Vintage Style Mastering, Mixing and Audio Restoration

Label: Selfmade Millionaire Records



https://linktr.ee/wearedelasoul

De La Soul is back—but did they ever really leave? After delivering their seminal debut 3 Feet High and Rising in 1989 with the production genius of Prince Paul, the New York City-bred trio of Posdnuos (Pos), Dave and Maseo went on to further impact Hip Hop culture with five more groundbreaking albums: De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001). But once the digital age exploded in the late ‘90s, De La Soul’s celebrated catalog was unavailable to stream. As the decades passed, the tight-knit group forged ahead anyway—touring the world, connecting with their adoring fanbase and making music on their own terms. Following 2004’s The Grind Date, De La Soul took a hiatus from making albums, but joined The Gorillaz on the track “Feel Good Inc” which won them a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.  In 2015, the group raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter from fans to independently release their album and the Anonymous Nobody, which was their first #1 on the Rap Albums chart, and was also nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy.   

However, the demand for unreleased De La Soul music was palpable and the cry for access to the first six albums grew louder. Unfortunately, De La Soul was stuck riding a roller coaster of stalled negotiations, dashed hopes and dead-end conversations with their old label, and the group nearly gave up. 

"We have lived without the music up for long, these six albums haven’t been up—ever,” Pos says. “We got used to knowing they weren’t up.” In June of 2021, Tommy Boy Music was acquired by Reservoir, giving De La Soul’s catalog a new home.  In March of 2023, the six missing albums were finally available to stream.  But sadly, right before the catalog release, Dave, the beloved member of De La Soul, passed away. Though bittersweet, De La Soul preserves his legacy and the ongoing impact of their music. 

As iconic songs such as “The Magic Number”, found new life in the film Spiderman: No Way Home in 2021, De La Soul continues to resonate with a diverse population of people. 

As Pos notes, “We’ve noticed over the past several years of tour like, ‘Wow, there’s a father here with his child who also is here with their child. ‘We’re generational. To me, there’s nothing more gratifying than that. That means something. That’s telling about a group. What we were doing wasn’t just stuck to that time.”

“We really naturally been that group for everyone,” Pos says. “It was never about we’re just here for this community, that community, this set of people or these certain fans of Hip Hop culture. We see music as music. We’ve been very resilient, even being a group that didn’t have our music up [on streaming platforms]. We still had these beautiful opportunities through young people finding out about us through a commercial or Spider-Man. Now that it can all be there for people to gravitate to, I’m really happy about that.” 

De La Soul's impact on the musical landscape is immeasurable, with 3 Feet High and Rising widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of its era. Pioneering inventive sampling, playful lyrics, and eclectic beats, the album broke new ground and set a standard for creativity in the genre. Recognizing its cultural significance, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

Music enthusiast. Some day I'll publish some of my own compositions...

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Skatebard
Booking: https://www.klsbookings.com/skatebaard

Bård Aasen Lødemel, aka Skatebård, got into techno and rave during the '90s before he became a producer of retro-futuristic disco, house, and techno. 
Hailing from a town called Ørsta on the Norwegian west coast, Lødemel moved to Bergen in the year 2000, where he quickly became part of the town's growing club scene. 
After handing over a homemade demo to Tellé Records label boss Mikal Telle, Lødemel was signed to offshoot label Tellektro in 2001. 
His first release under the name of Skatebård, a concise vinyl-only album called Skateboarding Was a Crime (In 1989), was released in 2002, and slowly but surely Skatebård's reputation started spreading beyond Norway's borders. 
Throughout his impressive career of releasing five albums and more than twenty 12-inches, he has steadily carved out his own corner of dance music with a unique flair. Traversing a range of seemingly disparate genres and emotions comes incredibly naturally to the Norwegian artist, whose music oscillates between Italo disco and raw Detroit infused house and techno. With an enviably eclectic collection of the mastery to navigate it seamlessly, Skatebård’s DJ sets offer exploratory excursions through the unknown and unexpected. From festival mainstages to intimate clubnights, Boiler Rooms and radio shows, Skatebård has captivated audiences across the globe, performing at many of electronic music’s most revered institutions.
The dynamic scope of Skatebård’s artistry extends to his work in the studio. Spanning over two decades, his impressive discography is dispersed across labels including his own Digitalo Enterprises, Sex Tags Mania and Bordello A Parigi. With a knack for balancing kitsch with elegance, Skatebård creates music that exudes an air of nonchalant fun.

Deep Space Helsinki is a radio show hosted by Samuli Kemppi and Juho Kusti, serving you with the most essential underground techno since 2009.

The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future -- especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!

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