with dj vadim in germany...

hey kids.
i'm leaving tomorrow for germany.

it's my first time going to europe.
i'm sure you can imagine, i'm feeling quite the mix of emotion.

opening up a few shows for dj vadim.

thanks to karin at subotage for helping me out with it.

i'm working on hooking up a couple more shows, but here's what i've got confirmed so far...

wed. may 2 - kassablanca (jena, germany).
thr. may 3 - bohannon (berlin, germany).
fri. may 4 - bogaloo (pfarrkirchen, germany).
sat. may 5 - altes zollamt (stuttgart, germany).



KONZERT & PARTY
DONNERSTAG 03. MAI '07 22h
DJ VADIM
presents:
THE SOUND CATCHER SOUNDSYSTEM TOUR
featuring:
DEUCE ECLIPSE (ill west coast mc)
STEVE (on the live keys)
special guest:
YARAH BRAVO - Mistress of poetic innovation
DJ WERD
Warm-Up:
OK COBRA (Canada)
feat. Frith the Cat & RecordFace

Are You Ready For The DJ Vadim Soundsystem? Mit "Sound Catcher" veröffentlicht der Russe DJ Vadim, nach dem 2005er Release unter dem Pseudonym "One Self", sein erstes brandneues Studio-Album seit 2002! Der langjährige Ninja Tune Künstler released sein neuestes Werk auf dem in London ansässigen BBE Label (JayDee, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock u.a.) und ihm gelingt mit "Sound Catcher" ein mehr als würdiger Nachfolger, das an Innovation nur so strotzt. Mit Hilfe diverser Künstler/innen wie u.a. Zion (Zion I), Abstract Rude (Freestyle Fellowship), Skinnyman, John Ellis (Keyboarder von Cinematic Orchestra), Deuce Eclipse usw. spannt er einen weiten Bogen von HipHop über Reggae bis hinzu Funk und liefert die erste großartige Sommerplatte des noch frischen Jahres ab. Nimm eine Portion Karneval in Rio und Notting Hill, eine Portion HipHop aus Brooklyn oder LA, eine Portion Rave aus Berlin und London und eine Portion Reggae straight from Jamaica und Du kannst Dir ungefähr ausmalen, was dich auf "Sound Catcher" erwartet. Großes Kino! Hier heute live
Im BOHANNON!!!

Das Vorprogramm gestaltet das kanadische, alternative/indie Rap Duo OK Cobra aka FRITZ THA CAT (vocals) und RRECORDFACE (production).

http://www.djvadim.com
http://www.myspace.com/djayvadim
http://www.emo.dk
http://www.myspace.com/emodada
http://www.yarahbravo.com
http://www.myspace.com/yarahbravo
http://www.oywalk.com
http://www.myspace.com/deuceeclipse
http://www.myspace.com/okcobra
http://www.urbnet.com/okcobra



LIVE UND DIREKT

HIPHOP
Opener:
OK Cobra (Canada)
Feat. Frith the Cat & RecordFace
Mainact:
DJ Vadim presents the Soundcatcher (BBE)
Feat. Deuce Eclipse
Emo
Steve on the keys
+ spezial guest Yarah Bravo

DJ Gambit (Versbox)

three quotes...

over the last three days...

1. "do not attempt to play hacky-sack with a pop can. trust me. ouch. fuck." -anon.

2. "no matter how cute they are, it is just wrong to be checking out your little brother's rugby team." -the inimitable dougal martin.

3. "i really want to hook up with you and another guy..." -some drunk dude walking by the bar to some drunk girl he was walking with.

thou shall not...

and she said...

fear and loathing...

fear and loathing in jon juan's pants...

we like rice hats...!!!!!!!!!

bnuts & ftc...

did a little guest rap session at the alex p. keaton with dj bnuts last night. thanks to everyone who was there. we passed the hat to raise a little bit of extra money for germany. thanks to those who contributed. much appreciated. love...

the real divine styler...

myspace.
wikipedia.
urbnet.
discogs.
exclaim.

