Nice new tune to bump to from Torae - "Point of View"
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
An Interview with TroNic
Khiry Cummings aka TroNic is a 21 year old Canadian/Jamaican emcee slash producer who is currently residing in Toronto, Canada. A non stop hustler, the young cat has just released his first EP "Unfinished Robot", a clever mix of chilled beats and honest lyrics, and was kind enough to take some time out to kick it with us at LL.
Congratulations on completing your first EP “Unfinished Robot”. How did you land on that name for the EP?
Well my name TroNic is really digital and futuristic sounding, so people tend to think of computers, synth sounds and robots, that type a thing. The thing about Robots are that they are perfect creations, they do what humans can do, plus more and more efficient. You cant work harder than a Robot. Now "Unfinished" means that I wasn't complete, so I cant be perfect, but I do have the traits of a robot itself. I work harder than everyone, i stay more efficient, but I'll make mistakes, because I'm still human. That's ones of the reasons behind the name. Also how Robots work for the people, so i always felt i work for my fans always been here to help, but i don't need help haha.
Your family moved from Toronto back to Jamaica when you were still a kid. How long did you live in Jamaica for? Do you think that the move influenced your music style?
I moved there when I was 11 and I lived there up until I was 17-18ish so I think it was 6 or 7 yrs in total pretty much but I'm always back and forth. When this goes up I'll be there. The move definitely influenced my music - I got a stronger love for it and the atmosphere there is amazing. So inspiring.
What kind of music and artists did you grow up listening to? Are they still an influence on your music or would you say your inspirations have changed these days?
I grew up listening to a lot of The Clipse, Jay-Z, Wayne, Lauryn Hill on the hip hop side, but a lot of reggae music also. The list goes on from Gregory Issacs to Bob Marley to Vybz Kartel. Pretty much most of what I listened to growing up, I still listen to now. If Lauryn still was making music I'd probably still be listening to her religiously.
Agreed, Lauryn is greatly missed these days, she needs to do a Jordan and have a proper comeback! You have produced beats for Jamaican big names Mavado and Vybz Kartel. Were you in Kingston when things got heated between them?
Yeah I was and it was so entertaining but dangerous at the same time. But there's nothing else like it. Some people took it too far though, which is why people got hurt and the government had to intervene & ask the two to shake hands and make it seem like everything was cool. That just shows how much of an impact music has over here.
You have the Kanye double threat (without the crazy). Did you always rap over your beats knowing you wanted to be an emcee too? Or was there a shift in your focus and what you wanted to achieve?
Haha, don't speak too soon about the crazy... Well yeah if it wasn't my beats it was most likely gonna be industry beats, unless I was on someone's feature. I actually can't remember which I wanted to be first - the two kinda happened cohesively, I do think I'm more gifted in writing rhymes though. I feel like I have to catch up on production and try and beat my writing skills. My process is kinda weird, I don't understand why I like some beats and not others when I make them. I'll build 5 beats and I'm lucky if I get one where I say "Shit I need to write to this"!
When you're on a beat you like, do the beat and lyrics come together in your head at the same time - or do you work on a track in separate steps?
No it's funny, cos it's kinda like if someone sat me down and said "Yo listen to these beats". I'll have an idea in my head (which usually completely changes by the end of the song) and I'll try and build a beat to go along with the though process. Sometimes I'll just make beats and be like, "Whoa hold up this is ill". Sometimes I'll go back to beats that I've made in the past and it will just spark something, when I might have thought the beat was shit previously. It's so confusing haha! It always has to feel natural though, i don't force myself or at least try not too. Sometimes a hot beat just isn't for you - that's where the true talent comes in, knowing what's best for you.
My favourite track from the EP is “Make it to the Top” with Amanda Diva, who now partners with Marsha Ambrosisus as part of the new Floetry look. How did you get introduced to Diva?
I actually contacted her over twitter. I spoke with her and got a close friend of mine to do a reference for her, I wrote the hook myself, sent it to her and she got it back to me. She is extremely talented. The first version she did was all it took.
Her voice is amazing! What is your favourite track from “Unfinished Robot” and why?
My favorite would have to be "Walk With Me" just because I love telling stories and there were hours and hours of work put into that one song. The EP is short, but so much time went into these songs, fine tuning the simplest things. If you heard the original version of this song you would be shocked. From the live instruments, to Shawn's (my engineer) mixes and ideas, to Emma (my videographer) acting out the role of the girl, i got so much help from my team on that song. It has a story line but the hook could be used for so many situations & different meanings. My team really Walked With Me through that song.
You're only 21 years of age, who would be your top 5 artists (producers or emcees) that you'd wanna work with in the next 10 years?
Jay-Z, Kanye West, Coldplay, Pharrell Williams & J. Cole.
TroNic's EP "Unfinished Robot" is now on Itunes, click here if you want to check it out.
Peace and love!
Ingers
Congratulations on completing your first EP “Unfinished Robot”. How did you land on that name for the EP?
