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Random Spot Check #15 – Ringo P of Ringometry.com (@Ringo_P)

March 14, 2012

The Spot Check. You should know how we roll by now. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Sometimes you have to search hard on the internet to find a writer worth reading. I’m not entirely sure how I stumbled across Ringometry.Com, but it was one of those sites that went straight into the bookmarks. The site is run by Ringo P, a Brighton resident who I don’t think I’ve ever met, at least not knowingly, whose no bullshit writing style is a breath of fresh air in a world where many writers are worried about giving an artist a less than glowing review. Anyway, I tracked him down and asked him to be the next participant in our little series, and after putting up a little fight, he agreed. So lets hand over to the man himself.

“The thing about Random Spot Check I’m not sure about is… it feels like a judgement on the person, not the hard drive. And my hard drive is full of shit. I know it’s shit. I don’t want to be judged on that! It’s there for reference, or the day sometime in the future when I’ve got nothing better to do and decide to sort through the crap (ten volumes of Nas’ Library Of A Legend, thirty-six volumes of Prince bootleg The Work, four Beyonce albums and so on) to find the rare gems worth keeping. There is no way I’m going to defend every single track on there. Based on most times I hit random I would vote against myself, though. Opening the experience up to public vote seems like quite a self-destructive thing to do. On the other hand, Koaste tells me this will help get word out about Ringometry, and The273 is cool, so I guess I ought to. Here goes…”
• Ringo P

1./ Frank Zappa – Variations On Sinister #3 – Guitar
“Zappa was an early musical love. I used to make sure my preschool friends heard the sweary bit on ‘Road Ladies’ every time they came round to play. ‘Isn’t this great?’ I’d say as Zappa warned us about a band that ‘played the most terriblest shit you ever heard’. I suppose I should be a little bit embarrassed that I’ve got a double CD of his guitar solos on my hard drive, but that’s actually the side of him I like best now. Especially from his later years, when a lot of the songs were quite bad and his band was horribly slick he’d still play this amazingly filthy guitar. This is…okay. I’ve heard more exciting Zappa solos, though.”

2./ Big K.R.I.T. – Putcha Sign In The Air – See Me On Top Vol 1
“At one point last year I was supposed to be interviewing Big K.R.I.T. so I reached back and downloaded his first mixtape from 2005. It’s way more gangsta than he is now, in a really scratchy lo-fi way. I suppose like the difference between the second and third UGK albums. He sounds younger, more energetic, there’s a great amateur enthusiasm about it. I’m in two minds about his more recent stuff. I liked K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, it sounded like a big personal achievement, but the follow up Return Of 4 Eva sit seemed a bit like he’d run out of subject matter. A couple of good tracks but overall pretty boring. I’ve just downloaded the new one 4 Eva N A Day and I’m thinking of jotting down my first impressions of it for Ringometry, but I’m pretty apprehensive. Going by his recent trajectory I’m worried this one might turn out to be totally ambient.”

3./ Danny Bones – In My Ghetto – Bootleg Vol 1
“I grabbed this after seeing a video of his that impressed me, can’t remember which one. I think maybe I’d thought he was going to be the new Skinnyman or something. He seemed to have not just the social conscience but the kind of self-righteous fire than Skinny had at his peak. This is pretty weak, though, just a bunch of random cliches thrown together without much energy or apparent thought. I remember feeling pretty let down by the tape as a whole. Not a big fan of auto-tune, anyway. In the right hands it can be mindblowing, but this obviously comes from that phase a couple of years back when everyone seemed to be pissing about with it for a laugh.”

4./ Parliament – Let Me Be – Chocolate City
“The absolute dons. I don’t think anyone would claim this is one of their better tracks, but it’s still great. They were totally incapable of making dull music, even their ballads have this wonderful manic energy. I’ve no shame in saying I’ve got all of the 70s P-Funk stuff on my hard-drive. They changed everything about the way I listened to music, I was pretty much an indie kid (of the grunge-era type) until I discovered Funkadelic. It took about thirty seconds of their music for me to realise everything I’d heard in my life until then was at best second rate. How can anyone take Pavement seriously once they’ve heard George Clinton?”

5./ Kinfolk Thugs – House Full Of Thugs
“I know nothing about these guys at all, I can’t remember where I got this from. This is pretty formulaic post-Jeezy southern trap-rap. It’s a great formula, if I could only listen to one kind of music for the rest of my life I might be tempted to choose trap-rap. This has the necessary levels of aggression but isn’t stupid enough to be truly great. Needs a few goons going ‘pow! pow! pow!’ in the background, really.”

