The Very Good Agency

YaHeard? Jurassic 5 – Quality Control

For me, there is one group that stands out in my hip hop education, a group that pretty much sealed the deal in making hip hop my preferred genre; that group is Jurassic 5. Way back in 1998 a friend played me “In the Flesh” and “Jayou” from their J5 Ep, instantly I was hooked, their harmonious flows and laidback old-school rhymes were infectious as anything. Then in 2000 they released Quality Control, which has become one of my all-time favourite albums and still gets regular airplay. With its funky boom-bap b-boy jams, jazzy beats and catchy hooks, Quality Control serves as a nostalgic throwback to the golden age of hip hop. The chemistry between the four emcees is unmistakeable; Akil, Marc 7even, Zaakir and Chali 2na flow effortlessly through each track, bobbing and weaving in and out of each other’s rhymes, finishing off sentences and chanting in unison with barbershop quartet-like precision. The production on the album is handled by the talented duo of DJ Numark and Cut Chemist, who use turntables, samples and MPCs to craft smooth beats that are a perfect match for the emcees rhyme styles, pasting together vintage jazz cuts with old soul and funk gems to breathe new life into old-school hip-hop.

Part of L.A.’s underground-uprising of the early 90’s, the group formed when its two halves (Unity Committee and Rebels of Rhythm) met at the legendary L.A. health store, The Good Life Cafe, where they often performed at open mic nights. Jurassic 5 celebrate the values of underground hip hop throughout the album, staying true to the roots and elements of hip hop, “L.A.U.S.D” being a fine example, with its J5 mission statement of sorts: “We are no superstars, who wanna be large and forget who we are, don’t judge us by bank accounts or big cars, no matter how bright we shine we’re far from being stars”.

Opening with the simple but funky beat of “The Influence”, the four emcees waste no time in introducing themselves before joining on the chorus, exhibiting their skill and harmony in a way that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Great Expectations” follows, and the emcees reminisce about the road they’ve travelled over horn blasts and an ever-familiar drumbeat. You can tell Jurassic 5 love making hip hop, the vibe you get from their tracks makes you want to party, case in point being “Quality Control”, one of the highlights of the album. Another fairly straightforward beat is transformed by the dope harmonies and lyrical gems from the four emcees; the track has a real laid-back party feel to it, even sounding like there was actually a party going on in the studio when it was recorded! Check out the video below:

Jurassic 5 – Quality Control

One of the things that I liked about J5 when I first heard them was the modesty that comes across in their music; they aren’t trying to be anyone in particular, they aren’t, shall I say…‘frontin’. They rap and sing positively about making the most of and enjoying everyday life. “World of Entertatinment” (AKA “W.O.E. is Me) is such a track, with the emcees laying down b-boy rhymes about their ability to rock shows;
“We was rockin a jam the other night,
J5 was on the mic so the people was hype,
Yo, we like to rock the party with adrenalin and passion,
the crowd started screamin “Action Satisfaction”,
Numark dropped the beat and the heat from the fire,
We brought the energy and streetcar named desire”
As well as offering a straight-up analysis of the life of an entertainer and the realities of the music business;
“Some are known for bein’ biters,
non-creative and wack rhyme-writers,
Yo, they soup you up but can’t rock the jam,
known to the world as a one-hit band,
Easy come, easy go, yo you had your turn,
temporary niggas touchin’ up your perm,
You see a rapper is a kid that brags and acts big,
A rhymer is a nigga that can handle his biz,
Yo, A rapper is a kid that’s tryin’ to be the shit,
An entertainer ain’t tryin’ cause he already is”

One of the strongest tracks on the album is “Jurass Finish First”, which bounces along on a simple but infectious two-chord piano riff and a massive, crystal-clear drum track. Chali 2na and Marc 7even handle the business on this, trading quick-fire rhymes and offering peace of mind to those disillusioned hip hop enthusiasts who are sick of hearing the same uninspired commercial rubbish;
“Bringing it back from the lost, we have to report,
The trash on the chart make you have to resort,
To leaving the record store instead of quenching your thirst,
But at last planet Earth, 5 Jurass finish first”
The album also features a sprinkling of well-crafted instrumental scratch and sample-based diversions from Numark and Cut Chemist, notably the interplanetary-inspired “Contact”, and the fantastic “Swing Set”, which rounds out the album with a 50’s style funk and swing freestyle, with some great vocals and change-ups; you can’t help but tap your foot to this one.

