Lyza Jane: Interview

Lyza Jane is a London-based vocalist who has been blessing us with her own distinct style and sound for the past few years. She first came to my attention thanks to her affiliation with Blah Records, including a triumphant collaborative EP with Sniff last year. Lyza has also just released her debut solo album and so I thought now would be a good time to have a chat with her about the new project, her musical heritage and her plans for the future (spoiler: they might involve a lot of wine).

Harleighblu: Interview

Harleighblu is a singer from Nottingham, whose work draws on influences from hip hop, soul, electronica and beyond. Thanks to a string of superb releases, including her Futurespective series, she is already forging her own path in an increasingly saturated scene. I caught up with her recently to discuss a number of things including her new project with Bluestaeb, her musical roots and surviving the industry as a female artist.

Atmosphere: Delicate

Another great track from Mi Vida Local, as Atmosphere deliver a simple yet effective video for Delicate. If you’re not aware, Atmosphere are hitting London as part of their European tour, so you can catch them at The Electric Ballroom on 23 April. Also check out my in-depth interview with Slug over at Grown Up Rap if you haven’t done so already.

Five Favourites from El-P

Last year I did a round-up of some of my favourite insults from jewel runner and indie rap pioneer, El-P. Not content with ending it there, I have now tackled the larger and perhaps more rewarding task of selecting my favourite guest verses that he’s blessed us with over the last two decades or so. Before I started actually writing this, I had a pretty good idea in my head of how this Top 5 would end up looking, but it’s not until you start researching this sort of thing that you realise just how many tracks El-P has guested on across his career. So here we go with MY five favourite guest verses from the man himself (capitals on the ‘MY’, don’t @ me!).

Open Mike Eagle: What Happens When I Try To Relax (Stream)

It’s been just over a year since Open Mike Eagle blessed the scene with his acclaimed Brick Body Kids Still Daydream album and now he returns with his latest project, What Happens When I Try To Relax. The EP is filled with all the humour, wordplay and social commentary that have made Mike one of the most important entities on the current wave of so-called Art Rap – a phrase he himself is credited with coining. What Happens When I Try To Relax is out now on Mike’s new label, AutoReverse and you can stream it below.

An Ode to Dummy

On this day in 1994, an album was released that encapsulated what was known back then as “the Bristol Sound”. Trip hop was in its infancy and I don’t know if the term had even been coined at that stage – even though the main players all hated it when it was – but it existed and it drew on elements from multiple genres, including hip hop, funk, dub and sprinkle of psychedelia.
When Dummy was released I honestly didn’t know what to think of it. I was 14 and already well into hip hop, so there was plenty of stuff within the record that intrigued me, like the scratching on Mysterons or the beats on Strangers and Glory Box. But for the most part I was unsure. I think it probably took another year or so for me to fully appreciate its importance; then as with most things like that, I got obsessed with it. This was pre-internet so all my knowledge came from the liner notes and Geoff Barrow’s interviews.

Henry Canyons: Interview

Its been a few months since I dropped an interview on here, so I am pleased to be able to present a recent conversation I had with one of my favourite MCs, Henry Canyons. Having blessed us with two new projects this year – La Côte West and Cool Side of the Pillow – as well as touring North America and Europe with PremRock & Fresh Kils, the Backwoodz MC has already made 2018 his own. We spoke about making Cool Side, how much jazz has influenced his career and his recent artist’s residence in Biarritz, among other things.

An Ode to Skelethon

Is it worth me celebrating six year anniversaries? Not really but its worth me reminding you lot what’s good or even introducing you to some new oldish shit you never heard before. I had been an Aesop Rock fan since Labor Days but this album was a change of lane for him as far as I was concerned. It was the first project where I felt like his production came into its own; it all seemed less convoluted than on previous jawns. It’s also sounded a lot more reflective and personal than his earlier efforts. I think it was his first album since Camu died, which would obviously have an impact. Lines like “Here is how a great escape goes/When you can’t take your dead friends names out your phone” resonated a lot with me back then and still do today.

An Ode to Run the Jewels

Five years ago today this album was brought to life. I don’t think anyone at the time realised how big Run the Jewels would become in the years that followed, least of all El-P and Killer Mike themselves. The album was made for fun, according to El but it lead to them becoming one of the most popular hip hop acts in the world, with countless worldwide tours, a legion of die hard fans and even their own computer game characters. It also bred two more albums and hopefully a few more that are still to come.

An Ode to Music For The Mature B-Boy

I hadn’t listened to Music for the Mature B-Boy in a minute, but as soon as I put it on earlier today, I remembered exactly why it was in heavy rotation in my house for years after it dropped. It was my first encounter with DJ Format and I think it was sold to me on the J5 feature on We Know Something You Don’t Know, but that turned out to be just one of the high points.