cubikmusik

a tribe called quest movie

via boycott magazine comes news of an upcoming movie about A Tribe Called Quest featuring Pharell, Nas, Mos Def, Travis Barker, Ludacris, Beastie Boys, Santigold, Mary J. Blige, Monie Love, Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock, Common, Large Professor, De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers and much more…

west coast thanksgiving

now everybody try and find a good hiding place

this old tree is gonna be the bass

i'm gonna close my eyes & hide my face

and count to 100 by 5's.

Download 04 Hide & Seek (Unkle Ho Remix)

ready?

go!

happy thanksgiving to all my US mates. a day late but some west coast feel for ya'll cruising the highways and maybe even highway 1 with the pacific to your side.

i miss the west coast. cruising. sun. bass. movement. fish tacos. mission beach. dolphins. shorts.

this is for you all.

Al Lindrum and His Magic Hat.

love the funk, bass and west coast feel.

buy: iTunes

under the influence with...nicholas kopernicus

A few weeks ago on my 'songs of praise' show over on Space Invader Radio I played the tune, Brisa, and was delighted to receive a comment from the band, Nicholas Kopernicus to say thanks. Was chuffed to say the least and to top it all off Jason (guesting below) told me he had the speakers out  his street in Brooklyn playing my show with folks hanging out and chilling to the sounds. That's the beauty of the internet! Needless to say I was even more chuffed when he agreed to talk about his musical influences for our series.
He came at it with gusto as they say and has delivered an extensive view of the sounds that he grew up with as he made his journey to where he is today. Special.Much thanks to Jason for taking the time out to share these thoughts and feelings. Enjoy.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************Hello Cubikmusik music family, My name is Jason "classicbeatz" Minnis and I'm  producer/pianist/songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. Thanks for checking me out.  
A little discography? 
My most recent project is an instrumental album with guitarist Seon Gomez. We call ourselves Nicholas Kopernicus and our debut album Audiocentric is in all major digital stores . The music can be described as a mix of afro-beat, soul, jazz and funk (and anything else dope). In 2008 I released an underground hip hop album with MC/Producer Ash Holmz. We call ourselves Smash Brothers and the album is called Fear factor. Why am I talking? 
A couple of days ago Cubikmusik hit me up and was gracious enough to ask me to do a guest post. After reading some of the dope features, I quickly realized that I was out of my league.  I'm not going to even try and compete with some of he dope musicians/producers/Dj's that have been featured. Instead, I'm going to try take you on my own personal musical journey and show how my influences have evolved. I also want to give “musical snapshots” of various periods of my life. Hopefully you like what you read..if not.. well .. kick rocks? 
Where it all started(Florida boi) 
Well first off ,I'm from the South(southern united states for cats outside the US). I was born and raised in South St. Petersburg ,Florida(Tampa bay area). Like most southern American cities 'St. Pete' has its ups and downs. It has a rich cultural heritage, especially in the African American community. But it also suffers from segregation and classicism. In some areas, poverty, drugs and gangs are rampant, while other areas of the city reflect a picturesque view of the American dream. As with most places in the USA, your version of St.pete depends on your paycheck & skin color *best BBQ in the world, grandma's house 
These early influences & contradictions help shape my personality and the music that I listen to. From an young age I had two musical callings, Classical Piano & hip hop. I know it sounds like an unlikely pairing but for me it made perfect sense. It wasn't unusual for me to listen to local mixes of the Jam Pony DJ's, or southern hip hop luminaries like Ghetto Boys & UGK and then turn around and practice Chopin, Debussy or Rachmaninoff on the piano for hours. There was never any differentiation for me. As with the contradictions of my environment, it all seemed normal.  
Southern Contradictions play list12 Player's Ball

Mazurka in a minor

Growing Up 
As I got older, my musical pallet go wider. Also things were changing around me,due to continued police brutality in the black community, South St.pete had major riot. This event(as well as other factors) influenced my family's decision to move 10 miles north. While 10 miles may not seem far to most, it might as well have been the moon to me. It was a huge culture shock. All of a sudden I was introduced to grunge and alt rock from kids at my high school. Sonic youth, Green Day and Sound Garden stayed in my play list right along with 8ball& MJG, Jay-Z & Biggie.   
Jason's teenage grunge list  
pearl jam - jermy
Green-day - basketcase Soundgarden - black hole sun Stone Temple Pilots-Vaseline 
Around this time I discovered my dads old records and became "aware" of how dope soul music is. I've heard the soundtrack of the 60's & 70's in my household my entire life but I had never really paid it much attention. Aretha, Curtis, Marvin & Stevie, as well as  Black Urhu ,Bob Marley. seemed to be talking to me. They all seemed to understand the turmoil and identity crises that I was going through This new discovery along with the "Dead Presidents" movie soundtrack awakened the inner 70's revolutionary inside of me. While my boys were rocking to P-diddy and getting jiggy. I was listening to the originals 
 
