Fake For Real - Tag - XololanxinxoThe English written companion of Fake For Real: since 1997, reviews and articles about rap music2024-03-11T20:40:46+01:00Sylvain Bertoturn:md5:a035ff44a020bb716e18191580d6e9ecDotclearOF MEXICAN DESCENT - Exitos y Mas Exitosurn:md5:074e9ff911db9a8ed943148c140b98812016-03-21T22:43:00+01:002023-01-21T23:07:29+01:00codotusylvAlbums2MexXololanxinxo <p>By this time, Alejandro Ocana, a.k.a. 2Mex, had not joined Key Kool and Rhettmatic's Visionaries yet. And Daniel Rodriguez, a.k.a. Xololanxinxo, wasn't a member of Toca. Both Chicano rappers, actually, were part of Of Mexican Descent, a duo affiliated to Afterlife. <em>Exitos y Mas Exitos</em>, a 7-track LP, released originally on wax only, is the best remnant of this age. It would be re-released in 1998 on cassettes and CD-Rs, inclusive of a few bonus tracks, but it is mainly on a digital format that most fans would get hold of it, until the mid-2000's, when Busdriver would decide to make it available again on Temporary Whatever, his own label.</p>
<p><img src="https://english.fakeforreal.net/public/Pochettes/2006/of-mexican-descent-exitos-y-mas-exitos.jpg" alt="OF MEXICAN DESCENT - Exitos y Mas Exitos" title="OF MEXICAN DESCENT - Exitos y Mas Exitos" /></p>
<p><strong>Temporary Whatever :: 1997 / 2006 :: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HDRAS0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000HDRAS0&linkCode=as2&tag=fafore05-20&linkId=ZLU7DYLTN2DISK3O" hreflang="en">buy this record</a></strong></p>
<p>With this <em>Edicion de Lujo</em>, everything was now available on a CD in good standard. In addition, it was enriched with two videos, a live song, and a few other tracks recorded by the duo from 1993 through 1998, for example the great "Night and Day", featuring Circus and an impressive organ-based beat produced by Omid, originally released on the latter's classic <em>Beneath the Surface</em>. To be honest, all these songs didn't necessarily fit with one another, and the sound quality could change substantially from one track to another. As a matter of fact, the extended version of <em>Exitos y Mas Exitos</em> was neither a true album, nor a compilation. It was more an archive, or a documentary, or the testimony of an era; but what an era!</p>
<p>In California, by 1997, hip-hop's West Coast Underground was at the crossroads. It was transitioning from the Good Life Café years, to their bastard son: the huge indie rap scene of the end of the 90's. It was the days, actually, when the stylistic fantasies of the Project Blowed would turn into some kind of new psychedelia; "Money Is Meaningless", for example, would anticipate the hallucinated raps of Anticon's Dose One. It was a time when a rap subgenre mostly focused on the virtuosity of its MCs, would start mixing with rock music, when it would give way to some guitar rap songs, and pretty good ones. All these tracks from Of Mexican Descent, where CVE or Iriscience of the Dilated Peoples would feature, and whose producers would be Nobody, Antimc, or KutMaster Kurt, would represent all of this, in addition to the strong Mexican identity of both 2Mex and Xololanxinxo.</p>
<p>The Deluxe version of <em>Existos y Mas Exitos</em> is history. But it is also a good record, with songs like "I am Still" and "Lady of the Lake", and pleasant additions like the half-sung "Atlas", or "All Turn Native", some of the best tracks ever proposed by this scene. It was an absolutely imperfect record, but also a perfectly crucial one.</p>https://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2016/OF-MEXICAN-DESCENT-Exitos-y-Mas-Exitos#comment-formhttps://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/feed/atom/comments/2370TOCA - Tocaurn:md5:8c6b585b178a636f2b4935e43b79b60c2015-04-11T16:25:00+02:002016-01-25T20:21:09+01:00codotusylvAlbumsCeschiDavid RamosTommy VXololanxinxo<p>For Toca, serious matters had started in 2004, with one of these CD-Rs Cali's indie rap scene was fond of, by these times: a rock and rap crossover record named <em>Dancing with Skeletons</em>. Later on, the band had promised a real album, but it took months, and then years, before anything was released. The group's members, however, were still active. The Ramos brothers, for example, started releasing solo albums. In 2005, the quartet had even proposed one of their tracks to the Project Blowed 10th anniversary album. And in 2006, net31 was supposed to publish the album. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, this small label had ceased to exist.</p>
<p><img src="https://english.fakeforreal.net/public/Pochettes/2007/toca-toca.jpg" alt="TOCA - Toca" title="TOCA - Toca" /></p> <p><strong>Two Tone Elephants :: 2007 :: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O78L64/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000O78L64&linkCode=as2&tag=fafore05-20" hreflang="en">buy this record</a></strong></p>
<p>But finally, in May 2007, here we were: Toca's album had finally been released, and it was meeting all expectations. Mixing rock with rap was far from uncommon in the indie world; but here, the crossover was approaching perfection. It sounded normal and natural; it was very well managed. Spontaneously, easily, Toca was mixing on one single record more than 40 years of popular music, from the Beatles to the quick raps of the Project Blowed, including other things like 80's synth pop.</p>
