Bet you thought this was gonna be a post about Sean Kingston, well OH SNAP! your wrong!
The influx of wonderful female talent in the last little while has been very pleasing for my audio experiences. Theres a few names that come to mind right away and those are who Ill will be featuring here. A few of them that Ive featured on here in the past but anyone of them is worth a re mentioning or two or five.
We gave you the remix now here the video for the OG. This song is ridiculously good. Kayne has the golden touch not to mention Estelle seems to be doing alright for herself. Check it!
If you know me at all then you know I love Kid Sis. Check the video for Sinden and Count Of Monte Cristal's "Beeper", with my girl Kid Sis looking fine as ever!
The good peoples at Pitchfork have slammed Aokis first commercial mixed CD release with good reason. Aoki has always been more gimmick then anything to me and Im glad to hear some media folk start to recognize this. Im all down for a good gimmicks - wearing masks,funny names, and the whole girl talk everyone party with me up close steeze, when the music and skill can back it up. However Mr. Aoki pooring vodka on himself, the dj equipment, and audience has always seemed a bit like an excuse not to dj as much which to me seems a bit weak. Paired with his not always effective attempts at crowd surfing I am again glad pitchfork has said something. Gimmicks will only get anyone so far.
Steve Aoki
Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles
Rating: 2.5
This mix, the first (and hopefully last) from Dim Mak major domo Steve Aoki, kicks off with Refused's "New Noise", a 10-year-old track that mixes Fugazi-loving ruckus with the merch-friendly electronic ambiance now heard on the quiet moments of your average Linkin Park single. After two minutes of this enjoyable ruckus, the disc jumps into a 16-track mix of modern-day post-punk and indie-approved dance tracks that I assume by the incongruous Refused intro is meant to signify the "new noise" of a 21st century American Apparelled rock/dance zeitgeist that's not at all played out in the slightest.
Granted, this thing passes the American Bandstand test just fine, which is its primary purpose. That said, a broken dishwasher also has a beat to it, and sticking someone's gussied-up 1987 Maytag front and center at the trendiest L.A. hot spot would undoubtedly get both scene-stealers and scene-makers on the floor in time for a Cobrasnake photo op. So we have a guitar-flavored version of the the boundary-busting credo offered in Green Velvet's "Shake and Pop"-- "I like electro/ I like retro/ I like ghetto/ House & techno"-- never mind that kicking those doors down in a Daft Punk world doesn't take all that much effort. That said, whenever Aoki tries to bring two (or three) purportedly great tastes together, the end result is the aural equivalent of mixing toothpaste and orange juice. In Aoki's mind, Mickey Avalon can offer a verse on a perfectly fine little electro squiggle like K.I.M.'s "Wet 'N Wild" without gumming up the works, while Pase Rock can pinch a horny-backpacker loaf on one of two Justice tracks and not sound like an assclown. For what it's worth, Pase does his business all over "Waters of Nazareth"-- take a wild G.U.E.S.S. what the other Justice track is (and guess which indie-rooted RMXGRP worked their magic on it).
Guests of similar quality pepper the disc, with only Kid Sister's turn atop "Shake and Pop" being worth a damn. Turns by the vocalists for Hot Hot Heat and the Faint come off more like extraneous cameos than the spotlight-grabbers they should be. If only other folks followed suit: Har Mar Superstar fronts like Licensed to Ill is the be-all and end-all of hip-hop, Spank Rocker Amanda Blank manages to make a turgid remix of Does It Offend You, Yeah? even worse, and Santogold damages one of the mix's more enjoyable tracks ("Licky [Work It Out]"), with her bargain-basement-Peaches turn at the mic.
If you're the sort that accepts no substitutes, then you'll be happy to know that the original shows up on this thing as well, thanks to Weird Science, a remix duo featuring a member of Moving Units and a certain Mr. Aoki. Peaches emerges relatively unscathed on their manhandling of "Boys Wanna Be Her", but then there's her turn atop a castrated version of Bloc Party's "Helicopter". Weird Science take a perfectly fine guitar-driven track, strips out its frenetic drive, adds a lumpy sea-sick strobe-bass beat, and puts the track's focus entirely on Kele Okereke's and Peaches' vocals, because that's supposedly where the party is.