Full to the brim with dusty samples, thumping drums and scratch breaks; Cut Chemist and DJ Numark really handle the business here, they are masters of their craft, and the sound they create is unique yet strangely familiar, and well and truly built for their four talented emcees. From the MPC laden beats to the cuts and samples dropped at just the right time, it’s plainly obvious that this duo were destined to make music together. And the same has to be said about the emcees; such perfect harmonies and timing completing the Jurassic 5 sound. Although all four are talented rappers, it has to be said that Chali 2na stands out as the strongest; the self-proclaimed ‘verbal Herman Munster’ stamps authority on every track with his booming rhymes and bouncing flow. Full of party rocking tracks, “Quality Control” is a great album to chill out to over the summer party season. Coming from an era when Dilated Peoples, The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli were blowing up, Jurassic 5 create this old-school b-boy sound that is incredibly fun to listen to, they’re all about rocking shows, having fun and keeping it real.  Be sure to check this album out if you haven’t heard it, and if you have, bust it back out again for a quick refresher on old-school hip hop jams.

Check out more Jurassic 5 at their site
or on their myspace

Peace
…cracked

Tags: hip hop

Homegrown Music Festival

It’s getting to be that time of the year again in New Zealand. When you can leave the house without a jacket, see through your windscreen without scraping ice off it; so you can go to work and dream of being outside in the sparkling midday sun. Oh yes, the southern hemisphere summer is rapidly approaching, with all the joy it brings.

So now we can start looking forward to warmer weather, barbecues and trips to the beach where you can actually swim.  The other great aspect of all this, is you can start to plan what music festivals you want to see. Previous posts on this site have already mentioned upcoming NZ music events like Southern Amp (9th Nov) and A.R.E.A 9 (6th-8th Feb) that are selling out fast. So to help you map out the rest of your summer itinerary, I thought I would tell you about another event on the way.

Tickets are now on sale for The Homegrown Music Festival, that is taking place on the Wellington waterfront on March 14th 2009. Headline acts are yet to be announced for all stages, but I can give you the news about the line up announced so far. There will be five stages featuring around 35 top kiwi bands and DJs, there will also be lots of other great stuff as the organisers plan to transform the waterfront area into a playground. Things to look out for will include Wellington’s best graffiti artists, a Breakdancing competition, an International food market, Sculptures and Art installations, Street performers and loads of other interactive activities.

Going back to the music for a moment, the line up already announced boasts the talents of many kiwi greats, such as: Supergroove, Kora, The Black Seeds, Tiki Taane, Katchafire, Tahuna Breaks, Sunshine Sound System and a whole lot more. Many of these names have been mentioned before, as they are favourites of Very Good, but in case you haven’t heard of Tahuna breaks I’ve got one of their vids here for you to see:

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Tahuna Breaks – Real Life

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So get yourselves together and start a plan, because summer is only here for a quarter of the year (if we’re lucky) so make the most of it and check out what these groups have to offer. But if you’re like me and haven’t even planned your New Years Eve yet, then it’s just another idea for you to ponder. The promo site also advises that if you are interested in getting creative & producing art installations, sculptures and the like for Homegrown, please email info@homegrown.co.nz for more details.

To find out more about stuff mentioned here, go to:

The Official Homegrown Site

“Sitting inside my head,
Laughing at what I said
Come on baby
Let’s have another toast
You might think I’m dense,
Laughing at my expense
Let’s fill the cup
Let’s wash away the ghost”
(Sitting Inside My Head – Supergroove)

Wish you were here …Yossarian

Tags: Festival, gigs, New Zealand Artists, News

Andy Bull – Small Town Girl National Tour

Nice…

That’s what I thought when I checked out the Soundlounge website to see if there was anything worth seeing while i’m working on Australia’s Gold Coast for two weeks. If you’ve spent any time on the Gold Coast of Australia before, you may be well aware that the place is starved of any identifiable culture (with the exception of surf culture), alternative entertainment, and unfortunately decent venues or clubs to enjoy a night out seeing a live artist or band in a comfortable environment. (it is worth noting that you have The Cooly Hotel in Coolangatta, an hour drive to Byron Bay NSW to The Great Northern Hotel, or an hour the other way to a few places in Brisbane).

