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…
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…
For anyone who needed a sample breakdown of one of the greatest hip hop albums of our generation, here you go. Our new logo is obviously inspired by The Supervillain and he’s shaped my listening and watching habits over the last week. So I was thrilled to see this video in my YouTube recommendations. I’ve already heard most of these samples but that doesn’t stop…
Interviews with your idols can open a world of understanding. I watched Madlib’s RBMA lecture in New York for the first time and here’s what I took from it. Of all the musical idols who have directly influenced my music, Madlib is one of the main artists. His breadth of work and Bohemian approach to creativity have stood out from the crowd. When I first…
Find resources and inspiration with our e-digging/crate digging article collection. We’ve done the research (thanks, SAM) and deemed it necessary to bring all our favourite digging articles together. Whether you enjoy getting dusty in the crates or scouring the internet for vinyl rips, this list should have you covered. 15 More Awesome Places For E-Digging – Links to channels and playlists featuring music from around…
30 minutes of intriguing conversation between Joe Kay of Soulection and Peanut Butter Wolf of Stones Throw. Joe Kay had Stones Throw owner and legendary hip hop figure Peanut Butter Wolf on his show talking about everything from Dilla and Madlib to the inner-workings of owning a record label. Stream it below.
We interviewed Deadpoole about his latest album and his thoughts on last year’s music. Luke: Congratulations on the new album. Would you say this is your best to date? Deadpoole: Thanks so much. I think so, even right from when first I started out I was always working towards an album. The three EP’s that preceded NIGHT/LIFE were me cutting my teeth musically, figuring out…
Jaylib went HAM in their respective ways on Da Rawkus, an unreleased track from 2002. Stones Throw have launched a vinyl subscription service and to kick things off, the first release will be a Madlib’s remix of Champion Sound and unreleased track “Da Rawkus”. The cut was recorded by Dilla and Madlib between LA and Detroit in 2002 with the Oxnard-native on the beats and…
We’ve taken a look at Tha Alkaholiks’ “All Night” sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Too High”. Stevie features prominently in every producer’s music collection. That invariably leads to sampling once in a while – or a lot. “Too High”, from his 1976 classic Innervisions, has been sampled on at least 8 tracks WhoSampled can account for. The majority are from the world of hip hop but one…