Brütblog

Back in business!

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:08:27 PDT

So, after a long hiatus to finish my last year(s) of college, I'm getting back into working on music - DJing as well as planning for event promotion.

Due to some issues with previous web hosts, we are no longer in possession of the domains brutforce.net or djsushi.com. The new home for yours truly is at THE SUSH dot COM. The new home of Brüt Force Entertainment, BRUT-FORCE.COM, is currently in the works (we're basically trying to find a good WYSIWYG website maker in order to facilitate faster updates for the future website) - check this blog or try brut-force.com every now and then to see if it's finally up (I'll be sure to post to the blog when it is).

To any graphic designers out there skilled in Adobe Illustrator, I am looking for someone to convert my new hand drawn Sushi logo concept into a digital image file. It should be fairly simple - black and white logo. So, anyone who can provide their services to me for this, I would much appreciate it and you will be properly compensated with either $25.00 cash or promotional items (CD's, vinyl, etc.). Please e-mail me at sushi@brut-force.com if you're interested or willing to convert my hand drawing to an Adobe Illustrator file.

Other than the websites, I am confirming work on two new mix compilation releases in the near future, as well as a few others that are a possibility:

The first, tentatively titled "Fashionably Late" will be a Grime & Hip-Hop mix (possibly with a little bit of Dubstep, Proto-Grime, and/or Breaks) with tunes mostly from the year 2003 to the present. I'm still in the process of deciding whether this project will be the response to Whoa-B's December 2007 Grime mix, "Fast Forward", or if this release will be the proper follow-up release to my last official mix compilation, "Hotsteppa" (Back 2 Life - Disc Two). Both of us have discussed the need for me to release a "real" Grime mix, since "Hotsteppa" was recorded during the transition from Proto-Grime to "proper" Grime, so whether this project will result in two separate mix compilations or just one is yet to be determined. Just know I am definitely considering the idea of separating the "Fast Forward" response mix, which I would consider titling something like "40/40 Club" (because the final release could possibly be both 40-ish minute mixes each, Whoa-B's "Fast Forward" and my reply mix, together on one newly-packaged release; I would probably drop the "Club" if I use this title as to not infringe on the most likely trademarked name of Jay-Z's sports bar/lounge, The 40/40 Lounge), "Rewind: US" (okay, so maybe that's a bit too cheesy), "Reverse", or something along those lines.
The second, tentatively titled "A New Lees On Life" (a dedication to the "boss lady" in my life, Lisa) will be a mix compilation of 4x4 Garage/Bassline House, most likely with a touch of classic UK Garage and (somewhere in between possibly and probably) no scratching/turntablism. I'm heavily considering omission of the scratching/turntablism if this mix leans a bit more toward a "ladies' mix", but will heavily considering the use of scratching/turntablism if this mix lenas a bit more toward a "club banger mix". This project will definitely take longer than the Grime mix due to myself not keeping up with purchasing new 4x4/Bassline releases. This mix will be one of the new mixes that will attempt to expose a new crowd of Stateside club/rave-goers to the fairly new genre of Bassline House. My hope with this mix is that Bassline House will hopefully be embraced by Chicago "Househeads", EDM followers, and Urban music followers (sooner, rather than later). Needless to say, a mix like this is one of the top musical priorities of myself, as well as the rest of Brüt Force artists.
Other mix project possibilities include: a B. Raw (the name for the DJ tagteam of myself & Whoa-B) collabo version of the Bassline mix project, a straight "pop" Hip-Hop mix (in order to work my way into the mainstream Hip-Hop crowd), as well as one or more full or "mini" classic UK Garage mixes.

I am also considering another venture into production, although this is one of my lower priorities at the moment. I enjoy DJing more than I think I would ever enjoy producing, just because I find that I constantly want to push myself to be an even more skilled/technical DJ. So, I'm waiting for Midwest DJ Summit 4.0! Where you at Abducted? I speak for myself and Whoa-B when I say that we're ready to bring that heat to the competition again, this year. If Midwest DJ Summit 4.0 does happen, I'll put out a public notice to all haters who question the ability of a Brüt Force DJ's to come out and challenge us for the crown. This may all sound a bit cocky, but I really think after Whoa-B and I took 2nd and 1st place, respectively, at Midwest DJ Summit 3.0, we have the right to be so. Don't get us wrong - we fully respect all DJ's who put their all into their craft (especially the ones who outplaced us at 2.0 - big big big ups to DJ OAM/Once-A-Month), but we're anything but scared of our competition. Our competition is what pushes us to take our creativity and skill to the next level on a consistent basis, so we fully appreciate it.

