Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer Crimson Alchemist
Lifestyle

You have to know how to move away from the rich, strong and noisy streets, if you want to discover another Havana. A Havana far from the tourist circuits and preconceived images. A Havana where one discovers bucolic, but hard and stripped too after slow journeys in the crowded buses, a Havana with which Al Quetz maintains a passionate history since more than fourteen years.Installed in one of those neighborhoods that can only be reached by going deeper into the alleys, from the open window of the studio comes the sound of banging drums and thumping bass. The sound reaches the streets on which the day rises. The place wakes up in a growing tumult, with some rare engines coughing, conversations under the windows, songs of the street vendors , an urban ballet sets up as the sun darts its rays. Far from the musical clichés with percussions and horns, Cuba is an island bombarded with influences that one discovers. An island which vibrated for the jazz, the soul, the psychedelic rock , from the waves coming from the Caribbean to those of the bulky neighboring ogre.A musical flowering as varied as abundant that the glorious post-revolutionary label Areito has on thousands of recordings, and that Al Quetz has designated as the sole source of his samples to compose Habanologia. From the ambiences that punctuate the local daily life caught by his samplers, he let the melancholy infiltrate his hip hop beats, the nostalgia melting in the depths of his grooves. Nostalgia in the Cuban air, even during moments of intense laughter, which never totally disappears.Habanologia restores these moments when the song of the birds has extinguished those of the cars. Where, sitting on a doorstep, we comment on the life of the neighborhood, we watch the women's swaying at eye level. The whole day if necessary, the coffee at one peso, after a certain hour, which leaves its place to the Planchao rum. Wandering through its streets where a chance encounter can itself bring others and lead to the essence of the habanera life. From Regla, after a short trip on the bus-boat that crosses the bay, savor the end of the day, observe the capital from afar, let the nocturnal insects ensure some arrangements and drift towards mysterious horizons, bringing to the contemplation of the place and the moment. A flute, a keyboard, percussions or a voice. Al Quetz also invited his friends from the island or elsewhere to decorate his productions with their live touch. To share with him this Havana for which he covered his tracks, mixed times and distorted space-time to make it timeless.To write with Habanalogia, a declaration of love to the Cuban capital, to make Havana, His Havana.

Following previous ventures with The Funk League and production credits for Large Professor, Diamond D or Gift of Gab, french producer Hugo LX returns with a new collective project under his KenJaNai’ alias.The debut album “Faceless Heroes” (coming out in October 2014) showcases a radical shift for the young beatsmith, as the production style leans towards futuristic beats, 80’s synths and also some downtempo - sometimes ambiant - jams influenced by Japanese electronic and new funk legacy.KenJaNai is not only a producer effort, but a close collaboration with fellow musicians and top shelf vocal artist: the mighty Elzhi (from Detroit very own Slum Village) and indy star Oddisee supply classic verses, while Canadian songstress Amalia (known for her tremendous work with Opolopo) brings her Nu-Funk trademark and soulful vibe in the mix, alongside Kandisky Effect' bassist Gael Petrina and turntablist DJ Suspect.Cruising through atmospheric layers and hard hitting drum patches, “Faceless Heroes” expresses nowadays producers’ ability to navigate from a place to another on the musical spectrum, in order to keep the music vibrant.First 2 tracks single coming out in a limited 300 copies 7inch and including an exclusive remix of “Playin’ (Feat. Amalia)”.

Favorite Recordings presents an exclusive collaboration between French producer Bruno ‘Patchworks’ Hovart (Voilaaa, Mr President, Taggy Matcher, …) and Australian NYC-based rapper and poet Nelson Dialect. The two artists met two years ago after Nelson’s gig in Lyon and, of course, they discussed and seriously planned to collaborate one day, both having an everliving love for early nineties hip hop. Then came the quarantine and Covid-19 with Patchworks locked in Lyon, Nelson Dialect in NYC: it seemed to be the right time to do it. A few months later and they finally drop Blue Benz, the result of their long distance collaboration, coming as a beautiful 7inch filled with proper Jazz & Soul Hip Hop vibes.On A side, « Blue Benz » reminds indeed the best feelings of the nineties hip-hop with its infectious slapped bass rhythm and subtle Rhodes chords, all fiiting perfectly with Nelson Dialect’s serious flow!On B Side, « Jazzy Blue Benz » offers an alternate take on the same groove, focusing more on the electric guitar gentle slides with a more percussive beat and horns arrangements with a proper NYC jazz feeling.From Adelaide, Australia, Nelson Dialect now lives in New York working with Bronx label Red Apples 45 started by AG of DITC and Ray West. Making music since he was 16, he has received critical acclaim for his work with producer Must Volkoff and their most recent album Magnetism. Before moving to New York, Nelson toured extensively in Australia supporting some of the biggest international Hip Hop acts including Mobb Deep, Lupe Fiasco, Ghostface Killah, GZA, RZA, Pharoahe Monch and DJ Premier among many more. He just released a new album Opal Mind with French producer NuTone.

Trad Vibe records is happy and proud to present you this project as well execptional as unpublished! We are in 1994, DJ Clyde left the group Assassin and launched the 1st French Mixtapes but he sees even further and launches into the production for the 1st time since he became a hip-hop activist. His set up seems very simple but unusual and innovative for the time especially in France with a SP1200 and two S950 and a maximum of Soul, Funk, Jazz vinyls that he digs with his crew Hypnotyc Djs (Dj Clyde, Dj Max, Dj Asko). The project is also exceptional because it comes from a cassette archived by Clyde of beats sent for the album Paris Sous Les Bombes of the famous group Suprême NTM (3rd album of the group). Of course you will not find the beats released with his last but all the unselected gems that reveals the talent and the advance that Dj Clyde had taken in the production at that time! More than an instrumental album or beat tape, this project is a testimony of the history of Hip-Hop and moreover of Beatmaking in France in the 90s which was not supposed to see the day. The cover is made by the talented grafiti artist Cyril "Kongo" of the famous and historical crew of graffiti artists MAC (founded in 1986 in Montreuil).

John Milk is finally back, with an EP including exclusive new tracks, remixes of Patchworks (Joao Selva, Voilaaa, Mr President ...), Blanka (La Fine Equipe) and instrumental versions. Don't Blame The Hammer is a unique journey into the soul-funk universe of John Milk in an edition of 300 limited numbered vinyls. Already a classic!