Category Archives: Spotlight

Artists of all varieties that I know and work with.

Sweet Life :: Blackillac Makes A Classic With ‘Juice It Up’

Posted on March 14, 2019 | Leave a comment

Things have been going really well for Blackillac.  Despite constant time recording and travelling to play shows, however, they’ve managed to drop a classic video in the form of Juice It Up.  The duo not only pays homage to Austin by heavily including JuiceLand in the song’s structure and visuals, but there is also wonderful tribute to films like Friday and House Party, both of which provide a solid narrative structure for the video.  Highly entertaining stuff, for sure, and a testament to Blackillac‘s talent, skills and sense of humor.

-chief

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Memory Lane :: (RAS) Riders Against The Storm Revisit ‘In The Light’ With New Remix And Video

Posted on March 13, 2019 | Leave a comment

One thing I like about (RAS) Riders Against the Storm is that they have a strong sense of where they come from, both culturally and creatively.  After a long run of success in the wake of their relocation to Austin, it seems that the group has been taking a bit of time to reassess their journey and reflect on the past, and in a couple of instances, that has resulted in new material born from the old.  In the case of In The Light, a single that the crew already had released with a video, the decision was made to have producer Ayuma take a stab at the remix, while footage of Uhura (Michelle Nichols) from the original Star Trek series is used to bolster the sense of having a groundbreaking spirit.  I will always support new material from (RAS), but if their reflections of the past continue to result in strong output like this, I don’t mind them looking back as well.

-chief

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

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Real Talk :: N∆TE Visits ‘Rappers Playing Games (RPG)’

Posted on March 12, 2019 | Leave a comment

Way before Rappers Playing Games (RPG) and Baby Lion were a thing, Protexter was paying dues weekly at Spider House Ballroom with Austin Mic Exchange.  It took more than Protextor, however, to make that happen, and one of the key cogs in the machine was N∆TE, the self-proclaimed Casey Jones of the rap game, Austin or otherwise.  It makes it doubly fitting, then, that he would stop by to discuss his upcoming release The Ballad of Casey Jones over a session of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II : The Arcade Game.  Check it out, because you already know what you’re getting when Baby Lion is behind the content.

-chief

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

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Paying Homage :: MC Overlord Paid Tribute At The 37th Annual Austin Music Awards

Posted on March 11, 2019 | Leave a comment

(video courtesy of William Tompkins)

This past Austin Music Awards ceremony was full of awards presented and memorable moments, but none stood larger than the moving tribute paid to 9-time Hip-Hop Award winner Donnell Robinson, formerly professionally known as MC Overlord in the Texas music scene.  His passing in 2018 was one that left a definite hole in the community, as a recent triumph over health issues made his passing that much more of a shock.  Dirty Wormz came through to back up Tray God, Tee Double and Bavu Blakes  (the trio of MCs formerly associated with the Austin hip-hop cornerstone Hip-Hop Humpday), and the collective blazed through a set of songs while the crowd and performers all became awash in the glow of memories and homage.  We must never forget our fallen soldiers, and this is an instance of the scene coming together to solidify that fact.

-chief

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Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight

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Moving Melodies :: Croom Connects With Allanah Maarteen For ‘Onyx Eyes’

Posted on March 8, 2019 | Leave a comment

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Adrian Croom (professionally known as Croom) has all the potential in the world to be a breakout producer.  Again and again, he releases electronic-‘pop’ music with weight, dynamics and soul, seemingly almost effortlessly.  His latest release is a collaboration with vocalist Allanah Maarteen titled Onyx Eyes, a hypnotic tune with a momentum-gaining track that sets up Maarteen to explore her feelings on connection.  I believe that Croom has a full-length project on deck, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes and ears open, because I can only imagine what a collection of songs sounds like when Croom is in charge.