Well there you go. Once again, a nicely eclectic slice of music from our invited guest. But we like being judgemental here at The 273, so let me know whether these five tracks would make you allow Ringo to be in control of the music at your birthday party. Once again peoples, leave your comments below. And make sure you take a moment to go check out Ringometry.Com
• Koaste

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Random Spot Check #14: Gizmo (Rum Committee)

June 7, 2011

The Spot Check. You should know how we roll by now. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

You just may well have heard of Brighton’s Rum Committee by now. Not a group of people to let any releases slide under the radar, these boys mean business. And Committee is boss. Gizmo is one of the front men of the crew, his rasping syllable perfect rhyme patterns bringing that grimy dark edge to proceedings. But will that be reflected in his music collection? Lets find out…
• Koaste

1./ Mobb Deep – Eye For An Eye ft/ Nas x Raekwon
Boom – good start, this is the kinda shit you have to play full blast to properly appreciate it. Classic gritty New York at it’s best. I’ve been known to enthusiasticly spit the hook to this at the dinner table when someone passes on their left-overs “YO BEEF IS MINE”


2./ The Delfonics – Round & Round
Chipmunk soul without speeding things up. These dudes musta had they belts on the last notch. Seriously good group though, real mellow and very sampleable (if thats even a word!?)


3./ Slick Rick – Indian Girl (An Adult Story)
Davy Daaaavy Crockett – Slick Rick musta been high as hell when he wrote this – The imagery is too much – After confronting a talking vagina he opens it up with his bare two thumbs to see crabs with spears and indian drums. Think about it. Really? Exactly.

4./ Stevie Wonder – I Just Called
Here I am feeling all smug about showing off my eclectic music collection then this comes on! Oh well, always a laugh at any party and guaranteed to get them fat drunk chicks in the corner singing along..


5./ Wallace Brother – What-cha Feel Is What-cha Get
Ahh nice – Perfect to round this off a proper funk banger with a positive message. Super Duty!


A little gutted about not being able to show off any of my
roots/dub/jazz/prog. rock/soundtrack collection but it is what it is..

BONUS 6./ Gi3MO on Wu-Classics
flicking thru and I found this – word to the RZA I like doing these little mini mixes and flexing a few verses on some classic shit – in fact I might do a new one real soon.. until then you can have this:

Well thats his lot. Now its your turn to act. We’re gonna do this a little differently this time. It needs a little bit of effort from you guys, but I think you can do it. I want you to voice your opinions on Gizmo’s selection in the COMMENTS section below. Yep, you actually have to type something. YOU CAN DO IT.

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #13: Jefferson Price
• Random Spot Check #12: DJ Cheeba
• Random Spot Check #11: Tranzformer

Posted in 2wo 7even 3hree, Random Spot Check | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Random Spot Check #13: Jefferson Price (@JeffersonPrice)

April 22, 2011

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Jefferson Price is a MC based out of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. He makes a lot of music, you may see him battling for Don’t Flop and generally being creative “in some sense, it may not make a lot of sense, but sense none the less”. He’s recently dropped a free to download EP with another artist we spot checked a few months back, Tranzformer, and you should definitely check that after you’ve checked this. Anyway. That EP is music that I personally co sign as being good. What happens when we get Jefferson to big up, or explain away a few random tracks from his personal collection? Lets find out.
• Koaste

1./ Dessa – The Crow
Dessa, for me, is the perfect artist, she spits very well, has melody and can write beautiful choruses. She’s part of the very dope Doomtree crew who consistently put out amazing music. Dessa is also a really good writer, she provides imagery and tells stunning stories. The chorus in The Crow kills me everytime – “no body fears height, we all just fear the fall” – mad quotability and banging beat, great song.

2./ Elliott Smith – Pictures Of Me
Rappers need to listen to Elliott, Elliott is one of the greatest storytellers of our time, he was a true, true wordsmith. People focus heavily Elliott’s musicianship, which of course was exceptional but I thought his lyrics out shined everything. This song was written about the time he started to get some success and was almost embarrassed of the attention – “saw you and me on the coin op tv, frozen in fear everytime we appear” and “jailer who sells, personal hells, who’d like to see me down on my fucking knee’s, everybody dying just to get the disease” – what a guy, he just loved to write songs, plain and simple.

3./ Maticulous – Body The Beat ft Ruste Juxx, RA The Rugged Man & Rock of Heltah Skeltah
AHHHH my favourite release of 2011, Maticulous killed this. The beat is one of them “oh, i wish i made that”, all the MC’s spit fire and the video is dope too. It’s just really good Hip Hop, the kind of Hip Hop which makes you love Hip Hop, thats the best way to descibe it. The whole Brown Bag Allstars and their affiliates are such a talented crowd and keep shit super tight which what makes their music consistently solid. If you go to New York, go to one of their nights and you will see how these bunch of dudes are the most exciting thing on the east coast.

