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The Witzard's Andy Cooper "THE PERFECT DEFINITION" 7-song Remix Compilation (Exclusive Soundcloud Playlist)
"DEDICATED TO LOVERS OF MAXI-SINGLES AND EVERY JAZZY, ACOUSTIC BASS-DRIVEN HIP-HOP SONG, WHICH PROVIDED THE SOUNDTRACK FOR A PRETENTIOUS, UNNECESSARY ARTSY RAP VIDEO DURING THE EARLY 90'S..." reads the reverse side of Long Beach rapper-producer Andy Cooper's latest "Here Comes Another One" 12-inch. If pressed, I would likely equate Andy Cooper's second solo album, the layered effect to something along the lines of Homeboy Sandman's First of a Living Breed or Beastie Boys' 1989 cult favorite, Paul's Boutique; an increasingly fun, charismatic Golden Age Hip-Hop-reminiscent album chock-full with an insane amount of genre-eschewing samples. the layered effect is entirely self-produced by Andy Cooper himself—particularly, note-worthy for his past work with Ugly Duckling and The Allergies—and plays out like a care-free, fun-loving Hip-Hop album of days past.
After seeing Andy's "Here Comes Another One" video on Flea Market Funk, I reached out to Phil Rocafort at Barcelona-based Rocafort Records; I soon, heard a pre-release advance of the layered effect, which ultimately, led to The Witzard's recent comprehensive Andy Cooper interview. I soon, stumbled upon both Instrumental and Acapella stems for 2015's The Free EP and reached out to Andy & Phil at Rocafort Records with the preposition to host a remix "contest" (no prizes or places) at The Witzard. Now, a matter of mere weeks later, I'm proud to present to you: The Witzard's Andy Cooper "THE PERFECT DEFINITION" Remix Compilation featuring 100% original remixes from Places & Spaces producer Naturetone, Djar One (from Andy's personal wish-list,) Broken Machine Films Presents... Australian producer Dros, Drew Scott affiliate Mike East, recent The Witzard subject UncleRussie, and Swiss beat-maker Alejandro "Getro" Ortega. Andy Cooper's the layered effect is now available on Rocafort Records or wherever fine records are sold!
Matt "The Witzard" Horowitz
Remix Compilation Coordinator
I. NATURETONE (Places & Spaces) - Swiss Hip-Hop producer Naturetone hails from Bern and started making beats during the early 90's as an emcee and producer with Swiss Rap group Three Tree Posse AKA 3TP. Heavily inspired by the Native Tongues movement, 3TP released two independent albums between 1993-95 before disbanding. Naturetone then, went on a lengthy hiatus and after a nearly 10-year self-imposed sabbatical period, made a quite return to the world of Hip-Hop; focusing primarily, on building up a back catalog full of new beats and finely-crafted original remixes. Naturetone Remixes for Algorhythms (Thirtyseven & Dr. Quandary) garnered him a slot on World Around Records' storied roster. Nihon (2010) an instrumental tribute to Japan and Turnings of The Sun (2012) incorporating live instrumentation amidst original compositions soon followed. Naturetone joined forces with fellow Swiss producer Zooki in 2016 to form Places & Spaces; their debut track recorded together, "Alive," was premiered on World Around's swan song, We Are World Around, Vol. 6, which was soon followed up by Places & Spaces' proper debut album, also, entitled Alive. TheRise, a star-studded remix album with contributions from various emcees, producers, singers, etc. from all across the world will arrive sometime this year.
II. DJAR ONE - "DJ Format has already "Re-layered" one of the tracks, but aside from him, I would love, production-wise, to collaborate with People Under The Stairs, Djar One, DJ Suspect, Propo'88, and of course, it would be fun to hear how The Allergies would deal with these songs," Andy Cooper replied when asked who he might like to have participate within a hypothetical the layered effect remix album; in all honesty, this very answer was the match that sparked the initial idea for this whole Andy Cooper "THE PERFECT DEFINITION" Remix Contest/Compilation here at The Witzard, in the first place. I personally, reached out to the five emcees highlighted within Andy's own producers "wish-list" and Djar One was the first, and only, beat-maker to reply back. Djar One is a Le Havre, France-based DJ, emcee, producer and beat-maker from the Serpat Crew, who runs an independent French Hip-Hop label called Beats House Records. "The label started [to] release the discography of the Funkiest posse ACOOSMIK. We continue to release the solo projects of Djar One, Senbeï, and Kesta and work on the new group PITCHCAPS, who rock a heavy Boom-Bap Rap [edge]," Beats House Records write on their Facebook page. Beats House Records' Bandcamp page features a slew of projects from Senbeï, il Ritalo & Djar One, PITCHCAPS, Kesta, and Djar One himself released on successful 45 vinyls throughout 2017. One of Djar One's latest releases was, in fact, "The Get Down" B/W "My World" 45 featuring Andy Cooper and RYT, respectively. Djar One has also produced a handful of tracks for other artists all over the world, like Dragon Fli Empire, Loréa, Gérard Baste, Le Studio Bagel, Carpetface, and many more.
III. BROKEN MACHINE FILMS PRESENTS... - Josh Rogers, otherwise known as Broken Machine Films Presents... has been creating and banking samples since 2002. He's created over 30 albums utilizing only vintage equipment and medium and practicing the art of cassette-to-cassette manipulation. Broken Machine Films Presents... was recently featured on Memories Overloaded: A Tribute to The Caretaker, Godless America Mixtape Vol. 4, Gorgeous Lights' Latenight, and Bedroom Cassette Masters 1980-89 Volume Nine. Rogers himself attests his "creations have been most associated with like going to a late 70's lo-fi drive-in Grindhouse B-movie double-feature with your main squeeze; putting the listening device on your [car] door and continuing on with your date. Not paying so much attention to what is transpiring on the screen anymore... you have more pressing matters to attend to." Broken Machine Films Presents... has, additionally, been doing video production/ documentation for fellow artists since 2001. Josh Rogers also, runs what he affectionately describes as "a little label called Illuminated Paths" (IP.) Upcoming IP releases to primarily feature Broken Machine Films Presents... production works will include Houston emcee VIPER's 'BOUT THA MONEY & NOOB SAIBOT's I-II featuring a variety of Underground Hip-Hop artists; both albums are expected to be released sometime during 2018 and are currently available to preview on Illuminated Paths' Bandcamp page.
IV. DROS - "One day, Dros was born. Dude made beats for days and breathed fire-lasers out the mouth with abundance; plus, I heard he claimed like... seven gold medals in the local amateur triple-bypass surgery circuit. My dad says he's a true hero," Dros (News) charismatically wrote on his own Bandcamp page. Since kick-starting his career in 2017, Dros has self-released a number of beat-minded projects including Hieronymus Dros, Fresh to Death, Nature of The Beat Vol. I, and most recently, "Chameleon" featuring New Jersey emcee CRIMEAPPLE. According to the mysterious man himself, Dros has more projects currently in-the-works to be released throughout 2018.
V. MIKE EAST - "My name is Mike East. 30-years old from West Warwick, Rhode Island. Been making music my whole life. Started out playing guitar trying to get bands going, sharpening basic song-writing skills. Bands never seemed to work out and rapping was much easier to not only practice, but it also, wasn't necessarily, a group activity. Around the end of my junior year, LimeWire instrumentals sucked, so I decided to start making beats, so that me and my friends could rap over them; got a copy of Fruity Loops 3.0 and the rest is history, as they say. Been making beats almost daily for the last decade or so. Gonna make them almost daily for however many more decades I get to rock it on this rock," Mike East wrote within his self-penned artist bio. Not only has Mike East produced various loosies for other artists and friends, such as "Save Your Aim" and "Wreckshop" for Drew Scott and Eze Jackson's "For The Win!!!" he has produced albums on his own, as part of two Rhode Island-based crews: Ocean State Horror House's BETWEEN HELL AND A HOT PLACE (2013) and Devil Squad's self-titled 2014 album AKA The Secret Order of The DEVIL SQUAD.
VI. UNCLERUSSIE - Baltimore-based producer and beat-maker UncleRussie describes his latest EP as "the follow-up to The Bulma Tape series, the Trunks EP. sequences and highlights various timelines of Trunks Brief - Past, Present & Future(?)" He's of course, referring to 2016's The Bulma Tape and The Bulma Tape: Side B from last year, a Hip-Hop/Anime trilogy, which will likely, close with Trunks EP. successor #TheBulmaTape3. UncleRussie's Trunks EP. takes inspiration, as well as direct samples, and influence from Dragon Ball Z's "Future" Trunks, Androids, and Cell Sagas. UncleRussie single-handedly edited, arranged, and produced his Trunks EP. with assists throughout from beat-making buddies Action Bastard, Benjamin Banger, Bito Sureiya, Drew Scott, Jumbled, TEK.LUN, Swellthy, and UncleRussie himself. Trunks EP. features three sparse, yet fitting vocal assists from emcees Dot Com Intelligence, ONLY AKA @GwapSinatra, and El Hippie Moonbear. Since 2016, UncleRussie has self-released The Bulma Tape, The Bulma Tape: Side B, The Bulma Tape | Side B | Extras, Iman Europe-remixing The Caterpillar Remixes EP, BXRTHDAY. Remix EP for Berko Lover, and most recently, Trunks EP.
VII. GETRO - Alejandro "Getro" Ortega originally, started making beats during the early 90's, as a founding member of Swiss Hip-Hop pioneers Three Tree Posse (3TP) along with Patric AKA Naturetone and Bowie. 3TP released two albums between 1993-95, The Quest and Ostlärm on Sound Service/Ostring Records. Ostlärm featured Three Tree Posse's core members, as well as new additions Zoran AKA Zooki, Mirio, and DJ Pablo. Soon after, 3TP disbanded and Ortega says "life happened" and years later, he would return with his solo project simply entitled "Getro." Getro released his first and to date, only, single "Chumm mir schwümme drvo" feat. Chantemoisselle was released on Spotify in 2013; a few years later, Getro started holding regular beat sessions with his old friends from 3TP and got back into Hip-Hop again. Alejandro Ortega's Andy Cooper "THE PERFECT DEFINITION" (Getro Remix) is actually, his first original remix in all of his years of Hip-Hop beat-making.
* BONUS * UNIBROW DUCK - "Hi, everybody! My name is Tin AKA Unibrow Duck and I'm a graphic designer from Croatia, now living in Canada. I finished a graphic design high school, then, moved on to have an M.A. in Art History (both in Zagreb,) but all the time, doing some graphic design work on the side. I had a lot of small jobs/volunteer projects, which definitely gave me the confidence that graphic design is something I wanted to do in my life. Whenever I can, I like to use my drawings in the design, but if some other approach works, I'll use that. It's important to think outside the box. For example: Matt asked me to create an illustration for [The Witzard's] Andy Cooper [Remix] Compilation. Here, I included a mix of things: a swan (a reference to Ugly Duckling,) stacked LP's—representing old school sampling in Rap, when you had to actually, have a certain LP to use that sample and a reference to the name of the album—and a hat and a scarf, which is a reference to "Rick Said So;" based on one of the photos of Rick Rubin I found, when he was the Beastie Boys' DJ. I drew everything, scanned the image, made the adjustments with an image-editing program, and that's it! I would like to thank Matt for this opportunity; keep up the great work, man! If you like my stuff, you can check my Tumblr and Twitter pages. QUACK!"