Well my name TroNic is really digital and futuristic sounding, so people tend to think of computers, synth sounds and robots, that type a thing. The thing about Robots are that they are perfect creations, they do what humans can do, plus more and more efficient. You cant work harder than a Robot. Now "Unfinished" means that I wasn't complete, so I cant be perfect, but I do have the traits of a robot itself. I work harder than everyone, i stay more efficient, but I'll make mistakes, because I'm still human. That's ones of the reasons behind the name. Also how Robots work for the people, so i always felt i work for my fans always been here to help, but i don't need help haha.
Your family moved from Toronto back to Jamaica when you were still a kid. How long did you live in Jamaica for? Do you think that the move influenced your music style?
I moved there when I was 11 and I lived there up until I was 17-18ish so I think it was 6 or 7 yrs in total pretty much but I'm always back and forth. When this goes up I'll be there. The move definitely influenced my music - I got a stronger love for it and the atmosphere there is amazing. So inspiring.
What kind of music and artists did you grow up listening to? Are they still an influence on your music or would you say your inspirations have changed these days?
I grew up listening to a lot of The Clipse, Jay-Z, Wayne, Lauryn Hill on the hip hop side, but a lot of reggae music also. The list goes on from Gregory Issacs to Bob Marley to Vybz Kartel. Pretty much most of what I listened to growing up, I still listen to now. If Lauryn still was making music I'd probably still be listening to her religiously.
Agreed, Lauryn is greatly missed these days, she needs to do a Jordan and have a proper comeback! You have produced beats for Jamaican big names Mavado and Vybz Kartel. Were you in Kingston when things got heated between them?
Yeah I was and it was so entertaining but dangerous at the same time. But there's nothing else like it. Some people took it too far though, which is why people got hurt and the government had to intervene & ask the two to shake hands and make it seem like everything was cool. That just shows how much of an impact music has over here.
You have the Kanye double threat (without the crazy). Did you always rap over your beats knowing you wanted to be an emcee too? Or was there a shift in your focus and what you wanted to achieve?
Haha, don't speak too soon about the crazy... Well yeah if it wasn't my beats it was most likely gonna be industry beats, unless I was on someone's feature. I actually can't remember which I wanted to be first - the two kinda happened cohesively, I do think I'm more gifted in writing rhymes though. I feel like I have to catch up on production and try and beat my writing skills. My process is kinda weird, I don't understand why I like some beats and not others when I make them. I'll build 5 beats and I'm lucky if I get one where I say "Shit I need to write to this"!
When you're on a beat you like, do the beat and lyrics come together in your head at the same time - or do you work on a track in separate steps?
No it's funny, cos it's kinda like if someone sat me down and said "Yo listen to these beats". I'll have an idea in my head (which usually completely changes by the end of the song) and I'll try and build a beat to go along with the though process. Sometimes I'll just make beats and be like, "Whoa hold up this is ill". Sometimes I'll go back to beats that I've made in the past and it will just spark something, when I might have thought the beat was shit previously. It's so confusing haha! It always has to feel natural though, i don't force myself or at least try not too. Sometimes a hot beat just isn't for you - that's where the true talent comes in, knowing what's best for you.
My favourite track from the EP is “Make it to the Top” with Amanda Diva, who now partners with Marsha Ambrosisus as part of the new Floetry look. How did you get introduced to Diva?
I actually contacted her over twitter. I spoke with her and got a close friend of mine to do a reference for her, I wrote the hook myself, sent it to her and she got it back to me. She is extremely talented. The first version she did was all it took.
Her voice is amazing! What is your favourite track from “Unfinished Robot” and why?
My favorite would have to be "Walk With Me" just because I love telling stories and there were hours and hours of work put into that one song. The EP is short, but so much time went into these songs, fine tuning the simplest things. If you heard the original version of this song you would be shocked. From the live instruments, to Shawn's (my engineer) mixes and ideas, to Emma (my videographer) acting out the role of the girl, i got so much help from my team on that song. It has a story line but the hook could be used for so many situations & different meanings. My team really Walked With Me through that song.
You're only 21 years of age, who would be your top 5 artists (producers or emcees) that you'd wanna work with in the next 10 years?
Jay-Z, Kanye West, Coldplay, Pharrell Williams & J. Cole.
TroNic's EP "Unfinished Robot" is now on Itunes, click here if you want to check it out.
Peace and love!
Ingers
Friday, December 24, 2010
CHRISTMAS IN BOSTON - Termanology, Kali, Reks, JFK, Statik Selektah,
Merry Xmas all!
Check out the latest showoff records track. Some extreme dopeness from Statik and Showoff with all the boys getting on the Kanye and Jim Jones remix. Heaps better if you ask me!
Check out the latest showoff records track. Some extreme dopeness from Statik and Showoff with all the boys getting on the Kanye and Jim Jones remix. Heaps better if you ask me!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Album Review: Group Home - "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal"
With an album name like “Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal”, the infamous name of DJ Premier listed as producer and an album dedicated to one of the greatest, I had to check out this album. My love for the old skool is no secret and with the inspiration of Group Home's dead homey and Gang Starr legend GURU, I thought this one could be a banger. My only regret is that I bought it.
