Superman/Spiderwoman bollywood baile dance combo - make sure you get a child's smedium so it's fully fitted. Triple points if you replicate any of these sweet moves.
We first featured Gothenburg, Sweden's Staffan Ulmert (aka Mojib) more than a year ago, and it's a testament to his mixology that debut LP Whimsical Lifestyle hasn't worn out its welcome on any playlists since. Sure, there's great material to work with - Kings of Convenience, Stone Roses, Go! Team, M83, Tribe Called Quest, Sigur Ros, Apples in Stereo, Thom Yorke and tastes of RJD2/DJ Shadow - but don't fault him for having good taste.
Now Mo's offering a free two-part remix of Whimsical Lifestyle titled Whimsical Mixtape, which comes highly recommended, and not only because it's free. Just going to read this aloud:
"It's a mixtape that knows no boundaries as it remixes, mashes (ed: not in a 'Girl Talk' way) and reconstructs tracks from the LP while adding artists that inspired the album. The first part features a fast tempo and an upbeat style as underground and well-known commercial artists blend together. The second part leads the listener on a darker journey, following the footsteps of past projects such as 'Requeim' with Martin Erlandsson."
I'll be hitting the streets as Blade (group leader from Icy Hot Stuntaz), so if anyone wants to tag team it as Freeze, Da Flame or an anonymous hater, let me know.
And if you haven't seen it, there's a new politically-charged, "streets is real" edition of the Wassup commercial. Definitely not as strong as the grannies/Superfriends versions.
Whatever type of shenanigans you've planned for Hallow's Eve, and/or if you have costume paralysis like me but would prefer it fits with your usual theme of "something 80's," the original Von Steuben Day parade from Ferris Bueller's Day Off will be in full NYC schwing thanks to the Project Bueller team. And they need your help. In addition to a full-scale replication float full of chicks in barmaid uniforms and the "step dancing crew," organizers are recruiting secret agent parade watchers to help out. You can wear '80s business casual attire, be an out-of-breath jogger from 1982, or whatever; just be ready to rage when the float comes by.
Insider tip: "Arrive early to get a good spot - this means 6:30 if you are near the beginning (Spring and 6th Ave) and 8:30 if you are near the end (21st and 6th Ave). Where you and your friends decide to station yourselves is up to you. (Do what you feel like doing!!)
The TV Crews are stationed at 10th and 6th Ave and even though we’ll be repeating the routine throughout the path, we’re really going to rock the shit out of this block in particular. You should probably stake out good spots there as early as 6pm."
See the full FAQ here and then repeat after me: "I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I'm going to take a stand. I'm going to participate in Project Bueller and THEN go to whatever lame ass party I was planning to attend. This will be much cooler than pregaming in my underwear."
Ghostly International's Michna (aka Egg Foo Young) previously crafted unchained melodies for Bonde do Role, Diplo and others - but this weekend's all about breaking in his debut LP Magic Monday, which frankly is just tight all over the place.
Bet Lupe wants to spit over that. Bmore's More of Less crew hosts Michna at the Hexagon this Friday. Opening/closing will be a deep house/electro/disco/idm assortment from DJ Exclaime, MOL and Ari Goldman (Manhunter/Beautiful Swimmers). Saturday he's part of the Ghostly CMJ Showcase with Matthew Dear's Big Hands, School of Seven Bells and Mike Servito at (l)PR. Doors at 11 son!
Yes, it's awesome that the Lost in Translation soundtrack includes Jesus and Mary Chain, MBV and Air, but the lesser known gems are what made it a classic.
Singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Sébastien Tellier was mostly unknown outside of France and American Appys before last year, but Sofia Coppola wisely included "Fantino" - the sound of chemical imbalances on a cold Sunday afternoon - from his 2001 debut L'incroyable Vérité.
Spotted in Union Square: a zombie Palin getting tag teamed, then recruited by an Obama volunteer coordinator. Seems you can't go anywhere these days without being attacked. xoxo bt
Future Islands feat. Vic from Beach House (below), Mortal Kombat monologues, Adventure(s) with Mark Brown's lid-popping animation, Double Dagger feat. Blue Leader/Ed Schrader, Nuclear Power Pants in green shark skulls, Wham City theatrics and plenty of raw, unfiltered BO - it was like Whartscape with AC, bouncers and $7 Stellas.
Probably the best act I hadn't seen before was Denny from Smart Growth, who has transformed his sets lately from drumming over Phil Collins needle drops to rocking the crowd Girl Talk style; no mike, just a Mac and dirty South choruses extruded through Capcom rainbows.
Props to Dan Deacon and everyone supporting this tour - while there must be many challenges to coordinating 16+ dates with 20+ artists and sleeping on different floors for almost three weeks, you'd never know. This weekend (which sold out and spawned additional late shows each night) ran flawlessly, with a new artist and their A/V accompaniment kicking in seconds after the previous song finished on another stage.