Jason's Militant playlist 
James brown- Big payback 
Black Urhu -Sponji Reggae Nina -Young gifted and black LIVE Issac Hayes – walk on by   
 
College 
When I attended to Florida state University yet another world opened up. I joined an historically black fraternity named Phi Beta Sigma. One of the things that all historically black fraternities and sororities do is stepping which is a form of rhythmic dancing that dates back 80 years. Stepping taught me the value of "feeling" the rhythm as well as performance. Nothing compares to performing on stage in front of thousands of people We were nice!!! and we toured the entire south rocking shows (here is a video clip of a show from NYC) *strolling with my fraternity brothers, Step show outfit 
I also began expanding my hip hop tastes as well. I discovered the genius that is J-dilla when I was a sophomore in college. I was always aware of his work(pharcyde, The Ummah)  but Slum village vol 2, and Common's  like water for chocolate really opened up my ears. Freaky drums, Yes! Jazzy Rhodes YES. To me Dilla took the richness of  old soul and modernized it while maintaining its original flava. 
At Florida State your pretty much forced to interact with different types people. I was fortunate to be around folks that put me on to Good alternative music . A roommate put me on to Radiohead (kid-A), and Ive been hooked ever since 
 
Jason's College playlist 
 
Outkast-BOBDownload 08 B.O.B. Cee-lo -Evening news 
>Common/slum village - theolonious 
>Radiohead-Everything in its right place D'Angelo- Africa  
 
Alone in West Baltimore  
After  I finished college at Florida state I moved to Baltimore for graduate school. This is point in my life  where I  began to take music seriously. I had always kept up with my piano playing and dabbled in songwriting, but the isolation of graduate school and the grittiness of Baltimore forced me inwards. After rocking ATliens until the wheels feel off, I finally bit the bullet bought an MPC2000xl and began the crazy journey that is production. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at the time(i still don't ) and looking back I think that was one of the definitive experiences of my life. Figuring out stuff on my own with no guidance forced me be creative and develop a unique process as well as confidence. When you're in those situations you either become frustrated and give up or find away to make it work. *west Baltimore beginner setup 
With that being said there there was always one group of producers I always admired and looked to for guidance.  Organized noise!! These dudes have produced so many hip hop gems. From Outkast -ATliens(which is my fav hip hop album of all time) Goodie mob,TLC to other Dungeon Family acts like Cool Breeze, Slim Cutter Calhoun and Witch Doctor.  As far as hip hop production is concerned , these guys are my biggest influence. 
Jasons favorite Organized noise/DF songs Dungeon Family - Follow the lights Outkast-Mainstream cool-breeze-watch for da hook Goodie Mob- Still standing Outkast, Erkyah Badu, cee-lo- In due time 
 
 
The Africainzation of jason? 
In 2005 I took the first of 2 trips to Africa(Kampala, Uganda). Needless to say , this was a big deal. When I stepped off the plane in Kampala Uganda, I was the first person in my family to set foot on the African continent since my forefathers were brought over on slaves. This had a huge impact on my psyche. The music, environment and culture were amazing.  Upon my arrival my senses were overwhelmed with the rhythms and sounds of African music. While there are huge cultural differences between Africans and African Americans, the rhythm in our music has managed to stay consistent throughout the generations. Because of this, the music that I heard while in Uganda  was  strangely familiar and new at the same time. When I got home I immediately dove head first into the vast ocean that is African music, old and new. *Nile river, Lake Victoria, Ugandan dancers 
Africanized playlist... 
Fela kuti – Expensive sh*t 
Siji -yearning for home Cheikh lo- sou Cedric IM brooks- Ethopia Karl Hector & the malcouns - sahara swing 
Wrap up 
I can't front, Ive been blessed with a wide range of life experiences.  Due to time constraints I've had to leave a lot off stuff out. (Band camp, piano lessons, Brooklyn,saxophone practice) But  hopefully I given some insight into the major experiences that have shaped the music I make. Personally  I think you can hear a lot of my “world” influences on Audiocentric album and you can hear more of my southern hip hop influences on the fear factor album . These experiences are working their way into my new project as well. Who knows how that will end up ;) 
Either way, Thanks for taking the time to check me out. 
Jason “classicbeatz”  Minnis 
  ********************************************************************************************************************************************************

 Check out just one tune as influenced by the above sounds and feelings. Impressive stuff.

Download 04 brisa     

buy: iTunes  Amazon

Contact Hit me up 
Nicholas Kopernicus www.facebook.com/nkopernicus  (<--stays updated) www.myspace.com/nkopernicus www.twitter.com/nkopernicus [email protected] 
My personal www.myspace.com/classicbeatz classicbeatz@gmail.com 
Smash Brothers www.myspace.com/smashbrothersmusic [email protected] 
 

winley

this goes out to paul over at northern by nature who showed great patience as he awaited this post.

i love it when you have a tune that you adore and then find the original that was sampled. special. then you start reading on both tunes to figure who's who and the stories behind them. a lot of the time there is no connection at all. but sometimes, special times, you find out great connections. love that.

tonight i was putting together a mix for the mint collective (out of my old hometown San Diego) and put in the tune 'watchdog' by Ann Winley. I hadn't heard it before last night and recognized that it was sampled by 'rhymin' & rappin' by Paulett & Tanya Winley (With Harlem Underground Band). It only clicked then that the last names were the same. off i go to wikipedia to find that Ann produced the tune and was their (step?) mother, married to Paul Winley who had started Winley Records as a doo-wop label in 1956 that evolved into one of the first hip-hop labels that was the first to release afrika bambata.

first got 'rhymin & rappin' on this party keller compilation a few years back. both are class tunes.

Download 02 Rhymin' & Rappin

Download 05 Watchdog

soul junction

got this at dublin flea market yesterday. 5 Euro! dvd with documentary, cd all nicely wrapped.
finding it hard to see links to where you can buy it but i'd recommend you'd check it out.

check out gino washington around 2:16 mins. classic.

tune from the documentary above (the way of the crowd) on northern soul and wigan casino. great story. and music. and dancing. a scene.
Download 19 Let's Get Ugly

also got:

Download 08 Take Me

buy: stonesthrow

and the book

 

46 days of lent...day 17

gearing up for some quality hip-hop and all round fun tonight with q-tip and his live band coming through town tomorrow night at the button factory and then the afterparty, with q-tip dj'ing, at twisted pepper. gonna be a big night all round no doubt.

so, going old school with J jabre & mc melodee with 'and you don't stop'.

Download And you dont stop

46 days of lent...day 13

just lovin' this. first heard it on benjib's show last week. had seen @RealTalibKweli mention it but hadn't picked up on it.

from yearoftheblacksmith:
"Kweli and Hi-Tek are in the studio working hard on their long-awaited second album. They wanted to let all their friends online know they've linked back up, so they made this ode to technology, with a throwback funk feel to it. The legendary Bootsy Collins was chillin in the studio with Hi-Tek and wanted to jump on the song as well. This is just some different stuff to let y'all know they're on the way back."

Download Internet Connection feat. Bootsy Col

if you liked that, check this out.

also, trying to put together a mix of all this kinda stuff that i've been coming across lately: rollin', deep bass, west coast, boogie, bbq, summer party tunes so hopefully will have that up in nexk week. need to call in assistance of my mate sam for some 'technical assistance' though. ;)

deviation

if you're in london tonight i'd highly recommend you go to deviation to see harmonic 313 dj along with a live p.a. from mayer hawthorne and i'm sure some benjib  for good measure! this will be one to well remember.

mark pritchard (he of harmonic 313), mix of  dj mujava's 'township funk' which has been remixed all over the place with sinden's killing it by laying all that bass that he does best.
tonight we get the version excursion and it is true to it's word. a really nice twist to the original. taking it down.

Download 01 Township Funk (Mark Pritchard's v 
buy: juno download  , iTunes

also putting up 'summer of '83 by casio social club' which i think go down well there. (April 16th, taken down at the request of the label)
buy: juno download , iTunes

get it on

sleeve from 'sleeve & lowman' fame as featured on cubikmusik back in November 2006, brings us back with some old school sample slinging covering de la soul, arrested development and more with this choice summer tune that you can be sure to drop to get everyone smiling and grooving. I know that a certain JC will be into this and I look forward to playing this on a (hopefully) sunny Friday afternoon in his back yard in two weeks.

Out on the excellent 'single minded' compilation from Freestyle Records that also brought you Lack of Afro (cubikmusik post here) amongst others such as Chaka Khan, Fred Wesley, Soulive, Chali 2Na.
Check out some pretty impressive accolades on Freestyle Records here.

