Shocking like the slap of cold cement in the winter: Rasa Libre is no more! For undisclosed reasons, the very stylish graphics and existential vibe of the latest Deluxe off-shoot are dead. Already rumours are spreading about various riders being allotted spots on other Deluxe teams, whilst others have reportedly left to start their own gig..?
In any case, if the Rasa can’t make it today, who can?
by Dee Massey
There are few bands out there so close to their fanbase that they’d actually raffle off a member of the band, but then The Crimea aren’t your run of the mill holier than thou rock stars, however more of that later..
Rising from the ashes of successful band ‘The Crocketts‘, Davey McManus and Owen Hopkins formed ‘The Crimea‘ alongside Andy Norton, keyboardist Andrew Stafford and bassist Joseph Udwin, reinventing themselves and endlessly grafting over the last three years whilst they recorded a series of demos at their East London house, whilst constantly gigging and forging a secure solid fan base both in UK and US.
But hard work has its payback, and after a showcase at SXSW 2004, they signed to Warner (a US deal which has been reciprocated by UK Warner) and this week sees the release of their debut album ‘Tragedy Rocks‘ things are definitely looking up.
Sitting down in a pizza joint in Chalk Farm on the eve of their UK tour drummer Owen Hopkins and keyboardist Andy Strafford seem relaxed before their Enterprise show to celebrate John Peel Day – (the DJ was incidentally was a huge supporter of The Crimea, describing ‘Lottery Winners on Acid’ as “one of the best songs I’ve heard in years“).
With the album just released they’re setting off on a 25 date tour of the UK taking in all the main cities, “places like Tunbridge Wells and Harlow.” Andy adds wryly. It’s their first tour since getting signed to US based Warner’s, which seems at first an unlikely choice of labels after releases on indie labels.
“Well, we were always trying to sign simply with the right label, we wanted to go with someone who was prepared to put some money behind the band, to really push the band, to really try and break us – and I know there’s a lot of independent labels that are capable of that now, we ended up going with Warner’s because they seemed really really keen.” Andy counters. Their big break happened at SXSW, having spent their last funds on getting over to Texas; they played a set in an Irish pub at 1am in the morning which was, as Owen puts it .. “fucking disastrous!” Andy had hired the wrong keyboard, “pedals were going wrong, the drum kit was going flying, but it was passionate on top of that and it really turned heads and we ended up getting a deal…” he shrugs.
Having already recorded ‘Tragedy Rocks‘ on their own 16 track, the band went into the studio in the deep South, Mississippi (surrounded by “country music..we listened to artists like Blake Sheldon, Gretchen Wilson and Toby Keith.”). It was time to hand the reins over to someone else, which is never an easy thing to do – but was it as hard as they’d thought? Owen concedes ” ..to an observer..absolutely” Giving creative control to an outsider after three years “grafting morning noon and night, Davey specifically… to hand over the reins to a “producer”.. with his own creative agenda, it didn’t quite work. The songs were fully formed already, we didn’t need someone to put their oar in, and there was a little bit of friction did arise, and that’s probably why it was so miserable” Owen explains diplomatically.
But their savior came in the form of Chris Shaw, known for engineering Weezer and Wilco specifically, who was assisting in Mississippi, and the band and Shaw relocated to NY to finish the album.” We got on really well with Chris, we knew he could do the job and it just seemed like the natural decision to use him to mix the album..”.
With the album in the can, they quintet took to the road in US with Ash and then Billy Corgan. Having supported a wide range of acts both here and over the pond (including The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional and Kings of Leon) the band secured a support slot on the Billy Corgan tour through a friend of a friend. “The Billy Corgan tour was excellent, we managed to get an album to Billy and he heard it, liked it, and decided to take us on tour. We were there giving it some, turning the amps up ..and rocking out..and Billy’s there giving it his Depeche Mode impression, so I think people reacted well to our gnarly rock!”.
