Alex & his vinyl

Greetings nerds….this is one of the things I love about my non-job….job, interviewing intelligent folks in the business that aren’t afraid to deliver the music they love. I had the chance to catch up with Mr. Alex Chase of One Handed Music (UK)/Stones Throw (U.S.). As the owner of One Handed, he prides himself on putting out quality music while not focusing on making a quick buck which is rare in today’s musical climate. Its always great to see people adding to the culture as opposed to taking away from it. We spoke on everything from the current state of the industry to which producer he would save from drowning….

FN: Tell us a little about One-Handed. How long have you been feeding the ears and what makes you different from other indie labels here in London?

Alex: One-Handed started in 2007 with Paul White’s debut 7”, The Dragon Fly, and we took nearly a year to follow it up with Bullion’s Get Familiar. That was a hit (in the most modest underground sense) and suddenly it felt like we were onto something. The OHM family has grown haphazardly from there.
We have plenty in common with lots of indie labels but in terms of our peers, I think a big difference is that none of us are especially interested in making club music, and that reflects our listening habits. You’re more likely to hear a Lithuanian fiddle solo than to be wobbled to death. It’s a crate-digging hip-hop aesthetic that I suppose is a bit old school nowadays. Also, OHM artists get regular statements and get paid on time, and you’d be surprised how rare that is!

FN: What is your role and what is a day in the life of Alex Chase like?

Alex: OHM is pretty much a one-man show though I’ve had a lot of help with the new website and the odd great intern. As for a day in the life, my job is to run Stones Throw Records in Europe so I fit OHM in around that. My colleagues in LA get up about 4pm UK time so I work all sorts of hours. Until recently my job involved sending hundreds of emails a day and groaning when they generated hundreds more. I’ve cut down, it’s a bad habit.

FN: I get the notion you’re a vinyl junkie. Do you have a deep collection? What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a record?

Alex: I love vinyl. I still buy a lot, mainly old stuff. I wouldn’t say it’s deep compared to some people I know, something over 3000 records. Since I moved in with my girlfriend I’ve decided to keep my record collection the same size, so for everything I buy I have to get rid of something else. Luckily, I bought a lot of crap when I was DJing regularly so it’s only been an improvement. As for the most expensive, I still haven’t hit 3 figures! Got fairly close once or twice. This one just got reissued.

FN: What’s One-Handed’s relationship with Stones Throw and how did that come about?

Alex: There isn’t one, except that I run OHM and work for Stones Throw. I co-released Paul White & The Purple Brain with Now-Again, which is owned by Egon (Stones Throw’s General Manager) as he helped get it together and we could promote & distribute it better as a team.

FN: One-Handed Music’s roster is fairly small but filled with quality artists/producers. Do you plan to keep the roster small? Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when it comes to acts to sign?

Alex: Thanks! Yes, we’ll always have a small roster. It makes much more sense in the long term to develop artists and an identity than to fire out one-off singles and hope they stick. It’s also crucial that an artist is doing his or her own thing and not trying to fit in; it’s the hard road but it’s the only one worth taking. Stubbornness and single-mindedness are key qualities in an artist. Mainly though, it’s about enjoying a working relationship with someone whose music inspires me.

FN: I had the chance to interview Onra (producer from Paris) and one thing he stated was that he feels music should not be free. What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry and the effects the digital world is having on it?
Are you a believer in free content at all?

Alex: I’m afraid Onra is in for many years of disappointment! I could write about this for hours but in short, the digital revolution has improved much, much more than it’s harmed. Most artists who complain about piracy and free music culture would never have had a deal in the first place under the capital-intensive pre-digital system, and don’t mind promoting their music via soundcloud, facebook etc for (close to) free. I do get frustrated when I see some of the idiotic arguments people wheel out to justify the fact they don’t want to pay for something they can easily take, but then I also used to resent spending £15 on a CD when I’d only heard one track on the radio, only to find out the rest of it was shit. Most music will be free for the foreseeable future, and yet many artists have more opportunities than ever. It requires a significant change of perspective.

