Brainer Magazine

AESOP ROCK DROPS VIDEO FOR ZERO DARK THIRTY

ianbrainer — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:13:29 +0000

As mentioned before, the mighty tongue-twisting Aesop Rock is set to release his new studio record – Skelethon – on 9th July through Rhymesayers Entertainment (what a great birthday present, nice one Aes).

We caught a first glimpse of the forthcoming album in the blistering track ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, and now the rapper has dropped the joint’s accompanying visuals. Check it out:

Start counting the days.

www.rhymesayers.com

Brainer Mix Vol. 3: B. Bravo

ianbrainer — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:29:17 +0000

Adam Mori, aka B. Bravo, first caught our ears back in September just before he released his first EP for London’s Earnest Endeavours label. Titled Kiss ‘n’ Tell, the 5-track record won Brainer over with its g-funk stylings and electronic swagger. So much so in fact, that we asked the San Francisco native to put together the third instalment of our Brainer Mix Series. We caught up with Mori to talk music, funk and California – to listen to and download the mix, click here.

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
Synthesizer sex music [laughs]. Nah, I’d say its funky, smooth, sensual, fun. That’s kinda how other people describe it. I have lots of influences from ’70s, ’80s funk and soul and ’90s rap and R&B.

How did you come to start making music?
I started out playing saxophone in school. My dad got me into jazz when I was really young and I wanted to be like John Coltrane. I played throughout school in the jazz band and then started getting into making electronic music toward the end of high school. I really started getting into making beats and producing in about 2002, my second year of college. That’s when I really got the bug.

What’s your production setup?
Right now my setup is: MPC 2000xl for drums, a bunch of synths – Arp Odyssey, Yamaha DX7, DX 100, Motif, Roland JP-8000, Juno 60, Talkbox, MicroKorg. I use Nuendo to do the multi tracking.

What does funk mean to you?
Funk is a feeling. It’s a state of being. It represents fun and positivity, freedom, celebration. All the good things in life put into music form.

How does it feel to be a key torch bearer for modern funk alongside the likes of Dam Funk and Devonwho?
It feels good! [laughs] It’s pretty cool to be recognised like that. It was never a conscious decision, like, “I’m gonna make modern funk music!” It was just a natural thing. I just do the music I feel and do what feels good and that’s what comes out. To be a ‘member’ of a movement is cool because its kinda gives more power to the sound and message that we all convey. We’re trying to spread a positive message and bring a ‘lil sunshine into people’s lives.

What does California mean to you?
It’s home. I grew up within walking distance to the beach, so it’s part of who I am. The sunsets over the Pacific are something that never gets old and always give you that special vibe and inspiration. I think California is part of my sound.

Tell us about Frite Nite.
Frite Nite is a label, artist collective, and all around group of buds. Most of the crew is based in the SF Bay Area. Salva, the founder, is in LA now. It started off as a platform for us to just get our music out to the public and off of our hard

drives. It started expanding and has just been branching out ever since. Right now artists include Ana Sia, NastyNasty, Comma, Epcot, DJG, Eprom, Starkey, SoWhat, Teeko and The Starship Connection.

Who are your influences?
A lot of funk, soul and jazz artists like Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Roy Ayers and Roger Troutman. Producers like Dre, Battlecat, Rick Rock, Dilla, R Kelly and Timbaland. Newer artists like Sa-Ra, Waajeed, Jimmy Edgar and Salva.

Tell us about the mix you’ve done for us.
It’s a mix for the steppers on some mid-tempo R&B vibes. It’s a feel-good one. Couple cool things in there. Hope you like it!

What producers, acts or bands should we be keeping an eye on right now?
Comma has been ripping up the live sets lately. I heard DJG is working on some new stuff thats nasty. Oh man. Starkey’s new stuff!? Wow. All I can say. Always gotta support my fellow Red Bull fam – Ad Bourke, Space Dimension Controller, Julian Gomez, Deep 60. The homie ARP 101 is doing some dope stuff. Keep an eye out for my new band The Starship Connection – four piece synth funk, electro dance style. Lots of fun.

