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14KT - 14Killa Tape: Redux (LP)
Sold Out - $15.19 $18.99
A few years back 14KT gave out a free downloadable project called “14KillaTape”. Fast forward to the present, and Street Corner Music now presents a darker, retooled version... “14KillaTape: REDUX” brings you 5 tracks from the original incarnation, along with 7 brand new grimy treats. Cassettes available first with LPs coming next year.
2tall (Om Unit) - Lost Stories (LP - Green Vinyl)
$16.79 $20.99
Release Date: 4/22/16
Limited Edition Green Vinyl with Hand Screen Printed Jacket by Hit+Run Lost Stories is a collection of 18 beats from the archives of English producer Jim Coles, best known today as Om Unit, and released by Justin “Kutmah” McNulty’s IZWID label. The album is both a portrait of the artist as a young man, and the completion of a circle, ten years in the making, that stretches from London to Los Angeles. Before he became Om Unit, Coles was working under the name 2tall. Throughout the 2000s he lived in and around London, lodging in various smoky flats where he would set up an always shifting home studio. Days were spent studying music, meditating, and learning the ropes of electronic music production while also honing sharp turntablist skills. Between 2005 and 2008, Coles made a lot of beats, part and parcel of his artistic growth. Lost Stories collects eighteen of the best, unearthed from old hard drives and Cubase sessions and never heard until now. Influence came from American labels such as Plug Research, Ghostly International, Poobah, and Stones Throw where a new generation of artists worked in a middle ground between hiphop and electronic, a place of infinite possibilities. The album shows a maturing 2tall sound while sketching out the outlines of what would become Om Unit: you can hear it all in the swing of ‘Potholes’, the confident chug of ‘Timeless World’, the hypnotic bass of ‘The Roller’, the awkward loop of ’30 mins’, the strut of ‘Night Vision’, and the uplifting vibes of ‘Over The Clouds’. Kutmah first discovered 2tall’s music after Ras G had ordered copies of his last album into Poobah Records. Years before they ever set eyes on each other, the two were connected through a mutual appreciation of their respective work. Lost Stories came together during a joint Australian tour in spring 2014. Featuring artwork by Kutmah, it captures a moment in time when experimentation mattered above all else, when possibilities felt abundant, and when a beat could be a doorway into infinity. And it also reminds us that you must remember where you came from in order to understand where you’re going.
4th Coming - Strange Things: The Complete Works (1970-1974) (2xLP + Download Card)
Sold Out - $18.39 $22.99
Eccentric soul and funk recordings from an unlikely crew of Los Angeles musical misfits – including psych-rock cult figure John Greek (Reachin’ Arcesia, Beautiful Daze) and members of the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band. They had a catchy, but inappropriate name: there is nothing forthcoming about Los Angeles’ 4th Coming, unless one counts a copious amount of releases – on rare 7” singles – that didn’t sell farther than vocalist/principal Henry “Hank” Porter’s Datsun 1200 could take him. When 4th Coming records surfaced in the '90s, they were often disregarded as novelty. And some of their records were so rare that it took until the late ‘00s for them to reemerge, after the sinking of their initial pressing runs. Assembling a complete set of 4th Coming recordings was nearly impossible, until the issue of this, the lost 4th Coming album. At its core, the 4th Coming was a songwriting duo – Porter and Jechonias “Jack” S. Williams – and a rotating cast of musicians – including members of lauded LA funk ensemble the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band - that Williams assembled at Artist Recording Studio to realize the pair’s ideas. They existed only from the latter half of 1969 until 1974; during that time they issued eight singles as 4th Coming and one as Impact! on Al Firth's Alpha imprint. And now, Strange Things, a thrilling listen, a mysterious trove of recordings made possible by an open minded and well-funded indie impresario, which document a very real and very weird Los Angeles of the past. It’s a city we’ll never know again, and one that might never again produce an ensemble like the 4th Coming. If Firth’s faith only rolled snake-eyes in terms of commercial success, in terms of documenting Los Angeles’ vibrant soul and funk underground, he rolled boxcars. This, the album Williams and Firth always hoped would bring them real success, now sees its complete release and allows us to ponder the might-have and the would-have beens – had a 4th Coming album come together in the mid-‘70s.