The US audiences were quick to accept The Crimea (the countless messages of support from American fans on the bands my space page lays testament to their success over the pond).”The American crowds are a little less jaded than we are in the UK because I think fans in the UK are so used to scenes coming and going within five on ten minutes, they’re just a little bit blasé about it.[In America], they’ll be with you for years and years, [the] crowds aren’t really waiting for you to impress them, they’ll take you on face value and if they like your music they’ll come again, whereas a UK audience can be a little bit..you know..with their arms folded ‘impress me’ type of thing ..” Owen explains.
Touring the states was a rite of passage for the guys, “we’d sometimes do 6 or 700 miles in a day, stuck in this RV, this summer we were touring with Billy Corgan in over 100 degrees heat with no air conditioning, seven blokes, in a fucking RV, 12000 miles in 7 weeks, believe me it gets a little steamy!” Andy smiles, “we have our fair share of arguments!” Whislt Davey writes inspired, winding blogs on MySpace, Owen spent the last tour learning French ” there this course…Michel Thomas…you don’t need a book and you don’t need to write anything down, you just need a CD player, I’ve stuck it on my ipod and you just talk along to it.”. Back home he’s well know for his freelance writing for various magazine, including NME, Kerrang and The Fly, whilst on the road the band keep in constant contact with their fanbase through their often hilarious group emails. Hopkins’ emails throughout the last years give fans a sense of belonging, as one fan described them when asked ” you feel like you’re part of the family – you’re really 100% behind the band because they make you feel like you’re part of it.”
The summer was neatly tied up with appearances at Leeds Reading Carling Weekend and Bestival. “I fucking love festivals” Owen grins when recounting his Reading experience. “I love them..in particular I really love Reading , because I’ve been there since I was like 15 or 16, so to play Reading, having always had such a laugh there over the years was special, I’d played there with The Crockett’s and that was amazing, and now I’ve played there with The Crimea, it was amazing, I mean it never disappoints.”
When asked about Leeds he grins. “I hate to sound snotty but we played Leeds on the Friday and Leeds was just a bit of an obstacle before we got to Reading. We were like ‘fuck this’ let’s just get down to reading and act like twats backstage! To play it and be there..was just amazing!” Their enthusiasm is contagious, and anyone who caught their slot at Reading would agree, Davey’s vocal gymnastics drew in the crowds and made it a highlight of the last day.
And so having finished a pre gig pizza the guys wander back for the John Peel Day set, fans new and old pile upstairs in The Enterprise, a homecoming for The Crimea. And what of that raffle – Owen was raffled off on their Myspace site, but through a random twist of fate his sister won him. So not romance there? ” No!..But a lot of beer and drunken dancing like a freak!”
‘Tragedy Rocks‘ (Warners) is available in the shops now.
Catch The Crimea on tour, for further info check out www.thecrimea.net
Dee Massey
The Scala – London
24th November 2005
When we heard that this gig was for real it was a no brainer, we were never gonna miss it. Both bands have been played to death here at HQ all year round so the promise of a show together was the kiss of life. Sub Pop’s Wolf Parade opened the show but we missed them by an inch but made it in good time to see Dead Meadow hit the stage in good time. Dead Meadow have been around since 1988 and come from the wonderful music state of Washington DC, and area that has spawned some of the best bands in underground history such as Henry Rollins, Fugazi, and Minor Threat.
Over these years about 5 albums have been released, (in fact one of them even came out on Fugazi bassist Joe Lally’s Tolotta Records and they were the only band to have a Peel Session recorded out of the BBC studios as well fact finders) so tonight was a good show to check out some of their previous material as well as tracks from the classic current record “Feathers“.
Now, there was confusion before the show about who was going to headline tonight but after what must have been a flick of the coin the Meadow took to the stage early and played what was more like a headline slot! It was electric, and built up bit by bit from start to finish until the field was full and the crowd was in a firm trance. For a 3 piece, they have quite a remarkable sound that transcends well from the record to the stage.
