When I came across this video a couple of day ago I thought: “Yeah, this shit is pretty tight!” The dark, morbid beats combined with harsh, corrupted lyrics appealed to a darker side of me. It was with great surprise that I then found out that the mind who produced such an anguished track was, in fact, a 15 year old boy: Haleek Maul. This New York native delves back into the darkness of horrorcore; he has updated the genre. Already people have compared him to a more debauched version of SchoolBoy-Q, whatever comparisons are made there is no doubt that Maul is one to look out for. His debut EP, “OXYCONTEEN”, drops in June on Merok.
There is something enchanting about world music. Perhaps it is the alien sounds, something different to the 4×4 dance infiltrating every spectrum of modern life; from phone adverts to football stadiums, you cannot escape. But wait, you really can.
NØ FØRMAT is a French label headed by Laurent Bizot. Started to give artists a chance to release their albums the way they want, it is one of the most exciting and innovative labels in France.
Mamani Keita, born in Bamako, Mali, arrived in France in her 20’s to the elation of the African community, knowing of her fine reputation in Mali they proceeded to integrate her into the African Jazz scene. Yelama, which means ‘change’, is an adventurous, energetic modern album, mixing African rhythms with electronic instruments.
A fresh outlook on music is one always welcomed; Mamani Keita provides exactly that, innovative and fresh this is definitely worth your time. Although, admittedly we are very late with this one, the album was released in 2006; this is a hidden gem. Get on their soundcloud and support independent music, fuck 4×4.
Syria is a country spiralling out of control. With an estimated 250,000 + refugees spilling over their borders and 8,000 dead, the current paradigm is increasingly leaning towards a civil war. What started as a peaceful protest in the name of reform quickly transcended into chaos, with a divided opposition calling for a complete political and social upheaval.
Crackdown
The regime has cracked down on protesters. This is not a promise of retaliation, but a reality. A reality felt by political satirist and cartoonist Ali Ferzat, whose cartoons enraged the regime, targeting his hands in a brutal beating. President Bashar Assad’s regime is desperate to keep control of Syria’s major cities, by any means possible. Recent files uncovered by former government official Abdel Majid Baraka, who fled to Turkey with the files taped his back, provide an insight into the strategy of suppression and the lengths the government is going to maintain control.
Internal Conflict
The core issue is the centralisation of elite power in a country dominated by a minority, divided not only by class, but also by religion. The ruling Alawite (Shii’a) minority controls political power; however, this is not new, the regime has ruled by repression for decades. The very mention of reform, in a country that has only known authoritarianism, sparked a demand for complete political upheaval escalating into a sectarian conflict.
Dictators rule from above and thus rely on pillars of support. The opposition must destroy these pillars in order to disintegrate the regime from below. Take for example the armed forces; the regime relies on the loyalty of the military, which is predominantly Sunni but is ruled by high-ranking Shii’a officers. In order to destroy the pillars that support Assad, the opposition must unite from below. Revolutions are strongest when trade unions push social change, take Tunisia for example. Social cohesion unites the masses.
The opposition has been criticized for lacking ideology and leadership; this is very much the case. Activists are leading on the ground, segmented and lacking centralized direction. However, this is also their strength. The regime cannot crush an unaccountable movement.
External Interests
External forces are already scrambling to act over the ‘Syrian issue’. Western rhetoric in the New York Times and BBC suggest that it is only a matter of time before the regime falls. However, a Security Council resolution was vetoed by Russia and China stopping the process in its tracks. Despite this, “Friends of Syria” are preparing to act outside of the EU, in order to stop a ‘humanitarian crisis’. While Saudi Arabia, a well-known ally of USA, and Iran, a well known adversary, have both pledged their support for and against Assad.
Libya Syndrome
Still fresh in the minds of the ‘East’ is Libya and how quickly a ‘humanitarian’ mission can become a humanitarian disaster. The West utilized a ‘no fly zone’ as a Western ‘air-force’ or bombing zone, to put it bluntly. Citing a ‘responsibility to protect’ to oust a leader, whom was once an ally, the death toll quickly rose from around 1,500 (before West) to 30-40,000 (after), not to mention widespread chaos, destruction and instability proceeding ‘humanitarian intervention’. Such chaos and instability is, lets not forget, in the interest of the West and their ally in the Middle East Israel, who is just about the only country in the world not to comment on the situation, indicating their passive attitude towards a resolution. One only has to look to Iraq to see the ramifications of instability.