Favourite album of all time? Why?
Gonna have to say John Coltrane – Blue Train. I used to listen to it every single night before I went to sleep. It just reminds me of falling in love with music.

What do you think of Lana Del Rey?
I don’t really know much about her to be honest. I saw her on Saturday Night Live. People were hating, but I didn’t think it was as bad as they made it out to be. Shit, if she’s making a living off of music, I take my hat off to her!

What have you got in the pipeline following the release of your Kiss ‘n’ Tell EP on Earnest Endeavours?
Me and my production partner Teeko have a new EP coming in the next few months on Frite Nite: Starship Connection EP. Got a new track with Darkhouse Fam on their new EP on Earnest Endeavours. Also working on my debut album. Really excited for that. Show-wise, doing a lot of travelling, gonna be at SXSW this year with The Starship Connection. Looking at coming over to UK and Europe hopefully!

Words: Ian Hsieh

Photography: Trevor Traynor

To listen to and download B. Bravo’s Steppers’ Mixx for Brainer, click here. The Kiss ‘n’ Tell EP is out now on Earnest Endeavours.

DJ NU-MARK VS ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD

ianbrainer — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:07:32 +0000

Each members of iconic hip-hop groups, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Nu-Mark (Jurassic 5) will be hitting UK shores on Saturday to rock London’s Koko silly with all manner or beat goodness. I’ve caught Uncle Nu and J5 several times throughout the years, but the hands down, most memorable show was when I saw Jurassic play Birmingham Academy in support of their Power In Numbers album in ’02. It was a near perfect gig for me, and when Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark strolled to the front of stage to create some strapped on Fisher Price turntable madness, I pretty much went bananas. As did the rest of the crowd.

I later managed to catch Nu-Mark on his own at London’s Cargo (what happened to that venue?) at a Friends and Family night, and he tore the place up as expected. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited for Saturday – especially since I missed out on Ali Shaheed Muhammad when he was in London last for the screening of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest.

I digress. All the info for Saturday can be found in the flyer below, and you can cop your tickets for the show here. Expect true-school hip-hop for days.

Check out the video for ‘What’s Golden’ (produced by Nu-Mark), taken from 2002′s Power In Numbers:

soundcrashmusic.com // thedoctorsorders.com

CHASE THE MUSIC. OWN THE STAGE.

ianbrainer — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:27:38 +0000

Ever the supporter of the world’s most exciting creative talent (check out last year’s excellent The Art of Blending featuring the almighty Roots crew and friends), premium cognac house Hennessy has launched its new initiative: Chase the music. Own the stage. Fans will be able to submit a video of their own music performances for the opportunity to perform at the Blues Passions festival in the heart of Hennessy’s hometown: Cognac, France.

On hand to pick the finalists are Maurice Hennessy (from the Hennessy family, natch), Blues Passions festival founder Michel Rolland, and Clash magazine’s editor-in-chief: Simon Harper. The judges will whittle the entries down to a select ten – it’s up to the Hennessy Facebook fans to pick the final two winners.

Hennessy and the Blues Passions festival go way back to 1994, and the pair have hosted some legendary musicians like Gil Scott-Heron, Ray Charles, Massive Attack and more throughout the years. Interested? Submit your video here.

AESOP ROCK RELEASES NEW TRACK

ianbrainer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:53:23 +0000

Good news everybody, your favourite multi-syllabic-complex-rhyme-spitting rapper is back and about to release his 6th studio album on Minneapolis label Rhymesayers.

Titled Skelethon, the album follows 2007′s None Shall Pass and sees the wordsmith self-produce a whole album for the first time. That’s right, no Blockhead on this one, although if None Shall Pass opener ‘Keep Off The Lawn’ is anything to go by, this new album should be a belter.

