Embrace the Flux

Artist of the Week: Sam Adams

// February 9th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Music

The founding father you ask? Or do we mean the beverage? Tasty, but wrong. We’re talking about Samuel Adams the up-n-coming rap sensation from Boston. His name, no doubt,  carries the essence of a great beverage. But his music goes down just as smooth as the lager. His rhymes are fresh. His beats are an eclectic mix of new and old. Mind you, it’s possible his big break came from a catchy remix of Asher Roth’s “I Love College,” but he certainly doesn’t lack creativity.

Upon listening to “I Hate College“ you may be immediately inclined to jump upon your desk and rage. Nevertheless we urge you to first give the name – Sam Adams the musician, not the drink, got it? – a place in your memory. He’s performed with the likes of 3OH!3, Shwayze, Big Sean and Mike Posner. He’s constantly making new music. White rappers, let’s not forget, are a dime a dozen nowadays.

To better understand Samuel Adams the musician, you might consider directing your attention to the short video below. It’s a behind the scenes look at his studio and how he goes about making beats. You can stay up to date with the Boston kid on both his Facebook page and his new Twitter account.

Mr. Adams has been generous enough to provide us with a couple of songs to get you started. Download “Brand New” and “Better Than You” here.

Interview: Purple Monkey Sircus

// January 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music

Purple Monkey Sircus is a talented young rap trio hailing from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  They’ve worked with the likes of DJ Mick Boogie and Wiz Khalifa, their fanbase is growing at a steady rate; to be sure, their unmistakable personality is just getting warmed up.  Catchy, tender, mellow and genuine – PMS educates the listener with passion and flare. To our great fortune, Quinton and Johnny of Purple Monkey Sircus are here with us today to entertain a few of our questions. Their only condition, strangely enough, was a box of jelly doughnuts.

First and foremost, how in the world did you guys come up with the name Purple Monkey Sircus? Doesn’t circus start with the letter C?

On our first tape we made a song called “Purple Monkey Circus.” It tells a story about this dude trapped inside of his own head. The depression from his childhood leads him to think in this crazy way. He lives in an alternate reality but he doesn’t realize it. It’s a real deep story. We changed it from a “C” in the song to an “S” because — it was a song, let’s just say. We named the group Purple Monkey Sircus and just rolled with it.

Longtime friends? Stroke of musical luck? Tell us about the epic birth of Purple Monkey Sircus.

Me and Johnny are brothers. We’re blood brothers. A lot of people don’t know that we’re related. We all went to high school together, Cleveland Heights High School. Mitchell was always makin’ beats and I hit him up one day. He wanted to drop an EP and that’s when we all got together. It was all just complete randomness and chaos. We made the first tape in three days and people thought it was crazy. We made it in somebody’s basement. We did our first concert in June, it sold out and it was ridiculous.

A lot of your songs highlight retro samples with a distinct mellow twist. Where’s the influence here? Can you name any particular artists for us?

I listen to a lot of rap and alternative stuff. Johnny’s more into R&B, rock, Eminem. We like a lot of classic rock. Prince is the shit. Kiss, The Scorpions, The Beatles, The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Flaming Lips, Michael Jackson is cool to me but I’m more of a Prince fan. I’m such a Prince fan. Michael Jackson is a genius, though.

Non-musical hobbies? Don’t be shy.

Smokin’ weed. We like watchin’ UFC, mixed martial arts. We have sex with a lot of girls. We like to draw.

What kind of drawing?

Sketching, watercolors, we do a lot of graphic design, we write songs, photography. We are huge on photography. Portraits, shit like that. We take a lot of pictures. We make people look good.

Your lyrics are, simply put, real. “Demons in My Head” and “Splendiferous Persona Non Grata” immediately come to mind. A refreshing change from the monotonous onslaught of ego trips, diamond necklaces and the like. Words we can all relate to. What’s the PMS motif? Five word limit.

We’re the shit, ‘nuff said.

We really like your song “FuckMyLife.” True story?

Johnny’s story is true. Mine is just some beers I was having. Yea that song, I hope it’s not true. Johnny told Mitch to sample a porno a long time ago and, well, he actually sampled a porno. That’s what you hear in the background. She was moanin’ on beat! But our influence for that was “My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boys.

Quinton, Mitchell and Johnny. Each of you, no doubt, bring something unique to the table. Who’s who in the group?

I just like smokin’ weed and rapping. But I guess I was the first one to rap before bringing everyone else on. He can rap, you can rap, we can rap — let’s rap! On our latest mixtape we started singing more hooks. For the most part Johnny and I are the rappers and Mitch is our main producer.

You just released a new mixtape, Candyland. This one definitely shows off your flexibility. What was the primary inspiration behind Candyland?

Shit on everybody? [Laughter] Well, one night this past summer we were lying in our beds and talking about genre names. If you take what you already have associated with words used for genre names they start to sound like completely stupid ideas. Rock? Hip hop? Pop? Country?

Do you like ‘nation’ music?

[Laughter] So we were like: “Alright, we’re gonna name this candyland.” We just dropped a bunch of shit out of order.

What’s next for PMS? Any top secret information you can share with our readers here at Embrace the Flux? Well, in that case, I guess it wouldn’t be very top secret.

