One of the most relaxing hip hop tracks I can ever remember listening to.
People Under The Stairs, often referred to as PUTS, are an underground Hip Hop group from LA. They were formed in the late 90s, but their style is a tribute to many of the early 90s Hip Hop groups, such as Tribe, Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Digable Planets.
They’ve released four albums to date. Let’s hope they’ve got more coming.
As to what they’re doing under the stairs… let’s leave that one open to interpretations..
Friendly Fires started playing hardcore music at aged 14, yet they name Prince as one of their primary influences, so its no surprise that they are now strengthening a genre I like to refer to as punk-funk.
This song ‘On Board’ has been featured in commercials for Wii Fit, so you can now get your punk-funk on while exercising with your mii avatar.
Their debut full-length album was released in September, 2008. Its going for $15 on Amazon. I’m about to buy it.
The Black Kids are an indie pop band from Jacksonville, Florida. Like MGMT and The Scissor Sisters, they have considerably more of a following in the UK than in the US.
They are powered by the brother-sister combination, Reggie and Ali Youngblood.
Though initially performing mostly in and around Jacksonville (is there a music scene there ?! ) , they then started getting serious global attention after their performances at the Athens Popfest Festival in the summer of 2007.
They’re currently touring the world, but will be in San Francisco on 4/20 and 4/21, playing at the Independent.
A classic trip hop track from the one man DJ team that goes by RJD2. This track comes from RJD2′s first album, Deadringer, which is my favorite by far. He released while with Def Jux records.
RJD2 began partially grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and began his DJing career there as well. He now lives in Philly, so you can probably catch his live shows pretty easily if you live on the East Coast. He doesn’t come out west nearly enough.
Jamie T, born Jamie Treays, has been described musically in many ways. My favorites are ‘one man Artic Monkey’ and ‘The bastard lovechild of Billy Bragg and Mike Skinner doing his best Joe Strummer impression.’ Mike Skinner being the man behind The Streets, of course.
I’m hit or miss with most of Jamie T’s tracks. I’m a big fan of this one, as with a few others, especially ‘Sheila’ , but some of his other songs are a little too experimental for me.
Never the less, you only need a few tracks to make it big these days, and Virgin Media has already signed him up.
Blue King Brown is a Melbourne based jam rock band, that bring in all kinds of percussion sounds, and have a definite latin vibe. Reminds me a lot of a cross between John Butler Trio and Ozomatli. Unlike Ozo though, I doubt Blue King Brown has a trombone player that dances his face off at every show.
Blue King Brown released their first full length album in 2006. I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone.
This song brought The Toadies some tidbits of stardom back in 1994, previously limited to playing small clubs in and around their home town of Fort Worth, Texas
The Toadies recently regrouped and released their latest album in August, 2008. They are now touring.
Chances are, if you go to their show, they’ll play this jam. If they don’t, there’ll be some unhappy people in the audience.
Hailing from the real world rap video of South Beach, Miami, Afrobeta is an electro disco band, featuring the lovely Cuci Amador on vocals and keys. Listen for some Latin influences, plus the standard electro goodness and beats.
Like many unsigned electro acts these days, I’m waiting for a stellar remix of this song from some DJ heavyweights to bring them to the top.
One of the most influential Hip Hop groups of all time, A Tribe Called Quest was one of the first Hip Hop groups to start experimenting with fusing Jazz and Hip Hop in the late 80s and early 90s. In regards to this style, they’re often in the same sentence as De La Soul and the Digable Planets.
Formed in 1988, Tribe consists of three core members, plus a fourth who left the band after their first album, but has since rejoined the group in 2006.
Give it up for Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed who have been the three guys behind Tribe since their first tracks. Jarobi White has been the fourth member of the group.
This track was also featured on the Boiler Room soundtrack (one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time)
One of my favorite Calvin Harris tracks, remixed by Seamus Haji. Calvin casually asks people to get some colours on. (Notice he says ‘colours’ and not ‘colors’, as he’s from Scotland)
He may have the opportunity to ask you to do this while doing some merrymaking at his place…his place. Especially if you were born in the 80s, and if you are ready for some disco heat.
If you have no comprehension of what I just wrote, check out his self-titled freshman album. One of the best I’ve heard in the last 5 years.
