The Witzard

A Soundtrack For Real Justice: A Fundraiser For The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund by hectic zeniths hectic zeniths is the "mixed media collage time travel film score justice reform trip-hop music video comix shoegaze lo-fi art horror solo piano loop pedal synth pop hip-hop project" of Philly-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Adam Prince . It appears as though hectic zeniths has been active since about 2011 and Prince often records and releases music as amplifya , as well. hectic zeniths produced two tracks included on Darko The Super 's 2018 album, Bogus Poetry In The Dizzy Age and has also, recorded with Seattle-based emcee sketch lightly as said the starling . Now, hectic zeniths has returned with his first proper release since 2017's layercakes remastered, A Soundtrack for Real Justice: A Fundraiser for The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund . A Soundtrack for Real Justice... is a fundraiser/benefit comp. with 100% of proceeds raised being donated...

Trenton, New Jersey -based emcee/frontman Raymond "Ray" Strife released so many projects last year, we couldn't even keep up—well, my wedding was this past October, as well!—but seriously, Ray put out a BUNCH of music throughout 2018. He released his Ill-Omega -produced full-length follow-up to 2017's critically-acclaimed Preface: I Will Never Be Beautiful EP , Go for The Gusto , #BFF EP with his real-life BFF's Roebus One & Ill-Omega originally recorded back in 2013, and HARD FEELINGS EP from his "Negative" Hardcore band, OVER EVERYTHING . Now, at the top of 2019, Ray Strife has already returned from a holiday vacation to France with a previously unreleased track entitled "Think of how a Castrated Horse Feels," which takes its name from a lyric within Nirvana 's "I Hate Myself & Want to Die" from 1993's The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience compilation. It appears as though Doc Heller 's "Think o...

Donovan "ialive" Phillips is a self-described "Rap-singer-songwriter/beat aficionado/musical collector" hailing from The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . ialive has released numerous collaborative and solo projects over the years, but hasn't released a tried and true "solo" album since 2015's Awake In The Snake Hole . However, in recent years, he's released collaborative projects with both Darko The Super as The Hell Hole Store and TIMEWAVE ZERO with Height Keech , as well as Four to The Floor 1-2 EP's with Cody Cody Jones ... just this past week, ialive announced his long-awaited third solo album, DON'T DO NOTHING , which will be dropping on Height 's Cold Rhymes Records Friday, January 11, 2019. DON'T DO NOTHING was fully produced, recorded, and mixed by ialive himself at The Green Gem in Philly with mastering done by Vinyl Cape 's own C$ BURNS . On the most recent episode of THIS COLD RHYM...

united vizion by Gould '72 united vizion is the first release from the artist formerly known as all these fingers AKA âtƒ . Since 2008, the mysterious Detroit -based producer and beat-maker released 50 full-length projects, as well as various EP's, singles, etc. and worked with the likes of Bishop Nehru , Darko The Super, The Hell Hole Store , Hemlock Ernst, Infinity Frequencies , Jack Wilson, Mr. Muthaf**kin' eXquire , and Yzal The Praxis. Just this past March, all these fingers uploaded his 50TH and final release as âtƒ , 悪い受信 . Along with 悪い受信 's digital and cassette release, âtƒ shared an extremely heart-felt note to all of his fans and supporters, which you can read in-full at the bottom of this very post. Now, just a few mere months later, âtƒ has returned under a brand new recording alias, Gould '72 , with the aforementioned united vizion . When compared against his past work as all these fingers/âtƒ , Gould '72 is far more instrument-based than H...

Darko Save The Queen by Darko The Super Just since the top of 2018, Darko The Super has released a myriad of releases including Buzzy Linhart Changed My Life , Doc Heller's Or Do I Eat This Sandwich?! Bogus Poetry In The Dizzy Age , and Creative Casualty on U DONT DESERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL ART (UDDTBA) as well as Stories of a Made Up Year produced by Height Keech on Cold Rhymes Records , The Hell Hole Store's "I'll Take What I Can Get" Feat. Open Mike Eagle on Already Dead Tapes , and "Bike Spokes" as part of The Custodian of Records' Qwuickieleaks Challenge and a few more loosely released tracks. Now, a few months removed from it's initial release, Darko has decided to revisit a few tracks from Creative Casualty originally released on Pale Blue Records/UDDTBA back in April on limited edition 10-inch lathe-cut vinyl, as well as digital album; "Don't stop me now, buddy guy. The Summer of Darko continues! Darko Save The Queen 7-in...

