September 2008 Archives

The Giant Peach, a California-based company created as an avenue for the production and distribution of music, artwork, and clothing from independent artists (mainly hip hop oriented), have just set up a donation fund via Paypal for Maureen Yancey (Ma Dukes), the mother of the late James Yancey (J. Dilla) on their MySpace page at myspace.com/thegiantpeach.

Maureen Yancey gave birth to one of the greatest producers of our generation, James Yancey aka Dilla. She suffers from Lupus, the same disease which claimed the life of her child. Lupus is an auto-immune disease which results in cell and tissue damage and a host of related medical issues.

Please note: this is NOT a tax-deductible donation, and this is in no way related to the Dilla Foundation or the estate of James Yancey. There are no administration fees related to your donation. You will be donating directly to Mrs. Yancey. Thank you!

For those of your who don't want to pay through Paypal and/or just want to send some sort of correspondence/letters to Ma Dukes, you can send it to the following address:
Maureen Yancey
8281 E. Brentwood
Detroit, MI 48234

And if you want to know the current state of the J. Dilla estate and Maureen Yancey's thoughts on it all, there were a couple stories in L.A. Weekly earlier this year that explains it all.

READ: Who's Biting J. Dilla's Beats? by Jeff Weiss (LA Weekly)
READ: An Interview With J. Dilla's Mother, Maureen Yancey by Jeff Weiss (LA Weekly)

LINKS: J. DILLA MYSPACE | THE GIANT PEACH MYSPACE

Dave NY in conjunction with hosts DJ Rhettmatic, J. Rocc, Houseshoes and Phoreyz present The Mrs. Yancey approved Ma Dukes Collection. All of the artists involved have donated their time and talent to help this project come to reality, as Rhettmatic and J. Rocc handled many of the mini-mixes, and Houseshoes compiling some of original breaks and samples in this moving and emotional tribute in honor of the late great J-Dilla. Rest in power. Featuring Black Milk, Elzhi, Bahamadia, Frank N Dank, The Roots, Oh No, Roc C, Akrobatik, Talib Kweli, J-Rawls and more.

Ma Dukes Collection CD
$10 + shipping

All the proceeds go straight to Maureen Yancey.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Ma Dukes (Mrs Yancey) - Speaks
02. Phoreyz - Intro
03. Black Milk & Guilty Simpson - Freestyle
04. Bishop Lamont, Frank Nitty & focus - Baby
05. Affion Crocket - Wildin’ Out (The Offcial)
06. Rhettmatic - Wut Up Doe Mix
07. Styles Of Beyond - Freestyle
08. Elzhi - Freestyle
09. Bahamadia - Freestyle
10. Houseshoes - A Legend In His Own Time
11. Illa J - freestyle
12. Chali2na & Rakaa - Freestyle
13. Frank N Dank - Freestyle
14. J. Rocc - The Dill Withers Mix
15. The Roots - Freestyle
16. Team Get Em’ (Ohno & Roc C) - Freestyle
17. Supastar Dave Dar, Strickland & Wordsworth - Freestyle
18. Chali2na - Freestyle
19. Akrobatik & Talib Kweli - Put Ya Stamp On It

Black Milk gives listeners the first taste of his highly anticipated new album Tronic with the lead single "Give the Drummer Sum." The track shows the Detroit phenom adding a new edge to his production. Black's ever-improving mic skills ride over live horns and hard drums on what's sure to be one of the most original and exciting hip hop singles of the year.

LISTEN: Black Milk - "Give The Drummer Sum"

The video was just shot in Detroit by Anthony Garth and we'll have that for you soon. Tronic in stores on October 28th via Fat Beats Records.

LINKS: BLACK MILK MYSPACE | FAT BEATS

(Source: Press Release) - A fantastic record that really should be on your "to play" and more importantly on your "to cover" list - you were one of 100 people sent a special advance CDR of this a couple of weeks back - next week after the break we'll be doing a full promo mailing of proper promos - dig out your CDR give it a spin and let us know what you think ...you're ahead of the pack on this one.

