The Very Good Agency

The Roots to retire from touring

One of the hardest working live acts around is finally looking at settling down. That’s right; word on the street is that the world’s top hip hop band, the legendary Roots crew, will soon be taking up a residency on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. Having re-written the books on how to make hip hop, and, more importantly, put on a show, The Roots have developed a cult following amongst not just hip hop fans, but music fans in general.

It’s an unfortunate reality that lot of hip hop shows these days suffer from poor sound engineering; distorted vocals, and basslines that drown out everything else. The Roots, however, have mastered the art of performing live. Appearing on stage with Black Thought on the mic, undoubtedly one of the best emcees in hip hop history, a guitarist, keyboardist, beat boxer, backup singers , and the almighty afro-ed one, ?uestlove on the drums, The Roots put on shows that send chills down your spine.

America’s cult television talk-show, The Late Show , will be taken over by Saturday Night Live Star, Jimmy Fallon, in 2009. Fallon will replace Conan O’Brien, who is moving into Jay Leno’s spot on The Tonight Show. In a recent interview (posted on youtube but quickly pulled) ?uestlove said that The Roots would be retiring from large scale touring and become the house band from March 2009. Its a big move for the band, but he realises it’s the right time to do it; “I see the possible chance of this being a ‘bigger’ move … but on the real? I don’t know if I want to be 40, on the road and single no more. And with the kids my group has now getting older … it’s harder for the guys to leave more than it was when the kids were 2 and 3. And I can’t even start to go on that path till a woman takes me seriously. And ain’t no one taking a man serious who is in his own home for only three months out the year. I been in my crib since 2006 and I still ain’t unpacked everything yet.”

I personally, have never seen The Roots live, and therefore jumped at the chance when they were announced as one of the headliners for the 2009 Good Vibrations festival; they have been at the top of my list of ‘acts I gotta see’ for years. After hearing this news I’m now counting my blessings, as it seems this may be the last chance to see them for quite some time, if ever again, down this end of the world. So get your tickets now for your chance to witness the legendary Roots crew live on stage, the Sydney festival has already sold out and the others won’t be far away!

You can check out  more from The Roots at:

www.theroots.com

www.myspace.com/theroots

and get your tickets at www.googvibrationsfestival.com.au

…cracked

Tags: Funk, gigs, hip hop, Jazz, Old School, Soul

Pete Philly and Perquisite – Just another day in the life

Just another day in the life of two of hip hop’s hardest working talents, or month rather since our last update with these guys who have yet again been trapesing around the world performing, collaborating, and just generally testing the limits of the music industry. The Fourth Single from ‘Mystery Repeats’, “Q&A” has just been released in Europe, a testament to the strength of this record, and a banging party trackto break away from the more smooth chilled out melodic tracks released so far (Time Flies, Mystery Repeats, and Empire). Pete Philly and Perquisite have joined forces with one of Europe’s other experimental hip hop group Looptroop at two shows in Malmo, Sweden and Arhus, Denmark with Looptroop to support them in The Netherlands in Enschede, Groningen and Amsterdam… anyone within earshot you definitely go and check that out for what is sure to be a really interesting, energy packed evening.

Collaborations seem to be keeping Pete Philly and Perquisite busy throughout their travels this month playing two concerts with the legendary Guru’s Jazzmatazz in France last week also. In a twist of fate these collab’s may even be feeding each other with two members of New Zealand group Fat Freddy’s Drop in the crowd at one of these events making the link with Pete and Perq. What an awesome collaboration that could present if the two groups could make the time to put in some work together, both with incredible synergies in that they have vocalists who stand aside from the myriads of acts around these days with powerful and yet soft voices, both with innovative producers in Mu and Perquisite who continually surprise with new crossover styles and sneaky sound switches, and both with talented jazz musicians bringing a certain depth to their live shows.  In a Kiwi theme, Pete and Perq were also fortunate enough to hook up with The Black Seeds while in France after narrowly missing each other at various festivals around Europe, another collaboration that would trip me out if we were ever lucky enough to see it come together.

They’ve been nominated for three state awards, sold out several of their recent shows, been invited to the Carribean islands to perform, and all the while working on a new album as they go.

Pete Philly and Perquisite – Time Flies

Just another day in the life huh!

You can check out more of Pete Philly and Perquisite at:

www.myspace.com/petephillyandperquisite

www.petephillyandperquisite.com

…bs

Tags: Collaborations, gigs, hip hop, Jazz

Rhymesay-what?! Atmosphere, Brother Ali & Murs at the Corner Hotel in Jan!

