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Baker's Dozen: Elaquent
Fat Beats Records is proud to present the ninth installment of Baker’s Dozen featuring Elaquent, an exclusive vinyl series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound.
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ALAIN GORAGUER - LA PLANÈTE SAUVAGE: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK (EXCLUSIVE)
Alain Goraguer's immensely influential soundtrack to the cult-classic '70s film, La Planete Sauvage gets a very special edition LP, issued on translucent red vinyl, limited to 500 copies, exclusive to Fat Beats.
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Brownout - Fear of A Brown Planet
The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit.
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On June 22nd, the legendary duo drops their ninth studio album, The Bridge and The Abyss, featuring the singles “San La Muerte” and “Marciano’s Reign.”
Available on orange/brown vinyl, black vinyl and CD
J Dilla - Welcome 2 Detroit (Exclusive)
J Dilla's CLASSIC Welcome 2 Detroit available on at Beats Exclusive Smoked-Out Clear/Black Vinyl, only 500 copies pressed and exclusive on FatBeats.com
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Sold Out - $40.00
This Fat Beats exclusive features the LP and Flexi test pressing, limited to 10 stamped copies. Fat Beats Records is proud to present the ninth installment of Baker’s Dozen, an exclusive vinyl series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound. Since the beginning, my philosophy has always been that perfection is boring, so despite all the changes that have occurred with my equipment and system, that main philosophy remains the same. In the beginning it was all about flipping samples with FL Studio and just my computer keyboard, and over the years, I added the MPD and Masterkey in order to be able to jam out drums live and play keys, which speeds up the workflow. I like the effects on the 404, and there’s a lot of dope ways to integrate my iPad into it, but at the end of the day, it starts with a melody or sample, and I kinda just let the vibe take over. -ELAQUENT
$19.99
Fat Beats Records is proud to present the ninth installment of Baker’s Dozen, an exclusive vinyl series that shines a light on the best minds of instrumental hip-hop, ambient, and electronic music. Each installment gives one artist carte blanche to capture their signature sound. Every volume’s strictly limited vinyl pressing features one artist and twelve tracks, with the thirteenth track -- the eponymous “baker’s dozen bonus” -- on a flexi disc. The LPs also come equipped with a 5x7” postcard insert that features a photo of the artist’s workspace along with the equipment used in their music-making process. Visually cohesive and packaged with the utmost attention to detail, Baker’s Dozen is a series that speaks up for artists whose craft renders voices superfluous, whose instrumentals alone suffice to make a statement. Since the beginning, my philosophy has always been that perfection is boring, so despite all the changes that have occurred with my equipment and system, that main philosophy remains the same. In the beginning it was all about flipping samples with FL Studio and just my computer keyboard, and over the years, I added the MPD and Masterkey in order to be able to jam out drums live and play keys, which speeds up the workflow. I like the effects on the 404, and there’s a lot of dope ways to integrate my iPad into it, but at the end of the day, it starts with a melody or sample, and I kinda just let the vibe take over. -ELAQUENT
$12.99
“These have been a secret in my crates and with so many DJ’s asking it when played. I decided to let the people have them” - J Rocc
$20.99
Juvenile Hell is the debut album by the hip hop duo Mobb Deep. It was recorded when they were still in their late teens and released on April 13, 1993 by 4th B'way. Features the singles "Peer Pressure" and "Hit It from the Back."
$14.99
Stro Elliot's classic flip of Soul II Soul's "Back To Life" has been burning dancefloors down for a few years now. Previously available on his debut self-titled Street Corner Music LP, it will now available on 7", backed with his flip of "Walk Like An Egyptian" from his follow up EP coming later this year on SCM, this 7" is a must have for DJs worldwide.
$24.99
The producer’s own mixes – recently rediscovered – of his seminal EP, expanded with bonus tracks and now available in a special instrumental edition. When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop – technically and creatively. “At the top of his game,” says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006’s Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla’s involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla’s recently discovered mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. “Straight from the mothafuckin’ cassette,” as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP’s intro. The CD issue is buttressed by unreleased tracks and includes the music from the EP as it was originally released, the alternate version that Dilla had for the project and complete instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expands upon his original liner notes to further tell Dilla’s story, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. This CD issue features first Dilla’s original sequence of the EP and then presents Dilla’s alternate sequence, with tracks unreleased in 2003, as well as instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expansively details Dilla’s trajectory at this crucial point in his career, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. Ruff Draft, like The Diary, sees release on the Pay Jay, the official imprint of the Estate of James Yancey, founded on behalf of Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, John “Illa J” Yancey, Monica and Ty-monae Whitlow, Joylette Hunter and Ja’mya Yancey.
