Spycc's "Self Progression" Mixtape: Holding Down Onehunga in WildStyle

Discovering the prodigious talent of Spycc was a real shock to my system. As an individual that went to Onehunga High I recognized his face and had no idea he was a much buzzed about rapper from that area. I have to admit that when I hear of rappers from NZ i've been somewhat blunted. Not withstanding the likes of Ddot Dallas the gangsta rap facade is something I have no time for. If a false reality is something your looking for smoke up tree because acting is sad if it's not at the very least on Shortland St.

To even contemplate being a gangsta rapper in Auckland, Nz is like a person trying to understand West coast gangsta rap without actually stepping foot in the U.S.A. One should really think about going to California or N.Y.C before rapping about all the hoopla that is associated with the gangsta genre that I do like, just not done badly. Inglewood and Brooklyn can really open ones eyes to where gangsta rap came from, and in all honest it came from desperation out of having nothing while being surrounded bt the wealth of Wall St or Hollywood. The streets are all the normal people have so why not song about and glorify them to the masses because thats where it's at.  In New York City even the smallest kid has a hunger that could eat most kiwi's alive it's one hell of a place to live thats for sure. 

Spycc in stark contrast to silly posers or NZ hardened criminals turned amateur rappers is a man that drops rhymes in every direction that resonate with the people, "the everyday New Zealander" as we like to say lol. I'd go so far as to say that he is 'the Proust' of Onehunga in direct parallel to Jay-z and his admiration of Brooklyn that offered the bulk of his inspiration for his raps. When I listen to Spycc zapping all the inspiration from the outskirts of the AK into his songs theres a genuine love for Onehunga that is hard not to like.

His free mixtape "Self Progression" offers amazing production value which I first heard on "The Young, Broke and Talented" underground physical mixtape made by Homebrew's associates. I've listened to the whole mixtape quite a few times blaring through my computer speakers and dig "Self Progressions" vibe. His raps don't stumble over themselves like most and his flow is immaculately complimented by his producer carving out some sick beats. If you want to cop something that is fire and the future of Nz rap check out his mixtape below and his awesome video that looks like it should have been sponsored by Woodstock if it wasn't.

DL Self Progression EP for Free HERE

The Grey Album Re-mastered and Banging

I recently downloaded the re-mastered version of Danger Mouse's break through debut "The Grey Album" were he mixed the Beatles' "White album" and Jay-Z's "Black Album" together into one mashed out grey masterpiece. The difference between this version and the first is the powerful sonic mastering that smacks with hard bass drums. Whereas the first official mastered "Grey Album" was arguably a bit thin and whimsical this is a solid re-issue. The low end is unforgettable and the top end of the audio has also had a serious shine. I will definitely be burning a cd to listen to this through some phat speakers because it bangs hard, and yes listening to it loud is a must.

I read somewhere that Danger Mouse was rumored to have spent 200 hours making "The Grey Album" and it shows in it's amazing creativity of looping samples with dispersed vintage drums buried in amongst classic rap flow. If your looking for a perfect match of acapella's to beats this album may be just a tad to raw for you but if you like the Gorillaz smashed with "Rock and Roll" and brought back to life by a heavy dosage of Jay-Z adrenaline I highly recommend downloading this album below.

I remember reading a quote from Danger Mouse saying that the hardest problem with making this record was cutting out Ringo's drums from the "White Album" I reckon Paul McCartney's bass playing must have been everywhere in the audio. Danger mouse has done himself proud in this ground breaking sample heavy record clearly referencing "Endtroducing" by Dj Shadow. The producers latest records being "Brothers" by The Black Keys as well as Norah Jones latest album are a testament to Dangers consistency.

 free to download here

Making "Run My Way" with Ruth Bioletti

How did you come up with the concept of the music video? it seems very cinematic?