Sure there are some great tracks and there is definitely a grimy yet laid-back feel to the whole album, which is largely held up by its beats, production and rhymes. The delivery and flow of the emcees on most of the tracks however starts to get seriously annoying and made me question if Lil' Dap & Melachi had even heard the beats before they hit the studio. Some tracks for me were a total miss and I've heard better amateur songs on myspace that I wouldn't buy. I couldn't get with “Get out the Car” at all. The chorus is dull and monotone and the first verse is way off beat. “Ghetto Soldiers” would be a killer tune - mad delivery in the lyricism. Even Young Luchiano sounds decent on this track, though he struggles to keep up with intensity, flow and even his jokes. “There's no swagger like Young/ make them fuckers call me monkey off the shit that I've just flung.” Seriously, my 2 year old niece is funnier than that.
This awkwardness of the album continues until the end. “Up against the Wall” is just as bad, the delivery is off beat and sounds awkward at best. “Ear to the Streets” with Young Luchiano is actually kinda nice, as they reminisce on their thuggish upbringing, though the chorus sounds like Busta with brain damage. This monotony of dull deliveries seems to continue throughout the album until the track, “The Legacy" which features GURU on the track before he passed.
Perhaps motivated to sound good on the track with one of the greatest, Group Home deliver my favourite verses on the whole album. So why couldn't they bring this intensity and delivery to the rest of their tracks? I'm guessing they were rushed with their album so that they could be the first to come out with the dedication to GURU. NAS questioned the group's hiatus on “Where are they now” and although an answer none the less, I feel the group have fallen off a long way since their Gang Starr features and the 95' album drop “Livin' Proof”.
Group Home & GURU - The Legacy
Even though I enjoyed the laid back and old skool vibe of Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal, if it wasn't for the production and efficiency of Preemo and Lil' Dap's skillfull lyricism at times, this album would have been garbage.
☢ ☢ 2 Nukes
And now you know,
Ingers
Sure there are some great tracks and there is definitely a grimy yet laid-back feel to the whole album, which is largely held up by its beats, production and rhymes. The delivery and flow of the emcees on most of the tracks however starts to get seriously annoying and made me question if Lil' Dap & Melachi had even heard the beats before they hit the studio. Some tracks for me were a total miss and I've heard better amateur songs on myspace that I wouldn't buy. I couldn't get with “Get out the Car” at all. The chorus is dull and monotone and the first verse is way off beat. “Ghetto Soldiers” would be a killer tune - mad delivery in the lyricism. Even Young Luchiano sounds decent on this track, though he struggles to keep up with intensity, flow and even his jokes. “There's no swagger like Young/ make them fuckers call me monkey off the shit that I've just flung.” Seriously, my 2 year old niece is funnier than that.
This awkwardness of the album continues until the end. “Up against the Wall” is just as bad, the delivery is off beat and sounds awkward at best. “Ear to the Streets” with Young Luchiano is actually kinda nice, as they reminisce on their thuggish upbringing, though the chorus sounds like Busta with brain damage. This monotony of dull deliveries seems to continue throughout the album until the track, “The Legacy" which features GURU on the track before he passed.
Perhaps motivated to sound good on the track with one of the greatest, Group Home deliver my favourite verses on the whole album. So why couldn't they bring this intensity and delivery to the rest of their tracks? I'm guessing they were rushed with their album so that they could be the first to come out with the dedication to GURU. NAS questioned the group's hiatus on “Where are they now” and although an answer none the less, I feel the group have fallen off a long way since their Gang Starr features and the 95' album drop “Livin' Proof”.
Group Home & GURU - The Legacy
Even though I enjoyed the laid back and old skool vibe of Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal, if it wasn't for the production and efficiency of Preemo and Lil' Dap's skillfull lyricism at times, this album would have been garbage.
☢ ☢ 2 Nukes
And now you know,
Ingers
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Liquid Lyrics presents Dazed & Flawlezz
What's good?
Liquid Lyrics is travelling world wide promoting rap and hip hop for the love of it. Getting tired of a lot of the commercial, over-hyped and over-edited tunes and videos which are being presented to the easily influenced pop world these days, Liquid Lyrocs tries to promote and focus on the skills and intelligence behind rap. Our videos focus on the lyrics and talent of emcees worldwide as we film clips in one take acapella or with a beatbox. This is the first of the edited videos that Liquid Lyrics have filmed so we hope you enjoy them and the others still to come.
Dazed & Flawlezz were kind enough to spend some time with Liquid Lyrics. The result was a mad day chillin' and filming before finishing the night at a Dazed N Flawlezz gig in Canberra. The cypher was nailed first go by the boys and we only had to film 3 takes - and the result was awesome.
Liquid Lyrics presents Dazed & Flawlezz
You can check out the boys on facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts
Or check em out on Myspace:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts
Peace,
Ingers
Liquid Lyrics is travelling world wide promoting rap and hip hop for the love of it. Getting tired of a lot of the commercial, over-hyped and over-edited tunes and videos which are being presented to the easily influenced pop world these days, Liquid Lyrocs tries to promote and focus on the skills and intelligence behind rap. Our videos focus on the lyrics and talent of emcees worldwide as we film clips in one take acapella or with a beatbox. This is the first of the edited videos that Liquid Lyrics have filmed so we hope you enjoy them and the others still to come.
