Stones Throw + Adult Swim = Chrome Children
Brrap Brrap – hold tight! So I lost my job this week and I’m really upset. Not because I lost my job but I realize that the only 2 places that I want to work don’t need me. Stylus Magazine are so far ahead of most other web magazines it hurts, I’d love to work there but they already cover everything in the exact way I’d want to see it covered. On the other hand there’s Adult Swim who hit us first with Danger Doom and then the Chocolate Swim mixes. Now they’ve teamed up with Stones Throw for the Chrome Children CD and DVD – BLAOW!!!!!!!! Does this mean that Doom gets a new chrome re-fix for the mask? Peanut Butter Wolf has the pre-release mix here
Peanut Butter Wolf – Chrome Mix
This mix is seriously hot with new joints from Madvillain, Madlib, Jaylib and Koushik – you know you need this. And while you bounce on the subway to this, spare a thought for me – who would have also come up with an idea like this but now is out of a job – shit dang someone got there first!
I fucking hate queueing!
So I was all ready to go and see my boys Radioclit play tonight at 333 – I’m on the list, everything is sweet. So I get there and speak to the g-list woman and she gives me a ticket and tells me that I have to get in the queue. Now I don’t mind queueing but after 20 minutes of waiting in line with every 17 year old pushing in front of me I’ve fucking had it. I told her so and it was like talking to some fucking phone operator at the gas company when they’ve cut you off – she was blissfully not in control. Another 5 minutes and I’m fucking walking home to type this – fuck them – all I wanted was to have a few beers with my boys – well fuck them – I’ll come home and diss your club on the internet like the hard man I am. Anyway I’m especially annoyed because DJ Luck and MC Neat were playing – around 2000 they were kind of big in the UK and I’m really glad that, as the whole early 90’s sounds are breaking through what with the big Rave Recycle, certain people have the foresight to start championing the early 00’s – big ups. I’ll see you at the bar for some more Sambucca! Happy Time!
DJ Luck and MC Neat – Master Blaster 2000
DJ Luck and MC Neat – A Little Bit Of Luck
DJ Luck and MC Neat – Ain’t No Stoppin Us
Oh and so my friend is pissed that I nicked a post off him. The Martha Wainwright tune – however as I explained I’ve been into her for a while and to prove it here’s the tune about mashed potato. I’m sure I checked his post and was reminded of this tune so please go and check out my friend’s blog as its also really rather good Blog On The Motorway
New Ancient Strings
So Toumani Diabate is a Kora payer from Mali, supposedly one of the greatest that has ever lived. I’ll let Wikipedia do the talking but I have a couple of stories. I used to work at a label where he was a frequent visitor and a friend of mine used to tell me stories of him missing a bunch of flights only to turn up at the office a few days later with no possessions other than his Kora slung over his back and not a care in the world. Anyway I recently rocked well to a birthday party out of town where I met a young man who’d recently tripped over to Africa and upon landing in Mali asked the taxi driver to take him to Toumani Diabate and he fucking arrived at his private residence and stayed for 3 weeks. Not only did Toumani put him up but he invited him on stage at a gig – shizz, not only is Toumani one bad ass Kora player but he’s NICE! Anyway so whilst listening to tonights Mahler me and my other friend were chatting about the origins of jazz and house and techno and how the slaves amalgamated European sounds and instrumentation with African rhythm’s and stuff but just listen to this tune and then the Prokefiev tune and tell me whats what – they’re both so amazing – and granted there’s a few hundred years between them but DAYUMS!!!!!!!! Not only is the Romeo and Juliet way ahead of its time but the Toumani tune is as fresh as any riddim this year. In fact FRESHER!!
You can purchase New Ancient Strings from Amazon here
Two best songs in the world
So a couple of weeks go the BBC Proms started. They take place over about two and a half months and there’s pretty much a concert every night. They were set up about 100 years ago by some dude who wanted classical music for everyone – every convcert has something like 1000 tickets reserved to buy on the door for £5. Its so fucking cool, the Albert Hall is beautifull and you get to sit up in the gallery where its all cool and just hang out. Me and my friend have been going a bunch and you just rock up with a bottle of wine or some beers and sit on the floor listening to amazing classical music. So I’ve always loved some classical but never really known what to look for but the other night I saw something amazing. It was Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet adapted for an orchestra and I’m telling you its the fucking shit. The best bit is a section called the Death of Tybalt and its so intense, with all these repetetive drums and violin stabs that put hairs on the back of your neck. Seriousl, this is what I call a power tun, one that you put on your pod when you step off the tube or subway and walk and it makes you feel 10ft tall, like Chin High by Roots Manuva.
