Back To The Golden Age

Payback Jam 4 - Trailer 2010

2010-03-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

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

Stay Strong Guru

2010-03-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-27T03:56:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-20T07:53:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-06T09:13:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-01-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

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)

Joell Ortiz - 125 Part 4 (Finale)

2010-01-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

I've been bumping a couple of Joell Ortiz tracks lately, like this one:

Joell Ortiz - 125 Part 4 (Finale)

Mos Def - History

2010-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

I heard History by Mos Def, which has been staying for a while on my Top 10 Rotation Spotify playlist, got a brand new video in 2010.

Mos Def feat. Talib Kweli - History (prod. Dilla)

Eddie Sancho Interview

2010-01-10T04:07:00.000-08:00

When it comes to defining the sound of hip hop in the 90's, an engineer named Eddie Sancho is definitely a key player. His loooong discography includes classics like "Illmatic", "Enta da Stage", "Reasonable Doubt", "Moment of Truth" - just to name a few.

I was blessed to do an interview with him, so here we go.

1) Could you briefly describe your role in the process of making an album?

- My role in the process of making an album has changed. Before I was very involved, in which I would do everything (record tracks, record vocals & then mix). These were the days when we were back in D&D Studios.

Now that a lot of these big studios are gone, everything is Pro Tools sessions and I just get sent the song to mix. So in a way its cool that I'm just involved in the mixing process, but miss my organization skills when I was involved in the whole process and knowing what is going on without any surprises!

2) How was it with engineering "Moment of Truth"?

- Engineering "Moment of Truth" was great! But just in general engineering and mixing along with DJ Premier was a great experience! What Premier brought to the table with his production and I with my mixing skillz... It's hard to find words to describe our combination, but M.O.P summed it up "make magic like Premier and Eddie Sancho"!

3) Unforgettable moment?

- It happened back in Oct 1999, Jay-Z session... There was a baseball playoff game going on between the NY Mets & Atlanta Braves. FYI I'm a huge Mets Fan! So everyone in the studio was watching the game as well as Jay-Z and I remember Jay-Z was texting back and forth with Jermaine Dupri (he's from Atlanta) whether the Mets would come out with a win or not... and I remember Jay-Z was ready to do vocals, and I kinda kept him waiting, but he was mad cool about it. But unfortunately the Mets lost that night and ended their season. I believe the song was "So Ghetto".

4) Which song would you choose as a pick of the moment?

- Currently I'm focusing on my own projects as a producer so I don't really have a song to pick. Working on projects with Iserene Oasis the Bass Sis and Maria Isa. Stay tuned!

Thanks Eddie for the interview & the legendary work.

Top 10 Spotify & YouTube Playlists

2009-12-29T05:47:00.001-08:00

I started to update my Top 10 Rotation playlists for Spotify & YouTube. But what I really am interested in is to hear what you are listening to - so please feel free to share your playlist in the comment section.

Here's the link for my Top 10 Spotify Rotation right now.

My Top 10 Video Rotation

Bob James Interview + Masta Ace

2009-12-13T03:14:00.000-08:00

Bob James is one of the key players when it comes to the musical evolution of hip hop. I found a Red Bull Music Academy based interview where Bob himself shares his thoughts about his career.

The song on 38:05, "El Verano" by Bob James... Wow, just listen to it (also on Spotify).

Some of y'all probably noticed that "El Verano" is sampled i.e. for Masta Ace - N.Y. Confidential:

I.N.I. - Fakin' Jax

2009-12-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

I.N.I., a group backed up by Pete Rock, had an album called "Center of Attention" in their hands in 1995. They managed to release a single & video in 1996, but due to label issues the album didn't officially come out until 2003.

The whole album has been a regular guest in my stereo thru the years. On the single "Fakin' Jax", I really like the way Pete brought some different groove to the widely used "Honey Drippers" drum break.

I.N.I. - Fakin' Jax (prod. Pete Rock)

El Da Sensei - Gunblast

2009-11-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Another Jake One gem you might've missed.

El Da Sensei - Gunblast (prod. Jake One)

Rakim - The Seventh Seal

2009-11-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

10 years has passed since the master, Rakim, released his previous album. The path has been complicated with album delays, signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath and leaving it after a while.

