Tag Archives: black tk

Black TK – Knowledge as a Form of Combat

Posted on by
1

People who have been with this show for a minute will undoubtedly remember the only other person who’s ever hosted a show on here (okay technically Mamiko did one too – thanks greg) – the man behind The New Soul series – Black TK.

Obviously in Tokyo I don’t run into dude as much as I used to, patient but I ran into this the other day.

TK has more than a few videos up on his account, but this one I think a lot of people could benefit from checking. Specifically his words on knowledge. From near the end of the video:

One of the best things you can do is to educate yourself, as well as to get a formal education. Combine those things. And then question those things.

Because it’ll give you a balance in life that no one can take away from you. There are certain things that you learn in the streets of Northern America that no one can teach you. And if you combine that with academic studies, you are going to be a very sharp sword, and you’ll be able to serve justice. And cut the heads off of a lot of people that come in your way.

There’s really not a whole lot more to say here.

I encourage anyone reading this, especially young brothers and sisters from those communities that are continually put at a disadvantage – I’m looking at those of you in high school, just out of high school, and hell even in middle school:

in all senses of the word, get an education.

MIXTAPE 105 – THE NEW SOUL 5 – JIMMY JAM + TERRY LEWIS

Posted on by
10


MIXTAPE 105 -THE NEW SOUL 5 – JIMMY JAM + TERRY LEWIS

Been a long time coming, surgeon but here we go with yet another installment of The New Soul (see whole series lineup here), hosted by Mixtape Show comrade Black TK. This time, TK introduces – or re-introduces, us to two of the true pioneers of this soultronica sound – Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. What they did with their drum programming and synthesizer lines was groundbreaking – and continues to influence producers of progressive music to this day.

For you old heads out there who remember these joints, take off those rose-tinted glasses and really listen to what these dudes are doing with their instrumentation, basslines, and production. Then compare with the next installment of the Soultronica Saga…coming quite soon. Or while you’re waiting, go listen to some of the old Soultronica episodes and hear whence people like Sa-Ra, J*Davey, and hell, Pharrell are taking their cues.

Tracklist:

Cherrelle - I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On. The bassline on this is mean!
Janet Jackson – Nasty. The clarity of the snares on this cut is brilliant. I remember hearing this as a young child and thinking Janet was talking about boys that played in the muddy part of the sandbox.
The S.O.S. Band – No One’s Gonna Love You. Check the processed 909 work and basslines on this one.
Janet Jackson – Making Love In The Rain. I’ve always dug the muted trumpet sound, regardless of the genre. I think I have a Suburb beatflip of this one, now that I listen to this again.

Note that this is also a continuation to the Origins Episode – highly recommended for some more early Soultronica sounds.

And on another note, I have some Black TK material that is going to absolutely blow your mind. I’m dead serious on this one. Blow your mind. Watch for that.

MIXTAPE 91 – SOULTRONICA 5 – BOUNTY HUNTERS

Posted on by
22


MIXTAPE 91 – SOULTRONICA 5 – BOUNTY HUNTERS

In Volume 5 of Soultronica, capsule we find our bounty-hunting heroes, Dex Digital and Brothertron, cruising through the Beta Quadrant looking to get paid. Just as Dex gets word about a mysteriously high bounty posted on the perpetrators of a mysterious crime (who gets all bent out of shape over an old WWIII artifact being stolen?), Brothertron notices the same bandits zooming by their ship. Incredulous at their luck, the two give chase.

All is not as it seems, though – it appears that these space pirates have some pretty advanced (and illegal) technology in their little 12-Series beater. What will happen when our brave duo finally encounters the space pirates? Will they get their bounty? Where did the space pirates get that cloaking device? What the hell is a “Guh-Unitay”, and why do the pirates – and the Intergalactic Corporation – want it so bad? Find out in this installment of the Soultronica Series.

PS – Yes, this is a continuation of the soultronica storyline. If you’re new, you might want to start from the beginning.

Tracklist

intro: Josh Ivey: Record Take 62. The opener theme song for our heroes. Josh has been in the lab recently working on some new tracks, but I haven’t heard any of them yet, hint hint.

intro 2: DJ Mehdi – I Am Somebody (DJ Paris Version). The joint goes hard, what can I say? djmedhi.

Special thanks to S. Kim for extra voice talent (S-Kim the bounty TV news reporter)!

Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Justice Remix vs MSTRKRFT Remix). I know that TK already dropped the original of this one back in The New Soul Vol 3 (which you really need to check, by the way), but this first version just goes too hard not to put you all up on. Then we’ve got the re-edit soundclash with the MSTRKRFT version, which doesn’t bang as hard, but the reinterpretation on the synth lines is bad. myspace.com/etjusticepourtous, myspace.com/mstrkrft.

