For your WTF moment this holiday. Have a safe one!
Album Review: El-P- Cancer For Cure
El-P is a hero to me. There I said it. I am not too cool to display some fan boy traits from time to time. But that puts me in an odd place to write a fair, unbiased review of this album. As a producer, I have dissected, analyzed and blatantly stolen from the man. As a fledgling beat maker, I probably smoked more blunts and spent more time listening to the Little Johnny From The Hospital album in 1999 than any other album. I still regard his beats on Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein and his Fantastic Damage album as some of the most experimental and unique that has or ever will be made in the genre. With all that hoopla, his I'll Sleep When You're Dead album did not disappoint one bit. El developed an immersive world on that album; a world full of paranoia, conspiracy, technology and menace. It's reasonable to say at some point an artist will plateau once creating a landmark. And I, for one, definitely feel that El hit that plateau with ISWYD and has been sliding downhill. His recently released instrumental "Megamixxx" albums failed to hold my interest like his earlier stuff and I am going to dare to say the same for Cancer For Cure.There are some songs that directly pick up where I'll Sleep When You're Dead left off (especially the song I posted here). Songs like Tougher Colder Killer and Works Everytime expand both sonically and lyrically on the sci-fi mythology that he created in the previous album. This I like. But then there is another grouping of songs on this album that sound like El was bored recording one night and we are left with his musical doodles (Sign Here for example). There are other songs that make an attempt at grandness but I honestly just don't like. I mean For My Upstairs Neighbor just seems a little out of place on a potential cinematic opus. The implied violence on this song sounds like El's dissatisfaction with his living situation, which is something you may wanna save for your landlord and not your highly anticipated album.
I will say that I want to listen to this album more thoroughly to decipher what El is saying. But why? At a glance, his lyrics convey deep depression. Assuredly, El has dabbled with psychedelics for some time, which probably helped his genius creations in the past. But, I will say from personal experience, if you dwell in the ultra colorful world of psychedelics too long, everything else will begin to look gray. And this album is bleak. Shit, there is even a song that sounds like a suicide note. Now I'm not opposed to El going Goth rap. That may be an interesting direction. But on the song $Vic/FTL (me and you), his immensely dark lyrics are counteracted by cartoonish atari-like synth sounds. If he is gonna dwell in the dark I would prefer that he would have gotten even darker with the beats. I mean this is a visionary musician in my mind. I want to hear him really test himself musically because I feel like I have heard a lot of this stuff from him before. I mean is that a Prodigy (think Firestarter not Mobb Deep) beat in the opening? Seriously, music has come a long way since then homeboy. That isn't impressing anyone. On his next release, rather than work with more annoying rappers (ie Danny Brown, Killer Mike- and no I don't give a fuck about Killer Mike's album either) I would prefer him to work with some true electronic acts so he can learn to coax more darkness out of his samplers, boxes and synths.
I know I am biased, I was expecting another macabre post apocalyptic soundtrack but I feel that this album wallows in depression and personal epithets and the music just doesn't resonate with me. It's probably just me. I admit that I am no longer the blunt smoking backpacker I was as a youngster and maybe this type of thing has lost it's appeal. Although I doubt that, because I will gladly bang his other albums any day of the week (shit even Collecting the Kid). And partly because of that I refuse to give El a failing grade. Hopefully he will scream Phoneix on his next album and arise from the ashes of his recent missteps. I just hope there is some sort of creative arc where either El-P transcends the darkness or finds a way to channel his black energy more powerfully.
$6.5 of $10 because honestly since I like less than half of it, I can't really say it's a priority buy.
Minimal Wave
Check out the new Innergaze- Mutual Dreaming album. It's rad! And if you like that check out http://minimalwave.com/ for more stuff like it. Dig it!
Free Reggae Acapellas For Producers
For producers, this is a sick free production tool! The downloads contain clean acapellas of dance hall and reggae artists like Capleton, Fanton Mojah, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Spragga Benz, Buju Banton etc.Granted it takes a crazy long time to download them but it's worth it.
Click on the links below
Reggae Acapella Pack 1
Reggae Acapella Pack 2
Reggae Acapella Pack 3
Free Blawan mix!!!
Album review: Traxman- Da Mind Of Traxman
Some people ride Harleys. Some people drive kitted out imports. Some people obey the speed limit and listen to NPR. I bump tunes like I am still 17. I don't give a shit. That's just the way it is, and the way it's gonna be. And honestly an album can easily win me over if it is something I can bang in my car.
So I have had the Traxman album in my car for a couple weeks giving it the car test and I will tell you, when I first played it, I was so excited I had to call my partner in crime, Count Jakula. It is pretty rare that music will illicit such a strong response from me but there is such a newness and energy on this set, I couldn't help it. I don't want to be overly dramatic and say the "juke" genre is the next big thing but the thought came to mind. I promise i won't make this extra long or get all hyperbolic with the analogies like I usually do in reviews. I will just get right to the chase. This collection of songs is fun, it is new, the sound is great and it is catchy as hell.
Traxman has deep history in the Chicago dance scene releasing ghetto house songs on infamous labels like Dancemania and Ghettophiles and you can see the ghetto house influence all over this thing. Much of the tracks have the same chants about booty and crack and other ghetto shit. But these tracks have more polish to them. More depth. Ghetto house is known for its lewd choruses but it is also famous for how simple the production is. The generation that Traxman is aiming at is an audience weened on electronic music. Think about it. People of my generation, our parents listened to Fleetwood Mac and Led Zepplin and what not (not mine but you get the idea). The kids that are dancing to this, their parents listened to Timbaland and Paul Johnson. With that as your foundation, beats as simple as what DJ Milton was putting out won't cut it. Now I'm not going to sit here and say Traxman's stutter stop beats are super complicated and he is a technical genius. But he does make the simple interesting, in a new way. Which, trust me, is very hard to do. There is elements of Miami bass in here (think DJ Magic Mike), R&B (Prince and Stevie Wonder samples make an appearance) there is even a track that has an acid-y 303 line. Oh by the way did I mention, this album is also on a label I have been clamoring about a lot lately; Planet Mu.
All in all, this site is about what i enjoy and i truly enjoy this album. I have yet to truly give the whole album my usual thorough analysis since I cant get past the first 3 songs because I like them so much. Listen to this album and watch some Walla Cam videos, you may even get the feeling you are witnessing the infancy of a scene that has yet to hit the mainstream. Whatever. It's awesome. Bang it in your ride. I will say now this is in the running for "best of" list for me.
Traxman- Da Mind Of Traxman- for it's originality and replay factor gets $9.5 out of $10. It's worth the skrilla don't bootleg it.
Is it a bird, is it a plane, it's...
Crazy man, Jeb Corliss. He could easily be mistaken for friggin Batman or a UFO as he speeds through the air in this video. Daring stuff, and a worthwhile watch if you aren't one of the millions who has already seen it. Here's a link for a documentary about him too if you are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vSxehUmv3M&feature=relmfu
Drugs Inc. Psychedelics
Good documentary...see a Narc Officer recount the story of accidentally taking 1000 (!) hits of acid and an old ass man taking magic mushrooms to beat mind destroying headaches. I strongly recommend this series btw
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