DEF WISH CAST - All Stars.

Thanks to Underrated magazine for upping thier new videoclip on the Tube.

TOOLS OF WAR

They've been the best source for true hip hop culture from NY, with a distinct focus on the originators via their weekly emails. Well now they have a page on MySpace.

Mike Relm's Dr Octagon mix.

Not familiar with Mike Relm? Don't worry, there's time to catch up with his stuff. Firstly by downloading his new Dr Octagon mix. He did tour down here in Oz with Money Mark last year. Not that anyone knew. You can go search for hsi rather incredible mix-cd, Radio Fryer. Have a look at his website to see more.

You can follow the links on The Return of Dr Octagon website or direct download from the link below.


Check this excellent live video of a show from Vancouver, Dec 2005.

Direct downloads.
• MP3: The Remix of Dr Octagon mix. 20mins/192kbps/30MBs
• MP3: Lyrical Swords Westside Rebellion Mix. 9mins/128kbps/9MBs
DJ Relm cutting up Adisa (The Bishop) Banjoko's Speech at Harvard with Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" plus Balance, the Bay Area Mixtape King.
• Interview from April.

Boots Riley of The Coup interview.


Excellent audio interview with Boots from last month. Available in streaming or downloadable MP3 via the Minnesota Public Radio site.

German graffiti film WHOLETRAIN

Click on image to enlarge.

Synopsis Four Munich graffiti-writer - one crew; their life: drawing styles, "bombing" trains; when suddenly another crew shows up in the city, a battle starts that will change the live of the four protagonists forever...

I've been waiting & waiting for more information to come to hand on this new German film. It will be released in Germany in October. It recently won an award for Best Narrative Feature at the UrbanWorld Film Festival. The train scenes were shot in Poland where the Polish authorities apparently said, 'yeah sure, you can use our trains. layups, sheds to make your film. That would never happen here in a million years.

"Writer-director Florian Gaag was himself a member of Munich’s graffiti scene for many years. He later took up studies at Tisch School of the Arts in New York, also contributing to the Hip Hop magazine, “Juice”. Gaag persuaded well-known international graffiti artists Won, Cemnoz, Pure, Ciel and Neon to create both the graffiti and graffiti pieces for his film. Filmed in Munich and Warsaw, most of the young cast and crew working either in front of the camera or behind it were doing so for the first time."

• Wholetrain website Seems to be de-activated at the moment.
• Wholetrain trailer

THE ASPECTS - Off the Lip.


One of my favourite UK crews, repping Bristol & this one of their best tracks from their awesome Mystery Theatre album of 2004. Its a solid looking video with Probe Mantis skating about on a surfboard. Featuring those other kooks from the Isle of Wight The Bees on the chorus.

...as a bonus. Here's a link to one of my favourite ever UK hip hop clips, That's Why, from the Dirty Diggers based out of West Yorkshire. Also one of my fave songs from their underated debut album Diggers Don't Get Days Off. Just proves all you need is heart, a bit of talent & honesty. No wonder I hate videoclip mainstream rap when stuff like this exists. Check it here at Tru Thoughts. It's also included on their 2nd album Freakishly Strong (CD version) as a bonus clip.

MR T - Be Somebody.



Pure 100% 80's GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!

Les murs de l'Atlantique : Road trip - Graffiti de l'Ouest
aka Atlantic Walls

Nicely designed road trip focused book on contemporary French graffiti outside of the usual places. Over 200 pages/35o photos of artwork from the Atlantic coast region of France. Including areas such as Bordeaux & cities Rennes, Nantes, Niort & La Rochelle.

• Alternatives: Publishers website. Includes page scans.

...and here's a nifty French Hip Hop site where you can watch a heap of videos of writers doing their thang. Look here at 90BPM.NET.

ADULT SWIM MP3 collections.
Free downloads from Adult Swim.
You can grab DangerDoom - Occult Hymn EP or the Chocolate Swim EP.

C-MON & KYPSKI - What's Happening?'


C-MON & KYPSKI - Shitty Bum


After I upped the Birdy Nam Nam video, I remembered I hadn't upped anything from the Dutch duo? 2 great clips that are very different, but very enjoyable. You can see them on their website, but YouTube streams are better.

• C-Mon & Kypski website.

