This track is running thru my head
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
IPHONE UPGRADE
« Monthly Gift Service Sends Toy Robots To Your Home | Main
iPhone Update -- Hackers' Edition
By Rob Beschizza September 28, 2007 | 4:51:48 PMCategories: iPhone Hacks
So, the iPhone's software has hit version 1.1.1. There's good news, and there's bad news.
(These are gathered from around the net, and may be variously right, wrong, or completely illucid. Fixes and updates are encouranged in the comments.)
If you've unlocked your iPhone but have not upgraded it:
• Don't upgrade it! Tell iTunes, "No!" It will almost certainly not work afterwards, with no reliable remedy yet available.
If you've unlocked your iPhone and already upgraded it:
• Your phone is bricked until further notice. It can be reactivated with an AT&T SIM if you unlocked it with iPhoneSIMfree, according to iPhoneSIMFree.
• There are anecdotal reports that the Genius Bar will restore unlocked brickPhones if you're lucky, or if you lie to the Genius.
If you've hacked/jailbroken your iPhone but have not unlocked it:
• You can upgrade, but reports of success are not unanimous. You will, at least, lose access to your third-party additions and hacks, and the ability to downgrade the firmware. You may also have to restore the iPhone software from scratch. Some report that updating a hacked-but-still-locked iPhone has bricked it to the point where attempts to restore it fail.
If you haven't hacked/jailbroken your iPhone:
• Upgrade only if you're an everday, by-the-book user who is reading all this solely to take pleasure in others' misfortune.
• Don't upgrade if you want to use carriers other than AT&T, or install unofficial software such as IM clients, game emulators, IRC and Terminal.
If you have upgraded your iPhone and it still works:
• Your installed apps are invisible and inaccessible, but still present on the phone.
• You can restore iPhones after you attempted to jailbreak or otherwise hack it, and doing so bricks the phone.
• There is no jailbreak for 1.1.1, or any other means to mess with the iPhone or get your hacks working again. Expect to wait a while.
• If you cancelled your AT&T service, you'll have to reactivate the iPhone. AT&T says hi.
• You cannot downgrade to 1.0.2
• You cannot change SIMS to use alternative carriers.
• You cannot use any third party applications that are not Safari apps.
• Installing AppTapp bricks the iPhone, but the iPhone can be restored.
• Non-iTunes ringtones can't be installed.
If your phone is bricked after updating, but you never hacked it at all:
• You can restore bricked iPhones if they were bricked due to USB weirdness, problems with unusual AT&T SIM cards, or other innocent behavior.
If you feel betrayed:
Stop it. You knew what you were getting into. You are being punished for not trusting perfection. Live with it and move on.†
† Moving on requires a two-year subscriber agreement and carries a $200 early termination fee. By moving on, you agree to the terms and conditions specified in the end user license agreement, which can be read in Istro-Rumanian at the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina after 4 p.m. on weekday afternoons that are both full moons and in which the date of the month is a prime number, following
iPhone Update -- Hackers' Edition
By Rob Beschizza September 28, 2007 | 4:51:48 PMCategories: iPhone Hacks
So, the iPhone's software has hit version 1.1.1. There's good news, and there's bad news.
(These are gathered from around the net, and may be variously right, wrong, or completely illucid. Fixes and updates are encouranged in the comments.)
If you've unlocked your iPhone but have not upgraded it:
• Don't upgrade it! Tell iTunes, "No!" It will almost certainly not work afterwards, with no reliable remedy yet available.
If you've unlocked your iPhone and already upgraded it:
• Your phone is bricked until further notice. It can be reactivated with an AT&T SIM if you unlocked it with iPhoneSIMfree, according to iPhoneSIMFree.
• There are anecdotal reports that the Genius Bar will restore unlocked brickPhones if you're lucky, or if you lie to the Genius.
If you've hacked/jailbroken your iPhone but have not unlocked it:
• You can upgrade, but reports of success are not unanimous. You will, at least, lose access to your third-party additions and hacks, and the ability to downgrade the firmware. You may also have to restore the iPhone software from scratch. Some report that updating a hacked-but-still-locked iPhone has bricked it to the point where attempts to restore it fail.
If you haven't hacked/jailbroken your iPhone:
• Upgrade only if you're an everday, by-the-book user who is reading all this solely to take pleasure in others' misfortune.
• Don't upgrade if you want to use carriers other than AT&T, or install unofficial software such as IM clients, game emulators, IRC and Terminal.
If you have upgraded your iPhone and it still works:
• Your installed apps are invisible and inaccessible, but still present on the phone.
• You can restore iPhones after you attempted to jailbreak or otherwise hack it, and doing so bricks the phone.
• There is no jailbreak for 1.1.1, or any other means to mess with the iPhone or get your hacks working again. Expect to wait a while.
• If you cancelled your AT&T service, you'll have to reactivate the iPhone. AT&T says hi.
• You cannot downgrade to 1.0.2
• You cannot change SIMS to use alternative carriers.
• You cannot use any third party applications that are not Safari apps.
• Installing AppTapp bricks the iPhone, but the iPhone can be restored.
• Non-iTunes ringtones can't be installed.
If your phone is bricked after updating, but you never hacked it at all:
• You can restore bricked iPhones if they were bricked due to USB weirdness, problems with unusual AT&T SIM cards, or other innocent behavior.
If you feel betrayed:
Stop it. You knew what you were getting into. You are being punished for not trusting perfection. Live with it and move on.†
† Moving on requires a two-year subscriber agreement and carries a $200 early termination fee. By moving on, you agree to the terms and conditions specified in the end user license agreement, which can be read in Istro-Rumanian at the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina after 4 p.m. on weekday afternoons that are both full moons and in which the date of the month is a prime number, following
MTV IS EVERYWHERE
Viacom and the Arab Media group are planning to launch MTV Arabia on November 16. The network will launch the channel with imported MTV shows, as well as new locally produced show. Executives at the network said about a third of the programming will feature local musicians, including homegrown Hip-Hop music. AMG has been running advertisements encouraging local rappers to send in their demos. "We're not just looking at MTV Arabia as another TV station," AMG chief exec Abdullatif Al-Sayegh told Variety. "The channel will be a platform for the Arab youth. Eventually they will decide the programming of the channel. It won't just be the head of programming deciding what goes on air." The network will premiere November 16 during an all-star bash in Dubai.
KEENAN'S CORNER
I know I said I was gonna lay off the women for a while but, y’all just keep pulling me back in. I keep hearing story after story about girls putting themselves in situations where they really expect dudes to act like they are their best friends. Look mami, if I take any kind of excursion to see you that lasts longer than 2 hours to get there, it ain’t cuz I wanna be friends. If we’ve been out more than 3 times and I’m picking up the tab every single time, it ain’t cuz I wanna be friends. If you come to visit me, stay at my house, expect me to tote you around town all weekend, spend more than 24 hours straight with you, have you sleep in my bed…IT AIN’T CUZ I WANNA BE FRIENDS!!! What the hell is wrong with y’all? Most dudes have mad friends. It’s you women who don’t get along with girls so, you only got like 3 friends worth a d@mn. I got dudes I play basketball with, dudes I play football with, dudes I play poker with, dudes I hit the club with, dudes I went to school with, dudes I travel with, I think you get the picture. I’m chock full of friends, I’m full I tell you! No more for me, thanks, I’m stuffed.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Phil Spector. Whoa
Phil Spector's Murder Trial Declared Mistrial
Photo by Gabriel Bouys / AP
After about five months of testimony, the trial of legendary "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector ended in a mistrial today, September 26, according to an AP report.
Spector is charged with second-degree murder for the gun death of actress Lana Clarkson four-and-a-half years ago, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler declared the case a mistrial after each juror told him they were unable to reach a verdict.
Fidler made the decision on the 12th day of deliberations, and the foreman of the nine-man, three-woman jury revealed that there was a 10-2 deadlock without specifying which way they were leaning.
So far, there has been no talk of a retrial.
Also related to the trial-- though apparently not factoring into the decision to declare a mistrial-- is authorities' investigation into a possible threat to Fidler made via a post to a "Team Spector" MySpace page.
The post said, "I love Phil Spector" and "The Evil Judge should DIE!!!!." It was signed "xoxo Chelle"-- a reference to Spector's wife Rachelle-- and later taken down, according to Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini.
Christopher Plourd, one of Spector's defense attorneys, denied Rachelle Spector's involvement in the incident.
A few weeks ago, Fidler and Rachelle Spector clashed over her communication with the media about the case outside of court, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Photo by Gabriel Bouys / AP
After about five months of testimony, the trial of legendary "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector ended in a mistrial today, September 26, according to an AP report.
Spector is charged with second-degree murder for the gun death of actress Lana Clarkson four-and-a-half years ago, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler declared the case a mistrial after each juror told him they were unable to reach a verdict.
Fidler made the decision on the 12th day of deliberations, and the foreman of the nine-man, three-woman jury revealed that there was a 10-2 deadlock without specifying which way they were leaning.
So far, there has been no talk of a retrial.
Also related to the trial-- though apparently not factoring into the decision to declare a mistrial-- is authorities' investigation into a possible threat to Fidler made via a post to a "Team Spector" MySpace page.
The post said, "I love Phil Spector" and "The Evil Judge should DIE!!!!." It was signed "xoxo Chelle"-- a reference to Spector's wife Rachelle-- and later taken down, according to Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini.
Christopher Plourd, one of Spector's defense attorneys, denied Rachelle Spector's involvement in the incident.
A few weeks ago, Fidler and Rachelle Spector clashed over her communication with the media about the case outside of court, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Chamillionare Interview
Ok, i saw an interview on Rap City about why he decided to delete the N word from his lyrics and it made sense.
FRESH AS I IS!!!! CANADA KNOWS HIP HOP
New Music: Buck 65 [ft. Cadence Weapon]: "Benz" [MP3/Stream]
You may know Buck 65 as that dude from Canada that kind of raps like Tom Waits and wrote that one song ("Centaur") about his colossal dong. This may have dissuaded you from further exploring his music, which is somewhat unfair even given these ill-defined circumstances. (He's from Nova Scotia, not just "Canada", he doesn't really entirely rap like Tom Waits, and "Centaur" is actually about the problem inherent in people fixating on your colossal dong instead of caring about who you are as a person.) If "Benz" is any indication, his upcoming album Situation is set to a be a bit more of a straightforward hip-hop deal than the eccentric folk-rap junkyardisms of his most well-known previous work: augmented by fellow Canadian abstract assonance specialist Cadence Weapon (aka former Pitchfork contributor Rollie Pemberton), a straightforward mostly-drums production from DJ Signify (who apparently stole RJD2's mojo) and an aggro "You're goin' down" hook, Buck spits about the hazards of socializing with him using more fire than twang: "Straight razor, you owe me a favor, good behavior/ Universal, cursin' I'm your personal savior." Like getting hit with an uppercut from a Mercedes 300SL's gull-wing door.
MP3:> Buck 65 [ft. Cadence Weapon]: "Benz"
[from Situation; due 10/30/07 on Strange Famous]
You may know Buck 65 as that dude from Canada that kind of raps like Tom Waits and wrote that one song ("Centaur") about his colossal dong. This may have dissuaded you from further exploring his music, which is somewhat unfair even given these ill-defined circumstances. (He's from Nova Scotia, not just "Canada", he doesn't really entirely rap like Tom Waits, and "Centaur" is actually about the problem inherent in people fixating on your colossal dong instead of caring about who you are as a person.) If "Benz" is any indication, his upcoming album Situation is set to a be a bit more of a straightforward hip-hop deal than the eccentric folk-rap junkyardisms of his most well-known previous work: augmented by fellow Canadian abstract assonance specialist Cadence Weapon (aka former Pitchfork contributor Rollie Pemberton), a straightforward mostly-drums production from DJ Signify (who apparently stole RJD2's mojo) and an aggro "You're goin' down" hook, Buck spits about the hazards of socializing with him using more fire than twang: "Straight razor, you owe me a favor, good behavior/ Universal, cursin' I'm your personal savior." Like getting hit with an uppercut from a Mercedes 300SL's gull-wing door.
MP3:> Buck 65 [ft. Cadence Weapon]: "Benz"
[from Situation; due 10/30/07 on Strange Famous]
PEEDI PEEDI HAS A NEW VIDEO
CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO OVER AT DAILYMOTION.COM. PHILLY IN THE HOUSE. RECOGNIZE AND REALIZE.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
YOU THINK IT IS TOUGH OW, COME TO AFRICA
On The Street: African Print, Part II
As the end of summer approaches print-on-print action of the high-color, high-fun variety is alas becoming scarcer and scarcer. But there are still a few amazing sightings to be had, like Ezra's African print shorts. The shorts were actually thrift-store pants once upon a time--African-imports that were lopped off for summery purposes--and look like something that London-based designer Ashish would throw on the runway in a heartbeat. Ezra makes his own-lanyard inspired jewelry, as well. He hasn't gone mass with them just yet, but we're working
Sole is Back
Though Sole's last album, Live From Rome, came out only two and a half years ago (in early 2005), and Sole has been busy in the meantime, recently releasing a solo instrumental LP, under the moniker mansbestfriend, and twice touring the U.S. and Europe, he nonetheless refers to the self-titled Sole & Skyrider record as a "comeback." It's a curious term; what is a comeback exactly? Simply a return with a vengeance?
