Sundaze 1940

Hello,


Today's artist is a composer of electronic music, sound artist and inventor born in Eschwege in Germany. Sound is his art form. He has worked for film, television, theatre, dance and as sound designer. He began his career in the early 1990s constructing 'soundscapes' and installations around Germany. He has collaborated with a wide range of visual artists, musicians, producers and DJs. He has released several albums, starting in 1995 with Homelistening Is Killing Clubs. His focus is on electronic music, seamlessly blending interesting samples, synthesizers, percussion and other elements together in unique ways. While sometimes experimental, most of his music has a certain accessibility in terms of the rhythmic and melodic components. Though frequently associated with the retro or Berlin School sound pioneered by Klaus Schulze and others, he uses modern ambient electronica elements extensively, creating his own rich sound that defies easy categorization."...  ......N-Joy

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From Spyra's website

artistic biography of wolfram der spyra (* 1964) , clearly there was no need to keep this bio german style up to date after 2001, what can i say apparently no devoted fan availble to do the work for free. Not sure what has been posted on his facebook page, i'm not a member of that club.

performance, invention or exhibition referred to within this website
release on compact disc referred to within this website

 
1986 - 92 study of free arts at the h b k college of art, kassel
1986 metall . basalt - performance, galerie zorro, kassel
1988 denkwürdigkeiten eines nervenkranken - composition of music for a theatre-performance, kassel
composition of music for several performances of the artist natascha fiala
1989 ausflug zur dämmerung - performance, schaufenstergalerie, kassel
musica povera - music- and text - performance with bernd friedmann and tim matthieson as part of the exhibition kunststudenten stellen aus, moderne galerie, saarbrücken
steine -performance within the context of the retirement of the g h k - president, gießhaus, kassel
1990 wenn - performance, produzentengalerie, kassel
1991 nachrichten - klanginstallation, kirchweg 15, kassel
build of a sound studio at the h b k, kassel
hunger kunst hunger - group - exhibition , halle k 18, kassel

 
1992 completing the free arts study with the degree dissertation klangerzeugung, klangkomposition, klangskulptur (sound generation, sound composition, sound sculpture)
lectureship at the h b k college of art, kassel
1. kasseler kunstmarkt - organisation of the eexhibition
hush hour - sound installation in a parking house as part of the sculpture exhibition platz da (documenta - support programme)
fisch / schiff - sound installation, ms ger jea, kassel
panakustikum - individual exhibition of sound sculptures within the context of the documenta IX support programme
winner of the award kasseler kulturförderpreises
winner of the wolfgang zippel - award with the artist group platz da
bath - sound installation, dock 4, kassel
etherlands - outdoor sound installation with antennas as part of the exhibition zeitbrücken, mühlhausen

 
1993 the park -sound installation, cultural fair kassel, dock 4
composition and realisation of music for the lecture ofe windi winderlich, kongreß der luxus und seine verpackung, hotel 4 jahreszeiten, münchen
nachtmusik - sound installation, salzmann factory, kassel
composition of a modern dance piece for the company tanz form, kassel
hospital - sound installation, hospital church, treysa
klangbleche - concert and sound installation in the gasgebläsehalle der völklinger hütte as part of the festivals schichtwechsel, saarbrücken / völklingen
nr. 7 - sound installation in a hotel room as part of the international art project transit, hotel hessenland, kassel
stiftskirche und roßgang - 2 environmental sound installations as part of the kaufunger kulturtage

 
1994 stille - 4 sound installations,gedenkstätte breitenau (breitenau memorial)
roßgang 2 - the sound installation is being bought by the mining museum, kaufungen
sound factory - sound installations in the club aufschwung ost, kassel
the queen of instruments has left the country -sound installation in the city-church of hessisch - lichtenau (finissage of the exhibition höhenflug + flügelschlag from elke teuber - s. and ruth ullenboom)
p.a.s.s. - portable ambient sound system -(Interactive sound installation. P.A.S.S. - units were hired out to visitors by the documenta - archiv, allowing them to use the system for soundwalks through the city

 
1995 farbrauschen - exhibition with the finnish artist helena rytkönen, galerie studio kausch, kassel
live concert with klangbleche (metal sound sheets) at the computer-fair combit , kassel
kunstwald - live concert at the art festival in herne
live-konzert within the context of the love - parade in berlin
several concerts in the chillout of the techno-club aufschwung ost, kassel (also 1996 / 97/ 98)
exhibition of the klangbleche at the hessentag in schwalmstadt
strom - exhibition of 220 volt - objects in the salzmann factory, kassel
homelistening is killing clubs - release of the first solo - cd (hyperium / wigwam)


1996 r. u. n. - composition of the music for the theatre piece r. u. n. - risiken und nebenwirkungen of michael seyfried and oliver nitsche, theatre erlangen
odyssee - group exhibition, documenta - halle, kassel
quest - composition of music for the animation film quest by stellmach / montgomery. in 1997 the film wins the oscar - award in the category animation film
diverse live - concerts, e.g. at the festivals waterworld, koblenz, auerworld, bad sulza, and escape from samsara, london
realisation of the soundtrack for an animation film by parvis safadel
composition of music for the cd - rom china - im reich der sonne, publisher nova media

 
1997 schall und rauch - two sound installations of the type portable ambient sound system (p a s s ) for a sound-exhibition for children in the kongreßhalle berlin
p a s s in space - 30 pass - systems are bought by the firm reemtsma (west)
das büro -realisation of the soundtrack for a short film by joachim bode (mtv)
phonehead - release of the 2nd solo - cd (plus vinyl-maxi) at fax - records, frankfurt

my little garden of sounds - sound exhibition and live concerts as part of the documenta X support programme
my little garden of sounds - release of the 3rd solo - cd within the context of the exhibition of the same name

kulturbahnhof - several sound sculptures from the little garden of sounds are shown at the kulturbahnhof, kassel
the akustischer stadtplan - (acoustic city map) is bought by the city of kassel and exhibited at the town hall
future of the past -release of the 4th solo - cd at manikin records, berlin
schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in vienna

 
1998 schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in mailand
solar system - sound installation as part of the atelierrundgang, neuer kasseler kunstverein
sferics - release of the 5th solo - cd at fax records, frankfurt
le jardin - participation in the exhibition and diverse live - performances at the stockwell-studios, the vauxhall st. peter's heritage center, the beaconsfield gallery and the i.c.a. (institute of contemporary arts), london
round tables - the sound installation is being bought by the allianz-versicherung, frankfurt
kassels akustischer stadtplan – release of a cd with the sounds of the acoustic city map of kassel

virtual vices - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax-records, frankfurt

 
1999 die blinden von kilcrobally - composition of music for a theatre piece, staatsatheater kassel
etherlands- release of the 6th solo -cd at fax records, frankfurt
vauxhall soundmap - acoustic city map vauxhall - order of an acoustic city map for the london district vauxhall
acoustic city maps budapest & frankfurt - the acoustic citymaps of both partnership towns are shown in the kunsthalle schirn, frankfurt
jump - o - phone - construction of an interactive sound - and - light - instrument
weltglockengeläut - dj - livemix of music and sounds of bells from all over the world (via internet & telephone), apolda
e - live - - live concert at one of the most important festivals for electronic music in europe, nijmegen (netherlands)
fliegender wechsel, group- exhibition at the kunsttempel, kassel

 
2000 dj und live - act at the liquid millenium celebration, liquid sound, bad sulza
build and move to af a new sound studio in kassel
composition of an 8 - channel - music-soundcollage for yadegar assisi´s hanse-panorama
komposition of midi - files for a cd - rom with projectsof the expo 2000
live performance with adrian palka and dancers of the coventry university at the opening of the summer show at stockwell studios, london
group - exhibition funkhaus, dresden
exhibition klangbleche and several live-performances in croatia
live-concert (steel cello and electronics) with bob rutman, architekturfakultät, berlin
virtual vices II -- release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
live-concert in berlin (2nd space trance tronic night, lichterfelde)
live-performance with the russian sound-poet valeri scherstjanoi, leipziger literarischer herbst

 
2001 performance with scherstjanoi at the festival musica viva (joseph anton riedl), gasteig münchen
construction of technical sound-units for the friedensmuseum (peace museum), lindau im bodensee

composition of sound-tracks for mtv spots by lichthof/stellmach
kick the bucket - installation und performance in collaboration with adrian palka as a part of the exhibition carambolage, kunsttempel, kassel
live-performance with valeri scherstjanoi, steffen moddrow and f.w. block, kasseler museumsnacht
treib.gut - les sons démocratiques - concert and performance museumsnacht, kassel
the presence of the sun - installation und video - live - performance with andreas stolkmann, bastion kunst, kassel
live performance at the opening of millennium - tage, kassel
kassel am meer: participation in the group-exhibition with a new version of the klangbleche (incl. a 7-channel-composition) and the work round table, fridericianum kassel

live performance with adrian palka at the opening of wiedervorlage d5, an exhibition in the context of the 40th anniversary of the documenta - archive, fridericianum kassel
konzert für querflöte und 4 k(ettensägen) – performance with christiane winning, dr. f.w. block, m. hess, u. duttenhofer
elevator to heaven – release of a 3-cd-box (7th solo -project) at manikin records, berlin
presentation of the round table at the symposium labyrinth des hörens, villa clementine, wiesbaden
virtual vices III - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
2002-2019
    Virtual Vices IV (with Pete Namlook) (2002)
    Invisible Fields (2003)
    Achtundsechzig 24 Live@Toskana-Therme (2003)
    Excerpts 1 (2004)
    Headphone Concert: Little Garden of Sounds II (2004)
    Meditationen (2005)
    Orphan Waves (2006)
    Virtual Vices V (with Pete Namlook) (2006)
    Space Cowboys @ Jelenia Góra (2007)
    High Phidelity (2007)
    Gasoline 91 Octane (2008)
    Virtual Vices VI (with Pete Namlook) (2008)
    January in June (2009)
    SeQuest (with Chris Lang) (2010)
    ADSR Remixed (Maxi-single with Steve Baltes) (2010)
    No Beats For 1 Hour (0B41H) (2010)
    Staub (2014)
    Requiem (2017)
Wolfram did undoubtedly much more because clearly he did very little to promote himself and his work like creating a decent biography alas that kind of naivity is all to common with artists.

