Access All Areas w/ Dj Abilities |
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Photo by Kara Jean Mueller
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We're back again with another one! This time, we reconnect with the turntable virtuoso, Dj Abilities, in celebration of the 20th Anniversary release of Eyedea & Abilities' E&A. Time to dig in...
RSE: How does it feel to look back on the E&A album 20 years later?
ABILITIES: Gratitude. A lot of good memories making the record, a lot growth as an artist and was the most fun EA record to make. We were more seasoned, but still so fresh, it was an excellent combo that yielded my personal favorite record of ours.
RSE: One of Eyedea’s first bars on the record is “We bringing it back to basics…” Did you feel there was a need for that sort of regrounding in Hip Hop at the time?
ABILITIES: Not necessarily, I think it was more just a fresh line! Some symbolism of us just doing raw hip-hop as well. We did a good amount of experimental songs and such, so the back to basics could be viewed as less that and more boom bap aesthetic.
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"Working with Eyedea was awesome because I knew he could rap to any tempo and emotion..." |
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RSE: When making this album, what was your creative process like? Did you and Eyedea have anything particular about when you came together to record?
ABILITIES: I'd say we wanted more songs that would work live. Working with Eyedea was awesome because I knew he could rap to any tempo and emotion, and while there was an emphasis on live performance, I think that record still has the widest range of our albums, the creative palette on there is massive, one of my favorite aspects of it. Also Eyedea fresh off of the exceptional "Oliver Hart" record weighed in on some great production suggestions though out that I think made the album better than it would have been.
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RSE: What do you want people to remember about Eyedea & Abilities, the group?
ABILITIES: Creativity, pushing boundaries, attention to detail, craftsmanship, humanity, honesty, those are the words that come to mind.
RSE: Let us know what you got coming up! Any shows or info you can share?
ABILITIES: You can catch me on March 15th in Wheat Ridge, CO at Clancy's for St. Paddy's. More show announcements are coming soon!
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Eyedea & Abilities - E&A
20th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue.
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The 20th-anniversary re-press of Eyedea & Abilities' seminal album, E&A, is out now!
E&A stands out as a highlight in the duo's discography. It showcases their unique ability to blend profound lyrical content with inventive production and solidifies Eyedea & Abilities' place as innovators in the hip-hop genre.
You can pick up this release on standard vinyl and check out the apparel collection, which features a unique 20th-anniversary T-shirt and zip hood.
Both are in very low stock, so don't snooze! Click below.
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New Video - Kurious "1984" |
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Kurious has shared a new video for "1984.”
The Carlos Los Maldonado-directed visual sees Kurious on a crate digging journey across New York.
On the song, Kurious explains “I grew up with Rocksteady being right across the street from me in the 80s. But then, you also have George Orwell’s 1984. So, I said if I’m going to pick a year, let me do 1984 because (the book) also has stuff that relates to today. I’m not really going into too many conspiracy theories in those lyrics, but it was just a nice fit…with the b-boy shit and then picking ‘84, due to George Orwell’s 1984.”
Kurious' new album Majician is out now.
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This Weekend Only! - 20% Off!
Atmosphere - Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's |
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In celebration of the 24th anniversary (2/1/2001) of Atmosphere's critically acclaimed Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere Ep's, more commonly referred to as Lucy Ford, we offer 20% off this release exclusively for our newsletter and SMS subscribers.
This weekend only! The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
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Independent Hip Hop since 1995
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