Experts will tell you the music industry has changed. Think of the industry as a high class escort that used to charge $18 in the glory days of champagne and high rises. Then, the market changed. All around the high class escort there was competition that believed those same services could be enjoyed for free – that’s right, a buncha hippies were shouting free love again. So, the high class escort adjusted to the market and cut deals with the clientele. How’s $8 sound, plus a nicer dress. What about $5, no sur charge paid out to the pimp? Until finally the industry was free, unless you wanted to have her online and deal with a guy interrupting you mid-service to sell you smart phones, tablets, premium accounts, Nikon point n’ clicks, and the McRib.
It’s damn hard to concentrate with interruptions, so we dug up a massive list of music by those free lovin’ hippies who remain one step ahead of the pimp.
THEESatisfaction, THEESatisfaction Loves Anita Baker
The embodiment of hip-hop and jazz and soul here feels pure in its samples, in their flow, their swaggered cadence, in their obvious appreciation of music as a life force, and their respect for traditions that long outdate them without sacrificing a contemporary attitude and sound; it’s all amazing, however brief.
Download here.
Bruiser Brigade, Bruiser Brigade EP
Big ups to corporately sponsored EPs that edit all the bad words out.
Download here.
Del the Funky Homosapien, WCA Limited II Fela mixtape
Even though further details on the upcoming Deltron Event II album are cloudy; fans of both Del and the afrobeat King Felat Kuti will be able to get two of their favorites together at last with this boss mixtape that features Fela and band as you have never heard them with Del in fine style and fashion.
Download here.
Big Baby Gandhi, No 1 2 Look Up 2
No 1 2 Look Up 2 is impressive in its ability to be entirely in its own world. He’s down with Das, but raps nothing like the homies. Gandhi’s sound is a weird carnival of disco lights, east Indian bounce, 80’s pop warpings and the grimiest sounds from Queens.
Download here.
Children of the Night, Queens… Revisited
Queens… Revisited aims to pull interest back towards the forgotten/silent Borough by celebrating its many faces over the course of 14 tracks. Black Noi$e commands the sound, enfusing a balance between the grimey street themes and the lush low end jazz aesthetic. Dark and noisey, Queens… Revisited lurks through the group’s native streets.
Download here.
Azizi Gibson & Jeremiah Jae, Ignorant Prayers
Some records are too good to be free (the homie, Jonwayne agrees). Jeremiah Jae is behind the boards and linked up with rapper Azizi Gibson for a concept mixtape on people wasting their talks with God asking for dumb shit.
Download here.
Deniro Farrar & Shady Blaze, Kill Or Be Killed
Kill Or Be Killed, just in the name walks that fine line of glorification and exploitation, but Shady and Deniro are not seeking the delinquent, nihilist path of Chief Keef.
Download here.
Moe Green, Lionhearted 2
Get ready for a round of appearances from Erk Tha Jerk, Tanya Morgan, DJ Toure, Fly Commons, Insightful and more Moe.
Download here.
Masterminds, Giant Antlers
Kimani and Tarik (2/3 of the original Masterminds) can’t keep away from this rap shit. For 10 years they assimilated into society, living quiet lives without green room blunt smoke, crowds of hoodie-wearing underground heads with demos in their pouches, and groupies that were girlfriends of the dudes in hoodies. Masterminds return with Giant Antlers. Consider the group an elusive buck, the ultimate survivor that dwells deep in the forest in the thickest of brush, and is rarely seen. This is your first glimpse in 10-years to see how their antlers have grown.
Download here.
Tony Castles, Sharon Stone EP
Across the EP Tony Castles are flexing chops. “One Tone Man” is bountiful in afro-bop, while “Heart In The Pipes” is like feel-good Fleetwood fed through synthesizers. “Korea” whimpers into a motorik that leads to pop rocks explosions courtesy of drummer Gabriel Wurzel, who parted with the band after recording the EP.
Download here.
Tom Kitty Oliver, Life On Loop
Andrew of Pressed And utilizes his TKO moniker to deliver pop structures that hinge off of the way the listener’s expectations are betrayed while other realms of composition order are sought out, like on the head swirling “A May Instinct.”
Download here.
