Apart from allowing me to waffle on, the main purpose of Beats & Pieces is to promote new and emerging music. When a couple of friends fill that criteria, then the importance elevates. Comprising of the bass heavy beats of Gatekeeper, the potent and thought-provoking lyricism of Grilza and Rider Shafique, perfectly balanced by the soulful musings of Sophie G; Vision Overground are a collective with a future that's looking bright enough to rival Orange.
Without sounding biased or cheesy, I'm genuinely excited to hear this project in its entirety. I've always been a fan of the joint material 'Keeper and Grilza have done (conincidently they've dropped a free EP which can be downloaded here - http://www.mediafire.com/?c7lzbifhca3kena) but with the new set-up, to me the music has evolved towards a fresh, perhaps more rounded and complete, direction.
So it's not normally the kind of thing I'd post on here but I'm currently in the middle of a work placement with Venue magazine - hence the temporary blackout. Anyways, I'm rather proud about this so check out my interview with Terry Alderton below - its an honest, funny and pretty deep and reflective piece. He's on tour now so if you get the chance, make sure you go and see him...
"Listen to the voices in your head: the goalie-turned-comedian Terry Alderton talks to Mike Pattemore.
Around the time I was leaving school, I was playing football with Southend United.Eventually, it turned out that I wasn’t ‘good enough’.I’d like to say I had a bad injury but I didn’t, I was just crap!I was a goalkeeper so perhaps it was a logical transition to put myself on the spot again.I could do impressions so that was my first port of call in comedy.Learning the funnier side of impersonating someone gave me the confidence in the power of stand up.
My show’s all over the place but there is a method to the madness.I’m doing my new show from Edinburgh but I don’t stay still so I’ve got new stuff that I’m bringing in already which will then become the basis for next year.I’m excited for the new stuff - the older stuff I don’t really worry about anymore; it’s a matter of shaping and shifting, thinking “that old stuff would work better like that now”.It’s a lot of working on the spot; me going off on into my own head.I don’t like to title the shows. Some people say it’s stupid because people don’t know if they’ve already seen it but my theory is you’re never going to see the same show twice.
I’m so excited about what I’m doing at the moment because I’m doing something different.Whether you like it or hate it, no-one can ever deny that I’m trying to do something different.Whatever happens, perhaps in 100 years’ time, if someone goes on stage and turns around and starts talking to their inner demons, people will be like “that was done 100 years ago by another comedian”.I know it seems pretty simple what I’m doing, ‘talking to the voices’, but it’s given me the confidence to take the extremities in what I’m doing and be more diverse and take it to another place.
The voices in my head are a wonderful thing to have.They give me this huge safety net which in turn gives me the power to be able to go off into whatever I want, because the comedy is then in me defending myself or making it worse.I’m doing it in two different voices but it’s still essentially me fucking myself up.If you look at the science of what I’m doing, it’s twisted and wrong; it’s completely mental.However, it’s becoming less of a defence and more and more of a thing they already know about.I used to start my acts with the whole “You can’t please all of the people all of the time…” thing, I had to always say that.It got a laugh and the audience understood that it was heading off towards this weird place whereas now, I’ve built that confidence up where I can just nonchalantly go straight into it because this is what I do. You either fall into it or you don’t.
I know there’s a danger to what I’m doing.The trust from the audience is very important to me. I’m willing to go 5 or 10 minutes without anything because I’m building it to go somewhere and it’ll be a whole explosion of stuff that’s all being called back at once. There’s other stuff I do that’s risky, politically incorrect, that calls back later on in the show.I make light of the incorrectness of political correctness; “Was it right, was it wrong?...Who gives a fuck!”I’ve had people walk out early, leaving me on stage thinking “wait 20 minutes and it’ll all make sense”.It’s proving the point that people sometimes take too much on face value, hear what they want to hear and are too quick to say “That’s wrong” , when I’ve not even got to the pointI’m trying to make.
I listened to Steve Martin’s autobiography last year and it changed everything.I was fairly sure I was heading where I wanted to be but then listened to that and thought, “That’s it!”There’s a sequence in there that made me realise I was doing the right thing; to push it to that extreme and do what I wanted.It’s a real hard lesson to learn in comedy; do what you think is funny and do something different and create some sort of art.
