‘Modern Warfare’ is the second release this year from Screaming Soul, a collaboration between myself and Ghetto Priest.  This is a bit of a patchwork release of remixes, ‘Modern Warfare’ is essentially a revamped re-release of our first demo ‘Warfare’, which featured on our debut album and was remixed by Ruckspin & Planas for Ranking Records in 2008.  This EP Features both the Ranking mix and the original mix as well as Mutant Hi-Fi‘s ‘Squatters in the Oval Office’ mix which is a little taster of what’s to come on ‘Ghost Inna Dub’ which I can’t wait to get out there!  Actually feel like leaking a track…. so tempting!

‘Operation: Zombie Nation’ producer Key Skills‘ contribution is a dance floor destroyer while DefDFires‘ Bill Daggs, whose completely updated version of the track bears the EP title, features verses from Daggs himself, Uncle Jazza (DDF) and check out my ‘remixed’ verse, all the patterns are pretty much identical but the words are different.  I got that idea from the way Ghost and Rae flipped their verses on the ‘Can It Be So Simple’ remix on Cuban Linx- one of my favourite albums of all time.

The EP also features two bonus tracks from Wot Not Music‘s JJ Mumbles who has remixed two other tracks from our debut album ‘Ghost in a Shell’: the glitchy minimalist thump of ‘Wool Ova Dem Eyes’ and the eerily atmospheric ‘Rusty Cage’, both of which I absolutely love.  Mumbles has a beautifully unorthodox style of production that seems to know no limits- watch out for that guy, big tings a gwan.

]]> http://lucidmover.com/2011/12/01/new-release-screaming-soul-modern-warfare/feed/ 0 Lucid Mover Screaming Soul @ EMSP HQ Screaming Soul http://lucidmover.com/2011/11/24/event-i-play-bass-3rd-december-2011/ http://lucidmover.com/2011/11/24/event-i-play-bass-3rd-december-2011/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:44:20 +0000 Lucid Mover http://lucidmover.com/?p=490 ]]>

December 3rd will see the launch of I Play Bass, at the Junction Room in Dalston. We will be bringing out our finest DJ friends for a night of bass-driven skanking, the line up includes an extra special set from Bill Daggs (DefDFires) and myself (Lucid Mover) playing some exclusive new tracks from forthcoming Emerging Species releases.

Other DJs on the night will be:

REV WRIGHT / JJ MUMBLES (WOTNOT) / VIVAL-D (EMSP) / HARKY DJ (GENTLE MYSTICS) / GREEDY JOE (SCREAMING SOUL) / SEEDS (HEADSKNOW) / DJ CnC

On top of that it’s Bills’ birthday – so we’ll be celebrating extra hard.  Admission is only £3 and as a gesture of goodwill all attendees will get a discounted ticket to our massive end of year showcase on the 17th December – the first ever event to feature live performances from all the Emerging Species artists!

Click attending on the Facebook event page for more info.

DefDFires are by far my favourite rap group and this is their greatest work to date.  An absolutely epic album that both satirises and sheds new light on humanity’s current predicament.  Lyrically these guys have been a world apart from any other rappers in the game for a very long time and with the help of Key Skills’ polished production skills they have managed to create what I think is the greatest rap album to come out of the UK.  I co-produced Gringo’s ‘Dance of Devastation’ track on the album and have been heavily involved with the promotional campaign, including co-producing the incredible video for ‘The Palace’ directed by Will Wright.

As part of the album campaign, the group also produced a number of podcasts giving listeners a more detailed insight into society on the brink of collapse.  You can hear all 5 podcasts on DefDFires’ Mixcloud page.

There have also been rumours of a satirical newspaper circulating in London which draws on themes from the OZN album though I have no idea who could have made it or why… whoever they are they certainly don’t seem to like the Tories.

