Cold Specks in Chicago earlier this month (more by James Richards IV)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Brain Cloud @ Barbes
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* Leslie Kritzer @ Joe's Pub
* Lizz Winstead @ The Bell House
* Jim James, Cold Specks @ Webster Hall
* Liam Finn, Rohypnotize @ Knitting Factory
* Opeth, Katatonia @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* How to destroy angels_, DIIV @ Apollo Theater
* Frank Londons Shekhina Big Band @ The Stone
* The Neighbourhood, Wardell @ Bowery Ballroom
* Wyatt Cenac, Dan St. Germain, Ian Kamel @ Littlefield
* Cold Specks, Prince of Innocence, Hey Anna @ Pianos
* Reverend Vince Anderson and His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Animal Tropical, Harvey Eyeballs, Oscar Adams @ Cake Shop
* Cru The Dynamic, Hints, We Can't Enjoy Ourselves @ Glasslands
* Ex Caves (Yonatan of Monotonix), Laura Ortman @ Mercury Lounge
* Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood, Revocation, Ramming Speed @ Saint Vitus
* Filmmatic- An Evening of Rare Hip Hop Documentaries @ Landmark Sunshine Cinema
* DJ Bobbito Garcia, Amir Abdullah, Chairman Mao, DISTAL, Monotropics @ Bowery Electric

UPDATE: Cass McCombs, Scott Metzger, Joe Russo and friends are playing at Bar 4 tonight.

The Red Bull Music Academy NYC residency continues tonight and runs through May 31 with tons of cool events. More details HERE and HERE.

Jim James and Cold Specks tour into NYC tonight for a sold out show at Webster Hall. Check out pictures from the Chicago show on BV Chicago.

Cold Specks also plays her own show, which is not sold out, at Pianos later tonight. Want a free pair of tickets? Tweet "Give me tickets to see Cold Specks at Pianos tonight @BrooklynVegan" for a chance to win.

Jim James also plays Prospect Park this summer.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff.
Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

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Chance the Rapper is releasing his new mixtape, Acid Rap, this week (4/30), and he just put out the video for the track "Smoke Again," which features Black Hippy member Ab-Soul. Check it out below.

Speaking of awesome rap collaborations, Clams Casino and (MF) DOOM just put out a song together called "Bookfiend." Stream that below too.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

photos by Fred Pessaro // BBG

The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off in Union Park on Friday (7/13) afternoon after heavy rain slightly delayed the opening of the gates. Rain continued to be a theme of the day, but it couldn't stop the fun. Local garage rock greats Outer Minds played the first set, and the first great set of the day, followed by Jana Hunter's Lower Dens across the park which was the first set streamed live. The webcast continues today, Sunday, with Ty Segall, Real Estate, Chavez, Vampire Weekend and more.

More recaps from the weekend coming. For now, here are the pictures from Friday. One set is on BV Chicago. Another is here on BrooklynVegan, and they continue below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest 2012 pics (part 1) -- Feist, Purity Ring, Olivia Tremor Control, A$AP Rocky, Willis Earl Beal & much more"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - Kimi in a Rice Field (Spanish Prisoners remix) (MP3)

Spanish Prisoners' most recent album, Gold Fools, is only about eight months old but the Brooklyn band have a new cassette-only release, Prior Art, which will be out June 26 and "contains reworkings of songs by Clams Casino and Twin Sister, as well as remixes by shape shifters Sun Glitters and Rimar, mixed with gooey ambient stretches and swirling electronic interludes."

The Spanish Prisoners remix of Twin Sister's "Kimi in a Rice Field" -- which you can download at the top of this post -- gives the song a distinct '80s R&B thump while keeping Andrea Estella's vocals floating atop.

Spanish Prisoners have a couple notable shows coming up. They play Bowery Ballroom on Friday (6/1) opening for Freelance Whales (sold out), and will then play Knitting Factory on June 9 with 2:54 and Widowspeak (tickets are still available). The band has a few more additional dates as well and they're all listed below along with the cover art and tracklist to Prior Art.

Continue reading "Spanish Prisoners releasing 'Prior Art,' remix Twin Sister (MP3), opening for Freelance Whales, 2:54"

Blood Orange @ Converse FADER Fort SXSW 2012 (photo by thereal_lc_)

Blood Orange (aka Dev Hynes), who was just in Austin for SXSW (picture above, video below), is back home in NYC and will play a local show at Justice's favorite club Lit Lounge TONIGHT (3/21) with Rewards and Shuga. Tonight's show is one of a few one-offs for Blood Orange before he heads out on tour with Florence & the Machine. That tour hits NYC on May 8 at Radio City (sold out).

