Snob Rap Fest Review

It was a last minute decision, but last Wednesday my girlfriend and I decided to take the 2.5 hour trek to Seattle to catch Onry Ozzborn's "Snob Rap Fest" - and we weren't let down!

Onry had been planning this for a while now and the lineup was definitely impressive, but we initially decided to pass due to the day of the week it fell on and the show starting relatively early. We ultimately decided, however, it looked too good to miss so we hopped in the car about half an hour before venue doors opened and drove north haha!

Because we obviously arrived later in the night, we unfortunately missed Oldominion's Diveyede's and Destro Destructo's (who was filling in for a sick Heddie Leonne) sets. I was also sad to see that we missed most of the great Sleep's set. We walked in to catch him finishing up "Broke" and reminding the crowd about a hernia he apparently had lol.

Rob Sonic, backed by DJ Zone (who was also backing Sleep and I assume the other OD guys) was the first full set we saw. Compared to other times I've seen Rob, he looked much more looser and comfortable on stage (despite the fact that he also, seriously, had a hernia.) Rob had lots of fun with the crowd and gave Zone multiple opportunities to "freestyle scratch" which was impressive to watch. Highlights included a solid performance of "Braids" (my favorite track off of Rob's latest "Defriender" album) and a great closer with "JJ Sad."

Next up was Onry Ozzborn himself backed by 300 Club Records' J. Ohm. I find that Onry's material isn't always the easiest to translate to a live show due to the fact that a lot of the lyrics really shine in subtlety and risk getting drown out in the sounds of a live set. Onry generally pulls it off though and his set here was no exception. The man waltzed through a handful of his newer tracks ("Doo Wop," "Bummer," "Art of Spellbinding," "Pretty Mvch") and threw in a couple (relative) oldies like "The O O" and "All To Herself" along the way. At the beginning of "TheSubmarineTwoStep," he slipped up and proceeded to freestyle for nearly the entire song before catching up perfectly with the hook at the end. Onry isn't the best freestyler lol, but he didn't lose a single beat! For a closer, we got to hear something off of the upcoming "Tantrum" project which sounds really good.

The closing act was Fake Four head honcho Ceschi. The last time I saw him live was during his "Sad, Fat Luck" tour run, where his set consisted mainly of the "Sad, Fat Luck" album front to back. I was sort of assuming we might get a similar situation here with his latest "Sans Soleil" project. While he did open up with a couple cuts from that album ("Old Graves," "Frank False's Eulogy,") the set ended up being a greatest hits of his more recent projects (mainly "Broken Bone Ballads" and onwards, with a couple OG classics thrown in the mix.) As usual, Ceschi maintained a high energy, high crowd interaction set throughout the night. His transitions between guitar and Macbook were almost always clean, and even when there was a hiccup or two in the gear department, the mood never died down. He also brought Kimya Dawson, who was in the crowd, up to do a wonderful performance of "I Like Giants." As this is the last year of the "Ceschi" act, it was nice to soak up all we could. Hopefully we'll get to see him once more before the year is done. The following is the setlist as well as I can remember it (likely very much out of order:)

- Old Graves
- Frank False's Eulogy
- Sad, Fat Luck
- Take It All Back
- Middle Earth
- Beauty For Bosses
- Bite Through Stone
- Any War
- Say Something
- Sans Soleil
- My Bad
- This City Is Killing Me
- Black And White And Red All Over
- Frank Propose
- Half Mast
- Animal Instincts
- Forever 33/This Won't Last Forever

Great show all around! Glad we made the trip!

p.WRECKS & Xrin Arms - Underfunded Forever: Only Built for Human Stinx (2011)

Piggybacking off Wednesday's review, I offer this weird little album. It's no longer available but p.WRECKS was nice enough to send this to me along with some other cool items that I'll most likely unveil in the near future. Underfunded Forever: Only Built for Human Stinx was a collaborative effort between p.WRECKS and Xrin Arms, nka Wolfie Warship (see my Wednesday post for more info, although I don't have much.)

This features the two rapping over an assortment of beats, some original and some not. It's most interesting as a comparative piece to illustrate how far each has come, especially in developing their own unique style and artistic visions. These songs are in places somewhat unremarkable, not bad but not outstanding. It doesn't feature any guest spots which is unfortunate, as p.WRECKS often swaps verses with the likes of K.Clifton (fka Quiz 10) and Tahkid (where is that dude now anyway?) and the presence of other voices would have helped spark some new life into some of the less interesting tracks.

Overall a cool listen though, and as with Uphill Crux a fitting album for a Halloween weekend festivity.

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New Music: Wolfie Warship - Uphill Crux

Feeling a bit under the weather and short on time this week, so I'll keep this one brief.

