This is the long overdue New Kingdom thread

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So, there have to be more fans besides Scott Seward, Marcello, Chuck, Mark E and myself. Speak up! As Mark E has noted, there is a website:

http://www.newkingdomcity.com/index.html

And there is news:

3.15.05 : New Kingdom back together for a new album!
Well, well, well.. It's been forever since we have had an update. I got tons of e-mail asking about the site and New Kingdom and what's going on. The fact is, myself and New Kingdom all have jobs, responsibilities and a real life away from the Internet. I think we all lost focus for a bit, but now we are back on track.

Nosaj and Sebastian are starting to get all of their shit together, and Scotty Hard will be joining them to help with the new album! So this is what you have all been waiting for, after a nine year hiatus New Kingdom is back in 2005!

Let us hope for the future and let us talk about how the first two albums are flat out fantastic.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:58 (twenty years ago)

(And if you've never heard them yet:

http://www.newkingdomcity.com/downloads.html

You're welcome.)

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

GOD I LOVE THEM!

PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

I liked a couple of singles and need to recheck that second(?) album from '96/7. I'm pleased that they're back, I vibe to Nosaj's rapping. Even the Morcheeba collab. was fiii-yah.

BARMS, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

need to recheck that second(?) album from '96

You damn well better. It's greatness.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

The first album unfortunately may be what sparked my excessive drinking and shit talking...

(I will be posting random statements on this thread all day)

PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:07 (twenty years ago)

As I remember, I ended up with a DJ Krush album that day (no regrets on that score, but would still like to relisten to NK).

X-P

BARMS, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

Fantastic,

I loved 'Paradise Don't Come Cheap' - One of my favourite albums of the nineties, but never managed to get their 1st album

Thanks for the pointer to the site Ned, I've just donwnloaded a load of stuff for a listen, I look forward to hearing any new stuff they get round to releasing

actionjackson, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

My thoughts on said second album. In retrospect this is a glaring omission from my 136 list for the nineties.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

ha!

but, i ask you where was all this love when they dropped words on the regular fries updated baggy noises?

even that was excellent ..

as is the solo Scotty Hard (aka Scott Harding) album upon which i am sure NE appeared ..

.. as i suspect Scotty has a lot to do with the overall fuggy sound that is so deep and fine


mark e (mark e), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

Indeed.

The first album was good but the second was some ill Chewbacca next level classic ish. Damn, that album was heavy.

They were always a little too bugged out for the average hip-hop head, not lyrical enough for the backpacker crowd and never really got promoted correctly to the people that would've dug them so they kinda fell into an awkward little niche, didn't they?

A shame really. Looking foward to hearing this.

Jimmy M, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

With respect to Scotty, I didn't enjoy the Spectre album he had a hand in.

BARMS, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

"Animal was my favorite drummer!..." the last i heard from those dudes was some guest appearance on one of justin godflesh's Ice albums. i couldn't even count the times that i've played paradise don't come cheap. a zillion times. i've been making do with dalek, i guess.

scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if any New York ILM'ers encountered them when they worked at Canal Jeans. I moved here after the fact...

PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

Saw these guys support Senser at the glasgow tunnel when I was 16/17?? and even getting into over 18 venues and being served was a buzz. I held the singers bare feet, whilst he climbed onto the top of the crowd...


Senser blew them away though....

fcuking quality gig through.

danny boy, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)

agreed re spectre album.
tis a little too one dimensional.

but the solo album is a lot more fun .. and Seb does indeed make an appearance :

http://www.wordsound.com/catalog/WSCD034.html

mark e (mark e), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

wheres a good place to start with NK?

ppp, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

If you go to the downloads page, you'll see about half the Paradise Don't Come Cheap album is there for the listening.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I forgot about them. I liked Paradise Don't Come Cheap when it came out but I haven't heard it in years. I'll have to download the mp3s on that site and take another listen.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 3 June 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

I fucking worship Paradise Don't Come Cheap. With all the advances in sonic ugliness that have been made by others since it came out, I hope whatever they're working on is totally monstrous.

