Spit Gemz is a rhyme animal. This dude reminds me of everything I love about true school era hip-hop. That Mobb Deep, Bootcamp Click, Def Squad, and so on type hip-hop. Equal parts heart, skill and knowledge. Urban griot type ish. Dig his latest magnum opus, the dope self-produced video for Common Knowledge.
-chief
Music is for lovers, and today is a good day for love music. Corduroi decided to bless the listening collective with a little Valentine, so check it out and share it with someone you love.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Tagged chief, corduroi, the doomsday device, valentine
T Bird & The Breaks are one of the most sincerely funky outfits this side of New Orleans. Their latest release, Harmonizm, has a music video for the title track that shows you exactly what can be done with a little help from your friends. Dig it, and support these cats.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight
Tagged chief, harmonizm, t bird & the breaks, the doomsday device
from the digital desk of Gergaz:
‘Here we are again, celebrating GERGAZ‘s 6th year with annual compilation from the BEAT GARDEN series. We kept things the way you like them and put together 17-track collection offering an array of efforts from across the beat and bass scene. As usually we have selected tracks we feel deserve your attention, tracks by artists we like, our residents and by those that we have discovered along the way.’
-chief
I don’t think I was fully prepared for how jazzy this track was going to be, first and foremost. Everything about this piece of work is striking… the strong visual styles, the perfectly balanced in its frantic qualities track, or the griot style with which Oliver Grimball weaves the story together in Exploitation Cantata. If you don’t share anything else with your friends today, share this.
-chief
It’s always interesting to see what kind of vibes are created when people from different parts of the map connect. In this particular project, Los Angeles creative spirit Coolzey is moving along the musical landscapes created by New Yorker Soce the Elemental Wizard. Along with a few guest appearances by Schaffer the Darklord, Belly Belt, Tyler Davis Parkford, Nelson Lugo, and Joelle Grabowski, a wonderful picture is painted sonically. Props on envoking Children’s Story.
-chief
Have you ever wished that Sergio Leone wrote music for a half Tom Waits – half Johnny Cash creation? Wish no more, because Dead Random out of Austin is that and much much more. They recently performed at Lost Well as part of the 2nd Annual Krampusfest, and this live rendition of Prison or a Rose Garden was captured in all of its glory. Check out this performance, and check out more of their music here.
-chief
Hometown Anthems is a fitting name to the latest project by Austin beatsmith :::tek(-_-)nik:::. It’s fitting due to the fact that Austin, just like this collection of beats, is known for it’s many textures. Whether it be the laid back attitude of the Keep Austin Weird culture, the soulful sounds of it’s black and latino residents, or even the tech saavy that’s coming from our industrial sector, this album captures all of it. Even if you aren’t from The Weird City, you can still enjoy the way these proceedings go… all it takes are open ears and an open mind.
-chief
Ceschi, after a couple of years facing unforseen turmoil, is back stronger than ever. If Elm City Ballad is any indication of what’s to come from Broken Bone Ballads, then we are about to get a level of truth unparalleled in the realms of hip-hop. Then again, Ceschi is closer to folk hero than hip-hop hero.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, Spotlight
Tagged broken bone ballads, ceschi, chief, elm city ballads, the doomsday device
San Marcos has been an endless wellspring of talent over the years that I have spent there. No matter what kind of musical styling you enjoy, someone (or a group of someones) generally has it nailed.. and they are more than willing to let you be a part of their journey. Here are two entries for NPRs Tiny Desk Contest from two sets of all star acts:
Rock Bottom String Band
Henry + the Invisibles
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Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 