Death and Vanilla - Death and Vanilla EP

Sometimes it's interesting how you stumble across certain records. This one for example by the Swedish group Death and Vanilla I heard about through a French friend. And I'm glad he suggested it to me. This EP is a real treat of dreamy hypnotic pop music, and the opening song Ghosts in the Machine is nothing short of a delight. Thanks Tiago!

Rating: 3.5/5

DEAD Radio - Better Than Halftime in No Time

Finally it's here! The first 24/7 online radio show for electronica and progressive hip hop. Check here to enjoy quality online radio.

A Band of Buriers - Woe

A lovely song and video from A Band of Buriers, the latest addition to the great label decorative stamp.

A Band of Buriers - "Woe" from BEAR on Vimeo.

Interview #2 - Misanthrop

The Musical Limit Exceeder

Ask the average Swede if he knows anything about German hip hop and most of them probably don’t have a clue. A couple of people might smile sarcastically and say Die Fantastischen Vier and some might mention Snowgoons, but apart from that the silence will be ringing. There are more interesting artists than the earlier mentioned though; Misanthrop from Munich is one of them. I can’t say that I know much about this man, I just recently discovered him when he was featured on the compilation Goosebumps 4.0.  His track Kein Video auf YouTube became one of my favorites and I decided to check out his other material. What I found was an artist that had released quite a lot of music and I got interested in the guy behind it. So I tracked him down and asked him some questions.

How come you started making music?

I simply had to. From the first cassettes and records I bought, I always wanted to know how music, and especially rap music, was produced and I quickly started making compositions with my computer and other electronic equipment to find out myself. This was in the early nineties when I experimented with many different styles of music. I always wanted to be different from the others regarding my musical taste. In 1995, I started rapping as I was not satisfied with the quality and intellectual level of German rap lyrics in those days. In my humble opinion, one could do it better.

What is your purpose with the music and lyrics?

The intention behind my music is to aim for the hearts of people and touch them emotionally. At the same time, I try to avoid musical patterns of others who already achieved this emotional impact. Otherwise I could just copy those patterns, but I try to discover my own way. As such things work very subjectively, I can only follow those musical attempts of mine, which I personally can bounce my head to. Now the lyrics are more for the people's heads. I am always confronted with people saying that my lyrics are better to listen to than to dance to. I have not given up the idea though of people doing both to my music, and I will carry on trying to accomplish that.

How would you describe your music and could you briefly tell us about the music-making process?

My music is partly sample-based, partly based on synth based sounds. Sometimes I start with a piece of a krautrock, free jazz, a German songwriter or whatever record I could find.  It could also be a sample of some south-east Asian music that I have brought home from one of my trips that gets me going. Sometimes a melody pops up in my head which I then play on my controller keyboard. After that I add the drums by playing, programming or by chopping up some drum loops. I might add some additional synth based or sampled layers, and after that a coarse arrangement and then I have got a new beat sketch I can write my rhymes to or send out to my collaborators. Writing lyrics is a bit harder than making beat sketches, but the hardest part is of course to record and arrange everything for the final version. The results might sound like anticon-influenced underground rap or like mid-nineties boom bap mixed with oriental music. It can also sound completely different, the important thing for me is, that every track is unique or at least that is my intention.

Since my knowledge of German is almost non-existent, what kind of subject matters do you usually deal with?

My lyrics are abstract according to the original meaning of the word, i.e. I do not rap about Rap so much but more about what's going on inside of me or what is, in my own opinion, happening in the world around us, in the outside world. I rather rap about political and social topics which are not covered by many musicians at this level of depth. Currently, I preferably talk about the decrease of western societies and the rise of others, for example of several Asian countries. In my professional life, I deal with these topics every day, so I am very interested in that. Generally, I always rap about my personal experiences, which means that I don't deal with ghetto topics, street problems and party hopping because that wouldn't be real and authentic.

What’s the scene like in Munich compared to the rest of Germany

This is difficult for me to say. The type of music I am making and listening to is only applicable to a few hundred people in Germany so we have to find each other across city boundaries. The general rap scene in Munich, which I partly know from my connections back in the days and by browsing the event announcements and musical publications, suffers in my opinion from the lack of interest people here have for this kind of music. That does not mean that rap in other cities make people rich and famous.  As I sometimes have to deal with the promotion of events like the Rap History Munich and of concerts for friends from overseas or other parts of Germany, I know that it is pretty tough in Munich to get even only a couple of people to visit the events.

Any upcoming projects?

Yep. I am always working on many projects in parallel, and some of them will hopefully manifest in concrete releases soon. There will be an EP called Fatalist, which I did with THMS from Stockholm, to be published on Milled Pavement in the US. There will be a joint album Gefahren im Anzug with Cocon to be released on our collaborative label postrap. There will be a new album of mine called Das Ungeheuer und sein Kritiker (with the title derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Monsters and the Critics) also published via postrap, and then another instrumental EP I did with 88:Komaflash's producer Aqua Luminus III. The releases may be in this order, maybe not.

Last words?

Thanks to you for giving me the opportunity to do this interview. Thanks to everyone listening to my music and to everyone relieving me from all the CDs and records stored in my basement. I also would like to thank all promoters giving my friends and me the opportunities to play abroad, especially our friends in Switzerland, they are awesome! Furthermore, thanks to my collaborating friends from which I mentioned a few above already, and of course to the whole postrap posse, to Equinox Records, Analog Alpha, the Knertz collective, Mism Records, New Cocoon, Milled Pavement and to all I might have forgotten. Peace out.

http://www.misantropolis.de/ 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Misanthrop/241972734000
http://www.postrap.de/ 

edison - People are Bad Animals

This is without a doubt one of the albums that I've been waiting for the most. edison's last album, All the Information at Hand, was one of the best albums of 2009. And since then he has made great albums with both papervehicle and Les Swashbuckling Napoleons as well as an amazing EP with Babel Fishh. And People are Bad Animals don't disappoint me the slighest. After listening through it countless times I can't find one bad track. edison is truly one of those producers that have it all. He can make wicked instrumental records on his own as well as making incredible beats for emcees to do their thing to. This is one album that I will be listening to a lot this year.

Rating: 4/5

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus

Review: Question: How bad does a sequel to a movie have to be so that not even crappy actors such as Deborah Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas wants to be in it? Answer: Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus. Nice to see that Jaleel White, famous for his role as Steve Urkel,  is having a great career though.

Brad Hamers & Big Pauper - Beyond Our Means Tour 2011

I know I will support this!

The Plan:
Brad Hamers (cult poet, musician, collage artist, mental gymnast) & Big Pauper (acclaimed mash-up artist, electronic/psychedelic hip hop producer, circuit bent visual artist and all around crackpot scientist) are fund-raising for their upcoming tour of Europe. With little cash, too many instruments and a suitcase full of art & records, they are headed overseas in May, 2011 to play as many shows as possible, promote their new solo projects and find themselves (with a tape recorder) in the middle of as many interesting situations as they can. Back in the Fall of 2007 Brad Hamers & Big Pauper successfully toured Europe together as Two Ton Sloth, then put out a record with the sounds and experiences they gathered while there. This time they will each be performing their own separate acts, specially cooked up (with secret ingredients) for the occasion. They will be creating and selling art & music on the road, as well as collecting field-recordings for the next Two Ton Sloth project.

Brad & Big Pauper are greatly appreciative of any donation amount you are able and willing to give. With that money, the two artists will be able to reach more cities and more people with their music & art, as well as create more music & art on their travels. In exchange for a pledge (depending upon the amount) they are offering (here on kickstarter only) a variety of unique packages, all containing either one-of-a-kind visual art, video experiments or an exclusive track. Each pledge reward will be entirely different than the next and will be for you and you only. This is a rare opportunity to receive custom-made work by both artists, and at a bargain price. If you'd like a chance to support good art and hard-working artists, here's your opportunity. Brad Hamers & Big Pauper thank you very much...And assure you that your money will be put to good use!

Use this link to support.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

Review: Second monster movie of the day. And this one was even worse. But not quite in the entertaining way. But hey, at least we got to see Lorenzo Lamas...

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid

Review: Sometimes you're just in the mood for a really bad movie. And then I mean REALLY bad. And quite honestly they don't come much worse than Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. Which is kind of why I liked it.

Murmur Breeze - Flame Like Projection

Great new video and song from Murmur Breeze.

Beardyman - Where Does Your Mind Go?

Here comes the first video to Beardyman's upcoming debutalbum I Done a Album.

Beans - End It All

This album is one that I have been looking forward to. Beans debut on anticon. It's been talked about for quite some time. Beans who most people know from Antipop Consortium have never been one of my favourite emcees. He's far from bad, but somehow he's always outdone by the beats themselves. And unfortunately that is kind of the case here too. On End It All he gets the help from producers such as Four Tet, Son Lux, Tobacco and Sam Fog from Interpol. And the productions are all great. But the sad thing about that is that I kind of wished that the album was instrumental. I can't really blame Beans too much, it just seems to be that he constantly have the fortune, or perhaps misfortune, to choose music that is better than himself. The rating would be higher if it was an instrumental record, but still, it's a solid album.

Rating: 3/5

The Insane Warrior - We Are the Doorways

I guess it's best to get it out of the way at once. Yes, The Insane Warrior is the alter ego of rjd2. He decided to release this album as a way of releasing himself of the expectations of doing a new rjd2 record and instead just doing something for the fun of it. But no matter what name the music is done under, it's still a good one. Not everyone has appreciated his change in style over the years, but I have. I've been a fan of him ever since the days of MHz, his success album Deadringer on Definitive Jux, his work as a part of Soul Position and up until his album The Colossus from last year. Few producers out there have the same spectrum as rjd2 and he always comes up with good stuff. So what about We Are the Doorways? I like it. A lot. Check it out for yourselves if you don't trust me.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Streets - Computers and Blues

Few can argue with the fact that The Streets debut album Original Pirate Material wasn't a masterpiece when it came. It had a unique feel to it and was filled with a lot of classic songs. The follow ups however just had a couple of good songs, and to me Mike Skinner soon became uninteresting. And his latest album doesn't change that. To be honest, I can't find one really good song here. Sure, I will always be in love with his British accent and his language, but except from that he just bores me nowadays.

Rating: 1.5/5

Soundtrack of Week 5

RJD2 & edison

Two new instrumental videos. The first one, Water Wheel, is taken from the RJD2's The Insane Warrior album, We Are The Doorways. The other one, Artemis vs. the City, is taken from edison's upcoming album People are Bad Animals.

Interview #1 - THMS

Not quite IKEA

Swedish hip hop. Unless you live in Sweden that is probably nothing you ever come across. Sure, artists such as Looptroop Rockers, ADL and to some extent Stacs of Stamina and Out of the Blue Crew have done their best to get heard out there. But they all rap in English. When it comes to artists rhyming in Swedish though I guess that is something very few people living outside of Sweden have ever stumbled across. So do we have any good ones doing it in our native language? If you ask me the answer is sadly no. There are a few exceptions though, for example the group Mobbade Barn Med Automatvapen made some great songs back in the days. They were the first ones who really dared to play with the language, and to push its boundaries. Unfortunately most artists just follow the typical American template for making hip hop. But as always if you dig deep enough, you find something interesting. Music filled with quality and artists doing the music for their own sakes without trying to copy the mainstream. One of these artists is THMS.

For most people you are probably quite unknown. Can you tell us a little about who THMS is? Give us some history.

I started to write lyrics back in the mid 90´s. In the beginning it was the typical battle lyrics but then a new friend introduced me to Company Flow and I was so amazed that I started to explore new ways to express myself outside the battle lyrics but also sound wise, taking several steps outside the typical hip hop soundscape. At the same time I switched from writing lyrics in English to Swedish. We had a group back then called Dianas Universum and it was all great fun. I went by the name Mr. T back then, but recently change it to THMS because I felt that this name was closer to my own name and more representative of my age.


What are your thoughts of the Swedish scene? Do you have any musical soul mates outside of the immediate circle?

I’m really not into the Swedish hip hop scene at all and I really don’t know that much about the young musicians out there. The Swedish hip hop today sounds more like a blend between euro disco from the 90´s with rap on top of it and techno. Some of it I like but most of it I don’t, but old Swedish hip hop acts such as Stacs of Stamina, Rusiak and Henry Bowers/Kung Henry are still good to listen to and they have inspired me in some ways.

What inspires you in your writing?

I know it´s going to sound cliché but life and things happening around me inspires me, how could it not? And of course also my friends that I make music with. My wife and son is a strong force that drives me to be a better human and that really inspires me. The biggest driving force though is me, I really have to write lyrics and make music to be able to function as a human being.

Do you have a purpose with your music?

I guess my purpose is to do music that I like first and foremost. I really don’t have a big agenda with my music. Of course I hope that some people will listen to it and get inspired and hopefully get moved by it in some way. I am really trying to say something with my music. I just hope that some of the listeners hear it.


