Reviews

Hittman R.N.A.D.W

Posted by Tony on 04/30/2012

Now I know you don’t recognise the name ‘Hittman’ but you’ve definitely heard him, and if you grew up in the 90’s, you’ve bought his music. You see, Hittman was heavily featured on Dr. Dre’s ‘2001’, and if you ask me he was most likely the driving force behind the success of the project.

So why doesn’t anyone know Hittman? Long story short, Dre fucked him bad. After the success of ‘2001’ Dre fucked off to make ridiculous money selling his integrity, forgetting about Hittman and leaving his début album in pieces. Hittman was relegated to some demo quality releases with no promotion or fan fare, forced to exist of a MySpace page.

Now in 2012, Hittman has released “R.N.A.D.W”. a new track after a silence lasting more than 4 years is something to celebrate.

This isn’t a review (although the track is cracking), it’s a service announcement to tell you ‘BUY IT’. For 0.69p you can get a track straight from the man who likely shaped your childhood more than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.



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Trouble Andrew "Run Hide"

Posted by Tony on 04/22/2012

I’m not really sure who Trouble Andrew is, or why he settled upon such an awkward moniker. There’s some talk of him being a professional Canadian snowboarder, but he also happens to make some pretty decent hipster pop.

“Run Hide” is just that; a loud, poppy snare drum driven, modern love song. “Love song” is perhaps a leap of faith on my part, as the hook “Stay to the mornin’, Darlin” isn’t really in the same vein as some of the classics. I’m not sure Marvin Gay would have gotten away with deceleration of a 12 hour commitment but then again, Marvin was never very hipster.

Mr. Trouble Andrew can’t really sing either to be honest, certainly not confidently, but when has that ever mattered? There’s something nice about hearing a performance less than perfect that’s not been auto tuned or multi-tracked to hell. Everything flows really well, and it’s nice to hear something modern done without the need for massive ego, or annoying as hell vocals.

This is what pop trash music should be; something honest, quick and fun – not the bullshit millions endure from 3OH!3, LMFAO or Ke$ha.



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Eddie Johns "More Spell On You" LP

Posted by Tony on 04/21/2012

Most people know this record as the track from which that Daft Punk stole that sample. That’s a bit of a shame, because in my opinion it’s a solid little French disco record.

I bought it purely to add to the collection of “uninteresting records with interesting stories” that I seem to be subconsciously accumulating. However it’s such a lovely sounding record that it’s a little more deserving than that.

There’s a solid cover of “My Girl”, and “Fire And Soul” is a four to the floor stomper. The title track “More Spell On You” is by far the best, and is well on par with anything Chic done of a similar vintage. It’s quite a rare record just now, but well worth picking up.

It did, however get me wondering if “Studio De La Grande Armée” where this thing was recorded, was owned by Thomas Bangalter’s father, hence them being able to rip off the sample with no acknowledgement or royalties. Hmm…



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Five Great LP Covers

Posted by Tony on 04/17/2012
Underworld Beaucoup Fish Cover

Underworld Beaucoup Fish

Minimalist, abstract, bold and fresh.  Made by the design company run by Underworld, Tomato.

 

John Larkin John Larkin LP Cover

John Larkin John Larkin LP

I love this one, probably my favourite cover of all time.  Really captures the mood of the music.

 

Vladislav Delay Anima

Vladislav Delay’s Anima.  This blew me away when I first seen it.  Beautifully stylized cuts turn a woman’s dress into a the head of a flower.  Who wouldn’t buy this?

 

The Outhere Brothers Don't Stop Cover

The Outhere Brothers Don’t Stop

Old school as fuck.  No apologies.

 

Miles Davis Miles Cover

Miles Davis Miles

I don’t know why I like this, faux art deco feel, but I do.  So much style, and to think this was done in 1958…



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The Best Bowie Masters

Posted by Tony on 04/11/2012

I’ve been a big fan of Bowie since I was knee-high to a grasshopper –  I was raised on the original 12″ gatefold UK pressing of most of his albums.  One thing that’s always bothered me is how the CD transfers of most of his early work sound abysmal.  They suffer from overly happy EQing, poor compression work, bad de-noising… Really, I could go on. The Best Bowie Masters are a difficult thing to come by now.

All of this genuinely makes some of my favourite music difficult to listen to.  I find myself becoming distracted by sharp, digital cymbals, or being fatigued by totally flat dynamics.  It’s a shame, but I’ve found a partial solution.

Here’s a little story to start you off with, to show you how little we’ve progressed in a quarter of a decade.  In the early 80’s, RCA issued a lot of Bowie’s albums on CD.  These were met with mixed reviews at the time, a lot of people saying that they were ‘just’ transfers of the original masters used for the vinyls. I suppose people were hoping for a more noticeable jump in quality after their investment in a £500 CD player.