i'm busy as shit right now getting ready to go to europe in a few days. i doubt i'll be posting any new music until i get back. (can you wait three weeks, people?) my man darren hit me up, asking me to post divine styler's spiral walls... album on here. i was going to wait and do a whole huge post of divine styler stuff, all his albums, singles, compilation songs, guest appearances, remixes, etc., but you know, that's going to wait. for now, i figured i'd hit you with his three albums, a couple singles, and maybe when i get back from europe i'll do up a little "best of divine styler" mixtape or something... for now, this should keep you happy for a bit. oh yeah, i'm doing some shows in germany with dj vadim, and hanging out in germany for a bit, then going to prague for a bit. if you're reading this from europe, or you got any friends over there, hit me up... i'll be looking to connect with like-minded heads, and am still trying to hook up a few more shows, and have some plans in the works to do some recording with some people over there as well. stay tuned, as i'm sure to be posting a bit on here when i can. and, of course, once i get back, i'll have a zillion photos and stories to put up on here...

for my show dates in germany, check out the ok cobra myspace page.





ain't sayin' nothin'/tongue of the labyrinth 12".

word power.



spiral walls containing autums of light.



grey matter (cd single).



wordpower:2:directrix (dtx versions) (i can't find my copy of this right now...)



wordpower:2:directrix (mo' wax version).



word power instrumentals. i need this. anybody have it?

alright, i'm out, got a quick little mini-show at the alex tonight, then just a couple more days to get ready for germany...

rock the park...

toolshed review...

Toolshed
Relapse
By Thomas Quinlan

Press play and two cartoon children beckon to you with their highly polarised thoughts — their voices scratched and manipulated for hip-hop effect by DJ Dubble — before a few samples build into a dark, slamming anthem that serves as the soundtrack for the Toolshed trio of Timbuktu, Choke and Psybo to grab you by the throat and proceed to shake you around the dance floor with their in-your-face lyrical braggadocio. “Texas Rangers” is not only the perfect introduction to Relapse, it is also one of many songs (more than half, in fact) recorded at the Cabin as a sequel of sorts to their Cabin Fever album, also recorded there. Much of the album has an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, with some songs sliding into slasher smut, like the title track and “Day Like This.” Another standout track is “Wookie Boots,” a mutated crossbreeding of Darth Vader’s “Imperial March,” a bit of organ and Chewbacca’s growl with a wicked little intro from Bob & Doug Mackenzie and plenty of sci-fi fan boy rap swagger. Relapse also features a few production contributions from fellow Backburner beatsmith Fresh Kils, guest appearances from like-minded London MCs Fritz the Cat (OK Cobra) and Selfhelp (Bending Mouth), and most importantly, Psybo (who’s too often overlooked!) steps his game up immensely with a variety of flows. A dark party album, Relapse is perfect for the cottage kegger or around the bonfire. Add hallucinogens at your own risk! (Dehsloot)

ok cobra - free album download...

OK COBRA (fritz tha cat & recordface) - free album download.

watch the video too...

brazilian faith healer...

thanks for the love from wakeyourdaughterup...


Brazilian Faith Healer

Knowing Ryan Somers, I'm sure there is some hidden meaning within the blog name or maybe something totally logical. Ryan is another former Cocaine Blunts Forum alum and quite the interesting cat to say the least. He's published a book, "In Search of Divine Styler", has a group that will be touring Europe this summer and even does painting. I guess you can say he is a modern day Troubadour and Jack of All Trades. It would be unnatural if he didn't have a blog in the game as well.

Staying true to his original sense of style and life, his blog doesn't resemble anything else, which is important in my book. You might get links to other stuff, you might get a Basehead album, you might get a couple 7A3 singles from back in the day , or

you might just get some pictures. That's the beauty of the whole thing, you never know what you will get and to me, that's more important than picking up the new Papoose mixtape. The blog is definately for the eccentric in mind and people who crave originality.

raeart video...

keep on cluckin'...

played a show on sunday night at the red rooster bar in burlington with toolshed and thesis...




































































































make a pur-chase per-chance?









