KANYE WEST'S GLOW IN THE DARK BOOK PROMO
Friday, October 30, 2009
JAY-Z feat. ALICIA KEYS - EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (VIDEO)
JAY-Z feat. ALICIA KEYS - EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
BEYOND Beyond Entry 46 "TURBULENCE x REPUBLIKHA"
TURBULENCE x REPUBLIKHA MUSIC FEST OCT 24 SMOKEY MOUNTAIN
Last weekend Quest & Psylent fulfilled our month long commitment to the organizers of Republikha to help promote music awareness and generate lessons for the youth of Smokey Mountain. Some more recognizable artists came through to help make the kids feel that music is about reaching and teaching. The likes of Rivermaya, Jolina Magdangal, Roxanne Barcelo shared their schedules with the team of organizers to generate such a heartwarming event. From what I heard, Ryan killed it and Quest came through singing with Rivermaya on their set! Beyond Beyond iggins!
Here are some pics taken by Carisse from her Facebook account.
For more information please visit REPUBLIKHA WEBSITE for updates.
REPUBLIKHA: One of our goals is to reach areas that need to hear good music the most. This was our first foray into doing an event that we hope to repeat again and again all over the country.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
SOULFIESTA presents LOONIE MONDAYS
ALL MONDAYS OF NOVEMBER 2009
This November, OPM hiphop celebrates numerous birthdays (Dash, Nathan J, Sunny Blaze, Mike Swift, ILL-J and ME) and for this year, we also celebrate the album release of Stick Figgas' Loonie THE ONES WHO NEVER MADE IT. As part of this month long celebration, we are giving you new music, an interview and updates on his career every monday of this month of November. STAY TUNED AS WE BRING YOU EXCLUSIVES!
QUEST "WE KNOW YOUR PASSION"
QUEST - WE KNOW YOUR PASSION (Produced by B-ROC)
I remember Quest coming to the studio and I didn't have my midi controller, and my other sound module has been broken for quite some time now. So there was no way I can re-play a beat without sampling it. So what we did was make Quest hum all the notes he needed on the song and plotted them. Also, I just filtered a Willie Hutch sample and slamed it behind the humming. I was quite impressed we came up with song which eventually was used by Toby's Sports Center as their 30th anniversary theme. This version has then been altered several times as requested by people at Toby's. I remember walking into all the Toby's I know just so I can hear this being played.
This song also served as our gift to The Philippine Allstars before leaving for the competition in which they won the top prize that year! This version will be appearing on the Silverbacks release. Enjoy this one kids!
BEYOND Beyond: Entry 45 "READIN' DECIBELS"
READIN' DECIBELS MAGAZINE 2010
This is a mock cover I've been working on. For what? for a goddamn start up magazine concept this coming 2010. All bets are against it, as no hiphop magazine which catered to the Asian market ever garnered a successful first 3 months. Soulsonic, which is now a blog, started as a newsletter; PULP Flava didn't last at all -- and HTowns HYPE Magazine concept still hasn't seen the light of day.
IMAGINE is the most powerful word in the UNIVERSE.
Imagine RD Magazine which stands for READIN' DECIBELS catering to the urban playground in Asia. Imagine a start up magazine based in Singapore, that will initially be distributed in PHILS, JAPAN, KOREA, SINGAPORE & MALAYSIA. Imagine a magazine who will give you insights on Japans hiphop history, Korea's hiphop selling out concerts, Taiwans club scene, graf scene; also documents what artists like Slaughterhouse think of tracks by QYORK and mroe. Imagine a magazine like this, it sounds hella fun to do -- but its a lot of hardwork.
People have been pushing me to start up a magazine due to the wonderful job I've done with my blog and guess what I'm still enjoying this blogging thing. Thank you for all the readers but yeah, only time will tell I guess.
