The Witzard

Gabe 'Nandez pictured in the Wikiruta desert of Central Mexico (SOURCE: Jeff Weiss) Last night, I posted an off-the-cuff "Tweet" on X (formerly known as Twitter,) which read, "Man, this new @GabeNandez album is straight Fire Emojis rn fr fr no cap... or whatever it is the youth of today would say these days! But, seriously, great job once more, @Passionweiss!" with a couple hashtags and a Bandcamp link to H.T. III. It was meant partly in jest towards today's youth of which I am extremely, admittedly, out-of-touch, as most 35-year-olds likely are, but not at all in jest towards 'Nandez and/or H.T. III. Oddly enough, I was just telling my friend and co-worker about 'Nandez's music on Spotify earlier this week and today, we have a brand new 'Nandez album treat for our earholes. During a cold sunset in the mountains of Central Mexico, Gabe 'Nandez grabbed some water, candy, and a machete, and wandered into the desert in search of the myst...

We just recieved an email blast from our old friend, multi-instrumentalist/rapper/singer, director/editor/engineer/mixer, etc. and modern day Renaissance Man Steve "Sulu" Mallorca. Steve is a de facto one-man band operating, recording, and performing as Sulu & Excelsior (XLCR) since about 2016. Sulu & XLCR have since released two full-length albums, Eddie Romero (2016) and The AntiMatter Suite (2019) both of which we personally enjoyed and covered at length here at The Witzard. Additionally, through COVID-19 restrictions and Pandemic-related Lockdowns Sulu has recorded and released two Bandcamp-exclusive albums, as well, for various Bandcamp Friday festivities: 2020's Refinished (Remix Album) and XLCR Instrumentals (Instrumental Remix Album.) Now, Sulu & Excelsior have returned once more to share their annual NPR Tiny Desk Contest submission. If we're counting correctly, this will be Sulu's FIFTH Tiny Desk Contest submission (come on, guys, aw...

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band (BRSB) is a rather mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany who have amassed a cult following around the globe. BRSB features Ben Greenslade-Stanton & Björn Wagner and anywhere from one to eight additional musicians. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's previous two efforts, 55 & The Serpent's Mouth , boasted a wide array of genre-spanning steel pan instrumental covers, including 50 Cent , John Holt, Mobb Deep, Dennis Coffey, Faith Evans, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Dr. Dre. Mary J. Blige, Gang Starr, and Amerie. Now, BRSB have returned once more with the announcement of their third proper album, Expansions, due out later this summer on Big Crown Records. Expansions by Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band "On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, BRSB are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different," explains Big Crown within a press statement. Again, covering songs that span genres a...

Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "I've been a fan of DOOM's music since his first release, Operation: Doomsday. Incredible beats, rhymes that had their own flow and imagination to them, and the ability to craft it all together with a theme to create a stand-alone piece of classic Hip-Hop was remarkable. He went on to do that with, basically, every project; his albums aren'...

CREDIT: Shades of Blue Prints (@fcarteron) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "MADVILLAINY is one of our favorite albums and we've been fans of Madlib & MF DOOM for ages. We, normally, don't see musicians covering Madlib & DOOM stuff as much as the [J] Dilla catalogue, so we thought we would try it out [...] His rhythm was super-inspiring and not a lot of other rappers i...

CREDIT: Arturo Torres (@arturodraws) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. As tribute, Ron Gallo shares a remix of MF DOOM's "[GAZZILLION] EAR," along with this personal statement: "To date, I don't think an [artist's] death has hit me as much as MF DOOM and I did not expect that until it happened. That feels like the DOOM way—he's like a shadow lurking genius, a...

"Led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the UK music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP, Dilla, and follow-up 45, "New Day" Feat. Illa J, steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with JAY-Z and the 40-piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material... The band itself is based on the classic Jazz/Big Band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, and trombones and features the cream of the North of England's Jazz scene, who, collectively, have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & The Roots, Roots Manuva, and Amy Winehouse. MADVILLAIN VOL. 2 was recorded live in its entirety at ATA Records' own vintage analogue studio in Leeds. All tracks were...

