J. Period feat. De La Soul: Excursions (remix)

February 3, 2009 Kevin 4 Comments

Trugoy and Q-Tip at the VH-1 Hip-Hop Honors show in October.

This would be a perfect post for Sundays with A Tribe Called Quest, except, well, it’s Tuesday, and I can’t wait until Sunday.

In November, I posted Q-Tip for President, a collaboration between Q-Tip and producer J. Period, who also hinted at a tribute mix in honor of the Abstract Poetic.

Well, the time is almost here. From J. Period’s site:

The mixtape, which has now turned into a 2CD collection, will be released in installments, starting with J.Period’s exclusive new track with De La Soul (a tribute to Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest) on this Tuesday Feb 3…. followed by the release of The “Best of Q-Tip” Vol. 1 on Tuesday, Feb 10. J.Period has also just announced that he will be releasing an exclusive Limited Edition line of “Best of Q-Tip” T-Shirts, designed by Fuse Green… as well as a Limited Edition Series 2 Flash Drive, available with extended bonus material, out-takes, interviews and more!!!

Yes, Q-Tip has turned into a cottage industry.

On this remix, Posdnuos and Trugoy update the opener from The Low End Theory with new verses over the same enticing bassline.

It’s probably sacrilege to even consider revamping a classic like Excursions, but you have to trust it in the hands of De La Soul. Who better to pay respects to it? Gotta admit, though: It’s disorienting to hear new words over that famous intro. “Back in the day when I was a teenager / when we signed to Tommy Boy instead of the major.”

J. Period feat. De La Soul | Excursions (remix)

general, hip-hop

N.A.S.A.: Samba Soul (feat. Del and DJ Q-Bert)

February 2, 2009 Kevin 2 Comments

The more I look at the guest list on this N.A.S.A. album The Spirit of Apollo, the more I look forward to its release on Feb. 17 on Anti-. This might be Handsome Boy Modeling School on steroids.

Given the A-list appeal of the album, it’s hard to not want to pick off individual songs, though I’m sure they take greater meaning in the context of the full album (ain’t that always the case?). Still, Samba Soul brings the funk as Del paces the track with his even-tempered flow, giving way to some delicious Q-Bert cuts. I’m listening quietly on headphones â€“ it is past midnight and some people sleep around here â€“ and I think they’re hiding the full potential of the bass. This track is getting cranked on full stereo at the first opportunity. (Side note: I love that N.A.S.A. segues into N.W.A. in my iTunes library.)

N.A.S.A. | Samba Soul (feat. Del and DJ Q-Bert)

Related:
N.A.S.A.: Money (video)

general, hip-hop

Incoming: DJ Z-Trip, Feb. 18

February 2, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

You can’t say DJ Z-Trip will ever forget his roots. Case in point: He’s returning to Phoenix to play at Bar Smith on Feb. 18 for the birthday bash of Tricky-T, a local DJ that Z-Trip also brought out on tour a couple years ago.

Tickets for the event are $10 and can be picked up here.

As usual, Z-Trip is keeping busy. His most recent projects include his Obama mixes and a guest spot on the new N.A.S.A. album.

[ZIP]: DJ Z-Trip | Victory Lap: The Obama Mix (Pt. 2)

DJ Z-Trip (feat. Lateef and Chali 2na) | Mass Hysteria

hip-hop, remix

Tone Loc: Loc-Ed After Dark (deluxe edition)

February 2, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

You might ask: Why would Delicious Vinyl re-release Tone Loc’s 1989 debut Loc-Ed After Dark? The real question is, Why not?

I’m just as wary as anybody of these seemingly endless reissue cash grabs that essentially ask fans to pay for an album twice, tempting them with additional, unreleased material. But in this instance, I’m OK with this 20th anniversary deluxe reissue (especially because you can download the six bonus tracks individually at eMusic or Amazon without purchasing the whole album again, assuming you already own it, which you should).

It’s also worth remembering that this was an important hip-hop record that helped thrust rap into the pop/mainstream world. That said, I have a hard time listening to Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina anymore; those two tracks, played ad nauseam in my youth (and still now), have lost all semblance of relevant meaning. Though Tone’s raspy flow is the most recognizable trait of the album, the production/sampling team of Matt Dike, Michael Ross and the Dust Brothers makes Loc-Ed After Dark hold up 20 years later. (Dike and the Dust Brothers also were responsible for production work on Paul’s Boutique.)

Lastly, the album is one of many hip-hop records that drew inspiration from the Blue Note catalog for its cover.