After 50 minutes of this tired nonsense, with the highlights (like the bloops and bleeps of Yelle's thankfully untouched "Je Veux Te Voir", or the bits of Datarock's strummy "Fa-Fa-Fa" that aren't beset by hot hot air) sorely outnumbered by the lowlights, the mix ends with another turgid rock-meets-dance-with-guest remix, this time a track by Dim Mak group (and post-punk aficionados) Scanners with additional words of wisdom offered by Justice labelmate Uffie. By this point, whatever "new noise" Aoki seemed to promise at the start comes off as just futile sound and fury signifying the number of folks he has in his iPhone and/or under contract.
In response to my hate on for valentines day, im taking it back. Only cos there may just be something to it after all. Probably not but Im feeling sappy today. Anyhow heres a sappy housey track that I came across today by The Chromatics. From all I can tell its an older tune [2007ish] but I could be wrong, either way I like it and it fits the current mood of ... this guy. They also have a cover of Bruce Springsteens "I'm On Fire" that im quite fond of.
Myself [ Degree ], All Out DJ's and Agent Orange will be throwing down alongside one xof the OG's of Hip Hop and Electro this Monday. Read up on him below however if your reading this blog you should know most of this already.
Afrika Bambaataa (born Kevin Donovan) is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1970s. Like many of the early pioneers in Hip-Hop, he is of West Indian (Caribbean) descent. On September 27, 2007, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bambaataa was a founding member of the Bronx River Projects-area street gang, The Savage Seven. Due to the explosive growth of the gang, it later became known as the Black Spades, and he rose to the position of Division Leader. After a life-changing visit to Africa, he changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim. Bambaataa was influenced by the courage and strategic brilliance of Shaka Zulu seen in the movie and TV series "Shaka Zulu".
Birth of the Zulu Nation
Bambaataa decided to use his leadership to turn those involved in the gang life into something more positive to the community. This began the development of which later became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially & politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in hip hop culture. By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and after Disco King Mario loaned him his first equipment, Bambaataa began organizing block parties all around the South Bronx. He even faced his mentor, Disco King Mario in a DJ battle. He then began performing at Stevenson High School and formed the Bronx River organization, then later simply "The Organization". Bambaataa had deejayed with his own sound system at the Bronx River Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, he already had an established party crowd drawn from former members of the gang. He became known as one of the best DJs in the Bronx.
About a year later he reformed the group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Five b-boys (break dancers) joined him who he called the Shaka ZULU Kings, a.k.a. ZULU Kings; there were also the Shaka Zulu Queens. As he continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, break dancers, graffiti writers, and artists followed his parties, and he took them under his wing and made them members of his Zulu Nation. He was also the founder of the SoulSonic Force, which originally consisted of approximately twenty Zulu Nation members: Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, DJ Cowboy SoulSonic Force (#2), Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow, G.L.0.B.E. (creator of the "MC popping" rap style), DJ Jazzy Jay, Cosmic Force, Queen Lisa Lee, Prince Ikey C, Ice Ice (#1), Chubby Chub; Jazzy Five-DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Freeze, Master D.E.E., Kool DJ Red Alert, Sundance, Ice Ice (#2), CharlieChew, Master Bee, Busy Bee Starski, Akbar (Lil Starski), and Raheim. The personnel for the Soul Sonic Force were groups within groups with whom he would perform and make records.
In 1980, his groups made their first recording with Paul Winley Records titled, "Death Mix". Winley also recorded Soul Sonic Force's landmark single, "Zulu Nation Throwdown", produced by Disco King Mario. Disappointed with the results of the single, he left the company.
