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“… Experience a slice of Los Angeles hip-hop history on DJ Dusk’s Root Down Soundclash. Three classic old school hand-held battles from some of Los Angeles’ and the World’s greatest beatmakers.. ”

Madlib vs Cut Chemist
Will.i.am vs Thes One
Oh No vs Exile

It’s been about a year since we first saw this trailer from DJ Dusk’s Soundclash, but we never got our hands on the full DVD. The DVD is now available @ Stonesthrow. Thanks to Behind The Beats.

Appletree producers Beau Love, Louis Bordeaux and Sotu the Traveller embarked on a journey to southern France. On Beau Love’s initiative the three beat conductors packed a van full with all the equipment needed to conduct some massive beat making. Along with sound engineer Elio “Delta Beats” Debets and Appletree CEOs they set off to the scenic village of Esclauzels. Arriving at the picturesque cottage, with a great view of nature’s finest work, Esclauzels was the perfect scene for a week filled with, relaxation, creativity, joy, inspiration and jamming.

The three producers got back to basic in the improvised studio, built on the spot with Elio. There, on the in the mountains of Midi-Pyrenees, for the first time ever Beau Love, Louis Bordeaux and Sotu the Traveller started making music together.

The beautiful nature surroundings, fun, good French wine and food, long nights, philosophizing, jamming and spending a week with people you don’t know too well and getting to know them better, are all ingredients for a diversified, palette of musical beats.

The fruit of this labour is called Pêche Noire and is released as a free download in October 2008. New Orleans based designer Nessim Higson was kind enough to create the artwork for this release.

The Pêche Noire project displays how 3 producers with various styles can come together and create a consistent homogeneous album. Yet, still compliment the individual producers strong aspects and leave room for each one of them to shine. It consists of some out takes from late-night jam sessions, tracks made together, some solo joints, and even a magical 15 minute jam!

The first encounter the general public had with the musical abilities of Pêche Noire was: ‘Loopwheeler‘. Inspired by Nike and Loopwheeler, beat collective Pêche Noire held a studio session in dedication to the craftmanship of how the Nike AW77 sweater is made by the Loopwheeler company in Japan. In Elio “Delta Beats” studio they relived the chemistry they had in Esclauzels and with Japanese samples and drums, the Dutch beatmakers created a musical piece.

Pêche Noire – Cacahuete 

A stunning new issue of Wax Poetics! Elusive former prodigy Shuggie Otis is featured on the cover, with the supervillain MF DOOM featured on the back! Additional features on Count Bass D, Slick Rick, J.Rocc, Larry Coryell, and more. Get it here..

Shuggie Otis – Not Available

Featuring J.Rocc. Madlib’s 5 & 6th volumes of Beat Konducta are his & J.Rocc’s tribute to J Dilla.

Advance digital sale on this week.
Vinyl release date is in December.
Vol. 5-6 CD released in early 2009.

01. Dill Withers Theme
02. First Class (The Best Catalogue)
03. Lifetime (Lifeline)
04. The Electric Zone (Plugged In)
05. So Much (Music)
06. Smoked Out (Green Blaze Subliminal Sounds)
07. Another Bag of Bomb (No Seeds)
08. All Love (The Movement)
09. Detroit Playaz (Gator Walk)
10. Blast (Computer Rock)
11. J.B. And J.D. (Interlude)
12. Never Front (Ears Up)
13. Dillalade Ride (Contact High)
14. Suffer (Concentration)
15. Show Me The Good Life (Chip Stack)
16. Slapped Up (Snap N’ Clap)
17. Another Batch (Play It Again)
18. Full Figure Pockets (Pay Jay)
19. Smoke Interlude (Hawaiian Punch)
20. The Sky (Beyond Sight)

Madlib – Dillalade Ride (Contact High)

buy the album in the Stonesthrow Store..

Mentored by Giles Peterson, the six member Berlin-based DJ collective Jazzanova has created a compelling fusion of musical genres on their 2008 studio album, Of All The Things. Jazzanova has built a strong and loyal following among DJs, musicians, and music fans around the globe. They have leant their talents to a diverse roster of artists including Lenny Kravitz, Common, Azymuth, and Calexico. Jazzanova set out to compose an album that is interconnected, composing each track, recording live vocals and instrumentals, selecting and creating samples from tracks already created for this album. Featured vocalists include Leon Ware, Dwele, Phonte, Paul Randolph, Ben Westbeech, Jose James, and more. Release date: 21 October. Pre-Order here.

