Quakers

You want to know what Geoff Barrow from Portishead have been up to lately? Well, the answer is Quakers. Together with 7-Stu-7 (Portishead's engineer) and Australian producer Katalyst, he makes up the backbone of this 35 member hip hop collective. They've just released their debut album on Stones Throw Records and it looks very promising. I for one will put this in my headphones today. Here's a little teaser, plus I give you the tracklist to the album.

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Big Cat feat. Synato Watts
3. Fitta Happier feat. Guilty Simpson & MED
4. Smoke feat. Jonwayne
5. The Lo
6. Russia With Love feat. Coin Locker Kid
7. What Chew Want feat. Tone Tank
8. Flapjacksmm
9. Jobless feat. Quite Nyce
10. Sidewinder feat. Buff1
11. Mummy feat. Diverse
12. Belly of the Beast feat. Emilio Rojas
13. Up The Rovers
14. The Turk feat. King Magnetic
15. There It Is feat. The Champs
16. RIP
17. I like To Dance feat. Krondon & General Steele
18. Dark City Lights feat. Frank Nitty
19. The Beginning feat. Coin Locker Kid
20. Kreem
21. War Drums feat. Phat Kat & Guilty Simpson
22. R.A.I.D. feat. Lyric Jones
23. Fresh
24. Something Beautiful
25. Chicken Livers feat. FC The Truth
26. Rock my Soul feat. Prince Po
27. Lost and Found feat. Estee Nack
28. My Mantra feat. Dave Dub
29. Hunnypots of Beeswax
30. TV Dreaming feat. Booty Brown
31. Don’t Make It Worthless
32. Soul Power feat. Dead Prez
33. Glide
34. Get Live feat. Coin Locker Kid
35. Sign Language feat. Aloe Blacc
36. Earth Quaking feat. Akil
37. You’re Gonna Be Sorry
38. Outlaw feat. Deed
39. The Tax Man feat. Sareem Poems
40. Chucky Balboa feat. Silverust
41. Oh Goodness feat. Finale

Collectible Humans - String Theory

Maryland based duo Collectible Humans just released their debut EP String Theory, and we are getting a real treat here. 7 tracks of headnodding beats from Adam Selene with introspective lyrics delivered with nice flows and a lot of attitude. We might not hear anything new here, but we are however getting straight up hip hop without a lot of gimmicks or silly posing. And sometimes that's just what you can really ask for. Want to check it out for yourself? Go to their bandcamp page and download the EP for free.

Rating: 5.5/10

Aesop Rock - Skelethon

Aesop Rock releases his new album Skelethon on July 10th through Rhymesayers. Sounds like a bad combination, but Aesop has never disappointed me before so I'm not too worried.

Tracklist:

1. Leisureforce
2. ZZZ Top
3. Cycles To Gehenna
4. Zero Dark Thirty
5. Fryerstarter
6. Ruby '81
7. Crows 1
8. Crows 2
9. Racing Stripes
10. 1,000 O'Clock
11. Homemade Mummy
12. Grace
13. Saturn Missiles
14. Tetra
15. Gopher Guts

Graves33 - Golden Seal

It wasn't long ago at all that Graves33 released something, that time together with Sarx. Now he's back with Golden Seal, and he once again shows why he's a force to be reckoned with. I've always liked his flow, and here we get to enjoy them to a bit more dark productions than some might be used to. Which I personally welcome. He joins forces here with amongst others Filkoe, Gel Roc, Staplemouth and Orko Eloheim and the album is a real treat to listen to. Maybe the dark moodiness of Golden Seal isn't everyone's thing, but then I can also please by saying that in July he's releasing a more boom bap based record. But with that being said, I still think that you should check out this record. Solid productions and some of the finest emcees out there at the moment.

Rating: 6/10

Gajah - Bank Hopper

A real headbanger has just leaked from Gajah's upcoming album Poverty's Prodigy. Check it out!

Sixo - Government Bonds feat. sole

Brand new video from Sixo's upcoming album on Fake Four Inc.

Luka Lesson - Please Resist Me

Slam poets making records is always a tricky business if you ask me. Too often the records end up sounding unfocused and undone. Poets choosing to read their poems over some kind of a musical soundscape and they're happy calling themselves musicans. Luckily enough there are also those who have true talent, both when it comes to the poetry side and the musical part. I guess in someway it's an respect for different kind of art forms, and just because you're good at one doesn't mean you are good at others. 

