conducted by Saadiq

MVRemix: Why is Hip Hop production is general so lame now? Why have people stopped putting in the effort to actually put some arrangement into their songs? These days everything on the independent scene sounds the same with tracks being reduced to a repetitive loop that stays the same for 5 minutes as opposed to something that is vaguely enjoyable to listen to.

Aesop Rock: Yeah a lot of shit is boring now. We try to make shit change a lot. Even if there is a main loop a beat has to have breaks, different instruments, etc. Its got to build and relax in order to make a complete song. I like loops, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it works. I think the main problem today is too many cats try to compose shit with keyboards and such without knowing how to play instruments. They end up with some boring ass composition. Kids should stick to sampling more.

MVRemix: These days it seems that everyone who makes Hip Hop seems to be just into Hip Hop and nothing else. Are you inspired by other types of art like literature, cinema or other forms of music?

Aesop Rock: I went to school for painting. I like artwork. I love movies too. It all seeps in somehow whether I want it to or not. I don’t read that much, but I guess I should. I have reached a point where I don’t have enough time to explore new music as much as I want to, but I can appreciate any type of music if it’s dope. Except country music. That shit is never dope.

Original Article

Aesop Rock EMBARKS ON EXTENSIVE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH ROB SONIC AND DJ BIG WIZ PERFORMING ON ALL DATES, CAGE ON SELECT DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM NONE SHALL PASS, OUT AUGUST 28TH ON DEFINITIVE JUX

The illustrious and prolific Definitive Jux artist Aesop Rock will be touring North America this fall with Rob Sonic, Blockhead (w/ DJ Signify), Cage, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and The Octopus Project on select dates in support of his new album, None Shall Pass. DJ Big Wiz will be on turntable duty for Aesop and Rob on all shows. Dates are listed below, with interviews, photos, and music available upon request.

Responsible for all but revolutionizing the entire face of underground hip-hop in the early portion of this decade with a slew of potent and influential releases such as 2000’s Float LP, 2001’s monumental Labor Days LP, and 2003’s Bazooka Tooth to his most recent EP/book, 2005’s Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives, Aesop Rock (aka Ian Bavitz) has proven that resting on his past laurels is all but forbidden. In the last year alone, Aesop has released a 45-minute workout mix for Nike+, a short story in collaboration with visual artist Jeremy Fish, and scored music for two short films. 2007 finds Aesop delivering his next full length album, the highly anticipated None Shall Pass on Definitive Jux.

press on Aesop Rock:
“Aesop Rock introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap.” – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Even among the hip-hop heavies who record for his local label, Def Jux, rapper Aesop Rock manages to stand out thanks to a vulnerable storytelling style that’s all too rare among the genre’s tough guys.” – NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“Aesop Rock is indie rap’s surrealist, a spewer and sneerer given to oblique code and artfully jumbled syntax. His voice is a bassy, agile instrument that rhymes ‘evil’ gracefully with ‘amoeba’.” -BLENDER

upcoming tour dates:
7/28/07 SEATTLE, WA CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY
9/6/07 PORTLAND, OR NORTHWEST MUSIC FESTIVAL

w/ Cage and Blockhead:
9/8/07 PHILADELPHIA, PA STARLIGHT BALLROOM
9/9/07 NEW YORK, NY IRVING PLAZA
9/10/07 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 CLUB
9/11/07 PITTSBURGH, PA REX THEATRE

w/ The Octopus Project and Blockhead:
9/13/07 CHICAGO, IL METRO
9/14/07 MADISON, WI BARRYMORE
9/15/07 MILWAUKEE, WI PABST THEATRE
9/16/07 MINNEAPOLIS, MN FIRST AVENUE
9/18/07 DETROIT, MI MAGIC STICK
9/19/07 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP
9/21/07 BALTIMORE, MD OTTOBAR
9/22/07 PROVIDENCE, RI LIVING ROOM
9/23/07 BOSTON, MA MIDDLE EAST
9/25/07 NORTHAMPTON, MA IRON HORSE
9/26/07 BURLINGTON, VT HIGHER GROUND

w/ Black Moth Super Rainbow and Blockhead:
10/10/07 SAN FRANCISCO, CA FILLMORE
10/12/07 LOS ANGELES, CA HENRY FONDA THEATRE
10/13/07 PHOENIX, AZ CLUBHOUSE
10/15/07 ALBUQUERQUE, NM SUNSHINE THEATRE
10/16/07 DURANGO, CO ABBEY THEATRE
10/18/07 DENVER, CO CERVANTES
10/19/07 BOULDER, CO FOX THEATRE
10/20/07 FT. COLLINS, CO AGGIE THEATRE
10/22/07 SALT LAKE CITY, UT IN THE VENUE
10/25/07 PORTLAND, OR WONDER BALLROOM
10/26/07 VANCOUVER, BC COMMODORE
10/27/07 BELLINGHAM, WA NIGHTLIGHT
10/30/07 EUGENE, OR WOW HALL
11/07/07 ASHEVILLE, NC ORANGE PEEL
11/9/07 ORLANDO, FL CLUB FIRESTONE
11/10/07 MIAMI, FL STUDIO A
11/12/07 NEW ORLEANS, LA HOUSE OF BLUES
11/13/07 BATON ROUGE, LA SPANISH MOON
11/15/07 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT
11/16/07 HOUSTON, TX WAREHOUSE LIVE
11/17/07 AUSTIN, TX EMOS
11/19/07 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT IN
11/20/07 ATLANTA, GA MJQ