In some ways, it is a record of return—a return to rhyming, for one, particularly the complicated rhyme schemes that marked Sole's early work, a return driven by his seemingly, but not actually, discordant love of both Lord Byron and Lil' Wayne. Sole and The Skyrider Band also represents a return to the musical consistency and coherence that made the Alias-produced Selling Live Water a critical triumph (see its reviews in Rolling Stone, The Wire, and Playboy).
In some ways, it is a record of return—a return to rhyming, for one, particularly the complicated rhyme schemes that marked Sole's early work, a return driven by his seemingly, but not actually, discordant love of both Lord Byron and Lil' Wayne. Sole and The Skyrider Band also represents a return to the musical consistency and coherence that made the Alias-produced Selling Live Water a critical triumph (see its reviews in Rolling Stone, The Wire, and Playboy).
Needs Help with Music
So we all know Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons fame) is a fashionable guy, and we all know he's a musical guy-- but how often do we get to witness these two of Antony's many talents combined?
SHOWstudio will give us just that opportunity come September 26 and 27, when the "online fashion broadcasting company" enlists Mr. Hegarty to create some original music for some model types to strut their stuff to. Antony's music will appear in a film showcasing "Readings", aka the spring/summer 2008 collection of fashion designer Hussein Chalayan.
Here's where you come in: SHOWstudio, Chalayan, and Antony are looking for treatments for the music Antony's about to record. Writes SHOWstudio chief/fashion photographer Nick Knight: "The spirit of this should be experimental and pragmatic: the sounds might be as simple as clapping, speaking, tapping filled glasses of water, or singing; they might involve random objects or instruments such as tambourines, guitars, or pianos. But [the] more out of the box the better! We invite you to suggest whatever Hussein Chalayan's written concept inspires in you."
Chalayan's concept entwines ancient icons and the modern day cult of celebrity; it's reprinted in full just after the jump. Act fast though! Antony's tapping fingers hit the water glasses tomorrow, so make haste and submit your treatments here.
Antony, as you know, has of late been dabbling in new recordings, film projects, guest vocal turns, and the like-- just basically spreading his bountiful artistic seed all willy-nilly
SHOWstudio will give us just that opportunity come September 26 and 27, when the "online fashion broadcasting company" enlists Mr. Hegarty to create some original music for some model types to strut their stuff to. Antony's music will appear in a film showcasing "Readings", aka the spring/summer 2008 collection of fashion designer Hussein Chalayan.
Here's where you come in: SHOWstudio, Chalayan, and Antony are looking for treatments for the music Antony's about to record. Writes SHOWstudio chief/fashion photographer Nick Knight: "The spirit of this should be experimental and pragmatic: the sounds might be as simple as clapping, speaking, tapping filled glasses of water, or singing; they might involve random objects or instruments such as tambourines, guitars, or pianos. But [the] more out of the box the better! We invite you to suggest whatever Hussein Chalayan's written concept inspires in you."
Chalayan's concept entwines ancient icons and the modern day cult of celebrity; it's reprinted in full just after the jump. Act fast though! Antony's tapping fingers hit the water glasses tomorrow, so make haste and submit your treatments here.
Antony, as you know, has of late been dabbling in new recordings, film projects, guest vocal turns, and the like-- just basically spreading his bountiful artistic seed all willy-nilly
Monday, September 24, 2007
End of the day Quote
By learning to discover and value our ordinariness, we nurture a friendliness toward ourselves and the world that is the essence of a healthy soul.
Thomas Moore
Irish poet (1779 - 1852)
Thomas Moore
Irish poet (1779 - 1852)
ONLY WHEN I AM DRUNK
9/21: Tash of tha Alkaholiks is coming to New England and we're proudly sponsoring 2 of his New England shows, and wrapping up his trip with an in-store @ UGHH. The first show takes place in Vermont, Burlington to be exact- on 9/25 @ Club Metronome! (For more information on that show hit up: myspace.com/illsessions) The following night Tash makes his way down to Beantown for a 9/26 show @ Great Scotts. (For more info on that show Leedzedutainment.com). And finally, @ 6PM on Wednesday, we have Tash for an In-Store. He will perform a couple joints, sign some autographs, and hangout for a while (possibly even drink with the staff). Tash in New England, w/ UGHH.com!
THE BOONDOCKS
Rappers Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Mos Def are among the celebrities to lend their voices to the upcoming season of the award-winning cartoon, The Boondocks. The series, which is based off the comic strip by Aaron McGruder, will premiere on Monday October 8 on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block of programming at 11:30 pm. Fans can look forward to 15 new episodes, which revolves around the characters Huey, Riley and Granddad. Other featured voices include Ghostface Killah, Cee-lo, Lil Wayne, Aisha Tyler, Tichina Arnold, Mo'Nique, Tavis Smiley, Cedric the Entertainer, Xzibit, Charlie Murphy, MTV's Sway, Katt Williams and others.
DR. DRE DETOX
Super producer Dr. Dre has revealed that Detox, his first studio album in over eight years has been pushed back again.
The album will also officially be his final release, as he pursues other interests in the entertainment industry.
Dre, who gave his first interview in three years to the Los Angeles Times, revealed that he embarking on a marathon studio session over the next three months, devoting his time to recording material for Detox, as well as Eminem's new album.
"I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on," Dr. Dre said.
While fans may be disappointed with the fabled album's delay yet again, Dr. Dre said that his mental attitude and creative abilities are sharper than ever.
The 42-year-old producer credits his clarity to a new weight training regiment and a balance of work, family life and hobbies, which include photography.
"It's great when everybody is working together and feels something is happening," Dre said. "That's when it's all smiles in the studio. You don't want to see any clock or any daylight or hear any phone. You just cut yourself off from the rest of the world and make music. I don't necessarily even call it work. I call it fun. I even like the pressure, it makes me work all the harder if I know people out there are waiting for the record."
According to Dr. Dre, Detox will be his final solo album because performing in rap is "a young man's game."
He will however, continue in his familiar role as producer, citing legendary producer Quincy Jones as an inspiration.
"When I think of the future, I think a lot of Quincy Jones and how he is an inspiration," Dre told The Los Angeles Times. "Look at the quality of his work over so many years. He didn't even make his best record, Thriller, until he was 50. That gives me something to look forward to. Nothing pulls you back into the studio more than the belief that your best record is still ahead."
No release date is available for Detox.
The album will also officially be his final release, as he pursues other interests in the entertainment industry.
Dre, who gave his first interview in three years to the Los Angeles Times, revealed that he embarking on a marathon studio session over the next three months, devoting his time to recording material for Detox, as well as Eminem's new album.
"I was really hoping to have it out this year, but it's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I've got to work on," Dr. Dre said.
While fans may be disappointed with the fabled album's delay yet again, Dr. Dre said that his mental attitude and creative abilities are sharper than ever.
The 42-year-old producer credits his clarity to a new weight training regiment and a balance of work, family life and hobbies, which include photography.
"It's great when everybody is working together and feels something is happening," Dre said. "That's when it's all smiles in the studio. You don't want to see any clock or any daylight or hear any phone. You just cut yourself off from the rest of the world and make music. I don't necessarily even call it work. I call it fun. I even like the pressure, it makes me work all the harder if I know people out there are waiting for the record."
According to Dr. Dre, Detox will be his final solo album because performing in rap is "a young man's game."
He will however, continue in his familiar role as producer, citing legendary producer Quincy Jones as an inspiration.
"When I think of the future, I think a lot of Quincy Jones and how he is an inspiration," Dre told The Los Angeles Times. "Look at the quality of his work over so many years. He didn't even make his best record, Thriller, until he was 50. That gives me something to look forward to. Nothing pulls you back into the studio more than the belief that your best record is still ahead."
No release date is available for Detox.
Idiocracy "Quote of the day"
Secretary of State: I'm Secretary of State, brought to you by Carl's Jr.
PJ HARVEY-MY INDIE DREAM GIRL
If there's been a constant in Polly Jean Harvey's 15-year career it's that she seems uncomfortable in her own skin-- which may explain why she sheds it so often. Harvey has a penchant for self-correction, to an almost compulsive degree: After To Bring You My Love made her a marquee act, Harvey released the dark, more atmospheric Is This Desire? When her 2000 album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea accidentally captured the tenor of the times (its songs had an eerily prescient relationship to post-9/11 paranoia), Harvey responded with the stripped-down and studiously raw Uh Huh Her. In recent years, reports even swirled that Harvey was considering retiring, and in at least one regard she temporarily has: White Chalk-- Harvey's most radical self-correction to date-- finds her setting aside the guitar and the blues touches that marked past releases in favor of chamber-gloom, a ghostly piano her tool of choice.
In Uh Huh Her's liner notes, there's a scribbled note from Harvey which reads, "TOO NORMAL? TOO P J H?" On White Chalk, there might be more Polly Jean Harvey than we've ever heard before-- if not quite enough of what traditionally falls under the "PJ Harvey" moniker. One problem is that Harvey isn't nearly as creative a pianist as she is a guitarist. However, the instrument switch has forced her to alter the way she composes as well as the way she sings. From opener "The Devil" on down, she's singing almost exclusively near the top of her range, using the piano as much as for percussion as melody. There are very few distracting trills on "Dear Darkness" or "Grow Grow Grow", where every note rings with loneliness, and the simple repetitive pattern that gently drives "When Under Ether" drips with menace.
The rest of the album's instrumentation is equally spare and strictly old-fashioned, with such mood-setters as broken harp fleshing out (ahem) "Broken Harp"; when some (fake) brass enters the song, it's somber and subdued. Even the scant use of drums is largely intended to accent the songs. While there's probably more room than usual for Jim White, only "The Piano" finds him playing with any force.
Lyrically, White Chalk is oppressively bleak. Harvey's songs never seem as if they come easily; they instead sound like the product of much effort, rigor, and even some pain. Her music is so raw it's a far cry from fun, even when she's trying to be funny; when she commanded Robert De Niro to "sit on my face" in 1993's "Reeling", she made it sound part dare, part threat. But there are no chuckles to be had on White Chalk, which is dark and austere, the songs striking an uneasy balance between indulgence and confrontation.
Despite the presence of regular collaborators John Parish, Captain Beefheart alum Eric Drew Feldman, and producer Flood, White Chalk sounds as lonely and isolated as any album Harvey has made. There is a rich history of depressing British folk that Harvey taps into here, but without a hint of catharsis, much of White Chalk's miserablism just hangs in the air like a noose. On the right day, at the right time, the album's powerfully claustrophobic intimacy is more palatable; on the wrong day, at the wrong time, in the wrong frame of mind, White Chalk may be the longest half-hour in the world.
In Uh Huh Her's liner notes, there's a scribbled note from Harvey which reads, "TOO NORMAL? TOO P J H?" On White Chalk, there might be more Polly Jean Harvey than we've ever heard before-- if not quite enough of what traditionally falls under the "PJ Harvey" moniker. One problem is that Harvey isn't nearly as creative a pianist as she is a guitarist. However, the instrument switch has forced her to alter the way she composes as well as the way she sings. From opener "The Devil" on down, she's singing almost exclusively near the top of her range, using the piano as much as for percussion as melody. There are very few distracting trills on "Dear Darkness" or "Grow Grow Grow", where every note rings with loneliness, and the simple repetitive pattern that gently drives "When Under Ether" drips with menace.
The rest of the album's instrumentation is equally spare and strictly old-fashioned, with such mood-setters as broken harp fleshing out (ahem) "Broken Harp"; when some (fake) brass enters the song, it's somber and subdued. Even the scant use of drums is largely intended to accent the songs. While there's probably more room than usual for Jim White, only "The Piano" finds him playing with any force.
Lyrically, White Chalk is oppressively bleak. Harvey's songs never seem as if they come easily; they instead sound like the product of much effort, rigor, and even some pain. Her music is so raw it's a far cry from fun, even when she's trying to be funny; when she commanded Robert De Niro to "sit on my face" in 1993's "Reeling", she made it sound part dare, part threat. But there are no chuckles to be had on White Chalk, which is dark and austere, the songs striking an uneasy balance between indulgence and confrontation.
Despite the presence of regular collaborators John Parish, Captain Beefheart alum Eric Drew Feldman, and producer Flood, White Chalk sounds as lonely and isolated as any album Harvey has made. There is a rich history of depressing British folk that Harvey taps into here, but without a hint of catharsis, much of White Chalk's miserablism just hangs in the air like a noose. On the right day, at the right time, the album's powerfully claustrophobic intimacy is more palatable; on the wrong day, at the wrong time, in the wrong frame of mind, White Chalk may be the longest half-hour in the world.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Siagon brings Vietnam to the stage, Boom!!!!
Saigon v. Mobb Deep 9/21/07
By: Marty Caballero
Is it just a coincidence that fists start flying when albums are dropping? You be the judge, but there's no doubt that Prodigy caught a fair one courtesy of Saigon during a performance at SOB's in New York last night. Giddy was an unscheduled guest performer at the show, and everything appeared to be peace while he performed his single "C'mon Baby." Next up was the Mobb, and the altercation occurred while clearing the stage. Apparently Saigon was still sour after Pee invited him to "suck his dick" in an interview awhile back and decided to bring the beef to his front door like Domino's. As usual, someone had a camera and put it on YouTube, and you can see Saigon punching Pee twice before he bailed outta there in a hurry. We bear no ill will towards either here at UGHH.com--they sell mad CDs, kid--so judge for yourself. Peep two versions of the video (version 1 and 2) and Saigon's MySpace blog about the fight.