Labels: @unibrowduck, andy cooper, beats house records, broken machine films, djar one, dros beats, getro, illuminated paths, mike east, naturetone, places and spaces, rocafort records, three tree posse 3tp, unclerussie
Russian Funk, Library & Organ Groove Band The Great Revivers Unleash "тутутру [Tuturu]" B/W "Ездок [Rider]" 7-inch (Funk Night Records)
The Great Revivers Instrumental Band (крепчайший алкоголь инструментальный ансамбль) or just "The Great Revivers," for short, are a self-described "Instrumental Funk, Library, Organ Groove band" hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia. The Great Revivers was collectively formed by one-time members of Wake&Bake! and The Reggaenauts and consist of players Artem Beresnev, Roman Lebedev, Stanislav Rybochkin, Alexander Shtykov, and Roman Zyryanov. Since initially forming, The Great Revivers have released a staggering 10 7-inch singles on Mocambo Records, Detroit-based Funk Night Records (Fnr,) Magnetic Loft Records, and Elchrecords between 2013-18, as well as a 2015 full-length entitled Have a Drink with Great Revivers. The Great Revivers' latest Fnr 7-inch, "тутутру [Tuturu]" B/W "Ездок [Rider]" went on sale a mere seven days ago and has already, completely SOLD OUT. Shout-out to Skeme Richards AKA @hotpeasandbutta at Nostalgia King for initially, turning me onto this fine slice of groove-inducing Russian Library/Funk on shiny black wax!
However, Funk Night Records' head label designer, part-time DJ, and full-time "general record nrrrd" Matthew Manley (@therealmomanley) explains it as: "ESSENTIAL, drum-heavy Russian knock-out here; had me seein' Cyrillic when I came to. I don't know what The Great Revivers sipped on before putting down this two-sided beast, but if you drank it, too, you'd be benching 3x your weight, like, immediately." Manley likely designed, photographed, and arranged the "тутутру [Tuturu]" 45 sleeve and center label graphics and insists he "almost hates to see this one go out because it's been [his] secret weapon for a while." Matthew Manley characteristically continues: "A-side is the bonkers B-boy-friendly "Tuturu" and for me B-side wins again with what was my favorite cut of 2017, "Rider." Slays a floor in seconds; an instant upgrade to your box, designed by yours truly." While, as previously stated, The Great Revivers' "тутутру [Tuturu]" 45 is now, completely SOLD OUT from Fnr, limited copies are still, however, available from select digital and brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Discogs, Juno Records, and Great Revivers' own Bandcamp.
Labels: [project 2], @therealmomanley, alexander shtykov, artem beresnev, frank raines, funk night records, roman lebedev, roman zyryanov, russia, skeme richards. nostalgia king, stanislav rybochkin, the great revivers
LiKWUiD, 2 Hungry Bros. & DJ Evil Dee Let Loose Vinyl-indebted "IllFayted" Music Video for National DJ Day 2018 (ORIGU/HiPNOTT Records)
2 Hungry Brothers—or just "2 Hungry Bros." for short—have cemented a place as one of the strongest and most sought-after production teams in post-2000's Underground/Indie Hip-Hop; over the years, having accumulated production credits for the likes of Homeboy Sandman, Fresh Daily, P.SO The Earthtone King, LiKWUiD, 8thW1, Doc Reevez, and 2HB's off-shoot crew Hunger Division, as well as numerous solo productions from each Deep & Ben Boogz. Last year, fresh on the heels of both Ben Boogz's I Moreno and Deep's Depth Perception Vol. 3, 2 Hungry Bros. produced a full album for Hunger Division emcee LiKWUiD entitled Fay Grim. They, then, partnered with German-based imprint ORIGU to release a special 7-inch showcasing DJ Evil Dee-assisted "IllFayted," as well as P.SO The Earthtone King & Donwill-featuring "Hold That (Faybles)" on Side B. Now, LiKWUiD, 2 Hungry Bros. & DJ Evil Dee (Da Beatminerz/Boot Camp Clik) have once again, partnered with HiPNOTT Records to release a short, yet incredibly effective Pesuto-directed music video for "IllFayted," which was quietly released this past Saturday, January 20th, 2018 to coincide with National DJ Day.
"Follow our music-lover (Deep) on the search for his next fix; watch his journey [through] a series of gatekeepers (Ben Boogz, P.SO, LiKWUiD) before ultimately, meeting The Boss (DJ Evil Dee)" HiPNOTT's recent press release reads. "In celebration of National DJ Day, we release this video to give a shout-out to DJ's across the globe who love the feel, sound, and nostalgic energy of vinyl. Confined by the digital age and a shortage of quality tunes, vinyl is now a rare luxury," HiPNOTT Records enthusiastically continued. LiKWUiD's 2 Hungry Bros.-produced Fay Grim is now available to stream or purchase from Amazon Prime, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Google Play, Spotify, and like-minded digital retailers. However, if you're an avid collector of shiny black wax, much like myself, LIMITED EDITION "IllFayted" B/W "Hold That (Faybles)" 7-inches are currently still available directly from ORIGU, along with Deep Breez AKA Breez Evahflowin' & Deep's "Project: Draw" 45 lifted from their collaborative 2017 album, Bring Out Your Dead.
Fay Grim by LiKWUiD & 2 Hungry Bros.
Labels: 2 hungry bros, 85 deli mini market inwood, ben boogz, deep 2 hungry bros, deep breez, dj evil dee, donwill, hipnott records, likwuid, national dj day, origu germany, p.so the earthtone king, pesuto, tanya morgan
UncleRussie Assembles Dragon Ball Z-themed Trunks EP. Featuring Beats from Jumbled, Drew Scott, TEK.LUN & Action Bastard (self-released)
Trunks EP. by UncleRussie
Baltimore-based producer and beat-maker UncleRussie describes his latest EP as "the follow-up to The Bulma Tape series, the Trunks EP. sequences and highlights various timelines of Trunks Brief - Past, Present & Future(?)" He's of course, referring to 2016's The Bulma Tape and The Bulma Tape: Side B from last year, a Hip-Hop/Anime trilogy, which will likely close with Trunks EP. successor #TheBulmaTape3. UncleRussie's Trunks EP. takes inspiration, as well as direct samples, and influence from Dragon Ball Z's "Future" Trunks, Androids, and Cell Sagas. UncleRussie single-handedly edited, arranged, and produced his Trunks EP. with assists throughout from beat-making buddies Action Bastard, Benjamin Banger, Bito Sureiya, Drew Scott, Jumbled, TEK.LUN, Swellthy, and UncleRussie himself. Trunks EP. features three sparse, yet fitting vocal assists from emcees Dot Com Intelligence, ONLY AKA @GwapSinatra, and El Hippie Moonbear on hidden/bonus track, "Jewel #6." I have to admit, my only exposure to Anime growing up was Pokemon and various Spider-Man mangas, but without knowing much about Dragon Ball Z, I still really enjoyed UncleRussie's Trunks EP.! The Bulma Tape, The Bulma Tape: Side B, and Trunks EP., as well as the rest of UncleRussie's discography, are currently able to stream and download on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and like-minded digital platforms. Feel free to scroll down for a slightly more well-informed and in-depth Trunks EP./Dragon Ball Z breakdown from UncleRussie himself.
"So, the Trunks EP. is a recent installment of two previous releases, The Bulma Tape and The Bulma Tape: Side B. The concept was, initially, a fan appreciation project; like, an ode to Dragon Ball Z, specifically, Bulma Briefs. In my opinion, she's been a integral part of the series and plays a large part in moving the story forward. Trunks is the product of her and another character, Vegeta. The show, itself, is broken down into sagas. This tape takes different pages throughout several [sagas] to make a complete story. Trunks, basically, lives in a timeline where Androids have destroyed most of humanity and several fighters that were initially defenders of The Earth, including his friend and mentor, Gohan—son of show mascot and most recognizable Anime character, Goku. The tape starts from a period when Trunks is recovering from a recent battle with The Androids that ultimately, kills Gohan, which then, forces him to go back in time to warn the fighters of the present of what's coming. From there, various parts of the "Future" Trunks, Androids, and Cell Sagas are sampled and spliced between the tracks to give it a storybook narrative. It's important to note that The Bulma Tapes, basically, sets all these events in motion (i.e.: "Future" Trunks, Prologue, The Death of Gohan, etc.) This was supposed to be the third and final project in the "Bulma" series. Overall, it's a musical ode to two characters that I favor and are the most intriguing, in my opinion. They, being Trunks and Bulma, essentially, do what the powered-up good guys couldn't do in a last-minute effort to change the projectory of the world and [effectively], save it from [extinction]."
- UncleRussie (@PeaceRussie)
Labels: @gwapsinatra, action bastard, benjamin banger, bito sureiya, dot com intelligence, dragon ball z, drew scott, el hippie moonbear, giddeon gallows, jumbled, nasa8, swellthy, tek.lun, tmthychstr, unclerussie
British TV Director Ed Tracy Speaks FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999 Mixtape Recorded with Actor/Emcee Tom Hardy (The Witzard Interview)
"I raided the music vaults! Made in a bedroom [in] 1999, these mixtapes were never really finished. Lyrics written/performed by Tom Hardy. Music written/produced by me..." @EdwardTracy recently Tweeted. Ed Tracy is a London-based writer, creator, director, and "humble TV bloke" who's previously worked on Fonejacker, Facejacker, Banksy's Walled Off Hotel film, short film CAPTCHA, animated sitcom Sticky, and music videos for both Dizzee Rascal and Swet Shop Boys emcee/actor Riz Ahmed. Tracy's 1990's DJ-producer alias was "Eddie Too Tall" and he actually, worked with none other than BAFTA Award-winning actor Tom Hardy—then, known as rising emcee Tommy No.1. Yes, we're, in fact, talking about critically-acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Taboo, and Venom actor Tom Hardy. Ed Tracy quietly uploaded Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall's unfinished 1999 mixtape, FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999 to little fanfare in early January 2018. It wasn't until he uploaded the 18-track album to a sub-reddit entitled 'r/hiphopheads [FRESH] Tom Hardy's unfinished album from 1999 finally found it's way online. But is it any good?' as u/edwardtracy that Noisey first picked up on it and Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall nearly "broke The Internet." Thursday afternoon, while delving into FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999, on a whim, I decided to reach out to Ed Tracy, who, to my surprise, soon wrote back and agreed to "recall the good old bad old days," as he put it, for the all-inclusive interview you now see transcribed below. Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall's FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999 is now available to stream on TomHardyDotOrg's Soundcloud page, ladies and gents!
