Home
sign up| features / music feature |
 content by: editor |
 stones throw label profile
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Indie hip-hop label, Stones Throw, reaches 100. Over the past few years it seems that the Stones Throw star has always been in ascendance. A predominantly hip-hop label, it has both broadened and refined a scrappy, raw and heavy sound, far away from the digital funk of producers like Timbaland, Dre and The Neptunes.Head honcho, Peanut Butter Wolf, began his musical career in 1990 setting up an imprint called PMR with friends and money borrowed from his father, making 500-copy presses of records. Unfortunately, this initial flurry was cut short following the tragic death of his MC collaborator, Charizma, in 1993. Back on his feet, PBW launched the Stones Throw label in 1996, fittingly with the Charizma and PBW track, My World Premiere.  Jaylib and Madlib With an admirable line in quality and innovation Stones Throw proceeded to grow into offices in a “sleeper district” of Los Angeles, gaining admiration and respect from a steadily expanding worldwide fan base. When Madlib, one of the label’s biggest assets, stepped out from behind production duties with Lootpack to create his helium-voiced Quasimoto LP, The Unseen, in 2000, it won universal acclaim from US hip-hop magazines, the style press and the beat-digging elite. Following a period where more mainstream creators were implementing a stark and minimal style, Madlib created a loose and sloppy crackle of samples in a similar dusty vein to Pete Rock and RZA. Prolific under dozens of different aliases, he is also partially responsible for the incredible Madvillain (with MF Doom) and Jaylib (JayDee) LPs.  Madvillain and Garry Wilson By running a neat sideline in recognizing past, overlooked artists, Stones Throw also widened its repertoire with Stark Reality’s Now, a weird fuzzed-up 70s trip covering deranged variations of music for school children - a rarity previously only available for a small fortune on eBay. Likewise, an indescribable brand new Gary Wilson album… Yet, where some hip-hop labels wallow in reissues or identical beats, Stones Throw push on with acts like Koushik, an amazing purveyor of rich freak-out psychedelics, orchestral funk and astral jazz. Celebrating turning 100, the forthcoming Stones Throw 101 release is a wonderfully incorporated CD/DVD package containing a PBW overview mix of the label’s back catalogue, their esoteric stash of barmy videos, live drum wig outs and old TV interview offcuts.
James Rutledge
Stones Throw 101 DVD/CD, released 15 November 04 on Stones Throw.
A non-stop 30 minute mix covering the first 100 releases from 1996 to 2004. Charizma - My World Premiere (practice) MED - In Rhymes We Trust (instrumental) Quasimoto - Dinosaur Brain Beat Dudley Perkins - Falling Koushik - Be With Madvillain - Accordion Yesterdays New Quintet - Little Girl MED - Right Now Real Madlib - 6 Variations of In The Rain Quasimoto - Chippin' Oh No feat. Dudley Perkins - Green Tree Stark Reality - Dreams/Comrades (mix) Jaylib - Champion Sound Percee P - Untitled Jaylib feat. Talib Kweli - Raw Shit (Remix) Wildchild - Kiana Oh No - I Can't Help Myself MED - Bang Ya Head (instrumental) Quasimoto - Good Morning Sunshine Jaylib - Blaze Up (previously unreleased)  conversations
Read members' comments.
If you register you can discuss this article with other users. |
 |
related info
 useful links
note: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
see also
 king geedorahtake me to your...  dedbeat 04feature
related member reviews
also on bbc.co.uk
music  music archive Watch music sessions and interviews from 2002 to 2008. books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. |
send to a friend
access 1000s of articles