Transformer (Dirty Dome Beats)

Transformer (2008) Raw & Homemade

1.take it over there - sosh b cardi
2. violence - tone liv of green lama
3.so much more - b stilt ( guitar jam version 1)
4.sun up - apollo
5.oh my - chucknubian
6.all good - tone liv and b stilt
7.pavement - apollo
8.escape - es
9.cool luv - Alex styles and cv
10. fat knot - decay of green lama
l1. life - smooth from the connection
12.when thoughts clash - arsun fist and john wayne
13.wensday - prolifical ( guitar jam version 2 )
14.doomzday - tone liv and b stilt
15.raw banger - b stilt and tone liv
16.s.e.x. - b stilt

This Gentlemans definately gotta sound, I wouldn't say unique but more of a trend & a formula he's constructed, he's got that grimey soul vibe grindin out the speakers & its dope as real cool, this dudes a mos def in terms of one-2-watch.

Transformer (2008) The Beat Tender

1. the beat tender
2.all good
3.hearltess
4.raw banger
5.studio gangsta
6.sumer skies
7.in the blue
8.shoulda known
9.fireball
10.porn star
11. dont fight it
12.you got nothing

Transformer (2008) Afternoon Sessions

1.float
2.skull crusher
3.in the sky
4.pile driver
5. the deal
6.back in the day
7.brain malfunction
8.new nintendo
9.blown
10.cali vibes
11.memories
12.dazed

http://www.myspace.com/dirtydomebeats

Enough Names is a trio consisting of the Transformer on the beats & Ahpasit & Glad2mecha, No beat tape for ya, but I believe the debut release is comin soon, stay posted with these guys

www.myspace.com/enoughnames

Stellar sounds in the blossomin

Indeed it has been more than a while, some would say its been a minute, nevertheless the new theme a week, will be based on unsigned artists, MySpaces, ReverbNations, Soundclicks etc.....no point advertising artists whom most in the know of this scene are aware of......Time to use the blogging for its true power.

To Start I'm give Stellar Edwards a Run, Twenty beats with several musical genres engaging the listener. A Beatsmif hailin from the shores of sunny england, I say the weather tends to emulate throughout the people but these beats contradict that without a doubt. This will see outta 2008 nicely.

check the myspace:

Stellar @ Myspace

5 Download links for ya, so no whinging with that its only yRapidshare ish

Link 1 (Sharebee)

Link 2 (Mediafire)

Kam Moye's Self Centered Supastition

A Long time in the game, chasin Paper & the Chasin Props he so rightly deserves, Supa (Stition) has recently dropped his side project EP "Self Centred" recorded under the name Kam Koye.
A soulful release, plentiful of competent producers D.R. takes claim to 3 tracks, The man of the moment M-Phazes adopts his classic Boom-Bap sound.

Another talented MC Kaze features on the album.

Quote from "Welcome to My Life" Track 2
"Same fans that download it give the same respect, then send e-mails askin why I ain't famous yet"

Jus one of many touchin rhymes, this album caters for the Tru School fans. People This album is Free.....I ain't providin the link for this gem cause to many of ya just click download & Phuck off, check his myspace.....& SUPPORT THE ARTISTS

01. Where & Why - produced by D.R.
02. Welcome to My Life - produced by Croup
03. Change of Heart - produced by M-phazes
04. Reach One ft Kaze - produced by Eric G
05. Around the World ft DJ Wreckineyez - produced by Veterano
06. Black Enough? - produced by Eric G
07. Give It Up - produced by D.R.
08. Self-Centered - produced by D.R.

MySpace with Supa

MySpace With Kam Moye

Sight 4 Sound

Imagine Several Videos (from film, Music & TV) accompanied by a wicked break, Several acapellas.......Sounds warped I know....Probably haven't the feintest what I'm talking about.

This guy has a true sight 4 Sound Check him out. I belive he uses Abelton to create his pioneering visual sounds.

My recommendation is to visit the site & enjoy.......A Truly original.


>The Ultimate in Audio Visualisation

Will Holland aka....

......Q U A N T I C

First & foremost, Apologies for such a long delay, busy doin' this, that & the other (You know how it is) I came across this guy through a friend who played me his Mishaps Happening Album....I instantly restarted the 2nd track & by the end I'd ordered to of his albums from amazon.

