This thursday Skillz the Dj Game will finally be available to buy for Ipad users! Me & DJ Daredevil from Droppin’ Science have been working on the soundtrack for a couple of years now for the Hong-Kong based production company Playpen Studios, creating specially re-edited & cut-up versions of tracks from the likes of Stones Throw Records, Ministry of Sound, Ninja Tune, Hospital Records & Om Records. I’ve been playing a pre-release version of the game for sometime now & I can tell you it’s a whole lot of fun, the control system is extremely intuitive, & a lot closer to the real thing than previous dj rhythm games!
A whole heap of videos have been released from various sources, I’ve posted up a few of my favourite ones I worked on below, check ‘em out!
Belgium’s ZBS Studio reached out to Mello Music Group about permission to do a video for Oddisee’s “The Blooming”. MMG of course was honored to have them interpret the song and apply their vision to the track. The resulting marriage of visual storytelling & instrumental perfection is a narrative work that tells the story of time’s passage in the life of a boy. The video was directed, shot, & edited by Tomasz Cibulla and Wojciech Drożdż of ZBS Studios in Belgium.
Filled with rich landscapes from Belgium’s countryside, smokey ambers, old typewriters, watches, clocks, and a father and son, The Blooming portrays life’s unfolding through the metaphor of time. Oddisee’s original track was last springs soundtrack to the rains and blooming growth of nature. Rich strings, bold piano, wood block, synth, flute, and snares that rest easy in the backdrop drive this instrumental track from Odd Seasons.
Check out my peeps Prose aka Steady & Efeks in their new double a-side video ‘For the love/What’s Love’ taken from the future classic album ‘Force of Habit‘ – There’s also a couple of tracks on there featuring myself on the cuts, check out ‘More Than Before’ below featuring Philadelphia’s Killer Rellik & Side Effect, I’m pretty happy with how my all-scratched chorus turned out!
Double A side single’For the Love/What’s Love’ available on iTunes & bandcamp
Here’s a new mini-film by filmmakers Cam Be and Jeff Baraka that was shot with the Legendary Roots Crew. It includes some great footage of their live shows & interviews with members of the crew.
Here’s a real dope documentary on the late Dilla by Brian “B.Kyle” Atkins, much of which was shot on the day of his funeral back in ’06. Still Shining features commentary from Ma Dukes Yancey and a whole string of Dilla friends, and collaborators on the man, his music and his legacy.
Here’s a breakdown of the various segments:
(2:55) – Work Ethic Starts In The Basement
(7:35) – What To Listen For in A Dilla Beat
(9:10) – J.Dilla’s Range As A Producer. The King of Reinvention
(12:16) – Going Beyond His Influences
(14:39) – The Dilla Approach To Production
(20:21) – Jay The Producer vs Jay The MC
(26:08) – The Personal Side of J.Dilla
(29:04) – A Soldier Unstoppable!
(32:05) – Venturing Out. (as explained by Phat Kat)
(33:59) – Heading Home… Job Well Done.
(34:48) – We Salute You.
Here’s a video of Kweli discussing his career, live shows & the concept behind his newly released album ‘Gutter Rainbows’. Stream the full album on his MySpace page.
On October the 25th 2010, Gregory Isaacs passed away at the young age of 59 in his South London home after a long battle with lung cancer. The man was a reggae legend, made music with all of Jamaica’s top producers & released albums through a period of 30 years. Below is one of my favourite Isaacs’ tracks. Gregory Isaacs R.I.P.
This is Kanye’s new 35 minute artistic expression featuring 9 tracks off his upcoming album. ’Runaway’ is full of beautifully filmed dream-like sequences (not surprising considering it was written by Hype Williams), and interesting narration by Nicki Minaj, yet the new beats are undoubtedly the highlight. Kanye’s back, and at his best.
Here’s a video of J. Period & Black Thought performing live on September 26th at the Manifesto Festival in Toronto. The mixtape features Black Thought performing some Roots tracks, rhyming over some classic Dead Prez, Pharoahe Monch & Biggie classics & even doing some insane emcee impersonation. Listen to the live mixtape on the widget below & click here to download the whole thing. Big up to Hypetrak for putting this up!
