Tigermoth - Duality and the Infinite

Like I have said plenty of times before, sometimes you just hope that all rappers and emcees could keep quiet because you're sick of their voices getting into your head. At times like that, it's always nice to pick up some instrumental music to clear your head for a bit. Unfortunately most instrumental records when it comes to the hip hop genre can't really stand on it's own. The music isn't strong enough to survive without the help of a vocalist. 

Melbourne based Tigermoth however has no problem with that. On his third full length, Duality and the Infinite, is a nice collection of heavy beats, turntable and sample heavy productions that comes together to give you just what you need. Not memorable perhaps, but good enough for the moment, and that's what music is all about most of the time. 

Rating: 6/10

Now streaming: Swordplay & Pierre the Motionless - Tap Water

Want to enjoy one of the more interesting albums this year. Then feel free to listen to Swordplay & Pierre the Motionless album Tap the Water here on the blog. 

The digital version of the album will be available tomorrow and on July 20 the vinyl version will drop through Dora Dorovitch. Please get familiar with these slept on artists and support good music!

Esh & Arc - The Third Tit feat. Romen Rok

The second video off Esh & Arc's Nightworks EP. Like the sound of it? Then you can download the EP here for free. 

Wordburglar - Croque Monsieur

The video for the third single from Wordburglar's third studio album, 3rdburglar, was inspired by 70s cop shows and the French sandwich the song is named after. Music to make you smile.

Dust On Snow - Circuit Bent Zoo

Brand new video to Dust On Snow's song Circuit Bent Zoo.

soso - Not for Nothing

Some albums that you listen to just leaves you lost for words. You try to come up with phrases to describe what you hear, but all you can do is feel the music. Feel it with you entire body. It makes you happy, it gives you goose bumps and it makes you stare into space, just getting lost in the music and the lyrics.

I've been really trying to figure out what to write about soso's latest album Not for Nothing, but I can't. My knowledge of the English language is too poor to really give it justice. So if you're looking for a review that will describe the music, then this is not that one. All I can say is that soso and Maki has come up with the, so far, best album of 2013. Period.

Rating: 9/10

Interview #27 - soso

Way More Than So-So

Behind the name soso hides one of the finest artists that have come out of the alternative hip hop scene in the last ten years. He might not be the most productive emcee out there, but everytime that he release something, you can count on it being extraordinary. So when he's just about to release Not for Nothing, his first album in 4 years, I made sure look him up and ask him some simple questions.

Could you please start off with telling us who you are and what made you into that awesome person that you are today? A brief background history that is. 

My name is Troy Gronsdahl. I grew up in a-semi rural place near a pleasant little city in western Canada. I fell in love with hip hop in the pre-internet era through videos, magazines, and movies. I was a voyeur (and pretty ignorant in retrospect) but my love of the music really drove me to move from spectator to participant. I started dj-ing and making beats in 1995 and became active in the community as an organizer. Almost everything I've learned has been in the service of hip hop. I've met some really generous and sincere people and visited some wonderful places.

You are a multiple skilled artist and you have a lot of projects with your name on it and, if I understand it correctly, it all seems to be connected, can you tell us how?

I started my formal art studies at the same time as I was getting my feet wet in independent music. I think my studies helped me to think critically and my music and visual arts practice has grown over the past ten years or so. My work is usually based on personal experiences, family history, ideas of place and often deals with issues of an existential nature. I've always been trying to figure shit out. I'm actually starting a new graduate degree program in visual art and it will be interesting to see how my practice develops over the next couple years.

Since you are both making music and visual art it would be interesting to know what gets you started and maybe a bit of the process that you go through when you making music or/and art? What are your sources of inspiration?

Most of my songs reflect on my experiences and the songwriting process unfolds in a couple of different ways. Sometimes I'm working within a specific concept. For example, on the new album I was interested in using the drowning of a raccoon – the kind of banal violence of rural life – as a way to think about my family, the place I grew up, my relationship to nature, the mysteries of creation and certain anxieties around not knowing. When I start writing, I usually begin with a phrase or a couple of lines and build the song around that. If I'm not working within a specific concept, I find that the song takes shape during the writing process. One of the interesting things about writing raps, is that the need to conform the lyrics to a structure – finding words that rhyme or work well together – can lead you into an unexpected place.

Working on art is a similar process. I usually have a topic I want to explore and/or a medium or approach I want to work with. Sometimes I discover things through the process of making that helps develop the work – experimenting with an idea or a medium, responding to accidents in the studio or things that work. It's process of discovery.

How did it all begin, I mean artistically? Is either one of the creative skills more dominant than the other and if so, which one do you focus on the most and why?

The world of independent music was much easier to penetrate than the art world. Through the work I was doing in my local community – organizing shows, recording and releasing music, working with other artists –I felt like I was part of an international music community that shared my interests and values. Through a network of homie relationships and like minded artists I was able to produce and release my music, promote my work and tour across Canada and in Europe and Japan. I was largely self-sufficient and felt like I was contributing to the growth of independent hip hop. In the past few years I have definitely prioritized my visual art practice and have tried to adapt some of the strategies of my music practice into building an art practice – building relationships, working in the local community, striving to create good work and finding an audience for it.

