After establishing themselves on YouTube as an upstart force to be reckoned with, Baby Lion Studios now has an official home on the internet. For news and updates on their programming, as well as direct access to the creatives for special events and live shows, be sure to check them out at their new home!
-chief
When it comes to instrumental projects, certain things stick out to me… dynamic range, a variety of sounds and styles, well-chosen and well-placed samples, and even those intangibles you can’t identify until you hear or recognize them all come into play. For my money’s worth, SK the Greatest seems to be well aware of these aspects, as his latest project, Dopamine, manages to tick all of those boxes in an economic but memorable 9 tracks. Be it the Public Enemy-esque The Education (Intro), the ominous darkness of Forbidden Flute, the layers of guitar under synth found in Wobbly, or any of the other memorable moments that the Austin-based beatsmith put together in the project, it’s most certainly a strong one. Props to GMGOmusic for putting this out… definitely check out SK the Greatest and the other artist on the Bandcamp site, and encourage others to do the same.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Underground Me Now
Tagged austin, bandcamp, beatsmith, chief, dopamine, gmgomusic, sk the greatest, the doomsday device
Over the past couple of years that I’ve gotten to know WayLodge, the biggest surprise was finding out that he was a musician, as most of our conversations tended to center around movies. His musical discipline, much to my pleasure, falls into the realm of what some would consider lo-fi, although his approach falls into the realm of ’emotionally experimental’, if I had to hang a name on it. Longing is a solid example of what WayLodge brings to the table, as the drone-like spine of the track allows a roadmap for lighter textures that grow dynamically. The accompanying video supports the song well, with the hypnotic initial images allowing a more vicious cycle to replace them while simultaneously reinforcing the original images. I’m definitely looking forward to a WayLodge project, and I am curious to see where his growing ventures take him.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged chief, longing, the doomsday device, waylodge
As much as I enjoy poolboi blu‘s original music (and am hoping to wrap up a small project he and I have in the works), I’m totally on board for the remixes that he does. His latest, Namco, is a flip of a track by Gunna, Travis Scott and Metro Boomin’, and as per usual, poolboi manages to make it unique without sacrificing any of the original track’s quality. This one is a name your price download, so there’s no reason to not put it in your library, and if you can, dropping a buck or two isn’t a bad idea.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged chief, gunna, metro boomin, namco, poolboi blu, remix, the doomsday device, travis scott
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
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
(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
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
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged allanah maarteen, chief, croom, onyx eyes, the doomsday device
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!
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 