#nowplaying

Techno Tuesday: Hardstyle Edition

So over the past couple days I've been putting in some overtime at the 'ol 9-5 due to a massive increase in product coming in. (holla @ Tactics for yo gear son!) To get me through the lonely hours working of working in a deserted warehouse all on my lonesome I've turned to BBC and BBC 1 radio sets of everything from top 40 to hardstyle house.

This 2hr hardstyle set boasts the "hardest mix" out right now and had me raving hard by myslef so much so that the 2 hours passed like nothing. While I don't expect ya'll to hold on that long, at least check out bits 1hr an 24mins in an the "vision" track @ 1hr 11mins. I think it's only going to be around for another week or so, (BBC seems to be cycling their ish) so peep it sooner rather then later ya hear?

Check it.

Music Monday: New Hip Hop

Hip hop isn't dead, it's just hiding from the lames. With leaders in the industry either basking in their own glory or leading the youth astray, it's hard to sort through the bull shit.

With so much emphasis on what's that new new , often times new-ish artists who are still building to establish themselves get overlooked if 'hype' isn't kept up.

Skyzoo often comes correct, and it's usually dependent on the production selected. "Speakers on Blast" hits hard like an 80s break and slinks along in a fashion well suiting his style.

Skyzoo & Illmind - Speakers On Blast


A punch line legend, Celph Titled doesn't get nearly as much attention as he deserves. Witty as f*ck and more cleverer then most, this track is a throw out from his upcoming album "ninenty ninety now." If this is a track they are deciding to let go for space on the album, I can not wait to here the finished project.

Celph Titled & Buckwild feat. Rise - Nothin' To Say


A remix to an 'outcast' track (GET IT? GET IT?) from the final recently released Big Boi album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, the Jedi remix of "Lookin' 4 ya" features Andre 3000 and Sleepy Brown.

Big Boi - Lookin 4 Ya (Jedi Remix) (feat. Andre 3000 & Sleepy Brown)


But for the main event, I wanted to drop some attention on some real underdog up and comers. Off one of my favorite blogs, The Madbury Club, I came across a spotlight piece showcasing the top five newbloods from Cali who been adding flavor to the game.

Appearing in the order of who I liked best, here they is:

Tyler The Creator, producer and 'leader' of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is grimy youngin' with a passion for pestilence. Dirty spittin', the kid's hazardous flow is aggressive and on point. A Ton backs it.

Tyler, The Creator - AssMilk feat. Earl Sweatshirt


Tyler , The Creator - Seven


Tyler, The Creator - French


Tyler The Creator-Bastard


His EP 'Bastard' can be copped meah.

Hailing from the Compton, the indisputable birth place to gangster rap, Kendra Lamar takes a different approach in talking bout the disparities and hardships of the gangster life style so often described. A more peaceful man/average dude take, K.L spreads love in a BK fashion while keeping it all the way CA.

Kendrick Lamar - Compton State Of Mind


Kendrick Lamar - P & P


Kendrick Lamar - Vanity Slaves



Go get that Kendra Lamar EP.

Mainstream appeal mixed with southern comfort style flows and an Inglewood native to boot, Skeme is putting out music in a big way. Bustin' on any beat thrown his way, the man has been putting out tunes like clockwork for a minute now and I feel terrible for sleeping on him. Careening towards his first album entitled 'Pistols and Palm Trees,' the cat has left a massive wake of tunes and I've really only tested the waters. Def watch this cat cause I see him radio bound (ina good way).

Skeme - Don't Lose Focus


Skeme-"Willie Wonka" (freestyle)


Skeme - I Live With My Pistol

Check homeboys blog for tracks coming all the time.

Another Inglewoodeian, Casey Veggies comes correct with yet another style. A laid back, plodding drool, the dude obviously knows his way around a rhyme. The real kicker on this dude is his age. HE'S SEVENTEEN. WHAAAAT? This dude is practically the same age as my little sister (S/O to her, Bday coming up Sept. 17th) and he's already knee deep in the game. That's talent.

I figure, if dude can rhyme tight now, he's got no where but up to go and the sky is the limit.

Check him out tho.