Saigon Vs Mobb Deep Version 2 Saigon Vs Mobb Deep Version 1
By: Marty Caballero
Is it just a coincidence that fists start flying when albums are dropping? You be the judge, but there's no doubt that Prodigy caught a fair one courtesy of Saigon during a performance at SOB's in New York last night. Giddy was an unscheduled guest performer at the show, and everything appeared to be peace while he performed his single "C'mon Baby." Next up was the Mobb, and the altercation occurred while clearing the stage. Apparently Saigon was still sour after Pee invited him to "suck his dick" in an interview awhile back and decided to bring the beef to his front door like Domino's. As usual, someone had a camera and put it on YouTube, and you can see Saigon punching Pee twice before he bailed outta there in a hurry. We bear no ill will towards either here at UGHH.com--they sell mad CDs, kid--so judge for yourself. Peep two versions of the video (version 1 and 2) and Saigon's MySpace blog about the fight.
Saigon Vs Mobb Deep Version 2 Saigon Vs Mobb Deep Version 1
Musab out of Minnesota
Most Popular | Top Rated | Browse | Main
Musab “Baaang!!!”LABEL: Hieroglyphics ImperiumPOSTED: 09/21/07, Permalink, Digg
User Rating: 5/10
Formerly known as Beyond, Musab has risen from the Minneapolis hip-hop scene to work with groups like Atmosphere, Micronauts, and others, as well as release his own artist albums. A recent move from Rhymesayers to Hieroglyphics' imprint finds this rapper dropping an autobiographical full-length that has tight beats and a lot to say about pimping. Bag this. www.hieroglyphics.com
Musab “Baaang!!!”LABEL: Hieroglyphics ImperiumPOSTED: 09/21/07, Permalink, Digg
User Rating: 5/10
Formerly known as Beyond, Musab has risen from the Minneapolis hip-hop scene to work with groups like Atmosphere, Micronauts, and others, as well as release his own artist albums. A recent move from Rhymesayers to Hieroglyphics' imprint finds this rapper dropping an autobiographical full-length that has tight beats and a lot to say about pimping. Bag this. www.hieroglyphics.com
Most Popular | Top Rated | Browse | Main
Musab “Baaang!!!”LABEL: Hieroglyphics ImperiumPOSTED: 09/21/07, Permalink, Digg
User Rating: 5/10
Formerly known as Beyond, Musab has risen from the Minneapolis hip-hop scene to work with groups like Atmosphere, Micronauts, and others, as well as release his own artist albums. A recent move from Rhymesayers to Hieroglyphics' imprint finds this rapper dropping an autobiographical full-length that has tight beats and a lot to say about pimping. Bag this. www.hieroglyphics.com
Musab “Baaang!!!”LABEL: Hieroglyphics ImperiumPOSTED: 09/21/07, Permalink, Digg
User Rating: 5/10
Formerly known as Beyond, Musab has risen from the Minneapolis hip-hop scene to work with groups like Atmosphere, Micronauts, and others, as well as release his own artist albums. A recent move from Rhymesayers to Hieroglyphics' imprint finds this rapper dropping an autobiographical full-length that has tight beats and a lot to say about pimping. Bag this. www.hieroglyphics.com
Cassidy , Joe Budden, Swizz Beatz
JUST ADDED! SWIZZ BEATZ AND JOE BUDDEN!
Venue: Nokia Theater
Address: 145 W. 45th Street @ Broadway
Time: 8:00pm, Doors Open @ 7pm
Ticket Price: $20
Tickets may be purchased in-person at the Nokia Theater box office.
Two of Hip-Hop most respected artists have been added to the AllHipHop Rebirth Finale Concert at the Nokia Theater - JOE BUDDEN AND SWIZZ BEATZ.
Venue: Nokia Theater
Address: 145 W. 45th Street @ Broadway
Time: 8:00pm, Doors Open @ 7pm
Ticket Price: $20
Tickets may be purchased in-person at the Nokia Theater box office.
Two of Hip-Hop most respected artists have been added to the AllHipHop Rebirth Finale Concert at the Nokia Theater - JOE BUDDEN AND SWIZZ BEATZ.
West Coast-WC
By Jake Paine
On the should-be classic "I Left it Wet for You," UGK's Pimp C rhymed "All the time, I'm bumpin' WC, 'cause it seems like he's the only n***a makin' sense to me." That was almost 15 years ago. WC, approaching his twentieth year as a recorded MC is still making plenty of sense to many.
With his recently-released Guilty By Affiliation, William Calhoun keeps it currently by chronicling his strong bond with Ice Cube, weighing his hood credibility against his rap wealth and twisting words into a flow that's endured from WC's early days with Rhyme Syndicate and Low Profile.
The twisted-braid MC spoke to AllHipHop.com about his evolution and maturity, his back catalogue and his status abroad. With a new album that shows no age but flexes its wisdom, WC will forever make sense to me too.
AllHipHop.com: My favorite WC line ever was on “Just Clownin’” where you said, “When Run-DMC and Jam Master first bust / We was snatchin’ motherf**kas out of Nissan trucks.” To me, that line embodies your street certification with your love of Hip-Hop. Tell me about that line’s meaning to you… what was WC like in 1984?
WC: 1984 was the era of crack taking over in the hood. A lot of money was starting to flow to the hood, in the ghettos in general. When there’s more money, there’s more weapons. With more weapons, there’s more violence jumping off. Music was an outlet for me. Back then, that was an era when mothaf**kas was rollin’ in Nissan trucks with little sounds in ‘em. We used to have Uncle Jam’s Army come through and do concerts and stuff, and always something would jump off at those concerts. I was just letting people know that I’m not new to this. Back in the days when motherf**kas were listening to Run-DMC, I was really experiencing “Hard Times.”
AllHipHop.com: You found your first major success with DJ Aladdin as Low Profile with the song “Pay Ya Dues.” You just came back from touring in Australia. In a WC concert in 2007, does that song still get performed?
WC: On a WC solo show, s**t, yeah, definitely! When I’m on the road with [Ice] Cube, nah. My whole goal when it comes to getting out and performing is to not just do the records that cats have heard from me lately, my whole goal is to get in there and create one big party. At a party, if you request a song, you’ve got it. I just want to put n***as up on WC and West Coast culture. I’m bringing ‘em up to date. You’ll catch “Pay Ya Dues,” ‘cause that was the foundation, the beginning.
AllHipHop.com: If you were to release that song today, or write it. Would the lyrics change much? A lot of rappers aren’t paying dues…
WC: It would be the same song, it would just have different names. “You sound like KRS-Chuckski-Kool Moe-S-1, yelling on the mic like your name was Run,” I’d change the names to somebody that’s relevant right now. Other than that, I’d keep it the same way because it’s still relevant. In order to get out here in this game and maintain, you gotta pay dues. Even the cats that’s been very successful in this game is still paying dues in this game.
AllHipHop.com: In the late ‘90s, some people perceived Westside Connection as a group throwing gasoline on embers from the East/West conflict. Some of us knew better. But shortly after the first album, you appeared on “The Militia Part 2” with Gang Starr and Rakim. Tell me what that record meant to you.
WC: It meant a lot to me. A lot of people in the media was trying to make it like it was an East/West thing when it really wasn’t. We was representing where we was from – liberating the West Coast. By us throwing up the “W,” people that didn’t like that, ran with it. Long story short, that record at the time was something I seized the opportunity to do. I’m still a fan. It just so happened that me and DJ Premier was always cool. To this day, we’re like brothers. If Premier flies to L.A. to handle some business, he has no problem getting a rental car, meeting me in the hood, getting a hood burger, going to the corner liquor store, and eating in my living room, smoking a joint, chopping it up, and being out. That’s how we’ve been for the longest.
That record was nothing – nothing but a phone call. I called him and told him I was in New York on business. He was like, “Stop by the studio.” I got there, he played me a bangin’ track and said, “Get up on it.” I just couldn’t resist. It was like three or four in the morning.
AllHipHop.com: On your album, you have a track called “Crazy Toones 4 President.” He’s been instrumental throughout your career since the ‘90s, and did all the scratching on this album. Why did you do that now?
WC: Crazy Toones is definitely the backbone of my music. He’s my little [blood] brother. We know each other like we know ourselves. He’s always been my inspiration, my ears too. Even in my solo career, he had a major hand in it [outside of the Maad Circle]. He’s the only n***a I know that I can ask to spell something or say something with records, and he can do it within 30 minutes. He can go to his records or Serato and make “Jake Paine;” he’ll take the “P” from f**kin’ Whodini and so forth. This n***a’s ridiculous. Cube and Snoop…they’re all reaching out to him to do what he do. Toones had to be involved in this record right here. This record is so important to the West Coast. We needed a record under the radar that still stood for something. The West Coast is always known for their DJs… Joe Cooley, Battlecat, Egyptian Lover, Aladdin. Most n***as never mention their DJs anymore, we made a song about it.
AllHipHop.com: Looking at yourself all these years later, how have you matured as a man and as an artist?
WC: As a man and an artist, I’ve changed ‘cause I’ve had the chance to taste success. I realized that a lot of us don’t get to taste success in the way that I’ve been blessed to. A lot of people don’t get a chance to be in the spotlight. Success is really only based on the eye of the beholder. What I’m trying to say in so many words is, all I wanted to have was a worldwide voice. Once I tasted it, and saw how many people from ghettos there were dying, worldwide, over senseless crimes, I got to say to myself, “Damn, this is a blessing. I’m not gonna waste it or take it for granted.” That made me mature a lot as an individual and as an artist. Easy come and easy go.
AllHipHop.com: Overseas, you’re something else. Domestic radio might shun your album because you’re on an independent label and the climate has changed. In Europe or Asia, what’s your career like right now?
WC: Yeah. Product nowadays is only as good as the person who can get it to the fiends. If you got a big machine behind you… Kanye West and 50 Cent had machines behind them pushing buttons, making sure every five minutes, you’ll hear a record, see a video, n***as talking about you. At the end of the day, buttons are being pushed. On the other hand, the others gotta get it in the peoples’ hands. But once the people taste that s**t, they’re gonna want that as well. We’re not relying on radio [or] video to sell our record, we’re relying on the word of mouth on the streets. We’re beatin’ up the pavement, getting inside these clubs that a lot of people don’t want to f**k with, in order to have a lot [consumers].
When we’re overseas, they get to see and hear what we’re working with ‘cause we brought it to them. Once they taste that s**t, they love everything we’re giving ‘em. Right now they’re trying to get my record licensed overseas. There were requests for me to come back over as a solo artist – not “WC & Ice Cube,” but me. They want a month over there. It’s just a matter of us getting out there. Overseas, it’s overwhelming. I can’t walk off stage without them yelling, “Crip walk!”
AllHipHop.com: You’ve done so much for Hip-Hop for nearly 20 years. You’re still doing it too. What do you want from Hip-Hop?
WC: At the end of the day, I just want n***as to listen to me and say, “Know what? I learned something from that n***a. Throughout his career, he kept an element of staying true to himself, to the West and to something he believed in.” You can’t do a whole album about being in the club ‘cause when you leave the club, you go home and face reality. There’s bills due, police killin’ n***as – and this s**t is going on worldwide.
On the should-be classic "I Left it Wet for You," UGK's Pimp C rhymed "All the time, I'm bumpin' WC, 'cause it seems like he's the only n***a makin' sense to me." That was almost 15 years ago. WC, approaching his twentieth year as a recorded MC is still making plenty of sense to many.
With his recently-released Guilty By Affiliation, William Calhoun keeps it currently by chronicling his strong bond with Ice Cube, weighing his hood credibility against his rap wealth and twisting words into a flow that's endured from WC's early days with Rhyme Syndicate and Low Profile.
The twisted-braid MC spoke to AllHipHop.com about his evolution and maturity, his back catalogue and his status abroad. With a new album that shows no age but flexes its wisdom, WC will forever make sense to me too.
AllHipHop.com: My favorite WC line ever was on “Just Clownin’” where you said, “When Run-DMC and Jam Master first bust / We was snatchin’ motherf**kas out of Nissan trucks.” To me, that line embodies your street certification with your love of Hip-Hop. Tell me about that line’s meaning to you… what was WC like in 1984?
WC: 1984 was the era of crack taking over in the hood. A lot of money was starting to flow to the hood, in the ghettos in general. When there’s more money, there’s more weapons. With more weapons, there’s more violence jumping off. Music was an outlet for me. Back then, that was an era when mothaf**kas was rollin’ in Nissan trucks with little sounds in ‘em. We used to have Uncle Jam’s Army come through and do concerts and stuff, and always something would jump off at those concerts. I was just letting people know that I’m not new to this. Back in the days when motherf**kas were listening to Run-DMC, I was really experiencing “Hard Times.”
AllHipHop.com: You found your first major success with DJ Aladdin as Low Profile with the song “Pay Ya Dues.” You just came back from touring in Australia. In a WC concert in 2007, does that song still get performed?
WC: On a WC solo show, s**t, yeah, definitely! When I’m on the road with [Ice] Cube, nah. My whole goal when it comes to getting out and performing is to not just do the records that cats have heard from me lately, my whole goal is to get in there and create one big party. At a party, if you request a song, you’ve got it. I just want to put n***as up on WC and West Coast culture. I’m bringing ‘em up to date. You’ll catch “Pay Ya Dues,” ‘cause that was the foundation, the beginning.