When you have spare time away from your creative work, what do you like to do then? Any guilty pleasures perhaps?

I like to drink beer and kick it with the homies – it doesn't happen as much as it used to. I like to go to restaurants and travel when I can. I go on meandering bike rides with my girlfriend, cook, watch sports on tv. I like getting hair cuts and building things.

What are your hopes and wishes for your upcoming release, Not for Nothing?

I feel like I had something to prove to myself with this project. I'm really proud of the album and I hope some people get to hear it.

Maki is responsible for the productions on the new album. You guys have worked together before, but never on a full length album, how come you ended up doing it this time around?

I've always admired Maki's production. Part of my writing process is driven by the production and Maki provided me with such a great selection of beats to work with it made the writing process that much easier. He really kills it on this record – I think it's as much of his project as it is mine.

Will there be any form of touring following the record release, and if so where?

One of the challenges of being a rapper with a non-rap career is arranging for time off to tour. We've kicked around a few ideas with my pals at Kütu Folk Records and Endemik Music but we haven't made any concrete plans.

It’s been about 4 years since your last album; All They Found was Water at the Bottom of the Sea, that you released back in 2009 together with DJ Kutdown. How come it took this long for a new album to see the light of day?

I pretty much gave up any delusions I had of doing music full time after my last album. The past few years have been a transition time for me – building a career, buying a house, focussing a bit more on art. The transition was difficult at times, I was dealing with disappointment. I decided not to push myself too hard to write but work on it when I was inspired to do so. It wasn't until I had a handful of songs written that I made a more concerted effort. Maki has been really great in keeping this project moving. I owe a lot to that guy!

I’m a big fan of both you and Recyclone, and one of my favourite records in my collection is Stagnation and Woe that was released back in 2006. How did that album come about, and do you guys have any plans of future collaborations?

Recyclone has a really unique voice in independent Canadian hip hop. When I was trying to build my label and work with some other artists he was the first I wanted to approach. We connected through a mutual friend – the incomparable Pip Skid - and had a short but fruitful association. We never met in real life. Although we kinda fell out of touch, I still cheer for him.

Being Scandinavian I must admit that your real name, Troy Gronsdahl, is interesting. What kind of ancestry do you have?

I have Norwegian ancestry on my father's side of the family. We eat strange nordic delicacies at Christmas like lutefisk but I don't the speak the language. I'd love to visit there someday.

Shout outs? Final words?

It takes commitment from folks like yourself to keep independent hip hop thriving. If any of your readers enjoy my music please track down an album on Endshoppe.com or Kutufolk.com. Hearts!

Not For Nothing is released on June 10. The vinyl version can be found at Endemik Music. For you CD people, please check out Kütu Folk Records. 

http://troygronsdahl.com/

Freddy Knop - Polyphonies EP

I had never heard about Freddy Knop before this, but the fact that Polyphonies is released through Circle Into Square is enough for me to check it out. And I'm glad I did. Freddy Knop is a Berlin based producer who here serves up 7 instrumental tracks that is made for the times that you feel like relaxing at home or just escaping the outside world with the help of a pair of headphones. It's frail, minimal and might I even say Björk-esque at times. It's music for recharging your batteries in order to face another stressful day.

Rating: 5.5/10

Ancient Mith - And the Dead Shall Lie There

For some reason it seems like a lot of people are sleeping on Ancient Mith. I can't understand why. Sure, not all of his tracks are the most easily accessible, but he got talent coming out of his ass to be quite honest. This bearded gent has a rap style that is far from unique, but he got lyrics and tracks that stand out from most people that I listen to to. At times he feels like the hardcore version of Sage Francis, but that is also very unfair. Ancient Mith is a solid artist that easily can stand on his own without any comparisons. 

And the Dead Shall Lie There is not his most immidiate record to date, but give it time and let the tracks work their way inside your mind and body. I promise you won't be disappointed. The only thing really that I feel that I'm missing out here is the live version of him. As much as I love his recorded material, I get a feeling that it is live that he comes to his true glory. One day perhaps I will get to see him live, but until then I'm more than happy to listen to his records.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hermitofthewoods - Land of the Lotus Eaters

Before this release I have to admit that I hadn't really heard any of Hermitofthewoods earlier material and wasn't quite sure what to expect. But the fact that Scott Da Ros was handling the production on it was enough for me to get interested. And I'm really glad that I gave this album a chance, because such an album it is! Hermitofthewoods is, for you who haven't heard of him before, a hip hop and spoken word artist based in  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The concept of spoken word artists dropping albums is far from always a good thing. A lot of the times they end up being too shattered and uninteresting to listen to in full length. Land of the Lotus Eaters however is a great example of how to combine hip hop and poetry and make it a highly enjoyable listening experience. The lyrics and the delivery throughout the album is of the highest class, and goes perfect together with Scott Da Ros personal and dark productions. It's perhaps not the easiest album to get into. The songs take you on weird and unexpected journeys, but journeys that you are more than happy to take as soon as you give the artists the control and just follow along. One of the best albums I've heard so far this year. This is what anticon should have sounded like in 2013.