50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct (LP)
$19.99 $24.99
Released without the usual flurry of hype, Before I Self Destruct fulfills 50 Cent's contractual obligation to the Interscope label. It also doubles as a throwback album, returning the rapper to the hunger and hatred of his early mixtapes while skillfully recasting him as a wannabe upstart. That is, for the most part. The four radio-friendly bedroom numbers that conclude the album are out of place but fairly good to dime-piece beautiful, with the best being the Ne-Yo showcase "Baby by Me" ("Have a baby by me, baby/Be a millionaire"). As pleasing as these final numbers are, if you leave the room after the macho bruiser "I Got Swag" ("I'm infinitely special/Girl the Lord is gonna bless you/If you do what I tell you to do"), you'll return to a confusingly different album, one that's as glamorous but less vital. The monstrous run of tracks that leads up to this flash and polish can be summed up by 50's "This ain't Tha Carter/It's Sparta!," a witty, deceptive, and brutish line barked over a prime Dr. Dre beat during the great "Death to My Enemies." On the cut, the producer sounds like he's been digging on RZA, but the tension and dark-night feel he has created for "Psycho" is easily identifiable as Dre. Add an especially rapid 50 trading horror-show rhymes with Eminem and the G-Unit soldiers will testify that the Shady/Aftermath dream is still alive. While "So Disrespectful" is the perfect title for a song that shocks, stuns, and brings reminders of the gritty G-Unit Radio mixtape series at its best, the Rick Rock-produced "Stretch" is an even craftier balance of amoral and humorous as it references Plastic Man and Mr. Fantastic before explaining the profitable benefits of cutting cocaine. There are only three guest vocalists, and save a production credit for Havoc, the G-Unit posse is absent, and yet 50 is able to carry the album alone, sounding as inspired as he did on his Interscope debut. That album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', beats this one thanks to its proper balance and structure, but Before I Self Destruct is still a fantastic juggernaut of a 50 album if you exit early, and a very good one even if you don't.
7 Days Of Funk (Dam-Funk & Snoopzilla) - 7 Days Of Funk (LP)
$13.59 $16.99
Stones Throw Records is pleased to announce the release of 7 Days of Funk - Dam-Funk and Snoopzilla aka the legendary Snoop Dogg. The album is set for release December 10, 2013. "We're the babies of the Mothership," says Snoop. "I've had funk influences in my music my whole career. Dam-Funk is cold. He's keeping the funk alive and I knew I had to get down with him." The King of Modern Funk meets the smoked-out scion of G-Funk on the 7 Days of Funk album, where Snoop performs under the name Snoopzilla, the homage to the legendary funk master, Bootsy Collins, who often went by the moniker Bootzilla. After an initial chance meeting two years ago, Dam and Snoop began to collaboratev when Snoop invited Dam to perform with him at a 2011 SXSW show - the musical connection was inherent. "Snoop knew what I was thinking without me having to articulate it. That's how you know when you gel artistically with someone," Dam-Funk says. "These beats were made for him and he laid down some of the smoothest harmonies and melodies I've ever heard. It's hip-hop, but you can also hear what we grew up on, from Zapp to Evelyn 'Champagne' King and Patrice Rushen." As an entertainment icon, there is little Snoop hasn't accomplished. The Long Beach legend has sold over 30,000,000 albums, and received 15 Grammy® nominations, but at heart, the funk has inspired many tracks through his career. Growing up at the other end of L.A. was Pasadena's Dam-Funk. Since his 2009 debut, Toeachizown, the Stones Throw-signed visionary has defined modern funk music-this isn't a fad for him, it's a way of life. He's the new vanguard of a tradition encompassing George Clinton, Roger Troutman, Prince and Snoop Dogg himself, who helped pioneer G-Funk with Dr. Dre.