"i'm as old as star wars." (quote of the night from this dude, i think his name is kevin.) he also told us this messed up story that i recorded audio of. i'll post it as an mp3 soon.





you can't really see it in this photo, but choke's finger got caught in the door and he almost died.





some weirdo ceasar pasta stuff i bought on the way home at the grocery store where tom almost got arrested for pissing in the parking lot.

talking about the book...

some video clips from the divine styler book release party at the drake hotel. book discussion with myself, buck 65, mindbender, and girl 69.

video 1.
video 2.
video 3.
video 4.
video 5.

i'm an uncle again...

her name is sydney. she's the one i met in my dream last summer. welcome to the world!

black actors...

darryn and ryan's art show reception...

awake while it is happening...

Boring insights from the road...

This tour has been unusually easy on me. Hotels everywhere, days off. Internet access on the bus. Touring the states is definately easier on the american soul than anywhere else in the world...obviously. Also touring sober is easier on the body, and not smoking. I wake up everyday and instead of looking forward to the next drink that'll superficially repair the damage of the prior night, I look forward to the whole entire day. It's incredible. Never thought it could like this....Boring and I'm really at peace with it being that way. If you take sex and drugs out of the equation of Rock and Roll you get everything you ever wanted from the dream simply because you are awake while it is happening. -Imani Coppola

quoteo of the night...

i always say "quote of the day" when people say something either awesome, bizarre, random, funny, or brilliant... so, i've decided, i'm going to start sharing these with you. tonight's quote of the day...

h: he loves me.
f: who?
h: whatever his name is...

syndicate fool...

the rhyme syndicate.

THE RHYME SYNDICATE WAS FORM IN 1987 BY EMCEE/ACTOR ICE-T. HIS MISSION WAS TO BRING TOGETHER SOME EAST & WEST COAST EMCEE'S, DJ'S & MUSIC PRODUCERS. ICE & DJ AFRIKA ISLAM PUT TOGETHER AN INCREDIBLE TEAM OF ARTIST THAT MADE THEIR DENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. THE RHYME SYNDICATE COMIN' THROUGH ALBUM 1988 WAS THE FIRST INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD IT WOULD SHOWCASE THE RHYME SKILLS OF EVERLAST, DONALD-D, W.C., NAT THE CAT, BRONX STYLE BOB, TIM STORY AKA TASTE, TODDY TEE, HEN-G & EVIL-E, KID JAZZ, BANGO, MC KRUSH & DJ SKILLS FROM DJ ALADDIN & DJ CHILLY D. LATER ON OTHER ARTIST SUCH AS DIVINE STYLER, MC TROUBLE, HIJACK, KIN SUN, ULTRA MAGNECTIC MC'S, THE NILE KINGS, RANDY MAC, LORD FINESSE, MONIE LOVE, F.B.I. CREW(VEGAS) AND MANY OTHERS WOULD BE ADDED TO THE SYNDICATE. AFRIKA ISLAM WAS THE HEAD MUSIC PRODUCER & HE WOULD GO ON TO PRODUCE MANY HITS: COLORS, I'M YOUR PUSHER MAN, F.B.I & HIGH ROLLERS. MANY OF THE ARTIST WOULD RECORD SOLO ALBUMS WITHIN THE SYNDICATE: DONALD-D (NOTORIOUS 1989 & LET THE HORNS BLOW 1992) DIVINE STYLER (WORD POWER 1989) EVERLAST (FOREVER EVERLASTING 1990) BRONX STLYE BOB (GRAMMA'S GHOST 1992) HEN GEE & EVIL-E (BROTHERS 1991) HIJACK ( HORNS OF JERICHO 1991). AS THE RHYME SYNDICATE GREW THE PRODUCTION TEAM GOT BIGGER WITH HOT BEATS COMIN FROM DJ ALADDIN, SLJ AKA SHAFIQ FROM THE GROUP SA-RA, DONALD-D, BILAL BISHIR, TRE KAN, JOHNNY RIVERS, AND RHYME POETIC MAFIA. THE RHYME SYNDICATE BEHIND THE SCENE TEAM THAT CONSISTED OF JORGE HINOJOSA, CHARLIE JAM, TROY STATON, AL PATROME, SEAN E SEAN, MICKEY BENTSON, SEAN E MAC, INKK, MELLO, GORDY B & RODNEY L MADE IT ALL MOVE. THE RHYME SYNDICATE MEMBERS ARE WELL KNOWN WORLDWIDE, & THE FANS ARE SENDING IN EMAILS ASKING FOR A REUNION ALBUM & TOUR. LET'S SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.

