Last night I headed to the studio with my pal Uncle Fester to check out what was going on. As we walked in, Ambition was in the booth, so we went upstairs to listen with Beatmason and Dexter. Despite my previous experiences of being in the studio for longer then 10 minutes, this time I didn’t put a blanket on the floor and take a nap. Take after take kept getting better. Ambition has the skills, and if you don’t pay attention, you’ll be regretably missing out. After laying down a track and talking to him, I could tell that with just one song done, Ambition is ready for this.
Ambition in the booth with 4plae.com a few months back:
Channel Earth’s new eclectically styled EP Welcome to the Super Culture (executive produced by Osaka’s Evisbeats, with guest production and turntablism by Backburner’s ginzu3) is now on sale in Japan (notably, at music/video megachain Tsutaya) on Osaka’s Amida Records label.
A North American release is coming, but you can already purchase the CD online
(Pick the best overseas distributor off of this google listing)
Similar to Channel Earth`s previous album (under the name Abunai Jones), an exclusive underground mix version from long-time Channel Earth collaborator ginzu3 may be available soon, pending label permissions.
(Listen to ginzu3′s underground mix of the previous album here).
I haven’t got all the details on this, but apparently this song by Wordburglar and Peter Project (and featuring Apt on cuts) has been ratified as Canada’s new national anthem? I guess we’re girding up a new rallying cry before invading down south like Frontalot prophecied. So make sure you stand up and start hollering this at the commencement of school days and sports games from now on, and make sure it’s real loud so you drown out everyone still stuck on the stuffy old anthem that’s overwith now. Okay?
You can also download an MP3 of the broadcast version of the song (same performance, but sounds way better) from here: right here!
I recorded a song about two years ago with a shadowy figure known as Creepy Finger. The song’s muse was actor Reginald VelJohnson, known as the smart cop in Die Hard and the bumbling patriarch (also a cop) on the TV sitcom Family Matters. As these things go, Urkel was originally a foil for him and he became a foil for Urkel.
So yeah I was thrown in a kidnapper van and tortured until I couldn’t stand it anymore and I agreed to record a verse for the song. I’m so far now from whatever I was thinking when I wrote it that I can’t even tell if it’s all on time. I kind of think there was a looping problem in the original beat that I tried to compensate for and it got fixed after? I don’t know, maybe I just elected to use a really weird flow on purpose – I was pretty groggy from the thumb screws.
Anyway, I mention this instead of continuing to suppress the memory because the evidence of my forced captivity has now emerged on the internet:
Creepy Finger on MySpace – The first track is called either “Reginald VelJohnson” or “C-Ballz” depending on what you believe, and features one of the most off-kilter but weirdly on-point rhymes of my career. Key plot developments from Family Matters are referenced so that everyone can relate to the real-life and relatable laffs.
Listening to it again, I feel like I owe Ginzu3 an apology for biting and mangling some of his styles. I hope he doesn’t notice. Don’t tell him.
Ok, so I’ve been up to a lot recently. here’s the run down.
-First off, The Extremities are back in the studio working on a new project for 5 1/4 records (myspace) out of Toronto. We’re really excited about this album and this new partnership.
- I’ve been busy on the DJ tip these last couple of months; here’s a list of the albums that have (or are about to be) been released that I’ve blessed with my magic fingers:
- More or Les and Fresh Kils - LesKils EP (Canadian release forthcoming)
- Modulok – Cities and Years (Takaba Records); check out the video from this album in the post below, and a review of the record here.
- Pysbo (of The Toolshed) and this album should be out anytime now!!
- I’m in the process of working on a number of albums DJ wise.
You’ll find me guesting with Ill Bill on a Weapon X track soon as well!
Phew!! Wow, that’s a lot. I’ll be back later this week to talk about a new Backburner project underway with Ambition!! If you don’t know who Ambition is, well…you WILL.
The album is gonna be fantastic, Ambition on the rhymes, Dexter on the beats and Myself on the cuts (and it’s more finished than you might think!!)
Look for the Uncle Festerand Ambition Mixtape before then though!
Ok peeps, that should keep you busy for a bit
-Fes
PS – Found this over on 4Plae.com; shouts to IV and Plaeboi. Check for the Burner cameos down in Austin!
Backburner massive is turning up everywhere these days… sometimes you see and don’t hear us. Sometimes you hear and don’t see us. It’s all pleasant, though, right? I got some treats for you.
Here are three new music videos, listed in decreasing order of Backburner involvement.
1. Rhythmicru – We Have Come For Your Children
Rhythmicru members D-Ray, Cale Sampson and DJ Sawtay come lovely with a grip of central Canadian MCs on the help-out. In addition to Backburner members Ghettosocks, Wordburglar and More or Les flexing rhymes on the cut, in the background of the video you can detect cameos from Fresh Kils, Timbuktu, and Timbuktu’s troubling moustache.
The other MCs featured are Odario from Mood Ruff/Grand Analog, Bath-O and Uncle Dropsi. Obviously this is an epic posse cut and it looks vibrant and rugged even on YouTube thanks to the video by Ghostmilk Studios.
Edit: I just realized this is Canada’s/2009′s answer to the Monstarrs rap off Space Jam. Don’t pretend it isn’t.
2. Modulok – Ink Spots
Modulok is not a type of industrial fencing… he is a He-Man figure. I think he was part of Hordak’s horde? His arms and legs and body parts all came off and went back on and stuff. It’s crazy.
He’s also lead vocals in a rap crew called Red Ants who put out one of my favourite records of 2008, Omega Point. Now he’s rather selfishly blowing up 2009 with another record that features him front and centre on raps and a different dedicated beat maker, Leon Murphy. The record is called Cities And Years and it’s a huge departure for the imposing Modulok, who usually sounds gruff as hell and twice as mean on the mic but spends this record in a more reflective mood (not that his more aggressive material isn’t thoughtful) kind of lamping and dropping smooth lyrics with more personal perspectives (not that hip-hop adaptations of classic cold war sci-fi can’t be personal) than one may be used to.
Anyway, aside from how close Modulok is to the Burner crew as fam, our direct involvement with this album is that Uncle Fester provided cuts and scratches for the whole thing and it sounds lovely, doesn’t it?
Yes.
3. Josh Martinez – Going Back To Hali
This one has zero audio involvement from Backburner, but due to the very special cast of thousands of notable Halifax hip-hop personages, we’re represented in the scenery. Starting as early as 24 seconds in, you see Fester, Ghettosocks, Dexter Doolittle, then Wordburglar sitting with Jorun at about 1:37. Lots of other legendary homies represent but if you want to know who they are… read THEIR blogs. Ha.
This video is really touching to me, having moved away from Halifax almost two years ago now. It captures many of the sights and familiar areas and scenes I grew up around in a way that really transports me back, and I think that’s what Martinez was looking for as a fellow expatriate who’s been away much longer than I have.
Halifax is where it all started. Well… not hip-hop (that was invented in Toronto, right?), but Backburner when it was just nascent and all of us were way wacker than we are today (which is: zero wackness amount, which is why everyone likes to have our pretty faces all over their videos).
Next time you come around, you might be ready to hear a little something about the two music videos that Ghettosocks has in post-production at the moment… or the ridiculous slew of records about to trample you in your sleep… or maybe just a picture of Jesse Dangerously with the head of a Jackalope. Anything can happen.
Until then, keep listening to Jive-era Hiero and rocking your hat crooked but good crooked.