Download 03_get_it_on.mp3

buy: 12" (direct from label-UK), digital @ gigacrate (US) , clickgroove (UK)

Kikin' It

You know when you're wandering around checking out new music and not really finding anything and suddenly something catches your eye. You decide to look into it only to find a gem that appeals to your ears. This is one such find. Hard to get lots of info. on Gary Davis and Mr.Chinn from this release but then you start digging....
Out (digitally) on Smash Hit Music Co. who I mentioned here before I am gonna revert to Rong Music, Imeem, Chocolate Star and Dusty Grooves to give you the lowdown on this release and the artists behind it right now. There appears to be so much more on Gary Davis who at first appears to be an elusive character yet is an extensive and exhaustive subject. Amazing and so very exciting.

Chocolate Star (by Chin Li)
"Well! Tewnty-five years ago, Mr. Davis was in New York working for Peter Brown. He produced, arranged, composed and played on many of Peter's Queen Constance projects from early 1979 through 1981. It was about the end of the Disco Era and the start of Rap and Hip Hop and Peter was putting out more records on his independent label then anybody. He is one of it's founding fathers. Peter was the man behind marketing and putting the music out there. Mr. Davis, Patrick Adams, Michael Campbell and others like them were Peter's music makers. They were shaping what was to become Hip Hop."

Rong Music:
The elusive DJ/Producer/Remixer known as Mr. Chinn, was born somewhere between the depths of New Jersey and the new rising moon. Early on Chinn was introduced to music and couture via his immediate family whom were comprised of artists & musicians. Chinns father was a Broadway performer, avid record collector and worked with many early R&B and Soul acts from New York City. "I feel blessed to have been born into such a beautiful time for music", say's Chinn "My fathers involvement with early R&B laid down the foundation for my love of soul music...In the early 80's the kids in my neighborhood started a band...it was our first project & we played on the bottom of buckets live at the park...this was the beginning for me." Years later Chinn revisited his fathers vinyl records & began to make his connection as a DJ and producer.  Chinn would then be signed by legendary producer Jellybean Benitiz via his own imprint, Jellybean Soul. Mr. Chinn now resides in Los Angeles and over time has touched original productions & remixes for varied labels and artists such as  A Guy Called Gerald, Peter Brown, P&P, Gary Davis, Chocolate Star, Meecheeko from Japan, Rong Music."

Imeem:
"Mr. Chinn earns himself permanent street creds in disco circles by connecting with disco legend Gary
Davis to deliver this long overdue collection of Davis' most famous and lesser-known works from the late
70's and early 80's.  A New Jersey Story is exactly that, a introspective footprint of our musical heritage, a product of personal life stories and cultural shifts. A history riddled with themes that remain as relevant today as the music that inspired them. Mainly though, it's some of the funkiest shit you've probably never heard!"

Beatfunk and soulful grooves with some great observations on old school versus new school hip hop and how it has changed. Give me old school any day.

Download new_jersey_storypreview_mix.mp3

12/27- Removed song (Kikin' It From The Oldskool) and posting preview mix of the album for you to check out at the request of the label.

Buy 'A New Jersey Story' from Dusty Grooves/ iTunes
Gary Davis-Chocolate Star (best of) @ Boomkat
Gary Davis-The Professor Here @ Just Press Play
Queen Constance @ Dusty Grooves

I Got A Secret.....

...(I Ain't Gonna Keep).

Check out the mad double bass and amazing piano rolls that rock this tune out. Talk about head bopping.
Taken from Lost and Found: Rockabilly and Jump Blues a top compilation from Keb Darge and Cut Chemist out on BBE. Forget about the disco revival that seems to be sweeping the nation(s). Rockabilly is where its at!

"Spread across two CDs, both sets break the sound in easily with some strikingly accessible jump blues sides before settling into more straight up rockin’ gear.The 50s were a hugely important musical era, often overshadowed by the perfected pop and soul sounds of the 60s. But this was a decade of real and dynamic experimentation, wherein lies the formation of youth culture and modern music in general."(Spine Magazine, 18 September 2007)

This is Buddy Griffin and His Orchestra with "I Got  A Secret (I Ain't Gonna Keep) from 1957.
Download 101_i_got_a_secret_i_aint_gonna_keep.mp3

Buy CD: UK/ US
Buy Digital: UK/ US

My Love For You

Artist: ESG
Tune: My Love For You

I first came across ESG through Soul Jazz Records a few years ago and kind of forgot about them until driving to work this morning when a local radio station played this tune.
ESG were formed around the early 80's in NY and were kind of at the musical crossroads of punk, dance and hip-hop......an interesting mix for sure.
This track is just under 3 minutes-my perfect length for a song. It is snappy and to the point.
A kicking bassline, punky drumming and minimal funk production.
Not to mention minimal lyrics:
"My love for you baby,  is like a roller coaster
It goes up, down..anyway you want it baby.
Up. Down. Round.Up. Down."
Download 07_my_love_for_you.mp3

Such a catchy track.
Buy their 'South Bronx Story' here.