Matt "The Witzard" Horowitz (@SharpCheddar856)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Web-slingin' Writer
I. What do you currently do professionally, Eddie "Too Tall" Tracy?
People call me Ed, I've not been called Eddie "Too Tall" for a while haha! These days, I work in television and I named my production company Too Tall productions, so something of that survived. Recent work has been producing a pilot for an animated sitcom on the BBC. It is called Sticky and it co-stars Tom Hardy. If you're in The States, then, I'm afraid you can't watch it... yet. Clips of it are online. Hopefully, we'll get to make a series. It was great fun to make and it got a good reception. Plus, some great press, including glowing reviews from The Guardian and Heat magazine. Tom was a fan of the previous show that I co-created, called Fonejacker and Facejacker. He was up for getting involved somehow in a comedy project together. I was already developing Sticky, so that was the perfect excuse to work together. I've known that Tom can do funny voices since the days of us making the album together; the "Rusty Sheriff's Badge" and "Dr. Livingstoned" tracks on the album show a glimpse of that humour.
II. How did you first meet Tom Hardy, and what made you two decide to start recording together as "Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall?"
I met him through a very dear friend. I used to DJ and make Jungle tracks. Tom asked me to make Hip-Hop, of which I was also a huge fan.
III. Nearly 20 years later, what made you decide to finally unleash Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall's FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999? Did you consult with or reach out to Tom Hardy prior to releasing the collection?
Last year, Tom asked me whether I still had the album kicking about in the loft. Lo and behold, here it is in all its rawness, just as it sounded then. He'll be pleased with the reception it's had, so far.
IV. What exactly did you two intend to do with these tracks upon initially recording them back in 1999? I recently read within a 2011 BBC newsbeat feature that Tom Hardy "had a recording deal as a rapper at the age of 15."
We made music and also, messed around making short films. I think we inspired each other to make stuff. Back then, we were offered a record deal on the basis of this album, but Tom's agent said, "no, don't do music. Do acting." Terrible advice! Look where he is now?!
V. What ever ended up happening to Tommy No.1 + Eddie Too Tall? Are there currently any plans for a 2018 "Reunion Tour?"
I made a joke that we'd do some Vegas dates, if it the mixtape did well. But truthfully, I never saw this release as anything more that finally letting this project see the light of day. There was never a question of us "putting the band back together." The positive response has been great.
VI. How exactly did you and Tom go about writing, recording, producing, mixing, mastering, etc. the songs now collected on FALLING ON YOUR ARSE IN 1999? Your Too-Tall Bandcamp page explains these mixtapes were "made in a bedroom in 1999" and were admittedly, "never really finished."
We made the album in my bedroom with no mixer or any fancy kit. A dusty old Atari ST, running an AKAI sampler, plus two Technics SL-1200 decks. All the vocals were recorded on a hand-held tape dictaphone. No over-dubs or editing. Tom had a click track for timing, but that was it. He had to get it in one take. Raw production techniques! The AKAI sampler allowed 1 minute's-worth of sample time per track, so if you wanted a new sample (including Tom's vocals,) you'd often have to sacrifice another clip. Everything got boiled down. The samples were all off records or VHS tapes. No added effects.
VII. What types of projects are you currently working on, Ed that fans can expect to see released this year?
In terms of music, I still like to keep my eye in, or ear, I should say. I sometimes [compose] music for TV projects I work on. I recently released a new album of tracks, some of which I originally made for Tom—so, that's going back some time. But since Tom is off being a movie star, I've been making tracks with another rapper. He used to go by the name of "Gatsby," but had to change his name to Gats Bigga Vel because some reality star chump stole his name. Happens. "Gatsby, "as I still call him, is the real deal; an East London (E5) rapper born and bred. One track called "Come to East" made a pretty big impact. It ranked Top 5 on the UK's TV channel called Channel U one year, which for us, was a big deal. This year, we released an album of all the tracks we've ever done together. It's called Super Alpha Number One and it's on Apple Music, Spotify, etc. Perhaps you can hear the DNA of the Tommy No 1 tracks in there somewhere?
Labels: @edwardtracy, dizzee rascal, eddie too tall, facejacker, fonejacker, gats bigga vel, jacob tomuri, riz ahmed, sticky sitcom, tom hardy, tomhardydotorg, tommy no1, too tall productions, venom movie
Baltimore Musician, Multi-instrumentalist & Music Writer Al Shipley Returns with Synth-Pop-laden Western Blot EP Too 30 (self-released)
Too 30 by Western Blot
Al Shipley is a Baltimore area musician and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a well-respected music writer, who, over the years, has written for Rolling Stone, The FADER, Stereogum, SPIN, Complex, and Pitchfork, just to name a few. Shipley has been sporadically playing shows and self-releasing music as Western Blot for about five years now; his releases include "Button Masher" b/w "Child of Divorce," "The Power Let Me Down," and "Sore Winners," all of which ended up re-appearing on Western Blot's 2016 debut full-length, Muscle Memory. Prior to forming Western Blot, Al Shipley played drums in a variety of Baltimore bands and says he simply started Western Blot "as an outlet for writing songs with synths." His records generally, showcase the vocal talents of Baltimore's finest frontmen and women; for example, Western Blot's latest release, Too 30 EP features 20ooo's Lizzy Greif on opener "Still Catch Myself" and Scott Siskind of Vinny Vegas on "Limited Edition." I have to admit, Too 30 EP is my first exposure to both Western Blot and Al Shipley and man, is it an interesting, genre-spanning 11-minute listen! Western Blot's Too 30 EP was recorded at Baltimore-based Mobtown Studios last year, where it was recorded, mixed, and produced by Mat Leffler-Schulman and engineered by Rob Liberati.
Lizzy Greif-led "Still Catch Myself" is a somber, slow-building listen that reminds me of fellow Baltimorean Flock of Dimes (Jenn Wasner,) as well as Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2004 single, "Maps." Al Shipley takes the lead on title track, "Too 30," is a synth-laden jam about coming to grips with being in your 30's. It's instantly evocative of early 2000's Dance/Pop-Punk such as LCD Soundsystem, Franz Ferdinand, The Faint, and The Bravery. Scott Siskind-helmed "Limited Edition" features a muttled guitar riff/drum stomp reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California" and synth squalls in the vein of Joy Division/New Order and Depeche Mode. EP closer "Ill Afford" steps into Prog-Rock territory, while keeping one foot firmly planted in Synth-Pop. Al Shipley's characteristically frenzied vocal delivery is evocative of Talking Heads' frontman David Byrne, Gary Numan, and again, LCD Soundstystem founder James Murphy. It has an underlying tone reminiscent of Noise-Rock darlings Lightning Bolt mixed with a layer of steel drums, which makes for quite the interesting, inventive listen. Western Blot's proper Muscle Memory follow-up will also feature Too 30 EP closer "Ill Afford." Western Blot's Too 30 EP is currently available to stream or download on their Bandcamp, along with the entirety of their aforementioned discography.
Labels: 20ooo, al shipley, dan coutant, ishai barnoy, koye berry, lizzy greif, mat leffler-schulman, mobtown studios, rob liberati, scott sinskind, sun room audio, synthpop, TOO:30 EP, vinny vegas, western blot
Adam Lempel Unveils Second Single "Run (Disconnected)" from Friso Hoekstra-produced "STILL LIFE" Follow-up Jinx (Bandcamp)
Run (Disconnected) by Adam Lempel
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Lempel recently moved back to New York, after living abroad in Amsterdam, while attending Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (HKU) for his Masters in Music Design. Lempel has now, returned to his "old stomping grounds" on The East Coast wherein he previously spent a solid decade in Baltimore's DIY Indie Rock scene as part of WEEKENDS, Winks, and his own band, Adam Lempel & The Heartbeats. Since 2012, Adam Lempel has released an EP and an album with The Heartbeats, yet another album as "Adam Lempel & The Casiobeats," and a 2016 solo album entitled "STILL LIFE." I talk to Adam from time to time—we actually, met once at a (likely) 2011 Surfer Blood/WEEKENDS show at First Unitarian Church—and I know, he's been working on a proper follow-up to "STILL LIFE" for a couple years now. Said album, now titled Jinx, will likely be released at some point during 2018. Adam Lempel recorded Jinx with HKU classmate and producer Friso Hoesktra; most of the album's songs were "constructed in a computer," a stark contrast to Lempel's previous more lo-fi material.
"Run (Disconnected)" is the second released single from Jinx following recent lead-off single, "Let's Be Real." "Run (Disconnected)" a stylistic switch from its more mellow, stripped down predecessor and lyrically, "Run (Disconnected)" and "Let's Be Real" couldn't be more different: "Run" is seemingly about breaking away from all the technology mentioned within "Let's Be Real" and, I paraphrase, "throwing it against the wall." Adam Lempel recently told me, via email, '"Run (Disconnected)" is about fantasizing about breaking free from our screens, but at the same time, getting lost in a virtual world that looks and feels more and more real, but is still fundamentally, disconnected from regular old reality." "Run (Disconnected)" was, like the entirety of Jinx, produced by Friso Hoekstra with mixing and mastering from Wessel Oltheten, background vocals by Lindsay Carone, drums by Tcheser Holmes, and original painting by Adam Lempel himself. Stay tuned to The Witzard for further release details pertaining to Adam Lempel's Jinx.
Let's Be Real by Adam Lempel
"So, "Run (Disconnected)" is the second release off of my upcoming release, Jinx. I worked closely with producer Friso Hoekstra, a classmate of mine at The Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (HKU) and it was kind of an International effort. The drummer, Tcheser Holmes, played on the track in New York—recorded at Gravesend Studios at The Silent Barn with Ava Luna's Carlos Hernandez engineering. I met him at a holiday party at The Bowery Poetry Club one night; I heard him drumming, I could swear it was a recording 'cause it sounded so tight. I really fell in love with the sound of his playing and his groove. My friend, the visual artist Lindsay Carone, provides harmony and sings along. She has an excellent natural ear for harmony and can just come up with these amazing 3-part harmonies on-the-spot. It's really a gift and a talent that I don't possess. The song was mixed [and mastered] by Wessel Oltheten, who was my mixing teacher at HKU. He's truly a master at balancing a lot of different elements and making it sound clean and powerful. He literally, wrote a textbook on mixing that will be out in English shortly (right now, it's only in Dutch.) Also, my long-time friend, Jared Hiller, who plays in the band Operator Music Band, made a special guitar pedal that I use throughout the recording. It gives the guitar it's crazy and unique sound. He has a guitar pedal effects company called L0/Rez based in Greenpoint and we were actually, in our first band together, called Elementary Playground, circa 2002-2004, when we were in high school."