Picture taken by Jim Poblete
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
KASER x SOULFIESTA OCT 2009
KASER x SOULFIESTA OCT 2009
Shoutouts to Mr. Daily Kaser for the wonderful piece. Me and Chrizo have been styling our studios the past few weeks. So it was but right for me to come home and do my thing with one of the up and coming Grafitti artists in Pinas. Thanks for the great job man! More pics to come!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
TO THE BILLBOARD "BACK AT IT AGAIN" (VIDEO)
Mike Swift & J-Hon - Back At It Again
Whats really good Pinas? Been a minute since I updated this blogspot. I am proud to give you this new Sweezy and JHeez video. Proudly made in NYC and never fading in grinding, To The Billboard ensures its place time and time again. We are way ahead of you folks! Hehehe props to everyone involved in making this video! Another point fot To The Billboard this year! Beyond Beyond mga iggins. Hehehe, and to everyone in hiphop stuck on tsismis, get a life. Stay ahead my dudes, we all gotta pitch in. More updates soon!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
SYKE - LIVE @ OPEN SPOKEN
SYKE - WALANG PAMAGAT (LIVE @ OPEN SPOKEN)
SYKE - MAJAL QUITTA (Produced by DJ Umph)
Monday, October 12, 2009
SOULFIESTA x ROC NATION "An American Gangster's Story"
Soulfiesta & Roc Nation present An American Gangster's Story (LIVE)
In cooperation with Roc Nation, we give you this rare collection of Jay-z audio crack. American Gangster is a classic album with songs that Jay-z rarely performs. Besides the staple I Know and Roc Boys, songs like Pray, Party Life, American Dreamin' havent really been placed in the forefront during the promotion of this well crafted album. Today, we give you Jay-z's American Gangster performance in which he brakes down the inspiration behind the album and story line of the movie, American Gangster starring Denzel Washington.
So download away, and listen to full band live versions of these songs and check out the interludes as he displays his brilliance, humor and resilience as an artist. This is a must have for all you Jay-z fans.
DOWNLOAD THIS SOULFIESTA X ROC NATION RELEASE HERE.
APL DE AP Charity Event OCT 15 Thursday
Catch your favorite Turbulence Productions artists this coming thursday, OCT 15 as we participate in Apl De Aps charity fund raiser. I heard really bad things happening around the entire country regarding the events after the storms. We all should do our part, not just by putting up gatherings. I wish we could see APL go into the flooded areas, and his entire Jeepney Music team really help out.
In other news, Mr. Soulfiesta is back in Manila for a minute and will hit the studio for some projects while I'm here. Will also hit up some volunteer sites. I am putting together a very rare Jay-z release in cooperation with Roc Nation, hehehe. Wait for it, it should be up before the weekend. And grab a copy of Fudge Magazine as it features Peoples Future.
PEACE BLESS.
Monday, October 5, 2009
TO THE BILLBOARD x SILVERBACKS "FLY HOME"
Killastormz feat. Quest - Fly Home (Produced by B-Roc)
Today, we speak about the Silverbacks album, which we conceptualized last year. Silverbacks, if you don't know, are the bravest gorillas in the herd, so with that said we move further into the music side of it. The inspiration behind the Silverbacks project comes from Training Day, the movie. We would like to bring it back to a more cinematic approach into beats and just bring lyricism with it as well. We already gave you a glimpse of it through last weeks release of "NEWS" -- today we are giving you "FLY HOME" by Killastormz.
As soon as I made the beat, I knew I wanted to hear a different side of Killa on it. Killa came to my studio and prior to that I told him I got the beat and he should make the beat cry. I done heard Killa in so many tracks but I've yet to hear him share something close to a prayer. So yeah, needless to say we banged this out just before he left for Davao that week. He has earlier flown out to Pinas with the rest of the Travelmatics and Camera Gangster team -- its still To The Billboard all day! I told Killa I'ma have Quest wrap it up just to create a more epic feel to it. Quest sums up the record with some quotables.
