I’ve always found hip hop to be at it’s strongest when it’s either being honest or totally taking the piss. Any confusion about the message that’s being portrayed will inevitably make the track sound weak as piss.

NZ hip hop is constantly hit and miss for that reason – finding a voice that is uniquely NZ hasn’t always come easy, but artists like ‘Lui the Zu‘ and Tommy Ill are showing that the NZ hip hop landscape is changing, and that there will always be NZ hip hop artists pushing a uniquely kiwi sound.

Home Brew have managed to land themselves in territory that is totally foreign (to me at least….); A crew that is unashamedly pushing a NZ sound, combining unique and captivating production, with MC’s that hold more than their own, and an audiable pedigree to the classics of hip hop.

Jazzy vibes, honest stories, loops and hooks that keep you nodding and verses that you can’t help but love. Their album (which was realeased earlier this month) is non-stop brilliance (available through iTunes).

Take in “Listen to Us” below and check out their bio on their website, it’s a crack-up.

My recent subscription to Rdio has allowed me to hit a lot of music that I’ve been meaning to get back into (Battles. Mumbai Science, and Andrew Dice Clay were some of the first additions to my collection), and some of those guilty pleasures that I’ve been too stingy to drop coin on (Prince, Edie Brickell).

The Drums have been a band that I’ve played ‘ships in the night with’ for some time. ‘Lets Go Surfing’ is one of those great tracks you know you’ve heard (and need to hear again), but weirdly, I thought that it was by an NZ act. I know that their more recent album Portamento was not overly well recieved, so I kind of put them to the back of my mind.

Now, I’m completely engrossed. The family have been listening to both albums nightly, and there has been no complaints (even from my notoriously fussy five year old).

What does this mean? Make you’re own mind up….

While the work of Mark de Clive-Lowe has never been too far from my fingertips (or headphones as the case may be), his new material from 2011′s ‘Renegades’ has left me wondering why I don’t listen to his stuff more.
MdCL’s work over the years have been good enough to see him working with truly amazing talents (Lauren Hill, Pino Palladino. Jody Watley), and also feature on some of UK Jazz’s finest efforts. Now on UK’s Tru-Thoughts label, based in California, MdCL continues which has become one of NZ music’s most intriguing and rewarding adventures.

The KCRW session can be found below, while ‘Renegades’ is available on iTunes.

I always find it fascinating to see cultural commentary and change interpreted through music. Considering the amount of change that has happened in Africa in my lifetime, I’m picking this will be captivating.

With the upcoming release of ‘Reign of Terror’ scheduled for next week, it seems like a good idea to point out that the NY Times has their album streaming for those interested in test driving it.

If anything, the guitars sound more heavy and cutting than those on ‘Treats’.

Also, their show this Friday at Terminal 5 in NY (US Time) is being broadcast online, so even though it’s sold out, you still get to get to experience it like you were there (and probably have a better view than the back of someone’s head, and the 6000 iPhones inevitably being held up infront of you).

The grammys threw up the normal shite this year. There were tributes, there were performances that caused a stir, ones that disappointed, and once artist made out like a bandit (justified though methinks).

Taking home Grammys for ” Best Country Duo/Group Performance” and “Best Folk Album”, The Civil Wars did pretty well for a little two piece from Nashville.

Great sound, amazing voices and fine fine chemistry. Here’s their performance from Leno last night and worth checking out also, is their October performance on Jools Holland.

Ages ago, I did a mix for a friend who was looking for some more music to fill his iPod. He likes to kick it old skool, so I mixed some of my faves from back in the day (and some from not that far back). It disappoints me that he still hasn’t actually downloaded it…but that’s cool, feel free to take a trip down memory lane for him…

Onateetee – (m4a file) (right click and select “Save As”)

There’s a story around the title, but I won’t go into that now…instead, here’s the track list:

1. Wu-Tang Clan – “Can It Be All So Simple”
2. Geto Boys – “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta “
3. Outkast – “Outkast –  Git Up, Git Out”
4. Brand Nubian – “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (Rmx)”
5. Eric B & Rakim – “Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix)”
6. Ghostfunk – “Danger 500″
7. Digable Planets – “Where I’m From”
8. Madlib – “First Class (The Best Catalogue)”
9. Common – “The Light”
10. DJ Jazzy Jeff – “Summertime”
11. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y Extended Mix)
12. The Pharcyde – “Drop”
13. Mos Def – “Sex, Love And Money”
14. Arrested Development – “Tennessee”
15. Jurassic 5 – “Monkey Bars”
16. DJ Shadow – “The Number Song (Cut Chemist Remix)”
17. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien – “Mistadobalina”
18. Public Enemy – “Welcome To The Terrordome”
19. De La Soul – “Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday”
20. Black Star – “Definition”
21. Jay Z – “Hard Knock Life”

This vid is seriously getting some legs on it – I almost resisted posting it (since it was everywhere else), but it’s so fantastic, it would be irresponsible to.

The Roots prove again (though they have little to prove nowdays) that they can make ANYONE sound better (perhaps it’s the Tuba)?

Enjoy.

While many people were scared of what Battles would sound like after losing their lead vocalist (Tyondai Braxton), I personally wasn’t worried. ‘Mirrored’ was full of highlights, and the vocals were, for me, not really part of them.

Gloss Drop was a decent follow up effort, but this remix of White Electric (apparently the first tracked tune for the album) by Shabazz Palaces is completely mindblowing.

So far, I am yet to hear a dud beat from Shabazz Palaces, and this track only reaffirms my belief that hip hop needs to evolve back into an art (rather than the pop driven mush being pimped by the industry at this point) to truely be great again.

But that’s an argument for another time….

Great video to accompany what is one of the highlights of the fantastic ‘El Camino’.

Auberach and Carney also waded into the LDR debate earlier this week, with some comments that were quite perceptive and poignant (via mtv.com)

“On some level, we’ve seen that Lana Del Rey thing since we first started, like, all of a sudden this new band would be headlining festivals, and we’re like, ‘Wait, how did they get that? We’ve been here for two, three, four, five years and we’re still working our way up,’ ” Auerbach said. “But then they’re gone. Just as quickly as they get up there, they disappear.”

“It’s different for everybody. It took us a really long time to get on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and it took her a shorter amount of time,” Carney added. “But I honestly feel bad for a lot of bands that are starting out with the way things are. … The trends kind of flip over so fast — something’s cool and not cool and it all happens within two to three months.”

I’m yet to sample “Born to Die”", but it’s cued up and raring to go…