Video: 2003 Alphbethead Battle Footage

Old school battle footage of a 19-year-old Alphabethead.

A few of his 90-second, head-to-head sets from the 2003 Wellington DJ Battle held Saturday 8 March, 2003 @ Subnine.

Filmed by DJ Goosh.

Video: Alphabethead - Destroy All Monsters

The following words are from Alphabethead's blog....

Destroy All Monsters is yet another song inspired by a B-movie radio spot. This theme is becoming a bit of an obsession; peep my previous “Zombie” and “Crawling Thing” posts!

When I began DJing I had a single turntable and no real interest in being a ‘proper’ mix DJ playing dance clubs and making people boogie. My focus was on the manipulation of vinyl and making that beautiful-ugly-sound known as scratching. I would run home after school, loop up a beat and just scratch the night away! There were quite a few of us doing this is 2001 – they called us Turntablists or Scratch Nerds. Q-Bert, D-Styles, Mixmaster Mike, Toadstyle and the rest would release records with minimal rhythm tracks, heavy bass and half-time beats designed especially to elevate and accentuate scratching. This song is a throwback to the beats of that era. The fascinating thing is that the bass music and dubstep of today has some striking similarities with circa-2000 scratch beats. A couple of the more notable players in the new beat movement actually cut their teeth in the scratch scene; Hudson Mohawke, Lorn and The Gaslamp Killer. It would be interesting to trace the trajectory of dubstep and bass music in terms of Turntablism…

After finishing my track I found the actual movie trailer for “Destroy All Monsters” on Youtube and on playing them simultaneously couldn’t believe my eyes! The fit was uncanny – the monsters were trashing the capital cities of the world all to my beats! It was too good an opportunity to miss so last week I taught myself the basics of video editing and tried my damndest to fuse the two. For someone with no experience in video it certainly was an exercise in patience, concentration and pulling my damn hair out! This is probably the most rickety, lo-fi, third-generation-VHS-dub you’re gonna see this month. Embrace the pixilation!



The idea of equating turntable scratching to laser and missile-fire is certainly not new. Q-Bert’s fantastic Wave Twisters is a fire-fight packed, animated space odyssey scored entirely with turntables and heavy beats. Technical scratching and dubstep rhythms sure do sound like intergalactic warfare and hulking beasts sometimes!

DOWNLOAD: DESTORY ALL MONSTERS

I’m gonna visit Aro Video this week in search of the original Godzilla film of the same name – apparently it’s one of the classics in the “Giant Monster” canon.

Over & Out,

x

Alphabethead

Video: Caoimhe, Jared, Flick Performing Mint Chicks "Say Goodbye"

Click the image above to watch me having a rap sing at APRA Silver Scroll Awards. Me, Caoimhe and Flick were put together for this one off collaboration.

While you're at it I also recommend checking this awesome performance by Ermehn and co of How Bizzare

Audio: Willy Knuckle Makes Beats Too Now

Yeah dats right. He skipped the country with a bunch of fancy gears on HP to make beats with and two years later he's actually making em!

He's still just a grass hopper but he doing it.. give em a squizz...

Vascular by louie knuxx

Take the time by louie knuxx

Venti by louie knuxx

Broodwich by louie knuxx

Grapefruit by louie knuxx

Prezbaluwskey by louie knuxx

Audio: Alphabethead - Springs Got Next

Alphabethead says...

Spring’s Got Next is a laid-back, sunny Hip Hop beat. I was trying to banish the blues and create the antithesis to Wellington’s wet, windy winter.

Rather than just let the beat loop I found guitar and flute solos on vinyl and cut them up to fit the track. I love taking unrelated jazz solos and chopping and screwing them to ride my beat. I’ve achieved some fascinating results from dislocating David S Ware and Marshall Allen sax solos and setting them to dubstep or down tempo grooves. The solos are probably totally out of key but it sounds great to me; at least they’re on beat! The guitar solo is from the Roland Kovac New Set. Flutes are from Chilliwack. The fun part in assembling this one was the feel change at 01:56. Gamelan style played on Vibraphone!

Welly winter be gone… Spring’s Got Next [DOWNLOAD]

Adieu,

alphabethead

Alphabethead Frog Eye Tees

Grab yerself one of these nice Frog Eye Tees, designed and handfolded by the man himself, Mr Alphabethead. All proceeds go towards Alphabethead's tea addiction.

Gig: Alphabethead & Samiyam Live