- Adam Lempel
Labels: adam lempel, adam lempel and the heartbeats, amsterdam, baltimore, friends records, friso hoekstra, hogeschool vor de kunsten utrecht, lindsay carone, tcheser holmes, weekends, wessel oltheten
ElectroBluesSociety Resurrect 2006 Roscoe Chenier "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" Acapella for Digital-only Re-release (Black & Tan Records)
ElectroBluesSociety are a Dutch-based "Organic Dance music" duo mixing electronics with raw, vintage live Blues-based sounds; self-described as "two guys and a bunch of junk with a broad taste and an open mind. Together, they are mixing modern technologies with 30+ years of live stage experience." ElectroBluesSociety (EBS) consists of drummer and bassist Jasper Mortier and guitarist and Black & Tan Records owner Jan Mittendorp. Mortier has worked with the likes of Paul Oscher, Preston Shannon, "Sax" Gordon Beadle, Philip Walker, and Boo Boo Davis, while Mittendorp has toured extensively across Europe & The US with artists such as Percy Strother, Smokey Wilson, Boo Boo Davis, Erskine Oglesby, and Roscoe Chenier. Jan Mittendorp personally, worked with American R&B singer and guitarist Roscoe Chenier for nearly 20 years and released two of his critically-acclaimed albums—Roscoe Style (1998) and Waiting for My Tomorrow (2006)—on Black & Tan Records. Chenier's rendition of traditional Gospel hymn, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" was originally released on Waiting for My Tomorrow in sparse, stripped-down acapella form.
Now, nearly 12 years after its initial release, Black & Tan Records have properly re-released "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" with a newly-orchestrated backing track arranged by EBS to accompany Roscoe Chenier, who, unfortunately, passed away in 2013. Jan Mittendorp said, in an exclusive statement sent to The Witzard, "Jasper and I and both terrible singers (to put it mildly) but [on the other hand], we love Blues and Roots music, mainly because of the vocals." Mittendorp enthusiastically continued: "so, instead of doing some bad singing ourselves, we prefer to use something good that is already existing. We have some more projects coming up, where we use new vocal recordings of guest singers that we invited for a recording sessions." ElectroBluesSociety's "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" personally, reminds me of Jamie xx's 2011 full-album remix of Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 return-to-form I'm New Here, fittingly re-titled We're New Here. "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" has been released as a digital-only single on Black & Tan Records, now available on Apple Music, Deezer, Soundcloud, Spotify, and similar like-minded digital retailers.
Labels: black and tan records, boo boo davis, dutch electro, electro gospel, electrobluessociety, gil scott-heron jamie xx, jan mittendorp, jasper mortier, netherlands, roscoe chenier, the xx
Vic Spencer & UK Producer SonnyJim Join Forces for Spenser: For Hire-inspired Spencer FOR HIGHER On Daupe! (The Witzard Interview)
"Two emcees: one from Chicago's gritty East Side and the other, from Birmingham, UK. I became a fan of Chicago's Vic Spencer around 2015, soon after his The Cost of Victory album dropped. I heard his unique voice, delivery, and wit and I knew this guy was special. In 2016, his album The Ghost of Living, produced by one of my all-time favorite producers, BIG GHOST, dropped and was Vic's best album yet and one of my Top 5 favorite albums of 2016. I became a casual fan of the UK's SonnyJim a few years ago, soon after his How to Tame Lions? (2014) album dropped, but it was his Mud In My Malbec album that made me a big fan of the emcee-producer and was also, one of my Top 5 favorite albums of 2016. Now, two years later, the two artists—who both put out two of the best albums of 2016—decided to collaborate on an album titled Spencer FOR HIGHER, based off a Mystery TV series from the 1980's called Spenser: For Hire. Maybe it was fate that these two talented artists separated by thousands of miles of ocean came together to make a possible classic album... or maybe not, but after hearing this album, all I can say is, it was a match made in Hip-Hop Heaven."
- Penned By: Nick Gauder (@fadeawaybarber)
I. @SharpCheddar856: How was Spencer FOR HIGHER inspired by 1985-88 Mystery TV series Spenser: For Hire?
@VicSpencer: Back in the day watching the show, as a shorty I thought that it was cool that a guy with my last name was hired to kill. Sort of like my Rap career.
II. SC: How did you and SonnyJim first meet and ultimately, decide to record Spencer FOR HIGHER together?
VS: It was a Tweet that set this collaboration up. Someone spoke it to existence. We never met, just emails.
III. SC: Spencer FOR HIGHER's tracks were all recorded separately and sent via email, then?
VS: Yes.
IV. SC: When did you learn SonnyJim would be rapping "alongside" you on a few of Spencer FOR HIGHER's tracks?
VS: After the production was made after he sent beats and I got all the ones that I wanted to use, he picked three that he'd like to rap on and it was a wrap.
V. SC: Awesome! Spencer FOR HIGHER really has a nice, well-rounded sound reminiscent of rapper-producer albums like Champion Sound, MADVILLAINY, Blue Chips 1-2, etc. What were some of your greatest sources of personal inspiration and influence, while recording Spencer FOR HIGHER?
VS: Me and my homies smoking; that's all it took. I mean, literally, once, I got all the beats in April 2017, it was just me and my homies mobbing to the studio together.
VI. SC: Wow, so this whole Spencer FOR HIGHER project was produced, written, mixed, mastered, and released in less than a year!? Damn, that's amazing, Vic!
VS: I work like that. It took less that a year to complete my last album, The Ghost of Living with BIG GHOST. Once I A&R the beat process, the rest is history.
VII. SC: Speaking of BIG GHOST—How did he get involved to remix "SauceMANIA" co-starring Chris Crack?
VS: BIG GHOST was in the back seat of this project. I asked him to sequence it, before we start putting in samples from the show. Then, I said, "it's only right, as one of my spirit animals of freedom of speech, that he'd be involved in-the-flesh. House Shoes, Ironside Hex, and BIG GHOST are my spirit animals. They speak their minds and I love that.
VIII. SC: "...this Spencer for Higher, though. I really wish [Sean] P could hear this sh*t in-the-flesh. We'd be on the phone right now laughing at the name of the songs. He'd be like, "how the f**k you get [Ironside] Hex on a song called "Hex Hawkings??'" And he'd scream at "Nia Long's Weed Stash;"' what do you think Sean Price would think of Spencer FOR HIGHER?
VS: He'd be calling every morning about who he's played it for and cracking jokes on some of the bars hahaha. He was hilarious like that. He always praised me on record turn-arounds and picking beats. He'd be dissecting this album like crazy.
IX. SC: I recall you releasing a similarly-named IKAZ-produced project called Spence Ethic in 2012. How has your overall sound, lyrical approach, style, etc. grown since Spence Ethic?
VS: It's my most commercial album. Yeah, that's cool. But Spence Ethic is commercially cool. It had artists on there like Lance Skiiiwalker—his name was "Johnny Rocket," before the TDE ordeal—and it helped me get an audience in France, but that's about it. It was Sean P's second best album of mine. His first was Rapping Bastard in 2014. But now? That sh*t's trash.
X. SC: I know you and Sean Price appeared together a number of times on ILLA Ghee-assisted "Jungle Gym" from The Cost of Victory and "Metal Beard" from Sean's posthumous Stevie Wonder-inspired album, Songs In The Key of Price... but how did you two initially meet?
VS: Another Twitter meet. I spammed one of my songs to him from Spence Ethic and he happened to like it and the rest was history.
The Cost Of Victory by Vic Spencer
XI. SC: What's the story behind "Primal Rage" co-starring Quelle Chris? How were you able to get Quelle Chris involved? In my opinion, it's one of the most flawless, natural-sounding and fun listens on Spencer FOR HIGHER!
VS: Me and Quelle [Chris] have been fans of each other work for quite some time, now. He's in the field of realness. So, I always wanted to work with him; we started our work journey with the St. Gregory album. He produced the "Gone Fishin' [Pt. 1-3]" trilogy from that album. He has that strong Rap voice, such as myself. I believe in working with people that works as hard as me. Me and Quelle are one in the same.
XII. SC: Dope, man! Now, how much of an influence did Spenser: For Hire have on the overall sound, theme, and making-of Spencer FOR HIGHER?
VS: My career has been [through] some wars, so it's just me coming for the kill to reign supreme on those who counted me out. They wanted Spenser dead on the show. Critics call me "old" and [say] I should "fall over and croak in a Rap game full of young boys." I'm still here. I'm [gonna] kill the game and get high, while doing so.
XIII. SC: Hell yes! I have to admit, I've heard a handful of your projects over the years and Spencer FOR HIGHER is by far my favorite! How did you and SonnyJim decide to ultimately, link up with Daupe! for Spencer FOR HIGHER's release? It will be released this upcoming Monday, Jan. 15th on limited edition vinyl and cassette, correct?
VS: Daupe! did some previous work for us, individually, so it was only right. They [were] hooked on the idea, prior to it being done.
XIV. SC: Now, with Spencer FOR HIGHER's release soon-impending, what else do you currently have planned for release throughout 2018?
VS: I got a few albums to select from. I'm just [gonna] be ready to drop 'em, when it's time. New Chris Spencer album and working on my solo album, which I'm like, 50 songs into it.
Mud In My Malbec by SONNYJIM
XV. SC: Wow, a 50-song solo album!? Can't wait to hear your future releases!
VS: Nah, not 50 songs. I just recorded that number to choose from. Gonna be like 14 songs.
XVI. SC: Thank you for your time and willingness to answer my questions, Vic! Record and tape collectors can pick up copies of Vic Spencer & SonnyJim's Spencer FOR HIGHER, when it goes on sale at Daupe!'s Bandcamp this upcoming Monday, January 15th at 4pm "LONDON TIME."
Labels: BIG GHOST, chris crack, chris spencer, d brash, daupe! records, hus kingpin, ironside hex, quelle chris, sonnyjim, spencer for higher, spenser for hire, verbal kent, vic spencer
We Are The Karma Kids Founder & LNYCHPIN Curator Lt Headtrip Assembles Beat-maker Bedrock #14 (Original Artwork By: @UnibrowDuck)
Just in case you've been living under a rock for the past few months or recently awoke from a coma—we're terribly sorry for 2017!—Beat-maker Bedrock (BMB) is a new, recurring column here at The Witzard; initially, the brainchild of Baltimore-based beatsmith John "Jumbled" Bachman, BMB simply asks beat-makers and aspiring producers to highlight 3-5 of their personal favorite albums, which, early on, helped shape their overall sound and style. I'm proud to present to you our first Beat-maker Bedrock column 2018 and 14th overall features a playlist selected and meticulously arranged by New York-based rapper-producer and We Are The Karma Kids founder Lt Headtrip—or just "Headtrip" for production work. Following his critically-acclaimed 2017 album, Comedy of The Filtbeast, Lt Headtrip teamed up with The GreenHouse Studio/Backwoodz Studioz producer and engineer to curate LNYCHPIN; described on Bandcamp as "a full-length collaborative album featuring 16 emcees and 7 producers, all from NYC-based labels and crews, including Karma Kids, Reservoir Sound, Backwoodz Studioz, Uncommon [Records], and Smoker's Cough." LNYCHPIN's self-titled 14-track album features a wide array of talented New York emcees and producers including rappers MF Hater, Shape, Duncecap, SKECH185 (War Church & Tomorrow Kings,) Uncommon Nasa, Gruff Lion, Teddy Faley, Lt Headtrip, billy woods, Warren Britt, PremRock, Hype Wonder, MC Eleven, Googie, BIG BREAKFAST, DJ Zesto, GDP, Blastmaster Baker, Creature (RebelMatic,) BALD AFRO, and beat-makers Teddy Faley, Willie Green, Samurai Banana, Uncommon Nasa, Headtrip with Blastmaster Baker, Jeff Markey, and A.M. Breakups. It's also worth mentioning that this month's Beat-maker Bedrock features original artwork designed by freelance graphic designer and illustrator @UnibrowDuck.