Listen to the first track to drop from the album, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’:

Skelethon is released on 10th July through Rhymesayers and will be reviewed at a later date.

rhymesayers.com/aesoprock

11 Minutes With… Mayer Hawthorne

ianbrainer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:49:18 +0000

What’s your favourite album of all time?
Today, it’s Prince – Dirty Mind.

Van Damme or Seagal?
Seagal has been a real deputy sheriff in Louisiana for like 20 years and he’s originally from Michigan. Jean-Claude ain’t got shit on that.

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you on tour?
I spent the night in jail in Baltimore for peeing on a police station. The tour bus picked me up from central booking the next morning. That was kinda wild.

What’s the best city to play in the world?
The one that has the best food. Currently, it’s Rio de Janeiro.

Where was your first ever gig?
My first show as Mayer Hawthorne was in Fullerton, CA. It was a really small club that only held like 85 people, but it sold out. So I can say I sold out my first show ever.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever stolen from a hotel?
One of the female receptionists.

What’s your favourite film?
Dude, it’s obvi The Big Lebowski.

What is your signature dish?
My favourite is my mom’s beef brisket. I like Indian curries a lot too.

How attractive, on a scale of 1-10, is Peanut Butter Wolf?
Wolf’s not so hot. But Folerio? He is a total babe.

What’s the one thing you do better than anyone else you know?
I make the best banana cream pie in the world.

What’s your favourite joke?
A horse walks into a bar and the bartender says, “Hey, why the long face?”

If you were a muppet, which one would you be?
Without a shadow of a doubt, I would be Dr. Teeth of the Electric Mayhem. Baddest Muppet, hands down.

What’s your favourite word?
Word!

What was the first record you bought?
The Police – Synchronicity.

If you woke up one morning as Snoop Dogg, what would you do?
I’d have bitches in the living room gettin’ it on. And they wouldn’t leave ’til six in the morning.

Words: Ian Hsieh
Photography: Tom Oldham

Mayer Hawthorne is currently on tour in support of his new album How Do You Do, which gets a UK release on 28th May through Island. Check out the new version of ‘The Walk’ featuring Rizzle Kicks here.

Various Artists

ianbrainer — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:02:56 +0000

London-based label Brownswood Recordings returns with the second volume of its Worldwide Family project. The latest instalment in the series comes courtesy of LA native Kutmah. Now exiled in London the NTS DJ and visual artist has put together a brilliantly underground and on-point selection, which keenly feels the LA beat scene as well as the touch of London’s contemporary beat makers.

Worldwide Family Volume II is a series of tracks rather than a mix, yet they flow so perfectly you can easily find yourself lost in Kutmah’s painstakingly curated sounds. The considered depth of the assembled tracks, and the exclusive nature provided by a rash of unreleased material contributes to a sense of Kutmah delighting in his position as selector and educator, an idea reinforced by his decision to couple his musical selection with his own intricately inked album sleeve.

Perpetually ahead, obsessive and infectious there’s little that Kutmah doesn’t touch upon and each track is a revelation. We’re treated to myriad new sounds. The European textures created by the soaring synth work on Groundislava’s ‘Creeper Shit’ are seen through a beautiful haze of distinctly LA sonic markers, creating an arresting opener and a brilliant example of the reciprocal musical ideas Kutmah celebrates.

Slugabed’s expansive sound marries the triumphs of the UK bass scene with a post-Dilla aesthetic. Despite Jay Dee’s influence on LA’s beat landscape, Slugabed’s ‘Sex’ sounds startlingly different juxtaposed with the sharp pads and abstract voices on Seven Davis Jr’s contribution ‘Thanks’. An idea that fantastically illustrates the influence of the locale given the beats’ loosely shared genesis.

Hip-hop is a recurring motif, and man of the moment Hudmo’s back catalogue gets a nod amidst a sea of new heat. The inclusion of ‘05s ‘Are You Feeling Hot’ with its silky smooth production and disembodied vocals oozing warmth is Kutmah’s tribute to how progressive the UK scene has been, and continues to be.