With the constant flow of bass skills from Steve Kille and the mesmerizing anchor man in drummer Stephen McCarty you have one of the most solid rhythm sections on the planet. This skill helps vocalist/guitarist Jason Simon produce his layered vocals coated in reverb with what looks like little effort although you know somehow he is thinking every note as he twangs yet another 2 minute stoner solo. This band has the knack to jam your lazy arse into the ground. Taking Hendrix by the horns, twisting it round with the heaviness of Sabbath and the psychedelic drugs of the Verve b-sides, the Meadow are a force to feel tonight and drummer McCarty shows how good he is with drum rolls that mulch your brain. I was way too stoned to remember each song but I do know that they finished with a killer version of the hidden track form the end of the Feathers album that destroyed people. It was an amazing show but Black Mountain had not even played yet and it felt as if nothing could ever match what we had just witnessed.
The show Black Mountain played this year at Metro was incredible but also looked a little tight for space on the night. Tonight they seemed comfortable on a bigger stage with a better PA and they managed to turn the entire crowd into a warbling wreck within the first 4 songs. The monstrous Don’t Run Our Hearts Around, No Satisfaction and Modern Music kicked in to get the crowds blood flowing after the Meadow had destroyed all vein action which led to a killer Druganaut session and some early stuff before the folk imploded Heart of Snow, the demanding, blood rushing No Hits and the mellow Set Us Free literally glued people’s feet to the ground.
Once again, the rhythm section is faultless and gels together something that could easily fall apart if the wrong people are holding fort. But the Mountain have one of the tightest operations going since Scrooge and the most interesting thing about this is Stephen Mcbean’s presence. He plays so casually and makes near to no eye contact with the crowd whatsoever. His demeanor is one of a prowling fox who makes no bones about stinging a progressive solo through your ears with distortion without emotion. Mix this with the eerie vocals of Amber Webber whose delivery must be akin to a stoner Portishead and you have a Mountain to climb on your own. The band are on fire and we all melted to the sound of it tonight.
At the end, members from Dead Meadow joined them onstage which ensured a jam of chronic proportions and what a great way to end a perfect night out. Looking back though, one of the main reasons that this night was so good is that it was all fuelled by a bunch of people discovering 2 of the best records that have stood out of the crowd this year. The indie scene is thriving, it’s operated on a small scale but good word of mouth is never wrong when the bands are this good. Smokin’…
Zac
In Flames
Girlschool
Brixton Academy, London
19.11.05
Girlschool and Motorhead have a lot of history between them. They had a huge hit in the early eighties with a joint version of the Johnny Kid And The Pirates rock n’roll classic ‘Please Don’t Touch‘ and toured the UK together to promote the release. Given Lemmy’s reputation with the ladies, Girlschool were lucky to get out with their knickers intact and over twenty years later they’re back onstage with Motorhead as though the last few years hadn’t happened and time has stood still.
They’ve actually aged remarkably well, and strut the stage still full of attitude and vigour, blasting through early eighties metal classics like ‘Emergency‘ and ‘Hit And Run‘. Sure, they sound dated and of their time but the energy and attitude is very much intact. Their set ends with Lemmy himself joining them onstage for a blistering run through ‘Please Don’t Touch’, apparently the first time they’ve played it live together. Great stuff!
If tonight’s gig was a sandwich then In Flames would be the young fresh filling between two crusty old slices of bread! Theirs is obviously a far more modern band then the headliners, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a better one. They certainly please the younger members of the audience who are more accustomed to those modern death metal sounds, but this Swedish five-piece do suffer from an unfortunately murky sound that buries many of the more subtle melodic aspects of their sound. That said, they put on a high energy and spirited performance and don’t suffer too much abuse from the notoriously hard to please hardcore Motorhead fans.
