The Physics... don't stop!!!

The Physics are one of Seattle's illest groups, period.  I have been checking them out for a long minute.  Before they released their debut, "Future Talk," I was trying to get them to perform when I was doing a show at Numos Bad Ju Ju lounge.  They weren't ready to start performing their material and had to pass on the gig.  (all good)  In the time that I left Seattle for Indy and came back they have become one of Seattle's hip hop fixtures and I'm SO happy for them because they seriously make some DOPE music. 

They've just released a video for their track "These Moments" and it's another example of how The Physics make solid music.




Don't forget to check their music & their site.

Auntie D: The Chinchilla Strikes Back

Auntie D is back with another vid as Kath and I are house sitting for a friend of ours.  After one vid, she's decided that she wants to become some internet sensation, so expect more from her as time progresses.

Back in E.F.F.E.C.T.

Back in the PNW and it feels SO good.  In the short amount of time I've been back I've been plugging back into the scene, networking and reconnecting with friends and artists. 

A lot has changed since I left and a lot is still the same.  When I left, hip hop in Seattle was starting to turn heads thanks to Blue Scholars, Jake One, The Physics, Vitamin D, Common Market, Grayskull, The Let Go etc.  Now the country and world is looking, but even in that short period of time, the music soundscape has changed.  What's inevitable is that new artists will enter the scene and remold the sonic textures of the city's sound as tastes change.  Charles Mudede from "The Stranger" referred to this by describing the different "waves" and styles of hip hop in Seattle.  Although I was reading about this through 206proof.com or "The Stranger" back in Indy, I was still aware of what was developing in the Seattle scene while I was gone. 

Now I'm back... a lot has changed... do I fit in the soundscape?  Did I ever?  I honestly have no clue and don't give a sh!t.  I DO know I was able to connect with a lot of cats when I was here and in my absence.  Right now it's a time to reconnect and JUST GET DOWN.  I may not have sonically fit with other artists here, but cats respected the art.  (And that's what's up)  My music has ALWAYS been highly influenced on 90s Boom Bap and that honestly has never been Seattle's sound.  It has it's roots but... well... I could go into a long rant on the environment and sound texture of hip hop here, but I wont.  What I will say is if there ISN'T a difference in sound available... then the scene is boring.  I'm glad to be back and I'm glad to bring my music back to the mix here.

SO...

July 27th at the High Dive in Fremont Seattle I will be preforming with Token Folk, Vice Verses & French Letters.  This is going to be a dope show and a return home for me.  As the date approaches I'll keep you all posted.  Keep it locked and don't forget to check out the music from the fellow artists that I will be sharing the stage with.

Rusty Redenbacher & Mr. Kinetik "Cashin In" Video

Not too long ago I posted up the project from Rusty Redenbacher & Mr. Kinetik - "The Professor & The Hustler" project.  Here we are with the FRESH & official video of "Cashin In" from the project.  For those of you not familiar with Indy, this video pretty much sums up a lot of the hip spots.  

Hit the link, check the video and support indie Indy music!!!  (word)


So just ill... till the next episode.

Where the Ladies At?

Dope female emcees seem to be a dying breed.  I miss the days of MC Lyte standing amongst Kane, G Rap and other emcees of the day.  Jean Grae is pretty sick, but it seems that she's having to hold the torch for ALL of the women in hip hop.  I honestly don't count acts like Nicki Minaj that use their image to sell their "pop tart" music as emcees.  (but that's a whole other rant)

Anyway...

I stumbled across this group through my forum on Stones Throw.  One of the members, Taza-One, produced the track and threw the video up to see what people think.  What blew me away when I first started watching the video was the fact that the first verse was not only being done by a female emcee, D-Thraxx, but that she's only 16 years old.  And... she... will... stomp you lyrically.  In this day and age I would expect to see the same type of carbon copy Nicki Minaj flow/style coming from a teenage emcee, but this time we're given a dose of lyrics I honestly didn't think a 16 year old was capable of writing  Maybe it's because of Odd Future/Tyler the Creator getting a lot of spin in the blogsphere... I don't know.  What I DO hope is to see more from this emcee and ish like this period.

On the other side of the spectrum we have Whitney Coleman, who I stumbled across when Eratic was promoting a show at Locals Only in Indy.  I came through and was simply blown away.  Whitney Coleman embodies the Neo Soul movement of the late 90s and early 00s.  I know she will be compared to Lauren Hill no matter what, but that's a good thing.  I have truly missed this sound and I honestly think it's just a matter of time before she's at SXSW and blowing up.

Adventures of a Sub Conscious Mind (blast from the archives)

The following was a blog post I wrote a few years ago based on a dream of mine.  I originally posted this up on my blog that I had through myspace.  (aka the net's abandoned amusement park)  I was thinking about this dream/blog post a while ago and decided that it needed to be shared once again.  So, consider this a "diggin' in the vaults" edition.  I understand it's a bit of a read, but it still makes me laugh to this day.


Adventures of a Sub Conscious Mind

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 

Alright my personal thoughts on posting blogs about my boring life or the ish I’m going through are well stupid.  But, on this occasion I will make an exception.

I had a dream the other night.  One of those dreams that was so funny, you wake up laughing from it.

First off, I was not actually in the dream or not an active participant in the dream.  It was a dream of me watching an old video.  (What a comment on society when you watch a video in your dream.)  This was a video tape I found titled "PROPS" and all of the letters were made of dudes in b-boy stances.  But, it wasn’t what you’d think.  It wasn’t a video of guys breaking or emceeing, it was a video of an old talk show like Riki Lake from the early 90s. By the video quality and what happened in the video, Id say it was about 90-91.