I was supposed to see them play at Maxwell's one night, with the Red Aunts. They didn't all make it. Sebastian was there, though, hanging out in the corner and looking pissed about not getting to play.

pdf (Phil Freeman), Friday, 3 June 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

I used to be a REALLY big fan, but I recently heard both records after a 3-4 year hiatus and they were CRAP.

I once saw them on a bill with The Fun Lovin' Criminals and The Gza!!

Monkey of the SOUTH, Friday, 3 June 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

I used to be a REALLY big fan, but I recently heard both records after a 3-4 year hiatus and they were CRAP.

That SF fog is fucking with your hearing.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

I live in the East Bay! and we don't get no fog!

(I didn't really mean "CRAP", just not very exciting)

Monkey of the SOUTH, Friday, 3 June 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

I live in the East Bay! and we don't get no fog!

I beg your pardon. I meant to say, 'that Berkeley-derived pot smoke and patchouli-based air pollution.'

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 15:28 (twenty years ago)

That's North/East Berkeley, dude!

Know one fine line!

Monkey of the SOUTH, Friday, 3 June 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

serg did a post on them awhile back:

http://somanyshrimp.com/2004/09/more-new-kingdomness.html

deej., Friday, 3 June 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

"Mexico or Bust" and "Co-Pilot" rock most furiously.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 3 June 2005 15:45 (twenty years ago)

I love New Kingdom. However, bcz their records always seemed to get well promoed in the UK I have never had to buy one of their records new. It actually makes me sad to think of the amount of times I have seen Paradise Don't Come Cheap for a couple of quid.

Upthread Freedom Phil sez "With all the advances in sonic ugliness that have been made by others since it came out, I hope whatever they're working on is totally monstrous" but I never heard them this way. Whereas other grimy, saturated and polluted hip hop groups sound like they're trying to he hard or grim in order to represent a dystopian present, New Kingdom always sounded warm and maternal to me, like a dusty blanket. Also unlike a lot of groups they could be compared to - Dalek or Cannibal Ox for ex. - they never seem leaden or hobblefooted when it comes to groove, there's always an inherent seventies bong-rock lope and catchiness to their music.

The Sasquatch Mix of Frontman begins with the break form American Band by Grand Funk Railroad and ends with the sitars and mellotron from Hole in my Shoe by Traffic. It's well worth hunting down.

The Unicorns Were Horses, Good Times and Cheap Thrills singles all come with mixes by The Underdog, now better known as Trevor Jackson of Playgroup and Output Recordings.

I like the way that both their LPs end with cosmic tracks; Lazy Smoke and Journey to the Sun. There isn't enough kosmische hip-hop.

Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Friday, 3 June 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

I too like New Kingdom. That's all.

snotty moore, Friday, 3 June 2005 21:25 (twenty years ago)

There isn't enough kosmische hip-hop

(sniff, sniff) I wish Crazy Wizdom Masters would've come out as intended...

PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Friday, 3 June 2005 21:28 (twenty years ago)

I saw them on the PDCC tour at a record store in Bethesda (I think) and there might have been 100 or 200 people tops in the crowd. They didn't seem to care and just tore the place up. Had a guy with ass-length dreads dressed in a chemical hazmat suit slammin around the stage, knocking int othem and just flailing. He ended up stripping down into just his bikini briefs and shaking his crotch at the terrified MD girls there with their boyfriends. It was great fun!

If they do get going again and tour make sure and see them - they were filthy heavy, if that makes any sense.

Erik The Mainer (EZSnappin), Friday, 3 June 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

The track called Ra RA Kid that wz meant to be on Crazy Wizdom Masters is very insane sounding.

Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Friday, 3 June 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

were these the "Good Times" guys?

roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 3 June 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

i've been a fan since i first heard "mexico or bust" many years ago. can't wait to hear some new shit. hope they work with scotty hard again.

gonna go listen to both of the albums and try to wipe the inanity that is dj spooky's "drums of death" out of my memory.

el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Saturday, 4 June 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

and yeah, rog, they did "good times."

el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Saturday, 4 June 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

I saw New Kingdom at Leeds Festival a few years back around the time of 'Paradise don't come cheap'.
They were so wonderfully grimy and noisy but warm and fuzzy at the same time;their low slung sound complimented perfectly the warm humid weather and the sweaty tent they were playing in,
On returning from said event I bought the album. 'Unicorn for Horses'(?)was the standout track for me.

hull hole (hull hole), Saturday, 4 June 2005 08:01 (twenty years ago)

i never knew underdog was trev jackson - wow !

seem to remember likng the remixes on their 12's more than originals -

toe-foo (toe-foo), Sunday, 5 June 2005 10:33 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...
I'm bummed I missed this thread! new kingdom 4-eva!

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 5 December 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I just downloaded those Rocket 500 demo tracks. Great stuff.

pdf (Phil Freeman), Monday, 5 December 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

I'm bummed I missed this thread!

Freakin' punk. But better late than never.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 December 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...
Alas no new album word yet but there is never a wrong time to celebrate these dudes.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 19 March 2006 15:31 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...
Well, I heard the new Dalek and it made me pull out the New Kingdom stuff for the first time in a while. Both albums are just so damn good - almost untouchable.

Anyone heard anymore about something new from these cats?

EZ Snappin (EZSnappin), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:25 (nineteen years ago)

seven months pass...

"Thinking bout pinatas
CASTLES IN THE SAND"

Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 October 2007 03:03 (eighteen years ago)

five months pass...

http://www.thedeciblog.com/index.php/2008/03/24/knuckle-up/

Scott Harding — aka Scotty Hard — is in bad shape. Last month, the veteran hip-hop producer was involved in a car accident that left him partially paralyzed. Harding’s friends and admirers have set up a fund called The Scotty Hard Trust to help offset his massive medical expenses and are accepting donations via Paypal.

GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Tuesday, 1 April 2008 12:32 (eighteen years ago)

he produced paradise don't come cheap, for anyone that didn't know.

GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Tuesday, 1 April 2008 12:33 (eighteen years ago)

And was in on some of the early Wu Tang stuff.

Bummer.

Raw Patrick, Tuesday, 1 April 2008 12:38 (eighteen years ago)

Damn. :-/

Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 April 2008 12:39 (eighteen years ago)

whoa.
i love Scotts productions.
his 'solo' album, kill dog-e is still within easy reach.

mark e, Tuesday, 1 April 2008 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

ten months pass...

LOLi jon roth (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Sunday, 1 February 2009 10:37 (seventeen years ago)

five months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zS24izhfRM

next stop: NOWHERE, i wanna get off (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 06:59 (sixteen years ago)

really enjoyed kid acne's lp a few years ago as well

Less surprised by the total lack of surprises (stevie), Sunday, 10 January 2016 09:49 (ten years ago)

also a third new kingdom would be ace, even if it probs will never happen

Less surprised by the total lack of surprises (stevie), Sunday, 10 January 2016 09:49 (ten years ago)

It should happen though. All three dudes are still around, if anything they'd just sound dustier. In a good way. Like they just stumbled out of the desert after a 20 year peyote trip.

stupid children forever (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 23 January 2016 00:45 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

at last.
i have tried to rip the cd editions of the album several times over the years, and the metadata is always f*cked up.
this time however, it's all sorted.
so, listening to 'heavy load' properly for the first time in ages.
damnnnnnn.
for once, i was right about a band.

mark e, Thursday, 3 March 2016 21:16 (ten years ago)

two months pass...

