#stones throw records

[todayinhiphophistory]

Today in Hip Hop History:

Madvillain released their debut album Madvillainy March 23, 2004

[gregyro]

[newplaces2drown]

Artwork by Jeff Jank for the J Dilla Donuts C.D.

[da-ill-spot]

New Music: Planet Asia x Madlib - Cracks In The Vinyl EP

Hell yea! Vibe out to this quick 6 track project featuring Planet Asia wrecking shop over all Madlib beats!

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: Automatic Shares Slow-Burning "Turn Away"

New Video: Automatic Shares Slow-Burning "Turn Away" @automatic_band @stonesthrow @grandstandhq

Los Angeles-based post punk outfit Automatic — Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) and Halle Saxon (bass, vocals) — can trace their origins to their hometown’s DIY scene: Each individual member had been immersed in the scene when they met. They started jamming back in 2017. The trio quickly became a local club circuit mainstay. Their full-length debut, 2019’s Signals saw…

[redmcc]

Yesterday’s New Quintet

[mymelodic-chapel]

Automatic- Signal (Post-Punk, Minimal Synth) Released: September 27, 2019 [Stones Throw Records] Producer(s): Joo-Joo Ashworth

[todayinhiphophistory]

Today in Hip Hop History:

Madlib was born October 24, 1973

[gregyro]

[trevlad-sounds]

Invisible Club 31

18.09.2024

Intro 00:00 Misha Panfilov–Formosa 01:24 Oberu–Green Kitty 05:56 µ-Ziq–Hastings 09:49 The Lighthouse–Dionysus 12:32 Beefus B–From Light into Darkness 16:24 Mike Dickinson–Torus 21:09 Apifera–Iris Is Neil 26:09 Ghost Power–Vertical Section 30:53 Black Moth Super Rainbow–Folks with Magik Toes 33:04 Lone Bison–Origin Story 33:32 Dark Fidelity Hi Fi–Soft Light for Re-entry 36:32 HEBA–T5 (Kommissar Keller’s Mountain Panorama Remix) 40:37 Time Is a Mountain–Alicetti 48:06 Moray Newlands–Hoist the load to your left shoulder 53:34 Vulfmon, Evangeline–Got To Be Mine 55:34 Heron & Crane–Crownbeard 58:36 Outro 1:02:20

[officially-unhinged]

It Begins

Eldritch horror Neuvilette and pirate Wriothesely and general shenanigans is officially in the works (did I mention there's merfolk? I don't think I did. There's merfolk too.)

[allgoodmusic]

Do NOT sleep on this 2LP! I had $10 left over on a gift card and grabbed it. Slow, eerie beats and hardcore rap that avoids the usual drugs/women/guns subject matter. Fantastic.

