2010 January | dailybeatz

Posts published during January, 2010

01/21/2010

mos def – auditorium feat. slick rick

today we continue our trek through hip hop week with a track from “the ecstatic”, the latest album from mos def. the album was released in the summer of 2009 and was met with much critical acclaim and has even been nominated for the grammy for best rap album. and with tracks like this one, its not hard to see why.

“auditorium” is the third track on the album and features the legendary slick rick, known for his eye patch and excessive jewelery (was he the originator of hip hops bling movement?). the first thing youll notice about this track is the catchy and mysterious sample of madlibs “get it right” from “beat konducta in india”. and no, i definitely didnt know that and had to look it up. either way, it makes this song pretty hot and goes pretty well with the middle eastern lyrics in the second half of the song.

mos def – auditorium feat. slick rick

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01/20/2010

theophilus london – humdrum town

just as the world is becoming increasingly globalized with the blending of cultures and the differences between cultures becoming less and less apparent, the same thing is beginning to happen with music, and a great example of that is this song by brooklyns theophilus london. this guy is another one of those artists whos been building up some momentum and one that many believe could have a breakout year in 2010.

in “humdrum town”, london combines elements of hip hop, pop, and electronic all into one catchy and danceable tune that almost cant be labeled with a genre. but we feel theres enough of a hip hop flavor to qualify for inclusion in our first ever hip hop week. and its nice to hear something thats different from all the radio crap out there with lyrics that are a bit more substantial than, as one blog commenter noted, “look how big this chain is on my dick”. if you like this track, its available as a free download from green label sound, which is a label backed by mountain dew to support independent artists.

how are we doing thus far as we are now halfway through hip hop week? do you like whats happening? do we not have a clue what we are talking about? let us know y’all.

theophilus london – humdrum town

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01/19/2010

reflection eternal – just begun

Wait a minute, hip-hop? On dailybeatz? Am I on the right site?? YES, you certainly are. One of the best things about dailybeatz.com is that it absolutely, in no way, discriminates music, as long as it’s GOOD.

I was a senior in high school when I first heard Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek, otherwise known as the duo, Reflection Eternal. I remember seeing their video for “The Blast” on BET at my parents house and thinking, “who the hell are these dudes!?!?”. I had just become a big fan of The Roots, after a friend of mine burned me their LP “Things Fall Apart”, and I started learning about them, and people they worked with, etc. Hence, I learned about Reflection Eternal, who are friendly with The Legendary Roots Crew. Anyways, I bought the first LP they did together, “Train of Thought” (released in 2000) and fell in love with Hi-Tek’s unique drum beats, and the extremely clever and deeply smart lyrics of Talib Kweli. They, along with some others, really taught me about hip-hop as an art form, and that there is waaaaaaay more to it than what you hear on the radio. (another blog altogether…)

Long story short, their upcoming album “Revolutions Per Minute” (release date TBD, possibly March 2010), is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. They really can’t do wrong in my book, and it’s been ten years since their last full album together. Needless to say, PUMPED. With that, I give you today’s song…

“Just Begun” is one of the first songs leaked from this upcoming album and it features some amazing guest MCs as well. The melodic horns that Hi-Tek uses, just really keeps the flow of the song, and gives it that laid back chill that I’ve come to love. His drums, per usual, are raw and real, but don’t overthrow the rest of the music at all. Really well done in my eyes (ears?). Kweli starts out with his trademark clever-almost-too-smart lyrics, but he also sprinkles in some radio worthy lines to keep it fun and mellow. Next up is one of my favorite MCs out right now, Jay Electronica. His flow is amazing, and it’s tough to get more innovative than Kweli, but Jay really hasn’t done wrong yet. This guy is ridic. The next dude up is J. Cole, best known as the first person signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation. He does alright, but it’s really not fair with the talent that surrounds him. That being said, the track gets finished off by well-known veteran, Mos Def. He doesn’t disappoint, and neither does this first release from an album that will almost certainly be amazing.

Today’s Guest Poster, HockBoi, spends his days working on commercials in Detroit, and his nights listening to music and drinking in bars in Detroit. He’s a lover of Hip-Hop, but more importantly, any good music. To find him, email him or check his twitter @hockboi

reflection eternal – just begun

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01/18/2010

chiddy bang – sooner or later

its become abundantly clear to me that ive been grossly neglecting the hip hop world. on that note, id like to officially declare this entire week HIP HOP WEEK! are you so excited that youre lizzing right now? me too. this week should be full of twists and turns, including our very first in what will hopefully become a quasi-regular influx of guest writers.

i definitely dont listen to as much hip hop as some other types of music, but that doesnt mean i dont like it. on that note, im going to try to make an effort to post some hip hop tunes a little more often, starting today with a track by chiddy bang out of philly, as their website name suggests. chiddy bang is made a duo comprised of chiddy and xaphoon jones, and they are two 19 year olds who some believe are on the verge of blowing up in 2010.

i was sent their new three-song EP “the opposite of adults” recently and my favorite track was this one, “sooner or later” (although the title track, which samples mgmts “kids”, is a close second). i like when a few different genres can be combined into one song ,which is maybe why im liking kid cudi so much, since he is clearly in touch with his indie rock side as well as his hip hop side, and i feel like chiddy bang could be headed in the same direction. and if this wasnt hip hop enough for you, im expecting my official first guest post soon which should have some more classic hip hop flavor, but hey, im trying.

chiddy bang – sooner or later

before you depart today, id like to request your assisstance in helping out a great charitable organization, and all it takes is 30 seconds of your time. a friend of mine is a director with the generation project which allows donors to design educational opportunities for children living in poverty — anything from sports programs to essay contests, art classes and everything in between. the organization is currently in the final 100 organizations in the chase community giving program (which many of you may have seen on facebook) and it would be great if you could all take a few moments to vote. its free, and no spam/registration is required. just click here, click “allow”, click “become a fan”, and then click “vote”. its that simple. voting ends 1/22 so get those votes in and thanks in advance!