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Starts off with a trippy vocal sample, which breaks into some nice unusual synths. The track is entitled "Test Transmission", and the name seems to fit with the music. It seems to be a techno montage of samples and beats all coming at you. The synth lines are most wonderful however. Entropy is Just...  starts off with some Spyra sounding samples and synth lines. The music is beautiful, and amazing. It is mellow with slow beat which seems to make you smile. There are some nice ambient sounds mixed within the beats. With -6:20 the music adds a new layer, and seemingly become more chilled out than before. With -2:57 is sounds like rain mixed with a funky beat. -1:45 introduces an interesting sound synth, that turns into a highly melodic finish. ...A Seven Letter Word sequins nicely into a psychedelic ambient techno melody, that streams quirky samples throughout the mix. The ambience blends with a nice melodic drum beat. It seems to drift you off into an epic journey. -5:27 This part completely blows me away! it has made me warm and my skin tingle. The beat changes, and introduces a new direction, still sounding ambient, yet with a faster beat.

Three Players in an Artifical Landscape introduces yet another direction, and synth line. The music at times sounds (slightly) similar to Tangerine Dream. Interesting and highly original. XyloCity Part I and XyloCity Part II blend in some IDM type beats, yet still maintaining the Sprya sound. -4:05 is the highlight of the track. Everything seems to blend in all at once, creating a heavenly trance like journey. Truly amazing. Track five fades, and mixes nicely with six. There are some tribal and ambient qualities, which quickly blend into a mellow ambient techno mix. With -6:00 that familiar funky synth returns, creating a wonderful mindset. It remains deep and full of ambient layers.

Bath is almost 24 minutes long. It starts off with some static and odd samples. The static resembles rain, and the mechanical booms sound like thunder. Some female vox samples infiltrate the thunder and seemingly changing the flow. The track changes many times, and with each change it creates a more euphoric feeling. Around the -15:00 mark, the flow seems to bump into some disruptive samples. The track becomes darker and more suspicious. The track really becomes disillusioned and paranoid around the -10:50 mark. The final track is a piano track called "Temporarily Not Available", which seems to simulate the "hold" music in your brain. The music has been temporarily changed into something completely different. This is a very nice way to finish the cd. This track makes you smile and know that everything is good. You are left with a very positive feeling at the end.

.Spyra - Invisible Fields ( 394mb)

01 Test Transmission 4:20
02 Entropy is Just... 8:54
03 ...A Seven Letter Word 9:27
04 Three Players in an Artifical Landscape 2:44
05 XyloCity Part I 10:54
06 XyloCity Part II 9:50
07 Bath 23:57
08 Temporarily Not Available 3:54

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Meditationen is divided into 3 pieces, Mentalized (preloaded) opens the album and is one of the magnificent works of the ambient of this century, shockingly beautiful and sumptuous, dark and bright at the same time, reminiscent of Picture Music's Schulze, although with Spyra's own personality. It is a disc that based on the electronics of the 70 achieves fresh and current results, with that so liquid analog sound, the construction of music through sound textures, and the use of notes that float in space and accompany you with them like a shower of stars that takes you to the ether, as if your physical dimension disappeared and you became the music, or so, heh, all supported by a majestic orchestral planning music that helps to enter a deep contemplative and meditative state, although music can also be tasted simply as pure aural pleasure, despite being so deep and meditative. Space music that seems to move you to the deepest part of the cosmos, but also to the closest, like your thoughts and your mind. The theme closes delicately with a piano and the hypnotic effect of these 28 minutes is of such immense beauty that it makes you feel very very small.

Composure begins with a piano, but in a more threatening way and approaching the darkest and most minimalist 'drones', as if after leaving the cosmos we had entered a tunnel or a somewhat sinister grotto without losing its majesty and beauty and its great hypnotic power and total immersion in music. Towards the 11th minute of the song, a beautiful sequence of crystalline sound begins, reminiscent of Schulze's Crystal Lake, and occupies the foreground of the song for 7 dreamy minutes, to return to the straight line at the end of the song progressively more ethereal, and a glorious ending that transports you back to the cosmos, to end a delicacy of a lullaby. A marvel.

Finally in Future of the Past Part II, the sound of somewhat more rhythmic and modern sequencers (and for my taste repetitive) happens to occupy the foreground, and as the subject progresses it reminds me of previous works, it is true anticlimax to listen in full trance and immersion 'spiritual' a more mundane, rhythmic and closer music to contemporary chillout, especially in the last 2 minutes. In any case Spyra leaves its stamp of creativity and is a good topic, and the previous buts do not go from anecdote to the brilliance of the set.

Spyra - Meditationen (flac 356mb)

01 Mentalized (Preloaded) 28:09
02 Composure 28:12
03 Future of the Past Part II 14:38

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Fine album that you can listen to multiple times - but it does leave you a little bland afterwards. It lacks that "great idea" or theme that would give it a character. Now it's just a collection of fine electronic tracks that are quite versatile in style, all having very "synthetic" sound forms, but it's forgettable. The listener is also not given any idea why the album is named like it is that leaves a mystery hanging. It has yet another version of Future of the Past - this version being a good one.

Spyra - Gasoline 91 Octane (flac 377mb)

01 Shirogane 9:32
02 Rantum Random 10:26
03 Operation PPG 16:30
04 Treskow Bridge 7:10
05 Below 20 19:09
06 Future of the Past EleKtriK 3:50

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Anyone who felt bad that they were letdown down by last year's Virtual Vices VI should feel some comfort in Spyra's follow-up solo release, which is the first to not be part of his series on the unseen world of radio waves, getting back to a more elemental nature theme which tends to describe autumn leaves falling amidst a European cityscape. As with Virtual Vices VI, it lacks the radical progressiveness that he is known for, falling back to jazz roots, which would work better if it was more consistent; "Budapest" opens as gently as an overcast day as with "Kinglodrum" on Orphan Waves, but loud drum beats follow, leading to the louder guitar of "Btyom". The title track, though, is a better example, which begins with a clever, laid-back piano melody for a few minutes then completely leaping up into something loud and boombastic just as your mind is settling in. The ambient dub "Transitautobahn" and the post-rock of "Eschatology" (argueably the most heart-felt track) which go only mildly uptempo are somewhat balanced but as with Virtual Vices VI, in the end you'll miss the edge that his work normally features.

Spyra - January in June   ( flac   402mb)

01 Transitautobahn 11:00
02 Budapest 10:26
03 Bytom 7:00
04 Schneekoppe 7:23
05 January In June 9:37
06 XyloCity VI 10:02
07 Grenzgebiet 6:08
08 Eschatology 9:58


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Staub is not a memory of what Spyra has accomplished in the past, it presents modern live electronic elements with modern rhythms, building something epic and unexpected towards the finish line. The centerpieces on this album are "Staub" and "Flur." All pieces on Staub have been recorded during live performances in the middle of the night. Rather than being a slave to the machine, he seems to just let go, without a safety net or a double bottom. Spyra is reinventing himself with his new record and currently, there are almost no notable German producers creating such brilliantly odd pieces of music. The German label Butterfly Collectors based in Haldern and Cologne releases Staub in association with Indigo Distribution. About the making of Staub: "Somewhere, at some time, I started experimenting with an old Juno 6 and fell in love with sequences all over again. Apparently all ordered and logical, but then, the more I played and the deeper I listened, the more chaotic and unpredictable their sound became. Late in 2013 I started to record my sessions. Always in the middle of the night while the city was falling asleep. Changing cities in Berlin, Warsaw, Uzhgorod, Cologne, filled my head with child-like inspiration. At last, I was back, dreamily, in my element.

Spyra - Staub ( flac   244mb)

01 Dusk 6:54
02 Staub 9:22
03 Glacier 7:50
04 Etude 6:09
05 Ecce Homo 12:17
06 Flur 7:21


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RhoDeo 1939 Grooves

Hello,


Today's Artists are an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. They are widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new school hip hop music. They were the first group in the genre to have an album certified gold and to be nominated for a Grammy Award. They were the first to earn a platinum record (King of Rock, 1985), the first to earn a multi-platinum certification (Raising Hell, 1986), the first to have their music videos broadcast on MTV, and the first to appear on American Bandstand and the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them #48 in their list of the greatest musical artists of all time. In 2007, the group was named "The Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time" by MTV and "Greatest Hip Hop Artist of All Time" by VH1. In 2009, they became the second hip hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, thanks to making the industry lots of money , they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. ...... N Joy

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More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. are responsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. With their spare beats and excursions into heavy metal samples, the trio were tougher and more menacing than their predecessors Grandmaster Flash and Whodini. In the process, they opened the door for both the politicized rap of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, as well as the hedonistic gangsta fantasies of N.W.A. At the same time, Run-D.M.C. helped move rap from a singles-oriented genre to an album-oriented one -- they were the first hip-hop artist to construct full-fledged albums, not just collections with two singles and a bunch of filler. By the end of the '80s, Run-D.M.C. had been overtaken by the groups they had spawned, but they continued to perform to a dedicated following well into the '90s.

