Lo-fi boom bap with Zelda and Mario samples? AC3Beats’ Nostalgia lives up to its name. I didn’t get my first games console until 1998 but I played on a few in the preceding years. Whether you were like me or you had them growing up, you’ll appreciate the subject matter on AC3Beats’s new album. Nostalgia has been described as “the musical equivalent of a big, warm…
Moo Latte saved the best ’til last with a quick flip of a Christmas classic. As my grandad used to say “Christmas come and it done.” We hope you had a good one. Technically, Christmas is 12 days long so we’re taking advantage of that to promote a dope remix. Moo Latte is a “24 years old African rooted Polish producer based in Copenhagen, Denmark”…
An alternative Christmas beat tape by Starchildluke with a worthy cause attached. This is my album; I am Starchildluke. I refrain from promoting my music too much on the site but I thought this was relevant for two reasons: It’s for Christmas It has samples in it It came about while I was on holiday in Lisbon in November (hence the name). I got into…
Modernism might have a white visage but Madlib’s brand of afro-modernism shouldn’t be overlooked. Film director James Cameron once said, “People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a rightist. I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.” Fans of Madlib – and Dilla – will be familiar with this ideal. Perfection fuels many creatives in how they…
He wasn’t kidding with the name. I love Christmas. I love hip hop. I love Jonwayne. So when I found out Jonwayne had made an album of Christmas beats, who do you think I reacted? The rap game St Nick has blessed us with his latest gift, Yuletide Bangerz and the title is free of hyperbole. Every song is packed with nostalgic wonder and Jonwayne’s trademark rhythms….
Germany’s Slim the Chemist keeps his jazz beats in order with his Silence EP. I found this in my bookmarks from a while back and thought I’d share it with you. Slim the Chemist is a producer from Düsseldorf in Germany and Silence EP was his first release with Roots of Society Records. I had high hopes when I discovered his origin as Germany isn’t…
Joy’s visuals are enriched with melanin and youthful exuberance, with dancing choreographed by The iDream Dancers. We all know bravado runs through the veins of hip hop and its culture, from the roots underground to the top of the tree. But James Gardin’s accolade, The World’s Most Encouraging Rapper™, conveys regular improvement. It’s also a positive streak he has continued with his latest video for…
Barcelona-based beatmaker Thijsenterprise drops mammoth beat tape, Stepbacks & Setbacks, dedicated to some important people in his life. “Old school hip-hop with soul and jazz samples, dusty breaks and raw chops.” With a description like that, I just had to listen when this dropped in my inbox. Thijsenterprise (real name Reinier Thijs) is a producer from Barcelona and Stepbacks & Setbacks is his latest project. 42…
Today is Madlib’s birthday. Here’s why I love his music and personality so much. In the mid-to-late 00s, I discovered a compilation by Zero 7. It was part of Late Night Tales’ mix series (then called Another Late Night) and it featured a song called Real Eyes by Quasimoto. I found it intriguing for many reasons but it took a few years before I discovered…
Power 106 Los Angeles got DJ VinRican to mix tracks from Champion Sound with the samples they used. It’s officially dope. Say what you want about WhoSampled but I’m sure many of us have searched through and marvelled at the samples used in our favourite tracks. I’ve done it with Jaylib before but there’s always a slight disconnect between the track and the sample when…
