Albums List

So here is my list of what I believe to be the best albums of the year. Music is a completely subjective thing and I'm sure they'll be plenty of people that will disagree. If you do then please let me know in the comments section below, I'm always on the lookout for new stuff so any recommendations would be welcomed.

This year the list is dominated by Hip Hop because it's been a very good year for the genre with some real big releases. There are plenty of albums that I've missed and I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse so I'm sure there is a ruck of brilliant stuff I just don't know exists. I'll list a track to check for each album, if you have the time please do go and check them out and if you like it please go spend some money on it. Support good music!!!

Without further ado here is my top ten of the year in order.

Honourable Mentions

Mister Jason - Son of Frankensteez EP

Not a full album so not in but worth mentioning all the same. I've spent most of the year listening to Mister Jason Presents Frankensteez but it's release date was 2011 so I can't include it, worth a check though as is this great EP featuring a killer DJ Format remix.

Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown - Dice Game

Top quality album but it doesn't quite make it because I haven't really been able to spend as much time with it as I would have liked. I only picked it up a month or so back and it hasn't had enough play for me to be familiar enough to Top 10 it. Still a great album and well worth a chunk of your hard earned.

Action Bronson & Alchemist - Rare Chandeliers

Similar to the above mentioned Guilty Simpson/Apollo Brown album I haven't played this enough to warrant it's inclusion. Top stuff and it's great start to finish I just haven't got off listening to Bronson's 2011 Dr. Lecter album. I'm sure it'll get a lot more love from me over the coming months.

Top Ten

10) Tim Fite - Ain't Ain't Ain't

I love Tim Fite, having seen him support Buck 65 a few years back in Manchester and being blown away by just how weird this guy was I've kept a close eye on his work. There has always been plenty of Mr. Fite's music to enjoy as he is one prolific itchy-legged gentleman, who also has a tendency to put his music up for free download on his site, good egg!

This album is Tim Fite's third full length studio album and follows Fair Ain't Fair and Gone Ain't Gone and it's a far more accessible album than some of his earlier work. Not one to be pigeonholed Tim Fite's album spans several genres from stripped down country to Beirutesque noodlings, the remarkable thing is how cohesive it remains throughout which is no small feat given the bases he touches on this record. The weirdness and sampling have definitely been dialled down from his previous offerings and I only hope this helps the dude get out to a bigger audience. Starting with you guys hopefully.

Track to Check = Hold Me All Night - Try not to sing along to this after a few listens or get carried away on those drums. I dare you.

9) Best Coast - The Only Place

This is a band I got into on the strength of an album cover 2010's Crazy for You here it is...

Top notch

The album was a pleasant surprise of lo-fi shoe-gazey surf rock (I can't believe I typed that either, sorry) and as such I discovered a new band to keep an eye on. This years follow up 'The Only Place' was duly picked up with expectations of more of the same, turns out that Best Coast don't dish up seconds and as such have served up a far more polished, alt-country album to be enjoyed. The album feels more clear and concise and singer Bethany Cosentino seems to be on some Neko Case shit, not a bad thing in my opinion. A very relaxing album as that despite the downbeat nature of most of it seems to have an extremely uplifting effect on me.

Track to Check = Up All Night - Great songwriting and should actually be huge. This will be used on some tween movie romantic scene soon and people are going to wake up to these guys over here.

8) P.O.S - We Don't Even Live Here

I'll be honest, I wasn't familiar with P.O.S or his group Doomtree but I saw this album mentioned round a lot of places online at it's time of release, a little check of a couple of the tracks and it was purchased.  This album is filled with big songs. The heaviness of the opener Bumper, complete with some of the best drums I've heard on a track this year (simple yet hard), was enough to have me reaching for my card. On the whole the album is filled with filthy, club ready tracks that again could be big over here in the UK but for whatever reason isn't, check it and start spreading the word.

Track to Check = Get Down ft. Mike Mictlan - This is the only song that gave Spaceship Earth a run for it's money in my Track of the Year thinking. This song is dripping with a filthy, sweaty swagger that is ideal for a packed club. Would love to see this spun in V2!

7) DZ Deathrays - Bloodstreams

Australian rock that is in your face, distorted, and extremely loud. I've previously reviewed DZ Deathrays' EP on here and it was nice to see what they were capable of over a full length release. They don't disappoint, it's every bit as brash and bold as the aforementioned EP. I was fortunate enough to catch them live this year and as such the album serves as fond reminder of a quite spectacular performance and that was always going to ensure it had a place on this list come the year end. Do yourselves a favour and stay out of my way when I'm pumping this album in the car as this shit makes me feel near invincible or at least not give a shit about the consequences.

