Thursday, August 29, 2013

Tele Fresco - Act 3: Infatuation (Directed by 2 Nice)

Tele Fresco - Act 3 from 2 Nice on Vimeo.

The lips are a boundary. They are portals where the inside is exposed to the outside, where the breath of life passes in and out, where food is taken in, and speech breathed forth. The mouth is the most variegated gateway into the interior of the body, taking in all sorts of things from outside the body and throwing out things from inside, and the lips are the guardians.  To kiss is to draw near to that boundary between me and you. - Peter Leithart
If the larger narrative arc of Love Letters traces the evolution of a relationship, interpolating a kaleidoscope of mini narratives in an effort to shirk traditional notions of titular characters, we have moved out of the excitement of the first night and into the engrossing sexual potency of infatuation.   But true to the tenor of the piece at large, this is not merely a descriptive endeavor.  While there is something sensual and perhaps fragile in the confluence of vintage pornography, time-lapse blooming flowers, gushing eros, there is a dark underpinning (the domestically subversive broken house of cards) to it all which is only made more acute at the time of writing for in some bizarre confluence of historical and cultural references, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream", fanfared by every major media outlet, stretches across time, as I plot the course of this essay, to engage with Act 3's preface: the ominous, syblline voice of Langston Hughes as he recites his poem "Dreams":
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
To hold onto your dreams is the task that Act 3 holds up for it's viewers, dreams of love, of anything and everything, while all the while knowing that dreams will pass and the field will be barren, frozen with snow or not.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Throwback Thursday: Mary J. Blige - My Life (Album)


Asking any contemporary producer who their 90's (/00's) R&B influences are is, at this point, painfully cliche.  Today we are bombarded by the voices of Usher, Ciara, Genuwine, Tweet, Ashanti, ... Ne-Yo... anyways these guys get sampled all the time. But what we don't hear is an abundance of samples from the two Queens of 90's R&B: Lauryn Hill & Mary J Blige.  Today I'm throwin it back to MJB's best album (there is no discussion about this that I'm willing to entertain - Breakthrough ain't doin shit like this-- this that classic shit) of all time.  Smoke somethin.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Tele Fresco - Act 2: Elation (Directed by 2 Nice)


Tele Fresco - Act 2 from Chuck Schwarzbeck AKA 2 Nice on Vimeo.

"Joy yes, joy is fine, but enjoyment is possessive." -  Geoffrey Hill

The psychedelic, syrupy swirls - sonic and visual - of Tele Fresco's and 2 Nice's second installment of Love Letters bespeak a type of bacchanalian revelry, as if commingling the lush synth's of Benzel's "Fallin' Love" with the hedonistic purr of new Gucci.  The plot is common and easily fits a self-referential reading: strangers at a party, a lilting voice breathing upon an ear, soft caresses.  Yet, more than a fond recollection of bygone nights, this hazy memory is punctuated by caustic wit.  Shirking simplistic depictions of romance that the project's semi-Romantic title suggests, the duo carve out a creative space that sarcastically rebukes a culture captivated by love (and twerking to the undulations of an anarchical flag) to pose an ethical question embedded in Act 1: are we culpable for our emotions?
If you haven't watched Act 1, please do so now before continuing.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Illangelo - The History of Man LP

I'm so down...

You can peep the whole project... with its accompanying liner notes, here ... but the story chronicles, "the sequence of events surrounding the escape of prisoner #870729 from Prison Planet Elysium, his journey to Colonization-Planet #1, and his successful infiltration and capture of said planet." It is supposedly a refashioning of Milton's Paradise Lost.  Just go peep that website. It's trip.  And for you mainstreamers... Illangelo is one half of the production team behind The Weeknd.  This is his solo shit.

Brolin - Portland

Sunshine, you should waste your time better
UK electro-pop producer Brolin, who is quietly writing some of the best songs of the year, has released his next destination-themed exploration: Portland. See the video for Reykjavik, named after the capital of Iceland, after the jump along with tracks NYC and Lisboa.


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Ta-Ku - Closet Drake Fans


Hype is rising for Drake's new album Nothing Was the Same... And closeted Drake fans everywhere are buzzing.  Ta-Ku capitalizes on the tension with this digestible club banger.