FN: If you had the power to build a new business model for everyone to follow, what would it look like?

Alex: It’s increasingly,(and brilliantly) impossible. I think the key today is to play to your strengths. If you’re the next Grateful Dead, give your music away and tour yourselves to death. If you’re an anonymous drone artist, sell intriguing pieces of vinyl to enhance your mystique. I can’t think of any way to make everyone rich & famous, but I do know we can dispense with the cookie cutters.

FN: Tell me about the last major life lesson you learned in regards to One-Handed Music.

Alex: Here’s one I learned the hard way: trust your instincts. If you feel uneasy about something, don’t continue till you’ve worked out why & responded accordingly. Regret is such an unpleasant emotion.

FN: I read a funny quote today:
“If you’re going to be an independent record label owner, you’re going to have to be kind of insane” Jac Holzman, Elektra. Any validity to this?

Alex: Of course – in an industry with a failure rate of well over 90% what kind of person can stay optimistic? Only the deluded survive, and we cherish our delusions. Did I mention I’ve just signed a huge hit?

FN: And last but not least, you’re on a raft and Paul White and Bullion are overboard drowning. You can only save one of them. Who do you save and why?

Alex: I suppose it depends who I owed the most money to at the time…

Be sure to check out One Handed’s latest release by Ahu/PaulWhite (free download) & the video as well
One Handed Music Website

Have you ever had your ears raped by music….and liked it? (Pause). Well, I have. Back in ‘96, one of my close friends (who showed me how to make beats on a Roland MC-505) gave me this CD titled ‘Feed Me Weird Things‘. As a hip hopper, my first thought was to throw the CD back at him but I decided to listen to it instead. Let’s just say I didn’t get past the first track due to its awesomeness until the other day. But really, there is no need to…. Squarepusher Theme is all I really needed to hear.

If you’re not familiar with Squarepusher, he is a producer of electronic music AND plays bass on top of it. Insane!! His pops was a jazz drummer, so it makes sense where he gets his jazz ear from.

Keep in mind this track is from 1996, so when I originally heard it, I had no idea someone could do that to a drum loop (listen to see what I’m talking about) and play bass on top of it. This track still sounds new to me after 14 yrs. Definitely ahead of his time…..

Song after the jump>>

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpig1xHqUTQ

~ Migawari ~
みがわり
(..to give/sacrifice oneself..)

giclee print on smooth cotton rag paper
size: 15″x19″ on a 16″x20″ sheet
with frame: 21.25″ x 25.25″

signed and numbered edition of 200
price of unframed: $200
framed: $450
shipping cost: tba

available for purchase HERE:
~September 4th. Saturday @ 1:00pm ~pacific time~

I love the overall tone/sound of the drums on this….

Ok you nerds…..my second release in 1 week (here is the first this week in case you missed it over in beat tape world). I figure if I release as many projects as Master P did back in 2000, then my bank account will look like his eventually (that’s sarcasm by the way). This song is special to me seeing that this is the first song where I have collaborated with London artists and musicians since moving here. On drums is the talented Timmy Rickard, Sarah Williams White on background vocals, and John Ace on acoustic guitar.

This time around, Roz spills his soul on this sunny, uptempo track (the irony huh?) about something we have all experienced….a relationship (romantic or friendship) gone sour after the realization that either party involved never really cared.

Lie to yourself if you want, but this sh*t is the sh*t (I’m feelin’ cocky right now).

Those fresh kids over at one of my favorite blogs abroad put together this retarded beat tape for the masses. They pretty much got with their favorite beatsmiths and requested some exclusive joints and this is the outcome of that. There are some very very nasty tracks on here so you may wanna protect ya neck. Enjoy bidges….

p.s. How funny is that artwork?!