Track to Check = Dinomight - Actually a bit more restrained than most of the album but fuck me this track is heavy when it lets go.

6) Abdominal & The Obliques - Sitting Music

Abdominal is back and dude has gone in a completely different direction. Sitting Music represents a real departure for Abs, this is stripped down Hip Hop. Abdominal is one of my favourite lyricists and THE rapper that has me hanging on his every word on a track. His mellow voice, ability to go at any pace, and the fact that he is one witty motherfunker firmly places him as one of my favourite rappers.

I picked this up for my girlfriend (what's better than buying a gift you yourself want?), on account of Abdominal and DJ Fase's Flowtation Device being the album I used to actually introduce Wen to Hip Hop and slowly get hooked. I ordered it as soon as I could, I'm a keeper, and was soon enough in possession of one of the most surprising releases of the year. As I said in the first paragraph this is bare bones Hip Hop, the beats and samples have been replaced with bluesy/folky guitar and soft drums. Abs is still rapping albeit in a slower, more considered way but he is also singing a few bars on this album.  It is definitely not the album I was expecting and I'm grateful to Abdominal and The Obliques for swerving my expectations. You want hear most rappers collaborating with their mothers but Abdominal isn't most rappers. Probably the most interesting album on this list.

Track to Check = Balance Both ft. Chali 2na - I wanted to pick one of the songs that had a bit more singing on it but this is such a brilliant track that I insist you have a listen.

5) Masta Ace & MF Doom - MA_Doom : Son of Yvonne

Masta Ace kicking it over some Doom beats?!? Sold, take my money and take it now. What's that? Big Daddy Kane is on the album? The album with Doom's production??? Take my bank card, here's my pin, take what you need.


Now the beats are recycled from Doom's other releases but I love Dooms other releases and could listen to, and have listened to, his music all day. Masta Ace is as sharp as ever and as per usual his storytelling is on another level.

Thank you to anyone and everyone that had anything to do with this album coming into existence.

Track to Check = Think I Am ft. Big Daddy Kane - It kind of had to be, check Doom's positive verse too, I always like to big up the pleasant side of this genre.

4) Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them

I don't really know much about these guys, I discovered Blu through that track he did with Edan and stumbled across this album on iTunes a couple of months back and seeing his name just blind purchased it. Sometimes it's nice to just have something I'm into that I don't know anything about. I deliberately have not looked up anything about Blu or Exile as I just want to enjoy the music for what it is much like the pre internet days when I had my Beastie Boys tape anfdfirst started getting into music properly.

This album is so chilled it's unreal, there is a Madlib vibe to the beats and the rapping is so laid back and effortless whilst clearly being extremely complex and sophisticated. If you know anything about these dudes please don't share it with me. Let me just have this one, that said if anyone can throw me a copy of the album with that Edan/Blu track Ronald Morgan on it (I think it's called No York), I certainly wouldn't say no.

Track to Check = Ease Your Mind - I can't wait for summer just so I can put this track on repeat and lounge in the sun.

3) El-P - Cancer for Cure

Put simply nobody else could make this album. Nobody. A beast of an album right from the off, probably the best opener on any of the albums on this list. El-P goes hard and isn't so much presenting you with new music more smacking you round the head with it. If you are unfamiliar with El's work then maybe check his other work first because I'm worried that if this is your first encounter with his sound you might actually get hurt.

My words probably won't do any of these albums justice and that is certainly the case with this album, I don't know how to describe it other than to swear a lot and use the word hard. Just listen to it.

Track to Check =  I should say The Full Retard but I have to go with the opening track Request Denied - Just wow.

2) Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

Production by El-P, not a combo I expected to be listening to but I'm extremely grateful that it came to be. These two represent two different areas within the Hip Hop community and I didn't expect them to collide in this way. What a great fit these two are with each other, and they both seem to have raised each other's game. Personally I don't think Mike has ever sounded so good, don't get me wrong, I'm a big Killer Mike fan but on this album he's just an absolute monster! His rhymes are so technical and assured that I don't know if he will ever be able to top this.

El's production is as insane as it always is, and his style is all over it but he has clearly worked very hard to put together beats that have a Southern sensibility to them in order to really fit Mike the way they should. This album is an absolute animal and it's damn near perfect. I'm currently working on a full review of this album so I'll leave it at that for now.

Track to Check = Untitled ft. Scar - They know they've made a classic, they absolutely know it.

1) DJ Format - Statement of Intent

This is the album of the year for me. I've reviewed it previously on this blog so I won't go into too     much detail on it again. Put simply it's a great album that strikes up a brilliant balance of all that is good in Hip Hop, perfect instrumentals like 'Mayor of a Ghost Town' to old school Hip Hop vibes like 'Mr.DJ' via the future of Hip Hop 'Spaceship Earth', everything is covered. This is as perfect an album, as far as my tastes go, as is humanly possible and I thank Format for creating it. I will never ever tire of this and I'm sure most people would have a similar view if they gave it the chance it deserves.