$22.99
Scratches by Wax Tailor "An artist afraid to overreach himself is as useless as a general who is afraid to be wrong.” Over a half-century later, the axiom remains true for hyper-kinetic hip-hop innovators, North Carolina’s L’Orange and Solemn Brigham—the hard-boiled duo behind the fun house fever dream, Marlowe. Released on Mello Music Group, Marlowe is a triumph of ambition, a rap bricolage blending prohibition and civil rights-era samples with Asian psychedelic rock flourishes. Solemn Brigham controls the microphone like a general who can’t help but be right. His flow is a blitzkrieg. It’s an Olympian sprint, gliding over snares and kick-drums like hurdles. He’s a showman seeking revolution—resolute in his desire to strike equilibrium between awareness and entertainment. Solemn applies the fictional protagonist’s search for the truth towards different ends. His crimes are existential yet specific, rooted in the injustices of the past and the attempt to redress them in the present. He’s an artist perennially seeking something to fight for, channeling energy from the music of the civic rights era, stealing timeless rhythms and inflection from classic funk and soul. An old soul with original ideas, tapping into the eternal reservoir of Sam Cooke to Ice Cube, Otis Redding to Chuck D, Curtis Mayfield to KRS-One. Over the course of 17 tracks, Solemn hurls sharp darts at counterfeits trying to crack his religion, the onslaught of time, and prevaricating rappers—all while paying homage to those who paved the road for him. He bounces off the beats like a trampoline placed in a speakeasy, doubling up on the vocals, burrowing into dense cryptic tangles of slang and then stretching them out with melodic ease. With dazzling cinematic mise en scene, L’Orange crafts a world that sounds like an old-time medicine show dropped into 90s Brooklyn, with Solemn summoning the holy spirit of Big L. Cymbals crash, drums pound, fuzzy guitars ride out, a bronze rain of horns cascade. This is gorgeous celestial dust, high-powered fuel with every syllable meticulously ordained. Marlowe cracked the case, but how they did it can only become clear under deeper investigation.
$29.99
2LP, Gatefold Jacket, Brown x Orange Vinyl with Download card and credits insert For more than twenty-two years, the name Jedi Mind Tricks has become synonymous with raw, gritty independent hip-hop. From their debut album, The Psycho-social, in 1996 to their seminal sophomore release, Violent By Design, to their musical expansion on Servants and Heaven, Kings in Hell, JMT has made an indelible impression on the independent music scene while arguably forging its own subgenre of rap. Led by the fiery vocals of controversial frontman, Vinnie Paz (who has also built an auspicious solo career over the last decade), and the enigmatic producer, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, the group has sustained a successful career as a result of its consistently, uncompromising rap music. On June 22nd, the duo drops their ninth studio album, The Bridge and The Abyss, featuring the singles/videos for “San La Muerte” and “Marciano’s Reign.” Speaking on the new album, Vinnie Paz, says, “Each time out we face a challenge of not wanting to make the same record, but at the same time doing what we do, which is make hardbody rap. I try to balance my ignorant raps with songs that are a little more conceptual and personal. I think we found a nice balance on this album.” JMT’s success can’t be measured in chart positions or platinum plaque counts. Their success is most accurately measured in the passion and respect of their growing legions of hardcore fans who have packed JMT shows around the world from Boston to Bogota to Bucharest. Paz says, “When you see someone with a tattoo of your logo or your album art on their body, that’s a level of dedication that a sales chart can’t possibly capture. We’re blessed to have some of the most dedicated fans in music. We’ve always sort of been music industry pariahs and I think our fans like that we don’t cower to the politics of the business.” JMT’s music embodies the spirit of DIY defiance and their longevity is a testament to their blue-collar work ethic coursing through the bloodlines of their hometown of Philadelphia. Jedi Mind Tricks “The Bridge and The Abyss” out June 22, 2018.
$21.99
Limited edition vinyl pressing of the explosive new album from East Coast legends Onyx mixes hardcore vocal delivery with heavy guitar riffs to create the most aggressive release of the group's career! Onyx's previous effort #Turndafucup earned the group rave reviews for its ambition and experimentation, which inspired Fredro & Sticky Fingaz to new levels of ferocity on this album!
$21.99
Pre-order your copy and receive the first in a series of tarot cards designed by David Rudnick upon order, and the second when your pre-order ships the week of 6/1. Oneohtrix Point Never's Age Of is an album of new music from the renowned musician, out June 1st on Warp Records. It’s Daniel Lopatin’s most cohesive and richly composed work to date weaving a tapestry of disparate musical histories — early music, country and folk balladry, melodic pop, computer music and much, much more — demonstrating both the complexity and range of the artist's repertoire. With sounds that are unsettlingly familiar and uniquely his own Age Of guides us through an unclassifiable new world.
$24.99
First time on vinyl. Strictly limited to 500 copies worldwide. Formative album from Daedelus, 2003’s Of Snowdonia (never before issued on vinyl) is Los Angeles’ Beat Scene just burgeoning, with accompanying Something Bells EP bundled into double vinyl. Additions from an early Busdriver, edIT, Omid, Abstract Rude, among others. The whole LP based around a childhood trip to Wales, is skittering beats, plucked guitar strings, and remnant R&B... all still resonate!