Apologies for the self-promotion but I done a thing

http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/05/new-kingdom-tripping-towards-paradise

Elvis Santana (stevie), Wednesday, 11 May 2016 08:12 (ten years ago)

no apology needed.
this is the article I have always wanted to read.
I had no idea re just how tight they were as a trio, and have always wondered just how these albums came into being.
cheers stevie.
proper enjoyed that.
will dig out 'kill dog e' this weekend - been too long !

mark e, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 08:26 (ten years ago)

Still wish some live recordings would appear from the live band era.
Same with early Goats.

Stevolende, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 08:33 (ten years ago)

Thanks so much Stevie!

MaresNest, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 09:24 (ten years ago)

failed to sell my Mexico Or Bust CD single with 5" sticker on eBay this week

glandular lansbury (sic), Wednesday, 11 May 2016 14:05 (ten years ago)

It's all about vinyl nowadays, sic.

Elvis Santana (stevie), Wednesday, 11 May 2016 15:29 (ten years ago)

Great piece, they were a true one-off

chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 16:00 (ten years ago)

yeah that's a lot stevie, great stuff on a great band

rockpalast '82 (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 11 May 2016 16:52 (ten years ago)

I keep thinking that if they went further in the drection of Paradise don't Come cheap they would have sounded like a black Chrome.

I need to hear these recent projects.

Are the old lps available at all?

Stevolende, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 20:08 (ten years ago)

It is 20 years since paradise appeared isn't it? Wow.

& when I was first playing that i was amazed by the way they'd subsumed the beat after the sound on Heavy load. Did wonder how well known they were at the time. I picked up both lps in cheapo cd shops in Dublin I think, one behind the bank down from what is now the foggy Dew and the other in Chapters. Though may have payed full whack for my first copy of Paradise. managed to lose copies several times though.

Stevolende, Wednesday, 11 May 2016 20:12 (ten years ago)

Hey, Stevie, that article was awesome!

People called us ‘rap-rock’, but it wasn’t a Judgment Night deal, you know? It was the opposite of cheese.

This is the thing I have the hardest time explaining to people... like you use the words rap and rock in a sentence and their brain shuts down because they think Judgement Night or like 60 minutes of Rock Box.

You say tomato, Isao Tomita (RIP) (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 12 May 2016 03:49 (ten years ago)

managed to lose copies several times though.

Same here. I always took it out DJing, and often it would 'disappear'.

Elvis Santana (stevie), Thursday, 12 May 2016 08:33 (ten years ago)

just got this record in at the store and somehow i'd never heard it! mostly faux-beasties with tons of "metal" guitar. i don't know how i didn't see it on the video jukebox at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Um1quCYFY

scott seward, Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:13 (ten years ago)

they WERE pioneers when it came to mixing beastie boys, hair metal, and belgian new beat together though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa8tnpAFw1I

scott seward, Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:20 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

A pretty great Soundcloud mix celebrating the 20th anniversary of Paradise Don't Come Cheap:

https://soundcloud.com/mongrels/paradise-dont-come-cheap-20th-anniversary-mix

Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 9 July 2016 16:06 (nine years ago)

cracking mix possibly involving stevie in there !

just wish they would enable the download option.

mark e, Tuesday, 12 July 2016 08:24 (nine years ago)

Oh there's a way around that.

http://soundflush.com/

Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 July 2016 13:36 (nine years ago)

ta muchly !

mark e, Tuesday, 12 July 2016 14:09 (nine years ago)

one month passes...

I'd never heard of New Kingdom before I read this thread a few months ago and now after listening to Paradise Don't Come Cheap I'm annoyed that I could've seen them live in 1996 because they played at a festival I was at but I was probably watching Echobelly or something.

Just noise and screaming and no musical value at all. (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 09:38 (nine years ago)

I don't even know if I could live with those levels of regret

beer say hi to me (stevie), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 11:29 (nine years ago)

one month passes...

