The Witzard

Jumbled watering his pumpkins (SOURCE: John Bachman) So, by now, anyone who regularly reads this site should know we are long-time, supporters, and fans of anything our beat-making friend from Baltimore, John Bachman (otherwise known as Jumbled) creates and releases to the masses. With that said, Jumbled is back with his latest seasonal EP, Project 138. Yes, this is a project primarily featuring samples from New Jersey's own Horror Punk pioneers, The Misfits, and, maybe, even some Samhain & Danzig, too. It's hard to tell, though, because Jumbled layers samples and creates his beats so well, but Glenn Danzig and company are sampled throughout; Project 138, also, incorporates audio soundbites about The Misfits and their genre-altering rise to fame like bats out of Hell. Project 138 by Jumbled Bachman describes his inspirations behind creating the ghoulish project as, "there have been a few "inspired by..." Rap projects lately, but I feel like they haven...

Spoken Nerd & Juan Cosby have worked together on a number of occassions over the years—most notably, a 2016 one-off collaboration and comic book entitled "MC DOOM" —but now, they've re-joined forces once more for a proper rapper/producer full-length album. United by hustle and an unmatchable enthusiasm for Alternative Hip-Hop, Spoken Nerd & Juan Cosby have teamed to make the Synth-Pop/Hip-Hop-fused LP, GRAPES. GRAPES was, actually, first concocted as word of a rumored re-boot of Tales from The Crypt landed in the ears of Nathan Conrad. The whispers of re-birth for the series stoked the fire of nostalgia in fans of former years, but simultaneously sparked a larger scheme in the Nashville-based rapper, Spoken Nerd. Wheels turning, Nathan Conrad AKA Spoken Nerd shared his ideas of cultivating a Tales from The Crypt mixtape to Cincinnati-based producer, Juan Cosby. Surely, the "on-brand" Horror-themed lyrics of Spoken Nerd would mesh seamlessly with the ...

School is back in session across the Nation and our favorite teacher, husband, father, beat-maker, and dish-washer, John "Jumbled" Bachman has shared a new 7-track EP for your communte to and from work/school. Bachman is back with JUMBLED'S JUKEBOX, a collection of Doo-Wop inspired Hip-Hop. Jumbled describes it as "a project inspired by Tuesday night trips to the grocery store—jumping in the car and hearing the Doo-Wop radio show on 90.5 WKHS, out of Kent County, Maryland." JUMBLED'S JUKEBOX makes good use of "songs that have been long-forgotten by most, but are still cherished by some." It showcases a selection of vocalists over Jumbled's bare-bones instrumentation that harken back to simpler, times. This brief collection contains a varied assortment of beats with Jumbled choosing to not just sample Doo-Wop harmonies, but, also, include songs (samples? beats?) that maintain that vibe, as well. Jumbled's Jukebox by Jumbled Guests hear...

Earlier this week, Philly-based rapper, producer, and resident weirdo Darko The Super announced the sheer existence of his new album available for pre-order. Cruising with Darko & The Jets will be released this upcoming Friday, September 3rd (the next Bandcamp Friday ) through his friends at Cold Rhymes Records. Along with the album announcement and pre-order, Darko shared the first single from Cruising with Darko & The Jets, "Loner." It's been described as Darko The Super's Ghostface Killah-inspired homage over a Philadelphia Soul classic by The Nu-Ron's. Darko was seemingly exposed to said sample by Peter Maxwell "Max" Ochester at Brewerytown Beats/Records. Max's imprint, Brewerytown Records, recently released a digital collection titled All My Life (The Songs of Manny Campbell) featuring, amongst other dusty stand-outs, The Nu-Rons' "I'm A Loner," as sampled by Darko The Super throughout "Loner." Cruising...

Since re-launching Cold Rhymes Records a few years back around the time of the release of Mind Moves The Mountain (2017) Dan "Height" Keech has stayed extremely busy. Cold Rhymes' roster now includes 83cutlass, Ardamus, Darko The Super, Emceein' Eye Height Keech, ialive/Donovan Days, Jack Toft, Kate Ferencz, MISTER, Off The Meat Rack, P.T. Burnem, Param Anand Singh, (rapper) andrew. Shark Tank, Speak N' Eye, Trauma Lavern, Vans_Westly, and Wounds. The bulk of said recent releases having been produced by Height Keech himself, along with ialive (together, as Necessary People,) art direction provided by Height's sideman MISTER AKA CoolGuyBry, and mastered by C$ BURNS. Earlier this year, Height produced the entirety Ardamus' Astro Blocks with the exception of one beat, "Tunnel Light," produced by Necessary People. Plus, Necessary People made their proper production debut across andrew.'s second Cold Rhymes offering, W.O.T.W. Additionally, I BET...

