1893. Chicago. The World's Fair to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America opens. In the entourage of one Nikola Tesla, the renogade pioneer of modern electricity, travels Alfred Darlington, a young inventor from Los Angeles.
On only the second day of the fair, Darlington is electrocuted in a terrible accident, pronounced dead and taken to the morgue. Two days later, an attendent there hears knocking from one of the drawers where the corpses are kept. Armed with a shotgun and whisky he opens the drawer to find the young Alfred not only alive and well but babbling about a future worlds he has visited and asking that everyone now calls him "DAEDELUS".
Tesla, both relieved that the boy has survived and embarrassed by the accident, allows him the run of his workshops. Over the next six months of the Fair, he devotes his time to building strange electronic instruments and on the very last night of the Fair presents the Love To Make Music To Symphony, which, he claims, is the sound he heard in the future.
The events of the performance are shrouded in secrecy - widely believed to be a result of a cover-up by government and the vested commercial interests who had most to gain from the Fair's success. The few reports which have filtered out say that people go mad as they listen to the strange, alien sounds the young composer describes as "music", that they scream, laugh, pull off their clothes, have sex with each other and themselves, fall into reveries and shout of "the hills, the beautiful hills". Daedelus himself is dragged from the stage and detained indefinitely in a mental hospital in Chicago and stays there until his mysterious disappearance on May 29th 1913, incidentally the night of the riots in Paris at the first performance of Stravinsky's Rites of Spring.
But for another twist the story would have ended there. However, Dr John Thompsock of the Chicago Ultra-Arts & Science-head Institute and one of the greatest living Tesla-ologists is lucky enough to obtain a cache of Tesla's papers from a shadowy Eastern European in 1999. In amongst them he finds a cylinder disk. On playing it, he discovers that it contains the only recording made of Daedelus' first and last performance.
In his first full collaboration with Ninja Tune, the electronic producer/wizard Daedelus presents most accessible and genre bending affair yet. Love to Make Music To, coming July 15th in the U.S., on Ninja Tune. Almost as strange as the day it was first performed and as liable to bring on what we can only decribe as "sexual fever". To ease you through - and hopefully hold the fever at bay - this version features commentary from a number of leading scientists including Om'mas Keith and Taz of the Sa-Ra Foundation, plus (Dr) Michael Johnson, (Prof) N'fa, Paperboy (Mphil), (Dr) Erika Rose and (Prof) Laura Darling (of the Long Lost Institute). Of more than academic interest, this should still appeal to all aficionado's of Very Very Late Victorian Music.
- This is Daedelus' best and most playfully accessible album yet. A homage to early rave culture from the UK which he first heard in a YMCA whilst on holiday in London aged 15.
- The main single will be "Make It So" which will come complete with video and remix by XXXchange (Spank Rock)
- Daedelus has been remixed and played live with Madlib, and is in a live band with Taz from Sa-Ra (Eryka Badu producer and Kayne West henchman).
- Album guests include grammy award winning rapper, Paperboy. Producer Michael Johnson, who has created records with the Lilys and Holopaw (subpop) among other groups, his own records have become something of a collector of modern psychedelic secret. Taz Arnold and Om'mas Keith come from the acclaimed and mysterious Sa-Ra (along with Shafiq Husayn). N'fa was part of the wildly successful 1200 Techniques (Australia) but then parted ways to continue his own path, has released and received accolades in Australia and USA. Erika Rose is a busy chanteuse who has an active music recording and releasing schedule
- Daedelus has a romantic electro-acoustic record with his wife Laura Darling coming out later in 2008 under the name The Long Lost.
- This is his first record worked solely in collaboration with Ninja Tune
- He has had records out on Mush, Ninja Tune, Eastern Developments, Plug Research, Phthalo, Soul Jazz, Epitaph, Melodic, Full Time Hobby, Def Jux, Hefty, Tigerbeat6, Planet Mu + many more
- Its important to note that Daedelus is influenced by the clothes and culture of early Victorian (pre Prince Albert Dandyism) culture, and not Edwardian as has been written in the past. His stage costume often consists of clothes from this period. (Press Release)
In one of the biggest jumps ever recorded in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Rihanna’s newest single “Take A Bow” rockets from #53 to #1 this week.
