 If you know about dope clothing then you will definitely know about Think Zebra. For those of you out there reading this in your Donnay shorts and Trilby hat combo, they are independent UK based apparel pushers who have a habit of designing fresh garments for us as well as collaborating with some big names in the UK Hip Hop scene on artistic merchandise projects. Between sketching ill t-shirt designs and getting pedicures from Latvian scum fish, they release some fine hip hop and have quite a catalog for you to check out for free or very few of your hard earned doubloons. The first release from the Think Zebra camp that caught our ears was the 'Spooky Movement (Prelude To Nowhere)' EP by Triple Dot Beast. I was casually perusing some garments on the Think Zebra website when I came across this little gem and have had it in constant rotation for a couple of months.  Its 5 tracks long and features an eclectic array of production styles from the likes of Sofa King, Don Piper & Twisted Roots as well as a verse from another rising rap renegade you may be familiar with, CW Jones. The lyrical content from Triple Dot Beast is brutally honest and very direct whilst maintaining a level of humor and good spirit throughout that has become difficult to find in recent times. All 5 tracks are most definitely worth your time and attention. There are some really strong, recognisable themes that many will relate to and some really well placed samples that will give you a bit more of an insight into the motivation behind creating the track and the points that they might be trying to get across. Overall, this is a very well rounded and passionately made release from a collective who clearly have oodles of talent in various pockets of our culture. The whole thing is embedded below for your listening & downloading pleasure on a 'Name Your Price' basis and be sure to keep an eye out for future releases from the Think Zebra camp as well as their back catalog of impressive releases already on their bandcamp page. CHECK OUT THEIR DOPE SELECTION OF OF CLOTHING HERE!  Jam Baxter has ascended into rap legend status with ease over recent years and it's his sheer talent at writing mind bending similes and brutally honest yet somewhat cryptic metaphors thats got him there. If you don't know his back catalogue and who he runs with, you should. He was the first artist other than Fliptrix himself to release a project on incredible independent label High Focus in the form of his debut double LP 'Rinse Out Friday, Spack Out Monday'. He's had a slew of releases since then and even before this he came to everyones attention as part of 'Contact Play' alongside Mr Key, Ronnie Bosh, Dirty Dike and Ed Scissortongue. Our scene has been eagerly waiting for him to get back to it and he's been pretty busy cooking up his new LP set for release on 1st December on High Focus, of course.  The project is entirely produced by none other than beat wizard and pillar of the community, Chemo. It's titled '...so we ate them whole' and content wise, well lets just say no one, whether you've been anticipating the release or not, is going to be disappointed. We hear Jammothy flex his vocal chords over a mix of different instrumental styles, all tied together with an inherent eeriness that shines through nicely and doesn't over bear the rhyme patterns. Some producers who try this kind of thing would be in serious danger of making an over bearing and somewhat boring selection of beats but Chemo is no amateur at this. He has crafted something that flows well as an album where you can get a feel of the vibe and concept but with a plethora of instrument selections placed very well which gives each track its own definition and identity. Going into too much detail would spoil the surprise and somewhat dampen the fun of working out the themes of each tune but a couple of standouts for us would be 'Caravans' which is quite early on on the record. The slightly twisted yet incredibly bouncy horns on the beat are ridden faultlessly by Baxter. Watch out for this one because it's catchy as fuck and is going to make a welcome addition to any playlist. Another stand out for us is further on in the project and titled 'Clockwork'. This serves as a perfect demonstration of Baxters intricate and imaginative rhyme habits as he spews complex patterns, with plenty of reality in there to relate to over an ominous, murky Chemo instrumental. The track featuring fingerwork from Bax's High Focus/Contact Play gangmate Sammy B-Side as well as a verse from Dirty Dike definitely has the traits of an anthem. Everything is on point and the two vocal contributors come with styles reminiscent of earlier releases we came to know them for. Its been a fair old wait for this release but its been worth it. You can hear how Baxters style and methods have developed since previous projects and Chemo's stellar work on the buttons brings it all together as one of the finest releases of the year....hats off to you, Mr Baxter. RELEASED 1ST DECEMBER AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW VIA HIGH FOCUS RECORDS PRE ORDER THE CD: http://bit.ly/1wCuY0J PRE ORDER THE LIMITED EDITION VINYL: http://bit.ly/1wEQYHm PRE ORDER ON ITUNES: http://bit.ly/1DvcEba BUY 'LEASH' SINGLE ON iTUNES: http://bit.ly/1tCUPWo CATCH JAM BAXTER ALONGSIDE LOADS OF OTHER LEGENDS, OLD AND NEW, AT THE OFFICIAL ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY:   It's that time of the month again and you can now enjoy another 2 hour back to back hip hop hoohah courtesy of Suspect Packages don dadda Disorda!
Disorda puts the work in again and this months show has the usual eclectic mix from across the spectrum of the art-form, mixing old with new and mashing it up proper. Support your scene and get your fix from Suspect Packages - BACKING BRITISH BEATS SINCE 1996!  The Mouse Outfit have been travelling the country (and some of the continent) purveying mad vibes and providing an amazing stage show that really is not to be missed. They currently get about in a couple of estate cars and, as there's 11 of them, it’s a real task to get from place to place. They're braving it to reach our 5th birthday bash, of course. You can catch them alongside Dr SYyntax, Sparkz, Skope and plenty more at our largest event to date at Exeter Phoenix on 14th November! TICKETS HERE! As anyone who’s seen them do their thing in the flesh will know, It’s imperative that they continue to be able to keep up the travelling and now we can all show a little love and help the Outfit out! They need a tour bus and you can help by pledging as much or as little as you can in their Kickstarter Fund! In return, you can get Signed goodies, CD’s, Exclusively designed t-shirts, live acoustic performances in your living room and even go for a cuppa round at Chini’s gaff! Check out this video and let them explain themselves in the way they do best….
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AuthorsJoe Read Archives
September 2021
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