Archives for posts with tag: experimental
From Garfunkle: In around 2002 or 2003, I was working on Splash and DJ Image was working with Stainless Steele on Mindstate of the Art, a very dope straight-ahead hip-hop record. I remember talking with the two of them about the music we were all working on at the time and the two of them saying they really wanted to get this straight-ahead hip-hop project out and then take it way out there. (They did that – Chromatica, among other things they did, is a must-listen in my opinion, and Image’s Love Weather Dinner Party is a wild turntablist album, but I digress…) At the time I was more focused on instrumental music and wasn’t recording as much of my vocal stuff.
Fast forward twenty years and DJ Image and I were able to connect, first for a few tracks on A Fish That Noticed the Water, then a few tracks on how? i never saw that, and now for the entirety of Broad Brushstrokes. This project is not backward looking to twenty years ago, but is a straight-ahead hip-hop record from right here and now before the next trip to the stratosphere or wherever it might take us. Banging beats and precise cuts from DJ Image coupled with my rhymes. I’m honored to have Steele’s vocals on here destroying things on Buddha Monk and the ill cover from Bloodmoney Perez, and I hope… more
credits
released May 20, 2022
All songs produced by DJ Image
All cuts by DJ Image
All lyrics written by Garfunkle except for Stainless Steele’s verse on Buddha Monk, written by Stainless Steele.
Additional keys by Garfunkle on ‘Ceiling Fans’ and ‘Buddha Monk’
Cover art by Bloodmoney Perez
Mastered by Stainless Steele
In 2011 Stainless Steele did two live sets on @RWDFM Web radio from @FLOTEbeats crib in Philly. It’s some of his fav material from that time so he pressed 25 copies on tape.
Limited edition of 25, professionally dubbed fluorescent pink cassette with orange and pink case. Buy here
Includes two bonus tracks (cassette only):
- Reinvented Time feat. MK Ultra Lord produced by Ghost McGrady
- Pictures of the Impossible feat. Maf Maddix produced by Zenios
Garfunkle – A Fish That Noticed the Water is my first full-length vocal project, despite releasing my first vocal tracks on Splash in 2003 and a handful of tracks and verses between then and now. The album is a result of collaborations and re-connections with Stainless Steele and DJ Image (the other two-thirds of Headpiece, along with myself) and PT Cream along with my own solo basement recording sessions. The inspirations behind the album have been present in the various instrumental projects I’ve released over the past decade and a half or so, but are made more explicit in the lyrics on this album.
The production on the album ranges from the fairly straight-forward beats on ‘Unless and Until’ and ‘Well Then What Man What’ to the more abstract and loose production on ‘No Really It’s Nothing’ and the denser music on ‘Non-Euclidian Geometry.’ The album opens staring at the nothingness behind the eyelids and aiming to see both that nothingness (and what’s underneath it) and closing with a recognition of the organisms swimming there in that apparent blankness.
How’s the water?
credits
released January 7, 2022
All songs produced by Garfunkle except where indicated
All cuts by DJ Image
Additional Keys on Tracks 1 and 11 by Garfunkle
Alternate version of Track 10 on ‘Nothing is Revealed’ from Headpiece (Extra Lovely Records, EL017)
Alternate versions of Tracks 4 and 11 on ‘No Sunsets in Her MakeUp Room’ from DJ Image
Cover Artwork by Tai
Mixing and Mastering by Stainless Steele except tracks 8 and 10 mixed and mastered (to the extent those words apply here) by Garfunkle
license
The Headpiece trio is Ben Gray (Garfunkle), Vincent Smaldone (DJ Image) and Brian Steele (Stainless Steele).
All three members grew up in the same small town in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ben Gray and Brian Steele recorded a demo EP together circa 1996 as the Navigators. Steele and DJ Image started making music together a few years later around 2000 and released an album titled Mind State of the Art in 2003.
Ben Gray taught himself to play the keys while in college and began recording solo instrumental albums as Garfunkle.
DJ Image solidified himself as a world-class DJ and toured with Slick Rick and Raekwon. Image is constantly sharpening his skills and producing in his home recording studio. He put out a solo turntablist album under the alias Cropsy called Love Weather Dinner Party in 2016.
Brian ‘Stainless’ Steele released various solo albums from 2008 – 2015 and founded Extra Lovely Records in 2015.
Throughout the years the three members kept in regular contact, working on songs and sending files back and forth to collaborate. This album, “Nothing is Revealed” is the most recent material from the group and the first official album as Headpiece. It was created mostly during the Covid Pandemic while Steele was living in California, Ben Gray in St. Louis and DJ Image in Pennsylvania.
We hope you enjoy! Zone out to the Headpiece trio ///
Purchase the digital album or limited edition cassette here
Ben Gray aka Garfunkle – Keys
Vincent Smaldone aka DJ Image – Turntables
Brian Steele aka Stainless Steele – MPC2000/Production
Track 06 features Kristin Lauer on French Horn
Track 08 features Sanji Diaz on Tenor Saxophone
Artwork by Hue Thi Hoffmaster
https://huethistudio.com/
All vinyl mix of 90s jazzy hip hop by Stainless Steele ///
- Andrew Hill – Lift Every Voice
- E.Bros – Funky Piano
- Ghetto Concept – EZ on the Motion
- Black Star feat. Black Thought – Respiration (Pete Rock remix)
- Lord Finesse – Hip to the Game Instrumental
- The Roots – Distortion to Static
- Slum Village – Fantastic
- De La Soul – Can’t Call It
- De La Soul – Itzsoweezee
- Slum Village – Untitled/Fantastic
- The Roots – Swept Away
SMARTBOMB VIDEO HOME SYSTEM, a new broadcast program that showcases the sounds, colors, shapes, faces, and works of our beloved community here in the bay and beyond for the world to see. We felt an experience beyond just a concert stream was in need to really reach out and virtually hug all our loved ones out there..so we created a show full of music sets, skits, short films, animations, and messages of love and positivity…during a time where our people crave for that most…
In light of these times, with spaces and gatherings for our culture and expression on hold, we had to find a way to pivot our efforts and energy towards building a new way towards bringing the feeling of oneness and connected freedoms that we shared within our events, to all of our fam and folks around the world regardless of location and space…..
We launched our pilot broadcast to celebrate our 7th year anniversary with a star studded lineup, produced entirely DIY style on our website here: smartbomboakland.com
On 1.18.2020 Stainless Steele played an all vinyl DJ set for Smart Bomb in Oakland. The latest episode of Extra Lovely Radio is Steele’s set from that night. Originally aired on Pinata Radio out of Montpellier, France.
Rapper / producer Chef Bac from Springfield Ohio drops his album “Hermes Son” on Extra Lovely Records. All songs written and produced by Chef Bac. Album is available on limited edition cassette and digital download.
Extra Lovely Radio episode 2 aired on Pinta Radio out of Montpellier, France on 3.4.19 ///
Extra Lovely Long Sleeve Shirts are now available at our bandcamp. White or black shirt with cassette tape combo $30 special! ///
SeekersInternational – Black Mazda Soundclash (Trailer) ///
Duppy Gun – Miro Tape (Bokeh Versions) ///
Jimi Tenor – Quantum Connection ///
Tokayo – Tokayo (Akashik Records) ///
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris – Gold Purple Orange (video) ///
Spiritual Jazz 8 – Japan Part 2 ///
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris – Everything’s Fine ///
J-Jazz – Deep Modern Jazz from Japan 1969-1984 ///
Extra Lovely 