In other Brüt Force news (since I've pretty much turned this post into a post about my own progress), if you haven't heard already, J. Courage has started his own record label, Trenchant Recordings, and will soon release TRNCHNT001 which is the official release of one of the biggest Grime tunes to come out of the States, "Too Deep". The release will contain the full vocal mix of "Too Deep" featuring East London MC, Shizzle , as well as an acapella and the original instrumental version. If that wasn't enough, one of J's newer tracks, "Guardian", is also included on the release. DJ's: look out for the promo release on May 6, 2008. For the rest of you, look for the vinyl and digital releases coming up on June 3rd, 2008.

On the performance front, if anyone is looking for some good DJ's who play Grime, UK Garage (any), or 4x4 Garage/Bassline House with a twist of Hip-Hop/R&B/other Urban music and scratching/turntablism, please send an e-mail to bookings@brut-force.com because all of us are coming back in full force (or have been representing in the meantime while some of the rest of us were busy or slacking off)! Don't forget, we cater to other genres, such as House, Techno, and Drum & Bass, to name a few, so if you're looking for DJ's outside the realm of UK Garage, we would also consider it a pleasure to try to arrange bookings for your next event! You can also try to book J. Courage for a Live PA, but since he's a superstar producer now, his booking fee may be a bit pricey (read: lots of US Dollars or British Pounds, or at least a keg's worth of beer). ;)

Until next time, I'm out. Keep checking this blog and all the Brüt Force websites and affiliates!

Whoa-B - Fast Forward: A Grime Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Whoa-B) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:37:00 PST

Grime beats mixed at high velocity. No long ting.

track listing:

01 Slix - No Bass [white
02 Geeneus - Bad [Soulja]
03 Skepta - Stage Show [Adamantium]
04 Collie Buddz - Come Around [Columbia]
>>Wiley - Tunnel Vision [white]
05 Wiley - Bow E3 [Big Dada]
06 Bruza - Bruzin (Footsie verse) [After Shock]
07 Trim - Bogeyman (D Double E / Footsie verse) [white]
08 Footsie - Showerman [Dirtee Stank]
>>Plastician - Drunk Step [N19]
09 Frisco ft Wiley - Can't Beat Me [No Hats No Hoods]
10 Team Shadetek ft Skepta - Reign [Sound Ink]
11 Ruff Sqwad ft Maxwell D - From A Place [Adamantium]
12 Tubby - T Mac [Dump Valve]
13 Skepta - ASAP [Adamantium]
14 JME - 96 Bars of Revenge [Boy Better Know]
15 Kromestar - Jazmin [South London Projects]
16 MRK1 - Realmatize [Contagious]
17 The Bug ft Flowdan - Jah War (Loefah Remix) [Ninja Tune]
18 Wiley ft Riko - Ice Rink [white]>>D1 - Trial Run [Tempa]
19 JME, Skepta, & Plastician - Machines [Boy Better Know]
>>TNT - Transmission [Left]
20 Iron Soul - Thuggish [Southside]
21 Skepta - Dupps [Pirate Sessions]
22 D1 - Mind & Soul [Tempa]

41 minutes @ 192 kbps

download it here

So...

noreply@blogger.com (Whoa-B) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:47:20 PDT

Not lot of noise happening here, huh.

But although Brüt Force is experiencing a sort of dormant period, Chicago in general is enjoying the rise in popluarity of DUBSTEP. Joe Nice visited our city again recently, JuJu shortly before that. Both played incredible sets. Some people (myself included) were happy to hear proper dubstep on a proper system. Others barely knew what hit them. Listen to Joe's set from Lava here, with thanks to dubstep.fm for hosting.

In related news, BassGoesBoom will be at it again this Friday, presenting a local showcase featuring Cringer, Lord Dubious, Phaded, and Timid. And rumor has it we'll see some UK talent in October or November.