Straining Relations
Are Russia and China straining future relations by halting the ‘peace process’? Russia has one of its biggest naval bases on the Syrian coast, and their collusion with the regime has raised many an eyebrow. It is claimed the Russian’s sent Assad the Security Council resolution, who rejected it, only exacerbating the East/West divide; although, the Syrian National Council has promised to maintain relations with the Russian’s.
The question remains whether the opposition will be able to oust Assad independently of intervention? Or is the opening of the corridors of ‘humanitarianism’ by the West simply paving the way for occupation or as our leaders would say ‘liberation’?
Born in Detroit, Jason very much eluded the bright lights of the emerging House/Techno scene, this was however his own choice. Emerging in the 80’s dj’ing at underground parties, he was even invited on to radio shows to play, however, he never released any of his music. Instead, Jason – whom makes all of his music using analog machines – continued to produce his music on cassette only, releasing it only to friends and local indie stores. When someone got their hands on his work, after hearing this fairytale story, in a L.A record store they were, to say the least, amazed. Not only are Jason’s tunes original, classic-house, but they are some of the most amazing deep-house you will ever hear.
Following on from his first release on Wax classics, a branch of Skylax records, Jason is back with his 2nd EP. We will be featuring the EP as soon as it drops, on the 23rd of March. However, until then you can enjoy the highlight of the last EP Lost Cuts #1. Safe.
Our favorite British festival has a new home. Admittedly, it is in the heart of Olympic London, making it an expensive do; however, the location is, in a nutshell, sick. ‘Pleasure Gardens’, is overlooked by a monolithic, Stalin esc, industrial landscape, more like a rave site than a festival one.
A far cry from the arcades and the comforts of Butlins, the new venue promises custom built stages like no other. If we are going the adventurism of the ‘The dome’, an inflated stage equipped with visuals, then we are in for a hell of a weekend.
Curated by those behind the nighttime area of Glasto, this is promising to be big. Oh, and if your worried about the timing, if you get pissed off with the early finish of city festivals, such as Parklife, don’t worry the license is till 6am. Bloc2012 is on 6/7th of July, tickets are on sale now. Peace.
Brooklyn based Travis Stewart, aka Machinedrum, is set continue the precedent set in 2011 with his latest EP, titled SXLND. The man behind 2011 smash Room(s) is back, this time on Glaswegian label LuckyMe. The label, which showcased Jacques Green’s – Another Girl in 2011, present the EP, originally written back in 2010 and which after being leaked on rinse has been engineered for 12. Coming fully equipped with a Scuba remix, the 12inch is out on Jan 17th. Until then check out the soundcloud.
To begin with, this is not a reflection of the collective opinion here at PSA; this is a collection of my (Sameed) favourite releases of 2011. I hope you enjoy.
20
Kool Vibe – Deep Inside (Brawther’s 7inch dub)
This 7inch, released on My Love Is Underground, was limited to only 150 copies maintaining the labels elusive ethos. Paying homage to the classic house sample, the dub never left the record bag.
19
The Odd Trio – The Medley (Bastard, Lemonade, AssMilk)
Covering Odd Future the Jazz trio, now under their new alias BADBADNOTGOOD, reworked much of the collectives work. This edit of Tyler the Creators ‘Bastard’ provided a fantastic teaser to the mixtape.
18
Hype Williams – Your Girl Smells Chung When She Wears Dior – One Nation
The strange duo produced some of the strangest music of 2011, and not to everyone’s taste. Your Girl Smells Chung samples Cassie’s vocal from ‘Addiction’, reworking with vintage chords a shuffling percussion and excessive tape delay. The eccentric pair are one of the most original artists to break through 2011.
17
Julio Bashmore – Battle for Middle You – from Everyone Needs a Theme Tune EP
This monster house track was a staple for most DJ’s in 2011, and was dropped by everyone across dance spectrums. Not much more has to be said.
16
Michael Kiwanuka – Tell Me a Tale
Since our review back in May, the soulful Londoner has done it all: Numerous appearances on Giles Peterson’s show, toured with Adele and a slot before Red Hot Chillies on Jools Holland. His sound has been dubbed as vintage soul and comparisons to Bill Withers are rife, making it a massive breakthrough year for the 23 year old, sure to blow in 2012.
15
Gang Colours –Fireworks in Pocket – from In Your Gut Like a Knife EP
The latest talent to get gobbled up by Giles Peterson’s Brownswood label, Gang Colours debut four track EP falls into that ambiguous electronica/post-post category. Playing with psychedelic and futuristic instrumentation the EP provides perfect 5am listening, one to watch out for again in 2012.
14
Tyler the Creator – Yonkers
Need i say anymore?
