album to make these booties in preparation for their upcoming Splendour In The Grass Dj set (which i’ll no doubt hear all about come Monday…)

The Love Machine – Funky Tambourine (Van She Tech Bootleg)

Ce Ce Peniston – Finally (Van She Tech Bootleg)

Did you know, this ‘Choice’ remix of the original was produced by David Morales. There you go.

Friday afternoon. Time to out on a high note. Javelin + Steinski = platonic ideal and/or an alternate theme for the Summer Jam mix I coulda’ shoulda’ done. Waittillnextyr. French vocal samples, funky basslines, and levels of calm usually only achieved at d-a-i-y-e spas. I think Steinski and the Javelin les cousins dangereuses should pair up and remix Serge Gainsbourg albums. They would have at least one fan.

Download: MP3: Javelin-”Intervales Theme” (Steinski Remix)”

MP3: Steinski-”The Payoff Mix” MP3: Steinski-”Lesson Two (James Brown Mix)” MP3: Steinski-”Lesson Three (History of Hip-Hop)”

Sheffield madman producer Toddla T gets together with Jamaican star vocalist Wayne Marshall for the track “Sky Surfing” and the pair did this crazy green screen video. To top it all of, French/Argentinean producer Douster gives us some of his groovy tropical cumbia magic with his remix.

Toddla T (ft. Wayne Marshall) – Sky Surfing (Douster remix) (YSI)

Toddla T (ft. Wayne Marshall) – Sky Surfing (Douster remix) (drop.io)

You always worry, you have seen your best days, you are past the prime, there is no better future. Only if you believe that it become a reality. You must always be humble with your success and treat the people around you, make art, is the real self. Do not rely on past glory and life is always in the present, because it is the only thing is real.



View the resolutions quality and colours video of Nervous Curtains by Justin Wilson, featuring George Quartz now here.



View the White Car version colour here.

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Dallas the premiere of Trash Humpers to have seen here.

One of our favorite producers/dj’s out of Berlin is Adam Port who not only makes amazing music but is also a true gentleman and a scholar when it comes to fashion seeing as he writes for Hypebeast. Adam just finished up this special mix for Nike Sportswear and Zoo Magazine, filled with gems that’ll make you swoon.

“Adam Port is a DJ who wears a Rolex and plays minimal techno music. This Berliner breaks all the rules of the genre: he unites opposites and brings back to techno an element that was lost long ago – glamour. Port is not a typical minimal-nerd, but just addicted to their music, and because he’s not a spaced-out, after-hours hippy even if he plays in their clubs, he straddles two worlds. He can party but still rise early and his modesty is tempered by grand gestures.

“Sometimes I come home from a party in the morning, so euphoric and inspired that I must immediately capture the mood in music.”

“Future Tidings”

Performed by Gemini Club Directed by Bernard Ong Produced by Allen Causevic

Beats™

Tagged: allen causevic, bernard ong, gemini club

Avey Tare and Panda Bear are known as the John Lennon and Paul McCartney of Animal Collective, in a constant struggle to assert their status as ‘the #1 member of Animal Collective.’ It seems like Avey Tare has ‘just released news’ that his album is coming out to spoil the vibes of the upcoming Panda Bear release TOMBOY. Every1 thought Panda Bear’s album would ’save’ 2k10, but it looks like there might be room for only 1 of them in the race for the album of 2k10.

DEVELOPING…

Dave Portner AKA Avey Tare was born in Baltimore County, Maryland on April 24th in the year of 1979. He moved to New York City in 1997 where he resides to this day (in south Brooklyn). Though he spends most of his time writing songs and producing sounds (usually in the group Animal Collective) he also is an intense record collector, film fanatic, book head, friend, and traveler. It’s from these things primarily that Mr. Portner gets his inspiration, still striving to blend sounds and discover musical territory that seems unfamiliar. His favorite animals are the otter and crocodile. The later has played a big role in his newest record.

