Tag: hop

VIDEO: Grieves – “Boogie Man”

Grieves

Grieves knows what he’s doing. His latest release with Budo, Together/Apart, embodied love and life, while throwing around sophisticated rhythms like they’re going out of fashion. From slow crawling beats to huge explosions, it was an album that had only a couple of misses – but when there’s 16 tracks on it, most would consider that acceptable.

Grieves is another one of the talented artists signed to Rhymesayers, and his latest video is a prime example of why.

“Boogie Man” stares you in the eyes and smirks, as it eerily builds tension. Just wait for that beat to drop.

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VIDEO: Johnny Utah – Us (“Be Us” Mixtape Promo)

Johnny Utah

Aussie hip-hopper Johnny Utah, from the I Forget, Sorry! collective, has been working on a free mixtape of late. Last night we got our first taste of what to expect from the December release. I’ve been keen on some new material from Utah since I reviewed the first EP he worked on, and I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a solid release. All of the IFS! boys have been going from strength to strength lately, and rarely disappoint. Someone tag this guy into Rapper Tag already.

The teaser samples Brother Ali’s track “Us” for those of you wondering.

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MIXTAPE: On The Tune Mixtape Vol. 5

On The Tune Mixtape Vol. 5

It’s certainly been a while between mixtapes, but hopefully this is a triumphant return to form! We’ve got something for everyone with this one. Guitar-based songs, softer tracks, a Talking Heads cover, sample-based electronic songs, hip-hop mash-ups, acoustic ditties, and some post-rock to finish everything up.

Plus, it’s all completely legal. I asked every single artist or their management if I could use the tracks. No guilty conscience for anyone involved. It feels nice, doesn’t it?

Enough of my ramblings though. Feel free to peruse this fine tracklisting and download the mixtape at your leisure. Happy listening!

P.S. Cover art is by the incredibly handsome Michael “Sea Monkeys” Forrest.

And don’t forget to like On The Tune on Facebook!

Download

Size: 131.09 MB

Tracklist:

1. Winter Street – A Little More

2. The Moniters – Lights Go Down

3. The Panda Band – The Fix

4. The Deer Republic – Feel Like Dancing

5. Millions – Those Girls

6. Udays Tiger – Machine

7. Tim Fitz – Disposable Youth

8. The Dead Leaves – This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

9. Buckley Ward – So Pretend

10. Anton Franc – Letting Go

11. Air France – It Feels Good To Be Around You

12. Lion & the Lotus – Vistas De Oro

13. Gotye –  Somebody That I Used To Know (Phatchance Hip Hop Remix) Remixed by One Above

14. The Trouble With Templeton – Bleeders

15. Cheer Advisory Council – Coach

16. Solkyri – This Can’t Wait!

17. Tom Day – Home

Don’t know how to unzip stuff? Download 7zip here.
Don’t know which download link to click? I don’t know what .msi files are either. Do you use Windows? Try this one.

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LIVE: Joelistics, live at Transit Bar, Canberra (18-08-11)

Joelistics began his set talking to a room of seated people, but within 10 minutes it was a completely different story. The Melbournian artist opened with a didactic spoken-word rap – no beats, no music – called “I Am By Virtue”, and it was then that everyone in the room knew it was going to be a special gig. Not only because of his clear verses, or the confidence he displayed as he took to the stage, but because of the content covered and the meaning behind his rhymes. Joelistics is an artist who not only thinks, but makes his audience think too, and it was warming to see the small crowd at Transit Bar recognise and appreciate such a rare performer.

Rhythmically his flow was nothing short of the mark, and it was with practiced hands that he took the mic and filled the small room with his thoughts. “Glorious Feeling” and “Days”, from Joelistics latest release Voyager, lit the room up with excitement, but that’s not to say the rest of his set didn’t either. We were lucky enough to be treated to an old TZU track, and a cover of a cover – Joelistics covering TZU’s cover of You Am I’s “Heavy Heart”. To see Joel Ma bring out an acoustic guitar and sing to us all in such an intimate setting not only displayed his broad musical talent, but changed the pace of his set. It threw things around a bit, and often that can be a good thing.

It would be unfair to say Joelistics sounded like his recordings – he sounded better. Even standing right next to the speaker, it sounded brilliant in the tiny bar, which can be attributed to Ishu, who not only filled a support slot but played the role of sound guy as well. The improvisation from Joelistics and DJ Soup added an extra element of anticipation that soaked into the audience. After bringing out some special items for the set, no one really knew what to expect, but our patience was rewarded by what I’m fairly certain was some truly inspiring freestyling.

It was warming to see Joelistics standing on the edge of the stage, smiling out at the few people who had turned out to see him play. His performance cemented him as one of the most talented hip-hop artists we have. Clear verses, strong rhythms, and a deserved confidence with the mic: Joelistics gave us not only a strong performance, but something to think about as we left Transit to brave Canberra’s cold.

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BRAND NEW: Gotye – “Somebody That I Used To Know (Phatchance Hip Hop Remix) Remixed by One Above”

With Phatchance holding the pen and One Above working on the beat, this remix always had the right people behind it – but was it enough to do something special to the original? Was it enough to successfully remix a song that’s gone absolutely crazy in the Australian music scene?

I think the answer to that is a resounding “YES”. This track once again displays just how underrated Chance is in the hip-hop scene – the verses he delivers on this reworking keep the same tone as the original, and the imagery is so evocative. Not only that, but rhythmically Chance’s flow is at its very best here. I don’t know how he has managed to take such a distinctive and popular track, and contribute so much to it lyrically – although I really shouldn’t be so surprised.