Dokkum by Thijsenterprise Thijsenterprise is the recording alias of Dutch beat-maker and producer Reinier Thijs , who currently resides in Barcelona, Spain . Earlier this year, Thijs self-released his 42-track debut, STEPBACKS & SETBACKS , as well as Je Hebt De Boem En De Klap with Laurens Beijer (Drumma Sheen) as 2-Two Legged Dogs . STEPBACKS & SETBACKS even received critical acclaim from The Find Mag , Beat Tape Co-Op, and Sampleface , amongst other reputable music publications. Thijsenterprise says "Side A" of STEPBACKS & SETBACKS is inspired by the city of Barcelona and serves as a loosely-orchestrated tribute/homage to J Dilla 's Donuts , while "Side B" of the record "deals with much more personal issues [such as] cheating, heartbreak, and solitude." Now, just before year's end, Reinier Thijs has returned with his staggering third full-length project of 2018: DOKKUM EP . It's named after Thijs' home city of Dok...

Flaunt Edwards is a long-standing alias of J.Rocc The Funky President . Jason "J.Rocc" Jackson has, over the years, become one of the most world-renown and sought-after Hip-Hop DJ's, turntablists, and producers. One of the founding members of The Beat Junkies , J.Rocc has spent time either playing with or recording alongside artists such as Axel F. with M.E.D. Bumrush Bros. D-Styles Sextet , DJ Spinna, Dirty Fingered B-Boys , J Dilla, Jurassic 5 , Madlib, and PSK , as well as being the honorary "third member" of Jaylib . The Witzard , actually, has a very special relationship with J.Rocc , as I've been patiently waiting to hear Jay 's long-rumored J Dilla & Michael Jackson mash-up/blend album, SHARE MY BED , for about 10 years now. Although, miraculously, earlier this year, J.Rocc surprise released an 8-track version of SHARE MY BED on his Bandcamp page; along with it, was this quote, seemingly, paraphrased from Dilla himself: " J D...

Airic "Tranzformer" Estala is a San Diego -based producer, emcee, beat-maker, and Punk Rock/Experimental artist born in raised in El Centro, California . Estala has previously collaborated with Blu , J57, Blame One , Guilty Simpson, Frank-N-Dank , ILL BILL, Rick Gonzalez , Planet Asia, Johaz , CashUs King FKA Co$$, Koncept , and more. Tranzformer is affiliated with producer J57 's newly-launched FiveSe7en Collective (@FiveSe7enCollective,) New York -based record label and digital distributor Soulspazm Records (@Soulspazm,) and his own label imprint, Dirty Dome Records (@dirty_dome_records_.) Since launching his Bandcamp page around 2013, Tranzformer has self-released a staggering 29 projects, be they beat tapes, albums, mixtapes, singles, or EP's. For the purposes of The Witzard 's introductory feature on Tranzformer & Dirty Dome Records, I would, however, like to primarily focus on Tranz 's currently released and as-yet-unreleased body of work w...

"I'm Zilla Rocca. I rap, produce, and write articles. I have my own Indie label, Three Dollar Pistol Music and put out music with my friends Curly Castro, Small Professor, and PremRock as our posse, Wrecking Crew. Me and Small Pro put out a group album as Career Crooks [last] year called Good Luck with That , where he did all of the beats, but I've been a producer, as well for 15 years. So, here's some of the most important albums to me, when I'm "behind the boards.'" I. Handsome Boy Modeling School - So... How's Your Girl? (1999) "I remember buying this album in 1999 and having no clue how any of these songs were made. I didn't start making beats for another three years or so, but this album never left my conciousness. [Dan The] Automator is one of my all-time favorite producers because he bounces between genres effortlessly, from Serge Gainsbourg stuff with Lovage, to Sci-Fi Fantasy Robot sh*t with Deltron [3030], to the first Go...

Lil' Fame is effectively, one half of infamous Brownville, Brooklyn -based Hip-Hop duo, M.O.P. (Mash Out Posse) along with partner-in-rhyme Billy Danze ... but I believe, the first time I ever heard Fame was on "Make 'em NV" from J Dilla 's Ruff Draft EP (2003) wherein he repeatedly rhymes: "THEM JEWELS YOU ROCK, MAKE 'EM NV!" However, Dilla himself actually, sampled Lil' Fame 's voice from M.O.P. 's world-renown party-starting anthem, "Ante Up (Robbing-Hoodz Theory.)" Since their last collaborative release as M.O.P. 2015's Nature Sounds EP, Street Certified , Billy Danze & Lil' Fame have been focusing more on their solo efforts; Danze working on an album to either be titled simply The Billy Danze Project or Behind Gates , as well as a corresponding 8-track EP and Fame , actively working on his debut solo album, Walk of Fame —previously known as The Fame & The Glory . Over the years, Lil' Fame ...

