Listen: Handbook - "Moment of Smooth" ft. Goodman Brown and Shuteyes

UK underground beatmaker HandBook has been putting out quality material for a while now and continuous to drop singles and EP's that show his more mellow range on the boards. Check out his collaboration with Goodman Brown and Shuteyes below and get a sense of his overall vibe on Bandcamp HERE for a broader range of his music. He has also worked with fellow Double Truth alumni J. Hurt, so if you like J's work, you might like Handbook's efforts as well.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/handbook/moment-of-smooth-feat-goodman

Fine Art Friday: Freya Jobbins

Australian Freya Jobbins continues to work on this series of creepy sculptures made out of random, plastic doll parts that taps into a bizarro memory of me pulling mangled dolls from a city dump as a kid, therefore making me like it even more. I like the humor of her work (she has a Darth Vader in the mix) and the creativity of using all of the fabricated forms to create new "organic forms" from inorganic pieces of material. Check out some here and more on her site HERE and force yourself to rethink the abandoned toy section at Goodwill.

 (via Juxtapoz)

Listen: World Around Records - "Singles"

Being part of a college town, hip hop community in Madison, Wisconsin during most of the 2000's allowed me to cross paths with several multi-talented artists and performers, often sharing the stage or overlapping with each other somehow of another. Out of this scene grew a variety of DJ/performers who have since gone on to substantial fame, most notably DJ Pain 1 (producer for Young Jeezy, 50 Cent, Joe Budden and more) and Man Mantis (a touring electronic and experimental hip hop musician). 

Of the two, Mantis continues to build his catalog in more experimental direction and seems to have evolved from a sample-based producer to an electronic manipulator of sounds in the vein of RJD2 or DJ Shadow's early stuff. Mantis relocated to Colorado in the last few years and was able to join the roster of World Around Records, who pride themselves on more experimental or artists, instrumental and vocals. Some of the musical output is humorous, some of it fun, some of it dark and some of it is just to zone out to.

They recently dropped a collection of singles that helps showcase the range of music on the label and shows that with a solid collection of artists, little known labels can build a solid discography. Check out their latest offering below and see for yourselves. Support a growing label and pay attention to the sounds of Man Mantis particularly. He might just be the MF Doom of electronic music.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://worldaround.bandcamp.com/album/singles-2011-2012

Video: J. Dilla - "Crate Diggers TV"

I already loved this series for doing up close and personal features with some of hip hop's crate digger extraordinaire's and getting some back story on the vinyl fiends of the world. They just dropped the Dilla version with features from his close friends and family and some honest truth about his slept-on talents. RIP Dilla. Get your Stan on!

Listen: King I Devine - "The Era Of A Golden Aquarius"

A great "Idiocracy" sample opens up the latest batch of boom bap beats from King I Devine and sets the tone for his laid back approach to music and critical thoughts on the current state of rap. Known for supplying the soundtrack for Brooklyn emcee ScienZe all the way from the ATL, King I Devine always brings a solid range of cuts that showcase his true school dedication to making beats. Check out his work below and support an underground master of the mix.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://kingidivine.bandcamp.com/album/the-era-of-a-golden-aquarius

Listen: Javi - "Loops, Circles, and Revolutions Vol. 1"

Brooklyn's own Javi Santiago recently dropped his debut album "Loops, Circles, and Revolutions Vol. 1" to showcase his bouncy, jazzy, instrumental skills and introduce himself to the world. He is hoping to professionally mix and master his album through an indiegogo campaign HERE, so if you are liking the vibe of his music, and I am now a fan, then support the quality music by throwing some pocket change his way.

Showing his dedication to the beat head traditions, he offers some reprised versions of classic gems like  Bahamadia’s “Uknowhowedu”, A Tribe Called Quest‘s “1nce Again” and caps off the album with a tribute to Dilla to show where his head is at. Check it out here and support some of your fellow instrumentalists.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://javi2.bandcamp.com/album/loops-circles-and-revolutions-vol-1

Listen: Devine Carama - "Stars"

Kentucky MC and true schooler Devine Carama recently dropped a new single "Stars" from his upcoming new EP entitled "No Child Left Behind". Describing the new project as “something with substance but not too heavy.”, Devine always brings a nice mix of honest lyrics, soul samples, and well-crafted songs that share the story of an artist making a name for himself in a slept-on location on the hip hop map. Check out the new single here, produced by DJ Well Blended, and support quality hip hop music.


ALT DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/devinecarama/stars-produced-by-dj-well

Throwback: A.L. - "Lyrics"

A.L. was a featured MC on the Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 compilation from the Rawkus Records heyday. Among many stand out tracks, A.L. really impressed me with the honesty in his verses about the loss of content in the rap game. An impressive outing for an artist that seems to have fallen into obscurity but still gets rocked on my ipod years later. Rawkus had so many dope artists and the crew at Lyricist Lounge played a large part in the true school movement of the 90's, only to see corporate radio bypass them in favor of the Cash Money and No Limit southern rap labels. If only the purists still got the same kind of promotion that they did in the 90's, maybe rap radio wouldn't be so over-gangsta'd and running low on lyrics, but we'll never know. Check it out and listen to the soundtrack of a movement and a moment in time for some of hip hop's dedicated craftsmen.