Oh No? Oh Yeah!
Oh No - Oh No and Galt McDermot's Exodus (Mixed by C Minus) (iTunes Podcast link)
Ok, so a week or so back, I posted some new ish by recent Stones Throw signee, Aloe Blacc, and I mentioned his working with this cat, Oh No, born Michael Jackson (no, not Jacko). He is from a ridiculously musical family though, with his father Otis Jackson, Sr. (70s soul singer) and his uncle Jon Faddis (jazz trumpeter) filling the traditional musical roles. Oh, and there's his big brother Madlib, the oft weeded master producer and Stones Throw mainstay.
See, Oh No has been putting in time production-wise for a little while now, working with Medaphor, Wildchild, and Roc C, as well as producing his own first artist-album, 2004's The Disrupt. As the little brother of a well-known indie producer, Oh No has had to work that much harder to distinguish himself, and with the imminent arrival of his new full-length, Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms, he truly comes into his own and, if he wasn't already, should now be fully recognized for his talents. EIUR is a concept album of sorts, in that it is made of beats derived solely from Galt MacDermot samples - MacDermot is known for his groovy, soulful, and always funky productions in the 60s and 70s, and has been a favorite of DJ Shadow and many other beat digging heads.
That said, Oh No's new record features some seriously sick beats and deeply layered production, all of which plays as solid ground for the MCs he chose to pitch the tracks to. EIUR features the mic talents of Cali Agents, Wise Intelligent, Buckshot, K Jay, Roc C & Aloe Blacc, Wordsworth, AG (from DITC!), LMNO, Vast Aire, De La's Posdnuos, Dudley Perkins, Murs, Frank N Dank, Wildchild and MED, and Georgia Anne Muldrow (who will have her own artist-album out on Stones Throw later this year). All the MCs put in solid performances, and overall, the record is a solid listen, with enough head nodding material, fire, and depth to please any fan. For reals.
So, instead of one downloadable track, I decided to post the official Stones Throw Podcast of the album - you'll hear a handful of the songs, a couple in full, the rest chopped up with some of the original MacDermot sampled-songs. Solid. Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms is released on August 8th - next Tuesday - so cop it from your favorite indie retailer, or pre-order via Amazon. You can also grab Oh No's work, including the first single "Gets Mine" on eMusic - and you get 25 free MP3s if you sign up for a trial membership (I recommend it).
PS: There's a throwdown at the Turntable Lab's LA Store, with Peanut Butter Wolf and Oh No deejaying, TONIGHT at 8 - it is free, there will be beer, and knowing the Lab, it will be rammed so show up early and browse for an hour or two.