Maxilla Blue

Last updated
Maxilla Blue
Origin Des Moines, Iowa
Genres Hip hop
Years active2006–present
LabelsCentral Standard/ Galapagos4
Members
  • Aeon Grey
  • Asphate Woodhavet
  • Dj TouchNice
Website Maxillablue.com

Maxilla Blue is an American hip-hop trio based out of Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 2006, [1] consisting of the Emcee Ashphate Woodhavet, Turntablist, DJ TouchNice, and producer Aeon Grey. [2]

Contents

Career

Their debut eponymous album was released on May 6, 2008, by Central Standard Records, a lowa-bred underground label co-founded by Aeon Grey. The album set the tone for subsequent works, establishing an approach that consistently includes a significant portion of the work presented without vocals, providing an overall presentation of an instrumental and poetically commentated piece. Through tour work, the group has appeared live in the Midwest, Mountain, West Coast, and Southwestern U.S regions, Germany, and France. [3]

Vol. 2 was released on June 15, 2010, also on Central Standard Records. This marked the first edition of the ongoing series to be presented to the public as a vinyl LP, compact disc, and digital format.

Vol. 3's retail release date of February 28, 2012, marked the 5th collaborative work from the trio and the 3rd of the self-titled series. [4] The third installment was completed as a split release between Central Standard Records and Galapagos4. Joining the likes of Qwel & Maker, Typical Cats, Qwazaar, Batsauce, and various other underground rap and hip-hop production veterans, Maxilla's most recent work is again presented in the three aforementioned formats.

Musical Contributions and Style

The vocal pieces are known for dynamic use of voice and often esoteric wordplay unique to the track paired with it, which at times, has been known to lead non-familiar listeners to assume that multiple vocalists play a part in the work. To date, no feature of any other vocal artist has appeared on a Maxilla Blue record, as all production and Turntablism have also been exclusively provided by Aeon Grey and DJ TouchNice. Members of the group have noted no intention of altering this trend, publicly stating that it is unnecessary to feature external components to create their sound. Each member has, however, participated in numerous side-works with other artists to create pieces under various titles. As the approach and presentation have remained intact, each subsequent release has carried the self-titled attribute, distinguished only by the numbered volume. It is said that were it not for the necessity of distinguishing the releases from each other for distributive purposes, the trio would have released each record simply as "Maxilla Blue," leaving the familiar listener and general consumers to differentiate the body of work.

Recognition and Awards

Discography

Albums

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References

  1. "Galapagos4".
  2. "Album Review: Maxilla Blue-Volume 3 (2012)".
  3. "Asphate of Maxilla Blue talks hip hop, graffiti and Colorado Crush 2013". 6 September 2013.
  4. "Galapagos4".