7evenThirty - The Problem (LP)
$13.59 $16.99
7evenThirty and Gensu Dean. Rapper and producer. Mello Music Group stalwarts and Jackson, Mississippi natives turned Dallas denizens. Their working together was fated, rooted in shared soil before it was written in indelible ink. With 7evenThirty’s sophomore album, The Problem, the duo have committed their destined collaboration to wax, giving rap listeners an album that wrestles with the rapidly changing present and carves out a much-deserved space in the forever-uncertain future.Though 7evenThirty’s first solo effort, Heaven’s Computer, was written as a semi-autobiographical sci-fi narrative, he’s landed squarely on terra firma this time around. In fact, his previous interstellar retreat inward has resulted in an incisive outward gaze at his home planet. The city buildings might be crumbling, the bars and beats of other rappers and producers homogenized, but there’s hope.With his delivery sharper than ever, 7evenThirty is comfortable and confident no matter where Dean’s snares and kicks hit. He moves in and out of double time with deceptive ease. Furthermore, his styles are markedly varied throughout, ranging from rigid and rapid fire (“Russian Revolver”) to bouncy and playful (“Foot On the Ground”).Still, 7evenThirty’s dexterity behind the mic doesn’t supersede his thought provoking lyrics. Case in point, “Making of a Vigilante,” which deftly outlines a scorned and vengeful woman’s haunting and convoluted attempt to enact justice. 7evenThirty also tackles several other emotionally and sociologically rich topics. The perils and paranoia associated with our dependence on technology (“Off the Grid”), the problems facing the next generation (“Generation Why”) -- amidst the rubble, he leaves no stone unturned.Working solely with his preferred SP-1200, which only allows ten seconds of sample time, Gensu Dean has once again managed to modernize golden era aesthetics, crafting intricate and fluid beats through stringent composition. Favoring sonic diversity over claustrophobic cohesion, Dean’s banging suites are perfectly tailored to 7evenThirty’s wide-ranging subject matter. Wherever 7evenThirty goes Dean sidles up next to him, flipping lush soul (“Filthy Rich”), blues-rock (“The Problem”), Ukrainian pop (“Foot on the Ground”), and more.The sole feature comes from venerated New York MC Sean Price on “Hook Heavy.” Over Gensu Dean’s menacing production, Price’s gruff deadpan delivery proves the perfect counterpart for 7evenThirty’s energetic and elastic wordplay.With The Problem, 7evenThirty and Gensu Dean have cut all but the essential. The twelve tracks are clear and concise in execution, totaling slightly less than forty minutes. Not every question is answered, but the most important are explored. Listen closely for the answers.”
9th Wonder & Talib Kweli - Indie 500 (2xLP)
$18.39 $22.99
Two of Hip Hop's most cherished icons, Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder have come together to create what undoubtedly will go down as an instantly classic album. INDIE 500 features an All Star supporting cast, including Problem, Slug (of Atmosphere), Rapsody, Pharaoh Monch, Brother Ali, Hi-Tek, NIKO IS and more. After exploding on to the scene as one half of the legendary Black Star alongside Mos Def in 1998, Talib Kweli quickly followed up in 2000 with the album Train of Thought, his collaborative effort with producer Hi-Tek. As fans,critics and his peers unanimously agreed, Kweli was cemented as one of hip hop's top lyricists and continued to release one acclaimed album after another - garnering direct praise from Jay-Z on his song ""Moment of Clarity"" from Jay-Z's classic The Black Album. Meanwhile as the early 2000's progressed, a new trio was bursting on the scene from North Carolina known as Little Brother. Behind the boards of this trio was producer 9th Wonder, who very quickly established himself as one of hip hop's best producers. As their 2003 album The Listening reached a fever pitch, 9th Wonder's buzz became so hot he claimed a highly coveted production spot as well on Jay-Z's The Black Album. Through the years both Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder have gone on to work with a staggering list of hip hop royalty. However both of their respective works outside of the recording booth have become prominent pieces of their stories as well. 9th Wonder has established himself as Hip Hop's top educator, working as a professor at Harvard, Duke and North Carolina Central University, while Talib Kweli has become one of Hip Hop's most vocal and respected voices, who appears regularly on news outlets such as CNN and programs like HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. A collaboration between Kweli and 9th almost seemed to make perfect sense, but INDIE 500 represents even more to the artists. "I've always been a fan of collectives, like Native Tongues and the Dungeon Family," explains Kweli. "INDIE 500 is a tribute to the spirit of unity exemplified by some of great hip hop artists that influenced us." Collectives are nothing new to the two, who have both successfully run their own labels in Blacksmith, Javotti (Kweli) and Jamla (9th Wonder), helping to break a number of popular artists over the years.
