Having recently strayed into the public consciousness, rhyming on the ‘Dream Farm’ 7 inch alongside Dr Syntax, Jon Clark was previously known for smashing Brighton open mics in full biker uniform whilst on pizza delivery.

Jon’s cinematic storytelling and playful vernacular come wrapped in his ‘mongrel mixture of an accent’, having grown up in Brazil, Bolivia, and West Country England.

After 7 years in the making, Jon Clarks debut album ‘On’ is a synopsis of Brighton Hip Hop Culture over the past decade. Local behemoths such as Rup, Dr Syntax and HP lend their fire to the ‘incendiary theme’ woven through the entire project.

The album shapeshifts its way through a wardrobe of concepts and writing styles: ‘Odd Jobs’ where you accompany Jon from one unusual occupation to the next, behind the scenes in the service industry, ’Reason To Stay’, a call to keep our childhood fascination alive, ‘Lawnmower’, the story of a clockwork mechanoid hunting its father and ‘Sniff Test’ finds Jon Clark and Dr Syntax swapping bars about our underrated sense of smell when it comes to ovulating girls or checking which pants are clean enough to wear again.

Musicwise ‘On’ has a strong ‘hardware’ ethic as suggested on Jon’s myspace blog

"I made most of the beats on a SU10 sampler hooked to a YM20 drum machine then ran the terrible sounds through a digital 8-track to compress the life out of them. Also got lobbed some instrumentals by such noise monsters as The Evil Sun, Naim, Mr. Cooper and Req 1"

The artwork, spraypainted by old school graffiti legend Req 1, depicts some of the key scenes described in the songs. The track titles, credits etc. on the back cover are made from Swan matches blu-tacked to the four foot painting.

"Jon Clark makes music that demands to be heard, felt and understood, while possessing the kind of technical skill most rappers can only wet-dream about. A genius producer , consummate songwriter and possibly the rawest, most honest voice in Hip Hop today"
Dizraeli ( Radio 4 Slam Poetry Champion)

Listen to ‘Sniff Test’

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The album ‘On’ is available online at jonclarkmusic.com, rarekindrecords.co.uk or from myspace.com/jonsept

Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein (May 2001)

“I grab the mic like ‘Are You Experienced?’,
But I don’t play the guitar,
I play my cadence.”

We’d waited. Oh how we’d waited. Through record label wrangling, through amicable separations, and through a tortuous creative process, we waited for El-P to rise from the ashes of Company Flow. And when he came back, he came back on the boards and delivered a work of complete, unbridled genius.

As soon as you hit play, The Cold Vein’s production pulls you in. At points it sounds like a dystopian sci-fi soundtrack, at others like a requiem to the vitality of the inner cities, sometimes simply like Wildstyle’s awkward younger brother. Computerised roars, melancholic synths, mechanical clicks and whirs sit, layer upon layer, over classic boom-bap. It was no surprise that an instrumental version of the album dropped within a year – El-P had excelled himself.

In spite of its mastery, not once can the production be said to overshadow the lyrical content or its delivery. The highest praise you can give Vast Aire and Vordul Mega is that they go toe-to-toe with the beats from start to finish. Somehow they spit lyrics with the finesse of fine literature whilst retaining total hip-hop credibility. This is a lament to inner city decline, to the pains of growing up amongst its ruins – to the tortures of modern life. Relationship angst and the sound of love’s innocence lost on The F-Word. Struggling through poverty on Stress Rap. Searching for self-identity on Pigeon.

As we approach The Cold Vein’s tenth birthday, it sounds as relevant and cutting-edge as the day it was released. It’s the sound of three people with the world at their feet. The enduring mystery is how two of the trio could never scale these heights again. Is El-P hip-hop’s equivalent of an auteur director, drawing masterful performances from average actors?

Videos

Painkillers

Pigeon (From the Revenge of the Robots DVD)

Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me (August 2001)

It never got better for Rodney Smith than the summer of 2001. Wherever Witness (1 Hope) dropped, it smashed it to bits. The first time you heard that tune, it sounded like something from the moon. Hip-hop met dancehall, met the best of UK dance music – and took on a life all of it’s own. When the album dropped a month later, there wasn’t a UK head out there that slept on it.

Charismatic, eccentric, a dreamer – all these adjectives describe Roots Manuva well. And those wonderful warm summer days of 2001 got wrapped up in that mix – immortalised on Run Come Save Me. When you first bought the album, all you could do was skip straight to Witness (1 Hope) and bump it on repeat. Then, the more you listened to the album, the more you heard the genius at work.

The straight boom-bap of Join The Dots, the weed-soaked daze of Dub Styles, and the warm embrace of a boozy summer buzz on Dreamy Days. It’s an album that lights a fire under your feet and then pulls the strings of your heart.

