Monday, January 28, 2008

Look Mom...No Hands!

Okay, shameless excuse to throw a picture of my daughter up. It's not enough that I've already posted it here. Anyway...

I've been meaning give shine to a couple of Madlib tracks that I throw on whenever I need a little inspiration or a slight knudge in the ribs to wake me from whatever stupor I'm in. Since I've been deprived of comfortable, quality shut-eye these few weeks, I've needed an extra jolt to accompany my morning coffee.

Wildchild's (of the Lootpack) "Hands Up" and Vast Aire's (of the mighty, now defunct, Cannibal Ox) "Look Mom...No Hands", both produced by Madlib (the other guy who never sleeps, peep his catalog), exhibit the sonic punch I so desperately need in these babyraising times. "Hands Up" is a leaner, more stripped down track compared to "Look Mom's..." more chaotic and frenetic boombastics. They both serve their purpose in their own distinct ways. It's sonic crack-rock-motivation when you need it.

Wildchild: "Hands Up"
Vast Aire: "Look Mom...No Hands"

Bonus Madlib:

Go figure, there was actually a video for Madvillain's "Accordian"...

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

The PR


Pete Rock is, without a doubt, my favorite producer of all time. There was a time I teetered between PR and DJ Premier but PR's sound, anchored by such soulful undercurrents, puts him at the top. Besides, Premier's work has been more uneven as of late and he's not nearly close to matching the quality of his output of the mid-late 90's. Termanology's "Watch How It Goes Down" is the last Primo track that I was feeling and I still think he could of brought the drums a little harder.

If you haven't already heard, Pete Rock's got an album dropping February 26. There are a few projects worth the anticipation this year but New York's Finest is most worthy. I've heard five cuts from the new album and they're not really mind blowing. "The PJ's" featuring Raekwon and Masta Killa and "914" featuring Styles P and Sheek Louch were already in rotation last year. I'm still looking forward to hearing how the rest of the album comes together. After all, a subpar Pete Rock track beats most of the garbage floating around these days.

Check it. Courtesy of Nahright.