Time for some REAL underground, low budget hip-hop

You haven’t heard of them, I know (unless your a compulsive blogger who listens/have listened to absolutely everything). I’ll stop being prejudice like that, you actually might have heard of these, good job!

No, just cus it’s low budget hip hop, the record doesn’t cost less, im sorry. Maspyke is DJ Roddy Rod, Tableek, and Hanif Jamiyl, they’re from Maryland, Hunts Point (thats i bronx i think) and Harlem (in the same order, so roddy is from maryland, y’dig?) The debut album (de máspykè) came in 2003, called ‘The Blackout’(fuck britney, wasnt that her title too? not sure.), i havent got the chance to listen to it yet… its on my list. The Blackout was released to much critical acclaim (or is it critic acclaim, please tell me), so was this (Static). Who cares about critics (but arent you a critic magnus? stfu..) the important thing is that I really like this record, kinda reminds me of mf doom actually ( the lyrical styles e.g.). A really fine mix of common (spirit), doom (spirit) and some other people, de la soul maybe (i suck at telling how things are). Just be sure to check this out. Another classic you haven’t heard before (here with the prejudice again *tut tut*), it’s classic in the way that it’s good, but i also has that old school feel.

Favorite tracks:
Static 1, Recipie, Lightly Anxious, Goody 2 Shoes

In other news:
Left MF DOOM blinked first.

Clash of the METALFACES

Who will triumph? Who will blink?!

Stay tuned for results.

I generally oppose random youtube videos being posted on blogs, but fuck the oppose(itionning-part-of-me).

Thought I’d post my favorite video (of all time maybe, i dunno). Really love the song too (how can you not).

In other news:
It’s a lazy afternooooon, dun dun du-du-du-du-du duun…

I’m bored, maybe i’ll work on the layout or somethin.

What is this? Just reviews and recommendations?

For now yea. I try focusing on not selling out and get alotta views (even though i have gotten a tremendous amount of views compared to what i expected). I review what’s new, THAT I LIKE, but i’ll still be 100% honest, no cocksuckin. Interviews will come when I find interesting people whom i want to interview, whom will also add to this site in quality and not in views. I rarely like mixtapes (last one i enjoyed was that 88 keys one) but of course, if one pops up thats magnificent (like Adams case files) ill be sure to bløg it. 

I detest bloggers who doesnt write shit in theirs (blog, thats what a blogger possesses). Just post a random youtube vid and leave a 3 word comment. Seriously, english is my second language (ja det er det, hold kjeft) and i seem to be doing pretty well with this ‘writing more than two sentences’ style of blogging. STEP YO BLAG UPP

So, be patient (perhaps it me that should be patient), even though i feel like i have been kick started by some random twat (no offense, im ever so grateful), I wont sellout (definition above) cus
im not your everyday blogger, 
im magnus,
im me.
That was,
lame.

I didn’t want to do this one, because I just want to listen to the album all day instead. Yes it’s really that good, but I just had to spread the word anyway (it’s my duty right?). Buy this as you read, though I could only find it in the japanese amazon store and hmv. Buy here or over at the japanese hmv (Google translator will be useful here). Uyama Hiroto (the artist of this album…) has been featured on some Nujabes albums (ill be honest, that last lame sentence was just to get the name of the artist out). You might have heard of Nujabes, Nujabes mixed this, Nujabes produced some tracks on this, Nujabes is good, this is pretty similar to Nujabes actually. Nujabes. But if you’re a Nujabes listener (which i certainly hope you are by now, if not) you still won’t feel like you’ve heard it before. Beautiful instrumental tracks some including some semi-good rapping, not too much of that though, fortunately. Buy this for the beats, and if I may describe it in a retard way; nujabes beats, only more jazz and.. and different? Sure. Oh yea, I have to give Matt credit for showing me this!

Fave-o-ryte songs:
81summer, One Dream, Color of Jade

A quick one this time.. (that’s what she said? No.. it wasn’t)

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis is said to be the most legendary jazz record of all time, it is also the most selling (jazz record of all time). But who cares about sales (nobody). It’s the only music I can fall asleep to without being boring at the same time. (Why, Magnus?) Because it is out of this world soothing, but it also makes your foot stomp to the beat of it (wild and crazy yeh?).

The recordings took place on March 2 and April 22 1959 in New York. While writing this (blogpost of) recommendation it came to me. All you guys must already have this, of course you have. So I’ll wrap this up by saying; if you have it, good. If you don’t, check your parents cd collection for it (they’re very likely to have it) if they don’t or you have family issues that you don’t want to stir up over this one album, (still worth it though) go buy it. Might save you a few [your currency] if you buy it on iTunes, because of the few songs on it.

Fave songs:
All of them, enjoy this album as a 55 minute song.

I got to give my boy Martyn credit for showing me this. This is likely to be the best thing you haven’t heard about, and if you have, that’s great and you know what I’m talking about.

Onra is a french instrumental hip-hop producer which is so unknown I couldn’t find anything more to write about him (call me lazy?). Ok I’ll try not being lazy… According to his myspace he has worked with another french producer, Quetzal, making a hip-hop tribute to 60’s and 70’s soul music. It’s dope and it’s already in my ‘To get’ list or ‘Wish’ list or some other list… in my head.

