Blind I | The Boutique Music Blog | Quality Over Quantity.

KNXWLEDGE-OVRSTND.LP

When Knx sends me some new music,  I usually just listen to it, then whip up a quick post about it (busy, busy, busy). From the album cover, to the samples and the song titles, I can usually just use my insight to find out the tone of a project. My guess this time? A somewhat melancholy, reflective set with an undertone of change or moving forward on something. Today, I decided to ask him what specifically inspired the Ovrstnd LP.  His answer? It was inspired by old thoughts. My old house. Remembered melodies. I wasn’t too far off the mark eh? Check out two of my favorite jams from the project, then listen and discover your favorites. It’s definitely lovely to have a full length project to take our time with.

Akuvue

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BuildMyWrldArowndJew

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KNXWLEDGE-OVRSTND EP [DOWNLOAD]

Tags: BLIND I, EP, KNXWLEDGE, OVRSTND

BLACK SPADE-SPAND (PROD. BY KNXWLEDGE)

Pardon us for the delay in posting this new track “Spand” by our St. Louis brother Black Spade.  This beat originally appeared in Knxwledge’s Kompsure.EP and now Spade has laced it with his vocals.  Lately,  I’ve noticed tons of artists rhyming over Knx’s beats, and you  typically don’t see him endorsing the end result. But in this case, both artists are really standing behind “Spand” and once you listen you’ll understand why. There’s a musical chemistry between the two that might fuel more collabs in the future. Black Spade is in the process of working on his next solo album as well as working with Coultrain and others. As always, Knxwledge has been cranking EPs out on the regular. You know you’ll find all of them posted here on the site. Enjoy.

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BLACK SPADE- SPAND (PROD. BY KNXWLEDGE) [DOWNLOAD]

Tags: BLACK SPADE, BLIND I, EP, KNXWLEDGE, KOMPOSURE, SPAND

BLIND I PRESENTS…BLIND I FOR THE WINTER

It’s been a while since we did a Blind I staff compilation. These are always a joy to put together, because  we all take our time hand-picking the music. Only the person who zips it up (in this case it was me) gets to listen to the compilation in its entirety before it gets posted so it remains a mystery for most of the staff until it’s complete. We definitely bring our different flavors and styles to Blind I for the Winter. There are some upbeat songs, but overall it has  a mellow, wintry vibe and you can keep it in heavy rotation through the cold months.  We’d love to hear how you feel about it. Thanks for rocking with us all of these years. We appreciate you and we’re grateful for you. Happy holidays. Tracks and links after the jump.

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Tags: AMY WINEHOUSE, B LEWIS, BLACK STAR, BLIND I, blu, Chaka Khan, DIGITAL UNDERGROUND, DONNY HATHAWAY, ELECTRIC JUNGLE, EPROM, Exile, GURU, INSIGHTFUL, JOHN LEE HOOKER, JOHNNY LYTLE, Kev Brown, KNXWLEDGE, LOCAL NOBODIES, MDCL, OSSIE, PYRAMIDS, RAHEL, SHAG, THESATISFACTION

KNXWLEDGE: WRAPTAYPES.PORT.1

One thing Knx has a knack for aside from crafting amazing beats, is reworking songs from other artists. His sound is distinct, so when you hear these remixes it breathes new life into them and they sound like completely different songs. The past few EPs have been primarily instrumentals, but this project (aptly titled WrapTaypes.Port.1) is a set of hip hop remixes. I pulled out a few of my favorites here. Head over to his Bandcamp and support the man. He’s out here killing it.

Luchini[TWRK]

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LykeWoah

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 KNXWLEDGE: WRAPTAYPES.PORT.1 [BANDCAMP]

Tags: Az, Big L, biggie, BLACK ROB, BLIND I, BUSTA RHYMES, CAMP LO, KNXWLEDGE, WRAPTAYPES.PORT.1

SULAIMAN-PAST PERFECT

I stopped what I was doing to immediately check out and post $ulaiman’s new project Past Perfect. The phrase “steel sharpens steel” usually applies to a symbiotic relationship, but when it comes to Suli, he’s sharpening his own skills through diligence, hard work and consistency. I’ve listened to every tape he’s put out (check the archives) and this project shows incredible range. Whether production wise or lyrically, there is something for everyone on Past Perfect. Songs to groove to, zone out to, dance to. A little bit of everything! I pulled out a few of my favorites for you but do yourself a favor and hit the skip for the tracklist, link and some recent footage of him at Onyx 2.0. #Church

Fantasy World

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Gasconadé

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Jenesaisquoi

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Tags: BLIND I, BROADNMARKET, Constrobuz, Kanye West, KNXWLEDGE, LONGEVITY, N.E.R.D, NAMELESS, Nez And Rio, PAST PERFECT, SHAYNA LOVE, Sulaiman, TEEDRA MOSES, THE STUYVESANTS, Thelonious Martin

KNXWLEDGE-UNDRTHEWEATHR EP

Knx  just dropped UndrTheWeathr. I’m actually not feeling so great this week, and he’s complained about not feeling so hot.  The cold weather has arrived, and it’s taking folks down with a vengeance! The good news is that laying low and rejuvenating is 10xs better when you’re wrapped up in bed with some new music to check out. This EP is short and sweet. If you don’t have his previous EPs, hit up his Bandcamp page or do a search on Blind I and beef up your collection. You’ll be glad you did.