All three members of Run-D.M.C. were natives of the middle-class New York borough Hollis, Queens. Run (born Joseph Simmons, November 14, 1964) was the brother of Russell Simmons, who formed the hip-hop management company Rush Productions in the early '80s; by the mid-'80s, Russell had formed the pioneering record label Def Jam with Rick Rubin. Russell encouraged his brother Joey and his friend Darryl McDaniels (born May 31, 1964) to form a rap duo. The pair of friends did just that, adopting the names Run and D.M.C., respectively. After they graduated from high school in 1982, the pair enlisted their friend Jason Mizell (born January 21, 1965) to scratch turntables; Mizell adopted the stage name Jam Master Jay.

In 1983, Run-D.M.C. released their first single, "It's Like That"/"Sucker M.C.'s," on Profile Records. The single sounded like no other rap at the time -- it was spare, blunt, and skillful, with hard beats and powerful, literate, daring vocals, where Run and D.M.C.'s vocals overlapped, as they finished each other's lines. It was the first "new school" hip-hop recording. "It's Like That" became a Top 20 R&B hit, as did the group's second single, "Hard Times"/"Jam Master Jay." Two other hit R&B singles followed in early 1984 -- "Rock Box" and "30 Days" -- before the group's eponymous debut appeared.

By the time of their second album, 1985's King of Rock, Run-D.M.C. had become the most popular and influential rappers in America, already spawning a number of imitators. As the King of Rock title suggests, the group were breaking down the barriers between rock & roll and rap, rapping over heavy metal records and thick, dense drum loops. Besides releasing the King of Rock album and scoring the R&B hits "King of Rock," "You Talk Too Much," and "Can You Rock It Like This" in 1985, the group also appeared in the rap movie Krush Groove, which also featured Kurtis Blow, the Beastie Boys, and the Fat Boys.

Run-D.M.C.'s fusion of rock and rap broke into the mainstream with their third album, 1986's Raising Hell. The album was preceded by the Top Ten R&B single "My Adidas," which set the stage for the group's biggest hit single, a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." Recorded with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, "Walk This Way" was the first hip-hop record to appeal to both rockers and rappers, as evidenced by its peak position of number four on the pop charts. In the wake of the success of "Walk This Way," Raising Hell became the first rap album to reach number one on the R&B charts, to chart in the pop Top Ten, and to go platinum, and Run-D.M.C. were the first rap act to received airplay on MTV -- they were the first rappers to cross over into the pop mainstream. Raising Hell also spawned the hit singles "You Be Illin'" and "It's Tricky."

Run-D.M.C. spent most of 1987 recording Tougher Than Leather, their follow-up to Raising Hell. Tougher Than Leather was accompanied by a movie of the same name. Starring Run-D.M.C., the film was an affectionate parody of '70s blaxploitation films. Although Run-D.M.C. had been at the height of their popularity when they were recording and filming Tougher Than Leather, by the time the project was released, the rap world had changed. Most of the hip-hop audience wanted to hear hardcore political rappers like Public Enemy, not crossover artists like Run-D.M.C. Consequently, the film bombed and the album only went platinum, failing to spawn any significant hit singles.


Two years after Tougher Than Leather, Run-D.M.C. returned with Back From Hell, which became their first album not to go platinum. Following its release, both Run and D.M.C. suffered personal problems as McDaniels suffered a bout of alcoholism and Simmons was accused of rape. After McDaniels sobered up and the charges against Simmons were dismissed, both of the rappers became born-again Christians, touting their religious conversion on the 1993 album Down With the King. Featuring guest appearances and production assistance from artists as diverse as Public Enemy, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Neneh Cherry, Pete Rock, and KRS-One, Down With the King became the comeback Run-D.M.C. needed. The title track became a Top Ten R&B hit and the album went gold, peaking at number 21. Although they were no longer hip-hop innovators, the success of Down With the King proved that Run-D.M.C. were still respected pioneers.

After a long studio hiatus, the trio returned in early 2000 with Crown Royal. The album did little to add to their ailing record sales, but the following promotional efforts saw them join Aerosmith and Kid Rock for a blockbuster performance on MTV. By 2002, the release of two greatest-hits albums prompted a tour with Aerosmith that saw them travel the U.S., always performing "Walk This Way" to transition between their sets. Sadly, only weeks after the end of the tour, Jam Master Jay was senselessly murdered in a studio session in Queens. Only 37 years old, the news of his passing spread quick and hip-hop luminaries like Big Daddy Kane and Funkmaster Flex took the time to pay tribute to him on New York radio stations. Possibly the most visible DJ in the history of hip-hop, his death was truly the end of an era and unfortunately perpetuated the cycle of violence that has haunted the genre since the late '80s.



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This is the album that started it all. The birth of hardcore hip hop. Arguably the first classic hip hop LP. They where the first rap artists to have their video play on MTV. They have opened so many doors with this one, this is hands down the most influential hip hop album of all time. They changed the whole sound of hip hop at that time ending the Sugar Hill era. Years after the release of Run-D.M.C.'s eponymous 1984 debut, the group generally was acknowledged to be hip-hop's Beatles -- a sentiment that makes a lot of sense, even if Run-D.M.C. isn't quite the equivalent of a rap Please Please Me. Run-D.M.C. were the Beatles of rap because they signaled a cultural and musical change for the music, ushering it into its accepted form; neither group originated the music, but they gave it the shape known today. But, no matter how true and useful the comparison is, it is also a little misleading, because it implies that Run-D.M.C. also were a melodic, accessible group, bringing in elements from all different strands of popular music. No, Run-D.M.C.'s expanded their music by making it tough and spare, primarily by adapting the sound and attitude of hard rock to hip-hop. Prior to this, rap felt like a block party -- the beats were funky and elastic, all about the groove. Run-D.M.C. hit hard. The production is tough and minimal, built on relentless drum machines and Jam Master Jay's furious scratching, mixing in a guitar riff or a keyboard hit on occasion. It is brutal urban music, and Run and D.M.C.'s forceful, muscular rhymes match the music. Where other MCs sounded cheerful, Run and D.M.C. prowl and taunt the listener, sounding as if they were a street gang. And while much of the record is devoted to braggadocio, boasting, and block parties, Run-D.M.C. also addressed grittier realities of urban life, giving this record both context and thematic weight. All of this -- the music, the attitude, the words, the themes -- marked a turning point for rap, and it's impossible to calculate Run-D.M.C.'s influence on all that came afterward. Years later, some of the production may sound a bit of its time, but the music itself does not because music this powerful and original always retains its impact and force as music.

Run DMC - Run DMC  (flac   224mb)

01 Hard Times 3:53
02 Rock Box 5:28
03 Jam Master Jay 3:21
04 Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2) 3:12
05 Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) 3:15
06 It's Like That 4:45
07 Wake Up 5:30
08 30 Days 5:45
09 Jay's Game 4:17

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Take the title of Run-D.M.C.'s King of Rock somewhat literally. True, the trailblazing rap crew hardly abandoned hip-hop on their second album, but they did follow through on the blueprint of their debut, emphasizing the rock leanings that formed the subtext of Run-D.M.C. Nearly every cut surges forward on thundering drum machines and simple power chords, with the tempos picked up a notch and the production hitting like a punch to the stomach. If the debut suggested hard rock, this feels like hard rock -- over-amplified, brutal, and intoxicating in its sheer sonic force. What really makes King of Rock work is that it sounds tougher and is smarter than almost all of the rock and metal records of its time. There is an urgency to the music unheard in the hard rock of the '80s -- a sense of inevitability to the riffs and rhythms, balanced by the justified boasting of Run and D.M.C. Most of their rhymes are devoted to party jams or bragging, but nobody was sharper, funnier, or as clever as this duo, nor was there a DJ better than Jam Master Jay, who not just forms the backbone of their music, but also has two great showcases in "Jam-Master Jammin'" and "Darryl and Joe" (the latter one of two exceptions to the rock rules of the album, the other being the genre-pushing "Roots, Rap, Reggae," one of the first rap tracks to make explicit the links between hip-hop and reggae). Even if there a pronounced rock influence throughout King of Rock, what makes it so remarkable is that it never sounds like a concession in order to win a larger audience. No matter how many metallic guitar riffs are on the record, this music is as raw and street-level as the debut. It manages to be just as dynamic, exciting, and timeless as that album, as it expands the definition of what both Run-D.M.C. and rap could do.