4./ Tom Waits – Invitation To The Blues
This song reminds me of when I was getting over a hearbreak, but in a good way, I took me somewhere else, to where there was true darkness and from that I was able say, fuck that and I pulled myself together. The song itself is a story about Tom trying to obtain the unobtainable, and then changing everything to try and obtain it. It reminds me of the relationship that Christian Bale in The Machinist has with that woman in the airport cafe. This whole album, Small Change, is a masterpiece, lyrically and musically, it’s in my top 5 albums.

5./ Gangstarr – Work
Now, I can’t even begin to explain how much I love Gangstarr, I have been listening to them since I was 12 years old and this joint is one of my favourites. It’s classic Guru and Premo and there isn’t really much else to say about it. Another thing I love about Gangstarr was their ability to adapt to the times, they released music in the 80′s 90′s and 00′s and they were just as relevant in every decade while some of their peers didn’t fair the same. It annoys me that the end of Gangstarr was so tainted but I just listen to songs like this and remember nothing but good things, all the rest of it is unimportant, Keith and Chris are true legends and hip hop royalty, the best yet.

• Jefferson Price x Tranzformer – The Scrutiny Queue EP [FREE DL]

Well there you go. Some stuff I know, and a few bits I didn’t. But its not up to me to decide whether Mr Price passes the 273 test. Thats down to you. But either way, make sure you pick up his EP with Tranzformer.

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #12: DJ Cheeba (Solid Steel)
• Random Spot Check #11: Tranzformer
• Random Spot Check #10: C-Monts

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Random Spot Check #12: DJ Cheeba (@DJCheeba)

January 19, 2011

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Next up into the spotlight to expose his MP3s for the Random Spot Check is Bristol’s DJ Cheeba. Part of the Solid Steel family, Cheeba has been tearing up clubs and festivals around the world for the last few years, and 2011 is set to see the release of his new set and tour Revenge of the Nerd, so you can expect to see him in a town near you very shortly. You might have seen him in the Becks advert making music on beer taps, but now he’s gonna open his hard drive and let us see his darkest musical secrets (hopefully). So then Cheeba, lets see that first track…
• Koaste

1./ Roots Manuva – Witness (1 Hope) (Modeselektor remix)
Well i suppose statistically Witness had to pop up for someone at some point, I mean who hasn’t got it somewhere in their crates? This version though is a glitchy bass heavy remix from one of the best live electronica acts about, Modeselektor. This track was released as part of the Ninja XX box set and I’ve played it at shows few times with great reactions… One of the most famous UK hip hop vocals over a huge bass line, who could resist nodding your head like bod?

2./ Deep Puddle Dynamics – The Scarecrow Speaks
YES! Luck of the draw. One of my favorite ever rap verses comes at the top of this track courtesy of Sole… Soak it up, this shit is pure, smart and conscious lyricism. I loved the first DPD album and it lead me to get more in Sole and Atmosphere as a result. The vibe of the beat is deep and I’ve used this in a mix tape before. Love it, love it, love it!

3./ Smerins Anti Social Club (feat. Tenor Fly) – Dr Who
I used to share a studio with these guys… an 8 piece ska, funk, festival favorite band who have mass appeal and the uncanny knack to unite a crowd. Top level musicianship, catchy melodies and they all give off the vibe that they are having the time of their lives on stage. They have only recently started recording on a professional level but since doing this single with Tenor Fly have been getting plenty of top level radio play and are set to gain even more fans with every gig.

4./ Depth Charge – Genius of Sci-Fi
To me Depth Charge changed the way i considered music as a teenager. His production was so uniquely ‘trip hop’ it went a long way to kick start the whole genre. Add to this his blatant love of 70′s kung fu movies and its a recipe for incredible headphone music. This track isn’t my favorite of his but generally he can do no wrong for me… If i had to pick one artist who influenced my musical style and love of kung fu, Depth Charge would definitely be it.

5./ Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
Wowsa… not sure how that got in there. I don’t claim to be a big Cash fan although i do dig his vocal style, lyrical content and delivery. I enjoyed the biopic movie with her off Legally Blond in it too. In fact i reckon i have this track with a future mix tape project in mind as the Beasties sampled it on Hello Brooklyn.

