Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software Featured

Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software

Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software
I've mentioned a few times about how I'm a huge fan of Roland (and Boss) and their gear, and once again they have released another incredible product. This new release is different than most of their traditional lines of gear (besides Cakewalk), as it's software instead of hardware.
Employing Roland's Veriphrase technology, [...]

Strictly Cassette - Featured

Strictly Cassette

 
Strictly Cassette is a new website/blog that's been collected, compiled and presented as a cassette archive. 
Seeing it all come together and on display is pretty mindblowing. Some of these I had when I was younger, so there's the nostalgia factor, but then a lot of them I had never seen or even thought that they [...]

NAMM 2012

Winter NAMM 2012

So we did it. 2012 Winter NAMM has come and gone, and I'm not really sure how I made it out alive. We were in kind of an inebriated Fear & Loathing style happy mess at the Hilton next door for the weekend, and the amount of bells & whistles and flashing lights and drums [...]

Bitwig Studio Featured

Bitwig Studio

Another DAW? Sure, why not. This one is put out by Bitwig Studio (Ableton Live expats). It looks a lot like a slicker, more polished version of Live. Whether it works as fluidly as Live won't be known until the Beta version is released.
Besides the interface, one of the coolest features I saw was the "Lan [...]

Danny Holloway - Featured

Danny Holloway

For this post, I gotta give a big shout out to a friend, mentor & inspiration: Danny Holloway aka @smokinvinyl. I can only footnote it with the time I have, but from selling wax to Cut Chemist, the Beat Junkies, Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib, etc, to having a young B+ (Mochilla) working as his early [...]


All Music

Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software Featured

Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software

Roland R-MIX Audio Processing Software
I've mentioned a few times about how I'm a huge fan of Roland (and Boss) and their gear, and once again they have released another incredible product. This new release is different than most of their traditional lines of gear (besides Cakewalk), as it's software instead of hardware.
Employing Roland's Veriphrase technology, [...]

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Events

Beat Swap Meet 16 Flyer

Beat Swap Meet 16 – Dec 11, 2011

 
Beat Swap Meet #16 was it? I lost count awhile ago. During the lead-in and the weekend I was regretting a little bit staying at home, because LA had, in succession, Erykah Badu on Thurs, Spinna and J Rocc All 90s Party on Fri and then Madlib’s Medicine Show on Sat. I didn’t go to [...]

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Hip-Hop

JUiCE Los Angeles, Uganda, Open Mike Eagle,Ras G

(J.U.i.C.E.) international hip-hop artist exchange program with AGYA in Uganda

This is going to be the 3rd group of Hip-Hoppers that I know of going to Uganda in the past 3 years in a cultural exchange.
The first group was Crazy Legs, (Los Angelino) Ervin Arana & Ynot from the Rock Steady Crew. They met with Abramz from Breakdance Project Uganda and did a week's worth [...]

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Other Expressions

Getting Up: The Tempt One Story

Getting Up: The Tempt One Story

I saw this on @eyeonesh (EYE ONE) Facebook page last night, where he mentioned he had done some work on the film. I checked it out this morning and it looks like it’s going to be an incredible piece of work.
Based on the life of TEMPT ONE, from a being a prolific writer and considered [...]

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Recent Articles

(J.U.i.C.E.) international hip-hop artist exchange program with AGYA in Uganda

This is going to be the 3rd group of Hip-Hoppers that I know of going to Uganda in the past 3 years in a cultural exchange.
The first group was Crazy Legs, (Los Angelino) Ervin Arana & Ynot from the Rock Steady Crew. They met with Abramz from Breakdance Project Uganda and did a week's worth [...]

read more

Akai Pro – Renaissance, Studio, Fly

These could be real leaks of Akai's next release, the MPC Fly, and they could be fakes, of course. The official Akai announcement comes Thursday evening, probably at NAMM. The Fly could just be an I-something download, a mobile app version of their new software, but since MPC has rebranded itself as "Music Production Controller" [...]

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RIP Jimmy Castor

RIP to Jimmy Castor. Saxophonist, percussionist, singer/songwriter & funk MONSTER. I knew about him like most people my age (I assume) through his Bboy anthem "It's Just Begun". With the break appearing in the 1983 film Flashdance in the scene with legendary Rock Steady Bboys Frosty Freeze, Crazy Legs, it blew up Bboying (and Hip-Hop [...]

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L-Fudge – Liquid – What If – Show Me Your Gratitude 12″

L-Fudge – Liquid – What If – Show Me Your Gratitude 12"
Great moments in Hip-Hop 12"s – L-Fudge, Mike Zoot, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Skam & Kweli – "What If". Produced by DJ Spinna.
This was a classic Rawkus posse cut. Spinna had released his Heavy Beats LP, Skam (Skam2) dropped a 12" w/ Eminem (he also did [...]

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Getting Up: The Tempt One Story

I saw this on @eyeonesh (EYE ONE) Facebook page last night, where he mentioned he had done some work on the film. I checked it out this morning and it looks like it’s going to be an incredible piece of work.
Based on the life of TEMPT ONE, from a being a prolific writer and considered [...]

read more

Wildflowers The New York Loft Jazz Sessions Sampler

Wildflowers The New York Loft Jazz Sessions Sampler 
The Wildflower grows naturally, developing in its own time according to the laws of its own inner nature. Life outside the greenhouse can be harsh, but somehow it survives, bursting forth with ever renewed vitality and conviction. Jazz is by its very nature a music of improvisation…Therefore of invention…Therefore [...]

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Hampton Hawes – Northern Windows

Hampton Hawes with Carol Kaye & Spider Webb – Northern Windows 
A1 – Sierra Morena
A2 – Go Down Moses
A3 – Bach
B1 – Web
B2 – Tune Axle Grease
B3 – C&H Sugar
Hampton Hawes – Acoustic & Electric Piano
Carol Kaye – Electric Bass
Spider Webb – Drums
Thanks to:
George Bohanon – Trombone
Allen DeRienzo, Snooky Young – Trumpets
Jackie Kelso, William Green, Jay [...]

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Eddie Palmieri – Exploration – Salsa-Jazz-Descarga

Eddie Palmieri – Exploration – Salsa-Jazz-Descarga
Since the beginning of his career, EDDIE PALMIERI has constantly explored the outer limits and expanded the boundaries of Latin Music. PALMIERI'S musicians and followers have come to expect this and no one is more aware of these demands then EDDIE. For this reason the release of each EDDIE PALMIERI [...]

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“Slang Yourself” Documentary by Walter Gross

Slang Yourself is an excellent short film by the homie @waltergross, a staple of the DIY LA beat scene. I'd heard his beats for a while, and some Youtube vids for them, but had no idea he had skills like this behind the cam. Definitely a cool look into the process, from starting the beat to [...]

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Archie Shepp – Dollar Brand – Duet

 
Archie Shepp – Dollar Brand – Duet
Two different styles of two gifted musicians are combined in this album are engraved in Tokyo by Archie Shepp and Dollar Brand in June 1978. While Shepp was staying in Tokyo during his concert tour in Japan, Brand came to Japan specifically for this recording session and the two met [...]

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