The digital-only reissue features six bonus tracks: On Fire (OG 12″ version), Cheeba Cheeba (OG 12″ version), I Got It Goin’ On (Remix), The Homies (On Tilt Mix), Wild Beat and Funky Beats.

Tone Loc | Cheeba Cheeba (OG 12″ version)

general, video

John Vanderslice/Magik*Magik Orchestra Rehearsal

January 30, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

For those of us that can’t make John Vanderslice’s 10th anniversary celebration of Tiny Telephone, for which he’ll be performing with a 30-piece orchestra, he was kind enough to post a YouTube video to Facebook of rehearsal. It’s just one song — Fiend in a Cloud, the first track off the epic The Life and Death of an American Fourtracker — but it’s a nice peek into what to expect for the show, which is tonight. Here’s hoping the event is recorded to video and/or audio.

hip-hop, remix

Q-Tip: Renaissance Rap remix feat. Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Lil Wayne

January 29, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

If you’re on Twitter, you gotta follow Q-Tip, who is pretty active and likes to post YouTube audio clips of classic soul jams.

Well, on Thursday, he posted access to a remix for Renaissance Rap, the “hidden” half attached to Move on The Renaissance. It’s basically the same (great) beat/melody but with new verses, including spots from Busta, Raekwon and Lil Wayne.

Q-Tip | Renaissance Rap (remix)

SPEAKING OF Lil Wayne, Martin Cizmar of the Phoenix New Times had a less-than-enjoyable time waiting for a very late Weezy to show up for his big gig in town on Wednesday night. Read the review here.

general, video

Incoming: Modest Mouse, Feb. 25

January 29, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

I’m guessing this one will sell out quickly. Stateside Presents is bringing Modest Mouse to play Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Feb. 25. Tickets ($35) are on sale today.

The band sold out the 5,000-capacity Mesa Amphitheatre in May 2007, and Marquee is probably half that size. So if you wanna go, buy tickets now.

According to Brooklyn Vegan, the band will be playing with Jim Fairchild (late of Grandaddy) while Johnny Marr is recording with the Cribs.

Mimicking Birds open the show.

Modest Mouse |MTV Music

hip-hop, video

The Cool Kids: Pennies (video)

January 28, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

A couple months ago, I hit you with 2K Pennies, a track by the Cool Kids that showed up on the NBA 2K9 video game.

Now, Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks have updated it slightly and offered a video, a prelude to their 2009 full-length When Fish Ride Bicycles. The video was directed by G.L. Joe, who also helmed the Black Mags vid.

general, video

Yeasayer: Tightrope (live on The Current)

January 26, 2009 Kevin 2 Comments

I’ve spent the past few days with my digital promo copy of Dark Was the Night, the 31-song benefit compilation curated/produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National that is due out on 4AD on Feb. 17.

The compilation is an extraordinary feat just from a logistical standpoint. The roster of musicians they’ve gathered for this is astounding: The New Pornographers, Feist, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Ben Gibbard, Sufjan Stevens and on and on. (See the tracklisting here.)

But one of my favorite tracks so far comes from Yeasayer, a band that, quite honestly, raised my level of indifference amid all the buzz. Yet, based on my iTunes library’s play count, I’ve listened to Tightrope far more than the compilation’s other tracks (except for the National’s So Far Around the Bend).

What attracts me to Tightrope more than anything on All Hour Cymbals I haven’t quite figured out yet. (OK, I love 2080, but who didn’t?) It’s a song the band has been playing live for the past year, and the studio version â€“ with its infectious world-inspired rhythms â€“ is outstanding.

Here’s a video of Yeasayer performing the song for Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current in October. … Crap. I probably need to revisit All Hour Cymbals, huh?

general, hip-hop

Incoming: Busdriver, Feb. 5

January 26, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

In one of the stranger concert promotion hoaxes I’ve seen/read about, the guys at the Blunt Club canceled what turned out to be a phantom Killah Priest/Luckyiam show on Feb. 5 after it was discovered there were “rogue agents” taking offers for a tour that never existed.

Thankfully, the Blunt Club crew is well-connected and moved quickly for a more-than-worthy replacement with Busdriver, who released the mind-bending, tongue-twisting RoadKillOvercoat in 2007 on Anti.

I’m already attempting to line up an interview with the man born Regan Farquhar. I hope it happens because there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to know: How do you discover you can rap like that? And at what age? I’m also intrigued by the mechanics of his writing and production. How do you create beats for a guy that spits rhymes at a pace double that of your average MC?

Anyway, Busdriver and Flying Lotus hooked up recently for an Obama inaugural tribute song called Will He, a real think piece among some of the pie-in-the-sky tributes we’ve heard of late.