Dälek/Gutter Tactics: The Politics of Sound

Beginning with an incendiary speech by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Dälek’s Gutter Tactics brings the tension while offering only a few moments of resolution. Much like the polarizing preacher who kicks off the LP, dälek (the MC) unflinchingly documents America’s hypocrisies over denser-than-lead beats provided by the Oktopus, the other half of the alt-rap duo.

Throughout Gutter Tactics, dälek’s voice is treated like another texture in the Oktopus’ walls of sound instead of being placed front and center in the mix. As a result, dälek’s sharp observations on politics, race, and the state of hip-hop get lost in a cloud of motorcycle sounds on “Armed with Krylon,” snarling guitars and metallic snares on “Who Medgar Evers Was…,” and waves of dissonance throughout.

The noise, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Dälek’s flow, while impassioned, is very basic; most of his rhyme schemes are old-school simplistic. The Oktopus’ atonal beats are what separate Gutter Tactics from the numerous indie hip-hop albums whose central theme is political disenchantment. His jarring layers of drums and noise seethe with a rage that is just as political in sound as any imagery dälek paints with words. Sound and message are well-paired throughout Gutter Tactics, but “Street Diction” stands out as the best union on the album. Kicking off the track with alarms and sirens chiming in arrhythmic patterns, dälek sums up his political manifesto in these three lines:

“Chickens home to roost is what a wise man said
Since he spit truth they made sure he bled
It’s been much too long that we’ve been misled”

In a few spots on Gutter Tactics the rage gives way to resignation. The plaintive “A Collection Of Miserable Thoughts Laced With Wit” is an ambient track that builds up and breaks down around a bass drone pattern. Coupled with “We Lost Sight,” these two songs comprise the album’s lone moments of uneasy tranquility.

For fans of noisy, left-of-center hip-hop acts, such as Anti-Pop Consortium and El-P, that blend avant-garde approaches to sound with traditional hip-hop, there’s plenty to like on Gutter Tactics . However, what may keep Dälek from preaching to anybody outside the noise-loving choir is the album’s steep learning curve. Although Gutter Tactics is a highly focused record and admirable from an artistic standpoint, many will be turned off by the sensory-bombing sound.

Jay-Z: Blueprint 3 (RS)

"I may be the most bootlegged artist in history. It's a preview. I'm excited for people to hear the album. I'm very proud of the work I've done, so enjoy it" Jay-Z

Well if it's okay with Jay, then it's okay with me. Here's the recently leaked Blueprint 3 in all its full retail glory.

Rapidshare link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/274416203/Jay-Z-The_Blueprint_3.rar

First impressions:
It seems everybody that's written about BP3 is in either one of two camps: BP3 is the hottest shit since sliced bread, or Jay is trying way too hard to stay relevant. Actually, the truth falls somewhere between the two. After the first few listens, "Already Home" stands out as the only track that deserving of "audio crack" status. That being said, BP3 seems like a grower with quite a few skippable songs. Check it out for yourself:

http://rapidshare.com/files/274416203/Jay-Z-The_Blueprint_3.rar

Herbie Hancock: Junku

Here's a great Herbie Hancock track called "Junku" off the 1984 album Sound-System. Herbie's arrangement blends traditional African instruments like the kora and talking drum with drum machine, turntable scratching, a vocoder sample and synths that sound dated now but were probably cool as shit back in the early 80s. Follow the rapidshare link to download the mp3, or just listen to Youtube clip for instant gratification.



http://rapidshare.com/files/274355884/1-04_Junku.mp3

J Dilla/Jay Stay Paid: Everlasting Dilla

There's no greater irony in pop culture than an unheralded artist finally achieving popularity upon death. A striking example of this tragic phenomenon is the late J Dilla. After lupus claimed the influential hip-hop producer’s life in February of 2006, he went from behind-the-scenes legend builder for artists like Common, A Tribe Called Quest, and Busta Rhymes, to legendary in his own right seemingly overnight. What collaborators and fans admired about Dilla while he was living was his masterful ability to flip samples from diverse sources and the level of devotion he had to bettering his craft. As a result, Dilla left behind a wealth of jangly, neck-cracking, borderline- psychedelic beats for fans to explore for years to come.

Jay Stays Paid, the newest collection of beats from Dilla’s seemingly boundless archive, reaffirms his legacy as one of the most sonically adventurous producer in hip-hop history. The album is tied together loosely around the concept of KJAY FM, a station that plays all Dilla, all day. Seamlessly sequenced and arranged by Pete Rock, the producer Dilla most admired, roughly half the tracks feature vocals from Dilla or MCs who fit his leftfield aesthetic. Among the many strong vocal performances, “Smoke” is the highlight here. L.A. underground king Blu raps for mood, not content, over an evocative coupling of melancholy Moog melody and Dilla’s trademark off-kilter drums. The best instrumental track on the record depends on which version of Dilla you’re in the mood for. “Coming Back” is a soulful and reflective beat, in the spirit of 2006’s The Shining, while the cathartic “King” juxtaposes thunderous kick drums with an angelic vocal sample.

Posthumous hip-hop albums are usually a mixed bag to a fault. Jay Stays Paid avoids the pitfalls of most “new” albums by deceased artists, thanks to the care Pete Rock and Ma Dukes, J Dilla’s mother, put into making this random collection of beats a unified whole.

Shirley Bassey "Light My Fire"

Giving shine to another classic track/great sample source, here's Shirley Bassey's swanky cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire". Lounge, funk, and film music intermingle while Bassey gives the instrumental the diva treatment she laced so many classic James Bond themes with.

For some reason, every time I hear this song I think of walking on the velvety carpet of an old school Vegas casino back in the 70s. "Light My Fire" just has that lush vibe to it.

Ennio Morricone - "Ma Non Troppo Erotico"

Long before trip-hop and downtempo were a glimmer in the red-eyes of their genres' stoned innovators, Ennio Morricone laid out the blueprint for deliberately slow, bass-heavy lounge music with "Ma Non Troppo Erotico". Vocals for this luxurious groove are supplied by Edda Dell'Orso, who Morricone frequently collaborated with. While Morricone is known for scoring the classic soundtracks to spaghetti westerns like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and Once Upon a Time in the West, this track shows he could get down with the best avant-garde pop composers of his day.

Beatmakers take notice: the horn break at 1:33 is dying to be flipped. Enjoy:

Ghostface's State of the Union

Ghostface between songs at the Nokia Theater in NYC spittin the gospel on the state of hip hop in 2009.