Dazed & Flawlezz were kind enough to spend some time with Liquid Lyrics. The result was a mad day chillin' and filming before finishing the night at a Dazed N Flawlezz gig in Canberra. The cypher was nailed first go by the boys and we only had to film 3 takes - and the result was awesome.
Liquid Lyrics presents Dazed & Flawlezz
You can check out the boys on facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts
Or check em out on Myspace:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts
Peace,
Ingers
Rapper Tag Rnd IV: FRAKSHA
Rapper Tag Rnd IV: The Nine High simile king, UK lad now Melbournite FRAKSHA smashes the beat! This is one of my favourites.
Rapper Tag Rnd IV: FRAKSHA with some hot bars.
Peace
Ingers
Rapper Tag Rnd IV: FRAKSHA with some hot bars.
Peace
Ingers
Rapper Tag Rnd III: Brad Strut.
This is the 3rd round of Rapper Tag with none other than ex pat Melbournite lad, now London Large Livin' emcee Brad Strut. Check it out!!
Peace
Ingers
Peace
Ingers
RAPPER TAG - ROUND II Urthboy
What up playboys and playgirls??
Elefant Traks legend and The Herd O.G. Urthboy himself blesses the mic with some lyrical love before passing it to now London lad Brad Strut!
RAPPER TAG - ROUND II Urthboy
Peace
Ingers
Elefant Traks legend and The Herd O.G. Urthboy himself blesses the mic with some lyrical love before passing it to now London lad Brad Strut!
RAPPER TAG - ROUND II Urthboy
Peace
Ingers
RAPPER TAG - DOPE Concept by 360
So this idea has been done on Youtube before and it's the best thing about having such a massive online community.
360 came up with a great idea to promo aussie emcees! One beat, one rapper then they pass it on. So far it's 360, Urthboy, Brad Strut, and Bias B just got called out! This is the first in the series...check it out!
RAPPER TAG RND I: 360
Peace
Ingers
Monday, September 27, 2010
My top 5 funniest rap tracks...
What up homeboys and homegirls?!
I was chillin' in Amsterdam at a coffeeshop today, when a Luuuuuuda track came on - Hip Hop Quotables. It's one of my favourites and is up there as of the funniest tracks I've ever heard. Sure most punchlines are cleverly humourous anyway... but this track is straight comedic fire. Which got me thinking - what are my top 5 tracks with the funniest lyrics in them?
It's Monday, so at the very least I hope these tracks brighten the starts of your weeks! Lemme know if you agree or disagree and make sure to hit me up with your favourite funny tracks too - add us here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Liquid-Lyrics/257706653944?ref=search
Peace,
Ingers
5. Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons. Most of you will know the TLC song that dudes made fun of here - "No Scrubs". This track was the rebuttal for the fellas...and funny as hell!
4. Biggie - Just Playin'. "I'd prolly go to jail for fuckin Patti Labelle/ ooh Regina Belle, she'd probably do me swell/Jasmine Guy was fly/Mariah's kinda scary/wait a minute, what about my honey Mary/the jeans they fitting like a glove/I had a crush on you since real love!" 'Nuff said.
3. The Pharcyde - Ya Mama. Old skool, but still funny as ever, is this track by these hip hop pioneers!
2.Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables. 2nd overall and this track comes with more punches than a Pacquiao fight. but with an opener like "Hi, my name's Ludacris and I'm high as giraffe pussy" it has to be the #1 song for funniest first line of a rap song! Surely?!
Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables
1. Afroman - Crazy Rap. One of the funniest tracks I've heard and it even has the video to match, this is shit talking at it's best! Afroman also mentions Australia in it, so he gets mad love back from me.
I was chillin' in Amsterdam at a coffeeshop today, when a Luuuuuuda track came on - Hip Hop Quotables. It's one of my favourites and is up there as of the funniest tracks I've ever heard. Sure most punchlines are cleverly humourous anyway... but this track is straight comedic fire. Which got me thinking - what are my top 5 tracks with the funniest lyrics in them?
It's Monday, so at the very least I hope these tracks brighten the starts of your weeks! Lemme know if you agree or disagree and make sure to hit me up with your favourite funny tracks too - add us here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Liquid-Lyrics/257706653944?ref=search
Peace,
Ingers
5. Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons. Most of you will know the TLC song that dudes made fun of here - "No Scrubs". This track was the rebuttal for the fellas...and funny as hell!
4. Biggie - Just Playin'. "I'd prolly go to jail for fuckin Patti Labelle/ ooh Regina Belle, she'd probably do me swell/Jasmine Guy was fly/Mariah's kinda scary/wait a minute, what about my honey Mary/the jeans they fitting like a glove/I had a crush on you since real love!" 'Nuff said.