Don’t pander to the masses.I did that for so long because I was being ‘professional’.There’s no point in playing it safe. I remember seeing Julian Barratt die on his arse once at Jongleurs and all the comics were stood around like “what is he doing?” Yet I was there thinking ‘This is brilliant.I wish I was doing this shit!’ When you’re a comic and you hit success, when you know people buy into your thing, it’s very hard to take it another way.It’s easy to get caught in that and if all you’re after is making money then fair play.I’ve tried to make sure my act is constantly changing so that someone who hated me last year might love me this year - and vice versa. If I ever get to a point where I think I’ve become a product or ‘sell out’, I hope that I’d have the foresight to say “This is over”.
I don’t think I have to live up to anything.None of it matters.I know that sounds really bad but I’ve learnt in my life (and it took me a long time to get to this point) it doesn’t really matter.My wife telling me she loves me; that’s just amazing.Saying goodnight and I love you to my son and he quietly whispers back “I love you too daddy” – nothing in my life will top my little boy saying that to me.Let’s not forget I’m a business and I want the masses of people to come and see me and enjoy themselves but in the grander scheme of things, comedy’s just an enjoyable pastime that I’m lucky enough to earn a living out of.
My friend made a point to me the other day.He said the more people slag you off, the bigger you’ll become.It’s a great way to gauge your success; the nastier people are towards you, the better you’re becoming! You’ll get comics that go online and torture themselves over the stuff that people have written about them.Everyone’s entitled to an opinion; the thing to remember is that someone saying you’re shit isn’t a problem.I had someone once Tweet “You’re so unfunny, I hope your mum dies of cancer”.You’ve got to laugh at that!It’s brilliant that they’ve gone out of their way to do that and regardless of whether they think you’re a prick or an arsehole, they don’t know you.As long as you’re true to yourself and your own integrity, you’re never going to have a problem in life.
I’d really be interested in doing Strictly Come Dancing. I can body-pop and do a bit of robotics but generally, I can’t dance at all.I’m not one for mainstream stuff but I really got into Strictly.It’s the fact you get these people that have two left feet but by the end are brilliant dancers.I’d be up for that challenge.As for Let’s Dance for Sport Relief, that’s purely for entertainment.I don’t know if we’ll be on the same show but imagine me and Omid Djalili dancing together; that would be hilarious!
Catch Terry Alderton at Komedia Bath on Thurs 2nd February and Comedy Box at The Hen and Chicken on Fri 30th and Sat 31st March. See www.komedia.co.uk/bath and www.thecomedybox.co.uk for details. Let’s Dance for Sport Relief will be on BBC 1 in February and March, dates TBC as we go to press. Ffi: www.sportrelief.com"
It seems momentum is gradually building with the last few links in the Rappertag chain. This time round it's Frenglish Connexion's DunNdee. Over a Dilla beat, DunNdee's French accent creeps through his strong verbals and his choice of tag definitely has me anticipating the next video...
It's just under 2 weeks until the arrival of Maverick Sabre's highly anticipated debut album, "Lonely Are The Brave". In order to bridge the gap, Mav's got a new video for "No One", the next single to be released from the LP. It's a slightly different vibe to previous material but remains as soulful as ever, merely adding another string to Maverick Sabre's already talented bow. Due out 6th February, "Lonely Are The Brave" is available to pre-order now on iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/lonely-are-the-brave/id486932925
After getting it trending on Twitter in less than 5 minutes, Ed Sheeran's offered up the first track from his upcoming "Slumdon Bridge EP". Consisting of 4 tracks due to be released over the next month, its a collaborative effort with Eminem's latest protege Yelawolf. The opening instalment, entitled "You Don't Know (For F**k's Sake)", its a pretty smooth beat blending Sheeran's crooning vocals with Yelawolf's raw and energetic delivery. Download the track for free from http://hulkshare.com/5w6269y3edcm and keep your eyes and ears peeled for the remaining tracks.
Back with another free download, the hugely underrated Genesis Elijah has blessed us with his latest project, the "Painkillers & Pilkington" EP. Produced entirely by Pastor Dutchie and featuring his spin on James Blake's "Falling" alongside the Ricky Gervais sampling and personally approved "My Truth"(Elijah's one of only 33 people Gervais follows on Twitter), its a laid back affair whilst maintaining the hard-hitting lyricism we've come to expect from Genesis. Make sure you head to http://www.mediafire.com/?74e801r49o4uusq and download "Painkillers & Pilkington"; you'd be an idiot not to!
