by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Zs - Acres of Skin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - Diamond Terrifier (Zebrablood remix) (MP3)

Avant-garde band Zs are celebrating their new LP New Slaves (out now on Social Registry) with a show at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn tonight (5/11), and they've brought along a pretty amazing cast of characters to pad the show. Kicking off at 8PM, the Brooklyn band will be joined by noise collective Excepter, guitar god Mick Barr and synth band Silk Flowers with river-dredging vocals, in addition to Dutty Artz DJs Matt Shadetek & Lamin. Tickets are still available.

It's one of two NYC shows on the calendar for Zs, with the second taking place June 26th at Issue Project Room with david linton: bicameral research sound & projection system.

New Slaves marks Zs' first full-length LP on Social Registry, after dropping their Music of the Modern White EP on the label last year. The band recently debuted the track and a video for "Acres of Skin". Download that track above, and check out its video below.

The band also sent along an exclusive new remix of their song "Diamond Terrifier" done up by Zebrablood of Excepter (who play their show tonight). The result is a 12-minute dancefloor-from-hell take on the breathy 13-minute drone-like original; don't listen alone with the lights off.

That song figures into the band's plans for future, which include a record of New Slaves remixes with contributions expected from Brian Degraw (Gang Gang Dance), Gabe Andruzzi (The Rapture), Genesis P-orridge (Throbbing Gristle/Psychic Tv) Jim Thirwell (Foetus), Dutty Artz DJs, Zebrablood (Excepter) and others. They plan on touring Europe in late July/early August.

More on what's in the works for Zs and their sax player/community-mover-and-shaker Sam Hillmer (straight from Sam's mouth) - including the last concert of the Real Bushwick/Bushwick Real series on June 4th with Janka Nabay, nine11thesaurus and more, and another Maze, which he says is being planned for fall 2011, and will be constructed of chain link fences outside - is posted below...

Continue reading "the Zs record is out - MP3, a new remix, show tonight w/ Excepter & other dates & Sam Hillmer news"

photos by Leia Jospe, words By Black Bubblegum

MC Kool Kyle

Spank Rock was AWOL (once again), but the originoo headz were still in full force in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Wild Style at Danbro Studios Warehouse in Brooklyn back on November 13th. Billed performers who did show up included Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Grandmaster Caz, Grand Wizard Theodore, and The Rub. Unannounced guests included Fantastic Romantic's Master Rob and Kevie Kev, and "starchild" MC Kool Kyle. The entire night was curated by Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn and Sleep When Dead NYC (his son Joe Ahearn).

"It's not just young people here. It's a really great turnout, all over the spectrum, not just one type of person, or race, or age here," [event promoter] Todd P said.

He was right. The audience included hip NYU Freshmen with skinny jeans and ankle boots, a young CUNY professor, a 44-year-old radio station volunteer from Seattle, all sorts of music professionals, video and graffiti artists, nostalgia-stricken fans from the original Bronx scene and everyone in between.

Rapper duo Fenton Arms and Raylight Hope, who call themselves "the future of hip-hop," felt honored to be in the same building with the guys who broke ground 25 years ago.

"It's like you go back in time and actually chill with Malcolm X," said Arms. "Without that movie rap might not have happened the way it happened." [Greenpoint Gazette]

Continue reading "Wild Style (sans Spank Rock) @ Danbro Studios, NYC - pics"