One For The Weekend: Abdominal

Toronto MC Abdominal celebrated his 50th birthday with a few bars about our healthcare system in crisis – watch "Burnout Clinic" 

Writes Abdominal...

Only fitting that today, on my 50th birthday, I share this new song/vid, “Burnout Clinic”, which focuses on mindfulness, particularly as it pertains to preventing burnout. It was commissioned by the Altruism in Medicine Institute (see links following the video), and so was meant specifically for healthcare workers, but I think a lot of the same principles apply to burnout in general. 

And I say fitting, because, although perhaps cliché, I am learning increasingly as I age the importance of being in the moment (as best I can anyway), and how important that is in cultivating mental health (vs dwelling on past regrets &/or overly stressing the future). – Abs

Production by Nik Timar for Circle Research

 

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The Altruism in Medicine Institute (AIMI) is a nonprofit entity focused on addressing clinicians’ burnout by providing new tools, insights, and a way of being that enables healthcare professionals to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. AIMIcare helps clinicians better care for themselves, allowing them to flourish and practice better patient care. 

The AIMIcare mobile app consists of a vast collection of insights and programs, guiding users to better their wellbeing. Features include guided meditations curated for health workers’  professional and personal needs, and evidence-based programs and content to guide users’ emotional hygiene with a more positive outlook on day-to-day work as healthcare professionals. 

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Download AIMIcare:  https://aimiapp.app.link/IWD9llEsDzb

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AIMIcare Mobile App Website: https://aimicare.altruismmedicine.org/

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Altruism in Medicine Institute: https://altruismmedicine.org/

Watch MC Abdominal's "Freedom of the Printing Press" video

Toronto's MC Abdominal drops some science about the importance of a free press in a democracy. Check the clip below. 

Here's the scoop from Abs...

This is my first attempt at a 'Custom Rap', commissioned by independent BC printing press International WEB Express via brand new platform Event Rap. Client requested a short rap outlining the importance of freedom of the press, particularly in light of the current global climate, with democracy threatened everywhere, even regions once considered stable.

In this misinformation age, don't forget about the independent journalists, publishers and printing presses that empower community newspapers to serve their local readerships with un-hackable, unfiltered news.

Order your own Custom Rap here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bababrinkman/event-rap-the-one-stop-custom-rap-shop

Made with support from International WEB Express: https://www.intwebexpress.com

Video edited by Marco Vallini（music videos, series, short movies & whatnot）

Track produced by Nik Timar for Circle Research. 

Watch Abdominal's new video for "Gone Fishin'"

Toronto MC Abdominal & his Obliques are back with the Gone Fishin' EP and a clip for the title track. Catch the EP on Abdominal's bandcamp page.  

Here's the scoop... These are the three tracks the boys & I managed to record before the pandemic hit. They were (& still are) intended for our next full album, but we figured we'd release 'em in the meantime. We know times are tough out there, so we're setting this one at £0.51, which is the lowest Bandcamp allows for a digital preorder. However, times are also tough for musicians, so please keep that in mind if you do have a bit of extra cashola kicking around! Anyway, our main priority is that people who want the music can get the music.  Thanks in advance & please enjoy, Abs


Credits Vocals: Andy Bernstein (AKA Abdominal)  Guitar: Brian Macmillan  Bass: Liam Smith  Percussion: Roman Tomé  Mixed and mastered by John MacLean  Recorded at Studio 211 at the CBC. 

Nautilus w/ Abdominal & Kei Owada vs. De La Soul

DJ Oonops enlisted MC Abdominal & vocalist Kei Owada to bolster his collaborative Nautilus rework of De La Soul's classic 1991 party jam.

Midweek Mixdown: DJ Format & Abdominal

DJ Format & Abdominal are hitting the UK roads once again to spread the glorious word of their current LP, "STILL HUNGRY" starting tonight (Wednesday, November 1) at The Strait and Narrow in Lincoln, then hitting The Magnet in Liverpool (Thursday, November 2), followed by the Workmans Club in Dublin (November 3), Drygate in Glasgow (November 4), The Soundhouse in Leicester (November 7), The Georgian Theatre at Stockton (November 8), Fibbers in York (November 9), The Brewery in Kendal (November 10), Bootleg Special in Blackpool (November 11), The Venue Derby in Derby (November 14), Thekla in Bristol (November 15), Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff (November 16), Canvas in Bournemouth (November 17), The Haunt in Brighton (November 18), The Boileroom in Guildford (November 22), Sub 89 in Reading (November 23), The Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes (November 24), culminating with a London blowout at The Garage (November 25).

