Video: Preservation feat. Mach-Hommy – I-78

“Eastern Medicine, Western Illness” Available Now

Filmed pre-Covid19 in Chinatown, NY. December 2019.
Directed by Jonathan Chekroune, Mach-Hommy and Preservation.

Famed DJ/producer Preservation presents “I-78” featuring enigmatic rap phenom Mach-Hommy, the latest single off his new album “Eastern Medicine, Western Illness”. Produced during Preservation’s time living in Hong Kong, the album features an impressive collection of top-tier lyricists, including Ka, Your Old Droog, Roc Marciano, Billy Woods, Nickelus F, GrandeMarshall, Tree, A.G., and more. “Eastern Medicine, Western Illness” is now available worldwide at digital outlets and on limited-edition CD and vinyl.

While living in Hong Kong starting in 2014, I witnessed the umbrella protest movement. During my 3-year stay, the negative news was coming in from the West. This experience fueled me and perhaps subconsciously influenced the sounds of the album. The act of creating was my solace. Once I returned to NY, the news came in from the East as the youth continued to stand up in Hong Kong and Covid-19 first hit mainland China. This video filmed with Mach-Hommy in Chinatown, NYC in December 2019, reflects the goal of the album to bring together the East and West in sound and culture. I never could have imagined that this music would be released in these times, but I’m grateful to be in a position to provide some form of medicine. Walk with me.” –Pres

With the year we’ve had, December 2019 almost feels like a decade ago, and the imagery of Chinatown surreal. Six months ago, in the freezing rain of a typical winter Sunday on Canal St., my DJ and I walked through crowded streets that gave no hint as to how drastically the landscape would shift by Springtime. Some New Yorkers elect to say that we are living in the dawn of a new era; maybe there is some truth in that statement. You don’t have to be from NYC to know what happened since then … last December.

Our visual contribution to the album may be the last portrait of life in Chinatown pre-Covid19. I am proud to share this motion picture snapshot of an excursion into the Far East by way of the Lower East. I suggest that you maybe take a brief moment to appreciate the changes to people, places, and things since … last December. Walk with me.” –Mach