3. The Pharcyde - Ya Mama. Old skool, but still funny as ever, is this track by these hip hop pioneers!
2.Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables. 2nd overall and this track comes with more punches than a Pacquiao fight. but with an opener like "Hi, my name's Ludacris and I'm high as giraffe pussy" it has to be the #1 song for funniest first line of a rap song! Surely?!
Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables
1. Afroman - Crazy Rap. One of the funniest tracks I've heard and it even has the video to match, this is shit talking at it's best! Afroman also mentions Australia in it, so he gets mad love back from me.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Video Blog - Dead Prez, Bigger than Hip Hop Cypher
Ok so I'm travelling. I'm bored. I have a MacBook Pro I gotta use more. A gang of lyrics I've written over the years and a heap of beats on my playlist. So this is the result - far from a perfect recording but a bit of fun and I hope you enjoy it none the less! :)
Interview with Jumbledat
What up homeboys and homegirls?
Here's an interview I did for Bark magazine I did a few months back, they are really cool guys make sure you check em out!
Those that know me well know that my thirst for new hip hop is never quenched and my latest discovery is a crew that has impressed me to no end with their smooth sounds. Jumbledat are an ensemble of diversely talented musicians who now call Melbourne home, after migrating here from Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, where the crew all originally met.
As the name suggests, Jumbledat are an amalgamation of assorted musical talents and genres, which together, equate to a very energetic but smooth, jazzy hip hop sound. The group itself has 6 core members who soulfully play the percussion, keys, guitar, trombone and drums respectively plus 2 emcees who grace the tracks with intelligent rhymes and wordplay. In fact, the only thing not jumbled about these musicians is their shared talent.
Luke who plays the keys for Jumbledat was kind enough to spare a few minutes to answer some questions for Bark Magazine.
Liquid Lyrics: Let's go back to the forming of Jumbledat - how did you guys meet?
Luke: Initially we met in high school and we were certainly mates before band-mates, though the music definitely forged a stronger bond between us. A few of us had been jamming together for a while in our last years and decided to play a couple of shows at some parties and local venues in K-Town (Katoomba in the blue mountains). Our initial musical uniting stemmed from a shared love of jazz and hip hop. At that point I loved jazz but knew little about hip hop, and Perrin (our co-front man) loved hip hop but knew little about jazz so the combination just seemed to work. Although we were very musically naive, there was something really exciting about fusing two styles that have such experimental possibilities.
Liquid Lyrics: When that spark came for you all to jam together for the first time, did you ever think that you would all be able to gel so well?
Luke: I think we gelled so well at the start because of our musical innocence! We just had fun, and never placed too much emphasis on what was right or wrong. Later down the track we became more critical, but the connection we share always stems back to our interplay onstage, and in feeding off each other's musical spontaneity.
Liquid Lyrics: With all of the different musical influences involved, how do you guys manage the creativity and song creation?
Luke: Our song writing is a very collaborative process. Everyone has the opportunity to put their own input into the music. In terms of so many people with such diverse tastes, I would say it's more beneficial than not. At times it can create clutter, in which case we have to strip everything back and start with a simple concept, but overall we bounce off each other when jamming and expand on each other's ideas to write material. The songs generally grow from a personal idea, or concept, and then we layer our songs instrumentally much like a produced song. I guess you could say our songs are very reflective of hip hop production, just transposed into a live context.
Liquid Lyrics: Does Jumbledat have any plans to include more instruments or musical genres in the future, or do you feel the sound is jumbled enough for now?
Luke: We saw a reformation of sorts in the past few months as a result of band members leaving. Consequently, we now play with a heap of different musicians so our style and instrumentation is constantly evolving. It would be stupid to box them in by forcing them to learn the existing songs note for note and to copy the styles of the original musicians, so we let them create their own sound. This approach makes every gig different. In the future we're considering using live production elements in our show, like turntables or a triggered MPC, though it's still very much in it's experimental stages. As long as it's pushing our creativity, anything can happen!
If you have ever been a fan of A Tribe Called Quest or The Roots, if you are generally a fan of Australian hip hop or if you just want to support raw musical talent, then get on board! If you're up for a fun night, make sure you get out and support these guys at their gigs. To catch a Jumbledat gigs, check them out and show them some love at www.myspace.com/jumbledat. Also make sure you check out the video clip to "Momentus"
One Love
Ingers
Here's an interview I did for Bark magazine I did a few months back, they are really cool guys make sure you check em out!
Those that know me well know that my thirst for new hip hop is never quenched and my latest discovery is a crew that has impressed me to no end with their smooth sounds. Jumbledat are an ensemble of diversely talented musicians who now call Melbourne home, after migrating here from Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, where the crew all originally met.
As the name suggests, Jumbledat are an amalgamation of assorted musical talents and genres, which together, equate to a very energetic but smooth, jazzy hip hop sound. The group itself has 6 core members who soulfully play the percussion, keys, guitar, trombone and drums respectively plus 2 emcees who grace the tracks with intelligent rhymes and wordplay. In fact, the only thing not jumbled about these musicians is their shared talent.
Luke who plays the keys for Jumbledat was kind enough to spare a few minutes to answer some questions for Bark Magazine.
