Ill Nature - Life Line In The Hands Of Time

This album from 1998 has been brought to my attention by Kaliyuga Pro. 

He bought it a few years ago on ATAK not knowing much about that crew, except that they were from California. The list of the members doesn't give much clues either: Ill Nature is Serge The Wrecknition, M.E.R.C.U.R.Y. (no relation to Sunset Leagues I think), Maximum Styles and depending on the cd booklet: L-Element and Concept, and on discogs: Sovereign and Elly Estro. 

There's also a bunch of featurings by various mc's I never heard of that seemed to be grouped under the name The I.S. Chapter. The production is handled by Serge The Wrecknition, The Butter Thief and Concept.

The music is pretty good, it's actually a surprise it didn't get any more attention, probably lost in the ocean of releases at that time. A vinyl version of this exist, you can found it easily on discogs although they tend to be a little pricey.

It's about time people check this album!

Here

Streams
Light Years
Unconditional
Meaningless Mission?
Ill-Literation
Out Of This World
Lost Civilization
Tami No Tochu
Run Thru Your Crew
Magic Tricks
Temperatures
Fathoms
July 8th
Outro (Jazz Duet)
Life Is...

Formless Figures - S/T

Somebody asked many times about the Formless Figures album in the requests, so here's a rip of my vinyl.
I must admit I didn't know much about them until recently and well, that was a pleasant surprise.

Formless Figures are a group from Detroit, MI consisting on MC Dial 81 (also known as FR.eeze in Level Jumpers, now an electronica artist), DJ Mr Pickles (released a couple of solo stuff as well), plus musicians/producers Picturetone, Secondhand and Scrapbook Memoir.

Although Dial's emceeing is very much on point, the productions are what sold me over that album that went completely under the radar at a time (somewhere between 2002 and 2004, depending on the source) were it would have been a proud addition to any solid indie rap labels such as Anticon, Galapagos4, Rhymesayers, you name it.
It's pretty rare to have a cohesive feel on a whole lp without sounding repetitive or boring, but that's what this album does. The first two tracks are particularly good: Sound Asleep opens with a dreamy, eerie soundscape before a fat kick starts; whereas Life In A Napkin is all about that beautiful theme change in the middle of the track: there's work and finesse in the productions.

That was their first and only album as Formless Figures. A 13-track cd apparently exist and they released a super limited (150 copies) vinyl version that contains only the first 10 tracks (this rip). If somebody got the cd version and is willing to share, I'd appreciate.


Here

Sound Asleep
Life In A Napkin
Peaceful ft. Sol46
Lust vs. Love ft. Level Jumpers
Flowers From Seeds
Remain
Critics
Purple Interior
Hello...
And...

Plankton - Young Manic Depressive

This is the second Plankton mixtape Renti sent me.
Another dope selection of westcoast underground filled with a couple of indie rock inserts.


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A
VIOLENT RAMP - Intro
ANACRON - Good Friday
JULIE RUIN - I Wanna Know What Love Is
SUBTITLE - Young Dangerous Heart
AWOL ONE - Flying Spiders
TONY DA SKITZO - THC
FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP - 7th Seal
VOLUME 10 - A Real Freestyle
2MEX - L.A. (Like...)
FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP - Heavyweights
ELLAY KHULE - Master Flows
THE BADSTADS - Treacharous 3 Remix
BUSDRIVER & 2MEX - Walking Dead
CVE - What A Pity

B
ANACRON - Be Where? (Beware!)
JULIE RUIN - Apt. #5
SUBTITLE - Freestyle
AWOL ONE - Sleepin' All Day
TONY DA SKITZO - Hi-To
FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP - Six Tray
VOLUME 10 - Where's The Sniper
XOLOLANXINXO - William Banner
IMPRINTS - Pepsi On The Record
HIP HOP KCLAN - Sounds Like
EASTY BOYS - Don't Wanna Hear It
BUSDRIVER & XOLOLANXINXO - Borrowed Material
NGA FSH - One Man Riot

Western Union - Off With Their Heads

This cassette is from 1996, from a California crew called Western Union.

From what I get the WU later became Dojo Pros (producer Asterix aka Sueno One plus mcs L.O.R.D. and Wu Shu -same guy as Contakt?). Pretty straight forward hardcore hip hop with nice uptempo prods, definitely something to check.

In a related subject I'm looking for anything WU/Dojo Pros related, their Look Out 12'', L.O.R.D. solo albums and singles, etc. Don't hesitate to hit the comment section with links if you have some. Thanks.

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3/4 To Life

Lyrical Whatever

Blunt Statements

Last Battle

Border Lines

Mind Focus

Union Soldiers

Nightmares

Eternal Journal

Problems

Organize Graffiti

Supreme Beings

Live Or Die

Record History

L.O.R.D.'s Intro

ParanormL - The Paranorml Sickayatrist EP

ParanormL is a MC from Los Angeles. This EP, released in 2000, is his first one.

This is pretty much my favourite thing from him, particularly because of the dope productions by The Nutsons, a beatmaking duo from Norway that handled all the beats and released the EP on their Warm Gravy label. 

ParanormL later developped a more jazz-oriented sound but this is more straight-forward, eerie and aggressive hip hop. You even got Vex from The Boogie Monsters on the first track.

The 4 tracks (plus one little instrumental hidden at the end) are equally good, I'm even surprise this piece of wax isn't more sought after.

I ripped my copy since I couldn't find one. Enjoy!

Here

We Bring 4th The Light ft. Vex Da Vortex

Camouflage = Sabotage

I Am The Paranorml

Aggression

4th Light ft. Vex Da Vortex (Acapella)

We Bring 4th The Light (Instrumental)

Camouflage = Sabotage (Instrumental)

I Am The Paranorml (Instrumental)

Aggression (Instrumental)

Enterlude - Conduct

Looking for that Anacron 12''

This is my "Moby Dick" item, the one you're chasing year after year, trying to collect info while barely making any progress and dreaming you'll stumble upon it by complete luck.

This is Anacron's very first single: Out There b/w Interstellar Phenomenon.

He made a digital re-release on his bandcamp a couple of years ago and it mentioned a vinyl version existed. I'm collecting westcoast undergound vinyls for years and never even heard of that one, no need to say I was hyped! 

But after a few months, still nothing, not even a picture or somebody mentioning it, nothing even proving it was once sold or being part of someone's collection!

I asked Anacron on twitter and he confirmed: 350 copies were pressed in 1995 and everything was hand sold, mostly in Europe and Japan! 350... It's not huge but it's not nothing either. How come nobody seems to own this?

So here's my call: if you have any info, picture, whatever, you own one, you know someone who owns one or did, you ever saw a copy in a shop, or even better, you're willing to sell one to me for whatever price... please hit that comment section.

Little Larry & Bas One (Psychoplasmz) - Cytoplasmic

I got to know Psychoplasmz while looking for Insiduous Urban Records releases.
That bay area label released all the Mission:/CCR records and related (Headnodic), Foreign Legion, solo Bas-1 stuff, the classic DJ Serg westcoast mixtape, and a couple of more obscure stuff, including a Psychoplasmz 7'', a group consisting of Bas-1 (Oakland) and Little Larry (Berkeley).

This is a compilation from 2011 put together by Little Larry and consisting of all the materials by the group. You even got the 2 tracks from the 7''.

Here


Am I Deranged?
Pass Me The Blunt
Land Of The Nymphos
I'm Back Snitch
Legendary Lyricist
The Recipe
Let's Not Lose It
Psycho By The Candle Lite
Sneek A Peek
Watergun Fun
World Dance
Little Larry (Instramental)
Bas One (Instramental)