13
Boddika – Warehouse – from Back & Fourth
Boddika aka Instra:mental was a huge figure in 2011. It proved difficult to select one track to sum up his year, with ‘Acid Jackson’/’Soul What’ also huge; however, this track was a central feature of his acidic sets in 2011 and fully went off.
12
Space Dimesion Controller – Flight of Escaped Vessels – from The Pathway To Tiraquon 6
Another of the huge breakthrough act of 2011, Space Dimension’s psychedelic sounds provided the soundtrack to some amazing R & S records nights.
11
Shlohmo – Places – from Bad Vibes
LA Hip-Hop’s latest son produced some outstanding music in 2011; this is my pick from his EPs etc.
10
James Blake – Whilhelms Scream – from James Blake
At first, I was cynical; I didn’t like his whining voice and his nervous aesthetics. In short, he annoyed me. I will be first to admit I was wrong, as his almost apocalyptic singing grew on me I was converted after seeing his band live. Much like Nicolas Jaar, he took electronic music to a visceral level, returning to live instrumentation.
9
Deadboy – Here for You – Here
Glasgow based NMBRS has established itself as a front runner in UK electronic music, and with releases like this its easy to see how. Following 2010’s sellout ‘If U Want Me’, Deadboy returned from his US tour with a fresh house orientation.
8
Joy O – Sicko Cell
As stated, 2011 was a huge year for Swamp81. This ambiguous release was kept under wraps for much of the year, before Mr Orbison claimed responsibility. A camp favourite at Outlook, in the tent not the gay sense, I was subjected to this one on a daily basis.
7
Unknown Artist – B1 – from Music Institute 20th Anniversary (Part 1 of 3)
- B2 , not B1
The first of three limited edition vinyl’s released on Detroit’s Kai Alce’s NDATL imprint as part of the 20th anniversary of the world famous Detroit Music Institute. Hailed as the epicentre of Detroit’s epic rise to electronic folk law, the institute played host to a who’s who of Techno/House. The release, although not made in 2011, is unreal. Salvaged from DAT’s tapes/CD’s, in a series of ultra rare and lost tracks, this release blew my mind! Unfortunately i couldn’t find B2, so heres B1.
6
Brawther – Do it Yourself – from Do it Yourself EP
A focal point of my sets for much of the year, this is a pure darncefloor groove. Straight up house grooves from a standout player in my 2011.
5
Daphni aka Caribou – Yes I Know – from Yes I Know/Jiao EP
2010 gave birth to Caribou; 2011 gave birth to Daphni, his evil twin. ‘Yes I Know’ was a feature of his outstanding RA podcast, and completely throws dance floors every time.
4
Wendy Rene – After Laughter Come Tears (Nicolas Jaar Edit)
It would be easy to harp on. So I wont. His album was sick; live sets, also sick; and mixes, again sick. This track was never released, being part of his mix for XLR8R magazine; however, the edit of Wendy Rene’s original, which can also be heard in Wu-Tang’s classic, is epic and hard to come by.
3
FaltyDL – Brazil – from You Stand Uncertain
A standout track from one of my favourite albums of the year.
2
Bugge Wesseltoft and Henrick Schwarz – Kammermusik – from Duo
German house mogul Schwarz needs no intro, remixing from MJ to Bill Withers; however, 2011 saw him turn his attention away to live shows, and away his house roots. With the progression of both musicians coinciding, Schwarz towards live music and Bugge towards electronic, a project seemed fitting. The collaboration merged live Jazz improvisation with carefully orchestrated compositions, making a beautiful record. ‘Kammermusik’ is underpinned with a Piazolla esc piano line and evocative percussion, making a remarkably original record.
1
Thundercat – For Love I Come – from The Golden Age Of Apocalypse
Thundercat is best known for his extraordinary basswork for the likes of FlyLo, Erykah Badu and Shafiq Husayn, including the bass on Cosmogrammas “MmmHmm”.Produced by FlyL and featuring Grammy award-winning drummer/brother Ronald Bruner Jnr the album included an amazing re-interpretation of George Duke’s classic “For Love I Come”, quintessential listening.
Karhu is a Finish sportswear brand that shot to prominence in the 1920’s making javelins and discusses for the Olympic games in Antwerp. The brand initially used the three-stripe design, but later lost the trademark when Adidas bought the rights in the 50’s. Most of their apparel is tailored to specific sports, pioneering the first removable running spike and producing 400,000 hockey sticks a year. This T is part of the originals collection, celebrating Karhu’s 80’s collection. Selected designs are now available in the UK, check out FootPatrol whom recently started stocking.