]]> http://lucidmover.com/2011/11/24/defdfires-operation-zombie-nation/feed/ 0 Lucid Mover http://lucidmover.com/2011/11/24/gentle-mystics-debut-album-out-now/ http://lucidmover.com/2011/11/24/gentle-mystics-debut-album-out-now/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:54:27 +0000 Lucid Mover http://lucidmover.com/?p=459 ]]>

This is likely to be one of the most genre-mushing, mind-boggling albums you have ever heard.  This 9-piece band fuse a broad spectrum of musical styles, weaving together elements of Balkan, Dub, Folk, Hip-Hop, Electronica and more to create their own unique sound.  Their debut album has been several years in the making but was worth every second of waiting.

My personal favorites on the album are ‘Awaken’ and ‘Spiralling Breeze’, particularly the dub breakdown at the end!  Watch out for the ‘Awaken’ Lucid Dub coming soon on Emerging Species.  You can find out more about the Mystics on their website www.gentlemystics.com or go to the Emerging Species blog to keep up with all their crazy tour antics- this is a band you MUST see live!  Watch the video to get an idea….

‘Ghost in a Shell’ is the visionary debut album from Screaming Soul, a collaboration between Sandman aka Lucid Mover (MC/producer) and Ghetto Priest (vocalist). This enigmatic duo are veterans of their respective scenes, having worked with the likes of Asian Dub Foundation, Adrian Sherwood, Congo Natty, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and many more.

‘Ghost in a Shell’ blends an eclectic mix of genres and influences; tribal drums and dubby melodicas transport you to a sun-drenched hilltop to witness ‘IllumiNatty’, before the grimy jazz tones of ‘Cat Among the Pigeons’ lead you down filthy back streets in search of a guilty fix. The thunderous bass lines and rump-shaking breaks of ‘Deep Beneath the Streets’ and ‘The Furnace’ are peppered with middle eastern spices while the album’s title track blends latin rhythms with soulful horns and sweeping strings to bring our journey to its dramatic conclusion.

“Ghost In A Shell is a picaresque journey through a modern, often dystopian London, that is not only musically adventurous and lyrically adept, but a timely and intelligent meditation on the darker side of capitalism.” – www.ilikemusic.com

These epic, multi-layered soundscapes set the backdrop for a pair of master wordsmiths to vent their existential musings and weave apocalyptic tales of struggle in the modern world. This dystopian narrative is told through a dialogue between the troubled disciple and the tribe elder; Sandman illustrates the darkness and difficulties we all face, while Ghetto Priest reassures with his rays of optimism.

“Makes Massive Attack sound like The Monkees” – Notion Magazine

‘Ghost In A Shell’ is out now on Emerging Species, the bandcamp download includes a full HD version of music video to the title track ‘Ghost in a Shell’ and an 11-page digital inlay designed by Nompi with all album lyrics and credits.

The cover art was designed by Alex Young and the music video was directed by Will Wright.

Video Production Credits:

• Director – Will Wright
• DOP – Mark Caldwell
• Camera Assistant – Greg Culhainne
• Cotume – Ed Griffiths
• Art Director – Paul Murphy
• Editor – Will Wright
• Colourist/VFX – Sean Pointing
• Producer – Lucid Mover

COMING SOON! ‘Ghost Inna Dub’, the sequel to ‘Ghost In A Shell’: Dub versions and brand new material featuring remixes from Adrian Sherwood (On-U Sound) and Mutant Hi-Fi (Prince Fatty) as well as contributions from Reggae Roast DJs Moodie & Exel.

Click on image to buy.

This edition features tracks from most of the UK’s greatest MCs: Roots Manuva, Blak Twang, Task Force, Ty, Skinnyman, Rodney P, Seanie T and of course Sandman and Bill Daggs.

If you want to get your tracks played on future Lucid Podcasts e-mail them along with drops to thelucidmovement@gmail.com

http://www.mixcloud.com/thelucidmovement/the-lucid-podcast-01/

This girl is an incredible talent, she has a natural gift for singing which you only find among one in a million singers AND she can spit!  She has a natural flair with harmonies that seems almost mystical and lyrically she is unparalleled amongst her peers.  As well as being an amazing vocalist LV plays guitar and piano and has been developing her production skills with some great results.