Tribute to George Floyd for @mic By: Dewey Bryan Saunders (@deweysaunders) This is a very rare occasion, but I'm at a loss for words... but, in all seriousness, these are very strange, upsetting, and uncertain times. Not only re we all grappling with separation anxiety, cabin fever, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO,) and extreme uncertainty amidst this global COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic, but, as you may have seen on the news, we're dealing with a whole other crisis now, as well: racial injustice. We're in no position to speak on behalf of The Black & Brown Communities, but anyone who was raised with any sense of morals, values, etc. knows whats going on right now across The United States, and, I'm assuming across the whole world everyday, is completely unjust and wrong. No one deserves to die based solely on their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ideals and values, etc. and we, as an entity, stand in solidarity with The Black & Brown Communities. Today...

Monday morning, self-described "Rap singer, song-writer, beat-maker, and pal" Donovan "ialive" Phillips quietly announced he'll be releasing his fourth (fifth?) solo studio album, I'LL WAIT FOREVER , later this month. It will be his fourth consecutive release with Baltimore-based Cold Rhymes Records run and operated by Dan "Height" Keech & MISTER AKA Cool Guy Bry . We first heard about ialive through an interview posted by John "Jumbled" Bachman on his blog a few years back with both Donnie & Darko The Super , together, billed as The Hellhole Store . ialive 's Height Keech -produced TIMEWAVE ZERO (2017) and self-produced follow-up, DON'T DO NOTHING (2019) were, easily, two of our favorite Hip-Hop albums of the last few years. I'LL WAIT FOREVER is the direct follow-up to ialive 's Odds & Ends-style 2019 EP, ODD ORTS , which boasts remixes from both Juan Cosby & Unsung. Now, it appears as though this...

A Soundtrack For Real Justice: A Fundraiser For The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund by hectic zeniths hectic zeniths is the "mixed media collage time travel film score justice reform trip-hop music video comix shoegaze lo-fi art horror solo piano loop pedal synth pop hip-hop project" of Philly-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Adam Prince . It appears as though hectic zeniths has been active since about 2011 and Prince often records and releases music as amplifya , as well. hectic zeniths produced two tracks included on Darko The Super 's 2018 album, Bogus Poetry In The Dizzy Age and has also, recorded with Seattle-based emcee sketch lightly as said the starling . Now, hectic zeniths has returned with his first proper release since 2017's layercakes remastered, A Soundtrack for Real Justice: A Fundraiser for The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund . A Soundtrack for Real Justice... is a fundraiser/benefit comp. with 100% of proceeds raised being donated...

NOOB SAIBOT 1-4 is an upcoming series of releases from Joshua Rogers at Illuminated Paths/Broken Machine Films Presents... (or BMFP...) which I've, personally, been hearing rumblings about for quite a while now. I believe, I've been hearing about NOOB SAIBOT 1-4 from Mr. Rogers just about as long as VIPER & Broken Machine Films Presents... BOUT THA MONEY , both of which were fairly recently re-mixed/mastered by Dan "Height" Keech at Cold Rhymes Records. Joshua Rogers/BMFP... has a very unique cut-and-paste style of creating Hip-Hop, Vaporwave, and largely genre-eschewing music culled from a nearly 20-year vault of original production work curated/created by Mr. Rogers himself; using "strictly cassette-to-cassette and VHS/record-to-cassette manipulation and layering, utilizing only vintage tape decks and medium," much like BOUT THA MONEY . NOOB SAIBOT 1 was quietly released by Illuminated Paths on Friday, August 30, 2019 with NOOB SAIBOT 2-4 , r...

"We got something special for you today. ialive & The Custodian of Records teamed up to bring you this one-off gentle heat. Make it rain on the boys with half dollars," Cold Rhymes Records ecstatically posted on their Facebook page early Tuesday morning. ialive & The Custodian of Records' (TCOR) debut collaborative stand-alone single together, "INTERVALS," was quietly released late Monday night into Tuesday morning. It appears as though "INTERVALS" came to fruition rather organically, as ialive & The Custodian of Records are, simply, fans and mutual admirers of each other's work; "I believe, I reached out to ialive after peeping "THE OUGHTS" video and then, purchasing TIME WAVE ZERO and enjoying the album. He may have expressed interest in a possible collaboration, so I sent him a couple tracks and this is the one he chose," TCOR recently explained to The Witzard, via email. Intervals (prod. The Custod...

