Jewbei starts the first of our in house mixes dropping every friday.

A collection of Japanese rare grooves and funk from the late 70s and early 80s, oh how we love Jewbei.

DOWNLOAD the mix here.

Jewbei also happens to be a super cool producer too. For more of his music check his soundcloud.

Tracklist
Tatsuro Yamashita – Dancer
Minako Yoshida – Asa Ha Kun Ni
Kimiko Kasai – Love Celebration
Kiyoshi Sugimoto – Yeh! Boogie
Yasuko Agawa – LA Night
Masayoshi Takanaka – Disco B
Hiroshi Sato – Say Goodbye
Toshiki Kadomatsu – Step Into The Light
Tatsuro Yamashita – Love Talkin’
Masayoshi Takanaka – Chill Me Out
Hitomi Tohyama – Love Is The Competition
Chocolate Lips – Milk & Honey

UK hip hop use to be a guilty pleasure. Something you wore with humble pride, warmly knowing it was niche genre worshipped by others in a select community. Influenced by the cultures’ early inception in New York’s golden mecca, hip hop infiltrated our shores and through pioneering homegrown artists and releases like Street Sounds UK Electro, in 1984 we finally made it ‘our own.’

Now of course it dominates the charts in one form or another. The white British rapper is no longer an oddity, even if the sound and meaning of the culture might in many respects died a slow commercial death. But such was its sparse mainstream success in the early days, or as little as 5 years ago, your introduction of UK hip hop was mainly something you were recommended to. Passed on from friend to friend and willing stranger.

However, those difficult early days of battling-acceptance were innovative for hip hop in this country. Conscious of its stigma as America’s weaker, or foreign, cousin, the genre was forced to step up. Building stronger engaging content with detailed and abstract lyrics and infectious production, while reflecting an honest and emotional aspect of life this side of the pond.

Becoming one of most intelligent and misunderstood genres around, each of the last three decades have seen British pioneers adopt a responsibility for the art-form. One such pioneer is the man standing in front of me– William Shields, or to many, Jehst.

When he dropped his groundbreaking vinyl debut Premonitions EP twelve years ago and then his Return Of The Drifter three years later, he wouldn’t have been aware of the destiny that awaited him. Covered in dusty boombap production and featuring piecing lyricism and graphic storytelling of social and political instability, both releases and the darker follow up, Falling Down proclaimed him as one of the leading poets of our generation.

Now a UK hero, his worldwide following stretches from Austraila to Japan, Germany to America, and seeing his name on a flyer is guaranteed a sell out.  In between the countless shows, production duties and working on new music, like his highly anticipated new album—The Dragon From An Ordinary Family and of course running his own label YNR, Jehst’s time is precious.

But the day after our exclusive photo shoot and adventures in Ashdown forest — the concept based on an eccentric Jester choosing to live a lonely existence hidden from the mainstream media—he finds the time to welcome me to his London home to discuss a illustrious career so far.

“Its an interesting time really for hip hop. I don’t want to say its better than its ever been, but its as good as its ever been”.

Jehst affirms, sticking the kettle on and opening our conversation with thoughts of hip hop’s future.

“As the music industry changes and technology changes the next generation of people will come to prominence through different means.”

“Remember a lot of people don’t just listen to one genre of music and especially with today’s generation. So I think right now its kind of easy for people to say ‘ah its not a good time’, Nas came out with Hip Hop Is Dead. But whatever! There is so much going on right now and there is an international network which never existed before.”

Kent born, Huddlesfield lived and now London native, Jehst’s musical discography includes a string of mixtapes, compilation projects like Underworld Epics, along with works with leading producers like Ghost, Harry Love and Lewis Parker —check the cult It’s All Happening Now, and joints with fellow rappers Asaviour, Verb T and Braintax to name a all but a few. This huge list of achievements has meant he has stayed consistent and prominent in making some of the most exciting hip hop to date.

But over the years he has battled with many aspect of the culture, as he continues to explain.

“I do struggle with it, and there are times when I think it is too far gone to be of any substance for people or for it to give people any clear direction.

“There is no counter cultural voice in modern day pop music. In rap especially, people are so into repeating clichés and there is so much that still hasn’t been addressed or said. The other day I was listening to De La Soul and like I was saying with Melly Mel, the breadth of content in song writing has been alien to rap for so many years now. We really lost the momentum from that point when people were making next level art pieces.”

