Living the funk? James Brown lived the funk and frankly there was a fair amount of drugs, wife-beating and jail involved. I think it’s safe to assume however that Lakeshore Drive’s Living The Funk EP is a celebration of the music invented by the big man than the more questionable elements of his lifestyle. The title track is a tight little slice of programmed instrumental breakbeat funk with a
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Monthly Archives: July 2012
LAKESHORE DRIVE: Living The Funk EP (2012)
VOODOOFUNK: My Latin Way EP (2012) Free download
I don’t know if Voodoofunk has travelled each and every Latin highway but here is his My Latin Way and you won’t find me complaining. There might have been an explosion in latin breaks over the past year or two but it still hasn’t lost any of its exotic charm. In fact if you’d decided to make a latin breaks track, I think you’d have to try quite hard to fuck it up. Voodoofunk’s done three and he
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VARIOUS: Carnibal Records 005 (2012)
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Moving at breakneck speed with their release schedule, Greek label Carnibal Records drop volume 5 today and it’s the best one in a while. Lest anyone should accuse them of being a one-trick pony, this time they leap the hedges of the Latin breaks enclosure in several different directions at once. Doctor Stereo canters along the road
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MORLACK: Funkafize (2012)
“Funkafize you sir?”
“Oh – hi Morlack didn’t see you there? You’ve got a new EP out called Funkafize? Does it involve heavy party-breakbeat versions of squelchy seventies funk and disco plus sly chops of eighties hip-hop? Yeah? A bit of Sho Nuff, a bit of the ‘Teacher’ himself KRS-One? Like it. Haha – sorry – it sounded like you said Ya Kid K and the Shamen
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THE PHARCYDE: Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (Expanded Edition) (2012)
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According to the PR this is Kanye West’s “favorite album of all time.” But don’t let hamster-cheeks’ seal of approval put you off, The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde is actually one of the greatest west coast hip-hop albums of all time, if not one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time – hence this twentieth anniversary re-release
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SIR BEANS O.B.E: Pause To Discuss EP(2012)
I don’t know – nothing for ages and then three come along almost at once. Last month it was Bristol’s Mr Fantastic and Hundred Strong dropping wax and now bass city south-west’s very own hip-hop honours recipient (albeit cheekily self-awarded) returns. Yes welcome back Sir Beans O.B.E. whose Pause To Discuss EP features his signature production motifs of super-tight
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JAZZ K.LIPA: Underwear (2012)
Have you had the chance to check out Jazz K.Lipa’s Underwear? I’m not on about his collection of man-thongs of course, rather his latest drop Underwear. This time around he’s got his electro-ish-funky breaks on and employed fellow countrymen Smith & Smart to provide lyrics where each wishes that they, “had a pump gun in my underwear,” whereas, sadly, they’ve
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ROGER MOLLS: ‘What Is A Beatmaker?’ (‘Metamorphosis Of Muses’ album video trailer) (2012)
‘What is a beatmaker?’ ponders French hip-hop producer and monkeyboxing favourite Roger Molls on this trailer for his second LP Metamorphosis Of Muses. Like he doesn’t know. Subtitled ‘A Personal And Sarcastic’ definition we hear how a beatmaker is ‘a lonely person…surrounded by machines, old stuff and dusty records.’ As you might have guessed we’re not
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FRAMEWORKS feat QNC: Ain’t No Use/ Classic (2012)
Another transatlantic collabo between veteran NY rappers Q-Ball and Curt Cazal and a UK producer, only this time it’s Frameworks rather than Aim. And equally dope. Don’t go expecting Aim’s moody beats though – Frameworks keeps it crisp and funky on both sides. Both cuts clock in at around 100 bpm, Ain’t No Use is a bit lighter on it’s feet and sees QNC air their thoughts on current
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GENIUS/ GZA: ‘Liquid Swords’ The Chessbox (2012)
Neither the first Wu solo effort nor even GZA’s first solo album, Liquid Swords has to be one of the best (as well as one of the most famous) LPs from the Wu-Tang Clan camp and now it’s getting a special edition re-release. The LP saw legendary mic manipulator GZA give it large on his favourite topics over thirteen of RZA’s trademark haunting loops and crisp breaks with snatches of ridiculously over-the-top dialogue from Shogun Assassin
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