Rating: 8/10

Factor - Woke Up Alone (Cover and Tracklist)

The cover and the tracklist from Factor's upcoming album Woke Up Alone that is released on Fake Four Inc. on July 23rd. Looks like it's going to be a treat.

01. Woke Up Alone
02. The Empire Has Fallen ft. Paranoid Castle
03. After the Service
04. Raise the Dead ft. Ceschi
05. Alive Tomorrow ft. Nomad
06. Stone Cold ft. Open Mike Eagle
07. Long Hallways
08. In Sickness & In Health ft. Onry Ozzborn
09. Don’t Give Up ft. Paranoid Castles and Jeans Boots
10. Denied ft. Myka 9
11. Devil’s Call ft. Evil Ebeneezer
12. Carry Over ft. Jeans Boots
13. Let it Go ft. Astronautalis
14. Give Up ft. Gregory Pepper & Paranoid Castle
15. The Grave (Burial)

Chrystal Oak - Post Romanticism

Behind the name Chrystal Oak we find probably the most productive Swedish hip hop artist ever. This is the 14th(!) solo album from Prosperous. He's not just the most productive one, but he's also without a doubt one of the most talented. We do however run into a bit of a problem here. First off I have to say that I really like this album. We're treated to 15 tracks of high quality and it's on regular spin in the headphones. 

But the fact that he is as productive as he is, makes it a bit much after a few years. I've been listening to Prosperous since like 2004 and love him to death. He do however release too much material for his own good. Not everything he's dropped is of high quality, and after a while you kind of reach a limit of how many Prosperous tracks you can listen to. I kind of wish that he would release a solid release about every two years or something. That would make me long for new music from him. At the moment I've almost stopped being able to say which of his albums that I'm listening to at the moment. 

But with that being said, this is still better than most music out there, and I really feel that you should support the man. The album has now dropped as a digital release, but it will soon be released on a jelly red tape through Hiss Tapes. 

Rating: 6/10

Ceschi - Forgotten Forever Tracklist

This seems to be the tracklist from Ceschi's upcoming album Forgotten Forever. It will be released sometime this year on Cooler Than Cucumbers Records. It will be 100 vinyl copies with 100 unique covers. It will be sold auction style. I might not totally like that, but we'll see when it's time. It will be a gem though I'm sure. The photo here is of one of the covers, courtesy of Serafima Skibyuk. 

01. Easy Arithmetic
02. One Million Battles
03. Love Song For The Apocalypse
04. Work Song (feat. Baracuda, NGAFSH & Child Actor)
05. Set In Stone
06. Death Cake
07. Terrible Twos
08. Sellouts (feat. Mike Mictlan)
09. Injuries Being Called Suspicious
10. Forgotten Forever (feat. Busdriver, Onry Ozzborn & Child Actor)
11. Must Forget (feat. David Ramos & Max Heath)
12. My Dog
13. Weather Person
14. The Hill
15. Never Write A Song About You

Beatoven - Tangled EP

I think I first stumbled across Beatoven when I found out that the guy behind the moniker, Stephen Baxter, also was a part of the amazing group Wild Dogs in Winter. They have now sadly enough stopped making music together, but the members have not been sleeping since then. Luke Payne creates stunning music under the name Thverfellshorn, Rhys Baker is A Native Hundred, and like earlier mentioned, Stephen is releasing music under the name of Beatoven. And such beautiful music it is! I liked Fully Baked EP that dropped back in 2010, but Tangled EP feels more matured, more finished somehow. 5 songs that hold their own no matter if they are instrumentals, such as Ground Born, or if we are treated to the vocals of Amy Hiller and the Palistinian emcee Boikutt. It feels like the time now is ready for a full length from Beatoven, I know that I will listen with enjoyment.

Rating: 6.5/10

sole - No Wising Up No Settling Down

Time again for yet another album from the man we call sole. And what is good about his releases is that you know that they will never leave you untouched. His material always envokes some kind of emotional response in you, and I wish that I could say the same about the majority of records being released out there today. I was going to say that on No Wising Up No Settling Down, sole is angry, but sole is always angry. He wouldn't be the interesting artist that he is without that fire inside him. And this is an album where he, as always, shares his views on the world around us in a personal and trustworthy way. 

I know I have dissed him from time to time lately, but I admit that some of my opinions have been wrongly aimed at sole's talent and material. He IS a very good emcee and he has lyrics that actually say something, and in many ways he is the Chuck D of our age. Unfortunately though, the beats and music that backs him up is not by todays The Bomb Squad. Far from it. To be quite honest, most of the music on N.W.U.N.S.D. leaves me completely cold, and even bored. So if a could put a grade on the lyrics and vocals alone on this album, it would probably end up being a 7. But because of the music and production, the grade can only be a 5.

