Ill Mondo
NEW ALBUM OUT! Ill Mondo - De Novo is FREE!
http://www.circleintosquare.com/item/de-novo
Ill Mondo is a hip-hop production duo based in the SF bay area. Consisting of JRK (Wide Hive Records) and Johnny Red (One Little Indian Records), Ill Mondo takes as much influence and inspiration from 70’s rock and soul as they do from 90’s hip-hop. Last year, Ill Mondo released their debut album: a collaboration with LA rapper Neal Rames, featuring legendary guests like Percee P, Sean Price, and Prince Po. The album received high critical praise and stayed at #9 on the CMJ Hip-Hop charts for 2 weeks.
Ill Mondo's newest album, De Novo, is a psychedelic exploration of epic proportions. Recorded on classic, vintage equipment in authentic 70's style, Ill Mondo employed dozens of studio musicians and a variety of vocalists to complete the album. The recordings started with a Kraut-rock influenced studio jam session, and the sessions were edited down before extensive overdubbing; Mellotron flutes and strings blend with live horn and string sections, latin percussion accents against the funky drums and a full choir section complements the space echo guitars. Each song features a different vocalist with a vast range of influence, including R&B, Folk, and Blues Rock. The result is as if David Axelrod produced a Funkadelic album with Talking Heads. Featuring a credit list of over 25 players, expert recording and mixing, Ill Mondo's De Novo is authentic psychedelic music with a funky rock edge that sounds just as at home in 1973 as it does today.
De Novo is available for free right here!
http://www.circleintosquare.com/item/de-novo
CONTACT:
Website: www.illmondo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/illmondo
Twitter: www.twitter.com/illmondo
Email:
HiphopDX.com | 3.5 / 5 Self-titled
“If you love Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique chances are you’ll find something to like in the new record from Ill Mondo and Neal Rames. It’s a thrill to hear extremely skilled musicians create a track from spare parts and emcees that are having fun playing with words with little care for current trends. This record is thoroughly enjoyable and worth your time.”
Treblezine.com | Self-titled
“Rames’ confident flows come from an old school approach, while Ill Mondo drops some outrageously funky production. Ill Mondo steals the show with their organic, crackly, bass-heavy beats. This is, quite simply, one of the funkiest things I’ve heard all year, and that makes it pretty fantastic.”
MP3 featured on TGIFJams.com | Self-titled
Ill Mondo / Neal Rames – I Know Right is featured on TGIFJams’ Thanksgiving playlist as “The Cranberry Sauce: a perfect addition to any musical meal.”
Interview with Rago Magazine (UK) |
"What tips and pointers do you have for rappers just coming into the game? Just do your thing and be true to it. Trend hopping or bending your own style just cheapens yourself and the music, and people can tell. If you’re authentic and develop your own sound and style, I think people really respond to that."
Interview with Rago Magazine (UK) |
"What tips and pointers do you have for rappers just coming into the game? Just do your thing and be true to it. Trend hopping or bending your own style just cheapens yourself and the music, and people can tell. If you’re authentic and develop your own sound and style, I think people really respond to that."
Impose Mag - Best of 2009 | #26 Self-titled
"Neal Rames / Ill Mondo's self-titled joint on Circle Into Square was the indie hip-hop surprise debut of the year, for "Gold Rush" and "Natalie Moore" alone. "
Impose Magazine | Self-titled
“It’s always reassuring when a crew can show up and make heads take notice based solely on the verbal spit and production grit. It’s an amalgamation of deep crates, dusty fingers, and confident wordplay that may stun you upon first listen. There’s always one album each year that completely catches you off-guard and ends up being one of your favorites. Ill Mondo and Neal Rames could claim that distinction for 2009."
Racketmag.com | 7/10 Self-titled
"It’s always good to get a Hip Hop record that cares more about lyricism and expression than creating dance cuts and “getting that dolla." Ill Mondo’s production, coupled with Neal Rames’ fluid vocals wind their way through a variety of tempos and styles... It sure will find it’s way onto my party mixes"
Amoeba Blog, Billy Jam | Self-titled
"And for the best new album cover art tribute to a bygone era album cover, Ill Mondo & Neal Rames‘ self-titled debut wins hands down for its nice reworking of Joe Jackson’s post-punk/new wave 1979 debut Look Sharp"
Interview with Platform8470 | Self-titled
Exclusive Interview Excerpt: "Ill Mondo's music is packed with funky live instruments and prog rock references. For their debut album, they collaborated with promising rapper Neal Rames, who, alongside Percee P, Prince Po and Sean P, easily tackled the particular production..."
Grindmodeconnect.com | Self-titled
"With a rich and deep feel the production compares to the best moments on Beastie Boys’ ‘Check Your Head.’ Neal Rames’ lyrical ability as he flips a style that would not be out of place on a Hieroglyphics album. Underground? Yes. Independent? Yes. Quality? No doubt. Don’t sleep.”
Fishandspaghetti.com | 3/5 Self-titled
“Neal Rames displays deft wordplay and a flow that is remarkable; he sounds very natural over Ill Mondo’s funky soundscapes.”
Rapreviews.com | 7/10 Self-titled
“Ill Mondo lays down a soulful mixture of horns and somber R&B over the tom-tom percussion… Neal Rames has definitely got that laid back Californian vibe. This album’s got enough good going for it to get my recommendation.”
Potholesinmyblog.com | 3.5/5 Self-titled
“Funky production with plenty of live instrumentation pepper the tracks that the capable Neal Rames handle with ease; Ill Mondo and Neal Rames should be applauded for making a record that retains a soulful, musical bent yet stays firmly rooted in Hip Hop’s core. This LP is one of the pleasant surprises in 2009 to date.”
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