MP3 - "Changes": http://soundcloud.com/blackalicious/changes/
Video - "Protocol": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxw4x3SdNoM
Today, Blackalicious is proud to announce the first public
release of their classic Melodica EP. It comes complete with a
bonus track "Changes", which was recorded on Blackalcious' first
night in London when they went to sign a record deal with Mo' Wax in '93.
Produced by DJ Shadow, Chief Xcel and James Lavelle (Mo' Wax/UNKLE), the track
was recorded and mixed all in one session. "Changes" was
released only on the Japanese version of Melodica, making it one of
the rarest tracks from the Blackalicious/Solesides vault. Hip Hop DX
premiered "Changes" here. And wrote about theMelodica reissue here.
What's more, Gift of Gab (1/2 of Blackalicious) dropped the new music video for
"Protocol" off his latest album The Next Logical Progression.
Watch "Protocol" here.
Additionally, Blackalicious will drop a brand new
track, "Blacka" on July 31st. This will be the first song in a wave
of long-anticipated new music from Blackalicious.
The duo is also preparing to tour this Fall, more info on
that later.
It's one thing to make enduring records, another still to
work with luminaries in multiple fields. Another thing still to treat the rhyme
not only as a piece of poetry, but to play with the aesthetics of language in
ways that represent the voice as a unique instrument in and of itself.
Blackalicious do all of these things, and as evidenced by the reissue of 1993's Melodica,
they have been doing these things for years. Originally released exclusively on
cassette, Melodica is being reissued digitally for the first
time. It's a vital document of the group's progression towards their eventual
position as lords of the West Coast Underground, Gift of Gab twisting his words
with aplomb, his lyrics more carefree than his later work. Chief Xcel's beats,
meanwhile, tread the same funky, lighthearted waters as many of his left-field
contemporaries, but everything on Melodica is coated in a
murky scuzz that, somewhat conversely to logic, could place the EP alongside much
of today's weird, lo-fi hip-hop. As an added treat, Melodica contains "Changes," an
unreleased cut produced in part by one DJ Shadow, who joins forces with
Blackalicious producer Chief Xcel to offer dusty drum loops and subtle,
textured samples that would offer a glimpse into much of Shadow's later work.
In an era where hip-hop devolves into half-baked facsimile with alarming
regularity, Melodica serves as a reminder that the true school
will always triumph over the bullshit.
Blackalicious
Melodica EP
(Black Mines)
July 31st, 2012
1. Lyric Fathom
2. Rhymes For The Deaf, Dumb And Blind
3. Swan Lake
4. Attica Black
5. Cheezit Terrorist
6. 40 oz. For Breakfast
7. Deep In The Jungle (Feat. Lateef Tha Truthspeaker and
Asia Born)
8. Changes (Prod. by Chief Xcel, DJ Shadow, and James
Levelle)
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