Run DMC - King Of Rock.  (flac   451mb)

01 Rock The House 2:43
02 King Of Rock 5:12
03 You Talk Too Much 5:58
04 Jam-Master Jammin' 4:24
05 Roots, Rap, Reggae 3:14
06 Can You Rock It Like This 4:28
07 You're Blind 5:29
08 It's Not Funny 5:32
09 Darryl And Joe (Krush-Groove 3) 6:30
Bonus
10 Slow And Low (Demo) 4:27
11 Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4) (Live) 3:35
12 Jam-Master Jammin' (Remix, Long Version) 6:45
13 King Of Rock (Live, From Live Aid) 7:26

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This album explodes into life so spectacularly across the first four tracks that it practically becomes the rap answer to The Joshua Tree.  Anybody with even the tiniest amount of interest in rap music, of any era, will recognise these songs, so regularly are they played, parodied, referenced, and copied.  Even if you don't think you know them by looking at the titles, I can promise you that you'll recognise them when you hear them.  Run-D.M.C. were primed for a breakthrough into the mainstream, but nobody was prepared for a blockbuster on the level of Raising Hell. Run-D.M.C. and King of Rock had established the crew's fusion of hip-hop and hard rock, but that sound didn't blossom until Raising Hell, partially due to the presence of Rick Rubin as producer. Rubin loved metal and rap in equal measures and he knew how to play to the strengths of both, while slipping in commercial concessions that seemed sly even when they borrowed from songs as familiar as "My Sharona" (heard on "It's Tricky"). Along with longtime Run-D.M.C. producer Russell Simmons, Rubin blew down the doors of what hip-hop could do with Raising Hell because it reached beyond rap-rock and found all sorts of sounds outside of it. Sonically, there is simply more going on in this album than any previous rap record -- more hooks, more drum loops (courtesy of ace drum programmer Sam Sever), more scratching, more riffs, more of everything. Where other rap records, including Run-D.M.C.'s, were all about the rhythm, this is layered with sounds and ideas, giving the music a tangible flow. But the brilliance of this record is that even with this increased musical depth, it still rocks as hard as hell, and in a manner that brought in a new audience. Of course, the cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," complete with that band's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, helped matters considerably, since it gave an audience unfamiliar with rap an entry point, but if it were just a novelty record, a one-shot fusion of rap and rock, Raising Hell would never have sold three million copies. No, the music was fully realized and thoroughly invigorating, rocking harder and better than any of its rock or rap peers in 1986, and years later, that sense of excitement is still palpable on this towering success story for rap in general and Run-D.M.C. in specific.

Run DMC - Raising Hell  (flac   243mb)

01 Peter Piper 3:22
02 It's Tricky 3:02
03 My Adidas 2:47
04 Walk This Way 5:10
05 Is It Live 3:06
06 Perfection 2:51
07 Hit It Run 3:11
08 Raising Hell 5:31
09 You Be Illin' 3:26
10 Dumb Girl 3:32
11 Son Of Byford 0:27
12 Proud To Be Black 3:15

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Hip hop is a genre that moves fast. Every 3-4 years the genre re-invented itself and it's always been hard for the artists to adapt. Just look at Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash, even though they were the biggest acts of the first few years, as the mid 80s approached they were considered irrelevant. One of the main reasons for that was Run-D.M.C.'s "Sucker MC's", a single that changed hip hop and killed off what was left of disco rap. They became the most popular group of the genre with their popularity peaking with their 3rd album Raising Hell eventually selling more than 3 million copies of it. Their sound was hard and provided by drum machines and it set the blueprint for how to make hip hop in those years.

Which brings us to their 4th album Tougher Than Leather in the year 1988. Following the release of Raising Hell, the drum machine sound was on his way out and replaced by this sample-based sound provided by these samplers. The funk was back as a core element of the genre and it added the "hardness" of the raps innovated by Run-D.M.C.. Although it evolved more in the years to come, this would be the sound that we typically call "east coast hip hop", as it became standard from New York and surrounding areas. So how does Run-D.M.C. adapt to these changes? Sadly they don't. They've essentially released Raising Hell part 2, sticking with their drum machine sound because that's what they do.

At the end of 1986, Raising Hell was rap's best-selling album up to that point, though it would soon be outsold by the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill. Profile Records hoped that Run-D.M.C.'s fourth album, Tougher Than Leather, would exceed the Beastie Boys' quintuple-platinum status, but unfortunately, the group's popularity had decreased by 1988. One of Run-D.M.C.'s strong points -- its love of rock & roll -- was also its undoing in hip-hop circles. Any type of crossover success tends to be viewed suspiciously in the hood, and hardcore hip-hoppers weren't overly receptive to "Miss Elaine," "Papa Crazy," "Mary, Mary," and other rap-rock delights found on the album. Thanks largely to rock fans, this album did go platinum for sales exceeding one million copies -- which ironically, Profile considered a disappointment. But the fact is that while Tougher Than Leather isn't quite as strong as Run-D.M.C.'s first three albums, it was still one of 1988's best rap releases.

Run DMC - Tougher Than Leather (flac   260mb)

01 Run's House 3:49
02 Mary Mary 3:12
03 The Call Us Run-D.M.C. 2:56
04 Beats To The Rhyme 2:43
05 Radio Station 2:50
06 Papa Crazy 4:18
07 Tougher Than Leather 4:20
08 I'm Not Going Out Like That 4:54
09 How Ya Do It Dee 3:20
10 Miss Elaine 3:05
11 Soul To Rock And Roll 2:17
12 Ragtime 2:42

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RhoDeo 1939 Magic 5

Hello, seeing that there was a decent interest in the Tuning the Human Biofield Healing with Vibrational Sound Therapy book a follow up was called for specially for those that don't get the beauty of not only our being but nature it self, it maybe not be the final answer and she speaks of a hypothese but it's a roadmap into an undiscovered world that surrounds us and as suchit could well be invaluable....



Electric Universe theory shows us that the Universe we inhabit is electrical in nature. But what about us as humans? Medical science has been entrenched in the chemical/mechanical nature of the human body, yet we too are electrical in nature. In this talk, we will consider research on the bioelectric body and see how that fits in with the EU model.

Eileen McKusick is an independent researcher who has been studying the effects of audible sound on the human body since 1996. Her observations, and consequent questions, about the seemingly magnetic properties of the space around the body led her to discover plasma, bioplasma, and EU. Eileen’s Biofield Anatomy Hypothesis posits that the human biofield is a diffuse magnetic plasma that is imprinted with our memories. She has mapped this field and discovered that specific types of memories are stored in specific areas, and has developed a sound therapy method called Biofield Tuning that works with this model. .

Eileen McKusick explains the premise of the Biofield Anatomy Hypothesis to her class (51min)






For those that want to learn more and see details of what is presented here. A guide to the practice of Sound Balancing, using tuning forks to clear trauma stored in the human energy field. In this book, author Eileen Day McKusick explains the complete practice of Sound Balancing and provides illustrations of her Biofield Anatomy Map. She details how to use tuning forks to find and clear pain and trauma stored in the biofield. She reveals how the traditional principles and locations of the chakras correspond directly with her biofield discoveries. Exploring the science behind Sound Balancing, she examines scientific research on the nature of sound and energy and explains how experiences of trauma produce “pathological oscillations” in the biofield, causing a breakdown of order, structure, and function in the body.


Tuning the Human Biofield Healing with Vibrational Sound Therapy by Eileen Day McKusick ( 2.3 mb 192 pages PDF).

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Today, the 5th part of the first Disc-world tale The Colour of Magic..... N-Joy

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Sir Terence David John Pratchett OBE (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels.

Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. His 2011 Discworld novel Snuff became the third-fastest-selling hardback adult-readership novel since records began in the UK, selling 55,000 copies in the first three days. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.

Pratchett, with more than 85 million books sold worldwide in 37 languages, was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.

In December 2007, Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK), filmed a television programme chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron for Alzheimer's Research UK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, aged 66.


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Discworld is a comic fantasy book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare, as well as mythology, folklore and fairy tales, often using them for satirical parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues.

Forty-one Discworld novels have been published. The original British editions of the first 26 novels, up to Thief of Time (2001), had cover art by Josh Kirby. The American editions, published by Harper Collins, used their own cover art. Since Kirby's death in 2001, the covers have been designed by Paul Kidby. Companion publications include eleven short stories (some only loosely related to the Discworld), four popular science books, and a number of supplementary books and reference guides. The series has been adapted for graphic novels, theatre, computer and board games, and television.

Newly released Discworld books regularly topped The Sunday Times best-sellers list, making Pratchett the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s. Discworld novels have also won awards such as the Prometheus Award and the Carnegie Medal. In the BBC's Big Read, four Discworld novels were in the top 100, and a total of fourteen in the top 200. More than 80 million Discworld books have been sold in 37 languages

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The Discworld novels contain common themes and motifs that run through the series. Fantasy clichés are parodied in many of the novels, as are various subgenres of fantasy, such as fairy tales (notably Witches Abroad), witch and vampire stories (Carpe Jugulum) and so on. Analogies of real-world issues, such as religion (Small Gods), fundamentalism and inner city tension (Thud), business and politics (Making Money), racial prejudice and exploitation (Snuff) are recurring themes, as are aspects of culture and entertainment, such as opera (Maskerade), rock music (Soul Music), cinema (Moving Pictures), and football (Unseen Academicals). Parodies of non-Discworld fiction also occur frequently, including Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter, and several movies. Major historical events, especially battles, are sometimes used as the basis for both trivial and key events in Discworld stories (Jingo, Pyramids), as are trends in science, technology, pop culture and modern art (Moving Pictures, Men at Arms, Thud). There are also humanist themes in many of the Discworld novels, and a focus on critical thinking skills in the Witches and Tiffany Aching series.

