C.O.A.C.M presents…5 Questions with: MAXPTAH

May 31, 2012 Vahé Leave a comment

1. what’s your name, where are you from & how did you get involved with music?

MaxPtah, from Memphis, Tn. got involved just from being a fan and lover of music first. i was more into sports and my brother was the musician of the family playing the sousaphone at Grambling State and later on in the Navy. one of my cousins gave me his DR-5 to hold for a minute while he was in school and i just learned it (no instruction manual at all, lol) and that’s where it all started.

2. how did your particular track in the mix come about/is there a story behind its creation?

the emcee i did this project with, Infinito 2017, sent me some accapellas of his from a few albums he’s done already and i just remixed a few to put together this particular project. this track in particular though was already made and it just so happened that the tempo was the same. i decided to slap it on there cause Infinito is that dude and i knew it would get out there to the masses. this is probably my favorite track of any i’ve ever made.

3. who or what inspires you to create? and how do you STAY inspired?

the love of music in general for one, and some of my fellow producers in the city that i work with keep me inspired: Fathom 9, EMPEE, DJ Homework and IMAKEMADBEATS just to name a few. staying inspired is hard because life gets in the way often. i get to points i don’t want to do anything cause something else has my attention and that’s something i’ve got to get out of. music is my safehaven though. so regardless if i’m distracted somehow i’m at least listening to a lot of music and that serves as the means of staying inspired also.

4. your opinion on copyright and the sharing of music? (specifically tunes made by unsigned, under-the-radar and bedroom artists that are then shared by fans?).

i love it! i don’t like being force fed anything and i feel like that is what the mainstream is doing right now. i like hearing what these guys (and gals) have cooking up. it feels rawer and truer than what’s on the mainstream level. not to say there aren’t any artists in the mainstream that don’t have that feel, it’s just that at least with the “unsigned, under-the-radar, bedroom artists” you know for sure that they aren’t held back by anything. period.

5. the best place to listen/download/buy your tunes? and any final words you’d like to say to the Internets?

go here for everything MaxPtah. and also thanks to you for putting this compilation together and including that song in it. thanks to everyone for their support. we genuinely love every single ounce of support that comes our way, even the criticism, because that would imply that you took the time to listen to our art. also i got an album coming out in August called “Live From Everywhere” so be on the lookout for that too. Peace!

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Max‘s track “El In Tune With Nature” (featuring Infinito 2017) appears on CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND Vol. 1: .zip/.rar/Soundcloud.

mpfree lanks, muzak

COM TRUISE // KOMPUTER CAST Vol. 1 – 5 (+ “Ghostly Edition”)

May 30, 2012 Vahé 1 Comment

being an advocate of any and everything the 80s had to offer stylistically, musically & overall aesthetically, i have of late MASSIVELY gotten into a series of podcasts/mixes by Com Truise (boss name, btw) called KOMPUTER CAST. they’re generally a nice even mix of 80s synthfunk, r&b & new wave, interspersed with his own material, 80s film soundtrack cuts and clips from classic 80s films (one also makes use of a presentation video for the Fairlight CMI). the few weeks i’ve spent living with em has further opened my eyes and ears to even more (a plethora, if u will) of 80s tunes i never knew existed (it starts with investigating one song off the tracklist on YouTube, which turns into a 4-hour sojourn of clicking the next promisingly-similar-looking “Recommended Video”). i thought it best to help share these vibes, as this shit is pretty much completing my existence right about now. yknow, in a musical way. CLICK ON THE FRONT COVER PICS FOR DIRECT DOWNLOADS OF EACH MIX VIA COM TRUISE’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE (tracklists are provided on his website & in the .zip file).

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muzak, writings

MAXWELL // “OF ALL KIND” // blackSUMMERS’night // June 2012

May 29, 2012 Vahé Leave a comment

Max took to twitter & facebook last week and dropped info on his upcoming single “Of All Kind”, set to be released very soon (sometime in June), with the 2nd installment of the blacksummers’night trilogy dropping soon after that (he said “this Summer”). he also provided some of the lyrics on his FB post:

OF ALL KIND

one day in and the next you’re out
there’s no way to insure that no danger
will not be found
will your angels hear the sounds
will i ever be where you are where spirits go
if my end should come i can only hope that..

there is a light and no end in sight
where god and you are combined
in the brightest light of all kind..

mpfree lanks, muzak, writings

C.O.A.C.M presents…5 Questions with: JODECI BOYD

May 26, 2012 Vahé 1 Comment

and we come to what could be my favourite interview of the lot so far (even tho it’s the shortest it’s the most serendipitous). one late night almost a month ago i got into an 90s r&b mood, which happens pretty often as that’s the shit i mostly grew up listening to. so it kinda sticks and you end up having these 2-3hrs blocks of time where it’s nothing BUT 90s jams. in the midst of that, i naturally fired up some Jodeci. and as always i went to YouTube for the quick and easy access, where i stumbled onto a random video of a cool chick singin an acoustic track, simply titled “Beautiful Company”. weird thing was it was labeled as “Jodeci” as well, which i thought was a mistake. turns out, it’s not. after fallin in love with the song, i ended up using it as the last track on the C.O.A.C.M. Vol. 1 mix (after editing and EQing it a bit). eventually i got in touch with her ppls and here we are! get to know her, folks. i’ma do all i can to promo her stuff in future so keep an eye (and both ears) out.

