Category Archives: Spotlight

Artists of all varieties that I know and work with.

Divine Debut :: Abuzayed The Free Shares ‘Worlds Within’

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Sometimes, the gift of discovery is realizing that you were essentially born to excel in a realm you never realized you had potential in.  I had the pleasure of recently meeting Abuzayed the Free, and in a few brief conversations we spoke on topics such as self-reflection, potential, artistic responsibility and much more.  It made it that much more rewarding when I had the pleasure of hearing her debut project, Worlds Within.  The project wonderfully blends reflections on culture, religion, spirituality and self-affirmation.  It’s hard to believe that this is a first attempt at an album… the production is solid, both on the beats and the recording quality, and the content is uplifting and enlightening.  I highly recommend folks checking this out and sharing it far and wide.

-chief

Frontier Psychiatry :: Moodie Black Drops ‘Tuesday’ Visual

Moodie Black has never had an issue with laying it all out on the table.  The upcoming album Lucas Acid has the potential to really turn heads, and if Tuesday is an indicator of what’s to come, I’m ready to sit down and listen.  The production is as arresting as ever, but the real gem this round are the lyrics… bars about being cagey and caged-in, both literally and figuratively.  Once Lucas Acid drops, you better believe I’ll be there to support, and I suggest you all do the same.

-chief

Life Lessons :: ‘Eye Of The Needle’ Finds Sixo and Grace Park Collaborating Once More

Recent Fake Four signees Alligator Food surprised me in a major way when my friend Grace Park popped up on their debut project.  Cut to nearly a year later, and group member Sixo is preparing to drop a new project featuring his production and a long list of collaborators.  Lucky for us, Grace Park found her way onto Eye Of The Needle, and it’s quite the wonderful piece of music… sparse enough for Grace‘s voice to take hold, but a nice strong set of drums in the background to take us all by the hand and show us the way.  I am very curious about The Odds Of Free Will, and I am looking forward to hearing the finished album.

-chief

Summer Madness :: Protextor Drops Stunning Visual For ‘Heatstroke’

Protextor has perfectly captured what it must feel like to be on the outside looking in, and feeling helpless.  Police brutality, social-economic prejudice and privilege are all issues that have been just beneath the surface of our radars for ages.  Heatstroke is a very unique take on the entire situation, and another amazing video from Shift.  Props to John Valley and his crew on a masterful piece of cinema.

-chief

Personal Revolutions :: Lisa B. Thompson’s ‘Underground’ Blows Minds At The Vortex

The Austin theater scene has received a breath of fresh air with the March/April run of Lisa B. Thompson‘s masterpiece, Underground.  The play stars Marc Pouhe’ and Jeffery Da’Shade Johnson as former college revolutionaries caught up in the respective modern day roles, but with shadows of the past threatening to determine their future paths.  The play is wonderfully directed by Rudy Ramirez, and if you get the chance, you should certainly see it.

-chief

Home Adventures :: Om Wahs Drops ‘Fogwall’ Single

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If there is one thing that is plentiful in Austin, it’s rock bands.  They come in all shapes, sizes and genres, which makes it hard to cut through the noise.  What helps is discovering your niche, carving it out, and excelling at it, which Om Wahs appears to be on the  path to doing.  Fogwall, a new single released in anticipation of an album this spring, comes on with the strength of a Tame Impala or Deerhunter, making the fact that it was recorded in a bedroom that much more impressive (not bad company to keep, seeing as those artists started out doing a similar method of recording).  I love myself some psych rock, and Om Wahs has definitely made my watchlist.

-chief

Straight Talk :: The Mic Fiends Visualize ‘Precision Poetry’

When The Mic Fiends step up to the plate, you know you’re getting some quality factors in the rhymes you are receiving : knowledge, wordplay, confidence and experience just to name a few.  With Precision Poetry, we find the pairing kicking rhymes casually around Austin as well as at one of the final Strength In Numbers events (shout outs to some of the local talent and promotional heads making cameos in the video).  The rhymes are real, from the heart, and extremely meaningful.  Props to DVZN Media for knocking yet another music video out of the park.

-chief

Shifted Dynamics :: Kelene Blake and Da’Shade Moonbeam Reflect On Austin Gentrification

Some statements speak for themselves.  Black, Brown, ATX is a short (but heavy) dose of reality about the shifting populations of Austin over the past decade or two, and the damage it causes in the foundations of some key Austin neighborhoods full of rich culture and history.  Much love to Kelene Blake for voicing things, and Da’Shade Moonbeam for visualizing it.

-chief

Lasting Impressions :: SK The Greatest Releases ‘Signature Sounds’

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The ability to turn samples into sonic gold is a gift worth treasuring, and it’s clear that GMGOmusic representative SK The Greatest treasures his gifts to the fullest.  Signature Sounds is an incredibly solid collection of instrumental musings, ranging from boom bap to jazzy, thought provoking to head nodding, and all points in-between.  There are some great DJ moments, vocal chops and so on sprinkled in, but the lack of MCs on this project is incredibly refreshing, due to the fact that these beats all stand up on their own.  Worth your time, worth your money, and worth spreading the word about.

-chief

Lasting Impressions :: The Legacy Drop ‘Decompostion’

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Hip hop in its traditional ‘beats and rhymes’ sense is definitely a beautiful thing.  A hip hop influenced, band, however, is a cherry on top of a wonderful concept.  The Legacy (of Taylor Louis & The Legacy notoriety) are an example of how a hip hop band can take you places a traditional approach to hip hop production can not.  Decomposition, while being a focus on life and its fragility, is full of that life that synths and drum machines can emulate, but can’t quite capture.  These guys definitely dive in when they make their music, and this album is living proof of it.  Show some love, for sure.

-chief