Sunday, July 14, 2013

JTTG - Konoha Nights

So with his debut beat-tape having been out for a week or so now; I feel JTTG's new tracks have begun to sink into the scene a little; I also feel like now is an appropriate time to put out a review on the piece. See, we never really wanted this blog to be just another "press release" for artists, which is why we tend to not post the majority of tracks sent to us until we feel the scene has shown a degree of inherit interest in them. But now that all is said and done I feel it's a good moment to let you guys know that I think this mixtape is fucking ill, so imma muse a little.

See, not many mixtapes follow a storyline; while we hear of over-played groups putting out "concept-albums" all the time we rarely see much of this underground; most mixtapes, good or bad, tend to be a random assembly of ideas and concepts, but The Next Hokage takes a different approach. For while some people might grimace at a Naruto-themed anything, once you get into it you pretty much....yeah, get into it. This kid has refined his ability of pulling listeners into his tracks which then in turn draw listeners into his mixtape as a whole; you start off saying "okay, imma listen to the first track" and then all of sudden your halfway through the whole tape and completely immersed without realizing it.

And while it would be really easy to compare JTTG's release with his Temple partner The SHRNK's recent beat-tape, I don't thing that would do this tape justice. It's become pretty clear to their fans that their solo work is vastly different from each other, which on the one hand is really cool to hear, but on the other hand is a real challenge when it comes to their next Temple release; because everyone will have clear examples of the two producers' styles and some will be quick to scrutinize who each track seems to be leaning towards. Personally, I'm hoping cohesion will be the name of the game.

And on a side note; how fucking cool is it to give a world such as Masashi Kishimoto's a hip-hop soundtrack to go along with it? All of a sudden the story turns into Samurai Champloo and we have ninja's fighting to spaced-out trap music. Is it taking a dangerous risk? Sure. It's an idea that could've fallen flat on it's face if not executed properly, but it IS executed properly, and would you really rather listen to some generic DatPiff shit instead?

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Corona - Rhythm Of The Night (Haywood Retwerk)

Okay, so this remix from Haywood starts out as a total nostalgia trip for older ravers; I mean come on, Corona? That shit's back from when Jungle music was like, fucking NEW, like WAY back; when you could be coming home from some warehouse party on the dilapidated 90's subway system at four in the morning, flip on your pocket radio (cause everyone had those, right?) and hear Dee-Lite crooning in your ears to go back out and party more.

But then suddenly the track takes a dangerous turn; as the slick well produced style of the current culture come pounding forward with pure satanic 808 power and start slapping against the ground. Yet throughout this solid remix of an old classic, we get the feeling that indeed the old truths still hold there weight; as any DJ could drop this at any party today and every girl would start swaying with familiarity to this classic track (even though most of these chicks were probably like, five years old when Corona was out).

But maybe I'm reading too much into it. Either way this is a solid track, that every DJ in this scene should probably add to his arsenal, for it's not often you get that solid mix of past and present, and it's a choice tool to use at the appropriate moment in a good set. It also makes us wonder if this producer will bring that ear for the past into his projects when he (undoubtedly) begins to venture into original solo tracks, but I guess we can only hope, right?

And while it's currently not available by legal means, perhaps enough appreciation from the scene on Haywood's soundcloud and that 'download' button will magically appear somehow ;)

Rhythm of The Night(Anthony D. Haywood Rework) by Anthony D. Haywood

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Skifcha - Baff Weats

Holy Shit... Okay... So, I'm not sure exactly how to write this review; because as I'm writing I have Skifcha's new track "Baff Weats" playing on another tab and I can't stop head-banging. Because this kid just doesn't quit does he? The amount of new content this kid releases on a regular basis is the absolute envy of any producer on a free label or online medium; it only makes me wish that all these hard beats were organized into beat tapes or something on his soundcloud.

But then again you can't really expect organization from such young talent can you? Not even slightly, Skifcha's fans know him better then that, he's gonna put out ideas as they fly into his head, a never pausing amalgam of sonic inquisition. Into the dark and forbidding world of underground bass music this kid delves head first with little thought to genre or stylistic ristrictions, and personally I can't be anything but happy the scene has such a constant producer of hard bangers for all of us to enjoy and analyze over.

It seems only a matter of time before some online music collective decides to harness this creative force we call Skifcha, and *holy fuck* I just hope the scene (and my eardrums) will be good and ready.

BaffWeats by Skifcha EDM

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The 90's Collection - Society Woes

Picture it; brothers huddled around a lit blunt, along down some winding avenue or perhaps a parking lot near the ferry on some dark grey October afternoon. It's a moving scene, no? Lost souls in the cultural wasteland that is our home, striving to find a meaning behind their paths. 

It's these sorts of struggles and this kind of atmosphere I feel brings out the best in artists who grow up in environments like this; and I believe it's this sort of mentality that gave rise to The 90's Collection.

These kids have talent man, there's no denying that; like some forgotten age-old Motown catalog from back when music was good without even trying, these vocalists ooze through your headphones with an undeniable skill-set and charm.

And yet there's a moroseness behind the steady beat that Ceo has expertly laid down for them; a melancholy attitude that the gang seems to fit into comfortably; they vocalize their ambitions with the weight of the world upon them, dragging each uplifting thought and wish back down into the reality of these *ahem* dare I say it? slums we call home...

This track was a mark of beauty in a particularly rough day of mine, and I feel people in this borough have been having a lot of those, so here, just take a listen ^__^