The Run My Way video is a crazy mix of my love of the films by the great Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni and Hollywoods Roman Polanski.Its smothered with a big dollop of my romantic/realism imagery, mixed together with an alternative movie vibe...all propelled by the high octane lyrics of Ms Volita Neo Kalashnikov ...yeah thats it in a nutshell, I think.  

So how long did it take to create the video and who was involved and where was it shot?

Run My Way was filmed in Auckland, New Zealand a beautiful and exotic place in the South Pacific, beaches everywhere! Filming took five days and film editing four. The video is very intimate and sensitive and there was only myself, Volita and Nicolus Byron working on it. The first day on set I spent 3hrs filming Volita in the bath alone, just her and I. Its a pretty unusual thing for a director of a rock video to ask a musician to do but she was brilliant and brought a lot of attitude to those frames. On day two there was a cyclone in town but we had to film the beach scenes. Volita had to brave freezing water temperatures and gale force winds. We had to cut out all the frames of her shivering..but I must say the rough waves were dramatic and really added to the end product! The next day the weather was beautiful and sunny which is very Auckland at the moment!

How did you come up with the concept of the music video? it seems very cinematic ?

How did I come up with the concept for  Run My Way, I don't know ( laughs) um...my kids say that I've watched too many film festival movies! Seriously I think that there is some truth to that...I like more challenging theatre, more alternative than the mainstream type of movie. I just wanted to do a little film rather than the typical lip-sync affair that you usually get with music videos. I didn't know how it was going to look and we did film some lip sync footage but it didn't fit into the over all look and we decided not to use it. I love the work of Michelangelo Antonioni and Roman Polanski and this is probably why it looks cinematic, their work has filtered through my brain and left its mark on this video ( laughs).

Was there any important underlining message to the video in terms of imagery?

The underlining message of the video? Well...I thought that it was self explanatory until a male friend message me and said that he couldn't make any sense of it so I better say something for those people that need me to decode it! What can I say, I like the interplay between couples and in this case between a man and a woman. Volita of the Neo Kalashnikovs is the songwriter of Run My Way.I spent about four hours talking with her about the song and what she was intending to convey to the listener.It became apparent to me that this song was a love story and that there was a series of dichotomies throughout.

It amazes me how much depth there was in Run My Way, in fact many of her songs are stories, where characters are living out their lives, almost like a novel but compressed into a three or four minute song form. Maybe this why the mini movie video really suited Run My Way, I could represent her lyrics through the use of cinematic images and tell the story of two lovers who are passionate about each other but who inevitably come to that crossroads of, ' where to now ' point.

I split the scenes into opposites like man/woman, love/hate, together/alone, modernity/nature, fast/slow and so on and found the images that reflected these states. The smashing of the mirror is pivotable, I used that image like short hand, to quickly communicate the essence of the conflict that was brewing up for this couple and how serious that it was and that it was make or break time for them. The following scene of the male character Jeremiah where he shaves, is my way of conveying the internal dilemma inside him and his growth as a lover. He shaves off his beard and becomes more open to her and her desire to more the relationship to the next level. These are real life issues for people in relationships and I like to use symbolism to express this because you only have three or four minutes to do so when you are talking about a rock video. 

What music videos are in the pipeline with you and The Neos?

Anymore videos for The Neokalasnikovs? Ha...that depends if they want me back again! I don't know but I would love to do another one  for them sometime. I would really like to see Heartstrings come to life but that would be another complex video because there is a lot going on in that song too, another love story but a bit more tortured. I don't know if it will have the same happy ending ( laughs) as Run My Way!

Get "Run My Way" Here instantly for free:     http://www.mediafire.com/?o58i803sulne38t

The Neo-Kalashnikovs - Run My Way (Music Video)

Hi everyone The Neo-Kalashnikovs latest video "Run My Way" directed by Ruth Bioletti is here. This video is more cinematic than our others  and didn't feature any singing along to the song.

If you like it you can download a free instant download of "She's on Heat" right here which contains "Run My Way":

http://www.mediafire.com/?o58i803sulne38t    

Oh Village: Say No to Wilco

What is the bands ethos and mantra ?