Rewards, who open tonight's show, were also added as an opener to Tanlines' upcoming Bowery Ballroom show (4/12). Tickets for that show are still available. Tanlines were also just at SXSW for a limited amount of shows and released their album, Mixed Emotions, yesterday. Alon with that came a new video for song "All of Me", directed by Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh. Watch below.

Shuga, who are also on tonight's bill and were also at SXSW, are on Luv Luv Luv Records, who are presenting tonight's Lit Lounge show and who also manage Blood Orange and Florence, who as mentioned, are touring together. Shuga has another upcoming NYC show at Tammany Hall on Monday (3/26).

--
Kindness at SXSW 2012 (via)

In related news, Kindness (aka Adam Bainbridge), who, like Blood Orange, records for Chris Taylor's (of Grizzly Bear/CANT) Terrible Records, was also just in Austin for SXSW where he shared a bill with Blood Orange at a Windish party. Kindess also played a Gorilla vs Bear/Yours Truly party and the NME showcase, among others. Dummy Mag wrote about the GvsB/YT show:

Kindess slinked on stage like the consummate crooner: smooth, self-assured and safe in the knowledge his charm would woo the crowd. He was right, too. I was a little too tired to surrender to it entirely but there's no doubting the calibre of Kindess. Top of the pops.

Speaking of Gorilla vs Bear and Florence & the Machine, GvsB just premiered a Clams Casino remix of Florence's "Never Let Me Go." Stream that below.

All dates, videos and streams below...

Continue reading "Kindness played SXSW w/ Blood Orange who plays Lit tonight w/ Shuga & Rewards (who are opening for Tanlines)"

by Andrew Sacher

Theophilus London in the studio w/ AraabMuzik (via AraabMuzik)

Theophilus London is touring the US and Canada in January and February after he plays the SnowGlove Festival in California at the end of this month. His tour will bring him to NYC on February 9 at Webster Hall. Tickets are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Theophilus, who has been tweeting about being in the studio, was just pictured in studio with AraabMuzik, who posted the above picture to his facebook earlier today.

AraabMuzik will be in NYC for New Year's Eve at the Ad Hoc party at 285 Kent with Balam Acab, Laurel Halo, Light Asylum, Run DMT, and a special guest. Tickets for that show are still available and there will be two open bars during the night.

Theophilus London's track, "I Stand Alone," was recently remixed by Skream (listen below) who it was just announced is opening for Skrillex at T5 (which sold right right out today). AraabMuzik also opens one of Skrillex's LA shows. Diplo opens one too. But even though Diplo's playing a Skrillex show and approving of the American kids loving it, he still feels that the "most exciting sound out of 2011" is the more atmospheric bass stuff like Balam Acab (who plays the NYE show in Brooklyn with AraabMuzik).

Speaking of approving, Balam Acab seems to approve of the track his Tri Angle label-mate Clams Casino produced for The Weeknd on The Weeknd's new mixtape, which you can download for free.

All Theophilus dates and the Skream remix below...

Continue reading "Theophilus London in the studio w/ AraabMuzik, remixed by Skream, going on tour (dates)"

To quote Pitchfork: "The Weeknd's follow-up to House of Balloons and Thursday is here. Grab the nine-track Echoes of Silence-- featuring a cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" and production from Clams Casino-- for free over on the-weeknd.com or here,"

House of Balloons, the first mixtape, was #1 on a list of albums that Heems from Das Racist submitted to Pitchfork. Check out Heems' full list of 'Top Albums of 2011' below...

Continue reading "3rd Weeknd mixtape released; Heems likes the 1st one a lot"

words & photos by BBG

Hopefully, there weren't masses that headed to DUMBO on Saturday (10/15) expecting a few Mozz-a-repa stands, a sausage & pepper cart, and a dealer selling his collection of "tobacco" pipes while looking for the live music. The Creators Project had much more to offer. It celebrated the different facets of creativity within art, music, and theater while showcasing live music alongside interactive sculpture to create a wholly different "festival" environment.

The musical portion was limited to two live stages and a third "DJ" stage which also housed a few exhibits. One live stage was located under an archway beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The other was in the "Tobacco Warehouse", a brick structure that has also hosted the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. The shows were free, though you needed to RSVP (and even then you needed a confirmation that you were accepted).