A Funky Breakbeat / Big Beat Producer / Talented Musician who Works damn hard, has put a lot of records out, and is still damn young. Of course, when you really consider that for someone in their mid twenties to be, in 2006, releasing what is essentially their 8th album, and racking up nearing 30 remixes since his first release in 2002, then that is quite astonishing.

We all know though, that quantity does not equal quality, so what really astonishes is the fact that every single release is a winner. Every single release is worth your time and sees him trying something different, exploring sound, and translating his own huge thirst for new sound into his own work.

There isn't a musical genre out there thats related to the hearts of funk and soul that he hasn't turned his hand to, and yet at the same time he his one of the few producers around that always sounds like himself.

Whether it's under his original Quantic moniker or as the live rocking funk soul heaviness of The Quantic Soul Orchestra you can spot a Quantic production a mile off, even if it doesn't sound like anything you've heard him do before.

It's a talent that has seen him work with some of the finest names around. Remixing Charlie Parker and Breakestra, collaborating with Sharon Jones and Mr. Scruff, sharing a live stage with De La Soul, to producing and writing with Spanky Wilson, Quantic's is a talent that is admired by producers, vocalists, and musicians of all the ages. And naturally, clubbers around the world have felt the Quantic pressure too.

From the festival stages of The Big Chill, Glastonbury, and Roskilde, super smooth clubs in Europe and Japan, hard core roadtrips around the USA and Australia, tiny Muscovite basement sessions and Puerto Rican Candela sweat boxes, where there's the music love Quantic will go. Literally, where there's a Will, there's a way. 2006 is set to be his busiest year yet. The 'One Offs, Remixes, and B Sides' collection has just been released on Tru Thoughts, his limited edition collection of rumba, plena, and cumbia music 'Mofongo Para El Alma' is just out, July sees him unleashing his brand new Quantic album 'An Announcement To Answer', and September is the launch of his QSO collaboration album with US soul legend Spanky Wilson.

Time for a rest perhaps? Never. Believe it or not there are still countries he hasn't DJed or dug for records in, still sounds he hasn't experienced, and still so many great records to make. Onwards and upwards my friends, onwards and upwards...

Quantic Soul Orchestra

"Putting something back" is how Will Holland described the reason for starting The Quantic Soul Orchestra. Having released two succesful albums on Tru Thoughts under his Quantic guise - The 5th Exotic and Apricot Morning (which fused jazzy and breakbeat sounds), he felt his next musical adventure would be to focus on the album you have in your hands. The Quantic Soul Orchestra is a live project, strictly no samples allowed. Influenced by Mr Holland's love of the dusty funk 45's, he wanted to record and produce an album with creative and like minded musicians.

With pop acts in the 2000s now using hip-hop beats (beats which are heavily influenced by funk records from the 70s) it was important for the QSO to make the album rough, raw and real - it's definately not Acid Jazz but has a deeper funk sound that shows that this music is well and truly alive in the new millenium. This is an album influenced by the many flamboyant (but often poor) musicians in the 70s who loved music for music's sake, who wanted to dance and make people dance.

This album is not trying to be retro and trendy, hence the cover version of 4 Hero's future soul anthem from 2002 Hold It Down. Sung in one take as vocalist Alice Russell warmed up before a recording session, it was decided that the original Holland penned instrumental should be replaced with this version. Ms Russell also lends her soulful voice to two other tracks on this album Something That's Real and Take Your Time, Change Your Mind. The other sung track finds John Hughes adding vocals (as well as some guitar and flute) to the classic QSO 7" Super 8. The QSO also adds Afro Beat, Soul and Jazz influences to the Funk sound with musicians Dave Woodhouse (Clavinet, Rhodes and Trumpet), Damian Bell (Trombone), Antonia Pheulatos (String Arrangements and Violin), Lucy Holland (Saxaphone), Richard Gibbs (Drums) and of course Will Holland himself (Guitars, Bass and Percussion) adding to the variety.

This is probably an album that future producers will be sampling, who knows someone across the world may even be sampling the music as you read these sleeve notes today!