9th Wonder & Talib Kweli - Indie 500 (CD)
$12.79 $15.99
Two of Hip Hop's most cherished icons, Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder have come together to create what undoubtedly will go down as an instantly classic album. INDIE 500 features an All Star supporting cast, including Problem, Slug (of Atmosphere), Rapsody, Pharaoh Monch, Brother Ali, Hi-Tek, NIKO IS and more. After exploding on to the scene as one half of the legendary Black Star alongside Mos Def in 1998, Talib Kweli quickly followed up in 2000 with the album Train of Thought, his collaborative effort with producer Hi-Tek. As fans,critics and his peers unanimously agreed, Kweli was cemented as one of hip hop's top lyricists and continued to release one acclaimed album after another - garnering direct praise from Jay-Z on his song ""Moment of Clarity"" from Jay-Z's classic The Black Album. Meanwhile as the early 2000's progressed, a new trio was bursting on the scene from North Carolina known as Little Brother. Behind the boards of this trio was producer 9th Wonder, who very quickly established himself as one of hip hop's best producers. As their 2003 album The Listening reached a fever pitch, 9th Wonder's buzz became so hot he claimed a highly coveted production spot as well on Jay-Z's The Black Album. Through the years both Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder have gone on to work with a staggering list of hip hop royalty. However both of their respective works outside of the recording booth have become prominent pieces of their stories as well. 9th Wonder has established himself as Hip Hop's top educator, working as a professor at Harvard, Duke and North Carolina Central University, while Talib Kweli has become one of Hip Hop's most vocal and respected voices, who appears regularly on news outlets such as CNN and programs like HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. A collaboration between Kweli and 9th almost seemed to make perfect sense, but INDIE 500 represents even more to the artists. "I've always been a fan of collectives, like Native Tongues and the Dungeon Family," explains Kweli. "INDIE 500 is a tribute to the spirit of unity exemplified by some of great hip hop artists that influenced us." Collectives are nothing new to the two, who have both successfully run their own labels in Blacksmith, Javotti (Kweli) and Jamla (9th Wonder), helping to break a number of popular artists over the years.
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (LP)
$16.79 $20.99
Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record. The productions, more funky than jazzy, were tighter overall — but the big improvement, four years after their debut, came with Q-Tip's and Phife Dawg's raps. Focused yet funky, polished but raw, the duo was practically telepathic on "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" and "The Chase, Pt. 2," though the mammoth track here was the pop hit "Award Tour." A worldwide call-out record with a killer riff and a great pair of individual raps from the pair, it assured that Midnight Marauders would become A Tribe Called Quest's biggest seller. The album didn't feature as many topical tracks as Tribe was known for, though the group did include an excellent, sympathetic commentary on the question of that word ("Sucka Nigga," with a key phrase: "being as we use it as a term of endearment"). Most of the time, A Tribe Called Quest was indulging in impeccably produced, next-generation games of the dozens ("We Can Get Down," "Oh My God," "Lyrics to Go"), but also took the time to illustrate sensitivity and spirituality ("God Lives Through"). A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders was commercially successful, artistically adept, and lyrically inventive; the album cemented their status as alternative rap's prime sound merchants, authors of the most original style since the Bomb Squad first exploded on wax.
