Werd (SOS), or Drew Devine, is an Edinburgh based hip-hop artist focused on making and promoting alternative music in the capital.
Please note: This album contains no swearing or aggressive material, entirely radio friendly and completely free for promotional use.
‘Welcome To Anywhere’ is a 9 track album written and recorded by Werd with beat production by Sea Bass. Released on free download from Sons of Scotland (SOS) on 12th December 2013.
finally, might we take this moment to present the first official full-length, self-produced solo release from jamesreindeer. entitled 'six six seven' and taking us on a darkly-psychedelic journey into distant lands across almost forty minutes of arabian-influenced free-jazz doom-rap.
conceived at the birth of the throne burner project at the dawn of summer 2012, in planning through the long winter and spring, and finally created during the six hottest weeks of the summer since passed, this release dispays some of the most intriguing works yet produced by jamesreindeer.
spanning six epic songs and featuring musical guest spots from both the extended throne burner and iron filings and sellotape families, the release is awash with doomy rhythms, screeching horns, hypnotic basslines and deeply-atmospheric field recordings, not to mention the unmatchable vocal darts of jamesreindeer himself.
available as a beautifully hand-crafted and highly limited edition cassette tape via long-time jamesreindeer associates mism records, as well as for digital download, this is surely an essential release for those ready to explore yet darker realms of hypnotic audio majicks.
Fresh off the release of a well-reviewed album "Essenchill", Ed Rowe returns
with a brand new project entitled "Exercise InTuition".
"Exercise InTuition" is a beautiful blend of Soulful and Intelligent Hip-Hop Music, combining the crafty lyricism of Ed Rowe (Atlanta) with the infectiously melodic soundscapes of Klim Beats(Ukraine). The album metaphorically describes the price one pays for following (or ignoring) their gut instincts, as highlighted on tracks 4, "A Higher Calling", 9 "What Ya Want", & 15 "Graduating Classic". Packed with easily relatable messages of rebirth, self-education, and discovering true joy, listeners will find find this album to be a groove-filled journey worthy of continuous replay.
"Exercise InTuition" is now available to purchase on Bandcamp.
THIRD STUDIO ALBUM BY ROY DEAN ENTITLED, "LIFE ISNT ALWAYS PIZZAS & BLOWJOBS". THE TITLE COMES FROM A QUOTE FROM THE 2001 FILM, "MANIC" STARRING DON CHEADLE. THE THEMES PREVALENT IN THE FILM MIRROR THE TOPICS DISCUSSED THROUGHOUT THE ALBUM. WRITTEN, PRODUCED, MIXED, MASTERED AND ARRANGED ENTIRELY BY ROY DEAN.
This album is a collaboration between Sixo and Leif Kolt
that was inspired by the track Rocker John the two made together
first released on Sixo's Free Floating Rationales.
Released 13 December 2013
Every track produced by Sixo
All vocals by Leif Kolt
Mixed and mastered by Deeskee
Cover art by Jp Miller
Since the release of 2001's The Cold Vein, listeners have fiended for the return of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, collectively known as Cannibal Ox. 2013 marks the year of the Ox as they return with their first cohesive body of work in roughly 12 years. Upon listening to the project's title track, fans were taken aback by how the duo has not lost a step throughout the years, but that's mostly because Cannibal Ox has always been ahead of its time. As Spin Magazine declares, "while it doesn't sound like a day has passed since Vein, Vast and Vordul were always spitting from the future." The Deluxe LP Edition of Gotham includes the three tracks that were originally featured on the maxi-single (never released on CD) as well as 12 tracks including tracks only previously released on vinyl, never before released freestyles, and collaborative tracks by the duo. This is a must-have release for any fan of Cannibal Ox.
There are albums that require repeated listens to fully digest and comprehend, whether it's because of verbose lyricism or harsh production. But in certain cases, there are those albums that deserve that attentive listening experience because of quality of the content. The latter description rings true when it comes to "Jakobz Ladder Vol. 1 (The Croatoa Koans)," hopefully the first of many joint releases from Midwestern rappers ATMA and Son of Saturn.
This record is a dense, heady affair filled with thoughtful, contemplative verses deserving of the type of lyrical breakdowns you see some artists perform at Rap Genius. But even if that doesn't happen, you'll probably be scribbling down notes to yourself as you listen to the 13 tracks on here—16 if you count the bonus cuts. I found myself doing that exact same thing as I played it the first few times, especially after I realized this was serious headphones music. What I mean is that if you want to fully immerse yourself in the album, snag some good cans to do so. I personally just grabbed a pair of SOL headphones at Verizon 'cause they were on sale and I haven't looked back. And once I heard "The Croatoa Koans" through them, everything started falling into place lyrically. It almost felt like a religious experience, floating across the gritty instrumentals with ATMA and SoS leading the way with there spirituality-tinged raps.
There are, of course, tracks that aren't as rich with insight that require your utmost attention. Take instant standout "Kamikaze Karma," for example, which is a blistering, horns-laden slab of bravado that would make any battle rapper blush. It doesn't hurt that ATMA and SoS trade bars like they've been doing this together for decades. That remains true even when they throw another voice into the mix. The sole guest outside of the sample-based interludes is U.K. rapper Lone Ninja from NYC, who seamlessly fits into the murky vibe of "Twelve Meridians."
Speaking of samples, fans of the horror film this album is named after, 1990's "Jacob's Ladder," will be treated to reminders of its brilliance throughout. One of the bonus tracks, "Jakobz Ladder," actually utilizes these samples the most. It opens with the famous "This is barbaric!" scene and then bursts into an all-out banger from ATMA and SoS, who tag-team the monstrous beat with flawless deliveries. It's a bit of a shame this track wasn't able to fit into the context of the album, though it is admittedly a bit more boisterous than its counterparts.
To be fair to the producers involved with this album, you can absolutely throw it on at any point to simply zone out to. The head-nodding, dusty boom-bap beats across "The Croatoa Koans" are as organic sounding as they are gripping, particularly when you hear how well they fit the rhymes of ATMA and Son of Saturn. It also feels as if the entire recording process was done in a day's time, one track banged out after another until the project was completed. It's rare that an album can flow this naturally, but given the past work of these two rappers it's not surprising.
It is, however, refreshing. It's not often that you can hear such an engaging piece of work that demands, and more importantly maintains, your attention at a time when the hip-hop scene is so over-saturated. If you're looking for something new to truly sink your rap teeth into, look no further than "The Croatoa Koans."
“It’s been a minute… we still up in it... tunnels from the underground the sky is now the limit…”
Welcome to “Mission Statement”. For the last couple years we’ve been crafting what we feel is our most complete project to date. So here we are… over ten years in the game, still at it for the love of hip hop. Peace y’all, and enjoy the music.
"My Demon Dance Partner" - The newest EP from Father Focus Confucius,
member of Team Punx and one-half of The Illmortals.
Production by Father Focus Confucius, Vint Mentalz, Sultan Mir,
Crux Music, Artifact, Cliff Clavin & Zenghi Zen.
