Strangely, I hit 100 downloads on the anniversary of the death of a friend who took his own life in 2008. Dude was paramount in getting me started and supporting my music way back. Bigup BMC and RIP. This track was originally for the Flame Griller second album but we decided not to use it. Addverse on production!!

We take the good stuff for granted the bad stuff is standard/
Don't pass up the chance to be thankful and happy/
We take the good stuff for granted the bad stuff is standard/
Don't pass up the chance to be thankful and happy//
 
This beat reminds me of a dude I used to know/
Producer on the net, showed me fruity loops and so/
Effectively got me started making tunes and even though/
I had no samples he would send nuff, most usually unknown/
We started chattin round the time of Clinton/Lewinsky/
He loved British hip-hop, a beat digger for Grimsby/
I'd bounce down there or he'd take the trip up to Shipley
Never let on once that he had a difficult history/
He was a safe guy, we used to chill and yo/
Even make low budget music videos, but when he'd sit alone/ 
He musta been a tortured soul, too much on his mind/
And hung himself in his bedroom for his mother to find/
I was like, "what?" Told by an old mate of his/
Did it on May the 1st guess it was mayday for him/
And mate, ever since, I've had this voice in my head/
Tellin me I coulda shouted him the day before he was dead/
And maybe he'da thought twice, or maybe just thought once/
A talented dude with a great attitude towards stuff/
I believe only a few have shaped the road I walked/
That's why I broke down at the funeral: was so distraught//

We take the good stuff for granted the bad stuff is standard/
Don't pass up the chance to be thankful and happy/
We take the good stuff for granted the bad stuff is standard/
Don't pass up the chance to be thankful and happy//


Thankful and Happy prod Addverse

coasting

allesgut

Due out in February 2016 sees the 3rd release on Style Warrior Records – the full length LP from UK Hip Hop duo 'Hearts of Darkness' which combines all of their material released on the Ruf Beats label plus unreleased tracks – all remastered and pressed onto heavyweight vinyl with full colour sleeve and lyrics transcribed on the inner sleeve. Buy vinyl from discogs: https://www.discogs.com/Hearts-of-Darkness-A-Journey-Of-A-Thousand-Miles/master/974084

SWREC003 – Hearts of Darkness – A Journey of a Thousand Miles – LP preview

Human Being fINAL

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Recorded at @pinkbirdrecordingco
In this Episode the boys basically have a massive catch up!!!

Barney's Song: John Givez - Johnny's Cookout
Tom's Song: Kiefer 
Jordan's Song: Joni Mitchell - Edith and her Kingpin
Alfa's Song: Femi Temowo -Chinua's Lament

Are We Live Podcast Episode 18 - "The Catch Up"

Vital's debut album "Pieces of Time" will be released March 6th.  Have a listen to the second stream. Pre-order to be announced soon. www.KingUnderground.com
Follow @VITAL_MASTYLE

Vital - Nowadays

this is from the vaullllts. A year or two back me and Addverse (Flame Griller) set up a 5 piece hip-hop/jazz band called Kin-L; Chris Chadwick on Keys, Jay5ive on drums and Samir on bass. Addverse was recovering from a serious snowboarding accident which left his arm hanging off his elbow, and the band had recorded this rough at Sinoptic Studios so I banged some lyrics together for it. Kinch was Chris' old band and Shedmen had long disbanded but are back on it now! I just like the vibe o this, and there's only one other surviving Kin-L recording....(this is the first track I ever uploaded on soundcloud, but as you're too lazy to scroll 5 pages down you can have it for download haha)

It’s the K, the I, to the N dash L
It’s the K to the I to the N dash… L
It’s the K to the I to the N dash… L
It’s the K to the I to the N dash… L

Made in England, Bread in Bradford and Ange made a man of me in Leeds/
It’s ExP, a planner with a dream/
Passionate and keen to make language this pristine/
When I’m rappin to a beat with a swagger and a cheek/
Every track I’ve done’s unique, and I’m back up with a treat/
For every man upon a street that likes relaxing to a beat/
Gradually I’ve been understanding what I need/
Amongst savagery music’s actually the bandage when I bleed/
Sinoptic – got nuff people batting for my team/
Rappin like we need it or programming manufactured dreams/
I bin graftin with the teens, get em to back up on the beef/
Drop the jacking mans, and arrogance and actually just breathe/
And think about the words they put on tracks and MP3s/
And not just treat em like a factory…like waxworks – do you see?!/
The whining type, silent until I’m beside a mic/
A pint of cider might strike my mind alight and find the lines to write/
But this 9-5 got me kind of shy to the extent I keep my private life buried and I survive/
Hope – only family call me Ben – rappin till the end/
Track for demo purposes – bigup Addverse on the mend/
Lucky to keep his arm just doing what he loves/
Kin-L we’re waiting for him man, this crew is on the up/
Kinch and Shedmen fell through and so we took/
The advantage of momentum and used it for this stuff/
Two gumtree adverts and, fused it with the trust/
I’ve got in Jay5ive’s hip-hop head, using it on drums/
And the team is formed, creating a piece of porn/
But a media-friendly, musical – decent sort/
And I’ll leave you all hanging – till the three record/
And me and Addverse get hold of the tracks and leave em scorched….


Kin-L - ExP's forgotten 7eventester verse

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Recorded at.... ??????
In this Episode the boys have a massive catch up and help Jordan and Alfa name their new studio!

Barney's Song: Elujay - Starchild
Tom's Song: Joe Armon-Jones - Almost Went Too Far
Jordan's Song: Enemy - Fogo
Alfa's Song: Michelle Ndegeocello - Aquarium

Are We Live Podcast Episode 21 - "Help Us Name Jordan And Alfa's New Studio!!"