LNYCHPIN by LNYCHPIN
I. Primus - Pork Soda (1993)
"I snapped a copy of Pork Soda into my Sony Walkman with ESP in 7th grade, a year after I began learning Sonic Foundry Acid Pro, my first DAW [digital audio workstation]. I was mostly experimenting, making joke songs, and Techno remixes, at that point, while trying to convince my friends to start a Weezer cover band, but I listened to Primus nearly every day on the bus to and from school. Primus' clunky, dissonant sound was unlike anything I'd heard before. The band works together to reject music theory and generate a completely unique sound. It reminded me of obese, sickly demons stomping about aimlessly through a wasteland I've been dying to explore.
It wasn't until early high school that I revisited the album, asking my bass guitar instructor, Gerry, how Les Claypool generated such harsh, spastic patterns with his guitar. Gerry, surprised I was exposed to Primus at such a young age, taught me a few techniques, changing my understanding of the bass' capabilities. Within weeks, I recorded my first original, non-sample-based song using my guitar, followed by some rambling, Claypool-esque vocals. This may have been my first serious "Rap song."
On my latest album, Comedy of The Filthbeast, I replaced most of the drum hits with [Tim "Herb" Alexander's] from this album and a few from other Primus records. It helped bring consistency to the production—I created the beats for this album over the course of the last decade and sampled various breaks. I also thought it would be a fair nod to a band whose idiosyncratic, dissonant, clunky tone helped shape my sound."
II. Aesop Rock - Float (2000)
"Later on, my sophomore year of high school, a friend passed along two mix CD's of Aesop Rock's early work. Some tracks were from Appleseed (1999) and Music for Earthworms (1997) [but] most were from Float. Aesop's lyricism stood out to me at first, but the beats quickly became a focal point. Blockhead seamlessly blends samples from all over the world, tying them together with fat, basic Hip-Hop drums. I was intrigued by how grim he could make a listless flute sample appear or how haunting his string loops sounded. His use of stand-up bass and cello samples attracted the bassist in me, as well. I recall searching for music students' senior theses in order to find untouched, solo, orchestral samples, and connecting my VCR to my computer's input to steal obscure scores from movies set in different countries. Without Float, I may have never dived headfirst into world music and orchestral samples.
Another aspect of Blockhead's production that influenced my style was his attention to drum patterns. Instead of letting a break ride throughout the song, he seemed to intentionally lay each drum by hand; going back later, after Aesop laid his vocals, to fit them together. While simple, the patterns are subtly ever-changing, allowing them to feel fluid."
III. El-P - Fantastic Damage (2002)
"After listening to Aesop [Rock] & Blockhead's work to date, I investigated the rest of Def Jux. Fantastic Damage was the first album I heard from El-P, and I was immediately entranced by the intricacy of his songs; it seemed he obsessed over every tiny sound, attempting to reflect his own paranoid, scattered mind in his instrumentation. His sound was also entirely new to me—I heard little attempt to appear normal or fit within confines of other Hip-Hop. [Fantastic Damage] was the first time I was moved by a rapper who wrote his own songs entirely, from composition to lyricism. This allowed him to create an entire universe on his own, getting unapologetically lost in the details.
The layer of grit covering his synth-based production initially attracted me. Most producers who worked outside of samples sounded too clean for my teenage angst. The staggered, distorted kick drums that begin the record are an excellent thesis statement to the album's jarring, unforgiving tone. I remember waking up to this album every day for a few months using the CD player/alarm clock I won at a high school dance and accidentally, associating the album with the dread of waking up after a couple hours' rest to go to school all day. I'm certain this dread isn't far from the feeling El-P intended to evoke.
El-P's snare placement in songs like "Deep Space 9mm" taught me to let my drums out of the downbeat/upbeat pattern I'd already grown accustomed to. While I was fascinated by the complexity of his percussion, I also learned the beauty of simplicity from songs like "Dr. Hellno & The Praying Mantus." This track reminds me of his production on [Company Flow's] Funcrusher Plus (1997) which I discovered a few months after listening to [Fantastic Damamage] and reinforced El-P's influence on my style."
IV. Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
"Once I arrived at college in New York, I met Samurai Banana, whose production style continues to challenge my own. He played artists for me I would had never given the time, including Dr. Dre. Initially, I freestyled over 2001 (1999) instrumentals, while he cut, but it wasn't until my sophomore year that I began to study The Chronic. My friend Sara, who I would eventually marry, bought me two tapes at a yard sale: Count Basie - The Gold Collection (Digital Dejavu) and The Chronic. After years of focusing on angry, raw music, I began to value Funk and it's positive groove. It helped that Dre and his rotating cast of emcees play the roles of ruthless, unapologetic gangsters, but overall, I was focusing on the production. Although, the speakers in my '87 Nissan Sentra were barely louder than the cracked exhaust system, I bumped that tape every day for two years straight.
Dre's production taught me the merit of Funk. I hadn't considered delving into that realm, spending much of my childhood railing against the groove. Once I accepted this, a whole new world opened up to me. I traced his sound back through Parliament-Funkadelic, to James Brown and his contemporaries, back to pre-Funk Blues, such as Leadbelly. After exploring these realms, I re-visited the music that helped mold my style and found traces of it at every turn.
Today, I keep an open ear. Most of my current influences are my peers and colleagues. There's an abundance of talent fighting to be heard right now and we live in a time, where finding it is possible. I try to absorb, when I'm not creating and tune everything out, once I begin writing because after all, the unique nature of these influences is the most inspiring aspect of their art."
"Lt Headtrip—head of Queens-based Hip-Hop collective, We Are The Karma Kids—is a intentional lyricist, an electric performer, and a master of linguistics. Also a seasoned producer, he sheds the "military ranking," when dealing strictly with beats and composition. His recently released opus, Comedy of The Filthbeast, spotlights his musical prowess on every track. This is (Lt) Headtrip's Beat-maker Bedrock."
You can find examples of Headtrip's production throughout The Karma Kids' discography at: we are the karma kids.
Albums Entirely Produced By Headtrip:
Lt Headtrip - Comedy of The Filthbeast (2017)
Gruff Lion - death or evolution (2015)
Albums Partially Produced By Headtrip:
Various Artists - LNYCHPIN (2017)
bluelight + Lt Headtrip - TVNNELS (2017)
MC Eleven & The Karma Kids - Kombinations (2016)
Googie - 'Tis What 'Tis (2016)
BALD AFRO - BALD AFRO (2015)
Webtrip - Webtrip (2013)
Lt Headtrip - Raw Dog (2011)
Lt Headtrip - Keep Out of The Attic (2011)
Comedy of the Filthbeast by Lt Headtrip
Labels: @unibrowduck, aesop rock, billy woods, dr dre, duncecap, el-p, gruff lion, karma kids nyc, LNYCHPIN, lt headtrip, mc eleven, premrock, primus, skech185, teddy faley, uncommon nasa, warren britt, willie green
milo & Safari Al Return with Proper Follow-up to REDWALL's 2014 (Boyle) and Piles EP - "AGONY (for Mark) (II)" [Ruby Yacht Makers Guild]
"we wrote it after our homie died. al made a beat tape wit' every beat named after mark. i came to his house and wrote to the first one he played. it sat on a hard drive 'til now," @yomilo AKA milo AKA scallops hotel AKA Rory Ferreira wrote in response to a Tweet inquiring about REDWALL's "AGONY." As milo referenced within his Tweeted statement, the track's actually, titled "AGONY (for Mark) (II)" and is credited to "REDWALL," which consists of milo and Alexander Kollman of The Dilla Gents AKA Safari Al AKA s.al. milo die-hards will know, Safari Al, actually, appeared on "Super Happy Sunshine Fun Club" from milo's first mixtape, I wish my brother Rob was here, released on Hellfyre Club in 2011. "AGONY" is, of course, the second release from REDWALL following their 2014 single-track EP, (Boyle) and Piles, which featured contributions from Ruby Yacht associates and frequent collaborators Open Mike Eagle and DRIVER AKA Busdriver. It's currently unclear if and when REDWALL's second long-shelved, Safari Al-produced "beat tape" in tribute to Mark, but if Indie-Rap Blog speculation is to be believed, "AGONY"'s accompanying project will likely, be released sooner than later. REDWALL's "AGONY (for Mark) (II)" is currently available to stream on emmanuel fade's Soundcloud page, which seems to be of or relating to s.al and rbyt AKA Ruby Yacht Makers Guild. milo's latest album as alter-ego scallops hotel, sovereign nose of (y)our arrogant face, is currently available for streaming and FREE download from his personal Bandcamp page.
Labels: alexander kollman, busdriver, emmanuel fade, hellfyre club, milo, open mike eagle, redwall agony, rory ferreira, ruby yacht makers guild. s.al, safari al, scallops hotel, scott kelley, the dilla gents
Village Live Records Unveils First Release of 2018: KLIM Beats' Natural On "Cherry Red" Vinyl, Black Vinyl & Cassette (Hans Scratch Promo Mix)
Last year, UK-based Hip-Hop label Village Live Records released a string of critically-acclaimed and incredibly well-received albums and projects from the likes of Gas-Lab, Kuartz, Remulak AKA co-owner Doug Barclay, AVER's phenomenal DIE BERLIN DATEIEN, Benaddict, Slim & Ella Mae, Ded Tebiase, Funkonami, and Chrome & Donnie Propa's DIRTY ROTTEN MIXTAPE in tribute to Jeru The Damja. Now, Village Live has unveiled their first release of 2018: Ukrainian beat-maker KLIM Beats' Natural; a full-length Instrumental Hip-Hop LP, pressed on "Cherry Red" vinyl, standard Black vinyl, cassette tape, and before long, digital download. Village Live quickly sold out of 125 "Cherry Red" Natural 12-inches with Japanese-reminiscent Red OBI strips, mere hours after KLIM Beats' record first went on sale this past Monday night at 7:00pm sharp (UK time.) Now, 225 Black Natural LP's with Black OBI strips and clear cassette tapes are currently still available from Village Live Record's on-site store. However, little else is known about Dmitry "KLIM Beats" Klimchuck—even, by his new-found label, Village Live Records—aside from the fact that he's an extremely talented Ukrainian Hip-Hop producer and a "big record-digger and that all tracks were made using the Akai [MPC]2000XL, Akai [MPC]1000, and [Roland] SP-404" beat machines. While Natural is currently still unavailable in digital formats, Village Live has uploaded two unique samplings of KLIM Beats' record, for anyone who might be interested in purchasing: "Natural (Promo Mix By Hans Scratch)" showcasing nearly 14 minutes-worth of mixed selections from throughout Natural and "The Other Side of Midnight," an exclusive track lifted off KLIM Beats' latest long-player. As previously stated, KLIM Beats' Natural is now available on limited edition vinyl with tip-on Black OBI strip, as well as see-through cassette tape from Village Live Records.
