“Everyone can have fun being a DJ,” DJ Qbert says. “But it still takes a lot more to be a scratch musician.”
The San Francisco native has carved out his own spot on the list of legendary turntablists, beginning with his involvement in FM20 with Mix Master Mike (of Beastie Boy fame) and DJ Apollo in the early ‘90s.
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Aside from the mesmerizing instrumental electronic music Slow Magic makes, there’s a mysticism surrounding the young producer that pulls you in even more. The “young” part is even a guess because nobody really knows for sure who the mastermind behind Slow Magic is, his real name or what he looks like. Armed with a multi-colored imaginary animal mask, Slow Magic takes to the stage like the untamed beast he represents. He pounds on the drums like he’s harnessing his primal instincts and delivers an infectious sound so sweet, it’s impossible not to love. More performance art than anything, Slow Magic reveals why he hides his identity.
Continue readingSinger-songwriter Conor Oberst always seems to be in high demand, at least in terms of interviews. He seldom consents to one and if he does, it’s for the typical major publications like Rolling Stone or Spin. It’s a rare day when he agrees to one on a smaller scale. However, Oberst grew up in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. I’ve seen him around since he was a wide-eyed 14-year-old at Creighton Prep, an all-boys Jesuit high school. Even then, Oberst had his eye on playing music, not so much his studies.
Continue readingRhymesayers Entertainment artist Brother Ali has been spitting out albums since emerging out of Minneapolis with 2000’s Rites of Passage. It was a brave introduction to the life of an albino rapper and a little insight into his heavily politically minded views. 2003’s Shadows on the Sun, 2007’s The Undisputed Truth, 2009’s Us, and 2012’s Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color continued Brother Ali’s path of delivering content-driven, independent hip-hop.
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As we all know, hip-hop has a revolving door of rappers. With contemporary artists being chewed up and spit out faster than you can say Lil Jon, the probability of a career spanning multiple decades is highly doubtful. Notable East Coast emcees such as KRS-One, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are among the few that can claim years of longevity. Lyrics Born (real name Tom Shimura), however, has been at it since the early ‘90s and is still going strong with his latest release, As U Were. Growing up in Berkley, Shimura had a hard time getting his hands on good hip-hop. Fortunately, he crossed paths with future label mates, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious) and Lateef the Truthspeaker (Latyrx) while attending school at UC-Davis where the idea for Quannum Projects was born. In addition to putting out their own records, the three entrepreneurs started putting out material by artists like DJ Shadow, Lifesavas and Pigeon John under the Quannum moniker. As Lyrics Born, Shimura has reveled in plenty of success with his funk and soul-infused hip-hop, something he learned as a college radio DJ in California.
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Laguna Beach native Ty Segall has exploded with popularity since he started popping up in lo-fi garage rock bands around Orange County in the early 2000’s, and now, Segall’s solo career is on fire after releasing 2008’s self-titled debut. With an affinity for fuzzed-out guitars, surf rock and ‘60s-inspired psychedelic garage rock, Segall has proven to be on the front lines of the recent garage rock surge. Fortunately for Segall, he made the move to San Francisco before MTV’s reality show, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, landed on his front door. It transformed his hometown into something unrecognizable to him. Fortunately, that’s beginning to change.
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Considering the music Aaron Holstein makes, you’d never guess the man behind VibeSquaD is a trained multi-instrumentalist with a background in jazz. The talented Colorado-based music producer emits sounds that can make your ears bleed with its pounding bass, swirling synthesizers and relentless energy—just don’t call it dubstep. His infusions of funk, hip-hop and other polyrhythmic textures into his electronic concoctions defy categorization. Combined with his eccentric stage persona, Holstein is in a world of his own.
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When Big Boi walked out on to the Red Rocks Amphitheater stage in 2010 for a Rock the Bells performance, Andre 3000 was noticeably absent. Nonetheless, he performed many of Outkast’s singles, including “Elevators (Me and You),” “ATLians” and “Rosa Parks.” However, it just wasn’t’ the same. This year, when Big Boi and Andre 3000 perform at Denver’s Mad Decent Block Party on August 22, things will be a little different.
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