New Music: Wio-K - 'Boom Style Fresh'

New music from Toronto veteran Wio-K today, with the AGOMWAB regular reaching out with a new tune to celebrate the New Year.

As the track's title suggests, 'Boom Style Fresh' is a nice piece of straight-up hip hop, built around a dusty sample and a smattering of Wio's solid, true-school rhymes.

You can check out 'Boom Style Fresh' below, either by streaming or downloading:



Wio-k Boom Style Fresh.mp3

If you like Wio's music, you can check out more here, here and here.

New Music: Money Making Jam Boys - 'Day Job'/'Tear It Down'

Whispers of a Illadelph-heavy super group have been swirling around the traps for months now. While I've been away, it looks like these rumours have turned to reality, with the Money Making Jam Boys starting to pick up the pace, release-wise.

The Jam Boys is a collection of five M.C.s, including Roots stalwart Black Thought, long-time collaborator Dice Raw, and a trio of mic wranglers that anyone familiar with the last few Roots albums will be familiar with - namely, STS, P.O.R.N. and Truck North.

Jam Boy tracks have floated around the interwebs for a minute now, but it looks like things are switching up a gear, with US clothing label 10 Deep getting behind a mix tape of material, entitled The Prestige: Jam Boy Magic.

Here's 10 Deep's marketing blurb: "Seamlessly mixed by Mick Boogie & Terry Urban, The Prestige – sixteen tracks of hot lava – draws equally upon original production by the likes of Frank Knuckles and ?uestlove, and a revisitation of several golden era hip-hop tracks. Mix that with cuts by the legendary Jazzy Jeff."

Mix that with cuts by the legendary Jazzy Jeff and... what? Well, you'll have to wait until February 3rd, when The Prestige will be available for download - but to get you in the mood, you can get a preview of a couple of cuts that will feature on the mix: the boom-bap inspired 'Tear It Down', and the gritty 'Day Job':

'Tear It Down':

'Day Job':

As a rather irrelevant side note, 'Day Job' is produced by a gentleman by the name of Khari Ferrari. That, my friends, is a proper moniker. I wish I was called Khari so I could have a cool rhyming nickname... all I got is Duncan Pumpkin. No matter how you say it, it's just not working.

New Music: Sofrito - Tropical Discotheque

Some serious sunshine music today from the mighty Sofrito crew (DJs Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis alongside The Mighty Crime Minister), London's finest purveyors of all things tropical.

If you don't know, school up here: "Sofrito has consistently combined the serious vinyl hunter's ear for amazing records with the know-how to throw a great party, rocking dance floors worldwide since their inception in 2005 with a mixture of vintage tropical grooves and exclusive dubplate edits.

"From their legendary Tropical Warehouse events in East London to the clubs and bars of Brooklyn, from beach parties in Greece to festivals and clubs across Europe including WOMAD and the Worldwide Festival, Sofrito has now become an international proposition."

Now that you're an expert, you'll undoubtedly be more excited by the news that the Sofrito gang are branching out into the world of compilations, teaming up with record label Strut to release their debut collection, Tropical Discotheque, "15 unmixed, dynamite tropical grooves old and new ranging from raw cumbia, heavy Congolese soukous, bassline calypso and cosmic highlife.

"Highlights include an exclusive cumbia by Quantic, 'Cumbia Mochilla', a new edit of a rare Victor Uwaifo disco cut and firing Carnival jams from old-timers Roaring Lion and Mighty Shadow. This isn't about 'world music', this is some of the best dance music ever made."

To hear a little of what to expect from Tropical Discotheque, you can download a free track, 'Dat Soca Boat' by Mighty Shadow', here, or listen to a Sofrito mini-mix below:

Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque mini-mix by DJ Hugo Mendez by Strut

Tropical Discotheque is out now, and is available on LP, CD and digital download.

Beats, Rhymes and Tears at Tribe Documentary Launch

The hotly anticipated documentary on A Tribe Called Quest has endured a bit of a roller coaster ride by all accounts.

It started out well when director Michael Rappaport decided that the Questers were more than worthy recipients of a lavish tribute of the documentary variety.

