Stream: Willie Green ‘Days of Future Past’
Willie Green has remained the best producer in hip hop since 2010. His drums always crisp and rugged, his samples always chopped and flipped to perfection, and a musical range that allows him to craft songs for R&B and soul artists as well as rappers. When you factor in his reputation as one of the better studio engineers in the game, it becomes clear why he’s been able to become so prolific in such a short time.
I became familiar with Green through his work with the Super Chron Flight Brothers and later billy woods, but he has continued to branch out and work with all different types of talented artists. Keeping track of everything Willie Green has produced in the past couple of years would be overwhelming for any listener, so thankfully, he has assembled a “Best of” compilation – expertly mixed by DJ Mo Niklz. The sampler features names like billy woods, PremRock, Roc Marciano, and Open Mike Eagle, Days of Future Past is a great way to get familiar with several Thought on Tracks favorites while enjoying some of the best and most varied hip hop production around.
The compilation is free on bandcamp and the download comes with liner notes that detail the stories behind each of its 38 tracks. If you pay attention to hip hop and you’re not familiar with Willie Green, you likely will be in the near future. Use this free comp to get up to speed before his official album We Live In The Future drops next year.
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Written by John Bugbee
Video: Tom Haney “Home”
Around this time last year we featured a video entitled “Boxcar Fair” that showcased a collaboration between Atlanta’s Little Tybee and kinetic sculptor Tom Haney. Haney has returned with a new video called “Home.” This time the musical accompaniment comes from Jónsi, the singer and guitarist best known for his work with Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Rós. It’s a solo track entitled “Helinglás” that finds Jónsi’s abandoning signature falsetto for a more reserved tenor set against lush arrangements on strings. The video for “Home” is much less complex than “Boxcar Fair,” but no less interesting. Watch as Haney displays the end result and his process below.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 
Joyful Noise Recordings Announces 2013 Flexi Disc Series
Indianapolis record label Joyful Noise Recordings has announced its 2013 line-up for its flexi disc series. Each release is exclusive to the series and is limited to just 1,000 copies on flexi disc. These never-before-heard songs will not be released digitally or in any other format. Two types of subscriptions are available. The standard subscription is priced at $5 per month and includes automatic monthly mailings of each flexi disc with artwork. The deluxe subscription costs $5 per month, plus a one-time $30 fee that includes a hand-numbered, screen-printed wooden box featuring the artwork of Mackie Osborne. Each case is custom designed to house the 2013 flexi disc series. Subscribe HERE and check out the full roster of featured artists below. UPDATE: Less than 50 subscriptions left!!!
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2013 Flexi Disc Artists:
Birthmark
Built to Spill & Helvetia
Here We Go Magic
Hella
Melvins
Mike Adams at his Honest Weight
Monotonix
Rob Crow
Son Lux
Sufjan Stevens & Cat Martino
The Sea and Cake
Why?