6./ Black Grass – Down and Dirty (feat Micall Parknsun)
Ha ha… a friend of the 273? I used to live in Brighton nearly 10 years ago and would shop in the Black Grass record store and have always been a fan of Catskills. DJ’d on the same bill as Mex a few times too… the club night i help run in Bristol, DOP, even hosted the Cat Skills 10th birthday party. This track came out at a time when Black Grass seemed to be churning out brilliant albums faster than i could play them to death. Packed full of amazing colabs and so DJ friendly, Black Grass was definitely a regular feature of my sets both at home and in clubs. Come back Mex (still the only DJ i know to rock the decks with the mixer to one side like Premo)

• DJ Cheeba Official Website
• DJ Cheeba’s Vimeo Channel
• DJ Cheeba on Facebook

So there you have it. Cheeba even threw you an extra track – thats how confident he was in not producing any duds. Time for you guys to get voting now as you’re the ones who decide. I’m gonna get round to posting some of the results from the previous spot checks soon so you can see how everyone is getting on. K

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #11 – Tranzformer
• Random Spot Check #10 – C-Monts
• Random Spot Check #9 – Stig of the Dump

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Random Spot Check #11: Tranzformer (@Tranzformer760)

December 10, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Here at the 273, we’re steady networking and expanding our reach across the globe. Next up in our series of Spot Checks is someone you might well not have heard of yet, but definitely someone to check for. Airic Estala aka Tranzformer is a Hip Hop producer from El Centro, California, who has worked with Planet Asia, Sene, and Co$$ amongst others, and is knocking out some seriously dope beats at the moment. With a background in punk and ska before moving into beat making, this has the potential to throw up some interesting tracks.

Tranzformer is preparing to drop a free to download EP with Koncept from the Brown Bag Allstars in late January, as well as a self titled production LP out on sale later this month, and as a little bonus has dropped us a new track Ode To The Beats featuring Blame One, which you can download at the end of this piece. Anyway, I think its time to hand over to the man himself. Tranzformer, this is your Random Spot Check. Lets go.
• Koaste

1./ J57 ft/ P.SO & Fresh Daily – Beyond the Infinite Pt. 2
Man o man.. this track is super epic!!! every time i hear this J57 produced joint it makes me feel really happy, and just takes me back to a lot of good times in my life.. J57 always brings heat to the table,s so does Fresh Daily and P.SO. If you guys havent got J57′s album Digital Society please go cop it! You wont regret it! He’s been a real good friend to me, and has been helping me out with getting my music out there to blogs n shit. Also, dude murders it in Brown Bag All Stars as a producer and mc! Be on the lookout for some Tranzformer and J57 .. dudes gonna be sampling some of my beats for remixes…

2./ Rancid – Olympia WA
This track is really dope. As mentioned above, I first started recording punk rock .. this track takes me back to high school as well… getting fucked up drinking beers, smoking a lot of weed and playing shows – mosh pits and everything! My old band used to cover this too. I’ve never been to a Rancid show but i will one day! They’ve been one of my favorite bands since way back!!..

I still love to hear punk rock throughout the days. This shit gets me pumped up before going out to drink and party! I’m very open minded when it comes to music, so you guys might trip out on whats in my hard drive… matter a fact, Rancid was the first punk album i bought in 8th grade…

3./ No Cash – Gasoline
Here is another band that i like. No Cash are a very good punk rock underground band that have a good following! Me and the lead singer are going to do a Hip Hop track soon – should be dope! He also has a side band called The Mad Conductor,
its like space hip hop rock .. really dope!.. but yeah this track Gasoline is sickk!! its on some rock /rap shit.. the lyrics are killer.

“I burn churches like persons in the 3rd degree” Ha Ha, too dope! I usually don’t like Hip Hop Rock tracks, but this came out cool! These dudes talk about real topics that are going on in the world today that a lot of people dont like to talk about, such as 9/11 and other crazy shit thats happened in this messed up world.

4./ Tenacity – Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Tenacity is an up and coming artist from Detroit who now lives in L.A. We got an album in the works.. I also have a track from him on my new self titled album Tranzformer that should be droppin late December. The joint is called Friendly Man featuring Honey Brown… anyways Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a classic – the beat knocks like crazy! And the flow is pretty damn good… talks about some real shit on here.. i like to hear flows about real topics, not about how much money or hoes you got, even tho hoes and money are nice!! lol.. i hate mainstream with a passion!! fuck the radio! Everything sounds the same as well with what they talk about.. I mean, I like mainstream when it comes down to bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers or classic bands you know, but i do really hate those emo bands out there!

