Stones Throw 211 Items

The mysterious Tuxedo Funk Crew drops it in full length in 2015!

The mysterious Tuxedo Funk Crew drops it in full length in 2015!

“The only time you wear a Tuxedo is when it’s time to party.”

So says legendary West Coast player Snoop Dogg on the opening track of “Tuxedo II”. The blessing of the Doggfather is of special importance to Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One, whose second album as a duo finds them at the forefront of a new wave of gangster boogie - one that owes as much to G-funk as P-funk.This is the territory of pre- and post-hydraulic low riders: a mélange of Cali boom-bap, analog synth bass and elegant disco that resonates truth and authenticity in an era where so many are faking the funk.

Bonding over a shared love of Chic, Parliament, and the other signs in the greater funk Zodiac, Mayer Hawthorne (Aquarius) and Jake One (Taurus) were early predictors of the sea changes that American music would undergo in 2016. Their first release of 2015 debuted at #1 on iTunes America’s RnB charts, christened as “Dance Floor Catnip” by the Boston Globe, and “Pure disco-funk hot fire” by Okayplayer. Considering their individual successes (Mayer’s four solo albums, Jake’s production work for the likes of Drake, Future, The Weeknd, and De La Soul) and five Grammy nominations between the two of them, it’s no surprise that their powers combined have yet again yielded a bevy of absolute slappers that are packaged perfectly for dance parties in 2017. The material here, while wholly original, is an exercise in honoring its forebears. “Tuxedo II” recalls the future funk wobble of Zapp, Gap, Jam/ Lewis and Junie Morrison, while nodding lyrically to Mtume, Jodeci and Cameo.The crystallization of the album’s concept comes courtesy of its message of universal love; thanks to the signature combination of soul and pop sensibility that have come to define Mayer’s hooks.

“You gotta do what you love...” says Mayer in a recent interview with Nordstrom’s style blog, one of the many fashion outlets to cover Tuxedo’s rise. After all - the transcendental ritual of the party and the rippling self affirmation of the funk are of one spirit: the spirit of self love...of self expression. “Tuxedo II” is a modern testament to unity and positivity in trying times. It is a reminder that the dance floor will always be there to welcome you, whoever you are.

Tuxedo is back with a new single, “Shy,” the follow up to their critically acclaimed “II” album. In collaboration with the iconic funk band, Zapp. Tuxedo delivers a highly addictive new funk single for the dance floor.

10-inch, shaped picture disc. “Peach Fuzz” is Tyler, the Creator's reworked version of Prophet's “Wanna Be Your Man” produced by Prophet, Mndsgn, and Swarvy. The record has the two tracks on Sides A & B. The record is packaged in a poly bag with printed O-card.

When Vex Ruffin’s family moved from Northridge, California to the City of Parañaque in the Philippines, their first car was a Toyota LiteAce. Swooping around the thick Metro Manila traffic between colorful jeepneys and tricycles in the compact van left a strong impression on young Vex. The Toyota LiteAce was immensely popular in early 90s Manila — beloved for its durability and reliability — and enjoys an intense, affectionate following to this day. Vex’s family’s LiteAce would hold his parents upfront, and him and his three younger siblings behind as they cruised in comfort.

Fast forward three decades and Vex is raising two young boys with his wife in the Inland Empire while working two jobs. In between those responsibilities, he cooked up his third Stones Throw LP LiteAce Frequency at his kitchen table, a collection of songs influenced by 70s Manila Sound and Pinoy soul. Other ingredients like Japanese funk, Brazilian sounds, and hip-hop made their way into the recipe. “At my age, you start to reflect,” Vex says, “I’m going back to my roots, channelling that time, mixing nostalgia with how I am right now. ”

What is LiteAce Frequency? “It’s the vehicle that gets you going in the right direction. Hop in and tap into the LiteAce Frequency — it will guide you to the right path.”

“If you don't believe in yourself, that's a fear,” Vex says. “I think everyone is good at something. Everyone has a dream. Sometimes there’s a voice inside you that’s guiding you, and you don't follow it because of fear. This album is about going with your heart. Follow your heart. Self-love. Positive things. Believe in yourself. Going for it.”

Vex Ruffin also finds inspiration in one of his biggest passions — boxing. “Boxing is life. You get hit, you fall down, you get back up, you hit back, but all that matters is that you finish it. Keep coming, don’t stop no matter what.” He feels a close affinity with Bernard Hopkins: “As he got older, he got better. That's me. I'm not getting any younger, but I am getting better. Hopkins has many styles. He can adapt.”

LiteAce Frequency documents Vex’s growth from his first show, more than 10 years ago, in his friend’s backyard. “I’m more mature, more experienced. A lot more mellow. A lot more at peace,” he says.

He compares his music to a kale salad: “It's definitely organic. It’s healthy. There’s not much music like that — healthy music. I’m not perfect — not 100% positive all the time. But my goal is to be that positive influence. When I make the music, it's for myself first and foremost, but it's going to reach people. And it might help them. In the end, I hope that's what it does.”

Ten new tracks from Chino, CA’s favorite son Vex Ruffin, only on cassette!

Mister Mellow moves further away from the synthesizer-heavy sounds of the recent Washed Out releases and more band-driven sound of his work on iconic labels Sub Pop in America, and Domino in Europe. On Mister Mellow, Greene draws from the experimental collage techniques of musique concrète and plunderphonics artists such as The Residents. Combining styles as diverse as free jazz, house, hip-hop and psych together with interlude-esque voiceover samples, often pulled from anonymous YouTube vlogs, he creates a busy, chaotic, and caricaturish mix that mirrors the claustrophobic, hyper-stimulated psyche so familiar to young adults.

As he continues to carve out his innovative sonic identity, influenced by the world around him but unafraid to buck trends, it’s fitting that Greene has partnered with legendary hip hop label Stones Throw Records, long a home for beat-loving musical rebels. His approach to releasing music is every bit as individual, too: in an environment where compiling singles into an album format or working with a single video director are the norm, Greene has chosen to commission eleven different artists to bring the visual aspect of his fully-realised album project to life.

On Mister Mellow, Washed Out steers clear of emotion to empathise with the minutiae of the world around him. “I’ve been much less interested in sentimentality and emotion for the past couple of years,” says Greene, “In some ways, I think its a reaction against getting older and having more responsibilities. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for a time in my life where I could just relax and block out the world for a moment.” Though Mister Mellow is an intensely personal album, its ideas and observations speak to the lived experience of so many young adults, an experience that we come to see as both funny and sad.

Still in shrink but opened. 2009 reissue.

Another Madlib's Yesterdays New Quintet alias, another piece of smoked out electronic Jazz by Otis Jackson Jr.!