We’re moving to Atlanta in a week. We have this fan base in Atlanta and we noticed that if you push anything down there it’s going to be so much better than it would be up here. There’s no market for rap in Cleveland. I mean there is, but it’s really hard to make it in Cleveland. Wait, I forgot what the question was…

Top-secret stuff.

Oh, you know those big-ass football players on the walls…

Fatheads?

Yea, fatheads. We’re making fatheads of ourselves. Snapbacks, tee-shirts – we’re doing a lot of merchandising.

Along with music we at Embrace the Flux headquarters are very much into technology, fashion and movies. PC or Mac? Clothing brand of the day? And your favorite films?

Mac.

The Boosters Brand.

I love Quentin Tarantino movies. Pulp Fiction. Reservoir Dogs. Kill Bill: Vol. 2. Inglorious Basterds.

Is that a Quinton/Quentin thing?

You know, I started watching the movies because of that. But I think, even though he had a black wife, I think he’s a little bit racist. He says the “N” word a lot in his movies.

Female Body Inspection. Who’s in the lead? Our readers are curious.

We’re all ladies’ men but Johnny’s probably winning.

Quinton and Johnny, we appreciate you guys taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and look forward to hearing more from PMS.

Thanks for having us. It’s been fun.

Today marks the release of a new mixtape from Purple Monkey Sircus titled Kush Pack: Vol. 1. Along with Candyland, the inviting new album is available over on our Downloads page. Keep your eyes peeled for these exuberant monkeys. In addition to nonstop music all year, the trio promises a follow-up mixtape in the not-so-distant future. For news, information, downloads and the like, be sure to give their website a visit. PMS might be young but they definitely have big dreams. Who knows? One day they might even be smoking weed on MTV.




For a quick puff of the Sircus, click here. “Blue Moo Cookie Dough” can be found in the Kush Pack.

Gorillaz: Stylo Feat. Mos Def & Bobby Womack

// January 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Music

It’s been two years since we last heard anything from the one and only cartoon-electro Gorillaz. But do not fret! Your friendly trip-hop weirdos – 2D, Russel, Noodle and Murdoc – won’t be leaving us anytime soon. Plastic Beach is the name of their upcoming album, and they’ve finally given us a little taste. Featuring the likes of Mos Def and Bobby Womack (talk about left field), “Stylo” fuses traditional hardhitting Gorillaz melody with smooth and nostalgic 60′s vocals. But wait, there’s more. Heavy snares from Mos Def and a retro chorus from R&B phenom Bobby Womack (The Valentinos ring any bells?) complete this destined-for-greatness single.

Set to be released in March of 2010, Plastic Beach will feature quite a few artists from a broad spectrum of genres. Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, rock ‘n’ roll legends Lou Reed and Mick Jones, De La Soul, err, the National Orchestra for Arabian Music – Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are definitely shooting for out-of-this-world this time. Whether you find this downright awesome or a bit scary, we recommend you give “Stylo” a listen. It might just…change your world.

Click here to download.

Kid Cudi: Cudderisback

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Music

Kid Cudi’s latest single “Cudderisback” has us scratching our heads. It seems to beg the question, “Cudi was gone?” Notwithstanding confusing terminology, Cudi’s smooth vocals blend well with a refined aura of relaxation. But don’t worry, Cudder maintains his typical verbal antics. Though the satisfying song is short, its title might precursor something bigger from the young upcoming artist.

We suggest readers of all musical tastes give the refreshing song a listen.

Artist of the Week: Miles Fisher

// October 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music

Musician? Actor? Something more? Indeed, to define the artist that is Miles Fisher requires some complex thinking. He’s made quite a few nighttime television appearances - The Cleaner, Mad Men and Gossip Girl come to mind - several feature films - Superhero Movie, God and Generals, for instance – and he recently recorded and released a self-titled EP. In college, leading him to perform in over thirty countries throughout six continents, he was a part of the legendary Harvard Krokodiloes. At the request of  Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Fisher performed solo in front of the entire U.S. Supreme Court. Miles, furthermore, has a unique ability to morph into the unique styles and mannerisms portrayed by Tom Cruise and Christian Bale. In short, he’s kind of a big deal.

Combining his strong acting ability with natural musical tendencies, Miles Fisher recently created the self-satire-recognition music video “This Must Be The Place.” Wow-ing more than two-hundred thousand viewers in the twenty-four hours following its release, the amount of time, effort and talent that went into the project is breathtaking. Perhaps most worthy of recognition is his Christian Bale impersonation that is spot on accompanied by a clever take on the American Psycho theme.

Download the Miles Fisher EP for free here or visit the highly-stylized MilesFisher.com to check out his newest blog entries, his film-reel, photos, and more.

Curt@!n$: Mode

// September 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music

Six months past its debut on Levi Maestro’s web show, Maestro Knows, Curt@!n$’s “Mode” has finally been released! During the episode, Curt@!n$  plays a snippet of the song for Levi. While Maestro bops his head, Curt@!n$ sings along and flashes his Air Yeezys to the rhyme: “I rock things that aren’t out yet, cant find this at no outlet…”

“Mode” is different then most of Curt@!n$’s other work, but the entertaining song will no doubt receive its fair share of plays from speakers of Curt@!n$ fans across the globe. Purchase the song on iTunes or, instead, download it here via 2dopeboyz. For the enthusiasts out there, check out the original Maestro Knows episode below.