Brixton Academy can be a terrible venue for rock bands. It’s sheer size and acoustics can often reduce even the toughest sounding rock bands to a sludgy mush. Not Motorhead. This is the band that still like to have everything louder than everything else and when they hit the stage to ‘Dr Rock‘ they sound like a bomb going off. The power and force that comes from these three quite old men is absolutely stunning and cuts through the venue like a knife. And right from the start, they give the crowd exactly what they want; no fucking around, just brute force rock n’roll power and some of the greatest rock songs of all time. They’re all here tonight – ‘Stay Clean‘, ‘Killed By Death‘, ‘No Class‘, ‘Going To Brazil‘, ‘Iron Fist‘ – every song a classic and each a memorable moment from their long career. Of course they end the set with ‘Ace Of Spades‘ and the whole venue goes nuclear before the double-kick drum intro of ‘Overkill‘ pounds through the P.A. and we’re off into one of the ultimate metal classics. ‘The only way to feel the noise is when it’s good and loud,’ barks Lemmy in the opening line of the song. And he’s damn right. Take those fucking earplugs out and feel the force.
There’s no one quite like Motorhead.
JAMES SHERRY
The Borderline – London
21.11.05
“We feel about a million miles away from home right now” admits beardy Baroness guitarist John Baizley as the reality of the band’s first long distance tour away from home dawns on him. ‘But thank you for making us feel so welcome.’ The pleasure, however, is all ours! Tonight, Georgia based quartet Baroness are an absolute revelation. Drawing their influences from many different aspects of heavy music, they fuse crust punk, tech-metal, prog rock and slabs of sonic sludge with classic metal riffs for an end result that sounds like Discharge, Isis, Mastodon, Eyehategod, Iron Maiden and the Melvins all at once.
And while their two EP’s are well worth tracking down, live they are utterly majestic, lurching and bellowing across the stage and making us wonder how on earth Capricorns are going to follow this. 
But if any band is fit enough to take on the challenge, it’s London’s Capricorns. Arriving onstage with a tense, determined look upon their faces, they immediately set about giving the Yanks a run for their money. No, this isn’t a competition but it’s a real pleasure to see a UK metal band this good and tonight, still buzzing from the creative success of their debut album ‘Ruder Forms Survive‘, Capricorns show a heaviness and depth within the grinding epic instrumental voyages of ‘Exit Wargasmatron‘ and ‘The Harrying Of The Heathen‘ that is sorely needed on this Island infested with weak commercial crap and a timely reminder of just how breathing-taking and challenging heavy music can be. None more heavy.
JAMES SHERRY
reported by everyones favourite swinger…Maxwell Woodger Esq
Monday, 28 November 2005
Digesting a lovely vegetarian curry and smoking a fruity hookah pipe, I watched the screen with glazed eyes. A pile of dirty dishes were strewn between the table, couch, desk and sink, and ash had slipped and crumbled onto the carpet. In this decadent yet resolved décor, not much could bother me except the taxman or a sudden drop in body lotion stock.
However, the late night news report suddenly made the sweet fumes turn sour and my belly ache: Colonel Qaddafi was sitting cross-legged with a fly-swat in his hand brushing away all accusations of misdoings and general evil behaviour in regards the 5 Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya!
The dirty devil hid behind his counterfeit Dior sunglasses, and bad face-lift as the journalist pressed him for an explanation. Apparently the Colonel was slapping the blame for a botched bit of chemical skulduggery on these health workers from abroad. Libya was always a dodgy place to book a holiday, but these were members of an honest organisation- one which served and saved the People- Not some 18-30 Club Rep death squad.
So, what do you do?
This was one too many late night shocks for my liking, plus Khadhafi’s military outfit was far too loud for my flatscreen pixels to deal with. The World was going to shit with people dressed like that in power! Surely he was an open target with camouflaged colours like that? Unless the Colonel spent all his free time at carnivals and Mardi Gras conventions..? Ummm…
In any case, there wasn’t much I could do about it at this ungodly hour. I needed a drink! I grabbed my coat and hit the cold slippery streets. No-one around and no noise; just a dimly lit avenue with stray cats for company… Any serious alcky would be getting the shakes when left with these kind of prospects for a bevy. Heavy breathing and bloodshot eyes on a junkie for the tipple, as he stalks the streets armed with a scratched up lighter used to open many a bottle in the dark!
