Typhoon – Rapha Continental Film

ApSci – “Big Adventures”


Minks – “Funeral Song”

“The original idea was to do a series of 12-inch records with different artists on each side, hence “sole sides.” And there would be no shortage of talent to pick from as the core of the crew quickly expanded.” -villagevoice.com

Among the next to join the crew were Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truth Speaker both of whom moved to Davis when word of Solesides reached them through pals Chief Xcel and Lyrics Born. Shortly thereafter in February 1993 they released their first 12-inch: Lyrics Born’s “Send Them, Tom” on the A-side with DJ Shadow’s “Entropy” on the B-side. “Entropy” would turn out to be the bigger success and paved the way for Shadow’s eventual release of Entroducing his groundbreaking debut LP on James LaVelle’s Mo’ Wax label.

Releases began steadily pouring out of Solesides and they started making a name for themselves. As Solesides gained momentum and more releases under it’s belt the fledgling label hit a wall: It had fulfilled it’s initial goal and needed a new directive. The guys decided the best thing to do was to dissolve Solesides and start a new collective with a new mission statement. Enter Quannum Projects.

1997 saw the official forming of Quannum Projects, but it would be two years before they actually released a new record. As they began to get the label off the ground it became clear they needed some help. In September 1999 Isaac Bess was hired as GM for Quannum bringing his indie label experience and savvy to the Quannum family. Over the next 9 plus years Bess helped build Quannum from a loose collective to a successful indie label. With releases like Blackalicious’ Nia and Lyrics Born’s Later That Day Quannum had succeeded in establishing themselves as a prominent voice in independent hip hop. As the years went on management changed and new artists were signed yet the mission remained the same.

Now host to a wider range of music Quannum serves as a home for artists such as Brazilian samba-funk maestro Curumin, LA rapper Pigeon John and electronic acts General Elektriks and ApSci. As they continue to grow and diversify one thing stays the same: The commitment made by a few friends almost two decades earlier to put out good independent music for all to hear.

Here are some Quannum faves to check out:

Blackalicious
“The Fabulous Ones” (mp3)
from “Nia”
(Quannum Projects)

More On This Album

Curumin
“Compacto” (mp3)
from “JapanPopShow”
(Quannum Projects)

More On This Album

ApSci
“Crazy Crazy Insane” (mp3)
from “Best Crisis Ever”
(Quannum Projects)

More On This Album

Lyrics Born
“Callin’ Out” (mp3)
from “Later That Day…”
(Quannum Projects)

More On This Album

Listen at IODAcast.com or at iTunes.

ApSci
“Crazy Crazy Insane” (mp3)
from “Best Crisis Ever”
(Quannum Projects)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Choir of Young Believers
“Next Summer” (mp3)
from “This Is For The White In Your Eyes”
(Ghostly International)

Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

ZAZA
“Sooner or Later” (mp3)
from “Cameo”
(Kanine Records LLC)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Tinariwen
“Lulla” (mp3)
from “Imidiwan : Companions”
(Outside Music)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Mark Mallman
“Eternal Moonshine” (mp3)
from “Invincible Criminal”
(Badman Recording Co)

Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

ApSci
“Crazy Crazy Insane” (mp3)
from “Best Crisis Ever”
(Quannum Projects)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Best Crisis Ever, the new album from trans-continental ApSci (pronounced APP-sigh), was begun in a Brooklyn apartment overlooking a coffee factory in 2006, and finished in a Sydney apartment by the beach in 2008. While 2005’s Thanks for Asking was a collabo-rich hip-hop-electro diary with guests spanning from indie-rap pinch hitters Mr. Lif and Pigeon John to the bandleaders of TV On The Radio and Antibalas, the new record has been executed almost entirely by the duo, Australian-Filipina Dana Diaz-Tutaan and the Irish-Italian, Bronx-born Raphael LaMotta. It’s a louder, catchier and more expansive take on ApSci’s unique combination of electro, hip-hop and quirky pop, relying heavier on songwriting and a combination of vintage drum machine sounds, synths and guitars. It’s equal parts New York bravado and Australian charm, reflecting the respective hometowns of each, and how the duo, despite the nearly opposite lifestyle and pace of the cities, have managed to comfortably straddle both for nearly a decade.

A little history: the Iate 90s, summertime in New York. Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, Rocksteady Reunion, Baby Jupiter were the places that mattered to a devoted scene. Solesides, Company Flow, Mike Ladd and Antipop Consortium were underground brainiac heroes. Open mics and street cyphers were a vibrant and common occurrence in every borough, and people came from all over the world to experience the city’s late-era hip-hop renaissance.

It was in this context that Dana, who was then visiting New York, met Raphael. Although their fi rst encounter wasn’t exactly congenial (“I was in a weird mood,” Ra explains. “He was rude,” Dana counters), they were a part of a tight circle of performers and often found themselves on the same bill, or in the same crowd, or freestyling on the same corners. Soon studio time was booked, pager numbers were exchanged, and before long they were collaborators, writing and recording their own unique material.