A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service (CD)
$12.79 $15.99
A Tribe Called Quest‘s final album and first in 18 years: We Got it From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.
A-Trak / Phantogram - Parallel Lines (7" - Includes Serato control tone)
Sold Out - $14.39 $17.99
Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Includes Serato control tone on the B-side. Electronic music tastemaker, DJ hero and all-around cultural force A-Trak’s “Parallel Lines” feat. Phantogram is a lush, genre-defying jam. With festival favorites Phantogram providing soaring vocals, A-Trak mixes guitar riffs with his signature, turntable-inspired production and peerless ear for beats. Spin summer all year round with Fool’s Gold’s special edition 7” vinyl pressing (limited to 1000 copies worldwide), featuring the original track on the A-Side and Serato tone on the B-side (ultra rare on 7” format).
A7PHA (Doseone & Mestizo) - A7PHA (LP - Grey Vinyl)
$15.99 $19.99
The best art comes from the fringes. Easy signifiers and borrowed nostalgia will always sell, but the work that truly speaks to us, the songs that re-frame the ways we look at the world, always arise from those with one foot removed from our realities. That's where A7PHA comes in. Two celebrated veterans—Anticon co-founder Doseone and the esteemed underground rapper Mestizo—come together, the only ones strange enough to understand one another. A7PHA is the culmination of years of radical thought, lives lived on the knife’s edge. Their self-titled debut record (anchored by production from Alias) absorbs that left-field energy, splinters it into component parts, and re-assembles it into something uniquely human. Listen to “At The Altar”: a song built on steely, industrial instrumental pieces, but in its final form, you can practically hear the track inhale and exhale. The breaths are strung together by Doseone and Mestizo’s vocals, which flit back and forth from staccato and precise, to formless and gothic. Or check “99 Point Static,” where the track builds such steam that when the bottom falls out on the coda, you get transported through to the end on raw adrenaline. A7PHA does this over and over—building massive tidal waves of raw, immovable emotions, then turning on a dime, and leaves you scrambling to keep up. Few boast the pedigree to forge something so simultaneously listenable and invitingly bizarre. Doseone has spent two decades as one of hip-hop’s most inscrutable talents, working with a who’s-who of underground legends and establishing himself as one of the most dazzling technical MCs, chimerical lyricists, and creative visionaries. His contributions to A7PHA find him flexing all his undeniable vocal gifts: razor-sharp, rapid-fire cadences, an elasticity that unspools a vertiginous array of emotions. As a writer, he marries his cryptic strings of imagery to a frenzied search for something deeper. He pushes A7PHA as far as possible into uncharted territory. For his part, Mestizo grounds the proceedings, filling the songs out with flesh and blood. His vocals on “Sicked” set the tone for the rest of the album: dense, punishing, and propulsive. If Dose is busy sliding around the seams of a beat, Mestizo cuts directly through. The Philly resident is the stone-eyed center of the record, the steady hand on the wheel while everything around him burns. But as “Hater Hate It” makes abundantly clear, he’s not above some verbal acrobatics of his own. A7PHA isn’t made for upscale bars or low-key gatherings. It’s about shattering the facades around you, then staring, unflinching, and what’s left behind. It’s supposed to soundtrack minor mental breakdowns and house parties that permanently fuck up your security deposit. Doseone and Mestizo have something highly combustible on their hands, but for the time being, it seems that they know just how to handle it.
AADM OUR HATLEY - Blast The Rim (LP)
Sold Out - $14.39 $17.99
AADM OUR HATLEY a.k.a. Adam R. Hatley has been a landmark musician out of Austin, TX for the last 15 years from such groups as Those Peabodys, Attack Formation and now of the group, BANGAAR. This album has been 3 years in the making, recorded at Public Hi-Fi (Studio of the band, SPOON) and also in different stairwells and houses around the Austin area. This is a instrumental beat record, a drum library record and a completely original piece of art. No electronic instruments were used to make this album; It is made with drums, percussion, hand claps, a little singing and a few effects. This is (iN)Sect Records’ entry into the Drum Library category. We want you (music producers) to sample this album, take loops, take sounds, take anything on here and repurpose this into something original. It is an original LP from Adam, but it’s also a library to take from.
