So, people seemed to enjoy another post I did on Bassadelic (“Debruit is a Motherfucking Champion”) so I thought I’d do another one. This time, it’s Kenlo Craqnuques. This guy makes some of the best breaks, period.
I have been a fan of his for awhile now, and I always made sure to drop some dope Kenlo gems into my sets when I hosted the Wonky Underground last year. If you’re a fan of wonky music, downtempo, hip hop, or just good ol’ sample-heavy grooves, you might want to check this dude out.
His stuff reminds me of Dilla. Oh, and also, you can a lot of his stuff for FREE… Those two points alone should be enough to get a lot of folks interested, but if not, I’ll continue! :) His mixtapes are dope as fuck, and, earlier this year, he came out with an official release, ‘Cailloux Germés’, which you can download here for free.
First, here are some link love…
Grab seven awesome beat tapes by Kenlo here. Yea, that’s right, 7 complete tapes… as in, this guy is super prolific!
I found the following write up over at the Error Broadcast site which is where he’s releasing his first official album….
“From across the big waters we are delighted to welcome KenLo Craqnuques in the bosom of the Error Broadcast family. This Africa-born, Montreal-based beat conductor blessed the scene with five beat tapes and just recently debuted under his all-digital moniker Qwerty Musique. He has two tapes with fellow producer Vlooper and kicks a rhyme every once a while. “Cailloux Germés” is the first official KenLo Craqnuques release.
“Stand out amongst the flood of new producers, KenLo Craqnuques manages to inject a huge amount of classic Soul and Boom Bap Rap into his hypermodern beats. His songs breathe the history of Black Music without looking back. What has been true ever since “Noir” is eventually obvious on “Cailloux Germés”: the Craqnuques music pushes the borders of 21. Century beat music. Real big.”
– Error Broadcast
The one I posted above is called, “Copporn,” and its from his Noir and it is definitely one of my favorites. I’ve found that I can listen to Kenlo’s grooves in a variety of situations. Its great when you’re chilling with your friends; its great when you’re by yourself. It’s good when you’re trying to relax, and even better when you’re already chill. Basically, its always good.
The three tunes in the youtube video above are from, ‘Bleu,’ and they are, “Wong”, “Wheels” & “Crizzack” and I think “Wheels” is, so far, my favorite.
Some of these beat tapes are great, and, in my opinion, have an aesthetic that reminds me of something visual… When I listen to to a beat tape by Kenlo, the tracks feel like moments that have been painted on a canvas. You enjoy each one, and then, as soon as the moment and the groove is established, the next song comes in. I like that. If any track you’re enjoying isn’t long enough, you just play it again. I’ve played some of these over and over and over again – unlike the other 90% of musicians on the planet, Kenlo makes an instrumental that is NEVER too long. Ever.
This one’s called, “Floorscraper,” from ‘Orange’. Also an incredible tune to set the vibe.
So, about that official album, ‘Cailloux Germés’, you can listen to it below, and download it for free, and if you dig it, I recommend dropping the dude a couple bucks so that he can keep banging out some of the dopest breaks I’ve ever heard! Put this album on at a party and just wait for people to ask, “What is this? It’s fucking good!”
So that’s about it for now. Kenlo Craqnuques is definitely a motherfucking champion, and his music deserves a lot more hype. I hope you enjoyed some of these beats. Just writing this post was very enjoyable for me! :)
Oh, yes, and before I go, let me continue the tradition I started with the other “..Is A Motherfucking Champion” article, and put a picture of a pin-up model holding onto a record, into this article, before I leave. Enjoy.
-StrangeFlow
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