Recognition
In 1982, hip-hop artist Fab 5 Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan New-Wave clubs, and invited Bam to perform at one of them, called the Mudd Club. It was the first time Bam had performed before a predominantly white crowd, making it one of the first times that hip-hop had fused with White culture. Attendance for Bam's parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues, first to the Ritz, with Malcolm McLaren's group Bow Wow Wow (and where the Rock Steady Crew b-boys became part of the Zulu Nation), then to the Peppermint Lounge, The Jefferson, Negril, Danceteria, and the Roxy. "Planet Rock", a popular single, came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. The song melded the main melody from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" with electronic beats based on their track "Numbers" as well as portions from records by Ennio Morricone and Captain Sky[1] - thus creating a new style of music altogether, electro funk. It influenced many styles of electronic and dance music, e.g. freestyle music, house music and techno music.
Bambaataa organized the very first European hip hop tour. Along with himself were rapper and graffiti artist Rammellzee, Zulu Nation DJ Grand Mixer DXT (formerly Grand Mixer D.St), B-boy and B-girl crews the Rock Steady Crew, and the Double Dutch Girls, as well as legendary graffiti artists Fab 5 Freddy, Phase 2, Futura 2000, and Dondi. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three main originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and "Godfather" of Hip Hop Culture as well as The Father of The Electro Funk Sound.
Bam's second release around 1983 was "Looking for the Perfect Beat," then later, "Renegades of Funk," both with the same SoulSonic Force. He began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records, where he developed and placed two groups on the label: "Time Zone" and "Shango". He recorded "Wildstyle" with Time Zone, and he performed a duet with punk-rocker John Lydon and Time Zone in 1984, titled "World Destruction", the first time in history that hip-hop was mixed with rock predating Run-D.M.C.'s collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way". Shango's album Shango Funk Theology was also released by the label in 1984. That same year, Bam and other hip-hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street.He also made a landmark recording with James Brown, titled "Unity." It was admirably billed in music industry circles as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop."
Around October 1985, Bambaataa and other music stars worked on the anti-apartheid album Sun City with Little Steven Van Zandt, Run-D.M.C., Lou Reed, and numerous others. During 1988, he recorded another landmark piece as "Afrika Bambaataa and Family" on Capitol Records, titled The Light[2], featuring Nona Hendryx, UB40, Boy George, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Yellowman. Bam had recorded a few other works with Family three years earlier, one titled "Funk you" in 85, and the other titled Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) in 1986.
In 1990, Bam made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" issue. He was also involved in the anti-apartheid work "Hip Hop Artists Against Apartheid" for Warlock Records. He teamed with the Jungle Brothers to record the album Return to Planet Rock (The Second Coming).
Greenstreet Records, John Baker, and Bambaataa organized a concert at Wembley Stadium in London for the A.N.C. (African National Congress), in honor of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The concert brought together performances by British and American rappers, and also introduced both Nelson and Winnie Mandela and the A.N.C. to hip-hop audiences. In relation to the event, the recording Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) helped raise approximately $30,000 for the A.N.C. Bam also helped to raise funds for the organization in Italy.
From the mid-1990s, Bam returned to his electro roots, collaborating with WestBam (who was named after him) which culminated in the 2004 album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light which featured Gary Numan and many others. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered Afrika's song "Renegades of Funk" for their album Renegades. In that same year, Afrika Bambaataa collaborated with Leftfield on the song "Afrika Shox", the first single from Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth. "Afrika Shox" is also popularly known from the soundtrack to Vanilla Sky. In 2006, he was featured on the British singer Jamelia's album Walk With Me on a song called Do Me Right, and on Mekon's album Some Thing Came Up, on the track D-Funktional. Bambaataa has also performed the lyrics on the track "Is There Anybody Out There" by The Bassheads. As an actor, he has played a variety of both hilarious and serious voice-over character roles in the international television series known around the world as Kung Faux [1] from Dubtitled Entertainment and Tommy Boy Films [2].
On September 27, 2007, it was announced that Afrika Bambaataa was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions.[3]
On December 22nd, 2007, he made a surprise appearance performing at the First Annual Tribute Fit For the King of King Records, Mr. Dynamite James Brown in Covington, KY.