Hopefully this becomes an annual tour and Baltimore is actually be on the schedule next time (failing that, maybe a local remake of Footloose?), and hopefully other artists can take a lesson on ego-free citywide collaboration.
Read a much better review of the weekend from The Village Voice, or below you can experience an approximation of every performance condensed into four minutes courtesy of Showbeast:
Pics: Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez via Elisa Brown, Future Islands feat. Vic from Beach House via Zach Wiegand, Nuclear Power Pants via pixelateit
Because it's exactly what the world needs right now. Thanks to GvB we discovered VEGA, a new project from Alan Palomo (of Ghosthustler fame), and his newest beats remind us of the time when a GT Pro Freestyle and a Hutch Trick Star with Peregrine 48s met in the middle of a high school gymnasium on a Friday night just like this one.
Our Homecoming/Sadie Hawkins student committee hired this exact same 28yo stripper in the zebra tube to loosen everyone up at the beginning - well worth the investment.
A few weeks ago an enterprising young bloke named Brendan Merrick sent us his first rmx ever for the Reckoner Remix contest, and it was/is dope but we just didn't get around to posting it. Today we check the boards and homey is #2!!! Safe. Sample below and vote him up above the glitchtronica.
Touching the table can be a difficult and dangerous task, but it means you're usually ready to complete the transition from mainstream>alt(bag) that Hipster Runoff talks about. Sometimes other fans can accidentally end up grabbing the front of your shirt, because their neon sunglasses were really fogged and they thought the front of your shirt was the table. For Bmore residents this process isn't quite as important as, say, touching Dan Deacon's sweaty Flintstones tee but it's pretty close, especially if you can get on your knees in front of the table so your face is like right next it.
If you touched the table this weekend at Sonar, please let us know how that went, and if Girl Talk played any of your favorite hits from Ice Cube, Spencer Davis Group, Roy Orbison, The Unicorns, DJ Funk, Cupid, Pete Townshend, Unk, Twisted Sister, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Huey Lewis and the News, Butthole Surfers, Lil Mama, The Rubinoos, Ludacris, Temple of the Dog, Birdman, Lil Wayne, Rage Against the Machine, Aaliyah, Timbaland, T.I., Edwin Starr, Sinead O'Connor, Shawnna, Too Short, Tenor Saw, Jay-Z, Kelis, Avril Lavigne, Jay-Z, Dolla, T-Pain, Tay Dizm, Toni Basil, Rich Boy, Aphex Twin, Jagged Edge, Michael Sembello, Ray J, Yung Berg, Rod Stewart, Ahmad, The Cool Kids, N.W.A., Youngbloodz, Lil Jon, Procol Harum, Kanye West, Michael Jackson, Blackstreet, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Radiohead, Webbie, The Band, Young Joc, Ben Folds Five, Ace of Base, Lil' Scrappy, Cassidy, Swiss Beatz, Fergie, Kenny Loggins, Gorilla Zoe, Beastie Boys, Beck, Salt-n-Pepa, Audio Two, 50 Cent, Cat Stevens, Beyoncé, Beastie Boys, Phil Collins, Busta Rhymes, The Police, The Cure, Wilson Pickett, The Fugees, Rotary Connection, Faith No More, Mike Jones, Kidz in the Hall, The Game, Boogie Down Productions, Paula Cole, Tones on Tail, Argent, Wu-Tang Clan, Genesis, Bow Wow Wow, Vanilla Ice, Jackson 5, Rihanna, Queen, Eric B & Rakim, Mary J. Blige, The Guess Who, Grandmaster Flash, Aerosmith, Ice Cube , Young Gunz, Tom Tom Club, DJ Kool, Mistah F.A.B., Turf Talk, E-40, The Spinners, Fine Young Cannibals, Bubba Sparxxx, Dexys Midnight Runners, Eddie Floyd, Fatman Scoop, Faith Evans, Missy Elliott, Nu Shooz, DJ Khaled, Paul Wall, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Heart, Public Enemy, Len, The Andrea True Connection, Young Leek, Spank Rock, Tears for Fears, Cheap Trick, Run-DMC, Bob James, Jimi Hendri, Yael Naim, Eminem, James Gang, LL Cool J, Geto Boys, En Vogue, Soul II Soul , Rick Astley, Yung Wun, DMX, Nine Inch Nails, Rick Derringer, David Banner, Pras, Mýa, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Yo La Tengo, Mims, Janet Jackso, The Soul Searcher, Diana Ross, Eve, K7, The Carpenters, Lil Mama, Soulja Boy, Stix, Carole King or Metallica.
Also, does anyone know how you can get hired to hold the table?
