What I'm Watching ... AUTOMatic "Higher"

This year AUTOMatic (emcee A.P.R.I.M.E. and producer Trellmatic) released one of my favorite albums, Transistor. The dudes are dope. Check out their video for "Higher", shot/edited by Ku Mays.

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AUTOMatic "Transistor" Now Available

I've featured one of theirs track as The Track of the Week, we published their press release with a track and even an interview with another track. They've also been featured on both Hip-Hop Breakfast and The Mad Bloggers Show. How much do you need to figure out the full project is dope? But, here's ANOTHER track to help further prove that point. AUTOMatic's Transistor is now available on CDBaby. Support real music and get that!



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Interview: AUTOMatic is Everlasting

The Milwaukee emcee / producer duo A.P.R.I.M.E. and Trellmatic, known as AUTOMatic, deliver on their latest project, Transistor.

The album is sort of a homage to the days of good music, laced with soulful beats, dope rhymes and classic interludes.

When I heard their first leak, "Brown Leather," a few months back I knew they were cooking up an amazing project. When I finally received the full album, I worked my way through their 19 tracks and at the end I wanted to listen again. That's rare with much of today's music, where many projects are often over sized. Every track and every interlude make sense on the album. Ultimately, Transistor keeps you interested.

Their sound takes you back to a time when everything about Hip-Hop was dope. When it was less gimmick and more music. When the radio had variety and music channels played ... well, music.

What Prime and Trell do on Transistor is prove contrary to popular belief, quality Hip-Hop is alive and well.

I reached out to the duo for a Q&A just ahead of their August 28th release of Transistor. Check it.

The Mad Bloggers: There are a lot of producer / emcee duos. What makes your partnership successful?

Trellmatic: Its kinda hard to explain but I think we just have that natural chemistry that flows well.

TMB: Trellmatic, how is it working with A.P.R.I.M.E.? What's something you've learned from your partnership?

T: Well, it’s rather easy working with Prime. I can make a gang of beats and know exactly which ones he’d like before he even hears them. 9 times out of 10 I’m correct.

TMB: A.P.R.I.M.E., how is it working with Trellmatic? What's something you've learned from your partnership?

A.P.R.I.M.E.: We vibe so well that Trell knows the direction I’m going without me having to tell him.

TMB: Transistor is the second project. How is it different from the first project? What have you both learned from the previous project that you applied to Transistor?

T: The one thing I definitely notice was growth and maturity, both production wise and lyrically. What I applied production wise was more so broadening the soundcape without taking away from any of the original elements that’s found in our music.

A: We learned how to trust each other. The first album was more so an experiment that turned out well. The one thing that I learned and applied to this album is that you can do the impossible twice.

On the first album, we kinda played it safe. Choosing joints that we thought people would dig, considering that we had so many detractors from the moment we announced that we were forming a group. So, it was a lot of beats with soul samples and that went over well. This time around, I feel, we were more in-sync. We both were heavily into jazz, suffered from the HB's and were determined to make a project completely different from the last. Trell helped me with song topics and I assisted him with sample selection. I think that we were successful with that mission. The one thing that I learned and applied to this album is that same ol' dope beats/dope rhymes philosophy can do wonders.

TMB: Tracks like "Everlasting" and "Once Again", among others, more or less reminisce on what Hip-Hop use to be. How do we get back to producing quality projects and get away from the gimmicks that seem to have over-saturated Hip-Hop music today?

A: Turn off the radio and break out the cassettes and just take in that vibe.

T: I would say turn off the radio and the flat screen, and break out the vinyl and open your ears and mind.

TMB: What's the dopest track lyrically on the project?

T: “Gauntlet”

A: I'm a self-depreciating emcee, so asking me about my dopest song could get a bit messy. However,“Teenage Love” is my favorite. I think because of my detailed account of that relationship, it makes it relatable to an array of people.

TMB: What's the dopest track production wise on the project?

T: “Do you want it” is the dopest. I love the way that I freaked the baseline over that sample. And those drums...bananas.

A: “Nobody" is my favorite. Trell played that beat for me a week before I went to NY and I kept hearing it in my head while I was there. When I got back, I asked him for the beat and he hated that track. Fortunately, he trusted that I would make it hot and now he loves it.

TMB: It seems like the House of M crew have an uncanny ability to put together some amazing interludes and skits. Where do the ideas come from?

A: I went to a comedy college that I found on the back of a bottle of Swag-glo.

As the resident comedian of House of Mutants, my inspiration comes from everywhere. For example, "White Girl Chicken" was inspired by my friend making an ignorant comment about my other friend's white wife, making fried chicken better than black people. Other than that, most ideas come from me clowning between takes in the booth.

TMB: What's the one thing you'd like people to take away from Transistor after listening?

T: That the music we make is honest and comes from the heart.

