AlienNation - light years

New Gajah EP

Somewhere Between Art Rap and Murder-Core

I still remember the first time I heard Acid Reign and how blown away I was by them.  I had been hearing a buzz about them for a little while, and when I came across their Acidicompositions tape at Amoeba records in Berkeley I snatched it up.  Listening to it on my way down the street  I was instantly struck at the newness of it:  The far-out but low-fi production, the rough-hewn quality, and the completely unheard-of stylings of the two emcees, Beond and Gajah; who by the sound of their voices were probably - and remarkably - still a couple of high school kids.  
The Acid Reign crew have been futurists from the get go.  The same could be said to a point for the entire Project Blowed collective back in the '90's - They worked to push music forward like few others.  The wild lyrical and musical experimentation, the die-hard do-it-yourself aesthetic, the exploration of alternative means to promote and sell the music - all were trademarks of the LA underground at that time.  But Acid Reign seemed to take it all to the next level.  They could see where hip hop needed to go and effectively took it there.  By taking a few basic elements (mics, decks, the occasional instrument) and working with minimal equipment (the 4 track), they managed to produce truly unheard sounds, both musically, stylistically and lyrically - even compared to their P-Blowed compatriots.  
It's been 14 years since I first heard that tape, and it's fortunate indeed that Acid Reign are still around, continuing to push music forward.  You can see their influence stretching out behind them over the industry like the wake from a boat - with every new move you can hear the cats scrambling to keep up.  With Gajah's latest release, the visionary, 4-song "Man the Ship" (a fitting flagship release for the band's new Bandcamp site), it's evident that his focus is still not on what is, but on what's to come.  His flow is still instantly recognizable - the phenomenal articulation, the unique cadences, the tongue-splitting speed - but it's become refined and distilled and ultimately more on-point.  Similarly the production values are higher, which only creates a larger canvas to lay down the representations of his vision.  Each track is unique musically; The stoney jazz of "See In You" shares space with the glitchy, MBox-destroying "Walk".  Waves of beautiful, reverbed feedback float over the beat on "Sponge" while the beat is almost obliterated by the Bochum Welt-like synth abuse on "Sound Blast".  As experimental as this may sound on paper, all the tracks are head-noddingly addictive and kept tightly wound due to Gajah's intense emceeing and lyrics.  Several guests are present in this audio vortex, including Open Mike Eagle, Herrmutt Lobby, Ellul, Shuanise, and Portformat.  DL link can be found below; give them the support they deserve, listen to what's on the horizon.


Man The Ship


Thanks again to Stones for the opportunity to let me post up here - Jack Devo

Notes Of A Righteous Outlaw

manipulating domes of clones

After 7 long years, L*Roneous Da'Versafier is back with a new album!  Calling himself LR the Outlaw, this hip hop shaman and visionary had been keeping a pretty low profile until last year's free Roller Coaster EP let us know the northern Cali emcee was up to something once again.

Lyrically LR is at his past standard of greatness.  He's truly a unique artist; his flow is immediately unassuming.  What I've come to realize and appreciate is how tight  and smooth his flow is.  There's never a lagging syllable or an off cadence or a needlessly cluttered flow.  Smooth is the word here - but you know what they say about smooth waters running deep.  His lyrics are free of the usual cheap shots and one-liners that typify battle emcee repertoire, and his flow is relatively naked, abandoning the stylistic acrobatics and rhyming in quadruple-time that has become one of Cali's trademarks in hip hop.  To me, his greatest strength as a lyricist lie in his phenomenal ability of expression.  He can take an idea and go deep with it, turning it inside out, showing you sides to it you've never seen, while using the most original and abstract metaphors you wish you'd thought up yourself.   And he doesn't save this for the punchlines to his rhymes, in fact there are no punchlines; instead his poeticism is demonstrated verse after verse, in song after song.  It's no wonder that he takes his time between records, as it's obvious he puts more effort that is possible for most mere mortals into his writing.  

Musically he enlists a gang of talent, causing quite a varied tapestry.  DJ Cue, RIck D, Essence, Miko, Russel Fong, Def-I, and several others lend their beats, while Equipto, Subverse, Haze, Gigio, Spank Pops and others attend as guest vocalists/emcees.  Frankly I feel that the lyrical inclusions don't do anything to push the album forward, since they honestly aren't on the same page as LR here.  The music is at best truly inspiring (Rick D's "My Name," DJ Cue's "The Notes", DJ Troubleman's ode to synesthesia "The Sound of Color"), and at worst just sort of ho-hum (Miko's "Outlaw").  Nothing worth skipping, though, as the album is so sonically expansive.  Actually, for all the various hands in the batter, the record is incredibly cohesive, while providing just the right amount of variance to keep you guessing.  LR stands back from the mic from time to time to let the producers stretch out a little, which I feel happens far too little in hip hop.  

L'Roneous shows he still has it with this release - in fact he sounds like he's just starting.  The lyrics are as inspired as ever, and the beats are fresh, jazzy, stoned, and varied in that classic L'Ron style (i.e. Imaginarium stylee).  Truly a refreshing release to all those jaded cats out there, and a mind-expanding one for all the newschoolers.  

Great thanks go to Stones for extending the hand across bloglines to let me post on up in here. - Jack Devo

Eyetoonz

Access

Sandboxautomatic

lr-one

Aaron Stoehner (@Stoehner) has shared a Tweet with you:

"LRoneous: FREE DWNLD a song called Jukebox. peep. share. http://indigomusicaustin.com/?p=972 http://fb.me/MkKkcjEo"
--http://twitter.com/LRoneous/status/93460813741965312

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.3

Abstract rude self jupiter myka9

Le'boheme by Mr. SELF JUPITER on SoundCloud

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.3

project blowed posse cut

Creme De La Blowed(feat. Nga Fish, Aceyalone, Rifleman, Olmeca, Abstract Rude & Myka 9) by Acid Reign on SoundCloud

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.3

kali 9 - table of contents.wmv

p.e.a.c.e. - I'm the PEACE

Live P.e.a.c.e. trk from the goodlife...not much else to say!
P.e.a.c.e. - im the peace by stones

Jizzm - walk with me

Jizzm - solider of fortune (pre rough cut) video

Haiku De Tat - demo track

atu - live at the goodlife

something homegrown pt. 2

Stones - Pulse of the Drum by stones

something homegrown

Stones - Hardcore by stones

Please Pass The Mic

Very Very dope tape from 1992.This tape to me is the "unofficial" goodlife compilation, the only thing missing is fellowship and c.v.e. appearances. Other than that it has alot of great artists from the early years of the goodlife! Artists like Funky Trend, Ded to the World,Big Al, and Unity Committee all are outstanding, due to the difficulty of finding and material at all from them. If you ever cross paths with this heavyweight of a tape you certainly won't be disappointed!
09-superb sk & unity committee-the fish taste superb by stones