Cut Chemist: Die Cut (A Stable Sound)
Los Angelos-based DJ/producer Cut Chemist has been on the scene since the mid-’90s, recording solo material and working with notables such as Unity Committee, Jurassic 5, and Ozomatli. On April 10, he released his first solo cut in six years: the single “Outro (Revisited),” featuring underground rapper Blackbird (who’s also a part of Chemist’s upcoming album, Die Cut).
Cut Chemist: Outro (Revisited) (A Stable Sound, 4/10/12)
Earlier this month, Jurassic 5 producer/DJ Cut Chemist released “Outro (Revisited) f. Blackbird,” his first single in six years.
Following its release, the United Nations called upon the turntablist to perform in New York in support of One Day on Earth, a video series that captures individuals and musicians from every country across the globe performing their own indigenous instruments — all on the very same day, October 10, 2010.
The film was screened globally on Sunday, coinciding with Earth Day. Below, you can see an original piece that Cut Chemist created for the video series, rendered from thousands of hours of recordings.
On a biweekly basis, The Groove Seeker goes in search of killer grooves across rock, funk, hip hop, soul, electronic music, jazz, fusion, and more.
Freestyle Fellowship: The Promise (Decon, 10/18/11)
Freestyle Fellowship: “Step 2 the Side”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Freestyle_Fellowship_Step_2_The_Side.mp3|titles=Freestyle Fellowship: “Step 2 The Side”]After two decades and three LPs under its belt, the Freestyle Fellowship has turned into one of the longest-running hip-hop crews with the release of its latest record, The Promise. Previously the vision of innovative new-school rhyming in what seems like the old Wild West of hip hop, the Fellowship embodies the progressive early-’90s West Coast movement when hip-hop culture wasn’t an international trend, and when nation-conscious raps imbibed a certain sense of freedom and lyrical style reigned supreme.
But it’s been quite some time since those open-mic nights at the Good Life Café in South Central Los Angeles, where the Freestyle Fellowship, like many others (Chali 2na, Cut Chemist), got their start. Comprised of Aceyalone, Myka 9, PEACE, Self Jupiter, and producer J Sumbi, the Fellowship maintains a relevant influence as one of the initiators of jazz-rooted hip hop, aimed to challenge the art form with new approaches to rhyme, rhythm, and meter. Along with East Coast counterparts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and Gang Starr, the Freestyle Fellowship filled a niche between commercialized radio rap and hardcore gangster rap, elevating the game with highly intellectual and esoteric prose.
Record labels such as Stones Throw and Ubiquity offer new compilation and re-issue albums of forgotten DIY funk and soul and introduce them to a new generation.
On a weekly basis, The Groove Seeker goes in search of killer grooves across rock, funk, hip hop, soul, electronic music, jazz, fusion, and more.
J Rocc: Some Cold Rock Stuf (Stones Throw, 3/8/11)
J Rocc: “Play This (Also)”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/08-Play-This-Also.mp3|titles=J Rocc: “Play This (Also)”]One of the most important figures in DJing and turntablism over the past two decades, J Rocc is finally releasing his debut effort of original cuts titled Some Cold Rock Stuf. Original in all senses of the word, J Rocc has amazed audiences from Los Angeles to Tokyo with a distinct style that began by co-founding the landmark DJ crew the Beat Junkies in the early ’90s with Melo-D and Rhettmatic.
Along with fellow beat junkie Babu, and the likes of Mix Master Mike and Q-Bert of the Invisible Skratch Piklz, J Rocc was a part of the pioneering scene that brought respect back to the DJ, establishing the turntable as instrument while forging a new path towards instrumental hip hop.
Held in Champaign-Urbana, IL (the home of the University of Illinois), the Pygmalion Music Festival 2010 will take place September 22-25, showcasing rock stalwarts like Built to Spill alongside up-and-coming acts like Janelle Monae.
There are loads of big-name performers, including Fang Island, Cut Chemist, Holy Fuck, Of Montreal, Roky Erickson & Okkervil River, Caribou, Cap’n Jazz, Ted Leo, Emeralds, and Owen. That list hardly scratches the surface, though. To see the full schedule, click here.