Jehst’s music has always been socially aware, made of honest experiences and opinionated observations. Through his career early fans have joined his adventures from university digs to unemployment, to touring and discovering new homes, to getting drunk and falling in love —all through an abstract viewing perspective.

His current work, The Dragon From An Ordinary Family, is no different. Nettled within the head knodders and stories of love, further stories of today’s everyday difficulties hint at that continual struggle of a liberal, independent story teller.

One of those difficulties has often been financial. Such is the plight of many independent artists, but having rejected several offers from major labels at the height of his career, his integrity, he felt, was never for sale. It is a principle, he feels is missing from many artists who have since walked in his shadow.

“I do wonder where the artistic integrity has gone. Artists being comfortable with being themselves and aspiring to be different in style to what the next man is doing. There is a lot more of an agenda of fitting in. The idea that fitting in is what is going to make you successful.”

And a lack of responsibility perhaps?

“I do feel responsible too. That’s important to me.”

“If you’re in a position of being an inspirational figure what are you really about? I think people have no sense of responsibility within hip hop anymore too.”

“Its important to remember that hip hop did have an impact on social mobility —an opportunity for people to express themselves and make something out of nothing. At a certain point it turned into business and now its big business. You have to feed back into the essence of what it was, because of the impact it had and still has on a huge demographic of people. You have that responsibility.”

“In reality people have completely forgotten about that.”

“Its about that collective mentality and sense of responsibility and realising that ‘wow I’m actually contributing to this’. If it just becomes about the individual then its not hip hop. Hip hop is community based, and once it loses that its vacuous””

Our conversation delves deeper into current politics like the recent London riots, and of course the struggles with his former label, the cult Low Life Records.

During the start of the new millennium, Low Life Records represented the pulsating heart of the scene.  That relationship with label owner Braintax was a dark period for both Jehst and UK hip hop, as Braintx having signed many of the leading rappers decided without warning to close up shop and escape to Australia. Leaving many owed money and picking up from broken contracts and promises.

You can listen back to what Jehst has to say about that period in my extended interview coming soon on Beatnik.

But in the meantime as my tea turns cold and our conversation draws to a close I finish with some final thoughts. At 32 and as he looks to his next birthday does Jehst still see himself revlevent, and subsequently want to be relevant in hip hop today?

“Yes and yes.” He says in a reassuring tone.

“Is Russell Simons still relevant in hip hop? Is Jay Z? Is Westword? The music isn’t getting any younger and neither is the generation that grew up with it.”

“For a long long time I’ve seen it like rock and roll. I think that is what hip hop is now, entrenched in pop culture.”

“If I stop loving it I shouldn’t be making it. And if that happens I’ll have to deal with it. But I’ve always seen it as a culture rather than a genre of music so there is so much more to explore. I don’t feel confined by the genre at all – especially as it’s being more and more one dimensional.

“Remember we make hip hop, it doesn’t make me.”

——–

YNR Productions website

The trio’s first album as Ovall, We Don’t Care Who Knows That from last year, treaded between abstract experimentation and more commerical jazz and soul songs. And that’s basically what we find on Heart Fever, in a slightly more extreme format.

‘Feverish Imagination’ is rampantly commerical, fusing a characteristic hip-hop thump—after all, this is Mabanua, Japan’s own Soulquarian, on the drums—with chart melodies and, somewhere amongst it all, a Prince-like funkiness. But alongside that track, and ‘Beautiful Love’, which has loungy tendencies (and I mean it in a bad way), there is that trademark abstract output: ‘Water Dream’ is sampled-instrumentation mastery, making use of muffled handclaps and floating sea organs. And ‘Moon Beams’, complete with a reprise and all, is a mellow groove dictated by a jazz piano and signature rhodes.

It’s like Shingo Suzuki, the band leader, knew that with one serious radio flirt on there, Ovall could get away with turning in the instrumental, jam-oriented music that makes up the rest of the EP. And they succeeded—but they’re not getting those screechy guitar solos past me.

words Sven Carlsson

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Ovall’s MySpace, Twitter

Yesterday we got received a surprise package from Japanese trio Ovall. So we thought we’d bring it back to their 2010 debut and the abstract ‘Shadows & Lights’.

image iveneverbeenazombie

A beautiful song from a beautiful album from Japan’s finest.