“Take A Bow” also debuts at #1-bullet on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart with a phenomenal first week of 266,696 scans. The song was written by fellow Def Jam artist Ne-Yo and produced by Stargate, the same team responsible for Rihanna’s “Unfaithful” (of 2006), and “Hate That I Love You,” her Top 10 duet with Ne-Yo released late last year.
“Take A Bow” raises the curtain on the upcoming new CD+DVD U.S.release of Rihanna’s GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: RELOADED. The new configuration arrives in stores on June 17th – the week after the album officially marks its historic 52nd week on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The original 12-song CD version of GOOD GIRL GONE BAD – source of the non-stop string of hit singles that began with the MTV VMA and Grammy Award-winning global #1 hit “Umbrella” (featuring Jay-Z), then “Shut Up and Drive,” “Hate That I Love You” (featuring Ne-Yo), and the current “Don't Stop the Music” – will now be augmented with four bonus tracks: 1) “Take A Bow”; 2) a cover version of Maroon 5’s “If I Never See Your Face Again” (featuring Maroon 5); 3) “Hatin’ On the Club”; and 4) “Disturbia.”
The newly-produced bonus DVD for GOOD GIRL GONE BAD:RELOADED will consist of three components: 1) 75 minutes of live concert footage from a show in Manchester, England last December 2007; 2) a 17-minute documentary feature; and 3) a four-minute home movie of “Umbrella” created by Rihanna’s band.
GOOD GIRL GONE BAD (released June 5, 2007) was the third album release in less than two years by multi-platinum MTV VMA, Grammy, and American Music Award winning artist – and CoverGirl spokesperson – Rihanna. It followed-up 2006’s RIAA platinum A Girl Like Me, containing the back-to-back hits, “S.O.S.” and “Unfaithful”; and her RIAA gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the worldwide smash, “Pon De Replay.” (Press Release)
May (2008)
14 - Berlin @ Cassiopeia (Germany)15 - München @ Atomic Cafe (Germany)16 - Bucarest @ Arenele Romane (Romania)17 - Zürich @ Dynamo (Switzerland)18 - Weinheim @ Cafe Central (Germany)20 - Hamburg @ Mandarin Kasino (Germany)21 - Bielefeld @ Hip Hop Kongress (Germany) - Festival -23 - Münster @ Skaters Palace (Germany)24 - Gothenburg @ Pusterviksbar (Sweden)25 - Copenhagen @ Loppen (Denmark)26 - Kiel @ Luna (Germany)28 - Köln @ Bogen2 (Germany) w/The Beatnuts29 - Stuttgart @ Altes Zollamt (Germany)30 - Lodz @ City Festival (Poland) - festival -31 - Breda @ Boogie Down Breda Festival (Holland)
June (2008)
1- Paris @ Elysee Montmartre (France)3- Hannover @ Faust (Germany)5 - Oslo @ Bla (Norway)6 - Amsterdam @ Tropenmuseum (Holland)7 - Graz @ Arcadium (Austria)
New years demand fresh tactics. So when Jake the Snake moved to New York this year to pen his new release, When in Rome, he shed his skin and emerged from underground a tougher, more enlightened J the S.
At this point, Snake has amassed as strong a career as an MC can build in Boston. Before he could legally buy alcohol, he graduated from the local battle circuit and begun to script vicious narratives. In just four years, J the S dropped two internationally distributed full-length albums and a pair of venomous mixtapes, landed singles on Rap Network, Rap Attack Lives and CMJ charts, and enjoyed rotation on more than 300 college radio stations including Boston’s renown WERS, where he earned “Artist of the Month” honors in June 2007.
On the strength of his 2006 album, Strategy of the Crown, which featured guests including Ras Kass, Trife Da God and Devin the Dude, J the S followed up with his DJ Vlad-hosted Year of the Snake Vol. 2. The sequel to his Peter Parker-hosted Vol. 1, the mixtape proved that he could rock consecutive projects with – or without – headliner associates. Featuring limited assists from Boston cronies such as Loose Notes and his own Greater Good crew, J the S gave fans enough original material to choke on until now.