I met Rodney – or perhaps I met his Roots Manuva persona – on his tour for this album, just before he went on stage. To meet him then was to meet a man almost confused by the hysteria that surrounded him for a couple of brief years. In a fog of booze and weed, and surrounded by a gaggle of adoring girls, he was living the rock and roll dream. “What are you gonna do tonight, Rodney?” I asked him, hoping to get a sneak preview of the set list. “I’m gonna have a lot of fun” he slurred. And nobody who’s met him would say he deserves any less.

Videos

Witness

Dreamy Days

Aesop Rock – Labor Days (September 2001)

The first day I heard Labor Days was also the first day I ever heard Aesop Rock. It blew my mind. From that moment on, he wasn’t just one of my favourite rappers, he was one of my favourite musicians, period. When we interviewed him in 2008 and saw him live, he was everything a hero should be – a physical giant of a man, thoughtful, interesting and full of time for his fans. Yet, when I first bumped Labor Days, I knew none of that.

All I knew was that I’d heard no other rapper weave philosophical, political and sociological thought together with such detail. The record overflowed with complex, multi-syllabic rhymes, overlapping vocal layers and turns of phrase that were just straight dope. When the album finished, I just hit play and listened to it all over again, twice more.

Best of all, Aes Rock had done the knowledge. Aesop Rock knew his hip-hop. You thought so when you heard the “yes, yes, y’all” on Daylight, you were pretty sure when you heard the Raekwon sample scratched through Coma , and by the time you heard the opening line to Boombox, “Raw, Imma give to ya”, you knew he was down.

Yet every tune followed the old-school nods with mentions of George Orwell’s 1984, and Marxist thoughts on the working class in the USA. For me, still all-consumed with 36 Chambers and fresh out of a degree in politics, it couldn’t get any better. Yet it must have appealed to more than just my rather niche market, as there is little argument that Labor Days is one of the finest albums of the decade.

Videos

No Regrets

Tracks

Boom Box

Bent Life

Words by MF Hart. Read our review of 2000.

Reps: So Much More (Free EP)

Since the release of ‘The Saga of a Peaceful Man’ in 2008, Reps is back with this lovely little freebie. Over the past year he’s been working on his new album in studios in Poland, LA and London which is set to drop this summer.

This EP was the result of his time living in Poland and working with the legendary, gold selling rapper/producer OSTR. Written and recorded in one month, this EP is a slice of Rep’s life in Poland. With warm melodic beats and melancholic rhymes, it’s sure to put a glow in your belly on these cold January nights.

Listen to ‘Locked Door’
Go get Adobe Flash Player!

Download the So Much More EP – Free at repssomuschmore.com

Robot Koch: Death Star Droid Remixes EP

Robot Koch returns on the 26th February 2010 with this follow up to the hugely suxccessful ‘Death Star Droid’ which includes 2 brand new tunes.

Robert has teamed up with friends from all over the world, Blue Daisy, Shlohmo, Body Language, fLako, Beat Laden, Loops Haunt, Talen & Phon.o – all of whom twist and flip his original tracks.

If you like your beats and bass, with a dose of glitchy twitch, this is something you should investigate.

Listen to a clip from ‘Death Star Droid Remixes’
Go get Adobe Flash Player!

More info on projectmooncirle.com
Buy online at HHV.de

TheQ4: Sound Surroundings
+ Mr Cooper & DDay One : Tribute To The Q4 (Remixes)

TheQ4 is a collaboration of three young Dutch producers: Arts the Beatdoctor, Sense and STW, a crew spawned from a dark bar in Amsterdam.

They say: “When the crew was first formed, originally it had 4 members. (hence: the QuadraphoniQuartet) Each of us was also living in a different corner of Holland at the time and we all had our own individual style; Our own sound that we we’re making. We all have our part that we play, our own melody in the music, but in the end it blends together into one symphony, surrounding you from all sides…”

They released their latest album on the 22nd of this month in which hundreds of obscure records where chopped up and stripped to their bare essentials. “Sound Surroundings” offers a new
look on a retro sound system. To quote them from their artist profile:
“Hip-Hop beats can evolve into something that is music by itself”

As an extra treat – this release comes with a bonus 7″ featuring remixes from Mr. Cooper and DDay One

Listen to a clip from Sound Surroundings
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Listen to a clip from Mr. Cooper and DDay One’s Tribute to Q4
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More info on projectmooncirle.com
Buy online at HHV.de (comes with bonus T-shirt)

More info and photos on the Ironlak blog and more Mr. Wany on the Heavy Artillery website

We start today with a few gems from 2000.

Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele (January 2000)

Fresh out the pen, Ghostface dropped this absolute gem in the first month of the decade. Whatever happened during his trial and time locked up must have had quite an effect on him, as he stepped into the 21st century with a flow that was on a completely different level of conciousness to 1996’s Ironman. He marks out his intentions unequivocally from the get-go.