On a way to a brighter day, spread your wings and fly away
We're going to a better place, home I'm coming home
Flying means everyday, learn something new from every step you take
Don't be scared you're not alone, fly home, I'm coming home
NOTES: Silverbacks will feature new music from your favorite Turbulence artists, Mike Swift, Black, Don G, CJ Cruz, Killastormz, Jae Spillz, LDP and more. The devil is in the details they say, and I heard sunshine is back in Pinas. Riddles upon riddles.
BEYOND Beyond: Entry 43 "Assorted Flava"
Candy - I Don't Need (Produced by Dan Gil)
Candy Cousart is MUSIC. The local music industry, for as long as I remember, have been looking for a legit R&B act for as long as I can remember. Being a fan of R&B music internationally and OPM myself, I can say -- Candy was as legit as we could have had. This album showcased her pen game, her melody crooning, her rhyming and was backed up by urban music powerhouses Madd World and Vibestation. I addressed this album a couple of months back as part of the top albums made in Pinas that would change your mind about Pinoy hiphop, give it a listen and see glimpses of Missy E and Aaliyah. This album as well displays Lowkey & Quaizy's top notch production on R&B songs and not rap music, which propels their beat game beyond their comfort zone. But the run away hit would have to be "I Don't Need" produced by Dan Gil (SVC, The Verve, Chillitees). I remember Hotnixx telling me the story of making this song, they were in the studio and the verse part actually was the hook -- and Candy had asked to sequence it invertedly, showing her vision and control.
Candy also developed a 2nd album while she was based in Vegas and that offering is fire! She came back home to hopefully release it but things went sour with her deals. I'm still waiting to get confirmation if we could get that album out here at Soulfiesta at least. Candy is now back in Vegas and enjoying the time of her life. Last 2006, Candy participated in The Community show -- and yo Dave Klassik, this is talent you're missing out on for your releases. She's the best out there.
Good peoples, aiyo Candy tell Josh and Clarissa what's good?
DOWNLOAD CANDY'S ASSORTED FLAVA ALBUM HERE.
SONG OF THE WEEK: Usher "Papers"
Usher - Papers
Let me get my grown man shit on, hehehe. This song is one of the hottest Usher tracks I've heard all year! With the lackluster songwriting from his last album Usher now musters enough motivation to come back and paint the town red with this controversial first single release of his upcoming album "MONSTER". Check this one out as he sings from the point of view of a husband signing divorce papers, exact same shit he's dealing with the Mrs. Dope song yo, anybody who disagrees is prolly under 22 years of age, hehehe. Dedicated to Champ, you know what it is homie!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
MUSIC IS LIFE: The genius of 808's and Heartbreak
THE GENIUS BEHIND 808's & HEARTBREAK
Alot of fans would dismiss this Kanye release as his most experimental and would cause sour faces in most hiphop fans. But after almost a year of listening to it, I finally bumped into the genius behind the cd. Kanye, with this CD alone, found a lane of his own -- however deep or left, this was not an expedition gone wrong. After making Stronger with Timbo's help with the 808 kicks -- Kanye took everything Timbo said and ran witn it. Listen closely, the 808 drum kits, the auto tune, the big taiko drums, synths, piano & guitars -- these were all part of making Stronger. These same instruments have been used by his peers Timbaland and Daft Punk over the years, the same artists who Kanye derived his inspiration from for Stronger. Also, these same elements are the running elements of all the songs in 808's and Heartbreak. The only difference is Kanye approached everything about 808's with such a minimalistic approach on constructing beats compared to Timbo's over syncopated beats to Daft Punks dance music background.
Kanye West & Timbaland in the studio mixing Stronger
Being the depth of his motivation of doing this album are two instances of heartbreaks, I initially dismissed this as an album I can excuse him for. But the things he penned down are words people think off when in the brink of choking they girl friends, crying about a death but have tons of commitments to smile about and just mourning in front of the lights fame has put on. These are very powerful moments in anyones life which he capitalized on. Did he drag the whole heartbreak theme too much? No. Albums are made nowadays with lesser solid themes compared to how they did it before, one producer the whole album -- in return showcasing a fluidity throughout all the songs. Todays album features tons of guest producers -- and are based on A&R formulas of a club song, a chick song, a song about the hood -- so on and so on. Ginuwine's best album was the one Timbo produced all throughout -- the Beatles never had a guest on they albums -- these formulas were unheard of before.
