Tuesday 26 February 2013

Doctor's Orders

EDAN and OXYGEN will be over in the UK this 5th APRIL for a one-off performance at DOCTOR'S ORDERS alongside MR THING, CHRIS P CUTS, MO FINGAZ and SPINDOCTOR himself. This will be OXYGEN's debut performance in the UK so it's a date NOT to be missed at the EAST VILLAGE (along GT. EASTERN STREET EC2). Stay tuned for more details.



Double Dynomite

Double Goose Country and doubles of BOB JAMES "Nautilus" - what's not to like?

Krum Get Some

My fellow VINYL VETERANS member MR KRUM has just been interviewed over at FLEAMARKET FUNK - they delve into his creative design work, his LP cover artwork, and his eclectic digging habits. Humble as ever MR KRUM never shows off about his work, but suffice to say he is the designer of choice for many independent record labels at the moment (SLICE-OF-SPICE, BLUNTED ASTRONAUT, CRATE ESCAPE, PROJECT BLUE BOOK, BORO RECORDS etc etc). He'll no doubt shrug it off and say something like "well I've been lucky lately" but let's be honest about it MR KRUM is the man to go to for some design brilliance.
Peep the INTERVIEW and check out MR KRUM's website for more of his work.

Night Of The Living Beathead

If you are not familiar with JORUN BOMBAY's "Instrumentals you never got" series on Youtube then you must have been living on another planet over recent months. To break it down in a nutshell what JORUN does .... hr finds a classic Hip Hop record that never came with an official instrumental, and he starts from scratch (excuse the intentional pun) to re-create the beat sample by sample. Sound easy? Well trust me it certainly isn't. But JORUN is a living breathing beathead and a master of diggin' through his dusty old records looking for that half a bar which so-and-so used on this or that classic track. It would take me forever just to name all the samples let alone re-create it piece by piece. Listen closely, and if you're in doubt then take a listen to the original. See ... I told you so!

Sunday 24 February 2013

Rubble Kings

RUBBLE KINGS is an unreleased feature length documentary about the New York city street gangs of the late 60s and 70s and their influence on hip-hop culture. It features interviews with many ex gang members (including the notorious Savage Skulls, Black Spades, Assassinators, Ghetto Brothers, Hitmen etc.) who vividly recall those turbulent times - the urban decay surrounding NYC, the burning of the Bronx, the rise in street violence, and the resulting Hip Hop phoenix that rose from those flames in the Bronx. The project has been a labour of love for RUBBLE KINGS filmmaker SHAN NICHOLSON.
The documentary is already complete but the team behind RUBBLE KINGS are seeking our support through their Kickstarter campaign to enable them to fund the release of the film to the general public. Hip Hop's evolution is an important part of 20th Century's history of music, and lessons can still be learned today from what the gang culture did in the late 70's to help stem the violence (it was time to battle their rivals with b-boy moves rather than with knives and guns!) The change to PEACE, LOVE, UNITY and HAVING FUN saved many lives, and spawned a phenomenon which was spread across the globe.
Take a peep at the short trailer for RUBBLE KINGS and please lend your support where possible in return for one of the rewards on offer on the Kickstarter page.




Saturday 23 February 2013

Magnetic Magnetic

Here's a date for your diary if you live in or near London - 5th JULY. This year commemorates 25 years since the ULTRAMAGNETIC MC's released their futuristic sounding and highly acclaimed "Critical Beatdown" LP, and this coming JULY 5th at the CLAPHAM GRAND in London CED GEE, KOOL KEITH, MOE LOVE and TR LOVE will return to the UK capital with another highly anticipated performance of material from that classic LP. So if you love "Ego Tripping" "Ease Back" and "Give the Drummer Some" then keep your eyes and ears open this summer. Rest in Peace to ULTRAMAGNETIC affiliate TIM DOG who passed away recently.

Take It Back To Bring It Forward

2012 was a great year for new hip hop music and 2013 is already looking interesting when it comes to boom bap Hip Hop. And I'm happy to say it's not just transatlantic artists which are impressing me with their output - the UK can also be proud of some of it's homegrown talent that are currently putting out beats. Last year my favourite release from home shores was SIR BEANS OBE "Pause to Discuss" EP. BEANS really has put yeeears into this hip hop game and this is glaringly evident from the production quality on this release (the title track is so damn dope!)
On to 2013 and it's another producer from the UK that is a healthy making noise with his debut album. Swansea based DJ turned producer BEATRIX brings the golden era back to present day with a selection of drum heavy beats featuring a host of very competent UK MCs including MYKES, FIGURE OF SPEECH, SAM OTIS plus others including the aforementioned SIR BEANS OBE performing cuts on one joint. The sound is very much reminiscent of the Golden Era and BEATRIX himself admits to heavy vinyl sampling and a love for headnod beats. But the golden era vibe never feels forced during this album as can be with other "golden era" inspired tracks.
In fact some of these tracks sound like they could actually have been recorded in 1990 or 91, so authentic is the vibe. BEATRIX has tailored the beats individually for the varying MCs so the feel of each track is wildly different as you progress through the album, keeping your attention locked throughout. The project was mixed and mastered by UK recording legend NO SLEEP NIGEL so you know the sound is crispy too. "Take It Back To Bring It Forward" is available on CD as well as available for download at the usual legit spots. However if you prefer a physical copy on CD then leave a comment below and I'll throw names in the hat for a free CD copy. But first, check out the handful of soundclips below and hear what all the fuss is about...

JUNCTION 45 present BEATRIX "Take It Back To Bring It Forward"



Remember to drop a comment to be in with a chance to win yourself a copy of the CD.

Friday 15 February 2013

Soundsci - Ultimate

SOUNDSCI are back on wax with a new EP (released today) combined with a video for the title track "The Ultimate". The video features the original mix which is an surefire winner, but on the EP we are also blessed with remixes by DJ FORMAT, DJ SPINNA, and OLLIE TEEBA. The flipside features four brand new tracks from SOUNDSCI and once again the Anglo-American crew are here to remind us why we fell in love with Hip Hop in the first place - because of the dope beats, quotable rhymes and funky cuts & scratches. Don't snooze, get yourself over to the SOUNDSCI web store to hear more soundclips and to grab your vinyl copy before they are all gone.

Thursday 7 February 2013

Gone Diggin': The Video

The long awaited video for OXYGEN's "Gone Diggin'" is finally here, with numerous Hip Hop aficionados making cameos in it including BREAKBEAT LOU, PHIL MOST CHILL, DJ SPINNA, FORREST GETEMGUMP, JARED (BIG CITY RECORDS), AMIR, K-PRINCE and others including my VINYL VETERANS buddy MAC McRAW. The video was filmed during the last (open) days at BIG CITY RECORDS store in Manhattan just before it closed it's doors for the final time (shouts to FORREST and JARED). The video also coincides nicely with the re-release of this popular diggers anthem on SLICE-OF-SPICE RECORDS on the 10" format with remix by GENSU DEAN who also produced the original version. The original "Gone Diggin'" 45rpm seven inch single that OXYGEN dropped was back in 2010 so it's fantastic to see people are still talking about this record almost three years later. Enjoy the video - and of course enjoy my cuts at the end!

Good Morning Vietnam

Oh man I'm so pleased I finally got my hands on the vinyl release of MF GRIMM and DRASAR MONUMENTAL's "Good Morning Vietnam" EP. From the moment I heard exclusive soundclips of this release sometime last year, I knew I was in for some 100 per cent real deal trooper music when it dropped. GRIMM and MONUMENTAL teamed up for this project during the end of last Summer and the musical chemistry between the duo was instant, as is obvious from the vibe of this EP. DRASAR has kept the beats rough, rugged and raw with no compromises in terms of his gritty VIETNAM CA. sound. If you want polished beats then go somewhere else - this is designed to make your speakers pop and hum and make your walls vibrate. To quote LORD FINESSE ... "Shit is real like a motherf#cker!"
From what I know, this limited 12" vinyl release was well on it's way to selling out without any soundclips even being aired, showing MF GRIMM's loyal fan base are still out there voting with their hard hustled money. If you want to grab a copy before they disappear for good then get over to the VENDETTA VINYL website with the quickness.