Now for something completely different, then. Hip hop and rap acts are a rare treat in this column, However, in recent weeks the Bands of the Day have ranged from carnival punk to dirt-swing, to the ever prevalent indie pop presence, so the spotlight turning to illuminate the world of hip hop seems long overdue. Satellite High is the act going under the microscope, and the San Francisco native has been a consistently impressive stream of consciousness since his first release back in 2008.
The release in question was the Shark Week Mixtape, Volume 1, managing to make itself equally accessible to both newer and more veteran fans of the genre. Tracks like ‘Shark Day’ and ‘Take a Number, Stand in Line’ give you everything you could want from an independent rap release, while ‘(Poison Says) Rock the Fuck Out!’ ends the release with a simply sublime bit of lyricism that would leave any listener with a more than positive first impression of Satellite High. This mixtape would be the first step for the Californian on a journey that has not appeared to drop its momentum for a second, with fifteen mixtape, EP and single releases so far being backed up by live shows whenever he can squeeze them in, as part of an unrelenting schedule that serves respect.
Satellite High is a man of the people above everything else, consistently active via his Twitter and Facebook pages and generally displaying the kind of attitude that you wish more artists and bands could do to their fans and the community around them. It’s on Bandcamp and Soundcloud that the artist’s work can truly be appreciated though, with This Mic is a Pipe Bomb and the Cinema Verite of Thievin’ Stealberg proving to be highlights of a constantly expanding back catalogue that most recently took on a musical adaptation of rhymes penned by a teenager, in a notebook his wife found on the pavement while walking their dog. While he does do a surprisingly solid job of making a kid’s boredom sound good, it’s probably for the best that High sticks to his own lyrics on more serious releases. On the topic of more serious releases, however, the Californian’s next release, going by the exquisite title of ♪_〆(･_･｡)^ (pronunciation pending), is beginning to sound incredibly promising from the nine-track preview made available last week. Take this, and the upcoming March tour for any of you lucky enough to be local to the East coast of America, and you have a very good time to invest your listening pleasure into Satellite High. Managing to shine amongst the deceivingly competitive realm of Bandcamp hip-hop artists is no easy task, though for this particular talent, Bandcamp may not be quite big enough to hold him forever.
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