CUT CHEMIST - The Audience's Listening

All I can say is that it's easily one of the best frigging albums of the year in my books. I love it. J5's new album Feedback is a bit ordinary & it shows probably because of the absence of Chem & the use of outside producers. eg: Scott Storch's vomitous Black Eyed Peas styled track Brown Girl is one of the most pitiful & contrived radio friendly tracks I would never have thought J5 would lower themselves to make. It sounds unlike anything they've done before, but sounds like a million things others have done. Thankfully one listen to Cut Chemist's album & you know he would never go down that route in a zillion years. It's chock full of dynamic uptempo cut n paste styled compostions & quirky downtempo pieces of brilliance. Only 2 tracks have emcees, Edan & MR Lif on Storm (see here for MP3) & Hymnal on What's the Altitude. And a nice addition of a Astrid Gilberto vocal through the Brazilian inspired The Garden.

Easily one of the best albums of the year for me. No question. It delivers without even half a duff track. We all knew he had it in him, but many, including myself, were nervous only due to the fact that he was signed to Warner. Amazingly they must have left him to his own devices, because there isn't even a whiff of a suspicious odour with any of the tracks. I'd be hardpressed to even nominate an obviously radio friendly song.

Postscript:
The one thing that Cut Chem has over DJ Shadow is a definite sense of humour. I've seen the track listing for The Outsider & the mere fact that it has The Federation, Keak da Sneak & David Banner doesn't exactly have my heart racing. Even the Lateef/Q-Tip track 'Enuff ' sounds like generic club track. Though the soulful track, using a 40yr old found vocal, This Time (I'm Going To Try It My Way) is simply divine.

• MP3: CUT CHEMIST - My 1st Big Break
Classic double copy infused deejay wonderment.
• MP3: CUT CHEMIST - Spat
Listen to this imaginative & original track for example. Its 2 turntables having a conversation over the phone...

OH NO - Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms

Okay, while someone has borrowed my Aloe Blacc album, I’ll have to twist my brain to put my ear to the speaker while yet another new Stones Throw album is pushed through my letter box. I wasn’t feeling Roc C’s recent debut, but an album that does include a contribution from C has been getting my gonads gushing. That would be the new experiment from Oh No ‘Exodus into Unherad Rhythms’. It’s a fully polyunsaturated corker. Sure to give yu a heart attack in epic proprortions. Why, well because it’s a collaborative effort with revered Canadian pianist/composer Galt MacDermot. Okay, maybe the 2 of them weren’t in the studio together, but Otis (Madlib) Jackson Jr’s little brother Michael managed to get his hands on the original recordings of the esteemed MacDermot. Obviously with his permission & blessing, for on the inside of the CD cover you can see Galt lounging with Oh No.

I read that Stones Throw’s obsessive record nut Egon worked for Galt’s son Vince a few years back on his dad’s label Kilmarnock. So maybe this helped in connecting the dots for this eventual hook-up. I can honestly say it’s turned into my favourite album of the last few weeks after only a few days listening. Sure it definitely helps from its source material, but also by Oh No’s choice of emcees that bless the beats. Thankfully we mostly get a swag of artists who have something to say, such as Cali Agents (Planet Asia & Rasco), Poor Righteous Teacher leader Wise Intelligent, LMNO, Buckshot, Wordsworth, Posdonous, Frank N Dank, AG, Vast Aire, Dudley Perkins, etc. Even the Aloe Blacc & Roc C track ‘Keep Tryin’ is superb. Not one dud track. I can’t find anything to fault it by. It’s a rewarding experience & makes me want to pull out Does this say more for Oh No’s talents or for Galt MacDermot’s genius? Lets just hope that anyone who buys this might get a little inspiration to discover some of the back catalogue of this now almost 80 year old composer.

There will be a much deserved documentary film released next year called ‘Ear of the Hear: The Music of Galt MacDermot’. You can find a preview for it on the Net at americanmontage.com. He may seem obscure to most, but everyone would be familiar with his pivotal soundtrack recording of the musical ‘Hair’ or at least the songs, ‘Age of Aquarius, ‘Let the Sunshine In’, all those classic 60s hippie themes that came from the much covered soundtrack.


Above: Videoclip for 1st single T.Biggums - Oh No ft Dudley Perkins & Georgia Anne Muldrow.

• MP3: OH NO - Black ft Wise Intelligent.
• MP3: OH NO - Smile A Lil Bit ft. Posdonous.

• Ear of the Heart: The Music of Galt MacDermot. Quicktime film preview for 2007 release.

French turntable crew Birdy Nam Nam. Unbelieveable!!!



The most impressive deejay set I've ever seen, from the already stellar French quartet. Not exactly sure when this is from, but it has only just appeared online in the last couple of weeks. They did win the team event in 2002 at the DMC finals.
For its sheer originality & the amazingly impressiveness execution it's certainly one of the more refreshing sets I've ever seen. People seem to think they are re-creating the overture from the film 'Requiem For A Dream'.

• Birdy Nam Nam website.
• MySpace