VIDEO: The Lytics "Stay Calm" [Honest Hip Hop]

Winnipeg Canada's The Lytics are about to release a new album on Camobear Records that, judging by the recent singles, promises to be a sweet pastiche of everything I used to like about radio music. In the 80s. They bridge elements of soul, new wave, and golden era hip hop...it almost sounds like what The Specials might have made if they grew up on rap instead of reggae. This video is an irreverent montage of what I imagine to be a great day in Winnipeg, by Canadian music video auteur Stuey Kubrick.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SINGLE

Learn More about The Lytics at Camobear Records.

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VIDEO - Carnage The Executioner "Hunger" [Honest Hip Hop]

Saw this video floating around on Twitter the other day. Carnage the Executioner was more like a fable character from the midwest I had heard snippets of until I saw dude destroy a small club in Portland with only his voice and a loop pedal. Mashing up classic beats and hooks via his exceptional beatbox technique, with rapid freestyles, he basically pushed everyone off the edge of creative hip hop into the abyss of an awesome dance party. No surprise to those who know, Carnage has been killing it out of Minneapolis since the nineties, thus the title of his llast album from Fill In The Breaks, "Worth The Wait".

Check It Out on Bandcamp

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LABEL COMP - "We Are World Around Vol. 2" from World Around Records [Honest Hip Hop]

Anyone staying up on this blog knows I am a big supporter of what the fine folks at World Around Records are doing. For the past few years they have consistently put out great work, following their commitment to music that is honest, creative and positive. If you are not familiar I highly recommend perusing their catalog of awesome albums and singles, many of which are available for free or a moderate fee. When they drop their annual sampler its well worth it to get a copy because it gives a glimpse of what's to come in the year ahead. This one is a heavyweight with new joints from some of my favorite artists on the label, Including Man Mantis, Hump Jones, the reclusive Adam Kadmon, and this dude Castle I've never heard before but am seriously enjoying lyrically.

GET IT ON BANDCAMP

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ALBUM - Owlright "Cool Shoos Dood" [Blipstep]

The homie Man Mantis tipped me off to this group from Boise, Idaho. Owlright is Richard Palisades and Benny Diskobal, and they have been collaborating on this project since 2008. According to their Bandcamp bio, "their production techniques include sound design, midi data dumping, and synthesizer programming of all kinds. They take great pride in providing their fans with rich, handcrafted sounds and catchy melodies." With the dance groove of house, the bass of heavy EDM and a playful chip-tune sensibility they are all over the place, but to sum it all up they call it "Blip-Step". Its fitting, whereas many new EDM artists are rocking the heavy grimyness these guys are bringing the fun back to the club. Also notable is their use of actual synthesizers and midi devices, which adds a live element and some classic tones to the overall sound. They have a new EP due soon, so hit them up via Facebook and don't sleep. LISTEN

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SINGLE - Man Mantis "Gonna Die Here" [Honest Hip Hop]

The homie Man Mantis is back with this single that veers into the EDM big bass territory while retaining the soulfull hip-hop groove that made his recent works Cities Without Houses and Sea Ambulance so engaging. Alot of the new bass music coming out now loses that groove in pursuit of ever more broken rhythms and fatter frequencies, so its refreshing to hear someone really merge the sounds in a cohesive jam. I also love that this single has a B-side; "Sand Candy" seems like the midday answer to late-night atmosphere of "Gonna Die Here". More great music from the fine team of World Around Records. LISTEN

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VIDEO - "For Good Vibes" by LyNC [Honest Hip Hop]

LyNC "For Good Vibes" Official Video from LyNC on Vimeo.

LyNC hit me up recently with his new video which I have now watched more than a few times. Super atmospheric, simple and direct, this video seems like his statement of where he's at and why he's here. He raps to the audience almost the whole time, in various locations that I assume make up some of the Inland Empire area in SoCal he hails from. I think he's got the balance right between the swagger of right now and the depth of content in his story - real asides about the inspiration he finds in his familys work ethic, the dream of success versus the reality of finding it.

Check out more good joints from LyNC via his Reverbnation Page and follow dude on Twitter to stay posted.

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prismACTIVISM review from MindBuck Media

"Synthetic. Collaborative. and perhaps divisive. That's how I think I would describe prismACTIVISM!. At the opening Friday night, at Launchpad Gallery, I was struck by the artwork, but mostly, I was intrigued by the people. The opening night was also the CD release party for "Actually Happening, " from DMLH. And you could feel that this event was fueled by a whole lotta love and enthusiasm."

So begins a detailed review of the prismACTIVISM experience, from Sarah Hoffer, a staff writer for MindBuck Media. Its great to see some feedback on the whole show, and also to hear some criticism on my music from someone who is completely new to it. AWESOME.

Read the whole thing here.

prismACTIVISM: Artists in Dialog + DMLH album release party!