-chief

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

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Screen Gem :: ‘I AM TX’ Prepares To Make Waves

Posted on March 7, 2019 | Leave a comment

I am so happy to announce that I AM TX is wrapped and ready to make a festival run.  Ryan Darbonne worked hard to bring his vision to life, and with a strong crew to back him, Audrey Campbell, Jonathan K. Horstmann and myself came with our A-games.  As a result, we are getting festival placements, and hopefully, we can make bigger and better opportunities happen!  The premier of the film will be at The Method Fest in Los Angeles, with screenings to follow at several more festivals (which will be announced over the upcoming weeks/months).  If you’re not following I AM TX on Facebook, be sure to do so as soon as possible, and keep yourself in the loop!

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-chief

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

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Lo-Fi Displacement :: Virgil Wolfe Gets Raw With ‘Temporary Residence’

Posted on March 6, 2019 | Leave a comment

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Hip-hop can be quite the bittersweet discipline.  For all of the beauty and raw emotion it harnesses and unleashes, beneath that initial layer lays this ability to peel away all layers of lies and falsification in order to hit true nerves and address issues directly.  It can be a jarring process, but ultimately quite the therapeutic one for both listener and MC.  Exhibit A : Virgil Wolfe and his latest single, Temporary Residence.  While I don’t know what has gone on in his personal life, as a friend of his, I do know that he’s been on the same rocky road that many of us have been on recently, and with a recent laptop crash, that can leave a songwriter and recording artist feeling constrained and restricted.  Wolfe, however, is one of the more resourceful creators out there, and after a bit of time with a SP404sx, he was able to record Temporary Residence, vocals and all.  You can hear the emotional release that the process gave him in his performance, and it bolsters the track greatly.  Definitely a diamond produced from the pressure that is life.

-chief

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

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World Music :: Salvasquared Releases ‘The Overseas Instrumentals’

Posted on March 5, 2019 | Leave a comment

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Nothing rejuvenates and uplifts the human spirit like traveling, especially traveling to locations that are considered ‘exotic’, for lack of a better word.  Austin-based producer Salvasquared recently got to experience this via a stay in South Korea while traveling through Asia.  I am sure that his life changed in many ways, but one tangible bit of proof that the trip had an influence on him is The Overseas Instrumentals, a group of beats with Salvasquared‘s foundation used to build towers of sound influenced by other parts of the world.  The Asian influence is clearly there, but aspects of Latin and African music also find their way into the mix as well.  This is definitely eye-opening and mind-expanding music, even in instrumental form, as it shows how all of our worldly textures can be weaved together into coherent and moving compositions.  Definitely check this one out, and encourage others to do the same.

-chief

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Righteous Noise :: Muenster Makes A Statement With ‘Chances Are’

Posted on March 4, 2019 | 1 comment

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Denton-based MC Muenster has decided to hit us with the summer vibes early by embracing the reggae sound on his rapid fire call to action that is Chances Are.  The track comes on light and uplifting, with a message of forward momentum via unity, and that point is hammered home by the machine-gun-esque darts that Muenster drops on the verses.  This one sounds completely fresh and unique, within the realm of Texas hip-hop or otherwise, in the way that it mixes pure reggae and hip-hop elements together while allowing each to stand alone.  Definitely one that’s gonna get some spins from me.

-chief

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Reflection Session :: The Elephant In The Room Stops By ‘Rappers Playing Games (RPG)’

Posted on March 1, 2019 | Leave a comment

Protextor and the Baby Lion collective are doing great things with Rappers Playing Games (RPG), with each episode getting sharper and sharper in terms of both presentation and interviews.  The latest guest, The Elephant in the Room, stopped by to do some sparring via Sega‘s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers fighting game, while simultaneously speaking about the songwriting and production process, influences, their favorite aspects of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and more.  This is one of the most natural and organic conversations yet, as the mutual respect between Protextor and The Elephant in the Room is clear and obvious.  Keep supporting this channel, and hopefully we can see things grow!

-chief

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