Aaron Abernathy - Monologue (2xLP)
$19.19 $23.99
We’ve all heard the phrase, “if you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist.” Well, soul musician Aaron “Ab” Abernathy can measure his senior year in high school as one of the most important years in his life. It marked the year he became a man. Using this as the inspiration for his new LP Monologue, Ab allows listeners to follow along on his journey to manhood. Monologue plays out like a novel, where the Abernathy's expand the perception of family over Ab’s expansion of the stripped down Soul/R&B music we’re used to hearing. Whether he’s playing piano, wurlitzer, synths, guitar, programming drums, live drums, or arranging strings and horn lines, Ab’s mastery of musicianship is on full display through Monologue’s array of colorful, complex compositions, coupled with his rich, layered vocals. The album opens with him honoring his parents on the whimsical, Parliament-influenced selection “Son Of Larry,” followed by the melodic up-tempo “Favorite Girl.” On both records, he praises his father and mother and touches on their influence, words of wisdom and bold love. On the groovy “Bachelorette,” where we’re introduced to Ab’s pursuit of his high school love interest, the track gets an assist from long-time collaborators and hip hop heavyweights Phonte and Black Milk. Ab displays his sultry edge on the Prince-inspired soul-pop records “I See You” and “Pretty Kind,” which showcase his raw and playful vocal lead. Doubt creeps in on the soulful mid-tempo “Play It Cool,” where he questions if he should profess his love or take the approach of the track’s title. The landmark moment in his story comes from the wisdom in his father’s advice to be vulnerable, which leads us into the brilliant composition and standout ballad “I Need To Know.” Ab delivers his monologue on the title track, where he acknowledges his mistakes and revels in his spirituality and newfound wisdom in love. Monologue is a touching and refreshing album about family, love, purpose and music. Ab has the ability to make listeners feel connected, each song taking audiophiles on a trip back to their childhood and the nostalgic feeling of young love. Whether you’re a part of the Abernathy family or not, Ab opens the door for you to come in and visit. After visiting for a little while, you too might find your Monologue.
Aaron Rose - Elixir (LP - Pink/Purple Swirl Vinyl)
$14.39 $17.99
“The elixir is the essence of being able to control your future with elements of both the past and present. I live through my music only to progress towards a better day.”—Aaron Rose After shedding his former pseudonym of A La $ole, Pro Era member Aaron Rose dropped a number of noteworthy singles and killed every guest feature. But with the release of his new EP, ‘Elixir,’ the Brooklyn rapper has never sounded more focused or motivated, and it’s only a taste of what’s to come from the young artist. His tenacity becomes clear as soon as opener “The Root of Sole” hits your ear with its mad-scientist samples and production from J57 (he produced five of the EP’s seven tracks). And then in comes Rose to bring it all together, flexing his breathless flow and dizzying wordplay. From there, the BK native continues to rip apart the instrumentals, including the jazzier “Break It Down,” featuring Domo Genesis and the more militant “Parkside Ave.” More than just a rapper with incredible chops, Rose also reveals pieces of his personality and background on those same tracks. Like on “Break It Down” when he rhymes, ”’A black man who knows what his worth is, I’m off the circuits/ From this American horror story, we in the circus” Elsewhere, he eviscerates his critics on standouts “The Art of Sole” and “Swank Corleone,” the latter of which is produced by Latrell James. Rose also gets an opportunity to stunt alongside fellow Pro Era member Dirty Sanchez on “The Shift,” a slapper produced by The Audible Doctor. Amidst the variety in sounds, the project remains distinctly the work of its host emcee. And he drives that point home when speaking on ‘Elixir,’ saying succinctly: “I am Aaron Rose and this is my elixir.” ‘Elixir’ becomes available on December 16th through all major digital retailers and streaming platforms, and can be purchased on CD, via Coalmine Records.
Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful (LP + Poster Print + Bonus CD)
$15.99 $19.99
LP includes 12" x 12" poster insert and a CD copy of Mr. WonderfulHe may sound like Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, but when rapper Action Bronson calls upon his past life as a chef and spits heavy culinary knowledge in his songs, you certainly won’t confuse the two. After studying at the Art Institute of New York City’s culinary program, Action went on to join the restaurant business as a chef. He slipped in the kitchen breaking his leg, was out of work, and decided to become a rapper. His mixtapes gained him popularity on the web and his performances intrigued the masses landing him a major label deal.
Actress - R.I.P. (2xLP)
$18.39 $22.99
A suite of electronic laments, tone structures and dreamtime rhythms, with a conceptual arc taking in death, life, sleep and religion. Right from Hazyville, Actress’s music has been deeply marked by London’s rave music heritage. But after the angular dynamics of Splazsh, R.I.P heads out into deep space. The rhythms and pulses are smudged or blurred, or are hinted at by their absence. 2-step garage is collided into gamelan, and freeform interludes explore microtonal spaces and imagined string instruments. R.I.P underlines Actress’s reputation as one of the most eloquent voices to emerge from the sub-bass nexus of London dance music. His intuitive and original grasp of beats, textures and rhythm puts him on a parallel path to dance music innovators such as Basic Channel, Burial and Aphex Twin. But the way he engages with electronic sound from first principles, realising his own self-contained sonic worlds, hints at less obvious kinships outside the dance music fraternity, with pioneers of homebrewed sound experiments such as Cabaret Voltaire, Pan Sonic and Oval. It moves the body but the sounds also tap into to something more intangible inside you; you dance, but also ‘slip/drift into another realm, probably without even realising.’
Actress - Splazsh (2xLP)
$16.79 $20.99
This is the eagerly‐awaited second album by Werk Discs founder and controller Darren Cunningham. Splazsh is an adventurous, ultra-modern, thoroughly British affair, rummaging about in the inner lives of house and techno, and brilliantly elaborating the accomplishments of his debut, Hazyville. Determinedly off‐the‐map and resistant to pigeonholing, Cunningham is an enigmatic and playful figure, citing Francis Bacon and Monet as inspirations alongside Theo Parrish, Anthony "Shake" Shakir, Daft Punk, "binary codes and numeral systems," and The Avengers. He's a hard man to pin down -- somehow a key player in the post‐dubstep diaspora and yet not there at all -- but everything comes across in his shape‐shifting, richly-textured music. The South Londoner's acclaimed debut lived up to its name: a series of dream-like sketches and ideas. For Splazsh, the fog has lifted, the sounds are less submerged than before, but still sticky and close -- a signature combination of exuberance and introversion, luminescence and puzzlement. Unconstrained by the formal clichés of the dance music he loves, Actress' melodies and arrangements are enthralled by their own genies. Worlds of disturbance and melancholy revolve giddyingly inside the insidious funk of tracks like "Get Ohn" and "Lost." A range of musical influences is redrawn, from speed-garage to grime, with none crowned king. There is a reflectiveness -- the ambient drift of "Futureproofing," the radiophonic judder of "Supreme Cunnilingus" -- in amongst the industrial, synth‐wave flavors of "Casanova," and the stirring, stately "Maze." Actress has quickly and justly become one of the most respected names in the UK's new dance music underground. His own label, Werk Discs, has proven itself one of the most formidable and taste‐making UK independents of recent times, bringing the world extraordinary albums from Zomby, Lukid, Lone and Actress himself. In love with the mysteries of groove and repetition, Splazsh is both a culmination and a new beginning for Actress -- a substantial and eccentric work from a brave and coolly individual artist.
