Tensix
Artist: MadHatter
Released in stores 2004
Released online 2006
Running time: 58:12
Also Featuring: KnightDetective and Scrub Club members acting like fools on the chorus of “That’s Ghetto”
MadHatter’s first solo album and the source of many SCR staples!
15 tracks coming from some of the darker and more painful moments in Hatter’s life. Although there’s quite a few angry songs on this album that he just had to get off his chest, there’s also the goofy hits “That’s Ghetto,” “Put Em Up,” and the disturbingly sexy “Wiggle” with his long-time homie KnightDetective. It contains many songs that were well-known for being sung along to during Scrub Club’s older live sets.
A learning experience, this album was entirely written and produced by MadHatter and recorded with the local Wichita music legend Tommy Carlyle.
All of our music here at Scrub Club is free. However, if you enjoyed this release and would like to support our label, please make any size of donation to help all of our artists get new merch and promo items, book bigger shows, and get better equipment. Much love to you all!
TRACK LISTING
01 – Intro
02 – Return
03 – Fake
04 – Wiggle (feat. KnightDetective)
05 – Now U See
06 – That’s Ghetto
07 – Backstabbers
08 – Headache
09 – Put ‘Em Up
10 – Snap
11 – What Makes a Killa
12 – Jump 2 This
13 – Cheat
14 – Walk With Me
15 – Hidden Tracks
ALBUM FACTS AND TRIVIA
This album has had a few incarnations. “Tensix,” the studio-recorded version, was originally released in stores in 2004. It was professionally pressed and released by Scrub Club Records with $1,800 in financial backing from Ninja Records. Ninja Records picked up on MadHatter’s music through online promotion of the FIRST version of Tensix, which was recorded on a $6 microphone as Hatter slept on floor after floor of his friend’s apartments after he was forced homeless in 2003. That version of the album was of somewhat decent quality for the equipment and learning curve that was present at the time, but MadHatter wanted a much better quality for it someday. “Fake” was and has always been the big hit off of the album, and the first version in 2003 won a few online contests and gained him a budding fan base and free site promotion. As said above, this caught the attention of Ninja Records, and after a contract was made up, they agreed to pay in full the price to press and release a newly recorded version of the album. Hatter built up enough money at his job to record the new Tensix in many different sessions, and this download is the final product of that newer recording.
Even older, a few of the songs on this album are modified versions of songs off of the Shadow Puppet’s first cd “Eye4AnEye” in 2002. Due to creative differences, some of the songs sat unreleased until Tensix came along while others had parts from Wicket Slang that were taken out and replaced with new lyrics after the group disbanded.
This album was originally sold for $10 in stores back in 2004, which was cheaper than anyone else’s cds at the time, even other local artists. This was on purpose. Later, in 2005, MadHatter decided to lower the price on all of the label’s cds to an insane $5 apiece. After a major decision during a Scrub Club Records meeting in 2006, there was a unanimous vote to release all of their music online for free from that point on. That is when Tensix was fixed up a bit, given new artwork, and re-released on our official site as you see it today.
“Return” is the first song to mention the almighty “$6 mic.” Back in the beginnings of MadHatter’s musical adventures, he was so poor that the only microphone he could afford was a shitty 6 dollar one from WalMart. To his and everyone else’s surprise, the microphone outperformed itself and did a pretty damn good job for what it was! Pop stoppers ranged from socks to egg crates to tampons to cardboard to pantyhose. Eventually, this was scrapped for a… $15 dollar mic. It ended up not sounding nearly as good as the cheaper one! The original home-recorded version of this song also appears on “MadHatter Presents Rewind And Refresh Volume One.”
“Fake” is one of nearly every oldschool Scrub Club Soldier’s favorite songs. Tons of people really feel it. Hatter wrote the song a year after the 9/11 attacks, pointing a finger at all the fake patriots that emerged from the disaster just to fit in and other fake people in general. The song gained an amazing 80% Phat vote from ICP’s Phat Or Wack Contest, the highest score ever achieved. This score was also shared with Scrub Club’s former artist from New York “Da Kippa” with his song “Am I Crazy?” which also ranked an 80%. Hearing this song usually either makes or breaks a person’s initial opinion of Scrub Club. On the Soundclick charts, it ranked #15 in the Alternative Hip Hop genre, beating out 71,172 other entries in 2004. In the overall Hip Hop category, it ranked #408, beating out a staggering 1,043,483 other entries!