Down There is a world of nine new songs from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare. His first official solo full length carries you through a murky world of sound, an alien death world of soul grooves that is both honest and otherworldly. Wait for sundown and turn it up loud. Take a ride on this haunted boat and let yourself be guided through deep sloshy rhythms, waterlogged bass, and moonlit breaks in the canopy that reveal a crisp crystalline pop buzz. Down There was recorded in the month of June by old friend Josh Dibb (Deakin) at the Good House, an old church in upstate New York, surrounded by The Great Swamp and visited regularly by monks, white widows, and groan toads.

DEVELOPING…

It seems like this might prove that there is a ‘rift’ between Deakin and Panda Bear, proving that their vibes don’t really mesh well, but Avey is chill with Deakin. Worried that Avey is releasing an album to ‘prove’ that he is the most important member/most prolific solo member of Animal Collective. Wonder if there is ‘a huge psychological rift’ in the AnCo band.

DEVELOPING…

Are yall on #TeamAvey or #TeamPanda?

Feel like he is trying to ‘brand’ the crocodile as being more authentic than a Panda Bear Jesus. Tracklist sounds ‘intense’, possibly better song titles than Panda Bear’s TOMBOY album

01 Laughing Hieroglyphic 02 3 Umbrellas 03 Oliver Twist 04 Glass Bottom Boat 05 Ghost of Books 06 Cemeteries 07 Heads Hammock 08 Heather in the Hospital 09 Lucky

DEVELOPING…

Will Avey Tare solo project ’save’ 2k10? Is Avey Tare the most important member of Animal Collective? Is Panda Bear ‘pissed’ that Avey stole his spotlight, or is this some sort of ’synergistic PR ploy’ to get them the most buzz possible? Do u hope they are critical of one another in interviews, or at least provide a misleading quote that we can take out of context? Will TOMBOY still save 2k10? Will the Avey vs Panda conflict of 2k10 save 2k10? Will AnCo reunite, or will these concurrent album cycles divide the band forever? Will Avey and Noahbro finish ‘back 2 back’ in slots 1 and 2 of the Album of the Year race? Is Animal Collective ‘the Miami Heat’ of the indiesphere?

DEVELOPING…

#TeamAvey #TeamPanda #TeamGeo #TeamDeak Which team r u on?

DEVELOPING… [via breaking news

Featuring Chromeo, Holy Ghost!, Telephoned and more!

This weekend marks the end of live music at the Khyber. A note was recently posted on their website that “There will be no shows at The Khyber in the month of August.” However, it appears that it is completely done and not simply taking a hiatus as some had hoped. DJ nights will continue at the venue upstairs. The City Paper catches up with some of those that helped ignite Philadelphia’s live music scene.

A loose-knit group of like-minded people…helped transform Philadelphia from a rock graveyard — a city that touring artists often skipped over on their way to New York or D.C. or freaking Bethlehem — into a place where acts of a certain size, disposition and ambition not only wanted to play but arguably had to.

The epicenter of this evolution was a bar in Old City called The Khyber Pass Pub and later, simply, The Khyber.

Khyber pulls the plug

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Went out to a relevant dive bar / mixed media art space last week Usually it is super chill, and turns into a b.y.o.b. type of no-social-pressure music-not-too-loud type of visual chill experience

Things were going well, but then u know who showed up… So unchill… So AZN… So bro… h8 u unchill AZN bro (and ur lil buzzband too)

I wish u’d just ‘give it up’ Or maybe just go audition for American Idol and ride the William Hung wave except I think he wore Dockers khakis and not sure if u even know how to wear pants Worried that one of ur balls might fall out of ur lil shorty shorts and ruin the vibes for every1 Thinks were really chill but then ur buzzband showed up and kinda ruined the vibes Honestly kinda bummed about it.