You can't knock Wiley's work rate. Despite having a penchant for touring and being a little selective as to how long he performs for or whether or not to actually turn up, a little over six months since releasing “100% Publishing” and its swift successor “Chill Out Zone”, the widely acknowledged ‘Godfather of Grime’ is back with his 8th studio album, “Evolve Or Be Extinct”.
Weighing in at a fairly hefty 22 tracks, this latest offering takes the listener deep inside the complex mind-set of Richard Cowie; the same man that due to creative differences with label executives, gave away through Twitter almost 200 unreleased tracks, including those lined up to form the ill-fated “The Elusive” LP. Perhaps it’s this sort of behaviour that Wiley is referring to when he declares that that he’s a “Weirdo” (although on the track, he’s quick to add that “he’s not bi-polar”).
Commercially, this may become one of Wiley’s most viable releases to date. The lead single “Boom Blast” has distinct echoes of his biggest mainstream success “Wearing My Rolex” and similarly, the simplistic, instructive chorus of “I’m Skanking” (“1,2,3,4, I’m Skanking”) has club-ready stamped all over it.
Cracking the mainstream always runs the risk of alienating a core fan base in order to please those that want the cleaner sound, which in the eyes of a loyal following, heads towards the musical taboo of ‘selling out’. Being potentially the biggest name in the scene, it was inevitable that a substantial portion of the album is built upon the sound that Wiley pioneered. The opener “Welcome To Zion”, alongside the title track, carry the trademark Eski sound that is quintessentially synonymous with Wiley and Grime, a fact to which he alludes on “This Is Just An Album” when he brazenly states “…I’m better when I’m spitting on Grime/ So I should, I swear this genre’s mine”.
“Evolve Or Be Extinct” finds Wiley in a state of musical tranquillity that hasn’t apparently been experienced for some time. Gone are label conflicts of past that have controlled his output and his creative freedom, resulting in a sonically diverse LP from an equally eccentric individual. A cacophony of dark bass lines, quirky electronic tones, twinges of Caribbean heritage and ultimately, humorous, honest and all the while infectious wordplay; in “Evolve Or Be Extinct”, Wiley has created a body of work that may finally elevate him to those much desired higher plains of mainstream appreciation.
After being tagged in by his regular collaborator Blak Twang, K9 delivers some hard hitting verbals in the UK's latest instalment of the Rappertag series. You know the deal; check the vid to see who the next "tagee" will be.
I've always rated Faith SFX but it wasn't until he dropped his "Man Or Machine" LP that I really acknowledged how talented an individual he truly is. Without a doubt, as a beatboxer, he's one of the finest around but his singing abilities add a whole new direction to his sound, perfectly encapsulated in "Swim Good". Featuring Black The Ripper, its a medley of Frank Ocean's track of the same title, alongside beats made famous by Dr. Dre & Nas. The fact that everything audible is from the mouth just goes to show how creative Faith SFX has become.
Poisonous Poet Reveal is back with his latest track, "West London". Taken from his forthcoming "7 Shades EP" (which is due out early February), it's a lyrically hard-hitting homage to his hometown. Keep it locked for more tracks and release info on the EP as and when they surface.
Either he's got far too much time on his hand or simply a die hard Eastenders fan but I've got to shout out Jester Jacobs; this is brilliant! Think a modern day "Candle In The Wind"! Check the track below (nearly 8 minutes long - he's done his research) and if you really want to, you can download it from here http://jesterjacobs.bandcamp.com/track/pat-butcher-rip-2. Check out his discography for some of his more genuine projects!
Kicking off with the first F64 of the new year, Akala once again graces SB.TV's franchise. Lyrics and delivery are as immaculate as always and its nice to see something with a little context rather than the standard braggadocio.
Taken from his impending "Play To Win Vol.3" mixtape, Savvy's back with his latest track "Don't Look Down". Featuring Gen Uchiha and visuals from Paul Cockcroft, its a blend of simple but effective production and potent lyricism from the duo. The video's pretty clever too; I'm feeling the random definitions throughout. Check it out below and head to http://www.saving-grace.co.uk for more info on the upcoming project.
The fifth set of visuals to be taken from the brilliant "Nature's Greatest Mystery", The Four Owls team up with High-Focus stablemate Jam Baxter for the mellow and reflective "Life In The Balance". Not exactly the stereotypical Hip Hop music video but in retrospect, when have these guys ever followed suit?
I'll keep this brief as I've already posted twice about the track. Mystro's finally dropped the visuals for his track and it turns out they've been worth the wait. Enjoy...