review by Todd E. Jones

Theme music for the apocalypse has been provided by El-P. If “apocalyptic hip-hop” was not a term I just created for this article, El-P would be the genre’s father. Originally signed to Rawkus Records with the independent group Company Flow, El-P has risen to mythical heights in the world of underground / independent hip-hop. He is a white emcee/producer from New York who cannot conveniently fit under only one label. He is not a backpack rapper. He is not a religious zealot. He is not a gimmicky wannabe who is exploiting the culture. Simply, El-P is his complicated self. Founder of the now legendary independent record label, Definitive Jux, El Producto has earned his much deserved respect. As a label founder, El-P used Definitive Jux as a vehicle to release dense and high quality albums by C Rayz Walz, Cannibal Ox, The Perceptionists, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, and others. His cacophonic production style is gloriously unique and dramatically powerful. His drums have a juggernaut force and his melodies are lush soundscapes. He has contributed production for albums like “The Cold Vein” by Cannibal Ox, “Black Dialogue” by The Perceptionists, “I Phantom” and “Mo’ Mega” by Mr. Lif, and “Year Of The Beast” by C Rayz Walz. From start to finish, El-P’s “Fantastic Damage” was his challenging and thought-provoking debut solo album. Standout cuts included “Blood”, “Deep Space 9MM”, and “Fantastic Damage.” A true hip-hop producer, El-P also released varied instrumental albums. Released on Thirsty Ear Records, “High Water” showcased his talents by capturing his production skills with jazz band. Released on Definitive Jux, “Collecting The Kid” was a refreshing compilation of tracks from various projects El-P had been working on. “Constellation (Remix)” (featuring Stephanie Vezina) and “Oxycontin” (featuring Camu Tao) were exceptional tracks. Fans were yearning for El-P’s next complete solo album. When people thought El-P could not top “Fantastic Damage”, they were amazed when El-P’s sophomore album surpassed his previous work. “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” is a glorious, intelligent, and powerful album. While the “Fantastic Damage” LP was described as somewhat difficult listening, “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” is exceptionally constructed, instantly entertaining, and intellectually memorable. Hip-hop will never experience another album like “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead”.

“I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” contains multiple tracks of epic proportions. The opening cut, “Tasmanian Pan Coaster” possesses a powerful crescendo and thick bouncing rhythms. El-P’s chorus is a shocking epiphany, “…This is the sound of what you don’t know killing you / This is the sound of what you don’t believe still true / This is that sound of what you don’t want still in you / TPC motherf*cker / Cop a feel or two…” The song features Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta. Mr. Dibbs also contributes turntable cutting to the track. During the song’s conclusion, the use of a distorted guitar intertwined with an operatic vocal sample creates a devastating cinematic sound. “Flyentology” features Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails on vocals. Even people who are sick of Trent Reznor will probably appreciate the song. El-P uses Reznor’s vocals in a very intelligent way. He is careful not to overuse Reznor too. Since the song does not clash with the other tracks, the album’s flow is maintained. The animated music video for “Flyentology” gives the song a complete new dimension while telling a creative and fantastic story. El-P’s view on religion and spirituality is extremely refreshing. “…There are atheists in the foxholes / There is no intellect in the air / There are no scientists on the way down / Just a working example of faith verses physics…” His creativity leaves much to interpretation. The epic conclusion of the album is “Poisonville Kids No Wins”. El-P’s soft spoken, heartfelt delivery is enhanced by the song’s structure. The beat stops and restarts throughout the track, gaining more momentum and power every time. The massively hypnotic chorus is a thick, melodic beat crescendo. Chan Marshall of Cat Power adds poignantly ethereal vocals during the song’s finale, “…Never, ever, ever gonna get that way again…” Cinematically epic, these songs bring hip-hop to creative heights.

The album also includes tracks that are shorter in length but not quality. “Drive” is possibly the most instantly appealing song on the album. For the chorus, a sped-up vocal sample is used before each line. El-P’s verses are wonderfully frustrating. El-P raps, “…I’m not a depressed man / I’m just a f*cking New Yorker / Who knows that sitting in traffic with these bastards is torture…” El-P’s “Drive” is proof that he can create a somewhat catchy yet clever solo track that has the potential to be a single. “Up All Night” is a bouncy, intelligent track with thick, electronic melodies and swirling drum rhythms. In the hook, El-P states that he is not a person to be taken advantage of, “…I see you all regardless / I know what lies are like / I might have been born yesterday, sir / But I stayed up all night…” Another bounce-driven track with a memorable chorus is “Smithereens (Stop Cryin)”. El-P’s quick double-time flow adds a cool diversity to the album. He even adds melody to his hook. “No Kings” is a tight cut which features a deep-voiced Tame-One (formerly of Artifacts). “Run The Numbers” (featuring Aesop Rock) is a catchy track which will have you shouting “Find those detonators!” El-P’s melodic repetition of “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na” makes the song catchy, fun, yet still intelligent. Another powerful track, “The Overly Dramatic Truth” is sexually harsh and insanely aggressive.