After STILL HUNGRY's released in back in April, the Abs & Format had success through the spring with yet another sellout tour, a #1 album chart topping position on Bandcamp (for two months!), Top 10 on the iTunes hip hop charts, playlisting and appearances on BBC 6 Music and Soho Radio and numerous rave reviews.

To switch things up a little, a hand picked selection of remixers were appointed to turn the original STILL HUNGRY tracks on their heads and the results will both surprise and delight open-minded music fans worldwide.

Expect basslines, live bands, hip hop hitters and tropical vibes from the likes of DJ Supreme, Featurecast, Danny.wav, Hiphoppotamus, Dutty Moonshine Big Band and plenty more. Heck, even the MC maestro Abdominal himself has reworked the standout track "Dirt" alongside his three piece band The Obliques!

This remix album truly has it all – and best of all, it's free ...or PWYC, if you're feeling generous! Check it out.

Watch DJ Format & Abdominal's new video for We're Back

Check out Ludo Jaccard's  clip for "We're Back" off DJ Format & Abdominal's Still Hungry album.

Watch the new DJ Format & Abdominal video for Dirt

"Dirt" is off the forthcoming DJ Format & Abdominal album Still Hungry out April 28 via Kartel Music Group.

DJ Format & Abdominal on tour:
May 03: Leeds / The Wardrobe
May 04: Glasgow / Stereo
May 05: Edinburgh / Voodoo Rooms
May 06: Newcastle / Cluny
May 10: Manchester / Gorilla
May 11: Nottingham / Rescue Rooms
May 12: Birmingham / Hare & Hounds
May 13: Sheffield / O2 Academy
May 17: Bristol / The Fleece
May 18: Oxford / The Cellar
May 19: Southampton / The Social Club
May 20: Whitstable / Duke of Cumberland
May 23: Cambridge / J2 at The Junction
May 24: London / Electric Ballroom
May 25: Brighton / Patterns
May 26: Norwich / The Arts Centre

DJ Format & Abdominal preview new Still Hungry album with the brilliant "Behind The Scenes" video

Like Drake, Abs enjoys having some T.O. flava in his videos – however, no Bentley GTCs were harmed in this shoot.

Possessing superior rhyme skills isn't necessarily a ticket to rap stardom. Toronto-based emcee Abdominal knows better than most that the day-to-day life of a real hip hop artist ain't all the glitz 'n' glamour people associate with celebrities like Drake and Kanye. In Dafydd Palfrey's fab new video for DJ Format & Abdominal's latest single "Behind The Scenes," our man Abs pulls back the curtain to show what goes into making a living with a microphone.

As can be seen in the footage shot primarily in Toronto, there's much more time spent alone scribblng ideas in corner cafés and digging for beats in dusty record stores like Grasshopper Records (1167 Dundas West at Ossington) than sipping champagne with models in hottubs. Have a look...



DJ Format & Abdominal's new album Still Hungry is out April 28 on AAF Records via Kartel Music Group. "Behind The Scenes" is now available at https://abdominal.bandcamp.com. The dynamic hiphop duo will be rockin' houses across the UK this spring – check the dates below...  

Hip Hop Karaoke w/ J-Live @ Revival, Friday

Join hosts MC Abdominal & More Or Les with special guests J-Live & DJ Grouch for a massive throwdown. 

UNITY Fest w/ DaM-FunK @ Yonge-Dundas Square, Saturday, 9:30pm-10:15pm

Los Angeles DJ/producer Damon "DaM-FunK" Roddick takes you on a tour of his record collection below. 

Hip Hop Karaoke w/ Del The Funky Homosapien @ Revival, tonight

Don't miss mic-ripper Del throw down with Abdominal and More Or Les tonight at Revival. 