Trenton, New Jersey -based emcee/frontman Raymond "Ray" Strife released so many projects last year, we couldn't even keep up—well, my wedding was this past October, as well!—but seriously, Ray put out a BUNCH of music throughout 2018. He released his Ill-Omega -produced full-length follow-up to 2017's critically-acclaimed Preface: I Will Never Be Beautiful EP , Go for The Gusto , #BFF EP with his real-life BFF's Roebus One & Ill-Omega originally recorded back in 2013, and HARD FEELINGS EP from his "Negative" Hardcore band, OVER EVERYTHING . Now, at the top of 2019, Ray Strife has already returned from a holiday vacation to France with a previously unreleased track entitled "Think of how a Castrated Horse Feels," which takes its name from a lyric within Nirvana 's "I Hate Myself & Want to Die" from 1993's The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience compilation. It appears as though Doc Heller 's "Think o...

Donovan "ialive" Phillips is a self-described "Rap-singer-songwriter/beat aficionado/musical collector" hailing from The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . ialive has released numerous collaborative and solo projects over the years, but hasn't released a tried and true "solo" album since 2015's Awake In The Snake Hole . However, in recent years, he's released collaborative projects with both Darko The Super as The Hell Hole Store and TIMEWAVE ZERO with Height Keech , as well as Four to The Floor 1-2 EP's with Cody Cody Jones ... just this past week, ialive announced his long-awaited third solo album, DON'T DO NOTHING , which will be dropping on Height 's Cold Rhymes Records Friday, January 11, 2019. DON'T DO NOTHING was fully produced, recorded, and mixed by ialive himself at The Green Gem in Philly with mastering done by Vinyl Cape 's own C$ BURNS . On the most recent episode of THIS COLD RHYM...

united vizion by Gould '72 united vizion is the first release from the artist formerly known as all these fingers AKA âtƒ . Since 2008, the mysterious Detroit -based producer and beat-maker released 50 full-length projects, as well as various EP's, singles, etc. and worked with the likes of Bishop Nehru , Darko The Super, The Hell Hole Store , Hemlock Ernst, Infinity Frequencies , Jack Wilson, Mr. Muthaf**kin' eXquire , and Yzal The Praxis. Just this past March, all these fingers uploaded his 50TH and final release as âtƒ , 悪い受信 . Along with 悪い受信 's digital and cassette release, âtƒ shared an extremely heart-felt note to all of his fans and supporters, which you can read in-full at the bottom of this very post. Now, just a few mere months later, âtƒ has returned under a brand new recording alias, Gould '72 , with the aforementioned united vizion . When compared against his past work as all these fingers/âtƒ , Gould '72 is far more instrument-based than H...

Darko Save The Queen by Darko The Super Just since the top of 2018, Darko The Super has released a myriad of releases including Buzzy Linhart Changed My Life , Doc Heller's Or Do I Eat This Sandwich?! Bogus Poetry In The Dizzy Age , and Creative Casualty on U DONT DESERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL ART (UDDTBA) as well as Stories of a Made Up Year produced by Height Keech on Cold Rhymes Records , The Hell Hole Store's "I'll Take What I Can Get" Feat. Open Mike Eagle on Already Dead Tapes , and "Bike Spokes" as part of The Custodian of Records' Qwuickieleaks Challenge and a few more loosely released tracks. Now, a few months removed from it's initial release, Darko has decided to revisit a few tracks from Creative Casualty originally released on Pale Blue Records/UDDTBA back in April on limited edition 10-inch lathe-cut vinyl, as well as digital album; "Don't stop me now, buddy guy. The Summer of Darko continues! Darko Save The Queen 7-in...

"Cold Rhymes [Records] has long been my own label for my own solo albums. I started releasing other people's music under the Cold Rhymes banner last Spring. Recently, my pals Mister & ialive have joined me in working behind-the-scenes to make this label a reality. This is a compilation of songs from all our recent/forthcoming releases. The title comes from Kate Ferencz's opening track. In engaging with all these hard-working people over the last year, I'm constantly reminded how we're all engaged in a race against time. We all have to draw up our own battle plans and wage our own wars against the clock to bring this music and art into existence. I think, it's true that there isn't very much time and I'm amazed at the resolve my compatriots have to fight this fight." - Height Keech (Cold Rhymes Records) There Isn't Very Much Time: 14 Ice-Cold Devastators From Cold Rhymes Records by Kate Ferencz 1. Kate Ferencz - "Who Do You Real...