Stüssy x Soulection Compilation

Collaboration shows how much underground music and clothing brands can strengthen each other. Here in Hungary BP Clothing usually do cool stuff with underground musicians. They can get support via clothes, while the clothing brand gains more customers: fans see what their idols wear and want to engage more with their favourites.
So clothing and music give their audience to each other, it is the exchange of publicity.
Previously I wrote a blog post in which you can listen to Ninja Tune's unreleased tracks under the name of Puma Trinomic shoes.
Now it is time for another compilation of a collab by underground label, Soulection and clothing brand called Stüssy. Stüssy was founded in 1980, check their site if you are curious - but I think you may know their hats at least.


About the music: it is future and contemporary instrumental hiphop beats. Some of the artists you may know from Jakarta Records (e.g. IAMNOBODI, Ta-ku). So if you like Jakarta Records and my compilation, you must listen to this Soulection playlist. Cool, fat kick drums, dozens of claps and tinklings. Downtempo feelings from the first sound to the last bars.

Click on this pic, listen in peace and download the Stüssy x Soulection compilation for free:

Source of the pic

Jefe

Ghetto funk mixtape (February 2015)

Ghetto funk freebies mixtape (February 2015) by Jefe on Mixcloud

Source

I put some free ghetto funk tracks into a mixtape. I can't write too much about them. I haven't written on the blog for 10 days. I listened to a lot of contemporary hiphop beats and today I needed something that is anything but hiphop or house. So I decided to make this mixtape, I didn't think too much about it, mixing is wretched but I hope you'll like the tracks.
Since all the tracks are free on their producers' SoundCloud page, you can get these songs if you don't like my selection. Just search for them:
• Funk Ferret,
• Second Hand Audio,
• Statik,
• PHIBES,
• JPOD,
• .kiz,
• The Funk Hunters,
• A.Skillz.



For separated tracks:




Jefe

Adventures in hiphop #2 - Mixtape (February 2015)

This is my second mixtape called Adventures in hiphop #2 (here you can download it if you prefer offline format).

Adventures in hiphop #2 (February 2015) by Jefe on Mixcloud

This time I selected some instrumental hiphop music. If I used tracks which include vocal those are not rap or singing. They are snippets from a movie (Wrong Cops) by me or used as samples by the producers. I hope you find it a fine selection. Of course the mixing is far from perfect, while in the first Adventures in hiphop mixtape I selected slower tunes this time they are a little bit faster, they don't have too much intro/outro and that was a new challenge to find the beats matching or making smooth transitions. Anyway I did my best, next time it will probably even better. This time not all tracks are free, I bought most of them on vinyl or in digital format. If you like some of the artists, you can find them in my blog because I wrote about almost everyone on Hangolo (some of the links are older, so prepare for Hungarian language and sorry for the missing pictures!): 20syl, Gramatik, Summer in jakarta mixtape, Beat Power, Herma Puma, Souleance, Yuzame netlabel, Mr Thing, Kidkanevil, Tall Black Guy, Bluestaeb.


Jefe

Funkanomics

Funkanomics are three German guys, who make great (more or less ghetto) funky tunes. Recently I read an interview with them. They were asked about producing own tracks and they said: „You used to do gigs to promote your tracks. Now you’re doing tracks to promote your gigs.”

Their works are diverse, they made remixes of German contemporary popmusic (Marteria), classic disco (Odyssey), rock (Status Quo) or funky rap (JBrown & The Mic Smith).

Last week I listened to their first  mix in 2015 called Chillax 4th. While they are playing great chilly instrumentals/tracks they use some of the biggest dudes from hiphop in the vocals: Snoop Dogg, Naughty by Nature, Wu Tang Clan, Sean Paul, Nate Dog & Warren G, Beastie Boys. And then some giants of classic funk: Stewie Wonder, The Jackson 5, George Benson. Chillax 4th is an awesome selection, every 2nd minutes you think that this is the climate of the mix. And after every 2nd minutes you realize you were wrong.

The mixing is smooth: besides the beat matching there are some moderate scratches and loops. For a beginner like me it can teach a lot and it is also good to notice that professionals could have some problems with matching two songs (around 16:20).

While you can get used to the atmosphere of these chilly vibes and the old school hiphop vocals, you can also listen to some Eastern eggs: around the last quarter of the mix there is a Marvin Gaye remix by Tapesh which is actually a deep house song. It is a great example how you can change the genre from chilly hiphop to the more dynamic house (did you notice the change in tempo at 57:20?). Right after that: Don’t Worry Be Happy? Wtf? What a choice!

Since the Funaomonics has three members it could be expensive to invite them to Hungary. Although I am sure they rock the party and could make a memorable gig for those who like dancing, nodding and smiling at the same time. If you like what °u heard, follow the Funkanomics on social media (SoundCloud, Facebook) or go to a party where they show up.


