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QK

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/dj_quik_and_kurupt-exodus.mp3]
DJ Quik & Kurupt – Exodus

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/dj_quik_and_kurupt-jupiters_critic_and_the_mind_of_mars.mp3]
DJ Quik & Kurupt – Jupiter’s Critic & The Mind of Mars

DJ Quik and Kurupt’s collaborative effort BlaQKout is an absolutely stunning album. It’s frightening how well DJ Quik makes experimental and ambiguous music (keeping it way 2 fonky!) yet remaining accessible, grounded and extremely authentic. Kurupt’s performance is also on point through out the album, comfortably pushing ahead with personality, substance, and humor.  It’s also worth checking Matthew Africa’s eye-opening and lovingly put together Quik tape.  I am listening to Mos Def’s latest long player The Ecstastic as well. There is a lot of creativity and innovation in these two albums.

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BLACK STARS BRING SUMMER HEAT…

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/DVA_feat._Badness_Riko_Flowdan_and_Killa_P-Bullet_A_Go_Fly.mp3]
DVA – Bullet A Go Gly (featuring Badness, Riko, Flowdan, and Killer P)

Major new, buyable 12″/mp3 release from Keysound Recordings. DVA keeps it raw and defiant, and all the MCs here are extra tuff.  I just can’t tell you how great I think this is right now, but I’ll try.  It is just perfect, extremely exciting, and aggressive grime we just can’t get enough of.  The release also contains an excellent remix from Dusk + Blackdown.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/P_Money-Fruit_And_Veg.mp3]
P Money and ??? – Fruit & Veg (DigitalRip)

Another amazing tune – this one is tough, but also quite funny at the same time.  The audio quality is poor, but the jam knocks hard regardless.  In a very tense atmosphere constructed by the producer (whose name we don’t know), two MCs (P Money and and another MC whose name we don’t know either) throw insults and accusations at apples, mangos, oranges, peas, carrots, broccolis, etc.  The attacks and accusations are particularly vicious, especially the ones directed at grapes and berries. (more…)

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Wiley

Who said man can’t spit? Definitely not anyone in their right mind, because if there’s one thing that can be said about Eskiboy is that he got spits (endless, delightful bars, word to Rapper Big Pooh.) Don’t let “Wearing My Rolex” fool you. He’s disgustingly great, a deranged MC, and unquestionably the king of Grime. He’s made the wise decision to return to making pure grime music again, though he’s unapologetic about the whole “commercial grime” racket, and still dabbles in it. If you have any doubt about, preview the following tracks off the new album Race Against Time, which is probably the most solid album in the UK right now*. Beware of the Skream-produced track “The Olly”, least favorite cut.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Wiley-Off_The_Radar.mp3]
Wiley – Off The Radar

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Wiley-Out_Of_The_Game.mp3]
Wiley – Out Of The Game

* – I still have to listen to Skepta’s Microphone Champion, Frisco’s tape, Bashy’s album (should I even bother?), Killa P, and a bunch of others I’m not even aware of yet.  I have already listened to Donaeo’s Party Hard LP, which is decent if you are able to tolerate cheesy inflection of R&B, Disco, Funky singing, and the fact that Donaeo is obsessed with the sound of his own name, not to mention the scat singing.

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I was gchatting with Rupture talking about this tune and said “It was great when I was drunk on Friday”.  And it was, and everyone else seemed to think so too because they went crazy.  And that’s basically the best description of Uproot Andy’s Amadou & Miriam B’More remix of “Sabali” I’m gonna come up with.  Up now for free DL (along with a blend with some great new Busy Signal tunes) at the big Eddie Stats Ghetto Palms Fader column.  Eddie actually does a sick blend of it out of a new Busy vocal on the Bmore track I “Just Wanna Fuck”.  Hothead! Hothead!

