A quick glance at this week's Hip-Hop Top Five charts (all below) from the Berkeley, San Francisco, & Hollywood Amoeba Music locations (thanks respectively to Tunde, Luis, & Marques Newson) further proves what I've been feeling all along this year: that hip-hop is in one of the most exciting and healthiest states that it's been in for a minute. To my ears, nearly every new hip-hop full-length release dropping these days is quality shit. Sure, there's a few lemons here and there, but mostly new 2008 hip-hop is more likely to be on hit than sound like shit.

Another glance at these new rap charts also reveals that hip-hop has arrived at perhaps its most richly diverse stage in its 30 plus years.  It's as if in 2008 hip-hop has all grown up, multiplied, and gone forth and conquered the world (of music) with a wide range of sounds all qualifying as hip-hop today.  From the stripped down, style of Minneapolis' Atmosphere, to the bouncy hip-hop of the Bay Area's Lyrics Born (pictured above) with its funk foundation, to the trippy sounding Danger Mouse-produced new Gnarls Barkley, to the straight-up hard turntable hip-hop beats and cuts of DJ Quest, to the twisted soulful, ten-track, mostly instrumental,  grooves of the new one from the late J-Dilla -- a hell of a lot of musical territory is being covered under the hip-hop umbrella of '08.

HIP-HOP TOP FIVE @ AMOEBA MUSIC BERKELEY

Continue reading

Props to San Francisco Amoeba Music electronic music buyer and sometime Amoeblogger MikeBee (left),  aka Mike Battaglia, who pens the Technophilia blog.  He got a really nice one page write up in this week's SF Weekly in their special Listen Up issue dedicated to "local aficionados who help San Francisco navigate a brave new world."

Under the heading "Making a Buzz: DJ MikeBee keeps electronic connoisseurs on their toes," the article, penned by Toph One, gives much love to MikeBee, calling him "a true vanguard in the SF music community" and labeling him a "Renaissance man" for his long list of accomplishments that include being a club & radio (KUSF) DJ, journalist, and label co-owner. To read the article in full either pick up the current SF Weekly and flip open to Page 15 of the Listen Up supplement or read it online at sfweekly.com.

Monday, March 17th (aka Saint Patrick's Day) looks like it is going to be a good day at Amoeba Music for free music when Neon Neon (the group formed by Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals) play a free instore at the Hollywood Amoeba Music (6PM showtime), while up north Peru Negro have an instore performance at the San Francisco Amoeba Music at 7PM.  Speaking of free things from Amoeba Music: coming soon will the new issue of Music We Like, the booklet and online list of the music that folks who work at Amoeba are feeling (Top Five lists etc.). Meantime, check out the last Music We Like  online.

Maybe I am bit selfish or egocentric but I think sometimes that certain releases come out just for me. It makes me feel special. We all have our special little secret bands we like and it is always exciting to hear some new band for the first time, especially when you feel like you may already like every band that you are ever going to like.

I have been really obsessed with the Explosions in the Sky for the last couple of years. It is nice to have an instrumental album to escape into every once in a while, for the times you don't really want to hear anybody talking and just need time alone to think for yourself.  It helps me focus myself and think about my life. I often use electronic music on these types of days, but sometimes that gets a little too intense and I need some more smooth instrumental music. I really am starting to sound like some smooth jazz new age dude right now. What is going on? I guess it is sort of like some dude that is into crazy free jazz but every once in a while just needs some smooth jazz. I guess I really should not compare instrumental rock music to smooth jazz. It really is in its own category. I have really worn out my Explosions in the Sky albums, so I was excited to find the new band The Photographic. Their debut album Pictures of a Changing World comes out today. They come from the land of Louisville, Kentucky. And they really sound nothing like smooth jazz.

I seem to go through phases of liking music from one area of the world. For a while I seemed to be listening to a lot of music coming out of Austin, Texas. At the end of last year I was really obsessed with music coming out of Sweden. I don't intentionally go out and try to find bands from one certain city or country, it just sort of happens-- so it might just happen that I all of sudden start liking a bunch of Louisville bands. I thought I would check to make sure I already don't. I did also find out some interesting facts about the city.