Of all my years frequenting the fountains of fermented fun in various pubs, clubs and bars, I’ve never understood the English way of handling this customer service. If they aren’t imposing ever increasing taxes, or revoking licences from family-owned venues, the fuzz is prowling the streets in huge armoured paddy wagons looking for an easy quota level of arrests to make! It’s shameful.
However, any foreigner will let you know that an Englishman cannot hold his drink (with the obvious exception being Americans who down Proof piss by the litre!). Plus, being the great socialite he is, anything that might enhance the Englishman’s bear hug grip of friendship on a stranger, or push him to prove the Eurovision judges wrong with his odes and ballads of football rivalry, must be stopped!
“Last orders at the bar, mate! That’s right- Get outta my public house and go urinate elsewhere!“
It’s a harsh reality every Englishman must face.
So, where does that leave me and the alcoholics, eh?
Well, firstly, I’m not an alcoholic… Just a man who is a little tired and emotional about Global affairs. And anyway, I know where to find the nectar of the gods if needs be: Libya.
Why of course! If Qaddafi can parade himself on 24 hour news networks dressed like Trinny or Susanna on ketamine, and falsely condemn innocent people of chemical injunctures, he must be sipping the right syrup. To my knowledge, the camel is King in the desert because it carries water. So, with his garish looks, enormous hump against society and desert storm dress code, Khadhafi must have something in his drinks cabinet..?
Maxwell Woodger Esq
After a long wait to get the updated site running we are finally starting to flow. There are a shit load of tunes that I’ve been sent during the past months and they definitely need a mention in the next few instalments of the Mix. My reviews for this week are looking at a large assortment of different types of hip-hop ranging from multi-lingual rhymes from London, Paris and Guadeloupe to top tracks from some of Nottingham and Birmingham‘s finest artists whilst Abjekt lays down his current Top 5 Buzz Joints of the month also on this page.
A large part of what I want to do is to let the world know about some of the new up and coming artists, you know, give the decent ones a break and a bit of exposure. It’s always nice to hear what new track Task Force, Braintax, Rodney P etc have released (or re-released) but today I’m not in the mood for that. Today is a day for the peeps that have to try a little harder to be heard. Believe me, there are some good tunes out there waiting to be picked up.
Try a few of these on for size:
I’chelmee is presented to us by Social Misfit entertainment; you can find some of their stuff for sale on line at www.suspect-packages.com (where you can find loads of decent uk 12″s, albums, DVD’s and magazines). Spreading the vibe is a very different debut album where the tracks exceed the usual musical and lyrical boundaries. The album is dropped in French, Creole and English by the multi-linguist I’chelmee. Throughout this album we can be served with a delightful concoction of original and diverse blends of musical ingredients. From agreeable melodious tunes reminiscent of Caribbean calypso for starters, to heavy beat-banging African drums for desert.
Now, if you didn’t pay attention in your foreign language lessons that’s not too much of a problem because there are some pretty fat rhythmical tunes on this CD. I learnt Spanish so I’m screwed. But for those that are into the likes of MC Solar or Sian Supa Crew this one is definitely for you.
The track I would like to point out to everyone is “Met Sa Wo“. Its one of those tunes that fits perfectly with cruising in your car on a hot summers day with your seat tilted a little, bitch in the front, bitches in the back, and you’ve got yo swerve on. Or have I been watching too much shit on TV. Anyway, it does have that sound that makes you feel a touch of coolness, or extra cool if you’re the type that thinks you’re already there. Take some time to have a listen to this stuff. Have a little variety in your tastes. A little diversity doesn’t hurt anyone. Check it out at www.ichelmee.com. You can also download this album from www.karmadownload.com for £7.99.