<p>Choirs, English or Spanish lyrics, crazy flows, bombastic brass sounds, latin guitars, punk bloodshot or nice melodies: here, all was melting with everything. Jazz, reggae, funk, or even music-hall sounds were also solicited, sometimes on one single track like the well-name "Nice Try", making it all the spiciest, giving birth to plenty of potential bangers like "Toca Cant Dance", "Liar", "Ship Sinking", and the ecstatic "Hearts and Gold", with Busdriver, Pigeon John and Ellay Khule.</p>
<p>Since 2004, the band had acquired two new members, the musicians Max Heath and Danny Levin - the latter a collaborator of the greatest rock 'n' roll group ever, Built to Spill - and these reinforcements had helped Xololanxinxo, Tommy V, Ceschi and David Ramos perfecting <em>Dancing with Skeletons</em>' recipe. It was obvious with two recycled tracks. They had already been the best on the first album, but now, they were even better: now renamed "Joyful Misery", "Joy Fool Misery" had become more punk, and it included some thoughts about the happiness obligation in modern societies; as for "Where are You?", it was changed into a magnificent "Ship Sinking", less fragile but more powerful than the original song.</p>
<p>This first official album from Toca, actually, only had one flaw: except maybe with the low profile but beautiful "Irreplaceable", it lacked the most fragile side of Ceschi's ’'They Hate Francisco False'' album. But all the rest was there: the hits, the consistence, and Aceyalone, Existereo, Lucky.iam, some of the very best rappers in the West Coast Underground. It was full of creativity, and it reached a perfect balance between tradition and modern relevance. In a nutshell: it was exactly as expected. Sometimes, it can be great not to be surprised.</p>https://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2015/TOCA-Toca#comment-formhttps://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/feed/atom/comments/2224TOCA - Interviewurn:md5:d18f311c7c51c0eaad1db7defd4bc1a32005-08-21T20:46:00+00:002022-08-15T08:32:01+00:00codotusylvInterviewsCeschiDavid RamosTommy VXololanxinxo<p>First, I tried to contact Ceschi Ramos, whose Fake Flowers was one my favorite of last year. Or David, his brother, who’s just released a new album. But when I contacted them, all the members of Toca were available, them being the two Ramos brothers plus Tommy V. And Xololanxinxo. This was an opportunity for a joint interview with the four of them. Some of their answers got raving, particularly at the end of the interview, but some others provide us with key information about these artists’ forthcoming projects and releases.</p>
<p><img src="https://english.fakeforreal.net/public/Interviews/toca-itw.jpg" alt="TOCA - Interview" title="TOCA - Interview" /></p> <p><strong>First, can you tell us what was the genesis of Toca. Them being brothers, it's not difficult to guess how David and Ceschi decided to make music with each other, but what about the two others?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> Toca started in the summer of 2001 when Tommy visited my brother, Pat Nagel (our bass player) and I in Berkeley, CA. We ended up recording a song together called "3 Personalities"…during that same time period I had written a guitar based song with Xololanxinxo and Tommy in mind… although I had never met Xinxo, I was a fan of his work and knew that Tommy had recorded a great song with him called "The Secret of Patience"…When Tommy heard the song we recorded he thought of calling Xinxo and playing it for him over the phone…a week later David and Tommy went down to LA and recorded the first Toca song as well as two other songs for the Anonymous Inc Seeds album with 2Mex and Busdriver…This trip signified the birth of our new Toca family….</p>
<p><strong>So far, the only long-length release I've noticed from Toca is Dancing With Skeletons. Is it the only one?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> Ok…Dancing With Skeletons and the Joyfool Misery 7 inch are the only available Toca recordings at the moment…The Skeletons CDRs were Cds we made for a series of shows in California…it is only an introduction to what we do…Skeletons has The Toca 7 inch, Toca B-Sides, songs from Fake Flowers and Jesus Taylor Thomas and One song from the LP…We have been working on a full length album for 4 years and are coming close to finishing everything this summer…</p>
<p><strong>When do you plan to release a new Toca album?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> The Toca album should be out in stores by the new year.</p>
