Myself & my trusted resident DJ, Doc Adam,
have collaborated w/ Los Angeles-based clothing line, Twelve Bar
to bring you a special two-part Fresh Selects Retrospective mix.

This first installment of The Porch Sessions,
is meant to be a time capsule of sorts –
an audible freeze frame of the first 12 months of music posted on Fresh Selects.
I wanted to compile everything from the site’s first year
just to kind of sum it all up,
put a period at the end of the sentence,
& cement the foundation for us to build on for the next steps.
It can also serve as a starter kit
for anyone who found out about the site after the fact,
as well as a thank you to everyone that’s been down since day one.

I went through all of the posts from the site’s first year
& selected some of my personal favorite tracks,
plus all of the ones that garnered the most response.
Almost all of the songs included in the mix were exclusives
released or premiered thru the site
& they all played a part in shaping the sound & style that I had been going for.
To convey the full progression as it unfolded,
I wanted to put them all in one mix
(which actually ended up being two separate, hour-long mixes
because there was just too much music)
& let them play in chronological order.

Since mixing songs in order of release,
& not by BPM/tempo/mood, etc.
basically goes against all the most basic rules of making a mixtape -
I knew I had to get the very best to make it happen right.
Enter Doc Adam (no pause).
Plus his apartment has The Porch, so it was a no-brainer.

Included are some kind words from the even kinder people @ Twelve Bar,
who presented the mix & co-premiered it on their site today as well,
+ the tracklisting w/ links to all the original posts
so you can get the full versions & back stories on all of the songs.
I’m still in the process of updating some of the older posts
from the first version of the site,
so if you find any dead links just leave a comment & I’ll fix it.

Free download of the one-track, hour-long mix can be found below,
& be on the look out for Part 2 of The Porch Sessions RTRSPCTV coming soon.

There is a lot we could say about FRSH SLCTS – the Portland-based digital label and multimedia platform that has been providing you with the best in hip-hop, soul and cutting-edge music since 2008. All of it would be good. But the main thrust is right there in their name, albeit without the vowels as is their style. Seemingly everything they do is fresh. Freshly presented, freshly considered, freshly packaged, and freshly curated. And that is the second part right there. Because the “selects” element of the name is also key, as they hand-pick artists and songs with the educated touch of a musical magician, never failing to bring out the very best available. And so when the chance came to bring you the exclusive FRSH SLCTS Retrospective mix, an anthology of some of their favorite songs from their early years, we jumped at it.

1. devonwho – Dungeonraps (2088 Archives)
2. DaveNotti – Notti Break #5 (Notti Breaks 2008)
3. PPP feat. J Dilla – Shotgun (Waajeed’s Plinky Remix) (single)
4. TaRaach & Konphlict feat. Big Tone & Kawshus – Socialize (single)
5. TaRaach & Konphlict – 10 Feet High (Giraffe Pussy) (single)
6. Miguel – Overload (Mischief: The Mixtape)
7. Little Dragon – Twice (live) (FRSH KPT SCRT)
8. M64 – Rhythm Of The Drum (single)
9. M64 – Helium (single)
10. Invincible & Finale – Don’t Sleep (single)
11. PPP feat. Coultrain – Angel (Waajeed Remix) (single)
12. Coultrain – The Wanderer (single)
13. SA-RA feat. Bilal – Master Teacher (demo #1) (“Master Teacher” EP)
14. SA-RA feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow – Master Teacher (demo #2) (“Master Teacher” EP)
15. SA-RA – Master Teazer (KenBts.’ Revenge Edit) (“Master Teacher” EP)
16. Hi-Res – Thisworld (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
17. devonwho – Hold Up Zelda (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
18. Finale – Ice (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
19. Knxwledge – Relief. (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
20. Fatima – Wildchild (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
21. Noni Limar – Monogamy (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
22. Super Smoky Soul feat. Guilty Simpson – Knockout Kings (New Worlds PRVW)
23. Karma Stewart – Withdrawal (The Karma EP)
24. PPP feat. Coultrain & Jamila Raegan – Synchronicity (Abundance Mixtape)
25. PPP feat. Coultrain & Jamila Raegan – Can’t You Feel It (Abundance Mixtape)
26. Fatima – Do I Know You? (FRSH KPT SCRT)
27. Ab & Daru feat. T3 – Dirty Soul (A Work In Progress PRVW)
28. Blu – Say Say (FSR #1)
29. SA-RA Creative Partners – High Moon Lust (FSR #1)
30. Cubic Zirconia – I Wanna Freebase You (FSR #1)
31. Johnson&Jonson feat. Miguel – Stadium (FSR #1)
32. Suzi Analogue – SageBurns (World. Excerpts 1-9)

Selected by KNNY FRSH
Edited by Doc Adam
Presented by Twelve Bar
Artwork by Twelve Bar & Dennis de Groot
Hosted by ♎ & ♐ for Team 1984

New track released by Blu tonight, via his Twitter page.
The song, “Everything’sOK” features his current New World Culture tourmate,
Miss Jack Davey – one half of J*DaVeY,
& is produced by Flying Lotus.