First release in a brand new series from the STRUT records team called INSPIRATION INFORMATION - each album links an legend with a contemporary artist - first up legendary Jamaican rhythm section SLY & ROBBIE team up with Detroit soul man AMP FIDDLER.

SLY & ROBBIE have played on or produced over 200,000 songs, a feat in part due the popularity of their 'riddims' which have been sampled time and time again. These guys have worked with almost every Jamaican act of note as well as international stars like Mick Jagger and Grace Jones. They are one of the most important rhythm sections of all time.

Singer and keyboardist AMP FIDDLERs roots in Detroit go deep - from working with P Funk to teaching J Dilla how to use the MPC he is one of the most important musicians to emerge to stardom from the city in recent years. He's also played with everyone from Moodyman to Carl Craig. The lead single from his last album "If I Don't" featuring Corinne Bailey was a top ten chart topper in the UK. Amp is also in play for two awards in Detroit too - winning the Heineken Independent Achiever Award which he will accept on September 4th and he's up for “Male Vocalist of the Year” in the Soul Tracks 2008 Readers choice awards which will be decided in early October.

Above is the third cover to the forthcoming Now On album Tomorrow Already, due out September 30th on A-Side Worldwide. Below is a non album track, the M-Phazes remix of "Weight Up".

DOWNLOAD: Now On - "Weight Up" (M-Phazes Remix)

LINKS: NOW ON MYSPACE | A-SIDE WORLDSIDE

The fourth leak for 14KT's The Golden Hour is a track called "Illustrious". Below is the download link and 14KT's inspiration behind it.

DOWNLOAD: 14KT - "Illustrious"

14KT's Inspiration on "Illustrious":
"This is BY FAR my favorite joint off the project and yes that is me TRYING to sing on it.HAHA!. Years ago, I asked my bestfriend Keri to name one word that described me.She replied,"Illustrious". I was like WHOA! When I made this, I was listening to alot of late 70s/Early 80s Rock music. I wanted to make a Gospel song, but I didn't want to do it in the traditional sense sonically.So I wanted to make my version a 80's Rock Gospel Song! Even though Keri described me as Illustrious, I could never ever come close to letting my little light shine without the Grace, Love, and Power of GOD! So I dedicated this joint to GOD and how I feel with Him in my life!! If you feel the same way, hopefully you will feel the song. I know I'll get criticized for my singing, but I don't care. I was expressing myself!! That's what music is about right?

Lyrics:
Verse 1:
"Illustrious/ I feel/ When you're in my life
So Heavenly/I feel/When you're in my life
Verse 2:
" You are the only way, please show me (the way)
I want to shine, shine, shine, Divine (divine continues to echo)
"God, I need your in my life ( repeats at the end)

LINKS: 14KT MYSPACE | A-SIDE WORLDWIDE SITE

(Source: James from DSE Grand) - With that being said, I would like to announce the formation of an upcoming concept called, The Re: Dilla Project.? For those who know about the store, one of the first designs I made was inspired by the late Hip-Hop legend James "J Dillla" Yancey.? With the design, I was determined for people to visually see the contribution Dilla has made to the music world in his short time, so after coming up with some ideas, talking with one of my associates, and listening to Dilla's The Shining, I designed a silhouette of Dilla's profile made up with his production credits spanning from 1993 to beyond, and ended it with the words "Nuff Said" cause after looking at the work Dilla contributed in that period, theres nothing more you can say.? The shirt has ended up being an underground hit, including finding fans outside of Michigan and the United Sates.? So it was only right that I did something to improve what I started, which leads to The Re: Dilla Project.