Since unveiling his latest album, Comedy of The Filthbeast , right here at The Witzard earlier this year, New York rapper-producer Lt Headtrip has let loose a series of bone-chilling video accompaniment including Raisi K.-premiered "Father, Father," "Neck Right," and lest we forget, his 40-minute full-album stream. Now, Lt Headtrip has returned to The Witzard to premier Comedy of The Filthbeast 's next music video treatment, "Three Dollar Watch." Headtrip and his creative cohorts fittingly describe "Three Dollar Watch" as "[within] the third video from Lt Headtrip 's self-produced album, Comedy of The Filthbeast , director Gary Blake captures the tension between a caged snake and its unguarded prey, set to a song about a naive young girl's relationship with her abusive father figures." "Three Dollar Watch" consists of rather chilling footage of a snake stalking his dinner (a little white mouse) filmed...

"Nice Rhymes. Leather Bull Mask," is how Torito fittingly describes his musical approach within his Facebook About Me section; a full-time baker by day and masked emcee by night, Torito harnesses the ferocity of "a bull in a china shop." His latest single, "Glowing Clothes" is the third teaser from his upcoming self-produced album, Fabric Scraps , which will likely be released on rapper-producer Darko The Super 's label imprint, U DONT DESERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL ART , at the top of 2018. "The beat is a little sample from "This Is Sally Hatchet" by Father John Misty , plus, me playing guitar and keys. It starts with a news [report] of a wild story about a bull that escaped from a Philadelphia slaughterhouse," Torito wrote via email, describing "Glowing Clothes." His frequent collaborator and Philly -based producer Johann Sebastian helped "beef up the drums a bit and offered some production guidance" and is...

Timewave Zero by ialive / Height Keech The Witzard regulars should almost instantly recognize the names "Height Keech" and "ialive," but for those who might not be familiar, here's a quick refresher: Height is a seasoned Underground Hip-Hop rapper-producer, Cold Rhymes Records founder, and 1/3 of Shark Tank , while Donovan "ialive" is a self-proclaimed "rap-singer-songwriter" who's affiliated with fellow Philadelphians Darko The Super (The Hell Hole Store) and Cody Cody Jones (Four to The Floor.) I'm sure ialive & Height 's paths have previously crossed within their various East Coast -based Underground Punk-Rap circles and now, they've teamed up for a proper full-length on Height 's Cold Rhymes Records ; quite simply put, TIMEWAVE ZERO is ialive 's rhymes over Height 's beats and marks the first time the latter has produced a whole project for someone, aside from himself. Height Keech has been co...

Four To The Floor 2 by ialive Now, anyone even remotely familiar with The Witzard and what we do 'round these here parts, should almost instantly recognize the names "ialive" and "Cody Cody Jones" (formerly known as Stillborn Identity. ) They're collectively affiliated with Philly/Baltimore -based Hip-Hop scenes and artists such as Height Keech , Carl Kavorkian AKA MANIKINETER, E. Grizzly & Felipe Pupo , Lt Headtrip, Johann Sebastian , Torito, JE DOUBLE F , BLKrKRT, all these fingers , Vinyl Cape, and probably most notably, Darko The Super (The Hell Hole Store) and John "Jumbled" Bachman . Friends, frequent touring buddies, and self-described "bike boy babes" ialive & Cody Cody Jones have now joined forces to form touring partnership Four to The Floor . ialive & Cody Cody Jones' touring partnership initially started this past summer with "a collection of songs compiled specifically for a 4-day jaunt with you...

