Rainydayz ‘n Rainbows

Usually I’m opposed to all manipulations or remixes of Radiohead’s stuff (just on the principle of why mess with perfection) but this album is unique enough to catch and keep my ear and is just pretty damn hot.

Rainydayz Remixes is composed exclusively of source material pulled from In Rainbows, re-envisioned by Amplive and complimented by vocal work from Too $hort, MC Zumbi of Zion I, Chali2na of Jurassic 5, Codany Holiday, and Del The Funky Homosapien.

After a cease & desist put the breaks on Amplive's Radiohead In Rainbows remix project, the online music community reasonably wondered if the tracks would ever see the light of day. Well, here they are.

While the Oakland producer/DJ acknowledges that he probably should have contacted Radiohead (who were not involved in the project) to seek approval prior to making his interpretations publically available, an agreement has been reached between all involved parties and Amplive has been granted permission to release Rainydayz Remixes for free to the general public. Effective immediately, the eight-track record is available.

Some reviews-

"The Bay Area producer (Akon, Talib Kweli)/half of Zion I has scrapped together a project dubbed Rainydayz Remixes, culling six IR cuts and chopping 'em up, spiking the punch with varying degrees of embellishments. "Weird Fishes" stays true to the original's arc -- one groove, one progression; slowly grooving, slowly progressing -- spiced up with a fake finish, some Thom tinkering and a Radiohead-meets-Neptunes-enhanced-JT beat. Ain't nobody love you like I love you, etc." - Stereogum

"Wow. California MC Amplive slices and dices a (let's face it, kind of bloodless) new Radiohead song and turns it into a sleek and simmering hip-hop track. If more of In Rainbows sounded like this, we might not feel so chapped about shelling out for the discbox." - Rollingstone.com

"Why can't hip-hop and indie rock values segue together as gracefully, as artfully, as Oakland DJ-producer Amplive's trip-hop–tinged remix of "Nude," a suturing together of his group Zion I's "Don't Lose Ya Head" and Radiohead's ethereal hum, with classic Yay touches of Too $hort?" - SF Bay Guardian

"Rainydaze Remixes is most effective when it is at its boldest, accelerating the dreary original of 'All I Need' into hard-nosed trip hop punctuated by stabbing brass, or transforming 'Weird Fishes' into a gentle drift downstream." - Guardian UK

"One standout track from the project is "Weird Fishes," which Amplive has transformed from a synthesizer-and-guitar odyssey into an ominous electro-trance expedition. Some other strong tracks feature guests: The pimp-rap specialist Too $hort enlivens a bass-boosted "Nude," and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien triples the verbiage on "Videotape."" - New York Times

• 01 Rainydayz [download]
• 02 Video Tapez (ft. Del The Funky Homosapien) [download]
• 03 Nudez (ft. Too $hort & MC Zumbi of Zion I) [download]
• 04 Weird Fishez [download]
• 05 All I Need [download]
• 06 15 Stepz (ft. Codany Holiday) [download]
• 07 Reckonerz (ft. Chali2na) [download]
• 08 Faustz [download]
• (Or as a Zip file)

onesevensevensix.com
via bwe

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Return of The King

From a blog post in the LA Times about the possible appearance of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson at the Grammys

"But here's hoping he's not in the Staples Center next weekend. For one, if he is, every other artist and performance will be overshadowed by talk of what Jackson will/or won't do, and what he will look like. And besides, the Grammys should honor the past year in music, not help sell a re-issue for Sony.

But more important, Jackson has already received a better tribute than the Grammys can provide. It came by way of Chicago rapper Rhymefest, who, along with Grammy-nominated producer Mark Ronson (Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse), has crafted a Jackson "dedication album," which takes inspiration from Jackson's work to create compelling new songs. I first learned about the project, dubbed "Man in the Mirror," via the blog of the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, and I haven't been able to stop listening since I downloaded it on Friday."

Yeah it’s really good, but since I really feel like I can’t write about music (dancing about architecture and all) I’ll leave it up to a professional (and just copy and paste)

"But Rhmyefest is able to do what major label marketing firms have failed at doing, and that's trim Jackson of the tabloid drama and bring the focus back to his music. Rhymefest sets out right away to humanize Jackson, and bring him down to earth, portraying him as a simple man from Gary, Ind., one who still has the power to unite a desperate community (see "Mike the Mentor"). He also inter-splices the album with brief, but always humorous, "conversations" with Jackson, in which Rhymefest's inserts himself into dialogue from Jackson interviews.

It's a tribute to a hero, but also a call to action. The 25th anniversary of "Thriller" comes bloated with extra tracks and remixes from will.i.am., Kanye West, Akon and Fergie, a disjointed smattering of superstars rather than a cohesive collection (as Rhymefest writes on his MySpace page, "As a fan, I expected a bit more"). By contrast, Rhymefest and Ronson have created a seamless offering, in which the rapper and the King of Pop play give-and-take with Jackson's songs of yore.

"Can't Make It" opens with a sample of "You Can't Win," and swipes and spices funk sounds over bombastic beats, mixing hip-hop dreams with a working-class reality. Rhymefest re-imagines "Dancing Machine" as a sparse club tune, and Rhymefest dramatically dances around a young Jackson covering "Ain't No Sunshine," re-crafting it as a song about tortured aspirations.

Rhymefest has more fun with Jackson's "Break of Dawn," turning it into the sly and soulful "Breakadawn," in which he wonders what Jackson's share of the Beatles catalog is worth. "Don't Let Your Baby Catch You" becomes the playful "Foolin' Around," and the title track brings it to a show-stopping close, with Rhymefest asking what he's done to lose the trust of his own mother.

After listening to "Man in the Mirror," it's clear there's only one Jackson Grammy pairing worth hearing: Jackson & Rhymefest, a duo that would probably make CBS suits cringe."

Doesn’t Rhymefest sound like a Lyricsist Lounge type event plus with a birth name like Che I wouldn't even bother with a street name

Anyway by any name he’s nice “He co-wrote "Jesus Walks and in 1997, he famously beat rapper Eminem in a freestyle battle at the Scribble Jam”

The Ronson/Rhymefest Man in The Mirror seems to be about half skits, but they’re pretty entertaining, though I don’t think Michael actually came into the studio to record them (but their impersonator is really really good)
You can download it here as a .zip

Yeah there’s some hottness there

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American Godfather

I'm personally a little lukewarm towards Jay-Z, I guess I don't like his hegemony (or his face) but when I first heard of this mashup of his apparently amazing American Gangster with the score from The Godfather on Radar I was intrigued. I mean it's The Godfather! and after listening to a few tracks, and perhaps because I'm not as familiar with the full score and haven't listened to the original American Gangster yet I'm not so tied to and attached to the original versions and don't view any change as a desecration, but I think I like it better than the Grey Album. Or maybe it's as simple as the white album was so sonically experimental and so well know whereas Nino Rota's score was traditional and orchestral but it works so well.
Anyway. It's from DJ Skee who in his own words is "the definitive West Coast DJ" and it's worth a listen if just for curiosity's sake

[UPDATE: Speaking of fun mashups

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