The Re: Dilla Project consists of an revamped edition to the original "Nuff Said" design that includes the face of Dilla within the production credits.? The design will not only be available on a limited-run of silk screen printed tees, there will also be limited edition photo prints of the design, including one which will be signed by different artists who have worked with Dilla over the years including: Slum Village, Common, The Roots, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes and many more.? This print will be auctioned off with all the proceeds going towards the Maureen Yancey Medical Fund, which will help towards the medical bills for the mother of J Dilla, who at this time, suffers from Lupus, the same disease that caused Dilla's passing.

The limited-run Re:Dill (Nuff Said) tee will be available September 30th, 2008 only at DSE @ Grand located at 202 E. Grand River off Broadway in Downtown Detroit, as well as online at www.dsedetroit.com.? Only 40 tees will be printed, and does promise to sell quick, so don't sleep on this one.? Once they're sold out, it wont be printed again!!

The limited edition photo print of the J Dilla "Nuff Said" design will also be available September 30th 2008, at DSE @ Grand and online.? Only 25 prints (not including the one being auctioned) will be made on 16X20 matte photo paper.? This will be a must have for any collector whether it be music or art.? As for the one print which will be set aside for auctioning, you can check on the progress of the collection of signatures by going to the DSE blog at dseatgrand.blogspot.com as well as updates on when the auction will take place.

Part of the proceeds from both the silk screen tee and photo print will go towards the?Maureen Yancey Medical Fund.

DSE @ Grand
202 E. Grand River
Detroit, Mi 48226
(313) 963-0533

Business Hours:
Mon-Thur: 10am-6pm
Fri-Sat: 10am-8pm
Sun: Closed

LINKS: DSE @ GRAND SITE | DSE ONLINE STORE

Matthew Dear will release the first mix CD under his own name on OCTOBER 28th - it's called BODY LANGUAGE Vol 7 and will be released on the GET PHYSICAL label - it
does feature a brand new track by Matthew.

Matthew Dear will release his first mix CD under his own name on October 28th as the 7th volume of the Berlin-based record label Get Physical's Body Language compilation mix CD series. The project will also include a brand new track from Matthew Dear titled "Free To Ask". Plus, dates have been announced for his upcoming North American tour. More info on Body Language Vol. 7 and the tour are as followed:

TOUR DATES
09.27: AUDION (MATTHEW DEAR) live @ Decibal Festival, Seattle
10.08: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Chop Suey, Seattle
10.09: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Holocene, Portland
10.10: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @Mighty, San Franciso
10.11: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Avalon, Hollywood
10.17: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Sonotheque, Chicago
10.18: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Blind Pig, Ann Arbor
10.25: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Ghostly / Windish CMJ Showcase, LPR, New York
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Dear is at the helm for this, the seventh edition of Get Physical’s renowned Body Language mix series. Matthew will need little introduction to fans of contemporary house and techno; indeed, he’s one of it’s brightest stars - thanks to a trio of critically acclaimed albums made under his own name for Ghostly International and Spectral Sound, and a formidable catalogue of fierce, peak-time techno releases under his Audion guise, not to mention remixes for the likes of Hot Chip, The Chemical Brothers and Black Strobe. Oh, and let’s not forget his work for Plus 8 and M-nus as False, or his Jabberjaw 12”s on Perlon. Yes, Matthew is not only one of our most talented DJs and producers, he’s also one of the most prolific.

Matthew’s eagerly-awaited Body Language mix is a very personal selection, and one which reflects his own artistic interests, concerns and strategies. In a sense, he approached the project literally, seeking to explore aspects of both the ‘body’ and ‘language’ in his selection and ultimately achieve a marriage of the two. Matthew’s celebrated 2007 album Asa Breed was remarkable in its organic synthesis of vocals and house grooves, and that same synthesis lies at the heart of this mix; if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that every track featured on Body Language 7 employs a vocal or ‘language’ of some kind - some explicit and pronounced, some broken down or indistinct. Meanwhile, the mix’s rhythmic default is one of sinewy, dancefloor-aimed 4x4 grooves, ‘body’ music at its purest and most devastating.

