Classic Albums: Portishead “Portishead”

TRIP HOP.  Literally.

If Shirley Bassey went on a 12 month opiate binge & linked up with the Rza during her withdrawal period, you get Portishead.  My uncle Paul put me on to this group in 1997 & this album has been a part of me since.  Sometimes in hip-hop there are certain albums that producers will not touch due to the projects inability to be made hotter.  I am really surprised some of these underground cats haven’t attacked this album & chopped it for all its worth, leaving nothing behind except deteriorated bass lines & filtered out vocals.  DO NOT let this post be your introduction to ruining something that is already perfect.  The album sparks with “Cowboys”, a rugged never smooth compilation of wailing guitars, choppy pulsating rhodes chords, a ride symbol that must have been hit with the tip of a knife, and something that sounds like Godzilla moaning as a bass line. It automatically shoots chills down your spine when Beth Gibbons opens with “Did you sweep us far from your feet?/ reset in stone, this stark belief/”.

Tributes to hip-hop break beats, dope scratches, filtered samples, and excellent engineering make this album one of my favorites of all time in any genre.  You cannot exactly pin point the musical family you would find this album a part of, which is one of the qualities that make it so dope.  The beat from “Elysium” drops at 0:12 and it might be one of the hardest tracks that came out in 1997.  “Over” was an all time favorite for Little Vic when I used to puffa-lotta-pot.  Being completely obsessed with music since I was able to understand it, I always made sure I had a dope stereo system rigged up in my bedroom.  That song would blast holes in my 12 inch Sansui’s & devastate my 15 inch Pioneers until my neighbors were humming the melody.  You might NOT want to listen to Portishead if you take mushrooms…I mean…I wouldn’t know…but…yeah…anyhow.  “Seven Months” always reminded me of a Bond theme.  When those 1/16 triplet boom baps hit at 0:25, you have no choice but to bob your head like you are dodging bullets from Francisco Scaramanga’s barrel.

Besides Beth’s lyrics being completely insane, depressing, eerie, chilling & all the other things we love…the production is not to be fucked with for lack of better words.  If I could completely bite someone’s entire style & call it my own… it would be Portishead’s.  The group split a few years ago, which really got me tight.  I would love to hear what type of insanity would be coming out of their studio today.  I can only imagine.  What I do know is that I will pursue them & offer them my first born child to produce a song for me…(Kidding.)

Anyhow… It is nearing 6am, and I have to gather alcohol & food for tomorrow nights PPV fight between Pacman & Cotto.  I hope I put you on to something new that will never leave your iPod.  I would link you to the free download but this really is something you should buy if you crave meaningful lyrics, fiend for boom baps, and live for incredible engineering.  If you already know about Portishead, good for you.  If I put you onto this, hit me up at LittleVicBlog@gmail.com and give me your thoughts on this monstrosity of an album.

DO NOT SAMPLE ANYTHING FROM THIS ALBUM.  SAVE YOURSELF THE EMBARRASSMENT!  ALSO CHECK OUT PORTISHEAD’S FIRST ALBUM “DUMMY”… ANOTHER INCREDIBLE PEICE OF WORK WITH PRODUCTION THAT COULD STAND UP TO ANY HIP HOP ALBUM.

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Little Vic Throwback “Your Gone”

Here is a track I did a few years back.  I hit everyone on the team with this sample & John John sent me the beat he did first… I couldn’t even give anyone a chance to flip it because it was so hot.  We then went to mix it at my boy John’s studio & came up with the bassline during the session… This is one of my favorite tracks that I did during that era… You can tell the difference in delivery, Voice, Flow and overall Skill if your a Little Vic fan.. But regardless… Puff an L and enjoy one of our favorite throwbacks here at Orena Records…

http://www.zshare.net/audio/68443468ea79ec37/

Winner of the “S’all Right” Remix Competition : DJ Connect – Here’s a little insight on the Swedish Producer & What he’s been up to

DJ Connect from south Sweden started his hiphop career at the turntables. After a while the beatmaking became interesting and soon he got his first Akai sampler. The inspiration came from the hiphop of the mid-nineties and other genres such as jazz, funk and soul music. Getting into crate digging was only a natural step for a DJ and a producer and that has led to a great dedication to art of sampling. Making diverse beats in the name of boom-bap is the key to Connect’s work in the hiphop scene as well as skillful techniques on the turntables.

DJ Connect is a member of the Swedish DJ/production crew Elite fleet which is working with artists from all around the world. The crew is about to release a full length album with some of the renowned names in the underground hiphop world.

Some MC´s who have dropped a verse on a DJ Connect beat: Creative Juices, Planet Asia, Rasco, UG (Cella Dwellas), The Outsidaz, Jeru the Damaja, Motion Man, Craig-G, Maylay Sparks aka Rahsheed, Jise (Arsonitsts), Cosmic (Looptroop) etc.

DJ Connect released the mixtape/album “Big Ape & DJ Connect – Explosive exclusives (Platform records 2008)” and the album “IDE & DJ Connect - Table of content (Creative juices music 2009)”

DJ Connect is currently finishing the long awaited album Ideology together with Ide of Creative juices crew.