divine styler book release party photos...

still no fuss...

red 1 feat. barrington levy
"no fuss."
produced by dj kemo.

download.
download kemo's dancehall remix.
watch the video on youtube.
red 1 on myspace.
dj kemo on myspace.

shake dat neck...

download moka's new single, "shake dat neck," here.

you're welcome.

aladdin's on a rampage...

dj aladdin.

"What's up, I'm Dj Aladdin a Hustla from Compton's Finest. An adventurous Icon that specializes in entertaining beautiful women. I Love all races of women, horny white girls, freaky Latina women and sexually active black Ebony (black) girls. Get at me!!!!"

dj aladdin on myspace.
dj aladdin on discogs.
dj aladdin's "behind the scenes" youtube reality show.

here's what i know about dj aladdin... in the late 80s/early 90s he made a name for himself, while still a teenager, as a battle dj. if i'm not mistaken, he won a few new music seminar battles (i remember seeing dope live footage of him doing this awesome behind-the-back-pause technique on muchmusic back in the day. i recorded it, and if i ever find the tape, i'll post it to youtube quickfast...). with two emcees, wc and mc zero, he formed a group called low profile, and dropped a song on ice-t's rhyme syndicate comin' through album. zero left the group to go to art school, so wc and aladdin continued on as low profile, dropping the wicked album we're in this together on priority records. after that, they broke up. wc went on to form wc & the maad circle (working with ice cube, sir jinx, and the lench mob) with his little brother dj crazy toones, and his former low pro hypeman coolio (yes, that coolio), and then, of course formed the westside connection with ice cube and mack 10, while also dropping a few less-than-amazing solo albums, some of which had some pretty good moments. aladdin stayed tight with the rhyme syndicate, producing on ice-t's o.g. original gangster and home invasion albums, while also doing a few of his own projects. i've got two twelve inches of his. one, a solo slice called "masterplan," from 1993, and the other, introducing a group called "the paperchaser$," from i-don't-know-when-as-there-is-no-date-on-it-but-i'm-guessing-mid-to-late-90s. i also remember seeing a magazine ad in 4080 magazine for a dj aladdin album under the name "pimpadelic," if my memory is correct, but i've never been able to find this album, so i don't know if it ever came out, or if it was any good or not...






aladdin - masterplan
1993 players convention records

i'm not sure where i found this one. probably in a dollar bin somewhere. i'm not sure who's rapping on this. it doesn't mention any other names on the cover, so i'm thinking it might be aladdin himself... "masterplan" is a pretty forgetful song, but the b-side, "player's convention," is a little more entertaining, a fast-paced storytelling song about hitting the convention and - of course - winning first prize. overall, it's not the best single in the world (especially for 1993, it sounds a bit dated) but, for a syndicate fan like me, it's one i'm happy to have in my collection, and one i'm happy to share with you...

ammo side:

1. masterplan - hustla version
2. masterplan - hustlamental

dump side:

1. masterplan - playa version
2. masterplan - playamental
3. players convention

produced by aladdin / alley cat for ammo dump productions

all songs recorded & mixed at: ammo dump studios
mixed & engineered by: aladdin & fred for ammo dump productions
mastered by: tom baker at future disk
published by ammo dump music (ascap)/wb music corp.
all songs written & arranged by aladdin for ammo dump productions
bass player: charlie mack for unmistakable productions
management: rhyme syndicate management
cover design: see !
photography by: salomon

manufactured & distributed by players convention records

(p) & (c) 1993 players convention records




dj aladdin presents the paperchaser$
from the lp "street scholars"
flip it records

