March 30, 2011

XV x Miami Horror


YES VIZZY!!!!

I like me some XV, I also happen to like me some Miami Horror. Naturally I'm pumped this song happened. For those of you that don't know, Miami Horror is a 'new-disco' group out of Australia (where else? that country produces the coolest electronic music) and their music has the greatest summertime feel, something that gets me this time of year when i'm craving some sunshine and a temperature above 10 degrees celsius. Vizzy's a Straight Goods vet so there's not much to say about him. Honestly I kind of hope he never blows up, pretty much all of the hip hop artists i've watched get big over the past few years have disappointed me with their major label releases.. aka Wale, B.o.B., Wiz (sorry surebuds.. i can't stand that new album), Drake, Asher, etc...

Anyways... listen to the damn song
swag

XV ft. Miami Horror - Foreign Exchange Student

March 29, 2011

New Justice - Civilization


The internet music world is blowing up on me and i can't keep, i'll try to post a few times today.

One of the most anticipated projects ever in electronic music, Justice's currently untititled sophomore album has finally shown a little skin.. and i instantly became aroused. The song, titled Civilization, is the song behind the latest adidas ad that you've probably seen a few times by now. Originally, the only way i could get my hands a copy of this track was in the form of audio rips from the advertisement but it was released as a single on itunes for a week, which has allowed me to get an hq version to share with you guys. Civilization is exactly what i was hoping for.. catchy vocals, great song progression, and a bangin beat drop. I would make the song a stream only since that would be the ethical thing to do, but i know you internet savvy bastards know how to get around that stuff so f*ck it...

Justice - Civilization

March 28, 2011

XV Feels So "Awesome"


If I was tearing through the blog world I feel pretty damn awesome too. unfortunately for me, my brain thinking and word using isn't always the quickest. Good thing for XV he's got some sick taste in beats and always  entertaining lyrics. He's probably not going to rock some political anthems anytime soon but he makes for some consistent and catchy hip-hop. On the upbeat jam "Awesome" XV is joined by Pusha T who has also been cruizin around the blogosphere as of late.  As Pusha T is kind of just reviving his career with G.O.O.D music, lets hope that XV can see some of the the same success in the future. Until then, enjoy "Awesome".

XV- Awesome Feauring Pusha T

March 27, 2011

Musical March Madness



There's been some crazy shit going on this month. Between the mass amounts of book learning and  never ending basketball, I have unfortunately missed blogging some dope tracks. One song that has been an Itunes go to for the last little while is OCD: Moosh and Twist's "Black Forest Gummy Worms".  I'm 100% addicted to the Nina Simone sample and the philly boys don't disappoint on the lyrical end. Their mix-tape "Up Before The World" came out a couple of weeks ago and I've heard nothing but good things.

OCD: Moosh and Twist-Black Forest Gummy Worms

As J.Cole continues to gain popularity, he has started to use his passionate beats and rhymes to get people excited for a potential album from the Jay-Z prodigy. Cole has the unbelievable ability to force listeners to lose themselves in the lyrical story he is trying to tell.  "The Good Son Pt. 1" is just a short snippet, but I'm hopeful that we will get the full track soon enough (hopefully with 14-16 tracks accompanying it).

J. Cole- The Good Son Pt.1 (Snippet)

At one point I had a lot of faith that the Cali duo U-N-I were gonna make major moves in hip-hop. Although I haven't heard much since their unreal release of "Land of the Kings", I was pleasantly surprised to hear Yonas Michael go at it on his own. With only one rapper on the track I feel like Yonas is is able to strut  his individual creativity on "Blinded". Adding to the overall vibe of the track Yonas is joined by singer Little Dragon whose got a unique style/sound, and one of the craziests videos i've seen in a while for her track "Twice".

Yonas Michael- Blinded 

March 26, 2011

Sleigh Bells - "Rill Rill (Clique NewTrends Remix)"


 Remixes can bring a song back to life. Sometimes when a song is really good I play it too much right off the start and in less than a week I'm sick of it. This is where a solid remix comes in, because I still like the song but I just need to look at it in a different light. This was exactly the case for the Sleigh Bells' song Rill Rill, who's smooth indie sound got stuck on repeat for me when it first came out. After overplaying it I came across a remix of the track by Clique NewTrends that changed the mood completely, bringing me right back to the song. Rill Rill goes from being a song with a classic acoustic indie sound to being a electro inspired dance track, and it's awesome. Have a listen or two, variety is the spice of life.