Well, it’s shaping up to be a stellar summer for hip hop lovers, with Snoop & Co. having just graced us with their presence, a fella called Kanye hitting it soon with his pal NAS, and festivals left right and centre that feature notable members of the hip hop alumni being announced every week now. For me, however, one gig stands apart as something special to look forward to…. Over the Christmas and New Year’s period, underground legends Atmosphere are appearing at a number of festivals with their Rhymesayers cohort and resident albino, Brother Ali. Also touring around this time is another close friend and label mate of theirs in Murs. Now, they must’ve got together and said to each other, “Surely we can’t tour Australia and not cross paths at some point….. how’s about a party?” And so, on the 8th of January, there’s gonna be a Rhymesayers party that you don’t want to miss. Joining forces on stage at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Melbourne; these three acts are sure to provide an underground hip hop education that will convert even the staunchest opponents. Known for putting a lot of passion and energy into their performances individually, as a collective they will blow the roof off!

Real leaders in the underground scene for many years now, Atmosphere are a group that have never followed trends or made music for the wrong reasons; and it is this stance that has earned them such a strong following. Their following isn’t all based on their music, however, with many a female hip hop fan swooning over Slug, the main man on the mic. Whether this is his charming good looks, or his often intensely personal and introspective rhyme style, I don’t know. What I do know is that he is an incredibly talented emcee with an uncanny ability to grab the listener’s attention with his storyteller-rhymes, nearly always rapping about  his own experiences such as alcohol problems, tour life and depression, and his difficult and destructive relationships with women. Their latest album, ‘When life give you lemons you paint that shit gold’, is a bit of a departure from their normal approach with a lot of live instrumentation used by Ant, but this is a good thing Very Good review, and  in all likelihood they’ll be touring with a band too.

Having just released his first album on a major label (Murs for President out on Warner Bros. Records), Murs will be bringing a whole bounty of new tracks, as well as the classics from his huge catalogue of  pre-major label albums. Never one to take things too seriously, politics included, the new album refers to his desire to become Hip Hop President, and rescue Hip Hop from its current state; what better way to do that than on a major label, right? Don’t get it twisted, in no way has Murs sold out on this album, he’s still up to his usual mischief, and utilises the production of 9th Wonder (formerly of Little Brother) once again. Having collaborated on two albums with Slug (Felt Vol1: A Tribute to Christina Ricci, and Felt Vol2: A tribute to Lisa Bonet) the boys will no doubt be spending a lot of time together on stage.

Murs – Can It Be [Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later]

Not to be left out, Brother Ali will be hitting the stage hard performing songs from his 2007 release, The Undisputed Truth (entirely produced by Ant of Atmosphere) as well as from the underground classic that shot him into the limelight, ‘Shadows on the Sun’. Being a devout Muslim and legally blind albino, Brother Ali is certainly one of the more unusual figures to succeed in the hip hop world; but don’t let his appearance fool you now, he can tear it up on the mic just as hard as anyone.

Tickets are selling fast so get onto this quick; at only $48 you won’t find a better bargain this summer. Hell, I’d pay that just to see Atmosphere! Get online at www.cornerhotel.com for tickets now!

In the meantime, check out more about the artists below:
www.myspace.com/murs
www.myspace.com/brotherali
www.myspace.com/atmosphere

…Cracked

Tags: Collaborations, gigs, hip hop

No-one Ever Really Dies on Tour

When he isn’t pimping out his other beats to the likes of Jay-Z, JT or Gwen; or ‘droppin’ it like it’s hot’ for Snoop, you might be lucky enough to find Pharrell making his own crazy genre-mashing N*E*R*D magic with his boys. That is if he isn’t being voted best dressed by Esquire magazine, designing skateboards, running his own clothing label or shoe company. This man who seems to know how to make money and do business in the modern era, where promoting yourself is an art form in itself, still knows how find time to have some fun by playing around with beats and mixing up musical styles as they take his fancy.

N*E*R*D was formed in 2001 as an almost bastard child of The Neptunes as a way to explore their less mainstream, more challenging sounds. The group consists of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley, a trio who explore into some odd and intriguing realms of music to produce sounds that skate between the lines of familiar catchiness and experimental awkwardness, to make something in the middle. Juxtapositions that may in time outline and define popular production techniques of the future.

The music is can be described as funk-rock, with various other influences, including hip hop, R&B, soul, alternative rock, and blues. Pharrell is quoted as explaining the meaning of the band name as follows: “N*E*R*D stands for No-one Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes are who we are and N*E*R*D is what we do. It’s our life. N*E*R*D is just a basic belief, man. People’s energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn’t destroyed.”