5./ GG Allin – You Hate me and I Hate You
Ha ha… this guy is nutz!! This guy is the most dirtiest most hardcore motherfucker i’ve heard of lol.. the stuff he says in his music is pretty filthy, but thats what i like about his music ’cause it makes me laugh .. when this dude died, people pissed on his grave and all kinds of stuff! He’s been on the Jerry Springer show too, yapping some funny ish! But yeah, this song is really sick.. pretty much saying a big fuck you to everyone who hates you or doesnt like you! I like to bump this song when im pissed Ha ha.. GG Allin has a bunch of dope music floating around, so if your into that raw punk rock stuff you should go cop his albums for sure!.. good music to skate to and drink!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this lil’ interview on some of the music thats on my hard drive. Hope I didn’t scare you off with the punk rock Ha ha…

• Tranzformer on Twitter
• Tranzformer on Soundcloud

Tranzformer x J-Science (Smash Bros) – Ode To The Beats ft/ Blame One

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #10: C-Monts
• Random Spot Check #9: Stig of the Dump
• Random Spot Check #8: Truth

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Random Spot Check #10: C-Monts (@CMonts)

November 11, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Yo, we haven’t had a Random Spot check for a little while, but we’re back right this second with a guy I’ve known for years. Emcee/DJ C-Monts was one of the original members of 360 Physicals, a crew that jump started the musical output of him, myself and Killa Kela to name but a few. Currently residing in Prague, Czech Republic where he’s been for the last few years, you’re more than likely to spot C-Monts on the mic onstage at Hip Hop Kemp, writing for Vice Magazine, or his Broke And Famous website. Anyway, he’s accepted the challenge of opening up his digital music collection to The 273′s Random Spot Check. Lets hand over to the man himself. Take it away C-Monts…
• Koaste

OK..I have been putting this off for a while. I don’t know why but the shuffle button in iTunes fills me with ‘the fear’. But fuck it. I stand by my random selection and give you my word that this review has not been tampered with.

1./ Scorzayzee & Juga-Naut – You Came Up (R.I.P Big Pun)
For the record, I fucking hate tribute tracks. Rest in Peace so & so coming from artists that have never met the artist that they are talking about is not really my bag. This one is kind of a exception. I like Scorzayzee, I always have. This track sees him teaming up with Juga-Naut (who has some pretty nice punchlines). Scorz ain’t at his best here though. He sounds relaxed and lucid. I don’t listen to this mixtape much.

2./ Drake – You Know, You Know
Drake confuses me. Sometimes I’m pleased by his flow and lyrical content. Other times I feel like he’s a massive cunt. Which one is it??? I have always been a R&B fan (a guilty pleasure of mine) and he seems to make pretty good accessible-slash-commercial music. Then he signed to Young Money and the cunt in him came out in full. Pretty wack eh? This track is off one of those shitty photo-shopped cover ‘mixtapes’ full of off key mash ups and radio rips. I keep these mixtapes on file in case I need to play tracks for ‘the normals’.

3./ Jneiro Jarel – Voice Of The Kayapo
Now we’re talking! Dr Who Dat is the man. I have been a big fan since I heard the Shape Of a Broad Minds mix on the front cover of HHC a few years back. I copped the album and it blew me away. Fauna is Jneiro’s solo album. It’s super off key and my favourite hangover cure. It’s a musical spin out that takes you on some psychedelic trip. This track talks about bright futures and other such positive phrases. I have been trying to track down Jneiro for a interview but his manager is constantly unavailable… fail.

4./ Grems – Dimanche (Remix)
This album is pretty fucking ill. I don’t speak a word of French but I’ve always had a strange fascination with their musical style. Especially hip hop and dance music. I don’t really know much about Grems, the Wik told me absolutely nothing so I can only assume that he’s some super underground artist that only I know about! I saw a Grems video a few weeks back featuring Foreign Beggars and decided to do some digging… and his current album came up. It’s full of well produced music..most of it leaning towards dance or light hearted grime. Two thumbs up!

5./ Giggs – Ner Ner
OK. I know what you’re thinking. Giggs is possibly the slowest sounding artist out there, and I know he’s no Pharoahe Monch or Marshall when it comes to constructing his bars. But I don’t know, there’s something I like about him. His music seems honest and unpretentious. I’m currently living and working in Prague, and his album Let em Ave it gives me a short sweet dose of home. Grim London streets and chicken shops. This track isn’t the best on the album but it has that strong over produced sound that seems to ‘have the streets on smash’ or something. I guess I am too old to be listening to this…but fuck it.

So that’s it…cheers for having me Koaste.

No problem at all Mr Monts. But as always, its down to The 273′s readers to vote on whether your musical archives pass the test or not. So, people – press your buzzers now.

