Failed Stones Throw Shirt Designs

Posted on October 24, 2013 by waxramble

stones throw shirt design

Earlier this year Stones Throw had a t-shirt design contest that I entered. I’m not all that great at artistic things, but I was pretty proud of the ST logos I came up with (“Rocky & Smooth Stones Throw”). I wasn’t really too big on the winner’s design, but there were some other cool shirts that were produced so it wasn’t a total loss. Definitely worth checking out some of the hundreds of other designs that were entered in the contest, there’s a lot of great work that would have been awesome on a t-shirt!

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Poolside

Posted on October 17, 2013 by waxramble

While finishing Grand Theft Auto V’s single player last weekend one of the final songs on the radio playing happened to be Poolside’s Do You Believe. While listening to the track I could have sworn I heard this before but couldn’t remember where. Looked around in my old iTunes library and found that I had their whole album Pacific Standard Time. After listening to this project again, I have no idea why it fell off my radar. Fantastic electronic music you can chill out with, perfect for driving by Vespucci Beach! I had originally heard of the record through their single Slow Down which is featured above, think I might have seen this video back when I was on Plug.dj.

If you’re digging these tracks I’d recommend picking up the digital or CD release for $5. They also have it on colored vinyl which I purchased the other night, very cool colors they picked for this which can be seen below:

poolside color vinyl

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MadDILLAiny – J Dilla vs Madvillainy

Posted on October 15, 2013 by waxramble

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/112051599″ params=”color=848484&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=’200′ iframe=”true” /]

Download

Fantastic remix tape sent my way by DJ Skarface. Skarface’s description on Soundcloud sums it up nicely – I took one of the greatest albums ever, Madvillainy, and mixed it over the beats of one of the greatest producers ever, J Dilla. This is the result. Really digging this project, all of the beats match up perfectly with the accapellas and the transitions are very smooth. Especially digging the combination of Eye & Wild, can’t say I’d imagine these working together before listening but Skarface has shown that it’s a dope combination.

Another thing to note after listening is how clear the accapellas sound. There have never been any official accapellas released by Stones Throw, so the ones made by DJ Skarface for this project are another impressive aspect of the remix. I know a lot of producers out there would kill for these, would be awesome if they were shared later on so that more great remixes could be made by others.

MadDILLAiny is definitely worth a listen if you’re a fan of Madlib/MF DOOM/J Dilla! Download the full remix project here and follow DJ Skarface on Twitter and Soundcloud for updates on future work. Check out the spoiler below for the tracklist & album art.

maddillainy tracklist
maddillainy cover

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Oddisee – Ain’t That Peculiar Remix

Posted on October 15, 2013 by waxramble

oddisee aint that peculiarMentioned Oddisee in my last post which reminded me of this. The limited edition 7″ for Oddisee’s Ain’t That Peculiar Remix didn’t have any artwork unfortunately and I wanted to give it as part of a birthday present. I decided it would be cool to make a custom cover that would be the back side of a birthday card. I’m not the greatest when it comes to art stuff but I was happy with how the cover turned out after having it printed on cardstock at Staples and seeing it inside the poly bag. The one I gave as a birthday present is 1/1, but you’re welcome to print the cover yourself with the image found here!

Check out the music video for the song below:

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Celebrity Internment Camp

Posted on October 6, 2013 by waxramble

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3086420195 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=333333 tracklist=false artwork=small]

 

While I’m digging a lot of the stuff I purchased during the 86’d Records sale, I think the best thing I got out of the whole deal was a freebie. While 95% of the stuff that showed up was punk related, it was a nice surprise to see an instrumental hip hop album was also included in the shipment (a surprise as this label primarily focuses on punk). The CD I received is a project called Celebrity Internment Camp, a 36 track beat compilation that features music from pseudonyms Urban Sasquatch, Red Carpet Hobo, and Hindsight Genius.

When discussing these types of instrumental beat albums, many are quick to make the usual comparisons to Donuts or some Madlib project which I don’t think is very fair given the legendary status of these producers. It also isn’t fair to the project being compared as well, seeing as that they will never live up to the status of these records but are certainly worth checking out in their own right. With this said, I couldn’t help thinking about Oddisee’s Traveling Man record while listening to Celebrity Internment Camp. I feel the production is similar to that of something Oddisee might put out (which is definitely a compliment to this record) and both projects have a loose underlying theme which the sound is designed to represent.

As Celebrity Internment Camp’s name suggests though, this album’s intended theme is much darker/sinister than that of Oddisee’s globetrotting experiences. The premise of this project as suggested by the name, track titles, and many soundbites over the record is a dystopian future where Hollywood’s stars are held accountable for their “misdeeds” through internment and eventual execution. A comic that is included with the CD release also helps to detail this setting (the artwork is very good, it is definitely worth picking up the physical release for this alone!).

I personally feel that the music does not fully commit to this theme as far as it’s sound is concerned, though maybe this was for the best. The album’s strength to me is in the wide variety of beats that are presented on the record. If the project had stuck to the proposed dystopian aesthetic, it is possible that the production would be far more limited. That said, there are many hip hop projects that execute themes more cohesively (latest that comes to mind is Ghostface Killah/Adrian Younge’s recent album) and it would have been interesting to have seen Celebrity Internment Camp’s premise fleshed out.