Nutmeg is full of crazy metaphors, layers of double-layered meaning and a flow that is a million miles away from comprehensible prose. This is poetry, make no mistake about it, and it’s delivered at a level of intensity that makes an already hype Ghostface seem positively relaxed on Ironman. What remains constant from the 90s, though, is that wonderful, rich production that owes so much to the beauty of 60s and 70s soul.

The further you venture into the album, the more you hear portents for the future. He plays with the part-singing-part-rapping style that forms such a strong part of later albums on Ghost Deini. The thread of his own, very unique, nostalgic raps that started with All That I Got Is You shows up on Child’s Play – a theme that continued throughout the decade. And, of course, on the Clyde Smith skit is the infamous 50 Cent diss – a beef now definitively squashed.

When we sat down to listen to Supreme Clientele on those cold winter nights of 2000, how many of us knew just how complete a picture of the next ten years of hip-hop Ghostface had made?

Tracks:

One

Saturday Night

Dilated Peoples – The Platform (May 2000)

Whilst east-coast artists like Company Flow pushed a dark, angry sound, a growing movement on the west-coast favoured concious raps and a lighter sound. Carried on a wave driven by Jurassic 5, and with plenty of momentum of his own as a hugely successful DJ, Babu was at the heart of Dilated Peoples and their strongest work – The Platform.

The Alchemist joins Evidence on the boards, delivering a classic boom-bap sound infused with rare soul samples previously popularised by UK DJ David Holmes. On the raps, Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience spat technical battle rhymes that brought back the glory days of the late 80s.

Closely affiliated with tha Alkaholiks, their influences come through loud and clear as the album plays through. By the time you get to Ear Drums Pop, you’ll hear a guest rap from Everlast that fuelled a bitter beef with Eminem.

The Platform is one of those rare things in hip-hop, an album that slowly grows on you. It’s also an album that grows stronger towards the end. If you’re willing to invest some time in it, you’ll be rewarded with discovering one fantastic record.

Video

Work the Angles

Tracks

Ear Drums Pop

Triple Optics

Deltron – Deltron 3030 (May 2000)

“It’s the year 3030. And, here at the corporate institutional bank of time, we find ourselves reflecting. Finding out, that in fact, we came back. We were always coming back.”

And so Damon Albarn’s croaky estuary-English, glottle-stops and all, summarises this album on the opening skit.

Deltron 3030 is a wonderfully layered piece of dramatic irony, as Deltron Zero, our storytelling rapper from the year 3030 reflects back on what is our present and future, all accompanied by a sonic backdrop akin to a 1970s dystopian science fiction film. Luckily, Deltron 3030 is also a peerless hip-hop joint with instant appeal.

Dan the Automator had already flexed his skills on the mind-blowing Dr. Octagonecologyst and the Handsome Boy Modelling School concept album. Unlike Handsome Boy Modelling School, however, Deltron 3030 is tightly focussed. Lyrics stay on-theme, skits are short and relevant and production is consistently futuristic and claustrophobic. He also made the smart decision to use indie-rapper Del Tha Funkee Homosapien – then at the peak of his powers.

This futuristic, space-rap album touches on some very contemporary fears. Virus is the focus for a reflection on the armageddon-that-never-was, the Y2K bug. Upgrade meditates on the constant pressure for self-improvement. Madness discusses stifling social conformity.

Most importantly, it’s all done to a soundtrack full of unforgettable beats created by a master of his craft. Make no mistake, this is as fine as any Dan The Automator work.

Video

Positive Contact

Track

Deltron 3030

OutKast – Stankonia (October 2000)

OutKast’s previous album was light years away from this. Granted, Aquemini featured similar themes – political dissidence, strong influences from George Clinton era funk and Prince-esque sexuality – but this was an album that sounded like it truly belonged in the 21st century.

Opening with a chiming, computerised voice and a savaging of American society, it was quickly apparent that this was an album that would be huge. Somehow retaining OutKast’s off-kilter sense of humour, anarchic dirty south roots and dreamy funk tendencies whilst sounding slick, Stankonia was the album that made superstars of Andre 3000 and Big Boi. This was their MTV album.

You’d barely got over the effortless braggadocio of So Fresh, So Clean when you were listening to what would become one of the biggest hits of 2000 – Andre 3000’s ode to his ex-girlfriend Erykah Badu. Every psychedelic-influenced track was perfectly balanced by a thugged-out joint. For every I’ll Call Before I Come, there was a Snappin’ & Trappin – all interspersed with off-the-wall skits like Kim & Cookie.