Happy Birthday MC Abdominal!

Cheers to Toronto's dopest rhyme ripper – with his own sign in Kensington Market – MC Abdominal on his day. 

Abdominal's Sitting Music release party @ Supermarket tonight – stream the new album!

Exceptionally skilled Toronto hip hop MC Abdominal is celebrating the release of his well-chilled Sitting Music (Pinwheel Music) album with the Obliques at Supermarket tonight. Laidback and largely acoustic yes, but the personally revealing performances of Abs still swing hard thanks in no small part to the on-point support of guitarist Andrew Frost and percussionist Colin Kingsmore.

Along with a sharp shout-out to Buffalo's famed Anchor Bar on A Brief History of the Chicken Wing and a fiercely flowing collabo with Jurassic 5's Chali 2na on Balance Both, the album also features a hip hop first: a mother/son rap duet on track Courage which you can hear by following this link to the full album stream of Sitting Music. And check out the Abs interview conducted by Vish Khanna below...

LINKS
site http://mcabdominal.com/
label http://pinwheelmusic.com/artist/abdominal/
FB http://www.facebook.com/mcabdominal
      

Help Abs finish his "Broken" video

Some Background

I believe I met Abs through skateboarding when we were barely in our teens. We were both creative kids who liked to draw, made music and films, and throughout the years our paths have crossed within various creative and social circles. Abs makes incredible music, spits rhymes almost as fast as the Fu-Shnickens, has toured the world, and collaborated with some very cool musicians along the way. I run a small company called 3:AM Design that makes little films and animations.


A while back we had the opportunity to collaborate with Abs on the music video for “Abdominal Workout”. With a minimal budget, a small but enthusiastic crew, some volunteer actors, and a very patient rapper, we created something special. That project was an incredible experience and is still one of my fondest memories of filmmaking. It’s not everyday one gets to work with great people coming together and making a true labour of love.


Today we’re hoping to drum up some funding for an exciting project that we feel will recapture the same magic and awesomeness we had together previously. A new collaboration with Abs on the music video for his tune “Broken”. We've always been a fan of Abs, and we're all big into hip hop - this would be a great opportunity to give a little love to the scene.


There was no shortage of great stories in the many tracks we listened to off Abs’ new album "Sitting Music", but “Broken” above all others gave us a playground of ideas that

Hip hop sleeve of the week: Abdominal

Firstly, I’m not going to pretend this is someone else writing about me in the third person. This is Andy/Abs… hi there.

So, I like rapping & I’m pretty good at it. But I’m also old (by rap standards at least). And as a result, I was getting a little tired of having to jump up and down on stages every night, screaming, just so that my raps could be heard over the super-loud beats playing in the background. So I decided to make some changes. My first move was to assemble a band (“The Obliques”). Well, they’re not really a band…more like two guys playing percussion and a guitar…but I like saying I have a band.

That took care of the music-being-too-loud problem. “But what about the jumping around bit?”, you ask? Good question…we sit down the whole show, like the verging on middle-age men we are. Basically, it’s awesome and I haven’t been this excited about making and performing music in years! I should add here, we have a new record coming out next month, called “Sitting Music” (for obvious reasons).

And that’s about all I have to tell you at the moment. That said, because this is a bio, I guess I’m supposed to wow you with a list of my past accomplishments. I’m gonna try to do that in max. two sentences, because frankly it’s boring as shit for all concerned, in my opinion (rather just let the music speak for itself as much as possible).

Anyway, I can sum it up by saying I’ve been lucky enough to have done some pretty cool stuff thanks to music over the past few years…played Glastonbury twice, toured all over the UK and Europe with Jurassic 5, opened for Roy Ayers, won the SOCAN Echo prize for best Canadian song in 2007, hosted the annual SOCAN awards show in 2008 and 2011, toured all over the world with the UK’s DJ Format, filmed three videos in LA, did songs with some of my idols (Chali 2na, Cut Chemist, Gift of Gab, my mom, etc.), kept the bills paid for close to a decade strictly doing what I love, etc.

Thanks for reading and hope you like the music,

Andy/Abs.