"Broken" November 14th, 2008

"Gifting Dignity is a non-profit advocacy group I've started as a legacy for my parents and family. Its mission will be to help patients, their family, and their friends facing a terminal illness identify the legal, financial, and medical resources they need so they can get what everyone deserves: the chance to prepare for the end of this part of their journey with dignity.

I've learned firsthand how difficult it is for patients and their families to navigate the healthcare system once they've received a terminal diagnosis. Frequently the only thing they are told is what medicine can do to prolong their life. Once no further treatment is available they are sent home; bewildered and confused about what happens next, not knowing who they can talk to, not knowing how to help prepare for the difficult days, weeks, months, or years to come. Even if they know about hospice or palliative care options they don't know who to talk to about it.

Our goal is to create a sustainable advocacy program, the core of which will be education. This will include supporting training for medical providers on how to talk to the terminally ill and their families, ensuring rural care providers know what hospice and palliative care resources serve their area, providing information to churches and secular organizations that patients and families turn to for support, and organizing and facilitating support groups so they simply have someone to talk to. We also intend to serve as a clearinghouse for volunteers. From medical, legal, and financial professionals that wish to assist with free or low-cost services and resources, to people that want to help any way they can; buying groceries, preparing meals, and giving the simple and priceless gift of time. Time to help families and friends remember that their life is about more than caring for the dying. It is about living, loving, and embracing the time they have left with their loved one.

This will be the first of many different events to help raise the awareness and funding necessary to help Gifting Dignity become a reality. If you have the ability and desire to help us, you can also make a contribution via PayPal to gifting.dignity@gmail.com. At this point in time these donations are not tax-deductible.

The biggest thing you can do to help is to stop and think of anyone that you know right now that might be in a similar situation. Reach out in any way you can and let them know that they are not alone. That they will never be alone.

I am very happy to be joined by my friends Whyrd and Dfx for this inaugural event."

Appleblim & Shackleton - "I Am Animal / Mystikal Warrior" - Skull Disco 001

The first, and highly sought after, release on Skull Disco. The production is certainly not as refined as on later releases, but it's got all the signature trademarks that have gone on to make Shackleton and Appleblim famous. Shack's percussion is as tribal as ever and drowned in echo, while the bass slumps along dropping down below. "I Am Animal" takes a bit to get moving, but by the second drop when all the percussive elements come together and the bass is just pulsating and the bleeps/efx come through it's nothing short of fantastic. Appleblim's "Mystikal Warrior" seems to be the blueprint for his later release "Vansan." A long, drawn out intro full of halfstep rhythm and delayed bleeps finally drops into a no u-turn-esque growling, distortion fused, bassline. However, the percussion is definitely lacking which takes away from the potential impact of the drop. My copy is one of the original pressings which doesn't have the same mastering as the properly pressed release, so it's possible that may have something to do with it. Overall this is one for any Skull Disco fan, and if you've got an extra $100 lying around pick this up. It's a record you'll never regret owning.

Nasty Habits - Shadow Boxing - 31 Records

In my estimation this is possibly the best drum & bass tune ever written. Supposedly produced in only one night. Shadow Boxing is a slowly building piece of brooding music that seems to transpose itself from within the confines of the drum and bass world. Its dark soundscape is transfixed on sending a message of a looming future, distraught with decay, slowly moving toward an inescapable, imminent destruction. Shadow Boxing, similar to many early no u turn releases, is concerned with ambience and the creation of tension bordering on the lines of total chaos. It's heavy and dark, yet subdued in a manner which implies control and relevance, something far too often lacking in post-millennium drum & bass. Shadow Boxing is a track that once heard, never escapes your mind, borrowing itself deep within, reminding you that the future is uncertain and the past is distant and fading.

Instra:mental & Nico - Aptitude Series Vol 4 Exit 011

Exit Recordings has been steadily putting out some of the freshest drum & bass since it's inception five years ago. It began as an outlet for D-Bridge to release some of the more non-floor driven solo material he had been working on. Since then the label has gone on to release singles from Rufige Kru, Commix, Calibre, Break & Survival, Black Pocket, and now Instra:mental.