Liquid Lyrics: Let's go back to the forming of Jumbledat - how did you guys meet?
Luke: Initially we met in high school and we were certainly mates before band-mates, though the music definitely forged a stronger bond between us. A few of us had been jamming together for a while in our last years and decided to play a couple of shows at some parties and local venues in K-Town (Katoomba in the blue mountains). Our initial musical uniting stemmed from a shared love of jazz and hip hop. At that point I loved jazz but knew little about hip hop, and Perrin (our co-front man) loved hip hop but knew little about jazz so the combination just seemed to work. Although we were very musically naive, there was something really exciting about fusing two styles that have such experimental possibilities.
Liquid Lyrics: When that spark came for you all to jam together for the first time, did you ever think that you would all be able to gel so well?
Luke: I think we gelled so well at the start because of our musical innocence! We just had fun, and never placed too much emphasis on what was right or wrong. Later down the track we became more critical, but the connection we share always stems back to our interplay onstage, and in feeding off each other's musical spontaneity.
Liquid Lyrics: With all of the different musical influences involved, how do you guys manage the creativity and song creation?
Luke: Our song writing is a very collaborative process. Everyone has the opportunity to put their own input into the music. In terms of so many people with such diverse tastes, I would say it's more beneficial than not. At times it can create clutter, in which case we have to strip everything back and start with a simple concept, but overall we bounce off each other when jamming and expand on each other's ideas to write material. The songs generally grow from a personal idea, or concept, and then we layer our songs instrumentally much like a produced song. I guess you could say our songs are very reflective of hip hop production, just transposed into a live context.
Liquid Lyrics: Does Jumbledat have any plans to include more instruments or musical genres in the future, or do you feel the sound is jumbled enough for now?
Luke: We saw a reformation of sorts in the past few months as a result of band members leaving. Consequently, we now play with a heap of different musicians so our style and instrumentation is constantly evolving. It would be stupid to box them in by forcing them to learn the existing songs note for note and to copy the styles of the original musicians, so we let them create their own sound. This approach makes every gig different. In the future we're considering using live production elements in our show, like turntables or a triggered MPC, though it's still very much in it's experimental stages. As long as it's pushing our creativity, anything can happen!
If you have ever been a fan of A Tribe Called Quest or The Roots, if you are generally a fan of Australian hip hop or if you just want to support raw musical talent, then get on board! If you're up for a fun night, make sure you get out and support these guys at their gigs. To catch a Jumbledat gigs, check them out and show them some love at www.myspace.com/jumbledat. Also make sure you check out the video clip to "Momentus"
One Love
Ingers
Monday, April 5, 2010
Liquid Lyrics in Berlin
So here I am in writing to you from Berlin. The clock on my wrist says it is only 17:10 but my body clock says that it is that plus 8 hours worth of time-zonal difference plus 12 hours of lost time from the plane trip over checking out the cute girl in seat 46K (she was sex on a stick!). This is however beside the point, as in my zombie-like, sleep-deprived state of mind, something has become very apparent. The need to clarify just who the hell we (Liquid Lyrics) are, why we do what we do and what our blogspot is about. So make a cuppa or crack open a coldie as I explain the blog.
First, who the hell are we? At the moment we are a team of 3 hip hop heads who are determined to bring you interesting opinions, reviews, photos and videos of local, interstate and international hip hop which you may find interesting.
Liquid Lyrics
First off, my main man Mouse is a hilarious filo cat who loves hip hop almost as much as bball and his diverse collection of flat brims and white sneaks. Although he is often behind the scenes busying himself as our cameraman and IT guru, he is the most diligent of the bunch -always coming up with fly ideas and posts for you guys.
Mouse
Next is Bal, our Skip Hop guru, rap-purist and journalist extraordinaire. Involved in the business of reviews and getting raw footage from countless shows and concerts. He is about to jet to the LA to see the ‘Rock the Bells’ festival – possibly the craziest amalgamation of hip hop artists this year to bring back some crazy stories, photos and reviews! The lineup* looks insane check it out at the bottom of the page!
Bal
The final member is me, Ingers or Jesta. I’m the guy that films, edits and sometimes spits in the exclusive cypher vids. I’m obsessed with hip hop and am working hard to bring you interesting blogs, photos and vids from Aus and around the world (photos and vids of Germany and Sweden
coming soon!).
Jesta
Finally I should explain the blog. The blog is our way of exposing artists we love, our project ideas as well as promoting a sample of articles, photos and vids until our website is done and live. Hopefully the diversity of the blogs won’t scare you off, but instead will bring something different to the table each time you guys decide to check us out. We put a lot of effort into everything we do and we hope it shows in every blog you read until the website is up. Most importantly we hope you guys get something out of it and with this in mind, feedback and love are always appreciated.
More to come soon!
Much love, Ingers.
First, who the hell are we? At the moment we are a team of 3 hip hop heads who are determined to bring you interesting opinions, reviews, photos and videos of local, interstate and international hip hop which you may find interesting.