Wish u’d just learn how to chill and maybe put on a chill Hawaiian shirt Are yall getting tired of unchill AZN bro?

Cass goes in and lists the MC battles he would like to see take place. Face 2 Face comes from his upcoming album C.A.S.H. (Cass A Straight Hustla)

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Drums! It’s all about the drums these days and French producer Bambounou knows all about’m. He’s clearly bridging the gaps in house and tech house with his tunes and while he’s very young in age, his beats sound like the work of a seasoned veteran. Just check out his debut release, Animism, it’s full of so many drums tightly woven together that it’s like a tropical workout. The EP includes 3 original tracks and remix work from LOL Boys & Teki Latex, French Fries, Art Nouveau, and Dre Skull. Probably the must-have record of the month.

Bambounou – Abodan

Bambounou – Dogon

Markus G

Tagged: art nouveau, bambounou, dre skull, french fries, teki latex

Ice cream!

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Hannah Yadi is the real deal. We've had our eye on her for quite some time, but with the recent unveiling of new demo "Guillotine", she's made a quantum leap to the next level with what is truly one of the biggest singles we've heard from any artist this year, let alone one who at this time remains unsigned. Don't expect that status to last long though, cause when you're packing heat like "Guillotine" - not to mention other surefire singles "Gold" and "Wow" - you don't tend to stay off the market long. With shades of La Roux in her vocal delivery and all the powerful confidence and arresting good looks of Marina & The Diamonds, Yadi is the stuff A&R dreams are made of, an artist possessing all the chart-friendly hooks and major label starpower to hit the bigtime while at the same time remaining unique enough to stand out from the pack. "Guillotine" is literally massive, all epic choruses soaring over primal, militaristic drums and sparkling production flourishes, a serious coming out party for what will surely be one of the most sought after new talents of the next six months. Get ready 2011, your brightest new star has arrived.
MP3: "Guillotine" (Demo) - Yadi

Norman Palm | Easy (Video von Frank Höhne)

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Mark de Clive-Lowe is one of the most respected and prolific figures in the world of electronic music, and is credited with ushering in the broken-beat scene along with London cohorts 4hero and Bugz In The Attic.  With a revolving door of top-notch vocalists, and improv being the hallmark of his live shows, it’s impossible for him to put on the same show twice.  In anticipation of Mark’s upcoming show at Liv in DC this Friday, I got a chance to talk to him in-depth about switching up coasts, bringing the best out of true soul divas, going back to the future via jazz, and being a worldwide music ambassador.  And in all seriousness, Mark definitely brings the LOLs.

Mark de Clive-Lowe will be performing at Liv w/ special guest Sy Smith on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Unkle Funkle:  What prompted you to move from the U.K. to L.A.?

Mark de Clive-Lowe:  I was in London for 10 years, and I felt like it was time to start a new chapter.  I’ve actually always been interested in living in America but the opportunity didn’t really present itself.  Things were good in London, it was a great creative synergy there with my community.  To be crystal clear, I’ve always aspired for America.  My last full album Tide’s Arising was released on ABB Soul out of Oakland, so there’s various connections there and I kept going back to collaborate with folks there.  So it just seemed like the right time to make a move.  New York was always one place I was gunning for, but being originally from New Zealand and being so used to the beach and the sun and that kind of thing, it just felt like California was just the right place to come.

UF:  Are there any parallels that you can draw between the music scene in L.A. versus the music scene in the U.K., or are there any differences?

MdCL:  Oh, they’re completely different.  I think every city’s got its own vibe and its own kinda community, energy, and spirit to them.  I was just in Atlanta for a few days doing shows and recording there, and that place has its own vibe.  I just think wherever you go it seems to have differences.  One thing with the U.K. is there’s really a great Caribbean culture there, a lot of West Indian culture, and you’ve got a lot of people who are from different countries in Africa and they’ll be first generation or second generation, so there’s a lot of cultural references in the music there.  Whereas in L.A., it seems to be so much more [music] industry here, and I think a lot of people are above the underground very much doing certain kinds of music.  And then there’s the whole Flying Lotus and the Brainfeeder scene that’s really unique to here, and that does actually remind me of a little bit of the vibe of London.