She reminds me a lot of when I first met Graziella (of Miss Frank, Mama Said, Foreign Beggars and UNDALI fame) back in 2000 and I am hoping to get the two of them to meet up at some point soon.

I have compiled a selection of my favourite LV tracks on this post and am presenting it as a sort of demo because I think this girl is destined for great things, she just needs the right kind of support from a manager/label to get her career kick-started.

So come on industry peeps, check it out!  This girl could be the next big thing, but it’s up to YOU to help nurture the raw talent.

Lady Vengeance – Avenged Love

Lady Vengeance – Go Away

Lady Vengeance – Heartless Lady

Lady Vengeance – It Will Light Up

Lady Vengeance – Back For Revenge

For more info on Lady Vengeance please contact lucidmover@gmail.com and stay tuned for new tracks.

November 2009 saw the release of the second installment of “Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture”, this time titled “Enter The Dubstep”.  I had heard absolutely nothing about this release until Bill Daggs turned up at my house with a copy in January.  When he first said it I thought I’d misheard him- “A Wu-Tang Dubstep album? Are you serious?? This must be a joke, or it’s gonna be some dodgy mashup project put together by internet geeks.”  Oh how wrong I was.

As it turned out this is essentially a remix project, as all the verses are taken from previous Wu-Tang and Wu-affiliate releases, but they are all from fairly obscure tracks, whether this is for licensing reasons or not, it clearly works in the album’s favour.  While the first instalment of “Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture” focussed mainly on the lyrical side of things with Wu-members jumping on tracks with some of the US underground’s finest (artists like MF DOOM, Ras Kass, Aesop Rock, RA The Rugged Man etc.), this second part is clearly all about the producers.  And boy do they come up with the goods.

On first inspection the average Dubstep fan may ask “Where are Benga, Skream, Digital Mystikz, The Moody Boys or any other of the better known Dubstep producers?” but as soon as you start listening, these preconceptions are swiftly forgotten.  As a producer, one of the things that fries my noodle about this project is how the verses fit so perfectly with the Dubstep tempo with very little sign of time-stretching or pitch-shifting.  It actually sounds as though they were recorded specifically for the beats and in many cases the remixes are miles better than the original versions.

This point is best made by the RZA and MF DOOM track- these are two of my favourite MCs of all time and when I first heard the original of this track I was unbelievably disappointed- the beat was wack and DOOM’s verse sounded off-time, the whole thing didn’t mesh.  But the Dubstep version is jaw-droppingly awesome.

WARNING: This should be played at high volumes, preferrably in a residential area.

Biochemical Equation (Datsik & Excision Remix) – RZA & MF DOOM

There are occasional weak points on the album but these are few and far between.  Also it is great to see some of the more underrated artists getting more exposure on this project as U-God and Killah Priest make stand-out appearances.  The U-God verses on these next two tracks are some of my favourites:

Wu-Tang (DZ Remix) – U-God & Method Man

Love Don’t Cost a Thing/Still Grimey (Nebula & Dore Remix) – Icewater, Method Man, U-God & Prodigal Sunn

Possibly my favourite track on the album is this next one, the main verse is by Ghostface and taken from his collaboration with Hi-Tek called “My Piano”, the rest is a mash-up of verse samples from two other tracks.  Once again the Ghostface verse sounds much better on this version and track itself is in my opinion the greatest example of what this project is about: it has the ambient build-ups, with techy variations in drum patterns and synth lines, it has the dirty earth shattering sub-bass and some classic killer Wu-Tang lyrics:

Pencil/My Piano/Firehouse (Soroka Remix) – GZA, Masta Killah, RZA, Ghostface Killah & Ka

“Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture Volume 2 – Enter The Dubstep” is available now on iTunes & Amazon- so go cop that.