No Sleep 'til Baltimore was a tribute/benefit show held at The Ottobar in Baltimore back on Friday, July 7th. It was billed as a "benefit to help local musician adopt" with "local musician" being producer John Bachman (Jumbled) and his wife Rachel . Not only was No Sleep 'til Baltimore a fundraiser to help The Bachmans earn money for their adoption, it was dually billed as a tribute to the Beastie Boys' monumental Rick Rubin -produced 1986 Def Jam debut, Licensed to Ill . Berko Lover did a rendition of "Girls," GUY GRAMS performed a roaring rendition of "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" MC Bravado & S.U. The Clique covered "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn," Drew Scott & Vans_Westly did "Hold It Now, Hit It" with a little help from Jumbled himself, The Hell Hole Store covered "Brass Monkey," and much, much more. By all accounts, No Sleep 'til Baltimore was a great suc...

"Hey, what's up? I'm Darko The Super AKA Doc Heller , an Experimental Hip-Hop artist from Philadelphia , by way of Jupiter. These are a few albums that have influenced my production [work]. There's much more, but these were the ones I found easiest to write about. Obviously, Frank Zappa is the greatest musician of all time and has affected me in greater ways than just sonically, but I found it too difficult to choose just one of his albums to mention from his massive catalog. Also, Camu Tao 's King of Hearts (2010) was on my list, but I couldn't think up something good enough to do it justice. Anyway, here's my Beat-maker Bedrock ." Watered Down Demon Fuzz by Darko the Super Charles Hamilton - My Brain Is Alive mixtape (2009) " Charles Hamilton 's my favorite producer and an artist who doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves for influencing a whole generation of rappers. Out of the 200 or so albums he's released, I chose My...

Bummer Every Summer by Doc Heller Mere hours before penning this very piece you are about to embark upon, I was taking a late night scroll through Twitter and happened to stumble upon HYPEBEAST Editor Ben Roazen (@broazay) 's recent interview with [adult swim] Vice President & Creative Director Jason DeMarco (@Clarknova1.) DeMarco is of course, responsible in part for [adult swim] 's seventh annual Singles Program , Williams Street Records, DANGERDOOM 's THE MOUSE AND THE MASK , and bringing together Run The Jewels , amongst countless animated/musical triumphs. I was, as a matter of fact, at the time, trying to figure out a slightly unique angle to approach this Darko The Super BUMMER EVERY SUMMER write-up and VOILA... Near the end of HYPEBEAST's interview, Ben Roazen asked Jason DeMarco to briefly discuss [adult swim] 's storied years-long working relationship with DOOM ; to which DeMarco replied in part, "I've got paintings that DOOM made for...

A C U R A (back in my bag) by ialive "I was feeling a little overwhelmed and burnt out with doing shows and being a wack promoter, so I decided to sit down at my funk machine and do a jam; this is the result. I did all of this in a few hours—beat, rhymes, record, and mix. It's all about the music and it always has been about the music. THANK YOU! kidDEAD and I leave for a short run of shows this Thursday," Philly beat-maker, emcee, Rap-singer /song-writer ialive wrote within a recent Facebook post. ialive is of course, one half of The Hell Hole Store with fellow rapper-producer buddy Darko The Super and his latest single, "A C U R A (back in my bag)" is his first since April 2016's The Jelly EP . ialive further details that he doesn't tour as much a some of his road dog friends, but steadily maintaining a 40-hour a week schedule at his day job, booking shows for his rapper friends throughout Philly , and upkeeping a somewhat regular existence,...

"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 ...

Just about two months ago, my friend and frequent collaborator Darko The Super sent me an early Ruff Draft of his upcoming Rock sample-based album, Apocalyptic Bastard. I must say, it's a surprisingly accessible and dare I say, commercial album from the charismatic rapper-producer who released a whopping 10 full-length albums throughout the course of 2016. Apocalyptic Bastard contains samples and interpolations culled from the likes of Twisted Sister, Loverboy, Tears for Fears, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Slaves, They Might Be Giants, Steve Miller Band, Men Without Hats, Wheatus, and Comfort Food, in addition to countless others, and originals from All These Fingers and BLKrKRT; to the best of my knowledge, since December, it's been sent around to De La Soul producer Prince Paul, The Fabulous Downey Brothers, Wheatus, and Zilla Rocca. It seems a bit odd to say, looking back now, but over the course of the past 4-6 months since I first met Darko The Super—despite cou...