Guerilla Raw Denim
Guerrilla Raw Denim looks like they’re directly targeting the hip hop scene with their gangster looking, Balaclava toting logos and models with names like Sniper and Gunner. There isn’t a lot in the way of images yet but here are some teaser shots from their Tumblr account.
Be sure to keep watch for upcoming developments!
More raw denim pix after the jump.
Shunda K Takes Her ‘Most Wanted’ Rap Sermon ‘From the Church to the Club’
Courtesy of Fanatic Records
Posted on Sep 20th 2011 2:30PM by Jesse Ship
Shunda K is one half of the electro-hip-hop group Yo! Majesty. When she’s not offering her services with her mobile production studio in ‘Itty Bitty’ Plant City, Florida, or performing with Yo! Majesty (the duo are touring North America right now), the outspoken lesbian is focused on her solo act where she plays a larger-than-life role model spreading a powerful message for truth-seekers everywhere — particularly wise women.
“Yo! Majesty is just me and my partner Shon B, and it’s more like f—-that-s— and I’m-gonna-say-what-I-wanna-say, let-my-hair-down-and-party music,” she tells Spinner. “We spit the truth, but Shunda K is more soulful. My ‘The Most Wanted’ [solo] album is about taking Shunda K from the church to the club. Let me spit some truth to the soul that’s looking to be set free.”
A deep love for Christian spirituality may be a touch controversial for a party rapper who’s had works produced by the likes of Basement Jaxx, but Shunda K holds her ground.
“Everything we’ve been taught is a lie,” she proclaims. “That’s why Shunda K is here to shed light on the truth. The Bible isn’t the original word of God, it’s a translation, as well. I got tired of listening to the pastor and went though original scrolls, the original s—!”
As if to prove her point, a fan at a show in Berlin recently asked the question, “How do I talk about God in a party atmosphere?” Her answer?
“You just got to do it! So what if you’re at a club? People might clench up, but they do because it’s the truth! They run away because they’re feeling that. Some people that come to my show feel like they have no chance of God loving them. They keep hearing, ‘If you’re gay, you’re an abomination, you don’t have a chance.’ But I beg to differ, I take it wherever I go.”
‘The Most Wanted’ features a crop of fresh up-and-coming producers who she met while touring over the years with experimental breakbeat artists like Chrissy Murderbot, the duo Deekline and Pure SX as well as Raspberry Cocaine. While the second single, ‘I’m Da Best,’ features her Yo! Majesty partner in crime Shon B (the ‘Strictly for the Ladies’ EP and ‘Yo! Majesty Reunited…IT IS WHAT IT IS!!!’ album are also going down the pipe). No matter who Shunda K teams with, though, her fierce spirit is at the forefront.
“These are people that I met on the road and resonated with,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I need to get out and meet people of faith!’ I manage my own business and I’ve learned that there may be people that love what you do, but nobody’s going to make things happen for you but yourself.”
SebastiAn Blames the Director of M.I.A.’s ‘Born Free’ Video for Delaying His Album
Ed Banger Records
Posted on Sep 21st 2011 5:00PM by Jesse Ship
29-year-old Parisian electro producer SebastiAn recently irked fans, again, by releasing a simplistic radio-show-style playlist on the popular music sharing site Soundcloud. The quick cuts were a letdown for fans expecting the technical DJ sets Sebastian is known for.
“I’m becoming like an old guy who sits at home with his whiskey and listens to blues — it’s very strange,” he tells Spinner. “Everyone is obsessed with me doing a technical mix, but this was never the intention. If fans are not happy, they can make their own, and they should certainly criticize me more.”
The artist who’s currently touring ‘Total,’ his first full-length for Ed Banger Records, has a casual and unapologetic approach to releasing albums — he waited for years before dropping this one for this label. “I won’t release an album for the sake of a commercial package,” he says. “I would much rather put things out as they come. If they are good, good. If they’re bad, well, too bad — next. But, really, it’s all Romain Gavras fault.”