This Download Collat Contains Tracks from His Solo Work, The Qauntic Soul Orchestra & some production on other artists albums. ENJOY!

Quantic Collection

Just remember to acknowledge The Quantic Soul Orchestra if you do sample them and if you make a success of your music to "put something back" too.

quantic

Grap Luva

In the shadow of the Chocoltae Boy Wonder Soul Brother #2 namely Grap Luva is an artist featured heavily but remains quiet in terms of releases. A smooth Rhytmic poet who I first heard after doing some research following one of My favourite albums Pete Rocks ''Petstrumentals''.

The Download Contains about 15 tracks Grap Luva features on including The Bootlegged InI relase ''Centre of Attention''.

Graps MySpace :-
Hailing from uptown New York's Mt.Vernon,Greg Phillips A.K.A "Grap Luva" got his start out in the hip hop game dancing on tour with his older cousin and hip hop pioneer Heavy D,around the same time his older brother was about to drop a gem on the hip hop world as 1/2 of the ledgendary duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. With the release of Mecca & the Soul Brother, Grap made his way onto the album with one of the most memorable freestlye's of the time...lets put it this way Lil Fame of M.O.P saw Grap coming out of the studio and asked him to kick it for him...Shortly after that Grap and a few of his boys(Rob O,Marco Polo) formed a group calling themselves InI,due much in part to Grap's Jamaican roots...with production duties handled by his brother Pete Rock the group released their first single and video for the classic 12" "Fakin Jax" on Elektra, with little push or promotion the groups,now heralded as a classic first full length album "Center of Attention" unfortunately never saw the light of day...With the subsequent demise of Pete Rocks Soul Brother Records to be distributed through Elektra the group parted ways with their label and the album was lost in limbo...that is until....a couple of years later gangsta rap and the so called "East vs West" fued was in full swing, a couple of songs started popping up on mixtapes,even though they sounded like recordings of recordings Djs all around the world were putting these songs on their mixtapes(yes actual tapes kiddies) and low and behold they were bootleg copies of songs off of the InI album"Center of Attention" fast forward a couple of years from then the very much classic album was bootlegged so much and sought after by so many that BBE Records decided to track down the masters and actually release the album almost a decade after it was recorded,the demand was that strong...As all this was going on, Grap stayed working with cats from all around the world releasing a slew of singles and now producing tracks for some of hip hop's up and coming heavyweight emcees in the game right now...although a very elusive cat Grap Luva has etched his name in the hip hop history book and has devout fans allover the world...he has helped alot of cats get on (Kev Brown,Sound Providers to name a couple)and to this day is sought after by new jacks all over who remember the first time they heard that famous first line "I am the one they call the G the R the A the P and..."



Grap ''SoulBrother #2'' Luva Collat


http://www.myspace.com/76645391

Golden Boy & Think Twice are.......

The SPECIFICS


Hip hop in Montreal can get a little tricky at times. Blessed with an abundance of capable MC’s,a trailer-load of DJs, and a slew of hungry producers, talented individuals in the city constantly battle not with each other, but with the teetering possibility of an organized and unified hip hop scene. Clans, posses, crews and cliques come and go, but SPECIFICS are looking far beyond the confines of a local existence. Made up of producer/engineer Think Twice, and MC Golden Boy, the group got its start in the dorms of Montreal’s Concordia University back in 2000, where the two west coast transplants experimented with bedroom recordings and homespun LPs under the moniker Green Dragons.


Later they met DJ Goser, who was a welcome addition to the musical equation that had already begun to take shape. Backed by the soulful an expressive productions of Think Twice, Golden Boy shines on the mic, poetically weaving in and out of the subtle complexities of everyday life with style. DJ Goser is finesse on the cut, accenting a solid array of melodic beats and lyrical rushes, completing this trio of dedicated heads.




THINK TWICE & GOLDEN BOY


A flow that can only be described as relentlessly fluid. His rhymin technique compliments Think Twices' slack jazzy production. His recent release is his 1st & hopefully not his last LP, namely "With a Loop & Swing" a nice solid effort sitting adjacent to 2 very succesful LP's his lacksidazical flow blends perfectly bringin the J.U.S. Sound home.