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

Madlib is an acclaimed and legendary producer, musician and artist, who’s widely hailed for his groundbreaking contributions to hip-hop, jazz and experimental music. As a producer, his production style is marked by a love of eclecticism while drawing from jazz, soul, funk and world music. His use of unconventional sampling techniques and his knack for creating immersive sonic soundscapes have earned him a devoted following among music lovers and his fellow artists alike since his early days with Stones Throw Records in the early 2000s. Beyond his acclaimed solo work, Madlib has collaborated with Kanye West, MF DOOM as Madvillain, J. Dilla, Freddie Gibbs and Erykah Badu among a lengthy list of others. His production credits span across a wide range of genres, showcasing his versatility and artistic vision. Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-based acclaimed and rising emcee Your Old Droog emerged into the hip-hop scene a decade ago, initially cloaked in mystery and anonymity. But he quickly earned a reputation for his sharp, punch lyrics and gruff delivery. Some speculated on who the man was behind the sophisticated wordplay. But with the release of his eponymous debut, Your Old Droog body stepped out into the spotlight. And since then he’s been remarkably prolific, releasing eight albums and 10 EPs, which have cemented his reputation as your favorite emcee’s favorite emcee — and as a emcee, who’s about to explode onto the mainstream. Your Old Droog’s forthcoming 11th album Movie reportedly sees the Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-based emcee in a new era, where he’s received countless co-signs from some of the genre’s greatest artists — and taking his place among them. Last year, Madlib worked with Talib Kweli on Liberation 2 and DJ Muggs and Meyheim Lauren on Champagne for Breakfast. 2024 marks several major anniversaries for Madlib: the 20th anniversary of 2004’s Madvillainy, which also reached Gold status and the 10th anniversary of his collaboration with Freddie Gibbs’ Piñata. Along with that, Jahari Massamba Unit, his group with the equally acclaimed musician, producer and artist Karriem Riggins released YHWH is Love. Madlib’s latest single “REEKYOD,” a collaboration with Your Old Droog and Black Thought continues an enormous and productive period for the acclaimed producer, musician and artist. Not only is the single the first bit of new Madlib material since 2021’s Sound Ancestors, it’s the producer’s first release on the acclaimed artist’s new label Madlib Invazion. Anchored around a dusty and woozy bit of funky soul, the production is roomy enough for two great emcees to effortlessly spit dexterous bars full of insane wordplay and braggadocio. Simply put, it’s a celebration of what real hip-hop is: dope beats, and legendary emcees pushing each other and challenging each other in true verbal jousting. Madlib will be embarking on a run of tour dates with Freddie Gibbs celebrating the 10th anniversary of Piñata. Tour dates are below. Madlib Live May 10, 2024 – BOSTON * May 11, 2024 – NYC * May 19, 2024 – CHICAGO * May 24, 2024 – LONDON * May 26, 2024 – LONDON (SOLO DJ SET)  May 30, 2024 – BARCELONA * *with Freddie Gibbs

[mywifeleftme]

67: Crow44 // Crow44

Crow44 Crow44 2013, Stones Throw

Great press release fodder on this one: Crow44’s Desmond Pierce is (or perhaps was) an elderly bedroom musician in North Yorkshire who self-released at least 25 (oddly Egypt-obsessed) albums starting in the ‘90s before he was discovered by DJ and internet crate digger James Pants, leading to a self-titled compilation EP on the venerable hip-hop label Stones Throw. Pierce apparently played in a Yardbirds-y R&B band in the ‘60s, but I don’t know if there’s really a name for what he does as a solo artist—too much funk in it for dream pop, too eerie to be New Age. Like fellow cult rediscoveree Bobb Trimble, it’s best perhaps to simply say that Pierce’s vision of psychedelia is idiosyncratic. He seems informed by ‘80s synth pop and soft rock, but his affection for cheapo-sounding electronic instruments like the Omnichord, which would’ve come across as hopelessly dated in the ‘90s, means a lot of his stuff would fit nicely on a chillwave playlist (or even as a beat for a Yung Lean-type rapper). The overall feel is woozy, like taking Oxys while watch Inside Out in a movie theatre.

Sometimes that wooziness rankles; the childlike vocals and droning melody of opener “Love You to Death” is both intriguing and kind of irritating to listen to in the way a lot of outsider-tinged music tends to be. When everything clicks though, Pierce proves himself a masterly arranger. “If You’re Feeling Down Part I,” a twinkling Lennon/Nilsson-y ballad of crystalline delicacy, is as beautiful as anything psych’s old masters ever produced (insipid lyrics par for the course). Its finest touch among many may be the ambiguous note struck by its violin’s minor melody—in contrast to the song’s glassy-eyed sweetness, when the violin swells it evokes discovery and melancholy. Like a touch of acidity in a dessert, it enhances the overall flavour immensely.

I’m not aware of any further releases by Crow44 since this career-spanning compilation, which means (at least for now) that it serves as a tidy capstone to a career otherwise (well) spent tinkering away in obscurity.

67/365