This Is Book's Music

If you are a fan of the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar or the film that was based on it, The Last Airbender, you’ll know that the storyline is child-friendly but goes beyond child’s play. It’s about a young child with incredible wisdom to move things with the power that he has, but those who feel they know about that power want to control him so they can control it. They want someone else’s power instead of their own. Within the storyline is the realization that the kid may have an old soul, and where does that old soul come from? That has always been the subject of cultural significance, if something that defines a people can truly be passed on from generation to generation and if so, is it always in us? If not part of our DNA, how do we learn it, how much to we learn when we know it has to be learned, and do we shape it to benefit us or is it more about bringing everyone from the past towards whatever the future has in store? I know this because my nephew was a huge fan of the cartoon series, and with it being true to a number of Asian philosophies and cultural beliefs through metaphors, I loved what it said and wanted to teach to its viewers.

That concept has been put into music with James Klynn and his musical family, and together as Freedom Hall, they have showed the power of good, friendship and unity and how that fight for it is perhaps the one thing that unifies us across the world. Some don’t see it that way, but the fight is to show why that thought process is worthy of that fight. That is what makes up the 5-song album known as The Avatar, a set of music that shows hints of the future with flashes of the past, in order to provide guidance on what we need to do today. Balancing hip-hop and soul in a manner that is respectable to both, it’s songs that help to define and redefine Freedom Hall’s mission, which in turn questions why not many are doing the same thing. It moves you to think of the music and your own stance on life, where you are, and maybe where you should be. Music is best when it makes an investment in the mind, and when the mind invests in the music. The Avatar sinks in because it knows it belongs there, bringing out what may be in your consciousness, or what your consciousness has already been longing for

Drummer Eric Akre continues with his video lessons and presents Lessons 3 and 4″. It’s a bit more complex than just knowing how to hit rhythmically but again, whether you’re new or merely watching other drummers and percussionists to stay on your A-game, check this video out.

This one was made aware to me by a post on Facebook, so I decided to check it out. It had taken awhile for the vocals to kick in but when it did, I thought of a number of MC’s that had that cool “monotone style”, including Rakim and Guru, but in Prome I also heard a bit of that King Sun vibe. He and producer Rediculus are united as one, as Lost Things, and lost they are not, as you’ll hear in “The Keynote”. You may have heard Rediculus’ work in other projects, so consider this an addition to his output.

The song is from their album The Search for Lost Things, which you can download for free via Bandcamp.

First off, I love the title of this album: The Sound Of Low Class Amerika (Rhymesayers). For years, the music has been treated like a stepchild by those who see anything created by someone of color as inferior. What started out as block or basement party music made millions, and what turned into an industry turned into someone elses jealousy and condemnation. The title suggests that the sound is made by not only those who are low class, but targeted towards anyone and everyone who is low class. If you are low class, then some will say you are less than human, not worthy. It’s target marketing at its worse, and behind the interpreted hate defined by their direct hate is a music and community of strength, power and unity. Thus, the illustrated cover of “low class” people united helps to define the music created by I Self Devine on his latest album.

At a time when hip-hop is less about itself and more about trying to be something that it’s not, it’s incredible to hear an album that shows hip-hop at its best. It’s social, political, angry, confidence, scared, but hopeful, as it touches on the troubles that many people are going through today. It’s not a concept album but more of an album with a running theme, and while it doesn’t make an effort to answer how to solve the problems, it unveils what some would like to hide, the open wounds that have been hard to heal but discussion may lead to it and a solution or two on how to find a state of betterment. I Self Devine touches on everything from drugs to economics, housing to family, and it can be considered an open diary from someone (or a collective of people) who has felt stuck and disgusted with his life. “Exist To Remain” is a plea to say that no matter what happens, sticking together with family and friends will eventually lead back to a state of mental calm in order to find solace.

I Self Devine shares wisdom as if he is a man speaking out in church. His soundtrack consists of songs, beats, and loops from another time in history where the music also dealt with the struggles of the world, as if the “elders” are observing what is happening today and is trying to show, through song, that the pain will one day go away, but one has to make an effort to have that happen. To me, The Sound Of Low Class Amerika could be this generation’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, and while the identity of “us” remains a portion of the country deemed as being low class, the state of who and what is low class continues to widen, almost to the point of being irrelevant. Sometimes, sound is all that people have, sound is all that can motivate. In the end, The Sound Of Low Class Amerika is a sound people can rely on because it will always be there. What will hopefully one day disappear is the need for class specifications, and that’s something the music by I Self Devine will not be able to fix, and most likely will not be resolved in our life times. If it can help to plant seeds, then consider I Self Devine an inspirational lyrical farmer.