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Setting

The story takes place on the Discworld, a planet-sized flat disc carried through space on the backs of four gargantuan elephants – Berilia, Tubul, Great T'Phon and Jerakeen – who themselves stand on the shell of Great A'Tuin, a gigantic sea turtle. The surface of the disc contains oceans and continents, and with them, civilizations, cities, forests and mountains.

Synopsis The Colour of Magic

The story begins in Ankh-Morpork, the biggest city on the Discworld. The main character is an incompetent and cynical wizard named Rincewind, who is hired as a guide to the rich but naive Twoflower, an insurance clerk from the Agatean Empire who has come to visit Ankh-Morpork. Initially attempting to flee with his advance payment, Rincewind is captured by the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, who forces him to protect Twoflower, lest the tourist's death provoke the Agatean Emperor into invading Ankh-Morpork. After Twoflower is kidnapped by a gang of thieves and taken to the Broken Drum Pub, Rincewind stages a rescue alongside the Luggage, an indestructible, enchanted and sentient chest belonging to Twoflower. Before this, Twoflower convinces the Drum's barman to take out a fire insurance policy; the barman subsequently attempts to burn down the Drum to claim the money, but ends up causing a fire that destroys the whole of Ankh-Morpork. Rincewind and Twoflower escape in the chaos.

Rincewind and Twoflower travel towards the city of Quirm, unaware that their adventures on this journey are actually the subject of a boardgame played by the Gods of the Discworld. The pair are separated when they are attacked by a mountain troll summoned by Offler the Crocodile God. The ignorant Twoflower ends up being led to the Temple of Bel-Shamharoth, a being said to be the opposite of both good and evil, while Rincewind ends up imprisoned in a dryad-inhabited tree in the woods, where he watches the events in Bel Shamharoth's temple through a magical portal. The pair are reunited when Rincewind escapes into the temple through the portal, and they encounter Hrun the Barbarian, a parody of heroes in the Swords and Sorcery genre. The trio are attacked and nearly killed by Bel-Shamharoth, but escape when Rincewind accidentally blinds the creature with Twoflower's magical picture box. Hrun agrees to travel with and protect Twoflower and Rincewind in exchange for heroic pictures of him from the picture box.

The trio visit the Wyrmberg, an upside-down mountain which is home to dragon-riders who summon their dragons by imagining them, and are separated when the riders attack them. Rincewind escapes capture but is forced by Kring, Hrun's sentient magical sword, to attempt to rescue his friends. Twoflower is imprisoned within the Wyrmberg, and because of his fascination with dragons, is able to summon one greater than those of the Wyrmberg riders, who he names Ninereeds, allowing him to escape captivity and save Rincewind from being killed in a duel with one of the three heirs of the Wyrmburg. Twoflower, Rincewind and Ninereeds snatch Hrun, but as they attempt to escape into the skies, Twoflower passes out from the lack of oxygen, causing Ninereeds to disappear. Hrun is saved by Liessa, but Rincewind and Twoflower find themselves falling to their deaths. In desperation, Rincewind manages to use the Wyrmberg's power to temporarily summon a passenger jet from the real world, before he and Twoflower fall into the ocean.

The two of them are taken to the edge of the Discworld by the ocean currents and nearly carried over, but they are caught by the Circumfence, a huge net built by the nation of Krull to catch sea life and flotsam washed in from the rest of the Discworld. They are rescued by Tethis the sea troll, a being composed of water who had fallen off the edge of his own world and onto the Discworld, where he was subsequently enslaved by the Krullians. Rincewind and Twoflower are then taken by the Krullians to their capital, where they learn that the Krullians intend to discover the sex of Great A'Tuin by launching a space capsule over the edge of the Disc, and plan to sacrifice Rincewind and Twoflower to get the god Fate to smile on the voyage, Fate insisting on their sacrifice after they caused him to lose the earlier game. Rincewind and Twoflower attempt to escape, but end up stealing the capsule, which is launched with Twoflower inside, the tourist wishing to see the other worlds of the universe. Rincewind is unable to get into the capsule in time, and falls off the Disc alongside it, the Luggage following them soon after.

The story segues into the beginning of The Light Fantastic; the two books can therefore be seen as one two-volume novel.


Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic part 5 ( 66min mp3     36mb).


01-14 The Colour of Magic 5 68min



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previously

Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic part 1 ( 69min mp3     38mb).
Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic part 2 ( 69min mp3     38mb).
Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic part 3 ( 68min mp3     38mb).
Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic part 4 ( 69min mp3     38mb).

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RhoDeo 1939 Re Up 207

Hello,  well i was right about Hamilton winning today's Grand Prix, Ferrari was outsmarted and Vettel's car didn't reach the finish after clearly being the fastest the first 30 laps and wining boy Leclerc lacks experience. Over at the World procyclingships the 2 biggest bookie favorites led with 3 others 1 min ahead with one lap to go, Van Der Poel the biggest favorite all of a sudden dropped of- struck by hunger his body had no energy left. It had been an awful day wind/rain up/down, stress staying on the bike, just 45 riders finished. After having settled again after that huge shock of Van der Poel dropping out the commentators told us well it's clear Trentin will win, this turned out to be true until the final 200m, when Mads Pedersen proved he had more reserves to put into the sprint to become the first ever Dane to become Worldchampion at the pro cyclists. Bravo, that's why i like live sports unexpected things happen....



9 correct requests for this week,1 too early,  1 unavailable (aetix-roots),  1 double (same artist) , whatever another batch of 31 re-ups (10 gig)


These days i'm making an effort to re-up, it will satisfy a smaller number of people which means its likely the update will  expire relatively quickly again as its interest that keeps it live. Nevertheless here's your chance ... asks for re-up in the comments section at the page where the expired link resides, or it will be discarded by me. ....requests are satisfied on a first come first go basis. ...updates will be posted here remember to request from the page where the link died! To keep re-ups interesting to my regular visitors i will only re-up files that are at least 12 months old (the older the better as far as i am concerned), and please check the previous update request if it's less then a year old i won't re-up either.

Looka here , requests fulfilled up to September 29th... N'Joy

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4x Sundaze Back in Flac (Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld 2, Orb - Orbus Terrarum, Orb - Okie Dokie, The Orb On Kompakt)


3x Beats Back in Flac 1525 ( Apparat - Multifunktionsebene, Apparat - Duplex, Apparat - Tttrial And Eror+Silizium EP  )



2x Sundaze  Back  in Flac (Reload - A Collection Of Short Stories, Global Communcation - 76:14  )



4x Grooves Back In Flac (Sister Sledge - All American Girls , Sister Sledge - The Sisters, Sister Sledge - When The Boys Meet , Sister Sledge - 93 Mixes)



3x Aetix Back in Flac (Allez Allez - Best of,  Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade, Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi)



4x Sundaze  Back in Flac (Stereolab - Switched On , Stereolab - Peng ! , Stereolab - Space-Age Batchelor Pad Music, Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet )



4x Sundaze Back in Flac ( Balmorhea - Balmorhea, Balmorhea - Rivers Arms, Balmorhea - All Is Wild, All Is Silent ,  Balmorhea - All Is Wild, All Is Remixes )



3x Sundaze NOW in Flac (Jah Wobble - Heaven & Earth, Jah Wobble - Requiem, Jah Wobble ‎- Umbra Sumus )



4x Grooves Back in Flac  (Rose Royce - Car Wash, Rose Royce - In Full Bloom,  Rose Royce - Strikes Again, Rose Royce - Stronger Than Ever)

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Sundaze 1939

Hello,  a fantastic ride by Annemiek van Vleuten, after a solo of 105km she became worldchampion at the female pro-cyclists, no one got close, i hope someone convices her to freeze some of her eggs, comsidering she's 37 next week, because DNA like that shouldn't be lost. i'm sure these would make a good price. Alas there's no market for such..yet. Over at the F1, Ferrari was fastest in qualifying but it's expected to be a close race with all 3 top teams having a chance to win. I expect Hamilton to win. Fighting at the front and thru the field where differences come down to driver skills and gotspe..Hopefully we get to see someof that.