Already featuring the ‘99’ ranges this year – see
http://psamag.com/2011/06/04/swag10/ – we return to the classic New Balance collection with these fresh 998s. These rarely seen 998s are given a stealthy revamp in black/red. Chilled
Established in 2009, Uniform Wares produce contemporary British timepieces characterised by classic and seasonal designs. Tailored with durability, each component is handpicked from the best Japanese and Swiss manufacturers. Sounds goods. The 200 series watch is a continuation of the 100 series, inspired by the mid century wall clocks of Post Offices, the watch screams simplicity.
Last month I made the decision to sell my beloved CDJs and to make the leap to vinyl. Perhaps premature, as being a student it is difficult to maintain such a consuming hobby, in terms of money; but I made the leap, and do not regret it one bit. Why, because now I can spend time looking for records, knowing that my money has to be invested well, I invest my time well. This record epitomizes my newfound ethos.
Straight from Kenny Dixon Jnr’s archives, the record under the renowned alias Moodymann is an ‘ultra’ rare collection of Jan remixes and edits. The first track “Into My Room”, a soulful jazz infused house number, is simply classic Moodymann. Following jazz infused percussive phrases; the track centers on soulful female vocals ‘I just want to get you in my room’. The rest of the EP toes a similar line, straight up grooves, infused with soul, jazz and trademark gospel vocals. Amp Fiddler shines on the B-side’s, “Into Your Eyes” and “Superficiality”, both following the soulful ethos embedded before.
These four amazing tracks provide quintessential listening for fans of Moodymann and are a must have for any house collector; id recommend copping this before it sells out and pops up on Discogs at $99.99.
Mehdi Hasan wrote a controversial article in last Fridays Guardian, titled “If you lived in Iran, wouldn’t you want a nuclear bomb?” illustrating their ambitions are only ‘rational’ given the encircling by Western allies. The piece ignited a ‘twitterspat’, a war of words, provoking wild responses from Labour MP’s, wives of Ministers and University professors. Being of Iranian descent, I thought it only right to highlight some of the issues highlighted and put forward my own views on this very controversial subject matter.
Iran, formally known as Persia, has a long history of violence and drama: invasions, conquerors, great leaders, warlords and revolutions. During the reign of Cyrus the Great the empire spread three continents, covering 8 million km. However, its geographical location alongside important trade routes, and imperative to modern history its oil reserves, has hindered as much as it helped her, making Iran a victim of foreign aggression. Today Iran demands our attention in the West as an aggressor; as an enemy; and as one of the biggest threats to our Western world.
The time of Cyrus encompassed a tolerant and embracing approach to life that is still revered throughout in Iranian culture today, just go to an Iranian’s house at feeding time. This ethos in part spawns from a connection with the Zoroastrian faith, which holds a sacred responsibility of every human to work towards the establishment of social justice on earth. A bisexual motherfucker Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire in a rampage of destruction, burning the epicentre Persepolis and threatening the Zoroastrian ethos.
By the time of the Arab conquest their ethos had all but disappeared, with much falling into ‘a realm of darkness’, tainted by corruption and greed. The Persians adopted Islam, but over a period of centuries fashioned their own version of Islam known as Shiite.
Today Iran is a threat to the modern world, an oppressive Islamic regime with nuclear ambitions. To understand the issue you must look into the past; not at the Arabs; not at the Macedonians; and not at the Ancient Greeks, but at the governments that are today condemning Iran.
In 1953, a CIA and British organised coup helped overthrow the Iranian government, reinstating the oppressive Shah and reclaiming oil resources from the nationalist government led by Mohammad Mossadegh. The move, under the banner of communism, was instrumental in the 1979 revolution destroying the secular parliamentary system, creating huge anti-western sentiments and facilitating a rise in conservative Islam. Iranian history is domineered by three recurring themes: Leadership, foreign invaders and a synthesis between Islam and pre-Islamic times. The coup was instrumental in facilitating a rise in conservative Islamic leadership, culminating under an umbrella of anti-Western sentiments and masqueraded by a false hope of freedom from an oppressive Shah. The results of the 1979 revolution were much different to the ambitions of the Iranian people, whom thanks to the training given to their secret service the SAVAK were able to continue an inherent system of oppression, this time under Islam.
The issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions is controversial, and I am not supporting the regime, nor am I supporting their aspirations for building a nuclear warhead. What I am trying to highlight is their reasoning why. Try for a second to imagine your nation was stripped of its government and all political sway was directed towards an unelected leader, and the reason: business interests, economic gains for a country, a business, thousands of miles away. Your resources are being depleted and your freedom is restricted, you live in poverty while foreign businessmen get rich of your land. Now I know for a fact man would be pissed.
