Friday, January 26, 2007

Straight from the Ghetto - News on HipHop, pt. 20

HipHop-experimentalists Dälek are about to release their new album "Abandoned Language" on Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings on march 9th. After a 2 years period of silence since the release of their highly appreciated longplayer "Absence" in 2005 the guys, which are known best for their furious sonic wizzardry, noise attacks and HipHop beats vs. Industrial aesthetics approach, step back from their common path and create an album more accessible to a wider audience, more matching with the dancefloor crowds and less avantgarde than most of their further output. Instead of layering surface noise and dark drones there's reprocessed string arrangements, staggered piano melodies, echoing sounds and at some point even FreeJazz-influenced sax playing that create a sinister kind of epic melancholia, the apocalyptic soundtrack of urban decay. If one band / project is to be called the one that pushes boundaries of today's HipHop further and is responsible for a music evolution within this specific genre, even creating a genre of it's own that must be filed under the flag of Mutant HipHop, it has to be Dälek so make sure to grab "Abandoned Language" blindfolded at the day of release. Highly recommended stuff.

Name it R'n'B, DigiSoul, Phusion, Broken Beats, Future Soul... whatever. Phuture Lounge Records, founded by Dave Jones - better known as UK Garage wizard Zed Bias to many - and Sefton Morley, have thier first CD-compilation on the circuit right now under the name of "Rainbow Soul Volume One" featuring a twelve track showcase of Phuture Lounge-related artists, handpicked and produced by the labels' head honchos Phuturistix. Expect artists like Fyza, Oezlem, Jenna G, Charlene Michelle Amador amongst others to croon upon deep groovy beats that truly do provide a fair soundtrack for adult late night clubbing in tiny venues located deep in the worlds red-light districts and known only by a selected crowd that likes to keep them as a secret. No fake glitz to be found here, just 100% raw underground music.
Up for that? Holla at them Phuture Lounge-camp on myspace...

Canada-based rapper K-OS, which is short for “Knowledge Of Self”, is about to release his new album “Atlantis – Hymns For Disco” in late february, which is now triggered by a four track white label put on the DJ circuit by Labels / EMI. Referring to a time when HipHop was seen as music to dance, break and b-boy to all tracks featured on this 12” piece come as smashing uptempo tunes, “Electric Heat – The Seekwill” even based on a proper, safely cut & looped Amen break which hasn’t been used on a mainstream production for a while but is good to be seen back as this brings a bit of oldskool approach to the floor again and might open the younger kids‘ minds for beat knowledge instead of imitating gangsta and ghetto images. “Catdiesel” on A2 as well serves oldskool feel similar to the Stereo MC’s in their heydays, whilst “Sunday Morning” & “Born To Run” on the flipside are flirting with Pop-compatible sounds and kinda offbeat guitars which have been used by the likes of The Police in a similar way years ago. Nice one. Check myspace for snippets!

A DJ-only five track 12” has been put on the circuit by Def Jam Recordings these days under the cat.no. of DJSAMPVP3. Apart from Nas‘ massive uptempo smash “HipHop Is Dead” as well as Young Jeezy’s booming “I Luv It” which have been on promo before the A-side holds the formerly unreleased Young Jeezy tune “Bury Me A G” - a fair addition to every set featuring epic string arrangements plus an anthemic chorus that’ll properly bash every dancefloor throughout the small hours. Ghostface Killah’s “Good” is still disappointing as we knew that track before from another disc and it did not get better but his “You Know I’m No Good” on B2 is a proper oldskool reminiscence and about to be well appreciated by true HipHop connaisseurs.

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