I kicked off my afternoon at the Tobacco Warehouse stage with Teen Daze whose laptop knob-twiddling didn't make for much of a live event. After a few songs I moved on to my first band of the day, Brooklyn's Chairlift. Caroline Polachek is the clear focus of the band's sound, with her vocals pushed to the front and the electronic-pop complementing her lilting voice. Their sunny and simple compositions were sugar-y, well executed and a good way to ease into the day, but not particularly memorable. The next performance would bring about an abrupt change.

John Maus

No one outcrazys John Maus. After the crew cleared the stage of seemingly every piece of gear, the very unassuming Maus came on to plug his Roland SP-404 sampler into the DI and his microphone into an echo pedal. With the hit of his sampler, Maus kicked off his set by bouncing left and right and jumping around. Veins bulged in his neck and face as he began to scream, sing, whimper and all but cry into his microphone during his vocal parts. Even if I had no interest in his recorded material (which I do, and tons of it), I would, as I'm sure any passerby would, still find the maniacal John Maus live (almost freak) show absolutely enthralling. Catch him again this week at 285 Kent.

After 3+ songs from Clams Casino on the laptop which was about as exciting as it sounds (dramatic key-stroke!), A$AP Rocky opened his set by explaining that people are saying he is the "biggest thing to hip hop since the Wu-Tang Clan". I'd like to meet these people. Regardless of how over/correctly hyped A$AP is, he and his crew (which included an appearance from Spaceghostpurrp) were particularly high energy - stage-diving, inciting mosh-pits, and hopping around on stage. The crowd didn't move with the same enthusiasm though. Despite calls for more participation, the crew didn't ignite similar energy in the crowd.

After a visit to see Four Tet (another knob-twiddling set), I cruised over to see Bradford Cox do a one-man Atlas Sound. I prefer Atlas Sound in full band mode to Bradford solo, but his set was fresh change to the mostly electronic vibe of the day. Cox's voice coupled with the Bridge backdrop and the Manhattan skyline was particularly impressive.

Company Flow

Up next was Company Flow, my main motivation for being there since I missed their recent reunion shows at ATP and Santos Party House.

It had been around 14 years since I saw Company Flow on tour with Organized Konfusion, the former celebrating their seminal Funcrusher Plus and the latter promoting what may be their final effort, The Equinox. That summer in 1997, Co-Flow sounded so alien to everything else in the era; primitive, noisy beats made with crude synths and harsh scratches were complemented by abstract and double-time rhymes. Lead by a white redhead-ed MC (a rarity in the era), Company Flow was truly unique in their time.

Company Flow were massive to me in that certain, early-backpacker Rawkus era, the blast-off point for El-P's noisy and dystopian blueprint at Definitive Jux. So it pains me to say that the primitive Company Flow sound hasn't aged so well live; El-P still has a good stage presence as always, but unfortunately the rawness of the tracks just now come across as simplistic in comparison to his sleeker production. It was good to see the crew though, and with Pharoahe Monch in tow, much like that night in DC in 1997.

After Co-Flow, I caught a bit of Florence & The Machine before calling it an evening meaning I also missed the abbreviated Justice DJ set. Though cops shut down Jusice early and a vocal minority of DUMBO residents complained about the takeover of their neighborhood streets, the complaints were minor leagues compared to the impressive spectacle that descended on art galleries, parks, storefronts, and even an archway underneath the Manhattan Bridge.

We're splitting this into multiple parts, so stay tuned for the rest. Meanwhile, more pictures of everything I saw, below...

Continue reading "Creators Project in DUMBO in pics & review -- part 1 (Company Flow, John Maus, A$AP Rocky, Chairlift & more)"

PRESS RELEASE:

The Creators Project will return to New York from October 15 - October 16 by transforming the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn into a colossal two-day arts and technology festival.

After spending the year traveling the world, VICE and Intel's The Creators Project lands back in New York with a marquee lineup of live performances and original Studio works by groundbreaking artists, musicians, designers and filmmakers.

This year's festival will take to the streets of DUMBO, Brooklyn, erecting 30-foot sculptures, showcasing works from over thirty leading international artists, and featuring dozens of live music performances. The event will also include the world premiere of Karen O's psycho-opera, Stop The Virgens, along with film screenings and panels.