Nowadays, people are clamoring for the original RCA CD releases, because they seem to be the only ones released that haven’t been massacred by incompetent studio engineers, desperately trying to justify their new toys.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few decent quality releases by Ryko (the AU20 Gold releases), but for me, the RCAs really hit the spot.

The Best Bowie Masters

The Best Bowie Masters

I’ve listened to almost all the releases available now, and compiled a list of the best (read: closest in sound to the master tapes).  This took me a long time to compile and critically compare.  I’ve wasted my life, so you don’t have to.
Anyway here we go.

  • Space Oddity – RCA PCD1-4813
  • The Man Who Sold The World – RCA PCD1-4816
  • Hunky Dory – RCA PD 84623
  • The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – RCA PCD1-4702 / SACD
  • Aladdin Sane – RCA PCD1-4852
  • Pin Ups – RCA PCD1-0291
  • Diamond Dogs – RCA PCD1-0576
  • Young Americans – Ryko RCD 80140 *not heard any RCA releases of this
  • Station To Station – RCA PD81327
  • “Heroes” – RCA PCD1-2522
  • Low – RCA PD83856
  • Lodger – RCA PD84234
  • Scary Monsters – RCA PD83647
  • Let’s Dance – EMI 1983 CD release
  • Tonight – SACD
  • Never Let Me Down – EMI CDP 7 46677 2
  • Black Tie White Noise – Original CD release
  • 1. Outside – Original CD release
  • Earthling – Original CD release
  • Hours… – Original CD release
  • Heathen – SACD
  • Reality – SACD

Everything on this list sounds pretty good until “Earthling”.  It would seem that after “1. Outside”, sound quality takes a massive dip in favour of high volume modern sound.  The latest three albums are, in my opinion, ruined by terrible EQ and massive amounts of brick wall compression.  We’re talking dynamics of about 5dB here… The SACD releases give you 1-2dB extra head room, but even they are still fucked.  Also, if anyone cares, the SACDs are still only 22.05Khz, and probably exactly the same master as the CDs, but with marginally less compression on the final output.

I would take this list with a grain of salt, as I really prefer a warm, thick sound to the bright shimmering digitalness we get today.  Before you go hunting down these CDs, remember that I much prefer the Teo Macero version of Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” to the beautifully open and separated remasters.  And mono is the only way in which a person should listen to “Kind Of Blue”, even if it is at the wrong speed.  I think that’s a pretty good anchor to base my opinion on.

Anyway, this is my ultimate list, and it’s what my Bowie collection is now, and probably always will be.  It’s also probably the greatest collection of art ever produced by a single human being – if indeed, he is one.

If you’re interested in more discussion, head over to the Steve Hoffman forums.



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Tyler vs. Hopsin

Posted by Tony on 04/06/2012

Tyler is a hipster faggot, we all know that.  He’s loud, arrogant, and constantly in need of attention. Hopsin  on the other hand, merely panders to the hipster faggots – which in my opinion is far worse of a crime.

It appears to me that Hopsin’s verses are tailored to appeal to us white-kid hipsters of the 90’s, with lines like “Blow it before you put it in like a Nintendo cartridge” or the skin crawling-ly ugly reference to the Konami code.  Desperation for success leaks out of every verse, and you’re forced to listen to what sound like old Eminem verses littered with pop culture references.

Hopsin suffers chronically from what I like to call Jurassic 5 Syndrome – he’s yet another rapper left shouting with no real message, no real cause, and nothing to say.  Every track is about one of two things: 1) How ‘nice’ he is.  2) How he’s an underrated crazy rapper.

Empty messages falling upon deaf ears.

I’ve never seen an MC try so hard in my life.  Every track is a stream of overly calculated, inspiration free lyrics that fall flat.  Yes, he can deliver them live, but when they’re this bland, is that really much of a compliment?

To me, Hopsin will forever be a YouTube rapper.  He has legions of fans, no of whom want to critically listen to his music, nor make any contribution to it.  If YouTube views were contributory to talent, then Hopsin would be one of the best MCs the world has ever seen.  Sadly, they are not.



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Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All Don't Give A Fuck.

Posted by Tony on 03/26/2012

The Odd Future crew have been really irking me of late.  The constant overexposure is really wearing thin on my end (I mean they’ve got a a TV show now?  Honestly?!).  I cannot escape their music, it’s everywhere on the internet.  Trendy trash-hop, with a pinch of emo-scene skater-vibe.  God, it’s so hip it’s sickening – just about anyone looking to get their ‘cool card’ stamped drops Tyler’s name.

My biggest problem though, is I happen to love it.  Almost every track they’ve released is interesting in some aspect.  From the whole Earl Sweatshirt saga, to Tyler becoming the most famous man to ever walk the earth – I’ve never seen anyone blow up so much.  So why am I writing this?  I don’t really know.

