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.

Check the video for “Fraulein” after the drop.

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.

PSA

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 2^nd EP. We will be featuring the EP as soon as it drops, on the 23^rd 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 17^th. Until then check out the soundcloud.

Machinedrum – ‘DDD’ by BOILER ROOM

Shades of Blue - Madlib

Madlib is a mad genius. If I were to explain why I think this to be true I would completely forget the true reason why I started this post – so I think we’ll leave that for another day. In this latest entry into the REVISION ROTATION series, I’ve included Madlib’s Shades of Blue album, a series of remixes over the archives of the legendary Jazz record label, Blue Note records.

This album is a masterclass in the meshing of smooth beats and chill vibes with technical prowess – a description that fits Madlib himself. It manages to be impressive sonically without being obtrusive enough to take your mind off the matter at hand – you could definitely do with this on while you’re busy cramming useless information you’ll never use again.

Best.Artwork.Ever

Some say the New York rap scene is having something of an identity crisis these days. When the only rapper with any legitimate hype in a city is so deeply influenced by another city’s culture (ASAP Rocky, anyone?) that you wouldn’t have known he wasn’t born and bred there – there’s a case for saying there’s a problem. However, at PSA we believe there’s cause for the birthplace of rap to be a tad more optimistic.

Rappers like Action Bronson and Mr MFN Exquire are getting serious exposure as of late, and unlike some, they are so NY it’s impossible to listen to them without thinking of grimy subways and army jacket lining. There is, however, a tendency for the ‘next big thing’ out of the Big Apple to be overhyped and expected to single-handedly restore the city to the pinnacle of hip-hop – which always seems to flop (Cory Gunz, Uncle Murda, Papoose, Charles Hamilton…etc). Which is why in the case of the ‘Flatbush Zombies‘ we hope this trend dies…for good.

The Brooklynite duo hooked up with producer Erick Arc Elliot to drop what can only be described, as eloquently as possible, as a banger. Lyrics, beat and video are the holy trinity of a viral hit these days – and this song can put a tick next to each category. Check the song out below and stay posted.

CLICK TO GO TO THE BANDCAMP PAGE

If you, like me, have some sort of coursework/revision/slave labour to concern yourself with around this time of year – the right kind of music can often put you in the right frame of mind and make the work less labourious. With that in mind, I’m going to be compiling a little series of posts featuring music that gets me in the mood for mind-numbing reading.

If you’ve heard of Diggs Duke, then you should already know what to expect. His Gravity EP was released a few months back to critical acclaim, despite being very short, and ended up on many ‘End of Year’ lists – with a jazzy voice and an ambient, atmospheric sound being prevalent throughout the tape. You can get your hands on this heavy EP for only 99 cents (convert that into GBP if you’re that much of a Scrooge).

His recently released Black Gold EP (produced in collaboration with BamaLoveSoul) is also not the longest in the world (at all), but the soulful and sultry sounds emanating from the Maine resident will definitely have you putting it on repeat. My personal favourites so  for me include ‘Something In My Soul’ and the title track ‘Black Gold’.

To enjoy Black Gold in it’s entirety, head to the bandcamp page (click the cover artwork above) and name your price. The first 1200 people get a free download, no complaints here.

Picture courtesy of HIGHSNOBIETY

Stussy, being no stranger to collaboration (whores), have kicked off 2012 in typical fashion. Collaborating with Danner, the streetwear icons have brought another casual boot to increase your choices in that department this winter.

With the coming months set to be cold as a bitch, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment to get yourself kitted out sherpa-style. Release is scheduled for Jan 7th.