The Witzard

Throw.sTones by Turkish Dcypha Turkish Dcypha is a producer and multi-genre DJ hailing from the UK , who co-owns a small boutique (or Indie ) record label called Dcypha Productions , which was founded by fellow producer Sway DaSafo around 2004 under Akon 's Konvict Muzik imprint. Turkish Dcypha has released a multitude of projects remixing and re-working the likes of Prince , Kanye, 2pac , Biggie, and JAY-DILLA ( Jay Z over J Dilla beats,) as well as his own instrumental music and original production work for Awate and Mr. Bigz . Turkish can count Yasiin Bey , DJ Premier, actor Idris Elba , and J Dilla's Estate amongst his famous fans; "Actually, I was listening to this kid Awate recently. You know him? He’s from Eritrea , I think, but now in London . It's produced by Turkish [Dcypha.] His beats are old school and very influenced by Dilla , Pete Rock , etc. I was super impressed..." Elba gushed within a 2014 taste-making interview with Noisey . I re...

"Back in 2005, super-producer Danger Mouse and Hip-Hop super-villain DOOM came together for THE MOUSE AND THE MASK , a collaborative album released under the name DANGERDOOM . Among DOOM 's most successful projects both critically and commercially, the album was inspired by Cartoon Network 's late-night [adult swim] programming slate and includes appearances from Aqua Teen Hunger Force , Space Ghost, Harvey Birdman , and more. THE MOUSE AND THE MASK also features guest spots from Talib Kweli , Ghostface Killah, and Cee-Lo Green ," METALFACE Records wrote within a villainous statement; they're gearing up to unleash a 3xLP and deluxe CD edition of DANGERDOOM 's critically-acclaimed first and last album, THE MOUSE AND THE MASK this upcoming May 5th. Let me make an attempt to best convey the musical climate THE MOUSE AND THE MASK was released into (albeit, on Punk/Hardcore label Epitaph Records )... prior to forming DANGERDOOM , Danger Mouse 's las...

Noir Dub by The Drastics The Drastics drummer-producer and founder of Chicago -based Reggae imprint Happy As a Lark , Anthony "Nantee" Abbinanti sat down with fellow Chicagoan Richard Milne from 93XRT for a recent installment of his Local Anesthetic Podcast . Milne asked Abbinanti to define "Dub" and to clarify the difference between Dub and Rub-a-Dub . Anthony Abbinanti readily replied: "So, Dub is... I think you could apply to anything. I mean, I think The Clash dubbed their albums. So, it's just taking the track and adding the delays and the reverbs and sparing it up. Basically, Lee ["Scratch"] Perry called Dub "X-ray Music," which is a term I really like; where you kinda take the track and you see different layers at different times. Rub-a-Dub : the actual origins of it, I couldn't pinpoint exactly right now... but it sort of encapsulates more of a backbeat-style Reggae that was popularized more in the 80's. Gr...

"Sean McGuinness is an American musician living in Philadelphia. He has played with Pissed Jeans, Utensil, The Great Collector, Bazhena, Technician, Navies, Go to Sleep, Like Language, Ready Set, Air Conditioning, Oil Drum, Birth Control, Rat Fist, Des Ark, Dark Blue, STREET STAINS, and Remote Places, among other sit-ins, sessions, and general groupings of friends and strangers," Sean "On The Drums" McGuinness' newly-minted Bandcamp Bio simply reads. As you can see, the long-time Pissed Jeans drummer has his hands in a lot of pots... even the brewpot at Ardmore-based Tired Hands Brewing Company , where he bartenders a few days a week, when not recording or touring with Pissed Jeans. Although, McGuinness is fresh off a handful of local dates with Pissed Jeans, he also played on STREET STAINS self-titled self-released debut with long-time friend and collaborator Chris Richards, formerly of Q and Not U and currently of The Washington Post. And even though I just ...

LURK is a self-described "lowbrow artist and lover of the weird." He's originally from England, but is now based out of Canada and simply told me, he did art as a kid and now, does art as an adult. "A little while ago, I did a portrait for the @homeboysandman; if you haven't heard his music and love Hip-Hop, go give him a Follow. @schlonglord offered to animate a quick clip using the portrait! Kris and I are now Skype friends. It's getting kinda serious," @thelurk1 half-jokingly gushed on Instagram roughly 24 weeks ago. 2-D animator, visual effects artist, music video director, and musician Kris Baldwin (@schlonglord) had reached out in an effort to animate LURK's recent zombie-esque The Boy Sand portrait for a short animation to accompany Sandman's Jonwayne-produced "America, The Beautiful" from HALLWAYS (2014.) Not only did Instagram play an integral part in initially connecting LURK and Kris Baldwin with each other, as well as Home...

BLKrKRT LP 2 by BLKrKRT (Blacker Karat) "I'm a lover of the Avant-Garde , Abstract, and Electronic [music.] My work is about the subjective nature of human experience through art, it's effects on the human psyche, and the efforts to create elegant, yet basic shapes, usually utilizing a post- Internet methodology. I like cutting up things and re-purposing them. I love to collaborate, especially via The Internet . I am a product of remix culture. I love to use samples, clip art, and font. I adore collage. Currently, I am actively pursuing an adventure in fashion design," Fort Worth, Texas -based Instrumental Hip-Hop producer BLKrKRT (Phil Ford) wrote within his about.me profile. I actually met BLKrKRT through my frequent collaborator and friend Darko The Super , who released Ford's The Witzard-premiered Okinato Black on his U DONT DESERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL ART imprint. Darko actually flipped Okinato Black 's "3,000 Words" into "God, F**...

