No Doze/ New Music

Well, I've been listening to alot of older music lately. I can't explain exactly why this is. What is old? Well, mainly I've been listening to First wave Ska, Old School Hip Hop, Parliament and Led Zeppelin. I've been enjoying myself. But, alas, I have a responsibility bringing new projects and artists to you, my readers. Most of this music isn't incredibly new, but it's still got that new cd smell about it. Let's start with a group you should have heard of already. It's called Idle Warship and it's single is nothing like the other tracks I've heard from them. Looks like they want to go the way Bilal did with First Born Second and totally confuse both record companies and consumers. I'd normally frown at this, but since this song is about the Industry it could have been a little 'how's your father' from Talib Kweli and Res, the duo that comprises Idle Warship. I love some Res. Santogold wrote most of her first album How I do and much of it was produced by Esthero's production team. She knows how to keep good company. She is a talented singer and performer in her own right and being easy on the eyes doesn't hurt her appeal either. We all know who Talib Kweli is. The Brooklyn MC has been on his Janet Jackson- he's taken control of his career with the creation of his own label Blacksmith. What I hear is an explosive fusion music spanning from electronic to spoken word, Hip Hop and Soul. I'm curious to see where this goes. Remember, the single is nowhere near as interesting as other tracks, but I'll respect them by going ahead and releasing the single first.

Idle Warship- "Industry Diary"

The next group isn't new either, but The Black Keys have recently dropped their acclaimed album Attack and Release. I was a huge fan of Rubber Factory and other projects from this group, but this here is just incredibly fresh. Why? I don'tknow if it's because I've been bombarded with too much lo-fi folk music or too much clean yet hard driving, pop driven Rock lately but this here seems grimey. It coats your ears in wonderful soot as it eases into your countenance. It's that smooth, yes. Would I lie to you? Maybe if I was getting paid under the table, I would. A man's gotta eat. Thankfully, this isn't the case. I've got just a handful of loyal readers andI tell y'all the truth. Attack and Release has a down-home, basement blues sensibility about it without sounding like it was recorded in a closet. I guess having Dangermouse on as the producer doesn't hurt, right? I have yet to put my finger on how Dangermouse is able to create these compositions that at once hearken to a tangible past without sounding like either an homage or a facsimile, but he pulls it off, again. Don't take my word for it. Listen for yourself.

The Black Keys- "Lies"

The third and last National/International group of this No Doze Segment is the Kidz in the Hall. Yeah, this isn't about the comedy troupe. This is about the Chicago-based Hip Hop duo that seems to be dropping mixtapes every other hour on the hour. Not only have they dropped some of the more interesting mixtape projects of late like Naledge is Power, Detention and others that slip my mind but they've been getting their politic on, as I've noted in past posts (again, without Internet Explorer you can't view ATL Heat's archives. I have no idea why that is, and I'm tired of trying to fix it. When I move to wordpress in the summer, it'll be fixed). Well, looks like they've remixed their Obama support. They've added Talib Kweli and Under Ground King Bun B. Oh yes, those Obamaites have star power.

Kidz in the Hall ft Talib Kweli & Bun B - "Work to Do"

That quickly we are back in the A-town. I love talking about what we have going on in the city. I think I'll start with an R&B songtress that might have slipped off your radar but is back into the swing of things in a big way with a song produced by last week's No Doze segment producers, Battery 5. I'm talking about former TLC member, Chilli. Fresh off what can be regarded as her drama filled post-TLC career, the sister is back to work with a song already getting spins here in Atlanta clubs and on local Radio.

Chilli- "Dum, Dum, Dum"

Listen, folks...I am one man. I can't be everywhere. I can't do everything. I also work nights so I miss most shows, it seems. That is how small of a picture you are getting about ATL's music scene when you come to this site. This is part of the reason why I have so many links along the right-hand side of this blog. Peruse them. Click the links, find out what going on. Why? Because I didn't even know this act existed. HEED is a live band from Decatur doing it WELL. Front man Big HEED reminds me of B.o.B in that he has a street sensibility about his flows but his content, his subject matter is broad. He has an armory stocked with lyrical weapons of which he can choose coupled with the luxury of baddest drummer in Atlanta by his side, Alien 1. Alien 1 is a dynamo. If you've EVER had a chance to see him live, you cannot forget him. He'll jump over his drums, stand on them, flip sticks, walk around with his snare...anything the spirit moves him to do. If you haven't seen them live, you are losing in life. Seriously.

