More Label Love for Stones Throw: The Covering My Lazy Ass Edition

You'll forgive me for not having much to post today, but i'm still basking in the glow of the terribly wonderful show Meg hosted this past Friday night at the Velvet Lounge. Thanks again to all the participating acts and folks who joined us for what was, by all measures, a delightful time had by all. If you weren't there, well, you're an ass. What more can i tell you?

As luck would have it, the fine folks over at Stones Throw must have heard about our shin dig and known we were going to be plain tuckered out on this fine Monday, so they were kind enough to drop a few tracks for us to share with you. Sure, it more likely was blind coincidence, but i don't make fun of you when you're whoring at your job, so just go with me here.

Sure, i've been going back and forth on Aloe Blacc, but with each new track he drops, i find myself digging that noise just a little bit more. If he's going to go and cover Muscle Shoals classics, well, naturally i'm going to go and post it.

mp3: The Dark End of the Street (Aloe Blacc from The Dark End of the Street)

Now-Again Records is getting ready to drop Dark Sunrise, an anthology of Zambian "Zamrock" godfather Rikki Ililonga and his groundbreaking band, Musi-O-Tunya. Stones Throw is offering an exclusive pre-sale of this anthology; it is out everywhere good music is sold on 11.23.10. Packaged as a 2-CD hardbound, full color book (with the bonus 7”-only tracks which are NOT available in the LP format) and a 3-LP box set that contains exact reproductions of Wings of Africa, Zambia and Sunshine Love. LP version contains the same liner notes as in the CD version, but in an over sized full color booklet.

mp3: Dark Sunrise (Musi-O-Tynya from Dark Sunrise)

And lastly, the previously announced collab between Oh No and The Alchemist looks like it's finally about to see the light of day this Nov. 22. Going by the name Gangrene, the duo have created their own, warped sound on Gutter Water. And here's a sample for your ear holes.

mp3: Chain Swinging (Gangrene from Gutter Water)

For the Record (Label): Brainfeeder

i guess someone must have told Flying Lotus it's my birthday this week, 'cuz those crazy cats at his Brainfeeder label have been giving away presents at a ferocious rate lately. Today alone, they've put out three dope slices of hip-hop madness that i felt compelled to share with all y'all.

First up could be the craziest thing i've heard since i first laid ears on MF Doom back in the day. Him Jenson is Durlin Lurt's obvious attempt to reconnect Gen Xers with their childhood roots, assuming your babysitter did nothing but smoke bubblegum and blueberry weed all day long while you learned how to count to 12 with the Pointer Sisters. To call it bizarre is an understatement, but, hey, Pepe the King Prawn shined his flashlight on George Clinton, so who am i to judge? If you think you've heard it all when it comes to hip-hop, check out this ish and get back to me. And like the beloved Sesame Street, he serves up 26 lettered tracks to teach us our ABCs. Put me in some brown and orange Garanimals and call it '78, baby.

mp3: Magic (Durlin Lurt from Him Jenson)

mp3: Wet (Durlin Lurt from Him Jenson)

As if that weren't enough, they've also thrown up an EP by their latest signee, Jeremiah Jae, aka Jae R. For anyone familiar with Brainfeeder, it will come as no surprise that the kid dabbles heavily in otherworldly dubstep. Unfortunately, the download offered is kind of a pain in the ass. i had to attempt two downloads before it worked, and even when it did, the files were misnumbered and in numerous formats. MP3s, WAVs and AIFs? For that matter, what the fuck is an AIF file anyway? i assume it is something like a frush. They will all eventually download, but you will have to spend a couple of minutes relabeling things for your iPod. That bitching out of the way, the mix is hot. Jae R. clearly has the skills necessary to fit into the heavyweight line-up already established at Brainfeeder. i imagine he also shares similar interests in blunts and outer space travel, but i'm clearly conjecting now.

mp3: Spaceman (Jeremiah Jae from DXNCE)

mp3: The Mystery (Jeremiah Jae from DXNCE)

And finally, because we all need that wafer thin mint at the end of every gorging, they served a brand spanking new, half hour DJ set by Ras G on a silver platter with birthday candles and all that jazz. Artists highlighted include Flying Lotus , Quasimoto and OJ Simpson (this one; not this guy). The set was done for BTS Radio, where you can find all sorts of additional free DJ set goodies.

mp3: BTS DJ Set (Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program from BTS Radio.com)

But wait! There's more! If you can keep your earholes unplugged for just a tad longer, you should know about the upcoming Magical Properties Tour. Featuring Daedelus, Nosaj Thing and Jogger, the tour blows through our part of the world in late February.

Feb 23 – Bourbon Street – Baltimore, Maryland

Feb 24 – Xscape Lounge – Richmond, Virginia

WARNING: LET is not responsible if all this grimey goodness causes a short circuiting of the frontal lobe. Your brain has not been this well fed in some time, i know, but you still need to pace yourself.

For the Record (Label): More Love for Stones Throw

Well, those devilish masterminds at Stones Throw are at it again, digging through the dustiest of crates to bring us all the latest and greatest in hip hop wizardry.