Labels: aver, benaddict slim ella mae, chrome and donnie propa, ded tabiase, dmitry klimchuk, doug barclay, funkonami, gas-lab, hans scratch, jeru the damja, joey deez, klim beats, kuartz, remulak, village liv records
Nebraska Emcee Sleep Sinatra & NJ Beat-maker The Custodian of Records Join Forces for Jazz-laden "B.I.E." (DREAMSCAPE Media Group)
"Peace! I appreciate you reaching out... I was familiar with TCOR's production, prior to the joint with [Flashius Clayton], but that song's the first that I've rhymed on one of his beats. We linked from there and he started sending me stuff. "B.I.E." is the first of many [collaborations] between us," Nebraska sharp-spitter @SleepSinatra told me within a recent Twitter Direct Message. Sleep Sinatra and the aforementioned producer TCOR AKA The Custodian of Records first worked together on "Achorman Fight Scene" from Flashius Clayton's recent WOLF MOON EP, alongside Chicago emcee Vic Spencer. "You're gonna see me with these good brothers frequently, in the future; might as well get used to it. Talented-a$$ muthaf***as, man. Salute each of them," @FlashiusClayton enthusiastically Tweeted. On "B.I.E." The Custodian of Records creates a refreshing Jazz-laden, beat-inflected soundscape for Sleep Sinatra to lace up with his slick multi-layered rhymes. Immediately after hearing "B.I.E." I had a sneaking suspicion the song's TCOR-designed single art had some sort of relationship to its Soul-Jazz-reminiscent sample; low and behold, with a little Google Reverse Image Search, I quickly learned "B.I.E."'s sample source is likely housed somewhere within The Awakening's Hear, Sense & Feel, a dusty 1972 Soul-Jazz/Modal 12-inch record originally released on Black Jazz Records.
It's sounds as though, these are just the first of many collaborations we'll be hearing from The Custodian of Records & Sleep Sinatra, as well as Flashius Clayton. Sleep Sinatra very recently self-released a 7-track EP entitled The Empath, which is now available on Bandcamp and consists of "a collection of loosies/B-sides and unreleased jewelry." The Custodian of Records, on the other hand, is personally taking pre-orders for his next 7-inch entitled Lousy New Year's B/W Blizzard; "snippets from my next vinyl release... 2 instrumentals pressed to a 7-inch. These are recorded from the actual test pressing... for all pre-order inquiries, contact FIVEROWSBACK@GMAIL.COM. And I am only doing direct dealings, unless that is, a few stores pick it up. 100% Indie," TCOR recently wrote on his Soundcloud, along with a preview he's fittingly calling "Lousy New Year's B/W Blizzard *Snippets of New 7" (Pre-Order Contact: fiverowsback@gmail.com.)" Not only does The Custodian of Records have his beatsbytcor Soundcloud—featuring a selection on genre-eschewing beats, MC Collabos, Floaters, and compositions for sale—he additionally hots an alt. Soundcloud page simply entitled "Custodian of Records;" showcasing a wide array of Beats and as he puts it, "some recent stuff remixes, songs, interludes, and beats."
Labels: adrian madlock, beatsbytcor, dreamscape media group, fiverowsback@gmail.com, flashius clayton, john paddock, nebraska, new jersey, POHNJ, sleep sinatra, TCOR, the custodian of records, vic spencer
Unraveling The Layers Behind Andy Cooper's the layered effect On Rocafort Records & "layers upon layers" mega-mix (The Witzard Interview)
Rocafort Records is an independent record label formed by cousins Ivan Muench & Philippe Rocafort in 2013 and is currently, based between Lausanne, Switzerland and Barcelona, Spain. Specializing in a particular brand of Funk, Soul, R&B, Afrobeat, and Latin Boogaloo, Rocafort Records has been "dedicated to editing and re-releasing songs that had previously gone unnoticed or simply, never seen the light of day;" such gently dusted off and re-issued artists include The Nitty Gritty Sextet, Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, The Slingshots, Cross Bronx Expressway, DJ Format & Abdominal, Phat Fred, and AFRICA GONE FUNKEE: A Collection of Rare & Funky Tracks from The Motherland. Flea Market Funk recently premiered the first video-single from Ugly Duckling & The Allergies emcee and producer Andy Cooper's upcoming Rocafort Records album, the layered effect. "The video follows the Jazz theme of ["Here Comes Another One"] with a 1920's Paris feel. It's dream sequence provides a scenario, if Hip-Hop was early Jazz and had been introduced to a discerning music crowd for the first time," Flea Market Funk Founder Jamison "DJ Prestige" Harvey detailed within his recent feature.
After becoming, for lack of a better term, completely enamored with Andy Cooper's multi-layered "Here Comes Another One" and 12-inch/digital B-side "The Perfect Definition," I reached out to co-founder Philippe Rocafort to attain my own the layered effect 12-inch LP; mere days later, nearly a full month ahead of the album's Jan. 26th release, the layered effect suddenly became available to stream on Rocafort Records' Bandcamp. the layered effect personally, reminds me of fun-loving, sample-laden Golden Age Hip-Hop from the late 80's-1990's and is sonically, evocative of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Biz Markie, English emcee Mike Skinner AKA The Streets, Rhymesayers Ent. super-stars Atmosphere, Homeboy Sandman, and last, but not least, Paul's Boutique-era Beastie Boys. In fact, "Rick Said So" from Side B of the layered effect even goes as far as to feature nearly an entire song dedicated to infamous Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C. & Aerosmith, and Slayer "reducer" (read: producer) and Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin. Ch-check out my all-inclusive interview with Andy Cooper himself down below the cut.
Golden Age Hip-Hop Wordsmith
"Here Comes Another One" b/w "The Perfect Definition" by Andy Cooper
I. Where are you originally from, Andy and how did you first get involved in recording and producing Hip-Hop music?
I grew up in Long Beach, California and I discovered Hip-Hop music and culture as a young kid in the early 1980's. Long Beach is an unusually diverse city, so I was raised around children from every racial background and encountered people rapping, breaking, popping, and DJ'ing as soon as I entered grade school. As I grew up, literally, and became a fairly tall person (6'6",) I also turned out to be a pretty good basketball player, which put me into close contact with predominately Black players who, largely, became my social group during adolescence. This had a dramatic effect on my understanding of Hip-Hop/Black culture and gave me the opportunity to learn the skills and attitudes of the genre in a very authentic manner.
II. How did your time spent recording with Ugly Duckling and as a pseudo-member of The Allergies directly/indirectly influence your recent stream of solo output?
I joined Ugly Duckling as an 18-year-old goofball, who knew almost nothing about Hip-Hop production. Up to that point, I was playing the drums and making "pause mixes" (with dual cassette decks) to back my rapping. Luckily, I met Rodney—he'd eventually become Young Einstein—who was three years older than me, had an Akai MPC60, and was already a capable beat-maker. Plus, he had (and still has) an incredible vinyl collection which gave him, in a pre-Internet world, the unique ability to create very cool music. So, for the first year or so, I just soaked up the knowledge and by the time we really got going as a band (late 90's,) I was working on all the tracks with him as a co-producer. Over the next decade and a half, we developed the Ugly Duckling sound and tried our best to push sample-driven, loop-oriented Hip-Hop as far as we could take it.
When I started out on my own a few years ago, I already had the production skill to make my own stuff, but I wanted to become more efficient, technologically. I had massive help from my friend (and accomplished producer) Jungle Josh and when I started working with The Allergies, I also learned some new techniques. In fact, DJ Rackabeat compressed all my vocals on the layered effect and I used some of DJ Moneyshot's drum and Moog sounds to beef up a couple of my songs. Those guys use some nice little tricks to make their music more full, sonically and we always develop cool stuff, when we work together.
The Layered Effect by Andy Cooper
III. Where does the idea behind the AndyPuppet character/"Do The AndyPuppet" dance stem from? Looking back now, I remember seeing an AndyPuppet within the video for The Allergies' 2016 single, "Rock Rock."
That's right, I asked AndyPuppet to appear in the "Rock Rock" video and to be honest, I found him far more entertaining than myself. Since that point, I've featured him in a few other videos and it's pretty obvious that he's a natural super-star, so I decided it would be smart to acknowledge his greatness with a track. If you listen to "layers upon layers" (the LP mega-mix) you can hear AP make his microphone debut, as he and I cover [Masta Ace's] Rap classic, "Me & The Biz."
IV. Can we talk a bit about your recent "HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE" b/w "THE PERFECT DEFINITION" 12-inch on Rocafort Records? It sounds like a very Golden Age Hip-Hop-reminiscent affair complete with album versions, instrumentals, and Bonus Beats for each track, as well as a DJ-friendly "Cuttin' Doubles" (2x12") package.
I met BlabberMouf a few years back and I immediately, told him I was going to make the perfect track for him. When I sent him the beat for what is now "Here Comes Another One," he insisted I join him on the mic and I'm very glad he did. I wanted to create something that sounded like so many of the great, Jazzy Hip-Hop songs (from the 90's) with compelling, acoustic baselines: [Eric B. & Rakim's] "Juice (Know The Ledge,") [A Tribe Called Quest's] "Scenario," [Digable Planets'] "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat.") Check the re-layered version on the mega-mix for more examples. So, with that in mind, a 12-inch felt like the correct medium for this song. It's just so Hip-Hop and of course, 7-inch vinyl was never very popular in the Classic Rap era. I'm very happy with how this came out and Blab really K-O'ed the beat.
V. I've really enjoyed your latest Ludo Jaccard-directed video for "Here Comes Another One" with BlabberMouf, wherein you, and I quote, "chant Urban poems on syncopated rhythms" in a 1920's Parisian night club! Now, who thought up the rather ingenious idea for this one and how involved were you in its earliest conception?
"Genius" might be stretching it a bit thin, but thank you for the complements. It started out as a magician-oriented, early 20th Century concept, but because it was too difficult to get props from that era, we switched it to the Paris Jazz scene. I was hugely impacted when I read a biography about Django Reinhardt and his life in Paris during the 30's and 40's. What stood out to me was how passionate some Jazz fans were about the new Swing that was coming from America (particularly Louis Armstrong) and that they even started up clubs which required paid memberships to enter for the purpose of supporting and preserving what they loved. I have to give Phil Rocafort most of the credit for the video because he sorted out the location, hired the costumes, and got all of his friends to act in the clip. "The Emcee," who was brilliant, is Phil's brother!
