Madlib is a mad lab man.  Amongst his many projects, he has just announced that he is releasing Madlib Medicine Show, a  once-a-month, 12-CD, six-LP project.  It will be a “combination of Madlib’s new hip-hop productions, remixes, beat tapes, and jazz, as well as mixtapes of funk, soul, Brazilian, psych, jazz and other undefined forms of music from the Beat Konducta’s 4-ton* stack of vinyl.  Madlib Medicine Show No. 1 is Before The Verdict featuring Guilty Simpson, a 17-track album mixing remixes and new material, something of a prelude to Madlib & Guilty Simpson’s forthcoming OJ Simpson album.”  Wow, that’s ambitious.  I like that listeners will so many goodies to choose from, but I sense an over-ambitious project like this might leave room for many released tracks that maybe should have been cut. We shall see!

Here’s the new track off this series, The Paper.  It’s ehhh in my opinion.  Tell me your thoughts!

That tune is sounding proper banging too.

I had such a funky good time last night at the Dam-Funk show!  He has been touring for the past 2 months promoting his new album, Toeachizown, which is out now on Stones Throw Records http://www.stonesthrow.com/damfunk .  If it’s not obvious by now, I am a BIG fan of the artists on this label, as this is the second post in one week relating to Stones Throw.  The first time I saw Dam on the turntables was about 2 years ago in November at a Stones Throw Concert (shocker!  No, I don’t sweat them or anything………….) featuring Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib, Percee P, J Rocc and Guilty Simpson.  The show lasted 6 frikin hours!  Dam was the first cat to come on stage and just spin straight vinyls.  Every single song he threw on, he told you who the artist was, the name of the track and what year it was released.  I instantly fell in like with his steez because he really knew how to connect with the crowd.  Every song was pure boogie/funk and literally got into your bloodstream–the tunes were contagious and you just had to dance.  The next time I saw him was pure luck.  I had been in LA for a few days and as funk was on my side that night, I heard he was going to be spinning at a local bar called Carbon (in Culver City).   The scene was underground, just how I like it, with b-boys and b-girls battlin’ to the beats in this divebar.  

Now, back to last night, the show was in this new and AWESOME spot, Brooklyn Bowl, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  At times, it was tough seeing through the endless hipster Ray-Ban eyeglass frames, but I didn’t let that get in the way of my spot on the dance floor.  There were a few DJs at the beginning of the night throwing on classic funk and soul tracks which stirred up the crowd for what was yet to come.

Cubic Zirconia

Next, there was a live set by Cubic Zirconia.  Oh, where do I begin with this group.  I thought for a second I had maybe mind-tripped into Scores or some other strip joint like Wiggles. Within the first song, as I was standing directly in front of the stage, I was cheek-to-cheek with 2 gold-painted female dancers in bras and thongs.  Ass and titties.  Ass, ass and titties. Waiting for a nipple to fly out, the girls got dirty on the stage while booty-clappin’ to the beat of the music.  This scene immediately reminded me a bit of Santigold and her 2 backup dancers that stand on either side of her, frozen at times and periodic dancing at the hook or chorus of the song.  Except, these girls with Cubic got down and dirty and Santigold’s girls are a bit more…mmm shall we say, tasteful.  I mean, no need for a broom, let’s just dust the floor with our asses.  But, amidst the booties on acid, the band was playing a phat beat that kept my eardrums wanting more. Growing anxious to hear what would come next, the lead singer, Tiombe Lockhart, then graced the stage and stood between the strippers mid-song in a shiny cloak and hot pants (later de-robing into a wannabe Carnaval getup), yet again adding to the amount of erection-bearing audience members.  I have to say, this was a damn good ploy in getting the audience to drop everything and listen.  Well, at least watch.   The more songs they performed, the more I started liking them and realizing that the band members not only got an A in marketing and its ploys, but were talented musicians.   The drummer was actually phenomenal and brought the beat alive.  The voice of Lockhart acted as a crescendo with the music, complimenting the band’s high-energy rather well.  Their music is sort of electro/80s glam rock/psychedelic.  Their single, Fuck Work, is a catchy tune that makes all the unemployed folks of this era sing along with fists high in the air. If my sonar detectors predict correctly, I would say Cubic might blow up. 

Check out this SCANDALOUS part of the concert when some chick that performs with CZ gets down ‘n’ dirty (although I don’t really understand her role in conjunction with the band????)