Image From thebowsarebroken.tumblr.com

Grime MC’s should jump on beats more like this. Unleash you computer gaming nerd and bounce around to this brilliant battle track from Last Japan.

With love coming from all areas of the country after a string of brilliant EP’s and their superb debut album Force of Habit resurrecting hip hop lovers from the depths of despair, Beatnik thought it was about time you were introduced to the Boom-Bap Professionals, PROSE, made up of beat supreme Steady and lyrical genius Efeks.

Having met through a mutual friend, DJ Philly, many years ago their friendship was galvanized by a mutual, unquenchable love for hip hop. “Ha, Love blossomed!” Steady chuckles remembering the pair’s first encounter.

“I went to music college then dropped out of school and had been making beats quite a long time before meeting Efeks. I hadn’t really been the type of person to push myself out there as a producer, the type of person to hassle MC’s. I was kinda happy doing my own thing. Efeks was the same. He’d worked with a few people but nothing really came of it. There wasn’t that chemistry,” Steady recalls.

Efeks injects: “I had it in my mind that I would kinda just go on the solo tip. I had bought like an MPC and I was determined I was gonna do it on my own, I met steady and never touched the damn thing! ”

Steady: “Unlike a lot of MC’s who tell you ‘I know what I’m doing’, Efeks would listen to my advice. He doesn’t get offended if I’m like this or that might sound better and he’s the same with me. ‘Originate’ was one of the first beats we made. ‘Born Invincible’ was another. We kinda just gelled, I suppose.”

Efeks: “I had stuff that I had written in the past. As soon as we met up he’d be playing me stuff, yeah that’s the beat I was thinking off. It was nice just to finally unify.”

The unison is one of the most exciting UK hip hop has seen, reminiscent of those great hip-hop partnerships like Pete Rock and CL Smooth, DJ Premier and Guru, EPMD that we all — including Steady and Efeks — grew up listening to. Ask the duo to cite their biggest musical influences and it’s pretty plain and simple.

S: “Being in school people like LL Cool J, Radio, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Eric B & Rakim really caught my attention.”

E: “Hip-hop wise same lines as Steady. That sort of school, LL, Big Daddy Kane, the good stuff. My mum use to play her Motown stuff, my dad played his Italian music. So it’s like a blend of different stuff. Then my older brother sort of got me into hip-hop.”

Early Tim Westwood’s hip-hop show on Capital radio was also something of a religion. Showcasing the latest transatlantic tunes, he also was a pioneer in playing the best homegrown hip-hop, which inspired the duo especially.

E: “We always use to listen to the Westwood show and he’d always have like the UK segment at the end. You’d always wait till the end of the show to hear that heavy little piece. I mean that was standard back in the day. I don’t really know anyone who wasn’t into hip-hop that didn’t use to listen to the show. That was the highlight of the weekend. Getting that tape ready, ha!”

Now of course, they have their own tape. Well, we’re talking a CD and digital release — but the symbolism is just as strong. A deep, introspective beauty that has taken a lifetime to make, the record is one of the most honest and intelligent hip-hop records you will ever see from the UK scene, boasting enough respectability and positivity to reach even the furthest lovers of the culture.

E: “It’s really the joy and pain of the last 5 years.”

S: “We’ve always described our sound as Boom Bap, that’s why we’re the Boom Bap Professionals, but we don’t want to be associated with the return of the back pack. Yeah ‘94 is where we come from, but I like fuck hip-hop as much as Talib hip hop. We argue about what we think is good or wack all the time. That’s what hip hop is about.”

Prose have succeeded in just that. Soaked in that golden nostalgia of the early nineties Force of Habit is not a throwback album, but an updated piece of music for our time that takes influences from the genres most prolific time.

E: “We don’t really make no apologises for the music we make. It is what it is. It is hip-hop and we ain’t ashamed to call it that. It’s always difficult for you to kinda comment on your own sound. To define it. I think we do what comes naturally. Our sound is our representation of the sound we enjoy. It’s in the mould of the golden era of hip-hop, early to mid 90’s. Its music we believe in.”