Gavras is the director of various music videos for the likes of Justice and M.I.A. (he’s the guy behind her controversial ‘Born Free’ video) and also shot the award-winning film ‘Our Day Will Come,’ to which SebastiAn penned the score. The project forced him to compromise his album to focus on epic, Eastern-Bloc-tinged instrumentals for eight months. “Gavras picked me because I grew up in the former Yugoslavia. He thought I would be able to bring some darkness and heaviness to the soundtrack with classic [Sergei] Rachmaninoff-inspired pieces with a contemporary angle.”
It was also through Gavras that SebastiAn reconnected with M.I.A. for ‘C.T.F.O.,’ one of ‘Total”s standout tracks (“she calls it ‘Chill the F— Out’ but I say ‘Shut the F— Up,” he jokes). Mayer Hawthorne was another surprise guest on his record. His inclusion was very much a fluke, as the two met on the street in Amsterdam while on the prowl for a nightcap. “It was actually my friend that recognized him; I always thought he was black!” says SebastiAn. “Having him on the album makes perfect sense as I was looking for a tidy voice just like his — and it’s always better to meet outside of a label environment.”
Hawthorne sings the vocals on the forthcoming single ‘Love in Motion,’ a song written in the tradition of Prince‘s ‘Kiss’ but with a more modern and heavier sound. SebastiAn says he considered drawing from Michael Jackson but confesses, “I was always more into Prince, because he is still black and still alive.”
While SebastiAn is famous for his powerful, almost punishing style of electro (check out the almost unrecognizable remix of Toddla T‘s ‘Watch Me Dance’), ‘Total’ has a softer side, accompanied by musical interludes inspired by classic hip-hop albums.
“Its not all hard-hitting,” he says. “There are songs for times when you might want to be sweet with your girlfriend, or boyfriend. But yes, there are tracks for other days when you want to beat people up.”
Drew Smith – Love Teeth
Drew Smith once taught ESL in Canada and one of his students, Sohee Jeon, went back home to South Korea to be a successful animator. Years later she decided to share her talents with Drew and made him this slightly creepy, cute and kawaii music video. I like the teeth and the texture on the water drops the most.
You can check out his work at http://www.drewsmith.ca/
DJ Mehdi Dead at 34
Posted on Sep 13th 2011 10:20AM by Jesse Ship
UPDATE: Reports have flowed in from France that DJ Mehdi died when his roof collapsed. According to MTV News, Mehdi was celebrating his 34th birthday with friends on his rooftop when the accident occured. We are still awaiting an official statement from his label Ed Banger.
Hip-hop and electro-house fans are in shock after news that famed French-Tunisian DJ Mehdi (Mehdi Favéris-Essadi) has passed at age 34. He was reportedly killed in an “accident” Sept. 13, according to In the Mix.
Close friend and collaborator DJ A-Trak tweeted Tuesday, “I have no words. My heart is completely shattered. Not this.”
DJ Mehdi was a visionary for urban music as he was part of the first wave of musicians to help bridge the gap between hip-hop, electro and indie rock sounds. He started his career as DJ for the group Different Teep, and found success with the legendary French rap group Ideal J. He was also DJ for Mafia K’1 Fry, a rap collective from the gritty Parisian suburbs.
His solo career was marked by a number of groundbreaking albums like ‘Des Friandises Pour Ta Bouche’ and ‘Lucky Boy,’ with the hit single ‘I Am Somebody’ featuring Chromeo. He was also known for his work with MC Solaar, Daft Punk, Chromeo, Miike Snow and many others. In 2006, his career was launched to global heights as he was signed to the French electro label Ed Banger Records. His last release came just a month ago on Pedro Winter’s ‘Let the Children Techno’ mix tape album, with the eerily foreshadowing title ‘Tragicomehdi.’
Many other musicians have expressed their grief via Twitter as well:
“R.I.P. DJ Mehdi. The void he has left behind is unbearable. Love you, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo,” said Bloody Beetroots.
“Sitting in a chair crying. My hearts broken,” said Diplo. Adding: “I can only see mehdi smiling. He was always so happy he always smiling in all my memories he did everything with so much positivity.”
