Moved to Wordpress

There were just some features that I got on with better over at Wordpress so all of these posts and all future blogging will be done over there and you can go there via this link.

Fat Lace Radio/Podcast/Ramblings

The boys over at Fat Lace Magazine have started recording a semi-regular show that is available from their Soundcloud page or their own very fine blog. Check the first two shows below, stream or download.

Fat Lace Show 001 by Fat Lace Magazine

Fat Lace Show 002 by Fat Lace Magazine

Wax On, Wax Off - Saturdays at James St Tavern

This is a relatively new night that will be happening every Saturday at the James St Tavern just off Cowley Rd. If you head down there you will have your aural needs taken care of by one or more of the residents who will be playing in rotation. One of them is me, but don't let that put you off! There will also be musical treats served up by Random Hero, Cynan and Angie.

I've known Mr Random Hero for a while and always been a fan of his work but the others are relatively new (and very welcome) aquaintances of mine. Come down and let us entertain you!

Turns out some people read this stuff

Just a quick note to mention that the man like Kid Fury made this post on Venom Fire because of me mentioning Lady Chann. Not only that but Hip Hop Chronicle also kindly gave the credit for the DJ MK Beatnuts mix I upped the other day.

If you do read this I'd encourage you to drop a little comment, and if you do post stuff elsewhere then drop me a line and let me know. I'd probably be doing this anyway but it's nice to know there are a few people out there.

On another note I'm thinking about making the switch to Wordpress very soon because I feel like there are features I would prefer to use over there. I'll make sure to link from here to the new place if it does happen.

Fashawn - The Antidote

Now I'm so late on this it's almost silly. This is a free mix for download from the man who put out one of my favourite albums of last year. Fashawn put this out before his debut album "Boy Meets World" and I clearly just missed it at the time.

Check it here, and then go and buy the album. Seriously, you need it in your life. While you're at it go and check his site for additional material and hit him up on Twitter as well.

DJ J-Live - First Things First Vol. 1

DJ J-Live hits us once again with this mix of great first songs from great albums. This is free to download for a limited time from here, and apparently he's preparing to drop Vol. 2 on is very soon.

You can also have a listen to it all by clicking on the player below.

Lady Chann - Dun Dem Season Vol. 1

If you were paying attention you would have seen Lady Chann on the Ladies Night on Westwood vid I posted a while ago. Everything I hear from her is more and more impressive, and now you've got a chance to have her next mixtape just fall into your lap.

Check her Myspace for a link, and all you have to do is sign up to the mailing list. Then on April 5th you'll be sent a link to the new mixtape, shit doesn't get easier than that people.

DJ MK - 100% Pure Nuts

If I have to explain who the Beatnuts are then you clearly don't like hip hop that much, and in a similar way you should be well up on who DJ MK is. This is a Beatnuts mix that MK put together for a HHC cover CD from years ago, and it is still the best thing they ever gave away.

Check it right HERE.

MK is more of Twitter man these days so you can hit him up here to tell him how this mix changed your life.

Chilly Gonzalez - Pianist Envy

At the moment I'm really enjoying this but I'm not sure if it'll get annoying after a while. Either way you might as well check it out because it's free of course. Chilly Gonzalez has put together a mix of mostly commercial bangers and tinkled his ivories all over the top of it all. Since I wrote the first sentence I'm actually warming to it quite a lot, so check it out right HERE. A Clipse verse will do wonders for someone sitting on the fence.

Konny Kon - It's Winter Time, Tie Your Tims Up

These are a couple of mixes done by Konny Kon of Broke'N'English with a specific time of year and feeling in mind. In his own words:

Its the wintertime,tie up your tims,put your champion hoody and starter hat on,zip up, put this in your walkman, turn it to 11 and stand outside some shops like your invincible..either that or just listen to my mix in your nice warm house,tracks from-the u.n,pete rock,sadat x,mobb deep,12 jewelz,biggie,wu tang,p brothers,onyx,scaramanga,jay z,black moon,smif n wessun,odb,bravehearts,capone n noreaga,imam thug,m.o.p,redman,prodigy and more.