But while there’s an element of conceptualism to Body Language 7, it’s also a resoundingly pleasure-centric mix, one dedicated to exploring the sensuous side of cutting edge dancefloor music. Dear’s selection pays tribute to some of the most innovative and exciting artists around - from the grainy, intoxicating avant-pop of Kalabrese to the energetic, finely detailed house of Seth Troxler and cavernous, dub-infused Berlin sound of Even Tuell and Sascha Dive, via the deep, widescreen minimalism of Johnny D - whose underground smash ‘Orbitalife’ and no less devastating ‘Tramodyssee’ appear here. Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia’s sexy, feverish ‘Dead Souls’ is represented in remixed form, Radio Slave adding serrated synths and a gut-punch of bass to give it some serious warehouse flavour, mingling the romantic and the robotic beautifully. It’s not all about the new, however; the familiar figure of DJ Koze appears, showcasing his boundlessly imaginative, off-kilter take on techno in ‘Zou Zou’ and the crisp ambient textures of ‘I Want To Sleep’; Soulphiction explores naturalistic future-soul on ‘Traffic Lights’ and in ‘Gtnup’ we receive a masterly lesson in exsquisitely layered production from i:Cube. Contributions from Kid Sublime, Diz, Basti Grub and Dinamoe add to this record’s rich and varied character, but for many the highlight will be the terrific new track by Matthew Dear himself - ‘Free To Ask’ – a post-Asa Breed swirl of disembodied vocals and tactile beats. We reach our conclusion with Lorenzo’s aptly named 2006 cut ‘Get Deep’. Why do good things have to end?

In Body Language 7, Matthew Dear has produced something far more timeless, complex and artistically significant than a mere mix CD. It’s both a powerful, compelling snapshot of today’s electronic music vanguard, and an intimate journey into the creative heartcore of Matthew himself, shot through with pop panache and a propulsive, party-minded momentum that is very, very…house. What we have here, ladies and gentleman, is a new kind of Body Language altogether.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Body Language Vol 7 mixed by Matthew Dear - Track List:

01: Dinamoe - The Green French One (Original Mix)
02: Kalabrese - Cityblues
03: Sascha Dive - Street Life (Samuel Davis Dark Groove Remix)
04: Kid Sublime - Basement Works Vol. 1
05: Johnny D - Orbitalife
06: Martinez - Retrospective
07: Diz - No Way
08: Johnny D - Tramodyssee
09: Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia - Dead Souls (Radio Slave Long Distance Kiss Mix)
10: Prompt - Ambee
11: DJ Koze - Zou Zou
12: I Cube - Gtnup
13: SoulPhiction - Traffic Lights
14: Two Armadillos - Hamlin (Sascha Dive's Secret Dub)
15: Seth Troxler & Patrick Russell – Doctor Of Romance
16: Even Tuell – Untitled B1
17: DJ Koze – I Want To Sleep
18: Basti Grub – Baaa Niii
19: Matthew Dear - Free To Ask (Body Language Exclusive Track)
20: Lorenzo – Get Deep

LINKS: MATTHEW DEAR GHOSTLY PAGE | OFFICIAL MATTHEW DEAR SITE

HipHopDX.com dropped the new mixtape Bar Exam 2 from Royce Da 5'9" and DJ Green Lantern. The link and tracklisting is as followed:

DOWNLOAD: Royce Da 5'9" - Bar Exam 2

Tracklisting:
01 Crazed Madman Intro
02 Heat to the Streets f. Kid Vishis (prod. Green Lantern)
03 It’s the New
04 I’m Me Freestyle
05 I’m Nice
06 Gun Music (prod. Green Lantern)
07 Weatherman f. Sucka Free & Kid Vishis
08 I’m the Shit Fool!!! (Interlude)
09 We Deep f. Trick Trick (prod. Denaun Porter)
10 Let the Beat Build Freestyle f. Stretch Money
11 Royal Flush Freestyle f. Canibus & Elzhi
12 Jockin My Fresh (prod. Green Lantern)
13 Gettin Money Freestyle
14 Gangsta Remix f. Akon (prod. Green Lantern)
15 Happy Bar Exam 2 f. Marv Won
16 Ignorant Shit Freestyle
17 Flow Boy f. Tondalaya
18 Been Shot Down (prod. Green Lantern)
19 J-Ro vs. Mike B (Skit)
20 Kill Em Pt. 2 f. Kid Vishis
21 Wall Street f. June The Great
22 Royce Outro

LINK: ROYCE DA 5'9" MYSPACE

This is "Death of the Muse", the first single off the upcoming Solillaquists of Sound album, "No More Heroes". It's available as a download for a minimum donation of $2 with absolutely 100% of the proceeds going directly to Ms. Maureen Yancey a/k/a Ma Dukes (J Dilla's mom). You are encouraged to donate more than the minimum by upping the quantity in your shopping cart before checking out..The track features J-Live, Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5), as well as Ma Dukes herself.

Being that J Dilla was a musical hero to many of us, we chose to pay tribute to him in song for the new SoS album. And knowing of the troubles that his mother has endured (not only during the time of Dilla's illness but also since his passing) with her own health, living situation, and estrangement with the executors of Dilla's estate, we decided to pay tribute to her as well.. in action.

Please go to the download site, read the info and support Ms. Yancey. She is a wonderful and strong person who needs the help. Make sure you leave her a comment, pass the link along to your friends, try to get the song and the message on the radio, make the cover art your myspace pic, or throw the banner up on your page. Do what you can. Let's continue to prove that the power of the people united for a cause is more powerful than any politician or celebrity by helping to make a significant change in this woman's life.

Much thanks goes to everyone involved in this, especially everyone at insound for hosting the donation for free while taking no percentages or transaction fees and making sure that every last cent of the proceeds goes directly to Ms. Yancey. To all those starting up additional fundraisers, feel free to use this link to donate the money you raise directly to Ms. Yancey, that's what it was created for. And of course thanks to all of you who support.

DONATE: Solillaquists of Sound - "Death Of The Muse"
READ: Death Of The Music article @ Okayplayer.com
LINK: Solilla Blog

The third leak from 14KT's The Golden Hour LP is a track called "Less Than Enough", featuring Zo! on additional keys/bass, Ab on vocals, and Sam Beaubien on trumpet. Below is 14KT's inspiration behind the track.

DOWNLOAD: 14KT - "Less Than Enough" (feat. Ab)

14KT's Inspiration on "Less Than Enough feat. Ab" (Taken from an IM conversation)"

A.L. says : can i ask what inspired this one?
14KT says: divorce..
14KT says: hate crimes..
14KT says: disrespect..
14KT says: people getting killed..
14KT says: relationships..
A.L says: it's wrapped so eloquently though, with much respect
14KT says: yeah..I wanted the track to sound more contemplative than sad..but its really based on negative things...
A.L says: yeah it feels that way.... sad isn't really my emotion... it's just emotion-full in a way
A.L says: the way that there's a tinge of sadness in "I fall in love too easily" - that's what the trumpet reminds me of..
14KT says: "This hate that I see...is less than enough to detect any love.."
14KT says: "This music I hear...is less than enough to detect any love.."
14KT says: "These relationships I see..are less than enough to detect any love.."
14KT says: "This respect that I get...is less than enough to detect any love.."
A.L says: man... i feel u..
A.L says: that's deeper than....
14KT says: its actually simple..just me thinking on things...and seeing how they could be so much better if people had more love...
14KT says: but instead they have "Less than Enough.."
A.L says: yessir. wow... thank you so much for sharing this with me......... "

Also, check out 14KT on the Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle Episode HERE.