Everyone has a right to disagree with another persons opinion, and I fully expect people to not agree with half the shit I say and musically there isn't really a  right or wrong, BUT if you disagree with me with regards to this album, I'm afraid you are most definitely wrong. They'll be Universities in Texas and other parts of the world that will carry out scientific studies proving me to be right on this occasion, which in turn will make you look very foolish indeed. Don't try to argue this one, just go out and get this album and then send me a thank you card.

Track to Check = Spaceship Earth ft. Edan - I could pick anything and you should listen to it all but for me this was the best song released all year so I'm obliged to pick this.

So that's my list and hopefully you've discovered some new music that you can enjoy, if so please go and buy the records. I appreciate that the internet is full of torrents and the like but these artists deserve to have their work paid for.

Thanks for reading

Mechagodzeala

Film List

Here are the 10 best films, in my opinion, released in 2012. For me it's been a bit of a lean year for films but then again there is a lot that I haven't caught in the cinema  It should also be noted that I have not yet seen The Master and I'm sure that will walk into the top ten once I see it later this week.


Honourable Mentions

The Shining - Not making the top ten because it's a re-release but this year saw a UK cinema showing of the US version of The Shining, a whopping twenty odd minutes longer than the previously released UK version. To be honest I didn't really notice 20 minutes of extra stuff but who cares because I got to see The Shining on a big screen! I don't need to tell anyone how brilliant this film is.

John Carter - Came in for a lot of stick but I really enjoyed my trip to watch this. Obviously a lot of the story has been pillaged  by many other big sci-fi films that made it to the big screen first (Star Wars a prime example) so large parts of this felt familiar but it didn't dampen it for me personally. Shit looked pretty on a big ass screen too.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Mel Gibson is a horrible, racist c*nt but he does have a lot of great films on his CV. How I Spent... is an absolutely insane actioner set in a Mexican prison and featuring Gibson at his dickish best. An absurd movie that requires no thinking whatsoever, just good fun.

Top Ten

You can't not admire this man

10) Bill Cunningham, New York - As recommended by Paul Iannacchino on these here pages, this film is about an extremely likable 80-something fashion photographer for the New York Times.  It's an inspiring and heart-warming film that documents Bill's passion for what he does, a man who truly lives for his art.

His head is on fire!

9) Ghost Rider 2 -  I told you it was a lean year, not actually a great film but it was damn good fun. Nic Cage was yelling and his head kept going on fire there are times that I don't need much more than that. Not something I'm every likely to watch again but for the duration of the run-time I laughed and that can't be a bad thing.

Surprisingly heart-warming

8) Goon - Another movie that isn't exactly a classic but I've included it because of how unexpectedly good it was. My friend and I rented this on account of us having spent way too long in the video store without choosing something so we grabbed what was to hand. We were expecting a low key, gross out, not very funny comedy and yet we got a sweet, slapsticky, warm hearted tale of a stupid bouncer trying to find his place in the world. A very deceiving marketing campaign really didn't do this film any justice.

Got his Bruce Willis face on there

7) Looper - Sci-fi done well and with added Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis. It doesn't get bogged down with explaining the how of the time travel in the film and just gets on with the actual story, which I appreciated. It's an interesting take on the future and whilst it isn't perfect it's nice to have an intelligently made film that is so unashamedly sci-fi.

Greatest poster ever

6) Manborg - From Astron 6, the creative geniuses behind the amazing Father's Day and the epically brilliant Lazer Ghosts 2: Return to Laser Cove comes the story of a dead soldier brought back to life as a cyborg to battle hell on Earth and to defeat the evil Draculon! Low budget film making at it's best what it lacks in production value it more than makes up for with laugh out loud funny, and straight up passion. Check the trailer below and buy the DVD these guys deserve all of your money.

A classic tale told well

5) Undefeated - I should point out that I love a good sports movie from We Are Marshall to Hard Ball and everything in between, I'll watch any of them. We all know how every single one of them ends but there is so much natural drama in sports that films about sport prove to be an easy watch it also helps that so often the films are so feel good. This documentary tells the standard story of an underfunded, underprivileged, perennial loser high school football team as they undergo a reversal of fortunes. Inspiring stuff and I'm not gonna lie the things that happen with Money damn near made me well up.

This man can do sinister

4) Killer Joe - Wickedly funny and extremely dark tale of son's attempt to have his mother offed by Matthew McConaughey's insane killer for hire. Contains one of the most disturbing scenes in recent history. It's nice to see McConaughey reminding everyone what he is capable of when he isn't picking up chick flick cheques. The rest of the cast is superb too and it's nice to see Billy Friedkin nailing it again.

