DBA141 Deathbomb Arc T-shirt
Limited to 30. Deathbomb logo in copper on soft navy blue tees.
DBA140 ‘No Children‘ compilation
In celebration of Deathbomb Arc’s 17 year anniversary, a collection of previously unreleased tracks from classic DBA acts, new DBA acts, and our friends from the expanded DBA universe. Including clipping., BLKHRTS, True Neutral Crew, The Soft Pink Truth, Kurt Harland Larson of Information Society, I.E., and many more.
DBA138 Abdu Ali – ‘best of’ CS
Storming out of Baltimore, Abdu Ali raps, sings, chants, and breathes linguistically over future beats to cast spells of inspiration. Openly black, and queer by birthright, what makes Abdu Ali truly unique is his passion. Bold, raw, and most importantly, life-affirming; what Abdu Ali manifests is a pure voice of raging love. When important things are going on like a call for justice, who is really concerned with arguing the minutiae of genre?
DBA137 Signor Benedick The Moor – ‘Opus 3: Man Atop The Tower’ DL
‘Opus 3 – Man Atop The Tower’, released via the Juicy label, is Signor Benedick The Moor’s first vinyl release. The tracks are still ambitious in scope, but refinement has been pursued over expansion. The album’s own narrative is as grand as ‘El Negro’, just in a third the length to tell it. Beginning with the story of both a man’s youth and old age, the rest is filled in not by who the man was, but by the stories of those that were near to him. Two of the tracks are built around pieces he wrote and performed for his Berklee College of Music audition – updated by the artistic growth he’s gained these past couple years. In a time when collapsed economics have many debating how to change the broken paradigm, Signor Benedick The Moor simply is writing his own story. A story of musical adventure, both lived and composed, that still gets to include a prestigious university but without all the student debt.
DBA133 True Neutral Crew – ‘#POPPUNK’ CS
The title of the 2nd release from True Neutral Crew, ‘#POPPUNK’, refers to the ghost possessing this collection of songs. Hiding beneath swathes of noise and big beat production are bright, joyous melodies and driving live drums. Quick and acrobatic rap verses are bookended with catchy pop hooks. At once both intricate and complex while still being simple and silly. While the krautrap aspirations from their debut mixtape remain, the spirit of hyperactive LA artpunk groups like Oingo Boingo and Sparks is likely behind the haunting. Is it all a riddle? Is it nonsense? Perhaps the best advice for deciding comes from the lyrics of the opening track, “It’s modern art. When you see it, see it for what it is.”
True Neutral Crew is Daveed Diggs (clipping.), Brian Kinsman (ex-Foot Village), Margot Padilla (I.E.), and Signor Benedick The Moor. ‘#POPPUNK’ welcomes a bunch of guests including Glasgow rapper diss1, industrial noise group Robedoor, Venezuelan balladeer Algodón Egipcio, beatpunk godfather Boo Hiss, pianist/composer Lauren Bousfield (ex-Nero’s Day At Disneyland), and noise-soul pioneer S.R. Cano (tik///tik).
DBA127 True Neutral Crew – ‘#MONSANTO’ CS
True Neutral Crew is a new project featuring Brian Kinsman of Foot Village, Margot Padilla of I.E., and Daveed Diggs of clipping. An exploration of krautrock inspirations from a hip-hop standpoint. Whatever the resulting genre may seem is as much a surprise to the group as the listener. Instead, the controlling element is entirely in approach. Every track is built from minimal live drums. Electronics are then added to construct the tracks. Then the entire group puts together a concept for the vocals. A simple technique to yield a unique playful sound.