He put them both up on the Broke'N'English blog which is right here. It's well worth checking for mixes like this, old tracks and general niceness from the Manc lads.

Here are the mixes in Soundcloud player form, and just click on the relevant part to download.

KONNY KON-ITS THE WINTER TIME,TIE UP YOUR TIMS by konnykon

ITS THE WINTER TIME,TIE UP YOURS TIMS PT2 by konny-kon

Jay Electronica in Oxford

This has got to be the biggest hip hop event that's happened in recent times. The boys from Wordplay have sorted this out, and it took me by surprise at first. They have booked Jay Electronica at the O2 Academy in Oxford.

The big tune that has taken the net/world by storm was Exhibit C of course, and if you look into my previous posts it's there somewhere. The Facebook page for the Oxford event is here amd you can buy tickets by hitting this link. I'll see you down the front.



To prepare you for the gig I thought I'd stick up this mix that entirely consists of Jay Elec material, it's worth checking believe me. You can stream or download it by clicking HERE. I can't take credit for it but I'm not sure who put it together originally.

I'm glad to say that one of the support acts is Chima Anya of local crew GTA. He's promoting his album which is due out this year, he's a nice guy, a fully qualified doctor and thankfully in this context, an ill MC.

Here's something that will give you an idea of what he's about.

DJ Cable Guest Mix for Mista Jam/1Xtra

I've been downloading free mixes from DJ Cable for sometime now, and now it seems he's getting a bit of recognition on a wider scale. He put together this guest mix for Mista Jam on 1Xtra.

You can download it HERE, and have a look below for the tracklist.

01. Interview/Intro...
02. DJ Zinc - 138 Trek (Bingo) *
03. TC - Where's My Money? (Caspa Remix - Cable Re-edit) (White)
04. DJ Cable Vs. Tempa T & Rusko Mr. Muscle's Hype (White)
05. Caspa - My Pet Monster (Dub Police)
06. Joker & Ginz - Purple City (Kapsize)
07.Three 6 Mafia - Stay Fly (Acapella) (Sony BMG)
08. Grand Puba - Get It (12th Planet Remix) (SCION US)
09. Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (Joker Remix) (Wichita)
10. Caspa - Marmite (Cable VIP Re-edit) (White)
11. Redlight - Be With You (Lobster Boy)
12. Silencer - Dirtbag (Silencer)
13. Ludacris - How Low (Can You Go) (Def Jam)
14. Gucci Mane - Wasted (Warner Bros.)
15. Lil Wayne - Go DJ (Instrumental) (Cash Money Records) *
16. DJ Baddmixx - Go DJ (Juke Traxx Online)
17. Deep Blue - The Helicopter Tune (Moving Shadow)
18. Yung Joc - It's Going Down (Acapella) (Bad Boy Entertainment)
19. Foreign Beggars - Contact (Noisia Remix) (Dented)
20. Xample & Jakes - No Respect (RAM) *
21. Total Science - Nosher (Marky & S.P.Y. Remix) (CIA)
22. Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Acapella) (Def Jam)
23. Tinie Tempah - Pass Out (Parlophone)

Where's My Monkey - DJ Parker

Now I know I'm incredibly late on this (as I imagine I will be with a lot stuff I post) but I had to stick this one up for you. DJ Parker played around a bit with the dubstep anthem of a similar name, and it just so happens that DJ Sampology decided to create some visuals to go with it.



You can go and check the Sampology Youtube channel here, and download the track from here.

Some videos of artists featured below...

This started with me finding a few new videos of artists that I've previously featured on this blog and before I knew it I had quite a list. They're all worth checking so have a little look at these.

Skuff of Delegates of Culture puts his own spin on a Gil Scott-Heron classic.



Inja of the same crew spitting over dubstep.



A couple of videos for tracks from the recent LP "Jimmy the Lock" by Nocando.

Nocando feat. Busdriver - Two Track Mind from Fresh Coast on Vimeo.

Dumbfoundead with a concept track off his recent LP "Fun with Dumb".



Mysdiggi going in over 64 bars.



Fucking tune! Cappo and the P Brothers repping Heavy Bronx.