Received an e-mail earlier today from the Hip Hop/Blues/Rock & Roll/Grime/genre mashing collective more commonly known as Kings Of The City to draw my attention to the release of their latest EP, "No Rules To The Game". Weighing in at 7 tracks, it's refreshing to listen to something that's actually musical; the variety of live instrumentation and vocal delivery combine perfectly to carve an alternative and somewhat unique niche that KOTC use to great effect.
In addition to this, they also dropped their "Covers EP" at the tail end of 2011. Featuring their own twist on tracks by the likes of Pro Green, Maverick Sabre, The White Stripes, Bruce Springsteen; its an eclectic listen and showcases the wide range of musical tastes and influences upon the group.
Both of these projects are available free of charge (alongside older material) so if you like what you've heard, make sure you head over to http://kingsofthecity.bandcamp.com/ and indulge in some quality musical offerings.
So momentum might be slowing with the whole UK edition of Rappertag but Tony Rotton's finally blessed us with his link in the chain. The pioneer drops some serious verbals and stands out as one of the best so far. Peep the vid below to see who he tags in...
Badhabitz & 1 Step, collectively the tag team known as the Krate Krusaders, return with their new LP, "Krate Krusaders Volume 2...When The Needle Drops". Featuring the likes of Jack Flash, Fliptrix, Ramsom Badbonez, Dr. Syntax, Wordsmith and Sonnyjim to name but a few, its a compilation of head-nodding beats and versatile vocals from some of the biggest names in the UK scene alongside some international accomplices. It's a snip at a fiver so get have a listen below and unless you've got some hearing problems, follow up by heading over to http://kratekrusaders.bandcamp.com/ and bag yourself a copy.
Still no visuals as of yet but seeing as Mystro's offered his rap up of 2011 for free, I thought I'd share it with you for your listening pleasure. Props to Black Einstein as well for the beat once again. MysDiggi has his "What Type Of Drug Is Mystrogen" EP waiting in the wings expect to see that up on here once it arrives...
With it's release at the end of the month (30th January) rapidly approaching, Jack Flash & Wizard have dropped a little teaser to give us a glimpse of what can be expected from "Progression". Featuring the likes of Genesis Elijah, Stig Of The Dump, Lunar C, Tyler Daley and Flash's Extra Curricular cohort Thabo, it's got some stellar guest spots and from the snippets, it's sounding pretty special! The duo have dropped videos for "Steamrolling", "Call It" and the genius "Four Letter F Word" so make sure you check those out in full, otherwise enjoy the samples below and patiently wait for what's sounding like a perfect bookmark and starting point for a very promising year of music. Keep it locked for download details as and when I get them...
So to mark the conclusion of an epic year of music, I thought I'd round up a selection of personal stand-outs. A blend of sounds, they're in no particular order so without further ado...
HOMEGROWN HITS
The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family - Jehst
2011 saw Billy Brimstone return with his first solo outing in several years. Featuring production from the likes of Beat Butcha, LG, Chemo, Jon Phonics and Mr. Thing, alongside a promotional stint as a postman, Jehst well and truly delivered with his long awaited LP and affirmed that despite the absence, he's still one of the finest. Download "The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family" from iTunes -http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-dragon-ordinary-family/id474688782
I Ain't Even Charging Bruv - Genesis Elijah
Free downloads often tend to be offloads of surplus material or re-hashes of tracks on heavy rotation. Always one to speak up and go against the grain, coupled with tight production throughout, Genesis' EP showcases his lyrical dexterity and tracks like the superb "The King's Speech" leave me more than comfortable with parting with cash if necessary. Download from here - http://www.mediafire.com/?c6fff97bxacd5t5. Don't forget, he ain't even charging bruv!
