This film was featured on my best of 2021 list a few weeks back. Well the time has finally come for a proper review.

It was the 1980’s, NYC, there was a young boy sitting in front of the television. It was a normal after-school afternoon. There was Thundercats, G.I. Joe, Different Strokes, Gummi Bears, shit even Darkwing Duck. Then, my uncle came into the room and took command of the TV; switching the channel from MTV to some random channel on MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network).  The little boy was burning up into a temper tantrum when the screen turned into the Manhattan Skyline with lightning effects and a giant boombox rising from the horizon and the words VIDEO MUSIC BOX in giant letters stretching across the screen.  It was the Video Music Box show hosted by Uncle Ralph McDaniels and that little boy now captivated with what he saw was a young SamHaINe.

VMB was created in 1983 by Ralph McDaniels and Lionel C. Martin, who also serve as the series’ hosts. It aired on the New York City-owned public television station WNYC-TV (now WPXN-TV) from 1984 to 1996. In 1996, the program moved to WNYE-TV after WNYC-TV was sold by the city to a private company. Presenting new R&B music alongside popular rap videos, the show appealed to teens and young adults. The program still runs to this day and some footage from its video archives consisting of live footage and interviews can be seen on their own YouTube channel and uploaded by lifelong fans.

The brainstorm of a Queens DJ with an internship at Manhattan Neighborhood network to produce and host a Video Show consisting of mostly HipHop artists with a supporting team consisting of Lionel “The Vic”, Crazy Sam and others. They promoted events in the Five Burroughs and elsewhere. They filmed new, unsigned and Industry artists either in large arena venues and more intimate concerts at places like the TUNNEL, The Roxy and even the SKATE KEY. They interviewed artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, X CLAN, Wu Tang Clan, Dipset, Queen Latifah, Kool Kieth, Bad Boy Entertainment and anyone you can name. But, it wasn’t just the artists. It was our culture being showcased back to us. Most VMB episodes consisted of partygoers and locals grabbing the mic for their five minutes of fame. Video Music Box was the birthplace of the “SHOUT OUT” and where we picked up our Hip Hop slang and Fashion.  

The documentary covers all of this perfectly with the direction of Nasir “Nas” Jones and produced by MASS APPEAL. The interviews are all over the place with appearances by Tracy Morgan, Jay Z, Roxanne Shante, Raekwon & Ghostface, Mike Tyson, Puffy Combs, Havoc of MOBB DEEP, Crazy Large Professor, Wendy Williams, Fat Joe, Chuck Chillout and others. But, it’s the show footage that is the gem. Moments in time frozen for our nostalgia and the future generation to see and appreciate what paved the way for the corporate backed rappers of today.

A beautiful documentary about a wonderful artistic culture birthed from a wonderfully gritty and cultured place that you had to live there to know it. In the words of DJ PREMIERE, “Underground will live forever.”

Stay sharp, Stay fly, Stay in the know and have knowledge of self. But, always keep your finger on that REWIND button. Because, you won’t know how far you’ve come until you understand where you’ve been.

Movie Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7v_JeZBKNg 

For those unfamiliar with your work: where are you from and what is it that first drew you towards electronic music?

Hi, I’m Miles Matrix, a Synthwave / 80s Electro producer based in Vienna. I’m also a Synthwave DJ. I’ve been living in Vienna for about ten years now. I was born in Gibraltar but grew up in Germany after our family moved around Europe including France for a while.

I’ve been into electronic music all of my life really. Some of my first cassettes were 80s Electro, or “breakdance music”. I also had some cassette compilations where some artists covered popular tracks as synthesizer instrumental pieces, so I got into the sound very early. My taste in music is pretty eclectic, I am a huge Oasis fan too for example but electronic music has probably been the most steady constant in my life. I remember in the 90s, in my teens, I used to listen to recordings from the Love Parade and dance on my own to all the Techno, turning my desk light on and off again, to imitate a strobe.