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duttyartz_featureimg_giant

BROOKLYN ANTHEMS

Dutty Artz Represents the World Town

Story Julianne Shepherd
Photography Jason Nocito

Encyclopedic, scholarly and wielding deep faith in riddim and vibes—the alchemy of the Brooklyn-based Dutty Artz crew is completely mystical and slightly awe-inspiring. Its main proprietors, the power trio of DJ/producers Jace Clayton aka DJ/Rupture, Matt Schell aka Matt Shadetek, and Roberto Fernandez aka Geko Jones, are dudes preeminently known for soliciting and disseminating the globe’s bangingest dancehall, dubstep, and cumbia beats. They have explored metropolises, townships and favelas to seek out music in its indigenous state and found likeminded friends in Brazil’s Maga Bo, Montreal’s Ghislain Poirier, and Cape Town’s African Dope Records crew, and when they can’t get to the most outward of dance music’s niches themselves, they have a gang of colleagues to carry the load. When a friend recently traveled to Distrito Federal in Mexico City, Jones begged him to bring back whatever wild music he could find. Thus, when you Google “tribal guarachero,” duttyartz.com is the only non-Spanish blog that results. They are archaeologists scouring the globe’s nooks and crannies with the curiosity of scientists, not conquistadors. They are so passionate about the beat, and generous with their knowledge of it, you almost don’t know where to begin the discussion.

Click HERE to read the rest of Julianne Shepherd’s intelligent and sincere article from The FADER #61.

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Here’s a quick reminder of some Dutty Artz movements around the globe this weekend.
NY TROPICAL is in Brooklyn tonight w/ very special live guest 77Klash and Fader magazine writer and DJ Eddie Stats, tomorrow Geko Jones is ripping San Francisco w/ Chief Boima, Taliesin is in Glasgow tonight wrapping up his European trek, and DJ /rupture is shaking down Berlin w/ The Bug, Kid606, Sick Girls – also check for him tomorrow at Bercelona Primavera Sound. Feast your eyes on some visual delights/peep the fliers:

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shystieshystie

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Shystie-PullItIllBluRemix.mp3]
Shystie – Pull It (Ill Blu Remix)

I was over at Andy‘s house for much of the weekend (he’s about seven minutes away from where I live, and he makes the illest fried plantains! overly ripe plantains fried with little oil, smashed, then re-fried again with very little oil, then lightly salted… it is of course a traditional recipe in many parts of the world, but Andy is untouchable right now.) Anyway, this is one of the tracks he pointed me to, and after it was found, we put it on repeat for a while. Ill Blu offers more heat  for the Summer, in the form of R&B remixes.

I am surrounded by incredible deejays who are crazy music fanatics as well, constantly discovering, and always on the move.  I am developing my own thing, but I get wonderful music thrown at me from several directions. Geko Jones (aka Mr Miyagi, Wobble Monster, California get ready) blessed me w/ some extremely dope and super exclusives last week, Rupture also gave me an insane dubstep banger last week… please listen to Mudd Up! If it sounds like we’re not focus, it is because we have so much to share.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/MsDynamite-BadGyal.mp3]
Ms. Dynamite – Bad Gyal (Radio Rip)

Ms. Dynamite dropped this banger back in December, (props to The Heatwave) and there was a lot of excitement and hype around the explosive cut. Dynamite is repping her yard roots hard on this one.  We still can’t seem to find a proper version, not even a CDQ version?  All the versions floating around contain some kind of BBC Radio1 tag from DJ Semtex, Trevor Nelson, etc.  I think I first heard about the track from Gex, then Andy… Anyway, if anyone out there is holding a quality version, pls share!

msdynamite

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dutty artz ny tropical

New York Tropical is exactly a week from today! Check the flyer – we are designers, you already know. To get ready, I have put a podcast together containing mostly women voices over beats and sounds composed by men. I wasn’t specifically looking for female voices on male constructed instrumentals, it just happened most of the tracks I gather are refixes and songs with women voices recorded by gentlemen producers (I was tempted to call this Women… In The Vicinity Of Men. Thankfully, I settled on Mousso.  We need some more gyals in here… too many man, too many, many man!