VI. Why did you call your upcoming album "the layered effect?"
I named the LP the layered effect because, in my opinion, that term best describes the overall sound of this music. For me, "layering" means stacking samples on top of one another to create an instrumental track. For instance, with the song "Get On That," the main musical part during my rapping contains one drum/percussion loop with a little bit of bass, one 808-style drum loop, one loop from an old Electronic record, one spacey Moog sample, and one loop from an African record, where the vocalists were simply saying "ZSHOOM" on the off-beat—that's just the first verse: the choruses, bridges, and other verses all have their own elements, as well. All of these samples combine to make a musical groove, but they also blend their various, original recording session and production sounds together (reverbs, distortions, studio noise, vinyl crackling, etc.) which creates a completely unique, accidental sonic tapestry. In fact, with all of these factors, you could only do this with sampling. Even if you had all the money in the world, no one could re-make the various harmonics because the sounds come from different eras and various musicians and recording engineers, who all had their own methods. This reality fascinates me.
I think that this is what most classic Hip-Hop fans never really grasped, when they listened to all of those great songs during the Golden Age. Many people assumed Rap producers sampled one particular artist (James Brown, Parliament, etc.) but "the layering effect" is what gave the music it's vibrance. I also called the album "the layered effect" because our lives have many layers. Our personalities, our relationships, our values, and our beliefs are never formed simply, but through long, developmental processes, which consist of multiple experiences and interactions. So, to truly know anything, one would need to understand ALL the layers that are embodied in that subject and of course, accomplishing this is almost certainly impossible, which thus means that, despite are confident attitudes, none of us fully comprehend anything. Only God Knows.
VII. the layered effect personally, exudes sonic notes of everyone from Beastie Boys and Jurassic 5 to Atmosphere and The Streets, to my well-trained ear... but what might you likely cite as some of your greatest sources of personal influence and inspiration during the creation of the layered effect?
For me, music is music. My father is in a Bluegrass band, my mom played Classical piano, my wife is Egyptian, and I usually find myself listening to Soul and Jazz, but in the end, I get inspired by anything that sounds cool to me. I delved into so many genres on this LP: "Here Comes Another One" - Bebop, "The Perfect Definition" - Fusion, "B-Boy Blues" - Blues/Country, "Rick Said So" - Rock, "A New Dawn" - Classical, "Get On That" - All of the above. In my opinion, the best thing about sample-driven, "layered" Hip-Hop music is that it can span all musical sounds and styles and integrate them into one, Funky song. That's what makes our tradition rich and unique.
VIII. How did you go about selecting the layered effect's various featured guests including BlabberMouf, Abdominal, Anica "Lulu" Barlow, and "Class P7/6 from Ballock Primary School & their teacher, Miss Rosie Hakim?"
I enjoy ensemble vocals which are filled with different vocal characteristics and attitudes, so I often force my friends—and their friends, wives, children... Lulu is my studio partner's daughter—to record parts on my songs. This summer, when I was working on the layered effect, we were visited by my wife's cousin from Egypt, friends from Scotland, a friend from Germany, and a friend from Australia so, of course, I used all of them on "Do The AndyPuppet," which gave it an international feel. I love the early De La Soul and KMD albums, where they would have all their friends and associates adding character to the album on songs and skits, so I suppose, I'm always trying to carry on those kinds of traditions. Miss Rosie Hakim is my sister-in-law and she teaches the class you mentioned above; they even had to get permission slips to record their part.
IX. What exactly did your typical writing, recording, beat-making, sample-sourcing, feature-attaining, etc. processes behind the layered effect entail?
It usually begins with me finding a cool segment on an old piece of wax: a drum-loop, a baseline, a groove, whatever. Then, I start building up the track with other samples, until I feel like the instrumental is a relatively solid piece of music. Next, I start thinking about vocal rhythms and phrases or an idea, which might compliment the track and once I've got my concept, I start putting together verses. After I record my raps, I return to the instrumental to fill in the blanks and add what [Young] Einstein and I used to call "bells and whistles," which are usually tones, drum fills, hits and, of course, scratches. To be fair, there is no exact formula and I've made songs in a completely different manner, but what I described above is the typical way it goes down for me.
X. Rocafort Records recently announced the sheer existence and wide-spread availability of your "layers upon layers" 30-minute mega-mix, which is now available along with Bandcamp CD & LP pre-orders. Now, how did this "full-album remix" come to fruition and what exactly does it include?
I had a lot of positive feedback with the mega-mix I made for my last LP [Room to Breathe (The Free LP)]—I called it "The Freemix"—so, I decided to put together another one for this album. From my perspective, it's a fun way to present the songs to the listener and it gives me the opportunity to add all kinds of Funky stuff that, quite frankly, would be, copyright-wise, too risky for the album. With "layers upon layers," I blended the songs with some of the original samples, added intros and outros that helped weave the tunes together, remixed some of the music ("Rick Said So" Re-Layered is one of the best things I've ever made,) and added dashes of Comedy and Hip-Hop flavor all over the place. Plus, there's an exclusive track for anyone who is willing to listen all the way through to the end; it's only 30 minutes of your life!
XI. If you were to hypothetically, compile a the layered effect remix album, what artists, emcees, and producers, in particular do you think you might call in to participate?
DJ Format has already "Re-Layered" one of the tracks, but aside from him, I would love, production-wise, to collaborate with People Under The Stairs, Djar One, DJ Suspect, Propo'88, and of course, it would be fun to hear how The Allergies would deal with these songs.
XII. How would you say your personal style, sound, and overall approach to album-making has changed and progressed since the 2016 release of your first Unique Records album, Room to Breathe (The Free LP)?
To be fully honest with you, I recorded The Free EP as a giveaway to attract Ugly Duckling fans to my blog site. I never dreamed I would continue on as a solo artist, so a few years later, believe it or not, I'm almost—counting features, library songs, and The Allergies stuff—50 songs deep, I've become a lot more efficient at making music. Again, because I've learned so much from Jungle Josh on the technological side of things, I'm able to translate my ideas much more quickly than in my [Ugly Duckling] or early solo days. Plus, I work very hard and with a lot of consistency.
Stylistically, I just keep trying to swing harder and harder with more lyrical attack and proficiency. I work on every solo track as if it's my last because I wholeheartedly believe it could be. I am not getting younger and I constantly feel the pressure to step away and give the next generation (or two) the microphone, so if I'm going to stick around, I better be good. Hopefully, this comes across on the layered effect because I made every effort to over-load the album with very cool music and the highest caliber lyricism.
Labels: abdominal, andy cooper, blabbermouf, djar one, eartothetrack.net, jalapeno records, jungle josh, ludo jaccard, people under the stairs, phil rocafort, rocafort records, the allegies, ugly duckling, unique records
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Istanbul Visit Chora Museum, a byzantine church decorated with extraordinary late 14th century Byzantine frescoes and mosaics in the city and among the most significant in the world.Tour continues visiting city wall-withstood many sieges until the Ottoman conquest in 145.We will also see Fener area with Patriarchate, churches and monuments ; old Jewish Quarter in Balat and Eyup Sultan Mosque-the most sacred Muslim site in Istanbul. Tekfur Palace (from outside). One can see just married couples in their wedding dresses, circumcision boys just like little princes and in general devout Muslims and nice example of early 19th century Ottoman mosques. It was rebuilt after the earthquake in the place of 15th century mosque.
This Tour is departs every Tuesday with a mimum of 6 pax.


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Aberdeen Standard Investments unveils three-strong climate fund range
ASI unveils climate fund range
Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has launched a range of three climate-focused funds aiming to support the shift to net zero global emissions.
All three vehicles in the new ASI Climate Range are EU SFDR Article 9 funds, each focusing on specific aspects of the journey towards net zero, and will be managed via a team approach.
The Aberdeen Standard SICAV I – Global Climate and Environment Equity fund invests in companies that are innovating and providing the solutions to the most carbon-intensive sectors of the economy through a thematic framework combined with fundamental analysis.
This is a concentrated portfolio of companies reflecting the firm's highest convictions in terms of financial returns and climate impact.
It will be available for an annual management charge (AMC) of 0.75% and an ongoing charges fee (OCF) of 0.9%.
The Aberdeen Standard SICAV I – Climate Transition Bond fund invests in the leading emissions reducers, as well as in projects that tackle the physical impacts of climate change and solutions providers.
This is a portfolio of debt issuers, mitigating the causes and adapting society to the consequences of climate change.
It will be available for an AMC of 0.45% and an OCF of 0.65%.
Finally, the Aberdeen Standard SICAV II – Multi-Asset Climate Opportunities fund invests in climate solutions such as clean energy, electric vehicles and smart working technologies through equities, bonds and renewable infrastructure.
It is a diversified investment approach that aims to generate attractive returns over the long term.
It will be available for an AMC of 0.5% and an OCF of 0.74%.
ASI launches MyFolio Sustainable fund-of-funds range
Eva Cairns, head of climate change strategy at ASI, said: "Climate change is one of the largest threats of our time and impacts not only future generations, but also many countries and companies around the globe today. Tackling it requires trillions of dollars of investment every year to transform our world into one that emits net zero greenhouse gases.
"This transformation comes with significant opportunities for investors. To have real world impact, we need to look to the future and invest in the solution providers and companies that will help make this transition to net zero happen."
Since the funds will allocate a substantial share of capital to climate solutions, all three have high EU Taxonomy scores.
ASI has also developed a climate scenario analysis tool in collaboration with the Aberdeen Standard Research Institute, which helps identify the companies that are set to be leaders during the transition to net zero.
ASI launches multi-asset climate solutions fund alongside The Big Issue Group
Cairns added: "Our approach to climate scenario analysis is motivated by the view that a rigorous, forward looking and transparent methodology is essential for embedding climate risks and opportunities into our investment decision making and delivering superior outcomes for our clients.
"We believe that our bespoke approach represents a significant advancement in the field of climate-scenario analysis, giving us greater confidence in the results and their applicability to real-world investing."
ASI has also signalled its commitment to the net zero aim by joining the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative and published eight specific climate commitments at its 2021 AGM.
The original Love Island villa is on sale for £3.1million
The importance of sustainability

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The Fred Hughes 10 is a chip timed 10 mile road race run round St Albans in Hertfordshire.
St Albans Striders are very clear there will be no refunds under any circumstances for this event. However, transfer requests can be granted if made before midnight on Sunday January 6th 2019.
Race headquarters is at St. Columba's School, King Harry Lane, St Albans AL3 4AW.
The Fred Hughes 10 will also be the Herts County Vets Championships.
Race numbers will NOT be posted out in advance of the race. Please arrive in good time to collect your running number at the registration desk which will close at 9:45am.
Road race on rural roads. The course is described as undulating. Due to the hills, this course is not suitable for wheelchair racers.
Prizes are based on gun to finish timing.
In addition there will be team prizes for the first men's and women's team, (4 per team). Team prizes are based on aggregate times.
Complimentary refreshments available at race headquarters after the race.
The course undulates through pleasant country lanes. If the original course is flooded we will once again be using the alternative course, both of which have been accurately measured and certified.