Adam Wiltzie - Salero: Original Soundtrack (LP - Clear Vinyl)
Sold Out - $19.19 $23.99
Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie, the creative force behind A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Stars Of The Lid, presents his score for the motion picture Salero on vinyl courtesy of Erased Tapes. With Salero Wiltzie weaves some of his finest work to date and delivers an expertly distilled accompaniment to director Mike Plunkett's sprawling, uncompromising visuals. Set in Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, the narrative follows the region's Saleros – those who have for generations gathered salt and earned enough to somehow carve out an existence in such a barren landscape. It's with the discovery of huge Lithium reserves – a mineral used frequently throughout the tech industry – under the scorched earth that acts as a catalyst for exploitation of the environment and its people; holding a microscope to the drastic effect industrialization has on local culture and tradition. "I have always said that composing music is infinitely easier when you have beautiful images to be inspired by," Wiltzie explains. "It was a pleasure to write a score over this captivating place of endless, glimmering salt before its impending demise. I was fascinated by this mythical space and its ability to define the identities of the people who live in its vicinity, where this vast salt flat itself would be a central character."
Adele - 21 (LP - 160 Gram Vinyl + Download Card)
$16.79 $20.99
Soulful, stylish, stunning, and absolutely transfixing: 21 is the highly anticipated sophomore release from British singer/songwriter Adele. The album follows up her critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning debut 19. Is there a better up-and-coming female vocalist in music? Doubtfully. Recorded in Malibu and London, 21 offered Adele the opportunity to work with such luminary producers and songwriters as Paul Epworth, Rick Rubin, Ryan Tedder, Dan Wilson and Fraser T. Smith, as well as continuing to work with Francis "Eg" White and Jim Abbiss. The new collection of songs showcases the growth of this incredible artist who, at the very young age of 22, exhibits the poise of a seasoned veteran. Inspired by an introduction into roots and country music, Adele's music takes some new direction while staying true to her signature style. "I discovered lots of artists I'd never heard of, particularly Wanda Jackson, Allison Krauss, Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Lady Antebellum and Steel Drivers who I fell in love with," she explains. "Then I delved in to more from artists I've loved forever - Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits and Sinead O'Connor. There's something in every single one of these artists that have really really inspired 21." In early 2008, as her debut was reaching Double Platinum status in her native UK, Adele took North America by storm delivering groundbreaking performances on everything from Saturday Night Live to the Grammy Awards, where her four nominations yielded two impressive wins. Entertainment Weekly described Adele's voice as "astonishing" and People called it "a knockout that's rich and supple," but The LA Times put it best when it proclaimed "Adele exudes stylish confidence."
Adrian Younge & Linear Labs Presents... - Linear Labs: Los Angeles (LP)
Sold Out - $15.99 $19.99
Featuring songs from upcoming releases produced by Younge, including 12 Reasons To Die II (with Ghostface Killah, Raekwon & RZA); Something About April II; and The Midnight Hour (with Ali Shaheed Muhammad); alongside Younge catalog classics dating back to 2000. LP format features bonus track: “Sirens II,” from upcoming Bilal album. In less than a year’s time, Adrian Younge’s Linear Labs imprint has made a very firm impression on fans of forward-thinking, analog-based music from multiple genres. One notable fan, among many, is DJ Premier, who produced his late 2014 PRhyme album exclusively using samples drawn from Younge’s catalog. To give fans a chance to revel in Younge’s range and – just as importantly – give followers a sneak-peek at four impressive 2015 albums already slated for release, Younge is proud to release the compilation album, Los Angeles. On Los Angeles, many hip-hop fanatics will impatiently skip forward to the graceful, galloping and appropriately dramatic “Return Of The Savage,” from the upcoming Younge-helmed 12 Reasons To Die II. The song features Ghostface Killah alongside Raekwon and RZA. But track-skippers will soon head back to the album’s opener: the dusky, Baroque soul of “Memories Of War,” from the upcoming Something About April II, with vocals by Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier. Also on the upcoming tip: a track from the Adrian Younge / Ali Shaheed Muhammad concept album The Midnight Hour, entitled “Feel Alive,” with silky vocals by Karolina, alongside longtime Younge collaborator Loren Oden.