Intuition - Girls Like Me

Intuition is part of the same wider crew as Nocando and Dumbfoundead who I have talked about before. He has just dropped "Girls Like Me" which is a high quality example of the resurgence of LA underground hip hop that has been happening in recent years.

You can sample the goodness by clicking on the player below. If you like what you hear you can get a download from Bandcamp, iTunes or eMusic. I highly recommend it, you know you want to.

Ska Cubano in Oxford

Those lovable rogues from Skylarkin Soundsystem are once again bringing Ska Cubano to Oxford for your delectation and entertainment. All of the details can be found here, you can go and buy some tickets all of your very own right here, and below you can have a listen to get an idea of the kind of thing you might hear if you do.



If you like what you hear you can go here and purchase a download in the format of your choosing. If you're after a "real" CD probably best to look elsewhere because they seem to ship from the US if you order from Bandcamp.

Brooklyn Dust (Beasties mix) - Jimbo Jones

OK, hopefully some of you people (who am I kidding? Nobody reads this shite, holla at me or comment if you're a real person!) remember my post about the crazy Marvin Gaye mix by the man like Jimbo Jones. The good news is that he's been putting in work again and this time has crafted a masterpiece entirely out of Beasties material.

You can go and check it over at his blog here to get full tracklisting etc, or alternatively this is the direct download link.

Below you can find some examples of his own blends that he has put together to feature on the mix.

Cappo - Psychological Warfare

Cappo (seen above with Styly Cee and Disorda of Suspect Packages) is a lyrical monster from Notts. To be honest it's not often I use a phrase like that because it's so often applied incorrectly, but in this case I think it's true.

I originally saw him live for the first time when he came down to Oxford with the P Brothers to play at Hiphopalypse as it was then. There are after party stories but I won't reveal them here (and to be fair there always was!).

I came across this track and can't find any info on it but it appears to be a brand new track from the Grand Imperial Capps. I hope it means there's more on the way but we'll have to wait and see I guess.

Dumbfoundead - Jam Session 2.0

Just had to post this with Dumbfoundead and plenty of others (info in the Youtube link), just watch it.

*edit - this has now been broadcast (at least in part) on CNN which you can check HERE*

The Psychonauts Essential Mix

Not the greatest picture but the best one I could find! This is the Essential Mix by The Psychonauts (of Mo Wax) originally broadcast in 1996. I remember recording this onto tape and only catching about an hour. Even so it really opened me up to new genres and I loved it.

Download it HERE.

Bobby Corridor Hip Hop Mix

Not much info on this but it's a killer tracklisting. Go here to find the mix including a link to a free download, and see below for the tracklisting:

• The Prophet L-Cee- Ace of S.P.A.D.E
• MC Tee & Lord Tasheen- Talkin’ Loud
• Hot Day Dante- Hot Day Is Burnin’
• Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew- Keep Risin’ To The Top
• Seeborn & Puma- They Call Me Puma
• Latee- This Cut’s Got Flavor
• Just Ice- Freedom Of Speech
• Freddie B & The Mighty Mic Masters- Coolin’ On The Ave
• The Rangers- I’m Hot
• Boogie Boys- KMD Step Off
• MC Sugar Ray & Stranger D- Knock ‘Em Out Sugar Ray
• Kid Flash- Ain’t Nothin’ But A Party
• King Dee & The Bishop- What’s Your Opinion?
• Deuces Wild- Five Times The Rhymer
• TDS Mob- Dope For The Folks
• Stezo- To The Max (Remaxed)
• Big Daddy Kane- Ain’t No Half Steppin’
• Massive Attack- Any Love (Remix)
• The Fed- Freestyle
• Sindecut- Sindecut’s Kickin’ Yeah
• The Scam- Scamgroove
• Too Kool Posse- Give ‘Em A Sample
• Kings Of Swing- Nod Your Head To This (Audio Two Remix)
• Extra Curricular- Go With The Flow
• B Boys- 2,3 Break
• Twista- No Peace Sign (Kutmaster Kurt Remix)
• MC Mello- Wize
• Freestyle Fellowship- Hot Potato
• Jungle Brothers- Good Ole Hype Shit
• Ultramagnetic MCs- Feelin’ It
• MC Lyte- Start It Up Y’all
• Blvd Mosse- Move To Somethin’ Funky
• Lakim Shabazz- Hands Of Fate
• MC Player- Rhyming Rampage
• Father MC & The 1st Fleet Crew- Father MC Going Ill
• A.O.K- Shack It Up
• Divine Styler- Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’
• E & J- Lyrically Insane
• Rhamel- Power
• 24-7 Posse- We Ain’t Playing
• Tuff Crew- She Rides The Pony (Remix)
• Unique- Axe Maniac

