Tristate Inventory - "Tristate of Mind Suite"

I've been following Tristate for a while and the build up to this piece has been phenomenal. Finally, he's released the FIRST original classical Hip-Hop piece ever!

The press release reads:

"The featured artwork is from the avant-garde critically acclaimed Irish painter, Chloe Early. 'Tristate Of Mind' is an organic musical canvas with life as the muse. The most culturally relevant composition to date, spanning centuries of symphonic influences.  A new archetype of sound and format, 'Tristate of Mind' raises the future standards of the modern music consumer and composer."

Daaaamn! Click the link above and feast your ears on THIS.

Meet Stro....

He's what the game has been missing.

Check out this footage from the iStandard beat battle last weekend at the infamous Scratch DJ Academy in NYC.  South Jersey native Incredible Stro is something like a phenomenon on the keys and this video shows how his sound completely dominated the competition.

His sound is punctuated by heavy drums, outlandish synths and complicated melodic patterns that blend together in an audible ecstasy that makes your ears tingle. Stro is currently signed to EMO (Elaborate Musik Orchestra), a Harlem based production house headed by Sidney "Omen" Brown. The team is responsible for several major label hits including tracks for Drake, Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Ludacris and many more.

I haven't been this excited about a producer since I first heard Ryan Leslie. I'm sure you that you will be intrigued as well. Turn your speakers up and press play! 

Stro on Twitter

More Stro Music
EMO Official Website

Interview: Self

I remember when Onyx's "Shut 'Em Down" album came out.  I had just graduated high school and I was officially on my own.  I was working full time at a sneaker store on 125th street in Harlem and the now closed Harlem Music Hut was a few doors down from my workplace.  I would go in almost every day to peruse the seemingly endless array of CDs. 

There was a lot of hype for this album as two of the groups members, Fredro and Sticky, had been doing movies more than music.  This was supposed to be the definitive Onyx experience as well as a reminder to fans that they were still some of the illest MCs on the planet.  The hype was spot on and this album IS the definitive Onyx experience.  Classic.  I bought the album on release day and I was blown away by the raw energy captured on this album.  It was signature New York grit when the "shiny suit" era was at it's peak.  It mirrored my life at the time, too.  I was young, black and angry and this was my soundtrack;  loud, aggressive and not to be f****d with.

The title track was produced by Self and I went out to his brand new office/studio in Queens to talk about his experiences in entertainment industry, his community work and his plans for the future. 

Producer Series: Mr. Devine Interview

Mr. Devine is a Queens based producer who's produced for Ruff Ryders/D-Block almost since the labels inception.  Producing for all 3 members of The Lox to this very day, he is now looking to take his sound to a new level.

1/4th of the Cafe Society production team, Mr. Devine sat down to talk with www.roxfontaine.com to speak about his career up to this point and where he plans to take it in the immediate future.

Kicks & Snares Producer T-Shirts

Got an e-mail from one of my favorite sound sources today and these dudes just dropped 6 new tees. Nothing too crazy, but fans of music production will surely find one or two worth a purchase. I know I did.

Follow the link for more: Kicks & Snares Shirt Shop