“Saddest news ever I have no words,” said Mr. Oizo.
“In remembrance of a dear soul DJ Medhi. Will be sorely missed!!!! :( :( :(,” said Snow.
DJ Mehdi’s tragic death leaves his wife, renowned French graffiti artist Fafi, family and thousands of fans and friends in mourning.
Spencer Rice Can’t Get No Love
I ran into Spencer Rice aka Spenny (from Kenny vs. Spenny etc) today at Manic Coffee. Still single, still white, same hang dog face as usual.But actually a genuinely nice guy. When I asked for his pic he instinctively got up to pose with me.
Star Slinger Makes Mavis Staples Smile With Remix of ‘Let’s Do It Again’
Courtesy of Star Slinger
Posted on Aug 31st 2011 5:00PM by Jesse Ship
Sometimes unauthorized samples can lead to lawsuits, but in the case of Manchester’s Darren Williams, aka, Star Slinger, it’s a formula for success.
The twenty-something hybrid hip-hop producer borrowed vocals from the legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples for a song on his much-blogged about ‘Volume 1′ album and, to his surprise, received praise from the artist herself.
“Her manager played the remix I did of [the Staple Sisters’] ‘Lets Do It Again’ and she actually liked it!” Williams tells Spinner. “She should be trying to sue me or something, but she’s not.”
Williams — who’s often compared to J Dilla but sees himself more in line with Planet-Mu-affiliated producers DJ Rashad and DJ Nate since “J Dilla is a given” — isn’t exactly an amateur when it comes to cooking up sample-based tracks either.
“I had just finished my university degree in Music Technology and I was making music for the hell of it,” he says. “I started going record shopping and actively sampling records because, prior to my education, I never had the courage to do it before. My studies taught me about a lot of good music and sampling, so I just sort of caved. It was something I had to do.”
Though he found success early on releasing trance music, Williams soon stepped outside of that scene. “I stopped making the dance music and went with a hip-hop and soul influence rather than playing what I was hearing on the weekend; Star Slinger is intentionally something totally different from what was out there at the time.”
“I’ve never thought that I’d be sampling forever,” he adds, “I like creating my own melodies too much.”
Though he isn’t entirely sold on a life of sampling, Williams might have a hard time reinventing himself given how in demand he’s become on the remix circuit. In the past year, he’s given his touch to Broken Social Scene‘s ‘Texico Bitches’, the Go! Team‘s ‘Apollo Throwdown’ and Toro Y Moi‘s ‘New Beat,’ just to name a few. While touring with breakout artists like Baths and performing repeat gigs at London’s legendary Fabric club has opened doors for him in terms of collaborations.
“Not everyone that I like likes my music but there are a fair bit of people who do, and I’m very happy with that,” says Williams. “I’m really into southern rap like Three6Mafia, Juicy J and Project Pat, so it’s pretty cool that the Stunnaman 2800 from the Pack contacted me saying he wants me to make him a mix tape.”
Star Slinger – Mornin’ Directed by Alan Jensen from Star Slinger on Vimeo.
Fan Expo 2011 Nerd-Approved Music Night Wrap Up
Shaun Hatton, singer, drummer, Electric Playground host, and professional media dork organized a kick ass Fan Expo 2011 Afterparty featuring bodily odour enhanced fans and some of the nerdiest talent in hiphop, metal, and internet geekery. Not sure who that Brental Floss weirdo was, but hats off to Wordburglar, More or Les, their fresh and soapy DJ Peter Project and the complete Cobra team. GOOOOOOO JOE!!! I mean… COOOOBRAAAAAAA!
Let’s hope this is just the beginning of more good things to come. Check in for potentially regular updates from fat dudes living in their parent’s basements at www.nerdapprovedmusic.tumblr.com
China Town Street Sluts!
Yo Majesty – Cherry Pop
It’s a Yo Majesty hoe down show down (or is it the other way around?) with number one original soul sistas Shunda K and Shon B! Git yo (tuba??) and cherry pop on! From the upcoming 2nd album.