<p><strong>What about other releases? Anything expected from Anonymous Inc, Of Mexican Descent, or solo Ceschi, Tommy V and Xololanxinxo releases?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> A lot of releases are planned for this year… <em>'69</em> is an album produced mainly by Ceschi coming out next month under my label Dirty Little Baby Sitter Records… <em>Beautiful Distractions</em> is an album coming out on Temporary Whatever Records…and an Of Mexican Descent album is in the works… I am very interested in a French exclusive album due to the love I felt out there.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> as you may know, David has recently released his <em>Jesus Taylor Thomas</em> record which is almost like a companion to my <em>Fake Flowers</em> album…. Anonymous Inc. <em>Seeds</em> is an album that we have been recording and slowly chiseling away at since 2000… many of the songs were written before our first album came out – so it shows how old the first Anonymous Inc. album is…. <em>Seeds</em> is a "rock fusion" album of types – there is definitely hip hop and jazz scattered throughout the record… but it is a sort of deflated prog-rock record with many short songs….and many guest vocalists…I have started to work on a follow up to <em>Fake Flowers</em>… I have also recently started working with Torso (production team of Orphan and Rev. Left) on a pop hop album…</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> I have been working on many short eclectic songs over the last years…they will eventually be released…no time soon</p>
<p><strong>You're mainly rappers and surrounded by rappers. How have you ended up producing music that is so far from rap? Have you or some of you a "non rap" background?</strong></p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> I was a childhood folk singer in the early 80s, I had a single out called "Don't Get My Whistle Wet".</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> I've studied Jazz drumming since age 10…I also played flute as a child.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> I started playing violin at age 7 and guitar at 13…even though hip hop has always been a huge influence on our music we have never felt like making straight ahead Hip Hop music…Anonymous inc. started as a pseudo-traditional indie rock post-grunge band but eventually transformed into something very different…</p>
<p><strong>What are you listening to apart from rap nowadays?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> John Cage, Radiohead, Super Sex Face, Manu Chao, Pink Floyd, La Bestia</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, The Microphones, Sufjan Stevens, nearly countless Elephant 6 bands.</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> Kenny Rankin, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Celia Cruz, Suicidal Tendencies, Texan Hex.</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> The Risk Taken, The Unicorns, Laurie Anderson.</p>
<p><strong>And what about the hip hop tracks or albums that are on you playlists right now?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> CVE – <em>Villainism</em> , Ellay Khule – <em>Jeckyl and Hyde Theory</em></p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> Harry Chronic Jr, Project Blowed, Die and Deeskee, that 50 Cent song with the Game.</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> Melo Man Ace.</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> Pigeon John.</p>
<p><strong>What kind of audience assists to Toca concerts?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> mainly strippers, b-girls and heroin junkies.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> xicana punk girls and the bourgeoisie.</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> jazz cats and indie hipsters.</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> hip hop hippies.</p>
<p><strong>A few words about your current tour?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> It's tore up.</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> Life on the road is common for me…I'm somewhat of a vagabond and have frequented shelters and cardboard boxes throughout the United States…living in a van is more comfortable than that…as long as I have my trusty ol' guitar and melodica I'm happy.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> Playing shows has been amazing…it's great when a Hip Hop crowd is accepting of what we do…and even better when they appreciate and enjoy what we do! I know that most Hip Hop heads don't just listen to Hip Hop…these kids seem to want something different…</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> I quit.</p>
<p><strong>Any plan of venue to France and Europe?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> please.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> we plan on touring europe with various projects in 2006...</p>
<p><strong>A question to Xololanxinxo : I saw you on stage with the Shapeshifters in Paris in 2004 and my feeling was that you were a born-entertainer. Have you any significant remembrance of your shows in France by any chance?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> Yes…the people, the ambience, the engineers' love of the music, and most importantly the energy of the people of France… that's who I really owed my shows to.</p>
<p><strong>Any final statement or message to France?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Xinxo:</strong> Here we cum.</p>
<p><strong>Ceschi:</strong> Le jour de gloire est arrivé.</p>
<p><strong>TV:</strong> We hope you enjoy 3 piece harmonies.</p>
<p><strong>David:</strong> Ladies, my number is 203-901-3280 and my email is dramos@wesleyan.edu</p>https://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2005/TOCA-Interview#comment-formhttps://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/feed/atom/comments/82