Washed Out

Washed Out is a project by musician Ernest Greene, and the pioneer of the genre named "chillwave". WO released 'Paracosm' a couple months back, and I was going to write my opinions on it, but I didn't feel like I listened to it enough. However, just before writing this post I searched them in my iTunes, and discovered some of the lost treasures in there, which I feel like I have more right to share. Therefore, this is isn't going to be so much of a review, more of a general description on the vibe of WO, and my favourite tunes.

Firstly, I have to touch on 'Paracosm'. It is a really good album, and I particularly like the colourful warmth that the album presents. 'Don't Give Up' is probably my favourite off this record, backing up the colourful nature of the whole album, this song in my view accumulates the album in a single song. The bonus track 'Pull You Down', is right up there as well - a tribal feeling, yet atmospheric song. Both of these are linked below.
 


My favourite songs are taken from Washed Out's earlier work. The EP 'Life of Leisure', and the debut album 'Within and Without', are both fantastic and I suggest you check them out. The song off the EP 'Feel It All Around' is just beautiful, I have linked this below. It is pretty much a sex song - but to be fair most of WO's songs have that feel to them, easy listening and passionate. Overall I am a big fan off WO and the unique vibe which Ernest Greene presents through the project. 'You & I' deserves an honourable mention as well. An incredible track.
 

BANKS

BANKS is a female singer from LA. She has been releasing some big songs over the past year, with an array of different dance and electronic producers. The unique production is combined with her mysterious voice, which is extremely similar to Lana Del Rey's.

I came across her work a few months back whilst listening to Rinse FM. Her first major breakthrough song 'Warm Water' was played, and got exposure. Since then I have constantly been checking up on her discography via Soundcloud, and loving her work.

I felt it was the right time to post about her, as she recently dropped a new favourite song, 'This Is What It Feels Like' - produced by Lil Silva & Jamie Woon, along with an EP. This is probably the song which stands out to me the most, and is for sure my favourite of hers thus far. It's deep, smooth and suspicious, keeping in tune with her consistent style of vocals and production. Check out her new EP and other work on Soundcloud.

She's also a babe.

SOPHIE :: Numbers

I've really been feeling the work released on Numbers by artist SOPHIE. Numbers is a club & record label, ran by a group of house // electronic DJs including Jackmaster. It has dropped a couple of songs with SOPHIE which are blowing up in numerous mixes.

The production is very broad. The song "EEEHHH/Nothing More To Say" has a poppy and upbeat feel, where in contrast the track titled "Elle" - released on Numbers, is darker with Hip-Hop at the core. Whatever your fancy, SOPHIE brings heat with every release to date. A personal favourite in my iTunes at the moment, and I'm looking to go to a live set in the future. I have linked a couple of mentioned tracks below. Check out more if you haven't already on SoundCloud.
 
 

Nas :: Illmatic

For this post I thought i'd focus on Illmatic, my favourite Hip-Hop album. As i'm typing this up I have Illmatic playing in the background. It's hard to believe this album is nearly 20 years old, and nothing reminds you of that more than the album artwork of Nas as a kid, fading into a street in Queensbridge, New York. Most people reading this will probably know Illmatic is Nas' first and, arguably his illest record. It's even coveted in the industry as, 'one of the best hip-hop albums ever'.

In my opinion, Illmatic sums up urban life in NYC during the 80-90s. Hailing from Queensbridge, Nas incorporates the struggle of making something of yourself in the concrete jungle that is New York. The realness which he expresses in the record is flawless, and in a wise & fitting way. From the lyrics, to the album's structure, to the artwork... Illmatic is the perfect hip-hop album, which covers all dynamics.

Even though I don't dislike a song on the album, I do have my favourites. "N.Y State of Mind" // "Memory Lane" // "The World is Yours", are three of the stand out songs for myself. 

"N.Y State of Mind" comes forcefully into the album after the intro. Nas lets us know he's not messing about through some hard hitting lyrics. 'I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine. Holding an M-16, see with the pen i'm extreme, now. Bullet holes left in my peepholes, i'm suited up in street clothes. Hand me a nine and i'll defeat foes'. This is wrapped up nicely in a DJ Premier beat, - see my previous post for the admiration & thoughts I have on Gang Starr & East coast hip-hop.

