Articles by " Live For The Funk"
Blue Daisy & Unknown Shapes – “5′s Up”
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The hip hop-affinity of UK producer Blue Daisy has shone through on much of his work in the past. His monster of a FACT mix, for example, was riddled with veritable heavy-hitters from both sides of the rap pond, hipping us to stuff like this humongous Giggs jam. Most recently, Blue Daisy took his affection for devilish tomb-bap to the next level, debuting as lyricist with his Dahlia Black alias.
The newest track to emerge as the precursor to Blue Daisy‘s Used To Give A Fk EP follows right in that same vein of god-forsaken underworld trap, cultivated on his previous endeavor. Alongside long-standing collaborators Unknown Shapes, the Camden native whips up a pummeling instrumental that takes weeping airhorns, lashing snares and tortured horns into a grim whirlwind of abrasion and nasty sub-frequencies. Testosterone levels run high on “5s Up”, but it is Blue Daisy unerring eye for detail as a producer that turns this knocker into a standout. Watch out for the EP dropping May 6th on the acclaimed Black Acre boutique label.
Lord RAJA – ‘Rubies’ EP
A long long time ago, LFTF stumbled upon the NYC producer Chester Raj Anand. Then we asked him to become our LFTF001, and he said yes! Just like any strong marriage, the union was symbiotic.
It wasn’t until yesterday that we all noticed he had finally been signed, and by Ghostly of all labels. It would have never occurred to use that Valenti and company would even think of Lord RAJA as a contender, but the more we listen to his free Rubies EP, the more we’re glad he entered into another marriage. The Rubies EP is experimental in its purest sense. Raja crafts this record with childlike curiosity, playing with samples and sounds—manipulating them, crunching them, effecting them—until he likes what comes out.
Head over to Ghostly to download this EP for free, and keep a look out for more from this star on the rise.
Serengeti/Kenny Dennis – “Directions”
It’s a rough world out there for a dude like Kenny Dennis.
The man could’ve been sipping whiskey sours with the RZA right about now, if only his early boom bap-pioneer group The Grimm Teachaz hadn’t been dropped by their label before they got a chance to release their first album in the early 90′s.
The story goes that Kenny remained put in Chicago, laid his rapping ambitions mostly to rest, and spent the majority of his days having cookouts and practicing his curve ball (Exhibit A).
But let’s cut to the chase and save you your tears—for Kenny Dennis is the fictional alter ego of Anticon-signed rapper and Sufjan Stevens-collaborator Serengeti (and yes, the Grimm Teachaz story is just as fictional as their core member). A bratwurst-loving sports geek pushing 50, equipped with an enviable mustache and a not-so-enviable rapping career-gone-sour; born underdog and bred underachiever, who now has to deal with punks coming at him sideways and challenging to mile runs.
The bread crumb trial he leaves at the end of “Directions” gives us a sense of Kenny’s general disorientation and struggle to find peace between North Shore and Rainbow Beach.
It’s a rough world out there for a dude like Kenny Dennis.
But his album is destined to be a keeper.
RxGibbs – “Temptations”
Last week was Winter Music Conference in Miami! Last Thursday, I made it to Bardot to witness Jerome LOL, Shlohmo, and Flume. I was there with the founder of LFTF and Skrause. Aside from our little bloggy love fest, I have never seen a Bardot dance floor as active and energetic as I did last night. Each of the boys put on an admirable and distinctive set, feeding off the crowd’s energy and never failing to deliver on climaxing moments. My usual perusing of SoundCloud might be a little clouded from last night, partly because I feel deaf from all the pronounced percussion sounds and deep bass. As a result, I needed something soothing this morning. RxGibbs‘ new tune “Temptations” came to the rescue. It’s the perfect amount of serene for my pounding head, featuring ethereal sounds and a flowing disposition.
S. Maharba – ‘Remixed’
Ipswich, UK’s s. maharba is the Osiris of this grainy, melancholic, off-kilter beat construction shit. He has been for years. The only reason I can think of why he’s not mentioned in a sentence with the likes of Shlohmo, Onra, and Teebs is that his style is maybe a tad bit too abrasive for the casual listener. Ok, he’s not the most vocal chap on the promotion side of things either. But still, this guy is the real deal. If you aren’t familiar with the work of s.maharba, I would strongly suggest you get a hold of 2008′s self-titled LP and the She EP from the same year.
But we’re not here for that right now. We’re here for the s.maharba: Remixed EP, released on BTS Records a week ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the best kept secret status of the producer, we’re presented with an army of under-appreciated beatsmiths on edit duties.
Leading the pack is RBMA grad Mike Slott, giving the beat a bit over a minute to breath, before launching into a frenzy of elaborate drum computing, creating a soundscape that is at once coolly laid back and intensely elaborate. Pyramid Juke takes things into much darker territories, with a vicious dubstep-bassline and a highly effective Nas sample jump-starting the bedroom party. Sweatson Klank and The Clonious lay down the juke dub, Shigeto and Dibiase chop their raw material to pieces and Young Montana rounds things off in a similar fashion to where it started on the Slott edit.
It’s an eventful ride from start to finish, and with 9 producers having their go at leaving their footprint, it’s a strong testament to the recognizable character of s.maharba‘s production voice that this singular EP never falls apart at its seems.