His Poetry is almost like no other, Listenin to his rhyme connections over "You", "Under the Hood" & "Craigs House" to name but a few symbolise everything said in this post, the tracks featured in the download are taken from "Lonely City", "II" & Think Twices LP "Witth a Loop & Some Swing"




The Beats are stone Jazz-N-Soul through & through, many producers will take a straight sample and lace it with a kick, snare & hat in your standard 4/4 time stamp, Think Twice builds some of his tracks with some more than welcomed unorthodox drums, with the occassional quantized percussive hit blended into the stew.



Some of the Beats are seriously smooth, track 5 on "II" called "Look Alive" & 7 "Lampin (Lava)" is a perfect example. In fact "II" is slightly smoother in contrast to its jazzy pre-decessor "Lonely City" released in 04'. The Jazz vibe of "Under the Hood" accompanied with Think Twices' Flawless Poetic Rhymes is one for the walkman for sure.

Fortunately I can't state any particular as a favourite which means a good album, the collat contains tracks fom 3 albums and still I can't specify any as a header for the canadian duo.


NOTE: The tracks conatained in the collat are neither the best or worst & are merely examples of production an rhymin at its finest. if your familiar with my posts & like what you hear then buy these albums immediatly after listenin......More than Worth it (Pure Inspiration).

Specifics on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/specifics

Think Twice (Beatsmif) on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/thinktwicemtl

Golden Boy (EmCee) on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/dertiger



The Specifics' Collat

Muneshine, Dminor, M-Phazes, Illmind, Raks One (Emilio Rojas) & Presto are.....

My 1st contact with any form of Wax Reform was through Akrobatiks album "Balance" when Remind My Soul stood out like a sore thumb (I actually recognised the sample because I'd been samplin my mums Wilson Pickett records at the time) If I'm to be 100% honest I hadn't a clue about WR back then & its only late last year I'd any contact with their work & naturally I was engrossed. The choice & manipulation of the samples, the Groove of their warming bass really is there not only to be enjoyed but to be appreciated in terms of Production.

With the rhymin talents of Muneshine & Raks One / Emilio Rojas, the flawless & relentless talents of M-Phazes you shouldn't be guilty of expecting to much in believing the next coupla’ years in could & should be very, very positive. Add the rhymin, singin & production Skills of Dminor to the blend & you've a complete package........Then there’s Illmind a Producer who appears to have thoroughly blossomed in recent years, with his ability & huge reputation the Wax Reformation Team have the fundamentals needed to cleanse a stagnant industry of its impurities (optimism is a great thing).

Presto (The member I know nothin about) is one of the biggest DJ's out in Holland at the moment & with Nicolay & Von Pea as his compatriots I look forward to grabbin some of his work.

From the Wax Reform MySpace......

"An unlikely collection of some of the finest producers/emcees, you've never heard of or at least you don’t think you have. From the people who brought you Dead Prez, Common & Last Poet's "Panthers", Akrobatik's "Remind My Soul", MF Grimm's "Together", Louis Logic's "Gentleman & A Scholar", as well as the "Opportunity Knocks", "A Vision And A Plan", and "For Good" albums, Wax Reform is a name to be reckoned with.

A collective of independent producers/emcees that span the globe, Wax Reforms two founding members hail from sunny, Los Angeles, California (Dminor) and the, often snow covered, plains of Saskatchewan, Canada (Muneshine). But it doesn’t stop there. With members in New York (Emilio "Raks One" Rojas) and New Jersey (ILLmind), Wax Reform takes its roster around the globe to Australia (M-Phazes) and the Netherlands (Presto) to round out the crew.

Conceived in 2002, it wasn’t until 2003 that Wax Reform would begin to take shape. All of its members had made significant contributions to the world of hip-hop, but had yet to move as a unit with one common goal, to produce quality music without compromise. And so Wax Reform was born.

Since then, Wax Reform has been involved with projects both domestic and foreign, with ILLmind providing production for G-Unit and Muneshine's collaborative efforts with Pete Rock and DJ Spinna, as well as The Phocus(Muneshine & Raks One) album, "A Vision And A Plan", released in Japan on Handcuts Records.

With an arsenal of infectious grooves and thought provoking lyrics, it is only a matter of time before Wax Reform changes the face of music, by doing what they do best."