3) The Imposter - Bart Layton's amazing documentary (I know that's three and I'm not trying to be all high brow it's just that this year was a good year for documentaries) about the disappearance of a 13 year old boy from Texas and his subsequent reappearance in Spain. Very cinematic for a documentary, it leaves you with questions in the same way Capturing The Friedmans did and really covers all angles in a truly astonishing story. I won't go into too much detail about it as much like the equally brilliant shockumentary Catfish it really needs to be seen to be believed.

"There, there Affleck we can't all have glorious white beards!"

2) Argo - God bless Affleck, talented son of a bitch that he is. See previous review for more info but know that this shit is incredible just like a hirsute Ben Affleck.

Does what it says on the poster

1) The Raid - This was the best film of the year for me, downright incredible. Police are going into an derelict apartment block in order to bring a ruthless criminal to justice unfortunately he lives on the top floor and all previous floors are occupied by nails criminals, living rent free, that protect the boss. 100 odd minutes of dudes getting smashed hard in the face and being smacked into walls.


Iko Uwais plays the rookie cop hero of the piece and that man knows how belt people around. I'd only previously seen Iko in the very entertaining Merantau Warrior (from the same director) but he's certainly one to watch as far as martial arts go. The film is so fast and action packed that you hardly get a break from the moment the police enter the building and the fight choreography is out of this world. Iko, as per Merantau Warrior, has such a painful looking style. He's a blur of elbows and knees and seems to revel in using the environment as a weapon. The real star of the show though is Yayan Ruhian as the big boss' loyal enforcer Mad Dog. His style is so rugged it's unreal, the rawness of him reminded me a lot of the nomad bad guy from Donnie Yen's Ip Man, every move he throws just looks brutal and like it would hurt an awful lot. The Mad Dog vs 2 fight in particular is absolutely astounding and the three styles from all involved are so contrasting and yet perfectly complementary to each other that I can only say thank to the director for filming it, I am forever in your debt sir.

Brutal, just brutal

The rest of the cast are superb too with a great turn from Ray Sahetapy as the boss Tama who plays his role perfectly with an unnerving laid-back, almost passive attitude for such a evil and ruthless individual. Joe Taslim who plays Jaka is worth mentioning too as his fighting style is so crisp and clean, almost effortless in his execution he's a damn good watch.

The other great thing about this film is that the director is Welsh! Now it would be my number one choice regardless of the director's nationality but the fact that a fellow countryman has gone out and made this brilliant film is the icing on the cake. We don't get too many chances to be proud of our country, hell not many know we're even here, but we can definitely be proud of Gareth Evans. All credit to him for opening up peoples eyes to Indonesian cinema and getting a subtitled film to be such a huge hit. No question about it, easily my film of the year.

Please go out and buy/rent these films and support the talented individuals that made them. The more you support the more these guys can make.

So those are my films of the years, just my opinion and that doesn't count for a great deal. If you agree or disagree then let me know in the comments section or feel free to tell me whatever I've missed out although I should mention that I did see Avengers and Dark Knight Rises and neither lived up to the hype for me so I wouldn't bother trying to change my mind on those two.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my Albums of The Year that will be up at some point tomorrow evening.

Later

Mechagodzeala

Affleck is The Shit

So a little while back I went and caught Ben Affleck's latest film Argo. I had very high hopes as the first two films Affleck has directed, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, have been two of my favourite films of the last decade. Affleck, it turns out, does not like to disappoint.

Argo is awesome and not just because Rory Cochrane is in it looking like this.

"Ben, is it okay if I leave Tehran now? I'm gonna leave Tehran now?"

For those that don't know, Argo tells the story of Antonio Mendez (Played superbly by the non Antonio Mendezy Ben Affleck) on a mission to save six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran. After the U.S embassy in Tehran is stormed in retaliation for the Americans taking in recently deposed Shah, the six diplomats slip away and hole up in the Canadian Ambassador's house. The American government must then try to get the diplomats out of the country before the Iranians realise that the embassy is six hostages short. The Americans, well Affleck, decide(s) the best way to save these citizens is to pretend they are part of a Canadian film crew scouting for locations for a Star Wars type film and then try and march them out through the Iranian's front door (or Airport). You'd be forgiven for thinking that sounds a tad far fetched and more than a little insane.

This film is based on a true story!!! Poking about on this here internets I've found that it is only loosely based on true events but that there is even the slightest bit of truth to this is mental. It's worth noting that the story is based on Antonio Mendez's account of events and therefore could and should be exaggerated, hell I wouldn't sell myself short if Affleck was making a movie about me.