YES. THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. DMLH is finally releasing the full length album, and i'm not too proud to say it is fucking dope. For real, i am stoked on this project and it is the independent honest hip-hop I wanted it to be. Entirely produced by Joe Cyrus, the music is soulful and funky, classic hip hop style that provokes dancing in the club and nodding in the whip. Entirely written by DMLH, with a few quotes from friends just to say whats up. No guest appearances, this is 35 minutes of DMLHISM.

Actually Happening will be available on Tuesday May 3rd for download and physical mailorder. I am hand-collaging (with paint, stamps, pen and photobooth images) 200 cases for a limited release (signed and numbered of course) and this will be available exclusively in person or via my bandcamp page.

BUT WAIT, that is not all. This Friday May 6th, from 6-12, at the esteemed Launch Pad Gallery here in Portland OR, I am celebrating this release and the arts community I have become a part of. I have contacted 20+ artists who's work has inspired me in the course of making this album and asked them to create a response to the music. I could be a comment, a translation, an abstraction created while listening - anything that comes out of their relationship to what I have created.

This is prismACTIVISM - direct action and full spectrum effect.

Featuring music from DMLH, JOE CYRUS, DAPS, GEPETTO, NEW PIONEERS and JAKE KOST, Live painting and an incredible hanging show, this is gonna be alot of fun.

SEE YAWLZ THRRRR!

New Album from The Height of 63 - "A Thousand Swords & The Flooded Cave"

The Height of 63 is Michael Griffith, aka Griff who slays keyboards in Archers. A Thousand Swords & The Flooded Cave is a long awaited collection of songs that have been growing for the past 8 years. In that time Griff has lived in SoCal, Geneva and Portland, all the while crafting a space for himself in the world he hears.

The album opens with the classic pop refrain "ah" repeating into spaciousness, and settles into oscillating 8bit frequencies. Griff follows this with "Clouds Burst", acoustic guitar and organs that build from a subtle strum into a heavy wash of emotion, over a sparse electronic beat. I dont feel as through I am well versed enough to talk properly about The Height of 63. There are so many layers of sound and tone, and Griff moves through them all with a timeless, seamless feeling. Sometimes this album sounds like waking up after a shipwreck, washed ashore in the seafoam.

A Thousand Swords and the Flooded Cave is an immersive listening experience from start to finish, and you can hear it all and download at The Height of 63 on Bandcamp. DO IT.

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DMLH Live Honest Hip Hop at The Pub at the End of the Universe - Portland, OR - 1/12/11

SO last week it was my homie Joe Cyrus birthday and we were celebrating, with a bunch of heads dropping new material and a badass freestyle cypher late in the night. In attendance was Daps, Gepetto, Abadawn, Wellis Fool, Diction One, Prime Source, Kable Roc, Gavin Theory and many more heads from the pdx scene (dont hate if i forgot you).

Anyway this guy who was there captured video of most of the night and caught my whole set in one take. I was losing my voice to this nasty cold that everyone in Portland has right now, so by the end of it its pretty much gone, but check it out, watch the whole thing or just skip through, this will give you an idea of where my songs are at these days, as I finish up and get ready for my album release party in May.

Just more Honest Hip Hop from my Indie Rap Adventure.
-DMLH

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NIGHTSHIFT at ROTTURE 2.16.11

NIGHTSHIFT is back for a second round. Come party, dance or just chill with the homies while enjoying genre blurring music from some of Portland's finest. Do you like to make party? So do we. Come say hi and join us for a drink. Featuring various takes on electro by START FIRES, THE SEXBOTS and SPESUS CHRIST with an opening set of subtle ambient by WEATHER EXPOSED SKELETON MUSIC to warm up the room.

At Rotture 315 Se 3rd Ave, 9pm,... $5 for the bands, 21+ for the young at heart.
More Info on all the bands is after the jump.
Check out the Event page on Facebook and invite your friends!

NIGHTSHIFT at ROTTURE

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Prayers For Athiests - Psalm for St. Paul Offical Video

Rhode Island based Prayers For Atheists have been getting major props over the last few years for their high-energy, smart, political punk rock. The group started as a collaboration between spoken word poet Jared Paul and musician Alan Hague. Jared's rhythmic poetry caught Alan's attention at a show and the two began to figure out how their styles could work together. The result is Prayers For Atheists, the band, and the EP that is out now on Sage Francis' Strange Famous Records.

Musically the EP is a mix of punk styles that stays hardcore while being extremely danceable and fun. Lyrically Jared explores relevant issues of our day with a critical edge, and a penchant for resistance.

Psalm for St. Paul is a personal account of his true life experience being harassed and arrested by police during a non-violent protest at the 2008 Republican National Convention, and the grassroots campaign to battle the charges in court that followed.

The official video, released today, combines actual footage from that protest with clips of the bands live show and Jared singing his story to the camera. It builds into a dynamic and powerful statement and document of the very real struggle of free people in the police state.

check out the album at Strange Famous Records

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Gavin Theory's Metal-Legged Mix

Gavin Theory has been dropping futurist Hip Hop for a number of years. The Emcee/Producer relocated from Wisconsin to Portland, OR, in 2008, along with emcee Lucas Dix to make a bigger name for their group Hives Inquiry Squad. Over the past two years, the duo have built a solid reputation and fanbase around their high energy show, which owes as much to classic hip hop as it does to a number of electronic music styles.