Today's artist is a composer of electronic music, sound artist and inventor born in Eschwege in Germany. Sound is his art form. He has worked for film, television, theatre, dance and as sound designer. He began his career in the early 1990s constructing 'soundscapes' and installations around Germany. He has collaborated with a wide range of visual artists, musicians, producers and DJs. He has released several albums, starting in 1995 with Homelistening Is Killing Clubs. His focus is on electronic music, seamlessly blending interesting samples, synthesizers, percussion and other elements together in unique ways. While sometimes experimental, most of his music has a certain accessibility in terms of the rhythmic and melodic components. Though frequently associated with the retro or Berlin School sound pioneered by Klaus Schulze and others, he uses modern ambient electronica elements extensively, creating his own rich sound that defies easy categorization."...  ......N-Joy

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From Spyra's website

artistic biography of wolfram der spyra (* 1964) , clearly there was no need to keep this bio german style up to date after 2001, what can i say apparently no devoted fan availble to do the work for free. Not sure what has been posted on his facebook page, i'm not a member of that club.

performance, invention or exhibition referred to within this website
release on compact disc referred to within this website

 
1986 - 92 study of free arts at the h b k college of art, kassel
1986 metall . basalt - performance, galerie zorro, kassel
1988 denkwürdigkeiten eines nervenkranken - composition of music for a theatre-performance, kassel
composition of music for several performances of the artist natascha fiala
1989 ausflug zur dämmerung - performance, schaufenstergalerie, kassel
musica povera - music- and text - performance with bernd friedmann and tim matthieson as part of the exhibition kunststudenten stellen aus, moderne galerie, saarbrücken
steine -performance within the context of the retirement of the g h k - president, gießhaus, kassel
1990 wenn - performance, produzentengalerie, kassel
1991 nachrichten - klanginstallation, kirchweg 15, kassel
build of a sound studio at the h b k, kassel
hunger kunst hunger - group - exhibition , halle k 18, kassel

 
1992 completing the free arts study with the degree dissertation klangerzeugung, klangkomposition, klangskulptur (sound generation, sound composition, sound sculpture)
lectureship at the h b k college of art, kassel
1. kasseler kunstmarkt - organisation of the eexhibition
hush hour - sound installation in a parking house as part of the sculpture exhibition platz da (documenta - support programme)
fisch / schiff - sound installation, ms ger jea, kassel
panakustikum - individual exhibition of sound sculptures within the context of the documenta IX support programme
winner of the award kasseler kulturförderpreises
winner of the wolfgang zippel - award with the artist group platz da
bath - sound installation, dock 4, kassel
etherlands - outdoor sound installation with antennas as part of the exhibition zeitbrücken, mühlhausen

 
1993 the park -sound installation, cultural fair kassel, dock 4
composition and realisation of music for the lecture ofe windi winderlich, kongreß der luxus und seine verpackung, hotel 4 jahreszeiten, münchen
nachtmusik - sound installation, salzmann factory, kassel
composition of a modern dance piece for the company tanz form, kassel
hospital - sound installation, hospital church, treysa
klangbleche - concert and sound installation in the gasgebläsehalle der völklinger hütte as part of the festivals schichtwechsel, saarbrücken / völklingen
nr. 7 - sound installation in a hotel room as part of the international art project transit, hotel hessenland, kassel
stiftskirche und roßgang - 2 environmental sound installations as part of the kaufunger kulturtage

 
1994 stille - 4 sound installations,gedenkstätte breitenau (breitenau memorial)
roßgang 2 - the sound installation is being bought by the mining museum, kaufungen
sound factory - sound installations in the club aufschwung ost, kassel
the queen of instruments has left the country -sound installation in the city-church of hessisch - lichtenau (finissage of the exhibition höhenflug + flügelschlag from elke teuber - s. and ruth ullenboom)
p.a.s.s. - portable ambient sound system -(Interactive sound installation. P.A.S.S. - units were hired out to visitors by the documenta - archiv, allowing them to use the system for soundwalks through the city

 
1995 farbrauschen - exhibition with the finnish artist helena rytkönen, galerie studio kausch, kassel
live concert with klangbleche (metal sound sheets) at the computer-fair combit , kassel
kunstwald - live concert at the art festival in herne
live-konzert within the context of the love - parade in berlin
several concerts in the chillout of the techno-club aufschwung ost, kassel (also 1996 / 97/ 98)
exhibition of the klangbleche at the hessentag in schwalmstadt
strom - exhibition of 220 volt - objects in the salzmann factory, kassel
homelistening is killing clubs - release of the first solo - cd (hyperium / wigwam)


1996 r. u. n. - composition of the music for the theatre piece r. u. n. - risiken und nebenwirkungen of michael seyfried and oliver nitsche, theatre erlangen
odyssee - group exhibition, documenta - halle, kassel
quest - composition of music for the animation film quest by stellmach / montgomery. in 1997 the film wins the oscar - award in the category animation film
diverse live - concerts, e.g. at the festivals waterworld, koblenz, auerworld, bad sulza, and escape from samsara, london
realisation of the soundtrack for an animation film by parvis safadel
composition of music for the cd - rom china - im reich der sonne, publisher nova media

 
1997 schall und rauch - two sound installations of the type portable ambient sound system (p a s s ) for a sound-exhibition for children in the kongreßhalle berlin
p a s s in space - 30 pass - systems are bought by the firm reemtsma (west)
das büro -realisation of the soundtrack for a short film by joachim bode (mtv)
phonehead - release of the 2nd solo - cd (plus vinyl-maxi) at fax - records, frankfurt

my little garden of sounds - sound exhibition and live concerts as part of the documenta X support programme
my little garden of sounds - release of the 3rd solo - cd within the context of the exhibition of the same name

kulturbahnhof - several sound sculptures from the little garden of sounds are shown at the kulturbahnhof, kassel
the akustischer stadtplan - (acoustic city map) is bought by the city of kassel and exhibited at the town hall
future of the past -release of the 4th solo - cd at manikin records, berlin
schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in vienna

 
1998 schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in mailand
solar system - sound installation as part of the atelierrundgang, neuer kasseler kunstverein
sferics - release of the 5th solo - cd at fax records, frankfurt
le jardin - participation in the exhibition and diverse live - performances at the stockwell-studios, the vauxhall st. peter's heritage center, the beaconsfield gallery and the i.c.a. (institute of contemporary arts), london
round tables - the sound installation is being bought by the allianz-versicherung, frankfurt
kassels akustischer stadtplan – release of a cd with the sounds of the acoustic city map of kassel

virtual vices - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax-records, frankfurt

 
1999 die blinden von kilcrobally - composition of music for a theatre piece, staatsatheater kassel
etherlands- release of the 6th solo -cd at fax records, frankfurt
vauxhall soundmap - acoustic city map vauxhall - order of an acoustic city map for the london district vauxhall
acoustic city maps budapest & frankfurt - the acoustic citymaps of both partnership towns are shown in the kunsthalle schirn, frankfurt
jump - o - phone - construction of an interactive sound - and - light - instrument
weltglockengeläut - dj - livemix of music and sounds of bells from all over the world (via internet & telephone), apolda
e - live - - live concert at one of the most important festivals for electronic music in europe, nijmegen (netherlands)
fliegender wechsel, group- exhibition at the kunsttempel, kassel

 
2000 dj und live - act at the liquid millenium celebration, liquid sound, bad sulza
build and move to af a new sound studio in kassel
composition of an 8 - channel - music-soundcollage for yadegar assisi´s hanse-panorama
komposition of midi - files for a cd - rom with projectsof the expo 2000
live performance with adrian palka and dancers of the coventry university at the opening of the summer show at stockwell studios, london
group - exhibition funkhaus, dresden
exhibition klangbleche and several live-performances in croatia
live-concert (steel cello and electronics) with bob rutman, architekturfakultät, berlin
virtual vices II -- release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
live-concert in berlin (2nd space trance tronic night, lichterfelde)
live-performance with the russian sound-poet valeri scherstjanoi, leipziger literarischer herbst

 
2001 performance with scherstjanoi at the festival musica viva (joseph anton riedl), gasteig münchen
construction of technical sound-units for the friedensmuseum (peace museum), lindau im bodensee

composition of sound-tracks for mtv spots by lichthof/stellmach
kick the bucket - installation und performance in collaboration with adrian palka as a part of the exhibition carambolage, kunsttempel, kassel
live-performance with valeri scherstjanoi, steffen moddrow and f.w. block, kasseler museumsnacht
treib.gut - les sons démocratiques - concert and performance museumsnacht, kassel
the presence of the sun - installation und video - live - performance with andreas stolkmann, bastion kunst, kassel
live performance at the opening of millennium - tage, kassel
kassel am meer: participation in the group-exhibition with a new version of the klangbleche (incl. a 7-channel-composition) and the work round table, fridericianum kassel

live performance with adrian palka at the opening of wiedervorlage d5, an exhibition in the context of the 40th anniversary of the documenta - archive, fridericianum kassel
konzert für querflöte und 4 k(ettensägen) – performance with christiane winning, dr. f.w. block, m. hess, u. duttenhofer
elevator to heaven – release of a 3-cd-box (7th solo -project) at manikin records, berlin
presentation of the round table at the symposium labyrinth des hörens, villa clementine, wiesbaden
virtual vices III - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
2002-2019
    Virtual Vices IV (with Pete Namlook) (2002)
    Invisible Fields (2003)
    Achtundsechzig 24 Live@Toskana-Therme (2003)
    Excerpts 1 (2004)
    Headphone Concert: Little Garden of Sounds II (2004)
    Meditationen (2005)
    Orphan Waves (2006)
    Virtual Vices V (with Pete Namlook) (2006)
    Space Cowboys @ Jelenia Góra (2007)
    High Phidelity (2007)
    Gasoline 91 Octane (2008)
    Virtual Vices VI (with Pete Namlook) (2008)
    January in June (2009)
    SeQuest (with Chris Lang) (2010)
    ADSR Remixed (Maxi-single with Steve Baltes) (2010)
    No Beats For 1 Hour (0B41H) (2010)
    Staub (2014)
    Requiem (2017)
Wolfram did undoubtedly much more because clearly he did very little to promote himself and his work like creating a decent biography alas that kind of naivity is all to common with artists.