$22.99
Melbourne R&B slow jammers (and heart throbbers) Leisure Centre are proud to announce the release of their long awaited debut album, Mind Full. Expected this July, the album, which sits on a darker and more electronic plane to their previous EP, takes their staple of 808 kick drums and tight vocal harmonies into almost Little Dragonesque territories. Mind Full sees the band experiment with frenetic drum programming, cascading synthesizers and intimate vocals. Drummer, singer, songwriter and producer Hugh Rabinovici says “the sentiment in the songs is gentle and familiar, often tackling personal ideas around anxiety, mental health and well-being, with a few love songs thrown in, ‘cause how goods love? It’s real good”. The songs have that feeling about them too, with an innocent playfulness in ‘Don’t Let Go’ (featuring Bec Rigby of The Harpoons) and Audrey Powne’s effortless and powerful lead in ‘Those Days’. The album is a tour of extremes, from the sparse minimalism of title track ‘Mind Full’ to the exuberant disco maximalism of ‘Sucka’. It’s also a perfect marriage of lofi and hifi digital technology: Hugh Rabinovici originally created demos using only GarageBand on an iPhone 4, with the final mixes by Bob Knob still retaining some elements from those humble beginnings. Mind Full is Leisure Centre's first major release since their 2016 EP, One Plus One. Expect more sweet lead vocals, more stacked harmonies, more live instrumentation, more electronica, more digital, more analog, more bump, more grind and more vibe.
$29.99
Omerta are celebrating 4/20 this year with a very special one time pressing of Southern classic ‘Most Known Unknown’ by Three Six Mafia. Limited to 300 copies on 4/20 green vinyl, housed in hand numbered sleeves with original artwork. Three 6 Mafia’s biggest album “Most Known Unknown” has sold over 1 million copies in the US alone but has never been commercially available on vinyl until now. Remastered specifically for the format, this is the best the record has ever sounded. Featuring the original track listing as well as four bonus tracks. Omerta Inc. is proud to present a new version of this classic.
$22.99
Packaging includes Deluxe Interchangeable Cover Art and 8 Page Lyric Book No one confronts the abyss better than Chris Orrick. The Michigan ex-factory worker formerly known as Red Pill has spent the last half-decade documenting industrial decay, familial pain, and struggles with addiction better than almost anyone inhabiting this poisoned soil. It’s somewhere between Charles Bukowski and Michael Moore, or maybe Atmosphere if he couldn’t ignore the arsenic in the air. From the corroded arteries of the blue-collar heartland, Orrick emerges as one of the most incisive and savage critics of Trump’s America. If the American dream is dead, he unflinchingly lays the blame on avaricious corporations, crude demagogues, and structural racism. There’s nothing polemical about it: just warm-hearted, sad-eyed, gin-flooded depictions of a life where there are few right answers but a litany of wrong ones. It’s obvious how loudly the music speaks to Orrick, who is rarely short of opinions or serrated observation. The somber piano-based melancholy and rugged drums of “Portraits” thump via a gifted arsenal of producers including Nolan the Ninja, L’Orange, Exile, Apollo Brown, and Onra. Only two guest rappers appear, Fashawn and Orrick’s partner in Ugly Heroes, Verbal Kent. Orrick carries the rest of the weight and you sense the Atlas burden he shoulders. But for the all the poignant complaints, there’s a soulful profundity at the core of the album. It goes further than stress over bills, nicotine and liquor compulsions, and a search for deeper revelation. For a little while, we understand the raw f&cked up complexity of what it means to be a human being in a lunatic world. The portrait is personal, but it’s all of us too.
$17.99
Twenty-eight years ago, pissed-off twelve-year-olds around the universe discovered a new planet, a Black Planet. Public Enemy’s aggressive, Benihana beats and incendiary lyrics instilled fear among parents and teachers everywhere, even in the border town of Laredo, Texas, home of the future founders of the Latin-Funk-Soul-Breaks super group, Brownout. The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit. Chuck D., the Bomb Squad, Flava Flav and the rest of the P.E. posse couldn’t possibly have expected that their golden-era hip hop albums would sow the seeds for countless Public Enemy sleeper cells, one that would emerge nearly three decades later in Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) remembers a kid back in junior high hipped him to the fact that Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is built on James Brown samples, while a teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) alternated between metal and hip-hop in his walk-man, and Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) remembers falling in love with Public Enemy’s sound at an early age. “When I got into Hip hop, I was looking for this aggressive outlet . . . and I didn’t even understand what they were pissed off about, because I was twelve and lived in Laredo . . . but I loved it and I felt angry along with them.” Joseph Abajian (Fat Beats’ owner) must have sensed the deep hip-hop well lying beneath the versatile band’s Latin-Funk veneer. “I thought their sound would work covering Public Enemy songs,” Abajian says, and, “it was good to know they were P.E. fans . . . We came up with a track listing and they went to work.” Despite the band’s eagerness to work on new original material (an album of original songs is slated for next year), they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay homage to this iconic and influential posse. Translating sample-based music to a live band turned out to be more of a challenge than they anticipated. Adrian tried to get inside the Bomb Squad’s [Public Enemy’s producers/beat-making team] head in order to find the inspiration to reinterpret P.E.’s songs: “imagine the Bomb Squad going back in time and getting the J.B.s [James Brown’s funky backing band] in the studio and setting up a couple analog synths and then playing those songs.” While some songs closely follow the original musical blueprint, others use the source breakbeats as jumping-off points later sweetened by Trombonist Mark “Speedy” Gonzales’ horn arrangements, synth wizardry courtesy of friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, and DJ Trackstar’s turntable scratches. But don’t listen expecting to hear paint-by-numbers recreations of classic Public Enemy jams. “Our approach is never in the tribute sense,” Adrian explains. “We’ve always taken it and made it our own, whether it’s the Brown Sabbath thing or this Public Enemy thing.” Coming off numerous tours as Brown Sabbath and even a stint backing the late legend Prince, Brownout is arguably the tightest and funkiest band on the road today and they’re psyched to bring this revolutionary music to the people. For a band without an overt political agenda, they collectively couldn’t resist the opportunity to play this music live, especially now. “If there’s any way that we can use the already political and protest nature [of P.E.’s music], we would like to try,” Beto says. “The album’s title, Fear of Brown Planet is definitely a relevant idea today and we’re not afraid to put it out there, because we want to speak out.” By reinterpreting these hip hop classics in their unique style and channeling the spirit of Public Enemy that first echoed around the world and captured their imaginations all those years ago, Brownout is doing exactly that.
