This week's feature story star has undeniable writing and performance chops. Interviewing MC Lakota Jonez was a chief example of one of journalism's many pleasures: A conversation ostensibly about one topic (a woman and her music) wades into deeper waters, and an array of other issues—in this instance, racism, gender dynamics, and the evolution of the artistic and cultural movement that is hip-hop, to name a few.
Tonight presents a special occasion to watch Jonez strut her stuff en vivo, amidst a crowd of already loyal fans. In just a matter of hours, she takes the stage at Stage 49 at the UNM Arena (“The Pit”) for the Gathering of Nations’ multigenre showcase, 7:45 p.m. (On the dot!) $17 general admission at the door not only gets you access to her show, but to all the evening's varied powwow happenings. For more information, check out the Gathering of Nations website and the site of the artist herself.
Burque native Saywut?! preps for an international tour with CocoRosie and a move to Brooklyn
By Marisa Demarco
When we meet, Ashley Moyer has a metronome in her purse. Her passport came in yesterday. She is, in a sense, working out. “I'm getting my train on. That's the least I can do right now—get physically fit, my stamina, my breath control, the tightness in my beats.” Moyer has to have the cardio health to support a 90-minute-plus show. As she tours Europe with the sister art-pop warriors of CocoRosie, she's going to have to be right on time, all the time. This is the story of Albuquerque’s beatbox queen Suywut!?
Ms. Laplantine is a French musician and video artist who lives and works in Paris. While her previous 11 releases mine the sound-art vein of experimental electronica this release debuts her dreamy vocals, layered into thirteen minutes of soul warming future folk. These haunting voals fused with earth-toned landscapes create the compelling musical language this album. She claims that this is her last release, after 9 years of music crafting, to focus on board games and Facebook.
Chris Papp of Raleigh, North Carolina has been dishing out beat tapes to the web like hot cakes since he was 16. Strictly Beats mention rates Bleep Blorp Remixes as "one of the best tapes ever... on the net." Now he's 19 years old and his followers are hypnotized by his sound. His atypical producing strategies have warped the online hip hop scene.
Glorious Nippon boasts a wirey synth melody, lots of lush, spacey compression, and immaculate drum placement (a Constrobuz signature). This track is based on a sample from the 70's prog rock band CMU.
Lil B is sensibly retarded. He has a fairly large cult of people who idolize him (his YouTube tracks can sport a quarter million views or more). His lyrics are hilarious, vulgar, psychedelic and unexplainable delivered with a deadpan, lewd-emcee crackhead manner. He claims his name 'Lil B' stands for Lil Boss, but then goes by 'Lil Based.' Either way, half the time he goes by "Based God." At one point he had around 122 myspace pages for his music, each one with a different name.
This track, from the "6 Kiss" album, starts off with a sample from Imogen Heap's "Just For Now" --her dreamlike vocals serenading on the beat. He goes on rapping about absolute nonsense. Or maybe there's meaning. Who knows? Some people think Lil B is dragging this ego along to become the next Lil Wayne. Some think he's the new Wesley Willis. Regardless, I think he needs to keep doing what he's doing. Because he's working and producing thousands plus me are hooked.