This revolutionary and innovative crew are coming down under for their first major concert tour of Australia & New Zealand, following the release of their third album Seeing Sounds, which came out in June of this year. So if their sneaky tunes rub you up the right way and tickle your musical fancy, then check them out on the upcoming tour.

According to the concert promo site “”N.E.R.D is the offspring of the Neptune’s, a fly-or-die, thrash-around, do-as-you-will, set-your-soul-on-fire alter ego that subscribes to no rules, adheres to no agenda. N.E.R.D are back in a big way and coming to a city near you. Don’t miss your chance to see this explosive live act up close and personal”

Tour Dates & Venues:

Thu 26th Feb – Vector Arena, Auckland
On sale Mon 10th Nov Tickets

Wed 04th March – Hordern Pavillion, Sydney
On sale Mon 10th Nov Tickets

Thurs 05th March – Hisense Arena, Melbourne
On sale Fri 14th Nov Tickets

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N*E*R*D – Everybody Nose

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New Album ‘Seeing Sounds’ Out Now includes single ‘Everyone Nose’.

As usual, you can search for more info on the net by viewing:

Official NERD Site

Myspace for NERD

“I’m right here, and I ain’t goin’ nowhere
You can turn tables and you can throw chairs
I’m right here, and I ain’t goin’ nowhere
You can knock doors and tear up, ya’have to air so…”
(Spaz – N.E.R.D)

It’s almost over now…Yossarian

Tags: Funk, gigs

Ladi 6 – Time Is Not Much

Those of us that have followed Ladi 6’s progress as an MC and hip hop vocal artist throughout the years will be pleased as hell to hear that she has now completed a solo record. Her debut album “Time Is Not Much” has just been released for the NZ market on October 27th. Since her days starting out with Sheelaroc (an all female hip hip crew), then with Verse Two (who supported acts like The Roots and De La Soul) and the many collaborations with all kinds of NZ groups and artists like 50 Hz, Shapeshifter and Fat Freddy’s Drop (FFD); Ladi 6 (A.K.A Karoline Tamati) has always shown amazing potential and guaranteed finesse. She certainly knows how to control the microphone, adding just the right vocals or rhyme whatever type of track. There’s also a positive message of looking to the future and achieving the goals we set our minds to. To her credit she has numerous awards, has been touring for 10 years and frequently sells out shows. The official website (which is pretty funky itself) describes Ladi 6 as “The New Zealand soulstress and our Queen of hip hop”, I can’t think of any better label for someone of such talents.

The new album was recorded at the Drop studio in Wellington’s Lyall Bay, home to the Fat Freddy’s Crew, who also have an album on the way (watch this space for a future post). The production duties were handled admirably by the talents of Parks (Ladi 6’s partner) and Mu (From FFD), who both seem to know a good bassline when they create one. Others involved in the project included family members Tyra Hammond and Scribe who added their vocal skills, along with some of  New Zealand’s top musicians including Julien Dyne, Chip Matthews, Jo Lindsay and Riki Gooch.

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Ladi 6 – Walk Right Up

Ladi 6 and friends are about to go on a NZ tour to promote the release after returning from their highly successful tour of Europe and the UK. Down below are the upcoming gigs for those of you that may be in NZ or Australia over the next few months. So check her live show out if you can, but if you aren’t nearby and want to know why people call her NZ’s premiere female vocalist and compare her to Erykah Badu, then listen to her single “Walk Right Up” and as usual take a look at the myspace profile for a sneaky listen and possibly (if you’re a good capitalist) purchase stuff!

Confirmed Tour Dates:
31 Oct The Toto Bacco Room, Auckland
1 Nov Flow Bar, Hamilton
5 Nov Missy’s Kitchen, Wanaka
6 Nov Subculture, Queenstown
7 Nov Backstage, Dunedin
8 Nov The Civic, Christchurch
14 Nov Phat Club, Nelson
15 Nov San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington
20 Nov The Espy, Melbourne
30 Dec Rhythm and Vines, Gisborne
4 Jan 09 Days Like This, Sydney
16 Jan 09 Big Day Out , Auckland

So to find more about the new album and Ladi 6’s career so far… check out:

Ladi 6 Official site

Ladi 6 on Myspace

“Dreams can come true and I knew
knew not to believe you
and I flew away from the flock
now no one can stop me.”
(More Than Fake – Ladi 6)

Seek No more…Yossarian

Tags: Funk, gigs, hip hop, New Zealand Artists, Soul