Buscar:the armed gang
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Because of their mix of hellified gangster shit and progressive compositions, I once jokingly called Clipping "Deathrow Tull." Well, it's not a joke anymore. While Clipping's last few projects have been record-long concepts like classic prog rock, their cyberpunk-infused new album Dead Channel Sky is mixtape-like, a carefully curated collection in which every track is a love letter to a possible present. It sounds crisp and classic at the same time. When something strikes us as retrospective and futuristic at the same time, it's a reminder of how slipshod our present moment truly is. Juxtaposing high-tech, corporate command-and-control systems (the "cyber") with the lo-fi, D.I.Y. underground (the "punk"), cyberpunk proper starts in 1982 and ends in 1999, from Blade Runner to The Matrix. Concurrently, hip-hop matured, went through its Golden Era, then melted into further forms: it went from from Fab 5 Freddy to Public Enemy to Missy Elliott. While other genres flirted with it, hip-hop was fickle and fey. Rap and rock birthed mutant offspring maligned by most, and hip-hop's relations with electronica rarely fared any better. What if someone explicitly merged hip-hop and cyberpunk - those twin suns of the '80s and '90s - into one set and sound? After all, both movements are the result of hacking the haunted leftovers of a war-torn culture that's long since moved on. On Dead Channel Sky, Clipping texture-map the twin histories of hip-hop and cyberpunk onto an alternate present where Rammellzee and Bambaataa are the superheroes of old; where Cybotron and Mantronix are the reigning legends; where Egyptian Lover and Freestyle are debated endlessly, and Ultramag and Public Enemy are the undeniable forefathers; where the lost movements of 1980s and the 1990s are still happening: rave, trip-hop, hip-house, acid house, drum & bass, big beat-the detritus of a different timeline, the survivors of armed audio warfare. Clipping are no strangers to sci-fi: two of their records were nominated for Hugo Awards (one of science fiction's top literary prizes), and a novella spun-off from their music was nominated for a third. On Dead Channel Sky, Clipping's co-conspirators include everyone from the guitarist Nels Cline, to their labelmates Cartel Madras, rapper/actor Tia Nomore, and wordsmith Aesop Rock. Diggs is known for intricate lyrics and rapid-fire rapping, and the tracks that Snipes and Hutson build in the background are no less complex. All of the above serves to give us a glimpse of an adjacent possible present, where hip-hop and cyberpunk are one culture. Binary stars are often perceived as one object when viewed with the naked eye. Like those twin sun systems, it'll take some special equipment and some discerning attention to pull the stars apart on this record. As Diggs barks on the fire-starting "Change the Channel": Everything is very important!
- A1: Capital Punishment In America
- A2: Buck Tha Devil
- A3: Lost In Tha System
- A4: You & Your Heroes
- A5: All On My Nut Sac (Feat. Ice Cube)
- A6: Guerillas In Tha Mist
- B1: Lenchmob Also In Tha Group
- B2: Ain't Got No Class (Feat. B-Real)
- B3: Freedom Got An A.k
- B4: Ankle Blues
- B5: Who Ya Gonna Shoot Wit That
- B6: Lord Have Mercy
- B7: Inside Tha Head Of A Black Man
Possessing lyrics heavily focused on political and social justice, inspired heavily by West Coast gang culture and Islam, Da Lench Mob made waves throughout the hip-hop scene when they first appeared on the track "Rolling With Da Lench Mob", off Ice Cube's famed 1990 solo record AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Initially, the titular "Lench Mob" of the track namesake referred to Ice Cube as well as the other participating rappers, but J-Dee, Shorty, and T-Bone would adopt the name for their own in time. Their standout appearance on the Ice Cube track would earn the trio critical interest, (as well as shout-outs on Ice Cube's 1991 follow-up Death Certificate) and generate palpable anticipation for a studio album of their own. Guerillas In Tha Mist, their 1992 debut record, was recorded in the wake of the Rodney King riots, taking its name from infamous comments made during the riots. The record was uncompromising and confrontational in its depictions of urban decay and an unjust system wreaking havoc on an economically disadvantaged Black population. It was starkly realistic (bordering on abrasive) in the content of tracks like the armed revolution-advocating "Freedom Got An A.K.", the kill-your-idols style of "You And Your Heroes", and the anti-pusher anthem "All On My Nut Sac." These harsh manifestos were made all the more smooth via Ice Cube's jazzy G-funk and Bomb Squad-influenced production, which sampled heavily from classic songs by Parliament, Kool & The Gang, The Incredible Bongo Band, and even Vangelis. Cube himself would make guest appearances throughout the record, as well as an appearance by B-Real of Cypress Hill on the track "Ain't Got No Class." Guerillas In Tha Mist was a Billboard success upon its release, reaching #24 on the Billboard 200, and rendering rap radio hits out of its title track and "Freedom Got An A.K.", but Da Lench Mob would fall into obscurity over the years, eventually going their separate ways after creative differences, financial rifts, and the life conviction of rapper J-Dee for suspected murder in 1993. Despite their loss of commercial fortunes, Guerillas In Tha Mist would develop a strong reputation as an unheralded gem among hip-hop heads, and would be considered one of the great lesser-known releases of the era among critics (in 2018 Complex would declare the title track as one of the 100 Best L.A. Rap Songs). Decades after its initial release, and in tribute to the memory of Da Lench Mob member Shorty, who passed in 2019, Get On Down now presents an exclusive LP reissue of Guerillas In Tha Mist, which previously was only released officially on wax in Europe. The LP is pressed on a deluxe Green and Orange Splatter-colored vinyl, and features remastered audio and a painstakingly recreated full color jacket.