The Skuff And Inja Show

If you're a fan of hip hop from the UK you have probably heard of Skuff and Inja, two of the members of Cambridge based crew Delegates of Culture. What you might not realise is that they've just released an album that I reckon will be up there with my favourites of the year.



You can check out exactly what I mean by clicking on the play button just above these very words. Assuming you like what you hear (and I'm willing to bet you will) you can purchase a CD or download from Suspect Packages, or go to THIS page to download it directly for the price of your choice (there is a minimum, these boys know how cheap people are given the chance!).

On a related note you can also go HERE to stream the crew album from last year, and for a few more of your finest pounds sterling you can download that to keep forever and ever as well. Go for it, you know you want to.

eLZhi - The Leftovers Unmixed Tape

eLZhi should need no introduction, from his participation in some classic Slum Village albums through to his collaborations with more recent stars of the Detroit scene like Guilty Simpson and Black Milk.

The Leftovers UnMixedtape is exactly what it sounds like: A compilation of one of the game's most talented Emcee's unreleased and featured works. Whether it's a promo joint from a few months back (eLZhi and Black Milk - Deep), a feature from another artist's project (Danny Brown - Contra feat. eLZhi), or just a rare gem from years past (eLZhi and DJ Dez - Living), these Leftovers would have passed for a fresh cooked meal if you didn't know better. It's raw, uncut, unmastered, fresh from the studio and ready for your ears. No DJs, just eLZhi and his comrades, your speakers and you. Without the Leftovers UnMixedtape, most of these songs would never have seen the light of day, so consider this a gift, and come get your grub on!

You can stream the whole thing right here (just click next to scroll though the tracks) or you can go to this page to get the option of downloading the whole thing in the format of your choice for free.

Tom Caruana Presents Wu Tang Vs The Beatles

These "theme" projects can vary wildly from pretty shoddy to working well, and I'm pleased to be able to say that this one is definitely near the top end of that scale. Put together by Tom Caruana who runs his own label/site Tea Sea Records, anyone who has more than a passing interest in the UK scene will have heard one or more of the heavy beats he puts out.

Check the label site to preview some of the other product coming/already out, and check the link below to stream this project or download in a variety of formats.

HERE

DJ Dylemma & DJ Sav One - Coming up in '09

As soon as I post one mix showcasing the best of '09 hip hop another one comes along, proving that there is still plenty of quality material out there. There is some common ground in terms of artists featured but J-Live definitely ventured into the mainstream while these guys keep it underground.

DJ Sav One and DJ Dylemma put this together, and it seems fairly representative of the other subject matter over at The Underground Come-Up which has plenty of other stuff worth checking out.

See below for an idea of the sort of artists featured here, and download the mix HERE to hear just how healthy the underground scene still is.

DJ J-Live - Do The Knowledge Vol. 1 (The Late Pass)

It's easy to forget that the multi talented J-Live is a skilled DJ as well as rapping and producing on all of his own releases. The picture above is actually from The Source when he was identified in the famous Unsigned Hype column as one to watch way back in 1995.

He has put together a mix of recent hip hop to show all the naysayers that there is quality material coming out on a regular basis. In his own words:

Basically, I got tired of hearing a lot of people say stuff like, "there's nothing new out" or "hip hop is wack now". Upon hearing this I usually run down a list of names of new artists and even old artists with new albums and ask if they've heard of'em. Nope! These people have no idea. There's a lot of good new hip hop. You just have to do the knowledge and keep your ears open. These are some of my favorites from 2009 alone. Enjoy!

