Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A Quick Note:  KOOP’s Membership Drive is winding down this week, but you still have the chance to put your money where your mouth is and donate some cash to support local music and community radio.  Just tune in any time to 91.7 FM or stream online at koop.org to find out how to lend a little to the cause!

NEW JAMS:

:Blue Scholars - Coo?:  OOF! EP, the latest from Seattle’s Blue Scholars comes on the heels of a long visit to America’s 50th state, Hawaii, where they worked on new tracks and videos; I guess they just needed more sun to get the creative juices flowing?  The tracks on the EP, while groovy, lack for the most part the political slant that made them underground favorites, but they still make stellar tracks with sweet looping samples complete with handclaps.  Coo? touches on some categories of political discourse, but is more along the lines of the good ole’ "How I Grew Up" track, a common archetype in hip hop.  You can stream the entire EP here.

:Sojourn - Art Versus Commerce:  Sojourn, an artist who himself has faced many obstacles in his career, has just released a long-awaited LP in Sojournalism: The Summer Articles.  Working in hip hop since 1995, and member of revered San Diego group Future Shock, Soujourn has contributed much to the art of the underground on the west side, and his fluid collaborations and network come together in a diverse and almost showy display on Sojournalism.  This track, with beat provided by Rusland of The Breax, plays with derision and introspection; lay it all against a piano/drum backbeat and you’ve got an underground hit!

:Speech Debelle - The Key:  Winner of this year's prestigious Mercury Prize, Brit Speech Debelle demonstrates advanced word manipulation on her debut album Speech Therapy, and her sensitivity, timing and flow will suit your next crunk party or laid back jazz brunch.  She travels with a live band, called the Therapists, and I’d love to catch this jazzy track if she ever makes it over the pond.

:Maxilla Blue - The Negatives:  This Des Moines group has been assembled of several MCs that could stand on their own, and have released their self-titled LP through the mid-west label Central Standard.  This track has an old feel, with the plinking piano chords and slinky horns, but the flow is all modern frustration catharsis.

FLASHBACK PICK:

:Too Kool Posse - Give Em A Sample:  Like so many hip hoppers from from the late 80’s and early 90’s, this Trenton, NJ duo consisting of emcee Marquis and DJ Kay only released this single and faded from the scene.  What a sweet single it is, though, complete with masterful scratching, smart lyrics, and classic 808 drums.  I dare you to try not to shake your booty to this, and yet also be ensmartened!

- Leah Manners -



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