In The Crates:
Random Spot Check #9: Stig of the Dump
Random Spot Check #8: Truth
Random Spot Check #7: Pimpernel Jones (Herma Puma)

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Random Spot Check #9 – Stig of the Dump (@StigoftheDumpUK) [Stig & Syntax/Team Hate]

October 5, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Today’s guest is none other than good friend of the 273, Stig of the Dump aka Stevie Dickhead. One of the illest emcees out of the UK today, he’s just dropped his new LP Mood Swings, which you definitely need to go pick up. I’ll drop the links once we’ve got the music out of the way. Bound to be smashing onto a stage near you very soon if he hasn’t already, lets pass this thang over to the man himself…
• Koaste

1./ LDZ – Pressure
New dubstep track i’ve recently given the full body treatment with Dabbla, obviously i can’t & won’t leak it as its from their new upcoming LP (they just dropped The Brainstorm Mixtape, so go cop that from the LDZ Bandcamp.
They’re my Goons from other Poons™). We’re currently working on a project together which should be biggles, some content you wouldn’t expect from me.

1./ Tool – The Pot
When i was homeless & wallowing in suicidal depression, having the time of my life & slowly drinking myself to death & sleeping in the Foreign Beggars vocal booth, Orifice’s brother Pravin who is both a fucking badman & huge rock head, introduced me to Tool. For some reason i bumped this song as loud as i could every day for about a month before upgrading my bed & board for sleeping rough in Bethnal Green park.. Since then i have remained a little obsessed with it. Its amazing, so fuck you & die twice if you’re not feeling it.

2./ Brother Ali – Uncle Sam God Damn
Fucking incredible track, genuinely an example of a perfect track. About the hypocrisies & flaws of the American establishment, insanely well written over a southern bluesy beat with the perfect balance of soul & content. Brother Ali is one of the most honest artists i’ve ever listened to and I was recently put onto an interview he did with Semtex backstage at Rock The Bells in which he said I was his favourite UK rapper… so basically i’m better than you at life.

3./ Hijack – The Terrorist Group
“Calling Slick Tracey, calling Slick Tracey.. the Hijack group have been spotted on stage at the Brixton Academy”. Fucking classic, much as i curse the fact that as I’m such an old cunt I’m edging ever closer to obscurity & death, sometimes I wish I was just that little bit older so i could have caught Hijack live. A lot of younger heads will instantly turn away due to the American twang, but this kind of shit is the only reason homegrown Hip Hop has been accepted in our country. The energy is another level, they signed to Ice T’s label Rhyme Syndicate & released Horns Of Jericho which I highly recommend. DJ Supreme has influenced DJs from across the globe & Kamanchi Sly went on to make fucking embarrassing pop garage with “Do You Really Like It… Is it is it wicked”.. but before the fall from grace Britcore was that ill shit & I kinda want to bring it back..

4./ Richard Dawkins – The God Delusion (Audio Book)
Because I’m a fucking mentalist, there is a constant storm of thoughts & tangents raging in my shit box of a head, so i often find it incredibly difficult to read without being distracted, not by shiney things or movement like retards do, but by words or phrases triggering off some insane brain fuck off tangents. I usually get a couple of pages into reading then realise i dont have a clue what the last two pages were about, so i thought i would try an audio book, which unfortunately only helped me realise I’m more of a lunatic than i thought, as the same shit happened, only this time i realised i was lying falling asleep or slowly going insane while listening to someone else tell me there is no god, plus Dicky Dawkins is a bit of a nut if you ask me, he is a bit too obsessed with shitting on the concept of god and much like most religious people he forces HIS beliefs on you. Although to be fair to him, he hasn’t nonced anyone, blown himself up or spread the word by killing people like the Christian Crusades. [We'll give Stig an extra track, as I can't upload a whole audio book - Koaste]

4./ Daniel Johnstone – I Had Lost My Mind
There is something really impacting about listening to a man on who is truly on the edge, and its always good to know that someone is definitely more mental than me. If you like documentaries watch The Devil & Daniel Johnstone. Daniel influenced some of the biggest musicians of our generation with his music and art (the latter of which Kurt Cobain famously sported on a T Shirt during a photo shoot). Dude is touched on another level. I firmly believe the best art is birthed from pain and suffering, and the best singer/songwriter isn’t the cunt with the wobbliest Christina Slaguilera voice – my man can’t really sing for shit but he conveys genuine emotion in his music, which is surely the only true reason for making it.

5./ Baron Samedi – Long Life
Baron Samedi’s Spit Happens LP is one of the best UK Hip Hop albums ever made. Dude kills almost every track – punchlines, story telling, everything, and the beats are incredible. Un American Psycho is one of my all time favourite tracks, but music is about shared experience & emotions. This track is about hating his job working in an office environment, and I have felt every single second of the track, being lost in a mindless admin roll with ZERO job rewards and an utter distain for my situation, infact I fucking hated every job, ever boss and almost every co-worker i’ve ever had, with the exception of a few women I wanted to rest my dick in, and women or dudes who I connected with because they hated their work lives too. Samedi doesn’t seem to be too productive of late, I used to be in contact with him but standarly life drives a wedge in between anything and everything. I should holla at him and force him to make music somehow, dudes a bad man.