You heard about it a few months back, and this weekend the Bmore Round Robin is all up in our NYC kitchen. Here's the rub: Friday's Eyes Night includes Beach House, Jana Hunter, Wzt Hearts, Nautical Almanac, Lexie Mountain Boys, and more, and puts the focus on "a mixture of folk, noise, theatrics, improvisation-- music that is spiritual, dreamy etc."
Saturday's Feet Night brings music that you dance, thrash, or otherwise move around to and includes the Death Set, Double Dagger, Videohippos, Future Islands, Adventure and Deacon himself.
10/17 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge - EYES NIGHT 10/18 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge - FEET NIGHT
And a message from Transportation Dept Mgr/folkstress Jana Hunter:
"For those of you interested in attending the Round Robin performances, there is this definite opportunity to get in sans paid ticket. We need oil to power our school bus. Bring us oil, get in free. Here are the details.
Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) is the stuff that restaurants have used in their fryers. Most restaurants discard this stuff in barrels or incredibly disgusting dumpsters somewhere near their trash dumpsters. If you ask them about it, most of them are more than happy to give this to you, given that they normally have to pay a company to haul it away for them.
We ask that you bring at least 10 gallons (this is not hard to find; decent-sized restaurants throw out avg 50 gallons/week) in order to secure a guest spot, but write me regardless if you are interested in this super deal. Write me, I will write you back, we will get it figured out."
Every so often a video comes along - be it Boom Goes the Dynamite or The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Mobile, AL Leprechaun - that scrambles your wig forever. This is not one of those videos, nor does it provide any updates on the Ball State women's softball team, but it certainly belongs in the deepest annals of excellence. Witness "Take on Me" (also referred to as "Norwegian ear butter") re-rendered to literally explain everything you see during the original video. It's crescenfresh, it's easy for small children to understand, there's nothing not to like. As Matt at Fluxtumblr said, this is a concept that should be replicated again and again and again.
Do you hear that, Dust Films? It's the slowest slow clap ever attempted, in your honor, with a CPM acceleration curve that would shame even the cast members of Lucas, Can't Buy Me Love, One Crazy Summer, Dead Poets Society, Cool Runnings, and The Sarcastic Clapping Family of Southhampton. Well played sirs.
With an opener like this, surely you've time to hear the rest of Margot and the Nuclear So and So's new sophomore LP Animal!/Not Animal, out this week via Epic? (As the band disagreed on song selection they're releasing Epic's choice Not Animal on CD/digital, and Animal! on vinyl - both albums are pulled from older demos.) Haven't heard much of either yet, but 2K6's The Dust of Retreat was a solid hearth's edge deal closer. Check MKOTB for more samples.
Also RIYL, last year Bmore-based Eureka Birds sent in a few demos to Tyler Watkins (producer/bassist of MNSS) and received an invite to Indy to record their debut - be sure to check Pasta Prima for the deets/beats.
The Avalanches' Since I Left You (a BT top 5 all-time fave) contains more than 900 original samples, 99% of which I haven't recognized, but you might enjoy the lineage behind "Flight Tonight."
The repeating vocal sample is taken from De La Soul's Posdnuos on "More Than U Know," part of Prince Paul's 1999 classic A Prince Among Thieves, where the crew offers a series of creative metaphors comparing frequent crack use to commercial air travel and Julies, respectively. This song doesn't appear on any De La albums but it's still one of their best, and the lyrics are top gear.
"More Than U Know" contains a sample of Rockmaster Scott & the Dynamic Three's recording "The Roof Is On Fire," but most of the backing track is taken from The Extra T's 1983 electro-boogie "I Like It (Corn Flakes)," a tough-to-find track the Wax Poetics crew was overheard spinning a few weeks back.
When he's not busy introducing the Flute of the Commodores or brushing his teeth with Didi 7, Daryl Hall (who, if you're under 24, may indirectly be responsible for your very existence) is keeping it really real with our favorite Canadian chromeys. Together they've conceived a magical new genre called yacht crunk on Live From Daryl's House, a series of webisodes that allows today's stars to recraft their hits under the watchful eyes of the original pop shogun. Plus he has a pool and P-Thugg brought his trunks, so. No surprise that these guys would be tight, as Dave 1 listed Hall & Oates a key influence for Fancy Footwork in our interview last year.
The economy is making people act a fool, a BT staffer just saw an old guy get hit by a cab, and even though it's raining the falafel cart line is still really long. WTF.
We need to be thankful for what we've got people - and that starts with appreciating your beats; particularly William DeVaughn's 1974 classic and its varied offspring. Massive Attack covered it in 1991 and Ludacris mangled it in 2004, but neither compares to the super-dubbed Lee "Scratch" Perry/Upsetters version or Yo La's thumping platitude of gratitude.
I'm also thankful for Soul Sides dropping this Smokey Robinson gem they call a "loud, proud wake-up call of funky power." Indeed. Be sure to spend some time over there if you haven't already, it's like a musty record store basement with free schooling.