$21.99
Indie-exclusive red vinyl. The Grammy and Brit nominated Courtney Barnett returns with her second album - ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel.’ It follows her critically acclaimed 2015 debut album ‘Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit’, and a recent top 10 collaborative record, 'Lotta Sea Lice', with Kurt Vile. One of the most distinctive voices in music, Courtney is known for mixing witty observations with unflinching self-assessment - fast forward to now and although all of the cleaver turns of phrase and an eye for story telling are still there; this new collection of songs see a more serious and outwardly tone capturing the current social landscape yet still retaining moments of intimacy and warmth. As the world becomes more familiar with Courtney Barnett these songs feel comforting and emphatic yet that raw energy and the ability to make the listener think still remain.
$32.99
HARD-TO-FIND CLASSIC HIP HOP ALBUM, ORIGINALLY ONLY OUT ON PROMO, NOW FINALLY AVAILABLE AGAIN! INCLUDES "BEST KEPT SECRET", "SALLY GOT A ONE TRACK MIND" PLUS BONUS TRACKS NOT AVAILABLE ON THE ORIGINAL ALBUM "RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT", "I WENT FOR MINE", "FEEL THE VIBE" AND 3 SKITS. PRODUCED BY DIAMOND FOR D.I.T.C., AND CO- PRODUCTION BY SHOWBIZ, Q-TIP, FAT JOE, BIG L A.O. The Hip Hop producer Diamond D debuted in 1992 with his album Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop. It became an underground masterpiece with the vibe of the 90's studio ambience. With experiences of his later partners Big L and Fat Joe he created his New York sound. A huge part of the songs is recorded with the help of his crew the Psychotic Neurotics. The beats of the song ''Best Kept Secret'' sets the tone for the massive rhyming of Diamond D. The reason that everything sounds just as it should be is the fantastic production of the songs. ''Sally Got a One Track Mind'' is another classic tune by the formation and one of the highlights of the album. Joseph Kirkland, better known by his stage name Diamond D, started working in the music industry by the end of the 80s and produced music for lots of artists, like Lord Finesse, Fugees, Outkast and ADOR. During the years he also released solo albums, the latest dates from 2014.
$19.99
Buffalo, NY rapper Westside Gunn is one of hip-hop’s most exciting new stars, attracting fans and acclaim for his unique voice, exquisitely gritty wordplay, and minimalist, soul-drenched production. Mr. Green is a renowned hip-hop producer who has crafted tracks for the likes of Jedi Mind Tricks, Snoop Doog, A$AP Ferg, The Roots, Freddie Gibbs, KRS-One, Bodega Bamz, R.A. The Rugged Man, Deniro Farrar, Raz Fresco, and many more. Now, the two artists are joining forces for a new collaborative EP, FLYGOD Is Good… All The Time. While this is their first time working together, the chemistry is obvious, and the respect is mutual. “Westside Gunn is incredible, a true mastermind,” says Mr. Green. “He has this sound that is completely one-of-a-kind, just gives you that indescribable feeling we are all looking for in hip-hop these days.” Mixed and mastered by legendary engineer Eddie Sancho (known for his work with Gang Starr, Jay-Z, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Alchemist, M.O.P., Dilated Peoples, and many more), the EP showcases some of the best work to date from both Green and Gunn. “This is a true WSG art piece,” says Westside Gunn. “Everything I do is under a microscope, so it gotta be A1.”
$9.99
"Nothing Compares 2 U" contains the original version of the iconic song. This previously unreleased version was recorded in 1984, six years before 1990's classic reimagining by Sinéad O'Connor and before Prince started performing the song live. The track was recorded at the Flying Cloud Drive 'Warehouse' in Eden Prairie by Prince's long-time engineer Susan Rogers, and originally composed, arranged and performed in its entirety by Prince, aside from the backing vocals by Susannah Melvoin and Paul "St. Paul" Peterson. Also featured on the original track is saxophone work by Eric Leeds.
$8.99
Here's the single that put Mr. Ben Pirani on every soul DJ's radar a couple of years ago. Now finally this single is back in print along with a new one leading up to Ben's full length LP later this year. This 45 is dance-floor heaven. Super sweet, super catchy, one cannot be controlled when you're listening to "Light Of My Life" and "Dreamin's For Free" is just that.....dreamy. A killer two-sider that was hard to come by until now.