Australian Slam Poetry champion Luka Lesson however is one of those guys who is good at both, and he's showing it with the album Please Resist Me. Here we get a mix of both pure poetry tracks as well as real hip hop joints, all held together by Luka's great flow and inspirational and amazing lyrics. 

One thing makes it a bit difficult though when it comes to putting a rating on the album. If I were to take each individual track and grade them they would all get 7s and 8s. But unfortunately the mix of pure spoken word and hip hip tracks makes the album feeling a bit scattered unfortunately. Maybe if he had divided this onto 2 separate records it would have felt more solid. Definitely worth checking out though if you want to listen to an intelligent young man with important as well as beautiful things to say.

Rating: 7.5/10

Radioinactive - Mint Tea feat. La Caution & 2Mex

Official video for "Mint Tea", the first single off Radioinactive's fourth studio album The Akashic Record dropping in May.

 
Radioinactive - Mint Tea (feat. La Caution & 2Mex) by laitdbacrecords

Ourobonic Plague - Post Human Possibilities

I love new discoveries. The artists that you never heard about before, but all of a sudden they're there right in front of you, and the music they serve up is of the highest standard. Last week I stumbled across the the webpage of the collective The Community. It was a lovely day going through all the different artists there, and I'm sure we'll see plenty more about them here on this page. 

One of the artists that I got hooked on immediately was Nick Sweepah. A wicked emcee with just the right amount of quirkiness for me to love it. After listening to some of his stuff I got in touch with him to see how I could get hold of more music from him. He then let me know that he's really not doing the hip hop stuff so much anymore but that his focus nowadays is on making music under the name Ourobonic Plague. And Post Human Possibilites is an EP that dropped earlier this year. 

Here we're getting 6 tracks of dark industrial drone that strikes a cord with me at once. Ever since I first listened to it, it's been on constant rotation in my headphones. A perfect soundtrack when discovering new places and new cultures. My personal favourite on the record is Connection Failed which I can't really get enough of at the moment. I will definitely keep my eyes on this guy in the future.

Rating: 7/10

Soundtrack to Week 12

Interview #15 - Kadyelle

Mata Leão

It doesn't really matter where in the world you're looking. Mad talent is everywhere. Unfortunately some artists get more attention just because they're from, for example, the States. However, Kadyelle is from Australia, and she's a fine example that your nationality has nothing to do with your talent.

Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself? Who is Kadyelle and what makes you tick?

I think my life is reasonably simplistic… I am a mother and step-mother of three incredible young people; a wife to my very talented husband, Thorts; a combatant of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts and a lover of Hip Hop. Every aspect of my life is interwoven with these elements. I make music in my home studio with my husband, we train together at our makeshift home Dojo during the day and at our club Dojo at night; we try to involve our young children in these incredibly fulfilling physical and creative journeys as much as we possibly can, but when that is not possible, we rely on the support of our close-knit family and friends to help us. We live in Bunbury, Western Australia (about 2 hours south of Perth) and absolutely love the quiet coastal lifestyle and the contrast of living close to the city where we can see dope local and touring acts, as well as perform ourselves, and also have access to some of the best Martial Arts training facilities in the country.

What do you want to accomplish with your music?

A year ago I would have said that I want to make hard copy, widely distributed music, go on tour and try to reach as many heads as I possibly can… but these days I am content to make music that I enjoy, my friends like and my small fan base want to download for free and put into rotation on their stereos and iPods. I guess as I am getting older I am growing tired of measuring my worth by Facebook ‘likes’ and stressing over whether or not I will get paid for the show I am going to perform at, and if I don’t get paid where I can trim back my budget to make ends meet and bitchy things random people may say about my music on Youtube. I think there is more to life than trying to accomplish popularity for the sake of ego. But… if a lot of people did like my music and want to buy it and hear it on their radios, well, I would be more than happy about that. But for now I am happy to just make it and see what happens.

What inspires you when it comes to the creative process? What made you start making music in the first place?

I have always used writing and rhyme as a cathartic exercise since childhood. I guess like a lot of young teenagers I was inspired by American hip hop and the few local successes like Hilltop Hoods to start playing around with rapping. But I took it to the next level in 2007 when I met my good friend Soma as well as my husband-to-be, Thorts. They both influenced me to explore the vast underground world of hip hop, to record my own rhymes and to fall very deeply in love with the entire culture of hip hop. I had been an avid follower of the rap scene since I was an 11 year old TLC and Run DMC fan, but there is a great divide between rap enthusiast and hip hop connoisseur. And for me the bridge came in the form of the incredible people that I met along the way.