Now, back to the funkmosphere’s meteorologist, Dam-Funk.  To start off, this dude is super approachable.  He is really friendly and genuinely appreciative of his audience.  I ran into him 3 times off the stage to toot his horn a bit.  I swear, I wasn’t stalking, it just happened.  I was eager to see how he would perform, since he is a DJ; his music is recorded and in no need of a band.  To my pleasant surprise, he kept the crowd jumpin’ the whole time by providing vocals on the mic and by playing the key-tar!!  Man, do I love the synthesizer.  He lays down the funk ten-fold.  The majority of the tracks he played were off his new album, so mostly original stuff blaring through the speaker unlike the past shows I’ve seen him do.   Whenever he’s on stage, I feel like I’m on the funkship headed straight back to 1978.  He keeps the thrill of boogie alive when he’s on the turntables and I appreciate him for that.  There were literally circles of funk fiends (myself included) just dancing.

Hot tracks that kept my hips thrusting were Passion, Toeachizown and Fantasy. I was a sweatbag by the end of the show from dancing all night.  It’s definitely 1,000 times better hearing his album live on full blast, rather than on my factory computer speakers.  There is no comparison, so just  a side-note for anyone checking him out for the first time on the net.   It is worth seeing him live!   Hopefully one day Dam can DJ one of my parties (SHOUT TO DAM-FUNK, HOUSE PARTY IN QUEENS!!!!!!!!!!!)

I just wanna FUNK you

I just got put onto this new cat, Meyer Hawthorne, and I absolutely love his music.

He comes out of AnnArbor, Michigan, near Detroit, as a hip hop DJ.  He played around on the side making silly tracks (or so he thought) that mimic the Motown sounds of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Temptations and The Supremes.  These tracks got into the hands of Peanut Butter Wolf, founder and phenom DJ of Stones Throw Records.  PB Wolf asked from where Hawthorne got his melodies–unbeknownst to him, all of the tunes were created by Hawthorne.  He plays pretty much all of the instruments, provides the vocals and writes the lyrics for these sweet-lovin’ tracks.   Interestingly enough, Hawthorne had no formal vocal training.  PBW loved what he heard and asked Hawthorne to make an album, which is out now on Stones Throw Records: http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/mayerhawthorne/a-strange-arrangement

These songs are reminiscent of smooth 60s soul.  His tracks are lathered up with sweet harmonies (all his own voice).  Along with the poignant Motown melodies, you hear dropped beats hinged on sounds similar to the late J Dilla.  On an Artist of the Week feature, Hawthorne states, “I’m not trying to be labeled as throwback music or retro.  This is new.  It’s something that I really feel we’re missing right now.  Hopefully I can bring back all the incredible harmonies and the soul back to this new generation…Soul music used to be the music that everybody went to the club to dance to.  And I’m trying to see that happen again.”   Me too, Amen brotha!

Hot tracks of the week:

Meyer Hawthorne’s “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBKx8PyE5qQ

Meyer Hawthorne’s “Maybe So Maybe No”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpfcydeSGeo&feature=channel

Meant to do this one a while ago. Soul is back. And it’s not from an English crack head this time. Win. Mayer Hawthorne is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hmm, a white soul singer signed to Stones Throw Records? In 2009? Yeah. Sounds normal to me. This dude is so retro. Though “Maybe So, Maybe No” was a joke the first time that I saw it.

Thought that he was trying to be the dude giving hugs from that Dave Mathews Band video. Or something stupid like that haha. Come to find out, he’s actually singing these songs. Shit is crazy. His album, A Strange Arrangement, was released on Stones Throw Records in last month. Don’t have it. I’m slacking. Have to get it. You should too.

Time for something a little bit different than the music we’ve posted before. You know that music from the 60’s where you just can’t help but bob your head, and it just makes you feel good about yourself? Well, there hasn’t been anything like that for a while…until now. I introduce Mayer Hawthorne. A white gentleman who produces, plays instruments, sings, songwrites…basically does everything you need to to make an album. And that’s what this man did, made one hell of an album. You may think that he has nothing to do with hip-hop however he’s a hip-hop DJ that still DJ’s under the moniker “Haircut”. He even samples his self in his music. Saying dudes like Drake and J. Cole are breaths of fresh air isn’t a lie, but it’s still rap. This is definitely a breath of fresh air. I popped it in my player yesterday morning, and haven’t taken it out since. He makes music that Kanye West would sample. Here’s a couple joints y’all should listen to, get motherfucking familiar. Dude is incredible.

Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’

Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out

If you like what you hear, go SUPPORT! Pick up a copy of Mayer Hawthorne’s A Strange Arrangement, NOW!

Koushik is giving away a instrumental version of his brilliant album “Out My Window” for free along with some bonus beats.

Follow this link for the free album.

I first heard Mayer Hawthorne earlier this summer, and to be honest, I was totally blown away. I wasn’t sure if what I was listening to was a cover version, or even an old track from the early 1970’s. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mayer Hawthorne was in fact a multi-instrumentalist coming out of Detroit, and based very much in the here and now….

So, here is the video for ‘Maybe So, Maybe No’ - one of my tracks of 2009.

The song is taken from the album ‘A Strange Arrangement’ – out now on Stones Throw Records .

Hey, just gotta emphasize the importance of listening to THIS podcast, also found in the RSS feed from Stones Throw Podcast, to the right –>

Sometimes rappers and labels can penetrate the race barrier (white) with a platter of strategic compromises, everything from marketing to intellectual content. While the likes of G-Unit and Def Jam infiltrate the minds of the rural white youth, I call them the ‘red kids’, it is the indie labels like Stones Throw and Def Jux that have captured the attention of the Bohemian youth. These youth are looking for content over stigma, and relevance over popularity. At least that’s what most indie rap kiddies would want you to believe, that they exist as an exclusive minority of fans single handedly keeping hip hop alive by bumping intelligent rap. Essentially we have a class of rap fans that mimic the intelligentsia class of any given civilization, they are the archetypal elite.

Stones Throw beatmaker Oh No via Egon’s catalog is going to drop a new digital album, titled Ethiopium, inspired-by and sampled-from rare 60s and 70s Ethiopian funk, jazz, folk, soul and psychedelic rock. This complex package of refined hip hop is going to be accompanied by a product, coffee manufactured with comme il faut partner, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea. The digital album drops in early November, but you can cop the coffee today at the Stones Throw store, just click the coffee image above (retails for 19.99). I don’t care what this album sounds like in the end, it’s not my sub-genre of choice, but I do care that hipsters/Bohemians/urban white kids possess this sub-genre with an attitude that exudes elitism. So come holiday season be mindful of privileged kids listening to sampled Ethiopian beats packaged with coffee from Kenya, a genuine cultural experience.   To them I say this: wake up and smell the coffee, the proverbial kind, not that 20 dollar commie coffee.

]]> http://holdthethrone.com/2009/09/05/a-strange-arrangement/ Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:45:50 +0000 domcorleone http://holdthethrone.com/2009/09/05/a-strange-arrangement/

I’ll admit. I wasn’t quite sold on Mayer Hawthorne, Stone Throw Records’ nu-Motown crooner, the first time I heard him. I spun an advanced copy of his debut A Strange Arrangement but wasn’t quite in the right mood at the time. After reading a number of positive reviews, I decided maybe I wasn’t giving it an honest chance.

Man, am I glad I did.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native is extremely talented not just as a falsetto singer but as a multi-instrumentalist. He pays homage to doo wop and 60’s soul while intertwining break beats and Dilla-esque drums for a modern take on a vintage sound. I hear equal moments of Smokey Robinson, The Tempations and Robin Thicke in his voice – pretty damn special, indeed.

Earlier this week, A Strange Arrangement cracked the Top 10 on iTunes store. Dude has also been praised by ?uestlove and Justin Timberlake. It’d be a shame to miss out on some good music to spin for Labor Day weekend.

Scoop your copy of Mayer Hawthorne’s album on iTunes, and I’ll leave a nice sample of what to expect. Here’s the single “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” plus a sweet remix by Astronote.

Shouts to Martin from A-Side, Enjoy!

Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out / Astronote El Camino Remix