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1. what’s your name, where are you from & how did you get involved with music?

my name is Jodeci Boyd, i’m from Moreno Valley. i got involved in music at a young age, i’ve always loved singing & listening to music, just the different styles & genres.

2. how did your particular track in the mix come about/is there a story behind its creation?

this song was written from a personal experience of mine. one day i was just in deep thought jamming, came up with the chords & just freestyled the lyrics.

3. who or what inspires you to create? and how do you STAY inspired?

my love for music, the struggle of life, any & everything good in life will continue to keep me inspired. i just wanna keep writing & keep telling others about my stories. maybe one day i’ll touch people on a way deeper level.

4. your opinion on copyright and the sharing of music? (specifically tunes made by unsigned, under-the-radar and bedroom artists that are then shared by fans?).

i think it’s awesome. i love that it gives artists leeway, it helps get them a little fan base going . this website inspired me to start posting more, seeing that people have been downloading it gives me more confidence to post more of my music for people to listen to.

5. the best place to listen/download/buy your tunes? and any final words you’d like to say to the Internets?

honestly i’d have to go with YouTube. it’s my favorite place to look for artists & music. i’m not big on being online anymore so i haven’t really been downloading music, but when i do i get it off of YouTube.

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Jodeci‘s laid back acoustic ditty “Beautiful Company” closes out the CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND Vol. 1 mix (edited & re-mastered by moi). i truly appreciate the random way in which this song dropped into my life, not to mention it also helped spark this entire idea into existence. please take the time to check both the mix and the song out. SUPPORT GOOD MUSIC. download the mix here: .zip | .rar | Soundcloud.

muzak, writings, youtubery

D’ANGELO’s June 2012 interview with GQ + his acoustic cover of Funkadelic’s “Soul Mate” + interview OUTTAKES

May 25, 2012 Vahé Leave a comment

[THE INTERVIEW]

[ACOUSTIC COVER OF FUNKADELIC‘S “SOUL MATE“] [VIDEO]

[INTERVIEW OUTTAKES]

interview by Amy Wallace | photography by Gregory Harris

what to say that hasn’t already been said? it’s simply good just to know he’s out there doing his thing. i think i enjoyed reading the outtakes much more than the central piece, mostly cos the main interview reminded me too much of the pre-album hype machine that exists behind D’Angelo. i’m not sure if HE realises it, but a lot of his angst and worry about the pitfalls of fame start within his own camp. and far more importantly, clearly the man himself couldn’t make the mental transition to handle his biz and not fall off the face of the Earth. the WORRY is that he’s still invoking the ghost of Marvin and still seeing himself as following the path of ‘died too young/died tragic phenom artist’. but most of it just sounds like regular music biz bullshit, which consists of what appears to be a very SICK evironment not conducive to free-thinking, mostly gentle souls who just wanna make the music they wanna make, and when they wanna make it. i see a lot of blame gets heaped at “Untitled”‘s door, which is complete fucking bullshit. everyone involved in the production of what sadly came to DEFINE D’s career KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE FUCK THEY WERE DOIN.

shit was CALCULATED. that may sound like an accusation, but i’m not mad about it. i’m just not naive as hell. if D wants to TRULY regain the fans he left wandering for over a decade, dude’s gotta let go of ‘the image’ and be fucking honest about it all. this interview seemed like a good step in that direction. i wish nothing but onwards and upwards success for this man. freal.

moofies, mpfree lanks, muzak

TOP SECRET!: Original Soundtrack (1984)

May 22, 2012 Vahé Leave a comment

brilliant film & awesome soundtrack. i won’t try to pretend to take credit for providing this gem (it was easy enough to find via the same ol blogsearch routines). i do, however, have a penchant for trying to provide somethin that’s either unavailable elsewhere or is in need of sharing to a wider audience. and that’s where this falls. plus after posting “Spend This Night With Me” on YouTube and getting such a positive responds, i feel they should probably have a spot to download the s/track for themselves. and yes Val Kilmer did all his own singing stunts.

01. skeet surfing (2:59)
02. are you lonesome tonight? (1:37)
03. how silly can you get (2:50)
04. straighten out the rug (2:01)
05. tutti frutti (1:42)
06. spend this night with me (3:31)

:::DOWNLOAD:::
zip | rar