Other favourites are, "Memory lane" & "The World is Yours". Both are more subtle beats, but still feature strong lyricism - 'Suede Timb's on my feet, makes my cypher, complete'. Presenting the culture of Queensbridge to the audience. Illmatic is a musical treasure, and an album best used to educate people on hip-hop. 

Below is the track "The World is Yours", listen out for that Timb's reference.

Top 5 Tracks :: So Far This Year

Here are my favourite top 5 tracks so far this year, as a countdown. It was pretty hard, and even now i'm unsure of my choices... I haven't included any of the stuff i've previously posted about, to mix it up a bit.

No. 5:
So the first song in my Top 5 is 'Wanna Party' by Future Brown featuring Chicago rapper Tink. Future Brown is a project by an array of dark & mystical hip-hop producers: Fatima Al Qadiri, Asma Maroof & Daniel Pineda. I'm a big fan of Fatima Al Qadiri's work, she has produced some massive tracks such as 'Hydra' & 'Ghost Raid', which led me to find this joint project, and this banger.

No. 4:
RL Grime's 'Because of U' was only released this week, and was a large factor in writing a top 5 post, as I instantly knew it has to go in there. I love his previous work such as 'Art Money', and this offers a slightly different vibe. 'Because of U' is a beautiful tune.

No. 3:
I am such a big fan of Mount Kimbie, so I had to put them in there somewhere. This year they released 'Cold Spring Fault Less Youth', and to be honest I could have chosen any song from this album - in particular the collaborations with King Krule. But instead I chose 'Home Recording', an extremely laid back and chilled tune.

No. 2:  
I first heard this song in a Boiler Room set, and had to listen to it properly outside a mix. An instant favourite of mine, and I've been listening to a lot more of this Swedish nutter. 'Solarflare' is another favourite, check it out if you haven't. 'Gatorade' edges it out in this case, to go in at number 2.

No. 1:
Not overreacting or anything, but this song in my view is a masterpiece. Slow disco & r'n'b vibes all over the place. I'm one of those people who prefer Drake's singing voice to his rapping voice, and the argument for that is best seen in this track. I'd probably just edge this as my favourite so far this year.

Pusha T :: My Name Is My Name

I've been a fan of Pusha T since his Clipse days, and the work he's been rolling out on GOOD Music is some of my favourite in hip-hop at the moment - I said this in my Big Sean post a while back. I was going to review Big Sean's new album, but it just seemed all over the place. It did have some jams on it though.

'My Name Is My Name' is Pusha's solo debut album, and after giving it a few listens over the past week I thought i'd share my thoughts. The first half of the album stands out to me the most. Powerful grimey beats, with heavy bars by Pusha. 'King Push', 'Numbers On The Board' and 'Sweet Serenade', will probably be my three most go to songs from the album - these are all on point, and classic Pusha. The beats turn more mellow around the midway point. Still some good songs, but I prefer Pusha forcing his voice through so us listeners can hear what he's saying whilst reflecting the beat. Overall I really like the album, and it was definitely worth the wait.

I'm seeing him live next month at The Warehouse Project, in Manchester for 'Disclosure Presents'. He's the act that i'm most looking forward to seeing that night, and that's out of a strong lineup. Check the album out as it's one of the most anticipated this year from the world of hip-hop. The video for 'King Push', possibly my favourite from the album, is linked below...

Grand Theft Auto 5 :: Soundtrack

So I haven't posted in a while and thought i'd share my opinions on the GTA 5 soundtrack, and later on the overall game. I posted about the GTA franchise soundtrack as a whole a while back, and how it's one of the main aspects I look forward from a new instalment in the series.

Up to the release of this game the music had been leaked and samples from various radio stations in the game were released by Rockstar via their Soundcloud. This got me hyped up especially due to the annoucement of Flylo FM, hosted by Flying Lotus. This is probably my favourite station on the game, due to it's inclusion of new music by artists I admire such as DJ Rashad, Outkast and Hudson Mohawke. All this new music is added to by Tyler, The Creator, Aphex Twins, Shadow Child etc... I have linked the complete playthrough of the station below, which is played on loop during driving around the virtual world in traditional GTA fashion. I recommend you listen if you haven't.

The other stations which have attracted my attention during the build up to the release and throughout playing the game are Non-Stop Pop - which is hosted by Cara Delevingne. This is one of the most 'feel-good' stations with classics by Britney, Mis-Teeq and Hall & Oates. Nothing better than blowing stuff up whilst Wham! or Rihanna plays on the radio haha. A sample of this is below.
   