Dynoride might be called grunge or post-grunge if terms like that were effective, but it’s a quick way to describe a sound that reminds me of some of the heavy indie/alternative bands of the late 80′s and early 90′s who sponged a lot of different influences to create something that surprised people. Surprised? Maybe some didn’t know the influences was a nice mixture of rock’n'roll, pop, punk, hard rock, heavy metal, and whatever they felt like throwing in for color. Dynoride sounds more like a band who came from that era than a group who were influenced by Mudhoney, The Cows, Soundgarden, King Missile (Dog Fly Religion), Sore Jackson, Faith No More, and Sonic Youth, and What You Wanted (Gentle Edward) is an apt title for not only music you were looking for, but what you had been searching for, but didn’t realize it.

The stock in Dynoride’s soup is incredibly beefy, throaty even. What I’m trying to say is that their sound is loud and raw but organized, and they do their songs in a way where you’ll get into them, be comforted by what you hear, then they’ll be a few curve balls tossed in your faith. The songs could easily become indie rock hits, anthems that the mainstream would love to claim as statements of a generation. What I like about these guys is that they’ll throw a different arrangement that one will not expect, and anyone who loves those type of changes will put up their devil hand gesture and go “yes, I obey everything about this temple I’m listening to.”

This is the type of indie rock band that is worth searching for, not one you might be force fed to become a fan. The way some of the lead vocals are pushed back into the mix and all you hear is reverb, or how they willy-nilly go back and forth from metal to stoner to punk to punk pop, those are things that not everyone is going to find pleasing. The energy reminds me a bit of the acid-tinged sounds that the Flaming Lips were known for back when they were misunderstood alterna- darlings, and while I can’t tell you what this would sound like while on acid, it’s your own trip and Dynoride sound like a trip you wouldn’t want to calm down from.

DJ Shadow has always been about duality. When you DJ with vinyl, it is always recommended that you have doubles. If you’re a record collector, it’s always great to buy doubles of everything. When it comes to his music, some will hear it merely for the way he constructs the sounds. A lot of times, he seems to be telling messages and stories through the sounds. His songs can be (and are) incredibly funky, but if you wish to dig a little deeper, you may find that his works are much more than what is seen and heard on the surface. It is that duality that has made me a fan for 20 years and counting, and as the world awaits for an all new project for him, he has released a compilation focusing on the the beats he put together when he was first establishing himself outside of his bedroom and dorm room.

Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996 (Reconstruction Productions) is self-explanatory… or is it? On the surface, these tracks are true breakdowns of music he was working on at the time, songs that only went as far as rough constructions or becoming the seeds for bigger and better. “Intropy” sounds like a bridge between “In/Flux” and “Entropy”, while “Alright” shows hints of the “Jason Pew Mosso” funk that he would later use in the Brainfreeze routine. Shadow has always used a wide range of sounds, from obscure soul and funk, to rock and lesbian folk, and while they may not have been easy to detect before, you can to hear those sounds in skeleton form here. On the other hand, one doesn’t have to listen to his music that closely in order to enjoy it. What I do find interesting as well is that he has always been cited for his daring techniques and sample selection, something that was somewhat unspoken then but today we tend to take it for granted. A number of the beats here show more of a knack to create more mainstream hip-hop instrumentals, something that would fit in perfectly with the works of Pete Rock, DJ Pooh, and Dr. Dre. These examples here show a producer enjoying the Akai MPC and slowly outdoing its own capabilities. As with most producers, that’s the way you should interact with the equipment used: have fun but try to work it from the inside out. It’s Shadow’s progression from one stage to another. While the songs aren’t on this album, you can now hear how he got from “Shadow’s Legitimate Mix” made for Zimbabwe Legit to what lead to “Lesson 4″ to what became “Hardcore (Instrumental) Hip-Hop” to “Lost + Found (S.F.L.)”. It’s a notebook of sorts, presented in audio form, and essentially what we hear is him creating his own Ultimate Breaks & Beats or tracks that would’ve been worthy of a Simon Harris breakbeat and sample album. What we also hear is him moving out and away from that and into his own world. If Endtroducing is meant to represent a beginning but by being an “end” of sorts in the title, then we’re going before the end to see what lead to a possible conclusion. That is, if you wish to dig that deeply. For anyone who has ever ignored Shadow’s music for whatever reason, but seem to enjoy finding new and hot beats for free, I’m sure these tracks here will become used for young rappers wanting to be bold and daring. It may not be the intention, but then again, that can be said for a lot of aspects of hip-hop.

Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996 is self-explanatory… or is it? While we are hearing a total breakdown of tracks from the ground up, in skeletal form, if one reads between the lines throughout his writings, liner notes, and songs, is this compilation a penultimate compromise of sorts? I’m not saying this is the end of his work as a DJ and producer, far from it, but for me, it has always seemed he is not afraid to speak his mind through his music. Hopes, fears, dreams, concerns, and as stated in sample form on the Psyence Fiction album, it is great when one is able to find and achieve joy. If one has a breakdown, have things fallen apart? If so, what? Or is DJ Shadow going Brazilian on us and doing a bit of triple entendre? The songs here are a breakdown of his work and production techniques, he may be breaking down in some fashion, or is this a breakdown of hip-hop and what it has become? Is he in turn trying to make another statement on why this album was put together? Am I asking too many questions?

Yes, this review is about what is heard on the surface and the “what if’s” through over-analysis. Bottom line, it’s a way for Shadow and his fans to hear what was in order to reflect on that, in order to see what is. Or as Prince said in “Lady Cab Driver”, “don’t know where I’m goin’ ’cause I don’t know where I’ve been/so just put your foot on the gas, let’s drive”. With cockiness, it can be a way of saying “been there, done that, now let’s do something else”. It’s a way to look back at his archives and reflect on what his early works was about, and also to see how much he has progressed from the days of a KDVS radio DJ and someone who received “Unsigned Hype” status in The Source. With confidence, he’s saying that this is a mixture of the good and the rejected, and I don’t mind sharing it for people to hear.

DJ Shadow is not a clown that got beat down, but this is an album that shows songs and ideas broken down to its very last compound. Hear how it sounds? His piggy bank still has a lot of pennies, and these are the pennies that were metaphorically found in a couch. He’ll be back, but for now, just sample.

(The vinyl and CD versions can be ordered from Amazon.com below, or if you’d like to order it directly from DJ Shadow, click here.)

Have you ever wanted to see a hip-hop video featuring a woman with a cucumber in her pants? Prince Paul has made it possible for you to actually see a woman also hold a piece of doo doo with one hand. ONE! It’s all a part of the Negroes On Ice project, one that Paul has been teasing us with for a long time but now it’s reality. “Textual Healing” is a great about all of those acronyms that are a part of how we communicate with each other digitally, some of it merely to make a point, other times a means to use our digits. Even the use of the word “digits” is different. Years ago, getting someone’s digits meant to obtain one’s phone number. Now, when you ask for digits, it means “stick your finger in my crotch”. WHAT?!?!? Okay, that last one has nothing to do with Negroes On Ice but then again, it may very well be. Who knows, it’s Prince Paul, you know it’s going to be a blast anyway.

More soon.

In the past, Hirobleep has released music on EP’s that have shown one side of his creativity but in perfect, single-based form. What I mean is singles perfect for radio airplay, if radio was still a major means of impact for music today. For Psycho Disko 22, he extends that single-based mentality and extends it to a non-stop 31 minute track.

If you are a fan of techno, acid, and a bit of minimalism along the way, this one is an incredible listen. While you can take it in as one massive 31 minute track, it sounds like there are about five or six different songs within this one mix, or at least Hirobleep gives the track a number of different dimensions and textures so that the listener can sense when one mood in one section changes into another. This may come when the drums and percussion makes a slight shift, and a keyboard riffs maintains itself as another sound drops out, another fades and turns into something else. It would be great to hear how this transfers on the dance floor, and I’d love to hear how DJ’s would manipulate this to cater to their needs. Hirobleep expands his pallet slightly merely by expanding what people have known him for and shows what he’s made of.