I am not saying that the issue is a simple as historical resentment, the issue is much deeper and has strategic importance to power in the region. However, what I am trying to highlight is their reasoning why. As David Wearing so aptly summarises, “If you don’t want Iran to go nuclear, don’t create the conditions under which that’s bound to happen”. To understand the issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions we must look at the situation rationally, and try to understand the historical and strategic reasons why. Ignoring domestic and humanitarian arguments and by no means supporting the regime, one can see clearly why Islamic leaders want to protect their land, their resources, and their people. PREACH.
Common has decided to recite a verse from one of the best songs, off of one of the greatest albums of all-time. This homage to Nas’s Life’s a Bitch demonstrates how, almost twenty years on, this classic verse manages to sound oh so dope…listen good
R & S Records Present @ the Warehouse Project, Manchester
I remember the first time I encountered R & S, well at least heard of them; it was on an eight-hour coach journey to Bloc festival, held at a Butlins resort in Minehead, somewhere down the English west coast. I had sprung up a conversation about music and the festival with an old time rave head; the festival being predominantly based around an underground dance scene seemed to attract a mature crowd. As the old school cat and I exchanged opinion on music, who we were looking forward to seeing and so forth, the name Space Dimension Controller popped up. Being an avid follower of Resident Advisor I had been following developments on their site, one of which was the announcement of their stage which included this mystic controller. This old school ravepot was adamant on this mystical character, of which I had conjured up a Star Wars-esque image in my head. He continued to babble on about releases on R & S, and as the conversation was centering on the techno scene, I was intrigued. However, fair to say much after that was a blur and R & S disappeared from my mind, along with this Jedi figure I had created.
6 months later and Space Dimension is again at the forefront of musical conversation, this time with me droning on about his latest release, coincidentally on R &S – The Pathway to Tiraquon6. So it is far to say when I saw his name on the published Warehouse Project line-ups, beside the likes of Mount Kimbie, James Blake, Lone, Blawan and Andrew Weatherall, I was down.
Warehouse Project is situated parallel to a tramline, underneath Piccadilly train station, and out of season is a grotty car park. When describing to people what it is like I respond simply “The closest I have been to Berlin in the UK”, and that is an apt description. It is grotty, raw and underground, even if it has strayed slightly from its conception with much more commercial names than previous years. However, it is still a special venue unlike many in the UK.
Coincide a great venue with great music and you have your self a sexy little cocktail. This night lived up to that. Starting with Vondelpark before 11, the night was curated with live acts taking to the stage before one. Mount Kimbie followed and took over half an hour to assemble a huge array of synths and effects. Starting with ‘Carbonated’, they went on to set a great tone for the evening, culminating with a ‘duet’ of such with James Blake, whom followed after. Having heard much about Blake’s live act I was sceptical, not being a huge fan of his sorrow-some sound; however, he delivered and to be completely honest was one of the standout performances. After Blake it seemed the venue emptied, this I anticipated, as is much the case with WHP, especially when acts that are more commercial play. However, the night didn’t end here with the second room delivering the likes of Blawan, Lone and Untold.
Space Dimension took to the stage in the main room, playing his brand of techno to the relative crowd left. I would love to go into detail about the music, the vibes or whatever, but to be honest I cant remember shit. What I do remember is what followed, Andrew Weatherall. By this time, as I mentioned, Its fair to say I was fucked; but what I do remember was this guys beard, imagine Blackbeard and Marx coinciding.
Hopefully we will have some videos uploaded so you can see the antics from the night, or at least ‘highlights’ of such. Props therefore to Mirza ‘The Butcher’ Koluder, for his camera work!
Here are some clips of Jaar’s latest project, already featured on the blog, with guitarist Dave Harrington. The duo will be performing exclusives from their new project in Brooklyn at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on the 1st of Dec. Anyways, here’s the clips. Enjoy.
After attending OUT OF STEP’s sample sale back in July, we couldn’t wait for another one to come around. This time, however, SAMPLED are putting on a cultural tour de force; by combining fashion, music, and art; this ‘sample sale’ is going to be pretty chilled day out. Brands like ALIFE, STUSSY, GENERIC SURPLUS and many more will feature at ridiculously discounted prices. Music wise, there will be new and old rare vinyl up for grabs in nearly all genres. If that wasn’t enough, after the sale is over there is the chance to attend a one-off night with guest DJs Andy Smith (Portishead), Spin Doctor, and many more. Don’t say that we don’t keep you informed with all things über fucking cool….
The event will take place on the weekend of the 3rd of December @ Bar Music Hall, 134 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR
Entry costs £2 or a fiver with entry to the club included.