$22.99
Since bursting onto the scene in 2012, Brooklyn hip-hop collective Pro Era has sent shockwaves through the culture. Crew leader Joey Bada$$ has become one of rap’s biggest stars, and Pro Era artists like Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution, and CJ Fly have launched their own successful solo careers. Chuck Strangers has been a key member of Pro Era from the start, producing classic Joey Bada$$ tracks like “Daily Routine”, “FromdaTomb$” (which he was also featured on), “Summer Knights”, “My Yout”, “Escape 120”, “Rockabye Baby”, and more. A true double-threat who’s just as skilled on the mic as he is behind the boards, Chuck is poised as the next breakout star from the Era. Now, the talented artist is announcing his highly-anticipated debut solo album, Consumers Park. Set for release on March 16th, the album features guest appearances from Joey Bada$$, Kirk Knight, and Issa Gold (of The Underachievers). Primarily produced by Chuck Strangers himself (with the notable exception of the lead single “Fresh” produced by Alchemist), Consumers Park is sonically masterful, with a heavy emphasis on raw, soulful vibes. This provides the ideal platform for Chuck to showcase his impressive rap skills, with vivid, nostalgic, witty, personal rhymes that perfectly capture the rising star’s ongoing journey from Flatbush to international hip-hop notoriety.
$20.99
March 13, 2018, New York, NY – Del the Funky Homosapien and Amp Live – two of the most innovative and respected names in hip-hop – have just united for one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Gate 13, out 4/20. The 16 tracks on Gate 13 mix hip-hop, funk, and electronica, and feature Goapele, Eligh, Simi, Zyme, Adult Karate, Mr. Micro, and James Melo, creating a “portal into something progressive, futuristic, and fun.” After working together during Amp’s Radiohead remix project, these back-when friends from Oakland embark on 15 tracks filling an electronic melting pot, with guests including Goapele and Eligh. Their chemistry bids to elevate hip-hop through a portal to the progressive, futuristic and fun. “13 represents bad luck”, Del says of the title’s significance. “Basically, we’re the baddest out. This is a gateway to how we do”. Amp and Del have previous, the emcee guesting on Zion I’s 2005 ‘What U Hear’ from the duo’s ‘True & Livin’’ album. Several years later, when Amp remixed Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’, the producer recruited Del for his rewind of ‘Video Tapes’. Both have long bonded over equipment, technique and advancing the sound and style of the tight-knit Bay Area music community. Surging the dancefloor’s power source on opening single ‘Wheel of Fortune’, Del’s signature flow that has taken him from the tongue-twists of ‘Mistadobolina’ to the science fact of Deltron 3030 and the sunshine-in-a-bag of Gorillaz, squares up to Amp Live’s full-bodied basics. “I’m trying to be more concise with my writing and my art in general” says Del, in tune to funk looking to stand for parliament. “Del has been talking about doing more straightforward, aggressive writing”, confirms Amp. “Everything that I was messing with kind of had that same theme”. On tracks such as ‘Wheel of Fortune’, ‘On the Ball’ and ‘Get Some of Dis’, ‘Gate 13’ brings the noise to scare the mumblers away. ‘Humble Pie’ goes back to the future to put a bully in his place, and ‘Chili Sauce’ and ‘Sit Ya Ass Down’ take control of synth boogie getting the club and daytime airwaves buffed up. Easily commuting to a nearby parallel universe (the Deltron-centric ‘The Glow’ and ‘Help’) with star-dusted synths, disco residue, space symphonies and the odd zany skit, ‘Gate 13’ has got it locked with the master key.
$22.99
Executive production by the Alchemist. "The hours. Some stories just have to be told. But often, little is written of the hours. The writer Malcolm Gladwell describes the process of attaining mastery in any given field as a discipline. One that takes, at the very least, 10,000 hours to achieve. 10,000 hours of constant mistakes, constant doubts, constant frustrations, constant starts, constant stops, and constant incompletions. While there are those who get a glimpse of that, very few truly achieve it. Maybe it’s because of the toll that the path to mastery takes on you. It’s something akin to a monastic order, practicing the same thing day in, day out. It’s the difference between a new + trendy sushi spot in downtown LA and Jiro Ono’s modest sushi stall in the Ginza ward of Tokyo. Tucked away at the bottom of a stairwell in a subway station, Ono’s nondescript shop is easily passed up. There are no outwards signs hinting at a master dwelling within but those who know, know. The sushi that he and his staff prepare - day in, day out - is simply the best. You can taste the work in it. All of those hours mixed down to one bite. Just the same, you can taste the work in Sebb’s music. Hussle Crowe, the scientist, a craftsman who spends countless hours in a lab, hidden in a basement in Lausanne, Switzerland, just off Lake Geneva. It’s a most unsuspecting location for a musical master to be situated. It’s not the mecca that LA has become and certainly not the cultural center point that is NYC, but it serves it’s purpose. And those who know, know. If you know how to hear it and what to listen for, then you get it. Take Gladwell’s 10,000 hours, multiply that a few times, add in some authenticity, a whole bunch of sacrifice, a brain that’s equal parts simple + complex. Two golden ears and one monstrous creative drive + output. There you have it. That’s the recipe. Sebb Bash." - Malik Abdul Rahmaan
$39.99
It was a musical cocktail born in a marketing meeting: Two parts easy listening, one part jazz, a healthy dollop of conga drums, a sprinkling of bird calls, and a pinch of textless choir. Serve garnished with an alluring female on the album jacket for best results. Exotica! The soundtrack for a mythical air conditioned Eden, packaged for mid-century, tiki torch-wielding armchair safariers. Be it mosquito-bitten torch singers, landlocked surf quartets, fad-chasing jazz combos, mad genius band leaders, D-list actors, or a middle aged loner programming bird calls into a Hammond, Exotica was always more concerned with what geography might sound like than who was conducting. Captured across three albums are 48 (54 on the CD) curious examples of the short-lived genre's reach, each summoning their own sonic visions of Shangri La, bringing their versions of the Pacific, Africa, and the Orient to the hinterlands of America. Technicolor Paradise is where one makes it, after all.
