Interview
Droppin’ Knowledge: On Dre Island’s Debut Album, Now I Rise, All Praises Go To The Most High
Seven years is an eternity in popular music. Trends, styles, tastes, and popularity divide, replicate and morph at an exhausting pace and even the greatest pop artists struggle to keep up. Social media enhances the difficulty of staying atop the pop culture firmament and, before you know it, an artist who was up today, tomorrow …
Droppin’ Knowledge: Behind The Boards With Brainorchestra
Each week, Backseat Mafia’s Droppin’ Knowledge talks to a musician, producer, or beat maker, to hear about their creative processes and how they approach making music. This week’s guest is Brainorchestra, the nom de guerre of Andrew Melo, a musician, rapper and producer from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Shout out! Brainorchestra has worked with artists such …
Droppin’ Knowledge: Meet Brooklyn Hip Hop Duo 11roots
Brooklyn hip hop duo 11roots is poised to release their debut, self-titled album this summer. The pair, consisting of rhyme artist and producer Ur Maa and beat smith Brown_buddha, create jazzy, swirls of sound behind abstract, poetic lyrics. 11roots is firmly based in the traditions of the greats of Brooklyn hip hop, while at the …
Premiere: King Shoji – Untitled [8], plus interview
Prolific Detroit electronic artist King Shoji keeps his incredibly creative and prolific streak up with a new album on Muzai Records, Vortex. Which drops on May 29th. It’s a nine track ‘Suite’ of tracks, crafted in these lockdown times, it’s supposed to be listened to as a whole, rather than in parts, but despite that, …
Meet: Hempolics Grippa Laybourne interview, plus new video for Get it Right
Ahead of the release of their sophomore album Kiss, Cuddle & Torture: Volume 2, out on July 3rd on their own label Zee Zee Records via Kartel Group Music, we’ve already loved the new single from Hempolics Gotta Thing, and the band have followed it up with a new video for ‘Get it Right‘, filmed …
Meet: Dead Meadow’s Jason Simon on his new solo record ‘A Venerable Wreck’ and more
Ahead of the release of his new album A Venerable Wreck, we tracked down Dead Meadow’s Jason Simon to tell us more. We’ve already fell for the single ‘Red Dust’ with its arid psych country stylings and with the albums out tomorrow (May 22nd) on the Chilean label BYM (home to Föllakzoid, Chicos de Nazca, …
Droppin’ Knowledge: Behind The Boards With Bozack Morris
Bozackula is in the house! For this week’s Behind The Boards, Backseat Mafia is joined by Bozack Morris, producer and musician extraordinaire, and co-founder and label head of GGBR Records, based in Toronto. GGBR’s main man gave us a rundown on his inspirations, favorite places to crate dig and artists he’d like to work with. …
Meet: I Like Trains’ David Martin on new material, how they work, lockdown and more
It’s been eight years since we last heard from I Like Trains, or at least that’s when their last album dropped. Maybe best remembered for their first two records – 2006’s Progress • Reform and Elergies to Lessons Learnt from a year later, they produced epic post/indie-rock anthems of a dark and emotive nature that …
Meet: LIZZI On her debut EP After Hours and more
East London singer-songwriter LIZZI has just released her debut EP ‘After Hours’, which mixes up a range of influences and Pushes them through a new soul hue. It’s more than that though, with her songs having the sort of immediately engaging smart yet introspective soul/pop music that’s been attracting attention from tastemakers and those close …
Meet: Leon Michels / El Michels Affair on new album Adult Themes and more
Leon Michels is a talented man. Inbetween working with a who’s who of talent as a musician, including a brief spell as part of Wu-Tang’s touring band, he started making music under his own steam with the express intention that it be sampled by hip-hop producers. This worked, with songs by the likes of Jay …