AllHipHop.com: If you were to release that song today, or write it. Would the lyrics change much? A lot of rappers aren’t paying dues…
WC: It would be the same song, it would just have different names. “You sound like KRS-Chuckski-Kool Moe-S-1, yelling on the mic like your name was Run,” I’d change the names to somebody that’s relevant right now. Other than that, I’d keep it the same way because it’s still relevant. In order to get out here in this game and maintain, you gotta pay dues. Even the cats that’s been very successful in this game is still paying dues in this game.
AllHipHop.com: In the late ‘90s, some people perceived Westside Connection as a group throwing gasoline on embers from the East/West conflict. Some of us knew better. But shortly after the first album, you appeared on “The Militia Part 2” with Gang Starr and Rakim. Tell me what that record meant to you.
WC: It meant a lot to me. A lot of people in the media was trying to make it like it was an East/West thing when it really wasn’t. We was representing where we was from – liberating the West Coast. By us throwing up the “W,” people that didn’t like that, ran with it. Long story short, that record at the time was something I seized the opportunity to do. I’m still a fan. It just so happened that me and DJ Premier was always cool. To this day, we’re like brothers. If Premier flies to L.A. to handle some business, he has no problem getting a rental car, meeting me in the hood, getting a hood burger, going to the corner liquor store, and eating in my living room, smoking a joint, chopping it up, and being out. That’s how we’ve been for the longest.
That record was nothing – nothing but a phone call. I called him and told him I was in New York on business. He was like, “Stop by the studio.” I got there, he played me a bangin’ track and said, “Get up on it.” I just couldn’t resist. It was like three or four in the morning.
AllHipHop.com: On your album, you have a track called “Crazy Toones 4 President.” He’s been instrumental throughout your career since the ‘90s, and did all the scratching on this album. Why did you do that now?
WC: Crazy Toones is definitely the backbone of my music. He’s my little [blood] brother. We know each other like we know ourselves. He’s always been my inspiration, my ears too. Even in my solo career, he had a major hand in it [outside of the Maad Circle]. He’s the only n***a I know that I can ask to spell something or say something with records, and he can do it within 30 minutes. He can go to his records or Serato and make “Jake Paine;” he’ll take the “P” from f**kin’ Whodini and so forth. This n***a’s ridiculous. Cube and Snoop…they’re all reaching out to him to do what he do. Toones had to be involved in this record right here. This record is so important to the West Coast. We needed a record under the radar that still stood for something. The West Coast is always known for their DJs… Joe Cooley, Battlecat, Egyptian Lover, Aladdin. Most n***as never mention their DJs anymore, we made a song about it.
AllHipHop.com: Looking at yourself all these years later, how have you matured as a man and as an artist?
WC: As a man and an artist, I’ve changed ‘cause I’ve had the chance to taste success. I realized that a lot of us don’t get to taste success in the way that I’ve been blessed to. A lot of people don’t get a chance to be in the spotlight. Success is really only based on the eye of the beholder. What I’m trying to say in so many words is, all I wanted to have was a worldwide voice. Once I tasted it, and saw how many people from ghettos there were dying, worldwide, over senseless crimes, I got to say to myself, “Damn, this is a blessing. I’m not gonna waste it or take it for granted.” That made me mature a lot as an individual and as an artist. Easy come and easy go.
AllHipHop.com: Overseas, you’re something else. Domestic radio might shun your album because you’re on an independent label and the climate has changed. In Europe or Asia, what’s your career like right now?
WC: Yeah. Product nowadays is only as good as the person who can get it to the fiends. If you got a big machine behind you… Kanye West and 50 Cent had machines behind them pushing buttons, making sure every five minutes, you’ll hear a record, see a video, n***as talking about you. At the end of the day, buttons are being pushed. On the other hand, the others gotta get it in the peoples’ hands. But once the people taste that s**t, they’re gonna want that as well. We’re not relying on radio [or] video to sell our record, we’re relying on the word of mouth on the streets. We’re beatin’ up the pavement, getting inside these clubs that a lot of people don’t want to f**k with, in order to have a lot [consumers].
When we’re overseas, they get to see and hear what we’re working with ‘cause we brought it to them. Once they taste that s**t, they love everything we’re giving ‘em. Right now they’re trying to get my record licensed overseas. There were requests for me to come back over as a solo artist – not “WC & Ice Cube,” but me. They want a month over there. It’s just a matter of us getting out there. Overseas, it’s overwhelming. I can’t walk off stage without them yelling, “Crip walk!”
AllHipHop.com: You’ve done so much for Hip-Hop for nearly 20 years. You’re still doing it too. What do you want from Hip-Hop?
WC: At the end of the day, I just want n***as to listen to me and say, “Know what? I learned something from that n***a. Throughout his career, he kept an element of staying true to himself, to the West and to something he believed in.” You can’t do a whole album about being in the club ‘cause when you leave the club, you go home and face reality. There’s bills due, police killin’ n***as – and this s**t is going on worldwide.
will.i.am - I Got It From My Mama: Original Version
New Will I am. Look, i know the BEP clan is working on a new album. I was with them since the beginning. Talented and working hard. The early stuff is where i am a fan.
New Spankrock Release on his Myspace
It is raw and uncut on some NY shit. Nice to see he is evolving.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Keenan Rants, Raves added this week
Fellas, let me paint a scenario for ya’. Ever been chilling, watching the game, some old Married With Children episode and you get that phone call from your girl, wifey, jump-off, shorty, etc. and she’s on that “We Need To Talk!” And the first thought that runs through your head is “D@mn, D@mn, D@mn, why now? what now?” What is it with you ladies and all these stupid face to face conversations? Why is it necessary for us to be looking each other eye to eye for you to get your point across. Isn’t the whole point of technology, to make our lives easier? There’s text messages, IM, email, blah, blah, blah! Why do I have to get up from the game and drive all the way to your stupid house to hear you talk my ear off about some bullsh*t that we both know I barely care about, just to have to drive back home when it’s all done. If you wanna take it real old school, write a letter and send it by carrier pigeon. At least that way, when I zone out mid-way through your diatribe, I can at least go back re-read the last 2 paragraphs and not have to sit there and front like I knew what you were talking about for the last 10 minutes when you hit me with that inevitable “Are you even listening to me?” LOL LOL
8 BIT PUNK
8-Bit Punk
Malcolm McLaren, the subculture hacker who created the Sex Pistols, discovers the new underground sound. It's called chip music. Can you play lead Game Boy?
We live in a karaoke culture. The Japanese word means "empty orchestra" - a lifeless musical form unencumbered by creativity and free of responsibility. Simple, clean fun for the millennial nuclear family. You can't fail in a karaoke world. It's life by proxy, liberated by hindsight.
Authenticity, on the other hand, believes in the messy process of creativity. It's unpopular and out of fashion. It worships failure, regarding it as a romantic and noble pursuit - better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success.
Karaoke and authenticity can sit well together, but it takes artistry to make that happen. When it does, the results can be explosive. Like when punk rock reclaimed rock and roll, blowing the doors off the recording industry in the process. Or when hip hop transformed turntables and records into the instruments of a revolution. Now it's happening again. In dance clubs across Europe and America, young people are seizing the automated stuff of their world - handheld game machines, obsolete computers, anything with a sound chip - and forging a new kind of folk music for the digital age.
Until recently, I was feeling stifled by the tyranny of the new. New corporate lifestyles for doing everything well. Too well. iPod this. PowerBook that. Listening to albums, like Madonna's latest, that were made using Pro Tools - software that reduces virtually every mixdown effect to a mouse click - left me with a depressing sense of sameness, like everything on TV. I had decided to make an album about the "look" of music: the visual gestalt of youth culture. For me, music has always been a bridge between art and fashion, the two realms I care about most. It's one of the most natural expressions of the youthful need for confrontation and rebellion. Now it was lost in the hearts and minds of a karaoke world. I couldn't find my place in it.
Then I discovered chip music.
It all began on a freezing winter evening in snow-capped Zurich, Switzerland. Some friends of mine had a vague relationship with a small-label dude who caught my attention at a party rattling on about lo-fi. He soon had me playing phone tag with a clique of "reversible engineers" working illegally in Stockholm. I didn't know what that meant, but I was eager to find out.
The quest led me to the outskirts of Paris: Ivry sur Seine, to be exact, dead south of Chinatown. In that desolate industrial district, I had a 10 pm appointment with two guys named Thierry and Jacques.
The address turned out to be a forbidding, semi-abandoned factory. I couldn't open the gate, so I waited nervously in the darkness. After a while, a suspicious, balding youth came out of the building - Jacques. He seemed to have trouble finding the keys to undo the heavy chains that secured the premises. Finally, the doors swung open. After a terse greeting, he led me up a concrete stairway and through dark, labyrinthine corridors of peeling plaster.
"What's that smell?" I asked, my nostrils assaulted by what seemed like a hot pot of hairy horse and curry powder. "It's the Cameroon embassy," he answered, smirking. Jacques, a shy young man whose teeth were nearly black because of his fear of dentists, explained that wood carvers, graphic artists, photographers, and hip hop kids from North Africa worked here. Only half the factory had electricity or heat.
Two flights up, Thierry welcomed us into a dim, tiny room at the far end of the building. To my surprise, I found myself in an Ali Baba's cave of outdated studio equipment. The chamber was stuffed floor to ceiling with hardware from the dawn of the 1980s: dinosaurian Amigas and Ataris once prized for their sound chips and arcane applications, giant echo plates, and knob-studded analog synthesizers. In the center was a pair of dusty turntables, one with a 45-rpm single on its platter. Thierry put the needle to the groove. I reeled as the record player emitted a din like screaming dog whistles. It sounded like a video arcade gone mad.
The low light revealed the Frenchman's T-shirt. Emblazoned across his chest were the words FUCK PRO TOOLS. The phrase described perfectly what I'd been feeling for months. Like any fashion victim who comes across a new and stylish idea, I was smitten. Fashion is most easily used as a disguise - it allows you to be something you're not. It's much more difficult to use it to express who you are. I understood immediately that this was no facile fashion statement.
"Who made this record?" I asked. In stark contrast to the silent Jacques, Thierry - once he started talking - could hardly stop. "Mark DeNardo from Chicago," he said. This twentysomething Puerto Rican artist, he told me, is the Velvet Underground of the 21st century, the next step in the evolution of rock and roll. "This is chip music," Thierry continued, "made on an old Game Boy. I don't like hi-fi. I can't afford hi-fi. To make this music costs only 15 euros. You can pick up an old Game Boy from the march頡ux puces," the Paris flea market. He presented an outdated Game Boy and, maneuvering his thumbs on the keys, showed me how to create musical sequences.
Thierry spun another record. "This is Puss," he explained. "He's from Stockholm. He sings with a girl: 'I'm the master, you are the slave.' They're the new ABBA!" The album cover featured a simple photo of a Game Boy, nothing more. I loved it.
The next record was an EP - an extended-play 7-inch - by a Stockholm artist called Role Model. The last time I had come across this format was in the 1960s, when I bought my first Rolling Stones record. Role Model sounded like a videogame fashion show, as though Twiggy were somehow stuck inside Space Invaders. It was intelligent dance music made using analog approaches, distinctly human and more individual than simply switching on a drum machine. The more I listened, the more contagious it became. The names of emerging artists rolled off Thierry's tongue: Adlib Sinner Forks, Bit Shifter, Nullsleep, Glomag, The Hardliner, Lo-Bat, 8-bit Construction Set - an entire lost tribe of Game Boy musicians.
Malcolm McLaren, the subculture hacker who created the Sex Pistols, discovers the new underground sound. It's called chip music. Can you play lead Game Boy?
We live in a karaoke culture. The Japanese word means "empty orchestra" - a lifeless musical form unencumbered by creativity and free of responsibility. Simple, clean fun for the millennial nuclear family. You can't fail in a karaoke world. It's life by proxy, liberated by hindsight.
Authenticity, on the other hand, believes in the messy process of creativity. It's unpopular and out of fashion. It worships failure, regarding it as a romantic and noble pursuit - better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success.
Karaoke and authenticity can sit well together, but it takes artistry to make that happen. When it does, the results can be explosive. Like when punk rock reclaimed rock and roll, blowing the doors off the recording industry in the process. Or when hip hop transformed turntables and records into the instruments of a revolution. Now it's happening again. In dance clubs across Europe and America, young people are seizing the automated stuff of their world - handheld game machines, obsolete computers, anything with a sound chip - and forging a new kind of folk music for the digital age.
Until recently, I was feeling stifled by the tyranny of the new. New corporate lifestyles for doing everything well. Too well. iPod this. PowerBook that. Listening to albums, like Madonna's latest, that were made using Pro Tools - software that reduces virtually every mixdown effect to a mouse click - left me with a depressing sense of sameness, like everything on TV. I had decided to make an album about the "look" of music: the visual gestalt of youth culture. For me, music has always been a bridge between art and fashion, the two realms I care about most. It's one of the most natural expressions of the youthful need for confrontation and rebellion. Now it was lost in the hearts and minds of a karaoke world. I couldn't find my place in it.
Then I discovered chip music.
It all began on a freezing winter evening in snow-capped Zurich, Switzerland. Some friends of mine had a vague relationship with a small-label dude who caught my attention at a party rattling on about lo-fi. He soon had me playing phone tag with a clique of "reversible engineers" working illegally in Stockholm. I didn't know what that meant, but I was eager to find out.
