Joy Denalane Song I Produced

Been meaning to upload this for some time. This is a song (“Du Allein”) I produced on Joy Denalane’s 2011 German-language LP Maureen, which dropped in the Spring. Honestly the song and album release fell of my radar for a bit, because the whole process of working on it goes back quite a while.

I actually made this beat some time in 2006. I had previously produced “For The Love” on Joy’s 2006 LP Born & Raised, and was still making a lot of tracks in that same vein. Except at this point I was looking to scale back the hip-hop vibe— particularly the drums— and make tracks that were more palatable for a vocalist to sing on.

In around March or April of 2007 (memory is hazy), I was working as the Technology Editor at Scratch magazine when I found myself on a plane to Frankfurt Germany for the annual Musikmesse convention with the mag’s Ad Director Geoff Martin. It just so happened that Joy had a show in Frankfurt one of the nights that we were going to be in town. Odd coincidence. So I rolled to the show solo that night, popped up outside the venue to Joy’s surprise and watched the show. It was great to hear “For The Love” played by a live band again (I’d heard it just one time previously, when she did her big New York showcase at the Canal Room a year prior). Backstage, I told her I had this one beat that I’d made that was perfect for her. I emailed it to her when I got back to my hotel. Then I didn’t hear anything back for a really long time.

In January or so of 2009, an email hit my inbox from Joy’s manager saying that she’d recorded to the beat and that they wanted to use it on her new album, which she was still working on. We did our due diligence on the business side and everything was ready to go. Except I’d still not heard the song. Then, in June of 2009, she played the completed version of the tune for me in Downtown Studios, in New York. At this point, the song was in English and sounded fucking amazing. I’m thinking, okay, the album should be out soon. But then it just… wasn’t. I really had no idea what was going on with the tune. Eventually I caught wind that she was going to be releasing two versions of the album, one in English and one in German. I happen to have the English-language version of the song sitting on my hard drive, but ya’know, whenever they’re ready. Anyway, the album release just sort of slid by me, cause I’m doing a million and one things and pretty irresponsible like that lol.

In all though, I’m happy the song and album was finally released. I haven’t made that many tracks like this in a while— the demand is low, and every time someone wants to buy one I get slaughtered on publishing with respect to sample clearances— but it brings back a lot of memories for me. Like, I actually remember finding the sample, how I made the beat, how there were two or three different versions with different drums, what it sounded like before all the instrument parts were replayed, etc. It was definitely one of those beats I listened to a whole lot. I really remember what I was trying to do musically at that point. It was a moment in time.

And just to hear another language over it is crazy to me. Maybe that’s a small thing to someone else, but to me it’s cool as shit. I remember around my birthday— maybe it was this year, maybe last year, can’t really recall— I was having a rare conversation with a friend of mine from Staten Island. Somebody who I produced records for in my late teens, early 20s, part of a group I funded and subsequently released thru my own indie production company back when I didn’t really even know what I was doing. Anyway, we were talking and as I often do, I was questioning who I am and what I’ve done in this world. It’s hard not to do that as you turn a year older.

“Dude, didn’t you produce some music for some artist in another country who’s like the biggest thing in the world out there?” he asks me.

“Well, yeah,” I replied, matter-of-factly.

“Out here (Staten Island) people can’t even produce music for someone on their own block, let alone someone who’s actually known in another country,” he said.

“I guess you’re right,” I ceded. “Sometimes I feel like I exist in a space removed from all of that, where it’s almost expected to do those things, though. Ya’know, this has been beyond hobby status for me for some time.”

And then our conversation continued along the lines of that, running down a list of things I’d done and so on. I guess it was kind of cool. Occasionally you get lost in the translation of everything that is going on, and you don’t pause to consider the magnitude of stuff. Like, real shit, I have producer friends in Germany who think it’s a big deal to work with people in their country that even they can’t. Me personally, I just don’t even think about it like that. It’s just something else to do. However, it’s always fascinated me whenever I’ve been involved with anything international. There’s just something about knowing that I was sitting in the garage in my dad’s house making this beat and then it winds up being super personal for an artist, and consequently their fans.