Radio Los Santos & West Coast Classics bring the Hip-Hop to the party. RLS features current Hip-Hop by Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, whilst the likes of Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg have classic hits on WCC. I have mainly listened to RLS and the two stations mentioned above as i've listened to most of the jams on WCC many a time... Nevertheless it still brings another aspect to this incredible game. Below is another sample of RLS.

 

Of course, there are many other stations in the game, which will grow on me throughout time. I also like Los Santos Rock Radio & Worldwide FM. Both with some fitting songs to the game's storyline and offering new vibes. These are just my personal favourite stations from the game, but the whole package is amazing. I will probably write my thoughts on the overall game in a bit.

Jacques Greene

I've been a fan of Jacques Greene's remixes and production for quite a while. The two tracks linked below are remixes of Ciara's - 'Sorry' & 'Body Party'. These songs are crisply produced electronic R&B, featuring Ciara's powerful female vocals; something which I have previously mentioned I am a fan of. 'Sorry' is the more chilled track, and builds up in the middle. Whereas 'Body Party' is heavier throughout.

These remixes of contemporary R&B create a shiny end product. Stretching beyond the Ciara remixes, Jacques has also remixed Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation', along with others. 'Motivation' is similar in style to these Ciara remixes, with a poppy beat. Additional collaborations with Koreless & How To Dress Well are other projects he has worked on, as well as Autre Ne Veut's 'Play by Play'. I recommend you check all these out if you haven't already.

Nardwuar the Human Serviette

Nardwuar is a celebrity interviewer, for those who don't know. He has a wide selection of videos on Youtube, where he interviews numerous artists from an array of genres. I've been watching his interviews a lot over the past couple of years, and was originally hooked from the interview he did with Pharrell & N.E.R.D, in 2008.

He pulls out rare & unknown facts to the artist he's interviewing, and gifts them with work that have influenced them, making him unique is his own right. Following on from the success of his Youtube channel, Nardwuar has been working with Pharrell on his new channel, 'I Am Other'; gaining him more exposure & hook ups. Over the two channels, he posts these in-depth interviews that average 10 minutes, and gain extra information on the personality.

His unique interview style, and individual artist knowledge have made him one of the most respected out there, and I suggest you check out his work. He is bound to have met up with the majority of your favourite artists. His most recent interview is with Hudson Mohawke, member of TNGHT & producer for Kanye West, where Hudmo is looking pretty blazed haha. However, I have linked the most famous interview he did with N.E.R.D and Pharrell below.

R&B // Hip-Hop

So I haven't posted in a while, and I thought i'd carry on from the R&B Classics post I wrote earlier on in the blog with some more of my favourites. Although, this time I will include songs from the mid 2000s which feature hip-hop more predominantly, which are rooted in the smoother beat.

A couple of my favourite songs that fall under this category, are "Slow Jamz" by Twista (Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx) & "Ride Wit U" by G-Unit & Joe. Both flow well lyrically, and feature a catchy beat. Looking back now, at "Slow Jamz", produced by Kanye, shows how his productions from that era to now have changed dramatically. Nowadays his songs are completely different and are a lot more upbeat and powerfully delivered, presenting how far he has developed his production skills over the years. The development can be seen most in "Yeezus". I plan to write my thoughts on this album in another post in the near future.

Like I said in the Classics post, the 1990s & the 2000s presented R&B in a unique light. The hip-hop genre was full of these chilled out songs, just as much as it was with 'gangsta rap'. Causing for a weird yet enjoyable blend. Anyway check em out below.

French Fries

An artist who has been releasing some decent work lately is 'French Fries', from France. After hearing "Hugz", I started to research him, and how he got into music. From scanning various articles about his musical tastes growing up, he seemed to have got into producing music and deejaying through his father being a sound-engineer.

It's clear that his production is influenced by American music // culture. The name of his musical alias, 'French Fries', supports this. His work nowadays has stemmed into a broader musical taste, whilst keeping the hip-hop and house elements at the core.

The unique sound of hip-hop rooted in house, is something I am a fan of, and makes me excited to hear his future releases. I have linked the previews of both "Champagne"& "Hugz" below. These are two of his biggest productions in my opinion.
 