This was one of those episodes in which they have somebody that’s uber poor, ugly or ignorant and treat them like a movie star.  They had this kid that they were going to give him a makeover and treat him like a pimp. 

It was your average trashy white kid from trailer land.  Dirty, clothes tattered with pictures of monster trucks and a mullet that would have made Bigfoot proud.  Kid had what looked like originally was a mullet, but after 6-7 months turned into this wookie crazed ape-drape.

He didn’t know he was being filmed and was fussing because his stereotypical white trash parents were trying to take him to the salon to cut his hair.  The kid was thrashing for dear life like as if he was Sampson and they were going to take away his strength.

Once he realized he was on T.V. the kid settled down and let the stylists do their job.  Magically the child was transformed from a trashy, dirty, tribble of a boy to an early 90s preppy white kid with a bowl cut and Lacoste polo.  They then bring the kid out and the crowd is amazed at his transformation.

But wait the days not over.  The host of the show asks the child if he has a favorite singer or rapper.  The kid bashfully nods his head and the host then says, "Could it be this person?"  A wall on the set opens up... you know, the one that usually has some guy that says the baby isn’t his.  As the smoke clears, none other than Vanilla Ice emerges and enters the stage.  The crowd... goes... CRAZY and the kids mouth drops.  He then starts jumping up and down in his seat the way children do when you tell them you have candy.  Vanilla Ice walks over, completely in character, "Yo, what up, what up!  Yeah!!!"

The host then explains that Vanilla Ice was going to spend the rest of the day with him and take him to his concert later that night.  Excited and elated they send them off with a camera crew to document their day together.

Here’s the best part. 

As the day progresses Vanilla Ice raps everything they’re doing.  Example: they’re eating pizza and Vanilla is rapping about them eating pizza.  “Yo, me and my man, chillin a Pizza Hut/ Eatin bread sticks and puttin food in our gut! YO!!!”  All day, he’s doing this.  Later on that night, as they’re hanging out at the after party, Ice starts giving out lyrical beat downs.  He just starts rhyming like crazy, spitting, red in the face.  He then falls to the floor, rhyming and writhing on the ground.  Red in the face he keeps rapping, showing the world what a lyrical giant he is.

Seeing Ice on the floor convulsing like he’s having a seizure, the kid gets incredibly concerned and worried about his new best friend.  “Mr.  Vanilla!!!  Mr. Vanilla!!!  ARE YOU OKAY MR. VANILLA!?!!!”  Screaming at the top of his lungs thinking Ice is dying.  Vanilla Ice ignores the kid and just keeps rhyming on the floor.  “MR. VANILLA!!!  MR. VANILLA!!!” tears streaming down the child’s face as his pleas fall on deaf ears.

I then burst out laughing, which quickly woke me up.  I only wish I could have seen this thing unfold.  I then told my wife about the dream.  Her reply?  "You’ve got a vivid imagination," she says trying to hold back the laughter.   Just thinking of this dream still makes me crack up. 

So this is my exception to the rule as for blogs.  But, as you see it wasn’t a ramble of my boring life, but of an odd tale from the depths of my sub conscious.   I just wonder what this dream means.  Am I the kid?  Am I Vanilla Ice?  (Hope not.)  Maybe the two represent some deep ying and yang thing deep within my soul.  Or maybe it was just some crazy ish my brain thought was funny.

Word!!!

Can't front "Computer Love/More Bounce to The Ounce" 12"! Word up!

Dub Style Drums & Some

Alright kiddies... here's another dose of drums for you cats to DL and use.  These are from "Dub Styles" and other projects I'm currently working on.  Unlike the last two kits I put out, this one is a mixed bag of MPC, EPS, SP1200 and ish I ran through Acid Pro.  A lot of them were layered with several different hits and EQ'd to make their own unique sound. 

DL the drums, make them you're own and don't be afraid to hit me with your ish.




Dawhud Project Drums

^^^Click on the hyperlink for DL.

And if obviously... if you haven't checked it, hit "Dub Styles" and hear how I used these joints.  (DL on bandcamp)

Let the Drums Hit 'Em

Lower the BOOM!!!  Not a shocker, but some of my most popular posts were from when I threw up drums from my SP1200 and my EPS disks.  If you missed them for some reason, here ya go. 

Dawhud drums from the SP1200

Dawhud drums from the EPS

Since I put my SP1200 drums up I've heard several cats use them on their tracks and where a lot of cats would get pissed and scream that they were biting, I'm actually flattered.   I honestly enjoy hearing how cats flip the drums, layer them or straight use them as I did. 

Ian Head & Gabe... that's Hammer (proper)

Check Ian Head and Gabriel Teodros' "Lentil Soup" EP track "Sweet Revive" for an example.  When I heard it I honestly was proud that Ian would use some of my ish for that project.  (it's a good look)

If you use the drums... hit me.  I honestly would LOVE to post up tracks that are made up from my drums.

And despite all my ish being up in storage while I'm getting settled, I'm hoping to put up drums from projects like "Dub Styles" for cats to peep.

Stay tuned...

Auntie D and the new digs

Auntie D wondering where Fleishcmann is.

We're getting settled and figuring out what we're doing back in the PNW.  So for those of you that don't know who Auntie D is... long story short she's Kath's aunt and we decided to "take" her with us on our migration back to the PNW.  (see pic for example) 

The other day we decided to give a tour of the place we're staying at while we figure everything out.  Who better to give the tour than Auntie D herself.  The rest is history and was done in one take.