When this video first hit YouTube in December of 2008, it spread like wild fire across the interwebs. I vividly recall being sent the link to this curious parking lot G-Funk beat boxer (we now know as Red “The Man Without The Machine”) countless times by folks who were equally impressed with the rather casual and understated display of his immense talent. Aside from anonymous YouTube haters, Red “The Man Without The Machine” has rightfully won over the hearts (and savvy, discriminating ears) of Stones Throw Records who released the original version of the joint “I Should Tell Ya Momma on You” (showcased in his YouTube debut behind the HVW8 Art + Design Gallery) alongside Dam-Funk’s supreme remix. Here is a description of the track taken from Stones Throw’s site: “Equal parts G-funk, California Soul and Hobo Street, the song features full musical accompaniment created only by Red. The natural funk and flow struck a chord with an international audience representing a true Cali sound. In this era of T-Pain and excess studio production, the video showcased an almost forgotten musical form with no auto-tune or talk-box, only the beating of his chest and the hum of his throat as a bass kick and snare, and highlighted by signature vocals and original rhymes, this was Red – The Man Without The Machine. Stones Throw’s resident funk maestro Dam-Funk remixed the track into a West Coast funk classic.” Shout out to FWMJ for re-igniting the Red flame via Twitter this week. It would be a mistake not to support a heavyweight talent in an era of lightweight auto-tuned poorly-produced emcees who struggle to sustain one note. In the words of Guru, respect the architect:

Mayer Hawtorne grandit à Detroit au Michigan où très tôt il développe sa passion pour le soul et jazz. Voyant son intérêt pour la musique, son père l’initie à la basse alors que sa mère l’inscrit à des cours de piano. Quelques années plus tard, fortement inspiré d’artistes tel Smokey Robinson et Curtis Mayfield, Hawthorne enregistre et produit ses propres morceaux. Comme l’opportunité d’en faire une carrière dans sa ville natale est plutôt limitée, il décide d’emménager à L.A. voilà trois ans à titre de musicien/vinyl junkie pour y poursuivre son rêve.

Il réseaute afin de connaître le plus de gens possible. Dans une fête, Noelle Scaggs de Rebirth lui présente Peanut Butter Wolf, en charge de Stones Throw Records. Mayer envoie deux titres à PBW qui croit entendre de vieux trucs remixés. À sa grande stupéfaction, il se rend compte que Mayer fait tout lui-même: il signe ses textes, chante et joue tous les instruments.  Il est signé sur le champ. PBW dira de lui qu’il représente la progression du mouvement soul.

De là, son single “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” est imprimé sur un magnifique vinyl rouge en forme de coeur.

Mayer Hawthorne enregistre ensuite un 12″ intitulé “Maybe So, Maybe No” où l’on retrouve deux pièces et leurs versions instrumentales.

À l’automne 2009, il lancera son premier album “A Strange Arrangement” que l’on peut se procurer à l’avance sur le site de Stones Throw Records.

Maybe So, Maybe No

Green Eyed Love (Live)

Para quienes no lo conocian, J Dilla, alias Jay Dee (nació como James Dewitt Yancey el 7 de Febrero de 1974 y murió el 10 de Febrero de 2006) ha sido uno de los productores más respetados del hip hop desde que se empezara a dar a conocer a mediados de los 90 en la escena underground de Detroit, Michigan.

Después de haber hecho parte del Ummah (el equipo de productores de A Tribe Called Quest) y ser miembro fundador de Slum Village, decidió centrarse en su carrera en solitario. En 2001 cambió de Jay Dee a J Dilla donde demostró ser de los máximos talentos del underground en el mundo. Dos años después se trasladó desde Detroit a Los Angeles, se unió al sello Stones Throw y creó Jaylib con Madlib.

A pesar de preferir el trabajo incansable en el anonimato a la fama, Jay Dee produjo a lo largo de los años para artistas como Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, Q-Tip, Common, De La Soul, D’Angelo o Erykah Badu.

También como DJ ha demostrado su talento. Por eso, compartimos con ustedes un dj set imperdible, grabado en 2001 en el show de Giles Peterson de la BBC Radio.

J Dilla on Giles Peterson Worldwide 2001: Descargar/Download

Kero One

When it comes to DIY, it doesn’t get much more do-it-yourself than Bay Area born and bred Kero One. When he dropped his first album, Windmills of the Soul in 2005, he made it completely at home, charged up his credit card, released it on a self-made label, Plug, and became a hit when one of his original 50 copies found its way to Japan. Earlier this year, Kero One released his sophomore album, Early Believers, and I sat down to chat with him about his upbringing, musical history and thoughts on the evolution of the music industry.

AC: So you talk on Early Believers about your parents moving to the Bay Area. Where did they move from and was it a big culture shock for them?

KO: Well they came from Korea originally; and then they came here when I was… zero. Probably in 1978 or so. From what I understand, it’s a little bit different, of course, but you know, they adjusted. What I talk about on “Welcome to the Bay,” it’s just some of the experiences that I witnessed when we were in the South Bay growing up. I talked a little bit about that and also, I guess just a little bit about their adjustment in terms of, they’re used to a whole different lifestyle and obviously like different types of food and things like that. But, yeah, I mean, it was different, but of course they adjusted. And then we grew up in the south bay, and you know, I’ve obviously lived there for pretty much all my life.