Worldwide Family Volume II is bookended by London-based producers. Mo Kolours’ dub-inspired percussion-driven ‘Ridda Mountain’ opens before fLako rounds off with the soulful ‘Lonely Town’. In between Kutmah touches on everything progressive from LA’s intricately shuffling beats, to bassier London-inspired landscapes. Whilst everything Kutmah has included flows hypnotically, the greatest success of this selection of beats is not how they stand as a whole, but rather that they each demand you take note and are so intriguing they can’t help but serve as an introduction to a new, virtually unexplored, musical underworld. The fact there is no sense of musical one-upmanship – only a desire to share – is the crowning glory of an album that wonderfully reaffirms the role of the selector.

Words: Joseph Clarke-Knowles

Kutmah Presents Worldwide Family Volume II is out now on Brownswood Recordings.

DVA

ianbrainer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:20:33 +0000

Scratcha DVA is an artist who is not confined by genre specifics, preferring to blur the lines. He takes references from the UK bass scene and replicates this through his innate abstract approach to music. Until recently, he hosted the much loved Grimey breakfast show on Rinse FM, championing the ever-evolving sound of British dance music. It was during this time that DVA started producing his first album, Pretty Ugly, on Hyperdub, and it seems his unique position as both a commentator and a player in the bass scene has impacted the album.

Much of the talk surrounding Pretty Ugly is how it’s dominated by vocal collaborations; relationships he shaped through the radio. This is a tentative approach from DVA at making bass music with pop sensibilities. The vocal records alone produce varying success. On ‘33^rdDegree’, the funky beat complements the tonal vocals from Muhsinah. ‘Eye Know’ is one of the most successful tracks on the album; a smooth beat and a wistful synth part is balanced with woozy vocals by Natalie Maddix, creating an R&B gem. Here, the track is elevated, not hindered, by the vocals, whereas elsewhere the effect produces the opposite impact. Take ‘Just Vybe’ featuring Fatima, for example. The production has been obstructed by the vocals, and ‘Why U Do’ featuring A.L also suffers the same fate. The music is of such a high quality, but the vocals just get in the way.

Another governing feature of the album is DVA’s diverse exploration into vintage synthesizers. ‘The Big 5ive’ and ‘Madness’ (featuring Vikter Duplaix) sounds like a neon soul record that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Brainfeeder compilation. ‘Polyphonic Dream’ is constructed from a pounding dance floor beat, pushing forward the playful, almost game-console like swirling synth sounds. When taking each song as its own entity, it’s very apparent how much detail and texture each one holds.

DVA is a unique producer in the UK bass scene; he has risen from grime to a UK funky practitioner and now resides in a realm beyond it all. Pretty Ugly is in essence a response to the ever-changing scene – an album that should be cherished by all bass lovers. The grand finale ‘Where I Belong’ triumphantly signals the end of Scratcha DVA, and welcomes him into bass music history.

Words: William Stevens

Pretty Ugly is out now on Hyperdub.

Mo Drums. Mo Music. MO KOLOURS

ianbrainer — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:39:58 +0000

JOSEPH DEENMAMODE IS AN UNASSUMING KIND OF GUY. HE’S SOFTLY SPOKEN AND JUST A LITTLE BIT AWKWARD, AS HE POSES HIS WAY THROUGH OUR PHOTO SHOOT WITH A SLIGHT RETICENCE. Occasionally he gingerly steps behind the camera when invited to inspect the pictures captured, often with a look of pleasant surprise, as if he didn’t imagine himself to be as photogenic as he is.

It’s pretty unexpected behaviour, and in stark contrast to the Deenmamode we see in the teaser video for his new Banana Wine EP. There, the producer, who makes music under the moniker Mo Kolours, channels a possessed tribesman – loud shirt, wild hair and all – jacking his body and flailing his arms whilst vibing out to the stripped down, beat-heavy soundtrack.

The music in question is a potent, world-infused melting pot of varying influences. Dub, soul, jazz, Afro, Latin, hip-hop and Sega music (the folk music of Mauritian Creoles) all play an equal part in the Brixton-based producer’s polyrhythmic creations.