How important is the lyrical content to you?

First and foremost I consider myself a lyricist. Sometimes I am critical of myself for slipping into a mundane or comfortable flow because I concentrate deeply on what it is I am actually trying to say rather than how cleverly I am saying it. That is a pitfall I am vowing to avoid from now on. I think lyrical content is only at its most wondrous when the flows are heart-stopping.

For people outside of Australia, we usually only think of Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso when we think about Aussie hip hop. What are your views about the scene in your country?

The scene here is inescapable. You couldn’t evade it if you tried. Hip Hop is permeating every aspect of society from every element of the culture. There’s a lot of stuff that I like and a lot that I don’t. I can’t stand the inane forum banter of idiots who associate Australian hip hop with ‘aussie (or white) pride’. That element has no place in our culture and sickens me. But I do think that Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso are pretty good ambassadors of our scene. They make generally intelligent, conscious music without trying to adhere to some relentlessly commercial formula and I see a lot of young, emerging Australian hip hop artists following in their footsteps. This is a good thing. I also see a blossoming emergence of female hip hop artists in Australia and I try to keep an eye on who is doing well, who is emerging and who needs more support. But it is easy to see that in Australia, hip hop is alive and well.

Any other Australian artists that you think we need to check out?

There are so many. I could be here all day. But if there is only one artist you check out this year, make it Mathas. He is from Perth and he is the best example of lyrical depth and lilting flows that I can think of. Dope.

I know that you’re very much into jiu jitsu and other forms of martial arts. What are your other passions in life apart from music?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA changed my life in the same way that hip hop did. I hate to sound corny but I hold quite the romantic flame for BJJ. It consumes me in the same way hip hop does. But I guess the thing that also draws me to the art is its authenticity. If you are motivated and creative and passionate, it WILL pay off. You WILL succeed. You will win, your hand will be raised and you will stand on a podium and reap the respect that you deserve for the immeasurable amount of blood, sweat and tears that you leave on the mats or in the cage. There is no subjectivity here. Sometimes with music you can be left feeling slightly unfulfilled or unrewarded for the amount of passion that you invest. Sometimes you can love music without it loving you back. The only negative thing that BJJ/MMA and hip hop share is a shady element of sexism that I think only sullies the purity of both art forms.

What can we expect from you this year?

For the past 2 years I have been working on a new LP with an array of talented folk from Australia and overseas. The project is very close to completion. It is a 16 track LP called The Theory of Everything which boasts a variety of production styles from boom bap to dub influences. We have production from Digital Assassin, Rahjconkas, Admin and Ren Riz. Featured rappers and vocalists include Ozi Batla (from The Herd), Optamus and Dazastah (from Downsyde), the incredible Ceschi, the late and beloved Hunter, my beautiful sis Class A, my husband Thorts, Chance Waters (aka Phatchance), Rachael Berry, Brooke Taylor, Soma, Miss Karleena, Porsah Laine and Rob Shaker on cuts. Pretty epic line-up and I can’t wait to release it into the world. And start on something new.

Final words or shout outs?

I mentioned earlier that my new album drops this year and includes a verse from the late, great Hunter. He passed away in October 2011 after a 2 year battle with cancer. His death affected us all but his life effected the world. Please show support for his work by purchasing the Australian Hip Hop Supports CanTeen double album or donating to cancer research. Every little bit helps.

Also, shout outs to everyone at Legion 13 (BJJ & MMA)! My family away from home.

http://kadyelle.bandcamp.com

http://www.reverbnation.com/kadyelle

http://www.facebook.com/kadyellemusic

http://www.myspace.com/kadyelle

A Band Of Buriers - Sketch no.2 - Honey

James P. Honey!

Chance Waters - Infinity

I must admit that there is something special about this track. I definitely have to check out some more stuff from Chance Waters.