Liquid LyricsFirst off, my main man Mouse is a hilarious filo cat who loves hip hop almost as much as bball and his diverse collection of flat brims and white sneaks. Although he is often behind the scenes busying himself as our cameraman and IT guru, he is the most diligent of the bunch -always coming up with fly ideas and posts for you guys.
Mouse Next is Bal, our Skip Hop guru, rap-purist and journalist extraordinaire. Involved in the business of reviews and getting raw footage from countless shows and concerts. He is about to jet to the LA to see the ‘Rock the Bells’ festival – possibly the craziest amalgamation of hip hop artists this year to bring back some crazy stories, photos and reviews! The lineup* looks insane check it out at the bottom of the page!
BalThe final member is me, Ingers or Jesta. I’m the guy that films, edits and sometimes spits in the exclusive cypher vids. I’m obsessed with hip hop and am working hard to bring you interesting blogs, photos and vids from Aus and around the world (photos and vids of Germany and Sweden
coming soon!).
JestaFinally I should explain the blog. The blog is our way of exposing artists we love, our project ideas as well as promoting a sample of articles, photos and vids until our website is done and live. Hopefully the diversity of the blogs won’t scare you off, but instead will bring something different to the table each time you guys decide to check us out. We put a lot of effort into everything we do and we hope it shows in every blog you read until the website is up. Most importantly we hope you guys get something out of it and with this in mind, feedback and love are always appreciated.
More to come soon!
Much love, Ingers.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
YOUTUBE Playlist - Liquid Lyrics Love
WATUP Playboys and playgirls?
For the past year I've been bookmarking a whole gang of videos that I've stumbled across/have had recommended to me/straight out searched for on youtube. I've finally compiled them all into one super-dooper-head-nodding-hiphop-rawshit-dopeness-madnuts playlist!
It's over 100 vids right now and is a very diverse list with artists from all over the globe featuring on them. The one thing they all have in common is talent and love - and this makes them good music. No fake shit here. So if you wanna just sit back, relax and chill out to some dope tunes without changing the channel or dealing with the random songs that other playlists offer...just click here and press play instead!
If you want to check all songs or skip to a specific song click here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=869F4A906032A133
Make sure you play loud. I know this list is far from perfect or extensive as it is...so please hit me with your favourite vids so that I can keep adding to this list!
Peace and love
Ingers
For the past year I've been bookmarking a whole gang of videos that I've stumbled across/have had recommended to me/straight out searched for on youtube. I've finally compiled them all into one super-dooper-head-nodding-hiphop-rawshit-dopeness-madnuts playlist!
It's over 100 vids right now and is a very diverse list with artists from all over the globe featuring on them. The one thing they all have in common is talent and love - and this makes them good music. No fake shit here. So if you wanna just sit back, relax and chill out to some dope tunes without changing the channel or dealing with the random songs that other playlists offer...just click here and press play instead!
If you want to check all songs or skip to a specific song click here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=869F4A906032A133
Make sure you play loud. I know this list is far from perfect or extensive as it is...so please hit me with your favourite vids so that I can keep adding to this list!
Peace and love
Ingers
Monday, February 8, 2010
Album Review: Statik Selektah - "100 Proof the Hangover"
Sup peeps?
Twenty ten, 2K10, 2 thou plus 3 squared add one... whatever you call it is here! Will this year be as big as 2009 for hip hop however? I'm unsure, but so far, so good. I've been reminiscing recently, bumpin' some old skool Busta Rhymes and Naughty By Nature in anticipation for their appearances at Good Vibrations festival in Sydney next weekend - it should be NUTS!
I've also decided to start reviewing albums instead of tracks to give LL some direction. Albums are rated on their bomb factor at the end with a radiation scale of 1 to 5 ☢. The scale? 1 ☢ is not even worth getting paid to illegally download. 5 ☢ is so good it's worth picking up from the artist him/herself and paying in gold bullion. Easy.
I'm a massive fan of Statik Selektah so the timeliness of his third and latest album being dropped last week on Feb 2nd, aside from it being 2 days before my birthday (dopest present ever) was perfect for the first album I chose to review properly for Liquid Lyrics!
Statik Selektah - "100 Proof the Hangover"
I had been looking forward to Statik's new album '100 Proof The Hangover' for what seemed like an eternity after having a musical hangover from indulging in way too much of his last release 'Stick 2 the Script' as well as other mixtapes he has helped produce. Termanology and Skyzoo are just some examples of emcees who have a permanent place in all of my playlists as a result of Statik's previous album!
Despite the sample heavy nature of each of the beats, which I respect and usually enjoy, I was left feeling a little disappointed with the head-nod factor of this album on some tracks. Even with the superstar guestlist of respected and raw-as-fuck emcees that his albums provide I was left expecting a little more! I'm not going to lie though - my expectations for every track on this album were sky high based on the quality of Statik's last album and recent collabos with other artists.
Having got the slight disappointment out of the way, most of the joints are ill no doubt...the beats are spicy hot and the spits are colder than Antarctica before Global Warming. But that's what you should expect from an album with both the producer and the caliber of the artists invovled! Yet I was left disappointed by tracks I really had high hopes for considering the above. "Night People" (featuring Freeway, Red Cafe & Masspike Miles) did nothing for me and nor did "Do it to Death" (featuring Lil Fame, Havoc and Kool G Rap), which was weak considering the accolade of the artists involved.