Overall I must say that I am impressed by this project. The production found on this album is very solid, with tracks “Jimmy Stole A Radio”, “Where’s My Mom..”, “Traveling at Night…”, and “Lines, Lines, Lines” standing out to me tonight after multiple listens. I think it is fair to compare this work to any up and coming producers out there right now. If these beats were fleshed out a bit, it would be quite interesting to hear what some rappers could do over this material. Hopefully this will not be the last we’ll be hearing from those involved in the making of this record. Definetelly recommended listening!

You can listen to the full album here and download at any price, though I certainly recommend paying the $5 for the physical version which includes very nice packaging and the accompanying comic. Also be sure to check out the video for track “Another Dream About Nightclubs“.

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86’d Records Sale Pickups!

Posted on October 6, 2013 by waxramble

Last month while reading r/vinyl I ran into this post from the guy who runs 86’d Records. I was very excited about the prospect of getting a bunch of records for 86% off, the sale was basically a way to clear stock so that the label could move in it’s new direction. As you may be able to tell from my normal postings here, I’m not one who usually listens to a bunch of punk music (86’d Records’ usual genre) but I thought I’d give these records a chance given the amazing prices. For the under $30 shipped I paid I couldn’t be any more happy.

The sale gave me the opportunity to listen to some great new music I would have otherwise not went out looking for myself. Not only did I receive about a dozen records, books, etc but the label’s owner was also cool enough to throw in even more freebies. It will take me awhile to digest all of this music but so far I’m digging what I got. While many of these records are no longer carried after the sale, it is definitely worth checking out the label’s revamped website here for some new music they’re putting out!

Below is a favorite of mine from the music I’ve had a chance to check out so far:

[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1315635189 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=333333 track=1817789738]

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Franz Ferdinand – Evil Eye (Video)

Posted on September 9, 2013 by waxramble

New video out for Franz Ferdinand’s latest single Evil Eye, really digging the visuals for this one. Been a huge fan of Franz Ferdinand since middle school, very happy with how their fourth album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action turned out (hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since their debut). Their first single was pretty good but Evil Eye to me is the catchiest tune from this record. Franz Ferdinand has always had great videos and this is right up there as one of my favorites from the band. It’s too bad this wasn’t released closer to Halloween, would have fit with the holiday perfectly!

If you’re digging this, definitely check out the live version from the deluxe edition of the album. Franz Ferdinand performing live is always fantastic!

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The Music of Red Dead Redemption

Posted on September 9, 2013 by waxramble

Over the last month I’ve played Red Dead Redemption in anticipation of Grand Theft Auto V and last night I finally finished the game. This was a fantastic game, I feel bad for having waited so long to finally get around to playing it. While playing the game it becomes clear that there was a great amount of attention paid to the music and sound, which is true of almost any game released by Rockstar.

The video above discusses the creative process that took place when crafting the game’s sound. The use of composing music through “stems” is very interesting to me, as it really does help the music sound as if it is adapting to the gameplay organically. I may be wrong, but I believe this was one of the first instances in which this method of composing a Rockstar game (and maybe any game??) was used. This method would later be seen in HEALTH’s fantastic score for Max Payne 3. The video also shows the large amount of instruments and talent that was utilized in recording the music for this game. The authentic sound and the use of stems in composing the game really did help make the world of Red Dead Redemption feel like the great western films of the past.

It’s also worth mentioning the limited vinyl release that the soundtrack received through Wax Poetics. I was fortunate enough to purchase this back when the game came out as it is now quite rare. In addition to the fantastic compositions heard throughout the game, there are also songs on here that make the vinyl worth owning. The gatefold cover and red vinyl are a nice touch as well which can be seen below:

red dead redemption vinyl

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FlyLo FM (GTA V Radio Preview)

Posted on September 9, 2013 by waxramble

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/107505330″ params=”color=848484&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=’166′ iframe=”true” /]

Grand Theft Auto V is coming out next week, very very excited about finally being able to play it. I was a big fan of how Rockstar went in a more serious direction with IV and from the trailer below you can see that they’re continuing to do this with GTAV. Earlier this year there was a rumor about Flying Lotus possibly getting a radio station in the game and a few weeks ago this was finally confirmed. Rockstar has a history of including excellent music in their games and it is sounding like this tradition will definitely continue with the newest entry of the GTA series. The teaser audio for FlyLo FM has me even more excited to play the game! Checkout Rockstar’s Soundcloud page for more station previews.

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Axel F. (MED + J Rocc) – Sofa Coins

Posted on September 7, 2013 by waxramble

If Jonwayne is becoming my favorite representative of the “new era” of Stones Throw, I have to say that MED and J Rocc are some of my favorites from the “golden era”. Above is a live performance of Sofa Coins which appears on their new Picture Disc and was featured on the excellent Stones Throw Podcast #75. Very happy to see that their collaboration is becoming a full project, can’t wait to hear more new music from the two.

Below is a sample from last year’s Stones Throw Podcast #75:

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