Ben Folds - Chatroulette Live

Thanks to Heikki, I bumped into this phenomenon of using new technology in an extremely creative way. The mysterious piano man uses an online "video chat with strangers" service Chatroulette, resulting in this video (which has now over 3 million views in 10 days):



Then I found a video of a musician, Ben Folds, using Chatroulette during his live gig! Let the video explain:

The Temptations - I Need You

This weekend, I bumped into some of the tracks by a former Finnish underground group MC Taakibörsta. In case you didn't already know, here's one hot (drum) break they've sampled in a song called "PA 2001":

The Temptations - I Need You



The song is also sampled by Young Gunz, Darien Brockington & Little Brother etc.

Payback Jam 4 - Trailer 2010

We did the edits for the trailer of an annual breakdance event, Payback Jam, held in my home town Jyväskylä. Didn't even remember the skill level was so amazing high! Man, we're still having the real thing going on here in the middle of Finland.

Take a look:




P.S. The weird thing was that YouTube recognized the audio track as copyrighted material, and because of that YouTube insisted to put the ad there.

Bobby Hebb - Sunny

Great Sunday tune from Bobby Hebb: Sunny (original, 1966).

Stay Strong Guru

Guru of Gang Starr is having some serious troubles with his health so I'm wishing all the best for him. The situation is getting really sad since his present-day musical partner, producer Solar has been coming up in a negative light. Guru's nephew posted a video about the whole situation and e.g. Freddie Foxxx, Evil D, Houseshoes and so on are not very happy about Solar.

Anyway, lets hope the best for Guru.

Gang Starr - Mass Appeal

Laid Back Songs from El Michels Affair

El Michels Affair has an album released in 2009 with 7 Isaac Hayes covers. The extremely relaxing "Hung Up On My Baby" cover made it to my Top 10 Spotify -playlist.

El Michels Affair - Hung Up On My Baby




And while we're on some laid back music, there's another joint from an earlier El Michels album worth picking.

El Michels Affair - Musing To Myself

Four Tops - Main Street People

Easy Saturday soul from the Four Tops.

"What ever happened to the days, we met on main street?
All we ever wanted to do, was sing and dance,
Maybe we could go back again and look for main street..."

The Four Tops - Main Street People

Da Beatminerz on Ustream

Some MC's, producers and DJ's are using live broadcasting to let the fans sit on the couch of the studio. Basically this means they're airing video straight from the lab with a laptop or a phone. One of the most popular services is Ustream.

For example Da Beatminerz have sent 686 live broadcasts. Wow. Here's an archived show where DJ Evil D is kicking it with some legendary shouts:



There's a good chance you might catch Da Beatminerz spinning live right now at http://dabeatminerz.com.

Nas - Just A Moment

Hadn't listened to this one for a while. So dope.



PS. The original "Will You Cry" by Chic is worth listening, too.

Jake One Interview

I had the chance to meet Jake One at Red Bull Music Academy 2007 where he was part of the studio crew. After working with everyone from MF Doom to G-Unit, releasing "White Van" album, and finishing the new album with Freeway, he had some time to answer a few questions.


1) You're from Seattle.. How does it make a difference as a producer?

- I think because Seattle hasn't really had a dominant figure in rap, the people here are influenced by a lot of different styles of hip hop. I grew up listening to 415 and Pete Rock which is a weird combo.

    My ear for sampling and drums leans more towards the East Coast style, but I think my ear for basslines comes from listening to West Coast stuff.

2) Is it really true that artists like 50 Cent and Little Brother are picking the same beats? Give us some examples!

- It is true. You never know who is going to gravitate towards a particular beat. The song I did for 50 Cent "All of Me" with Mary J Blige was something that Brother Ali was interested in. 50 also wanted "Rock Co.Kane Flow" which ended up with De La Soul.

    I listen to all types of rap so for me I want to make something that appeals to my ear which is kinda underground with a tint of mainstream.


3) Unforgettable moment in your career?

- Probably meeting all the artists and producers that I grew up listening to and them appreciating my work. Songs come and go, I'm usually more excited about what I'm doing in the moment.

4) Pick of the moment?

Rick Ross - Mafia Music 2 (prod. The Olympicks):




Thanks for the interview Jake! (Photos by May Truong)

Freeway & Jake One CD Package = Customer Experience

The upcoming collaboration album of Freeway & Jake One shows us some creativity how music should be packaged.

I'd consider this as exciting customer experience:

No I.D. - Sky's The Limit (1997)

Did you know No I.D. was an MC, too?

That's the same guy who produced the first three albums by Common (1992-1997), the same guy who is Kanye West's mentor, the same guy who produced singles for Jay-Z in 2009 and so on. Somewhere in the middle he managed to grab the mic as well. What a path!

No I.D. - Sky's The Limit (1997)