The liner notes for LA BOUM mention a mixtape that introduced you to “Breakdance Music”. What brought you to consider fully embracing this sound for this latest album?

Yeah, that was a cassette a classmate of mine recorded for me in primary school. He was into breakdance, and while I couldn’t dance myself, I loved the music a lot. It was only years later I realized that was actually old-school electro, basically one of the origins of the dance music we listen to today. I never stopped loving the sound, and after a couple of albums where I was going for a more traditional Synthwave sound, now was the time for me to go down this route. And I must say I feel pretty happy on this road and I can imagine exploring this Electro sound even more on upcoming releases. There’s something very refreshing in this sound.

LA BOUM by Miles Matrix

Can you tell us a little about the gear you used to bring the 80s’ Electro sound back to life?

So I think the most important aspect in production was dedicating myself to some minimalism. As a synthwave producer, you tend to go all-in on FX and soundscapes, trying to be very cinematic or dark, which very often results in a million tracks in the DAW. Obviously, this approach wouldn’t be very authentic for a sound rooted in the 80s. But far more importantly it actually boosted my creative energies having to work with a limited amount of tracks. It forces you to focus on the essential parts of a song. It’s a challenge from a composition perspective as you can’t cheat your way around boring parts with “more FX / more pads / more sounds”.

My approach was to deconstruct what old-school Electro is made of. Essentially, it boils down to these parts: A groovy bassline, an infectious hook, reverb and delay, and most importantly: percussion. Electro gets its groove from an offbeat kick and the snare playing regularly on the 2 and 4. From there you can get really creative with hi-hats, cymbals, cowbell, rim shots and percussive effects. The percussion is the most important part of Electro.

In terms of gear, I had a hybrid approach. I composed a couple of my album songs on my Roland MC-101 and TR-08, giving them a finishing touch in my DAW. But also in the DAW I worked with authentic samples from the 808, 909, 727 and 505. The synths I used were nothing special because I was going for a raw sound, and based on the feedback so far, it really worked out.

Currently, I am working on translating the album to a hardware gear-only live set with my MC-101 and TR-08 and Monotribe. The concept is to have one continuous set and to that end, I am remixing every album song for a live performance to give it a bigger club touch. We are currently in lockdown but I can’t wait to perform the album live!

What are the aspects of NYC Club music and Breakdance music that hit you in ways that more modern dance or hip hop music fail to do?

I wouldn’t say “old music” is per se better or modern music worse. I listen to a lot of current electronic music. But I find myself returning to the “olden times” a lot. In terms of what I like to produce myself, this sweet spot in the 80s where acts like Newcleus, Egyptian Lover, Hashim and others were redefining electronic music, very much inspired by Kraftwerk on the one hand and disco and early hip hop culture on the other hand, this sweet spot really gets me. I love it.

Tell us a little about the songs ‘COUNTACH THIS!’ and ‘CUPCAKES’. What’s the story about these tracks about Lambos and Cupcakes?

Hahaha, it’s so funny to see the reactions to these particular songs. I know this is a very disappointing answer but there isn’t a huge story behind them, to be honest. Here’s the thing: When producing the instrumentals I tend to give them working titles, mostly some random word I come up with on the spot, which in this case was “Cupcakes” and “Lambo #5” respectively. And then I basically just started ad-libbing to the beats and that’s how the lyrics came about. I then sent them through a text-to-speech software and voilà. Countach this is of course a pun based on MC Hammer’s hit, but it just fit so perfectly. And Cupcakes, well, let’s just say I got carried away while ad-libbing…

If you were to book 5 artists from that classic 80s era for the perfect Breakdancing music night, who would you choose?

Damn, only 5??? That’s tough. I think I’d book Chris “The Glove” Taylor to DJ the night. I’d want Egyptian Lover, Newcleus and Cybotron to perform, with Ice-T emceeing the event. I think that would be so dope!