With the emancipation of this 9 track album we can all take a largely anticipated and eagerly awaited breath out in a sigh of relief. Dealmaker records, from the Midlands, have released a proper little gem here. Lost Project, comprising of members; MC Killah, Poorly Fluent and DJ Frenic come true with that real rugged, home-grown sound that (I think) most of us are looking for.
From skipping through the tracks when I first received the CD the track that initially stuck its neck out was no. 7; “All about the Gods” somehow uses synth sounds that produce a chilled ghostly feel while at the same time it gets my head noddin’ all the way through. And that’s not because I was falling asleep, it’s because I am feeling the tune I should say.
Another track I want to mention is “Mutual Feelings” because it caught me one day walking to work with my ipod on. Again, we’ve got that eerie sound that I like to hear but it’s the quick, keep you on your toes, lyrics that set this one off. Switching between MC’s for different verses and fast lyrical intelligence and witty jives for the shitty MC’s that we all love to hate, really keeps the flow going.
There are so many reasons why this album caught my attention; DJ Frenic whips this shit up with some sweet tasting scratching from start to finish, the whole album has a darkish sinister feel to it and George Bush is given a good portion of shit to swallow! (nice idea there lads). There’s a lot to this one… Grab it when you can. And guess what!! It’s only a fiver for this little beast at the labels’ website www.dealmakerrecords.com so hurry up and get your pay pal accounts sorted. There are a couple of tracks off the album for you to listen to before you buy it.
Right then! DPF lives in Norwich, which is also the home of Alan Partridge. Now, for those of you that don’t know any of DPF’s work, he is always impressing with his supa-tight flows and has featured on loads of releases by top notch producers such as; Rob Life, Styly Cee (aka MC Pitman) and Tom Caruana.
I have specifically picked one tune from DPF’s follow up of his “Mental Floss” EP in 2003, “Still Flossin‘”. That tune (as it says above) is “The Inpatient“. In this track DPF has written very cheeky and extremely clever lyrics based on being a patient at a mental home, a sort of sequel to “The Outpatient” from the last EP. His dark, comical humour and lyrical dexterity rip the fuck out of this track and can make you laugh, get to almost know his character and…..if you feel like it…. have a little groove along the way. This is a great track for both your home and for playing out at bars. I played this one at my last doo and it went down a right treat. Apart from with the wankers that asked if I had any house music!! But anyway, what a track! On a boring note, as I am someone with a degree in psychology, you would be surprised how much relevant stuff there is in there and how true and to the point the lyrics really are.
And no! There’s nothing about the pedestrianisation of Norwich in there. (For those of you that get it). Check out www.sonrecords.com for more info.
This last album was sent to me, along with a couple of other CD’s and a few posters, just for buying a few records from suspect packages and what a treat it is. I’ve never heard of this lot before but maybe I should have done. This debut 21 track CD is full of diamonds in the rough, with light hearted and amusing little skits including a wonderful interview about a very “distracted” mans‘ favourite pets. This crew is made up of two producers, one DJ and three MC’s. Again, Tom Caruana raises his head and blesses us with his presence and some well picked samples. Dr Syntax also shows us how to avoid those syntax errors. This CD is perfect for people that love to listen to those up beat Herbaliser tracks, Jurassic 5 or DJ Format albums.
As I have been doing, I shall pick a couple of tunes that you shouldn’t miss. The first one I’ve picked is one that I missed for a while because the tune doesn’t kick in right away, and that is “Whitey Express“. This is such a feel good tune because of its bouncy/slightly Hawaiian music although at the same time it’s about the person rhyming feeling pretty grimy. Every time I put this track on I get the feeling of havin’ a bit of fun, maybe going to the fair with my mates. Don’t know, there’s something great about this one. The second track I’ve picked is “Lazy Bones” Another feel good track about something completely opposite….Laziness! We can all associate with feeling rugged at half 2 in the afternoon, dragging ourselves up and ignoring our phones until we can be bothered to have a conversation with anyone. Well, at least I can. Oh the days!