The good news however is that the album was full of bangers and will continue to grow on you with each and every listen, such is the diversity of this album. The stand out tracks for me were: 'Critically Acclaimed' (Lil Fame, Sean Price & Saigon), 'Follow Me' (Smif n Wessun), 'Life is Short' (Consequence) - still love every Cons track I hear- and "Eighty Two" (Termanology) which is one of the lyrical highlights of the album.
My favourite of the lot however was by far 'The Coast' (featuring Evidence, Fashawn & Kali). The beat is crispy smooth but hard enough to make Busta nod his head to the track. Add to that the verbal genius of these 3 emcees with gems like:
"But now I'm on point like a javelin, way beyond battlin'/
I'd've stayed travellin, haters stop babblin'/
Remember this California's my residence/
All my peoples' dilated - just ask Evidence"
Check out 'The Coast' here:
Check out the track 'Critically Acclaimed' here:
Despite my disappointment with a few tracks, you'd be crazy not to get this album, particularly if you want to boost your knowledge of some of the best emcees in the game in the USA right now. This is because Statik's quality control is second to none and he always ensures he is working with the crème de la crème of artists. If you miss the days when hip hop had feeling, artists worked hard to earn a crust and lyrics had integrity, then you'd be loco not to buy this banger!
☢ ☢ ☢ ☢ 4 nukes!
Peace and love!
Ingers
Twenty ten, 2K10, 2 thou plus 3 squared add one... whatever you call it is here! Will this year be as big as 2009 for hip hop however? I'm unsure, but so far, so good. I've been reminiscing recently, bumpin' some old skool Busta Rhymes and Naughty By Nature in anticipation for their appearances at Good Vibrations festival in Sydney next weekend - it should be NUTS!
I've also decided to start reviewing albums instead of tracks to give LL some direction. Albums are rated on their bomb factor at the end with a radiation scale of 1 to 5 ☢. The scale? 1 ☢ is not even worth getting paid to illegally download. 5 ☢ is so good it's worth picking up from the artist him/herself and paying in gold bullion. Easy.
I'm a massive fan of Statik Selektah so the timeliness of his third and latest album being dropped last week on Feb 2nd, aside from it being 2 days before my birthday (dopest present ever) was perfect for the first album I chose to review properly for Liquid Lyrics!
Statik Selektah - "100 Proof the Hangover"
I had been looking forward to Statik's new album '100 Proof The Hangover' for what seemed like an eternity after having a musical hangover from indulging in way too much of his last release 'Stick 2 the Script' as well as other mixtapes he has helped produce. Termanology and Skyzoo are just some examples of emcees who have a permanent place in all of my playlists as a result of Statik's previous album!
Despite the sample heavy nature of each of the beats, which I respect and usually enjoy, I was left feeling a little disappointed with the head-nod factor of this album on some tracks. Even with the superstar guestlist of respected and raw-as-fuck emcees that his albums provide I was left expecting a little more! I'm not going to lie though - my expectations for every track on this album were sky high based on the quality of Statik's last album and recent collabos with other artists.
Having got the slight disappointment out of the way, most of the joints are ill no doubt...the beats are spicy hot and the spits are colder than Antarctica before Global Warming. But that's what you should expect from an album with both the producer and the caliber of the artists invovled! Yet I was left disappointed by tracks I really had high hopes for considering the above. "Night People" (featuring Freeway, Red Cafe & Masspike Miles) did nothing for me and nor did "Do it to Death" (featuring Lil Fame, Havoc and Kool G Rap), which was weak considering the accolade of the artists involved.
The good news however is that the album was full of bangers and will continue to grow on you with each and every listen, such is the diversity of this album. The stand out tracks for me were: 'Critically Acclaimed' (Lil Fame, Sean Price & Saigon), 'Follow Me' (Smif n Wessun), 'Life is Short' (Consequence) - still love every Cons track I hear- and "Eighty Two" (Termanology) which is one of the lyrical highlights of the album.
My favourite of the lot however was by far 'The Coast' (featuring Evidence, Fashawn & Kali). The beat is crispy smooth but hard enough to make Busta nod his head to the track. Add to that the verbal genius of these 3 emcees with gems like:
"But now I'm on point like a javelin, way beyond battlin'/
I'd've stayed travellin, haters stop babblin'/
Remember this California's my residence/
All my peoples' dilated - just ask Evidence"
Check out 'The Coast' here:
Check out the track 'Critically Acclaimed' here:
Despite my disappointment with a few tracks, you'd be crazy not to get this album, particularly if you want to boost your knowledge of some of the best emcees in the game in the USA right now. This is because Statik's quality control is second to none and he always ensures he is working with the crème de la crème of artists. If you miss the days when hip hop had feeling, artists worked hard to earn a crust and lyrics had integrity, then you'd be loco not to buy this banger!
☢ ☢ ☢ ☢ 4 nukes!
Peace and love!
Ingers
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