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01/16/2010

depeche mode – enjoy the silence

this saturday throwback is almost too easy. a layup, if you will. except for the fact that my short stature has prevented me from playing and/or not sucking at basketball, so even a layup was never really a layup for me. vertical challenges aside, im not even gonna talk about this one, because if you dont already like this song (or depeche mode for that matter), i dont think we can be friends. and while youve surely all heard and loved this song, i will offer up a bonus that you may not have heard before. its an excellent, quiet and minimalistic cover by tori amos from her 2001 album “strange little girls”, a concept album of sorts full of covers of songs about women. its not my favorite, but there are definitely some great great moments, like this song, the cover of “new age” by velvet underground, “rattlesnakes” by lloyd cole and “real men” by joe jackson (and not on the album, but look for a live cover of the cures “lovesong”). i kind of forgot that i liked her a lot back in the day, so im looking forward to listening to a few albums as a result of this rediscovery. its definitely got a lot less going on, but i think the stripped down version really highlights what a well-written song this is.

this post is bringing back fond memories of seeing depeche mode this summer at lollapalooza. i want it to be summer again.

one word of advice. if you ever happen to find yourself on a karaoke stage with me singing this song, do not sing it an octave higher, or you will face my wrath.

depeche mode – enjoy the silence

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tori amos – enjoy the silence

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buy it on or amazon

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01/15/2010

lykke li – little bit remixes

happy dance party friday. since the office is closed on monday, there is even more reason to dance today. on that note, not one, but TWO remixes of one of my favorite tunes, “little bit” by the lovely lykke li. the original version of this song was actually the fourth song ever posted here on dailybeatz way back in may, can you believe it? and i heard a pretty cool remix at a show a few months back and have been meaning to look around for it, and just remembered today to find it. while i have no idea if i found the remix i was looking for, i did find some cool versions by gigamesh (whose excellent radiohead remix has been posted here before) and cansei de ser sexy, more commonly known as CSS.

the gigamesh remix has much of the same style as their radiohead remix. that is, the song stays pretty much untouched, but there are really nice beats laid over the song, and a song that was already excellent, though not necessarily danceable, is now danceable, and you dont feel like youve lost what you originally loved about the song. as for the css version, the music from the original has been almost completely stripped out of the song and its given a fresh and sometimes dirty electronic treatment. their take is much more of a departure from the original, but its so bright and fun that you dont even care, especially around the chorus, and its got the same CSS sound that so many of us know and love. im curious to see which version the dailybeatz readers prefer, so let me know. and in case you were wondering, i still have a mad crush on lykke li.

lykke li – little bit (gigamesh remix)

lykke li – little bit (CSS remix)

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01/14/2010

monkey swallows the universe – sheffield shanty

today, a track that is meant to showcase the softer side of the one man dailybeatz editorial team. i first heard this song a few years back when it was released but forgot all about it until recently. monkey swallows the universe is (or should i say was, as the group disbanded in 2008) from sheffield, england and to be perfectly honest, this is the only track of theirs that ive heard.

“sheffield shanty” is a slow and quiet little number that i liked from the first listen. and it references both noahs ark and paul simons “you can call me al”, so whats not to like? im sure this will be a little to low key for some, but i aint scurred to say that i like it anyway. while the band is no longer a band, you can still get their music at all the usual places. so do it if you like them.

monkey swallows the universe – sheffield shanty

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and it would be negligent of me not to acknowledge the passing of the sometimes wild but always entertaining jay reatard (real name jimmy lee lindsey jr). though he was only 29, he was already 14 years into his musical career. just take a look at his lengthy discography. you and your larger than life personality will be missed, but fortunately your music will live on. this track “no time” seems especially eerie today, even from the very first lyrics: “i close my eyes and i slip away”

jay reatard – no time

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01/13/2010

tanlines – real life (memory tapes remix)

heres a track that i just discovered courtesy of a tweet from mr. memory tapes himself (well, to be more exact, it was actually a retweet of a tweet from tanlines). if it seems like ive been posting lots of remixes lately, its because i am, and its because there have just been so many great ones as of late. id heard of tanlines but never heard any of their works, but i think i shall be examining more of their stuff cuz im kinda liking what im hearing.

“real life” is the title track of an ep by tanlines that was released just yesterday. if youd like to listen to the original before going further, it can be found streaming here courtesy of the ever awesome fader magazine. as usual with me, what i like so much about this remix is that it maintains most of the integrity of the original song. you might think that all the beats have been added in for the remix, but no, those were there to begin with. and even most of the music was there too. but in the memory tapes remix, the music becomes more subdued and flowing, which is a very nice contrast to the staccato of the percussion. there are also some nice synth harmonies added to the choruses and and theres an overall sense of dreamy reverb added to the song as well (why is it that the only word i can use to describe memory tapes is “dreamy”?), but when you start with a pretty cool song, sometimes the remix doesnt have to start from scratch.

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