UF:  You are a pretty busy man these days, and there’s a lot of exciting things going on.  You’ve recently  collaborated with Sandra St. Victor, Nia Andrews, and Sy Smith.  Tell me how you ended up working with Sandra.  She’s such a legend in the industry .  The music that you did for her is amazing.

MdCL:  Great man, I’m glad you dig it.

UF:  Yeah, I’ve never heard her sound this good actually.

MdCL:  (laughs)

UF:  She’s always had one of the best voices in Soul and R&B period, but you’ve kind of put her on that “next” level.

MdCL:  I mean, for me, there’s so many great voices out there who aren’t always collaborating with a producer who’s as good as they are a singer, or they might have great voices but they’re not great writers and they’re not working with great writers.  When you get all those elements in place I think something really special can happen.  The music I’m really inspired by, it all works by that method.  You have Charles Stephans producing records and Quincy Jones producing records and those records are head and shoulders above everything else.  Those kind of creatives who can really pull focus and also bring a skill set to the table that’s unique, I think that’s when you start getting something really special happening.  So with Sandra, I was….I mean, I know what I like to hear people do.  It was just nice since the first time I met her.  She just caught it all and it was great.  When I first heard her, she was doing a Chaka Khan gig, Sandra and Karen Bernod.  And Chaka was…Chaka was okay.

UF:  (laughs)

MdCL:  (laughs)  Chaka was cool.

UF:  That’s so funny.  I’ve never heard anybody say that Chaka Khan was just okay.

MdCL:  Chaka was cool.  At the end of the show, the background singers got 8 bars each.  And Karen Bernod stepped up and was just incredible, and I was thinking Wow, what is there left for this other girl to do?  And then Sandra steps up and just re-wrote the book completely, so I mean both of them just blew my mind.  The highlight of the Chaka Khan show was two background singers doing 8 bars each kinda thing.

UF:  Wow, that’s crazy.

MdCL:  So Sandra and I…and this was back in the day when MySpace was still hot…so we kept in touch through MySpace.  Nothing came of it immediately.  Then last summer I was doing a show in Brooklyn, and it was one of those funny situations where I couldn’t bring a featured vocalist with me and so I wasn’t sure what to do.  I heard Sandra was in town so I was like, why don’t you come down and jam a bit?  I don’t have a vocalist, I need a vocalist.  So she came down and she did the whole show with me, did an hour and a half of straight improv and she had no idea how I liked to do my live thing, so we just dove in the deep end together and that captured me immediately.  Her ability…like, she was going from soul to funk to jazz to opera and bringing it all together and it was an amazing bit of ability and the creativity was there.  She had no shortage of ideas.  So we were like, let’s do some music, so we recorded 3 tracks for her new EP, so that’s out now.  And then she was like, well Mark, we should have done a whole album together.  And I’m saying, yeah I know we should have done a whole album together, how about this?  So I sent her 14 tracks, basically a whole album written to go.  So now we’re doing that.  There’s a whole album in the process.

UF:  That’s incredible.  When can we expect to get that?

MdCL:  Aw, come on now, you just got the EP! (laughs)

UF:  (laughs)

MdCL:  We’re in the demo stages.  All the music’s basically done.  I just had Freddie Washington laying bass on it.  He played bass on Forget Me Nots and all the Patrice [Rushen] stuff.

UF:  Oh wow!

MdCL:  Yeah, we’re pulling in a couple of people and then we’re starting to work on the vocals on that, so I imagine we’ll have that ready next year.  And then more than just being an edgy club album, it’s more of a soul/hip-hop record.  It’s definitely twisted in the way that I like to twist things.