This version is set to appear on Blu’s upcoming NoYork! album,
whose line-up already boasts the likes of Samiyam, Madlib, Exile,
Knxwledge, Edan, Shafiq Husayn, Daedelus & more -
not to mention guest appearances from Suzi Analogue, Quelle, Bilal & others.
& I also happen to know that Waajeed did an official remix for “Everything’sOK,”
which brings a completely different vibe to the song,
which should be appearing on our upcoming Waajeed vs. Fresh Selects album
dropping later this year.

Stay tuned for much more about both albums coming soon.

Photo courtesy of Blu’s NoYork! tumblr.

September 30th, 2010

Yet another VTech & Fresh Selects exclusive first listen – once again coming your way live from Portland, Oregon. This time, we present you with “EaseYourMind” – a song from one of the year’s most anticipated releases, Blu’s NoYork! album. The song is a melodic, jazz-tinged tune that was originally produced by Blu’s frequent collaborator, Exile, but is seen here performed live by the full NoYork! band at where else but The Fix – Portland’s premier party for quality music of this sort.

This was just one of the dozen or so brand new songs that Blu & the band played for one of the first times anywhere that night back in September – and they did it at The Fix. It was another special occurrence in Portland that we were glad to bring to the city & can now bring to the rest of the world.

Also included as a free bonus download below the video is the song “SLNGBNGrs!” – a possible contender for the NoYork! album which Blu recorded over this song – a Dibia$e remix of the devonwho song, “Fedoraworm.”

And remember – “We’reNotBjork,ThomYorke,MikeYork,ZooYork…It’sNoYork!”

Curated & Produced by KNNY FRSH for Fresh Selects
Filmed by Paulius Kontijevas & Daniel Evans
Edited by Paulius Kontijevas
Audio Mixed by Doc Adam
Opening Act: G_Force

The Fix DJ’s:
Rev Shines
& DJ Kez
& Dundiggy
& your host Ronin Roc

Always one to throw some extra support the homies’ way, Blu recently caught some inspiration and added his two cents to a song from Exile‘s latest album, Radio. So what was once an instrumental “Love Line,” has now become “LoveLine(s),DedicatedToLastFe’vrier.” And as usual for when Blu & Ex connect, the tone is personal and the timing is impeccable. Also, rumor has it that this isn’t the only Radio track to be given a new voice… but you didn’t hear that from me.

Also included below is the original, instrumental version of the song. I chose to stream the promo version of the track because I personally think that Exile’s watermarks are hilarious and worth noting for others releasing press copies of their projects.

After the jump, there’s also Exile’s self-directed clip for another Radio track, “We’re All In Power,” in case you missed it when Okayplayer first premiered it in January.

Photo: Blu & Exile live in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Joshua Hoffman.

Exile “Love Line” (promo version)

A quick mid-day update for you guys – a new leak from the upcoming L.A.U.S.D. project, entitled “iFeel,” featuring Miss Jack Davey & Blu. L.A.U.S.D. is an LA-based production duo made up of Jack’s twin brother(?), Polyester, and Lazy Lou. Their upcoming compilation, L.A.U.S.D. presents… Curly Tops & Nautica Jackets is a star-studded affair featuring some of L.A.’s finest rising talent.

“iFeel” is the latest track to be leaked from the project (you can find the rest of the leaks on 2DopeBoyz‘s page), and it features the long-awaited (and flirtatious as hell) collaboration between two of L.A.’s brightest stars right now, Blu & Jack Davey. Now I don’t know the full story between how this track came together – but I do know that after Blu spit the lines “Pipe dreams, I reach for daily/Stoned daisy, and daydream about bonin’ J*DaVeY” on the track “Say Say” (which you can only hear here), Ms. Davey re-posted the XXL video of the verse on her blog with the title, “I HEART u 2 blu.” And they definitely play into that sentiment on the track, so that might have something to do with it… or maybe I just spend way too much time on blogs. Probably the latter.