Rating: 5/10

Kadyelle - The Theory of Everything

I first heard Kadyelle a bit over a year ago, and I really liked her style. She has a nice jazzy flow and a voice that is pleasant to listen to. And she keeps showing why she's a force to be reckoned with here on The Theory of Everything. She has developed as an emcee and as a lyricist and she feels much more secure in what she is doing. 

Unfortunately the album itself doesn't quite work in its entirety, and that's mainly because of the beats. They are not bad, but too many of them are a bit too weak to really lift the album to where it needs to be. In the end though it's still a decent album featuring a really talented artist. I thought about giving the album a 6 out of 10, but the horrible beat for Safe  unfortunately brings it down to a 5.

Rating: 5/10

Interview #26 - DOS4GW

Make Your Ears Bleed

It's very easy to think that all good producers come from places such as the US, Europe and Japan. There are tons of interesting names all over the place doing great music and new interesting sounds. DOS4GW is one of those. I listened to him a bit a few years ago, but after meeting the guy down in Melbourne last year got me really into his stuff. So it's with pleasure that I present one of my current favourite beatmakers. He's not just an great Australian artist, he's a great artist period.

First off, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Who's DOS4GW and why shouldn't we miss out on what you got going on?

DOS4GW is a few things - a roguelike hiphop producer and post-rave terror, progressive crunk-noise and skweeeelectronica artist, mainly. Basically it’s samples flipped from anywhere and everywhere from SNES roms to MegaDrive roms to GBA roms to NEOGEO roms, big drums, heavy bass synths and sleigh bells. Airhorns.

Why shouldn’t you miss out? well. It’d be presumptive for me to say ‘cos i’m a bad ass’ or something but you should definitely take a listen because I’ve been working hard on my sound for years now and feel like a) I’m super happy with everything I’m doing now and b) I’m still improving. also c) I like offending people with loud, digital abrasion combined with analog synths and drum machines and seriously if you don’t like that i) you can fuck off and ii) you’re probably reading the wrong fucking interview amirite?

Seriously though your mate Dave likes me so check it out.

How did you get into music making and can you tell us about your musical history?

My mother is a very musical person and she took me to Suzuki Method classes before I could consistently shit in the correct domestic appliance. To give you an idea of ‘very musical’ she has a severe degenerative brain condition and is in residential care but can still play a bunch of Beethoven. Anyway, piano and trumpet lessons all throughout primary school, then tuba in high school, and a stint at the University of Western Australia studying classical music performance. I didn’t last long there though. Took up guitar when I was a spotty teenager as well, and spent about ten years playing with rock and funk bands.

However I was always much more interested in computer generated music and synthesizers, from the age of about 13. I worked a whole summer at a petrol station for $6 an hour to buy a sampler when I was that age, and I’ve been obsessed with collecting gear for longer than I can remember.

The other piece of the puzzle is my obsession with technology and computers. When I was growing up, my Dad got on board with the newish personal computing trend. We had a bangin’ old XT which he wrote a thesis on. I mostly used it to play pinball and King’s Quest. My older brother was also into computers and we used to spend our pocket money at computer trash-or-treasure markets. We’d buy a shitload of old motherboards, CPUs, RAM etc and try to cobble them together into working units. I think the first one that I managed to get working by myself was a 286. To say that I was stoked would be an understatement. I had set off the surge protector more than a few times before that but it was a small price to pay. It was the start of a lifelong obsession with being hands on with technology.

I think being an electronic music artist was somewhat inevitable, right from the start. It scratches a lot of my itches. Plus I enjoy doing it and enjoy meeting other people who do it too. Plus sometimes people give you free drugs!

How would you describe your music and would you mind sharing your creative process with us? Don't hesitate to get geeky for the readers out there.

I find describing my music difficult. Here goes though: it’s 60-170bpm electronic music, more on the head nod type tip rather than the dancefloor vibe, but with rave and tech influences. I produce lots of doom electronica hiphop beats for rappers also. 

My process can start in one of two places:

1. Digging at the trash and treasure market or

2. Generating a weird/cool noise/riff with a synth or sampler on hand.

I have a few spots I hit regularly, and I try to only buy a few records at a time to sample. Too much choice = no creative pressure. There’s always a few crates with unusual stuff spread over the markets. And if not, buy some banging percussive techno riddims or a cheesy soundtrack. Get home, play through, flip anything that sounds good. Sometimes it jumps straight out, other times it’s a long wait or a miss, but there’s usually something to try. Once I’ve got the sample, I find that I can hear what it needs (to my ears, anyway) pretty quickly, be it breaks, drum machine hits, bassline, synth melody/harmony, whatever really. I have a massive collection of sounds that I’ve been collecting over the years, but nowhere near as big as some of the libraries I’ve seen. I’m probably somewhere in the middle on that one, e.g. more than 100 breaks but less than 10,000,000,000. Again, too much choice is a bad thing for me.