Chinoiseries is a project started by Onra himself back in August 2006 after going apeshit in vietnamese recordshops, came back to France and mixed together this supremely slept on album. Released in the dawn of 2008, this is a must check out especially if you enjoyed the last Beat Konducta album (damn, i thought i was going to write one post without mentioning Madlib).Well, since I already mentioned Madlib, I can add that Onra is with no doubt in my head, the french Madlib. Be sure to at least listen to parts of Chinoiseries on his MySpace or on iTunes. Cool people buy the whole album though.

Favorite songs:
The Anthem, I Wanna Go Back, War, Dark Sea, The Vallee of Love

Wait, what happened to the original Madvillainy 2? Oh nevermind.

This review got a little pushed back by the more urgent ‘Welcome’ review, I had to get that out.

This is a helluva ride, and when I say helluva ride I mean a rollercoaster with half; mediocre beats and the other half; CLASSIC. This is the closest I’ve come (and will ever come) to do a track by track review of an album. Because this is one of the very few albums you can give me the tracklist to and I can point to a song one by one and go ‘That’s awesome, that’s bad, that one is also bad, but this one is awesome…’. You might see me do a track by track review of an album one day though. 

Starts off with a blast, ‘No Brain‘, a remix of the original song ‘Figaro’. Which is, I wouldn’t say typical Madlib, but more typical Madvillain, and this got me thinking. Madlib actually produces differently when working with DOOM. The next few tracks is what I would like to call the gray area of this album. Since this is (more or less) a remix album, you have to understand that I’m merely reviewing the instrumental tracks on this joint.

This notorious gray area ends around Borrowed Time, a pretty cool remix of ‘Accordion’. And the gray turns all [some good color other than gray] with ‘Space ho’s Coast to Coast’ which frankly is DOOMs rapping from the Dangerdoom song with almost the same name (named Space Ho’s if you we’re that clueless) on the instrumental track ‘Outerlimit’ from Madlibs Beat Konducta 1-2: Movie Scenes. Full name of that instrumental: ‘Outerlimit (Space Ho)’… CONSPIRACY?! Did Madlib know he would make this track?!

Next up, another gray area, remodelings of Rainbows, Operation Lifesaver, Meat Grinder. They even put Money Suit up there which I’m sure you’ve heard from first Chrome Children album. It’s a great song and I really like it, splendid lyrics and a dark fat beat. Nice video too, kinda scary tho. Now, the rest of the album is pretty much good, especially note the instrumentals (yes, the songs with ‘instrumental’ at the end) and the song ‘Never Go Pop’. This is perhaps the best song on the album, but sadly doesn’t top the original, because it’s inconveniently a remix of the legendary ‘ALL CAPS’. (When using the words sadly and inconveniently I’m talking about my wish to hear ONE track of this joint that tops the original. It’s impossible to remix all caps and make it better.).

The beautiful silver thing on the right side here is the cover (I’m pretty sure) for the ‘Madvillainy 2: The box’.. box. ST says you can pre-order August 15th and it will ship September 15th. The box will contain ‘Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix’ (the ablum i’m reviewing here, what a coincidence), a 7inch of a lost version of ‘One beer’ (one of my fave Doom songs). This was the original version from 2004, but was lost when Madlib & co had much fun in his Bomb Shelter studio (I, of course havent heard this, but theres NOTHING wrong with the ‘One Beer’ as it turned out on ‘mm… food’. The original Madvillain demo tape on cassette, a t-shirt and a comic ‘Meanwhile…’, the continuation of the infamous All Caps video. Now I REALLY want this, but haven’t got the money at the moment… anyone feel generous? Contact me for mailing address… (worth a try).

Pre-order here. (They let you pick the size? How convenient…)

I can conclude by saying that no songs on this album is better than the original. But honestly, when will you ever see something better than the original Madvillainy? (Answer).

Now this is a kinda late review (very late review by some standards). But if I can be cliché for a moment; some music are timeless. So, I’ll make it inbetween review and recommendations (a short review that is), officially a review. (Shortest review you’ll ever see here)

The story of Pants started in 2001 in texas, peanut butter wolf was djing the prom when a sharply dressed young man approached him with his date on tow. (I’ll stop stealing from other sites now). But anyway P B W liked it and so did the critics.

The first time you listen to Welcome by James Pants you might just feel like it’s nothing special, just the regularest (word?) funky electronic album. But this has something that’s a bit sparse when entering the world of electronic; variety. Some songs might be characterized as a mix between Dj Rels and Sound Directions (how can I stop comparing everything to madlib?). Others have that Herbie Hancock feel you missed so much (or not, it’s still awesome). Some songs (solely the song KA$H) even resemblances Pharrell (In a good way).

I’ll recommend this album to people that’s still bumping Hancock and/or the rock steady crew this is it for you (i love semi-rhyming sentences like that dont you?). This is also the album (JUST FOR YOU) if you have an open mind and you tend to let albums grow on you by listening to it one more time even though it didn’t make you (***) the first time. 

Favorite songs:
Theme from Paris, My Tree, I Choose You

Is under a maintenance at the moment. So don’t freak out if everything suddenly looks like shit.. it will.

Also wanna take some time to be grateful the love and support given to this yet so young blog, I’m overwhelmed really, no other words for it. Shout outs to affiliates, commenters and die hard supporters. hah.