Episode 199 : Technical Difficulties

"I am the pottery of greater hands..."

- Common

This month has been a major struggle! My main computer - which is essentially my recording studio, DJ station, and publishing setup - stopped working. I've managed to use other gear around the house to finish recording, and hopefully have done as good a job as usual in assembling this episode. 

Edit: This is unbelievably on-the-nose, but after publishing this episode I found that the RSS feeds to Apple Podcasts and Mixcloud were broken, needing pretty much a full working day of debugging to fix, when I'm supposed to be having time off...

Mastodon : @[e-mail]

Twitch : @airadam13

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Playlist/Notes

9th Wonder ft. Eli Tha Don : Pillars Of Gold

The North Carolina production legend 9th Wonder released the eleventh in the "Zion" series of albums, and it's mostly a beat collection but lead off with five tracks featuring Cleveland MC Eli Tha Don, of which this was my favourite. 9th starts this track with the original sample source before dropping warm, rounded drums and bass over his chops. Eli comes out of the gate strong and maintains his flow momentum over the length of the track, barely breaking stride to bring in short hooks before getting right back to business.

Sturks : Ursa Major

The "Legacy Echo Volume 3" on the Manchester-based Legacy Echo label was definitely one of the best instrumental projects of the year, pulling together producers from all over the globe, and it was opened by this cut that I thought could easily have come from the heyday of the SP-1200. Turns out that this American producer apparently does use that storied machine as the centrepiece of his setup, and he works that ten total seconds of sampling time in the time-honoured tradition here.

Coyote, Foos Gone Wild, and Lil Mr. E : Cortez On My Feet

I've certainly heard the Nike Cortez referred to in rhyme before (shout out Sir Mix-A-Lot), but this is the first track I've ever heard fully dedicated to the Los Angeles staple! The Chicano culture has held this 1972 classic in high regard, and these MCs all tell the stories of their relationship to this footwear legend, while also referencing Nelly on the hook. Statik Selektah's beat is more East than West Coast, and is subdued in just the right way so that its dopeness doesn't draw focus away from the rhymes.

Show & AG : My Imagination

It might not be the sound you might associate with DITC charter members Show and AG, who can give you the jazzy samples all day, but this moody track from 2012s "Mugshot Music : Preloaded" takes a different tone as it highlights the lyrics of an older, more experienced AG. With a tight two verses focusing on visualisation and elevation, this deserves multiple listens along with the rest of the LP.

Anthony Danza & All Hail Y.T. ft. Left Lane Didon : Keith Sweat (DARE Mix)

The original "All Hail Danza" album by All Hail Y.T. and Anthony Danza was already a quality project, but the "Digital Scale" remix collection takes it to another level, leaning even harder into the 80s vein that has been a thread all the way through Danza's work. DARE Program create a lush synth-soul soundtrack while Danza, Y.T. and guest Left Lane Didon bring the floss talk, Pacific Northwest style. Check how Danza extends the rhyme scheme all the way through the final verse!

Pac Div : No No

Pac Div was once an eleven-member crew out of California, but trimmed down to three and that's the version you hear here on the "Church League Champions" LP, with a track that promotes serious head nodding (thanks to Jack Sample Pros)  as they expound on all the things they aren't with. Crafting the lyrics to primarily end in direct or assonant rhymes with the "no no" of the title, they don't forget to show personality while starting with a technical concept.

Blue Lab Beats : Montara

The "Blue Note Re:Imagined" compilation is given away by its very name, a collection of covers of tracks from the truly legendary jazz label. Grammy-winning UK producers Blue Lab Beats do the business on this cover of the 1975 classic by the vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, adding extra body, groove, and modern engineering without taking away from the soul of the original.

Common & 9th Wonder ft. PJ & Bilal : Vision

A recent release from the soundtrack to the ESPN documentary about the trailblazing and influential sports commentator Stuart Scott, this soulful 9th-produced cut has Common speaking from his perspective throughout, with Bilal and PJ adding their own vocal flavour. As an aside, I'm hoping the documentary is somehow viewable in the UK!

Tyler Daley : Let Em Go

The fakeness, the leeching...he's not here for any of it. A short and pointed single-verse track from half of the mighty Children of Zeus, which is one entry in a series of twelve tracks to be released in a twelve-day span this December. Nowadays, that's an album and a half! 

