Dirty Apes Discover Science

Artist: Funky49
Released online January 2012
Running time: 49:37 

Also featuring: Songb3rd, Dale Chase, mCRT, AlpineKat, and Untested Methods.

Beats, bass, and beakers! "Rapbassador," the album Funky49 created to promote Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry now has a sequel: "Dirty Apes Discover Science." This release is aimed at the nerds, geeks, scientists, and engineers who need some Hip Hop in their life. It is also for rap listeners who have had their fill of songs about cars and jewelery.

Dirty Apes Discover Science is a genre-spanning work with influences from Dubstep, Electro-House, R&B, and old-school Hip Hop.

In the lead track, “Science Like Us,” the scientific method (observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation, conclusion) is amazingly distilled into 8 bars of rap. “Gene Swap” humorously delves into the under-represented biological side of sex. There is praise for the humble particle in “My Electron,” as well as jabs at the willful ignorance of the Insane Clown Posse. Kudos are given to everyone’s favorite internet company with “Google That.” Personal to Funky49, there is mad love for the scientist / inventor in “Ben Franklin is my BFF.” The track “Particle Business” highlights the quest to discover how the universe evolved and the David and Goliath-like competition of discovery that existed between CERN in Europe and Fermilab outside of Chicago, IL.

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 - Science Like Us
02 - Particle Business
03 - My Electron
04 - Ben Franklin is My BFF
05 - Gene Swap (feat. Songb3rd)
06 - Google That (feat. Dale Chase)
07 - Star Trek Interlude
08 - Nerd Rage (feat. mCRT)
09 - Triumph (feat. AlpineKat)
10 - What's Crackin'
11 - Google That (Funky49 Remix feat. Dale Chase)
12 - Particle Business (Untested Methods Remix)
13 - Dr. Lederman Breaks It Down
14 - Uncle George's Outro

ALBUM THANKS FROM FUNKY49

Thanks and greets to: All of the collaborators on this album. Without their awesome contributions, this album would be a lot less rich in timbre and texture. Big ups to the Florida nerdcore massive, especially the Emergency Pizza Party (MC Wreckshin, Sir-Up, Betty Rebel and Benjamin Bear) and the rest of my nerdcore massive on the internet especially the fine folks at Nerdcore Now. All my science teachers. All scientists & engineers of the world. The employees of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, especially Dr. Ben Kilminster, Tona Kunz and the CDF band, the Drug Sniffing Dogs. The Tevatron. The people at the National Academy of Science, especially Ann Merchant. Dan Lamoureux for making the music video for “Particle Business” and sharing yummy breakfasts with me near Fermilab. Gabriel Spitzer of Chicago’s WBEZ. Everyone who follows me on the Twitter. Everyone that works in front an LCD screen or four. The people chilling their butts off in data centers where it is so noisy they gotta crank this up to eleven. Thanks and greets to all the people I’m forgetting. If you were sampled, please don’t sue. If I’m wrong on something, consider your listen part of a peer review. Let me know and I will issue a rap retraction!

The idea for this album came out in summer 2009 but I’m not done. Future tracks I want to make along the “Dirty Apes” vein: A rap battle between Tesla and Edison, a song for our Voyager/Pioneer space probes called “Escape Trajectory”, a song discussing the spinoff technologies from research in basic science, a song about our Out of Africa migration (we are all homo sapiens!) and being humble because we’re just a speck on this pale blue dot and can die because of tiny specks like germs (think Carl Sagan meets Bill Nye meets Douglas Adams’ Total Perspective Vortex). I also want to make a track with my EPP family where we rap about different chemicals effects on the brain. mCRT imagines a rap battle between Lysenko and Lamarck and a story about the voyage of The Beagle. Ultimately, I would love to get big name musicians to help marry science and music.

Peace and humptiness forever,
-Steve

ALBUM COMPOSING AND SAMPLE LISTING 

Dirty Apes Discover Science was written, produced and recorded by Funky49 in Temple Terrace, FL, USA, Earth unless otherwise mentioned. Mixing and mastering on all tracks by The HT at Studio 6, Port Orange, FL except for the Untested Methods remix, the interlude, and the outro. Album artwork by John “Hex” Carter.

Dirty Apes Discover Science is dedicated to my Uncle George. He passed while this album was being created. He loved Star Trek so much my Aunt Lynn had his huge model of the TOS Enterprise at the funeral. Like she said, “Scotty beamed him up!” Live long and prosper.