“It wasn’t early, it wasn’t late. I wasn’t social, I didn’t wait.” – Ahu

Get this track free from: ahumusic.bandcamp.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRABn9NEM88

Download

Yep, its Tuesday….you know what that means. A feature from an artist you should know. And I actually feel like a dufus (yea, I said dufus) for just finding out about Signif seeing that I’ve been following her on twitter since Reagan was in office. When I asked her why I didn’t know about her rhyming before today, she simply and humbly replied:

So there you have it, check out Signif. She’s dope and from Milwaukee and is humble as all upcoming artists should be (Mr. KingKun please take notes).

Signif’s Bandcamp page
Bonus video

Greetings Fresh Nerds.  Happy to be guest posting for my homie, and adding my brand of…well whatever the f*ck it is that I do (over at my site coolmarriedguy.com).  So last week I tweeted something about an album that I found in my iPod that I couldn’t really understand why I put it there.  I don’t like it, I pretty much never liked it, so why exactly is it there? FN himself kinda dug the idea, asked me to compile a list of my top 5 “WTF Is This Doing In My Ipod” albums, and here I am.  So here’s my list.  I’m sure you’ll disagree with all or some of these, but we can debate if you want.  I will warn you though, I’m way qualified to have an opinion.  Ready mutha f*ckas?

5) Kid Cudi- Man on the Moon: The End of the Day

Now before you tell me how I’m crazy because Cudi is super dope and incredibly  talented…stop….I agree.  I think Cudi is like SUPER DUPER dope and has great intentions, but his album is not good. I think Cudi is of the mindset of myself and many or all of my favorite rappers, and knows both how to rap, and how to pick beats.  Here’s the problem though: He didn’t really do either of those on his album.  He sang and experimented with basic, stupid beats.  Outside of Day n’ Nite, Make Her Say, Pursuit of Happiness….ok and I’ll give him Solo Dolo, there’s a bunch of experimental garbage. I’m all for experimenting, but not on your first album.  Basically I think Cudder feels as if everyone is familiar with his body of work because people like Jay, Pharrell, and Kanye dig him, but we’re not.  Now he has me thinking that I overrated him, and I’m incredibly disappointed.  I’ve known this since I downloaded the album, yet it still sits there in my iPod, taking up GBs, and helping to guarantee that I’ll have songs to skip when I listen to it on shuffle. Damn, yo.

4) B.O.B.- The Adventures of Bobby Ray

No, YOU’RE buggin’.  I basically ignored the name B.O.B when he was really starting to bubble, and get co-signs from a lot of well respected industry folk.  Then, like many, I heard Nothin On You and was impressed not only by the fact that the beat reminded me of A Tribe Called Quest, but also that his flow was reminiscent of the ‘90’s, which let me know he knew his roots, and was learned for a young man.  I was in, and I knew the album would be great…

“WRONG!…..WRONG!” – Charlie Murphy

So I guess Bob is giving a serious recording career the old college try, but what that means is commercial crap over actual good music.  I can’t fault the dude for trying to actually have a recording career instead of trying to appeal to Okayplayers, but I can fault him for being another statistic on the “Couldn’t find a happy medium between commercial and good” list.  The album has 3 good songs, and 3-14 gets you fired.  Seriously, why does this occupy space in my personal jukebox?

3) Sade- Soldier of Love

…………………………………..Oh sorry, I was dosing off from giving this album one last listen.  Damn, Sadey, are you serious with this album?  I’d have to say that the Best of Sade, is one of the greatest collections of music in existence.  For years I’ve missed Sade’s sweet yet husky voice, assisted by the incredible music stylings of her back-up band Sweetback (who helped Maxwell on his first album, and had a pretty great album of their own in like ‘97,’98).  At night I’d pray “Lord, dear lord, please send us an album from the incomparable Sade Adu.  Make it great, make it wonderful.”  But I guess I forgot to specifically pray for the album not to, in addition, be the most boring album I’ve ever listened to in my entire life.  Seriously, I’d rather listen to someone do Morse Code for 24hrs straight, then ever hear this album again.  And as your boy Fresh Nerd put it “Sade’s album did suck.  Didn’t she have a song on there called Baby Daddy? Who’s idea was that?” If I even fix my fingers to type what I feel about that, I’ll punch my monitor. I have to delete this right now.