Let's see, what else. I guess I'll make the rest of this post a clearing house for what I've been up to since recording "School". First there's my dubstep mix:

Whoa-B - B-Sides

01 MRK1 - Slang [Tectonic]
02 Kromestar - Old Step [white]
03 Distance & Skream - Wiseman [Ringo]
04 Benga - Dual [Big Apple]
05 Gravious - Wormsign [Scuba]
06 Distance - Traffic [Planet Mu]
07 Kromestar ft Cessman - Kalawanji [Deep Medi]
08 Pinch - Punisher (Loefah Remix) [Planet Mu]
09 Caspa - Rubber Chicken [Tempa]
10 Benga & Walsh - Bingo [Hotflush]
11 Loefah - Truly Dread [Tempa]
12 Shackleton - Blood On My Hands [Skull Disco]
13 MRK1 - Slope [Planet Mu]
14 Loefah - Mud [DMZ]
15 Kode9 - Magnetic City [Soul Jazz]
16 Scuba - Braile Diving [Hotshore]
17 D1 - Trial Run [Tempa]
18 Marlow - The Rope [Storming]

72 minutes @ 192 kbps

Then there's the whole youtube thing:

Whoa-B - Dubstep Quickmix

01 MRK1 - Slang
02 Gravious - Wormsign
03 Distance - Cyclops
04 Caspa - Rubber Chicken
05 Loefah - Rufage
06 Skream - Tapped
07 Tech Itch - Distort
08 Marlow - The Rope

Whoa-B - Grime Quickmix

01 Slix - No Bass
02 Geeneus - Bad
03 Skepta - Stage Show
04 Collie Buddz - Come Around
05 Wiley - Tunnel Vision
06 Wiley - Bow E3
07 Bruza - Bruzin (Footsie verse)
08 Trim - Bogeyman (D Double E & Footsie verse)
09 Footsie - Showerman
10 Plastician - Drunk Step
11 Skepta - Dupps
12 D1 - Mind & Soul

Enjoy. I hope to post more mixes here soon and perhaps some rants on grime and dubstep happenings in Chicago.

new grime mix from Whoa-B

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 06:44:23 PST

download it here:

http://www.whoa-b.com/audio/whoa-b_-_school.mp3

track listing:

01 Chamillionaire - Ridin
>> Kromestar - Shokwave
02 Footsie - Scars Remix
03 Sway - Download
04 Geeneus - Parasite
05 Geeneus - Jam Hot (Davinche Remix)
06 Mr Keaz - Kea Lo
>> Mr Keaz - Kea Dub
07 J Sweet - Bring It
08 J Sweet - L Dot Man
09 BMD - North Weezee
>> Bearman - Drinking Beer Remix
10 Blazer - Swingers
11 DJ Mondie - Pull Up Dat (Dexplicit Remix)
12 Slix - No Bass
>> MRK1 - Deadman
13 Terror Danjah - Stiff
14 Low Deep - Get Set
15 Ms Dynamite - Don't Stop
16 Ruff Sqwad - Move 2 Dis
>> Dizzee Rascal - Ice Rink
17 Wiley - Pump Up Tone Up
18 Danny Weed - Kick Off
19 Roll Deep - Badman
20 Big E D - Backlash
21 Virus Syndicate - Major List MCs Remix
22 Skepta - Duppy
23 R Demon - Horror Show
>> T.I. - What You Know

pics from Joe Nice @ Lura

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:57:30 PST

Joe Nice

Nogunri

Chamberweed & Entro MC

Whoa-B

Boa

Chicago dubstep massive

5

Joe Nice to hit Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:42:10 PST

In other news, dubstep is being stocked at Gramaphone. From Pipeline via the Bass By The Pound discussion forum:

come and buy this shit and help me justify your cause to my employers

digital divide dubstep

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:46:05 PDT

Playing Grime > X-Men 3

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Fri, 26 May 2006 19:30:41 PDT

First of all, I want to think anyone who made it out to any of the Static nights at Big House. We've had a few people from the fam playing at the nights -- myself last night, Whoa-B a week ago, and Peter Rabbit and Kid Ikarus before that.

I almost didn't make it last night, though. I had completely forgotten about the booking...until after I purchased tickets to see X-Men: The Final Stand. So, aside from spending a bunch of money on buying a few new hot tunes that came out the past week or so, I also wasted $20 on tickets that I couldn't use. I was seriously contemplating standing outside the theater and scalpling them, hoods-up style.

Eventually, I got someone to buy them off me the day of (no, I didn't have to resort to standing outside the theater). I think those tickets were cursed, though, since the person who got them off me was on the completely wrong side of town as the show was about to start (way to go, Mark).

Anyway, onto the good stuff. There was a lot of crazy techstep drum & bass being played last night. I don't know if I'm we're getting old or what, but Whoa-B and I just couldn't listen to that stuff. We came to the conclusion, though, that we're not that old because we still play "angry music".

