"Loops 4 Coupes" - John Carter of Earth

John Carter of Earth -- usually stylized JCOE -- is one third of Windsor hip hop crew Maiden Voyage. Loops 4 Coupes is his most recent instrumental project, and having just tested it out taking a spin through the mountains of Lamoille County, I can confirm it works. This is a smooth, head-nodding piece of work and a great cruising soundtrack.

JCOE has heat rocks on the stove right now, so there's more to come. You can catch him with Maiden Voyage tomorrow at 3 pm rocking the Jambulance Stage at the BTV waterfront for Above The Radar. Which is going to be f'ing awesome.

Es-K - 05.15.17

Brand new beat tape from Burlington's Finest, Es-K. The man simply never stops moving. This is a continuous 22 minute set of head-nodding perfection.

Es-K is currently working on a million projects at once - expect more releases in 2017, including a few big surprises. (Large.)

Meanwhile, tune in on soundcloud.

Loupo - "Good Company"

The tag team of Es-K and Loupo have been racking up some serious accomplishments in the past year. Where Es-K's Building Bridges project plugged him into NYC's rap scene, Loupo's latest album covers very different terrain: wobbly, psychedelic jazz-hop experiments with a talented group of co-producers and live musicians.

This is much more than a beat tape. This is a serious album that will occupy your headphones for weeks.

Good Company was released on Melody Soul, a Baton Rouge based label with a great roster and a global rep. Loupo is already cranking on the next step, a collaboration he's calling "Noise Ordinance" -- more on that soon.

Loupo - "Letters" ft Stephanie & Max Bronstein

Loupo has already given us two tasty albums of jazz-heavy instrumental hip hop - 2014's Transitions and his 2015 followup Enigma. Late last year, though, he released Moods, an experimental & expansive EP that was heavy on heady remixes. Clearly, he's been doing some growth as an artist, and it sounds like his next album will be a big statement.

On February 25th, he will be releasing Good Company through soundcloud collective MelodySoul. He's kicking off the countdown with "Letters," a single featuring Stephanie on the vocals & Max Bronstein on some slick & meticulous guitar. It's pretty clear Loupo isn't content with just banging out beats, he's aiming to become a full-on, real-deal, Quincy Jones ass producer of dope music. "Letters" is a carefully calibrated, lush track. This album should be pure flames if this here is any indication.

"Sanctuary" - Es-K & Loupo

A fresh dose of instrumental expertise from two of Vermont's very finest beatsmiths, Es-K and Loupo. This latest project is a collaboration with Ann Arbor, MI label/collective Blvnt Records. 10 tracks of lush headphone food available as a "pay what you want" download.

We can expect major -- huge -- individual projects from these two in 2016. In the meantime, you can tune in on Soundcloud: Es-K x Loupo or catch up on their recent album work. Es-K delivered a strong, soulful release for LA label Cold Busted last summer called "Mantras in Motion." Loupo's latest, "Enigma," is ambitious and cohesive, establishing him as a solo artist in his own right.

"At All" - Face-One (is back)

This isn't part of the "Get Familiar" series since by now, we should be familiar with Face-One, one of Burlington's best and most distinctive exports. Since the Earegulars project, he's been in shamanic hermit mode, occasionally showing up to heckle me at shows but otherwise scarcely seen. That is about to change drastically. You have been warned.



VTHH: Is "At All" part of a larger project on the way or are you still on hiatus?

Face-One: Off hiatus.

At All, Searching, and Not in Season all have a particular place. At All is from a highly experimental and really dark album entitled “A Way to Nothing” I am working on with the likes of TAP; a dub step, electronic, former metal drummer, and metal band frontman from Texas. It's got enough darkly vibes and tonality to make Aleister Crowley roll in his grave. It could also double as the theme music for Sex Magick rituals.

Searching is from Apart From the Others, a project that I have had a hiatus on amid the chaos that is my life. That album just needs to be finished being recorded but due to the electric seas of complexity I tend to cyclically surf it's been on halt. That project is with the redheaded, alien, super producer known as skysplitterink aka Zack Crawford aka face let me get a smoke cause I smoke but never buy a pack. That project is utterly ridiculous and features the likes of brutally honest, prolyphic from strange famous, Zack DuPont (one of Vermonter most brilliant guitar players), nuda veritas (formerly vt but now in boston) , Corbett (black light music) who has credits for Saigon just blaze styles p and the list goes on and on, an lastly Zack Crawford and myself. Rapping... actually rapping... Sounds crazy right?

Not in season was a response to a particular transition point I recently dealt with. The heavy seas of life inspired that one. It features humble and yeah that is what it was and what it shall be. Without this medium that being music and words I don't know how the hell I’d make it through most days.

VTHH: What got you into rap to begin with? How does one arrive at such a distinctive style of production, composition and delivery?

Face-One: Man, what gets anyone into anything outside of fascination, and curiosity? I’ve always been drawn to music & poetry so it just kind of worked out. The style of production definitely shaped itself when I was posted in a bed with my mouth wired shut. Finding different ways to talk I guess. The words ever evolving and growing just like me.

VTHH: What are your favorite venues in BTV these days?

Face-One: Venues… I don't go to many shows really. That scene gets old real quick for me, its a lot of conversations I don't go out to have, and lots of random shit. If I'm going out I’d much rather go to a bar like the needs, the OP, or someplace just as loud or quiet, where I can be but don't really have to be there you know. Detachment is key some days. So is socializing. I find a balance.

VTHH: What albums do you currently keep in rotation? (Do people still listen to albums?)

Face-One: Thom Yorke-Tomorrows Modern Boxes
Damon Albarn-Everyday Robots
Andrew Bird-The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Flying Lotus-Until the Quiet Comes, and that new one You’re Dead
Caetano Veloso-Transa
Thundercat
Run The Jewels 1 & 2
Stan Getz
Astrud Gilberto
Salt-N-Peppa
Breakup Music (not to plug you but theres some gems on there)
Earegulars - The Seed
& lastly some Action Bronson