Gabriel black makes music in his room. Alone. At night. And the result is pretty damn cool. His latest track, "freedom", our just a few weeks back, is really interesting. It's guitar-lead hip-hop with a bit of a dark feel to it. In addition to making music alone in his room at night, he makes fun animations for his songs. Check out the "video" for "freedom" below. And, if any of this sparks your interest, read/watch this interview.
RIYL: Why?, Dan Deacon, Panda Bear, Islands
How about a little hip-hop for your hump day? LA's Villain Park reminds me a whole lot of some of my favorite acts from the new underground movement in the late 90's. Think Jurassic 5, Souls of Mischief, Dilated Peoples and the like. They've got a few singles and an EP out on Spotify and it's all solid, the latest "We Out Here" being my favorite of a terrific bunch.
RIYL: Dilated Peoples, Jurrasic 5, Earl Sweatshirt, Flatbush Zombies, Injury Reserve
It's the 44th Anniversary of Hip-Hop y'all! As the legend goes, DJ Kool Herc introduced the world to the extended break ("merry-go-round") by setting up two turn tables at a block party in the Bronx, and the Bongo Band featured prominently. (Disco haters need to pause here to respect that this way of setting up equipment originated with the disco DJs). I imagine we have all heard samples from "Apache" mixed into other hip-hop and dance tracks, as well as appearing in the background of commercials and films. I had a great time learning about the early days of hip-hop recently from episodes of the podcast Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty - I finished the miniseries yesterday, in fact. Woke up today to this Google Doodle and violá! Hope you enjoy this blast from the past, and whatever it reminds you of.