$11.99
We are presently in the post-Marcberg era of rap. After Roc Marciano released his solo opus in spring 2010, a new continuum began which gathered tremendous momentum in 2012 following the release of his Metal Clergy compatriot Ka’s Grief Pedigree and Roc’s amazingly concise sophomore effort Reloaded. Subsequently, a divergent path opened in modern rap heavily influenced by the sonics, tone, and aesthetic of those three projects. Since then, Roc Marciano has released a critically acclaimed producer album Marci Beaucoup, bookended by the release of his project The Pimpire Strikes Back in multiple formats. In the years since this string of releases, a new crop of emcees and producers emerged heavily inspired and influenced by Roc’s oeuvre while many others’ careers have been left doing the running man in their wave. With multiple modern rap classics already under his Ferragamo belt, last year Roc Marciano liberated the first half of his two part project titled Rosebudd’s Revenge. If the initial offering showcased Marc reestablishing himself as the innovator of the present rap wave then RR2 - the Bitter Dose will cement Roc Marciano’s status as its linchpin. From the opening bars of “Respected” to when “Power” finally fades out he fashions another top to bottom high end sonic experience that will be both envied and emulated for years to come while he administers a double dose of pimpin’. Production on RR2: The Bitter Dose is handled by Roc Marciano in addition to Animoss (Arch Druids) (on “Bohemian Grove” & “Happy Endings”), Don Cee (Arch Druids) (on “C.V.S” & “Major League”) and Element) (on “Respected” & “67 Lobby”). Knowledge The Pirate appears on both “Bohemian Grove” and “Major League” while Action Bronson contributes a verse to “Corniche.” Whether it comes to hard bars, slick talk or hustler wisdom, Roc Marciano is unmatched. The Bitter Dose is nothing more than an American master lecturing a captive audience. It’s a guidebook on how to manipulate the English language and convey ideas and concepts and visuals that will evoke a wide range of emotions in listeners. The wait is over. Thank God for Roc Marci.
$14.99
The producer’s own mixes – recently rediscovered – of his seminal EP, presented in the original issued and alternate sequence. Contains a 2nd instrumental disc. Extensive liner notes and unpublished photos. When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop – technically and creatively. “At the top of his game,” says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006’s Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla’s involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla’s recently discovered mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. “Straight from the mothafuckin’ cassette,” as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP’s intro. The CD issue is buttressed by unreleased tracks and includes the music from the EP as it was originally released, the alternate version that Dilla had for the project and complete instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expands upon his original liner notes to further tell Dilla’s story, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. This CD issue features first Dilla’s original sequence of the EP and then presents Dilla’s alternate sequence, with tracks unreleased in 2003, as well as instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expansively details Dilla’s trajectory at this crucial point in his career, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. Ruff Draft, like The Diary, sees release on the Pay Jay, the official imprint of the Estate of James Yancey, founded on behalf of Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, John “Illa J” Yancey, Monica and Ty-monae Whitlow, Joylette Hunter and Ja’mya Yancey.
$14.99
A staple of the modern underground hip-hop scene, Queens rapper Meyhem Lauren owes much of his sound to that of the halcyon days of the 90s East Coast scene. Over the years Meyhem Lauren has worked alongside veterans and revered figures as DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Madlib, Freddie Gibbs, Czarface, Sean Price, Roc Marciano, J-Love, and his childhood friend Action Bronson, with whom he frequently appears in the Vice TV program Fuck, That's Delicious. Now he and producer and frequent collaborator Harry Fraud have teamed up to release Glass, their nine-track collaboration and instant classic. Glass showcases Meyhem Lauren at his best, with production by Harry Fraud and features from the likes of Action Bronson, Westside Gunn, Conway, Big Body Bes, and Hologram, every track on Glass will be in heavy rotation on your playlists.
$14.99
Features guest appearances by Hus KingPin, Bad Lucc, Phil The Agony, Marvelous Mag, and more! The brand new album from CA native Planet Asia, formerly of the duo Cali Agents and a collaborator with everyone from Linkin Park to Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah! 16 stellar tracks themed around the iconic figure of Mansa Musa, 13th century emperor of the West African Mali Empire and widely regarded as the richest man who ever lived!