I agree with his sentiments absolutely and often have similar conversations with people, the main difference is he actually did something about it! The mix can be downloaded from the link below in the format of your choosing, and I highly recommend doing so as soon as possible so that you too can "do the knowledge".

DOWNLOAD HERE

Tracklist:

• J-Live ~ DTK Intro 01:39
• Jay Electronica ~ Exhibit A (Transformations) 02:28
• Skyzoo ~ Return Of The Real 02:05
• Royce da 5’9” f / Bun B & Joel Ortiz ~ Hood Love 03:14
• Wale ~ Mama Told Me 01:35
• Marco Polo & Torae ~ Word Play 02:24
• Senor Kaos ~ Automatic Classic Remix 02:30
• Mos Def ~ Priority 01:13
• Mr Lif & Bahamadia ~ Breathe 02:58
• OC & AG ~ Give It Back 03:05
• Nipsey Hussle f/ Snoop Dogg ~ The Life 02:14
• Edo. G & Masta Ace f/ Pos ~ Good Music 02:52
• DJ Spinna f/ Fresh Daily, P.Casso & Homeboy Sandman ~ Get On Down 04:09
• Tanya Morgan f/ Blu ~ Morgan Blu 02:40
• Zion I f/ Brother Ali ~ Caged Bird Pt. 1 02:03
• Jay Are ~ The Lee Morgan Story 02:03
• Chali 2na f/ Elzhi of Slum Village ~ When Will I See You Again 02:46
• Jay Z f/ Luke Steele ~ What We Talkin’ About 02:31
• Raekwon F/ Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna ~ 10 Bricks 02:52
• Daimond District ~ I Mean Business 02:45
• Tiye Phoenix ~ Stop Right There 02:17
• Method Man & Redman f/ Ready Roc & Streetlife ~ How Bout Dat 03:37
• Living Proofe ~ Rise 02:25
• J. Cole ~ Lights Please 02:23
• KRS-One & Buckshot f/ Talib Kweli ~ Oh Really 02:38
• Busta Rhymes f/ Jamie Foxx, Mary J Blige, John Legend & Common ~ Decision 06:19

Some classic posse cuts

This list isn't supposed to be exhaustive, but here are some of my favourite posse cuts of all time. Probably stretched the definition slightly but it's my list so I'll do what I want.

Wax on Traffic Jam

I almost didn't put this up because it feels so old but then maybe you guys don't all spend your time searching Youtube for vids of men rapping in cars.



You can find more info (and further videos etc) on Wax on his website HERE or his Myspace HERE, and buy some music either HERE or HERE.

I was going to leave you to find this most recent video for yourselves but what can I say, I know you need help so here you go.

Camp Lo - Luchini

This is so good I don't need an extra reason to put it up, just enjoy.

Ladies night on Westwood

Bit of an old video but I had to put it up after being reminded of it. Lady Chann and Nolay kill it for me but most of it's worth checking. I believe the phrase is "BARS bruv!".

South Rakkas Crew - free album for download!

South Rakkas Crew are a couple of danehall/electro producers from Florida. They recently remixed a whole Tricky album to great effect, and right now they are giving away their latest offering for free on Mad Decent.

The actual page in question is HERE so go along, follow the instructions and you'll end up with a nice set of 320k mp3s.

The crew are also on Facebook HERE, Twitter HERE, and you can buy music and merchandise from HERE.

Shouts to Loudat for the info as well.

Nocando - free track

Nocando came up through Project Blowed and is a member of a crew called Customer Service. A respected battle/freestyle rapper as well as a solo artist in his own right. His next solo project will be entitled "Jimmy the Lock" and will be released on Alpha Pup Records on January 26th (digitally) and a few weeks later (physical format).

He's leaked a track from the project for free as a little taster and I like it so check it out by right click/saving right HERE.

Mystro on Kiss (MK & Shortee Blitz)

Don't want to go too extra spam-like on the Mystro content but here are a couple of vids I missed just before Christmas. While I'm here I should mention DJGoneTV on Youtube, check it and subscribe for all sorts of UK music updates etc.