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Music News

Watch: New Blueprint video

Normally on Crossfire you’d expect Blueprint to be in Skate News, but this time we’re talking about the Ohio rapper Blueprint, who is dropping his new album Adventures in Counter-Culture on March 1st on Rhymesayers Entertainment.

No need to beat around the bush, let’s just get straight into it below. If you’re into it, you can check out his free EP here!

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Music News

Watch: Brand new Sims video

Sims has unleashed a new video to kick 2011 in perfect fashion.

The rapper, part of the Doomtree Crew, will be releasing his new album Bad Time Zoo via Doomtree Records on February 15th. Take it from us, the album is an absolute banger so press play below on Burn It Down and become a Bad Time Zookeeper like the rest of us at Crossfire HQ!

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Music News

Xmas Jailbate Mix by Brookstafarai

Fancy a lazy Xmas hip hop mix to lounge to whilst you are off work? Jack Brooks just popped up on the old Crossfire Facebook page to share this mixtape for you to listen to.

Click here for the goods and send yours.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Kids & Explosions

Kids & Explosions
Shit Computer
Self-Released

First of all, and before you hear the inevitable comparisons from journalists that are somehow lazier than I am, Kids & Explosions does not sound like Girl Talk. The art of making music using the pastiche method of combining elements from existing pieces of music with other elements of existing pieces of music has become such common practice that people tend to confuse regular producers with mash-up artists, or worse, all of the above with Girl Talk. Rather than utilising nostalgic references and ADHD post-ironic pop culture twisters for the benefit of a party (like the Gregg Gillis’ frequently mentioned fraternity project, or 2manydjs), Josh Raskin has sat and watched that Four Loko-fuelled bandwagon roll away while piecing together ADD jams that favour melancholic glitches with expertly placed vocal samples that manage to evoke shoegaze textures and even post-rock build-ups every so often. The end result is a collection of songs that are at once listenable, memorable, bittersweet, quietly arousing and head-nodding.

Whether it’s when the layers of ‘Babies Of The Future‘ collide as RZA ‘brings the motherfucking…’ crescendo that refuses to conclude in a ruckus, or when ‘Swear Words‘ works as a comprehensive guide to exactly what the song title suggests over twee guitars we’re continuously presented with an oxymoron so obvious it would sound terrible if anyone else was making it. But it’s anything but terrible, and when album highlight ‘Use Your Words‘ builds from gentle piano and soft female vocal sampling to Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s ‘oh baby I like it raw’ line, recontextualised into one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching things you could ever hear, you’ll be hitting the replay button more frequently than Josh has hit ctrl+v making the damn thing.

The album can be downloaded at whatever price you decree at Josh’s website. You can – and should – stream the album in its entirety there too, alongside suitably looped gifs.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Starkey

Space Traitor – Vol. 1
Civil Music

Starkey is always difficult to define with his innovative mix of grime, dubstep, hip hop and everything inbetween and with his new EP, Space Traitor – Vol. 1, he doesn’t make it any easier. Not that this is a bad thing, as opening track Robot Hands slams its way into the ether with his trademark heavy duty bass interspersed with moments of calm before the storm.

Playing With Fire sees no let-up with a crashing drum introducing the track, laying the foundations for  the crescendo of sound that follows, combining skittering hi-hats and empowering synths. The almost Hitchcockian film-score like strings of Holodeck again bleed into a bassline that demands full attention before showing his ability to switch styles with the much more relaxed Paradise with Anneka, who appeared on his album Ear Drums And Black Holes of this year.

Starkey’s production ends with the almost Joker-esque Lenses before unleashing a torrent of remixes from the likes of Ital Tek, Rudi Zygadlo [with a brilliantly understated remix of Paradise] and Egyptrixx amongst others. Fans of Starkey will lap this up and certainly there are tracks on here that would have lifted his album to higher levels. As ever, he is fresh and worth space on anyone’s iPod.

Abjekt.

Space Traitor Vol 1 (preview) by starkey

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Music News

Watch: Fashawn ‘Pass The Cohiba’

Fashawn put another new video online.

Pass The Cohiba is taken from his recent mixtape Grizzly City 3 and follow the Fresno MC as he has a little wander around. Kick back and get that head nodding. This one has vibes for days.

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Music News

Atmosphere release photography book

Atmosphere are releasing a book of photography from over the years.

Dan Monick, a close friend who has followed the group around for the past decade across the world has taken many photos from behind-the-scenes and the hardcover 272 page book shows these photos in all their glory.

Two versions are available – the standard edition features 272 page book, a 15 track Rhymesayers compilation CD and a deluxe edition features all that as well as an exclusive 10″ copy of To All My Friends, the first of the two new Atmosphere EPs. You can order yours from Fifth Element. One for the hardcore fans!

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Music News

Prefuse 73 hits London

Prefuse 73 to play LondonGlitch-hop producer extraordinaire Prefuse 73 is hitting London for an intimate show this month.

The man behind such huge albums as One Word Extinguisher and Surrounded By Silence will play the Queen of Hoxton on November 28th. Ably supported by Anchorsong, it’s a chance to see the great man at a cosy venue. Pick up your tickets from here.

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Music News

New Wiz Khalifa video!

Wiz Khalifa has celebrated inking a deal with Atlantic Records by releasing a new video.

The track, Never Been, is taken from his hugely popular Kush & Orange Juice mixtape and features, unsurprisingly for Wiz, weed. It’s a belting tune and has hot women in not-very-much-at-all so, y’know, press play and enjoy it.