$9.99
Twenty-eight years ago, pissed-off twelve-year-olds around the universe discovered a new planet, a Black Planet. Public Enemy’s aggressive, Benihana beats and incendiary lyrics instilled fear among parents and teachers everywhere, even in the border town of Laredo, Texas, home of the future founders of the Latin-Funk-Soul-Breaks super group, Brownout. The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit. Chuck D., the Bomb Squad, Flava Flav and the rest of the P.E. posse couldn’t possibly have expected that their golden-era hip hop albums would sow the seeds for countless Public Enemy sleeper cells, one that would emerge nearly three decades later in Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) remembers a kid back in junior high hipped him to the fact that Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is built on James Brown samples, while a teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) alternated between metal and hip-hop in his walk-man, and Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) remembers falling in love with Public Enemy’s sound at an early age. “When I got into Hip hop, I was looking for this aggressive outlet . . . and I didn’t even understand what they were pissed off about, because I was twelve and lived in Laredo . . . but I loved it and I felt angry along with them.” Joseph Abajian (Fat Beats’ owner) must have sensed the deep hip-hop well lying beneath the versatile band’s Latin-Funk veneer. “I thought their sound would work covering Public Enemy songs,” Abajian says, and, “it was good to know they were P.E. fans . . . We came up with a track listing and they went to work.” Despite the band’s eagerness to work on new original material (an album of original songs is slated for next year), they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay homage to this iconic and influential posse. Translating sample-based music to a live band turned out to be more of a challenge than they anticipated. Adrian tried to get inside the Bomb Squad’s [Public Enemy’s producers/beat-making team] head in order to find the inspiration to reinterpret P.E.’s songs: “imagine the Bomb Squad going back in time and getting the J.B.s [James Brown’s funky backing band] in the studio and setting up a couple analog synths and then playing those songs.” While some songs closely follow the original musical blueprint, others use the source breakbeats as jumping-off points later sweetened by Trombonist Mark “Speedy” Gonzales’ horn arrangements, synth wizardry courtesy of friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, and DJ Trackstar’s turntable scratches. But don’t listen expecting to hear paint-by-numbers recreations of classic Public Enemy jams. “Our approach is never in the tribute sense,” Adrian explains. “We’ve always taken it and made it our own, whether it’s the Brown Sabbath thing or this Public Enemy thing.” Coming off numerous tours as Brown Sabbath and even a stint backing the late legend Prince, Brownout is arguably the tightest and funkiest band on the road today and they’re psyched to bring this revolutionary music to the people. For a band without an overt political agenda, they collectively couldn’t resist the opportunity to play this music live, especially now. “If there’s any way that we can use the already political and protest nature [of P.E.’s music], we would like to try,” Beto says. “The album’s title, Fear of Brown Planet is definitely a relevant idea today and we’re not afraid to put it out there, because we want to speak out.” By reinterpreting these hip hop classics in their unique style and channeling the spirit of Public Enemy that first echoed around the world and captured their imaginations all those years ago, Brownout is doing exactly that.
$15.99
New album from Royce, his most personal album to date.
$12.99
The sophomore solo album by Phonte (of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange).
$15.99
KOD (an initialism for Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our Demons) is the fifth studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on April 20, 2018 through Dreamville Records, Roc Nation and Interscope Records. Production on the album was primarily handled by Cole himself, along with others such as T-Minus, Mark Pelli, Deputy and Childish Major. The album explores a variety of topics including drug abuse, addiction, depression, and African-American culture.
$12.99
The Grammy and Brit nominated Courtney Barnett returns with her second album - ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel.’ It follows her critically acclaimed 2015 debut album ‘Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit’, and a recent top 10 collaborative record, 'Lotta Sea Lice', with Kurt Vile. One of the most distinctive voices in music, Courtney is known for mixing witty observations with unflinching self-assessment - fast forward to now and although all of the cleaver turns of phrase and an eye for story telling are still there; this new collection of songs see a more serious and outwardly tone capturing the current social landscape yet still retaining moments of intimacy and warmth. As the world becomes more familiar with Courtney Barnett these songs feel comforting and emphatic yet that raw energy and the ability to make the listener think still remain.
