Search - The Presence :: Members Only Ep

Out of the cosmos comes the constellation funk of The Presence. The Presence is a New York crew, featuring emcee/producer Nasa and emcee Cirrus. Well known to most for his work behind the boards, Nasa has engineered and mixed abstract hip-hop classics such as El-P?s "Fantastic Damage," Cannibal Ox?s "The Cold Vein," Aesop Rock?s "Bazooka Tooth" as well as work by Mr. Lif & Mike Ladd. Equally nice with the beats, his production credits include Candid Cam off of the Vast Aire solo album "Look Ma, No Hands" as well as tracks off of the Def Jux III compilation. Like their aforementioned peers, The Presence have no illusions of fitting into the mainstream side of the genre, but they want to make dope hip-hop that is unique and without commercial constraint. Thus the duo have ensured 100% creative control by forming their own label, Uncommon Records. The Presence?s sound is urban, drawn from their Gotham City surroundings, but also reaches for the otherworldly. Dense beats pump forth from their tracks, a rich collage of electronic pulses, vinyl samples and machine talk. Their wordplay ranges from the experimental to the political, sometimes within the same work. While many hip-hop classics deal with death from the streets, The Presence?s post 9/11 mindset sees danger in its global range. From the gutter hustla out to jack your ride to religious zealots blowing up our skies. The EP is a direct exploration of the feelings of uncertainty and fragility that accompany us daily while we go about our existence. Tracks such as "Cities Remembered In Pictures" focus on the aftermath of terrorism and war and "Lost In Limbo" (produced by Dig Dug) is the loss of control of your own life expectancy that everyone felt since 9/11. Other tracks go off of the topic, way off! "Calico City" Nasa explains with a laugh, "is the life of a domestic cat with no deeper meaning, it?s that simple." If you like posse cuts, don?t worry there?s a few on here too, such as the remix of "RazorFund" (originally featured on The Presence?s Def Jux 12" in 2003) featuring Vast Aire and Alaska. There is also the Uncommon Records all star posse cut "We Are" featuring label-mates, Stacs of Stamina (from Europe), Long Island?s Centri and production by instrumental artist, Arcsin. A sometime contributor to The Presence?s work, (providing live instrumentation and some melodic hooks) is James J Toth, vocalist/guitarist of indie-rock duo, The Blood Group. Expect The Presence full-length album "Common Man?s Anthems" in early 2005, a special preview of this upcoming LP is also contained on Members Only.