Original artworks include Life on Mars Revisited, an immersive short film of David Bowie's classic space-rock anthem from legendary music photographer Mick Rock and filmmaker Barney Clay; 'A Physical Manifestation of Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space,' a cathedral-like physical manifestation of the song created by Spiritualized's J. Spaceman and acclaimed film director Jonathan Glazer; and Origin, a striking thirty by thirty foot audiovisual installation by UVA and composer Scanner, which will be the largest responsive work ever created by the UK based artists.

The festival runs:
Saturday 12-10pm
Sunday 12-8pm

Lineup, venue list, etc, below...

Continue reading "Creators Project announces 2 day DUMBO fest (Florence & the Machine, Atlas Sound, Company Flow, Four Tet, John Maus, more)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Main Attrakionz - Take 1 Feat ASAP Rocky (Prod by Clams Casino (MP3)

Lo-fi rappers Main Attrakionz (aka Squadda B and Mondre) dropped a new album 808s & Dark Grapes II last week (8/16) for free on their bandcamp. It's a pretty tight collection of hazy blown out beats and laid back flow. Check out the Clams Casino-produced "Take 1" featuring ASAP Rocky, which you can grab above. Tee album art, tracklist, and a video for "Perfect Skies" are below.

Main Attrakionz will make their NYC debut on Friday (8/26) at the New Museum. Tickets are on sale now and are $2 less for New Museum members. The show will also include the premiere of a new video work by AHYVE, who is on the Main Attrakionz LP, and a DJ set by Walkmaster Flex. Ethan Swan interviewed the duo for the New Museum blog. Here's what the guys had to say about coming to New York:

What are your feelings about playing in New York for the first time?

S: Excited man, definitely a blessing.

You've collaborated with and/or shouted out some New York artists in the past, is there anyone you're looking forward to meeting in person at the show? Do you have a wish list of New Yorkers you'd like to show up?

S: No I didn't have no wish list. There's a lot of artists I do want to meet from New York, though.

M: Diddy should bring some Ciroc.

S: I do wanna meet Diddy.

M: And tell Dame Dash to stop in.

S: For sure Dame Dash! Styles P.

M: Mazaradi Fox. The whole 5 Boroughs, man.

S: Man I fuck with NY, all 5 boroughs.

M: I wanna see who got the lo-fi lab out there, recording out the closet.

Video, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "check out Main Attrakionz -- new album, MP3, shows Friday"

photos by Erez Avissar

"Ayshay is killing it at warm up right now! oOoOO is on v soon!" - Tri Angle Records

"Wow... @oOoOOsounds is playing a mindblowing, amazing set at @MoMAPS1WarmUp right now!" - Anthony Anomalyy

"@oOoOOsounds @butterclock u guys were the shit at warm up <3" - Balam Acab

Butterclock w/ oOoOO @ PS1

Warm Up continued at MoMA PS1 on Saturday (8/13) with His Name is Alive, Black Dice, Water Borders, Clams Casino, oOoOO, Ayshay and short DJ sets from Brandon Stosuy, Jon Galkin, and Robin Carolan of Tri Angle Records (who is also DJing our Chelsea Wolfe show this Wednesday night).

oOoOO played a live set with Butterclock producing, singing, and hustling. Butterclock has been providing vocals for oOoOO for the whole US tour, which also hit Mercury Lounge two days before PS1 (8/11) with Water Borders. Check out a video of oOoOO and Butterclock doing "Hustlin'" at the Mercury Lounge show below along with more pictures from the PS1 show...

Continue reading "His Name is Alive, Black Dice, Water Borders, Clams Casino, oOoOO, Butterclock, Ayshay & more played PS1 (pics)"

Shit Robot at Terminal 5 (more by Andrew St Clair)

Shit Robot has a few DJ and performance dates in the near future as part of a tour that kicks off in Chicago on Friday night at The Mid where James Murphy will also DJ. The NYC date is a DJ set at Le Bain on August 14th (no James). Full tour dates and a new mixtape and a remix by Shit Robot are below.

In other DFA Records news, The Rapture will play a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on 8/20 which is followed by a bunch of European touring (updated dates below). The band recently released a new remix via an Adult Swim series. You can download the original for the price of your email at DFA. Adult Swim has since released the new Clams Casino track, "Wizard".

Juan MacLean has a few upcoming dates as well, including the previously discussed date on 8/20 at PS1 with Pictureplane (who just played a hot 285 Kent), Blood Orange, Solange Knowles and more. Full tour schedule is below.