$7.99
7 is our 7th full-length record. At its release, we will have been a band for over 13 years. We have now written and released a total of 77 songs together. Throughout the process of recording 7, our goal was rebirth and rejuvenation. We wanted to rethink old methods and shed some self-imposed limitations. In the past, we often limited our writing to parts that we could perform live. On 7, we decided to follow whatever came naturally. As a result, there are some songs with no guitar, and some without keyboard. There are songs with layers and production that we could never recreate live, and that is exciting to us. Basically, we let our creative moods, instead of instrumentation, dictate the album’s feel. For 7, we built a "home" studio, and began all of the songs there. Whenever we had a group of 3-4 songs that we were excited about, we would go to a “proper” recording studio and finish recording them there, in the process shortening the amount of time between the original idea and the finished song (of the album’s 11 songs, 8 were finished at Carriage House in Stamford, CT and 2 at Palmetto Studio in Los Angeles). 7 didn’t have a producer in the traditional sense. James Barone, who became our live drummer in 2016, played on the entire record. We also worked with Sonic Boom (Peter Kember), who became a great force on this record by shedding conventions and helping to keep the songs alive, fresh and protected from the destructive forces of recording-studio over-production/over-perfection. The societal insanity of 2016-17 was also deeply influential, as it must be for most artists these days. Looking back, there is quite a bit of chaos in these songs, and a pervasive dark field that we had little control over. The discussions surrounding women’s issues were a constant source of inspiration and questioning. The energy, lyrics and moods of much of this record grew from ruminations on the roles, pressures and conditions that our society places on women, past and present. The twisted double edge of glamour, with its perils and perfect moments, was an endless source. In a more general sense, we are interested by the human mind's (and nature’s) tendency to create forces equal and opposite to those present. Thematically, this record often deals with the beauty that arises in dealing with darkness; the empathy and love that grows from collective trauma; the place one reaches when they accept rather than deny. While the title is simply a number that represents our seventh record, the number 7 does represent some interesting connections in numerology. 1 and 7 have always shared a common look, so 7 feels like the perfect step in the sequence to act as a restart or “semi-first.” Most early religions also had a fascination with 7 as being the highest level of spirituality, as in "Seventh Heaven.” At our best creative moments, we felt we were channeling some kind of heavy truth, and we sincerely hope the listeners will feel that. Much Love,Beach House
$9.99
The discovery and release of The Nonce ‘1990’ is an important milestone recorded during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. Recognized as innovators of the LA Hip-Hop Underground, The Nonce was formed by two seventeen year olds; Nouka Basetype aka Sach and the late Yusef “Afloat” Mohammed. As The Nonce, the duo was part of the Project Blowed collective. Just after High School graduation in 1990, the young duo was given the chance to go into a professional studio. Their dreams of a record deal were soon dashed after the production company raised objections to their artistic choices. Unwilling to meet the demands, The Nonce walked away from the project, leaving behind the Masters of the very tracks that make up The Nonce ‘1990’. Daniel Borine, of the independent Family Groove label, discovered the lost material for this album in 2017. Borine rescued the Master tapes from the studio where they were first recorded and subsequently misplaced, (but not forgotten), since 1990. Sach had assumed the tapes were destroyed or thrown in the dumpster bin. These 14 rare tracks by The Nonce, predate their critically acclaimed 1993 single, Mix Tapes and the classic World Ultimate from 1995. Borine returned the found tapes to Sach with the idea to mix multitracks from the 2” tape master tapes and issue the album. The goal was to preserve the original sound from the era in which it was created. For that, they turned to producer and recording engineer, Kamal Humphrey, of Flying Carpet Studios in Redondo Beach. Humphrey mixed the tracks on the SSL console that had belonged to legendary 1980’s Producer, Maurice Starr and to Atlanta’s LaFace label of Outkast, TLC and Usher fame before reaching Humphrey’s Flying Carpet Studios. What was once thought to be lost forever is now preserved for generations. The Nonce 1990 available through Family Groove Records, on LP, Cassette Tape and CD.
$11.99
Dizzy Arcadian and Rarebreed presents He’s The Producer, I’m The Emcee, the debut EP from Sir Froderick and DistantStarr. He’s The Producer, I’m The Emcee showcases the two artists prominent skills in production and lyricism with six neck breaking tracks. DistantStarr brings his intricate and clever raw rhymes while Sir Froderick provides his palette of nostalgic sounds from his MPC 2500. It was inevitable that these two will finally work together and release a project in a era of a lot of wack commercial pop sounding hip hop. They knew that the people were ready and hungry for the raw sh*t.
$9.99
Brought together by the trailblazing MNDSGN & a collaboration with Virginia’s T. Hemingway, Tokayo's debut effort is laced with seeds of their favorite things: existential humor, universal truths & of course, their love of music. In true hip-hop form, Tokayo flipped the Spanish term "tocayo"--meaning "namesake" or “friend"--as a testament to their values of brotherhood and community. Produced entirely by SWARVY, this self-titled offering is a proper orientation into the magic of the sonic space surrounding Tokayo's initial recording sessions.
$9.99
Atlantic Records and All Money In Records have announced the long awaited studio debut album from rapper Nipsey Hussle.
$7.99
This cassette split features two variations of "Tonya Harding," a song by Sufjan Stevens celebrating the career and person of Tonya Harding, the Olympic figure skater from Portland, Oregon.
$8.99
Formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald "DJ" Johnson on drums; globetrotting Texan trio Khruangbin present their second album 'Con Todo El Mundo', set for release on 26th January 2018. Whereas their 2015 debut album 'The Universe Smiles Upon You' was influenced by 60s and 70s Thai cassettes and compilations of southeast Asian pop, rock and funk, 'Con Todo El Mundo' hops east over India to take inspiration in similarly under discovered funk and soul sounds of the Middle-East, particularly from Iran. Laura Lee explains the album’s title: "My grandpa would always ask me 'Como me quieres?' ('how much do you love me'?), and he'd only ever accept one response. 'Con todo el mundo' (With all the world)." Throughout 'Con Todo El Mundo', Laura Lee's melodic low-end theory, Mark's lyrical, free-role guitar lines, and DJ's ever-steady, ever-ready backbeat form something greater than their parts. A vibe-synchronous soul-unit travelling the planet, honing their craft, absorbing the sights, sounds and feels from cultures across the globe, processing them through the Khruangbin filter and gifting the result...with all the world.