HEED-"LEGZ"


HEED live at A-town Day 2008 from FireBrand on Vimeo.

Last but not least is Kid Kaos aka Senor Kaos. If you don't know, you should know that Kaos is the man around Atlanta in the promotions game. He's also one half of Vintage Imperial. Vintage Imperial doubles for the marketing arm of Kaos's promotions business and the group that the ATL Underground is holding it's breath to hear from again. It's been a few years since Senor Kaos has blessed us with a single of his own. We've heard him on DJ Unknown's 200.6 FM Mixtape in 2006 and we got a taste on that Audubon Society Volume 4. But this jawn is all his and it's already getting spin on Radio 1 in London. So lets run a check right quick. Kid Kaos:

1.) 1/2 of Hip Hop duo Vintage Imperial
2.) Owner of Vintage Imperial Marketing and Promotions
3.) Runs The Kaos Effect Blog
4.) Promoter of Creative Control at Cenci with DJ Jamad, DJ Lord, Applejac & Steve Dinero.

Yeah, he's holding down the A. And yeah, I'm showing him extra love because we are both originally from Brooklyn. Talk about it. Show some love for the Kid Kaos. He's known for dropping classics automatically.

Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos-"Automatic Classic"
Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos- "Building Character"
Kid Kaos/Senor Kaos- "Girls Rock Too"

No Doze/ New Music

This week I'm going to give y'all a truncated version of No Doze seeing how ill I remain with this flu b.s. Normally I do 3 National/International acts and 3 local acts with No Doze. This week I'm just going to do 3 ATL-based acts. I figure if I'ma come up short, I might as well short on the side of the A-town. First up is The Labratz. These guys are making alot of noise in this ATL Hip Hop renaissance. Many would argue that there is a schism in this movement- part of it being the fashion forward crowd, the street scene, the AU centuer (morehouse, spelman, clark atlanta) based acts, and the last being the suriving elements of an already splintered ATL Hip Hop past comprised of what could be considered veteran Underground groups such as Collective Effots, Killer Mike, Greasekydz, Binkis Recs, etc. I think the Labratz do a good job of bridging several of these gaps. They have a sound, a swagger, and a marketing angle that seems to be all encompassing. If you missed on of their recent blitzes of shows, you are in luck. They play Compound Thursday, April 2nd with a cadre of some of ATL's New School Hip Hop Royalty. The name of the event is "This is the A", which while is a bit of hyperbole, might as well be the truth when you are talking about buzz-worthy music of late in the ATL Hip Hop scene. Go cop their new album Atlantis Rising. I am enjoying it so far. More on that another time when I aint leaking seven colors of mucous. Okay, that was disgusting. Sorry.
The Labratz- Mr. MENTAL

Next up is an ATL Band I always see on fliers and never seem to catch. Gringo Star usually plays nights I work so I've never had the pleasure of catching their live show. With great local bands either constantly on tour or falling off by the wayside like The Futurists and Deerhunter (technically they aren't really broken up, are they?), it's nice to know that the ATL's got a deep bench loaded with talent. Forgive me, I had to get some march madness innuendo in there somehow. Anywho...I can show you better than I can tell you how dynamic their energy is. Without further adieu, Gringo Star "All Ya'll":


Gringo Star "All Y'all" from analogmonkey.tv on Vimeo.


The "group" I think I'll close with this week is a motley crew of producers with talents ranging from Soul, Dub, Hip Hop to Dance Music. It's Battery 5. These guys are talented and they can make pop hits. That's a rare combination now-a-days. They love music and it's appearant in their compositions. They have songs that push the envelope sound-wise and others like "Cold" off their recent limited release CD The Usual Suspects that you can either bang in the whip, or hear at a club. That's alot of range, folks. They can do it all. Right now they are doing projects for many up and coming as well as established Top 40 and Underground ATL acts. Keep an eye out for them.


Battey 5 ft P. Jae & Headroc "Cold"

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Now playing: Battery 5 - Cold (Featuring P.Jae And HeadRoc)
via FoxyTunes