Homespun: Gotta Be Karim, Bean Pie EP

In this week's Homespun, Christian Schaeffer reviews Gotta Be Karim's Bean Pie EP. He has this to say:

Karim Hameed used to perform with Soul Tyde, and his love for old-school samples and smooth soul textures is made plain on “When You See Me.” The track, which kicks off Gotta Be Karim’s five-song Bean Pie EP, operates off of a stuttering, minor-key electric piano loop and sharp snare hits, and lets the emcee plant his feet and say his peace. And, like all great crate-diggers, Karim waits until the song’s end to pull back the curtain on the sample’s source: bossa nova take on the Bacharach/David classic “Walk On By.”

He'll be having a CD release show at Vintage Vinyl on Friday and also appearing with Black Spade -- the local boy turned good, who I hear is hitting Europe in a few months for some performances -- at the Gramophone later that night.

MP3: Gotta Be Karim, "Back on the Grind"

MP3: Gotta Be Karim, "Swagger Back"