Big Sean

Out of the 'current-crop' of rappers that have been the face of hip-hop in the past few years, Big Sean is one of the best in my eyes. His next album will be dropping next month, and whilst no official track list has been announced, he has released a couple of songs to tease us listeners into what he has got in store. Just yesterday he put the song "Fire", on SoundCloud. I was a fan of this song from my first listen - which is something rare for me, so I thought i'd blog it.

I am really looking forward to his new album, along with the new Pusha T album, "My Name Is My Name"- also scheduled to drop next month. According to the rumoured line up, Pusha is going to feature on Big Sean's album and vice-versa. So hopefully there will be more huge songs featuring their collaboration, such as "Mercy".

I have linked GOOD Music's "Mercy", a well known song featuring Big Sean, and his new song "Fire" below. Two songs which present Big Sean's lyrical versatility, on very different beats.
 

   

Legowelt

Dutch electronic producer Legowelt has produced an array of songs & remixes that i've really been feeling recently. I thought i'd share my thoughts on his work and mention a couple of song's that i've been listening to a lot, and why.

After stumbling across his SoundCloud and really liking what I heard, I carried out a bit of research on his past work, and listened to the various mixes he has done on his website. To my knowledge he's been producing for a fair amount of time as Legowelt, as well as under many aliases. I found he's been getting more exposure over here through mentions by UK DJs, as well as showing up for the Boiler Room & mixing for Rinse FM.

One of his stand out piece of work is the Memphis rap tapes series, which is complied from old rap tapes. These along with his futuristic techno house remixes & productions make him one of my favourite producers out there at the moment.

I have added two of my favourite songs from his board collection to this post below, "Azurian Sunset", and the remix of Chrissy Murderbot's "Friendship". Both have the same techno // house vibe, and feature silky and easy listening beats. As well as establishing an intense atmosphere. I for sure, still have a lot of listening to do to understand more about Legowelt, and look forward to doing so.
 

Grand Theft Auto :: Soundtrack

One of my favourite gaming franchises of all time is Rockstar's 'Grand Theft Auto'. I pretty much grew up playing the titles Vice City // San Andreas & GTA IV, and now i'm eagerly awaiting the 5th release, GTA V, on the 17th September. Without talking too much about the overall games in this post, the way Rockstar complete these titles is flawless. It's refreshing to see their method of releasing a game like a film, and fully concentrating on all elements correctly. As a customer I appreciate & enjoy this approach, even if it means having to wait in the unknown for a long time for information.

However, for this post i'll focus on the game's soundtrack. This is one of the many aspects I am looking forward to experiencing in the next instalment in the series, and one I really enjoy from the others. The various radio stations featured are always carried out with either witty and/or over-the-top hosts. Perfectly fitting the songs with the generation the game is portraying. The stations usually cover a range of music from hip-hop, to rock, to classical. Enough to please the majority.

I thought i'd write a post discussing the artists // radio stations on Grand Theft Auto which I listened to the most when driving round the animated worlds. 'Beat 102.7' is the radio station of choice for me when playing GTA IV. This is tailored to a hip-hop audience, with artists such as Nas, Saigon and Busta Rhymes. I have previously mentioned my love for east coast hip-hop. I found a youtube video of the full 45+ minute 'Beat 102.7' station, which is played on the game as a loop. I have linked this below... I also enjoyed listening to 'The Vibe 98.8' on GTA IV. An R&B based station, which featured classic tunes from the likes of Minnie Riperton, Ginuwine and Marvin Gaye.

Additionally, on San Andreas my favourite was 'Radio Los Santos', a west coast hip-hop station. Classic tunes from N.W.A, Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube defined the areas that San Andreas was presenting. Hood rivalries didn't get much better with "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" playing in the car, haha. Whilst on Vice City, 'Flash.FM' was my favourite, a collection of pop songs which felt just right cruising the Miami world, with the comic host Toni providing over the top remarks to complete the atmosphere.

These are just my opinions on the soundtracks, and I'll probably write a review of what I thought of GTA V and it's soundtrack when it's released. Maybe in the mean time i'll do a post on my favourite game in the franchise, and why.

R&B Classics

Most people who know me know that I love a bit of classic R&B, hip-hop soul, or whatever you call it - you know the genre. Through a deep sea of favourites, i'll try and pick a couple to kick off the R&B section on this blog. Through growing up in the late 90's mid 00's, I was led into these tunes as they got air time on the radio and on various music channels. Nowadays, the majority of house // electronic // hip-hop DJ's sample R&B tunes and either use them in a mix or to create their own edits & songs.