Then it took a turn for the worst when it became clear that Rappaport would (quite rightly) include a little inside dirt on what is by all accounts a rather dysfunctional group.

More than a few people even suggested that the original title, Beats, Rhymes & Life, had been switched to Beats, Rhymes & Fights. But the good ship Tribe seemed to right itself. The documentary looked like it was on track. Everyone was happy.

Like all good roller coaster rides though, the twists and turns kept coming. So the project seemed under threat once again in December when lead Tribesman Q-Tip publicly stated that he didn't support the project.

Beats, Rhymes & Life has rolled on regardless however, and was debuted at the prestigious Sundance film festival this week. But did the Quest put on a show of solidarity for the big day? No, sir. Only Phife made the trip to the premier - and it seems it all became a bit too much for him to bear.

After being invited on stage to field questions, Phife broke down as he spoke on why the group had agreed to take part in the documentary if they weren't in a good space.

“They don’t understand," Phife said, talking about his band mates. "Like, I listened to your guys’ responses throughout the movie. Q-Tip has no idea how many people love him … I just wish they were all here to witness how much love you guys showed this movie.”

A picture is worth a thousand words, so it's easier if you watch the video footage put together by NYMag.Com, but be warned - this one's a bit of a tear jerker. And if you're a Quet devotee like me, it will make you want to see Beats, Rhymes & Life even more. Long live the Tribe, as dysfunctional as it may be.

Mix Tape: DK - 'Cymatic Frequencies' Audio Visual Mix

The folks behind the legendary Solid Steel radio show have made a point of pushing the envelope in more ways than most DJs, whether that's through championing typically eclectic selections or by delving into the world of audio visual wizardry.

This week, Solid Steel veteran DK is kindly offering up a little of both, giving you what the folks at Ninja Tune describe as "a treat for eyes as well as your ears with his full on audio visual mix Cymatic Frequencies."

According to Team Ninja, Cymatic Frequencies is "packed full of musical highlights from 2010, Ninja Tune & Big Dada XX celebrations and of course the odd classic thrown in for good measure, all with added visuals (mostly created for each track)."

There's a slew of quality music on offer in this mix, with the likes of Joy Orbison, Toddla T and James Blake mingling with James Brown and Gil Scott-Heron (who gets the remix treatment in a big way from Jamie XX. But when you throw in the visuals, the whole mix really comes alive.

This is some next level business.Ninja Tune hit the nail on the head by quite rightly claiming that "no other radio show gives you this 'visual version of a mixtape'. Say word. You can watch and listen to the Cymantic Frequencies Audio Visual Mix by DK below:


Cymatic Frequencies by DK from Solid Steel on Vimeo.

While the AV mix isn't available for download (unfortunately), you can nab yourself an MP3 of it below:

Solid Steel Radio Show 21/1/2011 Part 1 + 2 - DK by Ninja Tune & Big Dada

New Music: Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told

Right. I think I've caught up on my post-holiday correspondence. So this is my last late-pass post... at least until I go on holiday again. Which based on my track record shouldn't be too far off. But my lord, I've saved something blinding to mark the fact that I'm finally all caught up.

I've written about Saigon's perennially delayed album, The Greatest Story Never Told, before. I, for one, gave up on Story ever seeing the light of day - which was a touch annoying, given that the delays upon delays upon delays associated with the project had propelled it to almost  mythical status.

But my annoyance can be put to bed now, because Sai has got his cards in order and is releasing his long-awaited LP next month. Huzzah! The pre-requisite leaks that have found their way to my ears have all been quality, but the latest one - the album's title track - is an out of the park smash.

Not a Top Of The Pops #1 smash, of course... just some good, old-fashioned boom-bap which will remind you just how epic Sai's long-time production partner can be. Crashing drums; soaring horns; crispy cuts; and Saigon puring his heart and soul into the track. In other words, the whole nine:

Head over to Nah Right to get your download on, and pick up The Greatest Story Never Told when it drops next month.

New Music: Jose James - 'Vicadin'/'Coltrane (Dear Alice)'

Contemporary American jazz man Jose James is back in the saddle once again, making music that may or may not feature on the followup to his last LP, the rather lovely Blackmagic.

One of that album's standout tunes was a little number by the name of 'Code', produced by Flying Lotus.