Neptunes + Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I guess you could call this a remix, but it’s a bit too different to my ears. This circulated a long time ago (yes, Kanye was late to the game), and I just now rediscovered it. Whether you dig their stuff or not (and there’s no reason why you wouldn’t), people like P and Timbo really drive a fair bit of this new sound – as do Daft Punk. myspace.com/pharrell

digilude (searching for the space pirates): JR Don – Yobma. myspace.com/ghosteo.

Styles P – The Hardest ft AZ. Don’t forget that Soultronica has a lot of its roots in straightforward hip-hop as well. This cut could have worked easily as some standard boom-bap NY steez, but the futuristic synths just put this one on some galactic shit. myspace.com/stylesp.

Ty - Mpho’s Lament. 8 seconds. Yep. Important, though.myspace.com/tyandupwards.

Scienz of Life – Ginsu (Bronx River mix). Got this from John Robinson not too long, and immediately asked to put this one on the show. Took me a second to get to it, but I think it was worth the wait. The original mix is cool, but this futuristic one is just next level for me. myspace.com/scienzoflife.

digilude (battle): Biomass - Auxiumantia. Brilliant ambient producer from my own neck of the woods. If you ever see a flyer with the name “Biomass” on it, go, go, go. Dude brings his own television monitors. myspace.com/biomass.

Ladybug Mecca – Sweet and Polite. I have to admit, it took me a couple listens to really appreciate this one. As you might be able to tell, this one was produced by Sa-Ra. Sometimes I forget how good Ladybug Mecca really is – and the combo of her with the bizarre production of Sa-Ra is just too much. Somebody should tell them to do more collabos. The helium synth at the end is just bananas, by the way. myspace.com/ladybugmecca.

That’s what it is for this week. And yes, there is a whole storyline and universe behind this saga. You do not want to miss what happens next.

say something…

MIXTAPE 87 – SPOKEN WORD

Posted on by
9


MIXTAPE 87 – SPOKEN WORD

This racism in the USA mess is really getting old. If you haven’t read the last post on the Jena 6, glaucoma do that now.

This episode has been on the back burner for a minute, unhealthy and was going to be in a slightly different form, but I figured now was about as good a time as any for it. I apologize for the tone of the intro and the post. Can’t help it.

I’m going to expound on this later, but I’ll briefly state it here: Do you have a blog? Do you have a radio show, podcast, television show, or newsletter? Then you should be talking about this case.

Bobby Womack – The Facts of Life. You think rappers made the whole “talk for 32 bars before you start rapping” thing? Nope. Bobby Womack is the king of talking for hella bars before he starts singing. Note that this is slowed down, because I like it like that.

Amir Sulaiman – 82nd & Macarthur feat Sugar Macarthur. Yes, this dude sounds way too much like KRS One. I remember rocking this in the car and every 2nd track scanning the CD artwork making sure that this wasn’t like some weird pseudonym for a sideproject (dude does at one point note that he has a “voice like Kris”). This is one of very few spoken word albums I can recommend. Find it, get it. myspace.com/amirsulaiman.

Aya de Leon – If Women Ran Hip-Hop. Off the Queendom, Vol 1release. What can I say? Cosign. ayadeleon.com.

Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. There’s really not a whole lot to say about this song. It’s weird how the longer you wait on these joints, the more relevant they become. Gil on wikipedia.

Black TK – Intro: I Do What I Wanna Do. Yes, this is the same Black TK that presents the other side of the cutting edge in soultronica with me here on the Mixtape Show. This is off the unfinished L.A. Hustlers Manual Vol 2. I’ve got volume 1, though, and trust me – this shit will blow your mind. Watch this spot for more.

Saul Williams – Real Niggery Track 5. From the Catchdubs mixtape. His debut album really was not bad if you sat down and gave it a chance, but apparently not enough people did. Nick put this mix together with Saul some time ago, and proceeded to catch heat for the title. Whatever. I haven’t seen him live for a minute, but if he’s in your area, you should go. myspace.com/saulwilliams.

Uzi Smalls – Live at the Delancey NYC ’05 (Break The System). Dude is definitely one of the more unconventional people I’ve had the pleasure of trading e-mail correspondence with. I mean this in the best possible way. He records albums, and gives them away for free. This one just hit me. I recommend his freestyles. myspace.com/uzibaby.

David Banner – Cadillac On 22s (Acoustic Version). This is why there’s no outro – I can’t follow this. Will somebody tell people to stop fucking with Louisiana? I am not enjoying this. myspace.com/davidbanner.

There it is.