i can't remember where or when i found this one either, but, of course, i bought it as soon as i saw it, sound unheard... i'm not sure who the emcees are on these tracks, or if the album street scholars ever came out or not. the first track is kind of whatever. the second track, though, will get in your head for a while. a real laid back beat with mellow guitar licks, and a sung chorus: "hatas, hatas, hataaaaaasssss... for you, i do the things i do (you want me to fall, that's why i'm gon' ball)" and some "oooh oooh oooh" business in the background. the emcees maybe aren't the greatest, but you'll be walking around singing the hook all day. as for the third track, well, yeah, really, the second one is the only one you're going to want to hear on here....

side a
1. paperchasin (clean street mix)
2. hatas (clean street mix)
3. cash before pleasure (clean street mix)

publishing by still flipin music/ascap, ammo dump music/ascap
executive producer: dj aladdin
co-execturive producer: dorrell walker
to order: djaladdin.com
produced by dj aladdin for ammo dump productions

side b
1. paperchasin (instrumental)
2. hatas (instrumental)
3. cash before pleasure (instrumental)




low profile - think you can hang (from the rhyme syndicate comin' through album)


low profile - we're in this together

some video clips of aladdin, doing his battle dj thing, back in the day...

dj aladdin throwback.
dj aladdin - dmc 1989 us finals routine.
dj aladdin - dmc 1989 la.

classic material...

dj hullewud - classic material volume one

1. intro
2. ta la rock - lyrical king (from the boogie down bronx)
3. just ice - going way back
4. audio two - top billin'
5. ll cool j - i can't live without my radio
6. joeski love - pee-wee's dance
7. beastie boys - paul revere
8. 3rd bass - steppin' to the am
9. epmd - so whatcha sayin'
10. stezo - it's my turn
11. steady b - let the hustlers play
12. schoolly d - saturday night
13. eric b. & rakim - i ain't no joke
14. nice & smooth - early to rise
15. mc shan - the bridge
16. boogie down productions - the bridge is over
17. biz markie - pickin' boogers
18. slick rick - lick the balls
19. dana dane - cinderfella dana dane
20. special ed - i got it made
21. style - what a brother know
22. chuck rock feat. hitman howie tee - rock-n-roll dude (not on here, sorry!)
23. black, rock & ron - getting large
24. heavy d. & the boyz - mr. big stuff
25. cash money & marvelous - ugly people be quiet
26. busy bee vs. kool moe dee (harlem 1981)

check out www.myspace.com/djhullewud

no fuss...

book review in eye weekly...

Books
By Dave Morris

Back in the day
It's hard to imagine a pop-cultural form more driven by nostalgia than hip-hop. From the basic, unavoidable fact of sampling's origins in forgotten records to the reminiscing that pervades the most influential MCs' catalogues – even Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready To Die opened with “Things Done Changed” (“Drinkin' brews with the neighborhood crews, hangin' on the avenues / Turn your pages to 1993, niggaz be getting' smoked, G – believe me”). It makes sense that the zine that put Canadian underground hip-hop on the map was named after a long-lost MC, because hip-hoppers have always created an idealized past, some fantastic amalgam of '50s and '80s aspirationalism where strangers embraced each other warmly in the streets, crime was non-existent and MCs could actually rhyme. You know, back in the day.

In Search of... Divine Styler (Mudscout, 167 pages, $16) is a beefed-up collection of the zine of the same name that Ryan Somers (a.k.a. Fritz Tha Cat) self-published between '96 and '99. He originally started the zine as a tribute to an obscure West Coast rapper whose two cult albums epitomized a certain strain of early '90s hip-hop psychedelia. Somers – at the time a welfare-collecting student in London, Ontario – appointed Styler figurehead of an imaginary hip-hop movement, one that had never become commercial and cartoonishly gangsterized. It's not exactly a plot spoiler to reveal that Somers finds Divine Styler, but the real discovery in the book is the fact that there was a scene for him to unite. Not only were there MCs like Aceyalone and the SoleSides crew (DJ Shadow, Blackalicious and more) Somers discovered Canadian MCs such as Moka Only, the Sebutones (Sixtoo and Buck 65) and Mindbender, all of whom were independently pursuing their weird visions, often in isolation. By writing about people like himself, who were already romanticizing hip-hop's recent past, Somers created connections within Canada's underground hip-hop community. Which, really, is what hip-hop has always done: sample history to create a new version of the present.