Parking is available at the school. The nearest train station is St Albans Abbey.
Race photography will be provided for the event.
For safety reasons and to comply with UKA rules, runners are NOT permitted to use earphones of any kind, (excluding bone conduction headphones), during the race.
Toilets, (not portable loos), are available at race HQ.
1) I declare that I am an amateur in accordance with ARC rules.
2) I am medically fit to run & understand that I do so entirely at my own risk.
3) The organisers shall not be held responsible for any injury, loss or damage as a consequence of my participation in this event.
5) I understand the cut-off time for this event is 2 hours and 15 minutes after the gun time has started. I understand that race officials and chip timers have the right to pack the event down after the specified cut-off time.
6) In the unfortunate cancellation of the event through circumstance beyond the control of the race organisers, I understand and accept the rules and terms of the entry, including that there will be no refund of race fees.
7) I understand that transfer requests will only be accepted if issued before midnight on Sunday January 6th 2019.
8) By entering this event, the athlete indicates acceptance of ARC rules.


I went to the bookshop near my office the other day. I went for a specific reason - to get the second in the Hunger Games trilogy, because they had them in their window a few weeks ago. However, the first thing I saw when I walked through the door was the sequence of large tables covered in books...SALE.
I mean, really... I am not proof against three tables full of discounted books. Three tables full, I might add, of hardcovers with dust jackets, priced at either $10 or $15... I appeal to my fellow book junkies, some of whom I know follow this blog, for support. What would you have done???
I succumbed. I am not regretful. Because - and as all good book junkies know, the ability to justify the purchase of a book with a creative premise is mandatory - Dearly Beloved and I went to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on the weekend. It was a miserable, rainy afternoon, neither of us felt like working, so we headed for chock-tops and a feel-good movie. Which it is - for any of you who haven't yet seen it, GO. Anyways, just as we were getting out of our seats, I caught the magic words 'adapted from the novel by...' - didn't catch the name... The first book I saw on the first table in the shop was a tiny, fat, blue dust jacketed hardcover of the novel from the film - which is by Paul Torday.
Now, I have some issues about films made from books, which I'm sure many of you share. There is nothing worse than going to see a film made from a book you've loved, and imagined and seen in your imagination for years - and to see a travesty of the story and characters on the big screen. (Small screen adaptations - unless made by the BBC - can be even worse...Little House on the Prairie comes to mind...) It's nearly always better to discover a book via a film than to do the reverse. I certainly found that with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Thoroughly enjoyed the films, and love the details and subtleties in the books which I discovered reading them much later.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is one of those delightfully quirky British films that can't really fail to charm. The trailers suggested something above the average chick flick, I liked the cast, and it delivered so much more. The book is a different beastie altogether. It is epistolary in structure, which is one of the more challenging ways to craft a narrative, especially in this case where there are so many voices. There are diary entries, email exchanges, transcripts of interviews and interrogations, just to name a few. Where the film has a straightforward linear narrative, the book runs overlapping narratives as it moves between voices. The interrogation transcripts suggest (I'm about halfway through reading) a future investigation, that isn't part of the film, that the author breaks up and situates, segment by segment, in the 'real' time of the narrative. It's fascinating, and adds a richly textured colour that isn't a part of the film.
It brought me back to The Hunger Games - that book may never leave me.... - and another blog post I found with an excellent discussion about both book and film which you can find here. If you read it, have a look also at the comments, because it generated a great discussion. The writer, another Karen, also saw the film - which I have yet to do. She made a particularly interesting comment about the 'voice' of the story. In the book, we experience the story through Katniss, the lead character. We get everything from her, warts and all. Think about it... When we speak to people, we edit. What goes on in our heads, in immediate response to what we hear, see and experience isn't edited. And sometimes, the first thing we think isn't nice... In the book, we get all of that from Katniss. We feel her anguish when Rue dies, followed by her fierce and angry sense of rebellion when she covers Rue's body with flowers - an act edited out in the final televised version - her confusion about Peeta and whether or not his professed love for her is real or manufactured for the game, and everything in between. In her discussion on the blog, Karen - and others in the conversation via the comments - make the point that with the single viewpoint of watcher, we don't have access to the intensity of that unedited experience which is possible in a book.
I didn't buy the second book in the series. By the time I got to the end of the tables, I had Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, a Holocaust memoir, a story from a member of the French Resistance in WWII, a biography of Louisa May Alcott, a dissertation by an Israeli historian on the Arab/Israeli conflict from 1936 to now, a cool book on maths for Twenty - who was here for a holiday - and a book on Roman emperors for Dearly Beloved. I figured that was enough to go on with and continuing with The Hunger Games could probably wait!
I think I need another bookcase.
I have to confess, when I want one specific book, I Amazon it. It's always in stock, always a good price, blah, blah, blah. No more all-day expeditions from shop to mall to megastore. Just order it. On the other hand, Bonnie and I divide up our "disposable" money on payday, and I have learned to work from a list, as I can be a terrible impulse buyer. When "books" rises to the top of that list, I often just walk into our local B&N and head straight for the sale tables. I've acquired some of my most wonderful surprises over the years by doing just that.
Books and movies... Novels aren't scripts. The Canadian production of the Sherlock Holmes stories (with Jeremy Brett) followed Doyle's stories word-for-word and scene-for-scene, and each ran just short of an hour. Each story averages 10-12 pages in hardcover. Translate that to a 350 page novel, and you get a 32 hour movie. The most faithful adaptations that I can personally remember are the Lord of the Rings movies by Peter Jackson, and they left out far more than they included. Book-to-movie just pretty much can't be done, at least not with precision.
A far as The Hunger Games goes, that is off my radar. It is yet another example of the Lowest Common Denominator principle. While I was writing my five unpublished novels, I had acquired the notion that I was going to be the next Stephen King. What kept me going through a decade of rejection was the certain knowledge that Crap Sells, usually in the from of soundbite-worthy couplets, as in these examples: Professional Wrestling; American Idol; Geraldo Rivera; Big Brother; The View; Monster Trucks; you can probably rattle off a dozen more before you get your brain engaged. Now a new contender has emerged: Hunger Games. While I was collecting all those rejection slips, I comforted myself in the knowledge that if Crap was a liquid commodity, you couldn't pump it into a tank fast enough to get the bottom wet, because the world's population would be packed a million-deep around it pumping it out faster than it could go in. The Hunger Games? Newest poster child for the theory.
Hi Jack, good to hear from you. Yes, I like your new site a lot. And thank you for your gracious compliment!
You're right, novels aren't scripts. However, it is possible to remain faithful to a story and the sense of the original text, even when characters get combined from many to one and dialogues shift to different characters. 'The Lord of the Rings' is an excellent example, as are the Harry Potter movies. I stumbled across - there is mention of this in one of my earliest posts - the most delightful movie of Noel Streatfield's 'Ballet shoes' in our dvd rental store, and it was brilliantly done. When the first Narnia film was made, they made good decisions and it stayed with the spirit of 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' - the second book in the series - but then, in the movie they called 'Prince Caspian, they played with the plot and created all sorts of, to me, unnecessary elements that were pure invention. In the third film - 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' - editorial choices were made for the very reason you put forward - the movie, if they'd included everything, would have been impossibly long. For all that, it was still an accurate interpretation of the original text. So, it can be done... Sorry - it's a bit of a soapbox of mine!
On the book purchasing, I know, I know... Twenty informed me yesterday that sometimes, Amazon is the only place to get things but I've yet to buy a book from them. I love a bookshop. I like to pick the books up and hold them. I also like to be able to support the bookshops themselves. Borders has gone to the wall here, following the demise of Angus and Robertson - a very old business with many outlets. We have one big mainstream franchise left and then the independent stores. I would hate to contemplate a world with no more actual bookshops.
And yes...the reality TV phenomenon. I see a lot of it, due to the tastes of people in my household. I am choosing to do other things more and more when the programs are on. I relish the early mornings when I'm the first one up and I drink my morning tea to the background of the wind in our splendid horse chestnut tree rather than morning TV.
Just wanted to let you know, people have been expressing their disappointment about their inability to Follow on Weebly, so I have tracked down a 3rd party widget to allow it. I'm not interested in a "body count," but Following is a lovely statement to make to someone who puts in the effort to do this. Thanks for asking.
Goodoh - I'll revisit and sign up on the new site.
Hi, Kaz! I don't have that much self-control when faced with a bargain bin of hardcovers. So if I were in your shoes when you saw that, I would've cleaned that table easily!


U.S. Physicist, educated at Harvard (taking three degrees), who taught ballistics and engineering. Tuck claims "He served as a Wisconsin state senator," while Clute & Nicholls claims he served "as a Massachusetts state senator." With an education at Harvard, and a stint as a sports reporter for the Boston Daily Post, C&N seems more believable.
This text is available under a Creative Commons License and may have been adapted from the Ralph Milne Farley bibliography at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.


Boost VC has emerged as an option that provides funds for such firms in a campaign to push for mainstream adoption.
Boost VC has emerged as a key player in the growth of cryptocurrencies. The platform enables startups to expand upon creation. The pre-seed venture fund has established itself as a strategic investor in crypto's budding companies. The funding runs through the accelerator program. Applications for the funding are now open and interested entities have about 24 hours to join the Tribe 12 class.
Since its inception, Boost VC has become a serious player in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector. Once applications for the accelerator program are opened, a number of ventures usually show interest to join. Since the seed fund began operations, more than six dozens of firms have received funding. The firm is led by VC legend Adam Draper. However, not all applicants are granted funding, thus bringing the need for maturing a number of new entrants into the sector.
Recently, Boost VC notified startups to submit their applications under the Tribe 12 accelerator initiative. The interested parties must comply with certain guidelines for them to be considered. Looking at the applications, blockchain inter-operability tools seem to be in demand.
Additionally, funders appear to be keen when it comes to regulatory arbitrage. Investment companies want to explore this area that has been the center of attention in the crypto community.
It is key to note that Boost VC boasts a number of success stories. Projects like EtherScan, Aragon and MyCrypto are among the success stories overseen by Boost VC. The firm aims to ensure that such companies keep performing well for the longest amount of time possible. At this point, Bitcoin is about to celebrate a decade since inception by Satoshi Nakamoto. Such a fete is crucial for the cryptocurrency sector, bringing attention back to what an achievement has been reached in a short time frame.
At the moment, crypto adoption is slow with many arguing that they do not appeal to the mainstream financial sector. This issue has been around for a while and many are trying to find a way of overcoming it. Boost VC was put in place to assist up and coming firms in clearing a number of barriers, so as to have the mainstream appeal. Currently, Boost VC is looking for gaps that are responsible for the slowed adoption of cryptos.
To receive funding, Boost VC is urging any crypto firm to apply. However, the firm will review the applications closely. The firm will be looking at innovative products that are needed to push for mainstream adoption.
The focus is now on the regulatory aspect and Boost VC is acutely aware of this factor. The firm assists companies to comply with existing regulations.