UF:  Hopefully, there will be an American release of it?

MdCL:  I imagine there will be.  We’ve got our eyes on two labels so I guess we’ll invite them to a couple of parties (laughs).

UF:  Let’s talk about Nia Andrews.  I saw the YouTube video that you’ve got up on your blog.  It was her, you on acoustic piano, a bass player, and a drummer; just a classic jazz combo.  It was pretty incredible.  It kinda brought you back full circle because your debut album was mostly straight-ahead jazz, right?

MdCl:  Yeah, totally.  I grew up as a piano player.  I’ve played piano since I was 4.  Before I turned to the Roland MPC, I was aspiring to be in New York as an acoustic jazz piano player.  And it’s funny because there’s a lot of people who know of my work now that already know that, so we have people at the shows just freaking out because I was always with a grand piano (laughs), so it’s like, well you know, that’s my act.  But it’s really nice to be working with someone who wants to do that kind of work as well.  She kinda kicked me back onto the instrument, so that was cool.

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UF:  Are you guys gonna do a full length album with her on the vocals and you on acoustic piano?

MdCL:  Well, not necessarily.  The joint that’s on YouTube, “Now or Never,” there’s a studio version of that which is being mixed next week.  And then she’s working on her own project which I’m getting involved in a little bit, but it’s more on the singer/songwriter tip.  It’s definitely got me thinking more about playing acoustic music again as well.  You know, it’s just a natural part of who I am.  It’s been a shame not to express that in some way.  With Sy Smith as well, once her album is done, then we’re looking  at re-recording an unplugged version of it.  That kind of format is definitely a step in the picture, yeah.

UF:  Do you think you would ever merge your acoustic sensibilities with your electronic beats?

MdCL:  I do that very often.  There’s an album called Journey to the Light which I put out, it’s a Japan-only record, and I play a lot of piano on that.  There’s actually a great YouTube video of the album launch for that in Japan.  I did the first half of the tour on piano.  I really do dig bringing those elements together.  I think that as passionate as I’ve gotten into electronic music and production, in a way sometimes I use that as a way to not have to be all musician all the time.  I can use different brushes, so to speak, with the palette.  Now I’m feeling like it’s time to pull back the curtain a little bit and begin again (laughs).

UF:  I’ve read a few interviews that you’ve done where you were speaking pretty passionately about how young people who are making music today don’t really know their music history and so they don’t have a point of reference.  Do you think that you would ever teach music history to young kids?

MdCL:  I do workshops and master classes whenever someone asks.  I really enjoy that.  It gives me a chance to really break down what I do and how I do it.  Formal teaching, I’m not so attracted to because I’ve got a huge anti-authoritarian streak that wouldn’t  do me too well in a school environment (laughs), but  I’m big on mentoring and passing the torch and sharing the knowledge.  And that’s a big part of being in touch with your history.  When I was growing up in New Zealand even, there were older players, older jazz musicians who were always coming through with the younger, next generation and they would support us, invite us to play, throw a bit of work our way.  That’s a really important part of any tradition and keeping the tradition alive.  It’s funny because when you say, to paraphrase you, “the young people today,” it makes me sound like the old dude (laughs).  But, I just think it’s so important to know the history.  It’s like, a producer today who listens to Hot 97 or some other mainstream radio.  If that’s their point of reference, then there’s not much hope for the culture to proliferate and blossom further.

UF:  Yeah, it’s like with Michael Jackson for example.  As a kid, his points of reference were James Brown and West Side Story, so he had great inspiration.  If you look at his career, it’s a no-brainer.  You see exactly how he got to be as great as he was.

MdCL:  Totally.  He’s a classic artist, and classic cats always come out knowing the classics, you know? (laughs).

UF:  Let’s go back to one of my favorite albums, The Politik, which is a collaboration between you and Bembe Segue.  I think of her as your vocal “rock.” She always just puts it in the pocket for you.