Jeremy Toy is a New Zealand -based Shoegaze revivalist and one half of She's So Rad , who moonlights as "Leonard Charles:" a Hip-Hop -leaning producer, multi-instrumentalist, and Basement Funk originator. Since releasing his critically-acclaimed J Dilla tribute album, Basement Donuts , Leonard Charles has teamed up with Jellphonic, Reggie Blunt & kutcorners for a Rick James covers EP entitled ALL NIGHT LONG ; earlier this year, he joined forces with Detroit emcee Guilty Simpson for "Breaking Over You" 7-inch on Japanese imprint WONDERFUL NOISE , which was premiered digitally right here at The Witzard . However, in recent weeks, Jeremy Toy was unfortunately, involved in a hit-and-run accident after a Leonard Charles gig and was left with two broken legs. Now, with nothing but idle time while his legs slowly heal, Toy has vowed to return to recording material as "Leonard Charles" from his bed with beat machine and a crate-full of reco...

J Dilla + Michael Jackson = Share My Bed by J.Rocc It's safe to say, I've been patiently awaiting J.Rocc 's J Dilla & Michael Jackson -blending mash-up project ever since Stones Throw posted: " Share My Bed=M.J. & Dilla 1st track "Player Has Butterflies" ... wait 4 the rest" nearly 10 years ago back in November 2009. Over the years, a handful of tracks have been sporadically leaked out from the project—alternatively, referred to as "Dil Jackson" —but every year, as Dilla Month (February) comes and goes, I've always wondered, if we would ever hear the entirety of J.Rocc 's Share My Bed . Even this year, J Dilla 's birthday, Feb. 7th (same as my dad's!) passed, as well as Feb. 10th, the 12th anniversary of his passing, and still, no signs of J.Rocc 's anxiously-awaited Dil Jackson project. However, just a few days ago, on Valentine's Day , J.Rocc quietly dropped Share My Bed on his Bandcamp , without any pr...

"I have a She's So Rad EP I am working on, dreamy Shoegaze stuff. I have a Leonard Charles Modern Funk [album] with a Lo-Fi Disco tint full-length record that is nearly complete, a Basement Funk record that will feature Wildchild , Guilty Simpson, Declaime AKA Dudley Perkins , Team Dynamite, and Georgia Anne Muldrow , and then, I still have a few things up my sleeve... but I gotta stay focused on these records, for now. I am easily distracted by amazing music and stupid plans!" Jeremy Toy AKA Leonard Charles replied when asked what he had planned following Basement Donuts . Basement Donuts is, of course, Toy's 2016 album-length debut as alter-ego " Leonard Charles ;" a Basement/Modern Funk album recorded in his basement as a 31-track tribute to Stones Throw /Instrumental Hip-Hop pioneer, producer, and rapper James "J Dilla" Yancey . During the interview prep leading up to our November 2016 The Witzard interview, Leonard Charles casually ...

ZAIRISMS (vol 1) by Ila Zair Since conducting and publishing our 2016 Deconstructed Ego-centric interview, I've been in contact with Jaubi guitarist and producer Ali Riaz Baqar every couple weeks; he's been painstakingly writing, recording, and meticulously re-arranging his Hip-Hop-minded solo debut as Ila Zair ("Ali Riaz" backwards.) While Ali Riaz Baqar has been fine-tuning his premier release, Jaubi's The Deconstructed Ego EP has garnered wide-spread acclaim from the likes of Bandcamp Daily , Beat Tape Co-Op, Flea Market Funk, Music Is MY Sanctuary, and Stones Throw. With their Astigmatic Records-released EP, Jaubi have single-handedly introduced the Hip-Hop-loving world to a unique brand of Experimental Pakistani Instrumental Hip-Hop, largely due to their critically-acclaimed cover of J Dilla's "Time: The Donut of The Heart." I've personally heard at least three different versions of Baqar's self-produced beat tape, which through the m...

Red Dillicious by Free Tillman "This project came together organically. I had just bought some new equipment and wasn't really comfortable with my drum sounds, so I decided to loop someone else's... and who has better drums than J Dilla ? I was looking for samples from my music collection and came across Fiona Apple 's Tidal ," beat-maker, writer, and social media personality Free (Lee) Tillman wrote within a recent email. "Throughout my life, I have been a recording engineer, a journalist, a rapper, a stand-up comedian, and a music video director. And I have had recognizable success in exactly zero of those things," Tillman writes within the Amazon description to his 2016 Kindle book, How to Fail at Everything: A Practical Guide for Coasting Through Life . On his Soundcloud page, Lee Tillman simply proclaims: "I make videos, I take pictures, I write Tweets , I write books," complete with links to his various platforms. Red Dillicious ...