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill (Clique NewTrends Remix)

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill

Yelle - "Safari Disco Club"



Here's something that may be new to you. Yelle is a french electropop band that releases great music, and you don't need to speak the language to enjoy it. When I listen to Yelle's vocals my grade 9 french fails me and I really have no idea what any of it means, but the beats and production provided by GrandMarnier and Tepr makes it all ok. The group is releasing an album on March 29th titled Safari Disco Club, but it's already being fully featured on hype machine to boost the album's stats. The new release is a great example of Yelle's eclectic style and is worth a browse through. Producer Madeon has already had a take at the song Que Veux Tu and with his changes he also comes up with something really good. I started listening to Yelle about a year ago when I followed a sample of Ce Jeu that Chiddy Bang used in their song Fresh Like Us. Definitely good for a change of pace.

Yelle - Que Veux Tu (Madeon Remix)


Yelle - Safari Disco Club

Chiddy Bang - Fresh Like Us

March 25, 2011

Wiz Khalifa - "Rolling Papers" Preview



 Wiz Khalifa is finally set to release his first album with a major record label on March 29th, titled Rolling Papers. This is the kids big chance to set himself up for the long run in the music game as he's generally only released free product in the past. In this album Wiz sounds like he's trying to appeal to a wider variety of people, with a catchier, more popular sound than we've heard from him before. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, and in this case he's probably just looking for a little radio play to stabilize his position in the music industry. Khalifa's already hearing some hate for being "mainstream" on this ep, but in his defense, it's hard to not cross the blurred line and sell out when you're trying to give people what they want. Personally I think he should continue to do his thing and not worry about what people expect of him, cause really you can't make everyone happy. Until the albums official, here's a few of my favorite cuts.

Roll Up

No Sleep

The Race

March 24, 2011

Adele x Gilbere Forte - Set Fire to the Rain


Just saw this one in my inbox... Gilbere Forte is one of those rappers who i like on some songs and not so much on others. It seems to depend on how he approaches the track, ie the subject matter. This is one where i definitely like where he's coming from. The Adele track that he's going in over is so dramatic that it basically forces Gilbere to come with some lupe-style 'from the heart' hip hop that i have a lot of appreciation for.

Adele - Set Fire to the Rain (Gilbere Forte' Remix)

March 20, 2011

Kidz In the Hall- Brain Candy Series X Canadian Tour


"You gotta understand, we ain't here to preach this school shit to ya'll
Just trying to let you know that there's some options
You can't be afraid of what else is out there 
Gotta see passed the corner, see passed you hood 
Experience life"

For years i've been waiting for the Kidz in the Hall to blow up into the mainstream. Unfortunately, as I grew and started my journey through university I realized that their knowledgeable lyrics and simplistic hip-hop beats were not the catchiest of combinations... But, as much as I would like to see them succeed ,the fact that they've maintained the same old recipe for some great hip-hop makes them successful enough. They have recently jumped on this bandwagon of releasing music in a series of leaks on a weekly basis. Their "Brain Candy Series" supplies us with the always unique production from Double O and of course the stimulating lyricism of Naledge. I'm never gonna claim that The Kidz In the Hall are for everyone but, as an "academic" it's refreshing to hear artists that rep the grind of education and explain to listeners that college isn't all booze and bitches. Although I do love the party anthems(and booze and bitches), as some of us dwindle towards real life responsibility it's dope to be able to listen to rap that promotes you to master that book learnin' business. The newness from the boys mixes their classic sound and adds some up and coming talent to "Dream On" with Curt@!ns and Curren$y on "Pledge Allegiance to the Dope". Not to mention the fact that they are going on a Canadian tour with Classified. See you in Brantford

This world, it's a game 
and we gotta be prepared 
Gotta train yourself 
to play in the field 
and thats what school provides for me
(Day by Day 5:15)

Kidz in the Hall- Pledge Allegiance to the Dope

Kidz in the Hall- Dream On 

And one of my personal favorites 
Kidz in the Hall- Day by Day 

Who is The Whitest Boy Alive?


