February 2010

Do you now consider yourself a songwriter?

At this point, I don’t particularly feel like a songwriter. But songs like, “Shining Path” or “Crumbs off the Table” for that mater - I’m writing the music, I’m writing the lyrics and doing everything else too. “Shining Path,” by the way was the name of a Peruvian revolutionary group – a very violent group in Peru.

I don’t know when you moved out of Ohio, but where did you wind up recording Third Hand?

I made that record in Philly. I grew up in Columbus. I moved there when I was four. When I was 18 or 19, I moved out to the Bay Area for a while and moved backed to Columbus. In 2002 I moved to Philadelphia.

Read more >

Dance music is a confounding thing. And a mess to boot. There’s such a dearth of approaches to each genre and its sub-genres that a cursory figuring of something for organ jazz – or whatever else sounds funky – isn’t going to always yield a stunning listen. That’s a damnable shame. And while it was nearly impossible for funky jazz players during the ‘70s to move past the cheese ball ballads and soul amidst some of the flops are a number of gems: that’s as true on single albums as it is over the course of an entire career. And Eddie Russ’ career is studded with a bit of both.

Read more >

There’s not too much genuine criticism in the rap world. Surely, some academic stuff gets published that chronicles the story that we all know to a certain extent, but then might add a bit of an historical twist. But what passes for album reviews and the like very seldom includes any sort of perspective and invariably follows a track by track approach to dissecting a release – I’m as guilty of this particular approach as anyone.

All of that might be partially based upon the fact that there’s not always that much to say about guys rapping about new shoes, walking down the street or driving around in a car. But the job of a critic is to understand a work as an individual entity as well as being able to conceive of it as a part of some larger movement without necessarily setting forth either take as the gospel.

Read more >

Dark as the title insinuates...

Mos Def has been, for quite some time now, an industry unto himself. He acts, writes, and raps. And even while he’s second on the bill while touring with DOOM this go round, the legacy that the Brooklyn born emcee is in the middle of creating is going to last well beyond what most of us are capable of conceiving.

So even while The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might have just been an average piece of entertainment, Mos’ last album was received well enough as to find the multi-talented guy on a steady trajectory up.

Read more >

Here’s another go-round of twofers. And it seems that Nightmares on Wax and Neutrino are aptly paired. There needs to be an understanding of hip hop, as a genre, that’s all inclusive. No, there’s really not a difference between hip hop and rap. But while that discussion pointlessly rages, producers that seek to incorporate traditionally boom bap oriented fair into their work need to be considered welcome under an all inclusive musical banner. If that doesn’t eventually happen, the stultifying affects will be felt on the genre. Really, how many gold toofed emcees are needed? Not that many. And while supa-producers are nice, their presence doesn’t readily allow for the music to move ahead. So without further ado…

Nightmares on Wax
In a Space Outta Sound
(Warp, 2005)
Instrumental electronic and hip-hop albums are always a tenuous outing. Whether or not one enjoys the disc as a whole, there are inevitably a few moments that are less than pleasing. I suppose, though, that this notion is applicable to any album of any genre, but specifically a useful thought in the case of Nightmares on Wax (aka George Evelyn). In the mid-nineties NOW was hailed as the leader of digital-related instrumental albums, much like the one before us currently - In a Space Outta Sound. Unlike previous releases by NOW, the first two thirds of this offering eschew the more electronic sounds that Warp Records is known for and simply goes for seemingly organic grooves. Of course this is all production trickery. Jamaican influecenes infect a number of cuts here, which is always a nice coupling with the genre. There are a few moments of soul and ambient music getting the best of the producer, but overall this is an a more than satisfying release from a name that is and should be synonymous with instrumental music.

Read more >

At some point folks figured out that exploiting musicians or what they create was as good a business decision as any other. Of course, nurturing a nascent group was also a possibility, but that green, green, greed seems to blind pretty much everyone - and especially those that we all think of as successful in the music industry. As unfortunate as that is, that’s all the basis for the group 8^th Day and its creation.

Read more >