The Live Element

Ah yes, yet another true indie group with dope music. Long Beach, Calif.'s Blackwhole (Sleproc, MC-Los, Zig-Zag, Anonymous and Saint John Doe) lays out its best beats on The Live Element. Blackwhole hovers around a darker West Coast underground sound, making for great stage presence in live shows. In fact, with the possible injection of a little freestyle, the cuts would seem ready for a stage performance. "Whole Up!," "Loud & Clear," "A to Z-Live" and "Dead Antz" as well as the instrumentals on any of the Big Luke tracks are great candidates for crowd-hyping. Stage presence is important, but these cats go one step deeper with the conscious, "open-your-eyes" undertone. Peep "Greater Goods" and "Hot Nites." If these guys come to a venue near you, you should do yourself a favor and catch a live show. BlackWhole.com.