When it comes to blogging, I often have this discussion about whether the music is too old to post or not. Sometimes this is an actual conversation with real people, other times its an internal thing, but no matter who's involved in the discussion, the end result is almost always the same: screw it, I'm posting it. Ultimately this blog is just us sharing the music that we like with whoever reads this thing so there's no harm in posting older stuff. With that in mind, meet The Whitest Boy Alive, a indie rock/electronic band out of Berlin. They've got a nice mellow sound thanks to their tendency to use simple, strumming guitar parts and lead singer erlend øye's laid back vocals (had to copy and paste that name in haha... no idea how to type an 'o' with a line through it). What usually catches me with their music is their bass lines. Credit bass player Marcin Oz for taking an instrument that is usually relegated to the background and bringing it to the forefront of The Whitest Boy Alive's signature sound. So why did I start this off talking about posting old music? The Whitest Boy Alive's last release was in 2009, so I don't have anything new to post from them. Instead, I'm posting my favourites from their two albums. If you already know about the band, maybe you haven't heard one of these songs. If this is all new to you, welcome to the fan club.

From their 1st album, Dreams (2003)
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning

 

The Whitest Boy Alive - 1517

March 17, 2011

The Heavy - "Short Change Hero"



First off, happy St Patrick's day everybody, I hope you all have your couches out on the front lawn and are gettin' into a few to enjoy the holiday. I'm going to try to get a couple posts out before the celebrations really start to take over, but if I don't follow through or I start to not make sense it's really St Patrick's fault not mine. I'm going to start the music just how I started my day, with The Heavy, an indie rock band out of the UK that peaked my interest after I heard them in the background of a few videos I was stumbling through. The Heavy isn't a typical indie band though (if there is such a thing), and they come with a soul inspired style that adds a level of clarity to the raw guitar sound that's usually associated with this genre. The group brings an epic sound, not hurrying into anything with their track Short Change Hero, a song off their last album The House That Dirt Built (2009). Start your listening there, or with How You Like Me Now, another great track by the group.

The Heavy - Short Change Hero

The Heavy - How You Like Me Now?

March 13, 2011

Ocelot - Beating Hearts (Louis La Roche Remix)


I was going to post this song back on Friday so that you all could get drunk to it this weekend but as it turns out, I'm selfish and decided that if I couldn't jam to it this weekend, neither could anybody else. Electro/Techno/House is not a style of music I pretend to know a tonne(/ton?) about, I've got a few artists that I follow casually but other than that I pretty much wait for good songs to fall in my lap. Shoutout to my techno resource - Philly-G for this one. I know about as much about Ocelot as I do Louis La Roche (nothing) but what I do know is that this song bangs. I've put about 25 plays on it over the past two days as I attempt to rip through an everest-sized pile of work and I plan on continuing that trend today. also: how sweet is that single artwork?

Ocelot - Beating Hearts (Louis La Roche Remix)

p.s. since nobody reads this far into the posts I can write whatever I want so: I love when you know the sample behind a hip hop beat and I've been fiending that Mac Miller mixtape so I wanted to point out a couple samples I've noticed. First: the sample in Donald Trump is from Sufjan Stevens' Vesuvius. second: All Around the World is Heartbreaker by Mstrkrft (that one's easy I know). I'll Be There sounds kind of like Gladys Knight & The Pips - Love Finds Its Own Way which is the sample from Atmosphere's Yesterday but I don't think that's it. Anybody know any other ones? The Get Up! sample is so familiar but I can't place it. post some shit in the shoutbox people...

March 12, 2011

Introducing: Tayyib Ali "Keystone State of Mind"


No I did not mistakingly misspell Talib Kweli... the names Tayyib Ali and he's a teen rapper from Philly with some nasty flow. A old friend of mine recently sent me his most recent track "Keystone State of Mind" which puts his lyrical talent on a pedestal as he rips the smooth How To Make It In Americaish beat. As I sit trapped in the hell they call the library I wish I could have a "Keystone State of Mind", better yet a Keystone or 7 in my belly. I hear a little immaturity in his rhymes but when I was 18 I couldn't make KD, so let the kid mature. The fact that he's a young rapper who's not rapping about getting drunk and high is pretty refreshing in hip-hop's current state of "Frat Rap" (not that I don't enjoy it). Thanks to Fabs Disorono out in Guelph for introducing the unreal talent that is Tayyib Ali.


