Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is That Dude
by The High Decibels from the 2008 album The High Decibels on Rolling Jack Records.
The friendship and creative partnership of Duke Johnson and Chief goes all the way back to their schoolyard days, and tomorrow they’ll release their debut album as The High Decibels. Grounded in a love for live instrumentation, old-school hip-hop and blues music, The HDs are hoping to take indie rap into another dimension. Johnson cut his teeth doing slam poetry in the San Francisco Bay area, recently placing himself among the elite in that region. Chief holds things down onstage while an assortment of live musicians provide the rock, funk and blues beats that cast the duo into the stratosphere. Early Beastie Boys and De La Soul provide the nearest touchstones for The HDs sound, but their hybrid is fresh off the lot, and I guarantee future hip-hop groups will be taking it for a spin. Definitely check out their debut album, dropping tomorrow, and stay tuned to their MySpace page for tour updates. Here’s a clip of the guys performing That Dude
in a Berkeley backyard:
