SECURE SHOPPING
Canadian musical journeyman Jules Chaz will release the first hip-hop focused record on Wagon Repair, a label known primarily for its house and techno output.
Ty feat. Sarina Leah & Shaun Escoffery – Emotions review
by Juno Plus on 08.03.2010 at 10:41am
Artist: Ty feat. Sarina Leah & Shaun Escoffery
Title: Emotions
Label: BBE
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
Ty has been a consistently classy MC and producer since he first emerged on Big Dada 10 years ago. He’s had the honour of a Mercury nomination, and worked with luminaries like Tony Allen, De La Soul and Damon Albarn in the process. But he’s never felt the need to sound like the next man, and has always kept his identity strong along the way. Now on BBE, “Emotions” precedes new album Special Kind Of Fool, and true to form, it’s a delight.
Smothered in Sarina Leah’s looped vocals and some tripped-out samples, Ty references everything from Cypress Hill, Justin Timberlake to 80’s novelty Rock Me Amadeus, and delivers it in his own distinctive London flow. The soulful vibe is kept in check with heavy and sparse drums, which keep it rooted in hip-hop. On a diferent tip, Bugz In The Attic’s “Daz-I-Kue” upps the tempo and puts a seriously funky broken beat under Ty, complete with some bass hits that sound a dead ringer for Lalo Schifrin’s Bullet soundtrack. Sarina Leah’s and Shaun Escoffery’s dueling backing vocals are also brought up in the mix and get rearranged into a smart call and response. Brooklyn legend and J Dilla protege Waajeed is let loose on a mix too, and delivers with a sly rearrangement of the chorus and some added eerie organ stabs.
This tune’s already had support from Mista Jam and Dj Semtex, and with any luck “Emotions” should help Ty reach out to even more fans of quality, non-cliched hip-hop.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Today marks four years since the death of influential rapper J Dilla. Dilla – real name James Dewitt Yancey – died on February 10, 2006, three days after his 32nd birthday, at his LA home.
DJhistory classic interview: DJ Shadow
Californian DJ Shadow made his name as the sample-auteur of the trendy Mo’ Wax in London with his debut album Endtroducing in 1996. Since then, he’s forged a reputation as both a collector and DJ who stays one step ahead of the pack in his constant quest for new and interesting records. Juno Plus is proud to present Bill Brewster’s in-depth interview with Shadow from 2005.
Interview: DJ MEHDI
Remember Ed Banger? French electro exploded into everyone’s consciousness in 2006/07, only to be met with the inevitable backlash that comes with overexposure. DJ Mehdi was – and still is – at the forefront of this scene, but he was around long before the hype, and his quality production means he’ll be around for a while yet. From humble beginnings on the outskirts of Paris, Mehdi has become one of the world’s best party DJs. He spoke to Juno Plus editor Aaron Coultate about Hong Kong brawls, movie soundtracks and his new collaboration with Riton.
Artist: Hudson Mohawke
Title: Butter
Label: Warp Records
Genre: Leftfield
Format: Digital, 2 x LP
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
The keenly anticipated debut from Hudson Mohawke is one of the most arresting albums of 2009. It’s hard to put a finger on the young Glaswegian’s style – there’s traces of dubstep, hip-hop, R & B and electronica strewn across the album, without any apparent regard for established musical patterns.
The result is fascinating – a restless, out-of-phase ride that heads in one direction, darts to the next, before coming back again. Hud Mo – a former DMC champ in his teenage years – could be the dubstep/hip-hop equivalent of Warp Records stable mate Jackson & His Computer Band – himself a true master of glitchy, cut and paste electronica.
Review: Aaron Coultate