20th anniversary tribute mix to Paradise Don't Come Cheap, blogged by DJ Food

Shakey δσς (sic), Monday, 3 October 2016 09:52 (nine years ago)

now with download option, I meant to say

Shakey δσς (sic), Monday, 3 October 2016 09:53 (nine years ago)

New Danny Brown has some def New Kingdom vibes

Pull your head on out your hippy haze (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 3 October 2016 12:43 (nine years ago)

seven months pass...

So how about a new Jason Furlow ie Nosaj single out next month on the (very great) Dub Dutch Picnic label?

https://dubditchpicnic.bandcamp.com/album/last-man-standing-single

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 May 2017 02:42 (eight years ago)

Nuts, isn't it? Great stuff.

pickety third (stevie), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 09:32 (eight years ago)

I am not surprised!

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 May 2017 16:38 (eight years ago)

WOW!this is great
glad he's back

Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 20:50 (eight years ago)

two months pass...

Good track. Great to hear that voice.

Any recent interviews with Nosaj or Sebastian?

The Man Who Saw The Midwife (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 4 August 2017 07:26 (eight years ago)

I still haven't seen any live stuff by them pop up on torrent sites & they're like a grail item for me. Apparently they played live with a band at high volume. Decibel competition with '87 Swans.

Can you still get the studio stuff?

Stevolende, Friday, 4 August 2017 07:45 (eight years ago)

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/08/01/jason-furlow-feature/

The New Kingdom albums have shown up on UK Spotify. I'm sure they weren't there as recently as a month ago.

Animal Bitrate (Raw Patrick), Friday, 4 August 2017 08:48 (eight years ago)

Good interview. Was always curious why they stopped and that sheds some light on it. Thanks!

(Also, Stevolende, would love to hear some live stuff by them too.)

The Man Who Saw The Midwife (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 4 August 2017 10:33 (eight years ago)

They weren't especially loud when I saw them AFAIR, but it was excellent. Full band thing.

Noel Emits, Friday, 4 August 2017 16:22 (eight years ago)

New Kingdom are on US Spotify too:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1CiqIA6Up09zn9k1wTvaEH

grawlix (unperson), Friday, 4 August 2017 16:30 (eight years ago)

six years pass...

Okay so a NK live recording from Chicago in '96 went up on D1m3 yesterday so I thought I'd share it here, it is an audience recording in a fairly modest club but still really interesting - https://we.tl/t-OoDWzth19C

Maresn3st, Monday, 27 May 2024 11:17 (one year ago)

Thank you for sharing this! DLing now.

a based robot like Bender (stevie), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 11:31 (one year ago)

NP, I know this thread isn't terribly active so I'll leave the link up for a few months at least.

Maresn3st, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 11:57 (one year ago)

Indeed, much thanks!

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 15:55 (one year ago)

yeah, of course i have grabbed this as well.
ta muchly.

mark e, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 15:57 (one year ago)

Wish someone would reissue their LPs on vinyl

a based robot like Bender (stevie), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 16:12 (one year ago)

Not even streaming in the UK

a based robot like Bender (stevie), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 16:12 (one year ago)

never heard of em!!

brimstead, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 16:15 (one year ago)

Learn and be amazed.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 16:20 (one year ago)

oh shit!
still one of the greatest bands

Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 16:49 (one year ago)

looking back over this thread there were several requests for live recordings.
so, guess this will suffice.
as an old recording the quality is not half bad.
you can even hear the vocals/interplay and of course the sonic chaos, oh, and some very specific crowd reactions.
will definitely listen to this from time to time.
so, yeah, ta for this.
much appreciated.

mark e, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 17:47 (one year ago)

I was supposed to see them on this tour, opening for the Red Aunts, but they didn't make the gig that my wife and I went to (Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ).

Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 22:05 (one year ago)

one year passes...

New project from Nosaj? Don’t mind if I do. https://wavegenerators.bandcamp.com/album/run-away-with-a-wild-and-a-rare-one

Ned Raggett, Monday, 17 November 2025 21:42 (six months ago)


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