New from Galapagos4: Offwhyte - Both Sides of the Mississippi
April 20, 2018 by Offwhyte
Every place makes you feel a certain way. Every city and town across our country has the potential to bring out special feelings from within all of us. You learn who you are by learning who others are. America is, and always has been, a collective idea, a work in progress. Meanwhile, through our politics and social issues, the dualities of this country have permeated our everyday lives.
"Both Sides of the Mississippi" is comfort food music - it is Offwhyte's optimistic, non-political view of the United States. All tracks are produced by St. Louis-based beatsmith Arkimedez, who has produced for Galapagos4 over the years.
Offwhyte's fifth studio album, "Both Sides of the Mississippi" clocks in at 51 minutes and is a thorough examination of the landscapes, seasons, hopes, myths and obsessions of a nation. All the country's regions are represented here. Born in Alabama, this is Offwhyte's homeland after all, and surely the LP can be seen as a capstone project to his young career thus far. Some songs were inspired by and named after actual locations but most of the album celebrates treasures of universal appeal such as the country's natural wonders, or the work ethic and ambition of a people through multiple generations.
Emotionally-driven and celebratory in tone, this is Offwhyte's most dense album. Listen as he wields his trademark onslaught of words in another demonstration of his wrangling of the English language, and champions his role as the secondgeneration son compelled to continue his family's legacy in a new country. The album features fellow Galapagos4 artists Asphate and Hellsent as well as Japanese rappers Candle, GEBO and JUNONKOALA, "Both Sides of the Mississippi" represents the idea of being independent, of being an individual and expressing your ideas and your opinion no matter the circumstances. Through his music, Offwhyte stands for being aware of your surroundings. His new album is a heartfelt dedication to his homeland.
added by: Offwhyte
Dove Rock and Jackson Jones - A Pretty Way Of Saying Ugly Things. Out February 16, 2018
February 9, 2018 by Dallas Jackson
'A Pretty Way Of Saying Ugly Things' is the debut album from Dove Rock, produced entirely by Jackson Jones. This record is the initial statement from the collaboration between Dove & her husband/Galapagos4 label owner Jeff Kuglich aka Dallas Jackson, the current driving force behind Jackson Jones' production. Viscous sonic layers are lit by Dove's poetic maxims & fluid transitions from spirited rap to canorous accents. The view is from a South Side Chicago native traversing uncertainty in upbringing & constructing unique arteries en route to the crux.
added by: Dallas Jackson
Denizen Kane Lost Tapes Volume 1
September 26, 2017 by Jefe
Denizen Kane 'Lost Tapes Volume 1: Oh Six' dropping October 20, 2017.
Notes From The Galapagos4 Island Resort Retreat Recording Recreation Center
by Ezekiel the Intern
So El Jefe sends me a text that says, "We're releasing some tracks from the denizen kane archives called ‘Lost Tapes'. Get some cover art."
I talk this over with my fellow intern, Ollie W.
Me: "Yo, so this new kane is finna drop."
Ollie: "What? Yo, like, kane's been dead for like...six..."
Me: "Months?"
Ollie: "Years."
Juju (the receptionist): "No, he's still alive somewhere in Gallup, New Mexico."
Me & Ollie (simultaneously): "LIES!"
Ollie: "I think they have his ashes at Qwelly's house in Griffith."
Juju: "Um, I think that's just a big ashtray."
Me: "But he died in a skiing accident."
Juju: "Um, Koreans don't ski."
Ollie: "North Koreans."
Juju: "To like, fight the Russians?"
Me: "You guys are racists."
Ollie: "You're racist. It snows in Korea."
The conversation peters out and I have to find artwork. Unsure of who to call, I debate the merits of the on-call graphic artists. Should I send this to Noel, the socialist, who will inevitably cull a kane photo from the archives and create a neo-Leninist tableau of old boy next to a tractor? Or do I send this to Claudette, who will just write kane's name in bubble letters and draw cartoon monster people? I end up sending it to Jose, who loves jazz and has never heard kane's music in his short life.