Get It Twisted (which would later become Thanks for Asking) was released with Australia’s indie hip hop giant Elefant Traks in 2003, and France’s cutting-edge indie boutique Ekler’o’shock put out a 12” of “Tirade Highway” in 2004. Shortly after, Chief Xcel of Blackalicious heard the duo while on tour in Australia and promptly signed them to Quannum Projects.

In 2005, Thanks for Asking was released worldwide and ApSci toured through North America and Europe. The album received accolades from everywhere from The New York Times, SPIN, and TimeOut New York to Music For Robots. Upon hearing it, David Byrne tapped Dana to play the lead in his improbable musical about Imelda Marcos, Here Lies Love, co-produced by Fatboy Slim. The UK breakbeatteam Plump DJs even sampled from Thanks for Asking and collaborated with Raphael on two songs from their 2008 release, HeadThrash,and both tracks featuring Ra top the
UK dance charts.

In the spring of 2009, shortly before the release of Best Crisis Ever, URB chose ApSci for their “Next 100” issue, and the duo’s infectious new album standout, “Crazy Crazy Insane,” is currently being featured on a national television ad for Time Warner Cable. They’ve also recently completed the Scuff Kicks Mixtape Vol. 1 with Australian premier DJ Anna Lunoe (Modular Records).

Having already toured and shared the bill with the Strokes, Spank Rock, Depeche Mode, Coldcut, Lyrics Born, Lady Sovereign, Numark, Blackalicious and Aesop Rock, ApSci certainly know how to put on a show. They’ve definitely paid their dues – they’ve performed in sweaty dance clubs from New York to Paris, Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, and on festival stages to tens of thousands at France’s Eurokeennes and Australia’s Pyramid Rock Festival – and are ready to head out again, as excited and energetic and absolutely inventive as ever.

ApSci
“Under Control” (mp3)
“Big Adventures” (mp3)
from “Best Crisis Ever”
(Quannum Projects)

Best Crisis Ever, the new album from trans-continental ApSci (pronounced APP-sigh), was begun in a Brooklyn apartment overlooking a coffee factory in 2006, and finished in a Sydney apartment by the beach in 2008. While 2005’s Thanks for Asking was a collabo-rich hip-hop-electro diary with guests spanning from indie-rap pinch hitters Mr. Lif and Pigeon John to the bandleaders of TV On The Radio and Antibalas, the new record has been executed almost entirely by the duo, Australian-Filipina Dana Diaz-Tutaan and the Irish-Italian, Bronx-born Raphael LaMotta. It’s a louder, catchier and more expansive take on ApSci’s unique combination of electro, hip-hop and quirky pop, relying heavier on songwriting and a combination of vintage drum machine sounds, synths and guitars. It’s equal parts New York bravado and Australian charm, reflecting the respective hometowns of each, and how the duo, despite the nearly opposite lifestyle and pace of the cities, have managed to comfortably straddle both for nearly a decade.

In 2006, Diaz-Tutaan was asked to play the lead role of Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, a musical collaboration with David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim. Diaz-Tutaan performed alongside Byrne at the premier of the musical in the Adelaide Festival. Also, in the spring of 2009, shortly before the release of Best Crisis Ever, chose ApSci for their “Next 100″ issue, and the duo’s infectious new album standout, “Crazy Crazy Insane,” is currently being featured on a national television ad for Time Warner Cable. Check out the duo that JamBase.com claims is “fixing to be [a] major player in the future of hip-hop.”

Here’s some more friendly press for ApSci:
“Kick ass musicianship and a strong label will get you everywhere in this business as will constantly looking to innovate.” – Deeperbeats

“Excited and energetic and absolutely inventive as ever” –MP3.com

A mixture of “Eminem and Bjork,” –Spin.com

“The real deal.”-XLR8R

“Stands tall under the label of ‘experimental hip-hop.’”-Pitchfork.

Also, check out this awesome video they made for their previous single, “Under Control” using only an iPhone, a portable printer, and a webcam!  Now that’s resourcefulness:

Check out Apsci‘s iphone-tastic new video for “Under Control”. From Wired:  “LaMotta and Diaz-Tutaan made the video using nothing but their iPhone, a portable printer and a webcam. They performed the track in front of the webcam and printed it up into the handheld snapshots that fly by in the globe-hopping video, which hopscotches from Brooklyn to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Hawaii and Australia at the speed of sound. They took additional shots using the iPhone, then mashed the production nightmare into an eye-tripping visual for their body-rocking song.”

Apsci’s sophomore album, Best Crisis Ever, comes out August 11th via Quannum Projects.

Read all about The Phenomenal Handclap Band here and get a PromoTrack while you’re at it.

Choir of Young Believers’ debut full-length, This is for the White in Your Eyes, is due out via Ghostly International this fall, but get the first single, “Action/Reaction”, out now.