Making good music, without compromise.

M U N E H S I N E

Canadian EmCee / Producer with 2 solid LP's to his CV: "Opportunity Knocks" released back in 2005 houses appearances from Raks One (aka Emilio Rojas) who partners him in the duo Phocus; a subsidiary of Wax Reform. The production on his debut LP is predominantly from his the rest of His Crew, namely D-Minor, Illmind & M-Phazes.

A guest feature is from production legend Pete Rock bringin his classic heavy soul driven sound.

2007 has overseen the release "A walk in the Park" an instrumental LP. Muneshines production is soulful & the title "A Walk in the Park" fits the bill perfectly. Phocus & WR partner Raks One features on the only vocal track the album has.

(Read Lightheaded Post for more info)

Muneshine's Homepage

D - M I N O R

Don't know much about this guy biographically, The MySpace houses a picture of the late Great James Yancey (Dilla), so I assume it safe to state (like allot of Producers) he's been a huge influence on Dminor.

Dminor, whose musical influences range from such contemporary artists such as Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis, has been cultivating his love for music from an early age. Starting at age 7, Dminor has recorded with many well known artists, including Al Arrau, Harry Belafonte, "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast" composer Alan Menken, and more recently, The Beastie Boys.

Writing, arranging & producing for himself means Dminor has crafted a unique sound unlike those flooding the airwaves right now.

With engaging lyrics and sentiment not found in popular music, Dminor hopes to broaden the ear of his listeners with timeless music to be enjoyed for years to come.

His latest gem features production from M-Phazes & is called “Supreme Goodie”

Dminor's MySpace - Dminor's Homepage/ - Supreme Goodie - Dmnior's LP Site

E M I L I O R O J A S ( R A K S O N E )

A natural born spitter of Venezuelan heritage & hailin from New Jersey. A real tight lyricist with what I believe to be 2 LP's under his belt "For Good" from 2005 & this year has seen "A Breath of Fresh Air" released. Naturally both albums feature production from the rest of the production team, especially the latest release in which all (aside from the mysterious Presto) appear. A lyricist of ear catchin talent....& ear catchers are rare as I'm sure your aware. Many can rap but very few can rhyme, & with Raks one in this coalition I'm picturing big things for the future.

"For Good" a solid Debut and a nice build before the excellent "A Breath of fresh air" of which a more formal approach was taken as he records under his birth name Emilio Rojas. The album is deep in production & very deep in vocal content; Everyday Life issues & personal issues are laid out on this more than solid release.

The other big spitter in the crew is Muneshine, His partner formin the duo Phocus, a project released via the Jazzy Japan "A Vision & a Plan" released back in '04, features production naturally from Muneshine, but Illmind & the multi-talented Dminor.

Emilio Rojas' MySpace

I L L M I N D

Production started at a young age & with the aid of the internet ears started opening & noses started sniffing in the direction of Illmind. His 1st single (The instrumental is included in the package) was/is a deep track called "Remind My Soul" featured on Akrobatiks 2004 release "Balance". Posting His work online caught the ears of the folks over at Soulspazm Records, who at the time started a live producer showcase called Beatsociety (Hail Hezekiah for this genius idea). Iillmind within time performed at a Beatsociety showcase in Philly, alongside Kanye West, 88-keys, Dj Jay-ski, and Fury. This showcase turned the keys to many doors for Illmind, & as time progressed eventually showcases all over the U.S. followed. Inculdin appearances alongside Just Blaze & 9th Wonder.

This year saw production with the respective artists; 50 Cent, G-Unit, 2pac, Diamond D, Ghostface Killa, Pharoah Monche, Phife Dawg, Little Brother, Apl De Ap (Black Eyed Peas), and a huge array of other artists.

With such a Huge Body of work & a blossoming reputation its no wonder Illmind appears on almost every LP I've purchased recently. A prominent figure rhymin on his tracks is the hugely underrated Supastition who seems to create a winning tonic every time he hooks up with Illmind (& M-Phazes), fast-n-furious rhymes over some seriously artful tracks is a formula that can only leave you questioning why an album hasn't been made with the 2 of them (Well maybe the whole of Wax Reform).

Hip-Hops new generation is currently cradling some of the best beatmakers on the planet within Wax Reform.......Ears up people!

