Dorothy Ashby – “Afro-Harping”
Dorothy Ashby spent most of the 1960s as a session harpist. It wasn’t until her collaboration with Richard Evans (Cadet Records) and her 1968 cross-genre release Afro-Harping that her solo career really kicked…
Voicebox Virtuoso: The Life and Death of Roger Troutman
Within the last five years modern pop music has become transfixed by auto tune. Technically auto tune is the use of the vocoder or “talk box” as a way to manipulate someone’s vocal…
Issue #19 : The Virtuoso Issue
For the month of May iCrates will be focussing on individuals, musicians and producers who have raised the bar so dramatically that there is often nothing left to say. These are the men…
Interview: Dave Aju talks about his new album “Heirlooms”
Marc Barrite AKA Dave Aju’s second LP on Nicolas Jaar’s Circus label is a rare thing: a dance music album with all the personality of a soul record. It is also a record…
Three classic interviews on the state of the music industry
Henry Rollins, Frank Zappa and Dave Grohl share their outspoken thoughts on the state of the music industry. The main problem: nice hair. Frank Zappa on the decline of the music industry Henry…
Vinyl Releases and Reissues of the Month (April 2012)
Actress – R.I.P [Honest Jon’s] How often does a much-anticipated record really deliver on all its promise? The follow-up to 2010‘s Splazsh LP does so and more. The enigma that is Actress has…
Soul Clap – EFunk
Soul Clap release EFunk, their highly anticipated debut LP on Wolf + Lamb. The culinary verdict: Best served chilled, goes well with cheese. Soul Clap have been putting out electro and house singles…
“The music industry is a necessary evil”:
An interview with Ulrich Schnauss
Electronic music producer Ulrich Schnauss may be one of the only people in the world to have a bad thing to say about Berlin’s music scene. Anglecised, musically speaking at least from exposure…
Legendary Privat Swedish Jazz Lp: Svenska Löd AB aka “The Hörselmat Lp” Reissued After 40 Years!
You’re gonna say “those vinyl buffs were nuts”, but I must say, if I had had the money “The Hörselmat LP” was definately on my wantlist. As musically the material is incomparably raw…
Siren Records, Doylestown PA
iCrates spent an afternoon talking with the owner of Siren Records, Blair Elliot, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The stacks are far and wide and it took all of our energy to avoid getting lost…
Sampling, clearance and the evolution of hip hop
If you don’t own a drum kit, but have access to a recording device, a turntable and your parent’s record collection, then you possess the basic toolkit required to become a hip hop…
Addison Groove – Transistor Rhythm
Taking its name from the TR in TR-808 Rhythm Composer Transistor Rhythm by Addison Groove is a contemporary ode to the classic drum machine and a masterpiece of future and lo-fi electronic music….
