I get a lot of emails through this blog from a lot of artists trying to get attention for their little piece of the internet. I try and listen to what I can. Very generally speaking, most of it is mediocre at best. Few make the cut onto these hallowed digital pages ;) However, it’s always super-rewarding to find a gem amongst them all. Maehlib, AKA Thomas Kaske, is one of these cases. He sent me a track via SoundCloud and I was immediately intrigued by his atmospheric, downtempo hip-hop beats. Leaning heavily on jazz, Maehlib creates layered, head-nodding soundscapes. He’s quite a mysterious character, with almost no information about him available online. However he was kind enough to provide me the details over email.

Born and raised in East Germany, he moved to Berlin after school. He began DJ-ing at age 14, and then started to make beats 2 or 3 years ago, after being introduced to production by his brother, an electronic music producer. The two collaborate as odd/even. As you may guess from listening to his music, he is inspired by Madlib, hence the similar name.

You will find a collection of his beats available for download via his BandCamp page, and each one comes with different cover art which he also designed. The cinematic nature of his beats may be explained by the fact that he is studying film along with anthropology, so you’ll find a wide variety of samples in his music, from academics like Mcluhan or Niklas Luhmann to African music.

I highly recommend you check him out, and then let me know what you think in the comments.

German DJ Paul Pre, one of my favorites, has a new mix he did for Laid Back Radio in Belgium, featuring “chilled beat music”. As usual he comes correct with a selection of soulful, futuristic beats featuring AFTA-1, fLako and more (full tracklist below).

Tracklist:

01. Shlohmo – Things I Lost
02. heRobust – Lumber Party
03. Jazzo & Melodiesinfonie – The Euphony Tree
04. Ta-Ku – Glacier
05. ?bstract-ONE – Dreamfeeder/Satellite (Remix)
06. The Astronotes – Luiz
07. Lower Entrance – Netherland Sun
08. Indigo Pyramid – Remember 2 Bounce 1
09. Annu – Opo
10. Free The Robots – Jupiter
11. Taprikk Sweezee feat. Busy – Eating at the Void
12. Samiyam – Where Am I?
13. Kritikul Beats & Teddy P – Abounding Grace
14. Vanilla – Keep On Walking
15. Mndsgn – Meanitlikeyousayit
16. Afta-1 – Amor Es
17. Sugoisounds – Moody
18. fLako – Kelau
19. Groundislava – Gods
20. Kona Triangle – Mango Rubicon
21. Com Truise – Glawio
22. Jon Phonics – The One
23. Samiyam – Frosting Packets
24. Duke Hugh – Ahyeah
25. DZA – Softgram (Kid sW!Ng Remix)
26. Praveen & Benoit – Embers (Machinedrum Version)
27. Devonwho – Brushmetal
28. Belle – Open My Eyes (Quest’s “Flyby” Remix)

The Stereo MCs are back! They have a new album, Emperor’s Nightingale out on August 30th. “Manner” is the first, and pretty impressive single to be released from it, and as you’ll hear below, still features a strong hip-hop meets electro vibe. They sort of remind me of Daft Punk or maybe even Basement Jaxx in that they’ve mastered the art of still being prominently cutting edge with their musical influences, but giving it a polished, pop-friendly sound (and for once I don’t mean that as an insult, hehe)  at the same time. Looking forward to hearing more of the new album. Listen/Download below and let me know what you think of the new song.

Stereo MCs- Manner by !K7 Records

Download “Manner” by Stereo MCs (right-click and choose ‘save as’)

Nas is set to return after several years since his last solo album. “Nasty” is the first single from the upcoming Life Is Good (although a name change is rumored to be in the works), due in September. “Nasty” has a classic Nas feel to it – bangin’ drums and Nas doing his thing solidly over the top. The track is produced by  heavyweight beatmakeer Salaam Remi. Take a listen below. Definitely whets the appetite for the full-length wouldn’t you say?

Listen to Nas – “Nasty”:
[See post to listen to audio]

Zo! is a multi-instrumentalist / producer from Detroit who is on The Foreign Exchange Music label. His soulful hip-hop sound is a perfect match for that label, born out of the success of Phonte and Nicolay’s original Foreign Exchange collaboration. Just Visiting Three is the latest installment in Zo!’s series of free eps in which he reworks cover songs with the help of a slew of progressive soul vocalists like Eric Roberson, Sy Smith,Nicholas Ryan Gant and more.

Listen:
“Everything She Wants”  feat. Phonte
[See post to listen to audio]

“Let It Go” feat. Nicholas Ryan Gant
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Zo! – Just Visiting Three

Tracklisting:

01. Black Cow feat. Phonte and Sy Smith
02. Let It Go feat. Nicholas Ryan Gant
03. Driving feat. Sy Smith
04. Marzipan feat. Eric Roberson and Phonte
05. Everything She Wants feat. Phonte
06. Same Ole Love feat. Jeanne Jolly
07. Playing Your Game, Baby feat. Anthony David

Hearing this new stuff from Freestyle Fellowship makes me nostalgic for my young hip-hop days, especially listening to Aceyalone’s “A Book of Human Language” for the first time and feeling pretty mind-blown. “We Are” is taken from a new album, The Promise, on the horizon (October actually) by Freestyle Fellowship and very welcome it will be!