High concept aside Argo is a pretty straightforward movie that is executed brilliantly, the plot unfolds naturally and is very uncomplicated. The early scenes of the mob outside the embassy in particular, look spectacular and are downright terrifying, more importantly though these scenes really give a good understanding of how the Iranian people felt and why they felt that way.

The main thing I absolutely love about this film is that it's for grown ups. It's a 70's film, I don't mean in setting (I think it was technically 1980/81), it's more the tone of it. For me 70's cinema was the shit, most of my favourite films tend to come from that era, and the reason I enjoy that period of film-making most is that not everything is spoon fed to you. The story tends to develop naturally and quite often at a slower pace than the cinema of today, there doesn't seem to be a need to hit beats/go through the motions and I prefer it that way. I appreciate I'm going a little off track here but if you could please allow me a moment longer to try and fully explain what I mean here. A large number of films made in the 70's (and the 60's) are the equivalent to how real albums are made. It's a piece of work that should be enjoyed start to finish and  in it's entirety. The films of the last decade or so, not all though as this film proves, are how flavour of the month pop albums are made, no one really cares a great deal how we get from A to B as long as there is a couple of singles on there. Argo slowly belts you in and takes you up the hill before dangling you over the edge and letting you see the roller coaster ride that's ahead of you, the suspense filled ending doesn't work without the slow build of the first 3/4 of the film and the viewer is therefore rewarded for handing themselves over to the film.

It's also nice to see a film that's comfortable with what it is, Argo is actually a pretty funny movie. It knows it's a bob on suspenseful thriller but that doesn't mean it can't poke a little fun at Hollywood and it doesn't mean it can't have a couple of goofy moments (Rory Cochrane in the market). Rather than being confined by the expectations of it's target audience, it's not afraid to straddle genres and it manages to do it without becoming disjointed or messy.

The acting in the film is tremendous and the supporting cast made up of Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, and Bryan Cranston and countless others joining the previously mentioned Ben Affleck and Rory Cochrane. There's a real subtlety to the performances on display and it's with good reason that this film is being mentioned an awful with regards to awards season.

All in all folks should check this film, it's one hell of a ride but more importantly you're witnessing one of the best directors this generation has to offer doing his thing and that is a real pleasure. If none of this has convinced you then at least watch it for Affleck's majestic beard work.

I'm done.

Mechagodzeala

The Return

Been a while, work has been a bit on the hectic side and had left me in no mood to be noodling about in front of a laptop when I got home each night. Typical that I slack just when I was getting some decent traffic on the site, build again. Will do my best to keep on top of things, and as way of an apology you can enjoy one of all time favourite photos.

Interview with Mister Jason

So I have another interview and this time it's with the creator of the Frankensteez album previously reviewed on these here pages, Mister Jason! Read, hopefully enjoy, and discover some great new music for yourself.

Pic taken from Twitter

First off for those folks in Wales and the big wide world that are unfamiliar, please can you tell them who you are?

I am human, I am part monster, Mister Jason to some, just "Jason" to others, "Jay to many close to me, CEO of Frankensteez Entertainment.

How did you first get started on the path of becoming a musician and how did you get your break into the industry?

I was always a fan or rap/hip-hop, since around 1983, at that time I was listening to 60/70's rock, but mostly hardcore punk, like Suicidal Tendencies and my all time favorites, Circle Jerks.  After officially putting out music in the form of "tapes" back in 1995, my break came in 1997 when a local record store (Biscuithead Records) owner and legendary Boston DJ, DJ Bruno, heard I was working on a few projects.  I would hang out at his store and soon we began speaking about a possible record label and record deal.  He started "Biscuithead Recordings" and along with Edan's debut 12" "Sing It Shitface" he put out my group, Porn Theatre Ushers, and our first single "Me and Him."  The strength of the deal also came about due to the fact Nabo Rawk won the "Biscuithead Freestyle Battle" the same year.  It was a crazy time, very reckless.

How did you find your time as one half of Porn Theatre Ushers?

It was probably the most fun I have ever had, but also the most frustrating, due to lack of business direction.  We should have been out there more, more tours, I loved the people behind our labels but they weren't really in a place to take us worldwide.  We had fans worldwide, but nothing organized in terms of how to maximize our potential.  I look back and think of how much we could have grown as a force in the industry, at that time.

You're from Boston and obviously there is a very rich Hip Hop scene there, with the late, great Guru, Mr.Lif, Akrobatik, 7L and Esoteric, and Reks having come through. Do you feel that Boston has its own style in the genre and do you think it influences or in fact comes through in your own music?