Wolfie Warship, fka Xrin Arms (pronounced "Urine Arms" I believe I read somewhere) is a noise rap producer / emcee who I first learned about through his collaboration with Elliott Niezel under the name Wild Dogs (check out that one here), as well as his work with Seattle goth rap star p.WRECKS both on the mic and behind the boards. Warship's misanthropic lyrics coupled with his dark, discordant and eerie production style make him somewhat of an outsider and not for everyone, but definitely an interesting personality in the experimental rap scene. The werewolf on the cover and the dark sound of the music made me feel like this was a perfect album to announce for upcoming All Hallows Eve.

Recently Warship has been putting out tons of beat tapes following his abandonment of the Xrin Arms stage name. His production depends on heavily filtered, off beat 808 drums and novel uses of samples and instruments, unpleasant noises and a punk / metal sense of style, all in all making his music fairly unique but something I'd recommend for fans of Moodie Black and Dälek, and maybe even those who avoid rap but like the sort of tunes people beat each other up to in mosh pits.

Uphill Crux is his first solo vocal album (AFAIK) since 2016's Prognostic Spook as Xrin Arms, and it's safe to say  that he's really come into his own as an artist as these newer tracks have a bit of crisper sound and show more of a willingness to experiment. "Emerald Nausea's" weird as hell drum beat is a great example. They tend to feature more distortion and a harder hitting tone than his previous work as well, with disturbing but brutally honest lyrical content and heart. The personality behind them is shining through, and Uphill Crux benefits from this and it's DIY roots. It's a solid rap album from an angry dude.

Overall, a good debut for the Wolfie Warship moniker, and maybe something that will introduce him to the wider world in time for a Halloween party or two.

Pay what thou wilt shall be the whole of the cost at Wolfie's Bandcamp here.

Max Prime - Amateur Years (?)

Today's post is another mini-mystery release from a now mini-mystery artist.

"Amateur Years" is a project I got online sometime ago from Canada's Max Prime. I can't really find any info about when it was released, what exactly it is, or if it's even a legit release. Based on the tracks, it doesn't look like a fanmade release, however, so I chose to post it here. 

Based on the title, I'm guessing these tracks are taken from Prime's early days, though if you're a fan of Prime you'll likely find more of what you like here (and if you're not a fan, this isn't going to change your mind.) There's a lot of rappity rap raps, which I can handle and enjoy in small doses when not taken too seriously. There's also, however, a handful of weirder more fun tracks like "Ocularis" and "Cosmic Astronauts." Add-Vice, Ben.E.Elim, and Conspiracy, amongst others, stop by for verses.

If anyone has any further info about this release or any of the tracks, please let me know! Prime himself is becoming a "missing" man as he has stepped away from the music scene with little trace (leaving a note here or there to let everyone know he's ok and maybe has a couple more tracks left in him?) Enjoy! 

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R.A.P. Ferreira Live In Seattle Review

I didn't have time to peep any new music this past week, so I thought I'd do a little mini-review of the R.A.P. Ferreira show I caught in Seattle this past Thursday.

As most of you likely know, R.A.P. Ferreira is the artist formerly known as milo and still currently also known as scallops hotel, head and part of the Ruby Yacht collective. Ferreira has put on lots of great shows (I believe this was my seventh time seeing him live,) most notably the Hellfyre tour run of 2014 and the "Who Told You To Think?!?" tour run of 2017. This was of course my first time seeing "R.A.P. Ferreira" live so I was excited!

The show's openers were AJ Suede and BB Sun, neither of whom I was too familiar with going in. AJ Suede was up first (I arrived mid-set) and put on a pretty lackluster performance imo. The songs themselves were fine and I'd be interested in hearing the studio versions of them, but his stage presence was pretty dull. It wasn't helped by the fact that he had multiple homies on stage filming him (often getting in the way) throughout or by the fact that he let his DJ do a couple of his (bad) angry scream raps.

BB Sun was up next and did a couple songs with Suede (I guess they have a duo project together?) before taking over his own set. Sun had a much better stage presence and crowd interaction. The music itself was a step up as well. He sort of reminded me of a lighthearted combination of Subtitle and Odd Future. Ferreira, from the merch booth, was definitely feeling the set. I know Sun is part of the large Thraxxhouse collective, part of which shared housing with Ferreira in L.A. at one point, so I wonder if the two knew each other well going in. Anyhow, good opening set from Sun.

I then witnessed something I don't think I've ever witnessed before...the openers ended early...very early! It took Ferreira about an hour from when Sun finished to get on stage and typically you'd blame this on the headliner, but Ferreira's timeslot seemed right on point and the openers seemed to go very short! Sun claimed to have taken mushrooms before getting on stage, so my best guess is that things were moving very slow for him and he figured he had been rapping for much longer than he actually did haha!