Gucci Mane - Trap House 3 feat. Rick Ross (Eric Dingus Remix)


Eric Dingus is 18. He was home-schooled in Texas, and works tirelessly.  You haven't heard of him yet unless u fuck with Greenova or Raider Klan prly... but it isnt a stretch to imagine him producing for Rocky or another big hitter in mainstream rap.  He's very much next.  I first spotted him when he produced the Ethel Wulf EP and busted open every track with his ethereal sound.  Easily taking a page out of Clams Casino's playbook... Dingus wants very much to expand his sound to avoid the popular trend.  His beats may not be alarmingly novel... he's not Arca... at least not yet... but I see a bright future for the young Texan.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Felicita - climb up e/bring it

The South London producer's latest is climb up e, syrupy rhythm that features vocalist "chlo" who plays at being Rapunzel, calling out: "my hair it's black/climb up it". 

Andras ft. Oscar S. Thorn - Running Late

Literally dripping. Romantic shit. 1st post in a minute. Shout to Doc

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (Stream)


Stream the album below or head over to King Krule's website where you can listen while watching a CCTV stream of London's streets that Krule has dubbed KKTV. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Visionist - I Don't Care/My Time/Lost


Visionist took to twitter and soundcloud in the past few days to release three forthcoming tracks.  "Lost" and "I Don't Care" are to be featured on Lit City Trax's I'm Fine, a five track ep that explores the five stages of grief, while "My Time" figures to be released on the second forthcoming ep.  I'm Fine is out September 3rd.  See Xlr8r's superb feature in their Bubblin' Up profile.  



Big Sean - Control (feat. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica)(Produced by No I.D.)


Oh.My.God.

Ok, so Jay Electronica is one my fav rappers n has been out the game way too long n i anticipate his shit a ridicilous amount... right? Bro, after Kendricks verse he jus sounded like... aight. Kendrick just sav'd out on this track. He kilt the shit so dead you cant even feel your face after slappin it. Thats some fuckin rap dog.  I thought I was gettin sick of Kendrick... i was really over him i swear. N he juss out here bussin! That's what this game is supposed to be. Beat is crazy too No ID, damn. Damn.

Monday, August 12, 2013

MaryGold - Prayer


She used to kick it wit Curren$y... he got in on the same track on his mixtape REDEYE Mixtape. This is the Single for the upcoming mixtape, Mother Mary.  Video directed by tokyo stone.  Here's the Curren$y version.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Good People (Majid Jordan) - Patience



When Drake's newest hit dropped the world began buzzing about Majid Jordan.  Initial questions were:  Is it two people or one cat? Were they with Kanye before?Where's all their music?... details are revealing themselves quickly about the Toronto duo... and more importantly so are their old tracks... the well composed, 'Patience' is going especially hard.  But it's clear Majid Jordan plans to clean out some dance floors and castrate some radio waves.  This stuff is mixed/mastered beautifully too.  If you're one of the five people on earth who hasn't heard the new Drake joint with them... go head:


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Visionist & Fatima Al Qadiri - The Call


Visionist, like his label-mate on Keysound Recordings, E.m.m.a., presents a minimalist aesthetic; although, his is more edgy replete with dread, shimmering, rolling, and heavily reliant on syncopation. See his statement track on Keysound Recordings' This Is How We Roll after the jump.  The Brixton artist has coupled up with New-York-by-way-of-Kuwait artist, Fatima, for the haunting 'The Call'. 

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Future Brown - Wanna Party featuring Tink


Future Brown - comprised of Fatima Al Qadiri, Nguzunguzu, and J-Cush -  has released its first single of an upcoming debut album.  Chicago rapper Tink is featured on the vocals.  

Jeremih - Love Hangover (prod. by Pop & Oak)

Thumpy Johnson on the way!

King Krule - Easy Easy (Official Video)


Directed by Focus Creeps.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Friday, August 2, 2013

Fitzroy - Choped Chopin (ft. Stwo)


When Saints Go Machine - System Of Unlimited Love




You need to be dead for systems to care
The haunting sadness of the video coexisting with the macabre lyrics is evocative. The final portion kills me. 

FKA twigs - Water Me



Since dropping her acclaimed debut EP, which you can stream below and for which she released a series of stunningly bizarre videos that I've included after the jump, Twigs has changed her name to FKA twigs and been signed to Young Turks.  Her new Arca assisted track will be included, presumably, on her forthcoming EP2 record to be released 9 September.