Jefe

Adventures in hiphop - Mixtape (January 2015)

This time I selected my favourite hiphop tracks into a mixtape that I've listened recently. The tracks are free on SoundCloud or on Bandcamp pages, and of course you can download this mixtape as well, if you're so pervert. Most of the artists are German hiphop producers, there is an Austrian guy (Mono:Massive) and you can see some North American guys too (Marco Polo, Kevin Kool). All of them are great beatmakers.
I know, the mixtape collapses twice - I just couldn't keep it in one piece but I hope, you'll like it anyway. Here it is:

Adventures in hiphop (January 2015) by Jefe on Mixcloud

I also made a playlist of those tracks, so you can download them separately. (Tracks from Hubert Daviz and Mono:Massive are on Bandcamp.)



If you like some of the artists, follow them on social sites or order their music, or just go to a party where they play: Hubert Daviz, Twit One, Fulgeance, Melting Pot Records (for Betty Ford Boys and Carpet Patrol), Melodiesinfonie, T&A Records (for The Rub), Mono:Massive, Darker Than Wax (for Kevin Kool & Phoniks), Figub Brazlevic, Bruce Missile, Bluestaeb, Klaus Layer, Feelin' Music (for S. Fidelity. These guys deserve any supports!


Jefe

The Ruffcats - The Essence vol 2.

If you think Germans can't do a great job in funk, you were mislead. It’s high time for you to know the following name: The Ruffcats.
I mean, if you prefer listenting to real funk music with a lot of hammond and trumpet with tight drums (like The Bamboos [AUS], The Haggis Horns [AUS], The Qualitons [HUN], Dokkerman [HUN]).

I found The Ruffcats on the website of MeltingPot Records which is a German – mostly – hiphop label. (MPR released The BeatPower, a compilation album I wrote on the blog before and they are responsible for Suffy Daddy’s albums too). In this case there isn’t any hiphop but funk music presented by a band. Melting Pot defined The Ruffcats as the best live bands in Germany nowadays. You can order their vinyl and/or digital releases but from some reason they made their The Essence vol.2. album free so you can download it. And by clicking the picture below, you can listen to this album:

I really like those tracks that are sort of skits or just short practices (Und, Dann) because these songs are the most creative parts of the album. You can get uptempo funk music (Ritalin Kid, Betty’s Babies) and also some chilly beach psychedelic funk (Seven of Five). Junkyard Dog starts like a funeral ceremony and then it is evolving more like Tom Waits ballade or a Tarantino-movie soundtrack.

If you want more, follow these guys on SoundCloud or on Facebook.

Jefe

Cooly G – Playin Me (2012)

I read an interview with Cooly G made by Electronic Beats Magazine a few years ago. I don’t know why but Electronic Beats presents that kind of electronic artists that haven’t impressed me at all. They are definitely talented musicians but they just make too similar music to each other. I still think that happy, uptempo music is harder to create than atmospherical, melancholic, downtempo electronic music. It is like the teenagers who usually write sad poets but cheery lines. Or the amateur filmmakers who do the same in film: serious topics, drama after drama, no humour or comedy.

But let’s get back to the artists Electronic Beats features. If I can’t have any personal impressions about/from them I can’t name any of them and never know whose music I listen to. They are almost the same. Of course Cooly G was different for me (otherwise she won’t be on the blog).
You can read her interview in Electronic Beats Magazine.

Cooly G has a label called Hyperdub. The magazine featured Cooly G's roots, her semi-professional football career, and - as a mother of two - how motherhood influences her music. I don't read many interviews but this was great because you could really know her. And that personal thing made her more interesting than the others. As I read the interview I could imagine her making her music. I think her studio could be simple, kind of Spartian but - as you will figure it out from her album -, also very effective.

Cooly G makes more kind of rnb music than electronic. As Electronic Beats wrote: Cooly G’s debut longplayer Playin’ Me (Hyperdub) is the soulful light at the end of dubstep’s long, dark tunnel. (2012)  It is also dub with a lot echoes and delays, piano, high percussion (Come Into My Room).
The instrumentals sometimes are made of quite broken beats, almost avant-garde or experimental for me (Is It Gone). Beside this the whole album has a constant flow, and I couldn’t find big, definite peaks in the tracks. While I was listening to the album Playin me I often thought „there will be the climax, a peak soon” (e.g. He Said I Said), but in the end the tracks just ended. Anyway the whole stuff is easy to listen and easy to love.

If you like underground rnb and dub(step), try Cooly G. All you can get is no theatric themes or huge solutions in music, but a very cosy atmosphere.

Find Cooly G on Facebook, on SoundCloud or on Spotify.

Jefe