When Ferreira finally took the stage, accompanied by Eldon from the UK as his DJ, he put on a very solid show from front to back. I had heard that he was not going to perform anything from his "milo" catalog, which was true, but he also didn't perform a lot from his newest debut R.A.P. Ferreira tape ("The Truly Ancient And Original Lefthanded Styles Of The Hoodwinkers And Penny Pinchers") either! In fact, the only songs I recognized were "stressrunstheworld," "respectdue" and "speck." Instead, the majority of the songs seemed to be from a new upcoming full length album. This makes sense as (1) Ferreira himself noted during the show that he was just in L.A. working on a new album with Kenny Segal and (2) This tour was pretty short and scattered, much more fitting for a "test run" as opposed to a "promotional run." Ferreira also performed a couple tracks from an upcoming project with Eldon under the name "Small Acts (or Axe?)" that they had apparently just finished writing.

Despite not knowing most of the tracks (and of course longing for the oldies,) Ferreira kept myself and the fairly large crowd very engaged. I don't think the heart or spirit of Ferreira changes from milo to R.A.P. Ferreira. The general aesthetics do ring a bit distinctive to me tho. The "milo" name seems to me to be more disciplined and hard-hitting. The "scallops hotel" name seems to me to be more boundary-less and imaginative. The "R.A.P. Ferreira" name takes elements from both acts and combines them with bright melody and sound. The goals haven't changed, but Ferreira seems to be having more fun than ever carrying out his project.

The show definitely got me excited for R.A.P. Ferreira the artist and the new Kenny Segal collabo project moving forward. He ended with a reflective track entitled "Big Summer," which, upon one listen, definitely came across as one of the best Ferreira tracks I've heard yet (under any name.) Can't wait to hear the full version of that when it drops.

Ferreira has a couple more dates left on the tour in LA, San Fran, and Minneapolis. Check him out if you can!


**Random Show Highlights:**

- Ferreria stoping to say hello when he spotted us in the same restaurant before the show.

- The "The Truly Ancient and Original" cassette-only tape selling out before the show started and Ferreira joking about how we'd likely never get to hear that tape! [Luckily I had someone pick me up copies on earlier dates.]

- Ferreira taking his hoodie off and revealing his one of a kind shirt which featured the Ruby Yacht "37 Gems" album artwork on the front and back (because he loves the album so much!)

- Eldon and Ferreira reenacting the "Wazzup" scene from Scary Movie.

- Ferreira getting ready to recite the Ruby Yacht manifesto but deciding to direct people to the hotline instead.

- Lots of new new music to look forward too! [I feel like I heard some shots in a couple songs. He also mentions "Hellfyre" in one of the joints, but I didn't fully catch the context. He shouts out the great Piff James and Hommy Hom. Some solid Blowedian references too!]

Adeem - Memory Lane is Merciless (200?)

One hip hop artist I've always had a special appreciation for is Adeem, of Glue, The Dorian Three and the macro-scale 1200 Hobos. His music is always conscious and creative, plus he has the credentials to prove his contribution to the indie rap scene with two victories at Scribble Jam.

Adeem's 2011 album The Volume in the Ground is one of the albums that consistently gets play on my iTunes. Maker's production coupled with Adeem's voice, songwriting and technical ability combine to create a seriously dope listen. For those who aren't familiar, first off how is that possible, and second off I suggest starting with that album and maybe downloading this one to check out later on.

Memory Lane is Merciless is a tour album Adeem put out, I don't know when or why. It contains some remixes, live performances and unreleased songs, and is definitely something a fan would want to have. It's not his best work (not surprising as these songs were never intended to be put together in this format) but it is a rare release from a respectable rapper and firmly fits the definition of a fossil. Enjoy!

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New Music: D-FAZ - OneNationUnderDog

Welcome to another Wednesday at UGF as our first year in operation begins to wind down! I wanted to take the opportunity to help promote an artist who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, Brzowski, and the newest album OneNationUnderDog by his band D-FAZ (check out their official website for more information here). While this was originally slated to drop on 9/18, I never did get an official announcement that it could be downloaded in full. The entire thing is up and available though and I figured maybe others who had preordered it were wondering what the deal was, or had forgotten about it and hadn't had a chance to peep it out. So I thought I'd offer my two cents on the album as well as draw some attention to it a bit after the fact as it seems it might have flown in under the radar...

The original D-FAZ EP, Abandoning (get a download of that one here) was an interesting listen. Brzowski is growing to be a very versatile poet and emcee, and with his experimentation ranging from straight up rap to metal with his other band Vinyl Cape (with C Money Burns) and fusions of the two, he's also definitely pretty fearless. D-FAZ goes in a new direction for him, blending an electronic bass music sound provided by four French production wizards with his angst ridden activist lyricism to create something engaging and new.