“Sega means more to me that I let loose in my music,” says Deenmamode. “My dad’s a Creole Mauritian himself, so I was always aware as a child of this music and this culture. I went there as a kid and was amazed by it. As I got older I went out there again and really soaked it up; collected a few things; spoke to a few musicians – that was the point where I thought, ‘Yeah, this is something that’s part of me, something I’d like to show in the music that I make.’”

The result was Mo Kolours’ debut release on London’s One-Handed music, released in May last year. Titled EP1: Drum Talking, it was a languid, undulating, percussion-riddled extended player of eight tracks that demonstrated the producer’s knack for crafting raw songs – the kind destined to appeal to that primal urge that compels you to fling your limbs around rampantly.

“My production set up is really simple,” enthuses Deenmamode. “A load of percussion, mics, a load of records, some funky old keyboards. I just record layers of stuff and sing, clapping and banging on tables,” he laughs. It’s a beautifully stripped back way of making music. No fancy equipment, just anything and everything the percussionist and singer has to hand. And that’s why the intrinsically organic Mo Kolours sound is proving to be one of the most enjoyable to be immersed in right now; there’s simply nothing else like it.

As we continue talking, it becomes clear that there is nothing planned about Deenmamode and his music. Spontaneity is king. There’s a hunger to experience and devour the new and the unexplored, and this permeates into his music, imbuing it with that free, organic quality. “Every day I wake up and I think, ‘Yeah, I’ve got all this stuff I’ve already made, but there’s more I can do,’” says the producer. “There’s more I can explore, and because I don’t have an idea when I sit down to make stuff, I’m surprising myself as I go along. And that’s exciting, knowing that I can always find something new, somehow.

“Maybe I’ll say to myself I want five beats this afternoon. That’s about as much planning as I do. What those beats will be and how they will sound will be all in the air.”

EP1: Drum Talking was the first in a trilogy of releases for Mo Kolours on One-Handed. Drum-heavy and a deft nod to his Mauritian roots, the next two releases will each have a different flavour. “I want to try and bring a different style and edge to what I’m about on each EP,” says Deenmamode. “Banana Wine is still beats and drums, but there’s more of a dance and up-tempo element. There’s less Sega-influenced stuff, and more that represents my daily life.” Nowhere is this more evident than in Banana Wine’s ‘Talking Move’, an electronic-synth-house-number featuring those signature, deep drums. And the third and final instalment? “I don’t know yet. I’d quite like to explore some soulful stuff really,” says the producer in true extemporaneous form.

After EP3 drops in the near future, there’s the rather exciting prospect of a full length album from Mo Kolours. In the meantime, there’s a live show to be planned. “It’s not ready yet and I’ve got a month to sort it out, but I want to do some stuff with loop pedal, playing in little bits live,” says the producer. “There’s a chance of a band, but right now it’s just interesting to see what I can do on my own!”

Words: Ian Hsieh
Photography: Tom Oldham

EP2: Banana Wine is out now on One-Handed Music. To download it for free, click here.

onehandedmusic.com

50 DAYS FOR DILLA

ianbrainer — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:50:58 +0000

Our man Reggie ‘Ta-ku’ Matthews – the producer that honoured us with our first Brainer mix – has just unleashed Vol. 1 of his latest project: 50 Days For Dilla:

While he may be one of the most prolific beatsmiths making music at the moment, it’s safe to say that crafting a beat a day – for 50 days – is an incredible achievement. But he done did it in tribute to the legendary Jay Dee, and as you’d expect, 50 Days For Dilla is chock full of pompous, dope beats, gorgeous soul samples and chopped up strings – all tied together by that signature Ta-ku swagger. Instrumental hip-hop doesn’t get better – have a listen:

50 Days For Dilla Vol. 1 is out now through HW&W Recordings. You could stream it for free, but I suggest you head over to the HW&W Bandcamp and support good, independent music.

To listen to and download Ta-ku’s Brainer mix, click here, and to read our interview with the man, click here.