Category Archives: Spotlight

Artists of all varieties that I know and work with.

Dark Matters :: NDeo The Blindsider’s ‘Blasphemy’ Releases The Demons

Posted on December 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

The evils of this world are all around us, and are often influential to the weak minded, weak willed or weak spirited.  Enter NDeo The Blindsider, who is facing his demons directly on his latest single, Blasphemy.  The lead shot off of the upcoming project Cursed Since Birth, the song reads like a confessional as much as it does a banger of a track.  Hard rhymes, but deeply textured and brutally honest.  The visuals are equally direct, and deal with both sides of the temptation coin.  Worth your time, worth a like and a share, and definitely worth keeping tabs on for the full release.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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Joyful Noise :: Kinder’s Latest ‘SP202 Mix’

Posted on December 13, 2016 | Leave a comment

There are not many producers out there who can do so much with so little in comparison to Kinder.  This dude can take an antiquated (though still beautiful) piece of equipment like an SP202 and create pure magic with it.  I imagine that this SP202 Mix, and previous iterations of this style of mix, serve as the warm-ups to the mind-blowing album-length creations that Kinder periodically serves up.  Like it, share it, and follow for more dopeness.

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now

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Big Things :: Chisme’s ‘Nada Tengo’ Prepares Itself For Fake Four’s Freecember

Posted on December 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I heard from the homies Chisme.  At first, I was hoping that they hadn’t gone the route of so many other indie groups and thrown in the towel on their joureny, but I was ready to accept that reality if that was the case.  Then, out of the blue, 2 good bits of news dropped.  First and foremost, the teaser trailer posted above let me know that they had a new project on the way in the form of Nada Tengo.  As I read a bit further, I realized that I had not heard from Chisme because they had signed to Fake Four, and were prepping this release for Fake Four‘s annual holiday season promotion known as Freecember.  On December 23, this project will be available via Fake Four, so make sure to mark that date and give yourself a little holiday cheer in the form of what is sure to be a banger of an album.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now

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Fair Warning :: Indelible Inc. Drops ‘GAWTBS’ Video

Posted on December 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

Muggzy Flowz and Dr. Bobby Banner, M.P.C. are formidable talents in their own right, and this is a fact that cannot be denied.  In preparation for an upcoming project, they recently decided to go in-house on the creative tip and put together a video for their latest single, GAWTBS.  The song is strong, and the video is a solid representation of Indelible Inc. making things happen for themselves.  Give it a view, give it a like and give it a share.

-chief

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World Premier :: Bitforce Unviels Second Album Artwork

Posted on December 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Spring 2017 will see the release of Bitforce‘s new project, Nerdcore and Beyond.  This week, the band took to YouTube to unveil the cover art for the project, done by artist Daniel Hill of Danji Designs.  Check it out, get excited for that upcoming album, and go find older Bitforce music and videos to hold you over until then.

-chief

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Deep REST :: Uncovering ‘RESTLESS ARTFORM – A Graffiti Doc About An Austin TX Writer’

Posted on December 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

The city of Austin, although at times in a contentious matter, has long supported hip hop and all of its cultural elements.  DJs have thrived in the city, MCs are plentiful and range in styles, and BBoy crews have a safe haven in BBoy City (approaching 25 years of existence).  Like most every major city, however, its relationship with Graffiti is a complex one.  A few years ago, Egosheriff Films explored this complex dynamic via RESTLESS ARTFORM – A doc about an Austin TX writer.  The focus lies on REST, an Austin writer with an interesting past, and plenty of unique (but understandable) viewpoints about how he expresses himself among the madness that is day to day life down here in Weird City.  This documentary is very well made (the identity hiding animations are hilarious), and definitely deserves a focus.

-chief

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Beat Philosophy :: Flobama’s ‘Strong Style Slaps’ Hits Hard

Posted on December 6, 2016 | Leave a comment

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This album is good old fashioned boom bap beats, with a little bit of far eastern influence for good measure.  flobama came with it hard on Strong Style Slaps.  These are the kind of albums that make my producer wish list just keep on growing…

-chief

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Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Underground Me Now

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Quiet Storm :: Delano Taylor Releases ‘Cloudy W/ A Chance’

Posted on December 6, 2016 | Leave a comment

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Delano Taylor continues to make some of the most moving music out there, independent or label artist.  His approach is deceptively simple, but I believe it is the way he uses familiar elements in original ways on top of his at times sparse (but always perfectly balanced) production, so that when it builds or changes, you’re invested in the journey.  cloudy w/ a chance is another sonic suite composed of several movements, with one of the most adorable cover photos ever as a complete compliment to the music.  Very good stuff.

-chief

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Worldly Views :: Evan Moran Rises With ‘Phoenix’

Posted on December 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

Man… the end of 2016 seems to have a common theme, and that theme is awakening.  Artist after artist that I come across this winter seems to have a prime directive of opening the eyes, ears and minds of any listener they are able to reach.  Evan Moran, who normally is already pushing boundaries, just so happens to be another example of someone practicing this awakening principle.  Phoenix finds him on a sparse (but suprisingly heavy) beat produced by UMRU, and with a little help from Ascendant Apaulo, they proceed to tear into the concepts of closed-minds, witch hunts and other human injustices in some of the most captivating ways possible.  Think music indeed.  I am very much looking forward to the release of Faulty Intercessor, and with a little luck (and hard work on my part), you may even see a familiar name pop up on future Evan Moran material.

-chief

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Powerful Beauty :: Upper Reality’s ‘Silver’ Is Must-Listen Material

Posted on December 1, 2016 | Leave a comment

First and foremost, I must thank Austin for being a city so rich in culture and talent that I never have to want for quality material to consume and review.  That being said, I have heard some captivating projects over the years from many, many talented musicians, but Upper Reality‘s Silver is quite simply one of the most breathtaking projects I have heard in YEARS.  Based in poetry and sparse production, but far from short on surprises and insight, this project should be mandatory listening for songwriters, emcees and poets in this area, as Silver is nothing short of a masterclass in all of those disciplines.  My ONLY gripe is that this is an EP, and not a full-legnth project, but this EP is incredibly powerful, which I cannot state enough.  Very glad to have stumbled upon this thanks to a recent Austin Chronicle article about Upper Reality, Anastasia and Alesia Lanai (which, out of the 3, Upper Reality was the only one I was not familiar with).

-chief

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