I really can't say much but, BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!! Possibly one of the best releases I've heard in a long while. There is allot of re-vamped soul/funk coming out (mainly coined Gordy-Stax-Invictus influences) This is pretty true to that era(and there are quite a few era's he picks from too). That "Oh Girl" track has been on constant rotation. Has that Delfonics/Temptations vibe. Just solid and the production is excellent.Nice to hear songs that have actual feeling & influence from an era where love songs were really....love songs! Ballads man,Ballads!!!!!Beautiful over-dubs of duets in the background, reminds me of later Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" s/t.The harmonizing is to a tee & very well composed as a whole.
Allot of guest appearances including Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Joss Stone and plenty of other folks.
Have a peep and hope this is some incentive to go and purchase. Enjoy
Much Peace and Respect, Adrian(age)
Oh Girl
Never Give You Up (w/ Stevie Wonder)
100 Yard Dash
Staying In Love
and
That Jay-Z remix is pretty fresh too. Oh Girl (Remix w/ Jay-Z)
HA...The early days of the Hiero Imperium.I am not going to front.Back in those days(and still do), I used every bit of access I could to get new music.(and online was a good...and also bad way of getting new stuff).Almost every other week, I spent my weekends in The Bay(S.F.),East Bay(Oakland & Berkley) and Other surrounding cities looking for new music. Mainly found myself in the East Bay, Used to go to Leopold's,Rasputin's,Amoeba's and all the cats dirt hustling(Mainly in those days on Telegraph, you'd see all the Hobo,Psytoplasim and Mystic cats out there)and I'd spend most of my checks there and whatever(at the time) to the guys slanging their product, fun times.
Anyways, back to my main subject, Hiero..I had so many 3rd to 4th generation copies of all their unreleased material and It would bug me to hear that hiss.As much as I can stand the hiss and the low-fi, there comes a time, where you just want to hear the song(s), clearly. So hearing that they were rumored to release these recordings,I was just looking forward to when!!I got two copies when it came out.I recently got a sealed cassette from my homie Kye(again, word up homie!).They never came with any cover.Just a blank clear case, the tape said "Hiero Oldies" and a page typed with all the songs in order (who,what year,etc and a brief synopsis).I was just happy to hear "Cab Fare"(but it was not the version I had from back in the day, but a remixed and new version of it), "Can I Kill Em" and the "Souls of Mischief" self titled track (made famous from the ever so killer first Plan-B Skate video).Thanks again to the Hiero crew for putting these track out for all to enjoy and also thanks for putting that Atban Klan tape up for sale too(which is another post in the near future)
So I present to you, in it's entire form (from the tape) is, Hiero Oldies Vol #1. So sit back and listen to the whole 86:24 of it!
Peace, Adrian(age)
Hiero Oldies Vol #1
1)Cab Fare (95 Remix) 2)Me-O-Mi-O (Domino Remix) 3)Neighborhood 4)Let It Ride 5)Can I Kill'em? 6)Souls Of Mischief 7)Where They At? 8)Crazy Del Song w/ Beyond the Cloak of Darkness 9)Weak Shit 10)Can U Feel It? 11)It Get's No Better 12)Our Secret 13)Untitled Del Song 14)Souls Of Mischief On WKCR,NY(STretch & Bobbito Show) 92' 15)Captain America 16)Batting Practice(Orig. Version) 17)Feeling The Flow 18)Whta Do You Say? 19)Rippers 20)Reckless w/ Hush 21)Chaos & Turmoil
This is Matt Fryer. Known as "Awkward". Matt's a homie & fellow crew member (well, mastermind) of the Vertebrae Crew.
This is the cassette release that I passed out to people and put in some shops.The response on the tape was actually really overwhelming and had an excellent response(considering most pass on it, cause it's not from the states). I only made 30 to 50 copies of the tape (mainly passed to friends and folks at shows).It is composed of a couple releases he did back in the U.K.(Bristol) and some other non-released 4-track songs.He was nice enough to let me just re-dub these tracks I had on Mini-disc(Which I recovered awhile back, but the disc was "corrupted") Damn!!!!
I did not even have a personal copy till recently (Thanks Kye) I gave him the first tape out of the batch back then and was nice enough to give it back.
In an age where people really don't sample much anymore.It's pretty comforting to hear this tape again. There is power in this music. Rough ass drums, dirty ass samples and tough lyrics to compliment.
All production was the man himself except for the last track (and I apologize to Steve aka Sir Beans O.B.E.) That was my bad not to credit you on the cover back then.
I hope you enjoy it and here it is in it's entirety.
Awkward:When Gravity Fails (U.S. Release)
Track List, Start 5,000 Corpses Midnight Sun Human (Feat. Fono-Veins) Loop & Fade Last Breath (Robotman) We Like Scratching (Feat. D-Swift) So Anyways (Feat. Marshy & Fono Veins) When Gravity Fails Interlude Diss Feast The Freestyle Song Intro Here 2 Interfere Vertebrae Pt. 1 (Feat.Rola of Numskulls) Ignite **Focus ('98) Feat. Sir Beans O.B.E.
Produced, Scratched & Rhymed by Awkward (Except "**" By Sir Beans O.B.E.)
NMP is the abreviation for New Medina Project. Established in 2005 as an independent hip-hop record label, NEW MEDINA is an artist collective composed of long-time Bay Area beatdiggers DJ OH, LYNN NESS and AGE. Often encompassing other crew members such as SIR BEANS OBE (out of Bristol, UK), KYE MICHAEL, KIKO, and GPEK. NEW MEDINA serves as a vehicle for getting quality music out to the people - hip-hop made with the signature tools of the trade; aging samplers, stacks of old records, and a sharp ear for unearthing the dustiest of samples. Fast forward to 2007, and with much unreleased material under their belt due to the decline of vinyl sales, the NEW MEDINA camp has been steadily rethinking its gameplan. NMP is the outcome of this brainstorming. A blogsite where the entire NEW MEDINA crew can post current and past works of theirs to be downloaded for free. You will also see reviews, original articles, and interviews posted as well. We sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here at New Medina Project. Peace and best wishes from NMP MASSIVE.