Activism
Around the early 1990s, many violent films were produced that glorified California gang life, fueling hype about "Bloods" and "Crips". The Bloods and Crips, two major black street gangs that feud in West Coast ghettos, had now been adopted by New York and other East Coast youth who admired the image seen on screen. A rash of initiation assaults, raids, and gang violence ensued after being denounced in the early stages of hip hop. Suddenly a trend of Bloods and Crips association and attire was seen in rap music, and gangs began to target innocent people and fight with each other. Bambaataa, having seen it lead to increased negativity in the past, began holding peace conferences. He called on all gang leaders from the Latin Kings street gang, Crips, and Bloods and formed a peace treaty in the streets. Bambaataa is credited for preventing huge gang wars and an outbreak of crime while outsiders and politicians credited Rudy Giuliani, the Mayor of New York City at the time.
Ok its that day. Valentines. One of the stupidest celebrations ever created by our good friends at Hallmark. However thats coming from a bitter single man and perhaps my tune will change next year or the year after or .... ??? We will see. In any event its the special day that we are all reminded to tell the people we love that we love them. So if you love someone tell them cos Hallmark says so!
Both versions of this track are fucking great, not just great but fucking great! A remix for while your at the club getting drunk and hitting on anything with two legs. As well as the OG for when you get home and are kicking with your good ol' porcelain buddy.
So ladies tonight my sweet single ass will be rocking out at the Pawn Shop with a roster full of other single DJ's. Come get your drunk on and maybe after the club we can ................... and stuff.
Bird Peterson is the shit. End of Story. Visit his myspace, go tell him he rules, buy his music at the links below and download his newest offering in the form of "The Jump Off". If you dont know get to know, nuff said.
Purchase THE ENTIRE BIRD PETERSON REMIX CATALOG exclusively at GIGACRATE.COM!!! Purchase tracks for the low price of 1.49 each, or get all your favorites from my 3 new vinyls for about 4 dollars! Each one is a SUPER HIGH QUALITY WAV audio file! Buy them for burning, DJing, or just having sex to!!
Mowgli is a newer producer coming out of the UK. As he's rising up he offering one new bootleg per month for the entire year of 2008. Keep your eyes and ears open cos what this man is dropping you dont want to miss. While Im a bigger fan of last months offering in the form of a Chemical Brothers remix, he comes correct this month on a song I wasnt sure if I could palate. However Mowgli puts new life and then some into Benni Benassi's "Satisfaction".
All eye candy? Did Daft Punk get their due? Was Kayne oddly awkaward?
Make your own judgment. I love Kayne so Im down but no doubt that it had more potential than what was done with it. In any event this is the Grammys and this is french house and hiphop by the best in each respective genre together at once. I cant complain.
Either I'm a sucker for cute animals, or maybe it's just this song... but 30 seconds of this Telus commercial has really caught my attention. The song (Jamba, unreleased), is performed by Anjulie, yet another Torontonian living in Los Angeles. She is signed to Starbuck's label "Hear Music" and is currently in the studio. Starbucks record label? I was kind of shocked to hear that too. But if the rest of her album sounds as good as this commercial sized bite does, she's going to be onto much bigger things than worldwide coffee houses.
Mr. Paul Devro of Diplo's MAD DECENT blog hooked me up with an exclusive hosting of my new mix for Jeepney Clothing [ www.jeepneyclothing.com ] out of Seattle.
Check it out at MAD DECENT. As well ya'll can check the track listing and artwork below
Toddla T is on some next level buisness! Killing it up in the dancehall. Check his latest mix,bio, and other Toddla T goods below.
Cut yer boy TODDLA T open and you’ll be vaporized by the pure Sheffield electronics crackling inside him. The Steel City ‘Bleep’ bubbles right through the blood, brains and musical meat of this dirty rascal’s DJ stints, rerubs and original night-time material.
Weaned on the teat of bashment from a young age Mr T rolled through his early years on his hands and knees with ears glued to the speakers of his folks’ hi fi. Making beats, bass, blunts and girls filled his adolescence until he was crowned as inhouse studio boff at Sheffield’s Kenwood Studios at the grand old age of 19.