Only a handful of songs do not have the same intensity or replay value as the other tracks on the album. “Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)” is an overdone track with the repeated hook: “I found love on a prison ship.” Cage contributes vocals to the track. Although Cage and El-P work well together, the album’s other songs are more satisfying. The only other somewhat filler track is the short and angry “Dear Sirs”. To call these tracks filler is somewhat unfair because the depth and meaning of each song does shine with creativity.

“I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” displays a major maturation in El-P. His production talents have become extremely unique, but massively emotional. As an emcee, he has begun to master his flow and delivery as well as his cadence. Although “Fantastic Damage” was a solid album, “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” is incredibly tighter and more accessible. The album’s accessibility never forsakes the usual complicated beauty of his music. While the album may also be considered a challenging listen compared to most hip-hop CDs, “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” is beautifully challenging and executed with an intellectual precision. Although the album may go over people’s heads, intelligent and open-minded music lovers should appreciate the record’s multiple layers of creativity. Simply, “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” by El-P is a complicated modern hip-hop classic.

by Josh Potter

In the calm before the storm, a simple voice asks a simple question: “Do you think that if you were falling in space that you would slow down after a while or go faster and faster?” It’s Donna Hayward from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me — an ominous sample to begin an ominous opening track. But like a PCP-induced fever dream, omens turn to nightmares, and like something plucked from the pages of George Orwell or Phillip K. Dick, the nightmare proves itself to be far more scary and far more real than a mere night-time fantasy. “This is the sound of what you don’t know killing you.” The hook spouts it and the album embodies it. I’d tell you to run for cover, but this whole thing’s been brewing for too long to turn back now. We’ve seen it all coming and have no choice but to ride it out. Believe me, it’ll be worth it. “Cop a feel or two.”

Four years in the making, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead has been rightfully described as El-P’s “post-traumatic stress album.” It’s a harrowing, visceral concept album, as much a response to the Draconian, post-9/11 world, as to personal tribulations. Its goal of capturing the political by representing the personal results in a fully-realized 13-track dystopia of searing guitars, dissonant electronics, and heavy industrial beat-scapes. It’s the much anticipated follow-up to 2002’s Fantastic Damage, and has been heralded by some as the most important rap album of 2007, as early as Fall 2006.

Employing his Gay Dog method of collaboration (pulled from the South Park episode in which George Clooney appears as a gay dog), El-P has assembled a veritable who’s-who of the contemporary music world to lend the disc additional gravity. Trent Reznor, Omar and Cedric of the Mars Volta, Chan Marshall, and Tunde of TV on the Radio are just a few of his guests. I’ll Sleep… . finds El-P behind the microphone as well as the MPC, trading cryptic verses with Def Jux legionnaires Aesop Rock, Cage, and Mr. Lif.

In fact, his top-notch production value aside, it’s El-P’s lyricism that carries the day and holds the sprawling beast of an album together. Slipping in and out of characters, reprising earlier themes and using the power of suggestion as much as the gift of gab, the narrative tug of the album drags the helpless listener through the muck and mire of the tracks, teasing him with a glimmer of hope in the end.

From when the newpie dip sparks in the first verse of “Tasmanian Pain Coaster,” “the whole design got (his) mind cryin’” and it won’t let up. In “Up All Night” Lif tells El “we’re all deranged/ I’m no different/ I wish my hope still existed.” Yet in “Drive” El “hopped in the hooptie screamin’ freedom is mine.” It’s not optimism, though, so much as desperate resilience. “Dear Sirs” finds El allerting the powers that be that he will not in even the most unlikely situations fight their war, ever. Even after having to execute his lover in “Habeas Corpses” the issue is determined to be a matter of “faith versus physics,” and the plea goes out in “Flyentology” to “keep me in the sky that’s all that I cry/ I’ll become your servant if it’s worth your time.” When the newpie’s burned to the filter in “Poisenville Kids No Wins,” nothing’s been resolved, but it seems that the issue at hand has at least come into better focus. “How the fuck do you explain your own self-destruction,” El muses, “and still remain trusted?”

Self-destruction aside, El-P has little to fear in the trust department. I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is the album that the hype-machine always expected he’d make — unsettling, urgent and necessary. It’s an album to be feared for the same reason it ought to be sought out. It’s one big helping of tough-love and even a spoon full of sugar isn’t going to help it go down. Don’t expect that the free-fall is going to slow down anytime soon, because as Laura Palmer speculates, through a haze of reverb, in response to Donna’s question, “for a long time you wouldn’t feel anything, then you’d burst into fire. And the angels wouldn’t help you because they’d all gone away.”

Original Article