Cookin Soul : Funky Xmas For Two

Funky? Yes. Jazzy? I'd say so... ;) Valencia in the house, as Spain's Cookin Soul blends his own production with some TLC and A Tribe Called Quest lyrics you might recognise! The vocal is a little low in the mix, maybe a little unclear at times, but I wanted to play it anyway - it's perfectly seasonal. Find this on 2002s "A Tribe Called Xmas" project, pour yourself a glass of mulled something, and enjoy...

Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah and Method Man : 600 School

Pure ruggedness from the Wu camp. Mass Appeal Records, founded by Nas, has absolutely owned 2025 with their "Legend Has It" project, a series of seven albums from legends of the culture. Rae and Ghost both had releases under the umbrella, both both share the spotlight here alongside clansman Method Man on this cut from the former's "The Emperor's New Clothes" LP. With classic Wu flavours all the way down to the "Five Venoms" sample, you might be surprised to find out who the producer is - not RZA, True Master, or 4th Disciple, but Swizz Beats! When you've got a trio of MCs like this ready to spit flames, you need to meet them where they are, and Swizz, despite being almost his era's standard-bearer for club-friendly production, gives them a menacing, dramatic beat for them to burn the booth down to.

[Fakts One] MF DOOM & MF Grimm : The Original (Remix Instrumental)

A beat like this takes you right back to the era it came from in a heartbeat, in this case the turn of the millenium when the independent "MF EP". from the late DOOM and Grimm was released. Both would be well capable of handling production themselves, but for this remix Fakts One of The Perceptionists takes the reins.

Oh No ft. Roc C and Jayo Felony : Corner Goons

I think it was DJ Kruz One out of Boston who introduced me to this track from the "Nodega" album, playing it on one of his Twitch streams. San Diego's Jayo Felony has one of those voices that's unmistakeable if you've ever heard him before, and he's on characteristic street vibes alongside Roc C, who is a native of Oxnard, California - as is Oh No, on production. The production is hazy, and the pianos rain down over some nice live-sounding bass and a simple drum track, giving off just the right amount of tension and unease to match the lyrics. 

Papoose : NBA Rhyme Scheme

Bringing it back to the style of records like GZA's "Labels" - and really, GZA is probably the finest to do this concept - NY mixtape veteran Papoose jumps on a DJ Premier beat to give us a brief track folding in the names of every NBA team. Preemo's beat is solid and his little interjections in the form of scratched-in samples are perfectly done. This concept cut is probably the only reason anyone will ever have anytime soon to mention the New Orleans Pelicans on a track #longsufferingfan 

Curren$y : Example

Ski Beatz pulled together a great collaboration as the producer; the screaming guitars around the intro and hook here, courtesy of John Cave, give this a bit of a retro flavour and Brady Watt's bass work holds down the rest of the instrumental. Curren$y brings his own unique brand of motivational speaking on this selection from the jump, with this track being the opener on the original "Pilot Talk" album. 

Mitch Murder : Bayshore Connect

Mitch Murder is a Swedish artist primarily known for his extensive work in the synthwave genre, which is a modern callback to the synth-heavy music of the 80s, but the three-song "Hurricane" single that came out earlier this year sees him taking a detour into sharp, clean D&B. If synthwave can be categorised as "OutRun" music, this brings to mind something more like "Need For Speed", and shows that there's more than one string to this man's bow.

[Jermaine Dupri] Kris Kross : Da Streets Ain't Right (Remix Instrumental)

You can hear snatches of the same sample as Biggie's "Warning" on this one, which add a bit of grit to JD's production on the remix of this track by fellow ATLiens Kris Kross. Nice offset to the keyboard-based production, from someone who's done it both ways during his career.

Saigon ft. Layzie Bone : Better Way

"The Greatest Story Never Told" album, Saigon's official debut, was an excellent album - one I thought at the time might even be the measuring stick for the mythical, never-coming-out "Detox" album Dr. Dre had been working on for years. While that might have been a bit strong, "Detox" still isn't out so I feel like Saigon won by default 🙂 Just Blaze was the production mastermind behind the album, and Saigon finally got the opportunity to tell the story of his long road to a wider audience after years of grinding on the underground. I don't know who made the decision for Layzie Bone to only do the intro/hook rather than have a verse, but I think it was the right one - clearing space for Saigon to present a single consistent perspective over the three verses, while Just Blaze's production is beautifully melodic.

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