Casey Veggies - The Panties


Casey Veggies - It's All Good


Casey Veggies - Rollin By


Casey Veggies - So So Rapper


Last but certainly not least is Overdoz. Likened to Outkast, the group consists of rappers Kent Jamz, Sleezy, Tube and Creamie. While they haven't really wowed me yet, they definitely have style and finesse that can only get better. Uplifting and light hearted, the group has a really good vibe and I look forward to hearing their newest project "Live For Die For."

OverDoz - Growing Pains

OverDoz.- "Growin' Pains" from CALMATIC on Vimeo.

OverDoz - Roll Em' Up


OverDoz - Hide N Go Get It


They have two mixtapes out and I highly recommend you check em out. Their first being Bowties and Rosaries and their latest is Nova.

Again, I wanna give credit to Madbury for writing some excellent reviews of these dudes and showing love for underground. I highly encourage you guys to keep it locked on them as well as Madbury drops awesome posts in an unconventional print-styled way.

As a wrap up, I wanted to point ya'll in the direction of an Okayplayer drop, Suicide by Jellyfish.

->"AOK Collective members P.SO the Earthtone King and 8thW1 are premiering their new project, Suicide by Jellyfish, right here on OKP. The project essentially is, at its' core, hip-hop over indie rock, electro, remixes and mashups - but where it differs is its' introspective tone in regards to the matters of the heart and personal internal issues. The title is derived from the suicide method Will Smith employs in the film Seven Pounds. According to P.SO, "Jellyfish is a metaphor for music, both beautiful and dangerous with a complex, changing form.'" You'll find samples and P.SO produced remixes from the work of Paul McCartney, Chester French, Coldplay, Bjork, Flying Lotus, Madlib, Billie Holiday, and more."

Another free download and one that has been getting a lot of play time on my system, don't sleep on Suicide by Jellyfish.

As always, stay awake kids.


Public Enemy- SAY IT LIKE IT REALLY IS

Late Music Monday + Techno Tuesday

Excuse my lateness but at least it'sa drop. Here's a late Music Monday with a Techno Tuesday to laid on top!

Ingrid Michaelson - Breakable


Pinback - Fortress


Re-Up Gang - Emotionless


John Legend & The Roots featuring Black Thought - Hard Times by Hypetrak

---- TT

The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (TapeDeckBros Remix)


Grum - Through The Night (The Swiss Menergy Remix)


Fedde Le Grand, Funkerman & Dany P Jazz - NEW LIFE


All props go to 24KT KidLivin for todays Techno Tuesday. The day snuck up on me and their steady posts of two new songs a day have been a god send for keeping TTuesdays alive over here. They have an inside view of a little gathering known as The Electric Zoo that happened just a bit ago, so shoot over meah for an insiders peek at how they geeked.

I have a list of sites I've been meaning to throw into my web-sploration so expect TT's to improve as A-Ton grows into them.

As a send off here are a few of the top Zion I tracks I enjoyed when he played at WOW Hall on last Sunday.


Zion I - Don't Lose Your Head


Zion I - Coastin'


Zion I - The Bay


Zion I -Fingerpaint


An excellent show, Zion I really ripped and showed improve. I've seen him four times now and he has yet to disappoint.

Late: Techno Tuesday

Starting off TT strong today, I happened across this mix on 24KT KidLivin's feed on FB. Two of the worlds greatest Dj's, this mix is sure to be reworked in the near future by the hordes of other electro musicians.

Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner - Animal Rights (Original Mix)


Right Here Right Now - Fatboy Slim(Trumpdisco Remix)


David Guetta feat Kid Cudi - Memories


Sash! Feat Stunt - Raindrops

Gotta Check Out the Double U

Leaving early Friday morning, Robbie, Morgan and I embarked on the 2010 Rock The Bells pilgrimage of Hip Hop. Making OR => CA in a slick 8hrs, and stopping only for sustenance and gas, we arrived to the welcoming temporary house of an acquaintance of Morgans in Los Gatos.

