Free, streaming Detroit (style) hip-hop from DJ House Shoes and friends

June 1, 2014 11:06 AM

While the name Michael “House Shoes” Buchanan remains unknown to most, he's been involved with the Detroit hip-hop community since '94, producing some beats for an (unreleased) EP by Elzhi in 1998, plus a few other projects in the 1990s, but he really started making noise in the 2000s, finally releasing his own album, Let It Go, in 2012, which he then offered as a free download in 2013. All the while, he's continued to act as "Detroit's Hip-Hop Ambassador to the World," promoting other up-and-coming acts through various channels, including his on-going series, "The Gift," in which he promotes new artists. [NOTE: NSFW lyrics throughout the music]

For easier access, here's a quick listing of the music you can stream and download from House Shoes and friends, plus some bonus link:

2009: The King James Version Chapter 1: Verses 1-5 (Podomatic; Soundcloud) [followed up with the streaming-only Vol. 2, The New Testament from Mad Decent Worldwide Radio] -- "a lovingly and expertly constructed journey through the building blocks of Dilla’s beats – the dusty OG vinyl grooves that he sampled"

2012: Let It Go, stream and download House Shoe's debut album; stream the instrumentals and the beat tape version, Side A and Side B

2013: The Gift Volume One, starring Nameless (interview; Bandcamp)
* The Gift Volume Two: DertBeats (interview as Dert Floyd, an occasional handle he has used for for his West Side of the Moon beat tape; see also the Money music video; Bandcamp)
* The Gift Volume III - Ext aka Rudy Eckes (short bio; Bandcamp)
* The Gift Volume IV - Tuamie (tag on Potholes in my Blog, charting a number of projects in the past few years; Bandcamp; Soundcloud)
* The Gift Volume V - T-White (interview; Bandcamp)
* The Gift Volume Six: Cream of the Beats (Soundcloud; Bandcamp)
* The Gift Volume 7: House Shoes ("I had to throw my hat in the ring and take the GOD volume..")
* The Gift Volume VIII: Raj Mahal (interview; Bandcamp; Soundcloud)
* The Gift Volume 9 – Denmark Vessey (interview; Bandcamp; stream his debut album Don't Drink the Kool-Aid on Soundcloud, or download from The Dirty Science)

B.I.G. Dreams, a baker's dozen (plus one) of Notorious B.I.G. acapellas flipped by current producers

2014: Jay Dee unreleased 1997 remixes EP, and the related remix contest to rework the short Electric Piano Solo from the 1997 EP.

Even more:
DJ House Shoes' Podomatic site; on Soundcloud, and the House Shoes tag on Bandcamp

posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

Dang
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:13 PM on June 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

You should buy "Let It Go"... it's a damn good record.

More: House Shoes on FUSE's "Crate Diggers".

House Shoes on Boiler Room:
NYC
LA (2012)
LA (2014)
BRLA: House Shoes Live from His House, 90 min mix. (2013) this one was originally like... 3 hrs long? not sure what happen.

You should also follow the man on Twitter. One of the best Twitter accounts of all time, if you're a hip-hop nerd or fan of righteous trash-talking.

Amused that you didn't mention Dilla on this post (edit: Oops, just seeing the tags now. :)), but that's another story.

(Note for all of this: Shoes lives in my hood and is one of my favorite DJs.)
posted by raihan_ at 3:28 PM on June 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

He's unknown?

…huh. I didn't know he had moved to LA. Growing up around Detroit and now living here, I saw him all the time before I moved and just figured that he had blown up to the extent that he was playing LA all the time now too.

Thanks for this — it's a total nostalgia trip. He used to kill it at DEMF.
posted by klangklangston at 11:17 AM on June 2, 2014

I get the feeling he's known regionally, and perhaps within certain circles. Or maybe I was late to the game because I hear of artists via their released material, which eliminates a lot of people who are active and creative, but don't necessarily make music for money.

I first heard of him (or paid attention to him) when reading about J Dilla, and seeing some documentaries on Jay Dee, which was pretty recently.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:39 AM on June 2, 2014