Nice, because there was an Australian artist that I hadn’t yet heard, who I was immediately feeling, and yet unable to pigeon whole into a style, or compare to an artist gone by.

It turns out the fact that I hadn’t heard of Andy Bull is more indicative of my level of interest in mainstream media then his success as of late. Andy has been receiving plenty of attention from radio and television recently, mostly for his catchy, tidy, and even poppy (for once in a good way) little track that his current tour is named after “Small Town Girl”, and he is even signed to Universal, which just trips me out given their usual artist roster. Check it out:

Andy Bull – Small Town Girl

Andy began his musical life as a young child, playing on the parlour piano and pump organ his keyboard enthusiast father had collected through his travels in the 1970s. At just 24 today the singer, songwriter and piano player has gone from playing club shows to his hometown crowd in Sydney, to signing to ‘Island Records’ Australia, recording at New York’s legendary ‘Electric Lady Studios’ and Sydney’s ‘301 Studios’, as well as touring the country with Little Red and The Holidays. With such a variety of genres involved in the pieces I have heard thus far including folk, soul, jazz, pop, rock, blues, and even touches of hip hop, it’s going to be interesting to see the direction his career takes over the next few years as he further developes his already funky, definitive sound

If your in NSW, unfortunately this time you have already missed that leg of his tour, however for those of you who are not, the following dates are set to play over the next 2 weeks, which I will be fortunate enough to enjoy on the sunny Gold Coast Thursday at ‘Soundlounge’ (thanks guys), before returning to culture rich, beachless and rainforestless Melbourne (there’s always a trade off).

Thu Oct 23rd          Soundlounge, Gold Coast

Fri Oct 24th            Solbar, Sunshine Coast

Sat Oct 25th           The Troubador, Brisbane

Wed Oct 29th         Toff in town, Melbourne

Thu Oct 30th          Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Fri Oct 31st            Jive Bar, Adelaide

You can check out more of Andy Bull at:

www.andybull.com.au

www.myspace.com/andybull

…bs

Tags: Australian Artists, Blues, gigs, Jazz, Soul

Prefuse 73 on touring, and… other stuff

If you’ve ever been somewhere unfamiliar, heard a twisted, futuristic, hyper-produced, soulful blend of hip hop & breaks and wondered what the fuck it was (and maybe where you could get a copy)… chances are it was Prefuse 73 currently on the label – Warp. That’s how I stumbled across them several years ago when my brother had “One Word Extinguisher” on high rotation, and now that new album “Preparations” has been released October 15, I can only wonder what the future holds today.

Hailing from Barcelona, Prefuse is now based in New York (much to his dismay) as so many musicians do, to be within cab fare of many of the artists he works with including Beans, GZA, and Diverse to name a few of my favourites. While Prefuse 73 is a producer, and ‘One Word Extinguisher’ was in the most part, an instrumental album, it featured a smattering on eclectic emcee’s, beatboxers, and varying vocalists, that somehow managed to latch onto the strange and fluctuating emotions carried in this epic ‘masterpiece’ Prefuse had created.

In an interview on www.drownedinsound.com , Scott Herren, a.k.a Prefuse 73, seemed extremely dissillusioned with the industry, and especially touring going as far as to say:

“If it was up to me, I wouldn’t tour at all, and just play one-offs and festivals that seem cool, or shows with my friends that’d be like family reunions.” His eyes roll, fingers clench; he’s visibly distressed at the prospect of his upcoming US dates. “Playing night after night, senseless shows in the US in the middle of Bumfuck Nowhere with five people in the audience… to sell three more records? What’s the point? Get in your car, drive to the next biggest city. I only asked to play five shows this time in the US. I’ve ended up with 30. After here I tour the US straight away, and from there it’s Japan and Australia… and I have a son to take care of. His mother’s in a band too, on tour with Blonde Redhead, so things are getting tight. Nobody’s listening to me though, and someone needs to listen to me before I put my foot down and cancel shows. I don’t want to do that, but does anyone in the office want to take care of my kid for a month? Of course not. It’s not their responsibility, but it’s definitely mine, and I want to be a good father. I am way more concerned with my son than being a musician and putting out a good record.”

