Mikooshka, Guest musicians and vocalists: Ulysses Castellanos, Grey Coyote, Jeff Simpson, Paul Schedlich
Influences
Beastie Boys (Paul’s Boutique), Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, James Brown, Bob Marley, Hugh Masekela, Osibisa, Stereo MC’s (DJ-Kicks), Thievery Corporation, London Elektricity, A Tribe Called Quest (Low End Theory), De La Soul, New Order, The Smiths, The Orb, Chemical Brothers, The Clash, The Jam, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., Stone Roses, Ride (Nowhere), Marc Grainge
Sounds Like
Thievery Corporation DJ-Kicks, Mr. Scruff, Bonobo, A Forest Mighty Black, Da Lata, Prefuse 73, Savath and Savalas, Daedelus, AIM, The Herbaliser, DJ Shadow, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, The Avalanches, alternative downtempo hip-hop with dubby ambience , Afro-Brazilian percussion, organic samples from jazz, latin and rock. In short, a sonic stew strong on melody and long on funky groove. Dub-hop. World-tronica.
This innovative graffiti video features Mikooshka's trademark funky beats and is set in the alleys and backstreets of Toronto. The video was shot with a Motorola Razr cellphone.
THE JOURNEY > In the late 1980s Marc Grainge rescued me from the heavy metal abyss with some tasty Brit-pop ala The Smiths and The Cure. Punk ruled as skateboarding took over, and rap was hot too. The Clash, The Beasties - hearing hip-hop, punk and reggae merge in a super-modern fusion. Yes, that inspired. After quite a few years spent in guitar-based post-punk indie bands I got turned on to computer-based music around 2002. Years spent honing this craft, and learning the fine art of programming and sample slicing, have led me to the promised beat-land. 2008 brings new stylings to the downtempo / hip-hop mix, including afro-beat and dub. Truly global vibes, and always tough beats. Seen?
