'Good People. Today I get to announce that I have a new record coming
out and it is set for release this coming July 5th. The album's title is
Stonechild. Yep... Stonechild. I have to say it's a moody little guy
and she's definitely on a trip....dressed in something dark and rich. I
can't wait for you to put it on.... turn it up and fill your house with
Hoop. Now there are many ways to preorder your copy here: http://smarturl.it/stonechild
There is a very fine Dinked Edition, limited to 600 copies, coming in a
mirror board sleeve, on 180g white and black vinyl, with a signed,
numbered, Jesca Hoop scribble print lyric sheet, and a flexidisc
featuring non-album track 'Waking Andreas' Or if you prefer to
order direct, you can head to my store, where you can preorder on white
and black marble vinyl, CD, download and cassette, plus pick up an
exclusive tea towel so you can dry the dishes while you listen to
Stonechild. Well, that seems enough info to be going on with for now. yours truly hoop x'
Hey Douglas (or 'HEY! Douglas') is a project name for the work of Istanbul based DJ,
sound artist and sampler E. Yasin Vural. VEYasin produced his first
album at 18 and has produced many more inside and outside Turkey, and
other projects include Mode XL, with some of those tracks attracting
over 7.7m Youtube views.
I first heard about him through another Turkish artist Azat, and have continued to follow his singles and mixes leading up to his newly released 'Marşandiz' (Merchandise) full length. His music is pretty punchy and dance-club esque, but his Turkish flavor and spin on it produces a lot of interesting results. Also accompanying his mixing and producing is the addition of live instruments, featuring Trombone & Trumpet: Ekin Eti, Clarinet: Hasan Daglar, Flute: Richard Laniepce, Guitar & Saz: Tolga Boyuk, and Guitar (Randevu) : Alper Sariogl.
Cool stuff. His entire album can be streamed from Bandcamp and the $7 price tag seems more than reasonable for the 10 tracks. Definitely check out his prior releases too if this doesn't immediately grab you -- he's got a very diverse range of stuff.
Home Made Kazoku ('Home Made Family') was a Japanese hip hop trio of DJ U-ICHI and vocalists Micro & Kuro, both of whom spent much of their youth living in the United States. Most of their work is a mash up therefore of English and Japanese vocals. From 1996-2001 they had a former member (HOZE) before their commercial success as a trio, notably gaining much of their notoriety contributing to anime themes like Bleach and Naruto.
'Mainichi ga Eiga no you na Hitokoma ～Life Is Beautiful～' released in 2002, and I'm not positive whether or not HOZE is featured on this, but I'm assuming he was as the album has a prevalent and extensive group rapper dynamic (couldn't find the features listed but some tracks sound like as many as five MC's). They had one album released previously ('H.M.K.U.'), with the two being their only independent albums.
The group is known for their upbeat and positive stylings of hip hop, and it could be said that this album potentially sounds like a younger and more aggressive version of what their later commercial albums became; the hip hop thread ran throughout their career, but following this album there is a noticeable difference in approach, incorporating more layered pop aesthetics and singing which are all but absent from their independent releases.
This album is incredibly solid front to back, with each vocalist bringing their own flavor to the mix. I go back to this album all the time and it still amazes me how new and different it sounds both in 2002 as it does today.
The group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, noting that from then on out the three members would pursue solo careers.
'The wait is over, our third full-length is called 'Pure' and will be out next spring via Temple of Torturous (Valborg, Imperial Triumphant, Atavismo). Full-track previews, official release date, pre-orders and shows in support of 'Pure' will be announced very soon, stay tuned!" Really excited for this new release from Spain's Adrift (or adrift), crazy to realize that their 2nd album 'Black Heart Bleeds Black' came out all the way back in 2012. All they have up right now is a teaser for the album but this is one worth keeping tabs on through their Facebook for any updates, but I'll try to post their announcements too when more surfaces.
Hanetration is a solo artist from Cornwall, UK. He makes ambient/electronic/drone with a very cinematic feel, through (IMO) his very tasteful sprinkling of percussion. He also mixes the three with an even keel and understanding, giving equal vibes of dark and uplifting, often shifting from basic tribal drums, to frenzy IDM-friendly beats, all while splicing them between the occasional wind instrument and sped up vocal chatter. The drone isn't as prevalent (mostly the opening track), but it's there -- as is the brief experimentation with glitch effects at the end of the third track. All in all this EP has a lot going on for four short tracks, and at 20 minutes long you'll probably fill in the blanks. Check out his bandcamp (full of free goodies) and Facebook for news on his upcoming releases. Artwork by Tommy Nease:
tommynease.tumblr.com
Italy's Bongley Dead have come a long way since sending me their demo, made evident by their new full length 'Undici'. While admittedly in my opinion there's some rises and falls in quality, it's inevitable to pick favorites and filler in the robust 17 tracks. Even with that said -- every track on this is miles beyond their #3 demo, which already showed a running start. Continue to follow where they go next @https://soundcloud.com/bongley-dead & Facebook.
Free album release courtesy of Virgin Babylon records (world's end girlfriend/Kashiwa Daisuke...) for their newly signed solo artist Laxenanchaos. Have only had a chance to hear the opening track "Bruce Lee" but really enjoyed it, and the sound and style feels right at home with the flavorings of Virgin Babylon. Album art by mieze
www.mieze018.net