And you know what? People are going to whinge. I know they will. “Oh he ruined the original!” Just try to listen to it as a stand-alone track. Listen to it as something completely new. Chance’s lyrics and style cement him as one of my favourite hip-hop artists, and this remix is gold. You are allowed to like both the original and this, you know that right? We’re all friends here, we all wanna hear good music. Wally is such a cool dude he even gave Chance the stems to use for the mix. Don’t be hatin’. Just listen, and hopefully enjoy! (You can download it too if you want! It’s on Chance’s mixtape.)

Also! For any budding producers/musicians who want to remix Gotye’s track, he’s made the stems available over here on his website! [direct link to download the stems]

Hi guys, unfortunately it seems Gotye has either taken the stems down or they ran out of downloads – they’re no longer available. However someone found an alternate link down in the comments if you’re interested.

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VIDEO: Evidence – “Same Folks feat. Fashawn”

It’s undeniable that Rhymesayers artists have not only taken up a significant amount of my listening time over the past year, but that they’ve furthered both my notions of hip-hop and music in general – for which I am very thankful. It wasn’t all that long ago that I was completely dismissive of hip-hop. I thought it was all terrible. Since then, artists like P.O.S., Atmosphere, and most recently, Grieves, have shown me that such views were more than unjustified – they were just plain wrong.

So it makes sense that I’ve been keeping an ear out for new material from anyone on the Rhymesayers roster, because so far they’ve failed to disappoint. Evidence’s latest track continues that tradition, with bright, summery brass hooks and a great beat behind it, and it’s only getting me more excited for his sophomore record Cats & Dogs, which is set for release on the 27th of September.

Take a look below, and if you want, you can pre-order Cats & Dogs over here from Fifth Element.

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VIDEO: Illy – “Cigarettes (ft. Hue Blanes)”

This video isn’t brand new, but it’s really surprising that it doesn’t have more views! It’s such a strong single, off an album that got a whole heap of attention, and the artistic direction the clip takes is pretty cool too. The video was shot around Melbourne, including at Red Door Sounds in Collingwood and The Corner Hotel in Richmond. It was directed by Andrew Wood of Rockaway Creative.

Illy’s breakthrough album The Chase really threw him into the Aussie hip-hop limelight, and this song is a great example of just how much he deserves that success. That chorus has so much potential for huge moments at gigs and festivals. I can see people waving their lighters already.

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BRAND NEW/VIDEO: Phrase’s “Bablyon” and new clip!

Aussie hip-hop artist Phrase just released the video for his new single “Apart”! It’s the first single from his brand new LP Babylon, and features Davey Lane (You Am I guitarist), whose vocal parts bring the whole song together. Even though the clip sees Phrase killing his troublesome piñata brother, the song is about as sunny and bright as they come.

Phrase has also put the whole of Babylon up to stream before it’s released, for those of you interested. Well worth a listen, especially as I’ve got a feeling there’s gonna be a few big ones on this release. triple j would be mad not to throw some of these tracks on high rotation.

You can stream the whole album over here, and grab a free mp3 of “Shut Em Down”, provided you part with an e-mail address.

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TOUR: Phatchance and Coptic Soldier’s “Hey, Where’s Your DJ?” tour

So you may have noticed I recently reviewed Inkstains (Acoustic) and The Sound of Wings 2, the most recent releases from Phatchance and Coptic Soldier.

Well, they’ve recently announced a co-headline acoustic tour around a few of Australia’s major centres to showcase their new material, and if you’re a fan of hip-hop this is not something you want to miss. They’re touring with a full live band, alongside collaborator and musician Jon Reichardt, and if their recent EP releases are anything to go by, this tour will be special indeed.

It’s a shame they can’t make it to more cities, but if you can make it out to see them you really should. Best of luck to everyone involved, I’m sure you’ll smash it!

See the below poster for details.

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REVIEW: Coptic Soldier – “The Sound of Wings 2”

In case you missed it, I reviewed The Sound of Wings quite some time ago. Over here. Ultimately I felt it was an alright release, but that better things were to come from Coptic Soldier. The Sound of Wings 2 proves I was right.

For those of you unaware, The Sound of Wings 2 is an acoustic EP from Coptic. If you’re worried, don’t be, because the acoustic atmosphere suits Coptic’s rapping style more than ever, and it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes. This feels like a niche Coptic could easily slot into on a regular basis, because it works really well, and as a result the release sounds much more cohesive.

Like Inkstains (Acoustic), there’s new material, this time in the form of “I Hate Sleep (Acoustic) feat. Charlie Mayfair” and “Fight for the Fame (Acoustic)”, both of which are brilliant. The latter is a personal standout: musically with the guitar picking and strong back-up vocals, and lyrically.

Vocal melodies and hints of jazz instrumentation throughout the EP help it retain the soulful feel its predecessor had, and I don’t think that’s a sound you hear too often. Which is great, because ultimately The Sound of Wings 2 wins through its diversity. It really sets itself apart. Not content with being any normal acoustic release, it goes that step further to differentiate itself (an increasing trend I seem to be seeing with I Forget, Sorry!’s releases). Which is exactly what makes it such a strong release.

And the effort put into it shows. Coptic and Phatchance both reached capacity at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory three weeks in a row to showcase these acoustic tracks. That alone should tell you there’s something special here.

The Sound of Wings 2 represents what feels like a natural progression for Coptic Soldier. It’s a big step from his last release (despite both sharing tracks), and it’s where Coptic’s real talent starts to shine. Amongst the mountains of musical trash thrown at us every day, The Sound of Wings 2 proves there is always something special out there – you just have to find it.

Grab lead single “I Hate Sleep (Acoustic) feat. Charlie Mayfair” from Coptic’s triple j Unearthed page here, and pick up The Sound of Wings 2 online here!

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