A few weeks ago Gavin released a new mix to preview unreleased tracks from their upcoming full-length "Edifice", as well as Lucas' new project with DJ Great Mundane, The Jellyfish Brigade. The continuous mix also includes tracks from other well respected Northwest artists like Gepetto, Abadawn, Sleep (of Oldominion and The Chicharones), Cloudy October and Mic Crenshaw, as well as some of his favorite selections from major artists like Aesop Rock and Atmosphere.

The new Hives tracks push their style ahead with a mashup of lyrical styles and heavy eclectic production that is going to destroy some fat subs. The Jellyfish Brigade tracks are also real thick, and its great to hear Lucas get the opportunity to expand across a whole track with his multitextured vocal styles.

The mix is available for free at the Hives Inquiry Bandcamp page, in 4 pieces. Gavin recommends you burn a disc to play with no "gaps" to get the full experience. However you decide to ingest it, this plate is full of banger indie rap, sure to please the palette of any and all heads with good taste.

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Archers Live at HOLLAWEEN! Oct 29, Portland, OR

Madyhampster caught some sweet video of the madness that was Holla Hollaween (scroll down to see the flyer). Apparently the rest of Portland has finally caught on to how fucking awesome Archers are and even the portland mercury couldn't resist saying "while you were sleeping Archers just might have become the best damn band in this town."

All I know is that these boys kill it whether I put them in front of 100 people in my living room or 350 people in a warehouse.



and you should grab the 7" before it is gone.

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HIP HOP HOLLAWEEN - LA to PDX

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HOLLAWEEN

HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA HOLLAWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

 flyer illustration and design by Rick Delucco - www.rsdelucco.com

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DMLH Live at The Pub at the End of the Universe - Portland, OR - 8/28/10

Daps' Birthday was hella fun in Portland this weekend, thanks to everyone who came out, and mad props to mike for keeping the iphone4 on record.

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"Chapter 134: destination manifestation" - an installation by Leah Violet

This coming First Friday, August 6th, 2010, Denada Gallery will open the door to Leah Violet's imaginative world of personal narrative. Inside this room, guests will find themselves embedded in a tapestry made of the objects and artworks that have collected in her world over the past 2 years.

Chapter 134: destination manifestation is a cumulative response to the cross-country trek that landed her and a backpack, in Portland during early 2008, and the discovery process that followed. The story extends over two years spent living in a SE house known as 134. It begins with graphite drawings and progresses through a multitude of media including paint, handmade paper, textile, photo-transfer and found-object sculpture. Her work infuses post-consumer, recycled folk aesthetics with high-art sensibility to create deeply personal reflections of the physical and spiritual space she inhabits daily. The result is a quilt of coded metaphor in psychedelic tones that sound like the echo of Frida Kahlo heard by visionaries of a future time.

As a complete work, Chapter 134 displays Leah Violet's story of self-actualization with everyday objects and images through the kaleidoscope of hind-sight. Nurtured within her home space, each piece in the room resonates with her energy and vibrates with the ordered chaos of an exploratory life. She shares it now, as she vacates that home for a new journey that has what remains of her belongings filling a veggie-oil school bus. That is the next chapter. For now we have the pleasure of reading this installment to discover our own meaning between her prismatic lines.

More information on the work of Leah Violet and some images of the pieces in progress are available at her blog: http://thisisgettingup.blogspot.com

Chapter 134: destination manifestation
Installation by Leah Violet
Opening First Friday, August 6, 2010
Denada Gallery
1212 SE Division
6-9pm

Mikael Kennedy on the come-up

The homie Mikael Kennedy is getting his propers these days - solo show of 500 polaroids at the Chelsea Hotel, blog write ups, plus this random occurrence. Us VT expats are damn proud of our boy.

Amidst it all he has found the time to deliver a new book collecting Polaroids from 2008. "Passport to Trespass Vol. V - Come Home" documents his journey from New Mexico, back to the East coast, and out to the Northwest during the astrological time of his Saturn Return. We see many familiar faces from the mythos he has built since his first published collection "Still, Not Dead" (2005 interrupt/nine37), but the focus here seems to be on the landscapes he ventured through. Vast scenes in the faded light of instant development, from city nights to mountain roads, offer open ended reflection. Mikael offers little definition for the images until the end of the book where he titles each section to narrate his year of exploration. The images are nostalgic and fresh, memories of right now that remind me of the importance of passing moments.

You can see more images from the collection and purchase this limited edition (100 copies, each signed and numbered by the artist) at mikaelkennedy.com


Also check out this interview which came up about a month ago and I just got around to sharing.

Thirty Days NY Artist Series: Mikael Kennedy from Thirty Days NY on Vimeo.