MdCL:  (laughs)

UF:  I think the two of you together is like magic.  The chemistry and spark between you is always there.  Why did you guys decide to do it as The Politik, as opposed to a Bembe Segue album or another Mark de Clive-Lowe album?

MdCL:  Well, at that time, Bembe had been featuring with me a lot.  I had the Freesoul Sessions project, which is the fully improvised club project, and Bembe’s got her own band.  We felt like we wanted to try to do something collaborative where it’s not about being me, it’s not about being her.  It’s about meeting in the middle and seeing what comes out.  And it wasn’t even intended to be what ended up being a mostly mid to downtempo soul kind of album, but that’s just how it came out.  We were on tour in Canada and recorded about half the album in Vancouver on some days off.  It just fell into place like that.  I guess it could have been a Bembe album or my album, but at that time we felt like if we don’t put our own name on it, then the pressure’s off and we can just have fun with it.  I guess that was kind of the premise, and it turned out lovely.

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UF:  You’ve got a pretty hectic tour schedule.  What do you do for fun on your downtime when you’re not producing or doing shows?

MdCL:  I’m chillin’ (laughs)!  When I’m here at home in L.A., I’m hanging out with my son.  We’ll go swimming, enjoy the sunshine, go bike riding.  I think I’ve kind of suffered from a workaholic-ism…a workaholic-ness in my 20s.  Now I’ve found how to balance it all.  That’s really important to me now.  As I mentioned before, I’ve been in Atlanta for three days and yesterday I had the studio for five hours, and 8 new tunes came out of that.  They’re all good too (laughs).  I feel like I know how to really focus my work when I work and come up with a quantity of quality, and that allows me when I’m not working just to chill which is a really nice combination.  Incidentally, when I’m touring Europe, pretty much everyday that I would have off, I’ve popped into the studio in different places.  When I’m away from L.A., I’m just doing work.

UF:  You’ve been around the world so much.  How does it feel to get love from every corner of the earth?

MdCL:  I really appreciate every opportunity I get to travel and, especially to take the music to somewhere new, somewhere I’ve never been before.  That’s always an extra treat.  Some places like Japan and the more main cities in America and western Europe, I kind of expect people to already be hip to the music.  Maybe not my music, but that vibe of music.  But then I’ll go to somewhere like Estonia or Georgia just south of Russia, or really small places.  I played in Winnipeg one time in Canada, places I wouldn’t think of going.  And when they work, that’s really encouraging to take the music to places where people have no point of reference whatsoever.  That’s fantastic.  With me growing up in New Zealand, my mom’s Japanese, I did a bit of college in Boston, and spent 10 years in London, and I’ve always felt very kind of global in personality anyway so, it suits me nicely to be able to work globally.

UF:  Do you have a guilty pleasure as far as an artist that you listen to that’s on the pop side?  I know you listen to and have been influenced by many great artists, but is there somebody that’s on the radio that you go and sneak to listen to?

MdCL:  (laughs)  That “Boom Boom Pow” song was big you know? (laughs)

UF:  The Black Eyed Peas are pretty awesome.

MdCL:  I’m not even super-hip to all of the stuff they’re doing right now.  I know that Will is a great musician.  I know he’s got a great business and marketing concept and he’s pulled it all together and I kindly applaud that.  That’s fantastic. When I was younger, maybe 14 or 15, I wanted to be Teddy Riley.  That was it for me.  And not that it was pop at the time, this was way before Dangerous.  That was really inspiring to me.  If I hear a great song on the radio, then it’s a great song.  I’m a huge fan of quality craftsmanship, whether it’s a piece of furniture, a pop song, or a 12” record.  At the same time, I’m also working on some pop collaborations with some people here, and that’s a whole ‘nother side of what I like to do.  It’s pretty under wraps at the moment.

UF:  Under wraps?  Damn! (laughs)

MdCL:  And you know, what’s pop to me might not be pop to someone else (laughs).