A few days after seeing the Prokofiev I saw my favorite band of the moment Guillemots. They were playing at Love Box and it is testament to how lame the punters are there – they were playing on a huge fucking stage to about 100 people – DAYUMS what wrong with them – I don’t know where this tune comes from as its not on their EP or album but its seriously power (but not in a 10ft way)
Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet ‘The Death of Tybalt’
There are so many versions of Romeo and Juliet, I’ll let you find your own way but you can purchase the Gillemots debut from Fantastic Plastic Oh and because I’m all happy and drunk from seeing Mahler’s 4th at the Proms tonight and afterwoods I was singing this song so you can have it – beep beep
The Guillemots – Never Went To Church (The Streets Cover)
Oh and you should check the BBC here and you can find out what’s on and listen to it all online avec commentary. Happy Time!
The David Gilmour Girls are really rather good!
So I’ve been loving Jasper Uhl and Robin Van Der Kaa AKA The David Gilmour Girls for a while now, pretty much since their first release on Relish Records. Anyway my prediction is that they’re gonna be big and I mean LARGE. Who else has has the tenacity to make a tune that’s over 10 minutes long that starts off as an electro rock tune, then brakes into some serious Death From Above 1979 territory then goes into some minimal electro all ending in a feisty rock electro ending. DAYUMS! Oh and I found this other tune on their site which is amazing.
David Gilmour Girls – Heavy Metal Music Magazines
David Gilmour Girls – A Kraftwerk Orange
You can buy all of their releases at Phonica or download them at Beatport
Iko Iko
So Monsters Are Waiting played last night at Check Yo Ponytail last night in LA. I didn’t get to go what with being stuck in London-on-Sahara but I hear it was great . I really like this band, they seem to be like Explosions in the Sky but with the singer from Sneaker Pimps and the ‘Don’t Go’ tune sounds a little Gwen Stefani but all in a good way. Another band I’ve been listening too a bunch recently is Glass Candy from NY – I love the way that one tune is pure punk rock and the next is weird electro vocoder dub. Amazing. Make sure to cop the non-demo version – tooooooooooo good.
Monsters Are Waiting – Christine
Monsters Are Waiting – Don’t Go
Glass Candy – Johnny Are You Queer?
Glass Candy – Lovin’ Machine (Demo)
Glass Candy – Lovin’ Machine (Nite Vocoder Version)
You can grab some Monsters Are Waiting music including their debut album at their own online store and go to Crystal Migraine, a band endorsed fan site for more free Glass Candy stuff. If you want to by Glass Candy stuff get out of your house and go to your local indie record store – fresh air is good for you.
Los Campesinos are really rather good!
Los Campesinos! are an indie-pop seven piece hailing from Cardiff which is in Wales and they are your new favorite band. You! Me! Dancing! Is the song about dancing and dance floors that I wanted the Arctic Monkeys tune to be, all noisy and Casio filled. ‘It Started With A Mixx’ is a re-write of the classic Started with a Kiss and its a perfect portrait of making that first mixtape and deciding which tunes to put on. Ha! ‘Death to Los Campesinos!’ has one of the best cusses ever ‘I’ll be Ctrl+Alt+Deleting your face with no reservations’ (for all those PC users out there this is how you force a petulant Mac to quit when its frozen on you half way through that all important thesis you’ve been writing for 2 hours). They’re playing a show in London soonish with Julian Donkey-Boy, a young singer songwriter from Manchester and I really like this tune. Julien Donkey-Boy was a also a film by Harmony Korine and the first American made Dogme film. He also wrote an amazing book called A Crack Up At The Race Riots which featured all sort of plot less musings such as ‘5 things he became obsessed with’ and ‘4 of my favorite short story titles’ – oof I love that book. Anyway the vocals and Casio’s of Los Campesinos! remind me of one of my favorite bands ever The Capricorns. Now living in Chicago and NY the two members make what should only be described as a million-miles-an-hour- Casio-electro-punk. Shit is HOT!
Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing!
Los Campesinos! – It Started With A Mixx
Los Campesinos! – Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks
Los Campesinos! – Death To Los Campesinos!
Julian Donkey-Boy – You’re My Favorite
The Capricorns – The New Sound
You can buy some Capricorns albums from Amazon here but the other two bands haven’t been signed so you gotta wait.
Karin Dreijer Andersson
The Thin White Duke remixes are so full on – its like he has every level turned up to 12 on the mixing des, everything has such presence. His mix of Roysopp’s ‘What Else Is There’ has been one of my favorite tunes for ages. Imagine my surprise when I pop mypod on and listen to the Ratatat remix of The Knife’s Mother’s Health tune to find out its the same singer. Upon further investigation I found this long ass Pitchfork review that bangs on about the way the vocals are recorded, so in protest to that and in honour of 75orless I’m gonna keep it brief. Karin is Swedish. So is her brother who is the other person in The Knife. She sounds a bit like a Swedish M.I.A for part of the Ratatat remix. I don’t know where the Hailey Wojcik tune came from but I love anything that has FUCK in the chorus. OK so here are some of my favorite songs with FUCK in the chorus. Daniel Cirera is Swedish and this song is just inspired. He’s playing LA at the beginning of August. Martha is the only Wainright that I ever got in to (with the exception of her mom’s song about left over mashed potato!) this is such an empassioned song – love it. Oh and then not to forget naughty little junkie Pete’s rant against the world. Aiii and I almost forgot the ultimate – this tune I first heard when smoking weed when I was a delinquent 12 year old and its STILL AMAZING. I tried to get into the original Bootsy version but nah.
Royksopp – What Else Is There (Thin White Duke Remix)
The Knife – We Share Our Mother’s Health (Ratatat Remix)
Hailey Wojcik – Fuck You (I Quit)
Daniel Cirera – Motherfucker Fake Vegetarian Ex Girlfriend
Martha Wainwright – Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
With half a braincell you should be able to purchase all of this out here or perhaps out there.
Tu parles Francais?
So I was recently in Paris haing a snoop about in Colette where I picked up the new [T]ekel album on Initial Cuts. The album is pretty standard techy electro with the requisite amount of lackadaisical euro accented vocals but Mycose The Night is the sort of driving electro house that can only be listened too around 3am on a motorway. I also picked up a copy of Trax magazine which I thought was French but may actually be Italian – anyway the French version comes with a pretty amazing CD. Since I was digging the [T]ekel the tune that stood out was a long driving clicky electro house tune by Jesse Somfay. Further investigation reveals that he’s from Ontario and produces rediculously long spacey techno soundscapes that last well over an hour. You can get some from Archipel for free. Most of it was too much for me but Faberge is amazing (and normal length) and I also found a remix he’s just for Pablo Akaros, some Spanish techno dude who I don’t know much about but this tune released on Edensonic, a french net label that releases free music. Anyway its nice minimal clicky squeltchy techno.
Pablo Akaros – Mikro Punto (Jesse Somfay’s Catkin Bay Remix)
You can purchase the [T]ekel album from Nuloop here. Faberge is Jesse Somfay’s contribution to the Traum released compilation ‘Elektronische Musik – Interkontinental 5′ which you can purchase from Boomkat here
Mixtape Monday 2
So Mixtape Monday 2 is here an we’ve got a bunch of good shizz. To be honest I’m a little drunk as I lost my day job today so I’m not gonna write anything too lengthy and less links. Paul Devro is one of my favorite DJs and he’s got some good new shitcoming out on Summer Lovers Unlimited. You can check his blog here . Cut Copy seem to be cheering everyone up in the world. I could go on for ever about the Daft Punk set from Coachella – its just fucking amazing, and I WAS THERE muthafuckas. The Zinc mini MEGA mix is redonk. Every fucking classic tune played in 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!! Which I guess leads into the Slipmatt mix – not the best mix to grace a rave tape pack but also pretty solid. Watch this space for future classic rave / jungle mixes. Oh and there’s this girl Lily Allen who you might have heard about and she’s got a couple of mixtapes – they’re pretty good actually. I heard her parents met on myspace and she was born via a blog or something. Oh and the DJs supastar Graeme Sinden made a mix for DJ Magazine – plenty of B’more, Hyphy, Euro Crunk and good bizness. GedditGeddit.