Rewards aka Aaron Pfenning of Chairlift has signed to DFA and is releasing a 12" called Equal Dreams which is a track featuring vocals by Solange Knowles. Blood Orange aka Devonté Hynes contributes to the flip, "Asleep with the Lights On". Stream both songs below.

LCD Soundsystem guitarist Phil Mossman and Will Bates are Fall On Your Sword, and the duo are preparing to release the DFA debut too. The new single features extended versions of tracks from the soundtrack of Another Earth. Stream both songs, with a video for one too, below.

And last but not least, Holy Ghost hit the road as part of the Identity Festival in middle August, tagging PNC Bank Arts Center on 8/14 and Jones Beach Ampitheater on 8/21. Tickets are still available for both dates (they are no longer $20 though).

All tour dates and those Shit Robot mixes are below.

Continue reading "DFA Updates -- Shit Robot shows, Rewards, Fall on Your Sword & more (dates & songs to listen to)"

The Rapture at FYFest (more by Rachel Carr)

The Rapture have released an Emperor Machine Remix Edit of "How Deep Is Your Love?" via the Adult Swim Singles Program (which recently released songs by Best Coast, The Tallest Man On Earth, Mastodon, How To Dress Well, Ford & Lopatin, and Active Child). Listen to the song below now. Download it Wednesday (7/20) along with all the other tracks released so far. Look for upcoming songs from Clams Casino, JJ feat. Ne-Yo, El-P, and Cerebral Ballzy in the coming weeks.

The Rapture play Music Hall Of Williamsburg on 8/20 before they head across the pond to the EU. The show is sold-out. All dates are also listed below.

Continue reading "Adult Swim Singles continues w/ a Rapture remix (listen)"

DOWNLOAD: Clams Casino - "Gorilla" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clams Casino - FACT Mix (MP3)

Mike Volpe aka Clams Casino released an instrumental mixtape in March, largely made up of beats he produced for Lil B and Soulja Boy. He'll follow that up with his first collection of exclusively instrumental material, Rainforest EP on June 27 via Tri Angle. The EP is available for pre-order on Tri Angle's website and is streaming now below. You can also watch the video for the EP track "Gorilla" below and grab the MP3 above.

A brand new hip hop mix he made for FACT Magazine can also be downloaded above, and streamed below.

Clams Casino doesn't make it easy to figure out where he'll be performing live, and he doesn't seem to do so that often, but he actually was in Brooklyn on Sunday. He and DJ Neon Indian were added very last minute as surprise guests to the Northside dance party hapening at Cameo (Wise Blood, Creep, etc were on the announed lineup). I don't think anyone actually knew though (not to mention it was a Sunday). IGIF tweeted, "cameo is empty for clams casino, dude doesn't seem too into it, speakers sound blown out... but overall sounds hot." The circumstanes should be much better when Clams plays a PS1 Warm Up event on August 13 with Black Dice, His Name Is Alive (DJ set), and Tri Angle labelmates oOoOO, Ayshay, and Water Borders. It's his only announced date at the moment (that we know of).

Black Dice also open for Animal Collective at the sold out July 12 Prospect Park show like they did in 09.

Killer Mike recently freestyled over the Clams Casino track "Brainwash by London" off his instrumental mixtape for Pitchfork TV. Check out the video below. Killer Mike is currently working on a new album with El-P who just announced a Company Flow reunion show.

Clams Casino album stream and videos and stuff below...

Continue reading "Clams Casino (Rainforest EP stream, FACT Mix, Killer Mike freestyle, a Northside show, a PS1 show, new video & stuff)"

crowd @ Warm Up 2010 (more by Zach Dilgard)

The full schedule for MoMa's 20l1 'Warm Up' season at PS1 has since been announced. The dance parties happen at the Long Island City location every Saturday from July 2 through September 3 from 2 PM to 9 PM. Admission is $15 and includes access to all exhibitions and 'Warm Up.' Check out the full lineup below.

As discussed, Four Tet and Matthewdavid play 'Warm Up' on July 9. STBRKT (who recently collaborated with Little Dragon) along with FaltyDL and others are also on that bill.

Other days feature Delicate Steve, Odd Future DJ Syd tha Kyd, Black Dice, Juan Maclean, Blood Orange, Solange, Grimes, Tanlines, Sun Araw and many other DJs, producers and and bands. Das Racist, Simian Mobile Disco, Ford & Lopatin, Gang Gang Dance and a few other groups are performing DJ sets.

More info and the full schedule below...

Continue reading "PS1's 2011 'Warm Up' lineup announced"