Either way, the track is dope – so get your free download below and look out for more from L.A.U.S.D. coming soon. Credit due to Miss Jack Davey herself for providing the track, as well as Deluge for the heads up.

Closing out an already pretty crazy week, I’ve got first dibs on the newest leak from San Diego rap veteran, Blame One‘s upcoming album, Days Chasing Days. The song is “Wonder Why,” featuring the dynamic duo, Blu & Exile – but in a refreshing reversal of roles, the song actually features Exile rapping (with Blu providing the hook), and Blu GODlee Barnes on the beat. If his work on HerFavoriteColo(u)r didn’t already, “Wonder Why” should assure you that Mr. Barnes is truly no slouch on the production tip.

This is the second song released from the album, as a follow-up to the first single, “Disturbed,” which featured Sean Price and was produced by Exile. While Ex handes the bulk of the production on Days Chasing Days (he’s also billed as presenting the album), Blame also shines over beats by other heavyweights such as Black Milk, Oh No, Kankick and more.

For more from Blame One, you can check him out freestyling over another one of Exile’s beloved live MPC improv sessions. You can watch two videos of those practice sessions going down after the jump after you get your free download below.

Just in case you didn’t already get it from one of the other gazillion blogs that posted it – here it is, the new free download EP (NOT a mixtape) from the man of the hour, Blu, entitled HerFavoriteColo(u)r. On this self-produced project, Blu not only continues to show off his personal and flavorful rhyme style, but also shows he’s really no joke on the beats either. GODlee Barnes really comes into his own on here – crafting conceptual collages from quotes, chops & loops of some of my favorite movies, as well as greats like Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, Radiohead and others.

To go along with it, I added a bonus download of the track “Life’s A Gamble” which was the only track from the heavily bootlegged advance version Below The Heavens that didn’t make the retail version of the album. So that’s for anyone who missed out on that (which means you actually waited for the CD to come out to check it – so big ups). The track is of course produced by Exile, and also features guest verses from Donel Smokes, Trek Life and Co$$.

HerFavoriteColo(u)r liner notes (written in BluSpeak) & downloads from both the EP and the bonus track below.

Finally,
AsIfIleftYouWaiting.
NoBigWords,JustFeelings
Congrats,YouAreTheBest!
ThankUForYourTime,
TheEnd
CreditsRollForever
AndWeStillSittingInTheTheater,
TrippingLike,
IDidntKnowAllMyBoysWereInThisFilm
IKnewHim,Him,Them&Them.
ProductionCreditsGoToMe,
ForProvidingTheSet,TheProps,TheStandIns&StuntMen.
AndMostOfAllForCastingTheNewLeadCharacter.
WhoGotTheGrammies?
Oscar&Granny,TheTitleOfTheFilm.
SlatedForAFullLengthButEndedUpAShort
w/TonsOfSpecialFeatures,
Fuck.
INeverWatchedThose.
SomeOneToldMeICouldBorrowTheDVD.
ILaughed,Cried,Smiled&ShoutedOutObscenities
ThenBowed.
TheEnd.

ToYouAll,FromMyApreciationForYourInspiration.
HerFavoriteColorIsntBlu(e)ItsU.
ProducedByMe.
ForYou,
All.

GoodDay
February14th,2009

Today marks the debut of my new podcast, simply titled Fresh Selects Radio. Even though this is the first episode, it feels like the second in a way, because its more or less a follow-up to the Loose Joints mixtape I put together last fall. Just like that, its a collection showcasing both new and unreleased tracks from some of my favorite artists, some projects I’ll be working on in the near future, artists you should be on the lookout for, and more. I’ve also thrown in a few tracks that have been previously been posted on the site that you might’ve missed. But unlike the Loose Joints .zip, this podcast is one single track, which freed me up and allowed me to include some super-exclusives that I know I couldn’t post as individual downloads.

Originally, I was going to host the podcast like a radio show – but instead I decided to let the music speak for itself. If you feel like it sounds unfinished, I left the instrumental interludes I was going to talk over in the mix, so feel free to fill in the blanks yourself. However, if people get on some bullshit and rip some of the exclusives from the mix and re-post them as downloads on other sites, then next time out I’ll have to talk all over all the good shit – so just behave yourselves & act right and I’ll be able to keep bringing you the latest & greatest without any problems.

I might still write up some liner notes to go along with the tracks, but it might be a while. We’ll see what the feedback & response is like first (*cough*leaveacomment!*cough) and then take it from there. So yeah, lemme know what you think. In the meantime, the tracklisting with the artists’ MySpace links is listed here and then you can download or stream the mix below.