Mac Miller - "Best Day Ever"


 Mac Miller released his latest album, Best Day Ever, last night live on his usteam account to over 20,000 viewers. The kids been building his popularity in the industry really well, and this free album will only help him grow his reputation in the music game. We've been waiting on this for a while, getting stoked on the early leaks, as well as In The Air, a track Miller let slip early in the Toronto show. This album doesn't disappoint, featuring great flow and hooks in particular from Miller, over a selection of production that he adapts to nicely. Have a listen to the full album below & download it for free. Key your listening to to Get Up, Keep Floatin (featuring Wiz Khalifa), & Best Day Ever (bonus) for best results.

March 11, 2011

Newness from Rhymesayers Ent- Grieves and Budo/ Atmosphere


Rhymesayers Entertainment have been known for a while as the best story tellers in the league. Have you ever heard one those old-school radio narratives on your way to 6 a.m hockey practice? If not, its what old folk did before they figured out the television. The poetic skill of Slug has always reminded me of a story that you make your own movie to. Not sure how I feel about the electric guitar influenced beat on "She's Enough" but the track is the first teaser from Atmospheres next record "The Family Sign" and does not disappoint on the lyrical end. It kinda reminds me of Macklemore's "Magic" but unfortunately the beat never calms down. regardless, its new Atmosphere so be happy.

Atmosphere- She's Enough


As excited as I am for this new project, Slug and Ant aren't the only ones doing work over at Rhymesayers. Grieves and Budo come at us with a smooth piano beat that is almost as calming as the inspiring lyrics from Grieves. I have always seen the potential in Grieves and couldn't happier that he's on a record label that supports him to create the music HE wants to make (unlike Lupe apparently). The two entertain the idea that "you need to slow down every once and a while" before life rolls on by. My home boy Ferris Bueller once said "Life moves pretty fast... If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". Seems like a good idea. So relax already

Grieves and Budo- Lightspeed

March 8, 2011

Foster The People - "Torches" preview

A song that was a key part of my music listening throughout the summer came on the radio recently, which caught me off guard because I thought it was a gem that had already come and gone. Pumped Up Kicks is the first single off of Foster The People's debut EP, and it is finally picking up the popularity it deserves. I say finally only because I came across the song when it got leaked way back in April 2010, and I put more than a few plays on it as it fit right in with the mgmt/mstrcrft business that was happening on my speakers then. I thought I actually posted it when I got it, but I guess in the daze that was the summer it never got done, which is not surprising really.

Either way the group has released two other tracks in the EP to compliment the single which both keep to the relaxed, smooth style. The one thing I find with some bands in these indie/alternative rock genres is that a lot of their songs sound the same, almost at times indistinguishable from each other, which leads to me getting bored quickly. It's nice to see this isn't the case with Foster The People, as through the magic of synth and bass they keep each song different and entertaining. This EP provides just a small preview of what this group can do, and we can look towards their full album, Torches, being released right in time for May 24.

Foster The People - Pumped up kicks


Foster The People - Helena Beat


Foster the People - Houdini

March 7, 2011

Embrace The "Frat Rap" with The Deans List "The Drive In Mix-Tape"


"My Chuck Taylor habits got me spitten Converses"

How all these college kids in the Americaland manage to start and maintain rap careers has always amazed me. Following in the footsteps of artists like Chiddy Bang and Sam Adams, The Deans List embrace their drunken college lifestyles while making beats and writing rhymes. As most of these "Frat Rap" artists tend to have a drink or ten from time to time there is a lot of electro influenced production from deans list beat maker Mike Beats but the boys also maintain their hip-hop roots through DJ Mendoza. Could this be attributed to their party lifestyle, very possible but the album also features some eclectic rhyming from rapper Sonny Shottz. As rap lyrics have always been centered around personal experience, the fact that these youngens are still living the college dream should not discredit the fact that the Boston trio have a legitimate future in hip-hop. The Drive In Mix-tape was sponsored by Karmaloop.com and does not disappoint as a collective project, the fact that its free below is just a bonus... enjoy

My personal favorites are party jam "La Vie" (The Life), "No Sleep", and "The People"