HERE IS DJ CONNECT’S REMIX OF “SALL RIGHT” (LITTLE VIC & CRITICAL).  HE WON THE HIDDEN AGENDA REMIX COMPETITION AND WILL HAVE THIS SONG FEATURED ON “SUICIDE MISSION”

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6834474164c247f7/

 

GO AHEAD… SHOOT!!!

1.  So you won the Hidden Agenda remix competition out of many producers.  What type of equipment do you use, and what did you start with?

-Ive been using the akai s3000xl sampler for 6-7 years now and I feel very comfortable with it. Before that i was just using the computer with different programs. Once you get a Akai sampler there is no way you get back to a computer.

2.  Name some of your influences as far as production goes, and some of your dream collaborations as far as artists.

-Infuences is Pete rock, Dj Premier, Rza, Alchemist, Large pro and cats like that. Dream collabo would be Big Daddy Kane or Krs-1.

3.  I know I have totally retired certain albums as far as sampling, Is there any old album that you have completely raped?

-I usually only sample a record once or twice.

4.  Is there anything in particular you look for in an MC before you produce something for him/her?  Do you make beats for MC’s from scratch?  Or let them choose from what you have?

-I make so many beats i got a big library so i let mcs choose from what i got. but if i do more than one joint with someone i make a beat special for him.

5.  I heard the mixtape you did with IDE called “Table of Content” and it was dope.  Tell the people about the album “Ideology” & “Elite Fleet”

-Thanks. Me and Ide of Creative juices started working on a ep long ago. after a few tracks we decided to make a album instead. this has been a long time project and we are now finished with the result “Ideology”. Its a underground, hardcore hiphop album straight up… Got a lot of dope guests like Outsidaz, UG, Ill bill, Maylay Sparks aka Rasheed and i cant wait until we release it. Its pure fire.

Elite fleet is my crew, we are all producers and djs and we got a album dropping on kutmasta kurts label threshold rec. Its a collaboration album with cats like Masta ace, Jeru the damaja, Cali agents, Akrobatik, Skyzoo, Ide and many more. We got beats if anyone is interested!! haha..

6.  Producers always have obstacles… Name one of the most ghetto-rigged situations that you actually had to make work…

-I try to avoid ghetto rigged situations…

7.  Any superstitions or Idiosynchrocies?

-I used to have a rule that said i wasnt allowed to sample any record from1980 or later but i have gotten over it. 8. I tend to make raunchier beats in a messy, dark studio… & I get some of my best work done in the Winter… Do you have a specific time of year and or mood you require to work at your highest potential?

 

- I can make beats whatever the time is but i usually work best when its dark outside. But i have very big problems to make beats when im hangover. Ihave tried it so many times and never ever managed to do a decent beat.

9. Best produced album ever?

- Prince Paul – A Prince among Thieves or Gza – Liquid Swords

10. I end up sampling shit, then really loving the song I sampled.  Have you come across any really dope artists from back in the day via sampling, that you listen to on the regular?

-oh yes a lot of stuff! Accually i dont listen that much to new music, I mostly listen to older hiphop and the funk and soul that i sample. Al Green is amazing and Isaac Hayes is incredible. I go through everything from Stax to Rawkus records.

11.  Shout outs, release dates?

Check out Ide & Dj Connect – Ideology, its dropping soon. we got a single called nation of goons and its dropping any day now.

Elite fleet album – Swedish export is gonna be the bomb in earliy 2010! dont sleep on that.

Peace to Ide, the hole Creativejuices crew and my fam Elitefleet and Little Vic for this interview and remix.

More info at www.creativejuicesmusic.com and www.elitefleethiphop.com

www.myspace.com/elitefleetdjconnect

Contact the Orena Team and our close Affiliates for Collabs/Production @ discount prices!!!

In the process of finishing “Suicide Mission” I have set aside a decent amount of time to wrap up features & production deals for my fans & peers.  Some of these include FULL songs with topics, 16 bar aggressive verses, HOOKS, Intros etc.  I have a very dope arsenal of beats that are just dying to be ripped, and they are finally getting the opportunity due to some excited MC’s that purchased them at discount prices.  Here is a list of the Email addresses that I use for people to contact me about different inquiries & some of my peoples email addresses (MCs, Producers, DJs)… You can also do combinations of these following names, and the price will be even lower… FOR ALL QUESTIONS, HIT ME UP ON LITTLEVICBLOG@GMAIL.COM

For Features:

Little Vic – LittleVicVerses@gmail.com

cRITICAL - cRITICALCollabs@gmail.com

Madness – MadnessCollabs@gmail.com

Tzarizm – Tzarizm@gmail.com

FredNukes - FredNukes@gmail.com

Production:

Little Vic – LittleVicBeats@gmail.com

John John – DjJohnJohnBeats@gmail.com

BIG KO – (Hit me up on LittleVicBlog@gmail.com to inquire)

Buckwild – (Hit me up on LittleVicBlog@gmail.com to inquire)

Velotz – VelotzBeats@gmail.com

SlyVest - SlyVestBeats@gmail.com

Tzarizm – TzarizmBeats@gmail.com

FredNukes – FredNukes@gmail.com

DJS

Dj John John – Djjohnjohnbeats@gmail.com

Incrediboi – Djincrediboi@gmail.com

DON’T SLEEP ON THIS!!! YOU WILL BE 100% SATISFIED WITH ANY OF THESE MC’S/PRODUCERS/DJS BECAUSE THEY ONLY GIVE 100% WHEN THEIR NAME IS ATTACHED.

