Showing posts with label Atmosphere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atmosphere. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Welcome To Minnesota Tour
THE WELCOME TO MINNESOTA TOUR 2013:
Tickets on sale Fri., Jan. 18th at 11am CST
03.01.13 - Bemidji, MN @ Sanford Center
03.02.13 - Duluth, MN @ Clyde Iron Works
03.03.13 - St. Cloud, MN @ Red Carpet
03.04.13 - Mankato, MN @ Verizon Wireless Center Ballroom
03.05.13 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Friday, November 5, 2010
Atmosphere, "The Best Day" quasi-music video
A video that portrays life on the road for Atmosphere. My second favorite song (after "The Number None") from the new double EP, To All My Friends. Available at Fifth Element and select Best Buy stores.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day especially to the dads raising beautiful ladies! And a special dedication to all the dads raising young men...
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Atmosphere free EP, "Leak At Will"
"Nothing too serious, just smiles and cries... consider it another 'thank you' for all the support you have offered us over the years." ~ Slug
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Hip-Hop Father's Day!
Here are the songs that first came to mind when trying to find songs about fathers. They're all hip-hop tracks, but they cover a wide spectrum. They range from dedications ("Faheem"), to open letters ("Little Man"), to tragedy ("Meet the Parents"). Enjoy!
Brother Ali, "Faheem" (if you haven't been fortunate enough to witness Ali perform this track acapella in concert, it's truly chilling - much better than the album version)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Safe Travels this Memorial Day
And how can I not post up Mos Def's "Travelling Man"? I'll go one better and post a special remix:
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Brother Ali Getting Bigger (not in size; in taste)
Ever since Brother Ali's sophomore album The Truth, dude has been getting a lot of well-deserved national exposure. Despite his amazingly poetic lyrics, incredibly unique and precise flow, and a voice that can even hold a melody, I never thought his music would be as far-reaching as it has become. He's been in some major magazine interviews, on national television, and featured on tracks with some serious emcees (and held his own I must add on every one including the Freeway joint that was no small feat). As I was paging through the latest Source I noticed another track that he's featured on that I was unaware of.
Ali's last 8 bars are beautiful. It was a great choice and gesture to break the beat down for his last 4 bars: "What is it about you that you/ have to capture that which you cannot master??/ If you can't grasp it you attack it/ trap it, slam it in a cage and latch it. /Everyday that you hold me in bars/ is another day I can't teach your soul to soar./ Here both of us are, linked to the song,/ and when you hear a caged bird - sing along!"
Based on the title alone, I was half-expecting to hear Slug throw down on verse three.
Here's a throwback (2000) Ali joint that's more lighthearted. It can be found on DJ Abilities' ...for persons with dj abilities (much more on this king of the turntables later, especially since he also reps for Minneap)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Dre Day Recap
After a romantic dinner and evening with the missus we got our West Coast on. I buttoned the top button on my Crypt-blue flannel, threw on my blank navy cap, and walked into the night with my locs on.
The evening started off with some classic jams spun by the jack of all trades, Mike the 2600 King. It then moved on to everybody's favorite game, The $20 Sack Pyramid. Quasi-celeb contestant, Medium Zach of Big Quarters fame, and his lady-friend made it up the pyramid. They won some swag including a stolen in-dash car CD player.
The live performances didn't disappoint as both Trama and Muja Messiah held their own rapping their own joints over classic Dre beats or even going toe to toe with the West's best by covering iconic jams. Prior to this evening, I hadn't been impressed by Trama. Either I saw him in a different light or he's just been working on his game because he came with it. He had the basics down with an excellent stage presence, delivery and flow. He even converted me from hating Twin City gangster rap. He dropped a couple of gun-slanging tracks from his catalog and had me on the edge of every bar.
Nothing needs to be said about Muja Messiah. Dude's been getting it popping up on the national level. So if you don't know, just know this: this is the guy who's going to help make Twin City hardcore and gangster rap legit. Oh, and he's also going to be picking up the other half of the ladies that haven't already been won over by Slug.
I've seen Carnage (usually accompanied by the lovely and talented Desdamona) in every type of venue imaginable. Even when there's literally two people on the dance floor Carnage brings a bunch of energy. But I'm sure he was amped by the crowd, the celebration, and most likely all of the 40's he was being fed on stage. Carnage brought the ruckus. He rapped and beatboxed his arse off. A couple of times he was outdoing Mike cutting up and bringing in instrumentals. Carnage's beat box is so on point that when he was beat boxing a Dre joint I couldn't tell whether the DJ was bringing in the instrumental or if his mouth and throat were in the zone. Much love to the kindest, realest, talented and most multi-faceted emcee I've ever seen. (check the pic I snapped where it damn-near looks like God comes down to speak to Carnage)
What made the night truly special was the venue and the atmosphere created by the decorations. Everything was a tribute to Dre and West Coast rap: the brown-bagged 40's with Dre screen printed on them, the cannibus chandelier, the $20 Sack Pyramid, the 70's-style fridge that spewed cold ice when opened revealing a stack full of 40's for the performers, the knock-off Daytons, host Espada decked out in Snoopy-style-over-the-top-pimpin host outfit... It all fit. In general, the Varsity Theater is an AMAZING venue with plenty of room and mind-on-my-money-laaaaaaaid back decor. Last, but probably the most important, the sound system was on point. Everything was crystal clear. Often, when I go to a concert of an artist I'm not intimately familiar with, I can't make out their words for the life of me... especially at hip-hop shows. And vocals are that much more important at hip-hop shows given the repetitive nature of the instruments and the sheer volume and poetic nature of the words. This struck me at the end of the show and I looked around and saw... a seemingly brand new Mackie soundsystem. I'm sure the sound man helped perfect the sound, but I've come to appreciate Mackie's ability to make very precise-sounding speakers. I personally have their top-of-the-line studio monitors and have used their powered-PA speakers for DJ gigs. I have not come across another pair of monitors or PA's that sound as clear. Note to club owners... I'd be willing to pay a premium to see an artist at your venue if you have a good sound set up!
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