From the digital desk of Austin based beatsmith Willis Nillis :
‘i’ve been working on this EP for about a year and after a while of battling my own nerves and self doubt, i am proud to share these songs with people.’
I’m definitely happy to have discovered this. It’s like chip-tunes with a little bit of soul and a lot more body. Willis Nillis has definitely jumped onto my radar with the release of Analysis Paralysis. Here’s to more good tunes in the future, hopefully near future.
-chief
I remember seeing Cameron Elise several years ago at an impromptu house jam. There were maybe 8 or 9 musicians of different skill and discipline levels around, and everyone was floating in-between ideas. For the moments that Cameron took the lead, however, ideas seemed to evolve into movements and folks seemed on the same page. In a more abstract way, I feel we are seeing that same process coalesce with her recorded material. What was once raw talent and passion captured on recordings is evolving into focused ideas and execution with the proper amount of flourish to bolster those ideas. If Afortunada is any indication of what her next full-length release will bring, I am definitely interested.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged afortunada, cameron elise, chief, the doomsday device
San Antonio-based psychadelic duo Voodoo Boogaloo are definitely anything but traditional or run of the mill. Their spacious, infectious music is only matched by their magnetic and loving personalities, leading to their circle of creative friends being vast and diverse. For one of their more well-known songs, The Portal, the Stevens High School Theater company went above and beyond to provide them with a video… the group created an entire performance piece, including costuming and lighting, that perfectly encompasses the otherworldly, spiritual and mysterious nature of Voodoo Boogaloo. This is definitely the type of music video that makes me jealous with how proud I am of the final product. Most certainly worthy of your shares, likes and comments.
-chief
Austin-based beatsmith and musician Dr. Bobby Banner, MPC (a major portion of the Ndelible Ink collective) has just laced us with something special in the form of SYN. The song, and its accompanying video, are a wonderful mix of hypnotic instrumentation, mesmerizing fractals and fun with a beautiful free spirit. The music video plays more like an abstract piece of art, taking you on an emotional set of stimuli that is visually and audibly pleasing. Banner and the crew have been known to drop quality work, but this in particular stands out as something special.. a bright diamond in a pile of diamonds, if you will. Definitely keep your eyes and ears out for more from the crew, give the video a like/share/comment, and keep supporting that Texas dopeness.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged austin, chief, dr bobby banner, ndelible ink, syn, texas, the doomsday device
In the immortal words of Rakim, ‘it’s been a long time…’. After nearly 3 years, one of the longest breaks in between projects I’ve ever taken, comes the release of A Memoir Called Noir, the latest self-written and self-produced output from Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice. This time around the beats are a bit darker, and the lyrics are more forthright and honest than usual. Dynamite verbal assists are included from Kazee Queen and BERNICHUS. Thanks to the good homey at Frownland Records, this album (and all of my other albums) are available on every digital streaming/storefront service your little heart could desire, so don’t sleep on the project. For those about to support, we salute you.
-chief
We gotta keep folks guessing when it comes to the creativity. I’ve been dropping the DoomFace art for years now, and I’ve been trying to figure out ways to progress things. With the creation of DOOMonFILM, it seemed like an opportunity to do something new, and that is where the idea of the talking DoomFace originated. Rather than sit on the idea forever, I wanted to see how it looked, and with no music video output for This Town Has Turned To Dust on the slate, it was time to do some quick thinking. The result was the weirdo masterpiece you see above you, and it will hopefully be the start of a bigger YouTube presence that is unique from the legions of creators already out there. If you dig the video, give it a like, share and a comment, and throw a subscribe in there while you’re at it. Every little bit helps.
-chief
Unusuals just dropped a gem on us with the full-length banger If You’re Waiting Till We’re Dead, Don’t Bother Listening., and now he’s back at it again with a fresh new batch of singles hitting the airwaves. EVERYTHING HURTS. is the first of the batch to see the light of day, and it’s a somber tone with several movements that capture that feeling of a downward spiral with occasional gasps for air in the mix. The drum programming is tight as hell (as always), but it’s the string juxtapositions that really make this track work… the orchestral stings play well off of the bass that meanders through the track in an Eeyore-like fashion. This one would definitely be a good piece for a film score or something similar. Props to Unusuals for keeping the good tunes coming.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged chief, EVERYTHING HURTS, the doomsday device, unusuals
It’s been a long time coming, but poolboi blu and Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice have reconnected! After poolboi blu‘s starring role in Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice‘s second short film, HELP ME, the two have been scheming on working together again. The opportunity has presented itself in the form of cloudy, the second single from poolboi blu‘s latest release, horseplay. The song and video are an exploration on learning to embrace the moment even when memories of the past remain. Check it out, share it, give it a like, leave a comment, etc. etc., and let us know if you want more Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice directed videos for future poolboi blu output.
-chief
Moodie Black has never been a crew afraid of taking a stance, and there has always been a sense of creative freedom fostered by K that was admittedly influenced by artists like Kanye West. It should come as no surprise, then, that the latest video from the dynamite Lucas Acid, a little diddy about unrestricted thought and acceptance of self known as Freedom, would fall in an eerily similar trajectory with Kanye‘s latest batch of polarizing statements and actions, a fact which was not missed by K in preparing the video and its rollout. All of that jazz aside, this video is showing Moodie Black honing in on their well-developed aesthetic in a way that may finally be palatable to listeners and viewers that continue to front. Then again, the information age does not equal the enlightenment era, so maybe artists like Moodie Black will continue to break new ground that will be recognized far too late.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged chief, freedom, k, kanye west, lucas acid, maga, moodie black, the doomsday device
Over the last few years, the Austin-based collective College of Hip Hop Knowledge has provided an arena for upcoming creatives to build with one another and hone their energies/skills into productive output. Most recently, CHHK has birthed the group AKAdemics, comprised of members Big Mic, Jsun the Prophesor, and DJ Berlin. Their latest single and video, Creation of Destruction, is an honest look at how America tends to be the master of their own negative destiny, glorifying the things that they shun at breakneck intervals. The newreel footage blends seamlessly with the original images captured for the video, resulting in a very informed piece of work with visual and informational replay value. Definitely support these guys and their efforts, as they are trying to make positive change on multiple levels.
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 