I definitely think Boston has it's own sound, escpecially in those underground golden years, the late 90's.  We hade so many different personalities and genre's but we all worked together to put the 2nd generation of Boston on the map.  Many artists, Edo G., Top Choice Clique, RSO, TDS Mob and others paved the way for us and we came in with a new sound.  We made independent hip-hop, sampling uncoventional records, new flows, complex vocab, etc.  It was a great time...

How did you find going from the classic DJ & MC combo of PTU to going out alone and putting out an album in your voice? I personally think there is a big difference in the music you have put out as part of Porn Theatre Ushers and as yourself in that whilst PTU was everything that is great about Hip Hop in a raw and energetic way, your solo work seems more layered and more of a progression of the genre rather than the celebration of Hip Hop that I feel PTU were. Do you think it's down to a maturity in yourself or is it just the result of new influences, styles or even equipment you're using now?

It is very different, which is important to me.  I will always have the PTU feel in my veins, that is the core of what I'm about.  With Frankensteez, I took bits and pieces from many elements to come up with that sound.  Also, although I am by myself with the actual release of Frankensteez, I enlisted many people to help create the final sound.  PTU will always sound the way you've known it to be, with Frankensteez, I wanted to try something new.  So, I think it's a blend of maturity, working with new people, and also the recording process was a bit different, using live instruments, harmonies and different ways to sample.

I'd like to talk a little about Frankensteez but I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way first, that 26 rapper Mister Jason Has A Posse (to me the greatest posse cut ever commited to wax). How did it come about and how hard was it to get it together? Also how do you feel about the response it's received as that song seems to have really made waves in the Hip Hop community and I've seen nothing but praise for it out there, where you aware you were making something special?

One day, in my apartment, I was hanging out with Rain (my engineer and also co-produced some joints), going through records to make beats, and I came across this one 45, which ended up being the backbone of the track.  To me, the vibe seemed like a "tag team" feel, where the stab you hear every four bars, sounds like a natural break in the beat for a different rapper to "tag in."  It was initially meant to be what turned into "Renegades."  Then I started thinking of a song with multiple rappers, but just a "Boston rapper" track, showcasing some of the local artists, both established and up and coming.  That envolved into an idea of having emcees rap about a particular letter of the alphabet, then finally, choosing rappers that fit each speficic letter of the alphabet.  Although it took over a year to compile, I was amazed that the emcees volunteered and were excited to be a part of this historic record. 

I wanted to do something different, my whole life I have never been satisfied with the "norm" and musically strive to create something new.  Even when PTU has that classic boom-bap sound, I always chose samples that I thought were odd or different.

Now the album itself is a beast in and of itself, and the thing that struck me was how varied it was, with bouncing party tracks, moody beats, Joy Division samples, flute samples, funky filled bass lines, it really does touch a lot of musical bases. Were you conscious of that as you made the album or is that the just what comes through when you're creating music?

It was on purpose.  The meaning of the title "Frankensteez" means just that, all different moods, styles, a "mixed bag," a "Frankenstein" sound...Frankenstein's "monster" was man made, made of different body parts, anything the Doctor. could find to create his monster.  It is a "Frankensteez." 

You're releasing Son of Frankensteez on Halloween this year, what can we expect from this? 

It is not a full length release, hence the title "Son of " meaning just a little piece of work, born from the original Frankensteez   It contains 11 tracks, but is made up of remixes, instrumentals and a few  new tracks.  It will be released on Halloween day, 10/31/2012 on limited green vinyl, but I decided to go with a 12" size this time.

Son... aside what can we expect from you in the future? Is there a plan from where you go from here?

I am thinking the next "Frankensteez based" release will be "The Bride of Frankensteez" which will feature all female emcees.  Can't wait for that.  I might just tweet that I am taking open auditions for this one vs. reaching out to specific people myself.  Also, 2013 marks the 15th anniversary for Porn Theatre Ushers.  We will be releasing new music, some old archived videos and a tour. Look out for that one! 

 Will we ever see you over in the UK in the future?

That is my next goal, I HAVE to come to the UK.  Spread the word to anyone that wants to set that up.

Who or what inspires you and why?

I'm inspired by anything that is unique and not like the other...creativity without worry, oddball shit, I actually love when people say "Mister J, you have a warped mind" or "you're insane"...that is the biggest compliment!

As a large part of this blog is to try and put people onto things they may not have heard we have a few standard questions for folks, so with that in my mind...

Firstly what are you listening to at the moment?

Mostly traditional Greek, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern music, me being Greek, this music is in my blood.  There is a ton of rare psychadelic gems being released from all over the globe, some amazing stuff.  I listen to any genre from the late 60's, such a great time period for music.

If you could get folks to check out three musicians or more specifically three albums what would they be and why?

