Tag Archives: rap

Year End Treat from Detroit’s Eddie Logix

Always with a cap on, I’ve had the chance to hang out with this “bespeckled, smart looking guy”, as Doc Waffles called him, over the past year & have had the honor to soak up much of his saucy sounds.

Eddie Logix

Most days Eddie Logix can be found in the Eastern Market penthouse twisting the knobs, creating beats & producing albums for a laundry list of some of Detroit’s finest gents creating hip-hop today. But unlike a lot of producers, who seem more comfortable with their faces buried in a laptop, Logix has a strong stage presence as well as part of Progress Report with D. Allie, MidCoast Most and as hype man to Doc Waffles.

So, just in time for your Janus view on the 2012-2013 cusp, Logix offers you a free taste of his “Gregorian Mixtape” – a compilation of his work over the past year mixed by DJ Dante LaSalle.

Gregorian Mixtape (A Year In Review: 2012)

Who’s on the set? A lot of voices you might know – Doc Waffles, Danny Brown, Passalacqua, DUENDE!, COLD MEN YOUNG, Josef Coney Island, Progress Report and more.

The artwork is by Dial 81 who tapped Logix to help him with some of the mixing for the “Detropia” documentary soundtrack earlier this year.

At the low, low price of $0.00, give it a listen. Then pick up the albums by all the cats involved because it only makes logical sense that a man named Eddie Logix would be presenting the leading edge of the Detroit sound!

Passalacqua: Detroit Hip-Hop Heads South and East

Look out NYC, Philly and even Toledo – a traveling side show of death-defying rappers is coming your way and its doing it Detroit style. That means, of course, only one thing: it’s “BETTER MADE”.

The “BETTER MADE” tour sends Passalacqua, one of the key groups in the Detroit hip-hop scene, out of the road for the very first time. After several years of great shows & building a fan base in Detroit, the team of “Mister” and “The Blaksmith” will be infecting folks south and east of the Motor City with their laidback style and a touch of humor.

Although funny, at times – such as rapping in spacemen helmets, Passalacqua hits some hard topics on their albums. For example, “Ms. Washington (Bridge Card Hustle)” on “Zebehazy Summer” features a smooth flow and tasty beat with a female vocal chorus on the topic of welfare fraud and trying to make it day-to-day. Other tracks like “Sunset City” (check out the video below) offer odes to the Motor City. Because, you’ll learn quickly, these cats are steeped in Detroit and wear it proudly.

Among the tour guests are the Anonymous, who I wrote about before, who will head out to play shows with Passalacqua in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

While Passalacqua is out bringing some new Detroit sounds to the you – they are offering a fresh take on their most recent release, last fall’s “Zebehazy Summer”. This special remix album features many respected local producers like Eddie Logix twisting the nobs and breathing new life into the beats & ideas.

Oh, and that remix record - it’s a free download on the band’s site come Friday June 22nd. So, there is no excuse  for you not to be studied up to see Passalacqua when they come through your town over the next two weeks.

 

Come sample some Detroit “BETTER MADE” flavor near you:

6/21 — Detroit, MI (Northern Lights Lounge)

6/22 — Toledo, OH (Ottawa Tavern)

6/23 — Nashville, TN (Exit/In)

6/24 — Knoxville, TN (Relix Theatre)

6/25 — Raleigh, NC (The Pour House)

6/27 — Richmond, VA (Balliceaux)

6/28 — Brooklyn, NY (Spike Hill)

6/29 — Philadelphia, PA (Level Room)

6/30 — Brooklyn, NY (Fifth Estate)

The Anonymous is Unknown (to me) No More!

It was about two months ago that I first heard of the Anonymous. I went to this Doc Waffles show; you know how I feel about him, at a space in Woodbridge. After Waffles’ set, I left. But because I paid to get in – I rarely use my “guest list” privileges – I was handed two recordings: a 7” split of Noman/Summer Pledge and a CD of “Why Am I Grinding My Teeth” by the Anonymous.

It sat in my car for a few weeks before I got to it, but once I started listening to the Anonymous – it’s been pretty much a daily part of my rush hour rotation.

The first thing that will attract any born and bred eastsider to “Why Am I Grinding My Teeth?” is the cover – the iconic bull’s head hamburger stand on Mack north of Conner.

It’s closed now, but the bull’s head still holds guard over that section of the eastside.

Moving on to the music, the Anonymous have had some time to work on this album and their craft. According to their facebook page, the group started almost ten years ago in the suburbs with Goldzilla! (Kwesi Akaah – the mc) and Some Kid (Paul Wilson – the dj & engineer) starting out in freestyle events and basement parties. In 2005, the duo put out an ep titled “Love is Not an Orgasm” in 2005 and, another, “God’s Day Off” in 2006.

This new record brings together tracks from 2007 to today. One would that it could be a messy production affair – varying quality, no real through line – but that is not the case. If you sample and purchase “Why Am I Grinding My Teeth?” you will find it high polished but not antiseptic.

Among the key tracks to my ears is the opening, “Searching for Kid Calamity”. Not only is the flow smooth and the beats bounce funky, the end of the track showcases the time these cats put into building their ideas. A montage of references to “anonymous” in other songs and culture even includes Howard Stern giving a shout out to “the Anonymous” – the hackers group, of course – but it’s still great fun.

If you are not sold on them by the time you listen to the second track, “Hammerhead Shark”, hang it up. Because if you can’t pick up what Goldzilla’s throwing down, you might want to reconsider your interest in hip-hop in general. Especially when he’s preaching the truth:

“Since when did vampires go from Nosferatu to asexual teen heartthrobs? You see, back in my day they would have got bombed.”

Goldzilla’s themes range but frustration – sexual, professional and even at McDonald’s – seems to take center stage. Even though he seems frustrated by circumstances, Goldzilla’s voice is bright, fun and seems to be winking at you – letting you in on the joke – and that’s evident with his references. Goldzilla’s piles on geek troupes like comic books, Star Wars and video games, but never heads into nerdcore. He also can spin a great couplet out of current affairs – equating one’s inability to be sneaky to the President of Iran:

“Like Ahmadinejad in the synagogue trying to get it on on krypton with nothing but slippers on.”

Great images, funny and true.

Some Kid’s simples and engineering style is quite tasty – preachers, off kilter beats, Goldzilla play hype man and counterpoint against his own flows. I also especially like Some Kid’s delightfully twisted use of earworm chart toppers like Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”  and Modest Mouse’s “Float On”.

The Anonymous played at the Magic Stick on Thursday, May 24th. I was there for the show and captured the set. Take a listen:

The next Detroit show for the Anonymous is in early June. Details pending. But stay in touch through the Anonymous facebook page. Also, the group is heading out on the road this summer with other Detroit favorite Passalacqua. Dates and cities beyond Detroit – possibly near you – are coming soon.

From my perspective, if the Anonymous continues on with the recipe found on “Why Am I Grinding My Teeth?” they won’t be unknown beyond Detroit for long.

Crew X – Christmas Rap Music

Whoa.  This is so bad it’s good.  How I love the cut-out bin, but to be in the cut-out bin in the dollar store is even better!  I got this (x2) at the .99 Cent store in Pasadena today for .50 cents each.  Released in 1992 by Crew X on the Silver Bells Record Label in Nashville, TN.  Download HERE.  I also got an old Gang Green, Bettie Serveert UK import, Afrika Bambaataa German import and Somnific Flux (featuring Bill Laswell & M.J. Harris) cds…. all sealed!