"Anything can happen"

Hey did it feel getting so far in the Youthink Magazine's Best Teen Band Competition sounds like there was some stiff competition taking out 2nd plae against 50 bands is one serious feat of endurance?

It was an awesome experience and we learned a lot. The best part was meeting other amazing young bands in our area.

Whats British Columbia like to play as a band and what is the kind of thing people do for fun there? hanging out at Sheetz lol ?

We don't have Sheetz here, but we looked them up and they look amazing. We would hang out at a Sheetz all day long!

Does Oh Village approach recording in a certain way? home studios or big studios? particular recording method for example completely live ?

We've done both home and studio recording, and we like both for different reasons. Our album was recorded at The Sound Suite in Abbotsford.

Which tracks are the band most proud off the album?

Restart and In This House because they exceeded our dreams.

Have you guys been playing your jams in neighboring states?

We have played a bit in some other Canadian provinces such as Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

How was it working with Steve Klassen on Headlights/Red lights E.p ? 

Headlights/Red Death was a great first step and a fun experience. It was like a first date between the band and Steve Klassen.

Where is the best place to get our hands on a copy of the awesome album Far Side of The Sea ?

At one of our shows or on Bandcamp. It's also available on iTunes!
  click here =   http://ohvillage.bandcamp.com/

 Would you guys like to be a band likened to Wilco  ?

In some ways, no.

Your guys music is really cinematic was that something you wanted to achieve?

I could see it easily scoring a great bit in a movie or climatic T.V event?

Thanks Moss. Though we've never made that a goal, we appreciate the comment.

What is it about Chuck Taylors ??

The weird thing about Chuck Taylor shoes are there success in my view. A little piece of canvas with a shoe sole and a great emblem has destroyed the choice for hipsters. The kids know that a pair of shoes which will always undeniably cool for anyone who isn't too old is the Converse All Star. It looks so unassuming but theres something deeply attached to it that has fostered it's success. I'm not stupid I know that they're branding budget for the shoe would be in the tens if not hundreds of millions but thats not the catalyst for it's success it only maintains it. 

In my opinion what makes the Converse so successful is it's the vibe. The shoe stands for a freedom that is an obvious big F you to all other shoes and fashion in general. While everyone has moon boots with their Nike Swooshs and amazing gadgets the converse has jack all. Essential the shoe is a metaphorical under dog that is supported by youngsters of every generation to show the established old farts they suck. 

Paranoia - The Neo-Kalashnikovs (an exclusive music video debut)

The Neo-Kalashnikovs release their latest music video "Paranoia" directed by the talented Nick Tidmarsh (Graduate of Design Unitec). As one of The Neo-Kalashnikovs in house directors he has created what the band labels as ecstasy in motion underscored by hear hitting rock. Gabriel the frenetic bass player who has also studied classical piano for 4 years said;

 "This is just what the band wanted, something to get the people fired up like Fish Filet" 

Lead singer Volita Bioletti was also beaming from the bands latest video release for "Paranoia" she said to me that she is so proud of the Neos for creating the track under heavy time constraints in the studio. She told me the recording took place in Point Chev Auckland, NZ at Tonewheel studios. I talked to her over the phone after the release, she said;

"Recording Paranoia was done fast, like the band had learnt the track the night before we were slamming it out a little sleep deprived (laughs) the next day in the studio. By the way we used some un-conventional microphone techniques to get the vocal sound which was something we were aiming for as a nod to our rock influences like the nine inch nails. Also if it wasn't for producer Justin James who worked tirelessly to create our vision this song would have been destined to be a no show, stuck in the vault as a draft. 

But you know, everyone rose to the occasion and were so glad we can present it to all our loyal fans. Paranoia is off our album "She's on Heat" which is available as a instant download so everyone can share our art, but anyone who buy it from our bandcamp gets a credit on the next album coming soon"

They're you have it guys rock music for all