Well, there you go – one of the best guests we’ve had for a while, I think you’ll agree. So anyway, you know what you need to do now. Drop your vote below. And go buy Stig’s Mood Swings LP from the link below.

• Buy Stig of the Dump’s Mood Swings LP HERE
• Check out Stig’s Top Ten Moodiest Pop Stars over on HHC Digital HERE

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #8: Truth
• Random Spot Check #7: Pimpernel Jones of Herma Puma
• Random Spot Check #6 (International Edition): J57 of Brown Bag Allstars
• Random Spot Check #5: Tyni 273

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Random Spot Check #8: Truth (@ReggieRhythm)

September 28, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Today’s guest on the spot check represents Ipswich, EA. You might have seen Truth battling in Don’t Flop, or hitting up open mics around the country. A talented purveyor of fine rhymes, as well as multiple winner of the 273′s Fantasy Football Manager of the Week award, T is currently rocking shows with his band Millionaires By Morning. Keep and eye out for them in a town near you real soon. Anyway, enough of that mess. Whats his music collection like? I’m determined to find a couple of stinkers on someone’s hard drive soon…
• Koaste

1./ Jay-Z – No Hook
Excuse me, how typical it is to start on a Jay-Z track? So Hip Hop of me. I skipped 13 times to get a start, ‘cus thats my lucky number and this games up. Jay-Z’s still one of the best story tellers in Hip hop, although that’s not his greatest strength. I’d say him and Pharoahe are joint top in flows/musicality. This American Gangster album is incredible, its in the top three Jay-Z albums. If you take away the alignment to the movie, this is the album i’d have loved Hova to come back with.

2./ Sean Price – Hearing Aid ft/ Chaundon
P! Sean Price is faultless, this song’s dope, but I Love You (Bitch) is my favourite. Heineken for breakfast ass bitch. Mine and Sean’s lifes are so similar in so many ways.

3./ De La Soul – Ego Trippin’ (Part Two) (Original Version)
De La Soul are the best Hip Hop group. Them or Tribe. It’s phenomenal how they are still going and have got better with every album. With all respect to Dave and Maseo, i’d love to hear a Posdnous solo album. He doesn’t get the props as a full out MC that he should just ‘cus he aint superlyircalmiraclespirituallikefire with it but he sums up things perfectly. There’s no formula to that. This is just classic De La. I can imagine them just jamming catching jokes in this era, the music sounds innocent.

4./ Salsoul Orchestra – Tangerine
Honestly, B.I.G’s Fuck Me Interlude came on after De La, but I’m not about to start my journalism career by writing about a fat man fucking. I got places to be. Any way…… if i had a colourful silk shirt, a quiff in my hair, a jive walk with attitude, a hairy chest, top 4 buttons undone and a golden pendant, this would be shortlisted to be on the soundtrack for the movie about my life, for the romance scene montage where everythings slightly blurry around the sides and i’m in a park holding hands and spinning around with my new humble-upbringing-moral-bearing squeeze who shouldn’t be messing with a city slicker like me.. It’d be shortlisted, i’m not saying it’d make the cut. Jazz Flute a plenty tho, props.

5./ Incredible Bongo band – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Love the incredible bongo band, but they maybe should have let this one slide. When its goes on to the drum break part you could definately have a west side story meets wild west shoot out / dance off show down. In a non gay way.

So what do you think people? Did Truth pass with flying colours, or was it a cop out that we didn’t get the honour of a paragraph about Biggie Smalls’ carnal activities? Voting starts now:

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #7: Pimpernel Jones of Herma Puma
• Random Spot Check #6 (International Edition): J57 of Brown Bag Allstars
• Random Spot Check #5: Tyni 273

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Random Spot Check #7: Pimpernel Jones of Herma Puma (@HermaPuma)

September 22, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Today’s guest is Pimpernel Jones, the UK half of transatlantic duo Herma Puma. Responsible for everything from laid back Hip Hop to barnstorming B-Boy tracks, their recently released last LP Synchromystic has been getting a lot of airplay over here at Illwood Heights, and is definitely worth a listen. But what is contained in that hard drive, and is there any terrible music deep within that we should be overly concerned with – thats what we’re asking today. So, Mr Jones. This is your Random Spot Check. Please proceed.
• Koaste

OK, 45,469 tracks loaded up on random (2,881 hours of music)… my media player has a weird sense of random that means the same shit crops up but here we go..