Production-wise, Force of Habit is a product of The Boom Bap Bunker, a makeshift home studio from Steady’s postcode.

S: “I’m a crate digger and I got into MPC’s back in 97/98. Instead of blowing my student loan on drugs, beer or books I bought my first MPC. I collect and cut records so the MPC plays a big part in my beat making.”

There in The Boom Bap Bunker, Steady creates a dusty canvas of infectious looping bests for Efeks’ autobiographical poetry. Armed with tight metaphors and simple similes, Efeks paints the most gripping and complex of pictures in a tangible and heartfelt way. Tackling issues like religion, debt, becoming a father and battling depression Efeks has truly proven to be one of the most important lyricists of our times.

The uplifting ‘My Baby’, which Efeks dedicates to his first born child, will surely form a lump in your throat. It’s this ability to generate emotions in the listener from but a string of words that makes Efeks’ imagery so powerful. As he so eloquently puts it on ‘For the Love’ this talented duo are here to stay.“PROSE be them two dope boys without the Cadillac/doing this for ally cats/road dogs and anoraks/b-boys and beatniks sitting in front of Apple Macs.”

Through many of PROSE’s tracks you also get a real sense of the sacrifice they have both had to make to arrive at this point. The brilliant ‘Wasted Talent’ on their first EP is a prime example.

E: “It was also aimed at a lot of other people steady and myself grew up around. There was a lot of wasted talent. It was round a time we had both lost people close to us and we were at a period of our time when we were quite introspective and I guess the track was an honest reflection of that.
I have kids, two daughters you know. So it was always that thing when I had my first child: ‘argh this is it now, you’re not gonna be able to do the music anymore.’ It all depends on your perspective on life though and I kind of used that as a catalyst really to be more productive. I don’t see things I do as a sacrifice. Before I was sitting on my laurels, but I feel the pressure of time more now.”

S: “I grew up in the north, were Skinnyman was from, were Low Life Records started and I remember when Braintax was two people. I know a lot of those people from the Leeds scene growing up. The funny thing is I spent a lot of my life sort of having to defend hip-hop. Getting beaten up after school and being called a wigga for loving hip-hop. It’s so ironic now though ‘cos you look at TV today and hip-hop is part of popular culture. I hope someone out there is debating our music, through the love of music and has tuned on to it by someone else. Many fans of UK hip-hop can relate to having to defend our love for hip-hop.”

Unfortunately UK artists, like so many other international hip-hop artists, for so many years have been lumbered with the curse of comparisons to their bigger American cousins, constantly being dismissed as the poorer imitation. It’s an unfair reality that has meant many artists have never truly reaped the rewards of their art and consequently have had to maintain another career outside of music. Indeed only but a handful have had a fruitful career touring Europe and beyond. But helped by today’s digital music platform, places as far as Japan are reachable for diligent artists, and what was once frowned upon — even by hip-hop fans in the UK — is now independent music of worth, regardless of country.

Prose understand all too well the sparse currency their genre is built on in the UK. But when you are not motivated by money but an unquenchable need to be creative the concern — almost — becomes void.

E: “I don’t think we are under any kind of illusion that Russell Simmons is gonna come along and give us a check and a record deal. It’s not really gonna happen like that. We do it because we love doing it. It’s an escape from our 9-5’s. With the hope of that something could come of it.”

S: “We do what we have to do to support our family. We’ve been in hip-hop for years so just to put something down and release it is an achievement for us in itself.”

E: “It’s good to have expectations and ambition but at the same time I think you have to approach it with a certain realism and in that way your world’s not gonna be shattered. It’s like when you hear some people saying that if you get to a certain age and if it’s not happening then I’ll knock in on the head. You can’t have those kinds of expectations. I can’t ever imagine me not writing. That’s a part of me, whether I’m 50, 60. I’m still gonna do it I’m never gonna think I’m too old to do this, I’m never gonna stop. I need to do it. And we enjoy our friendship too much. So we’re always gonna do this. I’m still gonna have to put up with him one way or another.”

Leaving Prose is difficult. I’ve had an educating afternoon getting to know these two hugely talented musicians. I leave humbled by their committed work ethic and passion for a shared love. It’s not often you see such devotion for creating music. As I leave I ask Efeks for a few last words.