OneNationUnderGod tells the tale of a dystopian future, where an authoritarian surveillance state punishes free thought and incentivizes compliance. Brzowski's lyrical narrative mostly follows this story, with commentary about war, capitalism and activism, all firmly rooted in the real world as well as the world of D-FAZ's music. It's not an entirely novel concept especially in indie rap, but I have to give him points for his sincerity and energy in putting it all together (as well as his timeliness, although when in the last 50 years have messages like these been anything but timely?).

D-FAZ's instrumentalists are undoubtedly talented as well. While not being a huge fan of electronic music, I do find I enjoy the sounds they create. Their music provides a very apt landscape upon which to display the story line of the album. Bleak, eerie and anxious, a feeling of bad things coming to pass. Overall the sound is more electronic based than the EP, although there are definitely punk and metal elements to be discovered as well, and some especially noteworthy work from the percussionist. I found myself ultimately hearing a bit of the band Tool in their work on tracks like "One Nation". The songs often stretch to 5 minutes long with drum heavy breaks and knob twisting sound effects, and these musicians also have a chance to display their chops on a few instrumental tracks sprinkled here and there on the album. “Rosebud" was a beautiful example of this, although I actually felt that Brzowski could have written something amazing for it, which is unfortunate.

I did like this album a lot, however I still have to say that I prefer Brzowski's solo work or Vinyl Cape. It may just be opinion (I will always like the sounds of instruments or turntables more than the electronic stuff that seems to be huge these days), but I also felt in a few places that Brzowski's vocals didn't quite mesh with the instrumentals, and sometimes it seemed like the collaboration was a little bit forced. That's not a commentary on the skill of any parties involved, just a feeling I had that maybe the band could use some time together to work out a way to let everyone shine in every song. I recognize how difficult that probably can be in acts like this. I'm still excited to hear more from them, and I still highly recommend the album.

D-FAZ is, as stated on their website an attempt to "erase the division between I/We and the dreaded They/Them", so join Us and check it out today!


Don't be put off by the preorder flag still on the Bandcamp download, you can now purchase and download this album, in full, from the ever amazing Dora Dorovich right over here.

The Shape Shifters - Showtape (1998)

We're digging into the 90s LA underground with today's post - The Shape Shifter's "Showtape."

The product is 14 tracks from a live Shape Shifters show from 1998, the year of the Shifters' "Planet of the Shapes" and Omid's "Beneath the Surface." On top of some pretty crisp sounding performances (ripped from cassette) we get lots of hilarious banter in between tracks, including a description of what is known as a "slap your homie contest."

For the future, we have two other Shape Shifters cassette releases to post dating back to 1993 (before the likes of Awol and Circus joined the crew.) I am currently collecting some information on the releases, however, to accompany the rips so expect those before the year is up! Enjoy!

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Trylemma's Spooky Dooky Halloween Mixtape!

With October here, I present to you "Trylemma's Spooky Dooky Halloween Mixtape!" It's a compilation of 28 tracks that I've been tweaking for the past handful of years. This is 2018's edition (no new updates this year.) Enjoy! 

TRACKLIST:

1. Demune & The Mole - Brains!

2. Teenburger - Halloween Special

3. Gajah - Nightmare At 20,000 Feet

4. Cam The Wizzard - Zombie Apocalypse

5. Cleen - Monster Under The Bed

6. Buck 65 - What Are You Going To Be For Halloween

7. Jihad The Roughneck MC - Horror House

8. Elon.Is & Mercury - Halloween

9. Axiom - Immortality

10. Mega-Ran & Jermiside - Walking Dead

11. Black Mask & Gentlemen Script - Zombies

12. Onry Ozzborn & Barfly - One Man Band

13. Nolto & Dren - The Pumpkin-Lit Room

14. Antipop Consortium - Halloween In Babylon 

15. Zion I & The Grouch - Frankenstein

16. Awol One - Monster Style Party

17. Gingerbread Man - Track 2

18. Deeskee, Raj, & Spaceranger - Horror Movie

19. Wolves - Zombies

20. Dim Mak - Halloween

21. Equipto & L'Roneous - Pumpkin Patch

22. Chill Crew & Dain - Zombie Apocalypse

23. Esh & Arc - Werewolves Anonymous

24. Ecid - What Are You Gonna Be For Halloween? 

25. Jellyfish Brigade - The Werewolf Of Fever Swamp

26. Toussaint Morrison - Teen Beast

27. Ira Lee - The Black Guy Always Dies

28. Nocando & Kail - Spooky Freestyle 

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