I’ve got a few favourite synths and samplers too. I used to be a big hardware sampler junkie but downsized recently. Favourite keyboard sampler? Ensoniq Mirage, or possibly the Korg MicroSampler, which is fucking massively underrated, buy one now. Favourite rack sampler? Akai S612, if you’ve played with one you know what I mean. Favourite desktop sampler? MPC1000, only because it’s the only MPC I’ve had and it’s a lot better than my ES-1! haha. Favourite synth? Hands down, my Roland System100 semi-modular, with expander, sequencer (12 step yeah baby!!?) and mixer. Original Virus is up there too (although Yes No Maybe stole mine! jerk). I haven’t bought a new synth in a while so I’m looking forward to finding something a bit more weird. Always been fascinated by the Kurzweil K2000 series so maybe I’ll try to track one of those bad boys down. Controller-wise I mostly just use my MicroSampler because it’s USB and is always plugged in, or if I’m feeling a bit more fruity then I have an EWI-4000S, or padKontrol.

From a recording standpoint, it’s LPs -> Shure M44-7 -> SL1200 -> Pioneer DJM 600 -> dbx 376 tube strip eq, compressor and de-esser, or straight from synth/sampler outputs to the dbx or direct to interface. On that side, I use a MOTU 896HD interface, all routed into Cubase. Most sequencing, processing and extra FX are within the box, with a range of VSTs. I won’t say exactly what (come on, a girl’s gotta have secrets) but there’s distortion FX, delays, EQs, filters and sequenced fucking-with-shit FX. Brands like Waves, Camel Audio, TC Electronic, Audio Damage and Ohm Force. I’m using a Windows 8 PC, with an i7 CPU, Kingmax RAM, Gigabyte boards and Samsung SSDs. I’ve always been a PC hardware guy so I’m fanatical about things like having a good PSU, top end motherboards with good controllers, really inane stuff like that. Makes the tunes sound better, haha. I use Macs at work and hate them, plus a lot of my hardware has stopped working with Macs as they’ve updated things in the last few years. I’ve always been able to make PCs work in the past, and now they just work without any fuckery, so that particular choice is a no brainer for me.

In terms of monitoring I’m outputting to a Mackie Big Knob which is the piece of kit I touch the most in my little studio. Big fan of a Big Knob. I’ve got Mackie 824s (the old ones) hooked up to that for near-field monitoring. I use the headphone outs to see what mixes sound like on shitty canalphones, those TDK ones you see for $12 on the high street, as well as Sennheiser HD 202s (which I maintain are the cheapest yet most flexible headphone on the market, if you need something that you can DJ with, check mixes with in the studio and use on the train without looking like too much of a cock). I also have reed fencing, plastic plants, and fairy lights. And a 40” LCD screen so that I don’t have to squint.

In terms of tunes, sometimes I can hear a sample, flip it, add a break, chop the break, add another kick and some sleigh bells, layer a bassline, play a synth line in, loop it up, arrange and vary it a bit, export it and be done inside an hour. Other times, it takes me three months to go through exactly the same process. I try not to force things too much - if I try a few things and they suck, well, not point trying to rape a track out of the sample. That said, if a sample sounds like it has potential but it’s not quite there yet, then I keep trying. I make on average about 2 beats I’m happy with per month. Slow, but I’m happy with everything that is coming out now, which wasn’t always the case. People are noticing and that’s really motivating because it means that my process is working, even if it is slow. I am jealous of people who can crank out quality beats much faster than me, but I’m happy with where I am, so doubt I will pressure myself to up the ante in terms of sheer output volume.

What are your influences?

I’m heavily influenced by: hiphop. rave electronica, acid house, and a range of drum and bass from 90s jungle to current 2010s tech. youtube. the rings of saturn. hardcore (all kinds). thrash and doom metal, animated gifs, breakcore music.. um.. dobermans.. and magic mushrooms. and whisky. That’s definitely what my music sounds like. It’s the sound of tenuously controlled techno-alcoholism punctuated by psychedelic experiences, amen breaks screwed to 69bpm and Tony Robinson from Time Team smoking a blunt on the site of a Roman villa excavation.

When I was a kid, my older brother was my god, and he was a grunge and metal guy, so that’s what I was. It was acceptable to like The Prodigy, NIN and Cypress Hill because they crossed over. Then I heard Temples of Boom.. the production on that album is godlike. Muggs absolutely kills it. That disc hit me at exactly the right time. I spent some time in Sweden when my mother went on a lecturing exchange there when I was a teenager and it was just a perfect soundtrack to the eternal darkness and heated bus stops in the north of Sweden. It opened my eyes up to hiphop in a way that no record before it did. It’s funny how a ‘3 and a half star’ album can hit you like that sometimes. I was born in ‘84 so I missed rap music the first few times around, but after discovering Gravediggaz and Wu-Tang after that fateful trip, my path was pretty much set (even though I didn’t know it at the time).