Now, in the hope that lightening can indeed strike twice, JJ and Fly-Lo have linked in an attempt to make some more sweet, sweet music.

The results of their shared effort is 'Vicadin', a mid-tempo, kick-clap hip hop-influenced joint heavy with Fly's vibey atmospherics and Jose's butter-smooth vocals. You can check it below:

VICADIN by josejamesworldwide

Jose has also recently released 'Coltrane (Dear Alice)', an ode to Fly-Lo's aunt, the legendary Alice Coltrane, which employs a more traditional jazz sound. You can stream it below, and download for what will probably be a limited time:

COLTRANE (DEAR ALICE) by josejamesworldwide

Mystro and Skillz Rap Up 2010

As I work my way back into match fitness in this cerebral sport of blogging (alright, I’ll admit that last statement is a bit of a colourful interpretation of the truth...on a number of levels), there’s a chance that I might cover a bit of old ground.

So for the 24-7 internet hounds who feel something released in December 2010 qualifies as a ‘golden age’ or ‘old school’ release, please divert your eyes for the next couple of days.

So, where to start? Well, seeing as I’m back in London, that sounds like as good a place as any. So lets head over to the mighty Mystro, who has followed the lead of Skillz and delivered his second UK-flavoured ‘Rap Up’, casting a fine-toothed comb over the events that set 2010 apart from its predecessors.

Watch below for the official vieo, or head over here to get your download on:

And of course, if we're talking UK Rap Up, it makes sense to go back to the original source, doesn't it? So here’s Skillz’ review of the 2-10 while I'm at it. I'm sure there's a ton of download sites offering this, but why not try something novel and buy it from iTunes? Go on. I dare ya:

Skillz - 2010 Rap Up by TheRapUp

Podcast: The Nextmen - Podcast #4

What's going on, people? It's been a while, hasn't it? Who, me? I'm fine. Unlike the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, I'm boasting a tan thanks to a jet lag-inducing jaunt to New Zealand.

But now I'm back in LDN, and I'm quickly discovering that my rapidly fading bronzey glow can't protect me from the winter blues.

The Nextmen feel my pain, thankfully. So they've done the decent thing and smashed out another quality podcast.

Over to the boys for the word: "January in London is depressing. Big-time depressing. It gets light for 18 minutes a day, everyone’s broke and suicidal, there’s not even any decent telly on.

"No one even wants to brave the cold to head to their local disco and that's where they keep the booze and tunes.

"The Nextmen want to take away your lows with a little low-end boomp! And best of all you can enjoy this in your pants at home against the heat of your radiator, drinking wine from a box.

"Expect the hot hot heat of winter warmers from J Cole, Wretch 32, MJ Cole, Chase and Status, Breakage and Jess Mills, Congo Natty, Greenmoney, Floating Points and much, much more.

"Let's get through these dark days together. Spring is just round the corner my friend, let's bounce back from the brink!"

Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast.

Oh, one more thing while we're on the subject... London folks should also check out Brad Baloo (one half of the Nextmen) at his next club night, the Heavy Hearts Social Club, taking place at The Old Queen's Head, 44 Essex Road, N1 8LN, London. You can find out more here.

Podcast tracklisting:

01. Smerins Anti Social Club - Dr Who (Tru Thoughts)
02. Wretch 32 - Traktor (MOS)
03. Floating Points - For You (EGLO)
04. J Cole - Who Dat (Roc Nation)

05. Honey Honey - Little Toy Gun (Yes King Mix) (UMG)

06. Tom Central and Kaitain - Akama (Keep Up)

07. DJ Asparagus - Funk For You (White)

08. Super 3 - When You're Standing On The Top (Street Beat)

09. Greemoney - Heat It Up (Greenmoney)

10. Chase and Status - Blind Faith (MJ Cole Mix) (MTA)

11. Breakage feat Jess Mills - Fighting Fires (Digital Soundboy)

12. Zed's Dead - Rudeboy (San City High)

13. Unknown - Forgot About Doom (White)

14. Rebel MC and Tenor Fly - Born Again (Serial Killaz Mix) (Congo Natty)

15. Biz Markie - Haters (Superappin')