Making a name and establishing a base in the music industry is a fascinating process, especially with a movement as young as the rapidly snowballing “beat” genre; small groups of musicians can spring up (WEDIDIT, Proximal) and be heard, regardless of esteem.  If the sound is good, a response will come.

Such was very much the case for Proximal Records, a fledgling hip hop label out of L.A., the beat movement’s mecca of choice. After releasing the free Beat Stew. Vol 1 & 2 compilations, Sahy Uhns and the rest of the Proximal team were able to get the name out, and a project came to be in the form of  Proximity One: A Narrative Of A City, a left-field hip hop compilation featuring the Proximal team and friends like Dâm Funk, Take, and Shlohmo.

Proximity One leads with style; Benedek‘s “Laser Forest”  is all chilled melodies and sticky funk.  Label boss Sahy Uhns takes a different route with “Fire Music”, however, as the track’s heavy hip hop stylings contrast with the mellower tracks leading the disc.  It’s clear that Proximal, like most labels dabbling in the “experimental” side of hip hop, has no defining characteristics or uniting sound, simply a desire for diversity and a drive for innovation.

The featured artists on Proximity leave no doubt of the label’s new-found and well earned stature in Los Angeles, as some of the beat movement’s heaviest hitters–Dâm Funk, Take, TOKiMONSTA, Shlohmo and Juj–appear on the compilation and willingly give their all.   “A Day At The Carnival” brings every bit of sugar-happy joy its name would suggest, with Dâm clearly in his element working the retro sound.  Shlohmo’s “Glue Stick” definitely warrants a listen as well; subtler than many of his heavily distorted rhythms, the track’s Asian melodies and foggy atmosphere show an emotional depth to Shlohmo’s production not often seen.

All in all, Proximity One carves the Proximal name into the face of Los Angeles, solidifying the label’s place among the most respected in the “beat” hip hop community.  With luck, the bonds created on the compilation will hold, and the label should become a household name for left-field hip hop heads.  You can buy Proximity One here, and xlr8r has been nice enough to give away Sahy Uhns’ remix of Dâm Funk’s track that was featured on the compilation.

Dâm Funk – A(nother) Day at the Carnival (Sahy Uhns’ Cosmic Songbird Remix)

Left-field hip-hop, wonky, whatever you want to call it, has been dominating my speakers for a while now; there’s something about a beat that’s both off and on-beat (if that makes any sense) that I can’t help but nod my head to.  The diversity of the “genre” is also why I love it; there are no standards, no norms, and no expectations– the loose association to hip-hop is the only thing grouping these artists together.  When I saw L.A. label Proximal Records‘ new mixtape Beat Stew Vol. 2 over on xlr8r I was initially drawn in by the presence of Juj (of the WEDIDIT camp) with 0. on the vocals, and upon downloading was introduced to some serious talent in the form of artists like Wake, Benedek, and label head Carl Burgin (who produces under the moniker Sahy Uhns [pronounced "Science"] and is pictured above).  The deceptively named Volume 2 is actually the third in the Beat Stew series, preceded by volumes 0 and 1.  The tapes showcase a variety of sounds, from hard-hitting hip-hop beats to tracks that border on house (though usually somewhat in jest, as track names like “Technoid Devirginizer” would suggest); eccentricity seems to be the only unifier.  I’ve posted some of my favorites, and you can grab all of the Beat Stew mixtapes for free on Proximal’s bandcamp.

Sahy Uhns – A-Team (wish this one was longer! such a sick beat)

Juj and 0. – SELF deTERMINATION

Wake – Babe What

Benedek & Lawrence Grey – Inner Ninja (from Beat Stew Vol. 1)

This new year has had me blathering a ton about the LA based crew wedidit, a group of guys with a similar mindset on the whole beat-making, thunder-stealing thing. One of the members Juj just dropped a new beat on their blog which utilizes some warped guitar chords and 70′s funk samples to dangerous effect. If you dig, catch a whole free CD of beats here and show him some love on myspace.

Juj – My Room

(photo via feelmybicep)

You may be sad to see no updates on this page for a while :(. We are holding off until the new year to launch the new version of Squeegie which will be very big, trust. Here are a few tracks I’m diggin at the moment to try and tide you over. Be sure to check the album artwork on them, cuz it wont be there for long ;).

White Denim – All Consolation

Juj – Don’t Hate on Tech Decks

2562 – Flashback

Washed Out – Hold Out

Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes (Dâm Funk Remix)

Here We Go Magic – Only Pieces

All files 128k. Support – White Denim, Juj, 2562, Washed Out, Animal Collective, Dâm Funk, Here We Go Magic.

:).