Closing off with the question I ask at the end of every interview: name one of your favorite albums, movies and books.

Tough again, haha. It always depends on the mood I’m in but I’ll give it a try. Album: The Crystal Method – Vegas. Movie: Jerry Maguire. Book: The Cartel Trilogy by Don Winslow!

Thanks to Miles Matrix for taking the time to answer our questions!

Miles Matrix ‘La BOUM’ is out now via Bandcamp and will be released on Spotify in December.

LA BOUM by Miles Matrix

The album strikes a clean balance between old-school Breakdance-oriented Electro-Funk and Club-oriented Dance beats and makes a strong case for one of the eighties’ more underappreciated subcultures, where style and attitude were the name of the game.  Whether you’re into flashy sportscars or have a serious (borderline psychotic) fixation on cupcakes, ‘LA BOUM’ has got you covered.

If your strain of eighties nostalgia includes memories of Afrika Bambaataa’s ‘Planet Rock’, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC and Captain Rock, LA BOUM is most definitely the throwback party you’ve been waiting for. Standing still isn’t an option.

Favorite Tracks: KID MIDI, COMPUTERMUSIC

Miles Matrix ‘La BOUM’ is out now via Bandcamp and will be released on Spotify in December.

It was a late night in Arizona.

I was just starting to relax and rest after a long shift at work as a cook when I decided to scroll and browse through Instagram for brain food or cerebral junk to consume. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary or exceptionally inspiring.

Until, I passed by a short clip of a music video with a well light car with a dapperly dressed MC spitting in the driver seat. The music didn’t quite fit what you’d expect from a contemporary Rap video or any underground HIP HOP video. It wasn’t that god-awful mumble trap rap and it wasn’t boom-bap. It was more vaporwave with hints of synth. It was the music video for Anthony Danza’s – “At All Costs” from his album The BBS Diaries (2019).

The West Coast producer that’s worked with such names as Nipsey Hustle, Torey Lanez and many more has just released his new project BBS Diaries vol 2 and it is fire.

From the opening track “The Way You Like it”, Anthony rewards his fans with exactly the same energy and vibe he unleashed on his previous BBS Diaries with crisp vocals over the S.O.S. Bands “Just the way you like it”. Perfect way to break the ice on a night in quarantine. I immediately switched on my blacklight and sat up at my work desk like I was in a Miami Vice scene.

The following tracks keep the momentum going with nostalgic productions that reference the underrated era of late 80’s & early 90’s R&B but, updated and saturated with synths and crisp mixing. The vocals are lovely as F*$%. The lyrical content is silk flows and metaphors about life on the streets. It’s uptempo rhymes and 80’s glam. “Big Body” with Larry June is perfect for the hookah lounge on Saturday night or a blacklit dance club hidden away somewhere in LA’s lurid nightlife.
There’s even small interludes to break up the progression of songs; all voice mail messages from an unknown promoter that sounds like Ken Kaniff from Connecticut. The two gems on the album is “We Follow” which features a piece sampled from retro artists THE MIDNIGHT. “We Follow” also showcases Danza at his most retrospective with lines like “We had no chance probably, we idolized Pablo/ Shawn Carter gave us the blueprint, we bravo/ Tony and Carlito, George and Alpo, they all come from nothing like us, so they sparkle/” painting a collage of real and fictious role models that most of us knew we wrong but, like they did, streets have to eat; disillusioned with an instinct to survive in the ruins.
“Away from the path of the system where we watched our mothers get pressed and our fathers get swallowed.” Deep and poignant lyrics.

And my second favorite track would be “Get Hot” feat. Che Blaq a optimistic and upbeat track about well keeping things above board and not letting anyone else’s misery get you down and pulses with the energy of Madonna’s “Get into the Groove” propelling it forward.

Definitely go and give this album a listen and his other two albums. I’d give this three thumbs up and a rewind.