March 6, 2011

The Black Keys in Toronto


We've been talking about The Black Keys on here from time to time, and personally I'm still hooked on their album Brothers that came out this time last year. The group's bandwagon is already starting to get full as people are finally realizing the potential of this group, with their songs getting picked up for big name commercials and games this year, like NHL 11 & FIFA 11. The Black Keys are a rare example of an indie rock group that has proven themselves in the industry a few times, yet still are still continuing to release great music. I recently came across a concert announcement for the group coming to Toronto this summer, and I knew this was the next set of tickets that I was going to be buying right away. The concerts on July 7th so you still have a minute or two until tickets are going to be gone, but I wouldn't wait too long because The Black Keys sell out their concerts and people say only good things about their live performances. The Black Keys will joined by Cage the Elephant, a group with some music you've most likely heard before, and they should do a solid job in opening up the Molson Amphitheater. Tickets are only $30 for lawns and $55 for top class, so fit it in your budget and get a ticket here.

The Black Keys - Your Touch


The Black Keys - The Only One


Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

I'm going to add in a part two for those who haven't caught the addiction of listening to The Black Keys yet, maybe you just need to add in a different genre to help the music suit you better. This was their logic behind creating the album Blakroc back in 2009, which featured great artists such as Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris, as well as a couple of members of the Wu-Tang Clan, to rap over The Black Keys music. If this is more your taste, good news as there's a Blakroc 2 in the works that's said to host a couple more rappers you might of heard of, such as The Cool Kids, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Electronica, and Curren$y, so keep your ear out for that one too.


March 5, 2011

Intuition - I Ruined These Songs For You Too


Remember in my last Intuition post when I said it had been a while since we'd heard much from him? Apparently we're about to get a whole lot more music from the MC in the form of a new remix project titled I Ruined These Songs For You Too. Last time Intuition went off "ruining songs" things worked out pretty damn well so I'm pumped for this to come out. To satisfy your hunger he's released 3 songs off the project. His remix of BTSTU (by Jai Paul) is unreal, the same can be said for his take on When I'm Small. I know I just posted something with that song but it's too good to skip. The third song, which I've never heard of before is by Jessica Lea Mayfield (who I'm not even going to pretend like I know anything about) and is the kind of change of pace I've come to expect from Intuition. Anybody else find he reminds you of Slug?? Could be because the first time I heard him was on a song with slug but I think its more than that. Get all three from Intuition's bandcamp here

 BTSTU - Jai Paul (Feat. Intuition)


He also put out this teaser video for his verse on When I'm Small

RAC VOL 2


RAC is awesome. Their remixes always seem to fit with the original song so naturally, which is a quality that I don't think too many remix artists have. On their website they say this about what they do: "We aim to maintain a style of remixing that strays from the “club mix” archetype, creating new incarnations of songs that stem from the original structure, but expand on their genre and musical arrangement." I have a mental list of artists that when I see their name on a song, there's no way I'm not going to check it out and RAC is definitely on that list. Get the full mix for free from their website.

Phantogram - When I'm Small (RAC mix)

March 3, 2011

SonReal- "Where's Waldo Mix-Tape"

                              

                        "Got that slow flow callin' me the West coast Drizzy 
                              With a swag like Cudi and grind like Diddy 
                                              Motha flocka i'm ill"

Sometimes life throws some crazy shit your way, and thats been the definition of my week thus far. but last night I got to enjoy the Awesomeness of Mac Miller live in Toronto and for the last couple days I've had the luxury of jamming some brand new SonReal. Whenever I get some new music from the Canadian rapper all those responsibles seem to take a back seat. When I saw the teaser video for this mix-tape, I was nothing but jacked up. The video featured a snippet of the intro track "Showtime" that has SonReal spit one of the most stellar intro lines to an album i've heard in a while. With any SonReal album there's going to be some drake-esk singing but Van cities own does not disappoint on the hook by any means. My personal favorites from the tape so far  "#1 Fan"and "Clap For Me" but you guys can choose your own...


March 1, 2011

Chip Tha Ripper- Gift Raps


Whatup March. As promised, here's Chip's full mixtape, entitled Gift Raps. Some kick-back and relax rap. Nice synthy-feel to the production. The mixtape is produced almost entirely by Chuck Inglish (Cool Kids), and it shows. And if you don't feel the need to have 13 tracks by Chip on your iTunes, some highlights from the mixtape are Life, Light One Up, Hang Out, and Everyday Chillin--but make your own judgment: