photos by Brook Bobbins

"One particular event that had people flocking to the upper west side of the city [on 4/20] was the West NYC x Milkcrate Athletics event powered by AMPMNY that paid homage to one of hip hops most respected pioneers of all time, Rakim. The Godly Collaboration features a West and Milkcrate tee collaboration with a Rakim image on it captured by photographer Janette Beckman, she captured the Golden Era of Rakim in his iconic stance in stark black and white quality photo. Aaron LaCrate held down the turntables for the God Emcee, It was a great night with a lot of die hard hip hop fans at West 147 NYC." [Jungle Gym]

A set of pictures and a couple of videos from the West 147 event are in this post, and they continue below...

Continue reading "Rakim played West 147 w/ Aaron LaCrate (pics & video), touring Europe, playing Summerstage"

Ra Ra Riot @ MHOW in 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Speaking of Japan benefits, The Bell House has two special ones scheduled....

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot, Wyatt Cenac, Tim Harrington, Todd Barry & many, many more playing Japan benefits @ the Bell House "

DOWNLOAD: Red Foxx - Live atLovelife, Providence 5/9/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Joee Irwin - Decks, Box & MBP (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - Remixes, Volume 1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - live at I Love Techno, 11/15/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BM LINX - 123CAT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Twelves - When You Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Paris(Aeroplane Remix) (MP3)

After spending 3 relaxing, but tame nights in suburbia over Thanksgiving I was more than ready to hit the floor this past Saturday night. I arrived to a pretty full Studio B (especially considering it was only 11:30), that was already getting down to the beginning of 2020Soundsystem's set. The live electronic band from Leeds started off with some mellower, techno sounds which seemed to progress as their set went on, becoming richer and more upbeat with each successive track.

As I was getting more and more into their set, two thoughts kept coming to mind: 1. I really wish the drummer would get going on those drums. It was puzzling to see a live electronic band using programmed drum beats while their drummer sat calmly, quietly adding subtle taps on the drums and cymbals. and 2. I really wish they had somebody singing.

After a while I spotted Dominique Keegan in the crowd which reminded me that he had done some vocals for 2020. A few minutes later Ralph Lawson (dj,beats, etc.) called Dom onstage, where he lent his vocals for the last few songs of their set which included 2020soundsystem's remix of "Won't Bother Me" by the Glass as well as what I assume was "No Order" (one of the tracks they had collaborated on prior) and some others. Dom's vocals and presence coupled with drummer Danny Ward finally pounding on the drums really brought everything together into the live electro-techno dance party I was hoping it could be.

The fun continued from there as JDH & Dave P took the crowd into a great, varied deejay set of some awesome, recent tracks I hadn't heard played out much (if at all). You can download one particularly notable one, Aeroplane's remix of "Paris" by Friendly Fires' (who will be here next week!) at the top of this post.

Before I knew it JDH & Dave P surrendered the booth to excellent Berlin deejay/producer Ewan Pearson. Despite producing & remixing loads of acts over the past ten years, and creating an equally impressive amount of his own tracks, Ewan has flown under my radar save for a handful of remixes. I had very little idea what to expect from his set. From 1:30 until the lights came up at 4, Ewan treated the enthusiastic Studio B crowd to a set that started off on the techno side of things and gradually got deeper and more techy as the night went on. Ewan's set was one continual build-up that ended with him touching on a variety of genres from electro to disco to house while somehow still maintaining the deep, techno feel. I would love to provide a setlist for such a great night of music, but my limited familiarity with Ewan's tracks combined with the amount of new material a friend told me he was playing made that impossible. He played a great, very stripped down version of Tiga's "Mind Dimension" toward the end and that was literally the only track I could identify the entire night - a pleasant change from hearing deejays play the same 15 songs which inevitably make you lose it on enough floors until they eventually bore you.

If you didn't make it out that night or if you did and want to hear more, Ewan was on Beats In Space on Tuesday and the show is available to stream/download. 2020Soundsystem will also be back in the states in March.

Things don't really seem to get going until Friday(12/5) this week, so that's where we're starting:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (2020Soundsystem, Ewan Pearson, the Rub, the Martinez Brothers, more...)"

DOWNLOAD: The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By (Hot Chip Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fatlip - What's Up Fatlip? (Breakbot RMX) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir- Young MC 'Know How Theme' (MP3)

RMXXOLOGY features Delicious Vinyl classics by the likes of Tone-Loc, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, The Brand New Heavies, and Born Jamericans re-imagined by artists including Peaches, Eminem, Diplo, Hot Chip, Phillipians, Ed Banger's Mr. Flash, and Bobby Evans. The singles for the album have been burning up the charts in the UK and here in the US.

Continue reading "The Pharcyde remixed by Hot Chip (and other MP3s)"