Can you hum any of the beats from 808's? No. Why? Cause the genius behind the songs is Kanye's ear for melodies which ultimately stood out. I must say, this is the best Autotune project there is; as the use of Autotune was to just merely throw you off of normal singing and to compliment the minimalistic beat. The melodies Kanye came with on this cd are meant to stand the test of time, you'll see what I mean soon as he releases his next two releases -- you will be going back to this cd. The melodies are even interchangeable with the beats, which is why you see Kanye seamlessly bridge songs together during live performances without you realizing it. Remember Kanye has been sharing his melody inputs with likes of John Legend, Janet Jackson, Brandy and created hits for them. Why are we suddenly surprised that dude wanted to sing? We shouldn't be.
If Kanye wrote these songs for other artists, it would've been appreciated differently but some pain are meant to be dealt with alone. I have been toying with the idea of other people singing songs from this release and who would best fit them, explore this one with me.
Imagine is the most powerful word in the world.
(1) Say You Will - Radiohead. Nuff Said.
(2) Welcome to Heartbreak - Justin Timberlake would be perfect for this song. Most of the songs from his last release carried out the trademark Timbo, 808's & taiko drums and even the synths could be reminiscent of songs from that cd.
Melanie Fiona - Heartless (Cover)
(3) Heartless - So many artists already covered this song from The Fray to Melanie Fiona's reggae feel to it. Which is only a testament of how great these melodies are. But if I had to pick one, hmmmm -- listen to the stabs of the synth which is similar to what Dr. Dre does to most of his beats -- I would like to hear Christina Milan rock this one.
(4) Amazing - Kanye got this one, untouchable. But for arguements sake, I wanna hear Usher do this, tweak it up a bit and include it in his Here I Stand. It kind of lacked a track like this. The vocals' range on this songs aren't much but if Usher could flip it, it would sound crazy. Keep Jeezy on it.
(5) Love Lockedown - Listen to the drums, Cosmic Love would sound perfect. Word up Anton -- and my second pick would be No Doubt and give it a ska feel, with a horn section on the hook; which would give it more energy to perform with the band.
(6) Paranoid - The 80's band A-Ha would be perfect for this or Wham -- thats how good of a melody this song has. Rihanna, Amy Winehouse or Lady Gaga would sound hella cute on this.
(7) Robocop - Andre 3000 & John Legend would flip this crazy. Cross Legend's She Don't Have To Know with Hey Ya -- should be an amazing combination.
(8) Street Lights - I hear Brandy on this everytime, must be the girl doing the back up vocals. Its sounds exactly what Brandy would do on her songs.
What if this dude sang Kanye's Bad News?
(9) Bad News - Robi Draco Rosa, yes I'm a big fan. Imagine this song with spanish guitars. Painfully sexy. Look him up on YouTube -- Crash Push.
(10) See You In My Nightmare - Lyfe Jennings. Let him belt this song out a bit and add some of his own personal lyrics, it should be crazy similar to Jodeci performing "Lately" on MTV Unplugged back in the day.
(11) Coldest Winter - Anthony Hamilton, hands down. No heartbreaking song would be the same soon as he sings it. Imagine if it were only a piano and Anthony Hamilton crooning over it.
(12) Pinocchio Story - This is a Kanye West untouchable.
His pen game throughout this album is amazing. It almost sounds like ranting at times but yo, let me see you lose your moms and not go crazy too. He channeled his pain to something classic to hurtful to touch. Enjoy the read guys, again -- IMAGINE.
Imagine is the most powerful word in the world.
I've tried love, respect, truth, faith and even the word GOD --
but nothing works without the word Imagine.
FIN
FIN
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