NoMoaRaps

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KNXWLEDGE- UNDRTHEWEATHR EP [BANDCAMP]

Tags: EP, KNXWLEDGE, UNDRTHEWEATHR

MAIYA PRESENTS…RENDEZVOUS VOL. 15

I once told Sulaiman that I wanted to find the art that was on the walls in that scene of Belly (by Thierry le Goues) and suggested he use it for (RDV7). I’m big on art and the walls of my apartment have always been lined with it. He delivered immaculately. The talent on the Blind I staff never ceases to amaze me. Our imaginations are all over the place.  For this volume, Noah asked me the usual, “What do you want the cover to look like?” I responded with my usual abstract (albeit unhelpful) explanation of what I had in mind.  It went something like this.

Me: Ummm this is what I’m thinking (Shows a classic photo of Kate Moss smoking a cigarette). I like the idea of a beautiful woman smoking a cigarette. Probably because I want someone to take an edgy picture of me with a cigarette. Even though I don’t smoke.  (Shows photo of Naomi Campbell naked pointing a gun at the camera). Like a good girl gone bad vibe.
No: I feel you. Let me look at all of these pics. I’m in full agreement with having titties on the covers of RDV now. I’m glad Pam Grier was the first.
Me: Well… it’s not about the titties, Noah. More like raw sexuality and strength, you know?
No: Yeah…All that. And titites!

The one we ended up with was the first image I sent to Noah. And I love the way he flipped it! If you’ve noticed, we’ve posted less and less of these compilations. It’s not because we don’t love them or don’t care. We just want to adhere to our mantra of quality over quantity and allow you to really spend time with each one.  It’s always a joy for me to highlight artists that are friends of mine on here and this month there are several.  Hopefully you enjoy this one! Tracks/links after the jump.

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Tags: ANNA WISE, BLIND I, blu, BLUM, CARLITTA DURAND, COMMON, CORTEX, DAEDELUS, drake, EVIL NEEDLE, ILL POETIC, J DILLA, JOANNA NEWSOM, KELELA MIZANEKRISTOS, KNXWLEDGE, MAIYA PRESENTS...RENDEZVOUS VOL. 15, MINGUS MURRAY, MNDSGN, PHONTE, Quadron, RZA, SZJERDENE, THE ROOTS, THE STUYVESANTS, The Weeknd

KNXWLEDGE- HEXUAL SEALINGS 1.5 EP + KONSISTENSI EP

Yesterday, I told Knxwledge that I have to strain my eyes to read all of the shorthand in his songs, and even his  tweets. I have to reread these titles in the posts like 10 times for fear of  posting a typo. But that’s one of the many things that makes him unique, aside from his dope-as-fuck-beats. I realized that I had gotten behind on posting his most recent EPs, so now all of you fans out there get hit with the double whammy post. Yes indeed! Hexual Sealings 1.5 and Konsistensi will surely warm you and your speakers up on this fall day! Here are a few tracks from both projects that I’m digging. Hit the skip for the Konsistensi cover and the links! Happy listening.

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KNXWLEDGE-HEXUAL SEALINGS 1.5 EP [BANDCAMP]

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Tags: BLIND I, EP, HEXUAL SEALINGS 1.5, KNXWLEDGE, KONSISTENSI

KNXWLEDGE: HUD.DREEMS EP

We were really starting to get into a rhythm with posting EPs from Knxwledge like every other day for a minute. Then just when it seemed like there was a brief pause, Knx dropped this Hud.Dreems EP. One of the things  I enjoy most about listening to his projects, aside from the way he flips the beat arrangements, is trying to discover the samples. If you listen closely, he incorporates some really original elements (scenes from movies, clips from show theme songs etc.) into his music. They’re all like little chapters in one big Knx book. If this is your first time checking him out, do a search on our site and get caught up!

AnothrPoff

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Knxwledge- Hud.Dreems [Download]

Tags: BLIND I, EP, HUD.DREEMS, KNXWLEDGE

KNXWLEDGE-SHADYSIDE EP

I’m beginning to think we’re going to start posting a new Knxwledge EP every other day. He just keeps cranking them out! Like a year ago, I could mention his name to my circle of music nuts and many of them wouldn’t know who he was. Now, you’re finding him all over the blogosphere and it’s pretty exciting to watch the buzz grow. He’s going in 100% on his music grind and he’s definitely carving out his own niche. Whenever he stops to take a breather from traveling internationally and throughout the states, hopefully we can do an Artist Spotlight!  The last one he released, appropriately titled Flowers,  gave you that soothing energy. ShadySide is a little darker (I mean hello, it kicks off with the scene from Belly where that little kid was talking to Nas on the bench). Get into it.

1STKAMEOUTSQWRLHILL

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KNXWLEDGE-SHADYSIDE EP [BANDCAMP]

Tags: BLIND I, KNXWLEDGE, SHADYSIDE EP