The quest led me to the outskirts of Paris: Ivry sur Seine, to be exact, dead south of Chinatown. In that desolate industrial district, I had a 10 pm appointment with two guys named Thierry and Jacques.
The address turned out to be a forbidding, semi-abandoned factory. I couldn't open the gate, so I waited nervously in the darkness. After a while, a suspicious, balding youth came out of the building - Jacques. He seemed to have trouble finding the keys to undo the heavy chains that secured the premises. Finally, the doors swung open. After a terse greeting, he led me up a concrete stairway and through dark, labyrinthine corridors of peeling plaster.
"What's that smell?" I asked, my nostrils assaulted by what seemed like a hot pot of hairy horse and curry powder. "It's the Cameroon embassy," he answered, smirking. Jacques, a shy young man whose teeth were nearly black because of his fear of dentists, explained that wood carvers, graphic artists, photographers, and hip hop kids from North Africa worked here. Only half the factory had electricity or heat.
Two flights up, Thierry welcomed us into a dim, tiny room at the far end of the building. To my surprise, I found myself in an Ali Baba's cave of outdated studio equipment. The chamber was stuffed floor to ceiling with hardware from the dawn of the 1980s: dinosaurian Amigas and Ataris once prized for their sound chips and arcane applications, giant echo plates, and knob-studded analog synthesizers. In the center was a pair of dusty turntables, one with a 45-rpm single on its platter. Thierry put the needle to the groove. I reeled as the record player emitted a din like screaming dog whistles. It sounded like a video arcade gone mad.
The low light revealed the Frenchman's T-shirt. Emblazoned across his chest were the words FUCK PRO TOOLS. The phrase described perfectly what I'd been feeling for months. Like any fashion victim who comes across a new and stylish idea, I was smitten. Fashion is most easily used as a disguise - it allows you to be something you're not. It's much more difficult to use it to express who you are. I understood immediately that this was no facile fashion statement.
"Who made this record?" I asked. In stark contrast to the silent Jacques, Thierry - once he started talking - could hardly stop. "Mark DeNardo from Chicago," he said. This twentysomething Puerto Rican artist, he told me, is the Velvet Underground of the 21st century, the next step in the evolution of rock and roll. "This is chip music," Thierry continued, "made on an old Game Boy. I don't like hi-fi. I can't afford hi-fi. To make this music costs only 15 euros. You can pick up an old Game Boy from the march頡ux puces," the Paris flea market. He presented an outdated Game Boy and, maneuvering his thumbs on the keys, showed me how to create musical sequences.
Thierry spun another record. "This is Puss," he explained. "He's from Stockholm. He sings with a girl: 'I'm the master, you are the slave.' They're the new ABBA!" The album cover featured a simple photo of a Game Boy, nothing more. I loved it.
The next record was an EP - an extended-play 7-inch - by a Stockholm artist called Role Model. The last time I had come across this format was in the 1960s, when I bought my first Rolling Stones record. Role Model sounded like a videogame fashion show, as though Twiggy were somehow stuck inside Space Invaders. It was intelligent dance music made using analog approaches, distinctly human and more individual than simply switching on a drum machine. The more I listened, the more contagious it became. The names of emerging artists rolled off Thierry's tongue: Adlib Sinner Forks, Bit Shifter, Nullsleep, Glomag, The Hardliner, Lo-Bat, 8-bit Construction Set - an entire lost tribe of Game Boy musicians.
IT IS NOT SO ROTTEN
Johnny Rotten Praises Battling Bands, Trashes Internet Liars
By Eliot Van Buskirk 09.03.07 | 2:00 AM
John Lydon -- aka Johnny Rotten, the legendarily outrageous Sex Pistols singer -- is one of the judges on Bodog Music Battle of the Bands, a hard-rocking older brother of American Idol that revises the talent show formula by featuring contestants who write music and play instruments.
During the show's upcoming live finale (Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. PST on Fuse TV), fans will text votes to pick a winner from three bands vying for the top prize -- a $1 million recording contract from the Bodog gambling site's music division.
Lydon recently spoke to Wired News about judging the show, the importance of live music, an apparent lack of innovation on the part of major labels, what went wrong with punk rock, and how the internet is full of liars. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity, but not profanity).
Wired News: What have you been looking for in these bands while judging the show?
John Lydon: Originality, humor and people that can actually cope with pressure. Not at all note-perfect musicality and perfection, but the ability to write a song and believe it and live it. In other words, genuine honesty, and isn't that a shock in the music business? There are three judges, and we all have very different opinions. A couple of bands were voted out very early that I felt shouldn't have been, even though they were young and possibly musically ill-equipped. That's exactly where I began, and I've never looked back.
WN: How do you think The Sex Pistols would have done in this contest?
Lydon: The Sex Pistols would never have turned up. We wouldn't have bothered with it in the first place. And ah, dude, you've got to look at the world differently then, it was a different time.... You'd get seen by playing live in pubs, clubs, bars or anywhere else you could scrounge a quick living. And guess what, we were underage. We weren't allowed to drink in these places, but we were certainly capable of having bottles thrown at us.
I grew up in a world of boo boys (soccer fans who boo games). No matter what we did, it wasn't good enough, and (we played to) generally an older crowd. We eventually brought our own crowd, and changed the world because of it. Generally, the hippie lot from the previous generation were a spiteful bunch of fuckers. They didn't want to share the world with us.
WN: These days, people seem to read only the news that applies to them, and culture is getting more fragmented. Do you think it's still possible for a band to come along and change the world the way the Sex Pistols did?
Lydon: It's a different world, but look: You have to do your part to try to introduce live music -- people who write their own songs being a bit above the rest, you know. Absolutely above the rest of it, because there ain't no Paris Hilton going on in any of this. So, if anyone sneers, or spears, at our little show here, they're doing it for all the wrong reasons. I've had to tolerate two examples this morning (of reporters) trying to compare this show with American Idol. The biggest, fucking most glaring difference is, look -- these people write their own songs. That's it, the end. Alright? It's not, like, clothes horses all trying to be Whitney Houston.
By Eliot Van Buskirk 09.03.07 | 2:00 AM
John Lydon -- aka Johnny Rotten, the legendarily outrageous Sex Pistols singer -- is one of the judges on Bodog Music Battle of the Bands, a hard-rocking older brother of American Idol that revises the talent show formula by featuring contestants who write music and play instruments.
During the show's upcoming live finale (Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. PST on Fuse TV), fans will text votes to pick a winner from three bands vying for the top prize -- a $1 million recording contract from the Bodog gambling site's music division.
Lydon recently spoke to Wired News about judging the show, the importance of live music, an apparent lack of innovation on the part of major labels, what went wrong with punk rock, and how the internet is full of liars. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity, but not profanity).
Wired News: What have you been looking for in these bands while judging the show?
John Lydon: Originality, humor and people that can actually cope with pressure. Not at all note-perfect musicality and perfection, but the ability to write a song and believe it and live it. In other words, genuine honesty, and isn't that a shock in the music business? There are three judges, and we all have very different opinions. A couple of bands were voted out very early that I felt shouldn't have been, even though they were young and possibly musically ill-equipped. That's exactly where I began, and I've never looked back.
WN: How do you think The Sex Pistols would have done in this contest?
Lydon: The Sex Pistols would never have turned up. We wouldn't have bothered with it in the first place. And ah, dude, you've got to look at the world differently then, it was a different time.... You'd get seen by playing live in pubs, clubs, bars or anywhere else you could scrounge a quick living. And guess what, we were underage. We weren't allowed to drink in these places, but we were certainly capable of having bottles thrown at us.
I grew up in a world of boo boys (soccer fans who boo games). No matter what we did, it wasn't good enough, and (we played to) generally an older crowd. We eventually brought our own crowd, and changed the world because of it. Generally, the hippie lot from the previous generation were a spiteful bunch of fuckers. They didn't want to share the world with us.
WN: These days, people seem to read only the news that applies to them, and culture is getting more fragmented. Do you think it's still possible for a band to come along and change the world the way the Sex Pistols did?
Lydon: It's a different world, but look: You have to do your part to try to introduce live music -- people who write their own songs being a bit above the rest, you know. Absolutely above the rest of it, because there ain't no Paris Hilton going on in any of this. So, if anyone sneers, or spears, at our little show here, they're doing it for all the wrong reasons. I've had to tolerate two examples this morning (of reporters) trying to compare this show with American Idol. The biggest, fucking most glaring difference is, look -- these people write their own songs. That's it, the end. Alright? It's not, like, clothes horses all trying to be Whitney Houston.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Early Morning Wakeup
Check out the Bob Dylan Hour over on XM radio if you can. Great stuff, and it is classic Bob Dylan trying to talk like an old timey DJ. Good times.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE QUOTE OF THE DAY
Richie Cusack: How do you fuck that up?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl Fogaty: Still crazy fucking Joey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Stall: If I rob Mulligan's pharmacy, are you going to ground me if I don't give you a piece of the action? If I go to Sam about you, will you have me whacked?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Stall: In this family, we do not solve problems by hitting people!
Jack Stall: No, in this family, we shoot them!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl Fogaty: Still crazy fucking Joey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Stall: If I rob Mulligan's pharmacy, are you going to ground me if I don't give you a piece of the action? If I go to Sam about you, will you have me whacked?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Stall: In this family, we do not solve problems by hitting people!
Jack Stall: No, in this family, we shoot them!
Monday, September 17, 2007
N.O.R.E RUNS NY INTO A RUT
Call dude whatever name you choose, but the man born Victor Santiago has put his time in. As one half of the Queens duo Capone-N-Noreaga, N.O.R.E. had to hold the weight for the group early—Capone would catch a case and Noreaga’s solo career took off. His debut N.O.R.E. would spawn a couple of classics like “Body In The Trunk,” “Banned From TV” and The Neptunes produced monster “Super Thug.” After getting back with Pone and dropping two more solo projects he tripped up with a Reggaeton compilation leaving his fans feeling in a way. Jose Luis Gotcha’s shot at reclaiming his spot are a little more favorable with his return to the streets with Noreality (Babygrande).
From the Jump N.O. goes in hard. The appropriately titled “Set It Off” features an amped up Swizz and an accompanying beat to fuel the energy. Those vibes are extended on “That Club Sh*t.” DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 fame jump on the hook and inject some Crunk into the cipher. The album brings it back to a grittier state of mind with “Throw Em’ Under The Bus” featuring Jadakiss and Kurupt. The three MC’s deliver their signature flows over the wild synthesized track making this joint one of the album’s standout tracks.
N.O.R.E. gets clever with his cover of the classic documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Hazirdis Sounds lifts the theme music and adds some soft drums in order to keep the trademark sounds from the movie prominent. N.O. does a great a job of breaking down the entire script of the flick from the all the characters to the turning point of the violence with the slayings at Dadeland Mall. His dark lyrics paint the exact picture of how gully it was back then in Miami: “Got them things in delivered in monthly/From Ochoa and dudes from Medellin/They had more bread and more blow then I ever seen.”
With any of N.O.R.E.’s projects, you are going to get some songs that just don’t work. “Eat P***y” is a perfect example. N.O., Peedi Peedi and True Life dedicate their love for going down but they rhyme so crudely that ladies and low lives alike will be prone to run to the fast forward button. Another stinker is “Shoes.” His attempt at something for the clubs goes sour with the help of KC on the hook. Dude just lacks that versatility to make a track dedicated to a female’s heel game work.
Clearly we face some faults due to lack of lyricism and diversity but N.O.R.E. makes up for it with his charismatic persona (i.e. “Drink Champ”). Noreality might not take a billboard spot from anyone of Rap’s heavyweights, but it will hold down his hardcore fan base easily. Queens stand up.
From the Jump N.O. goes in hard. The appropriately titled “Set It Off” features an amped up Swizz and an accompanying beat to fuel the energy. Those vibes are extended on “That Club Sh*t.” DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 fame jump on the hook and inject some Crunk into the cipher. The album brings it back to a grittier state of mind with “Throw Em’ Under The Bus” featuring Jadakiss and Kurupt. The three MC’s deliver their signature flows over the wild synthesized track making this joint one of the album’s standout tracks.
N.O.R.E. gets clever with his cover of the classic documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Hazirdis Sounds lifts the theme music and adds some soft drums in order to keep the trademark sounds from the movie prominent. N.O. does a great a job of breaking down the entire script of the flick from the all the characters to the turning point of the violence with the slayings at Dadeland Mall. His dark lyrics paint the exact picture of how gully it was back then in Miami: “Got them things in delivered in monthly/From Ochoa and dudes from Medellin/They had more bread and more blow then I ever seen.”
With any of N.O.R.E.’s projects, you are going to get some songs that just don’t work. “Eat P***y” is a perfect example. N.O., Peedi Peedi and True Life dedicate their love for going down but they rhyme so crudely that ladies and low lives alike will be prone to run to the fast forward button. Another stinker is “Shoes.” His attempt at something for the clubs goes sour with the help of KC on the hook. Dude just lacks that versatility to make a track dedicated to a female’s heel game work.
Clearly we face some faults due to lack of lyricism and diversity but N.O.R.E. makes up for it with his charismatic persona (i.e. “Drink Champ”). Noreality might not take a billboard spot from anyone of Rap’s heavyweights, but it will hold down his hardcore fan base easily. Queens stand up.
