drivin

PIES&CAKES

Released 28th October 2022
Buy/stream: https://LateNightTales.lnk.to/withoutstarorcompass

Kennebec is the critically acclaimed musical outlet of Eric Phillips, a composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist living in Portland, Oregon. Drawing from an eclectic array of influences to create his own unique style of cinematic electronic music, he is set to release his sophomore album ‘Without Star or Compass’ on the 28th October via Night Times Stories, the sister label to LateNightTales. 

Releasing his debut album ‘Departure’ at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, ‘Without Star or Compass’ was written and recorded during a phase in Phillips’ life which allowed him to re-examine his motivations. “The first primary influence for this record is that, more so than ‘Departure’, I wanted to write this record for my friends and others rather than for myself. Maybe it's also a product of maturing, but I wanted the music to communicate more clearly to others, and be less of an exercise of some kind for myself.” 

From the subtle electronica of ‘Leaving The Canyons’ featuring the distinctive vocals of Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring, the expanding electronic beats of ‘Tall Tales’ featuring Hemlock Ernst (the rap moniker of Samuel T. Herring) and US singer Sudan Archives, to the effortlessly cast rhythms of ‘The Great Divide’ featuring Yazz Ahmed on horns, Phillips set out to make an album which was more direct with sparser arrangements and distinct melodies, while still maintaining the eclectic and creative nature of his debut. “I think if I were a writer, my words would be all setting and very little narrative. I'm really trying to evoke a sense of place and motion and journey and environment but the facts of the story are left vague.” 

On working with Herring, Phillips adds, “I think our styles just resonated well with one another, and we clicked naturally. We sent some ideas back and forth remotely and then he flew out to Portland and we recorded all the vocals in three days together. It was so fun and inspiring - and really deepened my appreciation for his craft. He's such a nice guy and a total genius. Sam's lyrics really hit a beautiful balance between that sense of magic and folklore in the natural world that I'm after, while really bringing his own sense of narrative. He's really amazing at constructing lyrical concepts in a way that I think compliments my own strengths (and weaknesses).” 

Throughout ‘Without Star or Compass’, Phillips masterfully creates an evocative sense of place and motion in a cinematic way, in part due to his love of soundtrack music, a heavy influence on the album. ‘Castalay's Fountain’ was inspired by classic JRPG music such as ‘Zelda’, ‘Chrono Trigger’ and ‘Final Fantasy’, while instrumental tracks ‘Friendship song’, ‘The Great Divide’ and ‘Calyptra’ are rich in cinematic grandeur.  

In addition to the Kennebec project, Phillips has composed the music for numerous feature films, documentaries, podcasts and games. In 2020, alongside Mark Orton (of Tin Hat Trio) and John Hancock, Phillips co-composed the soundtrack to 'Wind of Change', a podcast created by New York Times Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe and produced by Spotify, recorded the Moscow Bowtie Orchestra for the feature-length film ‘12 Mighty Orphans’ starring Luke Wilson, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen and scored Northfork Studios documentary ‘Chehalis: A Watershed Moment.'
 
Running since 2013, 'Night Time Stories’, the sister label to LateNightTales, is a platform for original artist material, hosting artists connected by a common thread of authenticity. 

#Kennebec #NightTimeStories #LateNightTales

Kennebec - Tall Tales Feat. Hemlock Ernst & Sudan Archives

Basement Khemists - I'm Doin' Ya Ω

Single available as a free download here :)

http://jazzspastiks.bandcamp.com/album/frequency-feat-moka-only

Watch the Official Video here..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPdW3WKTBYk

Frequency feat. Moka Only

Group Home - East NY Theory (Brain Sick Mob Mix) (1996)

Jaki Moon and Rapswell meet Dan Tager at the Lot Radio 

https://www.instagram.com/ta9er
https://www.instagram.com/jakimoon_
https://www.instagram.com/rapswell

456 Dub Street with Jaki Moon, Rapswell and Dan Tager @ The Lot Radio 01-12-2025

Rapswell & The Cynic go on a wild crime spree with their driver Uncle Paz

Music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0wT3dF-OQg

PENPALS & Jazz Spastiks aka the Slipmat Bros present "Made For The Underground"

Vinyl available through Chopped Herring Records
http://canned.choppedherringrecords.com/catalogue/category/item/index.cfm?asset_id=2649

Cop the digital too:
https://jazzspastiks.bandcamp.com/album/smooth

Enjoy!

made for the underground

smooth (video out now!)

Basement Khemist - Joint For An LA Mixtape

www.jimbojonesconveniencestore.blogspot.com

Jimmy Green's Brooklyn Dust Beastie Boys Mixtape

This is logical, this is a progression... The original and still one of the best sets around, LTJ's about to touch down. After much confusion I finally found the original 1996 version of LTJ's seminal Logical Progression 2 CD release. This is the mixed set (CD-B). Intelligent DnB at its finest. Find more outstanding LTJ sets in my "LTJ..." playlist.
 