There can be little argument that B.O.B. is the zenith of Stankonia. Released just weeks before George W Bush was controversially elected President, Bombs Over Baghdad is eerily prescient when looked back on. As a song, it’s also an unstoppable dancefloor classic, proving that OutKast knew how to rock a party and rock your synapses in 2000.

Video links

Bombs Over Bahgdad | So Fresh, So Clean

(Sorry – embedding disabled by YouTube)

To be continued…

Words by MF Hart.

You can read a great intro to the book on the Multilink blog, but here’s a quote from the post to summarize:

“Capsule has been conceived as a high quality and collectible series of art books and prints that span the same diversity of visual culture found in the free online magazine without the editorial.

Many of the same principles remain in place such as the variety of content and desire to elevate some incredible talents, generally operating beneath the popular radar.

But where the online magazine is a platform for all kinds of creative endeavours, these books and prints provide a more focused catalog of art and illustration.”

No doubt this is a high quality production, from the content to the paper to the binding, and a bargain at £7.99 – go and grab a copy.

Any connoisseurs of the head nod will get immense pleasure from this mix, the beats just keep coming, there’s too many to mention. Before you can remember where that break was from, the next will be upon you, and before you can hit rewind, the next will freeze your finger.

Check out the official Boom Bap Continuum website for the mp3 download, full tracklist and artwork downloads plus a lot more info.

Listen to the mix:

» Download the mp3 from the official website

Intro photo by Jay Goldman

We have been blessed with an exclusive design from Alex Young and screenprinted to perfection. These Ts are now ready to be bagged up in the shop.

Available in grey and yellow for boys and girls:

View / buy online »

Or pink and white – just for the ladies:

View / buy online »

The shirts are screenprinted by Sideline, photos by Garage Studios
Modelled by the awesome Sally Reynolds.

Having cut his teeth through his garage scene roots, performing alongside the likes of P Money, Firmer Dee aka Funky Dee, Little Dee and Blacks, has all helped play a part in his exciting new pathway towards individual success.

Now 1/3 of Midas Touch with AKS & J Da Exodus, Phoenix feels it’s time to step out by himself and bring some truth, experiences and opinions of his own to the mic.

The twenty-two audio gem is hosted by Higher Height’s comrade and label mate M9, with Phoenix and guests flowing with a nice boom bap style over a bunch of classic 90s beats. It is mixed by super scratch DJ Roast who cuts his way seamlessly through hip-hop’s more rugged side. Features from Masikah, 9 Planets and fellow crew members AKS and J Da Exodus all add to the heat, spraying a flurry of condensed poetically punctuated rhymes that’ll burst a hole in your brain and leave your neck aching.

Phoenix is also soon dropping his debut album ‘The Quantum Leap’ featuring Kyza and Triple Darkness who recently formed a new super group ‘Orphans of Cush’. With the consistently sterling beatsmith Chemo taking on all production duties.

‘Baptism Under Fire’ is out now on Higher Heights Records.

Buy online at Suspect Packages

Visit Phoenix on MySpace
Visit Higher Heights on MySpace

Carhartt is hosting a special one off event at its Neal Street store in Covent Garden, London, featuring an exclusive performance from the man himself ‘Phoenix Da Ice Fire’.

When: Monday, December 7, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Where: 55 NEAL STREET, LONDON, COVENT, WC2H 9LL

Downloads

You can listen to and download 2 tracks from Phoenix right here:

Phoenix – Use Your Imagination
Go get Adobe Flash Player!
Download mp3 3.5mb

Phoenix – Silver Lining ft. Yasone
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Download mp3 3.26mb

It featured the work of Aroe, Gary, Jiroe, Twesh, Nylon, Storm, Odisy, Roid and Gebes with a guest appearance from Insa.

The Prescription Art gallery is huge – around 6000 square feet, over 3 floors, and to see this huge space with the walls filled from floor to roof with huge graf pieces, photos and artwork is a real jaw dropping sight.

Whilst the show featured a selection of straight up graffiti, there was also a lot of non-graf work from the artists. When Insa is involved, you know to expect some bad ass booty-based bigness, and when walking up the stairs (painted by Roid) from the main entrance showing massive pieces from Gary and Jiroe as well as enormous pieces and photos of Aroe in action, to the second floor, you weren’t dissappointed.

The basement also housed a heap of treats including great tyopographical pieces from Twesh as well as the amazing Alice in Wonderland wall from Odisy:

So cop a look at the great stuff on show in our gallery of photos from the opening night.

Garage Studios were also in attendance and they have a great collection of photos of vistors to the show that night.

Plus here’s a video of the evening from The Kool Skool:

So if you’re in town during November, we strongly advise you stop by and have a look, in the meantime enjoy the photos in our gallery and all the others on Flickr.

Most of the art from the show is available to buy online via Prescription Art.