Audiversity.com gives IC a nice write up on their blog, be sure to check em out for diverse blend of recommendations.
You know how some days you just feel like taking a step back and rocking out? Like just putting on a totally sweet record of yours and letting it mercilessly assault your ears? Today was that kind of day for me. Here's a thorough list of what I did, not necessarily in order of importance:
Wall Street Journal made a mention of IC, don’t believe us, do you? we’ll prove it
RE:up discusses Jediah White’s - The Evolution of an Idea. Buy RE:up online
at reupmag.com
Rick at Inner Current hit me off with a link to Jediah White's new album that I can't quite place in the context of instrumental hip-hop albums. Let me say that low BPM, instrumental hip-hop is the shit Hound Dog shuffles his feet to. I've heard a lot of them and still DJ them, basically I fiend for them. And after hearing pretty much that whole style, The Evolution of an Idea is something fresh that restores my fondness for the loop. Like early Prefuse taking hip-hop to experimental, Jediah takes the break to a more soul, feel-good side, yet breaking up a lot of the standard monotony with quick cuts, crafty sequencing and tempo changes. Plus, my favorite part is his mastery of the Kanye (or RZA?) chipmunk chorus sample technique that always makes a song way more emotional. Hey, if it sounds good, run with it, especially if Kanye can get Grammys and go multiplatinum... -HD
RE:up reviews Domestic Blend Vol. 1. Buy RE:up online at their site reupmag.com
Inner Current, the artist-owned and operated Brooklyn-based label, assembles an impressive new cache of homegrown downtempo. With 18 tracks and 50 minutes mixed by Simon Garret, a.k.a. Tsunchoo, Inner Current remains true to its laidback, stripped-down style. Following DJ Tundra's Brooklyn shout-out intro, Take sets the tone for Domestic Blend with the melodic simplicity of " Tuesday Never Comes." Sandwiched between this and the paradoxically tranquil first appearance by Ill Padre is Glen Porter's short classical-pianomade-dirty in "Intrld." The surreal sound of this and Porter's 3 other contributions stand out amongst the rest of the Inner Current roster. Of note is Porter's "Image of You," which paints a slightly somber picture through its juxtaposition of rich drum interludes and sweet, longing guitar. " Prolong" is also weighty on the drums, delivering a loaded and layered texture of aural pleasure. Porter's final appearance on the compilation is the lingering "Memoirs," a haunting and mysterious soundtrack for an intangible lucid dream. Other homespun highlights include a taste of Unknown Source's self-described "sub-hip-hop" style on " Frowning," an elusive sound with eerie melodies and reverb guitar. The airy vocals on Akello Uchenna's "Been So Good" help smooth out the vibe a bit, while Milford Reynolds' simple, yet burly beats on "Lowe's Market" bring the edge back around. A fine showcasing of the label's talent, Domestic Blend offers a palatable listen and a pure, meditative ride. -JD
TURNTABLE LAB 04 gives some nice words about DJ Tundra - Urban Quilt calling it “Real Impressive material that stood out from the ever-growing stack of entries. turntablelab.com
"Real impressive material that stood out from my ever-growing stack of entries. "This Rhythm" is especially nice with a calibrated muted steez... Long live the homegrown beats"!
Though some of Inner Current's artists hail from the California area (Take from Los Angeles, Glen Porter from Huntington Beach), there's something of an undeniably Brooklynesque character about its smoked blend of hip-hop, acoustic, Latin, and jazz musics. Launched by Inoel Miranda and RD Granados (the duo also releasing tracks under the name ILL Padre) in January of 2005, the label's artists deftly fuse multiple cultures' sounds into laid-back brilliance. Domestic Blend Vol. 1 provides eighteen prime opportunities to sample the label's deluxe mood music with cuts by old and new roster artists. Underscored by gritty breaks, a piano and acoustic guitar trade haunting licks in Glen Porter's “Image of You,” a relatively simple yet potent cut that captures the essence of the Inner Current sound. Clearly a label star in the making, Porter contributes strong material elsewhere too (the slamming stutter-funk of “Prolong” and, egged on by its 'hopelessness' voice sample, the hallucinatory dirge “Memoirs”). Other artists supply arresting moments too, like the soulful chorus sweetly singing throughout Akello Uchenna's “Been So Good” and the snappy syncopations that propel Tsunchoo's “Stutsja.” A demonic tick-tock motif animates the faded pulse of Unknown Source's “Frowning” as woozy and distorted synths forecast an impending storm while a jazzy piano figure graces the delectably lazy flow of Milford Reynolds' “Lowe's Market.” Caveats? Only two: Empire State Instrumentals' repetitious “Dusty Rhodes” varies too little to justify its five-minute length, and ILL Padre's three cuts, as lovely as they are, will be familiar to the wise folks already in possession of Certified Latin Breaks Vol. 1. Minor points, though, as there's plenty of fabulous new material to dig into otherwise. - Ron Schepper July 2006
Heavyweight beats and breaks... somewhere between Danny Breaks and Prefuse73. Smoked out bliss!
Classic Latin samples from the works of Carlos Gardel, Mercedes Sosa, Hector Cabrera, and others + blunted hip-hop beats = severely smoked grooves: ILL Padre’s (RD Granados and Inoel Miranda) formula may be simple on Certified Latin Breaks Vol. 1 (Inner Current) but there’s no denying its potency, especially when Spanish guitar strums and voice samples cast such entrancing spells in “ Thief of Tranquility” and “Cielo.” Admittedly some tracks are so fleeting they’re mere sketches, but the sincerity of ILL Padre’s tribute pours forth from the music’s every pore, its half-hour suggestive of what might come from a faded Piano Overlord-Savath & Savalas-Prefuse 73 blend. The best thing about it? The title’s implicit promise of another volume. - Ron Schepper
Brooklyn's downbeat imprint Inner Current has stepped up their game with its third release, a classy fistful of 11 hip-hop breaks. Citing the project as "a tribute and celebration" of Latin artists and their passionate music, Certified brings it in the realm of all things Chingon. With well-chosen samples (all duly credited in the liner notes), these passions translate into 16-bar spaghetti western themes quite nicely. Lonely guitar strums and plucks with diva chunks are confidently sprinkled above the thick rim shots and bass drum kicks, notables being the surreal " Thief of Tranquility" and the Chief Xcel-inspired "Dimelo." There are easy comparisons to Pete Rock's less-is-more slickness, Fat Jon's manhandling of symphonic samples, and DJ Krush's aching for the melancholy. At this point however, Ill Padre can still be noticeably repetitive at times and aren't ready to be matched up to the world's greatest 'Stramentlists just yet. For now though, pick up two copies, work on a doubles routine, and invoke the spirit of Big Pun to spit some afterlife knowledge over these Latinstrumentals. Hopefully volume 2 is a la vuelta de la esquina. -- Beau Lamontagne