Also it’s kind of a reminder of how long certain records take to come out thru proper channels. I mean, seriously, the process of this all started 5 years ago. One song. 5 years! Crazy when you consider how much music comes out every day.

Well, maybe it won’t mean that much to you— heck, doubt anyone outside of German-speaking folks can understand it— but enjoy.

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Theo Martins And Lloyd Banks at Best Buy Theater NYC

Theo Martins goes from Providence, Rhode Island to the crossroads of the world, Times Square, in less than a year. You should probably not miss this one.

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Kanye West x Theo Martins x Party Supplies “Power” Remix

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Theo Martins new EP and “Kirby’s Airwalk”

Theo Martins’ “Channel Surfin” mixtape was a success last month. Tons of linkage online, plenty of people aware of its release, folks sharing it. I couldn’t be happier (unless a big pile of money fell out of the sky, but that’s a whole nother story). It was the perfect lead-in to SXSW, where Theo rocked shows solo and with UNI, Pac Div and a bunch of others. Timing really is everything, and hey, that was pretty strategic!

Theo recently partnered with DJBooth.net, and the site will release his long-awaited EP “You Can’t Do That On Television” this month. The project is a collaboration with upcoming Ohio-based producer $port, and the name takes its cue from the Canadian sketch comedy television program, which eventually became a Nickelodeon staple in the early 90s. The sound is futuristic, but inspired by that era. The first leak song from the EP is “Kirby’s Airwalk.”

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Download the Gorgio Moroder Collection

Spotted over at my former colleague and good friend Bfred’s blog, the definitive Gorgio Moroder collection. The fact that he compiled and uploaded this right now is rather convenient, considering I’m in the middle of reading And Party Every Day, a new book about Casablanca Records, who Moroder recorded and produced artists for.

Says Brendan,

It’s hard to imagine a time when synthesizers didn’t dominate popular music, but in the early 1970s, anything beyond acoustic was a pretty avant-garde act. Producer/singer/songwriter Giorgio Moroder was at the forefront of making electro go pop, through his innovative work in disco, pop, and film scores.

Raised in a German-speaking part of Northern Italy, Giorgio made his career in Germany’s music scene in the late ’60s when krautrock artists had started sprinkling synths into their traditional rock formulas. In 1976, he hit it big with Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby,” a funky, orgasmic club anthem that turned the unknown singer into the definitive artist of the disco era. A year later, Summer, Giorgio and longtime partner Pete Bellotte released “I Feel Love,” a hard-hitting electronic disco record that is often credited as the missing link between acoustic disco and modern house music. Other German electro artists like Kraftwerk might have been more musically radical, but Giorgio brought the synthetic revolution to the dance clubs and pop radio before anyone else. He would go on to compose a string of hugely successful soundtracks, from 1978’s Midnight Express to 1983’s Scarface, phasing out classical-style scores in favor of futuristic sounds that would dominate the ’80s. I collected over 25 of my favorite Giorgio songs for the latest Uggh…Nice Watch compilation…
THE GIORGIO MORODER COLLECTION:
1. Giorgio “Tears” (1972)
2. Donna Summer “Working The Midnight Shift” (1977)
3. Giorgio Moroder “Chase” (1978)
4. Janet Jackson “If It Takes All Night” (1984)
5. Giorgio Moroder “Tony’s Theme” (1983)
6. Blondie “Call Me” (1980)
7. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)
8. Giorgio Moroder “E=MC²” (1979)
9. Freddie Mercury “Love Kills” (1984)
10. Munich Machine “It’s For You” (1978)
11. Donna Summer “On The Radio” (1979)
12. Giorgio Moroder “Theme From Midnight Express” (1978)
13. Roberta Kelly “Trouble Maker” (1976)
14. Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” (1979)
15. Giorgio Moroder “Evolution” (1978)
16. Donna Summer “Dim All The Lights” (1979)
17. Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (1986)
18. Donna Summer “Love’s Unkind” (1977)
19. Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder “Together in Electric Dreams” (1985)
20. Limahl “The NeverEnding Story” (1984)
21. Giorgio Moroder “From Here To Eternity” (1977)
22. Paul Engemann “Scarface (Push It to the Limit)” (1983)
23. Donna Summer “Love to Love You Baby” (1975)
24. Irene Cara “Flashdance…What A Feeling” (1983)
25. Pat Benatar “Here’s My Heart (Classical Reprise)” (1984)
26. Giorgio “Son Of My Father” (1972)
DOWNLOAD: [ usershare | mediafire ]

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#Jewishrapnames the mixtape- Kings of Schlock

Shalom! Just in time for Purim, the first ever twitter trending topic-inspired mixtape is finally here- “The #Jewishrapnames Mixtape- Kings of Schlock”

Presented by hip-hop journalist Paul Cantor, urban culture photo blog UpNorthTrips.com and mixed by The Smoking Section‘s own Trackstar The DJ, Kings of Schlock is a humorous tongue in cheek take on Judaism’s role in hip-hop music.

“Once you get past the glitz and glamor, everybody in hip-hop wishes they were a little bit Jewish,” says Paul Cantor. “It behooves you to be a stand-up guy in rap, a mensch. Still, times are tough in the record business, and it pays to be tight with your money, a miser. So there’s a bunch of different Jewish characteristics or stereotypes, which we’re actually poking fun at, that lend themselves to thriving in the rap game.”

Guest starring HOT97 morning show radio personality Peter Rosenberg, hip-hop sketch comedy duo It’s The Real, and the OR (original Rabbi) Mike Moskoff, the project was inspired by a random twitter hashtag phenomenon that occurred last weekend (2/19-2/21), which saw the 140 character micro-blogging service turn into a #jewishrapnames free-for-all. Everyone from Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg to tastemaking DJ A-Trak to Samantha Ronson was in on the act. www.Jewishrapnames.com was launched instantly. A top #jewishrapname list was compiled by Paul Rosenberg and can be accessed at his site www.PaulRosenblog.com

“What we did was basically curate the top #jewishrapnames, the ones that tweeters kept repeating, and compiled them on one long-playing mix,” says Cantor. “The mixtape name and artwork is a play on Run DMC’s classic ‘King Of Rock’ LP cover, and then we added some skits to sort of create this Jewish rap narrative. The thing to keep in mind is that it’s all in good fun. Definitely for comedic purposes first and foremost.”

Kings of Schlock is the first of many proposed Jewish hip-hop-inspired projects. A second volume, featuring more original content, is already in the works.

Tracklisting
Dr Demento- Hebrew Rap
Meshugah Hill Gang- Rabbi’s Delight
Sephardic-Cyde- Passover Me By
Beastie Boys- Passover the Mic
Yiddish Ebonics Interlude
Brand Jewbian- Schlep to the Rear
Jew Tang Clan- Shame on a Meshugganah
Souls of Mitzvah- 93 til Yontifinity
Main Schwartz/Nasty Nashkenazi- Live at the Bar Mitzvah
Biggie Schmaltz- Jewcy
Dr Dreidel- Nothin but a Jew Thing
Old Dirty Mamzer- Shimmy Shimmy Yahweh
Craig Maccabbe- Flava In Yahrzeit
Jerusalem The Damaja- Brooklyn Tuchus
Method Manischevitz/Mary Jew Blige- I’ll Be There for Jew
Queen Haifa- JEW.N.I.T.Y
The Lox feat Lil Yom Kimpur- Gelt Power & Respect
2 Live Jews- Oy It’s So Humid
Hasheminem aka Slim Zadie- I Just Don’t Give a Schmuck Lauryn Hillel- To Zion

DOWNLOAD LINK

Artwork by Mark Malazarte
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Theo Martins’ “Veni Vidi Vici” On ABC’s Forgotten Next Tuesday

Theo Martins “Veni Vidi Vici”  has been officially tapped to appear in the Jerry Bruckheimer-helmed show The Forgotten, which airs on ABC Tuesday nights at 10pm, after everyone’s favorite show in the entire universe, Lost. “Veni Vidi Vici” will appear in next week’s episode. Please tune in!

