Malakai Beats - Derbyshire DOOM

This is what happens when you combine MF DOOM acapellas with beats crafted entirely from Delia Derbyshire samples. I had actually planned for this album without even realizing it for a long time. I knew I wanted to do something different, and I especially knew I wanted to pay homage to two of my biggest musical inspirations. How this project came about was through the idea of basically doing a remix mixtape featuring underground East Coast emcees. Originally this was intended to be just random beats in the vein of Victory. However, this idea soon collided with the realization that now was the time to do a proper homage to Delia Derbyshire, which is something I had wanted to do ever since I first learned of her work. It came as somewhat of a surprise when I learned that virtually no one has sampled her (she herself was a sample-based musician in an era before synths became commonplace in audio production). In a lot of ways, Derbyshire paved the way for modern day hip-hop production. That sounds like a bold statement but when you trace back the legacies of those who came before us, it's very easy to see Derbyshire's vast influence over sampling, looping, cutting, and shaping recorded sounds. Bear in mind she was working through the medium of tape, which meant hours upon hours of cutting and pasting in a non point-and-click environment. In fact, whenever she needed notes to form a melody it meant cutting every single one out by hand. She was to the tape machine what Pete Rock is to the MPC. I spent about 2 weeks making this album, and I employed some of the same sampling techniques that Derbyshire herself used to shape her sounds into something similar and yet at the same time different and new. The idea to use DOOM vocals came about naturally as I began producing these beats. For the longest time I had wanted to produce a DOOM remix, and the stars must have been aligned just right because everything just seemed to fit. It was almost as if the album produced itself, and I was a mere spectator in the process. The EP has been out for a few days now and already it's beginning to receive some praise. Also, it's a free download! If you're a DOOM fan chances are you might dig it, and for anyone who listens to this record who has never heard of Delia Derbyshire before, I hope it inspires you to study not only her work but also numerous other greats who have paved the way for us today.

Maple Systems Road - Maple Systems Road EP

Who is this mysterious Maple Systems Road we keep hearing about? And why does this person/group make such interesting IDM music? The answers to these questions may for the time being remain entirely unknown, however what is known is that since hearing the Summer 2012 Mix, a lot of people have been wanting to hear more, and with the release of the debut self-titled EP, we can begin to form the outlines of what so far appears etheral, distant, and sometimes even brooding. What hangs in the balance between nature and technology? Well, this album might give us some clues..

Still Doe - As Greedy As A Pig

Back in March of this year Still Doe released his second solo LP entitled "As Greedy As A Pig" on Ambient Abstractions. Featuring production from myself, Maple Systems Road, Soul Child & Excalibur, and collabs with Magus The Great, Words Babylon, & Little Mountain. The album is a thematic departure from his previous release, and focuses on the themes of government control, protest, conspiracies, paranoia, pessimism, and the unknown. Ultimately, this album sounds nothing like the last album, and a couple repeats might be in order to get the full message. The production and delivery is done in a different manner too, for example the tracks "It's All Groovy" and "Just Stand Up" have some noticable rock, punk, and reggae overtones. This album will stand out as being one of the more ambitious and unique among Still Doe's offerings, and it's definitely worth bumping.

Boise Digs

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Digging @ The Record Exchange

Over the weekend I took my first digging excursion in Idaho, stopping by at the Record Exchange in Boise to see what kind of goodies I could find. Upon entering the store I was greeted with a coffee bar/hangout spot leading into the record shop. I was on severely limited time so I immediately breezed past the CDs to hit up the vinyl section. I noticed off the bat that everything was neatly organized into 4 double-sided rows. The quantity was decent, and the quality seemed to be pretty good as well. There was a sizable Jazz section which I began to dig in, copping some Quincy Jones, Deodato, and Chick Corea. On the other side one row over there was an equally impressive Soul and R&B section which I unfortunately didn't have enough time to scope out, however I was able to get a pretty good feel of the place. Sections included World music (heavy African, European, and South American records), Soundtracks, New Age, and a rock section which was about the same size as the Jazz and Soul/R&B sections. I discovered overfill crates beneath the main records which is where I scored a lot of gems at: Word to the wise. I didn't have enough time to snap any pictures so keep in mind that the sections currently appear differently. Overall I can recommend this spot. The atmosphere is chill and there's a lot of stuff to check out, including an emphasis placed upon Indy music. In the future I want to come back here and spend more time feeling this place out, but initial impressions are good!