Resident mastermind Madlib is all over the place these days, jumping from style to style like some kind of blunted superhero. He just dropped the first of his twelve Medicine Show CDs. Entitled Before the Verdict, this first one has Quasimoto's other side releasing a full 17-track hip-hop album with original tracks and "the OJ Simpson remixes" featuring Guilty Simpson. We've been told to consider it a prelude to Madlib & Guilty's collab OJ Simpson. Just to show what he's putting down, the fine ST folks have graced us with this collab between 'Lib and Simpson that can't be found on either the Medicine Show or upcoming OJ Simpson CDs. You might recognize that intro from Madvilliany. Sounds like Madlib is in his usual rarified air, and Simpson sounds loose and juiced. This joint looks to be pretty damn good. Oh, and he's releasing In Search of Stoney Jackson, his collab with Strong Arm Steady, this month, too. Damn, does the man ever rest?

mp3: Before the Verdict (Madlib & Guilty Simpson from the Stones Throw Website)

mp3: The Paper (Madlib & Guilty Simpson from Madlib Medicine Show No. 1: Before the Verdict)

mp3: Best of Times (Stoney Jackson ft. Phonte from In Search of Stoney Jackson)

Changing directions nearly entirely, the label also just released The Minimal Wave Tapes, Vol. 1, a look back at the "genre of underground DIY electronic music from North America and Europe in the late 1970s and 80s." Not sure if that's your thing or not? Hell, they've got you covered there, too, with this tasty sample.

mp3: Flying Turns (Crash Course in Science from The Minimal Wave Tapes, Vol. 1)

And last but certainly not least, those busy bastards bring us Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti. The boxed set includes "covers and music inspired by the Godfather of Afro-Beat. This Fela Estate-approved anthology includes rare and previously unreleased music from Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Trinidad and more." Now, if you don't know your Fela, you are missing out. The man had a thing for zombies, too, so you know we dig him.

mp3: Woman Pin Down (Dan Satch and His Atomic 8 Dance Band from Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti)

Seriously, when do those cats sleep? Well, as long as they keep pumping it out, we'll keep listening and salivating for more.

For the Record (Label): Stones Throw Records

Well, after giving props to Arts & Crafts recently, it dawned on me that maybe there were a few other labels out there that deserved similar affection. Hence, today's love fest for Stones Throw Records.

As I've mentioned lately, probably too much, I have re-fallen in love with hip hop. This is due in large part to the emergence of a new wave of MCs spitting lyrics on fresh and new topics, but possibly more importantly, some DJs that have crate digging capabilities I previously thought impossible. DOOM, Madlib, J. Dilla and cats in that vein, I'm looking in your direction. Imagine my surprise when I discovered damn near all of my favorites of today all happen to have output on the same, glorious Stones Throw Records label.

I first heard of the label when they put out Chrome Children Vol. 1, an Adult Swim mixtape that came out just after the DangerDoom collaboration. Well, that taste led me to dig deeper still, and I've been pretty addicted ever since.

Headed up by quite possibly the best named hip hopper of all-time, Peanut Butter Wolf (aka Chris Manak), the label excels at bringing tree blazing, freakalicious hip hop to the masses. Named after an inside joke, the label is based on the principle that they release music they like, the public-at-large's tastes be damned. The result typically is cosmic slop goodness, plain and simple.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that they're not just hip hop, either, as signed artists Mayer Hawthorne and Omar Rodriguez Lopez, among others, clearly attest.

What's more, Stones Throw has to be one of the most fan friendly labels out there today. I cannot recommend enough that you sign up for the mailing list, Twitter feed and anything else they're pushing. I can't think of another label that gives away so many free goodies, from a regular podcast (sometimes samplers from upcoming albums, sometimes DJ sets that will blow your freaking mind) to mp3s to instructions on how to make your own Quasimoto Cubeecraft paper toy with brick & cigarette. Seriously, they're the label that just keeps giving (though I am devastated I didn't win these kicks).

Here's just a sampling of some of those aforementioned innumerable free mp3s I know you like so bad.

mp3: Beep 03 (Koushik from Beep Tape)

mp3: Chinatown Wars (Ghostface Killah & DOOM, produced by Oh No)

mp3: Concentrate/The Funk (Oh No from Dr. No's Ehtiopium)

For The Record (Label): Audio Eagle

Inspired by the always excellent HearYa music blog and their spectacular Dan Auerbach Week, I've decided to spread the Black Keys love and give the drummer some. Dan has done some killer production work with various artists on the Alive Records label, but Patrick Carney upped the ante and started his own label, Audio Eagle. While most of Auerbach's work seems to focus on his wheelhouse of dirty, sludgey garage rock blues sound, Carney seems to be a bit more all over the board, courting much more of an indie rocker sound with such bands as Houseguest, Beaten Awake and Royal Bangs. (I'm afraid I haven't heard anything from the fourth label mate, Gil Mantera's Party Dream.) While the genres are different, the quality of artists is not. Both these cats know their music and are surrounding themselves with some damn fine talent in the production studio. So sit back and enjoy these tunes produced by the Black Keys' drummer. If you dig them as much as I do, make sure to check out these bands when they hit your burg.

mp3: Royal Bangs - Broke Calculator

mp3: Beaten Awake - Browns Town

mp3: Houseguest - Muted Mesa