You are probably one of the first in Sweden to release an album where there is such a mix of languages. Did this come natural or was it an informed decision? On your latest album Glömda Egenskaper you find Swedish, English, French, German and Japanese.

It all started through the Internet. I got in contact with people from different parts of the world that was into the same sound as me. I did some music with people from different countries and then it felt kind of natural to continue on that road since they have the same taste in music as me.

I did not have a plan when I started recording this album; it just took form by itself. The original idea for the record looked more like a true solo album with only me rapping and a few guests. Then when I began recording, the idea of a "multicultural or multi-language" record took form by itself. Halfway true i really felt that I wanted to do a project album with a lot of people from different parts of the world so it became an international album in the end.

One undeniably gets the feeling that one of the perks of today’s technology is that the world literarily shrinks, and that is creates another possibility to connect with other people. Labels such as New Cocoon and Milled Pavement are really good examples of truly multicultural record companies. What is your thought about that, and do you think that this is something that we’ll see more of in the future?

I really like the fact that the world is shrinking and that the borders are being erased. These types of labels are proof that it is happening, and it´s great for musicians like myself that aren’t really appreciated in my own country to get a broader crowd on an international level. In the future I think that these types of labels will be the standard because if you want to release good music you have to look outside the box. New Cocoon and Milled Pavement is really good at this and is therefore front men when it comes to be a multicultural record labels.

What are you up to when you’re not creating music?

I’m studying to become a teacher in History and Religion so that takes a lot of my time. But first and foremost I spend my time with my wife and son; they are my first priority in life. After that, reading a lot of books, watching a lot of movies and drinking good American micro brew beer with my friends. I also operate a club called Panik Disco with a friend of mine.

What do we have to look forward to this year from THMS?

I have recorded two records that will come out this year via Milled Pavement. The first one is a seven track EP called Fatalist that I have recorded with Misanthrop from Germany. The second one is a full length album called Postintellektuella Manifestet that I have recorded with Joel Siméus. We call ourselves Bokklubben. I’m also in the process to record yet another album called M stands for. It´s going to be a sixteen track album with sixteen different producers and only me rapping, this one will also be released this year.

Do you have any shout-outs or message to the readers?

Shout-outs, ha-ha. So hip hop indeed! Well, a salute to New Cocoon, Milled Pavement and Moshe, Joel "Josef" Siméus and Bokklubben, Misanthrop, 32french, Wormhole, Kaigen, Soda, James P Honey, Staplemouth, Yannic, Plunge attempt, DJMadwrist, MCHandsome, Variex and of course all the other fantastic artists that I have worked with over the years. Special gun salute to beats, breaks and big smiles that are truly one of my favourite places to lay my eyes on.

To the readers, all I can say is simply that it´s so much fun living outside the box, making music with odd and fantastic people is great fun and I hope that you like what I/we do. Support independent music by spreading it as much as you can. Thank you!

http://soundcloud.com/thms1
http://thms1.bandcamp.com/

Neila - Only This One Counts

If you have followed my blog lately you will have heard about what has happened to Neila. She has been forced to undergo surgery for vocal chord cancer. Everything looks good at the moment, but her voice will be different. But enough about that for the moment and let us focus on the music. I've loved her music ever since I heard her and my man Porters 7 inch From Whom the Bells Crow back in 2005. I fell in love with her flow at once and quickly picked up her earlier work, amongst them the masterpiece Vertical Trees with Eternal Leaves. Since then she has been my favourite female emcee. Well, to hell with the female etiquette. She's one of my favourite emcees period. So to sit down and listen to Only This One Counts was a real treat. And I wasn't the least bit disappointed. This albums holds it ground compared to her earlier work, and the production by Rezult is really good. Pick up this album and support not only a very nice person, but also an amazing artist.

Rating: 4/5

Sherlock

Just watched the 3 episodes of the British television series Sherlock. What else can I say except that it was amazing. Can't wait until they produce more episodes of it. And I have to finish by saying that since Jeremy Brett no one has portrayed my childhood literary idol Sherlock Holmes as good as Benedict Cumberbatch.

PCC - Loose Lips

Good new song and video from PCC. PCC consists of Hobs Sputnik, Tankwonderful and Tyk Diggy and the song is produced by good old Chukchee. Please also be on the lookout for Hobs upcoming album Satellite Strange. It features guests like zoën, dynamo414, Neila, Xololanxinxo, Nomar Slevik, Noah23, and Staplemouth.