This is the spot where you’ll see upcoming producers and Industry veterans in the game. A lot of people don’t know what goes into production. This will be the section where we feature the hottest producers in hip hop. Each month we’ll bring to you a new producer along with their background.
THIS MONTH’S FEATURE IS: DC the MIDI Alien
DC the MIDI Alien is a producer who prides himself on perfecting the craft of making beats and upholding the crate digging culture. A 10-year veteran of DJing and turntablism, DC strives to push the Hip-Hop culture forward and considers himself a student of all genres of music.
DC began DJ’ing in 1996, when a sports-related injury forced him off his high-school basketball team. The injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as DC quickly made a name for himself. After constructing a home studio, DC began making beats on his own and during one of his beat-making sessions on his Roland MS-1 sampler/ sequencer; he realized how much rap was tied to virtually every single genre of music in the world. It was all there; Rock, Jazz, Classical, Funk, Soul, Latin, literally everything tied into one another. The foundation of rap, the boom-bap drum in a 4/4 measure, allowed those who enjoyed it to essentially enjoy other genres at the same time.
DC met MC Nabo Rawk of Porn Theatre Ushers in 2001, and the two began to working in the studio together. Shortly thereafter, DC was introduced to Termanology (DC also grew up DJ’ing with Statik Selektah), who at the time was 17-years old and had recorded a grand total seven-tracks total and had been in a professional recording studio a handful of times. Term and DC became good friends and began to put in work, and out of these early efforts came the track entitled “Bangin’” on the now defunct Centerfield Records. The next few years DC spent doing mix tape tracks, refining his sound as a producer and building a world class collection of vinyl LP’s.
Termanology and DC continued working together and dropped the aptly titled “Out the Gate” in 2006 on Amalgam Records. The album received good reviews and gained the attention and praise of NYC rap legend and Gang Starr Founder DJ Premier. From that point, DC began to work with other acts such as 7L & Esoteric, Army of the Pharaohs and DC has since worked with artists such as AZ, Immortal Technique, Freddie Foxxx, Wordsworth, Krumbsnatcha, Vinnie Paz, Slaine, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Sabac Red, C-Rayz Walz, Evidence of Dilated Peoples and Alchemist and has done remix work for Nas and Royce the 5’9.”
The group East Coast Avengers was created in 2008 by MCs Esoteric, trademarc and DJ/producer DC The MIDI Alien. Having dealt with almost 8 politically corrupt years of the Bush regime, the three banded together and the result was the controversial yet socially aware ‘Prison Planet’ album full of gritty production and razor sharp lyricism. The lead single and video, “Kill Bill O’Reilly” sparked a national outrage, getting the group’s visuals banned from Myspace and Youtube and even gaining them notoriety on Keith Olberman’s “Countdown” on MSNBC. The album was met with stellar reviews, landing on many “Top Albums of the Year 2009” lists; including a feature in NME magazine, a blog response from the right’s prissy lap dog Michelle Malkin, live debates on conservative radio talk shows and numerous actual death threats for the artists themselves.
Fast forward a couple years and we have a new president in office, but various ‘natural disasters’, chaos at the border and poverty and unemployment at alarming levels nationwide. Naturally the Avengers are being called back into action. This time around they are armed with Hip-Hop royalty from across the country. Joining the efforts of Esoteric and trademarc over DC’s matured, apocalyptic sonic onslaughts are Slaine (La Coka Nostra), Vinnie Paz (Jedi Mind Tricks), Sabac Red (Non-Phixion), Outerspace, Termanology, Reks, Singapore Kane, Big Shug, Reef The Lost Cauze, Blaq Poet, Boycott Blues, Main Flow, King Magnetic, Blacastan, Akir, Revolution Of The Mind and many many more… Each bringing a particular injustice or rally calls to the fore front of their social conscience, politically contesting diatribes.
Theme music for the revolution comrades… Open your ears and raise your fists!!
DISCOGRAPHY (all songs published by Darkest Blue Music BMI)
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“Bangin'” (dirty), (clean), (instrumental) “What We See” featuring Krumbsnatcha “Say it Back” “Murder, Death, Kill” featuring Celph Titled “Understanding Is Life” featuring Doug York, Termanology (main), (instrumental) “Hold Somethin'” featuring Checkmark “This Is Hip Hop” (dirty), (clean), (instrumental) “Fire!!!” “Darker than Blue” (dirty), (clean), (instrumental) Termanology and DC “Out the Gate” LP Granite State “The Breaking Point” LP “Gorillas” featuring Crypt, Esoteric, Vinnie Paz, Apathy, Planetary “Gorillas” “So Far Away”featuring The Mighty Sam Maclain (dirty), (clean), (instrumental) “Good Conscience” Monkey Biz “Animal Odyssey” LP LB “Good Morning America” LP DC and DJ Illogix Present: “The TrapJaw Affiliates Vol.1” LP
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MONKEY BIZ “Fire Power Vol.1, Fix Bayonets” Mixtape
ST. THE SQUAD “St. The Squad” mixtape
A MASSTAPEACE “Time to Make Moves” LP EAST COAST AVENGERS “Prison Planet” LP
MC ESOTERIC “Saving Seamus Ryan” LP
KING MAGNETIC “Everything’s a Gamble Vol.2” mixtape 7L AND ESOTERIC “1212” LP APESHIT “FirePower 4: The Secret of Steel” mixtape |
