Fantastic Man - Say What You Said


Kicking off my Sunday morning with a little Slo-Mo house joint that my homegirl Amy Jean sent through (Thanks!). I don't know what they put in the water over there in Melbourne but it seems to be the place for all things chugg. Fantastic Man and Kolour Recordings come correct on this vinyl only release.
Real Deal.

R.I.P. Gil Scott Heron


Thank you Brother Gil Scott Heron. Rest In Power.

Midnight Eez - Midnight Eez


Loving these rock solid HIP HOP beats courtesy of All City Dublin & Turntablelab.
All City label head has been sitting on these for a good 15 years before he manage to unearth them during a move and now they are here to provide many bluntheads with some theme music.
This is goin' down a treat with my scrabbled eggs, chopped cherizo & hotsauce.
The Bizness.

HipDrop Presents NZ Music Month EP 2011


It's time again for the HipDrop to bring together a varied cross section of new local gems from the wealth of producers and beatmakers that we are lucky enough to have around us.
01 Si_res - These things
02 Ralphhimself - Rap beats 2
03 Dick Darstedly - Dreaming
04 Tony and the tones - Deep in it
05 Cruickshank- Misguided
06 James Skylab - Glass Dance
07 White on Rice - Dream Girl

Click the link on the artists name to find more bits.
Also if you missed last years One
Thanks to all the people who helped make it work.

Mara TK & Lord Echo Duel Release


Mara TK & Lord Echo Dual Release Party.


Instrumental is chuffed to present Lord Echo and Mara TK’s Dual Release Party on the 28th of May at San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington.

This night of merriment is set to show case the exceptional new musical wares from enigmatic musicians Mara TK and Lord Echo.

Lord Echo aka Mike Fabulous (Black Seeds) will present his "Melodies" in glorious live sound, with his band of feverent followers in tow. The album of the year is now the gig of the year - and your uncle is now your dad! Instrumentation will be mostly wooden and sometimes electric, performed by professional musicians with complete credibility and casual competence. There's Riki Gooch, Samuel Lindsay and Lord Echo's own brother Danny Pash, not to mention some other guys he is yet to find - do you know a trombonist? Special guest singers will sing, clowns will cry, but be warned: this reclusive musical enthusiast may not perform again in the near future due to an overly nervous disposition, so witness the spectacle now or forever hold your peace!

The second half of this dual release party will feature Electric Wire Hustles front man Mara TK and his brand spanking new Red Bull Music Academy Ltd edition 7” vinyl “Taniwhunk”. Recorded at Red Bull Studios late 2010, this 7” of previously unreleased material contains two tracks of soulful spacey goodness that showcases Mara’s golden voice and globally towering musical talents. Throughout this performance Mara TK will be joined by several of his fellow space cadets whose talents will aid this orbital Maori in bringing Taniwhunk’s futuristic vision to life.

Tickets available now from under the radar.

Auckland Church Of Moloch - Moloch ist Mein Gott

I know nothing about this person/persons other than that they're from Auckland and that I like what they do.

Samiyam - Cushion

Taster to the forthcoming Samiyam album which gets released next month.
Heard a couple other new joints off the album on Kutmahs Sketchbook mix, sounding killer.
Thanks XLR8R.

K*Saba - Escape EP

Here's some more local produce courtesy of K*Saba outta Wellington and mastered by Benny Tones at Organik Muzik Workz.

Ciggy Breaks Minimix


Here's a minimix I have for the times I'm DJing and want to auto-pilot DJ booth whilst I take a piss, grab a drink and have a ciggy. It's easy to keep track of where you are in the mix and provides the perfect of amount of time to get these essential things done. But hey if you don't DJ then it's great for those morning ciggy breaks.

Lee Moses - Hey Joe


Had this one on frequent rotation this weekend. A damn fine version from Mr Lee Moses.

PressPausePlay




Interesting looking doco PressPausePlay

"The creative landscape is changing. Some talk about a revolution. Others talk about a natural evolution. These changes affect everything. From creation to distribution, from artist to consumer."

Electric Wire Hustle - NYC


Hella dope vid. Shouts to the Wire Hustle Boys (who will be embarking on a Northern Hemisphere tiki tour in the near future) and Vibol @ Foxtree Studio for the banging video work.

VA - Galaxie Junktion


The homies over at Junktion have put together this very fine selection of tunes for y'all. Featuring beatmakers from round the globe. Do yourself a favour and click here for this dope free release.

Leno Lovecraft - May Mix

The sexual maestro that is Leno Lovecraft sent us through his latest mix, a sensual and flamboyant aural affair for sure.

