Amp Live: Reconnecting hip-hop with its electrofunk / Afrofuturist roots.
Amp Live: Reconnecting hip-hop with its electrofunk/Afrofuturist roots.
Remember the early days of hip-hop, when b-boys and girls rocked the planet over electro grooves and space was the place to be? Amp Live does. The Bay Area-based producer, best known for his work with Zion-I, boldly ventures back to the genre’s Afrofuturist roots on his new solo album, Murder at the Discotech.
Like Marty McFly with an MPC and a DeLorean on 22s, Amp Live brings the perfect beat back in the name of science, elevating hip-hop out of its creative doldrums and restoring innovation to the genre. Murder at the Discotech revisits the interstellar aural landscapes of seminal inspirations like Kraftwerk, Jonzun Crew, Soulsonic Force, Gary Numan, Mantronix and ManParrish, yet updates the electrofunk template with contributions from some of the West Coast hip-hop underground’s freshest talent.
The album’s opening track, “Blast Off,” primes virgin ears for the journey ahead, as oscillating tones and uptempo beats alternate with sampled sound bytes and vocalist Kay Flay’s calls to action. Vocoderized vocals, sci-fi themes and Yay Area post-hyphy flavor crystals (courtesy of Trackademicks) inform the first single and video “Gary is a Robot.” The posse cut “Hot Right Now” (featuring Dude Royal, The Grouch, Fashawn, Eligh, Bambu, Zumbi, and Chris Young) bounces along on a bed of 808 drums and rolling synth waves, as each emcee spits blazing “hot 16s” guaranteed to lift the thermostat to Martian levels. Mickey Factz graces “Turn It Up,” which recalls the glory days of Run-DMC, T La Rock, Shep Pettibone and the Latin Rascals. “Dropp” (featuring Hot Tub) brings the Bay to B’More, with a bass-heavy, subwoofer-popping track which posits Amp’s low-end theory on frequency modulation. On “Money Back Guaranteed” (featuring My First Earthquake’s Rebecca), skankin’ guitars and dubby horns venture into ska/new wave territory. Other guests include legendary LA rapper Myka Nyne (“Get Served”), Yak Ballz (“Ugly”), and Golda Supa Nova (“Bravest Heart”). Amp also proves he can get by without a little help from his friends, on club-worthy instrumental tracks like “Chick Pop” and “Mad Man.”
“The album represents my take on electronic music at the moment,” says Amp Live. “Electronic bass and melody with knock is what I wanted to express. Nothing too complicated, just bangin’ tracks.”
Besides producing all five of Zion-I’s critically-acclaimed studio albums (and the Grouch collabo Heroes in the City of Dope), Amp Live’s official remix credits include Linkin Park, Radiohead, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Jamie Lidell, MGMT, Jealous Girls, Tokyo Police Club, and Why? Murder at the Discotech is the sequel to Amp’s 2005 solo debut Electrowonderland: the Drum and Bass Sessions, which explored the electro style that’s been a part of Zion-I’s repertoire ever since their first single, 1999’s “Inner Light.”
Three years in the making, Amp says Murder at the Discotech is aimed at both Zion-I fans “and new ones, if they want to come along.” The album wears its ‘80s influences on its cybernetic sleeve, yet it’s more than just retro-futuristic nostalgia. This is the next generation of electrofunk; Amp Live is the man-machine with a (mostly) human soul, rocking the dancefloor at warp speed and setting his photon torpedoes to funkitize entire galaxies.
AWARDS
Platinum Plaque – “A Place for My Head(RMX)” Linkin Park , Reanimation album- Warner Brothers Records 2001
Gold Plaque – “Closer” Goapele, Even Closer Album Skyblaze/Sony Records 2003
Best Producer In The Bay Award- The Guardian Newspaper- San Francisco/Oakland, CA 2002
Best Hip Hop Group in the Bay- San Francisco Weekly- San Francisco, CA 2005
Best in the Bay- East Bay Express- Oakland, CA 2003
PRODUCTION
Radiohead – Raidohead Rainydayz Remix Album
– official “In Rainbows” album remixes released by Radiohead
Linkin Park- “Place 4 My Head” Reanimation album – Warner Brothers Records
Akon & Flipsyde – “Nobody Told Me” Interscope Records
Nicole Schercenger -“Never Letting Go” Interscope Records
Jamie Lidell – “All I Wanna Do” official remix
-“Out of My System” official remix
Goapele- “Closer”, “Got It”. “The Daze” – Even Closer album (Sony)
-“Love Me Right” – Change It All album (Sony)
MGMT – “Communication Edit” feat. Mistah Fab
Tokyo Police Club – “Baskervilles” Official Remix
Mystic – “Girlfriend Sistagirl” Cuts for Luck Scars for Freedom (Goodvibe/Interscope)
Zion I – Amp Live is the producer and 1/2 member of the group
– has worked w artist Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock, Too Short, Gift of Gab, Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief,
Aceyalone, Esthero, and many more.
Zion I & the Grouch – Hereos in the City of Dope -Om Records
MOVIES, TV SHOWS, & VIDEO GAMES
Honey featuring Missy Elliot and Jessica Alvez 2004
Big Fat Liar featuring Jim Carrey 2002
Harold and Melvin Go to White Castle 2004
VH1 Americas Wealthiest Stars
MTV Cribs
ESPN Sports Center
Americas Top Model w Tyra Banks
The Jamie Kennedy Show
Dirt w Courtney Cox
Traxxpad Video Game for the Sony PSP
NBA 2K7 – 2K8 Basketball Video Game
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