We are pleased to announce that on July 7th, 2009, Fat Wreck Chords will be releasing The Original Cowboy by Against Me!.
These predominantly never-before-heard demos were recorded at Goldentone Studio in Gainesville, FL with Rob McGregor on July 15th, 2003. The session was scheduled prior to Against Me!’s trip to Memphis’ Ardent Studios where As The Eternal Cowboy was recorded (the band’s first release with Fat).
No you weren't imagining that headline. One of the most prolific producers of the moment and one of the most subversive directors of all time, have joined forces with Sparklehorse and created what is being billed as "the year's most mysterious album".
Word has it that the album, "Dark Night of the Soul", contains songs written by DM and Sparklehorse, with production and composition being done by a lot of the artists who also appear on the record, including James Mercer from The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Julian Casablancas out of the The Strokes and everyone's favourite nutjob, Iggy Pop.
It was only in March that YNR brought us the massive debut album from Jyager, "Encrypted Scriptures", but apparently that wasn't enough. Now they have got all the whole camp together for a compilation to end all compilations. Exaggeration? Maybe. But this is the illest this year, most definitely.
YNR Productions houses some of the best emcees this country has to offer and they all get to put their two pence worth in on this album - Mystro, Jehst, Kyza, Jack Flash, Verb T, Micall Parknsun... and they're all on point, all bringing new material which is gratefully received with open ears.
If you're anything like me, you would have been disappointed to hear about Eyedea's decision to retire from hip hop back in 2006/2007. I remember reading loads of comments on their E&A Myspace page, basically slagging him off for hanging up the mic & concentrating on his other project, Carbon Carousel.
I thought that was a pretty fucking childish reaction considering Eyedea had been rhyming for a long time by that point and he had been involved in three immense albums, as well as winning enough major battles to last anyone else a life time, and all this by the time he was 21 or some shit. If I was him, I'd probably choose that time to focus on something else as well. But he is in my top five emcees and so it was still a shame to see him go.
Gza and the Black Lips.. really? Yeah really. The Wu Tang legend and Atlanta garage-rock collaboration first took place off the beaten path at The Compound for Dickies Battle of the Bands at this years SXSW festival, inspiring the unlikely pair to enter into a whole new chamber together. Soon thereafter, rumblings shot down 6th Street that the unlikely collabo might occur again at The Vice Records Showcase later that night at Emo’s. Sure enough, immediately after the band took the stage, GZA emerged to a roomful of cheers and slack jaws. The following week, the web was atwitter with reports from both events and a grainy MTV video documented a piece of the experience.
Ironic that my first post in a while is directing to another site? ...
Holland hasn't got too many English lyricists any more since the Nederhop scene started rapidly growing. A buble has formed, a language barrier has been built. However, there is a small group of writers that do want to spread their words internationally. In 2004, SuperCharger Records was founded, and I went to one of the guys to see what's happening nowadays. Bring your leish, and focus on my man: Ciph Barker.
The Dutch sweet water ponds hold a lot more sharks than most fish hope for.
I've just heard on the Myspace grapevine that Rhymesayers are set to release a whole bunch of new albums under the collective title, "The Spotlight Series".
The albums will showcase the music of up-and-coming independent artists and will help them to expand their fans bases by making their music available to a global audience. Not only that, but the LPs will be cheaper than the average RSE release to entice more potential followers.
London's biggest and best dedicated Audio-Visual event Videocrash have lined up a truly ground-breaking affair, with the undeniable kings Hexstatic and Northern Upstarts The Nextmen as well as some of the finest up-and coming talent in this, the coolest up-and-coming night-club experience.
Having absolutley killed it at the previous 2 Videocrash nights Hexstatic was an obvious choice to invite back to Koko, and in looking for an act to match up to them The Nextmen were a clear option, with their live showcase and excellent turntable skills.
To make it all that bit more special, and to fit in with the theme of the occasion, Hexstatic will be providing a visual accompaniment to The Nextmen's set! Awesome. Throw into the mix the fruits of our quest into the world of AV to find some of the hottest new talent in the field, and the result is an evening that will blow Koko's bass-bins and your minds with a kaleidescopic mix of sounds and sights.
What is seen by many as the album that truly kicked off the independent hip hop movement, Company Flow's "Funcrusher Plus", is going to be reissued by Definitive Jux this month.
It's almost 12 years since El-P, Bigg Jus and Mr Len dropped their debut, and ultimately their only full album. It provided a fresh alternative to the heavily jazz and funk influenced sounds that were being thrust to the forefront of the scene at the time, and it also struck a cord with many people who knew that a new direction was needed for hip hop as a whole.