Home to Kelsey, the gracious hostess of our astro-traveling, Los Gatos was a surprisingly green and homey feeling city that felt like a Eugene or Bend, Oregon that had just hit the lotto. Eating at the local Italian eatery that employed our hostess, we got taste of the night life of Los Gatos after wandering the parks and streets for awhile prior to our meal. To end the night we watched some 'Life' (narrated by David Attenborough, none of that Oprah bullshit) to prepare us for our SF Zoo excursion the next day.

Officially kicking off our San Francisco trip, the Zoo naturally felt like the place for us animals to go wild.


Starting strong, this Gorilla set an unattainably high standard for the Zoo as he had gathered a crowd of what looked like aspiring/student photographers through his posing and displays. Grinning, striking poses of alternating angles and even waving, the primate clearly knew the drill and was really showing out for the crowd of budding photographers.

Staying in Africa for awhile, we meandered through the Pride Land exhibits and saw the sights. Due to my mushies intense interest to observe rather then document, I only took a handful of pictures. Coupled with the fact that it was a particularly dreary and gray day, most animals were either asleep or inactive as well.






From left to right: Morgan, Tiger, Robbie


Sleepy Otters





This thing


The saddest Seal


Lurk


???


'Roos


The ugliest bird


The ugliest bear
























Afterward, we took a drive to Haight area for some shopping and eats.

Wouldn't you know it we got the first spot on Bakers st.


Hitting up True, Adidas, HUF, RVCA and The Hundreds store (which was a bit of a disappointment, it was way to dark in there) I managed to keep my spending under control and walked away with two pairs of socks and a shirt that didn't leave me bummy.

Finishing off a full day, we headed back to Los Gatos to recharge for the main event: Rock the Bells.

---

Waking nice and early to ensure a good spot in line for security (twitter was blowing up the day before about how long LA security took) we started the day off witha bakery n coffee stop.

Arriving in Shoreline, the first thing I noticed about the venue was its bottleneck-layout. One entrance and one exit. While I had expected it to be cluster fuck both ways regardless of the layout due to the mere size of the event, (I heard someone say there were around 20,000 in attendance) seeing this made me cringe at the thought of the drive out awaiting us. However, after all was said and done, both arrival and departure was relatively painless and efficient.

Heading to side stage first I ended up missing the first act, Big Sean, due to security (there were no cameras of professional quality allowed and I was tryin to sneak one in to set A-ton up as the Goliath it should be in the blogosphere) but the second act, an artist by the name of Yelawolf whom I had never heard before was surprisingly ill.



Yelawolf Ft Bun B - Good To Go


Hailing from Alabama, Yelawolf raps like spastic glock on semi. Frantic but calculated, his flow barrages the senses in flurries. Quickly winning me over, Yelawolf put on an excellent show with stand out soungs including "Good to Go" and "Box Chevy." I'm not sure which 'part' it was, but the below version was the best available on youtubes.

Yelawolf Feat. Rittz - Box Chevy Pt 3


Leaving Yelawolf a bit early to hit up the main stage where The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Rick tha Ruler's debut album, was about to be performed in its entirety; I anxiously found a spot to view what I thought would be one of the best performances at Rock the Bells.

Slick Rick - The Ruler's Back


Hugely disappointing, Rick has either definitely seen better days or I haven't heard anything about his shows for a reason. Literally not moving at all, Slick's stage presence was that of a mic tester or nervous 4th grader. OK, maybe not nervous, but stationary in every sense of the word. Due to the smooth, fluidic quality of his story-driven raps, I just assumed he would be gliding back and forth across the stage and bopping along to his bubbly, vivid raps. This was not the case at all. Disappointed, I returned to the side stage to catch the infamous...

Slick Rick-Lick The Balls


ILL BILL & Dj Muggs. One of my favorite Dj's, Muggs's sets were efin clean an precise. Unfortunately I failed to take a single picture.

DJ MUGGS vs ILL BILL - Cult Assassin


DJ Muggs vs Ill Bill - Secrets Worth Dying For (Feat. Chace Infinite)


Grimey like a wound filled with dirt and mean as hell, I thought I had heard the hardest until Jedi Mind Tricks took the stage...

Jus Allah after someone threw a water bottle at him. I was surprised he didn't hop off stage right there an get physical.


