Tag: Gramatik

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Gramatik – Satoshi Nakamoto (The Funk Hunters Remix)

I’ve been on a hunt for bass loving funk and with this remix of Gramatik’s “Satoshi Nakamoto” it’s safe to say I just bagged the biggest buck of the herd! This is the shit that makes me want to jump up and down, sway back and forth, and bang my head all at once. I mean seriously, those horns? Those guitar licks? Those synths that bend at warp speed like an upside down rollercoaster? It’s just mindblowing!

And don’t get me started on the bars Adrian Lau & ProbCause are spitting here…it’s like I’ve been teleported back to rap’s heydey of boombastic beats bumping outside the bodega, new Timbs smell and all. They navigate The Funk Hunters’ new instrumentals with the quickness, and while I don’t give a shit if a rap song is a lyrical masterpiece or nothing but ad-libs, the lines these two dudes bring are straight heat. I mean seriously, “Epiphanies on symphonies…epigrams these words last for centuries” almost made me fall out of my seat! Combine that with music that reminds me of raging my face off to Big Gigantic years ago and you’ve got yourself a textbook winner.

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Music

Extraordinary Magnitude Vs. Blackstreet – No Diggity 2013

You’ve gotta have a grip of confidence if you think you can take on one of the great, enduring anthems of the 90s and actually elevate the proceedings, let along do it justice. I mean, come on! Outside of its chart and critical success, the legacy of No Diggity is largely a product of its crossover appeal. Doesn’t really matter what you’re into. Musically speaking, the track has something for you. Hard-nosed thuggery? Hey Dre. Deft lyricism? Queen Pen’s pretty nimble on the mic. Charm out the ying yang?

I like the way you work it
Trumped tight, all day, every day
You’re blowing my mind, maybe in time
Baby, I can get you in my ride.”

You tell me.

Which makes me a bit incredulous about how this mashup came to be. The way Extraordinary Magnitude, or Exmag depending on which URL corner you’re poking around, tells it, it was a happy accident. See, Exmag is a freshfaced young group who were hard at work on their upcoming album Proportions when they realized one of their instrumental tracks just so happened to mesh well with acapella track for the 90s R&B standard by Blackstreet. Convenient! Did I mention that Extraordinary Magnitude is the new side project from producer Gramatik and a few of his musically adept buddies?

No surprise then that this piece of audio populism works as well as it does. It sounds less like a “mashup” in the traditional sense and more like a jam session, where the original vocals are used as a frame upon which Exmag drape they funk fineries. The musicianship on display here is a bit staggering; every time I run though the track I catch another lick or bass line that I latch onto and nod along with, little marvels they are. And whenever the track reaches a bridge (or is it a second chorus?), the whole thing opens up in a full on funk explosion. Especially under Pen’s verse, that interplay between the clav and the guitar is butter smooth. A quick run up the keys here, a little nimble noodling there, light touches that make for quick counters and ripostes. That’s right. Real instruments, interacting with each other as though they were being played together live in the same room. Can you imagine?

Extraordinary Magnitude Vs. Blackstreet – No Diggity 2013

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Music

Vico Uno – Heaven is a Bitch (Nas vs. Led Zepplin vs. Gramatik)

Excuse the delayed post today, I landed in San Fran this afternoon and have been restaurant hoping since. Anyways, I was walking back to my hotel when I checked my Soundcloud and I saw a submission that contained the names Nas, Led Zepplin & Gramtik – sold! The mashup was done by a dude named Vico Uno who describes himself like this –

My name is V!co Ono and i’m 18 years young. All you need to know is I am a Los Angeles native and I am very interested in all genres of music.”

Word.

I can’t hype this mashup enough. First of all, he used the AZ verse from Life’s A Bitch which is hands down one of the best Hip Hop verses of all time. He sampled Stairway to Heaven, one of the greatest rock songs of all time and used a Gramatik beat to tie it all together. Blending all those worlds so tastefully is the beauty of modern production so big ups to Vico Uno for making it happen. Alright, it’s Friday and I’ve got two more places to check out in the bay before I head to Vegas in the morning. Bump this at your pre-games and get the party started in style, enjoy.

Vico Uno – Heaven is a Bitch (Nas vs. Led Zepplin vs. Gramatik)

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