2) John Legend- Evolver

This is the album that sparked this post, yet still not my number 1 (more on that in a minute).  Man, do I love John Legend’s music.  Man, do I hate this album.  Is there a such thing as the Junior Curse?  Cause frankly Johnny’s 2nd album was pretty great just like his first.  So what the hell happened here?  Well I’ll tell you one thing: Green Light feat. Andre 3000 is one of the best songs ever made.  After falling in love with that song, I saw a commercial for the album that included a snippet of a song called Good Morning that I thought sounded extra John Legendy and got hype for the 3rd installment of his brand of soul music.  Once I got the album (that I actually downloaded legally, which I almost never…..wait, nothing), I learned that the aforementioned Good Morning was only an intro, and was only tolerable for about 2 measures.  The rest of the album was…I don’t even know what it was.  It was just there, and that’s just not good enough.  It’s not that the album is terrible, it’s just that it’s not showstopping and that sucks., especially since John Boy set the bar so high with his first 2 albums. I don’t know, maybe it’s me.  And what pisses me off the most is that I depend on artists like JL to come with a masterpiece every time, especially since music in general gets worse and worse as the days go on.  I would think that alone would push him to create a thing of beauty, not a unused file on my desktop. DELETED. Green Light, you can stay.

1) Various Artists- The Twilight Saga- New Moon

Hahahahahahaha! I literally can’t think about this without laughing.  Being the good husband, uncle, and brother that I am, I went to see New Moon with my wife, niece, nephew, and sister.  In the midst of laughing hysterically at all of the forced scenarios that allowed Taylor Lautner to appear shirtless through out the movie, I noticed a couple of pretty hot songs playing in the background and instantly thought “Could the Twilight Soundtrack possibly have good music on it?” Then immediately thought “Wait, do they still make soundtracks?”  Sure enough, the song that reeled me in was by Radiohead’s own Thom Yorke (silent “h”, silent “e”, just in case you were wondering).  In addition there was a creepy little song I dug by Lykke Li who people like Talib Kweli have recently been endorsing,  but I still have no clue who she or they are.  So instead of doing the sensible thing and just getting the songs I liked, I downloaded the whole album illegally legally . After never as much as thinking about, let alone listening to either of these songs again, a few months passed and I was in the gym, rockin’ the Pod on shuffle as I normally do.  That’s when it occurred to me: “Um, WTF is this doing in my iPod?”  This tween bloodsucker soundtrack is so random, so stupid, and so far from anything resembling music I like.  Now I’m left with a routine shuffle that includes artists like “Grizzly Bear, Sea Wolf, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Band of Skulls.” Wha-whu-wha-whaaaat?  This is literally the most ridiculous musical reach in my tenor. Good thing I didn’t pay for it It sucks that I, um, paid for this. DELETED. Thom, (I pronounced it with “h” this time) you can stay and hang out.

So that’s it folks, feel free to debate or laugh at me for having seen all 3 Twilight movies, and joining Team Jacob (though I know she winds up marrying Edward, becoming a vampire, then having a baby who later marries Jacob, further explaining why he was so drawn to her).  Come check me out at my site, where I regularly do my thing, and post a lot of hot sneakers, good music, and cool or entertaining products I find while perusing the web like someone who actually gets paid for it, with the occasional hint of relationship advice.  I’m at www.coolmarriedguy.com.  Holla atcha boy, blokes.

Whutsiznaim

This came out of nowhere….Philly based singer/producer, Suzi Analogue, is a pretty talented artist with a unique take on music. She is definitely one of the forward thinkers (as I call them) whose music may take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to the standard formula fed to us by the mainstream.

Download/Listen

Ok nerds, looks like ‘Ye has redeemed himself after that shenanigan of a track featuring Beyonce and Charlie Wilson (who does that?). Anyways, this track is pretty solid….I won’t say its life changing but definitely more listenable than his prior leaks. Thoughts???