I was told that I would "take over the city" by Josh Naster of 689 after my set, which was hilarious. If you don't know me, let me tell you right now that all that really matters about this music to me is the music right now. If money mattered to me as much as my love for this music, I would be playing house. We play Grime because we don't suck at it -- we're fucking good, and it's not just me that's saying that.

All in all, it was a crazy night. I don't go out much, anymore (partially due to the fact that this is pretty much my last year of college), so that might've had something to do with it. I rinsed a few new bits off ARMY Bullet, some new tunes with/by Lethal B, Wiley, Ghetto, Skepta, and more. I have to say, even though some people are weirded out by the music, people who dig it will stay the fuck in the building for the whole show. Last night was proof of this, considering I played what most people would consider "way too hard".

Whoa-B's got some pictures.

And I'm going to see X-Men 3 tonight and pick up my booking "wage" from last night.

What else...

Oh yeah, what the fuck is up with Kano not being on the lineup for the Intonation Music Festival now? That's bogus. Big ups to Mike Skinner and Sov for "makin' P's", but I can only take so much of their music. I know that comment will confuse some people, but all I have to say is, if they made Grime music, I would be listening to them all the time.

Let that one simmer for a while and maybe some of you will figure it out.

--Sush

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:14:20 PDT

Last night was cool. Maybe after I catch up on some sleep I'll write more of a blurb about it. Um... here, look at some pictures while I take a nap.

Crutches, Sushi, J Courage

no, seriously... the man's foot is broken

lots of folks out on a Sunday night

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 13:55:47 PDT

Testing, testing... a few pics from last week:

Sushi, Lord 360, J Courage

J Courage, Whoa-B, Sushi

I promise we'll have better pictures from the next one.

--Whoa

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:00:24 PDT

Brüt Force presents
THE STREETS
"The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living"
Official Record Release Listening Party

at D'Vine Restaurant & Wine Bar
1950 W North Ave, Chicago
21+, NO COVER

Featuring the single "When You Wasn't Famous", The 3rd album by The Streets is set to hit stores on Tuesday, April 25th. This is your chance to hear the album and get some promotional items such as advance copies of the album, vinyl, and The Streets lighters!

A bit about the album:
The album starts and ends with a drug and alcohol inspired panic attack. So what else happens? Let's see. Getting a smack in the face from his manager after having a tantrum about getting beaten at table-football. Check. Losing hundreds of thousands of pounds spread-betting. Check. Driving a Ferrari round Las Vegas without a license. Check. Watching the unnamed female pop star he'd been taking crack cocaine and having sex with the night before looking surprisingly presentable on CD-UK the next morning. Check.

Among many other things, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living is the story of how he got back on track. Using his special talent for combining beats and rhymes to make sense of what had happened to him, he poured everything he'd learnt into his music. In production terms, he's totally upped his game on this album. Everything is a little crisper and a little faster - honed and polished to be the perfect vehicle for his trademark forensic lyrical observations.

Featuring performances by:
B. RAW (Sushi B2B Whoa-B) -- http://www.myspace.com/chicagogaragedon / http://www.myspace.com/whoabee
Both Sushi and Whoa-B have been pushing Grime music in its truest form in Chicago, while fusing their mixes with some hip-hop flavor for good measure. Though both known for their accomplishments as solo DJ's -- Sushi for his intense "G-Hop" sets across the country and Whoa-B for his steady stream of Grime, Garage, and Hip-Hop mix CDs -- their recognition as a tag team duo has grown over the past few years.

LORD 360 -- http://www.myspace.com/lord360
Making his first debut as a Grime MC at the Run The Road Volume 2 Pre-Release event at Lava in February, Lord 360 made believers out of those who ever questioned the ability for a US Hip-Hop MC to transition well to Grime. Once again, we bring out 360 to control the mic for the night.

DJ AUTOBOT of Flosstradamus -- http://www.myspace.com/djautobot
Most recently featured as 1/2 of Flosstradamus in URB's Next 100, Autobot and Flosstradamus have created a huge buzz in Chicago's Underground music scene through their unique slew of remixes and refixes.

NOGUNRI -- http://www.myspace.com/nogunri
Nogunri has been pushing the sounds of UK Grime and Dubstep as promoter and resident DJ of the GRIME!!! night at Lava.

noreply@blogger.com (Sushi) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 07:26:19 PDT

...and started a blog.

I don't know what we'll be putting up on this thing besides events that we find interesting, but I'll be passing the login among the crew. Considering that the members of Brüt Force are extremely diverse with their musical tastes and other interests in life, this should be interesting. :)

--Sush