Cut Copy – Live at Irving Plaza 4/5/06
Daft Punk Live at Coachella Part 1
Daft Punk Live at Coachella Part 2
DJ Slipmatt – Fantazia New Years Eve 92-93
Graeme Sinden – DJ Magazine Mix
Check out Dem Fluokids for a special Curtis Vodka Mix – cop it here
We Live As One Family
It sure is hot in LDN at the moment however that can’t get in the way of Friday raving. The Klaxons are playing tonight and Etienne from RadioClit is doing a back to back set with Graeme Sinden – its in some warehouse thing which should be fun by the time midnight comes around and there’s no hint of air con. C’est la vie. I love the Klaxons but their cover of The Bouncer was not great – perhaps they should try some other classics – I’m sure they could tear up Some Justice, probably the most classic classic. It must have featured on pretty much every mixtape I had from age 12 to 16 – ‘Every posse and crew out there the future is before your eyes .. eyes … eyes a nahooooooooooooooooo.’
Urban Shakedown – Some Justice
Urban Shakedown – Some Justice (7″ Dash Mix)
Rick Ross – Hustlin (Sinden B’more Mix)
Good luck tryin to buy those Urban Shakedown tunes – gold dust mate!
Wha Gwan
So whilst diggin through boxes of CDs in my room I came across a mix CD of mine from a while ago. It was about 3 years old and I had no clue as to what was on there and when I put in my computer I was happily surprised to find an absolutely rare UK hip hop classic on there. I’d been searching for ‘Wha Blo’ on the tinternet recently and couldn’t find it anywhere – it was only ever a white label but its a certified classic. I’m not so down with UK hip hop, Taskforce never really did it for me with the exception of this 12″. The B-side was entitled ‘Graff The Bus Up’ and was over the beat from Pharoah Monch’s rub on your titties tune. About the same time this came out I happened upon a likely pair of MCs, Bad Manners and Sir Real. I really wanted to sign them to the label I was working for at the time but it never happened. Sir Real now tours with the Freestylers and I’ve never heard anything from Manners but ‘Wha..Who’ is amazing and if they’d've kept their game at that level they’d now be eclipsing most UK MCs. So my mate who had the Taskforce 12″ lives in Australia and so I instantly IM’d him to let him now I had a copy of the tune – cut to us banging on about tunes we used to play and he reminded me if the ultimate UK hip hop tune. Adam F was much more well known for his drum and bass productions, Circles in particular, but then he went away and made KOAS which was an OK album but featued the AMAZING ‘Smash Sumthin’ featuring Redman. Its got that mad operatic opening that reminds me of Nas’s ‘Hate Me Now’ but the beat is more Breath and Stop. Anyway the best bit about the tune is the shattering glass which sounds so clear you’d think the album was recorded to be played in a cinema. Anyway cop this shit as you won’t find it anywhere else.
Bad Manners ft Sir Real – Wha…Who
Adam F ft Redman – Smash Sumthin
You can purchase Taskforce stuff here and cop KAOS from CD Universe here
Broken Beat and B’more
So I was listening to Baltimore Gutter Music the other day and one of the tunes sounded really familiar. Not the lyrics but the beat. Anyway I had a think about it and its Loose Lips by Seiji. I guess this isn’t a great revelation so maybe just cop the tunes as they’re both great.
Amanda Blank & Spankrock – Grit City
You can but Baltimore Gutter from Amazon here and Loose Lips from the amazing Goya here
Summer Melancholy
So I’m quite drawn to beautiful songs that have a touch of melancholy about them. I had a squiz through a box of old CDs and these are my classic melancholy cuts.
The Perceptionists – Breath in the Sun
You can purchase the Ty album from Ninja Tune here, the Perceptionsists from Def Jux here and the Jill Scott from Amazon here
Wilykat Strut
Aiiiiiiiii so the new Ratatat album is out in about a month which is very good news indeed. Wildcat which I guess is the new single samples a Cougar or something which makes this the sexiest summer tune so far. I’ve been listening to Cuiziner a bunch recently and there’s one bit on Pour Les Filles where John B Rambo says ‘Oh, thats what your say girl when you see Young Cuiz walking down the streets of Paris with his new hat.’ Anyway I can just picture him stepping out on to the street with his new hat and Wildcat pumping on his headphones. He thinks he’s pretty nice with the ladies so I imagine that when the Cougar sample comes in he does a little claw scratch hand movement at les filles in the street. Watch out ladies, Young Cuiz has a new hat and the new Ratatat tune. Danger!