-THANK ME LATER

VIC

Poster…..

LISTEN… I KNOW I HAD MY LAST POST SAY NOVEMBER 14TH… BUT I STILL HAVE MAD SHIT TO DO PEOPLEEEEE… I WANNA GET A SHORT VIDEO DONE THIS WEEKEND, AND I AM WAITING FOR BUCKWILD… THATS RIGHT… BUCKWILD OF D.I.T.C. TO DRAG A FEW TRACKS OFF HIS DATS & SHOOT EM OVER… IF I DELAY ANY FURTHER THAN THE 14TH ITS ONLY TO BRING YOU A VERY WELL ROUNDED ALBUM WITH AS MUCH HOT NEW MATERIAL AS I CAN …. TRUST ME, IT’S NOT BECAUSE I AIN’T BUSTING MY ASS IN THE STUDIO… FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HIT ME UP FOR COLLABS/ PRODUCTION DEALS, YOU HAVE PICKED THE PERFECT TIME TO DO SO…I JUST HOPE EVERYONE WHO GOT A GOOD DEAL ACTUALLY FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH THE BUSINESS & DOESN’T WASTE MY TIME… REGARDLESS, I AM GOING TO RELEASE AN ACTUAL TRACK FROM SUICIDE MISSION THIS WEEKEND BC I AM IN A GOOD MOOD, BUT AS WE KNOW… THAT CAN CHANGE QUICKLY!!!  DON’T LET TOO MANY CHEFS ADD SALT TO YOUR SUNDAY SAUCE… BC YOU PROBABLY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FRESCA TO QUENCH THEIR THIRST AFTERWARD. <!– ANALOGY OF THE WEEK.

Exclusive!!!! “How the Time Flies” prod. Velotz

 

I was just going through tracks on the comp, and I came across this one… Did it a few weeks ago, but it isn’t making Suicide Mission so I figured I would let you have it! Feedback is imperative

http://www.zshare.net/audio/679921787a59b65c/

Winner of the Hidden Agenda Remix competition!

Congratulations to DJ CONNECT!!! Good job to everyone who competed, I will be posting another acapella soon for a 2nd remix competition… winner will get the track on my myspace & dj john johns myspace, on this blog, a twitter blast, & an interview on the blog…. stay tuned for details!

DEADLINE!

I’LL BE ACCEPTING REMIXES UNTIL NEXT SATURDAY… SO KEEP THEM COMING… I GOT A FEW REALLY DOPE ONES I AM ALREADY CONSIDERING AS WINNERS…BUT CONTINUE TO SEND! THIS IS INTERESTING! Hiddenagendaremix@gmail.com

Look below for info about the remix competition

Suicide Mission set to drop Nov 14

Whattup Headless Opera. I can’t even call this shit a mixtape. Usually mixtapes are music thrown together. Shit that wouldn’t be used for an album. The tracks I am putting on “Suicide Mission” are songs I would run with for my album.. The idea is to not shrink in the quality department. I know for a fact that the beats are better put together, the flow is more on point, the verses are overall BETTER than that of “Each Dawn I Die”. I just don’t like titling it a Mixtape because automatically people expect it to be throwaways & zero effort put into the product. As you know, I have been working on this for quite some time & I am proud of the music that is on it. The majority of songs I have leaked on this blog will not be appearing on “Suicide Mission” so you will have an entirely NEW set of material… maybe aside from “Pump your Fist”, the final version of “Sinner”, & the winner of the remix competition..( which will be announced very soon, we got some really dope remixes!!! )… After I release this project, I will take a small hiatus to get my ass on a beach somewhere but the day of my return I will go full force with “Autopsy”… I also have some cool projects coming up in the near future… One with cRITICAL called “Euthanasia” ( A cross between his Medical titles & my Deathly titles ) … I will also start banging out my instrumental album with John John, Velotz & Sly Vest. Keep your eyes open for new Hidden Agenda material, BIG KO tracks, Joey Fuckin’ P, CP (he’s a dope MC I am developing. Understands the science of flowing)… If you haven’t downloaded Critical Madness’s “Organ Donors” Mixtape.. I suggest you do ASAP. SINCE I SUCK AT THIS COMPUTER SHIT… CLICK ON THIS HIGHLIGHTED PARAGRAPH TO DOWNLOAD THE CRITICAL MADNESS MIXTAPE!!! Also look out for cRITICAL & Tzarizm’s “Close to Home” EP. I got me a copy of that EP this weekend from Crit & let me tell you, that shit inspired me to hop out of my car & run into the studio. Thats all for now ya limber dick cocksuckers!!! Don’t forget to contact me at … & for you producers, GET ON THAT REMIX POST DOWN BELOW THIS ONE!!!!