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Showing posts from July, 2009

Saturday Spin: Metaform "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"

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While DJ Shadow single handedly created and ended the hip hop inspired, sample based instrumental album with his epic masterpiece Endtroducing you can't knock guys for trying and every now and then those attempts yield something not quite on par but still strikingly beautiful. Such is the case with the traveling beat creator, record collector Metaform . Like those before him he has a vast knowledge of music and must spend an inordinate amount of time in dusty basements and smelly broke down shops (or maybe he does it all from the comfort of his studio – it is 2009, how many people are still dedicated to the art of diggin?) questing for that rare gem that will make the world right for a moment. "PCH" But on top of his ear for sounds to flip Metaform is a multi instrumentalist who crafts an eclectic mix of sounds into something wholly listenable from beginning to end. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants will catch you off guard as it's not quite as Hip Hop as somethin

Q & A with Theophilus London

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If you were lucky enough to attend Rotture last Friday you caught an amazing show! If you missed it, too bad for you. The 10,000 LB Hamburger Tour made its stop in Portland, introducing Theophilus London to our fair city. With a strikingly original style that only shows the ever changing face of Hip Hop and music in general you will be hard pressed to find many legends who will come with more energy than this man did on stage. For those of you who are still waiting for the tour to hit your town: Don't miss it! And yeah, did I mention some guy named A Trak is headlining? He's up to his usual antics and rocks the house like only he can. A multi-genre set that is guaranteed to have you dancing all night long. Like I said, don't miss the 10K LB Hamburger tour!!! Before the night kicked off I was lucky enough to sit down with Theophilus for a little chat. Big shouts out to him and Watts for making it happen! Enjoy the convo y'all. Q: Introduce yourself, who you are and wha

Things To Consider

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As much of a vinyl fiend as I may be, I'm still a notorious downloader of music. It's not that I don't like to buy new music... I just enjoy too many things to be dropping money left and right. Not to mention how the whole laid off thing kinda changes your spending habits. With downloading comes a constant shifting of albums and tracks to and from hard drives and for me I often get lost in a few things and eventually have to shove them into the dark recesses of said drive so as to move on to whatever else I might have found. The last couple days have been especially grueling as my laptop is steadily telling me I'm running out of space (as are the externals) and I realized I have the same 10 things extracted that I did a month ago. Obviously I've been listening to more than just those albums, but anything that has stayed in the rotation that long deserves at least a quick look. So here are my thoughts on a few things that have piqued my interest (not so) recently. Te

The Physics "High Society" EP

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While I can't say that I was a part of the masses who thoroughly enjoyed Future Talk , the debut Physics release was definitely a good introduction to a group that has a lot to offer to the scene. With that being said, I do believe the release of their latest EP High Society shows tremendous growth and great potential for what the trio of Thig Natual, Justo and Monk Wordsmith has to offer to the ever growing Seattle Hip Hop scene. From the quick intro where they let us know that “you can't rush good music” you know that you are in for a treat. Featuring smooth beats courtesy of Justo along with Phee Dill and Dyalect you can't help but nod your head along to all of the seven full length songs featured here. Filled with knocking drums, greats samples and fresh horns the music is super dope, but the rhymes and flows are on point as well. From the jump off you can enjoy the message they have to deliver with their every man type raps and personable style. “Back Track” will cat

Grynch "Chemistry" EP

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To anyone who wasn't lucky enough to make it out to the Nectar last night, it sounds like we missed a great show! But Grynch is a cool guy and is giving away the music he was performing for free , which in these tough times is a nice price. While I'm struggling with the fact that it really was over a year and a half ago that I was writing for the PI and covering the record release party for his last official full length, My Second Wind , the fact is times have changed and Grynch is moving forward like the rest of us. Change is a topic of dissection here by the King of Ballard, namely on the tremendous track “Time.” In my five short years in the 206 I saw many things change around my neighborhood – Capitol Hill for the curious – and every time I get back to the town I notice more things different than were the same. Grynch takes it back even further and speaks on things only natives of the city can relate to, but the theme is something we all can understand and his message to

Seattle Week is coming!

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So after being gone from the town that raised me (well in many respects at least) I'm gonna dedicate the coming week to Seattle, my home away from home. Luckily the scene is thriving and that means even if I'm not there I can still get a fair dose off the internet and from my crew always making moves in the 2-0-6. So stay tuned and look out I got some great things planned! Oh and what better way to kick things off than with the perfect tribute to the town?

Saturday Spin: Diane Birch "Bible Belt"

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Rarely am I one to thank someone for an introduction to great music. A flaw I know, I’m far to consumed by whatever esoteric style has caught my fancy of the moment to often consider a recommendation. After my last visit home it became abundantly clear I have to listen to friends and family more and balance my musical exploration. "Fools" When my mom opened the package that contained the Diane Birch CD Bible Belt I was caught by the great photograph of her that acts as the cover to this impressive album. While at first glance you may want to write her off as what looks like another young singer songwriter in a long line of the same, her subtle beauty drew me in and then I was struck by the voice. The instrumentation. The lyrics. With a great voice that isn’t so deep to lose her femininity yet dark enough to convey the pain one can suffer in the quest for love Bible Belt shows a young woman mature beyond her years dropping knowledge about that which we are all looking for. W