- A1: Chic - Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)
- D6: Crown Heights Affair - You Gave Me Love
- D7: The Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant
- A2: Shalamar - Take That To The Bank
- A3: The Whispers - And The Beat Goes On
- A4: Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer (Single Version)
- A5: Gary's Gang - Keep On Dancin
- A6: Gene Chandler - Get Down
- A7: Odyssey - Native New Yorker
- B1: George Mccrae - Rock Your Baby
- B2: Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye (Single Version)
- B3: First Choice - Armed & Extremely Dangerous
- B4: Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
- B5: 5000 Volts - I'm On Fire
- B6: The Ritchie Family - The Best Disco In Town
- B7: Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
- C1: Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (Part 1 - Single Version)
- C2: Leo Sayer - How Much Love
- C3: Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces
- C4: Mcfadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (Single Version)
- C5: Edwin Starr - Contact (Uk 7" Single Version)
- C6: Earth, Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland (Feat The Emotions)
- C7: Gladys Knight & The Pips - Baby, Don't Change Your Mind
- D1: Village People - Ymca
- D4: Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood
- D5: The Real Thing - Can You Feel The Force
- D2: Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
- D3: Viola Wills - Gonna Get Along Without You Now
From one of the most colourful and vibrant eras of music, comes “DISCO FLOORFILLERS”, a 28 Track DoubleLP set featuring some of the biggest hits of from the era.
Amongst the 24 top 10 hits, Artists/Bands include Chic, McFadden & Whitehead, Earth, Wind & Fire with The
Emotions, Shalamar, The Whispers, Sister Sledge, Edwin Starr, The Real Thing and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
The set also includes the #1 singles by Anita Ward, The Village People, Carl Douglas and George McCrae!
Like so many other disenfranchised kids in the heady days of mid-eighties United
Kingdom, Magic Roundabout came armed with leather jackets, charity shop instruments, singles
by The Fall and Buzzcocks, good haircuts, a healthy VU obsession and a little psychedelic
inspiration. Influenced into existence at early gigs by The Jesus and Mary Chain and Shop
Assistants, The Roundies wanted to change the world or at the very least make some noise,
shake things up and be a part of the happening.
The gang established a clubhouse in early 1986 and began rehearsing, recording and
gigging. Playing a ton of legendary shows with the likes of The Pastels, The Blue Aeroplanes,
Spacemen 3, Loop , My Bloody Valentine, Inspiral Carpets and picking up a bunch of fans along
the way. Rumor has it that Noel Gallagher roadied their final show.
There was one song released - She’s a Waterfall Parts 1 and 2 on Mark Webber’s
(Pulp) Oozing Through The Ozone Layer cassette compilation - and that’s it. There were also
talks of a flexi-disc that, for whatever reason, never saw the light of day. But by the end of the
80s, the gang had all gone their separate ways and the recordings along with so many other
things were thought to be lost forever…
Now, these 1987 recordings recently unearthed by Ian Masters (Pale Saints) and Third
Man Records and given the “treatment” by Warren Defever are presented to you lucky ones as
the debut single by Magic Roundabout. 34 years too late or perfectly steeped and presented at
just the right moment in history? Tune in, turn on and make up your own mind. Enjoy the trip.
“Having moved forwards emotionally from the wilds of dystopian stalking and associated hobbies, Madonnatron have instead been found frolicking through the green pastures of gangsta pimps, Hindu God wars, Cyber Men invasion, loveless nightclub hook-ups, modern Italian Nabokov, and revered screen goddess Elizabeth Taylor. Think of them as post-punk lab rats in the Secrets Of Nimh, feasting dubiously on back-dated episodes of Top Of The Pops. With notorious roaring guitars, chanting vocals and rabid drums they audibly glow in the dark, are strong-armed, and will probably bite you.”
Like their debut, which was released to much acclaim in July 2017, Musica Alla Puttanesca was produced by Liam D. May at Trashmouth Studios.
Their atmospheric, raw, and confrontational live shows carry a sonic force that by turns will make you weep, cross yourselves, and weep again. In the last couple of years, Madonnatron delivered a successful UK headline tour; supported The Moonlandingz,
The next chapter in Shaw Cuts comes from Russian duo Poima, who celebrate their debut record 'Twin Blades of Doom' - a fierce revenge mission and hunt after the infamous Ghost gang.
The pursuit opens with 'Triglau', its linear machine groove levelling a fraction of the Ghost Gang. Heads roll on a crimson floor.
Teaming up with mysterious masked warrior Inland, 'Triglau' morphs into a hypnotic trip. Pushing drum rhythms and swirling pads combine with nasty noise elements, propelling the hunt.
The remaining enemy members are already hatching their next evil move. On the way to Lu He Village where the Ghost Gang plans its next assault, analogue break-beat punches and swinging percussions weave a menacing tapestry of sound, crushing the 'Bones' of rogue creatures in its path.
Serbian slayer Regen arrives in force for the final showdown at Qi Dou Town where the Ghost Gang plans a huge heist. Armed with atmospheric pads and a soaring drum crescendo, his interpretation of 'Bones' ends the Ghost Gang tyranny in one fatal sweep. And the saga goes on...
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