Scratch 22 - Cold hands


Very interesting brand new video from Scratch 22's new album Distance from View

Check out his website for more on the album

New Mayer Hawthorne Covers EP


The Mayer has hooked this one up for free, the download is hosted on the rollingstone website.

I have kindly saved you the trip.

Don't say the HipDrop never hooks you up.

VA - Secret Hangout Vol.4


The lastest Secret Hangout is available for free download thanks to Turntable Lab.
Features some dope tunes from Suff Daddy, Pure P and our very own Benny Tones & Sacha Vee.

VA - Secret Hangout Vol.4

Parliament - Wizard Of Finance


Just reminiscing about how dope President Clinton was the other week.


Fresh Daily - The Quiet Life


SBTRKT feat. Little Dragon - Wildfire

Nice lil freebie from SBTRKT and Little Dragon via The Fader.

SBTRKT f. Little Dragon, "Wildfire" by The FADER

Jamie XX Interview


Found this over at the Turntable Lab blog. I've often wondered what makes this young man tick. He's been all over the internet blogesphere lately, but this is the first time I have seen him give any insight into what goes into his wonderful productions.

Here it is:

Your drums for XX combine the aesthetics of bedroom producer and traditional drummer rock drummer... Who influences your drum style? What made you decide that you'd perform your drums on a controller rather than a drum kit?
I much prefer the versatility of samples and electronic sounds to the limitations of a standard drum kit. Its also much easier, when playing live, to pack a punch with electronic sounds. The first person I saw using an MPC live was RJD2.

What artists from the past influence you? What current peers influence you?
Recently I've been digging up a lot of 70s boogie records, they're having an influence on what I'm making right now. Incidentally, a 'current peer' Floating Points, who plays a lot of boogie in his sets, has been making some real nice stuff

What hardware, software, modules do you use to produce?
Logic, Space Echo.

What is your favorite piece of studio gear? why?
The Space Echo, it's a classic.


You've worked with some incredible artist already, whose on your dream list of artists to work with?
Most of them are dead.


A lot has happened since you released the XX album, do you foresee any style shifts / developments for the next XX release?
I think each of us have developed our own ideas about music much further since we wrote the last record. That will have an effect for sure.


Indulge us, what's the coolest thing about becoming "famous" from relative obscurity
It's the same, but I meet more people.


Bastard Sons Vol.1

Whilst I'm on a bit of a metal tip here's a compilation of black metal compiled by Some Bastard.
When it comes to Metal, Techno & Reggae, this bastard trumps me. If it's deep, dark or heavy then the homies got you covered.

Beastwars - Album Preview

Beastwars self-titled album is being released this coming Monday (May 9th) on CD/gatefold vinyl and digitally. You can check an interview with hipdrop hombre Martyn Pepperell here.

Be sure to check their supporting NZ tour coming soon (tickets and the full album preview from UTR). Below is a free download from the album "Damn The Sky".


Butler - Bang Bang


Came across this whilst up in Aucks last week, outta my price range but maybe one day I'll get to dig it out of obscurity somewhere. Here's some words from Sergent, which better summarize Butler than I can or should.

Line-Up:
Steve Apirana (Guitar / Vocals)
Heidi Warren (Guitar / Vocals)
Angel Adams (Bass Guitar)
Hori Sinnott (Drums)

Bang Bang


Butler were one of few all-Maori rock bands. All four members were originally from Rotorua, but the band actually formed in Christchurch in 1970. Predominantly an underground group, they played their early gigs at the Open Door, before moving into Trevor Spitz's nightspot Aubrey's.

Having built a strong Christchurch following, the band took stabs at other South Island centres, returning to hometown Rotorua in 1971. From there they began building up a North Island following, proving popular on the University circuit with their combination of originals and Led Zeppelin / Wishbone Ash covers.

Some television exposure followed with a spot on 'Happen Inn', 'Popco' and 'Free Ride'. This was fairly rare for an underground group and even with this they never really gained much pulling power.

In 1973 they recorded a self-titled album for Pye. It was released on the Family label and from it came one single, "Green River"/"Especially For You".

Shouts to Rosco for puttin' me onto them. Aue!

Red Eye Society - Absolute Epoch


These cats been on the scene for a long time now. I remember when R.E.S came out in 1996. Tomorrow is the official release of their newest album "Absolute Epoch" Which is true to form street music. Wicked rhymes and really solid production. Guest's include the crazy man alphabethead on all the cuts, NZ regulars Mareko and Louie Knuxx, and a very special remix by the one and only Haz Beats!


The Kind folks over at Breakin Wreckwords hooked us up with this, check it out!
In stores tomorrow. Go get that!