AC: Whereabouts down there, San Jose?
KO: San Jose, Los Gatos, Santa Clara
AC: So how has your family played a role in the music that you’ve created?

KO: Well I’d say they made me take classical piano when I was really young, so, in the sense of being forced to take piano lessons, that was a pretty big role because, even though I hated it back then, I’m pretty thankful for it because I use it a lot in my music now. And other than that, not that much because really, they didn’t push me to do music; I mean, they’re kinda traditional Asian parents in the sense that they wanted the more, “education thing is a big deal,” and going to a good college and getting what they understand is a good job, whether it’s an engineer or doctor or something like that. So, they were really pushing for that, and, you know, honestly, when I told them I was rapping, I mean you can guess what their reaction was. Which is understandable, I guess, but now they’re fully supportive.

AC: You talked about learning classical piano. That was maybe the first of many instruments you learned; did you go on to learn any others, or was that the only formal training that you had?
KO: Yeah, that’s the only one I had formal training in, and I did that for 10 years almost. Technically it was probably like five years because the other five, I was kind of not really there. I hated classical music, but, when I was in middle school, I was really into punk, and I got into Primus and a little bit of rock like Red Hot Chili Peppers, and we all know, Flea and Les Claypool, ridiculous bassists. That inspired me to pick up the bass, and I started messing with the bass a little bit. So, other than that, it’s just bass, piano and I play a little bit of percussion; so those are my three things right now.

AC: Do you spin?
KO: Yeah, and I DJ as well. I got into scratching quite a bit when I was in college, so I was into the whole turntables thing, try to beat juggle, flares. I DJ out mostly in the city, one off events and sometimes I go out and DJ internationally, but, yeah, right now I’m just trying to focus on the live stuff.

AC: Do you play your instruments live in concerts?
KO: Well, actually for the last show, what we did was I incorporated a little bit of live keyboard and a little bit of live drumming, but something that I’ve always wanted to do was play some instruments and rap at the same time ’cause I’ve never seen anybody really do that. I’ve seen people sing, but not really rap, so that’s what I’m gonna be doing on my new show; just a little bit of that, and incorporate, I got a guitarist, I got a singer, and so we’re definitely bringing in like the live element to the live show, ’cause a lot of the stuff on my album is actually played out, it’s not samples, so it seems pretty natural to have live instruments.

AC: Out of all those instruments that you’re playing, which one are you enjoying playing the most?
KO: I’d say probably the keys. I’m not stellar player in any of the instruments, but when I do play the keys, it’s definitely fun when you can come up with a nice chord progression or some good solos, I’d say the keyboard.

AC: So you were talking about Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers; what are some of your other musical influences and what are you listening to now?
KO: Man, I pretty much am influenced by everything from Mobb Deep in the early 90’s to John Mayer to Daft Punk, I listen to it all. Probably the only thing I don’t really get influenced by is country — I mean everybody says that, right — country or like folk, or something, or obviously classical music. But yeah, I listen to pretty much everything; like I grew up listening to really being into the early 90’s hip hop stuff, classic stuff.

AC: What was the first rap album you really got into?
KO: I’d say probably LL Cool J, Radio — I think that was the one. And then the BDP (Boogie Down Productions) stuff. So, yeah, BDP By All Means Necessary. And then for me, you know, I listened to that era when that came out, and then I went back to study other artists. Then, you know, from there, just expanded to Rare Groove and Soul and other related genres.

AC: So your initial album kind of made its break in Japan.
KO: Yeah.
AC: I’ve followed a number of hip-hop groups from Japan, but what would you say about the scene and the culture over there in the industry in terms of hip-hop?
KO: Well, definitely the culture plays a large roll, in the scene of hip hop over there because their culture, as you probably know, is very intense in terms of studying and breaking things down. I mean, when I was watching TV, and they were talking about, Indian Curry, I mean I was just watching from the hotel room and they were Japanese chefs, climbing barefoot on trees in India with the Indian guys there, to show this is how they do it, this is where they get it from, this is what it looks like and what it smells like, and they’re like breaking it down. I mean, that whole mentality is just kind of standard to me out there. They do that with hip-hop, and out there I learned more about music than I ever have in that short amount of time, ‘cause they know hella information, I mean, all the good music somehow just gets funneled over there and they have it at stores, the people who sell music are super knowledgeable. I basically discovered all these artists from the UK, from Europe, in other parts of Asia, even the States, out in Japan, you know. It’s really weird. I think because of that, they’re able to push the envelope a little bit. It’s definitely on another level out there, I think, in some ways.