***

Science Like Us: Samples include “Funky Drummer” by James Brown’s drummer, Clyde Stubblefield. Inspired by the rap songs that are essentially the Funky Drummer loop and some horn hits. My horn hits and vocal stabs were taken from Tower of Power. Awesome bass guitar provided by redvoid. Some scratching by Funky49 on @alignbetween’s turntables/records.

Particle Business:  This is for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. There is 6-sigmas of fun I got from making this track. Music by Funky49 & redvoid. Guitar by c plus student. Additional vocals by Dr. Ben Kilminster of Fermilab’s Drug Sniffing Dogs. Musical inspiration from Immortal Technique, Vangelis and Madvillian. Music video: http://youtu.be/oaG6umMkbxg

My Electron: This is for my favorite particle, the tiny electron. When I was taking a tour at Fermilab and learned how the humble electron helps get data to the scientists, I knew I had to give this lepton some shine. Guest verse by Karl Olson. Bass guitar by redvoid. Additional synth bass composition by Benjamin Bear. Samples include “Superman” by Eminem. Music inspired by Justice.

Benjamin Franklin is my BFF: It is hard to not give Ben Franklin some brotherly love. BF is my BFF! Samples the John Adams series on HBO. This track was inspired by the dubstep I’ve been listening to recently including mixes from @sli, @kilsaly and @djroborob. The hook is inspired by “Wind It Up” by Mark Pritchard & Om’Mas Keith.

Gene Swap: This track was “peer-reviewed” by @DrBondar who added that we actually don’t swap genes but combine them. It is awesome being owned by a scientist. @sciencegoddess pointed out that “artists do tend to use their artistic license every now and again”. I hope you can find the reference to Bread lyrics in this track. Awesome additional vocals by Songb3rd aka Ayana Wright. I am not responsible for offspring created by listening to this track.

Google That: This fit in so well, I made Dale’s version the proper version for the album and relegated mine to be the remix. Give it up for Dale! Music by Dale Chase. Vocals by Funky49 & Dale Chase & Songb3rd.

Star Trek Interlude This is a bit of audio ginger you get with the musical sushi. This track is dedicated to the Z-Machine at Sandia National Labs. It is the largest X-ray generator we’ve built and looks AWESOME in operation! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_machine

Nerd Rage:  Honestly I think mCRT spent his whole life preparing for this track. I don’t mean any offense on this cut, but if you think Harry Potter is a gateway to witchcraft or some magnetic necklace or bracelet is going to make you more flexible... I have compassion for you. Additional lyrics and original concept track by mCRT. Bass guitar by Dark Force. Samples include “Big Bang” by Cursive. Music inspired by mCRT’s verse, RATM and the Beastie Boys.

Triumph: Music by Funky49 & redvoid. Additional vocals by AlpineKat aka Kate McAlpine. Yes, *THAT* AlpineKat of LHC Rap fame! Includes samples from the Huygens probe decent radar onto Titan. String chord progression as made popular by a 20th century rock band from England.

What’s Crackin: Honestly? This beat was for the Ben Franklin track except it wasn’t exothermic enough for good old Ben. I still liked the beat I made (inspired by DJ Premier) and I had 16 bars about Galileo I wrote for someone else. I wrote more and used a hook I’ve had in my head for a while. I’d still rather go to planetariums and not bars.

Google That (Funky49 mix): This was the original before Dale’s blew mine up and fit so well next to Gene Swap on the tracklist. Of course, the music is inspired by G-funk era Dr. Dre. Great hook or greatest hook? Vocals by Funky49 & Dale Chase & Songb3rd.

Particle Business (Untested Methods remix): Thank you, thank you to UM for this! Check how he twisted up the original to make something new. That’s hip-hop, people. You have much to learn from this man. Follow @untestedmethods.

Dr. Lederman Breaks It Down: Samples Dr Leon Lederman from “The Nature of Science” podcast and Public Enemy. I hope you like how the Dr Lederman quotes culminated into a track of his own. Analog synth samples from @redvoid. This track is dedicated to the Director Emeritus of Fermilab, Dr Lederman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_M._Lederman.

Outro: Speaks for itself.

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

You have the right to distribute (for free) this entire release or its individual tracks online, on recordable media, and on portable devices. You can even remix the content on this album for your own projects as long as you're not selling it! To do so, you must properly credit the artists involved and link to the Scrub Club Records website. For commercial purposes, please contact us.