Jedi Mind Tricks - Heavenly Divine


Powerful, raw, and just plain filthy, Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, and Stoupe stomped across the stage like rap-dementors sucking the souls from heads in the crowd to regurgitate them with flame back upon us. One of the top shows, "Blood in Blood Out" became an infectious sing-along as the crowd echoed the beat.

Jedi Mind Tricks - Blood in blood out






No stranger to the stage, Brother Ali took over next.

Brother Ali - Truth is



Brother Ali - Take Me Home


He did an sick flow with his Dj, Dj Snuggles, beat boxing. I had seen it before from his performances at Sasquatch but was much closer to this one making it that much better.


Up next was another raw rhymer whom you may have heard of:

Immortal Technique


Hailed "one of this generations truest revolutionary artists" by an elderly lady upwards of 50 squiring her way to the front (using "I'm old!" as her defense as she pushed passed people who had arrived early just to get a good spot"), Technique did not disappoint.

Immortal Technique - Point of No Return


Immortal Technique- Peruvian Cocaine


Midway through his set, he stopped the crowd to have a moment of silence for all third world nations in need of revolution and all in Haiti who needed help and aid... and that's when some jackass threw a water bottle at one of his crew members.



It was aimed at the big dude in the white shirt dead center of the above picture and before the bottle had even hit the ground the dude left the stage with sinister intent. Luckily for the ass hat that threw it, security calmed prevented him from going into the crowd and beating his ass. At Immortal's word, the crowd pointed out the individual and he was forced to leave.

After I.T., there was a calm over the crowd as it had gotten hot and people's energy was waning. With bottled water at 4.50$ a pop, I only drank when absolutely necessary.

Amping the energy right back up for the next act, 9th Wonder came out tossing green and black LRG snap-back's into the crowd. Throwing at least two dozen of each color, the crowds attention was instantly revived as Murs strutted on stage and 9th took the wheels of steel.



Murs & 9th Wonder I Used To Love Her


Murs - 3:16 Pt.2




Oh, and did I mention 9th was rippin' it as well?


Murs - Badman


Tearing myself away from Murs and 9th to miss Wiz Khalifa, I made the worst decision of the day by heading over to see Tribe Called Quest on the main stage. But wait, how could leaving practically any show with the promise of seeing the timeless Tribe be a bad choice? Well I'll tell you: When Tribe decides not to play on schedule, moves Lauryn Hill to their time slot (after a 40 minute delay) and I, in the process of waiting, start to get heat stroke from all the sun; all of this because the artist (Wiz Khalifa) I had a front row spot at was drawing in the majority of the crowd so ATCQ didn't want to divide peoples attention.



With all eyes on main stage (I missed the Street Sweeper Social Club on the side stage while waiting for Tribe and Seeing L.Hill as well), Tribe finally made their appearance.


Tip's a lot shorter looking down from up in the nose bleeds.


But Busta's voice and stage presence make distance unnoticed when he takes the stage.


A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (ft. Busta Rhymes)


ATCQ - Award Tour


With the day light fading fast and my camera's battery following suit, pictures of the Wu and Snoop performances are turrable. Both put on incredible shows, and both tore the place out as hip hop legends did what they do best right before my eyes.



Seeing both 36th Chambers and Doggystyle played back to back was an event that I cannot describe in words. In fact, I won't even do them the injustice of throwing up youtube vids so you can better idealize the experience with your own imagination.

All I can say is, I can't wait for Rock The Bell's 2012.



From left to right: Morgan, Kelsey, Robbie, Myself.

A-ton out.

Grizzly City 3

Spotted on Okayplayer earlier today, FaShawn has gone an dropped a bomb in the form of a new mixtape. Produced by the accomplished Dj Skee, upon first listen through I found the first whole half of the album fairly forgettable. I can't really put my finger on it but from "Use Somebody ft. Ron Artest" on down, the rest of the mixtape feels more genuine and fine tuned.

Here a few stand outs:

Fashawn - Midnight Groove (Freestyle)


FaShawn G's Up (So High)


Since opinions are like assholes (they all stink, go check that ish yourself over meah.

ALSO, the long awaited RTB's recap should be live TONIGHT. my Apologies for the wait.