Prefuse 73 w. School of Seven Bells – The Class of 73 Bells

“I do insist on good hotels. That’s my one rock star bad habit. I tour for no money – I usually go on tour to comply with Warp’s wishes, and to make them happy, and to promote the record and make fans happy – but I don’t want to be in any shitholes. Put me in a bling hotel, and I’m gonna be happy. I want to wake up and feel good in the morning, ‘cause you can feel shit on tour. For me that’s worth it. People are like, ‘Yo man, that’s stupid – you’re not gonna come home with any money’. But I don’t want to make money this way – I don’t want to make money as an entertainer. I am a musician, and a producer – I’m not a clown, and if I tour it’s because someone asked me to, not ‘cause I have to go tour.

From the music I have enjoyed by Prefuse 73 over the years, and the awesome reports I have heard of his live shows (with instrumentation as opposed to DJ sets), I’m confident this album is worth checking out, and will most probably get plenty of play in my car and over dinner as ‘One Word Extinguisher’ did at my pad.

From my experience in the music industry working with artists, musicians, and on tours however… his outlook on the relationship between releasing music and touring is so far out of whack with any logic, especially given his constant references to earning money to raise his child being a priority, that it could just be that this eccentric dude is as crazy as his beats.

either way… check it out for sure:

www.myspace.com/prefusion1973

www.prefuse73.com

…bs

and thanks to www.drownedinsound.com for an interesting interview.

Tags: breakbeats, hip hop

The Pharcyde to rock Good Vibrations in 2009

Earlier this year, hip hop history was made when pioneering West Coast crew, The Pharcyde, were to reunite for the Rock The Bells hip hop tour across the States; fans were to be treated to live performances from the four original members, who hadn’t performed together for 10 years. Now, as far as I was concerned, this was a pretty big deal. I mean, for me there are certain artists and groups that you dream of seeing in your lifetime, A Tribe Called Quest or the original Wu-Tang lineup would be a couple just off the top of my head, and The Pharcyde are another. Imagine my delight then, when the Good Vibrations promoters announced this past weekend that The Pharcyde would be joining the festival’s tour across Australia next February!

Yes, that’s right, next year you will be able to catch Fatlip, Imani, Bootie Brown and Tre (SlimKid3) Hardson on stage together, belting out hip hop classics such as “Runnin”, “Drop” and “Passin Me By”. Provided you are in Australia, that is. And if you’re not, GET HERE! Best known for their album “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde”, the group are immortalised as hip hop legends and clearly had a major effect on a new generation of artists who were uncomfortable with the gangsta rap angle that was popular at the time. Once described by Rolling Stone as a “pack of class clowns set loose in the studio”, their wacky story-telling rhymes and comedic lyrics brought an alternative hip hop flavour to the table, and has obviously influenced the likes of Jurassic 5, De La Soul and Del The Funky Homosapien.

Check out the dope video for “Drop” above

Joining The Pharcyde on the Good Vibrations tour is another legendary hip hop crew in The Roots. No strangers to Australia, the world’s best hip hop band always impress with their tight live shows and huge back-catalogue of classic tracks. Expect to hear some new material as well, with their latest album, “Rising Down”, having been released earlier this year. Also touring is up-and-comer Wale, who you may have in fact heard on “Rising Down”, or his Seinfeld-inspired mixtape, “The Mixtape About Nothing”; definitely an artist to watch. Many more acts are sure to be announced, and with Good Vibrations consistently having the highest quality headlining acts (last year; Kanye, Cypress Hill and Pharoahe Monch, the previous year; Snoop Dogg, The Beastie Boys and Jurassic 5) you’d be wise to get your tickets and travel plans sorted now.

Good Vibrations Festival 2009 tour dates:
Sat Feb 14 – Sydney, Centennial Park
Sun Feb 15 – Melbourne, The Nursery – Flemington Racecourse
Sat Feb 21 – Gold Coast, Parklands Showgrounds
Sun Feb 22 – Perth, Heirisson Island

To check out more info look at these sites:

The Pharcyde Fansite

The Pharcyde at MySpace

Fat Lip & Slim kid 3

…cracked

Tags: Festival, gigs, hip hop