AC: Did you pick up any Japanese hip-hop that you really liked while you were back there?
KO: DJ Mitsu is part of a group and I picked up their albums. I picked up a few instrumental albums out there. When I go out there, usually the labels will give me like a stack of CDs, so there are a couple CDs in there that are pretty dope. But yeah, definitely. I’m always getting new music while I’m out there.

AC: What’s been the most enjoyable part of the transition from web design and tech that you were doing to producing your own albums?
KO: Not having to listen to the boring meetings. I used to fall asleep in those meetings, you know. A lot of times I’d be at work, I’d be thinking about labels, music, I’d be stepping out very frequently to do maybe a press interview in the UK or whatever and since it’s international, you can’t miss that call, and so, you know, I gotta get up and go out and people probably started wondering why I was leaving so frequently. I still actually do a lot of web design now for my own stuff, so I haven’t strayed away from that too much. I hope to soon, but I don’t really miss the technical stuff that I need to learn, you know, just for that company; so now I can do whatever I need to do fix the public website or update the Kero One website or things like that.

AC: Have you retained or used anything from the job in actually getting your music heard?

KO: Well for sure in the sense those skills, I can apply to making websites, making them a little more functional, adding a little bit of interaction with it, like for example a mailing list, or something like that, whereas, you know, if I didn’t learn all that stuff, I’d probably be just a blogger or something, which is fine, but, for me, I’ve been able to take advantage of that. For example, I’ve pretty much configured our whole webstore on the website and now people can purchase things online. So, yeah, in that sense, that’s helped me a lot; so I definitely can’t ignore that.

AC: One of the lines I like from the new album is “wearing so many hats that your hair is concave.” So what’s been the hardest part of the scenario and trying to do it all for your label from rapping and producing your own music to being the label head?
KO: It’s definitely prioritizing your time. I had a PDA phone, which really kept me in check, but prioritizing time and figuring out where things need to be is probably the biggest challenge and now I have employees. Being able to stay on top and make sure that they’re being managed and they’re getting tasks done definitely takes up a lot of energy, but I think it’s definitely part of the grind, It’s a learning experience; I’ve learned a lot about the business. I’d say that another challenge is that I don’t want to take the business side to kind of supersede the creative aspects of my life, like the things I’m trying to do musically, I don’t want them to get pushed out of the picture, so lately with employees and things like that, it’s been helping out a lot, but there’s nothing without challenges.

AC: This whole album is full of really jazzy hip-hop, a lot of jazz influence on it; what was the approach that you used to make these songs and was your intent to go that heavy with the jazz? Was that something you wanted to do?

KO: You know, it’s really weird, I always get that comparison out and get told that it’s very jazzy and I guess I’m not ignorant to that fact, but I don’t actually say I’m gonna try to make it like this. I just usually try to go with what I like and just want to make something I enjoy. For some of the tracks, like “Love and Happiness,” which was produced by King Most, I mean, he just played me a bunch of beats, but when he played that one, that jumped out. I was like “Dude, that beat is ridiculous. I’m gonna have to add that.” So, you know, it wasn’t really a conscious thing to make it like that, but the other approach for this album was that, as opposed to Windmills, I wanted to give a little more diversity in terms of the tempos, the arrangements, I’m bringing in different Soul artists and features and just make it a little bit, I guess, less heavy. Because the first album, Windmills, was very personal and there were a lot of things on there that were very sexual. I mean this one, even though I put that in there, I also wanted to balance it out with something that’s a little fun, tracks like “Keep Pushin’” where you could have people dancing to it. I really wanted to keep it diverse.

AC: Your music sounds pretty complete in terms of the concepts that you have behind it, the musical ideas that you’re trying to bring into it. What are your thoughts, then, on the burgeoning remix and mash-up cultures?

KO: I’m really down with it, actually. As a DJ, I love finding music to remix or mash-up anything because I like to play songs that, even though they may be popular, ’cause they get people dancing, and they get people into the groove, it’s always nice to throw a curve ball at them, you know. I’m all about remixing stuff. I’ve done a few myself; I did a remix of Common’s “The Light.” DJ King Most, whom I worked with, we released some of his remixes for the DJs, and so it’s something that I’m definitely into playing. I don’t do that many in terms of, you know, taking well-known a cappellas and remixing them, but I do like projects here and there that are commissioned, I did a Talib Kweli remix and I’m working on a few Asian artists right now that I’m remixing, this group called Epik High.