I’ve been listening to ‘Oldie’ for the past few days (as well as ‘Earl’ daily since it’s release), and I can’t escape it’s simplistic greatness.  Every verse, all nine of them, is exciting, smooth, and delivered with precision.  Earl Sweatshirt’s first OFWGKTA verse since his return from the religious nut-house is stunning.

For contrast here's a pair of lips.
Swallowin' syrup, settin' fire to sheriff's whips,
(Whoops, whoops) fuckin' All-American terrorist,
Crushin' rapper larynx to feed 'em a fuckin' carrot stick.
And me? I just spent a year Ferrisin'.
Lost a little sanity to show you what hysterics is.
Spit to the lips meet the bottom of a barrel,
so that sterile piss flow remind these niggas where embarrassed is.

Then I seen the impromptu video they shot for it.  What a beautiful thing it is.  There’s magic in those ten minutes of tape.  Magic that a million dollar budget couldn’t even come close to.

Look, I know hip-hop is no longer relevant, and to be brutally honest I don’t know what will fill it’s place in our culture, but until something does, we have the beautifully self-aware OFWGKTA.



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New Bowie album

Posted by Tony on 01/23/2012

Isn’t it about time we got a new Bowie album? Not counting the leak of ‘Toy’ last year, it’s slowly creeping up to a decade since the man has released new material.

Searching anywhere on the internet throws up a huge amount of speculation, ranging from ‘he’s retiring’ to ‘he’s already back recording’.  All without sources or solid fact.  I don’t think a man of Bowie’s talents and mindset will every truly retire, but by the same token, where’s he been the past ten years? Does it really take that long to raise a family?

Listening to ‘Station To Station’ on continuous loop this evening fills me with regret that I was not old enough to appreciate this release when it was new. It’s an under appreciated gem, dense with thought and claustrophobia.  A bizarre mix of rockstar cocaine and German monotony.

In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve never really been mature enough to understand the grandeur of a new Bowie album.  With traditional music labels going through major turbulence (I prey they’re fucked), I’m not sure how something like this would be handled.  I don’t see Bowie as a ‘download only’ type. I sincerely hope I’ve not missed my chance to savour a new album, one untainted by nostalgia or critical perception.

If I had to place a bet, I’d wager that we’ll hear a new album at the end of this year, or at the very least have concrete confirmation of one. But I keep my fingers crossed.



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Yvonne Robertson "My Childhood Memories"

Posted by Tony on 01/13/2012

Twenty nine years ago my grandfather was a session drummer, living in Canada. Predominantly live jazz and big band, he was often brought into record various tracks for other studio projects, this being one of those recordings.

Yvonne Robertson was a Scottish writer, dedicating these works to the memory of her husband. I hope you all enjoy this record as a break from the norm, and a unique record to add to your collection. A nice reminder of what music once was.

WARNING.
NOT TECHNO. CONTAINS BAG PIPES.
END WARNING.

FLAC
MP3



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What I bought this week

Posted by Tony on 12/22/2011

I was browsing the wonderful Discogs.com looking for some old house records, when I suddenly realised I didn’t actually own a copy of Class A’s disco house classic “Street Life”.  I couldn’t let this go unresolved, so I quickly added a copy to my basket, and breathed a sigh of relief.  This is where things start to get interesting – you see the record was only 99p, but postage was £3.50.  Not wanting to pay more in postage than my record was worth I went on a wee browse of the sellers catalogue to see if there was anything else worth picking up.  There wasn’t – but he had listed a whole bunch of records at 50p, and who can resist a lucky-dip?

I ended up buying a few more at random (in the legitimate use of the word).  I bought in total 5 records.  Two of which turned out to be run-of-the-mill trance, not really my scene.  Another white label was some kind of Paul Van Dyk / Jamiroquai mash-up.  Since I’m a fan of neither, this was a bit of a waste.  The last of the bunch was Wildchild – The Unreleased Project EP.  Now, everyone know’s the wonderful ‘Renegade Master’ classic, but I’d never actually heard anything else by Wildchild.

I put it on the platter, dusted it off, and dropped the needle.  The A-side was shit.  Two uninspired, amateur house shit.  Bleh.  Instinctively couting up just how much money I had wasted on this endeavour, I flipped it over.  The b-side is a single track called Bad Boy (Renegade Master Mix) Featuring – Jamalski.  Sounded heavy gay to me.

To my surprise, hidden in this unknown little EP, lives a twelve minute monster, a house classic.  Utter brilliant, plodding old school house.  For the full twelve minutes it grooves and flexes, never dropping for a break, or a breath.  The cut up vocal hook throws me into a world of 90’s nostalgia; you just don’t get records this fun any more.  I love records, I love independent music, and this little release reminds me why;  one man, in his bed room, creating a masterpiece.



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