In fact, the new album "The Seventh Seal" kind of sounds like Dr. Dre has something to do with it - even though he hasn't. The album is good but some of the beats could be more on point. You be the judge.

Rakim - Satisfaction Guaranteed

Rakim - Won't Be Long (prod. Jake One)

Pharoahe Monch - Trilogy (Act 2 ft. Dwele)

2009-11-14T04:09:00.000-08:00

If you've listened Pharoahe's album "Desire" carefully, you already know the following. But if you haven't, there's a good chance you've missed a brilliant piece of storytelling soul. The whole 9-min tripartite song "Trilogy" is actually a play about an unhappily ending love triangle. The musical highlight to me is the act 2.

When it comes to MCs, Pharoahe is on my top 5 dead or alive list.

Pharoahe Monch - Trilogy (Act. 2 ft. Dwele)

Nas - Let There Be Light & Kanye West

2009-11-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

A Detroit icon HouseShoes wondered how Kanye West could've produced "Selfish" by Slum Village. His thoughts made me think: listening to songs like "Heartless" feels absurd after hearing his earlier beats with Scarface, Beanie, Jay, Talib Kweli, Common etc.

Anyway, one "newer" Kanye track I've been liking a lot is "Let There Be Light" by Nas. Thanks to the vocals, it might even be a b-side for the soundtrack of my life. Lets keep the positivity highlighted.

Nas - Let There Be Light (prod. Kanye West)

Masta Ace & Edo G - Here I Go Again

2009-10-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Masta Ace's & Edo G's "A&E" album was officially pushed back due to some issues with the TV channel A&E. I heard thru the grapevine that it already leaked, so I just had to check it out. After the first listening rounds it sounds like quality with a couple of gems.

In "Here I Go Again" the veterans share some humble thoughts about the ups and downs of their 20 year long journey in the rap game. It must've been a tough road to travel; moving on from majors to kind of independent niche artists while contrasting day job with MCing as a profession.

Fortunately they both chose the latter one.

Masta Ace & Edo G - Here I Go Again (feat. Jamelle Bundy)

Love for the Art @ Payback BBoy Jam, Final Battle

2009-10-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

"...breaking took a back seat, 'cause the A&R's couldn't figure how to make their ends meet." -Q-Unique (Arsonists - Flashback)

BBoying, generally known as breakdancing, has never been in such a spotlight as MCing grew up to be. Perhaps that's the reason why we're seeing a lot of bboys maintaining the feeling of the Golden Age with true passion and love for the art.

I got to give it up for my friends, rhythmic masterminds Focus & Hatsolo of Flow Mo, who increased their resume by winning the Payback competition last summer. It has been amazing to watch their dedication thru the years.

Final battle: Flow Mo vs. Sticky Ruckus

Pete Rock - Give It To Ya feat. Little Brother

2009-10-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to Pete Rock's "Soul Survivor 2" a lot lately. I found a lil blend on YouTube with the original song mixed into Pete's one. Some smooth music for the weekend.

Pete Rock - Give It To Ya feat. Little Brother / Gladys Knight - The Makings of You

Masta Ace & Edo G - Little Young

2009-10-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

The fresh video from Masta Ace & Edo G's "A & E (Arts & Entertainment)" album proves that these fellas are not even a little too old for this.

Masta Ace & Edo G - Little Young

Underdogs: AZ and Cormega

2009-10-07T03:38:00.001-07:00

I've always felt the vibes from the two Nas affiliates: AZ and Cormega. They both are going to perform in Finland this weekend @ Helsinki Hip Hop Festival.

Cormega is mostly known for his Queensbridge background with Nas, Mobb Deep and CNN. He was a member of The Firm (Nas, Az, Foxy Brown, backed up by Dr. Dre and Trackmasters), but was replaced with Nature - almost in a cut & paste style. The situation created a long lasting beef between Nas and Mega, which fortunately ended in 2005.

Cormega feat. Tragedy Khadafi - They Forced My Hand

AZ has been making 9 albums and plenty feature verses without changing his sound too much; since his famous appearance on Illmatic 15 years ago.

AZ - The Come Up (Prod. DJ Premier)