UF:  So it’s all top secret?  You can’t reveal any names right now?

MdCL:  No, I can’t reveal any names right now actually.  There’s some I’d love to, but until everything’s signed, sealed, and delivered, it doesn’t really exist (laughs).

UF:  You’ve worked with a huge, wonderful roster of artists that range from the underground end of the spectrum all the way up to legendary status.  Is there someone that you have on your wish list to work with?  If there was one artist that you could work with, who would it be?

MdCL:  There’s two:  on the musician side, Herbie Hancock, and on the artist side, D’Angelo.

UF:  That would be so cool.  D’Angelo is one of those cats that can do no wrong.  That would be cool for you to put your spin on his voice.

MdCL:  Yeah, I’d love to (laughs).  It’s funny.  Ten years ago, if someone said to me, you’ll be making music with Pino Palladino and Sheila E. and Jody Watley, I would’ve been like no, that’s not gonna happen.  So, it’s kind of taught me that anything can happen and usually it does.  I look forward to the times when I can sit down with those cats and knock out some music.

UF:  One last question.  What does Mashi mean? (pronounced mash-ee)

MdCL:  Mashi is a nickname that was given to me by a great friend of mine, Kaidi Tatham [of Bugz In The Attic].  He’s a great musician and producer, I love him.  It just came about on tour.  In our mid to late 20s going on tour and getting extremely over-indulgent (laughs), I ended up being called Mashi and it just stuck (laughs).

UF:  I love Kaidi Tatham too.  He’s a great keyboardist.

MdCL:  Oh he’s fantastic.  Because we both play keys, it took us a while to look at how to collaborate.  I took him on tour playing drums and he’d never toured on drums before, so I was like naw mate, come on play drums.  By the end of the tour he had drums, congas to the right, a Moog bass to the left and just playing them all at once.  He’s fantastic.

UF:  Well Mark, it was a pleasure talking to you.  Thank you so much for your time.  I look forward to seeing you on Friday at Liv.

MdCL:  Alright, I’ll see you then.  Peace.

Mark de Clive-Lowe will be performing at Liv w/ special guest Sy Smith on Friday, July 30, 2010.

For all the latest news, tour dates, music, and videos, check out Mark de Clive-Lowe online:

http://www.markdeclivelowe.net

http://www.mashibeats.blogspot.com

http://www.myspace.com/markdeclivelowe

http://www.twitter.com/mashibeats

PHOTO CREDIT: Neal Maclean / Brooklyn Bodega / The Couch Sessions

What do you think of when you think DC Hip-Hop?

In some circles it’s not Wale, or Tabi that gets mentioned, but the DMV’s own Diamond District. From LA to SXSW to Toronto, to NYC, it seems like the trio have been on the lips of everyone in the hip-hop underground after their debut album In The Ruff dropped last year.

And can we be surprised? The album is a throwback to 90s boom bap with some DC flavor, filling a void in the underground hip-hop scene. And on the strength of it, they have toured across the country and across the world. all while keeping their hometown closely in mind.

Add to that the strength of DJ Quartermane and you have one of the best forces in hip-hop right now.

We caught up with Diamond District at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival after they rocked their set under the Brooklyn Bridge a few weeks ago. They will be headlining the Tru Skool Soundstage along with DTMD and The Cornell West Theory TONIGHT at the Black Cat. So we all know you guys have been stalwarts in the DC Hip-Hop Scene, but you guys only came together only recently. How did you guys form Diamond District?

Oddisee: We all met at different points in time throughout the U Street Corridor. I met these two gentlemen [Yu and XO] at Capital City Records. I was actually judging a beat contest that [yu] was in as a producer and [XO] was in as a featured MC.

Yu: Oddisse was putting together a solo album [at the time]. We put a song called Gully which was getting a good response out in Europe, but in order to bring us out there [to tour] we would have to do an album. So when Oddisee came back that was the approach. It took about 2 months back and forth via email to put together the album but it was good. The process was real smooth.