BeOND - EverYThingZ BacKWardS

Acid Reign has been a favourite group of mine for years, so it's with great excitement that I sit down to listen to the debut album from BeOND, one half of the group. I've always been a big fan of BeOND as an emcee, and I definitely don't get disappointed when I listen to EverYThingz BacKWardS. His flow and style is very personal and strong, and he has one of those voices that commands you to stay focused and listen to what he has to say. We get 15 songs of first class lyricism and BeOND shows why he is one of the West Coast's finest emcees. On a few tracks he joins up with people such as Luckyiam and Self Jupiter. I can't say that I'm feeling the beats 100% of the time, but that has more to do with personal taste than anything else. Tired of listening to lazy and uncreative rappers? Do yourself a favour and pick up EverYThingz BacKWardS. BeOND shows why Project Blowed should never be underrated. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Foreshore Reverie Vinyl Out Now

Finally it has arrived. Murmur Breeze's amazing album Foreshore Reverie has now seen the light of day in the form of a limited vinyl edition. In a collaboration between decorative stamp and Cooler than Cucumbers Records, the album has got the deluxe treatment and comes in a beautifully crafted cover made by james p. honey. There are only 300 copies, so be quick to make sure that you get your own copy.

New Album from Misanthrop

If you're want something to look forward to, then this might be something for you. Misanthrop is releasing his new album Das Ungeheuer und sein Kritiker on postrap on April 20. Until then, enjoy the track Maschinenmensch taken from the album.

2econdclasscitizen - Outside Your Doorway

2econdclasscitizen has been busy lately. Recently he released a super limited vinyl postcard that sold out within 5 minutes. And now he's back with another teaser for the upcoming full length album The Small Minority. 

On Outside Your Doorway we get a mixed bag of treats. We get 2 tracks from the album as well as exclusive remixes of those tracks. And as a bonus we get Insect Forms, a new version of the track Identity that featured solely on the postcard release. The opening track Outside Your Doorway is a real treat with its crispy drums and beautiful textures. Liberated Lady follows with a more uptempo and catchy track that makes you want to get up and shake that ass. 

Both Dday One and Buddy Peace then delievers two really good remixes of the first tracks. They know how a remix should be done, adding new layers and brand new dimensions to the tracks, and I'm especially feeling Buddy Peace remake of Outside Your Doorway with its added vocals and melancholy vibe. After that comes what I feel is the true beauty of the EP. 2econdclasscitizen joins up with jamesreindeer and Jenny Blackbird to deliver a really wonderful and cinematic bomb in the shape of Insect Forms. The EP ends with a mix of the opening track and even though I must say that it's addition feels a bit unneccesary, it still somehow brings it all to a nice end. 

I'm really looking forward to The Small Minority when it drops in May on Equinox Records and Fake Four Inc.

Rating: 7/10

Soundtrack to Week 11

BeOND - Moment of Truth feat. Luckyiam

Really looking forward to BeOND's album EverYThingZ BacKWardS that  drops on March 15 on Project Blowed Records & Acid Lab Records.

Soundtrack to Week 10

A Band of Buriers - Long Dead

Time again for a new live video from A Band of Buriers. Enjoy!

rickoLus - Coyote and Mule

One of my absolute favourite albums of 2010 was Youngster by rickoLus. So to say that I was looking forward to his follow up is an understatement. And now it's here in the form of a digital release and limited edition cassette. On Coyote and Mule he has continued to perfect his mix of lovely lo-fi pop melodies and sonic weirdness, and he succeeds once again to create something personal and something distinct. Each song is a finished product in itself at the same time as they together makes a complete storybook. rickoLus is the narrator that brings us whereever he wants to go, and we all follow willingly.

Rating: 6.5/10

Soundtrack to Week 9

Kodacrome - Perla

Elissa Pociask. There is something about her and her voice that got me in a spell. Ever since I first heard her together with Brenmar back in 2005, I've been a huge fan of her, and I loved everything that she has released. When I first heard about Kodacrome I most admit I got a bit sad. I had hoped that she would stay a solo artist since I didn't think she really need anyone else. But I was wrong. Ryan Casey and Phil DaRosa feels like the missing link I wasn't even aware that was missing. Ryan's soundscapes complements Elissa's pop melodies and dark humoured lyrics perfectly. When I was lucky enough to hear a demo of some of their songs, I couldn't stop looking forward to their first proper release. And now it's here. Perla is 6 tracks of the most perfect electronic pop that I could ask for. I fell in love with the opening track The Bug at once, and just when I thought it was the height of pure love, track after track just deepened the love. After the 24 minutes, I just can't help playing it one more time and fall in love all over again. I also have to admit that I'm very pleased to see that they decided to put Robbery, one of my favourite songs of 2011, on the record. Perfect pop for 2012.

Rating: 8.5/10