“I mean another one man’s broth is another man’s poison. We make music that inspires us and we believe is great. Hopefully like-minded people out there will love it too.”

—————-

For free downloads, including a string of brilliant EP’s and to buy Force of Habit get to Prose’s bandcamp
Prose on facebook

It’s hard to describe Fatima’s striking soul style. A voice as versatile as her wardrobe, depending on which producer she so intelligently decides to work with, her music can range from anything like jazzy hip hop to electronic futuristic funk.

Chances are if you are the type of London dweller who favours the night bus as their preferred home-time transport, at some point you would have returned from hearing the sounds of the Swedish born superstar in the making. Such is her heavy presence on the capitals underground circuit, a place she now calls home. A big favourite for beat tasters like Benji B too those not within the cities radius would have surely heard her championed across the airways from here to Japan.

I meet Fatima at South London’s Brixton market. While we take in the diverse cultures that circulate Paul Bence captures the afternoon. Then taking refuge in a small coffee shop down one of the lanes I decide its time to find out more about the exciting young lady on everyone’s lips.
Having already dropped the impressive Mindtravelin EP and rocking the crowds at a string of festivals she is currently preparing for her second offering, another EP entitled Follow You. It’s an EP of great promise with lead single ‘Innervision’ an uplifting soul soaked classic in the making.

“I’m gonna put together an album I’m just not at that stage yet” she points out in a laidback accent. Rocking gold hoops and a patterned scarf Fatima has a calming presence that can’t be bought. “I might do an album with one person I might do one with many.”

Still very much exploring the depth of her own sound it’s kind of nice to hear the album isn’t her main priority. In preparation though Fatima has already worked with an envious pool of talented producers. Sonic pharaohs like Floating Points, Funkineven and more recently sparking a tight bond with the funk ambassador himself, Dam-Funk.

“I spoke to him the other day actually because I just finished a tune he sent me.” Fatima explains.
Their first high profile collaboration was ‘Warm Eyes’, a hazy summer anthem with appropriate synths and laidback harmonies. It is a track that hints at big things to come from the partnership.
“It’s sunset music, I think he’s sick.” Fatima pauses and thinks it over some more
“Working with him it’s a combination of things – his music, his style, attitude and chilled out vibe. He is the coolest cat!”

Galactic funk, or futuristic funk depending on your stance, is fairly new music but something Fatima is really enjoying at the moment. The genre however is usually dominated by instrumentals. Dope beat-makers like Grooveman Spot and Dam have set a standard but recently through soul queens like Fatima there has been a refreshing injection of sweat vocals into the mix.
““I listen to quite a lot of hip hop – Wu Tang, MF Doom, Busta Rhymes, 70’s funk, old soul. There is too much from now and then”
But specifically about her current choice she’s clear
“I love those sounds, that ’spacey odyssey sound’. It’s dope. That’s definitely me amongst other stuff. At the end of the day it’s just good music. It might be inspired from certain sounds, in terms of instruments they used to create their sounds. But with a little touch, a little mash of now from influences of then. I think it’s just too fresh.”

Her arrival back in 2006 in London was semi-planned. Having only known the capital briefly as a student the relocation from her hometown Stockholm was a leap of faith as she explains.
“My best friend moved here but we didn’t move together. It was like both of us had our own little mission of what we wanted to do here in London.”
Halfway between her 16 and 17 years, the journey was a turning point in a young Fatima. And one that influenced her musically.
“I knew I wanted to go back” She smiles “If I can remember right that is. I’m getting cuckoo in my old age. Ha!”
“I remember at that time I bought Wiley’s album – Treddin On Thin Ice. I remember going home and being like yeah putting my little fingers in the air. I always wanted to go to his raves but never made it. I’m building a time machine now so I can go back, ha.
It’s lovely place [Stockholm] but after a while you feel like you want to see more of the world, ‘so let me go and see what’s up’, I thought. But that’s a big thing to do, to go to a country and say I’m gonna make it. But I thought to myself listen Fatma if I don’t go now time will just overtake you. When you’re young you can be quite selfish and if you want to try things it’s probably best when you’re younger. So I saved money and packed my suitcase.
For a month I was just walking around, checking out the London Eye and people skating. Sitting on a bench wondering what I’m gonna do, ha! But I eventually got a job and hit all sort of places like Plastic Peoples.”