Female signers with a rapper featuring with a verse seemed to be a common trend. While although it's still a bit strange hearing Joe Budden, a now member of hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, rap a verse on a Christina Milian song, I still enjoy it. I know this was a method to bump up the earnings and hit a new audience, and i'm not complaining. To my knowledge it was pioneered by Biggie and Puffy during the throwback 'Ready to Die' promotions for a couple of the albums songs, and this method of production was triggered. Anyway, maybe I wouldn't have been into these tunes as much if a hip-hop influence wasn't present... I doubt it as I still love this sub-genre to this day, but it's obvious loads of people were.

But yeah, I know loads of classic R&B songs can be either solo male // female, a group and sometimes even the R&B artist features on a hip-hop song. But the rapper featuring is clearly a trend in 90's & 00's R&B. Anyway... to wrap up, below i've posted three classic R&B tunes all featuring a rapper, and neither are sitting dusty in my iTunes library.

They are, "Boy - Mariah Carey Featuring. Cam'ron", "Best of Me (Part 2) - MYA Featuring. Jay-Z" & "All I Have - Jennifer Lopez Featuring. LL Cool J".

PALACE Skateboards

So after blogging a bit about my various hip-hop tastes, I was thinking it would be good to share some of my favourite urban // skate companies. I'll briefly cover is PALACE first, a skate company which originated from London. I admire them for their collabs, energy and overall image. They recently hit the limelight through exposure in the community, and have continued to grow at a heavy rate.

In the future i'm gonna try and post some collabs and new releases from PALACE, as they are a company who either team up with classic British icons to produce some the rawest clothes // decks // accessories, or do so by themselves. The 'tri-ferg' logo below is pictured, in a 'VCR' style - this is something which they are known for. The promotions of their skaters and products through a vintage tape visual. 

But for now i'll concentrate on what excites me about the company, and what drew me too it. Just recently PALACE teamed up with Reebok to produce a collection of shoes. This is the company's first venture into footwear and from the look of it they've produced on a high level yet again. I have yet to get my hands on some of these, but no doubt i'll try and get some of the Reebok Workouts in black - as seen below from the PALACE x Reebok collection.

At the moment I own a fair amount of PALACE. I loved the Umbro collab they did some time back, and managed to pick up a couple of the football themed items. Keeping it tasteful, I don't own a ridiculous amount, so my collection doesn't stretch beyond a couple tee's & hoodies... Their range sells quick, but it's worth going out your way to get. They are, for sure, one of the freshest skate brands ever to come out the U.K.

East Coast Hip-Hop

Continuing on from my 1st post, hip-hop will be featured a lot on this blog. I have grown up listening to hip-hop, mainly East-coast, but appreciated the majority. I thought i'd give a brief overview of what hip-hop means to me as a listener.

This sub-genre of hip-hop always seemed the realest & grittiest. Wu-Tang // Nas // Big L // Jay-Z // KRS-one & Gang Starr to name a few brought this genre firmly to the table. The 90s were the power behind this genre, all artists brought serious records to the table. Illmatic // 36 Chambers // Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, are albums which will go down in the history of music, and straight into my personal classics. Hot beats & rhymes mixed with the grit of living in the 5 boroughs, makes me wish I was experiencing it at that time.

A few months ago I got the chance to see DJ Premier play in Brighton, whilst he was visiting England. Gang Starr have always been idols in the industry, and particularly within this sub-genre. They epitomised the genre with slick beats from DJ Premier and soft rhymes by Guru. Preemo's production in my opinion is the best in 'real hip-hop' - just look at who he has produced for... To conclude this short post i'll link my favourite Gang Starr song.

BeatSpree :: New Blog

Hi all, my name's Matt. So this is a new blog in place to review, feature and comment on all things in the Hip-Hop // House // Garage // R'n'B // Grime culture. I'll also post random stuff that I like that's related to urban culture such as events. The main aim of the blog will cover reviews of old school classics - whether that be clothes, music, games, film... whatever...

Bit about me... Reside in the south-west England. I have travelled, lived abroad and graduated in International Business, so my opinions are very cultured. I also feel I have a good music knowledge, which is good considering this blog's core is centred around music haha.

Anyway, moving on, without this sounding like a dating website, I'll kick this blog off with one of my favourite Big L jams. Enjoy...