AC: What do you think of making your stems available?
KO: Oh, for other people to remix.
Well, I have had a few a cappellas out there for people to remix, and I’ve gotten a few back. As far as stems, as in actual parts, not really, I’m not too into that. I feel like a remix should be like a regenerated or a totally new look at the beat and the project and the vocals. Otherwise, there’s no point to me.
AC: Between the record labels, the MP3s, the file sharing, where do you see music now, and where do you see there being a nice meeting place between consumer happiness and artist revenue?
KO: It always makes me a little, um…I don’t know, it’s like a mix between a chuckle and frustration when I hear people saying, on the blogs or whatnot, that “artists need the exposure and that’s why we’re gonna file share.” I mean, come on, that’s like complete BS. Honestly, for me, I’ll admit, I have downloaded illegally and when I have done that in the past, it’s just ‘cause you want the music, you know, it’s not any of the other stuff. I mean, it’s something that’s gonna be free and it’s gonna be in front of your face and most of the time, people will just take it. So, I don’t think it’s the people’s fault out here who want music; it’s the fault of the government and the regulations that aren’t being pushed appropriately on the internet.
For example, when we released Dream Talk, The Tones album, that released and it was at the top 50 of iTunes downloading, and then, a couple days later, all these blogs started showing up with the illegal download links for the albums and, in the dashboard you could see that the sales just plummeted. Right on that day, they just plummeted. And these kids, they’re hungry, and they’ve got mouths to feed, they’re trying to do music full time, so it really makes it tough. Of course we’ve got a team working on it on the security side, but it would definitely help, if and when these government regulations come into place that it kinda polices the activity out there, because, contrary to popular belief, artists do really get hurt by that. Maybe not a Kanye West, for example, but independent artists definitely don’t get to see that kind of return.
I think in that sense, I guess I could see the other side of the argument that, yeah, people have discovered a lot of great music through that as well. When I went to tour in Poland, I had people come up to me, and was like, “yeah, I’m sorry, we all downloaded your music illegally, but there’s no other way we can get it, we’re poor,” and all this stuff. Whether it’s true or not, they were there at the show and I see both sides. So, I think, back when albums were being sold for 10 dollars at Warehouse or whatever and there was nowhere else you could find that, I think a lot of people found out about those albums. I mean, when Nas or whatever came out in the 90’s to Berkeley, that show was packed, and it’s not because people got free music necessarily, it was just ‘cause they heard it on the radio and then they went and supported it and they got real’ into it, ‘cause really there was no real file sharing then. So, I think even with clamping down on illegal file sharing, things can still be really good, but we’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what happens; I really can’t predict it.
AC: Have you seen more of your revenues and artists from iTunes sales or from hardcopy CDs and shows
KO: I would say, probably from iTunes sales. CD sales have just dropped, like, pretty crazy. Though we still get a lot, you know, but it’s a lot slower.
AC: Have you started working on new songs already?
KO: No, I haven’t. I mean, I’ve been working on some remix projects, like I said, with the Korean group Epik High. I’m also mustering up some ideas on another project, but I haven’t actually started working on anything. I always like to release something and kinda reset and kinda figure out what I wanna do.
AC: So what’s up next for the Plug Label?
KO: Well obviously this album we’re gonna promote. We’re still promoting the Dream Talk album. I got a project comin’ up with this guy Green Tea, he does kinda like hip hop, kinda house beats. And then we got DJ King Most, who’s releasing a hip hop album with a bunch of guests. We’re gonna try to keep busy and really take it to that level of being an established label.
AC: How’d you connect with The Tones?
KO: Well The Tones, I actually heard about them on Myspace a while ago. I forget exactly how it happened, but we started chatting and then they had a couple tracks together, but not a full album. I liked what I heard; I mean, I knew that they had something special in terms of their sound, and so after a few chats, I signed ‘em and they basically simply got a full album together and then we went from there. And then we released that album in December!
AC: Yeah, that album’s good. It’s really good.
KO: Thanks. Yeah, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that. It’s interesting because I knew that, it’s definitely a good sound, I just didn’t know how impactful it would be in the hip hop community, ‘cause I guess a lot of people in the hip hop community really wanted to hear something like that. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool that they’ve been received that way.
AC: I think as pop hip hop goes further south in terms of quality, I think there’s gonna be even more of a backlash going the other way to find quality hip hop. Do you want Plug Label to be your side thing, and you’re doing music? Or do you envision Plug Label getting to a place where it’s up there with Stones Throw or Rhymesayers, or do you want to keep it small?
KO: I’d say I want to keep it small in the sense that everything that we put out is still hand-picked and not just to throw it out there, you know, to have a full release schedule. If we have to wait six months for a good album, then we’ll wait six months before we release it. I just feel like the more and more that we add to a catalogue and the more and more I compromise the vision of it musically, I feel like that’s where I’m gonna start losing interest in the label, and others will probably start losing interest because really, the problem I see right now is there’s too much information out there, you know, too much music, and I really wanna be able to kinda like consolidate that to people. That’s my vision, you know. So we’ll see what happens.