CHAMILLIONAIRE DOES NOT CARE ABT HIS MILLIONS
ALBUM REVIEW:
By Deepa Shah
Chamillionaire's going all political on his new album, Ultimate Victory (Universal Motown), and this time he doesn't care if he impresses anyone with slick punch lines and metaphors. Instead, Cham packs this album with intelligence and a sick flow. Coming off his Grammy-winning single "Ridin'," Cham shows no signs of fall off on his delayed re-up and has no problems relaying his anger about the state of Hip-Hop. "Hip-Hop, crunk music, hyphy music, snap music/Sounds like a nursery rhyme, get a beat and rap to it/Ain't speaking with a purpose, I'ma call it crap music," Cham fires on the opening track, "The Morning News."
That said, the Houston product lashes out against the recording industry and the fake friends and women that come along with being an entertainer. On "Industry Groupie," Cham throws dirt at gold diggers who are always looking for an easy way in and up the chain of rich ballers. "Now your business all over the radio and it's the penalty that you have to pay/You made the choice to go and be a freak, even Akon been smacking that/Her plan was to get ran through by a linebacker or a quarterback."
"More money, more problems" seems to be Cham's sentiment throughout his sophomore effort. From living the flashy, luxurious life on "The Ultimate Vacation," to so-called friends trying to sabotage his career on "I Think I Love You"—both produced by the Beat Bullies— Chamillionaire's got a beef with everyone who gets in his way to the top. "Having money is like a relationship/Everybody's always gonna get in your business/Trying to break it up, trying to get involved in it/But they really need to mind their own business/Money don't do nothing but bring you trouble."
And for all those fake rappers who are spitting out "crap music," Chamillionaire's got words for them, too. Cham calls out all those wannabe hustlers and gangstas who claim to have street cred on the synth soaked "Come Back To The Streets." Taking a citizen journalist perspective, the Mixtape Messiah sheds light on currents events always blaming Hip-Hop culture as the problem over producer Kane’s tense strings on "The Evening News." "Don Imus made comments that made everybody forget about him/That's him, Anna Nicole got pregnant and had kids by him/Rest in peace to Virginia Tech, too many innocent kids dyin'/Well let's just blame Hip-Hop and act like that's the big problem."
Chamillionaire's flow and lyricism is rampant through each track on Ultimate Victory while the production work itself—which included the likes of JR Rotem, Happy Perez and Play-N-Skillz—gives this record value. Add in Cham's quick rap skills and personally reflective lyrics, as well as selective features from folk like Pimp C (“Welcome To The South”), Bun B (“Pimp Mode”) and Lil Wayne (“Rock Star”) and this sophomore bump has hit written all over it. After all, to the victor belongs the spoils.
By Deepa Shah
Chamillionaire's going all political on his new album, Ultimate Victory (Universal Motown), and this time he doesn't care if he impresses anyone with slick punch lines and metaphors. Instead, Cham packs this album with intelligence and a sick flow. Coming off his Grammy-winning single "Ridin'," Cham shows no signs of fall off on his delayed re-up and has no problems relaying his anger about the state of Hip-Hop. "Hip-Hop, crunk music, hyphy music, snap music/Sounds like a nursery rhyme, get a beat and rap to it/Ain't speaking with a purpose, I'ma call it crap music," Cham fires on the opening track, "The Morning News."
That said, the Houston product lashes out against the recording industry and the fake friends and women that come along with being an entertainer. On "Industry Groupie," Cham throws dirt at gold diggers who are always looking for an easy way in and up the chain of rich ballers. "Now your business all over the radio and it's the penalty that you have to pay/You made the choice to go and be a freak, even Akon been smacking that/Her plan was to get ran through by a linebacker or a quarterback."
"More money, more problems" seems to be Cham's sentiment throughout his sophomore effort. From living the flashy, luxurious life on "The Ultimate Vacation," to so-called friends trying to sabotage his career on "I Think I Love You"—both produced by the Beat Bullies— Chamillionaire's got a beef with everyone who gets in his way to the top. "Having money is like a relationship/Everybody's always gonna get in your business/Trying to break it up, trying to get involved in it/But they really need to mind their own business/Money don't do nothing but bring you trouble."
And for all those fake rappers who are spitting out "crap music," Chamillionaire's got words for them, too. Cham calls out all those wannabe hustlers and gangstas who claim to have street cred on the synth soaked "Come Back To The Streets." Taking a citizen journalist perspective, the Mixtape Messiah sheds light on currents events always blaming Hip-Hop culture as the problem over producer Kane’s tense strings on "The Evening News." "Don Imus made comments that made everybody forget about him/That's him, Anna Nicole got pregnant and had kids by him/Rest in peace to Virginia Tech, too many innocent kids dyin'/Well let's just blame Hip-Hop and act like that's the big problem."
Chamillionaire's flow and lyricism is rampant through each track on Ultimate Victory while the production work itself—which included the likes of JR Rotem, Happy Perez and Play-N-Skillz—gives this record value. Add in Cham's quick rap skills and personally reflective lyrics, as well as selective features from folk like Pimp C (“Welcome To The South”), Bun B (“Pimp Mode”) and Lil Wayne (“Rock Star”) and this sophomore bump has hit written all over it. After all, to the victor belongs the spoils.
Eastern Promises Quote of the day
Nikolai Luzhin: Forget any of this happened. Stay away from people like me.
STEVE BARTEL GETS A RAISE
Steve Bartels has been promoted to President/COO, Island Def Jam Music Group, it was announced today by Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. In this newly-created role, Mr. Bartels will oversee all day-to-day matters of the company and its labels. He will continue to work closely with Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, President/CEO, Def Jam Recordings, Jermaine Dupri, President, Island Records Urban Music and David Massey, President, Mercury Records. Mr. Bartels will also work with all IDJ joint ventures including DTP (Disturbing Tha Peace) and Slip N Slide. Mr. Bartels, who is based in New York, will report directly to Mr. Reid.
"This is a tremendous step forward in the evolution of our company, and there is no one more worthy to take the reins of this new position than Steve Bartels," said Mr. Reid. "In the decade that we have worked together, I have always been impressed by Steve's leadership and dedication to the smooth day-to-day runnings of the entire operation. He has played an integral role at Island Def Jam of breaking new artists and bringing our music to the widest possible markets. His friendship is invaluable at every level and he now has the capacity to achieve even greater.
"This is a tremendous step forward in the evolution of our company, and there is no one more worthy to take the reins of this new position than Steve Bartels," said Mr. Reid. "In the decade that we have worked together, I have always been impressed by Steve's leadership and dedication to the smooth day-to-day runnings of the entire operation. He has played an integral role at Island Def Jam of breaking new artists and bringing our music to the widest possible markets. His friendship is invaluable at every level and he now has the capacity to achieve even greater.
Friday, September 14, 2007
HOT CHIP IS ON THE MARK
Hot Chip Do Gigs, DJ Dates, Single, Shrigley Benefit
Two words: Todd Rundgren
What's shakin', Hot Chip? Besides, you know, my ass to your songs? Quite a few things, as it happens, are astir in camp Chip of late, so let's set the ass on simmer, pull up a chair, and brush up on the latest.
First up, Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor joined forces recently with Gang Gang Dance's Brian DeGraw to create what Taylor called a "one-off audio-visual piece" on the HC website. The piece, which marked the first Taylor/DeGraw collaborative effort, premiered at the ICA in London on September 6 as part of the Becks Fusions series, alongside new offerings from Matthew Herbert and others. No word yet whether it will turn up elsewhere (the "one-off" part is less than encouraging), but here's hoping.
Hot Chip as a whole, meanwhile, have a limited edition 12" due this month with "Shake a Fist"-- perhaps you caught it in Forkcast?-- and featuring none other than Todd Rundgren. While a Chip publicist could not confirm whether it's a sample or whether Todd actually worked with Hot Chip, our dads are still thrilled to see the name.
Furthermore, the latest and third Hot Chip album, which may be called Shot Down in Flames or 4 or Made in the Dark or something else entirely, is coming along nicely. The quintet hope to have it out, via DFA/EMI, in February 2008. Fingers crossed!
And remember David Shrigley's Worried Noodles project, where Shrig provided lyrics and tons of your favorite bands, Hot Chip among them, made the music? The two-disc/three-vinyl set isn't out until October 23 (on Tomlab), but folks in London can taste an early portion of Noodles on October 14, as Hot Chip and others perform at Scala. Shrigley himself will be there providing animation, while HC, Max Tundra, Psapp, Simon Bookish, Cibelle, James Chadwick, Munch Munch, Scarlet's Well, and more wiggle their Noodles contributions. It's both a launch party and a benefit for Amnesty International, with all proceeds going to the organization. You really don't want to miss that.
Finally, Hot Chip's Joe Goddard has been out there setting dancefloors ablaze like some kind of party arsonist. Catch one of his upcoming DJ dates, listed for your convenience-- alongside a brief run of Hot Chip South American fest dates-- below.
Two words: Todd Rundgren
What's shakin', Hot Chip? Besides, you know, my ass to your songs? Quite a few things, as it happens, are astir in camp Chip of late, so let's set the ass on simmer, pull up a chair, and brush up on the latest.
First up, Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor joined forces recently with Gang Gang Dance's Brian DeGraw to create what Taylor called a "one-off audio-visual piece" on the HC website. The piece, which marked the first Taylor/DeGraw collaborative effort, premiered at the ICA in London on September 6 as part of the Becks Fusions series, alongside new offerings from Matthew Herbert and others. No word yet whether it will turn up elsewhere (the "one-off" part is less than encouraging), but here's hoping.
Hot Chip as a whole, meanwhile, have a limited edition 12" due this month with "Shake a Fist"-- perhaps you caught it in Forkcast?-- and featuring none other than Todd Rundgren. While a Chip publicist could not confirm whether it's a sample or whether Todd actually worked with Hot Chip, our dads are still thrilled to see the name.
Furthermore, the latest and third Hot Chip album, which may be called Shot Down in Flames or 4 or Made in the Dark or something else entirely, is coming along nicely. The quintet hope to have it out, via DFA/EMI, in February 2008. Fingers crossed!
And remember David Shrigley's Worried Noodles project, where Shrig provided lyrics and tons of your favorite bands, Hot Chip among them, made the music? The two-disc/three-vinyl set isn't out until October 23 (on Tomlab), but folks in London can taste an early portion of Noodles on October 14, as Hot Chip and others perform at Scala. Shrigley himself will be there providing animation, while HC, Max Tundra, Psapp, Simon Bookish, Cibelle, James Chadwick, Munch Munch, Scarlet's Well, and more wiggle their Noodles contributions. It's both a launch party and a benefit for Amnesty International, with all proceeds going to the organization. You really don't want to miss that.
Finally, Hot Chip's Joe Goddard has been out there setting dancefloors ablaze like some kind of party arsonist. Catch one of his upcoming DJ dates, listed for your convenience-- alongside a brief run of Hot Chip South American fest dates-- below.
Austin City Limits is on!!!!
It's getting darker out earlier, and the weather is starting to cool off ever so slightly, which means festival season is...still happening!
We realize that festival-going is practically a year-round activity now, and apparently, not all parts of the planet plunge into winter at the same time, thanks to the crazy voodoo of this thing called "the equator." But traditionally, the arrival of the Austin City Limits Music Festival heralds the end of a summer full of sunburns, overpriced water, and unbelievably long lines for portable toilets that have just run out of TP.
So put on your SAD faces, because ACL goes down this weekend (September 14-16) at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, naturally.
Again, here's a meager helping of bands who will play this year's festival (White Stripes not included, alas):
The Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan, Björk, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Spoon, the Decemberists, Queens of the Stone Age, Yo La Tengo, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Peter Bjorn & John, the National, Common, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Muse, Midlake, the Killers, St. Vincent (just added), Crowded House, Kaiser Chiefs, Lucinda Williams, Regina Spektor, Patterson Hood, Stephen Marley, Ziggy Marley, the Broken West, DeVotchKa, the Little Ones, and many more.
Finally, for those who can't make it down to Texas this weekend, AT&T's blue room will webcast the event live. Head on over to attblueroom.com/music for the action.
We realize that festival-going is practically a year-round activity now, and apparently, not all parts of the planet plunge into winter at the same time, thanks to the crazy voodoo of this thing called "the equator." But traditionally, the arrival of the Austin City Limits Music Festival heralds the end of a summer full of sunburns, overpriced water, and unbelievably long lines for portable toilets that have just run out of TP.
So put on your SAD faces, because ACL goes down this weekend (September 14-16) at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, naturally.
Again, here's a meager helping of bands who will play this year's festival (White Stripes not included, alas):
The Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan, Björk, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Spoon, the Decemberists, Queens of the Stone Age, Yo La Tengo, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Peter Bjorn & John, the National, Common, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Muse, Midlake, the Killers, St. Vincent (just added), Crowded House, Kaiser Chiefs, Lucinda Williams, Regina Spektor, Patterson Hood, Stephen Marley, Ziggy Marley, the Broken West, DeVotchKa, the Little Ones, and many more.
Finally, for those who can't make it down to Texas this weekend, AT&T's blue room will webcast the event live. Head on over to attblueroom.com/music for the action.
I know you got SOUL!!!!!
Bobby Byrd-- singer, songwriter, and celebrated foil for the Hardest Working Man in Show Business-- died yesterday of complications from cancer in his Loganville, Georgia home, RollingStone.com reports. He was 73.
Byrd worked with James Brown from 1953-1973, first in the Famous Flames and then the JBs. He is perhaps best known as a co-vocalist on some of Brown's most famous songs: You'll recognize him immediately as the source of all the "get on up!"s on "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine".