I would say that my list of influences is getting smaller over time as I find more confidence in my own sound. But that might just be the sake talking.

Seeing that you're from Australia, what is your opinion about the hip hop/beat scene over there? 

I’m probably not the best person to ask about that really. I have never been much into the scene here. This is going to sound like a cop out but.. all my favourite rappers growing up were from the USA. That’s just how rap music sounds to me.

That said though, I love the fact that a lot of crews in Australia don’t really give a fuck about what’s happening on a larger scale, they just do what they want. There’s a big wonky beat scene here but I don’t get into that much... and there are a lot of Dilla-likes fucking everywhere. However, there are lots of people who represent originality in pretty much every city in Australia and I have a lot of respect for that. I think that’s what I like about the scene here - people are really dedicated and you can tell that they love what they do. My Dad always told me that was the most important thing in any aspect of life - loving it and being proactive about what you love - and that makes me optimistic about the future of hiphop and beat music in Australia. A lot of guys are having commercial success too which is great because it always drives more engagement with the more real scenes, no matter how commercial and fake the progress might seem. It might seem like those guys have it easy but a few people around me are on that path and it has a whole lot of other stresses and troubles that underground guys don’t even have to know about. Imagine your whole career trajectory being determined by an FM radio tastemaker! crazy.

I’ve been really lucky in that I’ve been at the right place at the right time when it’s come to meeting the right people in my journey through the underbelly of the weird music scenes in Australia and via the internet, the world. Hooking up initially with The Community was a godsend, and then when I moved over to Melbourne from Perth, the genesis of L-Burn was happening and I just lucked straight into such a tight thing with those guys.

Tell us a bit about The Community and L-Burn ILLuminati.

I met Mathas from The Community when we were in high school. We both went to a pretty conservative school that was pretty supportive of the traditional arts like orchestral music, theatre etc. so it was a strange place to meet someone like that. Mathas is a great MC and awesome producer, but I didn’t know that at the time. I knew he was a good actor because I played in the bands for the school plays. I knew the guy and we were friendly but we weren’t tight. A couple of years later I started getting a bit more confident with my beats and my man Loss suggested that I talk to Mathas because ‘he does hiphop’. Fucking lucky that I did too, I took a beat CD down to the Hyde Park Hotel in Northbridge, WA one night because I saw Mathas on the bill there. Shout outs to the old Hyde Park, 40 cent pool representing. I got chatting with him after his set, gave him the CD, and boom, things were rolling. He guested on tracks for me, I recorded his 10lb Hairless Sasquatch album at the house I was living in at the time, and Diger and the whole Community family just opened their arms to me pretty much just through that. Looking back they were insanely tolerant of me, which was lucky because I was a bit of a cunt back when I was younger. Drank way too much, got out of hand easily. I remember once trying to choke Diger’s partner because she stole my walking stick at a party. I bumrushed the decks at another party when YLEM was playing. I was mortified afterwards of course. Getting off on the wrong foot like that can be fucking damaging in the wrong scenes. But they were patient and I am forever indebted to them for that. These days, The Community has grown into a huge artist and creative collab group, making dope beats, tunes, raps, art, visual, everything. Nothing but good shit comes out of there. Peace Community fam, I still got you.

Things were going good and I was getting my MySpace friend numbers up (shout outs Justin Timberlake bringing that back) when a guy called Brendan Webb hit me up asking me if I wanted to play the opening of a night called Render in Melbourne, and he knew this rapper GDP who was coming out, did I have any beats I could send for him? I went over, played the night, met AOI, Mr DNA and GDP (who was in town at the time, in from New Jersey). Got drunk as hell, as usual. GDP and AOI and I made the Magic Bullet tape, in our bedrooms and whatnot, over the internet, which I think still bangs pretty hard. A few years later, after I had moved over to Melbourne and met a few more guys, L-Burn was born. Props to DNA and AOI for getting me in on the ground floor with that!! haha. L-Burn is going from strength to strength now. We’ve got some great releases coming in 2013, Kwasi just dropped his EP which is dope as hell, Yes No Maybe dropped his tape loops EP which is on repeat in my headphones right now, amazing, me and DNA are just about to drop our EP, AOI is still going nuts with the records to prove it coming out left right and centre (24 releases in 2012!!!! what the fuck!?!?!!), Epps is coming hard and killing the battle scene as well as making waves in the acting community and recording on the side, we’ve got Tigermoth down in the L now throwing out MAJOR waves across the globe, watch out for his new disc, KLB is rolling out the soundpond crew in Melbourne, what up Calum, Class A is up for best female MC in the ozhiphop.com awards this year and has more Facebook likes than all of us put together!! GDP starting some major shit in NYC/NJ, NoEmotion GoldMask cranking out videos and internet hits from Miami, Suckerfish P Jones is in Melbourne reppin’ L, watch out for him, RIP Prince Mackadilly, Namine is going to blow everyone away, that kid is amazing, watch out for his album in the first half of this year, DJ LAME rolling out his Drty Shdws Prjkt label worldwide, DANKCITY filming more amazing shit, So High finally being persuaded to release his beats (COME ONNNNNN!!!), watch for that, Dyl Thomas smoothin’ out on y’all, fuck son and we got the L-Burn crew album starting recording in two weeks!!! I’ve heard a lot of the beats for it already and they are m_e_n_t_a_l. so.. watch out for L-Burn in 2013, is what i’m tryin to say I guess, haha. 