New text from El Jefe: "Sent you link to tracks, do write up ASAP. Digital drops today."
I retrieve the files from the interwebs. I drink coffee. Juju and Ollie argue about whether kane was abducted by aliens in '04 with Qwa. Ollie swears he heard this firsthand from the great Qwa himself at the Christmas party. kane plays plaintively.
The write-up:
"Here lies kane, dusty, mangled, pulled by wild horses in different directions. In one breath, he is an experimental provocateur, conjuring bizarre orchestras, pizzicato strings, and wild leaps of imagination off Tree City fire escapes. In the next breath, he is a smoke-lunged, whisky-choked, broken guitar-strumming folk-singing troubadour of some alt-Chicago history. He debates the merits of fame and our collective lust for it, he dreams of his brother Junie escaping the mundane prisons of mammon, he mourns for the innumerable lost things bobbing in the far Pacific of our memory. He is ash, or he is living, and we are listening."
I send the write-up to El Jefe. Ollie and Juju are snapping on each other. Jose sends back the artwork with a quickness—a remix of an old Lee Morgan cover, clean and sturdy. I hit him up: "Didn't you want to hear the tracks?" Jose: "I never do."
El Jefe hits back: "Good. You won't believe what we found. 10 cardboard boxes full of reels. Old kane stuff. Old-school. Two-inch tape."
I'm bugging: "Where?"
El Jefe: "Gallup, New Mexico. Why?"
Me: "Um. No reason."
Ollie storms out mid-argument, flinging papers. A coffee cup spills to the floor. Juju shrugs, pops gum. Meanwhile, somewhere, outside the window, where skinny oaks bend and lamp posts rust, a GD and a Vice Lord are talking about the Jimmy Butler trade...
added by: Jefe
Offwhyte Dialogue Out Now
April 21, 2016 by Offwhyte
An LA Story...
That's what awaits the listener on "Dialogue", the new album from Galapagos4 recording artist Offwhyte. Inspired by "all the beautiful souls that come to LA looking for success", the LP is a culmination of everything Offwhyte has absorbed and learned in a decade-plus of living in Los Angeles. It is his dedication to the Southern California area and everything it represents, as well as a personal account of his own episodes and adventures there.
These songs are essays on romance, the entertainment industry, global agendas, discovering things about your heritage and using them to your advantage, and of course, the life of an independent musician. With Los Angeles based on the Pacific Rim, the only two vocal guests on the album, Japanese rappers Candle (Mary Joy) and MC Gebo, reflect the area's close ties to Asia. All tracks are produced by veteran Connecticut-based beatsmith Open i.
With every song conceived, inspired, written and recorded within the very city it celebrates, "Dialogue" is a potent display of expression and a new level of achievement for Offwhyte. Decked out with cover art featuring the models that inspired the artist, "Dialogue" is released on CD, digital, and Double-LP vinyl from Galapagos4.
added by: Offwhyte
Offwhyte - All Told - single & video out March 25th
March 16, 2016 by Jeff
Kicking off a new round of upcoming releases for 2016 on G4 (finally!) is Offwhyte’s single & video "All Told", dropping March 25th on Galapagos4. Even the busiest of cities falls quiet at night. Avenues go empty, historic architecture looms tall, and while wandering around, you can almost let yourself forget exactly what year it is. This is the setting for "All Told", the lead single from Offwhyte’s upcoming full-length album "Dialogue". "All Told" is a smashing new anthem for Offwhyte, a declaration of independence and a return to form for an emcee who carved out a niche for himself based on intelligence and skill. Touching on themes such as racial inclusion, awareness of growing global crises, and using your intellect to get ahead, Offwhyte’s words exude as much confidence here as ever. Every syllable is cut with a quickness and surgical precision only Offwhyte can administer. Produced by veteran Galapagos4 beatsmith Open i, and accompanied by a 1940s style, noir music video, "All Told" features scratches by DJ Touch Nice, selector for Galapagos4 label mates Maxilla Blue.
