It’s a Canada Thing
[MP3] Leafhouse – Reds Feat. Emay
Y’all remember the Hamilton, ON MC, Emay right? Big fan of this guy, and have posted a lot of stuff by him but still mystified why he’s hasn’t been more embraced by whatever’s left of the backpack hip-hop community or the indie music types that gravitate to the Shad, Cadence Weapon and D-Sisive types rappers and the Rhymesayers/Stones Throw style of alternative hip-hop. This track is one Emay did with electronic duo, Leafhouse for their self-titled EP. More from Emay:
In this song I’m a person that has a peculiar attraction towards blood from a young age. Kind of a metaphor for having inner demons that are pent up for so long that they eventually burst forth by necessity.
Previously on The Kitchen:
– Emay – II “WarmupSongdoe” [MP3]
[MP3] Elaquent – Aurora feat. Esta
Track from Guelph, ON broken beat/hip-hop producer, Elaquent‘s new 8 track Green Apples and Oranges EP. Here’s the promo blurb:
Canadian hip-hop sensation Elaquent returns with the Green Apples and Oranges EP—another vibrant exhibition of ahead-of-the-curve production and musicianship from one of the great young producers in the game. Following his excellent 2012 EP Parallel, the Guelph, Ontario-based artist says he sees this new collection as a diverse, challenging attempt at furthering his skills as a composer.
“I wanted to flesh out certain ideas a little further and play with a few new synths I was testing out,” he explains. “Like most of my albums, all of the songs hold some type of meaning to me on a personal level, and I’m always challenging myself to express myself as honestly as possible with every record.
“All in all, I definitely believe more thought and effort went into this album,” he adds. “Furthermore, I was real happy to team up with a couple producers I have the utmost respect for on a pair of songs, in Esta (Soulection) and Budamunk (Jazzy Sport).”
In the past, Elaquent has described his own style as “wonky,’ highlighting his penchant for off-kilter rhythmic foundations and twisted samples of sounds and vocals that seem to buzz in and buzz out of frame.
“I think this one exercises a little more restraint, rather than keeping things sloppy just for the sake of being sloppy,” he says of the new EP. “All of the tracks are approached more like full songs than some of the earlier works. Definitely has its share of wonkiness though, but the focus of this album was to be a little more melodic than Parallel.”
Green Apples and Oranges definitely has its melodies in check (check out “The Official”) while maintaining Elaquent’s gifts for keeping fans guessing (“Treehome 94’” could make you go crazy). It’s infectious and catchy all right but this isn’t to suggest it’s no less challenging than the work he’s best known for.
“I think there are a couple songs that may surprise people, given what people are used to hearing from me,” he says. “I think people will see that I did try to experiment a little more on a few songs and I’m proud of the fact that I did step outside of my comfort zone on a few songs.
“I’ve always been very unapologetic regarding my sound, but I think a couple songs may catch a few people off guard,” he adds. “Nevertheless, I’ll let the people be the judge.”
Intrigued? Check out the whole Green Apples and Oranges EP HERE.
[MP3 + Music Video] Shad – Remember to Remember feat. Lights
New video from Shad‘s Flying Colours album as premiered on Complex.
Watch Tonight’s 2013 Polaris Music Prize Award Show Live on AUX-TV
How you ask? Via the live stream embed player above courtesy AUX-TV.
Can’t wait? Or wanna get psyched up for tonight’s event? Watch AUX-TV’s ‘Road to Polaris’ series of video shorts with (most of) the Shortlisted artists HERE.
In the meantime, as you can see above, I’m gonna be busy! I can’t ‘kiss and tell’ but if you want a some sense of how I might be voting tonight, you can CLICK HERE.
[Music Video + MP3] Jai Nitai Lotus – Love Won’t Be
Regular readers know I’ve long been a fan of the homie, Jai Nitai Lotus from MTL (Montreal). In fact, I wrote a full-on endorsement for his Something You Feel album for consideration for this year’s Polaris Music Prize. He didn’t garner a nomination but, to his credit, he continues to work the album as he should. People need to hear this record. Have you yet?