Do you have a dream project that you would like to work on?

Yep I’d love to produce a record featuring Sadat X, Count Bass D, Klashnekoff, Prodigy, B-Real, GDP, No Emotion and Danny Brown. Then, I’d just put out the instrumentals. Release the raps on like limited bonus 7”s or something :)

What do you want to accomplish with your music?

Strange question. I’m not consciously trying to accomplish anything, except for self-gratification. I make music because I do, and always have. It would be nice to leave something other than a gravestone and a few memories on this earth, so music is a good avenue in there. Seriously though, I’m not really sure. I think that’s why I enjoy it so much. No boundaries, no expectations, just art.

What are you up to when you're not making music?

I work in user experience design, which is kinda like at the junction of designing interactions (so things like web sites, apps, etc), market research (finding out what users of said apps, sites etc actually want and need) and service design (making sure all touchpoints between a user and a brand, business or organisation are cohesive and comply with a consistent message and vision).

Basically I’m a designer who can also do research and analysis. Sounds sexy, no? I work 9-6 like a good boy, and work my music around that.

I live in Hawthorn with my girl and a cat called Pepper who meows at me a heap. She’s sitting next to me right now actually. I like to watch QI, Time Team, nerd shit like that. I like videogames too, but after 25ish years of playing them, other things in life are taking priority. I used to play maybe 8 hours per day, videogames on PC, when I was a teenager. Now I try to funnel that energy into more creative channels and for the most part it is working. I play games to relax now, not to hone my Counterstrike skills to the next 0.01 percentile. That said I have clocked more than 300 hours in TF2. :S 

What can we expect from you in the near future?

The near future: DNA x DOS is coming out very soon, early April. We’re in final stages of mastering it, so it’s done, 99% there. Release party at the Croft on April 13!! I’ve also got a few remixes coming out soon that have been in the bag for a while, most notably a remix for Walter Gross + sole that I did late last year, as well as a Cult Favorite remix that I’m really liking at the moment. New L-Burn album, as I mentioned before - I will have a couple beats on there. New DOS4GW instrumental record, the follow up to SUICIDE, called SUISIDE B, is coming along slowly... it’s a year since I put out SUICIDE and I’ve been getting distracted with other projects so haven’t been spending enough time on it like I planned. That’s the big one for me this year though, I’m getting it done no matter what before mid year so that I can ramp that up with a bit more publicity and what not than I usually do. I’ve got another release with GDP coming this year hopefully too, if I can get onto the guy. AOI/DOS4GW split cassette dropping soon on Seaby Records. DOS x k(no o) split EP also, look out for that, we haven’t started though haha!!

I could drop a bunch of names and say oh I’m hoping to write with this person and collabing with that person but to be honest who knows what will happen this year. I actually want to get started on that dream record I mentioned too (and have a couple of ins so ... who knows, it could happen!). Basically what I’m gonna do is write a whole bunch of music, put it on the internet, update twitter, and see how things go. I have the luxury of hardly anyone knowing who I am, so pressure is self-created for the most part. The blessing of being ‘underground’. But don’t worry, lots of stuff coming, for real.

Shout outs?

You know who you fucking are. L-burn. Community. Reservoir Sound (whatup AM, elucid, let’s do it). GDP, Slangcorp, if you’re still around. Can’t wait for AOI x TMFSE. 3BY3, thanks for the mixtape love - same to SKYWLKR, thanks for putting me on the mixtape god. Shouts to all my heads working community radio and online radio, soundpond, RTRFM, 3RRR, PBS, electric crush, down underground. Shouts Seaby. Kimi Räikkönen, come through this year son. Glenlivet, I’m keeping y’all in business so how about a free hat or something? Dan Murphy. My new dentist, you rock, and BUPA for footing most of my bills like a boss. Insurance is finally paying off. All the hardworking people I pirated programs off of over he last 15 years, I’m sorry, I’m paying for your shit now mostly, I got you, you know me, shouts. I’m good for it. Meow outs to Pepper and to Stevens, RIP you crazy motherfucker. And Kerrianne, I love you, and now you can’t tell me I never shout you out!! and beats breaks & big smiles :) peace!

http://dos4gw.com

https://soundcloud.com/dos4gw

http://dnaxdos.com

Interview #25 - Moshe

קען ניט זאָרגן ווייניקער

When I started up this series of interviews, Moshe was one of the first people I wanted to do one with. I don't know why I never got around to it until now, but better late than never I guess. Being the man behind Milled Pavement, one of my absolute favourite record labels these last few years, as well as releasing great music on his own was the main reason for me to invite him to do this. Him being devilishly funny and nice was another one.