ILLminds MySpace - ILLminds Homepage

M - P H A Z E S

M-Phazes is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough. Born and raised in the Gold Coast of Australia and relatively isolated from Hip-Hop culture, M-Phazes has carved a place for himself among Australia's Hip-Hop elite and is undeniably responsible for putting Gold Coast Hip-Hop on the map.

His style is best described as a combination of Neo-Soul & Boom Bap with a modern twist. Drawing inspiration from the obvious; Dilla, Primo & Kanye, M-Phazes has forged an original sound that is uniquely his own. Like the producers mentioned & others that haven't (Pete Rock, Large Pro & as much as I hate to mention but adds to the point Swizz 'Fuckin' Beats) As soon as the beat drops, you know exactly whose on production.

With 9 years of production work under his belt and over 50 releases all over the world, M-Phazes has moved from way down under (apologies couldn't resist) to a more than recognisable producer. Landing his first serious release on Supastition's "Chain Letters" years ago and most recently remixing the entire Bliss N Eso "Day of the Dog" album, M-Phazes seems unstoppable. His discography reads like a who's who of underground Hip-Hop.

A definite firm favourite of mine, The Wax reformation crew is certainly & has certainly been making some more than positive moves.

M-Phazes' MySpace

P R E S T O

I can honestly say I've heard nothing by this guy & this is officially the shortest review in History, check his MySpace & his homepage

Prestos MySpace - Brain Storm - Prestos Homepage

Download Links

Wax Reform - Dminor & Emilio Rojas (aka Raks One)

Wax Reform - Illmind

Wax Reform - M-Phazes

Wax Reform - Muneshine

Web Sites

Wax Reform Homepage

Wax Reforms MySpace

Muneshine's Homepage

Dminor's MySpace

Dminor's Homepage

Supreme Goodie - Dmnior's LP Site

Emilio Rojas' MySpace

ILLminds MySpace

ILLminds Homepage

M-Phazes' MySpace

Prestos MySpace

Brain Storm - Prestos Homepage

A Light Headed Vibe

Lightheaded fundamentally a 3-man crew consists of: Braille, Ohmega Watts & Othello of which all are Producers with a Mic. I've added Muneshine to the review as He produces alot on the albums. They appear to work closely with Stro the 89th Key (I'll refer to him as Stro for timesake) & Jason Medeiros (The Procussions), Illmind, D-Minor & M-Phazes (Wax Reform), Surreal (Sound Providers), Theory Hazit, Sharlok Poems & Sivion.


PURE THOUGHTS & WRONG WAY


The 1s LP "Pure Thoughts" released in 2003 is excellent to say the least & is definitely one of my favorite albums, in fact both the LP's are a firm favorite of mine, with production from all members a coalition in full form is present, "Wrongway" released in 2005 follows suit & like the 1st LP is the perfect addition to your (J)azzy (U)nderground (S)oulful collection



Wisdom One & Just Jared form 1773 have an LP released this year featuring Watts, Braille & Othello. A solid album & the duo may be one for the future.



OTHELLO



After hearing Othello’s solo work, I thought the clarity of the tracks were of such a natural sound that I became interested in what he was using to make his music & thought there was no way He could produce these tracks or replicate the natural vibe of pure music without the aid of a band after reading the inlay & of course the internet I kept seeing the name The Black Notes, who appear to be a band (of evident ability) Othello is working with at present.

Othello’s work appears (like most great Hip-Hop of today) to be released pre-dominantly out in the Land of the Rising Sun (My next focal Point). He has 3 solo projects to his name that I own (amazon.co.jp or HMV.co.jp) & the work he has done with the rest of the crew (Lightheaded) proves that not only is he a more than efficient artist but the crew appear to be progressing at such a rate that their proving to be one of the best groups of this decade.

2004 brought his EP "Classic", 05 saw Elevator Music hit the scene followed by "Alive at the Assembly Line" a year later in his own words "Alive at the Assembly line is what I consider my debut recording because it showcases where I am upon the release of it, and utilizes the resources God has granted me to create a project I believe to communicate my heart honestly and effectively. The record is all about development. Using the good and bad to benefit your growth...The assembly line represents life......."