Jazzanova – Look What You’re Doin To Me Feat. Phonte

Jazzanova – Let Me Show Ya Feat. Paul Randolph (Snippet)

After the release of The Big Payback with Byron, Tribute EP with Pretzal and “Chinoiseries” French/Vietnamese beatmaker Onra released his second solo album entitled “1.0.8“. Onra whose distinctive style is known for soulfull hiphop with Asian samples, as well as non quantized drum patterns, shows his variety of styles on this new album. “1.0.8” contains 19 short beats, but shouldn’t be seen as just another Beattape. Buy “1.0.8” here.

Keep an eye out for Onra’s All City Beatstrumental series.

Onra – Super Genesis Feat Hazel

Onra – Dreams

Reefer is Nick Thorburn (Islands, The Unicorns, Human Highway) and Los Angeles-based hip-hop producer/engineer Daddy Kev (Busdriver, Freestyle Fellowship, Awol One). Mutual admirers of each other’s work, the two developed a close friendship over the years after being introduced by avant-rapper Giovanni Marks (Subtitle). The idea to create a record together was hatched at SXSW party a few years back where Nick and Kev decided they should take their disparate music backgrounds and create something in an environment much different than their normal lives in Montreal and Los Angeles, respectively. Quite possibly a drunken agreement — as Nick was ejected that evening from the venue for sneaking in booze — they still followed through on their brilliant idea and isolated themselves on the Hawaiian island of Maui to create their vision.

Thorburn has been no stranger to drawing inspiration from hip-hop, as evidenced in much of the work of Islands and especially in the post-Unicorns rap project Th’ Corn Gangg. Differing from MCs rhyming over the eclectic arrangements of Islands, Reefer is Nick crafting his darkly tinted pop over the foundation of Kev’s sweeping, smooth beats crafted from tropical samples with flourishes of steel guitar and ukelele.

Their self-titled mini album (previously entitled The Life Narcotic) contains six sun-dripped songs and three interludes, plus remixes from Dntel and Flying Lotus. The album was composed on the Maui coastline in Makena, and was finished soon after in Los Angeles at Daddy Kev’s studio, the Echo Chamber. Reefer is very much influenced by the beautiful tropical surroundings, the sounds of the ocean, and being far away from their regular daily routines. Not predictably sunny in tone, the minor-key arrangements and Thorburn’s playful wordplay conjures up images of something more sinister than cheeseburgers in paradise. Kev’s subtle, controlled production fits each songs mood nicely and draws from Hawaiian pop influences. Initially considered to be a one-off project, Reefer hopes to make another album when they meet again in a new exotic tropical location.

Reefer – Let it Go (Flying Lotus Remix)

Paul White is living up to all the hype! Another weighty 7″ dropping on the increasingly exciting One Handed Music label..

Hot on the heels of Bullion’s niche-anthem ‘Get Familiar’ comes the second solo transmission from another peculiarly talented London beat-smith, Paul White.

For You And For Me is an oddly intoxicating marching tune that shows that in hip hop in 2008, the most fun is to be had in the fringes. Paul’s passion for prog takes a decidedly exotic and somehow military turn and ends up with the kind of wide-eyed creation that his has peers in a froth.

We Want It All is pretty old-school in comparison: a rough drum break, filthy bass and all sorts of curious and wonderful voices add up to three of the best minutes sample-based music will have all year.

Along with a handful of fine remixes and his mesmerising beat-tapes, 2007’s debut single The Dragon Fly marked Paul out as a leading light of the increasingly captivating ‘beat scene’. Plaudits fell at his feet: Dazed & Confused enthused that he “embodies all that is good about a new generation of producers”; illustrious peers such as IG Culture, Danny Breaks and Ashley Beedle signalled their respect and key folk such as Benji B and Gilles Peterson launched him on the airwaves (the latter featuring him in his ‘Beat Generation’ special amongst the pick of the new breed).

A library producer by trade with BBC and Channel 4 credits to his name, Paul crafts his psychedelic gems in his South London rooftop studio, The Skylight, from whence the sounds of a beguiling and unique debut album are beginning to emerge… Get the “7 on Rushhour.

Paul White – For You & For Me

As a prelude to the release of Black Milk’s upcoming LP, Tronic, on October 28, Fat Beats Records and HipHopDX present ELEC. This free mixtape highlights 25 of Black Milk’s finest works since the release of Popular Demand in March 2007. Featuring an all-star lineup of emcees and producers that include Busta Rhymes, Jake One, Pharoahe Monch, Kardinal Offishall, DJ Khalil, Bishop Lamont, as well as Detroit reps like Elzhi, Royce Da 5?9?, Guilty Simpson and more.

Black Milk ELEC Mixtape

New Mix from BTS Radio founder Andrew Meza on Kpfk.

Andew Meza kpfk Mix