Download on this FreEP - http://sinopticmusic.bandcamp.com/album/we-dont-do-s-t-hip-hop-vol-8
Big up http://soundcloud.com/knyt on this one! Lyrics below


…What’s the price of artistic integrity/
Or the advantage of narcissistic tendencies/
Should you force art from your arse to make a few quid?/
Should you sell beats to a dude, if a dude’s shit?/
Bigup to you if…your work rate’s constant/
But this song’s for the blocked writers who just want some/
Perfection in the art, I’ve got a good analogy/
For people like you and people who make it fucking cheap/
The hard workers, work hard, build strong and steady/
Decide to maybe have a child when they’re ready/
The dossers stay doling and nicking our quids/
Got fuck all for themselves - still shitting out kids/
…I've only got time for the former/
I’m no enforcer, I’ve never thought to/
Think of a way to improve the system/
Just a broke musician with a view to improve through wisdom/
But not arrogant to think my opinion counts at all/
I’m without the balls to shout and brawl til the mountains fall/
But then my option is relax and let it be/
And I’m back where I started pacifist with an enemy/ /
----
…What’s the price of wasting ya life on a 9-5?/
Or the advantage of running from it just to write rhymes?/
Should you work to progress and risk dying from stress?/
Or enjoy every second and hope you can afford bread?/
Well I been between this for eight years or more/
I aint clear or sure which way I really fall/
But I’m steering more Westerly away from the waste/
Hope the hard work is worth the patience and waits/
Tryin to make an escape, cos music’s saving the day
And I believe in good fortune but won’t mistake it for fate/
Kick myself hard for starting the day late, it’s my age/
Used to think it was cool as hell to wake and then bake/
But it’s not, gotta make sure my head is clear/
Can’t shed a tear when they feed off stress and fear/
No time for the haters that wreck careers/
Don’t regret your decisions when they led you here/
And you can pay to see make believe/
Or stay with me making these/
Amazing beats or phrases, that may not make you free/ 
But it’s the place to be basically, 
It may not be the safest: fiends/
And fakers seem real but it’s art that makes you breath

ExP - Pacifist with an Enemy prod KNYT FREE DOWNLOAD

It's a pleasure to share the first mix contribution of this new decade which comes from the heart of California's apostle of funk, Garrett. Interview (excerpt) down below. 

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Garrett, such a pleasure to have you on board. For the readers who've never been to Pasadena before, could you describe how it is growing up and living there as an artist?

G: It’s a suburb just north of The City of Los Angeles. A few miles from Dodgers Stadium. Home of the Rose Bowl & the Rose Parade. Living there was nice, for the most part. Slower than Los Angeles, yet..still in the same county. All backgrounds live there & also co-existed with each other in the schools & etc. The schools used to have music programs. The neighborhoods had parks. Still do. Yet, the park in my neighborhood was called Jackie Robinson Park. A lot of stories from the era I grew up in around this park, neighborhood & particular side of Pasadena aka: Northwest Pasadena. Too much for your readers, now, in this interview. 

MFM: Is it different now from back when you grew up there?

G: It’s different. My neighborhood used to be mostly Black. Last time I went back, it was mostly Latino. Downtown has now been gentrified. Small Mom & Pop stores have been replaced with big brand stores & eateries. Etc. Yet, all things change. Nothing ever stays the same.

MFM: Could you tell a bit about how you got to play instruments and where your exceptional knowledge of anything funky comes from?

G: Just taught my self keyboards & drums. No one taught me anything. It was natural. Just dived in. As for Funk; it was all over the place growing up; on the radio, my parents records, my neighbors windows, the cars driving by, boom boxes after school, etc. Hip-Hop was part of my youth as well. Just came later. Yet, I was also into other styles by artists such as RUSH, Gary Numan, KISS, Iron Maiden, Soft Cell, The Human League, early 80’s King Crimson like “Elephant Talk” & more. That was how we got down in Pasadena. We weren’t one dimensional as far a music styles. 

MFM: Apart from funk-related music, is there any other kind of music you're into, or maybe even get your inspiration from?

G: I like Detroit Techno a lot. Early Chicago House (particularly Larry Heard’s endeavors & related), Prog. Library music, Ambient, some Metal, & some Pop, such as artists like Prefab Sprout & The Blue Nile.

MFM: On your LP's synths seem to do the talking whereas lots of your other material include vocals too. Is there a specific reason for that both Garrett albums came out fully instrumental?

G: It’s a glimpse into my private life. I’m an only child. Didn’t really need to speak much. So, that mind-state flows all over both releases, in that manner.  

MFM: You're a producer and musician foremost. At what point did DJing start to play a pivotal role in your life/career?

G: Around 2006 when I started DJ’ing (weekly) at a party called Funkmosphere in Culver City, California at a small bar called Carbon. The rest is history. 

MFM: How important is DJing and touring to you? You seem to be rather selective when choosing shows, correct?

Garrett: All of my creative endeavors are important to me. I really don’t take any of them for granted. I’m not that selective. I think if anything is related to that; it may be that I just don’t wanna play myself out everywhere, every month! I’d like it to remain special when I come around, worldwide (humbly speaking).

MFM: If there's anything more you'd like to share maybe?

G: Thank you to all the listeners for your continued interest & support of my creative endeavors out here in the world. I sincerely appreciate it. I’ve matured over the years & thank you all for maturing with me. Peace to the entire MFM staff & everyone paying attention + listening.

SWREC003 – Hearts of Darkness – A Journey of a Thousand Miles – LP preview

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