Totall beacharific Ken Seeno's Invisible Surfer On an Invisible Wave might, at first, look like another contribution to that chillwave/glo-fi/whatever movement that’s still kicking around (beach-themed, cassette-released) but Seeno’s sound–patient, sophisticated, and pointedly clean–is more like a Fripp and Eno’s Evening Star on a budget. “Everything Is Changing All the Time,” pairs humble horns...
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Louder! For hip-hop nerds, the month of February is unofficially known as J. Dilla Month: The late, great, insanely influential producer was born in February, died in February, and released his existential beat-tape masterpiece Donuts on February 7th, his 32nd (and last) birthday. Sean Armstrong (also known as DJ Face, and part of the...
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You're Not As Weird As You Think You Are A week-long, multi-venue festival, a packed-to-the-gills one-night stand, an ambitiously incestuous remix project-qua-baccanal, a 7-inch series, abject silence: there’s no right or wrong way for a record label to celebrate an anniversary. While the compilation is among the most common commemorative expressions, there’s an unfortunate...
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The first thing you notice about Unsung Stories from Lilly’s Days as a Solar Astronaut is its distinctive packaging, a cryptic collage overlaying a backdrop the color of faded parchment paper: ragged, Ralph Steadman-esque lettering interspersed with distressed typefaces, washed-out snapshots of an ’80s-era sedan and an unidentifiable action figure, aimless doodles, a gray...
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ScholarMan may be the hardest working Baltimore rapper you probably haven’t heard of, with a thick discography that appears to grow every few months. His 2009 included a solo full-length and two collaborative EPs and, at the top of 2010, he came right back with a new album, Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul....
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Not Actually the Cover 2009 was a whirlwind year for DJ Class. The veteran Baltimore club producer’s breakout single “I’m The Ish” got him signed to Universal Records, sent him on tours across the country, and spun off remixes featuring superstars such as Kanye West and Lil Jon. But as the year came to...
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