Mike West is an anomaly in the South Florida rap game. First of all, he’s not from Miami but Fort Lauderdale, as he’ll proudly tell you. Though born and raised in these parts, he’s spent most of his adult life bouncing between here and Los Angeles, save for brief stops…
Where else in sunny, politically embattled California could you find a loopy delight like CrankCase’s Model Arithmetic? Granted, none of the songs addresses the governor’s recall vote, but there is “The Tale of the Stolen Funk and How We Stole it Back,” one of several twelve-inch singles that helped the…
Chris Brann, the mastermind behind Ananda Project, is on a mission to produce at least four full-length artist albums this year. So far he’s managed two: under his P’taah moniker, Staring At The Sun, and his most recent release as Ananda Project, Morning Light. Having previously worked under the guises…
Big Gipp’s debut album, Mutant Mindframe, glides into record stores on its infectiously fluid first single, “Steppin’ Out.” Carried by cool, laid-back guitar and midtempo drum taps and rim shots, it induces images of peach-interior Cadillacs and fur hats, and Dungeon Family singer/producer Sleepy Brown provides one of his usual…
Prince is out to reinvent himself yet again. His new album, N.E.W.S. , is a collection of four jazz instrumental tracks performed live with several members of his long-time backing band New Power Generation at his Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis. The end result is a 56-minute genre-crossing concept album…
Since Elephant Man’s “Pon Di River, Pon Di Bank” was first released earlier this year, the barreling dance-friendly track has been a mainstay in all the local clubs, from South Beach hip-hop spots to Jamaican dance halls. For those who like a little reggae sprinkled in their rap diet, it…
The news that another Cuban musician has decided to cut his ties to the island in order to take a stab at establishing an international career is no longer as eye-opening as it once was. The reason is that there are so many of them. An urgent need for prestige…
Back in the days of Cole Porter, pop songs had lyrics. You know, words put together in such a way as to say something you might be interested in hearing. And because there were lyrics, good singers had a way of delivering a song that went along with the words:…
It’s another Wednesday night at Tobacco Road in downtown Miami, and another lineup of local acts is waiting to perform at Danny Jessup’s curiously named International Musico showcase. Jessup explains that tonight’s theme will feature performers who have something vaguely international about them … or not. Which is why singer/songwriter…
The Bad Boys II soundtrack is the flagship album from Bad Boy Entertainment’s new distribution deal with Universal Music Group. A lot is on the line for CEO Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who pulls out all the stops by securing tracks by the hottest artists and producers for his new…
After two years of trailblazing work by incendiary artists like RJD2, Cannibal Ox, and label owner El-P, Definitive Jux has spent 2003 issuing work by the underground’s underdogs, hardworking MCs who have never earned their just due. As a freestyle animal familiar to New York heads, C-Rayz Walz falls into…
Coming as she did from a background in television, emerging pop singer Cibelle’s future once lay in the sugary existence inherently bequeathed upon doll-faced Brazilian MTV spokesmodels. That is, until she began working with legendary drum and bass producer Suba. The ensuing collaboration brought the singer to the forefront of…
Brian Transeau, more commonly referred to as BT, is considered by his peers and followers to be one of the creators of the progressive house/trance style of dance music, and his percolating swells of mood-enhancing compositions are among the most popular in the genre. On his fourth full-length, Emotional Technology,…
Last week I got a call from DJ EFN of Crazy Hood Productions, who was upset about the article that I wrote about his crew (“None of Dem,” July 31). He claimed that, instead of discussing the musical projects C.H.P. has released in the past several months, including his group…
Baby Anne could easily pass for a pop tart diva if she wanted to. Her face is a perfect selling point for any sexy and seductive sound. Instead the Bass Queen enjoys jarring audiences with bone-crushing electro-breaks, and she has no intentions of lightening up. In fact she never really…
For a subgenre that prides itself on innovation and a healthy dose of anti-establishment attitude, the underground hip-hop scene has yielded few breakout stars in 2003 — except for Little Brother. The North Carolina-based trio seemingly came out of nowhere to foist The Listening on unsuspecting hip-hop fans. A sumptuous…
Every Wednesday Crazy Hood Productions’ various members, friends, and associates meet in a warehouse office in Kendall to talk about their many projects. These meetings aren’t staid, sit-down affairs, though. Generally they’re an excuse for the crew to hang out, drink copious amounts of Bacardi rum and Coca-Cola, smoke a…
“It was difficult to get people’s attention,” says Robin Hofmann, age 26, from his home base in Stuttgart. The German producer is discussing how he and his Dublex, Inc. colleagues — Rino Spadavecchia, 32; Florian Pflüger, 28; and Felix Stecher, 23 — managed to score a major dance hit in…
“Listen,” says Mari Lauret, holding her hand up to halt the conversation at a tiny table in the downtown lounge I/O. It’s not often she has the chance to hear her song “Te Soñé, Lluvia de Abril” (“I Dreamed of You, April Rain”) in public, even though the tune, recorded…
City of Opa-locka Becoming a Training Ground for American Troops: Every neighborhood in the Greater Miami area is trying to attract business by any means. Officials in downtown Miami are even issuing 24-hour liquor licenses. South Beach has dozens of planners figuring out new ways to trap those ever-elusive tourists…
After being certified gold in Argentina and — even more important for the collective of Argentine and Uruguayan producers known as Bajofondo — already a winner for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2002 Gardel Awards (the Argie equivalent of the Grammy Awards, appropriately named after the late tango singer), the…
Movement is muddy water punk, songs for sweaty bodies disrobing piece by piece in the sticky heat of a Southern summer until they collide in the syncretic throes of lust and entropy. (“Stellaaaa!”) The cover — photocopied photos of the band members glued to a white background — resembles a…