Well some how this track makes you feel good about all of those things and helps you to realise it’s all in the name of fun the night/week before. This ones’ for the people that like a little smoke on occasions, it will definitely bring a smirk to your face. You can buy both the album and a 12″ EP from www.suspect-packages.com. As you will soon tell, you can buy almost everything to do with uk hip hop from this site.
Bigg Jus
Poor People’s Day
Mush Records
www.dirtyloop.com
Former Company Flow MC Jus kicks back into action with this release, a murky swamp of an album. Through crunching piano samples, orchestral sweeps and pounding downtrodden drums, Jus steps out of El-P’s shadow beating the mic up with his anti-political rhetoric and well thought out opinions on the poor state of the globe today. Definitely one for the intellectual heads out there.
Example
I Don’t Want To / Loneliness Costs
All The Chats
www.exampleonline.co.uk
English MC Example might not be a familiar name to a lot of you guys, but he soon will be. This double A sided single starts off with a Muddy Waters’ sampled beat which tells the story of Ex picking up a girl, trying to get rid of her at Pizza Express and finally succeeding in getting two meals all to himself. The flip side loops the well known “One Is The Loneliest Number” track where Example shows off his versatility as he jumps over a beat chronicling a man’s decline into drugs after being dumped.
Braille
Scatter Brain
Hip Hop Is Music
www.braillehiphop.com
This is an internet only release from Portland’s own Braille, a member of the head nodding crew Lightheaded [alongside Othello and Ohmega Watts]. A Christian MC, Braille throws his spiritual weight over summery vibes, stepping across boundaries and leaving the listener feel like they are floating on a cloud, instead of freezing in the middle of winter. Great cadence, nice beats and uplifting lyrics make this a sure fire winner.
Listener & EQ
Ozark Empire
Deepspace5 Records
www.forthelistener.com
Deepspace5 MC and Sage Francis sound-a-like proves his worth on the follow up to 2003’s “Whispermoon”. EQ cuts the tracks with twangy blues guitars, harmonicas and crackling vocal samples. What makes this record stand above a lot of what is floating around right now though are the drums. From the pounding bass drums to the ear-popping snares, this album’s percussion will pick you up, slap you in the face and then nick your wallet. An absolute belter.
P.O.S.
POS Is Ruining My Life
Rhymesayers
www.rhymesayers.com / www.doomtree.net
Pissed Off Stef, Promise Of Stress or just plain P.O.S., it doesn’t matter because after a minute of this, the first single from his upcoming second album “Audition”, you’ll be kicking back trying to figure out just when modern hip hop got so punk rock. The MC used to be in a punk band before taking the rapping route, but he is back to his roots with a guitar led sample, earth trembling bass and sung chorus. His angry, pushed out delivery gives the track a dark rush-hour feel and proves the brilliance of his debut album “Ipecac Neat” was no fluke.
So there it is again, the second instalment of “The Mix“. I hope you found something you like, or think you might like. That is my aim anyway, to try and help people along in their quest to find MORE music! As I said in the last instalment, every time I update The Mix I will be droppin’ some links to some decent websites that I’ve stumbled upon. I will also be sharing some of the best graffiti I’ve seen on my travels. Here is the pick of the month.
David Earl Dixon aka Dist.One has some of the best art out there right now and he is also making waves with his work related directly to his up and coming UK skateboard company The Harmony. Look out for his art show at the 88b Gallery space below the CIDE skateshop that kicks off on the 14th December. Click here for the info on this exhibition.
This is the local hip hop set up near me. This is for the people closer to the midlands. Getting better all of the time!
www.ninjatune.net
This is for the some of the best hip hop diversity around.
If you want to send me any tunes to review or graffiti you want some credit for, drop me an email and I’ll pass on my address for you to send stuff to.
Peace. I’ll see you all in a fortnight.