A solo artist in his own right as well, Byrd recorded several albums and numerous singles, most famously the oft-sampled "I Know You Got Soul".
Brown and Byrd reunited in the years before their deaths, and Byrd performed at Brown's memorial service in Augusta, Georgia in December 2006.
Byrd worked with James Brown from 1953-1973, first in the Famous Flames and then the JBs. He is perhaps best known as a co-vocalist on some of Brown's most famous songs: You'll recognize him immediately as the source of all the "get on up!"s on "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine".
A solo artist in his own right as well, Byrd recorded several albums and numerous singles, most famously the oft-sampled "I Know You Got Soul".
Brown and Byrd reunited in the years before their deaths, and Byrd performed at Brown's memorial service in Augusta, Georgia in December 2006.
Last Dragon "Quote of the day"
Sho'nuff: [Arcadian has just offered Sho'nuff a briefcase full of money to kill Leroy] Keep your money. You just get that sucker to the designated place at the designated time, and I will gladly designate his ass... for dismemberment!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
TALIB AND YOUTUBE
By: Trees
Talib TV just launched on YouTube. The channel which is said to feature a hefty stock of exclusive Kweli content is already nicely equipped with a stash of live performance footage, interviews, and videos. The highlight of the channel is of course the teaser trailer for things to come (which I’ve conveniently linked below). In the video Kweli discusses the strong possibility of a Black Star reunion (heads only had us wait 10 years already). Anyway, peep the channel and the video and cop that Eardrum.
Talib TV just launched on YouTube. The channel which is said to feature a hefty stock of exclusive Kweli content is already nicely equipped with a stash of live performance footage, interviews, and videos. The highlight of the channel is of course the teaser trailer for things to come (which I’ve conveniently linked below). In the video Kweli discusses the strong possibility of a Black Star reunion (heads only had us wait 10 years already). Anyway, peep the channel and the video and cop that Eardrum.
HIPHOP UPDATE
By: Trees
(From Press Release) A Chicago hiphop mainstay since the early 90s, Pugs Atomz has been an influential artist on the ever-evolving Windy City scene. Conversations With a Chamelion is a soulful blend through the various sides to life, marking his third and most solid solo album to-date. he release includes production courtesy of Hi-Tek, Colin Response, Vtraxxx, WEXL, with a guest appearances by Capital D of All Natural, Dave Ghetto, and Duce Eclipse. On his latest release, Pugs encompasses the soulful side of Chicago hiphop and has created an album that is a sure hit for the fans of the Chicago sound: Common, Lupe Fiasco & Rhymefest. Conversations With a Chamelion will be available August 28th on Gravel Records. Also, catch Pugs on tour with DJ Vadim as part of the Sound Catcher Tour this Fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After years of anticipation, Chicago's Matlock will be releasing Moonshine this Fall. The full length features RA the Rugged Man, battle legend J.U.I.C.E., Pacewon, and Rusty Chains, as well as production by DJ Babu (Beat Junkies/Dilated Peoples), Kaz1, Overflo, and White Shadow. Also known as Morty Goldstein, (a moniker given to him by his uncle, also a blues guitarist), Matlock made a name for himself performing at showcases, open mics, ciphers, and battles all over Chicago before releasing Crazy Artist Type in 1999. Matlock continued recording, releasing and self-promoting his home-grown brand of basement hip-hop with Paradise Lost in 2001, touching on a wide aray of subjects from battle-rap to bootleggers, getting stoned to the self-realization of one's own mortality. In 2003 he signed with Gravel Records, home of fellow Family Jewels members Rusty Chains and producer Kaz1. Raised on classic rock and citing such diverse artists as Johnny Cash, KRS One, Lord Finesse, Redman, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nas, and The Rolling Stones as inspirations for his music, its no wonder that his music encompasses a wide range of style and emotion. There's no reason hip-hop can't be melodic. I want to get my listeners hype enough to punch their best friend in the mouth on the hard tracks, and reflective enough to burst into tears on the sad songs, explains Matlock, I feel I represent the common man's state of mind, which can be happy, sad, goofy, political, spiritual, and filled with rage all at once. I try not to force my writing. I write because I have something to say, not because I have to say something". Moonshine hits the stores on September 11, 2007 on Gravel Records.
(From Press Release) A Chicago hiphop mainstay since the early 90s, Pugs Atomz has been an influential artist on the ever-evolving Windy City scene. Conversations With a Chamelion is a soulful blend through the various sides to life, marking his third and most solid solo album to-date. he release includes production courtesy of Hi-Tek, Colin Response, Vtraxxx, WEXL, with a guest appearances by Capital D of All Natural, Dave Ghetto, and Duce Eclipse. On his latest release, Pugs encompasses the soulful side of Chicago hiphop and has created an album that is a sure hit for the fans of the Chicago sound: Common, Lupe Fiasco & Rhymefest. Conversations With a Chamelion will be available August 28th on Gravel Records. Also, catch Pugs on tour with DJ Vadim as part of the Sound Catcher Tour this Fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After years of anticipation, Chicago's Matlock will be releasing Moonshine this Fall. The full length features RA the Rugged Man, battle legend J.U.I.C.E., Pacewon, and Rusty Chains, as well as production by DJ Babu (Beat Junkies/Dilated Peoples), Kaz1, Overflo, and White Shadow. Also known as Morty Goldstein, (a moniker given to him by his uncle, also a blues guitarist), Matlock made a name for himself performing at showcases, open mics, ciphers, and battles all over Chicago before releasing Crazy Artist Type in 1999. Matlock continued recording, releasing and self-promoting his home-grown brand of basement hip-hop with Paradise Lost in 2001, touching on a wide aray of subjects from battle-rap to bootleggers, getting stoned to the self-realization of one's own mortality. In 2003 he signed with Gravel Records, home of fellow Family Jewels members Rusty Chains and producer Kaz1. Raised on classic rock and citing such diverse artists as Johnny Cash, KRS One, Lord Finesse, Redman, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nas, and The Rolling Stones as inspirations for his music, its no wonder that his music encompasses a wide range of style and emotion. There's no reason hip-hop can't be melodic. I want to get my listeners hype enough to punch their best friend in the mouth on the hard tracks, and reflective enough to burst into tears on the sad songs, explains Matlock, I feel I represent the common man's state of mind, which can be happy, sad, goofy, political, spiritual, and filled with rage all at once. I try not to force my writing. I write because I have something to say, not because I have to say something". Moonshine hits the stores on September 11, 2007 on Gravel Records.
MASTER P AKA SEAN PPPPPPPP!!!
9/10: For the second month in a row, Sean Price - 'Master P' is the top seller on UGHH for the month of August!
NECRO COMES WITH KAYNE AND CURTIS
9/11: New NECRO In Stock & Shipping Now! The new Necro CD - Death Rap is incredible! Cop it @ UGHH and get a copy of Necro - Origins, FREE!! You will only find this FREE & EXCLUSIVE bonus CD @ UGHH.com!!
NEWS ON REMY MA
Rapper Remy Ma won a victory in court yesterday (September 12), as her attempted murder charge was reduced to assault charges.
However, Remy Ma faces new charges, as she is accused of ordering a group of men to assault and intimidate two men, one who's girlfriend may testify against the rapper for allegedly shooting her best friend in July.
Remy Ma was originally charged with attempted murder for the alleged July 14 shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph in front of a Manhattan nightclub, during a dispute over $2,000 that was missing from Remy Ma's purse.
Joseph was struck twice in the abdomen.
The murder charges were reduced to assault charges yesterday, as prosecutors now believe the gun may have gone off accidentally.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Berland revealed to the court that Remy Ma, 27, ordered an attack on a witnesses boyfriend at the Players Club in the Bronx on August 19, because his girlfriend was eluding Remy Ma, by changing her cellphone numbers.
Prosecutors say Remy Ma's unidentified boyfriend and an entourage approached the man and his associate.
Shortly afterwards, both men were beaten and one man suffered a broken bone in his face, along with a black eye.
He was hospitalized for a week after the incident according to prosecutors.
Sources told AllHipHop.com the brawl broke out at a Kay Slay event that Remy Ma was attending as a special guest.
"The incident had nothing to do with Remy Ma," a source told AllHipHop.com. "The brawl happened at a Kay Slay party where Remy Ma was in attendance with her security and was also a specially invited guest. Her name was even plugged on Hot 97 as a guest celebrity to make an appearance at the party. No one was ever arrested in the alleged brawl and none of the people actually fighting were apprehended or arrested by the police."
According to the men, they could not identify their attackers because they were defending themselves from a barrage of punches.
Remy Ma, born Remy Smith, was charged with witness-tampering, intimidating a victim, gang-assault charges and third-degree assault.
Remy Ma has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
However, Remy Ma faces new charges, as she is accused of ordering a group of men to assault and intimidate two men, one who's girlfriend may testify against the rapper for allegedly shooting her best friend in July.
Remy Ma was originally charged with attempted murder for the alleged July 14 shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph in front of a Manhattan nightclub, during a dispute over $2,000 that was missing from Remy Ma's purse.
Joseph was struck twice in the abdomen.
The murder charges were reduced to assault charges yesterday, as prosecutors now believe the gun may have gone off accidentally.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Berland revealed to the court that Remy Ma, 27, ordered an attack on a witnesses boyfriend at the Players Club in the Bronx on August 19, because his girlfriend was eluding Remy Ma, by changing her cellphone numbers.
Prosecutors say Remy Ma's unidentified boyfriend and an entourage approached the man and his associate.
Shortly afterwards, both men were beaten and one man suffered a broken bone in his face, along with a black eye.
He was hospitalized for a week after the incident according to prosecutors.
Sources told AllHipHop.com the brawl broke out at a Kay Slay event that Remy Ma was attending as a special guest.
"The incident had nothing to do with Remy Ma," a source told AllHipHop.com. "The brawl happened at a Kay Slay party where Remy Ma was in attendance with her security and was also a specially invited guest. Her name was even plugged on Hot 97 as a guest celebrity to make an appearance at the party. No one was ever arrested in the alleged brawl and none of the people actually fighting were apprehended or arrested by the police."
According to the men, they could not identify their attackers because they were defending themselves from a barrage of punches.
Remy Ma, born Remy Smith, was charged with witness-tampering, intimidating a victim, gang-assault charges and third-degree assault.
Remy Ma has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
STAT QUO
Freeload: Sightings, "Perforated"
Brooklyn band Sightings has, for five years, made a good name for itself by destroying peoples ability to hear. Previous albums largely sound like someone sawing a car in half with a rusty chainsaw, but for new album Through the Panama (on Load Records just in time for Halloween), a knight in white armor also known as Andrew W(hite) K(night) intercedes on behalf of Jammingshire. This first song off Panama still fully shreds but also has rhythm and a respect for your eardrums, if only slight. Take thee a free tracketh below, and watch out for dudes when they hit the road in October.
Download: Sightings, "Perforated" (right click, save as)
Posted in Music, Freeload | 09/13/2007
Audio: Spank Rock & Benny Blanco, "B.O.O.T.A.Y."
It's your grandmommy's new favorite tune! Spank Rock, Benny Blanco, Santi and Mandy Blank talking super grimy on the next track downloadable from the forthcoming Bangers & Cash album. Get it at Spank Rock's MySpace.
Related: Bangers & Cash, "Shake That"
Posted in Music | 09/13/2007
Sponsorship
Freeload: Citay, "First Fantasy"
Photo by Alissa Anderson
Citay, the ten deep collective from San Francisco, releases Little Kingdom on one of our favorite and best-named labels of late Dead Oceans on November 6th. Little Kingdom sounds like Ratatat if they became Hare Krishna or Lightning Bolt if they scarfed a shitload of peyote and played drums with their hair. It is a monumental journey through the galaxy of jams and the ideal soundtrack to a million falling leaves. It is the light reflecting off northern Pacific whitecaps. It made us sell our clothes and make new ones out of beard clippings. We started a garden! In brief, we're into it, and it all begins with "First Fantasy," free for the taking below.
Download: Citay, "First Fantasy" (right click, save as)
Posted in Freeload | 09/13/2007
Contest
Full Metal Ninja
Artwork by Tomoe Hamaya
For the fourth edition of the Southern Comfort/FADER 7-inch series, we asked ourselves, "What would it sound like to get your butt sliced off by a ninja robot in the year 3076?" The answer (clearly) was Parisian party animal Busy P on one side and B'more blockslayer DJ Blaqstarr on the other. And then we got Tomoe Hamaya to design that ninja's adverthrowingstar for the cover. Watch out! We've got a bunch to give away and all you have to do is email contests@thefader.com and put "seven" in the subject line to get one.
| 09/11/2007
Audio: Wayniac f. Lil Scrappy, Young Dro & Lil Chuk Chuk, "I'm From Zone 3"
Wayniac sounds like a soft-voiced Mystikal (and also makes us think of the Animaniacs), Young Dro calls himself a Transformer car with a Robocop gun, and Lil Chuk Chuk, in what may be his rap chorus debut, makes the whole song sound like a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by little kids.
Posted in Music | 09/13/2007
Dollars To Pounds: Field Of Joy
Imagine a sunny British summer festival where you don’t have to camp on top of each other, where the music is fun and adventurous, where the food is edible, where the people are friendly and cool and attractive (and some are even under 30) and where there’s a genuine sense of adventure and abandon in the air. That used to be Glastonbury, but Glasto is dead to me now. Long live Bestival.
