California’s king of the beats Madlib has a new album out on the 29th September 2008 - ‘WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip’ which sees him easing up on the world rhythms and returning to his roots in the boom bap. To let us dip our toes before we jump in, we have an mp3 download of ‘The Ox (805) ft. MED and Poke’ for you to pump and bump:

Download ‘The Ox (805)’ (mp3 - 192kbps 4.2mb)

» Buy WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip online at Stone’s Throw Records

Photo by Moritz Guth

This tattooed bikini-clad honey dip just arrived for your desktop delight. Available in the regular sizes plus 1920×1200, 1680×1050, 1600×900 and 1440×900, and 320×240 for your mobile device.

One of the latest Delarge desktop wallpapers is up for the download. Another Delarge original, ‘Phantasm’ is designed to bring a darker, spookier style to your screen. More due any minute…

This is available is the usual sizes, plus 1920×1200, 1680×1050 and 1440×900, and a bonus 320×240 for your mobile.

Buy the new Doomtree album on iTunes or from their own store.

» See more photos on Ektopia’s Flickr gallery

» See our time lapse art video featuring Alex sketching and inking a huge illustration

» Visit Alex’s website

Bombay Monkey - 130 Astronauts

Out on Lo Tek on 18th August

Listen to ‘Are the Stars?’ the lead track from 130 Astronauts:

Bombay Monkey’s new album ‘130 Astronauts’ is the third in a “trilogy of four parts” following ‘Vanish’ (2005) and ‘Time Travellers’ (2006).

Although ‘130 Astronauts’ is themed around space, the album title is actually derived from the number of space cadets that used to drop by at 130 St Johns Road in Tunbridge Wells, where Bombay Monkey first started making tracks together.

Bombay Monkey describe their sound as being “not unlike alchemy, constantly searching for the perfect balance of numbers - high magic through high maths - mixing the past with the present and the organic with the chemical.”

‘130 Astronauts’ features Rosko John, Mr Thing, Red Eye, Sound Sanctuary and The Origamis and was recorded at their own studio located on a very old farm in The Ashdown Forest, although the initial Bombay Monkey sessions were a very different story. Andy explains:

“Guy shared the flat (the ground floor of an old Victorian semi) with two rappers, Natty and Dwella, and a skater/graffer Jay. I’d turn up with an MPC 2000, a zip drive, and a stack of vinyl while Guy had a mini disc recorder, another stack of vinyl and a stack of DVDs and videos. In the summer, we’d work in the garden - a reasonably over-grown space that was just about far enough away from the road that we could record. In the winter it wasn’t quite as easy. The flat was in a pretty bad state of disrepair with holes in the floor, a broken front door, no light in the bathroom and no heating anywhere. Winter recording was never as comfortable. We’d work in Guy’s room using an oil radiator for heat when we could afford it and as many tea lights as we could find when we couldn’t.”

Check out the video for Money Makes the World go Round
Visit the Bombay Monkey website

Skilf - Slow Me Down

Out 8th September on Riztone Records

Listen to Slow Me Down - the title track from the album:

Skilf is a Brighton based rapper/mc/singer, with intricate lyrics, sharp delivery and an ever growing fan base. Skilf’s new single ‘Slow Me Down’, featuring the Californian singer Michelle Ericsson, was produced by Toni Toolz who was responsible for the official remixes of ‘Trick Me’ by Kelis, ‘She Wants To Move’ by N.E.R.D, and ‘Slipping Away’ by Moby.

Skilf’s journey has been somewhat unusual for a hip hop artist: at the age of seven he started acting in an amateur dramatics group and was involved in many plays and musicals. He starred in a co-lead role in a film called Jim’s Gift (1996) and went on to study performing arts at college - this is where his love for the stage originated. He discovered his skill for writing lyrics at the age of sixteen, during the UK garage era. Since then Skilf has performed at a number of events supporting and appearing on the same line ups as Ghostface Killah (of Wu Tang Clan), Tim Westwood, Kidz In The Hall, Sway, Task Force, Jehst, Skinnyman, Pendulum, Grooverider, Andy C, MC Dynamite Skream, Benga and many more.

With his debut album ‘Original Visions’ released last year, Skilf has also appeared on a number of different mixtapes and promos, including the Brighton Hip Hop Festival CD in 2007, which was distributed through Hip Hop Connection.

Visit Skilf on MySpace

New Gelka Album - Less is More

‘Less Is More’ is the new album from Budapest’s own supersonic sound sensation, signed to Wax On, Nightmare on Wax’s very own label. Out on September 15th on Wax On.