You’ll be able to buy the album from the XL Recordings shop when it comes out and Dem Fluo Kids have another Ratatat tune to download.
Bleep Bleep Bloop Bloop
Gay Against You are a melodic electro punk duo from Glasgow. They may or may not have attended art school but they do have a song about unicorns turning gay and they have an album that will be coming out on Adaadat Records this month. I was listening to them at the same time as Crystal Castles, another electro duo who this time hail from Toronto. Crystal Castles have an EP coming out on Merok, also the home of the mighty Klaxons. Anyway whilst listening to them I was wondering whether the 8bit revolution will ever happen. There are people out there like The Advantage who play covers of Nintendo game tunes and the Video Game Orchestra who do remixes of old game tunes but what we really need is Busta or The Clipse spitting pure fire over Golden Axe or the Mario World tune. Or maybe a Spank Rock remix of Out Run featuring Roots Manuva – hot dayums I’d buy that for a dollar.
The Advantage – Mario Blaster Master (live)
Video Game Orchestra – Golden Axe Level 1 (remake)
Video Game Orchestra – Super Mario World Bonus Round (remake)
This one is going out to fucking wishes and dreams
Ever since I head the first Cuiziner mixtape I’ve been in love with the host with his sexy euro accent. The Genevan Heathen AKA John B Rambo wants to cook you some chicken and drink wine in front of the fire. While Young Cuiz and Teki Latex are running about in XXXL tees, Nu Era caps and grilzz, John B is hanging out in a suit, ties and shades stealing your girlfriend. Turns out he runs Villa Magica records but from checking the site it seems that the only thing they release is his own mixtapes and a 12″ from Kid Rolex featuring TTC and TES and his own mixtape ‘Notgoinganywhere Vol. 6′. Anyway ‘I Miss You’ is from his myspace page and I fucking love it. The thing is that even thought it sounds like a piss take the daft punk all slow behind the vocals makes it sounds like he means it 150%. I’ve somehow attached the intro and first tune from ‘Pour Les Filles’ together so check it. Omnikrom are from Montreal but Kid Rolex produced the tune which is fucking rinsing. Oh and this is my fave Tes tune. nicenice
The Genevan Heathen AKA John B Rambo – I Miss You
Cuizinier – Intro + L’encule le plus cool
Omnikrom – Casquettes De Géants
You should be able to buy everything here from the amazing Arcade Mode
Filthy Little Angels
So the other day I was chatting with Pat and Trevor. They were very excited because this Scottish band Gay Against You were going to be playing at their club night the next week. I never made it down but checked the band out and they’re great (more from them soon). Anyway while investigating them I came upon Filthy Little Angels, an LA based punk rock label, who have a bunch of downloads on their site. They don’t appear to have been around for very long but they have a pretty impressive catalogue so far. Their latest release is an album of covers from Grease and featuring amongst others Gay Against You. These are my three fave tracks.
Sarah & The Johnsonauts – Summer Nights
Beauty Skool Dropout – Beauty School Drop-Out
And these are my fave tunes taken from bands on the label
The Favours – Whats in it for me
The Violets – Climb Me Miss Me
You can buy everyting from their shop here
Ali Love’s Gonna Get You In His Dojo
Ali Love, one time bassist for Just Jack and the Zillions and one half of 1GNITION. I actually used to live with Mr Love in a lovely flat replete with mice (I killed one by throwing a Nike Dunk at it and then cried) and a cat that wasn’t ours who you features in the video for K Hole. Erol Alkan (in his Mustapha 3000 guise) has remixed the single which NME has chosen as tune of the week. Main Stream is from his myspace and I like it a lot more than the single but the ultimate tune is Dojo. I think there’s space for a new Prince, Justin Timberlake’s cool and all that and he’s down with Snoop and Skateboard P but if Ali can carry on down the Dojo route he’ll fucking go places.
Ali Love – K Hole (Mustapha 3000 Remix)
And this is the fucking JAM.