[display_podcast]

I was going to post the tracklist a little later but we all know how Björk feels about writers not giving credits, so here it is –

Umalali – Uruwei (The King)
Clouds featuring Tiiu – Protecting Hands Part 2
Oumou Sangar̩ РDugu Kamelemba
Bj̦rk РNattura (Switch Refix)
Geiom featuring Marita – Reminissin’ (Shackleton Refix)
Amadou & Mariam – Sabali
Taken By Trees – The Sweetness of Air France
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
Various Production – Deadman (Milanese Remix)
Filastine featuring Jessika Skeletalia Kenney – Fitnah
Love Joys – Stranger
Tanya Stephens – It’s A Pity
TOTAL FREEDOM and NGUZUNGUZU – Total Ciara (Like You Refix)
Matt Shadetek – (Tanya Stephens) Can’t Breathe Remix
Nicki Minaj – Beam Me Up Scotty
Uproot Andy – El Botellón Remix

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No kidding!  Thanks to all who came out to New York Tropical 5 to see Uproot Andy, Geko, me and Maluca.  It was a lot of fun.  Maluca killed it, super energy and the people loved it.  Here are some pics from the night.  This month we’ll be back at Glasslands on Friday May 29th doin’ it again, flier and info very soon.







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An Interview with Ghislain Poirier from Maga Bo on Vimeo.

Another installation in his excellent and informative mini-doc series, musician and documentarian Maga Bo interviews Ghislain Poirier – he talks about his background, making collaborations and building bridges, exoticism and problems with authenticity, and a lot more.

Bo sez –

With this series of mini-docs, I want to demystify the music production process a bit and bring out the humanity of it.  After all, music is a manifestation of history.  of choices and relationships.  This is common to any art, discipline, individual, group or society.  Through communication, real and imaginary differences and similarities become clearer.  Separatist ghetto exoticism cannot exist in this space.  Tamu juntos e misturados.

You can check the rest of the mini-docs (DJ/rupture, Daniel Haaksman, MC Gringo, Diplo, Fletcher from African Dope, Eritbu Agegnehu Askenaw, Xuman and Keyti) here on Vimeo (better quality) and here on Youtube.

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[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/SlowmotionSoundz-FeelTheChrisBrown.mp3]

ST, 6 TRE G, and AC Burna – Feel The (Chris Brown)

eXclusive new music from Slowmotion Soundz,  produced by Block Beataz so you already know it knocks.

R&B superstar Chris Brown grew up in a domestic battlefield, and eventually/allegedly/recently involved in a lovers’ quarrel with his superstar girlfriend Rihanna which turned violent.  It’s heartbreaking and sad, and I can imagine every sane individual who knew this story hope something meaningful and productive came out of the situation–more public discussions (not just in the tabloids and gossip blogs) of a domestic, hidden, and intimate problem.  And we have this track here, which is all about driving a nice car with a sick soundsystem.

For another recent Chris brown/pop violence reference in rap music, check Maino’s “Murdergram.” Not productive, but it also knocks – “down for anything even knocking out Suge.”

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This just in from Geko:

“Esau Mwamwaya, best known for his collaboration on the Radioclit mixtape “The Very Best” is going to be in the house performing with us on Friday. He’s collaborated with MIA, Bonde do Role and Vampire Weekend for his next album and Esau is definitely someone you’ll be hearing a lot more about his year. Did anyone go to their show at SxSW?  AMAZING

The most intercontinental booty/beats/bass line up in New York for your money this week. Glasslands get ready.”

Download THE VERY BEST Mixtape, Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit free.

DJs:

Matt Shadetek

Kingdom

Uproot Andy

Geko Jones

Live:

La Yegros

Esau Mwamwaya

Hosted by Contessa

What: Dutty Artz Tropical Dance

Where: Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent St. near to JMZ Marcy and Bedford L trains, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

When: March 27 10PM til they kick us out.

How much: $5 before 11PM, $7 after.

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New York Tropical is back for it’s fourth edition, returning to Glasslands. This time we’ve got the amazing Kingdom and Uproot Andy (two of the best upcoming producers in NYC for my money), La Yegros is in from Argentina and Contessa hosting. As usual I am sure there will be many hot latina girls dancing, thanks to the kind promotional support of NY Remezcla. It will be wild like a rainforest. Spot the animals hiding in the flier, made by me. Yes, not only do I make beats but I go hard on photoshop like Suge Knight dipped in diamonds. As usual Grim, our sound man, will be bringing extra bass for us. We just can’t have enough.

What: Dutty Artz Tropical Dance

Where: Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent St. near to JMZ Marcy and Bedford L trains, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

When: March 27 10PM til they kick us out.

How much: $5 before 11PM, $7 after.