“Wiggle” is the first instance of long-time homie and former Scrub Club artist KnightDetective ever recording. The interesting pleasure-induced female noises in the background are provided by… well… maybe you should just read the sample listing below.
“Now U See” is probably the angriest of MadHatter’s songs, and it’s all about him being turned homeless and stressed by a rampaging bitch of an ex. Her revenge for their breakup ended up costing him his apartment through some dirty tricks she played, his close friends at the time due to rumors, the majority of his possessions (both bought and priceless personal items) being sold to gangbangers while he was at work, and her cleaning out the bank account and leaving him with all the bills. The fact that the relationship was horrible and abusive as it was plus all of the other information you just read might help you to understand Hatter’s frustration at the time. He considers this track to actually be pretty light compared to what he felt during the panic attack before writing it.
“That’s Ghetto” catches a lot of listener’s smiles when they hear the exact same things they enjoy or are used to living with… Duct tape, mac and cheese, grape Kool Aid… horrible, dying cars… it’s all in here. This is as real as it gets. The auto mentioned in this song was Hatter’s 1985 Volkswagen Quantum, a vehicle that was recalled for 33 different electrical and mechanical failures. It was his first homebrew paint job, and it looked fresh. There was a switch on the dash for some unknown reason that killed all lights inside and outside of the car, which when painted a flat, nonreflective back, let him sneak up on other cars in the night and escape police officers. Word! During concert sets, you can always expect Scrub Club to throw out free mac and cheese, ramen noodles, and other goodies to all the people in the crowd that probably literally need that junk.
“Backstabbers” is another let-off-steam track about the close friends in his life and old Shadow Puppets crew screwing him over and turning two-faced over rumors and lies spread by his psycho ex. When performed live, the stage is always lucky to survive the stomping it receives.
“Headache” is a really simple song that has an increasing volume, amount of instruments, and harshnness of voice to simulate the effects of a migraine headache, which had been tearing Hatter’s head apart since his childhood around the age of 10 and 12. Between those ages, he grew far too fast for his age, which crippled him to crawling on the floor as a kid because his knees, back, and neck were too stressed by the growth. A short crack of the neck and back from a cheap-ass chiropracter every now and then currently keeps these from returning, but everyone can relate to this pain in some way, shape, or form.
“Put ‘Em Up” seems to be the first of it’s kind: A song in the appreciation of your average non-model-class chick. The girl next door. The sexy women that all the popular guys never see the beauty in. This song, from the original 2003 home recording of Tensix, was featured on a few different female-powered sites at the time. Even older, a version was recorded in late 2002 that featured KnightDetective and TNA on the chorus. However, the vocal effect ended up all gangsta like a Lil’ Jon track, so that version was scratched to make way for a sexy, mellow one.
“Snap” has been credited on several occasions for saving the lives of people who were lost and even ready to give up their life rather than deal with abusive families and other horrible situations. It’s also the Scrub Club track that EVERYONE can relate to. MadHatter gets emotional to this day whenever he performs this song live, because of the understanding looks in people’s eyes in the crowd as they listen to his words.
“What Makes A Killa?” was written shortly after the school shootings at Columbine and Littleton and fights back at the negative and manipulative media that covers and exploits such stories. People really need to wake up and realize the shape of the big picture. Since this song was released, tons of local evidence has arisen that help to prove that Columbine was a staged coverup, so the fact that this was all fabricated in the first place really drives the point of this song home.
“Jump2This” is a crowd hyper for sure. Unfortunately, the album version is at a low quality because the instrumental was lost forever due to a computer crash in 2003. The newest version had to be recorded directly over the older version, which creates the slight echo and tinny sound that you hear. We truly tried to get the best out of it. The original home-recorded version of this song also appears on “MadHatter Presents Rewind And Refresh Volume One.”