Cheers,

Cubik

Big Apple Rappin'

Artist: Spyder-D
Tune: Big Apple Rappin'
Source: Big Apple Rappin' on Soul Jazz

Soul Jazz does it again with a 2-CD package that covers just some of the early days of hip-hop cutlure in NYC from 1979-1982.
This is a gem of a compilation so check out this rockin' tune from Spyder-D. A tribute to the Big Apple and the crews that were creating something that they could never imagine with their new beats, funky tunes and rappin'.
This is a party track out and out whether you like house or hip-hop- the intro of the streets of NY, thrash can drums, a mad funky bassline and some killer raps will surely move you.
A 10 minutes epic for everyones headphones and party compilations.

Download 201_big_apple_rappin.mp3

I am also adding a second tune as Spyder-D gives a shout out in the track to Tanya Winley so this deserves some attention too.
Artist:
Tune: Rhymin' and Rappin'
Source: Party-Keller Volume 1 on Compost

As Florian Keller states in the sleve notes:
"Rappin & Rhymin is the first female rap recording (1979) - allegedly. I don't care, it's definitely a grand funk instrumental and a stunning rap."

'Nough said!

Download 02_rhymin_rappin.mp3

Cheers

Cubik

Hey Young World

Artist: Slick Rick
Tune: Hey Young World
Source: Def Jam  10th Year Anniversary

Another gem that I found from XM. A sweet rap over a swinging/swaying reagge track. Slick Rick (Doug E. Fresh’s vocal partner in the Get Fresh Crew) appeals to the youth to think about they are doing and tries to get us to be storng, independant and to see things in a more righteous way. This is from back in the day when rap seemed to have more of a message for everyone. Makes me smile every time.

" Hey, little kids don't follow these dopes
Here's a rule for the non cool... your life, don't drool
Don't be a fool like those that don't go to school
Get ahead... and accomplish things
You'll see the wonder and the joy life brings
Don't admire thieves... hey they don't admire you
Their time's limited, hardrocks too
So listen, be strong, scream whoopee-doo
Go for yours, cause dreams come true"

Download 01_hey_young_world.mp3

Cheers,

Cubik

You been cubed

Artist: Ice Cube
Tune(s): It was a good day

This is dedication week!Kinda joking.
I would like to shout out to Mr.Sam back home though. He was listening to Ice Cube in C**low, Ireland way back before most of us knew what the f**k hip-hop was.
I was flicking through my tv channels yesterday and some new hip-hop guy was playing his top 20/50/whatever top videos and along came Ice Cube with 'it was a good day'.
What a cool ass tune-very simple but very powerful.
Ice Cube basically running through a day with all of the shit that could have gone down and gone wrong for him but didn't. This song has to be listened to by everyone. If you are offended easily listen to it anyway-you need to hear what story was being told.

Download 07_it_was_a_good_day.mp3

Takin' it back to the old school

Tune One- Artist: Ty

Tune: Takin' it back

From the excellent album, Upwards, Ty is takin' us back to "breakdancing on my living room floor, I can still do the backspin (Watchme!), takin' it back to when we used to bust moves in the club " laid over a sweet and deep bass and supported with by a simple chorus that grooves us along. As those who know me will attest-I am a nostalgic old git and this tune tugs on those nostalgic strings.

Download TakinItBack.mp3

Tune Two- Artist: Danger Doom (w/ Talib Kweli)

Tune: Old School

Danger Mouse and MF Doom join forces to release their album that from early indications was gonna to be a stormer (check out this excellent review of the album). This tune is just infectious as it grabs you in all the right places. It would go along perfect with the Ohmega Watts track from a few weeks ago (Download 05_that_sound_that_sound_quantic_so.mp3). With some clever ass rapping from Doom and Kweli we are treated to some tales of life as a kid by rolling that rap over soul loops like that. Enjoy.

Download danger_doom_old_school.mp3

Raptivity

Artist: Ronnie Gee
Tune: Raptivity

Any song that starts off with "Warning! The surgeon general of chilltown New york has determined that the sounds you are about to hear can be devestating to your ear." has a high potential to be a classic tune.
Followed by a simple but solidly built beat we are then greeted by a bassline that reminds me of a Queen song or pehaps Micheal Jackson, or any funky early 80's bassline! The best description I can come up with is a late disco/ early house melody complete with with a sweet laid back hip-hop beat that has a build up of steady piano groove.

Download 03_raptivity.m4a