UGH, I’m in a weird spot with the hip hop right now my friends. Like any rap-loving oldster I continually lament the quality of the music in the days of yore, but I seem to have a visceral aversion to the current brand of sneering, talentless, trap/tumblr type rap that we’re being sent on the(…)
It’s really quite pleasing when an album you’ve been anticipating for a while ends up exceeding your expectations. Vancouver producer Tor makes really good instrumental, downtempo/hip hop-influenced music, and I’d been supremely impressed each and every time we were sent some of his work. But I’d been waiting a while (a couple years maybe) for(…)
I’ve said something to this effect before, but, for me at least, it seems as though many of the most interesting hip hop-related projects we get sent from Canada are of the instrumental variety. It also seems that these folks are finding it easier to make noise in other locales versus their own backyard. This(…)
Ordinarily, an outfit like Ocean Towers, whose latest release Chapter 2 is composed of two twenty minute instrumental jams, likely wouldn’t be atop my posting todo list. But, after the slugfest work has been the last few days, zoning out to “stoner/psychedelic/doom” rock seemed like a very attractive proposition. Luckily for me, this Halifax foursome(…)
I’m not sure Guelph is the first place that comes to mind when you think of Instrumental hip hop music, but perhaps it should. Elaquent calls G-Town (sorry, I have no idea what Guelph’s nickname is) home and has been making a considerable name for himself in that field over the last couple years. I’ve(…)
The other day I mentioned that I’d posted some four times on Teenage Kicks so far this year, and low and behold I’ve just discovered that this is my third post featuring Vancouver based producer mikedecline. So, other than the fact that some 80% of my posting output this year featured just two acts (haha,(…)
What does it say that a healthy portion of the new hip hop albums I’m the most excited to hear these days are often if the instrumental variety? Well I think it mainly says I’m a confirmed, curmudgeonly hip hop get-off-my-lawner, but I’d like to think that it also means there are plenty of talented(…)
Sanctums is a two man operation out of Calgary comprised of Dan Solo and Evangelos Typist. They describe themselves as a “ambient/downtempo project” and they recently released a self-titled album that is ” inspired by our common love for classical music, film soundtracks, hip hop, & various other elements of beat culture”. I’m not sure(…)
Ever since we heard his rather impressive re-working of Sufjan Stevens’ material into the backing tracks for some of our favorite old school jams, we’ve always had a lot of time for Vancouver-based producer Tor. We’ve posted a couple of his tracks already, but now there’s news that Tor’s proper debut album is on the(…)
Let me say this, if there’s a Juno for “Best Instrumental Hip Hop Album with a Name That Kind of Sounds Like a Word But Isn’t Actually a Word, I Don’t Think”, Vancouver-based producer mikedecline would be a two-time winner by now. I loved his last album, Umbrellatons and after being through it a few(…)