Mayor Hawthorne & The County’s off Stones Throw Records have announced their first tour, performing songs off his album “A Strange Arrangement”. If you don’t know bout’ him, youtube it! Mayor has the soulful sounds of the MoTown Era with a hint of Hip Hop in it. Definitely some good music, and something refreshing and real amongst the other music in our era.


Check out tour information after the jump.


Source Stones Throw Records



Sat, Sep 05: Seattle, WA at Bumbershoot Festival | www
Thu, Sep 10: Los Angeles at The Roxy
Sun, Sep 13: San Luis Obispo at Downtown Brew | Tickets
Tue, Sep 15: San Francisco at Rickshaw Stop | Tickets
Wed, Sep 16: Santa Cruz at Catalyst (Atrium) | Tickets
Fri, Sep 18: Portland at MusicFest NW
Sat, Sep 19: Eugene at WOW Hall | www
Mon, Sep 21: Salt Lake City at Kilby Court
Wed, Sep 23: Denver at Larimer Lounge | www
Thu, Sep 24: Omaha at The Waiting Room | Tickets
Fri, Sep 25: Chicago at Dark Room | www
Sat, Sep 26: Ann Arbor at Blind Pig | www
Sun, Sep 27: Toronto at Drake Hotel
Tue, Sep 29: Boston at Great Scott | www
Wed, Sep 30: Philadelphia at Johnny Brendas | Tickets
Thu, Oct 01: Brooklyn at The Knitting Factory
Fri, Oct 02: New York at Mercury Lounge | Tickets
Sun, Oct 04: Washington DC at DC9 | www
Mon, Oct 05: Chapel Hill at Local 506 | www
Tue, Oct 06: Atlanta at Druken Unicorn
Wed, Oct 07: Orlando at The Social | www
Fri, Oct 09: New Orleans at Parish, HOB | Tickets
Sat, Oct 10: Austin at Red 7 | Tickets
Wed, Oct 14: Scottsdale, AZ at Chasers
Thu, Oct 15: San Diego at Canes | www

So Cal native Aloe Blacc began his recording career as an MC back in 1995, when he joined up with hip-hop producer Exile to form the mainstay indie rap group, Emanon. A few years later, Aloe would stow away on a Lootpack European tour and become fast friends with Oh No a relationship which led to many fruitful collaborations as a solo artist.

These days, Aloe Blacc has evolved into a true Renaissance man dubbed the indie R. Kelly by online retailer Turntable Lab. Recordings like his Latin cover of John Legends Ordinary People prove that not only can this multi-instrumentalist produce, rap and sing but he can flip it in Spanish, too. With an amazingly broad set of influences ranging widely from the acoustic guitar stylings of folk artist Cat Stevens, to the soul-stirring sounds of the Negro Spirituals, Aloe prides himself on the spectrum of his musical roots. His sound often forays into the digital R&B realm, but always grooves with a tinge of Latin and the pulse of hip-hop.

I got the pleasure of seeing him live for the first time at the ROOTDOWN. Honestly, I’m impressed by his talent & his character. Just another cool cat doing what he loves. don’t sleep on this!

myspace
website
stonesthrow records

ONELOVE!
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Mayer Hawthorne-A Strange Arrangement Click Here!!!!

It’s a Monday and I think that we here at the Movement know what you all need to start your week right. Yup, some old school sounding yet refreshing cupcake material.

Honestly this track has a nice vibe and feel to it – plus the video has a nice concept as well. Great cupcaking track for the summer…. fall, winter, spring.

Collective Cupcake Factor (CCF):