I know you’ve been touring. You hit Europe and the West Coast recently. It seems like DC hip-hop has only recently branched out to the rest of the country. How has the response been on tour?

Quartermane:  THEY LOVE US! There’s nothing more to say than that!

But also it’s not a lot of braggadocios rap, it’s content too. Our sound forces people to really listen on the lyric side, and musically it’s hard. You can’t just stand there and not feel it. So it’s a good combination of elements that make it pop off. Is that the element to your success?

Oddisee: FIrst and foremost it’s good music, and a good campaign, and the support from our fans. We suported each other and our fans supported us, and it’s popping off.

DC has always been in an interesting situation. We’re not Northern, yet not Southern either so we pull from both sides. I hear that in your sound. What are you guys influences musically?

Oddisee – I would have to say our influences are our lives. We all grew up with different perspectives from the same upbringing, from the same area. From the inner cities to the suburbs, to the person who had to move in and out from the city to the suburbs. Our own individual perspectives influence all of our work.

Yu: We have a common respect among all of us and it shows. It most certainly does. So what’s next for Diamond District?

Oddiseee: March on Washington, is the next album from Diamond District dropping 2011!

You heard it here first.

Diamond District will be headlining the Tru Skool Soundstage along with DTMD and The Cornell West Theory TONIGHT at the Black Cat.

Imagine if you had a record label. You had unlimited funds to spend on A&R and development. You didn’t have to worry about album sales or stock holders. Who would your dream lineup be?

This is a question that we posed to some of our new writers this past week, and we will be posting their responses throughout the next few weeks. First up is our New York-based contributor Rawiya.

Janelle  Monae

It’s an obvious choice, but Janelle Monae should be at the top of every record exec’s wishlist. With her blend of r&b, funk, and rock&roll, Ms. Monae has engineered a sound that fills a void in today’s pop landscape. Her recently released ArchAndroid LP, an eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2008’s Metropolis, includes references to old-school sensibilities, but with a modern approach. She easily appeals to a broad spectrum of listeners, and manages to accomplish the difficult task of impressing indie fans and mainstream listeners alike.

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Francis and the Lights

Most of the world came to know Francis and the Lights after they supported Drake on his North American tour. But the band, and especially its lead singer Francis Farewell Starlite, has been an indie favorite since the release of Striking in 2007. Francis’ falsetto, which sits above simple drum patterns and r&b-influenced guitars, means comparisons to the Purple One are inevitable. But while Prince comparisons are usually unwarranted, Francis is arguably the only contemporary artist who even comes close. And with a production credit on Drake’s mega-hit Thank Me Later, it’s clear that Francis and the Lights have major hit power.

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Blitz the Ambassador

Ghanaian-born Blitz the Ambassador is one of the few contemporary rappers whose music suggests that perhaps hip hop isn’t dead after all. Blitz delivers sharp, clever rhymes over soulful beats offered up by a full band, which even includes a horn section. The sheer musicality of his work has the potential to attract a diverse and multi-generational audience. But that doesn’t mean his music is diluted. Rather, he raps with a confidence and bravado that is reminiscent of early hip hop: metaphors galore, and a clear positive message.

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pic : la douleur exquise Minimale pas si mal. Tout est dans la production qui est marquée, comme d'autres, par un côté post-Len Faki, et la structure avec déclenchement d'énergie en deux temps / à retardement / comme un bon film de Christopher Nolan.

This Friday, its time to get your bass face on at Flashing Lights! Head over to Webster Hall to catch the Flashing Lights crew, DJ Ayres, Nick Catchdubs and Jubilee supporting mammoths of Dubstep NERO and Gasslamp Killer! Best of all, its totally FREE to NickyDigital.com readers!

For FREE All you have to do is RSVP after the jump!