In May 2008, J the S drops his most important project yet. Beyond cameos from the likes of Joell Ortiz, Skyzoo, Slaine and Ras Kass, When in Rome introduces rap fans to an MC whose pilgrimage to Hip-Hop’s pinnacle was a long, disciplined and rewarding journey.
Though he was bred in Boston, J the S spent his first years in the West Indies, where his father hustled. After his mother got concerned and relocated to Massachusetts, a young Snake was introduced to criminal elements on the street and at home. A volatile domestic situation and negative role models inspired a notebook full of rhymes, as well as a dedication rarely seen in young artists.
Despite coming up in Boston behind underground icons such as Mr. Lif and Esoteric, J the S remained faithful to blacktop Hip-Hop. As a result, he became a regular show opener for hardcore artists such as Kool G Rap, Cormega, The Beatnuts, Boot Camp and Wu-Tang. Beyond his East Coast ethos, J the S is also marked by his experience as a middle school teacher and his socially progressive mission, which has landed him on bills alongside Dead Prez, Brand Nubian and KRS-ONE.
“I’m an intelligent artist, but I’m more about pimping the system before it pimps you than I am about some unrealistic optimism,” J the S says. “I tell stories and innovate too, but I’m not on some backpacker nerd shit either.”
He might be an anomaly, but J the S is poised to be a factor in roughneck Hip-Hop’s return to form. With his When in Rome (which will feature collaborations with fellow rising stars Skyzoo (“Pump”), Slaine (“Get Low” Remix) and Joell Ortiz (“Do You”) prequel this March and subsequent third album, The Last Days, coming next year, he is determined to penetrate rap music’s commercial consciousness. If he can pull it off in Boston, where pushing Golden Age street styles is less common than being a Republican, he can do it anywhere. - Matt Conaway
No hush hush news. Its coming. June 24th marks the release of "The 3rd World", one of the most anticipated albums in years. Yes, actual anticipation after almost 5 years since Immortal Technique's previous release. While no album has surfaced since Revolutionary, Vol. 2, he has released several freestyles and singles such as "Bin Laden" Featuring Mos Def and Eminem , which became an internet craze. Other noted releases include the "Watch Out" freestyle (Over Rick Ross's Hustling beat) and the music video for AKIR's "Treason" that featured Immortal Technique daily on national television since the BET Freestyle Friday battles.
Immortal Technique, the revolutionary, has made further recent news in regards to the Sean Bell verdict by not only attracting press, but also by drawing in over 100k unique "visitors" to his 'Myspace page in the last week alone. He has created a blog entry called the "Police State Chronicles: Excerpts from the Street" that calls action to those victim of police brutality and abuse of authority. In total, over 400 personal stories have been collected and gathers for a larger packet that will be sent to congress. No gender or race has been segregated from these files. Its is a national issue that all citizens must be aware of since it interferes with our constitutional rights. This is just one of the daily contributions that has kept Immortal Technique engaged in our society.