(more...)
Posted in Dollars to Pounds | 09/13/2007
Video: Stat Quo, "We Get Higher"
If you download the free pdf or buy the paper version of the current issue, you will see Stat Quo in there. When he came by to play us his new album, we listened, we liked, and then we fought over who got to be his best friend after he left. Dude is a funny dude. Dude is also a good rapper dude. Both are in evidence in this new video.
Brooklyn band Sightings has, for five years, made a good name for itself by destroying peoples ability to hear. Previous albums largely sound like someone sawing a car in half with a rusty chainsaw, but for new album Through the Panama (on Load Records just in time for Halloween), a knight in white armor also known as Andrew W(hite) K(night) intercedes on behalf of Jammingshire. This first song off Panama still fully shreds but also has rhythm and a respect for your eardrums, if only slight. Take thee a free tracketh below, and watch out for dudes when they hit the road in October.
Download: Sightings, "Perforated" (right click, save as)
Posted in Music, Freeload | 09/13/2007
Audio: Spank Rock & Benny Blanco, "B.O.O.T.A.Y."
It's your grandmommy's new favorite tune! Spank Rock, Benny Blanco, Santi and Mandy Blank talking super grimy on the next track downloadable from the forthcoming Bangers & Cash album. Get it at Spank Rock's MySpace.
Related: Bangers & Cash, "Shake That"
Posted in Music | 09/13/2007
Sponsorship
Freeload: Citay, "First Fantasy"
Photo by Alissa Anderson
Citay, the ten deep collective from San Francisco, releases Little Kingdom on one of our favorite and best-named labels of late Dead Oceans on November 6th. Little Kingdom sounds like Ratatat if they became Hare Krishna or Lightning Bolt if they scarfed a shitload of peyote and played drums with their hair. It is a monumental journey through the galaxy of jams and the ideal soundtrack to a million falling leaves. It is the light reflecting off northern Pacific whitecaps. It made us sell our clothes and make new ones out of beard clippings. We started a garden! In brief, we're into it, and it all begins with "First Fantasy," free for the taking below.
Download: Citay, "First Fantasy" (right click, save as)
Posted in Freeload | 09/13/2007
Contest
Full Metal Ninja
Artwork by Tomoe Hamaya
For the fourth edition of the Southern Comfort/FADER 7-inch series, we asked ourselves, "What would it sound like to get your butt sliced off by a ninja robot in the year 3076?" The answer (clearly) was Parisian party animal Busy P on one side and B'more blockslayer DJ Blaqstarr on the other. And then we got Tomoe Hamaya to design that ninja's adverthrowingstar for the cover. Watch out! We've got a bunch to give away and all you have to do is email contests@thefader.com and put "seven" in the subject line to get one.
| 09/11/2007
Audio: Wayniac f. Lil Scrappy, Young Dro & Lil Chuk Chuk, "I'm From Zone 3"
Wayniac sounds like a soft-voiced Mystikal (and also makes us think of the Animaniacs), Young Dro calls himself a Transformer car with a Robocop gun, and Lil Chuk Chuk, in what may be his rap chorus debut, makes the whole song sound like a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by little kids.
Posted in Music | 09/13/2007
Dollars To Pounds: Field Of Joy
Imagine a sunny British summer festival where you don’t have to camp on top of each other, where the music is fun and adventurous, where the food is edible, where the people are friendly and cool and attractive (and some are even under 30) and where there’s a genuine sense of adventure and abandon in the air. That used to be Glastonbury, but Glasto is dead to me now. Long live Bestival.
(more...)
Posted in Dollars to Pounds | 09/13/2007
Video: Stat Quo, "We Get Higher"
If you download the free pdf or buy the paper version of the current issue, you will see Stat Quo in there. When he came by to play us his new album, we listened, we liked, and then we fought over who got to be his best friend after he left. Dude is a funny dude. Dude is also a good rapper dude. Both are in evidence in this new video.
Freeload: Sightings, "Perforated"
Brooklyn band Sightings has, for five years, made a good name for itself by destroying peoples ability to hear. Previous albums largely sound like someone sawing a car in half with a rusty chainsaw, but for new album Through the Panama (on Load Records just in time for Halloween), a knight in white armor also known as Andrew W(hite) K(night) intercedes on behalf of Jammingshire. This first song off Panama still fully shreds but also has rhythm and a respect for your eardrums, if only slight. Take thee a free tracketh below, and watch out for dudes when they hit the road in October.
Download: Sightings, "Perforated" (right click, save as)
Posted in Music, Freeload | 09/13/2007
Audio: Spank Rock & Benny Blanco, "B.O.O.T.A.Y."
It's your grandmommy's new favorite tune! Spank Rock, Benny Blanco, Santi and Mandy Blank talking super grimy on the next track downloadable from the forthcoming Bangers & Cash album. Get it at Spank Rock's MySpace.
Related: Bangers & Cash, "Shake That"
Posted in Music | 09/13/2007
Sponsorship
Freeload: Citay, "First Fantasy"
Photo by Alissa Anderson
Citay, the ten deep collective from San Francisco, releases Little Kingdom on one of our favorite and best-named labels of late Dead Oceans on November 6th. Little Kingdom sounds like Ratatat if they became Hare Krishna or Lightning Bolt if they scarfed a shitload of peyote and played drums with their hair. It is a monumental journey through the galaxy of jams and the ideal soundtrack to a million falling leaves. It is the light reflecting off northern Pacific whitecaps. It made us sell our clothes and make new ones out of beard clippings. We started a garden! In brief, we're into it, and it all begins with "First Fantasy," free for the taking below.
Download: Citay, "First Fantasy" (right click, save as)
Posted in Freeload | 09/13/2007
Contest
Full Metal Ninja
Artwork by Tomoe Hamaya
For the fourth edition of the Southern Comfort/FADER 7-inch series, we asked ourselves, "What would it sound like to get your butt sliced off by a ninja robot in the year 3076?" The answer (clearly) was Parisian party animal Busy P on one side and B'more blockslayer DJ Blaqstarr on the other. And then we got Tomoe Hamaya to design that ninja's adverthrowingstar for the cover. Watch out! We've got a bunch to give away and all you have to do is email contests@thefader.com and put "seven" in the subject line to get one.
BOOOOTYYYYYYY
It's your grandmommy's new favorite tune! Spank Rock, Benny Blanco, Santi and Mandy Blank talking super grimy on the next track downloadable from the forthcoming Bangers & Cash album. Get it at Spank Rock's MySpace.
KAYNE WINNING BATTLE SO FAR
Kanye West
Kanye West is leading arch-rival 50 Cent in a highly-publicized sales battle.
The Chicago rapper's third solo album "Graduation" is on pace to sell 575,000 to 700,000 units in its first week, while New York-based 50 Cent is projected to move 550,000 copies of his third solo set, "Curtis."
Sales tracker Neilsen Soundscan had "Graduation" outselling "Curtis" by a margin of 437,000 to 310,000 one day after their September 11 release.
Last month, 50 Cent - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - told the Associated Press that he would retire from solo recording if West outsold him. "I just don't view him as competition based on our previous sales histories," he said.
"Billboard" Magazine senior editor Jonathan Cohen says 50 Cent has been hampered by a series of underperforming singles, while Kanye West is having a "charmed" experience, despite a widely-circulated September 9 outburst at the MTV Awards after going home empty-handed.
"These tantrums he goes on, these outlandish comments he makes, they don't really hurt him," Cohen said. "If anything, they've got more people interested in what he's all about."
50 Cent may not be ready for the retirement home just yet - Cohen says he may stage a late-week sales rally. In addition, country star Kenny Chesney may play spoiler: his September 11 release "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates," is so far on pace to sell 400,000 to 550,000 copies.
Kanye West is leading arch-rival 50 Cent in a highly-publicized sales battle.
The Chicago rapper's third solo album "Graduation" is on pace to sell 575,000 to 700,000 units in its first week, while New York-based 50 Cent is projected to move 550,000 copies of his third solo set, "Curtis."
Sales tracker Neilsen Soundscan had "Graduation" outselling "Curtis" by a margin of 437,000 to 310,000 one day after their September 11 release.
Last month, 50 Cent - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - told the Associated Press that he would retire from solo recording if West outsold him. "I just don't view him as competition based on our previous sales histories," he said.
"Billboard" Magazine senior editor Jonathan Cohen says 50 Cent has been hampered by a series of underperforming singles, while Kanye West is having a "charmed" experience, despite a widely-circulated September 9 outburst at the MTV Awards after going home empty-handed.
"These tantrums he goes on, these outlandish comments he makes, they don't really hurt him," Cohen said. "If anything, they've got more people interested in what he's all about."
50 Cent may not be ready for the retirement home just yet - Cohen says he may stage a late-week sales rally. In addition, country star Kenny Chesney may play spoiler: his September 11 release "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates," is so far on pace to sell 400,000 to 550,000 copies.
Sho Nuff Quote of the Day
Sho'nuff: Am I the meanest?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Am I the prettiest?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Am I the baddest mofo low down around this town?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Well who am I?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Who am I?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: I can't hear you...
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Am I the prettiest?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Am I the baddest mofo low down around this town?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Well who am I?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: Who am I?
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Sho'nuff: I can't hear you...
Sho'nuff 's Goons: Sho'nuff!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Best Movie on Earth: The Last Dragon
Sho'nuff: I AM the Shogun of Harlem!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sho'nuff: Kiss my Converse!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sho'nuff: Kiss my Converse!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
BOSTON ON THE COME UP
La Coka Nostra's Slaine Appearing In New Ben Affleck Directed Film, "Gone Baby Gone"
La Coka Nostra / Special Teamz member, Slaine, has teamed up with fellow Bostonites, the Affleck brothers, for Gone Baby Gone. The film is directed by Ben Affleck, and stars his brother Casey in the lead role. The film is an adaptation of a novel by the author behind Mystic River, and centers around the story of two private detectives on the the trail of a missing child. From the looks of the trailer, Slaine (seen at around 1:21) plays a local Boston hood also helping out with the case. The film also stars Academy Award Winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) and Academy Award Nominee Ed Harris (“Pollack”).
La Coka Nostra / Special Teamz member, Slaine, has teamed up with fellow Bostonites, the Affleck brothers, for Gone Baby Gone. The film is directed by Ben Affleck, and stars his brother Casey in the lead role. The film is an adaptation of a novel by the author behind Mystic River, and centers around the story of two private detectives on the the trail of a missing child. From the looks of the trailer, Slaine (seen at around 1:21) plays a local Boston hood also helping out with the case. The film also stars Academy Award Winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) and Academy Award Nominee Ed Harris (“Pollack”).
MORNING TO ALL
• Britney's performance in person didn't seem really bad, just really boring.
• Chris Brown's performance in person actually did seem pretty amazing.
• Mark Ronson did a good job and was kind of the unsung hero of a lost war.
• Every day we learn to dislike Jamie Foxx even more.
• We saw Paulie Shore exit a bathroom stall looking nervous.
• In the crush leaving the casino we heard some girls gossiping that, contrary to popular and widely-reported opinion, it wasn't Kid Rock and Tommy Lee who got in a fight, but rather Kid Rock and Criss Angel, and that "Criss Angel started it all." Maybe since the disappearance of Angel and Britney Spears supposed collaboration, this was Angel's great illusion of the night.
• We haven't watched the playback yet, so we don't know if you can hear it, but right before Dre (pictured above) gave out the Best Video Award, we screamed, "Justice!" Yeah, we were talking about those French dudes, but it might as well have been a plea for better results.
• Chris Brown's performance in person actually did seem pretty amazing.
• Mark Ronson did a good job and was kind of the unsung hero of a lost war.
• Every day we learn to dislike Jamie Foxx even more.
• We saw Paulie Shore exit a bathroom stall looking nervous.
• In the crush leaving the casino we heard some girls gossiping that, contrary to popular and widely-reported opinion, it wasn't Kid Rock and Tommy Lee who got in a fight, but rather Kid Rock and Criss Angel, and that "Criss Angel started it all." Maybe since the disappearance of Angel and Britney Spears supposed collaboration, this was Angel's great illusion of the night.
• We haven't watched the playback yet, so we don't know if you can hear it, but right before Dre (pictured above) gave out the Best Video Award, we screamed, "Justice!" Yeah, we were talking about those French dudes, but it might as well have been a plea for better results.
Monday, September 10, 2007
FESTIVAL IS STILL ON
It was a beautiful weekend in Chicago, and to celebrate the autumny weather, a whole bunch of folks turned out for the Hideout's annual Block Party. No Albini-on-Albini headliners this year, but it was still quite a romper, featuring British popsters Art Brut, the ever-so-fitting Bloc Party (who joked that they'd named themselves after the event), dance master Dan Deacon (just a few hours before his green skull went missing) and the Windy City's favorite son, Andrew Bird. The Frames, O'Death, the 1900s, Cass McCombs, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, and the Changes all also got their party on.
There was also a glee club (Blue Ribbon Glee Club), a marching band (Mucca Pazza), square dancers (Golden Horse Ranch Square Dance Band), and something called a Guitarkestra (helmed by Steven Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave). Photos of all that weird shit, and even more, below.
There was also a glee club (Blue Ribbon Glee Club), a marching band (Mucca Pazza), square dancers (Golden Horse Ranch Square Dance Band), and something called a Guitarkestra (helmed by Steven Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave). Photos of all that weird shit, and even more, below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)