Al Bleek & Kid Drama are a duo ignoring any current trends that may have taken a hold of drum & bass music over the past few years. Trends that have possibly sent d&b toward a dead-end of predictability and monotony. They work in the fringes, injecting their own interpretations and desires as artists doing what they want and foregoing any concern about dance floor reactions. Their music has been compared with the earlier works of Photek, where percussion and ambience play a central role in producing mood and texture (as opposed to gnarly riffs and growling basslines under stagnant two-step rhythms). Their first releases came from the shortly lived Demonic Label run by non other then Source Direct (another early artist of Goldie's original Metalheadz camp known for pushing dark, disgusting, breakbeat driven jungle, similar in vein to Photek). And then, nothing was heard from the duo until late 2006 when their tune, "Comanche" started showing up in sets from Marcus Intalex and anyone else brave enough to play it. Since then they've put out three singles on the Darkestral Recordings label run by Paul Laidlaw aka Drkstr. Their sound is a blend of contrasts, dark moody colors injected with percussive ammunition resulting in a dense, yet fluid sound that operates outside of the confines of drum & bass scene-dom.

Their newest release on Exit continues their tradition of experimental beats and ambience. The a side, "Intervention," is a seductive, Detroit infused movement of introspection. Soothing pads waft in and out accompanied by filtered technoid leads and riffs, underneath the bass moves along simply, keeping the rhythm anchored. In the background a (sometimes indistinguishable) vocal speaks of late night regrets and early morning contemplations; a questioning of is this worth it? The late nights? The parties? Can they mean something more or are they just opiates for our daily lives?

The flip side "Horse" (co-produced by Nico, owner of seminal jungle label No U-Turn) takes a much darker approach through the use of heavy percussion, tension filled atmospherics, and dirty bass kicks. It's hard to not hear Nico's influence as the song drones through what sounds like the twisted, future streets of Cybotron. Having helped pioneer the early techstep sound along side Ed Rush and Trace, Nico's influence is evident in the minimal percussion and overall moody vibe of the track.

Exit has released one of the best singles of the year here and it comes in a no expenses spared presentation: a 10" double sided picture disc, die cut full print record sleeve, a sticker sleeve, and a hand numbered, limited print of only a 1000 copies. The artwork was also done by Kid Drama of Instra:mental showcasing their talents don't lie solely in music.

But it here:
Redeye
Chemical
Juno

Darkstar - "Dead 2 Me / Break" 2010-001

This is such a fantastic release. Darkstar's debut 12" on their own 2010 imprint. "Dead 2 Me" is a 21st Century dub landmark as far as I'm concerned. Super lush and seductive vocalist, Neleswa just kills it on this one. Somber, lovely, reflective, and mournful. Darkstar hit all the right buttons and it resulted in the creation of a song made for those late night, lights off, head space sessions. The flip, "Break" is another totally brilliant tune. Keeping up the somber tone of the flip, "Break" turns down the dub and turns up the vocoder in a down right beautiful manner. Pulsating strings, chest boxing kicks, and snare claps trodding over a melody full of longing and a touch of regret. Darkstar have delivered one of the best dubstep 12"s of the year right here and it's one of those records that can seriously hold its own.

Vinyl Sold Out
Buy it digitally here: Boomkat.com

Martyn - "Velvet / Twenty Four" 3024-001

In a scene filled with darkness and mourning, Martyn stands alone, beaming with light and hope. A neo-Detroit landscape, glowing neon and bursting to escape the confines of a sometimes oppressive half step era. Martyn does things his own way. "Velvet" is the result of an influence a decade and growing. A past era of music that came from the city life of kids just trying to make sense of it all. This influence has created a vast identity of which has sprung an influence far greater then anyone could have imagined. Call this what you will. To me this release is an amalgamation of the last 20 years of electronic music. Techno, jungle, garage, house, idm, and now dubstep, blended and projected outward from the labs of 3024.

Buy it.

I believe the vinyl run is sold out for now, so watch for a repress. In the meantime grab it digitally here: bleep.com

Martyn - "Natural Selection / Vancouver" 3024-002 Out Now
Review coming soon...

Availible at:
Juno
Redeye
Beatport.com

Dub War Podcast 02 feat Peverelist

It's ridiculously good.

Smith & Mighty 'B Line Fi Blow'
RSD 'Pretty Bright Light'
Gatekeeper 'Tense Past'
2562 'Kameleon'
Peverelist 'Infinity is Now'
Pinch 'untitled'
Peverelist & Appleblim 'Circling'
Pinch 'Whirl'
Pinch 'One Blood, One Source' feat Rudee Lee
Peverelist 'Roll with the Punches'
RSD 'Kingfisher'
Forsaken 'Boat Noodles'

Itunes Link
RSS Link