DJ Green Lantern (DJ for Jay-Z) and Immortal Technique will be live on Sirius Satellite's Shade 45 channel on Monday, May12th for more updates on this "phenomenal" release. The album's premise is far from "Playing it safe". "While most every artist in the last year has stepped away from breaking the boundaries and tackling issues that we are still currently facing, Immortal Technique proves why he is still considered a Revolutionary of the world." The album release party has already been set in place, so no worries on this album to be anticipated after June 24th. Two worlds will collide for the birth of "The 3rd World". (Press Release)
The 3rd World Tracklisting
1. Death March (featuring DJ Green Lantern)2. That's What It Is3. Golpe De Estado (featuring Veneno & Temperamento)4. Harlem Renaissance5. Lick Shots (featuring Chino XL, Crooked I)6. Interlude7. The 3rd World8. Hollywood Driveby (featuring Psycho Realm & Street Platoon)9. Watchout (RMX)?10. Reverse Pimpology (featuring Mojo)11. Open Your Eyes12. The Payback (featuring Diabolic & Ras Kass)13. Adios Uncle Tom-Skit14. Stronghold Grip (featuring Poison Pen & Swave Sevah)15. Mistakes16. Out on Parole17. Crimes of the Heart (featuring Maya Azucena)
(May 7, 2008 - Brooklyn, NY) In celebration of its 10th anniversary as an independent label and hip-hop collective, Hiero Imperium announced details for a massive North American tour that will span from mid-summer into fall. As creators of classic music and trailblazers in the entertainment business and technology fields, the crew and label have grown to represent more than just hip-hop music. Since its inception in the late 70's, hip-hop culture has permeated mainstream consciousness and its influence has infiltrated fashion, sports, and entertainment on a global scale. Combining elements of fashion and music, The Freshly Dipped Tour is a nod to Hiero Imperium's prolific past ten years as indie hip-hop industry leaders as well as to the bright future of Hiero Imperium. The 3-month long tour, which runs from July through October, includes spot dates all across the US, as well as select dates in Canada.
"We are putting this tour together to thank our fans for their years of loyal support, expose them to our new projects including our brand-new lifestyle line, Hiero Jeans (www.hierojeans.com), and to celebrate the ways that hip-hop style has influenced the fashion world," explained Hiero Imperium CEO Tajai Massey. As a thank you to their fans, Hiero Imperium recently hosted a contest in which fans submitted artwork to be considered for the official tour logo. The winning design (pictured at the top of the tour graphic here) will be featured on all tour merchandise and signage.
In addition to publicly debuting their Hiero Jeans clothing line, Souls of Mischief emcee Opio will be showcasing material from his upcoming album, Vulture's Wisdom, Volume One, which will be released this summer. Joining the tour and building on the trends set by The Hieroglyphics will be Seattle's Blue Scholars, who are hugely popular in the Northwest hip-hop scene. Both groups are known for their strong live shows, and represent the best hip-hop the West Coast has to offer. Hiero Imperium will also debut a special, limited edition Freshly Dipped Tour 7? this summer. Available exclusively at the shows, the 7? will include a Hieroglyphics remix of a Blue Scholars track and a Blue Scholars remix of a Hiero track. Also available at the shows will be a selection of Hiero Jeans denim and shirts. (Press Release)
Following the strong response to the posse track "3rd Degree" and the new street leak "Da Livest", Nino Bless sets out to release the long-anticipated street-LP, Untold Scriptures, on 5-20-08. "I have notable veterans of the game helping me push this project, including Big Mike, Mick Boogie, & J Love." The street-LP runs 19 tracks deep with features from Styles P, Joe Budden, Kool G Rap, Saigon, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz & Grafh. Original production from Focus (Aftermath), Scram Jones, Veterano, & Blackout Movement sets the backdrop for the mixtape for the Puerto Rican MC out of Brooklyn, NY.
"I put this together like an album with 19 joints – and the majority of them are full length records," Bless says. "So far, the response has been dope. At this moment I have to keep it going and I think this is a good representation of what I can bring to the table." However, Nino isn't stopping with Untold Scriptures as he plans to release another project at the end of this year. "Crooked I and myself are setting up to drop a mixtape towards the end of the year. Dow Jones from The Bizness is going to chip in with some beats and help put the project together along with somebody else; we ain't sure who yet but it'll be from the east coast." - Matt Conaway
Soul singer, songwriter and producer Dwele, will release his highly anticipated 3rd studio album Sketches of a Man on June 24th through RT Music Group/KOCH Records. Sketches of a Man, a long time in the making, will be lead by the soulful single “I’m Cheatin’,” produced by G-1, the man behind Dwele’s breakthrough hit “Find a Way” (from Subject). “I’m Cheatin’” is a mind bender which tells of a man who loves his girlfriend’s conservative side as well as her care-free side and dreams of cheating on one with the other as if they were two different people. “It’s based on a true story that I put a spin on. Unless you really pay attention, you might get the wrong idea, “Dwele admits
This year, Dwele was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Urban/Alternative Performance” category for his interpretation of “That’s The Way of the World