OHMEGA WATTS



Like his pal Othello he appears to work closely with a selected group of people almost like a recruitment process in where you have to prove yourself as an emcee before you gain the delights of their work. His 1st LP namely "The Find" feature many artists but as I've said in regards to the consistency of guest appearances Othello, Stro & Surreal.

"The Find" from 2005 is an album with a soul-funk tip, His rolling basslines accompany his flow that acts as an instrument because of his natural ability to weave steadily throughout.
I hate to start disregarding other members of the band but Ohmega in terms of a complete package is for me the prominent member, He's certainly no better or worse than any other member as they all bring different aspects to the table (thus making a superb group), but my personal preference in terms of production & rhyme style veers towards Ohmega.

This album is accompanied with several instrumental tracks, letting you enjoy Watts' Cut-N-Paste Skills.

"Watts Happening" released this year is further evidence that Ohmega Watts is a great producer & EmCee, quite a progressive album in terms of production a track that stands out & proving this is "Platypus strut" which is pure funk driven & proves his extraordinary production skills.

MUNESHINE



Canadian EmCee / Producer with 2 solid LP's to his CV: "Opportunity Knocks" released back in 2005 houses appearances from Surreal & Raks One who partners him in the duo Phocus. The production on this album is predominantly from the industrious Wax Reform (D-Minor, Illmind & M-Phazes), a guest feature is from production legend Pete Rock bringin his classic heavy soul driven sound.

2007 has overseen the release "A walk in the Park" an instrumental LP showing another avenue the lightheaded crew has. Muneshines production is soulful & the title "A Walk in the Park" fits perfectly. Phocus partner Raks One features on the only vocal track the album has.

BRAILLE



The hardest spitter from the crew, a bass heavy producer with more spit than an angry camel. Braille’s rhymestyle completes the Quad nicely. His solo work also contains 2 LP's "Shades of Grey" released back in 2004 & "Box of Rhymes" released last year. The most aggressive EmCee in the crew also caters for the lovers of head-nodding beats. Braille's latest addition is without a shadow of a doubt his best work to date, "A Box for Japan" was a Japanese project (again the best stuff is released out there at present) until recently & can be purchased on the Japanese Amazon.



PRODUCTION


Othello

His production appears to be band based & a huge focal point seems to be on acoustics to gain that natural sound, The advantage of working with a band shows in his work & the clarity of the sound shows, Like The Roots best work & one of better posts, Hocus Pocus, there proves to be an obvious advantage with having access to a band as you have an endless (infinite) supply of riffs & percussive sounds.

His rhyme style is versatile to say the least, Fast, slow & hard & soft etc, he's capable of reaching Hip-Hop fans of all preferences.

Ohmega Watts

A very consistent producer, his feel for the Funky Soul sound is evident in his production a more bass heavy producer than Othello, with Horn stabs, & funky samples rolling around in the background his tracks leave your head-nodding & soulfully yearning for more.

Braille

Again the heaviest Beatsmith amongst them, he makes beats in a manner only a hard spitter can manage. His latest release & I can only reiterate his best work to date, contains some fresh funk & some slack soul in which he drops neat verses throughout.

Muneshine

A lover of Jazzy soul, well at least that’s what his instrumental LP appears to claim. "A Walk in the park" is the perfect reminder that this crew has everything in terms of production.
Slack drums, Beautiful samples, an array of delay added to filtering effects panning in the background & the perfect amplitude in terms of Bass, means we've got ourselves a perfect J.U.S. Music producer.


www.myspace.com/lightheaded


The Lightheaded Collat

Hezekiah - Music for the Grown

Hezekiah; a firm reminder that Hip-Hop still cradles a soul, A soul that many believe to have died. Like all listeners I've my own ideology of what Hip-Hop is & should be about. As far as production goes the name of this blog is a huge clue to what my perception of a flawless recording.

Oddisee, Kev Brown, Illmind, Hocus Pocus, Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff, Dilla, Sabzi are amongst only a few that epitomise Jazzy Underground Soul & to be frank Hezekiah's work on his Releases are flawless which is rare t carry over more than 1 album. The Sound left my ears yearning for more......His more than welcomed follow up to his array of epics really couldn't have arrived quick enough.