The Little White Dot - Skriblah DanGogh
Perhaps somewhat eclipsed by the solo progression of his once Terra Firma cohorts Klashnekoff and Kyza, Skriblah confidently stepped forward with his debut solo LP. Energetic and raw, "TLWD" proved that DanGogh is more than capable of holding is own and delivered a more rounded and complete effort than the last two projects from his TF peers. Get "The Little White Dot" from iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-little-white-dot/id464176029
True Talk - Logic & Last Resort
A potent combination, Logic & Last Resort left it until the penultimate week of 2011 to grace us with their LP. A blend of heavy production and conscious lyricism with features from a stellar line-up that included Lowkey, Klashnekoff, Maverick Sabre, Mighty Moe, Remus and Akala, it was a perfect climax to the musical calender. Get "True Talk" from iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/true-talk/id477185861
Soundtrack To The Struggle - Lowkey
Probably the most anticpated album of 2011 (and originally 2010), Lowkey finally dropped his second studio LP. Ever the outspoken activist, it was packed to the brim with politics and became a little heavy in places. Despite this, it still confirmed Lowkey's place on the lyrical hiearachy and undeniably educated audiences at the same time with his thought provoking prose and subject matter. Download "Soundtrack To The Struggle" now - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/soundtrack-to-struggle.../id460445624
Nature's Greatest Mystery - The Four Owls
So if you've been frequenting Beats & Pieces in the last month or so, you're probably a fully aware of how much I've been bumpin' this album since it's release. High Focus' ornithologically minded MCs, Fliptrix, Verb T, BVA & Leaf Dog, donned bird related monikers and combined to become The Four Owls. A mixture of witty, quotable verbals and no doubt 'herb infused' production crafted one of the finest albums of the year. Get your wings on it here - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/natures-greatest-mystery/id479945454
The Dark Side Of The Boom - Prose
Steady & Efeks turned to the dark side in search of inspiration for the follow up to their first LP, "Force Of Habits". The resulting album was still a nod to their boom-bap roots but carried a lo-fi and more organic atmosphere to their initial release. Hip Hop at it's rawest. Go check it - http://boombap.bandcamp.com/album/prose-steady-efeks-the-dark-side-of-the-boom-lp
Speaks Volumes - The IRS
August saw The IRS (Ed Strong, King Kaiow & Superb) drop their overdue second LP. Featuring production from Pete Cannon & Wizard and guest spots from Rewd Adams and Stig Of The Dump, the trio's second outing is full of humour-laced lyrics over a host of heavy production. Download "Speaks Volumes" from their Bandcamp page - http://theirs.bandcamp.com/album/speaks-volumes
IT CAME FROM ACROSS THE POND
undun - The Roots
One of the best collectives around dropped one of their finest albums of the last few years. Slightly more laid back than previous releases but as soulful as ever, ?uestlove's percussion and Black Thought's powerful poetry drive the group's beautifully crafted concept album based around the struggles of the semi-fictional Redford Stevens. Their 13th studio release, check for longevity in the dictionary you're bound to find The Roots as a definition. Download "undun" from iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/undun/id478275028
Watch The Throne - Jay Z & Kanye West
Arguably two of the biggest names came together to drop what should have been an instant classic. Whilst many are declaring this their album of 2011, I'm still undecided. Tracks like the infectious "Otis", "Niggas In Paris", "New Day" and the Frank Ocean assisted "No Church In The Wild" show the musical prowess Jay & Kanye possess but personally I find the whole project a little awkward. Jay Z is by far the lyrically superior of the duo, evident throughout, whilst the album's soundscape oozes West's eccentricity from start to finish. Make up you're own mind - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/watch-the-throne/id455274048
Cats & Dogs - Evidence
One third of Dilated Peoples, Evidence, dropped what I feel was his best solo LP to date. A laid-back, tightly produced listen from the open to close, Ev is at his lyrical peak, culminating in every MC's dream collaboration, the DJ Premier produced "You". Guest spots from the likes of Raekwon, Lil' Fame, Prodigy and DP cohort Rakaa merely add the glossy finish to a strong release. Get "Cats & Dogs" now - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cats-dogs/id462952476
Charity Starts At Home - Phonte/ Dirty Pretty Things - Rapper Big Pooh
Formerly two thirds of Little Brother, 2011 saw solo releases from both Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh. Whilst both have delivered brilliant albums in their own right, they both carry the same elements that LB built upon; reflective, insightful and honest lyrics that are genuinely heartfelt and create relatable, soulful music for your listening pleasure. Download "Charity Starts At Home" here - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/charity-starts-at-home/id463921756 and "Dirty Pretty Things" from here - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-pretty-things-deluxe/id472879530
K.A's kicking off 2012 with the second instalment of his "Jack Bauer" mixtapes. Weighing in at 14 tracks and featuring all new material, including collaborations with Giggs and re-workings of tracks from the likes of Labrinth and Common, "Jack Bauer 2.4" is a stark reminder that Kano is still one of the scene's prominent voices. Listen to and download the mixtape for free below. Happy New Year!
