DJ Stylus - The Vibe Conductor

Hat tip to the homie Ty for the laink:

And on the heels of this topic, be sure to peep the funky and creative exchange between the DJ and the guitarist near the end of the tune. I will definitely be biting.

Again it’s confirmed why folks I know do so well in France. Real black music thrives there, jazz and particularly hip-hop. They’ve already produced some of the world’s best b-boys.

Of course it’s definitely not all good but it comes pretty close to a bizarro version of the U.S. black musical landscape, which would be a place where quality artists actually blow up.

Dill and Jill both knew.

And even when it was much worse across the way, it looked more attractive then trying to outrun the Klan in your tourbus through the Jim Crow south, avoiding fiscal rape at the hands of record companies (plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose) or the best gigs being those where your people weren’t welcome as patrons.

The grass is always greener, I guess.

But this shit is dope. And damn it if isn’t exactly what I envisioned a DJ Stylus solo project would look and sound like.

As time passes, more and more new hip-hop developments leave me feeling like a foreigner in my own country. I relate to the hipsters about as well as I can relate to dirty south snap music. But it’s important to keep an open mind, as I could easily become the Bill Cosby of hip-hop. I also haven’t forgotten the fact that labels can be divisive, constraining and just plain irksome: see “backpack rap“, “alternative hip-hop“, “emo rap” and “neo-soul” (why was I so angry?)

With all of that in mind, I dip in occasionally and am pleased to find some cats who rap pretty good. Those experiences are generally overshadowed by the ones that leave me bored, perplexed or unable to determine where the irony begins.

So I was intrigued when I belatedly came across the first (as far as I’m aware) hipster hop diss record.

He goes hard but it’s not solely an attention grab or an exercise in “hating“. The beef that stood out the most for me is the rampant cultural appropriation. My cynicism cranks up when I see keffiyeh going the fad route and I’m not even Palestinian.

Now I’m unsure of my opinion on the revelation that it was all an “experiment“.

So does the fact that he really went in and then said “psych” - while still standing by the assertions that you can’t live hip-hop on the internet and trendism leads to disposable music - water down his whole argument?

I like NYOil’s approach better, although the target is different.

But this Mazzi cat succeeded on one front. I wasn’t aware of him before and I’ll be checking for him in the future. And both beats were heaters. And I’m quite un-mad at the b-girls in the video too.

Been tryna tell y’all…

Another freestyle situation. Finally got in a lot of the new goodies that have been piling up in the lab. And my new baby is also making her first appearance.

1. Daru Beats - Gratefull feat. Deenahea (DNA)
2. Kissey Asplund & Suff Daddy (feat. Bless 1) - 99bottles
3. Erik Rico - Making Love
4. Nickodemus (Wonderwheel Records) exclusive joint
5. Coultrain - Green
6. Nicolay & Kay - I’ve Seen Rivers
7. Mr. Windmill & Jay.Soul - Hugo Hovenkampp
8. Trevor Lovey’s - Elevate Your Mind
9. The RH Factor - For Fun (SoulFeast Vocal Remix of “Common Freestyle” feat. Omar)
10. Reel People - Outta Love feat. Omar
11. Ave.To - Cuz Of You
12. Chris Barker - Breakin Bread edit
13. Demetrius Price - No Holdin’ Back
14. Moodyman - Black Mahogani
15. Amp Fiddler - I’m Doing Fine (live)*
16. Exchange Bureau - The End of Me & You feat. Salah Obeid

*original version: track 4

“A lot going on there!!!” - © David Letterman

BUY THE ALBUM
BUY THE ALBUM
BUY THE ALBUM

Buy it.

Walaaaaaaay!!!

SHOWMANSHIP. Interplay. Creativity.

No push button dj’ing with explosions and gun shots all over everything. No safety net (the only safety net being the ability to improvise when something goes wrong… and something ALWAYS goes wrong on stage).

And I don’t mean a rap group with a turntablist who does his battle routine in the middle of the show. I’ll take the good ones over most modern day hip-hop shows but it’s not an integrated experience.

A DJ + an MC + a band + dancers. Hella rare in 2008. You definitely don’t need all of those ingredients but the most important part is actually putting some thought into it at the very least. Some personality & charisma go a long way.

Why do people pay money to see bammas walk back and forth across the stage shouting over each other and hardly engaging with the audience except to berate them or bully them? Is that supposed to be entertaining?

No wonder I rarely go to hip-hop shows anymore. And with record sales in the toilet, EVERYBODY has to tour these days, so the quotient of crap shows is shooting upwards.

And the “shows” that aren’t outright belligerent are really pep rallies. Most times if you hear that an act rocked their show, it wasn’t because their performance was particularly engaging. It’s because they have hits and everyone was excited to be in the same room with their favorite rappers yelling the lyrics at the top of their lungs. It’s a karaoke party. Admittedly, that can be fun sometimes (like the last time I saw A Tribe Called Quest) but in general I need a much more substantial experience for my concert dollars.

I guess I’m just old school.

And I’m fine with that.

Another great moment from WMC this year.

It’s like a hip-hop booster shot. Skillz & Ty on the mic, Spinna cutting up the James Brown breaks.

Already put these out there but hard drive space is cheap and you need more goodies to work out/house clean/commute/pre-party to, right?

The two most recent DJ Book mixes on Decipher are must haves. As you know, our slot was moved an hour earlier. It’s a positive move but the one snag in that plan is that Book doesn’t finish at WPGC until 9:30. These two sets might be the last time you hear him on WPFW for awhile and as usual, he kills it. (subscribe/iTunes)

DJ Book - Decipher 3/13/08

DJ Book - Decipher 4/4/08

Jamil’s still holding down Mondays at Marvin. That’s where he gets to dig into the deeper recesses of his crates that lie hidden when he’s playing his more mainstream gigs. He usually starts out with classic soul befitting the venue’s namesake and then veers off into the outer reaches of futuristic black muzik. You haven’t been yet? Download this set recorded live last month.

DJ Jahsonic - Live @ Marvin 3/17/08

It’s a regular thing with the homie Dredd. Make sure you check him out for the April installment.

Now download the jont.

I love it when you can hear the crowd through the needles. The feedback on the mic adds to the authenticity of the house party vibe.

I meant to write a blog about this night, it was a good one. I still might. In the meantime download this.