Exit Wound Status (mixtape)

A debut release from the Philadelphia born Musician


Hurry Up & Wait (2005)

Like all 1st releases, a debut album is an insight to the artist, This album was a huge introduction. Again flawless production, lyrical content & a flow of the highest order.


Ruby Valentine (2006)

Hezekiah's 2006 release Ruby Valentine appears more relaxed than the other releases, Hip-Hop & Nu-Soul enjoy a rich vein of form.


I Predict a Riot (2007)

I Predict A Riot follows trend with his formula; slack drums accompanied with intricate patterns, relaxing riffs, quality samples & the difference between a quality artist & an average one, of course is originality & style.
The album is full of interesting sounds & sytnhs subtly introduced melodically throughout.

The Grimey Soul Touch

Like Pete Rock, Dilla & Kev Brown, Hezekiah cradles a consistent style in his Grimey Soulful production. The basslines on his tracks sound played & they may well be, I'm not sure whether he records live instruments or uses software, regardless His beats are of sheer quality.

Producer on the Mic

I'm yet to mention his ability on the mic, well to be honest it doesn't fail deliver. lyrical content, social relevance, government policies, Hip-Hop Politics, Love....he covers everything & is definately one of the best Producers to pick up the microphone.

His CV covers work with Bilal, Freeway, Chief Kamachi, Eleon (slum Village) & Bahamadia. A consistent feature throughout the Hezekiah journey is a gentleman with some serious soul to his voice namely Aaron Livingston.

Todays pack houses releases from both albums & a couple of singles

In his own words "I didn't give you an album I gave you my Soul" - Wild & Reckless (Track 2 / I Predict a Riot)

Enjoy or Endeavour

Hezekiah Collat

Official Press Bio

Around 1986, Hezekiah's cousin brought home a track machine and a drum machine and he was instantly hooked. Predating the live Hip-Hop trend by years, Hezekiah spent much of his early days in front of the two machines, rocking sellout shows in the living room with his Cousin on bass and his Uncle on Guitar.

Once out of High-school, Hezekiah linked up with arguably the only Hip-Hop crew to ever exist in Delaware and put together a mixtape called "Exit Wound Status" which sold an impressive 2,000 copies (of the hand-to-hand variety) on the streets and at shows. But it was getting down with the Legendary Roots Crew in '93 that spurred him to get down to business. Hezekiah then began to work his way up through the ranks of the Philly’s ever-strong and flourishing Hip-Hop scene with his on point wordplay, superior songwriting, and lovely production skills—working with the likes of Musiq Soulchild, Bilal, The Jazzyfatnastees and Bahamadia.

In 2005 Hezekiah's debut album Hurry Up & Wait (a title dedicated to the woes of the independent artist), was released to critical praises by Vibe, Trace, XLR8R, Allhiphop.com, Pitchforkmedia.com, okayplayer.com and also included on Itunes “Best Of 2005” list among many others) on New York's Soulspazm Records. Put together in full-on Hiphop hermit mode, as he produced the record locked up in his home studio and penned all of its lyrics lost amongst crowds in the chaos of Philly. What resulted was a collection of luxurious, smoked out Hiphop beats and minimal synth Funk produced by the man himself (with notable exceptions coming from Illmind); with Hezekiah flowing beautifully atop it every second of the way. And although the record is let Hezekiah shine, the guestlist he assembled was impressive; Bahamadia, Scratch (The Roots), Grand Agent and Chief Kamachi all made appearances. Hurry Up & Wait was an album intended for headphones, getting deep tissue massages and eating fruit smorgasbords at dusk.

In addition to the release of Hurry Up & Wait in 2005, Hezekiah keep himself busy working on albums for Philadelphia singer and sandwich-making mastermind Aaron Livingston and Musiq's backup twin singing sensations Aaries. In addition, he's the driving force behind the influential Beat Society and at the request of Dawn Thompson (sister of The Roots musical mastermind ?uestlove) was tapped to co-produce the music for a Showtime original series entitled Street Time.

In September 2007, Hezekiah returns with his sophomore LP, I Predict A Riot, which features guest appearances from Bilal, Freeway and Jaguar Wright.

Hezekiah on MySpace