“Cheat” was inspired by a close friend of Hatter’s being hurt time and time and time again by a cheating girlfriend and eventually wife. It drove Hatter insane to see his friend literally destroyed every single time it happened, and these are the evil verses that came from the situation. Originally planned for the first Shadow Puppets cd, it was not released because the couple got back together yet again. It didn’t last. Today, they are thankfully still seperated.
“Walk With Me” was the ending song on the first Puppets album “Eye4AnEye.” Wicket Slang’s parts except for the chorus were taken out and replaced with a new verse. The song deals with the little known serial killer who thought he was just doing God’s work when he killed what he considered evil people like pedophiles, wife beaters, etc. The man was definately an inspiration behind the Shadow Puppets mythology. Also mixed in with the story are MadHatter’s personal experiences that deal with the same ex from “Now U See.” The end of the song begs for forgiveness from all previous sins and a ticket to the afterlife. Do people like the average downtrodden individual get the same treatment as a serial killer at the gates of Heaven? Are all sins equal? This song tells the listener to decide that now and plan out their life for the result they want.
“?” was an easter egg on the pressed version of Tensix in 2004 that played several minutes after the music on the cd was over. It features a rediculous, goofy-ass remake of “Insane In The Brain” by Cypress Hill from Hatter and his old friend Farley Charwell, and a classic collaboration track called “Metawhore” between MadHatter and Da Kippa, who is a former artist of Scrub Club from New York.
ALBUM COMPOSING AND SAMPLE LISTING
“Intro” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios.
“Return” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the movie “The Addams Family.” Copyright Orion Pictures Corporation 1991.
“Fake” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples of President Bush yapping about bullshit in an address to the nation.
“Wiggle” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter and KnightDetective. Small spoken bits by Casey and Jessie. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples of my ex Chrissy via phone sex. Copyright You Cheating Bitch You Deserve This 1998.
“Now U See” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios.
“That’s Ghetto” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter and a big group of goons in the booth during the chorus. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios.
“Backstabbers” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the movie “The Addams Family.” Copyright Orion Pictures Corporation 1991.
“Headache” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from Mike Patton’s “Adult Themes For Voice.” Copyright Tzadik 1996.
“Put ‘Em Up” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. The crazy guy yelling at me for being a pervert is none other than the great Tommy Carlyle himself. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios.
“Snap” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the movie “Leon (The Professional).” Copyright Gaumont International 1994.
“What Makes A Killa?” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the song “Killer Klowns” by The Dickies as used in the movie “Killer Klowns From Outer Space.” Copyright Trans World Entertainment 1988. Also contains samples from the old-ass tv show “M.A.S.H.” Copyright 1972. Also contains samples from the cartoon “Rugrats.” Copyright Nickelodeon 1991.
“Jump 2 This” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the movie “Akira.” Copyright Akira Committee Company Ltd 1988. Also contains samples from the song “Jump” by Kriss Kross. Copyright Ruff House Records / Columbia 1992. Also contains samples from the movie “Friday.” Copyright New Line Cinema 1995.
“Cheat” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains samples from the movie “Leon (The Professional).” Copyright Gaumont International 1994. Also contains samples from the movie “Bugsy.” Copyright Sony Pictures 1991. Also contains samples from the movie “Batman.” Copyright Warner Brothers Pictures 1989.
“Walk With Me” was produced by MadHatter and has vocals by MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Tommy Carlyle at A#1 Studios. Contains some lyrics from the original version of “Walk With Me” by Wicket Slang and MadHatter. Copyright Spare Bedroom Studios 2002.
“?” is a hidden Easter egg from the original cd release and consists of two seperate tracks: “Retarded In The Membrane” was produced by Cypress Hill and has vocals by MadHatter and Farley Charwell. Contains samples and lyrics from the song “Insane In The Brain” by Cypress Hill. Copyright Ruffhouse Records / Columbia 1993. The other track, “Metawhore” was produced by Da Kippa and has vocals by Da Kippa and MadHatter. Recorded and mixed by Da Kippa on his side with his own equipment, and MadHatter’s parts were recorded on his extremely crappy homemade studio at the time with the $6 mic. Copyright Scrub Club Records / Multiple Personality Records 2003.