1. DaveNotti – FSR Intro (Thrilla Music Group)
2. Blu – Say Say (CD-R)
3. Finale feat. Invincible – The Waiting Game (prod. Khrysis) (iM/Universal)
4. Waajeed – Fat Bottom Girls (Bling47)
5. Konphlict – Socialize (prod. TaRaach) (Lovelution)
6. M64 (Ragen Fykes & Ohmega Watts) - Helium (prod. Ohmega Watts) (TBA)
7. Hi-Res – Yahhhhh (Pt. 2) (Thrilla Music Group)
8. G&D feat. MED & Rapper Big Pooh – Endure (prod. Georgia Anne Muldrow) (Mello Music Group)
9. MAGr (DistantStarr & Al Mighty) – Butterfly (prod. Hudson Mohawke) (TBA)
10. Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program – Been A Min… (Brainfeeder)
11. Cubic Zirconia (Tiombe, Nick & Todd) – I Wanna Freebase You (TBA)
12. PPP feat. Coultrain & Karma Stewart – Rocket Science (prod. Waajeed) (Ubiquity)
13. Hawthorne Headhunters (Black Spade, I, CED & Proh Mic) feat. JimiJames & Coultrain – She Wanna (HVW8)
14. Exile feat. Muhsinah – Stay Tuned (Stay Here) (Vocal Remix) (Plug Research)
15. TaRaach vs. Tiombe Lockhart – Kalifornia (Instrumental) (Lovelution)
16. DJ Cadik feat. Invincible & Finale – Don’t Look Back (All Soundz)
17. Devon - Shoes (Thrilla Music Group)
18. SA-RA Creative Partners - High Moon Lust (Rawkus)
19. Luck-One – The Coolax (prod. Dekk) (Architect Ent.)
20. Johnson&Jonson feat. Miguel (Jontel) - Stadium (CD-R)

Artwork courtesy of Lyle Owerko.

A quick weekend update for you tonight. Johnson&Jonson (Blu & Mainframe for the slow folk) have just released a new EP single for the track, “Mama Told Me,” off their self-titled album. Along with the album version, the EP also includes the instrumental version of the title track, the very noddable bonus instrumental “Do Right,” plus my personal favorite from the J&J album, “Hold On, John.” You can stream two cuts from the 4-track EP below.

As a bonus – I’ve also got a download of J&J’s “La La Land” (featuring BeYoung of Pacific Division) which is exclusive to the Japanese version of the J&J CD. The track’s sample should sound familiar to R&B heads who have been paying attention this year… that’s all I’ll say on that. Big ups to Mike Check for putting me up on this one & credit due to Soul Assassins who (to my knowledge) had it first.

Also, after the jump, I’ve got three of J&J’s lesser known tracks from various compilations – including two instrumentals and a Blu solo cut – all of which are from 2006, when you were most likely still sleeping on Blu.

Blu “Nuts Hang”
from Clock Is Tickin’ EP (Clockwork, 2006)

Johnson&Jonson “Upside Down Cake”
from Clock Is Tickin’ EP (Clockwork, 2006)

Johnson&Jonson “Whats Been Said”
from The Change Up (Untapped Sounds, 2006)

“Blu & Mainframe‘s Johnson&Jonson album has been widely noticed and talked about around the world as the CD with the “Red Baby” on it. Since the birth of the “Red Baby” a.k.a. “Johnny,” the Johnson’s have brought the iconic “Red Baby” everywhere with them including trips to the studio, multiple meetings with labels, a couple of liquor stores, and their parties to celebrate the release of their critically acclaimed album.

A couple weeks ago, Blu & the Johnson’s performed at 111 Minna, a club in San Francisco, and brought “Johnny” along for additional support. There are several photos from that night that prove that the “Red Baby” truly was in attendance. He was spotted hanging out with the homies, a bunch of Filipino girls and 1 white chick dancing to early 90s hip hop. Towards the end of the show MainFrame noticed and screamed on the mic “Yo, Where’s the “Red Baby” yo?” … at 1:43 a.m. the “Red Baby” was announced as a missing person.

Was the “Red Baby” a victim of a kidnapping? Did a another MC or crazed J&J fan snag the baby off stage? Or was this a conspiracy plotted by a group of young Filipino girls to black mail Blu & Mainframe for some shit?

In hoping that the “Red Baby” gets home safe Blu & MainFrame have posted this unreleased MP3 entitled “Baby Don’t Leave Me Now” to help lure any information pertaining to the missing “Red Baby”. If you have any info email 1_800_JOHNSON@gmail.com.”