April 13th, 2021

Pre-Order Nevamind & Royal-T’s The Yesmen on digital, CD or cassette

Nevamind & Royal-T (The Yesmen) release their fourth and final release with this self-titled album. Originally recorded in 2016 and finished just one week before Royal-T’s passing, the album was therapy for T and an opportunity to chill with his hip hop fam before his time was up. With debauched lyrics about sex, drugs, and the rap life, The Yesmen and guests flip through a variety of flows over Nevamind’s neck-snapping production. Aside from a current mix of the album, all ten songs remain as T would remember them, and they continue to hold up five years later.

The duo met in Thunder Bay, ON, in 2000, when chopper Royal-T competed in a rap battle where judge Nevamind—a rapper, producer, photographer and comedian—was so impressed he invited the battle rapper back to his Nevres home studio and subsequently impressed T with his own mic and production skills. The two quickly became like brothers, and would constantly “yes” each other, leading to their group name. They dropped their first album together, TBay Classics, in 2002, and followed up with NO in 2012, and the Return of Pee Wee EP in 2014. In between The Yesmen albums, Nev and T also released a number of solo albums and collabs with their fellow Deepcave fam. 

Nevamind & Royal-T’s The Yesmen drops April 16 on digital, CD and cassette from Hand’Solo Records.

#RestInRoyalT

March 9th, 2021

Raised by Cassettes review of Magick Show’s Dark Night of the Soul

“It’s refreshing to see something like this in music, as it does feel like the cassette itself could put a curse on you or one of your enemies.” – Raised by Cassettes

Very awesome to see this excellent review of Magick Show’s Dark Night of the Soul cassette posted today at Raised by Cassettes.

Read the review below, or click the image to read it on their site and see more photos…

February 27th, 2021

Mickey O’Brien’s Twin Flame – Reshuffled out now!

All these many ways to listen to DJ Matto’s remixes of Mickey O’Brien’s Twin Flame EP.

February 25th, 2021

Pre-order Mickey O’Brien’s Twin Flame – Reshuffled

Celebrate the one-year anniversary of Mickey O’Brien’s Twin Flame – The Honeybear Saga with this remix of the EP by DJ Matto. It’s a whole new experience!

The EP drops on February 26. Pre-orders are open. You can preview one song on Bandcamp, but you can preview the full EP here, and only here, until the album officially drops…

February 21st, 2021

Spotify Pre-Save of Twin Flame – Reshuffled

If Spotify is your app of choice for music streaming, please consider pre-saving Twin Flame – Reshuffled, DJ Matto’s remix’s of Mickey O’Brien’s love- and lost-themed EP from last year.

February 12th, 2021

Mickey O’Brien celebrates 1 year of Twin Flame with remixes from DJ Matto!

Revolutionary rhyme ripper Mickey O’Brien, repping Sudbury, ON, has built a name for himself as a relentless force in Canadian hip hop music. Since moving on from Kill the Autocrat, O’Brien has released a solo album and an EP, as well as another EP as one half of horror duo Magick Show, each one unique, bold, and raw. All on Hand’Solo Records. To celebrate the one year anniversary of Twin Flame – The Honeybear Saga, O’Brien’s love- and loss-themed project heavily influenced by the Tarot, DJ Matto (of Japan’s +/-) reimagines and remixes the EP. Or rather, he reshuffles the deck.

To introduce Twin Flame: Reshuffled, dropping on February 26, 2021, O’Brien presents the video/single for “The Tower (Reshuffled)”, the video edited in the land down under by Greenboots. The track is an unflinching dive into love, relationships, destiny and desire, drawing on Tarot imagery, key to the EP’s concept. The Tower card represents chaos and destruction, and a negative Tower event can be akin to a bomb going off in your life. You don’t know how you will survive, but as the song relates, ultimately it makes you the person you are.

Credits:
Written and performed by Mickey O’Brien
Remixed by DJ Matto
Cuts by DJ Uncle Fester
Mastered by Dorc

Video by Greenboots

January 30th, 2021

Celebrating 25 years with new merch!

The year 2021 is a big year for Hand’Solo Records as we celebrate 25 years releasing the best in underground Canadian hip hop, beginning in 1996 with Bassments of Badmen. A bunch of cool surprises are planned for the year, and the first of these is a small batch of toques (or beanies, as they’re called by non-Canadians) embroidered with the Hand’Solo logo. In honour of the 25th Anniversary, there will only be 25 in this design.

Order here:

https://handsolorecords.bandcamp.com/merch/handsolo-beanie-toque

January 16th, 2021

New Magick Show video for “OZ” featuring Moka Only

In less than a week, Donald Trump will leave office as a one-term president, and it can’t come soon enough. “OZ”, Magick Show’s second single from their Dark Night of the Soul EP, drops on Jan 20 to celebrate, but we just can’t wait so we’re dropping the video early…

Magick Show is a rap duo out of Sudbury, ON, combining the distinct styles of working class poet Mickey O’Brien and lyrical/sonic explorer Max Moon. Their debut, Dark Night of the Soul, released in October, is an abrasive departure from their solo projects. “OZ”, the final track, takes a step outside of the horror-mystic aesthetic to focus more on the true horrors in the world. With guest Moka Only on the hook, the duo fast-forward through the years to imagine a post-apocalyptic scene where might is right, scarcity is common, and the marginalized are constantly on the brink of survival. The release of “OZ” marks the duo’s wildest and most timely release yet, dropping on January 20 to celebrate the departure of Donald Trump as U.S. president. The “OZ” video, created by Baked Clown Animation, is a bad yet thoroughly entertaining acid trip through the worst and most ridiculous elements of 2020, better known as The Worst Year Ever. ”OZ” is produced by Juno-nominated producer and Sound Battle Royale champion Fresh Kils, with scratching by turntable renegade DJ Slam!.

January 8th, 2021

Primal Winds lyric video for “Neon Lights”

New lyric video and DJ Pack from Primal Winds out now…

Fighting the system is hard work and sometimes you just need a break. But how are a pair of programs supposed to do that in The Grid? Head to Argon Square, of course. So when Primal Winds need a break from the doom and gloom of their fourth album, The Renegades, which explores how the dark themes of Tron parallel our own world, District Prime and Iron Wind jump on their light cycles and hit the city to let loose for “Neon Lights”. Wind’s original production is a head-nodding throwback to inspirational 80s movie montages anchored by a soulful hook from frequent collaborator Alexa Ourania. The single also includes a mellow, introspective boom bap remix from DJ Matto while The Cybertronic Spree drummer Rumble kicks the drums and synth into overdrive to transform the song for his remix. In addition to these three catchy versions of one song, “Neon Lights” also receives the lyric video treatment thanks to Janelle Designs. …Because you deserve it, program!

January 3rd, 2021

Trailer for Magick Show’s “Oz” video…

Magick Show teams with Baked Clown Animation for this animated video that takes a humorous look at the previous year, featuring an assist on the hook by Moka Only. Produced by Fresh Kils, with cuts from DJ SLAM!.

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