All of that doesn't make the book any more readable – if you do want to find out what Def Jux star Murs was doing back when he was in Living Legends, Druncnes Monster's interview with the loose collective isn't going to help. Interview subjects ramble about their thoughts on the astral plane and their label woes, and in some places the type is tiny and indecipherable. In Search Of... is sometimes like hanging with a very stoned crew – if you're not passionately invested in figuring it out, this book can be impenetrable.

But passion is what this is all about. For every nine readers who ditch In Search Of... because of its insularity, the 10th will be intrigued by it enough to chase down that Company Flow 12-inch. Somers went on to write a hip-hop column for Vice and make his own music, while the zine's community coalesced around In Divine Style, a now-defunct Toronto club night named in its honour. What made In Search Of... great wasn't the zine itself, but the fact that it spoke to a bunch of hip-hop heads who were never going to be catered to by any mainstream mag. (The last issue featured a rundown of the other hip-hop magazines on newsstands, poignantly illustrating the niche only In Search Of... filled.) There might only have been enough cash and willpower to make a handful of issues, but putting it out in the world created more energy than it used up.

And if ya don't know, now you know.

IN SEARCH OF DIVINE STYLER: BOOK LAUNCH. APRIL 7. BOOK TALK 8PM; PARTY 11PM. THE DRAKE HOTEL (UNDERGROUND), 1150 QUEEN W.

the book release party in toronto was awesome. such a great time. i've got photos and some video, i'll post them up as soon as i have a few moments to spare. busy, busy, busy, lots going on, lots to tell you about soon...

thank you all for everything,
ryan

darryn and ryan's art show...

listen to my drummer...

the 7a3. other than their song "mad mad world" from the colors soundtrack, you've probably never heard of these guys. neither had i when i bought their album on a whim back in the day. i think it might have been the first CD i ever owned - before that i was buying cassettes.

originally from brooklyn, brothers sean b. and brett b. landed out in cali, hooked up with dj mixmaster muggs, and formed the 7a3. a few singles, one pretty damn good album, and they pretty much disappeared...

well, two of them did. muggs, of course, went on to fame as the producer/dj for cypress hill and the soul assasins crew (house of pain, funkdoobiest, whooliganz, etc.) not sure what happened to the other dudes...

anway, here are two of their 12 inches...

(click here to download them both.)





the 7a3 - party time!

party side
party time! (city mix)*
party time! (beach mix)
party time! (instrumental mix)*

produced by johnny rivers and vendetta
co-produced by brad bailey and pat regan
*remixed by joe "the butcher" at studio 4 in philadelphia

reality side
why?
why? (instrumental mix)
produced by johnny rivers and linda never
engineered by brad bailey and pat regan
mixed by brad bailey, pat regan and vendetta

executive producers: jeff fenster and mio vukovic
photography: glen e. friedman
legal knowledge: jeffrey light

in the city of angels, lots of killing jumping off
gangs of two colors will suffer the loss
mothers are crying, young brothers are dying
over red and blue rags that the stores are supplying
why?????????

1988 geffen records





the 7a3 - drums of steel

side one
drums of steel (12" mix)*
drums of steel (radio edit)*
drums of steel (bonus beats)*

side two
a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do (radio version)
drums of steel (instrumental)

produced by joe "the butcher" nicolo
*remixed by joe "the butcher" nicolo
executive producers: jeff fenster & mio vukovic

original versions available on the geffen album coolin' in cali
available on lp, cassette & compact disc

photography: nechelle wong
pastel by joan van der sloan

1989 geffen records



i'll put the album up here eventually. it's pretty dope. some mild-mannered party rap, mostly, but not too cornball.

also, i'm looking for this...

find out what's going on in toronto...

at beats dot tee oh...