1. Airtight remix - Funky Technicians
2. New element - Form Form
3. Drum in a grip - De Wolf & Wax Doctor
4. Solution - Ils & Solo
5. In too deep - JMJ & Flytronix
6. So long - Seba & Lo-tec
7. Pharaoh - Photek
8. After Hours - DJ Trace
9.  Groove Therapy - Universal
10. Mind Games - DJ Crystal

I've been looking for this set for a long time but have never been able to find it online, only the 2001 re-released version where the mixed CD was replaced with the 'Ministry of Sound Half A Decade Of Dance' 96 live set and different tracks on the un-mixed CD. I brought a 2nd hand copy from Discogs.com. I will do a mix using the tracks on the unmixed CD (CD-A) when I get some time.

No infringement of copyright is intended, I'm assuming it's ok to make this available to download as it's not possible to buy this new anymore. If there is a problem with copyright let me know and I'll remove it. 

As always, all props to the artists, producers n engineers that made these tracks, nuff respect to all the Goodlooking family.

LTJ Bukem presents Logical Progression (CD-B mixed set, original 1996 version) Intelligent DnB

Leaves of Memories

Typical Cats [prod. by Jauna]

Welcome TRADEMARC to the Strange Famous family! His SFdigi debut Blood Meridian drops November 22, 2019!
Limited edition 7-Inch Lathe Cut Records, exclusive merch packages & Digital Downloads are available at http://tinyurl.com/TrademarcSFR. 

When the world last heard from Trademarc (born Marc Predka), it was 2015 and he had collaborated with producer DC The MIDI Alien to create the album Black Ash Days, a deeply personal documentation of his descent into complete emotional and mental breakdown. The album was a stark and harrowing look into his darkest moments, including accounts of his multiple suicide attempts. It was also an important step in his catharsis. Marc explains the decisions he made when deciding how to follow such a heavy and intimate record: “I felt the need to expand my reach beyond that subject matter. I didn’t want those experiences to define who I am as a person and artist forever. The BAD album will always be there as a document of that side of me. I live with Bi-Polar Disorder, which many people do, but with this project I felt it would be healthy to display more range than just being ‘the depressed, suicidal guy.’ I’d covered that ground in depth, and wanted to show what it was like to spend some time in the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The sound of Blood Meridian was shaped by the Filthy Animals production team, and the vibe came about in part due to the influence of the producers’ PENPALS crew. “I feel like being around those guys really helped open me up to different, more positive, even humorous avenues of music I probably wouldn’t have explored without them. They really helped get me out of my comfort zone with their amazing work,” Trademarc explains.

Trademarc is no stranger to forming and furthering friendships through music. He began his musical journey with fellow indie rap heavy-hitters 7L & Esoteric (CZARFACE), forming his first official group (God Complex) with the duo in the mid-90s. After the crew’s split, Trademarc hooked up with another (more literal) heavy-hitter: his cousin, professional wrestler (and rapper) John Cena. The pair released the RIAA certified-platinum LP You Can’t See Me on Columbia Records, touring the US and Europe and making high profile appearances on TV’s Monday Night RAW. In 2008 joined old friends Esoteric and DC for 3 releases as the indie rap supergroup East Coast Avengers.

After the Avengers disassembled, Trademarc’s next endeavor led to a fortuitous connection: “Sage Francis liked the video that was released for the title track of Black Ash Days and we started a dialogue. It was an amazing moment for me as I remember bumping Personal Journals (Sage’s 2002 debut LP) quite a bit when that dropped.” The two continued to trade emails and demos, and after hearing what was in the works for Trademarc’s next project, an official alliance was inevitable. “Sage graciously welcomed me to the Strange Famous family, and Blood Meridian is the result.”

Francis makes an appearance on the Blood Meridian track “Latuda”, a critique of Big Pharma and its effect on our over-prescribed culture. Other standout cuts include the first single “Codebreaker”, where moody horn stabs spar with gritty breaks as Trademarc punches himself back to life with full zombie-fist action, and “Honor Killing”, a two-verse double-time assault that showcases the rapper’s verbal dexterity, putting to rest at the outset any question of Trademarc’s bona fides.

Blood Meridian

"CODEBREAKER" - Trademarc

much love to @cavwins

visit my instagram (chinua.works) or website (https://chinua.works) for tracklist

feelings radio vol. 2 (with cavalier)

Mind Right

Mind Right (feat. Liv.e)

For all inquiries, email Rocco: penpalsmanagement@gmail.com

Lurking somewhere in the underbelly of Brooklyn are three individuals with a taste for rugged beats and filthy rhymes. The names of these delinquents are Squires, The Cynic, & Rapswell. PENPALS is the squad. 
Real Rap Raw.

smooth (video out now!)

PENPALS

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