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As with the Satie homage on Phonehead, two basic piano pieces "Mechanic Piano" and "V.C. Piano" (the latter involving a deep synth bassline) serve as bookends for Spyra's sophomore FAX album; a form of quiet mediation focus on the classical background Spyra wants to exude. But the theme of Sferics is the fascination with radio signals and the world that relies on them. The title track has an ambient intro based off of radio static followed by a deep melodic theme with vocal samples along side blips and radio static bursts. The rest of the album carries the theme of using radio-like noises in various styles from jazz ("10^(-12) Meters") to ambient dub ("Crossing the Channel") to laid back reggae of "Gentle Machines" with "Vinyl vs. Carts" being the most sample heavy. The break in style may have fans consider this a slight step from Phonehead but Spyra doesn't stray from having plenty to offer.

.Spyra - Sferics ( 367mb)

01 Mechanic Piano 3:06
02 Sferics 7:35
03 Interzen 11:59
04 10-12 Meters 10:45
05 Gentle Machines 11:59
06 Crossing the Channel 16:06
07 Vinyl vs Cards 9:17
08 V.C. Piano 3:10

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For his third release on FAX, Spyra breaks off from the progressive and sophisticated direction of his previous releases, which is made releveant with the goofy sample-laden opener "The Synthesizer Experience", a brief retro electro-pop track that sends you into Etherlands, where suffice to say Spyra gives his arsenal of synthesizers a real workout. You have moments like on "Six Miles South of Hastings" which feels like a jam session from the Electric Mayhem. The jam session feeling is even more evident on the title track "Etherlands" where during Part II, analog radio sounds fight violently but things peter out until eventually there is nothing left. But true to a Spyra release, it's epilouge "Mellotron Etude" is a short but well composed classical synth piece. But all that Etherlands has to offer is overshadowed by what has to be one of his greatest pieces, "Birds on a Wire". An emotional urban sunset accompanied by the sounds of cello, theremin, and, what we imagine, the chirping of birds on telephone wires in the distance, it's the point where Spyra's unique post-rock/berlin school style has reached perfection.

Spyra - Etherlands (flac 377mb)

01 The Synthesizer Experience 4:42
02 Radio Noordzee 6:04
03 Monotonous Stereo Part I 7:27
04 Birds on the Wire 8:22
05 Six Miles South of Hastings 7:45
06 Monotonous Stereo Part II 12:48
07 Etherlands Part I 12:16
08 Etherlands Part II 11:56
09 Mellotron Etude 2:33

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Glorious five-star sequencer nirvana."Live in Berlin.de", flows effortlessly as a continuous piece, even though it is indexed as several tracks. Snippets of familiar pieces like "Etherlands" are heard, but by and large it sounds new. This is much more traditional Berlin school than he usually gets, and very well done."Breath" is possibly titled so that you'll remember to;;;.

Spyra - Elevator To Heaven 1 Live In Berlin.de (flac 331mb)

01 Intro 10:06
02 Here We Stand... 5:05
03 Cardioid 8:59
04 Under the Bridge 6:30
05 Slow Steam Engine 4:09
06 Tired Steel, Out There 3:58
07 Breath (Main Theme) 15:06
08 ...At Night 4:08
09 Coming Up from the East 6:10
010 Fleeing Westwards 6:37

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"The Bright Side Of The Sun", is trademark Spyra, featuring finely crafted, well-layered compositions with distinct melodies and a wide variety of sounds. There are danceable numbers like "Remembrance" and "Rain On Water", and even "Last Train To Bayreuth", a Schulze tribute. "Chord3Organ" has smooth jazz touches. There are dark haunting choirs in "Mentalized", a rather epic-sounding piece, ending with Spyra's always accomplished piano playing.
"San Tommaso Eqed" takes a page out of Schulze's book of mixing classical and electronic music. This could be sweeping soundtrack music, and makes a nice segue to the third disc

Spyra - Elevator To Heaven 2 The Bright Side of the Sun   ( flac   296mb)

01 Remembrance 8:47
02 Rain on Water 12:34
03 Last Train to Bayreuth 10:26
04 Chord 3 Organ 4:52
05 Mentalized 14:31
06 San Tommaso 11:32

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Third disk is a library music/soundtrack excursion, ethnic bits etc, with some fun points but ultimately a mismatch of different tracks and some class B material, with music for films and TV productions. Quite many of these tracks sound unusual for Spyra. "Motion Picture Music", is a series of varied, shorter pieces. From the somber majesty of "Die Hanse (intro)" to the quirky "The March of the Dwarfs", lots of different experiments are tried, some successfully some less so, adding to Spyra's already diverse and powerful sonic arsenal. .

Spyra - Elevator To Heaven 3 Motion Picture Music   ( flac   355mb)

01 Die Hanse (Intro) 5:01
02 Lonely Drivers Part 1 3:30
03 Tea House (Flute Mix) 4:28
04 Classic Power Supply 8:27
05 Guitar Piece Without a Name 3:19
06 A Motorway at 5 A.M. 3:23
07 Slow Movie 2/3 2:19
08 The March of the Dwarves 3:47
09 Classique Technique 4:47
10 Ethnoo 6:52
11 Numagroov 3:19
12 Kilcrobally 5:05
13 Die Hanse (Outro 1) 2:03
14 I M H O 2:45
15 Sinking Down Eastly 3:12
16 Quest Remixed 9:10


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RhoDeo 1938 Grooves

Hello,


Today's Artists legally known as James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as Ladies Love Cool James, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, author and entrepreneur from Queens, New York. With the breakthrough success of his hit single "I Need a Beat" and the Radio LP, he became one of the first hip-hop acts to achieve mainstream success..A two-time Grammy Award winner, he is known for such hip hop hits as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells" and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "All I Have", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 has placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list. In 2017, he became the first rapper to receive Kennedy Center Honors . ...... N Joy

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Hip-hop is notorious for short-lived careers, but LL Cool J is the inevitable exception that proves the rule. Releasing his first hit, "I Can't Live Without My Radio," in 1985 when he was just 17 years old, LL initially was a hard-hitting, streetwise b-boy with spare beats and ballistic rhymes. He quickly developed an alternate style, a romantic lover's rap epitomized by his mainstream breakthrough single, "I Need Love." LL's first two albums, Radio and Bigger and Deffer, made him a star, and in 1990 he shot to the top of the charts with Mama Said Knock You Out, which established him as a genuine musical superstar. By the mid-'90s, he had starred in his own television sitcom, appeared in several films, and racked up two of his biggest singles with "Hey Lover" and "Doin' It." In short, he had proven that rappers could have long-term careers.

Of course, that didn't seem likely when he came storming out of Queens, New York, when he was 16 years old. LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith; his stage name is an acronym for "Ladies Love Cool James") had already been rapping since the age of nine. Two years later, his grandfather -- he had been living with his grandparents since his parents divorced when he was four -- gave him a DJ system and he began making tapes at home. Eventually, he sent these demo tapes to record companies, attracting the interest of Def Jam, a fledgling label run by New York University students Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Def Jam signed LL and released his debut, "I Need a Beat," as their first single in 1984. The record sold over 100,000 copies, establishing both the label and the rapper. LL dropped out of high school and recorded his debut album, Radio. Released in 1985, Radio was a major hit and it earned considerable praise for how it shaped raps into recognizable pop-song structures. On the strength of "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells," the album went platinum in 1986. The following year, his second album, Bigger and Deffer, shot to number three due to the ballad "I Need Love," which became one of the first pop-rap crossover hits.

LL's knack for making hip-hop as accessible as pop was one of his greatest talents, yet it was also a weakness, since it opened him up to accusations of being a sellout. Taken from the Less Than Zero soundtrack, 1988's "Goin' Back to Cali" walked the line with ease, but 1989's Walking with a Panther was not greeted warmly by most hip-hop fans. Although it was a Top Ten hit and spawned the gold single "I'm That Type of Guy," the album was perceived as a pop sell-out effort, and on a supporting concert at the Apollo, he was booed. LL didn't take the criticism lying down -- he struck back with 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out, the hardest record he ever made. LL supported the album with a legendary, live acoustic performance on MTV Unplugged, and on the strength of the Top Ten R&B singles "The Boomin' System" and "Around the Way Girl" (number nine, pop) as well as the hit title track, Mama Said Knock You Out became his biggest-selling album, establishing him as a pop star in addition to a rap superstar. He soon landed roles in the films The Hard Way (1991) and Toys (1992), and he also performed at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993. Mama Said Knock You Out kept him so busy that he didn't deliver the follow-up, 14 Shots to the Dome, until the spring of 1993. Boasting a harder gangsta rap edge, 14 Shots initially sold well, debuting in the Top Ten, but it was an unfocused effort that generated no significant hit singles. Consequently, it stalled at gold status and hurt his reputation considerably.

Following the failure of 14 Shots to the Dome, LL began starring in the NBC sitcom In the House. He returned to recording in 1995, releasing Mr. Smith toward the end of the year. Unexpectedly, Mr. Smith became a huge hit, going double platinum and launching two of his biggest hits, with the Boyz II Men duet "Hey Lover" and "Doin' It." At the end of 1996, he released the greatest-hits album All World, while Phenomenon appeared one year later. G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), released in 2000, reached the top of the album charts, and 2002's 10 featured one of his biggest hits in years, "Luv U Better." With the help of producer Timbaland, he unleashed the tough DEFinition album in 2004 as his James Todd Smith clothing line was hitting the malls. "Control Myself," a hit single featuring Jennifer Lopez, prefaced 2006's Todd Smith album. His 2008 effort Exit 13 would be his last album for Def Jam as the rapper found work as a primetime television star, landing a starring role on CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2013 he returned to recording, first making news with the track "Accidental Racist," his much-maligned duet with country star Brad Paisley. Another Paisley duet landed on LL's 2013 album Authentic, a star-studded effort with Eddie Van Halen, Snoop Dogg, and Charlie Wilson also appearing as guests.