Born to a Swedish mother and a father from Gambia – Senegal. As a kid she was always travelling around West Africa, influenced heavily by the sights and sounds. After attending music collage and hustling the mic at local basement venues in Stockholm it wasn’t until she made room for herself in the London scene, blowing the mind of a certain nutter and floating stranger that things really fell into place.
Those two figures were of course founders of Eglo records, Rinse FM DJ supreme Alexander Nut and producer/DJ Samuel T Shepherd aka Floating Points. One of the first releases to come out of the hugely respectable imprint and the only official lady within the crew, Fatima can now call Eglo Records home.

And what a great home it is. With a long list of dope releases showered in critical acclaim it’s currently a very impressive time for the fledging imprint – especially when you consider shifting vinyl is harder then shifting the common cold. What’s more, all involved are seemly sewn from the same thread. Holding this idea of multi-genre coolness and making unidentifiable sounds, they are one of the most interesting collectives of creative people in recent years

So what does it mean to be part of Eglo Records?
“It feels good. We are all really good friends, like a family really. When we use to hang out it always revolved around music so now that we’ve been a label for a while, it’s just golden” she laughs. “Golden baby!”

Production wise Eglo Records are without a doubt making some of the most exciting experimental sounds this side of Pluto but it’s Fatima’s grounding touch that is so crucial in binding Eglo’s melodic identity together.
As the days coffee turns lukewarm I stir our chat back to queries about her debut album. It will be dropping at some point she assures, just not right away.
“There is no point in stressing. You have to be satisfied with it.”
Thinking about the current digital age she then touches on a familiar problem.
“Everything is really disposable. It’s great to get stuff everyday but it can be overwhelming! Today it seems as if a lot of people want a lot all the time. I remember when I was growing up it took a while between projects. You actually appreciated the album. It’s not that I’m intentionally putting out less music, it just comes out when I’m satisfied. I can’t rush it.”

It’s a valid point. Imagine asking Picasso to churn out masterpieces or if Marvin Gaye or even A Tribe Called Quest back in the day had to deal with the pressures of free downloads and Internet demand. Would we appreciate their albums less?
Asking who would be the people to eventually release the album she’s adamant however Eglo Records are still the one.
“The more I thought about it the more it made sense. These are people I trust and have great taste in music and vision. So I wanted to be part of it. I released my first EP and it’s been good. This summer has been good too, playing at some festivals in Europe. It feels like we are moving in the right direction. I feel good, ‘cos it feels there is a lot of possibilities.”

Rightly so Fatima is optimistic and passionate about her future. And filled with that infectious self-confidence she leaves me with a few conquering words.
“If you want it enough you have to do it, otherwise life is gonna pass you by. To me it just feels like this is just me! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do so I’m gonna continue doing it.”

——-

Fatima Website
Fatima on Facebook
Eglo Records
Eglo Records on Facebook

Electronic producer Clive Tanaka is soon to release Jet Set Siempre 1º. Watch the second video (and the first) from the album, this one to the sounds of ‘Lonely for the Highscrapers’, an airy pop song. Japan is in our thoughts.

The opening ’Over the Rainbow Bridge’, the only track without a vocalist on the whole album, is a trademark Embee production reminiscent of his solo debut album Tellings from Solitaria from 2004. The song has a floating voice sample over a beautiful, melancholy track where a jazz piano and flutes are allowed to flow freely—but must also be chopped up in sections, all to the taste of a producer with his roots in hip-hop.

’Workable’, a logical second single to follow up ’One Day at a Time’ featuirng Daniel Lemma, has Swedish vocalist Nina Ramsby deliver a beautiful break-up over a jittery and electric beat blessed by a string section and, again, chopped up Kora-sounding instrument. Among the international guests is San, vocalist in Japanese electronica band The Antennasia, whose precious whisper of a voice has clear traces of Erykah Badu. Embee matches it with a minimally cool beat on ’Moonshine Bamboo’.

It’s an intense listening experience, and someone used to Embee’s solo work might find themselves in want of more instrumental songs to digest the vocal performances. Nonetheless, The Mellow Turning Moment is expectedly innovative and contains an impressive range of musical styles, all with Embee’s signature sound. And there is plenty of material for more singles.

words Sven Carlsson