In the home of Dizzee Rascal’s ’Boy in da Corner’ he set to salting aural shit up. Working on material for DJ Cash Money, Roots Manuva and Steve Edwards let him polish his craft until the studio shut, and he dived headfirst into distilling his own bass heavy wonk until it was ripe for dissemination.
It’s summer 2007. By day, shoe shop assistant, by night one half of digi duo Small Arms Fiya (along with fellow beat doctor/loafer Monkz), Toddla’s brought the ruckus to the deadly dancehall table with a series of killer 12s and 7s.
Toddla T is South Yorkshire’s new bad bwoy on the bashment block. The young inheritor of the bleepy baton from the likes of Warp, Swag’s Chris Duckenfield, Pipes, original forge master Winston Hazel , he’s the steel cherry riding a top a rich musical heritage for a city that’s always liked it RUFF…
Since our beams last crossed big things have been ‘appening for our boy T. His debut riddim ‘Do you know’ (on the 1965 imprint) caused a right froth in all quarters it dropped. Sucking on dancehall and Sheffield’s notorious bassline and seriously rude movements, it drew comparisons to London darlings Herve and Sinden and, like the lad himself, has been ubiquitous at the most scalding of dos ever since…
Tings are getting bigger and bouncier for our hero. His 40 track Ghettoblaster mixtape (hosted by motor mouth Mr Versatile) was hailed as the best mix of the year by FACT magazine(and downloaded several shitloads of time) while his production fingers have been delving into the likes of indie peddler Jack Penate, guitaros Jackobinarina, and a sleezy collaboration with ex-Moloko hot pot, Roisin Murphy…
DJ sets have got bigger and better. Slots with Radioclit in Sheff, Modular’s party in London town, big riddims at the carnival with his man Versatile, joint throwing at the Electric Chair, Warp’s xmas batty up and of course Sheffield’s nomadic late night flagon of electronic bleepery, Kabal - at the minute Toddla is bulldozing every floor he gets his mitts on….
If that wasn’t enough ‘Do you Know’ is due to drop as a meaty 12 inch proper come January, this time featuring a jacking rehauls from Sinden and the Count of Monte Cristal and original Sheffield master, sonic scientist par excellence, Rob G. Expect a main room Fabric set at Sinden’s Get Familiar in January for a suitably celebratory hoe down…
2008 is shaping up to be the year Toddla T dons his big pants and does his dutty on the main stage. Do you know? If you don’t bounce on this now your ears’ll be kicking you in 6 months time that you weren‘t there from the start…
One of the hottest joints of 2007 "Heartbroken" by T2 feat. Jodie comes correct with a video to bring the visual heat. This recent surge of Speed Garage revival is very welcomed by myself. I feel this genre didnt get its just due the first time around in the 90's and seeing the level of production improvements this is a very exciting time for something of this nature to come back around
For a lil' Bday shin diggity for myself and my good buddies Leah,Matt, and Alec. Gonna be pretty insane up in there and theres really no better DJ and person to kill it up with then Mr. Nada. Below are some tunes,mixes,pics, and for those who dont know what up with dave nada, mashups and the whole baltimore movement a link to an interview for Edmontons SEE Magazine.
DAVE NADA : Known for his ability to get people on the dancefloor and keep them there, Baltimore's Dave Nada has quickly established himself as one of the U.S.'s most sought after club packing, party rocking DJ/producers. His signature eclectic and always uplifting blend of classic and new school hip-hop, baltimore club, electro, house, rock and funk has made him a standout in the increasingly segmented club scene. Dave Nada has rocked clubs from New York to Vancouver to Sweden. He has been featured in Spin Magazine, URB, Fader, XLR8R, the Washington Post, Philadelphia Weekly, and the Baltimore and Washington City Papers. His debut "Kick Out The Jams!" EP on T&A Records was listed #1 on Turntable Lab's top sellers chart and is currently on rotation on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. Nada is also a resident at Taxlo in Baltimore city, one of the biggest and critically acclaimed dance parties in the U.S. Expect future releases from Dave Nada on T&A, Unruly, and Hai Karate Records.
