I think the key to making rad hip-hop, at least for my picky ears, is to add brass! Brass tends to give it more of a swing/rhythm and blues feel, which harks back to hip-hop’s origins. Also, it just seems to make it super darn catchy. These guys have been featured in YouTube videos about various wholesome outdoor activities (like World’s Largest Rope Swing), and I have to say, it just works!
Contrary to the general content of my posts on either/or, I am not adverse to rap. While I don’t claim to be a giant fan of it, if it happens to tickle me just right then I certainly won’t say no. Granted, that tickling usually occurs when the rap in question is mixed together with some smooth, downtempo beats overall. Such is the case with this tune. Sue me, I have a predictable type!
Amazingly, this tune actually came out in 1993. Yes, the name of the tune is kind of a give-away, but you’d be forgiven if you didn’t assume so when you listen to it. That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
I can’t believe I’ve forgotten to post about these guys. Granted, their one and only album came out before this site even started, but that doesn’t mean their music is outdated. Oh ho ho, far from it.
Anyhoo, I figure it’s time to bam things up a notch by presenting you with The Avalanches, an Australian hip-hop/electronic group. Their sole debut album, Since I Left You is a literal cacophony of old records, classic radio shows, and movie quotes, all jammed up with a dash of deck scratching to tie it all together.
Ok, I’m dipping into pretentiousness, but it’s seriously pretty amazing! Most of the album feels structured and completely melodic with only an occasional dip into more electronic territory, but even that’s ok because it sounds weirdly retro at the same time. The real standouts are Since I Left You, Etoh, and most importantly, Frontier Psychiatrist which has a bizarre, but totally appropriate music video.
Downloadable media is a little hard to come by (this album came out in 2001), but I have some awesome music videos for you! As well as that, I have some bonus videos that show where all the samples come from, which you should definitely check out after you listen to the tunes. Goodness me this is a long post.
From Since I Left You
Frontier Psychiatrist – (YouTube)
Since I Left You – (YouTube)
Frontier Psychiatrist – The Samples – (YouTube)
Since I Left You – The Samples – (YouTube)
I’ll admit it: I’m not a big fan of hip-hop. This is probably my own fault though, since the only hip-hop I ever get to listen to comes from dodgy radio stations and those mainstream music video shows and it always sounds rather junky. So it’s just as well I was listening to some indie radio station at like 2AM because I happened on some rather delightful hip-hop.
Wax Tailor is a French artist who samples a huge range of old recordings to build up his music. The recordings usually consist of old radio broadcasts, voice samples of long past and goodness knows what other material. It produces a nice “old record” sound, which is then underlined with a smooth beat and some other interesting things. Kinda reminds me of a toned down version of Frontier Psychiatrist, by the Avalanches (a tune I highly recommend).
So, if you like your hip-hop interesting, warming (at times) and just a teensy bit strange, then load up some Wax Tailor! If you don’t, then load him up anyway, as he does do some of the more traditional hip-hop sounds.
From Tales of the Forgotten Melodies:
Que Sera – (MP3 Sample, 681 KB)
Between Fellows – (MP3 Sample, 294 KB)
Am I Free? – (MP3 Sample, 710 KB)
If you want the more traditional hip-hop:
From Tales of the Forgotten Melodies:
Damn That Music Made My Day – (MP3 Sample, 475 KB)
Where My Heart’s At – (MP3 sample, 713 KB)
If you can brave the Flash, then there is a bunch of other tunes from this album and his other ones to take a look at. Or perhaps you could click here, but I might get in trouble.
I haven’t posted about any folk artists lately, and supposedly, this is a good thing. So while I plan a folk invasion that will put all of you to sleep, here is some Scream Club to wake you up. While there isn’t any screaming to be found on this album, hip-hop is always something of a club, with songs featuring artists here and there. This particular album has guest appearances from Mirah and Beth Ditto of The Gossip. One thing which I find quite amusing about this band is the lyrics; if Scream Club didn’t consist of two ladies, some of their lyrics would be seen as quite misogynist. For instance, “I wake in the morning, take off your britches, dress you like a French maid and watch you do the dishes!” Ah well! So long as I can laugh at that without being called a chauvinist asshole, then I am happy. Also, this is our 100th post! Woohoo.
From The Scissors To The Metal Remix
And You Belong (Ben Adorable Remix) – (MP3, 6 MB)
Dead Wrong featuring Mirah (Ben Adorable Remix) – (MP3, 2.8 MB)
If You Want It featuring Beth Ditto (Ben Adorable Remix) (MP3, 4.7 MB)
To Ant’s chagrin, it is time for rap! I had to create the rap category just for this song, can you believe it? Me neither. Anyhoo, on my most recent blog whoring expedition, I found some Aussie rap on songs: illinois and decided to get it because it’s a genre that I hardly pay attention to anymore. Fortunately for me, Macromantics is not part of the cRap sub-genre that turned me off to the main genre in the first place. And though I can’t profess to understand a good chunk of what she is rapping, I find that hardly relevant because, as she raps in this very song, the track is gorgeous.
From Moments In Movement
Scorch – (MP3, 3.8 MB)