Great question...ok, this is tough...there are so many.

Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth- Funky Technician (1990)--Along with early Prince Paul, Beatnuts, Ultramagnetic, this is one of my earliest influences.

MOOG: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman (1969)--just listen to it, you'll know why I love it.

Erkin Koray-Erkin Koray (1973)--self titled debut LP from this Turkish Psych god. Turkish Psychadelic music? need I say more?

Check him out!

Are you much of a film head and if so have you seen anything of note recently?

As a kid, I was really into horror films, on VHS, and I would try to find the most disturbing, disgusting films out.  I remember seeing movies like Basket Case, Return of the Alien's Deadly Spawn, Humanoids from the Deep, and many low budget splatter films.  Then I got into martial art movies from Hong Kong, the early Jet Li movies were amazing, until he blew up in American.  If you're a fan of that genre, I recommend seeing Shaolin Temple, Once Upon a Time in China, Fist of Legend and Fong Sai Yuk.  Now I mostly enjoy independent films and films that typically aren't blockbusters, but now and then I find good commercially successful films.

What would be your three all time top film recommendations and why?

Hmmm....

A Clockwork Orange, simply amazing, a timeless classic, amazing score by electronica legend Walter/Wendy Carlos (yes, she/he was once a woman)

Star Wars--the staple of my generation

Can't name a third.

It was at this moment Mister Jason had to go take a piss so that concludes the interview. If you haven't already got hold of his music, do it now! You're on the internet anyway and what else are you going to spend that £10 (probably less) on? You won't be disappointed in the music and you'll be supporting the kind of artist who's decent enough to agree to do an interview on here!  You can buy the music from iTunes/Amazon or by clicking on the following link...

http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/results.asp?searchby=All&keywords=mister+jason&searchTarget=store

You know it makes sense. I'd like to thank Mister Jason for keeping his piss in long enough to answer all those questions and thanks to everyone who's reading this, huge thanks to anyone that goes and buys the music (should I offer up more robots or maybe promise to stop drawing them?), Anyways cheers.

Almost forgot, you can keep up with Mister Jason news on Twitter by following @misterjasonptu.

Peace out

Mechagodzeala

Interview - Paul Iannacchino

I have another interview to put up here! While I'm eternally grateful to Mart for doing the first interview on here it was quite easy to get him on account of him being one of my best friends, he's a dick but not so big a dick that he wouldn't help me out. Anyways, this time I have managed to grab an interview with someone I don't know, it's the film-maker and former musician Paul Iannacchino.

Picture taken from the first page of Google Images and used based on that hat.

For those who may be unfamiliar with your work please could you tell them who you are and what you do?

My name is Paul. I'm a Scorpio. I sell art for commerce to pay my mortgage.

The logical place to start would be the film you have in progress, can you tell us a little about Adult Rappers please? Who can we expect to see in it?

Adult Rappers is a documentary film that features a lot of passionate people that make a living off their art. However, none of them are not household names. A fact most people probably sees as a contradiction.

What was it that made you want to cover this part of Hip Hop rather than say a specific area's scene or the work of a specific artist? Where did this idea originate?

I've tried every step of the way not to make a hip hop documentary. This is a film about people. We've tried our best to avoid hip-hop cliches and retread familiar ground. The idea originated as a joke. Honestly. My phone rang one day and I said to a friend in passing, "I have too many adult rappers in my life". That's how it began.

Now Adult Rappers was KickStarter funded and seemed to do very well on there, how did you find that whole experience, obviously waiting all that time to see if you'd hit your funding and also coming up with rewards you felt were a fair trade for buying into the project?

I was actually well on my way down the road towards making this film when we launched the Kickstarter. I had piggy backed interviews onto other jobs anytime I could, baking interviews for close to a year. The Kickstarter, while successful, was never about "funding" the film. It was about finishing. I figured now we have a strong story - I need to be able to jump on a plane, grab a small crew and shoot when and where I want to wrap this up. 

One thing that was evident during the KickStarter was the interest some people seemed to take in it. For example a guy on Twitter (@Egyptoknuckles) essentially became a PR man for the project, retweeting everything and spreading the word practically non-stop, how was it to see that a passion project of your own was resonating so strongly with other people out there?

For sure. That was the unexpected upside to the Kickstarter campaign. We had a great deal of passionate people come on board as ambassadors for the project - for no other reason than they believed in it. We didn't raise $1 million, but you can't put a price on what those people like @Egyptoknuckles brought to the project. It was also validation that we had tapped into a story people were interested in seeing. It was like free focus testing. The fact that it resonated so strongly with total strangers only strengthened our resolve. 

What is the plan for the film? Will it be doing the festival circuit/limited run or are you looking to get a DVD out there as soon as possible? 

Our plan is the festivals first. We'd love to see this premiere at SXSW. It just makes sense given the artists involved, the timing and the themes we're exploring. That said, if the festivals don't provide us the golden ticket we have some other ideas about the best way to share the story with the people that want to see it most. Ultimately, it's for them. 

Obviously I imagine all your focus is on getting this film right at the moment but do you have any plans for what you will be doing beyond this film?

There's life beyond this film?

Now to get to Adult Rappers and the world of documentaries you've come via a fairly unconventional route, I believe you are currently a commercial director and you are the former DJ /producer of the tremendous group Hangar 18! That's a pretty unique C.V. How on earth did that happen?

Good question. I have no idea how I got here. I'm very, very lucky. People say that and usually it's some bullshit. I'm telling you legitimately, I know I am very lucky. My parents worked blue collar jobs. I went to public school. I'm not all that smart - I've been able to try on the life of a musician and decide it wasn't for me...not to mention I think I was horribly average. Most people don't even get that shot. I remind myself of that constantly. 

So how did this happen? How did I get here? I love telling stories. I love moving pictures and I love poop jokes. I'm able to make a living doing two outta three. That gives me the opportunity to pursue passion projects like Adult Rappers. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the sum of all those experiences. I'm a lucky bastard. 

Now I've seen it stated in previous articles and on blogs online that both yourself and Windnbreeze pretty much lost interest in the music business. Is there truth to this or was it just a case of people trying to attach a reason as to why a band with such a strong output just stopped?

Well, you're very kind. First, yes, the business of music is bullshit. As I said, I don't think I was very good at either the music or the business part. I think we all burned out on the business first and the music shortly thereafter. Second, my wife and I had our first child and her first year on earth coincided with our second LP. Something had to give on my end. I think I made the right choice. Musically it felt like the writing was on the wall too.

Do you miss that part of your life at all or was it very much a 'that was then' situation? Do you still make beats at all?

I love that part of my life. We had a fucking blast. I shared a tour bus with Shock G! Are you kidding? Every night I was like, "what are we doing here?" I just was not built for the life of a road dog...I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was amazing. I still boot up the MPC now and again, just for fun, I never save the beats.   

Who wouldn't want to share a bus with this guy?

One of questions I always like to see artists I'm a fan of answer, whilst cliched, is... who inspires your work and why?

Oh, man. Too many to list. I'm a 70's baby, so basically all the shit that's popular now that everyone who's under 30 thinks is the new shit. 

The main purpose of the blog is to try and put people on to new stuff so we have a few favourites/recommendation questions for you. First given that Adult Rappers is going to give a fresh new perspective on Hip Hop, what other film around Hip Hop culture would you recommend people check out?

Old school. Style Wars. New School. Tha Carter. Both classics in their own right. 

Have you watched anything worth checking out lately?

Does the Twilight saga count? For sure, the one film from the last year I'm amazed how many music and film people haven't seen is Drive. If you're one of those people first get some friends to flog you with soap in the sock, Full Metal Jacket style. Then watch it. Best film of 2011 bar none.  

If you could put people onto any three films what would they be and why?

3?! 3 films??? Jesus. 

Let's go recent docs then; 

1) "It Might Get Loud" - because it's creative oxygen for anyone that's needed a little inspiration.

2) "Bill Cunningham NY" - because, New York. 

3) "Inside Job" - everything else is derivative when it comes to current history.

Are you reading anything currently?

No, any suggestions? Last great read was "Check The Technique" Brian Coleman.

What three books would you say are essential reading for one and all?

The Bible

The Koran

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  

What are you listening to currently?

Mike Eagle - 4NML HSPTL

Suicidal Tendencies - Self titled

Any Band of Horse LP

Alaska's new demos and whatever SYFFAL sends me.

Finally, why should everyone check Adult Rappers?

I think it's a story that's relevant to anyone that grew up a part of generation X. Anyone who's parents told them "go to school, get a "real" job work hard, get married and everything will work out"...especially if now you're out of work, half crazy and wish you took a different path - or at least tried. If you pump NWA "Straight Outta Compton" even with the kids in the car, this film is for you. Now I'm confused. What was the question?

So that's the interview, hope you all enjoyed it and make sure you keep an eye out for Adult Rappers mainly because it looks like it's going to be spanking but also because Paul Iannacchino is clearly a good dude, I'm not sure too many people would have agreed to do this interview! I'd like to thank him for agreeing to it and thank you all for reading.

Almost forgot, if you want to keep up with the progress of Adult Rappers or if you just think Paul seems like a decent sort then follow him on Twitter @pawlmadethis.

Laters

Mechagodzeala