Can you please tell us about who you are, your background and how you got in to this crazy thing called music?

What up?!, I’m Marc Shepard, some know me as Moshe. I began DJ’ing as a little dude, spinning tracks at local high school dances and parties in the late 80’s. Once I was old enough to play at clubs I started looking for a place to spin underground hip-hop – the unconventional shit at that time like Sole, Arsonists, Saafir, O.C, shit very few heads had on their walkman. I got my first turntable from high school friend Moodswing9, and learned to blend from a few local legends like DJ Nicotine & Dale Da Dred. After scratching records with a few different groups I started producing my own tracks. My first album was Milled Pavement release number 001.

I've heard rumors that you have a new EP coming up. What can we expect from that one, and how come it took so long to release it? 

The rumors are true, Suffering Makes for Great Bedtime Stories, will be released sometime this year on Milled Pavement Records. The album features vocal styling’s from Noah23, jamesreindeer, babelfishh, EVAK1, Brzowski, Monsieur Saï, THMS, Riddlore?, Swordplay and more. I started the EP over a year ago, but have been concentrating my creative side towards DJing filthstep, touring Europe with fellow brother-of-the-beard, Brzowski, and running the label. Winter in Maine is the perfect time to lock yourself in and make things happen.

You're the man with the plan behind Milled Pavement, the big cheese so to speak. Can you tell us about how the label all came about, and what are your views about its development so far? 

Milled Pavement goes beyond Moshe truly, we are a conglomerate of artists working together towards a common goal. I mean, I may have the final say, but it truly is a group effort.

Once I released a few of my own albums under the MP label, I figured I could help other like-minded artists do the same. I was meeting other producers & mc’s from all over the world on websites like Myspace and MP3.com who eventually became part of the extended family.

What does a typical day look like in the life of Moshe? What are you up to when you’re Marc and not Moshe?

I wake up, get coffee, smoke 40 cigarettes and see what happens. I don’t recommend this, however.

Apart from the EP, what can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m currently working on an album with wonky producer 32french, a new Desert People project should be starting up soon with Mike Clouds, an upcoming 12” release and full length album with Brzowski will be started soon. I’ll also be releasing more filthstep mixtapes this year (if the dubstep producers stop making trap music and get back to the filth).

What are your influences? What made you the artist that you are today? 

As a youngster I was highly influenced by early death metal bands like Slayer, etc. and then 90’s hip-hop. As I grew older I was into a lot of downtempo beats, hip-hop instrumentals from artists on Ninja Tune, Shadow, etc.

You are without a doubt one of my favourite tweeters, because you never seem to care what other people might think of what you say. Is this a typical trait for you?

Absolutely! Ha. I’ve never cared what others think of me. That could be a curse, but I don’t care! Truthfully I enjoy making people laugh, and Twitter is a great outlet for that.

What do you want to accomplish with your music?

The music is the accomplishment. Having people listen, and enjoy what I do only makes the process that much more fulfilling.

Any final words?

Big ups to you for thinking of me! Shouts to the entire Milled Pavement Records fam, EmBen Digital and 2-99 Records.

http://www.milledpavement.com/
http://www.twitter.com/moshstep
http://www.facebook.com/moshemusic
http://www.soundcloud.com/moshe-1
http://www.mixcloud.com/moshebenyitzhak

Sadistik - Flowers for My Father

It's a true joy to see an artist constantly evolving, improving, reaching. Sadistik is one of those artists. Someone who doesn't settle for what's easy or trying to fit in with what everyone else is doing. He strives to bring out the personal in everything he does, and we as listeners get to enjoy beautiful music because of it. I really liked The Balancing Act when it dropped back in 2008, and ever since then he's slowly but surely picked out his own path with his music. 

Flowers for My Father is 13 songs of some of the best hip hop out there at the moment. Well, let me rephrase that, it's some of the best music out there at the moment. Simply defining Sadistik as a hip hop artist is only restricting him, and he's so much more than that. Flowers for My Father is a great start of the year for him and for Fake Four Inc.

Rating: 8/10

Serengeti - Saal

I like Serengeti. You never quite know what to expect each time he releases a record, and that's something I admire. When I first put on Saal I was really pleased. I liked the soulful, singy album that sometimes are as far away from typical hip hop as you can get. He doesn't really get away with his new style though. At times he borders on the sound of Buck 65, and that's a good thing. All too often though he borders on the style of another Canadian rapper that I won't mention by name here. And that's not a good move. 

Even if I still like the album, I get less and less impressed by it, and I don't think that this is one of the Serengeti records that I will return to very often.

Rating: 5.5/10