Beats to think to...

Immediately searching for more from these producers/musicians:

Little People - "Moon"



Ratatat - "Swisha"

An introduction to Onra...

First of all, another happy birthday to my brother TK who turned 29 on the first of May. A seemingly endless well of positivity, I hope he has thoroughly enjoyed his birthday weekend. Today, I spent the majority of the day immersed in my usual internet perusal of cool new music (which is really just searching a couple trusted blogs and branching out from there). The first to catch my attention was a Vietnamese French producer named Onra. (Check him on Myspace.) A tasteful producer with a very Dilla-esque sound, he went to Vietnam back in 2006, and came back with a bunch of vintage vinyl he found while crate-digging on the streets of Saigon. His latest project showcases the beats he made out of the old gems acquired on that excursion, and is entitled "Chinoiseries" (see definition and reference here). I have yet to hear more than a few selections from this project (available along with his other releases on boomkat.com), but what I have heard is really refreshing.

Here's a taste of "Chinoiseries" courtesy of the tube:





The album I have been bumping while writing this is a project he did with another producer named Quetzal on BoBun Records in 2007. It is called "Onra & Quetzal Present Tribute", and it is entirely sampled from classic soul records. It is a very relaxing listen, and highly recommended if you like instrumental hip-hop in the Dilla/Madlib vein. I found a site that had a megaupload link to grab the whole album, click the album cover below to download it while the link lasts.



It looks like they put out a "Tribute 2" in 2008. I'll have to check it. In the meantime, check out this record of Onra's courtesy of LastFM...it's called "1.0.8" and it is dope! The site is okay, not too familiar with it, I logged in and it still made me keep pressing play after each song, but at least it let me listen to the entire album.

Off to go get some lunch...

First Post...

So I'm getting this blog started as a way for me to keep track of what keeps me motivated: music, family, friends, art, food, poetry, life. I am intending to post at least once a week or so, but it will probably be more like once a month, so while I am here doing this, let's get started, shall we?

I have been listening to a lot of instrumentals lately (mostly Collective Efforts beats that still need hooks to be written), but also some soothing sounds of Gotan Project, Bobobo, and this group the Jazz Liberatorz that I stumbled across on Pandora. They are a group of French producers that have worked with a bunch of dope artists like Aloe Blacc, Stacy Epps, Asheru, Fat Lip, etc. Check out some tracks on their Myspace page. Here is a little tasty instrumental I found on the "tube":



I also seem to be getting pickier in terms of who I can actually sit and listen to as an MC, often finding that rappers these days are sounding like they are trying way too hard to come across as these "mad lyrical" giants, their words just zipping straight over most of our heads. I mean, we can sit and dissect the rhymes if we take the time, and maybe if I had a walk man, some headphones, and was in 9th grade, that might be something I would consider doing, but as I get older the non sequitur stream of consciousness raps start to bore me. Maybe it's just me getting old. I would rather hear someone speak to me on a human level, rather than lifted up on a pedestal in the usual high and mighty hip-hop god position (which most of us as rappers are guilty of at some time or another). That's why this particular track by B.O.B (an ATL producer, guitarist, rapper, songwriter that T.I. signed to Grand Hustle) really spoke to me when I saw the video. He came across with that simplicity I was looking for, and although the song could have been developed more as a whole, it is a great introduction to an artist I am looking to hear a lot more from.



Until next time, stay searching for that new and true.

- Ben Hameen