A: Hopefully you’ll walk away with the feeling that “Damn, Automatic makes some fiiine mediocre music”.




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Once Again, It's On: AUTOMatic "TRANSISTOR" August 28th

Editor's Note: We've had the opportunity to check out the AUTOMatic (A.P.R.I.M.E. and Trellmatic) "Transistor" project ahead of it's August 28th release date. It's dope. We featured "The Teenage Love" last week as our track of the week. We have a Q&A with the duo coming up but before then, we thought we let the homie JC Poppe tell you about the project. You can catch more of JC's good work on Milwaukee artists over at milwaukeeup.wordpress.com.

“Once again, it’s on.” This is the exact sentiment that the House of M veterans A.P.R.I.M.E. and Trellmatic wish to deliver to ears all across the world, hoping to build upon the success of their first solo album Audiology and the magnum opus that is the House of M’s group album, The Alternate Reality Of…

What exactly is on again? Simply stated, dope Hip-Hop is on again. As emcee A.P.R.I.M.E. flawlessly navigates the sonic waters created by producer Trellmatic, an undeniably fantastic voyage is embarked on. It’s not trap, it’s not trill, it is raw and rich music influenced by the golden era of Hip-Hop.

Once again, A.P.R.I.M.E. crafts lyrics that build around the ever present theme of doing what is right and good, creating music out of love, and not seeking the quick money or fame as a person who has compromised their integrity. Trellmatic’s beats are incredibly pleasing to the ear as he crafts them around cleverly chopped samples, leading to the organic feel Hip-Hop heads often crave so desperately after being let down again and again by so many different artists who pander to what is popular.

With vocal features from his fellow Mutants, Raze and Gambit, as well as Frankie Flowers, SigNif, and Milwaukee Hip-Hop mainstays Element and The Rusty P’s, there is quite the cast of talented artists filling in the supporting roles on the album. Engineered by Raze and Rhymefest associate Jonathan Frost, the album sounds crisp and clean, and perfect for any situation when quality Hip-Hop is needed.

The lead single “Once Again” is an amazing Jazz infused song that showcases the honest and witty lyrics A.P.R.I.M.E. has become known for.



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TMB's Track of the Week 8/13/10: "The Teenage Love" AUTOMatic

There's obviously something in the water out in Milwaukee, because the Hip-Hop projects coming from that scene is dope. Anyway, "The Teenage" love comes from AUTOMatic (A.P.R.I.M.E. and Trellmatic) second project, "Transistor." I had the opportunity of getting an advance of the project ahead of it's August 28th release and the entire thing is dope. They'll be a follow up feature on the Milwaukee emcee/producer duo but for now, enjoy "The Teenage Love", the track of the week. Oh and I kept the interlude on at the end as an extra bonus. Enjoy.





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Check It ... House of M “The Alternate Reality of …”

Around the time that this blog was reborn earlier this year, we seemed to find Milwaukee's (and Wisconsin in general) hip-hop scene. I can’t recall how we stumbled upon it but we haven’t looked back since. I’ve never been to Wisconsin nor did I know people there before but I’m happy to have found some of the hip-hop cooking up in the area.

As one of my favorite female Milwaukee emcee, Melissa Czarnik, said to me recently, “we are most definitely brewing something other than beer here in Milwaukee right now.”

It’s such a true statement. They are brewing up some great hip-hop. The House of M is one of those examples.

The homie Dana Coppa hit me up a few weeks back with the early release of this House of M project. It sat on the desktop for a few days but once I got the chance to listen to it, the joint impressed me immediately. House of M The Alternate Reality of … is true hip-hop! The crew straight out of Wisconsin is made up of producers D’Matikk, Trellmatic, Dylan Thomas and Lou-Tang; emcees Gambit, Ecko, A.P.R.I.M.E. and Dana Coppa; emcee and producer Raze and DJ DeadBeat. Together the crew creates a powerful sound, rich with classic hip-hop influences and a style of their own.

Their tracks are dope! Production is tight! The flow is great! The interludes are amazing! Every track is great as a solid standalone but come together nicely to tell a story of the “Mutants” that form the House of M.

What really impressed me, outside of their flow and story telling technique in tracks like Superhero Shorties, The Initiative, Superman Ain’t My Name and In Your Mind – were their interludes. Their interludes, which are thought out and well executed, poke fun at the word swag (so many variations) and some of the mainstream radio trash (including shots at auto-tune). Very few albums include interludes anymore and to me, they’re important and help make a project well rounded and complete.

The House of M delivers a complete package of well-delivered hip-hop. I strongly suggest you check out House of M The Alternate Reality of …

AVAILABLE ON iTUNES

For more information on House of M:

www.myspace.com/houseofmutants

www.unifirecords.com

Superman Ain't My Name


In Your Mind

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