Blog - Crate Kings

Black Milk Detroit Hip-Hip & Album of The Year

August 11, 2010

Black Milk discusses his upcoming album entitled “Album of The Year”, how he became involved with hip-hop, and what makes the Detroit music scene so unique.

DJ Craze Talks DMC, Digital DJ’ing, Production

August 9, 2010

DJ Craze talks about how began DJ’ing at the age of 15, competing to win the DMC Finals, how A-Trak became a member of The Allies, the preparation for major DJ battles, and vinyl vs. digital DJ’ing. When you’re on top of your game everybody hates you.

Cut Chemist x Biz Markie – Disco Records & Cemeteries

August 5, 2010

A vinyl picnic? Cut Chemist in a cemetery? Cut Chemist gets disco record advice from Biz Markie before spreading out a blanket full of vinyl in a promo video for a screening of Saturday Night Fever. [via 33 via GG]

Bangladesh Talks Song Leaks & Production Influences

August 3, 2010

DJ Skee interview producer Bangladesh to discuss how, inspired by Organized Noize and Timbaland, he started producing in 1993. The two also talk about Bangladesh’s current projects, song leaks, and his personal sound.

The Musical Legacy of J Dilla

August 3, 2010

Pitchfork runs down its version of J Dilla’s musical legacy complete compete with timeslines and musical examples. This inevitably brings us to a skeptical question: Why Dilla? Yancey’s death during a peak period of creativity has led to a lot of attempts to extend a relatively slept-on legacy– an ironic development for an artist whose … Read more

DJ Shiftee Name That Tune Beat Juggle Contest

August 3, 2010

DJ Shiftee lays down the gauntlet and challenges viewers to name all 35 songs that he juggles during a 90 second DJ set. Any well versed Crate Kings reader should be able to name them all relatively easily.

Bob James On Biz Markie & “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”

August 2, 2010

A quick warning: Don’t even bother going further unless you have a serious chunk of time to dedicate to viewing. This is going to take a while.

Bob James explains how his thoughts about sampling have changed over the years while offering insight into the making of “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” and refuting Biz Markie’s famous claim of owning a copy of the song that does not contain bells. James also discusses defective master tapes, transferring the original master recordings, and it’s impossible that Biz Markie could have a copy of the original master recordings.

On “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” without bells:

There was no reason in the world that we would have ever made a version of that song without the cowbell in it. We just wouldn’t have done that.

To Biz Markie:

Telling people that you got a hold of my multi-tracks. I don’t think so. Wanna meet face to face and really check it out?

[Thanks Hankyu!]

More after the break!

Invincible + Waajeed Tour Archer Record Pressing Plant

August 2, 2010

Detroit producers Invincible and Wajeed take a tour of Archer Record Pressing to personally view the creation of their upcoming 7″ single entitled “Detroit Summer”.

Ski Beatz On “Streets Is Watching” and “Dead Presidents”

July 30, 2010July 30, 2010

Ski Beatz tells the tale of how he originally didn’t like the beat for “Dead Presidents” and took a week to make “Streets Is Watching”.

Check Labi Siffre’s original “I Got The Blues” after the break!

Black Milk “Album of The Year” Promo Trailer

July 30, 2010

Black Milk walks out of his car, up the stairs, and shows off some fancy studio trackboard automation. Look out for Album of The Year when it drops on September 14th.

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