Bloom Bap family Leonard Dstroy releases his newest creation Higher Vibrations for FREE on his Bandcamp site! Amazing forward thinking fresh shit... featuring soul singer/producer Reggie B on two jams. art by Plot-twist.
Now-Again, a Stones Throw subsidiary, is set to release producer Dimlite's newest project Prismic Tops. Dimlite has been innovating electronic music since the turn of the millenium. he makes inspiring and beautiful music with a unique touch. you can buy the new album on MP3, CD, or WAX here: http://stonesthrow.com/store/album/dimlite/prismic-tops
Elevation has been heavily involved in the Chicago hip hop scene forever! if you haven't been blessed to hear him rhyme, you may have heard him DJ (check his Tronic night alongside DJs GT and Sean Doe, or http://www.ustream.tv/channel/romper-room), hosting a jam, or at LEAST seen him at the front of the stage showing love to who ever is performing. meeting Elevation will make you change your mind about Chicago if you think of it as "Haterville".
Gonjasufi first caught my ear on Flying Lotus' Los Angeles LP on the track "Testament". his awkward, quirky vocal application augmented the already eerie vibe of the track... but somehow that joint is kinda sexy, too! LMAO! when i found out Fly Lo and Mr. Sufi were working on a project together i was all about it, checking regularly for any bits that may have found it's way on to the web. when 7"s started appearing i scooped em up, and was happily surprised to see that Gas Lamp Killer was on the production! you know he brings the deep, heavy Psych Rock breaks to the mix! Mainframe of Johnson & Jonson fame (his collaboration with Blu) also lends a hand on production duties. i haven;t listened all the way through yet, but what i've heard reminds me a bit of radiohead... not like they are trying to sound like radiohead at all, but just the feeling of it, the experimentation, the quality of sound, the overall vibe. i grabbed thee LP immediately upon arrival at Gramaphone. i was happy to see it was the "Downtempo Pick of the Week" while working there a few days later. i think this record will be mad influential on music in general! will probably wind up in my top ten of 2010!
the homey Plot-twist put me up on the Fantastic Mr. Fox. because i loved the book of his namesake as a kid and rushed to see the recently released movie, i wanted to hear this dude's music just off the strength of his name. his stuff is heavy, not cartoonish, as his name may imply!
i've been hearing Dibiase's name for a minute. i'd found some scattered tracks in the corners of the internet, but dude was still a mystery to me. why was i hearing his name so much, but unable to find any tangible material of his? then i found a 7" he did with Droop Capone as a tribute to Michael Jackson. i was thrilled to hear he and P.U.D.G.E. would be sharing the first 10" in a series of 10 to be released showcasing talented producers from Los Angeles on All City Records this year. Soon after he dropped this gem on Fat City. when i saw it on the wall at Gramaphone i felt like a kid when i swooped it up. also, check for his Up the Joystick EP, where he flips a bunch of nintendo themes! and his 7" "May the Force" on Fat City, which flips some Star Wars shit into a serious banger.