Projekts MCR is hosting a fundraising skateboarding competition at City Centre Skate Park at the Mancunian Way (Manchester) on 26th November 2005. The comp is to raise money towards a £200,000 extension. The competition is slightly different to normal skate comps. Competitors must enter as a team of 3 skaters. Each team will be given a five to ten minute section to show their skills to the judges.
Prizes will be awarded for:
Best Trick, Best Skater, Best Female Skater, Best Team and Best Slam (AKA the Spoon Prize).
Sections:
Sponsored Teams
Non-Sponsored Teams
Female Teams
Sponsors include Creme, Unabomber, Bench, Heroin, Projekts Skate Shop.
Entrance to the event is £2.00, which goes to the cause.
For further information please contact:
John Haines
Project Manager
johnnyhaines@gmail.com
07795685900
Flyer to follow shortly………
I think Santa Cruz has fast become my favourite company again. I say again, because the last Heyday for SCS was way back when Tim Brauch (RIP) was killing it and Jason Adams wasn’t going all Willie Nelson on us.
In fact SCS’s leap back to the forefront is quite shocking yet quite simple: Lay very low with hardly any recognizable riders and then gradually hand pick the unique ones that are often found a little further away than the city limits, all this staying true to the house style. No bells and whistles – just sick skating.
Out There is the second SCS video in a year, and there are even more new faces to watch. Obviously the first thing you’ll notice is the Euro heavy team SCS are running with: Alex Moul, Flo Marfaing, Henning Braaten, Oli Burgen… Then there are the other worldly foreigners repping SCS: Alex Carolino, Tommy Fynn, Sid Melvin… And finally the homegrown talent: Emmanuel Guzman, Lee Smith, Nestor Judkins… This team has it all, from the smooth and stylish to the uber-tech and fast and gnarly.
Even if a good 75% of this DVD was filmed in Barcelona, it doesn’t really matter because some of the spots are new and each one gets a severe seeing to by various members of the squad. I can’t be bothered to go into detail about who did what where, but you must realize the talent of Flo Marfaing! This kid has put out at least three video parts in the last 6 months, and it doesn’t look like he’s out of breathe at all…
On a down side, you might be disappointed by the lack of Henning and Oli’s footage, or the triple angle re-run of certain tricks, but the video clocks in around the half hour mark, so any longer and I could understand your worries.
News just in: Euro tech whiz William Phan is now on the team along with San Francisco slickster Adrian Williams! Oh shit…
http://www.outthere.santacruzskateboards.com
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
25/11/2005
Now here is DVD you probably won’t find. Why? Because you’ve probably never heard of Rellic Skateboards before, nor have you heard of any of their riders, and you are probably too young to know who Adam McNatt is. Correct? I thought so.
So let me inytroduce these Faces in the Crowd: Rellic is Adam’s new venture coming straight out of Canada a.k.a. the great unknown lump above America often overshadowed by it’s Southern neighbour. This might explain why FITC hasn’t been picked up by the radar.
I only recognized two of the riders (Not including Adam McNatt who we all know used to buddy up with Koston on 101 back in the day): Craig Williams who I spotted in a Natural Koncept video (Don’t worry, I doubt you know much about the NK, but you should!), and Alex Rothbauer who I had seen in various bits of Canadian Border but what goes on North of the Border stays North of the Border, eh?
Anyway, despite gathering a group of relatively unknown and uninspiring faces, there are a couple of stand outs in this DVD. On eof those being Alex, and the other being some old transition ripper in a Porkpie hat, Roger Bruinsma. Roger seriously rips it up in various concrete landscapes, and in the bonus section of park footy, he pretty much takes care of business one-handedly.
Now, I don’t know how motivated you guys are to go look for FITC, but it’s still worth a watch none the less- I swear I saw a couple of guys in WHEELCHAIRS carving and blasting airs at Burnside somewhere in there!!! I found it nice to see new faces, but I reckon it’s best to watch with the sound off because this DVD is seriously top-heavy with the metal music. Oh, and Adam McNatt can still skate…
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
25/11/2005