Freestyle Fellowship – ‘We Are’ by DeconRecords

Official blurb:

Freestyle Fellowship, the legendary L.A.-based Hip Hop quintet of MCs Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter, and DJ Kiilu Grand have announced their new album The Promise, set to drop October 4th on Decon. Nearly a decade since their last album under the Freestyle Fellowship moniker, their impromptu reunion show in Los Angeles in 2009 inspired the quintet to reunite and create The Promise. The new album contains fourteen songs, including guest production contributions from Exile (“Step 2 The Side”), Eligh (“We Are”) and Detroit-based Dilla-protege Black Milk (“Candy”).

Calling Freestyle Fellowship legendary is far from a hyperbolic claim, having made an indelible mark on hip-hop since the release of 1991′s To Whom It May Concern.Establishing themselves as one of the most prominent hip hop acts on the West Coast in the 90s, the five members of the group have exhibited breathless prolificacy, issuing a staggering run of solo albums, splinter groups and guest spots. In Freestyle Fellowship each member brings the strengths of their diverse musical backgrounds to the forefront, with Myka 9′s intelligent and meticulous rhymes, Aceyalone’s distinct rhythm and old school folklore, Self Jupiter’s creation of suspense and theatrical craziness, and P.E.A.C.E.’s southern demeanor matched in stride with his country swagger.

“THE PROMISE” TRACK LISTING:
1. Introduction
2. We Are (produced by Eligh)
3. The Write Here
4. Step 2 The Side (produced by Exile)
5. Ambassadors
6. Dart
7. Gimme
8. Government Lies
9. Introspective
10. Daddies
11. Candy (produced by Black Milk)
12. Know The Truth
13. Popular
14. Promise

Some more tasty selections from the mind and record bag of Anthony Valadez.

Streaming player below….

Tracklist:

**Intro w/ Phontae (Little Brother/The Foreign Exchange**
SBTRK & Sampha – Livin Like I Do
Nina Simone – Funkier Than A Mosquitos Tweeter
Ifan Dafydd – No Good
Joy Division – She’s Lost Control
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Over
Bilal – Levels (Sonnymoon Remix)
Darondo – Didn’t I?
Cee Lo – Bodies
Jose James – Vicadon
D’Angelo – BS (Feat Roy Hargrove)
Orakel – Sou Do Futuro
Michael Jackson – I Cant Help It (Cuthead Re:edit)
Queztal – Yes He Can.. Lie
Flako – Gentle
Pedders – Hankuri
Eme Lelu – Quim Manuel O Espirito Santo
Ben Westbeech – Slowly
Hiroshi Fujiwara – Lost Child
George Fitzgerald Vs Groove Theory – Tell Me
Kid Cudi – Mr. Ranger
Wunder – Noit’z Kakao

HEAR WHAT I SEE by anthonyvaladez

Music blog Jus’ Like Music has launched a record label and the first release is from this London bloke named Bug. The digital single, which is free to download, is Cosmic Lab b/w 20 Winks and both tracks display a nice line in galactic soul beats. Check out the choons below and download away! Definitely looking forward to more from Bug.
www.bugmusic.net

24 year-old Londoner, BUG, is a keyboard player, songwriter and producer. Under the moniker, BUG, he creates an experimental, instrumentally grounded style of music with a compositional approach. The BUG sound encompasses the finer elements of hip-hop and neo-soul, yet the real beauty is in the delivery. Think the smooth richness of the Dam-Funk vibe, the solid construction of a Dilla beat, the electronic wizardry of Flying Lotus and the soulful melodies of Lonnie Liston Smith’s jazz.

New Flying Lotus tracks are always welcome and this one is no exception (spotted at Urb). Preceding his upcoming Warp release Cosmogramma scheduled for May, “Quakes” brings you some classic Flying Lotus flavor. This particular track will not be on the album, but can be found on the Warp compilation 2010. You can take a listen to, and even download some more tracks from that compilation over yonder.

Listen to Quakes:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Flying Lotus – Quakes

Hot damn. This track is like, whoa. Seriously though, 1-O.A.K. did a ridiculous job of turning Little Dragon’s “Blinking Pigs” into a beautiful, hip-hop n’ jazz inflected head-nodder. 1-O.A.K, is Oakland’s Brandon McFarland – a vocalist, musician and producer who is part of the Bay Area Collective the Honor Roll. He entered this remix, titled  the “God Made Me Funky Remix” in the FILTER remix contest  and it’s no surprise that he emerged the winner.

Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Little Dragon – Blinking Pigs – 1-O.A.K.’s God Made Me Funky Remix