1./ Lack of Afro – Live at the Club
Heavy beaty head nodder jazz cut off the LP on Freestyle Records. Love the way you dont know if its a new or old track.. timeless in its on way.

2./ Connie Francis – Bossa Nova
This is on a comp i picked up cos it had Mel Torme – Right Now on it . This is kitchy swing but some nice horns at the start. Connie flips between French and English but its the sexy french tongue that does it for me. kind of reminds me of Nancy Sinatra.

3./ A Tribe Called Quest – Crew
Not the best track off Beats, Rhymes & Life (my fav Tribe LP BTW). Typical dilla keys – best bit is the delayed shit at the end… almost bugged out.

4./ Dennis Coffey + The Detroit Guitar Band – Impressions Of
Ill blaxploitation funk from the illest bass man of the time. The track has a cheesy little drop down in the middle before bringing it back – its all about the screechy fuzz lead guitar on this joint, kills it every time…

5./ Harmonic 33 – Marionette
Contemporary library music styles by the talented Mark Pritchard. From the completely underrated album Music For Film, Television Radio. Sublime listening – essential to any cats who like Radiophonic or the more obscure library houses of the 70′s. This track always reminds me of MTV Europe in the 90′s – when they had cool arty things in the advert breaks.

Well there you go. You know what comes next. Yep, you need to take 2 seconds out of your busy schedule and vote…

Herma Puma’s LP Synchromystic is out now. Go get it.

In The Crates:
• Random Spot Check #6 – J57 (Brown Bag Allstars NYC)
• Random Spot Check #5 – Tyni (The 273 / Swafe)
• Random Spot Check #5 – Homeboy Sandman (NYC)

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Random Spot Check #6 (International Edition) – J57 (@_J57) (Fat Beats NY/Brown Bag Allstars)

September 17, 2010

The Spot Check. We get artists from around the world to open up the masses of music stored away on their hard drives, have five tracks selected at random, and then attempt to explain away any embarrassing tracks that might have found their way into the selection. Pass or fail? Well, thats your call.

Things are taking off here at The 273, and we’ve got another international guest to open themselves up to praise or ridicule depending on what their shuffle button brings up.

J57 is a producer whose group Brown Bag Allstars have been on a steady rise this year, and up until its close this month, was one of the people holding it down behind the counter at that Hip Hop mecca, Fat Beats New York. So, without further ado, lets hand you over to the man himself. J57, this is a random spot check. Show us what you’ve got:
• Koaste

1./ Madlib – Track 9 (Medicine Show No.2- Flight To Brazil: Brazilian Funk, Psych, and Jazz)
Madlib is one of my favorite producers of all time and has been since I started making beats. This track is actually not one of his beats – it’s a blend of a few Brazillian Jazz tracks from his Medicine Show series. I think this is something I could see Madlib or someone else sampling in the future..but either way, this music is straight up dope.

2. Elzhi – Save Ya ft/ T3 (Euro Pass)
I think it’s pretty random that my shuffle went to one of my favorite Elzhi tracks and not one of the embarrassing pop guilty pleasure tracks in my iTunes. But hell, I’m not mad at that. I remember the summer this Euro Pass project dropped, I had this particular song on repeat in Fat Beats and every time I played it, a different customer asked what it was. Good times.

3. Brian Bennett – Thug (Black Dynamite OST)
I’m not going to lie…this song is awesome. You can’t really go wrong with the Black Dynamite soundtrack, it just makes feel like you’re in the 70′s..even if you were born in the 80′s, like myself. I strongly recommend purchasing this soundtrack. Every song is good.

4. Jon Brion – Didn’t Think It Would Turn Out Bad – (I Heart Huckabees OST)
I’ve never seen the movie, I Heart Huckabees, and I don’t really love this song, but I’m a huge Jon Brion fan, so I have just about everything he’s ever released. I’ve been a big fan since Kanye’s Late Registration dropped back in August 2005, and I found out Jon Brion was the mastermind behind that classic album. Dude’s a genius. I wish I could be him. That is all.

5. Bobby Caldwell – What You Won’t Do For Love (Greatest Hits)
Great song right here. Weirdly enough it reminds me of being a little kid and staying home sick from school. I don’t know, maybe it was played on the radio while my Mom drove me to the Doctor’s on a sick day? I really have no clue, but in my twisted brain it reminds me of that. I have issues.

THANK YOU!!

Big shouts out to J57 for going in on this feature. Now its up to you to vote on whether he cops a pass or a fail. Voting is at the bottom of the page.

J57′s new LP Digital Society is out now. You can cop that by clicking on the LP cover below.

Posted in Random Spot Check | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

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