[RH Interview] Closed Session's Alex Fruchter
Photo by Andrew Zeiter
Alex Fruchter has long been a mainstay in the Chicago hip-hop market. First as a DJ under the moniker DJ RTC, then as the head of this very website which he and our current editor, Virgil Solis, built alongside Fruchter's budding Closed Sessions project that spawned Chicago's leading independent hip-hop label of the same name which, this past week, released the latest from ShowYouSuck, Dude Bro, available on iTunes. The release is the culmination of a lot for both the artist and the label, and I had a chance to ask Alex a few questions leading up to the latest release from Closed Sessions.
[RH Interview] ShowYouSuck is ready for all of the (neon-colored) lights
Photography by Virgil Solis
Following an endorsement from Red Bull Sound Select, a spot on the Sound Select's SXSW show, his mixtape trilogy coming to an end, and Dude Bro's release this week, the best way to summarize 2013 for the artist formerly known as the One Man Pizza Party is that he simply leveled up. With all of the pizza eaten and the boxes thrown out, ShowYouSuck is ready to put the slice back in the box and step into the neon-colored light.
Dude Bro isn't just another EP, it isn't just "the first official release following One Man Pizza Party," Dude Bro isn't even just a new beginning for ShowYouSuck. In fact, it's all of this, and more - a full frontal assault that doesn't just embody ShowYouSuck's music, but his entire existence. There was never really a boundary that separated "Clinton Sandifer" from "ShowYouSuck." Dude Bro, however, is the first step towards the delineation between the two. How and in what ways this will transpire is just as interesting as the new musical direction ShowYouSuck is following.
Read on as ShowYouSuck and I talk about the making of Dude Bro, what the EP represents for the rapper's future, and how specific clothing will define him. Make sure you also purchase Dude Bro on iTunes!
[RH Interview] Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana has been creating aggressive noise-core for more than two decades now. However, through the band's career, they've changed their sound a bit, experimenting with electronica and pop instrumentation to complement vocalist Yasuko Onuki's iconic, high-pitched screech and guitarist Ichirou Agata's multi-layered scratch/slide guitar. Their most recent album, fetch, retains the band's signature discordant sound balanced with pop sensibilities that will appeal to new listeners.
Recently, I had the chance to ask Yako and Agata a few questions over email prior to their North American tour, 2 do what 2 fetch. We talked about the album, the future of the band without longtime bassist Rika mm, and the differences between playing in America and Japan. Check it out! If you're interested in catching the Japanese noise-core band, tickets are still on sale for their 21+ show at the Double Door this Sunday. The show will also feature Brain Tentacles, Guzzlemug, and Svlphvrs.
[RH Interview] Isaiah Toothtaker
Photography By: William Olguin
?OTHING, the EP from Tucson rapper Isaiah Toothtaker and Wavves' former drummer Jacob Safari, was certainly something. With Nine Inch Nails serving as the musical backbone to Toothtaker's lyrical tongue, ?OTHING has become one of the Machina Muerte co-founder's best projects out of a list that spans more than seven EPs and mixtapes from the past two years alone. Through email correspondence, Toothtaker waxed poetic on the backstory to ?OTHING, his dream collaborations, the tattoo shop, Staring Without Caring, he owns in Tucson, and more. You can read the Q&A exchange over the next few pages.
[Video] HYPETRAK TV: Kendrick Lamar – Different Outlooks
Photo by Ben Miller
While in Hong Kong for the Beats By Dre massive Asia tour Kendrick Lamar sat down with HypeTrak and HypeBeast for his first interview in Asia. Kendrick touch on a variety of topics from touring with is idol and mentor Dr. Dre to his thoughts on Asia. He also talked about his debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city going platinum to his appreciation for the fans support.
[RH First Look] Introducing KSRA: What Will Be, Will Be
Photo by Tasya Menaker
It's 2006, and Rachel Thomas is staring down the edge of a long blade.
A decision had to be made. Die right now or live, because pointing a knife at yourself daily is no kind of life.
A choice was made, the knife lowered. The next day, Thomas re-discovered sound.
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Thomas, better known in Chicago as KSRA, has had a life journey that embodies itself whole-heartedly in the music she makes.
On the cover of her debut album, Petra, Thomas lays amongst a field of paper, pages detailing a long period of self-reflection; one that spanned five years, two countries, two states and hundreds of pages of notes on the events therein.
In 2005, as a junior music student at the University of Michigan, Thomas took the opportunity to travel to Chile for a study abroad trip. Disenchanted with the classical route she chose to pursue in school, it was to be a trip of discovery; a chance to experience new things and grow.
Soon after landing in Santiago, Thomas hopped a cab south to a small fishing village. While riding through dense forest and steep inclines, the steering column broke and sent the cab, with Thomas inside, barreling into a home. Having survived, she began looking for a way back to town, eventually flagging down another driver.
[RH Interview] Legitmix wants to revolutionize the way you consume remixes
(Photo via Malcolm Hearn)
Remixes and mash-ups of songs have existed in one form or another for a multitude of years as rappers and musicians have released a capella versions of their songs to encourage such projects. You can't go into a club or dance party without hearing a DJ spinning one of their own original remixes. However, the nature of remixes doesn't easily allow audiences to acquire such remixes unless the DJ releases their own version. Of course, such releases run the risk of being shut down due to copyright laws protecting the properties of the original artists featured in the mixes. So what's the solution?
Omid McDonald and Booker Sim feel like they found one with Legitmix. The service allows DJs to upload their remixes, and by utilizing an algorithm the developers put together, remixes are broken down to separate original music from sampled artists' songs. With such illustrious artists like Diplo and The Hood Internet backing up the service, and a platform for aspiring DJs and producers to showcase their remixes, Legitmix represents a revolutionary way for both fans and artists to share and discover new music.
Read on for my full interview with both Omid and Booker. At the end of the interview is an exclusive look at "The Vapors Pack," which is a remix created by Pickster, Riot Earp, and Melo that fully showcases how the Legitmix service organizes each remix in the pack.
[Interview] AEMMP Hip Hop Artist of The Week: Terra 5