"Whoopsy daisy never lazy, so I heave-ho / Whippin' sh*t like DEVO , whip it good (That thang!) / Whippin' sh*t like Elmer Fudd and Mr. Fudd slang / Listen to my guitar twang as I sang," Zev Love X tactfully rhymed on KMD 's "Constipated Monkey" from their shelved 1993 album, Bl_ck B_st_rds . The Witzard 's favorite demented beat-maker Darko The Super sampled a bit of Zev Love X 's "Constipated Monkey" verse for appropriately-titled "Whippin' Sh*t Like DEVO" from his landmark 55th album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Darko! but I'll let him explain the rest: " Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Darko! samples and is inspired by my favorite New Wave band, DEVO . My dad was the one who got me into DEVO , which is his favorite band. He has their debut Q: Are We Not Men? album cover tattooed on his leg. The album cover I chose to make parodies the original and utilizes the #2 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft , Darko ...

Trenton, NJ -based rapper Raymond "Ray" Strife recently reached out to me, via email after seeing my write-up on JE DOUBLE F 's HUMAN RITES teaser single, "JAGGED EDGE." I believe I actually got in touch with Jeff due in part to (or maybe even because of) my recent work with fellow East Coast emcees Height Keech and Darko The Super affiliates, STATIC BROTHERS . Ray Strife & JE DOUBLE F are both founding members of Trenton -bred Rap crew DKFG , which additionally includes Kahlil Ali , RayRayBeats, Luis , Roebus One, Wade Wilson , Cody Jones, Dready Mercury , Ill-Omega, and Cornelius The Third . " Raymond Strife used to play in Punk bands, until the iPod was invented and replaced musicians. Strife isn't actually his last name. Reads lots of comic books, but gets laid more than most nerds who read lots of comic books," Ray Strife 's rather brief, yet fitting Bandcamp description details; included within for FREE or Name-Your-Pri...

"The wait is over, Return to The 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair's (EMA's) highly anticipated follow-up to 2009's underground cult classic Enter: The 37th Chamber . Churning out classic records since then for the likes of Lee Fields, The Arcs, Chicano Batman, The Shacks, and tons more, it is clear that EMA's signature sound is stronger & sharper than ever. El Michels Affair will release Return to The 37th Chamber on April 14th, via Big Crown Records. This time, in addition to re-interpreting the Wu compositions for a live band, EMA pays homage to the production and sonic fog that makes a RZA beat so recognizable. Producer and bandleader Leon Michels recorded the album completely analog, sometimes hitting six generations of tape before it was ready for mixing, giving the Return to The 37th Chamber it’s own hazy sound. Adding to the unique fidelity, the record is laced with Psychedelic flourishes, "John Carpenter" synths, Heavy Metal guitars, tri...

"So, tomorrow, my first single in over a decade will be available everywhere. Throughout this layoff, there's been pain, self-sabotage, tears, missed opportunities, waiting, more waiting, distrust, frustration, salvation, hard work, love, setbacks, and finally, the blessing to make the album of my dream," LA -based "Ho-Wop" crooner Eamon wrote within a heart-felt Facebook post this past Thursday afternoon. "Be My Girl" is Eamon 's first single in over a decade, his first since "(How Could You) Bring Him Home?" from his 2006 sophomore album, Love & Pain . Many of you, much like myself, may remember Eamon from his break-out hit for Jive Records , "F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)" released back in 2006, which I believe was one of the first radio hits I had ever heard with a [bleeped out] curse word. "I'm back with a hunger like I haven't had since I was a 10-year-old kid singing with my father and the...

"I guess you were involved in the initial kick-start for the particular project. On my Instagram , I make a lot of random little moving image sketches and one of them, I ended up using a Jonwayne beat from a beat tape called Here You Go that he made for House Shoes' [Street Corner Music.] I think you left a comment on the post and cc'ed Jon , at the time and he dropped me a line to tell me about his new album," animator and director RUFFMERCY wrote within a recent email. I seriously had absolutely NO IDEA I was even remotely "involved" within the "creation" of Jonwayne 's latest RUFFMERCY -directed video, until a few short hours ago. "He thought the sketch I had made for that beat could be a great starting point for the skit/track "LIVE from The F**k You" he had on the album Rap Album Two . We had a little [conversation] on [Instagram] about the aesthetic and a possible idea of half-type, half-something; Jon himself sugg...

"Fast, chaotic songs with no frills. Heavy touring schedule and DIY ethics; if Danzig met DOOM , you'd have JE DOUBLE F ," reads a fragmented chunk of a recent press release I received from Atlantic City, NJ -based Punk rapper JE DOUBLE F . Jeff Richie has previously worked with Pittsburgh emcee Cody Jones (formerly Stillborn Identity ), fronts a Nihilist New Wave/Punk band called TUFF TURF , and was recently cited by Static Brothers' Riff Quantum & DJ DM as a primary source of influence on their latest OBSTETRIC TRASH EP . Richie readily cites his own greatest sources of influence as Glenn Danzig , Bruce Campbell, Larry David , and Bruce Springsteen . "'JAGGED EDGE" is mainly influenced by the current political and social climate in the United States . People make a choice and then complain about the result, as if someone made that decision for them. "Personal responsibility" is considered a bad term and young people seem to love ...