Listen to So Many Ways - the lead track from the Less is More album:

Gelka say “It was always our biggest dream to release music in Europe and abroad, but that’s a very difficult thing to do for a Hungarian band or musician. During the past seven years or so, a lot of people told us it would be an impossible mission… we kept our faith and shaped our sound, and now our vision becomes reality… We are free to do honest music and to go in these directions. Wax On gives us that freedom

Visit Gelka on MySpace

Bomb the Bass - Future Chaos

Bomb the bass is back with a new album - Future Chaos is out on the 15th September, but put away the smiley face: this is no nostalgia trip.

Listen to So Special, the first single from the album:

It’s been 21 years since Bomb the Bass’ ‘Beat Dis’ helped usher in the era of sampling, acid house and DJ culture. It’s easy to forget how monumental the single was. Going straight to number two in the UK charts, the song’s success quickly propelled Simenon from underground DJ to in-demand knobsman. Long before Marc Ronson or Timbaland, he was the go-to guy for the Midas Touch.

In those early years, he co-produced Neneh Cherry’s stone classic ‘Buffalo Stance’ and Seal’s ‘Crazy’—not a bad run for an upstart fresh out of sound engineering school. Throughout the ’90s, Bomb the Bass continued to blaze trails with the classic ‘Bug Powder Dust’, the trip-hop blueprint ‘Winter In July’ and the dubby ‘Clear’.

All the while, Simenon racked up production and remix credits for acts like Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Curve, Björk and Massive Attack. Just as important were his many collaborations with a surprising range of artists: J. Saul Kane, Jah Wobble, Sinéad O’Connor, Hector Zazou, On-U Sound—even actress Minnie Driver turned up in the mix.

Visit Bomb the Bass on MySpace

Whilst Public Domain was mind blowing, what came next was even more groundbreaking.

‘Attack’ was a collaboration of Stacey Peralta and Tim Simenon (from Bomb the Bass). It’s only 19 minutes long, and more like an extended music video. Skate footage is chopped up over heavy beats, spliced with random visuals and all blended into a barrage of bass and big air. If you’ve seen this video before, watching it again will bring back fond memories, if you haven’t, pump up the volume take a look a this amazing short film, now nearly 20 years old:

Part 1:

Part 2:

A copy of the video sits in the Delarge HQ:

Listen to the lead track - ‘The Gathering’:
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Setting the pace for 2008, the entire Living Legends crew locked down at Encore Studio (Dr Dre’s The Chronic 2001, Eminem Marshall Mathers LP, etc.) to record ‘The Gathering’, out 28th July on Legendary Music, set for nationwide release on their own Legendary Music label. Each song in this brand new collection features every single MC on every single track, and it is definitely the most well crafted batch since their inception.

As a collective, the prolific Legendary crew has sold well over a quarter million records between them.

The line-up includes Murs, The Grouch, Luckyiam, Eligh, Scarub, Sunspot Jonz, Aesop and Bicasso. ‘The Gathering’ is a seven song collection highlighted by a socially conscious anthem for peace, while not forgetting to move the crowd with heavy bangers, catchy hooks and fire-spitting verses. The record was mastered by Grammy Nominated Mike Lazer (Gnarls Barkely “St. Elsewhere”) at Paramount Mastering and Recording and has a sound bigger than anything coming from the independent hip hop movement.

‘The Gathering’, a precursor to a full length coming in late ‘08, serves to warn the greater hip hop massive: Don’t forget the longtime leaders of the Wild West coast!

Check the reality show spoofing video for ‘She Wants Me’:

» Buy ‘The Gathering’ online at the official Living Legends website

» Visit Living Legends on MySpace

There are two new posters to download and print, in both black and white versions, A3 in size and featuring a fine spread of tapes from way back. It was all about hitting play and record, peep the labels for some old school type steez.

» Download from the posters section.

We caught up with Slug from Atmosphere whilst he was on the ‘3 the Hard Way’ tour with Brother Ali to talk about live shows, hip hop & being a slacker amongst other things…

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Running time: 30mins 24secs

Download the interview as an mp3 (42mb - 192kbps)

Atmosphere’s new album ‘When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold’ is out now on Rhymesayers Records.

Available at: iTunes | Amazon | Fifth Element

Videos

On YouTube:
Shoulda Known
Guarantees
Paint it Gold
Bonus DVD Sneak Peek

Interview conducted on 19th June 2008 in Brighton, UK