XLR8R Review 4/2006

Daly City (that's the might Mochipet and crew) goes all glitched out, crunk, and smiley. Twenty cuts of laid back yacht hop tweaked through the prism of Schematic or Skam, but with distinctive west coast vibe that recalls Deep Concentration-era Om. Stand out cuts from Eustation and Edit but all the material from Spaceheater, Mophono, Daedelus, and Mr. Mochi himself is sure to bring a smile. This is the record of your next gallery opening and/or backyard barbecue. If both Burt Bacharach and MF Doom are there. Quality. -Matt Earp

XLR8R #98 Toph One's Lucky 13!
6. V/A “IRON CHEFS” (Daly City/US/12EP) Beat phreakery from the Bay Area and beyond featuring Daedelus, Mophono, Mikah 9, and plenty more. Standouts are Mochipet & Ray Barbee’s beautiful “Forwards Back,” Mitsakos’ deep and brooding “Compasso,” and Eustachian’s schizophrenic “Dotted Chess.” Find lots more on the Baby Godzilla compilation and keep an ear on that Mochipet character–his shit is DOPE. (LINK TO ARTICLE)
 
About The Players....
   
Mikah 9 is a core player in the Freestyle Fellowship (Aceyalone, Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter), a legendary yet still underground hip-hop group from Southern California. He drops a proper verse for us on this disc in salute to Mochipet and Taiwankid. Check out his new album Citrus Sessions available on his site and deemed a tribute to his fan.
With a string of releases on Plug Research, NinjaTune, and Eastern Development, Daedelus has refined a style that has no imitators. The producer’s impressive catalogue boasts collaborations with Busdriver, Sach, Absract Rude, Madlib, and High Priest (Anti-Pop Consortium). He drops it proper on this disc with a halftime dancehall meets loungy piano bar selection.
With a line of diverse releases and remixes on: Tigerbeat6, Bpitchcontrol, Schematic, ExNihilo, Detroit Underground, and Component, Mochipet once again brings something new to the table. As label head of Daly City Records, he presents us with five tracks featuring the likes of Mikah 9, Ray Barbee, Machinedrum, and TaiwanKid.
Mostly known for his amazing accomplishments in the world of Skateboarding, this ex-Powell & Peralta rider is also an amazing musician. The San Jose native drops some extremely tasteful melodic guitar over Mochipet’s syncopated backwards beats on this disc. Make sure to keep a lookout for his sophomore LP on Galaxia Records with friend and mentor Tommy Guerrero.
Travis Stewart, or Machine Drum, has been making Glitchy Hip Hop before there was Glitch-Hop. No wonder Prefuse73 fears him. Machine Drum's classic jazzhop style is remade by Mochipet. But this is no easy listening joint. Mochi bring out the Porn, MoogPorn that is. Be afraid, be very afraid! Tstewart's got the money shot.
Having shared residencies at Konkrete Jungle, Dublab, and [Eraser]; as well as a release on µ-Ziq's Planet-Mu imprint. This Los Angeles resident definatly has a Crunk up. Ed drops some classic glitch swing on this release. Look for his new LP on Daddy Kev’s Alphapup label coming in 2006.
When Codeboy is not producing records with Photek or making plugins for companies like Digidesign, he is masterminding Spaceheater. A saxophone, a flute, a conga drum, Evan Francis, a six-pack of beer, an sm-57 microphone, a folder of junk beat sketches, Billy Mitsakos, and some Pro Tools editing. Welcome to the next level of Woodwinds Hip Hop.
Eustachian has been moving around spreading distance between the three positions consistently for a few years now. Touring with Machinedrum, Edit, Mochipet, Team Shadetek Terminal 11, 8FM, Daedelus, Cylob, The Flashbulb, and Richard Devine. They’re beats on this disc verge on being the most crump and mysterious.
Known for his diverse DJ sets that blend turntablism with eclectic rhythm-driven soul, Mophono drops a proper remix for Live Human (a san francisco based live hip-hop jazz group) “Break7” as well as a completely original piece “Lily.” Ex-Urb Magazine Editor, Joe Rice calls Mophono Constructions "a beat wise collage of manipulated grooves."
Delux is one Graham Hill. He grew up on a commune in West Virginia with many musicians and trees, all of which he came to love. He has streamers on his bicycle, and enjoys buildings. Delux plays shows in exchange for money in hopes of scoring a very big pogo ball, which you might find him riding to work in the East Bay one day.
   

 

Photos from the Record Release Party...