While LL Cool J first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He landed the role of Captain Patrick Zevo in the 1992 film Toys in which he shared the silver screen with Robin Williams. In 1995, he starred in his own television sitcom, In the House. He portrayed an ex-Oakland Raiders running back who finds himself in financial difficulties and is forced to rent part of his home out to a single mother and her two children. In 1998, LL Cool J had a role in the film Halloween H20. In 1999, he starred alongside Samuel L Jackson, Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane and Jacqueline McKenzie in Deep Blue Sea; in that film, he played a wise-cracking cook on a top-secret sea base besieged by genetically enhanced sharks. He received rave reviews for his role as Dwayne Gittens, an underworld boss nicknamed "God", in In Too Deep. Later that year, he starred as Julian Washington—a talented but selfish running back on the dysfunctional Miami Sharks—in Any Given Sunday. Since then, LL Cool J has appeared in 2002 remake of Rollerball, Deliver Us from Eva, Mindhunters, and S.W.A.T.

In 2005, he returned to television in a guest-starring role on the Fox medical drama House; he portrayed a death row inmate felled by an unknown disease in an episode entitled "Acceptance". He appeared as Queen Latifah's love interest in the 2006 movie Last Holiday. He also guest-starred on 30 Rock in the 2007 episode "The Source Awards", portraying a hip-hop producer called Ridikulous who Tracy Jordan fears may kill him. LL Cool J appeared in Sesame Street's 39th season, introducing the word of the day--"Unanimous"—in episode 4169 (September 22, 2008) and performing "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (September 30, 2008). Since 2009, LL Cool J has starred on the CBS police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles. The show is a spin-off of NCIS, which itself is a spin-off of the naval legal drama JAG. LL Cool J portrays NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna, an ex–Navy SEAL who is fluent in Arabic and is an expert on West Asian culture. The series debuted in autumn of 2009, but the characters were introduced in an April 2009 crossover episode on the parent show.


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Well, after Mama Said Knock You Out put him on the map again, he took off 3 years before coming back in 1993 with 14 Shots to the Dome. In this album, he's jumping on the gangsta/hardcore bandwagon and his braggadocios lyrics are a lot more violent and his energy is crazy here. He almost beats Onyx at the top of their game with this energy. His posturing is a little unbelievable but with so much energy, it's impossible for the end result being bad. He's yelling all the time here and there's nothing soft including the "soft, ladies jams". On the final song, "Crossroads", LL is yelling at the top of his lungs to great results despite the rather corny hook. The Marley Marl and Bobcat production here is on that raw, funk tip with funky samples and rock hard drums that go back to the Radio days. LL Cool J is jumping on the current bandwagon but at least he does it well. As expected, this album tanked critically and commercially by only going gold with mixed reviews. This didn't work, so LL decided to go pop which he's always criticized for. Of course he went there since hardcore fans didn't seem to be interested in him doing the hard stuff. Still, this album is pretty good despite popular consensus and I think I've found my new favorite album for when I'm exercising. The energy here challenges M.O.P., Onyx and Willie D all at the top of their game.

LL Cool J - 14 Shots To The Dome  (flac   392mb)

01 How I'm Comin' 5:05
02 Buckin' Em Down 4:02
03 Stand by Your Man 4:50
04 A Little Somethin' 4:26
05 Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings 4:17
06 Straight From Queens feat. Lt. Stitchie 4:54
07 Funkadelic Relic 3:55
08 All We Got Left Is the Beat 4:38
09 (NFA) No Frontin' Allowed feat. Lords of the Underground 4:19
10 Back Seat 4:31
11 Soul Survivor 4:38
12 Ain't No Stoppin' This 4:43
13 Diggy Down 4:58
14 Crossroads 5:29

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Most people will tell you that Mr. Smith is the last good LL Cool J album, he jumped off the hardcore bandwagon of his last album "14 Shots to the Dome" which wasn't very successful and went back into Ladies Love mode. Well technically this is the first LL Cool J where he really raps for the ladies, a formula he would stick with for the rest of his career. The album is so commercial friendly, it doesn't sound like most of the hip hop of 95 as it's actually a little bit ahead of its time (in a bad way). A song like "Hey Lover" would unfortunately become the staple for mainstream hip hop and that led to the shiny suit era and y'all know the rest... There's isn't many dope songs on Mr. Smith but there is "I Shot Ya" both original and remix versions are pretty damn good but apart from that the rest is rather forgettable. Fans of hardcore hip hop should probably stay away from this one, it's not up to par with LL's classic era.

LL Cool J - Mr. Smith .  (flac   381mb)

01 The Intro (Skit) 1:33
02 Make It Hot 4:31
03 Hip Hop 5:00
04 Hey Lover feat. Boyz II Men 4:44
05 Doin It with LeShaun 4:53
06 Life As.... 2:44
07 I Shot Ya 3:51
08 Mr. Smith 3:59
09 No Airplay 5:43
10 Loungin feat. Terri & Monica 4:12
11 Hollis to Hollywood 3:58
12 God Bless 3:47
13 Get Da Drop On 'Em 3:57
14 Prelude (Skit) 0:30
15 I Shot Ya (Remix) with Foxy Brown 5:03

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Album #7 for the Ladies Love Cool J and it's unfortunately a start of irrelevance... Not sales wise as he still constantly sold well, but his music was becoming very pop friendly and simply not as interesting as it was back in the 80s and early 90s. The production is very danceable and quite the opposite of "hard", it's very safe and he tries very hard to adapt to follow along with hip hop's new direction. Actually it's not that different from Mr. Smith, it just goes even further into commercial rap territories... I'm still on of the few that thinks that LL is one of the greatest rappers when he was in his prime (maybe not top 10, but top 25), but his performance here is just lazy and barely features any of his past hunger. The token street cut here is "4,3,2,1" and it's quite funny because it features Canibus dissing LL in his own track, and then LL fires back 2 verses later... Why did they leave that in that album? Anyhow it's the best song on the album. A decent album but LL really lost his direction on some tracks. The production was solid and the features didn't drag the album down, it's a decent album to peep, but a far cry from his best works. Still, Phenomenon sounds good when it's playing, and even if it doesn't leave a lasting impression, it's a solid, professional effort that illustrates why LL is still in the game, 12 years after his first record.

LL Cool J - Phenomenon  (flac   301mb)

01 Phenomenon 4:04
02 Candy feat. Ralph Tresvant & Ricky Bell 4:32
03 Starsky and Hutch  feat. Busta Rhymes 4:03
04 Another Dollar 3:48
05 Nobody Can Freak You feat. Keith Sweat & LeShaun 3:20
06 Hot, Hot, Hot 4:22
07 4,3,2,1  feat. Redman, Method Man, Canibus, DMX 4:16
08 Wanna Get Paid feat. Lost Boyz 4:11
09 Father 4:44
10 Don't Be Late, Don't Come Too Soon feat. Tamia 6:38

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With his first release in the mid-'80s, LL Cool J hit the rap scene with a unique sense for freestyle lyrics. He kept it up over the years with hits like "I'm That Type of Guy," "Going Back to Cali," and "Mama Said Knock You Out." As artists age, there seems to be a natural progression in the production and lyrics that take place. With acts like Tribe Called Quest we watched as Q-Tip went from rapping about young ladies with long legs and long hair to wanting a woman with a more spiritual flair -- to quote the man loosely. Despite marriage and children, this hasn't happened with L.L., in fact it's the same lyrics, just with a different album cover. In addition, the raps of urban ills from a man who boasts publicly about his diamonds, riches, and furs (he often sports his fur coats in public during New York summer heat waves) are hard to believe. Once again, with the September 12, 2000 release of G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), L.L. Cool J disappoints. The first single off the album, "Imagine That," puts L.L. in a school setting where he's the teacher and he needs to teach his "naughty" student a couple bad things. The theme of L.L. as the older seducer who is better than the current man of a girlish temptress has been common through L.L.'s albums ("Doin It Well," "Around the Way Girl"). It's like listening to the confessions of a horny 14-year-old teenage boy in the girl's locker room. Even with the help of popular rap acts like DMX and Redman, L.L. Cool J has made the same album he did once before, with no new twists.

LL Cool J - G.O.A.T. (flac   514mb)

1 Intro 1:52
2 Imagine That 4:56
3 Back Where I Belong feat. Ja Rule 4:06
4 LL Cool J feat. Kandice Love 4:23
5 Take It Off 3:29
6 Skit 0:45
7 Fuhgidabowdit feat. DMX, Method Man, Redman 4:32
8 Farmers feat. Tikki Diamondz 3:39
9 This Is Us feat. Carl Thomas 5:52
10 Can't Think 4:49
11 Hello feat. Amil 3:52
12 You and Me feat. Kelly Price 5:30
13 Homicide 4:58
14 U Can't Fuck With Me feat. Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Jayo Felony 4:24
15 Queens Is feat. Prodigy 4:25
16 The G.O.A.T. 4:08
17 Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap - Ill Bomb 4:01

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