Additionally, Theo will be performing on a bill at Haverford college in Pennsylvania with Guilty Simpson next week, February 12th. If you’re in the area, stop by and give us a shout.

“Veni Vidi Vici”

Alternate download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?yozztbxwnal

About Theo- The 23-year old hails from Providence, Rhode Island and in 2008 dropped a highly acclaimed mixtape project called The Birth ( download HERE). In the fall of 2009 he toured the nation as a DJ/performer with U-N-I and Kidz in The Hall on the Warren G tour. He also finalized a deal with Hall of Justus to release You Can’t Do That On Television, a collaborative project with upcoming Ohio-bred producer $port, due out in March of this year. “Channel Surfin” with DJ Wreckonize drops this month. Additionally, Theo has upcoming fashion collaborations with Street Etiquette, J. Elquist, The Madbury Club (Award Tour), AnmlHse Clothing, and Minoru Blvd, among others.

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Upcoming Rapper T-Shirt Named A Freestyle After Me

Last week I was on twitter when someone with the handle Sweatshirt replied to something I’d tweeted about bitter people fucking the music industry up. I kinda just glanced at the twitter page and thought the name Shirt sounded familiar. I asked him if he was the kid who made a mixtape with all these rock samples and he replied that he was. The mixtape was called Unsigned In New York (DOWNLOAD). I remember the mixtape because it had to be something like 2005, and he was rapping over all these Nirvana samples and whatnot, and at the time, nobody was doing that (or at least nobody on my radar). They weren’t complete flips of the samples, more like reworkings of the songs so that he could rap over them. I thought back then that he had a good flow, solid voice and was doing something forward thinking. It was rap rock, but over classic shit.

So I sent him this beat that I’d originally made a year ago with The Knux in mind for, and I actually told Krispy Kream that I was going to send it to him when I saw him at the Knux Redbull secret show in January, but  just never got around to it. T-Shirt jumped right on it and sent it back to me the next day. He didn’t flip it into a song, more just like a two minute verse, a freestyle. I came away rather impressed by it. His voice and flow just sounds right on these types of tracks. He took it upon himself to send it to some blogs, with the following message attached

Famed writer, Hip-Hop journalist and producer Paul Cantor and I had an ill conversation last night. Turns out my man Ayes gave him my first mixtape 6 years ago in Staten Island and he went crazy. He told me it was “wayyyy ahead of it’s time”, and was “one of his favorite mixtapes in years”, you know, back when mixtapes meant something. This was so ill to me. Paul Cantor is like the real deal as far as industry guys go. He sent me over some music reminiscent of these big rock remixes I used to do. I’d rap on anything man, it’s so fucking fun to me. Anyway, the joint he sent over was from that era of music I was doing and at first I was a little taken back haha. It’s not what I do anymore ! I slept for about an hour, woke up this morning, and wrote and recorded this just to show ole Paulie what the fuck I’m still doing over here haha.

Flattering to say the least. So without further ado, here’s the Paul Cantor freestyle.

DOWNLOAD- T-Shirt “Paul Cantor Freestyle”

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Ghostface Killah Tooken Back/All That I Got Is You

Had a little down time one night in 2006, just started messing with some wu-tang acapellas and the melody from “All That I Got Is You,” and came up with this remix. Was going through a hard drive and found it, thought I’d share. Enjoy.

Plus I needed a reason to unearth the Ghostface doll picture.

download HERE.

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OJ Da Juiceman and Oran “Juice” Jones- “Walking in the AYE!!!”

What’s in a name?

OJ Da Juiceman’s “Make the Trap Say AYE” and Oran “Juice” Jones’ “The Rain” don’t have much in common musically. Juiceman’s song is pretty slow, Juice’s is pretty fast. Where they’re linked is in their names. So I put the two together, and now they are the new Juice Crew.

I sped up Juiceman’s song quite a bit, so it’s now an up-tempo joint, with an 80s twist, that’ll fit into either a DJ’s mashup or throwback set.

OJ Da Juiceman and Oran “Juice” Jones- “Walking in the AYE!!!” (mashed by Gooch and DJ Bailey)

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