Taught Abroad, Taught Abroad
Taught Abroad is the solo downtempo/chillwave project of former The Loyal Divide singer Chris Sadek. His eponymous four-song EP is the virgin gasps of escape from the claustrophic machinations of his former band. The EP is airy and serene with a patient build that is fully-realized by closer “All The Devil’s Friends”.
Download here.
Meyhem Lauren, Mandatory Brunch Meetings
Do not show up to a Meyhem Lauren brunch with a wrinkled shirt and no name tag.
Download here.
Captain Murphy, Duality
On the debut Duality EP, the Captain champions spaced-out beats, vocals sounding like a cough syrup-induced nightmare with an astounding array of sound bytes spliced in. The clips mostly focus on cult propaganda but also include everything from a Homer Simpson “d’oh!”, direct lines from The Dark Knight with some love makin’ sounds tossed in for good measure.
Download here.
Action Bronson & The Alchemist, Rare Chandeliers
Refer to our 10 reason we fuck with Rare Chandeliers for further instructions.
Download here.
Cities Aviv, Black Pleasure
The album reads as mostly recorded alongside Muted Drone, but in true Cities Aviv fashion the name is another moniker for Mays. The title should be read not as a Afrocentric porno title or afro-hair product, but black in the way Black Flag uses it – to insight anarchy. Black Pleasure is the mastered realization of a Cities Aviv live performance, which is easily one of the most polarizing sets in the genre.
Download here.
Mykki Blanco, Cosmic Angel: The Illuminati Prince/ss
Cosmic Angel flexes production from Gobby, Nightfeelings, Flosstradamus, Sinden and Matrixxman, and Brenmar, but occupies a united sound in dark-wave synth constructions that are deep, wonky, and bass-heavy.
Download here.
Xander Harris, Snow Crash
Producer Justin Sweatt, aka Xander Harris, has a knack for creating futuristic synth tunes reminiscent of 80s B-movie soundtracks. Xander Harris’s latest is an album inspired by Neil Stephenson’s early 90s, cyberpunk classic book Snow Crash in honor of its 20th anniversary.
Download here.
DaVinci, The MOEna Lisa
San Francisco’s MC presents his most epic release to date, joined by the crew of Drums & Ammo, Al Jieh, Ammbush, Champagne Clique and the Alabama production team of the Beattaz helps DaVinci rep the Fillmore forever providing some viscous synth base and horns that put the ‘Moe back on the grid.
Download here.
Exile, Cassette
Exile and the Dirty Science collective dropped their mixtape Cassette to give a little something, something back to the fans during this hard up holiday season. Here you can excavate Exile’s archives between the years of 1996-2009 where you can hear demos from the album “4TRK MIND”, Blu & Exile rough tracks, Kankick’s cut “Like That”, along with E’s project with Aloe Blacc, Emanon. Prepare your ears for that 4-track, analogue sound now.
Download here.
Curren$y, Priest Andretti
Curren$y dropped his Priest Andretti mixtape bringing along friends Fiend, Noreaga, Trademark Da Skydiver, Young Roddy, for another cinematic concept theme ride of beats and quick witted flows.
Download here.
Yucky Slime, Demos 2012
London gruesome-foursome “play fast punx music about friendship and genderfucking”, delivered what we are interpretting as their anthemic banner, “Get Yucky” thanks to Fat Cat Records’ discovery. We love them for not breaking the minute and a half barrier while condensing the grossest shambolic magic that the DIY ethic is supposed to embody in all disgusting senses.
Download here.
DJAO, Screwmixes
Seattle’s Alex Osuch, backed by Hush Hush Records takes a closer look at aspects and elements of pop music constructs and examines them in unique perspectives of sound. While much has been made of Osuch being indebted to the work of the late DJ Screw; our interest is how DJAO takes various facets from the works of Anita Baker, Grimes, Janet Jackson, Kashif, Mint Condition, Mount Kimbie, and Super Junioir, and puts them under a microscope lens to bring out textures while spinning it up according to his own rhythmic design.
Download here.
Iamsu!, $uzy 6 Speed
Fresh off the re-release of KILT, Su! & the HBKGang keep the 808s slapping with new future-vintage beat brews for the Bay on how to both roll deep, get bread and make every dream happen while mobbing with or without crew.
Download here.
