Intelligent Sound

Fuckin genius.

A phenomenal song and an even better video.

Galifianakis’s video destroys Ye’s, I decided.

looks familiar, except my view’s even better

Today were going to take a look at one of the best movies / original soundtracks of 2011: Drive

If you haven’t seen Drive, do yourself a favor, and see it - hands down one of the greatest films I’ve seen.  From the acting to the cinematography and first and foremost: the soundtrack.

Cliff Martinez set the tone for the whole movie with this soundtrack.  Most of which is scored by Martinez himself but he also hand picked some insanely classic tracks from the 80’s that compliment the film perfectly. But the one newer track kicks off the entire movie and the shit gives me chills:

The Chromatics - “Tick of the Clock”

I can’t say enough about the track or this movie: both intense and epic.

The entire soundtrack is worth listening to, so get it, see Drive, and yeah…I’m already getting the jacket.

Everyone’s gotta stop and show 50 some love here.

The self proclaimed Street King dropped a new free mixtape called ‘The Big 10’ and the it. is. FIRE.

I’m not sure why or when we started sleeping on 50, but the guy has been making solid records the last couple years.  I liked Before I Self Destruct and Curtis and on his newest one, Ferrari keeps up with the trend: just solid hip hop, quality samples, nothing too serious with some “gangster” Fifty thrown in.

There are 4 or 5 tracks on this Big 10 mixtaple that are worthy of a post, but to start it off we’ve gotta check out the Bobby Womack sampled “Wait Til Tonight”

The track opens with the sample and 50 singin over it, shit is classic - he’s got to have the worst singing voice on the planet, but for whatever reason it works.

“Wait Til Tonight” has that OG “21 Questions” feel to it (which by the way was 50’s best song to date)

Producer Scoop Deville speeds up and loops the sample, lays down some familiar drums and then let’s 50 do the rest.  I tell you what, there isn’t another emcee in the rap game that makes hard love tracks like 50 does.  

It seems like with 50’s newest freak out on the industry, he’s going retro…because all the videos that come out for this mixtaple look like they were made in 1998.  

50 step your video game up, but keep your music right where it is.
Right after you listen to “Wait Til Tonight” listen to “Off and On” ooooooWEEEEEE 

Wait Til Tonight Video:

Heavy. Into. 80’s.
That’s the name of the game. 

And leave it to my girl to discover the best new music with that 80’s feel.

M83 (Messier 83)
Album: ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’

Double disc album.  One big cohesive jump back 30 years ago: heavy reverb over synthed out vocals  and instrumentals with a whole lot of electronic laser sounds - and you’ve got magic.

Listen to ‘Hurry Up, Were Dreaming’ from start to finish - you will not be disappointed.  M83’s sixth and latest album kicks off with one of the better tracks simply titled: “Intro”

“Intro” is the perfect appetizer to start this album - with a real airy spaced out feel, “Intro” warps you back in time.

This opening track takes a minute to get rolling, but once it does - it gets epic and impossible to turn off.

It’s eighties music enhanced, version 2.0, juiced up and its fuckin infectious.

other premier tracks from ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’:
“Midnight City”
“My Tears Are Becoming A Sea”
“New Map”

I think we can all agree that most the material Diddy / Badboy are putting out is garbage.  But the former BIG hype man has managed to get himself one artist that is QUALITY and his name is Red Cafe.

Red Cafe has been consistently good for a few years now and I find more and more of his music in my playlists.

Today’s track, “Co-Sign” is off his ‘Red Berry Red’ mixtape released in late 2010.  The mixtape has a few bangers including the BIG sampled “I Tote Gunz” which is one of the hardest tracks to come out of the Badboy camp since “Hate Me Now”

“Co-sign” is interesting in that he talks about his difficulties getting into the rap game, getting shuffled from label to label, etc. The beat is fire, sampling the classic 1984 hit by Van Halen “Right Now.”  The piano riff sampled from the original VH track is so epic and it lends itself to Red Cafe’s hip hop version oh so well as the original vocal is looped and chopped saying “…what are you waiting for?!”

I’m not saying Red Cafe is top 5 MC status, but he’s definitely talented.  He’s got a nice flow, a solid voice and one of the better signature shout outs sayin “SHAKEDOWN” all over his tracks.

Diddy, get Red’s solo album out already.  Don’t uck this up :)

Check out the Van Halen original right here, right now:

On this filthy Friday were keepin it clean and goin back to a master of the craft: Mr. Jay Dee

In 2009 ‘Jay Stay Paid’ dropped.  A lot of old tracks, a few new ones…but hidden inside this relatively little known Dilla album are some previously unreleased BONKERS instrumentals.  The best of which is “Coming Back”

I think if Jay had a track that he wanted to be played during his memoir video monatage, it would be this track.  “Coming Back” has the typical authentic old soul sound but the sample and drum loop he uses are just so damn right on.  He tweaks the guitar out from the sample to give it this Ravi Shankar chilled out vibe and when he combines it with a true hip hop drum loop, we get one of the most original and unique instrumentals from the late great Dilla.

As usual, Dilla picked THE BEST original record to sample from.  Dilla saturates the sample and that “vinyl hiss” we all  love so much.  Borrow from a classic while paying homage and infusing it with something fresh…that’s the Jay way.  And as the album states Jay Stay Paaaaaaid!

check out the TRIPLE OG original record Dilla sampled called “The Affair” by Brother to Brother:

Taking it back to college daaaaze and faded nights with today’s track by People Under the Stairs called “Acid Raindrops”

Thes One and Double K grew up in Cali and formed the People Under the Stairs in late 1997.  They’re best music is behind them, but got damn, when producer Thes One was finishin up at USC (Trojans STAND UP!) he made some of the nicest beats in hip hop for lyricist, Double K.

“Acid Raindrops” was a game changer for me.  In fact, that entire album ‘O.S.T.’ changed the whole game up with a new dead on hip hop sound.  We’re talkin about sampled beats tailored to a very specific lyricist that is very talented.  Hearing this back in ‘02, I knew that I would quickly become a P.U.T.S. fan.  No gangster shit, just tightly wrapped verses over real music. 

If you don’t have it already, you need to download the ‘O.S.T.’ album but in the meantime, checkout their undoubtedly most heard track: “Acid Raindrops”

Thes One samples David T. Walker’s “Lay Lady Lay” (featured below) in one of the hands down top 5 hip hop tracks of all time, and Double K speaks the truth on it when he says “…stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops, Mary Jane is the only thing that makes my pain stop.”

And PS. - How retro dope is this album cover?  LA livin.

Kanye West’s best album was ‘Late Registration’ - not a topic for debate, but a fact. 

On ‘Late Registration’ I think Ye found HIS sound.  Not one that he made for Jay Z, Memphis Bleek or anybody else - ‘Late Registration’ was his album, was about what he was going through and it set a tone for his style that will always be that “Kanye Sound”

“Addiction” immediately jumped out to me as the star of his 2005 solo project.

In true Kanye fashion, he takes a soulful Etta James sample, picks up the speed and pitch and then laces it with the ORIGINAL “Kanye congo drums” which I put in quotes because they are just so definitively Mr. West.  The looped guitar riff comes from the same Etta James Track called “My Funny Valentine” which is pure gold all on its own.  Did you expect anything less here at Intelligent Sound?  I provide you with only the best of the new and old - if your looking for luke warm, look somewhere else.

The sampled vocals “you make me smile with my heart” is a beauty and it’s used perfectly as Kanye runs down his list of vices…the whole thing is just very slick and cohesive…from the lyrics, to the beat, to the sample.

“…roll up the doja” and check out the one and only Etta James’s “My Funny Valentine”

Lets take it back about 6 years.

It’s 2005, The Roc is on the rise and Beanie Sigel is up on gun possession charges.  Amidst all this craziness, or maybe because of it, Beanie Sigel dropped one of the most classic albums titled ‘The B. Coming’

Now maybe it’s me, but I think I was the only person that was bumpin this album from start to finish.  Yeah, it had “Feel It In The Air” as the opening track and single, but this album got slept on.

Not one track is bad and it’s got some legendary ones on here too.  For me, the premier track is “Look At Me Now”

“Look At Me Now” was produced by Buckwild, who also produced Black Rob’s “Whoa” (one of my favorite tracks of all time) - and has worked with everyone: 50 Cent, Jay Z and Little Brother.

Buckwild kept it super soulful for Beanie on “Look At Me Now” where he samples one of the hardest 70’s soul tracks ever: Greg Perry’s “Come On Down”  (yet another example of the sampled track being as good or better than the new version)

Buckwild definitely lets the original speak for itself and doesn’t over do it on the production.  He takes the original vocals, and just extends them a little into the perfect loop for Beanie to tear up.

Production wise AND lyrically, “Look At Me Now” is one of the most complete hip hop tracks.  Some deep verses on this one:

“School-
Been dropped out,
never really clockin’ in
Pops-
Been dropped out,
Neva really stoppin’ in…
Moms-
Trying to lock me out
Cops-
Trying to lock me in”

And make sure you listen to Greg Perry’s “Come On Down” - shit should change your perspective: